Innovating Household Food Waste Management: A User-Centric Approach with AHP-TRIZ Integration.

Food waste management remains a paramount issue in the field of social innovation. While government-led public recycling measures are important, the untapped role of residents in food waste management at the household level also demands attention. This study aims to propose the design of a smart system that leverages sensors, mobile terminals, and cloud data services to facilitate food waste reduction. Unlike conventional solutions that rely on mechanical and biological technologies, the proposed system adopts a user-centric approach. By integrating the analytical hierarchy process and the theory of inventive problem solving, this study delves into users' actual needs and explores intelligent solutions that are alternatives to traditional approaches to address conflicts in the problem solving phase. The study identifies five main criteria for user demands and highlights user-preferred subcriteria. It determines two physical conflicts and two technical conflicts and explores corresponding information and communications technology (ICT)-related solutions. The tangible outcomes encompass a semi-automated recycling product, a mobile application, and a data centre, which are all designed to help residents navigate the challenges regarding food waste resource utilisation. This study provides an approach that considers users' genuine demands, empowering them to actively engage in and become practitioners of household food waste reduction. The findings serve as valuable references for similar smart home management systems, providing insights to guide future developments.

Visual analytics of route recommendation for tourist evacuation based on graph neural network.

The overcrowding of scenic spots not only threatens tourists' safety but also affects the travel experience. Traditional methods for addressing tourist overload have involved limited access and guided evacuation. While limited access has been effective, it often results in a diminished tourist experience. Moreover, the existing guided evacuation rarely considers the impact on tourists' experience, resulting in a low willingness to cooperate and making it difficult to estimate evacuation effort efficiency. To solve these problems, this paper proposed a tourist evacuation route recommendation algorithm based on a graph neural network considering the similarity of tourism styles (PER-GCN) and designed a visualization system to simulate and analyse evacuation efficiency. First, the interaction matrix of tourists and scenic spots was constructed using graph mining to extract the high-order interaction information. In the output layer, the similarity between scenic spots and tourism styles was calculated to further improve the accuracy of scenic spot recommendations. Second, due to route complexity and the real-time carrying capacity of scenic spots, the researchers optimized the evacuation routes. Finally, taking the West Lake spot as the case study, the effectiveness of PER-GCN was verified. Additionally, a visualization system was designed to monitor tourist flow in real time and analyse tourist portraits according to the clustering results of scenic spot styles. In addition, the evacuation efficiency of scenic spots was analysed by adjusting the parameters of tourists' willingness to cooperate, evacuation batch, and the weight of route complexity and scenic spot carrying capacity.

High-precision simultaneous measurement of 187Os, 186Os, and 184Os using 1013 Ω amplifiers and CDDs on NTIMS.

High-precision measurements of 184Os/188Os, 186Os/188Os, and 187Os/188Os ratios are significant in the fields of geochemistry and cosmochemistry. However, no high-precision measurement technique exists for simultaneously obtaining all three ratios using a static method for samples with an Os content of <1 ng or 186OsO3‾ and 187OsO3‾ ion-beam intensities of <150 mV. This greatly limits research on rare samples with small sample sizes or low Os contents, such as Lunar, Martian, or old Earth samples. This paper reports a static method, which could achieve the simultaneous measurement of 9 Faraday cups (FCs) with high-signal/noise ratio 1012 Ω amplifiers and 1013 Ω amplifiers and two compact discrete dynodes (CDDs). By analyzing two calibration solutions, a precision value of less than 3‰ (2RSD) could be achieved for 184Os/188Os ratios, even if the 184OsO3‾ intensity was as low as 1000 cps. The precision values for the 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os ratios were similar and could be better than 0.066‰ (2RSD) when the intensities of 186OsO3‾ and 187OsO3‾ were greater than 30 mV, which can be obtained with conventional 1011 Ω amplifiers only at signals larger than 150 mV. Three geological reference materials were used in this study. The precision values of 184Os/188Os, 186Os/188Os, and 187Os/188Os ratios reached 2, 0.061, and 0.050‰ (2RSD), respectively, when the maximum Os amount was approximately 12 ng, and 87, 15, and 10‰ (2RSD), respectively, when the maximum Os amount was as low as approximately 66 pg. Additionally, our results show that changes in the volume of oxygen added during measurement can cause significant variations in the oxygen isotope composition. This static measurement method not only avoids the nonlinear signal change of the instrument during the analysis process but also realizes the accurate removal of the oxygen isobaric interference in the run, which could improve the precision of 184Os/188Os, 186Os/188Os, and 187Os/188Os ratios for small-size/low-signal samples.

Efficacy of Epley's maneuver plus betahistine in the management of PC-BPPV: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy of Epley's maneuver plus betahistine in the management of patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (PC-BPPV). METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang were searched from their inception to April, 2022. The effect size was analyzed by calculating the pooled risk ratio estimates of efficacy rate, recurrence rate, and standardized mean differences (SMD) of dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) score with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Sensitive analysis was performed simultaneously. RESULTS: A total of 9 randomized controlled trials with 860 PC-BPPV patients were included in the meta-analysis, in which 432 were treated with Epley's maneuver plus betahistine, and 428 received Epley's maneuver alone. The meta-analysis revealed that Epley's maneuver plus betahistine significantly improved DHI score than Epley's maneuver alone (SMD = -0.61, 95% CI -0.96 to -0.26, P = .001). In addition, both Epley's maneuver plus betahistine and Epley's maneuver groups had comparable outcomes in efficacy rate and recurrence rate. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis shows that Epley's maneuver plus betahistine in PC-BPPV patients had favorable effects on DHI score.

Improved in situ analysis of lead isotopes in low-Pb melt inclusions using laser ablation-multi-collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: In situ Pb isotope analyses of tiny melt inclusions using laser ablation-multi-collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) are crucial for exploring the origins of mafic lavas. However, quantitative use of this technique with low-Pb (<10 ppm) melt inclusions is difficult due to their low 204 Pb content and 204 Hg interference. METHODS: Pb isotopic ratios of various reference glasses and olivine-hosted melt inclusions were determined using LA-MC-ICP-MS. Multiple ion counters were used to simultaneously determine signal intensities of all Pb isotopes and 202 Hg. An Hg signal-removal smoothing device reduced its signal in the gas blank by >80%. Instrumental mass bias was corrected using the standard-sample bracketing method. RESULTS: With 24-90 µm diameter laser spots, 2-4 Hz repetition rates, and 2.5-4 J cm-2 energy fluence, the analytical precisions of 20x Pb/204 Pb ratios (x = 6, 7, 8) for standards BHVO-2G, ML3B-G, NIST 614, NKT-1G, T1-G, GOR132-G, and StHs6/80-G were <1.0% (2RSD) when 208 Pb signals >100 000 cps. The Wangjiadashan melt inclusions have 206 Pb/204 Pb = 17.14-18.44, 207 Pb/204 Pb = 15.28-15.66, and 208 Pb/204 Pb = 37.12-38.68. CONCLUSIONS: The described method improves the precision and accuracy of in situ Pb isotope analysis in low-Pb melt inclusions using LA-MC-ICP-MS. The Pb isotopic compositions of the Wangjiadashan melt inclusions indicate the coexistence of LoMu and EMII+young HIMU components in the mantle source of weakly alkaline basalts.

[Characteristics and differential diagnosis of middle ear cholesteatoma and chronic suppurative otitis media with wideband acoustic immittance].

Objective:Through analysis of the sound energy absorbance of wideband acoustic immittance to provide a basis for differential diagnosis of adult acquired secondary cholesteatoma of the middle ear and patients with chronic suppurative otitis media（CSOM）. Methods:38 cases of cholesteatoma and 40 cases of CSOM admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from September 2020 to December 2021 were selected as the research group, and 30 cases （60 ears） of normal adults were selected as the control group. A total of 16 frequency points were selected, and the energy absorbance of wideband acoustic immittance was taken as the research parameter. The characteristics of energy absorbance under ambient pressure among the three are compared. Then the ROC in the cholesteatoma group was drawn, and by calculating the AUC, the Cut-off values and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were found. Results:The energy absorbance in CSOM group at 1100-5700 Hz and the cholesteatoma group at 560-5700 Hz was lower than that in the control group, and the difference in some frequency bands was statistically significant. The energy absorbance in the cholesteatoma group at 226-7100 Hz was lower than that in the CSOM group, and the difference between the two groups in many frequency points was statistically significant. The ROC in the research group was drawn and it was found that the AUC in the 560, 710, 890, and 4500 bands was > 0.5, and in the other bands was > 0.7（P<0.05）. The AUC in the 2800 Hz was the largest （0.78）, the Cut-off value was 0.31, the corresponding sensitivity was 78.38%, specificity was 73.33%. Conclusion:Wideband acoustic immittance can be used as an auxiliary method for the differential diagnosis of adult-acquired secondary cholesteatoma of the middle ear and chronic suppurative otitis media in adults.

Temperature-dependent resistance of carbon nanotube fibers.

Carbon nanotube fibers are highly recommended in the field of temperature sensor application owing to their excellent electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. Here, this work demonstrated the rapid thermal response behaviour of CNT fibers fabricated by floating catalyst CVD method, which was measured by anin situtechnique based on the CNT film electric heater with excellent electrothermal response properties. The temperature dependences of resistance and structure were both explored. Experimental investigation indicates that the reduction in the inter-CNT interspace in the fibers caused by thermally driven actuation was dominantly responsible for the decrease of the fibers resistance during the heating process. Especially, the heated fibers showed 7.2% decrease in electrical resistance at the applied square-wave voltage of 8 V, and good temperature sensitivity (-0.15% °C-1). The as-prepared CNT fibers also featured a rapid and reversible electrical resistance response behaviour when exposed to external heating stimulation. Additionally, with the increment of temperature and twist-degree, the generated contraction actuation increased, which endowed the CNT fibers with more decrease in electrical resistance. These observations further suggested that the temperature-dependent conduction behavior of the CNT fibers with a high reversibility and repeatability was strongly correlated with their structure response to heat stimulation. As a consequence, the temperature-conduction behavior described here may be applied in other CNT-structured fibers and facilitated the improvement in their temperature-sensing applications.

Fasudil prevents neomycin-induced hair cell damage by inhibiting autophagy through the miR-489/NDP52 signaling pathway in HEI-OC1 cells.

Hearing loss is a common sensory disorder that is mainly caused by the loss of hair cells (HCs). Drug-induced deafness, for which there is currently no effective treatment, is mainly caused by the inappropriate use of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Fasudil (Fas), a novel isoquinoline sulfonamide derivative, has exhibited antioxidant abilities in a number of previous studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effects of Fas against neomycin (Neo)-induced hair cell damage and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Flow cytometry and western blot analysis were used to detect the effects of Fas on cell apoptosis and to determine the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins, LC3B and Beclin 1, induced by Neo. Mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were detected using fluorescent probes. The effect of Fas on Neo-induced hair cell injury marker, GFP-LC3B, was also examined using the immunofluorescence technique. Fas was found to inhibit Neo-induced mitochondrial autophagy and mitochondrial membrane potential decline, in addition to reducing ROS levels and cell apoptosis caused by Neo treatment. However, Fas failed to inhibit the Neo-induced these above changes in cells with NDP52 overexpression. The putative binding sites of microRNA (miR)-489 on the 3'-untranslated region of nuclear dot protein 52 (NDP52) were predicted using the TargetScan 7.0 online tool, and this association was further verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, the expression of miR-489 negatively regulated the expression of NDP52. Fas and miR-489 mimic inhibited the Neo-induced mitochondrial autophagy and mitochondrial membrane potential decline, in addition to reducing ROS levels and cell apoptosis. Knockdown of miR-489 expression using a miR-489 inhibitor blocked the inhibitory effects of Fas on the mitochondrial membrane potential, cell apoptosis and ROS production. Therefore, Fas may upregulate the expression of miR-489 to negatively regulate the expression of NDP52 at the post-transcriptional level, which in turn inhibits the activation of mitophagy and cell injury induced by Neo. Thus, Fas may act as a novel therapeutic option in the clinical treatment of hearing loss in the future.

Emotion Analysis of Personalized Color of Beauty Package Based on NCD Image Positioning.

Purpose: Based on the Nippon Color & Design (NCD) system, this study aims to accurately discover the color preferences and image positioning of different female groups in China and, thus, to establish a color reference system, which is suitable for the packaging of beauty products. Methods: We first selected middle-aged women in the rural area of northern China as the studied group. Then, we conducted an extensive questionnaire survey on their color preferences focusing on their psychological characteristics and perception rules of emotional needs for colors. After that, we extracted colors from samples and classified them using the NCD system research method. Finally, we conducted a systematic analysis and verification to determine the color emotional preference of this group. Conclusion: We investigate the color preference of targeted customers to establish the image space of beauty product packaging. By applying SPSS for the factor analysis, we study the rural women in northern China, who are less concerned about fashion. We focus on the accurate positioning between the interaction of color, women, and environment throughout the color design process. We have conducted a series of comparative analyses of popular beauty products among the rural women. The results can accurately reflect the brand definition and positioning of color semantics and, thus, provide invaluable information for future beauty packaging designs and marketing promotion strategy.

Evaluation of the cargo contents and potential role of extracellular vesicles in osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a common aging-related disease diagnosed primarily using bone mineral density (BMD). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) remain unexplored in the context of osteoporosis. Towards this, EVs were isolated from plasma of a discovery cohort with 8 non-osteoporotic and 8 osteoporotic individuals, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) revealed a significantly higher EV concentration in osteoporotic individuals (P = 0.003). Moreover, EVs concentration showed a linear correlation with bone mineral density (BMD) values (linear correlation coefficient r = 0.9542, deviation from zero, p < 0.001). Results using a mouse model of osteoporosis confirmed that the number of EVs in mice from hindlimb unloading group was significantly higher than that from the age-matched control group (p = 0.015). TaqMan Real-Time PCR demonstrated that miR-335-5p, -320a, -483-5p, and miR-21-5p, were significantly higher expressed in osteoporotic patients compared with non-osteoporotic individuals. Quantitative real-time PCR shown that Wnt1, Wnt5a, Wnt7a, and Wnt9a mRNAs were lower expressed in osteoporosis derived EVs. In vitro functional assay indicated that osteoporosis derived EVs resulted in reduced mineralization in SaOS-2 cells. In conclusion, these results suggest that osteoporosis increased the secretion of EVs which carry higher expression of miRNAs and decreased expression of Wnt signals, further decreased the mineralization capacity in human osteoblasts.

The Moderating Role of Ethical Leadership on Nurses' Green Behavior Intentions and Real Green Behavior.

AIM: This study is aimed at exploring the relationship between green behavior intentions and green behavior and analyzing the moderating role of ethical leadership in this relationship. BACKGROUND: Nurses' green behavior can directly reduce costs and protect the natural environment and organizational sustainability by saving resources and energy. It is not clear how green behavior intention affects green behavior or how the positive influence of green behavior intention on green behavior can be enhanced. Design and Methods. This is a cross-sectional study, and the surveys are collected from 3 hospitals in China. Of the initial cohort of 489 nurses, 89.6% were female. There were 327 subjects (66.9%) aged 35 or less, 267 subjects (54.6%) with 10 years or less of work experience, and 220 unmarried subjects (44.9%). Data were collected from January to July 2018, using three surveys: green behavior intentions, green behavior, and ethical leadership. RESULTS: Green behavior intentions impacted employee green behavior (b = 0.32, t = 5.37, p < 0.01). The interaction term for green behavior intentions and ethical leadership was significant (b = 0.28, t = 2.53, p ≤ 0.01); the conditional direct effect of green behavior intentions was only significant at a high level of ethical leadership (conditional effect = 0.53, SE = 0.16, t = 3.38, p < 0.01, 95% confidence interval of 0.22-0.84). CONCLUSION: The intention to engage in green behavior influences nurses' green behavior positively, and the relationship is stronger when ethical leadership is high in the organization than when ethical leadership is low. The results of this study can help both academics and practitioners to understand the micromechanism of environmentally sustainable development in more detail and to identify the mechanisms and boundary conditions of green behavioral intentions, green behavior, and ethical leadership.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation on C/SiC Composite Z-Pinned/Bonded Hybrid Single-Lap Joints.

Z-pinned/bonded joints are great potential connection components that have been used in the 2D C/SiC composite structures; however, the hybrid joints present complex failure mechanism considering the secondary deposited SiC matrix in the clearance. Therefore, the mechanical performance and failure mechanism of the joints are investigated through experimental and numerical methods in this paper. Experiment results show that two peaks exist in the load-displacement curves. The first load peak is 2891-4172 N with the corresponding displacement of 0.10-0.15 mm, and the second load peak is 2670-2919 N with the corresponding displacement of 0.21-0.25 mm. Besides that, the secondary deposited SiC matrix exhibits discrete distribution, and it has significant effects on the failure mechanism. Validated by experimental data, the proposed three-dimensional numerical model based on modified Hashin's criterion and fastener element can predict the mechanical performance and failure process. The numerical results indicate that the first load peak is dominated by the deposited SiC matrix near the edge, while the second peak is dominated by the z-pin and the SiC matrix near the z-pin. Moreover, the effects of the deposited SiC matrix's strength and distribution are discussed, which is meaningful to the optimal design of C/SiC composite z-pinned/bonded hybrid single-lap joints.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides exert an antioxidative effect on rat chondrocytes by activating the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 signaling pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress is the main cause of osteoarthritis (OA). Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) have antioxidant properties. Thus, the potential effect of LBP on H2O2-stimulated chondrocytes was examined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The cell viability was detected by CCK-8. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis rates were determined by flow cytometric analysis. The DNA damage was detected by comet assay. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot assays were performed to examine the expression of histone 2A family member X (γH2AX), checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1), poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase (caspase)-3/8/9, and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and its antioxidant-response element (ARE) dependent factors including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and quinine oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1). RESULTS: Compared to the H2O2 group, LBP inhibited the ROS production and DNA damage caused by H2O2 (p < 0.05), respectively. LBP inhibited the mRNA and protein expressions of γH2AX and Chk1 (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, LBP significantly decreased apoptosis (p < 0.05). And LBP inhibited the expression levels of PARP and Caspase-3/8/9 (p < 0.05). Moreover, LBP increased the expression of Nrf2, HO-1and NQO-1 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the depletion of Nrf2 that mediated by RNA interference reversed the apoptosis and DNA damage inhibition effect of LBP (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LBP protected chondrocytes through inhibiting DNA damage and apoptosis caused by H2O2, in which the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway played a positive role. It provided an inspiration for clinical application - developing LBP as a therapeutic agent and Nrf2 as a promising candidate.

Relationship Between Matrix Cracking and Delamination in CFRP Cross-Ply Laminates Subjected to Low Velocity Impact.

The effect of matrix cracking on the delamination morphology inside carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) laminates during low-velocity impact (LVI) is an open question. In this paper, the relationship between matrix cracking and delamination is studied by using cross-ply laminates. Several methods, including micrograph, C-scan, and visual inspection, were adopted to characterize the damage after LVI experiments. Based on the experimental results, finite element (FE) models were established to analyze the damage mechanisms. The matrix cracking was predicted by the extended finite element method (XFEM) and the Puck criteria, while the delamination was modeled by cohesive elements. It was revealed that the matrix crack in the bottom ply not only promoted the outward propagation of delamination but also contributed to the narrow delamination beneath the impact location. Multiple matrix cracks occurred in the middle ply. The ones close to the plate center initiated the delamination and prevented large-scale delamination beneath the impact location. For the cracks that were far away, no significant effect on delamination was found. In conclusion, the stress redistribution caused by the crack opening determines the delamination.

Multiscale Analysis of CFRP Laminates with MMF3 Criterion under Different Off-Axis Loading Conditions.

A multiscale analysis strategy with physical modified-micromechanics of failure (MMF3) criterion was proposed to analyze the failure behaviors of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates. The quantitative relationship between the macro- and micro- stresses was determined considering two typical fiber distributions. Thermal residual stress was taken into account in the stress transformation. The failures were defined and the properties of damaged elements were degraded at the constituent level. The back-calculation method based on the iteration algorithm was proposed to determine the micro strength with macro mechanical tests. A series of off-axis loading tests were conducted to verify the established multiscale models. The predicted strength was also compared with the results using micromechanics of failure (MMF) criterion to present accuracy improvements. Thermal residual stress was found to affect the strength by contributing to the matrix damage status. Meanwhile, sensitivity analysis was provided for the matrix-dominant micro strength to investigate its physical meaning. Results suggest that the micro tensile and compressive strength of the matrix influenced the off-axis tensile and compressive strengths respectively, with relative large off-axis angles, while the micro shear strength of the matrix dominated when the off-axis angles were relative small.

Inhibition of Histone Deacetylases Prevents Cardiac Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction by Restoring Autophagosome Processing in Cardiac Fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a critical role in the regulation of gene transcription, cardiac development, and diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the inhibition of HDACs improves cardiac remodeling and its underlying mechanisms in a mouse myocardial infarction (MI) model. METHODS: The HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA, 0.1 mg/kg/day) was administered via daily intraperitoneal injections for 8 consecutive weeks after MI in C57/BL mice. Echocardiography and tissue histopathology were used to assess cardiac function. Cultured neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs) were subjected to simulated hypoxia in vitro. Autophagic flux was measured using the tandem fluorescent mCherry-GFP-LC3 assay. Western blot was used to detect autophagic biomarkers. RESULTS: After 8 weeks, the inhibition of HDACs in vivo resulted in improved cardiac remodeling and hence better ventricular function. MI was associated with increased LC3-II expression and the accumulation of autophagy adaptor protein p62, indicating impaired autophagic flux, which was reversed by TSA treatment. Cultured NRCFs exhibited increased cell death after simulated hypoxia in vitro. Increased cell death was associated with markedly increased numbers of autophagosomes but not autolysosomes, as assessed by punctate dual fluorescent mCherry-green fluorescent protein tandem-tagged light chain-3 expression, indicating that hypoxia resulted in impaired autophagic flux. Importantly, TSA treatment reversed hypoxia-induced impaired autophagic flux and led to a 40% decrease in cell death. This was accompanied by improved mitochondrial membrane potential. The beneficial effects of TSA therapy were abolished by RNAi intervention targeting LAMP2; likewise, in vivo delivery of chloroquine abolished the TSA-mediated cardioprotective effects. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence that the HDAC inhibitor TSA prevents cardiac remodeling after MI and is dependent on restoring autophagosome processing of cardiac fibroblasts.

A new method for calibrating the current gain of 1013 Ω amplifiers in thermal ionization mass spectrometry.

We report a new method for calibrating the current gain of 1013  Ω amplifiers in both positive and negative mode used in thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS). This method uses any isotopic standard or sample to calibrate the gain factor as long as it can produce a stable current signal. It is simpler and more flexible than that recommended by Thermo-Fisher (the manufacture of the TIMS). In these analyses, the gains of five 1013  Ω amplifiers were assessed. The precision of gain factors was better than 100 ppm (2 RSD) in a day, and the long-term reproducibility was better than 300 ppm (2 RSD) within 2 to 8 months. After a gain was calibrated, the ratio accuracy and precision in the positive mode for 87 Sr/88 Sr of NIST 987 Sr and 143 Nd/144 Nd of La Jolla Nd were 0.710242 ± 60 (2 SD, n = 14) and 0.511842 ± 10 (2 SD, n = 22), respectively, at intensities of 88 Sr 0.3 V and 142 Nd 0.4 V, while in the negative mode for 187 Os/188 Os of Merck Os was 0.120229 ± 34 (2 SD, n = 23) at an intensity of 187 OsO3 0.01 mV. In addition, a difference in the gain factors between the negative mode TIMS (NTIMS) and positive mode TIMS (PTIMS) has been recognized. The values of the gain factor for NTIMS and PTIMS show a deviation of 0.54% on the Triton and 0.31% on the Triton Plus TIMS in this study; therefore, gain calibration should be carried out on both NTIMS and PTIMS. Moreover, a bias of ~ 1.5 × 10-5 between H and L Faraday cups for the same 1013  Ω amplifier has been detected, hinting that the efficiency of different Faraday cups may affect the gain factors, which can be eliminated through the new method of "cross-calibration" discribed in this study.

Exosomes containing differential expression of microRNA and mRNA in osteosarcoma that can predict response to chemotherapy.

A major challenge in osteosarcoma (OS) is the selection of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents for individual patients, while the administration of ineffective chemotherapy increases mortality and decreases quality of life in patients. This emphasizes the need to evaluate every patient's probability of responding to each chemotherapeutic agent. We developed a profiling strategy for serum exosomal microRNAs and mRNAs in OS patients with differential chemotherapeutic responses. Twelve miRNAs were up regulated and 18 miRNAs were under regulated significantly in OS patient with poor chemotherapeutic response when compared with those in good chemotherapeutic response (p<0.05). In addition, miR-124, miR133a, miR-199a-3p, and miR-385 were validated and significantly reduced in poorly responded patients with an independent OS cohort. While miR-135b, miR-148a, miR-27a, and miR-9 were significantly over expressed in serum exosomes. Bioinformatic analysis by DIANA-mirPath demonstrated that Proteoglycans in cancer, Hippo signaling pathway, Pathways in cancer, Transcriptional misregulation in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Ras signaling pathway, Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, Choline metabolism in cancer were the most prominent pathways enriched in quantiles with the miRNA patterns related to poor chemotherapeutic response. Messenger RNAs(mRNAs) includingAnnexin2, Smad2, Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), Cdc42-interacting protein 4 (CIP4), Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor (PEDF), WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), Cell division cycle 5-like (Cdc5L), P27 were differentially expressed in exosomes in OS patients with different chemotherapeutic response. These data demonstrated that exosomal RNA molecules are reliable biomarkers in classifying osteosarcoma with different chemotherapy sensitivity.

The effect of pathological fractures on the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma: a meta-analysis of 14 studies.

Osteosarcoma is a leading cause of malignant tumor related death. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between pathological fractures and prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for studies published until May 15, 2017. Crude and adjusted relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals were used to compare data between the case and control groups. Fourteen studies and 3910 patients were included in the final meta-analysis. No statistically significant difference was detected between the pathological fracture and non-pathological fracture groups in local recurrences analysis (RR = 1.102, 95% CI: 0.813-1.495, P = 0.531); however, a statistically significant difference was found between group in distant metastasis (RR = 1.424, 95% CI: 1.089-1.862, P = 0.01). For survival rates, the following RRs were calculated: 3-year overall survival (OS) (RR = 0.736, 95% CI: 0.593-0.912, P = 0.005); 5-year OS (RR = 0.889, 95% CI: 0.791-0.999, P = 0.049); 3-year event-free survival (EFS) (RR = 0.812, 95% CI: 0.682-0.966, P = 0.018); and 5-year EFS (RR = 0.876, 95% CI: 0.785-0.978, P = 0.019). The pooled estimate of RR was 0.673 (95% CI: 0.364-1.244, P = 0.206) for local recurrence in the amputation and limb salvage groups. In conclusion, our analysis indicated that there were no differences in local recurrence and local recurrence after limb salvage between patients with or without a fracture. Additionally, the patients with pathological fracture had a higher risk of distant metastasis and lower 3-year OS, 5-year OS, 3-year EFS, and 5-year EFS. Considering the limitations of this study, we believe that future large-scale studies should be performed to confirm our conclusions.

A comparison using Faraday cups with 1013 Ω amplifiers and a secondary electron multiplier to measure Os isotopes by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: According to the Johnson-Nyquist noise equation, the value of electron noise is proportional to the square root of the resistor value. This relationship gives a theoretical improvement of 100 in the signal/noise ratio by going from 1011 Ω to 1013 Ω amplifiers for Faraday detection in thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). METHODS: We measured Os isotopes using static Faraday cups with 1013 Ω amplifiers in negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (NTIMS) and compared the results with those obtained with 1011 Ω amplifiers and by peak-hopping on a single secondary electron multiplier (SEM). We analysed large loads of Os (1 µg) at a range of intensities of 187 OsO3 (0.02-10 mV) in addition to small loads of Os (5-500 pg) to compare the results of the three methods. RESULTS: Using 1013 Ω amplifiers, the long-term reproducibility determined from Merck Os was 187 Os/188 Os = 0.1211 ± 0.0086 and 0.120229 ± 0.000034 at 0.02 mV and 10 mV of 187 OsO3 intensities. Meanwhile, the analysed JMC Os loadings of 5 and 500 pg showed 187 Os/188 Os = 0.10669 ± 0.00036 and 0.106807 ± 0.000023. In comparison, the values measured by the SEM were 187 Os/188 Os = 0.10704 ± 0.00056 and 0.10690 ± 0.00013. All errors are in 2 standard deviation (SD). CONCLUSIONS: Both the accuracy and the precision determined using the 1013 Ω amplifiers and the SEM are identical when the Os amounts are within 10-50 pg. However, the former analysis time can be shortened by approximately two-thirds. The SEM measurement is still the most precise method for Os amounts <10 pg, but the analyses using 1013 Ω amplifiers suggest they are significantly better than the SEM for Os amounts >50 pg.