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Sports activities with local characteristics are increasingly becoming tourism hotspots to attract tourists, and analyzing their contribution to tourism attraction can help local governments adjust tourism policies and enhance the attractiveness of attractions. To this end, this paper analyzes the significance of combining characteristic sports activities with tourism, extracts public factors using factor analysis, and constructs a tourism attractiveness evaluation index system. On this basis, the importance of local sports activities was analyzed using IPA analysis. The results show that the importance score of cultural and sports activities reaches a high 4.12, and among the three-level indexes under it, local characteristic sports activities have the greatest contribution to tourism attraction, with an importance score of 4.265. This shows that local sports activities have an important contribution to tourism attraction, and they should be given attention.

We propose a physics-informed data-driven framework for urban wind estimation. This framework validates and incorporates the Reynolds number independence for flows under various working conditions, thus allowing the extrapolation for wind conditions far beyond the training data. Another key enabler is a machine-learned non-dimensionalized manifold from snapshot data. The velocity field is modeled using a double encoder–decoder approach. The first encoder normalizes data using the oncoming wind speed, while the second encoder projects this normalized data onto the isometric feature mapping manifold. The decoders reverse this process, with k-nearest neighbor performing the first decoding and the second undoing the normalization. The manifold is coarse-grained by clustering to reduce the computational load for de- and encoding. The sensor-based flow estimation is based on the estimate of the oncoming wind speed and a mapping from sensor signal to the manifold latent variables. The proposed machine-learned flow estimation framework is exemplified for the flow above an unmanned aerial vehicle vertiport. The wind estimation is shown to generalize well for rare wind conditions, not included in the original database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the species and temporal distribution of the main allergenic pollen, as well as the characteristics of patients with pollen-related allergic rhinitis (AR) in different cities in northern China. Methods: Pollen data were obtained from pollen-monitoring stations in 13 cities of northern China between 2020 and 2021. Questionnaire surveys and allergen testing were conducted in 494 patients with pollen-related allergies from Beijing in Central, Shenyang in Northeast, and Xi'an in Northwest China. Results: In 13 cities of northern China, the main sources of pollen were cypress, poplar, elm, pine, birch and ash in spring, and mugwort, goosefoot, hop and ragweed in autumn. In Northwest China, the spring and autumn pollen periods started earlier and lasted longer than that in Central and Northeast China, and the pollen counts in autumn in was significantly higher than that in Central and Northeast China. Furthermore, the nasal, ocular and respiratory symptom and quality of life scores of AR patients in Northwest China were significantly higher than that in Central and Northeast China. 69.32– 73.28% of patients had annual cost of anti-allergic medication between 500– 5000 yuan. However, 40.93– 48.86% of patients reported minor control of symptoms. Conclusion: Our results can be used as a basis for developing effective prevention and management measures for patients with pollen-related allergy in these regions, including timely pollen monitoring, patient guidance on protective measures, early intervention, and specific immunotherapy, to improve pollen-related allergy management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qingdong area, located in Bohai bay basin, was suspected good exploration prospects. In order to study tectonic features and find out favourable petroleum prospects in the area, the gravity data at a scale of 1:50,000 were interpreted. This paper, through data processing and synthetic interpretation of the high-precision gravity data in the area, discusses characteristics of the gravity field and their geological implications, determines the fault system, analyses features of the main strata, divides structure units and predicts favourable petroleum zones. The results showed that the faults controlled the development of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata and the distribution of local structures in this area. The study revealed that the Qingtuozi uplift and the Kendong uplift in the north were formed in Mesozoic, and the Qingdong depression in the middle was the rift basin in Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Thicker strata in Mesozoic and Cenozoic developed in the Dongying depression and the Qingdong depression, so there is abundant hydrocarbon in these two depressions, and then the Guangligang rise-in-sag and the Qingdong rise-in-sag developed in the center in these two depressions are also favorable places for prospecting

Background: Sudden chemosensory changes were considered an early predictor of COVID‐19. Here, the effects of comorbidities on changes in taste and smell in COVID‐19 patients were investigated based on a worldwide study. Methods: Data analyzed here were collected from the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR) core questionnaire, including questions regarding preexisting disease conditions. Overall, the final sample of 12,438 participants who were diagnosed with COVID‐19 included patients with preexisting conditions. Mixed linear regression models were used to test our hypothesis, and the p‐value of interaction was examined. Results: A total of 61,067 participants completed the GCCR questionnaire, including 16,016 participants had preexisting diseases. The multivariate regression analysis showed that individuals with high blood pressure, lung disease, or sinus problems, or neurological diseases exhibited worse self‐reported smell loss (p <.05), but no apparent significant differences in the smell or taste recovery. COVID‐19 patients with seasonal allergy/hay fever lost their olfactory ability more than patients who did not have it (with 11.90 [9.67, 14.13] vs. without 6.97 [6.04, 7.91], p <.0001). The taste ability, smell loss and taste loss after COVID‐19 recovery also decreased in the COVID‐19 patients with seasonal allergy/hay fever (p <.001). Preexisting condition of diabetes did not worsen to chemosensory disorder but also had no obvious impact on the chemosensory recovery after acute infection. Preexisting diseases also affected the type of smell change in the COVID‐19 patients with seasonal allergy/hay fever or sinus problems (p <.05). Conclusions: COVID‐19 patients with high blood pressure, lung disease, or sinus problems, or neurological diseases exhibited worse self‐reported smell loss, but no differences in the smell or taste recovery. COVID‐19 patients with seasonal allergy/hay fever had greater loss of smell and taste, poorer smell and taste recovery. Level of Evidence: 4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural differences have been reported between the taste sensitivity of persons of Asian and European ancestry, although findings have been mixed. This study sought to determine whether American and Chinese adults perform differently on a novel taste test that requires no water, can be self‐administered, and employs a representative of umami as one of its tastants. This 53‐trial test was administered to 113 Chinese and 214 Americans. The subjects orally sampled monomer cellulose pads containing one of four dried concentrations of sucrose, citric acid, NaCl, caffeine, and monosodium glutamate and indicated whether a sweet, sour, bitter, salty, brothy, or no taste sensation was perceived. Separate gender by culture analyses of covariance with age as the covariate were performed on the total score and the scores of each taste stimulus. For all taste qualities, women outperformed men and test scores declined with age. No difference between American and Chinese subjects was found for the total taste score (p =.129) or for the sucrose (p =.129) or NaCl (p =.368) scores. However, for monosodium glutamate, the scores were 28.40% higher for the Chinese than for the American subjects (p =.024), and for citric acid and caffeine, the scores were 24.12 and 21.79% higher for the American subjects (p's =.001 and.029). The basis for these differences is unclear, although both anatomical (e.g., differences in density or distribution of taste buds) and cultural factors may be involved. Future work is needed to determine the cause of these largely novel findings and whether they generalize to other Chinese and American samples. Practical applicationsIn this study, a practical self‐administered quantitative taste test that requires no water was found to be sensitive to quality‐specific differences in test scores between Chinese and American subjects, as well as to age and gender. The Chinese subjects outperformed the American subjects in correctly identifying the quality of monosodium glutamate (umami), whereas the American subjects outperformed Chinese subjects in correctly identifying the bitter and sour qualities of caffeine and citric acid, respectively. Experiential factors related to culture‐specific cuisines may explain some of these differences. This research indicates that a relatively rapid taste test, which can be sent through the mail and which requires no test administrator or source of water, can be used in cross‐cultural studies to elucidate individual differences in taste perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a common inflammatory disease with high heterogeneity and postoperative recidivation. The IL-33/ST2 axis is known to be involved in Th2 immune responses. This study is aimed at exploring levels of serum IL-33 and soluble ST2 (sST2) in CRSwNP patients and their potential for predicting CRSwNP endotypes and postoperative recurrence. Methods. The present study recruited 149 CRSwNP patients, 80 of whom were noneosinophilic (neCRSwNP) and 69 eosinophilic (eCRSwNP), as well as 60 healthy controls (HCs). Serum samples were collected from all participants, and sST2 and IL-33 concentrations were measured using ELISA. Multivariate analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate the value of serum sST2 and IL-33 levels in distinguishing CRSwNP endotypes and predicting postoperative recurrence. Results. The levels of serum sST2 and IL-33 in CRSwNP patients were significantly higher than those in HCs, especially in the eCRSwNP group. Increased sST2 and IL-33 levels were associated with eosinophil counts and percentages in both tissue and blood. Multivariate regression and ROC curve analysis showed that serum sST2 and IL-33 exhibited potential for distinguishing CRSwNP endotypes, and the combination of serum IL-33 and sST2 showed even more predictive power. Finally, 124 CRSwNP patients completed the entire 3-year follow-up. Multivariate analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves showed that serum sST2 and IL-33 levels were associated with recurrence; serum sST2 and IL-33 each exhibited potential for predicting postoperative recurrence, and combining serum sST2 and IL-33 exhibited better accuracy and practicability. Conclusion. Our results suggested that serum sST2 and IL-33 levels were upregulated in CRSwNP patients and related to the degree of mucosal eosinophil infiltration and postoperative recurrence. Serum sST2 and IL-33 might serve as objective biomarkers for distinguishing phenotypes and predicting recurrence in CRSwNP, and their combined use outperformed either marker alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common inflammatory airway disease, and allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only disease-modifying treatment for it. However, not all AR patients respond to AIT, and early prediction of patient response is extremely important. This study aimed to example serum levels of multiple cytokines in AR and explore their association with the efficacy of AIT. Methods: A total of 74 AR patients treated with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) were prospectively recruited. Serum samples were obtained before the onset of SLIT and cytokine levels detected by multiplex analysis. All patients were followed for > 1 year, and associations between cytokine levels and the early efficacy of SLIT were evaluated. Significantly distinctive cytokines were further verified in another independent cohort. Results: Sixty patients completed the visit schedule set: 35 patients were put into a responder group and 25 a nonresponder group. Multiple-cytokine profiling showed that cytokine levels differed significantly between the two groups. The responder group had higher concentrations of BAFF and CCL11 and lower levels of CCL2, CCL7, IFNγ, IL8, IL10, IL16, and IL33 than the nonresponder group (P< 0.05). Receiver-operating characteristic curves highlighted that serum BAFF, IFNγ, IL10, and IL33 levels were strongly predictive of the efficacy of SLIT (area under the curve < 0.7, P< 0.05). Serum IL10 and IL33 were overexpressed in nonresponders in the validation cohort. Patients in the responder group exhibited significantly higher IL10 levels and lower IL33 post-SLIT than pre-SLIT (P< 0.05), but no statistical difference was found in nonresponders (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Our data indicated that serum multiple-cytokine profiling was associated with response to SLIT and that IL10 and IL33 might serve as novel biomarkers for early prediction of efficacy and be involved in the therapeutic mechanisms of SLIT in AR patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arrhythmia classification with electrocardiogram (ECG) is of great importance for the identification of arrhythmia diseases. However, since the variance of ECG signal in wave appears frequently, it is still a very challenging task to obtain a very good classification result. In this paper, an arrhythmia classification with ECG based on deep residual networks is proposed, of which two improved residual blocks are used to combine soft and hard subsampling. With such blocks, the network can well hold spatial information and improve the classification performance with a simple model structure. Experiments on the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database show that the proposed method obtained an average classification accuracy of 99.59% and an average classification specificity 99.63%, which are 0.26% and 0.57% higher than that of the most state-of-art method based on deep learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Suppressor of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) is a key biomarker in inflammation and cardiovascular diseases, but limited data is available on its role in allergic rhinitis (AR). Objective. The aim of this study is to explore the role of serum soluble ST2 (sST2) in evaluating disease severity and predicting the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in house dust mite- (HDM-) induced AR patients. Methods. Eighty healthy controls (HC group) and 160 HDM-induced AR patients, including 40 mild patients (MAR group) and 120 moderate-severe patients (MSAR group), were recruited in this study. Serum was collected from all participants and levels of sST2 were determined by ELISA and the relationship between sST2 levels and disease severity was assessed. In the MSAR group, 109 patients received 3 years of SLIT, and the relationship between serum levels of sST2 and efficacy of SLIT was exampled. Results. Serum sST2 levels were increased in HDM-induced AR patients compared to the HC group (P < 0.001), and the concentrations were higher in the MSAR group than in the MAR group and HC group (all P < 0.05). Moreover, sST2 levels positively correlated with the total nasal symptom score (TNSS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and specific IgE levels (P < 0.05). Seventy-eight MSAR patients accomplished SLIT, and they were divided into an effective group (n = 40) and an ineffective group (n = 38). The serum sST2 levels in the effective group were lower than those in the ineffective group (P < 0.001). In addition, patients in the effective group levels exhibited significantly lower sST2 levels post-SLIT than pre-SLIT (P < 0.001), but no statistic difference was observed in the ineffective group (P > 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed promising accuracy for predicting clinical efficacy of SLIT in AR patients (area under the curve = 0.839 , P < 0.001). Conclusion. Serum sST2 is a potential biomarker for assessing disease severity and may serve as a sensitive biomarker for predicting the therapeutic response of SLIT in HDM-induced AR patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some bitter taste receptors (TAS2R gene products) are expressed in the human sinonasal cavity and may function to detect airborne irritants. The expression of all 25 human bitter taste receptors and their location within the upper airway is not yet clear. The aim of this study is to characterize the presence and distribution of TAS2R transcripts and solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) in different locations of the human sinonasal cavity. Biopsies were obtained from human subjects at up to 4 different sinonasal anatomic sites. PCR, microarray, and qRT-PCR were used to examine gene transcript expression. The 25 human bitter taste receptors as well as the sweet/umami receptor subunit, TAS1R3, and canonical taste signaling effectors are expressed in sinonasal tissue. All 25 human bitter taste receptors are expressed in the human upper airway, and expression of these gene products was higher in the ethmoid sinus than nasal cavity locations. Fluorescent in situ hybridization demonstrates that epithelial TRPM5 and TAS2R38 are expressed in a rare cell population compared with multiciliated cells, and at times, consistent with SCC morphology. Secondary analysis of published human sinus single-cell RNAseq data did not uncover TAS2R or canonical taste transduction transcripts in multiciliated cells. These findings indicate that the sinus has higher expression of SCC markers than the nasal cavity in chronic rhinosinusitis patients, comprising a rare cell type. Biopsies obtained from the ethmoid sinus may serve as the best location for study of human upper airway taste receptors and SCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A highly sensitive flow-injection chemiluminescence (FIA-CL) method based on the CdTe nanocrystals and potassium permanganate chemiluminescence system was developed for the determination of l-ascorbic acid. It was found that sodium hexametaphosphate (SP), as an enhancer, could increase the chemiluminescence (CL) emission from the redox reaction of CdTe quantum dots with potassium permanganate in near-neutral pH conditions. l-Ascorbic acid is suggested as a sensitive enhancer for use in the above energy-transfer excitation process. Under optimal conditions, the calibration graph of emission intensity against logarithmic l-ascorbic acid concentration was linear in the range 1.0 × 10−9-5.0 × 10−6 mol/L, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9969 and relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.3% ( n = 7) at 5.0 × 10−7 mol/L. The method was successfully used to determine l-ascorbic acid in vitamin C tablets. The possible mechanism of the chemiluminescence in the system is also discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Based on the fluorescence quenching of Terbium (III)-sodium hexametaphosphate (Tb/SHMP) chelates in the presence chromate (III), a sensitive fluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of chromium (III) in aqueous solutions. Under the optimum conditions, the linear calibration graph was obtained ( R = 0.996). The linear range and detection limit of Cr (III) were 7.69 × 10−7 to 1.15 × 10−4 mol L−1 and 4.50 × 10−7 mol L−1, respectively. The proposed method had a wider linear range and was proved to be very sensitive, rapid and simple. The method was applied successfully to the determination of chromium (III) in the synthetic samples and real water samples. Moreover, the reaction mechanism was discussed through the fluorescence lifetime and proved to be dynamic quenching behavior. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There have been large geographical differences in the infection and death rates of COVID-19. Foods and beverages containing high amounts of phytochemicals with bioactive properties were suggested to prevent contracting and to facilitate recovery from COVID-19. The goal of our study was to determine the correlation of the type of foods/beverages people consumed and the risk reduction of contracting COVID-19 and the recovery from COVID-19., Methods: We developed an online survey that asked the participants whether they contracted COVID-19, their symptoms, time to recover, and their frequency of eating various types of foods/beverages. The survey was developed in 10 different languages., Results: The participants who did not contract COVID-19 consumed vegetables, herbs/spices, and fermented foods/beverages significantly more than the participants who contracted COVID-19. Among the six countries (India/Iran/Italy/Japan/Russia/Spain) with over 100 participants and high correspondence between the location of the participants and the language of the survey, in India and Japan the people who contracted COVID-19 showed significantly shorter recovery time, and greater daily intake of vegetables, herbs/spices, and fermented foods/beverages was associated with faster recovery., Conclusions: Our results suggest that phytochemical compounds included in the vegetables may have contributed in not only preventing contraction of COVID-19, but also accelerating their recovery., (Copyright © 2024 Koyama, Joseph, Shields, Heinbockel, Adhikari, Kaur, Kumar, Alizadeh, Bhutani, Calcinoni, Mucignat-Caretta, Chen, Cooper, Das, Rohlfs Domínguez, Guàrdia, Klyuchnikova, Laktionova, Mori, Namjoo, Nguyen, Özdener, Parsa, Özdener Poyraz, Strub, Taghizadeh-Hesary, Ueha and Voznessenskaya.)

Aim: To explore the role of smell and taste changes in preventing and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, we aimed to build a forecast model for trends in COVID-19 prediction based on Google Trends data for smell and taste loss., Methods: Data on confirmed COVID-19 cases from 6 January 2020 to 26 December 2021 were collected from the World Health Organization (WHO) website. The keywords "loss of smell" and "loss of taste" were used to search the Google Trends platform. We constructed a transfer function model for multivariate time-series analysis and to forecast confirmed cases., Results: From 6 January 2020 to 28 November 2021, a total of 99 weeks of data were analyzed. When the delay period was set from 1 to 3 weeks, the input sequence (Google Trends of loss of smell and taste data) and response sequence (number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases per week) were significantly correlated ( P < 0.01). The transfer function model showed that worldwide and in India, the absolute error of the model in predicting the number of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases in the following 3 weeks ranged from 0.08 to 3.10 (maximum value 100; the same below). In the United States, the absolute error of forecasts for the following 3 weeks ranged from 9.19 to 16.99, and the forecast effect was relatively accurate. For global data, the results showed that when the last point of the response sequence was at the midpoint of the uptrend or downtrend (25 July 2021; 21 November 2021; 23 May 2021; and 12 September 2021), the absolute error of the model forecast value for the following 4 weeks ranged from 0.15 to 5.77. When the last point of the response sequence was at the extreme point (2 May 2021; 29 August 2021; 20 June 2021; and 17 October 2021), the model could accurately forecast the trend in the number of confirmed cases after the extreme points. Our developed model could successfully predict the development trends of COVID-19., Conclusion: Google Trends for loss of smell and taste could be used to accurately forecast the development trend of COVID-19 cases 1-3 weeks in advance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Chen, Mi, Fu, Zheng, Zhao, Yuan, Guo, Zhu, Zhang, Lyu, Zhang, She and Ren.)

A highly sensitive flow-injection chemiluminescence (FIA-CL) method based on the CdTe nanocrystals and potassium permanganate chemiluminescence system was developed for the determination of L-ascorbic acid. It was found that sodium hexametaphosphate (SP), as an enhancer, could increase the chemiluminescence (CL) emission from the redox reaction of CdTe quantum dots with potassium permanganate in near-neutral pH conditions. L-ascorbic acid is suggested as a sensitive enhancer for use in the above energy-transfer excitation process. Under optimal conditions, the calibration graph of emission intensity against logarithmic l-ascorbic acid concentration was linear in the range 1.0 × 10(-9)-5.0 × 10(-6)  mol/L, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9969 and relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.3% (n = 7) at 5.0 × 10(-7)  mol/L. The method was successfully used to determine L-ascorbic acid in vitamin C tablets. The possible mechanism of the chemiluminescence in the system is also discussed., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Based on the fluorescence quenching of Terbium (III)-sodium hexametaphosphate (Tb/SHMP) chelates in the presence chromate (III), a sensitive fluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of chromium (III) in aqueous solutions. Under the optimum conditions, the linear calibration graph was obtained (R = 0.996). The linear range and detection limit of Cr (III) were 7.69 × 10(-7) to 1.15 × 10(-4) mol L(-1) and 4.50 × 10(-7) mol L(-1), respectively. The proposed method had a wider linear range and was proved to be very sensitive, rapid and simple. The method was applied successfully to the determination of chromium (III) in the synthetic samples and real water samples. Moreover, the reaction mechanism was discussed through the fluorescence lifetime and proved to be dynamic quenching behavior., (Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)