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Key message: The content of flavonoids could increase in A. canescens under saline conditions. Overexpression of AcCHI in transgenic A. thaliana promotes flavonoid biosynthesis, thereby functioning in the tolerance of transgenic plants to salt and osmotic stress by maintaining ROS homeostasis. Atriplex canescens is a halophytic forage shrub with excellent adaptation to saline environment. Our previous study showed that a large number of genes related to the biosynthesis of flavonoids in A. canescens were significantly up-regulated by NaCl treatments. However, it remains unclear whether flavonoids are involved in A. canescens response to salinity. In this study, we found that the accumulation of flavonoids significantly increased in either the leaves or roots of A. canescens seedling under 100 and 300 mM NaCl treatments. Correspondingly, AcCHS, AcCHI and AcF3H, which encode three key enzymes (chalcone synthases (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), respectively) of flavonoids biosynthesis, were significantly induced in the roots or leaves of A. canescens by 100 or 300 mM NaCl. Then, we generated the transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana overexpressing AcCHI and found that transgenic plants accumulated more flavonoids through enhancing the pathway of flavonoids biosynthesis. Furthermore, overexpression of AcCHI conferred salt and osmotic stress tolerance in transgenic A. thaliana. Contrasted with wild-type A. thaliana, transgenic lines grew better with greater biomass, less H2O2 content as well as lower relative plasma permeability in either salt or osmotic stress conditions. In conclusion, our results indicate that flavonoids play an important role in A. canescens response to salt stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and the key enzyme gene AcCHI in flavonoids biosynthesis pathway of A. canescens has the potential to improve the stress tolerance of forages and crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) interacts with various extracellular matrix proteins in tissues. Elevated COMP levels recently linked to worse overall survival in multiple cancer types. COMP's significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) remains uncertain. Here we report a retrospective study to explore COMP's impact on iCCA outcomes. We collected 182 patients' iCCA tumor tissues. COMP overexpression was associated with adverse factors like R1 resection (p = 0.008), advanced T stage (p < 0.001), large duct type (p = 0.004), and poorly differentiated histology (p = 0.002). COMP overexpression correlates with poorer DFS (HR, 3.651; p = 0.001), OS (HR, 1.827; p = 0.023), LRFS (HR, 4.077; p < 0.001), and MFS (HR, 3.718; p < 0.001). High COMP expression ties to worse overall survival (p = 0.0001), DSS (p < 0.0001), LRFS (p < 0.0001), and MFS (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, COMP overexpression links to poor prognosis and pathological features in iCCA, indicating its potential as a biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) interacts with various extracellular matrix proteins in tissues. Elevated COMP levels recently linked to worse overall survival in multiple cancer types. COMP's significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) remains uncertain. Here we report a retrospective study to explore COMP's impact on iCCA outcomes. We collected 182 patients' iCCA tumor tissues. COMP overexpression was associated with adverse factors like R1 resection (p = 0.008), advanced T stage (p < 0.001), large duct type (p = 0.004), and poorly differentiated histology (p = 0.002). COMP overexpression correlates with poorer DFS (HR, 3.651; p = 0.001), OS (HR, 1.827; p = 0.023), LRFS (HR, 4.077; p < 0.001), and MFS (HR, 3.718; p < 0.001). High COMP expression ties to worse overall survival (p = 0.0001), DSS (p < 0.0001), LRFS (p < 0.0001), and MFS (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, COMP overexpression links to poor prognosis and pathological features in iCCA, indicating its potential as a biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) before radical cystectomy aids clinical decision making. Here, we aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to preoperatively predict LNM in BUC patients. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed BUC, who underwent radical cystectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy, were retrospectively recruited from two institutions. Patients from one institution were enrolled in the primary cohort, while those from the other were enrolled in the external validation cohort. Patient demographic, pathological (using transurethral resection of the bladder tumor specimens), imaging, and laboratory data were recorded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the independent preoperative risk factors and develop the nomogram. Internal and external validation was conducted to assess nomogram performance. Results: 522 and 215 BUC patients were enrolled in the primary and external validation cohorts, respectively. We identified tumor grade, infiltration, extravesical invasion, LNM on imaging, tumor size, and serum creatinine levels as independent preoperative risk factors, which were subsequently used to develop the nomogram. The nomogram showed a good predictive accuracy, with area under the receiver operator characteristic curve values of 0.817 and 0.825 for the primary and external validation cohorts, respectively. The corrected C-indexes, calibration curves (after 1000 bootstrap resampling), decision curve analysis results, and clinical impact curves demonstrated that the nomogram performed well in both cohorts and was highly clinically applicable. Conclusion: We developed a nomogram to preoperatively predict LNM in BUC, which was highly accurate, reliable, and clinically applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is an indicator of renal function and catabolic status in human body. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and a serious threat to the vision of diabetic patients. We included 426 type 2 diabetic patients who visited the endocrinology department of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and received an ophthalmology consultation from December 2017 to November 2018. The outcome was the probability of DR in participants. Multivariable logistics analysis was used to confirm the relationship between BUN and the probability of DR. And interaction tests were conducted to find the effects of DM duration on their association. A total of 167 of 426 patients with type 2 diabetes had DR, with a probability of 39.20%. After adjusting for potential confounders, a positive association between BUN and the probability of DR (OR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.03–1.21; P = 0.0107). And a test for interaction between DM duration and BUN on the probability of DR was significant (P = 0.0295). We suggested that in patients with type 2 diabetes, BUN was positively associated with the probability of DR and the association was influenced by DM duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrospective cohort study. To validate computed tomography (CT) radiodensity in Hounsfield units (HU) as a prognostic marker for pedicle screw loosening or cage subsidence in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF). The retrospective study involved 198 patients treated with MI-TLIF. Screw loosening (SL), cage subsidence (CS), and fusion status were assessed by plain radiographs. The risk factors of SL and CS were identified using logistic regression. A total of 258 levels and 930 screws were analyzed. During a 2-year follow-up, 16.2% and 24.7% of patients had CS and SL respectively. The cut-off value of L1 HU for predicting SL or CS was 117. The L1 HU < 117 and BMI ≥ 25 were two independent risk factors. The risk of SL or CS was 4.1 fold in patients L1 HU < 117 and 2.6 fold in patients with BMI ≥ 25. For patients concurrently having BMI ≥ 25 and pre-op L1 HU < 117, the risk was 4.3 fold. Fusion rate and clinical outcome were comparable in patients with SL or CS. L1 HU < 117 and BMI > 25 were two independent risk factors that can be screened preoperatively for preventing SL or CS and lead to better management of patients undergoing MI-TLIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to examine whether the efficacy of the risk of poor prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease is jointly affected by total cholesterol and baseline serum albumin in a secondary analysis of previous study. We analyzed the data of 204 patients from October 2014 to October 2017 for newly diagnosed stable CAD. The outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE; defined as all cause mortality, non fatal myocardial infarction, and non fatal stroke). The median duration of follow-up was 783 days. Multivariable COX model was performed to revalidate the relationship between the sALB and MACE and interaction tests were conducted to find the effects of total cholesterol on their association. A total of 28 MACE occurred among the 204 participants. The risk of MACE varied by baseline serum albumin and total cholesterol. Specifically, lower serum albumin indicated higher risk of MACE (HR 3.52, 95% CI 1.30–9.54), and a test for interaction between baseline serum albumin and total cholesterol on MACE was significant (P = 0.0005). We suggested that baseline serum albumin and total cholesterol could interactively affect the risk of poor prognosis of patients with coronary artery diseases. Our findings need to be confirmed by further randomized trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This meta-analysis evaluated surgical outcomes following endoscopic or conventional discectomy for recurrent lumbar disc herniation. Methods: Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were search until October 16, 2016 using these terms: recurrent lumbar disc herniation, endoscopic surgery, and discectomy. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective, retrospective, and cohort studies were eligible for inclusion. Pooled difference in mean (PDM) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) or relative risks (RRs) were calculated using fixed-effects methods. Results: One RCT and 15 studies were included with a total of 820 patients. Patients received endoscopic surgery experienced shorter operation time than those received conventional surgery (PDM: −52.01, 95% CI: −76.84 to −27.18, P < 0.001). A significantly lower risk in complication was displayed in patients received endoscopic surgery compared to those received conventional surgery (RR: 0.209, 95% CI: 0.076–0.581, P = 0.003). No significant difference in the improvement in VAS (PDM: −2.19, 95% CI: −5.78 to 1.39, P = 0.231), length of stay (PDM: −6.44, 95% CI: −13.76 to 0.89, P = 0.085) and re-recurrence rate (PDM: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.22–3.50, P = 0.861) between groups. Conclusions: Endoscopic and conventional discectomy reduced patient pain comparably, but endoscopic discectomy had significantly lower operation time and lower risk in complications, which may impact other outcomes such as recovery and healthcare costs. More studies are needed to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to the common thermodynamic systems, systems with long-range interaction may cause non-concavity of s (ε) curves. In this paper, we propose a long-range interacting Ising chain in a staggered magnetic field model which has a non-concave entropy part. In this model, the first phase transition is accompanied by the phenomenon of temperature jump in microcanonical ensemble when proper magnetic field intensity is met, while this jump cannot be observed in canonical ensemble, which shows the non-equivalence of different ensembles. To exhibit the cross-over process from microcanonical to canonical, the cross-over phase transition properties are exhibited recently by putting the chain in thermal contact with an adjustable two-level heat reservoir. In this paper, we introduce a different method by employing Gaussian ensemble to show the cross-over process reversely, i.e., from canonical to microcanonical ensembles. As shown in this paper, by adjusting the parameters of the supporting parabolas in the Gaussian ensemble, one can observe the caloric curve of the system in any Gaussian ensemble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strain after rolling plays an important role in the prediction of the microstructure and properties and plate deformation permeability. So, it is necessary to establish a more accurate theoretical strain model for the rolling process. This paper studies the modeling method of the equivalent strain based on the upper bound principle and the stream function method. The rolling deformation region is divided into three zones (inlet rigid zone, plastic zone, and outlet rigid zone) according to the kinematics. The boundary conditions of adjacent deformation zones are modified according to the characteristics of each deformation zone. A near-real kinematics admissible velocity field is established by the stream function method on this basis. The geometric boundary conditions of the deformation region are obtained. The deformation power, friction power, and velocity discontinuous power are calculated according to the redefined geometric boundary conditions. On this basis, the generalized shear strain rate intensity is calculated according to the minimum energy principle. Finally, the equivalent strain model after rolling is obtained by integrating the generalized shear strain rate in time. The plate rolling experiments of AA1060 and the numerical simulations are carried out with different rolling reductions to verify the analytic model precision of the equivalent strain. The results show that the minimum and the maximum relative equivalent strain deviation between the analytic model and the experiment is 0.52% and 9.96%, respectively. The numerical calculation and experimental results show that the model can accurately calculate the strain along the plate thickness. This model can provide an important reference for the rolling process setup and the microstructure and properties prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a special class of one-generator quasi-twisted (QT) codes of index 2 and explore their algebraic structure. By studying the form of Hermitian dual codes, a sufficient condition for self-orthogonality with Hermitian inner product is proposed. Using some one-generator QT codes, we construct some quantum codes on small finite fields. Moreover, a new method is provided to construct maximal-entanglement entanglement-assisted quantum codes via the class of QT codes. By comparison, our quantum codes and maximal-entanglement entanglement-assisted quantum codes have better parameters than any known codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many models with long-range interactions, including the Nagel-Kardar (NK) model, have been proposed to demonstrate and explore the differences between microcanonical ensembles and canonical ensembles. In the NK model, the first-order phase transition always accompanied by the temperature jump in the microcanonical ensemble, while this anomalous temperature jump can not be observed in the canonical ensemble. Moreover, the tricritical points of this model are different from each other in these two different ensembles. In this paper, the microcanonical-canonical crossover behavior of the NK model is studied by placing the NK model in contact with a two-level reservoir, and transition of the tricritical point is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the synthesis of borodepsipeptides utilizing boron-containing isocyanides is described. The target compounds were synthesized via Passerini three-component reaction (P-3CR), in which H2O was utilized as the solvent. Further, unlike conventional P-3CR, where Lewis acid catalysts are often required, the reported method requires no catalyst and proceeds in room temperature. A variety of aldehydes and acids were used as the building blocks to generate the desired products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let F be an algebraically closed field of prime characteristic, and W(m, n, 1) be the simple restricted Lie superalgebra of Witt type over F, which is the Lie superalgebra of superderivations of the superalgebra A (m ; 1) ⊗ ∧ (n) , where A (m ; 1) is the truncated polynomial algebra with m indeterminants and ∧(n) is the Grassmann algebra with n indeterminants. In this paper, the author determines the character formulas for a class of simple restricted modules of W(m, n, 1) with atypical weights of type I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a signaling scheme for information embedding into the illumination of radar using frequency-hopping pulses. A frequency-hopping-based joint radar-communication system enables implementing a primary radar operation and a secondary communication function simultaneously. Then, we consider the problems of radar codes optimization under a peak-to-average-power ratio and an energy constraint. These radar codes design problems can be converted into non-convex quadratic programs with a finite or an infinite number of quadratic constraints. All problems are proved to be NP-hard optimization problems. Therefore, we develop optimization approaches, resorting to semi-definite programming relaxation technique along with to the idea of trigonometric polynomials, offering expected approximate solutions with a polynomial time calculation burden. We assess the capability of the proposed schemes, considering both the detection probability and the robustness in correspondence of Doppler shifts offered by the Neyman–Pearson detector. Simulation results show an improvement in detection performance as the average signal-to-noise ratio value increases, while still maintaining low symbol error rates between the proposed system nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to quantify the interbody bone graft area following transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using traditional open and minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) and investigate their correlations with rates of fusion, complications, and clinical outcomes.Methods: Patients undergoing TLIF of 1 or 2 levels between October 2015 and December 2016 were retrospectively included. Fusion and bone graft areas were assessed with computed tomography (CT) at 6 months postoperatively. The bone graft area ratio was defined as the bone graft area divided by the average endplate area. The distributions of bone graft area within the discs were also recorded. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaires.Results: In total, 77 disc levels in 57 patients were analyzed. The fusion rate was 79.1% in the open group and 82.4% in the MIS group (p = 0.718). Clinical outcomes of both groups improved significantly. Changes in VAS and ODI scores at 12 months postoperatively were comparable between groups. Bone graft area ratio was not significantly different between the two groups (open, 38 ± 10.8%; MIS, 38.1 ± 9.0%, p = 0.977). Analysis of bone graft distribution revealed that the contralateral-dorsal part of the disc had the lowest bone graft area. The bone graft area ratio was significantly higher in the solid union group (39.2 ± 10.4%) than in the non-solid union group (33.5 ± 6.4%, p = 0.048).Conclusions: The fusion rates, bone graft area ratios, clinical outcomes, and complications were similar between MIS and open TLIF. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended-binary phase shift keying (EBSPK)-MODEM radar-communication transceiver is considered as high-range resolution (HRR) radar in the ranging mode. In this paper, a new range-extended target detection method for EBPSK transceiver is investigated. First, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) improved amount of the proposed system is deduced. Secondly, Mean square error (MSE) of target scattering parameter is estimated. The optimal EBPSK waveform is designed to make sure that the estimated performance of the target frequency domain scattering parameters is optimal. Target detection performances of the optimized EBPSK signal in the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel and the dispersive channel are investigated, respectively. Finally, through optimizing carrier frequency and modulation parameters, the simulation experiment results showed that detection performance of the optimized EBSPK signal is better than the unoptimized EBSPK signal and traditional radar signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work considers waveform design for an adaptive radar system. The aim is to achieve enhanced feature extraction performance for multiple extended targets. There are two scenarios to consider: multiple extended targets separated in range and multiple extended targets close in range. We propose a waveform optimization scheme based on Kalman filtering by minimizing the mean square error of separated target scattering coefficient estimation and a waveform optimization approach by minimizing the mean square error of closed power spectrum density estimation. A convex cost function is established, and the optimal solution can be obtained using the existing convex programming algorithm. With subsequent iterations of the algorithm, the simulation results demonstrate an improvement in the estimation of target parameters from the dynamic scene, such as target scattering coefficient and power spectrum density, while maintaining relatively lower computational complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of the seismic response of high CFRDs under non-uniform ground motion input is conducted using a novel non-uniform input motion calculation method combined with nonlinear FEM. The non-uniform input motion calculation method and its basic assumption are validated. The response of CFRDs under uniform and non-uniform input is compared to discuss the necessity of conducting seismic analysis of high CFRDs under realistic non-uniform ground motion input. When the acceleration at the surface of the free field for dynamic simulations with uniform and non-uniform input is kept consistent, the seismic response of CFRDs under non-uniform input is in general significantly smaller, while the dynamic tensile stress around the edges of the concrete face slab is greater. The simulation results suggest that non-uniformity of the ground motion input has important effects on the seismic response of high CFRDs and should be considered in the seismic design of CFRDs. The influence of the incident angle of seismic waves is also investigated, with results indicating that the influence is waveform dependent, while being frequency independent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination is a promising approach for active-specific immunotherapy, but is currently of limited efficacy. The safety and effectiveness of a DC vaccine (DCV) loaded with glioblastoma stem cell-like (GSC) antigens was assessed in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial, 43 GBM patients were randomized after surgery at a 1:1 ratio to receive either DCV (n = 22) or normal saline placebo (n = 21). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analysed. Participants were stratified into different molecular subgroups based on the mutation (MT) status of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1/2) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Plasma cytokine levels, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte numbers and immune co-inhibitory molecules PD-L1 and B7-H4 were also assessed. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that DCV treatment significantly prolonged OS (p = 0.02) after adjusting for IDH1 and TERT promoter MT and B7-H4 expression, primary vs recurrent GBM. Among IDH1wild type (WT) TERTMT patients, DCV treatment significantly prolonged OS (p < 0.01) and PFS (p = 0.03) and increased plasma levels of cytokines CCL22 and IFN-γ compared with placebo. Patients with low B7-H4 expression showed significantly prolonged OS (p = 0.02) after DCV treatment. Therefore, IDH1WTTERTMT and low B7-H4 expression identified subgroups of GBM patients more responsive to GSC DCV-based specific active-immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let g=W1 be the Witt algebra over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic p > 3; and let be the commuting variety of g. In contrast with the case of classical Lie algebras of P. Levy [J. Algebra, 2002, 250: 473-484], we show that the variety is reducible, and not equidimensional. Irreducible components of and their dimensions are precisely given. As a consequence, the variety is not normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, a variety of evaluation methods were used, including active range of motion (AROM), Knee Society Score (KSS), and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), but except passive range of motion (PROM). To the Editor, We read with great interest the article by Magdalena Richter regarding the "Effect of continuous passive motion on the early recovery outcomes after total knee arthroplasty" [[1]]. Exercise combined with continuous passive motion or slider board therapy compared with exercise only: a randomized controlled trial of patients following total knee arthroplasty. [Extracted from the article]

In order to relieve the problem of a false and missed detection of casting defects in X-ray detection, a robust detection method based on vision attention mechanism and deep learning of feature map is proposed. The ray images are used as input sequence, the false detection is eliminated by the intra-frame attention strategy, and the missed detection is excluded by the inter-frame deep convolution neural network (DCNN) strategy. In the intra-frame detection stage, the center-peripheral difference method is proposed to simulate the difference operation of biological vision; the suspicious defect area is directly detected according to the gradient threshold in this stage. In the inter-frame learning stage, the convolution neural network is established based on deep learning strategy to extract defect feature from a suspicious defect area; a deep learning feature vector is obtained in this stage. The similarity degree of the suspicious defect area is computed by a feature vector; a casting defect is tracked by the similarity matching of the suspicious defect in continuous frames; then, the false defects (such as noise) is excluded after defect tracking. The experimental results show that the false rate and missed rate for detection of casting defects are less than 4%, and the accuracy of the defect detection is more than 96%, which proves the robustness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let $\mathbb{F}$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic p > 3, and $\mathfrak{g}$ be the Witt algebra over $\mathbb{F}$. Let $\mathcal{N}$ be the nilpotent cone of $\mathfrak{g}$. An explicit description of $\mathcal{N}$ is given, so that the conjugacy classes of Borel subalgebras of $\mathfrak{g}$ under the automorphism group of $\mathfrak{g}$ are determined. In contrast with only one conjugacy class of Borel subalgebras in a classical simple Lie algebra, there are two conjugacy classes of Borel subalgebras in g. The representatives of conjugacy classes of Borel subalgebras, i.e., the so-called standard Borel subalgebras, are precisely given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acremonium implicatum is an endophytic fungus with biocontrol potential against Meloidogyne incognita based on its opportunistic egg-parasitic, hatching inhibition, and toxic properties. To understand its mode of plant endophytism and opportunistic egg parasitism, GFP-tagged A. implicatum was constructed by PEG-mediated protoplast transformation. By laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), we evaluated the endophytism and opportunistic egg parasitism of a stable gfp transformant (Acr-1). Acr-1 could colonize epidermal tissue, cortical tissue, and xylem of roots and form a mutualistic symbiosis with tomato host plants. LSCM of Acr-1 infecting M. incognita eggs revealed that hyphae penetrated the shell and grew inside eggs to form trophic hyphae. A large number of hyphae enveloped parasitized eggs. In addition, the egg shell integrity was destroyed by fungal penetration. The percentage of egg parasitism was 33.8 %. There were no marked differences between the wild type and mutant in nematode second-stage juvenile mortality and egg hatching and in fungal control efficiency in a pot experiment. In conclusion, gfp-transformation did not change the nematicidal activity of A. implicatum and is a tool to examine the mode of plant endophytism and opportunistic egg parasitism of A. implicatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupling behaviors of a radiating dipole with localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance modes induced on an Ag protrusion in a GaN layer are numerically studied with an algorithm including the feedback effect of LSP resonance to modify the emission behavior of the radiating dipole. Two spectral ranges (400-570 and 570-800 nm) of radiated power enhancement can be observed. The radiated power enhancement in the long-wavelength (short-wavelength) range is generated through the coupling of the radiating dipole with the dipole and quadrupole (higher-order) LSP resonance modes induced on the protrusion. Because the LSP electromagnetic fields of those higher-order modes are mainly distributed around the tip of the protrusion, which is close to the radiating dipole, the radiated power enhancement is quite effective in the blue-green range even though the corresponding metal absorption can be higher than that of a lower-order LSP mode. Compared with the configurations of surface metal nanoparticle (NP) and embedded metal NP, the protrusion structure has the advantages of relatively higher radiated power enhancement in the blue-green spectral range and relatively lower fabrication cost from a practical application viewpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNAs play important roles in the development and progression of various cancers. Recent studies have shown that miR-638 was downregulated in several tumors; however, its role in gastric cancer (GC) has not been investigated in detail. Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of miR-638 and to elucidate its regulatory mechanism in GC. Methods: The expression levels of miR-638 and specificity protein 2 (Sp2) were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting in GC. After pcDNA6.2-GW/EmGFP-miR-638 vector, miR-638 inhibitor and Sp2-siRNA transfection, the AGS cell proliferation was investigated by MTT assay and cell cycle, and apoptosis was detected using the Annexin V/PI. In addition, the regulation of Sp2 by miR-638 was evaluated by real-time RT-PCR, Western blot and luciferase reporter assays; cyclin D1 expression was measured by Western blotting. Results: The expression of miR-638 is dramatically down-regulated and Sp2 expression is remarkably up-regulated in GC tissues. Luciferase assays revealed that miR-638 inhibited Sp2 expression by targeting the 3′-UTR of Sp2 mRNA. Overexpression of miR-638 and Sp2-siRNA reduced Sp2 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels in vitro, and inhibition of miR-638 increased Sp2 expression. Moreover, we found that miR-638 overexpression and Sp2-siRNA markedly suppressed cell proliferation with decreasing expression of cyclin D1 and inducing G1-phase cell-cycle arrest in vitro; inhibition of miR-638 significantly promoted cell proliferation by increasing expression of cyclin D1 and leading more cells into the S and G2/M phase. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that miR-638 suppressed GC cell proliferation by targeting Sp2 with influence on the expression of cyclin D1. We suggest that miR-638 might be a candidate predictor or an anticancer therapeutic target for GC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Werevealed an interesting facet-dependent electrochemical behavior toward heavy metal ions (HMIs) based on their adsorption behaviors. The (111) facet of Co3O4 nanoplates has better electrochemical sensing performance than that of the (001) facet of Co3O4 nanocubes. Adsorption measurements and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations reveals that adsorption of HMIs is responsible for the difference of electrochemical properties. Our combined experimental and theoretical studies provide a solid hint to explain the mechanism of electrochemical detection of HMIs using nanoscale metal oxides. Furthermore, this study not only suggests a promising new strategy for designing high performance electrochemical sensing interface through the selective synthesis of nanoscale materials exposed with different well-defined facets, but also provides a deep understanding for a more sensitive and selective electroanalysis at nanomaterials modified electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove wetlands are an important ecosystem in tropical and subtropical regions, and the sediments may contain both oxic and anoxic zones. In this study, ammonia/ammonium-oxidizing prokaryotes (AOPs) in yellow and black sediments with vegetation and non-vegetated sediments in a mangrove wetland of subtropical Hong Kong were investigated in winter and summer. The phylogenetic diversity of anammox bacterial 16S rRNA genes and archaeal and bacterial amoA genes (encoding ammonia monooxygenase alpha-subunit) were analyzed using PCR amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to reveal their community structures. Quantitative PCR was also used to detect their gene abundances. The results showed that seasonality had little effect, but sediment type had a noticeable influence on the community structures and abundances of anammox bacteria. For ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), seasonality had a small effect on their community structures, but a significant effect on their abundances: AOA amoA genes were significantly higher in winter than in summer. In winter, the vegetated yellow sediments had lower AOA amoA genes than the other types of sediments, but in summer, the vegetated yellow sediments had higher AOA amoA genes than the other types of sediments. Sediment type had no apparent effect on AOA community structures in winter. In summer, however, the vegetated yellow sediments showed obviously different AOA community structures from the other types of sediments. For ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), seasonality had a significant effect on their community structures and abundances: AOB amoA genes in winter were apparently higher than in summer, and AOB community structures were different between winter and summer. Sediment type had little effect on AOB community structures, but had a noticeable effect on the abundances: AOB amoA genes of the vegetated yellow sediments were obviously lower than the black ones in both seasons. This study has demonstrated that seasonality and sediment type affected community structures and abundances of AOPs differently in oxic and anoxic sediments of the mangrove wetland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let ( g, [ p]) be a restricted Lie algebra over an algebraically closed field of characteristic p > 0. Then the inverse limits of 'higher' reduced enveloping algebras { u s ( g) | s ∈ ℕ} with χ running over g* make representations of g split into different 'blocks'. In this paper, we study such an infinite-dimensional algebra [Figure not available: see fulltext.] for a given χ ∈ g*. A module category equivalence is built between subcategories of U( g)- mod and [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. In the case of reductive Lie algebras, (quasi) generalized baby Verma modules and their properties are described. Furthermore, the dimensions of projective covers of simple modules with characters of standard Levi form in the generalized χ-reduced module category are precisely determined, and a higher reciprocity in the case of regular nilpotent is obtained, generalizing the ordinary reciprocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant primitive neuroectodermal tumor found in children. It has a tendency to recur at a primary or distant site. The mechanism underlying the regulation of the recurrence of medulloblastoma remains largely unknown. Recently, several reports have described that cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) can be identified and isolated in medulloblastoma. The authors therefore attempted to demonstrate the correlation between the biological features of medulloblastoma's CSCs and its recurrence. Methods: The data used were obtained in five consecutive patients with medulloblastomas who subsequently experienced tumor recurrence from 2004 to 2007. The authors performed the immunohistochemical assays to analyze the expression of CSC markers, proliferation features, and proliferative status of CSCs in primary and recurrent medulloblastoma. Results: Of the five patients, two had recurrence at the primary site and three had a distant recurrence. CSC markers such as CD133(Prominin-1), DCX, PSA-NCAM, TUC-4, and nestin were expressed regardless of primary or recurrent medulloblastoma. All the five tumor specimens had a high proliferation index (PI). The PI was even higher in the group of patients after recurrence at a distant site ( p < 0.05), while the PI remained almost the same after primary recurrence. The Ki67/nestin-, Ki67/DCX-, and Ki67/TUC-4-positive cells were significantly increased in recurrent medulloblastoma at both the primary and distant sites, whereas CSCs in primary medulloblastoma showed much lower proliferative features ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our data suggest that tumorigenesis of medulloblastomas and their recurrence might be related to CSCs. More proliferating CSCs in medulloblastomas denote worse prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers are semiconductor injection lasers whose active core implements a multiple-quantum-well structure. Relying on a designed staircase of intersubband transitions allows free choice of emission wavelength and, in contrast with diode lasers, a low transparency point that is similar to a classical, atomic four-level laser system. In recent years, this design flexibility has expanded the achievable wavelength range of quantum cascade lasers to ?3-25 ?m and the terahertz regime, and provided exemplary improvements in overall performance. Quantum cascade lasers are rapidly becoming practical mid-infrared sources for a variety of applications such as trace-chemical sensing, health monitoring and infrared countermeasures. In this Review we focus on the two major areas of recent improvement: power and power efficiency, and spectral performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembly of rigid dicarboxylate and flexible N-donor co-ligands in the presence of divalent metal ion affords a new polymer of [Cu(bpea)(bib)] ( 1) (bpea = biphenyle-thene-4,4′-dicarboxylate and bib = 1,4-bis(2-methyl-imidazol-1-yl)butane). The structure of 1 exhibits an unusual 2D → 3D motif with sql topology. Graphical Abstract: An interesting 3D polycatenane metal-organic framework was obtained from the assembly of mixed rigid and flexible in the presence of transition metal. The structure reported herein demonstrates that backbone of organic acid play the central role of a structure-directing unit[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the biological significance of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) involvement in oocyte maturation, we screened for proteins that bound to UCH-L1 in mouse ovaries, and we found that the prostate tumor overexpressed-1 (PTOV1) protein was able to bind to UCH-L1. PTOV1 is highly expressed in prostate cancers and considered as a potential marker for carcinogenesis and the progress of prostate cancer. It was reported that PTOV1 plays an important role in cell cycle regulation, but its role in mammalian oocyte development and meiosis is still unclear. In this paper, it was found that the expression levels of PTOV1 in mouse ovaries progressively increased from prepubescence to adulthood. And we found by immunohistochemistry that PTOV1 spreaded in both the cytoplasm and nuclei of oocytes during prepuberty, but in normal adult mouse oocytes, it concentrated not only in nuclei but also on the plasma membrane, though in some oocytes with abnormal shapes, PTOV1 did not display the typical distribution patterns. In granulosa cells, however, it was found to locate in the cytoplasm at all the selected ages. In postnatal mouse ovaries (28 days), estradiol treatment induced the adult-specific distribution pattern of PTOV1 in oocytes. In addition, UCH-L1 was shown to be associated with CDK1, which participated in the regulation of cell cycle and oocyte maturation. Therefore, we propose that the distribution changes of PTOV1 are age-dependent, and significant for mouse oocyte development and maturation. Moreover, the discovery that PTOV1 is associated with UCH-L1 in mouse oocytes supports the explanations for that UCH-L1 is involved in oocyte development and maturation, especially under the regulation of estrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adjuvant systemic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy improves survival after resection of synchronous colorectal liver metastases (CLMs), but not metachronous. We retrospectively examined if adjuvant chemotherapy with new regimen containing oxaliplatin or irinotecan improved survivals after resection of metachronous CLMs. Methods: Between 2000 and 2007, 52 patients having undertaken resection of metachronous CLMs with curative intent were identified from Taipei Veterans General Hospital hospitalization registry. One patient with perioperative mortality and another being lost to follow-up within 3 months after metastasectomy were excluded. Thirty-one patients experienced six to 12 cycles of FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy while 19 patients with 5-FU/leucovorin (LV)-based chemotherapy following CLM resection. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS) and secondary end point, overall survival (OS). Results: By the univariate analysis, median DFS was 34.3 months in the FOLFOX/FOLFIRI group vs 14.2 months in the 5-FU/LV group ( P = 0.022). The median OS and 5-year survival rates were longer than 57.7 months (not reached, with median follow-up of 35.5 months) and 54.0%, respectively, in the FOLFOX/FOLFIRI group compared to 49 months and 34.6% in the 5-FU/LV group ( P = 0.027). FOLFOX/FOLFIRI chemotherapy was shown by multivariate analyses to be an independent factor predicting a better DFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.15–0.94; P = 0.036) and a better OS (HR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.083–0.86, P = 0.026) than 5-FU/LV-based. Conclusions: Adjuvant FOLFOX/FOLFIRI chemotherapy following resection of metachronous CLMs is demonstrated to have better DFS and OS than 5-FU/LV chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed this study to reassess the prognostic factors of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the era of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in Chinese population. One hundred and twenty-five consecutive patients with DLBCL were enrolled in this study from February 2000 to September 2006. They had received six courses of R-CHOP regimen consisting of rituximab 375 mg/m2, intravenously, D1; cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, bolus infusion, D2; doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, bolus infusion, D2; vincristine 1.4 mg/m2, bolus infusion, D2; and prednisone 60 mg, orally, D2-6. All the patients were evaluated and followed-up after the treatment. Eighty-six out of 125 enrolled patients (68.8%) achieved complete response (CR), 16 patients (12.8%) achieved partial response (PR), 11 patients (12.8%) achieved stable disease, and 12 patients (9.6%) experienced progressive disease (PD). In univariate analysis, IPI factors, except for age, was correlated with the treatment outcome of complete remission; however, only early clinical stages and absence of bulky disease was statistically significantly associated with the better CR rate. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), extranodal diseases, bulky disease, and obtaining CR after completion of four courses of treatment was correlated with TTF ( P = 0.038, 0.044, 0.034, and 0.000, respectively); performance status, LDH level, number of extranodal diseases, and obtaining CR after completion four courses of treatment significantly influenced OS ( P = 0.027, 0.000, 0.019, and 0.000, respectively); and presence of bulky disease and obtaining CR at the end of fourth cycle of treatment were significantly correlated with DFS in multivariate analysis ( P = 0.006 and 0.001, respectively) in Cox regression. IPI is still important in predicting the prognosis in the R-CHOP era in DLBCL; however, obtaining CR after four cycles of R-CHOP and presence of bulky disease should be considered together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology and size dependence of silver microstructures in a novel microfabrication process, fatty salts-assisted multiphoton photoreduction (MPR), were investigated by using the fatty salts with different carbon chain lengths ( C n: n=4,5,7,9) under varied powers and irradiation times of a femtosecond near-infrared laser with the wavelength of 800 nm. Not only the feature size of the silver structures was reduced but also the surface smoothness was improved by increasing the chain length of the fatty salts. The highest resolution of a silver line was obtained to be 285 nm, which exceeded the diffraction limit. The fatty salts-assisted MPR microfabrication approach would provide an efficient protocol for fabricating metallic micro/nanostructures with fine morphology and size and could play an important role in the fabrication of the metallic micro/nanostructures for applications in photonics and electronics as well as in sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray digital imaging technology is a new method of nondestructive testing. Non-film real time digital radiograph, which has high efficiency and low cost, especially the characteristics of digital image exchangeability and storage convenience, has become the development direction. Because the existing system has the disadvantage of low imaging quality and only being used at low X-ray energy, a high quality imaging system based on scientific CCD camera has been developed, which has high spatial solution and high contrast sensitivity and can be used both at high energy and low energy. This paper introduces the constitution of the system, and designs the relative circuits. The experimental results show that the system has the better imaging quality and wider adapting range for X-ray energy, can needs the requirements of measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An algebraic group is called semi-reductive if it is a semi-direct product of a reductive subgroup and the unipotent radical. Such a semi-reductive algebraic group naturally arises and also plays a key role in the study of modular representations of non-classical finite-dimensional simple Lie algebras in positive characteristic, and some other cases. Let G be a connected semi-reductive algebraic group over an algebraically closed field F and g = Lie(G) . It turns out that G has many same properties as reductive groups, such as the Bruhat decomposition. In this note, we obtain an analogue of classical Chevalley restriction theorem for g , which says that the G-invariant ring F [ g ] G is a polynomial ring if g satisfies a certain "positivity" condition suited for lots of cases we are interested in. As applications, we further investigate the nilpotent cones and resolutions of singularities for semi-reductive Lie algebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical studies of variations in debt ratios across firms have analyzed important determinants of capital structure using statistical models. Researchers, however, rarely employ nonlinear models to examine the determinants and make little effort to identify a superior prediction model among competing ones. This paper reviews the time-series cross-sectional (TSCS) regression and the predictive abilities of neural network (NN) utilizing panel data concerning debt ratio of high-tech industries in Taiwan. We built models with these two methods using the same set of measurements as determinants of debt ratio and compared the forecasting performance of five models, namely, three TSCS regression models and two NN models. Models built with neural network obtained the lowest mean square error and mean absolute error. These results reveal that the relationships between debt ratio and determinants are nonlinear and that NNs are more competent in modeling and forecasting the test panel data. We conclude that NN models can be used to solve panel data analysis and forecasting problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a newsvendor model to investigate equilibrium contracting strategies and their impact on the members in two competing supply chains that are subject to inventory inaccuracy. The suppliers are Stackelberg leaders and can choose either a wholesale-price contract or consignment contract. As a result, we analyze three cases: the wholesale price contract case, consignment contract case, and hybrid contract case. We first analytically derive the optimal outcomes of each case and then analyze the equilibrium behaviors of suppliers and retailers under both symmetric and asymmetric settings. Our results show that the consignment contract is no longer the dominant strategy for dominant suppliers when inventory inaccuracy is considered, even though it is considered as the channel-coordinating contract format in the traditional supply chain. Specifically, in the symmetric case, the wholesale price contract is the equilibrium contracting strategy when inventory inaccuracy is below a certain threshold. In the asymmetric case, the hybrid scenario occurs when the high-cost supplier chooses the wholesale price contract, and the low-cost supplier chooses the consignment contract when inventory inaccuracy is less than a certain value. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that the threshold point of inventory inaccuracy is interrelated with the channel cost-sharing rate and level of chain-to-chain competition between supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, deep learning, especially convolutional neural networks, has achieved the remarkable results in natural image classification and segmentation. At the same time, in the field of medical image segmentation, researchers use deep learning techniques for tasks such as tumor segmentation, cell segmentation, and organ segmentation. Automatic tumor segmentation plays an important role in radiotherapy and clinical practice and is the basis for the implementation of follow-up treatment programs. This paper reviews the tumor segmentation methods based on deep learning in recent years. We first introduce the common medical image types and the evaluation criteria of segmentation results in tumor segmentation. Then, we review the tumor segmentation methods based on deep learning from technique view and tumor view, respectively. The technique view reviews the researches from the architecture of the deep learning and the tumor view reviews from the type of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood malignant brain tumor and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Recent transcriptional studies have shown that medulloblastomas comprise at least four molecular subgroups, each with distinct demographics, genetics, and clinical outcomes. Medulloblastoma subtyping has become critical for subgroup-specific therapies. The use of gene expression assays to determine the molecular subgroup of clinical specimens is a long-awaited application of molecular biology for this pediatric cancer. Methods: In the current study, we established a medulloblastoma transcriptome database of 460 samples retrieved from three published datasets (GSE21140, GSE37382, and GSE37418). With this database, we identified a 23-gene signature that is significantly associated with the medulloblastoma subgroups and achieved a classification accuracy of 95.2%. Results: The 23-gene signature was further validated in a long-term cohort of 142 Chinese medulloblastoma patients. The 23-gene signature classified 21 patients as WNT (15%), 41 as SHH (29%), 16 as Group 3 (11%), and 64 as Group 4 (45%). For patients of WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4, 5-year overall-survival rate reached 80%, 62%, 27%, and 47%, respectively (p < 0.0001), meanwhile 5-year progression-free survival reached 80%, 52%, 27%, and 45%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Besides, SHH/TP53-mutant tumors were associated with worse prognosis compared with SHH/TP53 wild-type tumors and other subgroups. We demonstrated that subgroup assignments by the 23-gene signature and Northcott's NanoString assay were highly comparable with a concordance rate of 96.4%. Conclusions: In conclusion, we present a novel gene signature that is capable of accurately and reliably assigning FFPE medulloblastoma samples to their molecular subgroup, which may serve as an auxiliary tool for medulloblastoma subtyping in the clinic. Future incorporation of this gene signature into prospective clinical trials is warranted to further evaluate its clinical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous development and wide application of CT in medical practice have raised public concern over the associated radiation dose to the patient. However, reducing the radiation dose may result in increasing the noise and artifacts, which may adversely interfere with the judgment and belief of radiologists. Therefore, we propose a low-dose CT denoising model based on multiscale parallel convolution neural network to improve the visual effect. Residual learning is utilized to reduce the difficulty of network learning, and batch normalization is adopted to solve the problem of performance degradation due to the increase in neural network layers. Specifically, we introduce the dilated convolution to expand the receptive field by inserting weights of zero in the standard convolution kernel, while not increasing the extra parameters. Furthermore, the multiscale parallel method is utilized to extract multiscale detail features from lung images. Compared to the traditional methods such as Wiener filter, NLM, and models based on CNN, e.g., SCNN, DnCNN, our extensive experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model (CT-ReCNN) can not only reduce the LDCT lung images noise level, but also retain more exact information as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the impact of the preoperative severity of facet joint arthropathy on long-term functional outcomes and spinopelvic parameters in patients undergoing lumbar-stability-preserving decompression and Dynesys fixation. In this retrospective study, 88 patients undergoing combined surgery at our hospital from 2008 to 2015 were included. The patients were divided into two groups, the less and more than mean degeneration groups, based on preoperative facet joint arthropathy of the index level(s). The clinical outcomes were the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score and spinopelvic parameters. The mean follow-up durations for the less and more than mean degeneration groups were 84.83 ± 27.58 and 92.83 ± 20.45 months, respectively. The combined surgery significantly improved VAS and ODI scores, and increased sacral slope (SS) regardless of preoperative arthropathy severity. In addition, facet joint arthropathy at adjacent levels continued to worsen after surgery in both arthropathy severity groups. Preoperative facet joint arthropathy did not influence most long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing lumbar-stability-preserving decompression and Dynesys fixation. This combined surgery may be suitable for patients with facet joint arthropathy regardless of disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood malignant brain tumor and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Recent transcriptional studies have shown that medulloblastomas comprise at least four molecular subgroups, each with distinct demographics, genetics, and clinical outcomes. Medulloblastoma subtyping has become critical for subgroup-specific therapies. The use of gene expression assays to determine the molecular subgroup of clinical specimens is a long-awaited application of molecular biology for this pediatric cancer. Methods: In the current study, we established a medulloblastoma transcriptome database of 460 samples retrieved from three published datasets (GSE21140, GSE37382, and GSE37418). With this database, we identified a 23-gene signature that is significantly associated with the medulloblastoma subgroups and achieved a classification accuracy of 95.2%. Results: The 23-gene signature was further validated in a long-term cohort of 142 Chinese medulloblastoma patients. The 23-gene signature classified 21 patients as WNT (15%), 41 as SHH (29%), 16 as Group 3 (11%), and 64 as Group 4 (45%). For patients of WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4, 5-year overall-survival rate reached 80%, 62%, 27%, and 47%, respectively (p < 0.0001), meanwhile 5-year progression-free survival reached 80%, 52%, 27%, and 45%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Besides, SHH/TP53-mutant tumors were associated with worse prognosis compared with SHH/TP53 wild-type tumors and other subgroups. We demonstrated that subgroup assignments by the 23-gene signature and Northcott’s NanoString assay were highly comparable with a concordance rate of 96.4%. Conclusions: In conclusion, we present a novel gene signature that is capable of accurately and reliably assigning FFPE medulloblastoma samples to their molecular subgroup, which may serve as an auxiliary tool for medulloblastoma subtyping in the clinic. Future incorporation of this gene signature into prospective clinical trials is warranted to further evaluate its clinical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surface Ag nano-network pattern is formed by first depositing Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on a conductive template, which has a certain defect structure, and then illuminating the Ag NPs with ultraviolet (UV) light in a moist environment. Such an Ag nano-network pattern consists of multiple connected Brownian trees (BTs), which are produced through the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) process. In the DLA process, diffuse Ag+ ions, which are generated by UV light illumination and dissolved by a thin adsorbed water layer on the surfaces of the Ag NPs and used GaN template, settle to form a BT through the combination with excited hot electrons migrating into the template from the Ag NPs. The lateral transport of hot electrons in the template is regulated by the distributions of threading dislocation and point defect cluster in the template, which eventually become the centers of BTs. The structure of a surface Ag nano-network can potentially serve as a transparent conductor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let g be a restricted Lie superalgebra of Cartan type W(n), S(n)or H(n) over an algebraically closed field k of prime characteristic p > 3, in the sense of modular version of Kac's definition in 1977. In this note, we show that the restricted representation category over g has only one block (reckoning parities in). This phenomenon is very different from the case of characteristic zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal growth oxide (TGO) is produced when a thermal barrier coating (TBC) works, and the generated TGO is nonuniform at the peak and valley of the TBC interface. The aim of this paper is to clarify whether the nonuniform TGO thickness model is better than the uniform thickness model in TBC simulation. First, finite element models of TGO with nonuniform and uniform thickness are established based on the TBC tube experiments. Then, the vertical stress perpendicular to the TC interface morphology and the corresponding shear stress are analyzed based on the stress transformation equations. Finally, the fatigue life of the TBC is analyzed by nonuniform and uniform TGO thickness models. The results show that the area of the local maximum of the vertical stress and the shear stress for different TGO thicknesses is 4-10 µm from the TC interface morphology peak, which can be considered the risk area for fatigue failure of the TC interface. The risk area in the uniform TGO thickness model is consistent with that of the nonuniform thickness model. The fatigue life prediction error of the TBC using the nonuniform TGO thickness model is 29.53%, which is smaller than that of the uniform thickness model, proving the need to consider the nonuniform thickness of the TGO in TBC simulations. The fatigue life prediction result is verified by different TBC experiments. The conclusions of this study can provide guidance for TBC simulation analysis in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate segmentation of rectal tumors is the most crucial task in determining the stage of rectal cancer and developing suitable therapies. However, complex image backgrounds, irregular edge, and poor contrast hinder the related research. This study presents an attention-based multi-modal fusion module to effectively integrate complementary information from different MRI images and suppress redundancy. In addition, a deep learning–based segmentation model (AF-UNet) is designed to achieve accurate segmentation of rectal tumors. This model takes multi-parametric MRI images as input and effectively integrates the features from different multi-parametric MRI images by embedding the attention fusion module. Finally, three types of MRI images (T2, ADC, DWI) of 250 patients with rectal cancer were collected, with the tumor regions delineated by two oncologists. The experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to the most advanced image segmentation method with a Dice coefficient of 0.821 ± 0.065 , which is also better than other multi-modal fusion methods. Framework of the AF-UNet. This model takes multi-modal MRI images as input, and integrates complementary information using attention mechanism and suppresses redundancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]