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Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is widely used due to its various advantages. However, it causes serious electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the conducted EMI of MMC. A novel spread-spectrum (SS) strategy called space spread-spectrum (SSS) is proposed in this article. The core idea of SSS strategy is to make the carrier frequency of each submodule different. The principle and formula derivation of SSS strategy are elaborated. SSS is a highly free strategy because carrier frequency can be distributed arbitrarily with space position. Several methods for determining carrier frequency distribution are proposed in this paper. These methods not only achieve EMI suppression, but also take into account less circulating current, higher switching frequency and lower switching loss. THD and switching loss variation under SSS strategy are also studied in the article. Experiments are carried out to validate the effectiveness of SSS strategy. The SSS strategy can reduce the conducted EMI more than 12dB and all obvious spikes in the spectrum are eliminated effectively. Besides, it is easy to implement and suitable for practical system with quantities of submodules.

AIMS Culprit-plaque morphology [plaque rupture (PR) and plaque erosion (PE)] and high-risk plaques (HRP) identified by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and residual SYNTAX score (rSS) have been reported to influence clinical outcomes. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic implication of culprit-plaque morphology and rSS for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS Based on plaque morphology and rSS, 274 STEMI patients were divided into 4 groups: PE/low-rSS (n=61), PE/high-rSS (n=58), PR/low-rSS (n=55), and PR/high-rSS (n=100). According to HRP and rSS, patients were stratified to non-HRP/low-rSS (n=97), non-HRP/high-rSS (n=109), HRP/low-rSS (n=19), and HRP/high-rSS (n=49). MACE was defined as the composite of all-cause death, recurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and unplanned revascularization of any coronary artery. RESULTS During the follow-up of 2.2 years, 47 (17.2%) MACE were observed. Patients with PR/high-rSS and HRP/high-rSS presented lower survival probability on revascularization and MACE. In fully adjusted analyses, PR/high-rSS group presented higher MACE risk than PE/low-rSS (HR: 4.80, 95% CI: 1.43-16.11, P=0.025). Patients with non-HRP/high-rSS (HR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.01-8.38, P=0.049) and HRP/high-rSS (HR: 8.67, 95% CI: 2.67-28.21, P＜0.001) presented higher risk of cardiac events than non-HRP/low-rSS. Adding rSS and HRP to the risk prediction model increased the C-statistic to 0.797 (95% CI: 0.737-0.857), with ΔC-statistic of 0.066 (P=0.002) and the NRI (46.0%, 95% CI: 20.5-56.8%, P＜0.001) and IDI (8.7%, 95% CI: 3.6-18.2%, P＜0.001). CONCLUSION High-risk plaques in combination with rSS enhanced the predictive ability for MACE, indicating culprit-plaque features and residual atherosclerosis burden should be taken into account in risk stratification of STEMI patients.

The investigation of two-dimensional (2D) materials has advanced into practical device applications, such as cascaded logic stages. However, incompatible electrical properties and inappropriate logic levels remain enormous challenges. In this work, a doping-free strategy is investigated by top gated (TG) MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs) using various metal gates (Au, Cu, Ag, and Al). These metals with different work functions provide a convenient tuning knob for controlling threshold voltage (Vth) for MoS2 FETs. For instance, the Al electrode can create an extra electron doping (n-doping) behavior in the MoS2 TG-FETs due to a dipole effect at the gate-dielectric interface. In this work, by achieving matched electrical properties for the load transistor and the driver transistor in an inverter circuit, we successfully demonstrate wafer-scale MoS2 inverter arrays with an optimized inverter switching threshold voltage (VM) of 1.5 V and a DC voltage gain of 27 at a supply voltage (VDD) of 3 V. This work offers a novel scheme for the fabrication of fully integrated multistage logic circuits based on wafer-scale MoS2 film.

Novel resistor-free differential microstrip lines prototype loaded with lossy metamaterial is proposed to achieve wideband common-mode (CM) absorption. The metamaterial is constructed by a chain of lossy complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs), which are etched on the ground plane. Different from the CM absorption realized by lumped resistors, this work utilizes the inherent dielectric and conductor losses introduced by the differential microstrip lines and CSRRs to absorb CM energy. Furthermore, CSRRs are designed with gradual perturbation to broaden the CM absorption band. The lossy even-mode equivalent circuit models are established and analyzed to reveal the CM absorption mechanism. In order to verify the proposed strategy to design resistor-free differential microstrip lines with CM absorption, a sample was fabricated and measured. The measured $S_{{cc21}}$ and $S_{{cc11}}$ are kept below -10 dB simultaneously from 4.3 to 5.65 GHz with 27.4% fractional bandwidth, where the CM energy is absorbed over 80% by the dielectric and conductor losses. Meanwhile, the low insertion loss of $S_{{dd21}}$ below 6 GHz as well as the good differential-mode eye diagrams demonstrates that good signal integrity of differential signals is kept.

A differentially fed dual-mode patch antenna is proposed with wideband common-mode (CM) absorption. The proposed antenna consists of a differential feeding network, common ground plane and the radiation patch with stepped widths. The differential feeding network is formed by adding an absorptive stub at the symmetric plane of balanced microstrip structure to achieve wideband CM absorption. Besides, a T-shaped slot is etched on the ground plane to realize aperture coupling to excite the radiation under TM01 and TM11 modes. Subsequently, the differential parallel feeding technique is employed to design a 2×4 planar array with low cross polarization. As demonstration, the prototypes of the designed differential antenna and array are fabricated and measured. The measured results show that the proposed antenna element and array exhibit the broadened -10 dB impedance bandwidths covering the frequency range of 4.8 GHz to 4.99 GHz, wide CM absorption band with about 70% fractional bandwidth, and low cross polarization below -20 dB. Furthermore, the measured peak realized gains of antenna and planar array are 7.5, and 16.6 dBi, respectively.

The automatic shape control of deformable objects is a challenging (and currently hot) manipulation problem due to their high-dimensional geometric features and complex physical properties. In this study, a new methodology to manipulate elastic rods automatically into 2D desired shapes is presented. An efficient vision-based controller that uses a deep autoencoder network is designed to compute a compact representation of the object's infinite-dimensional shape. An online algorithm that approximates the sensorimotor mapping between the robot's configuration and the object's shape features is used to deal with the latter's (typically unknown) mechanical properties. The proposed approach computes the rod's centerline from raw visual data in real-time by introducing an adaptive algorithm on the basis of a self-organizing network. Its effectiveness is thoroughly validated with simulations and experiments.

With the advent of the Internet of Things era, the detection and recognition of moving objects is becoming increasingly important1. The current motion detection and recognition (MDR) technology based on the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors (CIS) platform contains redundant sensing, transmission conversion, processing and memory modules, rendering the existing systems bulky and inefficient in comparison to the human retina. Until now, non-memory capable vision sensors have only been used for static targets, rather than MDR. Here, we present a retina-inspired two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure based retinomorphic hardware device with all-in-one perception, memory and computing capabilities for the detection and recognition of moving trolleys. The proposed 2D retinomorphic device senses an optical stimulus to generate progressively tuneable positive/negative photoresponses and memorizes it, combined with interframe differencing computations, to achieve 100% separation detection of moving trichromatic trolleys without ghosting. The detected motion images are fed into a conductance mapped neural network to achieve fast trolley recognition in as few as four training epochs at 10% noise level, outperforming previous results from similar customized datasets. The prototype demonstration of a 2D retinomorphic device with integrated perceptual memory and computation provides the possibility of building compact, efficient MDR hardware. A retina-inspired two-dimensional material based retinomorphic device exhibits all-in-one perception, memory and computing capabilities for motion detection and recognition.

This article presents a 148-nW always-on wake-up system that drastically reduces the system power consumption of Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes while oftentimes operating in random-sparse-event (RSE) scenarios. To significantly reduce the long-term average (LTA) power consumption and realize multiapplication and intelligent event detection, three techniques are proposed: 1) In a three-stage pipelined event-driven architecture, a frame generator and a convolutional neural network intelligent inference engine (CNN IIE) in stage III are event-driven by the preliminary detectors in stage II, and the detectors are triggered by a level-crossing (LC) analog-to-digital converter (ADC), i.e., stage I, dramatically reducing the overall power consumption. 2) The clock-free pulse-based instant rate of change (IROC) feature extractor directly processes the asynchronous pulses of the LC-ADC outputs in the temporal domain instead of utilizing a conventional power-hungry frequency-domain method. 3) A reconfigurable IROC, the frame generator, and the CNN IIE provide adaptive intelligence for various IoT events, enhancing the accuracy of multipurpose detection with ultralow power. We demonstrate two artificial intelligence IoT (AIoT) applications at 0.6-V VDD. For electrocardiogram (ECG) recognition, one example works at a typical event rate (ER) of ~4800/h, with an active power of 1.68 $\mu \text{W}$ and a precision of up to 99%; the other is used for keyword spotting (KWS), where the chip achieves 378 nW at ~720/h ER and 94% accuracy. The LTA power is bounded to 148 nW, while the event-driven chip is on call and waiting for events; this chip dominates the AIoT device battery life in RSE scenarios.

Autoimamune disease is an inappropriate response to one's tissues due to a break in immune tolerance and exposure to self-antigens. It often leads to structural and functional damage to organs as well as systemic disorders. To date, there are no effective interventions to prevent the progression of autoimmune diseases. Hence, there is an urgent need for new treatment targets. TRPM7 is an enzyme-coupled, transient receptor ion channel of the subfamily M that plays a vital role in pathologic and physiologic conditions. While TRPM7 is constitutively activated under certain conditions, it can regulate cell migration, polarization, proliferation, and cytokine secretion. However, a growing body of evidence highlights the critical role of TRPM7 in autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. Herein we present; a) a review of the channel kinase properties of TRPM7 and its pharmacological properties, b) discuss the role of TRPM7 in immune cells (neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, and mast cells) and its upstream immunoreactive substances, and c) highlight TRPM7 as a potential therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases.

Background and Aim The aim of prospective study was to determine the prognostic value of combined measures of plasma proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) according to the culprit-plaque morphology (plaque rupture versus plaque erosion) in relation to the in patients with acute ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods A total of 434 patients with STEMI aged ≥18 years who underwent pre-intervention OCT imaging of culprit lesions between March 2017 and March 2019 were enrolled. Finally, 235 patients who meet the inclusion criteria were enrolled and the cohort was divided into 3 groups according to PCSK9 and PTX3 levels: group A: PCSK9 < median and Pentraxin 3 (N = 72/30.6%); group B: PCSK9 ≥ median or Pentraxin 3≥ median (N = 91/38.7%); group C: PCSK9 ≥ median and Pentraxin 3≥ median (N = 72/30.6%). MACEs were defined as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI) recurrence, and ischemic stroke, revascularization and heart failure. Outcomes During a median follow-up of 2.01 years, 50 patients has occurred MACE. Two-year MACE was higher in group C (23/31.9%) than in group B (16/17.6%) and group A (11/15.3%) (p = 0.028). There was a correlation between PCSK9 and PTX3 (r = 0.302, p < 0.003). In multivariable analysis adjusted for age, gender, risk factors, and serum indexes, being in group C remained independently associated with an increased risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.90; p = 0.010), and group B tended to have higher MACE (HR: 1.76; p = 0.172) compared with group A. Among patients with plaque erosion by OCT, group C was independently associated with an increased risk of MACE (HR: 9.04; p = 0.048) after fully adjustment. However, the significant association was absence among patients with plaque rupture. Conclusion and Relevance This study demonstrated the usefulness of combined measures of PCSK9 and PTX3 to enhance risk stratification in patients with STEMI especially among patients with plaque erosion. Patients with elevation of both PCSK9 and PTX3 had a markedly increased risk of MACE.

Background Population aging has been an emerging public and health concern globally. Balance performance can be applied as an indicator of functional status and a predictor of health outcomes in the elderly. However, reference data of balance performance in the elderly generated from large scale studies have been very limited. In research and geriatric assessment settings, the age and gender specific data on balance performance are indispensable prerequisites for identifying subpopulation with and at risk of impairments and subsequently implementing targeted interventions in clinics and public health to improve their balance performance. Methods A total of 1984 elderly subjects aged 60 to 97 years from community settings in urban China were investigated. The balance performances together with 3 individual domains and 16 items were evaluated using the X16 balance testing scale. Results In the elderly, with age increases each item, individual domain, and overall balance performance scores decreased gradually. Meanwhile, individual variations of individual domains and overall balance performance were all increased over age. Relative to levels of 60- years, postural stability and overall balance performance decreased significantly since 65 years old, static balance and dynamic balance capacities started to decrease significantly since 70 years old. There was no significant difference in each balance domain and overall balance performance between men and women. Across age groups, portions of individuals able to perform task 4, 8 and 11 successfully were the lowest amongst their corresponding domains static balance, postural stability, and dynamic balance, respectively. Similar patterns were observed in both men and women. Balance performances were categorized into poor, fair, and good groups with scores of 0 to 10, 11 to 17, and 18 to 20, respectively. With increases of age, proportions with poor and fair balance capacities elevated stably. Conclusions In the elderly, with advances in age, abilities of overall balance performance, individual domains of static balance, postural stability, and dynamic balance, and successful performances on specific tasks declined gradually and stably. The deterioration started to be obvious since 65–75 years. Men and women had similar patterns.

Well logging helps geologists find hidden oil, natural gas and other resources. However, well log data are systematically insufficient because they can only be obtained by drilling, which involves costly and time-consuming field trials. Additionally, missing or distorted well log data are common in old oilfields owing to shutdowns, poor borehole conditions, damaged instruments and so on. As a workaround, pseudo-data can be generated from actual field data. In this study, we propose a spatio-temporal neural network (STNN) algorithm, which is built by leveraging the combined strengths of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory network (LSTM). The STNN exploits the ability of the CNN to effectively extract features related to pseudo-well log data and the ability of the LSTM to extract the key features from well log data along the depth direction. The STNN method allows full consideration of the well log data trend with depth, the correlation across different log series and the actual depth accumulation effect. The method proved successful in predicting acoustic sonic log data from gamma-ray, density, compensated neutron, formation resistivity and borehole diameter logs. Results show that the proposed method achieves higher prediction accuracy because it takes into account the spatio-temporal information of well logs.

Pristine monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) demonstrates predominant and persistent n-type semiconducting polarity due to the natural sulfur vacancy, which hinders its electronic and optoelectronic applications in the rich bipolarity area of semiconductors. Current doping strategies in single-layer MoS2 are either too mild to reverse the heavily n-doped polarity or too volatile to create a robust electronic device meeting the requirements of both a long lifetime and compatibility for mass production. Herein, we demonstrate that MoS2 can be transferred onto polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), one of the most electronegative substrates. After transfer, the MoS2 photoluminescence exhibits an obvious blueshift from 1.83 to 1.89 eV and a prolonged lifetime, from 0.13 to 3.19 ns. The Fermi level of MoS2 experiences a remarkable 510 meV decrease, transforming its electronic structure into that of a hole-rich p-type semiconductor. Our work reveals a strong p-doping effect and charge transfer between MoS2 and PTFE, shedding light on a new nonvolatile strategy to fabricate p-type MoS2 devices.

SIGNIFICANCE Previously, people had only recognized the discomfort of masks, and no one had ever realized the risk of ocular trauma associated with masks. We classify the causes of injuries into two categories and emphasize the importance of using masks properly. PURPOSE This study aimed to characterize and classify ocular injuries caused by masks. CASE REPORTS With the increase in the number of masks used during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, we have seen a rise in mask-related ocular injuries. This is a single-center retrospective case series of patients presenting to the Peking University Third Hospital Ophthalmology Department emergency department with ocular injuries secondary to masks from February to August 2020. Nine patients (six males, three females) were reviewed. All patients had a unilateral injury (four right eyes, five left eyes). The most frequently injured site was the cornea, which was seen in five patients. Some patients were injured in more than one area. Seven patients were injured by metal nose wires or other rigid, sharp parts of masks. The other two patients were injured by elastic mask straps. CONCLUSIONS Masks can cause two types of ocular injuries that may require surgical intervention. One kind is metal nose wires or other rigid, sharp parts of masks causing lacerations or abrasions. The other is recoiling elastic mask straps snapping into the eyes and causing contusions. Our report emphasizes the importance of using masks properly.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) not only has a bad effect on the development of infants but also causes variations in breastmilk composition. This study aims to investigate the changes in the protein profile of colostrum between mothers with GDM and healthy mothers (H) by sequential windowed acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion proteomics techniques. A total of 1295 proteins were detected, with 192 proteins being significantly different between GDM and H. These significantly different proteins were enriched with the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism pathway as well as immunity. Some proteins had an AOC value of 1, such as apolipoprotein E and lipoprotein lipase. In addition, we identified 42 glycated and 93 glycosylated peptides in colostrum without any enrichment, with glycated peptides being upregulated and glycosylated peptides being downregulated in colostrum with GDM. These results help us to better understand the GDM-induced changes in proteomes and glycated and glycosylated level and provide guidance on infant formula adjustment for infants from mothers with GDM.

Ying Wang,1 Xiaoxiao Zhao,1 Peng Zhou,1 Chen Liu,1 Zhaoxue Sheng,1,2 Jiannan Li,1 Jinying Zhou,1 Runzhen Chen,1 Yi Chen,1 Li Song,1 Hanjun Zhao1 &ast;, Hongbing Yan3 &#x002A1Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China&ast; These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hongbing YanDepartment of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 12, Langshan Road, Xili Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518000, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-10-88322285Email hbyanfuwai2018@163.comHanjun ZhaoDepartment of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-15210020808Email 15210020808@163.comBackground: Culprit‑plaque morphology [plaque rupture (PR) and plaque erosion (PE) identified by optical coherence tomography (OCT)] and biomarker of vascular inflammation, pentraxin-3 (PTX3), have been reported to influence clinical outcomes in coronary diseases. We aimed to investigate the prognostic implication of culprit-plaque morphology and plasma PTX3 for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).Methods: A total of 236 patients were enrolled and divided into four groups: PE/low-PTX3 (n = 57), PE/high-PTX3 (n = 47), PR/low-PTX3 (n = 78) and PR/high-PTX3 (n = 54). MACE was defined as the composite of all-cause death, recurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke and unplanned revascularization of any coronary artery.Results: During the follow-up of 1.9 years, a total of 40 (16.9%) MACE were observed: 5.3% (3 patients) among patients with PE/low-PTX3, 21.3% (10 patients) among patients with PE/high-PTX3, 17.9% (14 patients) among patients with PR/low-PTX3 and 24.1% (13 patients) among patients with PR/high-PTX3 (Log rank P = 0.013). In fully adjusted analyses, patients with high-PTX3 were associated with higher MACE risk (HR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.26– 4.57, P = 0.008). Patients with PR/high-PTX3 (HR: 5.63, 95% CI: 1.57– 20.16, P = 0.008) and PE/high-PTX3 (HR: 5.44, 95% CI: 1.46– 20.29, P = 0.012) presented higher MACE risk than those with PE/low-PTX3. Adding plasma PTX3 levels and PR to the risk prediction model increased the area under curves to 76.1% (95% CI: 67.6– 84.5%) and the NRI (28.1%, 95% CI: 0.3– 48.3%, P=0.040) and IDI (2.4%, 95% CI: 0.1– 12.9%, P = 0.040).Conclusion: Patients with PR/high-PTX3 and PE/high-PTX3 presented a poorer prognosis than those with PE/low-PTX3. Combining the culprit-plaque morphology with PTX3 enhanced the predictive ability for MACE and contributed to better identification of high-risk patients.Trial Registration Number: This study is registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT03593928.Keywords: pentraxin-3, plaque rupture, optical coherence tomography, cardiovascular risk, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Type 2 diabetes is a diverse metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia. At present, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in women of childbearing age is increasing year by year. Therefore, it is meaningful to study the breastmilk of diabetic mothers. In this study, the differences of metabolites in breastmilk whey between diabetic and healthy mothers were compared by untargeted metabolomics, and the effect of diabetes on metabolites in breastmilk was discussed. Finally, in total 287 differential metabolites were identified on the basis of the accurate mass and MS/MS fragmentation pathway. Among them, 37 metabolites were identified as significant differential metabolites according to the screening criteria of 1.5 times up-regulation or 0.67 times down-regulation (p

Tandem PV-TE hybrid system is an effective full solar-spectrum utilization method. Nanostructured front surface can make the system absorb more solar light, thereby generating more carriers and more heat. The heat will decrease photovoltaic efficiency but increase thermoelectric efficiency. Therefore, it’s necessary to clarify the combined effect of nanostructure’s full-spectrum characteristics on PV-TE hybrid system. In this study, a multi-physics coupling model of a GaAs solar cell based PV-TE hybrid system with a nanostructured front surface was built and validated. The numerical results show that the system output power of nanostructure with a 1.8% average reflectance in 0.28 ~ 0.875 μm is 374.3 W·m−2 greater than that with a 8.7% average reflectance and the system output power of nanostructure with a 2.6% average reflectance in 0.875 ~ 2.5 μm is 79.1 W·m−2 greater than that with a 8.1% average reflectance under 100 concentration ratio. It means that both the reductions of reflectance in 0.28 ~ 0.875 μm and in 0.875 ~ 2.5 μm can effectively improve the system output power. Therefore, nanostructure with low reflectance in full spectrum (not only in short wavelengths) is advised for a GaAs solar cell based PV-TE hybrid system.

Background and aims Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in patients initially free from these diseases. However, its prognostic value in patients with established coronary artery diseases remains controversial. Therefore, we aimed to illustrate the prevalence and investigate the impact of MetS in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods and results This was a large registry of consecutive patients with ACS referred to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and those with MVD were eligible for this analysis. MetS was defined based on modified Adult Treatment Panel III definition. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction and stroke. A total of 2532 patients were included in the current analysis and 993 (39.2%) of them had MetS. The prevalence of MetS increased from 2010 to 2016 (p for trend = 0.005). In patients over 60 years old, the prevalence of MetS decreased with aging (p for trend = 0.002). Female subjects had a higher prevalence than their male counterparts (61.5% verse 32.9% and p Conclusion MetS was frequently observed in patients with MVD and ACS. Patients with MetS were more likely to be young and female. However, it was not an independent predictor for MACE after primary PCI in those patients.

Microorganisms may persist in the root canal system after root canal therapy (RCT). The purpose of this study was to explore the metronidazole (MTR)- and chlorhexidine (CHX)-loaded hydrogels as the potential application in intracanal medicaments for root canal disinfection. Ultraviolet cross-linked hydrogels (gGels) were synthesized by GelMA solution and photoinitiator, which were loaded with MTR (MTR@gGels) and CHX (CHX@gGels). gGels, MTR@gGels and CHX@gGels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis, S. mutans and P. intermedia was assessed. Meanwhile, the biocompatibility of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) was evaluated. DCT, CCK-8, CFU and live/dead-stained biofilm results showed that the viability of E. faecalis, S. mutans and P. intermedia was significantly reduced in MTR@gGels and CHX@gGels in vitro. CCK-8 results showed considerable biocompatibility with hDPSCs. The filling and clearance of gGels in root canals were demonstrated in vivo. Therefore, MTR- and CHX-loaded hydrogels may be a potential application in intracanal medicaments for root canal disinfection.

Background: The experience of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumours (DGISTs) is accumulating, but there is no consensus on the choice of surgical method. The purpose of this study is to summarize the technique and feasibility of robotic resection of DGIST.Methods: The demographics and perioperative outcomes of a consecutive series of patients who underwent robotic resection and open resection of DGIST between May 1, 2010 and May 1, 2020 were retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into an open surgery group and a robotic surgery group. Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or limited resection was performed based on the location of the tumour and the distance between the tumour and duodenal papilla. Age, sex, tumour location, tumour size, operation time (OT), estimated blood loss (EBL), postoperative hospital stay (PHS), tumour mitosis, postoperative risk classification, postoperative recurrence and recurrence-free survival were compared between the two groups.Results: Among the 28 patients, there were 19 males and 9 females aged 51.3± 13.1 years. Limited resection was performed in 17 patients, and PD was performed in 11 patients. Eleven patients underwent open surgery, and 17 patients underwent robotic surgery. Two patients in the robotic surgery group underwent conversion to open surgery. All the tumours were R0 resected, and there was no significant difference in age, sex, tumour size, operation mode, PHS, tumour mitosis, incidence of postoperative complications, risk classification, postoperative targeted drug therapy or postoperative recurrence between the two groups (p>0.05). OT and EBL in the robotic group were significantly different from those in the open surgery group (p0.05).Conclusions: Robotic resection is safe and feasible for patients with duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumours, and its therapeutic effect is equivalent to open surgery.

This study aimed to investigate the association of high-risk culprit plaque features by optical coherence tomography (OCT) with residual SYNTAX score (rSS) and the predictive value of rSS for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We included 274 patients and divided them into 3 groups - rSS=0 (n=72), 0rSS≤8 (n=134), and rSS8 (n=68). There were significant differences in plaque characteristics among three groups (plaque rupture: 44.4% versus 59.0% versus 64.7%, lowest to highest rSS, p=0.040; OCT-defined high-risk plaques: 16.7% versus 23.9% versus 35.3%, lowest to highest rSS, p=0.036; calcification: 38.9% versus 52.5% versus 61.8%, lowest to highest rSS, p=0.024). During a mean follow-up of 2.2 years, MACE occurred in 47 (17.2%) patients; rSS8 group had higher MACE risk compared to rSS=0 (HR: 2.68, 95%CI: 1.11-6.5, P=0.029). In conclusion, culprit plaque morphology was significantly correlated with rSS, and elevated rSS was associated with higher cardiovascular risk in STEMI patients. ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT03593928.

Soft object manipulation has recently gained popularity within the robotics community due to its potential applications in many economically important areas. Although great progress has been recently achieved in these types of tasks, most state-of-the-art methods are case-specific; They can only be used to perform a single deformation task (e.g. bending), as their shape representation algorithms typically rely on "hard-coded" features. In this paper, we present LaSeSOM, a new feedback latent representation framework for semantic soft object manipulation. Our new method introduces internal latent representation layers between low-level geometric feature extraction and high-level semantic shape analysis; This allows the identification of each compressed semantic function and the formation of a valid shape classifier from different feature extraction levels. The proposed latent framework makes soft object representation more generic (independent from the object's geometry and its mechanical properties) and scalable (it can work with 1D/2D/3D tasks). Its high-level semantic layer enables to perform (quasi) shape planning tasks with soft objects, a valuable and underexplored capability in many soft manipulation tasks. To validate this new methodology, we report a detailed experimental study with robotic manipulators., Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables

This paper presents a point cloud based robotic system for arc welding. Using hand gesture controls, the system scans partial point cloud views of workpiece and reconstructs them into a complete 3D model by a linear iterative closest point algorithm. Then, a bilateral filter is extended to denoise the workpiece model and preserve important geometrical information. To extract the welding seam from the model, a novel intensity-based algorithm is proposed that detects edge points and generates a smooth 6-DOF welding path. The methods are tested on multiple workpieces with different joint types and poses. Experimental results prove the robustness and efficiency of this robotic system on automatic path planning for welding applications., Comment: 8 pages, 13 figures and 2 tables

Qian Zhang,1,2 Zhiqiang Wang,1– 3 Jingying Wu,1,2 Zhen Zhou,3 Renpeng Zhou,1,2 Wei Hu1,2 1Department of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 2Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 3Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, AustraliaCorrespondence: Renpeng Zhou; Wei Hu Email zhourenpeng@ahmu.edu.cn; huwei@ahmu.edu.cnBackground: Regorafenib is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of solid tumours, but the pharmacokinetic profile of regorafenib in the Chinese population is unclear.Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the pharmacokinetics, bioequivalence, and safety of two formulations of regorafenib 40 mg in healthy Chinese volunteers under fed and fasting conditions.Methods: A single-centre, randomised, open-label, two-period, two-way crossover phase 1 trial was conducted by randomising a single oral dose of test (T) or reference (R, Stivarga®) regorafenib (40 mg) to healthy Chinese volunteers under both fasting and fed conditions (high-fat and high-calorie diet). Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using non-compartmental methods. Adverse events were recorded to assess drug safety.Results: Sixty-six participants were enrolled for both fasting and fed treatments. The 90% CIs geometric least-square means of ratioT/R for regorafenib were completely contained within the equivalence margin of 80– 125% under both fasting and fed conditions. Both formulations displayed similar and generally good safety profiles.Conclusion: Single oral dose of the T (40 mg) and R (40 mg) regorafenib was bioequivalent under fasting and fed conditions and had similar favourable safety profiles among healthy Chinese volunteers.Keywords: regorafenib, phase 1, pharmacokinetic, bioequivalence, Chinese healthy volunteers

Mandarin classifiers are a complex system, but little is known about how Mandarin-speaking children manage to learn the system. Based on the extant literature, we explored potential factors influencing the comprehension and production of Mandarin shape classifiers, including classifier-based semantic categorization and errors pertaining to the semantic strategies, input frequency of classifier-noun combinations, and vocabulary knowledge. In total, 138 typically developing monolingual Mandarin-speaking children between ages 4;1 and 6;5 completed an object categorization task, shape classifier comprehension and production tasks, and a vocabulary test. The results showed that classifier-based categorization did not significantly relate to classifier knowledge, but children’s comprehension errors were mostly selecting an object that is perceptually similar to the target object. Estimated input frequency of classifier-noun combinations was significantly related to classifier comprehension, and there was differential accuracy for different classifier-noun combinations, which may indicate item-by-item learning of individual classifier-noun pairings. Mandarin-speaking children may take a combined approach by sorting semantic features for different classifiers and learning individual classifier-noun combinations. The interplay of the two approaches can be very complex and should be further investigated in future studies. Vocabulary knowledge was significantly related to classifier comprehension and production, indicating common traits between classifier learning and noun learning.

This paper reports a 3-dimentional (3D) pressure sensor based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators. The SAW resonators were designed and fabricated on 128°Y-X LiNbO3 substrate using the MEMS technology. The pressure sensing structure was 3D-printed using polyactic acid plastic, and two SAW resonators were integrated in the 3D-printed chamber structure for both temperature and pressure sensing. The SAW-based gas pressure sensors demonstrate a sensitivity of 589 ppm/MPa at the pressure range of 100-600 kPa and temperature of 40 °C.

BACKGROUND The controversy on the best surgical approach for vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) repair remains due to the scarcity of high-level evidences. We aim to analyze the efficacy and safety of the laparoscopic transvesical (LT) and laparoscopic extravesical (LE) approaches to posthysterectomy VVF (PH-VVF). METHODS Data of 64 patients with PH-VVFs who were laparoscopicly treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University and the Hangzhou Third Hospital from January 2011 to November 2019 were retrospectively collected. The operative time (OT), estimated bleeding volume (EBV), postoperative bladder function and complications, hospital stay length (HSL), surgery success rate, and recurrence were compared between the two groups. RESULTS In all, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between those two arms. Both approaches were successfully performed without open conversion in either group. The LT group was significantly corrected with a shorter mean OT than the LE group (p

Objective Incisors tubed prosthesis with bilateral anterior elevation (BAE) relation had been reported to stimulate the proliferative response in the mandibular condylar cartilage of mice, thus the prosthetic occlusion elevation had been proposed to treat cartilage degeneration. Currently, we aimed to detect the long-term effect of BAE on temporomandibular joints (TMJs). Materials and methods Twelve 6-week-old female mice were assigned to age-matched control and BAE groups (n = 6). Micro-CT images and the macro- and micro-morphology of the mandibular condyles were analyzed at 29 weeks. Results Compared with the age-matched controls, in BAE group, there were loss of subchondral cortical bone, and heavy loss of the subchondral trabecular bone at the superior sites of the TMJ condyles, but hyperostosis at the inferior sites as revealed by micro-CT images and histological slices. In BAE group, cartilage thickness and matrix area were increased with up-regulated expression of type II , type X collagen and Ki67, but the expression of cleaved caspase-3 was down-regulated (all, P Conclusion In addition to cartilage thickening, long-term BAE induces loss of the subchondral cortical bone and heavy loss of the underneath subchondral trabecular bone, but hyperostosis further underneath. Using BAE as a treatment remains double-edged.

Unipolar barrier structures are used to suppress dark current in photodetectors by blocking majority carriers. Designing unipolar barriers with conventional materials is challenging due to the strict requirements of lattice and band matching. Two-dimensional materials have self-passivated surfaces and tunable band structures, and can thus be used to design unipolar barriers in which lattice mismatch and interface defects are avoided. Here, we show that band-engineered van der Waals heterostructures can be used to build visible and mid-wavelength infrared unipolar barrier photodetectors. Our nBn unipolar barrier photodetectors, which are based on a tungsten disulfide/hexagonal boron nitride/palladium diselenide heterostructure, exhibit a low dark current of 15 pA, a photocurrent of 20 μA and a detectivity of 2.7 × 1012 cm Hz1/2 W−1. Our pBp unipolar barrier photodetectors, which are based on a black phosphorus/molybdenum disulfide/graphene heterostructure, exhibit a room-temperature detectivity of 2.3 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1 in the mid-wavelength infrared region under blackbody radiation. The pBp devices also show a dichroic ratio of 4.9 under blackbody radiation, and a response time of 23 μs under 2 μm laser illumination. Band-engineered van der Waals heterostructures that block dark current without suppressing photocurrent can be used to build detectors with high room-temperature detectivity for visible light and blackbody infrared light.

The anisotropic ceramic fiber skeleton and its aerogel composite materials have important applications in the fields of high temperature insulation and aerospace. However, the traditional ceramic fiber skeleton has been limited in its application due to the complexity of its preparation process. Here, referencing the traditional papermaking technology, a flexible and recoverable SiO2 fiber skeleton with anisotropic layered structure was prepared through papermaking process and low-temperature sintering (170 °C) technology. Complete heteromorphic skeleton could be prepared by this simple process. On this basis, we impregnated the fiber skeleton with silica aerogel to further improve the composite properties of the pure fiber block. Compared with SiO2 fiber skeleton, the SiO2 aerogel/fiber skeleton composite exhibited lower thermal conductivity (0.023 W/(m·k)), higher compressive strength (2.19 MPa) and excellent high temperature thermal insulation. The recoverable and excellent thermal insulation properties of anisotropic layered composite materials provide an effective way for the manufacture of low-cost aerogel composite materials. At the same time, it has potential application value in high-temperature thermal insulation materials.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive tumor of the digestive system which has a less than 1% 5-year survival rate. The pathogenesis of PDAC development is incompletely understood. Genetic predisposition, disease history of chronic pancreatitis and diabetes elevate the risk of PDAC while environmental and dietary factors including smoking, alcohol abuse, high fat/protein intake as well as air pollution exacerbate PDAC progression. BCAAs, consisting of leucine, isoleucine and valine are essential amino acids that are obtained from food and play versatile roles in carcinogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that BCAA metabolism affects PDAC development but the results are controversial. To explore the possible engagement of BCAA metabolism in PDAC, we took advantage of the GEO and TCGA database and discovered that BCAA uptake is closely related to PDAC development while BCAA catabolism is down-regulated in PDAC tissue. Besides, NOTCH and MYC are differentially involved in BCAA metabolism in tumor and muscle, and enhanced lipid synthesis is independent of BCAA catabolism. Altogether, we highlight BCAA uptake as a promising target for PDAC treatment.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused more than 96 million infections and over 2 million deaths worldwide so far. However, there is no approved vaccine available for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disease causative agent. Vaccine is the most effective approach to eradicate a pathogen. The tests of safety and efficacy in animals are pivotal for developing a vaccine and before the vaccine is applied to human populations. Here we evaluated the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of an inactivated vaccine based on the whole viral particles in human ACE2 transgenic mouse and in non-human primates. Our data showed that the inactivated vaccine successfully induced SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies in mice and non-human primates, and subsequently provided partial (in low dose) or full (in high dose) protection of challenge in the tested animals. In addition, passive serum transferred from vaccine-immunized mice could also provide full protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. These results warranted positive outcomes in future clinical trials in humans. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12250-021-00376-w.

The clustering ensemble has emerged as an important extension of the classical clustering problem. It provides an elegant framework to integrate multiple weak base clusterings to generate a strong consensus result. Most existing clustering ensemble methods usually exploit all data to learn a consensus clustering result, which does not sufficiently consider the adverse effects caused by some difficult instances. To handle this problem, we propose a novel self-paced clustering ensemble (SPCE) method, which gradually involves instances from easy to difficult ones into the ensemble learning. In our method, we integrate the evaluation of the difficulty of instances and ensemble learning into a unified framework, which can automatically estimate the difficulty of instances and ensemble the base clusterings. To optimize the corresponding objective function, we propose a joint learning algorithm to obtain the final consensus clustering result. Experimental results on benchmark data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The diagnosis of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is often inaccurate with routine histology. This study aimed to evaluate the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) in detecting LVI and reevaluate the clinical implications of LVI in gastric cancer. METHODS This prospective unrandomized cohort study analyzed the rates of LVI positivity and its relevance with other clinicopathologic features. RESULTS Between November 2017 and April 2018, 558 patients undergoing curative gastrectomy were enrolled and assigned to the IHC group (n = 285) and hematoxylin-eosin group (n = 273). The use of IHC increased the rates of LVI positivity (60.8% vs. 43.3%, p

The present study reports a large, cross-sectional study of Mandarin-speaking children’s ability to compute pragmatic inference. To chart the developmental trajectory of this pragmatic ability, we tested 225 Mandarin-speaking children (aged 4-8 years) on three types of pragmatic implicatures: scalar, context-dependent, and numeral implicatures. The results show that scalar implicatures posed difficulties for young Mandarin-speaking children, and they did not exhibit a consistent success until age 6. In contrast, by four years of age, this group was already able to compute context-dependent and numeral implicatures in an adult-like fashion. The implications of the current findings are discussed concerning children’s development of pragmatic inference as well as the relevance of cross-linguistic data in understanding pragmatic development.

Previous studies have showed the beneficial effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) animal. Enhancement of the treatment efficacy of MSCs in ICH is essential, considering the diseases association with high rates of disability and mortality. Some auxiliary methods to enhance the beneficial efficacy of MSCs have been introduced. However, the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs transplantation in hemorrhagic stroke and its potential mechanism is not explored. ICH rat models were established using collagenase and heparin. 48 h after ICH induction, the rats were randomly divided into model control (MC), MSCs transplantation (MSCs), EA stimulation (EA) and MSCs transplantation combined with EA stimulation (MSCs + EA) groups. We used mNSS test and gait analysis to assess neurological function of rats, and PET/CT to evaluate the volume of hemorrhage focus and level of glucose uptake. The concentrations of MDA, SOD, NSE, S100B and MBP in serum or plasma were examined with ELISA. Neural differentiation of MSCs, and the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, Arg-1 and iNOS proteins around hematoma were detected by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry staining respectively. Western blot was carried out to analyze the expression levels of COX4, OGDH, PDH-E1α, Bcl-2 and Bax proteins. TUNEL staining was used to estimate cell apoptosis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the ultrastructure and number of mitochondria. Our data showed that EA promoted neuron-like differentiation of transplanted MSCs and the expressions of BDNF and NGF proteins in ICH rats. The score of mNSS and the gait analysis showed that the recovery of the neurological function in the MSCs + EA group was better than that in the MSCs and EA groups. EA improved the structure of brain tissue, and alleviated brain injury further after MSCs transplantation in ICH rats. When compared with the MSCs and EA groups, the level of glucose uptake and numbers of mitochondria and Arg-1 positive cells in MSCs + EA group increased significantly, but the numbers of apoptotic cells and iNOS positive cells and volume of hemorrhage focus reduced. The expressional levels of COX4, OGDH, PDH-E1α and Bcl-2 proteins increased, while the expressional level of Bax protein decreased compared with those in the MSCs and EA groups. Our results reveal that EA improve therapeutic efficacy of MSCs transplantation in ICH rats.

Surgery to repair damaged tissue, which is caused by disease or trauma, is being carried out all the time, and a desirable treatment is compelling need to regenerate damaged tissues to further improve the quality of human health. Therefore, more and more research focus on exploring the most suitable bionic design to enrich available treatment methods. 3D-printing, as an advanced material processing approach, holds the promising potential to create prototypes with complex constructs that could reproduce primitive tissues and organs as much as possible or provide appropriate cell-material interfaces. In a sense, 3D printing is a promising bridge between tissue engineering and bionic design, which can provide an unprecedented personalized recapitulation with biomimetic function under the precise control of the composition and spatial distribution of cells and biomaterials. This article describes recent progress in 3D bionic design and the potential application prospect of 3D printing regenerative medicine, including 3D printing biomimetic scaffolds and 3D cell printing in tissue engineering.

This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio (MPR) for coronary plaque features in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). A total of 275 STEMI patients undergoing preintervention optical coherence tomography examination were included, with 142 categorized as plaque rupture (PR) and 133 as plaque erosion (PE). Multivariable logistic regression showed higher MPR was an independent predictor of PR (tertile 3 vs tertile 1, odds ratio: 6.257, 95% confidence interval: 1.586-24.686, P = 0.009). MPR showed better diagnostic performance than other platelet indices. The optimal MPR threshold for diagnosing PR was 0.0473 (sensitivity: 0.721, specificity: 0.647). When added to models of established risk factors, MPR significantly improved the predictive accuracy of PR (area under the curve: 0.767 vs 0.722, P difference = 0.004). In conclusion, for STEMI patients, MPR was an independent predictor of PR and improved diagnostic performance for PR.

In the continuous transistor feature size scaling down, the scaling of the supply voltage is stagnant because of the subthreshold swing (SS) limit. A transistor with a new mechanism is needed to break through the thermionic limit of SS and hold the large drive current at the same time. Here, by adopting the recently proposed Dirac-source field-effect transistor (DSFET) technology, we experimentally demonstrate a MoS2/graphene (1.8 nm/0.3 nm) DSFET for the first time, and a steep SS of 37.9 mV/dec at room temperature with nearly free hysteresis is observed. Besides, by bringing in the structure of gate-all-around (GAA), the MoS2/graphene DSFET exhibits a steeper SS of 33.5 mV/dec and a 40% increased normalized drive current up to 52.7 μA·μm/μm (VDS = 1 V) with a current on/off ratio of 108, which shows potential for low-power and high-performance electronics applications.

The alleged benefit of early placement of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in patients with cirrhosis and acute variceal bleeding (AVB) remains controversial. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of early TIPS on cirrhotic patients with AVB. MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for relevant literatures. Data from included studies were extracted, and random-effects meta-analyses were performed. Three randomized control trials and six observational studies involving 2878 participants were included. Compared with those undergoing standard treatment, patients undergoing early TIPS had a significantly lower all-cause mortality (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.52–0.79). Furthermore, early TIPS was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of failure to control bleeding (RR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07–0.29) and rebleeding (RR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.23–0.71), without increasing the risk of hepatic encephalopathy (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.92–1.38). In a stratification analysis based on Child-Pugh classification, the survival benefit was observed in Child-Pugh B patients with active bleeding (RR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.31–0.93) and Child-Pugh C patients (RR 0.55, 95% CI, 0.37–0.82), but not in low-risk patients (Child-Pugh A and Child-Pugh B without active bleeding) (RR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.55–1.57). Early TIPS is a feasible therapeutic option for cirrhotic patients with AVB, especially benefiting high-risk patients in terms of improved survival. Given the current low utilization rate in clinical practice, this study favors the placement of early TIPS in a wider range of patients with cirrhosis and AVB, especially high-risk patients. • Early TIPS is associated with improved survival in high-risk patients (Child-Pugh B plus active bleeding at endoscopy or Child-Pugh C 10–13) with cirrhosis and acute variceal bleeding. • Current utilization rate of early TIPS is low in clinical practice.

According to the characteristics of the tool hydraulic control system of the double cutters experimental pplatform, intelligent control methodology forecasted by fuzzy neural network is introduced into the control system. The two level control systems of fuzzy neural network predictive control and fuzzy control are designed. The fuzzy neural network predictive controller mainly completes the analysis and control of the speed and pressure in the tool hydraulic system. The speed control signal and pressure control signal from the first level are output to the fuzzy controller. Then, through logical reasoning, the control signal is output and the actuator is driven by the fuzzy controller to complete the control function of the tool system. In this paper, compared with the traditional PID control, the fuzzy neural network predictive control technology has better control accuracy, dynamic response performance and steady-state accuracy. The fuzzy neural network predictive control technology can be used to control the tool hydraulic system of Tunnel Boring Machine.

Flexible sensors are core components of intelligent wearable technology, and they are rapidly developing. Among these, flexible force sensors use flexible sensing materials to convert stress and strain into electrical signals. However, when the ionic flexible force sensor is subjected to external mechanical force, it will cause uneven distribution in the internal ions and generate electrical signals. This can be used to resolve issues with sensors to distinguish the stress or strain direction, by applying positive and negative electric potential without an external power supply. In addition, this integration process is simple and convenient. This review article describes the working mechanism of ionic flexible force sensors and describes the materials and properties used in these sensors, including electrolyte layer materials and electrode materials. We then list the latest applications in the fields of health care, motion detection, intelligent 3D robots and so on. Finally, we highlight the current limitations and future development of ionic flexible force sensors, to simultaneously develop new materials and technology with improved sensitivity for mass production.

Without an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the build-up of herd immunity through natural infection has been suggested as a means to control COVID-19. Although population immunity is typically estimated by the serological investigation of recovered patients, humoral immunity in asymptomatic subjects has not been well studied, although they represent a large proportion of all SARS-CoV-2 infection cases. In this study, we conducted a serosurvey of asymptomatic infections among food workers and performed serological and cellular response analyses of asymptomatic subjects in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our data showed that up to 5.91% of the food workers carried SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies asymptomatically; however, in 90.4% of them, the antibody level declined over a 2-week period. IgM and IgG antibodies, including neutralizing antibodies, were significantly lower in asymptomatic subjects than in recovered symptomatic patients with similar disease courses. Furthermore, the asymptomatic subjects showed lymphopenia and a prominent decrease in the B-cell population, as well as a low frequency of antibody-secreting cells and a low cytokine response. These factors probably contributed to the low and unsustained antibody levels in asymptomatic subjects. Our results show that asymptomatic subjects are likely to be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, and neither the proportion of population immunity nor the breadth of immune responses is sufficient for herd immunity.

This paper presents an absorptive microstrip-fed slot antenna with a wide reflectionless band and high radiation efficiency. The proposed antenna consists of a microstrip-fed slot antenna, a quarter-wavelength coupled-line bandstop filter (BSF), and absorptive resistors attached to a grounding pad. The BSF and absorptive resistors are connected to the end of the microstrip feedline. The slot antenna and the BSF are designed to work at the same frequency. In the working band, the high input impedance of the BSF exactly matches the slot antenna for effective radiation. While out of the working band, since the input impedance looking towards the end of the slot antenna matches well with that of the BSF, the energy will flow through the BSF and then be absorbed by the absorptive resistors. In this way, the energy both in and out of the working band will not be reflected back to the input port, which presents a wide reflectionless band. To demonstrate this idea, a prototype operating at 3 GHz is designed, fabricated, and measured. The measurements show that the proposed antenna is well matched ( $|S_{11}|< -10$ dB) in a wide frequency band from DC to 5.3 GHz, the 3-dB gain bandwidth covers from 2.85 GHz to 3.24 GHz with a peak gain of 4.54 dBi, the peak radiation efficiency can reach 93%, and a bidirectional radiation pattern is realized with more than 20 dB cross-polarization suppression in main radiation directions.

Healed plaque is a hallmark of previous regional plaque rupture or erosion. We hypothesized that the plasma level of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is related to healed culprit plaque in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.A prospective cohort of 206 patients with STEMI, who were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) was enrolled in our study. After exclusion, 156 patients were categorized into healed plaque (n = 54) and nonhealed plaque (n = 102) groups. Plasma TMAO levels were detected by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in these two groups. Increased age and low BMI were more common in patients with healed plaques than in those without healed plaques. Through OCT observation, plaque rupture (81.5% vs. 45.1%, p 0.001), thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) and macrophages (42.6% vs. 20.6%, p = 0.004, 70.4% vs. 26.5%, p 0.001, respectively) were more frequently seen in patients with healed plaques than in those without healed plaques. The TMAO level in patients with healed plaques was significantly higher than that in patients with nonhealed plaques (3.9 μM [2.6-5.1] vs. 1.8 μM [1.0-2.7], p 0.001). Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that TMAO can be used as a potential biomarker to predict healed plaque presence with a cutoff value of 2.9 μM (AUC = 0.810, sensitivity: 72.2%, specificity: 81.4%).Healed plaque in STEMI patients is associated with a high level of plaque vulnerability and inflammation. A high level of plasma TMAO can be a useful biomarker to differentiate STEMI patients with healed culprit plaques.