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Objective: The primary objectives of this study are to assess the cost-effectiveness of early postnatal screening and prenatal psychological interventions for the prevention and treatment of postpartum depression (PPD) among Chinese pregnant women. Additionally, we aim to explore the most cost-effective prevention and treatment strategies for PPD in China. Methods: We used TreeAge 2019 to construct a decision tree model, with the model assuming a simulated queue size of 10,000 people. The model employed Monte Carlo simulation to assess the cost-effectiveness of PPD prevention and treatment strategies. Transfer probabilities were derived from published studies and meta-analyses. Cost and effectiveness data were obtained from published sources and relevant studies. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were used to describe the results, with willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds set at China's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Results: Compared to the usual care group, the cost per additional quality-adjusted life year (QALY) for the early postnatal screening group and the prenatal psychological interventions is USD 6840.28 and USD 3720.74, respectively. The cure rate of mixed treatments for PPD has the greatest impact on the model, while patient participation in treatment has a minor impact on the cost-effectiveness of prevention and treatment strategies. Conclusion: Both early postnatal screening and prenatal psychological interventions are found to be highly cost-effective strategies for preventing and treating PPD in China. Prenatal psychological interventions for pregnant women are the most cost-effective prevention and treatment strategy. As such, from the perspective of national payers, we recommend that maternal screening for PPD be implemented in China to identify high-risk groups early on and to facilitate effective intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Electroencephalograms provide valuable insights into brain activity with diverse medical utility that encompasses diagnosis, monitoring, drug discovery, and treatment evaluation. We propose an artificial intelligence model that is uniquely optimized to analyze electroencephalogram signals by directly processing raw data. This model captures intricate spatial and temporal patterns in electroencephalograms through dedicated components like spatial channel attention and sparse transformer encoding. Through being evaluated extensively, our model demonstrates high accuracy in detecting brain diseases and classifying psychotropic drugs. By automatically learning the representations from raw electroencephalogram data, it adapts well across diseases, subjects, and tasks. The model's end-to-end learning aptitude and task versatility constitutes a robust and widely applicable automated electroencephalogram analytics solution. We believe it has the potential to significantly advance electroencephalogram-based diagnosis and personalized medicine. Electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis plays an indispensable role across contemporary medical applications, which encompasses diagnosis, monitoring, drug discovery, and therapeutic assessment. This work puts forth an end-to-end deep learning framework that is uniquely tailored for versatile EEG analysis tasks by directly operating on raw waveform inputs. It aims to address the challenges of manual feature engineering and the neglect of spatial interrelationships in existing methodologies. Specifically, a spatial channel attention module is introduced to emphasize the critical inter-channel dependencies in EEG signals through channel statistics aggregation and multi-layer perceptron operations. Furthermore, a sparse transformer encoder is used to leverage selective sparse attention in order to efficiently process long EEG sequences while reducing computational complexity. Distilling convolutional layers further concatenates the temporal features and retains only the salient patterns. As it was rigorously evaluated on key EEG datasets, our model consistently accomplished a superior performance over the current approaches in detection and classification assignments. By accounting for both spatial and temporal relationships in an end-to-end paradigm, this work facilitates a versatile, automated EEG understanding across diseases, subjects, and objectives through a singular yet customizable architecture. Extensive empirical validation and further architectural refinement may promote broader clinical adoption prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous animal studies found that the preventive effects of lactoferrin (Lf) on alcoholic liver injury (ALI) are associated with nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). To further explore the causality, experiments were performed using rat normal liver BRL-3A cells. Lf treatment reduced ethanol-induced death and apoptosis; meanwhile, Lf treatment alleviated excessive LDH release. These findings confirmed the protection of Lf against ethanol-induced injury in BRL-3A cells. Mechanistically, Lf treatment reversed the reduction in nuclear Nrf2 induced by ethanol without affecting the cytoplasmic Nrf2 level, which led to antioxidant enzyme activity restoration. However, the blocking of Nrf2 nuclear translocation by ML385 eliminated the protective effects of Lf. In a conclusion, Lf protects BRL-3A cells from ethanol-induced injury via promoting Nrf2 nuclear translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the temperature field variation of the main tower of large-span suspension bridges, the Nanjing Xinshengwei Yangtze River Bridge was selected as the objective of the present study. The finite element model of the main tower was developed, and the analysis of the effect of the temperature field on the structure of the main tower was carried out. The calculation parameters of the temperature field of the main tower were determined, and the influence of the solar radiation temperature of the main tower within 24 h was investigated. Differences in the temperatures inside and outside the wall of the tower column were analyzed, and the thermal stress of the tower wall under the most unfavorable temperature difference was calculated. Results show that under the positive temperature difference, the area of tensile stress is mainly concentrated on the inner wall, the maximum value is located at the corner of the intersection of the tower wall, and the range of tensile stress is mainly diffused along the vertical wall. Under the action of negative temperature difference, the area of tensile stress is mainly concentrated in the outer tower wall, the maximum value is located in the upper part of the western outer tower wall, and the range of tensile stress is mainly diffused along the center of the tower wall to both sides. The maximum tensile stresses in the inner and outer tower wall are 2.8 MPa and 1.3 MPa, respectively, which meets the standard value of 2.85 MPa for the tensile strength of C60 concrete specified in the Chinese national standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volume of research on fast radio bursts (FRBs) observation have been seeing a dramatic growth. To facilitate the systematic analysis of the FRB population, we established a database platform, Blinkverse, as a central inventory of FRBs from various observatories and with published properties, particularly dynamic spectra from FAST, CHIME, GBT, Arecibo, etc. Blinkverse thus not only forms a superset of FRBCAT, TNS, and CHIME/FRB, but also provides convenient access to thousands of FRB dynamic spectra from FAST, some of which were not available before. Blinkverse is regularly maintained and will be updated by external users in the future. Data entries of FRBs can be retrieved through parameter searches through FRB location, fluence, etc., and their logical combinations. Interactive visualization was built into the platform. We analyzed the energy distribution, period analysis, and classification of FRBs based on data downloaded from Blinkverse. The energy distributions of repeaters and non-repeaters are found to be distinct from one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the primary method for leaching rare earth ores is through in situ leaching. This approach involves contact between clay minerals and liquids, which can lead to the potential swelling of clay minerals with water, triggering natural disasters such as landslides. The main purpose of this study is to select the suitable anti-swelling solution for Hunan Jianghua ionic rare earth ore. According to the ore composition analysis, 88 wt% of Hunan Jianghua ionic rare earth ore is composed of halloysite clay mineral. Therefore, halloysite clay mineral is used to investigate its anti-swelling behavior in order to provide a reference for future research on the selection of raw ore swelling inhibitors. In this study, the traditional leaching agent, MgSO4 solution, was used as the solvent along with two additional compounds, CH3COOK and KCl, which were prepared in different concentrations to form a new composite swelling inhibitor solution to observe their effect on the swelling rate of halloysite clay mineral. At the same time, the seepage velocity of halloysite clay mineral with different anti-swelling solutions is studied. The results indicate that the optimal concentration in the CH3COOK + MgSO4 solution system is 0.05 mol/dm3. At this concentration, the swelling rate is 5.129%, the inhibition rate is 20.08%, and the seepage velocity rate is 12.51 × 10−3 cm/min, respectively. In KCl + MgSO4 solution, the swelling rate is 4.868%, the inhibition rate is 24.15% and the seepage velocity rate is 13.23 × 10−3 cm/min at the concentration of 0.02 mol/dm3, which is the optimum concentration. In addition, FTIR and TG studies have further demonstrated the mechanism by which these two composite bulking inhibitors inhibit the swelling of halloysite clay mineral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article employs a three-stage slack-based data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) model to evaluate the construction safety performance (CSP) of 30 provinces and cities in China, focusing on enhancing the sustainable development of construction safety in the industry, in line with the concept of sustainable development. The research findings indicate that the supervision environment of each province and city exerts a more substantial influence on the sustainable development of construction safety compared with the level of socio-economic development. Significant changes have been observed in the regional distribution of construction safety management levels within the construction industry by eliminating the impact of economic development, the supervision environment, and random errors. The original pattern of "East > West > Central > Northeast" has shifted to "East > Central > Northeast > West." Moreover, it has been discovered that high-efficiency values of safety performance in certain provinces and cities are partially attributed to external environmental (EE) pressure. In contrast, low-efficiency values cannot be solely attributed to their lack of willingness to implement safety management. Finally, the article proposes strategies, including government policy-led approaches, technology prioritization, and management prioritization, to enhance the sustainable development of construction safety in the construction industry based on the internal safety performance of each province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green buildings (GBs) can effectively reduce building energy consumption and alleviate energy problems. However, as green building projects swell, the development process of GBs in China has gradually exposed many problems, among which the greenwashing behavior of construction enterprises is the more serious. The government needs to adopt some appropriate policies to prevent problems in GBs. This paper uses the evolutionary game theory to construct models and proposes four policy combinations: static reward and static punishment, static reward and dynamic punishment, dynamic reward and static punishment, dynamic reward and dynamic punishment. We compare the impact of four combinations on construction strategy and analyze the inner mechanisms of the behavior evolution of government departments and construction enterprises. Our results revealed no evolutionary stabilization strategy in the game system under the static reward and punishment policy. Under the combination of dynamic subsidies and static penalty policy, the green construction effect of construction enterprises is the best. Furthermore, dynamic reward policy has a more obvious restraining effect on construction enterprises. The government should dynamically adjust rewards and punishments according to the construction quality and determine the appropriate upper limit of rewards and punishments to improve the policies' applicability and effectiveness. This study provides theoretical support for the healthy development of green buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) is a good way to prepare ZrB2-ZrC/metal cermet composites. In this work, ZrB2-ZrC/Ni cermet composites with various Ni contents were successfully fabricated by SHS using the Ni-Zr-B4C system. The effects of Ni content and particle size of the B4C powder on the SHS reaction were investigated. The results indicated that with an increase in Ni content, the adiabatic temperature, maximum combustion temperature, ignition delay time, and ceramic particle size in the product all showed a gradually decreasing trend. The SHS products and the ignition of the SHS reactions were significantly dependent on the B4C particle size. The formation mechanism of ZrB2 and ZrC during SHS from the Ni-Zr-B4C system was proposed based on the combustion wave quenching experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An energy-restricted weight-loss approach has limitations when it used in the elderly, especially because of muscle loss. We aimed to assess the effects of whey protein (WP) or WP hydrolysate (WPH) combined with an energy-restricted diet (ERD) on weight reduction and muscle preservation in older women with overweight and obesity. A total of 60 women were randomized to the control (ERD), WP (ERD + 20 g/d WP) or WPH (ERD + 20 g/d WPH) group, using a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. After an 8-week intervention, body composition, gut microbiota, and serum metabolomics changes were compared among the three groups. The reductions in body weight (−1.11 ± 1.11 vs. −2.34 ± 1.35, p < 0.05), BMI (−0.46 ± 0.45 vs. −0.97 ± 0.54, p < 0.05), and body fat (−0.70 ± 0.92 vs. −2.45 ± 1.65, p < 0.01) were higher in the WPH group than in the control group. Body fat (%) was significantly decreased in the two protein groups. Fat-free mass did not significantly change among the three groups. Serum metabolomics showed that the tricarboxylic acid cycle pathway was upregulated in the WPH group. No significant changes in microbiota were observed among the groups. In conclusion, WP or WPH supplementation combined with an energy-restricted diet benefits older women during weight loss. WPH was more effective, possibly due to increased energy metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction mechanism of ZrB2-ZrC formation in a 30% Ni-Zr-B4C system under argon was revealed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the reaction mechanism in the Ni-Zr-B4C system was complex. Initially, NixZry and NixBy intermetallics were formed via solid-state diffusion reactions between Ni, B4C and Zr. Then, the eutectic reaction between Ni2B and Ni4B3 lead to the formation of Ni-B liquid. The free C atoms dissolved into the Ni-B liquid to form a Ni-B-C ternary liquid, and then part of the Zr powder dissolved into the surrounding Ni-B-C ternary liquid to form Ni-Zr-B-C quaternary liquid. Finally, ZrB2 and ZrC formed and precipitated out of the saturated liquid. The eutectic liquid plays an important role during the formation of ZrB2-ZrC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg-substituted α- and β-phase nickel hydroxides with high specific capacitance and good stability have been synthesized via sacrificial metal-based replacement reaction. 2D α- and β-phase nickel-magnesium hydroxide (NiMg-OH) have been synthesized by sacrificing magnesium (Mg) powder with nickel salt aqueous solutions. Interestingly, the phase of the obtained NiMg-OH can be controlled by adjusting the nickel precursor. As well, the Mg powder is used not only as Mg source but also alkali source to form NiMg-OH. The α-phase nickel-magnesium hydroxide sample (α-NiMg-OH) exhibits lager surface area of 290.88 m2 g–1. The electrochemical performances show that the α-NiMg-OH presented a superior specific capacitance of 2602 F g–1 (1 A g–1) and β-phase nickel-magnesium hydroxide sample (β-NiMg-OH) exhibits better stability with 87% retention after 1000 cycles at 10 A g–1. The hybrid supercapacitor composed of α-NiMg-OH and activated carbon (AC) display high storage performance and cycle stability, it presents 89.7 F g–1 (1 A g–1) and of 0–1.6 V potential window and it maintains capacitance retention of 84.6% subsequent to 4000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chia seed is an ancient seed with the richest plant source of α-linolenic acid, which has been demonstrated to improve metabolic syndrome associated risk factors. Under high fat diet (HFD) condition, the senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice demonstrated worsen Alzheimer’s disease (AD) related pathology compared to low fat diet fed SAMP8 mice. Objective: To explore whether chia seed supplementation might improve cognitive impairment under aging and metabolic stress via high fat diet (HFD) fed SAMP8 mice as a model. Design: SAMP8 mice and senescence-accelerated mouse-resistant 1 (SAMR1) were randomized into 4 groups, i.e., SAMR1 low fat diet group (SAMR1-LFD), SAMP8-HFD and SAMP8-HFD group supplemented with 10% chia seed (SAMP8-HFD+Chia). At the end of the intervention, cognitive function was measured via Morris water maze (MWM) test. Hippocampus and parietal cortex were dissected for further analysis to measure key markers involved AD pathology including Aβ, tau and neuro-inflammation. Results: During navigation trials of MWM test, mice in SAMP8-LFD group demonstrated impaired learning ability compared to SAMR1-LFD group, and chia seed had no effect on learning and memory ability for HFD fed SAMP8 mice. As for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) related pathology, chia seed not only increased α-secretase such as ADAM10 and insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), but also increased β-secretase including beta-secretase 1 (BACE1) and cathepsin B, with an overall effects of elevation in the hippocampal Aβ42 level; chia seed slightly reduced p-Tauser404 in the hippocampus; while an elevation in neuro-inflammation with the activation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Ibα-1 were observed post chia seed supplementation. Conclusions: Chia seed supplementation did not improve cognitive impairment via MWM in HFD fed SAMP8 mice. This might be associated with that chia seed increased key enzymes involved both in non-amyloidogenic and amyloidogenic pathways, and neuro-inflammation. Future studies are necessary to confirm our present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) is a good way to prepare ZrB 2 -ZrC/metal cermet composites. In this work, ZrB 2 -ZrC/Ni cermet composites with various Ni contents were successfully fabricated by SHS using the Ni-Zr-B 4 C system. The effects of Ni content and particle size of the B 4 C powder on the SHS reaction were investigated. The results indicated that with an increase in Ni content, the adiabatic temperature, maximum combustion temperature, ignition delay time, and ceramic particle size in the product all showed a gradually decreasing trend. The SHS products and the ignition of the SHS reactions were significantly dependent on the B 4 C particle size. The formation mechanism of ZrB 2 and ZrC during SHS from the Ni-Zr-B 4 C system was proposed based on the combustion wave quenching experiment.