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AIM:To investigate the effect of diquafosol sodium(SD)eye drops combined with sodium hyaluronate eye drops on improving tear film stability after wearing orthokeratology lenses.METHODS:Prospective study. A total of 82 patients(82 right eyes)who were recruited from the outpatient department of Anhui Aier Eye Hospital from March to August 2022. Participants were assigned to three groups: sodium hyaluronate(SH)group(30 eyes), SD group(24 eyes), and sodium diquafosol combined with sodium hyaluronate(CG)group(28 eyes)according to random number table method. All groups wore the same brand of orthokeratology lens. Non-invasive tear breakup time(NIBUT), non-invasive tear meniscus height(NITMH)and lipid layer thickness were examined before treatment, and after wearing orthokeratology lens for 1 d, 1 wk, and 1 mo. Corneal spot staining was also recorded.RESULTS:The NITMH and NIBUT of CG group and the SD group at 1 mo after treatment were higher than those before wearing lenses(both P0.05). The incidence of corneal staining did not differ significantly among the groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:The combination of diquafosol sodium and sodium hyaluronate eye drops demonstrates a superior effect in improving NIBUT and NITMH after wearing orthokeratology lenses for 1 mo, effectively enhancing tear film stability in patients wearing orthokeratology lenses.

Assessing the value of land resources is a prerequisite for resource management, as well as for resolving the conflict between supply and demand. In the realm of intensive land use (ILU), a standardized framework for accounting methods from a project perspective has yet to be established. Therefore, taking the Taihu Lake governance project (TLGP) (which includes the Xingou River project, Xinmeng River project and Zoumatang River project) as a case study, this paper firstly constructs an integrated value accounting system based on economic, social and ecological frameworks. Furthermore, with consideration of physical parameters, we incorporated the integrated land section price method, income reduction method, alternative market method, and equivalent factor method are all incorporated to assess the value of ILU at distinct stages within the research area. This approach serves to elucidate the evolving dynamics of ILU valuation. The results showed that: (1) There were significant differences in the values generated by the ILU in different projects. The integrated value of the TLGP brought about by ILU was 177,189,300 yuan, and the ILU of the Xinmeng River project was significantly higher than the Zoumatang River project and the Xingou River project. (2) The ILU at different stages basically displayed the law of diminishing marginal utility. Consistent with changes in the different stages of the TLGP, the value of ILU in Stage I of the Zoumatang River project and the Xingou River project was significantly higher than that in Stage II. Additionally, the accounting system proposed in this study has the advantages of reasonable index setting and simple process operability. This helps to realize the comparison of ILU values across projects and stages. The results of this study can provide a reference for the management and sustainable use of land resources during the construction of water conservancy and other projects.

Background: Exercise training is fundamental in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), but patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often struggle with exercise intolerance. Respiratory support during exercise in COPD patients may be a beneficial adjunct therapy. In this study, the effect of different respiratory support therapy during pulmonary rehabilitation exercise training in COPD patients was assessed through a network meta-analysis. Methods: Five databases were searched to obtain randomized controlled trials involving different respiratory support therapies during PR exercise training in COPD patients. The Cochrane Handbook tool was employed to assess the risk bias of included studies. Network meta-analysis was performed using the STATA software. The study protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023491139). Results: A total of 35 studies involving 1321 patients and 6 different interventions were included. Network meta-analysis showed that noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is superior in improving exercise capacity (6-Minute Walk Test distance, peak work rate, endurance time), dyspnea, and physiological change (peak VO2, tidal volume, minute ventilation and lactate level) in stable COPD patients who were at GOLD stage III or IV during PR exercise training. The final surface under the cumulative ranking curve value indicated that NPPV therapy achieved the best assistive rehabilitation effect. Conclusions: The obtained results indicate that NPPV is most powerful in assisting exercise in severe COPD patients under stable condition. Researchers should focus more on the safety, feasibility, and personalization of interventions. Furthermore, there is a need for additional high-quality trials to assess the consistency of evidence across various respiratory support approaches. Trial registration: The study was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023491139). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the wave of Industry 4.0, traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises are in urgent need of intelligent manufacturing transformation and upgrading, and exploring the optimal realization path of intelligent manufacturing transformation can help accelerate the transformation process of pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises. This paper uses grounded theory research methods to conduct a multi-case study to summarize six influencing factors of the intelligent manufacturing transformation of Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises; and then analyzes the correlation between the intelligent manufacturing influencing factors based on the DEMATEL method and the NK model, and identifies the key influencing factors according to this, and then draws the fitness landscape map of the intelligent manufacturing transformation, and finally arrives at the optimal path selection of the intelligent manufacturing transformation of pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises. The study enriches and extends the research paradigm of intelligent manufacturing transformation, and provides lessons for pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises to realize intelligent manufacturing transformation and upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to environmental degradation and the associated health challenges, the Chinese government has implemented a comprehensive array of environmental protection measures. Given the health enhancement objective of environmental protection measures and the considerable costs involved in the implementation process, evaluating whether environmental regulation is beneficial to reducing the health costs of the population is of great significance for enhancing environmental governance efficiency and social welfare. The data from the Chinese Family Panel Survey (CFPS) is applied to examine the effect of environmental regulation on the reduction of residents' health costs from a microscopic perspective. Results: The results indicate that for a 1% increase in total investment in environmental governance, residents' health costs will decrease by 0.189%. The examination of the causal pathway suggests that implementing environmental regulation can diminish residents' health costs through improving air quality and residents' health status. Concurrently, there exist significant heterogeneities in the role of environmental regulation in reducing residents' health costs. The effect of environmental regulation is more pronounced for the young, males, and individuals with better self-perceived health. Furthermore, the outcome of environmental regulation exhibits greater efficacy in urban areas compared to rural areas. Lastly, market-incentive environmental regulation in reducing health costs is more effective than command-controlled regulation. Conclusions: Enhancing the intensity of environmental regulation contributes to decreasing residents' health costs. The findings can provide policy reference for implementing environmental governance and achieving tangible enhancements in individuals' life quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the wear resistance of artillery barrels in harsh environments, TaC and Ta/TaC coatings were prepared on 30CrNi2MoVA steel using double-glow plasma surface metallurgy technology. These coatings, of which their surfaces consisted of almost pure TaC phases, showed defect-free interfaces with the substrate. The Ta/TaC coating demonstrated excellent integration, forming a nearly homogeneous structure. The coatings exhibited a gradient cross-sectional hardness, affecting a depth of approximately 20 μm. The Ta transition layer significantly enhanced the microhardness and adhesive strength of the TaC coating, with about 16.7% and 68.5% increases in the Ta/TaC coating, respectively. Both coatings markedly improved the wear resistance, showing slight wear at room temperature and minor oxidative wear at high temperatures. The Ta/TaC coating had more stable friction coefficient curves and a lower specific wear rate, with an 11.4% wear rate of the substrate at 500 °C. Thermal mismatch and stress concentration under wear loads caused extensive cracks and edge chipping in the TaC coating. In contrast, the good compatibility between the Ta transition layer and the TaC layer allowed for cooperative deformation with the substrate, creating a plastic deformation zone that reduced internal stresses and stress concentration, maintaining the intact structure. This study provides insights into applying Ta/TaC coatings for artillery barrel protection and broadens the possible application scenarios of the preparation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, flat cellulose acetate ultrafiltration membranes were prepared first by nonsolvent induced phase separation method. Then chiral membranes for separating the enantiomers were prepared by grafting the ultrafiltration membranes using ethylenediamine‐β‐cyclodextrin as the chiral selector and epichlorohydrin as the spacer arm. The pure water permeability of the ultrafiltration membrane was around 115 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1. The properties of the chiral membranes were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chiral membrane performance in enantiomer separation was evaluated with racemates, such as mandelic acid (MA), 2‐chloromandelic acid (2‐ClMA), 4‐chloromandelic acid (4‐ClMA), and methyl mandelate (MM). The influence of feed concentration on the separation efficiency was also investigated. The results indicated that the enantiomeric excess percentages (e.e%) of the racemic mixtures for these four chiral compounds were up to 31.8%, 25.4%, 17.8%, and 32.6%, respectively. The binding free energy of the chiral selector with the (S)‐enantiomer calculated by molecular dynamics simulations was stronger than that with the (R)‐enantiomer, which was consistent with the experimental results (higher concentration of (R)‐enantiomer in the permeate). This supports the affinity absorption‐separation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise determination of the tectonothermal events at the Qinling–Qilian junction is significant for understanding the tectonic evolution of the eastern branch of the Paleo-Tethys. The Banpo pluton outcrops in the northern margin of the North Qinling were chosen as the research subject and their formation and tectonic environment were investigated using zircon U-Pb age and geochemical compositions. The weighted average values of 206Pb/238U ages of samples from three sites of the Banpo pluton corresponded to 213.4 ± 2.1 Ma (MSWD = 0.56), 213.0 ± 1.6 Ma (MSWD = 0.92), and 216.3 ± 2.3 Ma (MSWD = 2.0). All the samples are rich in light rare earth elements, exhibiting a seagull-type right-leaning partitioning curve, with obviously negative Eu anomalies. In addition, based on the regional geological data, it can be concluded that the Banpo pluton was formed during the transition period from a post-Orogenic environment to an anorogenic environment. The results indicated the final stage of the Triassic orogeny and the closure phase of the Paleo-Tethys. Also, it shows closure of the Paleo-Tethys-Mianxian-Lueyang Ocean by the Late Triassic period as well as the completion of the collision between the North China and Yangtze Blocks along the Qinling Orogenic Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the synergistic effect and mechanism of gelling materials with blast furnace slag (BFS), steel slag (SS) and desulphurization gypsum (DG) as the main components on the hardening of heavy metal ions by lead and zinc tailings. It is found that lead and zinc tailing (LZT) is mainly composed of dolomite and quartz and contain small amounts of calcium, aluminum, iron, magnesium and other elements as well as heavy metals such as lead and zinc. By the mechanical activation method, it is found that the lead and zinc tailings powder has the largest specific surface area and the highest activity index when the ball milling time is 2 h. At a hardening timepoint of 28 d, the calcite crystals in the samples are intertwined with the amorphous C-S-H gel (C-S-H gels are mainly composed of 3CaO∙SiO2 and 2CaO∙SiO2), which enhances the structural strength of the samples. The chemical reaction analysis confirmed that the formation of calcite is a major driver for the hydration reaction of the steel slag–desulphurization gypsum (SSSDG) system. Overall, the slag, steel slag and desulphurization gypsum solid waste-based gelling materials have synergistic effects in hardening heavy metals by limiting the leaching of metal ions, adsorbing metal ions and hardening heavy metals, and facilitating the hydration process through the formation of compound salt precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of water resources management performance (WRMP) can provide guidance for water resources management. This paper constructs a scientific WRMP evaluation index system based on "water resources–water environment–water ecology". Secondly, the game variable weight matter–element extension model is appropriately introduced to dynamically evaluate the WRMP level of the provinces (cities) in the YREB from 2012 to 2021, and Arcgis is used to analyze the spatial and temporal variations in the performance level of each sub-system. Lastly, a geographical detector model is used to explore the main factors influencing the WRMP in the Yangtze River Economic Balt (YREB). The main findings are as follows: (1) The overall provincial WRMP level in the YREB has been improving from 2012 to 2021, and the performance of water resource utilization (WRU) and water environment treatment (WET) are high in the east and low in the west, while the performance of water ecological protection (WEP) shows a trend of continuous improvement. (2) Compared with the model without variable weight modification, the game variable weight matter–element extension model can reflect the influence of the measured value of the index on the evaluation result as much as possible. (3) The top eight factors that have a greater impact on the WRMP level are the industrial water conservation rate, water resource development and utilization rate, water resource sustainability index, sewage diameter ratio, urban water penetration rate, industrial wastewater treatment completion rate, ecological construction and protection of the year to complete the investment in GDP, and the water ecological carrying capacity growth rate. The interaction types of each influence factor are nonlinear enhancement and two-factor enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flipped classrooms (FCs) in K–12 schools are growing in popularity. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings on the effects of FCs, and the conditions under which FCs are effective remain unclear. This three-level meta-analysis synthesized the effects of FCs versus traditional classrooms (TCs) on various learning domains among K–12 students based on 129 studies with 399 effect sizes (N = 12,727). The results revealed that FCs have a significant positive effect on K–12 students’ overall performance (without outliers: g = 0.53 [0.44,0.62], 95% prediction interval [–0.60, 1.66]) and on both the cognitive domain and the affective domain. Moderator analyses showed that region, measured outcome, outcome dilution, instructor equivalence, and publication type were significant predictors. In addition, the educational context and research methodology characteristics accounted for a significant proportion of the variability in overall effects. These findings provide valuable evidence-based recommendations for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Java tea is widely consumed and has multiple health effects. This study established a steam explosion (SE) pretreatment method to prepare Java tea‐leaf powders. The physicochemical, functional properties, phenolic extraction, and antioxidant activity of Java tea‐leaf powders produced by simple and SE‐assisted milling methods were investigated.In comparison with simple milling, SE pretreatment broke the cell wall effectively and reduced the particle size of Java tea‐leaf powders. Steam explosion‐treated powders showed higher values for sensory signals, bulk and tap density, and for the water solubility index. After SE treatment, the adsorption capacities to glucose, soybean oil, and cholesterol of leaf powders were increased by up to 55, 95, and 80% respectively. The extracts from SE‐treated powders also showed higher total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity.Steam explosion treatment is helpful for the improvement of functional properties and antioxidant activity, which can benefit the development and application of Java tea‐leaf powders. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the influence of childhood abuse experience, recent life events and coping styles on depression symptoms of medical students based on the model of "vulnerability-stress-coping"., Methods: A longitudinal study design was adopted to select freshmen from Hefei City and Anqing City in Anhui province by cluster sampling. A total of 4211 questionnaires were collected at baseline from November to December 2019. Follow-up surveys were conducted in November to December 2020, and a total of 3662 medical students were finally included in this study. The childhood trauma questionnaire, adolescent self-rating life events checklist, coping style questionnaire and self-rating depression scale were used to evaluate childhood abuse experience, recent life events, coping styles and depression symptoms of medical students. The PROCESS software model 1(double interaction analysis) and model 3(triple interaction analysis) were used to investigate the independent and interactive effects of childhood abuse experience, recent life events, and different coping styles on depressive symptoms of medical students during follow-up., Results: Among the 3662 medical students, 976 were male and 2686 were female, with an average age of(19.2±1.0) years. Spearman correlation analysis showed that childhood abuse experience, recent life events, self-blame, fantasy, problem avoidance, and rationalization coping style were positively related to depressive symptoms(P<0.05). The coping style of problem solving and seeking help was negatively related to depressive symptoms(P<0.05). In model 1, both childhood abuse experience(β=0.097, 95%CI 0.065-0.129) and recent life events(β=0.102, 95%CI 0.073-0.132) had a positive predictive effect on depressive symptoms, and they also had positive interaction on depressive symptoms(β=0.030, 95%CI 0.025-0.004). In model 3, there was a negative interaction between childhood abuse, recent life events and seeking help(β=-0.034, 95%CI-0.061--0.007) or fantasy(β=-0.039, 95%CI-0.065--0.013) coping styles on depressive symptoms., Conclusion: Childhood abuse experience and recent life events are the predisposition factors for depressive symptoms of medical students, and they can mutually promote depression, while seeking help and fantasy coping styles could weaken the promoting effects of both.