Search

The maturity of 5G technology has promoted the rapid development of vehicular communications and intelligent transportation systems. As an important part of vehicular communications, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) is used for the huge data transmission between vehicles and roadside units. Aiming to analyse the V2I wireless channel distance-dependent characteristics, this study presents two 5.9 GHz measurements in urban and suburban propagation scenarios. The distance-based amplitude distribution, delay and Doppler spreads, path loss and shadowing are extracted from the raw data. It is noted that the characteristics of V2I wireless channel vary with the distance between the transmitter and receiver. Rich multi-path components in the urban area will make more influence than that in the suburban area. Similar with the 5G pico-cell, the coverage distance, signal-to-noise ratio and channel capacity are calculated from the measurement data. The proposed results indicate that the coverage ranges of urban and suburban V2I wireless communication are about 250.3 and 80.04 m when the average power received from a single reference signal is − 85 dB . Rich reflection effect from surroundings in the urban propagation scenario will lead to a faster attenuation of wireless signal. The proposed results can provide a meaningful reference for future research of 5G vehicular communications.

Objective To determine the clinical outcome and complications associated with use of free vascularized fibular graft (FVFG) in the resection and reconstruction of extremity osteosarcoma (OS). Methods This is a retrospective study recruiting a consecutive series of 18 patients who had undergone resection of extremity OS between May 2009 and June 2017 in our clinic center. Reconstruction of the bone defect with FVFG was performed for each patient. Surgery-related complications and time of bone union were recorded at the follow-up visit. The functional outcome of the reconstructed limb was assessed with the musculoskeletal tumor society (MSTS) scoring system. Patients were further classified into low extremity group and upper extremity group according to the tumor location. The Student t-test was used to compare the surgical outcome between the two subgroups. Results There were 11 males and seven females with an average age of 25.9 ± 14.2 years. The mean length of the bone resection was 11.9 ± 4.1 cm. The mean follow-up duration was 3.1 ± 1.2 years. As for tumor location, six cases were located in the femur, five in the tibia, four in the humerus, two in the ulna, and one in the radius. All the patients had successful graft healing at an average of 4.9 months after surgery. At the 2-year follow-up, an excellent functional outcome was observed in 88.9% of the patients (n = 16). The mean score of MSTS was 27.0 ± 4.6. Screw loosening and autograft fracture were observed in one patient with femur tumor, who had a low MSTS score of 11. Besides, there were three cases with delayed incision healing. Patients with lower extremity OS were found to have significantly longer duration of hospital stay and more blood loss than those with upper extremity OS. The incidence of postoperative complication was higher in the lower extremity group but with marginal significance (0% vs 36.3%, P = 0.1). There was no significant difference regarding time to bone union and the functional outcome as indicated by MSTS score. Conclusions FVFG technique can be effectively applied to the reconstruction of bone defects after OS resection with satisfactory functional outcome and low incidence of complications.

To guarantee shipping safety, it is crucial to build a reliable wireless communication network. This study presents characteristic analysis of shipping wireless channel based on measurements. The authors conduct five channel measurements for two important water mobile communications, covering inland river and sea scenarios. Channel characteristics, e.g. power delay profile, amplitude distribution, delay spread and shadow fading, are extracted and compared for the two scenarios. It is found that the main difference between the them lies in more obstacles and scatterers in inland river propagation environment. The results show that more obstacles and scatterers can result in richer multipath effect and larger shadow fading decorrelation distance. A triple Gaussian mixture distribution (TGMD) is proposed to characterize the wireless channel with LOS, obstructed LOS and non-LOS situations in the practical propagation. To verify the effectiveness of TGMD, the goodness of fit between measurement and analysis results in terms of Rician K-factor, root mean square (RMS) delay spread and RMS Doppler spread is calculated. Furthermore, the cross-correlation among shadow fading, Rician K-factor and RMS delay spread are studied. Larger cross-correlation can be found in inland river and sea than vehicular communication due to the open propagation environment.

In vehicular communication scenarios, viaduct is one of common road network structures, making significant impact on the characteristics of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless channel. This paper proposes four diffraction loss models for viaduct scenarios, covering normal viaduct and ramp, viaduct and ramp with soundproof walls. It is found that the special structure of viaduct will have a significant effect on the diffraction loss of V2V wireless channel. Our analysis result shows that the normal ramp can reduce the diffraction loss by about 13 dB when the carrier frequency is 5.9 GHz band and the distance between transmitter and receiver is within 100 m. Meanwhile, the ramp with soundproof wall can reduce the diffraction loss by about 10 dB. In addition, the soundproof wall in the viaduct scenario will increase the diffraction loss by about 3.6 dB, while the additional diffraction loss caused by the soundproof wall in the ramp scenario can reach 3.6 to 6 dB. It indicates that the impact from viaduct on diffraction cannot be neglected in the vehicular channel modeling.

BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‐mutant lung cancer remains an orphan of specific targeted therapy. The variable responses to anti‐HER2 therapies in these patients prompt us to examine impact of HER2 variants and co‐mutations on responses to anti‐HER2 treatments in lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage IV/recurrent HER2‐mutant lung cancers identified through next‐generation sequencings were recruited from seven hospitals. The study comprised a cohort A to establish the patterns of HER2 variants and co‐mutations in lung cancer and a cohort B to assess associations between HER2 variants, co‐mutations, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The study included 118 patients (cohort A, n = 86; cohort B, n = 32). Thirty‐one HER2 variants and 35 co‐mutations were detected. Predominant variants were A775_G776insYVMA (49/118, 42%), G778_P780dup (11/118, 9%), and G776delinsVC (9/118, 8%). TP53 was the most common co‐mutation (61/118, 52%). In cohort B, objective response rates with afatinib were 0% (0/14, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0%–26.8%), 40% (4/10, 14.7%–72.6%), and 13% (1/8, 0.7%–53.3%) in group 1 (A775_G776insYVMA, n = 14), group 2 (G778_P780dup, G776delinsVC, n = 10), and group 3 (missense mutation, n = 8), respectively (p = .018). Median progression‐free survival in group 1 (1.2 months; 95% CI, 0–2.4) was shorter than those in group 2 (7.6 months, 4.9–10.4; hazard ratio [HR], 0.009; 95% CI, 0.001–0.079; p < .001) and group 3 (3.6 months, 2.6–4.5; HR, 0.184; 95% CI, 0.062–0.552; p = .003). TP53 co‐mutations (6.317; 95% CI, 2.180–18.302; p = .001) and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activations (19.422; 95% CI, 4.098–92.039; p < .001) conferred additional resistance to afatinib. CONCLUSION: G778_P780dup and G776delinsVC derived the greatest benefits from afatinib among HER2 variants. Co‐mutation patterns were additional response modifiers. Refining patient population based on patterns of HER2 variants and co‐mutations may help improve the efficacy of anti‐HER2 treatment in lung cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‐mutant lung cancers are a group of heterogenous diseases with up to 31 different variants and 35 concomitant genomic aberrations. Different HER2 variants exhibit divergent sensitivities to anti‐HER2 treatments. Certain variants, G778_P780dup and G776delinsVC, derive sustained clinical benefits from afatinib, whereas the predominant variant, A775_G776insYVMA, is resistant to most anti‐HER2 treatments. TP53 is the most common co‐mutation in HER2‐mutant lung cancers. Co‐mutations in TP53 and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway confer additional resistance to anti‐HER2 treatments in lung cancer. The present data suggest that different HER2 mutations in lung cancer, like its sibling epidermal growth factor receptor, should be analyzed independently in future studies.

For a long time, the development of maritime communication has been restricted by the low data rate, high-latency and high cost of the current communication systems. The upgrade of new generation mobile communication technologies is attracting more and more attention to conduct a shore-based broadband mobile communication network with high-latency and high reliability to serve the maritime industries. This paper presents a solution by means of building a ship-to-infrastructure (S2I) and a ship-to-ship (S2S) wireless communication networks for an offshore region. We characterize the S2I and S2S channels at 5.9 GHz band based on the channel measurements in realistic environments. The channel characteristics, including power delay profile, delay spread, propagation path loss, are extracted and analyzed. In view of the difference between marine and terrestrial communications, we analyze the influencing factors of the offshore water, including effective reflection, divergence and shadowing from the water surface, and diffraction loss caused by the earth curvature. We also predict the power coverage range and the channel capacity for S2I and S2S wireless communications. Finally, the communication performance is evaluated according to the channel measurement and characterization analysis. The research results can be a reference for the construction of maritime communication networks.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of naringin on the memory impairment of hydrocortisone mice, and to elucidate the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, a hydrocortisone model was constructed. Novel object recognition, Morris water maze and step‑down tests were performed in order to assess the learning and memory abilities of mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe pathological changes in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructural changes in the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ERα and ERβ. Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of each protein in the relevant system. It was found that naringin can significantly improve cognitive, learning and memory dysfunction in mice with hydrocortisone memory impairment. In addition, naringin can exert neuroprotective effects through a variety of mechanisms, including amyloid β metabolism, Tau protein hyperphosphorylation, acetylcholinergic system, glutamate receptor system, oxidative stress and cell apoptosis. Naringin can also affect the expression of phosphorylated‑P38/P38, indicating that the neuroprotective effect of naringin may also involve the MAPK/P38 pathway. The results of the present study concluded that naringin can effectively improve the cognitive abilities of mice with memory impairment and exert neuroprotective effects. Thus, naringin may be a promising target drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The role of Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in the efficacy and toxicity of MTX-based therapy remains uncertain. Our purpose was to clarify whether these two polymorphisms are associated with the outcome of chemotherapy in a cohort of Chinese osteosarcoma (OS) patients treated by high-dose MTX. Methods: 109 OS patients who had sequentially received high-dose MTX therapy were included in this study. Plasma MTX level was measured routinely at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h after the administration of MTX. Two variants of MTHFR were genotyped using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay, including rs1801133 (C667T) and rs1801131 (A1298C). The extent of toxicity induced by MTX, including hematological toxicity, hepatic toxicity, renal toxicity and mucositis, was scored from grade 1 to 4. Severe toxicity was defined as a grade score of ≥3. Patients were dichotomized as follows: grade 0.2 µmol/L for plasma MTX level at 72 h. The frequencies of genotypes and allele were compared between the dichotomized groups with the Chi-square test. Results: 24.8% (27/109) of the patients were found to have significantly high plasma MTX level at the 72 h. Patients with high MTX level at 72 h were found to have significantly higher frequency of genotype TT of rs1801133 (p = 0.002). As for rs1801131, no significant association was found with plasma MTX level. Patients with severe hepatic toxicity or mucositis were found to have remarkably higher incidence of genotype TT of rs1801133 than those with mild toxicity (33.3% vs. 14.8%, p = 0.04 for hepatic toxicity; 34.8% vs. 19.8%, p = 0.05 for mucositis). Conclusions: Variant rs1801133 was confirmed to have remarkable influence on the MTX-induced toxicity. We recommend identification of the genotype of MTHFR variant prior to the application of high-dose MTX to OS patients, which could be an important predictor to screen severe toxicities and thus improve treatment outcomes. Keywords: Osteosarcoma, MTX, Variants, MTHFR, Toxicity

NUT carcinoma (NC) is an aggressive squamous tumor characterized by NUT gene rearrangement, and the most common fusion form is BRD4-NUT. However, NC diagnosis is difficult for its rareness and often being confused with a variety of poorly differentiated tumors. A 21-year-old Chinese woman was referred to our hospital for cough and intermittent fever. Chest computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed a left lobe hilar mass. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy results showed that tumor cells were poorly differentiated. In combination with immunohistochemistry staining, she was misdiagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealing BRD4-NUT fusion, and NUT immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of NC. Subsequently, left pneumonectomy and lymph node dissection were performed, and the patient received pemetrexed and lobaplatin treatment. NGS technology played an important role in NC diagnosis in this case, and it may have clinical use for rare cancer diagnosis and guidance of potential targeted therapies.

Highlights • The genetic variant rs145204276 is associated with the susceptibility of OS. • Patients with genotype del/del of rs145204276 had significantly higher expression of GAS5 in the OS tissues. • SNP rs145204276 could play a functional role in the development and progression of OS by altering the methylation status of GAS5 promoter., Background Previous studies showed that genetic variant rs145204276 in the promoter region of GAS5 was associated with the development of human cancer including colorectal cancer and hepatocellular cancer. This study aimed to investigate the role of rs145204276 in the development of osteosarcoma (OS). Methods 132 OS patients and 1270 healthy controls were recruited for the genotyping analysis of rs145204276. Promoter methylation level of GAS5 was determined for all patients. The tumor tissues and the adjacent normal tissue were collected from 42 patients during surgery and the relative expression of GAS5 was then quantified by Real-time PCR. The Chi-square test was used to determine the difference of genotype and allele frequency between the patients and the controls. The gene expression and the percentage of methylation alleles were compared among different genotypes of rs145204276 with One-way ANOVA test. Results Compared with the controls, patients were found to have significantly lower rate of genotype del/del (7.6% vs. 8.7%, p = 0.024). The frequency of allele del was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls (23.5% vs. 30.1%, p = 0.021). Compared with than patients with genotype ins/ins, those with genotype del/del had remarkably higher expression of GAS5 (0.0033 ± 0.0019 vs. 0.0018 ± 0.0006, p

Objectives: Previous pharmacogenetics studies showed that genetic variants could be indicative of the response to chemotherapy. We aimed to investigate whether variants of FasL, MSH2, ABCC5, CASP3 and CYP3A4 are associated with the outcome after chemotherapy-based treatment in osteosarcoma. Methods: 132 osteosarcoma patients who had completed the neoadjuvant chemotherapy in our center were included. 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed from the initial treatment to the earliest sign of disease progression or death from any cause. 5 SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay, including rs763110 of FasL, rs4638843 of MSH2, rs939338 of ABCC5, rs2720376 of CASP3 and rs4646437 of CYP3A4. Patients were classified into two groups according to the 5-year PFS (event/no event). The chi-square test was used to analyze difference of genotype frequency. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of the PFS rate. Results: The overall 5-year PFS was 61.4% (81/132). Genotype TT/CT of rs763110 and genotype GG/AG of rs939338 were significantly associated with the event of 5-year PFS (p = 0.028 for rs763110; p = 0.039 for rs939338). Patients with no risk allele showed a 5-year PFS of 73.7% (42/57), which was significantly higher than a PFS of 54.2% (26/48) for patients with one risk allele and 48.1% (13/27) for patients with two different risk alleles (p = 0.03). Logistic regression analysis showed that allele T of FasL rs763110 and allele G of ABCC5 rs939338 were independent risk factors of the 5-year PFS. The ORs were 2.14 (95%CI = 1.13–3.35, p = 0.01) for rs763110 and 1.73 (95%CI = 1.05–2.52, p = 0.03) for rs939338, respectively. Conclusions: The association of variants of FASL and ABCC5 with survival outcome after chemotherapy was validated in patients with osteosarcoma. Our findings may provide a new insight into a more personalized treatment for patients with osteosarcoma. Keywords: Pharmacogenetics, Osteosarcoma, Variants, FASL, ABCC5

Background To investigate the effectiveness of tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis with a retrograde nail and allograft in limb salvage surgery for patients with distal tibia osteosarcoma. Methods 5 patients diagnosed as distal tibia osteosarcoma underwent ankle arthrodesis with a retrograde nail in our hospital. During the follow-up, radiographic views of the ankle joint were taken in two planes to assess bone healing and axis alignment. Other measurements of outcomes included procedure-related complications, local recurrence, and metastasis. Functional outcomes were evaluated with the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system. Results Postoperative complications occurred in 4 patients, including 4 cases of mild subcutaneous fluid and 1 case of screw breakage. All patients showed stable ankle and could stand or walk with the assistance of crutch before the complete union between allograft and host bone. One patient died due to multiple bone and pulmonary metastasis at 1 year after surgery. As for the other 4 patients, they were followed-up regularly for a mean period of 42 months. No local recurrence or distant metastasis occurred in any of these four patients. All the 4 patients expressed satisfaction with the outcome. According to MSTS scale, the mean postoperative functional score was 74.3%±4.4% (range, 70%–81%). Conclusions Intramedullary retrograde nail for distal tibia osteosarcoma could produce a satisfactory outcome in terms of functional results and complications. Excellent stabilization of the ankle joint can be achieved through this technique, as it allows patients to perform much earlier postoperative weight-bearing exercise.

Aim: Recurrence of giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) in the soft tissue is rarely seen in the clinical practice. This study aims to determine the prevalence of soft tissue recurrence of GCTB, and to characterize its radiographic features. Methods: A total of 291 patients treated by intralesional curettage for histologically diagnosed GCTB were reviewed. 6 patients were identified to have the recurrence of GCTB in the soft tissue, all of whom had undergone marginal resection of the lesion. Based on the x-ray, CT and MRI imaging, the radiographic features of soft tissue recurrence were classified into 3 types. Type I was defined as soft tissue recurrence with peripheral ossification, type II was defined as soft tissue recurrence with central ossification, and type III was defined as pure soft tissue recurrence without ossification. Demographic data including period of recurrence and follow-up duration after the second surgery were recorded for these 6 patients. Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system was used to evaluate functional outcomes. Results: The overall recurrence rate was 2.1% (6/291). The mean interval between initial surgery and recurrence was 11.3 ± 4.1 months (range, 5â17). The recurrence lesions were located in the thigh of 2 patients, in the forearm of 2 patients and in the leg of the other 2 patients. According to the classification system mentioned above, 2 patients were classified with type I, 1 as type II and 3 as type III. After the marginal excision surgery, all patients were consistently followed up for a mean period of 13.4 ± 5.3 months (range, 6â19), with no recurrence observed at the final visit. All the patients were satisfied with the surgical outcome. According to the MSTS scale, the mean postoperative functional score was 28.0 ± 1.2 (range, 26â29). Conclusions: The classification of soft tissue recurrence of GCTB may be helpful for the surgeon to select the appropriate imaging procedure to detect the recurrence. In addition, the marginal resection can produce a favorable outcome for the patients. Keywords: Giant cell tumor of bone, Recurrence, Prevalence, Radiographic features

Background The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system is a disease-specific instrument to determine the physical and mental health for patients with extremity sarcoma. This study aims to investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the MSTS, and to evaluate functional outcomes of the surgical treatment of lower extremity sarcoma using the Chinese MSTS. Methods A cohort of 98 patients who had undergone surgery for lower extremity sarcoma were included. All the patients completed the clinical assessment with the Chinese MSTS and the Chinese Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS). Assessment of psychometric properties was carried out through reliability and validity test. The reliability of Chinese MSTS was evaluated through test-retest analysis, inter-observer analysis and internal consistency. The inter-observer and test-retest reliability was analyzed with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach’s α, with a value >0.70 considered acceptable. The discriminant validity was evaluated through comparison of the MSTS score between patients undergoing amputation surgeries and those undergoing limb-salvage surgeries. The construct validity was evaluated with the factor analysis. Results The mean MSTS score was 21.5 ± 7.1. The ICC was 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.85–0.96) for the test-retest reliability and 0.90 (95% CI = 0.86–0.93) for the inter-observer analysis. The test for internal consistency showed a Cronbach’s α of 0.86 for the MSTS. Patients undergoing amputation surgery had remarkably lower MSTS score than patients undergoing limb-salvage surgeries (18.8 ± 5.4 vs. 23.5 ± 6.3, p = 0.005), which indicated a good discrinimant validity of the Chinese MSTS. The factor analysis indicated a 1-factor model with acceptable goodness of fit. Conclusions The Chinese MSTS scoring system is a reliable and valid instrument with well-accepted psychometric properties. Through application of the Chinese MSTS, we demonstrated that patients receiving limb-salvage surgeries may have better functional outcome and QoL than those undergoing amputation surgeries. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12955-017-0685-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The sleep quality of patients with osteosarcoma (OS) was poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sleep dysfunction in adolescent patients with OS using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and to further investigate the psychometric properties of the PSQI in this cohort of patients. Fifty four adolescent patients with OS who underwent chemotherapy treatment in our clinic centre were included. Sleep quality was assessed with the Chinese PSQI. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to evaluate the internal consistency. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the fitness of a two-factor structure. Sleep disturbance was observed in 57.4% (31/54) of the patients. Patients with the presence of metastasis or more than 2 cycles of chemotherapy were found to have remarkably higher median global score. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.87. The CFA showed an overall comparative fit index of 0.97, a root mean square error of approximation of 0.06 and a standardised root mean square residual of 0.07 respectively. PSQI was a reliable instrument to evaluate the sleep quality of adolescent patients with OS. Over half of the patients may experience sleep disturbance during the treatment. Early psychological interventions were recommended to improve the sleep quality of the patients.

e23531 Background: Standard treatment for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma is chemotherapy based on anthracyclines, while the tolerance of chemotherapy is limited. We assessed if anlotinib, a multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is efficacy and safety for the first-line treatment of these patients. Methods: This is an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase II clinical trial (NCT03792542) including 44 planned subjects. Eligible patients were aged 18-70 years old, diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma and had at least one measurable lesion according to RECIST 1.1. Other inclusion criteria included ECOG PS 0̃2, chemotherapy and anti-angiogenesis treatment naïve. Patients were administrated 12mg anlotinib once daily for 14 days every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Safety assessment was done in patients who received at least one dose of anlotinib. Here we report the results of a planned interim analysis. Results: From April 2019 to December 2020, 29 patients (16 males and 13 females) were enrolled from 7 hospitals in China. The median age is 57 (range 23-69). Pathological types included liposarcoma (n = 8), undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (n = 5), fibrosarcoma (n = 5), synovial sarcoma (n = 4), and others (n = 7). At the data cutoff date on December 31, 2020, the median duration of treatment was 5.3 months, and the median PFS was not reached. 26 patients were eligible for the evaluation of tumor response.1 achieved partial response (PR) and the objective response rate (ORR) was 3.85% (1/26). 24 had stale disease (SD) and the disease control rate (DCR) was 96.2% (25/26). The clinical benefit rate (CBR), defined as the proportion of patients who achieved durable disease control (CR/PR/SD) more than 4 and 6 months, were 65.4% (17/26) and 38.5% (10/26) respectively. Most adverse events (AE) were grade 1 or 2. The most common grade 3 AE was hypertension (17.2%). No grade 4 AEs or treatment related death occurred in this study through the last follow-up. Conclusions: This interim analysis showed anlotinib of promising efficacy and favorable tolerance in the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic soft- tissue sarcoma. Clinical trial information: NCT03792542.

Photocatalytic degradation based on semiconductor is a potential technology for water pollution treatment by utilizing light irradiation. As a new p-type semiconductor material, CuBi2O4 is favored by researchers due to its excellent photocatalytic properties. Herein, a group of CuBi2O4 nanospheres were synthesized by simple hydrothermal method, in which the formation and transformation process of CuBi2O4 microsphere structure was studied by adjusting the hydrothermal reaction time. On this basis, a series Z-Scheme heterojunctions with different mass ratios of CuBi2O4/CdMoO4 nanocomposites were constructed and the formation mechanism of Z-scheme heterojunction was described detailedly. The results of the study confirmed that CuBi2O4/CdMoO4 (10 %) composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity, with a high degradation rate of 95.36 % for MB under visible light irradiation, by comparison with bare CuBi2O4 and CdMoO4. In order to improve the quantum efficiency, doping CdMoO4 onto CuBi2O4 greatly improved the surface charge migration rate of CuBi2O4 and reduced the rate of electron-hole pairs recombination. The degradation rate of CuBi2O4/CdMoO4 (10 %) remained over 85 % after three times cycling experiments, demonstrating that the heterojunction has good repeatability and stability. The free radical trapping experiments demonstrated that the h+ and O2– were the main substances involved in photocatalytic oxidation-reduction, which match the energy band, and was consistent with the mechanism of Z-Scheme heterojunctions. This study stated that establishment of a novel CuBi2O4/CdMoO4 heterojunction composite photocatalyst is a new ideal way to carry out environmental pollution treatment and clean energy.

In this paper, we study battery capacity design for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The core of such design problems is to find a good tradeoff between minimizing the capacity to reduce financial costs of drivers and increasing the capacity to satisfy daily travel demands. The major difficulty of such design problems lies in modeling the diversity of daily travel demands. Based on massive trip records of taxi drivers in Beijing, we find that the daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT) of a driver (e.g., a taxi driver) may change significantly in different days. This investigation triggers us to propose a mixture distribution model to describe the diversity in DVMT for various driver in different days, rather than the widely employed single distribution model. To demonstrate the merit of this new model, we consider value-at-risk and mean-variance battery capacity design problems for BEV, with respect to conventional single and new mixture distribution models of DVMT. Testing results indicate that the mixture distribution model better leads to better solutions to satisfy various drivers.

Objectives: Previous genome-wide association study showed that GLDC/IL33 loci were associated with overall survival in patients with osteosarcoma (OS). We performed a replication study to explore whether variants of GLDC/IL33 are associated with the survival of OS patients and to further verify their functional role in the gene expression. Methods: A total of 216 patients with OS were enrolled. The overall survival time was calculated from the date of diagnosis till the date of last follow-up or mortality. Two SNPs were genotyped, including rs55933544 and rs74438701. OS specimens were obtained from 72 patients during surgery. The gene expression level of IL33 and GLDC was evaluated by qPCR. Patients were classified into two groups according to the 5-year overall survival (death/survival). The chi-square test was used to analyze difference of genotype frequency. The Student t-test was used to compare the gene expression level between different genotypes. Cumulative survival time was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method and analyzed by the log-rank test. Results: Genotype TT of rs55933544 was significantly associated with the event of death (0.176 vs. 0.061, p

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical effects of modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) with low-temperature plasma with selective nasal cavity vasodilatation with tongue volume reduction for obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). METHODS A retrospective analysis based on 156 patients with serious OSAHS was used for the evaluation. These patients were divided into 2 groups according to surgery methods according to 1:1.s. The patients in observation group accepted modified UPPP with low-temperature plasma and selective nasal cavity vasodilatation with tongue root volume reduction on the basis of fully preparation for surgery, while the patients in the control group accepted normal treatment. The clinic effects, operative complications, postoperative relapse, and other indexes were compared. RESULT After 6 months of follow-up visit, the general effective rates of the observation group and control groups were 80.77% and 61.54%, the difference was statistically significant (P

Background context As the biomechanical foundation of the spine, the pelvis was found to display rotation in the transverse plane in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, the possible factors influencing the pelvic axial rotation (PAR) and its mechanism in patients with AIS remain unclear. Purpose To characterize the PAR in AIS patients with right major thoracic (MT) or major left thoracolumbar/lumbar (TL/L) curve and to explore the associated influencing factors and probable mechanism of compensation by analyzing the association between PAR and other spinal radiographic parameters. Study design Retrospective study. Patient sample All patients with the primary diagnosis of AIS from January 2008 to November 2009 were retrieved from our scoliosis database. Outcome measures Age, Cobb angle, and apex rotation of the main curve and the compensatory curve, curve flexibility, and PAR. Methods One-hundred thirty-two patients with right MT (14.7±1.8 years, 48±6.9°) and 83 patients with left major TL/L (14.7±1.5 years, 46±6.6°) were retrospectively reviewed. On standing full-spine posteroanterior radiographs, the PAR was quantified by the left/right hemi-pelvis width ratio (L/R ratio); then the subjects in both MT and major TL/L groups were divided into two subgroups: L/R ratio ≤1 (pelvis rotated to the right, R-PAR group); and L/R ratio >1 (pelvis rotated to the left, L-PAR group). Comparisons of all variables were performed between the L- and R-PAR subgroups; correlation and regression analysis were carried out to identify the influencing factors of PAR. Results The majority of the MT and major TL/L patients (75.8% vs. 60.2%) displayed right pelvic rotation, which was in the same direction as the thoracic curve. The incidence of R-PAR was greater in the MT patients than the major TL/L ones (p=.016). Lumbar flexibility in MT patients with R-PAR was greater than in MT patients with L-PAR (0.96±0.27 vs. 0.81±0.33, p=.038), which was contrary to the findings in the major TL/L patients (L-PAR>R-PAR, 0.79±0.15 vs. 0.70±0.22, p=.024). In the MT patients with R-PAR, the L/R ratio showed significant positive correlations with the lumbar Cobb angle (r=0.424) as well as with the apex rotation (r=0.488), which was further identified as an influencing factor (R=0.418) of the PAR. Significant positive correlations between L/R ratio and thoracic apex rotation (r=0.361) also were detected. Conclusion The majority of AIS patients with right MT or left major TL/L curves were found to have PAR to the right, in the same direction as the thoracic curve. The lumbar flexibility and apex rotation significantly influenced the PAR direction and magnitude. Moreover, the pelvis might be involved in compensation for the MT deformity through its connection with the lumbar spine.

Serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA has been approved for diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The goal of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the clinical value of the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA in the diagnosis of NPC. The PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge, Chinese Wanfang Med Online, and National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched to identify suitable studies. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR-), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA for the diagnosis of NPC were calculated. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves were used to summarize overall test performances. Meta-Disc 1.4 and Stata 12.0 softwares were used to analyze the data. A total of 2,520 patients from ten trials were subjected to meta-analysis. The summary estimates of the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA for NPC diagnosis were as follows: sensitivity 0.69 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.65-0.72), specificity 0.84 (95 % CI = 0.82-0.86), LR + 4.81 (95 % CI = 2.94-7.88), LR - 0.25 (95 % CI = 0.13-0.48), DOR 24.65 (95 % CI = 12.64-48.07), and area under the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve (AUC) was 0.8979. Our study demonstrates that the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA could be a useful tumor marker for NPC diagnosis.

Objective Treatment of distal femoral fracture in post-polio patients is difficult because the bone is usually osteopenic, small and deformed. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the outcomes of distal femoral fracture in post-polio patients treated by locking compression plates (LCP). Methods The medical records of 19 post-polio patients (mean age 49 years at time of surgery) were reviewed and intraoperative data retrieved. Fracture union and callus formation were evaluated on radiographs taken at each postoperative visit. Functional outcome assessments included range of motion and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score of the ipsilateral knee joint. Results Sixteen femoral fractures occurred in the poliomyelitis-affected limbs. The mean duration of operation was 86 min and mean blood loss 120 mL. All fractures healed (mean, four months) but union was delayed in one. At the final follow-up 2 yrs after surgery, the mean range of knee flexion was 105° (range, 90°–130°), and mean HSS score 76 points (range, 60–93). There were no cases of nonunion, implant cutout, or other complications. Conclusions LCP provides stable fixation of distal femoral fractures in post-polio patients. Bony union and good functional outcomes are achieved, but delayed union and minimal callus may occur.

The pelvis as the biomechanical foundation of spine, plays an important role in the balance of the stance and gait through the multi-link spinal-pelvic system. If the pelvic axial rotation (PAR) exists in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients, it should theoretically have some effects on the body balance.To explore the probable effects of preoperative PAR on the spinal balance in coronal plane in AIS patients with main thoracolumbar/lumbar (TL/L) curve after posterior spinal instrumentation.Thirty-eight AIS patients (age: 15 ± 1.5 years) with main TL/L curve (51° ± 6.2°) were recruited retrospectively into this study. The mean follow-up period was 27 months (24-36 months). Standing full spine posteroanterior radiographs were taken preoperatively, 3 month and 1 year postoperatively, and at last follow-up. The convex/concave ratio (CV/CC ratio) of the anterior superior iliac spine laterally and the inferior ilium at the sacroiliac joint medially was measured on posteroanterior radiographs. According to the preoperative CV/CC ratios, the patients were divided into two groups: normal group (N-group: 0.95 ≤ CV/CC ≤ 1.05); and the asymmetrical group (A-group: CV/CC0.95, or1.05).In all the patients, the 3-month-postoperative CV/CC ratio (1.026 ± 0.087) was significantly different from the preoperative CV/CC ratio (0.969 ± 0.095, P0.001), indicating that the pelvis had rotated in the opposite direction of the corrective derotation load applied to the TL/L spine after surgery. No significant change was found in the CV/CC ratio from 3-month-postoperative to the last follow-up (1.013 ± 0.103, P0.05). There was no significant difference in the demographic, phenotypic, and treatment variables between the N- (n = 16) and A-groups (n = 22) (P0.05). However, more coronal decompensation occurred in the A-group after surgery (36.4 vs. 0.0 %, P = 0.013): two patients having trunk translation, three having lower instrumented vertebra (LIV) translation, and one having LIV tilt; meanwhile, one patient having both LIV translation and LIV tilt, and one having both trunk translation and LIV tilt.The present study confirmed the existence of PAR in AIS patients, and indicated that the pelvis would experience an active rebalancing in the transverse plane within 3 months after spinal correction, and since then, its position would remain stable. Moreover, TL/L-AIS patients with preoperative asymmetrical PAR probably had greater risk of coronal decompensation postoperatively.

BACKGROUND The association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms and breast cancer risk has been extensively explored, but their results are conflicting rather than conclusive. To clarify the precise effects of MTHFR polymorphisms on the risk of breast cancer, a systemic review and most comprehensive meta-analysis of all available studies relating MTHFR rs1801133 gene polymorphism to the risk of breast cancer was conducted. METHODS Eligible articles were identified by search of databases including Medline (Mainly PubMed), Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature database (CBM), CNKI and Wanfang Medical databases. Crude ORs with 95% CIs were used to assess the strength of association. RESULTS Finally, a total of 83 studies with 35,029 cases and 38,990 controls were included. Overall, MTHFR rs1801133 gene polymorphism was proved to contribute to the risk of breast cancer under all genetic models (TT vs. CC: Pheterogeneity

Spectrum bands become more and more valuable to wireless services, because more wireless systems are fast deployed all around the world in recent years. Land mobile service is one of such wireless services. Due to great commercial interest in land mobile service, mobile networks are developing fast. However, the allocated spectrum to land mobile service is running off. More and more researchers and the industry realize that it is the time to estimate the spectrum needs for land mobile service. But there is no mature method on this subject. A novel method for 5G spectrum needs estimation (5GSNE) is proposed in this paper. 5GSNE would be a reference for future spectrum needs estimation studies, and might be used for spectrum needs estimation for China.

Objective As a widely used instrument for patients with extremity sarcoma, the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) has never been cross-culturally adapted for Chinese population. The objective of our study was to investigate the comprehensibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese version of TESS for use in patients with extremity sarcoma. Methods A consensus version of the Chinese TESS was developed under the review of a committee according to international guidelines. 64 patients were recruited to complete the Chinese TESS, the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) Rating Scale, and the Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30). Reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s α. Validity was assessed with Pearson’s correlation between the similar domains of the two questionnaires. Results The ICCs for the test–retest reliability was 0.932 for the upper extremity questionnaire and 0.893 for lower extremity questionnaire, respectively. The Cronbach’s α was 0.953 for the lower extremity questionnaire and 0.921 for the upper extremity questionnaire, respectively. Convergent validity of the TESS based on Pearson correlation coefficients indicated significantly moderate to high correlations between the TESS and the MSTS as well as the QLQ-C30, with r ranging from 0.535 to 0.782. Conclusions The Chinese TESS is a comprehensible, reliable, and valid instrument that can be utilized for future cross-cultural international studies of extremity sarcoma.

A comparative study.To investigate the difference of disc and vertebral wedging between patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and Chiari malformation-associated scoliosis (CMS).The wedging of disc and vertebral wedging of AIS are well investigated. However, the comparison of that wedging between AIS and CMS is not found in the literature.This study included 35 cases of AIS and 31 cases of CMS. The disc and vertebral wedging was measured by Cobb method. The percentage of single disc and vertebral wedging in the whole thoracic or lumbar curve was calculated. The difference between disc and vertebral wedging, the apical vertebra and average adjacent vertebrae wedging, the apical discs and adjacent discs wedging in the same curve location, same diagnosis and similar Cobb angle group was compared. The difference of disc or vertebral wedging between AIS and CMS, Cobb angle60 degrees and ≥60 degrees was also compared. The correlation between the apical vertebral wedging angle and Cobb angle was performed by Pearson correlation analysis.The difference between disc and vertebral wedging in the same curve location, same diagnosis, and similar Cobb angle group was statistically significant (P0.05). No significant difference of the disc or vertebral wedging was found between AIS and CMS in the same curve location and the similar Cobb angle group (P0.05). No significant difference of the disc or vertebral wedging was found between Cobb angle60 degrees and ≥60 degrees groups in the same curve location and the same diagnosis (P0.05). There was a positive correlation between the apical vertebra wedging angle and Cobb angle in AIS patients and CMS patients. The wedging of apical vertebra and disc was more than that in the adjacent disc and vertebra in the same curve.The relative wedging of intervertebral disc and vertebrae with AIS patients is similar to that of scoliosis with known cause (CMS). The wedging of discs and vertebrae in AIS patients may be an adaptive change secondary to some extravertebral factors.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the association of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) with metastasis and prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. Methods RT-PCR and Western blot assays were performed to detect IGF-1R mRNA and protein expression in 26 osteosarcoma and noncancerous bone tissues. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze the correlation of IGF-1R expression in 84 osteosarcoma tissues with clinicopathological factors or survival of patients. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference system was employed to downregulate IGF-1R expression and analyze the effects of IGF-1R downregulation on invasion and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells. Results The relative levels of IGF-1R mRNA and protein expression were significantly higher in osteosarcoma tissues than in corresponding noncancerous bone tissues. The expression of IGF-1R protein was closely associated with surgical stage and distant metastasis of osteosarcoma patients. Osteosarcoma patients with high IGF-1R expression had poorer survival, and multivariate Cox analyses showed that high IGF-1R expression was an independent prognostic maker. Lentivirus-mediated targeting IGF-1R could significantly inhibit adhesion, migration, invasion, and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells, which might be correlated with of inactivation of Akt signaling pathway. Conclusions IGF-1R is an independent prognostic marker for osteosarcoma patients and increased expression of this molecular is correlated with metastasis of osteosarcoma. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 105:235–243. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Variant rs7034162 in NFIB was reported to be associated with metastasis of osteosarcoma in European cases with genome-wide significance. Our purpose was to replicate the association of rs7034162 with the metastasis of osteosarcoma in the Chinese population and to further characterize the expression level of NFIB in osteosarcoma tissues. A total of 321 patients were included in this study. Variant rs7034162 was genotyped for each patient using the Taqman genotyping assay. Fifty-two cases of tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected during surgery. The χ2test was used to investigate the association of rs7034162 with the metastasis of osteosarcoma. The Student t test was used to compare the gene expression between patients with metastasis and those without metastasis. The messenger RNA expression level of NFIB was then compared among different genotypes of rs7034162 with 1-way analysis of variance test. Ninety-three patients were found to have metastasis. Patients with genotype AA had remarkably higher incidence of metastasis than those with genotype TT (34.4% vs 17.1%, P = .002). Patients with metastasis were found to have significantly higher rate of allele A than those without metastasis (53.2% vs 43.9%, P = .03). The messenger RNA expression of NFIB was significantly lower in tumor tissues of patients with metastasis than in those without metastasis (0.00035 ± 0.00017 vs 0.00063 ± 0.0025, P < .001). Compared to patients with genotype TT, those with genotype AA had remarkably decreased expression of NFIB (0.00033 ± 0.0014 vs 0.00067 ± 0.00037, P = .01). Single-nucleotide polymorphism rs7034162 was associated with metastasis of osteosarcoma in the Chinese population possibly via downregulation of NFIB. Further network analyses revealing the related pathways can help elucidate the molecular mechanism of distant metastasis in patients with osteosarcoma.

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of uni- and polyaxial locking osteosynthesis systems in the management of proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients, totally 76 cases were reviewed including 18 cases of two-part (Neer classification), 36 cases of three-part, and 22 cases of four-part fractures. All the patients received open reduction and internal fixation with proximal humerus internal locking osteosynthesis system (PHILOS) or Numelock systems designed for proximal humerus. Results showed no significant difference between groups considering the Constant–Murley scores assessed at 6 and 12 months, postoperatively. Satisfactory outcomes were achieved in 73.7 and 75.0% of the patients from the PHILOS and Numelock groups, respectively. Complications included four cases of varus malunion, one case of screw cut-out, and another case of avascular necrosis. Both of the PHILOS and Numelock systems showed equally good results considering fixation stability and functional outcomes of proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of neurologic deficits after scoliosis correction at 1 institution and identify the risk factors for such deficits in scoliosis correction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Neurologic deficit is one of the risks of surgical correction of scoliosis. Reports of the incidence of the neurologic deficits involving a large number of cases at 1 institution are rare. METHODS Statistical analysis of the neurologic deficits was performed in 1373 scoliosis cases treated at 1 institution by etiologies in light of the patients' sex, age, sagittal profile, surgical approach, Cobb's angle, and the type of surgery. RESULTS The total incidence of neurologic deficits was 1.89% and that of serious and mild ones was 0.51% and 1.38%, respectively. The total incidence of neurologic deficits were 1.06% in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients and 2.89% in congenital scoliosis (CS) patients, 3.32% in scoliosis patients with hyperkyphosis (>40 degrees ) and 1.38% in those without hyperkyphosis, 3.43% for combined procedures and 1.24% for single posterior procedures, 3.69% in patients with Cobb's angle more than 90 degrees and 1.45% in those with an angle less than 90 degrees , 1.68% with primary surgery and 5.97% with revision surgery, the difference between them was significant (P < 0.05). In adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients, the incidence were 3.85% for combined procedures and 0.64% for posterior procedure, 0.82% with primary surgery and 8.33% with revision surgery, 4.17% with hyperkyphosis and 0.61% without hyperkyphosis, the difference between them was significant (P < 0.05). The incidence of CS patients with Cobb's angle more or less than 90 degrees were 7.23% and 1.68% and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION In surgical correction of scoliosis, the risk factors for neurologic deficits include CS, scoliosis with hyperkyphosis, scoliosis correction by combined procedures, scoliosis with a Cobb's angle more than 90 degrees , and a revision surgery.

Background Abnormal longitudinal growth has been identified in the early pubertal stage of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and is thought to contribute to the development of scoliosis. This phenotype may be caused by abnormal endochondral ossification, but histological evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is abnormal endochondral ossification in IS patients at early stage of puberty by histomorphometric analysis of their iliac cartilage. Methods Fifty-two patients with IS and 19 controls were recruited and grouped according to their Risser grade (Group A: Risser grade 0 with Oxford stage 2–3; Group B: Risser grade 2). Group A consisted of 20 IS patients (mean age: 12.3 years) and 9 controls (mean age: 12.0 years), while Group B included 32 IS patients (mean age: 13.8 years) and 10 controls (mean age: 13.7 years). Biopsies of the iliac cartilage were harvested intra-operatively and prepared using routine histological methods. Histomorphometric analysis was performed to quantify the thickness of the hypertrophic zone, the area and number of chondrocytes in the cell-nest, and the number of chondrocytes in the proliferative zone using Image-Pro Plus software. Results In Group A, a significantly thicker hypertrophic zone and larger cell-nest area and number of cells within the cell-nest, and in the proliferative zone, were found in iliac cartilages from IS patients compared with those of controls (all P

Dystrophic scoliosis secondary to Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) may predispose to rib penetration into the spinal canal. No clear consensus was established regarding whether or not to resect the compressing rib head during correction maneuvers. The purpose of this study was to present imaging quantification of the migration of intraspinal-dislocated rib head in order to assess the extraction degree of dislocated rib heads and the associated influencing factors. Imaging data of NF1 scoliotic patients with intraspinal rib head dislocation from March 1998 to April 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The location and migration of the rib head were evaluated in a spinal canal-based coordinate system to calculate their pre- and postoperative vector coordinates. Differences in multiple parameters representative of rib head position were compared by paired sample t test. We also explored whether correction of vertebral rotation and translation could contribute to the extraction of intra-canal rib head by linear regression analysis. The incidence of apical convex rib head penetration into the canal was 15.9 % (23/145). Only 14.8 % of the dislocated rib heads invaded into the concave half-circle of the spinal canal, which was reduced to 3.7 % postoperatively. The directions of rib head migration were mostly toward the anterior convex quadrant of the spinal canal (70.4 %). Paired sample t tests revealed significant reduction in intraspinal rib length (9.2 ± 3.6 vs. 5.2 ± 3.6 mm, p

Precluding the out of date spectrum hole is quite essential for cognitive spectrum sensing. Key factors in this problem include the primary users' activity in time domain and the spectrum sensing triggers, etc. The Primary Spectrum Availability Sensing for Cognitive Radio is proposed in this paper. Renewal theory is introduced to derive the instant availability and the sensing cost. Numerical studies prove that the probability of up to date sensing result decreases and the sensing cost rises along with the time.

The burst of data leads to new requirement for high capacity of communication networks, bringing more activities for the industry. Some institutes public long term traffic forecasts for individual countries or continents even for the world, few of which have their forecasting methods known to the world. However, long term traffic forecasting is important for the industry to form a long-term strategy for communication development. A long term traffic forecast algorithm is proposed in this paper, and a case study of traffic forecast for China in 2020 is represented as a proof for the proposed algorithm.

The relationship of bladder cancer with the presence of X-ray cross-complementing group 3(XRCC3) genetic polymorphism Thr241Met has been reported with inconsistent results. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the association between this polymorphism and bladder cancer susceptibility. A comprehensive research was conducted through PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to Aug. 20, 2013. Pooled odds ratio and 95 % confidence interval were calculated using a fixed or random effects model. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata 12.0 software. Of the 18 case-control studies selected for this meta-analysis, a total of 5,667 bladder cancer cases and 7,609 controls were included. The combined results based on all studies suggested that XRCC3 Thr241Met was associated with bladder cancer risk under homozygote and recessive models. When stratifying for ethnicity, significant association was found in Caucasians under homozygote and recessive models. This meta-analysis suggests that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is a risk factor for bladder cancer risk. However, further well-designed studies are required to confirm our findings.

With the explosive growth of mobile communication and the rapid development of mobile data traffic, many countries around the world began the commercial LTE process. With the further development of LTE, part of the spectrum used by the existing 2G network will be assigned to LTE. It will bring the coexistence interference between LTE and GSM systems, in order to ensure that LTE and GSM systems can both be normally operated, the development of the adjacent channel coexistence protection program is one of the key issues that need to be addressed by refarming technology. In this paper, we deeply study the adjacent channel interference between LTE and GSM systems, put forward the guard-band between the coexistence of different standard of LTE and GSM systems and lay a solid foundation of refarming technology.

It is of most concern by the operators who run multiple networks that how much traffic should each network carry to obtain the minimum cost for the operator. But it is left unanswered by current researches. A multi-dimensional traffic distributing algorithm for network cost optimization is proposed to obtain the optimal traffic distribution. In the proposed algorithm, multiple factors effecting traffic distribution are concerned, such as service types, network capacity, network coverage, network cost, user habit, and terminals. Evaluations prove that the proposed algorithm provides less network cost than load balancing scheme.

Directing to the shortage of single method of BP neural network or D-S evidence theory in rotor fault diagnosis, a fault diagnostic method for induction motor rotor was proposed, which was based on BP neural network and D-S evidence theory. The BP neural network method was applied to the fault diagnosis firstly, and then, the partial diagnostic results of BP neural network were taken as the basic probability assignment, finally, the D-S evidence theory was applied to fuse different results from all the neural networks and got the finally diagnostic results. The experiment simulation results of fault diagnostic example show that the method is available for the induction motor rotor fault diagnosis and has better classified diagnosis ability than single fault diagnostic method.

One important reconstruction procedure following pelvic tumor resection is ipsilateral femoral autograft reconstruction in which the autograft is transposed onto the defect and a conventional total hip replacement is implanted in the autograft. The purpose of this study is to provide anatomical evidence for this reconstruction by measurement of proximal femoral autografts.The anatomical study of proximal femoral autografts was performed on thirteen fresh-frozen Chinese male cadavers. Four parameters were measured and included the diameter of the femoral head (DFH), the distance from the apex of the greater trochanter perpendicular to the medial cortex edge of the femoral neck (DAM), the length between the apex of the femoral head and the midpoint of osteotomy line under the lesser trochanter (LAM), and the width of the greater trochanter from anterior to posterior (WG). The correlation between height and each of the various parameters was analyzed using the Spearman's correlation.The median (first and third quartile) values of the measurements for the above mentioned parameters were 49 mm (48-52.7 mm), 58.5 mm (54.5-60.9 mm), 102 mm (96-105.2 mm) and 48 mm (46.5-51 mm), respectively. There was a positive correlation between height and each of these four parameters (P0.05).The proximal femoral autograft reconstruction may be a good option after resection of a pelvic tumor because of the provision of biological reconstruction. However, an individual preoperative plan should be carefully performed following evaluating the size of the bone defect after tumor resection and height and width of the remaining greater trochanter prior to conventional hip replacement.

Spectrum handover becomes one of the hot topics of Cognitive Radio recently. Spectrum handover happens when the primary users and secondary users collide on the same spectrum hole, and the secondary users need to switch to other spectrum holes to continue the communication. Therefore, the reliability of spectrum Q-learning handover, which is reflected by the quality of service of secondary users and the reduction of interference of primary users, needs deeper research. This paper proposes the scheme of Anticipated Spectrum Handover Scheme (ASHS), which models the primary channel with the consideration of the activity of secondary users based on renewal theory. Secondary users would anticipate the trigger of spectrum handover and select proper spectrum hole as the target one according to the anticipation. The simulation results show that the drop ratio of secondary users is decreased and the frequency of spectrum handovers and passive handovers are decreased.

Cognitive radio is the approach to increase the spectrum utilization for wireless applications. Control channel design is essential to improve the performance of the cognitive radio network. The control channel design scheme of Multi-channel Time domain Identification Rendezvous (MTIR) is proposed which adopts different signal patterns to abate the dependence on network-wide synchronized clock for the communication of secondary users. The delay of signal transmission between secondary users is utilized in MTIR for a shorter network setup time which is proved by the simulation results.

As one of the hot topics in Cognitive Radio, the secondary user's capacity has been paid lots of attentions. The interference incurring in cognitive environment hides more information than current researches have discovered. This paper studies the process that individual primary users and secondary users interfering each other, based on which the capacity of each secondary user on every spectrum hole is derived. The parameters that handover users need to consider are investigated, and the spectrum access algorithm with capacity matching is proposed as the integrated solution. The proposed algorithm increases the system throughput and the spectrum efficiency, proved by the simulation results.

Channel reservation is used to decrease the drop ratio of secondary users caused by spectrum handover. This paper considers the maintainer of the reserved channels in one secondary system coexisting with multiple primary systems. The global channel reservation scheme, the user channel reservation scheme, and the user-updated channel reservation scheme are proposed, derived by different Markov models. Numerical results show that the global channel reservation scheme performs higher throughput than the user-updated/user channel reservation schemes, while the user-updated channel reservation scheme gains the lowest drop ratio among the three schemes.

With continuously development of the Ad hoc network technology, integrating with other networks becomes one of the trends. Due to the involvement of other networks, routing strategy needs to change with the development. To considerate the key factors whose influence are serious comprehensively is needed. For those reasons, this paper proposes a novel concept of the optimal routing function, which considers the location of the nodes, mobility, and left battery capacity together to decide the routing. At the same time, a novel routing handoff strategy based on the optimal routing function was proposed. When the routing link becomes too poor to be used, it will be switched to the other routing link. The routing handoff strategy route is able to reduce the disruption rate, improve system routing reliability.

The introduction of cognitive radio relieves the pressure brought by the lack of spectrum resources. However, it also brings new problems to the resources scheduling. The currently existed scheduling algorithms have not considered the different identities of primary users (PUs) and secondary users (SUs), delay urgency and implementation progress. Considering the different demands on the spectrum scheduling timeliness, this paper proposes an integrated scheduling algorithm based on users' diversity. Simulation results show that the algorithm proposed not only ensures the PUs' quality of service but also improves the SUs' performance and system throughput. Additionally, the novel algorithm makes the resources allocation between PUs and SUs more fair.

A cognitive radio should avoid interference from secondary users to primary users. However, the unknown location of primary receiver makes the problem hard to solve. This paper proposes a novel primary receiver detection to change the passive state of primary receivers. Primary receiver informs the secondary user it's licensed receive frequency according to semaphore architecture via mapping method. The secondary user determines the spectrum holes by the semaphore. The algorithm of the mapping method and the semaphore transmitting power control are proposed. The analysis on the simulation results shows that the scheme can realize the detection of primary receiver, avoid interference and improve the spectrum utilization effectively.