Magnetic fields have an important role in the evolution of interstellar medium and star formation
. As the only direct probe of interstellar field strength, credible Zeeman measurements remain sparse ...owing to the lack of suitable Zeeman probes, particularly for cold, molecular gas
. Here we report the detection of a magnetic field of +3.8 ± 0.3 microgauss through the H I narrow self-absorption (HINSA)
towards L1544
-a well-studied prototypical prestellar core in an early transition between starless and protostellar phases
characterized by a high central number density
and a low central temperature
. A combined analysis of the Zeeman measurements of quasar H I absorption, H I emission, OH emission and HINSA reveals a coherent magnetic field from the atomic cold neutral medium (CNM) to the molecular envelope. The molecular envelope traced by the HINSA is found to be magnetically supercritical, with a field strength comparable to that of the surrounding diffuse, magnetically subcritical CNM despite a large increase in density. The reduction of the magnetic flux relative to the mass, which is necessary for star formation, thus seems to have already happened during the transition from the diffuse CNM to the molecular gas traced by the HINSA. This is earlier than envisioned in the classical picture where magnetically supercritical cores capable of collapsing into stars form out of magnetically subcritical envelopes
.
The aim of this joint guideline is to provide evidence-based recommendations to practicing physicians and other healthcare providers on definitive-intent chemoradiotherapy for patients with stage ...II-IVA nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) and ASCO convened an expert panel of radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgery, and advocacy representatives. The literature search included systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials published from 1990 through 2020. Outcomes of interest included survival, distant and locoregional disease control, and quality of life. Expert panel members used this evidence and informal consensus to develop evidence-based guideline recommendations.
The literature search identified 108 relevant studies to inform the evidence base for this guideline. Five overarching clinical questions were addressed, which included subquestions on radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy sequence, and concurrent, induction, and adjuvant chemotherapy options.
Evidence-based recommendations were developed to address aspects of care related to chemotherapy in combination with RT for the definitive-intent treatment of stage II to IVA NPC.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/head-neck-cancer-guidelines.
There is no simple model to screen for Alzheimer's disease, partly because the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease itself is complex-typically involving expensive and sometimes invasive tests not ...commonly available outside highly specialised clinical settings. We aimed to develop a deep learning algorithm that could use retinal photographs alone, which is the most common method of non-invasive imaging the retina to detect Alzheimer's disease-dementia.
In this retrospective, multicentre case-control study, we trained, validated, and tested a deep learning algorithm to detect Alzheimer's disease-dementia from retinal photographs using retrospectively collected data from 11 studies that recruited patients with Alzheimer's disease-dementia and people without disease from different countries. Our main aim was to develop a bilateral model to detect Alzheimer's disease-dementia from retinal photographs alone. We designed and internally validated the bilateral deep learning model using retinal photographs from six studies. We used the EfficientNet-b2 network as the backbone of the model to extract features from the images. Integrated features from four retinal photographs (optic nerve head-centred and macula-centred fields from both eyes) for each individual were used to develop supervised deep learning models and equip the network with unsupervised domain adaptation technique, to address dataset discrepancy between the different studies. We tested the trained model using five other studies, three of which used PET as a biomarker of significant amyloid β burden (testing the deep learning model between amyloid β positive vs amyloid β negative).
12 949 retinal photographs from 648 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 3240 people without the disease were used to train, validate, and test the deep learning model. In the internal validation dataset, the deep learning model had 83·6% (SD 2·5) accuracy, 93·2% (SD 2·2) sensitivity, 82·0% (SD 3·1) specificity, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0·93 (0·01) for detecting Alzheimer's disease-dementia. In the testing datasets, the bilateral deep learning model had accuracies ranging from 79·6% (SD 15·5) to 92·1% (11·4) and AUROCs ranging from 0·73 (SD 0·24) to 0·91 (0·10). In the datasets with data on PET, the model was able to differentiate between participants who were amyloid β positive and those who were amyloid β negative: accuracies ranged from 80·6 (SD 13·4%) to 89·3 (13·7%) and AUROC ranged from 0·68 (SD 0·24) to 0·86 (0·16). In subgroup analyses, the discriminative performance of the model was improved in patients with eye disease (accuracy 89·6% SD 12·5%) versus those without eye disease (71·7% 11·6%) and patients with diabetes (81·9% SD 20·3%) versus those without the disease (72·4% 11·7%).
A retinal photograph-based deep learning algorithm can detect Alzheimer's disease with good accuracy, showing its potential for screening Alzheimer's disease in a community setting.
BrightFocus Foundation.
The PFTK1 gene encodes a cdc2-related serine/threonine protein kinase that has been shown to confer cell migratory properties in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the prognostic value and ...biological mechanism by which PFTK1 promotes HCC motility remain largely unknown. Here, we showed from tissue microarray that common upregulations of PFTK1 in primary HCC tumors (n=133/180) correlated significantly with early age onset (40 years), advance tumor grading and presence of microvascular invasion (P0.05). To understand downstream phosphorylated substrate(s) of PFTK1, phospho-proteins in PFTK1 expressing and knockdown Hep3B cells were profiled by two-dimensional-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis mass spectrometric analysis. Protein identification of differential spots revealed β-actin (ACTB) and transgelin2 (TAGLN2) as the two most profound phosphorylated changes affected by PFTK1. We verified the presence of TAGLN2 serine phosphorylation and ACTB tyrosine phosphorylation. Moreover, reduced TAGLN2 and ACTB phosphorylations in PFTK1-suppressed Hep3B corresponded to distinct actin depolymerizations and marked inhibition on cell invasion and motility. Given that TAGLN2 is a tumor suppressor whose function has been ascribed in cancer metastasis, we examined if TAGLN2 is an intermediate substrate in the biological path of PFTK1. We showed in PFTK1-suppressed cells that knockdown of TAGLN2 over-rode the inhibitory effect on cell invasion and motility, and a recovery on actin polymerization was evident. Interestingly, we also found that unphosphorylated TAGLN2 in PFTK1-suppressed cells elicited strong actin-binding ability, a mechanism that possibly halts the actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Site-directed mutagenesis of TAGLN2 suggested that PFTK1 regulates the actin-binding affinity of TAGLN2 through the S83 and S163 residues, which if mutated can significantly affect HCC cell motility. Taken together, our data propose a novel, oncogene-tumor suppressor interplay, where oncogenic PFTK1 confers HCC cell motility through inactivating the actin-binding motile suppressing function of TAGLN2 via phosphorylation.
Background & Aims Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are becoming more common in Asia, but epidemiologic data are lacking. The Asia-Pacific Crohn’s and Colitis Epidemiology Study aimed to determine ...the incidence and phenotype of IBD in 8 countries across Asia and in Australia. Methods We performed a prospective, population-based study of IBD incidence in predefined catchment areas, collecting data for 1 year, starting on April 1, 2011. New cases were ascertained from multiple overlapping sources and entered into a Web-based database. Cases were confirmed using standard criteria. Local endoscopy, pathology, and pharmacy records were searched to ensure completeness of case capture. Results We identified 419 new cases of IBD (232 of ulcerative colitis UC, 166 of Crohn’s disease CD, and 21 IBD-undetermined). The crude annual overall incidence values per 100,000 individuals were 1.37 for IBD in Asia (95% confidence interval: 1.25−1.51; 0.76 for UC, 0.54 for CD, and 0.07 for IBD-undetermined) and 23.67 in Australia (95% confidence interval: 18.46−29.85; 7.33 for UC, 14.00 for CD, and 2.33 for IBD-undetermined). China had the highest incidence of IBD in Asia (3.44 per 100,000 individuals). The ratios of UC to CD were 2.0 in Asia and 0.5 in Australia. Median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 5.5 months (interquartile range, 1.4−15 months). Complicated CD (stricturing, penetrating, or perianal disease) was more common in Asia than Australia (52% vs 24%; P = .001), and a family history of IBD was less common in Asia (3% vs 17%; P < .001). Conclusions We performed a large-scale population-based study and found that although the incidence of IBD varies throughout Asia, it is still lower than in the West. IBD can be as severe or more severe in Asia than in the West. The emergence of IBD in Asia will result in the need for specific health care resources, and offers a unique opportunity to study etiologic factors in developing nations.
Chemically stable quantum‐confined 2D metals are of interest in next‐generation nanoscale quantum devices. Bottom‐up design and synthesis of such metals could enable the creation of materials with ...tailored, on‐demand, electronic and optical properties for applications that utilize tunable plasmonic coupling, optical nonlinearity, epsilon‐near‐zero behavior, or wavelength‐specific light trapping. In this work, it is demonstrated that the electronic, superconducting, and optical properties of air‐stable 2D metals can be controllably tuned by the formation of alloys. Environmentally robust large‐area 2D‐InxGa1−x alloys are synthesized byConfinement Heteroepitaxy (CHet). Near‐complete solid solubility is achieved with no evidence of phase segregation, and the composition is tunable over the full range of x by changing the relative elemental composition of the precursor. The optical and electronic properties directly correlate with alloy composition, wherein the dielectric function, band structure, superconductivity, and charge transfer from the metal to graphene are all controlled by the indium/gallium ratio in the 2D metal layer.
Air‐stable large‐area 2D‐InxGa1−x alloys with tunable composition and no evidence of phase segregation are realized by confinement heteroepitaxy. The optical and electronic properties directly correlate with alloy composition, wherein the dielectric function, band structure, superconductivity, and charge transfer from the metal to graphene are all controlled by the indium/gallium ratio in the 2D metal layer.
This paper is aimed to present a fuzzy decision-making approach to deal with the supplier selection problem in supply chain system. During recent years, how to determine suitable suppliers in the ...supply chain has become a key strategic consideration. However, the nature of these decisions usually is complex and unstructured. In general, many quantitative and qualitative factors such as quality, price, and flexibility and delivery performance must be considered to determine suitable suppliers. In this paper, linguistic values are used to assess the ratings and weights for these factors. These linguistic ratings can be expressed in trapezoidal or triangular fuzzy numbers. Then, a hierarchy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) model based on fuzzy-sets theory is proposed to deal with the supplier selection problems in the supply chain system. According to the concept of the TOPSIS, a closeness coefficient is defined to determine the ranking order of all suppliers by calculating the distances to the both fuzzy positive-ideal solution (FPIS) and fuzzy negative-ideal solution (FNIS) simultaneously. Finally, an example is shown to highlight the procedure of the proposed method at the end of this paper. This paper shows that the proposed model is very well suited as a decision-making tool for supplier selection decisions.
•We test how overall online gamers’ teamwork knowledge and overall team participation experience affect their commitment.•Overall teamwork knowledge enhances norm compliance; overall team ...participation experience enhances team identification.•Both norm compliance and team identification contribute to gamers’ team commitment.
Online games are highly popular applications. While online gamers actively participate in gaming teams, no study has yet explored whether gamers have sufficient teamwork knowledge and have accumulated sufficient team participation experience. These likely strengthen team commitment, but we do not know, indicating a research gap. Research filling this gap could shed light on useful means for enhancing gamers’ team commitment. Grounded in social identity theory, we theorize the mechanism that links gamers’ overall gaming team participation experience and overall gaming teamwork knowledge to their team commitment. We collect two-wave data from 344 online gamers that have played massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and use structural equation modelling for data analysis. We find that overall team participation experience is positively related to gaming team identification, while overall teamwork knowledge is positively related to compliance with gaming team norms. Both team identification and norm compliance are positively related to gaming team commitment. This study is the first to clarify the mechanism underlying the impacts of overall gaming team participation experience and overall gaming teamwork knowledge on gamers’ team commitment. Our findings provide the practical insight that game designers should incorporate game features that require or reward gamers’ participation in gaming teams or enhance gaming teamwork knowledge, thus strengthening gamers’ team commitment.
PurposeOnline gamers form communities and offer game makers various revenue sources. Gamers' continual revenue contributions should depend on their commitment to gaming communities (CGC), where they ...rely heavily on communication media that carry rich information or provide enhanced media richness. However, no study has yet examined how to use the four elements of media richness to fuel gamers' CGC, revealing a research gap. Seeking to fill this gap, this study constructs a research framework and formulates hypotheses based on media richness theory (MRT).Design/methodology/approachThis study obtained responses from 1,971 online gamers and applied structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses.FindingsThis study finds that the four media richness elements have selective impacts on network convergence and interdependence that result in CGC. Moreover, compared with interdependence, network convergence has a stronger impact on CGC.Originality/valueThe findings offer online game makers insights that will enable them to design the communication functions in games to support the formation of strongly connected gamer communities. Moreover, the findings advance MRT by showing its ability to explain the formation of online gaming communities.
Background. Since 1986, researchers have noted a syndrome of Klebsiella pneumoniae pyogenic liver abscess that is complicated by endophthalmitis or central nervous system infections. There are ...limited data regarding the role of bacterial genotype in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 177 cases of K. pneumoniae pyogenic liver abscess treated during 1997–2005 at a tertiary university hospital in Taiwan. We performed bacterial cps genotyping by polymerase chain reaction detection of serotype-specific alleles at wzy and wzx loci and used an in vitro serum assay to evaluate the virulence of bacterial strains. Results. Septic ocular or central nervous system complications developed in 23 patients (13%). Logistic regression analysis showed that genotype K1 was the only significant risk factor (adjusted odds ratio, 4.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–15.7, P = .009). The serum resistance assay indicated that, on average, K1 strains (n = 100) were significantly more virulent than were strains of K2 (n = 36), K20/K5/K54 (n = 21), or other genotypes (n = 20) (P <t; .001 for each comparison). In addition to the serotype-specific cps region, the genomic background of K1 strains also differed significantly from that of non-K1 strains (20-kb kfu/PTS region, 97/100 vs. 13/77; P <t; .001). of the 19 cases in which genotype K1 strains caused complications, 8 patients (42%) did not have identifiable underlying medical diseases. Conclusions. K. pneumoniae genotype K1 is an emerging pathogen capable of causing catastrophic septic ocular or central nervous system complications from pyogenic liver abscess independent of underlying diseases in the host.
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