Prognostic Index for Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Based on Immune-Related Genes Expression.

Immune system dysregulation is associated with tumor incidence and growth. Here, we established an RNA-based individualized immune signature associated with prognosis for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to guide adjuvant therapy. We downloaded publicly accessible data on RNA expression and clinical characteristics of NSCLC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). From immune-related genes (IRGs) retrieved from the immunology database and analysis portal (ImmPort) database, we then screened differentially expressed immune-related genes (DEIRGs). Using overall survival (OS) as a clinical endpoint, we identified 26 prognostic DEIRGs via univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, and then developed a risk model based on these 26 IRGs with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.701, and its predictive ability independent from other clinical factors. We also downloaded tumor immune infiltrate data and analyzed the correlations between lymphocytic infiltration with our risk scores, but found no significant association. Furthermore, we retrieved 86 differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) to assess their regulatory relationships with the 26 prognostic DEIRGs. In summary, we developed a robust risk model to predict survival in patients with NSCLC, based on the expression of 26 IRGs. It provides novel predictive and therapeutic molecular targets.

An Optimal Animal Model of Ischemic Stroke Established by Digital Subtraction Angiography-Guided Autologous Thrombi in Cynomolgus Monkeys.

Objective: Ischemic stroke seriously threatens human health, characterized by the high rates of incidence, disability, and death. Developing a reliable animal model that mimics most of the features of stroke is critical for pathological studies and clinical research. In this study, we aimed to establish and examine a model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) guided by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in cynomolgus monkeys. Materials and Methods: In this study, 15 adult male cynomolgus monkeys were enrolled. Under the guidance of DSA, a MCAO model was established by injecting an autologous venous clot into the middle cerebral artery (MCA) via femoral artery catheter. Thrombolytic therapy with alteplase (rt-PA) was given to eight of these monkeys at 3 h after the occlusion. Blood test and imaging examination, such as computed tomography angiography (CTA), CT perfusion (CTP), brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and brain magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), were performed after the operation to identify the post-infarction changes. The behavioral performance of cynomolgus monkeys was continuously observed for 7 days after operation. The animals were eunthanized on the 8th day after operation, and then the brain tissues of monkeys were taken for triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Results: Among the 15 cynomolgus monkeys, 12 of them were successfully modeled, as confirmed by the imaging findings and staining assessment. One monkey died of brain hernia resulted from intracranial hemorrhage confirmed by necropsy. DSA, CTA, and MRA indicated the presence of an arterial occlusion. CTP and MRI showed acute focal cerebral ischemia. TTC staining revealed infarct lesions formed in the brain tissues. Conclusion: Our study may provide an optimal non-human primate model for an in-depth study of the pathogenesis and treatment of focal cerebral ischemia.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AlN/Al Joints Brazing by a Sputtering Al/Cu Bilayer Film Solder.

This paper presents a magnetron sputtering Al/Cu bilayer film solder to realize the brazing of AlN ceramic and Al metal. The effect of different temperatures on the structure and mechanical properties of brazed joints is studied. The results show that the sputtered Al particles have a sputtering wetting effect on AlN ceramic. The contact angle of molten Al on AlN ceramic with Al film deposited at 700 °C is as low as about 30°. While the contact angle of molten Al on AlN ceramic without Al film deposited at 1000 °C is about 89°. There is a large amount of Cu enrichment in brazed joints at 600 °C. The weld structure is a mixture of Al solid solution and AlCu compound. The shear strength of the brazed joint is only 70.6 MPa, and the joint fracture shows a large number of brittle fracture morphologies. With the increase of brazing temperature, the phenomenon of Cu enrichment in the joint gradually weakens, and the weld structure gradually transforms into a solid solution of Cu in Al. The shear strength of the brazed joint continues to increase, and the joint fracture morphology gradually changes from brittle fracture to furrow-like plastic fracture morphology. When the brazing temperature is increased to 660 °C, the distribution of Cu in the joint is evenly dispersed, and the shear strength of the brazed joint reaches the highest value of 107.8 MPa. The joint fracture is completely furrow-like plastic fracture morphological composition.

Prediction of all-cause mortality in coronary artery disease patients with atrial fibrillation based on machine learning models.

BACKGROUND: Machine learning (ML) can include more diverse and more complex variables to construct models. This study aimed to develop models based on ML methods to predict the all-cause mortality in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: A total of 2037 CAD patients with AF were included in this study. Three ML methods were used, including the regularization logistic regression, random forest, and support vector machines. The fivefold cross-validation was used to evaluate model performance. The performance was quantified by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. RESULTS: After univariate analysis, 24 variables with statistical differences were included into the models. The AUC of regularization logistic regression model, random forest model, and support vector machines model was 0.732 (95% CI 0.649-0.816), 0.728 (95% CI 0.642-0.813), and 0.712 (95% CI 0.630-0.794), respectively. The regularization logistic regression model presented the highest AUC value (0.732 vs 0.728 vs 0.712), specificity (0.699 vs 0.663 vs 0.668), and accuracy (0.936 vs 0.935 vs 0.935) among the three models. However, no statistical differences were observed in the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the three models (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combining the performance of all aspects of the models, the regularization logistic regression model was recommended to be used in clinical practice.

The Effect of Temperature and Sputtered Particles on the Wettability of Al/Al2O3.

Two kinds of Al2O3 ceramic samples with and without Al film deposited were designed respectively. The influences of temperature and high kinetic energy sputtering particles on the wettability and interface strength of Al/Al2O3 were studied by comparing the wetting behavior of molten aluminum on two samples. The results show that molten aluminum does not wet the Al2O3 sample without Al film deposited at 700 °C, the contact angle is 165°, and the interfacial shear strength is 28 MPa. With the increase of temperature, the contact angle decreases continuously, and the interface shear strength gradually increases. The fracture of the brazed joint is transferred from the interface to the brazing seam. In comparison, the sample deposited with Al film is wetted by molten aluminum at 700 °C, and the contact angle is only 12°. The interface shear strength is about 120 MPa and is less affected by temperature. The shear fracture of the joint occurs in the brazed seam of Al metal. Therefore, the high energy generated by either the temperature increase or the particle sputtering enable the Al atoms to overcome the energy barrier to form Al-O bonds with the O atoms on the Al2O3 ceramic surface, thereby improving the wettability of Al/Al2O3.

Diffusion Barrier Performance of AlCrTaTiZr/AlCrTaTiZr-N High-Entropy Alloy Films for Cu/Si Connect System.

In this study, high-entropy alloy films, namely, AlCrTaTiZr/AlCrTaTiZr-N, were deposited on the n-type (100) silicon substrate. Then, a copper film was deposited on the high-entropy alloy films. The diffusion barrier performance of AlCrTaTiZr/AlCrTaTiZr-N for Cu/Si connect system was investigated after thermal annealing for an hour at 600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C. There were no Cu-Si intermetallic compounds generated in the Cu/AlCrTaTiZr/AlCrTaTiZr-N/Si film stacks after annealing even at 900 °C through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic probe tomography (APT) analysis. The results indicated that AlCrTaTiZr/AlCrTaTiZr-N alloy films can prevent copper diffusion at 900 °C. The reason was investigated in this work. The amorphous structure of the AlCrTaTiZr layer has lower driving force to form intermetallic compounds; the lattice mismatch between the AlCrTaTiZr and AlCrTaTiZ-rN layers increased the diffusion distance of the Cu atoms and the difficulty of the Cu atom diffusion to the Si substrate.

Microstructure and Wear Properties of Micro Arc Oxidation Ceramic Coatings.

The interaction effect of micro arc oxidation (MAO) parameters on the microstructure and wear properties was investigated. The results showed that the electric current and oxidation time significantly influenced the thickness and grinding crack width of the ceramic coatings within the range of the selected parameters, and the interaction effect of the electrical parameters was not obvious. The surface morphology, cross-section morphology, and element distribution of the coatings were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that ceramic coatings with γ-Al2O3 and α-Al2O3 formed, which enhanced the coating performance. After that, the microhardness and wear resistance were tested. Under the optimal process, the microhardness of a coating section was up to 1200 HV0.1, and the friction coefficient was just 0.3. When wear occurred, the volcanic microstructures experienced extrusion and deformation, and then peeled off under shear stress, which led to the formation of a grinding crack. The main failure modes of the micro arc oxidation coatings were abrasive wear and spalling failure.

A new solution model for cardiac medical image segmentation.

BACKGROUND: Calculation methods have a critical role in the precise sorting of medical images. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a widely used approach in the clinical centers and for other medical applications as it can disentangle optimization errors in attached spaces. In this work, a new model for image segmentation is proposed through an improved optimization algorithm. METHODS: A novel multi-objective algorithm was configured, named "multi-objective mathematical programming" (MOMP), based on the normalized normal constraint method (NNCM). In this model, the proposed algorithm was applied to evaluate the robustness of the suggested model through including the synthetic images of objects with various concavities and Gaussian noise. This model segments the individuals' heart and the left ventricle from data sets of sequentially evaluated tomography and magnetic resonance images. To objectively and quantifiably assess the presentation of the medical image segmentations based on regions outlined by experts and the graph cut method, a set of distance and resemblance metrics were implemented. RESULTS: The numerical results obtained in experimental test cases demonstrate the validity and superiority of the proposed model through better segmentation accuracy and stability. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the proposed MOMP method can outperform all traditional models in terms of segmentation accuracy and stability, and is thus appropriate for use in medical imaging.

An improved preparation method for cross-sectional TEM specimens of films deposited on metallic substrates.

Cross-sectional TEM analysis is one of the most important techniques to characterize microstructures of films. However, the complex process, low efficiency, and low success rate of specimen preparation limit its application. This paper analyzed the main causes of low success rate and proposed an improved method for specimen preparation of films deposited on metallic substrates. This method consisting of twin-jet electropolishing and one-sided rocking ion milling is high in efficiency and success rate.