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Deformation mechanisms and magnetic properties of medium and high entropy alloys (MEA/HEAs) closely relate to lattice distortion and are strongly temperature-dependent, in particular, at low temperature ranges. However, little attention has been paid to the evolution of lattice distortion with temperature decreasing and its effects on deformation behavior and magnetic state transition. In this work, we carry out in situ synchrotron radiation based X-ray powder diffraction (SR-XRD) experiments from 293 to 123 K aiming for determining lattice distortion evolutions of CrCoNi MEA, CrFeCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi HEAs. Magnetic measurements at corresponding low temperatures and cryogenic ranges are further conducted. The in situ SR-XRD results demonstrate a general reduction of lattice distortion magnitude with temperature decreasing, which shows a similar tendency with that of reported stacking fault energy (SFE) values. It is thus suggested that lattice distortion reduction possibly makes a critical contribution to deformation mechanism transition. The magnetic measurement results show a clear ferromagnetic transition of CrFeCoNi HEA when temperature is below 173 K. While, no obvious magnetic state transition is observed for CrCoNi MEA and CrMnFeCoNi HEA. The present findings on lattice distortion evolutions will pave the way for designing targeted HEAs with particular properties. more...

Hearing impairment is a highly prevalent condition and potential risk factor of loneliness in older adults. There is little evidence on whether living arrangement modifies the effects of hearing impairment on loneliness in older adults. (1) Explore the relationship between hearing impairment and loneliness in old adults; (2) investigate the modifying effect of living arrangement on the association between hearing impairment and loneliness. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 7070 participants (aged 60–101) in Shandong province of China. Hearing impairment was measured by a single self-reported question. Variables about social demography and physical functioning were assessed using self-administered questionnaires, and loneliness using short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale. Linear regression models were performed to evaluate the association between hearing impairment and loneliness and possible effect modified by living arrangement. After controlling variables, older adults with hearing impairment reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than those with normal hearing (β = 0.024; P more...

The dilatancy signatures associated with the plastic deformation of a typical Zr-based amorphous alloy are captured by using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. XRD demonstrates that the right-subpeak atoms of the second coordination shell accommodate the local dilatation, which occurs prior to the plastic yielding and during the softening-to-flow transition process. Mediated by the local dilatation, local atomic rearrangements can operate at the left-subpeak of the second shell and/or at the fourth shell with a characteristic lengthscale of about 1 nm. The obtained dilatancy signatures of amorphous plasticity are further confirmed by SAXS in terms of the nano-scale structural heterogeneity. more...

A direct relationship between the yield strength and the atomic ratio of solvent (Zr) atoms in the Zr-Cu-Al-Ni metallic glasses system is firstly uncovered. It is found that either shear modulus or yield strength decreases almost nearly with the increase in atomic ratio of Zr. The origin of this relationship is ascribed to the preferential straining of the weakest configurations, which consist of the solvent-solvent bonds and the free volume concentrated in them. It is suggested that a higher atomic ratio of Zr corresponds to a larger amount of weakest configurations, which will facilitate the activation and the accumulation of the shear transformations and finally results in the lower yield strength. This finding may provide an effective strategy for designing high-strength metallic glasses by modifying the chemical composition. more...

Background This study aims to assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and to further explore gender differences in BMI-HRQOL association among adults. Methods We used data from the fifth Health Service Survey of Shandong Province, which was part of China’s National Health Service Survey (NHSS), a total of 27,257 adults aged 18 and over were interviewed. The HRQOL was measured using the EuroQOL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) instrument. One-way ANOVA and Post hoc tests were used to compare EQ-5D utility values and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores between BMI categories. Tobit regression models were used to identify the association between BMI and HRQOL for male and female separately after controlling for influential confounders, and to assess gender differences on the relationship between BMI and HRQOL. Results The prevalence of underweight in men and women were 3.2 and 5.3%, respectively, while the prevalence of overweight/obesity in men and women were 35.7 and 34.6%, respectively. Men had higher EQ-5D utility values and VAS scores than women. The mean EQ-5D utility value and VAS score was highest in obese men and normal-weight women, respectively. After controlling potential confounders, being underweight was significantly and negatively associated with lower HRQOL among adults. The relationship between obesity and gender was that in women obesity was negatively and significantly associated with HRQOL, whereas in men this association was positive but not statistically significant. Results of gender by BMI interaction in regression model showed that this difference between men and women in this respect was significant. Conclusions The association between BMI and HRQOL differed by gender and the so-called “obesity-HRQOL paradox” phenomenon was verified in male adults. Gender difference should be considered when implementing targeted weight control programs and appropriate interventions to improve HRQOL. more...

Temperature dependent Young's modulus, shear modulus and the related internal frictions of Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (Vit-1) bulk metallic glass (BMG) were measured by using the modified piezoelectric ultrasonic composite oscillator technique (M-PUCOT) at longitudinal and torsional resonance under several tens of kilohertz, respectively. An irreversible internal friction peak accompanied by a very small modulus relaxation (about 10%) are observed near the onset crystallization temperatures Tx in each resonance mode, and the peak values in these two modes are almost the same, indicating that the supercooled liquid region (SLR) is far from liquid state under high frequency vibration with micro strain (~10−7) amplitude. What is more, the internal friction peak value decreases obviously after a preheating process to SLR (~410 °C) and the final values of moduli are proportional to the crystallinity. All these interesting phenomena during the glass transition and crystallization can well be interpreted through a three-parameter anelastic solid phenomenological model. more...

Background Frailty and other functional declines may be related to life satisfaction (LS) in the general elderly population. This study aims to investigate the association between frailty and LS among older individuals (age ≥60) and the impacts of age and general self-efficacy on the relationships. Methods Using data from the 2017 Survey of the Shandong elderly Family Health Service, a cross-sectional study was conducted and 7070 older people aged 60+ were analysed. LS was measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale. A Frailty Index (ranged 0~1) was determined as a proportion of accumulated deficits over 51 categories. General self-efficacy was measured using the Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Multiple weighted linear regression was used to examine possible relationships between the research variables. Results There was a negative association between frailty and LS. A dose-response-type relationship between net income and LS was observed. The interaction between frailty and age was found to be significantly associated with LS. Frailty has a stronger negative impact on LS among the young-old (60-69 years) than among the middle-old (70-79 years) and old-old (80+ years), which suggests a protective effect of ageing on LS reduction due to frailty. However, this protective effect was observed among individuals with low and medium level self-efficacy. Conclusions The relationship between frailty and LS generally weaken with age. The higher level of general self-efficacy may provide a partial buffer against the negative impact of frailty on LS. Interventions that target to prevent and manage frailty should consider being prioritised among the young-old population. Development of self-efficacy could serve as an important strategy to buffer the negative effect of frailty on LS among older people. more...

Identifying and revealing the coupling relationship between urbanization and ecological environment and its forming mechanism, and then putting forward regulation measures, will benefit urban management in making decisions. We examined the coupling process between new-style urbanization and ecological environment system of Fujian Province through the coupling model and coupling-coordination model, and realized the spatial visualization based on the index system of urbanization and ecological environment, in which the index weight was based on the variation coefficient. The results showed that the variation of coupling degree between new-type urbanization and ecological environment system was relatively stable, ranging from 0.77 to 0.99 during 2000 to 2015. There was no obvious difference among the cities except for the Putian in 2000 and Zhangzhou in 2010 were in the break-in stage. The coupling-coordination degree between new-type urbanization and ecological environment system fluctuated around 0.50 during 2000 to 2015 with significant spatial differentiation and shorter evolution time from east to west. The coupling-coordination types of Fujian Province were dominated by the harmonious development type, accompanied by the types of moderate unadjusted recession, moderate coordinated development, and high coordinated development. There was transformation phenomenon among different types. Xiamen was the only one deve-loped into the high coordinated development type in 2015. The city development was mainly featured by lagged urbanization, with the lagged ecological environment in Xiamen in 2010 and in both Fuzhou and Xiamen in 2015.识别和揭示城镇化与生态环境之间的耦合关系及其形成机理,进而针对性地提出调控对策,有助于城市管理相关部门制定决策.本研究针对福建省所处立地环境构建新型城镇化与生态环境系统指标体系,利用变异系数确定指标权重,通过耦合度模型和耦合协调度模型探讨福建省新型城镇化与生态环境系统的耦合过程,并实现空间可视化.结果表明: 2000—2015年,福建省地级市的新型城镇化与生态环境系统耦合度变化相对平稳,其值在0.77～0.99,且各城市间差异不显著,只有2000年莆田和2015年漳州的耦合度处于磨合阶段;福建省新型城镇化与生态环境系统耦合协调度在0.50上下波动,从东向西演变时间短,空间分异显著;福建省两系统耦合协调类型以调和发展型为主,还存在中度失调衰退型、中度协调发展型和高度协调发展型,两系统耦合协调类型间还存在转化现象,到2015年只有厦门发展为高度协调发展型城市;城市发展以城镇化滞后为主,到2010年(厦门)和2015年(厦门和福州)才出现生态环境滞后现象. more...

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of loneliness and to explore the association between loneliness and health service utilization among the rural elderly in Shandong Province, China. Methods: A total of 5514 rural people aged 60 and above from Shandong Province, China, were enrolled in this study. Loneliness was used as a binary variable based on a single-item question. Health service utilization was measured by recent two-week physician visits and annual hospitalizations rates. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between loneliness and health service utilization. Results: The prevalence of loneliness among the rural elderly in Shandong, China, was 25.0%. Loneliness was associated with higher rates of recent two-week physician visits (OR = 1.260, p &lt, 0.01) and annual hospitalizations (OR = 1.183, p &lt, 0.05). The regression results also showed that self-rated health status and chronic conditions were significant and positively associated with both physician visits and hospitalizations rates. Conclusions: Loneliness had a significant association with higher odds of health service utilization among the elderly. The independent contribution of loneliness on health service utilization was smaller than self-rated health status and chronic conditions. Thus, healthcare policies need to shift from an emphasis on controlling health utilization and cost to a greater focus on enabling lonely older people to get more social support. more...

This study aims to explore the association of anthropometric indices of obesity with hypertension in Chinese elderly and its possible gender and age differences. A total of 7070 adults age 60 or older were interviewed in a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017. Anthropometric indices for each participant were measured by using standard methods of trained doctoral/master students. We performed two binary logistic regression models to examine the association of the nine different anthropometric indices and hypertension by gender. Lastly, analyses were performed in two steps stratified for age. Comparing individuals with and without hypertension, there were statistically significant differences in anthropometric indices except height, a body shape index (ABSI), and hip index (HI) in males; and except height in females. There were gender differences in the relationship between anthropometric indices and the prevalence of hypertension in Chinese older adults. After stratification by age, the associations of all anthropometric indices became weaker, disappeared, or even went in the opposite direction. Furthermore, body mass index (BMI) in men (except individuals older than 80) and hip circumference (HC) in women showed a significant impact on the risk of hypertension. The association of anthropometric indices of obesity with hypertension in Chinese elderly differ by gender and age. These findings indicate a need to develop gender-specific strategies for the male and female elderly in the primary and secondary prevention of hypertension. more...

Energy efficiency is not fully considered as the key factor compared with coverage and interference in the conventional wireless local area network (WLAN) deployment phase in the past. However, energy consumption is increasing exponentially with the heavy growing number of mobile nodes (MN). As a result, excessive use of energy is becoming a serious problem even a disaster in multi-base-station WLAN. In this paper, a mechanism of transmission power configuration in WLAN deployment and dynamic transmission power control during WLAN running phase is proposed focusing on the energy efficiency and coverage. The performance of the mechanism has been experimentally evaluated at the system level and system-wide power usage on the demonstration testbed. more...

Over the past few years, China has witnessed a surge in violence against medical personnel, including widely reported incidents of violent abuse, riots, attacks, and protests in hospitals, where doctors suffer from heavy workloads and little protection. China has engaged in serious efforts, such as investing large amounts into the healthcare system and implementing several decades of healthcare reform, to make medical care more accessible to and affordable for the public. However, incidents of violence against medical personnel have increased in intensity, reflecting deteriorating relations between medical staff and their patients in China over the past few decades. Hence, the effectiveness of healthcare legislation needs to be examined and medical reform and development of the healthcare system need to be reevaluated. Only by enhancing oversight, promoting healthcare reform, and improving the healthcare system can we repair the doctor-patient relationship and decrease violence against doctors in China. more...

Objective: Suicide is a major public health and social problem in contemporary societies. Previous studies showed that the older the seniors were, the more likely it was that they would experience disability, chronic disease, or both. The objective of this study was to examine the joint effects of chronic disease and physical disability on suicide ideation while controlling for psychological distress among the rural elderly living in Shandong Province, China. Method: A total of 5514 rural elderly individuals (60+) living in Shandong Province, China were included in this study. Suicidal ideation was assessed by using questions from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). Multiple logistic analyses were performed to examine the factors associated with suicide ideation. A path analysis was conducted to test the direct and indirect effects of chronic disease and of activity of daily living (ADL) limitation on suicide ideation while controlling for psychological distress. Results: The prevalence of suicide ideation among the rural elderly in Shandong, China was 11.0%. Psychological distress had the strongest direct (&beta, = 0.392) and total effect (&beta, = 0.392), chronic disease (&beta, = &minus, 0.034, &beta, 0.063) had both direct and indirect impacts, and ADL (&beta, = 0.091) had indirect impacts on suicide ideation. Psychological distress was a mediator between chronic disease, ADL limitation, and suicide ideation. Conclusions: Psychological distress was the greatest influencing factor of suicide ideation among the rural elderly, followed by chronic disease and disability. Effective intervention measures should be taken to facilitate the early detection of psychological distress in clinical practice among the rural elderly. more...

The Givetian-Frasnian boundary at Liujing, Guangxi, South China is for the first time recognized and correlated in high resolution using characteristic chemocycles of element abundance fluctuation integrated with conodont biostratignphy. The first appearance of Ancyrodella rotundiloba early form is as a biomarker, and the boundary of lowering fluctuation of element abundance followed by a sequence of characteristic chemocycles with a sequence of cmodonts is as an abiotic auxiliary marker. The error is not more than 0.10 Ma. The study indicates that in a quiet interval, characteristic chemocycles integrated with biomarkers can be used for boundary recognition and regional cormlation in high resolution, and this method has potential for intercontinental correlation more...

To evaluate the prognostic significance of a new grading and scoring system (based on the new IASLC/ATS/ERS classification) in stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as compared with the WHO grading system.The clinicopathologic characteristics of 125 patients with stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma primarily treated by surgical resection were reviewed retrospectively. All cases were classified according to the new IASLC/ATS/ERS classification and graded into three prognostic groups based on the new classification, the Sica scoring system and the WHO grading system, respectively. The differences in prognosis of the three groups were analyzed.There was a statistically significant correlation between the new grading system and the WHO grading system (P = 0.000). Both of them showed negative correlation with overall survival. The new scoring system however better correlated with disease recurrence and/or metastasis (P = 0.855, P = 0.073 versus P = 0.011). According to univariate Log-rank test, the prognosis correlated with tumor size (P = 0.004), clinical stage (P = 0.000), the WHO grading (P = 0.020), the new grading system (P = 0.000), the new scoring system (P = 0.000), vascular invasion (P = 0.021), and recurrence and/or metastasis (P = 0.000). The Cox regression analysis demonstrated that clinical stage (P = 0.014), the new grading system (P = 0.047), the new scoring system (P = 0.043), and recurrence and/or metastasis (P = 0.018) were significantly independent poor prognostic factors.The new grading and scoring system shows good correlation with the WHO grading system. Compared with the WHO grading system, the new scoring system based on the new IASLC/ATS/ERS classification provides valuable information in categorizing stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma cases with different risks of disease recurrence, tumor metastasis and prognosis. more...