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OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to establish a diagnostic model for differentiating grade 3 (G3) pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) and to analyze survival outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Twenty patients with G3 PNETs and 58 patients with PDACs confirmed by surgery or biopsy were retrospectively included. Demographic and radiologic information was collected. Univariate analyses and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent factors and establish a diagnostic model. An ROC curve was created to determine diagnostic ability. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed. RESULTS. Patients with G3 PNETs were more likely to present with normal carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels, normal pancreatic ducts, and round tumors with well-defined margins and higher portal enhancement ratios than were patients with PDAC (p < 0.05). After multivariate analysis, a normal CA 19-9 level (odds ratio, 0.0125; 95% CI, 0.0008-0.2036), round tumor shape (odds ratio, 0.0143; 95% CI, 0.0004-0.5461), and pancreatic duct dilation of 4 mm or less (odds ratio, 17.9804; 95% CI, 1.0098-320.1711) were independent predictors of G3 PNETs. The AUC of the ROC curve was 0.916, and sensitivity and specificity were 90.0% and 81.0%, respectively. Furthermore, patients with G3 PNETs had better overall survival than patients with PDACs. Among patients in the G3 PNET subgroup, patients with liver or lymph node metastases had worse overall survival than patients without metastases. CONCLUSION. A diagnostic model was established to differentiate G3 PNETs from PDACs. A normal CA 19-9 level, round tumor shape, and pancreatic duct dilation of 4 mm or less were factors that were strongly predictive of G3 PNET.

International audience; A lot of investment projects in European countries have been implemented by Chinese multinational enterprises since the introduction of the “China going global strategy”. Furthermore, the global financial crisis of 2008 increased the vulnerability of many European firms thereby providing great opportunities for Chinese multinationals to undertake international development. To date, few studies have been undertaken to evaluate the performance and profitability of Chinese multinationals after their internationalization undertakings. Our paper intends to assess the profitability and performance of Chinese multinationals according to the “psychic distance” between them and their host countries. We adopt a quantitative method by taking into account the performance of a number of investment projects by Chinese multinationals in Europe between 2007 and 2017. The results answer the question as to whether the relationship between the performance and international development of Chinese multinationals is influenced by psychic distance.

Rationale: Primary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the retroperitoneum are extremely rare. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the unusual growth pattern and radiologic features of primary retroperitoneal NETs. Patient concerns: A 46-year-old woman was found to have a retroperitoneal cystic and solid mass during a physical checkup. Diagnoses: The mass was mainly multiseptated in the cystic portion and had a bead-like, lobulated appearance. The solid portion showed restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging and obvious homogeneous enhancement. The cystic portion showed ring-like and septal enhancement. The patient was diagnosed with a grade 2 (G2) NET of the retroperitoneum after surgery. Interventions: The patient underwent resection of the large retroperitoneal tumor. Outcomes: The patient returned 20 months later with tumor recurrence in the retroperitoneum. She was enrolled in a clinical trial for sulfatinib, and the mass was considerably reduced in size after 4 months. During a nearly 1.5-year follow-up, the mass gradually became slightly enlarged. The expression of somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) was detected, and somatuline was administered as the current treatment. Lessons subsections: When a retroperitoneal mass presents as a well-defined cystic or solid hypervascular mass with a fibrous capsule, a primary retroperitoneal NET should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Phenolic acids (caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid,) and carotenes (β-carotene, lycopene) were mixed in different ratios to investigate antioxidant interactions on H

This paper reports a method for predicting the frequency split of cylindrical resonator gyroscopes (CRGs) under varying input angular velocities. The prediction frequency split values are compared with the observation values from experiments. Both the simulation and experimental results illustrate that the frequency split values increase with increasing input angular velocity. This work may provide insight in the frequency split compensation circuitry design of CRG.

The fused silica cylindrical resonator is a type of axisymmetric resonator that can be used for Coriolis vibratory gyroscopes. Although the resonant frequency, frequency mismatch, and Q factor are natural properties of the resonator, they can change with temperature. Therefore, the temperature drift severely limits the detection accuracy and bias stability of the gyroscope. In this paper, the influence of temperature variation on the vibrational characteristics of fused silica cylindrical resonators was investigated. Experiments were performed on a fused silica cylindrical resonator coated with Cr/Au films. It was shown that at the temperature range from 253.15 K to 353.15 K, the resonant frequency linearly increased with temperature, the frequency mismatch remained unchanged, and the Q factor gradually increased till about 333.15 K, when it began to decrease. Meanwhile, the change of thermoelastic damping with temperature may dominate the variation of Q factor at the temperature range from 253.15 K to 353.15 K. This phenomenon was theoretically analyzed and the variation trends of results were consistent with the theoretical analysis. This study indicates that, for the fused silica cylindrical resonator, to discover the influence of temperature variation on the resonant frequency, frequency mismatch, and Q factor, there are certain rules to follow and repeat. The relationship between temperature and frequency can be established, which provides the feasibility of using self-calibration based on temperature characteristics of the resonator for temperature drift compensations. Additionally, there is an optimum temperature that may improve the performance of the Coriolis vibratory gyroscope with the fused silica cylindrical resonator.

The Coriolis Vibratory Gyroscopes are a type of sensors that measure angular velocities through the Coriolis effect. The resonator is the critical component of the CVGs, the vibrational characteristics of which, including the resonant frequency, frequency mismatch, Q factor, and Q factor asymmetry, have a great influence on the performance of CVG. The frequency mismatch and Q factor of the resonator, in particular, directly determine the precision and drift characteristics of the gyroscope. Although the frequency mismatch and Q factor are natural properties of the resonator, they can change with external conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and external forces. In this paper, the influence of electrostatic forces on the vibrational characteristics of the fused silica cylindrical resonator is investigated. Experiments were performed on a fused silica cylindrical resonator coated with Cr/Au films. It was shown that the resonant frequency, frequency mismatch, and the decay time slightly decreased with electrostatic forces, while the decay time split increased. Lower capacitive gaps and larger applied voltages resulted in lower frequency mismatch and lower decay time. This phenomenon was theoretically analyzed, and the variation trends of results were consistent with the theoretical analysis. This study indicates that, for fused silica cylindrical resonator with electrostatic transduction, the electrostatic influence on the Q factor and frequency, although small, should be considered when designing the capacitive gap and choosing bias voltages.

Biofilm processes have a better nitrogen removal ability than traditional activated sludge at low temperatures (

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) has distinct TNM stages whose properties and influences on prognosis are not fully understood ...

This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the trusted environment of e-commerce transaction (TEET) from multiple perspectives according to the literatures of online trust theories. The framework aims to guide how e-commerce establishes a trust transaction environment in practice and help e-commerce reach its full potential. It elaborates the basis of building a trusted transaction environment for e-commerce, including principles, elements and dimensions. The principle puts forward the purpose and goal of TEET. The element is a five-factor model, which summarizes the main content of the TEET. The dimension is the perspective of specific and in-depth analysis of the trusted e-commerce transaction environment, including stakeholder perspectives and transaction process perspectives.

The hydrophilic extracts of mulberry (HEM) and blueberry (HEB) and lipophilic extracts of mango (LEM) and watermelon (LEW) were mixed in different ratios to assess the antioxidant interactions by chemical-based (DPPH and ABTS assays) and H9c2 cell-based models. There were both synergistic and antagonistic antioxidant interactions among these fruits. Some groups with combinational extracts showed stronger synergistic antioxidant effects than the individual groups, and others (HEM-LEW F1/10, LEW-LEM F5/10, and HEB-LEM F3/10) showed stronger antagonistic effects than the individual groups based on the indicators [the values of DPPH, ABTS, and MTT; the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA); the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH); and the quantification of cellular antioxidant activity]. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that samples could be defined by two principal components: PC1, the main phenolic acids and anthocyanins, and PC2, carotenoids. From our results, primarily, carotenoids were in the majority in antagonistic groups, and phenolics and anthocyanins were in the majority in synergistic groups. However, the combinational groups containing only hydrophilic compounds did not always show synergistic effects. Therefore, the compatibility of diets indicates balancing the ratios of hydrophilic and lipophlic compounds in our daily food. In addition, the expression of enzymes (SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT) may not be sensitive to the changes of antioxidant activity caused by the combinations with different ratios of hydrophilic and lipophilc compounds. The different structures of lipophilic compounds (β-carotene and lycopene) could influence the antagonistic effects.

During the 32nd Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 32), we used shallow ice radar within the East Antarctic region extending from Zhongshan Station to Kunlun Station and obtained the distribution of shallow isochronous layers for the first time. Taking a typical area as a case study, this article describes the complete workflow used in radar data processing, including the extraction of isochronous layers. Moreover, information on the depths of the isochronous layers is obtained by referring to ice core data. The results show the large-scale distribution of shallow isochronous layers in East Antarctica. Moreover, the isochronous layers formed in specific years can be traced. During the analysis, it is found that the isochronous layers sometimes display sharp slopes. We also present several maps of the shallow isochronous layers within three selected regions, including a region surrounding Dome A, a region 100 km away from Dome A and a region corresponding to the Lambert Glacier, and we show the large-scale distribution of the layers and detailed depth information for each layer. Comparing the maps of the isochronous layers within the three regions shows that the isochronous layers are relatively stable in the Dome A region and change more intensely in the Lambert Glacier region and that sharper slopes occur frequently in areas close to Dome A. The analysis of the distribution of the shallow isochronous layers and age-depth information from different regions provides important data that support the calculation of large-scale accumulation rates in the Antarctic region.

Compared to the traditional approach of using virtual machines as the basis for the development and deployment of applications running in Cloud-based infrastructures, container technology provides developers with a higher degree of portability and availability, allowing developers to build and deploy their applications in a much more efficient and flexible manner. A number of tools have been proposed to orchestrate complex applications comprising multiple containers requiring continuous monitoring and management actions to meet application-oriented and non-functional requirements. Different container orchestration tools provide different features that incur different overheads. As such, it is not always easy for developers to choose the orchestration tool that will best suit their needs. In this paper we compare the benefits and overheads incurred by the most popular open source container orchestration tools currently available, namely: Kubernetes and Docker in Swarm mode. We undertake a number of benchmarking exercises from well-known benchmarking tools to evaluate the performance overheads of container orchestration tools and identify their pros and cons more generally. The results show that the overall performance of Kubernetes is slightly worse than that of Docker in Swarm mode. However, Docker in Swarm mode is not as flexible or powerful as Kubernetes in more complex situations.

In this article, a novel Al–6Y–2P master alloy with YP particles was successfully synthesized. By means of the fracture surface observation, it was found that YP particles with an average size of 21.5 μm exhibit the cubic morphologies. With the addition of Al–6Y–2P master alloy, primary Mg2Si particles in Al–Mg2Si composites can be significantly refined to 21.2 μm and 20.3 μm after holding for 30 min and 120 min respectively. Meanwhile, the morphologies of eutectic Mg2Si alter from a flake-like to fine fibrous shape. The reason for the excellent refining performance of this master alloy was discussed based on the chemical kinetics theory. During the solidification process, P atoms distribute homogeneously in the Al melt and precipitate in the form of AlP, providing heterogeneous nucleation sites for primary Mg2Si.

We evaluate causal impacts of a large‐scale agricultural extension program for smallholder women farmers on technology adoption and food security in Uganda through a regression discontinuity design that exploits an arbitrary distance‐to‐branch threshold for village program eligibility. We find eligible farmers used better basic cultivation methods, achieved improved food security. Given minimal changes in adoption of relatively expensive inputs, we attribute these gains to improved cultivation methods that require low upfront monetary investment. Farmers also modified their shock‐coping methods. These results highlight the role of information and training in boosting agricultural productivity among poor farmers and, indirectly, improving food security.

Our screening data revealed the threat macrolide antibiotics, especially azithromycin (AZN), posed to human health with its increasing occurrence in water environment. The electrochemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is a promising platform that caters for the next generation of intelligent wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by virtue of its wide tolerance to water from all sources and in-situ monitoring. However, low initiation potentials of cross-linking monomers contributed by the electron-rich circumstance allowed them to usurp sites designed for functional monomers when electrically stimulated, leading to an unsatisfactory binding capacity. Another uncertainty is that multiple reaction sites of cross-linking monomers granted them complex polymerization routes and made it difficult to ensure the consistency of preparation. Serval monomers had been investigated with electrochemical tools and the performance of sensors constructed with these monomers were compared in this study. Based on the results, we proposed a protocol in which a novel functional monomer possessing a stronger electron-donating group, phenyl, was adopted to compete for the dominance in electropolymerization. Beyond that, the cross-linking monomer was modified with electron-withdrawing groups to raise its initiation potential. A monothiophene with a moderate initiation potential was also recruited as the linker to address the steric hindrance. In this way, polymerization proceeded in a specific order. It is worth mentioning that the Marangoni flow is an ideal tool to deal with the Coffee-ring deposition while drop-casting. The resulting sensor showed good performance with a limitation of detection (LOD) of 0.120 μM for AZN and a satisfactory selectivity, and the design can be applied to constructing sensors for a variety of macrolide antibiotics.

The lymphadenitis associated with cat-scratch disease (CSD) is often confused with neoplasms by a number of radiologists and clinicians, and consequently, unnecessary invasive procedures or surgeries are performed. In the present study, the contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of 10 patients (6 men and 4 women) with clinically and pathologically confirmed lymphadenitis associated with CSD were retrospectively analyzed (CT in 3 patients, MRI in 6 patients, and CT and MRI in 1 patient) at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) between January 2007 and November 2014. As a result, 17 enlarged lymph nodes were identified in 10 cases. The 5 nodes identified by CT scan exhibited relatively inhomogeneous isodensity to muscle, with patchy low density in the center. All 14 nodes identified by MRI scan exhibited homogeneous or heterogeneous isointensity to muscle or slightly increased intensity compared with that of muscle on T1-weighted images (T1WI), and homogeneous or heterogeneous hyperintensity on fat-suppressed T2WI. Following enhancement, all 17 enlarged lymph nodes associated with CSD demonstrated the following 3 different enhancement patterns: Moderate homogeneous enhancement (n=8), which was associated with histologically identified early disease stage; marked heterogeneous enhancement with no enhancement of the necrotic areas (n=4), and heterogeneous enhancement with progressively 'spoke-wheel-like' (defined as radiating enhancement from the center) enhancement of the patchy low-density area (n=1), which was associated with histologically identified intermediate disease stage; and astral low-density/hypointensity with marked enhancement (n=2) or a 'rose flower' sign (n=2), which was associated with histologically identified late disease stage. We hypothesized that the CT and MRI results of lymphadenitis in CSD may be associated with the pathological features. It may be suggested that the diagnosis of CSD may be formed when considering the characteristic CT and MRI features of astral low-density/hypointensity with marked enhancement or a 'rose flower' sign (defined as marginal petaloid enhancement) in the late disease stage, or the MRI results of homogeneous, moderate enhancement in the early disease stage, or the CT/MRI data of heterogeneous enhancement with non-enhancing area in the center in the intermediate disease stage, in solitary or multiple enlarged lymph nodes associated with general subcutaneous edema in the vicinity of the nodes on CT/MRI and with a history of cat exposure.

The Q factors of fused silica cylindrical shell resonators reaching 25 million is reported. The finite element method is employed to analyze the anchor loss and chemical etching is used to reduce the surface loss of cylindrical resonators. Two resonators with the same processing parameters are etched for 13 rounds with each round set as 5 min. After each round of chemical etching, the surface roughness, Q factors and resonant frequencies of the two resonators are measured. The Q factors of the two cylindrical resonators have both exceeded 25 million, reaching the level of that of fused silica hemispherical resonators. Results also indicate that the Q factors of fused silica cylindrical resonators are not related with their surface roughness. This study shows the potential of the cylindrical resonator gyroscope to achieve the same degree of precision as the hemispherical resonator gyroscope, which has presented outstanding performances.

Autophagy is involved in aging-related cognitive impairment. Aerobic exercise training can improve cognitive function in the elderly and this effect may be associated with autophagic mechanisms and mitochondrial respiratory function. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has beneficial effects on heart and skeletal muscles by activating autophagy and/or mitophagy, but the effects of HIIT on autophagy/mitophagy in the aging brain are unknown. This study investigated the effects of HIIT on the mitochondrial respiratory complex and autophagy/mitophagy, and its relation to brain function. Thirteen middle-aged male ICR mice underwent HIIT for 7 weeks. The exercise program reduced the spontaneous behavior and exploration activities of the mice. The phosphorylation level of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and the protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) decreased after the 7-week HIIT. Exercise downregulated the protein expression of Complex Ⅰ and upregulated the protein expression of Complex Ⅲ, Complex Ⅳ and Complex Ⅴ. HIIT also decreased the expression of mitophagy-related proteins in the mitochondrial fractions of the hippocampus. However, HIIT did not change the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3, P62, Atg5, Atg7, Beclin-1 and Lamp2 in the total lysate of the hippocampus. These data indicated that HIIT might have negative effects on the plasticity of the hippocampus in middle-aged mice. The effects may be related to the dysregulation of CREB-BDNF signaling, mitochondrial respiratory complex and mitophagy induced by HIIT.

To recovery low temperature waste heat, a methanol-based adsorption-driven osmotic heat engine is investigated, which consists of an adsorption-based desalination system for producing concentrated and diluted solutions, and a pressure retarded osmosis system for extracting power from the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Salt-Methanol is used as working solution and the activated carbons and metal-organic frameworks are employed as the adsorbents. Impacts of desorption temperature, salt concentrations, salt types, and adsorbents on the system performance are numerically analyzed. Criteria for screening the adsorbents and salts are evaluated and discussed. Qualified adsorbents should have larger relative pressure where half of the maximum absorption uptake is achieved and moderate adsorption enthalpy. Salt-methanol solutions with larger solubility and osmotic coefficient are beneficial for improving the system energy efficiency. When operating between 60 °C and 20 °C, a maximum energy efficiency of 6.68% was achieved at 5 mol/kg LiBr-methanol solution for MAXSORB3 as the adsorbent with one-stage solid porous matrix regenerator employed. This study contributes to methanol-based adsorption-driven osmotic heat engines for efficient heat to electricity conversion, as well as providing criteria for selecting appropriate adsorbents.

The rapid development and increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized by “green” methods such as by plants for biomedical, textile and healthcare applications has raised questions regarding their potential impacts on human health. This study presents a meta-analysis of the cytotoxicity data of phytosynthesized AgNPs with heterogenous features from literature using two classification-based machine learning approaches, decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF). The inclusion of plant family as a biosynthesis-related feature clearly improved the accuracy and generalization performance of DT and RF models, revealing the potential impact of biosynthesizing parameters on the cytotoxic effects of phytosynthesized AgNPs. A measure of the mean decrease Gini in the RF modeling identified that exposure regime (including time and dose), plant family, and cell type were the most important predictors for the cell viability outcomes of green AgNPs. Further, the potential effects of major variables (cell assays, intrinsic nanoparticle properties, and reaction parameters used in biosynthesis) on AgNPs-mediated cytotoxicity and model performance were discussed to provide a basis for future work. Thus, this meta-analysis of published data by machine learning algorithms provides guidance and prediction to key variables affecting AgNP-mediated cytotoxicity, which may help direct future studies toward better experimental design as well as the virtual design or optimization of green AgNPs for specific applications.

Rationale Myopericytoma of the parotid gland is a rare condition of which preoperative definitive diagnosis is relatively challenging. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the radiologic features of myopericytoma of parotid gland. Patient concerns A 62-year-old man presented with a history of a walnut-size mass in left parotid gland when yawned for half-month, and a 48-year-old woman complaint about a grape-size, painless mass behind the right ear for a month. Diagnoses Radiological examinations suggested that both lesions were cyst-solid mixed lesions with relatively smoothed margins, with or without significant enhancement while the lesion without enhancement had a hemorrhage. Then a diagnosis of benign tumor arising from the parotid gland was made. Final diagnosis of myopericytoma was confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations after surgical resection. Interventions Both patients underwent excision of the tumor and the superficial parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation. Outcomes Both patients recovered without any intraoperative or postoperative complication and had no signs of recurrence during a 17-month and 5-year follow-up. Lessons Parotid gland myopericytoma is an exceedingly rare tumor which diagnosis can be challenging, and this is the first published report specifying the magnetic resonance features of the disease.

This paper investigates the unexpected impact that enforcing birth control policies in China has upon the educational stratification between the Han majority, the policy target group, and ethnic minorities, a partially excluded group. Exploring county-level variation in the value of fines levied for unsanctioned births, we find that a stricter enforcement of the birth control policy leads to a larger educational gap between ethnic minorities and the Han majority in both rural and urban areas. More specifically, we find that higher fines lead to a larger improvement in the educational attainment of the Han majority and that this is principally due to the greater effect of these fines upon the reduction of family size and the subsequent concentration of family resources (among this population). Our findings indicate that the birth control policy has substantially contributed to the rising Han-minority educational gap in China.

To compare the survival outcomes between patients treated with bilateral mastectomy and partial mastectomy alone as the initial surgical management for primary lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS).Patients with histologically confirmed LCIS underwent partial mastectomy alone or bilateral mastectomy were identified by the SEER*Stat database (version 8.3.2) released in 2016. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality and the secondary outcome measure was breast cancer-specific mortality.Of the 5964 cases included in the analysis, 208 cases underwent bilateral mastectomy and 5756 cases underwent partial mastectomy alone. The 1-, 5- and 10-year estimated overall survival rates were 99.7%, 96.7% and 91.7%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate proportional hazards regression (Cox) analyses showed no significant difference between the risk of all-cause mortality in the bilateral mastectomy group compared with the partial mastectomy group (HR = 1.106, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.350-3.500, P = 0.86). In propensity score-matched model, bilateral mastectomy still did not show benefit to overall mortality (HR = 2.248, 95% CI 0.451-11.200). Patients older than 60 years of age showed a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 7.593, 95% CI 5.357-10.764, P 0.0001). No risk factors, including surgery type, were identified for breast cancer-specific survival.Survival outcomes of patients with LCIS who underwent partial mastectomy without radiotherapy were not inferior to patients who underwent bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. Breast cancer-specific mortality in patients with LCIS was extremely low; aggressive prophylactic surgery like bilateral prophylactic mastectomy should not be advocated for most patients with LCIS.

Ustilago esculenta, infects Zizania latifolia, and induced host stem swollen to be a popular vegetable called Jiaobai in China. It is the long-standing artificial selection that maximizes the occurrence of favourable Jiaobai, and thus maintaining the plant–fungi interaction and modulating the fungus evolving from plant pathogen to entophyte. In this study, whole genome of U. esculenta was sequenced and transcriptomes of the fungi and its host were analysed. The 20.2 Mb U. esculenta draft genome of 6,654 predicted genes including mating, primary metabolism, secreted proteins, shared a high similarity to related Smut fungi. But U. esculenta prefers RNA silencing not repeat-induced point in defence and has more introns per gene, indicating relatively slow evolution rate. The fungus also lacks some genes in amino acid biosynthesis pathway which were filled by up-regulated host genes and developed distinct amino acid response mechanism to balance the infection–resistance interaction. Besides, U. esculenta lost some surface sensors, important virulence factors and host range-related effectors to maintain the economic endophytic life. The elucidation of the U. esculenta genomic information as well as expression profiles can not only contribute to more comprehensive insights into the molecular mechanism underlying artificial selection but also into smut fungi–host interactions.

The intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) is frequently misdiagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis, by numerous radiologists and clinical doctors, which results in the incorrect therapeutic treatment. A retrospective case-control study was conducted, and the contrast-enhanced multiple-phase (CEMP) computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of 22 pathologically confirmed IMCC patients and 22 HCC controls with underlying liver cirrhosis were analyzed at the present hospital, from January 2010 to December 2015. In addition, serum tests were conducted and clinical symptoms of patients evaluated. A statistical analysis revealed that the enhancement pattern, signal on MRI delayed phase (P

Cylindrical resonators are commonly used in Coriolis vibratory gyroscopes (CVGs), which measure angular velocity through the precession of solid waves. Quality factor and its homogeneity are critical indicators of the resonator. In this paper, we present the observation and analysis of the Q factor variation behavior around the resonator’s axis of symmetry. We measured the resonator’s Q factor by the amplitude frequency response (AFR), with an acoustic source for excitation and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for detection. We then theoretically analyzed the Q variation behavior based on the two-dimensional mass-spring model. The experimental results were consistent with the theoretical calculation. By comparing experimental results with numerical calculations, we showed that the nature of this Q variation was due to the fact that when the excitation direction is misaligned with principle axes, for each detection point, the vibration is the superposition of two eigen-modes, and fitting with a one-dimensional oscillator would result in repetitive errors. This work is significant for understanding the mechanism of resonator’s Q factor variation behavior, as well as improving CVG’s performances.

The TiN-Al composite coatings on A356 alloy were successfully synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of Al, TiN and C powders under argon atmosphere. Meanwhile, the optimal parameters for mechanical milling processing were determined by changing the material ratio (Al: TiN: C), milling time and the ball-to-powder weight ratio, which might have a significant improvement on the wear resistance of A356 alloys. The microstructures and mechanical properties of A356 alloy samples with TiN-Al composite coatings were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Brinell hardness test. It was found that under the optimal conditions, i.e. the material ratio of (Al: TiN: C= 17.5:1.5:1), the ball-to-powder weight ratio of 14:1 and the milling duration of 12 h, the Brinell hardness of sample-6 could be remarkably increased to 143.80 HBW. With the TiN-Al coatings fabricated by MA process, the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys could be significantly improved.

Hull structure monitoring is needed to provide healthy suggestions for a ship. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are available for this application. By installing IMUs on different points of the ship hull, the angular velocity and acceleration of each point can be measured. Once the hull flexure changes, the movement parameters of those points will be different, and the hull flexure can be estimated through matching these parameters by a Kalman filter. We deduced proper measurement equations of the Kalman filter, which is essential for the flexure estimation, and designed real data and simulation data experiments to verify the equation. Results showed that the hull structure can be effectively monitored by the proposed method.

Species–area relationship has been widely addressed on many plant communities, but very few have conducted on epiphytic communities. Epiphytic plants are plentiful on ancient tea trees ( Camelia sinensis var. assamica) in the well-known Jingmai tea plantation area, Langcang region of Yunnan Province, SW China, and add to the plant community biodiversity. We investigated 343 tea trees with various ground diameter, canopy area, under branch height, and tree height. A total of 146 vascular epiphytic plants, belonging to 19 species in seven families were recorded from the trunk or branches of 93 (27.11%) investigated trees. We examined in situ abundance, richness, and diversity (Shannon–Weiner index) of the recorded vascular epiphytes, and their relationships to tree variables. Our results showed that the distribution (abundance, richness, and diversity) of epiphytic plants are significantly related to the canopy area ( p 0 . 05 ) and basal diameter ( p 0 . 0001 ) of tea trees, supporting their use as key factors and good predictor for the epiphyte’s appearance in this type of agro-ecosystems. We also concluded that the species–area relationship is a useful epiphytic species community research tool.

Objective: This study aimed at validating photoplethysmography for assessing bilateral blood pressure differences through investigating the correlations of digital volume pulse with arteriosclerosis risk. Methods: Totally, 111 subjects (70 healthy and 41 diabetic) were recruited. Demographic, blood pressure and anthropometric data were recorded. Blood was collected for determining serum cholesterol, total triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-/low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood sugar and glycated haemoglobin concentrations. Arterial stiffness was assessed with electrocardiogram-based pulse wave velocity, crest time and inter-digital volume pulse differences. Results: Receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated high inter-digital volume pulse difference sensitivity to glycated haemoglobin level over 6.5%. Linear regression analysis demonstrated significant correlation between inter-digital volume pulse difference and electrocardiogram-based pulse wave velocity ( r = 0.692, p Conclusion: In conclusion, the results not only demonstrated successful application of a novel non-invasive waveform contour index, inter-digital volume pulse difference, in differentiating young from aged subjects and patients with good diabetic control from those with poor diabetic control but also validated its use in identifying arteriosclerosis risks. The results, therefore, endorse its domestic application as non-invasive tool for arteriosclerosis risk screening.

The proliferating effects of 3 different simple triglycerides (tristearin, triolein, and trilinolein) on the human umbilical vein smooth muscle cells (HUVSMCs) induced by oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL) were investigated in this study. The protein and mRNA gene expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), smooth muscle-α-actin (SM-α-actin), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in HUVSMCs were measured by Western blotting and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It was shown that in tristearin (SSS) treated HUVSMCs, the saturated fatty acid content was increased, and the compositions of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid were decreased significantly. On the other hand, triolein (OOO) and trilinolein (LLL) significantly increased the levels of some typical PUFA such as arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Moreover, LLL and OOO could upregulate the protein and mRNA expressions of PCNA, MCP-1 as well as downregulate the expression of SM-α-actin. The results also showed that, SSS had significant promotion effects on the proliferation of HUVSMCs induced by ox-LDL. Although both LLL and OOO could inhibit the proliferation of HUVSMCs induced by ox-LDL, and might have certain inhibition of the atherosclerotic process.

An open question in migration research is how the removal of selective migration restrictions affects migrants’ education decisions. I analyze this question in the Chinese context, in which the household registration system imposes selective rural–urban migration restrictions. The identification derives from a policy change that grants urban residency to a group of rural individuals based on their dates of birth. Using a regression discontinuity approach, I find that educational attainments for barely eligible rural residents decreased sharply after the reform. These effects are larger for males and for those able to permanently migrate to relatively rich areas.

Chlormequat Chloride (CCC) is a plant growth regulator that is widely applied in agriculture. Previous studies have shown that long-term exposure of CCC could decrease body weight in animals. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been studied. In this study, CCC was administered to rats daily by gavage on postnatal days 23-60 at doses of 0, 75, 150 and 300mg/kg bw/d. The results showed that body weight and the length of the right femur were significantly decreased in the 300mg/kg bw/d group. Histological analysis of proximal growth plates of the right femurs showed narrowed proliferative zones and hypertrophic zones in CCC-treated groups. The mRNA expression of growth hormone, growth hormone receptor and insulin like growth factor 1 were decreased in the CCC-treated group. The results indicated that CCC may affect the expression of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 and subsequently cause a decrease in body weight and bone length.

Research indicated that life satisfaction and a positive self-perception of aging are vital during the aging process which contribute significantly to successful aging. Discovering the underlying determinants should provide a novel insight into the mechanism involved in achieving successful aging. A representative random sample of 2161 Chinese older people aged 60 years or above was surveyed by face-to-face interview. Sociodemographic factors were measured by age and educational level. Physical functioning was identified in terms of self-perceived health, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and number of chronic illnesses. Social functioning was characterized in terms of number of people living together, social support network, and sense of loneliness. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions were performed to identify significant determinants of life satisfaction and self-perception of aging. Results showed that people in older age with lower educational level had a higher level of life satisfaction; whereas people in younger age with higher educational level had a more positive self-perception of aging. Moreover, social functioning took precedence over physical functioning in contributing to life satisfaction. In contrast, physical functioning outweighed social functioning in promoting a positive self-perception of aging. A sense of companionship and a supportive social network are imperative in enhancing life satisfaction, whereas perceived physical health and functional independence are essential in facilitating a positive self-perception of aging. This study provides empirical support to improve understanding of the primary mechanism of achieving successful aging. It also lays important groundwork for future tailored-made interventions for promoting successful aging in a Chinese context.

To assess the prognostic value of multidetector CT in predicting overall survival outcomes in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs).Seventy-one patients pathologically diagnosed with PNETs were retrospectively included. The clinical and imaging information was evaluated by two radiologists. The difference between well-differentiated and poorly differentiated PNETs was analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were created to determine the risk factors for overall survival. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses with log-rank tests were used among different subgroups of patients with PNETs.In the whole cohort, the median survival was 36 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 84.8 %. Patients with poorly differentiated PNETs were more likely to present with symptoms, abnormal tumor markers, larger diameters, irregular shapes, ill-defined margins, invasion into nearby tissues, liver and lymph node metastases, and lower enhancement ratio than those with well-differentiated PNETs (P0.05). In the multivariate analysis, lymph node metastases (hazard ratio: 21.52, P = 0.009) and a portal enhancement ratio less than 1.02 (hazard ratio: 30.89, P = 0.024) were significant factors for overall survival. Overall survival decreased with an ill-defined margin, irregular shape, poor differentiation, grade 3 disease, nonfunctional status, abnormal tumor marker levels, invasion into nearby tissues, lymph node and liver metastases, and lower enhancement ratio (log-rank P0.05).Poorly differentiated PNETs were more aggressiveness than well-differentiated PNETs. Lymph node metastases and a portal enhancement ratio1.02 were independent prognostic factors for worse overall survival outcomes in patients with PNETs.

Investigating the surface loss mechanism is crucial for further decreasing energy loss in high quality fused silica resonators. Although there are various assumptions on surface loss mechanisms, experimental verification is not enough. In this paper, we present experimental results on the surface evolution and the Q factor change of the cylindrical fused silica resonator. Results on two cylindrical fused silica resonators show that compared with the buffered oxide etch (BOE), the NH 4 HF 2 solution maintained a better surface quality. A series of experiments were performed on the third resonator and a slice manufactured by the same grinding process, both were etched by NH 4 HF 2 solution simultaneously. The surface evolution of the fused silica slice was characterized by a profiler and a scanned electron microscope, and the decay time constant of the cylindrical fused silica resonator was measured by laser Doppler vibrometer. Results show that, as the etching progresses, the surface quality improved, particularly the micro-cracks were completely removed, and the spatial period of the surface increased. The surface roughness first increased, then fluctuated around a certain value. The decay time of the third resonator first increased rapidly, with a peak value of 138.74s at the etching depth of 50.5μm, then decreased with the increase of etching depth. Interesting facts on surface element distributions were discovered that when the decay time reached the maximum, the content of C reached the minimum and the percentage of Si and O was closest to 1:1. Our results suggested that the decay time constant of the macro-scale cylindrical fused silica resonator is not directly correlated with the surface roughness. More efforts are expected to explain the underlying mechanism behind.

The cylindrical resonator gyroscope (CRG) has been attracting more and more attention in recent years for its comprehensive advantages; which are its low cost, small size and high performance. These benefits make the CRG a good choice for tactical grade applications. A balanced resonator is a prerequisite for high-performance CRGs. Aiming at mass production, we seek balancing technology that is both simple and inexpensive for cylindrical fused silica resonators. Inspired by the chemical trimming procedure proposed by M. A. Basarab, we have been investigating the frequency tuning of fused silica cylindrical resonators by chemical etching. In this paper, we present the theoretical derivation, simulation and experimental results on the frequency tuning of fused silica cylindrical resonators by chemical etching. The thickness of the cylindrical resonator has been taken into consideration in theoretical derivation, which provides a more accurate description of the chemical trimming process. The relationship between the chemical trimming parameters and the fourth harmonic error of mass distribution of the cylindrical resonator was derived. The trimming efficiency, trimming rate, the frequency split to be reduced and the operability of the experimental system were considered during the determination of chemical trimming parameters. Simulations on the chemical trimming coefficient (CTC)- meaning the frequency reduced per unit mass-of our resonator show a difference of only 5.6% with theoretical calculation. A series of experiments were carried out on a fused silica cylindrical resonator with an initial frequency split of 1.221Hz and a decay time of 61s. Two sets of chemical etching parameters were designed based on theoretical and simulation results. Three rounds of etching were performed using the first set of parameters, and two rounds of etching were performed using the second set. The frequency split was reduced to 0.061Hz and the decay time was increased to 123s. Experimental results were also in agreement with theoretical calculation, with a CTC difference of 16.4%. Our work demonstrated that frequency tuning by chemical etching is controllable and repeatable, and is suitable for medium-accuracy trimming of cylindrical resonators made from fused silica.

Scientific data retrieval behavior is a typical human–computer interaction behavior, and users are in the dominant position in the interaction. It is of great significance to improve the scientific data sharing system to study the factors that affect scientific data user data search and retrieval. Based on the extended TAM model, this study used questionnaires to collect data from the competitors of the 6th “sharing cup” university students’ science and technology resources sharing service innovation contest and used structural equation method to analyze the data. The results show that the extended TAM model can explain and predict the using behavior of users’ scientific data sharing platform. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived playfulness, and behavior attitude have positive effects on actual behavior through behavior intention, of which perceived usefulness has the most significant effect. The research has an important guiding role for the construction of scientific data sharing platform.