Provision of modified foods and drinks is one of the approaches for dysphagia management, which is based on the assumption that food with proper texture and rheological properties will allow ...dysphagia patients to swallow safely and maintain adequate nutrition. However, lack of information about the in vivo swallowing process and its interaction with food flow has obstructed the effective management of dysphagia. In the esophageal swallowing stage, masticated food is transported through the esophagus to the stomach by a peristaltic mechanism, which is generated by sequential contraction and relaxation of esophageal muscles. Inspired by this behavior, a soft actuator is proposed to provide a nonrisk environment aiming to facilitate investigations of the most effective properties of food for the management of the swallowing disorders. The wave-like motion is first specified according to the in vivo measurement of human esophageal peristalsis. Finite-element analysis simulations are carried out to aid the structure design before prototype manufacture. Constructed by casting silicon rubber in a three-dimensional (3-D) printed customized mold, the novel actuator has soft structure resembling its human counterpart, which has a flexible muscular structure. Multiple layers of inflatable chambers are embedded and distributed along the axis of a food passage regularly, which locates at the center of the actuator. The actuator is capable of generating a peristaltic wave and pushing a bolus along the passage. The closure of the tube and the velocity of the propagation wave are going to be adjusted to achieve the trajectories recorded experimentally, by regulating the compressed air pressure pumped into chambers actively.
We discover a pair of spin-polarized surface bands on the (111) face of grey arsenic by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). In the occupied side, the pair resembles typical ...nearly-free-electron Shockley states observed on noble-metal surfaces. However, pump-probe ARPES reveals that the spin-polarized pair traverses the bulk band gap and that the crossing of the pair at Γover ¯ is topologically unavoidable. First-principles calculations well reproduce the bands and their nontrivial topology; the calculations also support that the surface states are of Shockley type because they arise from a band inversion caused by crystal field. The results provide compelling evidence that topological Shockley states are realized on As(111).
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
The WRKY transcription factors function in plant growth and development, and response to the biotic and abiotic stresses. Although many studies have focused on the functional identification of the ...WRKY transcription factors, much less is known about molecular phylogenetic and global expression analysis of the complete WRKY family in maize. In this study, we identified 136 WRKY proteins coded by 119 genes in the B73 inbred line from the complete genome and named them in an orderly manner. Then, a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of five species was performed to explore the origin and evolutionary patterns of these WRKY genes, and the result showed that gene duplication is the major driving force for the origin of new groups and subgroups and functional divergence during evolution. Chromosomal location analysis of maize WRKY genes indicated that 20 gene clusters are distributed unevenly in the genome. Microarray-based expression analysis has revealed that 131 WRKY transcripts encoded by 116 genes may participate in the regulation of maize growth and development. Among them, 102 transcripts are stably expressed with a coefficient of variation (CV) value of <15%. The remaining 29 transcripts produced by 25 WRKY genes with the CV value of >15% are further analysed to discover new organ- or tissue-specific genes. In addition, microarray analyses of transcriptional responses to drought stress and fungal infection showed that maize WRKY proteins are involved in stress responses. All these results contribute to a deep probing into the roles of WRKY transcription factors in maize growth and development and stress tolerance.
Background
Serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STICs) have been documented in high‐grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSOCs). However, the rate of association between STICs and HGSOCs and, ...therefore, the fraction of HGSOCs that are likely to have originated from the fallopian tube (FT), has remained unclear.
Objective
To appraise the literature describing the association between STICs and established HGSOCs.
Search strategy
Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched.
Selection criteria
Studies were included if they evaluated the frequency of STICs in HGSOCs, and were published in an English peer‐reviewed journal.
Data collection and analysis
Appropriate studies were evaluated for their compliance with the ‘Strengthening and Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)’ criteria.
Main results
Ten articles met the study selection criteria. The reported coexistence between STICs and HGSOCs ranged from 11% to 61% (mean: 31%, 95% CI: 17–46%). STICs were rarely found in other gynaecological cancers. Small sample size, lack of objective criteria to identify STICs and the retrospective nature of the studies contributed to the variability in reporting the rate of the association.
Conclusions
STICs were identified commonly in the FTs of women with HGSOC. Finding the true rate of association between STICs and HGSOCs will require further investigations. While there is evidence that a fraction of HGSOCs arise from the FTs, an accurate estimate of that fraction remains to be determined. The lack of an accurate estimate of the association makes it difficult to evaluate the potential magnitude of reduction of HGSOCs following prophylactic salpingectomy.
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A systematic review of the incidence of STICs in HGSOCs identifies significant methodological inconsistencies.
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A systematic review of the incidence of STICs in HGSOCs identifies significant methodological inconsistencies.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
In this ISSI-supported series of studies on magnetic helicity in the Sun, we systematically implement different magnetic helicity calculation methods on high-quality solar magnetogram ...observations. We apply finite-volume, discrete flux tube (in particular, connectivity-based) and flux-integration methods to data from Hinode’s Solar Optical Telescope. The target is NOAA Active Region 10930 during a 1.5-day interval in 2006 December that included a major eruptive flare (SOL2006-12-13T02:14X3.4). Finite-volume and connectivity-based methods yield instantaneous budgets of the coronal magnetic helicity, while the flux-integration methods allow an estimate of the accumulated helicity injected through the photosphere. The objectives of our work are twofold: a cross-validation of methods, as well as an interpretation of the complex events leading to the eruption. To the first objective, we find (i) strong agreement among the finite-volume methods, (ii) a moderate agreement between the connectivity-based and finite-volume methods, (iii) an excellent agreement between the flux-integration methods, and (iv) an overall agreement between finite-volume- and flux-integration-based estimates regarding the predominant sign and magnitude of the helicity. To the second objective, we are confident that the photospheric helicity flux significantly contributed to the coronal helicity budget and that a right-handed structure erupted from a predominantly left-handed corona during the X-class flare. Overall, we find that the use of different methods to estimate the (accumulated) coronal helicity may be necessary in order to draw a complete picture of an active region corona, given the careful handling of identified data (preparation) issues, which otherwise would mislead the event analysis and interpretation.
Highlights • Strong evidence of brain gray matter decrease occurred in migraine. • GM loss in the right posterior insula, left PFC and ACC was identified. • Higher female ratio in the patient sample ...correlated with GM loss in right DLPFC.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with a higher complication rate and a greater cost when compared to primary TKA. Based on patient choice, referral, or patient transfers, revision ...TKAs are often performed in different institutions by different surgeons than the primary TKA. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of hospital size, teaching status, and revision indication on the migration patterns of failed primary TKA in patients 65 years of age and older.
All primary and revision TKAs reported to the American Joint Replacement Registry from January 2012 through March 2020 were included and merged with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database. Migration was defined as a patient having a primary TKA and revision TKA performed at separate institutions by different surgeons.
In total, 9167 linked primary and revision TKAs were included in the analysis. Overall migration rates were significantly higher from small (<100 beds; P = .019), non-teaching institutions (P = .002) driven primarily by patients diagnosed with infection. Infection patients had significantly higher migration rates from small (46.8%, P < .001), non-teaching (43.5%, P < .001) institutions, while migration rates for other causes of revision were statistically similar. Most patients migrated to medium or large institutions (84.7%) for revision TKA rather than small institutions (15.3%, P < .001) and to teaching (78.3%) rather than non-teaching institutions (21.7%, P < .001).
There is a diagnosis-dependent referral bias that affects the migration rates of infected primary TKA from small non-teaching institutions leading to a flow of more medically complex patients to medium and large teaching institutions for infected revision TKA.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Owing to load variations, the power tracking of fuel cells in automotive applications is emphasized. We address the control strategies to meet varying power demands while optimizing system ...efficiency. Based on the control‐oriented proton exchange membrane fuel cell model, the relative gain array is analyzed to determine variable parings in control design. As the dynamics of two control variables are different, a cascade control architecture is adopted. A feedforward‐feedback composite control is used to achieve fast response and eliminate the stable error. To avoid oxygen starvation at power transients, an oxygen excess ratio constrained strategy is proposed to limit the load current if there is lack of reaction oxygen. A mixed‐sensitivity synthesis is applied to suppress parameter perturbation and improve system robustness. To further suppress the fluctuations of the oxygen excess ratio and achieve the maximum system efficiency, an oxygen excess ratio invariant strategy is developed, which coordinates load current with airflow. A comparative study is conducted, with two scenarios of power tracking and fuel cell degradation. The results show that the mixed‐sensitivity strategy has a fast response in power tracking and effective perturbation suppression performance, while the oxygen excess ratio invariant strategy maximizes the system efficiency.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
•The nanoscale structural heterogeneity was analyzed by small-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy.•The microalloying of Co and Ni exhibits an opposite effect on the nanoscale ...structural heterogeneity.•The variation of mechanical behavior further proves the evolution of the nanoscale structural heterogeneity with Co and Ni substitution.•The evolution of magnetic properties induced by microalloying can be attributed to the variation of nanoscale structural heterogeneity.
Nanoscale structural heterogeneity is a critical parameter for understanding the structure-property relationships in amorphous alloys. Herein, the small-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy were utilized to quantitatively investigate the nanoscale structural heterogeneity of the Fe80-xMxSi9B11 (M = Co and Ni; x = 0, 2, 4) amorphous alloys. The results show that the nanoscale structural heterogeneity of the amorphous alloys increases prominently with Ni substitution, but gradually decreases with the increase of Co content. Such evolution of structural heterogeneity was further verified by the changes in mechanical behavior. The microalloying of Ni can increase the plastic deformation ability and reduce the microhardness, whereas an opposite effect is found in the Co-doped alloys. Finally, Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals an enhancement in ferromagnetic exchange interaction and magnetic anisotropy with Co substitution, while the microalloying of Ni leads to a deteriorative result. Such variations in magnetic properties can be attributed to the evolution of nanoscale structural heterogeneity with Co and Ni additions. Our observation serves as a link between the nanoscale structural heterogeneity and magnetic properties, providing a new sight into understanding the structural origin of the changes in magnetic properties of Fe-based amorphous alloys.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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