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Since the cognitive turn in metaphor studies in the late 1970s, metaphor has been seen as a cognitive phenomenon reflecting how we think, alongside its classic role as a powerful literary device. This ‘cognitive turn’ in metaphor studies makes it possible to investigate metaphor in two facets: the cognitive one and the linguistic one. In this tenet, the notion of metaphor features two intertwined parts: conceptual metaphors which resemble mental connections between different knowledge packets (e.g., LIFE IS A BOOK), and their linguistic manifestations known as metaphorical expressions or linguistic metaphors (e.g., They are starting a new chapter of their life). This opens a window for metaphor translation research, for it allows researchers to examine metaphor translation from the two complementary facets. Building on conceptual metaphor theory (Lakoff and Johnson 1980, 2003) and conceptual blending theory (Fauconnier and Turner 2002), our case study discusses the translation of cognitive and linguistic metaphors identified in source and target texts. Metaphorical expressions were handpicked from seven popular cosmological articles published in Scientific American between 2017 and 2018, and their official Chinese translations published in Huanqiukexue (‘global science,’ Beijing) and Kexueren (‘science person,’ Taipei). The findings lend support to the joint application of two metaphor theories to descriptive translation studies, for it not only facilitates the analysis of translation examples but also enhances the feasibility of comparing metaphor translation research across languages pinned by metaphor parameters waiting to be explored.

Deep-holes are typical parts of aircraft structures, which is difficult to be machined. Boring assisted with ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting has been proved to greatly enhance machining performance, especially for Ti6Al4V aviation alloy. This paper focuses on the machining extra-large aspect ratio (exceeding 20) of Ti6Al4V aviation deep-hole with the axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted boring (AUVB) method. First, the kinetics of the AUVB process is analyzed and a retrospective of its separation cutting feature is provided. Subsequently, a multi-stepped cantilever beam model of boring bar is established to analyze its static rigidity and dynamic stability. The aperture error is deduced, and then size coefficient is put forward to represent the static rigidity of the boring bar, which is inversely proportional to the diameter. In addition, two different vibration cases, namely modal-coupling vibration and regenerative vibration are considered for dynamic stability analysis. Next, the morphology of bored surface is analyzed, and the geometric height of peaks formed by AUVB and CB are calculated. Phase shift φ= π is suggested for obtaining a better surface in AUVB. Finally, the feasibility of AUVB on the machining of extra-large aspect ratio Ti6Al4V titanium alloy aviation deep-hole is verified through systematic experiments. Results demonstrate that AUVB has obvious advantages in reducing boring force, improving boring accuracy, suppressing vibration and promoting surface quality. Furthermore, the aperture error decreases to 50% and vibration amplitudes decrease to only 20–25%. The overall surface roughness of the deep-hole part stays below Ra=0.8μm with rotational speeds of 60r/min and 80r/min, and the surface residual stress state is transferred from the tensile state to a compressive one. As a result, not only AUVB can provide better boring accuracy and surface finish, but it also can enhance the surface fatigue properties.

Cybersecurity risk assessment is an important means of effective response to network attacks on industrial control systems. However, cybersecurity risk assessment process is susceptible to subjective and objective effects. To solve this problem, this paper introduced cybersecurity risk assessment method based on fuzzy theory of Attack-Defense Tree model and probability cybersecurity risk assessment technology, and applied it to airport automatic fuel supply control system. Firstly, an Attack-Defense Tree model was established based on the potential cybersecurity threat of the system and deployed security equipment. Secondly, the interval probability of the attack path was calculated using the triangular fuzzy quantification of the interval probabilities of the attack leaf nodes and defensive leaf nodes. Next, the interval probability of the final path was defuzzified. Finally, the occurrence probability of each final attack path was obtained and a reference for the deployment of security equipment was provided. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) considering the distribution of equipment in industrial control system, a new cybersecurity risk evaluation model of industrial control system is proposed. (2) The experimental results of this article are compared with other assessment technologies, and the trend is similar to that of other evaluation methods, which proves that the method was introduced in this paper is scientific. However, this method reduces the subjective impact of experts on cybersecurity risk assessment, and the assessment results are more objective and reasonable. (3) Applying this model to the airport oil supply automatic control system can comprehensively evaluate risk, solve the practical problems faced by the airport, and also provide an important basis for the cybersecurity protection scheme of the energy industry.

In order to have more accurate control over the compression molding of automobile coat rack, improve the quality of molding products, and achieve the goal of lightweight design, a novel mechanical model for the main two-layer composite structure of the coat rack is proposed. In this regard, the main factors affecting the mechanical properties of the composite structure are obtained. The hot air convection is selected for the sheet preheating. During the experiment, the hot air temperature, preheating time, molding pressure, and pressing holding time are set to 250°C, 110 s, 13 MPa, and 80 s, respectively. Moreover, the error compensation method is applied to compensate for the shrinkage of the product during solidification and cooling. The LS-DYNA finite element software is used to simulate the molding process of the main body of the coat rack, and the node force information with large deformation is obtained accordingly. The load mapping is used as the boundary condition of mold topology optimization, and the compression molding of the main body of the coat rack is optimized. A lightweight design process and method for the compression molding of automotive interior parts and a mathematical model for the optimization of the solid isotropic material penalty (SIMP) (power law) material interpolation of the concave and convex molds are established. Based on the variable density method, OptiStruct is used for the lightweight design of the convex and concave molds of the main body of the coat rack, which reduces the mold weight by 15.6% and meets the requirements of production quality and lightweight.

BackgroundStroke is a major disease with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, there is no quantitative method to evaluate the short-term prognosis and length of hospitalization of patients.PurposeWe aimed to develop nomograms as prognosis predictors based on imaging characteristics from non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) and CT perfusion (CTP) and clinical characteristics for predicting activity of daily living (ADL) and hospitalization time of patients with ischemic stroke.Materials and methodsA total of 476 patients were enrolled in the study and divided into the training set (n = 381) and testing set (n = 95). Each of them owned NCCT and CTP images. We propose to extract imaging features representing as the Alberta stroke program early CT score (ASPECTS) values from NCCT, ischemic lesion volumes from CBF, and TMAX maps from CTP. Based on imaging features and clinical characteristics, we addressed two main issues: (1) predicting prognosis according to the Barthel index (BI)–binary logistic regression analysis was employed for feature selection, and the resulting nomogram was assessed in terms of discrimination capability, calibration, and clinical utility and (2) predicting the hospitalization time of patients–the Cox proportional hazard model was used for this purpose. After feature selection, another specific nomogram was established with calibration curves and time-dependent ROC curves for evaluation.ResultsIn the task of predicting binary prognosis outcome, a nomogram was constructed with the area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.883 (95% CI: 0.781–0.985), the accuracy of 0.853, and F1-scores of 0.909 in the testing set. We further tried to predict discharge BI into four classes. Similar performance was achieved as an AUC of 0.890 in the testing set. In the task of predicting hospitalization time, the Cox proportional hazard model was used. The concordance index of the model was 0.700 (SE = 0.019), and AUCs for predicting discharge at a specific week were higher than 0.80, which demonstrated the superior performance of the model.ConclusionThe novel non-invasive NCCT- and CTP-based nomograms could predict short-term ADL and hospitalization time of patients with ischemic stroke, thus allowing a personalized clinical outcome prediction and showing great potential in improving clinical efficiency.SummaryCombining NCCT- and CTP-based nomograms could accurately predict short-term outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke, including whose discharge BI and the length of hospital stay.Key ResultsUsing a large dataset of 1,310 patients, we show a novel nomogram with a good performance in predicting discharge BI class of patients (AUCs > 0.850). The second nomogram owns an excellent ability to predict the length of hospital stay (AUCs > 0.800).

High-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting has been proven to be effective in prolonging tool life, as well as reducing cutting force and cutting temperature at certain cutting speeds, which is higher...

Tool performance is a key factor in evaluating machining processes. To improve machining productivity and part quality, researchers have conducted numerous studies on improving tool performance, such as tool design, coatings, functional micro textures, cooling/lubrication conditions, cutting parameter optimization, and intermittent cutting. Focusing on materials that are difficult to cut (i.e., Ti alloys), this paper explores a high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting method that combines intermittent cutting, cooling, and lubrication. Through theoretical analysis and experiments on tool wear, cutting force, temperature, etc., the influence of machining parameters on tool performance is investigated. The results show that a large separation effect coupled with good cooling and lubrication conditions is key to improving tool performance. Among these, the feedrate and phase shift resulting from the rotary (spindle) speed are the core machining parameters. On this basis, the choice of machining parameters is summarized to provide a reference for the high-efficient machining of Ti alloys for scholars and engineers. First, cooling and lubrication conditions, such as dry machining and fluids, are determined. The duty cycle is then set from 0.5 to 0.6 via a relatively small feedrate value (i.e. 0.005 mm/r) and a π phase shift. Finally, the cutting speed and depth of cut are chosen according to the requirements of machining efficiency and cost.

The electronic structure near the Fermi surface determines the electrical properties of the materials, which can be effectively tuned by external pressure. Bi

Axial ultrasonic vibration–assisted cutting has been proposed and proved preponderance on cutting performance; however, the transient separation cutting characteristic has not been clearly revealed. This paper focuses on the transient separation cutting characteristic of axial ultrasonic vibration–assisted cutting and its influence on the cutting performance. First, the separation cutting criteria, including feed coefficient and phase shift, are established and influence factors, such as feed rate, amplitude, and phase shift, are systematically analyzed. Subsequently, the duty ratio is deduced and calculated, and some features and a control mechanism are introduced. In addition, a transient separation cutting model with four stages is demonstrated. The reason for the average cutting force reduction by the transient separation cutting characteristic is also stated. Finally, the verification of the separation cutting and transient separation cutting model and the comparison of the feed thrust force and parameter influences on the cutting performance are experimentally performed. The transient signals of different duty ratios 0.55 to 1 are obtained, and 10 to 40% reductions of feed thrust are measured both by a PCB sensor and a Kistler dynamometer. The influence degree of the feed coefficient, spindle rotation speed, and cutting depth on the performance is analyzed. A parameter combination of smaller feed coefficient, moderate spindle rotation speed, and smaller cutting depth is suggested to obtain a better cutting performance by fully considering the cutting force, surface roughness, and tool life.

This study aims to better understand the aging characteristics of microplastics in the environment and the influence of aging microplastics on the migration and transformation of organic pollutants. In this study, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) were chosen as research objects, and the effects of two aging methods (freeze-thaw cycle aging and high-temperature oxidation aging) on their surface properties and atrazine (ATZ) sorption were investigated. The crystallinity of PE increased after freeze-thaw cycling and decreased after high-temperature oxidation. The freeze-thaw cycle destroys the amorphous region of PE, reducing the micropores on the PE surface and decreasing the ATZ adsorbed by PE. Although aging had no significant effect on the surface structure of PVC, it caused new oxygen-containing functional groups to be produced on the PVC surface, which reduced the ATZ adsorption capacity. These results show that the two aging modes change the surface properties of PVC and PE, thus affecting the sorption mechanism of ATZ, and provide a theoretical premise for the natural behavior and ecological chance assessment of ATZ in the presence of microplastics.

He Sui,1,* Jin Li,2,3,* Lin Liu,1 Zhongwen Lv,1 Yunfei Zhang,4 Yongming Dai,4 Zhanhao Mo1 1China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China; 2Jilin Province People’s Hospital, Changchun, People’s Republic of China; 3The Department of Trauma Surgery, Shanghai Oriental Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Central Research Institute, United Imaging Healthcare, Shanghai, 201800, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhanhao Mo, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xiantai Street, Erdao District, Changchun, People’s Republic of China, Email mozhanhao@jlu.edu.cnPurpose: The three-dimensional (3D) sequence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a critical role in the imaging of musculoskeletal joints; however, its long acquisition time limits its clinical application. In such conditions, compressed sensing (CS) is introduced to accelerate MRI in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of an isotropic 3D variable-flip-angle fast spin echo (FSE) sequence with CS technique (CS-MATRIX) compared to conventional 2D sequences in knee imaging.Methods: Images from different sequences of both the accelerated CS-MATRIX and the corresponding conventional acquisitions were prospectively analyzed and compared. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the structures within the knees were measured for quantitative analysis. The subjective image quality and diagnostic agreement were compared between CS-MATRIX and conventional 2D sequences. Quantitative and subjective image quality scores were statistically analyzed with the paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, respectively. Diagnostic agreements of knee substructure were assessed using Cohen’s weighted kappa statistic.Results: For quantitative analysis, images from the CS-MATRIX sequence showed a significantly higher SNR than T2-fs 2D sequences for visualizing cartilage, menisci, and ligaments, as well as a higher SNR than proton density (pd) 2D sequences for visualizing menisci and ligaments. There was no significant difference between CS-MATRIX and 2D T2-fs sequences in subjective image quality assessment. The diagnostic agreement was rated as moderate to very good between CS-MATRIX and 2D sequences.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility and clinical potential of the CS-MATRIX sequence technique for detecting knee lesions The CS-MATRIX sequence allows for faster knee imaging than conventional 2D sequences, yielding similar image quality to 2D sequences.Keywords: knee MRI, compressed sensing, 3D variable-flip-angle fast spin echo

ObjectiveTo develop a deep learning-based model using esophageal thickness to detect esophageal cancer from unenhanced chest CT images.MethodsWe retrospectively identified 141 patients with esophageal cancer and 273 patients negative for esophageal cancer (at the time of imaging) for model training. Unenhanced chest CT images were collected and used to build a convolutional neural network (CNN) model for diagnosing esophageal cancer. The CNN is a VB-Net segmentation network that segments the esophagus and automatically quantifies the thickness of the esophageal wall and detect positions of esophageal lesions. To validate this model, 52 false negatives and 48 normal cases were collected further as the second dataset. The average performance of three radiologists and that of the same radiologists aided by the model were compared.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of the esophageal cancer detection model were 88.8% and 90.9%, respectively, for the validation dataset set. Of the 52 missed esophageal cancer cases and the 48 normal cases, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the deep learning esophageal cancer detection model were 69%, 61%, and 65%, respectively. The independent results of the radiologists had a sensitivity of 25%, 31%, and 27%; specificity of 78%, 75%, and 75%; and accuracy of 53%, 54%, and 53%. With the aid of the model, the results of the radiologists were improved to a sensitivity of 77%, 81%, and 75%; specificity of 75%, 74%, and 74%; and accuracy of 76%, 77%, and 75%, respectively.ConclusionsDeep learning-based model can effectively detect esophageal cancer in unenhanced chest CT scans to improve the incidental detection of esophageal cancer.

To observe the effect of application at Back-Shu with Front-Mu acupoints on serum uric acid (SUA) and kidney uric acid transport related proteins in hyperuricemia rats, so as to explore the mechanism of Shu-Mu acupoint application on treatment of hyperuricemia.SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, model, vaseline application and medication application groups, with 8 rats in each group. The hyperuricemia rat model was established by gavage of potassium oxonate. Rats in the vaseline application group received application of vaseline at bilateral "Ganshu"(BL18) and "Qimen"(LI14), "Pishu"(BL20) and "Zhangmen"(LR13), "Shenshu" (BL23) and "Jingmen"(GB25). Rats in the medication application group received application of traditional Chinese medicine at the same acupoints. The contents of SUA and creatinine (SCr) were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. H.E. staining was used to observe the pathological changes of kidney. And the protein expression levels of organic anion transporter 1(OAT1) and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporter G2(ABCG2) were detected by immunohistochemistry.Rats in the model group showed symptoms such as polydipsia, polyuria, loose stools, fatigue, weakness, etc. The renal tubules atrophied, and urate crystals can be seen in the lumen. Compared with the control group. the SUA content in the model group increased (Medication application at Shu-Mu points can effectively reduce the SUA level of hyperuricemia rats, which may be related to its effects in up-regulating the protein expressions of OAT1 and ABCG2 in the kidney and reducing the damage to the kidneys.

Deep-holes are typical super-dimensioned parts of aircraft structures, with associated machining technology which is recognized as challenging due to the difficult-to-machine material, the narrow and enclosed machining environment, and the weak rigidity and large deformation of the boring bar. Axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting has been proved to greatly enhance machining performance, especially in the precision machining of aviation alloy. This paper focuses on the machining of a super-dimensioned titanium alloy Ti6Al4V aviation deep-hole part (aspect ratio exceeding 20) with the axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted boring (AUVB) method. First, the kinetics of the AUVB process is analyzed and a retrospective of its separation cutting feature is provided. Subsequently, a multi-step cantilever beam model of the boring bar is established to analyze its static rigidity and dynamic stability. The aperture error of bored hole is deduced, and it is found to be mainly determined by the diameter of the basic hole, the cutting depth, the boring force and the length, diameter, elastic modulus, and rotational inertia of each step. Size coefficient, rather than aspect ratio, is then put forward to represent the static rigidity of the boring bar, which is proportional to the third power of the diameter and inversely proportional to the fourth power of the diameter. In addition, two different vibration cases, namely modal-coupling vibration and regenerative vibration are considered for dynamic stability analysis. The actual dynamic rigidity of AUVB in both of these cases is larger than that of conventional boring (CB), resulting from the lower actual boing force and the larger actual cutting depth. Next, the morphology of bored surface is analyzed, and the geometric height of peaks formed by AUVB and CB are calculated. Phase shift φ= π is suggested for obtaining a better surface in AUVB. Finally, the feasibility of AUVB on machining a super-dimensioned titanium alloy Ti6Al4V aviation deep-hole part with three different sizes of boring bar (size coefficients are 7473, 4076 and 2718, respectively) is verified through systematic experiments, and compared with CB. Results demonstrate that AUVB has obvious advantages in reducing the boring force, improving boring accuracy, suppressing vibration and promoting surface quality. Furthermore, the aperture error decreases to 50% and vibration amplitudes decrease to only 20%-25%. The overall surface roughness of the deep-hole part stays below Ra=0.8μm with rotational speeds of 60r/min and 80r/min, and the surface residual stress state is transferred from the tensile state to a compressive one. As a result, not only AUVB can provide better boring accuracy and surface finish, but it also can enhance the surface fatigue properties.

Axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting (AUVC) has proved to have better machining performance compared with conventional cutting methods; however, the effect of numerous and complex influencing factors on machining performance has not been clearly revealed and a recommended combination of cutting conditions has not been proposed yet, especially for difficult-to-machine material such as Ti6Al4V alloy. This paper focuses on experimental and theoretical investigation into machining performance when cutting Ti6Al4V with the AUVC method. First, a retrospective of the separation characteristics of AUVC is provided and the variable parameter cutting characteristics are demonstrated. We classify the influencing factors on machining performance into four categories: machining parameters, vibration parameters, tool choice, and cooling conditions. The relationship between these factors in terms of their effect on machining performance is established theoretically. Then, it describes experiments to determine the influence of these factors on cutting force, tool life, and surface roughness. For absolute influence, the orders for cutting force, tool life, and surface roughness are respectively cutting depth > amplitude > feed rate > rotation speed, rotation speed > feed rate > amplitude > cutting depth, and feed rate > amplitude > cutting depth > rotation speed. However, for relative influence, the order is unified as: amplitude > feed rate > rotation speed > cutting depth. Finally, it suggests a smaller feed rate, larger amplitude, moderate rotation speed, and smaller cutting depth in addition to a WC tool coated with TiAlN and used under HPC cooling condition for optimal performance of AUVC. This recommendation is based on the theoretical analysis and experimental results of cutting force, surface roughness, and tool life.

Background: To retrospectively validate CT-based radiomics features for predicting the risk of anterior mediastinal lesions. Methods: A retrospective study was performed through February 2013 to March 2018 on 298 patients who had pathologically confirmed anterior mediastinal lesions. The patients all underwent CT scans before their treatment, including 130 unenhanced computed tomography (UECT) and 168 contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) scans. The lesion areas were delineated, and a total of 1,029 radiomics features were extracted. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) algorithm method was used to select the radiomics features significantly associated with discrimination of high-risk from low-risk lesions in the anterior mediastinum. Then, 8-fold and 3-fold cross-validation logistic regression (LR) models were taken as the feature selection classifiers to build the radiomics models for UECT and CECT scan respectively. The predictive performance of the radiomics features was evaluated based on the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Results: Each of the two radiomics classifiers included the optimal 12 radiomic features. In terms of the area under ROC curve, using the radiomics model in discriminating high-risk lesions from the low-risks, CECT images accounted for 74.1% with a sensitivity of 66.67% and specificity of 64.81%. Meanwhile, UECT images were 84.2% with a sensitivity of 71.43% and specificity of 74.07%. Conclusions: The association of the two proposed CT-based radiomics features with the discrimination of high and low-risk lesions in anterior mediastinum was confirmed, and the radiomics features of the UECT scan were proven to have better prediction performance than the CECT’s in risk grading.

An innovative system for measuring ultrasonic-frequency repetitive impulse cutting force signals is proposed in this paper. Compared with the traditional cutting force measurement methods, it can realize the measurement of the transient cutting force signal of around 20 KHz rather than the average cutting force. A piezoelectric force sensor of a resonant frequency around 180 KHz is used instead of the traditional dynamometers that only can measure the cutting force signal of no more than 500 Hz. Besides, a clamp circuit is used to stabilize the decayed repetitive impulse signal due to the characteristic of piezoelectric sensors. After building the measurement system, experiments and finite element simulations are carried out based on an orthogonal one-directional ultrasonic vibration cutting model, respectively. The results have validated this proposed measurement system through force signal shapes, values of duty cycle and average cutting forces. In this regard, the separation effect of ultrasonic vibration cutting is firstly detected and the cutting process during one vibration cycle can be monitored through the measured transient cutting force signal, both of which will be great significant to the further researches for the deeper understanding of the machining mechanism influenced by the ultrasonic vibration.

The worldwide spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a threatening risk for global public health. It is of great importance to rapidly and accurately screen patients with COVID-19 from community acquired pneumonia (CAP). In this study, a total of 1658 patients with COVID-19 and 1027 CAP patients underwent thin-section CT. All images were preprocessed to obtain the segmentations of infections and lung fields. A set of handcrafted location-specific features was proposed to best capture the COVID-19 distribution pattern, in comparison to conventional CT severity score (CT-SS) and Radiomics features. An infection Size Aware Random Forest method (iSARF) was used for classification. Experimental results show that the proposed method yielded best performance when using the handcrafted features with sensitivity of 91.6%, specificity of 86.8%, and accuracy of 89.8% over state-of-the-art classifiers. Additional test on 734 subjects with thick slice images demonstrates great generalizability. It is anticipated that our proposed framework could assist clinical decision making. Furthermore, the data of extracted features will be made available after the review process.

For a long time, there have been many opinions about the location of Xuanzhong(GB39) point in the academic field. The author analyzed the location of GB39 in the main acupuncture literature in ancient times, textbooks of universities and colleges of traditional Chinese medicine after the founding of the People's Republic of China, national standards and more influential acupuncture works. From ancient times to the evolution of the location of the point, it is believed that the point should be located 3 cun above the lateral malleolus, between the tibial anterior ridge and the anterior edge of the fibula.长久以来，关于悬钟穴的定位在学术界存在诸多看法，笔者通过查阅古代主要针灸文献及建国后高等中医院校教材、国家标准和较有影响的针灸著作中关于悬钟穴的定位，分析从古至今该穴定位的演变，认为该穴应该定位于外踝上3寸，胫骨前嵴和腓骨前缘之间。并对该穴定位出现问题的原因和时间进行了分析。.

Water quality monitoring is an important way to monitor the environment, control pollution and protect water resources, and its research has great practical significance for environmental protection. Aiming at the disadvantages of existing water quality monitoring methods such as high node power consumption and small coverage, this paper proposes an online water quality monitoring system scheme using NB-IOT protocol communication. The prototype system shows that the system can meet the water quality monitoring needs of Bolong Lake.

Chest computed tomography (CT) becomes an effective tool to assist the diagnosis of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, using the computed-aided diagnosis technique for COVID-19 classification based on CT images could largely alleviate the burden of clinicians. In this paper, we propose an A daptive F eature S election guided D eep F orest (AFS-DF) for COVID-19 classification based on chest CT images. Specifically, we first extract location-specific features from CT images. Then, in order to capture the high-level representation of these features with the relatively small-scale data, we leverage a deep forest model to learn high-level representation of the features. Moreover, we propose a feature selection method based on the trained deep forest model to reduce the redundancy of features, where the feature selection could be adaptively incorporated with the COVID-19 classification model. We evaluated our proposed AFS-DF on COVID-19 dataset with 1495 patients of COVID-19 and 1027 patients of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), AUC, precision and F1-score achieved by our method are 91.79%, 93.05%, 89.95%, 96.35%, 93.10% and 93.07%, respectively. Experimental results on the COVID-19 dataset suggest that the proposed AFS-DF achieves superior performance in COVID-19 vs. CAP classification, compared with 4 widely used machine learning methods.

High-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC) has been proven to be significantly effective when turning Ti-6Al-4V alloy in recent researches. Despite of breaking through the cutting speed restriction of the ultrasonic vibration cutting (UVC) method, HUVC can also achieve the reduction of cutting force and the improvements in surface quality and cutting efficiency in the high-speed machining field. These benefits all result from the separation effect that occurs during the HUVC process. Despite the fact that the influences of vibration and cutting parameters have been discussed in previous researches, the separation analysis of HUVC should be conducted in detail in real cutting situations, and the tool geometry parameters should also be considered. In this paper, three situations are investigated in details: (1) cutting without negative transient clearance angle and without tool wear, (2) cutting with negative transient clearance angle and without tool wear, and (3) cutting with tool wear. And then, complete separation state, partial separation state and continuous cutting state are deduced according to real cutting processes. All the analysis about the above situations demonstrate that the tool-workpiece separation will take place only if appropriate cutting parameters, vibration parameters, and tool geometry parameters are set up. The best separation effect was obtained with a low feedrate and a phase shift approaching 180 degrees. Moreover, flank face interference resulted from the negative transient clearance angle and tool wear contributes to an improved separation effect that makes the workpiece and tool separate even at zero phase shift. Finally, axial and radial transient cutting force are firstly obtained to verify the separation effect of HUVC, and the cutting chips are collected to weigh the influence of flank face interference.

In the present study, an analytical transient cutting force model for high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting has been developed. Micro-machining characteristics are figured out when both the tool nose round and round cutting edge are taken into consideration in the cutting mechanism. Four cutting zones (i.e., elastic recovery, plowing, shearing, and tool-chip friction) are proposed and analyzed to calculate the transient cutting force on each divided cross section in the normal direction of the cutting tool along the cutting edge. A non-free cutting coefficient is added to evaluate the influence of the tool shape on the cutting force compared to the orthogonal cutting model. Afterwards, transient cutting force and average cutting force are simultaneously measured. The results show that the shape and value of the transient cutting force correspond well with what was calculated using the proposed model, and the availability of the proposed model is verified by the cutting force shapes and values.

For a series of unique properties, titanium alloy has been widely applied in aviation and aerospace fields. However, the poor machinability makes high-speed machining titanium alloy hardly perform as expected even with advanced tool materials due to the high cutting temperature. Intermittent cutting could be an effective method to decrease the cutting temperature and improve the cutting performance. As typical intermittent cutting methods, traditional ultrasonic vibration cutting (UVC) and elliptical ultrasonic vibration cutting (EUVC) have achieved significant advancements. However, the critical cutting speed confines them to the field of low speed machining. This article proposed a new type of ultrasonic vibration cutting, i.e. high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC), in which the vibration is always along with the feed direction. The separation of the tool and workpiece can be realized under some certain conditions although the cutting speed exceeds far away from the critical speed of the traditional UVC and EUVC methods. As a consequence, it realized high speed cutting on a macro level and intermittent cutting in the micro, and improved the machinability of titanium alloy. Firstly, a theoretical model of HUVC process was established and both of the separation criteria and the duty cycle of HUVC were fully analyzed. Then the feasibility of HUVC method for cutting Ti-6Al-4 V was verified experimentally compared with conventional cutting (CC) and traditional ultrasonic vibration cutting (UVC). The results demonstrated that tool life in HUVC were extended by 300% in an optimal situation due to the significantly tool wear reduction. Besides, the cutting efficiency increased by 90% compared with CC method obviously. Furthermore, significant cutting force reduction about 50% and better surface roughness improvement in a successive cutting process were also achieved.

To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Shenshu"(BL23)-"Taixi"(KI3)on the levels of serum uric acid (SUA) and expression of renal urate-anion transporter 1 (URAT1) and organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) proteins in hyperuricemia (HUA) rats, so as to explore its underlying mechanisms in improving HUA.A total of 25 male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: control (After modeling, the content of SUA and the expression of renal URAT1 protein (shown by both immunoactivity and WB) were significantly increased (Acupuncture of "BL23" and "KI3" can effectively down-regulate SUA level in HUA rats, which may be related to its effects in down-regulating the expression of URAT1 and up-regulating the expression of OAT1 in the kidney tissue.

The worldwide spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a threat to global public health. It is of great importance to rapidly and accurately screen and distinguish patients with COVID-19 from those with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In this study, a total of 1,658 patients with COVID-19 and 1,027 CAP patients underwent thin-section CT and were enrolled. All images were preprocessed to obtain the segmentations of infections and lung fields. A set of handcrafted location-specific features was proposed to best capture the COVID-19 distribution pattern, in comparison to the conventional CT severity score (CT-SS) and radiomics features. An infection size-aware random forest method (iSARF) was proposed for discriminating COVID-19 from CAP. Experimental results show that the proposed method yielded its best performance when using the handcrafted features, with a sensitivity of 90.7%, a specificity of 87.2%, and an accuracy of 89.4% over state-of-the-art classifiers. Additional tests on 734 subjects, with thick slice images, demonstrates great generalizability. It is anticipated that our proposed framework could assist clinical decision making.

Highlights • We propose a hypergraph learning approach for the identification of COVID-19 cases from CAP cases using multi-type CT features. • We propose an uncertainty vertex-weighted strategy to relieve the influence of noisy (CT) data collected from suspected COVID-19 patients in emergent situations. • We employ so far the largest multi-center dataset as 3, 330 CT images from 5 hospitals, and demonstrate best performance in the task of identifying COVID-19 from CAP., Graphical abstract, The coronavirus disease, named COVID-19, has become the largest global public health crisis since it started in early 2020. CT imaging has been used as a complementary tool to assist early screening, especially for the rapid identification of COVID-19 cases from community acquired pneumonia (CAP) cases. The main challenge in early screening is how to model the confusing cases in the COVID-19 and CAP groups, with very similar clinical manifestations and imaging features. To tackle this challenge, we propose an Uncertainty Vertex-weighted Hypergraph Learning (UVHL) method to identify COVID-19 from CAP using CT images. In particular, multiple types of features (including regional features and radiomics features) are first extracted from CT image for each case. Then, the relationship among different cases is formulated by a hypergraph structure, with each case represented as a vertex in the hypergraph. The uncertainty of each vertex is further computed with an uncertainty score measurement and used as a weight in the hypergraph. Finally, a learning process of the vertex-weighted hypergraph is used to predict whether a new testing case belongs to COVID-19 or not. Experiments on a large multi-center pneumonia dataset, consisting of 2,148 COVID-19 cases and 1,182 CAP cases from five hospitals, are conducted to evaluate the prediction accuracy of the proposed method. Results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our proposed method on the identification of COVID-19 in comparison to state-of-the-art methods.

To observe and compare the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Tianshu" (ST 25) and "Neiguan" (PC 6) for colonic motility and the expression of colon dopamine D 2 in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) rats, and to explore the specificity of different meridians and different acupoints.Forty Wistar newborn rats were randomly divided into blank, model, Tianshu and Neiguan groups. Separation of mother and child and acetic acid coloclyster combined with colorectal distension were used to establish IBS model in the model, Tianshu and Neiguan groups. At the age of 9 weeks, EA at bilateral ST 25 and PC 6 were applied in the corresponding groups 5 times, once every other day. After the intervention, the Bristol fecal score, the latent period of abdominal retraction reflex and the number of contraction waves were recorded. The expression of dopamine D 2 receptor was detected by immunohistochemistry.Compared with the blank group, the Bristol fecal score of the model group was higher (EA at ST 25 and PC 6 can improve the symptoms of colonic motility in IBS rats. The effect of EA at ST 25 is better, which indicates that different meridians and different acupoints play specific effects.

The original version of this article contained a mistake. Figure7 in the original article is incorrect.

The thermo-mechanical properties of poly (l-lactide) (PLLA) biodegradable polymer reinforced with PLLA grafted from multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-g-PLLA)s are characterized. The crystallinity of PLLA polymer matrix affected by MWCNT-g-PLLAs is illuminated. For this purpose, the PLLA chains are covalently grafted from the sidewall of aminated MWCNTs. Then, the MWCNT-g-PLLAs/PLLA composite films are prepared by solution casting using chloroform as solvent. It is found that the MWCNT-g-PLLAs well dispersed in PLLA matrix. The mechanical properties of PLLA enhanced gradually with the increasing concentrations of MWCNT-g-PLLAs up to 2 wt%. The MWCNT-g-PLLAs increase the glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting point of PLLA as revealed by the curves from differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). In addition, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results show that the Tg and Young modulus of PLLA increase with the increment in the concentrations of MWCNT-g-PLLAs. Due to the homogenous dispersion of MWCNT-g-PLLAs and the van der Walls force between grafted PLLA chains on the sidewall of MWCNTs and the PLLA matrix chains, the chain stiffness in amorphous phase of PLLA increases. In addition, the MWCNT-g-PLLAs as heterogeneous nucleation agents increase the crystallinity of PLLA.

The physical and mechanical properties of poly(l-lactide)/poly(e-caprolactone) (PLLA/PCL) blends reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) before and after in vitro degradation were investigated. Because of brittleness, PLLA needs to be plasticized by PCL as a soft polymer. The MWCNTs are used to balance the stiffness and the flexibility of PLLA/PCL blends. The results showed that with incremental increase in concentration of MWCNTs in composites, the agglomerate points of MWCNTs were increased. The physical and mechanical properties of prepared PLLA/PCL blends and MWCNT/PLLA/PCL nanocomposites were characterized. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the prepared blends and composites showed that MWCNTs, as heterogeneous nucleation points, increased the lamella size and therefore the crystallinity of PLLA/PCL. The mechanical strength of blends was decreased with incremental increase in PCL weight ratio. The mechanical behavior of composites showed large strain after yielding and high elastic strain characteristics. The tensile tests results showed that the tensile modulus and tensile strength are significantly increased with increasing the concentration of MWCNTs in composites, while, the elongation-at-break was decreased. The in vitro degradation rate of polymer blends in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) increased with higher weight ratio of PCL in the blend. The in vitro degradation rate of nanocomposites in PBS increased about 65% when the concentration of MWCNTs increased up to 3% (by weight). The results showed that the degradation kinetics of nanocomposites for scaffolds can be engineered by varying the contents of MWCNTs.

The poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) biocompatible and biodegradable polymer was reinforced with functionalized Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to overcome on insufficient mechanical properties of this polymer for high load bearing applications. To fully realize the potential of MWCNTs for this purpose, they have to be homogeneously dispersed in polymer matrix and have efficient load transfer across the MWCNTs/polymer interface. The pristine MWCNTs (pMWCNTs) were functionalized, at first, by Friedel–Crafts acylation, which introduced the aromatic amine groups on the sidewall of MWCNTs (MWCNT–NH2) without shortening or cutting of pMWCNTs. And then, the PLLA chains covalently grafted from the sidewall of MWCNT–NH2 by in situ ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide oligomers using stannous octanoate as the initiating system. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra revealed that the PLLA chains grafted form the sidewall of MWCNTs strongly. The surface morphology of pristine and PLLA-grafted MWCNTs (MWCNT-g-PLLAs) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The tensile test of prepared composites of PLLA with various concentrations of MWCNT-g-PLLAs show a significant increment in tensile strength and elongation at failure of composites with increasing the concentration of MWCNT-g-PLLAs in composites. Also, it is found that the MWCNT-g-PLLAs increased the photoluminescence effect of PLLA and widened the luminescence region of PLLA.

Up to now, synthetic polymers and biomacromolecules have been grafted or assembled onto the convex surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via covalent bonds or chemisorptions. In this research, poly( l -lactide-co-ɛ-caprolactone)-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-OH- g -PCLA)s are synthesized by in situ ring-opening copolymerization of l -lactide (LA) and ɛ-caprolactone (CL) using stannous octanoate and hydroxylated MWCNTs (MWCNT-OHs) as the initiating system. The pristine MWCNTs are modified to possess carboxyl groups and then hydroxyl groups. MWCNT-OHs are used as coinitiators to polymerize LA and CL by the surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization. The FT-IR spectra, SEM and TEM micrographs revealed that the PCLA grafted form the sidewall of MWCNTs strongly. The TGA analysis indicates that about 75 wt% of functionalized MWCNTs with PCLA belongs to grafted PCLA and the remaining 25 wt% to the initial MWCNT-OH.

In order to avoid the "metallic smile" appearance of metal wires when undergoing orthodontic treatment, epoxy resin/polytetrafluorethylene coating TiNi arch wires were made by dipping method. TiO 2 and FeFe 2 O 4 were chosen as dyes in order to match the color of teeth and the color schemes were fixed by spectrophotometer method. The biocompatibility of coating was also examined. The results showed that the cytotoxicity of the coating was grade I, and without mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Skin sensitization assay showed no erythema or oedema response and epithelial was integrated according to mucous membrane irritation. Thus, good behavior in clinic can be anticipated.

Dynamic problems of Yoffe mode crack are studied under antiplane shear impact in infinite orthotropic functionally graded materials. The shear modules in two directions are assumed to vary in terms with power function form of dual parameters of arbitrary time power. By using integral transform-dual integral equations method, the stress field and dynamic stress intensity factor near crack tip are obtained. And the influences of material in homogenous coefficient and graded parameters and crack moving speed to dynamic stress intensity factor are analyzed in virtue of Matlab software. Results show that the dimensionless dynamic stress intensity factor will decrease with the increase of moving speed of crack, which is opposite to the result of the dynamic problem of infinite strip in FGM. And the dimensionless dynamic stress intensity factor will decrease with the increase of graded parameters and rise with the increase of material in homogenous coefficient.

To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Yanglingquan"(GB 34) acupoint on white blood cell (WBC) count and gallbladder wall thickness in rabbits with acute cholecystitis, so as to explore the inherent correlation between the gallbladder and GB 34 acupoint according to the theory of Chinese medicine.Thirty-two male rabbits were randomly and equally divided into control group, model group, EA "Yanglingquan"(GB 34) group (EA-GB 34) and EA "Yinlingquan"(SP 9) group (EA-SP 9). The acute cholecystitis model was induced by intra-gallbladder injection of escherichia coli liquid. EA stimulation was delivered once per day for consecutive 7 days. WBC count and gallbladder wall thickness were measured to assess the effects of EA treatment. HE staining was carried out to examine the pathological changes of the gallbladder tissue.Compared with the control group,WBC count and gallbladder wall thickness of the model group were significantly increased (P0. 05), and those changes were reversed by EA intervention at either GB 34 or SP 9 acupoints (P0. 05). As to WBC count, there was no significant difference between EA-GB 34 and EA-SP 9 groups (P0. 05), whereas for reducing gallbladder wall thickness, EA stimulation at GB 34 acupoint resulted in a better effect than that of EA at SP 9 acupoint (P0. 05).EA produces positive therapeutic benefits on acute cholecystitis in rabbits. It seems that stimulation at "Yan - glingquan" acupoint gives rise to a better effect than that of "Yinlingquan" acupoint in particular for the reduction of gallbladder wall thickhess.

NiTi alloys are potentially useful in biomedical application due to their unique superelasticity and shape memory effect. However, the materials are vulnerable to surface corrosion and the most serious issue is out-diffusion of toxic Ni ions from the substrate into body tissues and fluids. In this paper, Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film is fabricated on the NiTi alloys using plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) at room temperature to improve their corrosion resistance and block the out-diffusion of the Ni ions. The results show that the DLC films cannot only improve the corrosion resistance of the NiTi substrate, but also effectively suppress the Ni ions release from the substrate. The reason that the corrosion resistance of the coated samples is markedly improved due to the DLC films formation is systematically investigated.

To investigate the effect of direct moxibustion at Ganshu (BL18) on the serum concentrations of tumor specific growth factor (TSGF) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in a rat model with precancerous lesion of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), so as to explore the mechanism of moxibustion underlying improvement of HCC.Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group (n=10), model group (n=20), prevention group 1 (n=15) and prevention group 2 (n=15). The normal rats were injected with physiological saline as blank control. At the same time, the rats of other three groups were injected with diethylnitrosamine to establish the HCC model. Direct moxibustion with grain-sized moxa was applied to bilateral Ganshu acupoint of the rats in the prevention group 1 (1 treatment course, 20 days) and prevention group 2 (2 treatment courses, 40 days), 5 doses for each acupoint, 0.5 mg/dose, once every other day. At each time point (before model establishment, the end of 1st course prevention, the end of 2nd course prevention and the end of model establishment), serum levels of TSGF and TNF-α were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Compared with the control group, there was a remarkably increase of serum TSGF and TNF-α contents in the model group at the end of the experiment (P0.05). At the end of the 1st course of direct moxibustion, the contents of serum TSGF and TNF-α of rats in the prevention group 1 were significantly increased compared with that of the model group (P0.05). At the end of the 2nd course of direct moxibustion, serum TSGF and TNF-α levels of rats in the model group were higher than the normal group with significantly difference (P0.05), and the levels of TSGF and TNF-α in the prevention group 2 were significantly reduced in comparison with the model group (P0.05).It was possible that direct moxibustion could inhibit precancerous lesion and postpone hepatocarcinogenesis, and the therapeutic effect of two courses were better than one course.

To observe the effect of moxibustion at "Ganshu" (BL18) on levels of Livin (a novel member of the inhibitors of apoptosis family and plays crucial roles in apoptosis, cell proliferation, and cell cycle control) in the liver tissue in rats with precancerous lesion of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of HCC.Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group (n = 10), model group (n = 20), moxibustion-20 d group (n = 15) and moxibustion-40 d group (n = 15). HCC model was established by intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 50 mg/kg), once every 3 days for 12 weeks. Moxibustion was applied to bilateral "Ganshu" (BL 18), once every other day for 10 times (moxibustion-20 d group) and 20 times (moxibustion-40 d group), respectively. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) content was detected with ELISA and Livin immunoactivity of the liver tissue detected using immunohistochemistry.After modeling, serum AFP content and liver Livin immunoactivity of the model group were significantly increased in comparison with the control group (P0.01). After moxibustion treatment, serum AFP content in the moxibustion-20 d group and liver Livin immunoactivity in both moxibustion-20 d and moxibustion-40 d groups were remarkably down-regulated in comparison with the model group (P0.05). No significant differences were found between the moxibustion-40 d group and the model group in serum AFP content (P0.05).Moxibustion can down-regulate liver Livin protein expression, which probably has a role in promoting hepatocellular apoptosis to inhibit precancerous lesion and to postpone hepatocarcinogenesis.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Weizhong" (BL 40), "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) and "Yinlingquan" (SP 9) on changes of intravesical pressure and contents of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the urinary bladder tissue in rabbits with acute urine retention, so as to explore the relatively specificity of acupoints for urinary bladder problems.Forty-eight male adult rabbits were randomly divided into normal control, model, Weizhong (BL 40, EA-BL 40), San-yinjiao (SP 6, EA-SP 6), Yinlingquan (SP9, EA-SP9) and non-acupoint (EA-NA) groups. Acute urinary retention model was established by filling the rabbits' bladder with normal saline at a volume of 2 times above their normal capacity for 2 hours. EA (2 Hz/15 Hz, 0.6 mA) was applied to bilateral "Weizhong" (BL 40), "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) and "Yinlingquan" (SP 9) for 20 min, respectively. Intravesical pressure was detected by using a pressure transducer and an amplifier. Bladder ATP content was detected by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).In comparison with pre-modeling, the intravesical pressure levels were decreased significantly after modeling in the model, EA-BL 40, EA-SP 6, EA-SP 9 and EA-NA groups (P0.05). Compared with pre-EA, intravesical pressure values were increased remarkably in the EA-BL 40, EA-SP 6, EA-SP 9 and EA-NA groups (P0.05). The percentages of the increased vesical pressure after EA were considerably higher in the EA-BL 40, EA-SP 6, EA-SP 9 and EA-NA groups than in the model group (P0.05). Compared with the normal group, bladder ATP content in the model group was reduced significantly (P0.05); while in comparison with the model group, ATP contents in the EA-BL 40, EA-SP 6 and EA-SP 9 groups were up-regulated apparently (P0.05). The bladder ATP level of the EA-BL 40 group was significantly higher than those of EA-SP 6 and EA-SP 9 groups (P0.05). No significant differences were found between the model and EA-NA groups, and between the EA-SP6 and EA-SP9 groups in bladder ATP contents (P0.05), and among the EA-BL 40, EA-SP 6 and EA-SP 9 groups in the percentages of the increased intravesical pressure (P0.05).EA of BL 40, SP 6 and SP 9 can significantly raise intravesical pressure and bladder ATP content in urine retention rabbits, which may contribute to its effect in improving urinary retention.

To observe the influence of lift-thrust reinforcing-reducing manipulations of acupuncture on serum ferritin (SF) content and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) in blood-deficiency syndrome rabbits so as to study its underlying mechanisms.Sixty Japanese white rabbits were randomized into blank control,model, acupuncture needle-retaining, reinforcing-manipulation (reinforcing) and reducing-manipulation (reducing) groups (n = 12 in each group). Blood-deficiency syndrome model was duplicated by bleeding (about 10 mL/time, once every other day, for 5 times) and food restriction (half of the normal quantity). Bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) were punctured by using filiform needles. The needles were not lifted and thrust for rabbits of the needle-retaining group, but lifted and thrust for 15 min for rabbits of the reinforcing and reducing groups. The treatment was given once every other day, 10 times altogether. Serum SF and TIBC levels were assayed by radioimmunoassay.Following modeling, compared to the blank control group, serum SF content was decreased significantly (P0.05), while TIBC level was increased considerably in the model group (P0.05). On day 17 after acupuncture treatment, serum SF contents of both reinforcing and reducing groups were up-regulated significantly in comparison with pre-treatment after modeling in the same one group (P0.05), while TIBC levels in these two groups were down-regulated evidently compared with pre-treatment (P0.05). In comparison with the model group, serum SF content in the reducing group was up-regulated apparently and TIBC levels in both reinforcing and reducing groups were down-regulated remarkably (P0.05). On day 32 after the treatment, serum SF contents were increased markedly and TIBC levels decreased remarkably in the needle-retaining, reinforcing and reducing groups in comparison with pre-treatment after modeling (P0.05). No significant differences were found between the reinforcing and reducing groups in both serum SF and TIBC levels (P0.05).Both reinforcing and reducing manipulation of acupuncture of "Zusanli" (ST 36) can up-regulate serum SF content and down-regulate TIBC level in blood-deficiency syndrome rabbits, which may contribute to their effects in improving blood-deficiency syndrome and has no significant difference.

An investigation was conducted in Xing' an County of Guangxi Province in 2010 to study the occurrence and damage characteristics of two unique migratory pest insects, rice leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera), in a transgenic Bt rice (cv. HH1 with dual Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac genes) field, taking the corresponding non-transgenic parent (cv. MH63) field as the control. No significant differences were observed in the abundance of C. medinalis eggs and larvae in the two fields, but the percentage of fold-leaf plants and the fold-leaf rate per plant were significantly lower in transgenic Bt rice field than in the control, suggesting that transgenic Bt rice had higher resistance against the target pest insect C. medinalis. As for S. furcifera, its occurrence dynamics of nymphs, adults (including macro- and brachypterous forms), and whole population had no significant differences between the two fields, but the abundance of the nymphs and brachypterous adults at the peak stage of S. furcifera occurrence was obviously higher in transgenic Bt rice field than in the control, while the macropterous abundance was in adverse. The sex ratio of female of the macropterous adults at the late growth stage of rice was generally lower in transgenic Bt rice field than in the control. These results suggested that under the background of large area commercial production of transgenic Bt rice, the occurrence and harm of the non-target pest insect S. furcifera could become more complicated.

The four acupoints Fushe (SP 13), Fujie (SP 14), Daheng (SP 15) and Fuai (SP 16) (except SP 12 ) of the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin in the abdomen are all 4 cun lateral to the abdominal midline. The origin of "4-cun" distance and the related explanations have not been found in any books including textbooks and related Chinese national standards about acupuncture and moxibustion. In the graphical representations, these 4 acupoints are directly below the nipple, because the nipple is 4 cun from the chest midline. The authors of the present paper don't think that is right, because in locating the acupoint, the nearest body surface anatomical landmarks should be used first as the basis. The abdomen and the chest are two anatomic sites after all, locating the abdominal acupoints with the chest surface landmarks often results in larger deviation, because many people's bodies are not so symmetrical and standard, and the adult abdominal fat difference is very big. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the abdominal acupoints are located by using the abdominal anatomical landmarks, for example, the outer edge of rectus abdominis, the outer edge of abdomen ,etc.

The phenomenon of photorefractive asymmetrical self-defocusing induced by thermal self-focusing is observed when a Gaussian beam at 532nm with high enough intensity is focused onto a KNSBN crystal. The spatial distribution and physical properties of the asymmetrical self-defocusing are different from those of stimulated noise scattering. It is found that asymmetrical self-defocusing has no contribution to self-pumped phase conjugation. The diameter of the beam when asymmetrical self-defocusing first appears in the crystal is estimated.