Search

Sulfur reduction in freshwater ecosystems has previously been considered as negligible because of often very low sulfate concentrations and generally low sulfate reducing capacity in freshwater sediments. In this study, seasonal variations on three types of sediments from central lake, dredged and algae accumulated areas in a eutrophic lake in China, Lake Taihu, were investigated. The high temperature in summer and the accumulation of algae are conducive to the reduction processes in freshwater lake sediments. Iron reduction was observed as the major anaerobic process in all types of sediments, while sulfate reduction was weak in central and dredged lake areas. However, strong sulfate reduction with increase of sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfides generation (119.5 ± 0.2 μmol L−1) was found in surface sediments in algae accumulated areas. Based on the results of Fe reduction rate and the quantity of Fe reducing bacteria, extensive sulfate reduction in algae accumulated sediments inhibited the microbial Fe reduction, and the ΣS2−-mediated chemical Fe reduction (SCIR) dominated instead. Iron was principally stored in the sediments as Fe sulfide compounds, which weakened the rebinding of phosphorus and stimulated phosphorus mobilization. Therefore, attention should be paid to the alteration of Fe cycling and phosphorus mobility caused by the SCIR in algae accumulated sediments and the consequent effects on the eutrophication of freshwater lakes.

Increasing evidences indicate that high-risk HPV variants are heterogeneous in carcinogenicity and ethnic dispersion. In this work, we identified genetic signatures for convenient determination of lineage/sublineage of HPV16, 18, 52 and 58 variants. Using publicly available genomes, we found that E2 of HPV16, L2 of HPV18, L1 and LCR of HPV52, and L2, LCR and E1 of HPV58 contain the proper genetic signature for lineage/sublineage classification. Sets of hierarchical signature nucleotide positions (SNPs) were further confirmed for high accuracy (>98%) by classifying HPV genomes obtained from Chinese females, which included 117 HPV16 variants, 48 HPV18 variants 117 HPV52 variants and 89 HPV58 variants. The circulation of HPV variants posing higher cancer risk in Eastern China, such as HPV16 A4 and HPV58 A3, calls for continuous surveillance in this region. The marker genes and signature nucleotide positions may facilitate cost-effective diagnostic detections of HPV variants in clinical settings.

To explore the intestinal toxicity of microplastic fibers, zebrafish larvae and adults were exposed to different length of microplastic fibers (50 ± 26 μm and 200 ± 90 μm). After exposure, microplastic fibers were observed in the gut of zebrafish even at the early life stage, causing length-dependent intestinal damage and toxicities manifested by histopathological changes and biomarker responses. Long microplastic fibers induced more serious effects. They significantly decreased the food intake of zebrafish by 54 %-67 % compared with short microplastic fibers. Metabolomics was conducted to further reveal the metabolic alterations induced by microplastic fibers in zebrafish. A total of 124 and 123 metabolites were significantly changed by short and long microplastic fibers. At the meanwhile, 41 significantly changed metabolites were shared between short and long fibers treatment groups and were further investigated to reveal the influence of fiber length on the toxicity. The results demonstrate that microplastic fibers can up-regulate glycerophospholipids metabolism which exacerbates oxidative damage and inflammation and down-regulate fatty acyls metabolism related to nutritional deficiency. These novel findings enhance our understanding of the intestinal toxicity of microplastic fibers and demonstrate that metabolomics is powerful to unravel the underlying mechanisms of microplastics (MPs) toxicity.

To investigate the feasibility of lung ultrasound in evaluating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and distinguish the sonographic features between COVID-19 and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), a total of 12 COVID-19 patients and 20 CAP patients were selected and underwent lung ultrasound. The modified Buda scoring system for interstitial lung disease was used to evaluate the severity and treatment effect of COVID-19 on ultrasonography. The differences between modified lung ultrasound (MLUS) score and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) Warrick score were analyzed to evaluate their correlation. COVID-19 showed the following sonographic features: thickening (12/12), blurred (9/12), discontinuous (6/12) pleural line; rocket sign (4/12), partially diffused B-line (12/12), completely diffused B-line (10/12), waterfall sign (4/12); C-line sign (5/12); pleural effusion (1/12) and pulmonary balloon (Am line, 1/12). The last two features were rarely seen. Differences of ultrasonic features, including lesion range, lung signs and pneumonia-related complications, between COVID-19 and CAP were statistically significant (p ˂ 0.05 or 0.001). MLUS scores (p = 0.006) and HRCT Warrick scores (p = 0.015) increased as the severity of COVID-19 increased. The differences between moderate (29.00 [25.75–37.50]) and severe (43.00 [38.75–47.25]) (p = 0.022) or between moderate and critical (47.50 [44.25–50.00]) (p = 0.002) type COVID-19 were statistically significant, compared with those between severe and critical types. Correlation between MLUS scores and HRCT Warrick scores was positive (r = 0.54, p = 0.048). MLUS scores (Z = 2.61, p = 0.009) and HRCT Warrick scores (Z = 2.63, p = 0.009) of five severe or critical COVID-19 patients significantly decreased as their conditions improved after treatment. The differences of sonographic features between COVID-19 and CAP patients were notable. The MLUS scoring system could be used to evaluate the severity and treatment effect of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND Filamin A and filamin B were involved in vascular development and remodeling. Herein, it is important to explore the associations of FLNA and FLNB variants with hypertension and stroke. METHODS The associations of two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at FLNA and five SNPs at FLNB with hypertension and stroke were examined in two case-control studies and a cohort study in Chinese Han population. Risks were estimated as odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) by Logistic and Cox regression analysis respectively. In addition, filamin B, FLNA and FLNB mRNA expression were measured. RESULTS In the case-control study of hypertension, FLNA rs2070816 (CT + TT vs. CC) and rs2070829 (CG + GG vs. CC) were significantly associated with hypertension in

COVID-19 has caused a major epidemic worldwide, however, much is yet to be known about the epidemiology and evolution of the virus. One reason is that the challenges underneath sequencing HCoV-19 directly from clinical samples have not been completely tackled. Here we illustrate the application of amplicon and hybrid capture (capture)-based sequencing, as well as ultra-high-throughput metatranscriptomic (meta) sequencing in retrieving complete genomes, inter-individual and intra-individual variations of HCoV-19 from clinical samples covering a range of sample types and viral load. We also examine and compare the bias, sensitivity, accuracy, and other characteristics of these approaches in a comprehensive manner. This is, to date, the first work systematically implements amplicon and capture approaches in sequencing HCoV-19, as well as the first comparative study across methods. Our work offers practical solutions for genome sequencing and analyses of HCoV-19 and other emerging viruses.

BACKGROUND Somatosensory changes in Chinese temporomandibular disorders (TMD) arthralgia patients have not been fully studied by the latest technologies. OBJECTIVE This study aims at assessing somatosensory changes in Chinese TMD arthralgia patients quantitatively. METHODS Standardised quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed on the pain sites and contralateral sites of 40 patients diagnosed with TMD arthralgia according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) before and after medication; similar measures were taken in 40 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Differences within and between groups were assessed through Z-scores, two-way ANOVA and loss/gain coding system. RESULTS The pain sites of patients presented increased sensitivity to thermal stimuli and mechanical pain stimuli together with decreased sensitivity to mechanical tactile stimuli before medication (P

Additional file 2: Fig. S1. Normalized coverage across SARS-CoV-2 genomes of serial dilutions of the cultured isolate sequenced by multiple approaches. Fig. S2. Sanger sequencing results of SNVs in clinical samples. Fig. S3. Box-plot of allele frequencies against SARS-CoV-2 genome copies per mL. Fig. S4. Taxonomy of clinical samples by unbiased metatranscriptomic sequencing. Table S2. Capture sequencing data summary of serial dilutions of the cultured isolate and eight SARS-CoV-2 positive clinical samples collected from Guangzhou (PE100). Table S3. Amplicon sequencing data summary of serial dilutions of the cultured isolate and eight SARS-CoV-2 positive clinical samples collected from Guangzhou (SE400). Table S4. Estimated minimum amount of sequencing data required to achieve ≥10X sequencing depth and ≥ 95% coverage for different methods. Table S5. Estimated minimum amount of sequencing data required to achieve high-confidence variants calling analyses for different methods. Table S6. Bioinformatic tools and parameters used in this study.

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adiponectin gene polymorphisms rs10937273, rs1501299, rs182052, rs2241767, and rs266729 and environmental risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Hohhot. The study explored different models of gene-environment interactions, aimed at providing approaches for the prevention and control of T2DM in combination with the characteristics of the local population. Methods. A case-control study was conducted including 406 Chinese participants, comprising 203 cases and 203 controls from various hospitals. Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene polymorphisms rs10937273, rs1501299, rs182052, rs2241767, and rs266729 were detected using an improved multiple ligation detection reaction technique. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) and logistic regression were conducted to analyze the associations between adiponectin gene polymorphisms and T2DM, as well as the interactions between adiponectin gene polymorphisms and environmental factors. Results. ADIPOQ gene polymorphisms rs10937273, rs1501299, rs182052, rs2241767, and rs266729 were associated with type 2 diabetes. Based on the haplotype of the five adiponectin gene single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci, we found that G-G-A-A-C was a susceptible haplotype of T2DM (P<0.05). Interaction analyses demonstrated associations between rs1501299 and central obesity (consistency=80%, P=0.011) and between rs266729 and rs182052 and central obesity (consistency=70%, P=0.011). Conclusions. Our findings indicate that there is an interaction between the ADIPOQ gene and central obesity, which provides new insights into the prevention and treatment of T2DM.

RF cavity which establishes an electric field to accelerate the charged particles is one of the most critical and complicated components in cyclotron. When the cavity is in a high-power operation, there will be a high temperature in RF cavity due to its own thermal loss. And it will cause mechanical deformation and frequency deviation to cavity. Those series of factors may influence the performances of cavity negatively. In this paper, thermal situation of RF cavity has been analyzed during high-power operation, and some optimizations are made to improve thermal performance. Frequency deviation of cavity is simulated through multi-physics analysis. Moreover, a low-power ( ∼ 20 kW) test has verified the thermal consideration, and the performances of prototype cavity in high-power operation which are estimated comply with the design goal.

We study network anomaly detection problem with subgraph search and vertex classification techniques in Chung-Lu networks, where small anomalous networks are embedded in background networks. The general detectors traditionally utilize the spectral characteristics of whole networks to decide whether the anomalous networks exist or not. Moreover, many algorithms model the background networks with special random graphs, such as Erdős–Renyi random graphs. However, these methods may not achieve good detection performance because the spectral information of anomalous networks extracting from the relational data of the whole networks is subtle. Furthermore, the assumptions of the models limit the applications of the methods. In order to improve the detection capability of algorithms and relax the restriction of the background networks models, we develop two preprocessing approaches, referred to as subgraph search and vertex classification, and propose two detection algorithms, which can be applicable to the generalized network model (Chung-Lu random graph). By leveraging statistic features of priori data, the subgraph search method can obtain local network nodes that are more anomalous than the remainder. Moreover, the vertex classification is used to further distinguish the anomalous nodes from the local ones. And then, by using the relational data corresponding to the local nodes, the detection statistics are constructed to detect the anomalous network. Additionally, based on concentration of measure theory, the probability bounds of performance analysis are derived for the presented algorithms. Simulation examples are provided to illustrate that the proposed detectors can achieve better detection performance than the existing algorithms.

RF window which serves as a barrier between the vacuum and air sides is a very important device for RF cavity of cyclotron. But the performances of a basic RF window are not good in impedance matching characteristics and service life. In this paper, two kinds of RF window are developed to improve performances from three candidate designs as impedance matching optimization, thermal consideration during RF operation, and multipactor effect analysis. The multiple comparisons indicate that one of the designed RF windows is far better than the others, and a low-power test has verified its impedance matching characteristic. This optimal RF window may be widely used in other low energy cyclotron and similar devices.

To control the water pollution in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), a series of measures have been enacted in recent years. The efficacy of these measures on water quality improvement is, however, currently unknown. To evaluate the variation of water quality in response to the pollution control measures in the PRE during the last decade (2008&ndash, 2017), our study conducted a long-term monitoring program of estuarine water in the representative city Guangzhou that targeted fecal coliform (F. Coli), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), potassium permanganate index (CODMn), petroleum, total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH3&ndash, N) and total phosphorus (TP). In the last decade, F. Coli, BOD5, CODCr and CODMn, petroleum and NH3&ndash, N have shown a significant reduction by 78.8%, 50.9%, 37.5%, 18.9%, 75.0% and 25.0%, respectively. In contrast, TN and TP remained stable. Water quality index calculations indicated that the water quality was elevated from the marginal&ndash, fair level to the good level, particularly after 2012. The biochemical pollutants and nutrients in the estuarine water most likely originated from the upper river due to the wastewater discharge, fecal pollution and agricultural input. The success of pollutant reduction could thus be attributed to industrial upgrading and relocation, as well as the improvement of the sewage treatment system in Guangzhou. However, efficient approaches to reduce TN pollution should be implemented in the future.

Well-oriented Sm-doped SnO2 nanoarrays were synthesized by a one-pot substrate-free hydrothermal route. The surface defect of the SnO2 nanorods caused by the Sm ions doped into the SnO2 lattice was investigated. The gas-sensing properties indicated that the Sm-doped SnO2 nanoarrays with optimized doping level of 1.50 at% exhibited an excellent sensing response toward isopropanol at a lower temperature. The enhancement response of the Sm-doped SnO2 nanoarrays was discussed.

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is a traditional auxiliary heating method applied to EAST. However, the antenna load will oscillate violently with the change of plasma parameters in the ICRF heating. But fast ferrite branch technology (FFT) can be used to achieve real-time impedance matching by controlling the bias magnetic field of FFT to adjust its equivalent electric length. So an excitation coil power supply is developed to satisfy the requirement of fast and stable change of FFT bias magnetic field. In the power supply design, the method of Pulse Width Modulation is used to achieve rapid real-time conversion of current, and to meet the needs of rapid power conversion. The paper introduces general design of PWM power supply, front DC power supply, energy storage filter circuit and constant current circuit of H bridge sequentially. And an experiment is set on the FFT excitation coil current changing with the control signal, indicating that the rapid real-time current conversion can be achieved.

Background/Aims: Gastric neuroendocrine tumors (G-NETs) are uncommon neoplasms that can present with or without clinical symptoms. In this study, we evaluated the incidence, prognosis, and temporal trends of G-NETs. Methods: We analyzed all cases of G-NETs registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1973 to 2014. Incidence was estimated by age and joinpoint analyses. Survival rates were calculated and survival trends over time were evaluated. Results: A total of 3740 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. G-NETs incidence increased from 0.31 per 1 000 000 patients in 1975 to 4.85 in 2014, with an annual percentage changes (APCs) of 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.7% to 10.21%, P < 0.001, t test (29) from 1975 to 2001 and 3.6% from 2002 to 2014 (95% CI= 2.3% to 4.9%, P < 0.001). For cases diagnosed between 1973 and 1982, five-year survival was 62.8% ± 7.0% (Standard error, SE) and increased to 86.7% ± 0.7% for cases diagnosed between 2003 and 2012 (P < 0.001). Years of diagnosis, gender, age at diagnosis, marital status, grade, tumor size, tumor stage, and surgery performed or not were the strongest predictors of worse survival in both univariate and multivariate analysis (P

The Ion Cyclotron Radio Frequency (ICRF) heating antenna on EAST adopts a decoupling device to constrain power coupling among the radiation straps, which was discovered shortcomings such as long size, poor contact, and etc. In order to improve these weak points, a new type decoupler with terminal-loaded tunable capacitor is designed to replace the previous design. Besides the capability of the tunable admittance parameters of decoupler, the withstand voltage of the capacitor is the most significant consideration for working under high power. Therefore, the theoretical analysis carefully elaborates the capacitor withstand voltage, and the detailed analytical equations and criteria for design are given. After the comparative analysis of theoretical calculation and 3D simulation results, the decoupler design scheme is finalized. The capacitor-loaded decoupler has been successfully adopted for ICRF antenna at port N on EAST, and achieved the optimization of adjacent port isolation from −22 to −58 dB at 37 MHz without plasma to restrict mutual coupling. The new design of the decoupler has greatly improved its compactness and automatic adjustment performance, and could be good solution for the decoupling network of ICRF antennas.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising therapeutic modality, but still faces some potential limitations, such as unfavorable thermal damage to normal tissues, limited light penetration depth, unpredictable tumor recurrence and metastasis. Additionally, mitochondria play a key role in maintaining multiple cellular functions, whereas displaying fragile thermal sensitivity. Herein, we report on the fabrication of an immunomodulator (R848)-loaded polymeric nanoparticles, R848@cRGD-PDCS, which can spontaneously target mitochondria of tumor cells that benefits from native mitochondria-targeting near-infrared (NIR) light-absorbing moieties. Upon NIR laser irradiation, photothermal-induced mild hyperthermia can efficiently damage the mitochondria in primary tumor cells, promoting efficient release of tumor-associated antigens. Combined with the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), tumor-mediated immunosuppression can be alleviated, thus the activated antitumor immune response can effectively suppress distant tumors and overcome tumor recurrence and metastasis, achieving long-term antitumor immune memory to inhibit tumor metastasis. Current native mitochondrial targeting phototherapeutic nanoparticles potentiated with immunotherapy are promising for precision translational medicine.

The aromatic arsenical roxarsone (ROX) has been used as feed additive for decades worldwide. The past or present application of animal manure containing ROX in paddy fields results in arsenic (As) accumulation in rice grain. However, the degradation and transformation mechanisms of ROX in paddy soil which determine As bioavailability and uptake by rice are still unclear. The current study investigated the variation of As speciation and soil enzyme activities in ROX-treated soils under flooded and non-flooded conditions for six months. Our results showed that 70.2% of ROX persisted in non-flooded paddy soils after 180 d while ROX degraded completely within 7 d in flooded soils. The rapid degradation of ROX under flooded conditions owed to the enhanced biotic transformation that was caused by the low Eh and the predominant presence of Clostridium spp. and Bacillus spp. ROX was not only transformed to As(III) and As(V) in non-flooded soils but also to 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid and methyl arsenicals in flooded soils. The degradation products significantly inhibited soil enzyme activities for 7–30 d, but the inhibition effects disappeared after 90 d due to the sorption of transformed As products to amorphous Fe oxides. This study provides new insights into the flooding effect on ROX fate in paddy fields, which is important for the management of animal waste and risk control on polluted sites.

Three-dimension (3D) hierarchical SnO2@rGO nanocomposites (SRGNC) of layered SnO2 nanorods arrays anchored on reduced graphene oxide were fabricated by a hydrothermal approach. The layered SnO2 nanorods arrays were employed in-situ growth mechanism via a straightforward nanocrystal-seeds-directing on reduced graphene oxide. The 3D hierarchical structure of the SRGNC demonstrated a unique brush-like SnO2 arrayed nanorods with a diameter of approximately 7 nm and a length of several hundred nanometers. Applied as a gas sensing material, the SnO2@2.5 %rGO nanocomposite demonstrated ultra-high performance for formaldehyde gas that the gas response toward 50 ppm formaldehyde is up to 5437 at the lower optimal operating temperature of 50 °C. Not only that, the sensor based on SnO2@2.5 %rGO nanocomposite exhibited good selectivity, reproducibility, long term stability, and ultralow-limit gas detection (as low as 500 ppb). The perfect sensing performances could be attributed to the electronic coupling effect, the enlarged specific surface with abundant active sites and the special array structure of SnO2 nanorods.

This paper examines the strong Porter Hypothesis by exploring the impact of firm's desulfurization investment on productivity in the long and short runs. Our dataset is novelty as we merged and constructed a firm-level panel dataset on coal-fired power firms from 1998 to 2009 in China. Using the panel cointegration econometric approach, we find strong micro-evidence that the decision of desulfurization investment largely stimulates the productivity in the long term, despite it has slightly negative impact in the short run, which reflects the strong Porter Hypothesis holds in the long time dimension and the realizing process is dynamic. Our results are robust after addressing the possible endogeneity and employing various measures as substitutes. Further tests on environmental regulation patterns indicate that desulfurization investment driven by the voluntary regulation is more effective than that from the involuntary regulation in both long and short terms, and the market-based incentive regulation is more qualified than the command-and-control type at least in the long run. In addition, other heterogeneous analyses show that the long- and short-term causalities vary substantially with the patterns of retrofit schemes and regional environmental governance aims. Our results provide valuable policy implications for governments and strategic guides for coal-fired firms.

A new set of measurement system on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), based on voltage and current probes, is installed on transmission line between matching system and ion cyclotron range of frequencies antenna to measure the antenna input impedance. The data can be used for impedance-matching points optimizing, as well as coupling coefficient assessment by deducing the antenna coupling resistance from antenna input impedance. The measurement error of amplitude and phase difference show distinct impact on the coupling resistance. Generally, the amplitude measurement error has a small impact on coupling resistance, while the phase measurement error significantly affects the coupling resistance. Instead of using phase detectors, phases can be extract from the power measurements. Thus, the antenna input impedance and coupling resistance can be deduced from the amplitude of voltage probe, amplitude of current probe, as well as the antenna feeding power. on previous experiments, the impedance measurement technique based on voltage probes array is utilized to evaluate coupling resistances. In EAST 2016 campaign, the load coupling resistance calculated by using such two techniques were detected and the results showed agreement.

Previous studies have showed that insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis is involved in the development of hypertension. It is unclear whether genetic variants in the IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) contribute to the susceptibility to hypertension. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IGFBP1 and four SNPs in IGFBP3 were selected for genotyping in 2,012 hypertension cases and 2,210 healthy controls and 4,128 subjects were followed up for a median of 5.01 years. Multiple logistic regression and Cox regression were performed to evaluate the association of these seven SNPs with hypertension and cardio-cerebral vascular disease (CCVD). In the case-control study, rs2132572 and rs3110697 at IGFBP3 were significantly associated with hypertension, and the odds ratios (ORs) of rs2132572 (CT+TT vs. CC) and rs3110697 (GA+AA vs. GG) were 1.235 (P=0.002) and 1.176 (P=0.013), respectively (PFDR

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the efficacy of early lung cancer screening with low-dose spiral computed tomography(LDCT) in both smokers and nonsmokers based on the current situation of community health service, with integration of superior resources of medical institutions at all levels in Shanghai. METHODS: From August 2013 to August 2014, we screened 11,332 (male 7144; female 4188) high-risk individuals in selected communities of Minhang, Shanghai City, for early diagnosis of lung cancer with LDCT combined with multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment pattern including minimally invasive surgery, exploring the medical service network covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and follow-up. RESULTS: Screening resulted in a diagnosis of cancer in 29 participants. Of these participants, 27 had primary lung cancer, 1 had lung metastatic cancer, and 1 had breast cancer. The detection rate of primary lung cancer was 238.26 cases per 100,000 person-years among all the participants. Specifically, the incidence of primary lung cancer was 336.97 cases per 100,000 person-years among the nonsmoking participants, as compared with 159.06 cases per 100,000 person-years among the smoking participants ( P = .054). Among the 27 primary lung cancers, 22 (81.48%) had stage 0 to I lung cancer. CONCLUSION: Based on community health service, screening with LDCT could improve the early diagnosis rate of lung cancer in both smokers and nonsmokers with feasibility and validity, which could be applicable in qualified eligible medical centers and communities in China. It is not reasonable to exclude nonsmokers from screening with LDCT.

This in-depth ethnographic study examines the processes, barriers and impacts experienced by Mainland Chinese caregivers residing in rural Yunnan for disclosing HIV status to their adolescents born with the infection and other community members. In particular, highlighted are their associated personal, social, relational and cultural vulnerabilities. A purposeful sample of 13 pairs of HIV-born adolescents between the ages of 11–19 years and their primary caregivers were recruited in December 2014. The Conceptual Model Sexual Health Disclosure (CMSHD) was modified with Chinese culturally specific adaptation to guide the exploration of the complex aspects of the adolescents and caregiver’s relationships. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and then translated into English.Complex sociocultural interactions emerging in these dyadic interviews included guilt, shame, unintended disclosure, the need for secrecy, perceived stigma, ‘loss of face’, protection of parents, inability to suppo...

A novel structure of flower-like hierarchical SnO 2 architecture consisted of nanorods array was successfully synthesized by facile one-step hydrothermal route only using sodium stannate tetrahydrate solution of ethanol–water mixed solvent. The morphology and microstructure of the hierarchical SnO 2 architecture showed that flower-like hierarchical SnO 2 architecture with six similar petals were organized by large scale uniformity and ordered dense nanorods arrays with a diameter of 10–15 nm and length of about 200 nm. Infrared absorption spectra (IR), Raman spectra and Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra were carried out to investigate the optical properties of the flower-like hierarchical SnO 2 nanoarrays. The UV–vis spectrum of as-prepared layered SnO 2 nanorod array assemblies showed the band gap blue-shifted compared with the band gap of bulk SnO 2 . A series of peculiar emission band positions of the room temperature photoluminescence properties of the hierarchical SnO 2 nanoarrays were observed.

Creep behaviour of P91, 12Cr1MoV steels and the P91/12Cr1MoV dissimilar joint were investigated at 823 K. Results show that the creep strength of P91 is much higher than 12Cr1MoV and than the dissimilar joint. The stress dependence of minimum creep rate and rupture life for both steels and the dissimilar joint obeyed Norton’s power law. The values of stress exponent are similar for 12Cr1MoV steel and the dissimilar joint in high stress region, indicating similar creep mechanism. However, the creep behaviour at 140 MPa for the dissimilar joint showed deviation from the other higher stresses, indicating different creep mechanism as the stress is decreasing. Microstructure showed that creep ruptured on the 12Cr1MoV side of the dissimilar joint as conducted in the high stress region, whereas ruptured on the carbon decarburized zone as conducted in the low stress region. Fracture location changed from 12Cr1MoV base metal to inter-critical heat affected zone as the creep time going. A modified theta equ...

We consider the problem of multiantenna source detection with dimension reduction in distributed wireless networks. Traditional strategies typically collect and perform raw data at the fusion center. In moderate-to-large-scale networks, however, the schemes create the bottleneck of computation and communication for high-dimensional data. The goal of this paper is to design a distributed algorithm in multiple-antenna wireless networks to project the raw data into the low-dimensional data to reduce the communication and computation burden while maintaining high detection performance. In this paper, a pseudosketching matrix is constructed to transform the raw data of each multiple-antenna node into the low-dimensional data. Furthermore, it is transformed into the vector by using the subspace method. By gathering the data vectors of all nodes at the fusion center, the eigenvalue-based detection methods, such as the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT), can be applied directly to determine if the source signal exists or not. Moreover, using the concentration inequalities of subgamma random variables, the theoretical analysis is derived to support the claim that the proposed algorithm has high detection performance. The simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.

An analytic thermodynamic model has been established to quantitatively investigate the wetting states of droplets on nanopatterned surfaces. Based on the calculations for the free energies of droplets with the Wenzel state and the Cassie-Baxter state, it is found that the size and shape of nanostructured surfaces play crucial roles in wetting states. In detail, for nanohole-patterned surfaces, the deep and thin nanoholes lead to the Cassie-Baxter state, and contrarily, the shallow and thick nanoholes result in the Wenzel state. However, the droplets have the Wenzel state on the patterned surfaces with small height and radii nanopillars and have the Cassie-Baxter state when the height and radii of nanopillars are large. Furthermore, the intuitive phase diagrams of the wetting states of the droplet in the space of surface geometrical parameters are obtained. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental observations and reveal physical mechanisms involved in the effects of nanopatterned surfaces on wetting states, which implies that these studies may provide useful guidance to the conscious design of patterned surfaces to control the wetting states of droplets.

This paper examines the causal relationship between the housing prices (HP) and the international capital flows (ICF) in China. With structural changes existing, we find that long-run relationship ...

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is one of the traditional auxiliary heating methods adopted in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The radio-frequency (rf) source consisting of eight transmitters has been fabricated since 2012 and has a working frequency of 24 to 70 MHz. It has a maximum total power of ∼12 MW. However, the power injection into plasma has been restricted by the variable antenna load, which is sensitive to the scrape-off-layer boundary condition and the gradient distribution of plasma density. Triple liquid stub tuners, which have been employed for ICRF impedance matching, cannot cope with such rapid variations because of the low response speed. In previous research, a 300-kW ferrite tuner (FT) was developed and tested, but it was not good enough to meet the requirements of real-time impedance matching. Research on a high-power fast-response FT with maximum power of 1.5 MW was carried out to achieve real-time tuning to trace the load variations of the ...

After large-scale outbreaks of algal blooms in eutrophic water, considerable amounts of algae residue accumulate in near-shore zones before fermenting rapidly and becoming malodorous. Taste and odor pollution caused by secondary metabolites from cyanobacterial blooms has become a serious and widespread environmental problem. Two typical odorous compounds, β-cyclocitral and β-ionone, have gained increasing attention in recent years. In this paper, the spatial distributions of β-cyclocitral and β-ionone in the sediments and overlying water off the west shore of Taihu Lake were investigated. The results showed that β-cyclocitral, β-ionone and nutrients are released during the degradation of fresh cyanobacteria, especially in the early stages. The odorous compounds and nutrients greatly decreased as the depth of sediment increased, indicating that reed roots can absorb β-cyclocitral, β-ionone and nutrients. Furthermore, removing cyanobacteria and dredging sludge might reduce the release of β-cyclocitral and β-ionone.

This study investigates the causal relationship between reserve accumulation and money supply in China over the period of 1999 M1–2015 M6. First, we use a Granger causality test and find that there is a unidirectional relationship from money supply growth to reserve accumulation growth; however, taking structural changes into account, we assess stability of parameters of the estimated vector autoregressive models. We find both the short-run and long-run relationships between money supply growth and reserve accumulation growth estimated using full-sample data are unstable over the sample period. This suggests that full-sample causality tests cannot be relied upon. We turn to propose a time-varying (bootstrap) rolling-window approach to revisit the dynamic causal relationship between the two variables. We find that two variables have causal relationships in some sub-periods. We argue that reserve accumulation growth has put pressure on money supply growth. However, in general, sterilization is effec...

It is difficult to meet the requirements of clinical diagnosis through a single imaging technique. Similarly, satisfactory therapy efficacy is also hard to achieve by a single therapeutic modality. It is therefore highly desirable and interesting to simultaneously achieve multimodal imaging and therapies in one single structure. In this study, we developed a core–shell-satellite NaGdF4:Yb,Er,Mn,Co@mSiO2-CuS structure using up-conversion luminescent (UCL) NaGdF4:Yb,Er,Mn,Co as the core, mesoporous silica as the layer, and the photoactive CuS nanoparticles as the satellites. The further linked photosensitizer (ZnPc) and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) allow the system to have photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy functions. The doping of Co2+ ions in the core endows the carrier with T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) properties, and the co-doping of Mn2+ ions can efficiently enhance the red emission which further improves the PDT efficiency by reacting with the attached ZnPc upon near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. The nanoplatform exhibits excellent anti-tumor efficiency due to a synergistic effect arising from combined PDT, photo-thermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy, which has been evidenced by in vitro and in vivo results. Due to the multimodal imaging (MRI, CT, and UCL) properties, the drug delivery process and therapeutic efficacy can be monitored in real time and assessed, thus achieving the target of imaging-guided therapy.

A series of environmental protective policies have been taken recently in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) to alleviate water pollution; however, their influence on the reduction of heavy metals in estuarine water has not been known. This study selected Guangzhou as a representative city in the PRE and collected estuarine water monthly from 2008 to 2017 to track the variation of As, Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Se. During the last decade, the high time-resolved record showed that the concentration of Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn in estuarine water reduced by 39.5%, 91.0%, 86.2%, 74.6%, and 97.3%, respectively. However, the concentration of As kept in a stable range (1.89–2.69 μg L−1) and Se (0.17–0.65 μg L−1) increased slightly. The principal component analysis (PCA) and absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) results suggested that the upstream industrial effluents were major sources for Hg (45.5–92.7%), Pb (47.3–100%), Cd (42.0–90.6%), Cu (85.5–100%), and Zn (100%) and the geogenic source was major origin for As (84.6–98.3%) and Se (0–67.5%). The risk quotient of Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn to aquatic organisms largely decreased from 0.03, 0.59, 0.03, 2.06, and 0.26 in 2008 to 0.02, 0.05, 0.006, 0.52, and 0.007 in 2017, respectively. The effective control of heavy metal pollution in the study area can be primarily due to the relocation of hundreds of polluting factories during the last decade.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of microRNA155 (miR-155) on palmitate-induced vascular endothelial cell injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) via the regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway. HUVECs were treated with 0.1 mM palmitate. After transfection with mimic, antagomir or the Wnt pathway inhibitor XAV939, HUVECs were divided into six treatment groups: Control, palmitate, mimic + palmitate, mimic + palmitate + XAV939, antagomir + palmitate, antagomir + palmitate + XAV939. miR-155 expression was detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The expression levels of the Wnt signaling pathway-related factors β-catenin and Cyclin D, and the inflammatory factors interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), were detected using western blot analysis. MTT and Transwell assays were used to detect the proliferation and migration of cells, respectively. Apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were determined using flow cytometry. The localization of β-catenin in cells was determined by immunofluorescence. Palmitate reduced the expression level of miR-155 in HUVECs. In palmitate-induced HUVECs, overexpression of miR-155 promoted cell proliferation, reduced the levels of apoptosis, downregulated IL-6 and TNF-α expression, and reduced ROS levels. Inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway enhanced the anti-endothelial cell injury effect caused by the overexpression of miR-155 in palmitate-induced HUVECs, thereby promoting proliferation, reducing apoptosis, downregulating the levels of inflammatory factors and reducing ROS levels. In summary, overexpression of miR-155 inhibited palmitate-induced apoptosis, ROS production and levels of inflammatory factors, and promoted the proliferation of HUVECs by negatively regulating the Wnt signaling pathway. This present study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with endothelial cell injury.

Concerns have been raised regarding the ingestion of microplastics (MPs) by numerous organisms including humans. However, no efficient and standardized methods are available for extracting MPs from feces. In this study, we introduce a novel approach with high digestion efficiency that involves using Fenton's reagent and nitric acid to remove feces solids. Firstly, Fenton's reagent was used to degrade small solids and decompose large solids into small pieces. Secondly, nitric acid was used to digest the remaining solids and filters. Furthermore, absolute ethyl alcohol was used to remove the mineral residues wrapped on the plastic surfaces and disperse MPs. By using this method, 97.78 % MPs can be recovered from human and chicken feces, and no significant changes were observed in the physical and Raman spectral properties of different polymer types of MPs. This method has also been verified by extracting MPs from field feces. Overall, the proposed method can efficiently digest feces solids and extract MPs with higher recovery rate, less intermediate steps and less damage, which can serve as an economical and feasible method for the detection of MPs in the feces of different species.

Migration of Pb in the soil can be enhanced by acidification and frequent change of environmental condition. The paddy soil, where the environmental condition such as redox fluctuates frequently due to soil submergence and drainage, may offer a favorable condition for Pb migrating to deeper soil and further contaminate groundwater by leaching or irrigation. To date, not much is known about how quickly Pb migrates in the soil and the relevant transformation of Pb. We use long-term soil profile monitoring, sequential extraction and isotopic measurement to examine the temporal change of concentrations and isotopic ratios of Pb associated with different soil components in the paddy soil profile in the Yangtze River Delta area during 2011–2017. We find that Pb vertical migration in the paddy soil is faster. Pb in the shallow soil may migrate downward up to 60 cm during six years. The migration of Pb is dominated by the carbonate, and secondarily influenced by Fe/Mn oxides. Our results also imply that the mechanism of Pb migration in soils is changing. The mechanism which is now characterized as the carbonate-dominating will be replaced as the Fe/Mn oxides-dominating in the near future as the carbonate in shallow soil is becoming depleted.

Aim: β-actin (ACTB) participates in the vascular remodeling and contributes to the cardiovascular diseases. Herein, we investigated the associations of ACTB with hypertension and stroke. Methods: Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in ACTB were selected for genotyping in 2,012 hypertension cases and 2,210 controls. The associations of ACTB with hypertension and stroke were examined in another follow-up study. Logistic and Cox regression were performed in a case-control study and a follow-up study, respectively. Additive scale interaction was examined by calculating the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) and synergy index (SI). The multiplicative interaction hazard ratio was calculated by fitting the Cox regression model. ACTB mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured in ischemic stroke (IS) cases and in controls. Results: The associations of rs852426 with hypertension and stroke had statistical significance in drinkers but not after Bonferroni correction. An additive interaction of rs852426 and drinking was observed for stroke incidence, the adjusted RERI was −0.907 (p = 4.108×10−4), and the multiplicative interaction was still sound (HR = 0.541, p = 0.048). Furthermore, the significant interaction was further replicated in a nested case-control study. In the drinking population, the relative expression of ACTB mRNA in IS was lower (0.99 ± 0.26) than that in controls (1.13 ± 0.20), with a p value of 0.026. Conclusions: ACTB rs852426 was significantly associated with alcohol consumption on stroke risk, and the expression of ACTB mRNA in IS who had a drinking habit was significantly down-regulated. This finding will provide a novel insight into the prevention of stroke.

Genitourinary tuberculosis (GUTB) accounts for up to 40% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases. Rapid tests for GUTB are urgently needed because it is often associated with delayed health-care seeking, leading to serious consequences. This study evaluated the performance of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay in the rapid diagnosis of urinary tract tuberculosis (UTB) and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis with urine specimens. In all, 302 patients were included from four hospitals in China. Suspected UTB patients were tested with Xpert, smear, and MGIT 960 culture. Drug susceptibility testing (DST) was conducted for culture-positive cases. The performance of the assays was evaluated against MGIT 960 culture and a composite reference standard (CRS). Among all participants, 150 (49.7%) had CRS-positive UTB, of whom 36 (24.0%) were culture-confirmed. Against culture, Xpert and smear achieved a sensitivity of 94.4% (95% CI: 81.3–99.3%) and 22.2% (95% CI: 10.1–39.2%), respectively. Against CRS, the sensitivity of Xpert, smear and culture was 41.3% (95% CI: 33.4–49.7%), 7.3% (95% CI: 3.7–12.7%), and 24.0% (95% CI: 17.4–31.6%). Xpert had better performance than smear and culture in detecting UTB from urine samples and could be considered for the diagnosis of UTB. Moreover, Xpert showed better performance than MGIT 960-based DST using urine culture.

BACKGROUND Hepatic fibrosis is the final endpoint for most chronic liver diseases and remains a significant public health problem worldwide. Icariin, a naturally occurring flavonol glucoside, has been reported to exhibit protective effects on liver injury and alleviate liver fibrosis. However, the underlying detail molecular mechanism is not fully revealed. METHODS Mouse primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and carbon tetrachloride (CCL4 )-induced liver fibrosis model in mice were used as in vitro and in vivo models in this study. The expression levels of miR-875-5p were detected by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. The validation of the direct target of miR-875-5p was through dual-luciferase reporter assay and western blotting assay. The cell proliferation and cell mobility were determined using MTT assay and Transwell migration assay, respectively. RESULTS We found that icariin inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition and collagen protein section of HSCs. Icariin exerted hepatoprotective effects on mice model of CCL4 -induced liver fibrosis. Our further results revealed that miR-875-5p was downregulated in human cirrhosis tissues and activated murine HSCs. Icariin induced miR-875-5p upregulation and subsequently decreased glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1) expression through direct binding to the three prime untranslated region of GLI1 mRNA. CONCLUSION Our study highlighted the potential therapeutic application of icariin for liver fibrosis management.

Background: Without efficient primary medical care and follow-up system in China, patients can choose any hospitals or doctors they like in seeking care. As a result, most patients rush to large hospitals. Once patients left those clinics, no follow up data is available. Surveys show that over 40% of the rheumatic patients don’t need to go to a hospital, only need advice from rheumatologists. SSDM is a series of applications for chronic diseases management, which strengthens the interaction between doctors and patients based on valuable clinical data. Our previous study showed that patients can master the SSDM and perform self-management after training, including evaluations on disease activity and health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), as well as medication and lab test data entries. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and benefit of improving medical economics and disease activity outcomes in rheumatic patients through online consultation based on SSDM by rheumatologist. Methods: The rheumatologists implemented the education and training programs on patients in using SSDM and assist the patients in downloading the SSDM mobile application. The SSDM includes doctors’ and patients’ interfaces. The patients’ terminal includes serial self-assessments (DAS28, SLEDAI, HAQ), medication management, adverse events management and lab records. After data entry, data synchronizes to the mobile of the authorized doctor. On the basis of these data, the rheumatologists can accept the request from their follow-up patients and practice consultation through SSDM in the form of text or voice. Results: From Feb 2015 to Jan 2019, 679 rheumatologists supplied 7,405 patients (RA 35%, SLE 23%, AS 9.5%, gout 8.8%, Sjogren syndrome 3.8%, OA 3.4% and other 16.5%) with 10,527 consultations. The consulting fee ranged from RMB 0 to 500 yuan (USD: RMB =1: 6.81) each in average of 78.10 ± 45.12 yuan, which match the registration fee in hospital. The total fee for consultations was 822,169 yuan RMB. 37% patients receiving online consultation lived in different cities from the rheumatologists. If the patients seek medical care in hospital, in addition to the registration fees and medical expenses, the mean cost of transportation, accommodation, and lost wages was 577.48 ± 505.21 (200 - 2,800) yuan. The total of cost for all patients would have been 6,079,135.00 yuan RMB, which is 7.39 times more compared with the cost of online. Among 2,611 RA and 1,671 SLE patients with repeat self-evaluations who were followed up for over 90 days, the treat-to-target rate improved from 28% to 45% (DAS28 Conclusion: Through online disease management and consultations using SSDM, Chinese patients with rheumatic diseases enjoy good quality of care at lower cost with high satisfaction. Armed with data science, SSDM may supply the rest world with an option for reshaping the healthcare system. Disclosure of Interests: None declared

The plasma in the scrape-off layer (SOL) has an important effect on the coupling of the waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF). The high-frequency B-dot (HFB) probes have been installed to investigate the behaviour of ICRF waves on EAST. The fast and slow ICRF wave field amplitudes are measured and a domain parallel wavenumber is deduced. Results of measurements on a test experimental platform and EAST experiments are presented, which include vacuum and plasma situations. In vacuum it is found that field amplitudes increase linearly with ICRF power. Besides, during plasma operation, field amplitudes measured were decreased by an order of magnitude and no linear relation with power was observed. Fast and slow wave power densities fluctuate strongly with plasma density. The experimental results in the laboratory coincide with the simulation results and allow for validating of the measurement method.

Purpose To investigate the morphological features of hemimandibular hyperplasia (HH) in comparison to other condylar hyperplasia-associated asymmetries, including hemimandibular elongation (HE), solitary condylar hyperplasia (SCH), simple mandibular asymmetry (SMA) and condylar osteoma or osteochondroma (COS). Materials and methods A total of 31 HH, 9 HE, 6 SCH, 10 SMA and 10 COS patients were included in this study. Clinical documentation, panoramic radiography and computed tomography data were retrospectively reviewed. The three-dimensional measurements were performed on multi-planar reformation images and volume rendering images. The accuracy of the subjective radiological signs was evaluated using sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating curve analysis. Discriminant analysis was performed to generate predictive formulas using quantitative data. Results The condyles in HH were regularly or irregularly enlarged, with significantly enlarged anterior-posterior length [16.2/5.29 (mean/SD, mm) P Conclusions HH is a distinct clinical entity characterized by enlargement of the condyle, ramus and mandibular body. The inferior convexity of the lower mandibular border and inferiorly displaced mandibular canal is accurate and specific for the diagnosis of HH. The condyles in HE are not hyperplastic. The term “condylar hyperplasia” alone cannot be used to refer to HH or HE.

Evidence with regard to antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with open fractures of the extremities is limited. We therefore conducted a systematic survey addressing current practice and recommendations.We included publications from January 2007 to June 2017. We searched Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for clinical studies and surveys of surgeons; WorldCat for textbooks; and web sites for guidelines and institutional protocols.We identified 223 eligible publications that reported 100 clinical practice patterns and 276 recommendations with regard to systemic antibiotic administration, and 3 recommendations regarding local antibiotic administration alone. Most publications of clinical practice patterns used regimens with both gram-positive and gram-negative coverage and continued the administration for 2 to 3 days. Most publications recommended prophylactic systemic antibiotics. Most recommendations suggested gram-positive coverage for less severe injuries and administration duration of 3 days or less. For more severe injuries, most recommendations suggested broad antimicrobial coverage continued for 2 to 3 days. Most publications reported intravenous administration of antibiotics immediately.Current practice and recommendations strongly support early systemic antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with open fractures of the extremities. Differences in antibiotic regimens, doses, and durations of administration remain in both practice and recommendations. Consensus with regard to optimal practice will likely require well-designed randomized controlled trials.The current survey of literature systematically provides surgeons' practice and the available expert recommendations from 2007 to 2017 on the use of prophylactic antibiotics in the management of open fractures of extremities.

Objective To investigate the clinical, imaging and pathological features of congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face (CILF) and to discuss whether it is a subtype of hemifacial hyperplasia (HH). Methods Sixteen patients diagnosed with CILF were included in this study. All patients had undergone panoramic radiography and spiral CT examinations. Thirteen patients received biopsy, surgery treatment and pathological examination. The clinical documentation and imaging data were retrospectively reviewed. Results The cheeks (14/16), parotid glands (12/16), tongues (9/16), masticatory muscles (8/16) and the lips (7/16) were the most frequently affected soft tissue organs. The maxilla (14/16), zygoma (13/16), mandible (13/16) were involved among the maxillofacial bones. Dental malformations included macrodontia (8/16), poor formation of the roots (7/16), accelerated tooth germ development or premature eruption of permanent teeth (7/16) and missing of the permanent teeth (4/16). All malformations were restricted to one side of the face and did not trespass the middle line. Pathologically, CILF was featured by the diffuse infiltration of redundant mature adipose tissue into the tissue of the affected organ. Conclusion CILF is a congenital developmental facial malformation characterized by infiltration of nonencapsulated, mature adipose tissue, resulting in facial soft and hard tissue hypertrophy and dental malformations in hemifacial structures. CILF could be considered as a subtype of HH.