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Objective For treatment of infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysms (IFAPs) with the covered stent, debridement technique is important but frequently ignored. Our study aims to review our experience and outcomes of patients undergoing covered stents placement and debridement with vacuum sealing drainage (VSD). Methods This study retrospectively analyzed 41 intravenous drug addicts with IFAP who received covered stent implantation and debridement with VSD from January 2015 to December 2020. The diagnosis was based on the previous history of local injection and the presence of pulsatile mass at the injection site. All cases were confirmed by CT angiography (CTA), ultrasound, or digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Technical success, time of wound care, and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results Technical success was achieved in all patients. The interval from diagnosis to treatment was 26 ± 11 hours. The time of continuous drainage with VSD was 18.79 ± 6.56 days. 38 patients (92.68%) with fresh granulation tissue were sutured and discharged from the hospital. Stents in 31(91.18%) of 34 cases were patent during follow-ups. Three patients had stent occlusion caused by thrombosis, and two of them were complicated with stent infection. The two infectious stents were removed and the femoral arteries were ligated. One of them received open-surgical reconstruction with the great saphenous because of claudication. Two patients were admitted to the hospital for rebleeding caused by drug abuse relapse. Conclusion Covered stents placement is convenient and rapid to control massive hemorrhage in IFAPs of intravenous drug abuse. Early debridement of infected tissue with continued VSD may shorten the time of wound care and make the incidence of stent infection relatively low. Meanwhile, the patency in a short time follow-up is acceptable. These results indicates that covered stents implantation with VSD may be a safe, effective, and feasible measure for the treatment of IFAPs.

To assess the therapeutic efficacy of PDGF-D-overexpressing endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in deep vein thrombosis. Inferior vena cava thrombosis was induced in female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Animals were injected via the distal vena cava with EPCs overexpressing PDGF-D after transfection with a lentiviral vector containing the PDGF-D gene. The effect on thrombosis in animals who received EPCs was evaluated using MSB staining, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and venography; the steady-state mRNA and protein levels of PDGF-D and its receptor (PDGF-Rβ) were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively; and the PDGF-D-induced mobilization of circulating EPCs was estimated by flow cytology. Compared with controls, injection of EPCs overexpressing PDGF-D was associated with increased thrombosis resolution; recanalization; PDGF-D and PDGF-Rβ expression; induction of monocyte homing; and mobilization of EPCs to the venous circulation. In a rat model, transplantation of PDGF-D-overexpressing EPCs facilitated the resolution of deep vein thrombosis.

Rivaroxaban use for inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis after successful catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) is rarely reported. This study aimed at investigating the safety and efficacy of rivaroxaban for IVC thrombosis after CDT. The clinical data on 38 consecutive patients with IVC thrombosis (68% male; mean age, 51.5 ± 16.5), who received rivaroxaban after CDT between July 2017 and January 2020, were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Safety and efficacy of rivaroxaban (bleedings and recurrent venous thromboembolism), cumulative prevalence of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), primary patency, clinically driven target lesion revascularization rate, and other adverse events including all-cause mortality and vascular events (systemic embolism, acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack) were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 38 patients who received rivaroxaban for IVC thrombosis after CDT, 27 (71%) had an anticoagulant duration of 6 months and 11 patients (29%) of more than 6 months. Four patients (10%) suffered recurrent thrombosis. No patient suffered major bleeding, while clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding occurred in two (5%) patients. The cumulative prevalence of PTS was 18% (7/38) during the 12 months follow-up period. Primary patency at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months was 97, 92, 90, and 90%, respectively. According to follow-up data, the clinically driven target lesion revascularization of this study was 10%. Cardiovascular events and mortality did not occur in any patient during the study period. Rivaroxaban for IVC thrombosis after successful CDT can be safe and effective.

Ovonic threshold switching (OTS) selector is a promising candidate to suppress the sneak current paths in emerging memory arrays, but there is still a gap between its performance and the rigorous requirement from memory devices, especially its endurance improvement is hindered by insufficient understanding of the mechanism. In this work, cycling induced degradation of GeSe-based OTS selectors is studied with electrical characterization techniques. The existence of metastable state between the on- and off-state during cycling is observed and statistically analyzed alongside with the gradual off-state leakage current increase. Such metastable degradation may be attributed to the generation of unstable Ge-Ge bonds that might be induced by element segregation, which is also responsible for the higher off-state leakage current in GeSe selectors after large cycling or with higher Ge component. This work provides experimental guidance for optimizing OTS selectors.

This letter presents a vertically-stacked photovoltaic (PV)/bypass diode (BPD) module fabricated via localized substrate removal and flip-chip assembly with the aim of improving shadow performance under Gaussian laser illumination. The proposed scheme also prevents the direct illumination of BPDs to eliminate reverse current leakage. The proposed PV/BPD module achieved output voltage (electrical power) of 4.24V (1.6 mW) in a small form factor (4.84 mm2), as well as a linear shadow response with −0.118 mW electrical power loss per shaded PV cell. Under laser misalignment conditions ( $>0.4$ mm shift), the electrical power generated by the PV/BPD module was 2~4 times higher than that of a PV module without BPD. The fact that the PV and BPD chips can both be fabricated using foundry bulk CMOS processes facilitates the integration of the proposed module with sensor circuits and/or (super)capacitors to form a compact self-powered system.

Endovascular treatment with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting has quickly gained popularity for treatment of deep venous obstructive disease. Early thrombosis after stenting in iliofemoral veins is uncommon. The treatment and analysis of the underlying factors leading to the rethrombosis of stents placed in the previous 14 days are reported in this study.Patients diagnosed with early in-stent thrombosis after iliofemoral stenting were reviewed in this retrospective analysis. Patients with acute occlusion were routinely treated by catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT), and the underlying causes of early occlusion were identified during the procedure. After successful CDT procedures, patients received additional interventions (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with or without stenting) if indicated.A total of 527 patients underwent stenting in the iliofemoral veins, and 32 patients (20 men [63%]) with acute thrombosis in iliofemoral venous stents placed in the previous 14 days were treated in our center from January 2015 to December 2018. The mean time from the onset of symptoms to the intervention was 6 days. Successful thrombolysis was achieved in 31 of the 32 patients, and additional stents were implanted in 16 patients. Patency was achieved in all cases. The underlying factors of early stent thrombosis were technical failure of the initial procedure, such as suboptimal positioning, failure owing to stent characteristics (stent kinking, compression, and angulation), in-stent residual thrombus, and inadequate anticoagulation. In all cases, recanalization was achieved through successful thrombolysis with or without restenting.Treatment with CDT and stenting of early in-stent thrombosis is effective and feasible. Recanalization of stented segment(s) can be achieved in most cases of recent thrombosis (14 days). Early stent-related occlusion is mainly caused by stent-related problems and technical inadequacies.

Evaluating the dispersion of SiC nanoparticles is significant for the development of ZrB2–SiC nanocomposite ceramics. This paper reports the 3D distribution characterization of the nanosized SiC additives in ZrB2–SiC ceramics with synchrotron X-ray nanoscale computed tomography (nano-CT) and Morisita indexes. Different from the investigation with electron microscopy, the presented work implements nondestructively 3D visualization and quantitative characterization of the SiC nanoparticles distribution in ZrB2–SiC ceramics. Firstly, a ZrB2–SiC ceramic sample with a size less than 60 μm was prepared. Then, a nano-CT experiment was designed and implemented for this sample at the 4W1A beamline of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). Next, SiC nanoparticles were extracted by applying image segmentation to the generated 3D nano-CT images of this sample and visualized by volume rendering. Finally, Morisita index was extended from 2D to 3D and applied to the corresponding nano-CT images for the quantitative characterization of SiC nanoparticle 3D distribution. The results from the Morisita index are in good agreement with the visual observation. They reveal that SiC agglomerates exist in the ZrB2 matrix and vary over the regions of interest in the investigated sample.

In recent years, the important role of sustainable development is highlighted in the literature; therefore, a company to make a sustainable business success needs to be well focused on social, environmental, economic, and technological characteristics of the business to address risks and capture value properly. The process of Sustainability Enterprise Risk Management (SERM) is typically implemented to integrate all social, economic, environmental, and technological aspects in a systematic way to properly manage emerging risks and other non-quantifiable risks for company survival. Therefore, in this study, an attempt has been carried out to develop a comprehensive framework to implement the ERM framework under the sustainability platform by considering 29 sub-criteria based on four main aspects, including social, environmental, technological, and economic. In addition, a new fuzzy decision-making approach using the VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje) approach under q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFSs) called VIKOR-q-ROFSs approach is introduced to identify, rank, and evaluate the main criteria of SERM in the universal appeal for all industries such as Chinese manufacturing Small And Mid-Size Enterprises (SMEs) based on expert opinions and literature review. To determine the weights of SERM criteria by the decision experts, this study has introduced q-ROFNs. Moreover, to facilitate the q-ROFNs, a novel q-rung orthopair fuzzy weighted averaging operator (q-ROFWAO) is proposed. Furthermore, VIKOR is applied to rank and evaluate the manufacturing SMEs as the alternatives for this study. The results of this paper showed that technological suitability was the important risk factor followed by technological advance, occupational safety and health, product and services responsibility, (benefit) anti-corruption labor practices, and technological practicability. In addition, the findings of the analysis show that the proposed method was efficient and effective in evaluating risk assessment of SERM in the SMEs.

Power systems around the world are undergoing a major transformation because of the increasing shares of renewable energy, growing deployment of energy storage systems, proliferation of distributed energy resources, electrification of other sectors, and so on. In the United States, wind and solar provided almost 10% of electricity in 2019. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, in its 2020 Annual Energy Outlook, forecasted that the share of electricity from renewables will reach 38% by 2050, of which more than 80% will come from wind and solar. Wind and solar, along with battery energy storage systems, interface with the grid using power electronic inverters; hence, they are collectively referred to as inverter-based resources (IBRs). The increasing annual share of electricity from IBRs in a power system means that during more times of the year, the system will operate at a much higher concentration of IBRs. Figure 1 presents the hourly share of wind and solar generation in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) system in Texas in 2019. While the annual wind share was at 20%, the instantaneous percentage share was much higher. Moments of high shares of IBRs (g50%) will continue to grow as more IBRs will be deployed in a power system.

Acquired pure red cell aplasia is a rare condition characterized by normocytic normochromic anemia with severe reticulocytopenia. In refractory acquired pure red cell aplasia, the low response rate of immunosuppressive therapy also constitutes a challenge. We herein report the case of a 58-year-old male with refractory acquired pure red cell aplasia that was successfully treated by eltrombopag at a dose of 75 mg/day. After application of eltrombopag, the patient achieved complete remission and tolerated the treatment very well, with only mild bilirubin elevation. These preliminary findings showed that eltrombopag may be effective and well tolerated in adult patients with refractory acquired pure red cell aplasia.

Learning from demonstrations with Probabilistic Movement Primitives (ProMPs) has been widely used in robot skill learning, especially in human-robot collaboration. Although ProMP has been extended to multi-task situations inspired by the Gaussian mixture model, it still treats each task independently. ProMP ignores the common scenario that robots conduct adaptive switching of the collaborative tasks in order to align with the instantaneous change of human intention. To solve this problem, we proposed an alternate learning-based parameter estimation method and an empirical minimum variation-based decomposition strategy with projection points, combining with linear interpolation strategy for weights, based on a Gaussian mixture model framework. Alternate learning of weights and parameters in multi-task ProMP (MTProMP) allows the robot to obtain a smooth composite trajectory planning which crosses expected via points. Decomposition strategy reflects how the desired via point state is projected onto the individual ProMP component, rendering the minimum total sum of deviations between each projection point with the respective prior. Linear interpolation is used to adjust the weights among sequential via points automatically. The proposed method and strategy are successfully extended to multi-task interaction ProMPs (MTiProMP). With MTProMP and MTiProMP, the robot can be applied to multiple tasks in industrial factories and collaborate with the worker to switch from one task to another according to changing intentions of the human. Classical via points trajectory planning experiments and human-robot collaboration experiments are performed on the Sawyer robot. The results of experiments show that MTProMP and MTiProMP with the proposed method and strategy perform better.

Introduction Peripheral arterial disease is one common vascular disease most caused by atherosclerosis. As with stroke and coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease is one clinical type of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with many unmeasured environmental and genetic components. MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with the increased risk of ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease. MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with decreasing enzyme activity and increasing homocysteine levels. Meta-analysis of studies had demonstrated an association between elevated plasma homocysteine levels and peripheral arterial disease. Elevated plasma homocysteine level is closely related to MTHFR C677T polymorphism. Recent studies had clarified the relationship of MTHFR C677T polymorphism and peripheral arterial disease. So we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and peripheral arterial disease. Materials and methods We searched the database PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for all English-language articles related to peripheral arterial disease and MTHFR C677T through 30 June 2020. Analysis results were shown by forest plot. Publication bias was estimated using funnel plot. Results A total of 15 studies comprising 1929 patients with peripheral arterial disease and 2952 healthy controls were included in the meta-analysis. Significant associations between MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphism and peripheral arterial disease were found (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.09–1.58, P Conclusion Our meta-analysis suggested that MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphism TT genotype may be associated with increased peripheral arterial disease risk. But further studies with large sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings.

In this study, a model for the development of the wide floodplain in the lower Yellow River Basin, in China was developed. This model includes flood control schemes using grading criteria, enables sediment deposition in partitioned zones, and allows free exchange between channel runoff and sediment. The wide floodplain located between the main channel and levees is divided into three typical regions: the tender, low, and high floodplains. Different ecological models should be applied when these floodplains are constructed. This paper describes the associated research ideas and methodology, and clarifies several key issues, including sediment prediction and regulation, land planning, land use, and a multi-dimensional framework of safeguard measures for industries on the lower Yellow River floodplain. A refined ecological development model is proposed for the lower Yellow River floodplain, and future work on ecological and sustainable development of the lower floodplain is suggested. To establish a comprehensive system integrating runoff and sediment resource regulation in the Yellow River Basin, future work should focus on runoff and sediment exchange mechanisms in the wandering lower reaches. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve theories on floodplain planning and ecological construction, and these theories should be integrated with the research findings on land development across the lower Yellow River floodplain.

We achieve series-connected and shade-resilient silicon photovoltaic (PV) module by connecting Schottky bypass diodes to cascaded PV cells in parallel with a reverse polarity. Localized substrate removal process is conducted to ensure electrical isolation among all on-chip PV and bypass diodes. A concentric pizza-like PV arrangement is employed to minimize the mismatch loss upon direct Gaussian laser beam illumination. The resulting PV module provides an open-circuit voltage of 4.26 V and an electrical power of 1.1 mW. Its output power is still 0.47 mW when half of the PV module is optical shaded. This is a ten-fold improvement as compared to the shading performance of reference PV module without bypass diodes.

Human activity recognition is gaining promising attention in the research community with the recent revolution in artificial intelligence and machine learning to infer activities from the time-series sensor data. Significant progress has been made in the application of effective machine learning algorithms for pattern recognition and prediction of human activities in smart environments, such as ambient assisted living, healthcare monitoring, surveillance-based security and fitness tracking. In this paper, we propose to apply a supervised learning algorithm called margin setting algorithm (MSA) to predict the human activities. To validate the performance of MSA, we compare it with the support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) and understand the activities of daily living of two residents in a smart home. The experimental results show that our proposed algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms.

In this paper, we present a novel multisensor combinatory attitude determination method that enables high-accuracy measurement of the attitude of a high rotational speed rigid-body aircraft. We analyze the external moments of the aircraft during flight and develop the method using theoretical deductions based on the motion equations of a rigid body rotating around the centroid. The proposed method fuses the data measured from GPS, gyrometer, and magnetometer and uses the improved unscented Kalman filter (UKF) algorithm to perform filtering. First, appropriate assumptions and simplifying approximations are made for around-centroid motion equations of a rigid body according to the motion characteristics of the high rotational speed aircraft. Using these assumptions and approximations, the constraint equations between the Euler attitude angles and flight-path angle, trajectory deflection angle are derived to serve as the state equation. Second, the roll angle with error is calculated using the geomagnetic field model and the geomagnetic intensity measured by a three-axis magnetometer and then fused with the angular velocity information obtained from the gyroscope for constructing the measurement equations. Finally, the state equations are discretized using the Runge–Kutta method during the UKF prediction stage, improving the prediction accuracy. Simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively determine the attitude information of the high rotational speed aircraft, achieving high level of reliability and accuracy thanks to the combination of information from GPS, gyroscope, and magnetometer.

The load distribution model of the planetary roller screw mechanism (PRSM) is established on the basis of Hertz contact theory. The objective is to obtain a friction torque model of the PRSM in roller jamming. An example is provided to calculate the friction torque of the PRSM in roller jamming. Thereafter, the transmission efficiency is calculated. A static structural analysis is performed using the finite element method to estimate the contact stress between the threads of the PRSM components. Computational results indirectly reveal that roller jamming exerts considerable influence on the friction torque of the PRSM. Results show that the friction torque of the planetary roller screw increases when the roller is jammed and the wear of the parts is accelerated. This condition leads to structural failure. The results of this study can serve as a foundation for electromechanical actuation systems, which can be useful in designing antijamming systems for safety-critical aircraft applications.

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common laryngeal tumors, and its incidence is increasing yearly; however, whether lymph node dissection should be performed during surgery remains unclear. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and pathological data of 246 cases of LSCC and developed a nomogram for the prediction of lymph node metastasis (LNM) of LSCC. The predictive performance and consistency of the model were evaluated using the consistency coefficient (C-index) and calibration curve, respectively. Among 246 cases of LSCC, 52 cases had metastasis with a positivity rate of 21.14%. Multivariate analyses showed that dysphagia, clinical T stage, and pathological differentiation were independent risk factors for LNM in LSCC. The accuracy of the contour map used to predict the risk for LNM was 0.809. Overall, this nomogram model can be used to evaluate LNM in patients with LSCC before surgery to decide whether to conduct neck dissection and improve patient prognosis.

This current study retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of 69 adult patients with acquired pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) including 40 elderly and 29 non-elderly patients from September 2009 to June 2019. The remission induction therapy regimens included cyclosporine A (CsA), corticosteroids (CS), or other immunosuppressive agents. The overall response rate was 55% (22/40) in the elderly group compared with 75.9% (22/29) in non-elderly patients (P = 0.075). In elderly patients, the best remission was achieved in the group treated with CsA than those treated with CS or other immunosuppressive agents (83.3% vs 26.7% vs 42.9%%, P = 0.004). However, outcomes of remission were similar among different treatment groups (P = 0.458) in non-elderly patients. CS induced a higher response rate in the non-elderly than that in the elderly (88.9% vs 26.7%, P = 0.009). By univariate and multivariate analysis, the clinical efficacy of elderly patients with acquired PRCA was closely associated with an induction regimen of CsA (P = 0.009; P = 0.017). In conclusion, CsA might produce higher response rate than CS and other drugs in elderly patients with acquired PRCA.

Combination of the Motor Imagery EEG (MI-EEG) imaging and Deep Convolutional Neural Network is a prospective recognition method in brain computer interface. Nowadays, the frequency or timefrequency analysis has been applied to each channel of MI-EEG signal to obtain a spatio-frequency or timefrequency image, and even the images from several channels are infused to generate a combined image. However, the real position information of channels or electrodes is lost in these MI-EEG images, and this is contradictory to the activation area of MI-tasks. In this paper, the MI period and the frequency band covered by μ and β rhythms are divided into ten time windows and three sub-bands, respectively. Then, for each electrode, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is employed to transform each time window to spectrum, and its inverse FFT is calculated for each sub-band. The time-domain powers of ten time windows are averaged for the same sub-band. So, three average powers are generated as the time-frequency features of each electrode of MI-EEG. They are further arranged to the electrode coordinate figure by using Clough-Tocher interpolation algorithm, and a complicated image, in which the time-frequency features are correctly located at the real position of each electrode, is obtained to embody the MI-EEG in detail. Furthermore, a VGG network is modified to perform effective recognition for MI-EEG image, and it is called mVGG. Extensive experiments are conducted on three publicly available datasets, and the 10-folds cross validation accuracies of 88.62%, 92.28% and 96.86% are achieved respectively, and they are higher than that of the state-of-the-art imaging methods. Kappa values and ROC curves demonstrate our method has lower class skew and error costs. The experimental results show that the effectiveness of proposed MI-EEG imaging method, and it is well-matched with mVGG.

Uremic pruritus is a distressful complication of chronic kidney disease and results in impaired quality of life and higher mortality rates. Intravenous sodium thiosulfate has been reported to alleviate pruritus in hemodialysis patients. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the efficacy of intravenous sodium thiosulfate in patients with uremic pruritus. A systematic search of electronic databases up to June 2021 was conducted for randomized controlled trials that evaluated the clinical effects of sodium thiosulfate in the management of patients with uremic pruritus. Two reviewers selected eligible articles and evaluated the risk of bias, the results of pruritus assessment and uremic pruritus-related laboratory parameters in selected studies were analyzed. There are four trials published between 2018 and 2021, which include 222 participants. The sodium thiosulfate group displayed significant decrease in the pruritus score (standardized mean difference = −3.52, 95% confidence interval = −5.63 to −1.41, p = 0.001), without a significant increase in the adverse effects (risk ratio = 2.44, 95% confidence interval = 0.37 to 15.99, p = 0.35) compared to the control group. Administration of sodium thiosulfate is found to be a safe and efficacious complementary therapy in improving uremic pruritus in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator (EHA) is an important form of power by wire actuation technology and an integrated Actuator. The fault diagnosis technique plays an important role in improving the reliability of the system by detecting the system running condition to find the fault and analyze the cause of the fault. In order to improve the reliability of EHA, the simulation model of EHA was established in AMESim software, and then the typical faults were analyzed and simulated and injected into the system. We used MATLAB tools to process the output signals, analyzed and obtained the fault characteristics under various states, thus achieving the purpose of fault diagnosis.

We demonstrate vertically-stacked photovoltaic/bypass diode module to generate a lifted output voltage (4.24V) with linear shadow response in electrical power (around 0.2 mW per PV cell) in a compact manner (4.84 mm2). The proposed device configuration allows further integration of sensor circuits and super-capacitors to realize a compact self-powered system.

Purpose: To examine the effects of three types of school-based exercises on bone health and physical fitness function in Chinese boys and girls. Methods: One hundred and seventy-four Chinese boys and girls were randomly assigned into four groups: (1) sham exercise (ShEx), (2) high-impact exercise (HiEx), (3) high-impact exercise with various directions (HiExVi), and (4) high-intensity interval exercise (HiInEx). Speed of sound (SOS) and physical fitness parameters were determined before and after six-month intervention. Results: At the end of six-month intervention, participants in all groups show an increment of SOS compared with the baseline (p &lt, 0.05), and the changes were higher in HiEx (mean: 38.878 m/s, 95% CI: 32.885~44.872, p = 0.001) and HiExVi groups (49.317 m/s, 42.737~55.897, p &lt, 0.001) compared with ShEx group (20.049 m/s, 13.751~26.346). Six-month exercise training generated a reduction of percent of body fat (PBF) and waist–hip ratio (WHR) (p &lt, 0.05). The decrease of PBF was greater in HiExVi (−1.222%, −1.820~−0.624, p = 0.012) and HiInEx groups (−1.395%, −1.809~−0.982, p = 0.003), whereas the reduction of WHR was larger in HiEx (−0.026, −0.039~−0.014, p = 0.009), HiExVi (−0.024, −0.036~−0.012, p = 0.021), and HiInEx groups (−0.035, −0.046~−0.024, p &lt, 0.001) compared with ShEx group. Balance function (BLF), vital capacity (VC), standing long jump (SLJ), and sit up (SU) increased in all intervention groups (p &lt, 0.05). The BLF increased in HiEx (6.332 s, 4.136~8.528, p = 0.001), HiExVi (10.489 s, 8.934~12.045, p &lt, 0.001), and HiInEx groups (9.103 s, 7.430~10.776, p &lt, 0.001) showed a greater change than that of ShEx group (1.727 s, 0.684 ~2.770). The increment of VC (273.049 mL, 199.510~346.587, p &lt, 0.001) and SU (2.537 times/min, 0.639~4.435, p = 0.017) was higher in HiInEx group, whereas the accrual in SLJ was larger in HiExVi (7.488 cm, 4.936~10.040, p = 0.007) compared with ShEx group (58.902 mL, 7.990 ~109.814, −0.463 times/min, −2.003~1.077, 1.488 cm, −0.654 ~3.630). Conclusion: The brief school-based exercises were effective in improving schoolchildren’s health, but they showed different effects, with HiEx mostly improving bone health, HiInEx largely benefiting physical fitness function, and HiExVi enhancing both bone and physical fitness.

With the development of more/all electric aircraft, replacement of the traditional hydraulic servo actuator (HSA) with an electromechanical actuator (EMA) is becoming increasingly attractive in the aerospace field. This paper takes an EMA for a trimmable horizontal stabilizer as an example and focuses on how to establish a system model with an appropriate level of complexity to support the model-based system engineering (MBSE) approach. To distinguish the nonlinear effects that dominate the required system performance, an incremental approach is proposed to progressively introduce individual nonlinear effects into models with different complexity levels. Considering the special design and working principle of the mechanical power transmission function for this actuator, the nonlinear dynamics, including friction and backlash from the no-back mechanism, and the nonlinear compliance effect from the mechanical load path are mainly taken into consideration. The modelling principles for each effect are addressed in detail and the parameter identification method is utilized to model these nonlinear effects realistically. Finally, the responses from each model and experimental results are compared to analyze and verify how each individual nonlinearity affects the system’s performance.

Limited by the field of view (FOV), most existed X-ray industrial computed tomography (ICT) techniques require multi scans for stitching projections when detecting long objects, which significantly increases the scanning time. In addition, these techniques usually adopt the one-by-one scanning mode that further reduces the scanning efficiency. Therefore, this paper proposes a synchronized multi-helical computed tomography. It allows multi objects to be helical scanned simultaneously without signal crosstalk, while it further improves the detecting efficiency. Besides, the reconstruction method suitable for the synchronized multi-helical CT is reported. This method utilizes projection segmentation and helical projection calibration to convert multi-object helical projections into single-object projections. The generated single-object projection can be then reconstructed by conventional algorithms, e.g. the filtered back projection (FBP). This work can improve the efficiency of CT scanning and will promote the applications of CT in large-scale long object detection.

In this paper, the aerodynamic parameters identification strategy for high-spinning projectile with GPS and geomagnetic measurement data is proposed to obtain accurate aerodynamic parameters based on six-degree-of-freedom(6D) projectile model. Sensitivity functions are formulated and analyzed based on projectile system model, which is applied to the identification of aerodynamic parameters. Then an improved iterative Gauss-Newton method is adopted to conduct aerodynamic parameters identified formulation. The simulation results show the identification accuracy of estimated aerodynamic parameters using proposed strategy.

Practical experience in the use of high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technology has revealed that output bias current depends on the total energy output of the cathodes, which means that bias voltage settings do not necessarily match the actual output. In this study, we investigated the effects of bias current and voltage on the characteristics of titanium nitride thin films produced using high impulse magnetron sputtering. The bias current and voltage values were adjusted by varying the supplied cathode power and substrate bias under DC and pulsed-DC output models. Our results revealed that pulse delay (PD) and feed forward (FF) settings can be used to control bias current and voltage. Increasing the bias current from 0.56 to 0.84 was shown to alter the preferred orientation from (111) to (220), increase the deposition rate, and lead to a corresponding increase in film thickness. The surface morphology of all titanium nitride samples exhibited tapered planes attributable to the low bias current and voltage (−30 V). The maximum hardness values were as follows: DC mode (23 GPa) and pulsed-DC mode (19 GPa). The lower hardness values of pulsed-DC samples can be attributed to residual stress, preferred orientation, and surface morphology. The surface of the samples was shown to be hydrophobic, with contact angles of &gt, 100°.

The demand for mass production is increasing in the industrial field, which requires industrial non-destructive testing technologies to make a breakthrough for improving the efficiency of detection. However, the widely used industrial non-destructive testing tool, i.e. X-ray computed tomography (CT) techniques, usually adopt the one-by-one scanning mode and require a large number of projections to accurately reconstruct CT images, which greatly reduces the efficiency of CT and limits its application in industrial mass assembly line production. In this paper, we propose a deep learning reconstruction method for fast assembly line CT. It involves the fast assembly line CT scanning architecture and its corresponding deep learning reconstruction framework working in dual domains i.e. sinogram domain and image domain, which allows multi objects to be synchronously sparse-view scanned and obtain good-quality reconstruction images. The numerical simulation verifies that our method shows better performance in taking into account both the quality and efficiency of CT detection compared with other methods. This work will promote the applications of CT in industrial mass production.

Efficient manufacturing of composite structure is one of the key challenges in the fabrication of flexible devices. Laser direct writing provides a solution due to its area selectivity, controllability and rapid processing. In this study, one-step patterning of Cu/CuxO structure with tunable composition on flexible substrate has been realized with laser direct writing on Cu precursor film. An integrated humidity sensor that combines a CuxO-rich porous sensing structure with a conductive Cu-rich structure has been fabricated. The one-step-written device showed high sensitivity to human breathing. This work highlights the promise of this one-step mask-less laser writing as an efficient, rapid and low-cost composite structure fabrication process for flexible devices.

Deep ploughing and subsoiling are important management practices used for mitigating the risk of soil compaction under long term no-tillage or reduced tillage practices. These fallow tillage methods have been widely applied in the Loess Plateau region of China to improve soil water availability and preventing soil erosion. To investigate the effect of different tillage practices for increasing the production of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and their relationship with precipitation distribution in the semiarid southeast region of the Loess Plateau, a six-year field study was conducted from 2009 to 2015, using three tillage treatments: deep ploughing (DP), subsoiling (SS), and no-tillage (NT). Our results indicated that DP and SS treatments increased soil water storage in the 0–300 cm soil layer at sowing and soil organic carbon in the 0–20 cm soil layer at maturity. In addition, DP and SS increased soil water consumption in the 0–180 cm soil layer from sowing to anthesis, and in the 120–300 cm layer from anthesis to maturity of wheat. Furthermore, the DP and SS treatments significantly increased the root length, root surface area, and the number of root tips in the 0–80 cm and aboveground dry biomass at maturity. Additionally, DP and SS treatments increased the grain yield by 31% and 26%, precipitation use efficiency by 32% and 26%, and water use efficiency by 12% and 11% respectively, as compared with those of the NT treatments. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that soil water consumption was significantly positively correlated with precipitation from sowing to jointing and anthesis to maturity. In addition, grain yield had a significant positive correlation with precipitation during the fallow season, particularly in the SS treatment. Moreover, grain yield was significantly positively correlated with soil water consumption in the 0–180 cm soil layer from sowing to jointing, and at 60–240 cm soil depth from jointing to maturity. In conclusion, under low precipitation, DP was more favorable for winter wheat than SS, whereas, under high precipitation, SS was more beneficial than DP.

This study aimed to develop wearable devices of textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) integrated with plastic metal electrodes. The plastic metal electrodes were developed using Ga-In liquid alloy with glaze powders as the contact electrodes of the textile-based TENGs. Moreover, nylon and polyester textiles with different microstructures/nanostructures were selected as frictional electrodes in TENGs to achieve high flexibility, stability, and electric conductivity. The experimental results indicated that the maximum output voltage and current of the textile-based TENGs were 30.96 V and 3.07 μA, respectively, when the TENG comprised a nylon layer with embroidered square array patterns and a polyester layer with polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers. Furthermore, these TENGs could generate a maximum output power of 13.97 μW when the external load resistance was 10 MΩ. After a continuous 7200 cycle operation with a reciprocating linear motion platform having a pneumatic cylinder, the textile-based TENG exhibited excellent stability and durability. The fabricated TENGs integrated in a commercial coat, shoe, kneecap, and wristband achieved biomechanical energy conversion functions with high electrical performance for practical applications of self-powered devices.

This study aimed to figure out the economic burden of measles patients and explore the associated factors for total cost in measles cases that occurred in the year 2015 from Jiaxing, Jinhua, and Taizhou cities in Zhejiang Province, China. Direct interviews were conducted to collect information on patient expenses during treatment, including outpatient expenses, hospitalization expenses, self-treatment fees, productivity loss, and transportation fees. Descriptive epidemiological methods and chi-square tests were used to assess the direct and indirect cost of measles patients. Ordinal logistic regression was applied to explore the possible factors contributing to cost. A total of 136 measles cases were investigated and the average direct cost, indirect cost, and total cost were #747.14, #520.12, and #1,267.26, respectively. Direct cost accounted for 58.96% of the total cost, which was significantly higher than the indirect cost (P < 0.001). In 2015, 1,386 confirmed cases were reported in the Zhejiang Province, and the overall direct, indirect, and total economic burden reached #1.04 million, #0.72 million, and #1.76 million, respectively. Quality-adjusted life years for measles patient were calculated to be 76.06 in Zhejiang, 2015. Hospitalization, occupation, complication, disease duration, age, and site had a significant influence on the total cost according to ordinal logistic regression, with the maximum contribution from hospitalization. Measles resulted in heavy economic burdens, and local public health departments or community health service centers should spare no effort to maintain a high rate of vaccination coverage and protect susceptible populations.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the association between social engagement and cognitive impairment with psychological well-being (PWB) as a mediator in older Chinese adults and to further test the gender differences in this association. Method: Data were drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey of older Chinese adults, aged 65 and older ( N = 6,998). The total effect was decomposed into direct and indirect effects by logistic regression based on the Karlson, Holm, and Breen method. Results: Higher social engagement was significantly associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment, odds ratio (OR) = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.82, 0.97]. Moreover, a better PWB would decrease the odds of cognitive impairment (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.98]). The mediating effect was 15.4% in the full sample and 13.1% in the men subsample. However, mediation was not significant in the women subsample. Discussion: Higher social engagement was associated with a decreased odds of cognitive impairment in older men, and this association was mediated by PWB.

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of replacing metal mirrors with polysilicon gratings to serve as compact optical back reflectors in thin backside-illuminated CMOS photodiodes (BSI CPDs). The unique reflective properties of polysilicon grating reflectors can be implemented within a very small area ( $12~\mu \text{m}^{2}$ ); i.e., between the contact vias of BSI CPDs. The proposed scheme achieves high optical reflectivity for TE-polarized light at wavelengths exceeding 100 nm, while improving responsivity at near-infrared wavelengths. The resulting BSI CPDs were shown to enhance photocurrent by $1.45\times $ in a polarization-dependent manner ( $\text{I}_{\mathrm {TE}}/\text{I}_{\mathrm {TM}} =1.148$ ) at a wavelength of 980 nm.

Mechanisms of time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) in nonfilamentary a-Si/TiO2 RRAM cell [a-vacancy modulated conductive oxide (VMCO)] have been examined in this paper, including defects generation in the grain boundary, defects clustering, and different defects generation rates in a-Si and TiO2 layers. The unique feature of a bimodal Weibull distribution at low-resistance state (LRS) and a single shallow slope distribution at high-resistance state (HRS) cannot be explained by the above mechanisms. By using a combination of constant voltage stress, time-to-breakdown Weibull distribution, and random telegraph noise (RTN)-based defect profiling in devices of various sizes, layer thicknesses, and processes, it is revealed that the defect profile is modulated when switching between HRS and LRS and the correlation of defect profile modulation with local defect generation rate can explain the difference in Weibull distributions at HRS and LRS. The transition from bimodal distribution at LRS to a single-steep slope with thinner a-Si layer, and the good area scaling of Weibull distribution at HRS but not at LRS, can also be explained. The critical layers affecting the TDDB in a-VMCO are identified, providing useful guidance for device performance improvement.

Edge computing (EC) uses edge devices to process data in real-time. Because it is closer to the data source, edge computing has low latency and high efficiency. Edge computing can quickly process the massive data generated in the smart grid and reduce the calculation and time costs of the smart grid. However, the communication process of edge devices in the smart grid is easily attacked by attackers, leading to leakage and tampering of keys. In order to protect the communication security of the edge computing infrastructure in the smart grid environment, this paper proposes an anonymous access control scheme based on ECC. This solution has lower computing and communication costs, and will not increase the manufacturing cost of edge devices. In terms of security, the solution in this paper implements secure and anonymous mutual authentication, and can resist a variety of malicious attacks including man-in-the-middle attacks and replay attacks. Compared with other smart grid edge computing solutions, the solution in this paper realizes the identification of edge devices in 14.4593 ms, and has advantages in security and reliability.

Background: Acute appendicitis (AA) is a common cause of abdominal pain encountering unnecessary surgeries in emergency departments. The present meta-analysis aims to assess the accuracy of abdominal ultrasound in suspected acute appendicitis cases in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and post-test odds for positive and negative results.Materials and Methods: An extensive and systematic search was conducted in Medline (via PubMed), Cinahl (via Ebsco), Scopus, and Web of Sciences from 2010 till the end of March 2021. Two authors analyzed studies for inclusion, collected results, and conducted analyses separately. Examination of the histopathological tissue collected during appendectomy served as a gold standard for determining the final diagnosis of appendicitis. The accuracy was determined by evaluating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), diagnostic odds ratio.Results: Out of 3,193 references, a total of 18 studies were selected. Overall sensitivity of 77.2% (95% CI – 75.4–78.9%) and specificity of 60% (95% CI – 58–62%) were observed. The diagnostic odds ratio of 6.88(95% CI 1.99–23.82) was obtained.Conclusion: Abdominal ultrasound shows significant accuracy of diagnosis in patients with suspected acute appendicitis.

A complex wind field refers to the typical atmospheric disturbance phenomena existing in nature that have a great influence on the flight of aircrafts. Aimed at the issues involving large volume of data, complex computations and a single model in the current wind field simulation approaches for flight environments, based on the essential principles of fluid mechanics, in this paper, wind field models for two kinds of wind shear such as micro-downburst and low-level jet plus three-dimensional atmospheric turbulence are established. The validity of the models is verified by comparing the simulation results from existing wind field models and the measured data. Based on the principle of vector superposition, three wind field models are combined in the ground coordinate system, and a comprehensive model of complex wind fields is established with spatial location as the input and wind velocity as the output. The model is applied to the simulated flight of a rocket projectile, and the change in the rocket projectile’s flight attitude and flight trajectory under different wind fields is analyzed. The results indicate that the comprehensive model established herein can reasonably and efficiently reflect the influence of various complex wind field environments on the flight process of aircrafts, and that the model is simple, extensible, and convenient to use.

Objectives: To study the correlations of circulating miR-26b level with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and cardiac function in elderly patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 132 eligible patients were divided into low and high miR-26b level groups. Their baseline clinical data and biochemical indices were compared. The correlations between miR-26b level and echocardiographic parameters were studied by Pearson’s analysis. Factors affecting LVH were explored by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The role of miR-26b in diagnosing LVH was predicted by receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: The relative expression level of miR-26b was 4.56-16.93, with a median of 7.62. The two groups had similar baseline clinical data and biochemical indices (P>0.05). Compared with high miR-26b level group, interventricular septal thickness (IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and number of LVH cases in low miR-26b level group significantly increased (P

Drug addiction is a disorder related to dysfunction in the neural reward memory circuits, and it is characterized by compulsive drug use despite terrible negative consequences. Memory reconsolidation, during which aroused memory is easy to strengthening, weakening or updating, plays an extremely important role in drug addiction. Effectively interfering with the drug memory reconsolidation process would be key in treating drug addiction, but this intervention currently remains impossible. The dopamine motivation system has been widely recognized as an important system for reward, but whether the dopamine motivation system participates in drug memory reconsolidation is unclear. We aimed to explore the role of the dopamine motivation system during the cue-induced cocaine memory reconsolidation process by examining the effect of different pharmacological interventions on the dopamine motivation system during cue-induced cocaine self-administration-related memory reconsolidation drug-seeking behavior. Using a combined behavioral and biological method, our results showed that high concentrations of SCH 23390 and raclopride, or VTA lesions, could effectively disturb subsequent cue-induced cocaine self-administration-related memory reconsolidation drug-seeking behavior in rats. However, low concentrations of SCH 23390 and raclopride could not block this behavior. In summary, only a high dose of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists, or VTA lesions, could effectively disturb subsequent cue-induced cocaine self-administration-related memory reconsolidation drug-seeking behavior. These findings indicated that pharmacological interventions in the dopamine motivation system could effectively disturb subsequent cue-induced drug memory reconsolidation. Thus, pharmacological interventions on the dopamine motivation system might have therapeutic potential for drug addiction.

Background To compare the efficacy of endovascular treatment for iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS) with or without acute deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 300 IVCS patients, who received endovascular treatment between January 2013 and December 2017. According to whether IVCS was complicated by deep venous thrombosis or not, these patients were divided into non-thrombotic iliac vein lesion group (NIVL group, n = 127) and post-thrombotic iliac vein lesion group (PIVL group, n = 173). After endovascular treatment, all patients were followed up to assess the symptoms improvement and to evaluate the patency of iliac vein. Results The technical success rate was 98% (294/300), and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting was adopted in 294 cases. The incidence of perioperative complications was 36.33% (109/300), but no severe complications occurred. During a mean follow-up of 22.3 months (range 6–30 months), 9(6.82%, 9/132) patients in PIVL group had recurrence of deep venous thrombosis, but nobody had deep venous thrombosis and varicose veins recurrence in NIVL group. The effective rate of endovascular treatment in NIVL group and PIVL group was 96.88% and 90.15% ( P = 0.050), while the cumulative primary patency of iliac vein in NIVL group was significantly higher than that in PIVL group ( P = 0.008). Conclusions The endovascular treatment is an effective, feasible, safe method for treating IVCS. There is no difference in the efficacy of IVCS patients with or without deep venous thrombosis, but the medium and long-term patency of patients with deep venous thrombosis is lower than that in patients without deep venous thrombosis.

Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered as the most robust environmental risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Besides direct neuronal injury and neuroinflammation, vascular impairment is also a hallmark event of the pathological cascade after TBI. However, the vascular connection between TBI and subsequent AD pathogenesis remains underexplored. Methods In a closed-head mild TBI (mTBI) model in mice with controlled cortical impact, we examined the time courses of microvascular injury, blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, gliosis and motor function impairment in wild type C57BL/6 mice. We also evaluated the BBB integrity, amyloid pathology as well as cognitive functions after mTBI in the 5xFAD mouse model of AD. Results mTBI induced microvascular injury with BBB breakdown, pericyte loss, basement membrane alteration and cerebral blood flow reduction in mice, in which BBB breakdown preceded gliosis. More importantly, mTBI accelerated BBB leakage, amyloid pathology and cognitive impairment in the 5xFAD mice. Discussion Our data demonstrated that microvascular injury plays a key role in the pathogenesis of AD after mTBI. Therefore, restoring vascular functions might be beneficial for patients with mTBI, and potentially reduce the risk of developing AD.

The mortality rate of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains high worldwide. Although cisplatin-based chemotherapy may greatly enhance patient prognosis, chemotherapy resistance remains an obstacle to curing patients with NSCLC. Therefore, overcoming drug resistance is the main route to successful treatment, and combinatorial strategies may have considerable clinical value in this effort. In this study, we observed that both parthenolide (PTL) and cisplatin (DDP) inhibited the growth of NSCLC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The combination of PTL and DDP presented a synergistic inhibitory effect on NSCLC at a ratio of 50:1. The combination of PTL and DDP synergistically inhibited cell migration and invasion, inhibited cell cycle progression, and induced apoptosis of A549 and PC9 cells. Bioinformatics and network pharmacology analysis indicated that PTL may primarily affect the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT signaling pathway. After treatment with PTL and DDP either alone or in combination, Western blot analysis revealed that the proteins levels of Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 were upregulated, while p-PI3K, p-Akt, Caspase-3, and Bcl-2 proteins were downregulated. Among these alterations, the combination of PTL and DDP was found to exhibit the most significant effects. PTL might therefore be considered as a new option for combination therapy of NSCLC.

Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder with frequent psychiatric, cognitive, and social comorbidities in addition to recurrent seizures. Cognitive impairment, one of the most common comorbidities, has severe adverse effects on quality of life. Chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) has demonstrated neuroprotective efficacy in several neurological disease models. In the present study, we examined the effects of CIHH on cognition and hippocampal function in chronic epileptic rats. CIHH treatment rescued deficits in spatial and object memory, hippocampal neurogenesis, and synaptic plasticity in pilocarpine-treated epileptic rats. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway has been implicated in neural stem cell proliferation and synapse development, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibition effectively blocked the neurogenic effects of CIHH. Our findings indicate that CIHH rescues cognitive deficits in epileptic rats via Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation. This study establishes CIHH and Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulators as potential treatments for epilepsy- induced cognitive impairments.