A Small Database with an Adaptive Data Selection Method for Solder Joint Fatigue Life Prediction in Advanced Packaging.

There has always been high interest in predicting the solder joint fatigue life in advanced packaging with high accuracy and efficiency. Artificial Intelligence Plus (AI+) is becoming increasingly popular as computational facilities continue to develop. This study will introduce machine learning (a core component of AI). With machine learning, metamodels that approximate the attributes of systems or functions are created to predict the fatigue life of advanced packaging. However, the prediction ability is highly dependent on the size and distribution of the training data. Increasing the amount of training data is the most intuitive approach to improve prediction performance, but this implies a higher computational cost. In this research, the adaptive sampling methods are applied to build the machine learning model with a small dataset sampled from an existing database. The performance of the model will be visualized using predefined criteria. Moreover, ensemble learning can be used to improve the performance of AI models after they have been fully trained.

Coefficient Extraction of SAC305 Solder Constitutive Equations Using Equation-Informed Neural Networks.

Equation-Informed Neural Networks (EINNs) are developed as an efficient method for extracting the coefficients of constitutive equations. Subsequently, numerical Bayesian Inference (BI) iterations were applied to estimate the distribution of these coefficients, thereby further refining them. We could generate coefficients optimally aligned with the targeted application scenario by carefully adjusting pre-processing mapping parameters and identifying dataset preferences. Leveraging graphical representation techniques, the EINNs formulation is implemented in temperature- and strain-rate-dependent hyperbolic Garofalo, Anand, and Chaboche constitutive models to extract the corresponding coefficients for lead-free SAC305 solder material. The performance of the EINNs-based extracted coefficients, obtained from experimental results of SAC305 solder material, is comparable to existing studies. The methodology offers the dual advantage of providing the coefficients' value and distribution against the training dataset.

The Protective Effect of Artesunate on LPS-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome through Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling.

Background: Artesunate (AS) is a derivative of artemisinin that can exert anti-inflammatory effects. This study aims to explore the effect of AS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: The newborn mice were used for experimental ARDS model establishment by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (10 mg/kg) into mice with or without AS (20 mg/kg) pretreatment. After that, the pathological morphology of mouse lung tissue was observed by H&E staining. The content of inflammatory factors in serum was measured by ELISA and mRNA expression and lung tissue was determined by qRT-PCR. The expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and related proteins in lung tissue was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Results: AS treatment effectively alleviated the LPS-induced lung injury and pulmonary edema, and reduced the expression of IL-1ß, IL-18, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and TNF-α in serum and lung tissues of experimental ARDS mice. In addition, AS treatment reduced the expression of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 in lung tissues of experimental ARDS mice. Conclusion: AS alleviated LPS-induced lung injury in ARDS mice by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome.

Predicting Wafer-Level Package Reliability Life Using Mixed Supervised and Unsupervised Machine Learning Algorithms.

With the increasing demand for electronic products, the electronic package gradually developed toward miniaturization and high density. The most significant advantage of the Wafer-Level Package (WLP) is that it can effectively reduce the volume and footprint area of the package. An important issue in the design of WLP is how to quickly and accurately predict the reliability life under the accelerated thermal cycling test (ATCT). If the simulation approach is not adopted, it usually takes several ACTCs to design a WLP, and each ACTC will take several months to get the reliability life results, which increases development time considerably. However, simulation results may differ depending on the designer's domain knowledge, ability, and experience. This shortcoming can be overcome with artificial intelligence (AI). In this study, finite element analysis (FEA) is combined with machine learning algorithms, e.g., Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR), to create an AI model for predicting the reliability life of electronic packaging. Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR) combined with the K-means cluster algorithm provides a highly accurate and efficient way to obtain AI models for large-scale data sets.

Suppression of long noncoding RNA LINC00324 restricts cell proliferation and invasion of papillary thyroid carcinoma through downregulation of TRIM29 via upregulating microRNA-195-5p.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are identified as novel regulators of carcinogenesis. To date, the precise functions of lncRNAs in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains poorly understood. The purposes of this work were to explore the potential relevance of lncRNA 00324 (LINC00324) in PTC. Levels of LINC00324 were markedly up-regulated in PTC. Silencing of LINC00324 significantly repressed the proliferation and invasion of PTC cells. LINC00324 was documented as a sponge of microRNA-195-5p (miR-195-5p). Decreased levels of miR-195-5p were detected in PTC. The up-regulation of miR-195-5p suppressed PTC cellular proliferation and invasion. Suppression of miR-195-5p partially reversed the LINC00324-knockdown-mediated effects in PTC cells. We identified tripartite motif-containing 29 (TRIM29) as a target gene of miR-195-5p. TRIM29 overexpression partially reversed the LINC00324-knockdown- or miR-195-5p-overexpression-mediated effects in PTC cells. In short, this work demonstrates that LINC00324 knockdown inhibits the proliferation and invasion of PTC cells by decreasing TRIM29 expression via up-regulating miR-195-5p expression.

FOXE1 supports the tumor promotion of Gli2 on papillary thyroid carcinoma by the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common malignancy in thyroid tissue. However, the molecular mechanism of PTC tumor progression remains unknown. The hedgehog (Hh) pathway is thought to play a key role during PTC development. Here we investigate the effects of glioma-associated oncogene protein-2 (Gli2), an important transcription factor of the Hh-signaling pathway, on PTC. Gli2 and forkhead box E1 (FOXE1) protein levels were upregulated in tissues of PTC patients and PTC cell lines. Using the PTC cell line TPC-1, we show that Gli2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduces cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; whereas overexpression of FOXE1 produces the opposite effects. Moreover, Gli2 siRNA inhibited the expression of genes implicated in the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and that FOXE1 overexpression produces the opposite effects. Thus, it was indicated that Gli2 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TPC-1 cells by activating Wnt/ß-catenin and FOXE1 is involved in this process. Xenograft models of PTC were also constructed, the results showed that Gli2 siRNA reduced the rate of tumor growth, FOXE1 levels, and the expression of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway but FOXE1 overexpression reversed that effects. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Gli2 promotes the growth of PTC tumors and TPC-1 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway via FOXE1.

Modified Backtracking Search Optimization Algorithm Inspired by Simulated Annealing for Constrained Engineering Optimization Problems.

The backtracking search optimization algorithm (BSA) is a population-based evolutionary algorithm for numerical optimization problems. BSA has a powerful global exploration capacity while its local exploitation capability is relatively poor. This affects the convergence speed of the algorithm. In this paper, we propose a modified BSA inspired by simulated annealing (BSAISA) to overcome the deficiency of BSA. In the BSAISA, the amplitude control factor (F) is modified based on the Metropolis criterion in simulated annealing. The redesigned F could be adaptively decreased as the number of iterations increases and it does not introduce extra parameters. A self-adaptive ε-constrained method is used to handle the strict constraints. We compared the performance of the proposed BSAISA with BSA and other well-known algorithms when solving thirteen constrained benchmarks and five engineering design problems. The simulation results demonstrated that BSAISA is more effective than BSA and more competitive with other well-known algorithms in terms of convergence speed.

Prioritization of liver MRI for distinguishing focal lesions.

Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique that is often used by radiologists for diagnosis and surgical planning. Analysis of a large amount of liver MRI data for each patient limits the radiologist's efficiency and may lead to misdiagnoses. The redundant MRI data, especially from dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) sequences, is also a bottleneck in transmitting the images via the internet or PACS for remote consultancy in a reasonable amount of time. This study included 25 patients (aged between 20 and 70 years) with liver cysts (seven cases), hemangiomas (eight cases), or hepatic cell carcinomas (10 cases). DCE T1WI MRI was performed for all the patients. The diagnosis reference included typical MRI findings and post-surgery pathology. The methods were as follows: (i) MRI sequence pre-processing based on large vessels variation level set method to remove non-liver parts from MRI images; (ii) human visual model features (luminance, motion, and contour) extraction and fusion; (iii) anomaly-based MRI ranking; and (iv) methods assessment with the 25 patients' DCE MRI data. The prioritization methods applied to the DCE images could automatically assimilate and determine the content of the medical images, identifying the liver cysts, hemangiomas, and carcinomas. The average uniformity between radiologists and prioritization with the proposed method was 0.805, 0.838, and 0.818 for cysts, hemangiomas, and carcinomas, respectively, which indicates that the proposed method is an efficient method for liver DCE image prioritization.

TRIM29 promotes progression of thyroid carcinoma via activating P13K/AKT signaling pathway.

Thyroid cancer (TC) is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Abnormal expression of tripartite motif-containing 29 (TRIM29) has been reported to promote tumorigenesis and predict poor prognosis in several human malignancies. The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of TRIM29 in the significance and prognosis of TC. Fifty-six tumor samples and their clinicopathological para-meters were obtained from TC patients; the expression level of TRIM29 was detected by RT-qPCR and western blotting. TRIM29 expression was knocked down by small interfering RNA (siRNA) among TT, TPC-1, and K1 cells to investigate the biological role of TRIM29 in TC cells. The results showed that TRIM29 expression was significantly increased in TC tissue samples and cells compared to normal tissues and cells (P<0.01, respectively). Overexpression of TRIM29 was associated with TNM stage (P<0.01), extrathyroidal extension (P<0.01), lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), and distant metastasis (P<0.05). Furthermore, the overall survival and disease-free rates of patients with high TRIM29 expression were decreased significantly compared with those with low TRIM29 expression (P<0.01, respectively). Knockdown of TRIM29 obviously suppressed cell proliferation; enhanced chemosensitivity to cisplatin; inhibited cell invasion and migration; caused cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase by decreasing cyclin B1, cyclin D1 and CDK2, while increasing p21 and p27; and induced cell apoptosis by enhancing the activities of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax, while decreased Bcl-2. Notably, decreased TRIM29 expression significantly inhibited the activation of P13K/AKT signaling pathway as well. Taken together, our findings suggested that TRIM29 played a crucial role in the progression and malignancy of TC, and silencing of TRIM29 exerted its antitumor effect by blocking P13K/AKT signaling pathway. Thus, TRIM29 might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of TC.

Modified differential evolution algorithm with onlooker bee operator for mixed discrete-continuous optimization.

For solving non-linear programming problems containing discrete and continuous variables, this article suggests two modified algorithms based on differential evolution (DE). The two proposed algorithms incorporate a novel random search strategy into DE/best/1 and DE/cur-to-best/1 respectively. Inspired by the artificial bee colony algorithm, the random search strategy overcomes the searching unbalance of DE/best/1 and DE/cur-to-best/1 by enhancing the global exploration capability of promising individuals. Two numerical experiments are given to test the two modified algorithms. Experiment 1 is conducted on the benchmark function set of CEC2005 in order to verify the effectiveness of the improved strategy. Experiment 2 is designed to optimize two mixed discrete-continuous problems to illustrate the competitiveness and the practicality of the proposed algorithms. In particular, the modified DE/cur-to-best/1 finds the new optima of two engineering optimization problems.

Multiobjective Image Color Quantization Algorithm Based on Self-Adaptive Hybrid Differential Evolution.

In recent years, some researchers considered image color quantization as a single-objective problem and applied heuristic algorithms to solve it. This paper establishes a multiobjective image color quantization model with intracluster distance and intercluster separation as its objectives. Inspired by a multipopulation idea, a multiobjective image color quantization algorithm based on self-adaptive hybrid differential evolution (MoDE-CIQ) is then proposed to solve this model. Two numerical experiments on four common test images are conducted to analyze the effectiveness and competitiveness of the multiobjective model and the proposed algorithm.

miR-449 overexpression inhibits papillary thyroid carcinoma cell growth by targeting RET kinase-ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid cancer and represent approximately 80% of all thyroid cancers. The present study is aimed to investigate the role of microRNA (miR)-449 in the progression of PTC. Our results revealed that miR-449 was underexpressed in the collected PTC specimens compared with non-cancerous PTC tissues. Overexpression of miR-449 induced a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and inhibited PTC cell growth in vitro. Further studies revealed that RET proto-oncogene (RET) is a novel miR-449 target, due to miR-449 bound directly to its 3'-untranslated region and miR-449 mimic reduced the protein expression of RET. Similar to the effects of miR-449 overexpression, RET downregulation inhibited cell growth, whereas RET overexpression reversed the inhibitive effect of miR-449 mimic. Furthermore, miR-449 overexpression inhibited the nuclear translocation of ß-catenin and reduced the expression of several downstream genes, including c-Myc, cyclin D1, T cell-specific transcription factor (TCF) and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF-1), and inactivated the ß-catenin pathway in TPC-1 cells. Moreover, overexpression of ß-catenin prevented miR-449-reduced cell cycle arrest and cell viability. In xenograft animal experiments, miR-449 overexpression effectively suppressed the tumor growth of PTC. Taken together, our research indicated that miR-449 functions as an anti-oncogene by targeting RET, and that miR-449 overexpression inhibited the growth of PTC by inactivating the ß-catenin pathway. Thus, miR-449 may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PTC.

Embryonic develop-associated gene 1 is overexpressed and acts as a tumor promoter in thyroid carcinoma.

Embryonic develop-associated gene 1 (EDAG-1), a hematopoietic tissue-specific protein, is usually highly expressed in the placenta, fetal liver, bone marrow and leukemia cells, but the expression status in normal or solid tumor tissues is rarely reported. In this study, we found that EDAG-1 was up-regulated in thyroid carcinoma tissues and cells. Knockdown of EDAG-1 suppressed proliferation and enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cells. We also demonstrated that knockdown of EDAG-1 inactivated the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of EDAG-1 suppressed tumorigenesis of thyroid carcinoma in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest that EDAG-1 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Tenascin-C promotes migration of hepatic stellate cells and production of type I collagen.

Tenascin-C (TN-C) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein markedly upregulated during liver fibrosis. The study is performed to explore the role of TN-C during the growth and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). We found that TN-C was accumulated accompanying with the HSC activation. Our data on cell migration assay revealed that the rTN-C treatment enhanced HSC migration in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but did not influence their proliferation. HSCs transfected with pTARGET-TN-C overexpression vector displayed increased the type I collagen (Col I) production. TN-C overexpression enhanced the process of HSC activation through TGF-ß1 signaling. Moreover, the anti-α9ß1 integrin antibody treatment blocked the TN-C-driven Col I increase in rat HSCs. Collectively, TN-C had a positive role in activation of HSCs mediated by TGF-ß1 and α9ß1 integrin, manifesting elevation of Col I production and promotion of cell migration. Our results provide a potential insight for the therapy of hepatic fibrosis.

Polymorphisms of PRLHR and HSPA12A and risk of gastric and colorectal cancer in the Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Gastric and colorectal cancers have a major impact on public health, and are the most common malignant tumors in China. The aim of this research was to study whether polymorphisms of CHCHD3P1-HSP90AB7P, GRID1, HSPA12A, PRLHR, SBF2, POLD3 and C11orf93-C11orf92 genes are associated with the risk of gastric and colorectal cancers in the Chinese Han population. METHODS: We genotyped seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from seven genes. We selected 588 patients with gastric cancer and 449 with colorectal cancer, along with 703 healthy controls. All these SNPs were evaluated using the χ² test and genetic model analysis. RESULTS: The genotype "A/T" of rs12413624 in PRLHR gene was associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer in allele model analysis [odds ratio (OR) = 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.68-0.97; p = 0.018] and log-additive model analysis (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.66-0.98; p = 0.032). The genotype "A/G" of rs1665650 in HSPA12A gene was associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer in overdominant model analysis (OR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.60-0.99; p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence that variants of PRLHR gene are a protective factor in colorectal cancer and variants of HSPA12A gene are a protective factor in gastric cancer in the Chinese Han population.

Simvastatin induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells via upregulation of Notch1 expression.

Statins, cholesterol­lowering drugs, are one of the most commonly prescribed types of medications. Previous studies have suggested that simvastatin may inhibit the cell function and tumor growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying simvastatin­induced apoptosis in HCC cells remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of simvastatin in the regulation of cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh7 HCC cells, and to elucidate the specific regulatory mechanisms by which simvastatin proceeds. MTT, trypan blue and flow cytometric analyses were performed in order to detect viability, proliferation and apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that simvastatin significantly decreased cell viability and proliferation as well as increased apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh7 cells compared to that in untreated cells. In addition, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis revealed that simvastatin­treated cells exhibited increased expression levles of Notch1, p53, and Bax, as well as decreased expression levels of B cell lymphoma 2; furthermore, Notch1 upregulation resulted in the inhibition of Akt phosphorylation. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that simvastatin significantly promoted apoptosis in HCC cells, the mechanism of which may have proceeded via the upregualtion of the Notch1 gene in the Akt­dependent signaling pathway.

Color image quantization algorithm based on self-adaptive differential evolution.

Differential evolution algorithm (DE) is one of the novel stochastic optimization methods. It has a better performance in the problem of the color image quantization, but it is difficult to set the parameters of DE for users. This paper proposes a color image quantization algorithm based on self-adaptive DE. In the proposed algorithm, a self-adaptive mechanic is used to automatically adjust the parameters of DE during the evolution, and a mixed mechanic of DE and K-means is applied to strengthen the local search. The numerical experimental results, on a set of commonly used test images, show that the proposed algorithm is a practicable quantization method and is more competitive than K-means and particle swarm algorithm (PSO) for the color image quantization.

[Clinicopathologic analysis of spermatocytic seminoma].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinicopathologic features and biological behavior of spermatocytic seminoma. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed as seminoma, spermatocytic seminoma between January 2003 and May 2011, was performed. Clinical data, HE stained section and immunohistochemical staining (SP method) were reviewed with follow-up. RESULTS: Sixty-six cases of seminoma and 5 cases of spermatocytic seminoma were identified. The average age at the diagnosis of 5 cases of spermatocytic seminoma was 53 years, and no patient had a history of crytorchidism or germ cell tumor. All five patients had stage pT1 tumor. Immunohistochemical studies showed that spermatocytic seminoma was negative for CK, vimentin, OCT3/4, PLAP, and LCA, and PAS staining was also negative. All five patients were well after operation. In contrast, the average age at diagnosis of the 66 cases of seminoma was 37 years, in which 12% had a history of crytorchidism and 11% were in stage pT2 or the above. Immunohistochemical studies showed that seminoma was positive for OCT3/4, PLAP, and CD117. During the follow-up, 2 patients developed metastasis and 3 patients died of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Spermatocytic seminoma is rare and appears to follow a benign clinical course Due to its favourable prognosis, further treatment is not necessary after orchidectomy. Accurate pathologic diagnosis is critical for patient management and for avoiding over-treatment.

Dysfunction of splenic macrophages in cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism and HBV infection.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reinfection is a difficult problem to manage after liver transplantation in patients with cirrhosis. This study was designed to investigate the activation type of splenic macrophages in cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism and HBV infection to assess the immune function of splenic macrophages. METHODS: Fourteen cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism and HBV infection and 6 controls were enrolled in the study. Serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was detected with a limulus assay. The differential expression of cytokines by splenic tissue and splenic macrophages between the cirrhosis and control groups was compared with cytokine arrays. Furthermore, splenic macrophages were cultured and stimulated with LPS, after which tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-12 levels in the supernatant were determined. RESULTS: In cirrhotic patients, serum LPS levels increased significantly. Interferon-gamma, TNF-beta, and transforming growth factor-beta upregulated, whereas IL-4 and IL-13 levels did not change in splenic tissue. TNF-alpha upregulated significantly, whereas IL-4 and IL-5 levels had no significant changes in splenic macrophages. The IL-12 levels in culture media of splenic macrophages from cirrhotic patients were significantly lower than in controls after LPS stimulation. CONCLUSION: Splenic macrophages may be activated via incomplete M1 activation in cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism and HBV infection, and the immune function of splenic macrophages is impaired.

[Effects of alprostadil in prevention of portal vein thrombogenesis after splenectomy and devascularization: a clinical observation of 76 patients with portal hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of alprostadil (Lipo PGE1) in prevention of portal vein thrombogenesis (PVT) after splenectomy for portal hypertension. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with portal hypertension undergoing splenectomy and pericardial devascularization were randomly divided into 2 groups :treatment group (n = 40), receiving intravenous drip of injection of radix Salviae miliorrhazae (RSM) 40 ml and alprostadil 20 microg, both once a day since the third day after operation for 2 weeks and then oral administration of dropping pill of SM, and control group (n = 36), receiving intravenous drip of injection of RSM and taking enteric coated aspirin 3 times a day for 2 weeks and then taking dropping pill of SM. Platelets (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), and liver function were detected periodically. Color Doppler ultrasonography was conducted every week to observe the blood flow velocity and diameter of the portal and splenic veins, and if PVT event and ascites occurred. All patients were followed up for 8 - 20 months. RESULTS: No prolongation of coagulation time and bleeding tendency was found in both groups. The PLT number increased remarkably in the 7th to 14th days after operation without significant difference between the 2 groups (P >0.05). The PVT rate of the treatment group was 5.0%, significantly lower than that of the control group (25.0%, chi2 = 6.12, P < 0.05). The ascites rate of the treatment group was 10.0%, significantly lower than that of the control group (33.3%, chi2 = 7.44, P <0.01). The levels of ALT and total bilirubin 7 and 16 days after operation of the treatment group were all significantly lower than those of the control group (all P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Use of alprostadil early after devascularization is an effective and safe measure to prevent PVT, improve liver function, and decrease ascites rate.