We consider the new paradigm of finite element analysis, present an effective overlapping finite element, and study the computational efficiency of the discretization scheme.
The important new ...ingredient in the formulation of the overlapping element is that, unlike in meshless methods, we only use local polynomial functions in the displacement interpolations. We achieve this property by replacing the Shepard functions by local polynomials. As a consequence, the bandwidth of the resulting stiffness matrix for the overlapping finite element is much reduced when compared with earlier developments.
We study the distortion insensitivity of the new overlapping finite element, the convergence properties and the required computational effort when compared with the use of the traditional 4-node finite element and that element with covers. The results show the overlapping element to be very promising, in particular in the new paradigm of analysis using finite elements in CAD.
The condensation reaction between methyldopa sesquihydrate and ethylenediamine is reported and the assembled nanoplatform possesses green luminescence at 520 nm with excitation‐independent feature. ...The employment of sodium borohydride during synthesis has stabilized the nanoparticle (NP) size and suppressed uncontrolled autoxidation processes. It is appealing to observe that the fluorescence as well as colorimetric titration demonstrates trace level monitoring of silver ions, and the detection limits are determined to be 68 × 10−9 m (fluorometric) and 71 × 10−9 m (colorimetric), respectively. The optical response to Ag+ ions is assigned to a static quenching process and the corresponding redox reaction including particle aggregation may cause the “on‐off” change. During in vitro studies, two living cell lines (HeLa cells and T‐cells) are used and the negligible cytotoxicity of such NP is verified via flow cytometry and 3‐(4,5‐dimethythiazol‐. 2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assays. More importantly, the visualization of silver recognition in two cells is realized and the availability of polydopamine‐type NPs for the purpose of bio‐medical evaluation can generate considerable interests in future studies.
Methyldopa sesquihydrate and ethylenediamine are used to fabricate the quantum dots, and the role of stabilizing agent (sodium borohydride) is evaluated. Both fluorometric and colorimetric titrations can realize the recognition of silver ions with high sensitivity. Cellular entry experiments are performed in HeLa cells and T‐cells, enabling the identification of silver ions in cellular environment with high accuracy.
Lymph vascular invasion (LVI) is an unfavorable prognostic indicator in gastric cancer (GC). However, there are no reliable clinical techniques for preoperative predictions of LVI. The aim of this ...study was to develop and validate PET/CT-based radiomics signatures for predicting LVI of GC preoperatively. Radiomics nomograms were also established to predict patient survival outcomes.
This retrospective study registered 148 GC patients with histopathological confirmation for LVI status, who underwent pre-operative PET/CT scans (Discovery VCT 64 PET/CT system) from December 2014 to June 2019. Clinic-pathological factors (age, gender, and tumor grade, etc.) and metabolic PET data (maximum and mean standardized uptake value, total lesion glycolysis and metabolic tumor volume) were analyzed to identify independent LVI predictors. The dataset was randomly assigned to either the training set or test set in a 7:3 ratios. Three-dimensional (3D) radiomics features were extracted from each PET- and CT-volume of interests (VOI) singularly, and then a radiomics signature (RS) associated with LVI status is built by feature selection. Four models with different modalities (PET-RS: only PET radiomics features; CT-RS: only CT radiomics features; PET/CT-RS: both PET and CT radiomics features; PET/CT-RS plus clinical data) were developed to predict LVI. Patients were postoperatively followed up with PET/CT every 6-12 months for the first two years and then annually up to five years after surgery. The PET/CT radiomics score (Rad-scores) was calculated to assess survival outcome, and corresponding nomograms with radiomics (NWR) or without radiomics (NWOR) were established.
Tumor grade and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) were the independent LVI predictor. 1037 CT and PET 3D radiomics features were extracted separately and reduced to 4 and 5 features to build CT-RS and PET-RS, respectively. PET/CT-RS and PET/CT-RS plus clinical data (tumor grade and SUVmax) were also developed. The ROC analysis demonstrated clinical usefulness of PET/CT-RS plus clinical data (AUC values for training and validation, respectively 0.936 and 0.914) and PET/CT-RS (AUC values for training and validation, respectively 0.881 and 0.854), which both are superior to CT-RS (0.838 and 0.824) and PET-RS (0.821 and 0.812). SUVmax and LVI were independent prognostic indicators of both OS and PFS. Decision curve analysis (DCA) demonstrated NWR outperformed NWOR and was established to assess survival outcomes. For estimation of OS and PFS, the C-indexes of the NWR were 0. 88 and 0.88 in the training set, respectively, while the C-indexes of the NWOR were 0. 82 and 0.85 in the training set, respectively.
The PET/CT-based radiomics analysis might serve as a non-invasive approach to predict LVI status in GC patients and provide effective predictors of patient survival outcomes.
Adult stem and progenitor cells are uniquely capable of self-renewal, and targeting this process represents a potential therapeutic opportunity. The early erythroid progenitor, burst-forming unit ...erythroid (BFU-E), has substantial self-renewal potential and serves as a key cell type for the treatment of anemias. However, our understanding of mechanisms underlying BFU-E self-renewal is extremely limited. Here, we found that the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, cholinergic receptor, muscarinic 4 (CHRM4), pathway regulates BFU-E self-renewal and that pharmacological inhibition of CHRM4 corrects anemias of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), aging, and hemolysis. Genetic down-regulation of CHRM4 or pharmacologic inhibition of CHRM4 using the selective antagonist PD102807 promoted BFU-E self-renewal, whereas deletion of
increased erythroid cell production under stress conditions in vivo. Moreover, muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists corrected anemias in mouse models of MDS, aging, and hemolysis in vivo, extending the survival of mice with MDS relative to that of controls. The effects of muscarinic receptor antagonism on promoting expansion of BFU-Es were mediated by cyclic AMP induction of the transcription factor CREB, whose targets up-regulated key regulators of BFU-E self-renewal. On the basis of these data, we propose a model of hematopoietic progenitor self-renewal through a cholinergic-mediated "hematopoietic reflex" and identify muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists as potential therapies for anemias associated with MDS, aging, and hemolysis.
Background
Determining the status of lymph node (LN) metastasis in rectal cancer patients preoperatively is crucial for the treatment option. However, the diagnostic accuracy of current imaging ...methods is low.
Purpose
To develop and test a model for predicting metastatic LNs of rectal cancer patients based on clinical data and MR images to improve the diagnosis of metastatic LNs.
Study type
Retrospective.
Subjects
In all, 341 patients with histologically confirmed rectal cancer were divided into one training set (120 cases) and three validation sets (69, 103, 49 cases).
Field strength/sequence
3.0T, axial and sagittal T2‐weighted turbo spin echo and diffusion‐weighted imaging (b = 0 s/mm2, 800 s/mm2)
Assessment
In the training dataset, univariate logistic regression was used to identify the clinical factors (age, gender, and tumor markers) and MR data that correlated with LN metastasis. Then we developed a prediction model with these factors by multiple logistic regression analysis. The accuracy of the model was verified using three validation sets and compared with the traditional MRI method.
Statistical tests
Univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The area under the curve (AUC) value was used to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the model.
Results
Eight factors (CEA, CA199, ADCmean, mriT stage, mriN stage, CRM, EMVI, and differentiation degree) were significantly associated with LN metastasis in rectal cancer patients (P<0.1). In the training set (120) and the three validation sets (69, 103, 49), the AUC values of the model were much higher than the diagnosis by MR alone (training set, 0.902 vs. 0.580; first validation set, 0.789 vs. 0.743; second validation set, 0.774 vs. 0.573; third validation set, 0.761 vs. 0.524).
Data Conclusion
For the diagnosis of metastatic LNs in rectal cancer patients, our proposed logistic regression model, combining clinical and MR data, demonstrated higher diagnostic efficiency than MRI alone.
Level of Evidence
4
Technical Efficacy Stage
2
Fire is one of the most common production safety accident. The trend of fire can be mastered by analyzing the historical data. This paper explores the features of recent fires in China, predicts fire ...by two methods, namely, grey theory, and grey Markov theory, and compares the prediction results of the two methods. The results show that: the number of fires in China increased greatly in 2013; Since 2014, the number of fires, as well as the number of deaths, the number of injured, and property loss induced by fires were declining. The maximum relative error of grey prediction was 5.8%, and that of grey Markov prediction was 5%; grey theory is less accurate in fire prediction than grey Markov prediction. According to the causes and features of fires, several preventive measures were put forward. The research results provide insights into the prevention of fires and protection of production safety.
SjP40 is a major egg antigen of Schistosoma japonicum. In the present study, the authors investigated the effect of SjP40 in vitro on transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)- stimulated hepatic ...stellate cells (HSCs). LX-2, an immortalized human HSC line, was treated with purified recombinant SjP40 (rSjP40) in the presence or absence of TGF-β1. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were performed to determine messenger ribonucleic acid and protein of fibrogenic genes and TGF-β signaling pathway. The results showed that expression of fibrogenic genes was significantly reduced by rSjP40. Furthermore, rSjP40 also suppressed the TGF-β1-induced upregulation of Smads and ERK proteins. We also found that the effect of rSjP40 on HSCs was similar to SB431542, an inhibitor of type I TGF-β receptor. In conclusion, the data suggest that SjP40 attenuates HSC activation, which might be, at least in part, mediated by inhibiting the TGF-β and ERK signaling pathways.
To improve the efficiency of smoke prevention and exhaust (SPE) system for buildings, this paper analyzes the building space structure, SPE design and equipment, fire control strategy, and smoke ...features of emerging buildings, namely, metro stations, tunnels, atriums, and underground garages, and evaluates the reliability of water curtain system in SPE design. By analyzing the factors affecting the SPE efficiency of buildings, the authors measured the effect of building SPE plan and evacuation situation, and summarized the keys and technical difficulties in the SPE system research of different types of buildings. Considering building features and SPE optimization strategy, it is recommended to apply water curtain system as fire partitions in metro stations and underground garages. The proposed optimization strategy, coupled with the original SPE system for buildings, marks the research trend of SPE system for emerging buildings in future.
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