Short-term efficacy of robotic and laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy via Huang’s three-step maneuver for advanced upper gastric cancer: Results from a propensity scorematched study

BACKGROUND Robotic surgery has been considered to be significantly better than laparoscopic surgery for complicated procedures.AIM To explore the short-term effect of robotic and laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy(SPSHL)for advanced gastric cancer(GC)by Huang’s three-step maneuver.METHODS A total of 643 patients who underwent SPSHL were recruited from April 2012 to July 2017,including 35 patients who underwent robotic SPSHL(RSPSHL)and 608 who underwent laparoscopic SPSHL(LSPSHL).One-to-four propensity score matching was used to analyze the differences in clinical data between patients who underwent robotic SPSHL and those who underwent laparoscopic SPSHL.RESULTS In all,175 patients were matched,including 35 patients who underwent RSPSHL and 140 who underwent LSPSHL.After matching,there were no significant differences detected in the baseline characteristics between the two groups.Significant differences in total operative time,estimated blood loss(EBL),splenic hilar blood loss(SHBL),splenic hilar dissection time(SHDT),and splenic trunk dissection time were evident between these groups(P<0.05).Furthermore,no significant differences were observed between the two groups in the overall noncompliance rate of lymph node(LN)dissection(62.9%vs 60%,P=0.757),number of retrieved No.10 LNs(3.1±1.4 vs 3.3±2.5,P=0.650),total number of examined LNs(37.8±13.1 vs 40.6±13.6,P=0.274),and postoperative complications(14.3%vs 17.9%,P=0.616).A stratified analysis that divided the patients receiving RSPSHL into an early group(EG)and a late group(LG)revealed that the LG experienced obvious improvements in SHDT and length of stay compared with the EG(P<0.05).Logistic regression showed that robotic surgery was a significantly protective factor against both SHBL and SHDT(P<0.05).CONCLUSION RSPSHL is safe and feasible,especially after overcoming the early learning curve,as this procedure results in a radical curative effect equivalent to that of LSPSHL.

Auxiliary principle and three-step iterative algorithms for generalized set-valued strongly nonlinear mixed variational-like inequalities

An auxiliary principle technique to study a class of generalized set-valued strongly nonlinear mixed variational-like inequalities is extended. The existence and uniqueness of the solution of the auxiliary problem for the generalized set-valued strongly nonlinear mixed variational-like inequalities are proved, a novel and innovative three-step iterative algorithm to compute approximate solution is constructed, and the existence of the solution of the generalized set-valued strongly nonlinear mixed variational-like inequality is shown using the auxiliary principle iterative sequences generated by the algorithm technique. The convergence of three-step is also proved.

ZnO micro-nano composite hydrophobic film prepared by the three-step method

The hydrophobicity of the lotus leaf is mainly due to its surface micro-nano composite structure. In order to mimic the lotus structure, ZnO micro-nano composite hydrophobic films were prepared via the three-step method. On thin buffer films of SiO2, which were first fabricated on glass substrates by the so,gel dip-coating method, a ZnO seed layer was deposited via RF magnetron sputtering. Then two different ZnO films, micro-nano and micro-only flowerlike structures, were grown by the hydrothermal method. The prepared films have different hydrophobic properties after surface modification. The structures of the obtained ZnO films were characterized using x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. A conclusion that a micro-nano composite structure is more beneficial to hydrophobicity than a micro-only structure was obtained through research into the effect of structure on hydrophobic properties.

Three-step acupuncture and cupping therapy:an effective approach to treat cervicogenic headache

As early as 1983,Sjaastad proposed the concept of cervicogenic headache(CH)in the World Headache Conference,that is,the pain from upper cervical joints and muscles can be referred to the head.CH is a group of syndromes mainly caused by dysfunction of the upper cervical spine and its component muscles,ligaments,bony,vertebral arteries and/or soft tissue elements,usually not accompanied by neck pain.Therefore,the treatment strategy of CH focuses on pain relief and repair cervical lesions.Patients with painful disorders of upper cervical zygapophysial joints showed significant headache relief after directly treated at disordered cervical joints[1].

A new three-step procedure for pancreatic head carcinoma with invasion of superior mesenteric artery

Pancreatic head carcinoma is characterized by high malignancy and a low survival rate and its mortality ranks fourth for malignant tumors with a 5-year survival rate of only 5%[1].Treatment of this cancer relies on surgical resection.However,the resection rate is only about 20%,because majority of the patients are classified as unresectable when diagnosed due to distant metastasis or

Numerical Simulation of Wave Forces on Seabed Pipelines

A three-step finite element method (FEM) together with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is applied to incompressible turbulent flow around seabed pipelines at relatively high Reynolds numbers. Both two dimensional and three-dimensional numerical simulation is carried out to determine the three-dimensional effect. The results of numerical simulation agree quite well with the wave forces acting on pipeline models measured in physical model test.

Study on the wind field and pollutant dispersion in street canyons using a stable numerical method

A stable finite element method for the time dependent Navier-Stokes equations was used for studying the wind flow and pollutant dispersion within street canyons. A three-step fractional method was used to solve the velocity field and the pressure field separately from the governing equations. The Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin(SUPG) method was used to get stable numerical results. Numerical oscillation was minimized and satisfactory results can be obtained for flows at high Reynolds numbers. Simulating the flow over a square cylinder within a wide range of Reynolds numbers validates the wind field model. The Strouhal numbers obtained from the numerical simulation had a good agreement with those obtained from experiment. The wind field model developed in the present study is applied to simulate more complex flow phenomena in street canyons with two different building configurations. The results indicated that the flow at rooftop of buildings might not be assumed parallel to the ground as some numerical modelers did. A counter-clockwise rotating vortex may be found in street canyons with an inflow from the left to right. In addition, increasing building height can increase velocity fluctuations in the street canyon under certain circumstances, which facilitate pollutant dispersion. At high Reynolds numbers, the flow regimes in street canyons do not change with inflow velocity.

Application of CLEAR-VOF method to wave and flow simulations

A two-dimensional numerical model based on the Navier-Stokes equations and computational Lagrangian-Eulerian advection remap-volume of fluid （CLEAR-VOF） method was developed to simulate wave and flow problems. The Navier-Stokes equations were discretized with a three-step finite element method that has a third-order accuracy. In the CLEAR-VOF method, the VOF function F was calculated in the Lagrangian manner and allowed the complicated free surface to be accurately captured. The propagation of regular waves and solitary waves over a flat bottom, and shoaling and breaking of solitary waves on two different slopes were simulated with this model, and the numerical results agreed with experimental data and theoretical solutions. A benchmark test of dam-collapse flow was also simulated with an unstructured mesh, and the capability of the present model for wave and flow simulations with unstructured meshes, was verified. The results show that the model is effective for numerical simulation of wave and flow problems with both structured and unstructured meshes.

Different methods of acupuncture for relief of pain due to liver cancer:A network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Pain in the liver is a common symptom of liver cancer in late stages,and the pain incidence rate exceeds 50%[1].In serious cancer pain,morphine and other major analgesics have been commonly administrated for clinical treatments,and their effects are accurate,but with a high incidence of side effects,such as nausea,vomiting,constipation,and other conditions.Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy.There have been many randomized controlled trials addressing the safety and usefulness of different methods of acupuncture in alleviating liver cancer pain.However,which of these methods is the most effective method is still unclear.AIM To compare the effectiveness of different acupuncture methods for alleviating pain due to liver cancer.METHODS Eligible studies were retrieved from eight databases(the Cochrane Library,PubMed,EMBASE,Medline,CNKI,CBM,Chongqing VIP,and Wan Fang Database)up to March 31,2021 and screened based on the established inclusion and exclusion criteria.The quality of the include studies was evaluated.Stata software was applied for statistical analyses.Publication bias of the included studies was also determined.Finally,the network meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture methods for relief of pain due to liver cancer.RESULTS A total of eight randomized controlled trials were included in the network metaanalysis.Eight trials(covering 5 treatments and 734 patients)provided data suitable for analysis.Most trials focused on short-term effects and many were classed as being of poor quality with a high risk of bias,commonly associated with lack of blinding(which was sometimes impossible to achieve).End of treatment results showed that four interventions,including wrist-ankle acupuncture,triple puncture and remaining needle acupuncture,Tian Yuan acupuncture,and block acupuncture,produced a statistically significant reduction in pain when compared with the three-step analgesic ladder therapy.The surface under the cumulative ranking sorting results showed that triple puncture and remaining needle acupuncture had a relatively high effective rate.CONCLUSION The network meta-analysis results indicate that the overall effectiveness of triple puncture and remaining needle acupuncture is better than the other therapies.

Discussion on the clinical significance of moxibustion in improving cancer pain

In clinic, most patients with middle-late cancer suffer from cancer pain, which seriously affects the confidence and compliance of treatment. However, the side effects of the three-step analgesic therapy, which is widely used at present, are gradually manifested, aggravating patients' resistance to treatment. The role of Moxibustion in relieving pain has been gradually recognized and used in various professional fields. Because of its advantages of non-toxic side effects, simple operation, economic benefits, pain relief and immunity enhancement, moxibustion has been paid more and more attention.

Strength and fatigue properties of three-step sintered dense nanocrystal hydroxyapatite bioceramics

Dense hydroxyapatite （HA） ceramic is a promising material for hard tissue repair due to its unique physical properties and biologic properties. However, the brittleness and low compressive strength of traditional HA ceramics limited their applications, because previous sintering methods produced HA ceramics with crystal sizes greater than nanometer range. In this study, nano-sized HA powder was employed to fabricate dense nanocrystal HA ceramic by high pressure molding, and followed by a three-step sintering process. The phase composition, microstructure, crystal dimension and crystal shape of the sintered ceramic were examined by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Mechanical properties of the HA ceramic were tested, and cytocompatibility was evaluated. The phase of the sintered ceramic was pure HA, and the crystal size was about 200 nm. The compressive strength and elastic modulus of the HA ceramic were comparable to human cortical bone, especially the good fatigue strength overcame brittleness of traditional sintered HA ceramics. Cell attachment experiment also demonstrated that the ceramics had a good cytocompatibility.

TSR: algorithm of image hole-filling based on three-step repairing

In order to solve the hole-filling mismatch problem in virtual view synthesis, a three-step repairing(TSR) algorithm was proposed. Firstly, the image with marked holes is decomposed by the non-subsampled shear wave transform(NSST), which will generate high-/low-frequency sub-images with different resolutions. Then the improved Criminisi algorithm was used to repair the texture information in the high-frequency sub-images, while the improved curvature driven diffusion(CDD) algorithm was used to repair the low-frequency sub-images with the image structure information. Finally, the repaired parts of high-frequency and low-frequency sub-images are synthesized to obtain the final image through inverse NSST. Experiments show that the peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR) of the TSR algorithm is improved by an average of 2-3 dB and 1-2 dB compared with the Criminisi algorithm and the nearest neighbor interpolation(NNI) algorithm, respectively.

Effect of Controlled Cooling After Hot Rolling on Mechanical Properties of Hot Rolled TRIP Steel

A three-step cooling pattern on the runout table（ROT）was conducted for the hot rolled TRIP steel.Microstructural evolution during thermomechanical controlled processing（TMCP）was investigated.Processing condition of controlled cooling on a ROT in the laboratory rolling mill was discussed.The results indicated that the microstructure containing polygonal ferrite,granular bainite and a significant amount of the stable retained austenite can be obtained through three-step cooling on the ROT after hot rolling.TMCP led to ferrite grain refinement.Controlled cooling after hot rolling resulted in the stability of the remaining austenite and a satisfactory TRIP effect.Excellent mechanical properties were obtained through TMCP for the hot rolled TRIP steel.

DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A EUTROPHICATION WATER QUALITY MODEL FOR RIVER NETWORKS

The Preissmann implicit scheme was used to discretize the one-dimensional Saint-Venant equations, the river-junction-fiver method was applied to resolve the hydrodynamic and water quality model for river networks, and the key issues on the model were expatiated particularly in this article. This water quality module was designed to compute time dependent concentrations of a series of constituents, which are primarily governed by the processes of advection, dispersion and chemical reactions. Based on the theory of Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program （WASP） water quality model, emphasis was given to the simulation of the biogeochemical transformations that determine the fate of nutrients, in particular, the simulation of the aquatic cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. This model also includes procedures for the determination of growth and death of phytoplankton. This hydrodynamic and water quality model was applied to calculate two river networks. As illustrated by the numerical examples, the calculated water level and discharge agree with the measured data and the simulated trends and magnitudes of water quality constituents are generally in good agreement with field observations. It is concluded that the presented model is useful in the pollutant control and in the determination of pollutant-related problems for river networks.

ESTABLISHMENT OF SOME TREE-RING CHRONOLOGIES IN TIBET

Recently, because of the importance of research into environmental change and thanks to the overlap of some branches of sciences, there has been great advance in dendrochronology. The response of ring-width growth to variation of ecological en- vironment system has become one of the major projects in earth science and ecology.

Powerful Integration

South China's Guangdong Province has outlined a three-step process for promoting the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.The timetable is part of its scheme released on July 5 on how to implement the outline development plan for the Greater Bay Area,released by the Chinese Govermment back in February.

Weak and Strong Convergence for Fixed Points of Asymptotically Non-expansive Mappings

A few weak and strong convergence theorems of the modified three-step iterative sequence with errors and the modified Ishikawa iterative sequence with errors for asymptotically non-expansive mappings in any non-empty closed convex subsets of uniformly convex Banach spaces are established. The results presented in this paper substantially extend the results due to Chang (2001), Osilike and Aniagbosor (2000), Rhoades (1994) and Schu (1991).