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Abstract Background As a potential model organism for studies of environmental and cell biology, Paramecium duboscqui is a special euryhaline species of Paramecium that can be found in fresh, brackish, or marine water in natural salinity ranges between 0‰ and 33‰. However, the genome information as well as molecular mechanisms that account for its remarkable halotolerant traits remain extremely unknown. To characterize its genome feature, we combined PacBio and Illumina sequencing to assemble the first high-quality and near-complete macronuclear genome of P. duboscqui. Meanwhile, comparative transcriptomic profiles under different salinities gave underlying insight into the molecular mechanism of its adaptations to environmental salinity. Results The results showed that the MAC genome of P. duboscqui comprises 160 contigs, with 113 of them possessing telomere (~ 28.82 Mb haploid genome size). Through comparative genomic analyses with the other ciliate, we found that gene families encoding transmembrane transporter proteins have been expanded in P. duboscqui, showing enormous potential in salinity adaptation. Like other Paramecium, P. duboscqui utilizes TGA as its only termination codon and has reassigned TAA and TAG to encode glutamine. P. duboscqui showed different growth rates under different salinities, with an optimum growth rate in 5‰ salinity. A comparison of the transcriptomic profiles among P. duboscqui grown under different concentrations showed that genes involved in protein folding, oxygen respiration, and glutathione-dependent detoxification were upregulated in the high-salt group, whereas genes encoding DNA-binding proteins and transcription factors were upregulated in the low-salt group, suggesting distinct mechanisms for responding to low and high salinity. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) linked the hub genes expressed at 30‰ salinity to cysteine-type peptidase activity, lipid transfer, sodium hydrogen exchange, and cell division, with the hub genes expressed at 0‰ salinity involved in transmembrane transport and protein localization. Conclusions This study characterizes a new euryhaline model Paramecium, provides novel insights into Paramecium evolution, and describes the molecular mechanisms that have allow P. duboscqui to adapt to different osmotic environments.

Abstract Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with persistent hyperglycemia caused by a variety of underlying factors. Chronic hyperglycemia can lead to diverse serious consequences and diversified complications, which pose a serious threat to patients. Among the major complications are cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetic foot ulcers, diabetic retinopathy, and neurological disorders. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is a protective enzyme with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects, which has been intensively studied and plays an important role in diabetic complications. By inducing the expression and activity of HO-1, it can enhance the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic capacity of tissues, and thus reduce the degree of damage in diabetic complications. The present study aims to review the relationship between HO-1 and the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. HO-1 is involved in the regulation of macrophage polarization and promotes the M1 state (pro-inflammatory) towards to the M2 state (anti-inflammatory). Induction of HO-1 expression in dendritic cells inhibits them maturation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and promotes regulatory T cell (Treg cell) responses. The induction of HO-1 can reduce the production of reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Besides, HO-1 also has an important effect in novel programmed cell death such as pyroptosis and ferroptosis, thereby playing a protective role against diabetes. In conclusion, HO-1 plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of diabetic complications and is closely associated with a variety of complications. HO-1 is anticipated to serve as a novel target for addressing diabetic complications, and it holds promise as a potential therapeutic agent for diabetes and its associated complications. We hope to provide inspiration and ideas for future studies in the mechanism and targets of HO-1 through this review.

BackgroundDying in a preferred place is important for a good death. Currently, no study has evaluated the extent to which the preferences for the place of death (PoD) are met among terminal cancer patients in China. This study examined the congruence between the preferred and actual PoD and its predictors among terminal cancer patients in China.MethodsBetween 2015 and 2023, 845 terminal cancer patients from four tertiary hospitals in Wuhan, China, were enrolled and followed till death. Face-to-face surveys at baseline and telephone-based interviews in the last month of patients’ lives were combined to learn patients’ preferred PoD. Data on patients’ actual PoD were collected from families within 1 month after patients’ death.ResultsOf the 410 patients who died, 62.7% of them died in hospitals. The agreement between patients’ preferred and actual PoD was fair (κ = 0.221). The congruence between patients’ preferred and actual PoD was 63.0, 36.6%, and 0 for hospital death, home death, and hospice facility/nursing home death separately. Patients were more likely to die in their preferred places if their preferred place and family caregivers’ belief of patients’ preferred PoD was congruent (odds ratio [OR] = 6.464, p = 0.001), or if caregivers had a medically related occupation (OR = 4.577, p = 0.003); if patients were hospitalized at least twice in the last month of life (OR = 0.422, p = 0.000), or the quality of care received by patients in the last 48 h was rated good by the families (OR = 0.373, p = 0.011), patients were less likely to die in their preferred places.ConclusionThe congruence between patients’ preferred and actual PoD was fair. Advance care planning (ACP) needs to be popularized in China, and the quality of care in hospice facilities and nursing homes should be improved. The necessary policy support for hospice care should be made to respect cancer patients’ end-of-life (EoL) care preferences in China.

Abstract Background Like all other species, fungi are susceptible to infection by viruses. The diversity of fungal viruses has been rapidly expanding in recent years due to the availability of advanced sequencing technologies. However, compared to other virome studies, the research on fungi-associated viruses remains limited. Results In this study, we downloaded and analyzed over 200 public datasets from approximately 40 different Bioprojects to explore potential fungal-associated viral dark matter. A total of 12 novel viral sequences were identified, all of which are RNA viruses, with lengths ranging from 1,769 to 9,516 nucleotides. The amino acid sequence identity of all these viruses with any known virus is below 70%. Through phylogenetic analysis, these RNA viruses were classified into different orders or families, such as Mitoviridae, Benyviridae, Botourmiaviridae, Deltaflexiviridae, Mymonaviridae, Bunyavirales, and Partitiviridae. It is possible that these sequences represent new taxa at the level of family, genus, or species. Furthermore, a co-evolution analysis indicated that the evolutionary history of these viruses within their groups is largely driven by cross-species transmission events. Conclusions These findings are of significant importance for understanding the diversity, evolution, and relationships between genome structure and function of fungal viruses. However, further investigation is needed to study their interactions.

BackgroundPost-stroke depression (PSD) is a frequent complication following a stroke, characterized by prolonged feelings of sadness and loss of interest, which can significantly impede stroke rehabilitation, increase disability, and raise mortality rates. Traditional antidepressants often have significant side effects and poor patient adherence, necessitating the exploration of more suitable treatments for PSD. Previous researchers and our research team have discovered that Botulinum Toxin A (BoNT-A) exhibits antidepressant effects. Therefore, our objective was to assess the efficacy and side effects of BoNT-A treatment in patients with PSD.MethodsA total of 71 stroke patients meeting the inclusion criteria were allocated to the two group. 2 cases were excluded due to severe neurological dysfunction that prevented cooperation and 4 cases were lost follow-up. Ultimately, number of participants in the BoNT-A group (n = 32) and Sertraline group (n = 33). Treatment efficacy was evaluated 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks post-treatment.ResultsThere were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). Both groups exhibited comparable treatment efficacy, with fewer side effects observed in the BoNT-A group compared to the Sertraline group. BoNT-A therapy demonstrated significant effects as early as the first week (p

BackgroundThe safety and efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in ischemic stroke patients with intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS) remain contentious.AimsThis study evaluates DAPT’s effectiveness and safety for these patients.MethodsThis review was reported following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and SinoMed up to June 20, 2023, for randomized controlled trials comparing efficacy and safety of DAPT against single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) in ischemic stroke patients with ICAS. The primary outcome was a composite of ischemic and bleeding events. Secondary outcomes included stroke (cerebral infarction and hemorrhage), ischemic events, and cerebral infarction. Safety outcomes assessed were bleeding events, cerebral hemorrhage, and mortality. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were synthesized using Review Manager 5.4.ResultsAnalysis of 21 randomized controlled trials involving 3,591 patients revealed that DAPT significantly lowered the rate of ischemic and bleeding events (RR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.46–0.59, p

The low specific speed centrifugal pump plays a crucial role in industrial applications, and ensuring its efficient and stable operation is extremely important for the safety of the whole system. The pump must operate with an extremely high head, an extremely low flow rate, and a very fast speed. The internal flow structure is complex and there is a strong interaction between dynamic and static components; consequently, the hydraulic excitation force produced becomes a significant factor that triggers abnormal vibrations in the pump. Therefore, this study focuses on a low specific speed centrifugal pump and uses a single-stage model pump to conduct PIV and pressure pulsation tests. The findings reveal that the PIV tests successfully captured the typical jet-wake structure at the outlet of the impeller, as well as the flow separation structure at the leading edge of the guide vanes and the suction surface. On the left side of the discharge pipe, large-scale flow separation and reverse flow happen as a result of the flow-through effect, producing a strong vortex zone. The flow field on the left side of the pressure chamber is relatively uniform, and the low-speed region on the suction surface of the guide vanes is reduced due to the reverse flow. The results of the pressure pulsation test showed that the energy of pressure pulsation in the flow passage of the guide vane occurs at the fBPF and its harmonics, and the interaction between the rotor and stator is significant. Under the same operating condition, the RMS value distribution and amplitude at fBPF of each measurement point are asymmetric in the circumferential direction. The amplitude of fBPF near the discharge pipe is lower, while the RMS value is higher. A complex flow structure is shown by the larger amplitude and RMS value of the fBPF on the left side of the pressure chamber. With the flow rate increasing, the energy at fBPF of each measurement point increases first and then decreases, while the RMS value decreases, indicating a more uniform flow field inside the pump.

BackgroundCancer literacy as a potential health intervention tool directly impacted the success of cancer prevention and treatment initiatives. This study aimed to evaluate the cancer literacy in Northeast China, and explore the factors contributing to urban–rural disparities.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 14 cities across Liaoning Province, China, from August to October 2021, using the multistage probability proportional to size sampling (PPS) method. The survey comprised 4,325 participants aged 15–69 and encompassed 37 core knowledge-based questions spanning five dimensions. Associations between sociodemographic factors and the cancer literacy rate were evaluated using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsThe overall cancer literacy rate was 66.9% (95% CI: 65.6–68.2%). In the primary indicators, cancer literacy were highest in treatment (75.8, 95% CI: 74.2–77.4%) and early detection (68.2, 95% CI: 66.8–69.6%), followed by basic knowledge (67.2, 95% CI: 65.8–68.6%), recovery (62.6, 95% CI: 60.7–64.5%) and prevention (59.7, 95% CI: 58.2–61.3%). Regarding secondary indicators, the awareness rates regarding cancer-related risk factors (54.7, 95% CI: 52.8–56.5%) and early diagnosis of cancer (54.6, 95% CI: 52.7–56.6%) were notably inadequate. Rural participates exhibited lower cancer literacy across all dimensions compared to urban. Multi-factor analysis showed that factors such as advanced age, limited education or low household income were barriers to health literacy in rural areas.ConclusionStrengthening awareness concerning prevention and early detection, particularly among key populations, and bridging the urban–rural cancer literacy gap are imperative steps toward achieving the Healthy China 2030 target.

IntroductionMultiple targets are considered as the causes of ambient fine particulate matter [aerodynamic diameters of < 2.5 μm (PM2.5)] induced lung function injury. Qiju granules are derived from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula known as Qi-Ju-Di-Huang-Wan (Lycium, Chrysanthemum, and Rehmannia Formula, QJDHW), which has been traditionally used to treat symptoms such as cough with phlegm, dry mouth and throat, and liver heat. This treatment approach involves attenuating inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis response. This study investigated the effects of Qiju granules on protecting lung function against PM2.5 exposure in a clinical trial.MethodsA randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial was performed among 47 healthy college students in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in China. The participants were randomly assigned to the Qiju granules group or the control group based on gender. Clinical follow-ups were conducted once every 2 weeks during a total of 4 weeks of intervention. Real-time monitoring of PM2.5 concentrations in the individually exposed participants was carried out. Data on individual characteristics, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and lung function at baseline and during the follow-ups were collected. The effects of PM2.5 exposure on lung function were assessed within each group using linear mixed-effect models.ResultsIn total, 40 eligible participants completed the scheduled follow-ups. The average PM2.5 level was found to be 64.72 μg/m3 during the study period. A significant negative correlation of lung function with PM2.5 exposure concentrations was observed, and a 1-week lag effect was observed. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FVC) (FEF75), forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC (FEF50), and forced expiratory flow at 25% of FVC (FEF25) were significantly decreased due to PM2.5 exposure in the control group. Small airway function was impaired more seriously than large airway function when PM2.5 exposure concentrations were increased. In the Qiju granules group, the associations between lung function and PM2.5 exposure were much weaker, and no statistical significance was observed.ConclusionThe results of the study showed that PM2.5 exposure was associated with reduced lung function. Qiju granules could potentially be effective in protecting lung functions from the adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure.Clinical Trial Registrationidentifier: ChiCTR1900021235.

Abstract Background Abnormal serum ferritin levels are associated with a variety of diseases. Meanwhile, abnormal serum ferritin is influenced by a variety of risk factors, but its correlation with obesity remains poorly described. Objective This study aimed to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) and weight waist adjustment index (WWI) with serum ferritin in US adults. Methods Participants in this study took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) prior to the pandemic from 2017 to March 2020. Serum ferritin was used as the sole response variable and BMI and WWI were used as independent variables. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship between serum ferritin and the independent variables, and smoothed curve fitting and threshold effects analysis were performed to assess the presence of non-linear relationships. To validate the sensitive individuals for the correlation between the independent and the dependent variables, a subgroup analysis was performed. Results A final total of 7552 participants were included in this study. Both independent variables had a positive relationship with serum ferritin, with effect values of (β = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.17–1.19) when BMI was the independent variable and (β = 8.62, 95% CI: 3.53–13.72) when WWI was the independent variable in the fully adjusted model. This positive association between the two obesity-related indexes and serum ferritin became more significant as BMI and WWI increased (P for trend

ABSTRACTDiarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide and represents a major dysbiosis event. Rotavirus has been recognized as a global leading pathogen of diarrhea. This study is aimed at investigating differences in the gut virome between diarrheal children and healthy controls. In 2018, 76 diarrheal fecal samples and 27 healthy fecal samples in Shanghai and 40 diarrheal fecal samples and 19 healthy fecal samples in Taizhou were collected to investigate the composition of the gut virome. Viral metagenomic analyses revealed that the alpha diversity of the diarrheal virome was not significantly different from that of the healthy virome, and the beta diversity had a significant difference between diarrheal and healthy children. The diarrheal virome was mainly dominated by the families Adenoviridae, Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, and Picornaviridae. Meanwhile, the healthy virome also contains phages, including Microviridae and Caudovirales. The high prevalence of diverse enteric viruses in all samples and the little abundance of Microviridae and Caudovirales in diarrheal groups were identified. The study introduced a general overview of the gut virome in diarrheal children, revealed the compositional differences in the gut viral community compared to healthy controls, and provided a reference for efficient treatments and prevention of virus-infectious diarrhea in children.

Graphically prescribed patient-specific imaging volumes and local pre-scan volumes are routinely placed by MRI technologists to optimize image quality. However, manual placement of these volumes by MR technologists is time-consuming, tedious, and subject to intra- and inter-operator variability. Resolving these bottlenecks is critical with the rise in abbreviated breast MRI exams for screening purposes. This work proposes an automated approach for the placement of scan and pre-scan volumes for breast MRI. Anatomic 3-plane scout image series and associated scan volumes were retrospectively collected from 333 clinical breast exams acquired on 10 individual MRI scanners. Bilateral pre-scan volumes were also generated and reviewed in consensus by three MR physicists. A deep convolutional neural network was trained to predict both the scan and pre-scan volumes from the 3-plane scout images. The agreement between the network-predicted volumes and the clinical scan volumes or physicist-placed pre-scan volumes was evaluated using the intersection over union, the absolute distance between volume centers, and the difference in volume sizes. The scan volume model achieved a median 3D intersection over union of 0.69. The median error in scan volume location was 2.7 cm and the median size error was 2%. The median 3D intersection over union for the pre-scan placement was 0.68 with no significant difference in mean value between the left and right pre-scan volumes. The median error in the pre-scan volume location was 1.3 cm and the median size error was −2%. The average estimated uncertainty in positioning or volume size for both models ranged from 0.2 to 3.4 cm. Overall, this work demonstrates the feasibility of an automated approach for the placement of scan and pre-scan volumes based on a neural network model.

Abstract Background Cervical cancer (CC) screening is currently recognized as an effective intervention for CC. Previous studies found that the proportion of screening was low in China, especially in Liaoning. Therefore, we performed a population-based cross-sectional survey to investigate the situation of cervical cancer screening and analyze their related factors for providing a decision-making basis for sustainable and effective development of cervical cancer screening. Methods This population-based cross-sectional study involved aged 30 to 69 years in nine counties/districts in Liaoning from 2018 to 2019. Data were collected using the quantitative data collection methods, and analyzed in SPSS version 22.0. Results Overall, only 22.37% of 5334 respondents reported having ever been screened for cervical cancer in past 3 years, and 38.41% of respondents reported having the willingness for cervical cancer screening in next 3 years. In the rate of CC screening, multilevel analysis indicated that age, marital status, education level, type of occupation, medical insurance, family income, place of residence and regional economic level had a significant impact on proportion of screening. In the rate of CC screening willingness, multilevel analysis indicated that age, family income, health status, place of residence, regional economic level and CC screening still had a significant impact, but marital status, education level and medical insurance type had no significant impact. There was no significant difference in marital status, education level and medical insurance type after the factors of CC screening were added in the model. Conclusion Our study found both proportion of screening and willingness were at a low level, and age, economic and regional factors were the main factors for implementation of CC screening in China. In the future, targeted policies should be formulated according to the characteristics of different groups of people, and reduce the gap in the current health service capacity between different regions.

Abstract Introduction/aims To facilitate further investigation into the mechanisms of facial nerve regeneration, a simple and reliable model of facial nerve crush injury is essential. Nevertheless, the establishment of such models lacks standardization and repeatability, while the healing capacity of the nerve is often overlooked, potentially affecting future studies. Methods We made facial nerve trunk crush injury models with different pressing times and detected the changes from the distal nerves to the motoneurons via behavior analysis, electrophysiological test, and histomorphometry analysis. Results It revealed a particular capacity for self‐healing following facial nerve crush damage because there was almost no facial motoneuron apoptosis in the MC group during the observation period, and rats in MC group had total facial paralysis in behavioral tests following surgery and varying degrees of recovery 28 days postoperatively with no treatments. As the pressing time increased, the latency, wave amplitude, nerve fiber damage degree, nerve axon ratio, myelin thickness, electroneurograph (ENoG) value, ultrastructural damage, abnormal morphological changes, and the buccal muscle atrophy of each MC group gradually increased or got worse during the observation period. However, after 28 postoperative days, only the ENoG values of the M10min and M12min groups were beyond 90%, indicating no self‐healing. Discussion It suggests that a stable model of peripheral facial palsy may be created by applying a 12.5 cm mosquito clamped to the facial nerve trunk for at least 10 min, which laid the foundation for the subsequent research to objectively evaluate facial nerve regeneration.

Abstract Background It is common that inadequate nutritional intake happens in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), which can adversely affect the prognosis of patients. However, the details and reasons are not clear enough so far. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the current nutritional requirements and energy intake on days 1–7 in the cardiac intensive care unit after surgery. Our secondary aim was to investigate potential factors that hinder nutritional supply and to compare the resting energy expenditure (REE) based on two methods, the Fick method and the Schofield equation. Methods Using retrospective analysis, we collected data from postoperative children with CHD at a children's hospital in Shanghai, China. We used the Fick method to calculate the REE, and compare the results with the actual enteral nutrition intake. Meanwhile, we recorded the initiation time of enteral nutrition, feeding intolerance, unfinished milk volume, etc. Then the correlation between the results of the Fick method and the equation method was calculated. Results A total of 49 patients were included, with a median age of 22 months (IQR 4.9, 57.3), and a median Aristotle basic complexity score of 8 (IQR 6.0, 9.8). The time interval for surgical intervention within 7 days after operation was 4 (IQR 2.5, 6). No statistical difference in REE on postoperative days 1–7. The average enteral nutrition energy provided 64.6 (33.6, 79.6)% of the REE, which showed a significant decrease on postoperative day 4, and then reached its lowest on postoperative day 5. The protein supply was 0.7 ± 0.3 kcal/kg/d. In addition, the REE calculated by the Fick method was moderately correlated with that estimated by the equation (r = 0.467, P = 0.001). Conclusions The energy and protein supply in the acute postoperative period in children with CHD is inadequate. Fluid restriction and fasting may be the main causes. In addition, there is a moderate correlation between the REE calculated by the Fick method and that estimated by the equation.

Radial acquisition with MOCCO reconstruction has been previously proposed for high spatial and temporal resolution breast DCE imaging. In this work, we characterize MOCCO across a wide range of temporal contrast enhancement in a digital reference object (DRO). Time-resolved radial data was simulated using a DRO with lesions in different PK parameters. The under sampled data were reconstructed at 5 s temporal resolution using the data-driven low-rank temporal model for MOCCO, compressed sensing with temporal total variation (CS-TV) and more conventional low-rank reconstruction (PCB). Our results demonstrated that MOCCO was able to recover curves with Ktrans values ranging from 0.01 to 0.8 min−1 and fixed Ve = 0.3, where the fitted results are within a 10% bias error range. MOCCO reconstruction showed less impact on the selection of different temporal models than conventional low-rank reconstruction and the greater error was observed with PCB. CS-TV showed overall underestimation in both Ktrans and Ve. For the Monte-Carlo simulations, MOCCO was found to provide the most accurate reconstruction results for curves with intermediate lesion kinetics in the presence of noise. Initial in vivo experiences are reported in one patient volunteer. Overall, MOCCO was able to provide reconstructed time-series data that resulted in a more accurate measurement of PK parameters than PCB and CS-TV.

External tagging methods can aid in the research of leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) in terms of its spatio-temporal behavior at population and individual scales. However, due to the strong exclusion ability and the damage to the body wall of P. leopardus, the retention rate of traditional invasive tagging methods is low. To develop a non-invasive identification method for P. leopardus, we adopted a multiscale image processing method based on matched filters with Gaussian kernels and partial differential equation (PDE) multiscale hierarchical decomposition with the deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models VGG19 and ResNet50 to extract shape and texture image features of individuals. Then based on image features, we used three classifiers Random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and multilayer perceptron (MLP)) for individual recognition on sequential images of P. leopardus captured for 50 days. The PDE, ResNet50 and MLP combination obtained a maximum accuracy of 0.985 ± 0.045 on the test set. For individual temporal tracking recognition, feature extraction and model training were performed using images taken in 1-20 days. The classifier could achieve an accuracy of 0.960 ± 0.049 on the test set consisting of images collected in the periods of 20-50 days. The results show that CNNs with the PDE decomposition can effectively and accurately identify P. leopardus.

Abstract Background Little is known about advance directives (ADs) and end-of-life (EOL) care preferences among the general population in Mainland China. This study aimed to describe knowledge and attitudes of ADs and EOL care preferences, and to explore factors related to preferences for ADs among Chinese adults. Methods The sample included 1114 adult participants in Wuhan, Mainland China. A brief message including the link to the online survey was sent to local residents who were registered at household registration management centers in Wuhan. The questionnaire included information regarding demographics, self-rated health, views on ADs and EOL care. Bivariate analyses and binary forward logistic regression were conducted to examine factors related to ADs preferences of Chinese adults. Results The average age of the sample was 48.0 years and more than half of the sample was female. 81.8% had never heard of ADs, but 86.6% indicated that they might create one after learning what ADs were. 58% would choose hospice care if they were terminally ill whereas 48.7% of the participants wanted to die at home. 92.3% would want to know their diagnosis and prognosis if ill; however, if their family members were diagnosed with an incurable disease, 50.5% would not tell their ill family member the actual diagnosis and prognosis. Those who had heard of ADs (OR = 1.567, p

Abstract With the continuous occurrence of natural disasters, natural hazard triggered technological accident (Natech) risks also follow. At present, many countries have performed much research on Natech risks. However, there is still a lack of Natech research at the regional or watershed level in China. The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is not only an industrially intensive development area but also an area with frequent natural disasters. In this study, we selected the YREB as a typical case to study the Natech risk triggered by floods, geological disasters, and typhoons at the regional or watershed level. Four types of risk indicators representing risk sources, natural hazard factors, control levels, and vulnerabilities were developed to assess the spatial patterns of the Natech risks of the YREB. The results show that the Natech risk triggered by floods and typhoons is more serious in eastern area and central area than in western zone and that the Natech risk triggered by geological disasters is more serious in the west part. Approximately 7.85% of the areas are at relatively high-risk and above the Natech risk level based on the comprehensive assessment of three types of Natech risks. The combined population of these areas accounts for approximately 15.67% of the whole YREB, and the combined GDP accounts for approximately 25.41%. It can be predicted that the occurrence of Natech risks in these areas will cause serious harm to both the people and the economy. This work will provide the basis and key management direction for Natech risk management in the YREB.

Background:Smilax glabra Roxb. (SGR) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, which has known effects of enhancing immunity. However, its anti-tumor effects and mechanism of action are still unclear.Methods: We selected MMTV-PyMT mice to determine the anti-tumor efficacy of SGR ethyl acetate (SGR-EA). First, flow cytometry was used to detect the number of immune cells in the mice tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, M2 polarization of macrophages was stimulated in vitro, and the expressions of macrophage M1/M2 surface markers and mRNA were as determined. Finally, we carried out a network pharmacology analysis on the active components of SGR-EA and in vitro experiments to verify that SGR-EA regulated the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 signaling pathway to modulate the anti-tumor immune response by resetting M2 macrophages toward the M1 phenotype which inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis in the mice.Result: SGR-EA inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis in the mice. Tumor-associated macrophages switched from M2 to the tumor-killing M1 phenotype and promoted the recruitment of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. In vitro, SGR-EA significantly inhibited the polarization of macrophages into M2 macrophages and increased the number of M1 macrophages. In addition, following an intervention with SGR-EA, the expression of the HIF-1 signaling pathway-related proteins stimulated by interleukin-4 in macrophages was significantly inhibited.Conclusion: SGR-EA played an anti-tumor role by inhibiting the activation of the HIF-1 signaling pathway and response by resetting tumor-associated macrophages toward the M1 phenotype.

BackgroundMalnutrition is common in complex congenital heart disease (CCHD). The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of early initiation of high-energy enteral nutrition (EN) with regular energy EN in infants after surgery for CCHD.MethodsThis is a subgroup analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) which was conducted in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) of the largest pediatric heart center in China. Eighty children with CCHD after surgery were from two groups, the intervention group (n = 40) was given high-energy EN and the control group (n = 40) was given regular energy EN. We analyzed the effects of the two interventions on outcomes such as caloric attainment rate, gastrointestinal intolerance, duration of mechanical ventilation, and anthropometry at discharge.ResultsThere was no difference in the daily milk intake between the two groups, but the calorie intake (50.2 vs. 33.4, P < 0.001), protein intake (1.1 vs. 0.9, P < 0.001) and caloric attainment rate were higher in the intervention group (77.5 vs. 45.0%, P = 0.003). In addition, the incidence of pneumonia (P = 0.003) and duration of mechanical ventilation (P = 0.008) were less in the intervention group, and biceps circumference and triceps skinfold thickness at hospital discharge were greater than those in the control group (P < 0.001). We have not found statistical differences in gastrointestinal intolerance, glycemic fluctuations, incidence of pressure ulcers, length of CICU stay and postoperative hospital days between the two groups.ConclusionsEarly initiation of high-energy EN may be safe and effective in infants after complex cardiac surgery. Low doses high-energy EN did not increase gastrointestinal intolerance or glycemic fluctuations and also improved post-operative nutrition by increasing caloric and protein intake without increasing fluid intake.

A source of pure silicon was added into an alloy refining system during a refining process with the application of a direct electric current. The effect of the temperature difference between the graphite electrodes and the alloy was decreased. The temperature increase value (ΔT) of the Al-28.51wt.%Si alloy sample caused by Joule heating was calculated by weighing the mass of primary silicon. When the current density was 5.0×105 A/m2, the overall temperature increase in the alloy was about 90°C regardless of the alloy composition. Adequate silicon atoms recorded the footprint of the electric current in the alloy melt. The flow convection generated by the electric current in the melt during the solidification process resulted in the refinement of primary silicon. The Fe impurity content in alloy refining without the electric current density was 2.16 ppm. However, it decreased to 1.27 ppmw with the application of an electric current density of 5.0×105 A/m2.

Medium resolution spectral imager II (MERSI-2) is a payload for the Chinese meteorological satellite Feng Yun 3 (FY-3). China's satellite remote sensing observation capabilities such as climate change research can be improved during MERSI-2's operation in orbit, and the sensor is the world's first imaging instrument that can obtain a global infrared split-window data with a spatial resolution of 250 m. We developed an operational spilt-window (SW) algorithm to retrieve land surface temperature (LST) accurately from the MERSI-2 data. The SW algorithm coefficients were derived from a simulation dataset that was established with the Moderate spectral resolution atmospheric Transmittance model version 5.2 and the thermodynamic initial guess retrieval dataset. In the practical retrieval, the precise algorithm coefficients were determined by view zenith angle and atmospheric water vapor content (WVC), the atmospheric WVC were obtained from the ERA5 dataset, and the land surface emissivity was dynamically estimated using the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer global emissivity dataset, considering the fractional of vegetation cover and snow cover. The retrieved LST compared with in situ LST, which was highly consistent with the in situ LST and that the root-mean-square error of the two is within 3 K. The retrieved LST was compared with the MYD11_L2 and MYD21_L2 LST products, and the results indicated that MERSI-2 LST was more consistent with the MYD21 LST. The operational SW algorithm for FY-3D MERSI-2 developed in this study could retrieve LST accurately and has a wide range of popularization and application values.

BackgroundMost children with congenital heart disease (CHD) require surgical repair, and postoperative rehabilitation is an essential step to restore the quality of life. The present study constructs and confirms the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth core set for children with congenital heart disease 1 year after surgery (ICF-CY-CHDS).MethodsFrom February 2021 to August 2021, 340 children aged 3–6 years after CHD surgery were evaluated using the ICF-CY-CHDS and analyzed using the Rasch model.ResultsThe final ICF-CY-CHDS contained 22 categories; it exhibited a nonsignificant χ2 test result for the item-trait interaction (χ2 = 6736.37, p = 0.8660, Bonferroni-adjusted p = 0.0023). The average severity of children was less than the average difficulty of categories (−2.26 logit

Takifugu rubripes is commonly subjected to the disease-causing bacterium, Vibrio harveyi. However, the mechanism involved in the immune response of T. rubripes to V. harveyi infection is unclear. We conducted a transcriptomic analysis of the spleen and gill from T. rubripes infected with V. harveyi. We obtained 60,981,357 and 60,760,550 clean reads from the control and infected spleens, and 57,407,586 and 57,536,651 clean reads from the control and infected gills, respectively. We also identified 1,560 and 1,213 differentially expressed genes in the spleen and gill, respectively. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the most enriched biological process in both the spleen and gill was “immune response”. The most enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes immune response–related pathways were the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway in the spleen and cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction in the gill. We found 10 candidate immune-related genes in the spleen and gill. These putative immune pathways and candidate genes will provide insight into the immune response mechanisms of T. rubripes against V. harveyi.

Temperature gradient zone melting (TGZM) method was used to obtain bulk Si continuously for the efficient separation and purification of primary Si from the Si-Al alloy in this work. The effects of alloy thickness, temperature gradient and holding time in TGZM purification technology were investigated. Finally, the continuous growth of bulk Si without eutectic inclusions was obtained. The results showed that the growth rate of bulk Si was independent of the liquid zone thickness. When the temperature gradient was changed from 2.48 K/mm to 3.97 K/mm, the growth rate of bulk Si was enhanced from 7.9×10–5 mm/s to 2.47×10–4 mm/s, which was increased by about 3 times. The bulk Si could grow continuously and the growth rate was decreased with the increase of holding time from 1 h to 5 h. Meanwhile, low refining temperature was beneficial to the removal of impurities. With a precipitation temperature of 1460 K and a temperature gradient of 2.48 K/mm, the removal rates of Fe, P and B were 99.8%, 94.0% and 63.6%, respectively.

Abstract Background Adaptive evolution is one of the crucial mechanisms for organisms to survive and thrive in new environments. Recent studies suggest that adaptive evolution could rapidly occur in species to respond to novel environments or environmental challenges during range expansion. However, for environmental adaptation, many studies successfully detected phenotypic features associated with local environments, but did not provide ample genetic evidence on microevolutionary dynamics. It is therefore crucial to thoroughly investigate the genetic basis of rapid microevolution in response to environmental changes, in particular on what genes and associated variation are responsible for environmental challenges. Here, we genotyped genome-wide gene-associated microsatellites to detect genetic signatures of rapid microevolution of a marine tunicate invader, Ciona robusta, during recent range expansion to the harsh environment in the Red Sea. Results The Red Sea population was significantly differentiated from the other global populations. The genome-wide scan, as well as multiple analytical methods, successfully identified a set of adaptive genes. Interestingly, the allele frequency largely varied at several adaptive loci in the Red Sea population, and we found significant correlations between allele frequency and local environmental factors at these adaptive loci. Furthermore, a set of genes were annotated to get involved in local temperature and salinity adaptation, and the identified adaptive genes may largely contribute to the invasion success to harsh environments. Conclusions All the evidence obtained in this study clearly showed that environment-driven selection had left detectable signatures in the genome of Ciona robusta within a few generations. Such a rapid microevolutionary process is largely responsible for the harsh environmental adaptation and therefore contributes to invasion success in different aquatic ecosystems with largely varied environmental factors.

Objectives Relevant guidelines and consensuses for COVID-19 contain recommendations aimed at optimising the management in paediatric wards. The goal of this study was to determine the quality of those recommendations and provide suggestions to hospital managers for the adjustment of existing hospital prevention and control strategies, and also to offer recommendations for further research.Design A rapid review of the guidelines and consensuses for the management in paediatric wards facing COVID-19.Methods PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, UpToDate, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang database and relevant websites such as medlive.cn, dxy.cn, the National Health and Health Commission and the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention were systematically searched through late May 2020. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool was then used to assess the quality of the selected articles and summarise the relevant evidence concerning management in paediatric wards.Results A total of 35 articles were included, composed of 3 consensus guidelines, 25 expert consensuses and 7 expert opinions. Of the 35 papers, 24 were from China, 2 from the USA, 1 from Spain, 1 from Brazil, 1 from Saudi Arabia and 6 from multinational cooperative studies. Scores for the six domains of the AGREE II tool (scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigour of development, clarity of presentation, applicability and editorial independence) were 98.57%, 53.57%, 17.92%, 69.62%, 26.96% and 50.35%, respectively. Recommendations for nosocomial infection and control, human resource management as well as management of paediatric patients and their families were summarised.Conclusions Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the quality of rapid guidelines and consensuses for the management in paediatric wards affected by COVID-19 is unsatisfactory. In the future, it will be necessary to develop more high-quality guidelines or consensuses for the management in paediatric wards to deal with nosocomial outbreaks in order to fully prepare for emergency medical and health problems.

Abstract Background Increased arterial stiffness (iAS) and microalbuminuria (MAU), which may occur simultaneously or separately in the general population and share similar risk factors, are markers of macro- and microvascular injuries. Our research investigated the comorbidity of iAS and MAU in the middle-aged population and examined the heterogeneous effects of metabolic risk factors on iAS and MAU. Methods We selected 11,911 individuals aged 45 to 60 years who underwent a health examination at the 3rd Xiangya Hospital between 2010 and 2014. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was determined according to IDF/NHLBI/AHA-2009 criteria. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to evaluate the influence of MetS, components of MetS and clusters of MetS on the co-occurrence (MAU(+)/iAS(+)) or non-co-occurrence (MAU(+)/iAS(−) and MAU(−)/iAS(+)) of MAU and iAS. Results Reference group was MAU(−)/iAS(−). A positive effect of MetS on the presence of MAU(+)/iAS(−), MAU(−)/iAS(+), or MAU(+)/iAS(+) is listed in ascending order based on odds ratios (ORs = 2.11, 2.41, 4.61, respectively; P

Although metabolic reprogramming and redox imbalance are widely reported to be involved in chemo-resistance in cancer treatment, much more attention was paid to anti-cancer drug induced effect. Our previous studies showed that cancer cells can develop P-gp overexpression-mediated intrinsic drug resistance in the formation of 3D MCF-7 multi-cellular layers (MCLs) without any drug induction. However, whether metabolic reprogramming and redox imbalance functioned during this progress remained unrevealed. In our present study, LC-Q/TOF-MS and GC-MS were used in combination for analysing intracellular metabolites. The contribution of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and its related redox status were checked by chemical interfering and silencing/over-expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). The downstream products of G6PD were assayed by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot and flow cytometry. Results showed that not only G6PD expression but also G6PD activity was significantly lowered along with 3D MCF-7 cells culture time. Impaired PPP disturbed redox-cycling, generated reactive oxygen species (ROS), which triggered cell cycle arrest and caused the switch to Chk2/p53/NF-κB pathway-mediated P-gp induction. Our results provided a new attempt to associate intrinsic small molecule metabolites (impaired PPP) communicating with cell signalling pathways through disturbed intracellular redox status to elucidate multi-cellular resistance (MCR) in 3D MCF-7 cells, which improved the understanding of the mechanisms of P-gp up-regulation in MCR with metabolomic and related redox status support.

Background: Betel quid chewing has been a major risk factor for oral cancer (OC) in southern China. This study aimed to analyze the scientific publications on the relationship between betel quid chewing and OC and construct a model to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate pertinent publications from 1998 to 2017. Methods: The publications from 1998 to 2017 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Microsoft Excel, Thomson Data Analyzer, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace software were used to analyze the publication outcomes, journals, countries/regions, institutions, authors, research areas, and research frontiers. Results: A total of 788 publications on the relationship between betel quid chewing and OC published until October 25, 2017, were identified. The top 4 related journals were Journal of Oral Pathology Medicine, Oral Oncology, Plos One, and International Journal of Cancer. The top five countries engaged in related research included China, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia. The corresponding disciplines, such as oncology, oral surgery, pathology, environmental and occupational health, and toxicology, were mainly concentrated in three disciplines. The subject terms squamous cell carcinoma, OC, betel quid, expression, oral submucous fibrosis, India, and p53 ranked first among research hotspots. The burst terms squamous cell carcinoma, OC, betel quid, and expression ranked first in research frontiers. Conclusions: Research in this area emphasized hotspots such as squamous cell carcinoma, OC, oral submucosal fibrosis, betel quid, and tobacco. The annual number of publications steadily decreased from 1998 to 2017, with a lack of a systematic study from interdisciplinary perspectives, inadequate pertinent journals, limited regions with the practice of betel quid chewing, and insufficient participation of researchers, which indicate that as the prevalence of OC increases, particularly in China, research in this area warrants further expansion.

Landfast ice is an integral component of the coastal ecosystem. Extracting the edge and mapping the extent of landfast ice are one of the main methods for studying ice changes. In this work, a standardized process for extracting landfast ice edge in the Baltic Sea using the InSAR coherence image is established with Sentinel-1 radar data and InSAR technology. A modified approach combining multiscale segmentation and morphological erosion is then proposed to provide a reliable way to extract landfast ice edge. Firstly, the coherence image is obtained using InSAR technology. Then, the edge is separated and extracted with the modified approach. The modified approach is essentially a four-step procedure involving image segmentation, median filter, morphological erosion, and rejection of small patches. Finally, the full extent of landfast ice can be obtained using floodfill algorithm. Multiple InSAR image pairs of Sentinel-1A acquired from 2018 to 2019 are utilized to successfully extract the landfast ice edge in the Gulf of Bothnia. The results show that the landfast ice edge and the extents obtained by the proposed approach are visually consistent with those shown in the ice chart issued by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) over a coastline length of 345 km. The mean distance between land–water boundary and the coastline issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is 109.1 m. The modified approach obviously preserves more details in local edge than the reference method. The experimental results show that the modified approach proposed in this paper can extract the edge and map the extent of landfast ice more accurately and quickly, and is therefore expected to contribute to the further understanding and analyzing the changes of landfast ice in the future.

Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the crucial parameters in the physical processes of the Earth. Acquiring LST images with high spatial and temporal resolutions is currently difficult because of the technical restriction of satellite thermal infrared sensors. Downscaling LST from coarse to fine spatial resolution is an effective means to alleviate this problem. A spatial random forest downscaling LST method (SRFD) was proposed in this study. Abundant predictor variables—including land surface reflection data, remote sensing spectral indexes, terrain factors, and land cover type data—were considered and applied for feature selection in SRFD. Moreover, the shortcoming of only focusing on information from point-to-point in previous statistics-based downscaling methods was supplemented by adding the spatial feature of LST. SRFD was applied to three different heterogeneous regions and compared with the results from three classical or excellent methods, including thermal image sharpening algorithm, multifactor geographically weighted regression, and random forest downscaling method. Results show that SRFD outperforms other methods in vision and statistics due to the benefits from the supplement of the LST spatial feature. Specifically, compared with RFD, the second-best method, the downscaling results of SRFD are 10% to 24% lower in root-mean-square error, 5% to 20% higher in the coefficient of determination, 11% to 25% lower in mean absolute error, and 4% to 17% higher in structural similarity index measure. Hence, we conclude that SRFD will be a promising LST downscaling method.

Abstract Plant JAZ (Jasmonate ZIM-domain) proteins play versatile roles in multiple aspects of plant development and defense. However, little is known about the JAZ family in allotetraploid upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) so far. In this study, 30 non-redundant JAZ genes were identified in upland cotton through genome-wide screening. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 30 proteins in cotton JAZ family are further divided into five groups (I – V), and members in the same group share highly conserved motif structures. Subcellular localization assay demonstrated that GhJAZ proteins are localized in the cell nucleus. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that GhJAZs display different expression patterns in cotton tissues, and most of them could be induced by Jasmonic (JA). Furthermore, some GhJAZ genes are preferentially expressed in cotton ovules and fibers, and showed differential expression in ovules of wild type cotton and fiberless mutant (fl) during fiber initiation. GhJAZ proteins could interact with each other to form homodimer or heterodimer, and they also interacted with some JA signaling regulators and the proteins involved in cotton fiber initiation. Collectively, our data suggested that some GhJAZ proteins may play important roles in cotton fiber initiation and development by regulating JA signaling as well as some fiber-related proteins.

The oxidation of amines to imines is an important chemical transformation. In this article, we report original data on the synthesis of carbon doped WO3−x ultrathin nanosheets via an acid-assisted one-pot process, which exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity in the aerobic oxidation of amines to corresponding imines under visible light irradiation at room temperature. The composition, microstructure, morphology, photocatalytic activity of the corresponding samples and possible mechanism are included here.The data are related to “Oxide Defect Engineering Enables to Couple Solar Energy into Oxygen Activation” (Zhang et al., 2016). Keywords: Ultrathin nano-sheet, Photocatalytic activity, Aerobic oxidation

Aim. Patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have at least 60% probability of having an autoimmune extrahepatic condition, with the most common being Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). The impacts of SS on the response and outcomes in ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)-treated patients with PBC, however, remain unclear. The aim of this study was to document the biochemical responses and clinical outcomes of UDCA-treated patients with concomitant SS and to compare the findings to those of patients with PBC alone. Methods. Data from consecutive patients with PBC who visited West China Hospital affiliated with Sichuan University between October 2013 and October 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Results. The study populations consisted of 226 patients with PBC alone and 56 with PBC/SS. The median ages, proportions of female patients, Fib-4 scores, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/platelet ratio index (APRI) at baseline in the two cohorts were similar. At presentation, patients with PBC/SS had higher serum IgG levels and positive rates for serum antinuclear antibody (ANA) than patients with PBC alone (all P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the rate of biochemical response to UDCA at 1 year in the PBC/SS and PBC alone groups. The UK-PBC risk scores and GLOBE scores in UDCA-treated patients in the two cohorts were also similar. During the follow-up period, the differences in the liver enzyme levels, Fib-4 scores, APRI, and incidence of liver-related adverse events were not significant. Conclusions. The results of this retrospective, single-center study suggest that the response and clinical outcomes of UDCA-treated patients with PBC are not adversely affected by concomitant SS.

Detailed mapping of landfast ice deformation can be used to characterize the rheological behavior of landfast ice effectively and to improve sea ice modeling subsequently. In order to analyze the characteristics, trends and causes of deformation comprehensively and accurately, the Sentinel-1A ascending and descending orbits data were used to detect the horizontal and vertical deformation of the fast ice in the Baltic Sea. Firstly, the fast ice edge lines were acquired through feature extraction with interferometric coherence images and SAR amplitude images. Then, the deformation transformed model was constructed according to the geometric relationship of multi-orbits deformation measurements. Finally, the landfast ice deformations were resolved and the horizontal and vertical deformations were obtained. The results showed that the maximum deformation was—44 cm in horizontal direction and 16 cm in vertical direction within the fast ice region of 960 km2 during the time from 2 to 16 February 2018. The southwest wind was the principal reason for the deformation, which made the deformation mainly occur in the horizontal direction from east to west. Moreover, the inner fast ice kept stable due to the protection of outer consolidated ice. The results showed that the deformation trend and characteristics can be better understood by using InSAR technology that was combined with multi-orbits SAR data to resolve and analyze the landfast ice deformation.

In the past decades, many improved car-following models based on the full velocity difference (FVD) model have been developed. But these models do not consider the acceleration of leading vehicle. Some of them consider individual anticipation behavior of drivers, but they either do not quantitatively determine the types of driving or artificially divide the driving types rather than deriving them from actual traffic data. In this paper, driver’s driving styles are firstly categorized based on actual traffic data via data mining and clustering algorithm. Secondly, a new car-following model based on FVD model is developed, taking into account individual anticipation effects and the acceleration of leading vehicle. The effect of driving characteristics and leading vehicle’s acceleration on car-following behavior is further analyzed via numerical simulation. The results show that considering the acceleration of preceding vehicle in the model improves the stability of traffic flow and different driving characteristics have different influence on the stability of traffic flow.

This paper proposes a heuristic method for optimization of reactive power compensation. Firstly, two fuzzy sets of node voltage and cost savings are formed. The compensation location with the greatest compensation suitability is obtained by fuzzy reasoning. Considering the operation modes of several different loads, the mathematical model of reactive power compensation optimization is established, and fuzzy multi-objective optimization is adopted. The method solves the fixed and variable compensation capacity, and calculates the compensation capacity for each existing compensation position cycle until the change does not occur. The above process is repeated until the new compensation position is no longer saved, and finally all the compensation positions, capacity and total savings can be obtained. The example analysis shows the effectiveness and practicability of the method.

An algorithm was proposed to predict privacy information in social network with public information. This al-gorithm detected communities in the friend relationship network and inferred privacy information using public informa-tion of some friends. The results show that users' privacy information can be estimated with high accuracy when given only a little public information.

Chinese nursing education levels have developed fast over the past few years. Many nursing educators are devoted to the research of nursing teaching. How to cultivate nursing students, creative thinking is one of the principle researches and has received increasing attention. In the course of nursing teaching, we renewed the teaching design based on the empirical education from nursing basics as follows. The teaching contents are enlarged to make students establish a sense of nursing development and dynamic study. The traditional teacher-centered teaching methods have been replaced by diversified students-centered methods from knowledge to activities. Evaluation of learning effect is developed to be a versatile comprehensive evaluation including students' self-evaluation in accord with the multimedia teaching, group-evaluation in theoretical and discussion classes, and teachers' all-around evaluation. The new teaching design have embodied students' principal role and enhanced their abilities of creative thinking.

A series of two-dimensional (2D) spin-crossover coordination polymers (SCO-CPs) [FeII(TPE)(NCX)2]·solv (1: X = BH3, solv = H2O·2CH3OH·DMF; 2: X = Se, solv = H2O·2CH3OH·0.5DMF; 3: X = S, solv = H2O·2CH3OH·0.5DMF) were synthesized by employing 1,1,2,2-tetra(pyridin-4-yl)ethene (TPE) and pseudohalide (NCX-) coligands. Magnetic measurements indicated that complexes 1-3 exhibited SCO behaviors with diminishing thermal hysteresis (7/4/0 K) upon decreasing the ligand-field strength. The critical temperatures (Tc) during spin transition were found to be inversely proportional to the coordination ability parameters (a™) with a linear correlation. The guest effect was also investigated in the solvent-exchanged phases 1-SE/2-SE/3-SE wherein the DMF molecules were replaced by methanol molecules. Compared with 1-3, 1-SE/2-SE/3-SE displayed more abrupt and complete single-step SCO behaviors but narrower thermal hysteretic loops. The results reported here demonstrate that the Tc values of these two families were dominated by the ligand-field strength of the NCX- anions (NCBH3 > NCSe > NCS), whereas the guest effect only modulated the kinetic factor of the SCO nature in this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]