A promising approach to steady-state fusion: High-temperature superconducting strong-field stellarator with precise omnigenity.

The stellarator has inherent advantages over the tokamak in achieving steady-state operation, especially due to its absence of disruptions and lack of need for current drive and the associated recirculating power. In recent years, there have been remarkable advances in the field of stellarator optimization, where precisely quasi-symmetric and precisely quasi-isodynamic magnetic configurations have been achieved with coils, allowing the neoclassical transport and energetic particle losses of stellarators to be reduced to levels comparable to those of tokamaks. At the same time, the development of high-temperature superconducting magnet technology will potentially double the magnetic field strength of stellarators. While these strong fields are expected to introduce new challenges, and while turbulent transport remains a common challenge for both stellarators and tokamaks, the combination of these physical and technological advances results in the expectation that stellarators will become a competitive approach to tokamaks for realizing steady-state fusion.

Steady-state burning plasma: a new stage in the development of magnetic confinement fusion energy.

Over the past 20 years, advances in tokamak physics and technology have prepared the field of magnetic confinement fusion research for the next step toward a steady-state burning plasma.

A Rivest-Shamir-Adleman-Based Robust and Effective Three-Factor User Authentication Protocol for Healthcare Use in Wireless Body Area Networks.

In healthcare, wireless body area networks (WBANs) can be used to constantly collect patient body data and assist in real-time medical services for patients from physicians. In such security- and privacy-critical systems, the user authentication mechanism can be fundamentally expected to prevent illegal access and privacy leakage occurrences issued by hacker intrusion. Currently, a significant quantity of new WBAN-oriented authentication protocols have been designed to verify user identity and ensure that body data are accessed only with a session key. However, those newly published protocols still unavoidably affect session key security and user privacy due to the lack of forward secrecy, mutual authentication, user anonymity, etc. To solve this problem, this paper designs a robust user authentication protocol. By checking the integrity of the message sent by the other party, the communication entity verifies the other party's identity validity. Compared with existing protocols, the presented protocol enhances security and privacy while maintaining the efficiency of computation.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Intelligent Security Forwarding Strategy for VANET.

The vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) constitutes a key technology for realizing intelligent transportation services. However, VANET is characterized by diverse message types, complex security attributes of communication nodes, and rapid network topology changes. In this case, how to ensure safe, efficient, convenient, and comfortable message services for users has become a challenge that should not be ignored. To improve the flexibility of routing matching multiple message types in VANET, this paper proposes a secure intelligent message forwarding strategy based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). The key supporting elements of the model in the strategy are reasonably designed in combination with the scenario, and sufficient training of the model is carried out by deep Q networks (DQN). In the strategy, the state space is composed of the distance between candidate and destination nodes, the security attribute of candidate nodes and the type of message to be sent. The node can adaptively select the routing scheme according to the complex state space. Simulation and analysis show that the proposed strategy has the advantages of fast convergence, well generalization ability, high transmission security, and low network delay. The strategy has flexible and rich service patterns and provides flexible security for VANET message services.

A prognostic model based on prognosis-related ferroptosis genes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disorder with an unpredictable prognosis. Ferroptosis, the iron-dependent cell death program, could serve as an alternative for overcoming drug resistance. However, its effect on AML remains largely unclear. Methods: We collected RNA sequencing data and relevant clinical information of AML patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas to construct a prognosis prediction model. Risk score was calculated with eight prognosis-related ferroptosis genes (PRFGs) discovered through univariate analysis and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression. A nomogram was constructed by incorporating LASSO risk score, age, and cytogenetic risk based on univariate/multivariate Cox regression. Results: Of the 33 AML PRFGs identified from the TCGA-derived dataset, 8 genes were used to construct a gene signature to predict AML prognosis. Principal component analysis and heatmap showed significant differences between the low and high risk score groups. Next, LASSO risk score, age, and cytogenetic risk were incorporated into the nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) of AML patients. According to survival analysis, patients with a low risk score had markedly increased OS as compared to those with a high risk score. Based on the results of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, the differences between the two risk groups showed a close relationship with immune-related pathways and membrane transportation. The analysis of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoints revealed that the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment possibly facilitated different prognostic outcomes between the two groups. Gene expression analyses showed that the mRNA expression levels of PARP1 and PARP3 (PARPs) were closely related to the different clinical subgroups and the analyzed OS in AML patients. Finally, the PARP inhibitor talazoparib and the ferroptosis inducer erastin exerted a synergistic anti-proliferative effect on AML cells. Conclusion: We constructed a nomogram by incorporating PRFGs, and the constructed nomogram showed a good performance in AML patient stratification and prognosis prediction. The combination of PARP inhibitors with ferroptosis inducers could be a novel treatment strategy for treating AML patients.

Recent progress in Chinese fusion research based on superconducting tokamak configuration.

Fusion energy is a promising source of clean energy, which could solve energy shortages and environmental pollution. Research into controlled fusion energy has been ongoing for over half a century. China has created a clear roadmap for magnetic confinement fusion development, where superconducting tokamaks will be used in commercial fusion reactors. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is the world's first fully superconducting tokamak with upper and lower divertors, which aims at long-pulse, steady-state, H-mode operation, and 101-s H-mode discharge had been achieved. In 2007, China joined the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and became one of its seven members. Thirteen procurement packages are undertaken by China, covering superconducting magnets, power supplies, plasma-facing components (PFCs), diagnostics, etc. To bridge the gap between the ITER and fusion demonstration power plants (DEMOs), China is planning to build the Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR) to demonstrate related technologies and physics models. The engineering design of the CFETR was completed in 2020, and Comprehensive Research Facilities for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) are being constructed to explore the key technologies used in the CFETR.

Bit-Level Automotive Controller Area Network Message Reverse Framework Based on Linear Regression.

Modern intelligent and networked vehicles are increasingly equipped with electronic control units (ECUs) with increased computing power. These electronic devices form an in-vehicle network via the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, the de facto standard for modern vehicles. Although many ECUs provide convenience to drivers and passengers, they also increase the potential for cyber security threats in motor vehicles. Numerous attacks on vehicles have been reported, and the commonality among these attacks is that they inject malicious messages into the CAN network. To close the security holes of CAN, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) keep the Database CAN (DBC) file describing the content of CAN messages, confidential. This policy is ineffective against cyberattacks but limits in-depth investigation of CAN messages and hinders the development of in-vehicle intrusion detection systems (IDS) and CAN fuzz testing. Current research reverses CAN messages through tokenization, machine learning, and diagnostic information matching to obtain details of CAN messages. However, the results of these algorithms yield only a fraction of the information specified in the DBC file regarding CAN messages, such as field boundaries and message IDs associated with specific functions. In this study, we propose multiple linear regression-based frameworks for bit-level inversion of CAN messages that can approximate the inversion of DBC files. The framework builds a multiple linear regression model for vehicle behavior and CAN traffic, filters the candidate messages based on the decision coefficients, and finally locates the bits describing the vehicle behavior to obtain the data length and alignment based on the model parameters. Moreover, this work shows that the system has high reversion accuracy and outperforms existing systems in boundary delineation and filtering relevant messages in actual vehicles.

[Clinical observation of pre-suture ligation and suture knot positioning in single-operator circumcision with the stapler for children].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of pre-suture ligation and suture knot positioning in single-operator circumcision with the stapler. METHODS: Totally 120 six to fourteen years old children with phimosis or redundant prepuce were equally and randomly assigned to receive traditional single-operator circumcision with the stapler (group 1), single-operator circumcision with double suture knots for positioning the cutting plane with the stapler (group 2), or pre-suture ligation plus single-operator suture knot positioning circumcision with the stapler (group 3). We recorded and comparatively analyzed the operation time, intraoperative blood loss and hematoma, the number of residual suture knots, the patients' satisfaction with foreskin reservation, sutured frenulum and incision aesthetics, and the rates of surgical conversion, severe postoperative dysuria, severe wound exudation and perioperative anxiety of the parents and surgeon. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed among the three groups in the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incidence of intraoperative hematoma, number of residual suture knots, the patients' satisfaction with foreskin reservation, sutured frenulum and incision aesthetics, and the rates of surgical conversion, severe postoperative dysuria, severe wound exudation and perioperative anxiety of the parents and surgeon (P < 0.05). Compared with group 1, group 3 showed obviously less operation time and intraoperative blood loss and lower incidence of intraoperative hematoma, number of residual suture knots and rates of surgical conversion and perioperative anxiety of the parents and surgeons, and higher rates of patients' satisfaction with foreskin reservation, sutured frenulum and incision aesthetics. The intraoperative blood loss, incidence of intraoperative hematoma, and the rates of severe postoperative dysuria, severe wound exudation and perioperative anxiety of the parents and surgeon were lower in group 3 than in group 2. CONCLUSION: Pre-suture ligation plus single-operator suture knot positioning circumcision with the stapler helps reduce the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incidence of intraoperative hematoma, number of residual suture knots and rates of surgical conversion and perioperative anxiety of the parents and surgeon, and increase the patients' satisfaction with foreskin reservation, sutured frenulum and incision aesthetics.

[Single- versus double-suture knot for positioning the cutting plane in circumcision with a stapler].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of single-suture versus that of double-suture knot in positioning the cutting plane in circumcision with a stapler. METHODS: We randomly assigned 120 patients with redundant prepuce or phimosis into three groups of an equal number to receive traditional circumcision without suture knot (group 1), circumcision with single-suture knot (group 2), and circumcision with double-suture knot (group 3) for positioning of the cutting plane. We recorded and compared the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, the rates of frenulum sewing, non-frenulum sewing, poor frenulum sewing and surgical conversion, intraoperative anxiety of the doctors, postoperative ecchymosis, and satisfaction with the retained ventral and dorsal prepuce and postoperative penile appearance among the three groups. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences among the three groups in the surgery time, intraoperative blood loss, the rates of frenulum sewing, non-frenulum sewing, poor frenulum sewing and surgical conversion, intraoperative anxiety of the doctors, and satisfaction with the retained ventral and dorsal prepuce and postoperative penile appearance, (P < 0.05), but not in postoperative ecchymosis (P = 0.849). The rate of satisfaction with the retained dorsal prepuce was remarkably higher in group 3 than in group 2 (P = 0.003), and the intraoperative anxiety rate of the doctors was lower in the former than in the latter group (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Both single- and double-suture knots for positioning the cutting plane in circumcision with a stapler can help reduce the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, the rates of frenulum sewing, non-frenulum sewing, poor frenulum sewing and surgical conversion, intraoperative anxiety of the doctors, and satisfaction with the retained ventral and dorsal prepuce and postoperative penile appearance, and double-suture knot positioning has an even higher application value in decreasing the intraoperative anxiety of the doctors and increasing the satisfaction with the retained dorsal prepuce.

[Modified urethral reconstruction with lingual mucosa for complicated anterior urethral stricture].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficiency and complications of modified urethral reconstruction with lingual mucosa in the treatment of complicated anterior urethral stricture (CAUS). METHODS: We retrospectively studied the clinical data on 10 cases of CAUS treated by modified urethral reconstruction with lingual mucosa from December 2017 to June 2019 concerning the age of the patients and the causes, location and length of urethral stricture. We statistically analyzed the pre- and post-operative maximum urine flow rate (Qmax), scores on Mental Status Scale in Non-psychiatric Settings (MSSNS) and quality of life (QOL) scores and observed post-operative complications such as abnormal taste, tongue numbness, urinary tract infection, urethral diverticulum, and urethral stricture. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, Qmax was significantly improved and the MSSNS and QOL scores dramatically decreased at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery (P < 0.01). Paraurethral infection developed in 1 case postoperatively, which was cured after dressing change, external urethral orifice stenosis occurred in another, which was improved after regular urethral orifice expansion, and mild tongue numbness was found in 2 cases at 1 month but gradually restored to abnormal. Urethrography showed no urethral diverticulum before catheter removal. CONCLUSIONS: Lingual mucosa is an ideal alternative material for urethral reconstruction in the treatment of CAUS, and lateral lingual mucosa can be easily obtained. Modified urethral reconstruction by embedding lingual mucosa in the dorsal base of the urethra, with the advantages of definite effectiveness and few postoperative complications, is worthy of clinical application.

[Prostatic artery embolization for high-risk patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: A clinical effect observation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) in the treatment of high-risk patients with BPH. METHODS: Nine high-risk patients with BPH underwent PAE in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2016 to June 2018. We followed up the patients and obtained their IPSS, quality of life score (QOL), postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), prostate volume (PV), hours of undisturbed sleep (HUS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score (SAS) and incidence of postoperative complications before and at 6, 12 and 24 months or longer after surgery, followed by comparative analysis of the parameters. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, IPSS, QOL, PVR, Qmax, PV, HUS and SAS were all significantly improved in the patients at 6, 12 and ≥24 months after PAE (P < 0.05). Only 1 case complained of mild numbness in the buttocks, which was gradually relieved after acupuncture therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Prostatic artery embolization is definitely effective for the treatment of high-risk patients with BPH with the bladder volume ≥200 ml, with few postoperative complications, and can be used as an effective therapeutic supplementary for improving the urination symptoms of the patients.

SAA1/TLR2 axis directs chemotactic migration of hepatic stellate cells responding to injury.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are crucial for liver injury repair and cirrhosis. However, the mechanism of chemotactic recruitment of HSCs into injury loci is still largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) acts as a chemokine recruiting HSCs toward injury loci signaling via TLR2, a finding proven by gene manipulation studies in cell and mice models. The mechanistic investigations revealed that SAA1/TLR2 axis stimulates the Rac GTPases through PI3K-dependent pathways and induces phosphorylation of MLC (pSer19). Genetic deletion of TLR2 and pharmacological inhibition of PI3K diminished the phosphorylation of MLCpSer19 and migration of HSCs. In brief, SAA1 serves as a hepatic endogenous chemokine for the TLR2 receptor on HSCs, thereby initiating PI3K-dependent signaling and its effector, Rac GTPases, which consequently regulates actin filament remodeling and cell directional migration. Our findings provide novel targets for anti-fibrosis drug development.

A simple replacement of tungsten filament hot cathodes by DC heated LaB6 rod and its noise characteristics with laser-induced fluorescence.

Hot cathode discharges are common plasma sources for fundamental plasma physics studies and other applications due to their quiescent and relatively simple properties, and tungsten filaments are commonly used for the ease of heating them. Recently, tungsten filaments are increasingly being replaced by less luminous alternatives, such as barium oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. These materials can emit electrons at temperatures close to 1000 K lower than tungsten, greatly reducing their blackbody radiations. This results in significant improvement in signal recovery for active spectral diagnostic, such as laser-induced fluorescence. However, these less luminous cathodes often come in vastly more complicated designs than those of tungsten hot cathodes and are much more expensive to procure and difficult to operate. In this paper, we present a simple, low cost direct current heated design of a LaB6 cathode that is manufactured at suitable dimensions and make a comparison of the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) signal-to-noise ratio of this LaB6 hot cathode discharge with that of a typical tungsten filament discharge, revealing that LaB6 has, indeed, an improved LIF signal-to-noise ratio compared with the tungsten filament.

Diamond-Coated Plasma Probes for Hot and Hazardous Plasmas.

Plasma probes are simple and inexpensive diagnostic tools for fast measurements of relevant plasma parameters. While in earlier times being employed mainly in relatively cold laboratory plasmas, plasma probes are now routinely used even in toroidal magnetic fusion experiments, albeit only in the edge region, i.e., the so-called scrape-off layer (SOL), where temperature and density of the plasma are lower. To further avoid overheating and other damages, in medium-size tokamak (MST) probes are inserted only momentarily by probe manipulators, with usually no more than a 0.1 s per insertion during an average MST discharge of a few seconds. However, in such hot and high-density plasmas, their usage is limited due to the strong particle fluxes onto the probes and their casing which can damage the probes by sputtering and heating and by possible chemical reactions between plasma particles and the probe material. In an attempt to make probes more resilient against these detrimental effects, we tested two graphite probe heads (i.e., probe casings with probes inserted) coated with a layer of electrically isolating ultra-nano-crystalline diamond (UNCD) in the edge plasma region of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in Hefei, People's Republic of China. The probe heads, equipped with various graphite probe pins, were inserted frequently even into the deep SOL up to a distance of 15 mm inside the last closed flux surface (LCFS) in low- and high-confinement regimes (L-mode and H-mode). Here, we concentrate on results most relevant for the ability to protect the graphite probe casings by UNCD against harmful effects from the plasma. We found that the UNCD coating also prevented almost completely the sputtering of graphite from the probe casings and thereby the subsequent risk of re-deposition on the boron nitride isolations between probe pins and probe casings by a layer of conductive graphite. After numerous insertions into the SOL, first signs of detachment of the UNCD layer were noticed.

Direct Conversion of Human Urine Cells to Neurons by Small Molecules.

Transdifferentiation of other cell type into human neuronal cells (hNCs) provides a platform for neural disease modeling, drug screening and potential cell-based therapies. Among all of the cell donor sources, human urine cells (hUCs) are convenient to obtain without invasive harvest procedure. Here, we report a novel approach for the transdifferentiation of hUCs into hNCs. Our study demonstrated that a combination of seven small molecules (CAYTFVB) cocktail induced transdifferentiation of hUCs into hNCs. These chemical-induced neuronal cells (CiNCs) exhibited typical neuron-like morphology and expressed mature neuronal markers. The neuronal-like morphology revealed in day 1, and the Tuj1-positive CiNCs reached to about 58% in day 5 and 38.36% Tuj1+/MAP2+ double positive cells in day 12. Partial electrophysiological properties of CiNCs was obtained using patch clamp. Most of the CiNCs generated using our protocol were glutamatergic neuron populations, whereas motor neurons, GABAergic or dopaminergic neurons were merely detected. hUCs derived from different donors were converted into CiNCs in this work. This method may provide a feasible and noninvasive approach for reprogramming hNCs from hUCs for disease models and drug screening.

[Correlation between the phenotypic domains of the UPOINT system and sexual dysfunction in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of the six phenotypic domains of the UPOINT (urinary, psychosocial, organ-specific, infection, neurologic/systemic, and tenderness) system with premature ejaculation (PE) and ED in male patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). METHODS: We collected the clinical data on 453 cases of CP/CPPS from December 2016 to December 2017, including the general information, CP symptoms, sexual life history, intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), NIH-CPSI, and IIEF-5 scores. We classified the patients according to the UPOINT system. RESULTS: The CP/CPPS patients were aged 32.75 ± 6.85 years, of whom 45.03% (204/453) were diagnosed with ED and 43.27% (196/453) with PE. The positive rates of the six phenotypic domains of the UPOINT system were 68.78% (U), 60.21% (P), 77.45% (O), 20.34% (I), 46.83% (N), and 65.12% (T), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed psychosocial (P) abnormality to be an independent risk factor for PE (OR = 4.55, 95% CI: 2.75－8.06, P < 0.05) and ED (OR = 3.35, 95% CI: 2.02－6.25, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The psychosocial (P) factor in the UPOINT system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PE and ED in patients with CP/CPPS.

A Multi-Server Two-Factor Authentication Scheme with Un-Traceability Using Elliptic Curve Cryptography.

To provide secure communication, the authentication-and-key-agreement scheme plays a vital role in multi-server environments, Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSNs), etc. This scheme enables users and servers to negotiate for a common session initiation key. Our proposal first analyzes Amin et al.'s authentication scheme based on RSA and proves that it cannot provide perfect forward secrecy and user un-traceability, and is susceptible to offline password guessing attack and key-compromise user impersonation attack. Secondly, we provide that Srinivas et al.'s multi-server authentication scheme is not secured against offline password guessing attack and key-compromise user impersonation attack, and is unable to ensure user un-traceability. To remedy such limitations and improve computational efficiency, we present a multi-server two-factor authentication scheme using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). Subsequently, employing heuristic analysis and Burrows⁻Abadi⁻Needham logic (BAN-Logic) proof, it is proven that the presented scheme provides security against all known attacks, and in particular provides user un-traceability and perfect forward security. Finally, appropriate comparisons with prevalent works demonstrate the robustness and feasibility of the presented solution in multi-server environments.

Generation of a GDE heterozygous mutation human embryonic stem cell line WAe001-A-14 by CRISPR/Cas9 editing.

Glycogen debranching enzyme (GDE) plays a critical role in glycogenolysis. Mutations in the GDE gene are associated with a metabolic disease known as glycogen storage disease type III (GSDIII). We generated a mutant GDE human embryonic stem cell line, WAe001-A-14, using the CRISPR/Cas9 editing system. This cell line contains a 24-nucleotide deletion within exon-13 of GDE, resulting in 8 amino acids (TRLGISSL) missing of the GDE protein from amino acid position 567 to 575. The WAe001-A-14 cell line maintains typical stem cell morphology, pluripotency and in vitro differentiation potential, and a normal karyotype.

Generation of a SMO homozygous knockout human embryonic stem cell line WAe001-A-16 by CRISPR/Cas9 editing.

The human SMO protein encoded by the smoothened (SMO) gene acts as a positive mediator for Hedgehog signaling. This pathway regulates many cellular activities, developmental morphogenesis, and tumorigenesis. Using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit human embryonic stem cell line WA01 (H1), we established a SMO mutant cell line (WAe001-A-16). This cell line has a 40bp homozygous deletion in exon 2 of SMO leading to a shift in the open reading frame and early termination at amino acid position 287. WAe001-A-16 maintains a normal karyotype, parental cell morphology, pluripotency markers, and the capacity to differentiate into all three germline layers.

Modeling Congenital Hyperinsulinism with ABCC8-Deficient Human Embryonic Stem Cells Generated by CRISPR/Cas9.

Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by excess insulin secretion, which results in hypoglycemia. Mutation of sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1), encoded by the ABCC8 gene, is the main cause of CHI. Here, we captured the phenotype of excess insulin secretion through pancreatic differentiation of ABCC8-deficient stem cells generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. ABCC8-deficient insulin-producing cells secreted higher insulin than their wild-type counterparts, and the excess insulin secretion was rescued by nifedipine, octreotide and nicorandil. Further, we tested the role of SUR1 in response to different potassium levels and found that dysfunction of SUR1 decreased the insulin secretion rate in low and high potassium environments. Hence, pancreatic differentiation of ABCC8-deficient cells recapitulated the CHI disease phenotype in vitro, which represents an attractive model to further elucidate the function of SUR1 and to develop and screen for novel therapeutic drugs.