The identification of submarine cable locations is crucial for their operation and maintenance. Precise location data enables the monitoring of route changes and facilitates rapid fault detection. ...Magnetic sensing is commonly used for detecting buried submarine cables. However, current research seldom discusses the impact of mutual magnetic field interference among submarine power cables on location accuracy and considers only the magnetic field intensity for cable detection. In this study, the authors first establish a general magnetic field model for three parallel single-core submarine power cables carrying three-phase currents and thoroughly investigate the variations in the amplitude and phase difference of the magnetic field surrounding the cables. Based on this model, the authors introduce a gradient measurement method based on the phase difference for the first time and compare its location accuracy with that of the traditional extremum method. Our findings reveal that the phase difference method offers higher location accuracy at longer detection distances, whereas the extremum method is preferable for shorter distances because of its simpler device and criteria.
The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a notorious pest in rice production. The microbial secondary metabolite, decoyinine (DCY), is produced by ...Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Recent studies found that seed priming with DCY could enhance rice resistance to BPH and Laodelphax striatellus; however, the mechanism of enhancing insect resistance in rice remains unclear. Here, an integrated physio-biochemical and transcriptome analysis was performed on rice priming with DCY after BPH infestation. Defense-related enzymes activities such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), glutathione S transferase (GST), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), callose, and free amino acids in rice priming with DCY were significantly increased than in control plants after BPH infestation. Concentrations of soluble sugars, sucrose, and glucose were higher in rice treated with DCY than in the control after BPH infestation; however, the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly decreased in rice treated with DCY after BPH infestation. In the transcriptome analysis, GO functional annotation and KEGG pathway analysis were enriched in defense response, transcription factors, secondary metabolites, reactive oxygen species, and cell wall organization and these data also support physio-biochemical results. The qRT-PCR results further verified the differential expressed genes related to DCY-treated rice responding to BPH. Meanwhile, it indicated that DCY might enhance the resistance of rice to BPH by regulating the rice WRKY transcription factor genes. Our results provide a basis for further exploring the molecular mechanism of the defense response of rice priming with DCY against BPH infestation and could provide valuable resources to control insect pests.
To determine the efficacy and safety of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
In this single-center, double-blinded, ...randomized, placebo-controlled phase II trial, 91 patients were randomly assigned to receive intravenous infusion of UC-MSCs (n = 45) or placebo (n = 46) three times with 4-week intervals and followed up for 48 weeks from October 2015 to December 2018. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of < 7.0% and daily insulin reduction of ≥ 50% at 48 weeks. Additional endpoints were changes of metabolic control, islet β-cell function, insulin resistance, and safety.
At 48 weeks, 20% of the patients in the UC-MSCs group and 4.55% in the placebo group reached the primary endpoint (p < 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.25-28.66%). The percentage of insulin reduction of the UC-MSCs group was significantly higher than that of the placebo group (27.78% versus 15.62%, p < 0.05). The levels of HbA1c decreased 1.31% (9.02 ± 1.27% to 7.52 ± 1.07%, p < 0.01) in the UC-MSCs group, and only 0.63% in the placebo group (8.89 ± 1.11% to 8.19 ± 1.02%, p˃0.05; p = 0.0081 between both groups). The glucose infusion rate (GIR) increased significantly in the UC-MSCs group (from 3.12 to 4.76 mg/min/kg, p < 0.01), whereas no significant change was observed in the placebo group (from 3.26 to 3.60 mg/min/kg, p ˃ 0.05; p < 0.01 between both groups). There was no improvement in islet β-cell function in both groups. No major UC-MSCs transplantation-related adverse events occurred.
UC-MSCs transplantation could be a potential therapeutic approach for Chinese adults with T2DM. Trial registration This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT02302599).
Seoul hantavirus (SEOV) has recently raised concern by causing geographic range expansion of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). SEOV infections in humans are significantly underestimated ...worldwide and epidemic dynamics of SEOV-related HFRS are poorly understood because of a lack of field data and empirically validated models. Here, we use mathematical models to examine both intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of disease transmission from animal (the Norway rat) to humans in a SEOV-endemic area in China. We found that rat eradication schemes and vaccination campaigns, but below the local elimination threshold, could diminish the amplitude of the HFRS epidemic but did not modify its seasonality. Models demonstrate population dynamics of the rodent host were insensitive to climate variations in urban settings, while relative humidity had a negative effect on the seasonality in transmission. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the epidemiology of SEOV-related HFRS, demonstrates asynchronies between rodent population dynamics and transmission rate, and identifies potential drivers of the SEOV seasonality.
The background parenchymal enhancement at breast magnetic resonance imaging use to predict breast cancer attracts many searchers to draw a possible relationship. However, the results of their ...relationships were conflicting. This meta-analysis was performed to assess breast cancer frequency associations with background parenchymal enhancement.
A systematic literature search up to January 2020 was performed to detect studies recording associations between breast cancer frequency and background parenchymal enhancement. We found thirteen studies including 13,788 women at the start with 4046 breast cancer. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between breast cancer frequency and background parenchymal enhancement by the dichotomous technique with a random or fixed-effect model.
Women with minimal or mild background parenchymal enhancement at breast magnetic resonance imaging did not have any risk of breast cancer compared to control women (OR, 1.20; 95% CI 0.54-2.67). However, high background parenchymal enhancement at breast magnetic resonance imaging (OR, 2.66; 95% CI 1.36-5.19) and moderate (OR, 2.51; 95% CI 1.49-4.21) was associated with a significantly higher rate of breast cancer frequency compared to control women.
Our meta-analysis showed that the women with high and moderate background parenchymal enhancement at breast magnetic resonance imaging have higher risks, up to 2.66 fold, of breast cancer. We suggest that women with high or moderate background parenchymal enhancement at breast magnetic resonance imaging to be scheduled for more frequent follow-up and screening for breast cancer to avoid any complications.
The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is one of the most destructive rice pests in Asia. The microbial metabolite decoyinine (DCY) has been extracted from ...Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Recent studies have suggested that treating rice seeds with DCY could improve the growth and yield of rice. To further assess the effects of priming the seeds of different rice varieties with DCY on rice seedling resistance against BPH, an age-stage, two-sex life table and choice test were applied to investigate the individual fitness, population parameters, and preference behavior of BPHs in this study. The results indicated that feeding on rice seedlings grown from seeds primed with DCY significantly affected BPHs’ adult longevity, oviposition period, fecundity, as well as the net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (λ), doubling time (DT), and population size in terms of BPH. The honeydew excretions and the weights of BPHs fed on DCY-pretreated rice plants were remarkably lowered. The two-way ANOVA results also showed that there were significant differences in the biological parameters, honeydew excretions, and of BPH weights owing to DCY treatment, rice variety, and the interactions between DCY treatment and rice variety. Additionally, the feeding and oviposition preferences of BPHs for the pretreated rice plants were reduced. Our results imply that the priming of seeds with DCY can improve rice resistance against BPH, which could facilitate the utilization of seed priming as a new avenue for effective crop protection.
Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is a rare form of adrenal mass. We summarize our experience in its clinical presentation, biochemical indexes, radiological features, pathological information, therapy ...regimens, and outcomes.
This was an institutional review board-approved retrospective review of medical records and surgical pathology specimens of patients with a diagnosis of PAL at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital and the First Affiliate Hospital of Xiamen University between July 2007 and July 2017.
Twenty-six patients were identified. The mean age at presentation was 60.84 ± 13.14 years with a male-to-female ratio of 2.25:1 (18:8). The most common presenting symptoms were loss of appetite (65%, 17/26), weight loss (62%, 16/26), abdominal pain (58%, 15/26), and fatigue (58%, 15/26). The levels of lactate dehydrogenase (75%, 15/20), β
-microglobulin (100%, 10/10), C-reactive protein (82%, 14/17), and ferritin (88%, 7/8) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (83%, 10/12) were elevated. Bilateral involvement was seen in 21 of 26 patients (81%); 12 of 19 evaluated patients with bilateral lesions (63%) were confirmed to have adrenal insufficiency. On computed tomography (CT), the mean tumor diameter was 7.31 ± 3.35 cm and the median Hounsfield density was 37.0 HU (range: 31.0-45.0 HU); 67% (10/15) and 27% (4/15) of lesions presented with mild and moderate enhancement after injection of contrast medium.
F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET)-CT revealed not only an adrenal tumor but also extra-adrenal lesions. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most common phenotype (92%, 24/26). Ninety-two percent (24/26) of patients received chemotherapy while 8% (2/26) received unilateral adrenalectomy plus chemotherapy. The prognosis of PAL was poor, with a general survival time of 7.20 ± 5.18 months.
PAL is a rare disease. The clinical characteristics of PAL include loss of appetite and weight loss. Endocrine evaluation should be performed to determine whether patients have adrenal insufficiency, especially patients with bilateral lesions. FDG-PET appears to be more accurate than other imaging modalities in revealing extra-adrenal sites. Better therapy is required to improve the poor prognosis of PAL.
To enhance the bond strength of the nanosized silica/epoxy interface and modify the dielectric properties of nanocomposites, a plasma-assisted surface modification method is proposed for inorganic ...nanofillers. A gas–liquid two-phase dielectric barrier discharge at room temperature was initially used to graft the terminal carboxyl hyperbranched polyester onto the nanosilica surface. Then, epoxy resin composites filled with 1–7 wt. % nanosilica were prepared. The effects of the plasma-treated nanosilica on the dielectric properties of the epoxy resins were analyzed. The experimental results demonstrated that a 2 nm-thick film of hyperbranched polyester (HBP) was successfully deposited onto the nanosilica surface via the HBP/plasma treatment. Compared with the pristine epoxy resins at room temperature, the permittivity constant of the proposed nanocomposites decreased from 4.2 to 3.3 and their AC breakdown strength increased by 38%. Moreover, the dielectric loss factor and DC conductivity decreased by 40.7% and 48.4%, respectively. Additionally, deep traps of 0.99–1.53 eV were observed in the nanocomposites. It can be concluded that HBP/plasma processing creates strong chemical bonds and compact nanofiller/polymer interfacial regions. In addition, HBP/plasma processing modified the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. The results of this study indicate that HBP/plasma treatment is an effective method for the surface modification of inorganic nanofillers and for the modification of the dielectric properties of polymer nanocomposites.
The ip-iq harmonic detection method based on instantaneous reactive power has been widely used in active power filter (APF). However, the traditional ip-iq detection method has errors when the grid ...voltage is unbalanced and distorted. This paper proposes an improved ip-iq harmonic detection method, which uses adaptive notch filter (ANF) to extract the fundamental positive-sequence voltage signal, so that the phase locked loop (PLL) can still accurately obtain the phase information under bad grid conditions. At the same time, moving average filter (MAF) is used to replace low-pass filtering to reduce the detection delay. The simulation results show that the improved ip-iq detection method can accurately detect harmonic current under non-ideal grid voltage conditions, and has good dynamic characteristics.
With the concern of the environment, green dry cutting technology is getting more and more attention and self-lubricating tool technology plays an important role in dry cutting. Due to the demand for ...high temperature performance of tools during dry cutting process, cemented carbide with Ni
Al as the binder phase has received extensive attention due to its excellent high temperature strength and high temperature oxidation resistance. In this paper, WC-TiC-Ni
Al-CaF
graded self-lubricating material and tools were prepared by microwave heating method, and its microstructure, mechanical properties and cutting performance were studied. Results show that gradient self-lubricating material can be quickly prepared by microwave heating technology, and the strength is equivalent to that of conventional heating technology. CaF
not only plays a role in self-lubrication, but also refines the grain of the material. A reasonable gradient design can improve the mechanical properties of the material. When the gradient distribution exponent is n
= 2, the material has high mechanical properties. Cutting experiments show that the WC-TiC-Ni
Al-CaF
functional gradient self-lubricating tool has better cutting performance than the homogeneous WC-TiC-Ni
Al hard alloys.
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