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In robot visual servoing system, effective detected the region of interest area (ROI) in target images is the first problem should be solved, but the detection is susceptible to an unstructured environment. In this paper, an instance segmentation network algorithm based on Mask Region Convolutional Neural Networks (Mask R-CNN) framework is proposed for ROI image preprocessing. As instance segmentation technology can distinguish complex environmental information, so first with this advantage filter out message such as shape or similar area to target image, then with semantic segmentation technology add special category labels to the filtered images and distinguish different individual instances in similar categories. Finally through the series steps aforementioned, robot vision system can overcome the impact of environmental factors and identify the target image. The proposed method is used to detect target image under five constraints such as occlusion and reflection, result shows the algorithm can effectively deal with challenges that brought by complex constraints, and even can predict the location data of missing information based on some image information. In addition, based on the algorithm proposed in this paper, we used one seven axis robot visual servo platform, executed visual servoing experiment under different unstructured environments, further verifies the effectiveness of our proposed method.

Risk assessment is an effective method of accident prevention and is vital to actual production. To reduce the risk of mining accidents and realize green and sustainable coal mining, a coal and gas outburst risk assessment method based on the improved comprehensive weight and cloud theory is proposed. The proposed method can effectively solve problems of fuzziness and randomness, index weight deviation, and correlation between indexes in risk assessment, as well as improve the accuracy and rationality of assessment. Nine influencing factors that correspond to coal seam occurrence and geological characteristics, coal seam physical characteristics, and gas occurrence characteristics are selected to establish the risk assessment index system of coal and gas outburst. Using the improved group G1 method and improved CRITIC method to obtain the subjective and objective weights, the ideal point method is used to obtain the comprehensive weight. Using the normal cloud model of cloud theory and the comprehensive weight to assess engineering examples 1–2, the No. 3 coal seam of a mine in Shanxi, and the 21 coal seam of a mine in Henan, the risk grade of coal and gas outburst is determined and then compared with the assessment results obtained from the engineering examples and the actual situations of the above mentioned coal seams. The results show that the coal and gas outburst risks of engineering examples 1–2, No. 3 coal seam, and 21 coal seam are of grades IV, IV, II, and IV, respectively. The No. 3 coal seam and 21 coal seam belong to lower and higher risk categories, respectively. The assessment results are consistent with the actual situation of the coal seams, thereby confirming the rationality and accuracy of the proposed method. This study expands the methods of coal and gas outburst risk assessment and facilitates the formulation of effective preventive measures.

Background During the epidemic, the mental health of college students was generally poor, especially anxiety and depression, which should be treated using counseling and intervention. This study aimed to observe the influence of dialectical behavior therapy on the anxiety and depression of medical students during the normalization of the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods A total of 26 medical students (experimental group) were treated with dialectical behavior therapy intervention for 4 weeks. Changes in depression, anxiety, and stress levels were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, the Somatic Self-rating Scale (SSS), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). This group was compared with 26 medical students (control group) without intervention. Results The value-added scores of the PHQ-9 (t=2.543, P=0.014) and GAD-7 scales (t=3.790, P=0.000) in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while in the SSS scale, the value-added score of the depressive symptoms subscale (t=2.234, P=0.030) in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. For the total score of the PSS-10 scale (t=2.435, P=0.018), the value-added score of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Conclusions The intervention of dialectical behavior therapy can effectively alleviate the depression and anxiety of medical students during the normalization of epidemic prevention and control. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100048784.

Objective. To explore the effect of high-flow humidified oxygen therapy (HFNC) on patients with respiratory failure after general anesthesia extubation for multiple injuries. Methods. 214 patients with multiple injuries in our hospital who underwent general anesthesia and suffered respiratory failure after weaning extubation and received sequential treatment were included. And, they were divided into control group (HFNC group) and observation group (NIMV group) according to the random number table method. Patients in the control group (125 cases) used high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) after general anesthesia extubation, while patients in the observation group (89 cases) used NIMV. The respiratory rate, heart rate, finger pulse oxygen, oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2), and re-tracheal intubation rate in the two groups were compared at 2, 8, and 24 hours after sequential treatment, and the mortality rate and hospital stay of ICU time were whole-course observation. And, the effect of conventional oxygen inhalation or HFNC on oxygenation and prognosis was analyzed. Then, SPSS21.0 software was applied for statistical analysis. To analyze the effect of conventional oxygen inhalation or HFNC on the improvement of oxygenation and prognosis, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve can be used to evaluate the feasibility and treatment effect of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNC) for patients with respiratory failure after general anesthesia extubation for multiple injuries. Results. Compared with the NIMV group, the respiratory frequency and heart rate of the HFNC group were significantly improved after 2 h, 8 h, and 24 h. At the same time, the finger pulse oxygen and oxygenation index increased significantly and returned to normal levels. HFNC can significantly reduce the reintubation rate, ICU hospital stay, and mortality rate. The area under the ROC curve was 0.9102, with 95% CI (0.8256, 0.9949) and P < 0.0001 . Conclusion. For patients with multiple injuries undergoing general anesthesia and respiratory failure after weaning and extubation, the application of HFNC can moderate patients’ heart rate and respiratory rate faster, increase oxygenation index and finger pulse oxygen, and reduce the reintubation rate, mortality rate, and ICU stay. At the same time, it can effectively improve the respiratory failure of patients after extubation and reduce the occurrence of complications.

Introduction DICER1 syndrome is a rare tumor predisposition syndrome caused by germline DICER1 mutation, which is related to a variety of benign and malignant diseases. Our report is the first described case of these three disease phenotypes of DICER1 syndrome. The female patient with a novel germline DICER1 nonsense mutation (c.1088_1089delCTinsAA p.F363X) in exon 8 that was inherited from her mother. In addition to germline DICER1 mutation, two different hotspot somatic DICER1 mutations were detected in her ovarian tissue and goiter tissue. Our report will expand the report of DICER1 mutations in DICER1-syndrome-related diseases and provide case references for further research in the future. Conclusion When the related disease phenotype appears in childhood, it should be considered whether it is DICER1 syndrome. Genetic testing can help diagnose DICER1 syndrome and develop related surveillance strategies. Awareness of the DICER1 syndrome may result in early recognition of these rare pediatric tumors and appropriate therapeutic management.

Protein palmitoylation is a fundamental and reversible post-translational lipid modification that involves a series of biological processes. Although a large number of experimental studies have explored the molecular mechanism behind the palmitoylation process, the computational methods has attracted much attention for its good performance in predicting palmitoylation sites compared with expensive and time-consuming biochemical experiments. The prediction of protein palmitoylation sites is helpful to reveal its biological mechanism. Therefore, the research on the application of machine learning methods to predict palmitoylation sites has become a hot topic in bioinformatics and promoted the development in the related fields. In this review, we briefly introduced the recent development in predicting protein palmitoylation sites by using machine learningbased methods and discussed their benefits and drawbacks. The perspective of machine learning-based methods in predicting palmitoylation sites was also provided. We hope the review could provide a guide in related fields.

There is growing interest in the association between physical fitness and mental health. This study aimed to extend current knowledge by investigating the potential mediating roles of resilience and anxiety in the association between physical fitness and mental health in children. A total of 269 children were selected by stratified random sampling from three primary schools in China. Physical fitness was scored using the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard. Resilience, anxiety, and mental health data were collected using the following questionnaires: Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, and the Mental Health Test. The PROCESS macro developed by Hayes was used to conduct serial multiple mediation analysis. We found that physical fitness, resilience, anxiety, and mental health were significantly correlated. Children with higher physical fitness had lower mental health problems; however, this statistical significance was not detectable after controlling for resilience and anxiety. Serial multiple mediation analysis revealed that the association of physical fitness with mental health was partially mediated by resilience and anxiety. These results indicate that the positive association of physical fitness with mental health in children may be changed through resilience and anxiety, which appear to play serial multiple mediating roles in this association. These findings contribute to deeper understanding of the associations between these factors and suggest that promoting physical fitness independent of considering resilience and anxiety may be insufficient to achieve good mental health in children.

Preeclampsia has impacted 3-5% pregnancies among the world and its complications lead to both maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. However, management of preeclampsia is limited. Nanoparticles targeting chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) can deliver drugs to placenta. Inactivation of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-like 2 (Nrf2) has been proved to alleviate preeclampsia and improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Carboxyl-polyethylene glycol-poly (d,l-lactide) (COOH-PEG5K-PLA8K), cationic lipid DOTAP, and siNrf2 and sisFlt-1 were used to construct the nanoparticles and conjugating peptides targeting CSA was fabricated to it. The expression levels of proteins and RNAs were estimated by qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. ELISA assays were performed to evaluate levels of circulating sFlt-1. The nanoparticles containing siNrf2 and sisFlt-1 are targeted to the placenta trophoblasts and downregulated the expression levels of Nrf2 and sFlt-1 as well as their downstream genes in the placental cells of model mice. Treatment of nanoparticles induced the expression of angiogenic factors in placenta. Knocking down Nrf2 and sFlt-1 synchronously alleviated the preeclampsia and increased the maternal and fetal outcomes in preeclampsia model mice. Nanoparticle-mediated simultaneous downregulation of placental Nrf2 and sFlt1 improved maternal and fetal outcomes in a preeclampsia mouse model.

Hemophilia A (HA) is a hereditary hemorrhagic disease caused by a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) in blood plasma. Patients with HA usually suffer from spontaneous and recurrent bleeding in joints and muscles, or even intracerebral hemorrhage, which might lead to disability or death. Although the disease is currently manageable via delivery of plasma-derived or recombinant FVIII, this approach is costly, and neutralizing antibodies may be generated in a large portion of patients, which render the regimens ineffective and inaccessible. Given the monogenic nature of HA and that a slight increase in FVIII can remarkably alleviate the phenotypes, HA has been considered to be a suitable target disease for gene therapy. Consequently, the introduction of a functional F8 gene copy into the appropriate target cells via viral or nonviral delivery vectors, including gene correction through genome editing approaches, could ultimately provide an effective therapeutic method for HA patients. In this review, we discuss the recent progress of gene therapy for HA with viral and nonviral delivery vectors, including piggyBac, lentiviral and adeno-associated viral vectors, as well as new raising issues involving liver toxicity, pre-existing neutralizing antibodies of viral approach, and the selection of the target cell type for nonviral delivery.

Introduction: Combined malonic and methylmalonic aciduria (CMAMMA) is a rare metabolic disease caused by biallelic variants in ACSF3 gene. The clinical phenotype is highly heterogeneous in this disorder, ranging from asymptomatic to severe symptoms. No cases with CMAMMA were reported in China.Materials and Methods: In this study, three Chinese pediatric patients were diagnosed with CMAMMA unexpectedly while being treated for other ailments. To better characterize CMAMMA in a Chinese population, we made a multidimensional analysis with detailed clinical phenotype, semi-quantitative detection of urine organic acid, and analysis of ACSF3 gene variants.Results: The clinical presentation of these patients is quite different; their main complaints were anemia, jaundice, or abnormal urine test, respectively. They showed no symptoms of the classic methylmalonic academia, but urine organic acid analysis showed elevated malonic acid and methylmalonic acid in all the patients repeatedly. Variants were found at four sites in ACSF3 gene. Patient 1 carried the compound heterogeneous variant c.689G> A (p.Trp230*)/c.1456G> A (p.Ala486Thr). A compound heterozygous variant c.473C> T (p.Pro158Leu)/c.1456G> A (p.Ala486Thr) was identified in patient 2. Patient 3 harbored a novel homozygous variant c.1447A> G (p.Lys483Glu).Conclusions: Three Chinese patients were diagnosed with CMAMMA caused by ACSF3 variants. Their clinical course revealed that CMAMMA can be a benign condition that does not affect individual growth and development, but severe clinical phenotype may appear when other triggers exist. This study systematically elaborates CMAMMA in a Chinese population for the first time, broadens the spectrum of gene variant, and provides a strong basis for the etiological study of this disorder.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the feasibility of robotic laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) for the treatment of adolescent endometriosis (n = 36). Additionally, we assessed a novel technique known as butterfly resection for severe cases. METHODS This was a retrospective study of women from 12 to 21 years old who received therapeutic robotic LESS for symptomatic endometriosis by a single experienced surgeon. RESULTS There were 32 cases of peritoneal and four cases of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). Focal resection was performed in 9/32 peritoneal and all DIE cases; butterfly resection was performed in the remaining 23/32 peritoneal. At 3 months, 16/23 had complete resolution of pelvic pain in the butterfly group versus 10/13 in the focal group (P = 0.64). CONCLUSION Robotic LESS produces safe outcomes with low complication rates. Butterfly resection may be considered for extensive lesions, with similar levels of pain relief compared to traditional focal resection techniques. CAPSULE Single-site robotic surgery produces safe outcomes with low complication rates in adolescents with endometriosis, with techniques customized based on disease severity.

Background Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) e 4 has been identified as the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the importance of ApoE e 4 on clinical and biological heterogeneity of AD is still to be determined, particularly at the prodromal stage. Here, we evaluate the association of ApoE e 4 with clinical cognition and neuroimaging regions in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants based on the AT (N) system, which is increasingly essential for developing a precise assessment of AD. Methods We stratified 178 A+T+MCI participants (prodromal AD) into ApoE e 4 (+) and ApoE e 4 (-) according to ApoE genotype from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). We determined Aβ-positivity (A+) by the standardized uptake values ratios (SUVR) means of florbetapir-PET-AV45 (the cut-off value of 1.1) and fibrillar tau-positivity (T+) by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) phosphorylated-tau at threonine 181 position (p-Tau) (cut-off value of 23 pg/mL). We evaluated the effect of ApoE e 4 status on cognitive conditions and brain atrophy from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the differences of cognitive scores and brain atrophy from structural MRI regions of interest (ROIs) between both groups. Furthermore, we performed a linear regression model to assess the correlation between signature ROIs of structural MRI and cognitive scores in the prodromal AD participants. Results ApoE e 4 (+) prodromal AD participants had lower levels of CSF Aβ 1-42, higher levels of t-Tau, more memory and global cognitive impairment, and faster decline of global cognition, compared to ApoE e 4 (-) prodromal AD. ApoE e 4 (+) prodromal AD participants had a thinner cortical thickness of bilateral entorhinal, smaller subcortical volume of the left amygdala, bilateral hippocampus, and left ventral diencephalon (DC) relative to ApoE e 4 (-) prodromal AD. Furthermore, the cortical thickness average of bilateral entorhinal was highly correlated with memory and global cognition. Conclusions ApoE e 4 status in prodromal AD participants has an important effect on clinical cognitive domains. After ascertaining the ApoE e 4 status, specific MRI regions can be correlated to the cognitive domain and will be helpful for precise assessment in prodromal AD.

With the deep integration of cyber physical production systems in the era of Industry 4.0, smart workshop dramatically increases the amount of data collected by smart device. A key factor in achieving smart manufacturing is to use data analysis methods for evaluating the equipment reliability and for supporting the predictive maintenance of equipment. Based on these insights, this paper proposes a deep learning-based approach that uses time series data for equipment reliability analysis. First, a framework of the TensorFlow-enabled deep neural networks (DNN) model for equipment reliability analysis is presented. Secondly, using time series equipment data, an evaluation strategy of equipment reliability based on deep learning is proposed. Finally, the reliability of a cylinder, an important part of the small trolley in automobile assembly line, is evaluated in a case study. Compared with the traditional reliability analysis method such as PCA and HMM, the prediction results show a significant improvement in prediction accuracy. This work contributes to promoting artificial intelligence algorithms for realizing highly efficient manufacturing.

Context The karst region of southwestern China, one of the largest continuous karsts in the world, is known for its unique landscapes and rich biodiversity. This region has suffered severe environmental degradation (e.g., vegetation cover loss, soil erosion and biodiversity loss). In recent decades, Chinese governments at different levels have initiated several ecological programs (e.g., Green for Grain, Mountain Closure) to restore the degraded environment and to alleviate poverty. Objectives This study summarizes landscape studies of karst landscapes patterns, their dynamics and interactions among landscape pattern, hydrological processes and ecosystem services (ES). Methods We conducted a systematic literature review of science and land use policy to identify knowledge gaps and recommend future research and policy directions. Results Karst landscapes have experienced rapid turnover in recent decades due largely to the overlap of intense human activity on the fragile karst ecosystems. Many studies have comprehensively examined hydrology, soil processes and ecosystem services (ES) and their relationships with landscape pattern. Most of these studies have found that karst ecosystems recover with improved ES. However, the importance of epikarst in hydrological and soil processes, intense anthropogenic disturbance and landscape heterogeneity in landscape models remains elusive. Conclusions Future research should focus on in-depth examination and modelling of karst specific hydrological and soil processes, investigating relationships between climatic change, landscape change, ecological processes, and region-specific ES assessments. Results from such research should provide the necessary scientific support for a comprehensive, national karst rocky desertification treatment project (Stage II) and poverty alleviation initiatives.

To study the contamination of heavy metals in the aquaculture area of Beibu Gulf, the concentrations of seven metals in seawater were investigated. The results showed that significant seasonal and ...

Dual isotope nitrate (NO3-) analysis was performed on the western coast of Guangdong Province to investigate seasonal changes in the main nitrate sources and their biogeochemical processing, which are due to the rapid development of the local economy. In the nearshore area, significant seasonal variations of nitrate sources occurred. The dominant nitrate sources, originating from manure and sewage, suggested that the nitrate along the west coast of Guangdong Province was mainly influenced by local cities despite the westward flow of diluted Pearl River water. In the offshore area, the nitrate loss in the upper and mid water during both two seasons mainly caused by phytoplankton assimilation, whereas coupled nitrification-denitrification could be responsible for the nitrate loss in the bottom waters during summer. Our results suggest that, with the rapid development of local economy, the nitrate sources in the coastal area have shifted to manure and sewage from the local cities.

With the growing shortage of energy, wind power is receiving an increasing amount of attention worldwide as a clean source of renewable energy. One of the most important components of the wind turbine is the bird-wing-like blade under the working principle. Three kinds of bionic blades are designed by using bionic wing type and configuration based on the good aerodynamic performance of seagull wings, combined with the theory of wind turbine blade design-the blade element theory. Standard blade and aerodynamic performances of bionic blade are evaluated by means of numerical simulation. Under different wind speeds, the results show that the blade torque of the bionic blade of total improved airfoil increases by 10.2%, the bionic blade of partially improved airfoil increases by 14%, and the configuration improved blade increases by 7%. To verify the correctness of the numerical simulation results, we run the bionic blade and establish a corresponding experimental device in an actual experiment. The results of the experiment are consistent with the trend of the numerical simulation.

3-Hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase (HIBCH, NM_014362.3) gene mutation can cause HIBCH deficiency, leading to Leigh/Leigh-like disease. To date, few case series have investigated the relationship between metabolites and clinical phenotypes or the effects of treatment, although 34 patients with HIBCH mutations from 27 families have been reported. The purpose of this study was to analyze the phenotypic spectrum, follow-up results, metabolites, and genotypes of patients with HIBCH deficiency presenting with Leigh/Leigh-like syndrome and explore specific metabolites related to disease diagnosis and prognosis through retrospective and longitudinal studies. Applying next-generation sequencing, we identified eight patients with HIBCH mutations from our cohort of 181 cases of genetically diagnosed Leigh/Leigh-like syndrome. Six novel HIBCH mutations were identified: c.977T>G [p.Leu326Arg], c.1036G>T [p.Val346Phe], c.750+1G>A, c.810-2A>C, c.469C>T [p.Arg157*], and c.236delC [p.Pro79Leufs*5]. The Newcastle Pediatric Mitochondrial Disease Scale (NPMDS) was employed to assess disease progression and clinical outcomes. The non-invasive approach of metabolite analysis showed that levels of some were associated with clinical phenotype severity. Five (5/7) patients presented with elevated C4-OH in dried blood spots, and the level was probably correlated with the NPMDS scores during the peak disease phase. 2,3-Dihydroxy-2-methylbutyrate in urine was elevated in six (6/7) patients and elevated S-(2-caboxypropyl)cysteamine in urine was found in three patients (3/3). The median age at initial presentation was 13 months (8–18 months), and the median follow-up was 2.3 years (range 1.3–7.2 years). We summarized and compared with all reported patients with HIBCH mutations. The most prominent clinical manifestations were developmental regression/delay, hypotonia, encephalopathy, and feeding difficulties. We administered drug and dietary treatment. During follow-up, five patients responded positively to treatment with a significant decrease in NPMDS scores. Our research is the largest case series of patients with HIBCH mutations.

To study the adsorption characteristics of CO, CO2, N2, O2, and their binary-components in lignite coal, reveal the influence of CO2 or N2 injection and air leakage on the desorption of CO in goafs, a lignite model (C206H206N2O44) was established, and the supercell structure was optimized under temperatures of 288.15–318.15 K for molecular simulation. Based on molecular dynamics, the Grand Canonical Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the adsorption characteristics and the Langmuir equation was used to fit the adsorption isotherms of gases. The results show that for single-components, the order of adsorption capacity is CO2 > CO > O2 > N2. For binary-components, the competitive adsorption capacities of CO2 and CO are approximate. In the low-pressure zone, the competitive adsorption capacity of CO2 is stronger than that of CO, and the CO is stronger than N2 or O2. From the simulation, it can be seen that CO2, N2 or O2 will occupy adsorption sites, causing CO desorption. Therefore, to prevent the desorption of the original CO in the goaf, it is not suitable to use CO2 or N2 injection for fire prevention, and the air leakage at the working faces need to be controlled.

BackgroundTo evaluate the interaction of depression and anxiety with the development of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL).MethodsA nested case–control study involving 2558 participants was conducted with data from the prospective Miscarriage Woman Cohort study between 2017 and 2019 in the province of Gansu, China. The questionnaire data, self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale were collected after each participant’s first miscarriage. Information on RPL outcomes was obtained from the medical records within the subsequent 2 years. All patients diagosed RPL were recruited as cases whilst a randomly selected group of women with only one miscarriage in the past were recruited as controls. The logistic regression and the interaction effects between anxiety and depression and RPL were analysed.ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety (n = 325, 28.7% vs. n = 278, 19.5%) and depression symptoms (n = 550, 48.6% vs. n = 589, 41.3%) for the 1132 RPL cases were higher than 1426 non-RPL controls (P P P P P P ConclusionsEither depression or anxiety alone could increase the risk of subsequent RPL. Anxiety and depression had a synergistic effect after the first miscarriage which increased the development of subsequent RPL disease.

This cross-sectional study compared the physical fitness and mental health status of 140 school-age children who participated in sport-specific training with 180 age-matched peers. All the participants were grouped by sport-specific training frequencies in extracurricular time into the following: (i) high sports training frequency group (HFG): training three to five times per week (n = 77, mean [SD] age: 9.60 [0.12] years); (ii) low sports training frequency group (LFG): training once per week (n = 63, mean [SD] age: 9.88 [0.14] years); and (iii) control group (CG): maintaining routine life (n = 180, mean (SD) age: 9.77(0.09) years). Physical fitness status, including body composition (body mass index), endurance (vital capacity; 50 × 8 round trip), speed and agility (50 m sprint), flexibility (sit-and-reach), coordination (1-min rope skipping), and core strength (1-min sit-ups) as well as mental health status was measured. Overall, the results showed that Grade 3 to 4 HFG students showed better total physical fitness scores than the LFG and CG students. Grade 2 and 5 participants in the three groups showed no significant difference in the total physical fitness score. Children in HFG performed better in several PF indicators (i.e., cardiopulmonary function, flexibility, core strength, and coordination) than those in LFG and CG, and children in LFG got a higher score than those in CG on a testing item of 1-min rope skipping. The mental health test results showed that HFG performed better than LFG and CG. The results indicated that participating in sport-specific training 3–5 times per week was beneficial for children’s physical and mental health. Additionally, there was a weak and negative correlation between physical fitness and mental health in LFG and CG, while no correlation was found between physical fitness and mental health in HFG.

The flapping-wing aerial vehicle (FWAV) is a new type of flying robot that mimics the flight mode of birds and insects. However, FWAVs have their special characteristics of less load capacity and short endurance time, so that most existing systems of ground target localization are not suitable for them. In this paper, a vision-based target localization algorithm is proposed for FWAVs based on a generic camera model. Since sensors exist measurement error and the camera exists jitter and motion blur during flight, Gaussian noises are introduced in the simulation experiment, and then a first-order low-pass filter is used to stabilize the localization values. Moreover, in order to verify the feasibility and accuracy of the target localization algorithm, we design a set of simulation experiments where various noises are added. From the simulation results, it is found that the target localization algorithm has a good performance., Comment: Submitted to the 36th Youth Academic Annual Conference of Chinese Association of Automation (YAC2021)

Objectives: To assess risk of fetal growth restriction (FGR) by combined screening in early and mid-pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant women who received prenatal examinations and delivered in our hospital from January 2015 to January 2019 were selected and retrospectively analyzed. All women completed two ultrasonographic examinations during pregnancy, i.e. Down’s screening during early pregnancy (11-13 + 6 weeks) and prenatal color Doppler screening during mid-pregnancy (20-24 weeks). A total of 33 FGR cases were screened out, and there were 1,507 normal pregnant women. The clinical, ultrasonographic and serological indices in early and mid-pregnancy were recorded. When the false positive rate was 5%, logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the influencing factors and predictive values of individual and combined indices for FGR in corresponding gestational weeks. The sensitivity and specificity of the optimal cutoff value of each index as well as the combination of optimal predictive indices were found by the area under ROC curve (AUC). Results: When the false positive rate was 5% in the single-index screening during early pregnancy, the parity, BPD, AC, HC, and FL had statistical significances. Multivariate analysis showed that the parity and BPD had statistical significances. During mid-pregnancy, univariate analysis revealed that the parity, BMI, BPD, AC, HC, FL, UTA-PI, UTA-RI, UA-PI and UA-RI had statistical significances. BMI, AC, UTA-PI, UTA-RI, UA-PI and UA-RI had statistical significances in multivariate analysis. BMI, UTA-PI and UA-PI were risk factors for FGR, with UTA-PI being most dangerous. AUC for combined screening exceeded those for individual screenings. The best combined screening program was BPD in early pregnancy + BMI + AC + UTA-PI + UTA-RI + UA-PI + UA-RI in mid-pregnancy. The optimal cutoff value was 0.015, with the sensitivity of 83.1% and the specificity of 61.3%. Conclusion: The predictive efficiency of combined FGR screening in early and mid-pregnancy surpasses that of simple mid-pregnancy screening. It is recommended to use the integrated screening program in early and mid-pregnancy to predict FGR. doi: https://doi.org/-10.12669/pjms.36.7.1988 How to cite this:Wang B, Zhang C. Risk evaluation of fetal growth restriction by combined screening in early and mid-pregnancy. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(7):1708-1713. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.7.1988 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between enlarged right atrial area (RAA), as measured by echocardiography, and prognosis of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesTo identify potential publications, a comprehensive literature search through MEDLINE, the Cochrane database and the Embase database was performed up to December 2019.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies were included if they reported Cox regression based-HRs with 95% CIs for all-cause mortality or composite endpoint consisting of death and PAH-related events for echocardiography measurements of the RAA or the right atrial area index (RAAI) in patients with PAH.Data extraction and synthesisThe unadjusted HR with 95% CI was extracted for the final pooled analysis. A random-effects model was used to determine the value of RAA/RAAI in the prognosis of patients with PAH. The data heterogeneity among the studies was estimated by the I2statistic and the Cochran Q-statistic.ResultsTwelve studies with a total of 1085 patients with PAH were finally included in the meta-analysis. These studies had a mean follow-up time ranging from 9.2 months to 5.0 years. Their findings showed that patients with PAH with enlarged RAA/RAAI were associated with poor prognosis. The risk of all-cause mortality in patients with PAH was found to statistically increase by 50% for every 5-unit increase in RAA/RAAI (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.75, pConclusionThe meta-analysis suggested that enlarged RAA/RAAI were associated with increased risk of poor prognosis in patients with PAH.

Background: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health problems in children. Although physical fitness as a predictor of mental health, the mechanisms underlying any association between physical fitness and anxiety in children have been understudied. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether an association exists between physical fitness and anxiety and to explore the roles of agility and resilience in such an association. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated 269 children aged 7 to 12 years from three public primary schools in Shanghai (China). Physical fitness and agility were objectively measured, and resilience and anxiety were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. The moderated mediation model was examined using the SPSS PROCESS macro, in which the moderator variable was agility, and the mediator variable was resilience. Results: Physical fitness was inversely associated with anxiety. Resilience partially and indirectly mediated this association, and agility moderated the association between physical fitness and resilience. Physical fitness had a greater impact on resilience in children with higher agility levels. Conclusions: Agility moderated the mediation of resilience on the indirect, inverse association between physical fitness and anxiety; thus, incorporating methods to develop agility and resilience may lead to better outcomes for physical fitness programs designed to prevent or alleviate anxiety in children.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of baldness affecting both men and women. Studies investigating combination therapies for AGA reported greater efficacy than monotherapy but without rigorous examination. The authors performed a meta-analysis and systemic review to further verify the evidence. To evaluate the effectiveness of three common combination therapies of minoxidil with finasteride, low-level laser light therapy (LLLT) or microneedling versus minoxidil monotherapy. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of combination therapies consisting of topical minoxidil for AGA through April 2020. Quality assessment and data analysis were performed by Review Manager 5.3. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria involving a total of 1172 AGA patients. We conducted meta-analysis for three groups of combined treatment separately, and all were superior to monotherapy in terms of global photographic assessment (P < .05). Combination of LLLT or microneedling with minoxidil also showed significant increase in hair count (P < .05) compared to monotherapy. The present study suggests that combination therapy could be an effective, safe and promising option for the treatment of AGA. However, more RCTs are needed to further investigate and confirm the efficacy of combined treatment.

Anonymous authentication has significant contribution to privacy protection in safety message dissemination for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs); however, it suffers from heavy workload of vehicle revocation check and message signature verification, which leads to unsatisfactory timeliness and high message loss rate in heavy traffic situations. To manage these challenging problems, this paper proposes an efficient safety message authentication protocol for VANETs by combining batch group signature verification and our proposed Group Session Key (GSK). Specifically, our signature verification method for safety message can both achieve computation efficiency by reducing the number of computation operations of bilinear pairing and resist impersonation attack by using tracking key implement. GSK is associated with the forward and backward keys and is only shared among unrevoked vehicle within a group. Performance analysis and simulations demonstrate that our protocol can provide promising security against various common types of attackers and is more efficient than traditional group-signature-based authentication protocols, in terms of computation time cost, authentication delay and message loss rate.

To increase its domestic gas production and achieve cleaner end-use utilization of its coal resources, China is actively promoting its coal-to-gas (CTG) industry. However, one of the major concerns for CTG development is the consequent significant water usage. To better understand this aspect, this paper presents a quantitative assessment of the water footprint (WF) for China’s CTG industry. The results show that the WF of CTG in China is typically in the region of 0.055 m3 water per cubic meter of produced gas. In addition, the analysis of the components of this WF indicates that most of the water resources are used both in the process of CTG production itself, and also in the dilute discharge of pollutants. In terms of the planned production capacity of China’s CTG projects, this paper finds that the water use in some regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Liaoning may account 30–40% of regional water resources, which means the large-scale development of CTG projects may present significant risks to regional water resources. Therefore, this paper suggests that the status of regional water availability should be one of the key factors considered by policy makers in order to achieve sustainable development of the country’s CTG industry.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a public health problem in the world. Even though the association between maternal HBV infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes has been extensively discussed, limited and conflicting results still led us confusing. To clarify the association between maternal HBV infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes, we conducted a retrospective cohort study which include 65,257 pregnant women who performed non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) in second-trimester from July 2015 to Nov 2019 in Suzhou, China. The participants were divided into two groups according to their status of HBV infection: 63,591 pregnant women with HBV un-infected (as control) and 1,666 pregnant women infected with HBV (exposure group). Meanwhile, eight types of adverse pregnancy outcomes in history and twelve prenatal screening results in the second-trimester of current pregnancy were investigated by estimating and adjusting their risk ratios (aRR) for women between HBV infected and uninfected using multivariate logic regression. Our results suggested that women infected with HBV have higher risks on the biochemical pregnancy (aRR: 1.54, 95%CI:0.97-2.32, p=0.048), extrauterine pregnancy (aRR: 1.36, 95%CI: 1-1.82, p =0.043) and three kinds of screen result for fetal Downs syndrome (DS) than women with HBV un-infected. The risks of increased thickness of nuchal translucency or nuchal fold (I-NTF) is 123% higher (aRR 2.23, 95%CI 1.17-3.82, p = 0.007) and the risk of DS positive possibility in multiples serum markers (MSM) and NIPS respectively increased 22% (aRR: 1.22, 95%CI:1.07-1.39, p=0.003) and 88% (aRR: 1.88, 95%CI: 1.07-3.06, p= 0.018). Finally, the true positive risk of DS in NIPS is 100% higher (aRR: 2.0, 95%PI: 1.02-3.18, p= 0.017) in women with HBV infected than uninfected. Importantly, the fetal risk of DS in women with HBV infected conformed by four different detection methods and their analysis results were supported by all adjusted models. Our results provide robust evidence to support that maternal HBV infection was an independent risk factor to associate with fetal DS, biochemical pregnancy and extrauterine pregnancy. Although the causality has not yet to be determined, our study provides an opportunity to gain deep insights into the impact of maternal HBV infection on pregnancy and the potential pathogenic mechanism of DS and abnormal pregnancy.

Reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in the placenta was found in women with severe preeclampsia. Aspirin is currently used as the only recommended intervention in pregnancies for prevention of preeclampsia. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether aspirin could attenuate PPARγ inhibitor (T0070907)-induced preeclampsia and its impact on expression of PPARγ. Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were used and treated with different doses of aspirin (0, 1, and 1.5 mg/kg) in presence or absence of PPARγ antagonist, T0070907. We found that mean arterial blood pressure was significantly reduced by aspirin treatment in T0070907-exposed rats. T0070907 exposure also led to significant decrease in fetal weight and increase in placental weights. However, 1.5 mg/kg of aspirin reversed these effects of T0070907. Additionally, aspirin also reversed T0070907-induced changes in the levels of thromboxane B2, vascular endothelial growth factor, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase, and matrix metalloproteinase 2 in both maternal blood and placental tissue. The increased messenger RNA and protein levels of Cox1 and Cox2 induced by T0070907 were markedly reduced by aspirin treatment. Importantly, T0070907 repressed both transcriptional and translational levels of PPARγ, which were reversed by aspirin. In conclusion, this study suggests that aspirin prevented the occurrence of preeclampsia, which is possibly through enhancing both transcriptional and translational levels of PPARγ.

This study investigates the use of water for extracting shale gas in the Sichuan Basin of China. Both net water use and water intensity (i.e., water use per unit of gas produced) of shale wells are estimated by applying a process-based life cycle inventory (LCI) model. The results show that the net water use and water intensity are around 24500 m3/well and 1.9 m3 water/104 m3 gas respectively, and that the fracturing and completion stage of shale gas extraction accounts for the largest share in net water use. A comparison shows that China's water use for shale gas extraction is generally higher than that of other countries. By considering the predicted annual drilling activities in the Sichuan Basin, we find that the annual water demand for shale gas development is likely to be negligible compared to total regional water supply. However, considering the water demand for shale gas extraction and the water demand from other sectors may make water availability a significant concern for China's shale gas development in the future.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disease condition in which a woman develops high blood sugar levels during pregnancy, which might be induced by multiple factors. Among those relative factors, microRNA (miRNA) is well-known to be involved in GDM development. In this study, we investigated the role of miRNA in GDM by analyzing miRNA expression profiling in placenta tissues from healthy or GDM pregnancies. We found that miR-96 was the most down-regulated miRNA in GDM samples. Furthermore, miRNA target gene prediction revealed that p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) is a potential target of miR-96. Functional assays showed that miR-96 enhanced β-cell function, whereas PAK1 inhibited β-cell function and cell viability. Our findings demonstrate that miR-96 plays a critical role in GDM development by regulating PAK1 expression, insulin secretion, and β-cell function. © 2018 BioFactors, 44(6):539-547, 2018.

Considerate proportion of elderly patients with a rib fracture is susceptible to pulmonary complications, especially pneumonia. We aimed to assess the effect of oral administration of the probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota(LcS) on pneumonia and pulmonary functions among elderly patients with single rib fracture. The current study including 204 eligible elderly patients with a single rib fracture was conducted. Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral administration of skimmed milk containing either a commercial probiotic LcS or placebo daily for 1 mo after the fracture, followed by pneumonia assessments, pulmonary function testing including forced expiratory volume (FEV), negative inspiratory pressure (NIP), and forced vital capacity (FVC), as well as evaluation of potential adverse effects including myocardial infarction, acute kidney injury, nonunion of fractured bone, or stroke. After 1 mo consumption, patients in the LcS group exhibited decreased pneumonia and increased recovery of pulmonary functions, in terms of FEV, FVC, and NIP, compared to the placebo group. No difference was observed in incidence of adverse events between the 2 groups. In patients with a single rib fracture, oral administration of the probiotic LcS was associated with a lower incidence of pneumonia and increased pulmonary functions without causing severe adverse effects. To conclude, after 1‐mo LcS consumption, in patients with a single rib fracture, oral administration of the probiotic LcS was associated with a lower incidence of pneumonia and increased pulmonary functions without causing severe adverse effects.

Background Non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) using cell-free foetal DNA (cfDNA) has been widely used for identifying common foetal aneuploidies (e.g. trisomy 21 (T21), trisomy (T18) and trisomy 13 (T13)) in clinical practice. The sensitivity and specificity of NIPS exceeds 99%, but the positive prediction value (PPV) is approximately 70% (combined T21, T18 and T13). Thus, some 30% of pregnant women who have positive NIPS results are eventually identified as normal by amniocentesis. These women therefore must undertake needless invasive tests and risk miscarrying healthy babies because of false positive NIPS results. Methods In order to achieve higher accuracy, we amended the standard NIPS (s-NIPS) protocol with an additional cfDNA size selecting step in agarose-electrophoresis. The advantage of the new method (named e-NIPS) was validated by comparing the results of e-NIPS and s-NIPS using 114 retrospective cases selected from 15,930 cases. Results Our results showed that the foetal cfDNA fraction can be enriched significantly by a size selection step. With this modification, all 98 negative cases and 9 of 11 false positive cases of s-NIPS were correctly identified by e-NIPS, resulting in an increased PPV from 71% to 77%. Additionally, a simulation test showed that e-NIPS is more reliable than s-NIPS, especially when the foetal cfDNA concentration and sequencing coverage are low. Conclusion cfDNA size selection is an important step in improving the accuracy of non-invasive prenatal screening for chromosomal abnormalities.

Multi-label learning is the problem where each instance is associated with multiple labels simultaneously. Binary Relevance (BR), which comes from the idea of one-vs-all for multi-class classification, is a representative algorithm for multi-label learning. It ignores label correlations and may suffer the class-imbalance problem. However, BR is mostly implemented by decomposing into many independent binary classifiers and learning each individually, making it difficult to extend. Moreover, when extending BR by learning together, the mostly used least squared loss function is more suitable for a regression task rather than a classification task. In this paper, we propose a unified framework implementing linear BR for multi-label learning, which is easy to extend and can also be applied in one-vs-all for multi-class classification. We mainly focus on five popular convex loss functions. Experimental results show that the unified framework achieves competitive performances than traditional implementations and some other well-established algorithms for both multi-label learning and multi-class classification. Furthermore, logistic, exponential and least squared hinge loss functions are more suitable for multi-label learning, while logistic and least squared hinge loss functions are more suitable for multi-class classification.

Aim To evaluate the efficacy of conservative treatment with methotrexate against placenta increta by two different routes of administration through retrospective analysis. Methods A total of 54 women diagnosed with placenta increta after vaginal delivery were enrolled in this retrospective study. The participants accepted conservative management with methotrexate through either intravenous injection or local multi-point injection under ultrasound guidance. The treatment was considered effective if no hysterectomy was mandatory during the follow-up period. Results Out of the 54 cases, 21 patients were treated with methotrexate intravenously (group 1), and 33 patients received local multi-point injection to the placenta increta under ultrasound guidance (group 2). No maternal death occurred. In group 1, 10 patients expelled the placentas spontaneously, 7 patients underwent uterine curettage and 4 patients underwent hysterectomy for uncontrollable post-partum hemorrhage and infection. In group 2, 25 patients expelled placentas spontaneously and 8 patients underwent uterine curettage with no incidence of hysterectomy. The success rate in group 1 and group 2 was 17/21 and 33/33, respectively. The average time of the spontaneous placenta expulsion was 79.13 ± 29.87 days in group 1 and 42.42 ± 31.83 days in group 2. Conclusion Local multi-point methotrexate injection under ultrasound guidance is a better alternative for patients with placenta increta, especially for preserving fertility.

Conventional cotton dyeing methods rely on high salt concentrations and consume large amounts of water. To decrease the ecological impact of the textile industry, the development of a green and sustainable dyeing method for cotton fibres is essential. In the present work, ethanol was used to reduce the amounts of salt and water required for cotton dyeing. Cotton yarns were pretreated with alkali and then dyed with six reactive dyes in a 90 : 10 (v/v) ethanol–water mixture. Using various techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, the effects of ethanol on the particle size and zeta potential of the reactive dyes were examined in detail. Compared with conventionally dyed samples, the cotton yarns dyed in the ethanol–water system using the investigated reactive dyes exhibited enhanced exhaustion, total fixation, and colour strength in the absence of salt. Industrial-scale cotton bobbins produced using the developed method showed commercially acceptable levelness and reproducibility. This method affords a substantial reduction in eutrophication potential and wastewater effluent load, which would considerably improve the environmental cost of cotton dyeing processes. This eco-friendly dyeing process has considerable potential for application to a broad range of natural fibres.

Due to the recent development of cyber-physical systems, big data, cloud computing, and industrial wireless networks, a new era of industrial big data is introduced. Deep learning, which brought a revolutionary change in computer vision, natural language processing, and a variety of other applications, has significant potential for solutions providing in sophisticated industrial applications. In this paper, a concept of device electrocardiogram (DECG) is presented, and an algorithm based on deep denoising autoencoder (DDA) and regression operation is proposed for the prediction of the remaining useful life of industrial equipment. First, the concept of electrocardiogram is explained. Then, a problem statement based on manufacturing scenario is presented. Subsequently, the architecture of the proposed algorithm called integrated DDA and the algorithm workflow are provided. Moreover, DECG is compared with traditional factory information system, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are validated experimentally. The proposed concept and algorithm combine typical industrial scenario and advance artificial intelligence, which has great potential to accelerate the implementation of industry 4.0.

The xAl3+/BiVO4 (x = 0, 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%) photocatalysts were successfully prepared by hydrothermal method, and the removal efficiency of organic pollutants was improved in different degrees under the conditions of visible light irradiation. The results showed that proper Al3+-doping could improve the morphology of BiVO4, narrow the band gap and expand the absorption range of visible light. Meanwhile, Al3+ acted as a capture center for photogenerated electrons, reducing the recombination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pair. When the doping amount of Al3+ was 1%, the photocatalytic activity was maximized, and the removal rate of RhB within 90 min was as high as 96%, this was an improvement of about 43% compared to pure BiVO4. In the whole reaction system, O2−, h+ and OH were the main active species, contributing 72.4%, 18.4% and 5.9% to the degradation of RhB, respectively.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment is challenging due to inefficacy and adverse effects of current medications. Probiotic treatment has been shown to promote bone metabolism, reduce pain and inflammatory responses of age-related musculoskeletal disorders, including OA. We aimed to investigate the effect of probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) on patients with knee OA. 537 patients with knee OA were enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, who were randomised to receive skimmed milk containing either LcS or placebo daily for 6 months. Primary outcome was defined as changes in WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) and VAS (visual analog scale) scores. Secondary outcome was defined as changes in serum levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). After 6 months of treatment, both WOMAC and VAS scores were significantly improved in the LcS groups of patients compared to the placebo group. Serum levels of hs-CRP were also significantly lower in patients receiving LcS than placebo. Strong linear correlations were observed between serum hs-CRP levels and WOMAC and VAS scores. LcS consumption could serve as a novel therapeutic option in the clinical management of knee OA, improving treatment outcome likely through reducing serum hs-CRP levels.

Industrial robots such as robotic arms and AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) are widely used in the manufacturing environment to perform various kinds of tasks. However, these industrial robots are designed for traditional production lines which need little interaction and negotiation. As a result, current robots are not suitable for the emerging smart factory in the era of industry 4.0, which features high interconnection, dynamic reconfiguration, mass data, and deep integration. In this paper, a solution using the cloud to assist inter-layer interaction and inter-robot negotiation for smart factory is presented. First, a multi-layer framework is proposed consisting of robots, cloud, and client terminals, and these components are interconnected via networks. Second, the interaction process between components across multi-layers is described. Third, intelligent negotiation mechanism for robots to implement self-organized dynamic reconfiguration is designed, especially for the hybrid production of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tagged products, which is a flexible and economical configuration for the production of multi-type and small-lot products. Finally, a prototype system for a candy-packing application supporting customization is presented to verify the proposed framework, interaction method, and negotiation mechanism.

Micron-sized lasers fabricated from upconverting nanoparticles (UCNP) coupled to whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonators can exhibit continuous-wave anti-Stokes lasing useful for tracking cells, environmental sensing, and coherent stimulation of biological activity. The integration of these microlasers into organisms and microelectronics requires even smaller diameters, however, which raises threshold pump powers beyond practical limits for biological applications. To meet the need for low lasing thresholds and high fidelity fabrication methods, we use correlative optical and electron microscopy to uncover the nanoparticle assembly process and structural factors that determine efficient upconverted lasing. We show that 5 μm microspheres with controlled submonolayer UCNP coatings exhibit, on average, 25-fold lower laser thresholds (1.7 ± 0.7 kW/cm2) compared to the mean values of the lowest threshold UCNP lasers, and variability is reduced 30-fold. WGMs are observed in the upconversion spectra for TiO2-coated microspheres as small as 3 μm, a size at which optical losses had previously prevented such observations. Finally, we demonstrate that the WGM signatures of these upconverting microlasers can be imaged and distinguished through tissue-mimicking phantoms. These advances will enable the fabrication of more efficient upconverting lasers for imaging, sensing, and actuation in optically complex environments.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether MRI features are able to predict massive hemorrhage of patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). A total of 40 patients with suspected PAS after ultrasound examination were subjected to MRI. Of these, 29 patients were confirmed as having PAS. MRI data were analyzed independently by two radiologists in a blinded manner. Inter-observer agreement was determined. The 29 confirmed patients were divided into two groups (moderate and massive hemorrhage) according to the estimated blood loss (EBL) and blood transfusion, and the MRI features were compared between the two groups. The EBL, as well as blood transfusion, between the patients with and without each MRI feature were compared. The inter-observer agreement between the two radiologists for the 11 MRI features had statistical significance (P

Objective To explore the effect of fast-track surgery combined with a clinical nursing pathway in the rehabilitation of patients treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods We enrolled 70 patients diagnosed with avascular necrosis who were treated with a THA. All patients were randomly divided into either a control or a study group. The control group received routine nursing during the perioperative period while the study group received a fast-track surgery combined with a clinical nursing pathway. Results There was no significant difference in general condition between the two groups, including the Harris hip score and the SF-36 scale of health. At the third week and the third month after the operation, the Harris hip score and the health SF-36 score of the study group increased significantly compared with the control group. In addition, the study group had a lower incidence of total complications and a shorter hospitalization time, as well as higher satisfaction scores for nursing work compared with the control group. Conclusion Fast-track surgery combined with a clinical nursing pathway can effectively improve the clinical symptoms and self-efficacy of patients undergoing THA, and improve the patients' satisfaction with hospitalization.

Background To evaluate the effect of oral Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) administration on recovery of hand functions in senior patients diagnosed with an acute distal radius fracture. Methods This clinical trial is double-blind and placebo-controlled, in which 293 senior patients with distal radius fracture were initially enrolled. After exclusion, 264 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive oral placebo or LcS daily for a period of 3 months after the fracture. Treatment outcomes were Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ) score, radial deviation and inclination, and ulnar deviation and variance, all of which were monitored and measured every month. Results Throughout the length of this study, MHQ score, radial deviation and inclination, and ulnar deviation and variance of patients on oral LcS displayed a significantly faster improvement in comparison to those receiving placebo, over the 3-month intervention period. Conclusion Oral administration of LcS dramatically accelerated hand function recovery in senior patients with distal radius fracture.

As an index gas of spontaneous combustion, C2H4 has been used in several coal mines, but its adsorption on residual coal during the process from generation to sampling has an impact on evaluation. The molecular structure models of lignite and anthracite were constructed through molecular mechanics and dynamics, and the Grand Canonical Monte Carlo systems were used to simulate the adsorption of C2H4 and other common gases on lignite and anthracite at temperatures of 288.15–318.15 K. The order of adsorption capacity was CO2 > C2H4 > O2 > N2 in the lignite and anthracite molecular models within the low-pressure zone. When the pressure increases, the adsorption capacity of O2 and N2 exceeded that of C2H4. The C2H4 and CO2 have similar and concentrated adsorption sites, and it is easier to reach the limit adsorption capacity; O2 and N2 have similar adsorption sites, the number of sites is much more than that of C2H4 and CO2, and their limit adsorption capacities are larger than those of C2H4 and CO2. When C2H4 is monitored in a goaf, its concentration is not quite accurate because of the adsorption of residual coal, which is different from the detected temperature of the C2H4 concentration obtained from the experiment. This is of great significance to further experiments and more on-site data statistics to fix the problem for coal mines.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is characterized by severe lethality and irreversible progression. Early diagnosis of SMA is of more practical significance with the emergence of effective therapy. However, existing techniques to identify SMA patients rely on cumbersome instruments, hindering their accessibility and application. An SMA-Cas12a-strip assay was developed with the integration of Cas12a-based nucleic acid detection, isothermal amplification, and lateral flow strip. The analytical performance of the assay was assessed with clinical samples. To explore its extensible utility, various specimens were tested. Validated with 168 clinical samples, the sensitivity and specificity of the SMA-Cas12a-strip assay were both 100%. The minimum detectable concentration of genomic DNA containing the target gene achieved 526 aM. The assay was compatible with specimens from several sources, and the turnaround time could be within 1.5 h. We developed a simple, cost-effective, and highly sensitive and specific assay to detect SMA patients. With little and field-portable equipment, the assay holds great promise in the detection of SMA patients, particularly in low-resource regions.

Background Several case-control studies have demonstrated a relationship between leptin receptor ( LEPR ) gene polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM ) risk, though the results have not always been consistent among diverse populations. This meta-analysis was designed to assess a more accurate association between LEPR polymorphism and T2DM. Methods Eight electronic databases were consulted and researchers searched for Chinese and English peer-reviewed articles, published between 2000 and 2015, that referred to the association between LEPR polymorphism and T2DM . Pooled odds ratios ( OR ) with a 95% confidence interval ( CI ) were calculated in allele contrast, recessive, dominant and additive genetic models to assess this association. Results Four repeatedly reviewed polymorphisms, taken from 22 studies on Arg109Lys , Asn656Lys , Gln223Arg and Pro1019Pro with 31,260 controls and 25,560 cases, were included in the meta-analysis model. The meta-result demonstrated that only the Pro1019Pro polymorphism was substantially associated with T2DM risk— G vs. A : OR with 95 % CI 0.58 (0.43–0.79), Z = 3.51, p = 0.0005; GG vs. AG + AA : 0.57 (0.42–0.77), Z = 3.66, p = 0.0002; GG + AG vs. AA : 0.55 (0.37–0.81), Z = 3.01, p = 0.003; GG vs. AA : 0.51 (0.37–0.69), Z = 4.24, p Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggested a significant association between the LEPR Pro1019Pro polymorphism and T2DM risk. Thus, targeted healthcare should be strengthened with regard to this gene carrier in order to prevent T2DM .

Natural gas–diesel dual-fuel mode has been considered as one of the most promising approaches to apply natural gas in diesel engines with minor engine modification and keeping high thermal efficiency levels. In this paper, the co-combustion characteristics of an NG–diesel dual-fuel engine were studied in order to utilize LNG on electronically controlled common rail diesel engines. The brake specific fuel consumption and exhaust emissions under varied co-combustion ratios are compared and analyzed under speeds of 1200 r/min and 2200 r/min with loads of 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 60% and 100%. Experimental results show that, with the increase of co-combustion ratios in dual-fuel mode, the brake specific fuel consumption increases under low loads while decreases under high and full loads; HC emission increases significantly; CO emission increases; NOx emission hardly changes; while smoke emissions decrease greatly.