Generalized pairwise z-complementary codes

An approach to generate generalized pairwise Z-complementary (GPZ) codes, which works in pairs in order to offer a zero correlation zone (ZCZ) in the vicinity of zero phase shift and fit extremely well in power efficient quadrature carrier modems, is introduced in this letter. Each GPZ code has MK sequences, each of length 4NK, whereMis the number of Z-complementary mates, K is a factor to perform Walsh–Hadamard expansions, and N is the sequence length of the Z-complementary code. The proposed GPZ codes include the generalized pairwise complementary (GPC)codes as special cases

PD-0458: AFP response as a predictor of clinical outcome after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for advanced HCC

POSTER DISCUSSION: YOUNG SCIENTISTS 2: LUNG AND GASTROINTESTINAL TUMOURSpublished_or_final_version2nd ESTRO Forum, Geneva, Switzerland, 19-23 April 2013, In Radiotherapy & Oncology, 2013, v. 106, p. S17

Dishevelled-3 phosphorylation is governed by HIPK2/PP1Cα/ITCH axis and the non-phosphorylated form promotes cancer stemness via LGR5 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Dishevelled-3 (Dvl3) is regarded as a binding hub with many different interacting partners. However, its regulation and mechanism on cancer stemness remain to be explored. In this study, we showed that Dvl3 was significantly overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and promoted cancer stemness both in vitro and in vivo. We found that the non-phosphorylated (NP)-Dvl3 was more stable than the phosphorylated form, more active in activating β-catenin transcriptional activity, and more potent in enhancing self-renewal ability in HCC cells. Mechanistically, we confirmed that the homeodomain-interacting protein kinase-2 (HIPK2) and E3 ubiquitin ligase ITCH were able to physically bind to Dvl3 protein. Knockdown of HIPK2 and the protein phosphatase regulatory unit C-alpha (PP1Cα) resulted in sustained Dvl3 phosphorylation and hence decrease in the NP form of Dvl3. On the other hand, knockdown of E3 ubiquitin ligase ITCH reduced the phosphorylation-induced degradation and stabilized the phosphorylated Dvl3 protein. Furthermore, the NP-Dvl3 enhanced the LGR5 promoter activity to upregulate LGR5 expression, which was associated with increased cancer stemness in HCC. Our findings established that HIPK2/PP1Cα/ITCH axis sustains the de-phosphorylation of Dvl3. This post-translational modification of Dvl3 in turn maintains LGR5 expression and enhances the cancer stemness properties in HCC.published_or_final_versio

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on School-Aged Children’s Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Repeated Measures Study

Despite concerns about the negative effects of social distancing and prolonged school closures on children’s lifestyle and physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, robust evidence is lacking on the impact of the pandemic-related school closures and social distancing on children’s wellbeing and daily life. This study aimed to examine changes in the PA levels, sleep patterns, and screen time of school-aged children during the different phases of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong using a repeated cross-sectional design. School students (grades 1 to 12) were asked to report their daily electronic device usage and to fill in a sleep diary, recording their daily sleep onset and wake-up time. They were equipped with a PA monitor, Actigraph wGT3X-BT, to obtain objective data on their PA levels and sleep patterns. Students were recruited before the pandemic (September 2019–January 2020; n = 577), during school closures (March 2020–April 2020; n = 146), and after schools partially reopened (October 2020–July 2021; n = 227). Our results indicated lower PA levels, longer sleep duration, and longer screen time among participants recruited during school closures than those recruited before the COVID-19 outbreak. Primary school students were found to sleep on average for an extra hour during school closures. The later sleep onset and increased screen time documented during school closures persisted when schools partially reopened. Our findings illustrate the significant impact of social distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep pattern, screen time, and PA level in school-aged children in Hong Kong. Professionals should urgently reinforce the importance of improving physically activity, good sleep hygiene, and regulated use of electronic devices for parents and school-aged children during this unprecedented time

AlCoNiFeCrTiVx High-Entropy Coatings Prepared by Electron-Beam Cladding

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in "A. D. Pogrebnjak and O. Bondar (eds.), Microstructure and Properties of Micro- and Nanoscale Materials, Films, and Coatings (NAP 2019), Springer Proceedings in Physics 240". The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1742-6_16.This study reports the investigation of high-entropy coatings obtained by electron-beam cladding in a vacuum of Al-Co-Ni-Fe-Cr-Ti-Vx powder blend on a steel substrate. V was added to the Al-Co-Ni-Fe-Cr-Ti equiatomic system and the effects of this added element on structure, phase composition and microhardness of AlCoNiFeCrTiVx high entropy coatings resulted from electron beam cladding were studied. The AlCoNiFeCrTiV0 coatings consist of two solid solutions with BCC1 and BCC structure with different lattice parameters and a small volume fraction of σ-phase. It was shown that with an increase in V content from x = 0 to x = 1.5, the phase composition of the coatings transforms from two solid solutions to single BCC solid solution and σ-phases of different compositions. The σ-phase volume fraction increased with an increase in the V content. The addition of V to AlCoNiFeCrTi shows the strengthening effect of the AlCoNiFeCrTiV0.5–1.5 coatings and the Vickers hardness increased from 8.4 to 11 GPa. Microhardness of the coatings was affected by the sigma phase. The hardness enhancement can be likely attributed to the effect of solid solution strengthening and to the presence of σ-phase particles in the coating structure

A Comparison Between Chinese Children Infected with Coronavirus Disease-2019 and with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2003

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical and laboratory features of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2003 (SARS) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in two Chinese pediatric cohorts, given that the causative pathogens and are biologically similar. , STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study reviewing paediatric patients with SARS (n = 43) and COVID-19 (n=244) who were admitted to the Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong and Wuhan Children's Hospital in Wuhan, respectively. Demographics, hospital length of stay, clinical and laboratory features were compared RESULTS: Overall, 97.7% of patients with SARS and 85.2% of patients with COVID-19 had epidemiological associations with known cases. Significantly more patients with SARS developed fever, chills, myalgia, malaise, coryza, sore throat, sputum production, nausea, headache, and dizziness than patients COVID-19. No SARS patients were asymptomatic at the time of admission. 29.1% and 20.9% COVID-19 patients were asymptomatic on admission and throughout their hospital stay, respectively. More SARS patients required oxygen supplementation than COVID-19 patients (18.6 vs. 4.7%, P = 004). Only 1.6% COVID-19 and 2.3% SARS patients required mechanical ventilation. Leukopenia (37.2% vs. 18.6%, p=0.008), lymphopenia (95.4% versus 32.6%, p<0.01), and thrombocytopenia (41.9% vs 3.8%, p<0.001) were significantly more common in SARS than COVID-19 patients. The duration between positive and negative nasopharyngeal aspirate and the length in hospital stay were similar in COVID-19 patients regardless of whether they were asymptomatic or symptomatic, suggesting a similar duration of viral shedding. CONCLUSIONS: Children with COVID-19 were less symptomatic and had more favorable hematological findings than children with SARS

Evaluation of Microbubbles as Contrast Agents for Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background: Microbubbles (MBs) can serve as an ultrasound contrast agent, and has the potential for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Due to the relatively low effect of MBs on MRI, it is necessary to develop new MBs that are more suitable for MRI. In this study, we evaluate the properties of SonoVueH and custom-made Fe 3O 4-nanoparticle-embedded microbubbles (Fe3O4-MBs) in terms of contrast agents for ultrsonography (US) and MRI. Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 20 HepG2 subcutaneous-tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly assigned to 2 groups (i.e., n = 10 mice each group), one for US test and the other for MRI test. Within each group, two tests were performed for each mouse. The contrast agent for the first test is SonoVueH, and the second is Fe 3O 4-MBs. US was performed using a Technos MPX US system (Esaote, Italy) with a contrast-tuned imaging (CnTI TM) mode. MRI was performed using a 7.0T Micro-MRI (PharmaScan, Bruker Biospin GmbH, Germany) with an EPI-T2 * sequence. The data of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) from the region-of-interest of each US and MR image was calculated by ImageJ (National Institute of Health, USA). In group 1, enhancement of SonoVueH was significantly higher than Fe 3O 4-MBs on US (P,0.001). In group 2, negative enhancement of Fe3O4-MBs was significantly higher than SonoVueH on MRI (P,0.001). The time to peak showed no significant differences between US and MRI, both of which used the same MBs (P.0.05). The SNR analysis of the enhancement process reveals a strong negative correlation in both cases (i.e., SonoVueH r=20.733, Fe 3O 4-MBs r = 20.903

Clinical Characteristics and Transmission of COVID-19 in Children and Youths During 3 Waves of Outbreaks in Hong Kong

IMPORTANCE: Schools were closed intermittently across Hong Kong to control the COVID-19 outbreak, which led to significant physical and psychosocial problems among children and youths. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical characteristics and sources of infection among children and youths with COVID-19 during the 3 waves of outbreaks in Hong Kong in 2020. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study involved children and youths aged 18 years or younger with COVID-19 in the 3 waves of outbreaks from January 23 through December 2, 2020. Data were analyzed from December 2020 through January 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Demographic characteristics, travel and contact histories, lengths of hospital stay, and symptoms were captured through the central electronic database. Individuals who were infected without recent international travel were defined as having domestic infections. RESULTS: Among 397 children and youths confirmed with COVID-19 infections, the mean (SD) age was 9.95 (5.34) years, 220 individuals (55.4%) were male, and 154 individuals (38.8%) were asymptomatic. There were significantly more individuals who were infected without symptoms in the second wave (59 of 118 individuals [50.0%]) and third wave (94 of 265 individuals [35.5%]) than in the first wave (1 of 14 individuals [7.1%]) (P = .001). Significantly fewer individuals who were infected in the second and third waves, compared with the first wave, had fever (first wave: 10 individuals [71.4%]; second wave: 22 individuals [18.5%]; third wave: 98 individuals [37.0%]; P < .001) or cough (first wave: 6 individuals [42.9%]; second wave: 15 individuals [12.7%]; third wave: 52 individuals [19.6%]; P = .02). Among all individuals, 394 individuals (99.2%) had mild illness. One patient developed chilblains (ie, COVID toes), 1 patient developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and 1 patient developed post–COVID-19 autoimmune hemolytic anemia. In all 3 waves, 204 patients with COVID-19 (51.4%) had domestic infections. Among these individuals, 186 (91.2%) reported having a contact history with another individual with COVID-19, of which most (183 individuals [90.0%]) were family members. In the third wave, 18 individuals with domestic infections had unknown contact histories. Three schoolmates were confirmed with COVID-19 on the same day and were reported to be close contacts. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: his cross-sectional study found that nearly all children and youths with COVID-19 in Hong Kong had mild illness. These findings suggest that household transmission was the main source of infection for children and youths with domestic infections and that the risk of being infected at school was small