Slope excavation quality assessment and excavated volume calculation in hydraulic projects based on laser scanning technology

Slope excavation is one of the most crucial steps in the construction of a hydraulic project. Excavation project quality assessment and excavated volume calculation are critical in construction management. The positioning of excavation projects using traditional instruments is inefficient and may cause error. To improve the efficiency and precision of calculation and assessment, three-dimensional laser scanning technology was used for slope excavation quality assessment. An efficient data acquisition, processing, and management workflow was presented in this study. Based on the quality control indices, including the average gradient, slope toe elevation, and overbreak and underbreak,cross-sectional quality assessment and holistic quality assessment methods were proposed to assess the slope excavation quality with laserscanned data. An algorithm was also presented to calculate the excavated volume with laser-scanned data. A field application and a laboratory experiment were carried out to verify the feasibility of these methods for excavation quality assessment and excavated volume calculation. The results show that the quality assessment indices can be obtained rapidly and accurately with design parameters and scanned data, and the results of holistic quality assessment are consistent with those of cross-sectional quality assessment. In addition, the time consumption in excavation quality assessment with the laser scanning technology can be reduced by 70%e90%, as compared with the traditional method. The excavated volume calculated with the scanned data only slightly differs from measured data, demonstrating the applicability of the excavated volume calculation method presented in this study.

Effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19:A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND The effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid use in patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)remains inconclusive.AIM To investigate the effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19.METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of the difference in several outcomes between patients with severe COVID-19 who received corticosteroid therapy(the corticosteroid group)and patients with severe COVID-19 who did not receive corticosteroid therapy(the non-corticosteroid group).RESULTS Seventy-five patients were included in this study.Of these,47 patients were in the corticosteroid group and 28 patients were in the non-corticosteroid group.There were no differences between the two groups in the total length of hospital stay,the length of intensive care unit stay,high-flow oxygen days,non-invasive ventilator days,invasive ventilation days,and mortality rate.Total lesion volume ratio,consolidation volume ratio and ground-glass opacity volume ratio in the corticosteroid group decreased significantly on day 14,while those in the noncorticosteroid group did not show a significant decrease.CONCLUSION Our results show that adjunctive corticosteroid use did not significantly improveclinical outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients,but might promote the absorptionof pulmonary lesions.Larger multicenter randomized controlled studies may beneeded to confirm this.

Artificial cavernosa-like tissue based on multibubble Matrigel and a human corpus cavernous fibroblast scaffold

Ex vivo tissue culture of the human corpus cavernosum(cc)can be used to explore the tissue structural changes and complex signaling networks.At present,artificial Cc-like tissues based on acellular or three-dimensional(3D)-printed scaffolds are used to solve the scarcity of primary penis tissue samples.However,inconvenience and high costs limit the wide application of such methods.Here,we describe a simple,fast,and economical method of constructing artificial CC-like tissue.Human Cc fibroblasts(FBs),endothelial cells(ECs),and smooth muscle cells(SMCs)were expanded in vitro and mixed with Matrigel in specific proportions.A large number of bubbles were formed in the mixture by vortexing combined with pipette blowing,creating a porous,spongy,and spatial structure.The Cc FBs produced a variety of signaling factors,showed multidirectional differentiation potential,and grew in a 3D grid in Matrigel,which is necessary for CC-like tissue to maintain a porous structure as a cell scaffold.Within the C-like tissue,ECs covered the surface of the lumen,and SMCs were located inside the trabeculae,similar to the structure of the primary Cc.Various cell components remained stable for 3 days in vitro,but the EC content decreased on the 7th day.Wingless/integrated(WNT)signaling activation led to lumen atrophy and increased tissue fibrosis in CC-like tissue,inducing the same changes in characteristics as in the primary Cc.This study describes a preparation method for human artificial cC-like tissue that may provide an improved experimental platform for exploring the function and structure of the cC and conducting drug screening for erectile dysfunction therapy.

Clinical features and microsurgical reconstruction of congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens with obstructive azoospermia:a tertiary care center experience

Patients with congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens(CUAVD)manifest diverse symptoms from normospermia to azoospermia.Treatment for CUAVD patients with obstructive azoospermia(OA)is complicated,and there is a lack of relevant reports.In this study,we describe the clinical features and evaluate the treatments and outcomes of CUAVD patients with OA.From December 2015 to December 2020,33 patients were diagnosed as CUAVD with OA in Shanghai General Hospital(Shanghai,China).Patient information,ultrasound findings,semen analysis,hormone profiles,and treatment information were collected,and the clinical outcomes were evaluated.Of 33 patients,29 patients were retrospectively analyzed.Vasoepididymostomy(VE)or cross VE was performed in 12 patients,the patency rate was 41.7%(5/12),and natural pregnancy was achieved in one of the patients.The other 17 patients underwent testicular sperm extraction as the distal vas deferens(contralateral side)was obstructed.These findings showed that VE or cross VE remains an alternative treatment for CUAVD patients with OA,even with a relatively low rate of patency and natural pregnancy.

Effectiveness of glucocorticoid therapy in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019:protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Background:At the end of 2019,a novel coronavirus outbreak causative organism has been subsequently designated the 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV).The effectiveness of adjunctive glucocorticoid therapy in the management of 2019-nCoV-infected patients with severe lower respiratory tract infections is not clear,and warrants further investigation.Methods:The present study will be conducted as an open-labeled,randomized,controlled trial.We will enrol 48 subjects from Chongqing Public Health Medical Center.Each eligible subject will be assigned to an intervention group(methylprednisolone via intravenous injection at a dose of 1-2 mg/kg/day for 3 days)or a control group(no glucocorticoid use)randomly,at a 1:1 ratio.Subjects in both groups will be invited for 28 days of follow-up which will be scheduled at four consecutive visit points.We will use the clinical improvement rate as our primary endpoint.Secondary endpoints include the timing of clinical improvement after intervention,duration of mechanical ventilation,duration of hospitalization,overall incidence of adverse events,as well as rate of adverse events at each visit,and mortality at 2 and 4 weeks.Discussion:The present coronavirus outbreak is the third serious global coronavirus outbreak in the past two decades.Oral and parenteral glucocorticoids have been used in the management of severe respiratory symptoms in coronavirus-infected patients in the past.However,there remains no definitive evidence in the literature for or against the utilization of systemic glucocorticoids in seriously ill patients with coronavirus-related severe respiratory disease,or indeed in other types of severe respiratory disease.In this study,we hope to discover evidence either supporting or opposing the systemic therapeutic administration of glucocorticoids in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019.

Extracellular control of chromosomal instability and maintenance of intra-tumoral heterogeneity

Aim:Current cancer treatments are challenged by the plasticity of cancer cells,largely influenced by chromosomal instability(CIN)leading to variations in karyotype known as tumor-specific aneuploidy,which in turn,leads to intra-tumor cellular heterogeneity(TH).Cells with certain chromosomal defects often survive treatment and the growth-associated states of TH persist in recurrent tumors.Modulation of the CIN rate seems to reside within the tumor itself.In an attempt to develop a therapy targeting cancer plasticity,we studied the possible extracellular control of CIN rate in Chr7-defined TH in gliomas.Methods:Chr7-fluorescence in situ hybridization was applied on various grades of gliomas,in vitro cultures and intracranial xenografts of two syngeneic glioma lines(U251 and U251-NS)derived from various cell-inoculating densities,with or without EFEMP1 overexpression.Results:A grade-dependent increase of trisomy-7 population and Chr7-defined cell diversity was shown in gliomas.A negative association between Chr7-MS rate and initial cell-inoculating density was observed which was prevented by EFEMP1 overexpression.Conclusion:Our data demonstrate that CIN is a major driver for cancer cell plasticity and suggest that CIN can be controlled by extracellular factors derived from normal and tumor cells,and EFEMP1 is one of these factors.