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Shubo Tan, Yongmao Zeng, Shiliang Kuang, Jianjun Li Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital of the University of South China, Hengyang City, 421000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jianjun LiDepartment of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital of the University of South China, No. 35, Jiefang Avenue, Zhengxiang District, Hengyang City, 421000, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +861301734996Email liundefy666@126.comBackground: At present, it is difficult to clinically diagnose early chronic kidney disease (CKD). As a novel biomarker of malignancies in the female reproductive tract, the human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has been reported to be significantly expressed in CKD patients.Aim: We sought to assess whether HE4 can be used as a potential biomarker of early-stage CKD.Methods: The association between serum HE4 levels and CKD was analyzed in a retrospective study. A cohort of 506 patients with diabetic nephropathy who were hospitalized at Weihai Central Hospital, China, from January 2016 to November 2019 were included.Results: Serum HE4 levels were increased with increasing stage of CKD and significantly elevated in patients with CKD3-5 than CKD1-2 (P< 0.001). In multivariate linear regression analyses, HE4 levels were strongly correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in CKD patients (Model 2, P< 0.001). HE4 (area under the curve; AUC=0.934) had better diagnostic value than serum creatinine (SCr; AUC=0.770) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN; AUC=0.647) for patients with early-stage CKD (CKD1-2). Additionally, HE4 levels increased with increasing glomerular lesion (GL) and renal interstitial fibrosis (IF)/tubular atrophy (TA) scores in 51 CKD patients (P< 0.001).Conclusion: Serum HE4 levels can be positively associated with the severity of CKD and are a very valuable clinical biomarker for predicting early-stage CKD.Keywords: biomarker, chronic kidney disease, obese, human epididymis protein 4

Five TOLNet lidars participated to a validation campaign at the JPL-Table Mountain Facility, CA in August 2016. All lidars agreed within ±10% of each other and within ±7% of the ozonesondes. Centralized data processing was used to compare the uncertainty budgets. The results highlight the TOLNet potential to address science questions ranging from boundary layer processes to long range transport. TOLNet can now be seen as a robust network for use in field campaigns and long term monitoring.

We used protein expression profiles to develop a classification rule for the detection and prognostic assessment of bladder cancer in voided urine samples. Using the Ciphergen PBS II ProteinChip Reader, we analyzed the protein profiles of 18 pairs of samples of bladder tumor and adjacent urothelium tissue, a training set of 85 voided urine samples (32 controls and 53 bladder cancer), and a blinded testing set of 68 voided urine samples (33 controls and 35 bladder cancer). Using t-tests, we identified 473 peaks showing significant differential expression across different categories of paired bladder tumor and adjacent urothelial samples compared to normal urothelium. Then the intensities of those 473 peaks were examined in a training set of voided urine samples. Using this approach, we identified 41 protein peaks that were differentially expressed in both sets of samples. The expression pattern of the 41 protein peaks was used to classify the voided urine samples as malignant or benign. This approach yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 59% and 90%, respectively, on the training set and 80% and 100%, respectively, on the testing set. The proteomic classification rule performed with similar accuracy in low- and high-grade bladder carcinomas. In addition, we used hierarchical clustering with all 473 protein peaks on 65 benign voided urine samples, 88 samples from patients with clinically evident bladder cancer, and 127 samples from patients with a history of bladder cancer to classify the samples into Cluster A or B. The tumors in Cluster B were characterized by clinically aggressive behavior with significantly shorter metastasis-free and disease-specific survival.

Examines mechanisms of gender inequality and new linkages between sex segregation and glass ceilings. Constructs two gender-specific career trajectories to analyze women's career opportunities in internal labor markets in the federal government. Concludes that women have a better chance of reaching high positions if they alternate occupational paths within organizations. (DSK)

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has received extensive attention from researchers due to its high deposition rate, high material utilization, low cost, and ability to manufacture large-scale components. It is expected to be widely used in rapid forming of magnesium alloys. The current types and requirements of wires used in WAAM of magnesium alloy were summarized. Then, the current preparation methods suitable for WAAM of magnesium alloy were introduced. The manufacturing technology, deposition mechanism, microstructure and mechanical property of various WAAM-processed magnesium alloys were discussed. Finally, the problems such as the few types of available wires and the uncontrollable shape and property of components for wire arc additive manufacturing of magnesium alloys were analyzed. The optimization of properties and application of components for wire arc additive manufacturing of magnesium alloys were forecasted.

Abstract Selective-area p-type doping has been regarded as one of the primary challenges in vertical GaN junction-based power devices. Nickel oxide (NiO), serving as a natural p-type semiconductor without the requirement for sophisticated activation and enabling adjustable charge concentration, is potentially feasible to form pn hetero-junction in GaN power devices. In this work, a vertical GaN Schottky barrier diode (SBD) featuring hybrid p-NiO junction termination extension (HP-JTE) with fluorine (F)-implanted buried layer (FIBL) has been demonstrated. With FIBL incorporated underneath p-NiO in the termination region, the reverse leakage current can be effectively reduced by approximately 3 orders of magnitude. By virtue of photon emission microscopy measurements, it has also been verified that the light emission and leakage current through p-NiO termination region can be effectively suppressed by FIBL. Thanks to the HP-JTE structure as well as the nearly ideal Schottky interface, the vertical GaN SBD exhibits a high current swing of $\sim 10^{13}$ , a low ideality factor of $\sim 1.02$ , a low differential $R_{O N}$ of $\sim 0.89 \mathrm{~m} \Omega \cdot \mathrm{cm}^2$ , a low forward voltage drop of $\sim 0.8 \mathrm{~V}$ (defined at $100 \mathrm{~A} / \mathrm{cm}^2$ ), and a breakdown voltage of $\sim 780 \mathrm{~V}$ (defined at $0.1 \mathrm{~A} / \mathrm{cm}^2$ ). The characterizations and findings in this work can provide valuable insights into the p-NiO/GaN hetero-junction-based power devices.