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The precise synthesis of miktoarm star polymers (MSPs) remains one of the great challenges in synthetic chemistry due to the difficulty in locating appropriate structural templates and polymer grafting/growing strategies with high selectivity and efficiency. Herein, ≈2 nm metal‐organic polyhedra (MOPs), constructed from the coordination of isophthalic acid (IPA) and Cu2+, are applied as templates for the precise synthesis of 24‐arm MSPs for their unique logarithmic ligand‐exchange dynamics. Six different polymers are prepared with IPA as an end group and they further coordinated with Cu2+ to afford the corresponding 24‐arm star homo‐polymers. MSPs can be obtained by mixing targeted homo‐arm star polymers in solutions upon thermal annealing. The compositions of MSPs can be facilely and precisely tuned by the recipe of the star polymer mixtures used. Interestingly, the obtained MSPs can be sorted into homo‐arm star polymers through a typical solvent extraction procedure. The hybridization and sorting process can be reversibly conducted through the cycle of thermal annealing and solvent treatment. The complex coordination framework not only opens new avenues for the facile and precise synthesis of MSPs and MOPs with hybrid functionalities, but also provides the capability to design sustainable polymer systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precise synthesis of miktoarm star polymers (MSPs) remains one of the great challenges in synthetic chemistry due to the difficulty in locating appropriate structural templates and polymer grafting/growing strategies with high selectivity and efficiency. Herein, ≈2 nm metal‐organic polyhedra (MOPs), constructed from the coordination of isophthalic acid (IPA) and Cu2+, are applied as templates for the precise synthesis of 24‐arm MSPs for their unique logarithmic ligand‐exchange dynamics. Six different polymers are prepared with IPA as an end group and they further coordinated with Cu2+ to afford the corresponding 24‐arm star homo‐polymers. MSPs can be obtained by mixing targeted homo‐arm star polymers in solutions upon thermal annealing. The compositions of MSPs can be facilely and precisely tuned by the recipe of the star polymer mixtures used. Interestingly, the obtained MSPs can be sorted into homo‐arm star polymers through a typical solvent extraction procedure. The hybridization and sorting process can be reversibly conducted through the cycle of thermal annealing and solvent treatment. The complex coordination framework not only opens new avenues for the facile and precise synthesis of MSPs and MOPs with hybrid functionalities, but also provides the capability to design sustainable polymer systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory and non‐inflammatory acne lesions constitute a significant clinical challenge in acne subjects. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a facial serum and a mask containing salicylic acid and lipohydroxy acid for improving skin conditions. Methods: This randomized controlled trial included adults with comedones, post‐inflammatory erythema (PIE) and/or hyperpigmentation (PIH) in Shanghai, China in July 2021. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive the study Serum + Mask or serum alone for 8 weeks. Acne severity, comedones, papules, pustules, PIE, PIH, skin pores, skin tone evenness, sebum secretion, skin hydration, and trans‐epidermal water loss were evaluated at T0d, T1d, T7d, T14d, T28d, and T56d. Results: Eighty‐three participants were included, including 41 and 42 in the Serum + Mask and Serum groups, respectively. Acne severity, density of skin pores, skin tone evenness, PIH foci on face, PIE foci on nose, intensity of PIE and PIH, closed comedones on face, open comedones on nose, sebum secretion, and skin hydration were significantly improved from baseline after 8 weeks of treatment in both groups (all p < 0.05). Addition of the mask improved the number of closed comedones (−6.56 ± 0.39 vs. −5.19 ± 0.44, p = 0.022) and acne severity (−0.39 ± 0.08 vs. −0.12 ± 0.09, p = 0.026) substantially more than using the serum alone. No adverse reaction was reported in either group. Conclusions: The study serum improved skin conditions by regulating skin barrier function and achieving a balance of skin hydration and sebum secretion, removing comedones and improving PIE and PIH. Addition of the mask accelerated the effects without compromising safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyisocyanate and caprolactone were used to chemically functionalize nanocellulose (CNF). Composites of CNF, caprolactone-modified nanocellulose (CNF–CL) and polyisocyanate-modified nanocellulose (CNF–JQ)/MC nylon were fabricated by anionic ring-opening polymerization. The effects of the crystal structure, crystal morphology and crystallization process of MC nylon composites have been characterized by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), polarized optical microscopy(POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Isothermal crystallization kinetics were analyzed using the Avrami equation, and the crystallization rate, half-time, and Avrami exponent were calculated. The results show that the nucleation effects of CNF–JQ/MC nylon composites is increased with the CNF–JQ increase, and it is best compared with MC nylon, CNF/MC nylon and CNF–CL/MC nylon composites, so CNF–JQ can play the role of effective nucleating agent in MC nylon. We also discussed the non-isothermal crystallization of the composites. Analysis of the Jeziorny and Mo model demonstrates that the Zc values of CNF, CNF–CL, CNF–JQ/MC nylon composites increase, and the F(T) values decrease in order. This indicates that CNF–JQ can better promote the crystallization rate of non-isothermal crystallization of MC nylon. The results of this work demonstrate that CNF–JQ can be an effective nucleation agent and increase the crystallization rate of MC nylon compared with CNF–CL. The activation energy of the composites was studied using the kissing method, and the results showed that CNF–CL decreased the activation energy of MC nylon, and CNF and CNF–JQ increased the activation energy of MC nylon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this work is to compare posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) between families of children on cancer treatment and families of healthy children in China and to analyse the association among child PTSS, parent PTSS, and depression in the cancer group. Methods: Participants were children on cancer treatment (n = 91) and their parents (n = 91), and healthy children (n = 114) and their parents (n = 96). The children were asked to self‐report PTSS, and the parents completed self‐reported measures of PTSS and depression. Results: Although the prevalence of probable PTSD in children on cancer treatment was higher than that in comparisons (8.79% vs. 0.88%, P < 0.01), no statistic differences in PTSS levels were found between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, significant differences in PTSS levels and the prevalence of severe PTSS (21.98% vs. 1.04%) between parents of children with cancer and comparisons were observed (P < 0.001). Parent PTSS and depression were positively associated with child PTSS in the cancer group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of probable PTSD in Chinese children with cancer was low, but PTSS was remarkably prevalent in their parents. Greater parent PTSS and depression were related to greater child PTSS. Results underline the importance to provide supportive psychological care for Chinese parents of children undergoing cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling high-grade rare earth polishing powder waste (REPPW) is crucial for protecting the environment and sustainable utilization of rare earth resources. Leaching REPPW in the eco-friendly H 2 O 2 -H 2 SO 4 suffers from the lack of understanding of the leaching mechanism. Here, the leaching mechanism was investigated under the optimal leaching conditions, i.e., T = 353 K, L/S ratio = 40 mL/g, H 2 SO 4 concentration = 4 mol/L and initial H 2 O 2 concentration = 0.8 mol/L, by which leaching efficiency of Ce and La reached 99.3% and 99.1%, respectively. Furthermore, pseudo steady state kinetic analysis suggested a five-step leaching mechanism involving CeO 2 hydroxylation, H 2 O 2 -CeO 2 coordination, ≡ Ce III − H 2 O 2 deprotonation, ≡ Ce IV − H O 2 − reduction and ≡ Ce III − H O 2 ∗ protonation, which was verified by the agreement between experimental data and the proposed reaction model. This work proposes a leaching mechanism of REPPW and would help develop an effective and sustainable recycling process for rare earth secondary resources. [Display omitted] • Ce and La were effectively leached from REPPW using the H 2 O 2 -H 2 SO 4 system, resulting in leaching efficiencies of 99.3% and 99.1% for Ce and La, respectively. • A reasonable leaching cycle of CeO 2 in the H 2 O 2 -H 2 SO 4 system was verified by a pseudo steady state analysis. • A clean and efficient method for recycling rare earth solid waste resources [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Epidural blood patches (EBPs) are rarely performed at the high-level cervical levels. The aim of the study was to investigate the imaging features, safety, and effectiveness of CT-guided percutaneous EBPs for high-level cervical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. Methods: Twenty-five patients with spontaneous high-level (C1–C3) CSF leakage on MRI and CT imaging, including 2 patients with intracranial epidural hematoma caused by CSF, were treated with EBP. Two needles were inserted into the C1–3 bilateral epidural space. The needle location was confirmed by injection of both 3–5mL sterile air and a diluted iodinated contrast agent to delineate its spatial diffusion. The patient's blood 11.1 ± 3.1 mL was slowly injected to make a patch; the distribution in epidural space was monitored with intermittent CT scanning. Results: The typical manifestation of CSF leakage was the high signal outside the C1–3 cervical dura on MR T2W fat inhibition images and low density in cervical muscle space on CT images. Twenty patients suffered from headaches and were able to sit and walk 24 h after the operation. Four patients, with partial relief of headache and a small but persistent CSF leakage, were re-treated with EBS. One patient underwent a third operation because of a persistent CSF leakage on MRI. Conclusions: Imaging of water at the surrounding epidural space of high cervical level is a typical feature of dural rupture on both MRI and CT. CT-guided EBP is safe and efficient for the high-level cervical CSF leakage, especially for cases in which conservative treatments failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relation Extraction (RE) aims at harvesting relational facts from texts. A majority of existing research targets at knowledge acquisition from sentences, where subject-verb-object structures are usually treated as the signals of existence of relations. In contrast, relational facts expressed within noun phrases are highly implicit. Previous works mostly relies on human-compiled assertions and textual patterns in English to address noun phrase-based RE. For Chinese, the corresponding task is non-trivial because Chinese is a highly analytic language with flexible expressions. Additionally, noun phrases tend to be incomplete in grammatical structures, where clear mentions of predicates are often missing. In this article, we present an unsupervised Noun Phrase-based Open RE system for the Chinese language (NPORE), which employs a three-layer data-driven architecture. The system contains three components, i.e., Modifier-sensitive Phrase Segmenter, Candidate Relation Generator and Missing Relation Predicate Detector. It integrates with a graph clique mining algorithm to chunk Chinese noun phrases, considering how relations are expressed. We further propose a probabilistic method with knowledge priors and a hypergraph-based random walk process to detect missing relation predicates. Experiments over Chinese Wikipedia show NPORE outperforms state-of-the-art, capable of extracting 55.2 percent more relations than the most competitive baseline, with a comparable precision at 95.4 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The copolyester poly(butylene glycol adipate-co-terephthalate/diphenylsilanediol adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBDAT) was synthesized by the melt polycondensation method using terephthalic acid, adipic acid, 1,4-butanediol, and diphenylsilylene glycol as the raw materials. The molecular chain structure, thermal properties, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and degradation behaviors of the copolyesters were investigated. The results showed that the prepared PBDAT copolyesters exhibited good thermal stability and mechanical properties. With the increase in diphenylsilanediol (DPSD) content, the thermal stability of PBDAT and the melting temperature both increased. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of PBDAT also exhibited an increasing tend. When the DPSD content was 12.5% (PBDAT-12.5), the tensile strength, the elastic modulus, and elongation at break were 30.56 MPa, 238 MPa, and 219%, respectively. With the increase in diphenylsilanediol content, the hydrophilicity of PBDAT decreased, but PBDAT still shows good degradability and the thermal degradation T5% temperature was 355 °C. The thermal degradation of PBDAT was also improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in Angewandte Chemie, discusses the challenges and potential solutions in the synthesis of miktoarm star polymers. The authors, Mingxin Zhang, Panchao Yin, and their colleagues, propose the use of metal-organic polyhedra with logarithmic ligand exchange dynamics as templates for the reversible sorting and hybridization of miktoarm star polymers. This approach opens up new possibilities for the design of sustainable polymers. The article also briefly mentions other research topics such as visible-light photoswitchable benzimidazole azo-arenes, enantioselective synthesis of arylglycines, electrochemical diacetoxylation of alkenes, and the control of structural properties in supported/bulk metal oxides through catalyst post-treatment. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, discusses the challenges and potential solutions in the synthesis of miktoarm star polymers. The authors propose the use of metal-organic polyhedra with logarithmic ligand exchange dynamics as templates for the reversible sorting and hybridization of miktoarm star polymers with target compositions. This approach opens up new possibilities for the design of sustainable polymers. The article also briefly mentions other research topics such as visible-light photoswitchable benzimidazole azo-arenes as β-arrestin2-biased cannabinoid 2 receptor agonists, enantioselective synthesis of arylglycines, electrochemical diacetoxylation of alkenes, and the control of structural properties of supported/bulk metal oxides through catalyst post-treatment. [Extracted from the article]

• The unexpected fracture of tube-to-tubesheet joints of a circulating oil steam generator is studied. • Caustic stress corrosion cracking is the root cause of the failure. • Proposals are given about material selection, manufacture and water quality assurance of the circulating oil steam generator. Tube-to-tubesheet joints are generally considered as one of the vulnerable part of heat exchangers, as they are sensitive to stress corrosion owing to residual stress generated during manufacture processes. As a result, it is crucial to carry out failure analysis on tube-to-tubesheet joints to ensure the safety of heat exchanger operations. The unexpected fracture of tube-to-tubesheet joints of a circulating oil steam generator in a petrochemical plant is studied. In order to find out the cause of the failure, the failed tube is investigated by visual inspection, base metal inspection and fracture morphologies observation. The results show that due to insufficient expansion of the tube, a gap is formed between the tube and tubesheet, which concentrates the alkali lye and chloride deposits, leading to the formation of caustic stress corrosion cracks in the outer wall of the failed tube before fracture, and the cracks rapidly propagate under tensile stress resulting in the failure. Finally, proposals are given about material selection, manufacture and water quality assurance of the circulating oil steam generator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proof‐of‐concept study on a liquid/liquid (L/L) two‐phase electrolyte interface is reported by using the polarity difference of solvent for the protection of Li‐metal anode with long‐term operation over 2000 h. The L/L electrolyte interface constructed by non‐polar fluorosilicane (PFTOS) and conventionally polar dimethyl sulfoxide solvents can block direct contact between conventional electrolyte and Li anode, and consequently their side reactions can be significantly eliminated. Moreover, the homogeneous Li‐ion flow and Li‐mass deposition can be realized by the formation of a thin and uniform solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) composed of LiF, LixC, LixSiOy between PFTOS and Li anode, as well as the super‐wettability state of PFTOS to Li anode, resulting in the suppression of Li dendrite formation. The cycling stability in a lithium–oxygen battery as a model is improved 4 times with the L/L electrolyte interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proof‐of‐concept study on a liquid/liquid (L/L) two‐phase electrolyte interface is reported by using the polarity difference of solvent for the protection of Li‐metal anode with long‐term operation over 2000 h. The L/L electrolyte interface constructed by non‐polar fluorosilicane (PFTOS) and conventionally polar dimethyl sulfoxide solvents can block direct contact between conventional electrolyte and Li anode, and consequently their side reactions can be significantly eliminated. Moreover, the homogeneous Li‐ion flow and Li‐mass deposition can be realized by the formation of a thin and uniform solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) composed of LiF, LixC, LixSiOy between PFTOS and Li anode, as well as the super‐wettability state of PFTOS to Li anode, resulting in the suppression of Li dendrite formation. The cycling stability in a lithium–oxygen battery as a model is improved 4 times with the L/L electrolyte interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: UV rays not only cause oxidative damage to the skin, but also damage its barrier function. The use of sunscreen is crucial in preventing skin from UV radiation, but it may have an impact on the function of the skin barrier. While much research has focused on the protective effects of sunscreen against UV oxidative damage, little is known about the impact of daily sunscreen use on the skin barrier. Objective: This study mainly investigated the changes in skin barrier function of volunteers (including those with sensitive skin) before and after using a ceramide‐containing sunscreen. Methods: A total of 60 volunteers used SPF30 sunscreen containing ceramide every morning. Using non‐invasive methods to detect skin barrier changes in TEWL, hydration, facial redness based on VISIA‐CR image, and Erythema index (EI) value after 4 weeks of using ceramide‐containing sunscreen. Adverse reactions were also assessed. Results: After 4 weeks of using ceramide‐containing sunscreen, significant reductions were observed in skin redness with both an 11.89% decrease in a* value and a 5.68% decrease in skin EI, while there was also a significant decrease in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) with a reduction of 22.96%, and a significant increase in skin hydration with a 21.96% increase in the moisture content of the stratum corneum. No adverse events occurred during the entire testing process. Conclusion: Daily application of ceramide‐containing sunscreen can increase skin hydration while enhancing the function of the skin barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Compounds from the rhizosphere soil of Lanzhou lily were isolated and identified. • Phytotoxic activities of the compounds were evaluated and primary allelochemicals were clarified. • Concentrations of allelochemicals in the rhizosphere soil were quantified. Abstract Lanzhou lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor) is a perennial plant with medical and edible dual purpose in China and mainly planted in the middle area of Gansu province as a bulb crop. Like many other plants of the genus Lilium , the yield and quality of Lanzhou lily have been severely hampered by replanting failure during the cultivation. Previous reports showed that aqueous extractions of different organs from Lilium plants influenced the seed germination and seedling growth of several target plants. But the specific compounds which are responsible for the phytotoxicity remain obscure. In this study, six compounds were isolated and elucidated from the rhizosphere soil of Lanzhou lily. Among them, dibutyl phthalate, decyl trans - p -coumarate, 7-oxo-sitosterol, 6-hydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one and β-sitosterol-3- O -glucoside, observably inhibited the growth of Lactuca sativa and Lanzhou lily seedlings, were clarified as main allelochemicals. They were further confirmed and quantified in the rhizosphere by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with a total concentration of 117.36 μg/g (dry soil). These findings provide allelopathic evidence of Lanzhou lily, which may be helpful for clarifying the replanting problems of Lilium plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Event summarization is a task to generate a single, concise textual representation of an event. This task does not consider multiple development phases in an event. However, news articles related to long and complicated events often involve multiple phases. Thus, traditional approaches for event summarization generally have difficulty in capturing event phases in summarization effectively. In this paper, we define the task of Event Phase Oriented News Summarization (EPONS). In this approach, we assume that a summary contains multiple timelines, each corresponding to an event phase. We model the semantic relations of news articles via a graph model called Temporal Content Coherence Graph. A structural clustering algorithm EPCluster is designed to separate news articles into several groups corresponding to event phases. We apply a vertex-reinforced random walk to rank news articles. The ranking results are further used to create timelines. Extensive experiments conducted on multiple datasets show the effectiveness of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low‐profile Ku/K band circularly polarized phased array antenna based on crossed dipole and four parasitic elements is presented. Four parasitic patches and the outline of dipole arms which are designed as an exponentially gradual curve are intended to broaden impedance bandwidth. For better integrated design, the plated through holes at the bottom of substrate replaces the metal cavity, aiming to enhance the radiation characteristics of the positive z ${\boldsymbol{z}}$ direction. The small angle sequential ro0tation tech is adopted to further increase the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth. The 8 × 8 antenna array is operated from 15.5 to 23.5 GHz (41%), with the size of 56 mm × 56 mm × 2.54 mm. In the operating frequency, the array demonstrates an average peak realized gain of 24.3 dBic and has a 3‐dB AR beamwidth with scanning angle from −60° to 60° in the plane of ɸ = 0° and ɸ = 90°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TACC3, a member of the transforming acidic coiled-coil protein (TACC) family, is a multifunctional protein that is involved in various biological functions, including proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells, cancer progression and metastasis. The aims of the present study were to examine whether TACC3 expression is associated with the proliferation and migration of osteosarcoma (OS) cells and to investigate the potential underlying molecular mechanisms of TACC3 in OS. First, the levels of mRNA and protein expression in OS cell lines by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively were examined. Second, the effects of TACC3 knockdown and overexpression on the proliferative, migratory and invasive capacities of OS cells were investigated. Finally, western blot analysis was employed to detect the potential mechanism of TACC3 in osteosarcoma. TACC3 expression was significantly increased in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, compared to matched controls. The knockdown of TACC3 was able to significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells, whereas the overexpression of TACC3 was able to promote cell proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, TACC3 may promote the migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells via through nuclear factor-κB signaling. These data suggest that TACC3 has an important part in the progression of osteosarcoma and may serve as a potential target for gene therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An Efficient and value-added flowsheet for recycling rare earth polishing powder waste is proposed. • Coordination enhanced led to high leaching ratios in mild acidic conditions. • The coordination stability constant of Ce3+-ascorbic acid was determined. • High-purity mesoporous Ce-La oxide cube was synthesized by a facile chemical precipitation method. Efficient and environmental-friendly recycling of rare earth polishing powder waste (REPPW) is imperative not only to ecological well-being but also to sustainability of critical rare earth resources. However, the low leaching efficiency of rare earth elements in mild acidic conditions and complicated synthesis procedure of high-end products hindered industrial recycling of REPPW. Herein, an ascorbic acid-H 2 SO 4 system with mild conditions, i.e., ascorbic acid concentration = 0.042 mol/dm3, H 2 SO 4 concentration = 1 mol/dm3, liquid to solid ratio = 20 cm3/g and temperature = 353 K, is proposed for leaching REPPW, in which the leaching ratios of Ce and La reached 96.79 % and 93.81 %, respectively. The coordination stability constants of Ce3+-ascorbic acid, i.e., β 1 = 106.88 and β 2 = 1013.03, were determined by pH-potentiometry, which revealed that the enhanced Ce3+ dissolution in this mild leaching system was attributed to Ce3+-ascorbic acid coordination. Subsequently, a high-purity, mesoporous Ce-La oxide cube was synthesized from the leaching solution by a facile chemical precipitation method at atmospheric pressure and temperature. The product had a composition of 78.07 wt% CeO 2 and 21.93 wt% La 2 O 3 , and its average pore diameter was 7.30 nm. Its reducibility was 1.52 times higher than the theoretical value, suggesting a high potential for catalyzing redox reactions. This work proposes an efficient and value-added process for recycling REPPW, which helps to enlighten the sustainable utilization of secondary rare earth resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the misuse of various antibiotics, the problem of bacterial resistance has become more serious worldwide, and the associated diseases have significantly increased the medical burden of society. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) has received widespread attention because of its safety, efficiency, and facile implementation. Here, we report an oxygen-supply antibacterial agent (Ce6@CS/CP), which could enhance the efficacy of antibacterial PDT via photosynthesis of O 2. Ce6@CS/CP displayed a robust interaction with bacteria, hence facilitating the delivery efficiency of Ce6. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the photodynamic bactericidal potency of Ce6@CS/CP was remarkably greater than that of free Ce6. Furthermore, Ce6@CS/CP also exhibited superior significant antibiofilm activity to free Ce6. As a live oxygen-supply antibacterial agent, Ce6@CS/CP possesses excellent bacteria delivery ability of Ce6 and could enhance the potency of antibacterial PDT by photosynthesis, offering a new strategy for fighting against drug-resistant bacteria. [Display omitted] • Chitosan-coated chloroplast with sufficient photosynthesis activity would act as an oxygen-producing carrier for photosensitizer. • The constructed live oxygen-supply antibacterial agent (Ce6@CS/CP) facilitates the bacterial interaction and delivery efficiency of Ce6. • Its photodynamic antibacterial potency is remarkably greater than free Ce6. • The drug-resistant bacterial biofilm could be effectively ablated by Ce6@CS/CP plus light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • SIF and NDVI datasets had large differences on Yun-Gui Plateau and northwestern China. • Drought propagation time based on NDVI is larger than that based on SIF. • Drought had a similar impact degree in SIF and NDVI. • Both SIF and NDVI showed similar performance when monitoring crop yield. An increase in global warming has resulted in a global increase in meteorological droughts. As droughts play a key factor regulating vegetation growth, they inevitably have social and economic effects. Understanding vegetation dynamics and its response to climate change is therefor highly important to reveal the behavior mechanism of terrestrial ecosystems and to guide environmental management. In this investigation, Solar-induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were applied as vegetation indicators to describe vegetation dynamics and meteorological drought was described using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). Bias correction of precipitation and crop yield data of major crop producing areas was also used. By employing correlation coefficient of the maximum absolute value, a drought impact degree and propagation time to vegetation were defined. Dimensions of SIF and NDVI were unified by normalization. Results indicated that: (1) SIF and NDVI generally had a high level of consistency over China, and NDVI had a higher normalized value distribution level than SIF for different vegetation types. (2) Drought generally had a negative impact on vegetation in northern China and a positive impact in southern China. (3) Drought propagation time based on NDVI was larger than that based on SIF. (4) SIF had some advantages when monitoring crop yields among different crop producing areas. Results from this investigation will enable a greater understanding of SIF and NDVI for their application to monitor droughts and crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the formaldehyde to phenol molar ratio (F/P) on the combustion behavior of phenolic foams were discussed. Phenolic foams have been prepared with different F/P of resole resin. FTIR, TG and SEM were used for assessment of the molecular structure, thermal stability, and cell structure of phenolic foam (PF) analysis, respectively. It was found that the higher the F/P, the more inflammables content in the PF that promoted the formation of the char layer, and the higher the LOI of PF. Although the closed cell proportion of PF decreases with the increase of F/P, the effect of the open and closed cell proportion on the LOI of PF was much lower than that of the content of inflammables when there was little difference in cell size. It is worth noting that the smoldering time and smoldering velocity of PF also increased with the increase of F/P. When F/P exceeds 2.3, a large number of open-cell structures appear in the PF, resulting in a phenomenon of smoldering to burnout. The relationship between smoldering velocity and F/P can be calculated by an Arrhenius type expression. Arrhenius-type expression calculation showed that when the F/P reached 2.3, the smoldering velocity increased sharply, reaching a maximum of 0.193 mm/s. • The factors affecting the combustion behavior of phenolic foam (PF) were revealed. • The effect of closed cell proportion on LOI of PF is lower than that of the content of inflammables. • The higher the formaldehyde to phenol molar ratio (F/P), the greater the smoldering time and velocity. • The relationship between smoldering velocity and F/P can be calculated by an Arrhenius type expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed three maintenance polices for parallel systems with two failure modes. • Analyzed and compared the cost-effectiveness of the maintenance polices. • Developed simulation model for complex scenarios. • Useful insights are gained based on the numerical analysis. The parallel structure in the reliability engineering is widely used in many industrial systems such as power generation systems, pump systems, production systems and computing systems. Designing the optimal maintenance policies for these parallel systems can minimize the operation cost while achieving a satisfying system availability. Previous studies have studied various maintenance optimization for parallel systems. However, little research has considered the multiple failure modes that widely exist in many real industrial systems. This research considers a parallel system that consists of heterogeneous components subject to two types of competing failures: a one-stage catastrophic failure and a two-stage delay-time failure. Inspections are conducted periodically to identify the state of each component. Three maintenance policies are proposed in this research. To find the optimal inspection interval, we analyze the renewal process of the system to minimize the long-term expected cost per unit time. A simulation procedure is proposed to evaluate the long-term expected cost per unit time. Numerical experiments are carried out to illustrate the applications of the proposed maintenance policies. The discussion provides useful insights on choosing the best policy under different system performance requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural bovine bone has the potential to act as a bearing surface for spool-in-sleeve servo valve of water hydraulics. To screen material combinations for that application, friction and wear tests were conducted on the following three pairs: 316 L stainless steel on natural bovine femoral cortical bone (NBFCB), carbon fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFRPEEK) on NBFCB, and Al 2 O 3 ceramic on BFCB. Tests were conducted on a face-loaded, annular ring-on-ring configuration with water lubrication. The worn surfaces were studied using an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). The effects of normal pressure and sliding velocity on the friction and wear characteristics are discussed. Friction coefficients decreased with increasing velocity and pressure, and a running-in process was observed. The weight loss due to wear of the NBFCB was larger than that of the counterpart materials. Sharp reductions in both friction coefficient and wear rate were observed for NBFCB when sliding against Al 2 O 3 compared to sliding against 316 L and CFRPEEK. The 316 L steel wore by micro-cutting, and the wear mechanism of the Al 2 O 3 ceramic was fatigue wear. The wear mechanism of CFRPEEK was mainly adhesive wear. The wear mechanism of NBFCB was brittle fracturing when sliding with 316 L and the Al 2 O 3 ceramic, and it was adhesive wear when sliding against CFRPEEK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and performance of a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) duplexer sub-system at L-band. The HTS duplexer sub-system contains a low noise amplifier (LNA) and an HTS duplexer. The HTS duplexer consists of a T-junction and two eight-pole filters with a bandwidth of 40 MHz centered at 1245 MHz and 1305 MHz, respectively. A novel, compact, and low radiation stepped impedance resonator was developed to reduce the parasitical coupling of the filters. The HTS duplexer was fabricated on a LaAlO substrate. The insertion loss of the duplexer is 0.2 dB, and the 60/3 dB shape factor is better than 1.4:1. The out-of-band rejection and the isolation between the two channels of the duplexer are better than 60 dB. The noise figure of the HTS duplexer sub-system is 0.3 dB at 80 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chemotherapy-induced apoptosis of tumor cells enhances the antigen presentation and sensitizes tumor cells to T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Here we harnessed the apoptosis of tumor cells as a homing signal for the delivery of T cells to tumor. Jurkat T cells were anchored with ApoPep-1, an apoptosis-targeted peptide ligand, using the biocompatible anchor for membrane (BAM), an oleyl acid derivative. The ApoPep-1-BAM conjugate was efficiently anchored to cell membrane, while little anchoring was obtained with ApoPep-1 alone. The retention period of the ApoPep-1-BAM conjugate on cell membrane was approximately 80 and 40min in the absence and presence of serum, respectively. ApoPep-1 was resistant to degradation in serum until 2h. The apoptosis-targeted T cells that were anchored with the ApoPep-1-BAM preferentially bound to apoptotic tumor cells over living cells. When intravenously injected into tumor-bearing mice, the number of apoptosis-targeted T cells and in vivo fluorescence signals by the homing of the cells to doxorubicin-treated tumor were higher than those of untargeted T cells. Accumulation of apoptosis-targeted T cells at other organs such as liver was not detected. These results suggest that the chemotherapy-induced apoptosis and subsequent enhancement of T cell delivery to tumor by the membrane anchoring of the apoptosis-targeted peptide could be a novel strategy for cancer immunotherapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) planar balun. The balun exhibits an excellent amplitude and phase balance performance. The balun was fabricated using double-sided HTS YBCO films on a 0.5-mm-thick 3-in \LaAlO3 substrate. The balun demonstrates a wideband operation and a low insertion loss. The center frequency of the balun is 1.25 GHz. The return loss bandwidth of -18 dB is 1.02 GHz (the fractional bandwidth is 82%). The phase imbalance is less than 7^\circ. The amplitude imbalance is less than 0.7 dB, and the insertion loss is less than 0.31 dB over 0.69–1.77 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: An ultra-narrow band eight-pole dual-mode HTS patch filter was designed and fabricated. The filter is constructed by four corner-cut square patches, each of which has two resonating modes. The influence of the change of the corner-cut position on the filter response was investigated by simulations. Four small rectangle patches were added in the topology of the filter as tuning tools. By employing this unique tuning structure, the simulated filter responses and current density distributions on the patches have been greatly improved. The filter was fabricated using double sided YBCO films on a 3in. LaAlO3 substrate. The measured results showed satisfactory performance with center frequency 2.494GHz, fractional bandwidth 0.2%, return loss in passband better than 16dB, and out-of-band rejection of the filter better than 90dB at 15MHz away from its center frequency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of entecavir treatment up to 96 weeks for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods The study recruited 62 CHB patients who were admitted to or hospitalized at the Taixing People's Hospital from July 2011 to July 2014. The patients were treated with entecavir (0.5 mg/d) for 96 weeks of antiviral therapy. All the patients were divided into HBeAg - positive (n = 43) and HBeAg - negative groups (n = 19). The HBV DNA load was higher than 106 copies/ml in 38 patients and lower than 106 copies/ ml in 24 patients. The efficacy of entecavir in the two groups was compared at 24, 48, and 96 weeks of treatment. Between - group comparison of categorical data was performed by χ² test. Results At 24, 48, and 96 weeks of treatment, the HBeAg - positive group had a significantly lower HBV DNA clearance rate than the HBeAg - negative group (34.88% vs 78.95%, P = 0.003; 65.12% vs 89.47%, P = 0.047; 74.42% vs 100%, P = 0.038); there was no significant diiference in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization rate between the two groups (P = 0.102, 0.779, and 0.638). Patients with a HBV DNA load of > 106 copies/ml had a significantly lower HBV DNA clearance rate than those with a HBV DNA load of < 106 copies/ml at 24, 48, and 96 weeks of treatment (34.21 % vs 70.83%, P = 0.005; 57.89%) vs 95.83%, P = 0.001; 76.32% vs 95.83%, P = 0.002); there was no significant diiference in ALT normalization rate between the two groups (P = 0.940, 0.150, and 0.280). Conclusion Entecavir has a high antiviral activity in the treatment of CHB, which can suppress HBV replication and concurrently improve liver function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The protection for different skin types with impaired skin barrier in the market is insufficient. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a panthenol‐enriched mask (La Roche‐Posay Mask Pro) in addressing various skin barrier impairment subgroups, including dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin. Methods: A total of 177 participants were enrolled in the study and divided into three subgroups based on their skin type. Participants used the mask following the specified protocol, with measurements taken for skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), sebum content, and skin redness—factors that are directly influenced by skin barrier function. Assessments were conducted at baseline and after 1 day (tested 15 min post‐application), 7 days, and 14 days of application using Sebumeter, Tewameter, Corneometer, Mexameter, and VISIA. Results: Results showed significant improvements in skin parameters across all subgroups. In the dry sensitive skin subgroup, the mask increased skin hydration, sebum content, and reduced redness. For the oily sensitive skin subgroup, the mask regulated sebum production and improved skin hydration. In the oily acne skin subgroup, the mask reduced sebum content, redness, TEWL, and post‐inflammatory erythema and hyperpigmentation. Tolerance was excellent for all skin types, with no adverse reactions observed. Conclusions: This study highlights the efficacy and safety of the panthenol‐enriched LRP Mask Pro for individuals with distinct skin barrier impairment subgroups. The mask's versatile formulation and proven efficacy make it a valuable skincare product for addressing various skin concerns and achieving healthier, more balanced skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prolonged use of medical masks has increased skin‐related issues. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of a facial cream and facial mask in mitigating medical mask related skin symptoms. Methods: Healthy women were randomly assigned to apply a facial cream (n = 32) or a facial mask plus a facial cream (n = 32) on half‐faces after wearing medical masks for 4 h (Tb). Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), dryness score, and redness area were assessed at Tb and 10 min after using the cream (T1) in the facial cream group, and at Tb, 1 h after using the facial mask (T2), and 10 min after using the cream (T3) in the combined use group. Results: In the facial cream group, the treated half‐face showed significantly better improvements from Tb to T1 in TEWL (−2.95 ± 0.38 vs. −0.68 ± 0.35 g/h·cm2, p < 0.001) and skin dryness score (−1.00 ± 0.12 vs. 0.00 ± 0.00, p < 0.001). In the combined use group, the treated half‐face showed significantly better improvements from Tb to T2 and T3 in TEWL (T2, −3.46 ± 0.33 vs. −0.09 ± 0.13 g/h·cm2; T3, −4.67 ± 0.31 vs. −0.28 ± 0.22 g/h·cm2) and skin dryness score (T2, −0.63 ± 0.13 vs. 0.03 ± 0.03; T3, −0.94 ± 0.17 vs. 0.19 ± 0.07) (all p < 0.001) then the untreated half‐face. The combined use group had significantly lower TEWL at T3 than T2 (p < 0.05). The reduction in redness area was similar between the treated and untreated half‐faces in both groups. Conclusions: The test facial cream and mask significantly improved skin barrier function and alleviated dryness symptoms associated with medical mask use, with the combined use offering superior benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital angular momentum (OAM), inherent to light beams characterized by helical phase fronts, represents an alternative spatial degree of freedom for photons. In recent years, OAM-based communication has gained significant attention as a potential solution to increase the capacity and spectral efficiency of optical fiber communication systems. In optical fibers, OAM modes can be generated and manipulated by utilizing specialized optical components and techniques. One approach involves using specially designed optical fibers, such as ring–core fibers, which have the capability to support multiple OAM modes. In the manufacturing process, the ring fiber is hardly made perfectly, especially the doped-cores. The introduced defect breaks the symmetry of the ring–core, which has a serious impact on OAM mode transmission. Using a material with a slightly higher refractive index than the cladding to wrap the ring–core is effective in reducing impairment of defects. After numerical simulation, the proposed method improves the walk-off length by a factor of 2–40. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical image segmentation is a critical and important step for developing computer-aided system in clinical situations. It remains a complicated and challenging task due to the large variety of imaging modalities and different cases. Recently, Unet has become one of the most popular deep learning frameworks because of its accurate performance in biomedical image segmentation. In this paper, we propose a contour-aware semantic segmentation network, which is an extension of Unet, for medical image segmentation. The proposed method includes a semantic branch and a detail branch. The semantic branch focuses on extracting the semantic features from shallow and deep layers; the detail branch is used to enhance the contour information implied in the shallow layers. In order to improve the representation capability of the network, a MulBlock module is designed to extract semantic information with different receptive fields. Spatial attention module (CAM) is used to adaptively suppress the redundant features. In comparison with the state-of-the-art methods, our method achieves a remarkable performance on several public medical image segmentation challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary liver cancer including intrahepatic bile duct cells and hepatocellular carcinoma was the most common malignant tumor in the elinic. It's characteristic was the high degree of malignancy, the it can occur at any age, bul more common in 40-50 years .The ratio of male to female ratio is 2-5:1, Most already advanced patients when surgical resection is low, and high recurrence rate. Therefore, the majority of hepatocellular carcinoma require effective and non-surgical approaches for treatment. Interventional treatment has been used as the preferred treatmen to Unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients,. Al present, the interventional treatment of primary liver cancer has grown from a single technology and methods into a variety of methods simultaneously, treating the symptoms of a more complete system and integrated treatment. In paper, transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization is one of the most common methods in the interventional treatment of liver cancer. Majority It will occur in patients with liver dysfunction mainly in the decreased serum albumin, scrum transaminases and alkaline phosphatase levels of the compensatory mechanisms of the normal liver tissue, who with hepatocellular carcinoma after interventional therapy;a improved,But restored to the preoperative level fter 5-7 days. Some experts believe that part of the ltver cancer chemoembolization caused by acute and chronic liver injury is difficult to restore. Some patients repeatedly involved in the treatment can lead to cirrhosis of liver function damage. Generally in our country patients with hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, The damage is not easy to restore after the interventional treatment, anr) can even lead to the occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy and liver failure; intervention in patients found in clinical diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer after death from many is not the cancer itself, but due to depletion of liver function; Due to multiple factors of the tumor, surgery, psychology, quality of life in patients with tumor survival, autoimmunity and regulatory function of the lower; the treatment of patients with liver function failure is limited, there is no effective reversal measures, often too much medication to poor liver itself functions to withstand the pressure of drug metabolism increase, but may further damage the risk of liver function. How to slow liver cancer involved in the damage of liver function, relieve postoperative clinical symptoms, improve patients' quality of life is still an important clinical issue. In the 1980s, ozone blood therapy has been the beginning as an auxiliary method of treatment of malignant tumors, studies have shown that medical ozone can increase the body's immune function, enhance chemotherapy efficacy and reduce toxicity of chemotherapy drugs in the prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis .Some scholars use the method of blood transfusion and rectal gas injection of medical ozone related clinical and basic research, medical ozone have a positive effect in preventing liver function damage, enhancing and regulating the immune delay liver fibrosis. Based on the medical use of ozone has been a clinical research, the liver disfunction, the organism immune damage, reducing the quality of life, and the decline of many of the problems after the interventions for liver cance, and explore the place of medical ozone application to intervene in the development of liver cancer after surgery, the treatment for observation of their chemotherapy reduce postoperative pulmonary embolism response, protecting the liver functions, to improve the quality of life in terms of their impact, and prove its ability to intervene in the treatment of liver cancer. Objective: Observed ozone treatment of primary liver cancer interventional postoperative clinical efficacy; explore the advantages and mechanisms of the efficacy of ozone treatment of the disease; provide new ideas for ozone clinical diagnosis and treatment of iiver cancer, Material and Method: 1, the selected cases were from the South Hospital from May 2011 to October 2011, a total of 40 cases of primary liver cancer patients. 35 males and 5 females. The average age of 54. 18 cases of liver function in patients with child classification of a level, 22 cases of b level; tumor markers (afp) were abnormal; blood had no obvious abnormalities. 2, Experimental groups and treatment processing: 40 cases of liver cancer patients were randomly divided into experimental and control groups, the experimental group after interventional therapy plus medical ozone rectal infusion therapy; the control group only received conventional tumor intervention surgery. Medical ozone prepared through three oxygen generator, medical oxygen experimental ozone concentration of 40ug/ml. Perfusion methods as: medical ozone gas 150ml slowly through the anus into the rectum with thin conductive air hose, not exhausting to retain 10min, Once a day, 5--7 days in a row, 3, Statistical analysis: liver cancer patients met the diagnostic criteria for a total of 40 cases, the use of 1 : ] by age, gender balanced random into groups, using the double entry method entered into the database, patients with surgery, postoperative liver function indicators, indicators of tumor markers (afp) patients before and after points of quality of life, physical condition scores were recorded and used for statistical analysis sas9.l.3. Before and after the measurement data: repeated measure analysis of variance; disorder classified information: the chi-square test; orderly classification data: Wilcoxon test was used; selected test standard of a = 0.05; p <0.05 indicated a significant difference, p> D.05 indicates no significant difference. Result: Two groups of patients in the group stage, age, gender, disease treatment before former KPS points, no significant differences between the quality of life (P>0. 05). According to the evaluation of clinical effect of standards, through repeated measures analysis of variance, physical condition comparison of scoring points, no significant differences between the experimental and control groups (P=0.1478), before and after treatment of a significant difference between two points in time (P<0,0001), there are interactions between two factors (P<0.0001), analysis of the separate effects of the group, Experimental group of KPS integral average rise 7,55 after treatment than before treatment, control group KPS points after treatment than before treatment with an average rise of 0.3, notes treated in KPS group effect on the index than the control group. Experimental group improved physical status score comparison 1 (5%), stability of 19 cases (95%), controlled stability of 20 cases, and there îs no improvement and deterioration; the rank sum test, = 1,P=0.3173, can't believe that there are differences between the two treatments. Quality of life scores effective 5 cases of clinical experimental group (25%), stable 15 cases (75%), the control group effective 1 (5%), stability of 19 cases (95%), the rank sum test, =3.0588,P=0.0803, no significant differences between the two groups. Life quality scoring integral comparison, experimental group and control group Zhijian differences no significantly sexual (P=0,1499), treatment before and after two time points Zhijian differences has significantly sexual (PcO.OOOl), two factors Zhijian exists interactive role (P=0.0064), should analysis all group of separate effect, experimental group scoring treatment Hou than treatment Qían average rise 4.6, control group treatment Hou than treatment Qian average rise 1.5, description experimental group in index Shang effect better than control group. AST, ALT, GGT three indicators no significant differences between the control group and the experimental group (P>0.05), and there are differences between two points in time before and after treatment (p <0.05), two factors zhijian exists interactive role (P<0.05), should analysis all group of separate effect, experimental group three a index in treatment hou reduced degree average level are than control group, description experimental group in this three a index shang effect belter than control group. TB, and DB, and AFP three a index experimental group and control group zhijian no significantly sexual differences (P>0.05), treatment before and after and two time points Zhijian has differences (P<0.05), two factors zhijian no interactive role (P>0.05), Description the experimental group and the control group in these three indicators are on curative effect and no significant difference between the effect. ALB, ALP, the two indicators no significant differences between the control group and the experimental group (P>0.05), hefore and after treatment with no significant differences between two points in time (P>0,05), no interaction between the two factors (P>0.05), in the experimental group and the control group the two indicators have no significant effect on. Conclusion: Primary liver cancer after intervention combined with medical ozone treatment can improve patients 'physical condition and quality of life in the efficacy score, and be more effective in reducing the content of aspartate and alanine and valley GGT, and protect liver function; This shows that medical ozone combined interventional treatment of primary liver cancer, which can play a sum of synergy, and have a good effect to attenuate efficiency »protect the liver function and improve the body's quality of life. So further confirmed the usefulness of medical ozone is objective and rational, The treatment is worthy of further clinical application and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sensitive skin is a common condition affecting a significant proportion of the population, and there is a growing demand for effective and safe management. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a cream containing panthenol, prebiotics, and probiotic lysate as an optimal care for facial sensitive skin. Methods: A total of 110 participants (64 in group A and 46 in group B) with facial sensitive skin applied the cream twice daily for 28 days. Group A evaluated their sensitive skin, product efficacy, and product use experience at D0 (15 min), D1, D14, and D28. In group B, skin barrier function‐related indicators were measured at baseline and on D1, D7, D14, and D28. Dermatologists evaluated tolerance for all participants. Results: After 28 days of use, in group A, 100% of participants reported mildness and comfort with product use. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in skin barrier function‐related indicators, including increased stratum corneum moisture content, reduced erythema index, elevated sebum content, decreased trans‐epidermal water loss, and diminished skin redness parameter a* value (all p < 0.05). Dermatologist evaluations revealed excellent tolerance among all participants. Conclusion: The panthenol‐enriched cream with prebiotics and probiotic lysate exhibited substantial clinical efficacy in ameliorating facial sensitive skin conditions, coupled with a high safety profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Adjuvant therapy following curative resection has been shown to be associated with significant survival benefits in patients with gastric cancer (GC); however, this treatment is not available to some patients. The aim was to investigate factors associated with the receipt of adjuvant therapy among GC patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study including patients with stage IB‐IIIC gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent curative resection between November 2010 and July 2014. Patients were identified using a database from West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Univariate and multivariable analyses examined factors associated with adjuvant therapy receipt. Results: A total of 1,476 patients were included. Among these, 852 patients were eligible, with 157 patients not receiving adjuvant therapy. Age, education, income, residence, medical insurance, employment status and visiting an oncologist were independently associated with adjuvant therapy receipt by univariate analysis. After adjustment for other factors, medical insurance (p = 0.005), employment status (p = 0.008) and visiting an oncologist (p < 0.001) remained significantly correlated, and income was near the threshold of a significant difference (p = 0.050). Conclusion: Our study indicates that disparities do exist in determining the receipt of adjuvant therapy in GC patients according to income, insurance and employment status, and highlight the importance of visiting an oncologist postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parents of children with cancer may experience persistent psychological distress and impaired physical health throughout their children's diagnosis and treatment. Objective: This study aimed to develop a mindful self-compassion program for parents of children with cancer and explore its effect. Methods: This pre-post-test study without a control group was conducted with 34 Chinese parents of children with cancer, using mixed methods. Participants received a 6-week internet-based self-help mindful self-compassion intervention. Self-compassion, post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, and sleep quality were measured at baseline and at 10 weeks post-baseline. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 completers within 10 days after the intervention was completed. Results: Significant differences were observed in self-compassion, re-experiencing, physical depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. Two participants reported feeling miserable or recalling distressing experiences, of which one withdrew from the study while the other completed the intervention. Conclusion: The program could improve self-compassion, re-experiencing, physical depressive symptoms, and sleep quality in parents of children with cancer, which demonstrated the feasibility of delivering a self-help mindful self-compassion intervention through the internet. Increasing retention rates in future studies merits further discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Oily skin, characterized by excessive sebum production, can lead to acne and have psychosocial impacts due to changes in appearance. Recent research has shown interest in treatments for oil control, with kaolin and bentonite emerging as promising options. Despite their potential, comprehensive studies on these ingredients are still in the nascent stages. AIM: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a clay mask (La Roche‐Posay Effaclar Sebo‐Controlling Mask) in reducing skin oiliness and acne, and its safety for use. METHODS: In this study, 75 adults with oily or combination skin were enrolled and provided with a clay mask for twice‐weekly use over 4 weeks. Clinical assessments, using instruments like Sebumeter, Vapometer, and Corneometer, were conducted at baseline, and after 1, 2, and 4 weeks, evaluating acne lesions, skin irritation, sebum content, and skin hydration. Participant self‐assessment questionnaires were also utilized for subjective evaluation. Statistical analyses were performed accordingly. RESULTS: The study revealed significant improvements in acne‐related outcomes, sebum content, skin evenness, stratum corneum water content, and transepidermal water loss following the application of the clay mask. Pore area and porphyrin area showed no significant changes. Tolerance assessment showed reduced dryness and irritation, with self‐assessment indicating high product acceptability and perceived oil control effectiveness. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the clay mask's efficacy in managing acne and oily skin, improving hydration and texture. Significant improvements in skin parameters and high product safety were observed, supporting its suitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Numerous studies have reported that lipid metabolic abnormalities may play an important role in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD), with mixed results. This meta-analysis aims to systematically assess the relationship between serum cholesterol or triglyceride and the PD risk and to further determine the role of dyslipidemia in potential predictive value. Methods: This research systematically consulted and screened observational studies to evaluate the association of serum lipids with the risk of PD as of April 01, 2020 based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two researchers screened and extracted the data independently. Then this article summarized the characteristics of all clinical studies and collected the corresponding data to perform pooled and sensitivity analyses. The meta-analysis was performed by using the RevMan 5.3 software after data extraction, quality assessment and analysis of publication bias. Results: Twenty-one related studies (13 case-control and 8 cohort studies) were selected with a total of 980,180 subjects, including 11,188 PD patients. Meta-analysis showed that higher levels of serum triglyceride (S-TG) [standard mean different (SMD) = − 0.26 (95% confidence interval (CI): − 0.39 to − 0.13, p<0.00001), relative risk (RR) = 0.67 (95% CI: 0.60 to 0.75, p<0.00001)] could be considered as protective factors for the pathogenesis of PD. However, there was no significant association between serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (S-HDL) and the risk of PD. Meanwhile, serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (S-LDL) [SMD = -0.26 (95% CI: − 0.43 to − 0.07, p = 0.006), RR = 0.76 (95% CI: 0.59 to 0.97, p = 0.03)] and serum total cholesterol (S-TC) levels [SMD = -0.21 (95% CI: − 0.33 to − 0.10, p = 0.0002), RR = 0.86 (95% CI: 0.77 to 0.97, p = 0.01)] were negatively associated with PD risk. Conclusions: This systematic review suggests that elevated serum levels of TG, LDL and TC may be protective factors for the pathogenesis of PD. Further longitudinal and well-designed prospective studies with a large sample size are needed to confirm the findings in this meta-analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents detailed derivations and further explanations of the state transformation extended Kalman filter (ST-EKF) from the common frame error definition perspective. Both the system error and measurement models of strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS)/Odometer (OD) tightly-coupled navigation are derived based on the ST-EKF. Both theoretical analysis and test results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed velocity error definition on mitigating the covariance-inconsistency problem that is caused by the specific force calculation error in the EKF state transition matrix. The excellent covariance-consistency of the ST-EKF makes it not necessary to remove gyro and accelerometer bias errors from the initial alignment Kalman filter states. This phenomenon can ensure the subsequent integrated navigation performance. Single-position ground SINS alignment experiments by using a navigation grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) showed that the estimated yaw angle from the conventional 15-state EKF slowly diverged over time. Furthermore, this phenomenon became more distinct when the initial yaw angle error was larger. In contrast, the estimated yaw angle from the proposed 15-state ST-EKF was significantly more stable and less degraded by large initial yaw angle errors. Long- distance land-vehicle SINS/OD integrated navigation tests also exhibited the ST-EKF's higher positioning and heading accuracy than the EKF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User Generated Categories (UGCs) are short but informative phrases that reflect how people describe and organize entities. UGCs express semantic relations among entities implicitly hence serve as a rich data source for knowledge harvesting. However, most UGC relation extraction methods focus on English and heavily rely on lexical and syntactic patterns. Applying them directly to Chinese UGCs poses significant challenges because Chinese is an analytic language with flexible language expressions. In this paper, we aim at harvesting fine-grained relations from Chinese UGCs automatically. Based on neural networks and negative sampling, we introduce two word embedding projection models to identify is-a relations. The accuracy of prediction results is improved via a collective refinement algorithm and a hypernym expansion method. We further propose a graph clique mining algorithm to harvest non-taxonomic relations from UGCs, together with their textual patterns. Two experiments are conducted to validate our approach based on Chinese Wikipedia. The first experiment verifies the is-a relation extraction approach achieves high accuracy, outperforming state-of-the-art methods. The second experiment shows that the proposed method can harvest non-taxonomic relations of large quantity and high accuracy, with minimal human intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is one of the most commonly used treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the poor stability of emulsified chemotherapy drugs by iodinated oil always leads to serious systemic cytotoxicity. Herein, a composite hydrogel Epi/Etpoil@MC/XG was proposed by stably distributing ethiodized poppyseed oil (Etpoil) and epirubicin (Epi) in the blend hydrogel of methylcellulose (MC) and xanthan gum (XG). Benefiting from its adjusted thermo-responsive and injectable properties, the Epi/Etpoil@MC/XG has been successfully applied in the embolization of the feeding artery for a VX2 tumor model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The treatment strategy for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with ticagrelor has been controversial in East Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our meta-analysis aimed to demonstrate whether intensified antithrombotic regimens with ticagrelor plus aspirin have more beneficial effects and fewer adverse events compared to those of clopidogrel plus aspirin in East Asian patients with ACS undergoing PCI. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of DAPT with ticagrelor or clopidogrel plus aspirin for secondary prevention of ACS in East Asian patients undergoing PCI. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as the metrics of choice for assessing treatment effects. The primary endpoint was bleeding events, and the secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs, including cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke), all-cause death, and definite/probable/possible stent thrombosis. The I2 index was used to assess heterogeneity. Results: Six RCTs involving a total of 2,725 patients met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of all bleeding events with ticagrelor was higher than that with clopidogrel (RR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.31–2.07), but the incidence of MACCE was not significantly different between the two groups (RR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.54–2.16). All-cause death (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.67–1.79), cardiovascular death (RR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.68–2.98), nonfatal MI (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.48–1.78), stroke (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.40–2.50), and stent thrombosis (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.19–2.98) were not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: Ticagrelor increased the risk of bleeding and did not increase treatment efficacy compared to that of clopidogrel in the East Asian population who have ACS treated with PCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a common modification and plays an important role in various biological processes, but m6A-related lncRNA functions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been systematically clarified. Methods: The clinical data and RNA-seq transcriptome of 375 cases of HCC and 50 cases of normal tissues were obtained from the Cancer Gene Atlas database. Co-expression analysis was used to obtain m6A-related lncRNA. The independent prognostic factors were identified by univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. Kaplan–Meier method was used in survival analysis. The core gene of the mRNA–mRNA interaction network is related to m6A-related lncRNAs obtained by the CytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape. Gene ontology and Kyoto Gene Encyclopedia were analyzed to find out the potential mechanism. CIBERSORT algorithm was used to calculate the relative proportion of immune infiltrating cells. Results: We identified two subgroups (cluster 1 and cluster 2) according to the expression level. The survival analysis curve and receiver operating characteristic curve proved that this model could predict the prognosis of HCC patients. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed the independent prognostic value. UBE2C was screened as the pivotal gene. The expression level of m6A-related lncRNAs causes changes in the tumor immune microenvironment. Conclusion: The expression levels of m6A-related lncRNAs were significantly different and the prognostic value of m6A-related lncRNAs was confirmed. The m6A-related lncRNAs are expected to be prognostic signatures in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the clinical effects of selective dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency lesioning in combination with oral administration of gabapentin in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).Material and Methods: One hundred and sixteen consecutive cases of initially diagnosed patients with PHN were randomly divided into the control and the observation groups, with each group consisting of 58 patients. The control group was treated with oral gabapentin (2400 mg/d, tid), while the observation group received gabapentin and pulsed radiofrequency lesioing of the dorsal root ganglion. The clinical efficacy of both the regimens was compared after a follow up period of 6 months.Results: The observation group had a significantly lower score on the visual analog scale than the control group (P ≤ 0.05, with no significant complications occurring in both the groups) at a 1, 2, and 4 week posttreatment duration. The percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD) 4+ cells and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio increased gradually, while the percentage of CD8 + cells decreased in the observation group (P ≤ 0.05). No significant alterations were observed in the control group (P > 0.05). The observation group had significantly lower serum interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels than the control group (P < 0.05) at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the treatment was instituted. The observation group also demonstrated a superior total effective rate and efficiency than the control group (P ≤ 0.05).Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that radiofrequency combined with gabapentin in the treatment of PHN has a good safety and efficacy profile. The effects of this treatment may be related to an increased T-cell immunity and an inhibited inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]