3714 research outputs found
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Cell-free DNA as a biomarker in cancer
No full textTranslational research of liquid biopsy is just at the edge of routine clinical application: an emerging validity of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) tests suggests its use for earlier cancer detection and better monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) and resistance development, thus offering earlier guidance for therapy choices with the intent to cure cancer. In this review, we focus on ctDNA as an advanced and standardized validated marker in liquid biopsy. We also discuss what will be needed to reach the new milestone of personalized (precision) medicine to be used as a common standard of care. We summarize recent developments of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and its clinical use as a biomarker in cancer
A case study in smart manufacturing: predictive analysis of cure cycle results for a composite component
No full textAim: This work proposes a workflow monitoring sensor observations over time to identify and predict relevant changes or anomalies in the cure cycle (CC) industrial process. CC is a procedure developed in an autoclave consisting of applying high temperatures to provide composite materials. Knowing anomalies in advance could improve efficiency and avoid product discard due to poor quality, benefiting sustainability and the environment.Methods: The proposed workflow exploits machine learning techniques for monitoring and early validating the CC process according to the time-temperature constraints in a real industrial case study. It uses CC's data produced by the thermocouples in the autoclave along the cycle to train an LSTM model. Fast Low-cost Online Semantic Segmentation algorithm is used for better characterizing the time series of temperature. The final objective is predicting future temperatures minute by minute to forecast if the cure will satisfy the constraints of quality control or raise the alerts for eventually recovering the process.Results: Experimentation, conducted on 142 time series (of 550 measurements, on average), shows that the framework identifies invalid CCs with significant precision and recall values after the first 2 hours of the process.Conclusion: By acting as an early-alerting system for the quality control office, the proposal aims to reduce defect rates and resource usage, bringing positive environmental impacts. Moreover, the framework could be adapted to other manufacturing targets by adopting specific datasets and tuning thresholds
Customization of functional MOFs by a modular design strategy for target applications
No full textHerein, we propose a versatile “functional modular assembly” strategy for customizing MOFs that allows installing the desired functional unit into a host material. The functional unit could be switched according to different applications. MOF-808, a highly stable Zr-MOF containing dangling formate groups, was selected as a host material for demonstration. Functional molecules with carboxyl connectors can be directly inserted into MOF-808 to form functional modular MOFs (FM-MOFs) through single substitution, while for those without carboxyl connectors, a pre-designed convertor was grafted firstly followed by the functional molecules in a stepwise manner. A series of tailor-made FM-MOFs were generated and show excellent performance toward different applications, such as adsorption, catalysis, fluorescent sensing, electrochemistry, and the control of surface wettability. On the other hand, the functional units on the FM-MOFs can switch freely and completely via full interconversion, as well as partly to construct multivariate MOFs (MTV-MOFs). Therefore, this strategy provides a benchmark for rapid customization of functional MOFs for diverse applications that can realize the rapid modular design of materials
Arresting type 1 diabetes: are we there yet? Obstacles and opportunities
No full textMore than 100 years after the discovery of insulin, the exact etiology and pathophysiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains elusive, but our knowledge is growing. This leads to louder calls to initiate a risk screening for T1D in the general population. This risk screening could be based on the genetic risk (in the general population or targeted HLA genotyping in family members of persons with T1D) or on the screening for autoantibodies in blood (e.g., antibodies against insulin, GAD, IA2, or ZnT8). The presence of autoantibodies is known to convey a clearly increased risk of progressing to T1D, particularly when two or more antibody types are present. It remains a point of discussion whether screening efforts are cost-effective. At present, in the absence of interventions capable of delaying the onset of disease, the only benefit of screening is the earlier diagnosis of T1D, thus avoiding life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Nevertheless, large consortia (e.g., INNODIA and TrialNet) are currently focusing on not only disease biomarkers but also biomarkers of therapeutic effect of interventions. All hope is thus focused on the arrival of intervention strategies that could arrest the ongoing immune destruction of the beta cell and thus delay clinical disease onset. Thus far, attempts have focused on either protecting the beta cell or arresting the immune response, but the future seems to be one of combination therapy. Here, we perform a scoping review on the pathogenesis of T1D, discuss screening strategies, and present promising intervention strategies
Home blood pressure in target range as an additional therapeutic goal in hypertensive patients: a telemonitoring-based analysis
No full textAim: Guidelines recommend treating hypertension (HTN) by keeping office blood pressure (BP) within the therapeutic range (TR). However, little is known about the TR of home BP. Therefore, we aimed to find a reliable proportion of home systolic (S) BP in TR (sBPiTR) using a telehealth platform, which facilitates the access to reliable and structured home BP data.Methods: We used the data of HTN patients who participated in BP telemonitoring and counseling for 3 months. Patients had to manually enter their home BP in electronic diaries. Home SBP readings were averaged by the system itself except the very first or every first day of BP monitoring. We divided sBPiTR (110-130 mmHg) by quartiles. A weighted Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used as an estimate of inter-rater reliability between sBPiTR and office/home SBP in TR. We used a binomial logistic regression to test the predictive value of sBPiTR on target office/home SBP achievement.Results: In total, 123 patients were included (median age 54 years; 102 males) with a median office SBP of 140 mmHg. By 3 months, it decreased to 130 mmHg (P < 0.001), with 60% of patients with target office BP and 70% in the upper sBPiTR quartiles. There was a slight agreement between office SBP in TR and sBPiTR of ≥ 50% (k = 0.19, P < 0.035) and fair agreement when countered against home SBP in TR (k = 0.32-0.65, P < 0.0001). Patients with sBPiTR of ≥ 50% were more likely to fall within the office and home SBP TR after adjustment for baseline covariates.Conclusion: The threshold of 50% of home SBP measurements within 110-130 mmHg has a slight agreement with office BP control and a fair agreement with home BP control. This variable may serve as a predictor for the achievement of target SBP both in and out of office. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results
Improved impedance/admittance switching controller for the interaction with a variable stiffness environment
No full textHybrid impedance/admittance control aims to provide an adaptive behavior to the manipulator in order to interact with the surrounding environment. In fact, impedance control is suitable for stiff environments, while admittance control is suitable for soft environments/free motion. Hybrid impedance/admittance control, indeed, allows modulating the control actions to exploit the combination of such behaviors. While some work has addressed the proposed topic, there are still some open issues to be solved. In particular, the proposed contribution aims: (i) to satisfy the continuity of the interaction force in the switching from impedance to admittance control when a feedforward velocity term is present; and (ii) to adapt the switching parameters to improve the performance of the hybrid control framework to better exploit the properties of both impedance and admittance controllers. The proposed approach was compared in simulation with the standard hybrid impedance/admittance control in order to show the improved performance. A Franka EMIKA panda robot was used as a reference robotic platform to provide a realistic simulation
CuB monolayer: a novel 2D anti-van’t Hoff/Le Bel nanostructure with planar hyper-coordinate boron/copper and superconductivity
No full textTo achieve specific applications, it is always desirable to design new materials with peculiar topological properties. Herein, based on a D2h B2Cu6H6 molecule with the unique chemical bonding of planar pentacoordinate boron (ppB) as a building block, we constructed an infinite CuB monolayer by linking B2Cu6 subunits in an orthorhombic lattice. The planarity of the CuB sheet is attributed to the multicenter bonds and electron donation-back donation, as revealed by chemical bonding analysis. As a global minimum confirmed by the particle swarm optimization method, the CuB monolayer is expected to be highly stable, as indicated by its rather high cohesive energy, absence of soft phonon modes, and good resistance to high temperature, and thus is highly feasible for experimental realization. Remarkably, this CuB monolayer is metallic and predicted to be superconducting with an estimated critical temperature (Tc) of 4.6 K, and the critical temperature could be further enhanced by tensile strains (to 21 K at atmospheric pressure)
Two-dimensional materials: synthesis and applications in the electro-reduction of carbon dioxide
No full textThe emission of CO2 has become an increasingly prominent issue. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added chemicals provides a promising strategy to mitigate energy shortage and achieve carbon neutrality. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are highly attractive for the fabrication of catalysts owing to their special electronic and geometric properties as well as a multitude of edge active sites. Various 2D materials have been proposed for synthesis and use in the conversion of CO2 to versatile carbonous products. This review presents the latest progress on various 2D materials with a focus on their synthesis and applications in the electrochemical reduction of CO2. Initially, the advantages of 2D materials for CO2 electro-reduction are briefly discussed. Subsequently, common methods for the synthesis of 2D materials and the role of these materials in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 are elaborated. Finally, some perspectives for future investigations of 2D materials for CO2 electro-reduction are proposed
Multi-dimensional dynamic simulation of rainstorm waterlogging in urban communities
No full textOne major threat to cities at present is the increasing rainstorm waterlogging hazards due to climate change and accelerated urbanization. This paper explores the mechanism of rainstorm waterlogging and enables the fine simulation of surface water propagation over complex urban terrain. A novel community-scale waterlogging modeling scheme is presented by loosely coupling a one-dimensional sewer model with a two-dimensional overland model under an open-source framework. The coupled model was applied to Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone located in Pudong New Area of Shanghai. To quantify the influence of rainfall intensity and drainage conditions on the waterlogging, 12 scenarios were constructed by combining four rainfall return periods (3, 5, 10, and 20 a) and three startup water depths (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 m) of pump stations. The multi-scenario simulation results show that the waterlogging risk increases from north to south in the study area, and that risk zones with water depth above 0.3 m are mostly concentrated in the southwest and southeast corners of the site. The longer the rainfall return period, the larger the submerged area, and the spatial distribution of surface water accumulation is affected by local topography and drainage system. In addition, reducing the startup water depth of pump stations has an obvious effect on inhibiting the severity of water accumulation. The results provide insights into overland flow across an urban area with densely populated buildings and help to reduce the risk of rainstorm-induced waterlogging disasters
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