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Separation of Cs/Sr is one of many coordination-chemistry-centered processes in the grand scheme of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, a critical link for a sustainable nuclear energy industry. To deploy a crystallizing Cs/Sr separation technology, we planned to systematically screen and identify candidate ligands that can efficiently and selectively bind to Sr

At present, there are some new research ideas in the design of luffing mechanism of portal crane, such as genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm. The development of design software adopts Visual C++ or Visual Basic, MATLAB and other tools. These methods are advanced but inefficient because extra time and cost are required. This paper proposes a modern design method to complete the optimization of the four-bar luffing mechanism in the portal crane, which can simplify the calculation and improve the efficiency. The motion track description and mechanical properties of the four-bar luffing mechanism are obtained by the geometric analysis and the load analysis. The luffing curves, which can be re-drawn by modifying the initial parameters, are given to verify the optimized results. Results demonstrate that the modern design method can accomplish the optimal design effectively without extra time and cost, and this finding will be provided as the design guidance for the luffing mechanism.

In today’s design — manufacturing context, designers often modify existing 3D shapes (or design models) instead of creating a new design from scratch. This requires the ability to search an existing database of designs/3D models to identify and extract similar designs. Shape Retrieval Tools (SRTs) have been developed to provide an essential role in saving time and effort to retrieve and generate new designs. The capabilities of commercially available SRTs vary based on the form of the input design model, the search technique or algorithm used, the search/retrieval time, ease of use, and the quality of results. The focus of this paper is to study of their capabilities, performances, and differences and develop criteria to compare the effectiveness and performance of such Shape Retrieval Tools. Current search evaluation methods, such as precision and recall, are based on human interpretation of the results. This paper presents a holistic set of metrics for comparing the performance and effectiveness of SRTs, including data input options (to search), effectiveness of the search process, the associated retrieval time, overall ease of use, and additional data retrieval details. An algorithm is proposed to objectively analyze the search results based on the proposed Model Match Ratio (MMR), computed by the variance between the input and retrieved geometries. The search results are usually presented in a rank order list. A Precision Sequence Metric (PSM) is developed to evaluate the retrieved list by ranking the retrieved results based on the MMR for evaluating the quality of the search. The proposed evaluation algorithm was tested on several design models (and their subsequent retrieval results) involving three SRTs (Vizseek, Geolus, and CADENAS); the results of the comparison of the performance of these SRTs are discussed in this paper.

The fiber Bragg grating sensor is widely used in strain monitoring of large metal structure and trend to replace the resistance strain gauge due to its advantages of strong stability, high measurement accuracy, multiple points measuring, strong environmental suitability and long transmission distance. The temperature-induced strain, which can have the same order of magnitudes as the mechanically-induced strain, will cause great errors in the strain monitoring. Therefore, the temperature compensation for the sensors is essential to guarantee the measurement accuracy. The existing theoretical models and experiment platforms for analyzing the temperature compensation are established by assuming that the testing temperature is constant. However, the surrounding temperature of some large metal structure is not stable, and the effect of temperature change cannot be neglected. This paper aims to establish an analytic model and an experiment platform to compare the temperature compensation of the fiber bragg grating sensor and the resistance strain gauge. The superiority of the temperature compensation for the fiber bragg grating sensor is verified. The result provides theoretical support for choosing the fiber bragg grating sensor in the long-time strain monitoring.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) presents a more extensive allowable design complexity and manufacturability compared with the traditional manufacturing processes by depositing materials in a layer-wised manner. However, the process variability in the LPBF process induces quality uncertainty and inconsistency. Specifically, the mechanical properties, e.g., tensile strength, are hard to be predicted and controlled in the LPBF process. Much research has recently been reported exploring the qualitative influence of single/two process parameters on tensile strength. In fact, mechanical properties are comprehensively affected by multiple correlated process parameters with unclear and complex interactions. Thus, the study on the quantitative process-quality model of the metal LPBF process is urgently needed to provide an enough-strength component via the metal LPBF process. Recent progress in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) provides new insight into quality prediction in terms of computational accuracy and speed. However, the predictive model quality through the traditional AL/ML is heavily determined by the training data size, and the experimental analysis can be expansive on LPBF. This paper explores the comprehensive effect of the tensile strength of 316L stainless-steel parts on LPBF and proposes a valid quantitative predictive model through a novel self-growing machine-learning framework. The self-growing framework can autonomously expand and classify the growing dataset to provide a high-accuracy prediction with fewer input data. To verify this predictive model of tensile strength, specimens manufactured by the LPBF process with different group process parameters (laser power, scanning speed, and hatch spacing) are collected. The experimental results validate the predicted tensile strengths within a less than 3% deviation.

To discover effective analgesics, we summarize the synthesis, optimization, and pharmacological anti-nociceptive effects of a novel series of benzoxazole derivatives targeting H

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, was introduced to design complicated structures/geometries that overcome the manufacturability limitations of traditional manufacturing processes. However, like any other manufacturing technique, AM also has its limitations, such as the need of support structures for overhangs, long build time etc. To overcome these limitations of 3D printing, 4D printing was introduced, which utilizes smart materials and processes to create shapeshifting structures with the external stimuli, such as temperature, humidity, magnetism, etc. The state-of-the-art 4D printing technology focuses on the “form” of the 4D prints through the multi-material variability. However, the quantitative morphing analysis is largely absent in the existing literature on 4D printing. In this research, the inherited material anisotropic behaviors from the AM processes are utilized to drive the morphing behaviors. In addition, the quantitative morphing analysis is performed for designing and controlling the shapeshifting. A material–process–performance 4D printing prediction framework has been developed through a novel dual-way multi-dimensional machine learning model. The morphing evaluation metrics, bending angle and curvature, are obtained and archived at 99% and 93.5% R2, respectively. Based on the proposed method, the material and production time consumption can be reduced by around 65–90%, which justifies that the proposed method can re-imagine the digital–physical production cycle.

The integration of Topology optimization (TO) and Generative Design (GD) with additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming advent methods to lightweight parts while maintaining performance under the same loading conditions. However, these models from TO or GD are not in a form that they can be easily edited in a 3D CAD modeling system. These geometries are generally in a form with no surface/plane information, thus having non-editable features. Direct fabricate these non-feature-based designs and their inherent characteristics would lead to non-desired part qualities in terms of shape, GD&T, and mechanical properties. Current commercial software always requires a significant amount of manual work by experienced CAD users to generate a feature-based CAD model from non-feature-based designs for AM and performance simulation. This paper presents fully automated shaping algorithms for building parametric feature-based 3D models from non-feature-based designs for AM. Starting from automatically decomposing the given geometry into “formable” volumes, which is defined as a sweeping feature in the CAD modeling system, each decomposed volume will be described with 2D profiles and sweeping directions for modeling. The Boolean of modeled components will be the final parametric shape. The volumetric difference between the final parametric form and the original geometry is also provided to prove the effectiveness and efficiency of this automatic shaping methodology. Besides, the performance of the parametric models is being simulated to testify the functionality.

With high permeability and low modulus, the cellular substrate can achieve larger elastic stretchability and better wearing comfort than the solid substrate used for stretchable electronics. Since the porosity of the cellular substrate is a dimensionless ratio value, a fixed porosity can result in innumerable cell sizes. And different cell sizes will bring different stiffness, which has a strong impact on the elastic stretchability of stretchable electronics. In this paper, a numerical model is established for a particular structure where the serpentine interconnect is bonded on cellular substrates with the fixed porosity ( ϕ = 80 % ). Eight different cell sizes are selected for this porosity and two stretching directions, along and normal to the cell walls, are studied. Base on the results from the model, the curves of elastic stretchability versus the ratio of wall width to serpentine width ratio ( δ / w ) can be obtained. Results demonstrate that the appropriate ratio δ / w ≈ 1 yields significantly larger elastic stretchability than other cell sizes of cellular substrates. This finding can provide an engineering design regulation for stretchable electronics based on cellular substrates.

Operators of hand tractors are exposed to high levels of hand transmitted vibration (HTV). This vibration, which can be both irksome and hazardous to human health, is imparted to the operator via his or her hands and arms. However, a standardized method for measuring HTV of hand tractors has yet to be defined. The aim of the study was to present an experimental method for the investigation of the biodynamic response and vibration transmissibility of the hand-arm system during the operation of a hand tractor in a stationary mode. Measurements were performed with ten subjects using three grip forces and three handle vibration levels to examine the influences of the hand pressure and frequency on hand transmitted vibration (HTV). The results indicate that the tightness of grip on the handle influences the vibration response of the hand-arm system, especially at frequencies between 20 and 100 Hz. The transmission of lower frequencies in the hand-arm system was relatively unattenuated. In comparison, attenuation was found to be quite marked for higher frequencies during the operation of the hand tractor. The vibration transmissibility to different parts of the hand-arm system decreased with the increase of the distance from the vibration source. The proposed methodology contributes to the collection of consistent data for the evaluation of operator vibration exposure and the ergonomics development of hand tractors.

Objective To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of a modified reduced-dose rituximab (mRTX) regimen compared with azathioprine (AZA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in Chinese patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Methods In this retrospective cohort study, 71 patients with NMOSD were treated with AZA (n = 24), MMF (n = 18), or mRTX (n = 29). The primary outcome was initial relapse after first-line immunosuppressant therapy. The annualized relapse rate (ARR), expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score, activities of daily living (ADL) scale score, and treatment-related adverse events were compared between groups. Results Significant ARR reductions were observed in the three groups, with relapse-free rates of 37.5%, 72.2%, and 79.3% in the AZA, MMF, and RTX groups, respectively. Compared with AZA, mRTX and MMF significantly reduced the NMOSD relapse risk. Relapse within 1 year before immunosuppressant therapy or ARR before immunosuppressant therapy increased the NMOSD relapse risk. mRTX and MMF were superior to AZA in reducing the EDSS score and increasing the ADL score, but there was no significant difference between the mRTX and MMF groups. Additionally, mRTX-treated patients were less likely to use steroids concurrently than those treated with AZA and MMF. The adverse event rate in the AZA group was relatively higher than that in the MMF and mRTX groups, though no significant difference was noted among the three groups. Conclusions Compared with AZA, mRTX and MMF significantly reduced the NMOSD relapse risk. mRTX-treated patients presented less concomitant steroid use than those treated with AZA and MMF, fewer adverse events, and better tolerance.

Background Immune factors are found to be involved in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke. However, the clinical role of the immune system in stroke remains unclear. Our study was designed to investigate the correlation between immunocytes (T cell, B cell, NK cell), complements and stroke severity. Methods 236 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke were included in our study and divided to mild, moderate and severe groups according to NHISS score at stroke onset. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to assess short-term prognosis 3 months after stroke. We also collected clinical data and test circulating T cells, CD8 + T cells, CD4 + T cells, B cells, NK cells, C3, C4, complement factor B (CFB) of each patient. Results We found NK cell(p = 0. 015), CFB (p = 0. 007), C3 (p = 0. 035) were significantly elevated in groups with higher NHISS score. CD4 + T cell (p = 0. 009), T cell (p = 0. 001) were decreased in groups with higher NHISS score. In multivariate logistic regression, CFB and C3 were independently associated with severity of stroke. CD4 + T cell, NK cell, T cell were independently associated with severe ischemic stroke. NK cell (p = 0.049), CFB (p = 0.035), C4 (p = 0.028) are were significantly higher in groups with higher mRS score. In binary analyses, CFB (p = 0.009, OR: 1.056, 95%CI: 1.014–1.099), C4 (p = 0.011, OR: 134.444, 95%CI: 3.115-5803.504) were independently associated with prognosis at 3 months after stroke adjusting onset. Conclusions Elevated circulating CFB was correlated with both severe symptom at stroke onset and worse prognosis. It indicates that CFB may be a predictor of stroke severity and prognosis. Reduced T cell counts, elevated C3 and NK cell were associated with severe symptom at stroke onset. C4 was associated with short-term prognosis.

Hybrid Manufacturing (HM) combining Additive Manufacturing (AM) and subtractive machining (SM) technologies have recently been introduced and have the potential to address the shortcomings of AM, such as the poor surface finish and requires post-processing of the support structures. One such example of an HM machine is the DMG Mori Lasertec 65. These 5-axis HM machines allow for rapid deposition of material during additive manufacturing and address the issues of feature resolution, surface finish, and tolerances by subtractive machining. Additionally, these processes allow for the creation of complex geometries not possible with standard 5-axis machining. Process planning for HM is a reasonably complex manual task and could benefit from automation. Critical steps in process planning are the decomposition of the part into additive and subtractive features, sequencing all features and assigning the tool-paths for these features. This paper presents algorithms for decomposing the part and sequencing the additive and subtractive features in an automated manner, paving the way for a fully automated system for HM. Examples of a wide range of parts demonstrating the capability of the algorithm are presented.

Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals officially retracts the paper entitled, “The Effect of PTCH1 on Ovarian Cancer Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis,” by Fang Zheng, Xinyi Xiao, and Chunmei W...

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy exhibits desirable and robust efficacy in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Stimulated by the revolutionized progress in the use of FDA-approved CD19 CAR T cells, novel agents with CAR designs and targets are being produced in pursuit of superior performance. However, on the path from bench to bedside, new challenges emerge. Accessibility is considered the initial barrier to the transformation of this patient-specific product into a commercially available product. To ensure infusion safety, profound comprehension of adverse events and proactive intervention are required. Additionally, resistance and relapse are the most critical and intractable issues in CAR T-cell therapy for ALL, thus precluding its further development. Understanding the limitations through up-to-date insights and characterizing multiple strategies will be critical to leverage CAR T-cell therapy flexibly for use in clinical situations. Herein, we provide an overview of the application of CAR T-cell therapy in ALL, emphasizing the main challenges and potential clinical strategies in an effort to promote a standardized set of treatment paradigms for ALL.

Traditionally Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a two-dimensional layer-by-layer material deposition process which requires building the support structures along with the build of the desired model. Removal of the support structures is costly and time-consuming, especially for metal parts. Using a five-axis deposition machine has the potential to build structures without the need for supports. However, there is a lack of automated process planning software to support the full use of five-axis machines. This paper introduces an automated method that allows reorienting the part during the build using a five-axis machine. The reorientations still allow the part to be built using traditional planar deposition but without the use of supports. This requires that the part be decomposed into sub volumes, such that each sub volume has its build direction and can be built with planar layers without support structures. This paper presents algorithms to determine the sub-volumes, their orientations, and sequence, which form the major components of the process plan for manufacturing. The process plan is generated by sequencing the decomposed volumes while ensuring a lack of local collision with previously deposited volumes. An added benefit of this automated process is the ability to evaluate the feasibility of building the part in a support free manner. This can provide feedback to the designer on the support free manufacturability of the part. Examples illustrating the methodology and establishing the viability of the decomposition strategy are presented to verify the effectiveness of the algorithms.

Patched (PTCH1) is an important receptor protein in the Hedgehog pathway and plays a tumor suppressor role in a variety of tumors. This study was to detect the expression of PTCH1 in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues to analyze the relationship between expression of PTCH1 and prognosis, and to explore its role in regulating OC cell proliferation and apoptosis.OC tissues and normal ovarian tissues were collected to detect PTCH1 expression. SKOV3, A2780, Caov3, and IOSE80 cells were cultured in vitro to test PTCH1 expression. pIRES2-Scramble and pIRES2-PTCH1 were transfected into SKOV3 and A2780 cells, respectively. PTCH1 and Gli1 expressions were detected by western blot. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Cell proliferation was assessed by EdU staining.PTCH1 expression was significantly decreased in OC tissue compared with normal ovarian tissue and was associated with tumor size, TNM stage, and pathological grade (p 0.05). The prognosis of patients with low PTCH1 expression was obviously worse than that of patients with high PTCH1 expression. The expression of PTCH1 in OC SKOV3, A2780, and Caov3 cells was markedly lower than that in normal ovarian epithelial IOSE80 cells. Transfection of pIRES2-PTCH1 apparently upregulated PTCH1 level, inhibited GLI1 expression and cell proliferation, and promoted apoptosis of SKOV3 and A2780 cells.PTCH1 level in OC was abnormally decreased and related to prognosis. Overexpression of PTCH1 inhibited GLI1 expression, attenuated OC cell proliferation, and induced apoptosis, suggesting that manipulation of PTCH1 expression might be a novel approach for the treatment of OC.

A heterogeneous object (HO) refers to a solid component consisting of two or more material primitives distributed either continuously or discontinuously within the object. HOs are commonly divided into three categories. The first category has distinct material domains separating the different materials. The second, called functionally graded materials (FGMs), has continuous variation of material composition that produces gradient in material properties. The third category allows for any combinations of the first two categories within the same part. Modeling and manufacturing of HOs has recently generated more interest due to the advent of additive manufacturing (AM) technology that makes it possible to build such parts. Directed energy deposition (DED) processes have the potential for depositing multiple powdered materials in various compositions in the process of creating a single layer of material. To make this possible, tool paths that provide proper positioning of the deposition head and proper control over the material composition are required. This paper presents an approach for automatically generating the toolpath for any type of HO considering the material composition changes that are required on each layer. The toolpath generation takes into account the physical limitations of the machine associated with powder delivery and ability to continually grade the materials. Simulation results using the toolpath generation methodology are demonstrated by several example parts.

Copolymerization of propargylether having antipyrine group (PT) and N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-l-valine-N-propargylamide (LA) was conducted with (nbd)Rh+[η6-C6H5B−(C6H5)3] as a catalyst to obtain novel antipyrine-functionalized chiral copolymer. The controllable secondary structure of the copolymers by different unit ratio or solvent environment led to a controlled fluorescence of the side-chain antipyrine. Poly(LA88-co-PT12) exhibited a large specific rotation and a circular dichroism (CD) signal, while it emitted very stronger fluorescence. From CD and ultraviolet–visible spectra, the regular structure of poly(LA88-co-PT12) was destroyed, and the random coil was formed with temperature increase. The helical conformation of poly(LA75-co-PT25) disappeared by the addition of MeOH to CHCl3 solution, while the fluorescence signal also became weaker than in CHCl3 solution. It is suggested that the copolymer conformation much influenced the performance of chromophores. In the present study, the helix conformation could induce fluorescence enhancement. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lung cancer has become the highest incidence and mortality of malignant tumors in China and even the world. It is truly the “first killer of cancer”. Pulmonary nodules are the early manifestation of lung cancer. Early detection, early treatment and early diagnosis of pulmonary nodules can greatly reduce the mortality of lung cancer. Due to their different sizes and complex structures, it is difficult for doctors to recognize the specific characteristics of pulmonary nodules. In order to help doctors detect and analyse pulmonary nodules faster and more accurately, based on deep learning, this paper proposed a new method to detect pulmonary nodules by cascades of improved VGG network model and improved Resnet network model. The improved network was evaluated on the LIDC-IDRI database, and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the model, which can help doctors accurately and effectively detect pulmonary nodules.

Passive control and semi-active control of vibration in mechanical systems have recently successfully been used in automobiles and airplanes suspension systems. These control techniques are able to guarantee the performances of all vibration structures. Unfortunately, the knowledge and data has not been readily applied to human prosthetics. The information collected can be directly applied to accelerate research into dampening for prosthetics. A focus of this paper is on modeling and controlling vibrations by a given impulse onto prosthetic legs. Simulations of using passive control and idealized skyhook dampening are using Matlab to complete. Through model analysis, control variable, simulation procedures and comparison of two modeling, the models have been refined and with idealized skyhook dampening suspension provide significant improvement of the body characteristics compared with passive suspensions.

As port cranes becoming larger, the electricity and other energy they consumed increase significantly. The research on energy saving of port cranes is increasingly hot nowadays. This paper first discusses the latest research activities on the energy saving measures of cranes. Then, taking the quayside container crane as an example, the measuring method for its energy consumption is presented and analyzed. Finally, an energy saving device for port cranes is designed to convert the motor’s no useful working energy into electricity for lighting. The design, structures and working process of this device are described in detail.