Single Side Research Articles

Bilateral reconstruction of the mandibular body with symphyseal preservation using a single fibula free flap: operative technique

BackgroundMandibular osteonecrosis may occur in 5% of the patients who undergo radiotherapy for the treatment of head and neck malignancies. Resection and microvascular reconstruction is the treatment of choice in complicated osteoradionecrosis, however multifocal presentation may complicate the management of the disease given the poor quality and limited availability of adequate recipient vessels.Operative techniqueA 74-year-old man affected by multifocal severe osteoradionecrosis of the mandible underwent bilateral resection of the mandibular bodies while preserving the symphysis. The defects were reconstructed with a single fibula flap composed by two bony segments connected by a central segment, corresponding to the symphyseal region, in which the bone was dissected and removed. The anastomosis was performed on a single side of the neck. Healing was uneventful and the adopted technique allowed for a quick functional and esthetic recovery.ConclusionThe presented technique provided a safe and efficacious, although technically challenging, solution in a case presenting multifocal osteonecrosis of the jaw. The morbidity of the procedure was limited because the tissue resection and reconstruction processes were minimized.Graphical

Numerical method and analysis of a tube indirect evaporative cooler

The tube indirect evaporative cooler is energy-saving and environmentally friendly, and its heat transfer mechanism still needs to be fully indicated, for which the numerical method is more suitable than the experiment. Because many numerical researches focusing on the tube indirect evaporative cooler are usually based on the simplified models, such as single tube model, single side model, 1-D, and 2-D model, the further improvement is still needed. Meanwhile, the tube indirect evaporative cooler is always expected to supply more cooling air with lower temperature at lower cost of energy, but many present studies are focusing on the improvement of heat transfer only and ignoring the energy cost. This paper proposed a 3-D full-scale numerical model and method verified by the experimental data, by which, the energy output (primary air-cooling capacity) and quality (temperature of primary air outlet) at the resistance loss (resistance) of the tube indirect evaporative cooler are analyzed with the help of FLUENT software.

Research on modular design and manufacturing of ship anchor winch structure under artificial intelligence optimisation

The normal operation of the anchor winch ensures the safe and stable operation of the ship. It is mainly used for the operation of ship anchoring, anchoring and berthing. The design and manufacture of traditional anchor winch has significant problems of high cost and low efficiency, which cannot meet the development needs of modern shipbuilding industry. This research introduces the concept of modular design, and determines the division of different modules by combining the artificial intelligence method of fuzzy clustering. According to the specific working principle of ship anchor winch, the parameters of each stage in the operation process of anchor winch are calculated respectively, and the overall structure design of anchor winch is completed. Finally, 1020 anchor winch is selected for specific application analysis, and the basic design parameters and main module design parameters of anchor winch are calculated by modular design method. Finally, the number of outfitting is 1600, the anchoring depth is h < 82.5 m, and the coaxial bedroom single side double drum design is adopted.

Discrete Element Simulation and Monitoring Analysis of Different Construction Methods of the Shallow Buried Bias Tunnel

Affected by the bias stress, the mechanical properties of shallow buried bias tunnel construction are complex. The influence of different construction methods on the stability of the portal section of the shallow buried bias tunnel has received significant attention in past studies, but the microscopic mechanism of it has not been properly analyzed. In this study, the discrete element method is used to simulate the construction steps of the three‐step method and the single side heading method with and without systematic bolt supports taking Qijiazhuang tunnel as the research object. The tunnel surrounding rock stress, vertical displacement, and surface deformation results under different working conditions are analyzed, and the mechanism of systematic bolt supports is analyzed from microscopic perspective. The results show that the single side heading method can gradually release the load and deformation and better play the supporting capacity of lining; the existence of systematic bolt improves the shear capacity of surrounding rock and enhances the arching effect, thus significantly reducing the vertical displacement of surrounding rock and surface deformation. Finally, compared with the field monitoring data, it is recommended to adopt the single side heading method with systematic bolt support for the construction of the portal section.

Checkpoint Inhibitors in Multiple Myeloma: Intriguing Potential and Unfulfilled Promises.

Simple SummaryMultiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy caused by aberrations in the plasma cell development, resulting in uncontrolled production of plasma cells and or monoclonal proteins. Currently, several treatments are centered around immune-based therapies including immunomodulatory agents, monoclonal antibodies, cellular therapies, and stem cell transplantation. We review the biologic rationale, efficacy, side effects, and limitations of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which have been successful in several solid organ malignancies such as melanoma, kidney, and lung cancers. Recent clinical trials evaluating ICIs as monotherapy and in combination with approved pharmaceutical drugs in MM, have thus far remained underwhelming due to excessive side effects and lack of efficacy in aggressive and advanced cases. There may be a role for ICIs in early forms of MM and preventing recurrence once achieving remission. Side effect mitigation and improved efficacy to combat resistance are needed prior to profoundly impacting the current MM landscape. Clinical studies to answer these questions are ongoing, and we eagerly await this data to determine if ICIs will become a permanent fixture in MM.Immune dysregulation and alteration of the bone marrow microenvironment allowing plasma cells to escape immune surveillance are well-known factors associated with the proliferation of clonal plasma cells and development of multiple myeloma (MM). Whilst immunotherapeutic approaches are now commonplace in a wide spectrum of malignancies, this aberration of myeloma development gives rise to the biological rationale for the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in MM. However, the initial experience with these agents has been challenging with limited single agent efficacy, significant toxicity, and side effects. Herein, we review the biological and immunological aspects of MM and ICIs. We discuss the basic biology of immune checkpoint inhibitors, mechanisms of resistance, and drug failure patterns, review the published clinical trial data for ICIs in MM, and look towards the future of ICIs for MM treatment.

Analysis of the oscillation in the system of parallel narrow channels

In this paper, the RELAP5/MOD3.4 code is used to study the instability of the parallel narrow flow channel system in detail. First, the rationality of the RELAP5 code is verified with experimental data. By extracting the pressure drop in the channel under different node numbers, the importance of reasonable node model in pressure drop calculation using RELAP5 program is illustrated. Thus, the deep reason of the influence of the node number on the instability boundary is revealed. After that, the influences of various factors on the instability were investigated. The results show that: The more channels, the more unstable the system is, and the flow instability boundary tends to a fixed value; The fuel module separation has a significant effect on the instability in multi-channel system, and the single side heating channel has a stabilizing effect on the system; The flow instability of the system mainly depends on the hottest channel.

Unexpected male choosiness: condition-dependent mating strategies of crayfish

Few studies have looked at variation in male mating strategies in relation to phenotypic quality perhaps because males are not traditionally thought to be choosy. Recent theoretical models, however, predict that body condition should affect mating preferences. In crayfish, chelae are important weapons and may be reliable indicators of quality in both sexes. Here, we investigated mating preference in male red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii , of standardized size and different chelae condition. In the first experiment, the quality of each crayfish was classified according to whether both chelae were intact or lost. We compared the mating preferences of high-quality males (two chelae) and low-quality males (no chelae) when choosing high- and low-quality females. The second experiment explored whether males with a single chela chose females based on their single chela side (left-clawed and right-clawed). The results showed that high-quality males were not choosy, while low-quality males preferred high-quality females. Left-clawed males preferred right-clawed females, but right-clawed males did not discriminate between partners based on chela side. We consider this may be due to an adaptation in mating strategies and handedness. Our study suggests a conditional male mating strategy based on quality and symmetry which could maintain the success of copulation regardless of chelae loss. • Males of red swamp crayfish adjust mating strategy depending on chelae condition. • High-quality males are unselective. • Low-quality males show preference for high-quality females. • Males with single left and right chela both prefer mirror-symmetry females.

RECONFIGURABLE MONOPOLE ANTENNA DESIGN BASED ON FRACTAL STRUCTURE FOR 5G APPLICATIONS

a reconfigurable antenna design for 5G applications is presented. It is based on monopole antenna and fractal structure. The design structure is consisted of (monopole) feedline, ground plane, L-shape reflector, fractal structure and PIN diodes. The antenna is printed on (25×29×1.6 mm3) FR-4 substrate of εr=4.3 and tanδ =0.001. The antenna shows a resonant frequency at 4.1 GHz with S11=-11.4 dB and Omni-direction pattern of 1.21 dB gain. The L-shaped reflector is used to maintain the radiation pattern in a specific direction. Moreover, the proposed fractal structure is found to operate as a circuit to give another resonant frequency and enhance the antenna performance. Where it is used to give more manipulation in the antenna performance including: frequency resonance and radiation patterns. The PIN-diodes are used to give many cases for more current manipulation. moreover, the authors used RF (50 SMA port) between monopole antenna and right side of ground plane to optimize directing radiation pattern and to eliminate the problems of interference between AC and DC current that produced from using PIN diode. This manipulation leads to change the resonant frequency and radiation pattern to the desired direction.So all parts are printed on a single side of FR4 substrate

Lack of public participation and good governance, who is fooling who?

This empirical paper sought to determine the lack of public participation and good governance, and to understand who is turning the blind eye on the issue. Local government municipalities have the obligation to exercise good governance, this is to ensure that there is quality service delivery and engagements between the municipalities becomes greater. Therefore, the municipalities are therefore responsible to establish the criterion for participation, transparency, adherence to the rule of law, effectiveness, equity, responsibility, accountability, and consistency. However, in the local government all these important aspects of good governance are neglected and avoided. The question of who is fooling who? Is basically an intention to point out that the idea of good governance does not have a single side but the public, the organisations and the state are included? For the good governance and the democracy of participation there must be an increase in the quality of feedback and the processes of policy formulation, and most importantly with the prevalence of participation. In the south African local government, municipalities have diluted the importance of public participation and that has caused the growing corruption scandals, protests, low service delivery and failing governments.

In-plane shear behavior of masonry panels strengthened with ultra-high ductile concrete (UHDC)

Ultra-high ductile concrete (UHDC), a new type of modified fiber reinforced concrete, exhibits superior strain-hardening and multi-cracking behaviors under tensile load. In order to study the effectiveness of UHDC layer strengthening on non-reinforced masonry structures, one un-strengthened panel as reference, one panel strengthened with high performance ferrocement laminate layer and six panels strengthened with UHDC layers by single side or double sides were tested under cyclic diagonal compression. The shear capacity, hysteresis behaviors, stiffness, and pseudo-ductility of all the panels were characterized and presented in this article. UHDC layer strengthening changed brittle failure mode of masonry panels into a much more ductile mode. The in-plane shear strength of the single- and double-side strengthened panels were 1.8 ∼ 2.4 and 4.2 ∼ 5.7 times higher than that of the un-strengthened one, respectively. The ductility, stiffness and energy dissipation of the masonry panels were obviously enhanced by UHDC layer strengthening. Additionally, the prediction based on the modified ACI 549 and JSCE 2008 algorithms agreed well with the experimental results. The present study demonstrated that applying UHDC layers, either on one or two faces to un-reinforced masonry wall, can significantly improve its seismic performance.

Reduction of advanced tau-mediated memory deficits by the MAP kinase p38γ.

Hyperphosphorylation of the neuronal tau protein contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) by promoting tau pathology and neuronal and cognitive deficits. In contrast, we have previously shown that site-specific tau phosphorylation can inhibit toxic signals induced by amyloid-β (Aβ) in mouse models. The post-synaptic mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase p38γ mediates this site-specific phosphorylation on tau at Threonine-205 (T205). Using a gene therapeutic approach, we draw on this neuroprotective mechanism to improve memory in two Aβ-dependent mouse models of AD at stages when advanced memory deficits are present. Increasing activity of post-synaptic kinase p38γ that targets T205 in tau reduced memory deficits in symptomatic Aβ-induced AD models. Reconstitution experiments with wildtype human tau or phosphorylation-deficient tauT205A showed that T205 modification is critical for downstream effects of p38γ that prevent memory impairment in APP-transgenic mice. Furthermore, genome editing of the T205 codon in the murine Mapt gene showed that this single side chain in endogenous tau critically modulates memory deficits in APP-transgenic Alzheimer's mice. Ablating the protective effect of p38γ activity by genetic p38γ deletion in a tau transgenic mouse model that expresses non-pathogenic tau rendered tau toxic and resulted in impaired memory function in the absence of human Aβ. Thus, we propose that modulating neuronal p38γ activity serves as an intrinsic tau-dependent therapeutic approach to augment compromised cognition in advanced dementia.

A dual-band miniature uniplanar antenna on epoxy reinforced woven glass material for WiMAX, WLAN, UWB, and X-band applications

In this paper, a dual-band miniature uniplanar antenna is presented. The antenna size is 24.5 mm × 20 mm × 1.6 mm which consists of a modified bow-tie-shaped radiator, an inverted L-shaped ground plane, and an extended inverted U-shaped ground plane, and designed on the single side of a low-cost epoxy matrix reinforced woven glass material with permittivity 4.6. The numerical results confirm that the radiator is effectively coupled with the coplanar ground planes and the investigated antenna can cover dual frequency bands ranging from 3.32 to 10.9 GHz, and 11.88 to 17.77 GHz. The measured results of the prototype in frequency-domain and time-domain are obtained and compared with the simulated results. The results indicate that the proposed antenna demonstrates good performance over the dual impedance bands, which makes it a very potential candidate for WiMAX, WLAN, UWB, X-band, and Ku-band wireless communication applications.

Repeated intravenous infusion of autologous adipose‐derived stem cells improves cognitive function

AbstractBackgroundStem cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for neurodegenerative diseases caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins. We have administered repeated infusions of autologous adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) to 39 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multisystem atrophy (MSA) (including spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD)), and Alzheimer's disease. A total of 182 infusions have been administered, and not a single side effect has been observed. In this study, we evaluated cognitive function in 9 patients with cognitive impairment after administration.MethodThis treatment was conducted after registration with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, with the consent of the patient, approval of the Ethics Committee, and approval of the Specific Review Board for Regenerative Medicine. Stem cells were harvested from the patient's own abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and cultured in serum‐free medium. 5.0x10^7 to 1.2x10^8 stem cells were administered intravenously 5 or 6 times at approximately a‐month intervals. The evaluation was performed by neurologist's examinations, caregiver's interview and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Amyloid PET scans were performed before and after the treatment in three patients with Alzheimer's disease.ResultMoCA scores averaged 10.3 points before administration and 19.6 points after 5 infusions of ADSC, and there were no cases of deterioration among the 9 patients evaluated. Not only did the overall score improve, but the clock drawing visibly improved. Improvement was also observed in medical examinations and caregiver interviews. Amyloid PET scan in one case showed a decrease in brain amyloid deposition. Three patients had associated parkinsonism but showed significant improvement when assessed by Unified Prkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). We confirmed that the administered stem cells were CD10 (neprilysin, an amyloid‐degrading enzyme) positive.ConclusionImprovement in cognitive function was observed after 5 doses of ADSCs infusion. No side effects were observed, confirming that this treatment is repeatable and safe. The mechanism may be amyloid removal by neprilysin, but since parkinsonism is also improved, multiple factors are considered, including neuronal regeneration and repair, improvement of blood flow, anti‐inflammatory effects, and removal of multiple abnormal proteins and deposits, such as alpha‐synuclein in Parkinson's disease.

Confidence level and reliability analysis of the fatigue life of CFRP laminates predicted based on fracture fatigue entropy

This study provides a novel methodology to evaluate fatigue life with the consideration of both confidence level and reliability for CFRP laminates by combining fracture fatigue entropy (FFE) theory and knowledge of statistics. After carrying out distribution analysis and statistical hypothesis testing, it is found that the FFEs obey well to log-normal distribution and the average values and deviations of logarithmic FFEs under different stress levels exhibit no obvious difference. The γ-p-S-N curves are predicted by single side allowance factor analysis and the prediction is found to be more conservative and have a larger scatter comparing to experimental results.

Molecular engineering of non-fullerene acceptors based on thiophene-fused end groups for fullerene-free organic solar cells

A new series of ITIC-based non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), namely m-ITTC-Oeh-SM (IT-SM) and m-ITTC-Oeh-DSM (IT-DSM), which contain thiophene-substituted end groups (EGs) with single and double thiomethyl side chains, respectively, were designed, synthesized, and characterized in this study. The IT-SM NFA exhibited a narrower optical band gap, redshifted absorption, stronger crystallinity, and smoother surface morphology than those of the IT-DSM NFA. Organic solar cells (OSCs) based on the polymer donor PBDB-T and IT-SM reported a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.98% with the addition of 0.5 v/v% 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO), whereas the PCE of the PBDB-T:IT-DSM device was equal to 3.02%. The difference between the PCE values of these two devices was attributed to the gap of the short-circuit current and fill factor. Detailed analyses of the charge transport, collection, and morphology of the blend films were performed to investigate the difference between the device performances. The results of this study can help formulate detailed guidelines for the commercialized production of NFAs.

Increasing donor-acceptor spacing for reduced voltage loss in organic solar cells

The high voltage losses ({V}_{{loss}}), originating from inevitable electron-phonon coupling in organic materials, limit the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells to lower values than that of inorganic or perovskite solar cells. In this work, we demonstrate that this {V}_{{loss}} can in fact be suppressed by controlling the spacing between the donor (D) and the acceptor (A) materials (DA spacing). We show that in typical organic solar cells, the DA spacing is generally too small, being the origin of the too-fast non-radiative decay of charge carriers ({k}_{{nr}}), and it can be increased by engineering the non-conjugated groups, i.e., alkyl chain spacers in single component DA systems and side chains in high-efficiency bulk-heterojunction systems. Increasing DA spacing allows us to realize significantly reduced {k}_{{nr}} and improved device voltage. This points out a new research direction for breaking the performance bottleneck of organic solar cells.

Flexible Ultra-Wide Electro-Optic Frequency Combs for a High-Capacity Tunable 5G+ Millimeter-Wave Frequency Synthesizer

This paper presents a new scheme of a cost-effective tunable millimeter-wave (MMW) frequency synthesizer based on an ultra-wideband electro-optic frequency comb. The architecture for the quasi-tunable millimeter-wave frequency synthesizer mainly consists of a compact ultra-wide flat electro-optic frequency comb and a multi-tone frequency generator, which only includes a quantum dot mode-locked laser, a LiNbO3 dual-driving Mach–Zehnder modulator (DD-MZM) and Uni-traveling-carrier photodiode (UTC-PD). MMW signals generated with a quasi-tunable frequency are experimentally demonstrated. The difference in power is obtained for the different frequencies. The linewidth of the quasi-tunable frequency signals is less than 273 Hz. In addition, the single side band (SSB) phase noise of the 25, 37.5, 50 and 75 GHz is measured as −115, −106, −102 and −95 dBc/Hz at an offset of 1 kHz, respectively. The proposed frequency synthesizer has ultra-low phase noise, quasi-tunable frequency and simple structure. The research results of the frequency synthesizer are applied for 5G+ transmission with radio wave working at K-band and V-band. The flexible, compact and robust MMW frequency synthesizer is suitable for the future of ultra-high capacity 5G+ communication.

Observation of intensity flattened phase shifting enabled by unidirectional guided resonance

Abstract Phase-only light modulation is an important functionality for many optoelectronic applications. Although modulation efficiency can be significantly improved by using optical resonances, resonance detuning is always accompanied with dramatic intensity variation that is less ideal. Here, we propose a method to achieve intensity-flattened phase shifting by utilizing the unidirectional guided resonance (UGR) – a novel class of topologically enabled guided resonance that only radiates toward a single side. Consequently, the incident excites resonances and generates phase shifting, but it transmits to only one out-going port without other choice, which flattens the transmittance. Theory and simulation agree well and confirm our findings, in particular when nonradiative loss has been taken into account. By directly measuring the intensity and phase responses of UGR samples, a dip depth of 0.43 is observed with nonradiative Q around 2500. We further predict a dip depth of 0.13 can be achieved with a reasonable nonradiative Q around 8000 in state-of-art fabrication precision, which is sufficient and useful for the applications ranging from light projection, flat metalens optics, optical phased array, to light detection and ranging.

Effects of Fear of Falling on the Single-Step Threshold for Lateral Balance Recovery in Older Women.

Fear of falling is associated with poor physical health and influences postural stability during whole-body movement. The ability to recover from lateral balance loss is required to prevent falls; however, the relationship between lateral balance recovery and fear of falling has not been established. This study aimed to investigate whether fear of falling is associated with the stepping threshold for lateral balance recovery. This study included 56 ambulatory, community-dwelling women aged 65 years or older. We determined the single-step threshold as the maximum lean magnitude normalized with body weight from which participants could be suddenly released and still recover balance using a single side step. The short-form Falls Efficacy Scale International was used as a measure of fear of falling. The single-step threshold significantly correlated with age ( rs =-0.603) and the short-form Falls Efficacy Scale International score ( rs =-0.439). Ordinal regression analysis revealed that age (odds ratio, 0.826; 95% confidence interval, 0.742-0.920) and the short-form Falls Efficacy Scale International score (odds ratio, 0.811; 95% confidence interval, 0.680-0.966) were significantly associated with the single-step threshold, such that older age and greater fear of falling each independently predicted that failure to recover balance with a single step would occur at a lower percentage of body weight. Greater fear of falling was associated with reduced ability to recover from lateral balance loss in addition to aging. Future studies should explore whether evidence-based interventions to reduce fear of falling combined with perturbation training might lead to improved ability to recover from balance loss.

Coupled Active Control Technique for Oscillating Blades in a Cycloidal Rotor Using CFD and ANN Analysis by Including 3D End Wall Effects

Cycloidal rotors have shown to be susceptible to achieving larger efficiency enhancements when being subjected to various designs and operating conditions. In this work, an improvement on the performance of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-scale cycloidal rotor is demonstrated at hovering mode and for various operating conditions with three end wall designs. The novel concept of actively controlling the pitching oscillations at different rotational speeds is obtained from a coupled methodology of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and artificial neural network (ANN). In this approach, rather than a free-sided rotor, the effects of employing single and double end walls are targeted for optimizing the operation at hover state. A detailed database from numerous combinations of operating conditions is obtained from CFD predictions. Over 18 principal parameters are processed and computed along the continuous 360° circular trace, which is showing novel results. Subsequent to performing a precise database from the rotating-oscillating blades under various operating conditions for all three designs, the ANN approach is trained from the CFD data for optimization analysis and to propose the optimum pitching schedules by using a parametric study on the cyclorotor performance at each operating condition. Because each design can be used in its specific application, the optimum operating state for each of the end wall designs is further illustrated and reported as baseline data. The coupled analysis from CFD and ANN methodologies reports the efficiency achieved with free sides, doubled end walls, and a single side end wall, respectively. Moreover, employing a single side end wall results in 18.8% efficiency, and the double-sided model in 13.6% efficiency reduction compared with the free-sided cyclorotor. The computations on horizontal and vertical force productions are revealing an 8% and 11% higher horizontal force for the free-sides design than those of double end wall and single end wall models, and an average of 7% and 16% higher values in vertical force generation in double end wall model compared with free-sided and single end wall designs.