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Objective This study explores subjective and objective driving style similarity to identify how similarity can be used to develop driver-compatible vehicle automation. Background Similarity in the ways that interaction partners perform tasks can be measured subjectively, through questionnaires, or objectively by characterizing each agent’s actions. Although subjective measures have advantages in prediction, objective measures are more useful when operationalizing interventions based on these measures. Showing how objective and subjective similarity are related is therefore prudent for aligning future machine performance with human preferences. Methods A driving simulator study was conducted with stop-and-go scenarios. Participants experienced conservative, moderate, and aggressive automated driving styles and rated the similarity between their own driving style and that of the automation. Objective similarity between the manual and automated driving speed profiles was calculated using three distance measures: dynamic time warping, Euclidean distance, and time alignment measure. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine how different components of the stopping profile and the three objective similarity measures predicted subjective similarity. Results Objective similarity using Euclidean distance best predicted subjective similarity. However, this was only observed for participants’ approach to the intersection and not their departure. Conclusion Developing driving styles that drivers perceive to be similar to their own is an important step toward driver-compatible automation. In determining what constitutes similarity, it is important to (a) use measures that reflect the driver’s perception of similarity, and (b) understand what elements of the driving style govern subjective similarity.

Shuyuan Liu,1,2,&ast; Ling Xing,1,3,&ast; Qian Wang,4 Tianyu Xin,2 Handing Mao,1 Ye Tao,5 Jinbao Zhao,2 Xin Li,4 Cong Li,1 Qinghua Li,6 Yan Dou,7 Yixin Li,8 Wei Zhang,9 Bo Ning,10 Qing Song1 1Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Emergency Department, Sixth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Emergency, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Emergency Department, Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 5Health Care Department, Beijing Huangsi Aesthetic Surgery Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Intensive Care Unit, The 990th Hospital of Chinese PLA, Zhumadian, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Intensive Care Unit, The 909th Hospital of Chinese PLA, Zhangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Intensive Care Unit, The 910th Hospital of Chinese PLA, Quanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 9Emergency Department, The 900th Hospital of Chinese PLA, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 10Department of Intensive Care Unit, Air Force Medical Center of China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Bo NingDepartment of Intensive Care Unit, Air Force Medical Center of China, Beijing, 100142, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 15611161110Fax +86 1068410099Email boningbn@163.comQing SongMedical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, 100853, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 13911374534Fax +86 1068182255Email songqing_sq87@163.comObjective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the factors involved in the early stage of exertional heat stroke (EHS) that are associated with mortality.Methods: In this retrospective, case-control study, patients from 11 tertiary medical centers in China were enrolled from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2019. Demographic information, underlying diseases, ambient temperature, and relative humidity, clinical manifestations, initial body temperature, time from onset to diagnosis of EHS (including suspected), and the duration of body temperature > 38°C of all enrolled patients were recorded. The occurrence of organ dysfunction within 72 h was evaluated, and in-hospital deaths were recorded. The patients were subsequently divided into a survival group and a non-survival group. The “case” refers to patients in the non-survival group, while the “control” refers to patients without death.Results: Of the 214 hospitalized patients with EHS, 183 survived and 31 died, and the overall mortality was 14.49% (31/214). A binary logistic regression showed that only the duration of body temperature > 38°C (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.34– 2.42) and the number of organs damaged within 72 h of onset (OR 6.54, 95% CI 2.31– 18.56) were statistically significant in terms of risk of death in hospital (p < 0.05). A goodness of fit test produced a p-value of 0.76. According to receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, the areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.989 (95% CI 0.978– 1.000; p < 0.05) and 0.936 (95% CI 0.896– 0.976; p < 0.05).Conclusion: Of the various factors involved in the early stage of the disease, the duration of high body temperature and the number of organs damaged within 72 h of onset were independent risk factors and predictors associated with death.Keywords: heat stroke, exertional, cooling, mortality

Introduction/aims Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) often occurs during prolonged intense exercise in hot environments, posing a threat to the health of military personnel. In this study we aimed to investigate possible risk factors for ER and provide further empirical data for prevention and clinical treatment strategies. Methods A retrospective investigation of 116 concurrent ER cases was conducted. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between each potential risk (or protective) factor and ER. The clinical characteristics of the 71 hospitalized patients were analyzed descriptively. Results After screening, the following variables significantly increased the risk of ER: shorter length of service (recruits; odds ratios [OR], 7.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.58-21.75); higher body mass index (BMI; OR, 1.14, 95% CI, 1.03-1.26); lack of physical exercise in the last half year (less than once per month; OR, 3.20; 95% CI, 1.08-9.44); and previous heat injury (OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.26-6.89). Frequent fruit consumption (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.99), active hydration habit (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.20-0.67), water replenishment of more than 2 L on the training day (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05-0.45), and water replenishment of at least 500 mL within 1 hour before training (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.12-0.88) significantly decreased the risk of ER. Of the 71 hospitalized patients, 41 (57.7%) were diagnosed with hypokalemia on admission. Discussion In military training, emphasis should be placed on incremental adaptation training before more intense training, and close attention should be given to overweight and previously sedentary recruits. Fluid replenishment before exercise, increased fruit intake, and proper potassium supplementation may help prevent ER.

In this work, NiFe

Objective To analyze the status of misdiagnosis of exertional heat stroke (EHS), its causes and influence on prognosis. Methods The clinical data of patients with EHS in 9 military hospitals from January 2012 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the time of diagnosis (from onset to the establishment of preliminary or suspected diagnosis), the patients were divided into ≤0.5 h, 0.5-1 h, 1-3 h, 3-6 h and >6 h groups. The number of organs involved and the clinical outcome (death or survival) of patients in each group were recorded, and the relationship between delayed diagnosis and prognostic indexes was analyzed. Through the analysis of misdiagnosis-related medical records, the distribution characteristics and possible causes of misdiagnosis were found. Results Among 122 EHS patients, 23 died, with a total fatality of 18.9%. The diagnosis time showed a skewed distribution, and the median (quartile interval) was 1.5(2.63) h. The correlation analysis between the time of diagnosis and the time of initiation of cooling showed a positive correlation (r=0.871, P

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is an excellent polymer photocatalyst to revolutionize the semiconductor field and deprive solar photons from their energies for conversion into chemical energy resulting in degradation of a number of hazardous organic pollutants into harmless compounds. g-C3N4 has fortified its applications in the field of photocatalysis due to its unique nature including high chemical stability, non-toxic and suitable position of energy band. However, its relatively low visible light absorption, quick recombination of excited charges and low surface area have over shaded its full-fledged efficiency in the above mentioned fields. In this review, we have highlighted its advantages and applications in the field of photocatalysis and provided an updated discussion on the different ways to improve its efficiency, especially its visible light absorption and excited charge separation.

Transition metal doped ZnO (TM-ZnO) nanoparticles with 3% dopant content are successfully prepared via a simple solvothermal route. This work highlights Mn, Fe, Co, Ni or Cu ions as the dopant transition metals. The as-prepared samples are wurtzite phase ZnO crystals, and the average sizes of undoped ZnO and TM-ZnO nanoparticles range from 200 nm to 400 nm. XPS studies confirm that the transition metal ions are successfully doped into the crystal lattice of ZnO. The band gaps of the undoped ZnO and TM-ZnO crystals are calculated by using UV-DRS spectroscopic measurements. The visible light response of ZnO nanomaterials is improved by doping transition metal ions. For investigating the influence of transition metal doping on the photocatalytic performance of ZnO, the photodegradation rate of methylene blue (MB) is investigated under simulated sunlight irradiation. The photocatalytic properties of ZnO doped with transition metals are improved at different degrees, among which Cu-doped ZnO exhibits the best photocatalytic performance. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation result, a possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed. Furthermore, the antibacterial performance of Cu-doped ZnO is investigated by selecting E. coli, under simulated sunlight irradiation and remarkable sterilization of E. coli is achieved.

Our previous study revealed a higher incidence of gene dynamic mutation in newborns conceived by IVF, highlighting that IVF may be disruptive to the DNA stability of IVF offspring. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The DNA damage repair system plays an essential role in gene dynamic mutation and neurodegenerative disease. To evaluate the long-term impact of IVF on DNA damage repair genes, we established an IVF mouse model and analyzed gene and protein expression levels of MSH2, MSH3, MSH6, MLH1, PMS2, OGG1, APEX1, XPA and RPA1 and also the amount of H2AX phosphorylation of serine 139 which is highly suggestive of DNA double-strand break (γH2AX expression level) in the brain tissue of IVF conceived mice and their DNA methylation status using quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting and pyrosequencing. Furthermore, we assessed the capacity of two specific non-physiological factors in IVF procedures during preimplantation development. The results demonstrated that the expression and methylation levels of some DNA damage repair genes in the brain tissue of IVF mice were significantly changed at 3 weeks, 10 weeks and 1.5 years of age, when compared with the in vivo control group. In support of mouse model findings, oxygen concentration of in vitro culture environment was shown to have the capacity to modulate gene expression and DNA methylation levels of some DNA damage repair genes. In summary, our study indicated that IVF could bring about long-term alterations of gene and protein expression and DNA methylation levels of some DNA damage repair genes in the brain tissue and these alterations might be resulted from the different oxygen concentration of culture environment, providing valuable perspectives to improve the safety and efficiency of IVF at early embryonic stage and also throughout different life stages.

Photocatalytic water splitting is a promising method for hydrogen production. Numerous efficient photocatalysts have been synthesized and utilized. However, photocatalysts without a noble metal as the co-catalyst have been rarely reported. Herein, a CoP co-catalyst-modified graphitic-C3N4 (g-C3N4/CoP) is investigated for photocatalytic water splitting to produce H2. The g-C3N4/CoP composite is synthesized in two steps. The first step is related to thermal decomposition, and the second step involves an electroless plating technique. The photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reactions of g-C3N4 is distinctly increased by loading the appropriate amount of CoP quantum dots (QDs). Among the as-synthesized samples, the optimized one (g-C3N4/CoP-4%) shows exceptional photocatalytic activity as compared with pristine g-C3N4, generating H2 at a rate of 936 μ mol g−1 h−1, even higher than that of g-C3N4 with 4 wt% Pt (665 μmol g−1 h−1). The UV-visible and optical absorption behavior confirms that g-C3N4 has an absorption edge at 451 nm, but after being composited with CoP, g-C3N4/CoP-4% has an absorption edge at 497 nm. Furthermore, photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements confirm that loading CoP QDs to pristine g-C3N4 not only enhances the charge separation, but also improves the transfer of photogenerated e−-h+ pairs, thus improving the photocatalytic performance of the catalyst to generate H2. This work demonstrates a feasible strategy for the synthesis of highly efficient metal phosphide-loaded g-C3N4 for hydrogen generation.

Ag@ZnO/BiOCl composites were successfully prepared by in situ precipitation and hydrothermal synthesis and used for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride antibiotics. An enhanced photodegradation efficiency was detected after loading Ag nanoparticles, which is attributed to the surface plasmon resonance effect. The optimized sample containing 4% Ag showed 80.4% degradation efficiency in 80 min, which is 2.1 and 1.9 times higher than those of ZnO and ZnO/BiOCl, respectively. The major degrading species involved in the photocatalytic process were detected to be super oxide anions and holes. Based on the obtained results, a possible charge transfer and degradation mechanism has been proposed. This study shows that Ag@ZnO/BiOCl catalyst has a good potential for photodegradation of organic pollutants in water.

Most automated vehicle studies have focused on limited automation where the role of the user is that of a driver, supervisor or fallback, but comparatively fewer have considered riders. If riders’ experiences are ignored, it could undermine the adoption of the technologies and, consequently, the realization of their anticipated benefits. A driving simulator study was conducted to evaluate the response of riders to intersection negotiation with conservative, moderate, or aggressive automated driving styles. Riders’ emotional responses—operationalized as changes in facial action units—were detected using video processing software. Results showed that changes in speed, acceleration, and jerk preceded changes in the facial action units and were associated with the magnitude of the change. The speed, acceleration, and jerk changes were represented in different automated driving styles that then affected the magnitude and timing of emotion response. Facial action units may provide a way to gauge riders’ emotional responses to vehicle control algorithms could be used to improve rider experiences.

CdS sub-microspheres were prepared by using microwave-assisted method in this work. The prepared CdS sub-microspheres were characterized by various analytical techniques. The XRD result revealed that the CdS samples have mixed phases of cubic and hexagonal crystal structure. UV-DRS measurement has been used to investigate the optical properties of CdS sub-microspheres, which indicate that they possess a band gap of 2.4 eV. XPS and EDS data proved the stoichiometry of CdS sub-microspheres. In addition, SEM images showed the morphology of the CdS sub-microspheres. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of the prepared CdS sub-microspheres was examined by the degradation of toxic chlorophenols wastewater pollutants which are 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP. The CdS sub-microspheres exhibit an excellent photocatalytic performance in which they degrade around 70%, 90% of 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP within 240 min under the irradiation of solar light, respectively.

Although people have a long history of understanding heat illness, the related concepts and classification of heat illness at home and abroad have been chaotic, lack of systematic and clear standards, which has brought obstacles to people's correct understanding and active prevention of heat illness. The present paper summarizes the related concepts of heat illness and the current situation of hierarchical diagnosis of heat illness, and puts forward some new suggestions for the definition and classification of heat illness in the light of the new research progress in recent years, in order to provide reference for clinicians and disease prevention personnel. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2019.07.01

Zinc oxide nanostructures with different morphologies were prepared via a microwave-assisted method and used as photocatalysts for reduction of chromium(VI) under ultraviolet-B illumination...

This work reports the nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) cocatalyst decorated graphitic C3N4 (g-C3N4/Ni-P) for photocatalytic water splitting to H2 generation. The g-C3N4/Ni-P composite is prepared through two steps, first step is thermal decomposition of urea to produce g-C3N4 and the second step is electroless plating to coast Ni-P on the g-C3N4 surface, resulting in the noticeable increase of the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4. Among these as-prepared samples reported in this work, the highest photocatalytic activity is detected at 3 wt% (g-C3N4/Ni-P-3%), in which H2 production rate is 1051 μmol g−1 h−1. However, higher than 3 wt% Pt modification the g-C3N4 generates only 841 μmol g−1 h−1 of H2, and almost no generation of H2 by pure g-C3N4 has been determined. Based on photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements, a photocatalytic mechanism for pure g-C3N4 and g-C3N4/Ni-P-3% has been suggested, that is, the loading of Ni-P NPs accelerates the separation of photogenerated e−-h+ pairs and relaying photogenrated e− via Ni-P particles to react with H2O, and thus improves photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 for water splitting into H2 generation.

A photo-Fenton-like reaction was considered as an effective method for wastewater treatment because it could produce more oxidative species such as hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) to accelerate the reaction. In this paper, a NiFe2O4/C (abbr. as NFO/C) yolk-shell nanostructure was synthesized via one-step calcination using polyacrylic acid sodium salt (PAAS) NPs as a template. The nanocomposite was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption, among others. The magnetically separable nanocomposite exhibited a high activity and recyclability towards the photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC). In addition, the factors affecting the photodegradation process were systematically investigated, including the dosage of the NiFe2O4/C catalyst, the pH of the solution, and the volume of H2O2. Notably, the degradation rate of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) reached 97.25% in 60 min in the presence of H2O2 under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm) with NiFe2O4/C. This work provides a simple and novel method to construct NiFe2O4/C yolk-shell nanostructures, which may be applied to the photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride from wastewater. Finally, a photocatalytic and stability mechanism is proposed, which may help us more comprehensively understand the photo-Fenton mechanism.

BackgroundExertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) often occurs during prolonged intense exercise in hot environments, posing a threat to the health and safety of military personnel.ObjectiveTo investigate possible risk factors of ER and provide further empirical data for prevention and clinical treatment strategies for ER.MethodsIn this study, a systematic retrospective investigation on 116 concurrent cases of ER was conducted. Demographic, clinical, and exercise-related data were collected from both ER cases and controls which were allotted by 1:3 proportion. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the significance of the association between each potential risk (or protective) factors and ER.ResultsThe adjusted ER prediction model finally included the following variables that significantly increased (or decreased) the risk of acquiring ER: age (odds ratios [OR] 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]0.45–0.79), body mass index (BMI, OR 1.11, 95%CI 1.01–1.24), dark-colored urine after training (OR 2.98, 95%CI 1.58–5.64), frequent fruit consumption (OR 0.54, 95%CI 0.29–0.98), active hydrating habit (OR 0.31, 95%CI 1.58–5.64), water replenishment ≥ 2L on the training day (OR 0.18, 95%CI 0.06–0.54), water replenishment ≥ 500 ml within 1 hour before training (OR 0.32, 95%CI 0.11–0.90), lack of physical exercise in the last half-year (OR 3.23, 95%CI 1.34–7.80).ConclusionsIn military training, emphasis should be placed on incremental adaptation training prior to more intense training, and close attention should be paid to overweight and previously sedentary recruits. Fluid replenishment before exercise, increased fruit intake, and proper potassium supplementation may help to prevent ER.

Heat stroke (HS) is a fatal disease caused by thermal damage in the body, and it has a very high mortality rate. In 2015, the People’s Liberation Army Professional Committee of Critical Care Medicine published the first expert consensus on HS in China, Expert consensus on standardized diagnosis and treatment for heat stroke. With an increased understanding of HS and new issues that emerged during the HS treatment in China in recent years, the 2015 consensus no longer meet the requirements for HS prevention and treatment. It is necessary to update the consensus to include the latest research evidence and establish a new consensus that has broader coverage, is more practical and is more in line with China’s national conditions. This new expert consensus includes new concept of HS, recommendations for laboratory tests and auxiliary examinations, new understanding of diagnosis and differential diagnosis, On-site emergency treatment and In-hospital treatment, translocation of HS patients and prevention of HS.

This work reports a simple method to prepare nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) alloy modified CuO (Ni-P/CuO) composite, which shows excellent performance in terms of photodegradation antibiotics, particularly regarding the antibacterial properties. The Ni-P/CuO composites were prepared via two steps. The first step was to produce CuO by the hydrothermal method and the second step was to grow Ni-P in-situ on the surface of CuO through electroless plating. After loading of Ni-P, the photocatalytic activity of CuO for the decomposition of antibiotics is significantly increased under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of Ni-P/CuO with 4 wt% Ni-P loading is 25 times higher than that of CuO. Compared with CuO, the antibacterial activity of Ni-P/CuO with 4 wt% Ni-P loading against Escherichia coli is strongly increased. Based on the photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements of CuO and Ni-P/CuO, Ni-P cocatalyst improves the separation and transfer of the photogenerated charge in CuO, and enhances the photocatalytic activity of antibacterial performance. This work reveals that using Ni-P as the cocatalyst can strengthen the photocatalytic performance of CuO, which has great application potential in water purification and antibacterial treatments.

Background: Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is a life-threatening illness that can lead to multiple organ damage in the early stage. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between 24-hour indicators and mortality in patients with EHS. Methods: The records of EHS patients hospitalized were collected and divided into the death group and the survival group. We then analyzed the demographic characteristics and APACHE II scores and laboratory results of the participants in the blood within the first 24 h after hospitalization, and assessed whether these candidate indicators differed between the death group and the survival group. Cox regression analysis of the survival data was performed to explore the relationship between early indicators and prognosis. Results: The levels of plasma PT, APTT, TT, and INR were significantly higher in the death group than in the survival group. The blood PLT count and the levels of PTA and Fb were significantly lower in the death group than in the survival group, while the levels of BU, SCr, ALT, AST, TBil, and DBil were significantly higher in the death group than in the survival group. Furthermore, the levels of Mb, LDH, TNI, and NT-proBNP were significantly higher in the death group than in the survival group, while there was no significant difference in CK levels between the two groups. Conclusion: Patients with EHS often had multiple organ injuries in the early stage (within 24 h), while those cases in the death group were more severe.

Energy crises and environmental pollution are two serious threats to modern society. To overcome these problems, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets were fabricated and functionalized with SnO2 nanoparticles to produce H2 from water splitting and degrade 2-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation. The fabricated samples showed enhanced photocatalytic activities for both H2 evolution and pollutant degradation as compared to bare g-C3N4 and SnO2. These enhanced photoactivities are attributed to the fast charge separation as the excited electrons transfer from g-C3N4 to the conduction band of SnO2. This enhanced charge separation has been confirmed by the photoluminescence spectra, steady state surface photovoltage spectroscopic measurement, and formed hydroxyl radicals. It is believed that this work will provide a feasible route to synthesize photocatalysts for improved energy production and environmental purification.

PURPOSE: To assess testicular mRNA and protein expression levels of MRE11 and RAD50 in human azoospermia patients. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with maturation arrest at the spermatocyte stage (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) were recruited through diagnostic testicular biopsy. Patients with normal spermatogenesis were studied as controls. In addition, knockdown of MRE11 and RAD50 was performed in GC-2spd(ts) cells to investigate their roles in cellular proliferation and apoptosis. RESULTS: mRNA and protein expression levels of MRE11 and RAD50 were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Knockdown of both MRE11 and RAD50 utilized transfection with small interfering RNAs. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated altered expression levels of MRE11 and RAD50 in human testes with MA and SCOS, and showed that these alterations might be associated with impaired spermatogenesis. These results offer valuable new perspectives into the molecular mechanisms of male infertility. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10815-019-01686-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To evaluate the prognostic value of routine coagulation tests for patients with heat stroke.This was a multi-center retrospective study. Patients who arrived at the hospital24 h after the onset of Heat Stroke (HS) were included. The routine coagulation variables were detected within 24 h after the onset, including the lowest platelet count (PLC).60-day mortality rate was 20.9%. The median Prothrombin Time-International Normalized Ratio (PT-INR) of the non-surviving patients was significantly higher than that of the survivors (P 0.01). The median Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) in non-surviving patients was significantly higher than in the surviving patients (P 0.01). A Cox regression analysis revealed that 60-day mortality was associated with PT-INR (P = 0.032) and APTT (P = 0.004). The optimal PT-INR point for predicting 60-day mortality rate was 1.7. The optimal APTT point for predicting 60-day mortality was 51.45. Patients with increased PT-INR (≥1.7) levels had, overall, a significantly reduced survival time (P 0.01). Patients with elevated APTT (≥51.45) also had a decrease in survival time (P 0.01). The prognostic scoring, with increased PT-INR (≥1.7) and prolonged APTT (≥51.45) at one point each, was also demonstrated to be useful in predicting 60-day mortality. Patients whose temperature fell to 38.9 °C within 30 min had significantly lower levels of PT-INR and APTT within 24 h than those who took longer to cool down.A prolonged APTT and elevated PT-INR within 24 h are independent prognostic factors of 60-day mortality in HS.

Developing an inexpensive and high-efficiency hydrogen-production cocatalyst to replace the noble metal Pt remains a big challenge in the fields of sustainable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. He...

TiO2 microspheres were successfully synthesised by simple solution phase method by using various amount of titanium butoxide as precursor. The prepared TiO2 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance absorption spectra (UV-DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD analysis revealed that the as-synthesized TiO2 microsphere poses an anatase phase. The photocatalytic degradation experiments were carried out with three different dyes, such as methylene blue, brilliant black, reactive red-120 for four hours under UV light irradiation. The results show that TiO2 morphology had great influence on photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes. The experimental results of dye mineralization indicated the concentration was reduced by a high portion of up to 99% within 4 hours. On the basis of various characterization of the photocatalysts, the reactions involved to explain the photocatalytic activity enhancement due to the concentration of titanium butoxide and morphology include a better separation of photogenerated charge carriers and improved oxygen reduction inducing a higher extent of degradation of aromatics.

This study assessed whether quantile regression can identify design specifications that lead to particularly long glances, which might go unnoticed with traditional analyses focusing on conditional means of off-road glances. Although substantial research indicates that long glances contribute disproportionately to crash risk, few studies have directly assessed the tails of the distribution. Failing to examine the distribution tails might underestimate the disproportionate risk on long glances imposed by secondary tasks. We applied quantile regression to assess the effects of secondary task type (reading or entry), system delay (delay or no delay), and text length (long or short) on off-road glance duration at 15th, 50th, and 85th quantiles. The results show that entry task, long text, and some combinations of variables led to longer glances than that would be expected given the central tendency of glance distributions. Quantile regression identifies secondary task features that produce long glances, which might be neglected by traditional analyses with conditional means.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are performed using C3N4 post-treated TiO2 particles as photoanode materials. The photoanode materials were synthesized via a simple method by which a thin layer of C3N4 was coated onto the surface of TiO2 particles after the TiO2 was dipped in urea solution followed by calcination properly. The experimental results show that the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the TiO2 DSSCs is remarkably improved. The measurements of I-V characteristic along with the analysis of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicate that the C3N4 layer can expand the visible light absorption, suppress the recombination reaction of the e−-h+ pair and increase both the open circuit voltage and the short-circuit photocurrent density. The mechanism of the improved performance of TiO2 DSSCs by C3N4 coating coating is proposed. The post-treatment method recorded in this work can be easily operated and achieve an enhanced photoelectric performance of DSSCs.

To investigate the role of oxygen defects on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, the TiO2 nanocrystals with/without oxygen defects are successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal and sol-gel methods, respectively. The as-prepared TiO2 nanocrystals with defects are light blue and the absorption edge of light is towards the visible light region (∼420 nm). Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements all confirm that the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the TiO2 synthesized by the sol-gel method is less than that synthesized through the hydrothermal route. The introduction of oxygen defects contributes to a new state in the band gap that narrows the band gap, which is the reason for the extension of light absorption into the visible light region. The photocurrent results confirm that this band-gap narrowing enhances the photocurrent response under simulated solar light irradiation. The TiO2 with oxygen defects shows a higher photocatalytic activity for decomposition of a methylene blue solution compared with that of the perfect TiO2 sample. The photocatalytic mechanism is discussed based on the density functional theory calculations and photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements.

To control potential fungal denitrification rate (PFDR) in vertical flow simulated wetlands (VFSW) microcosms, thirty VFSW microcosms were established and planted with three plant species richness levels (i.e. unplanted, monoculture, and four-species polyculture treatment), and effects of carbon, nitrogen and pH amendments on the PFDR were investigated using a room-incubating method. Among seven carbon compounds, sodium citrate, glycerol, glucose and sodium succinate were more effective in enhancing PFDRs. These enhanced effects were dependant on a given species richness level. Sodium nitrite mostly stimulated PFDRs to a greater extent than the other three nitrogen compound amendments at any richness level. Treatments with pH 5.6 or 8.4 had significantly greater PFDRs than the treatment with pH 2.8 in the three species richness levels. However, no effect of plant species richness on the PFDR was observed among any carbon, nitrogen and pH amendments. Current results suggest carbon, nitrogen and pH factors should be considered when mediating fungal denitrification in VFSW microcosms.