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Objective The traditional urban rail transit AFC (automatic fare collection) system suffers from maintenance problems such as slow speed, outdated method, unreasonable plan and high cost. It is necessary to adopt digital and intelligent active monitoring and maintenance methods, and build an urban rail transit AFC intelligent operation and maintenance system architecture drive by dual-core of data and model, transforming periodic scheduled maintenance into condition-based and predictive maintenance, so as to improve the efficiency of operation and maintenance and reduce the cost. Method The architecture and main functions of AFC intelligent operation and maintenance system for urban rail transit is introduced. Firstly, the terminal equipment data are collected through multi-sensor fusion and uploaded to the big data platform for processing. Then, the collected data are analyzed by deep learning algorithm and BAS (beetle antennae search algorithm), and the model is optimized to further identify the failure mode and predict the potential equipment failure. In addition, the system uses automated workflow management tools to analyze the execution efficiency of the operation and maintenance tasks, and optimize the routine maintenance and emergency response strategies. Result & Conclusion The system performs well in the trial operation on Shanghai Metro Line 3, and it can realize intelligent maintenance, dynamic equipment history management, remote monitoring, mobile terminal, paperless maintenance and other functions, featuring stable running, convenient operating, and smooth workflow. The benefit analysis shows that the system effectively improves the maintenance efficiency and reduces the operation cost.

Abstract Background Taurine, a semi-essential micronutrient, could be utilized as a sulfur source for some bacteria; however, little is known about its effect on the accumulation of fermentation products. Here, it investigated the effect of taurine on co-production of bioethanol and Monascus azaphilone pigments (MonAzPs) for a fungus. Results A newly isolated fungus of 98.92% identity with Monascus purpureus co-produced 23.43 g/L bioethanol and 66.12, 78.01 and 62.37 U/mL red, yellow and orange MonAzPs for 3 d in synthetic medium (SM). Taurine enhanced bioethanol titer, ethanol productivity and ethanol yield at the maximum by 1.56, 1.58 and 1.60 times than those of the control in corn stover hydrolysates (CSH), and red, yellow and orange MonAzPs were raised by 1.24, 1.26 and 1.29 times, respectively. Taurine was consumed extremely small quantities for M. purpureus and its promotional effect was not universal for the other two biorefinery fermenting strains. Taurine intensified the gene transcription of glycolysis (glucokinase, phosphoglycerate mutase, enolase and alcohol dehydrogenase) and MonAzPs biosynthesis (serine hydrolases, C-11-ketoreductase, FAD-dependent monooxygenase, 4-O-acyltransferase, deacetylase, NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoredutase, FAD-dependent oxidoredutase, enoyl reductase and fatty acid synthase) through de novo RNA-Seq assays. Furthermore, taurine improved cell membrane permeability through changing cell membrane structure by microscopic imaging assays. Conclusions Taurine reinforced co-production of bioethanol and MonAzPs by increasing gene transcription level and cell membrane permeability for M. purpureus. This work would offer an innovative, efficient and taurine-based co-production system for mass accumulation of the value-added biofuels and biochemicals from lignocellulosic biomass.

ObjectiveWheat lodging is one of the key isuess threatening stable and high yields. Lodging detection technology based on deep learning generally limited to identifying lodging at a single growth stage of wheat, while lodging may occur at various stages of the growth cycle. Moreover, the morphological characteristics of lodging vary significantly as the growth period progresses, posing a challenge to the feature capturing ability of deep learning models. The aim is exploring a deep learning-based method for detecting wheat lodging boundaries across multiple growth stages to achieve automatic and accurate monitoring of wheat lodging.MethodsA model called Lodging2Former was proposed, which integrates the innovative hierarchical interactive feature pyramid network (HI-FPN ) on top of the advanced segmentation model Mask2Former. The key focus of this network design lies in enhancing the fusion and interaction between feature maps at adjacent hierarchical levels, enabling the model to effectively integrate feature information at different scales. Building upon this, even in complex field backgrounds, the Lodging2Former model significantly enhances the recognition and capturing capabilities of wheat lodging features at multiple growth stages.Results and DiscussionsThe Lodging2Former model demonstrated superiority in mean average precision (mAP) compared to several mainstream algorithms such as mask region-based convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN), segmenting objects by locations (SOLOv2), and Mask2Former. When applied to the scenario of detecting lodging in mixed growth stage wheat, the model achieved mAP values of 79.5%, 40.2%, and 43.4% at thresholds of 0.5, 0.75, and 0.5 to 0.95, respectively. Compared to Mask2Former, the performance of the improved model was enhanced by 1.3% to 4.3%. Compared to SOLOv2, a growth of 9.9% to 30.7% in mAP was achieved; and compared to the classic Mask R-CNN, a significant improvement of 24.2% to 26.4% was obtained. Furthermore, regardless of the IoU threshold standard, the Lodging2Former exhibited the best detection performance, demonstrating good robustness and adaptability in the face of potential influencing factors such as field environment changes.ConclusionsThe experimental results indicated that the proposed HI-FPN network could effectively utilize contextual semantics and detailed information in images. By extracting rich multi-scale features, it enabled the Lodging2Former model to more accurately detect lodging areas of wheat across different growth stages, confirming the potential and value of HI-FPN in detecting lodging in multi-growth-stage wheat.

In order to solve the problem of polishing three-layer high strength epoxy paint on the surface of large spherical tank pressure vessels, a large spherical tank wall paint removal robot is designed, and the experimental research on it is carried out. The robot mainly includes a wall climbing and adsorption system and an adaptive grinding system. By studying the permanent magnet of Halbach array, the relation between the adsorption force of the permanent magnet of track structure and the working clearance is simulated and analyzed, and a wall climbing adsorption system with stable adsorption and superior obstacle climbing performance is developed. According to the grinding condition of the curved wall, an adaptive grinding system based on current feedback is designed, and various steel wire grinding rollers are developed by analyzing the mechanical model of the steel wire grinding roller. The robot is tested, and the polishing effect is good. The robot can polish the epoxy paint and show the metallic luster, and its efficiency is 3-10 times that of the manual grinding. A new polishing tool is proposed for ball tank high-strength epoxy paint polishing, which ensures the polishing quality and improves the polishing efficiency.

BackgroundPreoxygenation before endotracheal intubation (ETI) maintains asphyxiated oxygenation and reduces the risk of hypoxia-induced adverse events. Previous studies have compared various preoxygenation methods. However, network meta-analyses (NMAs) of the combined comparison of preoxygenation methods is still lacking.MethodsWe searched for studies published in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Review Manager version 5.3 was used to evaluate the risk of bias. The primary outcome of this meta-analysis was low oxygen saturation (SpO2) during ETI. The secondary outcomes included SpO2

Summary: Triacylglyceride (TAG) synthesis in the small intestine determines the absorption of dietary fat, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be further studied. Here, we report that the RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) promotes TAG synthesis in the small intestine. HuR associates with the 3′ UTR of Dgat2 mRNA and intron 1 of Mgat2 pre-mRNA. Association of HuR with Dgat2 3′ UTR stabilizes Dgat2 mRNA, while association of HuR with intron 1 of Mgat2 pre-mRNA promotes the processing of Mgat2 pre-mRNA. Intestinal epithelium-specific HuR knockout reduces the expression of DGAT2 and MGAT2, thereby reducing the dietary fat absorption through TAG synthesis and mitigating high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obesity. Our findings highlight a critical role of HuR in promoting dietary fat absorption.

Emotion management is an important part of enterprise human resource management, and this paper analyzes enterprise employees’ emotions with the help of convolutional neural network technology. The face detection technology is used to detect the coordinates of the key points of the face, and the key point features of the face are extracted based on the one-dimensional convolutional neural network Plain-PD, which is combined with the ResNet network and S3D network to complete the task of recognizing the facial expression. We construct the emotion recognition algorithm using convolutional neural network technology and train the model using the Adam gradient descent method, based on the collected and processed EEG information. Based on emotion recognition, the emotions are classified by the BiLSTM module and multi-head attention mechanism. In all tasks, the emotion analysis model constructed in this paper is superior to other models, with an accuracy of over 90% for both emotion recognition and emotion classification. In the case analysis of Enterprise H, the accuracy of this paper’s model in recognizing employees’ emotions reached 91.36%. At the same time, this paper, with the help of the model of the enterprise employees for emotion recognition and screening, according to the bad emotion screening criteria, shows that there are obvious bad emotions. Approximately 17.47% of employees fall into this category, necessitating the establishment of an early warning system and a focus on emotional management within the enterprise.

Abstract Background Lignocellulose-derived aldehyde inhibitors seriously blocked the biorefinery of biofuels and biochemicals. To date, the economic production of lignocellulose-based products heavily relied on high productivities of fermenting strains. However, it was expensive and time-consuming for the achievable rational modification to strengthen stress tolerance robustness of aldehyde inhibitors. Here, it aimed to improve aldehyde inhibitors tolerance and cellulosic bioethanol fermentability for the chassis Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 pretreated using energy-efficient and eco-friendly cold plasma. Results It was found that bioethanol fermentability was weaker in CSH (corn stover hydrolysates) than that in synthetic medium for Z. mobilis, and thus was attributed to the inhibition of the lignocellulose-derived aldehyde inhibitors in CSH. Convincingly, it further confirmed that the mixed aldehydes severely decreased bioethanol accumulation through additional aldehydes supplementary assays in synthetic medium. After assayed under different processing time (10–30 s), discharge power (80–160 W), and working pressure (120–180 Pa) using cold atmosphere plasma (CAP), it achieved the increased bioethanol fermentability for Z. mobilis after pretreated at the optimized parameters (20 s, 140 W and 165 Pa). It showed that cold plasma brought about three mutation sites including ZMO0694 (E220V), ZMO0843 (L471L) and ZMO0843 (P505H) via Genome resequencing-based SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). A serial of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were further identified as the potential contributors for stress tolerance via RNA-Seq sequencing, including ZMO0253 and ZMO_RS09265 (type I secretion outer membrane protein), ZMO1941 (Type IV secretory pathway protease TraF-like protein), ZMOr003 and ZMOr006 (16S ribosomal RNA), ZMO0375 and ZMO0374 (levansucrase) and ZMO1705 (thioredoxins). It enriched cellular process, followed by metabolic process and single-organism process for biological process. For KEGG analysis, the mutant was also referred to starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism and two-component system. Finally, but interestingly, it simultaneously achieved the enhanced stress tolerance capacity of aldehyde inhibitors and bioethanol fermentability in CSH for the mutant Z. mobilis. Conclusions Of several candidate genetic changes, the mutant Z. mobilis treated with cold plasma was conferred upon the facilitated aldehyde inhibitors tolerance and bioethanol production. This work would provide a strain biocatalyst for the efficient production of lignocellulosic biofuels and biochemicals.

Nitrogen (N) is unevenly distributed throughout the soil and plant roots proliferate in N-rich soil patches. However, the relationship between the root response to localized N supply and maize N uptake efficiency among different genotypes is unclear. In this study, four maize varieties were evaluated to explore genotypic differences in the root response to local N application in relation to N uptake. A split-root system was established for hydroponically-grown plants and two methods of local N application (local banding and local dotting) were examined in the field. Genotypic differences in the root length response to N were highly correlated between the hydroponic and field conditions (r>0.99). Genotypes showing high response to N, ZD958, XY335 and XF32D22, showed 50–63% longer lateral root length and 36–53% greater root biomass in N-rich regions under hydroponic conditions, while the LY13 genotype did not respond to N. Under field conditions, the root length of the high-response genotypes was found to increase by 66–75% at 40–60 cm soil depth, while LY13 showed smaller changes in root length. In addition, local N application increased N uptake at the post-silking stage by 16–88% in the high-response genotypes and increased the grain yield of ZD958 by 10–12%. Moreover, yield was positively correlated with root length at 40–60 cm soil depth (r=0.39). We conclude that local fertilization should be used for high-response genotypes, which can be rapidly identified at the seedling stage, and selection for “local-N responsive roots” can be a promising trait in maize breeding for high nitrogen uptake efficiency.

Verb conjugation is essential in learning Japanese as a second or foreign language (JSL/JFL). Previous studies showed that Chinese JSL/JFL beginners behaved differently in acquiring Japanese verb conjugations, but the results were obtained from offline tests (e.g., writing examination without time limitation), hard to reflect the real perception. On this background, the current study adopted a time-controlled lexical decision task (real-time automatic processing) to explore how Chinese intermediate JSL/JFL learners processed four types of verb conjugations (i.e., masu/tai form, te/ta form, nai form and yoo form). Based on the error rates and RTs collected form 27 Chinese intermediate JSL/JFL learners, the results showed that the JSL/JFL learners processed better in masu/tai form and te/ta form, followed by nai form and yoo form. The discrepant processing of the four types of Japanese verb conjugations suggests that the JSL/JFL learners do have difficulties in Japanese acquisition. Finally, a general discussion is offered from the perspective of verb conjugations' frequency, JSL/JFL learners' learning strategy and Japanese teaching method.

The Ångström–Prescott formula is commonly used in climatological calculation methods of solar radiation simulation. Aiming at the characteristics of a vast area, few meteorological stations, and uneven distribution in the tropical regions of China, in order to obtain the optimal parameters of the global solar radiation calculation model, this study proposes a suitable monthly global solar radiation model based on the single-station approach and the between-groups linkage of the A–P model, which utilizes monthly measured meteorological data from 80 meteorological stations spanning the period from 1996 to 2016 in the tropical zone of China, considering the similarity in changes of monthly sunshine percentage between stations. The applicability and accuracy of the correction parameters (a and b coefficients) were tested and evaluated, and then the modified parameters were extended to conventional meteorological stations through Thiessen polygons. Finally, the spatial distribution of solar radiation in the tropical region of China was simulated by kriging, IDW, and spline interpolation techniques. The results show the following: (1) The single-station model exhibited the highest accuracy in simulating the average annual global solar radiation, followed by the model based on the between-groups linkage. After optimizing the a and b coefficients, the simulation accuracy of the average annual global solar radiation increased by 5.3%, 8.1%, and 4.4% for the whole year, dry season, and wet season, respectively. (2) Through cross-validation, the most suitable spatial interpolation methods for the whole year, dry season, and wet season in the tropical zone of China were IDW, Kriging, and Spline, respectively. This research has positive implications for improving the accuracy of solar radiation prediction and guiding regional agricultural production.

Objective To investigate the associations between imaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and global cognition and cognitive domains in the community elderly people. Methods From August 2016 to October 2019, 933 healthy community elderly subjects were enrolled from three districts in Shanghai. We used MRI to assess imaging markers of CSVD, including lacunar infarct (LACI), white matter hyperintensity (WMH), cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), enlarged perivascular space (EPVS) and total CSVD score. These subjects underwent Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess global cognition, Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) to assess memory function, Trial Making Test (TMT) to assess executive function, Stick Test (ST) to assess visuospatial function, adapted Common Objects Sorting Test (COST) to assess language function. We performed Spearman rank correlation and partial correlation analyses to investigate the association between imaging markers and cognition, and multiple linear regression analysis to validate the relationships. Results A total of 863 subjects underwent head MRI and cognitive assessment. In Spearman rank correlation analysis, LACI (rs=⁃0.076, P=0.025) and periventricular WMH (rs=⁃0.070, P=0.044) was correlated with MoCA. LACI (rs=⁃0.086, P=0.022), basal ganglia EPVS (rs=⁃0.078, P=0.038) and total CSVD score (rs=⁃0.090, P=0.023) were correlated with AVLT. LACI was correlated with TMT (rs=0.099, P=0.004). Periventricular WMH (rs=⁃0.113, P=0.029) and strictly lobar CMB (rs=⁃0.107, P=0.041) were correlated with ST. Centrum semiovale EPVS was correlated with COST (rs=⁃0.150, P=0.004). In partial correlation analysis, LACI was associated with TMT (r=0.072, P=0.038). Deep WMH was associated with ST (r=0.105, P=0.047). Periventricular WMH (r=⁃0.111, P=0.001), CMBs (r=⁃0.088, P=0.015) and total CSVD score (r=⁃0.087, P=0.015) were associated with MoCA. In multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting sex, age, education, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and smoking history factors, periventricular WMH (βstandardized=⁃0.088, PFDR=0.020) and CMBs at any position (βstandardized=⁃0.078, PFDR=0.040) were independently correlated with MoCA. Conclusions In the elderly community population in China, CSVD may already have an impact on cognition. Periventricular WMH and CMBs are early imaging markers for CSVD⁃related global cognitive impairment.

High thermotolerance is an important property of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for stable and efficient bioethanol production, especially for large-scale bioethanol production with weak heat transfer and the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of lignocellulosic biomass at high temperatures (above 40 °C). Despite extensive studies involving metabolic engineering and chemical mutagenesis, the improvement of thermotolerance in S. cerevisiae under harsh thermal stress (42–45 °C) has been limited. A highly thermotolerant strain, S. cerevisiae Z100, by a 91 days’ laboratory adaptive evolution in wheat straw hydrolysate was applied for cellulosic ethanol fermentation. The results showed that the cell survival ratio of S. cerevisiae Z100 at 50 °C improved by 1.2 times that of the parental strain. The improved thermotolerance of S. cerevisiae Z100 at 50 °C was found to contribute significantly to enhanced cellulosic ethanol fermentability. The ethanol production of S. cerevisiae Z100 increased by 35%, 127%, and 64% when using wheat straw as feedstock after being maintained at 50 °C for 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h, respectively. Transcriptome analyses suggested that the enhanced trehalose and glycogen synthesis, as well as carbon metabolism, potentially contributed to the improved thermotolerance and the ethanol fermentability of S. cerevisiae Z100. This study provides evidence that adaptive evolution is an effective method for increasing the thermotolerance of the S. cerevisiae strain for stable and efficient cellulosic ethanol production.

Human antigen R (HuR) is a RNA binding protein involved in the regulation of many cellular functions. Here the authors show that, hepatocyte specific deletion of HuR exacerbates high-fat diet-induced NAFLD in mice by regulating transcripts involved in lipid transport and ATP synthesis.

C40H28N4O10Co, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 29.686(3) Å, b = 6.2315(4) Å, c = 21.0994(15) Å, β = 114.727(8)°, V = 3545.3(5) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0386, wRref(F2) = 0.0897, T = 293(2) K.

Objectives: Effective treatments for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are limited until now. Ferroptosis, a novel form of iron-dependent cell death, is implicated in neurodegeneration diseases. Here, we attempted to investigate the impact of exosomes from miR-19b-3p-modified adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on ferroptosis in ICH.Methods: Collagenase was used to induce a mouse model of ICH and hemin was used to induce ferroptosis in cultured neurons. Exosomes were isolated from mimic NC- or miR-19b-3p mimic-transfected ADSCs (ADSCs-MNC-Exos or ADSCs-19bM-Exos, respectively) and then administered to ICH mice or hemin-treated neurons. ICH damage was evaluated by assessing the neurological function of ICH mice and cell viability of neurons. Ferroptosis was evaluated in mouse brains or cultured neurons. The interaction between miR-19b-3p and iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2) 3′-UTR was analyzed by performing luciferase reporter assay.Results: Ferroptosis occurred in ICH mice, which also exhibited decreased miR-19b-3p and increased IRP2 expression. IRP2 was a direct target of miR-19b-3p, and IRP2 expression was repressed by ADSCs-19bM-Exos. Importantly, ADSCs-19bM-Exos effectively attenuated hemin-induced cell injury and ferroptosis. Moreover, ADSCs-19bM-Exos administration significantly improved neurologic function and inhibited ferroptosis in ICH mice.Conclusion: Exosomes from miR-19b-3p-modified ADSCs inhibit ferroptosis in ICH mice.

Abstract Background Fast, complete, and ultimate removal of inhibitory compounds derived from lignocellulose pretreatment is the prerequisite for efficient production of cellulosic ethanol and biochemicals. Biodetoxification is the most promising method for inhibitor removal by its unique advantages. The biodetoxification mechanisms of a unique diploid fungus responsible for highly efficient biodetoxification in solid-state culture was extensively investigated in the aspects of cellular structure, genome sequencing, transcriptome analysis, and practical biodetoxification. Results The inborn heterozygous diploid structure of A. resinae ZN1 uniquely contributed to the enhancement of inhibitor tolerance and conversion. The co-expression of gene pairs contributed to the enhancement of the degradation of lignocellulose-derived model inhibitors. The ultimate inhibitors degradation pathways and sugar conservation were elucidated by microbial degradation experimentation as well as the genomic and transcriptomic sequencing analysis. Conclusions The finding of the heterozygous diploid structure in A. resinae ZN1 on biodetoxification took the first insight into the global overview of biodetoxification mechanism of lignocellulose-derived inhibitors. This study provided a unique and practical biodetoxification biocatalyst of inhibitor compounds for lignocellulose biorefinery processing, as well as the synthetic biology tools on biodetoxification of biorefinery fermenting strains.

Antimicrobial use (AMU) is the major driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among bacteria in dairy herds. There have been numerous studies on AMU and AMR in dairy cows; however, studies on AMU and AMR in dairy calves are limited. A comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge of AMU and AMR among pathogens in dairy calves is important for the development of scientifically supported and applicable measures to curb antimicrobial use and the increasing risk of AMR. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of research on AMU and AMR in dairy calves. A total of 75 publications were included, of which 19 studies reported AMU data for dairy calves and 68 described AMR profiles of the four most prevalent bacteria that are associated with calf diarrhea and calf pneumonia. Large variation in AMU was found among herds across different regions. There seems to be a positive association between exposure to antimicrobials and occurrence of resistance. Most AMU was accounted for by treatment of diseases, while a small proportion of AMU was prophylactic. AMU was more common in treating calf diarrhea than in treating pneumonia, and the resistance rates in bacteria associated with diarrhea were higher than those in pathogens related to pneumonia. Organic farms used significantly fewer antimicrobials to treat calf disease; however, the antimicrobial resistance rates of bacteria associated with calf diarrhea and pneumonia on both types of farms were comparable. Feeding waste or pasteurized milk was associated with a higher risk of AMR in pathogens. Altogether, this review summarizes AMU and AMR data for dairy calves and suggests areas for future research, providing evidence for the design of antimicrobial use stewardship programs in dairy calf farming.

Mutations in the RNA component TERC can cause telomerase dysfunction but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, the authors show that RNA-binding protein HuR regulates telomerase function by enhancing the methylation of TERC, which is impaired by several disease-relevant TERC mutations.

EGFR is a well-known oncogene; however, the mechanisms regulating its expression are still unclear. Here, analysing genome-wide chromatin associations, the authors show that in breast cancer cells ZNF516 represses EGFR transcription through the interaction with the CtBP/LSD1/CoREST complex.

In order to grasp the resistance characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow in stick venturi scrubbers, based on the multiphase flow theory, a three-dimensional CFD model was established. The impacts of stick spacing, air flow and liquid-gas ratio on the pressure loss were studied, and a resistance characteristic model was established. The relationship among stick spacing, air flow and liquid-gas ratio was obtained based on the resistance characteristic model. The results show that the pressure loss between the venturi bar layer and the lower cylinder increases in power exponent with the decrease of stick spacing and the increase of air flow, and it increases in linear with the increase of liquid-gas ratio. The pressure loss of the upper cylinder increases in quadratic with the increase of air flow. The max error between the resistance characteristic model and experimental data is 16. 88%, which verifies the model effectiveness.

SIRT7 is a member of sirtuin family proteins that are described as NAD+-dependent class III histone deacetylases. Here, the authors show that SIRT7 is histone desuccinylase catalysing H3K122 desuccinylation, thereby promoting chromatin condensation and repair of DNA double strand breaks.

The present study reports the effect of microwave power and microwave heating time on activated carbon adsorption ability. The waste bamboo was used to preparing high surface area activated carbon via microwave heating. The bamboo was carbonized for 2 h at 600°C to be used as the raw material. According to the results, microwave power and microwave heating time had a significant impact on the activating effect. The optimal KOH/C ratio of 4 was identified when microwave power and microwave heating time were 700 W and 15 min, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, surface area was estimated to be 3441 m2/g with pore volume of 2.093 ml/g and the significant proportion of activated carbon was microporous (62.3%). The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were illustrated that activated carbon surface had abundant functional groups. Additionally the pore structure is characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

Background: China had implemented policies to limit antimicrobials prescription since 2004; we conducted this study to reflect the effect of these national policies by analyzing antimicrobial prescription trends of medical insurance in patients from 2003 to 2014 in Changsha city, China. Methods: The participants were inpatients of the medical insurance of urban workers (UEBMI). Data were extracted from medical insurance information system of Changsha Medical Insurance Institution, which directly connects with hospitals information systems. Results: Trend analysis showed great changes in antimicrobial prescription and inpatients’ cost on antimicrobials over the study period. Antimicrobial prescription rates gradually declined over the study period from 79.0% in 2003 to 43.5% in 2014 (adjusted OR0.205; 95%CI 0.198 to 0.213). There was a quicker decline from 2011 to 2014 (with implementing national antimicrobial stewardship action plan) than the period from 2003 to 2010 (with implementing antimicrobials use education and self-management strategies). The proportion of inpatients used one antimicrobial increased significantly from 25.6% in 2003 to 46.7% in 2014, while the proportion of inpatients used three or more antimicrobials gradually decreased. Bacterial culture rate increased from 20.4% in 2003 to 36.6% in 2014 (adjusted OR 2.248; 95% CI 2.149 to 2.352). The average costs on antimicrobials decreased significantly, from 277.43 US Dollar in 2003 to 91.05 US Dollar in 2014. Conclusion: National efforts to promote rational use of antimicrobials in clinical practice have had a positive effect over the past decade in China.