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Whereas many different models exist in mathematics and physics for the ground states of non-relativistic crystals, the relativistic case has been much less studied, and we are not aware of any mathematical result on a fully relativistic treatment of crystals. In this paper, we introduce a mean-field relativistic energy for crystals in terms of periodic density matrices. This model is inspired both from a recent definition of the Dirac–Fock ground state for atoms and molecules, due to one of us, and from the non-relativistic Hartree–Fock model for crystals. We prove the existence of a ground state when the number of electrons per cell is not too large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study Strichartz estimates for the half wave, the half Klein–Gordon and the Dirac Equations on compact manifolds without boundary, proving in particular for each of these flows local in time estimates both for the wave and Schrödinger admissible couples (in this latter case with an additional loss of regularity). The strategy for the proof is based on a refined version of the WKB approximation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the mechanical properties of polypropylene random copolymer (PPR), polystyrene (PS) with four different contents were added to the PPR matrix through melt blending. Subsequently, using the Multi-Flow Vibration Injection Molding (MFVIM) technology, PPR/PS in situ microfiber composites (MFC) with different blending ratios were prepared. The results indicated that blending ratio had a great impact on the phase morphology and crystal structure of MFVIM samples, which was different from those of conventional injection molding (CIM) samples. PS ultrafine fibers could be formed under the shear field and could absorb the PPR molecular chains to form hybrid shish-kebab structures. Meanwhile, the PPR matrix could also form shish-kebab structures under the effect of strong shear. When the PS content reached 20%, under the combined action of PS in situ microfibers and highly oriented crystal structure, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the sample were obviously improved and the impact strength remained at a relatively high level. So a strong and tough balanced PPR based material was obtained. These results provide valuable insights for expanding the industrial and daily-life applications of PPR and show promising development prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of barium ions on the biomineralization of calcium and magnesium ions is often overlooked when utilizing microbial-induced carbonate precipitation technology for removing barium, calcium, and magnesium ions from oilfield wastewater. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis was used to bio-precipitate calcium, magnesium, and barium ions. The effects of barium ions on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of bacteria, as well as the components of extracellular polymers and mineral characteristics, were also studied in systems containing coexisting barium, calcium, and magnesium ions. The results show that the increasing concentrations of barium ions decreased pH, carbonic anhydrase activity, and concentrations of bicarbonate and carbonate ions, while it increased the contents of humic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, and DNA in extracellular polymers in the systems containing all three types of ions. With increasing concentrations of barium ions, the content of magnesium within magnesium-rich calcite and the size of minerals precipitated decreased, while the full width at half maximum of magnesium-rich calcite, the content of O-C=O and N–C=O, and the diversity of protein secondary structures in the minerals increased in systems containing all three coexisting ions. Barium ions does inhibit the precipitation of calcium and magnesium ions, but the immobilized bacteria can mitigate the inhibitory effect. The precipitation ratios of calcium, magnesium, and barium ions reached 81–94%, 68–82%, and 90–97%. This research provides insights into the formation of barium-enriched carbonate minerals and offers improvements for treating oilfield wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the approval of tremelimumab in 2022, there is a lack of pharmacovigilance studies investigating its safety profile in real-world settings using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. Aim: This pharmacovigilance study aimed to comprehensively explore the adverse events (AEs) associated with tremelimumab using data mining techniques on the FAERS database. Method: The study utilized data from the FAERS database, covering the period from the first quarter of 2004 to the third quarter of 2022. Disproportionality analysis, the Benjamini Hochberg adjustment method and volcano plots were used to identify and evaluate AE signals associated with tremelimumab. Results: The study uncovered 233 AE cases associated with tremelimumab. Among these cases, pyrexia (n = 39), biliary tract infection (n = 23), and sepsis (n = 21) were the three main AEs associated with tremelimumab use. The study also investigated the system organ classes associated with tremelimumab-related AEs. The top three classes were gastrointestinal disorders (17.9%), infections and infestations (16.6%), and general disorders and administration site infections (11.2%). Several AEs were identified that were not listed on the drug label of tremelimumab. These AEs included pyrexia, biliary tract infection, sepsis, dyspnea, infusion site infection, hiccup, appendicitis, hypotension, dehydration, localised oedema, presyncope, superficial thrombophlebitis and thrombotic microangiopathy. Conclusion: This pharmacovigilance study identified several potential adverse events signals related to tremelimumab including some adverse events not listed on the drug label. However, further basic and clinical research studies are needed to validate these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the relationship between the Dirac–Fock model and the electron-positron Hartree–Fock model. We justify the Dirac–Fock model as a variational approximation of QED when the vacuum polarization is neglected and when the fine structure constant α is small and the velocity of light c is large. As a byproduct, we also prove, when α is small or c is large, the no-unfilled shells theory in the Dirac–Fock theory for atoms and molecules. The proof is based on some new properties of the Dirac–Fock model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbially induced manganese carbonate precipitation has been utilized for the treatment of wastewater containing manganese. In this study, Virgibacillus dokdonensis was used to remove manganese ions from an environment containing 5% NaCl. The results showed a significant decrease in carbonic anhydrase activity and concentrations of carbonate and bicarbonate ions with increasing manganese ion concentrations. However, the levels of humic acid analogues, polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA in EPS were significantly elevated compared to those in a manganese-free environment. The rhodochrosite exhibited a preferred growth orientation, abundant morphological features, organic elements including nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, diverse protein secondary structures, as well as stable carbon isotopes displaying a stronger negative bias. The presence of manganese ions was found to enhance the levels of chemical bonds O–C=O and N–C=O in rhodochrosite. Additionally, manganese in rhodochrosite exhibited both + 2 and + 3 valence states. Rhodochrosite forms not only on the cell surface but also intracellularly. After being treated with free bacteria for 20 days, the removal efficiency of manganese ions ranged from 88.4 to 93.2%, and reached a remarkable 100% on the 10th day when using bacteria immobilized on activated carbon fiber that had been pre-cultured for three days. The removal efficiency of manganese ions was significantly enhanced under the action of pre-cultured immobilized bacteria compared to non-pre-cultured immobilized bacteria. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the mineralization mechanism of rhodochrosite, thereby providing an economically and environmentally sustainable biological approach for treating wastewater containing manganese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Biochar has excellent physical and chemical properties such as porosity, high carbon content, high cation exchange capacity, and rich surface functional groups and has been widely used in environmental remediation. Over the past 20 years, although various reviews have described the application of biochar as an environmentally friendly multifunctional material in environmental remediation, no comprehensive summary and analysis of the research trends in this field exists. To promote the rapid and stable development of the field of biochar, the current state of research on biochar is clarified using the bibliometric method in this report, and potential development directions and challenges for the future are identified. All relevant biochar literature from 2003–2023 was collected from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science Core Collection. A total of 6,119 published Chinese papers and 25,174 English papers were selected for the quantitative analysis. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago graphics software was used to summarize the numbers of papers published over the years, as well as the countries, institutions, and authors that published the most articles. Secondly, using keyword co-occurrence and emergence analysis, the recognized research hotspots in different areas such as adsorbents, soil remediation, catalytic oxidation, supercapacitors, and "biochar-microbial" synergy were analyzed. Finally, the prospects and challenges of biochar were assessed to provide new perspectives for further promoting its development in technological, economic, environmental, and other aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : There have been cases reporting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and associated serious gastrointestinal (GI) adverse drug reactions (gastrointestinal obstruction, perforation, and ulceration). These adverse drug reactions are not in the drug package inserts, and the drug relationships are not proven in the literature. Aim: We aimed to examine the potential association between GI obstruction, perforation, and ulceration, and ALK-TKIs by data mining of the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Method : We conducted a disproportionality analysis of GI obstruction, perforation, and ulceration by estimating the reporting odds ratios (ROR) and the information component (IC) with 95% confidence intervals. Results : A total of 279 cases of ALK-TKI-associated GI obstruction, perforation, and ulceration from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020, were identified. GI obstruction, perforation, and ulceration cause 16% of cases of death. A significantly increased reporting rate for GI obstruction [ROR 1.77 (1.45–2.15); IC 0.82 (0.53–2.03)] and perforation [ROR 1.61 (1.28–2.02); IC 0.68 (0.35–1.92)] was observed for ALK-TKIs as a drug class. The signal of GI ulceration was detected only in crizotinib [ROR 1.23 (1.01–1.50); IC 0.29 (0.01–1.51)]. A statistically significant ROR and IC emerged for the site of the esophagus. Conclusion : Overall, the pharmacovigilance study of the FAERS indicates slightly increased reporting of GI obstruction and perforation, which may cause severe or even fatal outcomes among ALK-TKIs users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of modern military and civil aviation and navigation, the research on the impact load characteristics of water has an important engineering application background. To further study the calculation of water–air interface load characteristics, a load calculation formula on the basis of test data is proposed, and the influence of water entry curvature on load characteristics are analyzed. In this paper, five models with similar shapes and different sizes are tested under different water entry speed conditions. The parameter of impact acceleration is measured in the test, and the test data are processed and analyzed. A simple method for calculating water entry impact load is proposed. Under the conditions of water entry speed 10, 13 and 16 m/s, the maximum error between the calculated value and the experimental value is 4.99, 6.72 and 8.49% respectively. In addition, the critical value of the influence of the curvature on the water entry impact load is obtained. When the curvature reaches 20 m−1, the change in the water entry impact load is significantly reduced with the change of curvature. The conclusions in this paper have certain reference value for the further study of the water entry impact load characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to investigate the mediating effect of placental inflammatory biomarkers on the relationship between prenatal phthalate coexposure and cognitive development in preschoolers. A subgroup of 1660 mother-child pairs from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort study were included. We measured the levels of phthalate metabolites of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in all the women included in the study from three urine samples collected in each of the trimesters. A potency-weighted sum of coexposure to DBP, BBzP, and DEHP (indicator: ∑PAE) was calculated. The mRNA of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 and the classically activated macrophage (M1) biomarker CD68 was analyzed using placental tissues. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition-Chinese was used to evaluate the full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) of children aged 2.5–6 years. Average ∑PAEs and ∑PAEs in each trimester were associated with IL-6 and CD68. ∑PAE in the first trimester was positively associated with IL-6 (β = 0.11, 95% CIs = 0.03–0.19) and CD68 (β = 0.16, 95% CIs = 0.04–0.28), and negatively associated with FSIQ (β =−0.06, 95% CIs = −0.11 to −0.02), verbal comprehension (β =−0.06, 95% CIs = −0.11 to −0.01), and processing speed (β =−0.07, 95% CIs = −0.12 to −0.01). Additionally, sex discrepancies were observed for the mediating effects of placental inflammation on the relationships between ∑PAE and children's cognitive development. For instance, the association between ∑PAE in early pregnancy and FSIQ was partially mediated by IL-6 (estimated proportion mediated: 21.85%) and CD68 (estimated proportion mediated: 16.2%). Gender-specific associations and trimester-specific relationships of prenatal multiple phthalate coexposure were revealed. ∑PAE in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with increased of placental inflammation, and a decrease in preschoolers' cognitive development. In boys, placental IL-6 and CD68 elevation resulting from phthalates might be potential mechanisms of poor cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquakes play a fundamental role in the evolution of Earth's topography through co-seismic uplift and subsidence, as well as erosion through widespread landslides induced by ground motion. Earthquake-induced landslides can result in exceptional increases in the transfer of mass from landscapes, supplying sediment to rivers where impacts can last for decades or longer. Landslides can also erode vegetation and soils, in addition to exposing freshly ground rock mass, which can both result in regionally significant carbon transfers. Recent work has sought to quantify the fluxes, rates, and temporal patterns of the impacts on earth surface processes generated by these tectonic events. In this review, we focus on the impacts of earthquake-induced landslides on erosion and sediment flux, river water chemistry, and carbon export through the lens of the well-studied 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. We then discuss these themes in the context of works from the 1999 Taiwan Chi-Chi earthquake, 2015 Nepalese Gorkha earthquake, and New Zealand historical earthquakes, altogether highlighting an important role of earthquake-induced landslides in erosion and weathering along tectonically active mountain ranges. We suggest that more monitoring, geochemical tracing, paleo-records, and/or modelling studies are needed to compare the processes and fluxes of catchment erosion and weathering before and after earthquake events, which will help to deepen our understanding not only of the impacts of earthquake-induced landslides on earth surface processes, but also the linkage among high magnitude events, continental erosion and weathering, and the long-term global carbon cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of free water on the mechanical properties and blast resistance of concrete. For this purpose, comparative experiments on saturated and normal concretes subjected to quasi-static compression, cyclic loading-unloading, quasi-static splitting, and dynamic compression are conducted. Thereafter, contact explosion tests are performed on saturated and normal concrete slabs. The results show that free water reduces the blast resistance of concrete slabs. This is primarily because free water alters the mechanical properties of concrete, including its compressive strength, tensile strength, damage evolution rate, and strain rate effect. Therefore, the material parameters of saturated concrete differed from those of normal concrete. It is unreasonable to employ the material parameters of normal concrete for simulating the cracks and damage modes in hydraulic concrete structures subjected to underwater explosions. Then, the material parameters of Holmquist-Johnson-Cook constitutive model for the saturated and normal concrete slabs are determined based on experimental data, respectively. Finally, the numerical simulation of concrete slabs subjected to contact explosions was carried out. The results show that the numerical predictions and the test data both for the saturated and normal concrete slabs subjected to contact explosions were in good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni-rich layered material LiNixCoyMzO2 (M=Mn or Al, x+y+z=1) plays a crucial role in LIBs and attracts much attention owing to its comprehensive advantages in terms of energy density, production cost, and environmental friendliness, leading to the development of LIBs and related energy-storage devices. However, Ni-rich layered materials are limited in certain aspects such as safety, life cycle, and application range, which fail to meet the requirements for application in the market entirely. Starting from the factors including cation mixing, phase transition, crackle, and so on, which cause the performance degradation of nickel-rich cathode materials, this paper analyzes the mechanism of their action, and summarizes the mutual transformation relationship between the factors. Cutting off this transition process may, like inhibiting these factors, help improve the performance of materials. At the same time, the research progress on the strategies and mechanisms to deal with these failure factors is summarized, and the role of simulation calculation in material design and mechanism demonstration is discussed. The purpose of this paper is to give an introduction to the related research results of nickel-rich layered cathodes in recent years and to help researchers understand the development status of this field in a timely and rapid manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was comparing different lasers with conventional non-surgical treatment (CNT) for the management of peri-implantitis, regarding probing depth (PD), plaque index (PLI), clinical attachment level (CAL), and sulcus bleeding index (SBI). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on different lasers and CNT for peri-implantitis were searched. Pairwise and network meta-analyses were performed to analyze the PD, PLI, CAL, and SBI outcomes. The risk of bias, evidence quality, statistical heterogeneity, and ranking probability were also evaluated. Eleven studies were included in this study, involving three types of lasers. Diode + CNT had significantly superior efficacy to CNT alone, regarding PD reduction, while Er:YAG + CNT had significantly superior efficacy than CNT in terms of the PLI, CAL, and SBI. The highest probability of being most effective for PD was diode + CNT (49%), while Er:YAG + CNT had the highest probability of improving the PLI, CAL, and SBI (66%, 53%, and 79%, respectively). Diode + CNT was significantly superior for PD management in peri-implantitis compared with CNT alone, while Er:YAG + CNT significantly improved the PLI, CAL, and SBI. Therefore, Er:YAG + CNT might be recommended methods considered for management of peri-implantitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basecutter of sugarcane chopper harvester plays an important role in reducing the harvesting losses and the stubble damage rate. Previous studies have shown that the parameters of contra-rotating basecutter could be optimized for better cutting qualities. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the influence of critical parameters, the rotational speed (RS) and tilt angle (TA) of cutting disc, sugarcane stalk feeding rate (FR), and sugarcane stool diameter (SD), on basecutting losses (BL). Four single-factor experiments and a four-factor four-level orthogonal experiment were conducted on the contra-rotating basecutter platform. The results of single-factor experiments indicated that the basecutting losses were positively correlated with RS, TA, and SD but negatively correlated with FR. Analysis of range (ANOR) of orthogonal test showed that the influencing order of four factors was SD > RS > TA > FR (9.81 > 5.31 > 4.87 > 4.76), and the optimal combination was RS2, TA1, SD1, and FR3 (200 rpm of disc rotational speed, 5° of disc tilt angle, 60 mm of cane stool diameter, and 1.0 m/s of feeding rate). The results of ANOVA showed that only SD had a significant effect on BL at the significance level of 0.05, while the other three factors had no significant effect on it. This study could provide references for sugarcane grower to keep the planting density of sugarcane in a reasonable range, which could reduce basecutting losses in sugarcane harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether intra-myocardial delivery of hydrogel can prevent post-infarct heart failure (HF) in a long follow-up period, especially after it is degraded, remains unclear. In this study, Dex-PCL-HEMA/PNIPAAm (DPHP) hydrogel was delivered into peri-infarct myocardium of rat when coronary artery was ligated, while PBS was employed as control. Twelve weeks later, compared with control, left ventricle remodeling was attenuated and cardiac function was preserved; serum brain natriuretic peptide, cardiac aldosterone, and pulmonary congestion were suppressed in hydrogel group. Pro-fibrogenic mRNA increased in infarct area while decreased in remote zone, as well as hypertrophic mRNA. These data proves DPHP hydrogel suppresses ventricular remodeling and HF by promoting fibrotic healing in infarct area and inhibiting reactive fibrosis and hypertrophy in remote zone. Timely intra-myocardial hydrogel implantation is an effective strategy to inhibit post-infarct cardiac remodeling and have a long-term beneficial effect even after it has been biodegraded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound stimulation is an emerging noninvasive option in treating neuropsychiatric disorders. The present study investigates the behavioral alterations resulting from ultrasound stimulation on the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in freely moving mice. Our results show that an acute ultrasound stimulation on the NAc, rather than the visual cortex or auditory cortex, led to a pronounced avoidance behavior, while repeated NAc ultrasound stimulation resulted in an obvious conditioned place aversion with changes in synaptic protein (GluA1/2 subunit) expression. Notably, NAc ultrasound stimulation suppressed the morphine-induced conditioned place preference. The results provide evidence that NAc ultrasound stimulation can be applied as a potential noninvasive therapeutic option in treating psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is widely used for harvesting marine wind energy. Its dynamic responses under offshore wind and wave environment provide essential reference for the design and installation. In this study, the dynamic responses of a 6MW Spar type FOWT designed for the water depth of 100 m are investigated by means of the wave tank experiment and numerical analysis. A scaled model is manufactured for the experiment at a ratio of 65.3, while the numerical model is constructed on the open-source platform FAST (Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence). Still water tests, wind-induced only tests, wave-induced only tests and combined wind-wave-current tests are all conducted experimentally and numerically. The accuracy of the experimental set-up as well as the loading generation has been verified. Surge, pitch and heave motions are selected to analyze and the numerical results agree well with the experimental values. Even though results obtained by using the FOWT calculation model established in FAST software show some deviations from the test results, the trends are always consistent. Both experimental and numerical studies demonstrate that they are reliable for the designed 6MW Spar type FOWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third-generation vortex identification method of Liutex (previously called Rortex) was introduced by the team led by Prof. Chaoqun Liu from University of Texas at Arlington to mathematically extract the rigid rotation part from the fluid motion, and thus to define and visualize vortices. Unlike the vorticity-based first generation and the scalar-valued second generation, Q, λ2, Δ and λci methods for example, the Liutex vector provides a unique, mathematical and systematic way to define vortices and visualize vortical structures from multiple perspectives without ambiguity. In this article, we summarize the recent developments of the Liutex framework and discuss the Liutex theoretical system including its existence, uniqueness, stability, Galilean invariance, locality and globality, decomposition in tensor and vector forms, Liutex similarity in turbulence, and multiple Liutex-based vortex visualization methods including Liutex lines, Liutex magnitude iso-surfaces, Liutex-Ω method, and Liutex core line method, etc.. Thereafter, the six core elements of vortex identification, including (1) absolute strength, (2) relative strength, (3) local rotational axis, (4) vortex rotation axes, (5) vortex core size, (6) vortex boundary, are used as touchstones against which the Liutex vortex identification system is examined. It is demonstrated with illustrative examples that the Liutex system is able to give complete and precise information of all six core elements in contrast to the failure and inaccuracy of the first and second-generation methods. The important concept that vorticity cannot represent vortex and the superiority of the Liutex system over previous methods are reiterated and stated in appropriate places throughout the paper. Finally, the article concludes with future perspectives, especially the application of the Liutex system in studying turbulence mechanisms encouraged by the discovery of Liutex similarity law. As a newly defined physical quantity, Liutex may open a door for quantified vortex and turbulence research including Liutex (vortex) dynamics and lead the community out of the shadow of turbulence research which traditionally relies on observations, graphics, assumptions, hypotheses, and other qualitative analyses. An optimistic projection is that the Liutex system could be critical to investigation of the vortex dynamics in applications from hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, oceanography, meteorology, etc. and to research of the generation, sustenance, modelling and controlling of turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Chinese coronavirus epicenter, Wuhan, 16 cabin hospitals were built to admit patients with confirmed coronavirus infection (COVID-19). These cabin hospitals serve the role of effectively quarantine and treat mild cases of patients infected with COVID-19. Each cabin hospital has pharmacists to provide services and pharmaceutical care to patients. Pharmacists also provide assistance to cabin hospitals through remote internet platforms across China. In this commentary, we describe pharmacy services at cabin hospitals to share our experiences with the international pharmacy community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate assay suitable for human biomonitoring of multiclass antibiotics preferred for veterinary use is currently lacking. In this study, we developed a liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC–QqQ–MS/MS) method for analysis of 41 representative antibiotics (eight categories) and their two metabolites in human urine samples. Additionally, along with matrix-matched calibration and solid-phase extraction (SPE), use of 36 stable isotopically labeled internal standards (SIL-ISs) compensated for matrix effects and helped in the accuracy of quantitation. The absolute matrix effects (MEs), the linearity of limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs), stability, accuracy and precision of this method were validated. The validation parameters obtained for the targeted compounds are as follows: MEs (68.0–129.2%), LODs (0.016–1.481 ng mL−1), LOQs (0.050–4.812 ng mL−1), and higher recoveries (80.3–112.5%) except cyadox and cefaclor. The regression coefficients (r2) of targeted compounds at a concentration range of 0.05–100 ng mL−1 ranged from 0.9958 to 0.9998. The intra- and inter-precisions were obtained with a relative standard deviation (RSD%) < 13%. The method was successfully applied to analyze 302 urine samples of pregnant women from the China-Anhui Birth Cohort (C-ABC), and 36 of the selected antibiotics and two metabolites were detected. The total detection frequencies were 52.6% (fluoroquinolones), 40.4% (tetracyclines), 33.1% (sulfonamides), 16.9% (chloramphenicols), 11.6% (macrolides), 10.9% (β-lactams), 2.3% (lincosamides), and 0.3% (quinoxalines), respectively. The developed method has been successfully employed to obtain reliable quantitative results in the urine of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse event reports submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were analyzed to map the safety profile of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). We conducted a disproportionality analysis of the adverse events (AEs) of EGFR-TKIs (gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib, osimertinib) by data mining using the FDA adverse event reporting system (AERS) database, and by calculating the reporting odds ratios (ROR) with 95% confidence intervals. The FDA AERS database contained 27,123 EGFR-TKI-associated AERs within the reporting period from January 1, 2004 to March 31, 2018. Thirty-three preferred terms (PTs) were selected for analysis, and significant RORs were most commonly observed in the skin, nail, gastrointestinal tract, hepatic, eyes, and lungs. Unexpected adverse drug reactions were found in the "intestinal obstruction" and "hypokalaemia" in gefitinib and erlotinib, "hyponatraemia" in gefitinib, erlotinib and afatinib, "alopecia"in erlotinib, "hair growth abnormal" in afatinib, but not in "nausea" and "vomiting" listed on drug labels. The results of this study are consistent with clinical observation, suggesting the usefulness of pharmacovigilance research should be corroborated with the real-world FAERS data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of 3D inversion of gravity data requires a lot of computation time and storage space. To solve this problem, we present an integrated optimization algorithm with the following components: (1) targeting high accuracy in the space domain and fast computation in the wavenumber domain, we design a fast 3D forward algorithm with high precision; and (2) taking advantage of the symmetry of the inversion matrix, the main calculation in gravity conjugate gradient inversion is decomposed into two forward calculations, thus optimizing the computational efficiency of 3D gravity inversion. We verify the calculation accuracy and efficiency of the optimization algorithm by testing various grid-number models through numerical simulation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although concern has been recently expressed with regard to the solution to the non-convex problem, convex optimization is still important in machine learning, especially when the situation requires an interpretable model. Solution to the convex problem is a global minimum, and the final model can be explained mathematically. Typically, the convex problem is re-casted as a regularized risk minimization problem to prevent overfitting. The cutting plane method (CPM) is one of the best solvers for the convex problem, irrespective of whether the objective function is differentiable or not. However, CPM and its variants fail to adequately address large-scale dataintensive cases because these algorithms access the entire dataset in each iteration, which substantially increases the computational burden and memory cost. To alleviate this problem, we propose a novel algorithm named the mini-batch cutting plane method (MBCPM), which iterates with estimated cutting planes calculated on a small batch of sampled data and is capable of handling large-scale problems. Furthermore, the proposed MBCPM adopts a "sink" operation that detects and adjusts noisy estimations to guarantee convergence. Numerical experiments on extensive real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of MBCPM, which is superior to the bundle methods for regularized risk minimization as well as popular stochastic gradient descent methods in terms of convergence speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR) is a very effective technology to control the emission of NOx, and the thermal stability of NH3-SCR catalyst is very important for removal of NOx from diesel engines. In this work, V2O5/WO3–TiO2 (VWT) and SiO2-doped V2O5/WO3–TiO2 (VWTSi10) catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, temperature programmed reduction by hydrogen (H2-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature programmed desorption by ammonia (NH3-TPD). The doping of SiO2 promotes the thermal stability of V2O5/WO3–TiO2 for NH3-SCR significantly. After calcination at 650 °C for 50 h, the operation window of 10% SiO2-doped V2O5/WO3–TiO2 is 220–480 °C, while the maximum NOx conversion on V2O5/WO3–TiO2 is about 77%. The presence of SiO2 obviously blocks the transformation of TiO2 from anatase to rutile and stabilizes the dispersion of VOx and WO3 on the surface. It is available for the existence of V4+ and the amount of surface acid sites increases, which inhabits the NH3 oxidation at the high temperature range and promotes NH3-SCR activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In southern China, Cd-tainted rice produced in Cd-contaminated acidic paddy soils is a serious health concern. Thus, it is essential and urgent to remediate Cd-contaminated soils and reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains for food safety and human health. Materials and methods: Four soil amendments (e.g., lime, biochar, soil conditioner, and seaweed organic fertilizer) combined with two rice cultivars (Yongyou17, YY-17; and Xiushui09, XS-09) with different Cd accumulation abilities were selected to evaluate the efficacy of safe utilization in a slightly moderately Cd-contaminated paddy soil. Results and discussion: Results showed that soil amendments significantly increased soil pH and reduced Cd bioavailability compared with the control. Linear regression analysis showed that the decrease in Cd bioavailability was significantly and positively correlated with soil pH increase (P < 0.001). Soil amendments were efficient in reducing Cd uptake by rice root as well as translocation from root to aboveground plant parts. The Cd concentrations in brown rice of YY-17 and XS-09 were 0.34 and 0.22 mg kg−1 for control treatments, respectively, while the Cd concentrations of rice grain using were reduced by 45 to 88% and 55 to 88% soil amendments for two cultivars. Considering the costs and efficiency of soil amendments, the soil conditioner was the best amendment. Conclusions: In situ immobilization combined with low-Cd-accumulation rice cultivar is an effective approach for food safety in lightly moderately Cd-contaminated acidic paddy soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of 6-MW wind turbine, experimental study on the aerodynamic characteristics of the model rotor system and on characterization of a wind generation system is carried out. In the test, a thrust-matched rotor system and a geometry-matched rotor system, which utilize redesigned thrust-matched and original geometry-matched blades, respectively, are applied. The 6-MW wind turbine system is introduced briefly. The proper scaling laws for model tests are established in the paper, which are then implemented in the construction of a model wind turbine with optimally designed blades. And the parameters of the model are provided. The aerodynamic characteristics of the proposed 6-MW wind rotor system are explored by testing a 1:65.3 scale model at the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Before carrying out the wind rotor system test, the turbulence intensity and spatial uniformity of the wind generation system are tested and results demonstrate that the characterization of the wind generation system is satisfied and the average turbulence intensity of less than 10% within the wind rotor plane is proved in the test. And then, the aerodynamic characteristics of 6-MW wind rotor system are investigated. The response characteristic differences between the thrust-matched rotor system and the geometry-matched rotor system are presented. Results indicate that the aerodynamic characteristics of 6-MW wind rotor with the thrust-matched rotor system are satisfied. The conclusion is that the thrust-matched rotor system can better reflect the characteristics of the prototype wind turbine. A set of model test method is proposed in the work and preparations for further model basin test of the 6-MW SPAR-type floating offshore wind turbine system are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Data is lacking on types and severities of drug-related problems (DRPs) in hospitalized surgical patients in China. Objective To identify and categorize types and causes of DRPs, and to assess severities of these DRPs. Setting An academic teaching hospital in Chongqing, China. Method We retrospectively reviewed all medication orders for patients in six surgical departments during a six-month period. DRPs were classified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) classification, and the severity ratings of these DRPs were based on the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP) classification. Main outcome measure The number, types, causes and severities of the DRPs. Results A total of 291,944 medication orders in 10,643 patients were reviewed, and 3548 DRPs were identified. The average DRP number per patient was 0.3. The most common problem was treatment effectiveness (39.9%) and the major cause of the problems was dose selection (47.0%). Total 80.1% of the DRPs were rated at severity categories B to D (causing no or potential harm), whereas 19.9% were rated as categories E to H (causing actual harm). Conclusion DRPs are common in surgical patients, and prospective pharmacist medication order review services are needed to improve patients' pharmaceutical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 6MW spar-type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) model is put forward and a fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic time domain model is established in the fatigue, aerodynamics, structures and turbulence (FAST) code. Influence rules of wind load and wave load on the characteristics of 6MW spar-type FOWT are investigated. Firstly, validation of the model is carried out and a satisfactory result is obtained. The maximal deviations of rotor thrust and power between simulation results and reference values are 4.54% and −2.74%, respectively. Then the characteristics, including rotor thrust, rotor power, out-of-plane blade deflection, tower base fore-aft bending moment, and mooring line tension, are researched. The results illustrate that the mean value of dynamic response characteristics is mainly controlled by the wind-induced action. For characteristics of tower base fore-aft bending moment and platform pitch motion, the oscillation is dominated by the wave-induced action during all conditions considered. For characteristics of out-of-plane blade tip deflection and mooring line tension, the oscillation is commanded by combination effect of wave and wind loads when the wind speed is lower than the rated wind speed (hereinafter referred to as below rated wind speed) and is controlled by the wave-induced action when the wind speed is higher than the rated wind speed (hereinafter referred to as above rated wind speed). As to the rotor thrust and power, the oscillation is dominated by the wind induced action at below rated wind speed and by the combination action of wind and wave loads at above rated wind speed. The results should be useful to the detailed design and model basin test of the 6MW spar-type FOWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study assessed the potential of porous zirconia ceramic as an alternative to dentin via an in vitro dentin barrier cytotoxicity test.Methods: The permeability of dentin and porous zirconia ceramic was measured using a hydraulic-conductance system, and their permeability was divided into two groups: high and low. Using an in vitro dentin barrier test, the cytotoxicity of dental materials by dentin and porous zirconia ceramic was compared within the same permeability group. The L-929 cell viability was assessed by MTT assay.Results: The mean (SD) permeability of the high and low group for dentin was 0.334 (0.0873) and 0.147 (0.0377) μl min−1 cm−2 cm H2O−1 and for zirconia porous ceramic was 0.336 (0.0609) and 0.146 (0.0340) μl min−1 cm−2 cm H2O−1. The cell viability of experimental groups which are the low permeability group was higher than that of the high permeability group for both dentin and porous zirconia ceramic as a barrier except for Maxcem Elite™ by porous zirconia ceramic. There was no significant difference between dentin and porous zirconia ceramic in cell viability, within either the high or low permeability group for all materials. The SD for cell viability of the porous zirconia ceramic was less than that of the dentin, across all materials within each permeability group, except for Maxcem Elite™ in the high permeability group.Conclusions: Porous zirconia ceramic, having similar permeability to dentin at the same thickness, can be used as an alternative to dentin for in vitro dentin barrier cytotoxicity tests.Clinical relevance: In vitro dentin barrier cytotoxicity tests when a standardized porous zirconia ceramic was used as a barrier could be useful for assessing the potential toxicity of new dental materials applied to dentin before applying in clinical and may resolve the issue of procuring human teeth when testing proceeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Little is known about the extent of drug-related problems (DRPs) in community-dwelling older adult patients with chronic diseases in mainland China. Setting A medication therapy review service at a community health center in Chongqing, China. Objective To identify and categorize DRPs along with pharmacists' recommendations in addressing the DRPs identified. Method The study was conducted between May 2015 and July 2016. A total of 102 community-dwelling older adults were included. MTR was carried out by clinical pharmacists. DRPs and pharmacotherapy recommendations were recorded and analyzed. Main outcome measure The number of drug-related problems and main problem categories. Results The average age of patients was 69.4 years. Patients took an average of 6.3 medications. A total of 489 DRPs were identified (mean of 4.8 per patient). The most common category was under-treated (27.8%) followed by over- or under-dose (18.8%) and monitoring (17.8%). The number of medications taken was the significant associated factor for DRPs. Pharmacists made 526 recommendations to address the DRPs (mean of 1.1 recommendations per DRP). Primary care providers accepted 68.1% of these recommendations, and implemented 60.9% of them. Conclusion The prevalence of DRPs among studied patient population was high. Pharmacists may play a vital role in addressing the DRPs and optimize pharmacotherapy through MTR service located in community health centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain many toxic substances as well as valuable metals, e.g., lead (Pb) and tin (Sn). In this study, a novel technology, named supergravity, was used to separate different mass ratios of Pb and Sn from Pb-Sn alloys in PCBs. In a supergravity field, the liquid metal phase can permeate from solid particles. Hence, temperatures of 200, 280, and 400°C were chosen to separate Pb and Sn from PCBs. The results depicted that gravity coefficient only affected the recovery rates of Pb and Sn, whereas it had little effect on the mass ratios of Pb and Sn in the obtained alloys. With an increase in gravity coefficient, the recovery values of Pb and Sn in each step of the separation process increased. In the single-step separation process, the mass ratios of Pb and Sn in Pb-Sn alloys were 0.55, 0.40, and 0.64 at 200, 280, and 400°C, respectively. In the two-step separation process, the mass ratios were 0.12 and 0.55 at 280 and 400°C, respectively. Further, the mass ratio was observed to be 0.76 at 400°C in the three-step separation process. This process provides an innovative approach to the recycling mechanism of Pb and Sn from PCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chemical precipitation-thermal decomposition method was developed to synthesize CoO nanoparticles using cobalt liquor obtained from the atmospheric pressure acid leaching process of nickel laterite ores. The effects of the precursor reaction temperature, the concentration of Co, and the calcination temperature on the specific surface area, morphology, and the electrochemical behavior of the obtained CoO particles were investigated. The precursor basic cobaltous carbonate and cobaltosic oxide products were characterized and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area analysis, and electrochemical analysis. The results indicate that the specific surface area of the CoO particles with a diameter of 30 nm, which were obtained under the optimum conditions of a precursor reaction temperature of 30°C, 0.25 mol/L Co, and a calcination temperature of 350°C, was 48.89 m/g. Electrodes fabricated using CoO nanoparticles exhibited good electrochemical properties, with a specific capacitance of 216.3 F/g at a scan rate of 100 mV/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tower, Spar platform and mooring system are designed in the project based on a given 6-MW wind turbine. Under wind-induced only, wave-induced only and combined wind and wave induced loads, dynamic response is analyzed for a 6-MW Spar-type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) under operating conditions and parked conditions respectively. Comparison with a platform-fixed system (land-based system) of a 6-MW wind turbine is carried out as well. Results demonstrate that the maximal out-of-plane deflection of the blade of a Spar-type system is 3.1% larger than that of a land-based system; the maximum response value of the nacelle acceleration is 215% larger for all the designed load cases being considered; the ultimate tower base fore-aft bending moment of the Spar-type system is 92% larger than that of the land-based system in all of the Design Load Cases (DLCs) being considered; the fluctuations of the mooring tension is mainly wave-induced, and the safety factor of the mooring tension is adequate for the 6-MW FOWT. The results can provide relevant modifications to the initial design for the Spar-type system, the detailed design and model basin test of the 6-MW Spar-type system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, FeSi-SiN-AlO composites were prepared at 1300°C in an N atmosphere using fused corundum and tabular alumina particles, AlO fine powder, and ferrosilicon nitride (FeSi-SiN) as raw materials and thermosetting phenolic resin as a binder. The effect of ferrosilicon nitride with different concentrations (0wt%, 5wt%, 10wt%, 15wt%, 20wt%, and 25wt%) on the properties of FeSi-SiN-AlO composites was investigated. The results show that the apparent porosity varies between 10.3% and 17.3%, the bulk density varies from 2.94 g/cm and 3.30 g/cm, and the cold crushing strength ranges from 67 MPa to 93 MPa. Under the experimental conditions, ferrosilicon nitride, whose content decreases substantially, is unstable; part of the ferrosilicon nitride is converted into FeC, whereas the remainder is retained, eventually forming the ferrosilicon alloy. Thermodynamic assessment of the SiAlON indicated that the ferrosilicon alloy accelerated the reactions between SiN and α-AlO fine powder and that Si in the ferrosilicon alloy was nitrided directly, forming β-SiAlON simultaneously. In addition, fused corundum did not react directly with SiN because of its low reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head pose estimation has been considered an important and challenging task in computer vision. In this paper we propose a novel method to estimate head pose based on a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) for 2D face images. We design an effective and simple method to roughly crop the face from the input image, maintaining the individual-relative facial features ratio. The method can be used in various poses. Then two convolutional neural networks are set up to train the head pose classifier and then compared with each other. The simpler one has six layers. It performs well on seven yaw poses but is somewhat unsatisfactory when mixed in two pitch poses. The other has eight layers and more pixels in input layers. It has better performance on more poses and more training samples. Before training the network, two reasonable strategies including shift and zoom are executed to prepare training samples. Finally, feature extraction filters are optimized together with the weight of the classification component through training, to minimize the classification error. Our method has been evaluated on the CAS-PEAL-R1, CMU PIE, and CUBIC FacePix databases. It has better performance than state-of-the-art methods for head pose estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Al on the morphology of MnS in medium-carbon non-quenched and tempered steel was investigated at three different cooling rates of 0.24, 0.43, and 200°C·s. The formation mechanisms of three types of MnS were elucidated based on phase diagram information combined with crystal growth models. The morphology of MnS is governed by the precipitation mode and the growth conditions. A monotectic reaction and subsequent fast solidification lead to globular Type I MnS. Type II MnS inclusions with different morphological characteristics form as a result of a eutectic reaction followed by the growth in the Fe matrix. Type III MnS presents a divorced eutectic morphology. At the cooling rate of 0.24°C·s, the precipitation of dispersed Type III MnS is significantly enhanced by the addition of 0.044wt% acid-soluble Al (Al), while Type II MnS clusters prefer to form in steels with either 0.034wt% or 0.052wt% Al. At the relatively higher cooling rates of 200°C·s and 0.43°C·s, the formation of Type I and Type II MnS inclusions is promoted, and the influence of Al is negligible. The results of this work are expected to be employed in practice to improve the mechanical properties of non-quenched and tempered steels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object and design: This study is aimed at exploring the effect of Bencycloquidium bromide (BCQB), a novel M1/M3 receptor antagonist, on mucus secretion in a murine model of allergic rhinitis (AR). Materials and methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were sensitized with ovalbumin to induce AR. After BCQB treatment, nasal symptoms were evaluated. Nasal lavage fluid was used to detect the protein level of cytokines and histamine by the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The nasal mucosa of all animals was prepared for western blot, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and histochemical analysis. Results: BCQB could not only alleviate typical AR symptoms including rhinorrhea, nasal itching and sneezing, but also inhibit the overexpression of mucin 5AC at the level of protein and mRNA. The release of histamine, the mRNA and protein level of IL-6, IL-13 and TNF-α, and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB (p65 and p50) were inhibited by BCQB. In addition, histological studies showed BCQB dramatically inhibited ovalbumin-induced nasal lesions, eosinophil infiltration, aggregation of mast cells, globlet cell hyperplasia and metaplasia. Conclusions: BCQB attenuates mucus hypersecretion in AR, possibly involving in the NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most edge-detection methods rely on calculating gradient derivatives of the potential field, a process that is easily affected by noise and is therefore of low stability. We propose a new edge-detection method named correlation coefficient of multidirectional standard deviations (CCMS) that is solely based on statistics. First, we prove the reliability of the proposed method using a single model and then a combination of models. The proposed method is evaluated by comparing the results with those obtained by other edge-detection methods. The CCMS method offers outstanding recognition, retains the sharpness of details, and has low sensitivity to noise. We also applied the CCMS method to Bouguer anomaly data of a potash deposit in Laos. The applicability of the CCMS method is shown by comparing the inferred tectonic framework to that inferred from remote sensing (RS) data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a retrospective study in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent curative lung resection to seek for better lung function parameters associated with long-term survival after lung resection. From January 2006 to December 2008, 470 patients who underwent lung resection with a postoperative diagnosis of NSCLC were studied. Median survival time was 60 months. Patients with pulmonary function values <80 % of predicted were defined as lung function impairment. Patients with impaired vital capacity, maximal voluntary ventilation, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) or diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) had significant shorter overall survival time ( P = 0.024; P = 0.026; P < 0.001; P = 0.027; P = 0.007). In univariate analysis, VC, FVC, FEV1 and DLCO were found to have significant effect on overall survival. In multivariate analysis, FVC (HR, 2.029; 95 % CI 1.126-3.659; P = 0.019) was found to be an independent prognostic predictor of long-term overall survival. For cancer-specific survival, FVC (HR 2.404; 95 % CI 1.300-4.445; P = 0.005) was also found to be an independent prognostic predictor in multivariable analysis. Preoperative FVC, rather than FEV1 or DLCO, is an independent prognostic predictor for long-term survival. FVC is not only an indicator of lung function but also of great value for surgeons to predict survival after lung resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misfit strain relaxation-induced morphology instability is usually observed in epitaxial heterostructures at high temperatures. In this paper, we report that this morphology instability can occur even at room temperature in epitaxial ZnO/AZO (Al-doped ZnO) core-shell nanowires (NWs). As a result, densely distributed ZnO nanodots (NDs) were self-assembled on the NWs. The growth of NDs was slowed down during aging owing to the gradually reduced misfit strain. The final size and shape of the NDs were highly depended on the shell thickness and the doping ratio. It was proved that the morphology stability could be improved by surface passivation, thinning the shell thickness, or lowering the doping ratio. The results may provide instructive suggestions for the reliable design in strain and surface engineering of nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has two research objectives. First, it adopts the Information, Communication, Transaction, Relationship, and Technical Merit model to evaluate Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) web sites from five East Asian countries. Second, it examines the relationship between website complexity and performance. The results indicate that the five selected DMO websites have not fully utilized information technology in their business operations. All five websites have performed reasonably well on the information and communication dimensions. However, three web sites perform poorly in the transaction dimension. Among the five selected countries, the Korean DMO's website received the highest score for effectiveness, followed by the Japanese, Thai, and Hong Kong websites. The Macau DMO's website received the lowest score for effectiveness. In addition to evaluating website effectiveness, this study found a linear relationship between website complexity and performance. Also there are significant performance variances among the DMOs' websites across different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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