Search

The paper considers the causal relationship about CO2 emissions, traffic density and urbanization development in China's provinces by the quantile causality test The method can capture the structural breaks under different quantiles from the nonlinear perspective. The robust results don't find the causality relationship between traffic density and CO2 emissions. Urbanization will increase CO2 emission at the high quantile level while the impact of CO2 emissions on urbanization presents a symmetric relationship. The promoting effect of transportation on urbanization only occurs at the beginning of urbanization. It shows the environmental pollution is a key factor to the whole process of urbanization. With the advancement of urbanization, the increase of traffic line density has no significant impact on the urbanization process. The results can provide references for the government in the layout of local traffic lines and the improvement of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Various nonvalidated criteria for disease flare have been used in studies of gout. Our objective was to develop empirical definitions for a gout flare from patient-reported features. Methods Possible elements for flare criteria were previously reported. Data were collected from 210 gout patients at 8 international sites to evaluate potential gout flare criteria against the gold standard of an expert rheumatologist definition. Flare definitions based on the presence of the number of criteria independently associated with the flare and classification and regression tree approaches were developed. Results The mean ± SD age of the study participants was 56.2 ± 15 years, 207 of them (98%) were men, and 54 of them (26%) had flares of gout. The presence of any patient-reported warm joint, any patient-reported swollen joint, patient-reported pain at rest score of >3 (0-10 scale), and patient-reported flare were independently associated with the study gold standard. The greatest discriminating power was noted for the presence of 3 or more of the above 4 criteria (sensitivity 91% and specificity 82%). Requiring all 4 criteria provided the highest specificity (96%) and positive predictive value (85%). A classification tree identified pain at rest with a score of >3, followed by patient self-reported flare, as the rule associated with the gold standard (sensitivity 83% and specificity 90%). Conclusion We propose definitions for a disease flare based on self-reported items in patients previously diagnosed as having gout. Patient-reported flare, joint pain at rest, warm joints, and swollen joints were most strongly associated with presence of a gout flare. These provisional definitions will next be validated in clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid computing is becoming the preferred basis for large-scale distributed computing and Internet applications. ShanghaiGrid launched in Shanghai, China is a grid infrastructure that aggregates several heterogeneous supercomputers, data centers and other applications scattered in different organizations in Shanghai. One of the major focuses in the ShanghaiGrid project is research and development of an intelligent urban traffic management system based on the ShanghaiGrid system software. The system software provides a platform in a service-oriented way for resource encapsulation and management, service scheduling and accounting, data aggregation and adaptive transmission, as well as service composition and reliability support. This paper presents the main components of the system software, and investigates key techniques for the implementation of ShanghaiGrid and the intelligent urban traffic management system, concentrating on grid transaction and workflow management. Finally, we propose a new wireless sensor network model and routing protocol characteristic to mobile vehicles for dynamical traffic data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ridge furrow rainwater harvesting (RFRH) system with different ridge covering materials as mulch for collecting runoff water is a valuable technique for enhancing seed filling rates and maize productivity. Therefore, a field experiments were conducted during 2 consecutive years in 2014-15, under large mobile rain-proof shelter at the Institute of Water Saving Agriculture in Semi-Arid Areas of China. Objectives of this study were enhancing soil water storage, promoting seed filling and yield of maize, with following two planting models: (i) traditional flat planting (CK); (ii) ridges covered with different mulching material (plastic film (PM), biodegradable film (BM), soil crust ridges (SC)); and two simulated rainfall levels: 320 mm and 430 mm rainfall. Results of this work revealed that mulching material on ridges had distinct effect on soil water storage in the 200 cm depth of soil at the middle of furrows and in the order of PM 430 ≈ BM 430 > SC 430 > PM 320 > BM 320 > SC 320, compared to CK 320 and CK 430 , respectively. The average seed yield increased by 27%, 23% and 17% for PM 320 , BM 320 , and SC 320 , compared to CK 320 , and increased by 30%, 25% and 12% for PM 430 , BM 430 and SC 430 as compared to CK 430 over 2 consecutive years, respectively. Average WUE significantly improved by (P < 0.05) in PM 430 and PM 320 , BM 430 , BM 320 , SC 320 , and SC 430 were 32.8%, 29.7%, 24.8%, 24.2%, 17.6% and 8.5% over 2 years compared to CK 320 and CK 430 , respectively. The effect of RFRH system on maize seed filling was significantly related to the simulated rainfall levels and the position of the seeds on the ear. Both PM 320 and BM 320 significantly (P < 0.05) promoted the seed filling rates of the superior, middle and inferior seeds. Seed-filling rates of the superior, middle and inferior seeds at the PM 430 were also significantly increased. Our results suggested that PM 430 and BM 430 both significantly increased the SWS during the seed-filling process; which resulted higher grain yield and might have potential for reducing maize productivity risk under dry-land farming system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (USpA) is a unique group in spondyloarthropathy (SpA). This study will investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of USpA in the Chinese population. Methods: Forty two patients with USpA were enrolled from our rheumatology outpatient facility in this retrospective study. SpA was diagnosed according to the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria. Patients were considered having USpA when they had SpA but did not meet the criteria for the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Reiter''s syndrome or reactive arthritis (ReA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)-related arthritis, etc. Laboratory tests included erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27). Results: Among the 42 USpA patients, the ratio of men to women was 1.47:1, and the age at onset was 32.33 ± 10.83 years old. Approximately 61.9% of patients had peripheral arthritis, 30.95% had uveitis, and 64.29% had positive HLA-B27. Among these female USpA patients, compared to males, there is a trend of older age at disease onset, higher percentage of HLA-B27 positive, more peripheral arthritis and uveitis, longer disease duration, and higher level of ESR, and IgA and CRP in serum. The items reaching significant difference between males and females were longer disease duration (p <0.001), higher level of ESR (p <0.001), and serum IgA (p = 0.03). There was no significant difference in clinical and laboratory characteristics between HLA-B27-positive and -negative groups. Conclusions: Studies on USpA patients have not been reported in the Chinese population. In this study, we demonstrate the unique demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory data of USpA in the Chinese population. These findings should be confirmed by analyzing larger number of patients and longer time for further follow-up. Such studies are crucial to understand the pathogenesis of USpA and evaluate its prognosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]