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Background: Long-term glycemic variation in diabetes patients may have contributed to cancer incidence.Aim: In this study we aimed at the association between annual glycemic variation and the risk of cancer in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: Subjects of this study were from an established population-based cohort of T2DM patients in Minhang District of Shanghai, China. Incident cancer were obtained from the Shanghai Cancer Registry. Glycemic variation was evaluated using the annual fasting glucose coefficient of variation (FG-CV), which was used as a time-dependent variable in a Cox regression model to estimate the associations with the cancer risk. Restricted cubic splines were used to explore potential non-linear associations.Results: A total of 2,140 incident cancers (1100 men and 1040 women) were identified from the 46,202 diabetes patients during 12-year follow-up. The annual FG-CV remained significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer, even after adjusting for the annual mean FG level. A significant non-linear association was found in male T2DM patients, and a significant linear association in female patients.Conclusions: The positive association of the annual FG-CV with the risk of cancer in T2DM patients indicate the importance to stabilize the FG level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-velocity impact and flexure-after-impact (FAI) tests were performed on 2D plain woven fabric (PWF) and 3D orthogonal woven fabric (OWF) reinforced carbon fibers/epoxy composite beams while the electrical resistance measurement was applied during impact and FAI tests via four-probe technique to study the relations between resistance variation (RV) and residual mechanical properties. The impact tests (from 3 J to 9 J) showed that OWF specimens have better suppression of delamination than PWF, which was also evaluated through thermography and cross-sectional imaging method. Then FAI tests were implemented on impacted specimens while acoustic emission signals were captured. The residual flexural strength and modulus from the FAI tests were normalized by the values of intact specimens and compared with the RV from impact tests. The relations between electrical and mechanical properties revealed that the rise of resistance after the impact is an effective sign that indicates the reduction in the residual flexural strength and modulus of the composite beam. Moreover, the relation between RV and residual modulus is more effective than that with residual strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oriented construction of high-performance mesoporous TiNb 2 O 7 (m-TNO) is important to the design innovation of anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the high capacity and long cyclic life of m-TNO. However, the conductivity enhancement of m-TNO and thus accelerating Li+ transfer is still the key point to realize its practical application in LIBs. In this work, a synergistic strategy based on the single-core/dual-shell m-TNO@TiC@NC hierarchical structure is put forward, which is achieved by using m-TNO as host architecture as well as TiC and N-doped carbon layer (NC) as dual-shell layers. The results show that the m-TNO@TiC@NC hierarchical structure can not only provide an integrated conductive network to improve the conductivity of m-TNO, but also can establish a reinforced structure to maintain the anode stability. Besides, it is found that the m-TNO@TiC@NC composite has a high capacity of 328.6 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C after 200 cycles and a high-rate capacity of 186.4 mAh g−1 at 5 C by galvanostatic discharge-charge tests. Therefore, this kind of special single-core/dual-shell structure design can convincingly enhance the conductivity of m-TNO and facilitate the Li+ transfer rate, thus promoting electrochemical performances of LIBs due to the synergistic effect of dual-shell layers. Image 1 • The m-TNO@TiC@NC composite is achieved by using m-TNO as host architecture as well as TiC and NC as dual-shell layers. • The m-TNO@TiC@NC composite shows the single-core/dual-shell hierarchical structure. • The new-type ceramic material TiC is used as conducting layer. • The m-TNO@TiC@NC composite displays good electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability of integrated circuits under advanced process nodes is facing more severe challenges. Single-event transients (SET) are an important cause of soft errors in space applications. The SET caused by heavy ions in the 28 nm bulk silicon inverter chains was studied. A test chip with good symmetry layout design was fabricated based on the 28 nm process, and the chip was struck by using 5 kinds of heavy ions with different linear energy transfer (LET) values on heavy-ion accelerator. The research results show that in advanced technology, smaller sensitive volume makes SET cross-section measured at 28 nm smaller than 65 nm by an order of magnitude, the lower critical charge required to generate SET will increase the reliability threat of low-energy ions to the circuit, and high-energy ions are more likely to cause single-event multiple transient (SEMT), which cannot be ignored in practical circuits. The transients pulse width data can be used as a reference for SET modeling in complex circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlayer friction is an important factor in producing rolls of glass-fiber woven fabric and strongly depends on the fabric structure and fabric interlayer contact mechanism. This paper investigates the effect of the initial contact state on the fabric/fabric friction coefficient by adjusting dislocations along circumferential and axial directions with a Capstan-based test setup. Results reveal that the maximal friction coefficient is approximately proportional to the height gradient between two adjacent yarns, while the minimal friction coefficient is less sensitive to the fabric structure. Moreover, a dislocation between fabric layers reduces both the maximal static and dynamical friction coefficients, and actively reciprocating a dislocation along the axial direction is an effective way of avoiding the interlayer friction from remaining at a low level. A dislocating mechanism is developed and introduced to a commercial fabric winding machine to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method in improving winding quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activated carbon cloth (ACC@TNO) with flexible self-support structure, which is decorated by TiNb 2 O 7 (TNO) nanoparticle, is successfully obtained through hydrothermal reaction and calcination process in high temperature, and is used as the binder-free anode material of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The morphology characteristic, pore structure properties and the phase structure of the ACC@TNO composites are detailedly studied by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller adsorption/desorption measurement (BET) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Meanwhile, the electrochemical properties of ACC@TNO composite are further tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests. As a result, the LIBs with ACC@TNO as anode material shows an initial discharge capacity of 356 mAh g−1 and an initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 87% at the current density of 0.5 C with the voltage window of 1.0–3.0 V. It also has been found that the reversible capacity can still keep as 290 mAh g−1 with the capacity retention of 81% after 500 cycles. Besides, when the cutoff voltage range is set to 0.01–3.0 V, the reversible capacity can reach 340 mAh g−1. Apparently, this work is of great significance for the exploration of the new anode materials with high performance and long cyclic life in next-generation LIBs. Image 1 • The ACC@TNO composite is obtained by epitaxially growing TNO particles on ACC surface like stab grown on the thorn. • The thiourea is use as a nitrogen source and sulfur source to treat the carbon cloth. • The ACC@TNO composite is binder-free anode material. • The ACC@TNO composite displays good electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the long-term shifts in distributions of three abdominal-obesity-related indicators, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) among Chinese adults. Traditional mean regression models used in the previous analyses were limited in their ability to capture cross-distribution among effects. The current study aims to describe the shift in distribution of WC, WHpR, and WHtR over a period of 18 years (1993-2011) in China, and to reveal quantile-specific associations of the three indicators with key covariates.Methods: Longitudinal data from seven waves of the China Health and Nutrition Surveys (CHNS) in 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011 were analyzed. The LMS method was used to illustrate the gender-specific quantile curves of WC, WHtR and WHpR over age. Separate gender-stratified longitudinal quantile regressions were employed to investigate the effect of important factors on the trends of the three indicators.Results: A total of 11,923 participants aged 18-65 years with 49,507 observations were included in the analysis. The density curves of WC, WHtR and WHpR shifted to right and became wider. The three outcomes all increased with age and increased more at upper percentiles. From the multivariate quantile regression, physical activity was negatively associated in both genders; smoking only had a negative effect on male indicators. Education and drinking behavior both had opposite effects on the three indicators between men and women. Marital status and income were positively associated with the shifts in WC, WHtR and WHpR in male and female WC, while urbanicity index had a positive effect on three outcomes in men but inconsistent effect among female outcomes.Conclusions: The abdominal-obesity related indicators of the Chinese adults experienced rapid growth according to our population-based, age- and gender-specific analyses. Over the 18-year study period, major increases in WC, WHtR and WHpR were observed among Chinese adults. Specifically, these increases were greater at upper percentiles and in men. Age, physical activity, energy intake, drinking, smoking, education, income and urbanicity index were associated with elevated abdominal obesity indicators, and the effects differed among percentiles and between genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although palliative care has been accepted throughout the cancer trajectory, accurate survival prediction for advanced cancer patients is still a challenge. The aim of this study is to identify pre-palliative care predictors and develop a prognostic nomogram for overall survival (OS) in mixed advanced cancer patients. Methods: A total of 378 consecutive advanced cancer patients were retrospectively recruited from July 2013 to October 2015 in one palliative care unit in China. Twenty-three clinical and laboratory characters were collected for analysis. Prognostic factors were identified to construct a nomogram in a training cohort (n = 247) and validated in a testing cohort (n = 131) from the setting. Results: The median survival time was 48.0 (95% CI: 38.1–57.9) days for the training cohort and 52.0 (95% CI: 34.6–69.3) days for the validation cohort. Among pre-palliative care factors, sex, age, tumor stage, Karnofsky performance status, neutrophil count, hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, albumin, uric acid, and cystatin-C were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. Based on the 10 factors, an easily obtained nomogram predicting 90-day probability of mortality was developed. The predictive nomogram had good discrimination and calibration, with a high C-index of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.73–0.80) in the development set. The strong discriminative ability was externally conformed in the validation cohort with a C-index of 0.75. Conclusions: A validated prognostic nomogram has been developed to quantify the risk of mortality for advanced cancer patients undergoing palliative care. This tool may be useful in optimizing therapeutic approaches and preparing for clinical courses individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely studied for biomedical applications, although their safety and potential toxicity in pregnancy remains unknown. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of AuNPs maternal exposure at different gestational ages on fetal survival and development, as well as the potential mechanism of AuNPs affecting embryos and fetuses. Methods: Thirty nm polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated AuNPs (A30) were administered to pregnant mice via intravenous injection (5 μg Au/g body weight) over three days at either early or late pregnancy. Fetal abortion rate and morphological development in E16.5 were then detected in detail. The pregnant mice physiological states with A30 exposure were examined by biochemical, histological or imaging methods; and materno-fetal distribution of gold elements was assayed by electron microscopy and mass spectrometry. Murine embryonic stem cells derived embryoid-bodies or neuroectodermal cells were treated with A30 (0.0025 to 0.25 μg Au/mL) to examine A30 effects on expression levels of the germ differentiation marker genes. Tukey's method was used for statistical analysis. Results: Exposure to A30 during early (A30E) but not late (A30L) pregnancy caused a high abortion rate (53.5%), lower fetal survival rate and abnormal decidualization compared with non-exposed counterparts. The developmental damage caused by A30 followed an "all-or-nothing" pattern, as the non-aborted fetuses developed normally and pregnancies maintained normal endocrine values. A30 caused minor impairment of liver and kidney function of A30E but not A30L mice. TEM imaging of fetal tissue sections confirmed the transfer of A30 into fetal brain and live as aggregates. qPCR assays showed A30 suppressed the expression of ectodermal, but not mesodermal and endodermal differentiation markers. Conclusions: These results illustrate that maternal A30 exposure in early pregnant results in A30 transfer into embryonic tissues, inhibiting ectodermal differentiation of embryonic stem cells, leading to abnormal embryonic development and abortion. While exposure to A30 during late pregnancy had little or no impact on dams and fetuses. These findings suggest the safety of biomedical applications employing AuNPs during pregnancy is strongly influenced by fetal maturity and gestational age at exposure and provide the clues for AuNPs safe application period in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Respiration is a rhythmic activity as well as one that requires responsiveness to internal and external circumstances; both the rhythm and neuromodulatory responses of breathing are controlled by brainstem neurons in the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) and the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), but the specific ion channels essential to these activities remain to be identified. Because deficiency of sodium leak channel, non-selective ( Nalcn ) causes lethal apnea in humans and mice, we investigated Nalcn function in these neuronal groups. We found that one-third of mice lacking Nalcn in excitatory preBötC neurons died soon after birth; surviving mice developed apneas in adulthood. Interestingly, in both preBötC and RTN neurons, the Nalcn current influences the resting membrane potential, contributes to maintenance of stable network activity, and mediates modulatory responses to the neuropeptide substance P. These findings reveal Nalcn’s specific role in both rhythmic stability and responsiveness to neuropeptides within the respiratory network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]