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This study explores the application of electric furnace steel slag powder (EFSSP), fly ash (FA), and high-titanium heavy slag (HTHS) from Panzhihua City, China, in producing green low-carbon concrete. The properties of these waste materials were characterized, and the fluidity and hydration activity of the EFSSP-FA composite admixture in cement mortar were tested. Additionally, the strength of HTHSC mixed with EFSSP-FA composite admixture was evaluated at various curing times, and the microstructure of the concrete mortar layer was analyzed. The study shows that the 7-day activity indices of EFSSP and FA are 61 % and 51.96 %, respectively, with fluidity ratios of 92.53 % and 124.58 %. Mixing EFSSP and FA compensates for their individual limitations. At a 1:1 mass ratio, the composite admixture achieved a 69.89 % activity index and 114.46 % fluidity. The pozzolanic reaction within the composite admixture was evident, promoting the continuous formation of C-S-H in HTHSC, the compressive strength after curing periods of 520 days, 300 days, 180 days, and 90 days reached approximately 190 %, 170 %, 150 %, and 130 % of the 28-day strength, respectively. The XRD, SEM, TG, and DSC characterization results for the HTHSC mortar layer at different curing stages were consistent with the observed trends in compressive strength. Since the raw materials used for concrete preparation were industrial waste, this portion was excluded from carbon emissions calculations. The all-industrial waste HTHSC achieved approximately a 30 % reduction in carbon emissions, the carbon emissions per unit of strength at 520 days of curing were approximately 55 % of those at 28 days.

[Objective] To achieve non-stop aviation during the construction of a large-diameter shield tunnel crossing the airport flight zone in karst area, it is essential to study the construction scheme with non-stop aviation. [Method] Based on the construction of the No.2 and No.3 underpasses of the Phase III expansion project of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the obstacle restrictions and runway land subsidence control requirements for non-stop aviation in airport flight zone are analyzed, and control standards for the runway area of this project are proposed. Combining the geological characteristics of engineering in karst area, a construction scheme for shallow-buried large-diameter shield tunnels is proposed. A three-dimensional refined numerical model is established to analyze the impact of shield tunneling on airport runway and validate the feasibility of the construction scheme. [Result & Conclusion] Efforts should be made to avoid tunneling into tunnel bottom bedrocks and meet the tunnel overall anti-floating requirements. Measures to increase shield tunnel overall stiffness should be taken to minimize the impact on airport operations to the greatest extent. The research results indicate that the design of tunnel crossing airport flight area mainly considers the impact of runway subsidence on aircraft operation safety during tunnel construction, so the runway subsidence control standard is set at the total subsidence within 30 mm, with a maximum differential subsidence rate not exceeding 1‰. According to numerical analysis results, the maximum subsidence of the airport runway during shield tunnel construction is 15.48 mm, with the maximum differential subsidence rate of 0.20‰, meeting the requirements for airport runway subsidence limits.

Abstract Background To compare the clinical value of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) and pegylated rhG-CSF(PEG-rhG-CSF) in early-stage breast cancer (EBC) patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, compare the efficacy of PEG-rhG-CSF with different dose and explore the timing of rhG-CSF rescue treatment. Methods Patients in two PEG-rhG-CSF subgroups were given 3 mg or 6 mg PEG-rhG-CSF within 24 ~ 48 h after chemotherapy for preventing myelosuppression, while patients in the rhG-CSF group were given rhG-CSF. Observation indicators include the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) and grade 3/4 chemotherapy-induced-neutropenia (CIN), the overall levels and nadir values of white blood cells (WBC) and absolute neutrophil count (ANC), comparison of WBC and ANC curves over time, the incidence of CIN-related complications, the incidence of adverse events in each group and the timing of rescue treatment for rhG-CSF. Results There was no significant difference in the incidence of FN in the first cycle among the groups (P = 0.203). But the incidence of ≥ 3 grade CIN in two PEG-rhG-CSF subgroups was significantly lower than that in the rhG-CSF group (P

Advanced breast cancer (ABC) that is positive for hormone receptors (HRs) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a cancer subtype with distinctive characteristics. The primary treatment guidelines suggest that a combination therapy comprising anti-HER2 therapy and chemotherapy should be administered as the initial treatment for HR-positive/ HER2-positive (HR+/HER2+) ABC. However, crosstalk between the HR and HER2 pathways can partially account for the resistance of HR+/HER2+ disease to HER2-targeted therapy. This, in turn, provides a rationale for the concomitant administration of HER2-targeted therapy and endocrine therapy (ET). Many clinical studies have confirmed that the combination of HER2-targeted therapy and ET as a first-line treatment is not inferior to the combination of HER2-targeted therapy and chemotherapy, and support its use as a first-line treatment choice for HR+/HER2+ ABC. Other drugs, such as antibody–drug conjugates, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–protein kinase B (AKT)–mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, and programmed cell death protein 1 or programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitors, may also improve the prognosis of patients with breast cancer by blocking signaling pathways associated with tumor proliferation and break new ground for the treatment of HR+/HER2+ ABC.

Engineering residue soil, a prominent type of construction solid waste, can offer considerable environmental and socioeconomic benefits if efficiently utilized. Unburned brick represents an environmentally friendly and high-value approach to reusing this residue soil. Mud, a primary constituent of residue soil, typically hinders the performance of unburned brick using cement-based materials. This study investigates the effects of mud on the performance of unburned brick made from engineering residue soil based on experimental tests and mechanism analysis. The residue soil is silty clay sourced from the alluvial soil layer in South China. A comprehensive analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the residue soil and mud is conducted to assess the feasibility of using them in unburned brick production. Using ordinary Portland cement as the cementitious material, the unburned residue soil bricks are produced via semi-dry static-press forming and natural curing. The influence of mud type and content on the compressive strength of the unburned brick made with engineering residue soil is investigated and discussed. This experimental study reveals that the influence of mud on unburned brick’s compressive strength is negligible. However, excessively low mud content reduces brick compactness, impairs brick formation, and leads to lower compressive strength. Within the range of solidification, unburned brick’s compressive strength initially increases and then decreases with increasing mud content, with an optimal mud content of approximately 25%. As engineering residue soil often contains a high mud content, reducing it effectively enhances the compressive strength of unburned bricks. Through experiments and mechanism analysis, this research clarifies the impact of mud on the strength and performance of unburned residue soil bricks, providing important theoretical insights and practical guidance for the production of unburned products and promoting the efficient and environmentally friendly resource utilization of engineering residue soil.

BackgroundPoor outcomes have been widely reported for younger vs. older breast cancer patients, but whether this is due to age itself or the enrichment of aggressive clinical features remains controversial. We have evaluated the clinicopathologic characteristics and genomic profiles of real-world hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients to examine the determinants of outcome for younger vs. older patients in a single clinical subtype undergoing treatment in the same clinic.Patients and methodsThis study included patients presenting at the Peking University Cancer Hospital with primary stage IV or first-line metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancer who consented to an additional blood draw for genomic profiling prior to treatment. Plasma samples were analyzed with a targeted 152-gene NGS panel to assess somatic circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) alterations. Genomic DNA (gDNA) extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells was analyzed for germline variants using a targeted 600-gene NGS panel. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to analyze disease free survival (DFS), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in association with clinicopathologic and genomic variables.ResultsSixty-three patients presenting with HR+/HER2- MBC were enrolled in this study. Fourteen patients were < 40 years, 19 were 40-50 years, and 30 were > 50 years at the time of primary cancer diagnosis. No significant associations were observed between age and DFS, PFS or OS. Shorter OS was associated with de novo Stage IV disease (p = 0.002), Luminal B subtype (p = 0.006), high Ki67 index (p = 0.036), resistance to adjuvant endocrine therapy (p = 0.0001) and clinical stage (p = 0.015). Reduced OS was also observed in association with somatic alterations in FGFR1 (p = 0.008), CCND2 (p = 0.012), RB1 (p = 0.029) or TP53 (p = 0.029) genes, but not in association with germline variants.ConclusionIn this group of real-world HR+/HER2- MBC breast cancer patients younger age was not associated with poor outcomes. While current guidelines recommend treatment decisions based on tumor biology rather than age, young HR+ breast cancer patients are more likely to receive chemotherapy. Our findings support the development of biomarker-driven treatment strategies for these patients.

In recent years, excessive lateral deformation of subway shield tunnels has been observed due to adjacent engineering activities. This study examines the monitoring of excessive lateral deformation of the shield tunnel and the special steel plate reinforcement process to enhance the safety and stability of the operating subway tunnel structure. It uses a three-dimensional refined finite-element model of the shield tunnel for parametric structural loading simulation analysis to propose a structural deformation limit value suitable for the subway shield tunnel. This study’s findings indicated the following: (1) as observed from the engineering examples, a tunnel with significant elliptical deformation increases the likelihood of cracking and other structural issues in the adjacent subway shield tunnel segment; (2) as observed from the post-reinforcement monitoring data, the steel plate reinforcement method effectively enhances the load-bearing stability of the damaged tunnel structure; (3) based on the finite-element simulation results and the comprehensive review of practical conditions, the standard warning value for lateral deformation, using ellipticity evaluation of the subway shield tunnel, is established at 20‰, with a control value of 25‰. The outcomes of this research offer valuable insights into the operation, maintenance, and health monitoring of subway shield tunnels.

To meet the operational requirements of a new metro line in Guangzhou, China, a complex tunneling project was undertaken in a business area surrounded by high-rise buildings and underground utility pipelines. Two large-section mine tunnels, with a maximum excavation span of 15.6 m, were constructed, crossing beneath the existing metro line 7 in close proximity. To ensure construction safety, extensive field monitoring was conducted, investigating the deformation and stress characteristics of the newly built tunnel lining structures and settlement of existing tunnels during various construction stages. The findings indicate that the structural integrity of the newly built tunnels may be compromised by the ground pressure resulting from deep-hole grouting, which is aimed at protecting the existing metro line above. The primary lining of the new tunnels is particularly susceptible to stress at the arch waist, where it experiences significantly higher stress compared to the arch crown and arch foot. While constructing the secondary lining before removing temporary diaphragm supports can be advantageous in controlling ground settlement, the stress levels within the secondary lining can fluctuate significantly once the temporary supports are removed. Once the tunnels are completed as closed loops, the stress conditions in both the primary and secondary lining tend to stabilize. The secondary lining primarily undergoes flexural stress, with internal force diagrams roughly symmetrical to the cross-section center line, and the most vulnerable position being at the left arch waist or invert. This investigation provides valuable insights for the design and construction of similar engineering projects in the future.

During a shaft and associated sprayed concrete lining (SCL) tunnel construction in a new line of Guangzhou Metro, site monitoring recorded ground surface settlement was much larger than that predicted in the design. This raised the alarm to the safety of an adjacent high-pressure gas pipe. Close-form and analytical calculations and non-coupled and coupled numerical analyses were carried out to back analyze the settlement. It was found the primary contributing factor to the excessive ground settlement is water loss-induced ground consolidation, which is commonly encountered during underground construction in south China where complex strata, such as granite residual soil and fully weathered granite, are present. This paper details the back analysis process and discusses mitigation measures that should be adopted for construction in similar ground in the future.

Considering the development of the hybrid wind and solar photovoltaic generation and smart grid, Active Front-End (AFE) converters for high-power applications are facing significant opportunities and challenges related to power quality and efficiency. The Pre-programmed Pulse-Width Modulation (PPWM) techniques can strictly control the harmonic spectrum of a specified voltage or current waveform generated by a high-power AFE converters, and have been extensively applied to reduce or even eliminate the harmonic distortion with low switching losses for high-power converters in order to deal with these issues aforementioned. For the PPWM techniques with low switching frequency, Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) and Selective Harmonic Mitigation (SHM) have been the prevailing solutions and gain widespread popularity, among which SHM can provide further control of the harmonic spectrum in cases of similar switching losses to SHE. Over the past several decades, the applications of SHE and SHM have been extended to high-power AFE converters. Thus, the aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive literature review regarding their various formulations, solving algorithms, and existing problems to high-power AFE converters. In addition, the suggestions for future applications of PPWM in high-power AFE converters are also discussed.

Background: Poor outcomes have been widely reported for younger vs. older breast cancer patients, but whether this is due to age itself or the enrichment of aggressive clinical features remains controversial. We have evaluated the clinicopathologic characteristics and genomic profiles of real-world hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients to examine the determinants of outcome for younger vs. older patients in a single clinical subtype undergoing treatment in the same clinic. Patients and methods: This study included patients presenting at the Peking University Cancer Hospital with primary stage IV or first-line metastatic HR +/HER2- breast cancer who consented to an additional blood draw for genomic profiling prior to treatment. Plasma samples were analyzed with a targeted 152-gene NGS panel to assess somatic circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) alterations. Genomic DNA (gDNA) extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells was analyzed for germline variants using a targeted 600-gene NGS panel. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to analyze disease free survival (DFS), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in association with clinicopathologic and genomic variables. Results: Sixty-three patients presenting with HR+/HER2- MBC were enrolled in this study. Fourteen patients were < 40 years, 19 were 40-50 years, and 30 were > 50 years at the time of primary cancer diagnosis. No significant associations were observed between age and DFS, PFS or OS. Shorter OS was associated with de novo Stage IV disease (p = 0.002), Luminal B subtype (p = 0.006), high Ki67 index (p = 0.036), resistance to adjuvant endocrine therapy (p = 0.0001) and clinical stage (p = 0.015). Reduced OS was also observed in association with somatic alterations in FGFR1 (p = 0.008), CCND2 (p = 0.012), RB1 (p = 0.029) or TP53 (p = 0.029) genes, but not in association with germline variants. Conclusion: In this group of real-world HR+/HER2- MBC breast cancer patients younger age was not associated with poor outcomes. While current guidelines recommend treatment decisions based on tumor biology rather than age, young HR+ breast cancer patients are more likely to receive chemotherapy. Our findings support the development of biomarker-driven treatment strategies for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major public health problem, dementia has attracted great global attention. Early detection and interventions targeting high-risk people of cognitive impairment, can help prevent the onset of dementia and postpone its progression. The rapid increase in the number of elderly people with dementia in China poses challenges in terms of preventive care, health promotion, social support and research innovation. So it is essential to develop a national task list of dementia prevention and treatment action plan, yet it is still in an exploratory stage. In this paper, on the basis of the review of the WHO "Global Action Plan for Public Health Response to Dementia 2017—2025", we proposed a list of tasks of "Dementia Prevention and Treatment Action Plan" for China from the perspective of WHO's global action according to current China's policies and practices and the focuses in dementia prevention and treatment and actual resources, which covers risk factor intervention, person-centred care, social support, information system construction, innovative research and science and technology transformation. It is expected that this action plan will inform relevant dementia prevention and treatment decisions as well as practical responses.