In order to develop high strength metal–matrix composites with acceptable ductility, bulk nanostructured aluminum–matrix composites reinforced with graphene nanoflakes were fabricated by cryomilling ...and hot extrusion processes. Microstructure and mechanical properties were characterized and determined using transmission electron microscopy, electron dispersion spectroscopy, as well as static tensile tests. The results show that, with an addition of only 0.5wt% graphene nanoflakes, the bulk nanostructured aluminum/graphene composite exhibited increased strength and unsubdued ductility over pure aluminum. Besides, the mechanical properties of the composites with higher content of graphene nanoflakes were also measured and investigated. Above 1.0wt% of graphene nanoflakes, however, this strengthening effect sharply dropped due to the clustering of graphene nanoflakes. Furthermore, the optimal addition of graphene nanoflakes into the nanocrystalline aluminum matrix was calculated and discussed.
An overview for energy use within the world economy as reflected by the Eora database for 2012 is conducted by means of household-consumption-based multi-regional input-output analysis that is ...parallel to existing energy accounting frameworks. From a household-consumption-based perspective, the energy use for Mainland China economy is only around half of that for the United States. The world's trade volume of energy use associated with consumer products is quantified, which is over one-fifth of the global total energy consumption. Mainland China is revealed to be with the largest trade deficit of energy use, in magnitude up to the summation of the trade imbalance of all other major economies. Heavy industry products shipped to Europe & Eurasia, Asia Pacific and North America account for nearly 80% of Mainland China's exports of energy use. To safeguard sustainable energy use, the developed economies are suggested to further strengthen their comparative advantages in those high value-added goods or services while developing economies such as Mainland China are supposed to alter the trade patterns by a transition of economic structure.
•A world view of global energy use is offered from a household-based perspective.•Energy use for Mainland China economy is only half of that for the United States.•Global trade volume of virtual energy is over one-fifth of the total energy use.•Energy trade imbalance for China is the sum of that for other major economies.•Mainland China shall alter its trade pattern by a transition of economic structure.
Objectives
To evaluate the effect of peri-prostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) measurements using preoperative MRI on the prediction of prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness in men undergoing radical ...prostatectomy (RP).
Methods
We performed a retrospective study on 179 consecutive patients receiving RP from June 2016 to October 2018. Clinical characteristics were collected. PPAT measurements including peri-prostatic fat area (PPFA) and peri-prostatic fat area to prostate area (PA) ratio (PPFA/PA) were calculated by MRI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of PCa lymph node metastasis (LNM). The predictive performance was estimated through ROC curves. Nomograms were created based on the predictors.
Results
Pathologic Gleason score positively correlated with digital rectal examination (DRE), PSA, PPFA/PA, P504S, and Ki-67 (all
P
< 0.05). ROC curves revealed that high PPFA and high PPFA/PA were associated with LNM (both
P
< 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that high PPFA/PA, pathologic Gleason score, pT stage, and Ki-67 were independently predictive of LNM. The nomograms were created and the C-index was 0.945.
Conclusions
PPFA/PA is an independent predictor for LNM along with Gleason score, pT stage, and Ki-67. PPFA/PA may help predict LNM in men undergoing RP, thus providing adjunctive information for therapeutic strategy and prognosis.
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Neovascularization plays a key role in bone repair and regeneration. In the present study, four types of porous calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics, namely hydroxyapatite (HA), biphasic ...calcium phosphates (BCP-1 and BCP-2) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), with HA to β-TCP ratios of 100/0, 70/30, 30/70 and 2/98, respectively, were investigated in terms of their angiogenic induction. The in vitro cell culture revealed that the ceramics could promote proliferation and angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This result could be achieved by stimulating CCD-18Co human fibroblasts to secrete angiogenic factors (vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor-β) as a paracrine effect, as well as by up-regulating HUVECs to express these angiogenic factors and their receptors (KDR, FGFR1 and ACVRL1) and the downstream eNOS as an autocrine effect. These effects were more significant in β-TCP and BCP-2, which had a higher content of β-TCP phase. In the in vivo implantation into the thigh muscles of mice, the process of neovascularization of the ceramics was initiated at 2weeks and the mature vascular networks were formed at 4weeks as visualized by hematoxylin and eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy. Microvessel density count confirmed that β-TCP and BCP-2 induced more microvessels to form than HA or BCP-1. This phenomenon was further confirmed by the significantly up-regulated expressions of angiogenesis-related genes in the ingrowth of cells into the inner pores of the two ceramics. All the results confirmed the angiogenic induction of porous CaP ceramics, and a higher content of β-TCP phase had an enhanced effect on the neovascularization of the ceramics.
K326 and HD represent major tobacco cultivars in China, which required large N fertiliser input but at different application rates. To understand primary components affecting tobacco N use ...physiology, we adopted these two varieties as valuable genetic material to assess their growth response to N nutrition. We established a hydroponic culture system to grow plants supplied with different N regimes. Plant biomass, N, ammonium, nitrate, arginine, GS and NR activity, N transfer and use efficiency as well as root uptake were examined. Our data revealed the preference of K326 and HD to utilise nitrate or ammonium nitrate but not ammonium alone, with 2 mm N supply probably sufficient and economical to achieve good biomass production at the vegetative stage. Moreover, both varieties were very sensitive to ammonium, perhaps due to lack of or abnormal signalling related to nitrate and/or arginine rather than impairment of N acquisition and initial assimilation; this was supported by measurements of the plant content of N, ammonium and activities of GS and NR. Notably, short-term
N root influx studies identified differential uptake kinetics of K326 and HD, with distinct affinities and transport rates for ammonium and nitrate. The data suggest that the growth adaptation of K326 or HD to higher or lower N may be ascribed to different competences for effective N uptake/translocation and assimilation. Thus, our work provides valuable information to prompt deeper investigation of the molecular basis controlling plant N use efficiency.
Based on an extensive review of related studies, the striking amount of carbon emissions induced by the construction stage of a typical 2 × 660 MW coal-fired power generation system is revealed, by ...means of systems LCA as a concrete hybrid of process analysis and input-output analysis. Differing from previous works that simply treat the whole inputs in the construction stage as some primary materials, this study inclusively covers all input items as products of the economy, supported by input-output database. An integrated inventory that contains over seventy items is established, in which the materials, equipment, and services inputs throughout the construction stage are given full consideration. In magnitude, the greenhouse gas emissions embodied in the construction stage of the power plant are calculated in carbon dioxide equivalent as 1.54% of those from coal combustion, which are several times or even one order of magnitude higher than that estimated in some previous studies. The emissions induced by coal-fired power generation infrastructure in China are accordingly estimated, in magnitude up to 0.6%, one-eighth and one-sixth of the total national emissions in China, UK and France, respectively. The outcome provides a unique perspective for policy makers into apprehending carbon emissions by the power sector.
•The high amount of emissions is revealed for construction of coal-fired plant.•All the input items are inclusively treated as products of the economy.•The emissions induced are several times higher than those in previous works.•The total carbon emissions induced by plant infrastructure in China are striking.•An insight is offered for policy makers in understanding emissions in power sector.
This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of single umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) and unmanipulated haploidentical hematopoietic SCT (haplo-HSCT) in childhood hematologic ...malignances. We enrolled 410 consecutive children who received either single UCBT (n=37) or haplo-HSCT from a family donor (n=373) during the same time period. For each UCBT recipient, three recipients matched for year of HSCT, underlying diseases, disease status and the length of follow-up were randomly selected from the haplo-HSCT cohort. Hematopoietic recovery was significantly faster in haplo-HSCT recipients than in UCBT recipients. The incidence of chronic GVHD was significantly higher in haplo-HSCT recipients. The incidence of CMV-related interstitial pneumonia was higher in UCBT recipients. The haplo-HSCT recipients had better 1-year OS (73.0% vs 56.8%, P=0.048), lower 1-year non-relapse mortality (NRM, 18.0% vs 35.1%, P=0.026) and lower 2-year NRM rates (19.9% vs 35.1%, P=0.044). The relapse- and disease-free survival rates did not differ significantly between the groups. Our results showed that compared with UCBT, unmanipulated haplo-HSCT can improve the outcomes of children with hematologic malignances.
Summary
Steatosis could affect liver stiffness measurement in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic hepatitis C. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of steatosis on ...liver stiffness in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐infected patients and develop a diagnostic algorithm for prediction of liver fibrosis by liver stiffness based on the controlled attenuation parameter. A total of 488 HBV‐infected patients who underwent clinical examination, Fibroscan and liver biopsy were prospectively enrolled. The best liver stiffness measurement (kPa) cut‐offs for significant fibrosis (S≥3) and advanced fibrosis (S≥4) were 8.1 and 10.9, respectively. The best controlled attenuation parameter cut‐off for severe steatosis (≥30%) was 287 dB/m. Among patients with low‐grade fibrosis (S0‐S2/S0‐S3), mean liver stiffness values were significantly higher in subjects with severe steatosis or controlled attenuation parameter ≥287 dB/m compared with those without. Moreover, in subjects with low‐grade fibrosis, a higher rate of false‐positive rate was observed in patients with severe steatosis than those in patients without (F0‐F2: 28.2% vs 9.7%; F0‐F3: 17.0% vs 5.3%), and in patients with CAP≥287 dB/m compared with their counterpart (F0‐F2: 23.7% vs 9.2%; F0‐F3: 14.1% vs 4.8%). Low‐grade fibrosis was accurately identified by γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase‐to‐platelet ratio (GPR) with a cut‐off value of 0.17. In patients with GPR<0.17, similar results were observed. The presence of steatosis may lead to overestimation of fibrosis assessed by liver stiffness measurement in patient with chronic hepatitis B. A diagnostic algorithm for assessing fibrosis using liver stiffness was developed by combining both controlled attenuation parameter and GPR values.
We study the process e^{+}e^{-}→Λ_{c}^{+}Λover ¯_{c}^{-} at twelve center-of-mass energies from 4.6119 to 4.9509 GeV using data samples collected by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The ...Born cross sections and effective form factors (|G_{eff}|) are determined with unprecedented precision after combining the single and double-tag methods based on the decay process Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+}. Flat cross sections around 4.63 GeV are obtained and no indication of the resonant structure Y(4630), as reported by Belle, is found. In addition, no oscillatory behavior is discerned in the |G_{eff}| energy dependence of Λ_{c}^{+}, in contrast to what is seen for the proton and neutron cases. Analyzing the cross section together with the polar-angle distribution of the Λ_{c}^{+} baryon at each energy point, the moduli of electric and magnetic form factors (|G_{E}| and |G_{M}|) are extracted and separated. For the first time, the energy dependence of the form factor ratio |G_{E}/G_{M}| is observed, which can be well described by an oscillatory function.
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