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Its outstanding mechanical and thermodynamic characteristics make SrAl 2 O 4 a highly desirable ceramic material for high-temperature applications. However, the effects of elevated pressure on the structural and other properties of SrAl 2 O 4 are still poorly understood. This study encompassed structural, elastic, electronic, dynamic, and thermal characteristics. Band structure calculations indicate that the direct band gap of SrAl 2 O 4 is 4.54 eV. In addition, the Cauchy pressures provide evidence of the brittle characteristics of SrAl 2 O 4 . The mechanical and dynamic stability of SrAl 2 O 4 is evident from the accurate determination of its elastic constants and phonon dispersion relations. In addition, a comprehensive analysis was conducted of the relationship between specific heat and entropy concerning temperature variations.

Type-A γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA A ) receptors are channel proteins crucial to mediating neuronal balance in the central nervous system (CNS). The structure of GABA A receptors allows for multiple binding sites and is key to drug development. Yet the formation mechanism of the receptor's distinctive pentameric structure is still unknown. This study aims to investigate the role of three predominant subunits of the human GABA A receptor in the formation of protein pentamers. Through purifying and refolding the protein fragments of the GABA A receptor α1, β2, and γ2 subunits, the particle structures were visualised with negative staining electron microscopy (EM). To aid the analysis, AlphaFold2 was used to compare the structures. Results show that α1 and β2 subunit fragments successfully formed homo-oligomers, particularly homopentameric structures, while the predominant heteropentameric GABA A receptor was also replicated through the combination of the three subunits. However, homopentameric structures were not observed with the γ2 subunit proteins. A comparison of the AlphaFold2 predictions and the previously obtained cryo-EM structures presents new insights into the subunits' modular structure and polymerization status. By performing experimental and computational studies, a deeper understanding of the complex structure of GABA A receptors is provided. Hopefully, this study can pave the way to developing novel therapeutics for neuropsychiatric diseases.

Silicone rubber (SR) is a kind of polymer insulation material with excellent performance. With the service life of silicone rubber products reaching the limit, how to dispose of waste silicone rubber is an urgent problem to be solved. In this paper, silicone rubber-modified asphalt binder (SRMA) was prepared by SR and 90# base asphalt binder. The simulated short-term aging and long-term aging tests of SRMA were carried out using the thin film oven aging test (TFOT) and pressure aging vessel test (PAV). The rotary viscosity test and dynamic shear rheological test (DSR) were applied to the rheological properties of SRMA before and after aging. The degradation degree and chemical composition changes of SR were explored by the toluene insoluble matter test, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and a Fluorescence microscope (FM). The results demonstrate that SR can significantly affect the aging resistance, fatigue life, and high-temperature stability of SRMA. As the content of SR rose, the elastic component in SRMA increased, leading to a nice performance in stability at high temperatures and fatigue resistance. However, excessive content (14%wt and 16%wt) had a negative influence on the performance of SRMA. So, the optimal content was speculated to be between 12% and 14%. Furthermore, SR and asphalt binder would be aged and degraded together in the aging process, and this phenomenon was more obvious during long-term aging.

The meta-diamide ( m -diamide) insecticide, Broflanilide, was characterized by its high efficiency, low toxicity and lack of cross-resistance with traditional GABA receptors. In accordance with the principles of drug molecular design, easily derivable sulfur with diverse bioactivities was introduced while leading with the parent Broflanilide. Twelve novel m -diamide target compounds containing sulfide derivatives were synthesized through exploration guided by the literature. Their structures were confirmed by melting points, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and HRMS. Insecticidal activity assessments revealed that most target compounds A - D exhibited 100% lethality against Plutella xylostella ( P. xylostella ) and Aphis craccivora Koch ( A. craccivora ) at 500 mg·L -1 . Notably, for P. xylostella , compounds C-2 , C-3 , C-4 and D-2 demonstrated 60.00-100.00% insecticidal activity even at a concentration as low as 0.625 mg·L -1 . As determined by structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis, compounds with R 1 = CH 3 and R 2 = Br ( B-1 , C-2 and D-2 ) and sulfoxide compound C-3 contained 100.00% lethality against A. craccivora at 500 mg·L -1 , surpassing the lethality when leading with the parent Broflanilide in terms of efficacy. Consequently, it can be inferred that the sulfoxide compound ( C-3 ) requires further investigation as a potential active molecule for new insecticides. These explorations provide valuable references for future research on the synthesis and insecticidal activities of sulfide-containing m -diamide compounds.

The photon point clouds collected by the high-sensitivity single-photon detector on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) are utilized in various applications. However, the discretely distributed noise among the signal photons greatly increases the difficulty of signal extraction, especially the edge noise adjacent to signals. To detect signal photons from vegetation coverage areas at different slopes, this paper proposes a density-based multilevel terrain-adaptive noise removal method (MTANR) that identifies noise in a coarse-to-fine strategy based on the distribution of noise photons and is evaluated with high-precision airborne LiDAR data. First, the histogram-based successive denoising method was used as a coarse denoising process to remove distant noise and part of the sparse noise, thereby increasing the fault tolerance of the subsequent steps. Second, a rotatable ellipse that adaptively corrects the direction and shape based on the slope was utilized to search for the optimal filtering direction (OFD). Based on the direction, sparse noise removal was accomplished robustly using the Otsu's method in conjunction with the ordering points to identify the clustering structure (OPTICS) and provide a nearly noise-free environment for edge searching. Finally, the edge noise was removed by near-ground edge searching, and the signal photons were better preserved by the surface lines. The proposed MTANR was validated in four typical experimental areas: two in Baishan, China, and two in Taranaki, New Zealand. A comparison was made with three other representative methods, namely differential, regressive, and Gaussian adaptive nearest neighbor (DRAGANN), used in ATL08 products, local distance statistics (LDS), and horizontal ellipse-based OPTICS. The results demonstrated that the values of the F1 score for the signal photon identification achieved by the proposed MTANR were 0.9762, 0.9857, 0.9839, and 0.9534, respectively, which were higher than those of the other methods mentioned above. In addition, the qualitative and quantitative results demonstrated that MTANR outperformed in scenes with steep slopes, abrupt terrain changes, and uneven vegetation coverage.

In this paper, we propose a lightweight and adaptable trust mechanism for the issue of trust evaluation among Internet of Things devices, considering challenges such as limited device resources and trust attacks. Firstly, we propose a trust evaluation approach based on Bayesian statistics and Jøsang's belief model to quantify a device's trustworthiness, where evaluators can freely initialize and update trust data with feedback from multiple sources, avoiding the bias of a single message source. It balances the accuracy of estimations and algorithm complexity. Secondly, considering that a trust estimation should reflect a device's latest status, we propose a forgetting algorithm to ensure that trust estimations can sensitively perceive changes in device status. Compared with conventional methods, it can automatically set its parameters to gain good performance. Finally, to prevent trust attacks from misleading evaluators, we propose a tango algorithm to curb trust attacks and a hypothesis testing-based trust attack detection mechanism. We corroborate the proposed trust mechanism's performance with simulation, whose results indicate that even if challenged by many colluding attackers that can exploit different trust attacks in combination, it can produce relatively accurate trust estimations, gradually exclude attackers, and quickly restore trust estimations for normal devices.

Studies on the association between maternal dietary diversity and birth weight in offspring are limited, and the impact of such an adjustable factor on birth weight requires investigation to promote neonatal health. This study used data from a larger-scale population-based survey conducted in northwest China to evaluate the association of maternal dietary diversity with neonatal birth weight with a generalized estimating equation model. The results found that maternal dietary diversity was positively associated with neonate birth weight. Furthermore, a higher minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) score during pregnancy was related to a lower risk of low birth weight (LBW) in offspring. The mothers with the highest MDD-W score had a 38% (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43-0.89) lower risk of LBW than those with the lowest score. Similarly, the mothers with the highest animal-based food dietary diversity score (DDS) had 39% (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38-0.98) lower risk of LBW in offspring compared with those with the lowest animal-based food DDS. Moreover, the ratio of animal-based food DDS to non-animal-based food DDS could play an important role in predicting neonate birth weight. In conclusion, increasing maternal dietary diversity would improve birth weight in offspring, especially by increasing the intake of animal-based foods among the Chinese population.

In the mixed reality (MR) environment, the task of target motion perception is usually undertaken by vision. This approach suffers from poor discrimination and high cognitive load when the tasks are complex. This cannot meet the needs of the air traffic control field for rapid capture and precise positioning of the dynamic targets in the air. Based on this problem, we conducted a multimodal optimization study on target motion perception judgment by controlling the hand tactile sensor to achieve the use of tactile sensation to assist vision in MR environment. This allows it to adapt to the requirements of future development-led interactive tasks under the mixed reality holographic aviation tower. Motion perception tasks are usually divided into urgency sensing for multiple targets and precise position tracking for single targets according to the number of targets and task division. Therefore, in this paper, we designed experiments to investigate the correlation between tactile intensity-velocity correspondence and target urgency, and the correlation between the PRS (position, rhythm, sequence) tactile indication scheme and position tracking. We also evaluated it through comprehensive experiment. We obtained the following conclusions: (1) high, higher, medium, lower, and low tactile intensities would bias human visual cognitive induction to fast, faster, medium, slower, and slow motion targets. Additionally, this correspondence can significantly improve the efficiency of the participants' judgment of target urgency; (2) under the PRS tactile indication scheme, position-based rhythm and sequence cues can improve the judgment effect of human tracking target dynamic position, and the effect of adding rhythm cues is better. However, when adding rhythm and sequence cues at the same time, it can cause clutter; (3) tactile assisted vision has a good improvement effect on the comprehensive perception of dynamic target movement. The above findings are useful for the study of target motion perception in MR environments and provide a theoretical basis for subsequent research on the cognitive mechanism and quantitative of tactile indication in MR environment.

The Cu-1.0% Cr-0.1% Zr alloy in a solid solution state was investigated by ageing treatments at different temperatures and holding times. The structure and performance were characterized and tested by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a universal material testing machine, and an eddy conductivity detector. The influence laws of ageing temperature and the holding time on the structures and properties of the Cu-Cr-Zr alloy were analyzed. Results demonstrated that, with the increase in ageing temperature and holding time, the percentage and size of the Cr precipitated phase increased, and the dislocation density decreased. The tensile strength first increased to the peak value and then decreased. The electrical conductivity increased and the amplitude decreased. The tensile strength of the alloy reached the peak (359 ± 2 MPa) after ageing at 450 °C for 60 min, and the electrical conductivity was 91.9 ± 0.7% IACS. In addition, in the ageing precipitation process, the chromium precipitated phase had face-centered cubic structure (FCC) and body-centered cubic structure (BCC) structures, and the FCC Cr phase can be transformed into a BCC Cr phase. FCC Cr, BCC Cr, and Cu 3 Zr precipitation phases maintained different orientation relationships with the Cu substrate.

In modern warfare, operators of radar equipment are confronted with a large amount of information in a short period of time that they must process to make decisions. Such conditions often lead to human error, resulting in the loss of the best operational opportunities and putting themselves at a disadvantage. To address this issue, in this paper, we presents three intuitive designs for radar display interface icons, namely image schema, stereotypes, and expert intuition. Based on event-related potential techniques and eye-movement techniques, a modified sample delay matching task experimental paradigm is used to investigate the advantages and mechanisms of three intuitionistic designs with varying time pressures and numbers of tasks. The experimental results showed: (1) When representing the attributes of a target, image schema are most suitable for expressing the motion attributes of the target, such as speed and height, whereas stereotypes are most suitable for expressing fixed attributes, such as target threat. (2) Tasks with high time pressure are more difficult, leading to higher error rates; the reaction time of a single task should be no less than 4000 ms. (3) When multiple attributes of the target need to be observed at the same time, the same type of expression should be used. (4) Rational use of color to represent the target attributes can effectively reduce the cognitive load of people searching for the target.

Background and aims: Factors associated with abnormally elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients remain to be studied. We aimed to identify factors associated with elevated serum AFP in patients with non-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and early-stage HCC and their influences on the performance of AFP for detecting early-stage HCC. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 4401 patients with chronic HBV infection, including 3680 patients with non-HCC and 721 patients with early-stage HCC. Factors associated with elevated AFP were analyzed. Diagnostic performance of AFP for early-stage HCC were compared among groups through area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. Results: When analyzed by multivariate logistic regression, antiviral therapy was negatively associated with elevated AFP, while hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) > 1× upper limit of normal (ULN) were positively associated with elevated AFP both in patients with non-HCC and early-stage HCC (all p < 0.05). The AUCs of AFP for detecting early-stage HCC in patients with antiviral therapy, HBV DNA (−), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 1× ULN, and AST ≤ 1× ULN were significantly higher compared to those in non-antiviral therapy, HBV DNA (+), ALT > 1× ULN, and AST > 1× ULN groups, respectively. When categorizing patients into AST ≤ 1× ULN and > 1× ULN, AFP achieved the highest AUCs in patients with AST ≤ 1× ULN regardless of antiviral treatment (AUCs = 0.813 and 0.806, respectively). Furthermore, there were considerable differences in the cut-off values of AFP in detecting early-stage HCC in different subgroups when applying similar sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: Antiviral therapy and serum AST might be used to help judge and select the specific cut-off values of serum AFP for HCC surveillance in different at-risk populations.

After the command and control information of the command and control cabin is displayed in the form of mixed reality, the large amount of real-time information and static information contained in it will form a dynamic situation that changes all the time. This brings a great burden to the system operator's cognition, decision-making and operation. In order to solve this problem, this paper studies the three-dimensional spatial layout of holographic command cabin information display in a mixed reality environment. A total of 15 people participated in the experiment, of which 10 were the subjects of the experiment and 5 were the staff of the auxiliary experiment. Ten subjects used the HoloLens 2 generation to conduct visual characteristics and cognitive load experiments and collected and analyzed the subjects' task completion time, error rate, eye movement and EEG and subjective evaluation data. Through the analysis of experimental data, the laws of visual and cognitive features of three-dimensional space in a mixed reality environment can be obtained. This paper systematically explores the effects of three key attributes: depth distance, information layer number and target relative position depth distance of information distribution in a 3D space, on visual search performance and on cognitive load. The experimental results showed that the optimal depth distance range for information display in the mixed reality environment is: the best depth distance for operation interactions (0.6 m~1.0 m), the best depth distance for accurate identification (2.4 m~2.8 m) and the overall situational awareness best-in-class depth distance (3.4 m~3.6 m). Under a certain angle of view, the number of information layers in the space is as small as possible, and the number of information layers should not exceed five at most. The relative position depth distance between the information layers in space ranges from 0.2 m to 0.35 m. Based on this theory, information layout in a 3D space can achieve a faster and more accurate visual search in a mixed reality environment and effectively reduce the cognitive load.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a nomogram for the risk assessment of any type of birth defect in offspring using a large birth-defect database in Northwest China., Methods: This study was based on a birth-defect survey, which included 29,204 eligible women who were pregnant between 2010 and 2013 in the Shaanxi province of Northwest China. The participants from central Shaanxi province were assigned to the training group, while the subjects from the south and north of Shaanxi province were assigned to the external validation group. The primary outcome was the occurrence of any type of birth defect in the offspring. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to establish a prediction nomogram, while the discrimination and calibration were evaluated by external validation., Results: The multivariate analyses revealed that household registration, history of miscarriages, family history of birth defects, infection, taking medicine, pesticide exposure, folic acid supplementation, and single/twin pregnancy were significant factors in the occurrence of birth defects. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the prediction model was 0.682 (95% CI 0.653 to 0.710) in the training set. The validation set showed moderate discrimination, with an AUC of 0.651 (95% CI 0.614 to 0.689). Additionally, the prediction model had a good calibration (HL χ 2 = 8.106, p = 0.323)., Conclusions: We developed a nomogram risk model for any type of birth defect in a Chinese population based on important modifying factors in pregnant women. This risk-prediction model could be a tool for clinicians to assess the risk of birth defects and promote health education.

Betel quid (BQ) is a package of mixed constituents that is chewed by more than 600 million people worldwide, particularly in Asia. The formulation of BQ depends on a variety of factors but typically includes areca nut, betel leaf, and slaked lime and may or may not contain tobacco. BQ chewing is strongly associated with the development of potentially malignant and malignant diseases of the mouth such as oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), respectively. We have shown recently that the constituents of BQ vary geographically and that the capacity to induce disease reflects the distinct chemical composition of the BQ. In this review, we examined the diverse chemical constituents of BQ and their putative role in oral carcinogenesis. Four major areca alkaloids-arecoline, arecaidine, guvacoline and guvacine-together with the polyphenols, were identified as being potentially involved in oral carcinogenesis. Further, we propose that fibroblast senescence, which is induced by certain BQ components, may be a key driver of tumour progression in OSMF and OSCC. Our study emphasizes that the characterization of the detrimental or protective effects of specific BQ ingredients may facilitate the development of targeted BQ formulations to prevent and/or treat potentially malignant oral disorders and oral cancer in BQ users.

In 2017, the Chinese government created a policy on mandatory waste separation. Many communities and cities have created waste management institutions and appointed workers to supervise these actions. But there is little information about the situation in terms of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of waste separation and any differences among regions and cities. Thus, the goal of this paper is to show the current status quo and any differences and to analyze their determinants, especially regarding cultural consumption. Based on online survey data collected in 2021, we found that knowledge in rural regions was lower than in urban regions, but there was no difference in attitudes or practices; the practices in pilot cities were better than in non-pilot cities, but the knowledge and attitudes showed no differences. Different cultural consumption patterns had different impacts on waste separation knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Based on the results, a policy related to culture should be enacted to improve efficiency and increase the action impacts to solve environmental and social issues.

The study of somatic embryogenesis can provide insight into early plant development. We previously obtained LaMIR166a -overexpressing embryonic cell lines of Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carr. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms associated with miR166 in this species, the transcriptional profiles of wild-type (WT) and three LaMIR166a -overexpressing transgenic cell lines were subjected to RNA sequencing using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system. In total, 203,256 unigenes were generated using Trinity de novo assembly, and 2467 differentially expressed genes were obtained by comparing transgenic and WT lines. In addition, we analyzed the cleaved degree of L aMIR166a target genes LaHDZ31-34 in different transgenic cell lines by detecting the expression pattern of LaHdZ31-34 , and their cleaved degree in transgenic cell lines was higher than that in WT. The downstream genes of L aHDZ31 -34 were identified using Pearson correlation coefficients. Yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase report assays revealed that the transcription factors LaHDZ31-34 could bind to the promoters of LaPAP , LaPP1 , LaZFP5 , and LaPHO1 . This is the first report of gene expression changes caused by LaMIR166a overexpression in Japanese larch. These findings lay a foundation for future studies on the regulatory mechanism of miR166.

In the present study, midazolam (MDZ)-loaded chitosan nanoparticle formulation was investigated for enhanced transport to the brain through the intranasal (IN) route. These days, IN MDZ is very much in demand for treating life-threatening seizure emergencies; therefore, its nanoparticle formulation was formulated in the present work because it could substantially improve its brain targeting via the IN route. MDZ-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (MDZ-CSNPs) were formulated and optimized by the ionic gelation method and then evaluated for particle size, particle size distribution (PDI), drug loading (DL), encapsulation efficiency (EE), and in vitro release as well as in vitro permeation. The concentration of MDZ in the brain after the intranasal administration of MDZ-CSNPs ( C max 423.41 ± 10.23 ng/mL, tmax 2 h, and area under the curve from 0 to 480 min (AUC 0-480) of 1920.87 ng.min/mL) was found to be comparatively higher to that achieved following intravenous (IV) administration of MDZ solution ( C max 245.44 ± 12.83 ng/mL, t max 1 h, and AUC 0-480 1208.94 ng.min/mL) and IN administration of MDZ solution ( C max 211.67 ± 12.82, t max 2 h, and AUC 0-480 1036.78 ng.min/mL). The brain-blood ratio of MDZ-CSNPs (IN) were significantly greater at all sampling time points when compared to that of MDZ solution (IV) and MDZ (IN), which indicate that direct nose-to-brain delivery by bypassing the blood-brain barrier demonstrates superiority in brain delivery. The drug-targeting efficiency (DTE%) as well as nose-to-brain direct transport percentage (DTP%) of MDZ-CSNPs (IN) was found to be comparatively higher than that for other formulations, suggesting better brain targeting potential. Thus, the obtained results demonstrated that IN MDZ-CSNP has come up as a promising approach, which exhibits tremendous potential to mark a new landscape for the treatment of status epilepticus.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of parent migration on intellectual and physical development of early school-aged children in rural China., Design: setting and participants: The present cross-sectional study participants were a subset from a controlled, cluster-randomized, double-blind trial. From October 2012 to September 2013, the offspring of women who participated in a large trial were examined in the present study. Wechsler intelligence scale for children (WISC-IV) in which validity and reliability were shown to be satisfactory was used to measure the intellectual function and trained anthropometrists measured weight and height of children using standard procedures., Results: The mean difference of FSIQ scores between non-migration and both-parent migration groups was -3.68 (95%CI: -5.49, -1.87). After adjusting for the confounders, the mean difference of full-scale IQ between non-migration and both-parent migration group was -1.97 (95%CI: -3.92, -0.01), the mean differences of perceptual reasoning index and processing speed index were -2.41 (95%CI: -4.50, -0.31) and -2.39 (95%CI: -4.42, -0.35) between two groups respectively., Conclusion: Our results emphasized the impairment of both-parental migration in intellectual function (FSIQ, PRI, PSI) of children. These findings have important policy implications for the Chinese government to prevent the impairment of left-behind children. Further research is required to clarify the mechanisms by which both-parental migration influence the impairment in intellectual function of children.

Limited studies investigating the relationships between dietary patterns and congenital heart defects (CHDs) are available. This study aimed to explore the associations between dietary patterns and CHDs risk in Shaanxi, China. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study and included a total of 474 cases and 948 controls. Pregnant women waiting for delivery in the hospital were interviewed to report their diets during pregnancy using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component factor analysis. Mixed logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between dietary patterns and CHDs. Pregnant women in the highest tertile of the prudent pattern had a lower risk of CHDs compared to those in the lowest tertile (OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.48-0.89). Pregnant women with high scores on the vegetarian pattern were at an increased risk of CHDs (medium vs. lowest tertile: OR = 1.50, 95%CI = 1.03-2.17; highest vs. lowest tertile: OR = 1.56, 95%CI = 1.13-2.15; p trend = 0.015). Pregnant women with high scores on the dairy and egg pattern were at a reduced risk of CHDs (medium vs. lowest tertile: OR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.49-0.90; highest vs. lowest tertile: OR = 0.60, 95%CI = 0.43-0.82; p trend = 0.001). Maternal diet during pregnancy is an important target for intervention, and it may influence the likelihood of developing CHDs.

To convert the polarization of terahertz waves pumped by a femtosecond laser in a terahertz time domain system, a broadband anisotropic metamaterial is proposed. The metamaterial is constructed with a single-layer gapped metallic ring array, which supports different resonant modes in orthogonal directions. With the aid of simulations and measurements, the anisotropy of the terahertz transmission is demonstrated and discussed. The experimental results of THz transmission in the metamaterial indicate that the anisotropic band is as wide as 0.56 THz, which accords well with our theoretical prediction.

In 2013, China launched the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative in an effort to promote trade and economic collaboration. This study examined the change in life expectancy (LE) among countries along B&R and studied the impact of economic development on LE. Data from 65 B&R countries from 2000 to 2014 were compiled and analyzed. Trend of LE was examined by sex and country. Linear quantile mixed model was used to study the associations between LE and economic factors. In 2014, the average LE in all B&R countries was 69.7 years for men and 73.7 years for women. Across countries in 2014, LE for men ranged from 58.6 years in Afghanistan to 80.2 years in Israel. LE for women ranged from 61.3 years in Afghanistan to 85.9 in Singapore. GDP per capita was positively associated with longevity across B&R countries. The unemployment rate was positively associated with LE only for countries in the top LE quantiles. GDP growth rate and Inflation were negatively associated with LE for the countries in the bottom LE quantiles for men, not for women. LE increased substantially among B&R countries during 2000⁻2014. The influence of macroeconomic factors on LE was related to the distribution of LE.

To evaluate the status of feeding practices and analyze the association between feeding practice and health status among Tibetan infants, a cross-sectional survey of 386 women with children aged under 24 months was conducted in rural areas surrounding Lhasa, Tibet. All participants were selected using simple random sampling and were interviewed face-to-face by trained interviewers. Mothers were interviewed to collect information on their feeding practices. A feeding practices index was created using the rank sum ratio method. Most of the infants had been or were being breastfed at the time of the interview. The feeding practices index was significantly and inversely associated with the prevalence of acute upper respiratory infection, and the odds ratio for the qualified feeding practices index vs. the non-qualified feeding practices index was 0.43 (95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.94). There were no measurable associations observed between acute upper respiratory infection, diarrhea, and the feeding practices index after controlling for selected factors. The method of rank sum ratio provides a flexible way to evaluate feeding practices and is easy to understand. Furthermore, appropriate infant feeding practices might play a protective role in Tibetan infants' health.