Noise Modeling and Simulation of Giant Magnetic Impedance (GMI) Magnetic Sensor.

The detection resolution of a giant magneto-impedance (GMI) sensor is mainly limited by its equivalent input magnetic noise. The noise characteristics of a GMI sensor are evaluated by noise modeling and simulation, which can further optimize the circuit design. This paper first analyzes the noise source of the GMI sensor.

Measuring and decomposing the effort regarding the equity of inpatient benefits based on the adjustment of the new cooperative medical scheme in western rural China.

Background: The ultimate objective of rural health reform and development is to establish a mature healthcare service system that adapts to the socialist market economy and the developmental level of the Chinese economy and meets the health demands of the people. Reform of the payment system is one of the key elements. This article explores the effect of the system and the causes of benefit inequity, provides an objective evaluation of policy implementation and offers data support for policy adjustment.

The Safety and Efficacy of Mechanical Thrombectomy in Posterior VS. Anterior Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background And Purpose: Currently, mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for emergent large-vessel occlusion (ELVO) has been widely used in the clinic. However, the question about whether MT provides the same benefits between posterior circulation emergent large vessel occlusion (pc-ELVO) and anterior emergent large vessel occlusion (ac-ELVO) remains unclear.

Material And Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 studies published between 2011 and 2019 through searching the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.

Identification of biomarkers and construction of a microRNA-mRNA regulatory network for ependymoma using integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Ependymomas (EPNs) are one of the most common types of malignant neuroepithelial tumors. In an effort to identify potential biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis of EPN, the mRNA expression profiles of the GSE25604, GSE50161, GSE66354, GSE74195 and GSE86574 datasets, in addition to the microRNA (miRNA/miR) expression profiles of GSE42657 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) between EPN and normal brain tissue samples were identified using the Limma package in R and GEO2R, respectively.

Porous pyrrhotite FeS nanowire/SiO/nitrogen-doped carbon matrix for high-performance Li-ion-battery anodes.

Iron sulfides, known as attractive anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, low electrical conductivity and huge volume expansion of iron sulfides hinder its practical applications. Herein, a novel method was developed to synthesize ternary porous FeS nanowires/SiO/nitrogen-doped carbon matrix by facile hydrothermal method and subsequent sulfidation derived from bamboo leaves.

Effect of polyvinyl acetals on non-isothermal crystallization behaviour and mechanical properties of poly(ε-caprolactone).

Polyvinyl acetaldehyde (PVAC) and polyvinyl butyral (PVB), as nucleating agents, were melt mixed with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and the non-isothermal crystallization behavior and crystalline morphology of PCL was characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing microscopy (POM). It was found that melt shearing made the crystallinity of control PCL increase from 37.94% (as-received) to 41.

Exposure to atmospheric pollutants is associated with alterations of gut microbiota in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter <2.5 µm (PM2.5) and pollution are worldwide environmental problems and may have negative effects on cardiovascular disease through the lung and gut.

Screening of antagonistic strains of respiratory origin and analysis of their bacteriostatic effects on pathogens.

Objective: To find antagonistic strains in the respiratory tract having bacteriostatic properties against common pathogens.

Methods: The oropharyngeal microbiota of five healthy children aged 4-6 years were collected and α-hemolytic bacteria screened on 15% sheep blood agar. Bacteriostatic effects of the isolated α-hemolytic bacteria on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pyogenes were evaluated by the Oxford cup method.

Observation of Three-Dimensional Photonic Dirac Points and Spin-Polarized Surface Arcs.

Three-dimensional (3D) Dirac points inheriting relativistic effects from high-energy physics appear as gapless excitations in the topological band theory. Hosting fourfold linear dispersion, they play the central role among various topological phases, such as representing the degeneracy of paired Weyl nodes carrying opposite chiralities. While they have been extensively investigated in solid state systems for electrons, 3D Dirac points have not yet been observed in any classical systems.

The roles of synovial hyperplasia, angiogenesis and osteoclastogenesis in the protective effect of apigenin on collagen-induced arthritis.

Apigenin (API) is a plant flavone that is known to exert a protective effect in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a chronic autoimmune disease. However, the molecular mechanism for API's protective effect against RA is still unclear. Here, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model was used to assess the protective effect of API on RA.

Interconnected Microdomain Structure of a Cross-Linked Cellulose Nanocomposite Revealed by Micro-Raman Imaging and Its Influence on Water Permeability of a Film.

Substantial adsorption of water vapor triggered by hydrogen-bonding interactions between water molecules and cellulose chains (or nanoplates) is hard to avoid in nanocomposite films, although the addition of nanoplates can improve the oxygen (or carbon dioxide) barrier property. In the present work, an effective strategy is raised to decline adsorption by weakening hydrogen-bonding interactions via chemical cross-linking by epichlorohydrin (ECH) without sacrificing the homogeneous dispersion of nanoplates. The generated microdomain structure of the chemical cross-linking reaction via ECH is explicitly revealed by micro-Raman imaging.

PM2.5 induces cell cycle arrest through regulating mTOR/P70S6K1 signaling pathway.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution has become a serious problem in China. This study aims to elucidate the toxicity mechanism of PM2.

Intensity-based 2D-3D registration for an ACL reconstruction navigation system.

To improve the positioning accuracy of tunnels for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, we proposed an intensity-based 2D-3D registration method for an ACL reconstruction navigation system. Methods for digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR) generation, similarity measurement, and optimization are crucial to 2D-3D registration. We evaluated the accuracy, success rate, and processing time of different methods: (a) ray-casting and splating were compared for DRR generation; (b) normalized mutual information (NMI), Mattes mutual information (MMI), and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (SRC) were assessed for similarity between registrations; and (c) gradient descent (GD) and downhill simplex (DS) were compared for optimization.

New Calibrator with Points Distributed Conical Helically for Online Calibration of C-Arm.

To improve the accuracy of calibration of C-arm, and overcome the space limitation in surgery, we proposed a new calibrator for online calibration of C-arm. After the image rectification by a polynomial fitting-based global correction method, the C-arm was assumed as an ideal pinhole model. The relationships between two kinds of spatial calibration errors and the distribution of fiducial points were studied: the performance of FRE (Fiducial Registration Error) and TRE (Target Registration Error) were not consistent, but both were best at the 12 marked points; the TRE decreased with the increase of the uniformity of calibration points distribution, and with the decrease of the distance between the target point and the center of calibration points.

Benzo-Fused Periacenes or Double Helicenes? Different Cyclodehydrogenation Pathways on Surface and in Solution.

Controlling the regioselectivity of C-H activation in unimolecular reactions is of great significance for the rational synthesis of functional graphene nanostructures, which are called nanographenes. Here, we demonstrate that the adsorption of tetranaphthyl- p-terphenyl precursors on metal surfaces can completely change the cyclodehydrogenation route and lead to obtaining planar benzo-fused perihexacenes rather than double [7]helicenes during solution synthesis. The course of the on-surface planarization reactions is monitored using scanning probe microscopy, which unambiguously reveals the formation of dibenzoperihexacenes and the structures of reaction intermediates.

Molecular Assembly between Weak Crosslinking Cyclodextrin Polymer and -Cinnamaldehyde for Corrosion Inhibition towards Mild Steel in 3.5% NaCl Solution: Experimental and Theoretical Studies.

Constructing molecular assembly between a soluble cyclodextrin polymer (SCDP) and an anticorrosive component is conducive to increasing the availability of a corrosion inhibitor with low molecular polarity in aqueous solution. The SCDP was prepared via the weak crosslinking effect of glutaraldehyde using β-cyclodextrin as the subunit, whose structure was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (¹H NMR), X-ray diffraction and morphology. An assembly between SCDP (host) and -cinnamaldehyde (guest, CA) was constructed, and the intermolecular interactions were disclosed by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR).

Observation of Hourglass Nodal Lines in Photonics.

Nodal line semimetals exhibiting line degeneracies in three-dimensional momentum space have been demonstrated recently. In general, the presence of nodal line semimetals is protected by special symmetries, such as mirror symmetry. However, these symmetries are usually necessary but not sufficient conditions, as nodal lines can be annihilated even without breaking them.

QTL analysis for yield and fibre quality traits using three sets of introgression lines developed from three Gossypium hirsutum race stocks.

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) race stocks may possess desirable traits for the genetic improvement of cotton. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis can assist in uncovering new alleles from unadapted race stocks.

Robust cellulose nanocomposite films based on covalently cross-linked network with effective resistance to water permeability.

Cellulose films are of poor water-vapor barrier performance. Herein, we put forward an effective way to suppress adsorption by crosslinking of hydroxyl groups via epichlorohydrin (ECH), meanwhile graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets are utilized to prolong the pathway of vapor penetration. The strategy confers a significant enhancement of vapor barrier performance as well as mechanical properties to cellulose-based films.

Effects of roads on giant panda distribution: a mountain range scale evaluation.

Few studies have focused on the mountain ranges scale effects of roads on wildlife. This lack of data could lead to an underestimation of the negative impact of roads on animal populations. We analyzed a dataset that included 74.

Fine particulate matter alters the microecology of the murine respiratory tract.

Fine particulate matter is a global challenge to human health. We investigated the effects and potential mechanisms of fine particulate matter on respiratory tract microecology in a lung injury mouse model. BALB/c mice were randomized into exposed and control groups.

A targeting method for robot-assisted percutaneous needle placement under fluoroscopy guidance.

Minimally invasive procedures are rapidly growing in popularity thanks to advancements in medical robots, visual navigation and space registration techniques. This paper presents a precise and efficient targeting method for robot-assisted percutaneous needle placement under C-arm fluoroscopy. In this method, a special end-effector was constructed to perform fluoroscopy calibration and robot to image-space registration simultaneously.

Facile and green preparation of hemicellulose-based film with elevated hydrophobicity cross-linking with citric acid.

Hemicellulose has shown great potential in food packaging due to its excellent biodegradability and low oxygen permeability. However, its strong hydrophilicity leads to poor moisture resistance and hinders its wide application. To address this issue, herein a ternary carboxylic acid, citric acid (CA), was incorporated into hemicellulose as esterifying agent to form a crosslinking structure the esterification reaction.

Observation of chiral zero mode in inhomogeneous three-dimensional Weyl metamaterials.

Owing to the chirality of Weyl nodes, the Weyl systems can support one-way chiral zero modes under a strong magnetic field, which leads to nonconservation of chiral currents-the so-called chiral anomaly. Although promising for robust transport of optical information, the zero chiral bulk modes have not been observed in photonics. Here we design an inhomogeneous Weyl metamaterial in which a gauge field is generated for the Weyl nodes by engineering the individual unit cells.