MicroRNAs modulation in lung cancer: exploring dual mechanisms and clinical prospects

The global incidence of lung cancer is marked by a considerably elevated mortality rate.MicroRNAs(miRNAs)exert pivotal influence in the intricate orchestration of gene regulation,and their dysregulation can precipitate dire consequences,notably cancer.Within this context,miRNAs encapsulated in exosomes manifest a diversified impact on the landscape of lung cancer,wherein their actions may either foster angiogenesis,cell proliferation,and metastasis,or counteract these processes.This comprehensive review article discerns potential targets for the prospective development of therapeutic agents tailored for lung cancer.Tumor-suppressive miRNAs,such as miR-204,miR-192,miR-30a,miR-34a,miR-34b,miR-203,and miR-212,exhibit heightened expression and demonstrate the capacity to inhibit cellular proliferation and invasiveness.Conversely,the deleterious effects of tumor-promoting miRNAs like miR-21,miR-106a,miR-155,miR-205,and miR-210 can be attenuated through the application of their respective inhibitors.Distinct miRNAs selectively target various oncogenes,including NUAK Family Kinase 1(NUAK1),Snail Family Transcriptional Repressor 1(Snai1),Astrocyte elevated gene-1(AEG-1),Vimentin,Proliferation and apoptosis adaptor protein 15(PEA-15/PED),Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha(HIF1),as well as tumor suppressor genes such as phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN),Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1(SOCS1),Tumor protein P53 binding protein 1(TP53BP1),and PH Domain and Leucine Rich Repeat Protein Phosphatase 2(PHLP22).This investigative approach proves invaluable in elucidating the specific miRNAs implicated in the deregulation of crucial genes pivotal to the pathogenesis of cancer.

外源物质对水稻盐胁迫缓解效应研究进展

盐胁迫是影响水稻生长发育和产量的主要非生物因素之一,外源物质能有效缓解盐对水稻的毒害作用并增加水稻产量。本文主要综述了不同外源物质(生长素、赤霉素、细胞分裂素、脱落酸、乙烯、褪黑素、水杨酸、多胺、油菜素类固醇、茉莉酸类外源生长调节物质以及钙、硅离子类外源物)对盐胁迫下水稻生长的不同调控机理及其缓解效应,并进一步对外源物质在水稻耐盐上的利用与研究工作进行了展望,以期为改善盐渍土环境下水稻的生长发育以及提高产量和品质提供理论依据。

Effects of Catalysis and Separator Functionalization on High-Energy Lithium–Sulfur Batteries:A Complete Review

Lithium–sulfur(Li-S)batteries have the advantages of high theoretical specific capacity(1675 mAh g^(−1)),rich sulfur resources,low production cost,and friendly environment,which makes it one of the most promising next-generation rechargeable energy storage devices.However,the“shuttle effect”of polysulfide results in the passivation of metal lithium anode,the decrease of battery capacity and coulombic efficiency,and the deterioration of cycle stability.To realize the commercialization of Li-S batteries,its serious“shuttle effect”needs to be suppress.The commercial separators are ineffective to suppress this effect because of its large pore size.Therefore,it is an effective strategy to modify the separator surface and introduce functional modified layer.In addition to the blocking strategy,the catalysis of polysulfide conversion reaction is also an important factor hindering the migration of polysulfides.In this review,the principles of separator modification,functionalization,and catalysis in Li-S batteries are reviewed.Furthermore,the research trend of separator functionalization and polysulfide catalysis in the future is prospected.

基于文献计量的国内水稻耐盐性研究态势分析

为全方位了解国内水稻盐胁迫领域的研究动态,以文献计量学为基础,以“水稻”和“盐胁迫”为主题词,检索1990—2020年收录于中国知网(CNKI)数据库中水稻盐胁迫方面的高质量论文,共检索到期刊论文442篇,从发文量、作者、科研机构、被引频次、鱼眼图和突现分析方面研究国内水稻盐胁迫方面的现有研究成果。结果表明,水稻盐胁迫方面的研究呈增长趋势,目前处于爆炸式增加阶段;基因编辑和表达研究、根系生长和金属离子平衡研究等是目前的研究热点;沿海及盐碱地地区对盐胁迫的研究最多,研究更为深入,不同非生物胁迫叠加亦是研究的热点方向。今后水稻耐盐性研究在芽期、苗期的基础上,应进一步围绕产量这一目标展开相关研究,同时应加强各研究团队、机构之间的合作,推进成果转化、技术推广,更好地服务农业,增加粮食产量,保障国内粮食安全。

Parity-check and G-matrix based intelligent early stopping criterion for belief propagation decoder for polar codes

The error correction performance of Belief Propagation(BP)decoding for polar codes is satisfactory compared with the Successive Cancellation(SC)decoding.Nevertheless,it has to complete a fixed number of iterations,which results in high computational complexity.This necessitates an intelligent identification of successful BP decoding for early termination of the decoding process to avoid unnecessary iterations and minimize the computational complexity of BP decoding.This paper proposes a hybrid technique that combines the“paritycheck”with the“G-matrix”to reduce the computational complexity of BP decoder for polar codes.The proposed hybrid technique takes advantage of the parity-check to intelligently identify the valid codeword at an early stage and terminate the BP decoding process,which minimizes the overhead of the G-matrix and reduces the computational complexity of BP decoding.We explore a detailed mechanism incorporating the parity bits as outer code and prove that the proposed hybrid technique minimizes the computational complexity while preserving the BP error correction performance.Moreover,mathematical formulation for the proposed hybrid technique that minimizes the computation cost of the G-matrix is elaborated.The performance of the proposed hybrid technique is validated by comparing it with the state-of-the-art early stopping criteria for BP decoding.Simulation results show that the proposed hybrid technique reduces the iterations by about 90%of BP decoding in a high Signal-to-Noise Ratio(SNR)(i.e.,3.5~4 dB),and approaches the error correction performance of G-matrix and conventional BP decoder for polar codes.

Salt Stress Affects the Growth and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by Altering the Antioxidant Machinery and Expression of Hormones and Stress- Specific Genes

Understanding physiological responses in saline agriculture may facilitate wheat breeding programs.Based on a screening test,the Ningmai-14(NM-14)and Yangmai-23(YM-23)wheat cultivars were selected for further experiments to understand the underlying salinity tolerance mechanism.This study investigated the effects of five salinity levels such as Control(CK)=0(without NaCl stress),S1=0.20%,S2=0.25%,S3=0.30%and S4=0.35%of NaCl concentrations of soil on wheat plants.The results showed that increased salinity concentration reduced the growth and yield of wheat cultivars(NM-14 and YM-23).However,YM-23(12.7%)yielded more than NM-14 at maximum salinity stress.The higher salinity(S4)increased the concentration of Na^(+)(4.3 to 5.8-fold)and P contents(2.5 to 2.2-fold),while reducing the average concentrations of K^(+),Cu,and K^(+)/Na^(+)ratio.The higher salinity(S4)reduced the spikelet length by 21.35%(followed by grain spike−1),and the starch content by 18.81%.In the YM-23 cultivar,higher salinity increased superoxide dismutase(SOD),total antioxidant capacity(TAC),and amylase.Compared to NM-14,induced expression of TaYUC2,6,and TaGA13ox,20ox genes were recorded in YM-23.Similarly,in YM-23 the stress-specific genes such as TaHSP70,90 were enhanced whereas,TaSOS1,2 were suppressed.Overall,our study revealed that salt tolerant cultivars modulate hormonal and antioxidant activities,thus maintaining high growth.

水培条件下水稻全生育期耐盐筛选鉴定

通过分析水稻在盐胁迫和对照情况下的农艺性状表型差异,筛选出耐盐性强的水稻,为盐碱地的开发利用提供优良种质资源。本研究是水稻全生育期水培耐盐筛选,主要是对国内120份水稻品种进行耐盐性筛选,设置0、1.5‰、3‰、4.5‰和6‰5个盐浓度梯度,在成熟期时分别测定各个水稻品种的株高、主茎茎粗、根长、倒1叶长、倒1叶宽、倒2叶长、倒2叶宽、绿叶数、主茎穗长、茎干重、叶干重、穗干重、根干重、地上部干重、根冠比、穗数、穗粒数、千粒重、结实率和理论产量。首先利用四分位差法确定本研究的最佳筛选盐浓度;其次对最佳筛选盐浓度下的各个耐盐系数进行主成分分析,在主成分分析基础上通过模糊函数法得到隶属函数值和综合评价值(D值),用D值和各个品种的耐盐系数值进行逐步回归分析和相关分析,最后对各个水稻品种的D值用欧式距离和ward法进行系统聚类分析。结果表明6‰盐浓度是最佳筛选盐浓度,系统聚类分析结果表明在欧式距离为3.5处分类得到11个耐盐性极强的水稻品种,19个耐盐性强的水稻品种,24个耐盐性中等的水稻品种,45个耐盐性弱的水稻品种,21个耐盐性极弱的水稻品种。通过测定盐浓度为6‰时水稻成熟期倒1叶长、倒1叶宽、主茎穗长、地上部干重和主茎茎粗,利用回归方程可快速鉴定水稻的耐盐性大小。通过筛选得到的高耐盐水稻种质资源可以为进一步挖掘耐盐基因和培育水稻耐盐新品种奠定基础。

Relaxor ferroelectric and dielectric properties of(1-x)Ba(Zr_(1/3)Ti_(2/3))O_(3)-xBaMg_(0.1)Ta_(0.9))O_(3)ceramics

The environmentally-friendly(1-x)Ba(Zr_(1/3)Ti_(2/3))O_(3)-xBaMg_(0.1)Ta_(0.9))O_(3)(x=0,0.02,0.04,0.06,0.08)relaxor ferroelectric ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state method and sintered in air at 1400°C for 2 h.SEM and XRD analyses were utilized to study the surface morphologies and the crystalline structures,respectively.The effects of BaMg_(0.1)Ta_(0.9))O_(3)on the phase transformation,dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Ba(Zr_(1/3)Ti_(2/3))O_(3)ceramics were also investigated.It is found that the average grain size of(1-x)Ba(Zr_(1/3)Ti_(2/3))O_(3)-xBaMg_(0.1)Ta_(0.9))O_(3)(BZT-BMT)perovskite single-phase ceramics decreases as the content of BaMg_(0.1)Ta_(0.9))O_(3)(BMT)increases.The relaxor ferroelectric behavior with diffuse phase transition and well-defined frequency dispersion of dielectric maximum temperature is found for the ceramic with increasing x values.0.98BZT-0.02BMT ceramic shows very good dielectric properties with the relative permittivity and the dielectric loss,measured at 100 k Hz as 6034 and 0.01399 respectively at room temperature.Both remnant polarization and coercive field decreased with increasing BMT content,indicating a transition from the ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase at room temperature.

Effect of graphene nanoplatelets(GNPs)addition on strength and ductility of magnesium-titanium alloys

Effect of graphene nanoplatelets(GNPs)addition on mechanical properties of magnesium–10wt%Titanium(Mg–10Ti)alloy is investigated in current work.The Mg-(10Ti+0.18GNPs)composite was synthesized using the semi powder metallurgy method followed by hot extrusion.Microstructural characterization results revealed the uniform distribution of reinforcement(Ti+GNPs)particles in the matrix,therefore(Ti+GNPs)particles act as an effective reinforcing filler to prevent the deformation.Room temperature tensile results showed that the addition of Ti+GNPs to monolithic Mg lead to increase in 0.2%yield strength(0.2%YS),ultimate tensile strength(UTS),and failure strain.Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM),Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS)and X-Ray Diffraction(XRD)were used to investigate the surface morphology,elemental dispersion and phase analysis,respectively.

Influence of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacterial Inoculation on Wheat Productivity Under Soil Salinity Stress

Soil salinity affects the growth and yield of crops.The stress of soil salinity on plants can be mitigated by inoculation of plant growth promoting bacteria(PGPR).The influence of PGPR inoculation on wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)crop productivity under salinity stress has not been properly addressed so far.Therefore,the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of various PGPR strains(W14,W10 and 6K;alone and combined)at several growth attributes of wheat plant under different soil salinity gradients(3,6 and 9 dS m-1).The growth attributes of wheat(height,roots,shoots,spikes,grains quality,biological and economical yield,nutrients nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium in grains)were highly affected by salinity and decreased with increasing salinity level.The PGPR inoculation substantially promoted growth attributes of wheat and prominent results were observed in W14×W10×6K treatment at all salinity levels.The results suggest that inoculation of PGPR is a potential strategy to mitigate salinity stress for improving wheat growth and yield.

Microwave-assisted pre-ionization experiments on GLAST-Ⅲ

GLAss Spherical Tokamak(GLAST-Ⅲ)is a spherical tokamak with an insulating vacuum vessel that has a unique single-passage capability for incident microwaves.In this work,electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH)-assisted plasma pre-ionization in GLAST-Ⅲis explored for three radio-frequency(RF)polarizations(the O-,X-,and M-modes)at different toroidal-field(TF)strengths and filled gas pressures.The optimum hydrogen pressure is identified for efficient plasma pre-ionization.A comparison of the plasma pre-ionizations initiated by the O-,X-,and M-modes shows prominent differences in the breakdown time,location,and wave absorption.In the case of O-mode polarization,microwave absorption occurs for a relatively shorter duration,resulting in a bell-shaped electron-temperature(Te)temporal profile.Microwave absorption is dominant in the case of the X-mode,leading to a broader Te temporal profile.The M-mode discharge contains features of both the X-and O-modes.Efficient plasma pre-ionization is achieved in the X-mode polarization for the intermediate TF strengths(with a central toroidal magnetic field B0=0.075 T).Traces of the electron-number density show a similar tendency,as revealed by Te.These results suggest that the X-mode is the best candidate for efficient plasma pre-ionization at low filled gas pressures(10-2 Pa)in small tokamaks.

Application of ferrous sulfate alleviates negative impact of cadmium in rice(Oryza sativa L.)

Soil contamination with toxic heavy metals[such as cadmium(Cd)]is becoming a serious global problem due to rapid development of social economy.Iron(Fe),being an important element,has been found effective in enhancing plant tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses.The present study investigated the extent to which different levels of Ferrous sulphate(FeSO_(4))modulated the Cd tolerance of rice(Oryza sativa L.),when maintained in artificially Cd spiked regimes.A pot experiment was conducted under controlled conditions for 146 days,by using natural soil,mixed with different levels of CdCl_(2)[0(no Cd),0.5 and 1 mg/kg]together with the exogenous application of FeSO_(4) at[0(no Fe),1.5 and 3 mg/kg]levels to monitor different growth,gaseous exchange characteristics,oxidative stress,antioxidative responses,minerals accumulation,organic acid exudation patterns of O.sativa.Our results depicted that addition of Cd to the soil significantly(P<0.05)decreased plant growth and biomass,gaseous exchange parameters,mineral uptake by the plants,sugars(soluble,reducing,and non-reducing sugar)and altered the ultrastructure of chloroplasts,plastoglobuli,mitochondria,and many other cellular organelles in Cd-stressed O.sativa compared to those plants which were grown without the addition of Cd in the soil.However,Cd toxicity boosted the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS)by increasing the contents of malondialdehyde(MDA),which is the indication of oxidative stress in O.sativa and was also manifested by hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))contents and electrolyte leakage to the membrane bounded organelles.Although,activities of various antioxidative enzymes like superoxidase dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POD),catalase(CAT)and ascorbate peroxidase(APX)and non-enzymatic antioxidants like phenolics,flavonoid,ascorbic acid,anthocyanin and proline contents increased up to a Cd level of 0.5 mg/kg in the soil but were significantly diminished at the highest Cd level of 1 mg/kg in the soil compared to those plants which were grown without the addition of Cd in the soil.The negative impacts of Cd injury were reduced by the application of FeSO_(4) which increased plant growth and biomass,improved photosynthetic apparatus,antioxidant enzymes,minerals uptake together with diminished exudation of organic acids as well as oxidative stress indicators in roots and shoots of O.sativa by decreasing Cd retention in different plant parts.These results shed light on the effectiveness of FeSO_(4) in improving the growth and upregulation of antioxidant enzyme activities of O.sativa in response to Cd stress.However,further studies at field levels are required to explore the mechanisms of FeSO_(4)-mediated reduction of the toxicity of not only Cd,but possibly also other heavy metals in plants.

Analyzing COVID-2019 Impact on Mental Health Through Social Media Forum

This study aims to identify the potential association of mental health and social media forum during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.COVID-19 brings a lot of challenges to government globally.Among the different strategies the most extensively adopted ones were lockdown,social distancing,and isolation among others.Most people with no mental illness history have been found with high risk of distress and psychological discomfort due to anxiety of being infected with the virus.Panic among people due to COVID-19 spread faster than the disease itself.The misinformation and excessive usage of social media in this pandemic era have adversely affected mental health across the world.Due to limited historical data,psychiatrists are finding it difficult to cure the mental illness of people resulting from the pandemic repercussion,fueled by social media forum.In this study the methodology used for data extraction is by considering the implications of social network platforms(such as Reddit)and levering the capabilities of a semi-supervised co-training technique-based use of Naïve Bayes(NB),Random Forest(RF),and Support Vector Machine(SVM)classifiers.The experimental results shows the efficacy of the proposed methodology to identify the mental illness level(such as anxiety,bipolar disorder,depression,PTSD,schizophrenia,and OCD)of those who are in anxious of being infected with this virus.We observed 1 to 5%improvement in the classification decision through the proposed method as compared to state-of-the-art classifiers.

Analyzing COVID-19 Impact on the Researchers Productivity through Their Perceptions

Context:Since the end of 2019,the COVID-19 pandemic had a worst impact on world’s economy,healthcare,and education.There are several aspects where the impact of COVID-19 could be visualized.Among these,one aspect is the productivity of researcher,which plays a significant role in the success of an organization.Problem:There are several factors that could be aligned with the researcher’s productivity of each domain and whose analysis through researcher’s feedback could be beneficial for decision makers in terms of their decision making and implementation of mitigation plans for the success of an organization.Method:We perform an empirical study to investigate the substantial impact of COVID-19 on the productivity of researchers by analyzing the relevant factors through their perceptions.Our study aims to find out the impact of COVID-19 on the researcher’s productivity that are working in different fields.In this study,we conduct a questionnaire-based analysis,which included feedback of 152 researchers of certain domains.These researchers are currently involved in different research activities.Subsequently,we perform a statistical analysis to analyze the collected responses and report the findings.Findings:The results indicate the substantial impact of COVID-19 pandemics on the researcher’s productivity in terms of mental disturbance,lack of regular meetings,and field visits for the collection of primary data.Conclusion:Finally,it is concluded that researcher’s daily or weekly meetings with their supervisors and colleagues are necessary to keep them more productive in task completion.These findings would help the decision makers of an organization in the settlement of their plan for the success of an organization.

Effect of Growth Stage-Based Irrigation Schedules on Biomass Accumulation and Resource Use Efficiency of Wheat Cultivars

Climate and weather conditions greatly affect the performance of new wheat cultivars for yield and resource use efficiency. In order to know the effect of irrigation schedules based on growth stage (the most vital criterion in the region) on growth, yield and radiation use efficiency of wheat cultivars in Faisalabad conditions, a study was planned at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during 2009-2010. Split plot design with irrigation levels in main plots and cultivars in sub-plots was implied. Irrigation levels were: IT = irrigation at tillering stage, ITS = irrigation at tillering and stem elongation stage, ISB = irrigation at stem elongation and booting stage and ITSBG = irrigation at tillering, stem elongation, booting and grain filling stage. Cultivars selected were: Faisalabad-2008, Lasani-2008, Miraj-2008, Shafaq-2006 and Chakwal-97. Irrigation treatment ITSBG gave higher grain yield (4.23 t·ha-1) followed by ISB (3.60 t·ha-1), however ITSBG was statistically similar to ISB in radiation use efficiency (RUE) for grain yield (RUEGY). Similarly the two treatments were statistically at par in maximum leaf area index, total dry matter (TDM) accumulation, cumulative photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and RUETDM. Hence where less numbers of irrigations are available, irrigation at stem elongation and booting stage is suitable for achieving economic yield. Lasani-2008 produced maximum grain yield (4.37 t·ha-1) compared to other cultivars but it was statistically at par with Shafaq-2006 in plant height, TDM production and RUETDM. Depending on the availability, the two cultivars may be chosen under irrigated conditions of Faisalabad.

Heavy Metal/Metalloid Indexing and Balances in Agricultural Soils: Methodological Approach for Research

Heavy metal(loid)accumulation in agricultural soils is a threat to the soil capacity,quality,and productivity.It also increases human exposure to heavy metal(loid)s via consumption of contaminated plant-based foods.The detrimental effects of soil contamination also deteriorate the environment of plants and animals.For sustainable agriculture,therefore,the soil must be protected from toxic levels of heavy metal(loid)s.Studies on heavy metal(loid)balances in agricultural soils are important in predicting future risks to sustainable production from agro-ecological zones and human exposure to heavy metal(loid)s.The latest and continuous indexing of the problem seems a prerequisite for sustainable agriculture.This review provides some background information and then summarizes key methodological approaches for studies on indexing and balance of heavy metal(loid)s in agricultural soils.In the end,important soil and health indices are explained that may be useful in understanding the extent of the problem.The provided information would contribute to sustainable heavy metal(loid)management in the agricultural soils,high crop production,better soil protection,and ultimately to human health.

Emerging strategies and developments in oxygen reduction reaction using high-performance platinum-based electrocatalysts

The global practical implementation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)heavily relies on the advancement of highly effective platinum(Pt)-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).To achieve high ORR performance,electrocatalysts with highly accessible reactive surfaces are needed to promote the uncovering of active positions for easy mass transportation.In this critical review,we introduce different approaches for the emerging development of effective ORR electrocatalysts,which offer high activity and durability.The strategies,including morphological engineering,geometric configuration modification via supporting materials,alloys regulation,core-shell,and confinement engineering of single atom electrocatalysts(SAEs),are discussed in line with the goals and requirements of ORR performance enhancement.We review the ongoing development of Pt electrocatalysts based on the syntheses,nanoarchitecture,electrochemical performances,and stability.We eventually explore the obstacles and research directions on further developing more effective electrocatalysts.

Revisiting traditional and modern trends in versatile 2D nanomaterials: Synthetic strategies, structural stability, and gas-sensing fundamentals

Two-dimensional nanomaterials(2DNMs)have attracted significant research interest due to their outstanding structural properties,which include unique electrical nanostructures,large surface areas,and high surface reactivity.These adaptable materials have outstanding physicochemical characteristics,making them useful in a variety of applications such as gas-sensing,electronics,energy storage,and catalysis.Extensive research has been conducted in the pursuit of high performance room-temperature(RT)gas sensors with good selectivity,high sensitivity,long-term stability,and rapid response/recovery kinetics.Metal oxides,transition metal chalcogenides,MXenes,graphene,phosphorene,and boron nitride have all been discovered as 2DNMs with strong potential for gas sensors.This review presents an in-depth analysis of current advances in 2DNM research.It includes synthetic techniques,structural stabilities,gas-sensing mechanisms,critical performance parameters,and factors influencing gas-sensing capabilities of 2DNMs.Furthermore,the present study emphasizes structural engineering and optimization methodologies that improve gas-sensing performance.It also highlights current challenges and outlines future research directions in the domain of tailoring 2DNMs for advanced RT gas sensors.This systematically designed comprehensive review article aims to provide readers with profound insights into gas detection,thereby inspiring the generation of innovative ideas to develop cutting-edge 2DNMs-based gas sensors.

Enhanced figure of merit for famatinite Cu_(3)SbSe_(4)via band structure tuning and hierarchical architecture

The p-type Te-free Cu_(3)SbSe_(4)with famatinite structure is a potential candidate for thermoelectric materials due to the low cost and eco-friendly constituent elements.However,its strong bipolar effect and high lattice thermal conductivity(klat)are the main challenges for its performance enhancement.Herein,we report a new strategy to enhance its figure of merit zT~0.86 at 673 K for Cu_(3)Sb_(0.95)Fe_(0.05)Se_(2.8)S_(1.2)via band structure tuning and hierarchical architecture.Firstly,S substituted Se atoms in lattice can widen the band gap to alleviate the bipolar effect.Secondly,Fe doping in Sb site significantly increases the density of states,thus increasing the carrier effective mass,and obtaining a remarkably high Seebeck coefficient of~560 mV/K at 300 K.Moreover,the induced hierarchical architecture defects resulting in a minimum klat of~0.48 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)at 673 K.Consequently,the improved Seebeck coefficient combined with low thermal conductivity leads to an enhanced zT.

Open reduction and internal fixation for displaced supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children with crossed K-wires via lateral approach

Objective： To assess the therapeutic results of open reduction and internal fixation with crossed K-wires via lateral approach for displaced supracondvlar fractures of the humerus in children. Methods： We prospectively followed 52 children who presented with Gartland type 3 displaced supraeondylar fractures of the humerus and were managed by open reduction and internal fixation with crossed K-wires via lateral approach.There were 37 male and 15 female patients; average age was 7.39 years. The most common mechanism of trauma was fall while playing （n=23）, followed by fall from height （n=20）, road traffic accidents （n-5） and fall from standing height （n=2）. In 2 cases, mode of injury was not available. The mean follow-up was 12 months and patients were assessed according to Flynn＇s criteria. Results： Lateral approach provided an excellent view of the lateral column between two nervous planes and enabled an anatomical reduction in all cases. Immobilizing the elbow at 90 degrees or more of flexion was not needed after cross K-wire fixation. Majority of patients regained full range of motion within 6 weeks of pin removal. Two patients had postoperative ulnar nerve injuries that resolved after pin removal. The common late complication of cubitus varus was not seen in any patient. Delayed presentation to the emergency department, repeated manipulations by bone setters and massage with edible oil were responsible for stiffness in 5 patients. Superficial pin tract infection was noted in 5 patients that resolved with dressings and antibiotics. No deep infection occurred. A detailed clinical examination and radiographic analysis was done at final follow-up. They included measurement of carrying angle and range of movements of both operated and normal sides, and radiographs of both upper limbs for comparison. According to Flynn＇s criteria, 90.4% patients showed satisfactory results. Conclusion： Lateral approach for open reduction and internal fixation of the widely-displaced supracondylar fracture of the humerus is safe and straightforward, ensuring anatomical reduction and excellent function. The approach is easy and familiar to most orthopedic surgeons in our setup.