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This paper studies the dynamic characteristics of an electric solar wind sail (E-sail). A high-fidelity multiphysics model is developed by the nodal position finite element method to investigate the coupling effects of orbital and self-spinning motions of the E-sail, and the interaction between the axial/transverse elastic motions of tether and the Coulomb force. Furthermore, parametric study is conducted to better understand these coupling effects. The simulation results show that the coupling effects have a significant impact on the dynamic behavior of E-sail and the induced thrust. Furthermore, the analysis indicates a strong dependence of the thrust on sail and coning angles of E-sail even in the case of small sail angle. Finally, the influence of the initial self-spin rate and the sail angle on the dynamic behavior of a flexible E-sail is investigated. It shows that a high spin rate is needed to hold the geometrical configuration of the E-sail, and the difference in the orbital maneuvering is distinct when the E-sail inclines to the incident solar wind. It implies that a suitable control strategy should be employed to accomplish the thrust vectoring for the orbit maneuvering. The analysis provides an effective and robust way to design the E-sail in the mission planning phase. • Developed high-fidelity multiphysics model for electric solar wind sail. • Revealed coupling effect of orbital and self-spin motion of E-sail. • Studied interaction between axial/transverse motion of tether and Coulomb force. • Studied influence of initial self-spin rate & sail angle on flexible E-sail dynamics. • High spin rate is needed to hold the geometrical configuration of E-sail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • FBG-based inclinometer for slope displacement monitoring is presented. • Relationship of deflections of FBG-based inclinometer versus strains was derived. • Effectiveness of FBG-based inclinometers for slope monitoring was verified. Abstract Landslide monitoring and forecasting have always been important research topics in geotechnical engineering. This study presents a self-designed inclinometer using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing technology, which was used to obtain the slope internal displacement. It is well known that FBG sensors can be effectively utilized for strain measurement; however, it is difficult to directly use FBG strain sensors to measure the displacement. Therefore, based on the conjugate beam method, a mathematical equation to convert strains to lateral displacements is established, which has been verified by the finite element numerical model considering different beam lengths and two bending types. Furthermore, field monitoring suitability tests of an FBG-based inclinometer were carried out, which shows that the proposed deflection solution based on FBG strain sensors can accurately calculate the shear displacement of a slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In geotechnical engineering, the displacement response of a structure plays an important role in evaluating structural performance and the safety state. Fiber Bragg grating-based inclinometers are one of the most common, intelligent and efficient instruments for measuring the internal displacements of slopes for their obvious advantages including anti-electromagnetic interference, small size, higher precision and improved durability in harsh environments. However, slope internal deformation cannot be directly measured from fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and needs to be obtained by converting the strain results of the FBG sensors to displacement information. This paper reviews the five most common strain-displacement conversion methods used in these FBG-based inclinometers categorized into the indeterminate beam theory method (IBTM), beam element method (BEM), difference equation method (DEM), trapezoidal integration method (TIM) and conjugate beam method (CBM). The FBG-based inclinometers in slopes are regarded as a cantilever beam structure and the deformation behaviors of the cantilever beam with different lengths and two bending types were investigated by using a finite element numerical simulation. Then the calculation performances of these strain-displacement conversion methods were analyzed by comparing the actual and predicted results, which demonstrate that the TIM and CBM are prominent owing to their highest calculation accuracy and broadest scope of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper develops control laws for the deployment of tethered spacecraft systems with an explicit non-negative velocity constraint using invariance principle of control systems. It addresses a class of space tether deployment control problems where the tether is deployed out only. This implies the tether deployment velocity must be always positive and approaches to zero at the end of deployment. This non-negative velocity constraint is explicitly satisfied in the proposed tension control laws by transforming it into an invariance property of control system. Two control laws with nonlinear feedback are derived with two complementary manifolds. The Lyapunov stability of the control laws is proved and the controllability of the tethered spacecraft system with tension input is analyzed. Finally, the effectiveness of control laws is demonstrated by numerical simulation. Highlights • Developed control law for monotonic deployment of tethered spacecraft systems. • Satisfied non-negative deployment velocity explicitly by invariance principle. • Proved controllability of tethered spacecraft systems and stability of control law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: There exists a research interest shift from separate symptoms to symptom clusters among people living with HIV (PLWH), which may provide a better understanding of symptom management in HIV/AIDS care. However, the symptom clusters among Chinese PLWH are still unknown.Objectives: The aim of our study was to identify symptom clusters and to examine demographic and health-related factors associated with these symptom clusters among PLWH prescribing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in China.Methods: From April to September 2017, we recruited 1116 participants through a convenience sampling in five HIV/AIDS designated facilities in the eastern, middle, and southwest regions of China. The principal component analysis was used to identify the symptom clusters. Association network was adopted to describe the relationships among symptoms and clusters. A multiple linear model was used to investigate the associated factors for the severity of overall symptoms and the prevalence of each symptom clusters.Results: Five symptom clusters were identified, including cognitive dysfunction, mood disturbance, wasting syndrome, dizziness/headache, and skin-muscle-joint disorder. Cognitive dysfunction was the most central symptom cluster. Variables including primary caregiver during ART treatment, years of HIV diagnosis and ART use, having comorbidity, self-rated health, and quality of life were associated with the prevalence of these five symptom clusters.Conclusion: Our study suggests that there is a need to evaluate symptom clusters for the improvement of symptom management among PLWH. It is particularly important to include assessment and treatment of cognitive symptoms as an essential component of the HIV care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the value of ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) for the quantitative assessment of carotid stiffness and its associated with atherosclerosis (AS) risk.Methods: The present study included 233 patients with hyperlipoidaemia (AS risk group) and 114 healthy adults as the control group. The carotid (n = 694) intima-media thickness (cIMT), pulse wave velocity-beginning of systole (PWV-BS) and pulse wave velocity-end of systole (PWV-ES) were measured on sample images. Differences, distributive characteristics and correlation evaluation were assessed in patients (ages 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and ≥70) and carotids (control group vs AS risk group).Results: The cIMT, PWV-BS and PWV-ES increased with age; PWV-ES and cIMT showed an early significant increase in the 30-39 years group, whereas PWV-BS displayed a significant increase at 40-49 years compared with the 18- to 29-years group. Besides, PWV-ES correlated well with age compared with PWV-BS and cIMT. For carotid level, cIMT, PWV-BS and PWV-ES measurements were higher in the AS risk group compared with control. To compare the value of ufPWV and cIMT in early AS assessment, we subdivided groups into cIMT subgroups using a cut-off thickness of 0.050 cm. PWV-ES measurements were higher in the AS risk group compared with the control in the 0.040-0.050 cm (not thickened) and 0.051-0.060 cm (thickened) cIMT subgroups.Conclusions: Carotid ufPWV measurement at PWV-ES is a novel modality for the early diagnosis and quantitative assessment of arterial stiffness associated with atherosclerotic risk.Key Points: • ufPWV technique is real-time and well repeatable for assessing carotid stiffness • ufPWV measurements increase and correlate well with age • PWV-ES is a quantitative predictor for the early assessment of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents the concept and experimental results of a kinematics-based incremental visual servo control approach for robotic manipulators with an eye-in-hand configuration to capture non-cooperative targets autonomously. The vision system is adopted to estimate the real time position and motion of the target by an integrated algorithm of photogrammetry and the adaptive extended Kalman filter. The unknown intercept point of trajectories of the target and the end-effector is dynamically predicted and updated based on the target estimates and is served as the desired position of the end-effector. An incremental control law is developed for the robotic manipulator to avoid multiple solutions of the robotic inverse kinematics. The end-effector is then controlled by the proposed control scheme to approach the dynamically estimated interception point directly. The proposed approach is validated experimentally by custom built robotic manipulator. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, uncertainties, such as, joint flexibility of the robotic manipulator, backlash of actuators, nonlinear target motion, camera mounting bias, etc., have not been considered in the control law. The experimental results show that the predicted minimum tracking time is reduced asymptotically as the end-effector approaches the target, which demonstrate the proposed control scheme is effective and reliable. The advantages of the proposed control approach are: it does not require a robotic dynamic model that most of the existing robotic control based on; it avoids the multiple solution problem in the inverse kinematics; it is insensitive to system uncertainties; and it is much easier for engineering implementation. Highlights • An incremental kinematic controller is presented for autonomous robotic capture. • Position and motion of non-cooperative target has been estimated accurately in real-time. • Multiple solutions problem of inverse kinematics is effectively avoided. • Validation experiments are performed on an eye-in-hand robotic manipulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has been widely used in research on plant resistance to Cd. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of HRW in ameliorating cadmium stress in vegetables is largely unknown. In this study, the RNA-sequencing analyses were used to characterize the role of HRW in the alleviation of Cd toxicity in Chinese cabbage seedlings. Based on the obtained results, two genes encoding metal ionic transporters, BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 were ultimately selected out. Then, a systematic validation of the metal ion transport function of these two ZIP-encoding genes of pak choi were performed via a yeast transformation system. The results showed that BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 increased the sensitivity of different yeast mutant strains to relative metal ionic stresses and facilitated the accumulation of metal ions (Cd2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Fe2+) in yeast; thus, it suggests that BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 probably have the ability to transport Cd2+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+ in pak choi. The time-course and concentration-dependent expression profiles of BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 showed that as time with HRW increased, the effectiveness of the repression on the expression of BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 increased, and as the seedlings were exposed to increased Cd concentrations, the inhibition of BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 by HRW was also increased. Over all, these findings provide new insights into the genome-wide transcriptome profiles in pak choi and show that HRW reduced Cd uptake probably through inhibiting the expression of transporters related to Cd absorption, BcIRT1 and BcZIP2. Highlights • Transcriptome profiles induced by Cd or HRW plus Cd were obtained. • HRW efficiently regulated the expression of Cd-induced transporter related genes. • The first function validation of BcIRT1 and BcZIP2 were performed by a yeast system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several anatomical studies regarding the value of hip rotation center (HRC) and femoral offset (FO) have been performed in Western populations. However, there are a few data on hip morphological values in the Chinese population based on CT scans. This study measured the values of the hip and pelvis, especially HRC and FO, in a Chinese population and compared them with the published values obtained from Western populations.Patients and methods: One hundred patients (50 females and 50 males) were included in the present study, and 3D-CT reconstructions of the hip and pelvis were generated. The mean age was 51.4 ± 8.9 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.5 ± 2.6 kg/m2. All the morphologic measurements were compared between genders and sides, and the relationships between different parameters were analyzed.Results: The mean FO values were 38.4 ± 4.7 mm and 35.6 ± 4.4 mm for the males and females, respectively. A significant negative correlation was noted between FO and neck shaft angle (NSA) in both genders (r = − 0.262, P = 0.009 for the males, r = − 0.350, P ≤ 0.001 for the females). A significant positive correlation was found between horizontal distance (HD) and diameter of the femoral head (DFH) in both genders (r = 0.734, P ≤ 0.001 for the males, r = 0.658, P ≤ 0.001 for the females). A significant positive correlation was noted between HD and pelvic width (PW) in males (r = 0.455, P ≤ 0.001). A significant positive correlation was also noted between HD and pelvic height (PH) in males (r = 0.318, P ≤ 0.001). A significant positive correlation was observed between FO and pelvic cavity height (PCH) in males (r = 0.411, P ≤ 0.001), and a significant positive correlation was observed between VD and PCH in females (r = 0.497, P ≤ 0.001). The tip of the greater trochanter was, on average, 7.0 mm higher than the femoral head center. Relationships between DFH and pelvic morphometric parameters were also observed.Conclusion: The present morphological data and the relationships between them can be applied to design better ethnic-specific THA prostheses and preoperative plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) is a human-pathogenic flavivirus that has recently emerged as a global public health threat. ZIKV infection may be associated with congenital malformations in infected fetuses and severe neurological and systemic complications in infected adults. There are currently limited treatment options for ZIKV infection. AR-12 (OSU-03012) is a celecoxib derivative cellular kinase inhibitor that has broad-spectrum antiviral activities. In this study, we investigated the antiviral activity and mechanism of AR-12 against ZIKV. We evaluated the in vitro anti-ZIKV activity of AR-12, using cell protection and virus yield reduction assays, in multiple clinically relevant cell lines, and the in vivo treatment effects of AR-12 in a lethal mouse model using type I interferon receptor-deficient A129 mice. AR-12 inhibited ZIKV strains belonging to both the African and Asian/American lineages in Huh-7 and/or neuronal cells. AR12's IC 50 against ZIKV was consistently <2 μM in these cells. ZIKV-infected A129 mice treated with intraperitoneally or orally administered AR-12 had significantly higher survival rate (50.0%–83.3% vs 0%, P < 0.05), less body weight loss, and lower blood and tissue ZIKV RNA loads than untreated control A129 mice. These anti-ZIKV effects were likely the results of down-regulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway by AR-12. Clinical trials using the clinically available and broad-spectrum AR-12 as an empirical treatment should be considered especially for patients residing in or returning from areas endemic of ZIKV and other arboviral infections who present with an acute undifferentiated febrile illness. Highlights • AR-12 (OSU-03012) inhibited the replication of Zika virus strains belonging to both the Asian/American and African lineages. • AR-12 inhibited Zika virus replication in multiple cell types in vitro. • AR-12 treatment improved clinical and virological outcome of Zika virus-infected type I interferon receptor-deficient mice. • AR-12 inhibited Zika virus replication via down-regulation of protein kinase B (Akt). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Sensor design for a parallel-series connected fiber-optic displacement sensor (PSCFODS) with bowknot bending modulation for landslides monitoring is presented. • The application and workability of PSCFODS in monitoring of civil engineering is analyzed and verified by tests. • Four rock slope failure behaviors are investigated and analyzed by PSCFODS. Abstract The combined optical fiber transducer (COFT), a newly developed fiber-optic displacement sensor, has proven to be a promising monitoring tool in civil engineering owing to its obvious advantages, such as high initial measurement accuracy, wide measurement range, remote real-time monitoring and convenient installation; however, a limitation is that it cannot realize the potential sliding surface of slopes. In this paper, based on the COFT designed in our previous studies, a parallel-series connected fiber-optic displacement sensor (PSCFODS) with bowknot bending modulation has been developed to determine the location of potential sliding surfaces and monitor the inner deformation in slopes, especially rock slopes. Laboratory shear-sliding tests of the PSCFODS in a self-designed concrete direct shear apparatus with double-shear planes are carried out to test the feasibility and early-warning characteristics of this sensor, while it is monitoring deformation and determining the sliding surface of civil engineering materials or geo-materials. Four different types of test modes corresponding to four rock slope failure modes are considered to investigate the effectiveness and applicability of the PSCFODS in detecting the deformation behaviors of slopes. Results show that the PSCFODS can accurately determine the shear-sliding surface and realize the sliding distance of blocks in four different test modes, which supports its applicability in civil engineering, especially for rock slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a popular planning strategy used to maximize accessibility to transit for various trip purposes. The quantitative effects of TOD on travel mode shift and traffic congestion have not been extensively tested in the current literature. This paper utilizes a seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) mode share model and a mesoscopic dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) model to analyze the impact of a planned TOD in Maryland. The proposed model aims at improving the understanding of the quantitative impacts of such a TOD on mode share and traffic congestion. The main result of the mode share model indicates that the increase in transit ridership for a transit accessible shopping center is not that significant. Local traffic conditions will deteriorate due to a lack of investment in road infrastructure planned for the TOD area. The proposed method could be a valuable tool for other indicative land development or transportation policy analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the deployment control problem of tethered space systems subject to an explicit constraint of maximum libration angle and disturbance of tether tension. A two-stage control procedure is developed to design a simple and effective tension control law that is capable of limiting the magnitude of libration angle and suppressing the tension disturbance in the tether deployment process. First, the deployment reference trajectory is designed by a modified barrier Lyapunov function with an explicit constraint on the maximum libration angle. Then, a disturbance observer-based tension control law is developed to track the reference trajectory with the consideration of tension disturbance. Stability analysis of the controller shows that the estimate and tracking errors are bounded to desired ranges. Simulation results demonstrate the proposed simple tension control law is effective and robust in restricting the maximum amplitude of libration angle and suppressing tension disturbance, while guaranteeing a stable deployment without tether slack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents a predictive visual servo kinematic control scheme for a robotic manipulator with the eye-in-hand configuration to perform autonomous capture of a non-cooperative space target with unknown motion. The unknown motion is estimated by an integrated algorithm of the photogrammetry and adaptive extended Kalman filter, in which the eye-in-hand configuration of the vision system improves the accuracy of the motion estimation as it approaches the target. Based on the vision feedback, a dynamic trajectory of robotic manipulator is planned in real time at each sampling instant and the end-effector of the manipulator moves towards the predicted position of the target at the next time instant incrementally. In this way, the multiple solutions problem of inverse kinematics in the joint space is effectively avoided and the robotic manipulator could intercept the non-cooperative target for a fast rendezvous. Validation experiments are performed on a custom built robotic manipulator with an eye-in-hand configuration. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control scheme. Highlights • A predictive incremental kinematic controller is presented for autonomous robotic capture. • The stability of the predictive kinematic controller has been proved. • The multiple solutions problem of inverse kinematics is effectively avoided. • Validation experiments are performed on an eye-in-hand robotic manipulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of approaches have been developed to evaluate the impact of land development on transportation infrastructure. While traditional approaches are either limited to static modeling of traffic performance or lack a strong travel behavior foundation, today’s advanced computational technology makes it feasible to model an individual traveler’s response to land development. This study integrates dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) with a positive agent-based microsimulation travel behavior model for cumulative land development impact studies. The integrated model not only enhances the behavioral implementation of DTA, but also captures traffic dynamics. It provides an advanced yet practical approach to understanding the impact of a single or series of land development projects on an individual driver’s behavior, as well as the aggregated impacts on the demand pattern and time-dependent traffic conditions. A simulation-based optimization (SBO) approach is proposed for the calibration of the modeling system. The SBO calibration approach enhances the transferability of this integrated model to other study areas. Using a case study that focuses on the cumulative land development impact along a congested corridor in Maryland, various regional and local travel behavior changes are discussed to show the capability of this tool for behavior side estimations and the corresponding traffic impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a robust finite element Kalman filter for the state estimation of flexible space tether systems, which are critical for space exploration and satellite missions. Due to the limited access to placing sensors along the flexible tether to measure them directly, the measurement of the state of these systems is challenging. To address this, a fully expandable, scalable, and robust approach is developed that fuses position/velocity sensors at tether ends, distributed fiber optic strain measurement along the tether, and a position/velocity estimation by a finite element-based Kalman filter to estimate the state of the tether system. The proposed estimator is mathematically proven to be observable, stable, and robust. The effectiveness of the estimator is demonstrated through numerical simulations of a space tether system in orbit, and the method can be extended to any flexible body system. The results of the simulations show that the proposed approach can accurately estimate the state of the tether system, even in the presence of disturbances and noise. • Expandable, scalable FE-Kalman state estimator for flexible space tether systems. • Data fusion with tether end position/velocity, distributed fiber optic strain measure, and estimated internal position/velocity. • Mathematically proven observability, stability, and robustness to noise of the estimator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: To compare the ability of the Cox regression and machine learning algorithms to predict the survival of patients with Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). Methods: Patients diagnosed with ATC were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The outcomes were overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS), divided into: (1) binary data: survival or not at 6 months and 1 year; (2): time-to-event data. The Cox regression method and machine learnings were used to construct models. Model performance was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), brier score and calibration curves. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was deployed to interpret the results of machine learning models. Results: For binary outcomes, the Logistic algorithm performed best in the prediction of 6-month OS, 12-month OS, 6-month CSS, and 12-month CSS (C-index = 0.790, 0.811, 0.775, 0.768). For time-event outcomes, traditional Cox regression exhibited good performances (OS: C-index = 0.713; CSS: C-index = 0.712). The DeepSurv algorithm performed the best in the training set (OS: C-index = 0.945; CSS: C-index = 0.834) but performs poorly in the verification set (OS: C-index = 0.658; CSS: C-index = 0.676). The brier score and calibration curve showed favorable consistency between the predicted and actual survival. The SHAP values was deployed to explain the best machine learning prediction model. Conclusions: Cox regression and machine learning models combined with the SHAP method can predict the prognosis of ATC patients in clinical practice. However, due to the small sample size and lack of external validation, our findings should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics aims to profile the metabolic changes in biological systems and identify differential metabolites related to physiological phenotypes and aberrant activities. However, many confounding factors during data acquisition complicate metabolomics data, which is characterized by high dimensionality, uncertain degrees of missing and zero values, nonlinearity, unwanted variations and non-normality. Therefore, prior to differential metabolite discovery analysis, various types of data cleaning such as batch alignment, missing value imputation, data normalization and scaling are essentially required for data post-processing. Here, we developed an interactive web server, namely, MetFlow, to provide an integrated and comprehensive workflow for metabolomics data cleaning and differential metabolite discovery. Availability and implementation The MetFlow is freely available on http://metflow.zhulab.cn/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a method to estimate the relative pose, motion, and center of mass of an unknown tumbling target using stereoscopic vision. First, the positions and velocities of detected feature points on the spacecraft are tracked and estimated by the measurements of optical flow and photogrammetry. Random observation noises are included in the process. Second, the angular velocity and attitude of the target are estimated by the least square method and q-method, respectively. Finally, the position and velocity of the center of mass of the spacecraft are recovered based on the relative kinematics of the target by successive images over a predefined observation period. Numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and precision of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the control of spacecraft rendezvous with attitude stable or spinning targets in an elliptical orbit. The linearized Tschauner-Hempel equation is used to describe the motion of spacecraft and the problem is formulated by model predictive control. The control objective is to maximize control accuracy and smoothness simultaneously to avoid unexpected change or overshoot of trajectory for safe rendezvous. It is achieved by minimizing the weighted summations of control errors and increments. The effects of two sets of horizons (control and predictive horizons) in the model predictive control are examined in terms of fuel consumption, rendezvous time and computational effort. The numerical results show the proposed control strategy is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the performance of chemical shift signal intensity index (CS-SII) values for distinguishing minimal-fat renal angiomyolipoma (mfAML) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to assess RCC subtype characterisation.Methods: We identified eligible studies on CS magnetic resonance imaging (CS-MRI) of focal renal lesions via PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. CS-SII values were extracted by lesion type and evaluated using linear mixed model-based meta-regression. RCC subtypes were analysed. Two-sided p value <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool.Results: Eleven articles involving 850 patients were included. Minimal-fat AML had significantly higher CS-SII value than RCC (p < 0.05); there were no significant differences between mfAML and clear cell RCC (cc-RCC) (p = 0.112). Clear cell RCC had a significantly higher CS-SII value than papillary RCC (p-RCC) (p < 0.001) and chromophobe RCC (ch-RCC) (p = 0.045). The methodological quality was relatively high, and Begg's test data points indicated no obvious publication bias.Conclusions: The CS-SII value for differentiating mfAML from cc-RCC remains unproven, but is a promising method for differentiating cc-RCC from p-RCC and ch-RCC.Key Points: • RCC CS-SII values are significantly lower than those of mfAML overall. • CS-SII values cannot aid differentiation between mfAML and cc-RCC. • CS-SII values might help characterise RCC subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the electromagnetic interference shielding of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. The CNT/CFRP composites were fabricated by dry spray deposition of CNT on surfaces of carbon fiber prepregs and then out‐of‐autoclave curing process. The interlaminate shear strength of CNT/CFRP composites was first examined. It was found that the shear strength was strengthened if the CNT loading between prepregs was below 3.0 g/m2. Then, the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of CNT/CFRP composites was characterized as a function of CNT loadings over the X‐band frequency range (8.2–12.4 GHz). The tests revealed that the maximum and minimum EMI SE of CNT/CFRP composites increased by approximately 20%, from 62 to 74 dB and from 45 to 53 dB, respectively, by adding 2.5 g/m2 CNT at the interlaminate surfaces. The results unveiled that the shielding by absorption dominates in the overall EMI SE of CNT/CFRP composites, while the shielding by reflection is almost independent of CNT loadings. It was also observed that the overall EMI SE increased linearly with CNT loading. This study shows that the spray deposition of CNT is an efficient technique to improve the EMI shielding performance of CFRP composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E655–E663, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma often coexist. The terminology combined allergic rhinitis and asthma syndrome (CARAS) was introduced to describe patients with combined AR and asthma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between eosinophilic inflammation in the upper and lower airways of patients with CARAS. Stable patients with CARAS initially presenting with AR or asthma were recruited. Healthy subjects and patients with AR alone were recruited as controls. Clinical characteristics, including disease history, lung function, nasal airway inspiratory resistance and upper and lower airway eosinophilic inflammation were evaluated and compared. A total of 73 subjects (22 patients with CARAS initially presenting with AR, 15 patients with CARAS initially presenting with asthma, 25 patients with AR alone and 11 healthy subjects) were studied. The nasal symptoms visual analogue scale scores at the week prior to enrollment and nasal airway inspiratory resistances were comparable among the groups. The percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and percentage of predicted maximal middle expiratory flow in patients with CARAS initially presenting with asthma were significantly lower compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). No significant different in the percentage of eosinophils in the nasal lavage was observed between patients with CARAS and those with AR only; however, it was significantly increased compared with healthy subjects (P<0.05). The fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide and percentage of eosinophils in the sputum were significantly increased in patients with CARAS compared with those in the AR only and healthy subject groups (P<0.05). The difference in the percentage of eosinophils in the nasal lavage and sputum between patients with CARAS initially presenting with AR and initially presenting with asthma was not significant; however, a positive correlation between the percentage of eosinophils in the upper and lower airways was present in patients with CARAS initially presenting with AR only (r=0.526, P=0.030). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Both histamine and leukotrienes are implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR), although the pattern and severity of the nasal response to these two potent inflammatory mediators may differ, which has not been adequately studied in patients with persistent AR. Objective: We sought to compare the differential effects of nasal challenge with leukotriene D4 (LTD4) and histamine on the airway response and inflammation in patients with AR. Methods: An open‐label, crossover study was performed in 25 persistent AR patients (AR group) and 16 healthy subjects (control group). Participants randomly underwent histamine and LTD4 nasal provocation within a two‐week interval. Nasal symptoms according to a visual analogue scale (VAS), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), nasal lavage, induced sputum, and spirometry were evaluated before and after nasal challenge. Results: Nasal airway resistance (NAR) increased significantly after both LTD4 and histamine nasal challenge in AR patients (P < .05). The potency of LTD4 was 142‐fold higher than that of histamine in increasing NAR (P < .001). The nasal symptom score induced by histamine challenge was significantly higher than that triggered by LTD4 (3.42 ± 0.83 vs. 1.16 ± 0.94, P < .05) in the AR group. LTD4 and histamine nasal challenge led to a significant increase in neutrophils in the nasal lavage and induced sputum (P < .05) in AR patients. There were no significant differences in the changes of eosinophils before and after LTD4 and histamine nasal challenges in nasal lavage and induced sputum. No significant changes in NAR, the induced symptom score, or inflammatory cells in the nasal lavage and sputum were found in the control group. Conclusions: LTD4 and histamine nasal challenge caused different patterns and severities of nasal symptoms, which correlated with symptoms (TSS) that affect patient's daily life. LTD4 was far more potent than histamine at increasing the NAR, while histamine nasal challenge induced more sneezing and nasal discharge. These results may guide the prescription of anti‐histamine or anti‐leukotriene agents for treating different AR phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides and other geological disasters occur frequently and often cause high financial and humanitarian cost. The real-time, early-warning monitoring of landslides has important significance in reducing casualties and property losses. In this paper, by taking the high initial precision and high sensitivity advantage of FBG, an FBG strain sensor is designed combining FBGs with inclinometer. The sensor was regarded as a cantilever beam with one end fixed. According to the anisotropic material properties of the inclinometer, a theoretical formula between the FBG wavelength and the deflection of the sensor was established using the elastic mechanics principle. Accuracy of the formula established had been verified through laboratory calibration testing and model slope monitoring experiments. The displacement of landslide could be calculated by the established theoretical formula using the changing values of FBG central wavelength obtained by the demodulation instrument remotely. Results showed that the maximum error at different heights was 9.09%; the average of the maximum error was 6.35%, and its corresponding variance was 2.12; the minimum error was 4.18%; the average of the minimum error was 5.99%, and its corresponding variance was 0.50. The maximum error of the theoretical and the measured displacement decrease gradually, and the variance of the error also decreases gradually. This indicates that the theoretical results are more and more reliable. It also shows that the sensor and the theoretical formula established in this paper can be used for remote, real-time, high precision and early warning monitoring of the slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-fold interpenetrated coordination polymer [Cd 2 (L)(bibp) 3 ] n ( 1 ) (H 4 L = 5,5′-(1,4-phenylenebis(methoxy))diisophthalic acid, bibp = 4,4'-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl) has been rationally constructed, successfully solvothermally synthesized and fully characterized. Complex 1 shows a 3D three-fold interpenetrated novel topological framework with the point symbol (4. 6 9 ) 2 (4 2 . 6 2 . 7. 8), and represents a variety of potential applications. Luminescence studies demonstrate that 1 has high selectivity and sensitivity for pollutant Cr(VI) (CrO 4 2- and Cr 2 O 7 2- ) anion and Fe(III) cation; Photocatalytic studies show that 1 exhibits great degradation activity of three organic dyes (methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB) and MalachiteGreen oxalate (MGO)). Furthermore, the possible mechanisms of the luminescent quench and photocatalytic properties have been deduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the trajectory planning and control of autonomous spacecraft rendezvous in the orbital plane with line-of-sight dynamics. The control problem, based on nonlinear model predictive control, is formulated in terms of line-of-sight range and azimuth angle. The state feedback with measurement uncertainties is introduced to form a closed-loop optimal control problem by integration of receding horizon strategy. Furthermore, the control input increment instead of total control input is considered in the cost function to generate a smooth transient response. The formulated nonlinear optimal control problem is then transformed into convex quadratic programming problems over the predictive horizon, leading to a computationally efficient algorithm implementable for spacecraft. The numerical results show that the newly proposed line-of-sight nonlinear model predictive control scheme is able to effectively generate optimized approach trajectories with satisfactory control accuracy and the proposed method is insensitive to the measurement uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four two-dimensional functional coordination polymers, namely [Co(H 2 L)(bibp)(H 2 O)] n ( 1 ), {[Ni(H 2 L)(bibp)(H 2 O)]·0.5H 2 O} n ( 2 ), [Co 2 (L)(bimb)] n ( 3 ) and [Zn 2 (L)(bimb)] n ( 4 ) (H 4 L = 5,5′-(1,3-phenylenebis(methoxy))diisophthalic acid, bibp = 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl, bimb = 1,4-bis(imidazol)-butane) have been successfully hydrothermally synthesized. All of these four polymers were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. All of the four CPs are shown the rare 2D + 2D → 2D network. Complexes 1 and 2 have the similar structures with the same new topological framework with the point symbol [4 4 . 6 2 ] [4] 2 ; complexes 3 and 4 are isomorphous and display [M 2 (COO) 2 (bimb)] (M = Co for 3 , Zn for 4 ) binuclear SBUs based on sq1 framework with the point symbol [4 4 . 6 2 ]. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation of four Co(II) complexes 1 – 4 have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a model box for laboratory model experiments on a slope is one of the most effective and acceptable methods for studying the occurrence and development of landslides. However, there have been no studies involving model experiments in which different types of combined optical fiber transducer (COFT) materials are buried in boreholes with different sizes and forms. Moreover, there have been no previous reports on the mechanism of a landslide being determined using the COFT we designed. Based on our previous studies, we designed a new model experimental box (with an interior space size of 4.5 × 2 × 1.7 m). A sliding bed was constructed of brick, with sliding surfaces made by layering cement mortar and stainless steel plates. The friction coefficients of these sliding surfaces were 0.63 and 0.27, respectively. Three loading schemes were designed: a stack load, jack, and jack and stack load combination. A landslide model experiment with two types of boreholes (inclined and vertical) was designed, and two laboratory model experiments were successfully conducted under the same soil conditions. During the test, the model slopes were cut, the COFTs were broken, and the corresponding data were collected, thus verifying the accuracy of the established experimental model. The results showed that the COFT measurements of the load movement direction were identical to previous research results. The friction coefficient of the sliding surface was a critical factor for the imposed load. The jack and stack load combination is recommended for this type of experiment. An inclined borehole model with a small inclination angle is not recommended for use in the model experiment, and an appropriate COFT material and borehole size should be selected according to the actual circumstances. The four stages of the land-sliding mechanism (compaction, gradual sliding, slightly faster sliding, and rapid sliding) could be determined from the tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper developed a new multiphysics finite element method for the elastodynamic analysis of space debris deorbit by a bare flexible electrodynamic tether. Orbital motion limited theory and dynamics of flexible electrodynamic tethers are discretized by the finite element method, where the motional electric field is variant along the tether and coupled with tether deflection and motion. Accordingly, the electrical current and potential bias profiles of tether are solved together with the tether dynamics by the nodal position finite element method. The newly proposed multiphysics finite element method is applied to analyze the deorbit dynamics of space debris by electrodynamic tethers with a two-stage energy control strategy to ensure an efficient and stable deorbit process. Numerical simulations are conducted to study the coupled effect between the motional electric field and the tether dynamics. The results reveal that the coupling effect has a significant influence on the tether stability and the deorbit performance. It cannot be ignored when the libration and deflection of the tether are significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A park that had used reclaimed water as the sole water supply for fourteen years, was selected to analyze the distribution, sources and risks of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in waters and sediments. The effects of phytoremediation were investigated in waterbodies classified as phytoremediation, transitional and non-phytoremediation areas. Diagnostic ratio (DR) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the sources of PAHs, while risk quotient (RQ) was used as risk assessment tool. Results showed that ∑PAH concentrations in sediments ranged from 29.4 to 1245.6 ng‧g−1, with average of 354.3 ng‧g−1, corresponding to a moderate pollution level. The concentration of PAHs in water ranged from 10.6 to 326.3 ng‧L−1, with average of 147.2 ng‧L−1, corresponding to a low pollution level. The ∑PAHs in sediments showed a downward trend from northwest to southeast along with the water flow direction, with average values of 459.5, 362.9 and 246.1 ng‧L−1 in the upstream, midstream and downstream, respectively. In contrast, PAH concentrations in water were consistent with recreational activities in the urban park area. There were 95% of water samples and 72% of sediment samples obtaining the Ant/(Ant + Phe) > 0.1 and Flu/(Flu + Pyr) > 0.5, indicating that coal combustion was the major source of PAHs in both the water and sediment. The RQ ∑PAH(NCs) values in water and sediment were all between 1 and 800, while RQ ∑PAH(MPCs) reached equal to 0, suggesting that ∑PAHs presented a low ecological risk. Acenaphthene accounted for 28.4% of RQ (NCs) , and became the most risk PAH in water column. Aquatic plants effectively removed high-ring PAHs from water and middle-ring PAHs from sediments, reducing the overall risks posed by PAHs. [Display omitted] • A park using reclaimed water (RW) as sole supply was selected to study PAH pollution. • Spatial distribution of PAHs in sediment was highly correlated with the RW flow. • PAHs level in water column was strongly associated with tourism activities. • Phytoremediation can remove high-ring PAHs in water and middle-ring PAHs in sediment. • PAHs are at low-risk level and mainly derived from coal combustion in study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose Bayesian clustering ensemble Gaussian process (BCEGP) model for network-wide traffic flow clustering and prediction. • Utilize subset-based Dirichlet process mixture (SDPM) model to conduct hard clustering among input data. • Adopt Gaussian Process (GP) to learn the probability relationship between inputs and outputs. • Test the performance of the proposed model based on both synthesized and real-world datasets. • BCEGP model performs well in predictive accuracy, computational speed, and interpretability. Traffic flow prediction is an essential component in intelligent transportation systems. Recently, there has been a notable trend in applying machine learning models, especially deep learning, for network-wide traffic prediction. However, existing studies have limitations on model interpretability, model generalization, and over-reliance on image data processing or fine-designed deep learning structures for extracting traffic attributes. This paper attempts to tackle these limitations by proposing a Bayesian clustering ensemble Gaussian process (BCEGP) model for network-wide traffic flow clustering and prediction. The model utilizes a subset-based Dirichlet process mixture (SDPM) model to conduct a hard clustering among input data; then, within each cluster, it adopts the Gaussian Process (GP) to learn the probability relationship between inputs and outputs. During the prediction phase, the model conducts a soft clustering of the input as weights, and makes predictions via a weighted average of GPs' outputs. The merits of the BCEGP model include: (a) data with similar spatial–temporal patterns are clustered, which helps understand traffic dynamics in a non-Euclidean and non-graphical manner that enhances information extracting for model development; (b) GPs provide analytically trackable functions/gradients of predicted traffic flows with features and reveal variances of predicted traffic flow, enhancing model applicability and interpretability to some extent; (c) the model incorporates an ensemble learning framework that achieves great generalization performance as good as deep learning models; (d) the subset-based clustering and cluster-based GP learning are conducted parallelly, and thus vastly accelerate the training efficiency compared with conventional GPs (but slower than deep learning models). We test the performance of the proposed model based on both synthesized and real-world datasets. For comparison, several widely used machine learning and deep learning models are trained under the real-world dataset. The results demonstrate that the BCEGP model performs well in predictive accuracy, computational speed, and applicability, which can be a promising method for transportation problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission capacity of the power grid is growing to meet the increasing electrical load demand in the past few decades. It makes the level of severity that short‐circuit current (SCC) exceeds the interruption capability of circuit breakers much higher. To limit SCC, this study proposes a bi‐objective optimisation model to determine the optimal tripping transmission lines scheme. In this proposed model, the objectives include the maximal effectiveness on limiting SCC and the minimal adverseness on voltage stability, which evaluate by the sensitivities of SCC and voltage stability margin on the tripping lines. Intelligence algorithms have been applied to solve the similar multi‐objective problem. However, the optimisation methods cannot meet the requirement of the real‐time application because the full‐dimensional set of decision variables including all transmission lines is considered in the optimisation procedure. Thereby, the coordinated optimisation algorithm is adapted to accurately and fast achieve the optimal solution. The case study on the IEEE 39‐bus system and a real‐world 500 kV network in Guangdong province of China verify the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and facile metal-free method for the green synthesis of 1,2,4-selenadiazol-5-amine derivatives through the aerobic radical-cascade multi-component reactions of isocyanides, selenium powder and imidamides is reported herein. O2 in the air was employed as the green oxidant to achieve the cycloaddition with the generation of H2O as the sole by-product. It also features good functional group compatibility and broad substrate scope. In addition, this method was successfully applied to the functionalization of biologically active molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five functional coordination polymers (formic-based CPs) namely: {[Cu 2 (CHOO) 3 (bibp) 2 ]·CHOO} n ( 1 ), {[Co 2 (CHOO) 3 (bibp) 2 ]·NO 3 ·H 2 O}n ( 2 ), {[Ni 2 (CHOO) 3 (bibp) 2 ]·NO 3 ·H 2 O} n ( 3 ) [Co(CHOO) 2 (bbibp)] n ( 4 ) and [Zn(CHOO) 2 (bbibp)] n ( 5 ) (bibp=4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl, bbibp=4,4′-bis(benzoimidazo-1-yl)biphenyl) have been successfully hydrothermally synthesized using the in-situ hydrolysis of N, N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) as the source of formate. All of these five polymers were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Complexes 1 – 3 have the similar three-dimensional 3D kag topological framework built from the bibp ligand as the support member between the neighboring formic planes. Both complexes 4 and 5 have the similar one-dimensional 1D linear chain which is further assembled into 3D supermolecular structure by C–H…O hydrogen bonds. The dyes adsorption experiments have also been investigated systematically. The results show that complexes 2 and 3 exhibit high selective adsorption ability towards anionic dyes in their aqueous solution. Moreover, complex 2 displays good reversibility in the process of the dyes adsorption-release. Meanwhile, the unusual blocking phenomenon was firstly observed when complex 2 was in MO/OIV aqueous solutions with different concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of different new types of blade-tip on transonic acoustic characteristics of a helicopter rotor, numerical analyses about the impacts of blade-tips on the high-speed impulsive (HSI) noise characteristics have been carried out by taking the UH-1H model rotor as baseline. A CFD simulation method is developed by solving the compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model, and a high-precision Roe-MUSCL scheme and high-efficiency implicit LU-SGS scheme are employed for spatial and temporal discretization respectively. Based on the validation of CFD method, a robust FW-H_pds method based on the penetrable data surface is established for predicting rotor HSI noise, and the transonic acoustic characteristics of UH-1H model rotor have been simulated to verify the effectiveness of the present method. Based on these methods, the influences of Mach number on the phenomenon named "delocalization" nearby the blade tip and the HSI noise characteristics are analyzed, and the generation mechanism of transonic noise is revealed by the comparisons of the monopole noise and quadrupole noise. Then, the influences of both sweepback and sweep-forward blade-tip on inhibiting rotor transonic acoustic characteristics are analyzed at a transonic state (Mach number 0.9) respectively. The numerical results indicate that the serious delocalization phenomenon and the HSI noise radiation occur strongly with the increase of the blade-tip Mach number. Compared with rectangular blade, the rotors with sweepback or sweep-forward blade-tip can reduce HSI noise level at a transonic state by suppressing the supersonic flow and delaying the occurrence of delocalization effects. Furthermore, sweep-forward blade-tip has a more remarkable effect on inhibiting delocalization effects by driving supersonic flow region to move to inside of blade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a fractional order sliding mode control for the deployment of tethered space systems with the consideration of uncertainty of external disturbances and unmodeled system dynamics. The proposed fractional order sliding mode control consists of two sub-sliding manifolds that are defined separately for the actuated and unactuated states. This, in turn, generates a control scheme to make all states move toward to the desired states. The stability analysis of the proposed control law indicates not only all states converge to the desired states at equilibrium but also disturbances caused by the uncertainty can be suppressed satisfactorily. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the influences of fractional order and sub-sliding manifold of unactuated states on the performance of the proposed control law. The performance is compared with the sliding mode, PD and fractional order PD control laws for a baseline scenario of tether deployment. The proposed control law performs better than others in the settling time and the maximum pitch angle control in the presence of unwanted disturbances. Effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control law are demonstrated by computer simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High entropy alloy coatings show great potential for improving the wear resistance of the stainless-steel substrate. However, there are few comparative studies on the tribological properties of high entropy alloy coatings with different elements. In the present study, the FeCoCrNiCu x and FeCoCrNiSi x high entropy alloy coatings were designed and prepared by laser cladding. The microstructures of the high entropy coating were analyzed. The tribological properties of the high entropy alloy coatings sliding against Si 3 N 4 balls at room temperature and 600 °C were investigated. The results show that after adding Cu/Si, the tribological properties of the coating change little at room temperature, but increased significantly at high temperature of 600 °C. The FeCoCrNiSi coating has the best tribological performance at 600 °C with an average friction coefficient and wear rate of 0.19 and 0.677 (×10−4 mm3/N·m), respectively. In general, the addition of Cu increases the thermal conduction ability of the coating, improves the toughness and the bonding strength of the coating; the addition of Si refines the grain size, increases the degree of work hardening and improves the wear resistance of the coating. • The effect of Cu/Si on laser cladding FeCoCrNi coatings was investigated. • The addition of Cu/Si in equal molar ratio at room temperature improved wear resistance of FeCoCrNi coating. • At 600 °C, the addition of Cu/Si both improved the tribological properties of FeCoCrNi coating. • The FeCoCrNiSi coating showed the best tribological performance at high temperature (600 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the shortcomings of conventional ecological floating bed (CEFB) in purifying landscape water, this study constructed a functional ecological floating bed (FEFB) through the suspension of calcium peroxide (CP) and sponge iron (SI) jointly below the CEFB. The purification effect of water quality and influence of sediment were compared in control check, CEFB, and FEFB systems, which were loaded the same sediment and reclaimed water in a field experiment. Results showed that the FEFB suspended with CP and SI had evident purification effect on the quality of landscape water supplied with reclaimed water and can maintain stably the nutrient status of the water body at mesotrophic levels and low turbidity. The FEFB promoted the degradation of humus, thus eliminating the chroma risk in water body caused by the decay of plants from the CEFB. Moreover, the FEFB can control the sediment mass produced, reduce the total nitrogen (TN) mass of sediment, and decrease the transformable TN (TTN) content in the sediment. The FEFB enhanced the stability of phosphorus (P) in the sediment, where the relative content of Ca–P and stable P reached 42.18% and 64.27%, respectively. To sum up, the FEFB suspended with SI and CP can not only effectively control the eutrophication and sensory index of landscape water but also change the TTN content and P forms in sediment, making the sediment more stable. Thus, the FEFB provides an innovative approach to reduce endogenous nutrient release for landscape water along with recharging with reclaimed water. [Display omitted] • An efficient and noval functional ecological floating bed (FEFB) was constructed. • FEFB can maintain water nutrient status at the mesotrophic level and low turbidity. • FEFB can eliminate the chroma risk in water body from the decayed system plants. • FEFB can control sediment mass and lower TN mass and TTN content of sediments. • FEFB can reduce endogenous release by enhancing P and N stability in sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a new autonomous incremental visual servo control law for the robotic manipulator to capture a non-cooperative target, where the control input is the incremental joint angle to avoid the multiple solutions in the existing inverse kinematics. The position and motion of the non-cooperative target are estimated by an eye-to-hand vision system in real time by integrated photogrammetry and extended Kalman filter. The estimated position and motion of the target are fed into the newly developed position-based visual servo control law to drive the manipulator incrementally towards the dynamically predicted interception point between trajectories of the end effector and the target. To validate the proposed approach, a hardware-in-the-loop simulation has been conducted where the position and motion of the target is estimated by a real eye-to-hand camera and fed into the simulation of the robotic manipulator. The simulation results show the proposed incremental visual servo control law is stable and able to avoid the multiple solutions in the total inverse kinematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), mainly caused by coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) infections, remains a serious public health issue with thousands of newly diagnostic cases each year since 2008 in China. The mechanisms underlying viral infection, however, are elusive to date. In the present study, we systematically investigated the host cellular microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns in response to CVA16 and EV71 infections. Through microarray examination, 27 miRNAs (15 upregulated and 12 downregulated) were found to be coassociated with the replication process of two viruses, while the expression levels of 15 and 5 miRNAs were significantly changed in CVA16- and EV71-infected cells, respectively. A great number of target genes of 27 common differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted by combined use of two computational target prediction algorithms, TargetScan and MiRanda. Comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of target genes in GO categories and KEGG pathways indicated the involvement of diverse biological functions and signaling pathways during viral infection. These results provide an overview of the roles of miRNAs in virus-host interaction, which will contribute to further understanding of HFMD pathological mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of tigecycline in children with life-threatening infections.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of patients treated with tigecycline from June 2012 to May 2014 in a Chinese tertiary centre.Results: The study comprised 24 patients (14 male) with a median age of four years (range, 50 days-12 years). The most frequently isolated microorganism, most common isolation site and type of infection were Acinetobacter baumannii, tracheal aspirate fluid and ventilator-associated pneumonia, respectively. Tigecycline was administered at a loading dose of 1.5 or 2.0 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg every 12 hours after that. The average duration of treatment was 11.6 ± 5.8 days. The clinical response and microbiological eradication rate were 37.5% and 29.2%, respectively. Six of the patients we studied (25.0%) died, and three of these deaths were considered to be infection related. Adverse drug reactions were identified in four patients (16.7%) during the treatment, including abnormal liver function, prolonged prothrombin time and diarrhoea.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that tigecycline may be an option for children with severe infections. However, more prospective, controlled trials are required to objectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of tigecycline in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic flow prediction is an essential part of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Most of the previous traffic flow prediction work treated traffic flow as a time series process only, ignoring the spatial relationship from the upstream flows or the correlation with other traffic attributes like speed and density. In this paper, we utilize a linear conditional Gaussian (LCG) Bayesian network (BN) model to consider both spatial and temporal dimensions of traffic as well as speed information for short-term traffic flow prediction. The LCG BN allows both continuous and discrete variables, which enables the consideration of categorical variables in traffic flow prediction. A microscopic traffic simulation dataset is used to test the performance of the proposed model compared to other popular approaches under different predicting time intervals. In addition, the authors investigate the importance of spatial data and speed data in flow prediction by comparing models with different levels of information. The results indicate that the prediction accuracy will increase significantly when both spatial data and speed data are included. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of household solid energy for cooking is a key factor of environmental health risk. China still has a large share of households relying on solid fuels as a primary source of energy. Clarifying the determinants that drive energy choice in China's households is fundamental to promote household energy transition. We integrate the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm and multinomial Logit model into identifying the determinants of energy choice for household cooking in China by the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data. The economic situation is an important factor of household cooking energy transition. Household expenditure is more important than household income. Income is an important factor, but the influence of off-farm employment is more important than income. Higher levels of health and household heads with children are more inclined to use clean energy. The education level of household head, living conditions, and the accessibility and affordability of energy are important factors of energy choice for household cooking. Our study expands the literature on the determinants of energy choice for household cooking and provides valuable supports for policy formulation of household cooking energy transition in China. • An integrated model is built for explore the determinants of household energy choice. • Household expenditure is more important than household income. • Education level of household head is important factors of energy choice. • Accessibility and affordability of energy are important factors of energy choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of production, processing, transportation, and storage of edible oils, the oils inevitably come into contact with plastic products. As a result, plasticizers migrate into edible oils, are harmful to human health, and can exhibit reproductive toxicity. Therefore, the determination of plasticizers in edible oils is very important, and a series of sample preparation methods and determination techniques have been developed for the determination of plasticizers in edible oils. Phthalic acid ester (PAE) plasticizers are the most widely used among all plasticizers. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the sample preparation methods and detection techniques reported for the determination of PAEs in edible oils since 2010, focusing on sample preparation methods of edible oils combined with various separation-based analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) with different detectors. Furthermore, the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of these techniques as well as the prospective future developments are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: To compare the ability of the Cox regression and machine learning algorithms to predict the survival of patients with Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). Methods: Patients diagnosed with ATC were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The outcomes were overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS), divided into: (1) binary data: survival or not at 6 months and 1 year; (2): time-to-event data. The Cox regression method and machine learnings were used to construct models. Model performance was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), brier score and calibration curves. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was deployed to interpret the results of machine learning models. Results: For binary outcomes, the Logistic algorithm performed best in the prediction of 6-month OS, 12-month OS, 6-month CSS, and 12-month CSS (C-index = 0.790, 0.811, 0.775, 0.768). For time-event outcomes, traditional Cox regression exhibited good performances (OS: C-index = 0.713; CSS: C-index = 0.712). The DeepSurv algorithm performed the best in the training set (OS: C-index = 0.945; CSS: C-index = 0.834) but performs poorly in the verification set (OS: C-index = 0.658; CSS: C-index = 0.676). The brier score and calibration curve showed favorable consistency between the predicted and actual survival. The SHAP values was deployed to explain the best machine learning prediction model. Conclusions: Cox regression and machine learning models combined with the SHAP method can predict the prognosis of ATC patients in clinical practice. However, due to the small sample size and lack of external validation, our findings should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of degenerative-related arthritis, which can be aggravated by low-grade synovitis. It is known that arachidonic acid (AA) dysmetabolism brings OA synovitis. However, the impact of synovial AA metabolism pathway (AMP) related genes on OA remains uncovered. Methods: Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to explore the impact of AA metabolism genes in OA synovium. We obtained transcriptome expression profiles from three raw datasets related to OA synovium (GSE12021, GSE29746, GSE55235) and identified the hub genes of AA metabolism pathways (AMP) in OA synovium. An OA occurrence diagnostic model was constructed and validated based on the identified hub genes. Then, we explored the correlation between hub gene expression and the immune-related module using CIBERSORT and MCP-counter analysis. The unsupervised consensus clustering analysis and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) were utilized to identify robust clusters of identified genes in each cohort. Moreover, the interaction between the hub genes of AMP and immune cells was elucidated through single-cell RNA (scRNA) analysis by scRNA sequencing data from GSE152815. Results: We found that the expression of AMP-related genes was up-regulated in OA synovium, and seven hub genes (LTC4S, PTGS2, PTGS1, MAPKAPK2, CBR1, PTGDS, and CYP2U1) were identified. The diagnostic model that combined the identified hub genes showed great clinical validity in diagnosing OA (AUC = 0.979). Moreover, significant associations were noticed between the hub genes' expression, immune cell infiltration, and inflammatory cytokine levels. The 30 OA patients were randomized and clustered into three groups using WGCNA analysis based on the hub genes, and diverse immune status was found in different clusters. Of interest, older patients were more likely to be classified into a cluster with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and less infiltration of immune cells. Based on the scRNA-sequencing data, we found that the hub genes had relatively higher expression in macrophages and B cells than other immune cells. Moreover, inflammation-related pathways were significantly enriched in macrophages. Conclusion: These results suggest that AMP-related genes are closely involved in alterations of OA synovial inflammation. The transcriptional level of hub genes could serve as a potential diagnostic marker for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the pulse-width pulse-frequency modulation based trajectory planning for orbital rendezvous and proximity maneuvering near a non-cooperative spacecraft in an elliptical orbit. The problem is formulated by converting the continuous control input, output from the state dependent model predictive control, into a sequence of pulses of constant magnitude by controlling firing frequency and duration of constant-magnitude thrusters. The state dependent model predictive control is derived by minimizing the control error of states and control roughness of control input for a safe, smooth and fuel efficient approaching trajectory. The resulting nonlinear programming problem is converted into a series of quadratic programming problem and solved by numerical iteration using the receding horizon strategy. The numerical results show that the proposed state dependent model predictive control with the pulse-width pulse-frequency modulation is able to effectively generate optimized trajectories using equivalent control pulses for the proximity maneuvering with less energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genome sequence of Catopsilia pomona nucleopolyhedrovirus (CapoNPV) was determined by the Roche 454 sequencing system. The genome consisted of 128,058 bp and had an overall G+C content of 40%. There were 130 hypothetical open reading frames (ORFs) potentially encoding proteins of more than 50 amino acids and covering 92% of the genome. Among all the hypothetical ORFs, 37 baculovirus core genes, 23 lepidopteran baculovirus conserved genes and 10 genes conserved in Group I alphabaculoviruses were identified. In addition, the genome included regions of 8 typical baculoviral homologous repeat sequences (hrs). Phylogenic analysis showed that CapoNPV was in a distinct branch of clade “a” in Group I alphabaculoviruses. Gene parity plot analysis and overall similarity of ORFs indicated that CapoNPV is more closely related to the Group I alphabaculoviruses than to other baculoviruses. Interesting, CapoNPV lacks the genes encoding the fibroblast growth factor (fgf) and ac30, which are conserved in most lepidopteran and Group I baculoviruses, respectively. Sequence analysis of the F-like protein of CapoNPV showed that some amino acids were inserted into the fusion peptide region and the pre-transmembrane region of the protein. All these unique features imply that CapoNPV represents a member of a new baculovirus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]