Second-order Direct Analysis of Steel Structures made of tapered members

[EN] Mild steel hot-rolled sections are commonly prismatic because of the rolling process with a furnace, but welded sections made from steel plates do not have such a constraint, especially when robotic welding machines are used. The weight saving could be very significant by, say, using wide flanged section at mid-span and a small flanged section at ends of a simply supported beam. However, design codes do not provide formulae for buckling check of tapered members. This paper proposes a code-free second-order direct analysis for stabilty design of steel frames made of tapered members. The design is further applied to a single layered mega space frame of 136m span. In the whole design process based on the concept of Second-order Direct Analysis, no uncertain effective length and independent member buckling checking are required.The authors are grateful to the financial supports by the Research Grant Council of the Hong Kong SAR Government on the project “Second-Order Analysis of Shallow Dome Structures Made of Tapering Members (PolyU 152047/17E)” and Second-Order Analysis of Flexible Steel Cable Nets Supporting Debris (PolyU 152008/15E)” and support by Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong SAR Government for the project “Development of an energy absorbing device for flexible rock-fall barriers (ITS/059/16FP)” and by the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction of The Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong SAR Government for the project Advanced Numerical Analysis for Building Structures using High Performance Steel Materials".Chan, S.; Liu, S.; Liu, Y. (2018). Second-order Direct Analysis of Steel Structures made of tapered members. En Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Advances in Steel-Concrete Composite Structures. ASCCS 2018. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 75-82. https://doi.org/10.4995/ASCCS2018.2018.7221OCS758

The centrosomal protein, TAX1 binding protein 2 (TAX1BP2) regulates the chemo-sensitivity of liver cancer cells

Poster Session 6 - New Drug Targets: no. P6.04BACKGROUND: The centrosomal protein, TAX1 binding protein 2 (TAX1BP2) was first identified as a cellular interacting partner of HTLV-I virus oncoprotein, TAX1. Further investigation has shown that TAX1BP2 was targeted by TAX1 to induce supernumerary centrosome in TAX1-expressing cells. Recently, TAX1BP2 was found to be frequently underexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and underexpression of TAX1BP2 suppressed the activation of tumor suppressor p53 in a p38 MAPK dependent manner, suggesting that TAX1BP2 is a putative tumor suppressor in HCC. Here we provide ...published_or_final_versio

PAK4 phosphorylates p53 at serine 215 to promote liver cancer metastasis

PAK4 kinase contributes to signaling pathways controlling cancer cell transformation, invasion and survival, but its clinicopathological impact has begun to emerge only recently. Here we report that PAK4 overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) conveys aggressive metastatic properties. A novel nuclear splice isoform of PAK4 lacking exon 2 sequences was isolated as part of our studies. By stably overexpressing or silencing PAK4 in HCC cells we showed that it was critical for their migration. Mechanistic investigations in this setting revealed that PAK4 directly phosphorylated p53 at S215, which not only attenuated transcriptional transactivation activity but also inhibited p53-mediated suppression of HCC cell invasion. Taken together, our results showed how PAK4 overexpression in HCC promotes metastatic invasion by regulating p53 phosphorylation.postprin

CDK5RAP3 is a novel repressor of p14ARF in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

CDK5 regulatory subunit associated protein 3 (CDK5RAP3) is a novel activator of PAK4 and processes important pro-metastatic function in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, it remains unclear if there are other mechanisms by which CDK5RAP3 promotes HCC metastasis. Here, we showed that in CDK5RAP3 stable knockdown SMMC-7721 HCC cells, p14(ARF) tumor suppressor was upregulated at protein and mRNA levels, and ectopic expression of CDK5RAP3 was found to repress the transcription of p14(ARF). Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we demonstrated that CDK5RAP3 bound to p14(ARF) promoter in vivo. Furthermore, knockdown of p14(ARF) in CDK5RAP3 stable knockdown HCC cells reversed the suppression of HCC cell invasiveness mediated by knockdown of CDK5RAP3. Taken together, our findings provide the new evidence that overexpression of CDK5RAP3 promotes HCC metastasis via downregulation of p14(ARF).published_or_final_versio

A novel duplication at the putative DNA polymerase alpha arrest site and a founder mutation in Chinese in the IVD gene underlie isovaleric acidaemia

Isovaleric acidaemia is a rare inherited organic acidaemia associated with a characteristic odour in affected patients. Fewer than 40 causative mutations have been reported to date. We report a case in a Hong Kong Chinese neonate who presented with respiratory distress and acute encephalopathy requiring aggressive resuscitation and treatment. Residual gross motor developmental delay was still observed at the age of 16 months. The child was subsequently found to harbour a known missense mutation (c.A1199G [p.Y371C]) and a novel 4-bp duplication (c.1148_1151dupGCTA [p.Y355X]) in the IVD gene. We suggest that the former is a founder mutation in the Chinese population and propose an explanation for the duplication event. Strategies that may achieve early diagnosis and prompt treatment include raising awareness of this condition, implementation of a tandem mass spectrometry neonatal screening programme, and local acquisition of appropriate medications for these metabolic diseases.published_or_final_versio

IPA-3 inhibits the growth of liver cancer cells by suppressing PAK1 and NF-kB activation

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major malignancies worldwide and is associated with poor prognosis due to the high incidences of metastasis and tumor recurrence. Our previous study showed that overexpression of p21-activated protein kinase 1 (PAK1) is frequently observed in HCC and is associated with a more aggressive tumor behavior, suggesting that PAK1 is a potential therapeutic target in HCC. In the current study, an allosteric small molecule PAK1 inhibitor, IPA-3, was evaluated for the potential in suppressing hepatocarcinogenesis. Consistent with other reports, inhibition of PAK1 activity was observed in several human HCC cell lines treated with various dosages of IPA-3. Using cell proliferation, colony formation and BrdU incorporation assays, we demonstrated that IPA-3 treatment significantly inhibited the growth of HCC cells. The mechanisms through which IPA-3 treatment suppresses HCC cell growth are enhancement of apoptosis and blockage of activation of NF-κB. Furthermore, our data suggested that IPA-3 not only inhibits the HCC cell growth, but also suppresses the metastatic potential of HCC cells. Nude mouse xenograft assay demonstrated that IPA-3 treatment significantly reduced the tumor growth rate and decreased tumor volume, indicating that IPA-3 can suppress the in vivo tumor growth of HCC cells. Taken together, our demonstration of the potential preclinical efficacy of IPA-3 in HCC provides the rationale for cancer therapy.published_or_final_versio

Evidence Base of Clinical Studies on Qi Gong: A Bibliometric Analysis

© 2020 The Authors Objective: This bibliometric study aimed to systematically and comprehensively summarize the volume, breadth and evidence for clinical research on Qigong. And this bibliometric analysis also can provide the evidence of this field. Design: Bibliometric analysis. Methods: All types of primary and secondary studies on humans were included: systematic reviews, randomized clinical trials, non-randomized controlled clinical studies, case series and case reports. Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Chinese Academic Conference Papers Database and Chinese Dissertation Database, PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched from the date of inception to December 10, 2018. Bibliometric information, such as publication information, disease/condition, Qigong intervention and research results were extracted and analyzed. Results: A total of 886 clinical studies were identified: including 47 systematic reviews, 705 randomized clinical trials, 116 non-randomized controlled clinical studies, 12 case series and 6 case reports. The studies were conducted in 14 countries. The top 15 diseases/conditions studied were: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, stroke, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, insomnia, knee osteoarthritis, low back pain, and osteoporosis, Coronary heart disease, breast cancer, periarthritis of shoulder, depression, metabolic syndrome. Of the various Qigong exercises reported in these 886 clinical studies, Ba Duan Jin was the most frequently researched in 492 (55.5%) studies, followed by Health Qigong 107 (12.1%), Dao Yin Shu 85 (9.6%), Wu Qin Xi 67 (7.6%) and Yi Jin Jing 66 (7.4%). The most frequently used comparisons in randomized trials were maintaining normal way of life unchanged 149 (18.1%), the remaining controls included conventional treatment, mainly western medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, health education, psychological therapy, Yoga, Tai Chi and other non-drug therapy. The most frequently reported outcomes were physical function, quality of life, symptoms, pain and mental health indicators. Beneficial results from practicing Qigong were reported in 97% of studies. Conclusions: Qigong research publications have been increasing gradually. Reports on study types, participants, Qigong Intervention, and outcomes are diverse and inconsistent. There is an urgent need to develop a set of reporting standards for various interventions of Qigong. Further trials of high methodological quality with sufficient sample size and real world studies are needed to verify the effects of Qigong in health and disease management

On the Association Between Demographic Structural Change and the Effectiveness of Nurse Staffing Policy for Inpatient Care: Evidence from Taiwan

Yi-Ling Lai,1,2 Wen-Yi Chen,3,* Shiuan-Shinn Lee,1,* Yung-Po Liaw1,4,5 1Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, 402367, Taiwan; 2Community Health Center, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Taichung, 427213, Taiwan; 3Department of Senior Citizen Service Management, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taichung, 403301, Taiwan; 4Department of Medical Imaging, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 402367, Taiwan; 5Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, 402367, Taiwan*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wen-Yi Chen, Department of Senior Citizen Service Management, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, 193 Sec 1, San-Min Road, Taichung, 403301, Taiwan, Tel +886 4 22196932, Email [email protected] Shiuan-Shinn Lee, Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, 110, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Taichung, 402367, Taiwan, Tel +886 4 24730022 Ext 12185, Email [email protected]: This study investigates the influence of demographic changes on the effectiveness of hospital nurse staffing policy, measured by the cumulative response of inpatient care quality to adjustments in hospital nurse staffing levels in Taiwan.Methods: The research design utilized in this study aligns with the observational time-series methodology, and a total of 99 monthly time-series observations were collected from multiple databases administered by the Taiwan government over the period from January 2015 to March 2023. Specifically, the time-varying parameter vector autoregressive and autoregressive distributed lag models were employed to investigate the association between age distribution and nurse staffing policy effectiveness.Results: The time-varying impulse responses of the unplanned 14-day readmission rate after discharge to changes in nurse staffing levels indicate a positive association between patient-to-nurse ratios and unplanned 14-day readmission rates across various types of hospitals. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of hospitals’ nurse staffing policy is observed to diminish with population aging, particularly evident in medical centers and regional hospitals.Conclusion: Policymakers should establish lower mandated patient-to-nurse ratios, grounded in practical nurse workforce planning, to address the needs of an aging society and enhance inpatient care quality through improved nurse staffing in hospitals.Keywords: demographic structural change, nurse staffing, inpatient care quality, time-varying parameter vector autoregressive model, autoregressive distributed lags mode

Ultrasound volume projection image quality selection by ranking from convolutional RankNet.

Periodic inspection and assessment are important for scoliosis patients. 3D ultrasound imaging has become an important means of scoliosis assessment as it is a real-time, cost-effective and radiation-free imaging technique. With the generation of a 3D ultrasound volume projection spine image using our Scolioscan system, a series of 2D coronal ultrasound images are produced at different depths with different qualities. Selecting a high quality image from these 2D images is the crucial task for further scoliosis measurement. However, adjacent images are similar and difficult to distinguish. To learn the nuances between these images, we propose selecting the best image automatically, based on their quality rankings. Here, the ranking algorithm we use is a pairwise learning-to-ranking network, RankNet. Then, to extract more efficient features of input images and to improve the discriminative ability of the model, we adopt the convolutional neural network as the backbone due to its high power of image exploration. Finally, by inputting the images in pairs into the proposed convolutional RankNet, we can select the best images from each case based on the output ranking orders. The experimental result shows that convolutional RankNet achieves better than 95.5% top-3 accuracy, and we prove that this performance is beyond the experience of a human expert