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Crumb rubber concrete (CRC) is a cementitious composite produced by incorporating rubber crumbs into normal concrete (NC), characterized by large deformation, high damping, high energy absorption, and lower Young's modulus than normal concrete. This article presents a study on the seismic performance of frame structures under four scenarios: one normal concrete frame and three CRC frames. The total lateral stiffness, fundamental period, lateral earthquake loading, and interstory lateral displacements are calculated and compared based on the standardized design procedure. The results indicate that CRC frame structures increase the fundamental period and reduce the lateral earthquake loadings. The fundamental period of the CRC columns and beams (S3) is increased by 5.48% against normal concrete beams and columns (S0). However, decrease in the total lateral stiffness and increase the interstory lateral displacements was observed. The lateral earthquake loading is reduced by more than 4% against S0. These two competing factors determine the plausibility and benefit of CRC in structural application regarding earthquake design. The inter-story lateral displacements of CRC structures are still within the permissible design limits, confirming CRC's plausibility in structural application. This study also lays the technical ground for further exploring CRC in concrete structural applications that may recycle large quantities of scrap automobile tires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Determination of batch-to-batch consistency of botanical drugs (BDs) has long been the bottleneck in quality evaluation primarily due to the chemical diversity inherent in BDs. This diversity presents an obstacle to achieving comprehensive standardization for BDs. Basically, a single detection mode likely leads to substandard analysis results as different classes of structures always possess distinct physicochemical properties. Whereas representing a workaround for multi-target standardization using multi-modal data, data processing for information from diverse sources is of great importance for the accuracy of classification. Methods: In this research, multi-modal data of 78 batches of Guhong injections (GHIs) consisting of 52 normal and 26 abnormal samples were acquired by employing HPLC-UV, -ELSD, and quantitative 1H NMR (q1HNMR), of which data obtained was then individually used for Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) calculation and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Then, a mid-level data fusion method with data containing qualitative and quantitative information to establish a support vector machine (SVM) model for evaluating the batch-to-batch consistency of GHIs. Results: The resulting outcomes showed that datasets from one detection mode (e.g., data from UV detectors only) are inadequate for accurately assessing the product's quality. The mid-level data fusion strategy for the quality evaluation enabled the classification of normal and abnormal batches of GHIs at 100% accuracy. Conclusions: A quality assessment strategy was successfully developed by leveraging a mid-level data fusion method for the batch-to-batch consistency evaluation of GHIs. This study highlights the promising utility of data from different detection modes for the quality evaluation of BDs. It also reminds manufacturers and researchers about the advantages of involving data fusion to handle multi-modal data. Especially when done jointly, this strategy can significantly increase the accuracy of product classification and serve as a capable tool for studies of other BDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate crop mapping is of great significance for crop yield forecasting, agricultural productivity development and agricultural management. Thanks to its all-time and all-weather capability, integrating multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for crop mapping has become essential and challenging task in remote sensing. In recent years, deep learning (DL) has demonstrated excellent crop mapping accuracy to interpret crop dynamics. However, existing DL-based methods tend to be incapable of capturing spatial and temporal features at different scales simultaneously, and this often leads to severe mis-classification due to the complex and heterogeneous distribution of crops and diverse phenological patterns. In this paper, we propose a novel spatio-temporal multi-level attention method, named as STMA, for crop mapping using time-series SAR imagery in an end-to-end fashion to increase the capability of crop phenology retrieval. Specifically, the multi-level attention mechanism is designed to aggregate multi-scale spatio-temporal representations on crops via cascaded spatio-temporal self-attention (STSA) and multi-scale cross-attention (MCA) modalities. To ensure a fine extraction of multi-granularity features, a learnable spatial attention position encoding is proposed to adaptively generate the position priors to facilitate multi-level attention learning. Experimental results on Brandenburg Sentinel-1 dataset, public PASTIS-R dataset and South Africa dataset demonstrated that STMA can achieve state-of-the-art performance in crop mapping tasks, with the accuracy of 96.54% in the Brandenburg Sentinel-1 dataset, 86.77% in the PASTIS-R dataset and 83.37% in the South Africa dataset, validating its effectiveness and superiority. Further comparison of spatio-temporal generalization capability reflected its excellent performance in spatio-temporal modeling on different crops and scenarios. This research provides a viable and intelligent spatio-temporal framework for large-area crop mapping using time-series SAR imagery in complex agricultural systems. The Brandenburg Sentinel-1 dataset and the STMA code will be publicly available at https://github.com/hanzhu97702/ISPRS_STMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chloroquine (CQ) is an antimalarial drug that was first synthesized by Hans Andersag, a German scientist, in 1934. Chloroquine has been widely researched and used over the years. The rapid development in the fields of modern science and technology has also contributed to the increase in interest in chloroquine. Hence, it is necessary to comprehensively summarize the research trends to understand the breakthroughs made in the field. Methods: The required data was compiled by analyzing the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. The search period for studying global research trends in chloroquine research was set from 2012 to 2021 to ensure a comprehensive analysis over an extended timeframe. Data retrieval was performed on April 4, 2022, focusing on articles and reviews published in English. The retrieval words were: (TS = (chloroquine)) OR (TS = (aralen)). A total of 1,091 reviews and 7,259 articles were retrieved and analyzed. The data obtained from WoSCC was captured and analyzed using VOS viewer (version 1.6.16) and Citesspace (version 5.8.R5). Results: The number of literature reports on chloroquine published in the past 10 years has shown an annual increase. Among the countries, the United States has contributed the highest number of papers and ranks first in terms of both H-index and citation count. The League of European Research Universities is one of the largest research-focused university networks, and Malaria Journal stands out as a prominent journal publishing articles relevant to the field of study. A paper authored by Gautret and Philippe in 2020 achieved the highest citation score globally. The biosynthesis of chloroquine, mechanisms of drug resistance, and drug combinations are receiving growing attention. Conclusion: The research area of chloroquine has been significantly influenced by the American and China. The progress of chloroquine research is further propelled by fruitful collaborations among various countries. Researchers have extensively studied the anti-malarial effect, drug resistance mechanism, and autophagy of chloroquine for the development of a treatment method for COVID-19 based on chloroquine. Bibliometric analysis can be employed to identify hotspots, new directions, and frontiers in the field of chloroquine research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-noble metal modified sulfated zirconia was found easy to deactivate. Herein, highly active and highly stable non-noble core-shell Ni-S2O82-/Al2O3@ZrO2 catalysts (Ni-SA@Z-x, x = Al content in wt%) have been successfully prepared and investigated for n-pentane isomerization. The results showed that the core-shell Ni-SA@Z-30 provided a sustained high isopentane yield (63.1%) with little or no deactivation within 5000 min at a mild reaction pressure of 2.0 MPa, which can be attributed to the following factors: (i) carbon deposition was greatly suppressed by the large pore size and huge pore volume; (ii) the loss of sulfur entities was suppressed because the small and highly dispersed tetragonal ZrO2 particles can bond with the S species strongly; (iii) strong Brønsted acidity can be maintained well after the isomerization. The pore structures and acid nature of the core-shell Ni-SA@Z-x are entirely different from those of the normal structure Ni-S2O82-/ZrO2-Al2O3, even though the Al content and the compositions of the individual components are the same. The Al2O3 cores endow the catalysts with high internal surface area and high mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the ZrO2 shell, which consists of more and smaller tetragonal ZrO2 particles because of the large surface area of the Al2O3 core, promotes the formation of more stable sulfur species and stronger binding sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenesis‐related (PR) proteins of plants have originally been identified as proteins that are strongly induced upon biotic and abiotic stress. These proteins fall into 17 distinct classes (PR1–PR17). The mode of action of most of these PR proteins has been well characterized, except for PR1, which belongs to a widespread superfamily of proteins that share a common CAP domain. Proteins of this family are not only expressed in plants but also in humans and in many different pathogens, including phytopathogenic nematodes and fungi. These proteins are associated with a diverse range of physiological functions. However, their precise mode of action has remained elusive. The importance of these proteins in immune defence is illustrated by the fact that PR1 overexpression in plants results in increased resistance against pathogens. However, PR1‐like CAP proteins are also produced by pathogens and deletion of these genes results in reduced virulence, suggesting that CAP proteins can exert both defensive and offensive functions. Recent progress has revealed that plant PR1 is proteolytically cleaved to release a C‐terminal CAPE1 peptide, which is sufficient to activate an immune response. The release of this signalling peptide is blocked by pathogenic effectors to evade immune defence. Moreover, plant PR1 forms complexes with other PR family members, including PR5, also known as thaumatin, and PR14, a lipid transfer protein, to enhance the host's immune response. Here, we discuss possible functions of PR1 proteins and their interactors, particularly in light of the fact that these proteins can bind lipids, which have important immune signalling functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur is essential for plant growth, and the uptake of sulfate by plant roots is the primary source of plant sulfur. Previous studies have shown that the OAS-TL gene is a key enzyme in the sulfur metabolic pathway and regulates cysteine (Cys) synthase production. However, the interaction mechanism of the glycine max OAS-TL3 Cys synthase (OAS-TL3) gene on soybean root morphology construction and seed protein accumulation is unclear. This study shows that mutant M18 has better root growth and development, higher seed protein content, and higher methionine (Met) content in sulfur-containing amino acids than wild-type JN18. By transcriptome sequencing, the differentially expressed OAS-TL3 gene was targeted in the mutant M18 root line. The relative expression of the OAS-TL3 gene in roots, stems, and leaves during the seedling, flowering, and bulking stages of the OAS-TL3 gene overexpression lines is higher than that of the recipient material. Compared to the recipient material JN74, the enzymatic activities, Cys, and GSH contents of OAS-TL are higher in the sulfur metabolic pathway of seedling roots. The receptor material JN74 is exogenously applied with different concentrations of reduced glutathione. The results demonstrate a positive correlation between reduced glutathione on total root length, projected area, surface area, root volume, total root tip number, total bifurcation number, and total crossing number. The Met and total protein contents of sulfur-containing amino acids in soybean seeds of the OAS-TL3 gene overexpression lines are higher than those of the recipient material JN74, while the gene-edited lines show the opposite results. In conclusion, the OAS-TL3 gene positively regulates soybean root growth, root activity, and the content of Met in the seeds through the OAS-TL-Cys-GSH pathway. It breaks the limitation of other amino acids and facilitates the increase of total seed protein content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first to comprehensively analyze the key legal controversies surrounding the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) and its implementation. Based on doctrinal analysis, case studies, and the most up-to-date statistics, this study centers on three categories of legal disputes: (1) the constitutionality and legality of the NSL; (2) the disputed content of the NSL; and (3) the legislative procedural issues involving the NSL. The study shows that the enactment of the NSL is not only an unprecedented crisis facing the "one country, two systems" framework, but also marks a culmination of the intersection and conflict between Chinese law and Hong Kong common law. The NSL has torn down the bulwark originally designed by the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Chinese Constitution to block infiltration of Chinese law into Hong Kong. A mixture of Chinese legal elements and Hong Kong laws, the NSL is a wedge inserted into the Hong Kong common law system. Through this law, many Chinese legal concepts, theories, and rules have inevitably been, and will continue to be, channeled into Hong Kong's legal system. A "thin" version of "one country, two systems" may emerge in a post-NSL, or even post-2047, Hong Kong. The implementation of the NSL in Hong Kong also provides a valuable, if not the only, lens through which to observe whether and how a well-developed common law system can function under a heterogeneous authoritarian legal system and how the two might interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of xanthan gum (XG), konjac gum (KG) and mixed gum of XG and KG (MG) on the gel properties of Oviductus Ranae (OR) were studied using texture analysis, dynamic rheometry, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The addition of both XG and MG can increase the hardness and water-holding capacity and energy storage modulus of the OR gel, but the addition of KG has the opposite effect. When the mass ratio of XG to KG is 1:1, the hardness (730 g), springiness (1.00) and chewiness (218.48 g) of the OR gel are all maximized. The addition of MG significantly more enhances the hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction, compared with the addition of only XG or KG, so the OR gel forms a denser and more stable network structure. Our results provide valuable information for further design and preparation of OR gel foods containing XG and KG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future communication networks will require increased flexibility, scalability, and data computation capabilities to adequately respond to the growing number of service demands. Advanced mixed-integer network resource optimization models and algorithms are required to meet these requirements. The purpose of this article is to introduce a hybrid quantum-classical computing framework for addressing future network resource optimization issues. We begin by discussing the fundamentals of quantum computing and its parallelism. Following that, we discuss in detail the hybrid quantum-classical computing paradigm. Then, we discuss the potential applications of the proposed paradigm for network resource optimization, including network function virtualization (NFV), multi-access edge computing/fog/cloud computing, and cloud radio access networks (C-RANs). Finally, we discuss the difficulties associated with the design and implementation of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We proposed a broadband e‐shaped circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna with single‐point feed, and the feed point is located at the center of the antenna. The structure of this new antenna includes a ground plate and an e‐shaped patch placed on a substrate. The measured impedance bandwidth of the proposed antenna is approximately 17.89% (3.47–4.15 GHz), and the measured 3‐dB axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) is about 9.47% (3.63–3.99 GHz). The antenna can achieve the gain of 8.4 to 8.7 dBi within the ARBW. And at the center frequency (3.8 GHz), right‐hand CP to left‐hand CP isolation of the antenna can reach −33 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the powerful and automatic representation capabilities, deep learning (DL) techniques have made significant breakthroughs and progress in hyperspectral unmixing (HU). Among the DL approaches, autoencoders (AEs) have become a widely used and promising network architecture. However, these AE-based methods heavily rely on manual design and may not be a good fit for specific datasets. To unmix hyperspectral images more intelligently, we propose an automatic neural architecture search model for HU, AutoNAS for short, to determine the optimal network architecture by considering channel configurations and convolution kernels simultaneously. In AutoNAS, the self-supervised training mechanism based on hyperspectral images is first designed for generating the training samples of the supernet. Then, the affine parameter sharing strategy is adopted by applying different affine transformations on the supernet weights in the training phase, which enables finding the optimal channel configuration. Furthermore, on the basis of the obtained channel configuration, the evolutionary algorithm with additional computational constraints is introduced into networks to achieve flexible convolution kernel search by evaluating unmixing results of different architectures in the supernet. Extensive experiments conducted on four hyperspectral datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed AutoNAS in comparison with several state-of-the-art unmixing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate vibration characteristics and delay crack propagations of an asymmetric cracked rotor, the 3D finite element model of the rotor system with a nonlinear contact method is established. Resonance characteristics of the asymmetrical rotor without a crack and within different locations of a crack are investigated systematically. Numerical results show that a crack affects vibration frequencies and the unstable region of the rotor. Meanwhile, an improved proportional integral differential control method with the electromagnetic actuator is used to accomplish the delay crack propagation and the vibration suppression. Based on the mapping model of opening and closing states of a crack, the effects of rotational speeds, an unbalance, and asymmetries of the rotor are discussed in detail. Experimental results show that vibrations and the breathing behavior of cracks in the rotor with the electromagnetic actuator can be suppressed, and the effectiveness of the proposed mapping model of opening and closing states of a crack is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of an aging global population, the aging of patients with HIV is an issue that society will have to face. Data indicate that between 2011 and 2019, the proportion of patients age 60 and over who were newly diagnosed with HIV in China increased from 12% to 25%. In contrast to younger groups, the special characteristics of older patients pose major challenges to the management of their disease. The current study examined the clinical outcomes and psychological status of patients age 50 and over who were diagnosed with HIV. Out of a total of 566 older patients from eastern China, viral suppression was achieved in 446 (78.8%), treatment was immunologically effective in 410 (72.4%), and treatment was effective in 324 (57.2%). Thirty-nine patients (6.9%) had significant anxiety and 143 (25.3%) exhibited depressive tendencies. Level of education and the time from diagnosis to treatment were associated with the effectiveness of treatment. Age, sleep quality, chronic illness, exercise, and travel time to medical appointments were associated with depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that the burden of HIV among the older population remains high in more economically developed areas. The urgent need for HIV education and screening programs, as well as follow-up visits and early initiation of treatment in older patients, is called for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the role of GmXTH1 gene in alleviating drought stress, soybean seeds with GmXTH1 gene were transferred by T4 treated with PEG6000 concentration of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% respectively. The germination potential, germination rate, germination index, and other indicators were measured. The results showed that the germination potential, germination rate, and germination index of OEA1 and OEA2 strains overexpressed in T4 generation were significantly higher than those of the control material M18. After 0-day, 7-day, and 15-day drought stress, the analysis of seedling phenotypes and root-shoot of different T4 generation transgenic soybean lines showed that under stress conditions, the growth of GmXTH1 overexpression material was generally better than that of the control material M18. The growth of GmXTH1 interference expression material was generally worse than that of the control material M18, with significant differences in plant phenotypes. The root system of GmXTH1 overexpressed material was significantly developed compared with that of the control material M18. The analysis of physiological and biochemical indexes showed that the relative water content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and peroxidase) of GmXTH1 transgenic soybean material were significantly higher than those of the control material M18, and the accumulation of malondialdehyde was lower under the same stress conditions at seedling stage. Fluorescence quantitative PCR assay showed that the relative expression of GmXTH1 gene in transgenic soybean was significantly increased after drought stress. The results showed that the overexpression of GmXTH1 could increase the total root length, surface area, total projection area, root volume, average diameter, total cross number, and total root tip number, thereby increasing the water intake and reducing the transpiration of water content in leaves, thus reducing the accumulation of MDA and producing more protective enzymes in a more effective and prompt way, reducing cell membrane damage to improve drought resistance of soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, deep learning (DL) has attracted increasing attention in hyperspectral unmixing (HU) applications due to its powerful learning and data fitting ability. The autoencoder (AE) framework, as an unmixing baseline network, achieves good performance in HU by automatically learning low-dimensional embeddings and reconstructing data. Nevertheless, the conventional AE-based architecture, which focuses more on the pixel-level reconstruction loss, tends to lose some significant detailed information of certain materials (e.g., material-related properties) in the reconstruction process. Therefore, inspired by the perception mechanism, we propose a cycle-consistency unmixing network, called CyCU-Net, by learning two cascaded AEs in an end-to-end fashion, to enhance the unmixing performance more effectively. CyCU-Net is capable of reducing the detailed and material-related information loss in the process of reconstruction by relaxing the original pixel-level reconstruction assumption to cycle consistency dominated by the cascaded AEs. More specifically, cycle consistency can be achieved by a newly proposed self-perception loss, which consists of two spectral reconstruction terms and one abundance reconstruction term. By taking advantage of the self-perception loss in the network, the high-level semantic information can be well preserved in the unmixing process. Moreover, we investigate the performance gain of CyCU-Net with extensive ablation studies. Experimental results on one synthetic and three real hyperspectral data sets demonstrate the effectiveness and competitiveness of the proposed CyCU-Net in comparison with several state-of-the-art unmixing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, with the maturity of edge-cloud computing and the large amount of data generated in the edge, we have witnessed an increasing number of applications conducting collaborative learning and data analytics in networked edge systems. On the other end of the spectrum, there are also fast-growing concerns on privacy on using the data in the edge, which belong to diverse owners. Federated learning (FL) and federated analytics (FA), coined together as federated optimizations by Google, are new distributed computing techniques to address such a mismatch. In federated optimization, raw data are kept local and only the focused updates (weights or data insights) generated from local analytics are sent to a cloud server for result aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the extraction rate of high-temperature soybean meal proteins and improve their functional properties, we used atmospheric-pressure cold plasma (ACP)-assisted enzymatic method to extract proteins from high-temperature soybean meal, and studied the effects of different ACP conditions on the structural and functional properties of the proteins. At the power of 300 w, time of 45 s, and air inlet volume of 120 mL/min, the extraction rate maximized to 83.26 ± 0.89%, which was about 1.2 times that of enzymatic hydrolysis alone (70.03%). After ACP treatment, the proteins' solubility, emulsifying activity and stability, foaming capacity and stability, hydrophobicity, and oil holding capacity were all improved. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy showed ACP changed the proteins' secondary, tertiary and microscopic structures. Thus, the ACP-assisted enzymatic method can improve the extraction rate of high-temperature soybean meal proteins, change the structures, and improve the functional properties of the proteins. This is a very potential method for the extraction of high-temperature soybean meal proteins. • The ACP pretreatment improved the extraction yield of soybean meal protein. • ACP modified the secondary, tertiary, and microstructure of the protein. • Enhancement of protein functionalities were subjected to ACP parameters. • The ACP has good potential for plant protein modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational development of low-cost, durable and high-performance bifunctional oxygen catalysts is highly crucial for metal-air batteries. Herein, transition metal alloyed FeCo nanoparticles (NPs) embedded into N-doped honeycombed carbon (FeCo@N-HC) was efficiently prepared by a one-step carbonization method in the existence of NH 4 Cl and citric acid. Benefiting from the honeycomb-like architectures and the synergistic effects of the FeCo alloy with the doped-carbon matrix, the as-synthesized FeCo@N-HC exhibited outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the more positive onset potential (E onset = 0.98 V vs. RHE) and half-wave potential (E 1/2 = 0.85 V vs. RHE), coupled with outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with the lower overpotential (318 mV) at 10 mA cm−2. Besides, the home-made Zn-air battery has the larger power density of 144 mW cm−2 than Pt/C + RuO 2 (80 mW cm−2). This research offers some valuable guidelines for constructing robust oxygen catalysts in clean energy storage and conversion technologies. [Display omitted] • The FeCo@ N-doped 3D honeycombed carbon was fabricated by a facile pyrolysis method. • The multi-compositions and unique structures provided enriched active sites and enlarged active area. • The FeCo@N-HC electrocatalyst exhibited the superior ORR/OER activity and durability. • The FeCo@N-HC-based Zn-air battery displayed the high power density and excellent stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational synthesis of cost-effectiveness, ultra-stable and high-efficiency bifunctional oxygen catalysts are pivotal for Zn-air batteries. Herein, fine Co 2 P/FeCo nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on Mn, N, P-codoped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (Co 2 P/FeCo/MnNP-BCNTs) are constructed in the coexistence of melamine, poly(4-vinylpyridine) and adenosine-5′-diphosphate disodium salt (ADP) by convenient pyrolysis and follow-up acid treatment. The as-prepared catalyst exhibits the higher onset potential (E onset = 0.97 V vs. RHE) and half-wave potential (E 1/2 = 0.88 V vs. RHE) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), coupled with excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with the lower overpotential of 324 mV at 10 mA cm−2. Notably, the home-made Zn-air battery delivers the greater peak power density of 220 mW cm−2, together with the outstanding cycling stability. The excellent performances of Co 2 P/FeCo/MnNP-BCNTs catalyst are mainly attributed to the highly conductive carbon nanotubes and the synergistic effects between carbon nanotubes and Co 2 P/FeCo NPs. This work offers a novel strategy to explore advanced bifunctional oxygen catalysts for high-efficiency metal-air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring high-performance and stable transition metal electrocatalysts is prerequisite for boosting overall water splitting efficiency. In this study, iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) co-doped three-dimensional (3D) Ni 3 S 2 nanoflowers were in situ assembled by many inter-connected 2D nanosheets on nickel foam (NF) via hydrothermal and sulfuration treatment. By virtue of the introduced Fe and Mn elements and unique flower-like structures, the as-prepared catalyst displayed high activity and stability for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), coupled with a small Tafel slope (63.29 mV dec−1) and a low overpotential of 216 mV to reach the current density of 30 mA cm−2. This study would shed some lights for facile synthesis of exceptional OER catalyst by tailoring the electronic structure and doping transition metal(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Partner notification and testing could expand HIV testing and link infections to care. We performed a meta-analysis on HIV testing rate and prevalence among couples of people diagnosed with HIV in China. Methods: Six electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Internet, and WanFang) and abstracts of five HIV/sexually transmitted infections conferences were searched up to February 1, 2020. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model to assess HIV testing rate and prevalence among couples of Chinese people diagnosed with HIV. Results: Of 3,657 records retrieved, 42 studies were identified. Among them, three studies were conducted among pregnant women and 10 among men who have sex with men. The pooled uptake rate of couples HIV testing among Chinese people diagnosed with HIV was 65% (95% confidence interval, 57% -73%; 23 studies). The pooled HIV prevalence among couples who had an HIV test was 28% [24%-32%] (38 studies). Subgroup analyses showed that the pooled couples HIV testing uptake rates among pregnant women and men who have sex with men were 76% [66%-86%] (3 studies) and 49% [30%-68%] (8 studies), and the pooled HIV prevalence in two populations was 53% [27%-78%] (3 studies) and 14% [10%-17%] (10 studies), respectively. Conclusions: Nearly two-thirds of couples of people diagnosed with HIV have had an HIV test, of whom 28% were positive. Couples of MSM with a positive HIV diagnosis had a lower testing rate, which indicates more effective strategies need to be carried out to improve couples HIV testing among Chinese MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1D and 2D cobalt(II) coordination polymers, [Co(2,3-dpc)(H2O)2]n (1), [Co(2,5-dpc)(H2O)3]n (2) and [Co(3,5-dpc)(H2O)2]n (3) (dpc = dipicolinic acid dianion) have been successfully synthesized by reaction of dipicolinic acid ligands with CoF2 in aqueous methanolic solution under hydrothermal conditions. High resolution mass spectroscopy investigation reveals the forming process of CO during the photocatalytic CO2 reduction and the plausible mechanisms are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bioretention medium has considerable influence on the removal of pollutants, especially phosphorus pollutants. In this paper, the phosphorus adsorption properties of three bioretention media (sand, iron powder, and aluminum powder) are studied, and the effects of pH and ionic strength on the phosphorus adsorption are analyzed. Results show that the phosphorus adsorption isotherm can be well modeled by the Langmuir equation. The experimental results show the monolayer adsorption capacity of sand is the highest, while the iron powder the lowest. The pH of the solution has a considerable influence on the phosphorus adsorption of sand and iron powder, but has a minimal effect on aluminum powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of highly effective and stable electrocatalysts is urgent for various energy conversion applications. Herein, a facile co-reduction approach was developed to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) hyperbranched PtRh nanoassemblies (NAs) under solvothermal conditions, where creatinine and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) were employed as the structure-directing agents. The as-synthesized nanocatalyst exhibited intriguing catalytic characters for hydrogen evolution reduction (HER) with a low overpotential (20 mV) at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope (49.01 mV dec−1). Meanwhile, the catalyst showed remarkably enlarged mass activity (MA: 2.16/2.02 A mg−1) and specific activity (SA: 4.16/3.88 mA cm−2) towards ethylene glycol and glycerol oxidation reactions (EGOR and GOR) alternative to commercial Pt black and homemade Pt 3 Rh nanodendrites (NDs), PtRh 3 NDs and Pt nanoparticles (NPs). This method offers a feasible platform to fabricate bifunctional, efficient, durable and cost-effective nanocatalysts with finely engineered structures and morphologies for renewable energy devices. Image 1 • Hyperbranched PtRh NAs were synthesized by a solvothermal method in OAm. • Creatinine and CTAC behaved as co-structure-directing agents in this synthesis. • The PtRh NAs displayed great enhancement in the catalytic performances for HER and polyhydric alcohol oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is regarded as a feasible strategy for producing high-purity hydrogen from abundant water. It is significant yet challenging for synthesis of Pt-based pH-universal HER electrocatalysts by substantially reducing the Pt loading without any decay in the activity. Herein, bimetallic PtRh alloyed dendritic nanoassemblies (DNAs) were efficiently prepared by a facile one-pot solvothermal strategy in oleylamine (OAm), coupling with the aid of glycine and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). By virtue of the unique branch-like structures and compositions advantages, the PtRh DNAs catalyst showed steeply enhanced HER activity with small overpotentials (i.e. 28 mV in 1.0 M KOH, 23 mV in 1.0 M phosphate buffer solution and 27 mV in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4) at the current density of 10 mA cm−2, surpassing those of commercial Pt/C under such conditions. This work provides a facile and rational strategy to construct advanced Pt-based bimetallic electrocatalyst for energy-correlated applications. Image 1 • PtRh DNAs were synthesized by a one-pot glycine- and CTAC-assisted solvothermal method. • The dendritic nanoassemblies with open structures had highly enlarged specific surface area. • The as-obtained catalyst showed dramatically boosted catalytic performances for HER in a wide pH range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information literacy instruction in various countries has expanded in a variety of ways. At universities, it has mainly taken the form of credit-based courses, lectures, and embedded instruction. While European and American universities carry out more embedded instruction, universities in China focus more on credit-based courses and lectures, leaving embedded instruction in an exploratory stage. This paper is a preliminary study of a research project that aims to investigate the department-based, embedded information literacy instruction among the libraries of 42 "Double-First Class" universities in China. Using East China Normal University Library as an example, this paper discusses the teaching mode, teaching philosophy, teaching design, teaching methods and contents in order to explore how embedded information literacy instruction can make use of the mobile Internet platform. The specific areas to be examined include teaching resources, enhancing classroom interactions, and after-class feed-pushing as part of teaching support. Finally, some recommendations are put forward for the extension and expansion of embedded information literacy instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large earthquake-triggered landslides near a seismogenic fault are usually closely linked to fault slipping. Therefore, it is important to research the relationship between the landslide movement and the deformation pattern of faults to better understand the location and influencing factors related to the large landslides. A large landslide, on the right bank of the Clarence River, New Zealand, was reactivated during the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake. The landslide is located in close proximity to the Papatea Fault which ruptured during the earthquake. The special tectonic location of this landslide provided favorable conditions to research the failure mechanism of earthquake-triggered landslides. Field investigation and remote-sensing images revealed that the co-seismic surface rupture zone of the Papatea Fault is relatively complicated and characterized by a wide deformation zone with a width of ~80–170 m. The northern section showed as left-lateral strike-slip and thrust-slip, with a vertical displacement of up to 4–6 m. However, it exhibited thrust motion in the Clarence landslide area. The Clarence landslide was a reactivation of a pre-existing landslide. The thrust faulting of the Papatea Fault produced a wide deformation and fractured zone near the top of the landslide mass, and resulted in over-steepened topography in the landslide area. It should be noted that long-team seismic shaking, especially the main frequency of the seismic acceleration and rapid co-seismic vertical slip of the fault, played the principal role in further accelerating topographic instability during the earthquake. The landslide body thus started to slide along a pre-existing sliding surface under these actions. Our results indicate that the deformation pattern of the seismogenic fault could also play an important role in the occurrence of earthquake-triggered landslides, in addition to geological and geomorphological conditions and local seismic acceleration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyurethane (PU) composite is increasingly used as a repair material for civil engineering infrastructure, including runway, road pavement, and buildings. Evaluation of polyurethane grouting (PUG) material is critical to achieve a desirable maintenance effect. This study aims to evaluate the flexural behavior of normal concrete repaired with polyurethane grout (NC-PUG) under a three-point bending test. A finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the flexural response of the NC-PUG specimens. The equivalent principle response of the NC-PUG was analyzed through a three-dimensional finite element model (3D FEM). The NC and PUG properties were simulated using stress–strain relations acquired from compressive and tensile tests. The overlaid PUG material was prepared by mixing PU and quartz sand and overlayed on the either top or bottom surface of the concrete beam. Two different overlaid thicknesses were adopted, including 5 mm and 10 mm. The composite NC-PUG specimens were formed by casting a PUG material using different overlaid thicknesses and configurations. The reference specimen showed the highest average ultimate flexural stress of 5.56 MPa ± 2.57% at a 95% confidence interval with a corresponding midspan deflection of 0.49 mm ± 13.60%. However, due to the strengthened effect of the PUG layer, the deflection of the composite specimen was significantly improved. The concrete specimens retrofitted at the top surface demonstrated a typical linear pattern from the initial loading stage until the complete failure of the specimen. Moreover, the concrete specimens retrofitted at the bottom surface exhibit two deformation regions before the complete failure. The FE analysis showed good agreement between the numerical model and the experimental test result. The numerical model accurately predicted the flexural strength of the NC-PUG beam, slightly underestimating Ke by 4% and overestimating the ultimate flexural stress by 3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genotypes when considering both anatomic site and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status among men who have sex with men (MSM) in low- and middle-income countries.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among MSM in Beijing, China. HIV serostatus was determined, and genital and anal HPV genotyping were performed from respective swabs.Results: Of 1155 MSM, 817 (70.7%) had testing for genital (611; 52.9%) and/or anal (671; 58.1%) HPV. Preference for insertive anal sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42-4.75) and syphilis (aOR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.01-2.23) were associated with genital HPV. Inconsistent condom use during receptive anal sex (aOR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.17-2.84), and HIV seropositivity (aOR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.91-4.42) were associated with anal HPV. Among 465 (40.3%) MSM with specimens from both anatomic sites, anal HPV (68%) was more common than genital HPV (37.8%). Prevalence of anal HPV was higher among HIV-infected than uninfected MSM (P < 0.01). Some oncogenic HPV types were more commonly found at the anal site of HIV-infected MSM (P < 0.01).Conclusions: Human papillomavirus is highly prevalent among Chinese MSM. Anal HPV was more common than genital HPV, and HIV seropositivity was associated with oncogenic HPV types at the anal site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new sesquiterpenoids，including three nor-cinalbicane type sesquiterpenoids, named Jasminol A, G, H (1–3) and one eremophilene-type sesquiterpenoid, named Jasminol B (4) together with nine known compounds (5–13) were isolated from the stems of Jasminum officinale L. The structures of new compound were elucidated on the base of IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D NMR, 2D NMR and DEPT analysis, and the absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of isolated compounds was evaluated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage RAW264.7, and compounds 1 – 4 exhibited a moderate inhibition of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells with IC 50 values of 20.56 ± 1.31, 30.12 ± 0.89, 30.35 ± 2.72 and 31.60 ± 1.69 μM, respectively, and CC 50 values >200 u M. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iguratimod is a new synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug intended to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A new method using recombinant human CYP450s yeast cells containing c-DNA expressed P450s was applied to identify the metabolic pathways of iguratimod and to prepare its metabolite. The metabolite was isolated, and its structure was identified by quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. Furthermore, a selective and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of iguratimod and its major metabolite in rat plasma for the first time. The results indicated that iguratimod was mainly metabolized to a metabolite by CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 in in-vitro study. The structure of the metabolite was identified as M2 (N-[3-(acetamido)-4-oxo-6-phenoxy-4H-chromen-7-yl] methanesulfonamide). HPLC assay was achieved on a C18 column using methanol-water containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (55:45 v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with UV detection at 257 nm. Standard calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 0.5–20 μg/mL for iguratimod and its metabolite M2. The lower limits of detection of iguratimod and M2 in rat plasma were 0.1 and 0.25 μg/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD%) were within 5% for the two analytes. The average recoveries of the analytes were greater than 90%. In conclusion, recombinant human CYP450s whole-yeast transformation system could be successfully used to identify and prepare the major metabolite of iguratimod. The HPLC method we developed could be successfully applied to evaluate pharmacokinetics of iguratimod and its metabolite M2 in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new coordination polymer {[Cd(H2dmbpzp)I2]·CH3CH2OH}n (H2dmbpzp = 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-bis(pyrazo-3-yl)pyridine) has been prepared by the reaction of H2dmbpzp in aqueous ethanolic solution at room temperature with CdI2. The compound has been characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Photoluminescence properties have also been examined. The complex exhibits a 1D chain structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolution of legal strategies that the central government has used in managing Hong Kong affairs in the past three decades. It demonstrates that the Beijing government appears to have successfully employed the tactic of "legalisation without democratisation" to neutralise political resistance, to resolve thorny issues, and to stifle pro-independence voices. However, as Beijing's legal strategies for Hong Kong have become more hands-on and assertive, the flaws and instrumentalism of Chinese-style "rule of law" have become increasingly salient, giving rise to deepening conflicts with the Hong Kong common law system. Legalisation without democratisation has given rise to a worrying trend of rising authoritarian legalism in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 3-MCPD, a contaminant frequently detected in foodstuffs, has been reported to damage human kidneys and testes. Previous studies can be used to evaluate the risk to humans of exposure to excessive 3-MCPD for a short period. However, the effects of withdrawal after 3-MCPD exposure have rarely been studied. Adult male SD rats were orally administered 0, 36 and 72 mg 3-MCPD/kg b.w./day for 4 weeks, followed by a 7-week recovery period. 3-MCPD significantly reduced RBC, HGB and HCT levels, indicating a phenotype of anemia, which returned to normal after the recovery period. 3-MCPD induced dysfunction in the liver and kidneys, which were characterized by hepatomegaly and elevated serum ALT, TBIL levels, and nephromegaly and elevated serum urea, UA contents. These effects were also restored to normal after the recovery period. Although the abnormal levels of testosterone and progesterone returned to normal, 3-MCPD-induced atrophy in testes, decreased sperm concentration and motility, and an increased rate of teratosperm still existed after the recovery period. 3-MCPD can induce restorable anemia and dysfunction in liver and kidney but irreversibly damage the reproductive system with normal sex hormone levels. This study may provide a novel perspective for characterizing the ongoing risk of exposure to 3-MCPD. Highlights • 3-MCPD induced anemia and damages in liver and kidney can be recovered. • The disturbed testosterone and progesterone induced by 3-MCPD was recoverable. • 3-MCPD caused irreversible decrease in the concentration and activity of sperm. • The atrophy and damage of testes and epididymis induced by 3-MCPD was irreversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article analyse l'évolution des stratégies juridiques utilisées par le gouvernement central dans la gestion des affaires de Hong Kong au cours des trois dernières décennies. Il montre que la tactique de « valorisation du droit sans démocratisation » du gouvernement de Pékin visant à neutraliser la résistance politique, résoudre les questions épineuses et étouffer les voix indépendantistes semble avoir porté ses fruits. Toutefois, à mesure que les stratégies juridiques mises en oeuvre par Pékin sont devenues plus lisibles et plus volontaristes, les failles et l'instrumentalisme inhérents à l'« État de droit » selon le modèle chinois sont allés croissant, exacerbant les contradictions avec le système de la common law de Hong Kong. La valorisation du droit sans démocratisation a donné lieu à une montée inquiétante d'un légalisme autoritaire à Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is still in a global pandemic that has affected more than 200 countries. When prevention and control of COVID-19 is gradually normalized, communication between countries needs to be gradually restored due to development needs. There are 34 vaccines in the clinical evaluation stage and 145 vaccines in the preclinical evaluation stage in the global COVID-19 vaccine research and development program, but the rate and process of vaccination may not be sufficient to meet the current needs of society for restoring development and communication. Studies have found that chloroquine, favipiravir, remdesivir and other drugs are useful for COVID-19, but currently there is no specific drug for the treatment of COVID-19. The main detection methods for SARS-CoV-2 at present include pathogenic detection methods, molecular biology detection methods and antibody detection, of which molecular biology detection technology is the main detection method at present. There are some more convenient and rapid detection methods. A study showed that salivary nucleic acid testing could be used for large-scale screening of asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the results showed that the probability of true concordance between nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva was stubbornly 0.998 (90% CI: 0.996-0.999). At present, a vaccine is still not widely available, and the development of specific drugs will take some time, so prioritizing quarantine countermeasures on the premise of cost control may be a more important solution for the recovery and development of normal communication between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new approach is developed for the reliable classification of Calculus bovis along with the identification of willfully contaminated C. bovis species and the quantification of unclaimed adulterants. Guided by a principal component analysis, NMR data mining achieved a near-holistic chemical characterization of three types of authenticated C. bovis , including natural C. bovis (NCB), in vitro cultured C. bovis (Ivt -CCB), and artificial C. bovis (ACB). In addition, species-specific markers used for quality evaluation and species classification were confirmed. That is, the content of taurine in NCB is near negligible, while choline and hyodeoxycholic acid are characteristic for identifying Ivt -CCB and ACB, respectively. Besides, the peak shapes and chemical shifts of H 2 -25 of glycocholic acid could assist in the recognition of the origins of C. bovis. Based on these discoveries, a set of commercial NCB samples, macroscopically identified as problematic species, was examined with deliberately added sugars and outliers discovered. Absolute quantification of the identified sugars was realized by qHNMR using a single, nonidentical internal calibrant (IC). This study represents the first systematic study of C. bovis metabolomics via an NMR-driven methodology, which advances the toolbox for quality control of TCM and provides a more definitive reference point for future chemical and biological studies of C. bovis as a valuable materia medica. [Display omitted] • This study represents the foray of NMR-involved systematic study of C. bovis. • PCA analysis of qHNMR data enabled preliminary classification of C. bovis. • Species-specific markers for the identification of C. bovis were determined. • Comprehensive metabolomic analysis for C. bovis through NMR was achieved. • Untargeted identification and content determination of adulterants were realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose in this article a Bayesian sequential design using alpha spending functions to control the overall type I error in phase III clinical trials. We provide algorithms to calculate critical values, power, and sample sizes for the proposed design. Sensitivity analysis is implemented to check the effects from different prior distributions, and conservative priors are recommended. We compare the power and actual sample sizes of the proposed Bayesian sequential design with different alpha spending functions through simulations. We also compare the power of the proposed method with frequentist sequential design using the same alpha spending function. Simulations show that, at the same sample size, the proposed method provides larger power than the corresponding frequentist sequential design. It also has larger power than traditional Bayesian sequential design which sets equal critical values for all interim analyses. When compared with other alpha spending functions, O'Brien-Fleming alpha spending function has the largest power and is the most conservative in terms that at the same sample size, the null hypothesis is the least likely to be rejected at early stage of clinical trials. And finally, we show that adding a step of stop for futility in the Bayesian sequential design can reduce the overall type I error and reduce the actual sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firstly, this paper established a finite element model of the steel bridge and applied movable vehicle loads measured by experiments into the finite element model so that stress and strain distribution characteristics in detail structures of bridges were computed. The change process in the direction of detailed element of diaphragm plate after the shear residual stress was taken into account. Results showed that the direction of its principal tension stress was vertical to the actual crack direction of cracks. To analyze the inner relationship between the internal force of diaphragm plate and local stress amplitude, vehicle loads moved horizontally to record the change trend of principal stress at the arc hole and shear force and bending moment in the cross section. Through making a comparison, this paper found that stress amplitude at the arc hole was mainly affected by shear force and local wheel pressure. Stress amplitude at the arc hole close to diaphragm plate was larger than that at the arc hole close to the middle line, which was easier to crack and consistent with actual damage. Finally, the fatigue life of bridges which took into account the shear residual stress was estimated according to stress and strain to compare with the result which did not take into account the shear stress. Comparison results showed that the shear residual stress had an obvious effect on fatigue life of the steel bridge, so it cannot be neglected during numerical computation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light with transverse polarization structures, such as radial and azimuthal polarization, enables and revives lots of applications based on a light-matter interaction due to its unique focal properties. To date, studies referring to this topic mainly concentrate on a weak-light domain, yet it should have gained more attention in a high-energy domain. Here, we demonstrate the generation of strong single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) cylindrical vector (CV) short pulses via stimulated Brillouin amplification. As a proof-of-principle work, the energy is transferred from a pair of 700 ps pumps to a 300 ps Stokes pulse via parametrically exciting coherent phonons in fluorocarbon liquid. After amplification, a 100 mJ-level SLM CV pulse light with 300 ps duration is obtained. Meanwhile, the phase and polarization structures are high fidelity maintained. This result provides a practicable way to generate strong CV light, and by further extending this mechanism into the beam combination system, even an ultra-high intensity CV light can be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless network virtualization is envisioned as a promising framework to provide efficient and customized services for next-generation wireless networks. In wireless virtualized networks (WVNs), limited radio resources are shared among different services providers for providing services to different users with heterogeneous demands. In this paper, we propose a resource allocation scheme for an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-based WVN, where one small cell base station equipped with a large number of antennas serves the users with different service requirements. In particular, with the objective to obtain the energy efficiency in the uplink, a joint power, subcarrier, and antenna allocation problem is presented considering availability of both perfect and imperfect channel state information. Subsequently, relaxation and variable transformation are applied to develop the efficient algorithm to solve the formulated non-convex and combinational optimization problem. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the advantages of our presented system architecture and proposed schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aftershocks of the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan earthquakes delineated a prominent 60-km-long “seismic gap.” The uncertainty regarding the near-future seismic potential of this seismic gap has become of increasing importance to both the scientific community and the public. Using paleoseismology, this study investigated the occurrence of the last major event in the seismic gap and then considered the future seismic potential. Based on image interpretation, trench excavation, radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating, and comparisons with historical earthquake rupture lengths, the most recent paleoearthquake (estimated magnitude: M6.5–7.0) along the Shuangshi–Dachuan Fault (SDF), which is the southern segment of the Longmen Shan Fault, was constrained to 640–1330 CE (very possibly, 876 CE). According to the most recent geological and geophysical findings, we suggest that the seismic gap (i.e., the SDF) could be capable of generating M6.0–7.0 earthquakes, but that the likelihood of such an occurrence in the near future is not very high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenced by repeated effects of vehicle loads during an operation period, a bridge structure will suffer from cyclic stress, while the corresponding fatigue damage will be generated. Therefore, it is very important to conduct on fatigue performance analysis and life assessment of a bridge during the operation period. Firstly, vehicle load spectrums and dynamic stress are determined through using field vehicle recorder and strain gauge to measure stress responses of steel-structure bridge diaphragm plates. Results show that: No.1 strain gauge was closer to the hole edge than No. 2 strain gauge, and its stress concentration was more obvious; sequence of stress values is as follows: No. 1 strain gauge > No. 2 strain gauge > No. 3 strain gauge. Then, the vehicle load spectrums are loaded into the finite element model of the steel-structure bridge (with and without struts), so stresses at holes, weld and plates are computed. Stresses at holes and plates have the similar variation tendency, but stresses at the hole are larger. Variation of stresses at welds is more complicated than other two positions when vehicles pass by. Equivalent stress amplitudes at holes, plates and other positions in the steel-structure bridge (with struts) model are less than computational results of the steel-structure bridge (without struts) model, but stress amplitudes at the weld don't vary obviously, indicating that force at holes and plates can be effectively improved by strengthening rigidity of the diaphragm plate using struts. Finally, fatigue lives of detailed parts for the steel-structure bridge are computed. Results show that applying struts can effectively increase fatigue lives of some detailed positions, which can further improve fatigue life of the whole steel-structure bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-risk sexual behaviors drive the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). Alcohol consumption and use of club drugs may increase sexual risk behaviors. We evaluated effects of drug and alcohol use on sexual behaviors with both their male and female partners as well as on HIV and syphilis infections among MSM in China. Methods: As the part of a community randomized clinical trial that conducted among MSM in Beijing from 2013 to 2015, we recruited a total of 3,680 participants cross-sectionally. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect information regarding demographics, sexual behaviors, and a history of alcohol and drug use. Blood sample was collected for HIV and syphilis testing. Results: A total of 3,588 MSM completed the survey and were included in the data analysis. The mean age was 29.9 with 97.3% of Han-ethnicity and 85.0% unmarried. The HIV and syphilis prevalence was 12.7% and 7.4%, respectively. Drug use was significantly associated with higher odds of HIV infection (aOR = 1.3, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.0,1.6), but not associated with syphilis. A higher level of alcohol consumption was similarly associated with higher odds of HIV risks with both male (e.g., condomless sex acts) and female partners (e.g., numbers of sexual partners). Conclusion: The association between drug and alcohol use and high-risk behaviors is notable among MSM in China. Integrated HIV interventions that target substance use among MSM may be more effective than programs that only target HIV alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The HIV epidemic continues to expand among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. The NIMH Project Accept/ HPTN 043 trial suggested a borderline significant trend toward HIV incidence reduction among persons with higher testing rates. Methods: We assessed HIV testing histories and infection status among a community-based Beijing MSM. HIV serostatus was lab confirmed. We ascertained demographic/behavioral factors through questionnaire-based interviews. Associations of previous HIV testing with odds of current HIV infection were assessed, seeking improved like-with-like risk comparisons through multivariable logistic regression analysis with propensity score adjustment and restricted cubic spline modeling. Results: Among 3588 participants, 12.7% were HIV infected; 70.8% reported having ever tested for HIV. Compared with MSM who never tested, those ever testing had a 41% reduction in the odds of being HIV positive [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48 to 0.74. Higher HIV testing frequencies were associated with a decreasing trend in the odds of being infected with HIV vs. a referent group with no previous testing [>6 tests (aOR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.41); 4-6 (aOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.78); 2-3 (aOR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.82); P for trend <0.001]. The multivariable-adjusted model with restricted cubic spline of HIV testing frequency showed a higher frequency of previous HIV testing associated with lower odds of HIV infection, particularly among men with ≥10 lifetime male sexual partners. Conclusions: Using risk probability adjustments to enable less biased comparisons, frequent HIV testing was associated with a lower HIV odds among Chinese MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the properties and applications of rubber cement-based materials are well documented. The sizes of rubbers used in these materials varied. However, information about the effects of rubber size on the properties of rubber cement-based materials, especially pore structure, mechanical strengths, and drying shrinkage properties, remains limited. Three groups of rubber with major particle sizes of 2–4 mm, 1–3 mm, and 0–2 mm were selected in this study. This paper presents experimental studies on the effects of rubber size on the consistency, fresh density, pore structure, mechanical properties, and drying shrinkage properties of crumb rubber mortars (CRMs). Results demonstrated that the consistency and fresh density of CRMs decreased with the rubber size. As to the pore structure, the total pore volume increased with the decrease of the rubber size. By contrast, the influence of the rubber size on the mesopore (<50 nm) volume is not as significant as that of the rubber content. The mechanical properties of CRMs decreased with the rubber size. Low rubber stiffness and large pore volumes, especially those of small sized rubbers, contribute to the reduction of CRMs strength. The drying shrinkage of CRM increases as the rubber size decreases. The influences of rubber size on capillary tension are not significant. Thus, the shrinkage increases with the decrease of rubber size mainly because of its function in the deformation modulus reduction of CRMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A continuing nationwide vaccination campaign began in the Dominican Republic on February 16, 2021 to prevent severe consequences of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Estimates of vaccine effectiveness under real-world conditions are needed to support policy decision making and inform further vaccine selection. Methods We conducted a test-negative case-control study to assess the real-world effectiveness of nationwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program using an inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac) on preventing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations from August to November 2021 in the Dominican Republic. Participants were recruited from 10 hospitals in 5 provinces to estimate the effectiveness of full immunization (≥14 days after receipt of the second dose) and partial immunization (otherwise with at least 1 dose ≥14 days after receipt of the first dose). Results Of 1078 adult participants seeking medical care for COVID-19-related symptoms, 395 (36.6%) had positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2; 142 (13.2%) were hospitalized during 15 days of follow up, including 91 (23%) among 395 PCR-positive and 51 (7.5%) among 683 PCR-negative participants. Full vaccination was associated with 31% lower odds of symptomatic infection (odds ratio [OR], 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52–0.93) and partial vaccination was associated with 49% lower odds (OR, 0.51; CI, 0.30–0.86). Among 395 PCR-positive participants, full vaccination reduced the odds of COVID-19-related hospitalization by 85% (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.08–0.25) and partial vaccination reduced it by 75% (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.08–0.80); full vaccination was associated with reduced use of assisted ventilation by 73% (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15–0.49). Conclusions Given the ancestral and delta viral variants circulating during this study period, our results suggest that the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine offered moderate protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and high protection against COVID-19-related hospitalizations and assisted ventilation. This is reassuring given that, as of August 2022, an estimated 2.6 billion inactivated CoronaVac vaccine doses had been administered worldwide. This vaccine will become a basis for developing multivalent vaccine against the currently circulating omicron variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]