Search

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women, The standard treatment recommendation for women with early cervical cancer is radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection, however, articles published in recent years have concluded that the treatment outcome of laparoscopic surgery for cervical cancer is inferior to that of open surgery. Thus, we choose a surgically new approach; the laparoscopic cervical cancer surgery in the open state is compared with the traditional open cervical cancer surgery, and we hope that patients can still have a good tumor outcome and survival outcome. This trial will investigate the effectiveness of laparoscopic cervical cancer surgery in the open-state treatment of early-stage cervical cancer. Method and design This will be an open-label, 2-armed, randomized, phase-III single-center trial of comparing laparoscopic radical hysterectomy based on open state with abdominal radical hysterectomy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. A total of 740 participants will be randomly assigned into 2 treatment arms in a 1:1 ratio. Clinical, laboratory, ultrasound, and radiology data will be collected at baseline, and then at the study assessments and procedures performed at baseline and 1 week, 6 weeks, and 3 months, and follow-up visits begin at 3 months following surgery and continue every 3 months thereafter for the first 2 years and every 6 months until year 4.5. The primary aim is the rate of disease-free survival at 4.5 years. The secondary aims include treatment-related morbidity, costs and cost-effectiveness, patterns of recurrence, quality of life, pelvic floor function, and overall survival. Conclusions This prospective trial aims to show the equivalence of the laparoscopic cervical cancer surgery in the open state versus the transabdominal radical hysterectomy approach for patients with early-stage cervical cancer following a 2-phase protocol. Trial registration ChiCTR2300075118. Registered on August 25, 2023.

Hypertension (HT) is a major cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage (HCH) has a serious impact on life quality of patients and gives society a heavy burden. This study investigated the key genes involved in HT and HCH. Three patients with HT, three with HCH, and three healthy individuals were recruited in the present study. Shared and specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HT and HCH were identified using RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Functional annotation and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction of HT- and HCH-specific DEGs were conducted. Estimation of cell infiltration, drug prediction, and real-time qPCR (RT-qPCR) validation were performed. Compared with the controls, 502 and 1649 DEGs were identified in the HT and HCH groups, respectively. Among them, 378 DEGs were HT-specific and 633 DEGs were HCH-specific, and a total of 1771 DEGs were identified between HT and HCH. In addition, there were fewer immune cell types that differed significantly among the three groups. The RT-qPCR validation results in human subjects and cell models were generally consistent with the sequencing results. Our study may make a contribution for the understanding of the specific mechanisms of HT and HCH. Highlights Hypertension (HT) is a major cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage (HCH) has a serious impact on life quality of patients. A total of 502 and 1649 DEGs were obtained in HT and HCH, and 1771 DEGs were obtained between HT and HCH. Doxycycline, fasudil and propylthiouracil were predicted as potential drugs for HT and HCH. Our study may make a contribution for the understanding of the specific mechanisms of HT and HCH and representing a potential novel strategy for HT and HCH treatment.

The millimeter-sized glass (SiO2) shells play key roles in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments, especially for the so-called ''direct-drive'' configuration. The preparation of large diameter/thickness ratio glass shells and the exploration of transformation mechanisms for silicon-doped glow discharge polymer (Si-GDP) to SiO2 still face challenges. Here, we prepared large diameter/thickness ratio glass shells with the diameter of ∼1200 μm and shell thickness of ∼5 μm by increasing the Si contents in Si-GDP precursors. The influence of Si contents in Si-GDP shells on the compositions, morphologies and geometrical properties of glass shells were carefully investigated. The formability and uniformity of micro morphologies of the glass shells will improve with the increase of Si contents in precursors. The chemical composition of the prepared glass shells is SiO2 with some carbides adsorbed on their surfaces and the compositions present negligible relationship with the Si contents. The sphericity, thickness uniformity and surface quality will increase with the increase of Si contents in precursors. Besides, the oxidation mechanisms for Si-GDP to SiO2 were explored by the combination of an in situ high temperature infrared spectroscopy and a simultaneous thermal analyzer.

Abstract Anomaly detection is a highly important task in the field of data analysis. Traditional anomaly detection approaches often strongly depend on data size, structure and features, while introducing the idea of ensemble into anomaly detection can greatly improve the generalization ability. Ensemble-based anomaly detection methods still face some challenges, however, such as data imbalance, time and space demand and the selection of base detectors. To this end, we propose a selective ensemble method for anomaly detection based on parallel learning (SEAD-PL). First, a differentiated stratified sampling method is designed to alleviate the problem of data imbalance. Then, a distributed parallel training frame is built to address the problem of excessive time and space consumption for base detector training. Finally, a clustering-based ensemble selection strategy is introduced to balance the accuracy and diversity of base detectors. Experiments are performed on six datasets, which demonstrate that the proposed method has obvious advantages over four selected methods.

Abstract Background Our purpose was to describe the outcomes of transvaginal in-bag tissue extraction tissue through an incision in the posterior vaginal wall the middle part incision of posterior vagina in laparoscopic myomectomy. Methods This was a retrospective study of patients who received laparoscopic myomectomy and in-bag tissue extraction through an incision in the posterior vaginal wall between January 2016 and December 2022. Patient characteristics, intra- and post-operative complications, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 511women were included in the analysis. The mean largest myoma diameter was 8.44 ± 3.56 cm; mean specimen weight was 789.23 ± 276.97 g; mean operative time was 129.01 ± 53.13minutes; and mean blood loss was 175.99 ± 210.96 mL. Within 30-days of surgery, no fever, infection, or vaginal bleeding was noted in any patient, and the vaginal incisions of all patients had healed well. There were no incisional hernias, pelvic infections, and vaginal adhesions noted at follow-up 3 months after the operation. There were 37 cases of vaginal delivery of the patients after surgery, and there were no lacerations of the posterior wall vaginal incision. Conclusions Transvaginal in-bag extraction though an incision in the posterior vaginal wall is feasible and safe for removing tissue after laparoscopic myomectomy.

Abstract Engineering experience shows that for transformers with long service life and serious moisture exposure, the inter‐turn paper insulation inside the winding will precipitate bubbles under the condition of electric field and conductor heating, which will endanger the equipment insulation. In order to explore the influence factors of bubbles formation in the moist insulating paper of transformers, based on the existing research on the influence of moisture content and gas dissolution in transformer oil, this study further considers the influence of air pressure (AP) and electric field and establishes an experimental platform to change the air pressure and electric field, thereby studying the formation characteristics of bubbles in oil‐paper insulation. The results show that air pressure and electric field can affect the initial temperature, volume, and shape of bubble formation. From 0 to −0.05 MPa for air pressure, the initial temperature of bubble generation decreased by 41°C, its maximum two‐dimensional projected area increased by 418.4% with more severe distortion, and the breakdown voltage decreased. When the AC voltage applied on the needle plate electrode increased from 0 to 10 kV, the initial temperature of bubble formation increased by 29°C, and the maximum two‐dimensional projection area increased by 336.6%.

A challenge to many real-world data streams is imbalance with concept drift, which is one of the most critical tasks in anomaly detection. Learning nonstationary data streams for anomaly detection has been well studied in recent years. However, most of the researches assume that the class of data streams is relatively balanced. Only a few approaches tackle the joint issue of imbalance and concept drift. To overcome this joint issue, we propose an ensemble learning method with generative adversarial network-based sampling and consistency check (EGSCC) in this paper. First, we design a comprehensive anomaly detection framework that includes an oversampling module by generative adversarial network, an ensemble classifier, and a consistency check module. Next, we introduce double encoders into GAN to better capture the distribution characteristics of imbalanced data for oversampling. Then, we apply the stacking ensemble learning to deal with concept drift. Four base classifiers of SVM, KNN, DT and RF are used in the first layer, and LR is used as meta classifier in second layer. Last but not least, we take consistency check of the incremental instance and check set to determine whether it is anormal by statistical learning, instead of threshold-based method. And the validation set is dynamic updated according to the consistency check result. Finally, three artificial data sets obtained from Massive Online Analysis platform and two real data sets are used to verify the performance of the proposed method from four aspects: detection performance, parameter sensitivity, algorithm cost and anti-noise ability. Experimental results show that the proposed method has significant advantages in anomaly detection of imbalanced data streams with concept drift.

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy affecting women. It is vital to explore sensitive biological markers to diagnose and treat BC patients. Recent studies have proved that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were involved in breast tumor progression. Nonetheless, whether lncRNA prostate cancer‐associated transcript 19 (PCAT19) impacts BC development remains unknown. Methods We performed various bioinformatic analyses, including machine learning models to identify critical regulatory lncRNAs affecting prognosis in BC. The in situ hybridization (ISH) assay was carried out to confirm the expression levels of lncRNA PCAT19 in tissue specimens. MTT assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay were performed to investigate PCAT19's impact on proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Mouse xenografts were used to examine the proliferation‐inhibiting function of PCAT19 in vivo. Results Among the prognosis‐associated lncRNAs, PCAT19 predicted a favorable prognosis in BC. Patients with high expression levels of PCAT19 had a lower clinical stage and less lymph node metastasis. The PCAT19‐related genes were enriched in signaling pathways involved in tumor development, indicating PCAT19 was an essential regulator of BC. Using the ISH assay, we confirmed the expression level of lncRNA PCAT19 in human BC tissues was lower than normal breast tissues. Moreover, the knockdown of PCAT19 further confirmed its inhibiting ability in BC cell proliferation. Correspondingly, overexpressing PCAT19 reduced tumor size in mouse xenografts. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that lncRNA PCAT19 suppressed the development of BC. PCAT19 might be a promising prognostic biomarker, which provides new insights into risk stratification for BC patients.

Abstract Mass mortality and low growth highly decrease the production efficiency and sustainable aquaculture development of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in summer. Sea urchin feces was proposed to address the summer problems. A laboratory study was conducted for ~ 5 weeks to investigate survival, food consumption, growth and resistance ability of A. japonicus cultured with the feces of sea urchins fed kelp (KF feces, group KF), the feces of sea urchins fed prepared feed (FF feces, group FF), and the prepared sea cucumber feed (group S) at high temperature (25 °C). The sea cucumbers of group KF had better survival (100%) than those of the group FF (~ 84%), higher CTmax (35.9 °C) than those of the group S (34.5 °C), and the lowest skin ulceration proportion (0%) when they were exposed to an infectious solution among the three groups. These results suggest that the feces of sea urchins fed kelp is a promising diet for improving the survival and enhancing the resistance in A. japonicus aquaculture in summer. Sea cucumbers fed significantly less FF feces after 24 h of ageing than the fresh FF feces, suggesting this kind of feces became unsuitable for A. japonicus in a short time (within 48 h). However, the 24 h of ageing at 25 °C for the high fiber feces of sea urchins fed kelp had no significant effects on the fecal consumption of sea cucumbers. In the present study, both fecal diets provide better individual growth to sea cucumbers than the prepared feed. Yet, the feces of sea urchins fed kelp provided the highest weight gain rate (WGR) to sea cucumbers. Therefore, the feces of sea urchins fed kelp is a promising food to reduce the mortality, to address the problems of summer, and to achieve higher efficiency in A. japonicus aquaculture in summer.

To establish a rapid real-time RT-PCR method for differentiating wild-type classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strains from vaccine strains (HCLV), we designed a universal primer targeting the NS3 gene to detect wild-type CSFV strains and vaccine strains simultaneously, and two TaqMan-MGB probes were designed to differentiate between wild-type and vaccine strains. After optimizing the RT-qPCR conditions, a rapid dual TaqMan-MGB RT-qPCR method for the detection and identification of CSFV and HCLV was developed. The results showed that method could specifically detect CSFV and HCLV with no cross-reactivity with other swine pathogens. The analytic sensitivity for the NS3 gene of CSFV and HCLV were 1.67 × 101 copies/μL, respectively. For precision testing, the repeatability and reproducibility of the test was less than 2%. This method was successfully used for the rapid detection of 193 biological samples collected from CSFV-vaccinated pigs. This fast and accurate detection technology can be used for the detection of CSFV and is suitable for differentiating between wild-type CSFV strains and vaccine strains.

BackgroundRecent studies have suggested that the composition of gut microbiota (GM) may change after intracerebral hemorrhage. However, the causal inference of GM and hemorrhagic stroke is unknown. Mendelian Randomization (MR) is an effective research method that removes confounding factors and investigates the causal relationship between exposure and outcome. This study intends to explore the causal relationship between GM and hemorrhagic stroke with the help of MR.MethodsUnivariable and multivariable MR analyses were performed using summary statistics of the GM (n = 18,340) in the MiBioGen consortium vs. the FinnGen consortium R9 summary statistics (intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage). Causal associations between gut microbiota and hemorrhagic stroke were analyzed using inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, simple mode, and MR-PRESSO. Cochran’s Q statistic, MR-Egger regression, and leave-one-out analysis were used to test for multiplicity and heterogeneity of instrumental variables. Separate reverse MR analyses were performed for microbiota found to be causally associated with hemorrhagic stroke in the forward MR analysis. Also, multivariate MR analyses were conducted after incorporating common confounders.ResultsBased on the results of univariable and multivariate MR analyses, Actinobacteria (phylum) (OR, 0.80; 95%CI, 0.66–0.97; p = 0.025) had a protective effect against hemorrhagic stroke, while Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group (genus) (OR, 0.81; 95%CI, 0.67–0.99; p = 0.039) had a potential protective effect. Furthermore, Dorea (genus) (OR, 1.77; 95%CI, 1.27–2.46; p = 0.001), Eisenbergiella (genus) (OR, 1.24; 95%CI, 1.05–1.48; p = 0.013) and Lachnospiraceae UCG008 (genus) (OR, 1.28; 95%CI, 1.01–1.62; p = 0.041) acted as potential risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke. The abundance of Dorea (genus) (β, 0.05; 95%CI, 0.002 ~ 0.101; p = 0.041) may increase, and that of Eisenbergiella (genus) (β, −0.072; 95%CI, −0.137 ~ −0.007; p = 0.030) decreased after hemorrhagic stroke according to the results of reverse MR analysis. No significant pleiotropy or heterogeneity was detected in any of the MR analyses.ConclusionThere is a significant causal relationship between GM and hemorrhagic stroke. The prevention, monitoring, and treatment of hemorrhagic stroke through GM represent a promising avenue and contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying hemorrhagic stroke.

Glow discharge polymer (GDP) capsules are often used as the ablation layer in laser inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research, because of its excellent properties in low X-ray opacity, high tensile strength, and high thermal conductivity. The isolated surface defects and distribution of oxygen content on the surface of GDP capsules can lead to the increase of hydrodynamic instability and the decrease of compression efficiency. In this work, by using media spheres and silica nanoparticles, a tumble polishing device for GDP capsule polishing is built to improve the surface morphology. The effects of polishing parameters on the surface roughness and oxygen content of GDP were investigated. The test results show that tumble polishing can effectively remove convex defects, only 24 identified defects with a height below 231 nm were found after 144 h polishing, reduce the surface roughness (∼10 nm) and improve the surface quality of GDP capsules. Moreover, the oxygen content distribution on the surface of GDP is uniform after tumble polishing. And the depth analysis results show that the tumble polishing has no obvious effect on the change of oxygen content in GDP shell under the surface layer.

Node-containing straws exhibit superior mechanical properties compared to node-free straw plants, particularly in terms of shear resistance and compression resistance. We explore the relationship between the structure and mechanical properties of straw materials, providing deeper insights for the field of biomechanics. In this study, we focused on two node-containing straw plants, namely sorghum and reed. The main characteristics of sorghum and reed stalks were compared using macroscopic observation, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and EDS analysis. This study revealed numerous similarities and differences in the macro- and microstructures as well as the elemental composition of sorghum and reed stalks. The functional groups in sorghum and reed stalks were largely similar, with the primary elements being C and O. Distinguishing features included a higher tapering and a slightly larger reduction in wall thickness in sorghum stalks compared to reed stalks. The cross-section of sorghum stalks was filled with pith structures, while reed stalks exhibited a hollow structure. The vascular bundles in sorghum typically showed a paired arrangement, whereas those in reeds were arranged in odd numbers. Furthermore, sorghum straws contained more Cl and no Br, while the parenchyma of reed straws contained higher Br. The C and O proportions of sorghum straws and reed straws are 50–53% (50–51%) and 45–46% (48–49%), respectively. These variations in elemental composition are believed to be correlated with the mechanical properties of the materials. By conducting a detailed study of the micro/macrostructures and material composition of sorghum and reed straw, this paper provides valuable insights for the field of biomechanics.

Objective:. The majority of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases remain undiagnosed until advanced stages of the disease. Accumulating studies have highlighted the utility of palliative care as an effective treatment option, which relieves patients’ suffering by activating placebo effect in the body. To evaluate the clinical significance of palliative care, data from NSCLC drug-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were collected and the effects of placebo treatment examined. Methods:. PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched from January 1,1978 to September 1,2020. Placebo-controlled phase II/III pharmaceutical RCTs enrolling patients with solely stage III/IV NSCLC were included. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Jadad method. Single-arm and two-arm meta-analyses of the therapeutic and adverse effects of placebo, that is, the primary and secondary outcome measures, were subsequently performed using either Bayesian or conventional models. Results:. Five RCTs including 2245 drug-treated and 1510 placebo-treated patients at NSCLC stage III or IV were included for the study. Low risk of bias was observed for all five included studies using the Cochrane method. Following placebo treatment, controlled disease rate of 24.1% (95% credible interval [CrI], –0.126–0.609) and dropout rate of 2.1% (95% CrI, 0.007–0.039) were calculated, with a dose reduction rate of 3.0% (95% CrI, 0.017–0.045). Compared with active drug treatment, the placebo treatment group had a risk ratio of 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.97) and 0.85 (95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.96) for the achievement of progression-free survival and overall survival, respectively. Conclusion:. In NSCLC drug RCTs, placebo treatment is indicated to generally induce low toxicity in patients by dropout and dose reduction rates and adverse events, although the therapeutic responses could not be precisely determined. The results suggest that under specific circumstances, palliative care which can activate placebo effect may have similar effects as active drugs (such as erlotinib, vandetanib, or pemetrexed) in terms of prolonging survival time.

Abstract Background Interleukin-18 (IL-18) may participate in the development of major depressive disorder, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore whether IL-18 correlates with areas of the brain associated with depression. Methods Using a case–control design, 68 subjects (34 patients and 34 healthy controls) underwent clinical assessment, blood sampling, and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The total Hamilton depression-17 (HAMD-17) score was used to assess depression severity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect IL-18 levels. Rest-state fMRI was conducted to explore spontaneous brain activity. Results The level of IL-18 was higher in patients with depression in comparison with healthy controls. IL-18 was negatively correlated with degree centrality of the left posterior cingulate gyrus in the depression patient group, but no correlation was found in the healthy control group. Conclusion This study suggests the involvement of IL-18 in the pathophysiological mechanism for depression and interference with brain activity.

Abstract The intraseasonal variability of the intermediate water (IW) and its characteristics east of Taiwan are studied utilizing 17 months of long-term, continuous and synchronous measurements of temperature, salinity and current from mooring sites deployed at 122° E/23° N from January 2016 to May 2017. Direct measurements revealed water masses east of Taiwan alternately show complete South China Sea Intermediate Water or North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) characteristics, mostly in a mixed state, with NPIW dominating 70% of the time. For the first time, it is demonstrated that the variation of IW with periods of ~ 80 days is mainly related to mesoscale eddies. Anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies corresponding to an increase (decrease) in temperature and salinity in the intermediate layer. Further mechanism analysis indicates the vertical motion of the water mass inside the eddies is one of the reasons for the thermohaline change in the intermedaiter layer. In addition, the anticyclonic eddies may increase the salinity concentration gradient across the Luzon Strait, and the enhanced advection is favorable to the outflow of water masses in the South China Sea. When the cyclonic eddies acts on the eastern part of Taiwan, the influence of the northward advection is weakened and the southward flow on its left side is more favorable to the transport of NPIW.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and changes in vaginal microecology, as well as the severity of cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 inpatients (aged 23–80 years) who underwent simultaneous testing of vaginal secretions for microecological parameters, HR-HPV genotyping, and cervical tissue biopsy at the Department of Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, from October 2021 to January 2023. The study subjects were analyzed to determine the association between HR-HPV infection and alterations in vaginal microecology, as well as CIN. Results: Among the 221 cases, 69 were positive for HR-HPV, resulting in a positivity rate of 31.22% (69/221). Out of the 139 cases with normal vaginal microecology, 26 were positive for HR-HPV, yielding a positivity rate of 18.71% (26/139). Among the 82 cases with abnormal vaginal microecology, 43 were positive for HR-HPV, resulting in a positivity rate of 52.44% (43/82). Out of the 162 cases with normal cervix, 26 were positive for HR-HPV, resulting in a positivity rate of 16.00% (26/162). Among the 59 cases with abnormal cervix, 43 were positive for HR-HPV, resulting in a positivity rate of 72.88% (43/59). In the cases of abnormal cervix, 10 presented cervical inflammation, with a HR-HPV positivity rate of 70.00% (7/10); 20 cases had cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN) I, with a HR-HPV positivity rate of 70.00% (14/20); 20 cases had CIN II, with a HR-HPV positivity rate of 75.00% (15/20); and 9 cases had CIN III, with a HR-HPV positivity rate of 77.80% (7/9). Moreover, among the 162 cases with normal cervix, 36 had abnormal vaginal microecology, resulting in an abnormality rate of 22.22% (36/162). Among the 59 cases with abnormal cervix, 46 had abnormal vaginal microecology, resulting in an abnormality rate of 77.97% (46/59). In the cases of abnormal cervix, 10 had cervical inflammation, with an abnormal vaginal microecology rate of 70.00% (7/10); 20 cases had CIN I, with an abnormal vaginal microecology rate of 70.00% (14/20); 20 cases had CIN II, with an abnormal vaginal microecology rate of 80.00% (16/20); and 9 cases had CIN III, with an abnormal vaginal microecology rate of 100.00% (9/9). The differences in HR-HPV positivity rates between the group with normal vaginal microecology and the group with abnormal vaginal microecology were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Similarly, the differences in HR-HPV positivity rates for different degrees of CIN were statistically significant (p < 0.05), as well as the differences in abnormal vaginal microecology rates for different degrees of CIN (p < 0.05). Conclusions: HR-HPV infection was found to be significantly associated with alterations in vaginal microecology and CIN.

Background: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic and transvaginal cervical cerclage treatments in patients with cervical insufficiency before and during pregnancy. Methods: A total of 70 patients diagnosed with cervical insufficiency and undergoing cervical cerclage at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University between January 2020 and December 2022 were included. The patients were divided into three groups based on different surgical methods: transvaginal loop during pregnancy (Group 1, n = 30), transabdominal loop before pregnancy (Group 2, n = 20), and transabdominal loop during pregnancy (Group 3, n = 20). The groups were compared in terms of general clinical data, operation time, intraoperative bleeding, hospital stay, delivery gestational weeks, preterm delivery rate, prolonged gestational weeks, and neonatal births. Results: (1) There were no statistically significant differences in age, pregnancy, delivery, number of miscarriages, cervical length, and history of midterm pregnancy loss among the three groups (p > 0.05). (2) Prolonged gestational week, delivery gestational week, term delivery, and neonatal birth weight were higher in Groups 2 and 3 compared to Group 1, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) when comparing Group 2 and Group 3. Premature rupture of membranes and preterm delivery were higher in Group 1 compared to Groups 2 and 3, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference when comparing Group 2 and Group 3 (p > 0.05). (3) The amount of surgical bleeding and surgical time showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) among the three groups. Group 1 had more surgical bleeding than Groups 2 and 3, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). When comparing Group 2 and Group 3, Group 3 had more surgical bleeding than Group 2, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Group 2 had a shorter surgical time than Group 1 and Group 3, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). When comparing Group 1 and Group 3, Group 3 had a longer surgical time than Group 1, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in hospital stay when comparing three groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Laparoscopic cervical cerclage is a safe and effective treatment option, yielding better pregnancy outcomes than transvaginal cervical cerclage, particularly for patients with previous failed transvaginal cerclage. Preconception laparoscopic cervical cerclage carries lower surgical risks and should be considered for clinical application.

Based on subsurface mooring observations and HYCOM data, a complete investigation was conducted of the near-inertial waves (NIWs) caused by Typhoon MITAG to the east of Taiwan. HYCOM data were mainly used to reveal the role played by anticyclonic eddies in the propagation of NIWs. The results show that most typhoon-generated NIWs propagate towards negative vorticity, and NIWs near the edge gradually accumulated towards the eddy center and down to 800 m. NIWs propagating through the thermocline to the deep ocean were mainly concentrated in the eddy, and the near-inertial energy flux showed a significant enhancement from 400 to 600 m. Moreover, the downwards propagation of NIWs in the eddy enhanced the kinetic energy of background flow. NIWs outside the anticyclonic eddy dissipated quickly, while inside the eddy, there were high value areas of e-folding time. Dynamic mode decomposition illustrates that the anticyclonic eddy mainly captures higher modes of NIWs, and the state of continuous energy growth of higher modes can be maintained for more than a week. In addition, NIWs can also be carried westwards by the advection of the mean background flow at the eddy’s edge.

Surface and Subsurface currents in the Philippine Sea have been reported previously, and the debate persists regarding whether they are related to the strength of ENSO (El Niño/Southern Oscillation). We investigated the mean vertical structure and variability of the currents along the western boundary of the Philippine Sea using mooring observations at about 8°N, 127°E from August 2014 to January 2016. The southward Mindanao Current (MC) exists in the upper 600 m countered by the northward Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC) observed below 600 m to the depth of 2,000 m, with a core at approximately 1,000 m. During the development of El Niño from July to December 2015, the core velocity and depth of the MC were noticeably increased, consistent with the Niño 3.4 index, and the current at 2,000 m was observed to be southward, which indicated that the MC may extend to 2,000 m under the influence of El Niño. The MUC was stronger around November 2015, corresponding to the peak phase of the Niño 3.4 index. The intraseasonal variability with a period of 70-110 days from the surface to 2,000 m is also discussed based on power spectral analysis. Subsurface eddies are likely the source of the intraseasonal variability of current in the Philippine Sea from the model outputs.

Mesoscale eddies are widespread in the oceans; however, tracking and observing them remains a challenge. Additionally, there are few studies of eddy–Kuroshio interactions based on large-scale in situ data. Data from a large array of 39 CPIESs deployed around the Luzon Strait in 2018–2019 (12 deployed east of Taiwan within a 3 × grid) were used to reveal the three-dimensional structure of mesoscale eddies and their interaction with Kuroshio. The results show a strengthening (weakening) of the tilt of the pycnocline, which has also caused a deeper (shallower) pycnocline in eastern Taiwan following an anticyclonic (cyclonic) interaction with Kuroshio, which resulted in a strengthening (weakening) of the Kuroshio. During the anticyclonic eddy impinging Kuroshio, the downward (upward) movement at the center of the anticyclonic eddy (Kuroshio) results in a positive (negative) anomaly structure for temperature, with corresponding positive (negative) anomalies for salinity above 600 m in the intermediate layer and negative (positive) anomalies below 600 m. In contrast, when the cyclonic eddies interact with the Kuroshio, the temperature and salinity anomalies change simultaneously, with the temperature showing an overall negative anomaly and the salinity showing a negative and positive anomaly above and below 600 m, respectively. The research in this study provides the basis for further research on energy exchange during eddy–Kuroshio interactions.

In this paper, the multiangle’s crashworthiness of the bionic tubes inspired by the cylindrical fibers of bamboo vascular bundles as well as the through-hole structure are studied. A finite element model validated by the theoretical analysis and drop hammer impact experiments is used to assess the optimal core distribution ratio of the bionic tube at 0°, 10°, 20°, and 30° impacts. Finally the effects of the number of circular core and wall thickness on crashworthiness are investigated. The results show that the bionic tube has better crashworthiness at small angle impacts compared to the square tubes, and l14r6 is obtained as the optimum bionic tube: the SEA at small angles improves by 12.72% (0°), 14.91% (10°), and 18.12% (20°), respectively; however, the SEA at 30° impact decreases by 2.53%. As the number of circular core increases, the crashworthiness becomes more significant, but the deformation mode becomes worse. The SEA of the tube with 32 cores increases by an average of 1.85 times (0°), 1.89 times (10°), 1.34 times (20°), and 1.41 times (30°) for each impact condition, respectively, compared to the tube with single core.

ObjectiveTo evaluate and analyze the clinical effect of the combination of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC), sacral ligament fusion and vaginal suspension in the treatment of severe pelvic organ prolapseMethodsA total of 76 cases of patients with pelvic organ prolapse in our hospital between January 2010 to December 2020 were enrolled for research. They had been evaluated pre- and post-operative through pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Questionnaire Short Form (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Function Impact Questionnaire Short form (PFIQ-7), and the Sexual Function Questionnaire Score (PIQS-31).ResultsAll 76 patients went through the procedure successfully without any complications. None of the 76 cases had relapsed. Post-operational results of PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 were evidently lower than pre-operational results, post-operational results of PIQS-31 were higher than before operation.ConclusionsFor patients with severe pelvic organ prolapse,a balanced control of the pelvic floor centred on the preservation of the stereoscopic ring around the cervix through revascularization is significantly effective, and has no recurrence after surgery, high patient satisfaction, fewer postoperative complications. It is safe and reliable and worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Abstract The previous studies had demonstrated the promising effectiveness and acceptable safety of pyrotinib in patients with HER2‐positive metastatic breast cancer. We aimed to investigate the real‐world data of pyrotinib in complex clinical practice and complement the findings of clinical trials. Two hundred and eighteen patients were included for effectiveness analysis. A total of 62.0% had received two or more lines of systematic therapy, and 95.4% had been exposed to prior anti‐HER2 therapy, with 95.4% receiving trastuzumab, 5.0% receiving pertuzumab, and 40.8% receiving lapatinib. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 9.3 months and the objective response rate (ORR) was 44.0%. Patients treated with pyrotinib‐based therapy as first, second, or later line had a median PFS of 15.0, 10.3, and 6.8 months, respectively. Patients treated with pyrotinib and trastuzumab received significant benefit in terms of median PFS compared with pyrotinib alone (10.7 (9.1–12.3) vs. 8.8 (8.1–9.5), p = 0.016). Patients pretreated with lapatinib had a median PFS of 6.9 months. The median PFS time was 7.0 months in patients with brain metastasis. Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that lines of pyrotinib‐based therapy (1 vs. 2 vs. ≥3), prior treatment with lapatinib, and combination treatments with trastuzumab proved to be independent predictors of PFS. Two hundred and forty‐eight patients were included in the safety analysis, and the results showed that the toxicity of pyrotinib was tolerable, with the most common grade 3/4 adverse event being diarrhea (19.8%). Pyrotinib‐based therapy demonstrated promising efficacy and tolerable toxicity in first‐, second‐, and later‐line treatments and in lapatinib‐treated patients. The combination of pyrotinib and trastuzumab showed advantages in PFS, even for patients resisting trastuzumab. Pyrotinib‐based therapy could be the preferred choice for brain metastasis patients, especially when combined with brain radiotherapy.

This study aims to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities of licochalcone A on Enterococcus faecalis and to investigate the possible target genes of licochalcone A in E. faecalis. This study found that licochalcone A had antibacterial activities against E. faecalis, with the MIC50 and MIC90 were 25 μM. Licochalcone A (at 4 × MIC) indicated a rapid bactericidal effect on E. faecalis planktonic cells, and killed more E. faecalis planktonic cells (at least 3-log10 cfu/ml) than vancomycin, linezolid, or ampicillin at the 2, 4, and 6 h of the time-killing test. Licochalcone A (at 10 × MIC) significantly reduced the production of E. faecalis persister cells (at least 2-log10 cfu/ml) than vancomycin, linezolid, or ampicillin at the 24, 48, 72, and 96 h of the time-killing test. Licochalcone A (at 1/4 × MIC) significantly inhibited the biofilm formation of E. faecalis. The RNA levels of biofilm formation-related genes, agg, esp, and srtA, markedly decreased when the E. faecalis isolates were treated with licochalcone A at 1/4 × MIC for 6 h. To explore the possible target genes of licochalcone A in E. faecalis, the licochalcone A non-sensitive E. faecalis clones were selected in vitro by induction of wildtype strains for about 140 days under the pressure of licochalcone A, and mutations in the possible target genes were detected by whole-genome sequencing. This study found that there were 11 nucleotide mutations leading to nonsynonymous mutations of 8 amino acids, and among these amino acid mutations, there were 3 mutations located in transcriptional regulator genes (MarR family transcriptional regulator, TetR family transcriptional regulator, and MerR family transcriptional regulator). In conclusion, this study found that licochalcone A had an antibacterial effect on E. faecalis, and significantly inhibited the biofilm formation of E. faecalis at subinhibitory concentrations.

Abstract Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a heterogeneous syndrome, and the identification of homogeneous subgroups and phenotypes is the first step toward precision critical care. We aimed to explore whether ARDS phenotypes can be identified using clinical data, are reproducible and are associated with clinical outcomes and treatment response. Methods This study is based on a retrospective analysis of data from the telehealth intensive care unit (eICU) collaborative research database and three ARDS randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (ALVEOLI, FACTT and SAILS trials). We derived phenotypes in the eICU by cluster analysis based on clinical data and compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of each phenotype. The reproducibility of the derived phenotypes was tested using the data from three RCTs, and treatment effects were evaluated. Results Three clinical phenotypes were identified in the training cohort of 3875 ARDS patients. Of the three phenotypes identified, phenotype I (n = 1565; 40%) was associated with fewer laboratory abnormalities, less organ dysfunction and the lowest in-hospital mortality rate (8%). Phenotype II (n = 1232; 32%) was correlated with more inflammation and shock and had a higher mortality rate (18%). Phenotype III (n = 1078; 28%) was strongly correlated with renal dysfunction and acidosis and had the highest mortality rate (22%). These results were validated using the data from the validation cohort (n = 3670) and three RCTs (n = 2289) and had reproducibility. Patients with these ARDS phenotypes had different treatment responses to randomized interventions. Specifically, in the ALVEOLI cohort, the effects of ventilation strategy (high PEEP vs low PEEP) on ventilator-free days differed by phenotype (p = 0.001); in the FACTT cohort, there was a significant interaction between phenotype and fluid-management strategy for 60-day mortality (p = 0.01). The fluid-conservative strategy was associated with improved mortality in phenotype II but had the opposite effect in phenotype III. Conclusion Three clinical phenotypes of ARDS were identified and had different clinical characteristics and outcomes. The analysis shows evidence of a phenotype-specific treatment benefit in the ALVEOLI and FACTT trials. These findings may improve the identification of distinct subsets of ARDS patients for exploration in future RCTs.

Numerous studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with oncogene properties play vital roles in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we aimed to elucidate the function of TMEM92‐AS1 in GC progression and to investigate its underlying mechanisms. TMEM92‐AS1 was filtered from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were used to detect the expression level of TMEM92‐AS1. MTT, colony‐formation assays, Edu, cell cycle, apoptosis and subcutaneous tumour formation assays were used to detect the role of TMEM92‐AS1 in cell function. RNA transcriptome sequencing was used to seek downstream target genes. Reverse transcription (RT)‐qPCR, western blot, RNA and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to investigate the mechanisms involved. TMEM92‐AS1 was significantly overexpressed in GC tissues and correlated with poor overall survival and disease‐free survival. Furthermore, TMEM92‐AS1 promoted GC cell proliferation and migration in vitro and tumorigenic ability in vivo. RNA transcriptome sequence analysis revealed a potential downstream target gene, C‐C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), and a mechanistic study found that TMEM92‐AS1 regulated CCL5 by binding to the transcription factor Y‐box binding protein 1(YBX1), which has oncogene properties. In addition, TMEM92‐AS1 was found to be associated with peripheral blood leukocyte counts, especially neutrophils. Further investigation found that TMEM92‐AS1 may affect leukocytes via regulation of the expression of granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor in GC tissues. Our data provide an in‐depth insight into the mechanism behind the lncRNA TMEM92‐AS1, how it promotes GC progression and the possible mechanism in affecting peripheral leukocyte counts. Therefore, TMEM92‐AS1 is a potential target for GC individualized therapy and prognostic assessment.

Sessile droplets play a crucial role in the microreactors of biochemical samples. Acoustofluidics provide a non-contact and label-free method for manipulating particles, cells, and chemical analytes in droplets. In the present study, we propose a micro-stirring application based on acoustic swirls in sessile droplets. The acoustic swirls are formed inside the droplets by asymmetric coupling of surface acoustic waves (SAWs). With the merits of the slanted design of the interdigital electrode, the excitation position of SAWs is selective by sweeping in wide frequency ranges, allowing for the droplet position to be customized within the aperture region. We verify the reasonable existence of acoustic swirls in sessile droplets by a combination of simulations and experiments. The different periphery of the droplet meeting with SAWs will produce acoustic streaming phenomena with different intensities. The experiments demonstrate that acoustic swirls formed after SAWs encountering droplet boundaries will be more obvious. The acoustic swirls have strong stirring abilities to rapidly dissolve the yeast cell powder granules. Therefore, acoustic swirls are expected to be an effective means for rapid stirring of biomolecules and chemicals, providing a new approach to micro-stirring in biomedicine and chemistry.

Due to its great advantages of high speed， reliability and transmission accuracy， the globoidal cam mechanism is widely used in various transfer mechanical equipment. In order to promote the research and development of intelligent manufacturing of basic components， and meet the needs of customized production， the design method of mathematical model of electromechanical controlled globoidal cam system is presented. Then， it is applied to the turning and lifting device of globoidal cam manipulator， and the dynamic characteristics and kinematic characteristics of the manipulator are analyzed. The research findings show that the electromechanical control globoidal cam system is stable， and the dynamic response is fast by adjusting the control parameters， and the motion characteristics are obviously improved， which meets the design requirements. The research provides a theoretical basis for expanding the application field of globoidal cam mechanism， lays a foundation for the development of the intelligent globoidal cam system.

BackgroundThe incidence of major surgery is on the rise globally, and more than 20% of patients are readmitted to hospital following discharge from hospital. During their hospital stay, patients are monitored for early detection of clinical deterioration, which includes regularly measuring physiological parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and pulse oximetry. This monitoring ceases upon hospital discharge, as patients are deemed clinically stable. Monitoring after discharge is relevant to detect adverse events occurring in the home setting and can be made possible through the development of digital technologies and mobile networks. Smartwatches and other technological devices allow patients to self-measure physiological parameters in the home setting, and Bluetooth connectivity can facilitate the automatic collection and transfer of this data to a secure server with minimal input from the patient. ObjectiveThis paper presents the protocol for the DREAMPath (Domiciliary Recovery After Medicalization Pathway) study, which aims to measure compliance with a multidevice remote monitoring kit after discharge from hospital following major surgery. MethodsDREAMPath is a single-center, prospective, observational, cohort study, comprising 30 patients undergoing major intracavity surgery. The primary outcome is to assess patient compliance with wearable and interactive smart technology in the first 30 days following discharge from hospital after major surgery. Secondary outcomes will explore the relation between unplanned health care events and physiological data collected in the study, as well as to explore a similar relationship with daily patient-reported outcome measures (Quality of Recovery–15 score). Secondary outcomes will be analyzed using appropriate regression methods. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing data will also be collected to assess correlations with wearable device data. ResultsRecruitment was halted due to COVID-19 restrictions and will progress once research staff are back from redeployment. We expect that the study will be completed in the first quarter of 2022. ConclusionsDigital health solutions have been recently made possible due to technological advances, but urgency in rollout has been expedited due to COVID-19. The DREAMPath study will inform readers about the feasibility of remote monitoring for a patient group that is at an increased risk of acute deterioration. Trial RegistrationISRCTN Registry ISRCTN62293620; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN62293620 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/30638

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a severe, heritable, and refractory psychiatric disorder. Several studies have shown that the disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene is closely associated with schizophrenia by its role in neuronal morphology, synaptic function, brain development, and dopamine homeostasis etc. This study intended to investigate the expression levels of DISC1 gene in schizophrenia patients compared with healthy controls, and the expression variation of DISC1 gene before and after antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia patients. Methods In this study, we compared DISC1 expression levels in blood of 48 healthy controls, and 32 schizophrenia patients before and after 12 weeks of antipsychotic treatment using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. Results The expression levels of DISC1 gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of schizophrenia patients before antipsychotic treatment were higher than those in healthy controls (P

Abstract Alumina ceramics with different sintering temperatures in argon atmosphere were obtained using stereolithography-based 3D printing. The effects of sintering temperature on microstructure and physical and mechanical properties were investigated. The results show that the average particle size, shrinkage, bulk density, crystallite size, flexural strength, Vickers hardness, and nanoindentation hardness increased with the increase in sintering temperature, whereas the open porosity decreased with increasing sintering temperature. No change was observed in phase composition, chemical bond, atomic ratio, and surface roughness. For the sintered samples, the shrinkage in Z direction is much greater than that in X or Y direction. The optimum sintering temperature in argon atmosphere is 1350 °C with a shrinkage of 3.0%, 3.2%, and 5.5% in X, Y, and Z directions, respectively, flexural strength of 26.7 MPa, Vickers hardness of 198.5 HV, nanoindentation hardness of 33.1 GPa, bulk density of 2.5 g/cm3, and open porosity of 33.8%. The optimum sintering temperature was 70 °C higher than that sintering in air atmosphere when achieved the similar properties.

We present an imaging sensor used in the viscoelastic detection of composite resins. Composite resins are the mainstream materials in dental restorative procedures. After restoring the carious cavity, the module of the composite resin increases with the curing time of the light-curing unit. After a specific time, the composite resin is cured to the ideal state (not completely cured; this refers to the initial curing of the dental restorative material, after which it takes some time to cure completely). The sensor provides a new, fast, and non-contact optical method for module detection of composite resins. This study determined the time required to cure composite resins ideally by qualitative analysis of decorrelation time (τ) and quantitative module G*(w). The results showed that the composite resin cured ideally in the ninth second and exhibited a high linear correlation (r = 0.965, p = 0.007 81). The successful development of this sensor will help to avoid subjective judgment about the curing degree of composite resins and detect the curing process of composite resins.

Due to the unique physical processes of mesoscale eddies, the physical and biogeochemical properties within the subsurface anticyclonic eddy (SSAE) and in the surrounding water are distinct. Analyses using satellite and model data have revealed distinct seasonal variations in the central potential density structure of a long-standing SSAE south of Japan; this SSAE exhibits a normal concave isopycnals structure from January to April and a convex lens isopycnals structure from May to December, and these variations may be related to the subduction of low-potential vorticity (PV) mode water. In contrast to the idea of the self-sustained oscillation mechanism, the strength of the SSAE was enhanced due to the eddy kinetic energy provided by dramatic increasing of the positive baroclinic conversion rate during the Kuroshio path transition period from the non-large meander (NLM) path to the large meander (LM) path. Twofold to threefold enhancement of chlorophyll (CHL) was detected in the subsurface CHL maximum layers at the core of the SSAE, and this enhancement was related to the injection of nutrients into the euphotic layer due to winter mixing and the convex of isopycnals. During the period from May to December, elevated CHL and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and reduced nitrate levels were observed along the periphery of the eddy below the maximum subsurface CHL anomaly depth. The combined result of these two processes: (1) the central downward displaced isopycnals caused by intensified SSAE, and (2) winter mixing deepened to the nutricline due to the thickened mixed layer depth (MLD) and weakened stratification in winter 2017 (during the NLM period) may have led to numerous nutrients and CHL enrichments throughout the mixed layer, thus generating a CHL bloom in the following April. The SSAE intensified in winter 2018 (during the LM period), whereas the shallower MLD and stronger stratification limited the depth of CHL downward displacement.

Recently, scientists have been facing major obstacles in terms of improving the performances of dielectric materials for triboelectric nanogenerators. The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is one of the first green energy technologies that can convert random mechanical kinetic energy into electricity. The surface charge density of TENGs is a critical factor speeding up their commercialization, so it is important to explore unique methods to increase the surface charge density. The key to obtaining a high-performance TENG is the preparation of dielectric materials with good mechanical properties, thermal stability and output performance. To solve the problem of the low output performance of PI-based triboelectric nanogenerators, we modified PI films by introducing nanomaterials and designed a new type of sandwich-shaped nanocomposite film. Herein, we used polyimide (PI) with ideal mechanical properties, excellent heat resistance and flexibility as the dielectric material, prepared an A-B-A sandwich structure with PI in the outer layer and modified a copper calcium titanate/polyimide (CCTO/PI) storage layer in the middle to improve the output of a TENG electrode. The doping amount of the CCTO was tailored. The results showed that at 8 wt% CCTO content, the electrical output performance was the highest, and the open-circuit voltage of CCTO/PI was 42 V. In the TENG, the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and transfer charge of the prepared sandwich-structured film were increased by 607%, 629% and 672% compared to the TENG with the PI thin film, respectively. This study presents a novel strategy of optimizing dielectric materials for triboelectric nano-generators and has great potential for the future development of high output-performance TENGs.

The leading cause of many respiratory diseases is an ongoing and progressive inflammatory response. Traditionally, inflammatory lung diseases were studied primarily through animal models, cell cultures, and organoids. These technologies have certain limitations, despite their great contributions to the study of respiratory diseases. Precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) are thin, uniform tissue slices made from human or animal lung tissue and are widely used extensively both nationally and internationally as an in vitro organotypic model. Human lung slices bridge the gap between in vivo and in vitro models, and they can replicate the living lung environment well while preserving the lungs’ basic structures, such as their primitive cells and trachea. However, there is no perfect model that can completely replace the structure of the human lung, and there is still a long way to go in the research of lung slice technology. This review details and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of precision lung slices as an in vitro model for exploring respiratory diseases associated with inflammation, as well as recent advances in this field.

Crank group mechanism is a planar bar mechanism with over constraint. According to the characteristics of the mechanism， the static equilibrium equations of each motion component in crank group mechanism are established. And dynamic static force analysis model of crank group mechanism containing any crank is established based on deformation coordination equation from the axial deformation of the crank. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness and convenience of the method. Influence of different arrangement of crank on the force of crank group is analyzed， taking crank group mechanism with 3 cranks as an example. The results show that the maximum force peak of crank group mechanism can be greatly reduced by the symmetrical arrangement of 2 driven crank on active crank for the crank group mechanism with 3 cranks. The analysis provide a theoretical basis for the structural design and size selection of crank group mechanism， and lay the foundation for further study of factors affecting force.

Abstract With the continuous development of computer networks, the security of the network has become increasingly prominent. A major threat to network security is the intrusion of information systems through the network. Intrusion detection of the traditional intrusion detection and alarm technology is not sufficient. Based on neural network technology, this paper studies the intrusion detection and alarm correlation technology. Based on the research on the working principle and workflow of the existing intrusion detection system, a new neural network-based intrusion detection and alarm method is proposed. A neural network-based intrusion detection and alarm system is designed and implemented. Through the experiment of the system prototype, the results show that the intrusion detection and alarm system based on the neural network has a higher detection rate and a lower false alarm rate for intrusion behaviors such as denial of service attack and has higher detection ability for unknown attack behaviors.

Abstract Background Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a heritable, refractory, and devastating psychiatric disorder. Previous studies have shown that the variants of CUB and sushi multiple domains 1 (CSMD1) demonstrate significant genome-wide association with SCZ. However, few studies have been conducted on the effect of antipsychotics on the expression levels of CSMD1. This study explored whether a change occurs in the expression of the CSMD1 gene before and after antipsychotic treatment in SCZ patients. Methods The study population comprised Han Chinese patients from eastern China, including 32 SCZ patients and 48 healthy controls. The expression of CSMD1 before and after treatment in the SCZ group and between the two groups was analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results The expression levels of the CSMD1 gene in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SCZ patients were lower than those in the healthy controls. The expression levels of the CSMD1 gene in the PBMCs of the SCZ patients after antipsychotic treatment were higher than those in the baseline SCZ patients (all P

Landslide susceptibility evaluation is critical for landslide prevention and risk management. Based on the slope unit, this study uses the information value method- random forest (IV-RF) model to evaluate the landslide susceptibility in the deep valley area. First, based on the historical landslide data, a landslide inventory was developed by using remote sensing technology (InSAR and optical remote sensing) and field investigation methods. Twelve factors were then selected as the input data for a landslide susceptibility model. Second, slope units with different scales were obtained by the r.slopeunits method and the information value method- random forest (IV-RF) model is used to evaluate the landslide susceptibility. Finally, the spatial distribution characteristics of landslide susceptibility grade under the optimal scale are analyzed. The results showed that under the slope unit obtained when c = 0.1 and a = 3 × 105 m2, the internal homogeneity/external heterogeneity of 8425 slope units extracted by the r.slopeunits method is the best, with an AUC of 0.905 and an F1 of 0.908. In this case, the accuracy of landslide susceptibility evaluation is the highest as well; it is shown that the finer slope units would not always lead to the higher accuracy of landslide susceptibility evaluation results; it is necessary to comprehensively consider the internal homogeneity and external heterogeneity of the slope units. Under the optimal slope unit scale, the number of landslides in the highly and extremely highly susceptible areas in the landslide susceptibility map accounted for 82.60% of the total number of landslides, which was consistent with the actual distribution of landslides; this study shows that the method, combining the slope unit and the information value method- random forest (IV-RF) model, for landslide susceptibility evaluation can obtain high accuracy.

Targeted therapy is an effective treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Before treatment, pathologists need to confirm tumor morphology and type, which is time-consuming and highly repetitive. In this study, we propose a multi-task deep learning model based on a convolutional neural network for joint cancer lesion region segmentation and histological subtype classification, using magnified pathological tissue images. Firstly, we constructed a shared feature extraction channel to extract abstract information of visual space for joint segmentation and classification learning. Then, the weighted losses of segmentation and classification tasks were tuned to balance the computing bias of the multi-task model. We evaluated our model on a private in-house dataset of pathological tissue images collected from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. The proposed approach achieved Dice similarity coefficients of 93.5% and 89.0% for segmenting squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AD) specimens, respectively. In addition, the proposed method achieved an accuracy of 97.8% in classifying SCC vs. normal tissue and an accuracy of 100% in classifying AD vs. normal tissue. The experimental results demonstrated that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods and shows promising performance for both lesion region segmentation and subtype classification.

In this work, alumina ceramics were formed via stereolithography-based 3D printing technology in order to fabricate ceramic cores in a fast and cost-effective way. Effects of holding time during sintering on microstructure and properties of alumina ceramics were investigated. Sintered alumina ceramics were made up of layered structures due to layer-by-layer forming method. In addition, interlayer spacing decreased with the increase in holding time. Average particle size, shrinkage, crystallite size, flexural strength, and hardness increased with the increase in holding time due to strong interfacial bonding among alumina particles. Open porosity decreased slightly as holding time increased. Moreover, it was found that holding time had little influence on bulk density, phase composition, and chemical bonds of the ceramics. The shrinkage in Z direction was about 1.8 times higher than that in X or Y directions due to layered structure caused by 3D printing forming method. The optimum holding time was 90 min, which resulted in ceramics with interlayering spacing of 11.8 μm, shrinkage of 2.1% in X direction, 2.1% in Y direction, and 4.1% in Z direction, flexural strength of 20.7 MPa, nano-indentation hardness of 17.6 GPa, Vickers hardness of 114.3 HV, bulk density of 2.5 g/cm3, and open porosity of 39.0%.

Background: Thrombosis is a common complication in patients with cancer. Whether thromboprophylaxis could benefit patients with cancer is unclear. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the efficacy and safety of thromboprophylaxis in patients with cancer undergoing surgery or chemotherapy. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, and Web of Science for studies published before May 2018 to investigate whether thromboprophylaxis measures were more effective than a placebo in patients with cancer. Results: In total, 33 trials with 11,942 patients with cancer were identified. In patients with cancer undergoing surgery, the administration of thromboprophylaxis was associated with decreasing trends in venous thromboembolism (VTE) [relative risk (RR) 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32–0.81] and DVT (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33–0.87). In patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, the administration of thromboprophylaxis reduced the incidences of VTE, DVT, and pulmonary embolism compared with no thromboprophylaxis (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.40–0.73; RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.31–0.73; RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.32–0.81, respectively). The pooled results regarding major bleeding showed no significant difference between prophylaxis and no prophylaxis in either the surgical or the chemotherapy groups (RR 2.35, 95% CI 0.74–7.52, p = 0.1482, I 2 = 0%; RR 1.30, 95% CI 0.93–1.83, p = 0.1274, I 2 = 0%, respectively). Conclusion: Thromboprophylaxis did not increase major bleeding events or the incidence of thrombocytopenia. All-cause mortality was not significantly different between those who received thromboprophylaxis and those who did not. This meta-analysis provides evidence that thromboprophylaxis can reduce the number of VTE and DVT events, with no apparent increase in the incidence of major bleeding in patients with cancer.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is known to be characterized by altered brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns. However, whether and how the features of dynamic FC would change in patients with MDD are unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize dynamic FC in MDD using a large multi-site sample and a novel dynamic network-based approach. Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from a total of 460 MDD patients and 473 healthy controls, as a part of the REST-meta-MDD consortium. Resting-state dynamic functional brain networks were constructed for each subject by a sliding-window approach. Multiple spatio-temporal features of dynamic brain networks, including temporal variability, temporal clustering and temporal efficiency, were then compared between patients and healthy subjects at both global and local levels. Results: The group of MDD patients showed significantly higher temporal variability, lower temporal correlation coefficient (indicating decreased temporal clustering) and shorter characteristic temporal path length (indicating increased temporal efficiency) compared with healthy controls (corrected p < 3.14×10−3). Corresponding local changes in MDD were mainly found in the default-mode, sensorimotor and subcortical areas. Measures of temporal variability and characteristic temporal path length were significantly correlated with depression severity in patients (corrected p < 0.05). Moreover, the observed between-group differences were robustly present in both first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) and non-FEDN patients. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that excessive temporal variations of brain FC, reflecting abnormal communications between large-scale bran networks over time, may underlie the neuropathology of MDD.

(1) Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the promising risk genes for schizophrenia (SZ), a disease with prominent dysregulation of miRNA networks. Here, we present a study of miRNA-BDNF co-expression changes in peripheral blood of SZ patients. (2) Methods: The expression levels of the BDNF mRNA and three validated binding miRNAs—miR-124-3p, miR-132-3p, and miR-206—were quantified in the blood of 48 healthy controls and 32 SZ patients before and after 12 weeks of treatment. The co-expression patterns were evaluated in the three groups. (3) Results: The expression levels of BDNF were significantly downregulated in SZ patients compared to the controls. After the treatment, the expression levels of BDNF were upregulated, while the expression levels of the three miRNAs were downregulated. Co-expression analyses showed positive correlations of this network in the SZ patients, while weak negative correlations were observed in the healthy controls. After the 12-week treatment, the overall correlation between BDNF and the three miRNAs reached the levels comparable to the healthy controls. (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest the involvement of the miRNA-BDNF network in the onset and treatment of SZ.

Abstract Background Previous studies have identified critical roles of IL-27 in the pathological mechanisms of sepsis, and blockade of IL-27 may be a promising alternative therapy for sepsis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of IL-27 genetic polymorphisms in sepsis and to further characterize their effect on IL-27 expression and inflammatory processes following sepsis. Methods A total of 885 septic patients and 1101 healthy controls were enrolled and genotyped for IL-27 genetic variants (rs153109/−964A > G and rs17855750/2905 T > G). Quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to detect IL-27 expression and cytokine production. The effect of the rs153109 polymorphism on IL-27 promoter activity was evaluated using a luciferase reporter assay, and THP-1 cell apoptosis was calculated using an annexin V apoptosis assay. Results No significant differences in the genotype/allele frequencies were observed between patients with sepsis and healthy controls, suggesting that these two IL-27 polymorphisms may not influence susceptibility to sepsis. The -964AA genotype was overrepresented in patients with severe sepsis/septic shock relative to patients with the sepsis subtype, and the A allele was significantly associated with 28-mortality in sepsis. Patients carrying the -964AA genotype exhibited significantly higher expression levels of IL-27 than the GA/GG genotype carriers. The results of an in vitro (lipopolysaccharide (LPS))-stimulated experiment showed that this sepsis-associated high-risk AA genotype significantly increased IL-27 levels and enhanced TNF-α and IL-1β production in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) upon exposure to LPS in vitro. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assays indicated that the high-risk -964A allele resulted in increased promoter activities compared to the non-risk allele in THP-1 and 293 T cells. Additionally, IL-27 treatment significantly enhanced TNF-α and IL-6 secretion and apoptosis of THP-1 cells upon LPS stimulation. Conclusions These results provided evidence that the IL-27 -964A > G polymorphism functionally enhanced IL-27 expression and promoted sepsis-induced inflammatory responses, which ultimately resulted in promoting the progression of sepsis and poor prognosis.

The end force of North-South permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (NS-PMLSM) fluctuates symmetrically with a period of one pole. Different from it, the end force’s fluctuation cycle of the consequent-pole permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (CP-PMLSM) is usually two poles and asymmetrical. Especially, within two half cycles, the end force presents complex asymmetric characteristics. In this paper, a piecewise function model of the end force of CP-PMLSM is established. Then a primary segmented design method for adjusting the period, symmetry and phase of the end force waveform is proposed. The two-segment and grouped four-segment modular distances are combined and matched to eliminate the odd-numbered harmonics of the end force and suppress the thrust ripple. A slotless primary core experimental platform and a slotted CP-PMLSM prototype are manufactured and tested to verify the theoretical analysis and simulation results.