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Green concrete (GC) was developed for realizing sustainable development, recycling waste materials, and reducing environmental pollution. For the practical use of GC, various harmful materials must blocked from entering its cracks and pores; and its strength and durability must be improved. The use of an inorganic coating material (ICM) for GC effectively prevents the intrusion of harmful materials and repairs the concrete. ICMs can reduce the permeability and increase the durability of concrete. This study investigated GC, construction waste, and ICMs and used recycled sand and gravel as well as construction waste as substitutes for cement. The results indicate that the coarse aggregate substitution, water-binder ratio, and recycled fine aggregate substitution must be controlled suitably in GC. Furthermore, the coating layer, fine aggregate substitution, and aging of the ICM mut be controlled suitably. GC with an ICM showed poorer performance than conventional concrete, mainly because of the high porosity. Nonetheless, the ICM somewhate reduces the porosity and resists the penetration of chloride ions, thereby promoting concrete quality.

Objective:To evaluate age-related differences in the independent/combined association of added sugar intake from soda and body adiposity with hyperuricaemia in gender-stratified US adults.Design:Consumption of added sugar from soda was calculated from 24-h dietary interviews and categorised into none, regular and excessive consumption. Hyperuricaemia was defined as serum uric acid levels >417 mmol/l in men and >357 mmol/l in women. Multiple regression models with interaction terms and logistic models adjusted for covariates were conducted under survey-data modules.Setting:National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2007–2016.Participants:15 338 adults without gout, failing kidneys, an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 or diabetes were selected.Results:The age-stratified prevalence rate of hyperuricaemia was 18·8–20·4 % in males and 6·8–17·3 % in females. Hyperuricaemia prevalence of approximately 50 % was observed in young and middle age males who consumed excessive added sugar from soda. Excessive added sugar intake was observed to be associated with 1·5- to 2·0-fold and 2·0- to 2·3-fold increased risk of the probability of hyperuricaemia in young and middle age males and middle age females, respectively. Study participants, regardless of age or gender, who were obese and consumed excessive added sugar from soda had the highest risk of having hyperuricaemia.Conclusions:Our study revealed that the association between hyperuricaemia and consumption of excessive added sugar from soda may vary by age and gender. Obese adults who consumed excessive added sugar from soda had the highest risk of hyperuricaemia, a finding that was found across all age-specific groups for both genders.

Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was to investigate the efficacy of interferon (IFN)-β-containing regimens in treating patients with COVID-19. Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to July 17, 2021. RCTs comparing the clinical efficacy and safety of IFN-β-containing regimens (study group) to other antiviral treatment options or placebo (control group) in treating patients with COVID-19 were included. Results : Eight RCTs were included. No significant difference in the 28-day all -cause mortality rate was observed between the study and control groups (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.44-1.24; I2 = 51%). The study groups had a lower rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions than the control groups (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.95; I2 = 0%). Furthermore, INF-β was not associated with an increased risk of any adverse event (AE) or serious AE when compared with the control group. Conclusions IFN-β does not appear to provide an increased survival benefit in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, but may help reduce the risk of ICU admission. Moreover, IFN-β is a safe agent for use in the treatment of COVID-19.

The accumulation of copper tailings in China has reached 2.4 billion tons, with much, and the comprehensive use rate was only 8.2%. Natural river sand was a non-renewable in a short time. Natural river sand distribution has strong regional limits. This study was focused on prepared C30 concrete pavement with copper tailings as fine aggregate. It could not only ease the pressure of natural sand shortage but also improve the comprehensive use rate of copper tailings and reduce environmental pollution. The range of copper tailings particles was 0.15–0.075 mm, which belongs to ultra-fine sand. There were still obvious differences between copper tailing and natural sand in compositions, shape, and particle grading. In this study, copper tailings were mixed with natural river sand as fine aggregates to mix the mixture of C30 concrete. The particle graduation and MB value of mixed sand after replacement of 30 wt.% and 100 wt.% copper tailings in river sand were conducted. The effect of 0 wt.%, 30 wt.%, and 100 wt.% replacement rate on the mechanical properties of C30 concrete, dry shrinkage performance, resistance to sulfate erosion durability were studied and evaluated. The experimental results show that: 30 wt.% and 100 wt.% mixed sand has more fine aggregate, poor grading, and the measured MB value is greater than 1.4. With the increase of the content of copper tailings, the dry shrinkage rate increased to 15.94 μm, and the compressive strength decreased by 55.7%.

Head-up displays (HUDs) have already penetrated into vehicle applications and demand keeps growing. Existing head-up displays have their image fixed at a certain distance in front of the windshield. New development could have two images displayed at two different yet fixed distances simultaneously or switchable upon request. The physical distance of HUD image is associated with the accommodation delay as a safety issue in driving, and could also be a critical parameter for augmented reality (AR) function. In this paper, a novel architecture for HUD has been proposed to make the image distance continuously tunable by exploiting the merit of both holographic and geometrical imaging. Holographic imaging is capable of changing image position by varying the modulation on a spatial light modulator (SLM) without any mechanical movement. Geometrical imaging can easily magnify longitudinal image position with short depth of focus by using large aperture components. A prototype based on liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) SLM has demonstrated the capability of changing image position from 3 m to 30 m verified with parallax method.

This paper presents a corrosion assessment of copper spent nuclear fuel disposal canisters in crystalline rock, using hydrogeological modeling. A simplified approach is considered, to avoid complex and time-consuming computer simulations. This simplified case is presented as a base case, with changes in the hydrogeological parameters presented as variant cases. The results show that in Taiwan’s base case, decreasing the hydraulic conductivity of the rock or decreasing the hydraulic conductivity of dikes results in a shorter transport path for sulfide and an increase in corrosion depth. However, the estimated canister failure time is still over one million years in the variant cases.

BACKGROUND China is the largest tobacco producer and has the highest number of tobacco consumers in the world. Extensive research has demonstrated ways that social media can assist in quitting smoking. WeChat is the most commonly used social media platform in China; however, it has not yet been used for smoking cessation interventions. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of a WeChat-based smoking cessation intervention; and (2) to examine a possible synergistic effect of integrating oral health and smoking-related information into a tailored, Transtheoretical Model (TTM) guided smoking cessation intervention. METHODS Eligible adults were recruited through WeChat from July 1 to August 6, 2019, to participate in a 3-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. 403 participants were enrolled and randomized into three groups: Standard Group (smoking cessation intervention only, n=136), Enhanced Group (smoking cessation + oral health education interventions, n=136), or Waitlist Group (delayed smoking cessation intervention, n=132). The intervention was delivered through WeChat with total of three weeks. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires at baseline and follow-up assessments as well as process evaluation at each intervention week. The primary outcome was Stage of Change, and the secondary outcomes were 7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence (PPA), 24-hour PPA, daily cigarette use, and nicotine dependence at 4 weeks follow-up after intervention comparing intervention groups and control group. The overall attrition rate was 46%. Paired t-tests, McNemar tests, and linear and logistic regression were used to examine differences in smoking cessation outcomes within and between groups. RESULTS Compared to baseline, at follow-up, all groups experienced smokers had significantly greater reduction in nicotine dependence scores (Standard: 1.8; Enhanced: 1.9, and Waitlist: 0.4). At 4-week follow-up, compared to the Waitlist Group, smokers from the Enhanced Group and the Standard Group had significantly lower nicotine dependence scores, lower daily cigarette use, and were more likely to have stage of change progression movement. Participants in Enhanced Group (β=-1.28, 95%CI: -2.13, -0.44) and the Standard Group (β=-1.13, 95%CI: -1.95, -0.30) also reported larger change in nicotine dependence score, compared to participants in the Waitlist Group. CONCLUSIONS This WeChat-based intervention was overall effective for smoking cessation, with enhanced cessation when additionally incorporating an oral health education intervention. Future smoking cessation programs should consider inclusion of oral health education. More broadly, in light of continued social distancing, WeChat could be considered as a platform for smoking cessation and other behavioral interventions.

This research proposes an emotion recognition system that lies on mimicking the human auditory perception model based on two-stage auditory module, including the early stage, and the cortical stage. It stimulates the output auditory spectrogram of the early stage by MFCCs feature extraction, employs Gabor filter banks as spectral-temporal analysis in the cortical stage, and embeds CNN structure in the final stage to refine and fusion pattern of features. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the existing methods in speech emotion recognition.

The recycling of SiC sludge material is crucial for resource reutilization and environmental protection. In the current study, the effect of the mass ratio between the Na2SiO3 and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions (NS/SS ratio) and the effect of SiC sludge on metakaolin geopolymers was comprehensively investigated to determine the underlying performance of the geopolymerization system. During thermal evolution, the second exothermic peak of 1.6NS10SCS (NS/SS ratio: 1.6, 10% SiC sludge) showed a heat evolution value of 990.6 W/g, which was the highest among other geopolymers. Additionally, the 1.6NS10SCS sample after 28 days of curing showed the highest flexural strength (6.42 MPa), compared to that of the others, and the DTA/TG (differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetry) results showed that the weight loss percentage increased to 14.62% from 400 to 750 &deg, C. For the 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance deconvolution, 1.6NS10SCS exhibited high fractions of Q4(3Al) (33.63%), Q4(2Al) (23.92%), and Q4(1Al) (9.70%). Thus, the geopolymer with the optimal SiC-sludge replacement level and NS/SS ratio contained more macropores and geopolymer gels, which benefit structural development. The experimental results indicated that SiC-sludge can potentially serve as a partial replacement for metakaolin and exhibited favorable mechanic characteristics.

This meta-analysis assessed the association between vitamin D supplementation and the outcomes of critically ill adult patients. A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase databases until March 21, 2020. We only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation with placebo in critically ill adult patients. The primary outcome was their 28-day mortality. Overall, 9 RCTs with 1867 patients were included. In the pooled analysis of the 9 RCTs, no significant difference was observed in 28-day mortality between the vitamin D supplementation and placebo groups (20.4% vs 21.7%, OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.46–1.15; I2 = 51%). This result did not change as per the method of vitamin D supplementation (enteral route only: 19.9% vs 18.2%, OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.88–1.57; I2 = 10%; intramuscular or intravenous injection route: 25.6% vs 40.8%, OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.21–1.06; I2 = 19%) or daily dose (high dose: 20.9% vs 19.8%, OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.51–1.36; I2 = 53%; low dose: 15.6% vs 21.3%, OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.32–1.68; I2 = 0%). No significant difference was observed between the vitamin D supplementation and placebo groups regarding the length of ICU stay (standard mean difference [SMD], − 0.30; 95% CI, − 0.61 to 0.01; I2 = 60%), length of hospital stay (SMD, − 0.17; 95% CI, − 041 to 0.08; I2 = 65%), and duration of mechanical ventilation (SMD, − 0.41; 95% CI, − 081 to 0.00; I2 = 72%). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that the administration of vitamin D did not provide additional advantages over placebo for critically ill patients. However, additional studies are needed to confirm our findings.

In this paper, we present a 24 Mbit/s visible light communication (VLC) system based on red light emitting diode (LED). For VLC systems, intensity modulation with direct detection (IM/DD) is widely used, which means that the transmitted signal must be nonnegative and real-valued. In this system, we implemented the DCbiased optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DCOOFDM) architecture and solved the synchronization problem in OFDM systems. In addition, the least square (LS) algorithm is used to estimate channel response. We add partial transmit sequence (PTS) and clipping method to reduce the problem of high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in OFDM system. Bit error rates (BER) is zero under 15 cm free space transmission.

Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigated whether the clinical efficacy of a 5-day antibiotic course is comparable to that of a longer (≥7 d) course for treating adults with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Methods The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase. were searched before January 18, 2020. RCTs comparing the efficacy of a 5-day antibiotic course with a longer course (≥7 d) for CABP treatment were included. Primary outcomes included the clinical response, microbiological response, and risk of adverse events (AEs). Results In this meta-analysis, 7 RCTs were included, and the 5-day antibiotic courses group, and a longer course group comprised 1499 and 1522 patients, respectively. The difference in the overall clinical response rates between the 5-day and longer courses (88.3% vs 88.8%, odds ratio [OR], 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70–1.28, I2 = 19%) was nonsignificant. Additionally, the microbiological eradication rates did not differ significantly between the groups, at 94.8% and 95.8% in the 5-day and longer courses groups, respectively (OR, 0.84, 95% CI, 0.38–1.87, I2 = 0%). Finally, all-cause mortality did not differ between the 2 groups (OR, 0.91, 95% CI, 0.31–2.66, I2 = 0%). Conclusions Five-day treatment and longer antibiotic courses for CABP yield similar clinical and microbiological responses and exhibit similar safety profiles.

There are considerable resource reuse and environmental concerns regarding SiC sludge (SiCS) that results from cutting silicon ingots into wafers. In the current study, the effect of the Na2SiO3 solution/sodium hydroxide solution (NS/SS) mass ratio and SiCS amount on metakaolin geopolymers was found during geopolymerization system performance. The results indicate that while NS/SS ratio was relatively low, increasing the NaOH content resulted in a sufficient amount of OH&minus, in the system to increase the solubility and hinder polycondensation, as indicated by the bulk density and setting-time results, since the polycondensation was inhibited, the mechanical strength was reduced. This study demonstrated that a geopolymer can be formed from a substitution of 10% SiCS and with an NS/SS ratio of 1.6, and that this geopolymer is a feasible material.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Objectives: This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI)/acute pyelonephritis (APN). Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO (Elton B. Stephens Co.), Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase databases were accessed until November 21, 2019. In this meta-analysis, only randomized controlled trials comparing the treatment efficacy of novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations with other antibiotics for cUTI/APN in adult patients were included. The outcomes included the clinical and microbiological responses, and risk of adverse events (AEs). Results: Overall, the experimental group treated with a novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination and the control group comprised 1346 and 1376 patients, respectively. No significant difference in the clinical response rate at test-of-cure was observed between the novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination and comparators among the microbiological modified intent-to-treat population (89.1% vs 88.3%, OR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76–1.42; I2 = 28%) and the microbiologically evaluable population (95.2% vs 94.7%, OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.68–1.84; I2 = 0%). Additionally, the novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination was associated with a better microbiological response at test-of-cure than the comparators among the microbiological modified intent-to-treat population (74.4% vs 68.5%, OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04–1.72; I2 = 45%) and microbiologically evaluable population (80.1% vs 72.5%, OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.06–2.10; I2 = 58%). Finally, the risk of AEs associated with the novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination was similar to that associated with the comparators (treatment-emergent adverse events [TEAE], OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.87–1.23; I2 = 19%; serious AEs, OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.82–1.76; I2 = 0%; treatment discontinuation for drug-related TEAE, OR, 077; 95% CI, 0.38–1.56, I2 = 5%). The all-cause mortality did not differ between the novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination and comparators (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.37–3.81; I2 = 0%). Conclusions: The clinical and microbiological responses of novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations in the treatment of cUTI/APN are similar to those of other available antibiotics. These combinations also share a safety profile similar to that of other antibiotics.

This study was aimed to investigate calcium fluoride sludge waste resource reuse, and explore the feasibility of calcium fluoride sludge in cement-based materials used to replace the cement. The mechanical properties and durability of cement-based materials containing calcium fluoride sludge were performed using resistance test, absorption test, initial surface absorption tests, dry shrinkage test, compressive strength test, mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy observation. The results indicated that partially replacing cement with calcium fluoride sludge improved the compressive strength, permeability and pore-structure, as well as 10% replacement of cement seems to give superior mechanical properties and durability due to the denser microstructures. Such dense microstructures observed in scanning electron microscopy images and narrow pore size distribution determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry.

Background An elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proven as a vital predictor of progression and mortality for prostate cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for increasing NLR. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of smoking on NLR among prostate cancer survivors. Methods A total of 354 men adults aged ≥20 years old with prostate cancer were analyzed using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2016 data. The primary outcome was NLR, which was classified into two levels: high (≥3) and low (1, 34.7%), and longer years after diagnosis (8.8 years) compared to counterparts with a low NLR. Smoking status did not have a significant impact on NLR. The interaction test between race and smoking status was significant (P=0.04). Non-Hispanic black who were current smokers were observed more likely to have high NLR than never smokers [adjusted odds ratio (OR) =3.69, 95% CI: 1.36–9.99]. However, the effect of smoking on NLR was not observed among either non-Hispanic whites or other races. Conclusions Non-Hispanic black prostate cancer survivors who were a current smoker were more likely to have NLR ≥3 compared to non-smokers. Smoking cessation could benefit these patients in prostate cancer management and reduce the risk of progression and mortality.

We investigated the vapor–solid–solid growth of Si nanowires from Ni silicides on Si(111), Si(110), and GaN substrates. The morphology and structures of Si on these substrates are distinct, and are dependent on substrate lattices and an epitaxy process during growth. The sidewall facets and epitaxy of silicides and Si were discussed. In addition, Si grown on GaN nanowires was investigated which led to the formation of branched nanowire structures. The Si nanowires/nanodots lie on the surface of GaN nanowires to maintain lower system energy. We manipulated the whole process in a UHV and studied the crystal growth of Si on different lattice substrates. Meanwhile, the process which occurred in a non-UHV led to less regularity on the NiSi2 crystal facets and interface epitaxy between NiSi2 and Si nanowires.

This study aims to investigate the material factors that affect the degree of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures and develop an integrating evaluation model. Also, the durability indices were generated using the analytic hierarchy process for the overall durability assessment of structures, which corresponded to the durability grades referred as the maintenance, reinforcement, or demolishment. The status of concrete includes compressive strength, resistance coefficient, concrete cracks, honeycomb and spalling. And the reinforcement status includes corrosion potential, corrosion current, chloride ion content, neutralization depth and protective layer thickness. Durability indicators were determined through the findings on the structural inspection process of reinforced concrete structures and the evaluation methods related to materials testing and industry standards. Case studies were also presented to illustrate the methodology of the assessment system. The durability methodology can be summarized as the comprehensive evaluation methods considering the earthquake potential factors, structural factors, environmental factors, and material deterioration factors.

The vigorous promotion of reuse and recycling activities in Taiwan has solved a number of problems associated with the treatment of industrial waste. Considerable advances have been made in the conversion of waste materials into usable resources, thereby reducing the space required for waste storage and helping to conserve natural resources. This study examined the use of non-alkali activators to create bonded materials. Our aims were to evaluate the feasibility of using ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (S) and circulating fluidized bed co-fired fly ash (F) as non-cement binding materials and determine the optimal mix proportions (including embedded fibers) with the aim of achieving high dimensional stability and good mechanical properties. Under a fixed water/binder ratio of 0.55, we combined S and F to replace 100% of the cement at S:F ratios of 4:6, 5:5, 6:4. Polypropylene fibers (L/d = 375) were also included in the mix at 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.5% of the volume of all bonded materials. Samples were characterized in terms of flowability, compressive strength, tensile strength, water absorption, shrinkage, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Specimens made with an S:F ratio of 6:4 achieved compressive strength of roughly 30 MPa (at 28 days), which is the 80% the strength of conventional cement-based materials (control specimens). The inclusion of 0.2% fibers in the mix further increased compressive strength to 35 MPa and enhanced composite properties.

Constant-on-time (COT) control with an additional current feedback path in conventional buck converters can remove the need of large equivalent series resistance (ESR) at the output capacitor but it induces degraded output voltage regulation accuracy and slow transient response owing to opposite reaction between the output voltage and the additional current feedback information. Therefore, this paper proposes the pseudowave tracking (PWT) technique to reduce the load-dependent dc offset voltage of output load regulation while keeping the fast transient response similar to conventional COT buck converter with large ESR. The PWT technique further improves the transient response instantly by extending on-time and off-time periods during light-to-heavy and heavy-to-light load changes, respectively. The test chip fabricated in 28 nm CMOS process has demonstrated the improvement of offset voltage from 42 to 4 mV, while the transient response can be improved to 4 and 5 μs with load changes from 0.3 to 1.7 A and vice versa, respectively.

The outcome of species interactions may manifest differently at different spatial scales; therefore, our interpretation of observed interactions will depend on the scale at which observations are made. For example, in ladybeetle–aphid systems, the results from small‐scale cage experiments usually cannot be extrapolated to landscape‐scale field observations. To understand how ladybeetle–aphid interactions change across spatial scales, we evaluated predator–prey interactions in an experimental system. The experimental habitat consisted of 81 potted plants and was manipulated to facilitate analysis across four spatial scales. We also simulated a spatially explicit metacommunity model parallel to the experiment. In the experiment, we found that the negative effect of ladybeetles on aphids decreased with increasing spatial scales. This pattern can be explained by ladybeetles strongly suppressing aphids at small scales, but not colonizing distant patches fast enough to suppress aphids at larger scales. In the experiment, the positive effects of aphids on ladybeetles were strongest at three‐plant scale. In a model scenario where predators did not have demographic dynamics, we found, consistent with the experiment, that both the effects of ladybeetles on aphids and the effects of aphids on ladybeetles decreased with increasing spatial scales. These patterns suggest that dispersal was the primary cause of ladybeetle population dynamics in our experiment: aphids increased ladybeetle numbers at smaller scales because ladybeetles stayed in a patch longer and performed area‐restricted searches after encountering aphids; these behaviors did not affect ladybeetle numbers at larger spatial scales. The parallel experimental and model results illustrate how predator–prey interactions can change across spatial scales, suggesting that our interpretation of observed predator–prey dynamics would differ if observations were made at different scales. This study demonstrates how studying ecological interactions at a range of scales can help link the results of small‐scale ecological experiments to landscape‐scale ecological problems.

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) has been widely considered a useful tool for evaluating decision making. Several derivatives of MCDA, including AHP, ANP, DANP, have been implemented in previous studies to construct real-world applications. However, literature combining a systematic introduction on methodological developments of MCDA with an empirical implementation in promoting technology through intermediaries is still rare. To fill in this gap, this paper begins with introducing the methodological development of MCDA to set out an analytical framework, namely DANP for the empirical analysis. Consequently, this paper applied DANP to analyze multiple determinants and five dimensions that we summarized from existing literature to find out the key determinants and the interdependent relationship for promoting the emerging sector through institutional intermediaries. While conducting empirical implementation, 33 experts from major intermediaries involved in promoting the biotechnology sector were visited. 7 out of 33 of these experts were further visited for interview to verify our analysis. Based on our MCDA analysis, we found that government policies and regulations are the most influential determinates while promoting emerging sectors through intermediaries. This paper contributes to the literature in several ways including highlighting methodological improvements of DANP, improving approaches on empirical data collection, and implementing an empirical MCDA analysis by applying an influential network relation map (INRM) to construct useful policy suggestions for real-world applications.

The aim of this article was to analyze the fracture behavior of geopolymer composites based on fly ash or metakaolin with fine aggregate and river sand, with three types of reinforcement: glass, carbon, and aramid fiber, at three different temperatures, approximately: 3 °C, 20 °C, and 50 °C. The temperatures were selected as a future work temperature for composites designed for additive manufacturing technology. The main research method used was bending strength tests in accordance with European standard EN 12390-5. The results showed that the addition of fibers significantly improved the bending strength of all composites. The best results at room temperature were achieved for the metakaolin-based composites and sand reinforced with 2% wt. aramid fiber—17 MPa. The results at 50 °C showed a significant decrease in the bending strength for almost all compositions, which are unexpected results, taking into account the fact that geopolymers are described as materials dedicated to working at high temperatures. The test at low temperature (ca. 3 °C) showed an increase in the bending strength for almost all compositions. The grounds of this type of behavior have not been clearly stated; however, the likely causes of this are discussed.

OBJECTIVES Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and insulin resistance (IR) are clinical parameters associated with cardiometabolic diseases. The mediating and modifying roles of IR on children's susceptibility to cardiometabolic disorders are undetermined. This study investigated the mediating and modifying effects of the homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) on the relationship between the serum RBP4 level and clustering of pediatric cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS We assessed the diet, physical activity, cardiometabolic risk factors, and clinical parameters of 272 randomly selected adolescents from a large-scale cross-sectional study (n = 2727). Two HOMA-IRs (HOMA1-IR and HOMA2-IR) were used to evaluate the designated effects. RESULTS Levels of serum RBP4 positively correlated with the levels of the 2 HOMA-based-IRs, and HOMA-IR correlated to all components of pediatric metabolic syndrome (MetS), the number of abnormal components, and a body-weight-weighted principal component score extracted from 12 cardiometabolic risk factors. Increased RBP4 levels had positive effects on waist circumference (WC), triglyceride, and the number of abnormal MetS components (0.310 cm, 1.384 μg/dL, and 0.021 item elevations, respectively), and the HOMA-IRs explained 17.7% to 21.9%, 11.8% to 27.6%, and 23.8% to 25.0% of these effects. The association of WC and the number of abnormal MetS components with the serum RBP4 level was enhanced by higher HOMA-IR (β for interaction, 0.13 and 0.01 for HOMA1-IR, and 0.32 and 0.02 for HOMA2-IR, respectively). CONCLUSIONS HOMA-IR is associated with the circulating RBP4 level and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents. Pediatric HOMA-IR may have mediating and modifying effects on the positive correlations between RBP4 and the clustering of MetS components.

In this study, we coated fine recycled concrete aggregate (FRCA) with fly ash, slag, or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (viscosity: 44–50 cps), replaced 25% of the natural fine aggregate in concrete with the coated FRCA, and examined the durability and microscopic properties of the flesh concrete and hardened concrete. We then examined the effects of the various types of coating as well as the thickness on the properties of concrete. Our test results indicate that coating FRCA with fly ash or PVA increases the workability of the fresh concrete, whereas slag coatings slightly reduce the workability. Slag coatings increased the compressive strength, splitting strength, and durability of specimens to a greater degree than do fly ash or PVA coatings, regardless of the water-cement ratio. Furthermore, thicker coatings were shown to produce better results. Scanning electron microscopy images and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests verified that specimens containing FRCA coated with slag resulted in superior engineering properties.

Most previous experiments conducted on water-saturated clay-rich gouges sheared under extreme deformation conditions (including seismic slip rates e.g., 1 m/s, and displacements exceeding several meters) relied on gouge confinement using Polytetrafluoroethene (Teflon). Use of Teflon restricts such experiments to low normal stresses (≤2 MPa), which represents a significant limitation in our understanding of earthquake physics and seismic hazard assessment. To understand how normal stress and fluid affect the frictional behavior and deformation processes of clay-rich slipping zones, we performed rotary shear experiments using a purpose-built sample holder on water-saturated kaolinite gouges at a slip rate of 1 m/s and normal stresses ranging from 2 to 18 MPa. Results show that the apparent friction coefficient, μ, increases up to a peak value, μp, of ~0.17–0.46, associated with marked gouge compaction. This is followed by dramatic weakening with increasing displacement to a steady-state value, μss, ~0.02–0.26 accompanied by gouge dilation. In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy show that clay aggregates within the gouge layer have a random fabric and do not experience mineral phase changes. On the basis of temperature measurements made during the experiments combined with a thermo-hydro-mechanical model, our results suggest that pore fluids within the gouge layer were mainly in liquid form during shearing. We conclude that dramatic weakening of kaolinite gouges at seismic rates under impermeable conditions is due to thermal pressurization, resulting in fluidization of the gouges. Our new experimental approach could be used to better understand earthquake physics and frictional processes of geological and civil interest.

Exploration to maximize CT image and reduce radiation dose was conducted while controlling for multiple factors. The kVp, mAs, and iteration reconstruction (IR), affect the CT image quality and radiation dose absorbed. The optimal protocols (kVp, mAs, IR) are derived by figure of merit (FOM) based on CT image quality (CNR) and CT dose index (CTDI vol ). CT image quality metrics such as CT number accuracy, SNR, low contrast materials’ CNR and line pair resolution were also analyzed as auxiliary assessments. CT protocols were carried out with an ACR accreditation phantom and a five-year-old pediatric head phantom. The threshold values of the adult CT scan parameters, 100 kVp and 150 mAs, were determined from the CT number test and line pairs in ACR phantom module 1and module 4 respectively. The findings of this study suggest that the optimal scanning parameters for adults be set at 100 kVp and 150–250 mAs. However, for improved low- contrast resolution, 120 kVp and 150–250 mAs are optimal. Optimal settings for pediatric head CT scan were 80 kVp/50 mAs, for maxillary sinus and brain stem, while 80 kVp /300 mAs for temporal bone. SNR is not reliable as the independent image parameter nor the metric for determining optimal CT scan parameters. The iteration reconstruction (IR) approach is strongly recommended for both adult and pediatric CT scanning as it markedly improves image quality without affecting radiation dose.

Bioactive glass (BG) is a potential material for treating dentin hypersensitivity owing to its high solubility. In this study, we synthesized 80S-BG bioactive glass samples using a sol–gel technique and mixed with various hardening agents. The obtained material could be used in human dentinal dentinal tubule occlusions. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements were employed to investigate the physiochemical properties and dentinal dentinal tubule occlusion efficiency by mixing the 80S bioactive glass (80S-BG) with various hardening agents. The major crystallite phase obtained on mixing 80S-BG with phosphoric acid (PA) was Ca(H 2 PO 4 ) 2 ·H 2 O. The mixture of 80S-BG powders and 20, 30, or 40 wt% PA acted as a hardening agent and achieved a dentinal tubule penetration depth of 30.7–62.6 µm. 80S-BG on mixing with suitable PA agents exhibited a short reaction time and good operability, making it feasible for use in occluding dentinal tubules. 80S-BG mixed with hardening agents exhibited a greater potential for treating dentin hypersensitivity as compared to the 80S-BG not mixed with any hardening agents.

Literature maintains that the role of universities has shifted from pure knowledge dissemination organisations into the key intermediaries of technology commercialisation, especially in the case of the developing emerging high-tech sector (Etzkowitz, Webster, Gebhardt, & Terra, 2000; Vallas & Kleinman, 2008). To further explore the dynamic role of the universities interacting with the other actors in the innovation system, this paper examines the changing roles of the universities that have actively interacted with the biotechnology industry in Taiwan from 2000 to 2012. Combining social network analysis and interview data on a longitudinal dataset gathered from 125 IPO biotechnology firms, this paper aims to explore the R&D collaboration networks between the universities and the other actors in the biotechnology sectoral innovation system to understand how universities make use of knowledge exchanged with other parties to shape society while developing emerging industries. The involvement rate of academia in the knowledge transfer networks appears to have increased since 2000 but more can be done to spur scalable action after 2008, and therefore association with other similar evolving areas. Moreover, the participation of foreign collaboration is one which needs some attention. The finding of this paper sheds light on the changing role of academia in developing emerging technologies in technology followers, while the innovation ecosystem is ready for academia-industry collaboration, universities not only take charge of disseminating knowledge but also serve as the major intermediaries in the process of commercialising science and technologies developed through the universities. Future policies may need to boost more partaking between the universities and industries by motivating the transmission of knowledge capital through encouraging technology commercialisation in academia.

Background/Purpose To investigate the clinical manifestations and bacteriological features of culture-proven, Gram-negative bacterial arthritis. Methods This study was conducted at the Chi Mei Medical Center, a 1300-bed teaching hospital located in southern Taiwan. Patients with synovial fluid cultures positive for Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) during the period January 2009 to May 2014 were identified from the hospital's computerized microbiology database. Results During the study period, a total of 48 patients with culture-confirmed, GNB septic arthritis were identified. In the majority of patients ( n = 33, 68.8%), the knee was the most commonly involved joint. The most common causative pathogen was Pseudomonas spp. ( n = 16, 33.3%), followed by Escherichia coli ( n = 13, 28.1%). Among the 29 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae, eight (27.6%) were resistant to ceftriaxone and six (20.7%) were resistant to cefpirome. Three E. coli isolates and three Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producers ( n = 6, 20.7%). Among the nonfermenting GNB (NFGNB), 21.1% were resistant to ceftazidime, 21.1% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 26.3% were resistant to piperacillin-tazobactam, and 15.8% were resistant to imipenem. The overall mortality rate was 10.4%, and the significant risk factors for death were concomitant bacteremia [odds ratio (OR): 14.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9–115.2, p = 0.011] and liver cirrhosis (OR: 20.0, 95% CI: 2.4–169.9, p = 0.006). Conclusion Approximately 25% of cases of septic arthritis were due to GNB and resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents was common. Liver cirrhosis and concomitant bacteremia were significant risk factors for death.

Waterborne polyurethane resins (WPUs) were synthesized with polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG), dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), triethylamine (TEA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) as the raw materials of polyol, internal emulsifier, isocyanate, neutralizer and chain extender, respectively. The NCO/OH molar ratios used for the pre-polymerization were set as 1.6/1, 1.8/1 and 2.0/1. Furthermore, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was added to the WPUs to prepare the WPU/silica organic-inorganic hybrids by the sol-gel process. The characteristics of WPUs prepared with different NCO/OH molar ratios, and the properties of WPU and WPU/silica films were investigated. The results show that WPUs prepared with higher NCO/OH molar ratios have suspensions with lower viscosity, smaller average particle size and smaller average molecular weight, and lead the films to have more urea and amide structure, better solvent resistance, higher tensile strength, modulus and break energy, lower molecular chain activity, and smaller damping peak height, but weaker thermal resistance. The network structure of silica can limit the activity of the soft-segment, increase the stiffness of the hard-segment and enhance the thermal resistance of WPUs films.

In the present study, we evaluated the effects of using co-fired fly ash (waste product of paper making) and water-quenched slag (waste product of iron smelting) in the manufacture of cementitious materials (CM). Rapid chloride permeability results revealed that less charge passes through CM than through ordinary Portland cement (OPC), indicating the superior durability of CM. However, the results of water permeability testing led to the opposite conclusion. Absorption capacity results revealed that the durability of CM is lower than that of OPC. Previous studies have shown that the strength of CM is only 70% that of OPC. This is a clear indication that CM containing co-fired fly ash and slag should not be used for primary structures, i.e., its use should be limited to secondary structures such as bricks or PC-based materials.

In this study, it investigated the effects of adding a mixture of circulating fluidized bed co-fired fly ash and bottom ash on controlled low-strength material (CLSM). Experiment variables were as follows: (1) mixing of co-fired fly ash, cement, and pulverized coal fly ash in various proportions to evaluate the effectiveness of using co-fired fly ash as cementitious material in CLSM; (2) mixing of bottom ash and natural fine aggregate in various proportions to evaluate the effectiveness of using bottom ash mixture as aggregates in CLSM. The water-cement ratio of CLSM was fixed at 0.85. Assessments were conducted using a lump flow test, flow consistency test, ball drop test, chloride ion measurement, compression strength test, and length change test. Test results indicate the following: (1) increasing the replacement ratio of co-fired fly ash and bottom ash decreases flowability; (2) the addition of co-fired ash (containing chlorine), with bottom ash increases the amount of chloride ions in CLSM; (3) the addition of co-fired fly ash reduces setting time; (4) the CaO, SiO2, and Al2O3 in co-fired fly ash and bottom ash increase the compressive strength of CLSM; (5) the CaO contained in the mixture of co-fired fly ash and bottom ash causes CLSM to expand.

The main objective of this article is to develop ceramic-based materials for additive layer manufacturing (3D printing technology) that are suitable for civil engineering applications. This article is focused on fly ash-based fiber-reinforced geopolymer composites. It is based on experimental research, especially research comparing mechanical properties, such as compressive and flexural strength for designed compositions. The comparison includes various composites (short fiber-reinforced geopolymers and plain samples), different times of curing (investigation after 7 and 28 days), and two technologies of manufacturing (casted and injected samples&mdash, simulations of the 3D printing process). The geopolymer matrix is based on class F fly ash. The reinforcements were green tow flax and carbon fibers. The achieved results show that the mechanical properties of the new composites made by injection methods (simulations of 3D technology) are comparable with those of the traditional casting process. This article also discusses the influence of fiber on the mechanical properties of the composites. It shows that the addition of short fibers could have a similar influence on both of the technologies.

Conventional cementitious materials as tunnel supporting materials are utilised in the construction of the final repository for spent nuclear fuel. However, the use of cementitious material releases alkaline ions from pH12 to pH13 plumed into groundwater. Such a high pH is detrimental to the performance of the bentonite functioning, which may possibly enhance the dissolution and alteration of the fracture buffer and filling materials. Instead, low-pH cementitious materials are being developed for use in geological repositories. This study is aimed at evaluating the usability of low-pH cementitious materials containing 40% silica fume or composites blended with 20% silica fume and 40% fly ash. Engineering properties were analysed and verified through experimental research using the flow, compressive strength, pH measurement and hydraulic conductivity. Test results show that the replacement level with 40% of silica fume or 20% of silica fume and 40% of fly ash was suitable for the mixture of low-pH cementitious. Compared to the compressive strength and water permeability of ordinary cementitious, those of low-pH cementitious enhanced better engineered performances at the age of 91 days. The information is contributed us to establish the long-term durability and environmental requirements of disposal repositories in Taiwan.

This study aims to investigate the binding properties of co-fired fly ash (CFFA) in paste and mortar specimens. Paste specimens containing various CFFA proportions (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% by weight of cement) were conducted and evaluated using setting time tests, water demand tests and compressive strength tests. Mortar specimens containing various CFFA and Pulverised coal fly ash (PCFA) proportions (10%, 20%, 30% by weight of cement) were also conducted and compared with regard to flowability and compressive strength. The test results indicated that the water demand increased as the amount of CFFA replacement increased on the flow level at 110±3%; this is due to the higher ignition loss (L.O.I.). Higher L.O.I. values mean that there are more unburned carbon particles in the CFFA and that most of these carbon particles are porous. The compressive strength of mortar specimens decreased as the amount of CFFA replacement increased. Compared to the chemical compositions of cement (C3S, C2S), the main components of CFFA (Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, CaO) have lower crystalline strength and compactness. Therefore, the higher amount of CFFA replacement would inevitably cause a reduction of the cement contents of specimens, thereby reducing the compressive strength of the mortar specimens. Thus, an appropriate amount of superplasticiser and CFFA replacement in the mixture is useful with regard to the binding properties of cementitious materials.

Asbestos is widely known as a hazardous material and can contribute to many diseases. Its removal and neutralization are complicated, it requires proper preparation and the use of appropriate technology. Immobilization of asbestos materials in geopolymers seems to be one of the alternatives to its storage in landfills. However, this requires several studies confirming the possibility of asbestos immobilization in geopolymers. Also, asbestos dust contains silicon and aluminum, which may prove useful in the production of geopolymers. The paper presents research results regarding the possibility of using geopolymers based on fly ashes for neutralizing asbestos. An up-to-date literature review on the technology of managing asbestos-containing products is presented. As a result of the research, partial usefulness of geopolymerization technology for binding and neutralizing waste with asbestos was found. The research was carried out using waste asbestos-cement composites. Mixtures based on geopolymers were made in which ground asbestos material was introduced in an amount of 30, 50 and 70% by weight. Compressive strength tests have shown that geopolymers with the addition of asbestos have compressive strength: over 34 MPa for a composition containing 30% of asbestos material and about 14 MPa for a composition containing 70% of asbestos material. SEM observations have shown that asbestos fibers do not dissolve in the geopolymer production process and they can still be a threat if the geopolymer matrix is damaged.

Objectives Work is often a barrier for women to continue breastfeeding after they have given birth. Breastfeeding support is an important part of workplace health promotion. We investigated the implementation of breastfeeding promotion and gender equality polices in workplaces with the Taiwan Badge of Accredited Healthy Workplace. Methods Our samples consisted of 1648 corporations with the badge of Accredited Healthy Workplace issued by the Bureau of Health Promotion from 2007 to 2008. Concomitantly, 2000 corporations without accreditation were randomly selected from the National Business Directory as the control group. Data were collected from self‐administered questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to examine the association with breast‐feeding promotion and other variables in Taiwanese workplaces. Results Members of accredited group of 1089/1648 (66.1%) and the control group of 526/2000 (26.3%) responded to the questionnaire. The accredited companies had more mother‐friendly settings, including breastfeeding policies and documents, appropriate breastmilk preserving equipment and settings in the workplace. In the accredited group, breastfeeding rate of mothers returning to work after giving birth was 64.3% in 2008 (1 year after giving birth) and 60.4% in 2009 (1 year after giving birth), while the rate of the control group was 59.1% in 2008 and 51% in 2009. Conclusion Accredited corporations are better at breastfeeding support than those of the control group. This might be related to the company size, location, and the implementation of tobacco control and/or occupational health promotion policies, which may increase awareness of healthy workplaces and influence maternal protection positively.

Recently, many people around the world have been concerned with environmental protection and sustainability. The goal of various countries&rsquo, research has been focused on how to regenerate existing resources. Circulation fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) technology is one of the emerging combustion technologies for electricity generation and produces more than 800,000 tons of CFBC fly ash (CFA) per year for combustion. CFA has been widely applied in cement additive, new building materials and cement-based materials. The goal of this study was to discuss the engineering properties of roller-compacted concrete containing CFA. Test subjects included compressive strength, flexural strength, absorption, setting time, unit weight, sulfate resistance, SEM microscopic observations and XRD ingredient analysis. Test results indicate the following: (1) using CFA as a substitute of fine aggregates up to 10 wt.% would improve the development of later flexural strength, (2) the increases in pre-pressure would increase the compressive strength and unit weight and decrease absorption, (3) using CFA would reduce the initial setting time by 30%&ndash, 60% and reduce the final setting time by 16%&ndash, 20%, (4) using CFA would reduce the absorption, (5) using CFA would reduce the unit weight by 0.5%&ndash, 2.8%, and the increases in pre-pressure would increase the unit weight by about 0.9%&ndash, 2.1%, (6) CaO in CFA helps to improve sulfate resistance, (7) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation shows that the increases in pre-pressure would reduce the pores, and (8) X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the inclusion of CFA would increase the content of Ca(OH)2 in concrete.

The appropriate timing for initiating renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) remains unknown. This meta-analysis aims to assess the efficacy of early initiation of RRT in critically ill patients with AKI. The Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched up to August 13, 2019. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of early and late RRT on AKI patients were included. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Eleven RCTs including 1131 and 1111 AKI patients assigned to early and late RRT strategies, respectively, were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The pooled 28-day mortality was 38.1% (431/1131) and 40.7% (453/1111) in the patients assigned to early and late RRT, respectively, with no significant difference between groups (risk ratio (RR), 0.95; 95% CI, 0.78–1.15, I2 = 63%). No significant difference was found between groups in terms of RRT dependence in survivors on day 28 (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.67–1.25, I2 = 0%), and recovery of renal function (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.89–1.19, I2 = 56%). The early RRT group had higher risks of catheter-related infection (RR, 1.7, 95% CI, 1.01–2.97, I2 = 0%) and hypophosphatemia (RR, 2.5, 95% CI, 1.25–4.99, I2 = 77%) than the late RRT group. In conclusion, an early RRT strategy does not improve survival, RRT dependence, or renal function recovery in critically ill patients with AKI in comparison with a late RRT strategy. However, clinicians should be vigilant because early RRT can carry higher risks of catheter-related infection and hypophosphatemia during dialysis than late RRT.

This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of novel tetracyclines for treating acute bacterial infections. Data from PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane databases, Ovid Medline, and Embase databases were accessed until 11 July 2019. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of novel tetracyclines with that of other antibiotics for treating acute bacterial infections were included. Primary outcomes included the clinical response, microbiological response, and risk of adverse events (AEs). A total of eight RCTs were included, involving 2283 and 2197 patients who received novel tetracyclines and comparators, respectively. Overall, no significant difference was observed in the clinical response rate at test of cure between the experimental and control groups (for modified intent-to-treat [MITT] population, risk ratio [RR]: 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99&ndash, 1.05, for clinically evaluable [CE] population, RR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00&ndash, 1.04, and for microbiological evaluable [ME] population, RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99&ndash, 1.04). No significant difference in the microbiological response at the end of treatment was observed between the experimental and control groups (for ME population, RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99&ndash, 1.03, for microbiological MITT population, RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.96&ndash, 1.07). No difference was observed concerning the risk of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), serious adverse events, and discontinuation of treatment due to TEAEs and all-cause mortality between the two groups. In conclusion, clinical efficacy and safety profile for novel tetracyclines in the treatment of acute bacterial infections were found to be similar to those for other available antibiotics.

OBJECTIVES: Optimal dosage regimens of colistin for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) are unknown. Colistimethate sodium (CMS), the inactive prodrug of colistin, is mainly excreted in urine and converts to colistin after filtration by glomeruli, suggesting that concentrations of colistin in urine could be much higher than in plasma. Therefore, there is a need to optimize dosage regimens of intravenous CMS for UTI. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between AUC/MIC of formed colistin and clinical outcomes in patients with UTI caused by extremely drug resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS: This prospective, observational cohort study involved patients with UTI caused by XDR P. aeruginosa. Clinical cure, bacteriological clearance and acute kidney injury (AKI) were analyzed. Steady-state colistin plasma concentrations (C(ss)) were measured using HPLC. Based on the PK/PD of colistin in neutropenic mouse thigh infection model with P. aeruginosa, the optimal AUC/MIC should be ≥60 mg·h/L. According to the pharmacokinetics (PK) in critically-ill patients, the C(ss) target of formed colistin in plasma was 2.5 mg/L. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were included (24 lower UTI and 9 pyelonephritis). The MIC(50) and MIC(90) values for colistin were 0.5 and 2 mg/L respectively. Nineteen patients (57.6%) received colistin monotherapy (84.2% UTI and 15.8% pyelonephritis). Of these, clinical cure was achieved in 89.5% of cases. Among patients with clinical cure, only 5 (29.4%) attained an optimal plasma AUC/MIC and only 1 (5.9%) the therapeutic level of formed colistin (2.5 mg/L). However, 10 (58.8%) patients showed colistin plasma concentrations above the MIC of the isolated P. aeruginosa. Microbiological eradication was achieved in 76.9% of patients. AKI at the end of treatment was present in 29.4% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The currently recommended dosage regimens of CMS showed high efficacy for the treatment of lower complicated UTI caused by XDR P. aeruginosa in non-critically ill patients and in the case of low MIC values, but also a considerable nephrotoxicity rate. Our data suggest that the use of lower CMS doses for lower UTI should be investigated in future studies to minimize the unnecessary nephrotoxicity.

This work proposes an emotion recognition system by adopting facial expression and speech tonality on deep learning networks. Both convolutional neural networks and long short term memory networks are used for feature training. The two features can be trained together to acquire higher accuracy. Moreover, Structure Evolution which is inspired by the Genetic Algorithm is added to optimize the parameters in the model. The experimental results show the joint model optimized by Structure Evolution surpasses the single model by at least 10% and outperforms the state-of-the-art work over 1%.

This paper presents a position sensorless drive system design for a Brushless DC motor (BLDCM). The rotor position of BLDCM is based on the detection circuit of back electromotive force (back EMF). The circuit senses the terminal voltage difference to provide the same rotor information and sequence as that by the Hall sensors. However, there are abnormal and unbalance characters in the original captured signals by the back EMF detection circuit, the resulting signals from the circuit cannot directly be used to provide the same functions as the Hall sensor signals in a wide operation speed range. This paper hence deals with the problems of the use by back EMF detection circuit, and proposes the compensation methods realized by the DSP to improve the quality of the rotor position signals and the performances of the resulting drive system. The proposed drive system is tested under several speed conditions. Through the experimental results by demonstrating the current responses with and without the compensation being added, the improved system shows that the performances of the proposed sensorless drive system are better on the power dissipation and with symmetric current responses. The resulting drive system is suitable for the use of battery powered electric vehicle.

Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) exhibits an intriguing polymorphic nature, showing stable semiconducting 2H and metallic 1T′ phases at room temperature. Polymorphism in MoTe2 presents new opportunities in developing phase-change memory, high- performance transistors, and spintronic devices. However, it also poses challenges in synthesizing homogeneous MoTe2 with a precisely controlled phase. Recently, a new yet simple method using sputtering and 2D solid-phase crystallization (SPC) is proposed for synthesizing high-quality and large-area MoTe2. This study investigates the polymorphism control of MoTe2 synthesis using 2D SPC. The Te/Mo ratio and oxygen content in the as-sputtered films correlate strongly with the final phase and electrical properties of SPC MoTe2. Furthermore, the SPC thermal budget may be exploited for stabilizing a deterministic phase. The comprehensive experiments presented in this work demonstrate the versatile and precise controllability on the MoTe2 phase by using the simple 2D SPC technique.

Continuity of care (COC) is a core element of primary care, which has been associated with improved health outcomes. Hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are potentially preventable if these conditions are managed well in the primary care setting. The aim of this article is to conduct a systematic review of literature on the association between COC and hospitalizations for ACSCs.Systematic literature review.All published literature was searched for in PubMed and MEDLINE using PRISMA guidelines for collecting empirical studies. Studies published in English between 2008 and 2017 that measured the association between COC and at least 1 measure of ACSC hospitalizations were included in this review.A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and applied claims data to examine the association between COC and ACSC hospitalizations. Most studies (93.3%) demonstrated a statistically significant association of higher COC in the outpatient setting with reduced likelihood of hospitalization for either all ACSCs or a specific ACSC. A strong association was observed among studies focusing on patients with a specific ACSC. Additionally, most studies used the Bice-Boxerman COC index to measure COC and measured COC before a period of measuring ACSC hospitalizations.This systematic review identified that increased COC in outpatient care is associated with fewer hospitalizations for ACSCs. Increasing COC is favorable for patients who are managing a specific ACSC.