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In this study, in order to evaluate the influences of drying methods on the chemical structures and bioactivities of polysaccharides from okra (OPPs), four drying methods, including microwave drying at 400 W, 600 W, and 800 W, freezing drying, hot air drying, and vacuum drying, were applied to dry okra fruits. Six different OPPs were extracted from okra dried by different drying methods. Results showed that physicochemical characteristics and bioactivities of OPPs varied by different drying methods. Noticeable variations in extraction yields, molecular weights, rheological properties, molar ratios of constituent monosaccharides, contents of uronic acids, degrees of esterification, and contents of total phenolics were observed in OPPs obtained by different drying methods. In addition, results showed that OPPs, especially OPP-H and OPP-V obtained by hot air drying and vacuum drying, respectively, exhibited remarkable antioxidant activities (ABTS, DPPH, and nitric oxide radical scavenging activities, and ferric reducing antioxidant powers), strong in vitro binding capacities (fat, cholesterol, and bile acids binding capacities), and obvious inhibitory activities on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Results suggested that the hot air and vacuum drying techniques could be appropriate drying methods before extraction of OPPs with high bioactivities for applications in the functional food and medicine industries.

Semitransparent organic solar cells (OSCs) have great potential for vehicle-integrated and building-integrated photovoltaics with their rapidly increased power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). For these purposes, the efficiency of semitransparent OSCs at an adequate transparency should be further increased. In this work, a ladder-type dithienonaphthalene-based acceptor (DTNIF) with a high-lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level is used as a third component material for ternary OSCs which show increased PCEs with enlarged values in open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and fill factor. Consequently, outstanding PCEs of 16.73% and 13.49% are achieved for the corresponding opaque and semitransparent ternary OSCs, respectively. The efficiency of 13.49% for the semitransparent OSCs at an average visible transmittance (AVT) of 22.58% is the highest reported to date, to the best of our knowledge. This work provides an effective strategy to fabricate high-performance semitransparent OSCs at high AVT values by using an excellent third component acceptor material.

Along with the rapidly increasing power conversion efficiency (PCE) of polymer solar cells (PSCs), the stability of PSCs has become one of the crucial issues for the commercial application of this technology. Ternary PSCs exhibit great potential in improving the device efficiency and stability. However, the main cause behind the improvement in the efficiency and stability has been a lack of in-depth investigation. Moreover, the basic working mechanism of ternary solar cells is still ambiguous and it is urgently necessary to further understand it. Here, a small-molecule acceptor (SMA) IDT-OT was developed and introduced into a binary system containing polymer donor PBDB-T (donor) and fullerene acceptor (FA) PC71BM to construct donor/FA/SMA ternary PSCs. The results reveal that the incorporation of IDT-OT into the PBDB-T/PC71BM binary system can improve the PCE up to 9.09% and enhance the thermal stability of the ternary PSCs relative to all the binary systems. In-depth investigations indicate that the enhanced device performance and stability are closely related to an intermixed small-molecule/fullerene acceptor alloy formed by IDT-OT and PC71BM in which the structural nature of the two acceptors is remarkably different. This distinctive alloy system is verified via investigating the dependence of the LUMO energy level and open-circuit voltage on the weight ratio of IDT-OT in the acceptor blend and the miscibility of the two acceptors by morphological characterization and water contact angle measurements. This small-molecule/fullerene acceptor alloy phase is beneficial for improving charge dissociation, collection and transport as well as the carrier mobility, and suppressing bimolecular recombination, thus leading to the increase of Jsc and FF of the ternary PSCs. Interestingly, photoluminescence and donor-free device performance studies demonstrate that there exists not only efficient charge transfer but also Forster resonance energy transfer between PC71BM and IDT-OT, which has rarely been found in previously reported ternary PSCs. Moreover, we suppose the stable active layer morphology benefitting from the formation of this small-molecule/fullerene acceptor alloy as the main reason behind the observed improvement in the thermal stability of the ternary PSCs. This work suggests that introducing an SMA into an FA to form a small-molecule/fullerene acceptor alloy could be a powerful tool to realize high-performance and stable PSCs.

The mechanism of a low-temperature water-gas shift reaction (LT-WGSR) over supported gold catalysts has long been disputed, with the two prevailing ones being redox and associative mechanisms, due to the rather limited direct and reliable evidence for the actual reaction route. Herein, a typical supported gold-based catalyst (Au@TiO2−x/ZnO) was obtained via a structural topotactic transformation from hydrotalcite precursors, exhibiting an extremely high catalytic performance towards LT-WGSR. A series of experimental measurements involving in situ/operando DRIFTS, in situ Pulse-MASS and in situ/operando EXAFS as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to monitor the dynamic evolution of active sites, detect reaction intermediates and identify the reaction route. A new redox reaction route derived from the interfacial synergistic catalysis was verified: one H2O molecule undergoes dissociation at an Auδ−–Ov–Ti3+ (Ov: oxygen vacancy) interfacial active site, accompanied with the production of one H2 molecule and the oxidation of the interfacial structure to Au0–Or–Ti4+ (Or: the interfacial reactive oxygen species). Subsequently, one chemisorbed CO molecule captures Or to produce CO2 with the recovery of Auδ−–Ov–Ti3+. The present understanding and identification of the reaction mechanism of LT-WGSR would offer inspiration for further material exploration and catalyst design in gold-based heterogeneous catalysis.

The ion exchange reaction has been extensively used in the field of synthesis of functionalized supramolecular materials such as layered double hydroxides (LDHs), ion-embedded batteries, sewage disposal and so on. In this work, the factors influencing the anion exchange behavior in the LDH gallery, such as the exchange domain, the exchange order, the driving force, and the diffusion of the anions, are investigated systematically using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) methods in view of both thermodynamics and dynamics. 159 models of MIIRAl-A-LDHs (MII = Mg, Ni, Zn; R = 1.4-8, A = OH-, Cl-, Br-, NO3-, HCOO-, C6H5SO3-, CO32-, SO42-, and PO43-, respectively) are calculated. The results reveal that the anion exchange domain (interlayer distance) in LDHs is determined not only by the size and their arrangement modes of the guest anions, but also by the charges the anions carry. The relative binding energies of different anions and the Gibbs free energy changes of the anion exchange reactions in LDHs decrease in the order of PO43- > CO32- > SO42- > OH- > Cl- > Br- > HCOO- > NO3- > C6H5SO3-, which is in accordance with the experimental anion exchange order. The stronger the hydrogen bonding between the anion and the host, the larger the charge transfer, and the smaller the electronegativity of the anion, the more difficult it is for the anion to be exchanged out from LDH interlayer. In addition, for the anions with the same charges, the relative binding energy is linearly well correlated with the interlayer spacing. By analyzing the contribution of each energetic item comprising the total potential energy, it is found that the major driving force of anion exchange is the electrostatic force. The diffusion coefficient (D) along the c direction is nearly equal to zero, suggesting that the diffusion of anions occurs mainly in the ab plane of the LDH cell. It also can be inferred that when the cell parameter c 24.0 A, both the thermodynamic and the dynamic factors cast the same effect on the anion exchange behavior. This work provides an in-depth understanding of the anion exchange behavior, and is helpful guidance for the design and synthesis of functionalized guest anion intercalated LDHs and related materials using the anion-exchange method.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), the mainstream treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a method of blocking tumor blood vessels with a mixture of lipiodol and chemotherapeutics. And the contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) is the commonly used way for follow-up of HCC after TACE. However, it is noteworthy that when lipiodol deposition plays an embolic effect, it also produces high-density artifacts in CT images. These artifacts usually conceal the enhancement effect of iodine contrast agents. As a result, the residual region is difficult to be visualized. To overcome this obstacle, we developed one kind of Lu

Background Tracheal stent implantation is widely used in clinic settings. Timely removal of tracheal stents could prevent or reduce related complications. This study was aimed at evaluating the feasibility and safety of removing tracheal stents by an interventional technique under fluoroscopy. Methods Clinical data of patients with self-expanding uncovered tracheal stents removed by an interventional technique under fluoroscopy were analyzed retrospectively, including medical records, imaging findings, surgical records, and follow-up results. According to the type and time of stent placement and the proliferation of granulation tissue under bronchoscopy, different tracheal stent removal techniques were used to remove the tracheal stent under fluoroscopy, and the feasibility and safety of the interventions were analyzed. Results In all, 148 tracheal stents were removed from 112 patients; 95.9% (142/148) of the stents were completely removed and 4.1% (6/148) had a small amount of metal residue, and foreign-body forceps were removed under fiber bronchoscopy guidance. In 78 (69.6%), 32 (21.6%), and 6 (5.4%) patients, the tracheal stent was removed by the internal stripping, direct removal, and stent-in-stent methods, respectively. The overall stent removal time ranged from 11 to 111 (28.9 ± 20.1) min. During stent removal, 16 (14.3%) and 13 (11.6%) patients developed mild and moderate complications, respectively. There were no serious complications such as massive hemorrhage, mediastinal fistula, or death. Conclusions An interventional technique under fluoroscopy for stent removal is a feasible, safe, and effective method and could serve as a technique for tracheal stent removal in clinical settings.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Metformin did not affect the expression of SOCS3 in either SH-SY5Y cells or C8-DA cells. (a) SH-SY5Y cells were subjected to metformin (2.5 mM) for 12 h. (b) c8-DA cells were treated with metformin (2.5 mM) for 12 h. The protein level of SOCS3 was tested by western blot (n = 3). Data were analyzed by Student���s t-test. Figure S2. Metformin did not affect the level of miRNA-30a-5p in either SH-SY5Y cells or C8-DA cells. (a) SH-SY5Y cells were treated with metformin (2.5 mM) for 12 h. (b) c8-DA cells were treated with metformin (2.5 mM) for 12 h. The level of miRNA-30a-5p was calculated by real time PCR (n = 3). Data were analyzed by Student���s t-test.

Microhaplotype loci (microhaplotype, MHs), defined by two or more closely linked single nucleotide polymorphisms, are a type of molecular marker within a short segment of DNA. As emerging forensic genetic markers, MHs have no stutter artefacts and higher polymorphism, and permit the design of smaller amplicons. In order to identify the markers from a genome wide perspective and explore their potential application further, we constructed the most comprehensive MH dataset to date, based on the whole genome sequencing data of 105 Han individuals in Southern China from 1000 Genomes Project. The results showed that there were 9,490,075 MH loci in the range of 350 bp in the human genome, and the distribution density of microhaplotypes suggests gene variation. Polymorphism analysis of MHs from various base spans showed that the polymorphism of MHs could reach or exceed common short tandem repeat sites. In addition, based on their flexible assembly, a scheme to build the public database of microhaplotypes was proposed.微单倍型(microhaplotype, MH)是在一定DNA片段范围之内,由至少两个单核苷酸多态性位点组成的遗传标记。MH兼具无stutter伪峰、多态性丰富以及扩增子较小等特点,有望成为法医学上的一种新型遗传标记。为了从全基因组维度上分析MH的特征,进一步发掘其应用潜能,本研究基于千人基因组计划中105个中国南方汉族个体的全基因组测序数据,构建了迄今为止最全面的MH数据集。结果表明,人类基因组中350 bp范围之内的MH位点数量共计9,490,075个,且微单倍型分布密度对染色体变异水平具有提示作用。从多种碱基跨度范围对MH的多态性分析表明,其多态性潜能可达到或者超过常用短串联重复序列位点的水平。此外,本文归纳总结了MH组装灵活等特点,并提出了构建微单倍型数据库的方案。.

The water-gas shift reaction (WGSR) plays a pivotal role in many important industrial processes as well as in the elimination of residual CO in feed gas for fuel cells. The development of a high-efficiency low-temperature WGSR (LT-WGSR) catalyst has attracted considerable attention. Herein, we report a ZnO-modified Cu-based nanocatalyst (denoted as Cu@ZnO/Al

The design and exploitation of high-performance catalysts as well as understanding the structure-property correlation have gained considerable attention in selective hydrogenation reactions, but remain a huge challenge. Herein, we report a RuNi single atom alloy (SAA) in which Ru single atoms are anchored onto Ni nanoparticle surface via Ru–Ni coordination accompanied with electron transfer from sub-surface Ni to Ru. The optimal catalyst 0.4% RuNi SAA exhibits simultaneously improved activity (TOF value: 4293 h− 1) and chemoselectivity toward selective hydrogenation of 4-nitrostyrene to 4-aminostyrene (yield: >99%), which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest level compared with reported heterogeneous catalysts. In situ experimental researches based on XAFS, FT-IR measurements and theoretical calculations reveal that the Ru–Ni interfacial sites as intrinsic active centers facilitate the preferential cleavage of N–O bond in nitro group with a decreased energy barrier by 0.35 eV. In addition, the Ru–Ni synergistic catalysis promotes the formation of intermediates (C8H7NO* and C8H7NOH*) and accelerates the rate-determining step (hydrogenation of C8H7NOH*), resulting in the extraordinary activity and chemoselectivity toward nitroarenes hydrogenation.

Catalytic conversion of a biomass derivative (levulinic acid, LA) to a high value-added product (γ-valerolactone, GVL) has attracted much attention, in which the control of catalytic selectivity plays an important role. Herein, a stepwise method was developed to prepare Co-MoO

Objective: Through metabolomics method, the objective of the paper is to differentially screen serum metabolites of GDM patients and healthy pregnant women, to explore potential biomarkers of GDM and analyze related pathways, and to explain the potential mechanism and biological significance of GDM. Methods: The serum samples from 30 GDM patients and 30 healthy pregnant women were selected to conduct non-targeted metabolomics study by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The differential metabolites between the two groups were searched and the metabolic pathway was analyzed by KEGG database. Results: Multivariate statistical analysis found that serum metabolism in GDM patients was different significantly from healthy pregnant women, 36 differential metabolites and corresponding metabolic pathways were identified in serum, which involved several metabolic ways like, fatty acid metabolism, butyric acid metabolism, bile secretion, and amino acid metabolism. Conclusion: The discovery of these biomarkers provided a new theoretical basis and experimental basis for further study of the early diagnosis and pathogenesis of GDM. At the same time, LC-MS-based serum metabolomics methods also showed great application values in disease diagnosis and mechanism research. Keywords: Gestational diabetes mellitus, Metabolomics, Serum, Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, Metabolic pathway analysis

In this paper, TiB reinforced Ti-6Al-4V matrix composites were successfully fabricated using a spark plasma sintering, hot rolling and heat treating process. (Transformed β-Ti + secondary α-Ti) domains were formed in TiB/TMCs after heat treatment. The size of these domains increases from 2.5 μm to 4.6 μm with the increase of solution time. The aspect ratio of whiskers monotonously decreases along with the solution time extending. The highest ultimate tensile strength of 1332 MPa and yield-strength of 1315 MPa were achieved by (940 °C, 15min+ water-quenching+537 °C, 4h) TMC.

Jianguo Sun,1,2 Zhibao Zheng,1 Qi Chen,2 Yin Pan,1 Hongsheng Lu,3 Hui Zhang,3 Yingzhi Yu,3 Yuechu Dai11Department of Surgical Oncology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Precision Medicine Center, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaBackground: Cancer metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death in breast cancer. However, our understanding of its mechanisms is still limited. At this study, the biological roles and clinical significance of NRF3 (NFE2L3, nuclear factor, Erythroid 2 Like 3) in breast cancer are evaluated for the first time.Methods: NRF3 expression in breast cancer cell lines and clinical specimens was determined by western blot and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, cell migration, and invasion were detected by MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. All other proteins were measured by western blot. The clinical significance of NRF3 was analyzed using the data from tissue microarray.Results: We found that NRF3 expression was obviously suppressed in breast cancer tissues, and negatively associated with the Lymph node metastasis status and tumor stages. Our data also indicated NRF3 expression was much higher in MCF-7 cells than that in MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3 cells which were more malignant. Silence of NRF3 in MCF-7 cells could significantly promote cell proliferation by reducing the cell number in the G0/G1 phase. Exogenous expression of NRF3 in SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 cells effectively inhibited both cell growth and metastasis with epithelial–mesenchymal transition and MMPs expression suppressed. NRF3 overexpression also impaired the ID3 expression by inactivating the AKT signaling pathway. Exogenous expression of ID3 could not only effectively promote breast cancer cell invasion by inhibiting E-cadherin expression and upregulating MMP-2 expression, but also attenuated the inhibitory function of NRF3 on the breast cancer cell invasion.Conclusion: Our findings suggested that NRF3 inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis via inhibiting AKT/ID3 axis at least partially, and potentially to be a valuable clinic marker in breast cancer prognosis.Keywords: human breast cancer, NRF3, metastasis, EMT, AKT/ID3, overall survival

The Isa/Ausmelt smelting technology with a top submerged lance (TSL) has been extensively used in copper smelting processes. However, the TSL is extremely vulnerable to damage and failure because of bending and tip burning. Frequent lance replacement is time-consuming and limits the copper production capacity. Here, a numerical simulation method is used to study the influence of lance failure on the flow field, splashing of slag, and wall shear of the lance as well as furnace body for exploring the factors that limit the service life of the lance. The simulation results reveal that the fluid flow is weak on the reverse bending side, which is is not conducive to mixing of raw materials when the lance is bent, resulting in a significant amount of slag splashing. After the lance tip is burned out, the utilization of agitation energy decreases because of an increase in the lance outlet area, resulting in poor stirring of the molten bath and a considerable loss of heat. In addition, this study shows that the lance wall shear varies because of slag splashing, implying that the wall shear can be reduced by reducing slag splashing.

Taking account of the fascinating properties of photovoltaic materials with conjugated side chains and the great influence of side-chain engineering on molecular structures and optoelectronic properties, we herein successfully developed three novel A–D–A (A = acceptor unit, D = donor unit) type small molecular acceptors (SMAs), IDTV-PhIC, m-IDTV-PhIC, and IDTV-ThIC, based on a methylene-modified indacenodithiophene (IDT) donor building block (IDTV), in which four flanking aryls were introduced as the conjugated side chains by grafting onto the two ethylene bridges of the IDT unit. The effects of the conjugated side chain and its type (phenyl vs. thienyl) as well as the substitution position (para vs. meta) on the molecular structures, physicochemical properties, charge transport properties, film morphology and photovoltaic performance of these SMAs have been investigated systematically. Compared to the control molecule IDT-PhIC based on IDT, the three IDTV-based acceptors exhibit extended conjugation in the vertical direction, which can enlarge the π-electron delocalization region along the molecular backbone and thus broaden the absorption spectra, reduce the bandgaps and elevate energy levels. Additionally, the conjugated side chains far away from the framework of the IDTV segment can enhance the rigidity, resulting in decreased solubility and improved charge transport properties of the SMAs. Because of the synergistic effects of changing the conjugated side-chain type and substitution position, m-IDTV-PhIC with meta-hexyloxyphenyl as the conjugated side chains exhibits relatively good solubility, a broad absorption spectrum and a high-lying LUMO energy level, moderate molecular planarity and better charge transport properties and film morphology, which are beneficial for achieving higher Voc, Jsc, and FF in devices compared to the control IDT-PhIC and the other IDTV-based SMAs IDTV-PhIC and IDTV-ThIC. As a result, among these acceptors, a polymer solar cell (PSC) fabricated with m-IDTV-PhIC as an acceptor and polymer PBDB-T as the donor delivers the best PCE of 5.85% with both the highest Voc (0.99 V) and Jsc (11.58 mA cm−2). This work not only provides a simple and effective strategy for developing new A–D–A type SMAs with conjugated side chains but also proves that the side-chain modification is an effective approach to optimize photovoltaic performance of the acceptors in PSCs.

Polysaccharides are one of the major bioactive components in chrysanthemum teas. In order to understand well the chemical structures and bioactivities of polysaccharides from different chrysanthemum teas (JHPs) collected in China, the physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant activity, and antiglycation activity of polysaccharides extracted from different chrysanthemum teas, including Coreopsis tinctoria, Chrysanthemum indicum, C. morifolium ‘Huangju’, C. morifolium ‘Gongju’, and C. morifolium ‘Hangbaiju’, were investigated. The results showed that the contents of total uronic acids and total phenolics in JHPs ranged from (28.4 ± 0.3)% to (36.2 ± 0.2)%, and from 9.4 ± 0.7 to 70.2 ± 1.7 mg GAE per g, respectively. The molecular weights of fraction 1 and fraction 2 in JHPs ranged from 4.29 × 105 to 5.88 × 105 Da, and from 4.11 × 104 to 5.24 × 104 Da, respectively. The dominant constituent monosaccharides of JHPs were galacturonic acid, arabinose, and galactose. Furthermore, JHPs, especially polysaccharides extracted from C. tinctoria, exerted remarkable ABTS, DPPH, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, as well as strong antiglycation activities. The results are helpful for better understanding of the chemical structures and bioactivities of JHPs, and JHPs may have good potential applications in the functional-food industry.

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment that utilizes the innate or adaptive immunity to generate a robust killing of malignant cells. However, only a limited number of cancer patients showed responsiveness to immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors, suggesting the need for potent alternative strategies. In the present study, we explored the therapeutic potentials of costimulatory molecules including TNF superfamily member 4 (TNFSF4), member 9 (TNFSF9), and member 18 (TNFSF18). In tumor samples from human colorectal and lung cancer patients, expression of these factors positively correlated with lymphocyte infiltration and expression of several immune effector genes. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, overexpression of the TNF superfamily costimulatory factors in murine colorectal or lung cancer cells significantly suppressed tumor progression. Especially, TNFSF9 and 18 showed stronger antitumor effects than TNFSF4. Together, our study demonstrated the great potential of cancer immunotherapy targeting these immune costimulatory molecules.

Two dithienocyclopentafluorene-based small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) were developed that feature methylene-functionalized conjugated side chains, to study the effect of arylmethylene substitution and its number on structure, optoelectronic properties and device performance. Results showed that two SMAs have better absorption properties and planarity, lower bandgaps and higher LUMOs compared with the control SMA without conjugated side chains. The synthesized SMAs were tested in polymer solar cells for examples of their applicability. This work argues that the introduction of methylene-functionalized conjugated side chains has great potential in tuning molecular structure, optoelectronic properties, device physics and photovoltaic performance of SMAs.

This study examines the usefulness of both geometric and volumetric measurements of orbital soft tissues on CT scans to provide quantitative diagnostic guidance in image reading of thyroid eye disease (TED). Computed tomography (CT) images were obtained from 92 orbits and were classified as impaired motility (TED-IM) and normal motility (TED-NM). The TED-IM group was further divided into dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) and non-DON groups. There were 5 volumetric, 2 angular, and 3 ratio parameter measurements acquired from CT images to examine their feasibility in TED classification. We found that the mean volumes of extraocular muscle and retroorbital fat and their ratio to the orbital volume were significantly different between the two motility groups. The mean ratio of extraocular muscle volume in orbital apex and orbital apex volume (EMV-OA/OAV) was significantly larger in DON than non-DON patients (p < 0.05). The population distribution among TED-NM, non-DON, and DON groups significantly varied for different angles between the optic nerve and medial rectus and lateral rectus. In conclusion, geometric and volumetric measurements using CT scans help to quantitatively classify TED.

Aiming at the problem that the positioning accuracy of the KCF tracking algorithm is difficult to reach the pixel level and cannot adapt to the target scale variation well, the correlation filter tracking algorithm based on the scale pyramid achieves higher tracking accuracy, but the tracking speed is greatly reduced. Introducing the logarithmic polar coordinate transformation of the image, an object tracking algorithm based on the logarithmic polar coordinate transformation is proposed. First, the target template is transformed into the logarithmic polar coordinate, and the scale variation of the target is converted into a displacement signal, then extract the HOG features before and after the target template transformation, and the filter model of displacement and scale is established. Finally, the displacement and scale factor of the object are tracked synchronously under the framework of correlation filtering, and the two are merged to obtain the target tracking frame. The experimental results show that: The average overlap precision of the algorithm in this paper is high, and the tracking effect is better (Experiment 1). The algorithm in this paper can track rigid objects stably and can adapt to scale variation accurately very well (Experiment 2). The overall accuracy and success rate are in the first place (Experiment 3). The algorithm in this paper can approximately achieve pixel-level positioning accuracy, and the tracking speed can reach twice the traditional algorithm (Experiment 4).

A ultra-high temperature diffusion process with thin oxide layer capped with polysilicon film to get a deep VLD (Variable Lateral Doping) junction edge termination of 4500V trench-gated IGBT platform is presented in this paper. Conventionally, the VLD high temperature drive-in process is performed with oxide cap layer only, during which severe segregation of boron occurs at Si/Oxide interface, resulting in most of the implanted boron ions loss from silicon to oxide. Subsequently, the effective dose of VLD is decreased significantly with a poor controllability. As the consequence, it is difficult to get a uniform distribution of breakdown characteristics of the edge termination. Thru the proposed process disclosed in this paper, the segregation of boron at Polysilicon/Oxide interface acts as an effective barrier for the boron diffusion in underlying layers and the boron loss from silicon is considerably reduced. Both simulated and experimental results confirm that the improved process is highly manufacturable and can achieve excellent breakdown characteristics with a high production yield.

Peripheral primitive neuroendodermal tumors (PNETs) and Ewing's sarcoma belong to the Ewing family of tumors and are small round-cell malignancies originating from spinal cord cells. These tumors account for 5% of all small round-cell malignant neoplasms. PNETs that arise from the lung parenchyma without pleural or chest wall involvement are very rare. We report a case of an adult female with a large pulmonary PNET who had given birth just 1 month prior to the diagnosis. She had cough and expectoration for 6 months, and the preoperative examination showed no metastases. Thus, we performed radical pneumonectomy and lymph node dissection. The patient recovered well without surgical complications and was discharged 7 days after the surgery. Postoperative pathology confirmed that the tumor was a small round-cell malignancy, and the tumor cells were positive for CD99, Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (FLI-1), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), which was consistent with the diagnosis of a PNET. For primary large pulmonary PNETs, radical pneumonectomy may be a safe surgical method, worthy of further application in clinical practice.

AIM: To assess the retinal vasculature alterations in indirect traumatic optic neuropathy (ITON) patients following craniofacial trauma by optic coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: Patients diagnosed of monocular ITON were recruited from August 2016 to May 2020. OCTA was performed using the AngioVue OCT-A system for two cube scans centered at the optic nerve head and fovea. OCTA data included thicknesses of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell complex (GCC), as well as proportion of capillary perfusion and data were analyzed for correlation with post-injury timepoints: within 7, 8-30, 31-90, and 91-365d. RESULTS: A total of 73 ITON patients were studied. Significant thinning of RNFL and GCC layers and attenuation of microvascular perfusion were observed in ITON eyes as compared to contralateral unaffected eyes (for most of the analyzed sectors and quadrants, P

Both cavity quantum electrodynamics and linear optics are promising platforms for the implementation of coherent manipulations of quantum information, and have potential applications in the development of practical quantum devices. In this paper, we propose a simple and deterministic scheme for implementing a single-photon fully quantum router by a combination of both platforms. With this router, a polarization encoded signal photonic qubit can be coherently routed to one of two distinct spatial output ports or their coherent superposition according to the state of a control photonic qubit, while keeping the signal information stored in the signal qubit unaltered under the quantum routing operation. Our scheme has several advantages in contrast to previously published ones, and on top of that, this device meets all the requirements imposed on a fully featured quantum router and is easily scalable for multiqubit quantum routing. Moreover, it exhibits high experimental feasibility with current or near-future technologies. Therefore, this router can be integrated with protocols for the realization of quantum information processing and future complex quantum networks.

Purpose. To deeply discuss the patient selection, surgical planning, surgical techniques, and the therapeutic challenge for endoscopic transnasal resection of benign orbital apex tumors (OATs). Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 18 patients (18 eyes) with orbital apex cavernous hemangioma (OACH) who underwent endoscopic transnasal approach for resection of the tumor in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from March 2016 to May 2020. At each follow-up visit, the patients underwent measurement of their best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit-lamp examination, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and visual field testing. Results. There were 18 patients, 7 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 49.9 ± 12.6 years (range: 26 to 70 years). All 18 patients had unilateral tumors. Among the 18 cases, 13 were located in the right orbit and 5 were located in the left orbit. Sixteen patients underwent purely endoscopic transnasal surgery, and the other 2 patients underwent an endoscopic transnasal approach combined with a transcutaneous or transconjunctival surgical approach. Fourteen patients’ OACHs were removed completely, 1 patient’s OACH was partly removed, and 3 patients underwent pure decompression of the optic nerve. Fourteen patients gained improved or stable BCVA after surgery. Three patients showed postoperative vision decline, and 1 patient had no light perception after surgery. Conclusions. Endoscopic surgery is an effective surgical technique for the treatment of benign tumors in the orbital apex. It is necessary to strictly select patients and fully evaluate the benefits and risks of tumor completely or partly removed.

With the development of artificial intelligence technology, the problems of object tracking are getting more and more attention. This article introduces the popular object tracking algorithms, from common problems in object tracking to the classification of algorithms: Early classic tracking algorithms, tracking algorithms based on kernel correlation filtering, and tracking algorithms based on deep learning. Then the original version and various improved versions of each type of tracking algorithm are introduced, analyzed, and compared. Finally, we use the OTB-2013 data set to test the above 50 object tracking algorithms. The simulation experiment obtained the accuracy figure and success figure of the overall performance comparison of these 50 object tracking algorithms and then selected 11 attributes to compare the performance of various algorithms. The 11 attributes are illumination variation, out-of-plane rotation, scale variation, occlusion, deformation, motion blur, fast movement, in-plane rotation, out of view, background clutter, and low resolution. The accuracy figures and success figures of these 50 algorithms are obtained respectively under the different conditions. The experiment mainly analyzes the results through three indicators of accuracy, success rate, and tracking speed of various algorithms, and draws the following conclusions: Compared with traditional algorithms, the tracking speed of correlation filtering algorithms can reach more than 100 frames per second, while the precision of deep learning methods can reach more than 0.7. The algorithms using convolution features and multi-features fusion algorithms have more advantages in tracking accuracy than the algorithm using a single feature, but the tracking speed will also drop rapidly. Using a powerful classifier is the basis of achieving good tracking. Tracker with scale estimation module can get better performance of success figures. The updating mechanisms of the model also affect the tracking accuracy.

In colorectal cancer, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is often aberrantly activated and associated with a T-cell-excluded phenotype which is a major obstacle for many immunotherapies. However, the effects of Wnt/β-catenin inhibition on tumor immunity and immunotherapy remain to be elucidated. In syngeneic mouse models of colorectal cancer, β-catenin/TCF inhibitor iCRT14 potently enhanced the infiltration of T and NK cells, without influencing their proliferation or the infiltration of most myeloid populations. Mechanistically, β-catenin inhibition upregulated while its overexpression suppressed the expression of T/NK cell-recruiting CXCR3 chemokines CXCL9/10/11 in both mouse and human colorectal cancer cells. Furthermore, iCRT14 treatment synergized with tumor vaccines or Treg cell ablation to achieve a complete inhibition of tumor growth in syngeneic models of CT26-OVA and MC38-S33Y.β-cat, respectively. Taken together, our work reveals that β-catenin inhibition shifts colorectal tumor microenvironment into a T-cell-inflamed phenotype and potentiates the efficacy of other immunotherapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer.

The ion exchange reaction has been extensively used in the field of synthesis of functionalized supramolecular materials such as layered double hydroxides (LDHs), ion-embedded batteries, sewage disposal and so on. In this work, the factors influencing the anion exchange behavior in the LDH gallery, such as the exchange domain, the exchange order, the driving force, and the diffusion of the anions, are investigated systematically using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) methods in view of both thermodynamics and dynamics. 159 models of MIIRAl-A-LDHs (MII = Mg, Ni, Zn; R = 1.4-8, A = OH-, Cl-, Br-, NO3-, HCOO-, C6H5SO3-, CO32-, SO42-, and PO43-, respectively) are calculated. The results reveal that the anion exchange domain (interlayer distance) in LDHs is determined not only by the size and their arrangement modes of the guest anions, but also by the charges the anions carry. The relative binding energies of different anions and the Gibbs free energy changes of the anion exchange reactions in LDHs decrease in the order of PO43-CO32-SO42-OH-Cl-Br-HCOO-NO3-C6H5SO3-, which is in accordance with the experimental anion exchange order. The stronger the hydrogen bonding between the anion and the host, the larger the charge transfer, and the smaller the electronegativity of the anion, the more difficult it is for the anion to be exchanged out from LDH interlayer. In addition, for the anions with the same charges, the relative binding energy is linearly well correlated with the interlayer spacing. By analyzing the contribution of each energetic item comprising the total potential energy, it is found that the major driving force of anion exchange is the electrostatic force. The diffusion coefficient (D) along the c direction is nearly equal to zero, suggesting that the diffusion of anions occurs mainly in the ab plane of the LDH cell. It also can be inferred that when the cell parameter c24.0 Å, the anion exchange order is mainly determined by the thermodynamic factors, whereas when c24.0 Å, both the thermodynamic and the dynamic factors cast the same effect on the anion exchange behavior. This work provides an in-depth understanding of the anion exchange behavior, and is helpful guidance for the design and synthesis of functionalized guest anion intercalated LDHs and related materials using the anion-exchange method.