An alternative evaluation method for friction condition in cold forging by ring with boss compression test

Ring compression test (RCT) is a very popular method used to quantitatively evaluate friction condition sat the tool–workpiece interface by measuring the variations of the inner diameter of the ring in metal forming. There are many possibilities for measuring the inner diameter variations in RCT because of non-uniform deformation of the inner hole during the test. Such non-uniform deformation of the inner hole causes difficulties in precise measurement of the inner diameter and hence the accuracy of the derived friction coefficient. To avoid the disadvantage in dimension measurement of the conventional RCT, an alternative method for evaluating friction conditions in cold forging named ring with boss compression test (RCT-B) is proposed. By the introduction of the RCT-B concept, finite element simulation results under different friction conditions were obtained. Results showed that the shape of the outer boss remains stable during the compression deformation and allows the diameter of the outer boss to be measured more easily and accurately. The calibration curves of the RCT-B concept were constructed by using FE simulation, which cover the range of friction conditions in cold forging process. Finally, the RCT-B method was successfully applied to determine the friction factors of four different lubricating conditions in compression of aluminum rings. Furthermore, the phenomena with different lubricating conditions between the upper and lower die–workpiece interfaces were also studied using both simulation and experimental testing. The results show that it is possible to quantitatively assess the difference of friction conditions at the upper and lower die–workpiece interfaces by simply checking the inclined angle of the outer boss with the RCT-B method

MiR 26 targeting methyltetrahydrofolate reductase inhibits the proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia cells via JAK/STAT pathway

Purpose: To investigate the effect of microribonucleic acid (miR)-26 targeting methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) on cell proliferation, cycle, and apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).Methods: The expressions of miR-26 in three types of human AML cell lines (HL-60, Kasumi-1, and KG-1a) and normal myeloid cell line (HS-5) were determined via quantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), while the effect of the over-expression of miR-26 on the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of AML cells was evaluated using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry. The potential target for miR-26 was predicted using public miRNA database TargetScan, and whether miR-26 binds to the predicted target was determined using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Western blotting was performed to determine the effect of miR-26 on Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway-associated proteins.Results: Expression level of miR-26 was significantly lower in all AML cell lines than in HS-5 cells (p < 0.05). Overexpression of miR-26 inhibited the proliferation of KG-1a cells, reduced the percentage of cells in S phase, increased those in G0/G1 phase, and enhanced apoptosis of KG-1a cells (p < 0.05). After overexpression of miR-26, protein expression levels of phosphorylated (p)-JAK and p-STAT were down-regulated, while those of JAK and STAT did not change significantly.Conclusion: Expression of miR-26 is down-regulated in AML, while MiR-26 targeting of MTHFR induces apoptosis and cycle arrest of AML cells through the JAK/STAT pathway, thus inhibiting AML cell proliferation in vitro

Genuine full characterization of partially coherence beam

For partially coherent light fields with random fluctuations, the intensity distributions and statistics have been proven to be more propagation robust compared with coherent light. However, its full potential in practical applications has not been realized due to the lack of four-dimensional optical field measurement. Here, a general modal decomposition method of partially coherent light field is proposed and demonstrated. The decomposed random modes can be used to, but not limited to, reconstruct average intensity, cross spectral density and orthogonal decomposition properties of the partially coherent light fields. Due to its versatility and flexibility, this method provides a powerful tool to further reveal light field invariant or retrieve embedded information after propagation through complex media. The Gaussian-shell-model beam and partially coherent Gaussian array are used as examples to demonstrate the reconstruction and even prediction of second-order statistical characteristics. This method is expected to pave the way for applications of partially coherent light in optical imaging, optical encryption and anti-turblence optical communication

Nonparaxial propagation properties of an anomalous hollow beam with orbital angular momentum

The analytical nonparaxial propagation formula of an anomalous hollow beam (AHB) with orbital angular momentum (OAM) in free space is derived based on the generalized Raleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction integral. The nonparaxial properties of AHB with OAM such as intensity, phase and OAM density distributions are studied in detail, using the pertinent nonparaxial propagation formula. The comparison between the paraxial and nonparaxial results is also carried out. The results show that the nonparaxial properties of an AHB with OAM are determined by the initial beam parameters, such as beam waist size and topological charge and propagation distance

A visualized model for identifying optimal candidates for aggressive locoregional surgical treatment in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer

BackgroundThe impact of surgical resection of primary (PTR) on the survival of breast cancer (BC) patients with bone metastasis (BM) has been preliminarily investigated, but it remains unclear which patients are suitable for this procedure. Finally, this study aims to develop a predictive model to screen BC patients with BM who would benefit from local surgery.MethodsBC patients with BM were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2010 and 2015), and 39 patients were obtained for external validation from an Asian medical center. According to the status of local surgery, patients were divided into Surgery and Non-surgery groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce selection bias. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival and Cox regression analyses were conducted before and after PSM to study the survival difference between the two groups. The survival outcome and treatment modality were also investigated in patients with different metastatic patterns. The logistic regression analyses were utilized to determine significant surgery-benefit-related predictors, develop a screening nomogram and its online version, and quantify the beneficial probability of local surgery for BC patients with BM. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the area under the curves (AUC), and calibration curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive performance and calibration of this model, whereas decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess its clinical usefulness.ResultsThis study included 5,625 eligible patients, of whom 2,133 (37.92%) received surgical resection of primary lesions. K-M survival analysis and Cox regression analysis demonstrated that local surgery was independently associated with better survival. Surgery provided significant survival benefits in most subgroups and metastatic patterns. After PSM, patients who received surgery had a longer survival time (OS: 46 months vs. 32 months, p < 0.001; CSS: 50 months vs. 34 months, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis determined six significant surgery-benefit-related variables: T stage, radiotherapy, race, liver metastasis, brain metastasis, and breast subtype. These factors were combined to establish the nomogram and a web probability calculator (https://sunshine1.shinyapps.io/DynNomapp/), with an AUC of 0.673 in the training cohort and an AUC of 0.640 in the validation cohort. The calibration curves exhibited excellent agreement. DCA indicated that the nomogram was clinically useful. Based on this model, surgery patients were assigned into two subsets: estimated sur-non-benefit and estimated sur-benefit. Patients in the estimated sur-benefit subset were associated with longer survival (median OS: 64 months vs. 33 months, P < 0.001). Besides, there was no difference in survival between the estimated sur-non-benefit subset and the non-surgery group.ConclusionOur study further confirmed the significance of local surgery in BC patients with BM and proposed a novel tool to identify optimal surgical candidates

3D Implicit Transporter for Temporally Consistent Keypoint Discovery

Keypoint-based representation has proven advantageous in various visual and robotic tasks. However, the existing 2D and 3D methods for detecting keypoints mainly rely on geometric consistency to achieve spatial alignment, neglecting temporal consistency. To address this issue, the Transporter method was introduced for 2D data, which reconstructs the target frame from the source frame to incorporate both spatial and temporal information. However, the direct application of the Transporter to 3D point clouds is infeasible due to their structural differences from 2D images. Thus, we propose the first 3D version of the Transporter, which leverages hybrid 3D representation, cross attention, and implicit reconstruction. We apply this new learning system on 3D articulated objects and nonrigid animals (humans and rodents) and show that learned keypoints are spatio-temporally consistent. Additionally, we propose a closed-loop control strategy that utilizes the learned keypoints for 3D object manipulation and demonstrate its superior performance. Codes are available at https://github.com/zhongcl-thu/3D-Implicit-Transporter.Comment: ICCV2023 oral pape

A new measuring method for friction factor by using ring with inner boss compression test

To overcome the disadvantage of the bulging effect due to non-uniform deformation in dimension measurement of the conventional ring compression test (RCT), a new measuring method for the friction factor called ring compression test with inner boss (RCT-IB) was proposed. The compression behavior of the ring with an inner boss was investigated and results showed that the change of inner boss was sensitive to friction. The non-concave profile of inner boss allows the dimensional changes to be easily and precisely measured. The calibration curves of RCT-IB were constructed and compared with those of RCT showing similar level of sensitivities at most friction conditions. The RCT-IB method was successfully used to measure the friction factors under four different lubricating conditions

Inference of drowning sites using bacterial composition and random forest algorithm

Diagnosing the drowning site is a major challenge in forensic practice, particularly when corpses are recovered from flowing rivers. Recently, forensic experts have focused on aquatic microorganisms, including bacteria, which can enter the bloodstream during drowning and may proliferate in corpses. The emergence of 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rDNA) amplicon sequencing has provided a new method for analyzing bacterial composition and has facilitated the development of forensic microbiology. We propose that 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing could be a useful tool for inferring drowning sites. Our study found significant differences in bacterial composition in different regions of the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River, which led to differences in bacteria of drowned rabbit lungs at different drowning sites. Using the genus level of bacteria in the lung tissue of drowned rabbits, we constructed a random forest model that accurately predicted the drowning site in a test set with 100% accuracy. Furthermore, we discovered that bacterial species endemic to the water were not always present in the corresponding drowned lung tissue. Our findings demonstrate the potential of a random forest model based on bacterial genus and composition in drowned lung tissues for inferring drowning sites

Risk Factors for Severe Cases of 2009 Influenza A (H1N1): A Case Control Study in Zhejiang Province, China

Few case control studies were conducted to explore risk factors for severe cases of 2009 influenza A (H1N1) with the mild cases as controls. Mild and severe cases of 2009 influenza A (H1N1), 230 cases each, were randomly selected from nine cities in Zhejiang Province, China, and unmatched case control study was conducted. This study found that it averagely took 5 days for the severe cases of 2009 influenza A (H1N1) to start antiviral therapy away from onset, 2 days later than mild cases. Having chronic underlying diseases and bad psychological health combined with chronic underlying diseases were two important risk factors for severe cases, and their OR values were 2.39 and 5.85 respectively. Timely anti-viral therapy was a protective factor for severe cases (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: [0.18–0.67]). In conclusion, psychological health education and intervention, as well as timely anti-viral therapy, could not be ignored in the prevention, control and treatment of 2009 influenza A (H1N1)