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To investigate the effect of surfactants in compound solution on the wetting-agglomeration properties of the bituminous coal dust, this paper selected anionic surfactants SDS, SDBS and non-ionic surfactants APG0810 and PPG400 for compounding with agglomerated solutions 0.05 wt% XTG (xanthan gum). The sink test, surface tension test, viscosity test, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and scanning electron microscope(SEM) were used to investigate the wettability and agglomeration of the four compound solutions and analyze the agglomeration wetting mechanism. The results show that SDBS has the most obvious improvement in the wettability of compound solution. The surface tension of SDBS + 0.05 wt% XTG is 28.98 mN/m after CMC value and sinking rate will reach 14.29 mg/s with 0.6 wt% SDBS in compound solution; Furthermore, FTIR results showed that surface hydroxyl content of bituminous coal dust treated by 0.2 wt% SDBS + 0.05 wt% XTG solutions has increased 26.3% than that treated by 0.05 wt% XTG, which promoted the adsorption of xanthan gum molecules on the coal surface. The presence of surfactants decreases the viscosity and surface tension of compound solution, and xanthan gum–surfactants interaction will promote bituminous coal dust agglomeration effect. This agglomeration mechanism is mainly reflected in the distribution mechanism and bituminous coal dust can form to large agglomerates under this action.

The article analyzes the features of traditional Chinese landscape design and its impact on the landscape design of modern Chinese parks. The purpose of the article is to compare the historical gardens and modern parks of China in order to determine the continuity and at the same time the features of innovation. The main difference between historical gardens and modern parks is emphasized: historical gardens were aimedat creating a calm, serene atmosphere of contemplation of nature; modern parks often combine traditional landscape techniques and the function of entertainment. The main historical landscape techniques provided for the presence of a lake and artificial mountains as symbols of immortality, a constant change of views, contemplation of the landscape through the opening as a picture in a frame, the inclusion of a small garden in the large, partitioning the space with "green screens". Modern parks in China still inherit these techniques in general: they have reservoirs, a lot of greenery, park pavilions, but there are already views from distant points, the parks are surrounded by a wall of skyscrapers, entertaining attractions have appeared in them, and in the evenings theyare illuminated with bright illumination. Despite their attractiveness and modernity, the atmosphere of the Chinese garden has changed from a secluded personal to a public character, as can be seen in the examples of modern parks in Xi'an and Hong Kong.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a neurasthenic disease, which is the second-largest burden of disease globally. Increasing studies have revealed that depression is associated with abnormalities in gut microbiota and metabolites. Several species of bacteria have been classified as psychobiotics, which confer mental health benefits through interactions with commensal gut microbiota. Therefore, it is essential to identify new psychobiotics and elucidate their mechanisms in the treatment of depression. This study aims to evaluate the antidepressant effect of Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) in a mouse model of depression induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS). C57BL/6 male mice were divided into three groups: mice subjected to CRS, mice not subjected to CRS, and mice treated with AKK for 3 weeks. Behavioral tests were performed, and hormone, neurotransmitter, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were measured. Cecal microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and serum metabolites were detected using untargeted metabolomics. In addition, correlations between altered gut microbiota and metabolites with significant variations in serum associated with AKK ameliorating depression were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The results revealed that AKK significantly ameliorated depressive-like behavior and restored abnormal variations in depression-related molecular (corticosterone, dopamine, and BDNF). Moreover, AKK altered chronic stress–induced gut microbial abnormalities. Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed 23 potential biomarkers in serum that could be associated with the mechanisms underlying CRS-induced depression and the therapeutic effects of AKK. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis revealed that AKK predominantly upregulated β-alanyl-3-methyl-l-histidine and edaravone to relieve depression. Furthermore, β-alanyl-3-methyl-l-histidine and edaravone exhibited the antidepressant phenotype in mice subjected to CRS. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that AKK ameliorates chronic stress–induced depressive symptoms in mice by regulating gut microbiota and metabolites. • AKK reduces depressive-like behaviors induced by chronic stress. • AKK regulates the gut microbial structure and metabolomics of serum under the chronic stress. • Antidepressant effect of AKK correlates with the increase of β-alanyl-3-methyl-l-histidine and edaravone.

The booming photothermal therapy (PTT) has achieved great progress in non-invasive oncotherapy, and paves a novel way for clinical oncotherapy. Of note, mild temperature PTT (mPTT) of 42–45 °C could avoid treatment bottleneck of the traditional PTT, including nonspecific injury to normal tissues, vasculature and host antitumor immunity. However, cancer cells can resist mPTT via heat shock response and autophagy, thus leading to insufficient mPTT monotherapy to ablate tumor. To overcome the deficient antitumor efficacy caused by thermo-resistance of cancer cells and mono mPTT, synergistic therapies towards cancer cells have been conducted with mPTT. This review summarizes the recent advances in nanomedicine-potentiated mPTT for cancer treatment, including strategies for enhanced single-mode mPTT and mPTT plus synergistic therapies. Moreover, challenges and prospects for clinical translation of nanomedicine-potentiated mPTT are discussed., Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract Image, graphical abstract

The inverse correlation between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in vivo and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become an inspiration for HDL-inspired AD therapy, including plain HDL and various intelligent HDL-based drug delivery systems. In this review, we will focus on the two endogenous HDL subtypes in the central nervous system (CNS), apolipoprotein E-based HDL (apoE-HDL) and apolipoprotein A-I-based HDL (apoA-I-HDL), especially their influence on AD pathophysiology to reveal HDL's potential as biomarkers for risk prediction, and summarize the relevant therapeutic mechanisms to propose possible treatment strategies. We will emphasize the latest advances of HDL as therapeutics (plain HDL and HDL-based drug delivery systems) to discuss the potential for AD therapy and review innovative techniques in the preparation of HDL-based nanoplatforms to provide a basis for the rational design and future development of anti-AD drugs.

The sodium dual ion battery (Na-DIB) technology is proposed as highly promising alternative over lithium-ion batteries for the stationary electrochemical energy-storage devices. However, the sluggish reaction kinetics of anode materials seriously impedes their practical implementation. Herein, a novel Na-DIB based on TiSe2-graphite is reported for the first time. The unprecedentedly high diffusion coefficient of Na-ions (3.21 × 10-11 - 1.20 × 10-9 cm2 s-1) and the very low Na-ion diffusion barrier (0.50 eV) lead to very fast electrode kinetics, alike in conventional surface capacitive storage systems. In-situ investigations reveal that the fast Na-ion diffusion involves four insertion stage compositions. The prototype cell of novel and low-cost TiSe2-graphite Na-DIB shows a reversible capacity of 81.8 mAh g-1 at current density of 100 mA g-1, an excellent stability with 83.52% capacity retention over 200 cycles and excellent rate performance, suggesting its high potential for next-generation large scale high-performance stationary energy storage systems.

Correlation has become a fundamental method for information science. However, correlations are limited in making concrete decisions. In this article, we detail how causal inference could be utilised in the field of information science. There are six main steps of implementing matching for causal inference, namely, selecting candidate control variables, determining control variables, calculating similarities among all samples, forming control group, examining the performance of control group and estimating causal effects. As an example, this article applies causal inference to investigate whether Nobel Physics award increases the after-award citations. The method is presented in a step-by-step manner so that researchers can reproduce our analysis in the future.

Several techniques have been utilized in current physical examinations, involving B-mode imaging, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scans, etc. Nevertheless, radiation exposure is delivered in variety of medical examinations such as MRI. Accordingly, yielding a high-quality medical image at the lowest possible radiation level becomes a realistic and challenging issue. This paper proposes a RVNet&PGAN method of simulation conversion based on deep network, which is capable of replacing the traditional methods by high-performance intelligent computing. Experimental results show that proposed algorithm performs better than other algorithms from multiple validity metrics such as MAE, CC and RMSE. From this perspective, the method has a salient effect on the conversion and reconstruction of medical images.

The mechanical compliance of soft robots comes at a cost of higher uncertainty in their sensing and perception, which deteriorates the accuracy of predictive models. Predictive uncertainty, which expresses the confidence behind model predictions, is necessary to compensate for the loss of accuracy in soft robot perceptive models. Nevertheless, developing a general framework to capture uncertainties is further challenged by the complex dynamics of soft robots and the difficulties in sensorizing them. In this work, we present a predictive uncertainty estimation framework based on deep learning for soft robot multimodal sensing. We show that the framework can learn to quantify uncertainty and thus is able to express the confidence associated with the predictions during inference. Being data-driven, it is scalable to different types of soft robots and sensor modalities. We demonstrate the framework on a complex multimodal sensing task where a single flex sensor is used to predict the full-body configuration of a soft actuator, as well as the magnitude and location of external contact force. We also discuss how predictive uncertainties are critical to achieve safe learning and model interpretability in soft robotics.

To prevent outbursts and extract the gas, it is necessary to investigate the structure of the key layer and the evolution of cracks during coal mining over a large height. A physical similarity model with a geometric similarity ratio of 1:100 and a strike length of 2 m was established on the basis of prevailing geological and mining conditions. Stress sensors and microseismic equipment were adopted to monitor the collapse characteristics of different key layers through variations in stress and energy. The research results showed that: The displacement of the overlying strata exhibited group motion characteristics marked by the key layer and there was zone of rapidly increasing stress in the goaf behind the working face before and after the fracture of the key layer. Through the analysis of microseismic events, fissure density, and fractal dimension, we found that: before and after the primary key layer fractured, the energy loss in the microseismic event accounted for 27% of the total, the fissure density also changed abruptly from 8 cracks/m to 10 cracks/m and the slope of the fractal dimension curves changed from 0.00243 to 9.94801 × 10−4. Then a gas drainage model suitable for this condition was constructed. When the primary key layer had not fractured, the cracks below fully developed to form a gas migration channel and a gas enrichment area, and gas boreholes could be arranged therein. After the primary key layer had been fractured, the rate of crack development decreased, the permeability would increase, and the gas concentration would increase. The boreholes could still be arranged in the gas migration channel. This study elucidated the control role of the primary key layer from multiple angles and provided experimental guidance for gas drainage over large‐mining heights and during complex key layer mining.

OBJECTIVES: To report changes in practice brought about by COVID-19 and the implementation of new guidelines, and to explore factors relating to unscheduled re-presentations for patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: Prospective multicentre national audit over 12 weeks from 6th April 2020. SETTING: UK secondary care ENT departments. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with acute epistaxis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Re-presentation within 10 days for patients discharged from the ED. RESULTS: Eighty three centres from all four UK nations submitted 2631 valid cases. The majority of cases were ED referrals (89.7%, n = 2358/2631). 54.6% were discharged from the ED following ENT review (n = 1267/2322), of whom 19.5% re-presented within 10 days (n = 245/1259) and 6.8% were ultimately admitted (n = 86/1259). 46.7% of patients had a non-dissolvable pack inserted by ED prior to referral to ENT (n = 1099/2355). The discharge rates for ED patients and their subsequent re-presentation rates were as follows: non-dissolvable packs, 29.5% discharged (n = 332/1125), 18.2% re-presented (n = 60/330); dissolvable products, 71.1% discharged (n = 488/686), 21.8% re-presented (n = 106/486); cautery only, 89.2% discharged (n = 247/277), 20.0% re-presented (n = 49/245); and no intranasal intervention, 85.5% discharged (n = 200/234), 15.2% re-presented (n = 30/198). Univariable logistic regression showed that not being packed by ED, antiplatelet medications, failed cautery and recent epistaxis treatment were significant predictors of re-presentation within 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: Management of acute epistaxis was notably affected during the initial peak of the pandemic, with a shift towards reduced admissions. This national audit highlights that many patients who may previously have been admitted to hospital may be safely discharged from the ED following acute epistaxis.

Background & Aims Chronic inflammation in colon section is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Proinflammatory cytokines were produced in a tumor microenvironment and correlated with poor clinical outcome. Tumor-infiltrating T cells were reported to be greatly involved in the development of colon cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that kynurenine (Kyn), a metabolite catalyzed by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), was required for IDO-mediated T cell function, and adaptive immunity indeed played a critical role in CRC. Methods Supernatant of colon cancer cells was used to culture activated T cells and mice spleen lymphocytes, and the IDO1-Kyn-aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) receptor axis was determined in vitro. In vivo, an azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)–induced CRC model was established in IDO–/–, Rag1–/–, and wild-type mice, and tumor-associated T lymphocyte infiltration and Kyn/AhR signaling pathway changes were measured in each group. Results Kyn promoted AhR nuclear translocation increased the transcription of Foxp3, a marker of regulatory T cells (Tregs), through improving the interaction between AhR and Foxp3 promoter. Additionally, compared WT mice, IDO–/– mice treated with AOM/DSS exhibited fewer and smaller tumor burdens in the colon, with less Treg and more CD8+ T cells infiltration, while Kyn administration abolished this regulation. Rag1–/– mice were more sensitive to AOM/DSS-induced colitis-associated colon cancer (CRC) compared with the wild-type mice, suggesting that T cell–mediated adaptive immunity indeed played a critical role in CRC. Conclusions We demonstrated that inhibition of IDO diminished Kyn/AhR-mediated Treg differentiation and could be an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of inflammation-related colon cancer.

Solar evaporation is considered as a promising approach for harvesting freshwater from non-potable water utilizing sustainable solar energy. Integrating the photocatalytic effect into solar vapor generation is beneficial for the substantial augmentation of solar energy utilization for freshwater production and dealing with polluted water when it is used as source water. In this work, a synergistic photothermal–photochemical hybrid membrane is prepared by facilely dip-coating three-dimensional porous carbon nitride (CN) and a two-dimensional MXene on non-woven cotton cloth. The obtained hybrid membrane possesses high light absorption in the whole solar spectrum, a decreased band gap, excellent photothermal conversion accompanied by a reduced non-radiative reflection loss, and enlarged photocurrent by forming a Schottky junction between the MXene and CN under simulated solar light. With the combined merits above, the hybrid membrane shows excellent photocatalytic performance and solar steam generation. Typically, the hybrid membrane degrades 95% Rhodamine B, 92% crystal violet and 72% methyl orange at 3 mg L−1 under 1 kW m−2 irradiation within 60 min. The water evaporation rate is up to 2.30 kg m−2 h−1 with a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 98.9% under one-sun irradiation. Significantly, a large-scale solar conversion device is constructed for outdoor experiments to simultaneously harvest freshwater from contaminated water and degrade organic dyes in source water. The daily freshwater production rate is 5.7 kg m−2, meeting the requirement of two adults. This work demonstrates the promising potential of the hybrid membrane for potable water production and contaminated water treatment within one device and opens an avenue for application in energy conversion and storage.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been widely used in adult surgery. However, ERAS has not been reported in neonatal surgery. The present prospective study explored the application value of ERAS in treating congenital duodenal obstruction (CDO).A total of 68 cases of CDO were collected from October 1, 2017 to July 31, 2019. We divided patients with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital duodenal obstruction into the ERAS group and those who were diagnosed the disease after birth into the control group. The ERAS group adopted ERAS-related measures, and the control group followed the usual measures. The study compared the differences in the gestational age, birth weight, length of hospital stay (LOS), complications, feeding intolerance, and weight one month after surgery between the two groups.A total of 49 patients were included in the analysis, including 23 who were allocated to the ERAS group and 26 to the control group. The LOS was 9.696±1.222 days in the ERAS group and 12.654±1.686 days in the control group, resulting in a significantly shorter LOS in the ERAS group than in the control group (p0.001). One month after surgery, the neonates in the ERAS group weighted significantly more than those in the control group. No differences were observed in birth weight, gestational age, and the incidence of complications or feeding intolerance between the two groups.In this single-center study, the implementation of neonate-specific ERAS for CDO surgery was feasible and safe and led to a shorter LOS without increasing the incidence of complications or feeding intolerance.Treatment Study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

BACKGROUND The exact regulation network of programmed death 1 (PD-1), programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), and programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2) signaling in immune escape is largely unknown. We aimed to describe the gene expression profiles related to PD-1 as well as its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, thus deciphering their possible biological processes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AIM To find the possible mechanism of function of PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 in HCC. METHODS Based on the expression data of HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas, the PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 related genes were screened by weighted correlation network analysis method and the biological processes of certain genes were enriched. Relation of PD1/PD-L1/PD-L2 with immune infiltration and checkpoints was investigated by co-expression analysis. The roles of PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 in determination of clinical outcome were also analyzed. RESULTS Mutations of calcium voltage-gated channel subunit alpha1 E, catenin beta 1, ryanodine receptor 2, tumor suppressor protein p53, and Titin altered PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 expression profiles in HCC. PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 related genes were mainly enriched in biological procedures of T cell activation, cell adhesion, and other important lymphocyte effects. In addition, PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 was related with immune infiltration of CD8 T cells, cytotoxic lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and myeloid dendritic cells. Immune checkpoints of CTLA4, CD27, CD80, CD86, and CD28 were significantly related to the PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 axis. Clinically, PD-1 and PD-L2 expression was correlated with recurrence (P = 0.005 for both), but there was no significant correlation between their expression and HCC patient survival. CONCLUSION Mutations of key genes influence PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 expression. PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 related genes participate in T cell activation, cell adhesion, and other important lymphocyte effects. The finding that PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 is related to immune infiltration and other immune checkpoints would expand our understanding of promising anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Background Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is a rare liver malignancy originating from primary mesenchymal tissue. The clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and imaging examinations of the disease lack specificity and the preoperative misdiagnosis rate is high. The overall prognosis is poor and survival rate is low. Aim To investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of UESL. Methods We performed a retrospective, single-center cohort study in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, which is a central hospital in northeast China. From 2005 to 2017, we recruited 14 patients with pathologically confirmed UESL. We analyzed the clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, imaging examinations, pathological examinations, therapy, and prognosis of these patients. Results There were nine males and five females aged 2-60 years old included in the study. The major initial symptoms were abdominal pain (71.43%) and fever (57.14%). Preoperative laboratory tests revealed that seven patients had increased leukocyte levels, four showed a decrease in hemoglobin levels, seven patients had increased glutamyl transpeptidase levels, nine had increased lactate dehydrogenase levels, and three showed an increase in carbohydrate antigen 199. There was no difference in the rate of misdiagnosis in preoperative imaging examinations of UESL between adults and children (6/6 vs 5/8, P = 0.091). The survival rate after complete resection was 6/10, while that after incomplete resection was 0/4 (P = 0.040), suggesting that complete resection is important to improve survival rate. In total, five out of the eight children achieved survival. During the follow-up, the maximum survival time was shown to be 11 years and minimum survival time was 6 mo. Six adult patients relapsed late after surgery and all of them died. Conclusion Preoperative imaging examination for UESL has a high misdiagnosis rate. Multidisciplinary collaboration can improve the diagnostic accuracy of UESL. Complete surgical resection is the first choice for treatment of UESL.

SI-B001 is a new EGFR/HER3 bi-specific antibody showing encouraging anti-tumor efficacy in the preclinical studies and was ready for further clinical research. To help with the dose design, human pharmacokinetics (PK) and clinical effective doses of SI-B001 were predicted by PK and PK/PD modeling and simulation. A Michaels-Menten (M-M) PK model was first used to describe the PK of SI-B001 in cynomolgus monkeys, whose parameters were allometrically scaled to humans for the simulation of human PK profiles. Besides, the anti-tumor efficacy of SI-B001 on different xenografts in tumor-bearing mice was quantitatively described by PK/PD models. The clinical effective doses were predicted by comparing the effective exposure (AUCs) in mice with simulated human AUCs. The clinical effective doses of SI-B001 were predicted to be over 16 mg/kg, 5-7 mg/kg or 5-6 mg/kg per week for colon cancer, head and neck cancer or esophageal cancer, respectively, which may help with the optimization of dose escalation schemes and the selection of indications for SI-B001.

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) frequently overestimates the severity of liver fibrosis because of steatosis. However, the impact of the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) on liver stiffness cutoff values remains unknown; CAP was used to quantify and diagnose the severity of hepatic steatosis. The study was conducted to determine the effect of CAP on liver stiffness cutoff values in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed in liver biopsy-proven CHB patients. The median LSM (kPa) in the elevated CAP group was higher than that in the normal CAP group at the same fibrosis stage. For S2-4, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of LSM was 0.78 and 0.72 in the normal and elevated CAP groups, respectively. When a cutoff value of 8.9 kPa was used, the diagnostic accuracy was 77.82% and 63.41% in the normal and elevated CAP groups, respectively. Compared with the alanine transaminase (ALT)-based LSM algorithm, the CAP-based LSM algorithm had a similar correct diagnosis rate (33.64% vs. 33.94%, respectively) but a lower misdiagnosis rate (16.97% vs. 20.30%, respectively). The new CAP-based LSM diagnostic algorithm will improve the diagnostic accuracy of liver fibrosis in CHB patients.

Parameterized computation theory has developed rapidly over the last two decades. In theoretical computer science, it has attracted considerable attention for its theoretical value and significant guidance in many practical applications. We give an overview on parameterized algorithms for some fundamental NP-hard problems, including MaxSAT, Maximum Internal Spanning Trees, Maximum Internal Out-Branching, Planar (Connected) Dominating Set, Feedback Vertex Set, Hyperplane Cover, Vertex Cover, Packing and Matching problems. All of these problems have been widely applied in various areas, such as Internet of Things, Wireless Sensor Networks, Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, Big Data, and so on. In this paper, we are focused on the algorithms’ main idea and algorithmic techniques, and omit the details of them.

MRI automatically segmentation is very useful in clinical diagnosis. However, in some cases, MR images are contaminated by noises or lose pixels and then become sparse such that automatically segmentation by classical algorithms becomes difficult or impossible. In this study, we propose a transfer fuzzy clustering algorithm based on inner-cluster-structure reconstruction. Firstly, we use all objects to represent the inner cluster structure by assigning weights to all object. Secondly, in order to reconstruct the cluster structure in the target domain in which objects distribute sparsely or are contaminated by noises, we joint the two domains together and recalculate the weights of all objects in the target domain. Thirdly, the updated weights in the target domain are considered as transfer knowledge that is used for guiding the target domain learning. Experimental results on MR images and synthetic datasets indicate our novel algorithm achieves the best performance comparing with other similar algorithms.

With the development of low-wind-speed technology, it becomes a trend that low-wind-speed wind turbine generators (LWTGs) are integrated into a microgrid. However, the frequency stability of the microgrid has thereby been challenged since the increased penetration of wind power lowers the inertia of the microgrid. In order to investigate how LWTGs can effectively participate in suppressing the frequency fluctuation of the microgrid, virtual inertia control, over-speed control, as well as droop control, is applied to LWTG. Moreover, the de-loading ratio of over-speed control, along with the control parameters of virtual inertia control and droop control are all optimised under different wind speeds by virtue of the deep belief network, whereas the problem of over-speed control failure with the scheme of fixed de-loading ratio becomes more pronounced under low-wind speeds, which is defined as a blind area problem. To solve this problem, on the one hand, the strategy of the variable de-loading ratio is adopted under low-wind-speeds. On the other hand, the concepts of the minimum and maximum critical wind speed are deduced through theoretical analysis, which greatly restricts the number of feasible solutions of de-loading ratio under different wind speeds so as to improve the optimisation efficiency about 50%.

Introduction Different types of ketosis-prone obese diabetic patients are seen in the clinic. At present, the mechanism responsible for ketosis onset in these patients remains unclear, and we do not know how these patients should be optimally treated to prevent recurrent ketosis. Therefore, this study aims to investigate risk factors of ketosis in obese ketosis-prone diabetic (OB-KPD) patients. Methods In an observational case-control study, primary OB-KPD patients [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 kg/m2] were selected as the study group (OB-KPD group), and primary obese type 2 diabetes patients served as the control group (OB-T2DM group). Clinical diagnostic assessments of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood lipid, area under curve of serum C-peptide (AUCC-P) after steamed bread meal, insulin sensitivity index (ISI), β-hydroxybutyric acid (β-HB) and free fatty acid (FFA) vlaues of the subjects were collected. Subjects in the OB-KPD group were followed up for 1 year to determine the likelihood of insulin therapy cessation and whether ketosis recurred by assessing clinical chemistry parameters at 1-year follow-up. Results Seventy-five subjects were screened, of which 15 were not included in the study for several identified clinical reasons. On enrollment, the OB-KPD group displayed significantly higher FPG, HbA1c and FFA levels than the OB-T2DM group (p

Objective: The proportion of hepatitis e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in China has increased rapidly. However, the response of these patients to peginterferon (peg-IFN) treatment is poor, and the antiviral treatment strategies are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in early prediction of response in HBeAg-negative CHB patients receiving peg-IFN α-2a. Patients and Methods: Treatment-naïve HBeAg-negative patients were involved in this prospective study during 2014-2018. The HBV DNA and HBsAg were quantified at baseline and during treatment (weeks 12, 24 and 48) in sera. The factors associated with HBV DNA undetectable and HBsAg 5.00-fold at week 24 (PPV = 83.3%, NPV = 77.8%, P = 0.038) were independent predictors of HBsAg

The aim of this study was to determine the disease spectrum and drug types causing drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in northeast China, so that the affected population can be reminded of the need to increase their post-medication monitoring.A total of 470 DILI patients hospitalized at Shengjing Hospital between 2013 and 2016 were involved in this retrospective study.There were significant differences in the disease spectrum of the different age groups (P 0.001) and genders (P = 0.009). Drugs used to treat osteopathies, dermatitis and infections, as well as health care supplements, each accounted for 10% of all drugs that caused DILI. The percentage of DILIs related to Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) gradually increased with patient age (P = 0.002). The percentage of males taking health supplements or CHMs was significantly lower compared with females. Total bilirubin (β = 0.01, OR = 1.01, P 0.001) and INR (β = 0.74, OR = 2.11, P 0.001) were found to be independent predictors of liver damage.The main type of drug that causes DILI in northeast China is a CHM. There are differences in the disease spectrum found in DILI patients of different ages and gender. Making appropriate changes in the drug-taking habits of high-risk groups and the drugs used to treat high-risk underlying diseases, as well as increasing patient monitoring, may help to reduce the incidence of DILIs.

Sensory data such as bending curvature and contact force are essential for controlling soft robots. However, it is inconvenient to measure these variables because sensorizing soft robots is difficult due to their inherent softness. An attractive alternative is to use an observer/filter to estimate the variables that would have been measured by those sensors. Nevertheless, an observer/filter requires a model which can be analytically demanding for soft robots due to their high nonlinearity. In this paper, we propose an Unknown Input Extended Kalman Filter (UI-EKF) consisting of an EKF interconnected with a UI-optimizer to respectively estimate the state (curvature) and unknown input (contact force) for a pneumatic-based soft finger based on an identified nonlinear model. We also prove analytically that the estimation errors are bounded. Experimental results show that the UI-EKF can perform the estimation with high accuracy, even when the identified system model is not accurate and the sensor measurement is noisy. In other words, the proposed framework is able to estimate proprioceptive (internal) and exteroceptive (external) variables (curvature and contact force respectively) of the robot using a single sensor (flex), which is still an open problem in soft robotics.

Background: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has been recommended as a first-tier clinical diagnostic test for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). We aimed to identify the genetic causes of 17 children with developmental delay (DD) and/or intellectual disability (ID).Methods: WES and exome-based copy number variation (CNV) analysis were performed for 17 patients with unexplained DD/ID.Results: Single-nucleotide variant (SNV)/small insertion or deletion (Indel) analysis and exome-based CNV calling yielded an overall diagnostic rate of 58.8% (10/17), of which diagnostic SNVs/Indels accounted for 41.2% (7/17) and diagnostic CNVs accounted for 17.6% (3/17).Conclusion: Our findings expand the known mutation spectrum of genes related to DD/ID and indicate that exome-based CNV analysis could improve the diagnostic yield of patients with DD/ID.

Background Aberrant TAK1 (transforming growth factor β‐activated kinase 1) activity is known to be involved in a variety of malignancies, but the regulatory mechanisms of TAK1 remain poorly understood. GRAMD4 (glucosyltransferase Rab‐like GTPase activator and myotubularin domain containing 4) is a newly discovered p53‐independent proapoptotic protein with an unclear role in HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma). Results In this research, we found that GRAMD4 expression was lower in HCC samples, and its downregulation predicted worse prognosis for patients after surgical resection. Functionally, GRAMD4 inhibited HCC migration, invasion and metastasis. Mechanistically, GRAMD4 interacted with TAK1 to promote its protein degradation, thus, resulting in the inactivation of MAPK (Mitogen‐activated protein kinase) and NF‐κB pathways. Furthermore, GRAMD4 was proved to recruit ITCH (itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase) to promote the ubiquitination of TAK1. Moreover, high expression of TAK1 was correlated with low expression of GRAMD4 in HCC patients. Conclusions GRAMD4 inhibits the migration and metastasis of HCC, mainly by recruiting ITCH to promote the degradation of TAK1, which leads to the inactivation of MAPK and NF‐κB signalling pathways., We revealed a novel mechanism that GRAMD4 promotes the TAK1 ubiquitination and degradation by recruitment of ITCH, a E3 ubiquitin ligase of TAK1, which lead to the inhibition of MAPK and NF‐κB pathways and the downstream MMPs expression.

Land-ocean interactions play an important role in transporting and accumulating organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments. Understanding sources (terrestrial, marine and anthropogenic contributions) of sedimentary OC are important to better evaluate the processes controlling the OC distribution in coastal zones. In this study, we present bulk parameters of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13Corg) and biomarker contents in surface sediments from the Dagu River-estuary-marine system in the Jiaozhou Bay. Comparison between OC/N ratios and δ13Corg indicated significant C4 plant contribution to the sedimentary OC, which was approximately equal to C3 plant contribution in this study. Generally, terrestrial biomarkers contents were high in the river and showed a decreasing trend towards the estuary and inner bay. Marine biomarkers displayed opposite spatial distribution patterns with terrestrial biomarkers except for the brassicasterol that also has a terrestrial/fluvial source. The universal detection of petroleum and sewage biomarkers revealed the significant anthropogenic influence on the sedimentary OC in our study. Principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) was performed to quantitatively estimate the OC contributions in the Jiaozhou Bay, showing that anthropogenic activities contributed 77.6% and 29.9% to the sedimentary OC in Dagu River and outside the Dagu River (the estuary and the inner Bay), respectively. Further studies need to be carried out to test this approach in broader regions.

Psychological disorders are associated with increased risk of severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by causing gut microbiota dysbiosis and colonic mucosal barrier damage. However, the interaction between chronic restraint stress (CRS), gut microbiota composition, and colonic mucus remains unclear. We demonstrated that mice under CRS conditions exhibited alterations in microbiota composition, disruption of colonic mucus, and aggravation of colitis. In addition, the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila was significantly decreased in mice under CRS and UC patients with depression, and positively associated with the expression of MUC2. After antibiotic treatment, the recipient mice colonized with CRS microbiota showed barrier defects and severe colitis. Administration of Akkermansia muciniphila was found to restore colonic mucus and modify the gut microbiota. We confirm that CRS-mediated gut microbiota dysbiosis results in colonic mucosal barrier damage and aggravation of colitis. Our results suggest that A. muciniphila is expected to be a potential probiotic to protect and treat colonic mucus that is involved in IBD with psychological disorders.

We propose a new model to identify epilepsy EEG signals. Some existing intelligent recognition technologies require that the training set and test set have the same distribution when recognizing EEG signals, some only consider reducing the marginal distribution distance of the data while ignoring the intra-class information of data, and some lack of interpretability. To address these deficiencies, we construct a TSK transfer learning fuzzy system (TSK-TL) based on the easy-to-interpret TSK fuzzy system the transfer learning method. The proposed model is interpretable. By using the information contained in the source domain and target domains more effectively, the requirements for data distribution are further relaxed. It realizes the identification of epilepsy EEG signals in data drift scene. The experimental results show that compared with the existing algorithms, TSK-TL has better performance in EEG recognition of epilepsy.

Background: CBX3 is a key gene that is involved in immune cell regulation, however, its prognostic values and its correlation with infiltrating lymphocytes in various cancers have not been clearly established. This study aims to investigate the role CBX3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods: We first reviewed the expression of CBX3 in different cancers and adjacent tissues using oncomine database. Next, the authors focus on the expression of CBX3 in hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the expression of CBX3 in hepatocellular carcinoma were analyzed through UALCAN online analysis website and the Human Protein Atlas (www.proteinatlas.org) website. In addition, we further found that CBX3 can be identified as an effective marker for the prognostic guidance of hepatocellular carcinoma according to the Kaplan-Meier plotter database and the Bioinformatics analysis online websites (www.aclbi.com). Next, we used the Bioinformatics analysis online websites to explore whether the expression level of CBX3 in liver cancer is related to the infiltration of certain immune cells. In addition, we also predicted the correlation between immune checkpoint and CBX3 in liver cancer.Results: The analysis results preliminarily show that CBX3 be expressed abnormally in many cancers, and CBX3 was significantly up-regulated in HCC. The high expression of CBX3 indicated survival outcomes and it showed a huge potential as a effective marker for the prognostic guidance of hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, we found that CBX3 in liver cancer is related to the infiltration of certain immune cells, including CD4+ T cells, macrophages and B cells. In addition, the results showed HAVCR2 is most likely to become an effective immune checkpoint for HCC patients immunotherapy with high CBX3 expression.Conclusions: CBX3 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker in HCC and related to the infiltration of certain immune cells. It is expected to become a breakthrough point in immunotherapy in the future.

Background Serum iron status has been reported as associated with primary liver cancer (PLC) risk. However, whether iron status plays a role in the development of PLC remains inconclusive. Methods Genetic summary statistics of the four biomarkers (serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, and transferrin) of iron status and PLC were retrieved from two independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that had been performed in European populations. Two-sample univariate and multivariate Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted to determine the causal link between iron status and PLC risk. Results No significant horizontal pleiotropy was detected for the four biomarkers according to the Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) global test. No evidence of between-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heterogeneity and directional pleiotropy was detected by the Cochran's Q test and MR-Egger regression for serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin. For transferrin saturation, although no heterogeneity was detected, the directional pleiotropy was significant (P value for intercept of MR-Egger regression =0.033). Univariate MR estimates based on inverse variance weighting (IVW) method suggested that there was no causal link between serum iron [odds ratio (OR) =0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45 to 1.11], ferritin (OR =0.56, 95% CI: 0.16 to 2.04), and transferrin (OR =0.91, 95% CI: 0.72 to 1.15) and PLC risk. We found a significant causal relationship between transferrin saturation and PLC risk (OR =0.45, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.90), although this link was non-significant in multivariate MR analysis. Conclusions There might be no causal relationship between iron status and PLC risk. However, data from larger sample size and people with different ethnic background were needed to further validate our findings.

Wind field (e.g., wind speed and wind direction) has the characteristics of randomness, nonlinearity, and uncertainty, which can be critical and even destructive on a long-span bridge’s hangers, such as vortex shedding, galloping, and flutter. Nowadays, the finite element method is widely used for model calculation, such as in long-span bridges and high-rise buildings. In this study, the investigated bridge hanger model was established by COMSOL Multiphysics software, which can calculate fluid dynamics (CFD), solid mechanics, and fluid–solid coupling. Regarding the wind field of bridge hangers, the influence of CFD models, wind speed, and wind direction are investigated. Specifically, the bridge hanger structure has symmetrical characteristics, which can greatly reduce the calculation efficiency. Furthermore, the von Mises stress of bridge hangers is calculated based on fluid–solid coupling.

Background Herbal and Dietary Supplements (HDS) are capable of causing liver injury, however, the extent of HDS-induced liver injury compared to western medication (WM)-induced liver injury has not been well studied. Methods This was a three-year, retrospective study from 308 centers across Mainland China. 3,877 patients with liver injury due to HDS and 3,796 patients with liver injury due to WM were analyzed. Demographic and clinical characteristics, implicated agents, and severity of liver injury were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The HDS group was older (average age 47.65 ± 14.8 years) and had more females (57.92%). The latency to onset of liver injury was greater in the HDS group than in the WM group (41 vs. 35 days, P

Purpose Total flavone of Abelmoschus manihot (TFA), the effective constituents extracted from Flos Abelmoschus Manihot, has been reported to inhibit inflammation. However, the effect of TFA on ulcerative colitis (UC) progression in patients with depression is unknown. The purpose of our research was to explore the anti-UC effects of TFA in the context of depression in mice with UC by regulating the gut microbiota to drive the intestinal barrier. Methods In this study, chronic stress (CS) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) were used to induce depression and UC, respectively, in C57BL/6J mice. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was used to evaluate how treating mice modeling UC and depression with TFA effected their gut microbiota. Results Our results showed that TFA effectively improved UC aggravated by CS. In addition, TFA treatment improved the depression-like phenotype, the disturbed gut microbiota, and the intestinal barrier function in CS mice. It is worth noting that FMT from the CS mice to the receptor group further aggravated the damage of the intestinal barrier and the disturbance of the gut microbiota in the recipient DSS mice, thus further aggravating UC, however, treatment of the intervention of TFA in the CS fecal microbiota transplant with TFA also played its therapeutic outcome. Conclusion Taken together, our results show that CS disrupts the gut microbiota, triggers intestinal barrier injury and aggravates DSS colitis, while TFA is a promising drug for the treatment of UC in patients with depression., Graphical Abstract

Background Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma used to be defined as germinal center B-like and non-germinal center B-like subtypes, associated with different prognoses, but the conventional classification does not meet the needs of clinical practice because of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma heterogeneity, a problem that might be improved by selection of miRNAs as biomarkers. Methods Twelve patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas were used to screen out the aberrant miRNA profile using miRNA microarray technology in 2 patient subtypes (6 germinal center B-like and 6 non-germinal center B-like patients). The potential biomarkers were further analyzed using the quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method in 95 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients to investigate relationships between expression levels of potent miRNA, clinicopathological features, and survival rates of patients. Results miR-208a-5p, miR-296-5p and miR-1304-5p were screened as potential biomarkers. miR-208a-5p and miR-296-5p were shown to be associated with better survival of patients after Kaplan-Meier analysis, whereas miR-1304-5p overexpression indicated a poor survival prognosis independent of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype. In addition, changes of miR-296-5p and miR-1304-5p expression, the International Prognostic Index status and the age of patients were all independent indicators for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma prognosis. We also found that high miR-208a-5p expression led to better outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with similar International Prognostic Index scores; however high miR-1304-5p expression tended to indicate the opposite. Conclusions MiR-208a-5p, miR-296-5p and miR-1304-5p levels might be potential biomarkers for the prediction of the prognosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients.

Background Hyaluronan (HA), an extracellular matrix component, accumulates in most chronic inflammatory tissues. Here, we studied the impact of HA on the pathogenesis of chronic prostatitis. Materials and methods First, we sorted demographic characteristics and peripheral blood serum samples from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) to assess the relationship between the levels of HA in peripheral blood serum and the severity of inflammation in patients. Second, we induced an experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) mouse model and treated the mice with 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) (200 mg/kg/day). After the mice were sacrificed, RNA from Th1 cells of the mouse spleens was extracted for RNA sequencing. We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify co-expressed gene modules and hub-gene related to the pathogenesis of EAP. The expression of critical genes associated with the identified pathway was confirmed by using western blot analysis. Results HA was significantly more highly expressed in CP/CPPS patients than in healthy volunteers and positively correlated with the severity of pain, urination symptoms, and quality of life. Besides, the protein expression of HA was significantly higher in prostate tissues derived from EAP models than in those derived from controls. 4-MU, an oral inhibitor of HA synthesis, relieved immunocyte infiltration to the prostate and significantly reduced the proportion of Th1 cells. Based on the WGCNA, we identified 18 co-expression modules and identified that the Grey60 and brown modules were positively associated with the EAP and negatively associated with the Control and 4-MU-treated groups. Pathway enrichment analyses and western blot assays proved that HA potentially activated the cell cycle pathway, increasing the proportion of Th1 cells promoting chronic prostatitis pathogenesis, while these processes were reversed by 4-MU treatment. Conclusions Our results suggest that HA is elevated in patients with CP/CPPS compared with healthy controls and that targeting HA through 4-MU suppresses the activity of the cell cycle-related pathway, potentially by decreasing the proportion of Th1 cells and relieving chronic prostatitis. Our findings might inspire the clinical treatment of chronic prostatitis.

Yi Kuang,1,2 Ming-Xing Xu,1,3 Shu-Wen Yang,1,2 Yang Ding,1,2 Rui Zheng,1,2 John Taplin,4 Shu Li1,5 1CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Transportation, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, 350118, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia; 5Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shu LiCAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-10-64841536Fax +86-10-64841536Email lishu@psych.ac.cnIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has received broad public attention and has been subject to social media discussion since the beginning of 2020. Previous research has demonstrated that framing could influence perception and behaviors of audience members in the mass media. The question addressed in this paper concerns which information frame is best for reporting negative news (eg, deaths) and positive news (eg, recoveries or cures) related to the outbreak of COVID-19.Methods: During the Spring Festival holidays of 2020 in China, we investigated a sample of 8170 participants’ risk perceptions and emotional responses to the pandemic, and their willingness to forward updates when the information is presented in different frames by using a 2 (domain: living [good news] vs dying [bad news]) × 2 (count: absolute vs relative) × 2 (population base: excluding population base vs including population base) × 2 (content: text-only vs text-plus-graphic) mixed factorial design, with the first factor being a within-subjects factor and the last three being between-subjects factors.Results: Results indicated that (1) participants were more willing to forward good news (eg, cures) than bad news (eg, deaths); (2) when reporting bad news, the inclusion of the “population base” was effective in minimizing negative emotions; (3) when reporting good news, excluding the “population base” was more effective than including it in order to maximize positive emotions; (4) a text-plus-graphic frame worked better than a text-only frame in lowering the level of risk perception and negative emotions.Discussion: This study is relevant to how individuals and organizations communicate information about this viral pandemic and the probable impact of this news on the general public.Keywords: COVID-19, information frame, perception, emotion

The thickness effect on ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared (UV–Vis-NIR) light absorption of Mo-modified tin oxide (SnO2) thin films is investigated by the first principle calculation based on the density functional theory. The electronic structures and optical properties of the pristine, defective, Mo-doped and Mon (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) cluster adsorbed SnO2 (1 1 0) surfaces with film thickness from 0.594 to 3.273 nm are discussed. The results show that the pristine SnO2 semiconductor thin films can hardly absorb the Vis-NIR light. The absorption peaks in the Vis-NIR light region of the defective SnO2 (1 1 0) surface increase with the film thickness. The Vis-NIR light absorption of SnO2 is significantly enhanced by Mo modification. Mon cluster adsorption on SnO2 makes the greatest enhancement in Vis-NIR light absorption. The surface modification of Mo is concluded to be a promising route for SnO2 semiconductor thin film as a photocatalyst under Vis-NIR light irradiation.

A vertical isolation device with variable stiffness (VIVS) is developed using multiple hydraulic cylinders, which can form a three dimensional (3D) isolation device with a horizontal rubber bearing. The components and control mechanism of the VIVS are explained in detail. A prototype of the VIVS is fabricated to verify its performance by sinusoidal motion tests and shaking table tests. The experimental results show that the variable stiffness characteristics of the VIVS can be achieved, and the isolation period reaches 1.2 s. The shaking table test also verifies the effectiveness of the VIVS in controlling the acceleration. A theoretical model for the VIVS is proposed and validated, and a 60 m single-layer reticulated dome is simulated based on the model. The results indicate that the axial force and acceleration of the structures with VIVS are effectively mitigated with reduced height and displacement of the VIVS.

For millennia, people have relied on human excrement or “night soil” as a source of agricultural fertilization. Following industrialization, however, the use of this resource became considerably limited. In this article, we provide a brief overview of the historical use of human excreta for agricultural application at varying scales of management, from early Amazonian farming middens to regional networks of night soil trade in imperial China. We then draw attention to the factors that led to the discontinuation of night soil usage during industrialization, placing focus on the “culture of flushing” that developed along with the adoption of the hydraulic sanitation system. To conclude, we consider how improved management of human excreta in the contemporary world can have important consequences for agricultural production, despite the ongoing challenges posed by what Marxian scholars refer to as the metabolic rift—the disruption of the earth’s socio-ecological cycles brought on by industrial capitalism.

Background For the large number of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in China, it is critical to carry out effective disease management to improve the treatment effect and reduce disease burden. A pharmacist-led multidisciplinary care model has not been reported in Chinese SLE patients before. Objective To assess the effect of patient-centered, pharmacist-led, multidisciplinary care on clinical outcomes and satisfaction with health care in Chinese SLE patients. Setting: The South Campus, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Method Participants were 143 systemic lupus erythematosus patients randomly assigned to either the intervention group (multidisciplinary care: physician, pharmacist and nurse) or the control group (usual care only). Main outcome measures The primary outcome was scores on the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index-2000, the satisfaction with information about medicines scale, and the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire, assessed at baseline and 12 months. Results Between October 1, 2017 and October 1, 2018, 42 participants were included in the intervention group and 40 in the control group. At 12 months, results for the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index-2000 differed significantly between the intervention group and the control group (0 vs. 2, P = 0.027). Patient satisfaction with health care was also significantly greater in the intervention group than in the control group (92.9 vs. 0%, P = 0.000). According to the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire, health quality was also improved (0.94 vs. 0.85, P = 0.006). Conclusion Our multidisciplinary care team significantly improved clinical outcomes and satisfaction with drug information in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Although marked advancements have been achieved to improve the computer power, progressive collapse analysis of large-scale reinforced concrete structures is still time-consuming or even impractical. In this study, a numerical model is proposed for efficient progressive collapse analysis of reinforced concrete structures. Recent advancements that can accurately and efficiently model the mechanical behavior of structural components are incorporated in the numerical model of reinforced concrete structure. The beams/columns, joint regions, and slabs are modeled by enhanced fiber beam element, macrojoint model, and layered shell element, respectively. In this way, the shear failure of beams/columns, failure of joints, and resistance contribution from floor slab can be taken into account for progressive collapse analysis of reinforced concrete structures. A six-story reinforced concrete frame structure is modeled using the approach proposed in this study. The progressive collapse of the structure is analyzed under column removal and direct blast loading scenarios. For comparison purpose, other popularly used finite element models are also adopted to carry out numerical simulations. The proposed model is proven to yield accurate simulation results with the least cost of time among all models. Based on the proposed model, parametric simulations are performed to investigate effective measures to improve the structural resistance to progressive collapse. It is found that increasing longitudinal reinforcement ratio in beams and columns can increase the catenary action capacity, but hardly increases the compressive arch action capacity. Moreover, the steel mesh reinforcement at top layer of slabs plays a significant role in resisting progressive collapse of reinforced concrete structures, which should be considered in design to resist progressive collapse.

The design earthquake is usually specified as a single event in most of modern seismic codes. However, one earthquake is often followed by a series of aftershocks called seismic sequence. Such cases are quite common, especially in near-fault regions, which could cause additional accumulated damage to structures. In this paper, a new methodology for evaluating the effect of near-fault seismic sequences on the accumulated damage of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure is proposed, in which different initial damage levels (i.e., postmainshock global damage index) of structure after the mainshock are considered. Meanwhile, a quantitative description of the damage demands and the relative intensity index between mainshock and aftershock are provided. For this purpose, the nonlinear dynamic response of an eight-story RC frame structure subjected to single earthquake and seismic sequence is compared in terms of structural performance indices (collapse capacity, story damage demands, postmainshock damage level and normalized hysteretic energy) and relative intensity index. The results indicated that seismic sequences lead to reduced collapse capacity of postmainshock-damaged structures. Moreover, the near-fault pulse-like aftershock records would induce larger structural story damage demands than ordinary (i.e., non-pulse-like) aftershock records. Furthermore, the relative intensity index proposed in this paper has significant effects on the structural story damage demands, incremental dynamic analysis curves of aftershock and normalized hysteretic energy.

The joints between modular units are always key issues for modular steel construction. Previous types of joints require extra operation spaces for connection and will have conflicts with internal finish and installed services. Therefore, these types of joints cannot be adopted for middle columns in modular steel construction. Regarding this condition, a novel type of joint, plug-in self-lock joint was proposed in this study. The working mechanism of the plug-in self-lock connection was introduced, and a pull-out test was conducted to investigate the tensile behavior of the connection. Then eight full-scale joint specimens using the novel connection were tested under quasi-static load to investigate the seismic behavior of the plug-in self-lock joints. The test results offered failure mode, strength, stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation of the plug-in self-lock joints. Based on the experimental observation, a simplified mechanical model was developed to predict the behavior of this novel joint in elastic stage, and was validated through test results. Recommendations for the design of the joints were given accordingly.

Physical theory models for strut members have been proposed in the past few years to efficiently and accurately investigate the influence of member buckling on the dynamic failure mechanism of long-span spatial structures. However, most of them can only simulate the Bauschinger effect without considering the reduction behavior of critical loads under cyclic load reversals. This study devoted to propose an improved physical theory model based on the authors' previous work. Cyclic loading tests on circular and square members were conducted. The range of slenderness ratio of the specimens is from 60 to 130, which is commonly used in long-span spatial structures. Based on the experimental results, empirical coefficients are introduced to the improved model, in which each member can be discretized by only one beam element. Using this model, the cyclic buckling behavior of members can be efficiently and accurately considered with various section types, slenderness ratios, and boundary conditions. Finally, the improved model is verified by experiments conducted in this study and in previous studies. A close agreement is found between the simulated and experimental results.