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Predicting students' academic achievements is an essential issue in education, which can benefit many stakeholders, for instance, students, teachers, managers, etc. Compared with online courses such as MOOCs, students' academic-related data in the face-to-face physical teaching environment is usually sparsity, and the sample size is relatively small. It makes building models to predict students' performance accurately in such an environment even more challenging. This paper proposes a Two-Way Neural Network (TWNN) model based on the bidirectional recurrent neural network and graph neural network to predict students' next semester's course performance using only their previous course achievements. Extensive experiments on a real dataset show that our model performs better than the baselines in many indicators. Graphic Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The load-bearing capacity of a building is influenced by the strength of the concrete. However, when faced with complex environments, ordinary concrete is not always adequate. The strength of concrete can be enhanced by incorporating additives into it. At this point, the study of adding basalt fiber (BF) and nano-SiO2 (NS) to concrete is pretty advanced. Still, research on the incorporation of nano-TiC (NT) into concrete is limited. In order to study the effect of NT, BF, and NS on the strength of concrete, in this paper, these materials were incorporated into concrete and NSF concrete was made by semi-dry mixing. And the concrete was analyzed for slump, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity. The optimization of the mechanical characteristics of concrete was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM), and the microstructure of concrete was used for analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To develop a thirst function optimization model based on NSF concrete, parallel experiments were used to verify the accuracy of the optimization results. The research findings show that NS, NT, and BF reduced the slump of concrete. Adding NT, NS, and BF in moderate amounts can enhance the mechanical characteristics of the concrete. The material's optimal proportions for mixing were 0.85% for NT, 0.11% for BF, and 1.94% for NS. The optimized concrete has a maximum error of 9.03% in compressive strength, 9.30% in split tensile strength, and 9.82% in flexural strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The research aims to evaluate effects of the Tai Chi exercise therapy on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature were undertaken. Methods: Seven electronic resource databases were scanned to collect eligible studies. Two reviewers selected studies, the meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3 after quality evaluation. Results: Nineteen RCT trails involved in 18 reports were included in the meta-analysis, involving 1220 research objects. The results show that the Tai Chi exercise group is better than the control group in decreasing fasting blood glucose (FBG) (MD = − 0.79, 95 %CI (− 1.73, − 0.68), p

The metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the elimination kinetics of their mono‐hydroxylated metabolites (OH‐PAHs) following single exposure to different combinations of four PAHs (PAH4) were studied. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were orally exposed to a single dose of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) or PAH2 (B[a]P + chrysene), PAH3 (B[a]P + chrysene + benz[a]anthracene), and PAH4 (B[a]P + chrysene + B[a]A + benzo[b]fluoranthene) with each combination adjusted to the same dose of individual compound. OH‐PAHs including 3‐hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, 3‐hydroxychrysene, 3‐hydroxybenz[a]anthracene, and 1‐hydroxypyrene (1‐OHP) were detected in serum and urine samples collected at six intervals over a 72‐h period post‐dosing. The hepatic mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 (CYPs) were determined to ascertain the expression induction of PAHs metabolic enzymes. Results showed OH‐PAHs (except 1‐OHP) peaked within 8 h in serum and were excreted from urine within 24–48 h. The serum and urinary concentration of 3‐hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was significantly increased after PAH4 exposure compared with other PAHs combinations. Inversely, urinary concentration of 3‐hydroxychrysene was decreased after PAH4 exposure, and the kinetics of 3‐hydroxybenz[a]anthracene or 1‐OHP were not different depending on the PAHs combinations. Also, CYPs were markedly induced by PAHs. Notably, the induction levels of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 were significantly higher after PAH4 exposure compared with B[a]P exposure. The results indicated the metabolism of B[a]P was accelerated after PAH4 exposure which might be partly due to the induction of CYPs. These results confirmed PAHs are rapidly metabolized and suggested potential interactions of PAHs may happen among PAH4 mixture. Different combinations of PAH4 (B[a]P, PAH2, PAH3, and PAH4) were singly orally exposed to male SD rats. The elimination kinetics of mono‐hydroxylated metabolites (OH‐PAHs) in serum and urine and the induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYPs) were investigated. Results showed PAHs were rapidly metabolized and the metabolism of B[a]P was accelerated after PAH4 exposure compared with other PAHs combinations which might be due to the induction of CYPs. The results suggested potential interactions of PAHs may happen among PAH4 mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]