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Medication persistence has rarely been studied for integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based regimens among patients living HIV (PLWH) in Asia. This study investigated medication persistence for newly prescribed INSTI-based regimens in Japan by comparing single-tablet regimens (STRs) versus multiple-tablet regimens (MTRs), based on the Medical Data Vision database. Adult PLWH with ≥2 claims for antiretroviral therapy (ART) of interest between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2018 were included if they had a ≥3-month continuous enrolment prior to the index date and a ≥6-month follow-up after the index date. Medication persistence was measured as the duration from initiation to discontinuation of the prescribed INSTI-based regimen. Overall, 487 patients were included, with 220 in the STR cohort and 267 in the MTR cohort. Persistence was longer in the STR cohort than in the MTR cohort (mean days on the index regimens: 384.2 vs. 317.3, P < 0.001). MTRs were associated with a higher risk of discontinuation than STRs (hazard ratio [HR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18–2.52; P = 0.005). Other factors that were associated with discontinuation were backbone (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate vs. emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide: HR, 5.64; 95% CI, 3.68–8.66; P < 0.001), third agent (raltegravir vs. elvitegravir/cobicistat: HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.10–3.86; P = 0.024), age (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.03; P = 0.007), and the number of non-ART index medications (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.12–1.21; P < 0.001). Among PLWH newly prescribed an INSTI-based regimen in Japan, STRs were associated with longer persistence than MTRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale gas mainly exists in organic-rich shale in the form of free gas and adsorbed gas. Shale gas content has a direct impact on the productivity and life of the gas well, and is also an important indicator for areal selection and reservoir evaluation. Through the study of gas content experiments of shale gas, we can better guide the exploration and development of shale gas. According to the isothermal adsorption and desorption experiments of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations in Jiaoshiba block of the Fuling shale gas field in Sichuan basin, China, 7 core samples from isothermal adsorption experiment and 30 core samples from desorption experiment were analyzed. The experimental results show that the isothermal adsorption experiment is an effective way to obtain Langmuir Volume (V L) and Langmuir Pressure (P L). The total gas content obtained from shale desorption experiment in the drilling site is mainly adsorption gas content, and the free gas content is relatively small. The desorption rate is different in different desorption stages, and the samples with higher total organic carbon (TOC) content have faster desorption rate and higher total desorption gas content. The carbon isotope value of methane gradually increases with the increase of desorption time. The results of methane isotope analysis in the desorption experiment are compared with the results of carbon isotope monitoring in the producing process. The findings reveal that after years of development in Jiaoshiba block of the Fuling shale gas field, the methane isotope in gas wells has basically remained unchanged, and the current gas production should be dominated by free gas. • Compare the analysis results of isothermal adsorption and desorption experiment. • The change law of carbon isotope with time in desorption process is studied. • The producing status is determined for the first time by using this law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dengying Formation is an important stratum of exploration in the Gaoshiti-Moxi structure belt in the Sichuan Basin. Therefore, this study combines core, thin section, mud logging data and geochemical analysis (C, O and Sr isotopes) with seismic section data to investigate the basic characteristics and genesis of the Dengying Formation reservoir. Observations indicate that the reservoir rocks mainly consist of sand crumb dolomites, algae laminated dolomite and breccia. The reservoir space is dominated by porous dissolved holes, dissolved pores (or holes) along the direction of algal laminae, intra-grit holes and residual “grape lace” holes. The reservoir has the characteristics of low porosity and medium-permeability. There are three types of reservoir: porous reservoir, fractured porous reservoir and cave reservoir. The reservoir was formed by the common action of deposition, diagenesis and tectogenesis. Sedimentation is the basis and presupposition for reservoir development, but the effective reservoir is mainly controlled by the algal flat microfacies; Furthermore, compaction, cementation and filling are the main causes of reservoir density; Recrystallization is the basis for the formation of porous reservoir; Supergene dissolution is the key to reservoir formation; Buried dissolution also promotes the formation of a high quality reservoir. The fractures formed by tectogenesis significantly improve the permeability of the reservoir and contribute very little to porosity. The reservoir gradually evolved and formed under the control of various geological and diagenetic activities. This study provides important information and references for oil and gas exploitation and development in central Sichuan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, a vision "bolt-on" EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) was developed and tentative utility values (i.e., a "value set") for this new descriptive system were estimated.Objectives: To compare the discriminatory power of this bolt-on and standard utility-based EQ-5D health indices.Methods: Cross-sectional data on the (3-level) vision bolt-on EQ-5D were collected through face-to-face interviews with 500 and 336 individuals with and without visual impairment, respectively. To assess the discriminatory power of the vision bolt-on index relative to the standard EQ-5D index developed in the vision bolt-on valuation study, 16 pairs of mutually exclusive subgroups of individuals defined by the individuals' visual acuity and responses to the 14-item visual function questionnaire were compared pairwise. The absolute mean difference in the two index scores and the corresponding F statistic derived from the comparisons were used as measures of discriminatory power.Results: The absolute mean difference in the bolt-on index score was larger than that in the standard EQ-5D index score in 14 of the 16 comparisons. The bolt-on index score exhibited a larger F-statistic value than did the standard EQ-5D index score in all known-group comparisons, with the F-statistic ratio ranging from 0.415 to 0.770.Conclusions: The vision bolt-on EQ-5D appears to be more discriminative than the standard EQ-5D in measurement of vision problems. Future studies should investigate the extent to which the vision bolt-on item can increase the sensitivity of the EQ-5D to vision change in interventional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the impact of visual impairment (VI) on health-related quality of life and to compare the health burden of VI and other health conditions in Singapore. Design Population-based cross-sectional study. Participants We studied the 10 009 adults (3353 Chinese, 3397 Indians, and 3259 Malays) who underwent a comprehensive eye assessment and completed the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire in the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Disease Study. Methods We estimated the effects of VI, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia on the EQ-5D index score using linear regression models and the association between VI and self-reported EQ-5D health problems using logistic regression models. We compared prevalence-based quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) loss associated with VI and other health conditions. For each condition, QALY loss was calculated for 100 000 persons in 1 year using associated reduction in EQ-5D index score estimated in regression analysis as disutility. Main Outcome Measures The EQ-5D index score and annual QALY loss. Results The EQ-5D index score decreased with increasing VI severity in all 3 ethnicities. For example, after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, the difference in EQ-5D index score between adults with bilateral severe VI and those without VI was −0.044 (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.089 to 0.001) in Chinese, −0.127 (95% CI, −0.237 to −0.017) in Indians, and −0.085 (95% CI, −0.148 to −0.022) in Malays. In all 3 ethnicities, VI was associated with reporting of problems in mobility (e.g., odds ratio [OR], 3.69 for Chinese with bilateral severe VI; 95% CI, 1.21–12.13) and usual activities (e.g., OR, 6.51 for Chinese with bilateral severe VI; 95% CI, 1.59–26.58). In Indians, VI was also associated with anxiety or depression (e.g., OR, 2.68 for bilateral severe VI; 95% CI, 1.11–6.50). The annual QALY loss associated with VI was 511.8 in Chinese, 608.8 in Indians, and 706.7 in Malays, greater than that associated with other health conditions examined in this study. Conclusions Visual impairment is associated with substantial health burden among Asians in Singapore. The relatively high burden of VI highlights the importance of VI prevention. The ethnic difference exhibited in this burden warrants further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of parallel dynamic security assessment applications from static homogeneous cluster environment to dynamic heterogeneous grid environment. Functional parallelism and data parallelism are supported by each of the message passing interface model and TCP/IP model. To consider the differences in heterogeneous computing resources and complexity of large-scale power system communities, a kernel-based multilevel algorithm is proposed for network partitioning. Since the bottleneck in distributed computation is low speed network communication, a bi-level latency exploitation technique is introduced for numerically solving system differential equations. The proposed grid-based implementation includes the core simulation engine, grid computing middleware, a Python interface and Python front-end utilities. Tests for a 39-bus network, a 4000-bus network and a 10,000-bus network are reported, and the results of these experiments demonstrate that the proposed scheme is able to execute the distributed simulations on computational grid infrastructure and provide efficient parallelism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Vanadium oxide films have been fabricated on Si3N4-film-coated silicon substrates by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering method. Conditions of deposition are optimized making use of parameters such as sputtering time, dc power, oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature. X-ray diffraction indicates that the film is a mixture of VO2, V2O3, and V3O5. Four-probe measurement shows that the VO x thin film owns high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR ∼−2.05%/°C) and suitable square resistance 18.40kΩ/□ (measured at 25°C), indicating it is a well candidate material for uncooled IR detectors. In addition, IR absorption in the wavelength of 2–16μm has been characterized. It is worth noting that the films are sputtered at a relatively low temperature of 210°C in a controlled Ar/O2 atmosphere. Compared to traditional craft, this method needs no post-anneal at high temperature (400–500°C). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There are abundant oil and gas resources in China's continental shale formations, and these formations often contain sandy lamina, tuffaceous lamina and carbonate lamina parallel to the bedding planes, resulting in complex geomechanical properties. During the drilling process, the mechanical weak surface structure inside the shale and the hydration effect of drilling fluid may easily cause wellbore instability, which reduces the safety and benefit of drilling. To explore the geomechanical properties of laminated shale and bedding shale after water absorption, a series of tests were conducted on the Chang 7 laminated shale and bedding shale in the Ordos Basin. The result indicates that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of laminated shale and bedding shale show a trend of decreasing first and then starting to drop as β (the angle between bedding/lamina and the direction of stress) keeps increasing, and laminated shale has stronger anisotropy, lower compressive strength and elastic modulus. The moisture content of laminated shale and bedding shale increases as the soaking time increases, which leads to a decrease in the compressive strength. Compared to bedding shale, laminated shale reaches water saturation faster and has a higher moisture content. Based on the macroscopic and microscopic images before and after shale hydration, it can be concluded that natural microfractures are easily formed at the interface between the lamina and shale matrix, and brittle minerals at the edges of natural microfractures are prone to detachment, thereby increase the hydration area and intensify the hydration process. Compared to bedding shale formations, laminated shale formations have a higher hole-size elongation ratio and are more prone to collapse according to on-site data. This study reveals the geomechanical properties of laminated shale under the dual influence of anisotropy and hydration, provides support for drilling design in such formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine carbonate rock in the Changxing-Feixianguan Formation of Xuanhan-Daxian area, northeastern Sichuan, the Sichuan Basin holds abundant natural gas resource, where the dolomite includes two types, the one with original texture (grain dolomite, reef dolomite) and the one without original texture (idiomorphic to anhedral-crystal dolomite, porphyritic dolomite). The analysis on the isotopes of C, O, Sr and other geochemical features shows that the dolomitizing process happened in fluid rich in Mg2+ and lean in Ca2+ and brought in Fe2+, Mn2+ and took out Sr2+; with the rise of recrystallization, the Fe2+, Mn2+ contents tend to increase while δ18O PDB and Srcontent tend to decrease. According to the variation of 87Sr/86Sr and other geochemical features, it is considered that the dolomitizing fluid participating in the reservoir diagenesisis the high salinity sea water later than the end of Feixianguan stage, and the dolomitization takes place mainly through the multiple thermal convective cycle effect. The micritic dolomite is of evaporative dolomitization origin with the characteristics of high Sr2+, Na+ and low Mn2+ which reflects the open environment of the surface exposed in the quasi syngenetic period, while the reef dolomite is of high Mg/Ca dolomitizing fluid origin with the characteristics of lowSr2+, Na+ and Mn2+, whose diagenetic environment changed from near surface to shallow burial environment; crystalline dolomite is formed by metasomatism of low Mg/Ca dolomitizing fluid at deep burial depth and high temperature, with the increase of burial depth,in the high temperature and high pressure deep sealing system, its Fe2+ and Mn2+ elements increased while Sr2+ decreased. Through reconstruction of dynamic diagenesis-pore evolution, it is concluded that the low porosity of shallow beach grain dolomite is resulted from early compaction and medium-term cementation, yet the reservoir quality has been apparently improved by the later hydrocarbon dissolution; compared with shallow beach grain dolomite,the reef dolomite has smaller initial porosity, but stronger compressive capacity. The early compaction and medium-term cementation have less impact on the reef dolomite, and the later dissolution strength is slightly weaker than that of the granular dolomite, thus the change range of porosity is smaller than that of the grain dolomite; the micrite-silt dolomite mainly suffered porosity reduction caused by compaction, and the later burial dissolution and recrystallization are key to the quality improvement of this kind of dolomite reservoir. • There are two types of dolomite in the study area: the original fabric and without original fabric. • The high salinity marine source fluid of late period is involved in the dolomitization process of dolomite reservoir. • Dissolution is the key to the formation of high quality reservoir. • Compaction and cementation are the key factors to reduce the porosity of dolomite reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large volume of water is required in shale gas development, especially for large-scale hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells. This study focuses on 334 shale gas wells in the largest production field Fuling in China. Models are formulated to estimate the water use at each stage of the development process, including pre-drilling preparation, drilling and cementing, fracturing, gas testing, production testing. Domestic water used by employee community of shale gas companies are also fully considered. The results show that the average fracturing water use per well was 34,756.0 m3 in Fuling, which accounted for 98% of the total water use. By the end of 2017, the total fracturing water used in Fuling was 1.09 × 107 m3, and a total of 2.28 × 106 m3 of flowback fluid was achieved with 2.16 × 106 m3 of water reused. In addtion, the domestic water used by the employee community was found to be 2.19 × 106 m3, which was equivalent to the water saved from the flowback fluid. China's special "development campaign" mode for shale gas extraction is the reason. The results improve the understanding of water use in China's shale gas development and also provide important implications for water management. Image 1 • The water use at each stage is analyzed. • Domestic water used by the employee community is fully considered. • Fracking water accounted for 98% of the total water consumption. • The reuse rate of fracking water increased to 67.26% in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The jet fire is a common type of fire accident in high-pressure hydrogen storage bottles. It is crucial to conduct research on the thermal radiation hazards resulting from on-board hydrogen storage bottle leaks, leading to jet fires within 35 MPa. Additionally, accurately and swiftly calculating the characteristic parameters of hydrogen jet flames, such as flame geometry and radiation heat flow, is of utmost importance. To study the jet fire hazard caused by high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder leaks, a simplified model of the hydrogen storage cylinder was established using FLUENT software for numerical simulation analysis. The study analyzed the impact patterns of high-pressure hydrogen leakage jet flames under different scenarios, including leakage aperture, leakage pressure and ambient wind speed. The results demonstrate a positive correlation between the leakage aperture and pressure with the size of the jet flame and the extent of thermal radiation damage. The larger the leakage aperture and pressure, the larger the hydrogen jet flame size. The higher the peak value of the flame thermal radiation, the greater the hazard range. Additionally, the temperature of the stable axis of the jet flame rises with increasing leakage aperture. As the leakage pressure rises, the thermal radiation of the flame also increases. Conversely, as the ambient wind speed increases, the flame length, the burn radius, and the thermal radiation range decreases, but the high-temperature heat range expands. The empirical formula between flame length and leakage pressure and leakage aperture under different environmental wind speeds is obtained by data fitting, which can be used as a priori prediction of flame length under wind speed conditions. • Using FLUENT software to establish a three-dimensional physical model can effectively simulate the hydrogen jet flame. • It is more suitable for hydrogen storage equipment to study the jet flame of hydrogen storage bottle within 35 MPa. • The wind speed is added to the aperture and pressure conditions, and the simulation results are closer to reality. • The empirical formula between flame length and leakage pressure and nozzle diameter under ambient wind speed is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite with high photocatalytic activity was synthesized via a two-step chemical solution method and used for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye. The structure, morphology, composition, optical and photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated in detail. The results suggested that the Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite is composed of hierarchical TiO 2 hollow microstructure coated by a great many Cu 2 O nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance of Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light, and compared with those of the pure TiO 2 and Cu 2 O photocatalysts synthesized by the identical synthetic route. Within 120 min of reaction time, nearly 100% decolorization efficiency of MB was achieved by Cu 2 O/TiO 2 photocatalyst, which is much higher than that of pure TiO 2 (26%) or Cu 2 O (32%). The outstanding photocatalytic efficiency was mainly ascribed to the unique architecture, the extended photoresponse range and efficient separation of the electron-hole pairs in the Cu 2 O/TiO 2 heterojunction. In addition, the Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite also retains good cycling stability in the photodegradation of MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced oxidation technology dominated the disposal of reverse osmosis concentrate in textile and dyeing industry due to its extremely low biodegradability. For resource conservation and sustainable development, the reverse osmosis concentrate was reused in dyeing procedure after being treated properly with combining method of persulfate oxidation and lime-soda softening. Firstly, the refractory organics was oxidized by persulfate thermal activation and the results indicated that the most efficient and economical reaction happened with initial pH = 5.0, 1000 mg/L initial persulfate concentration and 75 °C. In this process, chemical oxygen demand degradation fitted the pseudo-first-order model well and the sodium sulfate concentration increased from 9600 to about 10,350 mg/L. Then, the hardness of reverse osmosis concentrate including Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ hardness was softened efficiently by lime-soda softening technology and appropriate lime and soda concentration was determined to be 150 mg/L and 800 mg/L, respectively. Finally, the effluent was employed as the dyeing water to test the reuse feasibility in dyeing of reactive dyes. Color strength, color difference and color fastness were all used to evaluate the dyeing performance and dyeing results showed that the effluent which was treated properly (COD ≤ 21.5 mg/L, total hardness ≤17.0 mg/L) was available for reuse in reactive dyes dyeing procedure. The study provided a novel method to treat and reuse reverse osmosis concentrate and more importantly, it promoted sodium sulfate concentration and saved its supplementation and dyeing cost in dyeing procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyridine Nucleotide-Disulphide Oxidoreductase Domain 2 (PYROXD2), a Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx)-interacting protein, is significantly down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however its exact biological function remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the subcellular localization and biological function of PYROXD2 in hepatic cells. The results showed that PYROXD2 was imported to the mitochondrial inner membrane/matrix by Tom40 and Tim23, but not Mia40. PYROXD2 151-230aa might be the mitochondrial targeting sequence. PYROXD2 interacted with complex IV subunit COX5B. Knockout of PYROXD2 decreased MMP, intracellular ROS, complex IV activity, cell proliferation, ATP content and mtDNA copy number, but increased mtROS levels and the number of immature mitochondria. In summary, our data illustrated that PYROXD2 localizes to the mitochondrial inner membrane/matrix, and it plays important roles in regulating mitochondrial function. • PYROXD2 is a new protein located in the inner mitochondrial membrane/matrix fraction and interacted with COX5B. • The import of PYROXD2 to mitochondria is dependent on its mitochondrial targeting sequence 151-230 aa. • PYROXD2 plays important roles in the regulation of mitochondrial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations are the focus of shale gas exploration in China. Their sedimentation is affected by global and regional geological events, and the resulting heterogeneity hinders the expansion of exploration results. This study combines logging, mineralogy, and geochemistry to reconstruct the sedimentary mechanisms of shale in the southern Sichuan Basin and discusses its implications for exploration. The shale can be divided into third-order sequences, in which the Wufeng Formation and lower Long-1 Member are transgressive systems tracts (TST1 and TST2), and the Guanyinqiao Member and the middle-upper Long-1 Member are highstand systems tracts (HST1 and HST2). Volcanic eruption and glaciation evolution are the driving factors of the sedimentary environment during the TST. The area is in a cold-warm climate, characterized by anoxic conditions, slow sedimentation, booming productivity, and low terrigenous influx, thereby depositing four types of siliceous shale. The siliceous shale is rich in biogenic microcrystalline quartz and high TOC, which are the keys to becoming the "sweet spot" of shale gas. Microcrystalline quartz fills the intergranular pores to support the entire pore network framework. The organic matter undergoes thermal evolution to produce abundant organic matter pores, which constitute the main place for adsorbed gas and free gas. For the highstand systems tract, HST1 is the product of the peak of glaciation, mainly composed of calcareous shale and carbonate rocks. The sedimentation of HST2 is affected by turbidity currents and violent orogeny. The area is in a warm climate, characterized by high terrigenous influx, dysoxic-oxic conditions, medium productivity and rapid sedimentation rates. The lithofacies gradually changed from siliceous shale to mixed shale and argillaceous shale. Excessive clay minerals and low TOC make it difficult for HST2 to realize the commercial development of shale gas. • The Wufeng Formation-Long 1 Member was divided into two 3rd sequences, and four geological events were identified. • Volcanism and postglaciation created conditions for the enrichment of organic matter and microcrystalline quartz. • Kwangsian Orogeny and turbidity currents led to the formation of organic-poor shale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis study of sevelamer versus calcium-based binders (CBBs) in treating hyperphosphatemia among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in China. Methods A decision-analytic model of a lifetime horizon was used for base case analysis from the payers’ perspective. The transition probabilities between different health states were derived from survival analysis. The overall survival of CBBs was derived from the Dialysis Clinical Outcomes Revisited study for up to 44 months and a Weibull regression model was used to extrapolate the overall survival to a lifetime horizon. A hazard ratio (0.54; 95% CI, 0.32–0.93) of the overall survival for sevelamer versus CBBs was used to calculate the survival of the sevelamer group. Clinical and cost data were derived from literature and health care system in the local setting. Incremental life year and quality-adjusted life year (QALY) were the primary outcomes. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the uncertainty of the model assumptions and parameters. The results were reported in 2015 Chinese Renminbi. Findings The incremental cost per life year and per QALY gained of sevelamer versus CBBs was ¥44,475 and ¥57,910, respectively. The incremental cost per QALY gained was below the World Health Organization’s recommended cost-effectiveness threshold (¥151,070), which is 3 times the gross domestic product per capita of 2015 in China. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was most sensitive to the hazard ratio of overall survival with sevelamer versus CBBs in the 1-way sensitivity analysis. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve indicated that sevelamer had a 89.6% likelihood of cost-effectiveness at the ¥151,070 threshold. Implications Sevelamer is likely to be a cost-effective option in treating hyperphosphatemia among patients with ESRD compared with CBBs in the local context of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]