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Abstract: Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy (HypoRT) combined with sequential chemotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and methods: A total of 34 patients with stage III NSCLC were enrolled. All patients received accelerated HypoRT (initially 50Gy/20 fractions, then a fraction dose of 3Gy) using three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), omitting elective nodal irradiation (ENI), to a total dose of 65–68Gy. All patients received two cycles of induction chemotherapy; 1–2 cycles of consolidation chemotherapy were given to 31 patients. The primary outcome measure was a profile of radiation toxicity. The secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional PFS (LR-PFS) and the pattern of initial failure. Results: Radiation toxicity was minimal. The median and 3-year OS, PFS were 19.0months, 32.1%; 10.0months, 29.8%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year LR-PFS were 69.6%, 60.9% and 60.9%, respectively. No patient experienced isolated elective nodal failure as the first site of failure. Conclusion: This study suggests that accelerated HypoRT using 3D-CRT omitting ENI can be used in combination with sequential chemotherapy in locally advanced NSCLC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The problem of attitude control for a spacecraft model that is nonlinear in dynamics with inertia uncertainty and external disturbance has been investigated. Adaptive law and extended state observer are applied to estimate the disturbance, by which sliding-mode controllers are designed to combine the two approaches in order to force the state variables of the closed-loop system to converge to the reference attitude states. Also, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new procedure for trace tungsten W(VI) in soil by fluorescence quenching method coupled with cloud point extraction (CPE) as the separation-preconcentration method was described. The Triton X-100 CPE behavior of W(VI)-salicylfluorone (SAF)was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the fluorescence quenched intensity (ΔF) was linearly with W(VI). The range of linear was 0.8 ∼ 20.0 μg · L-1, the detection limit (DL) was 0.14 ng · mL-1 (3σ), the relative standard deviation 3.3% (c = 10.0 μg · L-1, n = 5) and the recovery was 101.0-102.2%. The proposed method applied to the analysis of W(VI) in certified reference materials and real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering of nanoparticle surface functionality provides controlled interactions with biomolecules such as cell membrane lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Concurrently, this surface chemistry control also opens up new avenues for improving mass spectral analyses. In this Minireview, we highlight some of the emerging work that integrates surface-engineered nanoparticles with mass spectrometry to improve the analysis of a wide variety of chemical and biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Starting from effective mass Hamiltonian, we systematically investigate the symmetry of low-dimensional structures with spin–orbit interaction and transverse magnetic field. The position-dependent potentials are assumed to be space symmetric, which is ever-present in theory and experiment research. By group theory, we analyze degeneracy in different cases. Spin–orbit interaction makes the transition between Zeeman sub-levels possible, which is originally forbidden within dipole approximation. However, a transition rule given in this paper for the first time shows that the transition between some levels is forbidden for space symmetric potentials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aims: We sought to examine the impact of moderate or severe renal insufficiency (RI) on long-term clinical outcomes after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent implantation. Methods: All-cause mortality and major adverse cardiac events were prospectively determined for 1174 patients after successful PCI with drug-eluting stent implantation. Based on estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) levels, long-term outcomes were compared between patients with CrCl<60 ml/min (RI group; n =460) and those with CrCl≥60 ml/min (control group; n =714). Hazard ratio for mortality and myocardial infarction was further evaluated for patients with severe (CrCl<30 ml/min), moderate (CrCl 30–59 ml/min), mild RI (CrCl 60–89 ml/min) and normal renal function (CrCl≥90 ml/min). Results: Patients in RI group were older, lower body weight and hemoglobin, more female gender, and less cigarette smokers than those in control group. During follow-up (averaged 19.2 months) after successful PCI, all-cause death (8.3% vs. 1.5%, P <0.001), cardiac death (5.7% vs. 1.1%, P <0.001) and occurrence of non-fatal myocardial infarction (2.2% vs. 0.4%, P =0.005) were significantly higher, but rate of target vessel revascularization (TVR) was lower (5.7% vs. 9.6%, P =0.017) in RI group than in control group. Multivariate analysis revealed that CrCl<60 ml/min, diabetes, left ventricular ejection fraction <0.50 and anemia were independent risk factors for mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction. Compared with patients with normal renal function, hazard ratio for a composite of mortality and myocardial infarction was 1.079 (P =0.907), 5.067 (P =0.007) and 8.828 (P =0.002) in patents with mild, moderate and severe RI, respectively. Conclusions: Irrespective of whether drug-eluting stent implantation reduces TVR, the presence of moderate or severe RI is still associated with unfavorable long-term outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Spontaneous emission from GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in photonic crystals with a narrow photonic band gap is studied theoretically. The results show that the decay lifetime is very sensitive to the sizes of QDs, and both inhibited and accelerated emission can occur, which had been indicated in a previous experiment. The Weisskopf–Wigner approximation, good for atoms and molecules, may be incorrect for QDs. A damped Rabi oscillation of the excited state with the transition frequency outside the photonic band gap may appear, which is impossible for atoms and molecules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Positioning the pixels of ground control points (GCPs) in drone images is an issue of great concern in the field of drone photogrammetry. The current mainstream automatic approaches are based on standardized markers, such as circular coded targets and point coded targets. There is no denying that introducing standardized markers improves the efficiency of positioning GCP pixels. However, the low flexibility leads to some drawbacks, such as the heavy logistical input in placing and maintaining GCP markers. Especially as drone photogrammetry steps into the era of large scenes, the logistical input in maintaining GCP markers becomes much more costly. This paper proposes a novel positioning method applicable for non-standardized GCPs. Firstly, regions of interest (ROIs) are extracted from drone images with stereovision technologies. Secondly, the quality of ROIs is evaluated using image entropy, and then the outliers are filtered by an adjusted boxplot. Thirdly, pixels of interest are searched with a corner detector, and the precise imagery coordinates are obtained by subpixel optimization. Finally, the verification was carried out in an urban scene, and the results show that this method has good applicability to the GCPs on road traffic signs, and the accuracy rate is over 95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cooperative and competitive analysis for a duopoly of TNC and public transit. • TNC can be hurt by a good-intentioned subsidy in areas with high public transit accessibility. • Win-win outcome achieved via subsidy design in areas with low public transit accessibility. The substitution and complement of ride-sourcing services and public transit services greatly affect the mobility and accessibility of a multi-modal transportation system. Since the transportation network company (TNC) (operator of ride-sourcing) concerns the profit and the government (operator of public transit) promotes social welfare, the two policy-makers will both cooperate and compete with each other to enhance their benefits. In this paper, we develop a bi-level game-theoretic approach to model the cooperative and competitive relationship between the TNC and the government. In the upper level, the two policy-makers design a cooperative plan such that the government provides subsidies to public transit riders who use ride-sourcing to solve first- or last-mile problems. In the lower level, they attempt to optimize operational strategies to compete with each other for achieving their objectives. The outcome of the bi-level game depends on passengers' choices among alternative travel modes, which is characterized by an aggregate multi-modal market. Based on the proposed game-theoretic approach, we analytically and numerically examine the impact of the competition with passenger-side subsidies on the multi-modal system, and the existence of optimal strategies that lead to a win–win situation for both the policy-makers. We find that a socially-optimal subsidy level may exist. In areas with high public transit accessibility, a good-intentioned subsidy that boosts first- or last-mile ride-sourcing services can reduce the TNC's profit. Our research highlights the value of a carefully designed subsidy structure that benefits both the TNC (profit) and the society (social welfare), especially in areas with low public transit accessibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have previously shown that anti-GnRH antibodies responses can be induced by synthetic GnRH3-hinge-MVP peptide. In this study, GnRH3-hinge-MVP of conjugation to heat shock protein 65 was used as an adjuvant-free vaccine to assess the therapeutic effects of GnRH immunoneutralisation on tumor development in the mice model. Compared with mice treated with Hsp65 and PBS, mice of the o.t. model receiving in situ treatment GnRH3-hinge-MVP-Hsp65 had significant prolongation of survival and suppression of local tumor growth. Serum levels of both testosterone and luteinizing hormone were reduced by treatment with GnRH3-hinge-MVP-Hsp65 (p <0.05). Further analyses of cell mediated immune responses showed that GnRH3-hinge-MVP-Hsp65 induced stronger lymphocyte proliferative responses and higher levels of IFN-γ (p <0.001). The conjugation of the recombinant GnRH peptide to Hsp65 could be considered a promising approach for the development of an efficacious vaccine against the prostate cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A number of mutations have been linked to diseases for which the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. An example is Timothy Syndrome (TS), a multi-system disorder that includes severe cardiac arrhythmias. Here we employ theoretical simulations to examine the effects of a TS mutation in the L-type Ca2+ channel on cardiac dynamics over multiple scales, from a gene mutation to protein, cell, tissue, and finally the ECG, to connect a defective Ca2+ channel to arrhythmia susceptibility. Our results indicate that 1) the TS mutation disrupts the rate-dependent dynamics in a single cardiac cell and promotes the development of alternans; 2) in coupled tissue, concordant alternans is observed at slower heart rates in mutant tissue than in normal tissue and, once initiated, rapidly degenerates into discordant alternans and conduction block; and 3) the ECG computed from mutant-simulated tissue exhibits prolonged QT intervals at physiological rates and with small increases in pacing rate, T-wave alternans, and alternating T-wave inversion. At the cellular level, enhanced Ca2+ influx due to the TS mutation causes electrical instabilities. In tissue, the interplay between faulty Ca2+ influx and steep action potential duration restitution causes arrhythmogenic discordant alternans. The prolongation of action potentials causes spatial dispersion of the Na+ channel excitability, leading to inhomogeneous conduction velocity and large action potential spatial gradients. Our model simulations are consistent with the ECG patterns from TS patients, which suggest that the TS mutation is sufficient to cause the clinical phenotype and allows for the revelation of the complex interactions of currents underlying it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equilibrium parameters of ozone, such as equilibrium geometry structure parameters, force constants and dissociation energy are presented by CBS-Q ab initio calculations. The calculated equilibrium geometry structure parameters and energy are in agreement with the corresponding experimental values. The potential energy function of ozone with a C2v symmetry in the ground state is described by the simplified Sorbie-Murrell many-body expansion potential function according to the ozone molecule symmetry. The contour of bond stretching vibration potential of an O3 in the ground state, with a bond angle (th) fixed, and the contour of O3 potential for O rotating around O1[?]O (R1), with O1[?]O bond length taken as the one at equilibrium, are plotted. Moreover, the potentials are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential energy function of nitrogen dioxide with the C2v symmetry in the ground state is represented using the simplified Sorbie-Murrell many-body expansion function in terms of the symmetry of NO2. Using the potential energy function, some potential energy surfaces of NO2(C2V, X2A1), such as the bond stretching contour plot for a fixed equilibrium geometry angle th and contour for O moving around N-O (R1), in which R1 is fixed at the equilibrium bond length, are depicted. The potential energy surfaces are analysed. Moreover, the equilibrium parameters for NO2 with the C2v, Cs and D8h symmetries, such as equilibrium geometry structures and energies, are calculated by the ab initio (CBS-Q) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, the dynamical cavitation behavior is analyzed for a sphere composed of a class of transversely isotropic incompressible hyper-elastic materials, where there is a pre-existing micro-void in the interior of the sphere. A second-order non-linear ordinary differential equation that governs the motion of the initial micro-void is obtained by using the boundary conditions. On analyzing the qualitative properties of the solutions of the differential equation, some interesting conclusions are proposed. It is proved that the number of equilibrium points of the differential equation depends on the values of the material parameters, and that the phase diagrams of the equation are closed, smooth and convex trajectories. For any prescribed surface tensile dead-loads, the motion of the initial micro-void undergoes a non-linear periodic oscillation. The dependence of the periodic motion of the initial micro-void on material parameters and the radius of the initial micro-void is examined, and numerical results are also provided. It is worth pointing out that the conclusions in this paper can be used to describe approximately the physical implications of the dynamical formation of a cavity in the sphere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pharmacological management of cardiac arrhythmias has been a long and widely sought goal. One of the difficulties in treating arrhythmia stems, in part, from incomplete understanding of the mechanisms of drug block and how intrinsic properties of channel gating affect drug access, binding affinity, and unblock. In the last decade, a plethora of genetic information has revealed that genetics may play a critical role in determining arrhythmia susceptibility and in efficacy of pharmacological therapy. In this context, we present a theoretical approach for investigating effects of drug-channel interaction. We use as an example open-channel or inactivated-channel block by the local anesthetics mexiletine and lidocaine, respectively, of normal and ΔKPQ mutant Na+ channels associated with the long-QT syndrome type 3. Results show how kinetic properties of channel gating, which are affected by mutations, are important determinants of drug efficacy. Investigations of NaΔ channel blockade are conducted at multiple scales (single channel and macroscopic current) and, importantly, during the cardiac action potential (AP). Our findings suggest that channel mean open time is a primary determinant of open state blocker efficacy. Channels that remain in the open state longer, such as the ΔKPQ mutant channels in the abnormal burst mode, are blocked preferentially by low mexiletine concentrations. AP simulations confirm that a low dose of mexiletine can remove early afterdepolarizations and restore normal repolarization without affecting the AP upstroke. The simulations also suggest that inactivation state block by lidocaine is less effective in restoring normal repolarization and adversely suppresses peak Na+ current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To design an anti-gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine capable of eliciting strong immunogenicity, a gene fragment encoding a chimeric peptide was constructed using polymerase chain reaction and ligated into a novel expression vector for recombinant expression in a T7 RNA polymerase-based expression system. The chimeric peptide called GnRH3–hinge–MVP contained three linear repeats of GnRH (GnRH3), a fragment of the human IgG1 hinge region, and a T-cell epitope of measles virus protein (MVP). The expression plasmid contained the GnRH3–hinge–MVP construct ligated to its fusion partner (AnsB-C) via an unique acid labile Asp–Pro linker. The recombinant fusion protein was expressed in an inclusion body in Escherichia coli under IPTG or lactose induction and the target peptide was easily purified using washing of urea and ethanol precipitation. The target chimeric peptide was isolated from the fusion partner following acid hydrolysis and purified using DEAE–Sephacel chromatography. The purified GnRH3–hinge–MVP was determined to be highly homogeneous by IEF analysis and the N-terminal sequencing. Further, immunization of female mice with the recombinant chimeric peptide resulted in generation of high-titer antibodies specific for GnRH. The results showed that GnRH3–hinge–MVP could be considered as a candidate anti-GnRH vaccine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The radial symmetric motion problem was examined for a spherical shell composed of a class of imperfect incompressible hyper-elastic materials, in which the materials may be viewed as the homogeneous incompressible isotropic neo-Hookean material with radial perturbations. A second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation that describes the radial motion of the inner surface of the shell was obtained. And the first integral of the equation was then carried out. Via analyzing the dynamical properties of the solution of the differential equation, the effects of the prescribed imperfection parameter of the material and the ratio of the inner and the outer radii of the underformed shell on the motion of the inner surface of the shell were discussed, and the corresponding numerical examples were carried out simultaneously. In particular, for some given parameters, it was proved that, there exists a positive critical value, and the motion of the inner surface with respect to time will present a nonlinear periodic oscillation as the difference between the inner and the outer presses does not exceed the critical value. However, as the difference exceeds the critical value, the motion of the inner surface with respect to time will increase infinitely. That is to say, the shell will be destroyed ultimately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential quadrature method (DQM) has been applied successfully to solve numerically many problems in the fluid mechanics. But it is only limited to the flow problems in regular regions. At the same time, here is no upwind mechanism to deal with the convective property of the fluid flow in traditional DQ method. A local differential quadrature method owning upwind mechanism (ULDQM) was given to solve the coupled problem of incompressible viscous flow and heat transfer in an irregular region. For the problem of flow past a contraction channel whose boundary does not parallel to coordinate direction, the satisfactory numerical solutions were obtained by using ULDQM with a few grid points. The numerical results show that the ULDQM possesses advantages including well convergence, less computational workload and storage as compared with the low-order finite difference method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many extracellular signals are transmitted to the interior of the cell by receptors with seven membrane-spanning helices that trigger their effects by means of heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins). These G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) control various physiological functions in evolution from pheromone-induced mating in yeast to cognition in humans. The potential role of the G-protein signalling system in the control of animal ageing has been highlighted by the genetic revelation that mutation of a GPCR encoded by methuselah extends the lifespan of adult Drosophila flies. How methuselah functions in controlling ageing is not clear. A first essential step towards the understanding of methuselah function is to determine the ligands of Methuselah. Here we report the identification and characterization of two endogenous peptide ligands of Methuselah, designated Stunted A and B. Flies with mutations in the gene encoding these ligands show an increase in lifespan and resistance to oxidative stress. We conclude that the Stunted-Methuselah system is involved in the control of animal ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the implications of prophylactic intraoperative Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) with D2 radical gastrectomy for locally advanced Gastric Cancer (AGC) in a randomized case control study.Method: Eighty consecutive patients with locally AGC were randomly separated into 2 groups: HIPEC group (Curative Resection + intraoperative HIPEC with cisplatin 50 mg/m2 at 42.0 ± 1.0 °C for 60 min) and Control group (Curative Resection only). Intraoperative and post-operative events, clinical recovery, morbidity and the disease-free survival (DFS) rates were closely monitored.Results: Among the 40 HIPEC group patients, the highest intracranial temperature recorded during the procedure was 38.2 °C but the patient made an eventless recovery. Mild renal dysfunction, hyperbilirubinemia and mild liver dysfunction were recorded in the HIPEC group but their incidences were found to be statistically insignificant when compared with the control group (P > 0.05). The initial post-operative analysis revealed shorter post-operative stay for in the HIPEC group but further analysis revealed that it was related to the incidence of postoperative complication. During a median follow-up time of 41 months, there were 9/39 and 15/38 cases of disease progression in HIPEC and Control groups respectively, with a more favorable 3-year DFS (76.9% vs 60.5%) and a lower peritoneal recurrence rate (5% vs 30%) in the HIPEC group.Conclusion: Prophylactic HIPEC with radical D2 Gastrectomy is safe and shows favorable survival and peritoneal recurrence rates for AGC with acceptable morbidity. Nevertheless, more structured multi-centered RCT should be carried out for more substantial evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new numerical method for the fractional integral that only stores part history data is presented, and its discretization error is estimated. The method can be used to solve the integro-differential equation including fractional integral or fractional derivative in a long history. The difficulty of storing all history data is overcome and the error can be controlled. As application, motion equations governing the dynamical behavior of a viscoelastic Timoshenko beam with fractional derivative constitutive relation are given. The dynamical response of the beam subjected to a periodic excitation is studied by using the separation variables method. Then the new numerical method is used to solve a class of weakly singular Volterra integro-differential equations which are applied to describe the dynamical behavior of viscoelastic beams with fractional derivative constitutive relations. The analytical and unmerical results are compared. It is found that they are very close. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the properties the separate 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase domain of chicken liver. Effect of the purification of the expressed separate domain or isolation of this domain from purified glutathione S-transferase fusion protein with thrombin cleavage; Similarity of the two forms of the domain with different lengths in terms of kinetic property; Sensitivity of the domain to guanidine inactivation and heat denaturation.

The dynamic stability of simple supported viscoelastic column, subjected to a periodic axial force, is investigated. The viscoelastic material was assumed to obey the fractional derivative constitutive relation. The governing equation of motion was derived as a weakly singular Volterra integro-partial-differential equation, and it was simplified into a weakly singular Volterra integro-ordinary-differential equation by the Galerkin method. In terms of the averaging method, the dynamical stability was analyzed. A new numerical method is proposed to avoid storing all history data. Numerical examples are presented and the numerical results agree with the analytical ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borderline personality disorder (BoPD or BPD) is highly prevalent and characterized by reactive moods, impulsivity, behavioral dysregulation, and distorted self-image. Yet the BoPD diagnosis is underutilized and patients with BoPD are frequently misdiagnosed resulting in lost opportunities for appropriate treatment. Automated screening of electronic health records (EHRs) is one potential strategy to help identify possible BoPD patients who are otherwise undiagnosed. We present the development and analytical validation of a BoPD screening algorithm based on routinely collected and structured EHRs. This algorithm integrates rule-based selection and machine learning (ML) in a two-step framework by first selecting potential patients based on the presence of comorbidities and characteristics commonly associated with BoPD, and then predicting whether the patients most likely have BoPD. Leveraging a large-scale US-based de-identified EHR database and our clinical expert's rating of two random samples of patient EHRs, results show that our screening algorithm has a high consistency with our clinical expert's ratings, with area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) 0.837 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.778–0.892], positive predictive value 0.717 (95% CI 0.583–0.836), accuracy 0.820 (95% CI 0.768–0.873), sensitivity 0.541 (95% CI 0.417–0.667) and specificity 0.922 (95% CI 0.880–0.960). Our aim is, to provide an additional resource to facilitate clinical decision making and promote the development of digital medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders in people living with HIV (PLWH) is high. However, it is unclear which symptom is the bridge symptom between depression and anxiety in PLWH. This study aimed to develop symptom networks for depression and anxiety and explore the bridge symptoms and interconnectedness between these disorders in PLWH with comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders. Methods: A multisite, hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to November 2021. Depression and anxiety were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We visualized the symptom network using the qgraph package and computed the bridge expected influence of each node. The GLASSO layout was used to generate undirected association networks. Results: A total of 2016 individuals were included in the analysis. In the anxiety cluster, "not feeling relaxed" had the highest bridge expected influence and strength (rbridge expected influence = 0.628, rstrength = 0.903). In the depression cluster, "not feeling cheerful" was identified as having a high bridge expected influence (rbridge expected influence = 0.385). "Not feeling cheerful" and "not feeling relaxed" were the strongest edges across the depression and anxiety clusters (r = 0.30 ± 0.02). Conclusions: Healthcare professionals should take note when PLWH report severe bridge symptoms. To enhance the levels of perceived cheerfulness and relaxation, positive psychology interventions could be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove that a bi-Lipschitz image of a planar BV-extension domain is also a BV-extension domain, and that a bi-Lipschitz image of a planar W^{1,1}-extension domain is again a W^{1,1}-extension domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Visible-UVC UC material (Li 2 SrSiO 4 :Pr3+) is made into glassy phosphor. • Glassy phosphor is prepared by containerless processing method. • The glass and ceramic samples emit UVC light when they are excited by 450-nm laser diode. • The UVC power density of glass sample is 1.46 mW/m2, is suitable for gain medium. Up-conversion (UC) fluorescence process can convert low-energy radiation into high-energy radiation, which is an effective way to obtain ultraviolet C (UVC) laser. Compared with crystals, glass can be produced in a large volume and drawn into optical fibers, which has irreplaceable merits as a laser medium. Here, we successfully synthesized an efficient UVC UC glassy phosphor where UVC light can be detected by UV detector as well as solar blind camera equipped a 240–280 nm band-pass filter when excited by a 450 nm laser. We believe that UVC UC glassy phosphor can be used as an ideal gain medium for UVC fiber lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fixing the greenhouse gas CO2 through epoxide helps to mitigate worldwide ecological troubles. The applications of metal‐free and solvent‐free catalysts remain a challenge for CO2 catalytic conversion. In this work, an array of quaternary ammonium salts derived from polyethyleneimine with hydroxyl groups ([PEI‐GDMAB‐Cn]Br) were constructed by the reaction of branched PEI with a molecular weight of 10000 and glycidyl alkyl dimethylammonium bromide. A range of experiments were designed to demonstrate that [PEI‐GDMAB‐Cn]Br can be considered as a valid metal‐free and solvent‐free homogeneous catalyst for the CO2‐epoxide cycloaddition reaction. Among of [PEI‐GDMAB‐Cn]Br, [PEI‐GDMAB‐C18]Br catalyzed the model reaction of CO2 and epichlorohydrin under optimized reaction conditions (T=80 °C, 1.0 atm CO2, catalyst 1 mol%, ECH 15 mmol, 16 h) and the conversion achieved at 97.5 %. Moreover, the catalyst exhibited stable reusability and broad substrate applicability, which was used in the following cycle succinctly, because of self‐separated properties by temperature control. The [PEI‐GDMAB‐C18]Br catalyzed reaction process was detected as a pseudo‐first‐order reaction after kinetic studies and an Ea was calculated to be 50.65 kJ/mol. A combinatorial catalytic mechanism of hydrogen bonding and bromide ions is suggested to explain the remarkable catalytic performance of this bifunctional catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of carbon sphere supported with adjustable alkyl length substitutes polymeric ionic liquids bearing hydroxylamino-anchored functional groups by covalent connection were fabricated from copolymerization of carbon sphere with vinyl based monomeric ionic liquids, which were constructed from 1-glycidyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide and alkyl amines. The carbon sphere hybrid polymeric ionic liquids were characterized by FT-IR, SEM–EDS, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm, elemental analysis, 13C MAS NMR and XPS, which were candidated as heterogeneous catalysts for CO2-epoxide cycloaddition reactions to product cyclic carbonates at mild conditions without co-catalyst and metal ion. The introduced functional groups on carbon sphere could accelerate the reaction process and yields of above 90% were obtained for various cyclic carbonates under optimized conditions. Finally, kinetic experiments were also carried out to reveal reaction mechanism and the activated energy was determined as 114.9 kJ/mol. Therefore, this study provides a new approach to fabricate multifunctional heterogeneous materials for coupling reaction of CO2 under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the problem of contact parameters (slippage and sinkage) estimation for multi-modal robot locomotion on granular terrains. To describe the contact events in the same framework for robots operated at different modes (e.g., wheel, leg), we propose a unified description of contact parameters for multi-modal robots. We also provide a parameter estimation method for multi-modal robots based on CNN and DWT (discrete wavelet transformation) techniques and verify its effectiveness over different types of granular terrains. Besides motion modes, this paper also considers the influence of slope angles and the robot's handing angles over contact parameters. Through comparison and analysis of the prediction results, our method can not only effectively predict the contact parameters of multi-modal robot locomotion on a granular medium (better than $96\%$ accuracy) but also achieves the same or better performance when compared to other (direct) contact measurement methods designed for individual motion modes, that is, single-modal robots such as quadruped robots and mars rovers. Our proposed unified contact parameter estimation method can be useful for studying the interaction mechanics between multi-modal robots and granular terrains as well as terrain classification tasks due to its superior sensitivity which is analyzed in the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the wake of China's relaxed zero-COVID policy, there was a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. This study aimed to examine the infection status and health service utilization among Beijing residents during a widespread outbreak, and to explore the factors that affected utilization of health services due to COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Beijing residents from 13 January to 13 February 2023, collecting information on socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviours, COVID-19 infection status, utilization of health services and depressive symptoms. Multivariate Tobit regression was used for data analysis. Results: Among the 53 924 participants, 14.7% were older than 60 years, 63.7% were female and 84.8% were married. In total, 44 992 of the 53 924 individuals surveyed (83.4%) contracted COVID-19 during 2020–2023, and 25.2% (13 587) sought corresponding health services. The majority of individuals (85.6%) chose in-person healthcare, while 14.4% chose internet-based healthcare. Among those who chose in-person healthcare, 58.6% preferred primary healthcare institutions and 41.5% were very satisfied with the treatment. Factors affecting health service utilization include being female (β = −0.15, P < 0.001), older than 60 years (β = 0.23, P < 0.01), non-healthcare workers (β = −0.60, P < 0.001), rich self-rated income level (β = 0.59, P < 0.001), having underlying disease (β = 0.51, P < 0.001), living alone (β = −0.19, P < 0.05), depressive symptoms (β = 0.06, P < 0.001) and healthy lifestyle habits, as well as longer infection duration, higher infection numbers and severe symptoms. Conclusion: As COVID-19 is becoming more frequent and less severe, providing safe and accessible healthcare remains critical. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with underlying conditions need reliable health service. Prioritizing primary healthcare resources and online medical services have played a vital role in enhancing resource utilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients should be encouraged to mobilize with 24 h of caesarean section. However, the time of the first off-bed activity after surgery is usually 24 ~ 48 h in China. Due to the lack of knowledge of early off-bed activities, lack of attention to medical pain, and the absence of systematic evidence for the clinical transformation process. the aim of this study was showed that the application of evidence needs to be embedding in the real setting to construct the localization plan and achieve the effective result. Methods: To establish evidence of the benefits of early postoperative off-bed activities on patients' well-being based on a literature review. An interrupted time series analysis was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The first and third periods were both five months (from February 1st, 2019 to January 31st, 2020), with a two-month interrupted time (from July 1st, 2019 to August 31st, 2019). Results: Eight clinical practices were retrieved from the literature and incorporated into the intervention. A total of 465 patients were included: 226 patients before and 239 patients after implementing the intervention. The average onset time of postoperative off-bed activities was significantly earlier after the intervention than before the intervention (20.01 vs. 31.89 h after the operation, P < 0.001). The 24-h off-bed rate increased from 30.94% before to 91.21% after the intervention (P < 0.001). The average pain score of patients decreased from 5.23 points before to 3.82 points after the intervention (P = 0.032). The average postoperative hospital stay was shortened from 5.06 days before to 3.51 days after the intervention (P < 0.001). In addition, the incidence rates of postoperative ileus (POI) and infection decreased from 5.38% and 2.65% before to 1.67% and 0.84% after the intervention, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusions: We established an evidence-based nursing intervention. Evaluation of the effect of evidence-based practices should be considered in the clinical setting and include preoperative health education, effective analgesia management, and safety management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the effectiveness of micturition interruption exercise in improving the incidence of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Materials and methods: With a retrospective case–control study, 96 patients admitted in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University from August 2014 to August 2020 and underwent radical prostatectomy were collected as the subjects. Those patients who used micturition interruption exercise (n = 48) were set as the therapy group, and the control group was collected according to the ratio of 1:1; the patients used Kegel exercise (n = 48) to compare the rehabilitation of urinary incontinence in patients and the effect of training compliance on rehabilitation. Results: The recovery time of urinary incontinence in the therapy group was significantly shorter than that of the control group. In the therapy group, 83.3% of patients with training compliance reached an average or above, while the control group only accounted for 58.3%. International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short-Form score of the therapy group was lower than that of the control group after surgery. Spearman analysis suggests that there is a negative correlation between the postoperative urinary incontinence recovery time and compliance with the micturition interruption exercise. Conclusions: Micturition interruption exercise could not only improve the compliance of patients with exercise, but also significantly shorten the recovery time of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyze complement and substitution of ride-sourcing to public transit. • The fleet size of ride-sourcing greatly affects the complementary relation. • Ride-sourcing fares affect the share between first-/last-mile and direct services. • A Pareto-efficient strategy can be adopted to make both stakeholders better off. The emerging on-demand ride-sourcing programs provided by transportation network companies (TNCs) have been reshaping the transportation industry. Research efforts in this area have covered topics such as supply-demand equilibrium, pricing, matching, dispatching, but have not fully spread to the potential impacts of ride-sourcing on public transit in multi-modal transportation systems. On the one hand, ride-sourcing services act as convenient feeders to solve first-mile/last-mile problems for public transit riders. On the other hand, direct origin-to-destination ride-sourcing services may also absorb passengers from public transit. In this paper, we propose a user equilibrium based mathematical model to analyze complement and substitution of ride-sourcing to public transit. Through both analytical and numerical discussions, we find that the fleet size of ride-sourcing vehicles can critically affect the complementary and substitutive relationship between ride-sourcing and public transit, and ride-sourcing service fares affect the market share between first-mile/last-mile (i.e., from origin to the transportation hub or from the hub to destination) and direct (i.e., from origin to destination) ride-sourcing services. We also examine the optimal strategies to maximize the TNC's profit and/or social welfare and find that the TNC can implement a Pareto-efficient strategy that makes both the two objectives better off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose a Bayesian supervised learning tensor factorization model for the analysis of travel choice. • The BSTF model induces a hierarchical probabilistic structure between the predictor variables and the choice. • The BSTF model offers good performance in both classification accuracy and the interpretability of choice behavior. • Apply the BSTF model to analyze passengers' choices between diverse service options on a ride-sourcing platform. In the era of transportation big data, the analysis of mobility patterns generally involves large quantities of datasets with high-dimensional variables recording individual travelers' activities and socio-economic attributes, bringing new challenges to researchers. Conventional regression-based models commonly require complex structures in depicting random or fixed effects with a considerable number of parameters to estimate, and state-of-the-art machine learning models are regarded as black-boxes that are not clear in interpreting the mechanism in human mobility. To overcome the challenges of capturing complex high-order relationships among variables of interest, this paper proposes a Bayesian supervised learning tensor factorization (BSTF) model for the classification of travel choices in the mobility pattern analysis. The BSTF model induces a hierarchical probabilistic structure between predictor variables and the dependent variable, which offers a nature supervised learning foundation via Bayesian inference. Latent class (LC) variables are considered in the BSTF model to discover hidden preferences/states among travelers associated with their mobility patterns. We apply the BSTF model to analyze passenger-side choice patterns between diverse service options on a ride-sourcing platform, drawing increasing attention during recent years. A case study with a real-world dynamic ridesharing dataset in Hangzhou, China, is conducted. Different cases of training sizes are utilized to fit the proposed BSTF model as well as some other state-of-the-art machine learning models. By identifying significant variables and derive their probabilistic relationship between service types (i.e., ridesharing, non-sharing, and taxi), the proposed BSTF model offers good performance in both classification accuracy and the interpretability of shared mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In real-time city-traffic monitoring, due to the difficulty in collecting delay time at intersections and the complexity of the computational model of the intersection traffic, it is very difficult to judge the city-traffic accurately. In order to solve the problem, this paper proposed a real-time traffic discrimination method based on simplified network model. In this method, various intersections were abstracted to a node respectively and the delay time at an intersection was added to the travel time of the road connected to it. Then in real-time traffic monitoring, it calculated the traffic state of ordinary roads, roundabouts and overpasses to achieve real-time monitoring of the traffic. Finally, it gave a simulation experiment of real-time city-traffic monitoring to prove its validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supercritical CO 2 receiver in solar tower power plants withstands high temperature and large thermal stress caused by highly non-uniform solar radiation. The application of eccentric tube in solar power tower plants was innovatively proposed to solve this problem. A three-dimensional thermal-fluid-mechanical coupling model of complex eccentric tube structure with high non-uniform heat (NUH) flux was constructed. The results showed that the eccentric receiver was appropriate for non-uniform and half-perimeter uniform heat fluxes. The eccentric tube exhibited a considerable improvement in tube-wall refrigeration, reflected in the maximum temperature and stresses. The highly NUH flux distribution in the receiver proved to be the main factor causing plastic deformation. Moreover, the distribution of the temperature, stress, and generalized thermal deviation factor (GTDF) with eccentric distance were also determined—they all decreased with an increase in the eccentric distance. Consequently, the key operating parameters for the eccentric receiver performance were investigated. The maximum temperature of the eccentric receiver was greatly reduced by 46.6–109.1 K and the GTDF was effectively reduced by approximately 13.9–51.4% under all the simulated working conditions—indicating the eccentric receiver to be a superior candidate to the current cavity tubular receiver of solar power tower plants. • A three-dimensional thermal-fluid-mechanical coupling model was established. • An eccentric tube was proposed considering comprehensive factors. • The novel structure is applicable for high non-uniform heat flux. • The proposed tube can effectively reduce maximum temperature and equivalent stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser cladding was used to fabricate the high entropy alloy (HEA) coating of FeCoCrNiMn x (x = 0, 0.5, 1). Coatings were studied to determine how Mn affected the microstructure, microhardness, and tribological property. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to examine the atomic-scale deformation and wear behavior of FeCoCrNiMn HEA coatings. FeCoCrNiMn x HEA coatings were composed of single FCC-type solid solution. Friction reduction and wear resistance are improved with Mn doping. When compared to the substrate and FeCoCrNi coating, the wear resistance of Mn1 coating is superior by 69.34% and 25.05%, respectively (wear rate is 3.74 ×10−5 mm3/N·m). The findings of molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that Mn-doping significantly enhances strain hardening by the friction-induced FCC phase transition to the HCP phase. The deformation mechanism of Mn1 coating, as determined by the dislocation evolution pattern, is twinning induced plasticity, which improves the plasticity, strength, and work-hardening rate of coating all at once. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The nuclear transport system has been proposed to be indispensable for cell proliferation and invasion in cancers. Prognostic biomarkers and molecular targets in nuclear transport systems have been developed. However, no systematic analysis of genes related to nuclear transport in gliomas has been performed. An integrated prognostic classification involving mutation and nuclear transport gene signatures has not yet been explored.Methods: In the present study, we analyzed gliomas from a training cohort (TCGA dataset, n = 660) and validation cohort (CGGA dataset, n = 668) to develop a prognostic nuclear transport gene signature and generate an integrated classification system. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that glioblastoma (GBM) was mainly enriched in nuclear transport progress compared to lower-grade glioma (LGG). Then, we developed a nuclear transport risk score (NTRS) for gliomas with a training cohort. NTRS was significantly correlated with clinical and genetic characteristics, including grade, age, histology, IDH status and 1p/19q codeletion, in the training and validation cohorts.Results: Survival analysis revealed that patients with a higher NTRS exhibited shorter overall survival. NTRS showed better prognostic value compared to classical molecular markers, including IDH status and 1p/19q codeletion. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that NTRS was an independent prognostic factor for gliomas. Enrichment map and Gene Ontology analysis demonstrated that signaling pathways related to the cell cycle were enriched in the NTRSHigh group. Subgroup survival analysis revealed that NTRS could differentiate the outcomes of low- and high-risk patients with wild-type IDH or mutant IDH and 1p/19q non-codeletion.Conclusions: NTRS is associated with poor outcomes and could be an independent prognostic marker in diffuse gliomas. Prognostic classification combined with IDH mutation, 1p/19q codeletion and NTRS could better predict the survival of glioma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify and assess the psychometric properties of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people living with HIV (PLWH).Methods: Nine databases were searched from January 1996 to October 2020. Methodological quality was assessed by using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) Risk of Bias Checklist. We used the COSMIN criteria to summarize and rate the psychometric properties of each PROM. A modified Grading, Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used to assess the certainty of evidence.Results: Sixty-nine studies reported on the psychometric properties of 30 identified instruments. All studies were considered to have adequate methodological quality in terms of content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency. Limited information was retrieved on cross-cultural validity, criterion validity, reliability, hypothesis testing, and responsiveness. High-quality evidence on psychometric properties was provided for the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV), the brief version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument in HIV Infection (WHOQoL-HIV-BREF), 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), Multidimensional Quality of Life Questionnaire for Persons with HIV/AIDS (MQoL-HIV), and WHOQoL-HIV.Conclusions: The findings from the included studies highlighted that among HIV-specific and generic HRQoL PROMs, MOS-HIV, WHOQoL-HIV-BREF, SF-36, MQoL-HIV, and WHOQoL-HIV are strongly recommended to evaluate HRQoL in PLWH in research and clinics based on the specific aims of assessments and the response burden for participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of P2×4R activates microglia, opens the ion channels on the cell membrane (mainly calcium influx), activates intracellular related signal pathways in microglia (such as AKT, JNK), releases various injurious factors (such as TNF-a, IL-18, IL-10), induces and promotes nerve cell damage (such as neurons, astrocytes), and causes pain. While the application of P2 × 4 receptor-related antagonists (such as 5-BDBD and NP-1815-PX) can inhibit the activity of P2 × 4R, reduce its over-expression, decrease the release of injury factors, and relieve pain. Neuropathic pain (NPP) is a common symptom of most diseases in clinic, which seriously affects the mental health of patients and brings certain pain to patients. Due to its pathological mechanism is very complicated, and thus, its treatment has been one of the challenges in the field of medicine. Therefore, exploring the pathogenesis and treatment approach of NPP has aroused the interest of many researchers. ATP is an important energy information substance, which participates in the signal transmission in the body. The P2 × 4 receptor (P2 × 4R) is dependent on ATP ligand-gated cationic channel receptor, which can be activated by ATP and plays an important role in the transmission of information in the nervous system and the formation of pain. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the structure and function of the P2 × 4R gene. We also discuss the pathogenesis of NPP and the intrinsic relationship between P2 × 4R and NPP. Moreover, we explore the pharmacological properties of P2 × 4R antagonists or inhibitors used as targeted therapies for NPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A JNK and its isoform were identified from Eriocheir sinensis. • Bacteria challenge upregulated the expression of EsJNK. • RNAi showed that EsJNK regulated the transcription of two AMPs. • Knockdown of EsJNK can weaken the host's ability to eliminate bacteria. • rEsJNK protein can accelerate the bacterial clearance. c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK) is a member of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that participates in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we identified a novel JNK (EsJNK) and determined the cDNA sequence of its isoform (EsJNK-a) from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame (ORF) of EsJNK was predicted to encode 421 peptides with a serine/threonine protein kinase, a catalytic (S_TKc) domain, and a low complexity region. The ORF of EsJNK-a was 1380 bp encoding a protein with 459 amino acids, which was 38 amino acids more than that of EsJNK. The predicted tertiary structure of EsJNK was conserved and contained 15 α-helices and 10 β-sheets. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that EsJNK was clustered with the JNK homologs of other crustaceans. Quantitative real-time PCR assays showed that EsJNK was expressed in all the tissues examined, but it was relatively higher in hemocytes, muscles, and intestines. The expression of EsJNK mRNA in the hemocytes was upregulated by lipopolysaccharides and peptidoglycans, as well as by Staphylococcus aureus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge. Functionally, after silencing EsJNK by siRNA in crabs, the expression levels of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), namely, anti-lipopolysaccharide factor and crustin , were significantly inhibited. The purified recombinant EsJNK protein with His-tag accelerated the elimination of the aforementioned bacteria in vivo. However, knockdown of EsJNK had an opposite effect. These findings suggested that EsJNK might be involved in the antibacterial immune defense of crabs by regulating the transcription of AMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical modeling of epidemic spreading has been widely adopted to estimate the threats of epidemic diseases (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) as well as to evaluate epidemic control interventions. The indoor place is considered to be a significant epidemic spreading risk origin, but existing widely-used epidemic spreading models are usually limited for indoor places since the dynamic physical distance changes between people are ignored, and the empirical features of the essential and non-essential travel are not differentiated. In this paper, we introduce a pedestrian-based epidemic spreading model that is capable of modeling indoor transmission risks of diseases during people's social activities. Taking advantage of the before-and-after mobility data from the University of Maryland COVID-19 Impact Analysis Platform, it's found that people tend to spend more time in grocery stores once their travel frequencies are restricted to a low level. In other words, an increase in dwell time could balance the decrease in travel frequencies and satisfy people's demands. Based on the pedestrian-based model and the empirical evidence, combined non-pharmaceutical interventions from different operational levels are evaluated. Numerical simulations show that restrictions on people's travel frequency and open hours of indoor places may not be universally effective in reducing average infection risks for each pedestrian who visit the place. Entry limitations can be a widely effective alternative, whereas the decision-maker needs to balance the decrease in risky contacts and the increase in queue length outside the place that may impede people from fulfilling their travel needs. The results show that a good coordination among the decision-makers can contribute to the improvement of the performance of combined non-pharmaceutical interventions, and it also benefits the short-term and long-term interventions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop a conceptual framework to explain how patients with uncertain diagnoses experience intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in order to achieve an in-depth understanding of the process of facing uncertainty in this population. Patients and Methods: A grounded theory study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 21 patients with uncertain diagnoses in China from December 2018 to March 2019. The coding process followed the procedures of Strauss and Corbin: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Results: We developed a conceptual framework called 'Facing an Uncertain Diagnosis'. This framework considers not only the external and internal context of IU generation but also the ongoing process of how IU impacts patients' psychological status, cognitive response, behavior, and decision making. Conclusion: We suggest that healthcare professionals should be aware of the high level of IU and its psychological, cognitive, and behavioral manifestations in patients with uncertain diagnoses. Healthcare professionals should also be more cautious in shared decision making with patients with uncertain diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Asymmetric color-image cryptosystem combining two spiral phase transformations and an equal modulus decomposition. • High security cryptosystem with simple structure, reduced data amount and fast speed. • Improved sensitivity of order of spiral phase transformation with 100 times compared with traditional method. In this paper, we propose an asymmetric color-image cryptosystem based on spiral phase transform (SPT) and equal modulus decomposition (EMD). The original image is divided into three-channel components of R, G and B firstly. Then we encrypt these components by two random phase mask (RPMs) modulations, two spiral phase transformations, and an equal modulus decomposition. Finally, we obtain four encryption keys which are RPM1, RPM2, an EMD's angle and the order q of the SPT, and produce two private keys (PKs) which are PK1 and PK2. The proposed method has enhanced the key sensitivity of the order q with 100 times, while it maintains the advantages of simple structure, high speed and less data amount. The proposed method is highly robust to iteration attack and other attacks. Numerical simulation results show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed cryptosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute infections with enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) usually cause Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) among infants and young children with several large outbreaks worldwide. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms underlying enterovirus infections remain largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of host cells in response to EV71 and CVA16 infections using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Of over 480,000 loci studied, significant differential methylation was observed between EV71 infected-cells and control cells at 3957 CpG sites, out of which 2478 were hypermethylated and 1479 were hypomethylated, whereas CVA16 infection resulted in methylation level changes of 5194 CpG sites with 4288 hypermethylated and 906 hypomethylated. These differential methylated loci displayed a wide range of genomic distributions in chromosomes, inside and surrounding areas (shores and shelves) of CpG islands, as well as functional gene regions including promoter, gene body and 3'UTR. Based on methylation alterations, 1189 genes were identified to be potentially co-associated with the replication processes of two enteroviruses. GO function annotation and enrichment analysis of 1189 common differentially methylated genes reflected a broad spectrum of biological regulatory events during viral infection. KEGG pathway analysis indicated the involvement of diverse signaling pathways including viral myocarditis, Notch signaling and antigen processing and presentation. Our present study provides a novel insight into enterovirus-host interaction network at epigenetic profile, thus contributing to improved understanding of HFMD pathogenesis. • Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in response to acute enterovirus infections. • Methylation changes in thousands of CpG sites with a wide range of genomic distributions. • Differentially methylated genes reflected a broad spectrum of biological regulatory events. • Diverse signaling pathways were involved in acute EV71 and CVA16 infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA) is recommended as the first choice to treat stenosis of Brescia-Cimino arteriovenous fistulas (B-C AVFs). The ability to predict which B-C AVFs are at risk for recurrent stenosis post-PTA would allow closer monitoring of patients, and possibly result in surgical intervention rather than repeat PTA. The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors of primary patency after PTA in B-C AVFs. Patients diagnosed with B-C AVF primary stenosis and treated by PTA between November 2013 and March 2018 were included in the study. Patient and stenotic lesion characteristics and PTA procedure factors were included in the analysis. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to analyze the primary patency rate. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to identify factors predictive of decreased primary patency. 74 patients (35 males, 39 females) with a mean age of 61.68 ± 11.44 years (range, 36–84 years) were included in the study. The mean B-C AVF age was 16.34 ± 12.93 months (range, 2–84 months), and the median primary patency time was 7.79 ± 0.48 months. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed stenosis location at the inflow artery [hazard ratio (HR)=3.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46–10.09] or anastomosis (HR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.09–3.32), dilation >2 times during PTA (HR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.22–4.34), and residual stenosis >30% (HR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.26–4.63) were significantly associated with decreased patency. In conclusion, the primary patency rate of PTA for B-C AVF dysfunction is reduced by dilation >2 times, residual stenosis >30%, and stenosis located at the inflow artery or anastomosis. These results may help in tailoring surveillance programs, multiple PTA, or a proximal re-anastomosis surgery in patients with AVF dysfunction. A number of studies have been conducted to examine the predictors of primary patency after PTA, however, no definitive conclusions have been reached. Our study revealed that stenosis location at the inflow artery or anastomosis, dilation >2 times during PTA, and residual stenosis >30% were the predictors of primary patency after PTA, which may help in tailoring surveillance programs, multiple PTA, or a proximal re-anastomosis surgery in patients with arteriovenous fistulas dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]