Effect of Jianpi Bushen formula for colon cancer patients who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy:Statistical analysis plan for a multicenter trial

Background:Patients with colon cancer who receive chemotherapy usually experience various gastrointestinal adverse reactions,including nausea,vomiting,and diarrhea,which make it challenging for them to adhere to treatment.As an effective traditional Chinese medicine,the Jianpi Bushen formula has been widely used to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy.Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jianpi Bushen formulae for patients who undergo chemotherapy.This statistical analysis plan(SAP)is intended to enhance the transparency and research quality of our randomized controlled trial.Methods:Our study is a multicenter,double-blind,randomized controlled clinical trial.This trial aimed to compare the completion rate of chemotherapy in colon cancer patients who are using and not using Jianpi Bushen formula.To attenuate possible selection bias in the final report,we declared the overall trial design,outcome measures,subgroup analyses,and safety measures.Also,we described the data management and statistical analysis methods in detail.Conclusion:The SAP provides more detailed information than the trial protocol for data management and statistical analysis methods.Further post-hoc analyses can be performed by referring to the SAP,and possible selection bias can be attenuated.

骨关节炎疼痛相关危险因素研究进展

疼痛是骨关节炎最突出的症状,也是一种复杂、多因素的生理现象。该综述主要从影响疼痛的相关危险因素进行简要概述。疼痛不仅与关节结构损伤有关,遗传、环境(肥胖)、心理和神经等因素均具有重要作用。每一个因素可单独发挥其作用,也能与其他因素混合,从而导致复杂性疼痛,这可以部分解释目前现有治疗方法疗效均不佳的现象。确定骨关节炎疼痛的危险因素,有助于准确鉴定疼痛表型,为骨关节炎疼痛患者的个体化干预提供可能。该文对骨关节疼痛的相关危险因素的研究报道做一综述。

Risk factors for persistent epiphora following successful canalicular laceration repair

AIM:To identify the risk factors of epiphora in patients with anatomical patency after surgical repair of canalicular laceration.METHODS:This retrospective case series included 178 cases of canalicular laceration repair from 2005 to 2012.Demographic data collected from each patient included age,sex,type of injury,distance from the distal lacerated end of the canaliculus to the punctum,the severity score for the structural abnormity of the medial canthus,the duration of stent placement,and the timing of surgery.The risk factors for epiphora were evaluated using Logistic regression models.RESULTS:Among the 178 cases,45(25.3%)with lacrimal patency after irrigation had symptomatic epiphora at the final follow-up.Patients'sex,age,type of injury,duration of stent placement,timing of surgery,and concurrent trauma were not found to be significantly associated with symptomatic epiphora after surgical repair of the lacerated canaliculus(P>0.05).A distance of more than 5 mm from the distal cut end to the punctum was closely and significantly associated with symptomatic epiphora after surgical repair of the lacerated canaliculus(P<0.01).Symptomatic epiphora was significantly more frequent in patients with higher severity scores for structural abnormities of the medial canthus(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Our results indicate that the risk factors for postoperative symptomatic epiphora include a further distance between the distal cut end and the lacrimal punctum and a higher severity score for structural abnormities of the medial canthus.These findings could be used to prognosticate postoperative symptomatic epiphora.

Status quo and prospect of the development for underground coal mine refuge chamber

As one form of the energy resources, coal is becoming more and more important. Due to the particularity in coal mine production, mine accidents some time occur in countries all over the world, which result in large casualties and economic losses. As equipment that can provides the miners with an emergency shelter when the coal mine accidents occur, the under ground coal mine refuge chamber is paid more and more attention by coal mine enterprises, and the application of the refuge chamber is increasingly widespread. The general functions, the classification, and the successful applications of the underground coal mine refuge chamber are illustrated first, and the research significance on the tmderground coal mine refuge chamber is stated. Following, the development status quo at home and abroad for the refuge chamber is introduced. Then, the implementation methods for the key functions of the underground coal mine refuge chamber are demonstrated. Finally, the prospect for the development of the underground coal mine refuge chamber is stated.

A Policy-Improving System for Adaptability to Dynamic Environments Using Mixture Probability and Clustering Distribution

Along with the increasing need for rescue robots in disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami, there is an urgent need to develop robotics software for learning and adapting to any environment. A reinforcement learning (RL) system that improves agents’ policies for dynamic environments by using a mixture model of Bayesian networks has been proposed, and is effective in quickly adapting to a changing environment. However, the increase in computational complexity requires the use of a high-performance computer for simulated experiments and in the case of limited calculation resources, it becomes necessary to control the computational complexity. In this study, we used an RL profit-sharing method for the agent to learn its policy, and introduced a mixture probability into the RL system to recognize changes in the environment and appropriately improve the agent’s policy to adjust to a changing environment. We also introduced a clustering distribution that enables a smaller, suitable selection, while maintaining a variety of mixture probability elements in order to reduce the computational complexity and simultaneously maintain the system’s performance. Using our proposed system, the agent successfully learned the policy and efficiently adjusted to the changing environment. Finally, control of the computational complexity was effective, and the decline in effectiveness of the policy improvement was controlled by using our proposed system.

Review:Phonon Engineering in Thermoelectric Materials

One of the abundantly available energies that could be found in industrial power plants, running vehicles, nuclear power stations, etc. is known as thermal energy. A physical phenomenon known as thermoelectricity converts thermal energy into electrical energy and vice versa, providing a green route for power generation and a potential solution to the world energy crisis. The thermoelectric conversion efficiency is generally characterized by the temperature-dependent dimensionless figure of merit(zT), which is generally promoted by increasing the power factor and reducing the thermal conductivity. The present work reviews heat transmission in thermoelectric materials, particularly phonon engineering to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. The two leading strategies of point defects engineering and nanostructuring for reducing thermal conductivity have been summarized. The optimized reported zTs of various thermoelectric materials in terms of reduced thermal conductivity have been presented.

A Refinement of Extracting Approximate Symmetry Planes Based on Least Square

Extracting approximate symmetry planes is a challenge due to the difficulty of accurately measuring numerical values. Introducing the approximate symmetry planes of a 3D point set, this paper presents a new method by gathering normal vectors of potential of the planes, clustering the high probability ones, and then testing and verifying the planes. An experiment showed that the method is effective, robust and universal for extracting the complete approximate planes of symmetry of a random 3D point set.

Effects of scalp acupoint cluster needling on learning and memory ability and inflammatory mediators in hippocampal CA1 region of rats with Alzheimer's disease

Objective:To observe the effect of scalp acupoint cluster needling on learning and memory ability and inflammatory mediators in CA1 area of hippocampus in rats with Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods:A total of 40 SPF Wistar rats were randomly divided into blank group,sham operation group,model group and scalp acupoint cluster needling group,with 10 rats in each group.The AD model was duplicated by injecting Abeta 1-42 solution into bilateral hippocampus in model group and scalp acupoint cluster needling group.The sham operation group was injected with the same amount of sterile hydrogen peroxide,while the blank group was not treated.The scalp acupoint cluster needling group was given acupuncture intervention from 2 d after model establishment.The blank group,sham operation group and model group were only bundled and fixed in the dorsal position once a day for 14 consecutive days.After treatment,the learning and memory ability of AD rats was tested by Morris water maze test,the contents and activities of Ach,ChAT and AcE in hippocampal CA1 area were detected by ELISA,and the expressions of IL-6,IL-10 protein and mRNA in hippocampal CA1 area were detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR,respectively.Results:Ach content,ChAT activity,IL-10 protein and mRNA expression in hippocampus were significantly lower than those in blank group,while AchE activity and IL-6 protein and mRNA expression were significantly higher than those in blank group.Compared with the model group,scalp acupoint cluster needling could significantly reduce the escape latency time,increase the number of crossing platforms and effective residence time,increase the content of Ach,the activity of ChAT,the expression of IL-10 protein and mRNA in hippocampus,and decrease the activity of AchE and the expression of IL-6 protein and mRNA.Conclusion:Controlling the expression of inflammatory factors and promoting the content of Ach in hippocampal CA1 region of AD rats can improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats.

Effects of acupuncture on endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in CA1 region of hippocampus of rats with Alzheimer's disease

Objective:To investigate the effects of acupuncture on endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in hippocampal neurons of rats with Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods:A total of 36 Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group(the control),model group,sham-operated group,and acupuncture group,with 9 rats in each group.The AD was replicated by injection of beta-amyloid protein 1-42 solution into the bilateral hippocampal CA1 area in the model group and acupuncture group.The sham-operated group was injected with the same amount of sterile hydrogen peroxide while the control group was not treated.Rats in the acupuncture group were treated with cluster needling of scalp point therapy from 2 days after model establishment once a day for 14 consecutive days,while rats in the control group,model group,and sham-operated group were bundled and fixed in the dorsal position.After treatment,the morphology of hippocampal CA1 neurons was observed by HE staining,the apoptotic level of hippocampal CA1 neurons was detected by Tunel method,the expression of Abeta 1-42 and glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78)in hippocampal CA1 region was detected by immunohistochemistry,and the levels of GRP78 and Caspase-12 proteins in hippocampal CA1 region were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the blank group,the neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area in the model group decreased significantly,and the apoptotic rate,the expression of Abeta 1-42,GRP78 and Caspase-12 protein increased significantly(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the morphology of hippocampal CA1 neurons in the acupuncture group was significantly improved,the number of neurons was significantly increased,the apoptotic rate,the expression of Abeta 1-42,GRP78 and Caspase-12 protein were significantly reduced,and the acupuncture group was significantly improved(P<0.01).Conclusions:Scalp acupoint cluster needling therapy improves the morphology of hippocampal CA1 neurons and inhibits the accumulation of Abeta 1-42 by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and cell apoptosis.

Impact of the interval after endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy on the outcomes of intraocular surgery: a 4-year retrospective study

Background:Patients with dacryocystitis should be treated for their infection by endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy(EN-DCR)before any intraocular surgery.However,there is no unified standard for the specific time interval between the two surgeries.This study aimed to determine the appropriate interval for intraocular surgery in patients with previous EN-DCR for chronic dacryocystitis.Methods:The medical files of all patients who underwent intraocular surgery after EN-DCR surgery in our hospital from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed.The EN-DCR data of patients undergoing intraocular surgery at different time intervals and the incidence of endophthalmitis after intraocular surgery were compared.Results:A total of 116 patients(92 females and 24 males,mean age 64.06±7.78 years)underwent EN-DCR and intraocular surgery met the inclusion criteria.The interval between EN-DCR and intraocular surgery varied from 5-475 days.The number of patients undergoing cataract surgery after EN-DCR is the largest(75,64.7%).All patients(100%)who had previously undergone EN-DCR did not develop endophthalmitis infection after intraocular surgery at a follow-up of 12 months.Conclusions:For patients with dacryocystitis who have undergone EN-DCR surgery,there is no time limit when choosing the timing of intraocular surgery.For patients requiring intraocular surgery,operation can be arranged as soon as possible to solve their problems as long as the patients had patency on lacrimal passage irrigation and no secretions.

Research on UAV Campus Patrol Monitoring System Based on Deep Learning

With the sweeping of the age of science and technology,science and technology has developed rapidly in China.As a common monitoring system,drone technology has attracted more attention.Nowadays,with the continuous improvement of drone technology,campuses have also begun to introduce drone technology for patrol monitoring to ensure students’safety.

Evaluation of Classroom Teaching Effect Based on Facial Expression Recognition

Classroom is an important environment for communication in teaching events.Therefore,both school and society should pay more attention to it.However,in the traditional teaching classroom,there is actually a relatively lack of communication and exchanges.Facial expression recognition is a branch of facial recognition technology with high precision.Even in large teaching scenes,it can capture the changes of students’facial expressions and analyze their concentration accurately.This paper expounds the concept of this technology,and studies the evaluation of classroom teaching effects based on facial expression recognition.

Mechanical properties of thermoelectric generators

To satisfy the requirements of practical applications,thermoelectric generators should be highly efficient and mechanically robust.Recently,progress in designing high-performance thermoelectric generators has been made.However,the mechanical properties of thermoelectric generators are still unsatisfactory.In this review,studies on the mechanical properties of thermoelectric generators are summarized.The me-chanical properties of bulk thermoelectric generators will be first discussed.In this section,the mechan-ical properties of thermoelectric materials and the strategies for improving their mechanical properties are emphasized.Since the device’s failure usually occurs at the interface between the thermoelectric ma-terials and electrode,the joint strength of electrodes and thermoelectric materials will be overviewed.After that,the mechanical properties of the inorganic thin-film thermoelectric devices will be discussed.Since the figure of merit for the flexibility of thermoelectric materials depends on the film thickness,elastic modulus,and yield strength,the synthesis methods of thin-film thermoelectric materials will be reviewed.Finally,this review will be concluded with a discussion on flexible organic thermoelectric de-vices and flexible devices using bulk legs.

Realizing n-type CdSb with promising thermoelectric performance

Realizing high performance in both n-type and p-type materials is essential for designing efficient ther-moelectric devices.However,the doping bottleneck is often encountered,i.e.,only one type of conduction can be realized.As one example,p-type CdSb with high thermoelectric performance has been discovered for several decades,while its n-type counterpart has rarely been reported.In this work,the calculated band structure of CdSb demonstrates that the valley degeneracy is as large as ten for the conduction band,and it is only two for the valence band.Therefore,the n-type CdSb can potentially realize an ex-ceptional thermoelectric performance.Experimentally,the n-type conduction has been successfully real-ized by tuning the stoichiometry of CdSb.By further doping indium at the Cd site,an improved room-temperature electron concentration has been achieved.Band modeling predicts an optimal electron con-centration of∼2.0×1019 cm−3,which is higher than the current experimental values.Therefore,future optimization of the n-type CdSb should mainly focus on identifying practical approaches to optimize the electron concentration.

Revealing the Defect-Dominated Electron Scattering in Mg_(3)Sb_(2)-Based Thermoelectric Materials

The thermoelectric parameters are essentially governed by electron and phonon transport.Since the carrier scattering mechanism plays a decisive role in electron transport,it is of great significance for the electrical properties of thermoelectric materials.As a typical example,the defect-dominated carrier scattering mechanism can significantly impact the room-temperature electron mobility of n-type Mg_(3)Sb_(2)-based materials.However,the origin of such a defect scattering mechanism is still controversial.Herein,the existence of the Mg vacancies and Mg interstitials has been identified by synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction.The relationship among the point defects,chemical compositions,and synthesis conditions in Mg_(3)Sb_(2)-based materials has been revealed.By further introducing the point defects without affecting the grain size via neutron irradiation,the thermally activated electrical conductivity can be reproduced.Our results demonstrate that the point defects scattering of electrons is important in the n-type Mg_(3)Sb_(2)-based materials.

The rise of two-dimensional MoS2 for catalysis

Two-dimensional （2D） MoS2 is used as a catalyst or support and has received increased research interest because of its superior structural and electronic properties compared with those of bulk structures. In this article, we illustrate the active sites of 2D MoS2 and various strategies for enhancing its intrinsic catalytic activity. The recent advances in the use of 2D MoS2-based materials for applications such as thermocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis are discussed. We also discuss the future opportunities and challenges for 2D MoS2-based materials, in both fundamental research and industrial applications.

Balancing the anionic framework polarity for enhanced thermoelectric performance in YbMg_(2)Sb_(2) Zintl compounds

1-2-2-type Zintl phase compound has aroused great interest for potential thermoelectric applications.However,YbMg_(2)Sb_(2) is seldom studied due to the very low electrical conductivity resulting from the large difference in the electronegativity between Mg and Sb.In this paper,we adjust the covalently bonded network of MgeSb by replacing part of the Mg with Zn which has the electronegativity closer to that of Sb.The decreased polarity in the anionic framework offers more free distance for electrons for the enhanced Hall mobility and electrical conductivity.Together with the increased point defect and the decreased lattice thermal conductivity by introduction of Zn,the maximum ZT value of ~0.8 at 773 K is achieved in YbMg_(0.9)Zn_(1.1)Sb_(2) which is~100% enhancement compared with that of YbMg_(2)Sb_(2).

N-Type Mg_(3)Sb_(2-x)Bi_(x) Alloys as Promising Thermoelectric Materials

N-type Mg_(3)Sb_(2-x)Bi_(x) alloys have been extensively studied in recent years due to their significantly enhanced thermoelectric figure of merit(zT),thus promoting them as potential candidates for waste heat recovery and cooling applications.In this review,the effects resulting from alloying Mg_(3)Bi_(2) with Mg_(3)Sb_(2),including narrowed bandgap,decreased effective mass,and increased carrier mobility,are summarized.Subsequently,defect-controlled electrical properties in n-type Mg_(3)Sb_(2-x)Bi_(x) are revealed.On one hand,manipulation of intrinsic and extrinsic defects can achieve optimal carrier concentration.On the other hand,Mg vacancies dominate carrier-scattering mechanisms(ionized impurity scattering and grain boundary scattering).Both aspects are discussed for Mg_(3)Sb_(2-x)Bi_(x) thermoelectric materials.Finally,we review the present status of,and future outlook for,these materials in power generation and cooling applications.

Entropy engineering in CaZn_(2)Sb_(2)-YbMg_(2)Sb_(2)Zintl alloys for enhanced thermoelectric performance

The significant atomic disorder induced by entropy engineering can effectively suppress lattice thermal conductivity and improve thermoelectric performance.The variety of compositions of Zintl phases offers a wide range of possibilities for entropy engineering.Herein we successfully prepared a five-component solid solution(CaZn_(2)Sb_(2))_(0.5)(YbMg_(2)Sb_(2))_(0.5) with a configurational entropy of~1.40R,whereR is the gas constant.As a result,the room-temperature lattice thermal conductivity was only~0.68 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),which is lower than that of all AM_(2)Sb_(2) Zintl phases.

Unsupervised machine learning for discovery of promising half-Heusler thermoelectric materials

hermoelectric materials can be potentially applied to waste heat recovery and solid-state cooling because they allow a direct energy conversion between heat and electricity and vice versa.The accelerated materials design based on machine learning has enabled the systematic discovery of promising materials.Herein we proposed a successful strategy to discover and design a series of promising half-Heusler thermoelectric materials through the iterative combination of unsupervised machine learning with the labeled known half-Heusler thermoelectric materials.Subsequently,optimized zT values of~0.5 at 925 K for p-type Sc_(0.7)Y_(0.3)NiSb_(0.97)Sn_(0.03)and~0.3 at 778 K for n-type Sc_(0.65)Y_(0.3)Ti_(0.05)NiSb were experimentally achieved on the same parent ScNiSb.