Fast Ensemble Forecast of Storm Surge along the Coast of China

The uncertainties in typhoon wind field forecasts may introduce significant errors in storm surge forecasts. The common method to tackle this problem is based on ensemble forecasting of a typhoon wind field by using different initial and/or boundary conditions in the adopted weather forecast model. However, this method demands very high computational costs and therefore may not always be acceptable for operational use. In order to improve time efficiency, this paper introduces a new method which mainly relies on the forecast results from different weather forecast centres. With the bias modification, the control typhoon forecast is first generated by the weighted averaging of forecast results from individual forecast centres. The weighted factor for each centre is calculated under a dynamic training scheme. The ensemble typhoon forecasts are then generated by combination of five different typhoon tracks and three different wind speeds around the control forecast. The ensemble storm surge forecasts are conducted by running a well-validated storm surge model driven by the wind fields obtained from the above ensemble typhoon forecasts. Since each storm surge forecast can be calculated independently, the ensemble storm surge forecast can be fast conducted without significant increase in computational time. The above method is applied to the forecasting of storm surge in 2013 along the coast of China. By comparison with the traditional forecast, the control forecast exhibits a higher accuracy, and the ensemble forecasts provide more types of forecast results, such as the occurrence probability of storm surge over a certain surge level, which are useful for the probabilistic decision of protection measures against storm surge

Relationship between facet tropism and facet joint degeneration in the sub-axial cervical spine

Abstract Background Facet tropism is the angular asymmetry between the left and right facet joint orientation. Although debatable, facet tropism was suggested to be associated with disc degeneration, facet degeneration and degenerative spondylolisthesis in the lumbar spine. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between facet tropism and facet degeneration in the sub-axial cervical spine. Methods A total of 200 patients with cervical spondylosis were retrospectively analyzed. Facet degeneration was categorized into 4 grade: grade I, normal; grade II, degenerative changes including joint space narrowing, cyst formation, small osteophytes (3 mm) without fusion of the joint; grade IV, bony fusion of the facet joints. Facet orientations and facet tropisms with respect to the transverse, sagittal and coronal plane were calculated from the reconstructed cervical spine, which was based on the axial CT scan images. The paired facet joints were then categorized into three types: symmetric, moderated tropism and severe tropism. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the relationship between any demographic and anatomical factor and facet degeneration. Results The mean age of enrolled patients was 46.23 years old (ranging from 30 to 64 years old). There were 114 males and 86 females. The degrees of facet degeneration varied according to cervical levels and ages. Degenerated facet joints were most common at C2-C3 level and more common in patients above 50 years old. The facet orientations were also different from level to level. By univariate analysis, genders, ages, cervical levels, facet orientations and facet tropisms were all significantly different between the normal facets and degenerated facets. However, results from multivariate logistic regression suggested only age and facet tropism with respect to the sagittal plane were related to facet degeneration. Conclusion Facet degeneration were more common at C2-C3 level. Older age and facet tropism with respect to the sagittal plane were associated with the facet degeneration

MAGE-Targeted Gold Nanoparticles for Ultrasound Imaging-Guided Phototherapy in Melanoma

Gold nanorods exhibit a wide variety of applications such as tumor molecular imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) due to their tunable optical properties. Several studies have demonstrated that the combination of other therapeutic strategies may improve PTT efficiency. A method called optical droplet vaporization (ODV) was considered as another noninvasive imaging and therapy strategy. Via the ODV method, superheated perfluorocarbon droplets can be vaporized to a gas phase for enhancing ultrasound imaging; meanwhile, this violent process can cause damage to cells and tissue. In addition, active targeting through the functionalization with targeting ligands can effectively increase nanoprobe accumulation in the tumor area, improving the sensitivity and specificity of imaging and therapy. Our study prepared a nanoparticle loaded with gold nanorods and perfluorinated hexane and conjugated to a monoclonal antibody (MAGE-1 antibody) to melanoma-associated antigens (MAGE) targeting melanoma, investigated the synergistic effect of PTT/ODV therapy, and monitored the therapeutic effect using ultrasound. The prepared MAGE-Au-PFH-NPs achieved complete eradication of tumors. Meanwhile, the MAGE-Au-PFH-NPs also possess significant ultrasound imaging signal enhancement, which shows the potential for imaging-guided tumor therapy in the future

Patient-Specific or Conventional Instrumentations: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective. To conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare knee arthroplasty with patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) with the conventional instrumentation (CI). Methods. RCTs were selected in PubMed and Embase from 2012 to 2018. Key data extracted included malalignment of mechanical axis, blood loss, surgical time, Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Knee Society Score (KSS), length of stay, and complications. Subgroup analysis was also performed regarding different PSI systems and different image processing methods. Results. 29 RCTs with 2487 knees were eligible for the meta-analysis. Results showed that PSI did not improve the alignment of the mechanical axis compared with CI, but MRI-based PSI and Visionaire-specific PSI decrease the risk of malalignment significantly (P=0.04 and P=0.003, respectively). PSI reduced operative time (P=0.03) and blood loss (P=0.002) and improve the KSS (P=0.02) compared with CI, but for CT-based PSI, the difference of operative time becomes insignificant. PSI showed no significant difference with CI regarding risk of complication, length of stay in hospital, and functional outcomes of OKS. Conclusion. PSI reduced the blood loss and improved KSS. MRI-based PSI reduced operative time and risk of malalignment of mechanical axis compared with CT-based PSI. Moreover, Visionaire-specific PSI achieves better alignment result of the mechanical axis than other systems

Additional file 1: of Relationship between facet tropism and facet joint degeneration in the sub-axial cervical spine

The original data of the gender, age, cervicl level, grading of the facet degeneration and facet orientations. (XLSX 448 kb

Outdoor Thermal Environment Regulation of Urban Green and Blue Infrastructure on Various Types of Pedestrian Walkways

Urban green and blue infrastructure (GBI) is effective in urban heat mitigation. However, the diurnal variations in the thermal regulation of GBI on different types of urban pedestrian walkways in the subtropical humid climate zone are unclear. Based on traverse measurements in January 2022, this study investigates how outdoor air temperature (Ta) and wet-bulb temperature (Tw) at the pedestrian level are affected by various urban morphology and GBI characteristics in the central urbanized area of Guangzhou (China). Six building-related, three vegetation-related, and three water-related parameters were applied in the analyses. Results show that green infrastructure (GI) has the strongest cooling effect (Pearson’s coefficient r = −0.33~−0.54) on Ta on cloudy evenings and the weakest cooling effect (r = −0.22~−0.32) on clear evenings. Blue infrastructure (BI) exhibits the highest correlations with the cooling effect for Ta on clear afternoons (r = −0.35~−0.51) and weaker, but more consistent, correlations throughout cloudy days (r = −0.23~−0.43). Strong correlations between GI and Tw cooling are observed in the morning and evening on clear days (r = −0.13~−0.48), while BI exhibits the strongest correlation with Tw cooling on clear afternoons (r = −0.13~−0.37). In addition, both GI and BI show a greater cooling effect on both Ta and Tw in low-rise areas compared to high-rise areas. Compared to the individual GI or BI, the integrated GBI has a higher cooling intensity for both Ta and Tw in high-rise areas. However, the cooling potential of integrated GBI is slightly lower for both Ta and Tw during noon and afternoon in low-rise areas. The findings of this study give insights into urban GBI planning and design of specific urban microclimate regulation strategies

Synthesis of a Novel P/N/S-Containing Flame Retardant and Its Application in Epoxy Resin: Thermal Property, Flame Retardance, and Pyrolysis Behavior

The combination of DOPO and 2-aminobenzothiazole (ABZ) was designed to develop P/N/S-containing flame retardant DOPO-ABZ, and its chemical structure was confirmed by HRMS, FTIR, and ¹H and ³¹P NMR. The reduced thermal stability of EP/DOPO-ABZ formulations was found through DSC and TGA, as compared to that of EP. Fire properties were evaluated by LOI, UL-94, and cone calorimeter tests, respectively. The results indicated that DOPO-ABZ imparted flame retardance to EP, and that EP/7.5 wt % DOPO-ABZ passed the V-0 rating, and acquired a LOI value of 33.5%; moreover, when the loading of DOPO-ABZ increased to 10 wt %, it could further suppress the heat release and smoke release of the curved epoxy resin. Finally, the flame-retardant mechanism was studied by TG-FTIR and py-GC/MS, disclosing that DOPO-ABZ exerted predominant gaseous-phase activity of fire inhibition via generating phosphorus-containing free radicals and nitrogen/sulfur-containing volatiles