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The demands of the technologies of the future such as autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things and mixed reality require communications platforms equipped to handle huge quantities of data. Higher frequency communication bands are attractive but have limitations in terms of data loss particularly during wireless transmission. Free-space optical (FSO) communication, which transmits optical signals through free-space by modulating laser light, is one option for better wireless signal delivery. Here we report a platform combining multiple transmission media of 40-km single-mode fibre, with 1.2-km FSO communication, and short range (0.5-2 m) radio-frequency wireless. We demonstrate sufficiently low bit error rates and error vector magnitudes at sub-terahertz frequencies, satisfying the requirement of 5 G new radio communications applications.

This paper proposes a new fiber Bragg grating central wavelength interrogation system by combining evolutionary algorithm and machine learning techniques integrated with an unsupervised autoencoder (AE) pre-training strategy. The proposed unsupervised AE pre-training convolution neural network (CNN) allows training of the convolutional layers independently from a regression task in order to learn a new data representation and give better generalization. It is also used to improve the system accuracy by four times without extra-labeled data. Moreover, AE is combined with a differential evolutionary (DE) algorithm to automate the human labeling task. The proposed autoencoder pre-training convolution neural network and differential evolutionary (AECNNDE) interrogation system achieve good accuracy and can speed-up the computational time by a maximum of 30 times than DE algorithm.

We give a short proof of the Torelli theorem for $ALH^*$ gravitational instantons using the authors’ previous construction of mirror special Lagrangian fibrations in del Pezzo surfaces and rational elliptic surfaces together with recent work of Sun-Zhang. In particular, this includes an identification of 10 diffeomorphism types of $ALH^*_b$ gravitational instantons.

Using Lagrangian Floer theory, we study the tropical geometry of K3 surfaces with general singular fibres. In particular, we give the local models for the type $I_n$, $II$, $III$ and $IV$ singular fibres in the Kodaira's classification and generalize the correspondence theorem between open Gromov-Witten invariants/tropical discs counting to these cases., Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures. Comments are welcome

We study the existence of special Lagrangian submanifolds of log Calabi–Yau manifolds equipped with the complete Ricci-flat Kahler metric constructed by Tian and Yau. We prove that if X is a Tian–Yau manifold and if the compact Calabi–Yau manifold at infinity admits a single special Lagrangian, then X admits infinitely many disjoint special Lagrangians. In complex dimension 2, we prove that if Y is a del Pezzo surface or a rational elliptic surface and D∈|−KY| is a smooth divisor with D2=d, then X=Y∖D admits a special Lagrangian torus fibration, as conjectured by Strominger–Yau–Zaslow and Auroux. In fact, we show that X admits twin special Lagrangian fibrations, confirming a prediction of Leung and Yau. In the special case that Y is a rational elliptic surface or Y= P2, we identify the singular fibers for generic data, thereby confirming two conjectures of Auroux. Finally, we prove that after a hyper-Kahler rotation, X can be compactified to the complement of a Kodaira type Id fiber appearing as a singular fiber in a rational elliptic surface πˇ:Yˇ→P1.

We study the decomposability of a Lagrangian homology class on a K3 surface into a sum of classes represented by special Lagrangian submanifolds, and develop criteria for it in terms of lattice theory. As a result, we prove the decomposability on an arbitrary K3 surface with respect to the K\"ahler classes in dense subsets of the K\"ahler cone. Using the same technique, we show that the K\"ahler classes on a K3 surface which admit a special Lagrangian fibration form a dense subset also. This implies that there are infinitely many special Lagrangian 3-tori in any log Calabi-Yau 3-fold., Comment: 24 pages. Final version. To appear in Mathematical Research Letters

We prove an equivalence between the superpotential defined via tropical geometry and Lagrangian Floer theory for special Lagrangian torus fibres in del Pezzo surfaces constructed by Collins-Jacob-Lin. We also include some explicit calculations for the projective plane, which confirm some folklore conjecture in this case., Comment: 42 pages, 1 figrure. Comments are welcome

In the paper, we study the wall-crossing phenomenon of reduced open Gromov–Witten invariants on K3 surfaces with rigid special Lagrangian boundary condition. As a corollary, we derived the multiple cover formula for the reduced open Gromov–Witten invariants, which is an open analog of the Gopakumar–Vafa conjecture of genus zero.

Nanoparticles have shown great promise in improving cancer treatment efficacy while reducing toxicity and treatment side effects. Predicting the treatment outcome for nanoparticle systems by measuring nanoparticle biodistribution has been challenging due to the commonly unmatched, heterogeneous distribution of nanoparticles relative to free drug distribution. We here present a proof-of-concept study that uses mathematical modeling together with experimentation to address this challenge. Individual mice with 4T1 breast cancer were treated with either nanoparticle-delivered or free doxorubicin, with results demonstrating improved cancer kill efficacy of doxorubicin loaded nanoparticles in comparison to free doxorubicin. We then developed a mathematical theory to render model predictions from measured nanoparticle biodistribution, as determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption. Model analysis finds that treatment efficacy increased exponentially with increased nanoparticle accumulation within the tumor, emphasizing the significance of developing new ways to optimize the delivery efficiency of nanoparticles to the tumor microenvironment.

Monte Carlo FLUKA and MCDS codes were used to study 1H, 4He and 12C ion beams with similar ranges in water phantom. The longitudinal and lateral dose profiles and the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) were investigated. Simulations were performed with particular emphasis in the vicinity of the Bragg peak (BP). The impact of individual nuclear fragments created by the primary beams was examined. Comparisons were made for the BP width, lateral dose profile width, and RBE value at different depths in the phantom. RBE values for the induction of DNA double-strand breaks were estimated, particularly in the vicinity of the BP. Results showed that 12C beam had the narrowest BP width, smallest lateral dose profile, and largest RBE value, followed by 4He and 1H beams. However, the differences between 4He and 12C were smaller than those between 1H and 4He. It also showed that the influence of nuclear fragments was significant for 12C beam, moderate for 4H beam, and minor for 1H beam. This influence was important for 12C at depths beyond the BP. Our results suggest that 4He beam is also a promising option for cancer therapy.

Background: Previous studies reported that patients who had an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have found that measuring B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) during the subacute phase of left ventricular (LV) remodeling can predict the possible course of LV remodeling. This study assessed the use of serial BNP serum levels combined with early creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) to predict the development of significant LV remodeling in AMI patients. Methods: Nighty-seven patients with new onset AMI were assessed using serial echocardiographic studies and serial measurements of BNP levels, both performed on day-2 (BNP1), day-7 (BNP2), day-90 (BNP3), and day-180 (BNP4) after admission. LV remodeling was defined as >20% increase in biplane LV end-diastolic volume on day-180 compared to baseline (day-2). Results: Patients were divided into LV remodeling [LVR(+)] and non LV remodeling [LVR(-)] groups. No first-week BNP level was found to predict remodeling. However, the two groups had significantly different day-90 BNP level (208.1 ± 263.7 pg/ml vs. 82.4 ± 153.7 pg/ml, P = 0.039) and significantly different 3-month BNP decrease ratios ( R BNP13) (14.4 ± 92.2% vs. 69.4 ± 25.9%, P < 0.001). The appropriate cut-off value for R BNP13 was 53.2% (AUC = 0.764, P < 0.001). Early peak CK-MB (cut-off 48.2 ng/ml; AUC = 0.672; P = 0.014) was another independent predictor of remodeling. Additionally, combining peak CK-MB and R BNP13 offered an excellent discrimination for half-year remodeling when assessed by ROC curve (AUC = 0.818, P < 0.001). Conclusion: R BNP13 is a significant independent predictor of 6-month LV remodeling. The early peak CK-MB additionally offered an incremental power to the predictions derived from serial BNP examinations.

We prove that the open Gromov-Witten invariants on K3 surfaces satisfy the Kontsevich-Soibelman wall-crossing formula. One one hand, this gives a geometric interpretation of the slab functions in Gross-Siebert program. On the other hands, the open Gromov-Witten invariants coincide with the weighted counting of tropical discs. This is an analog of the corresponding theorem on toric varieties \cite{M2}\cite{NS} but on compact Calabi-Yau surfaces.

ObjectivesFemale sex is an inconsistent ischaemic stroke risk factor in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesised that the ischaemic stroke risk varies with age among women compared with men.MethodsWe retrieved the patients with newly diagnosed AF during 2001–2013 from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with missing information, age ResultsAfter exclusion criteria, 87 369 men and 71 853 women remained for analysis (aged 73.1±14.4 years). After 1:1 PSM, we included 59 583 men (aged 73.5±13.7 years) and 59 583 women (aged 73.4±13.8 years) for analysis. We also stratified patients by age. The ischaemic stroke risk varied with age in women compared with men: lower in the ≤55 years (subdistribution HR (SHR)=0.75, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.90) and 56–65 years (SHR=0.87, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.98) groups, neutral in the 66–75 years group (SHR=1.01, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.08) and adverse in the >75 years group (SHR=1.14, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.19).ConclusionsThe female/male ischaemic stroke risk ratio varied with age. Only women aged >75 years had a higher risk, whereas women aged 2DS2-VASc score, used to make decision regarding anticoagulation treatment in AF patients.

The progress of nanoparticle (NP)-based drug delivery has been hindered by an inability to establish structure-activity relationships in vivo. Here, using stable, monosized, radiolabeled, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), we apply an integrated SPECT/CT imaging and mathematical modeling approach to understand the combined effects of MSN size, surface chemistry and routes of administration on biodistribution and clearance kinetics in healthy rats. We show that increased particle size from ~32- to ~142-nm results in a monotonic decrease in systemic bioavailability, irrespective of route of administration, with corresponding accumulation in liver and spleen. Cationic MSNs with surface exposed amines (PEI) have reduced circulation, compared to MSNs of identical size and charge but with shielded amines (QA), due to rapid sequestration into liver and spleen. However, QA show greater total excretion than PEI and their size-matched neutral counterparts (TMS). Overall, we provide important predictive functional correlations to support the rational design of nanomedicines., Nanoparticle applications are limited by insufficient understanding of physiochemical properties on in vivo disposition. Here, the authors explore the influence of size, surface chemistry and administration on the biodisposition of mesoporous silica nanoparticles using image-based pharmacokinetics.

The fluid flow through a soft particle bed was studied theoretically and experimentally in this report. Several correction factors were introduced to modify the Ergun equation and account for the deformed shape and reduced volume of compressed particles in a compressible soft particle bed. To acquire the correction factors, both uni-compression tests and computational fluid dynamics simulation methods were used. The pressure drop estimated from the customized modeling equation was further compared with the experimental data obtained from a bed composed of calcium-alginate gel particles. In contrast to the conventional Ergun equation, the pressure drop estimated from the customized modeling equation was highly consistent with the experimental data. The result suggests that the customized modeling equation is a convenient tool for accurately predicting the pressure drop across a compressible soft particle bed. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 1716–1727, 2016

We provide an inductive algorithm to compute the bulk-deformed potentials for toric Fano surfaces via wall-crossing techniques and a tropical-holomorphic correspondence theorem for holomorphic discs. As an application of the correspondence theorem, we also prove a big quantum period theorem for toric Fano surfaces which relates the log descendant Gromov-Witten invariants with the oscillatory integrals of the bulk-deformed potentials., Comment: 44 pages, 9 figures, comments are welcome

In this paper, we compare three methods in detecting invalid signatures in batch verification. The first method, randomly select test, randomly chooses a half of signatures to verify in a batch. The second method is the small exponent test which is widely used. The third method, randomly numbering test, is a simplified method of the matrix-detection algorithm. The randomly numbering test randomizes the order of the signatures and verifies the signatures in log k+1 batches where k is the number of signatures. We simulate each method and analyze the efficiency of the methods. As a result, randomly numbering test is more efficient than small exponent test when the number of signatures in a batch verification is large.

In the absence of clinical data, accurate identification of cost drivers is needed for economic comparison in an alternate payment model. From a health plan perspective using claims data in a commercial population, the objective was to identify and quantify the effects of cost drivers in economic models of breast, lung, and colorectal cancer costs over a 6-month episode following initial chemotherapy.This study analyzed claims data from 9,748 Cigna beneficiaries with diagnosis of breast, lung, and colorectal cancer following initial chemotherapy from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015. We used multivariable regression models to quantify the impact of key factors on cost during the initial 6-month cancer care episode.Metastasis, facility provider affiliation, episode risk group (ERG) risk score, and radiation were cost drivers for all three types of cancer (breast, lung, and colorectal). In addition, younger age (p .0001) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 oncogene overexpression (HER2+)-directed therapy (p .0001) were associated with higher costs in breast cancer. Younger age (p .0001) and female gender (p .0001) were also associated with higher costs in colorectal cancer. Metastasis was also associated with 50% more hospital admissions and increased hospital length of stay (p .001) in all three cancers over the 6-month episode duration. Chemotherapy and supportive drug therapies accounted for the highest proportion (48%) of total medical costs among beneficiaries observed.Value-based reimbursement models in oncology should appropriately account for key cost drivers. Although claims-based methodologies may be further augmented with clinical data, this study recommends adjusting for the factors identified in these models to predict costs in breast, lung, and colorectal cancers.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of hyaluronate injections for treating people with OA of the glenohumeral joint in the shoulder.

We prove that the open Gromov-Witten invariants on K3 surfaces satisfy the Kontsevich-Soibelman wall-crossing formula. One one hand, this gives a geometric interpretation of the slab functions in Gross-Siebert program. On the other hands, the open Gromov-Witten invariants coincide with the weighted counting of tropical discs. This is an analog of the corresponding theorem on toric varieties \cite{M2}\cite{NS} but on compact Calabi-Yau surfaces., 59 pages, 4 figures. Comments are welcome

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) elicits a dense stromal response that blocks vascular access because of pericyte coverage of vascular fenestrations. In this way, the PDAC stroma contributes to chemotherapy resistance in addition to causing other problems. In order to improve the delivery of gemcitabine, a first-line chemotherapeutic agent, a PEGylated drug-carrying liposome was developed, using a transmembrane ammonium sulfate gradient to encapsulate the protonated drug up to 20% w/w. However, because the liposome was precluded from entering the xenograft site due to the stromal interference, we developed a first-wave nanocarrier that decreases pericyte coverage of the vasculature through interference in the pericyte recruiting TGF-β signaling pathway. This was accomplished using a polyethyleneimine (PEI)/polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSNP) for molecular complexation to a small molecule TGF-β inhibitor, LY364947. LY364947 contains a nitrogen atom that attaches, through H-bonding, to PEI amines with a high rate of efficiency. The copolymer coating also facilitates systemic biodistribution and retention at the tumor site. Because of the high loading capacity and pH-dependent LY364947 release from the MSNPs, we achieved rapid entry of IV-injected liposomes and MSNPs at the PDAC tumor site. This two-wave approach provided effective shrinkage of the tumor xenografts beyond 25 days, compared to the treatment with free drug or gemcitabine-loaded liposomes only. Not only does this approach overcome stromal resistance to drug delivery in PDAC, but it also introduces the concept of using a stepwise engineered approach to address a range of biological impediments that interfere in nanocancer therapy in a spectrum of cancers.

Biomaterial properties that modulate T cell activation, growth, and differentiation are of significant interest in the field of cellular immunotherapy manufacturing. In this work, we present a new platform technology that allows for the modulation of various activation particle design parameters important for polyclonal T cell activation. We successfully create artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) using supported lipid bilayers on various cell-templated silica microparticles with defined membrane fluidity and stimulating antibody density. We use this panel of aAPCs to probe the importance of activation particle shape, size, membrane fluidity, and stimulation antibody density on T cell outgrowth and differentiation. All aAPC formulations were able to stimulate T cell growth, and preferentially promoted CD8(+) T cell growth over CD4(+) T cell growth when compared to commercially available pendant antibody-conjugated particles. T cells cultured with HeLa and red blood cell templated aAPCs had a less differentiated and less exhausted phenotype than those cultured with spherical aAPCs with matched membrane coatings when cultured for 14 days. These results support continued exploration of silica supported lipid bilayers as an artificial antigen presenting cell platform.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles have the capacity to load and deliver therapeutic cargo and incorporate imaging modalities, making them prominent candidates for theranostic devices. One of the most widespread imaging agents utilized in this and other theranostic platforms is nanoscale superparamagnetic iron oxide. Although several core-shell magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles presented in the literature have provided high T2 contrast in vitro and in vivo, there is ambiguity surrounding which parameters lead to enhanced contrast. Additionally, there is a need to understand the behavior of these imaging agents over time in biologically relevant environments. Herein, we present a systematic analysis of how the transverse relaxivity (r2) of magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles is influenced by nanoparticle diameter, iron oxide nanoparticle core synthesis, and the use of a hydrothermal treatment. This work demonstrates that samples which did not undergo a hydrothermal treatment experienced a drop in r2 (75% of original r2 within 8 days of water storage), while samples with hydrothermal treatment maintained roughly the same r2 for over 30 days in water. Our results suggest that iron oxide oxidation is the cause of the r2 loss, and this oxidation can be prevented both during synthesis and storage by the use of deoxygenated conditions during nanoparticle synthesis. The hydrothermal treatment also provides colloidal stability, even in acidic and highly salted solutions, and a resistance against acid degradation of the iron oxide nanoparticle core. The results of this study show the promise of multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticles but will also likely inspire further investigation into multiples types of theranostic devices, taking into consideration their behavior over time and in relevant biological environments.

This letter proposes a high-performance CMOS dual-band voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The VCO consists of two cross-coupled VCOs coupled by a pair of switched inductors or LC resonators to vary the resonator's inductance. A pair of nMOSFET is used to switch high- and low-frequency bands. The VCO operates at the high-band using low resonator's inductance and the VCO operates at the low-band using large inductance. The proposed VCO has been implemented with the TSMC 0.18 μm 1P6M CMOS technology and it can generate differential signals in the frequency range of 5.6---6.66 GHz and 4.13---4.75 and it also has comparable high output voltage swings at both low and high-frequency bands. The die area of the dual-band VCO is 0.84 × 1.1 mm2. At the supply voltage of 0.75 V, the high (low)-band figure of merit is ?193.6 (?192.3) dBc/Hz.

For clear MR imaging of blood vessels, a long blood circulation time of effective T1 contrast agents is necessary. Nanoparticulate MR contrast agents are much more effective owing to their enhanced relaxivity, a result of reduced tumbling rates, and large payloads of active magnetic species. PEGylated yolk–shell silica nanospheres containing high payloads of Gd(III) with cross-linking ligands are synthesized and evaluated as a blood-pool magnetic resonance contrast agent. The hydrophilic PEG coating and the microporous silica shell allow water exchange while keeping the multi-nuclear Gd species from leaching out. These Gd(III)-containing yolk–shell silica nanoparticles with PEGylated surfaces give excellent resolution and contrast in magnetic resonance angiography images of vasculature in rat brains.