Search

The second-order magneto-optical effects, represented by Voigt and Sch\"{a}fer-Hubert effects, are effective methods to detect the spin textures in antiferromagnets, whereas the previous studies are usually limited to collinear antiferromagnets. In noncollinear antiferromagnets, the spin textures characterized by spin chirality have been revealed to play a critical role in many exciting physics. In particular, the first-order topological magneto-optical effects originated from scalar spin chirality have been discovered recently. In this work, using the first-principles calculations and group theory analysis, we generalize the first-order topological magneto-optical effects to the second-order cases, that is, topological Voigt and Sch\"{a}fer-Hubert effects, by taking the noncoplanar 3Q spin state of $\gamma$-Fe$_{x}$Mn$_{1-x}$ alloy as an example. The conventional Voigt and Sch\"{a}fer-Hubert effects are comparatively studied in the collinear 1Q and 2Q spin states of $\gamma$-Fe$_{x}$Mn$_{1-x}$ alloy. In addition, the natural linear birefringence due to crystal anisotropy is discussed in the strained 1Q, 2Q, and 3Q states, and a unique fingerprint for experimentally distinguishing the second-order topological magneto-optical effects and natural linear birefringence is identified. Our work brings a topological insight into the second-order magneto-optical effects in noncoplanar antiferromagnets and also provides $\gamma$-Fe$_{x}$Mn$_{1-x}$ as an attractive material platform for future experimental exploration., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures

Background Previous study has reported that loss of epithelial androgen receptor (AR) may promote tumor progression and cause TRAMP mouse model die earlier. The detail mechanisms, however, remain unclear. Methods Immunohistochemistry assay, Western blot and real-time PCR were used to detect the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. RNA extraction, RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR, BrdU incorporation assays, flow cytometry and other experimental technics were also used in present work. Results Decreased expression of epithelial markers (Cytokeratin 8, NKX3.1 and E-cadherin) and increased expression of mesenchymal markers (α-SMA, Vimentin, and N-cadherin) in were found in AR knockout TRAMP tumors. Further investigation indicated that AR signal deprivation is associated with cell morphology transition, high cell mobility, high cell invasion rate and resistance to anoikis in TRAMP prostate tumor cells. Together, these findings implied knockout AR in TRAMP prostate tumor may lead to EMT, which may result in earlier metastasis, and then cause TRAMP mice die earlier. TGF-β1 is responsible for EMT in AR knockout TRAMP tumor cells. Conclusions In conclusion, ADT therapy induced hormone refractory prostate cancer may gain the ability of metastasis through cell's EMT which is a phase of poor differentiation. Anti-EMT drugs should be developed to battle the tumor metastasis induced by ADT therapy.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to produce low-carbon chemicals/fuels is one of the most important approaches for CO2 emissions reduction and utilization. However, the insufficient catalytic activity, stability and selectivity of the electrocatalysts have been identified to be a major challenge. In this work, novel Bi-MWCNT-COOH/Cu catalysts are prepared via a facile co-electrodeposition technique on copper foil to obtain catalyst electrodes for selectively electro-catalyzing CO2 reduction to produce formic acid (HCOOH). The as-prepared electrodes exhibited high catalytic activity, stability and selectivity toward the production of HCOOH. The faradaic efficiency for HCOOH production can reach values up to 91.7 % at ―0.76 V vs. RHE, with no obvious degradation after 12 h of continuous electrolysis. The proposed electrodeposition technique to produce composite catalyst electrodes is characterized by simplicity, rapidity, and cost-effectiveness, being promising for scaled-up industrial applications.

Background This research aims to identify the current and future trends in the incidence and death rate of prostate cancer and to provide the necessary data support for making relevant health decisions. Methods This study used the collected data and methodologies to describe the incidence and mortality trends of prostate cancer from 1990 to 2016. Based on the data, this paper projected the future trends in prostate cancer incidence and death rate. Results In 2016, prostate cancer cases [1,435,742; 95% uncertainty interval (UI), 1,293,395-1,618,655] were nearly 2.5-fold the number in 1990 (579,457; 95% UI, 521,564-616,107). Deaths increased by 2.0-fold from 191,687 (95% UI, 168,885-209,254) in 1990 to 380,916 (95% UI, 320,808-412,868) in 2016. The global age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) increased from 17.75 (95% UI, 18.91-15.95) in 1990 to 22.12 (95% UI, 19.92-24.91) in 2016, changing 24.62%. The global change of age-standardized death rate (ASDR) has declined slightly, but in some regions it shows a trend of growth. By sociodemographic index (SDI) sub-types, prostate cancer will frequently occur in high SDI countries from 1990 to 2030. Simultaneously, the highest mortality will present in low SDI countries. Conclusions Through projecting and analyzing incidence and mortality rate of prostate cancer, from 1990 to 2030, by different ages, regions and SDI sub-types, this result may reveal the relationship between prostate cancer and financial development. At the same time, the result also showed a sufficiently heavy burden of prostate cancer, but the burden varies greatly in each region. The burden is a challenge and will require attention for all levels of society. The current study is beneficial to formulate more specific and efficient policies.

Sous vide can keep the nutritional properties and improve taste of food compared with other conventional methods. In addition, this method may reduce the risk of recontamination after cooking and during storage. The purpose of this paper was to study the effects of four cooking methods (steaming, microwaving, baking, and frying) on the sensory and digestibility on sturgeon steak pretreated by sous vide during the cold storage (0–25 days). The results showed that the digestibility of steaming and microwaving groups (range from 80.34% to 90.12%) significantly higher than that of the other treatment groups (p, Sous vide can enhance nutrition and improve taste of food; but which cannot completely kill pathogenic microorganisms in food, so subsequent heating was required. Our study simulated the scene of household cooking and explores the influences of different cooking methods (steaming, baking, microwaving, and frying) on the sensory features, nutrition, flavor, and in vitro digestibility of sturgeon steak within 25 days.

The present study aimed to establish a decision tree (DT) model by combining the parameters of conventional gray-scale ultrasonography (US), elastosonography (ES), color Doppler US (CDUS) and contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) for the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. A single-center, retrospective study of 321 thyroid nodules was conducted. For 222 nodules, parameters of conventional gray-scale US, CDUS, ES and CEUS were evaluated using univariate logistic regression. Factors for with P0.10. The results of multivariate logistic analysis determined that the following factors were required for the DT: Extent of blood flow determined by CDUS (P=0.002), area ratio determined by ES (P=0.033), peak phase patterns determined by CEUS (P

To provide an alternative therapeutic modality for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a novel bispecific antibody (BsAb) targeting human tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and human complement component C5a was constructed. BsAb was expressed in Pichia pastoris and secreted into the culture medium as a functional protein. In vitro functional study demonstrated that BsAb could simultaneously bind to TNF-α and C5a and neutralize their biological actions. Furthermore, BsAb showed significant improvements in both the antigen-binding affinity and the neutralizing ability as compared to its original antibodies produced in E. coli. It was also found that TNF-α and C5a had an additive/synergistic effect on promoting the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and C5a receptor (C5aR) expression in human macrophages. Compared to single inhibition of TNF-α or C5a with respective antibody, BsAb showed a superior efficacy in blocking inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and C5aR response, as well as in lowering the C5a-mediated chemotaxis of macrophages via C5aR in vitro. With improved production processing and the ability to simultaneously block TNF-α and C5a action, BsAb has a great potential to be developed into a therapeutic agent and may offer a better therapeutic index for RA.

An amic acid sizing emulsion system was prepared and its properties onto glass fibers were characterized. The emulsion contains small sized particles with a typical core-shell type and has good dis...

Summary Background and aim Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of gastric stromal tumors is becoming increasingly common. However, there have been few studies analyzing the therapeutic efficacy and safety of this technique on large (≥ 3 cm) gastric stromal tumors (LGSTs). The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of ESD for the removal of LGSTs and to investigate the clinical safety and efficacy of ESD for this indication. Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on 82 patients with LGSTs who underwent an ESD. Data on therapeutic outcomes and follow-up were collected for an analysis of the rates of en block resection and complete resection. A logistic regression model was used to identify potential risk factors for ESD-related complications, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated for qualifying independent risk factors. Results En bloc resection was achieved in 81 lesions (98.8%), and complete resection was achieved in 80 lesions (97.6%). The rates of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding were 6.1% and 3.7%, respectively. The accidental perforation rate was 12.2%, the postoperative perforation rate was 3.7%, the intentional perforation rate was 28.0%, and the postoperative infection rate was 12.2%. There was no postoperative mortality. LGSTs originating from the deep muscularis propria (MP) layer (OR = 4.905, 95% CI: 1.362–17.658, P = 0.015), located at the gastric fundus (OR = 4.927, 95% CI:1.308–18.558, P = 0.018) and with an irregular shape (OR = 4.842, 95% CI: 1.242–18.870, P = 0.023) increased the rate of complications. The prediction model that incorporated these factors demonstrated an area under the ROC curve of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.66–0.89). No tumor recurrence or distant metastasis was observed during the follow-up period, which ranged from 6–36 months. Conclusions ESD is a feasible, safe, effective and minimally invasive approach for the resection of LGSTs. Tumors originating from the deep MP layer, located at the fundus and with an irregular shape were identified as risk factors for the development of complications.

In a car fire, thermal radiation poses a major threat to people and adjacent cars. Thus, estimations of fire safety distances are of great significance for the evacuation assignment and parking lot design. In the present full-scale experiment of a minivan car fire, the left cooling fan in the engine compartment was ignited as the origin of fire. The burn down of front bumper and windows markedly affected the fire intensity in engine and passenger compartment respectively. In the burning process, the peak heat release rate reached maximum value of 3.38 MW when gasoline leaked out. The flame model was assumed to be a superposition of several cuboids for the estimation of view factors of the fire. The average radiative fractions in the intense burning phases of engine and passenger compartments were first determined as 0.469 and 0.589, respectively, based on the burning behavior analysis. The resulting values allowed for the determination of thermal radiation in spatial positions and fire safety distances in the lateral side of the car for people and adjacent cars, which was an extension of previous researches of considering only the thermal radiation in certain positions. The calculation results of thermal radiation were in good agreement with the previous experimental data. The fire safety distances in the lateral direction of the car for people without protection and adjacent cars in this study, as examples, were about 7.3 m and 2.1 m respectively under threshold values of heat fluxes.

Based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enhanced quantum dot (QD) emission in a sandwich assay of “capture PCT antibody/PCT/detection PCT antibody labelled with QD” on a gold nanoarray chip, a fully automated point-of-care (POC) system for quick quantitative analysis of procalcitonin (PCT) for sepsis diagnostics was developed. The core technology of the system is to design and fabricate gold nanostructures that can generate plasmonics at resonant wavelength coincident with excitation wavelength of the fluorescent dyes. Gold nanopillar arrays at the size of 140 nm square and 320 nm pitch were found to be good candidates for the desired dye emission. Gold nanochip fabricated by e-beam lithography or nanoimprinting was integrated into a microfluidic chip, with analyte sampling and bioassay reagent flow controlled by LabVIEW program. To detect QD emission of the bioassay from the chip, a CCD camera and a laser source controlled by LabVIEW were incorporated to form a user-friendly and fully-automated POC system for on-site detection of PCT in clinics. Upon detection, the microfluidic chip is inserted into the POC system, where the processes of blood sample loading, detection antibody recognition, fluorescent dye labelling, fluorescent detection, and data analysis are conducted automatically in the device within 30 min at a test sensitivity of 0.5 ng/ml, which fulfills the clinical needs for diagnosis of sepsis through PCT biomarker.

Considerable effort has been made to develop efficient water-splitting photocatalysts, which are generally composed of light-absorbing semiconductors and so-called cocatalysts that play a key role in accelerating the reaction kinetics of water splitting. Platinum (Pt)-based catalysts have been widely regarded as excellent cocatalysts for photocatalytic water splitting, but the relationship between their valence state and reaction activity for photocatalytic water splitting had never been summarized. This review presents positively charged Pt nanoparticles, clusters and even single atoms that can boost the reaction activity dramatically, and summarises several strategies and techniques to tailor the positive valence states of Pt-based cocatalysts such as by using oxygen atoms. By tailoring the valence states of Pt-based cocatalysts, the capacities of these cocatalysts for water splitting can be significantly enhanced. Moreover, the operando analyses that can determine the real structures of this type of cocatalyst under working conditions are also discussed. These developments suggest that positively charged Pt-based cocatalysts could determine the direction and efficiency of photocatalytic water splitting, which may provide an ideal orientation to design state-of-the-art catalysts for achieving efficient photocatalytic water splitting.

Background: It is difficult to diagnose the cause of abdominal lymphadenopathy without determining the primary lesions. With the advent of curved ultrasound endoscopy, EUS-FNA can sample lymph nodes safely, accurately and conveniently. Due to the lack of formal quantitative and comprehensive literature review to determine the diagnostic value of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of enlarged intra-abdominal lymph nodes of unknown origin, we conducted this study to systematically evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA in the enlarged intra-abdominal lymph nodes.Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the accuracy of EUS-FNA for the diagnosis of intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library to collect related studies and diagnostic performance data. We used a random-effects model to estimate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup and meta-regression analysis.Results: Twelve eligible studies involved 774 patients were identified. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of all studies is 94% (95% CI: 91% to 96%) and 98% (95% CI: 96% to 99%), respectively. The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios are 17.44 (95% CI, 6.50 to 46.79) and 0.09 (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.14). The pooled DOR is 277.82 (95% CI, 97.65 to 790.46).Conclusions: EUS-FNA is a safe and feasible technique with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of abdominal lymph node enlargement. Considering the limitations and heterogeneity, high-quality studies are needed to further explore the diagnostic value of EUS-FNA.

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) to CO is regarded as an efficient method to utilize the greenhouse gas CO2 , because the CO product can be further converted into high value-added chemicals via the Fisher-Tropsch process. Among all electrocatalysts used for CO2 -to-CO reduction, Au-based catalysts have been demonstrated to possess high selectivity, but their precious price limits their future large-scale applications. Thus, simultaneously achieving high selectivity and reasonable price is of great importance for the development of Au-based catalysts. Here, we report Ag@Au core-shell nanowires as electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction, in which a nanometer-thick Au film is uniformly deposited on the core Ag nanowire. Importantly, the Ag@Au catalyst with a relative low Au content can drive CO generation with nearly 100 % Faraday efficiency in 0.1 m KCl electrolyte at an overpotential of ca. -1.0 V. This high selectivity of CO2 reduction could be attributed to a suitable adsorption strength for the key intermediate on Au film together with the synergistic effects between the Au shell and Ag core and the strong interaction between CO2 and Cl- ions in the electrolyte, which may further pave the way for the development of high-efficiency electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.

Sturgeon meat has been found to be suitable as surimi raw materials. The present study determined the modori phenomenon in sturgeon surimi gels and identified its relationship with cathepsins. In all heat-treated gels (25 to 90 °C, at 5 °C intervals), the 40 °C-incubated sturgeon surimi gel showed the weakest gel properties and water-holding capacity (P < 0.05), a rough protein gel network under SEM, and the highest protein solubility and trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptides content (P < 0.05). SDS-PAGE indicated that the myosin heavy chain band of sturgeon surimi gels was almost completely degraded at 40 °C. Moreover, the highest cathepsin L activity was observed in 40 °C-treated sturgeon surimi gels (P < 0.05). Our results suggested that the modori phenomenon in sturgeon surimi gels occurred at 40 °C, which was partially attributed to cathepsin L, thereby allowing for the better exploitation and utilization of sturgeon surimi.

Novel quantum materials have been one of the most important topics in condensed matter physics due to their unique physical properties and potential applications. Many effective methods, especially for strain, have been developed to tune the properties of solid state materials. This paper systematically reviews several novel quantum materials discovered in recent years with a focus on their strain effects. Firstly, we introduce strain-induced topological phase transitions in topological materials. Secondly, we discuss the effects on electron transport in monolayer MoS2 and superconductivity in phosphorene. Finally, we analyze the tunable magnetic moment or spontaneous electrical polarization in two-dimensional ferromagnetic or ferroelectric materials.

Injectable hydrogels with near infrared (NIR) photothermal ability show attractive application prospects in the treatment of wound infection and promoting skin defect repair. Nevertheless, excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory responses caused by bacterial infection and photothermal therapy (PTT) would delay tissue regeneration and wound healing. In this study, a novel NIR photothermal injectable hydrogel with anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation by incorporating α-lipoic acid modified palladium nanoparticles into calcium ions crosslinked sodium alginate hydrogel was developed. The resulting hydrogel facilitated to fill perfectly various irregular wounds, and could convert NIR light into local high-heat to kill80 % of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Remarkably, the hydrogel exhibited excellent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, which could scavenge60 % of ROS in cells and decrease the relative expression level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1β genes by 52.9 % and 53.3 % respectively. It was found that the NIR photothermal injectable hydrogel with anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation could effectively reduce ROS and inflammation caused by bacterial infection and PPT. Additionally, it could also enhance wound repair efficiency. The hydrogel is expected to be a potential wound dressing for the treatment of clinical skin defects.

A membrane-lytic mechanism-based nanodrug is developed for drug-resistant tumor therapy by anchoring the small-molecule quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) on cross-linked (

Being an antiferromagnetic topological insulator (AFM-TI), MnBi2Te4 offers an ideal platform to study the interplay between magnetism and topological order. We combine both transport and scanning microwave impedance microscopy (sMIM) to examine such interplay in atomically thin MnBi2Te4 with even-layer thickness. Transport measurement shows a quantized Hall resistivity under a magnetic field above 6 T signaling a Chern insulator phase, and a zero Hall plateau at low fields consistent with axion insulator phase. With sMIM, we directly visualize a magnetic-field-driven insulator-to-metal (IMT) transition of the bulk resulting from a quantum phase transition from a Chern insulator to axion insulator phase. Strikingly, sMIM reveals a persistent edge state across the transition. The observed edge state at low fields, in particular at zero field, calls for careful considerations for the topological nature of its bulk state. We discuss the possibility of having edge states in the context of axion insulator and beyond such a context. Our finding signifies the richness of topological phases in MnB2Te4 that has yet to be fully explored.

Objective To investigate the manifestation of dry eye and its relationship with CXCR3 and CCR5 expression in patients with ocular acid burns. Methods This is a case-control study. A total of 27 eyes of 22 cases ocular with acid burns of I-V degrees from Jan.2020 to Feb.2021 in this hospital were selected as observation group, and 8 eyes of 8 cases of normal people were selected as control group. The followed up time was 3 months. The visual acuity, intraocular pressure, BUT, Schirmer Ⅰ test, corneal thickness and tear meniscus height (TMH) were observed at 1 day, 1 and 3 months after injury. The protein expression of CXCR3 and CCR5 were examined by ELISA and were compared among groups at each time point. Results BUT and Schirmer I tests value in the observation group were lower than those in the control group 3 months after injury (all p < 0.05). The corneal thickness and the tear meniscus height 1 day after injury were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05), and also higher than those at 1 month and 3 months after injury (p < 0.05). The expression levels of CXCR3 and CCR5 protein were significantly negatively correlated with BUT (p < 0.05), and CXCR3 and CCR5 were also significantly negatively correlated with Schirmer I test value (p < 0.05). Conclusion Ocular acid burns can cause dry eye, and the expression of CXCR3 and CCR5 protein in tears may be related to the occurrence of dry eye after ocular acid burn.

Background: Ultrasound is ideal for displaying intracranial great vessels but not intracranial microvessels and terminal vessels. Even with contrast agents, the imaging effect is still unsatisfactory. In recent years, significant theoretical advances have been achieved in super-resolution imaging. The latest commonly used ultrafast plane-wave ultrasound Doppler imaging of the brain and microbubble-based super-resolution ultrasound imaging have been applied to the imaging of cerebral microvessels and blood flow in small animals such as mice but have not been applied to in vivo imaging of the cerebral microvessels in monkeys and larger animals. In China, preliminary research results have been obtained using super-resolution imaging in certain fields but rarely in fundamental and clinical experiments on large animals. In recent years, we have conducted a joint study with the Xi'an Jiaotong University to explore the application and performance of this new technique in the diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases in large animals.Objective: To explore the characteristics and advantages of microbubble-based super-resolution ultrasound imaging of intracranial vessels in rhesus monkeys compared with conventional transcranial ultrasound.Methods: First, the effectiveness and feasibility of the super-resolution imaging technique were verified by modular simulation experiments. Then, the imaging parameters were adjusted based on in vitro experiments. Finally, two rhesus monkeys were used for in vivo experiments of intracranial microvessel imaging.Results: Compared with conventional plane-wave imaging, super-resolution imaging could measure the inner diameters of cerebral microvessels at a resolution of 1 mm or even 0.7 mm and extract blood flow information. In addition, it has a better signal-to-noise ratio (5.625 dB higher) and higher resolution (~30-fold higher). The results of the experiments with rhesus monkeys showed that microbubble-based super-resolution ultrasound imaging can achieve an optimal resolution at the micron level and an imaging depth >35 mm.Conclusion: Super-resolution imaging can realize the monitoring imaging of high-resolution and fast calculation of microbubbles in the process of tissue damage, providing an important experimental basis for the clinical application of non-invasive transcranial ultrasound.

Recently discovered high-quality nodal chain spin-gapless semimetals $M$F$_3$ ($M$ = Pd, Mn) feature an ultra-clean nodal chain in the spin up channel residing right at the Fermi level and displaying a large spin gap leading to a 100\% spin-polarization of transport properties. Here, we investigate both intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to anomalous and spin transport in this class of materials. The dominant intrinsic origin is found to originate entirely from the gapped nodal chains without the entanglement of any other trivial bands. The side-jump mechanism is predicted to be negligibly small, but intrinsic skew-scattering enhances the intrinsic Hall and Nernst signals significantly, leading to large values of respective conductivities. Our findings open a new material platform for exploring strong anomalous and spin transport properties in magnetic topological semimetals., 7 pages, 4 figures

Background. It was gradually accepted that endoscopic fragment biopsy (EFB) diagnosis cannot accurately guarantee the absence of higher-grade neoplasms within the lesion of the digestive tract. There are no well-established predictors for histopathologically upgrade discrepancies between EFB diagnosing colorectal low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) and endoscopic resection (ER) specimens. Methods. A total of 918 colorectal LGINs was histopathologically diagnosed by EFB, including 162 cases with upgrade discrepancy and 756 concordant cases. We compared clinicopathological data of EFB and ER specimens between these two groups. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors for this upgrade histopathology. Results. The predominant upgrade discrepancy of LGINs diagnosed by EFB was upgrades to high-grade dysplasia (114/918, 12.4%), followed by upgrades to intramucosal carcinoma (33/918, 3.6%), submucosal adenocarcinoma (10/918, 1.1%), and advanced adenocarcinoma (5/918, 0.5%). NSAID history (OR 4.83; 95% CI, 2.27-10.27; p < 0.001 ), insufficient EFB number (OR 2.99; 95% CI, 1.91-4.68; p < 0.001 ), maximum diameter ≥ 1.0 cm (OR 6.18; 95% CI, 1.32-28.99; p = 0.021 ), lobulated shape (OR 2.68; 95% CI, 1.65-4.36; p < 0.001 ), erythema (OR 2.42; 95% CI, 1.50-3.91; p < 0.001 ), erosion (OR 7.12; 95% CI, 3.91-12.94; p < 0.001 ), surface unevenness (OR 2.31; 95% CI, 1.33-4.01; p = 0.003 ), and distal location of the target adenoma (OR 3.29; 95% CI, 1.68-6.41; p < 0.001 ) were associated with the histologically upgrade discrepancies. Conclusion. NSAID history, insufficient EFB number, adenoma size and location, and abnormal macroscopic patterns are potential predictors for upgrade histopathology of LGINs diagnosed by EFBs. The standardization of EFB number and advanced imaging techniques could minimize the risk of neglecting the potential of this upgrade histopathology.

Gastric cancer is a major health burden worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel family of noncoding RNAs that are involved in multiple types of cancers, including gastric cancer. As biological functions and the underlying molecular mechanisms of the newly identified circRNA

Two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials have recently been attracted much attention mainly due to their promising applications toward multifunctional devices, e.g., microelectronics, spintronics, and thermoelectric devices. Utilizing the first-principles calculations together with the group theory analysis, we systematically investigate the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, magneto-optical effect, and anomalous transport properties (including anomalous Hall, Nernst, and thermal Hall effects) of monolayer and bilayer ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ ($n=3$, 4, 5). The monolayer ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ ($n=3$, 4, 5) exhibits the out-of-plane, in-plane, and in-plane ferromagnetic orders with considerable magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies of $\ensuremath{-}3.17$, 4.42, and 0.58 meV/f.u., respectively. Ferromagnetic order is predicted in bilayer ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ while antiferromagnetic order is preferred in bilayer ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$. The group theory analysis reveals that in addition to monolayer ferromagnetic ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ ($n=3$, 4, 5), the magneto-optical and anomalous transport phenomena surprisingly exist in bilayer antiferromagnetic ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$, which rare in realistic collinear antiferromagnets. If spin magnetic moments of monolayer and bilayer ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ are reoriented from the in-plane to out-of-plane direction, then the magneto-optical and anomalous transport properties are enhanced significantly, presenting strong magnetic anisotropy. We also demonstrate that the anomalous Hall effect decreases with the temperature increases. The gigantic anomalous Nernst and thermal Hall effects are found in monolayer and bilayer ferromagnetic ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$, and the largest anomalous Nernst and thermal Hall conductivities, respectively, of $\ensuremath{-}3.31$ A/Km and 0.22 W/Km at 130 K are observed in bilayer ferromagnetic ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$. In particular, bilayer antiferromagnetic ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ exhibits large zero-temperature anomalous Hall conductivity of 2.63 ${e}^{2}/h$ as well as anomalous Nernst and thermal Hall conductivities of 2.76 A/Km and 0.10 W/Km at 130 K, respectively. Our results suggest that two-dimensional van der Waals magnets ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}\mathrm{Ge}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ ($n=3$, 4, 5) have great potential applications in magneto-optical devices, spintronics, and spin caloritronics.

Polyolefin (PO) cables used in confined spaces need to have low smoke, low heat release, low toxic gas release and excellent physical properties. In this work, a series of rare earth stannates Re

Aiming to improve the thermal stability and flame retardant properties of calcium alginate, calcium alginate (CaAlg)/hydroxyapatite (HAP) hybrid material was synthesized in situ by the sol-gel method at room temperature. It was found that the HAP particles were generated from nanospheres to urchin-like microspheres, finally to wrinkled sponge microspheres with the two-dimensional nanostructured surface. The results show that the thermal stability and flame retardancy of the hybrid material were significantly improved, and its mechanism was proposed as HAP promoted the decarboxylation of alginate resulting in carbonization of CaAlg/HAP, and it was the function of soild phase before 350 ℃, while the synergistic effects of gas phase and solid phase after 350 ℃ that led to the high flame retardancy of CaAlg/HAP.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) subjected to external heat may be prone to failure and cause catastrophic safety issues. In this work, experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of discharge current on the thermal runaway process under thermal abuse. The calibrated external heat source (20 W) and discharge currents from 1 to 6 A were employed to match the thermal abuse conditions in an operational state. The results indicated that the key parameters during the failure process, such as the total mass loss, the onset temperatures of safety venting and thermal runaway, and the peak temperature, are ultimately determined by the capacity inside the battery, and the discharge current can hardly change it. However, discharge currents can produce extra energy to accelerate the thermal runaway process. Compared with the battery in an open circuit, the onset time of thermal runaway was reduced by 7.4% at 6 A discharge. To quantify the effect of discharge current, the total heat generation by discharge current was calculated. The results show that a heat generation of 1.6 kJ was produced when the battery was discharged at 6 A, which could heat the cell to 34 °C (neglect of heat loss). This study simulates the failure process of the LIB in the operational state, which is expected to help the safety application of LIB and improve the reliability of the battery management system.

The objective of this paper is to identify and specify 5G service requirements for Smart Grid applications and operation. Specifically, this paper shall address the following requirements on 3GPP: First, the requirements for communication performance requirements include capacity, latency, availability, end-to-end QoS, resilience/redundancy and security. Second, consider deployment requirements for constraints. Third, consider service requirements for enabling microgrids, DER and specifically distributed generation (DG) that require 5G wireless communication. Fourth, the requirement for potential service function requirements include distributed power supply system and distribution automation. Finally, consider additional requirements due to operational manageability.

The spin chirality, created by magnetic atoms, has been comprehensively understood to generate and control the magneto-optical effects. In comparison, the role of the crystal chirality that relates to nonmagnetic atoms has received much less attention. Here, we theoretically discover the crystal chirality magneto-optical (CCMO) effects, which depend on the chirality of crystal structures that originates from the rearrangement of nonmagnetic atoms. We show that the CCMO effects exist in many collinear antiferromagnets, such as ${\mathrm{RuO}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{CoNb}}_{3}{\mathrm{S}}_{6}$, which has a local and global crystal chirality, respectively. The key character of the CCMO effects is the sign change if the crystal chirality reverses. The magnitudes of the CCMO spectra can be effectively manipulated by reorienting the N\'eel vector with the help of an external electric field, and the spectral integrals are strongly correlated to magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy bridging by orbital magnetic moments.

This paper presents a precise circuit model for predicting the shielding effectiveness (SE) and resonances of the cylindrical enclosure. In this model, the waveguide theory is combined with the Robinson model to deal with the influence of the high-order modes and the arbitrary position. The transmission line theory is applied to calculate the enclosure equipped with symmetric apertures or a dielectric layer. The results show that the proposed model can accurately calculate the orthogonal components of voltage response and predict the SE of the monitor point over a wide frequency range. Compared with traditional numerical methods, the proposed model costs less computing time and resources to operate because of employing analytical formulations. The effectiveness of this model is verified by the three-dimensional full-wave transmission line method.

The specific scheme of two-loop attitude control system was formulated based on the design principle of attitude control system with the damping circuit as the inner loop and the overload control loop as the outer one. As required by the formulated scheme, the damping loop is designed firstly, of which the stability and the dynamic response quality are improved by adjusting the damping coefficient and the addition of the correction network. After that, the design and optimization of the overload control loop are implemented. With the same design method, gain coefficient and correction network are introduced to reduce overshoot of overload response curve, shorten response time and improve efficiency. Besides, the validity of the overload control loop is tested with square wave as input to reflect the real overload command signal.

The objective of this study is to investigate the micro-mechanical characteristics of High Modulus Asphalt Concrete (HMAC) pavement structure under loads. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) was employed in this study to build the models for HMAC pavement and conventional asphalt pavement structures. The laboratory tests and DEM simulations of uniaxial compression tests were conducted on the materials of HMAC pavement structure layers. To simulate the mechanical behavior of the asphalt mixture, micro-parameters were adjusted to fit with the strain–stress curve results from lab-test. The displacement and stress distribution in vertical and horizontal directions, and the shear stress in the horizontal direction were analyzed for the HMAC pavement and conventional asphalt pavement. The results showed that the maximum vertical displacement of HMAC pavement (0.25–0.293 mm) was less than that of the conventional asphalt pavement (0.3–0.324 mm). The application of HMAC decreased the vertical stress in all structural layers except the upper surface layer. The HMAC decreased the horizontal stress in the subbase layer. Though the HMAC pavement had a slightly greater horizontal shear stress in the upper and middle surface layers than the conventional asphalt pavement, its shear resistance was. Therefore, the results indicated HMAC layer can enhance the resistance to deformation and reduce the rutting potential in asphalt pavement.

ObjectivesThere is considerable evidence that implicates dysregulation of type I interferon signalling (or type I IFN signature) in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) has been recognised as a master regulator of type I IFN signalling. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of IRF7 in dermal fibrosis and SSc pathogenesis.MethodsSSc and healthy control skin biopsies were investigated to determine IRF7 expression and activation. The role of IRF7 in fibrosis was investigated using IRF7 knockout (KO) mice in the bleomycin-induced and TSK/+mouse models. In vitro experiments with dermal fibroblasts from patients with SSc and healthy controls were performed.ResultsIRF7 expression was significantly upregulated and activated in SSc skin tissue and explanted SSc dermal fibroblasts compared with unaffected, matched controls. Moreover, IRF7 expression was stimulated by IFN-α in dermal fibroblasts. Importantly, IRF7 co-immunoprecipitated with Smad3, a key mediator of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signalling, and IRF7 knockdown reduced profibrotic factors in SSc fibroblasts. IRF7 KO mice demonstrated attenuated dermal fibrosis and inflammation compared with wild-type mice in response to bleomycin. Specifically, hydroxyproline content, dermal thickness as well as Col1a2, ACTA2 and interleukin-6 mRNA levels were significantly attenuated in IRF7 KO mice skin tissue. Furthermore, IRF7 KO in TSK/+mice attenuated hydroxyproline content, subcutaneous hypodermal thickness, Col1a2 mRNA as well as α-smooth muscle actin and fibronectin expression.ConclusionsIRF7 is upregulated in SSc skin, interacts with Smad3 and potentiates TGF-β-mediated fibrosis, and therefore may represent a promising therapeutic target in SSc.