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The collaborative lane change control effect of multi lane vehicles is of great significance for the safety protection of vehicle driving. In order to reduce the collision frequency of multi lane vehicle collaborative lane changing, a multi lane vehicle collaborative lane changing control method considering driving characteristics is proposed. This method utilizes a driving characteristic classification method based on the Newell model and BP neural network. After extracting the driving characteristic parameters of multi lane vehicles through the Newell model, backpropagation training is used to minimize classification errors. The interlayer connection threshold and bias of the BP neural network are set, and the extracted driving characteristic parameters of multi lane vehicles are input into a trained BP neural network model to classify and recognize different driving characteristics. Combining the characteristics of non driving, a multi lane collaborative lane change method based on driving characteristics is used to construct a multi lane model, analyze the status of one's own lane and target lane, and use satisfaction as the lane change indicator to control the collaborative lane change of multi lane vehicles. The experimental results indicate that the multi lane vehicle collaborative lane change method can effectively overcome the problem of lane change collisions and has high application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a representative boundary, interphase-interface may affect the strength or ductility of multilayered composites dramatically. However, the effect of the interface with mismatch dislocations on the mechanical behavior of multilayered composites is still not clear. In the present work, we performed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of interface structures and layer spacing on the mechanical properties of the Ti/Al nanolaminate. The results indicate that there are two transitions of the plastic deformation mechanism in the Ti layer with the increase of layer spacing in the sample with a coherent interface. The plastic deformation mechanism evolves from one that is dominated by dislocation to the phase transformation from the hcp-Ti to the fcc-Ti mode, which transfers to the dislocation slip deformation again. For the samples with an incoherent interface, the plastic deformation is dominated by the transformation from hcp-Ti to fcc-Ti, regardless of the variation of layer spacing, while the plastic deformations in the Al layers are mainly dislocations confined in the layer slip in the samples with both coherent and incoherent interfaces. When the layer spacing is larger than 6.6 nm, an obvious second hardening is observed due to the superior dislocation storage ability of the Ti/Al laminate with the incoherent interface. Meanwhile, extraordinary ductility is obtained when optimal layer spacing is employed in the Ti/Al laminate. Moreover, the phase transformation mechanism of hcp-Ti to bcc-Ti has also been explicated in the present work. The general conclusions derived from this work may provide a guideline for the design of high-performance Ti/Al multilayer and alloy devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The spin structures of Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) with three kinds of spin-1 atoms are studied. The many-body Hamiltonian is diagonalized in the spin space via a strict numerical approach to obtain eigen-energies and eigen-states. The emphasis is to clarify the effect of the singlet pairing force with the strength Γ. This force has been neglected in previous studies on 3-species BEC. We found that the classification scheme for the phases of the ground state (g.s.) found previously with Γ = 0 remains to be valid if the total spin of each species (which is conserved previously but not now) is replaced by its average S J ¯ . Accordingly, the phase-diagrams for the g.s. remain qualitatively unchanged except for a shift of the boundaries (critical surfaces) separating the zones (each for a phase). However, neighboring to the critical surface which designates the breakdown of the ppp-phase (all the three species are in the polar phase), we found that there is a narrow zone in which the spin structure is extremely sensitive to the variation of the parameters if Γ is negative. It implies that, once the ppp-phase is broken, a great adjustment in spin structure will follow. This highly sensitive narrow zone does not exist if Γ = 0 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here report three cases with RNA-specific adenosine deaminase ( I ADAR1 i ) mutations causing psoriasis concomitant with dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria (DSH). Co-existence of psoriasis and DSH implies that patients with I ADAR1 i mutations may have decreased A-to-I RNA editing in keratinocytes, leading to the development of psoriasis. [Extracted from the article]

We consider the case that four spin-3 atoms are confined in an optical trap. The temperature is so low that the spatial degrees of freedom have been frozen. Exact numerical and analytical solutions for the spin-states have been both obtained. Two kinds of phase-diagrams for the ground states (g.s.) have been plotted. In general, the eigen-states with the total-spin S (a good quantum number) can be expanded in terms of a few basis-states f S , i . Let P f S , i λ be the probability of a pair of spins coupled to λ = 0 , 2 , 4 , and 6 in the f S , i state. Obviously, when the strength g λ of the λ -channel is more negative, the basis-state with the largest P f S , i λ would be more preferred by the g.s.. When two strengths are more negative, the two basis-states with the two largest probabilities would be more important components. Thus, based on the probabilities, the spin-structures (described via the basis-states) can be understood. Furthermore, all the details in the phase-diagrams, say, the critical points of transition, can also be explained. Note that, for f S , i , P f S , i λ is completely determined by symmetry. Thus, symmetry plays a very important role in determining the spin-structure of the g.s.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, is a key vector transmitting the causative agent of Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Population growth of ACP is evident after feeding on plant flush shoots, as they only oviposit here. However, the underlying mechanism as to why flush shoots govern oviposition is unclear. This study compares the fecundity and ovarian morphology of ACP between young flush and mature leaves. Furthermore, the transcriptome of mated females infesting Murraya paniculata was analysed. Finally, the gene of the key Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signalling pathway was silenced by RNAi. Results indicated that flush shoot feeding activated the development of the psyllids ovary and therefore induced oviposition. A total of 126 and 2794 differentially expressed genes were detected at 1 and 5 days, respectively, after pest infestation of flush shoots compared to mature leaves. Many genes are involved in protein metabolism, Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, hormone synthesis, and TOR signalling pathway: all thought to activate reproduction. Silencing of the positive regulator gene DcRheb in the TOR pathway resulted in lower levels of ecdysone and juvenile hormone and decreased vitellogenin synthesis, further disrupting reproductive ability. This study enhances understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying ACP's reproductive strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have found a stable spin-structure of N = 3 system in which three spin-3 atoms are trapped and coupled to total spin S = 3. We have proved that a pair of this structure is nearly an exact solution for N = 6 systems in a very broad district in the parameter-space. Comparing with the well-known singlet pairs, this pair is a more promising candidate to serve as a building block for large N systems with spin-3 atoms. This is because the spin-structure of the latter can be modified depending on the interactions to reduce the energy while the singlet pairs can not. In fact, we have proved that, for a specific set of strengths (a point in the parameter-space) the product state based on this pair is an exact solution of the N-body Hamiltonian. Thus, in the neighborhood of this point, the product state will appear as an approximate solution. However, how broad this neighborhood would be remains to be clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The finite size effect power law in Cu-doped Ni thin film were investigated by probing the Curie temperature (Tc)-dependence on the NixCu1-x thin film thickness. It is found that both magnetization and Tc decreases proportional to the Cu content. Tc is directly proportional to the number of pairwise spin-spin interactions in a manifold cluster of spins according to the mean field approximation. The experiment results confirm the spin bag model built in ultrathin magnetic films previous, in which each spin interacts equally strongly with neighbors over some finite interaction length N0. Furthermore, upon varying the composition of the Ni-Cu alloys, the range of spin-spin interactions N0 decreases with increasing concentration of the Cu. Since there is little change of the band structure and conduct electron properties in NixCu1-x alloy films, this phenomenon was attributed to the decreasing of the propagation distance of conduct electrons due to the scattering by the Cu impurities. The present results indicate the ferromagnetic order in 3d metal probably delivered by the itinerant electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach to analyzing three-dimensional vertical rolling is presented on the basis of energy method. The double parabola function model is applied to describe dog bone shape in the deformed region between the vertical rolls. The DSF (dual stream function) method is utilized to obtain three-dimensional velocity and strain rate fields. The values of dog bone shape dimensions and roll force are obtained when the total power functional achieves minimum, which is received according to double parabola model, velocity field, and the first variational principle. The validity of the proposed approach is discussed by contradistinguishing the present predictions with other models' results and measured data in a hot strip plant in miscellaneous rolling conditions. Moreover, the impacts of different rolling conditions on the dog bone shape and stress state coefficient are researched, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) has emerged as the tool of choice for characterizing piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials at nanoscale, yet the interpretation of PFM remains to be difficult and sometimes ambiguous. Built on earlier works, we developed a numerical integration scheme to analyze the expected PFM response in ferroelectrics with arbitrary domain configurations, with the ultimate goal to accurately reconstruct the underlying ferroelectric structure from PFM measurements. Using such technique, we demonstrated that the relationship between the effective and intrinsic piezoelectric coefficients is sensitive to a variety of factors that are intrinsic to the probed materials, and showed that the PFM mapping is not only influenced by polarization distribution on the sample surface but also three-dimensional polarization distribution inside the material. While relatively simple domain structures were used for demonstration, the approach is general, and can be applied to ferroelectrics with arbitrary polarization distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal-induced domain wall motion of tip-inverted micro/nanodomains in near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 single crystals was investigated using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The domain wall motion was observed in PFM phase and amplitude images at room temperature after the sample was subjected to a thermal process at a heating temperature higher than 100 °C. In hexagonal domains with only y walls, predetermined nucleation with layer-by-layer growth is the main mechanism for the domain wall motion. In the domains composed of both x walls and y walls, the x walls are more mobile than the y walls, and the domain wall motion starts from the random nucleation of steps along the x walls that finally grow into y walls. The domain wall motion in the near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 crystal is attributed to the energy-preferable domain wall orientation, the pyroelectric effect, and the screening charge variation caused by the thermal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local two-way magnetoelectric (ME) couplings of a multiferroic composite have been characterized at nanoscale using novel scanning probe microscopy techniques we developed. A bilayer multiferroic composite consisting of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and TbDyFe (TDF) has been fabricated, and the evolution of ferroelectric domains in PZT induced by an external magnetic field is observed by piezoresponse force microscopy, while the evolution of magnetic domains in TDF induced by an external electric field is observed by magnetic force microscopy, confirming the two-way ME couplings in the multiferroic composite. The technique will be useful in characterizing nanoscale ME couplings in a wide range of multiferroic composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanopolar structures and local ferroelectricity of Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 relaxor crystal across Curie temperature have been investigated using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The short-range nanopolar clusters are dominated by long-range ferroelectric order at room temperature, but exhibit themselves at higher temperature through the morphology change in written ferroelectric domains and persisting piezoresponse beyond Curie point. A maximum piezoresponse is observed at 80 °C, which is attributed to the peak in the dielectric permittivity near the ferroelectric phase transition. Substantial asymmetry in PFM hysteresis emerges above Curie temperature, indicating an internal bias field that becomes notable in the absence of long-range ferroelectric order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have performed a quantum mechanic calculation (including solving the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations to obtain the spatial wave functions, and diagonalizing the spin-dependent Hamiltonian in the spin-space to obtain the total spin state) together with an analytical analysis based on a classical model. Then, according to the relative orientations of the spins SA, SB and SC of the three species, the spin-structures of the ground state can be classified into two types. In Type-I the three spins are either parallel or anti-parallel to each other, while in Type-II they point to different directions but remain to be coplanar. Moreover, according to the magnitudes of SA, SB and SC, the spin-structures can be further classified into four kinds, namely, p + p + p (all atoms of each species are in singlet-pairs), one species in f (fully polarized) and two species in q (a mixture of polarized atoms and singlet-pairs), two in f and one in q, and f + f + f. Other combinations are not allowed. The scopes of the parameters that supports a specific spin-structure have been specified. A number of spin-structure-transitions have been found. For Type-I, the critical values at which a transition takes place are given by simple analytical formulae, therefore these values can be predict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nanoscale magnetic multilayers, capping layers are often used to protect the underlying magnetic layers from oxidation. However, little research has investigated possible long-range coupling interactions between nonmagnetic transition metal (TM) capping layers and neighboring magnetic layers. In this paper, the temperature (T) dependence of the magnetic moment of different thicknesses of cobalt (Co) was studied in a tantalum (Ta)/Co/TM trilayer structure with four TM capping layers, where the TMs were Ta, Chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), and zirconium (Zr), respectively. It was found that the capping layer had a large effect on the phase-transition behavior and thermal stability of the Co layer. In the Ta and Cr layers, the T-dependence of Co magnetic moment showed nonmonotonic behavior, and in the Ti and Zr layers, the Co M-T curve exhibited very few effects of the capping layer. We attribute this phenomenon to the long-range coupling between the Co and TM layers. Furthermore, the coupling mechanism was linked to the indirect magnetic exchange coupling in Co/TM multilayers, similar to the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida coupling. The results of this work will support further development of the understanding of the coupling between the 3d ferromagnetic (FM) metal and nonmagnetic TM at nanoscales. Relative to potential applications, it will inspire us to rediscover the role of both the TM capping layer and buffer nonmagnetic layer in FM/TM multilayers, especially for nanoscale magnetic multilayers with spin-dependent effects, such as spin valves, spin halls, spin transfer torque, and spin–orbit coupling, which are in widespread use in the manufacture of various spintronics devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing of soil moisture can provide important data for monitoring large-scale agricultural drought. Due to differences between the various sensors and inversion methods, remote sensing data from different sources are unsuitable for direct comparison and analysis. Data fusion has become an area of active research regarding the application of remote sensing data. Based on the principle of cumulative distribution function matching, this study proposed a continuous relationship establishment algorithm for multisource remote sensing soil moisture data. Using this new algorithm, soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Climate Change Initiative (CCI) satellite data from the Songnen Plain as test data were fused to a long time series product of real-time remote sensing soil moisture data. This application validation of this new method to SMOS and CCI indicated that this Lagrange interpolation continuous fusion algorithm could improve the fusion accuracy of multisource remote sensing soil moisture data significantly. The low-value region of the cumulative probability distribution curve is a crucial data segment for characterization of agricultural drought. Through implementation of the proposed continuous fusion algorithm, fused SMOS and CCI data were found to have high coincidence at each quantile in the low-value region of the curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the coupled Gross–Pitaevskii equations (CGP) for two-species BEC, where both the central and spin-dependent forces are included. Under the Thomas–Fermi approximation (TFA), an approach is proposed to obtain analytical solutions of the CGP. Recall that the spin-textures depend seriously on three factors I A = ∫ φ A 4 d r , I B = ∫ φ B 4 d r , and I AB = ∫ φ A 2 φ B 2 d r , where φ A and φ B are the spatial wave functions of the two species. In the single spatial mode approximation (SMA), these three factors remain unknown. However, in this paper, these factors have been obtained and analytically expressed by the input parameters (in which those for the central forces are essential). Besides, a number of formulae have been derived to describe the critical points of spin-transition. Thus, the present theory is a complement of the SMA so that the theoretical result can be compared with the experimental result quantitatively, and the effect of each parameter involved in experiments can be clarified. Finally, the results under the TFA are compared with those from the exact numerical solution of the CGP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general approach is proposed to solve the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations (CGP) for K-species Bose-Einstein condensates under the Thomas-Fermi approximation. We aim at finding out the common features of these condensates different in K. In particular, two types of phase transitions, full-state transition and partial-state transition, are found. In the former, all species are involved in the transition, while in the latter only a few specified species are significantly involved. This leads to the criticality and the hidden criticality (namely, the criticality found in a condensate with fewer species recovers in a condensate with more species). The former originates from the singularity of the whole matrix of the CGP, while the latter originates from the singularity of a specified sub-matrix (which is related to a few specified species). In general, for any many-body system, the singularity inherent in the equations that govern the system is crucial to its critical behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A stem canker disease of apple that differs from previously reported canker diseases has been recorded in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China. Eight Cytospora strains obtained from diseased apple trees and inoculated onto healthy apple tree branches resulted in the development of the same disease symptoms. This pathogen formed conceptacles, which were multilocular pycnidia with common walls and a single ostiole. Comprehensive analysis of three DNA sequence regions (internal transcribed spacer, large ribosomal subunit and transcription elongation factor) and morphological and cultural characteristics revealed that these strains were most similar to the fungus Cytospora parasitica. This is the first report of C. parasitica causing canker disease of apple in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are suitable for urban installations. Nevertheless, systematic investigation of the power performance of VAWTs operating in flows of various turbulence levels remains limited. This study presents the influence of solidity on the aerodynamic performance of H-rotor VAWTs immersed in turbulence via wind tunnel tests. Homogeneous turbulence of various levels was generated by a wooden grid. A turbine control system was used to tune the blade speed ratio (BSR) and measure the rotational speed and torque. The relationship between the turbine's power coefficient, CP, and BSR, λ, was examined at different turbulence levels, I. Further, the impact of changes in the solidity ratio, σ, on the CP–λ curve was investigated. The analysis results show that the CP value of the turbine in turbulent flows was, on average, two times that of the one in smooth flow. However, a simple relationship between the increase in turbulence intensity and the increase in power performance of the wind turbine cannot be concluded. It was also observed that the turbine with a higher solidity obtained a larger rated CP, irrespective of flow regimes. Moreover, the turbine with a medium solidity ratio, σ = 0.45, was able to produce power over a broader range of BSRs than the one with low/high solidity in turbulent flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate electronic delocalization and magnetic-flux-induced persistent current in the mesoscopic ring, which is constructed according to the nonsymmetric-dimer (NSD) model. The flux-dependent energy spectra, electronic wavefunctions, and persistent currents are theoretically obtained. It is demonstrated that due to the localization-delocalization transition of electrons, the electronic state in the NSD ring can be localized, extended, and the intermediate case between extended states and localized ones. The persistent current (PC) approaches the behavior of free electrons if the Fermi level is around the near-resonant energy. Otherwise, the PC is depressed dramatically. This conclusion could be generalized to other correlated-disordered systems. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enantioselective Intramolecular Hydroacylation of Alkynes by Rhodium Catalysis through Dynamic Kinetic Resolution. Mechanistic studies revealed that hydroacylation occurs preferentially from one enantiomer of the racemic substrate via a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) process. The front cover picture illustrates a rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydroacylation of racemic alkynals having a substituent at the -position of the carbonyl group. [Extracted from the article]

A fiber Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) is proposed and demonstrated for the measurement of gas pressure and temperature. The interferometer is fabricated by fusion splicing a short segment of capillary tube to a standard single mode fiber (SMF), followed by inserting a glass microsphere into the tube, the air gap between the SMF end face and the glass microsphere then forms a fiber FPI. Due to the additional reflection occurred on the rear surfaces of the microsphere, the reflection spectrum of the device is a three-beam interference pattern. Owing to the dependence of refractive index of gas on the pressure applied and the thermal-optical effect of glass microsphere, different dips in the interference fringe pattern exhibit different responses to the changes in gas pressure and temperature, which enables a simultaneous gas pressure and temperature sensing. The proposed device has the advantages of compact size, robust structure, easy fabrication, high gas pressure sensitivity, and supporting of range tunable operation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) have been implicated in many physiological processes and play important roles in the response to various stresses. In this study, the full-length sequences of six sHSPs: OcHSP19.1, 19.8, 20.4, 20.7, 21.1, and 23.8 were obtained from the rice grasshopper Oxya chinensis transcriptome database. The deduced amino acid sequences of the six OcsHSPs contain a typical α-crystallin domain, which consists of approximately 100 amino acid residues and five β-strands. The phylogenetic analysis suggested that OcHSP23.8 was orthologous to the sHSPs of other species and that OcHSP19.1, 20.4, 20.7, and 21.1 were species specific, whereas OcHSP19.8 did not cluster closely to Orthoptera but was placed on the basal end of the cluster. Developmental stage-dependent and tissue-specific expression patterns were evaluated using quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction. The six genes were expressed in all developmental stages and showed clear tissue specificity. The cadmium acute experiment indicates that Cd2+ can induce the six genes. However, various response patterns were observed among these genes under Cd2+ stress conditions. OcHSP19.1, 19.8, 20.4, and 20.7 were highly induced by 2.61mM Cd2+ at 24 h. OcHSP23.8 was significantly upregulated by 2.61mM Cd2+ at 6 h. For OcHSP21.1, the highest expression levels were found after treatment with 0.87mM Cd2+ for 24 h, 1.74mM Cd2+ for 36 h, and 2.61mM Cd2+ for 12 h. These differential characteristics will facilitate future investigations into the physiological functions of sHSPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a self-powered photodetector device is fabricated through the integration of a palladium-doped molybdenum disulfide thin film on silicon (Pd-MoS2/Si). The substitution of host Mo atoms with Pd dopants in the MoS2 film is revealed by structural and chemical analysis techniques. Due to the incorporation of Pd atoms into the MoS2 films, the photovoltaic characteristics of the fabricated Pd-MoS2/Si device were enhanced largely, promoting its application as a self-powered photodetector operated at zero bias voltage. The obtained results further show that the device is highly sensitive to broadband wavelengths from ultraviolet to near-infrared light (300–1100 nm). In particular, the Pd-MoS2/Si photodetector shows an ultra-high detectivity of ∼1014 Jones (Jones = cm Hz1/2 W−1), a responsivity of ∼654.0 mA W−1, and an ultrafast response speed of ∼2.1 μs. The present work opens new avenues for developing high-performance photodetectors for optical communications and imaging techniques as well as optoelectronic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasma sheath enveloping a reentry vehicle would cause the failure of on-board antennas, which is an important effect that contributes to the “blackout” problem. The method of replacing the on-board single antenna with the array antennas and using beamforming technology has been proposed to mitigate “blackout” problem by many other researchers. Because the plasma sheath is a reflective medium, plasma will alter the mutual coupling between array elements and degrade the beamforming performance of array antenna. In this paper, the effects of the plasma sheath on the mutual coupling properties between adjacent array elements are studied utilizing the algorithm of finite integration technique. Results show that mutual coupling coefficients of array elements are deteriorating more seriously with the decrease of collision frequency. Moreover, when electron density and collision frequency are both large, plasma sheath improves the mutual coupling property of array elements; this conclusion suggests that replacing the on-board single antenna with the array antennas and using beamforming technology can be adopted to mitigate the blackout problem in this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a physiologically based pharmacokinetics ( PBPK) model was firstly developed for danofloxacin in healthy broiler chickens after a single oral administration at 5 mg/kg bw. Then, the model extrapolation from healthy chickens to those infected with Pasteurella multocidaones was performed. The healthy model was validated through a comparison of predicted and previously published concentrations, which indicated that the healthy PBPK model had good predictive ability in plasma, lung, muscle, liver, and kidney, especially at the later sampling time points. Multiple dosing of administration was incorporated into the healthy and infected models. In addition, a Monte Carlo simulation ( MCS) included 1000 iterations was further incorporated into both models to predict the withdrawal times of danofloxacin in healthy and infected chickens, which were estimated to be 3 and 2 days, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This meta-analysis is to determine the overall diagnostic yield of CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB) of ground-glass opacity (GGO) lesions. Methods: A PubMed search was performed using "ground-glass opacity" crossed with "core biopsy" and " needle biopsy" . Test performance characteristics with the use of forest plots, summary receiver operating characteristic curves and bivariate random effects models were summarized. Adverse events, if reported, were recorded. Results: Our search identified 52 citations, of which 6 diagnostic studies evaluated 341 patients. Pooled specificity estimates were 0.94 [95% confidence interval (Cl), 0.84-0.98 ] and sensitivity estimates were 0.92 (95% Cl, 0.88-0.95), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 11.27 (95% Cl, 4.2-30.6), the negative likelihood ratio was 0.1 (95% Cl, 0.06-0.19), the diagnostic odds ratio was 131.38 (95% Cl, 39.6-436.0) and the area under the curve was 0.97. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the CT-guided TNB is likely to be a useful tool for tissue diagnosis and may serve as an alternative for further patient management with GGO lesions. However, considering the limited studies and patients included, large scale studies are needed to verify these findings. Advances in knowledge: Some studies about CT-guided TNB of GGO lesions have been published, most have been small, single-institution case series. To our knowledge, our study is the first systematic analysis about CT-guided TNB of GGO lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese herbal medicine Jinlianqingre Effervescent Tablets (JET) are the recommended control measure for uncomplicated hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) by the Ministry of Health of China. However, high-quality evidence to support this recommendation is limited. A total of 288 patients ranging in age from 1 to 13 years were randomly assigned to JET in combination with conventional therapy (mainly including the reduction of temperature by applying physical cooling paste or warm bathing), or conventional therapy with placebo group for 7 days. The objective was to test the hypothesis that JET combination therapy is more effective than conventional therapy for uncomplicated HFMD. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed. Our study showed that, compared with conventional therapy, the median time to fever resolution was significantly shorter in the JET combination therapy (8 vs. 80 h; p < 0.0001); the risk of fever resolution increased in the JET combination therapy [hazard ratio, 19.8; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 12.8 to 30.7]; the median healing time of rash or oral ulcer was significantly shorter in the JET combination therapy (14 vs. 74 h; p < 0.0001); and the median symptom score for skin or oral mucosa lesions improved more rapidly in the JET combination therapy during the follow-up period. The median duration of hospital stay was 6 days in the JET combination therapy and 7 days in the conventional therapy ( p < 0.0001). No significant adverse events and complications were found in both groups. The addition of JET to conventional therapy reduced fever clearance time, healing time of skin or oral mucosa lesions, and duration of hospital stay in children with uncomplicated HFMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-adaptive edge matching method based on mean shift adjustment is proposed in this paper. Such method uses the local mode seeking character of mean shift to adjust the edge information of each model to a stable state before matching, which can effectively avoid the deviation problem of traditional method and raise the successful matching rate. Furthermore, the interfering vector with a self-adaptive coefficient is proposed to optimise the matching performance in complex background. Compared with a pre-set constant coefficient, the self-adapted coefficient has a better perception of background edge complexity so as to control the initial adjusting position more rationally, and thus increases the robustness and accuracy of matching. This matching method is applied in an improved particle filtering tracking framework, and experimental results prove the validity and rationality of the theoretical analysis, and show that the proposed matching method performs a robust and efficient tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structures and optical properties of tin dioxide (SnO2) with different Al-doping concentrations ( x = 0, 0·0185 and 0·0417) are investigated using the first-principles calculation of plane wave ultra-soft pseudo-potential technology based on the density functional theory under the local-density approximation. The results show that the Fermi level of Al-doped SnO2 goes into the valence band, indicating that Al-doped SnO2 is a typical p-type semiconductor. Moreover, with the increase in Al-doping concentrations, the band gap of SnO2 is broadened and the blueshift of the absorption spectrum becomes significant, which are in good agreement with the experiment results. In addition, the low reflectivity (<15%) in the visible light range is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Forkhead Box P3 (FoxP3) is thought to be a key transcription factor in regulatory T cells (Tregs), and recent data indicate that it is expressed in several tumour cells. However, its precise roles in gastric cancer (GC) and the underlying mechanisms regulating the interaction between GC cells and lymphocytes remain unclear.Methods:FoxP3 expression was examined in tumour cells and Tregs in 150 cases of gastric precancer and cancer, and their prognostic significances were evaluated, respectively, using a tissue microarray containing 135 GC patient samples with a mean 102-month follow-up. FoxP3 involvement in the tumour cells-lymphocytes interaction and its gene function were further investigated.Results:strong cytoplasmic staining of FoxP3 was observed in GC cells. FoxP3 protein expression in tumour cells predicts a good prognosis, whereas high-density Treg predicts a poor prognosis. Moreover, FoxP3 expression in GC cells increased after coculture with peripheral blood mononuclear cells through coculture systems. Upregulation of FoxP3 inhibited tumour growth in tumour-bearing nude mice.Conclusions:High FoxP3 expression in tumour cells predicts better survival in GC, possibility in relation to interaction between tumour cells and lymphocytes in microenvironment. Interfering with FoxP3 expression may open a new therapeutic strategy against tumour progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-destructive inspection method of scale on the inner wall of the ferritic steel and austenitic steel of high temperature boiler tube and the application effect were introduced in our work. The risk of scale exfoliation on the inner wall was also assessed. The risk of tube burst caused by scale exfoliation and accumulation, was reduced greatly, or even avoided by means of the change or treatment of high-risk tube confirmed by non-destructive inspection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]