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Background For patients suffering from hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA), it would be no sense if radical surgery didn’t result in better survival than natural lifespan. Therefore, establishing a model predicting postoperative survival less than natural lifespan may assist in surgery decision-making. Methods HCCA patients receiving radical surgery from three centers were enrolled retrospectively. Twelve months was designated the natural lifespan of HCCA, and patients were divided into long-term survival (LTS) and short-term survival (STS) groups by this cutoff value. A nomogram was established from a randomly selected training cohort comprised of 70% of patients and verified on the validation cohort comprised of the remaining 30%. The model was internally validated using 5-fold cross-validation. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curve were also used to assess the model. In-hospital costs of both groups were compared. Results Out of 245 patients, 67 (27%) had STS, with a mean survival time of 5.67 months, while 178 (73%) had LTS, with a mean survival time of 33.03 months. Among the STS group, 17 died of complications, and the others died of recurrence. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that risk factors for STS were age (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00-1.11), malnutrition (OR: 3.01, 95% CI: 1.12–8.07), CA125 (OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02), vascular invasion (OR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.33–9.21), poor differentiation (OR: 8.51, 95% CI: 2.38–30.44) and lymph node metastasis (OR: 5.04, 95% CI: 1.73–14.66). The C-index of nomogram was 0.834. DCA convinced the power of our model. The in-hospital cost of the STS group was higher than that of the LTS group (mean, 169250.8 and 138118.0, respectively, P = 0.006). Conclusions A model predicting poor prognosis could avoid unnecessary surgery and provide postoperative treatment references.

The hepatic artery is the only blood source nourishing the biliary duct and associated with biliary complication after liver transplantation (LT). Gastroduodenal artery (GDA) disconnection increased proper hepatic artery flow. Whether this procedure attenuates biliary non-anastomotic stricture (NAS) is not clear.A total of 241 patients with LT were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the GDA disconnection (GDA-) and GDA preservation (GDA+) groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was administrated to reduce bias. Logistic regression was conducted to analyze risk factors for biliary NAS before and after PSM. Postoperative complications were compared. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank tests were performed to compare overall survival.In all, 99 patients (41.1%) underwent GDA disconnection, and 49 (20.3%) developed NAS. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that GDA preservation (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.11-4.53; P = 0.025) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score15 (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.12-4.11; P = 0.022) were risk factors for biliary NAS. PSM provided 66 pairs using 1:2 matching method, including 66 GDA disconnection and 99 GDA preservation patients. Multivariable logistic regression after PSM also showed that GDA preservation (OR = 3.15, 95% CI: 1.26-7.89; P = 0.014) and MELD score15 (OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.08-5.36; P = 0.031) were risk factors for NAS. When comparing complications between the two groups, GDA preservation was associated with a higher incidence of biliary NAS before and after PSM (P = 0.031 and 0.017, respectively). In contrast, other complications including early allograft dysfunction (P = 0.620), small-for-size graft syndrome (P = 0.441), abdominal hemorrhage (P = 1.000), major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ 3, P = 0.318), and overall survival (P = 0.088) were not significantly different between the two groups.GDA disconnection during LT ameliorates biliary NAS incidence and may be recommended for application in clinical practice.

Arsenic is a kind of element widely distributed in the environment that may pose a threat to the ecological environment and human health, while effective remediation and sustainable utilization of arsenic-containing sludge is a challenge. Based on stabilization/solidification blast furnace slag-based cementitious materials (BCMs), this study innovatively proposes to improve the arsenic (As) solidification efficiency and long-term stability by using the activation mode of CaO and NaCl. The effects of different factors on the properties of the BCM were measured by unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The long-term stability and safety of the BCM were verified by leaching toxicity and improved three stage continuous extraction method (BCR) tests. Experimental results show that the addition of CaO provides conditions for the formation of ettringite (AFt), thus promoting the crystal growth of AFt. The addition of NaCl can promote the formation of Cl-AFt and play a good long-term stabilizing role. When the content of the alkali activator is 10% and the modulus is 1.0, the contents of CaO and NaCl are 10 and 1%, respectively. The BCM has the best efficiency in terms of UCS and As solidification. The UCS at 28 days was 5.4 MPa, and the leaching concentration of As was 0.309 mg/L, and the As solidification efficiency was up to 99.9%. In the improved BCR test, the proportions of residual and oxidizable states of arsenic increased by 19.6 and 13.5%, respectively, and the stability of heavy metals improved. These findings show that the BCM has good long-term stability and safety. Overall, this study shows that CaO and NaCl significantly increase the output of AFt and achieve the purpose of efficient and stable solidification of As by the BCM.

Background Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a common complication in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), signaling dismal outcomes. This study was conducted to evaluate the survival benefit of postoperative portal vein perfusion chemotherapy (PVC) in patients with HCC and PVTT. Methods A retrospective review was conducted in 401 consecutive patients with HCC and PVTT who underwent hepatic resection between January 2009 and December 2015 and 67 patients received adjuvant postoperative PVC. A propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match patients with and without PVC at a ratio of 1:1. Results After PSM, the median time to recurrence (TTR) and overall survival (OS) were significantly longer in PVC group compared with control group (12.3 vs 5.8 months, P = .001; 19.0 vs 13.4 months, P = .037; respectively). At 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, the cumulative recurrence rates in PVC group were 48.1%, 86.5%, 92.3% ,96.2%, respectively, with OS rates of 63.8%, 37.9%, 24.4%, 18.3%, respectively; whereas cumulative recurrence rates of 76.6%, 91.5%, 94.3%, and 97.2%, respectively and OS rates of 55.4%, 23.0%, 12.4%, and 12.4%, respectively were recorded for the control group. In multivariate analysis, postoperative PVC emerged as a significant predictor for TTR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.523; P = .001) and OS (HR, 0.591; P = .010). PVC could reduce early recurrence (≤1 year) rate after surgical resection (40.3% vs 64.2%, P = .006) and clinical outcomes were further enhanced by adding sorafenib to postoperative PVC. Conclusions Compared with surgical resection alone, postoperative adjuvant PVC treatment boosts survival and reduces early tumor recurrences in patients surgically treated for HCC and PVTT., Surgical resection is an option for patients with HCC and PVTT and multidiscipline treatment including portal vein chemotherapy may further improve clinical outcomes. Patients treated with and without postoperative PVC were selected by propensity score matching analysis (PSM) to eliminate potential confounder factors. Before PSM, there was no significant difference between time to recurrence (TTR) and overall survival (OS). After PSM, patients receiving postoperative PVC had significant longer TTR and OS.

Background Kinase suppressor of Ras 2 (KSR2) is a regulator of MAPK signaling that is overactivated in most hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We sought to determine the role of KSR2 in HCC pathogenesis. Methods We tested the level of KSR2 in HCC tissues and cell lines by tissue microarray, qPCR, and western blotting. Functionally, we determined the effects of KSR2 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells through colony formation assays, scratch assays, transwell migration assays, and xenograft tumor models. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) experiments were used to assess the interaction of phospho-serine binding protein 14–3-3ζ and KSR2, and the effects of this interaction on growth and proliferation of human HCC cells were tested by co-overexpression and knockdown experiments. Additionally, we used flow cytometry to examine whether the KSR2 and 14–3-3ζ interaction conveys HCC resistance to sorafenib. Results KSR2 was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, and high KSR2 expression associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. KSR2 knockdown significantly suppressed HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, co-IP experiments identified that 14–3-3ζ complexed with KSR2, and elevated 14–3-3ζ increased KSR2 protein levels in HCC cells. Importantly, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that patients with both high KSR2 and high 14–3-3ζ expression levels had the shortest survival times and poorest prognoses. Interestingly, HCC cells overexpressing both KSR2 and 14–3-3ζ, rather than either protein alone, showed hyperactivated MAPK signaling and resistance to sorafenib. Conclusions Our results provide new insights into the pro-tumorigenic role of KSR2 and its regulation of the MAPK pathway in HCC. The KSR2–14–3-3ζ interaction may be a therapeutic target to enhance the sorafenib sensitivity of HCC.

Six coordination polymers named [Co(TPA)(bimb)(H2O)2]n (1), [Co(TPA)(4,4′-bidpe)]n (2), [Co(TPA)(4,4′-bibp)]n (3), [Co4(TPA)3(tib)2(μ3-OH)2]n (4), [Ni(TPA)(4,4′-bidpe)(H2O)2]n (5), and [Ni2(TPA)2(4,4′-bibp)3(H2O)2]n (6) (TPA = terephthalic acid, bimb = 1,4-bis(imidazol)butane, 4,4′-bidpe = 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)diphenyl ether 4,4′-bibp = 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl, and tib = 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl)benzene) were constructed using a solvothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses, infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Complex 1 had a 3D supermolecular framework that crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21/c. Complex 2 crystallized in the tetragonal system I41/acd space group featuring a 2-fold interpenetrated framework. Complex 3 crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Pnna. Complex 4 exhibited a 3D Co(II) metal–organic framework with tetranuclear metal–oxygen clusters, and it crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c. Complex 5 crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21/n featuring a 3D supermolecular framework. Complex 6 had a 3D 3-fold interpenetrated fsc topological framework that crystallized in the triclinic space group P. The photocatalytic-degradation capacity of complex 1–6 for methylene blue (MB) was investigated: complex 1–4 had a better photocatalytic-degradation effect for MB.

Rationale CD13 is a new marker for liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) that contributes to sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanism of CD13 in HCC sorafenib resistance remains enigmatic. Methods The expression of CD13 in HCC cell lines and tissues was assayed by RT‐PCR, western‐blot, and immunohistochemistry staining. Athymic BALB/c nu/nu mice model was used to study the in vivo functions of CD13. Clinical significance of CD13 was evaluated by Kaplan‐Meier methods. Cellular proliferation rate was evaluated by cell counting kit‐8 cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay. Tunel assay was used to detect cell death ratio. Transwell assay was used to evaluate the motility of cells. Immunoprecipitation (IP), liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS)/MS, and co‐IP were applied to investigate potential protein interactions of CD13. Results In this research, we found that CD13 expression was higher in metastatic HCC samples, and its overexpression was predicted worse prognosis for patients after surgical resection. Functionally, CD13 promoted HCC proliferation, invasion, cell cycle progression as well as sorafenib resistance. Mechanistically, CD13 interacted with histone deacetylase5 (HDAC5) to promote its protein stability, thus resulting in HDAC5‐mediated lysine‐specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) deacetylation and protein stabilization. Consequently, LSD1 decreased the NF‐κB catalytic unit p65 methylation that led to p65 protein stability. A CD13 inhibitor ubenimex in combination with sorafenib, suppressed the tumor growth and attenuated the resistance of HCC cells toward sorafenib in patient‐derived xenograft models. Conclusions CD13 promotes HCC progression and induces sorafenib resistance, mainly via interacting with HDAC5 to prevent the degradation of p65 and activate NF‐kB signaling pathway. CD13 is a prognostic indicator for HCC patients underwent curative resection as well as a predictor of response to treatment with sorafenib. Our study establishes the new therapeutic potential of targeting CD13‐HDAC5‐LSD1‐NF‐κB in HCC.

A four-fold interpenetrated coordination polymer {[Zn2(L)(bibp)3]·DMF·H2O}n (1) (H4L = 5,5′-(biphenyl-4,4′-diylbis(methylene)) bis(oxy) diisophthalicacid, bibp = 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl) has been rationally constructed, successfully solvothermally synthesized. Complex 1 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and it shows a 3D four-fold interpenetrated bbf-topological framework. Luminescence studies demonstrate that 1 has high selectivity and sensitivity for pollutant Cr(VI) (CrO42− and Cr2O72−) anion and Cu(II) cation; Photocatalytic studies show that 1 exhibits great degradation activity of four organic dyes (methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), Methyl orange (MO) and Orange IV (OIV)). Meanwhile, the possible mechanism of the photocatalytic property has been deduced.

A new Bi(V) coordination polymer, namely, [PhBiS2CN(CH3)2Cl]n has been synthesized and characterized by element alanalysis, IR, 1H NMR and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. X-ray single-crystal dif...

A novel Mn(II) coordination polymer based on a “V”-shaped 1,3-di(4′-carboxyl-phenyl)benzene acid (H2dpb, dpb = 1,3-di(4′-carboxyl-phenyl)benzene), namely {[Mn(dpb)(4,4′-bibp)]·H2O}n (4,4′-bibp = 4,4′-bis(imidazol-1-yl)biphenyl) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and further characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, CO2 and SO2 adsorption properties of the complex were tested by high-pressure adsorption instrument under different pressure. The results show that the adsorption performance of CO2 is far superior to SO2 on the same conditions. The adsorption capacity increases with temperature rising. Very interestingly, the saturated adsorption amount (5.5 mmol/g) at 100 °C is less than the one at 80 °C (7.20 mmol/g). This phenomenon is caused by the escape of water vapor.

Non-ferrous metal smelting enterprises produce hundreds of thousands of tons of arsenic sulfide sludge (ASS) each year in China. Most of the ASS are stored at the companies without enough preventive measures. During the storage and natural drying process, arsenic sulfide is easily oxidized, thereby causing secondary pollution and increasing environmental risks. In this paper, experiments of simulated storage were used to study the release characteristics of heavy metals. During the simulated storage, the release concentrations of As, Pb, and Cd increased rapidly at first and then slowly. Although the total amount of arsenic released was the largest, the release ratio was in the order of Cd &gt, Pb &gt, As. The effects of different atmospheres and conditions on the release of arsenic and heavy metals were explored. The more the H2SO4 in the sludge, the higher the release concentration, and the addition of an appropriate amount of Ca(OH)2 is beneficial for reducing the release of heavy metals. Finally, SEM, XRD and TG-DTG techniques were carried out to confirm that the release of heavy metals was caused by the oxidation process resulting from the residual H2SO4 in the ASS and the air.

Recently, enough attention has been paid to the pollution and damage of antibiotics in water. Zn-metal organic frameworks (Zn-MOFs), as a novel kind of sensing material, have been tentatively developed a highly effective candidate to detect antibiotics in water. A series of Zn-MOFs material named {[Zn (bdc)(4,4′-bidpe)]·H2O}n (1), {[Zn3 (bdc)2 (tib)2(HCOO)2]·4(H2O)·0.5(CH2Cl2)}n (2), [Zn (bdc)(bidpa)]n (3) were successfully constructed under the condition of solvothermal, using 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)diphenyl ether (4,4′-bidpe), 1,3,5-tirs (1-imidazolyl)benzene (tib), 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)diphenyl amino (4,4′-bidpa) and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (H2bdc). Three complexes were characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Complex 1 has a three-dimensional (3D) framework that crystallizes in the triclinic system, Pī space group. Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, C2/c space group featuring a 3-nodal (3,3,4)-connected network with point symbol of 2{83}2{86}{8.102}. Complex 3 belongs to the tetragonal system, I41/acd space group with two-fold interpenetrating architecture. A linear pH sensing of complex 1 (I ​= ​1035.2 pH ​+ ​726.9) between the fluorescence intensity and pH values was achieved through the fluorescence quenching experiment in the acidic condition. The fluorescence quenching experimental results showed that complex 1 exhibits sensitive response to TC with detection limit of 3.72 ​× ​10−7 ​M based on its effective spectral overlap and adsorption preconcentration with tetracycline (TC).

This study was prospectively designed to determine the risk factors of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients who underwent different surgeries, and to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of plasma D-dimer level as a screening test.From June 2013 to June 2014, 360 consecutive patients undergoing orthopedic surgery were evaluated. All patients underwent ultrasonography preoperatively and on postoperative day 7. Plasma D-dimer levels were estimated by latex immunoturbidimetry on the day of surgery and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7.Of the 360 patients in this study, 339 patients completed the analysis. Among them, DVT was confirmed in 28 (8.26%) patients based on ultrasonographic findings. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that body mass index was an independent risk factor for developing DVT (P = 0.018) and D-dimer levels on postoperative days 1 and 7 were independently correlated with the development of DVT (P = 0.019 and P 0.001, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined that the area under the curve was largest (0.752) when using D-dimer level on postoperative day 7 as diagnostic index, and the sensitivity and specificity were 71.4% and 81.7% at the cut-off value of 6.17 μg/mL, respectively. The elevated D-dimer levels followed the same tendency toward a double-peaked distribution with peaks at days 1 and 7 postoperatively.D-dimer level was a useful screening test to exclude DVT, and the cut-off values of D-dimer determined in this study will provide a reference for the absence of DVT to a certain extent.

Speculative Multithreading (SpMT) technology is an effective mechanism for automatic parallelization of irregular programs. While speculative parallelization can potentially deliver significant speedup for irregular applications, several speculative parallelization overheads resulting from the factors, especially inter-thread load imbalance, limit these speedups in practice. Most existing thread partitioning methods are mainly based on heuristic rules strategies to generate speculative threads. However, these heuristic rules extracted from people’s experiences cannot estimate quantitatively but qualitatively the overhead. Based on the thorough analysis of the speculative parallelization overhead resulting from inter-thread load imbalance, we propose a novel method to balance the inter-thread load. In this method, we firstly determine a method by which to unroll the loops. Then, we introduce cluster method to search the solution space of speculative threads and finally get the optimal solution. The experimental results show that, the proposed method can effectively reduce the inter-thread load imbalance; and the load imbalance overhead can be effectively reduced by 43.7%. And we can gain 8.8% performance improvement on Olden benchmark suits.

This paper proposes a protection mechanism called trust system. The purpose of this article is to enhance supervisory control and data-acquisition (SCADA) security with minimal impact on our existing power communication systems. This paper concentrates on placing trust system into our existing power system and creates new security system implementations to increase its flexibility. What’s more, the SCADA security issues between electric utilities are also discussed.

Objective To investigate the effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the proliferation of chondrocytes in a 3-dimensional (3D) culture environment of microfluidic chip. Method Rabbit articular chondrocytes embedded in microfluidic chip and 96-well plate were cultured with solitary and component concentrations of IGF-1 and bFGF for 2 weeks, and then the proliferation rates of chondrocytes were calculated and compared. Results The maximal proliferation effect of IGF-1 was found when the concentration reached 57.14ng/ml (up to 2.38-fold), and of bFGF at the concentration of 5.72ng/ml (up to 3.85-fold), while the maximal proliferation effect of combination of IGF-1+bFGF was found at the concentration of 85.71ng/ml IGF-1 plus 1.43ng/ml bFGF (up to 4.76-fold). There was no significant difference between the proliferation rate of chondrocytes cultured in microfluidic chip and 96-well plate. Conclusions A combination of IGF-1 plus bFGF in certain concentration may synergistically increase the proliferation of chondrocytes. Microfluidic chip could be used for efficient cartilage tissue engineering.

Cartilage is a kind of terminally differentiated tissue devoid of vessel or nerve, and it is difficult to repair by itself after damage. Many studies for the treatment of cartilage injuries were performed in recent years aiming at repair of the structure and restoration of its function for injured joint. This article reviews the traditional methods of treatment for cartilage injuries, such as joint lavage with the aid of arthroscope, abrasion chondroplasty, laser abrasion and chondroplasty, and drilling of the subchondral bone-marrow space. The research advances in treatment of articular cartilage injuries with tissue engineering were summarized.

Background: The physiological and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) is a scoring system previously validated in vascular and general surgical patients. The Portsmouth physiological and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity (P-POSSUM) is a reliable tool derived from POSSUM to improve the prediction of mortality. In this paper, we utilized both models to determine the most suitable and feasible one that could be utilized in orthopedic surgery in China mainland. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients’ files were extracted randomly from the medical records department of the First Hospital Affiliated with Dalian Medical University for those underwent hip replacements between 1999 and 2006. The mortality and morbidity rates were predicted by P-POSSUM and POSSUM, respectively. A comparative analysis was performed between the observed and the predicted values as well as the Observed/Expected ratio (O:E). Results: A total of 206 patients were selected for this study after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The predicted mortality by P-POSSUM were not significantly different from the observed values (X2 = 2.10, P = 0.552). POSSUM appeared to be better with the observed morbidity (X2 = 2.766, P = 0.598), but had overestimated mortality. Conclusion: The POSSUM morbidity equation satisfactorily estimated the risk of postoperative complications, and the P-POSSUM mortality equation appeared to stratify the risk of death more accurate than the POSSUM.

Aiming at the problem that parameters of Support Vector Machines (SVM) are very difficult to confirm, this paper points out a parameter selection method for SVM based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which can make the SVM more scientific and reasonable in parameters selection; and thus enhance the forecast accuracy of the network security situation. The Simulation results show that the optimized SVR forecast model has good forecast accuracy for the network security situation, and present the future changing at a macro level, then help the network managers control network.

This investigation reports observations of optical bistability in a silicon nitride (SiN) micro-ring resonator with azo dye-doped liquid crystal cladding. The refractive index of the cladding can be changed by switching the liquid crystal between nematic (NLC) and photo-induced isotropic (PHI) states by. Both the NLC and the PHI states can be maintained for many hours, and can be rapidly switched from one state to the other by photo-induced isomerization using 532 nm and 408 nm addressing light, respectively. The proposed device exhibits optical bistable switching of the resonance wavelength without sustained use of a power source. It has a 1.9 nm maximum spectral shift with a Q-factor of over 10000. The hybrid SiN- LC micro-ring resonator possesses easy switching, long memory, and low power consumption. It therefore has the potential to be used in signal processing elements and switching elements in optically integrated circuits.

The concentrations of 144 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the river sediments from Luqiao were analyzed by GC-muECD. The objectives of this study were to understand the contents, spatial distribution and possible sources of PCBs. The Sigma PCBs concentrations detected in the river sediments were in the range of 1.66 to 5 930 ng x g(-1), with a mean of 763 ng x g(-1). Tri-CBs, tetra-CBs and penta-CBs were the primary PCB congeners in all samples, accounting for 2.63%-57.6%, 10.4%-54.6% and 7.82%-46.1%, respectively. Octa-CBs and deca-CBs were the minor PCB congeners in all samples, with the percentages of 0-8.57% and 0-11.0%, respectively. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that 22 samples were mainly polluted by Ar1248, 9 samples were polluted by Ar1254, and 6 samples were contaminated by Ar1016, Ar1232 and Ar1242. The PCBs concentrations found in the present study were at an upper-middle level compared with those in other studies in the world. The PCBs pollution in the present area had a high ecological risk.

A comprehensive investigation was conducted to the urban soil in the megacity Shanghai in order to assess the levels of PAHs and potential risks to human health, to identify and quantitatively assess source contributions to the soil PAHs. A total of 57 soil samples collected in main urban areas of Shanghai, China were analyzed for 26 PAHs including highly carcinogenic dibenzopyrene isomers. The total concentrations ranged from 133 to 8,650 ng g for ΣPAHs and 83.3 to 7,220 ng g for ΣPAHs, with mean values of 2420 and 1,970 ng g, respectively. DBalP and DBaeP may serve as markers for diesel vehicle emission, while DBahP is a probable marker of coke tar as distinct from diesel emissions. Six sources in Shanghai urban area were identified by PMF model; their relative contributions to the total soil PAH burden were 6% for petrogenic sources, 21% for coal combustion, 13% for biomass burning, 16% for creosote, 23% for coke tar related sources and 21% for vehicular emissions, respectively. The benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaP) concentrations ranged from 48.9-2,580 ng g for ΣPAHs, 7.02-869 ng g for ΣPAHs and 35.7-1,990 ng g for ΣDBPs. The BaP concentrations of ΣDBPs made up 72% of ΣPAHs. Nearly half of the soil samples showed concentrations above the safe BaP value of 600 ng g. Exposure to these soils through direct contact probably poses a significant risk to human health from carcinogenic effects of soil PAHs. The index of additive cancer risk (IACR) values in almost one third of urban soil samples were more than the safe value of 1.0, indicating these urban soil PAHs in the study area may pose a potential threat to potable groundwater water quality from leaching of carcinogenic PAH mixtures from soil.

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are extremely complex technical mixtures of polychlorinated n-alkanes with carbon chain lengths from C-10 to C-13 and chlorine content between 49 and 70 %. SCCPs are under consideration for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. SCCPs have been used extensively in industrial production, but little is known about the pollution level in soil environment in China. In this study, levels and distribution of SCCPs in soil samples from Chongming Island were analyzed. Concentrations of total SCCPs in soil samples ranged from 0.42 to 420 ng g(-1), with a median of 9.6 ng g(-1). The ubiquitous occurrence of SCCPs in Chongming Island implied that long-range atmospheric transport and soil-air exchange may be the most important pathways for SCCP contamination in the background area. The localized SCCP contamination could be derived from an unidentified source. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that C-13- and C-11-congeners were predominant in most soils and C-10- and C-12-congeners dominated in the remaining soils. Cl-7- and Cl-8-congeners were on the average the most dominant chlorine congeners in nearly all soils. Principal component analysis suggested that the separation of even and odd carbon chain congeners occurred during long-range atmospheric transport and aging in soil in the study area.

The concentrations of 144 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the soils from Luqiao were analyzed by GC-microECD. The objectives of this study were to understand the contents, spatial distribution and sources. The sigma PCBs concentrations in soils samples were in the range of 0.779 ng x g(-1) to 937 ng x g(-1), with a mean of 75.7 ng x g(-1), and the relatively high level of PCBs were mainly distributed in the south central area. Penta-CBs, hexa-CBs and tetra-CBs were the primary homologues in 38 samples, with the range of 13.0% - 61.1%, 4.59% - 48.8% and 10.1% - 31.5%, respectively. Di-CBs was the most predominant homologues in other samples, with the range of 47.1% - 75.2%. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that most of samples were mainly polluted by Ar1254, few samples were polluted by Ar1221. Significant correlations were observed between sigma PCBs and TOC, which suggested PCBs were affected by TOC in soils. The correlation analysis also showed significant correlation among the PCBs homologues (except di-CBs and nona-CBs), which suggested PCBs might have the similar sources. Compared to other studies from different countries and regions, the PCBs concentrations in the present study were at an upper-middle level.

The concentration of 46 polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in the agricultural soils from Luqiao was analyzed by GC-NCI-MS. The objectives of this study were to investigate the contents, spatial distribution and sources of PCNs. The total concentrations of PCNs (sigma PCNs) in soil samples were in the range of 0.062 to 2.92 ng x g(-1), with a mean of 0.630 ng x g(-1). Tetra-CNs and penta-CNs were the predominant homologues in most of the samples, accounting for 18.4% - 88.8% and 8.40% - 53.1%, with average values of 46.7% and 30.7%, respectively, followed by tri-CNs, accounting for 0 - 47.3%, with a mean of 10.6%. Cluster analysis and combustion marker analysis showed that the sampling sites were mainly polluted by Halowax 1014 and Halowax 1013, also possibly polluted by PCBs mixtures and e-waste combustion process. Compared to other studies, the PCNs concentration in this study was at a medium level.

The concentrations of 41 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the river sediments from Luqiao were analyzed by GC-NCI-MS. The objectives of this study were to understand the contents, spatial distribution and sources. The Sigma40 PBDEs (excluding BDE209) concentrations in sediments sampled were in the range of 0.177 to 161 ng x g(-1), with a mean of 22.5 ng x g(-1), and the concentrations of BDE209 were from 0.36 to 958 ng x g(-1), with a mean of 148 ng x g(-1). Deca-BDE was the most predominant in 9 PBDE homologues in most of samples, accounting for 38.4%-96.0%, with an average of 74.4% nona-BDEs and hepta-BDEs, accounting for 3.3%-25.8% and 0.01%-14.1%, respectively. Significant correlations were observed among all of PBDEs congeners, which suggested these PBDEs might have the similar sources. The homologue composition of PBDEs and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that most of sampling sites were mainly polluted by deca-BDE formulation, and others polluted by deca-BDE and octa-BDE formulations. Compared to other studies from different countries and regions, the PBDEs concentrations in the present study were at a medium-to-low level. But it should be concerned that a few of sampling sites were highly contaminated by point sources.

Dynamic State Estimation (DSE) for power system considers statistical characters of systemic state variables in past period, has functions of state estimation and forecasting. This paper proposes a new method for state estimation problem in power systems based on Kernel Principle Component Analysis (KPCA) and Support Vector Regression (SVR). Firstly, the KPCA can extract the nonlinear relationship between original inputs from SCADA system to make data compression and feature extraction. KPCA is closely related to methods applied in Support Vector Regression (SVR). Then, the extracted principal data are used as inputs of SVM in order to forecast systemic state variables. Applying proposed system to IEEE14 data, the experiment results show that KPCA-SVR features high learning speed, good approximation and generalization ability compared with SVR.

The traditional intrusion detection system (IDS) generally use the misuse detection model based on rules because this model has low false alarm rate. But the disadvantage of this model is that it could not detect the new attacks, even the variation of existed ones. In this paper we proposed a novel model based on KPCA and SVM to solve the mentioned problem above. Different from traditional IDS, we added a pre-process module before the classifier. We use principal components extracted from the input data using KPCA, which is the main part of the pre-process module, as input of the SVM classifier that differentiates the normal and abnormal actions. Applying proposed system to KDDCUP99 data, experimental results clearly demonstrate that this model has a remarkable performance in detecting both existed intrusions and mutated ones.

Introduction Intraoperative technical complications are occasionally encountered while implanting INTERTAN™ nails for intertrochanteric fractures. Surgeons need to pay attention to the difficulties they may encounter during the implantation of an INTERTAN™ nail. Case presentation We report four cases with intraoperative difficulties during the implantation of INTERTAN™ nails among Han Chinese patients from mainland China. In Case 1, during the operation on a 75-year-old woman, an anatomical specificity of excessive femoral shaft curvation at the coronal and sagittal planes was observed; a relatively smooth implantation was achieved by adjusting the entry point. In Case 2, due to fat obstruction, an INTERTAN™ nail was implanted at an oblique angle in 64-year-old obese woman, which resulted in an iatrogenic fracture of the proximal femur. In Case 3, an iatrogenic fracture of the distal femur developed in an 83-year-old woman because of violent hammering and underestimating of bone fragility. In Case 4, an iatrogenic fracture occurred in a 40-year-old woman around the distal locking slot during the drilling process. Conclusions Preoperative evaluation should be considered as an important preparation for the implantation of an INTERTAN™ nail. Full-length anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the injured femur are necessary to confirm the anatomical specificity. The vertical trajectory as well as sufficient reaming is important in reducing the possibility of iatrogenic fractures, particularly for obese patients. In older patients, violent hammering should be avoided and full reaming is recommended even if the canal seems to be wide enough. For cases where hard fracture reduction is predicted, the strategy of open reduction and fixation with a dynamic hip screw seems to be more rational and should be considered as an alternative method.

This work demonstrates an electrically tunable silicon nitride (SiN) micro-ring resonator with polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals (PSBPLCs) cladding. An external vertical electric field is applied to modulate the refractive index of the PSBPLCs by exploiting its fast-response Kerr effect-induced birefringence. The consequent change in the refractive index of the cladding can vary the effective refractive index of the micro-ring resonator and shift the resonant wavelength. Crystalline structures of PSBPLCs with a scale of the order of hundreds of nanometers ensure that the resonator has a very low optical loss. The measured tuning range is 0.45 nm for TM polarized light under an applied voltage of 150V and the corresponding response time is in the sub-millisecond range with a Q-factor of greater than 20,000.