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To investigate the relationship between systemic inflammatory response and short-term mortality in patients with non-cirrhotic chronic severe hepatitis (CSH) by using several indicators of inflammation including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil (NEU), white blood cell (WBC), platelet-to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR).Data were collected from two prospectively enrolled CATCH-LIFE noncirrhotic cohorts. Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association between systemic inflammatory biomarkers and 90-day liver transplant (LT)-free mortality. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to illustrate the quantitative curve relationship between NLR and 90-day LT-free mortality. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the 90-year LT-free survival.The prevalence of CSH was 20.5% (226/1103). The 28-day and 90-day LT-free mortality rates were 17.7% and 26.1%, respectively, for patients with non-cirrhotic CSH. Patients with no infection accounted for 75.0% of all CSH patients, and NLR was independently associated with 90-day LT-free mortality. NLR of 2.9 might be related to disease deterioration in CSH patients without infection.NLR may be an independent risk factor for 90-day LT-free mortality in patients with non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease. A NLR of 2.9 as the cut-off value can be used to predict disease aggravation in CSH patients without infection.

Effective information transmission between vehicles has become one of the solutions to improve road safety. Based on the huge advantages of optical wireless data transmission technology, this article summarizes the research status of unmanned vehicles in optical wireless communication (OWC). The article not only studies the actual progress of building optical links through an unmanned vehicle, connecting air communication, ground communication, underwater communication into a unified wireless network, and realizing the fast, stable, large-capacity data transmission system. The technical challenges of unmanned vehicle OWC are also discussed and its future development has prospected.

For personalized recommender systems, matrix factorization and its variants have become mainstream in collaborative filtering. However, the dot product in matrix factorization does not satisfy the triangle inequality and therefore fails to capture fine-grained information. Metric learning-based models have been shown to be better at capturing fine-grained information than matrix factorization. Nevertheless, most of these models only focus on rating data and social information, which are not sufficient for dealing with the challenges of data sparsity. In this paper, we propose a metric learning-based social recommendation model called SRMC. SRMC exploits users’ co-occurrence patterns to discover their potentially similar or dissimilar users with symmetric relationships and change their relative positions to achieve better recommendations. Experiments on three public datasets show that our model is more effective than the compared models.

With the continuous improvement of user communication requirements and the rapid development of information services, optical wireless communication (OWC), which has unlimited bandwidth and precise positioning, is widely used in indoor scenes such as healthcare. For healthcare monitoring application, the optical wireless (OW) link using non-Lambertian emission pattern is investigated in the typical mobility scenario. Numerical results show that the potential gain could been provided by the concerned emission pattern to the OW performance uniformity.

Autofellatio causes a sinusoidal bend in the spine. This leads to misalignment of the esophagus causing digestive problems. The misalignment causes air blockages (or airlock) that prevent the bolus from descending to the stomach But the exact etiology of allergic rhinitis remains unclear, many studies have demonstrated that Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. TLRs, known as Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), are the crucial components of the innate immune system and express either on the cell membrane or in the endolysosomal compartments.

Different concentrations of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were added into 1.0 g/100 g sodium alginate to investigate the rheological properties and gelation behaviors of the composite gel. Gluconic acid-δ-lactone (GDL) was used to release Ca2+ ions to induce uniform gel formation by sodium alginate. The effects of CMC on critical gelation behavior during sodium alginate gelation were discussed. The sodium alginate/CMC composite gel is still a shear thinning fluid, and its viscosity is positively related to CMC content. When CMC content is higher than 0.4 g/100 g, the composite viscosity (η*) differs from the apparent viscosity (η), and η* remains at higher level than η. When CMC content is lower than 0.2 g/100 g, the gelation of sodium alginate accelerates, and the gelation strength increases. However, when CMC content is higher than 0.4 g/100 g, the gelation accelerates, but the gelation strength decreases with increasing CMC. The gel point of sodium alginate (ƒgel) is delayed with increasing CMC. The critical exponent differs greatly when CMC content is higher than 0.2 g/100 g, and the system loses self-similarity at the gel point. The fractal dimension of the composite gel increases initially and then decreases with increasing CMC. The system develops the densest structure at 0.4 g/100 g CMC content.

The outbreak of the Ebola virus has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality in the affected areas, and Ebola virus RNA has been found in the semen of the survivors after 9 months of symptom onset. However, the role that sexual transmission played in the transmission is not very clear. In this paper, we developed a compartmental model for Ebola virus disease (EVD) dynamics, which includes three different infectious routes: contact with the infectious, contact with dead bodies, and transmission by sexual behaviour with convalescent survivors. We fitted the model to daily cumulative cases from the first reported infected case to October 25, 2014 for the epidemic in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. The basic reproduction numbers in these countries were estimated as 1.6726 (95%CI:1.5922–1.7573), 1.8162 (95%CI:1.7660–1.8329) and 1.4873 (95%CI:1.4770–1.4990), respectively. We calculated the contribution of sexual transmission to the basic reproduction number R0 as 0.1155 (6.9%), 0.0236 (2.8%) and 0.0546 (3.7%) in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, respectively. Sensitivity analysis shows that the transmission rates caused by contacts with alive patients and sexual activities with convalescent patients have stronger impacts on the R0. These results suggest that isolating the infectious individuals and advising the recovery men to avoid sexual intercourse are efficient ways for the eradication of endemic EVD.

The effect of alkali extraction (AE), enzymatic extraction (EE), ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction (UAEE), and shear homogeneous-assisted enzymatic extraction (SHAEE) on the physicochemical, structural properties, and in vitro hypoglycemic activity of bamboo shoot dietary fibers (BSDF) were investigated and compared. BSDF obtained by AE had the lowest protein content and crystallinity index. The lowest oil holding capacity (OHC) and highest protein content were observed in EE. BSDF generated highest OHC and glucose adsorption capacity by UAEE. SHAEE obtained the highest SDF content (17.89%), water-holding capacity (8.81 g/g), and α-amylase activity inhibition ratio (19.89%) and the smallest particle size (351.33 μm). BSDF extracted by SHAEE and UAEE presented a porous and loose structure. Furthermore, the in vitro hypoglycemic activity of the four BSDF samples generally followed the order of SHAEE UAEE EE AE. Results show that SHAEE is an innovative and promising method to obtain BSDF with its excellent physicochemical and functional properties.

This paper investigated the effect of extrusion treatment on the rheological properties, in vitro digestibility, and multi-structure of starch with or without bamboo shoot dietary fiber (BSDF). The viscoelasticity and thixotropy decreased after extrusion treatment, however, they increased after BSDF addition, and decreased with increasing BSDF content. The starch granules became smooth and formed big lumps after extrusion treatment. The dense lumps became loose after the addition of BSDF. Extrusion treatment changed the movement and arrangement of starch chains and thus the relative crystallinity and branching degree decreased by 92.6% and 40.9%, respectively. The disruption of starch further increased rapid digestion starch (RDS) content by 10%. The decreased disruption of starch granules and increased entanglement between BSDF and starch decreased the RDS content. The addition of BSDF is a novelty method to enhance the nutritional properties and control the physicochemical properties of extruded starchy foods.

The effect of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), high-methoxyl pectin (HMP), konjac glucomannan (KGM), and xanthan gum (XG) on the physicochemical, structural properties, and digestibility of rice starch were investigated and compared. The four viscous soluble dietary fibers (VSDFs) increased the viscosity, storage modulus and loss modulus while decreased the pasting temperature and gelatinization enthalpy. Moreover, XG produced the lowest peak viscosity and dynamic modulus compared with the other VSDFs. Furthermore, the degree of short-range ordered structure of starch with KGM increased from 0.8448 to 0.8716; and the relative crystallinity of starch with XG increased by 12%. An ordered and reunited network structure was observed in SEM. In addition, VSDF inhibited the digestibility of rice starch and significantly increased the resistant starch content. This study compared the effect of four VSDFs on the physicochemical, structural and digestion properties of rice starch to fully understand and develop their application to starchy foods.

As one of the most important applications of 5G technology, vehicle scenarios have strict requirements in end-to-end delay, reliability and data rate. Based on the huge advantages of free space Optical (FSO) communication technology, this paper summarizes the research status of vehicle FSO communication under the 5G evolution background, by integrating satellite, air, ground and underwater communications into a unified wireless network through unmanned vehicle platforms, the research progress of "space, earth and sea integration" optical transmission link is built to realize fast, stable and large-capacity data transmission system. The technical challenges of vehicle FSO communication faced with are also discussed and its future development is prospected.

Wireless optical communication (WOC) has been widely concerned by the industry due to its advantages of wide bandwidth, high transmission rate, better security, and no need of authorized spectrum. As the fifth generation communication and beyond five generations the rapid development of communication system, and to give full play to the advantages of WOC, this paper reviews the relay technology under indoor wireless optical communications, outdoor wireless optical communications and underwater wireless optical communication, elaborates based on relay technology of the three methods of communication protocol, channel model and modulation method, combining with specific experimental analysis of its performance. Finally, main problems of relay WOC are pointed out and the potential solutions are also given.

Mine accidents are frequent, miner safety and machine production was an important thing in the mine. Real-time communication and positioning one of the necessary things in mine, but he interference and shielding of rf signal are serious in mine scene. Optical wireless technology can be used underground to provide communication and location for miners. In this paper, the research status of optical wireless technology in mines is summarized, from the communication and location of two aspects and the application of sensing technology and robot wireless and wired optical in mines. Finally, the prospect of optical wireless technology in mines is summarized.

To explore modification effects of ultrasonic treatment on high-methoxyl pectin (HMP), HMP was used as raw material and processed by ultrasonic treatment under different powers (120, 240, 360 and 480 W). Rheological properties of HMP gel were tested. Moreover, the HMP gel formation process was analyzed through kinetic analysis. Results demonstrate that the viscosity of HMP was reduced significantly by ultrasonic treatment. However, the rheological properties of HMP gel were retained, and they still showed typical pseudoplastic and shear thinning properties. HMP gel of the low-power treatment group showed better viscoelasticity compared with those of the contrast group. The maximum G′ and G″ were achieved after HMP was treated by 120 W ultrasonic power when elasticity of HMP was enhanced significantly. Moreover, the structure of HMP was damaged by the cavitation effect and mechanical effect as ultrasonic power increased, thereby the strength of gel decreased significantly. Ultrasonic treatment could weaken the gel formation ability of HMP. During gel formation, the activation energy difference between the high-temperature and low-temperature stages reduced with increasing ultrasonic power. The 120 W treatment group achieved the maximum activation energy difference between the high-temperature and low-temperature stages, while the 480 W treatment group achieved the minimum activation energy difference.

Whole-grain highland hull-less barley (WHLB) contains high amounts of bioactive compounds that potentially exhibit cholesterol-lowering effects. This study investigated the hypocholesterolaemic effect of WHLB. A total of seventy-two male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups and were fed with the normal control diet, high-fat diet (HFD) and HFD containing low or high dose (10 or 48·95 %) of WHLB. High dose of WHLB significantly decreased the organ indexes of liver and abdominal fat and lipid levels of plasma and liver in HFD rats. The lipid regulation effect of WHLB, which was reconfirmed through hepatocyte morphologic observation, was accompanied by a large excretion of bile acids in the small intestinal contents and the faeces. Real-time PCR analyses, which were further reconfirmed through Western blot analyses, revealed that a high dose of WHLB significantly enhanced the hepatic expressions of AMP-activated protein kinaseα, cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, LDL receptor, liver X receptor, and PPARαand decreased the expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase. It also enhanced the ileal expression of farnesoid X receptor and resulted in the decrease of expression of apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter. WHLB exhibited hypocholesterolaemic effects mainly by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, cholesterol accumulation in peripheral tissue, and bile acid reabsorption and by stimulating bile acid synthesis.

In order to improve the compatibility of polysaccharide-protein mixtures and enhance their performance, a response surface methodology was used to optimize the preparation conditions of konjac glucomannan/casein blend gel. Moreover, the effects of high-pressure processing (HPP) on the gel properties and structure were also investigated.; Results: The optimal preparation parameters were a temperature of 60 °C, a total concentration 40 g kg-1 , and a dietary alkali concentration 5 g kg-1 . Under these conditions, the experimental value of hardness was 38.7 g, which was close to the predicted value. HPP increased gel hardness by 161-223% and led to a more compact structure at 200-600 MPa/10 min, while a hardness increase of ∼120% and damaged structure were observed at 600 MPa/30 min. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that noncovalent interactions are likely the most important factor in the modification of gel hardness; indeed, hydrogen bonding interactions in the gels are enhanced when subjected to HPP, but are weakened at 600 MPa/30 min.; Couclusion: Protein-polysaccharide complexes with excellent properties could be obtained through this method, with broad application prospects in the food industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

The physicochemical, structural properties and digestibility of rice starch treated by bamboo shoot dietary fiber (BSDF) combined with dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) were investigated. Compared with starch modified by BSDF alone, the combination treatment decreased the pasting viscosity and viscoelasticity of starch. Furthermore, the pasting viscosity and viscoelasticity showed an increase from 50 to 100 MPa and then decreased after increasing the pressure to 150 and 200 MPa. The enthalpy of gelatinization and relative crystallinity of starch treated by BSDF and 100 MPa DHPM significantly increased by 17% and 63%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated that flaky BSDF coated on starch granules to form a protective layer. As a result, the fractions of resistant starch increased and the starch hydrolysis extent and rate decreased under 100 MPa DHPM. This study highlights an innovative and promising strategy for improving the properties of starch and facilitating its utilization.

Adding dietary fiber in milk pudding is of great significance in improving the nutritional value of a variety of products as well as human health. However, only a few reports on the influence of dietary fiber on the rheological behavior and textural properties of milk pudding are available. Therefore, in this paper, the milk pudding was used as raw material to study the changes in rheological behavior, textural properties, and microstructure of the pudding after adding bamboo shoot diatery fiber (BSDF) at different concentration. Results showed that the BSDF/milk pudding compound system is a typical pseudoplastic fluid with yield stress. With the addition of 2 g BSDF/100 g, the yield stress and consistency coefficient values were the highest, whereas the fluid index showed the smallest value. The hardness, viscosity, and gumminess increased until 2 g/100 g concentration and they decreased with further addition of BSDF, whereas cohesiveness demonstrated the opposite behavior. Meanwhile, the microstructure of the compound system revealed that BSDF increases the aggregation of particles and the cohesiveness between BSDF and the milk pudding and made the microstructure more compact. However, when the concentration was over 2 g/100 g, the gel structure of milk pudding was damaged, resulting in flocculation.

Summary The diversity and dynamics of the dominant bacterial communities arising during the pickling process of bamboo shoots (Dendrocalamus latiflorus) were investigated by nested polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis combined with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results showed only several kinds of halophilic bacteria during early sampling time (0−3 days). After pickling for 7 days, Lactococcus lactis significantly increased (P

In this work, we demonstrate that modules with halfhalf-cell layout show an increased power by using the triangular ribbon. Firstly, we have studied the impact on power of different triangular ribbon structures by a SunSolve simulation tool. Secondly, on basis of the rectangular and optimizing triangular ribbon structures, we have performed simulation and experimental results for full full-cell modules and half half-cell modules respectively. Both simulation and experimental results agree to a good extent and they show that the power output of half half-cell module with triangular ribbon increase s to about 4.74% than full cell module with rectangular ribbon.

A new and convenient route to synthesizing retrograded starch nanoparticles (RS3NPs) through homogenization combined with a water-in-oil miniemulsion cross-linking technique was developed. The RS3NPs were optimized using Box-Behnken experimental design. Homogenization pressure (X1), oil/water ratio (X2), and surfactant (X3) were selected as independent variables, whereas particle size was considered as a dependent variable. Results indicated that homogenization pressure was the main contributing variable for particle size. The optimum values for homogenization pressure, oil/water ratio, and surfactant were 30MPa, 9.34:1, and 2.54g, respectively, whereas the particle size was predicted to be 288.2 nm. Morphological, physical, chemical, and functional properties of the RS3NPs were the assessed. Scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering images showed that RS3NP granules were broken down to size of about 222.2nm. X-ray diffraction results revealed a disruption in crystallinity. The RS3NPs exhibited a slight decrease in To, but Tp and Tc increased and narrowest Tc-To. The solubility and swelling power were also increased. New peaks at 1594.84 and 1403.65cm(-1) were observed in the FTIR graph. However, homogenization minimally influenced the antidigestibility of RS3NPs. The absorption properties improved, and the adsorption kinetic described the contact time on the adsorption of captopril onto RS3NPs. In vitro release experiment indicated that the drug was released as follows: 21% after 2h in SGF, 42.78% at the end of 8h (2h in SGF and 6h in SIF), and 92.55% after 12h in SCF. These findings may help better utilize RS3NP in biomedical applications as a drug delivery material.

A new and convenient synthesis route using high-power ultrasonication combined with water-in-oil miniemulsion cross-linking technique was used to prepare cross-linked nanoscale retrograded starch (RS3). A four-factor Box–Behnken design and optimization was used to minimize particle size through the developed nanoscale RS3 based on 29 different experimental data obtained in a batch study. Four independent variables, namely, ultrasonic power (100–500 W), sonication time (40–200 min), starch content (0.5 g/100g–2.5 g/100 g), and oil/water ratio (4:1–12:1), were transformed to coded values, and a quadratic model was established to predict the responses. Variable optimization for minimizing particle size by high-power ultrasonication was performed using the quadratic model. The predicted minimized Z-Ave (611.7 nm) under the optimum conditions of the process variables (ultrasonic power, 231.52 W; sonication time, 85.19 min; starch content, 1.1 g/100 g; and oil/water ratio, 9:1) was very close to the experimental value (606.2 nm) determined in the batch experiment. SEM observation revealed that the surface of the nanoscale RS3 appeared to be progressively broken down and eroded. XRD analysis indicated that ultrasonication destroyed the crystalline structure of the clustered amylopectin and apparently led to amorphous or low-crystallinity RS3 nanoparticles.