Abstract
We present the second release of value-added catalogues of the LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic Anticentre (LSS-GAC DR2). The catalogues present values of radial velocity Vr, ...atmospheric parameters – effective temperature Teff, surface gravity log g, metallicity Fe/H, α-element to iron (metal) abundance ratio α/Fe (α/M), elemental abundances C/H and N/H and absolute magnitudes MV and $M_{K_{\rm s}}$ deduced from 1.8 million spectra of 1.4 million unique stars targeted by the LSS-GAC since 2011 September until 2014 June. The catalogues also give values of interstellar reddening, distance and orbital parameters determined with a variety of techniques, as well as proper motions and multiband photometry from the far-UV to the mid-IR collected from the literature and various surveys. Accuracies of radial velocities reach 5 km s−1 for the late-type stars, and those of distance estimates range between 10 and 30 per cent, depending on the spectral signal-to-noise ratios. Precisions of Fe/H, C/H and N/H estimates reach 0.1 dex, and those of α/Fe and α/M reach 0.05 dex. The large number of stars, the contiguous sky coverage, the simple yet non-trivial target selection function and the robust estimates of stellar radial velocities and atmospheric parameters, distances and elemental abundances make the catalogues a valuable data set to study the structure and evolution of the Galaxy, especially the solar-neighbourhood and the outer disc.
We examined whether mucosal melanomas are different in their clinical course and patterns of metastases when arising from different anatomic sites. Our hypothesis was that metastatic behavior would ...differ from primary mucosal melanomas at different anatomical sites.
Clinical and pathological data from 706 patients were compared for their stage distribution, patterns of metastases, CKIT/BRAF mutation status, and overall survival for different anatomical sites.
The anatomic sites of the primary mucosal melanomas were from the lower GI tract (26.5%), nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses (23%), gynecological sites (22.5%), oral cavity (15%), urological sites (5%), upper GI tract (5%), and other sites (3.0%). At initial diagnosis, 14.5% were stage I disease, 41% Stage II, 21.5% Stage III, and 23.0% stage IV. Predominant metastatic sites were regional lymph nodes (21.5%), lung (21%), liver (18.5%), and distant nodes (9%). Oral cavity mucosal melanoma had a higher incidence of regional nodal metastases (31.7% versus 19.8%,P = 0.009), and a higher incidence of lung metastases (32.5% versus 18.5%,P = 0.007) compared to other primary mucosal melanomas. There was a 10% incidence of CKIT mutation and 12% BRAF mutation. Mucosal melanomas from nasal pharyngeal and oral, gastrointestinal, gynecological, and urological had a similar survival with a 1-year survival rate (88%, 83%, 86%), 2-year survival rate (66%, 57%, 61%), 5-year survival rate (27%, 16%, 20%), respectively.
The largest sample size allows, for the first time, a comparison of primary melanoma stage and patterns of metastases across anatomical sites. With few exceptions, the presenting stages, incidence of nodal and distant metastases, the site of predilection of distant metastases, or overall survival were similar despite different primary anatomic sites. These findings suggest that clinical trials involving mucosal melanomas and the administration of systemic therapy can be applied equally to mucosal melanomas regardless of their primary anatomic site.
Being a key feature of a glassy state, low temperature relaxation has important implications on the mechanical behavior of glasses; however, the mechanism of low temperature relaxation is still an ...open issue, which has been debated for decades. By systematically investigating the influences of cooling rate and pressure on low temperature relaxation in the Zr50Cu50 metallic glasses, it is found that even though pressure does induce pronounced local structural change, the low temperature-relaxation behavior of the metallic glass is affected mainly by cooling rate, not by pressure. According to the atomic displacement and connection mode analysis, we further demonstrate that the low temperature relaxation is dominated by the dispersion degree of fast dynamic atoms rather than the most probable atomic nonaffine displacement. Our finding provides the direct atomic-level evidence that the intrinsic heterogeneity is the key factor that determines the low temperature-relaxation behavior of the metallic glasses.
Yeast strains of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively studied in recent years for fuel ethanol production, in which yeast cells are exposed to various stresses such as high temperature, ...ethanol inhibition, and osmotic pressure from product and substrate sugars as well as the inhibitory substances released from the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. An in-depth understanding of the mechanism of yeast stress tolerance contributes to breeding more robust strains for ethanol production, especially under very high gravity conditions. Taking advantage of the “omics” technology, the stress response and defense mechanism of yeast cells during ethanol fermentation were further explored, and the newly emerged tools such as genome shuffling and global transcription machinery engineering have been applied to breed stress resistant yeast strains for ethanol production. In this review, the latest development of stress tolerance mechanisms was focused, and improvement of yeast stress tolerance by both random and rational tools was presented.
Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) is a polymer material and is widely used to make rubber-moving components in industrial applications. Ageing is an important factor that affects the friction and wear ...properties of the material. This study is aimed at investigating the tribological properties of NBR and how they are affected by ageing. The shore hardness, tensile strength and tear strength of normal and aged NBR samples were measured. A CBZ-1 tribo-tester was then used to conduct sliding wear tests between NBR pins and 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel discs under dry sliding conditions. The surface morphologies of the worn NBR pins were examined using laser-interference profilometry and scanning electron microscopy. Also, the friction coefficients and wear rates were analysed and compared. The results showed that ageing had a significant effect on the mechanical and tribological properties of the NBR specimens. As the ageing time and temperature increased, the friction coefficient and the shore hardness also increased. Furthermore, accelerated ageing promoted the ageing process of NBR material, which resulted in a reduction in the tensile strength and tear strength of the NBR, along with the deterioration of its wear resistance. Consequently, its wear mass losses increased with the ageing process. The main wear mechanism between the rubbing pairs was found to be fatigue wear under dry conditions. The knowledge gained herein provides a better understanding of the material degradation and wear mechanism associated with ageing, and is useful for designing and selecting proper operation conditions for prolonged applications of the material under extreme circumstances.
•Ageing and elevated temperatures affected mechanical and tribological properties of NBR.•COF and shore hardness decreased as ageing time and temperature increased.•Ageing reduced tensile and tear strengths of NBR to deteriorate its wear resistance.•Wear mechanisms between the rubbing pairs is fatigue wear.
Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are usually based on a single principal element such as Zr, Cu, Mg and Fe. In this work, we report the formation of a series of high mixing entropy BMGs based on multiple ...major elements, which have unique characteristics of excellent glass-forming ability and mechanical properties compared with conventional BMGs. The high mixing entropy BMGs based on multiple major elements might be of significance in scientific studies, potential applications, and providing a novel approach in search for new metallic glass-forming systems.
► High mixing entropy bulk metallic glasses. ► Excellent glass-forming ability. ► Unique mechanical properties.
Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) is widely used to make ship water-lubricated rubber stern tube bearings for marine applications. The sand in water is an important factor that affects the tribological ...properties of the rubber stern tube bearings. This study aimed to investigate the wear behaviours of NBR pins and 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel disc rubbing pairs under sand water-lubricated conditions. A CBZ-1 tribo-tester was used to conduct sliding wear tests under the sand and pure water-lubricated conditions. The friction coefficients, wear volumes and different mass concentrations of sand were measured and compared. In addition, their surface morphologies were examined using optical microscopy and laser-interference profilometry. The results showed that the sliding velocity, applied load and mass concentration of sand had significant effects on the tribological properties of the rubbing pairs. The wear volumes and surface roughness of the rubbing pairs increased as the sliding velocity, applied load and mass concentration of sand increased. The friction coefficient also increased with the increase of applied load and mass concentration of sand, while it became smaller firstly and then bigger as the velocity increased. The sand particles destroyed the water-film between the rubbing pairs to reduce their tribological properties, and the abrasive wear was the main wear mechanism under the sand water-lubricated conditions. The data gained herein provides a better insight in to the wear process of NBR/1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel discs, and will be useful for selecting proper operating conditions for water-lubricated rubber stern tube bearings and will ensure the completion of missions by ships, reliably and safely.
•Sand particles reduced tribological properties of rubbing pairs in sand water.•Wear mechanisms between the rubbing pairs was abrasive wear in sand water.•Velocity, load and sand influenced on wear behaviours of rubbing pairs sharply.•COF became smaller firstly and then bigger as the sliding velocity increased.
No standard of care for mucosal melanoma (MM) in the adjuvant setting has been established. Meanwhile, relapse-free survival (RFS) is only ∼5 months after surgery alone. This phase II trial aimed to ...compare toripalimab versus high-dose interferon-α2b (HDI) as an adjuvant therapy for resected MM.
From July 2017 to May 2019, 145 patients with resected MM were randomized (1 : 1) to receive HDI (n = 72) or toripalimab (n = 73) for 1 year until disease relapse/distant metastasis, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. The primary endpoint was RFS. The secondary endpoints included distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.
After a median follow-up of 26.3 months, the number of RFS, OS, and DMFS events was 51 versus 46, 33 versus 29, and 49 versus 44 in the toripalimab arm and the HDI arm, respectively. The median RFS was 13.6 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.31-19.02 months and 13.9 (95% CI 8.28-19.61) months in the toripalimab arm and the HDI arm, respectively. The DMFS was not significantly different between the two arms hazard ratio (HR) 1.00; 95% CI 0.65-1.54. The median OS was 35.1 months (95% CI 27.93 months-not reached) in the toripalimab arm, with no significant difference in all-cause death (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.66-1.84) for the two arms. The median sums of the patients’ actual infusion doses were 3672 mg and 1054.5 MIU in the toripalimab arm and the HDI arm, respectively. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events with a grade ≥3 was much higher in the HDI arm than in the toripalimab arm (87.5% versus 27.4%).
Toripalimab showed a similar RFS and a more favorable safety profile than HDI, both better than historical data, suggesting that toripalimab might be the better treatment option. However, additional translational studies and better treatment regimens are still warranted to improve the clinical outcome of MM.
•This is the first study to compare toripalimab versus HDI as adjuvant therapy for resected MM.•In PD-L1-positive patients, the median RFS was ∼6 months longer in the toripalimab arm than in the HDI arm.•The incidence of TEAEs with a grade ≥3 was much higher in the HDI arm than in the toripalimab arm.•Both interventions have potential for MM; toripalimab might be the better treatment option.
In recent years, the effect of Toxoplasma gondii infection on the cerebrum and neuropsychiatric patients has been increasingly highlighted. However, there is limited information about the ...epidemiology of T. gondii infection in psychiatric patients in Shandong province, eastern China. Therefore, through a case-control study, 445 patients hospitalized for diacrisis or treatment in Weihai, eastern China, and 445 control subjects from the general population of the same region matched by gender, age, and residence were examined with enzyme-linked immunoassays for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. gondii and associated sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics in a population of psychiatric patients. Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii in psychiatric patients (77/445, 17·30%) was significantly higher than in control subjects (55/445, 12·36%) (P = 0·038). Fourteen (3·15%) psychiatric patients and 10 (2·25%) control subjects had IgM antibodies to T. gondii (P = 0·408). Multivariate analysis using logic regression showed that T. gondii infection was associated with cats at home and consumption of raw/undercooked meat in psychiatric patients. Considering that most psychiatric patients usually have lower cognitive functioning and additional transmission routes related to their inappropriate behaviours that could enhance the risk of infection, psychiatric patients should be considered as a specific group of T. gondii infection.
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