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Optimizing the sapphire preparation seeding process parameters can cut the seeding time, reduce the formation of seeding defects, and improve the seeding efficiency.

In this article, we present a novel separate strategy to control the pitch attitude and the gliding direction for a biomimetic gliding robotic fish by the coordination of the external and internal control surfaces. First, we derive the gliding dynamics and hydrodynamics within the framework of the extended angle of attack (AOA), based on which the gliding model is decomposed into pitch and velocity terms. Next, the backstepping and model predictive controllers are designed to regulate pitch angle using a movable mass and an AOA using pectoral fins based on their control features, respectively. Further, extensive simulations encompassing separate control and path following with desired pitch attitude are conducted to verify the feasibility and superiority of the proposed control strategy. More importantly, to capture the real-time gliding states in practical environment, we develop a gliding measurement and control system. Through the system, the aquatic experiments are carried out to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed separate control strategy. The obtained results offer valuable insight into the development of complex motion control of the gliding robots, laying a solid foundation for diversified underwater missions besides visual perception and autonomous docking.

Remora, a bony fish, is well known for the remarkable hitchhiking behavior, by which it can transport itself over large distances without too much effort. In this article, a novel robotic remora with a stable adhesion system and its motion control methods are proposed for transferring the hitchhiking behavior to the engineered system. In terms of the mechatronic design, a robotic prototype with the uncoupled planar and vertical motion mechanisms is created to realize the precise and agile movement. Furthermore, a reliable adhesion system possessing low preload demand, considerable adhesive force ( $\sim \text{250}\text{ N}$ ), and reversible adhesion ability is developed, and then, the design principle of the adhesive disc is investigated. In the aspect of motion control, a mode-switch-based planar pose (position and orientation) control method and an antidisturbance depth control method are designed. The combination of these two controllers endows the robotic remora with the ability to precisely arrive at any position in a 3-D space, which paves the way for the hitchhiking task. Extensive experimental results are presented to support the performance benefits of the proposed robotic remora and control methods. Finally, the hitchhiking behavior is implemented successfully by robotic remora. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first engineered implementation of hitchhiking for a fin-actuated underwater robot. The results obtained will promote the design and control of the future underwater adhesion robot and offer valuable insights into the long-endurance robotic fish and mother–son multirobot system.

In this paper, we present a gliding efficiency optimization strategy based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for a gliding robotic fish. For the gliding motion in shallow waters, the non-steady motion strongly impacts the gliding range and also reduces efficiency. This paper presents a concept of transient gliding motion and illustrates its importance for small-scale gliding robotic fish. For better gliding performance of active fins, several pectoral fins with different sizes are designed and their hydrodynamics and optimizing capabilities are analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Then, a double deep Q network (DQN) based optimization strategy is proposed to improve gliding efficiency by active pectoral fins, in which an adversarial model and a two-stage reward function are presented for the adequate calculation of gliding range. Simulations are conducted to validate the convergence and effectiveness of the proposed strategy. The aquatic experiments are carried out to further verify the proposed strategy. The results reveal that the optimization strategy can save about 4.88% of energy and 19.45% of travel time. This study provides clues to the design of active control surfaces and improvement of gliding efficiency for underwater vehicles. Remarkably, the proposed strategy can significantly improve the duration and endow the robot with the potential to perform complex tasks.

BACKGROUND Diabetes has become a severe health threat in China, owing to its increasing prevalence, long-term morbidity, and mortality. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the association between adherence to blood glucose self-monitoring guidance and glycemic control among patients with T2DM A 12-week mHealth-based prospective cohort study was conducted. Patients received recommendations on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) testing frequencies and uploaded testing results through smart glucose monitoring devices. initiating basal insulin in China. METHODS A 12-week mHealth-based prospective cohort study was conducted. Patients received recommendations on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) testing frequencies and uploaded testing results through smart glucose monitoring devices. RESULTS A total of 14,084 patients from 242 hospitals were enrolled. Most patients (73.3%) had 9%. The benefit of improving adherence to SMBG guidance was consistently found for FBG reduction, HbA1c, and FBG target rate. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated a positive relationship between adherence and glycemic control and identified patient characteristics with poorer adherence for further customization of mHealth.

Monocytopenia and mycobacterial infection (MonoMAC) syndrome is a rare disease. Herein, we reported a 65-year-old Asian woman, previously diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), suffering from recurrent pneumonia, intermittent fever, fatigue, and chest tightness lasting for five months. She was ultimately diagnosed with MonoMAC syndrome with Mycobacterium kansasii (M. kansasii) infection and GATA2 mutation through metagenomic generation sequencing (mNGS) of peripheral blood specimen, for which she was given anti-NTM therapy. Her situation significantly improved within 2 weeks of therapy. We discussed the clinical features, genetic characteristic, and prognosis of this disorder, aiming to further elucidate this rare syndrome. For MDS/AML patient with recurrent mixed infection and pancytopenia (especially with monocyte absence), MonoMAC syndrome should be highly suspected, and germline mutation and pathogen sequencing should be performed.

The aquatic-aerial robot with the free interface crossing can enhance adaptability in complex aquatic environments. However, its design is extremely challenging for the striking discrepancies in propulsion principles. The flying fish in nature exhibits remarkable multi-modal cross-domain locomotion capability, such as high-maneuvers swimming, agile water-air crossing, and long-distance gliding, providing extensive inspiration. In this paper, we present a unique aquatic-aerial robotic flying fish with powerful propulsion and a pair of morphing wing-like pectoral fins to realize cross-domain motion. Furthermore, to explore the gliding mechanism of flying fish, a dynamic model with a morphing structure of pectoral fins is established, and a double deep Q-network-based control strategy is proposed to optimize the gliding distance. Finally, experiments were conducted to analyze the locomotion of the robotic flying fish. The results suggest that the robotic flying fish can successfully perform the ‘fish leaping and wing spreading’ cross-domain locomotion with an exiting speed of 1.55 m s−1 (5.9 body lengths per second, BL/s) and a crossing time of 0.233 s indicating its great potential in cross-domain. Simulation results have validated the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy and indicated that the dynamical adjustment of morphing pectoral fins contributes to improving the gliding distance. The maximum gliding distance has increased by 7.2%. This study will offer some significant insights into the system design and performance optimization of aquatic-aerial robots.

A 49-year-old male patient who had been diagnosed with variable hairy cell leukemia (HCL-V) was treated with interferon for half a year but exert no obvious effect. After two courses of chemotherapy with cladribine, he achieved remission, and splenomegaly significantly improved (the length in craniocaudal dimension decreased from 15.8cm to 11.8cm). Four years later, the patient got disease relapse and was recommended for another cycle of cladribine (6mg for 7 days). On the last day of cladribine, the patient developed fever with needle-like red rashes on the face, limbs, and trunk. At the very beginning, the rash was lighter in color, sparsely distributed, and without obvious itching. Three days later, the rash gradually darkened, expanded and merged, with itching. With the application of high dose gamma globulin and corticosteroids (prednisolone combined with dexamethasone), the rash finally faded, and the patient was discharged. Rash caused by cladribine is not uncommon, such serious and widespread drug-induced rash is rare, and there are few reports. This article reviewed relevant studies and treatments.

The intrinsically reciprocating motion in fishlike propulsion causes severe attitude instability of a robotic fish, which poses enormous challenges for environmental perception and autonomous operation. To address this issue, in this article, we propose a reaction-wheel-based control framework for guaranteeing the roll stability of the robotic fish. The mechatronic design and dynamic model of the designed robotic fish with an internal rotor are presented. By means of the simplified model and frequency domain analysis, the effect factors about roll stability are concretely analyzed. More importantly, a hybrid controller that combines a sliding mode controller with a neural network feedforward compensator is developed to reject the severe disturbance on roll angle. Then, the Lyapunov stability theory is utilized to analyze the stability and convergence property of the closed-loop system. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed methods possess more significant performances than the passive stabilization method, which provides a valuable reference for attitude stabilization control and robust environmental perception of underwater robots.

This paper presents an innovative design for a biomimetic whale shark-like underwater glider aiming at the combination of high maneuverability and long duration. As a hybrid of the underwater glider and the robotic fish, its pectoral fins and tail can serve as not only the external control surfaces for attitude regulation during gliding but also the propellers for agile fish-like swimming mode. To verify the gliding capability of the whale shark-like glider and prepare for future dynamic analysis, the hydrodynamic coefficients, including drag, lift, sliding force, and corresponding moments are estimated through computational fluid dynamics method. In addition, the hydrodynamic analyses of the proposed glider and an equivalent conventional glider during steady gliding motion are executed for comparison. Extended experiments are performed to verify the downward gliding performance. The results reveal that the whale shark-like glider has less drag as well as higher lift-to-drag ratio and a markable gliding capability in practice. It may offer important inspiration for improving the gliding efficiency and performance of an underwater glider in biomimetic shape design.

Background Autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a cerebrovascular disease closely related to the NOTCH3 gene. More than 200 mutations in this gene have been reported to be associated with this disease. Methods The NOTCH3 gene from CADASIL patient was screened for mutations by whole‐exome sequencing (WES). PCR amplification and direct Sanger sequencing were used to verify the suspicious gene mutation sites detected by WES. Results We performed second‐generation sequencing on a sample of the patient's genome and found a heterozygous deletion‐insertion mutation c.512_605delinsA in exon 4 of NOTCH3, which resulted in amino acid changes p.G171_A202delinsE. This variation was confirmed by the direct Sanger sequencing. It may be rated as a CADASIL clinical variation. Conclusion Discovery of this mutation site provides an important theoretical basis for specific gene‐based diagnosis and treatment of CADASIL.

Distant ischemic postconditioning (DIPC) has been confirmed to have a neuroprotective effect in animal models of ischemia. However, there are only a few studies on its efficacy and safety in clinical applications.We divided 86 patients with acute non-cardiogenic mild to moderate cerebral infarction into DIPC and control groups.After 7 days of using different pressure DIPC therapies, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores on the eighth day significantly decreased, and modified Rankin scale significantly increased in the DIPC group, compared to that before treatment. On the eight day of admission, the decrease in the NIHSS scores significantly differed between the two groups. However, there was no change in the early neurological deterioration and platelet aggregation rates between the two groups on the eighth day.These results demonstrate that DIPC can safely and effectively improve neurological deficits in acute stages of mild to moderate cerebral infarction without affecting the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) was defined using the International Consensus Guidelines as a platelet count

The conical-scanning Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TMI), which plays an important role in monitoring global precipitation, has nine channels. A clear striping noise feature is found in pitch-over maneuver data of deep-space and earth-view observations at all nine channels of the TMI. A modified striping noise mitigation algorithm is used to extract the striping noise from deep-space and earth-scene observations. The magnitude of the striping noise extracted from TMI channel 10.65 V, 10.65 H, and 37.0 H measurements is about 0.4 K and more than 1.5 K for channel 85.5 V and 85.5 H measurements. After striping noise mitigation, no visible striping feature is seen in the observation-minus-simulation distributions of both deep-space and earth-scene brightness temperatures. Comparisons of the liquid water path (LWP) retrieved from TMI brightness temperatures with and without striping noise mitigation show that the striping noise in brightness temperatures results in a striping feature in LWP retrievals. When the striping noise is not removed from TMI observations, LWP retrievals exhibit a cross-track striping feature. The striping noise leads to a greater retrieval difference in larger LWP areas.

Background Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a rare familial hereditary neurodegenerative disease caused by multiple autosomal dominant mutations. More than 50 mutant genes have been reported to be associated with this disease. Methods In this study, we have reported a rare insertion mutation site in PRRT2 that caused a familial disorder of hereditary spastic paraplegia accompanied by polyneuropathy. Results We used second‐generation sequencing of samples of the proband's familial genome and found an insertion mutation of C/CC in NM_001256443:c.641dupC that was localized to the second exon of PRRT2. This functional mutation can cause an amino acid sequence change (arginine >proline) and dysfunctional neuronal transmembrane proteins, which might have been related to the onset of hereditary spastic paraplegia accompanied by polyneuropathy in the family reported in this study. Conclusion The discovery of this mutation site provides an important theoretical basis for specific gene‐based diagnosis and treatment of hereditary spastic paraplegia.

In this paper, an innovative dual-field measurement system is proposed for measuring the real-time material flow on the conveyor belt. The system consists of two light sources to illuminate the upper and the lower surface of the conveyor belt, respectively, and two binocular cameras to capture the dual-field contour images. The contour curves are extracted from the images by the contour acquisition algorithm and fitted with linear interpolation functions for the calculation of instantaneous cross-sectional area of material flow. Then the real-time volume of material flow is obtained according to the belt speed. Compared with conventional visual methods, the proposed method is no need to preliminarily acquire the data of the empty belt as well as hardly affected by belt deformation. Some measured objects are prepared for both sectional area and volume measurement. The results show that the accuracy of the proposed system can achieve up to 96.3% and 96.05% for the volume measurement of regular materials and coals, respectively, which is superior to the conventional visual method. The proposed measurement method has strong robustness and low construction cost, which is expected to generalize and apply in the bulk material transport field.

In this paper, a novel compliant joint with two identical torsion springs is proposed for a biomimetic multi-joint robotic fish, which enables imitatation of the swimming behavior of live fish. More importantly, a dynamic model based on the Lagrangian dynamic method is developed to explore the compliant passive mechanism. In the dynamic modeling, a simplified Morrison equation is utilized to analyze the hydrodynamic forces. Further, the parameter identification technique is employed to estimate numerous hydrodynamic parameters. The extensive experimental data with different situations match well with the simulation results, which verifies the effectiveness of the obtained dynamic model. Finally, motivated by the requirement for performance optimization, we firstly take advantage of a dynamic model to investigate the effect of joint stiffness and control parameters on the swimming speed and energy efficiency of a biomimetic multi-joint robotic fish. The results reveal that phase difference plays a primary role in improving efficiency and the compliant joint presents a more significant role in performance improvement when a smaller phase difference is given. Namely, at the largest actuation frequency, the maximum improvement of energy efficiency is obtained and surprisingly approximates 89%. Additionally, the maximum improvement in maximum swimming speed is about 0.19 body lengths per second. These findings demonstrate the potential of compliance in optimizing joint design and locomotion control for better performance.

The bicarbonate-activated hydrogen peroxide (BAP) with heterogeneous catalysts has been demonstrated to have a good future for organic pollutants removal in wastewater treatment. Herein, a novel catalyst, cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Co@NC) was prepared by pyrolysis of Co salt and melamine, followed by acid treatment to remove excess metallic cobalt. Combining the hollow carbon nanotube structure and Co nanoparticles, the Co@NC offers excellent catalytic performance for acid orange 7 degradation in the BAP system. High stability against cobalt ions leaching from the Co@NC was observed, which is superior to the previously reported heterogeneous catalysts. H2O2 activation mechanism by Co@NC catalyst was also proposed, in which superoxide ion and single oxygen are the dominant reactive species from H2O2 decomposition by the synergistic effect of Co(0) and N species.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of disorders involving hematopoietic dysfunction, with a leukemic transformation characteristic. The risk based therapeutic strategy was well applied in clinical. And for patients with IPSS low or intermediate risk-1, NCCN guideline recommended hematopoietic stimulation therapy, immune suppression therapy (IST), as well as demethylation therapy, along with best supportive care. Eltrombopag (EPAG) was firstly approved as the second line option for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), and recently it was also investigated for treatment of aplastic anemia and MDS. In MDS, based on available reports, the EPAG was mostly used along with hypomethylating-agent, or as salvage treatment after treatment failure. However, there was study showed that the combination of EPAG to azacitidine (AZA) may worsen platelet recovery, with lower response rate and increased trend of leukemic transformation. The successful EPAG monotherapy for MDS case was report, with complete hematologic remission and blasts elimination. To date, limited study was focus on investigating the benefit of EPAG as initial monotherapy for transfusion dependent (TD) patients with low to intermediate risk-1 MDS, as well as its safety. Herein, we reviewed cases of elderly TD-MDS patients who received EPAG as front-line single treatment in our center, and 7 patients was enrolled from July, 2019 to September, 2020. Patients received EPAG 25mg to a maximum 75mg. The side effects, numbers of transfusion, improvement of peripheral blood and bone-marrow blast were recorded. The 12weeks overall response rate was 85.7%, with 2 robust response (RR), and 4 hematologic response. In patients got response, 66.7% (4/6) became platelet transfusion independent, with an answering period from 19 days to 55 days. No drug adverse events were observed within 12 week-treatment, and no obvious increased blasts as well as myelofibrosis were observed. 2 patients repeated the next-generation sequencing, and no new mutations were found. After the 12-week treatment, the 2 RR patients were still taking EPAG and got continued complete remission with a median follow up of two years. Two patient (No.3 and No.4) relapsed after EPAG withdrawn and became transfusion depend again. Patient No.1 and No.6 died of infection and cerebral hemorrhage during the follow up. In summary, EPAG may improve the hematopoiesis of TD-patient with low to intermediate risk-1 MDS, and was well tolerant with a dose of 25mg to 75mg for Asian population. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by decreased platelet (PLT) count in peripheral blood and marrow megakaryocyte dysfunction, which was induced by antiplatelet antibodies or cytotoxic T cells. Many ITP patient were previously full response to first-line treatment such as corticoids (CIS) or immunoglobulin (IVIG), but were intolerant or relapse during the maintenance treatment, and turn to receive recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO), rituximab (RTX), splenectomy as well as immunosuppressive therapy (IST). Unfortunately, there still some patients failed to multiple treatments are faced with high bleeding risk. Eltrombopag, the first oral non-peptide thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO-RA) that approved by US FDA in 2008, is the second-line treatment option for chronic ITP based on guideline recommendation. As reported, the effective rate of eltrombopag in ITP ranges from 59% to 89.7%, and limited predictive factors were available to assess the efficiency for individual. The characteristic of marrow megakaryocyte (MK) in ITP was reported as normal or hyper megakaryocytosis on the initiation (before treatment), however there are also ITP patients with decreased marrow MK, and the response of eltrombopag to these patients have not been fully reported. Bone marrow aspiration is a routine examination in China for the diagnosis of ITP with severe thrombocytopenia. Therefore, we conducted a research tried to assess the efficiency of eltrombopag to patients with multi-line failed ITP, and analyzing the possible factors may contribute to the differences based on personal characteristic. Thirty-five multi-line failed ITP patients with PLT count bellow 30× 10 9/L who received eltrombopag treatment were enrolled, and divided into three groups, the hyper-MK (MK count>35, n=17), normal-MK (8-35, n=10) and hypo-MK (≤7, n=8) groups. The average PLT count was 10.63±6.30×10 9/L before eltrombopag treatment, and it increased significantly to 12 (2-65)×10 9/L, 39 (2-212)×10 9/L, 68 (2-453)×10 9/L, 60 (3-358)×10 9/L, and 75 (3-308)×10 9/L in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th , and 8th weeks after treatment (all P=0.000, except 1st week). The median intervals time required for platelet to reach 30×10 9/L and 100×10 9/L for the first time were 11 (4-40) and 21 (10-65) days, respectively (Fig. A-C). We found the overall, complete (PLT count ≥100×10 9/L) and partial response (PLT count ≥30×10 9/L or at least twice the baseline value) rates were 54.3% (n=19), 48.6% (n=17), and 5.7% (n=2) respectively to eltrombopag in our center. The overall response rate of patient with decreased MK was 75%, which was unexpectedly higher than the patient with increased or normal MK count (52.9% and 40%, respectively) (Fig. D). To explain the underling mechanism, we detected the peripheral T lymphocyte, B lymphocytes and NK cells before eltrombopag. Results showed that the patient with decreased MK were characteristic with higher T helper (Th) cells (39.62±2.01%) and regulatory T (Tregs) cells (7.93±1.63%) when compared to the hyper-MK (30.44±10.95%, 4.23±1.67%) and normal-MK group (25.67±5.72%, 4.81±2.12%). For patient with poorer eltrombopag response group, more percentage and absolute number of NK cells (15.48±7.12%, 234.4±91.80×10 6/L) were found in peripheral blood (Fig. E-F). We also discovered that previous first-line (CIS or IVIG) treatment, rhTPO effectiveness, RTX splenectomy and IST had no influence on eltrombopag response (Fig. G). As for safety, nine eltrombopag related adverse events were reported, and most commonly were upper respiratory tract infection (8.6%), elevated ALT (5.7%), and venous thrombosis (5.7%). All the side effect was cured by symptomatic treatment, eltrombopag dose reduction or discontinue. In summary, ITP patients with decreased megakaryocyte respond well to eltrombopag, and the abnormality of NK cells may play a role in patients exert a poor response. In further clinical practice, we should considering the megakaryocytes count as well as peripheral NK population to better predicting eltrombopag response in ITP patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia (HAAA) refers to aplastic anemia (AA) in which pancytopenia appears within 6 months after an acute attack of hepatitis. The incidence of HAAA in the Far East and West accounts for 4-10% and 2-5%, respectively, in all AA cases. HAAA frequently occurs in young men, with a median age of 19 (6-56) years, and the two-month mortality after the onset of HAAA can reach 78-88% if the disease was leaved untreated. To date, the underlying pathogenesis is not yet clarified, and no specific correlation has been established between HAAA and chemical toxicants, neither radiation. Based on available studies, the hyper-activation of T lymphocytes and abnormal humoral immunity were confirmed in HAAA, and a large number of infiltrated lymphocytes are also noted in liver at the early stage of the disease, which resulting in liver dysfunction. Some viruses, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, parvovirus B19, human herpesvirus (HHV), and Epstein-Barr virus were correlated to the development of HAAA. However, the clinical results of the serological tests for hepatitis-associated viruses of most patients are negative, i.e., serologically negative HAAA. The frontline treatments are agreed to be allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) or immunosuppressive therapy (IST). Because of the relatively scattered clinical data, compared to other acquired AA, the basis of treatment decision-making is insufficient. Some studies speculated that both IST and HSCT are effective, while others believe that transplantation should be the first choice if suitable donors are available. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study and meta-analysis for better understanding and choice of the treatment. Our retrospective cohort study enrolled 18 HAAA patients, including 12 males and 6 females. A total of 12 (66.7%) patients received IST treatment, in which 4(33.33%) achieved completed remission (CR), 1(8.33%) partial remission (PR), and 7(58.33%) no response (NR), with a total effective rate of 41.7%. 6 patients (33.3%) received HSCT treatment, in which, 2 achieved CR, 1 PR, and 3 NR, with an effective rate of 50% (Table 1). The one-year overall survival (OS) rate of the IST group was significantly higher than that of the HSCT group (P16-years-old was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.50-1.46)(Figure E). The effective rate of ATG/ALG combined with CSA was 51.35%, and that of CSA alone was 46.7%. Compared to the HSCT group, the efficacy of ATG/ALG + CSA group (RR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.51-1.04) was better than that of CSA alone (RR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.32-1.09) (Figure F). The result of comparing ATG/ALG + CSA with CSA showed that the pooled RR was 1.35(95% CI: 0.70, 2.59) (Figure G), and the difference was not significant. This phenomenon could be attributed to the small number of articles included and insufficient sample size after subgroup analysis according to the IST treatment. We speculated that ATG/ALG combined with CSA has advantages in the treatment of HAAA compared to CSA alone. In summary, HSCT is more effective than IST in the treatment of HAAA, especially for patients 16-years-old, there is no significant difference in the efficacy between the HSCT and ATG/ALG + CsA strategies. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) often causes small blood vessel lesions in multiple organs, with less impact on large vessels. We report a case involving not only large blood vessels, but also angina. The computed tomographic angiography of large vessels and vascular ultrasonography of the extremity also suggested great arteries of the body were involved. Further cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody tests, pathological examination and dynamic chest computed tomography scan confirmed the diagnosis of GPA. Anti-inflammatory therapy and coronary secondary prevention were given after diagnosis by pathological examination and laboratory evaluation. The symptoms of angina pectoris were relieved. This rare case report reminds us that among the well-known risk factors of atherosclerotic diseases, GPA is also an important risk factor for acute coronary syndrome. Early foresight for this rare risk factor can improve the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, which will improve the prognosis of the patients.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of s-amyloid peptide 1-42 and phosphorylation of tau protein in the brain. Thus far, the transfer mechanism of these cytotoxic proteins between nerve cells remains unclear. Recent studies have shown that nanoscale extracellular vesicles (exosomes) originating from cells may play important roles in this transfer process. In addition, several genetic materials and proteins are also involved in intercellular communication by the secretion of the exosomes. That proposes novel avenues for early diagnosis and biological treatment in AD, based on exosome detection and intervention. In this review, exosome-related pathways of cytotoxic protein intercellular transfer in AD, and the effect of membrane proteins on exosomes targeting cells are first introduced. The advances in exosome-related biomarker detection in AD are summarized. Finally, the advantages and challenges of reducing cytotoxic protein accumulation via exosomal intervention for AD treatment are discussed. It is envisaged that future research in exosomes may well provide new insights into the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of AD.

A graphitic carbon nitride-containing MCM-41 catalyst (g-C3N4/MCM-41) was prepared through an in situ thermal approach and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that Acid Orange 7 (AO7) and other five organic dyes can be completely degraded by the g-C3N4/MCM-41 catalyst within 30 min in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), while g-C3N4 + PMS and MCM-41 + PMS show nearly no activity. A non-radical pathway accompanied by radical generation in PMS activation and AO7 oxidation is proposed. The oxidized carbon species N–C–O on g-C3N4 with strong electron density plays a key role in the reaction, while the large surface area of the catalyst can also efficiently enhance the accessibility of catalytic active sites. Though the reusability of the g-C3N4/MCM-41 catalyst is not very good as that of metal oxide catalysts, its activity can be recovered by KOH treatment. The study can broaden the application of g-C3N4 in the area of wastewater treatment.

The simple rectorite–sulfite system has been found to decolorize methyl orange efficiently with dioxygen as the oxidant under mild conditions. The rectorite was also stable during the reaction without significant metal ions leaching. The iron impurity, mainly presented as highly dispersed hematite, probably acted as the active centers. Suggested by the electron spin resonance spin-trapping technologies and radical scavenger measurements, the produced sulfate radicals were to be responsible for the dye decolorization. This study can provide us a simple, effective and economic system ideal for the treatment of toxic and nonbiodegradable azo dye.

Sea ice in polar areas is an important part of the global climate system. In order to obtain variations in sea ice extent for the Antarctic and Arctic, this paper analyzed the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) sea ice data product dating from March 1, 1997 to December 31, 2006. During this period, the sea ice extent increased in the Antarctic with the trend of (0.5467±0.4933)×104 km2·yr−1, and decreased in the Arctic with the trend of (−7.6125±0.3503)×104 km2·yr−1. In different sectors of the Antarctic, variations of the sea ice extent are different. The sea ice extent increased in the Weddell Sea and Indian Ocean, but decreased in the Ross Sea, Western Pacific Ocean, and Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas.

A novel type of polybenzoxazine (PB-m)/clay nanocomposites were prepared from 2-bis (3-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,3-benzoxazinyl) propane (B-m) and di-methyl, di-octadecyl ammonium chloride (DODMAC)-modified clay. Surface properties and thermal stability of the PB-m/clay nanocomposites were characterized by contact angle measurement and thermogravimetry (TGA), respectively. It was found that the PB-m/clay nanocomposites possess the lowest surface free energy (15.27 mJ/m2) after 8 h curing at 210°C, which is even lower than that of poly (tetrafluoroethylene) (21.0 mJ/m2), and the presence of the clay in the B-m PB-m matrix enhances the stability of the surface energy at 210°C. FTIR results show that the intercalated structures of PB-m/clay nanocomposites have no influence on the hydrogen-bonding network of the PB-m during curing. Combining with the results of atomic force microscope, it can be concluded that the stability of surface energies of the PB-m/clay nanocomposites is mainly affected by the migration and masking of clay. Also, TGA results show that the addition of clay improves the thermal stability of PB-m. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

In our study, the effect of N-substituents on the surface free energy and hydrogen bonding network structure of polybenzoxazine has been studied systematically. The contact angle measurement results show the surface energies of the polybenzoxazines decrease with the increase of alkyl chain length, and are not affected by the steric factor of the tert-butyl group. However, the FTIR curve fitting results show that both the chain length and bulkiness of alkyl group have an effect on the hydrogen bonding network of the polybenzoxazines, and facilitate the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding during the progress of cure. This indicates that both alkyl group and the fraction of intermolecular hydrogen bonding have an effect on the surface energy of the polybenzoxazines. Additionally, the transformation mechanism of the intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding during the progress of cure is proposed for the first time.