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The cost of operating Chinese football clubs has increased, prompting the need to examine their operating efficiency. Hence, this study proposes an integrated approach to analyse the efficiency of ...

Understanding the reactions taking place in the hematite-oxalic acid system is important in order to clean iron oxides from filters and to remove iron from mineral concentrates. Previous studies reported the formation of an unwanted solid phase during this process. The objective of the current work, therefore, was to visualize and rationalize the iron dissolution steps taking place in the hematite–oxalic acid reaction by combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental data. The results of DFT calculations indicated that a precipitate was formed in this reaction; XRD analysis of the solid phase after the dissolution experiment revealed the formation of humboldtine as the precipitate. The attachment of oxalate on the hematite surface and the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II) were key steps for humboldtine formation. Both simulations and the experimental results showed that greater oxalic acid concentrations yielded more precipitate, suggesting a simple and novel route to synthesize humboldtine, a material which is relevant to the demand for clean energy.

Background To evaluate the possibilty of preventing recurrent vitreous hemorrhage (RVH) after vitrectomy in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients with unabsorbed vitreous hemorrhage (VH) by intravitreal injection of viscoelastic agent (VA) at the end of the surgery and compared its effect with triamcinolone acetonide (TA). Methods This was a pilot prospective, observational study. PDR patients with VH who underwent vitrectomy were assigned to 3 groups according to the tamponade applicated at the end of the surgery, including VA group (intravitreally injected 1 ml VA if the retina was prone to bleed during the operation), TA group (intravitreally injected 2 mg TA when there was much exudates), or balanced salt solution (BSS) group (no tamponade). Then postoperative follow-up was performed routinely until 6 months after surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of RVH, secondary outcome were the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and introcular pressure (IOP). Cataract formation and other complication were also assessed. Results A total of 68 eyes, from 68 patients, were included. 18,18,32 eyes were enrolled in the VA group, TA group and BSS group, respectively. The integral incidence of RVH after vitrectomy was 5.6%, 5.6% and 12.5% respectively (P = 0.602). There was no early RVH in VA or TA group, whereas 3 early RVHs were identified in BSS group, however there was no significant difference (P = 0.171). Every group had one late RVH case. In all groups, final BCVA showed significant improvement compared to baseline. BCVA at any postoperative visit showed no significant differences among 3 groups. Mean IOP was higher 1 week after surgery in VA group compared with the other groups; however, in other times the differences were not significant. No cataract formation and other complication was noted in 3 groups. Conclusion Intravitreal injection of VA or TA at the end of vitrectomy for PDR patients with unabsorbed VH tend to reduce the incidence of early RVH after vitrectomy similarly. As VA was preferred to applicate in the eyes that were prone to bleed, intravitreal injection of VA at the end of vitrectomy might be a promising method for preventing RVH in PDR patients.

Artificial intelligence (AI) software in radiology is becoming increasingly prevalent and performance is improving rapidly with new applications for given use cases being developed continuously, oftentimes with development and validation occurring in parallel. Several guidelines have provided reporting standards for publications of AI-based research in medicine and radiology. Yet, there is an unmet need for recommendations on the assessment of AI software before adoption and after commercialization. As the radiology AI ecosystem continues to grow and mature, a formalization of system assessment and evaluation is paramount to ensure patient safety, relevance and support to clinical workflows, and optimal allocation of limited AI development and validation resources before broader implementation into clinical practice. To fulfil these needs, we provide a glossary for AI software types, use cases and roles within the clinical workflow; list healthcare needs, key performance indicators and required information about software prior to assessment; and lay out examples of software performance metrics per software category. This conceptual framework is intended to streamline communication with the AI software industry and provide healthcare decision makers and radiologists with tools to assess the potential use of these software. The proposed software evaluation framework lays the foundation for a radiologist-led prospective validation network of radiology AI software. Learning Points: The rapid expansion of AI applications in radiology requires standardization of AI software specification, classification, and evaluation. The Canadian Association of Radiologists' AI Tech & Apps Working Group Proposes an AI Specification document format and supports the implementation of a clinical expert evaluation process for Radiology AI software.

The effect of temperature on the service life of stranded carbon fiber composite core conductors was studied based on the kinetic theory of material pyrolysis. The thermal decomposition activation energy calculation for stranded carbon fiber composite cores was carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The activation energy E of stranded carbon fiber composites was calculated according to the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger, and Coast–Redfern methods, which were 168.76 kJ/mol, 166.79 kJ/mol, and 160.35 kJ/mol, respectively. The results from these different treatments were within 10% or less, and thus the thermochemical reactions of stranded carbon fiber composite cores were considered to be effective. The life prediction model of the carbon fiber composite core was developed based on the kinetic equation of thermal decomposition. The service life is related to the reaction mechanism function G(α) and the reaction rate parameter k(t). The reaction mechanism function G(α) = ((1 − α)−3.3 − 1)/3.3 and the reaction rate parameter k(t) = 2.14 × 1012exp(E/RT) were obtained by fitting the thermal weight loss data of stranded carbon fiber composite cores. Based on the 5% mass loss criterion for the end of life of stranded carbon fiber composites, the service life of the carbon fiber composite core is given at various operating temperatures.

Purpose Genetic factors have been studied to be associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aimed to investigate the association between the polymorphisms in the osteoproterin (OPG) gene and DR in a Han Chinese population. Methods There were 475 patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR), 478 type 2 diabetes mellitus without retinopathy (DNR) and 469 healthy controls collected in this study. OPG single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2073618 and rs3134069 were genotyped by Mass ARRAY MALDI-TOF system. The genotype and allele frequencies were evaluated using the χ2 tests. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for the risk of genotype and allele. Results There was a statistically significant difference for OPG SNP rs3134069 between DR cases and healthy controls in the allelic model (P = .036, OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02-1.73). The C allele frequency of this polymorphism was 0.154 in the DR cases, whereas it was 0.120 in healthy controls, suggesting a risk effect for DR. SNP rs3134069 had a significant association with DR in the dominant model (P = .038, OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.02-1.84), indicating that the CC/AC genotype was more likely to suffer from DR. For rs2073618, no significant difference was identified in the allelic model (P = .632, OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.78-1.16) and the four genetic models. Conclusions This study showed that OPG SNP rs3134069 was associated with DR in the dominant model, suggesting that the OPG gene variant may be involved in the development of DR.

Background: Concurrent strength and HIIT-based endurance training (CT) has merit in time-saving in team sports. However, the effect of CT on physical fitness remained equivocal. This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether CT would produce an interference effect on the development of physical fitness when compared to strength training (ST) or HIIT-based endurance training (HET) alone in trained team sports players. Methods: A total of 2478 studies from three databases were screened. 52 full texts were reviewed. Seven studies were finally included and then subgroups were used for quantitative analysis. Results: Compared to ST alone, CT had a significant effect on the development of maximal lower-body strength in trained team sports players (MD 4.20 kg, 95% CI 0.71–7.68, p = 0.02, I2 = 20%), but there was no significant difference between the groups on training adaptation in lower-body power (SMD 0.08, 95% CI −0.23–0.39, p = 0.62, I2 = 26%). Furthermore, a sub-group analysis based on the internal organization order of CT revealed that there was no statistically significant subgroup effect between CT and ST alone in all parameters. Conclusions: Well-designed CT regimens did not interfere with the development of physical fitness of trained team sports players.

We examined the characteristics of understory plant diversity and physicochemical properties and analyzed the correlation between understory plant diversity and soil factors across four以密云水库上游丰宁县4种油松人工水源涵养林(油松×落叶松混交林、油松×蒙古栎混交林、油松×山杏混交林、油松纯林)为对象,研究林下植物多样性与土壤理化性质特征,分析林下植物多样性与土壤因子的相关关系。结果表明: 4种人工水源涵养林林下植物群落组成结构差异显著,油松×山杏混交林林下植物群落物种组成最为丰富,绣线菊、虎榛子和披针薹草为主要优势种。从物种丰富度指数、Simpson优势度指数、Shannon多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数来看,油松×山杏混交林林下整体植物多样性水平最高,灌木层和草本层植物多样性分别以油松×蒙古栎混交林和油松×山杏混交林最高。4种人工水源涵养林之间除全磷外其他各理化指标均差异显著,油松×山杏混交林土壤理化性质总体最优,油松×蒙古栎混交林最差。土壤毛管孔隙度、pH、有机质为灌木层植物多样性的主要影响因子,土壤pH、毛管持水量为草本层植物多样性的主要影响因子。营造油松×山杏混交林更有利于提高林下植物多样性并促进土壤改良,土壤pH、有机质、毛管孔隙度、毛管持水量为影响研究区林下植物多样性的主导土壤因子。.

To assess the association of 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including rs13278062 (TNFRSF10A), rs3750846 (ARMS2-HTRA1), rs429358 (APOE), rs5817082 (CEPT), rs2043085 (LIPC), rs1626340 (TGFBR1), and rs8135665 (SLC16A8) identified through genome-wide association study (GWAS) with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among ethnic Han Chinese from Sichuan, China.A cohort of 576 AMD patients and 572 healthy controls were enrolled in a case-control study. The SNPs were genotyped by a Mass array MALDI-TOF System. On the premise that the genotype distribution of each SNP locus in both groups satisfied Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the genetic pattern was analyzed and the scores of allele and genotype frequencies ware compared.There was a significant association between TNFRSF10A rs13278062 and AMD under the heterozygous model (P = 0.000, OR = 1.529, 95%CI = 1.196-1.954) and the dominant model (P = 0.002, OR = 1.459, 95%CI = 1.154-1.865), suggesting that subjects carrying rs13278062GT and rs13278062TT + GT are more likely to develop the AMD, whereas no significant difference was observed for rs13278062 under other models. No association was detected with the other six SNPs and AMD under various genetic models.This case-control association study has indicated that TNFRSF10A rs13278062 is associated with AMD under the heterozygous and dominant models, suggesting that the TNFRSF10A variant may be involved in the development of AMD among ethnic Han Chinese population.

Background: To evaluate the possibilty of preventing recurrent vitreous hemorrhage (RVH) after vitrectomy in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients with unabsorbed vitreous hemorrhage (VH) by intravitreal injection of viscoelastic agent (VA) at the end of the surgery and compared its effect with triamcinolone acetonide (TA).Methods: This was a pilot prospective, observational study. PDR patients with VH who underwent vitrectomy were assigned to 3 groups according to the tamponade applicated at the end of the surgery, including VA group (intravitreal injected 1ml VA if the retina was prone to bleed during the operation), TA group (intravitreal injected 2mg TA when there was much exudates), or balanced salt solution (BSS) group (no tamponade). Then posteroperative follow-up was performed routinely until 6 months after surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of RVH, secondary outcome were the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and introcular pressure (IOP). Cataract formation and other complication were also assessed.Results: A total of 68 eyes, from 68 patients, were included. 18,18,32 eyes were enrolled in the VA group, TA group and BSS group, respectively. The integral incidence of RVH after PPV was 5.6%, 5.6% and 12.5% respectively (P= 0.602). There was no early RVH in VA or TA group, wheras 3 early RVHs was identified in BSS group, however there was no significant difference (P= 0.171). Every group had one late RVH case. In all groups, final BCVA showed significant improvement compared to baseline. BCVA at any postoperative visit showed no significant differences among 3 groups. Mean IOP was higher 1 week after surgey in VA group compared with the other groups; however, in other times the differences were not significant. No cataract formation and other complication was noted in 3 groups. Conclusion: Intravitreal injection of VA or TA at the end of vitrectomy for PDR patients with unabsorbed VH tend to reduce the incidence of early RVH after vitrectomy similarly. As VA was preferred to applicate in the eyes that were prone to bleed, intravitreal injection of VA at the end of vitrectomy might be a promising method for preventing RVH in PDR patients.

Endosome fission is essential for cargo sorting and targeting in the endosomal system. However, whether organelles other than the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) participate in endosome fission through membrane contacts is unknown. Here, we characterize a Golgi-derived vesicle, the SEC14L2 compartment, that plays a unique role in facilitating endosome fission through ternary contacts with endosomes and the ER. Localized to the ER-mediated endosome fission site, the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein SEC14L2 promotes phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns3P) conversion before endosome fission. In the absence of SEC14L2, endosome fission is attenuated and more enlarged endosomes arise due to endosomal accumulation of PtdIns4P and reduction in PtdIns3P. Collectively, our data suggest roles of the Golgi network in ER-associated endosome fission and a mechanism involving ER–endosome contacts in the regulation of endosomal phosphoinositide conversion. Gong et al. uncover a role for the Golgi network in ER-associated endosome fission, showing that a Golgi-derived SEC14L2 compartment mediates ER-associated endosome fission by promoting PtdIns4P to PtdIns3P conversion.

AimsTo identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) by a systematic review and meta-analysis, and to compare the association profiles between CSCR, neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).MethodsWe searched the EMBASE, PubMed and Web of Science for genetic studies of CSCR from the starting dates of the databases to 12 September 2020. We then performed meta-analyses on all SNPs reported by more than two studies and calculated the pooled OR and 95% CIs. We also conducted sensitivity analysis and adopted the funnel plot to assess potential publication bias.ResultsTotally 415 publications were reviewed, among them 10 were eligible for meta-analysis. We found 10 SNPs that have been reported at least twice. Meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis confirmed significant associations between CSCR and six SNPs in three genes, namely age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) (rs10490924, OR=1.37; p=0.00064), complement factor H (CFH) (rs800292, OR=1.44; p=7.80×10−5; rs1061170, OR=1.34; p=0.0028; rs1329428, OR=1.40; p=0.012; and rs2284664, OR=1.36; p=0.0089) and tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 10a (TNFRSF10A) (rs13278062, OR=1.34; p=1.44×10−15). Among them, onlyTNFRSF10Ars13278062 showed the same trend of effect on CSCR, nAMD and PCV, while the SNPs inARMS2andCFHshowed opposite trends in the SNP associations.ConclusionsThis study confirmed the associations ofARMS2,CFHandTNFRSF10Awith CSCR, and revealed thatARMS2,CFHandTNFRSF10Amay affect different phenotypic expressions of CSCR, nAMD and PCV.

The heterogeneous Fenton process is one of the efficient methods for wastewater treatment, and the effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) when treating actual wastewaters are anticipated. Howeve...

The disease spectrum of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) varies from asymptomatic infection to critical illness and death. Identification of prognostic markers is vital for predicting progression and clinical practice. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) RNA, known as RNAemia, has been detected in the blood. However, the potential clinical value of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia remains unknown. We, therefore, conducted a meta‐analysis using a random‐effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia as well as summary strength of RNAemia in association with disease severity and unfavorable clinical outcomes. A total of 21 studies involving 2181 patients were included. SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia in COVID‐19 patients varied from 9.4% to 74.1%, with a pooled estimate of 34% (95% confidene interval [CI]: 26%–43%). Overall, SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia was associated with COVID‐19 severity with odds ratio (OR) of 5.43 (95% CI: 3.46–8.53). In addition, SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia was a significant risk factor for unfavorable clinical outcomes (OR = 6.54, 95% CI: 3.82–11.21). The summary OR was 4.28 (95% CI: 2.20–8.33) for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, 11.07 (95% CI: 5.60–21.88) for mortality. Furthermore, RNAemia was also a significant risk factor for invasive mechanical ventilation and multiple organ failure. SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia is associated with disease severity, ICU admission, death in COVID‐19, and may serve as a clinical predictor. More prospective trials in evaluating the potential of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAemia as a prognostic indicator are necessary.

Background As a novel high magnification module (HMM) combining with OCT (OCT-HMM) is able to detect the microstructure of retina, we apply it to explore the ultrastructure of the macula after closure of the idiopathic macular hole (IMH) by surgery. Methods This is an observational case series study in which patients with full-thickness IMHs who had undergone successful macular closure by vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane peeling and healthy subjects were recruited. After comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, the images of macular area were obtained and collected by professional operators using OCT-HMM. Then images were independently analyzed by 4 masked vitreoretinal specialists. Results A total of 24 IMH eyes and 42 healthy eyes were examined. HMM images were obtained in 10 IMH eyes. Among them, 4 eyes whose macula closed completely with recovery of photoreceptor layer presented a dark arc nasal to the fovea, oriented to the optic, and the notch of arc faced temporally. Six eyes in which the macula closed incompletely with photoreceptor cells loss revealed a dark ring with uneven bright spots inside. The other 14 eyes failed to obtain clear images by OCT-HMM. The contra lateral eyes of the patients and the healthy subjects’ eyes succeeded to obtain the HMM images which displayed evenly grey background thickly covered with tiny bright dots that was in similar size and evenly and widely distributed and there no dark arc or ring. OCT B-scan and IR images could be acquired in all of the IMH and healthy eyes. Conclusion The preliminary application of HMM has supplied us a brand-new insight into the microstructure of closed IMH. A dark arc sign could be detected with OCT-HMM in the macula which was functionally closed after surgery that was probably the healing mark on a microstructure photoreceptors level. Its existence and shape indicated that the functional closure followed by a retinal displacement mainly horizontally from temporal side to nasal side but not symmetric centripetally.

Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most refractory and lethal cancer. The overall survival is dismal due to the high frequency of recurrence and metastasis after surgery and resistance to chemotherapy. Patients with the locally advanced or metastatic disease usually have the poorest prognosis. Herein, we report a rare highly responsive PDAC with liver metastasis. Case presentation A 49-year-old female presented with dull abdominal and back pain, discomfort after eating, fatigue, and recent weight loss of 5 kg. Clinical examination was normal and no relevant oncological history was observed. A routine blood test showed low red blood cell count and low hemoglobin level. Markedly increased carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125 levels were detected. Computer tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a massive pancreatic tumor with the invasion of almost all important surrounding blood vessels and liver metastasis. After the genetic test and percutaneous biopsy for this tumor, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion was initiated. Subsequently, oral chemotherapy (S-1) and 125I radiative seeds implantation were recommended. Surprisingly, the tumor shrank significantly after treatment. On August 14, 2019, pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. The tumor was successfully resected and liver metastasis was not detected. Based on the postoperative histopathological result, there was only fibrous tissue hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration. Besides, no tumor tissue was found. Until now, through outpatient follow-up, no signs of recurrence and metastasis have been observed. Conclusion Although the therapeutic efficacy and prognosis of PDAC are dismal, we successfully cured a patient with a metastatic disease through multidisciplinary cooperation. However, the therapeutic experience should be summarized and further research should be performed to confirm whether it is appropriate for other PDAC patients.

PURPOSE: Obesity, measured by body mass index (BMI), is implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes for women seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF) care. However, the shape of the dose-response relationship between BMI and IVF outcomes remains unclear. METHODS: We therefore conducted a dose-response meta-analysis using a random effects model to estimate summary relative risk (RR) for clinical pregnancy (CPR), live birth (LBR), and miscarriage risk (MR) after IVF. RESULTS: A total of 18 cohort-based studies involving 975,889 cycles were included. For each 5-unit increase in BMI, the summary RR was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94–0.97) for CPR, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.92-0.95) for LBR, and 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05-1.12) for MR. There was evidence of a non-linear association between BMI and CPR (P(non-linearity) < 10(−5)) with CPR decreasing sharply among obese women (BMI > 30). Non-linear dose-response meta-analysis showed a relatively flat curve over a broad range of BMI from 16 to 30 for LBR (P(non-linearity) = 0.0009). In addition, we observed a J-shaped association between BMI and MR (P(non-linearity) = 0.006) with the lowest miscarriage risk observed with a BMI of 22–25. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, obesity contributed to increased risk of adverse IVF outcomes in a non-linear dose-response manner. More prospective trials in evaluating the effect of body weight control are necessary.

Fault induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR) is a credible concern in power systems with high penetration of single-phase air conditioner loads. Power system planning studies use dynamic load models, such as the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) composite load model CMPLDW to examine FIDVR in power systems. The behavior of modern variable frequency drive (VFD) air conditioners to voltage drops is not the same as traditional one- or two-speed air conditioning systems. This paper investigates the impact of increasing VFD air conditioner penetration within a power system on FIDVR events, by first modeling VFD air conditioners as a separate load and then as a power electronic component within the CMPLDW model. Simulation results show that increasing the penetration of VFD driven air conditioners decreases the post-fault voltage sag, recovery time, and number of customers interrupted by undervoltage load shedding.

A germination treatment was explored in this study as a green strategy to reduce the in vitro starch digestibility of cooked quinoa. The alterations of chemical compositions, starch chain-length distributions (CLDs) and rheological characteristics of quinoa flours after the germination treatment were characterized. Results showed that a significant alteration of amylose CLDs and the starch digestibility was observed for cooked quinoa flours after different germination times. By fitting starch digestograms to the logarithm of slop (LOS) plot and the combination of parallel and sequential kinetics model (CPS), two starch digestible fractions with distinct rate constants were identified. Pearson correlation analysis further found that the observed starch digestive characteristics could be largely explained by the alterations of amylose CLDs caused by the germination treatment. More specifically, the rapidly digestible starch fraction mainly consisted of amorphous amylopectin molecules and amylose intermolecular crystallites. On the other hand, the slowly digestible starch fraction was largely formed by intramolecular interactions among amylose short chains (degree of polymerization (DP) < 500). These results suggest that germination may be a promising way to develop cereal products with slower starch digestibility.

Objective To investigate the effects of simulated 2-week microgravity on the ocular fundus hemodynamics of central retinal artery and the retinal and choroidal thickness in autogenous rats. Methods Eight healthy SD rats were designed in self-control, designed for the control before tail suspension, the tail suspension for 1, 4, 7 and 14 d. A rat model of simulated microgravity method was established by tail suspension. The peak maximum systolic velocity (PSV) of central retinal artery (CRA) in rats was detected and analyzed by color Doppler ultrasonography. The retinal and choroidal thicknesses were measured by the enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (EDI SD-OCT). Results The PSV value in each different period after tail suspension was decreased compared with that in the control before tail suspension (P0.05), but there was a significant difference between the tail suspension for 1 d and the tail suspension for 14 d (P0.05). The choroidal thickness was lower in the control before tail suspension than that in each different period after tail suspension (P

This paper describes a novel method to synthesize load and feeder models, by estimating the load composition and the load parameters, using instantaneous voltage and current measurements, obtained at the distribution level, from disturbance events. A novel feeder model structure has been proposed in this work comprising of single-phase loads, three-phase loads, impedance loads, distribution transformers and distribution line segments. The load composition of the proposed feeder models and the motor load parameters are determined using a non-linear least squares algorithm integrated with an electromagnetic transient (EMT) analysis tool PSCAD. The efficacy of the proposed algorithm is examined for feeders at different physical locations and with distinctly varied load characteristics. Using this approach, parameters of the motor loads have been obtained within a fixed set of bounded values for each corresponding parameter. The ability of the proposed feeder and load models to capture severe fault induced delayed voltage recovery events (FIDVR) has also been discussed here.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease that mostly affects the axial skeleton. This study aimed to investigate reliable diagnostic serum biomarkers for AS. Serum samples were collected from 20 AS patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs) and analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The differential metabolites between the AS patients and HCs were profiled using univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. Pathway analysis and a heat map were also conducted. Random forest (RF) analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to establish predictive and diagnostic models. After controlling the variable importance in the projection (VIP) value 1 and false discovery rate (FDR) 0.05, a total of 61 differential metabolites were identified from 995 metabolites, which exhibited significant differences in the pathway analysis and heat map between the AS patients and HCs. RF as a predictive model also identified differential metabolites with 95% predictive accuracy and a high area under the curve (AUC) of 1. A diagnostic model comprising nine metabolites (cysteinylglycine disulfide, choline, N6, N6, N6-trimethyllysine, histidine, sphingosine, fibrinopeptide A, glycerol 3-phosphate, 1-linoleoyl-GPA (18:2), and fibrinopeptide A (3-16)) was generated using LASSO regression, capable of distinguishing HCs from AS with a high AUC of 1. Our results indicated that the UPLC-MS/MS analysis method is a powerful tool for identifying AS metabolite profiles. We developed a nine-metabolites-based model serving as a diagnostic tool to separate AS patients from HCs, and the identified diagnostic biomarkers appeared to have a diagnostic value for AS.

Synthetically directing T-cells against tumors emerges as a promising strategy in immunotherapy, while it remains challenging to smartly engage T cells with tunable immune response. Herein, we report an intelligent molecular platform to engineer T-cell recognition for selective activation to potently kill cancer cells. To this end, we fabricated a hybrid conjugate that uses a click-type DNA-protein conjugation to equip the T cell-engaging antibody with two distinct programmable DNA nanoassemblies. By integrating multiple aptameric antigen-recognitions within a dynamic DNA circuit, we achieved combinatorial recognition of triple-antigens on cancer cells for selective T-cell activation after high-order logic operation. Moreover, by coupling a DNA nanostructure, we precisely defined the valence of the antigen-binding aptamers to tune avidity, realizing effective tumor elimination in vitro and in vivo. Together, we present a versatile and programmable strategy for synthetic immunotherapy.

Axon is a long protrusion from the neuronal cell body whose interconnection forms the nervous network and allows biomechanical signals to be transmitted among neurons. From the mechanic’s point of view, the axon cytoskeleton consists of bundles of microtubules (MTs), cross-linked by microtubule-associated protein (MAP) tau, and supported by a periodic array of actin–spectrin rings. Yet, the fundamental question of how these actin–spectrin rings and microtubule bundles behave in synergy to provide the required mechanical strength to the whole axon is still poorly understood. Here, we developed a coarse-grained molecular dynamics model of axon to address this outstanding issue. We show that the dynamic response of spectrin filaments plays a vital role in the strain-softening of axon, which serves as a buffering mechanism for neurons to accommodate externally imposed deformation. Furthermore, the actin–spectrin structure is found to be essential for maintaining the mechanical stability of axon and allowing it to bear larger compressive forces. Our model and predictions not only explain recent experimental observations on axonal mechanics, but also provide insights on how to potentially modify the mechanical response of axonal cytoskeleton and therefore tune its capability in executing different biological duties.

Starch fine molecular structures are of essentially important in determining its pasting and retrogradation properties. In this study, 10 different starches from various botanical sources were selected to investigate the combined action of amylose and amylopectin molecules in determining the starch physicochemical properties. Correlation between starch structural parameters with the pasting and retrogradation properties showed that amylose and amylopectin CLDs do not affect these properties in isolation. Such as, the amount of amylose long chains and amylopectin short chains are both positively correlated with the melting temperatures and enthalpy of retrograded starches. Furthermore, relatively longer amylose short to medium chains can result in higher trough and breakdown viscosity, while higher amount of amylopectin medium to long chains result in higher peak viscosity. The results help a better understanding of the importance of amylose and amylopectin fine molecular structures in determining starch functional properties.