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Background: The objectives of this study were to evaluate and model the probability of melanoma-specific death and competing causes of death for patients with melanoma by competing risk analysis, and to build competing risk nomograms to provide individualized and accurate predictive tools.Methods: Melanoma data were obtained from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program. All patients diagnosed with primary non-metastatic melanoma during the years 2004-2007 were potentially eligible for inclusion. The cumulative incidence function (CIF) was used to describe the probability of melanoma mortality and competing risk mortality. We used Gray's test to compare differences in CIF between groups. The proportional subdistribution hazard approach by Fine and Gray was used to model CIF. We built competing risk nomograms based on the models that we developed.Results: The 5-year cumulative incidence of melanoma death was 7.1 %, and the cumulative incidence of other causes of death was 7.4 %. We identified that variables associated with an elevated probability of melanoma-specific mortality included older age, male sex, thick melanoma, ulcerated cancer, and positive lymph nodes. The nomograms were well calibrated. C-indexes were 0.85 and 0.83 for nomograms predicting the probability of melanoma mortality and competing risk mortality, which suggests good discriminative ability.Conclusions: This large study cohort enabled us to build a reliable competing risk model and nomogram for predicting melanoma prognosis. Model performance proved to be good. This individualized predictive tool can be used in clinical practice to help treatment-related decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the survival outcome for middle ear cancer and to construct prognostic models to provide patients and clinicians with more accurate estimates of individual survival probability. Methods: Patients diagnosed with middle ear cancer between 1983 and 2011 were selected for the study from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program. We used the Kaplan-Meier product limit method to describe overall survival and cause-specific survival. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to model the relationships between patient characteristics and prognosis. Nomograms for predicting overall survival and cause-specific survival were built using the Cox models established. Results: The entire cohort comprised 247 patients with malignant middle ear cancer. Median duration of follow-up until censoring or death was 25 months (range, 1-319 months). Five-year overall survival and cause-specific survival were 47.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI), 41.2% to 54.6%) and 58.0% (95% CI, 51.6% to 65.3%), respectively. In multivariable analysis, age, histological subtype, stage, surgery and radiotherapy were predictive of survival. The bootstrap corrected c-index for model predicting overall and cause-specific survival was 0.73 and 0.74, respectively. Calibration plots showed that the predicted survival reasonably approximated observed outcomes. Conclusion: The models represent an objective analysis of all currently available data. The resulting models demonstrated good accuracy in predicting overall survival and cause-specific survival. Nomograms should thus be considered as a useful tool for predicting clinical prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase shift on reflection from upper and bottom reflectors of the low interference order tunable Fabry–Perot MEMS filter was found playing a crucial role in the determination of resonant wavelength. The simple formula , which was commonly used to describe the tuning process, was demonstrated not to be accurate. By using the transfer matrix method, the analytic expression for phase shift near the central wavelength of dielectric reflector was derived. The new linear relationship between the air gap and resonant wavelength was presented based on the resonant condition. The properties of mirrors that influence the tunable sensitivity were analyzed. Error of the linear relationship in a specified wavelength range was also estimated in this paper. The results are valid for all Fabry–Perot type optical tunable filters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: So far, there have been no in-depth analyses of the connection between tinnitus sensation--level loudness and sleep quality. Accordingly, the present study was formulated as a mediation analysis focused on exploring this relationship. Method: Overall, 1,255 adults with consecutive subjective tinnitus who had sought outpatient treatment were enrolled in the present study. Results: Direct effects of tinnitus sensation--level loudness on sleep quality were not statistically significant (95% confidence intervals [CI] include zero), as measured by the point estimate, -0.016. However, the 95% CI for indirect effects did not include zero when assessing the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores, the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and self-reported tinnitus annoyance. Conclusions: These results suggest that tinnitus sensation--level loudness does not directly have an effect on sleep quality. However, it indirectly impacts sleep quality, mediated by SAS scores, SDS scores, the impact of tinnitus on life measured using the VAS, and self-reported tinnitus annoyance. As such, alleviating anxiety and depression in patients with tinnitus may result in reductions in their insomnia even if there is no reduction in tinnitus loudness. Importantly, otolaryngologists and other clinicians treating tinnitus should refer patients with tinnitus suffering from insomnia with comorbid depression or anxiety for appropriate psychological and/or psychiatric treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impaired expression of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class I in cancers constitutes a major mechanism of immune evasion. It has been well documented that the low level of MHC class I is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to checkpoint blockade therapies. However, there is lmited approaches to specifically induce MHC class I to date. Here, we show an approach for robust and specific induction of MHC class I by targeting an MHC class I transactivator (CITA)/NLRC5, using a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-specific system, designated TRED-I (Targeted reactivation and demethylation for MHC-I). The TRED-I system specifically recruits a demethylating enzyme and transcriptional activators on the NLRC5 promoter, driving increased MHC class I antigen presentation and accelerated CD8+ T cell activation. Introduction of the TRED-I system in an animal cancer model exhibited tumor-suppressive effects accompanied with increased infiltration and activation of CD8+ T cells. Moreover, this approach boosted the efficacy of checkpoint blockade therapy using anti-PD1 (programmed cell death protein) antibody. Therefore, targeting NLRC5 by this strategy provides an attractive therapeutic approach for cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of coating induced polarization state variation is analysed by the Jones matrix. Pauli spin matrices are used to establish the relationship between coating induced polarization state variation and polarization aberrations. To reduce coating induced polarization aberrations, we propose that d = 0 and Ts = Tp at arbitrary incident angle should be appended as two additional optimization goals of optical coating design when the requirements of transmittance are met. Two typical anti-reflection (AR) coatings are designed and the polarization state variation induced by them is simulated. The MTF (modulation transfer function) calculated by polarization ray tracing is applied to evaluate the polarization aberrations of the practical lithography objective system with the two AR coatings. All the obtained results show that the coating induced polarization aberrations can be reduced by optimizing the angle dependent properties of the optical coating without additional optical elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A theoretical study on the sound transmission loss (STL) characteristics of unbounded orthotropic sandwich panels considering the transverse shear deformation is presented. With the transverse shear deformation taken into account, the governing equation of bending vibration for unbounded orthotropic sandwich panels is derived and implemented to the sound transmission problem. The expressions for impedance and transmission coefficient are also derived. The accuracy of the theoretical predictions is checked against available experimental data. The influence of several key parameters on the sound insulation properties of the orthotropic sandwich panel is then systematically studied, including shear rigidity of the core, face sheet thickness, and core thickness. Numerical analysis shows that shear rigidity has evident effect on coincidence critical frequency and STL property, and should not be neglected when predicting STL. Increasing face sheet thickness can move coincidence critical frequency to lower frequency region and improve STL, which is much more effective than increasing the core thickness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The initial characteristics of the surface layer following the quenching and tempering treatment of ultra-high-strength steel play a significant role in determining the subsequent precision machining. This study focus on investigating the influence of machining processes on the quenching and tempering surface layer. The machining processes affect both the oxidation of the quenching and tempering treatment and the development of a distinct preferred grain orientation. Gradual diminishment of surface abrasions leads to the transformation of the needle-like oxidation pattern into a layered oxidation structure. The preferred orientation of the grains prevents the grains from shear sliding, thereby enhancing the Taylor effect. Formation mechanisms of the microhardness and residual stress of the quenching and tempering surface layer induced by machining processes were also discussed and completely revealed. The microhardness is mainly attributed to the dynamic Hall-Petch effect, while plastic strain, dislocation energy storage, and phase transformation contribute to the residual stress changes. • Formation mechanisms of the quenching and tempering surface layer induced by machining processes were revealed. • Machined surface morphology affects preferred grain orientation preference and austenitization characteristics. • Microhardness of the surface layer induced by machining processes is mainly attributed to the dynamic Hall-Petch effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the role of acupuncture as a pretreatment prior to surgery. The 72-y-old female was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer and suffered from severe anxiety before the operation. The blood pressure of the patient was elevated due to anxiety. With concern regarding the potential risk of planned surgery, the operation was cancelled. Alternatively, acupuncture was used to reduce her blood pressure and relieve the anxiety. Later on, the patient was examined by an anesthetist, who confirmed that the operation could be carried out as planned. Thus, acupuncture is a promising add-on treatment that may stabilize the condition of patients during surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we propose a broadband absorber with high efficiency by an atomic layer depositing nanometer iridium (Ir) film onto a porous anodic alumina (PAA) template. The average absorption is able to achieve as high as 93.4% from 400 to 1100 nm and the absorption efficiency can reach up to 96.8% for the improved structure of the quadrangular frustum pyramid array. Not only the hexagonal latticed structures of the PAA template but also many similar structures based on gratings or holes with the square latticed or other latticed mode can realize the broadband high absorption efficiency. The light absorbed within the Ir/Glass interface and the sidewalls of PAA by the light funneling effect both contribute to the broadband absorption with high efficiency. This absorber, described in this paper, can be manufactured with a low-cost and large-area manner and has potential applications in fields of light harvesting, imaging, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel protocol consisting of peroxidatic reaction and epoxidation process was developed. Besides, a specific continuous extraction apparatus was also employed in the continuous flow synthesis process. Without additional purification, m-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) generated in situ could react with cyclohexene, leading to high quality cyclohexene oxide. In the first stage, m-CPBA was obtained within a few seconds at room temperature by reacting m-chlorobenzoyl chloride with hydrogen peroxide, while cyclohexene oxide was prepared at 30 °C for 10 min in the following stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reflection characteristics of the unit cell, consisting of a subwavelength circular hole and a rigid wall, was discussed theoretically, and it was found that the phase shift of the reflected waves could cover almost 2π span by adjusting the hole radius when the acoustic waves normally impinge on it. Based on the analytical formulas, an acoustic metasurface (AMS) sample constructed by an array of unit cells with different radii was designed and fabricated. The sound pressure fields induced by the sample were then measured through the experimental setup and the reflected field pattern was derived after data processing. Experimental results and COMSOL simulations both demonstrated the fact that the designed AMS has the ability to reflect acoustic waves into an unusual yet controllable direction, verifying the correctness of the theory and design about the AMS in this paper. Simulations also show that the designed AMS has a narrow working bandwidth of 50 Hz around 800 Hz and its total thickness is about 1/8 of the incident wavelength, giving it the potential for the miniaturization and integration of acoustic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we demonstrate an active method which pioneers in utilizing a combination of a spatial frequency shift and a Stokes frequency shift to enable wide-field far-field subdiffraction imaging. A fluorescent nanowire ring acts as a localized source and is combined with a film waveguide to produce omnidirectional illuminating evanescent waves. Benefitting from the high wave vector of illumination, the high spatial frequencies of an object can be shifted to the passband of a conventional imaging system, contributing subwavelength spatial information to the far-field image. A structure featuring 70-nm-wide slots spaced 70 nm apart has been resolved at a wavelength of 520 nm with a 0.85 numerical aperture standard objective based on this method. The versatility of this approach has been demonstrated by imaging integrated chips, Blu-ray DVDs, biological cells, and various subwavelength 2D patterns, with a viewing area of up to 1000 μm2, which is one order of magnitude larger than the previous far-field and full-field nanoscopy methods. This new resolving technique is label-free, is conveniently integrated with conventional microscopes, and can potentially become an important tool in cellular biology, the on-chip industry, as well as other fields requiring wide-field nanoscale visualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]