Design of GPS Information Processing System Based on Single Chip Microcomputer

With the rapid development of science and technology in the 21st century, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has become one of the representatives of the development achievements of this era. The system not only has high precision and good performance, but also has a wide range of application. It has been widely used in land, ocean, space and other fields, with a very high market share. In response to a surge in demand for satellite-positioning and navigation applications, In this paper, the GPS information processing system is constructed with hardware modules such as GPS receiving module and LCD module as the main structure, single chip microcomputer as the core controller, supplemented by necessary peripheral circuits. The success of GPS information processing system based on single chip microcomputer solves the problem of high price of GPS devices in the market. In general, the design structure is not only modular and easy to carry, the most important is the human nature, cost-effective, and has great practical value

Recent Advances in Heterogeneous Catalytic Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methane

With the accelerating industrialization, urbanization process, and continuously upgrading of consumption structures, the CO2 from combustion of coal, oil, natural gas, and other hydrocarbon fuels is unbelievably increased over the past decade. As an important carbon resource, CO2 gained more and more attention because of its converting properties to lower hydrocarbon, such as methane, methanol, and formic acid. Among them, CO2 methanation is considered to be an extremely efficient method due to its high CO2 conversion and CH4 selectivity. However, the CO2 methanation process requires high reaction temperatures (300–400°C), which limits the theoretical yield of methane. Thus, it is desirable to find a new strategy for the efficient conversion of CO2 to methane at relatively low reaction temperature, and the key issue is using the catalysts in the process. The advances in the noble metal catalysts, Ni-based catalysts, and Co-based catalysts, for catalytic hydrogenation CO2 to methane are reviewed in this paper, and the effects of the supports and the addition of second metal on CO2 methanation as well as the reaction mechanisms are focused

Amygdalin isolated from Amygdalus mongolica protects against hepatic fibrosis in rats

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of amygdalin on hepatic fibrosis in rats. Amygdalin was purified and identified from the seeds of Amygdalus mongolica. Sprague Dawley rats in the control and model groups were administered water. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the low-, middle-, and high-dose amygdalin groups that received 20, 40, and 80 mg kg–1 amygdalin, respectively. whereas the silymarin group was treated with 50 mg kg–1 silymarin. The control and model groups were administered water. Liver tissue analysis revealed significantly lower activities of ALT, AST, ALP, SOD, and MDA in the drug-treated groups compared to the model group. Serum analysis revealed significantly lower HYC and C-IV in the middle-dose amygdalin-treated group compared to the model group. The histopathological changes were less severe in the drug-treated groups as observed by the formation of pseudolobuli and decreased collagen fiber deposition. Hepatic fibrosis-related genes were expressed at significantly lower levels in the amygdalin-treated groups than in the model group. Amygdalin from A. mongolica represents a therapeutic candidate for hepatic fibrosis prevention and treatment

Block iliac bone grafting enhances osseous healing of alveolar reconstruction in older cleft patients : a radiological and histological evaluation

Older alveolar cleft patients (&12 years old) often have wide bone defect as well as teeth loss, resulting in poor osseous healing with conventional alveolar bone grafting (ABG). In this study, we investigated a surgical technique of block iliac bone grafting for the alveolar cleft reconstruction and evaluated the clinical and radiological outcomes of these cleft patients. Fifteen patients were included in this study. All cases received preoperative cone bean computed tomography (CBCT) scans for the alveolar cleft evaluation. Osseous outcomes of block iliac bone grafting were assessed at 1 week, 3- and 6-month postoperatively. Volume changes and bone resorption rates were calculated using the measurement modules of Simplant software. Bone samples from one patient undergoing dental implantation were assessed by micro-CT and histological examination. The morbidities of donor-site were analyzed by clinical examination and questionnaire survey. The average age of the case series was 18.53±2.50 years. The intraoral incision of thirteen cases healed well. However, two cases had oronasal fistula and graft exposure at 1-week postoperatively. The results of follow-up CBCT scans showed significant resistance to radiation on both sides of the bone graft, suggesting a good osseous healing and new bone formation. The mean residual bone volume was 1.68±0.26 cm3, 1.29±0.23 cm3 and 1.15±0.23 cm3 at 1-week, 3- and 6-month postoperatively. Correspondingly, the mean bone resorption rates in 3- and 6-month postoperative were 21.78±6.88% and 30.66±8.97%, respectively. From micro-CT and HE examinations, the block bone samples exhibited a cancellous structure in which mature bone trabecula and functional blood vessels appeared. The average scores of donor-site morbidities were drastically decreased at 3- and 6-month postoperatively compared with those at 1-week postoperatively. Our results demonstrated that block iliac bone grafting could achieve satisfying osseous outcomes in older alveolar cleft patients, and this technique provided favorable bony condition for further treatments, especially dental implantation

Adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment among pulmonary tuberculosis patients: a qualitative and quantitative study

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) patients have difficulty following a long-term treatment regimen. Efforts to improve treatment outcomes require better understanding of adherence as a complex behavioral issue and of the particular barriers to and facilitators of patient adherence. METHODS: This study was carried out in Jiangsu Province of China with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. For the quantitative study, 780 sputum-smear positive TB patients consecutively registered since 2006 in 13 counties (districts) were queried with a structured questionnaire. Patients who had missed 10% of their total prescribed doses of TB drugs were deemed as non-adherent. Risks for non-adherence were estimated by computing odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using a logistic regression model. We also invited 20 TB patients and 10 local health workers for in-depth interviews. We then used content analysis based on this qualitative study to explore factors associated with non-adherence. RESULTS: The proportion of non-adherence among 670 patients was 12.2%. Univariate analysis showed that patients, who were illiterate, divorced/widowed, lacked health insurance and were migrants, were more likely to be non-adherent. The crude ORs(95%CIs) were 2.38(1.37-4.13), 2.42(1.30-4.52), 1.89(1.07-3.32) and 1.98(1.03-3.83), respectively. The risk of non-adherence was lower among patients whose treatment was given under direct observation by village doctors or regular home visits by health workers, with ORs (95% CIs) of 0.19(0.10-0.36) and 0.23(0.10-0.51), respectively. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with non-adherence included illiteracy (OR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.25-4.67) and direct observation by village doctors (OR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.11-0.45). The in-depth interviews indicated that financial burdens and extra medical expenditures, adverse drug reactions, and social stigma were additional potential factors accounted for non-adherence. CONCLUSION: More importance should be given to treatment adherence under the current TB control program. Heavy financial burdens, lack of social support, adverse drug reactions and personal factors are associated with non-adherence. Direct observation and regular home visits by health workers appear to reduce the risk of non-adherence. More patient-centered interventions and greater attention to structural barriers are needed to improve treatment adherence

How Biomimetic Morphing Dorsal Fin Affects the Swimming Performance of a Free-swimming Tuna Robot

It is well known that tuna fish in the ocean can dynamically morph their median fins to achieve optimal hydrodynamic performance, e.g. linear acceleration and maneuverability. In this study, based on the previous studies about the median fin's hydrodynamic effects focusing on tethered conditions, we continue to explore the hydrodynamic function of tuna morphing dorsal fin in free swimming conditions for better approaching real-life situations.Here, we developed a tuna-inspired robotic fish platform that can swim independently in three dimensions, equipped with a biomimetic morphing dorsal fin magnetically attached to the robotic fish. Based on the free-swimming robotic fish platform, we investigated how the erected dorsal fin affects the speed, cost of transport (COT), and robotic fish's yaw angle at different frequencies and amplitudes. The erected dorsal fin plays a positive role in improving the yaw stability of robotic fish. However, it shows little influence on the speed and COT in our test. This remains to be further investigated in the future.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Effects of Interferons and Double-Stranded RNA on Human Prostate Cancer Cell Apoptosis

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States. Prostate cancer therapy is severely hampered by lack of response and development of resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in patients. Therefore, the development and discovery of new drugs have become an urgent clinical need. Interferons (IFNs), a family of pleiotropic cytokines, exert antitumor activities due to their anti-proliferative, immunomodulatory and proapoptotic functions. Here, we report that pretreatment of prostate cancer PC-3 cells with IFNs sensitized these cells to double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs)-induced apoptosis. The enhancement effect of IFN treatment was dependent on IFN subtypes, in particular, IFN γ. In comparison with IFN α or β, IFN γ treatment remarkably augmented apoptosis in PC-3 cells induced with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a synthesized form of dsRNA. We demonstrated that IFN-signaling was necessary for these effects by using mutant cell lines. Transfection of 2–5A, the activator of RNase L, or silencing of dsRNA-dependent protein kinase R (PKR) by siRNA did not have any significant impact on this event, suggesting that neither RNase L nor PKR was involved in poly I:C/IFN γ-induced apoptosis in the cells. Further investigation of the apoptotic pathway revealed that Bak, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2family, was synergistically up-regulated by IFN γ and poly I:C, whereas other members of the family were not affected. Knocking down of Bak demonstrated its contribution to poly I:C/IFN γ-induced apoptosis in the cells. We believeour findings will precipitate the design of novel therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer

Gelsemium elegans Poisoning: A Case with 8 Months of Follow-up and Review of the Literature

BackgroundGelsemium elegans (G. elegans) is a toxic plant indigenous to Southeast Asia. It is highly poisonous due to its strong respiratory depressive effect. However, G. elegans poisoning cases have not been summarized comprehensively and are rarely reported in English journals. Furthermore, none of the present reports present prognosis in detail.Case presentationA 26-year-old female was found comatose at home and brought to the hospital with deep coma, hypoxia, and acidosis. After mechanical ventilation for hours, the patient recovered from coma with sequelae of impaired short-term memory, disorientation, and childish behaviors. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral hippocampus and basal ganglia damage due to hypoxia. During 8 months of follow-up, both her symptoms and brain MRI scan improved significantly.ConclusionG. elegans is highly toxic. Although patients may die within 30 min due to its strong respiratory depressive effect, they can survive with timely respiratory support and enjoy gradual improvement without delayed postanoxic encephalopathy

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With Late/Very Late Stent Thrombosis and de novo Lesions: A Single-Center Observational Cohort Study of Clinical Outcomes and Influencing Factors

Background: This study compared differences in the risk factors and clinical outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and non-DM patients with de novo lesions (DNLs) and late or very late stent thrombosis (LST/VLST).Methods: We used angiography to screen 4,151 patients with acute coronary syndrome for DNL and LST/VLST lesions. Overall, 3,941 patients were included in the analysis and were allocated to the DM (n = 1,286) or non-DM (n = 2,665) group at admission. The primary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, and ischemic stroke, within a median follow-up period of 698 days.Results: In the group with a total white blood cell count >10 × 109/L (P = 0.004), a neutral granular cell count >7 × 109/L (P = 0.030), and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio >1.5 (P = 0.041), revascularization was better for DNL than for LST/VLST lesions. Among DM patients with DNLs, each unit increase in age was associated with a 53.6% increase in the risk of MACEs [hazard ratio (HR): 1.536, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.300–1.815, P < 0.0001]. Older age (≥65 years) was associated with a significantly greater risk of MACEs (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, each standard deviation (SD) increase in the level of peak white blood cell counts was associated with a 50.1% increase in the risk of MACEs (HR, 1.501; 95% CI, 1.208–1.864; P = 0.0002). When stratifying the DM population with DNLs according to the D-dimer baseline and peak levels <0.5 vs. ≥0.5 mg/L, the high D-dimer group at baseline had a 2.066-fold higher risk of MACEs (P < 0.0001), and the high peak level D-dimer group had a 1.877-fold higher risk of MACEs (P = 0.001) compared to the low-level groups. Among DM patients with LST/VLST, each unit increase in age was associated with a 75.9% increase in the risk of MACEs (HR: 1.759, 95% CI, 1.052–2.940, P = 0.032). Furthermore, for each SD increase in the peak D-dimer level, the risk of MACEs increased by 59.7% (HR, 1.597; 95% CI, 1.110–2.295; P = 0.041).Conclusion: Following successful primary PCI, the measurement of baseline and peak D-dimer values may help identify individuals at high cardiovascular risk. This suggests a potential benefit of lowering D-dimer levels among T2DM patients with DNL. Furthermore, age and the peak D-dimer values may facilitate the risk stratification of T2DM patients with LST/VLST