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Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and deep neural networks (DNNs) have produced an explosive demand for computing platforms equipped with customized domain-specific accelerators. However, DNN accelerators have security vulnerabilities. Researchers have previously explored DNN attack and defense technologies that mainly focus on training and inference algorithms or model structure robustness. The problem of how to design a secure accelerator architecture has received relatively little attention, especially with the rapid development of FPGA-based heterogeneous computing SoCs. To mitigate this bottleneck, we propose Nacc-Guard, a lightweight DNN accelerator architecture which can effectively defend against neural network bit-flip attacks and memory Trojan attacks. By utilizing a linear randomization encryption algorithm based on stream cipher Trivium, interrupt signal confused coding, and hash-based message authentication code, Nacc-Guard can not only guarantee the integrity of the uploaded DNN file but also ensure buffer data confidentiality. To evaluate Nacc-Guard, NVDLA and a SIMD accelerator coupling with a RISC-V Rocket and ARM processor is implemented at RTL. Experimental evaluation shows that Nacc-Guard has a 3 × hardware overhead reduction compared with conventional AES. Experiments on VGG, ResNet50, GoogLeNet, and YOLOv4-tiny validate that this framework can successfully ensure secure DNN inference with negligible performance loss. It achieves a 3.63 × speedup and 35% energy reduction over the AES baseline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Remuscularization of the mammalian heart can be achieved after cell transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)--derived cardiomyocytes (CMs). However, several hurdles remain before implementation into clinical practice. Poor survival of the implanted cells is related to insufficient vascularization, and the potential for fatal arrhythmogenesis is associated with the fetal cell--like nature of immature CMs. METHODS: We generated 3 lines of hiPSC-derived endothelial cells (ECs) and hiPSC-CMs from 3 independent donors and tested hiPSC--CM sarcomeric length, gap junction protein, and calcium-handling ability in coculture with ECs. Next, we examined the therapeutic effect of the cotransplantation of hiPSC-ECs and hiPSC-CMs in nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD-SCID) mice undergoing myocardial infarction (n≥4). Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography, whereas arrhythmic events were recorded using 3-lead ECGs. We further used healthy non-human primates (n=4) with cell injection to study the cell engraftment, maturation, and integration of transplanted hiPSC-CMs, alone or along with hiPSC-ECs, by histological analysis. Last, we tested the cell therapy in ischemic reperfusion injury in non-human primates (n=4, 3, and 4 for EC+CM, CM, and control, respectively). Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography and cardiac MRI, whereas arrhythmic events were monitored by telemetric ECG recorders. Cell engraftment, angiogenesis, and host--graft integration of human grafts were also investigated. RESULTS: We demonstrated that human iPSC-ECs promote the maturity and function of hiPSC-CMs in vitro and in vivo. When cocultured with ECs, CMs showed more mature phenotypes in cellular structure and function. In the mouse model, cotransplantation augmented the EC-accompanied vascularization in the grafts, promoted the maturity of CMs at the infarct area, and improved cardiac function after myocardial infarction. Furthermore, in non-human primates, transplantation of ECs and CMs significantly enhanced graft size and vasculature and improved cardiac function after ischemic reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the synergistic effect of combining iPSC-derived ECs and CMs for therapy in the postmyocardial infarction heart, enabling a promising strategy toward clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endoscopic band ligation (EBL) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have emerged as alternative therapies of gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) in addition to endoscopic thermal therapy (ETT), but the optimum choice remains inconclusive. Aim: We conducted a meta-analysis in order to compare these three treatments for GAVE. Methods: We searched the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials without any language restrictions and also performed a manual literature search of bibliographies located in both retrieved articles and published reviews for eligible publications prior to December 8, 2021. We included comparative trials which had evaluated the efficacy and safety of interventions in adults (aged ≥ 18 years) diagnosed with symptomatic GAVE and was confirmed according to clinical backgrounds and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. We included reports that compared three interventions, ETT, EBL, and RFA. The study was comprised of adults diagnosed with GAVE and focused on overall mortality, bleeding cessation, endoscopic improvement, complications, hospitalization, hemoglobin improvement, number of sessions and transfusion requirements. Results: Twelve studies were performed involving a total of 571 participants for analysis. When compared with ETT, EBL achieved better bleeding cessation (OR 4.48, 95% CI 1.36–14.77, p = 0.01), higher hemoglobin improvement (MD 0.57, 95% CI 0.31–0.83, p < 0.01) and lower number of sessions (MD − 1.44, 95% CI − 2.54 to − 0.34, p = 0.01). Additionally, EBL was superior to ETT in endoscopic improvement (OR 6.00, 95% CI 2.26–15.97, p < 0.01), hospitalization (MD − 1.32, 95% CI − 1.91 to − 0.74, p < 0.01) and transfusion requirement (MD − 2.66, 95% CI − 4.67 to − 0.65, p = 0.01) with statistical significance, with the exception of mortality (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.19–1.77, p = 0.34) and complication rate (OR 5.33, 95% CI 0.58–48.84, p = 0.14). Conclusion: For GAVE, we suggest that EBL be initially recommended, and APC and RFA be used as alternative treatment choices based upon a very low quality of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are only applied to relatively simple scenarios, such as highways. If there is an emergency while driving, the driver should take control of the car to deal properly with the situation at any time. Obviously, this incurs the uncertainty of safety. Recently, in the literature, several studies have been proposed for the above-mentioned issue via Artificial Intelligence (AI). The achievement is exactly the aim that we look forward to, i.e., the autonomous vehicle. In this paper, we realize the autonomous driving control via Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) based on the CARLA (Car Learning to Act) simulator. Specifically, we use the ordinary Red-Green-Blue (RGB) camera and semantic segmentation camera to observe the view in front of the vehicle while driving. Then, the captured information is utilized as the input for different DRL models so as to evaluate the performance, where the DRL models include DDPG (Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient) and RDPG (Recurrent Deterministic Policy Gradient). Moreover, we also design an appropriate reward mechanism for these DRL models to realize efficient autonomous driving control. According to the results, only the RDPG strategies can finish the driving mission with the scenario that does not appear/include in the training scenario, and with the help of the semantic segmentation camera, the RDPG control strategy can further improve its efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research incorporated an auction mechanism into the vehicle routing problem with occasional drivers and produced simulations in an agent-based environment. Auctions were used to match online orders with potential occasional drivers. While a centralized system optimizes system performance under global objectives, the novel decentralized approach presented here illustrates emergent phenomena resulting from the interaction of individual entities in highly dynamic cases. In the simulations, the auctions were executed after a fixed time interval called a rolling time horizon. Our results suggest that the appropriate rolling time horizon produces a lower average unit compensation cost because better matches can be found when the accumulation of online orders and occasional drivers is maintained at a certain level. The simulation results also indicate that the use of an auction mechanism instead of simple nonauction rules can improve the average unit compensation cost by up to 25.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the carbon reduction investment decisions of the electric power energy supply chain considering carbon trading and carbon subsidy policies in China's "dual carbon" context. By building a three-level supply chain system including electric power producers, retailers, and consumers, we discuss the optimal decision-making problem of the supply chain for three models of decentralized supply chain decision making without government subsidies, centralized supply chain decision making with government subsidies, and centralized supply chain decision making with government subsidies and carbon emission reduction cost sharing. Through model solving and further numerical simulations, the results showed that the increase in carbon emission reduction investment cost has a significant negative impact on power price and the total expected income of the supply chain. However, a reasonable level of government carbon emission reduction subsidy can effectively alleviate the increase in power price and improve the total expected income of supply chain. In addition, carbon mission reduction investment and supply chain cost allocation can effectively improve the carbon emission reduction level of the power supply chain, improve the income and enthusiasm of electric power producers, and realize the sustainable development of electric power energy consumption and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of intelligent technology, the construction of smart cities with the goal of creating a harmonious human life has become a new hot spot in the world. A new round of information technology revolution, represented by the Internet, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and fifth-generation mobile communications (5G), is driving profound changes in the automotive industry. Smart vehicles (also known as intelligent connected vehicles) that integrate many high-tech technologies to provide safer, more convenient, and low-carbon comprehensive travel solutions have become an inevitable form of future vehicles. This paper constructs a three-level supply chain consisting of high-performance chip suppliers, smart car manufacturers, and retailers. On the basis of considering the level of product innovation and sales effort, Stackelberg game method is used to study the influence of each player in the supply chain on each parameter and the profit of each player under three scenarios: centralized decision making, nonsharing of innovation cost, and sharing of innovation cost. The results show that: when the level of sales effort has nothing to do with the level of innovation, the level of product innovation and the total profit of the supply chain increase with the improvement of the retailer's sales ability; when the level of sales effort is related to the level of innovation, the level of product innovation under the cost-sharing decision model is greater than the case of no cost sharing, but the total profit of the supply chain is less than the case of no cost sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatophytes are the group of keratinophilic fungi that cause superficial cutaneous infection, which traditionally belong to the genera Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton. Dermatophyte infection is not only a threat to the health of small animals, but also an important zoonotic and public health issue because of the potential transmission from animals to humans. Rabbit dermatophytosis is often clinically identified; however, limited information was found in Asia. The aims of this study are to investigate the prevalence and to evaluate the risk factors of dermatophytosis in pet rabbits in Northern Taiwan. Between March 2016 and October 2018, dander samples of pet rabbits were collected for fungal infection examination by Wood's lamp, microscopic examination (KOH preparation), fungal culture, and PCR assay (molecular identification). Z test and Fisher's exact test were performed to evaluate the potential risk factors, and logistic regression analysis was then performed to build the model of risk factors related to dermatophyte infection. Of the collected 250 dander samples of pet rabbits, 29 (11.6%) samples were positive for dermatophytes by molecular identification. In those samples, 28 samples were identified as the T. mentagrophytes complex and 1 sample was identified as M. canis. Based on the results of the Firth's bias reduction logistic analyses, animal source (rabbits purchased from pet shops) and number of rearing rabbits (three rabbits or more) were shown as the main risks for dermatophyte infection in the pet rabbits in Taiwan. The results of the present study elucidate the prevalence of rabbit dermatophyte infection, pathogens, and risk factors in Taiwan, and provide an important reference for the prevention and control of rabbit dermatophytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively compensate negative sequence current (NSC) of the V/v traction system and reduce the capacity and cost of railway power conditioner (RPC), a low-cost hybrid railway power conditioner (HRPC) technology scheme considering regenerative braking energy is proposed in this paper. The proposed HRPC consists of an RPC with a modular multilevel converter structure (MMC-RPC) and a railway static var compensator (RSVC). First, the circuit topology of the proposed scheme and the principle of NSC compensation considering regenerative braking energy are given. Then, the capacity configurations of MMC-RPC and RSVC are presented to reduce the capacity of active equipment and further lower the investment cost of HRPC. On this basis, the HRPC with energy storage units (ESU-HRPC) is studied to recycle the remaining regenerative braking energy, and the difference from the proposed HRPC is further analyzed. Subsequently, the capacities of HRPC and ESU-HRPC are designed based on the measured power data from a heavy-haul railway in China as an example. Besides, the system control strategy is given. Finally, the proposed technical schemes are verified by the hardware in loop (HIL) experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of major public health events usually leads to interruptions in the supply chain. This article studies the supply chain consisting of two suppliers and one manufacturer. In the case of supply interruptions, the manufacturer adopts two models of unit cost subsidies and proportional subsidies. The reliability of the supplier's supply is incentivized and ensured. A Stackelberg game model is established in which the manufacturer is the leader and the supplier is the follower. The research results show that the optimal order quantity of the supplier manufacturer and the optimal wholesale price of the supplier will be affected by the reliability level, and the optimal supply chain profits of the two models under different parameters are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1), a Ser/Thr protein kinase, is modified by the K63-linked ubiquitin chain in response to genotoxic stress, which promotes its nuclear localization, chromatin association, and activation. Interestingly, this bulky modification is linked to a critical residue, K132, at the kinase active site. It is unclear how this modification affects the kinase activity and how it is removed to enable the release of CHK1 from chromatin. Herein, we show that the K63-linked ubiquitin chain at CHK1's K132 residue has an inhibitory effect on the kinase activity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this modification can be removed by ubiquitin-specific protease 3 (USP3), a deubiquitinating enzyme that targets K63-linked ubiquitin chains. Wild-type USP3, but not the catalytically defective or nuclear localization sequence-deficient mutants, reduced CHK1 K63-linked ubiquitination. Conversely, USP3 knockdown elevated K63-linked ubiquitination of the kinase, leading to prolonged CHK1 chromatin association and phosphorylation. Paradoxically, by removing the bulky ubiquitin chain at the active site, USP3 also increased the accessibility of CHK1 to its substrates. Thus, our findings on the dual roles of USP3 (namely, one to release CHK1 from the chromatin and the other to open up the active site) provide further insights into the regulation of CHK1 following DNA damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find out how big on earth the capacity of the senior tourism market, firstly this paper listed and inducted all the elements involved in the tourism market and then made mathematical analysis on the connections among different elements. Of those elements, purchasing power is considered as a key one. So in order to minimize the effect of uncertainties during the process of building model, linear regression model and ARIMA model were built specifically to analyze and predict the purchasing power. Then based on analysis the senior tourism market capacity model was built. Finally, through the analysis and fitting of authoritative data, the predicative value of the gross senior tourism market capacity and different segment markets in the next five years was worked out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is to extend the authors' previous work in 2010 to understand the perspective of aerodynamic force decompositions of the dynamic stall phenomenon induced by an oscillating rigid airfoil and a deformable airfoil at low speed. The dynamic stall of an oscillating airfoil was computed and validated based on a grid independence study. Mainly here, the force-element method is applied to evaluate the evolution of the aerodynamic force during the process of unsteady stall phenomenon when the airfoils are oscillating. The results of unsteady air-load hysteresis curves at the cases of dynamic stall are analyzed. The analysis shows that the lift and drag can be, respectively, categorized into the four elements associated with the effects of volume vorticity, rotational velocity, angular acceleration, and surface friction of the airfoil. In the simulation of the oscillating rigid airfoils, the distributions of force elements show that only the volume vorticity produces a great positive source of the lift and drag. The other three effects have little contribution in the formation of the aerodynamic forces. However, the positive contributions on propulsive forces clearly come from the influences of rotational acceleration and volume vorticity produced by the oscillating flexible airfoil. The effects associated with the surface friction and rotational velocity are weak in the formation of the propulsive and later forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cuttlebone is a natural marine cellular material possessing the exceptional mechanical properties of high compressive strength, high porosity and high permeability. This combination of properties is exceedingly desirable in biomedical applications, such as bone tissue scaffolds. In light of recent studies, which converted raw cuttlebone into hydroxyapatite tissue scaffolds, the impact of morphological variations in the microstructure of this natural cellular material on the effective mechanical properties is explored in this paper. Two extensions of the finite element-based homogenization method are employed to account for deviations from the assumption of periodicity. Firstly, a representative volume element (RVE) of cuttlebone is systematically varied to reflect the large range of microstructural configurations possibly among different cuttlefish species. The homogenization results reveal the critical importance of pillar formation and aspect ratio (height/width of RVE) on the effective bulk and shear moduli of cuttlebone. Secondly, multi-cell analysis domains (or multiple RVE domains) permit the introduction of random variations across neighboring cells. Such random variations decrease the bulk modulus whilst displaying minimal impact on the shear modulus. Increasing the average size of random variations increases the effect on bulk modulus. Also, the results converge rapidly as the size of the analysis domain is increased, meaning that a relatively small multi-cell domain can provide a reasonable approximation of the effective properties for a given set of random variation parameters. These results have important implications for the proposed use of raw cuttlebone as an engineering material. They also highlight some potential for biomimetic design capabilities for materials inspired by the cuttlebone microstructure, which may be applicable in biomedical applications such as bone tissue scaffolds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Myasthenia gravis (MG), an acquired autoimmune-related neuromuscular disorder that causes muscle weakness, presents with varying severity, including myasthenic crisis (MC). Although MC can cause significant morbidity and mortality, specialized neuro-intensive care can produce a good long-term prognosis. Considering the outcomes of MG during hospitalization, it is critical to conduct risk assessments to predict the need for intensive care. Evidence and valid tools for the screening of critical patients with MG are lacking. We used three machine learning-based decision tree algorithms, including a classification and regression tree, C4.5, and C5.0, for predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients with MG. We included 228 MG patients admitted between 2015 and 2018. Among them, 88.2% were anti-acetylcholine receptors antibody positive and 4.7% were anti-muscle-specific kinase antibody positive. Twenty clinical variables were used as predictive variables. The C5.0 decision tree outperformed the other two decision tree and logistic regression models. The decision rules constructed by the best C5.0 model showed that the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America clinical classification at admission, thymoma history, azathioprine treatment history, disease duration, sex, and onset age were significant risk factors for the development of decision rules for ICU admission prediction. The developed machine learning-based decision tree can be a supportive tool for alerting clinicians regarding patients with MG who require intensive care, thereby improving the quality of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia and obesity can negatively impact quality of life and cause chronic fragility, and are associated with neuromuscular diseases, including myasthenia gravis (MG). The long-term consequences of body composition changes in chronic MG remain unknown; we therefore evaluated changes in body composition, including sarcopenia, obesity, lean body mass, and the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in patients. In this cross-sectional study, 35 patients with MG (mean age: 56.1 years) and 175 matched controls were enrolled. Body fat mass and skeletal muscle mass were measured using whole body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Patients with MG exhibited a higher prevalence of obesity and higher android adiposity and total body fat percentage than those of controls. Although the prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity did not increase with age, there was a decrease in arm and android muscle mass in patients with MG compared with controls. Lower muscle mass percentages were correlated with increased age and MG severity, but not with corticosteroid use. Thus, MG is associated with increased risk for obesity and decreased muscle mass with aging, regardless of corticosteroid use. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of body composition changes in MG could facilitate the application of appropriate therapies to promote health, improve quality of life, and prevent fragility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B-cell translocation gene 3 (BTG3) is a member of the antiproliferative BTG/ Transducer of ErbB2 gene family and is induced by genotoxic stress in a p53- and Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHKI)-dependent manner. Down-regulation of BTG3 has been observed in human cancers, suggesting that it plays an important role in tumor suppression, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we report that BTG3 interacts with CHK1, a key effector kinase in the cell cycle checkpoint response, and regulates its phosphorylation and activation. Upon interaction, BTG3 mediates K63-linked ubiquitination of CHK1 at Lys132 through the cullin-RING ligase 4Cdt2 E3 complex, thus facilitating CHK1 chromatin association. We show that BTG3-depleted cells phenocopy those CHK1-deficient cells, exhibiting increased cell death after replication block and impaired chromosome alignment and segregation. These defects could be corrected by wild-type BTG3 but not by a mutant impaired in CHK1 interaction. We propose that BTG3-dependent CHK1 ubiquitination contributes to its chromatin localization and activation and that a defect in this regulation may increase genome instability and promote tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been controversy about the interpretation of the interference patterns recorded with low-energy electron point projection microscopy. With a highly coherent single-atom electron source, we have used a point projection microscope (PPM) to image a suspended and isolated single-walled carbon nanotube at different tip-sample separations. The nanotube and the surrounding structure are also imaged with a transmission electron microscope. Through numerical simulations, we can fit well the interference patterns of the nanotube recorded by the PPM at different separations. Our simulation results indicate that the interference patterns can be considered as electron holograms at large tip-sample separations (or small magnifications). However, at small tip-sample separations, the interference patterns are dominated by the biprism effect due to significant charge density induced on the nanotube, and thus, the interference patterns contain little information about the internal structure of the object. The results provide a reason why the images obtained by point projection microscopy so far have never achieved a resolution smaller than 2 nm. New research directions for achieving highresolution imaging of biological molecules with low-energy electrons are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wire bonding on Al pad packages with an innovative annealing twinned Ag-8Au-3Pd alloy wire results in a sufficient interfacial intermetallic layer at the initial as-bonded stage, while its growth during the further temperature cycling test and pressure cooker test is very slow. Even after prolonged high-temperature storage at 150^\circC for 500 h, the thickness of its intermetallics is only around 1.7 \mum. In contrast, a very thin CuAl2 intermetallic layer appears at the interface of the Pd-coated Cu wire bonded package, and a thick layer of Au8Al3 intermetallic compounds forms in the Au wire package, which grows to a thickness of around 4.0 \mum after high-temperature storage at 150^\circC for 500 h. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry analyses indicate that AgAl2, Au8Al3, and CuAl2 are the main intermetallic phases formed in the packages bonded with Ag-8Au-3Pd, and Au and Pd-coated Cu wires, respectively. However, an additional Pd-containing Ag2Al layer found at the AgAl2/Al interface of Ag-8Au-3Pd wire bonded package can interrupt its intermetallic reaction, and the annealing twins can further slow the intermetallic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Neuroplasticity induced by neonatal inflammation is the consequence of a combination of activity-dependent changes in neurons. We investigated neuronal sensitivity to a noxious stimulus in a rat model of neonatal hind-paw peripheral inflammation and assessed changes in pain behaviour at the physiological and molecular levels after peripheral reinflammation in adulthood. Results: A decrease in paw withdrawal latency (PWL) after a heat stimulus was documented in rats that received inflammatory injections in their left hind paws on postnatal day one (P1) and a reinflammation stimulus at postnatal 6-8 weeks of age, compared with normal rats. An increase in the expression of the prodynorphin (proDYN) gene was noted after reinflammation in the spinal cord ipsilateral to the afferents of the neonatally treated hind paw. The involvement of the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) in peripheral inflammatory pain hypersensitivity was evidenced evident by the increase in phospho-ERK (pERK) activity after reinflammation. Conclusions: Our results indicate that peripheral inflammation in neonates can permanently alter the pain processing pathway during the subsequent sensory stimulation of the region. Elucidation of the mechanism underlying the developing pain circuitry will provide new insights into the understanding of the early pain behaviours and the subsequent adaptation to pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness. Although the management is well established, some patients are refractory and require prolonged hospitalization. Our study is aimed to identify the important factors that predict the duration of hospitalization in patients with MG by using machine learning methods. A total of 21 factors were chosen for machine learning analyses. We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with MG who were admitted to hospital. Five machine learning methods, including stochastic gradient boosting (SGB), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso), ridge regression (Ridge), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGboost), and gradient boosting with categorical features support (Catboost), were used to construct models for identify the important factors affecting the duration of hospital stay. A total of 232 data points of 204 hospitalized MG patients admitted were enrolled into the study. The MGFA classification, treatment of high-dose intravenous corticosteroid, age at admission, treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins, and thymoma were the top five significant variables affecting prolonged hospitalization. Our findings from machine learning will provide physicians with information to evaluate the potential risk of MG patients having prolonged hospital stay. The use of high-dose corticosteroids is associated with prolonged hospital stay and to be used cautiously in MG patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of guidelines for physical exercise in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). A few pilot studies have shown that exercise can be safely applied to patients with MG. However, how physical exercise affects body composition, disease function, and disease severity remains unknown. In this prospective study, we enrolled 34 patients with MG with stable condition and evaluated the disease severity, physical fitness parameters, and body composition (measured using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)), before and after conducting a 24-week physical exercise regimen of aerobic and resistance strength training. The outcomes were measured by DXA, quantitative MG (QMG) score, quality of life score, handgrip strength and walking speed. During the training regimen, participants were free to decide how many exercise sessions per week and regularly reported their weekly exercise time. The physical exercise program was well tolerated by the participants, the parameters of the QMG score and handgrip strength improved, and participants' body composition did not change significantly. The high exercise group experienced greater deterioration in muscle mass in the arms, but exhibited a greater improvement in forced vital capacity, walking speed, and symptom severity. The group with low QMG scores improved more in terms of physical fitness, including walking speed. These findings indicate that physical exercise is well tolerated by patients with MG, and is accompanied by improved muscular and physical functions. We propose that physical exercise is safe, effective, and appropriate for patients with well-regulated MG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the increasing demand for high-quality images in various fields, more and more attention has been focused on noise removal techniques for image processing. The effective elimination of unwanted noise plays a crucial role in improving image quality. To meet this challenge, many noise removal methods have been proposed, among which the diffusion model has become one of the focuses of many researchers. In order to make the restored image closer to the real image and retain more features of the image, this paper proposes a DIR-SDE method with reference to the diffusion models of IR-SDE and IDM, which improve the feature retention of the image in the de-raining process, and then improve the realism of the image for the image de-raining task. In this study, IR-SDE was used as the base structure of the diffusion model, IR-SDE was improved, and DINO-ViT was combined to enhance the image features. During the diffusion process, the image features were extracted using DINO-ViT, and these features were fused with the original images to enhance the learning effect of the model. The model was also trained and validated with the Rain100H dataset. Compared with the IR-SDE method, it improved 0.003 in the SSIM, 0.003 in the LPIPS, and 1.23 in the FID. The experimental results show that the diffusion model proposed in this study can effectively improve the image restoration performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lumbar disc bulging or herniation (LDBH) is one of the major causes of spinal stenosis and related nerve compression, and its severity is the major determinant for spine surgery. MRI of the spine is the most important diagnostic tool for evaluating the need for surgical intervention in patients with LDBH. However, MRI utilization is limited by its low accessibility. Spinal X-rays can rapidly provide information on the bony structure of the patient. Our study aimed to identify the factors associated with LDBH, including disc height, and establish a clinical diagnostic tool to support its diagnosis based on lumbar X-ray findings. In this study, a total of 458 patients were used for analysis and 13 clinical and imaging variables were collected. Five machine-learning (ML) methods, including LASSO regression, MARS, decision tree, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting, were applied and integrated to identify important variables for predicting LDBH from lumbar spine X-rays. The results showed L4-5 posterior disc height, age, and L1-2 anterior disc height to be the top predictors, and a decision tree algorithm was constructed to support clinical decision-making. Our study highlights the potential of ML-based decision tools for surgeons and emphasizes the importance of L1-2 disc height in relation to LDBH. Future research will expand on these findings to develop a more comprehensive decision-supporting model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As N-alkyl-norlitebamines have been demonstrated to possess antiacetylcholinesterase activity, this study aimed to prepare related analogs to verify their structure-activity relationship. The compounds with the chemical skeletons of 2a-alkylnorlitebamines (6b-6e) and (7a,8)-didehydroisohomoaporphines (8b-8e, 9a, and 10b-10e) were designed and synthesized. In silico molecular docking of the 13 compounds on the acetylcholinesterase template indicated that 8a and 10b showed the highest docking scores (ΔG) (-20.56 Kcal/mol and -19.76 Kcal/mol, respectively). The reaction of peracylsecolaurolitsines under the modified Bischler-Napieralski procedure and subsequent NaBH4 reduction yielded 7a-alkyl-Bhomoaurolitsines 8a-8e, possessing a new skeleton, besides the expected 2a-alkyl-norlitebamines 10b-10e. Among these compounds, the two with the highest docking scores [Δ7a (8)-Bhomoaurolitsine (8a) and 2a-methyl-norlitebamine (10b)] showed better inhibitory activities against acetylcholin-esterase (eel) with IC50 value of 24.71 µM and 26.13 µM, respectively. Therefore, compounds 8a and 10b could serve as leads for exploring potential acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the level of CO 2 within the vehicle cabin increases, the risk of accidents as a result of driver drowsiness and a slowing of the reactions also increases. Accordingly, a CFD simulation model was developed in this study to explore the effects of outdoor air ventilation rate on vehicle cabin indoor air quality and the amount of outdoor air required for each person in a vehicle. The results show that using the outdoor air supply rate recommendations of ASHRAE Standard 62.1 (i.e. 2.5 l/s per person) the mean CO 2 concentrations in the cabin are around 2850 ppm. The results also show that using the outdoor air supply rate recommendations of 4.0 l/s per person for improved human wellbeing, the corresponding mean CO 2 concentrations in the cabin are around 1810 ppm. Moreover, the present study found that an outdoor fresh air flow rate of 9.2 l/s per passenger was sufficient to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration within the cabin to a safe value of 1000 ppm. Furthermore, an outdoor fresh air flow rate of 3.6 l/s per passenger resulted in a carbon dioxide concentration of around 2000 ppm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of prosthetic implants to ensure rapid and stable osseointegration remains a significant challenge, and continuous efforts have been directed to new implant materials, structures and morphology. This paper aims to develop and characterise a porous titanium dental implant fabricated by metallic powder injection-moulding. The surface morphology of the specimens was first examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), followed by microscopic computerised tomography (μ-CT) scanning to capture its 3D microscopic features non-destructively. The nature of porosity and pore sizes were determined statistically. A homogenisation technique based on the Hills-energy theorem was adopted to evaluate its directional elastic moduli, and the conservation of mass theorem was employed to quantify the oxygen diffusivity for bio-transportation feature. This porous medium was found to have pore sizes varying from 50 to 400 µm and the average porosity of 46.90 ± 1.83%. The anisotropic principal elastic moduli were found fairly close to the upper range of cortical bone, and the directional diffusivities could potentially enable radial osseous tissue ingrowth and vascularisation. This porous titanium successfully reduces the elastic modulus mismatch between implant and bone for dental and orthopaedic applications, and provides improved capacity for transporting oxygen, nutrient and waste for pre-vascular network formation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Ovarian cancer was one of the gynecological malignant tumors. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SMB) was a kind of herbal medicine with an antitumor effect. However, the inhibitory effect of SMB on ovarian cancer and its potential mechanism were still unclear. Objective. The antitumor effect of SMB on ovarian cancer was studied by network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques, and its possible molecular mechanisms were analyzed. Method. The active ingredients of SMB and the target data of ovarian cancer were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicines for Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP) and the GeneCards database. The relationship between active ingredients of SMB and ovarian cancer targets was analyzed by String database, David 6.8 online database, and Cytoscape 3.7.2 software, and then potential pathways were screened out. In addition, molecular docking technology was used to verify further the binding effect of antiovarian cancer pathway targets with active ingredients of SMB. Finally, survival analysis was performed for all potential targets. Results. We analyzed 71 SMB–ovarian cancer common targets, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway might be an essential pathway for SMB to inhibit ovarian cancer. Luteolin, Tanshinone IIA, and Cryptotanshinone in SMB might play an important role. HSP90AA1, CDK2, and PIK3CG might be potential targets of SMB in inhibiting ovarian cancer. Conclusion. Through network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis, we found that SMB might partially inhibit ovarian cancer by the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. We believe that SMB might be a potential therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber was prepared from mung bean hulls, rice bran and lemon pomace by the chemical precipitation method and then characterized. The characteristics investigated included bulk density, water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, swelling properties, water solubility and glucose adsorption and diffusion in vitro experiments. The results showed that the smaller the fiber particles were, the higher the bulk density was and the lower the ability of the fiber was to absorb water and oil. Mung bean hull fiber had a significantly higher bulk density and water-holding capacity than cellulose. The swelling property of mung bean hull fiber was also significantly higher than that of cellulose. The water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity and swelling property of rice bran fiber were all significantly higher than those values for cellulose. The water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, swelling property and water solubility of lemon pomace fibers were also significantly higher than those for the other experimental groups. The glucose effects in the in vitro experiments indicated that mung bean hull fiber had a higher level of adsorption when the glucose level was low. Fiber made from rice bran and lemon pomace had much better adsorption when exposed to high levels of glucose. In a mixed system including fiber, amylase and substrate, the level of glucose produced in the mixture containing lemon pomace fiber with a size <50 mesh was the lowest, and it was the best inhibitor of amylase activity. After 180 min of glucose adsorption, mung bean hull fiber with a size of 30-50 mesh was able to lower glucose diffusion. All of these mechanisms might contribute the rate reduction of glucose adsorption in the intestines, as a result, decrease the postprandial serum glucose concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first examples of Rh-catalyzed cyclohydrocarbonylation-bicyclization of N-allylic amides of arylacetic acids are reported. This novel carbonylative bicyclization process was successfully applied to the rapid syntheses of crispine A and its analogues (tricyclic indolizidine alkaloids) as well as harmicine (tetracyclic β-carboline alkaloid). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemangioblastomas, highly vascular tumors, occur sporadically or associated with von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease. Diverse mutations in the VHL gene inactivate the VHL protein and constitute the molecular etiology of the disease. Changes in VHL gene were analyzed in patients with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and single-strand conformation polymorphism analyses. We report here that other angiogenesis-related changes in vitronectin were identified with 2D electrophoresis of plasma samples and restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Our findings revealed that most patients (80.0%) with a familial VHL deletion carried the threonine (T) allele at vitronectin codon 381. Adults simultaneously carrying a VHL defect and the T allele were 5.0-fold more likely to be affected by VHL disease than were methionine/methionine (M/M) homozygotes carrying a VHL defect. Patients with sporadic hemangioblastoma, C-terminally truncated VHL protein or a large deletion in the VHL gene, and the T allele were 18.0-fold more likely to develop recurrent disease. Taken together, individuals with mutated VHL are more likely to be affected by familial or recurrent sporadic hemangioblastoma when carrying the M/T or T/T genotype at codon 381 of vitronectin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CDC4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an essential function that is required for G1-S and G2-M transitions during mitosis and at various stages during meiosis. We have isolated a functional homologue of CDC4 ( CaCDC4) from the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans by complementing the S. cerevisiae cdc4-3 mutation with CaCDC4 expressed from its own promoter on a single-copy vector. The predicted product of CaCDC4 has 37% overall identity to the S. cerevisiae Cdc4 protein, although this identity is biased towards the C-terminal region of the two proteins which contains eight copies of the degenerate WD-40 motif, an element found in proteins that regulate diverse biological processes and an F-box domain proximal to the first iteration of the WD-40 motif. Both the F-box domain and WD-40 motifs appear necessary for the mitotic functions of Cdc4 in both yeasts. In contrast to its conserved role in mitosis, C. albicans CDC4 is unable to rescue the meiotic deficiency in a S. cerevisiae cdc4 homozygous diploid under restrictive conditions, even when expressed from an efficient S. cerevisiae promoter. In opposition to S. cerevisiae CDC4 being essential, C. albicans CDC4 appears to be nonessential and in its absence is critical for filamentous growth in C. albicans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer is the most commonly diagnosed endocrine cancer. Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is the most aggressive type of thyroid cancer and has a poor prognosis. Loss of p53 function has been reported to lead to poorly differentiated thyroid tumors; therefore, mutant p53 protein can be considered a crucial therapeutic target in patients with ATC. Sorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of metastatic and differentiated thyroid cancer. Combined targeted therapy, including sorafenib, may be clinically significant for patients with ATC harboring p53 mutations. In the present study, CP-31398, a p53-restoring agent, was used to improve the therapeutic efficacy of sorafenib in SW579 cells, an ATC cell line harboring p53 mutations. The molecular function of CP-31398 was evaluated using western blot analysis and a luciferase reporter assay. The decreased viability of SW579 cells, following CP-31398 treatment, was augmented by sorafenib, and CP-31398 enhanced the antimitogenic effect of sorafenib; thus, sorafenib and CP-31398 synergistically inhibited the growth of SW579 cells. These results indicate a potential clinical application of CP-31398 for patients with ATC harboring p53 abnormalities, since these individuals generally respond poorly to sorafenib alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High‐resolution RGB organic light‐emitting diode frontplane is a key enabler for direct‐view transparent augmented reality displays. In this paper, we demonstrate 1250 ppi passive displays and semi‐transparent active displays. Organic light‐emitting diode photolithography can provide pixel density above 1000 ppi while keeping effective emission area high because of high aperture ratio. Patterns with 2 μm line pitch were successfully transferred to emission layers, indicating possible further pixel density scaling. Lifetime after patterning, key parameter enabling industrialization, is above 150 h (T90 at 1000 nit). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International projects are different from general domestic ones. In order to analyse the differences, a tripartite game model is built up to describe the relationship among owner, supervisor and general contractor, and some measures are given for the owner to more effectively complete the project. In addition, a project schedule selection model is formulated and a new benefit allocation method is proposed by introducing a new modified Shapley value with weighted factor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Human Mps1 (hMps1) is a mitotic checkpoint kinase responsible for sensing the unattached and tensionless kinetochore. Despite its importance in safeguarding proper chromosome segregation, how hMps1 is recruited to the kinetochore remains incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that phosphorylation at Thr-288 by the cell cycle checkpoint kinase CHK2 is involved in this process. We discovered that the phosphorylation-deficient T288A mutant has an impaired ability to localize to the kinetochore and cannot reestablish the mitotic checkpoint in hMps1-depleted cells. In support, we found that nocodazole induced hMps1 phosphorylation at the previously identified CHK2 site Thr-288 and that this could be detected at the kinetochore in a CHK2-dependent manner. Mechanistically, phosphorylation at Thr-288 promoted the interaction with the KMN (KNL1-Mis12-Ndc80 network) protein HEC1. Forced kinetochore localization corrected the defects associated with the T288A mutant. Our results provide evidence of a newly identified hMps1 phosphorylation site that is involved in the mitotic checkpoint and that CHK2 contributes to chromosomal stability through hMps1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report the development of a new system to monitor the amplification of nucleic acids on microspheres. This was realized by the design of (i) a “universal” oligonucleotide “tagged” polymerase chain reaction (PCR) forward primer, (ii) a sensor sequence complementary to the universal sequence on the forward PCR primer modified with a fluorescent dye, and (iii) a universal oligonucleotide coupled to Luminex microspheres. The PCR takes place with the microspheres present in the reaction tube. With the consumption of the universal oligonucleotide tagged forward primer, the fluorescently labeled sequences can bind to the universal oligonucleotide on the microspheres. We tested the microsphere quantitative PCR system with up to three different target genes (Neisseria meningitides porA and ctrA and influenza A M gene segment) as templates in a single PCR tube. The analytical sensitivity of this quantitative PCR system was tested and compared with the TaqMan system. The multiplex–microsphere–quantitative PCR system does not require design of unique internal probes for each target and has potential for a high degree of multiplexing, greater than the limited multiplexing achievable with current real-time protocols. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To maintain the antibody activity and enhance performance of array-based immunoassays, protein G was used to allow a shorter duration of immunoglobulin G immobilization at 4°C, with the antibody placed in the appropriate orientation. The multiplexed detection of six pain-related message molecules (PRMMs) was used as examples for the development of arraybased immunoassays: substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tumor necrosis factor-α, and β-endorphin. Protein G- and non-protein G-coated slides were tested. Compared to nonprotein G immunoassays, protein G shortened the antibody immobilization time at 4°C from overnight to 2 hours. Only protein G-facilitated immunoassays succeeded in simultaneously detecting all six PRMMs with high specificity. Doseresponse curves showed that the limits of detection of the protein G-multiplexed immunoassays for the PRMMs was approximately 164, 167, 120, 60, 80, and 92 pg/ml, respectively. Thus, protein G effectively shortens the duration of antibody immobilization at 4°C, allowing the use of sensitive array-based immunoassays for the simultaneous detection of PRMMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a Ag–8Au–3Pd wire, a large number of annealing twins can be observed. In contrast to the rapid grain growth in Au and Cu wires during aging at 600°C, the grain size of this Ag alloy wire remained almost unchanged. The annealing twins in this material also possess the dual merits of increasing strength and elongation with aging time, while the electrical resistivity remained constant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Angiotensin II (Ang II) is critical in myocardial pathogenesis, mostly via stimulating NADPH oxidase. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) has recently been shown to play important roles in modulating myocardial oxidative stress and contractility. Here, we examine whether nNOS is regulated by Ang II and affects NADPH oxidase production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROSi) and contractile function in left ventricular (LV) myocytes. Our results showed that Ang II induced biphasic effects on ROSi and LV myocyte relaxation (TR50) without affecting the amplitude of sarcomere shortening and L-type Ca2+ current density: TR50 was prolonged at 30min but was shortened after 3h (or after Ang II treatment in vivo). Correspondingly, ROSi was increased, followed by a reduction to control level. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting experiments showed that Ang II (3h) increased the mRNA and protein expression of nNOS and increased NO production (nitrite assay) in LV myocyte homogenates, suggesting that nNOS activity may be enhanced and involved in mediating the effects of Ang II. Indeed, n(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) or a selective nNOS inhibitor, S-methyl-l-thiocitrulline (SMTC) increased NADPH oxidase production of superoxide/ROSi and abolished faster myocyte relaxation induced by Ang II. The positive lusitropic effect of Ang II was not mediated by PKA-, CaMKII-dependent signaling or peroxynitrite. Conversely, inhibition of cGMP/PKG pathway abolished the Ang II-induced faster relaxation by reducing phospholamban (PLN) Ser16 phosphorylation. Taken together, these results clearly demonstrate that myocardial nNOS is up-regulated by Ang II and functions as an early adaptive mechanism to attenuate NADPH oxidase activity and facilitate myocardial relaxation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Motivation: Mass spectrometry is a high throughput, fast, and accurate method of protein analysis. Using the peaks detected in spectra, we can compare a normal group with a disease group. However, the spectrum is complicated by scale shifting and is also full of noise. Such shifting makes the spectra non-stationary and need to align before comparison. Consequently, the preprocessing of the mass data plays an important role during the analysis process. Noises in mass spectrometry data come in lots of different aspects and frequencies. A powerful data preprocessing method is needed for removing large amount of noises in mass spectrometry data. Results: Hilbert-Huang Transformation is a non-stationary transformation used in signal processing. We provide a novel algorithm for preprocessing that can deal with MALDI and SELDI spectra. We use the Hilbert-Huang Transformation to decompose the spectrum and filter-out the very high frequencies and very low frequencies signal. We think the noise in mass spectrometry comes from many sources and some of the noises can be removed by analysis of signal frequence domain. Since the protein in the spectrum is expected to be a unique peak, its frequence domain should be in the middle part of frequence domain and will not be removed. The results show that HHT, when used for preprocessing, is generally better than other preprocessing methods. The approach not only is able to detect peaks successfully, but HHT has the advantage of denoising spectra efficiently, especially when the data is complex. The drawback of HHT is that this approach takes much longer for the processing than the wavlet and traditional methods. However, the processing time is still manageable and is worth the wait to obtain high quality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects on the physical and electro-optical properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) after the doping of a dilute suspension of ferroelectric nanoparticles (BaTiO3) have been studied. Due to the permanent electric dipole moments of the ferroelectric nanoparticles, the spontaneous polarisation of FLCs with low doping concentration was about twice that of pure FLCs, in addition to a significant improvement in the dielectric properties, the response time and the V-shaped switching in the chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase. The results obtained point the way to an alternative for improving the applicability of FLCs without resorting to chemical synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary malignant lymphoma of the female genital tract is extremely rare and no standard treatment has been established. The present patient is menopausal with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the uterine body, endocervix and parametrium. She underwent a simple total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, followed by treatment with a new regimen, combined immunochemotherapy with rituximab (monoclonal antibody), cyclophosphamide vincristine, and prednisolone. The patient had complete remission in the follow-up 3 years after this therapy. We suggest this treatment is a useful therapy for a patient with primary malignant lymphoma of the uterine body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a centralized-decentralized control strategy for regenerative braking energy utilization and power quality improvement in the modified AC-fed railway system with energy-storage-based smart electrical infrastructure. The proposal of a centralized-decentralized control strategy can enhance the ability to withstand and rapidly recover from disruptions, thus providing further guarantees for safe and reliable operation and energy conservation for railway systems. First of all, the description and control strategy of the modified railway system are outlined, and then the control principles and implementation process of the centralized control and decentralized control strategies are given. Moreover, a method of load power detection and regulated power reference calculation is proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified in a case of a modified railway system consisting of four traction substations and eight power supply sections. The results demonstrate that regenerative braking energy can be efficiently utilized in railways and that power quality can be improved using the proposed centralized-decentralized control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With respect to the problems of great impact on the utility grid, the increasing catenary voltage, the limited utilization rate of the regenerative braking energy (RBE) and the irreducible cost of electricity for locomotives caused by the RBE generated by electric locomotives of the whole railway line cannot be fully utilized in traction power supply systems. An energy management system (EMS) integrating electrical energy and information is proposed in this paper. A corresponding optimization algorithm is also proposed to calculate the distribution of the regenerative braking power in the whole railway line. The structure and working principle of the EMS are introduced. The basic principle and detailed steps of the proposed algorithm are given. Finally, the optimization calculation and simulation are carried out, the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed EMS and the optimization algorithm are verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]