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简介:Microgridsarelocalpowersystemsthatmayormaynotbeconnectedtothedistributionsystemandaretypicallycontrolledbythelocaloperator.Interestinmicrogridsisrisinganditislikelythatthenumberofmicrogridsconnectedtodistributionnetworkswillincrease.Currently,thereisnoconsensusonhowmicrogridswillinteractwiththedistributionsystem―theyhavethepotentialtothreatenstability,ortoassist.Howevermicrogrids,withtheiremphasisonsophisticatedcontrolinordertomanagetheirparticularchallenges,addressmanyoftheproblemsthatwillberequiredtoovercomeinrealizingthesmartgrid.Thispaperexaminessomeoftheissuesinvolvedinconnectingmicrogridstothedistributionnetworks,andillustrateshowmicrogridshaveakeyroletoplayinthedevelopmentofthesmartgrid.
简介:AbstractPreeclampsia (PE) is a principal cause of maternal and newborn mortality that poses financial and physical burdens to tens of thousands of families each year. Unfortunately, there is no effective management to arrest the progression of this disease unless delivery. Therefore, standardized management or preventive treatments are needed urgently. PE is closely associated with placental hypoxia, which increases the secretion of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) as well as soluble endoglin (sEng) into the maternal circulation. Metformin has been found to inhibit those anti-angiogenic factors so it might be a candidate to prevent or treat PE. Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are more likely to have complications of hypertension or PE, so this review aims to demonstrate that the application of metformin in GDM might prevent the onset or progression of PE complicated with GDM.
简介:Agluten-freedietiscurrentlytheonlyeffectivemeansoftreatingindividualswithceliacdisease.Suchadietenablesceliacpatientstocontroltheirsymptomsandavoidvariouscomplicationsassociatedwiththiscondition.However,whilethequalityofgluten-freefoodshassignificantlyimprovedduringrecentdecades,maintenanceofagluten-freedietdoesnotnecessarilyensureadequatenutritionalintake.Becauseoatsareanimportantsourceofproteins,lipids,vitamins,minerals,andfibre,theirinclusioninagluten-freedietmightimprovethenutritionalstatusofaceliacpatient.AlthoughoatsareincludedinthelistofglutenfreeingredientsspecifiedinEuropeanregulations,theirsafetywhenconsumedbyceliacpatientsremainsdebatable.Somestudiesclaimthatpureoatsaresafeformostceliacpeople,andcontaminationwithothercerealsourcesisthemainproblemfacingpeoplewiththisdisease.However,itisnecessarytoconsiderthatoatsincludemanyvarieties,containingvariousaminoacidsequencesandshowingdifferentimmunoreactivitiesassociatedwithtoxicprolamins.Asaresult,severalstudieshaveshownthattheimmunogenicityofoatsvariesdependingonthecultivarconsumed.Thus,itisessentialtothoroughlystudythevarietyofoatsusedinafoodingredientbeforeincludingitinagluten-freediet.
简介:Alongwiththeprogressinbreadthanddepthofinternationalarmscontrolanddisarmament,US-ledWesternnationsareincreasinglyinneedofChina’sco-operation.TheybegantoseekconsultationsandcoordinationwithChina.ThishasledtoChina’sbiggersayandrisingroleininternationalarmscontrol.
简介:Smartcontractsareagreementswhoseexecutionisautomatedbycomputercodesthattranslatelegalproseintoanexecutableprogram.Theyaredesignedtoensuretheperformanceofagreementsautomatically,withouthumaninvolvement.Smartcontractshavereceivedtremendousattentionlatelyasitcouldbringabouttheenormousimpacttomanyindustriesthatwillrevolutionizebusinessandredefineeconomics;smartcontractsalsohavecreatedthefearthattheywouldoverturnthelegalindustryanddisplacemillionsoflegaljobs.Therefore,itiscriticaltofirstidentifytheroleofsmartcontractsinthecurrentlegalsystemandexploremechanismsforsmartcontractstobetterservethelegalresearch,legalpractice,andlegalprofessionals,nottodisplacethelegalindustrythoroughly.Inthisarticle,theauthorproposesthatsmartcontractsassumeaninstrumentalroleaimedatservingthecurrentcontractlawsystem,insteadoftryingtobecomeanalternativetothatsystem.Embeddingsmartcontractswithinthecurrentcontractlawsystem,whichtheyfunctionasatool,representsasituationwithconsiderablemorepotentialforsuccess.Thesuccesswouldderivefromsmartcontracts’valueofincreasedefficiency.Withsuchvalue,theauthorfurtherproposesthreeguidelinesforenhancedinstrumentalfunctionalitywithintheexistingcontractlawsystemfromthreeperspectives,includingspecificationofareasofapplication,technologicalimprovement,andlegalsupport.
简介:AbstractPancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with a high recurrence rate even after curative-intent resection. Improvements in survival have not been achieved in the last 25 years thus highlighting the need for effective multimodal treatment strategies. The role of radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer remains ill-defined due to historical lack of a standard definition of resectability, and the use of antiquated radiation delivery techniques and chemotherapy regimens. Current level I data regarding neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are limited to 2 randomized controlled trials and several retrospective studies and suggest that it may lead to an increased likelihood of a margin-negative resection and certainly allows for improved patient selection for pancreaticoduodenectomy when compared to upfront surgery. In the adjuvant setting, data are similarly lacking but suggest that chemoradiotherapy may be beneficial for patients at high risk of locoregional recurrence. Here we review existing data regarding the role of radiation in PDAC.
简介:Treatmentofpancreaticcancerismultimodalandsurgeryisanessentialpart,mandatoryforcurativepotential.Alsochemotherapyisessential,andseriouspostoperativecomplicationsorrapiddiseaseprogressionmayprecludecompletionofmultimodaltreatment.Thesequenceoftreatmentinterventionshasthereforebecomeanimportantconcern,andnumerousongoingrandomizedcontrolledtrialscompareclinicaloutcomeafterupfrontsurgeryandneoadjuvanttreatmentwithsubsequentresection.Inpreviousyears,borderlineresectableandlocallyadvancedpancreaticcancerwasmostoftenconsideredunresectable.Moreeffectivechemotherapytogetherwiththelatestimprovementsinsurgicalexpertisehasresultedinextendedoperations,pushingthebordersofresectability.Multivisceralresectionswithorwithoutresectionofmajormesen-tericvesselsarenowperformedinnumerouspatients,resultinginbetteroutcome,recordedasoverallsurvivaland/orpatientreportedoutcome.Butpostoperativemorbidityincreasesconcurrently,andclinicalbenefitmustbecarefullyevaluatedagainstriskofpotentialharm,associatedwithnewcomprehensivemultimodaltreatmentsequences.Eventhoughcost/utilityanalysesaredeficient,extendedsurgeryhasresultedinsignifi-cantlylongerandbetterlifeformanypatientswithnoothertreatmentalternative.Improvedselectionofpatientstosurgeryand/orchemotherapywillinthenearfuturebepossible,basedonbettertumorbiologyinsight.Clinicallyavailablebiomarkersenablingpersonalizedtreatmentareforthcoming,buttheseoptionsarestilllimited.Theimportanceofsurgicalresectionforeachpatient’sprognosisispresentlyincreasing,justifyingsustainedexpansionofthesurgicaltreatmentmodality.
简介:Inessence,twoepoch-makingeventsarereshapingtheworldordertoday:thecollapseoftheoldSovietblocandtheriseofAsia-Pacific,ofwhichChina’seco-nomictakeoffconstitutesanimportantpart.WhiletheformerbroughtanendtotheEast-WestColdWar,thelatterismakingtremendouscontributionstowards
简介:Severalriskfactors,whichincludeheredity,ultra-violet(UV)lightandchronicinflammation,contributetopterygiumdevelopment.However,thereisnoreportintegratingthesefactorsinthepathogenesisofpterygium.Theaimofthisreviewistodescribetheconnectionbetweenheredity,UV,andinflammationinpterygiumdevelopment.ExistingreportsindicatethatsunlightexposureisthemainfactorinpterygiumoccurrencebyinducinggrowthfactorproductionorchronicinflammationorDNAdamage.Hereditymaybeafactor.Ourstudiesonfactorsinpterygiumoccurrenceandrecurrenceidentifythatheredityiscrucialforpterygiumtodevelop,andthatsunlightisonlyatrigger,andthatchronicinflammationpromotespterygiumenlargement.WeproposethatgeneticfactorsmayinterferewiththecontroloffibrovascularproliferationwhileUVlightor(sunlight)mostlikelyonlytriggerspterygiumdevelopmentbyinducinggrowthfactorswhichpromotevibrantfibrovascularproliferationinpredisposedindividuals.Italsojusttriggersinflammationandcollagenolysis,whichmaybepromotersoftheenlargementofthefibrovascularmass.Pterygiumprobablyoccursinthepresenceofexuberantcollagenproductionandprofuseneovascularisation.
简介:Thepresentpaperisdividedintoeightsections:introduction,theglobaldiffusionofEnglish,perceptionsofthenewvarieties,theissueofintelligibility,featuresthatcauseunintelligibility,needforabroaderpragmatics,andpedagogicalimpli-cations,andconclusion,followedbythereferences.Notsurprisingly,theglobalspreadofEnglishhasgeneratedvaryingperspec-tivesonthenatureandfunctionsofitsacculturatedvarieties.Broadlyspeaking,thedebatehasdividedscholarsintotwocampsholdingdiametricallyopposingviewsonthemultipleversionsofEnglish.Ontheonehand,somescholarsviewvariationsassymp-tomsoflinguisticdegenerationanddeterioration;ontheotherhand,somescholarslegitimizethemasinevitablemanifestationsne-cessitatedbythedemandsofthenewculturalcontexts.Thenormativeviewoftheformercampstems,atleastpartly,fromtheproblemsthenewformsofEnglishposeintermsofinternationalintelligibility.Itisinthiscontextthatthepaperexaminesthetraditional,one-sided,nativespeaker-centredideaofintelligibilityandtherecenttwo-sidedviewofintelligibilitythatplacestheonusonboththenativespeakerandthenon-nativespeaker.Theargumentofthelattercampisbasedonthepremisethatthenewvarietiesrequireabroaderpragmaticframework,becauseuniversalpragmaticsisinadequatetodescribethemsatisfactorily.Thus,thecampadvocatesaneedforalanguagespecificpragmatics,andacomparativepragmatics,inadditiontothetraditionaluniversalpragmatics.Logically,thedebateonphonological,lexical,grammatical,anddiscoursestructurevariations,andtheirle-gitimacyhaspromptedEnglishlanguageteachingspecialiststohaveafreshlookatthegoalsandobjectivesofteachingEnglishinthecountriesoftheouterandexpandingcircles,andaccordinglyprioritizetheteachingofnationalandregionalvarietiesoverthatoftheso-callednativevarieties.Thus,theparadigmsofindependenceandcentralityofthenewvarietiesarereplacingthe
简介:Nitricoxide(NO)isapleiotropicregulator,criticaltonumerousbiologicalprocesses,includingva-sodilatation,neurotransmissionandmacrophage-mediatedimmunity.Thefamilyofnitricoxidesynthases(NOS)comprisesinducibleNOS(iNOS),endothelialNOS(eNOS),andneuronalNOS(nNOS).Interest-ingly,variousstudieshaveshownthatallthreeisoformscanbeinvolvedinpromotingorinhibitingtheetiologyofcancer.NOSactivityhasbeendetectedintumourcellsofvarioushistogeneticoriginsandhasbeenassociatedwithtumourgrade,proliferationrateandexpressionofimportantsignalingcomponentsassociatedwithcancerdevelopmentsuchastheoestrogenreceptor.ItappearsthathighlevelsofNOSexpression(forexample,generatedbyactivatedmacrophages)maybecytostaticorcytotoxicfortumorcells,whereaslowlevelactivitycanhavetheoppositeeffectandpromotetumourgrowth.Paradoxicallytherefore,NO(andrelatedreactivenitrogenspecies)mayhavebothgenotoxicandangiogenicproperties.IncreasedNO-generationinacellmayselectmutantp53cellsandcontributetotumourangiogenesisbyupregulatingVEGF.Inaddition,NOmaymodulatetumourDNArepairmechanismsbyupregulatingp53,poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase(PARP)andtheDNA-dependentproteinkinase(DNA-PK).Anunderstand-ingatthemolecularleveloftheroleofNOincancerwillhaveprofoundtherapeuticimplicationsforthediagnosisandtreatmentofdisease.
简介:Hypertrophiccardiomyopathy(HCM)isacommongeneticcardiovasculardiseaseandappearsinallethnicgroups.HCMisdiagnosedonthebasisofleftventricularhypertrophy.EchocardiographyisakeytechniqueinthediagnosisofHCM,theprognosisofpatientswithHCM,themanagementstrategyforHCM,andthefollow-upofpatientswithHCM.ThisreviewbrieflydescribesanddiscussesthepracticaluseofestablishedechocardiographytechniquesandthecurrentandemergingechocardiographicmethodsthatcanhelpphysiciansinthecorrectdiagnosticandpathophysiologicalassessmentofpatientswithHCM.
简介:Actiontocombatclimatechangeisbecomingevermoreessential,especiallyasnationslooktowardtheirfuturesinanincreasinglycompetitiveworld.Countriesvieforobtainingthelargestreductionincarbonemissionswhiletheneedforcooperationisalsotakingonever-greaterurgency.Chinahassofaractively,solidlyanddiligentlydemonstrateditsresponsibleimagetowardsclimatechange,apointwhichshouldbeunderstoodandrecognizedbythedevelopedworld.
简介:Thescopeofinterventionalcardiologyhasrapidlyexpandedoverthelastseveraldecades.Inafieldwhereproceduraltreatmentoptionsforavarietyofcomplexcardiovascularconditionshavegrownexponentially,theimportanceofproceduralsafetycontinuestocometotheforefront.Thisismostevidentinthemovementtowardradialaccessastheinitialapproachforoperatorsinthecardiaccatheterizationlaboratory.Astheevidencegrowsforthesuperiorityofradialaccessoverfemoralaccesswithregardtoreducingbleedingeventsandimprovingclinicaloutcomes,wediscussthemodernapproachtoobtainingaccess,andhighlightbestpractices.