Research Progress of Breast Tissue Marker Clips and Their Application in Neoadjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer

Currently, breast cancer being of rapidly increasing incidence rates and as the most commonly diagnosed malignant tumor in breast surgery, has attracted much attention. Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) has been proved to be beneficial for reducing tumor size and breast-conserving surgery. As a new type of metal localization marker, breast tissue marker clips can be used to precisely locate tumor tissue and improve cure rates. This review focuses on the marker clips and their significance in the diagnosis and treatment of neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer, hoping to provide more clinical bases for research and promote this technology

Sliding Mode Control (SMC) of Image‐Based Visual Servoing for a 6DOF Manipulator

The accuracy and stability are two fundamental concerns of the visual servoing control system. This chapter presents a sliding mode controller for image‐based visual servoing (IBVS) which can increase the accuracy of 6DOF robotic system with guaranteed stability. The proposed controller combines proportional derivative (PD) control with sliding mode control (SMC) for a 6DOF manipulator. Compared with conventional proportional or SMC controller, this approach owns faster convergence and better disturbance rejection ability. Both simulation and experimental results show that the proposed controller can increase the accuracy and robustness of a 6DOF robotic system

Signature of lattice dynamics in twisted 2D homo/hetero-bilayers

Twisted 2D bilayer materials are created by artificial stacking of two monolayer crystal networks of 2D materials with a desired twisting angle $\theta$. The material forms a moir\'e superlattice due to the periodicity of both top and bottom layer crystal structure. The optical properties are modified by lattice reconstruction and phonon renormalization, which makes optical spectroscopy an ideal characterization tool to study novel physics phenomena. Here, we report a Raman investigation on a full period of the twisted bilayer (tB) WSe$_2$ moir\'e superlattice (\textit i.e. 0{\deg} $\leq \theta \leq$ 60{\deg}). We observe that the intensity ratio of two Raman peaks, $B_{2g}$ and $E_{2g}/A_{1g}$ correlates with the evolution of moir\'e period. The Raman intensity ratio as a function of twisting angle follows an exponential profile matching the moir\'e period with two local maxima at 0{\deg} and 60{\deg} and a minimum at 30{\deg}. Using a series of temperature-dependent Raman and photoluminescence (PL) measurements as well as \textit{ab initio} calculations, the intensity ratio $I_{B_{2g}}/I_{{E_{2g}}/{A_{1g}}}$ is explained as a signature of lattice dynamics in tB WSe$_2$ moir\'e superlattices. By further exploring different material combinations of twisted hetero-bilayers, the results are extended for all kinds of Mo- and W-based TMDCs.Comment: 22 pages, 12 fugure

Simvastatin reduces atherogenesis and promotes the expression of hepatic genes associated with reverse cholesterol transport in apoE-knockout mice fed high-fat diet

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Statins are first-line pharmacotherapeutic agents for hypercholesterolemia treatment in humans. However the effects of statins on atherosclerosis in mouse models are very paradoxical. In this work, we wanted to evaluate the effects of simvastatin on serum cholesterol, atherogenesis, and the expression of several factors playing important roles in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) in apoE-/- mice fed a high-fat diet.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The atherosclerotic lesion formation displayed by oil red O staining positive area was reduced significantly by 35% or 47% in either aortic root section or aortic arch en face in simvastatin administrated apoE-/- mice compared to the control. Plasma analysis by enzymatic method or ELISA showed that high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) contents were remarkably increased by treatment with simvastatin. And plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity was markedly increased by simvastatin treatment. Real-time PCR detection disclosed that the expression of several transporters involved in reverse cholesterol transport, including macrophage scavenger receptor class B type I, hepatic ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters ABCG5, and ABCB4 were induced by simvastatin treatment, the expression of hepatic ABCA1 and apoA-I, which play roles in the maturation of HDL-C, were also elevated in simvastatin treated groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We demonstrated the anti-atherogenesis effects of simvastatin in apoE-/- mice fed a high-fat diet. We confirmed here for the first time simvastatin increased the expression of hepatic ABCB4 and ABCG5, which involved in secretion of cholesterol and bile acids into the bile, besides upregulated ABCA1 and apoA-I. The elevated HDL-C level, increased LCAT activity and the stimulation of several transporters involved in RCT may all contribute to the anti-atherosclerotic effect of simvastatin.</p

An observational study of precipitation types in the Alaskan Arctic

The effects of various precipitation types, such as snow, rain, sleet, hail and freezing rain, on regional hydrology, ecology, snow and ice surfaces differ significantly. Due to limited observations, however, few studies into precipitation types have been conducted in the Arctic. Based on the high-resolution precipitation records from an OTT Parsivel2 disdrometer in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, this study analysed variations in precipitation types in the Alaskan Arctic from 15 May to 16 October, 2019. Results show that rain and snow were the dominant precipitation types during the measurement period, accounting for 92% of the total precipitation. In addition, freezing rain, sleet, and hail were also observed (2, 4 and 11 times, respectively), accounting for the rest part of the total precipitation. The records from a neighbouring U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) station equipped with T-200B rain gauges support the results of disdrometer. Further analysis revealed that Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite data could well characterise the observed precipitation changes in Utqiaġvik. Combined with satellite data and station observations, the spatiotemporal variations in precipitation were verified in various reanalysis datasets, and the results indicated that ECMWF Reanalysis v5 (ERA5) could better describe the observed precipitation time series in Utqiaġvik and the spatial distribution of data in the Alaskan Arctic. Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) overestimated the amount and frequency of precipitation. Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55) could better simulate heavy precipitation events and the spatial distribution of the precipitation phase, but it overestimated summer snowfall

Addressing rural–urban income gap in China through farmers’ education and agricultural productivity growth via mediation and interaction effects

Narrowing the rural–urban income gap is an important challenge in achieving sustained and stable economic and social development in China. The present study investigates the role of farmers’ education and agricultural productivity growth in influencing the rural–urban income gap by applying mediation, interaction, and quantile regression models to provincial panel data of China from 2003 to 2017. Results show that, first of all, China’s agricultural productivity (TFP) continues to improve, and it is mainly driven by technical change (TC), with no significant role of technical efficiency change (TEC) or stable scale change (SC). Improving farmers’ education not only directly narrows the rural–urban income gap but also indirectly improves agricultural productivity to further narrow the rural–urban income gap. Due to differences in income sources of farmers, the corresponding impacts of farmers’ education and agricultural productivity growth on the rural–urban income gap also differ. Policy recommendations include continued investments in farmers’ education and training as well as modernization of agricultural for higher productivity growth

Digital common(s): the role of digital gamification in participatory design for the planning of high-density housing estates

“Digital Commons” explores the intersection between participatory design, digital gamification, and community engagement, contextualised in the planning of high-density housing estates in Hong Kong. The research project investigates how digital gamified participatory design can be applied in decision-making processes for the planning of public facilities in high-density housing estates. Focusing on community engagement methods, the project has engaged with residents of a case study housing estate, Jat Min Chuen in the Shatin Wai area of Hong Kong, to facilitate collective planning discussions about the past, present, and future of community facilities. Using a digital community game approach, it has collected opinions and needs from public housing residents, promoted collaborative design thinking processes, and provided a platform for participants to increase their understanding of the complexity of planning problems through 3D visualisation tools. The experiences documented in this study demonstrate how 3D interactivity, real-time engagement, and bottom-up perspectives may enhance the potential of using immersive digital twins during collective decision-making. The gaming outcomes show a high similarity across all teams in close relationship to users’ daily life routines, demonstrating a new powerful role for urban designers as a coordinator of interactive and collaborative planning processes

Physicochemical Properties, Structural Characterization, Immunoenhancing and Hypoglycemic Activities of Fucoidan Extracts from Two Sargassums Species

In this study, the chemical compositions, structures, immunomodulatory and hypoglycemic activities of fucoidans from Sargassum zhangii (SZ-Fuc) and Sargassum hemiphylla (SH-Fuc) were analyzed and compared. The results showed that the sulfate group content and molecular mass of SZ-Fuc were (29.74 ± 0.01)% and 111.28 kDa, respectively, and SZ-Fuc had a relatively loose surface structure. The main chain of SZ-Fuc was composed of (→1) linked fucose, xylose, glucose, mannose and galactose, (1→3)- and (1→4)- linked xylose, (1→2)-linked mannose, (1→3)-, (1→4)- and (1→6)-linked galactose, and (1→4)- and (1→6)-linked glucose. Meanwhile, the sulfate group content and molecular mass of SH-Fuc were (44.11 ± 0.01)% and 1 166.48 kDa, respectively, SH-Fuc had a compact surface structure, and its main chain contained (→1), (1→3)- and (1→4)-linked fucose, (→1), (1→4)- and (1→6)-linked glucose, (→1) and (1→2)-linked mannose, and (1→4)-linked galactose. Besides, both SZ-Fuc and SH-Fuc had branched structures. They significantly increased NO release from RAW264.7 cells and improved the protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), indicating good immunomodulatory activity. The immunomodulatory activity of SZ-Fuc was better than that of SH-Fuc, while the inhibitory effect of SH-Fuc on α-glucosidase was better than that of SZ-Fuc, suggesting that SH-Fuc had better hypoglycemic potential. This study can provide a theoretical basis for polysaccharides from S. zhangii and S. hemiphylla in the development of functional and nutritional foods with immunomodulatory and blood glucose-reducing activity