Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is one of the advanced additive manufacturing technologies which can build the geometrically complex structure from a three-dimensional CAD model. Poly ether ether ...ketone (PEEK) is one of the available materials for SLS and has received numerous interesting due to its excellent properties. In this research, a novel approach, thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) was employed to produce neat PEEK and PEEK/CNT composite powders with near spherical shape, desired particle size and size distribution for SLS application. Powders produced by TIPS demonstrated good flowability and processability. SEM images proved that CNT was embedded in PEEK powder. PEEK/CNT composite powder had shown an increased crystallinity in comparison with neat PEEK powder. Sintering rate of produced powders were studied with hot stage microscopy. Single layer films were built successfully by high temperature selective laser sintering (HT-SLS) using the powder developed via TIPS. Thermodynamics characteristics of single layer films were studied by DMA. Results revealed that addition of 0.1% CNT improved both storage and loss modulus of PEEK.
PEEK powder is prepared by TIPS and laser sintered into 3D component by HT-SLS Display omitted
•The first study on preparation of PEEK and PEEK/CNT composite powders by TIPS.•Resulting powders have near spherical shape and preferred particle size for SLS application.•Resulting powders have shown good flowability and processability.•Powders have been successfully sintered into single layer films in the HT-SLS system.
•A dataset of the highway layer-interface that was manually detected was created.•The highway layer-interface detection model based on Faster R-CNN framework.•The proposed model has 98.3% precision ...in detecting layer-interface in GPR profiles.•The proposed model can automatically identify and track highway layer-interface.
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a non-destructive and efficient underground survey equipment, which has been widely used in the field of highway safety.Nowadays, it is common to manually interpret the GPR data detected on the highway to find the layer-interface. But, its efficiency and accuracy can no longer meet the needs of various engineering projects. In this manuscript, we propose a geological layer-interface detection framework based on Faster R-CNN, which is used to ensure the safety of highway traffic. The framework can realize the needs of end-to-end and real-time detection. We conduct a lot of experiments on the dataset of highway GPR profile, and the results show that the framework based on Faster R-CNN can be highly effectively used for highway underground layer-interface detection, and the precision of the model can reach 98.30%.
•Seismic behavior of precast concrete frame piers is verified for real applications.•Two connection types used in the frame piers are investigated for the first time.•Tie beam and cap beam structure ...systems of the frame piers are compared.•Bond-slip effect and joint region behavior optimize the numerical results.
In this study, quasi-static cyclic test was conducted for three 1/3-scale specimens of different precast concrete frame pier structure systems of an urban viaduct in Shanghai, China. Various connection deployment strategies were utilized for the specimens, in order to verify these precast concrete frame piers used in the real structure. Two of the specimens were of the same cap beam design, while the third one was with tie beam. The two frame piers with cap beam had the same column-footing connection (grouted splice sleeve coupler), but the column-cap connections were grouted splice sleeve coupler and grouted corrugated duct connection, respectively. The frame pier with cast-in-place tie beam, however, only kept the grouted splice sleeve coupler for column-footing connection. The cyclic test results showed similar seismic behavior of the two specimens with cap beam, whereas the specimen with tie beam exhibited less energy dissipation capacity. This indicated that the seismic performance differences among the specimens are mainly caused by different structure systems, and the two types of the connections behave similarly with little damage. Finite element models that were optimized by considering joint region behavior and bond-slip phenomena showed good agreement with the test results.
We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with replication in 36,180 Chinese individuals and performed further transancestry meta-analyses with data from the Psychiatry Genomics Consortium ...(PGC2). Approximately 95% of the genome-wide significant (GWS) index alleles (or their proxies) from the PGC2 study were overrepresented in Chinese schizophrenia cases, including ∼50% that achieved nominal significance and ∼75% that continued to be GWS in the transancestry analysis. The Chinese-only analysis identified seven GWS loci; three of these also were GWS in the transancestry analyses, which identified 109 GWS loci, thus yielding a total of 113 GWS loci (30 novel) in at least one of these analyses. We observed improvements in the fine-mapping resolution at many susceptibility loci. Our results provide several lines of evidence supporting candidate genes at many loci and highlight some pathways for further research. Together, our findings provide novel insight into the genetic architecture and biological etiology of schizophrenia.
Cushing's disease results from corticotroph adenomas of the pituitary that hypersecrete adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), leading to excess glucocorticoid and hypercortisolism. Mutations of the ...deubiquitinase gene USP8 occur in 35-62% of corticotroph adenomas. However, the major driver mutations in USP8 wild-type tumors remain elusive. Here, we report recurrent mutations in the deubiquitinase gene USP48 (predominantly encoding p.M415I or p.M415V; 21/91 subjects) and BRAF (encoding p.V600E; 15/91 subjects) in corticotroph adenomas with wild-type USP8. Similar to USP8 mutants, both USP48 and BRAF mutants enhance the promoter activity and transcription of the gene encoding proopiomelanocortin (POMC), which is the precursor of ACTH, providing a potential mechanism for ACTH overproduction in corticotroph adenomas. Moreover, primary corticotroph tumor cells harboring BRAF V600E are sensitive to the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib. Our study thus contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanism of the pathogenesis of corticotroph adenoma and informs therapeutic targets for this disease.
Light exerts profound effects on cognitive functions across species, including humans. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying the effects of light on cognitive functions are poorly understood. ...In this study, we show that long-term exposure to bright-light treatment promotes spatial memory through a di-synaptic visual circuit related to the nucleus reuniens (Re). Specifically, a subset of SMI-32-expressing ON-type retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) innervate CaMKIIα neurons in the thalamic ventral lateral geniculate nucleus and intergeniculate leaflet (vLGN/IGL), which in turn activate CaMKIIα neurons in the Re. Specific activation of vLGN/IGL-projecting RGCs, activation of Re-projecting vLGN/IGL neurons, or activation of postsynaptic Re neurons is sufficient to promote spatial memory. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the spatial-memory-promoting effects of light treatment are dependent on the activation of vLGN/IGL-projecting RGCs, Re-projecting vLGN/IGL neurons, and Re neurons. Our results reveal a dedicated subcortical visual circuit that mediates the spatial-memory-promoting effects of light treatment.
Display omitted
•Activation of Re-projecting vLGN/IGL neurons activates neuronal activity in the Re•SMI-32+ ON-type RGCs directly innervate the vLGN/IGL-Re pathway•Activation of the retina-vLGN/IGL-Re pathway promotes spatial memory•Light treatment promotes spatial memory via the retina-vLGN/IGL-Re pathway
Huang et al. identified a visual circuit related to the Re that regulates spatial memory. They demonstrate that the retina-vLGN/IGL-Re pathway mediates the spatial-memory-promoting effects of light treatment.
Purpose
New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) is common and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, its clinical importance and management in critically ill patients are not well ...described. The aim of this scoping review is to assess the epidemiology and management strategies of NOAF during critical illness.
Method
The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for studies assessing the incidence, outcome and management strategies of NOAF in adult critically ill patients. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
Results
A total of 99 studies were included, of which 79 were observational and 20 were interventional. The incidence of NOAF varied from 1.7% to 43.9% with considerable inter-population variation (very low quality of evidence). Commonly identified risk factors for NOAF included higher age, cardiovascular comorbidities and sepsis. The occurrence of NOAF was associated with adverse outcomes, including stroke, prolonged length of stay and mortality (very low quality of evidence). We found limited data on the optimal management strategy with no evidence for firm benefit or harm for any intervention (very low/low quality of evidence).
Conclusions
The definition and incidence of NOAF in critically ill patients varied considerably and many risk factors were identified. NOAF seemed to be associated with adverse outcomes, but data were very limited and current management strategies are not evidence-based.
A user-friendly and rapid procedure would aid clinicians in decision-making, which may eventually benefit patients. ...we designed an mNGS workflow based on the Illumina platform with a theoretical ...turnaround time (TAT) of 7 h. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the Peking University People’s Hospital (No. 2021PHB410-001). Additional microbiological tests were ordered by clinicians when deemed necessary, including the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), acid-fast stain, Gram stain, cytomegalovirus (CMV)/Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), β-D-glucan test (G test), galactomannan test (GM test), cryptococcal capsular antigen (CrAg) test, and influenza A/B antigen test. ...an in-house standard mNGS test that utilized Nextseq 550Dx (Illumina, California, San Diego, USA) with a 24-h TAT was performed in five cases (designated as routine mNGS in the manuscript). 5 Moreover, the sequencing output of the Nanopore was lower than that of the Illumina with a higher error rate in base calling. ...it would be cost-effective if an Illumina-based mNGS could be expedited to a level comparable to that of the Nanopore. ...the sample size was small and biased towards elderly Han
PDF
