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Abstract Background Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) results in severe adverse outcomes and mortality. It is often associated with increased local and systemic inflammation. However, individual susceptibility to exacerbations remains largely unknown. Our study aimed to investigate the association between comorbidities and exacerbation outcomes. Methods We included patients with the primary discharge diagnosis of exacerbation for more 10 years in China. Data on all comorbidities were collected and analysed to determine the impact of the comorbidities on 1-year exacerbation readmission, length of hospital stay, and hospital cost. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed, and predictive models were developed. Results This extensive investigation evaluated a total of 15,708 individuals from five prominent locations in China, revealing notable variations in the prevalence of comorbidities and healthcare expenses among different regions. The study shows that there is a high rate of readmission within one year, namely 15.8%. The most common conditions among readmitted patients are hypertension (38.6%), ischemic heart disease (16.9%), and diabetes mellitus (16.6%). An extensive multivariable study revealed that age, gender, and particular comorbidities such as malnutrition and hyperlipidemia are important factors that can significantly predict greater readmission rates, longer hospital stays or increased healthcare costs. The multivariable models show a moderate to good ability to predict patient outcomes, with concordance index ranging from 0.701 to 0.752. This suggests that targeted interventions in these areas could improve patient outcomes and make better use of healthcare resources. Conclusions The results regarding the association between severe exacerbations and systemic disease status support the integration of systematic evaluation of comorbidities into the management of exacerbations and the intensification of treatment of important comorbidities as a appropriate measure for prevention of further exacerbations. Our models also provide a novel tool for clinicians to determine the risk of the 1-year recurrence of severe ECOPD in hospitalised patients.

Objective This study aims to reveal the distribution patterns and characteristics of co-seismic geological hazards in earthquake swarms, clarify the differences in induced geological hazards by different types of earthquakes, further understand the seismic risks around and within the Bayan Har Block, and provide efficient guidance for the prediction and prevention of secondary geological hazards induced by earthquakes. Methods We take the co-seismic geological hazards of the Maerkang MS 6.0 earthquake swarm in 2022 as the research focus. Through systematic data and results analysis on earthquake swarm sequence, regional tectonic environment, regional crustal deformation, and post-earthquake short-term geological hazard, the regional and deep structural environment of the Maerkang MS 6.0 earthquake swarm and the main controlling factors of co-seismic geological hazards are revealed. Results The results show that the Maerkang MS 6.0 earthquake swarm is a deep-seated sticky-slip earthquake that occurred on a secondary fault in the active strong earthquake zone within the Bayan Har block, a region with extremely strong peripheral boundary activity. The earthquakes with similar magnitudes may be the result of ruptures of secondary faults of the Songgang fault and the successive ruptures of the barriers between them. The earthquake has resulted in 83 newly discovered geological hazard risks, exacerbating deformation in 106 existing hazard spots and triggering multiple high-altitude landslides and a series of fractured mountain slopes. The areas of extreme, high, and medium geological hazard risk in Caodeng Town, the epicenter area after the earthquake, account for 1.62%, 4.80%, and 12.37%, respectively. The occurrence of secondary geological hazards following earthquakes exhibits a positive correlation with the earthquake magnitude, with the number increasing linearly as the magnitude rises. Conclusion The significant differences in the GPS horizontal velocity field and vertical velocity field on both sides of the Darlag–Songgang–Fubianhe fault zone are key factors contributing to the activity of this fault and triggering the recent earthquake.The main controlling factors of co-seismic geological hazards induced by earthquakes are, from primary to secondary, the ruptured fault and its associated faults, seismic magnitude and energy attenuation, terrain slope and altitude difference, and rock mass structure and density of structural surfaces. Significance This study predicts a high risk of future strong earthquakes in the intersection area of the Songgang fault, which triggered this earthquake, and the Longriba active fault. The surrounding area of the seismogenic fault and its associated faults are at a high risk of geological hazards during earthquakes. The findings provides a reference for predicting and controlling the risk of co-seismic geological hazards in this area.

Variability in musculoskeletal and lower leg structure has the potential to influence hopping height. Achilles tendon moment arm length and plantarflexor muscle strength can influence ankle joint torque development and, consequently, hopping performance. While most studies have examined the connection of the Achilles tendon moment arm with hopping performance including the resting length, in this study we attempted to explore how the changes in Achilles tendon moment arm are related to hopping performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test for correlations between foot and lower leg muscle structure parameters (i.e., muscle mass, volume, cross-sectional area and Achilles tendon moment arm length) and hopping height performance in relation to changes in Achilles tendon moment arm length. Eighteen participants (10 males 8 female) performed repetitive bilateral hopping on a force platform while sagittal plane kinematics of the lower leg were recorded. Additionally, maximal isometric plantarflexion was measured. To obtain structural parameters of the lower leg, the right lower leg of each participant was scanned with magnetic resonance imaging. The cross-sectional areas of the Achilles tendon, soleus, lateral and medial gastrocnemius were measured, while muscle volumes, muscle mass, and Achilles tendon moment arm length were calculated. Contrary to our initial assumption, longer Achilles tendon moment arm did not result in superior hopping performance. Interestingly, neither maximal isometric plantarflexion force nor muscle size correlated with repetitive bilateral hopping performance. We can assume that the mechanical characteristics of the tendon and the effective utilization of the stored strain energy in the tendon may play a more important role in repetitive hopping than the structural parameters of the lower leg.

Planktonic larvae (meroplankton) plays an important role in both benthic and pelagic ecosystems. The meroplankton study of South China Sea (SCS) and Philippine Sea (PS) may be particularly important, where they could serve as vectors for the influx of Pacific species into the East Indies Triangle (global marine biodiversity center). Here, we employed a metabarcoding method to investigate the geographical distribution pattern of meroplankton among SCS and PS. Different primers and reference databases were tested, for a better and more reliable interpretation of the current results and improvement of the method. In this study, metabarcoding was efficient for meroplankton study with high taxonomic resolution and good accuracy. COI against NCBI NT database showed the best taxonomy annotation efficiency, followed by 18S V1-V2, then 18S V4. The SILVA database showed similar performance to the NCBI NT database for the two 18S primers. The meroplankton diversity of SCS is higher than that of PS, and both communities are dominated by Polychaeta, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Echinodermata. Meroplankton geographical patterns are significantly different between the two basins, possibly due to the different distribution of their benthic adult, as well as the influence of five key environmental factors (IC, SCM, SST, SSS and DO). Our results suggest that the unidirectional Kuroshio Current intrusion may play an important role in shaping the biogeographical pattern in the west Pacific, by facilitating planktonic-larvae flowing into the northern SCS from the Pacific, on the contrary, limiting planktonic-larvae spreading out.

BACKGROUND At present, the application of new materials and new energy in various fields continues to deepen, and rare metal deposits have ushered in a worldwide upsurge of research and exploration. The Keketuohai rare metal deposit is the earliest developed deposit for rare metal mineral in China. However, the thermal infrared (TIR) characteristics of minerals and rocks from this deposit have not been studied, which restricts remote sensing geological survey and relevant studies. OBJECTIVES To analyze the characteristics of thermal infrared spectra of minerals and rock assemblages from the Keketuohai deposit, and provide the basic data for rare metal exploration. METHODS A portable thermal infrared spectrometer was used to measure the spectrum data of typical minerals and rock assemblages of Keketuohai No.3 vein. Data was analyzed using techtonics/structural geology (TSG) and related databases. RESULTS Typical rare metal minerals like spodumene, lepidolite, beryl and tourmaline can be separated with TIR. Compared with lepidolite, there was a new diagnosed peak for the TIR spectrum of lepidolite-bearing pegmatite. The spectrum peaks of spodumene-bearing pegmatite and tourmaline-bearing pegmatite were significantly shorter than those of spodumene and tourmaline. However, the spectrum peaks of beryl-bearing pegmatite were shorter than the peaks of beryl. CONCLUSIONS A database of thermal infrared spectroscopy characteristics of typical minerals and rocks in the Keketuohai has been established, and the thermal infrared spectroscopy characteristics of spodumene and lepidolite, ore-bearing pegmatites and surrounding rocks in rare metal deposits have been summarized in this study. Basic data support for the identification of rare metal minerals using thermal infrared spectroscopy and the exploration of granite pegmatite deposits has also been provided.

BACKGROUND In recent years, whole-rock inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) trace and in situ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) trace element analyses have been increasingly more widely used in the field of earth sciences. Fenitization is a common type of alteration in carbonate-type rare earth deposits, but the relationship between the trace element characteristics of altered minerals and rare earth mineralization is not clear. OBJECTIVES To better understand the relationship between fenitization and REE mineralization in the Maoniuping deposit as well as to provide references for prospecting carbonate-related (including alkaline rock) REE deposits. METHODS Trace elements for aegirine-augite and arfvedsonite in different stages of fenitization veins (ore-bearing or barren rocks) from the Maoniuping deposit, Dagudao area were analyzed by ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS. RESULTS In situ trace elements of aegirine-augite in different stages of fenitization veins showed that La/Nd (0.19-0.23), LREE/HREE (6.58-7.79), Ce/Nd (0.95-1.11), (La)N/(Yb)N (2.07-2.33) values of aegirine-augite in ore-bearing veins were higher than those of barren veins. CONCLUSIONS Compared with whole rock trace elements, high contents of La, Ce, LREE, ΣREE in mineral veins, strong differentiation of light and heavy rare earths may represent fenitization-related fluid with high rare earth flux. The occurrence of fenitization veins and the whole-rock trace and in situ trace geochemical indicators of aegirine-augite in veins may provide references for the prospecting and exploration of carbonate-type rare earth deposits.

Complicated physical systems and strong seasonal monsoons are features of the north-east South China Sea (SCS). To understand how monsoon-driven changes affect the bacterial community structure and distribution in the surface water from shelf to slope in the northeast SCS (NESCS), we collected water samples during the intermonsoon (Spring, 2021) and Southwest monsoon (May, 2021) respectively. In our research, we found that α diversity of bacteria did not differ significantly during intermonsoon and monsoon periods, nor did it differ significantly between shelf and slope. However, bacterial community were well differentiated between groups (Shelf-I, Slope-I, Shelf-M, and Slope-M). In both seasons, there was a significant geographical distance decay relationship, but the monsoon did not change the biogeographic pattern of bacteria. Finally, all environmental factors in both seasons, except salinity, have a significant impact on bacteria, and the correlation is enhanced during the monsoon.

Tacrolimus is one of the most commonly used immunosuppressive agents in animal models of transplantation. However, in these models, oral administration is often problematic due to the lowered compliance associated with highly invasive surgery and due to malabsorption in the intestinal tract. Therefore, we carried out a study to determine the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus after intramuscular (IM) injection and to determine the optimal IM dosing regimens in primate models. Six male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were used in the study. Doses of 0.1 mg/kg and 5 mg were administered via IM injection and oral administration, respectively, once to determine single-dose pharmacokinetics and once daily for 5 days to determine multiple-dose pharmacokinetics. According to pharmacokinetic model estimates, the inter- and intra-individual variabilities in bioavailability following IM injection were remarkably reduced compared with those following oral administration. Monte Carlo simulations revealed that Cpeak, Ctrough and AUC would also have less variability following IM injection compared with oral administration. In this study, we found that the pharmacokinetic characteristics of tacrolimus were more constant following IM injection compared with oral administration. These results suggest that IM injection can be an alternative route of administration fin non-human primate model studies. Keywords: Tacrolimus, Cynomolgus monkey, Intramuscular injection, Intra-individual variability

In laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), the treatment of iatrogenic biliary tract injury has been given much attention. However, most accidental right hepatic artery (RHA) injuries are treated with simple clipping. The reason is that the RHA has difficulty in revascularization, and it is generally considered that RHA injury does not cause serious consequences. However, some studies suggest that some cases of RHA ligation can cause a series of pathological changes correlated to arterial ischemia, such as liver abscess, bile tumor, liver atrophy and anastomotic stenosis. Theoretically, RHA blood flow should be restored when possible, in order to avoid the complications of right hepatic ischemia. The present study involved two patients, including one male and one female patient. Both patients were admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of chronic cholecystitis and gallbladder stone, and developed ischemia of the right half hepatic after accidental transection of the RHA. Both patients underwent continuous end-end anastomosis of the RHA with 6-0 Prolene suture. After the blood vessel anastomosis, the right half liver quickly recovered to its original bright red. No adverse complications were observed in follow-ups at three and six months after the operation. Laparoscopic repair of the RHA is technically feasible. Reconstruction of the RHA can prevent complications associated with right hepatic ischemia.

The Yinachang Fe-Cu-REE deposit is one of the representative Proterozoic Fe-Cu-REE deposits in central Yunnan, at the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block, China. Beside Fe and Cu, there are REEs, Nb, Mo, Co, Au, U and other elements in the ores. The study on the occurences of rare earth minerals and rare minerals is very weak. It is difficult to identify precisely using the traditional testing techniques and methods due to the relatively complex mineral composition, the small size and the complex dissemination characteristics of rare earth minerals and rare minerals in ores. In order to explore the occurrences of rare earth minerals and rare minerals, the Automated Mineral Identification and Characterization System (AMICS) was used. This system is the most up-to-date mineral automatic analysis system in mineralogy and geology in the world. Combined with the Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS) microstructure in-situ analysis technique, this system was used to determine the species and contents of minerals in vein ores from the Yinachang Fe-Cu-REE deposit. The quantitative mineral identification, which was difficult to achieve by conventional means of rock-mineral identification, have been completed. The results show that there are 0.82% parasites and 0.02% Nb-bearing rutiles in the vein ores. Both of the iron oxides and copper sulfides mineralization stages are associated with REE mineralization in this deposit. Two main mineralization stages are identified, i.e., the Fe-REE mineralization stage (Ⅱ-1) and Cu (-Au)-REE mineralization stage (Ⅱ-2). This study provides accurate and reliable evidence for the comprehensive utilization of rare earth and rare metal resources and the further study of Fe-Cu-REE deposits. An advanced and practical technical method of rock-mineral identification was established, which is expected to be more widely used in fields such as geology, exploration and effective utilization of mineral resources.

BACKGROUND: Approximately half of patients who achieve successful reperfusion do not achieve functional independence. The present study sought to investigate the clinical outcomes and safety of intraarterial or intravenous tirofiban as adjunct therapy in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion who had achieved successful recanalization with endovascular treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the national, prospective BASILAR (Endovascular Treatment for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study) registry, 458 patients who met inclusion criteria were divided into 3 groups based on tirofiban administration (no tirofiban, n=262; intravenous tirofiban, n=101; intraarterial+intravenous tirofiban, n=95). Their clinical outcomes were compared with 90-day modified Rankin Scale scores. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs were obtained by logistic regression models and propensity score matching. Safety outcomes included any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), symptomatic ICH, and mortality. Among 458 included patients, 184 (40.2%) achieved a favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-3). There were no differences between the intravenous tirofiban group and the no tirofiban group in terms of safety and clinical outcomes (all P>0.05). Compared with the no tirofiban group, the intraarterial+intravenous tirofiban group had higher odds of 90-day modified Rankin Scale score 0 to 3 (aOR, 2.44 [95% CI, 1.30-4.64], P=0.006) and lower 3-month mortality (aOR, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.19-0.71], P=0.002) without an increase in any ICH (aOR, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.09-1.01], P=0.07) or symptomatic ICH (aOR, 0.23 [95% CI, 0.03-0.90], P=0.05). Similar results of intraarterial+intravenous tirofiban on improving clinical outcomes were detected in novel cohorts constructed by propensity score matching. CONCLUSIONS: Intraarterial+intravenous rather than intravenous tirofiban improved clinical outcomes without increasing the frequency of symptomatic ICH among patients with basilar artery occlusion after successful endovascular treatment. Further studies are needed to delineate the roles of intraarterial+intravenous tirofiban in patients with basilar artery occlusion receiving endovascular treatment.

A single layer of titanate was prepared by high temperature solid phase hydrothermal synthesis. To fabricate mesoporous nanocomposite-Ni-doped Zr-pillared titanate(NZPT), the exfoliated layered titanate in aqueous solution was reassembled in the presence of the hydroxyl-Zr oligocations and nickel cation by exfoliation-restacking technology. The crystal structure, chemical composition, microstructure and pore structure were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N2 asbsorption analysis, scanning electron microscope/transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis spectra. The influence of doping Ni cations on the catalytic activity of the Zr-pillared composites (ZPT) was investigated by the degradation of acid red G under ultraviolet and visible radiation. The results show that the Ni-containing pillared nanocomposite exhibits higher photocatalytic activities than that of ZPT without doping Ni cations, and the NZPT-0.10 has the best photocatalytic activities of them, which are based on the bigger specific surface area and electronic coupling between the host and the guest species.

Abstract Introduction High glucose levels are associated with cognitive impairment and total hippocampal volume reductions. However, the effects of the blood glucose level on hippocampal subfield volumes remain unclear, especially in the prediabetes stage. Methods Sixty participants were enrolled in this cross‐sectional study and were divided into the nondiabetes, prediabetes, and diabetes groups according to their medical history and A1c level. A full battery of neuropsychological tests was used to assess the global cognition, executive function, attention, verbal fluency, working memory, immediate memory, and delayed memory. FreeSurfer 6.0 was used for the hippocampus parcellation. Hippocampal subfield volumes were adjusted by intracranial volume. Analyses of covariance, multiple linear regression, and partial correlation analysis were used to explore the relationship between A1c level, cognitive function, and hippocampal subfields volume, in which age, sex, education years, body mass index, history of hypertension, level of cholesterol, and the presence of ApoE4‐positive status were adjusted. Results Significant differences in the total left hippocampal volume (p = 0.046) and left hippocampal tail volume (p = 0.014) were noted among three groups. Significant correlation was identified between the A1c level and the volume of left hippocampal tail (r = −0.334, p = 0.009) after adjusting all the covariants. Increased A1c level was significantly associated with executive dysfunction, as assessed by trail making test B (R = 0.503, p = 0.0016) and Stroop test C (R = 0.506, p = 0.001). Conclusions Our results support that the left hippocampal tail volume may be served as an early marker of diabetes‐related brain damage, associated with executive dysfunction. Clinicians should pay closer attention to adults in the prediabetes stage to prevent later cognitive impairment.

This paper reviews a conceptual rainfall-runoff model called Tank which has been widely used over the last 20 years in Korea as a part of a water resource modelling framework for assessing and developing long-term water resource polices. In order to examine the uncertainty of model predictions and the sensitivity of model’s parameters, Monte Carlos and Markov chain-based approaches are applied to five catchments of various Korean geographical and climatic conditions where the catchment sizes are ranged from 83 to 4786 km2. In addition, three optimization algorithms—dynamically dimensioned search (DDS), robust parameter estimation (ROPE), and shuffled complex evolution (SCE)—are selected to test whether the model parameters can be optimized consistently within a narrower range than the uncertainty bounds. From the uncertainty analysis, it is found that there is limited success in refining the priori distributions of the model parameters, indicating there is a high degree of equifinality for some parameters or at least there are large numbers of parameter combinations leading to good solutions within model’s uncertainty bounds. Out of the three optimization algorithms, SCE meets the criteria of the consistency best. It is also found that there are still some parameters that even the SCE method struggles to refine the priori distributions. It means that their contribution to model results is minimal and can take a value within a reasonable range. It suggests that the model may be reconceptualized to be parsimonious and to rationalize some parameters without affecting model’s capacity to replicate historical flow characteristics. Cross-validation indicates that sensitive parameters to catchment characteristics can be transferred when geophysical similarity exists between two catchments. Regionalization can be further improved by using a regression or geophysical similarity-based approach to transfer model parameters to ungauged catchments. It may be beneficial to categorize the model parameters depending on the level of their sensitivities, and a different approach to each category may be applied to regionalize the calibrated parameters.

A wind tunnel of high temperature and long operation time requires the use of cooling techniques,so we need design cooling channels on the nozzle. In this paper,rectangular cooling channels of high cooling efficiency were used to study the factors affecting nozzle cooling. First of all,a three-dimensional model of nozzle cooling structure was established. Secondly,the type of heat transfer of the nozzle was detailedly analyzed and at the same time radiation heat transfer was taken into account. Then based on the principle of simplicity and accuracy,a series of assumptions were made for the calculation model. Finally CFD techniques were used to carry out the numerical simulation. By analyzing the results of study,we obtained the rules how the aspect ratio of cooling channels influenced nozzle cooling,the difference whether or not considering radiation heat transfer,and the impact of gas flow total temperature on nozzle cooling.

This paper is based on the perspective of regional architectural color planning and selecting campus buildings in cold regions as an example, taking architectural color as the research object, making a multi-viewpoint research on the use of color and its influencing factors. This article conducts actual investigation on the color of exterior facades of buildings in different areas of Shenyang Jianzhu University Campus, systematic evaluation and suggestion on architectural color of Shenyang Jianzhu University on the basis of Munsell color solid system.

Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is suited to analyze the abundances and spatial distributions of trace elements in sulfide. However, the spread use of the technology on micro area analysis has been hampered by the different characteristics of sulfides from silicates and oxides and the lack of sulfide reference material, especially PGE-bearing reference material. In this study, a PGE-bearing sulfide (SRMD-1) is synthesized by remelted nickel sulfide fire assay button in AN evacuated quartz tube. The examination by BSE imaging revealed that the nickel button SRMD-1 was completely of monosulfide composition. Homogeneity testing by LA-ICP-MS shows that the RSDs of elements, such as S, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Sb, Cd, Bi, are less than 10%. The data suggest the homogeneous distribution of these elements inside SRMD-1, but elements Mn, Zn, Sn, Tl are not as homogeneous with relatively larger RSDs. Elements Ag, Au and Pt are homogeneous inside SRMD-1, but RSDs of other noble metal elements are relatively larger according to low element content, instrument fluctuations or mass spectrometry interference. The homogeneity of the nickel button will be improved by increasing the content for the noble metal elements and lowering the quenching temperature for the molten samples. During the analysis of the nickel sulfide fire assay button, the spectral interferences in light PGEs (Ru, Rh and Pd) by argides is serious, and must be corrected, while the interferences to Os, Ir, Pt and Au can be ignored. Compared to the button which is not remelted, the homogeneity of the elements improved significantly. According to the work documented here, it is possible to synthesized PGE-bearing sulfide reference material for LA-ICP-MS by remelted nickel sulfide fire assay button.

Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca ratios and trace element contents in stalagmites provide important indices for high resolution paleoclimate reconstruction. In situ LA-ICP-MS analysis is introduced here instead of solution methods due to their large errors and mixing with multi-micro layers. The spatial distributions of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca parallel to the growth axis of stalagmite are compared in sampling ways of line scan and spot ablation respectively, which consistently show significant cyclical variations. The line scan ablation with 40 μm beam spot has the advantages of high stability, high resolution, and of being fast and simple. The relationship of relative sensitivity coefficients and element fractionation are discussed among NIST 610, NIST 612, KL2G, ATHO-G and MASC-3. Indications are that the matrix effect is the main reason for the relative sensitivity coefficient change. The calibration method of 45 major, minor and trace elements in stalagmites was established by using normalization with multi-external standards and internal standard element of Ca. The matrix normalization of Ca and Mg major elements in forms of CaCO3 and MgCO3 with other elements, not only changes the calculation method of the content of the internal standard elements in domestic and foreign studies, when using other analytical techniques, but also avoids the problem of inaccurate detection of carbon successfully, which is consistent with the result when using internal standard element Ca.