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This research provide a case study to analyses how Chinese government’s social-media accounts were used to communicate during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of agenda-setting. Two most active Chinese government official accounts on Sina Weibo, the most popular Chinese social media platform, are selected as examples. The frequencies and content of postings between December 2019 and May 2020, namely the period of the first outbreak of COVID-19, are analysed. The research argues that Chinese government official accounts frequently posted during this period, and three aspects were most salient in the communication: information regarding the virus, US-China relations during the pandemic, and emotional tributes to public servants. The salience of these aspects contributed to narratives that reinforce Chinese government’s efforts in fighting the pandemic, and enable positive portrayal of government to be more visible in the online public space.

We investigated independent associations between telomere length and risk of fracture and arthroplasty in UK Biobank participants. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was measured in baseline samples using a validated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. We used, in men and women separately, Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) for incident fracture (any, osteoporotic) or arthroplasty (hip or knee) over 1,186,410 person-years of follow-up. Covariates included age, white cell count, ethnicity, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and menopause (women). In further analyses we adjusted for either estimated bone mineral density (eBMD) from heel quantitative ultrasound, handgrip strength, gait speed, total fat mass (bioimpedance), or blood biomarkers, all measured at baseline (2006-2010). We studied 59,500 women and 51,895 men, mean ± standard deviation (SD) age 56.4 ± 8.0 and 57.0 ± 8.3 years, respectively. During follow-up there were 5619 fractures; 5285 hip and 4261 knee arthroplasties. In confounder-adjusted models, longer LTL was associated with reduced risk of incident knee arthroplasty in both men (HR/SD 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-0.97) and women (0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96), and hip arthroplasty in men (0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.95), but not women (0.98; 95% CI, 0.94-1.01). Longer LTL was weakly associated with reduced risk of any incident fracture in women (HR/SD 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-1.00) with less evidence in men (0.98; 95% CI, 0.93-1.02). Associations with incident outcomes were not materially altered by adjustment for heel eBMD, grip strength, gait speed, fat mass, or blood biomarker measures. In this, the largest study to date, longer LTL was associated with lower risk of incident knee or hip arthroplasty, but only weakly associated with lower risk of fracture. The relative risks were low at a population level, but our findings suggest that common factors acting on the myeloid and musculoskeletal systems might influence later life musculoskeletal outcomes. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Background: Memory loss is the key symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As successful drug treatments have not yet been identified, non-pharmaceutical intervention, such as physical exercise has been recognized as an effective strategy to improve memory function of people with dementia. Here we investigated the effect of prolonged physical running on hippocampal-dependent spatial memory and underlying mechanisms in 3xTg-AD mouse, a well-established rodent model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: 3xTg-AD transgenic mice with three AD mutations were used and compared with non-transgenic mice. Voluntary wheel running continued for 5 months (1 hour per day, 5 days per week) and was followed by spatial memory testing. At the end of behavior testing, dendritic spines, synapses, and synaptic proteins as well as amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology were analyzed in the dorsal hippocampi. Results: Running improved hippocampal-dependent spatial memory in 3xTg-AD mice. This running strategy prevented both thin and mushroom-type spines on CA1 pyramidal cells in 3xTg-AD mice, whereas the effects of running in non-transgenic mice were limited to thin spines. The enormous effects of running on spines were accompanied by increased synapses and higher expressions of synaptic proteins. Notably, running downregulated the processing of amyloid precursor protein, resulting in reduced Aβ peptides, and spatial memory performance correlated with levels of Aβ peptides Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42. Conclusion: These data suggest that prolonged running may improve memory in preclinical AD via slowing down amyloid pathology and preventing loss of synaptic contacts.

This paper presents a comparative approach that discusses whether British newspapers with different political agendas report China differently, in the post-Brexit referendum UK. As UK still remains as a member country of the EU 3 years after the vote, the relationship between China and the UK is still a source that impacts China–EU relations. Specifically, political agendas of British newspapers heavily impact their reports of domestic political issues and of the EU; this research questions whether such a difference can be observed in reports of China or not. The research selects four popular newspapers in the UK, The Sun, The Times, The Guardian and The Mirror, and analyses their coverage of China between 01/01/2017 and 31/12/2018. Among them, The Sun and The Times are right-wing/leaning newspapers and support the Conservative Party, while The Guardian and The Mirror are left-wing/leaning and the Labour Party supporters. This study applies content analysis and compares three perspectives in these four newspapers’ reports of China: the number of reports, the topics of reports and the associations (threats or cooperate) with China. By comparing the similarity and difference in those four newspapers’ coverages, this paper aims to understand what image of China those popular British newspapers were creating for their readers, what impressions of China were generated and whether and how the coverage reflects the changing Sino–UK relations in the post-Brexit era. If so, how the right-leaning and left-leaning newspapers frame China differently.

To use continuous real-time monitoring of maternal core body temperature during labor and investigate the association between epidural analgesia, intrapartum maternal fever, and maternal and neonatal outcomes.Among 201 pregnant women attending our institution for a vaginal in-hospital delivery, 159 women received epidural analgesia and 42 women did not receive epidural analgesia. Women's core body temperature was continuously monitored for the duration of labor using a smartphone/iPad-connected wireless thermometer positioned in an axilla. The primary outcome was a change in maternal core body temperature during labor. Among women receiving epidural analgesia, maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared in women who developed an intrapartum fever and those who had no intrapartum temperature elevation.Of the women receiving epidural analgesia, 26.4% (This study used a precise and accurate method to monitor core body temperature among women receiving epidural analgesia. Results showed that the use of epidural analgesia during labor was associated with intrapartum maternal fever in all stages of labor. Fever after epidural analgesia was associated with adverse maternal outcomes, independent of neonatal complications.

The spectral radius of a graph is the maximum eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix. In this paper, using the property of quotient graph, the sharp upper bounds for the spectral radii of some adhesive graphs are determined.

BackgroundTelomere length is associated with risk of several age–related diseases and cancers. The extent to which telomere length may be modifiable through lifestyle and behaviour and whether this has any clinical consequences is unknown.MethodsIn up to 422,797 participants in UK Biobank, we investigated associations of leucocyte telomere length (LTL) with 117 potentially modifiable traits, as well as two indices of healthy behaviours incorporating smoking, physical activity, diet, maintenance of a healthy body weight and alcohol intake. Associations were interpreted as age–related change in LTL by dividing the trait beta coefficients with the age–coefficient. We used Mendelian Randomisation (MR) to test causality of the observed associations of educational attainment and smoking behaviour with LTL. We investigated whether the associations of LTL with 22 diseases were modified by the number of healthy behaviours and the extent to which the associations of more healthy behaviours with greater life expectancy and lower risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) may be mediated through LTL.Results71 traits showed significant associations with LTL but most were modest, equivalent to ConclusionsSeveral potentially modifiable traits and healthy behaviours have a quantifiable association with LTL, at least some of which are likely to be causal. However, these effects are not of a sufficient magnitude to substantially alter the association between LTL and various diseases or life expectancy.

Funder: Health Data Research UK EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking BigData@Heart (11607)., Funder: Health Data Research UK, Telomeres, the end fragments of chromosomes, play key roles in cellular proliferation and senescence. Here we characterize the genetic architecture of naturally occurring variation in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and identify causal links between LTL and biomedical phenotypes in 472,174 well-characterized UK Biobank participants. We identified 197 independent sentinel variants associated with LTL at 138 genomic loci (108 new). Genetically determined differences in LTL were associated with multiple biological traits, ranging from height to bone marrow function, as well as several diseases spanning neoplastic, vascular and inflammatory pathologies. Finally, we estimated that, at the age of 40 years, people with an LTL >1 s.d. shorter than the population mean had a 2.5-year-lower life expectancy compared with the group with ≥1 s.d. longer LDL. Overall, we furnish new insights into the genetic regulation of LTL, reveal wide-ranging influences of LTL on physiological traits, diseases and longevity, and provide a powerful resource available to the global research community.

Background: Memory loss is the key symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As successful drug treatments have not yet been identified, non-pharmaceutical intervention, such as physical exercise has been recognized as an effective strategy to improve memory function of people with dementia. Here we investigated the effect of prolonged physical running on hippocampal-dependent spatial memory and underlying mechanisms in 3xTg-AD mouse, a well-established rodent model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods: 3xTg-AD transgenic mice that bear three mutations of AD were used and compared with non-transgenic mice. Voluntary wheel running continued for 5 months (1 hour per day, 5 days per week), followed by spatial memory testing. At the end of behavior testing, dendritic spines, synapses, and synaptic proteins as well as amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology were analyzed in dorsal hippocampus. Results: Running improved hippocampal-dependent spatial memory in 3xTg-AD mice. This running strategy prevented both thin and mushroom-type spines on CA1 pyramidal cells in 3xTg-AD mice, whereas the effects of running in non-transgenic mice were limited to thin spines. The enormous effects of running on spines were accompanied by increased synapses and higher expressions of synaptic proteins. Notably, running downregulated the processing of amyloid precursor protein, resulting in reduced Aβ peptides, and spatial memory performance correlated with levels of Aβ peptides including Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42. Conclusion: These data suggest that prolonged running may improve memory in preclinical AD via slowing down amyloid pathology and preventing loss of synaptic contacts.

BackgroundLeucocyte telomere length (LTL), a potential marker of biological age, has been associated with risk of many diseases. We investigated whether LTL is associated with risk of frailty, a multidimensional syndrome of decline that affects multiple systems and predisposes to adverse health outcomes.MethodsIn a cross–sectional analysis, we studied 441,781 UK Biobank participants (aged 40–70 years), with complete data on LTL and frailty indicators. We defined frailty as the presence of at least three of five indicators: weaker grip strength, slower walking pace, weight loss in the past year, lower physical activity, and exhaustion in the past two weeks. We evaluated association of LTL with frailty using adjusted (chronological age, sex, deprivation, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, multimorbidity) multinomial and ordinal regression models. We used Mendelian randomisation (MR), using 131 genetic variants associated with LTL, to assess if the association of LTL with frailty was causal.FindingsFrail participants (4·6%) were older (median age difference (95% CI): 3 (2·5; 3·5) years), more likely to be female (61%), and had shorter LTL (−0·13SD vs 0·03SD) than non–frail. In adjusted analyses, both age and LTL were associated with frailty (OR=1·03 (95%CI: 1·02–1·04) per year of older chronological age; 1·10 (1·08; 1·11) per SD shorter LTL). Within each age group (40–49, 50–59, 60–69 years) the prevalence of frailty was about 33% higher in participants with shorter (−2SD) versus longer telomeres (+2SD). MR analysis showed an association of LTL with frailty that was directionally consistent with the observational association, but not statistically significant.InterpretationInter–individual variation in LTL is associated with the risk of frailty independently of chronological age and other risk factors. Our findings provide evidence for an additional biological determinant of frailty.FundingThe UK Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the British Heart Foundation (MRC grant: MR/M012816/1) funded our measurements of LTL in UK Biobank. The funders had no role in study design; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; the writing of the report; and the decision to submit the paper for publication.Research in contextEvidence before this studyTelomere length has been proposed as a biomarker of biological age. Shorter leucocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with higher incidence of several age–associated diseases, spanning multiple body systems, and with lower life expectancy. However, the association of shorter LTL with frailty, a multidimensional syndrome of decline across multiple systems, is inconclusive. We searched PubMed using the terms “telomere length AND frailty” in the title, abstract, or text with no language restrictions. This search identified 50 papers published before 30 November, 2020. Of these, three systematic reviews and/ or meta–analyses of modest size (five to nine studies, with total nAdded value of this studyOur large–scale population–based study, involving over 441,000 participants, provides strong evidence that shorter LTL is associated with higher risk of both pre–frailty and frailty even after adjustment for chronological age and other established determinants of frailty, namely, age, sex, alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, deprivation and multimorbidity. Within each age group (40–49, 50–59, 60–69 years) the prevalence of frailty was about 33% higher in participants with shorter (−2SD) versus longer telomeres (+2SD). Part of the association of shorter LTL with higher risk of frailty may be due to the association in aggregate of LTL with diseases. Findings using genetic variants associated with LTL as instruments were directionally consistent with the observational association, but not statistically significant.Implications of all the available evidenceShorter LTL is associated with frailty independent of chronological age and several other risk factors. The observation that risk of frailty associated with shorter LTL is proportionately similar across the age range of 40–70 years suggests that shorter LTL acts through a mechanism beyond just accelerating the impact of chronological ageing on risk of frailty.

The determinants and biomedical consequences of variation in leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a proposed marker of biological age, are only partially understood. Here we report the creation and initial characterization of LTL measurements in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank. We confirm that older age and male sex associate with shorter LTL, with women on average ∼7 years younger in “biological age” than men. Compared to white Europeans, LTL is longer in African, Chinese and other major ancestries. Older paternal age at birth is associated with longer individual LTL. Higher white cell count is associated with shorter LTL, but proportions of white cell subtypes have weaker associations. Age, ethnicity, sex and white cell count explain ∼5.5% of LTL variance. Using paired samples from 1351 participants taken ∼5 years apart, we show the regression-dilution ratio for LTL is ∼0.65. This novel resource provides major opportunities to investigate LTL and multiple biomedical phenotypes.

BackgroundOlder chronological age is the most powerful risk factor for adverse coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outcomes. It is uncertain, however, whether older biological age, as assessed by leucocyte telomere length (LTL), is also associated with COVID-19 outcomes.MethodsWe associated LTL values obtained from participants recruited into UK Biobank (UKB) during 2006-2010 with adverse COVID-19 outcomes recorded by 30 November 2020, defined as a composite of any of the following: hospital admission, need for critical care, respiratory support, or mortality. Using information on 131 LTL-associated genetic variants, we conducted exploratory Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses in UKB to evaluate whether observational associations might reflect cause-and-effect relationships.FindingsOf 6,775 participants in UKB who had tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the community, there were 914 (13.5%) with adverse COVID-19 outcomes. The odds ratio (OR) for adverse COVID-19 outcomes was 1·17 (95% CI 1·05-1·31; P=0·004) per 1-SD shorter usual LTL, after adjustment for chronological age, sex and ethnicity. Similar ORs were observed in analyses that: adjusted for additional risk factors; disaggregated the composite outcome and reduced the scope for selection or collider bias. In MR analyses, the OR for adverse COVID-19 outcomes was directionally concordant but non-significant.InterpretationShorter LTL, indicative of older biological age, is associated with higher risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes, independent of several major risk factors for COVID-19 including chronological age. Further data are needed to determine whether this association reflects causality.FundingUK Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and British Heart Foundation.

Background To investigate the relationship between intrapartum maternal fever and the duration and dosage of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA). Methods This observational study included 159 pregnant women who voluntarily accepted PCEA. During labor, patients with body temperature ≥ 38 °C were classified into the Fever group, (n = 42), and those with body temperature n = 117). The outcome measures included the duration of PCEA, number of PCEA, and total PCEA amount. Body temperature and parturient variables, including interpartum fever status and the duration of any fever were monitored. Results The total PCEA duration and total PCEA amount in the Fever group were significantly higher than the corresponding values in the No-fever group (both, p ). The duration of fever was weakly correlated with the duration of PCEA (R2 = 0.08) and the total PCEA amount (R2 = 0.05) (both, p ). The total and effective PCEA were higher in the Fever group than in the No-fever group (both, p ). The total PCEA duration and total PCEA amount were positively correlated with the incidence of fever (both, p ). The diagnostic cutoff value for fever was 383 min, with a sensitivity of 78.6% and specificity of 57.3%. The mean temperature-time curves showed that parturients who developed fever had a steeper rise in temperature. Conclusions This study showed that there were weak time- and dose-dependent correlations between PCEA and maternal fever during delivery. A total PCEA duration exceeding 6.3 h was associated with an increase in the duration of maternal intrapartum fever.

Smoking is a preventable risk factor for many diseases and cancers. Pharmacotherapies such as varenicline have been utilised to aid quit smoking attempts. However, the genetic underpinnings of response to varenicline are not well understood. Despite reported genetic associations with smoking behaviours in European populations, very few efforts have been made to investigate the genetic underpinnings of smoking behaviours in other populations such as South Asians, the second largest population in the UK. This thesis aims to investigate the genetic basis of the long term effectiveness of varenicline in the EXCEED Study, and the genetic basis of smoking initiation in South Asians in UK Biobank.In this thesis, I devised a phenotyping algorithm to study long term effectiveness of varenicline using linked primary care electronic health records. A candidate-gene case-control analysis of varenicline long term effectiveness was then performed which highlighted 7 SNPs across the nicotinic receptor subunit coding genes CHRNA7, CHRNA4, and CHRNB4 at nominal significance. The variant most significantly associated with successful cessation was in CHRNA4, the gene encoding the target receptor of varenicline. Finally, a genome-wide case-control analysis of smoking initiation (ever- vs never-smokers) in South Asians in the UK Biobank highlighted 11 SNPs in DIMT1-KIF2A-IPO11, RBM3, and BHLHE40 associated with smoking initiations with P < 5×10−6, signals not previously described in either South Asians or Europeans.These findings, if replicated, could provide insights into the biological mechanisms underlying successful cessation using varenicline, and underlying smoking initiation in South Asians.

Endotracheal intubation is a crucial procedure for mechanical ventilation and respiratory support therapy. However, friction mismatch between the tube material and tissues often causes complications, such as laryngopharyngeal airway mucosa injury, tracheal granuloma, and inflammatory reaction. In this work, a highly lubricated coating was designed and applied on the tracheal tube. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127) were co-deposited on the surface-activated tube to form a hydration layer through intermolecular interaction. The coating exhibited high artificial saliva adsorption ratio and water-retention rate, providing excellent lubrication to the tube. The friction coefficient of the coated tube in artificial saliva was 77% less than that observed for the original tube. The efficacy of the lubricated coating on endotracheal intubation was assessed in vivo by using a cynomolgus monkey model. The coating was demonstrated to be effective to alleviate the injury caused by endotracheal intubation.

This article discusses how the Chinese government engages in online political debates and whether it adjusts its policies to respond to public concerns raised in such debates. This research explores government actions and discourses by using debates between Chinese net-users and the government around the building of an oil refinery in Kunming as a case study. It finds that the government used traditional party newspapers and social media as platforms to express its opinions and to interact with net-users regarding the oil refinery. The reports published in party media and government social media posts acknowledged the government’s awareness of the public’s concerns, demonstrated their reaction to the concerns and reinforced the government’s agenda. However, although the government engaged with the debate, it did not change its decisions about the oil refinery to respond to the public concerns raised online.

This article discusses the function of linguistic violence in online political communication in China, by using the specific example of 鸡的屁 (pronounced “ji de pi”), an ironic metaphor for gross domestic product. By using systemic functional linguistics as its methodology, the article demonstrates that the term is linguistically violent, and reveals that such a term is used to represent gross domestic product but also means “the fart of a chicken.” It is used in online discussions to show disagreement with and disdain toward the government’s gross domestic product-centric policies. The article argues the use of 鸡的屁, demonstrates Chinese Internet users’ creativities in online discourses, and their use of language to resist government policies that fail to serve their interests. It is not only a way to express oppositional opinions but also the public’s strong emotion of anger.

The selective two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for an onsite Fenton oxidation reaction over an integrated cathode is a promising method for environmental restoration. Here, an economic iron-copper-embedded carbon aerogel (FeCuC) exhibited high ORR activity (half-wave potential of −0.19 V vs SCE). The electron transfer number (n) over FeCuC was 2.9. Indeed, Fe@Fe3C promoted the ORR activity, while Cu enhanced the selectivity of the two-electron ORR. Meanwhile, the simultaneous incorporation of Fe and Cu simultaneously facilitated the sequential Fenton oxidation induced by H2O2. The individual rate constants for ORR and the oxidation reaction successfully revealed the fact that the efficient Fenton oxidation reaction again promotes again the 2-electron O2 reduction pathway. The application of FeCuC as a cathode in the electro-Fenton (EF) process, involving both high ORR and high Fenton oxidation activities, exhibited efficient total organic carbon (TOC) removal (88–99%) in 240 min for dimethyl phthalate (DMP), imidacloprid (IMI), bisphenol A (BPA) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). Moreover, five types of sanitary sewage were successively treated to meet the national discharge standards (chemical oxygen demand (COD)

A promising activated iron-doped carbon aerogel (AFeC) possessing high adsorption capacity and “self-cleaning” ability via generated OH radicals was fabricated and applied to remove dimethyl phthalate (DMP). Around 90% of the DMP (50 ppm) was first adsorbed on the surface of a DMP-imprinted AFeC electrode and then further catalytically oxidized by surface OH produced via an electro-Fenton reaction. DMP removal of 98% can be achieved in 150 min in the heterogeneous electro-Fenton process. The addition of Fe 0 favoured the generation of graphene sheets of amorphous carbon and then provided strong π-π interaction with aromatic pollutants. In addition to iron, a DMP molecular template was also introduced to AFeC to create special molecular imprinting affinity for DMP. The CO 2 -N 2 activation treatment increased the porosity and enriched the hydroxyl and quinone groups (C-O and C=O). The high DMP adsorption capacity of the DMP-imprinted AFeC electrode can be ascribed to the following mechanism: (i) electrostatic interaction; (ii) hydrophobic interaction; (iii) π-π electron-donor-acceptor interactions; (iv) molecular imprinting affinity between template molecules and imprinted sites. Thus, this carbon-based material is promising to be potentially applied in the removal of DMP containing wastewater through integrated adsorption and degradation.

A novel bifunctional MOF(2Fe/Co)/CA cathode with a high surface possessing area, and good electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activity, was proposed for the solar photo–electro–Fenton (SPEF) process. The optimal nFe: nCo ratio was 2:1 for successfully introducing MOF(2Fe/Co) on the surface of CA, which is due to the specific interaction affinity of FeOOH between MOF(2Fe/Co) and CA. Continuous on–site generation of H2O2 through an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was achieved over the CA cathode. The electron transfer number (n) of the ORR with CA was 2.5 in the selected potential range. Moreover, the addition of MOF can behave as the active sites for enhancing the ORR activity and hence can increase the yield of the H2O2. Simultaneously, the photoinduced electron (ecb−) of MOF(2Fe/Co) efficiently in–situ decomposed H2O2 to form hydroxyl radicals (OH). The observation indicated that the ecb− is an efficient and new Fenton–like catalysts that is pH–independent. Efficient photo–electro–catalytic performance was exhibited when applied to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP). Almost 100% RhB removal and 85% DMP removal were reached in 45 min and 120 min, respectively. The MOF(Fe/Co)/CA presented very low iron and cobalt leaching (

Background This study investigated the effect of ropivacaine on uterine and abdominal muscle electromyographic activity during the second stage of labor. Methods A total of 161 patients, including 48 patients receiving 0.0625% ropivacaine for patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), 64 patients receiving 0.0625% levobupivacaine for PCEA, and 49 patients with no PCEA completed the study. Uterine and abdominal muscle electromyographic activity was continuously recorded from the abdominal surface during the second stage of labor. Maternal demographic and clinical characteristics, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and various electromyographic parameters were recorded. Results Second stage of labor was significantly prolonged (P=0.007) for levobupivacaine compared to ropivacaine or no PCEA. The root-mean-square and duration of uterine muscle electromyographic activity was significantly lower for levobupivacaine or ropivacaine compared to no PCEA. The root-mean-square and power of abdominal muscle electromyographic activity was significantly lower for levobupivacaine compared to ropivacaine or no PCEA; the peak frequency of abdominal muscle electromyographic activity was significantly higher for ropivacaine. Visual analogue scale pain scores in patients in the levobupivacaine group or ropivacaine group decreased significantly over time compared to patients in the no PCEA group. Conclusions In conclusion 0.0625% ropivacaine does not suppress abdominal muscle electromyographic activity during the second stage of labor. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar in patients receiving ropivacaine or no PCEA.

EXCEED is a longitudinal population-based cohort which facilitates investigation of genetic, environmental and lifestyle-related determinants of a broad range of diseases and of multiple morbidity through data collected at baseline and via electronic healthcare record linkage. Recruitment has taken place in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland since 2013 and is ongoing, with 9,840 participants aged 30-69 to date. The population of Leicester is diverse and additional recruitment from the local South Asian community is ongoing. Participants have consented to follow-up for up to 25 years through electronic health records and additional bespoke data collection is planned. Data available includes baseline demographics, anthropometry, spirometry, lifestyle factors (smoking and alcohol use) and longitudinal health information from primary care records, with additional linkage to other EHR datasets planned. Patients have consented to be contacted for recall-by-genotype and recall-by-phenotype sub-studies, providing an important resource for precision medicine research. We welcome requests for collaboration and data access by contacting the study management team via exceed@le.ac.uk.

A synergic electrochemical process between cathodic electro-Fenton and anodic oxidation was proposed for efficient degradation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in this work. The electron-transfer ability and hydroxyl radicals ( OH) concentration are the key parameters for the PFOA degradation efficiency. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode exhibited the highest anodic oxidation ability compared to platinum and carbon stick. The integrated FeMn-doped carbon aerogel was fabricated as cathode for in-situ enhancing the generation of OH. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) indicated the main composition of cathode is Fe0 and MnO. The Fe in the integrated cathode favors the electro-catalytic ability of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), while MnO enhances the selectivity of 2-electron ORR with H2O2 as main product. The electroformed H2O2 would be onsite catalytic decomposition with FeII and MnII as Fenton catalysts for in-situ generating OH radicals. The optimal cathode with Fe/10Mn weight ratio can generate the highest concentration of OH. The catalytic degradation efficiency in this synergic electro-catalysis process with BDD as anode and Fe10MnC as cathode reached nearly 97% PFOA removal and 93% TOC removal after 4 h, suggesting the prominent synergic combination of cathodic electro-Fenton and anodic oxidation. The amount of intermediates C6F13COO− was decreased while others including C5F11COO−, C4F9COO−, C3F7COO−, C2F5COO−, CF3COO− were increased with increasing electro-catalysis time. The NEXAFS analysis of F in solution and cathode surface further confirmed the continuously synergic electro-catalysis between anodic and cathodic electro-Fenton oxidation.

Epidural analgesia is effective in relieving pain during labor. However, concerns as to compromised labor progress and outcomes arise. This study aimed to assess the effect of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) with ropivacaine on uterine electromyography (EMG) activities and outcomes in labor. A total of 213 pregnant women were divided into three groups: the PCEA with ropivacaine group (n = 78), the PCEA with levobupivacaine group (n = 66), and a control group that did not receive PCEA (n = 69). Uterine EMG activities were recorded during the first stage of labor. Maternal and fetal outcomes also were assessed. The primary outcomes of this study were EMG activities. No significant differences were observed in patient demographics or neonatal weight among the three groups. Compared to the PCEA with levobupivacaine group, the control and PCEA with ropivacaine groups had lower rates of oxytocin administration (P < 0.05) and shorter durations of the first stage of labor (P < 0.05). For the EMG activities, the PCEA with ropivacaine group showed a higher power (P < 0.01) and higher peak frequency (P < 0.05) than the PCEA with levobupivacaine group. With ropivacaine, the EMG activities remained stable 30–120 min. Compared with levobupivacaine, the use of ropivacaine in PCEA has no suppressive effect on uterine EMG activities during the first stage of labor. In addition, ropivacaine leads to labor progress and delivery outcomes similar to those in the control group, as well as similar and favorable analgesic satisfaction with the use of levobupivacaine.

A k-tree of a connected graph G is a spanning tree with maximum degree at most k. The rupture degree for a connected graph G is defined by , where and , respectively, denote the order of the largest component and number of components in . In this paper, we show that for a connected graph G, if for any cut-set , then G has a k-tree.

A nontrivial path is called a branch if it has only internal vertices of degree two and end vertices of degree not two. A set S of branches of a graph G is called a branch cut if the deletion of all edges and internal vertices of branches of S results in more components than G. A minimal branch cut is called a branch-bond. In this paper, we found some relationships amongst branch-bonds, weighted graphs and two-factors in iterated line graphs. We also obtained some bounded number of components in two-factor of iterated line graphs by using the concept of branch-bonds.

Nowadays, the energy issue has become a hot topic in many fields, therefore, the mobile electric energy efficiency detection system with considerable advantages in energy service is proposed. It can efficiently detect the state data and energy efficiency data of energy-using equipment, and analyze the data through an energy analysis model then a corresponding energy assessment report is generated. A mobile electric energy efficiency detection system based on Linux QT is introduced in this paper, which provides a feasible idea for embedded energy efficiency monitoring. QT GUI library is used to develop the system interface, which can display and query the real-time data, events conveniently. After a series of tests, the system can detect the energy efficiency accurately.

Under the huge challenges of the current global energy conservation and energy security, research on energy efficiency evaluation has become an attractive field. So a mobile energy efficiency detection terminal which can analyze the energy efficiency and display the real-time data is proposed in this paper. In order to get the power quality parameters such as voltage, current, reactive power, active power, power factor and so on, FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithm is applied in the terminal and implemented by DSP. After a number of tests, it is proved that the terminal can analyze the efficiency rapidly and accurately.