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Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) patients are still at risk of postoperative ischemic complications (PICs) after surgery. In addition, the proportion of patients receiving antiplatelet therapy (APT) in ICH patients increased significantly with age. This study aims to evaluate the impact of preoperative antiplatelet therapy on PICs in ICH patients. This is a cohort study that retrospectively analyzed the data of ICH patients who underwent surgical treatment. PICs rate was compared between patients with preoperative ATP and those without preoperative ATP. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of preoperative APT on PICs. In addition, Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and the impact of PICs on patients' postoperative outcomes was evaluated. A total of 216 patients were included in this study. There were 47 patients (21.76%) with preoperative APT; 169 patients (78.24%) without preoperative APT. The incidence of PICs in the APT group was significantly higher when compared with that in the nAPT group (36.17% vs. 20.71%, p = 0.028＜0.05). Furthermore, significant differences were both observed in multivariate analysis (p = 0.035＜0.05) and survival analysis (log rank χ2 = 5.415, p = 0.020＜0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the outcomes of patients suffering from PICs and that of patients not suffering from PICs (p = 0.377 > 0.05). In conclusion, preoperative APT may be a risk factor for PICs in ICH patients undergoing surgical treatment significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the involvement of family, community, and school in citizenship education in China, particularly in terms of the tension between traditional cultural values and today's modernisation. The analysis was based on written materials acquired through a systematic search of English and Chinese scholarly literature on the subject and relevant Chinese policy documents and laws. Following a hermeneutic approach, the image formed in the literature of Chinese citizenship education was interpreted and explained in a broader historical-cultural-social context. The results show that the traditional values of Chinese civilisation continue to play a strong role in all three arenas of citizenship education, although the conflict between traditional values emphasising conformism and modern values emphasising individual self-determination is also recognisable in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death anxiety arousal, provoked by anticipating self-nonexistence, may be used as a fraud tactic by scammers on older adults; however, little is known about how it affects older adults' decision making when confronted with a scam and the mechanisms underlying these effects. This study used a questionnaire survey and experimental design to examine them. In Study 1, 307 older adults in China completed questionnaires. The results showed a positive link between death anxiety and vulnerability to fraud, partially mediated by materialism. In Study 2, 82 older adults in China were randomly assigned to the mortality salience group and control group to examine whether death anxiety arousal can increase older adults' vulnerability to fraud and the mediating role of materialism. The results indicated that death anxiety and materialism increase the risk of consumer products and services fraud; therefore, targeting these risk factors might protect older adults from fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve low frequency vibration and noise reduction, researchers have found and explored many types of metamaterial structures. Based on this, an innovative multiphase metamaterial structure composed of hard materials and soft materials is proposed in this paper. According to Bloch's theorem, the band gap characteristics of the proposed structure are calculated using the finite element method, and the formation mechanism of the band gap is analyzed. In addition, the effects of the stiffness and density of the two materials on the band gap are studied in detail. Then, the phase velocity, group velocity and wave propagation direction are calculated according to a certain frequency of the specific dispersion curve, and the important information of wave propagation in the structure is obtained. Finally, according to the transmission characteristics of vibration in a finite periodic structure, it is verified that the existence of band gap can inhibit the vibration transmission, and it is further clarified that the proposed structure has a good performance in the design of low-frequency band gaps with large amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A video lecture instructor exhibiting positive emotion has been shown to induce similar emotions in students, improving the students' motivation and increasing their attention, thus improving their learning performance. However, little systematic research exists on which specific design features with regards to the instructor can induce such emotions. The current study aimed to test whether congruent body gestures boost the effects of an instructor's facial expressions (happy vs. bored) on learning from video lectures in terms of students' emotions, motivation, attention, cognitive load, and learning performance. There were four conditions: (1) a happy face without body gestures, (2) a happy face accompanied with happy body gestures, (3) a bored face without body gestures, and (4) a bored face accompanied with bored body gestures. One-way repeated ANOVAs showed that congruent body gestures strengthened the emotional effects, and strengthened the attentional split effects of the happy face; when the instructor did not produce body gestures, her happy face facilitated students' learning performance compared to the bored face. Our findings suggest that instructors should be encouraged to exhibit a happy face without body gestures when giving video lectures to increase students' learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix-associated mycotoxins that bind with macromolecular components through covalent or non-covalent interactions easily occur in various cereals, cereal-based products, and cereal-based feedstuff. They are "masked" by macro-components, causing the underestimation of total exposure risk of mycotoxins. Most of the current reports focus on the free and modified mycotoxins, while the matrix-associated forms are ignored but still can exert toxic effects after ingestion. In this paper, current researches and future prospects of matrix-associated mycotoxins are reviewed. Especially, a focus is set on the transformation of matrix-associated mycotoxins with their free forms during metabolism and food processing. Enzymes, temperature and pH levels during food processing can induce the interconversion of matrix-associated mycotoxins with free mycotoxins. Furthermore, the analytical methods targeted on matrix-associated mycotoxins are discussed. Due to the lack of efficient methods releasing the mycotoxins from matrix, the standard analytical methods has not developed so far. Also, we further analyzed the challenges of matrix-associated mycotoxins about variety, occurrence, toxicity and transformation, exposure assessment, which contributes to establish preventive measures to control their hazards for consumers. Overall, this overview is significant for perfecting risk assessment, as well as developing effective prevention and control actions to matrix-associated mycotoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) in services on carbon productivity is examined based on Chinese province-level panel data from 2007 to 2019. We control for income level, technical level and sectoral differences and find (ⅰ) in the full sample, service FDI has no significant effect on carbon productivity; (ⅱ) the effect of income inequality: service FDI flowing into high-income regions benefits the environment, while flows to low-income regions do not support the pollution-halo effect; (ⅲ) the effect of technology inequality: service FDI in regions with high technology levels reduces the carbon emission, while the environmental effect of service FDI is insignificant in low-technology regions; (ⅳ) industrial heterogeneity: FDI inflows to different sectors show different sensitivities to income level and have different impacts on carbon productivity. The result has a strong policy implication which will be helpful for the local governments to make policies with the aim to maximize the benefit from the pollution-halo effect of service FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisher information is a fundamental concept of statistical inference and plays an important role in many areas of statistical analysis. In this paper, we obtain explicit expressions for the Fisher information matrix in ranked set sampling (RSS) from the simple linear regression model with replicated observations. It has been shown to be the sum of two matrices, one of which is the Fisher information matrix based on simple random sampling (SRS). The numerical results show that RSS provides more information than SRS when the same sample size is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation burden from CT examinations increases rapidly with the increased clinical use frequency. Previous studies have disclosed the association between radiation exposure and increased double-strand breaks (DSBs) and changes in DNA methylation. However, whether the induced DSBs by CT examination recover within 24h and whether a CT examination induces detectable gene-specific methylation changes are still unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyze γ-H2AX in the peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) of healthy adults before and after CT examination and to discover the differentially methylated positions (DMPs) along with an analysis of DNA methylation changes caused by CT examination. Peripheral blood samples of 4 ml were drawn from 20 healthy volunteers at three time points: before CT examination, after CT examination 1h, and after CT examination 24h. γ-H2AX immunofluorescence and Illumina Infinium Human Methylation EPIC BeadChip (850k BeadChip) were used respectively for the test of DSBs and the epigenome-wide DNA methylation analysis. Linear mixed-effect (LME) models were used to evaluate the impacts of doses represented by different parameters and foci on genome-wide DNA methylation. The number of γ-H2AX foci per cell at 1h showed linear dose–responses for the radiation doses represented by CT index volume (CTDIvol), dose length product (DLP), and blood absorbed dose, respectively. Residual γ-H2AX foci was observed after CT examination at 24h (p <.001). DMPs and γ-H2AX foci changes could be found within 1h. One CpG site related to PAX5 was significantly changed by using most of the parameters in LME models and did not recover till 24h. Residual γ-H2AX foci exist after CT examination at 24h. The DNA methylation changes induced by CT examination may not recover within 24h. The DNA methylation had been changed as early as at 1h. The PAX5-related CpG site may be a potential biomarker of low-dose radiation. The biological effects and the cancer risks of CT examination are still unclear. The present study is an effort to document the CT scan-induced events in 24h in vivo. The CT scanning area should be strictly limited, and non-essential repeated operations shouldn't be performed within 24h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dusts from furnaces for pyrometallurgical refining of copper (Cu) in which arsenic (As) was pre-removed through the use of vacuum carbothermal reduction methods could be used as raw materials. After treating the As pre-removed dusts through oxidative leaching using waste acids, the process of neutralizing and precipitating As and iron (Fe) in the leaching solution was investigated, as well as the precipitation and stabilization process of As and Fe residues. The results show that the leaching rate of Cu, Zn, and As from such dusts can reach 98.98%, 97.46%, and 95.22%, respectively, after leaching operation with waste acids under a liquid–solid ratio of 8:1, a leaching temperature of 80°C, an airflow rate of 300 ml/min, and a leaching time of 120 min. When the molar ratio of Fe to As (n(Fe)/n(As)) is 1.50 in the solution after advanced oxidization, and the final pH value of neutralization is 2.0, the precipitation rate of As and Cu in the residues as ferric arsenates is 93.65% and 2.2%, respectively. As and Fe are neutralized and precipitated, which allows Cu to enter the solution, while As enters the residues. After being transformed, the unstable As and Fe residues can be stockpiled as nontoxic, stable waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forsythin, an active compound from Forsythiae Fructus, has the potential to treat the common cold and influenza through its antipyretic-analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. The safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of forsythin were evaluated in healthy Chinese subjects. This phase 1a study included three parts: double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled single-ascending-dose (SAD) (50, 100, 200, 400, 600 or 800 mg), food effect investigation (100 mg) and multiple-ascending-dose (MAD) (50, 100 or 200 mg TID for 5 days). Forsythin is safe and tolerable in healthy Chinese subjects. The rates of adverse events (AEs) in the forsythin cohort were similar to those in the placebo cohort. Forsythin is well-absorbed after single or multiple doses and is extensively metabolized. The primary metabolites were aglycone M1, M1 sulphate (M2) and M1 glucuronide (M7). Exposure to forsythin (100 mg) was higher after food intake by approximately 1.4-fold, whereas M2 and M7 did not change. The steady state was reached around three days in the MAD study. Forsythin, M2 and M7 accumulation on day 5 was 1, 3 and 2, respectively. The safety and PK profiles of forsythin support further evaluation of its efficacy in individuals with the common cold or influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though China Antarctic medical care has made huge progress, dental care has always been a neglected area. Dental health is well-known to be closely related with life quality and work efficiency. Hence, knowing the dental care situation there and providing ways to improve are urgently needed. We choose doctors who worked in China Antarctic station as a window to see the whole picture by sending questionnaire. The results showed dental visits ranked second high, the ratio of doctors who got pre-departure dental knowledge education and screen is low. What is worse, none of them got any after-departure dental check. Their dental knowledge is not as good as we expect, and they were troubled by dental problems in Antarctic. Interestingly, most dental problems were treated by non-dentist with no essential equipment, but 2/3 of them were satisfied with the outcome. As for the dental-related diet and behaviour, snacks eating and alcohol drinking are the strongest predictors of dental pain and gum problem. Those findings are crucial to Antarctic dental care and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that a Cu/Li ratio over 4.0 leads to significant precipitation hardening in the third generation of Al–Li alloys, which have been widely used in aerospace and aeronautic industries. However, increasing Cu levels not only cancels some gains in weight reduction but also results in reductions in ductility when the traditional age-hardening process is adopted. In this study, we show that higher strength and ductility can be achieved simultaneously by replacing traditional artificial aging with new creep aging and tailoring the entire process from casting to age hardening without changing any nominal chemical compositions. Surprisingly, the precipitation kinetics of AA2060 alloy is significantly enhanced through the combination of hot extrusion, creep aging, and pre-strain compared to traditional artificial aging. For example, at 160°C, it follows the transformation path of supersaturated solid solution (SSSS)→GP zones + δ′+T1 precursors which will further transform into T1 +S'; at 200°C, SSS→ GP zones, and they transform into T1 + S' immediately. The precipitation of θ′ and δ′ phases is significantly inhibited at elevated temperatures due to the competing relationship with T1 and S' phases at a peak-aged state. Contrary to traditional knowledge in Al–Li alloys, we have found that the greater extrusion ratio at 33.0 and higher aging temperature at 200°C can give a much higher peak aging strength with average ultimate tensile strength 659 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on previous findings in a U.S. sample, the present study validated the relationship between childhood trauma and dissociation, as well as the mediating role of disorganized attachment and the moderating role of mentalizing (i.e. self-concept clarity and reflective functioning) in a group of 569 Chinese adults (i.e. a community sample). Results demonstrated a mediating role for disorganized attachment relationships in linking childhood maltreatment and dissociative symptoms. Moreover, self-concept clarity moderated this mediating relationship. An interesting finding that differs from the U.S. sample is that reflective functioning did not play a moderating role between insecure attachment and dissociation in Chinese adults. Chinese culture places greater emphasis on collectivism, altruism, and other-oriented, and thus the protective effect of the reflective function may not be as effective as in an individualistic culture. This study provides evidence for a better understanding of the relationship between childhood trauma, attachment, dissociation, and the moderating role of mentalizing in an Eastern culture, and it opens the door to further research examining whether more Western (such as the U.S.) and Eastern (particularly Chinese) relationships are similar in both social and clinical psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronotype has received increasing research attention. However, there remains some confusion about the influence of gender, age, sleep quality, insomnia severity, longitude, and latitude on the consistency of the chronotype measured by the different tools. Chronotype measurement indicators were collected from 421 participants. The midpoint of sleep for actigraphy (MSF_A), sleep diary (MSF_D), and Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) (MSFsc) on free days and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ) scores were used to measure the chronotype. In addition, demographic information, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were also collected. A significant correlation was identified between the questionnaires (MSF_D, MSFsc, rMEQ) and actigraphy (MSF_A) as measures of chronotype. MSF_A was associated with sleep latency and sleep disturbance in the PSQI subdimensions. The correlation between MS_D and sleep disturbance was significant. Both rMEQ and MSFsc were significantly correlated with PSQI (total scores and daytime dysfunction) and ISI. The consistency of all chronotype measurements for the questionnaires and actigraphy was influenced by gender. Among them, MSF_D is also affected by age, while only the latitude and sleep disturbance effect was found in the MSFsc. The influence of age, gender, sleep quality, and latitude should be emphasized when measuring the chronotype using self-reported methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) was developed to determine an individual's chronotype, and it provides information about sleep and wake times separately for work and free days. However, the MCTQ has not been effectively verified using a large sample based on multiple questionnaires and actigraphy measures. Three sequential studies were conducted. Study 1 used a large sample (n = 1066) to investigate the chronotype of Chinese college freshmen and assess the validity of the MCTQ compared with the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ), actigraphy, and other related questionnaires. Study 2 verified the MCTQ compared with a sleep diary. Study 3 examined the test-retest reliability of the MCTQ at the 2-year follow-up. The results showed that MCTQ parameters were significantly associated with rMEQ scores, the actigraphy-based mid-point of sleep, sleep quality, depression, and trait anxiety. In addition, all MCTQ variables were significantly related to the diary-based sleep mid-point. The test-retest reliability of the mid-point of sleep adjusted for sleep debt (MSFsc) and mid-point of sleep on free days (MSF) was acceptable. These results indicate that the MCTQ is a practical and efficient tool with good reliability. Its further development is important for the accurate assessment of chronotypes and clinical diagnoses of sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the effect and mechanism of 3,6'-disinapoylsucrose (DISS) on an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice model induced by APPswe695 lentivirus (LV) and intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results show that DISS improves cognitive ability, decreases the levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, reduces the expression of NF-κB p65, and alleviates Aβ deposition and nerve cell damage. DISS can regulate tyrosine kinase B (TrkB)/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in the hippocampus. In summary, DISS can significantly alleviate neuroinflammation, spatial learning and memory disorders in AD model mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) are promising smart materials that can respond to an external field. In order to obtain stable suspension and investigate the settlement law of these synthesised MRFs, polymerised ionic liquid crystalline (PILC) ferroferric oxide nanocomposites (Fe3O4@PILCs), the dispersed phase in MRFs, were obtained by self-assembly of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with PILCs. The structural properties, thermotropic liquid crystal characteristics, morphology and microscopic magnetic response characteristics were investigated in this study. Fe3O4@PILCs showed nematic liquid crystal behaviour, and the mesogenic phase range was affected by the content of cholesteryl-based LC mesogen containing carboxylic acid groups. Series of MRFs were prepared by the Fe3O4@PILCs with 5% particles mass fractions in different volume fractions. The settlement stability as well as the settlement laws was investigated comprehensively and systematically for these MRFs. The Fe3O4@PILC-based MRFs exhibited better sedimentation stability than the bare Fe3O4-based MRFs, indicating that the Fe3O4 particles self-assembled with PILCs could reduce the density of the dispersed phase and showed the good compatibility with silicone oil carrier fluid. The sedimentation velocity curves of the Fe3O4@PILC-based with different particle volume fractions were investigated by use of some relevant theoretical models, indicating that they were the most consistent with the Dick's model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new triterpenoid saponin, 3-O-β-D-allopyranosyl (1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl hederagenin 28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl (1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (IV), together with six known ones Hederacholichiside F (I), Tanguticoside B (II), Tauroside St-H1 (III), Hederoside H1 (V), Kalopanaxsaponin G (VI), Hederasaponin B (VII) were separated from Clematis tangutica (Maxim.) Korsh. Their cytotoxic activities were evaluated. Saponins IV (new compound) and I showed selective inhibitory activities against HGC-27 with IC50 values of 20.17 and 66.18 μM. Saponin VII exhibited extensive inhibitory action against HGC-27, Hela and SK-OV-3 with IC50 values of 16.47-71.36 μM. Saponin III showed selective inhibitory activity against SK-OV-3 with the IC50 value of 48.70 μM. All isolated saponins were inactive (IC50 >150 μM) to GES-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-temperature corrosion of heat-resistant steels T122, Super304H and HR3C used for the inlet of a header in a 1000 MW ultra-supercritical power plant for 15 years was investigated. The steam temperature and pressure were about 610 °C and 28 MPa, respectively. The morphology and phase compositions of the corrosion products formed on the investigated tubes were analysed using X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectroscopy detector. The results showed that the thickness of the corrosion products on the tube fireside was larger than that on the steam-side of the investigated tubes, which was due to the sulphur in the flue gas. The thickness rank of the corrosion products on the investigated steels was T122 > Super304H > HR3C. Defects including micro-cracks and voids were found in the corrosion products on both sides of the three tubes, which led to the breakaway of corrosion products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximum ranked set sampling with unequal samples is a sampling procedure used to reduce the error of ranking of observations and increase the efficiency of statistical inference. It is used for maximum likelihood estimation of the location and shape parameters of the inverse Gaussian distribution. Its asymptotic efficiency is at least 1.4 times higher than those of estimators based on simple random sampling. It is useful in reliability studies and in Bayesian statistics involving the inverse Gaussian distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of polymer-based flooding technology to improve oil recovery efficiency, water dispersion copolymerization of acrylamide, cationic monomer methacryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (METAC), and anionic monomer acrylic acid (AA) were carried out in aqueous ammonium sulfate solution with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the stabilizer. The copolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR, FT-IR, TG, and SEM to confirm that they were prepared successfully and exhibited excellent salt-resistant property. Moreover, the effect of the aqueous solution of ammonium sulfate (AS) concentration, stabilizer concentration, and initiator concentration on the viscosity and size were systematically investigated. To further improve the thermal endurance properties of copolymer, hydrophobic monomers with different alkyl chain lengths were added to the above system. The acrylamide-based quadripolymer possessed prominent thermal and salt endurance properties by utilizing the advantages of zwitterionic structure and hydrophobic monomer. With the temperature rising, the viscosity retention could reach 70.2% in the water and 63.8% in the saline. This work had expected to provide a new strategy to design polymers with excellent salinity tolerance and thermal-resistance performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An audit review (AR) is a mechanism used by boards to assess the quality of interim financial reports on a timely basis. In Canada, the AR is voluntary, with listed firms mandated to disclose when they choose to not purchase additional audit verification. Given the relatively low cost of an AR, opting out of it can be regarded as a negative signal, especially in the context of lenders' sensitivity to downside risk. Using a sample of 7,585 firm-year observations from 1,616 public firms in Canada over the period 2004-2015, we document that firms without a voluntary AR have a higher cost of debt than firms with an AR. Furthermore, after firms opt out of the AR, the increase in the cost of debt is accompanied by a rise in discretionary abnormal accruals and managers' stock-based compensation. Moreover, no-AR firms are more likely to reduce post-switch private borrowing and have lower equity analyst following. Our study is the first to document that although listed borrowers that opt out of an AR have a higher cost of debt financing, they are concurrently able to engage in more earnings management and grant their managers higher stock-based compensation because of lower external monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches to improve outcomes after upper-extremity amputation remain poorly understood. Examining prosthesis-use at different levels of loss elucidates motor control challenges. Non-amputated participants completed simple and complex reach-to-grasp actions using a body-powered transradial or partial-hand prosthesis simulator. We hypothesised that increased task complexity and participants using a partial-hand device would show greater functional adaptation compared to participants using a transradial device. Partial-hand users demonstrated variable grasp postures and higher reach peak velocities in the complex, but not simple, task. All groups showed decreases in movement duration in the complex task, but only partial-hand users improved in the simple task. These behavioural changes suggest how device level and task may influence prosthesis-use, with relevance to amputation rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the effect of different graphene contents on the mechanical behaviour, tensile and flexural properties, and the electrochemical performance of cross-layered glass-reinforced aluminium (GLARE) laminates. Results show that the mechanical properties of GLARE with different graphene contents are similar but not identical. The mass fraction of graphene (0 wt.%–1.0 wt.%) is calculated from the total mass of adhesive. As the graphene content increases (0 wt.%–1.0 wt.%), flexural strength peaks in the presence of 0.5 wt.% graphene, but tensile strength continues to increase. When the graphene mass ratio is 1.0 wt.%, the maximum tensile strength is 245.45 MPa. When the graphene mass ratio is 0.5 wt.%, interlaminar shear strength and flexural strength are 19.06 and 260.22 MPa, respectively, which correspond to different span–thickness ratios of 8/1 and 32/1. This graphene mass ratio indicates the best three-point flexural performance of graphene-reinforced GLARE. This study further explains the enhancement mechanism through fracture surface observation. Graphene with a mass ratio of 0.5 wt.% maximises the flexural strength whilst maintaining a strong GLARE electrochemical performance. At scanning speeds of 40, 80, and 100 mV/s, the specific capacitance values are 1.76, 2.47, and 2.88 F/g, respectively. According to quantum tunnelling theory, graphene can form a conductive network when it is dispersed in a resin matrix. This theory reveals the reason why 0.5 wt.% graphene platelet-modified GLARE has good electrochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, eight phenolic compounds were obtained from the over-ground parts of the Aconitum pendulum (A. pendulum) Busch through an efficient high-speed counter-current chromatography （HSCCC）method. First, the column chromatography for macroporous resin was used for the treatment of crude extract of over-ground parts of A. pendulum Busch. And then, 30% ethanol elution fraction was transferred to HSCCC for separation using the classic ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water system with the solvent ratio of 7:3:10. To improve parting efficiency, a mode of repeated injection was developed. Two groups of compounds existing in one HPLC peak were effectively separated by HSCCC. The results revealed that HSCCC could effectively isolate compounds with the same or similar polarity. Preparative HPLC was used to perform further purification, and then eight phenolic compounds were separated from the over-ground parts of the A. pendulum Busch for the first time. The current investigation successfully provides a reference for phytochemical research and, comprehensive development and utilization of A. pendulum Busch in the future. Furthermore, HSCCC efficiently separated compounds with similar polarity and its combination with preparative HPLC could play a great role in the separation of natural materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voluminous Middle Triassic to Early Jurassic magmatic rocks in the southern Gangdese belt of Tibet have received wide attention in tracing the subduction history of the Yarlung-Zangbo Neo-Tethys Ocean (YZNTO) and Bangong-Nujiang Tethys Ocean (BNTO). Here we report a suite of volcanic rocks from the Gangdese arc belt and present results from petrological, geochemical and zircon U-Pb-Lu-Hf isotopic studies with a view to constrain their timing and magma source in relation to the Tethys tectonic evolution. Zircon U-Pb data show ages in the range of 237.2–235.0 Ma for the andesitic rocks, representing their eruption ages during the Middle Triassic. Zircon Lu-Hf data display markedly positive εHf(t) values of 11.44–15.99 with the two-stage model ages (TDMC) of 535–241 Ma, suggesting that the magma was derived from depleted mantle or juvenile crust components. Geochemically, the andesitic rocks show low Sr/Y (20.26–43.74) and La/Yb ratios (8.52–14.21) in the absence of Eu anomalies, enrichment in LILEs (K, U, Rb, Ba) and LREEs, and depletion of HFSEs (Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr) and HREEs, suggesting normal arc andesite with emplacement in a continental island arc setting. Accordingly, we infer that these rocks were formed by partial melting of a young oceanic crust and sediments in the transitional zone between plagioclase and garnet stability within subduction-related setting, followed by fractional crystallization of amphibole and apatite. In conjunction with previous studies on the Tethys tectonic evolution, we argue that the southern margin of the Gangdese belt during the Middle Triassic might be unrelated with the northward subduction of the YZNTO and southward subduction of the BNTO. Our results suggest that the Middle Triassic magmatic suites in the southern margin of the south Gangdese belt were generated through the southward subduction of the Zhikong-Sumdo Tethys Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current food production faces a tremendous challenge due to the growing human population. The global population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050 with 70% more food being required. Safe food is an important dimension of food security, and food traceability across the supply chain is a key component of this. However, current food traceability systems are challenged by frequent occurrences of food safety incidents and food recalls that have damaged consumer confidence, caused huge economic loss, and put pressure on food safety agencies. This review focuses on smart food traceability that has the potential to significantly improve food safety in global food supply chains. The basic concepts and critical perspectives for various detection strategies for food safety are summarized, including portable detection devices, smart indicators and sensors integrated on food packages, and data-assisted whole-genome sequencing. In addition, new digital technologies, such as Internet-of-things (IoTs) and cloud computing, are discussed with the aim of providing readers with an overview of the exciting opportunities in smart food traceability systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the customers' equilibrium behavior and socially optimal threshold strategy for the fluid model with two types of parallel customers and an unreliable server. The two types of customers are modeled as two independent fluids that enter the buffer at different arrival rates. The server has an exponentially distributed lifetime and stops working completely once it is faulty. Customers can observe the information of the system and evaluate their utilities based on an exponential utility structure before making decision, but may or may not be informed of which customer type they belong to. The equilibrium strategies are derived for the fully and partially observable cases. Finally, some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effect of system parameters on customers' behavior and social benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in total polar compounds (TPC) in 10 edible oils and their relationship with changes in carbonyl value (CV) were determined during intermittent frying at 180 °C. The study aimed to establish a model for the real-time determination of the carbonyl value based on changes in total polar compounds in frying oil. The results showed that the total polar compounds in the 10 oils increased linearly with heating time and that linoleic acid-rich oils increased faster compared with oleic acid-rich and linolenic acid-rich oils. The effect of unsaturated fatty acids (primarily linoleic acid) on the increase in total polar compounds was more significant than for tocopherols (primarily γ-tocopherol) as determined by multiple linear regression analysis. Increases in the total polar compounds and carbonyl value during frying also showed a linear relationship ( Δ TPC t = A Δ CV t ), where A is the proportionality coefficient related to the initial composition ratio of oil (the ratio of the sum of linoleic acid and γ-tocopherol to the sum of oleic acid and linolenic acid—that is, (C18:2 + γ)/(C18:1 + C18:3)). A prediction model (C V t = TPC t − TPC 0 0.057 ( C 18 : 2 + γ C 18 : 1 + C 18 : 3 ) + 0.413 + C V 0) was established based on the above conclusion. In accordance with the initial composition ratio of unsaturated fatty acid and tocopherol and the real-time total polar compounds, the carbonyl value of frying oil was rapidly determined by the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complement receptor 3 (CD11b/CD18) is an important receptor that mediates adhesion, phagocytosis and chemotaxis in various immunocytes. The conidia of the medically-important pathogenic fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus can be internalized into alveolar epithelial cells to disseminate its infection in immunocompromised host; however, the role of CR3 in this process is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of CR3 on A. fumigatus internalization into type II alveolar epithelial cells and its effect on host intracellular PA content induced by A. fumigatus. We found that CR3 is expressed in alveolar epithelial cells and that human serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) could improve A. fumigatus conidial internalization into A549 type II alveolar epithelial cell line and mouse primary alveolar epithelial cells, which were significantly inhibited by the complement C3 quencher and CD11b-blocking antibody. Serum-opsonization of swollen conidia, but not resting conidia led to the increase of cellular phosphatidic acid (PA) in A549 cells during infection. Moreover, both conidial internalization and induced PA production were interfered by CD11b-blocking antibody and dependent on FAK activity, but not Syk in alveolar epithelial cells. Overall, our results revealed that CR3 is a critical modulator of Aspergillus fumigatus internalization into alveolar epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cronobacter sakazakii, an emerging opportunistic pathogen, is implicated in severe foodborne outbreak infections in premature and full-term infants. Generally, acid tolerance is vital for the pathogenesis of foodborne pathogens; however, its role in C. sakazakii virulence remains largely unknown. To screen out acid-tolerance determinants from transposon mutants, anovel counterselection method using gentamicin and acid was developed. Using the counterselection method and growth assay, we screened several acid-sensitive mutants and found that nlpD encodes an acid-resistance factor in C. sakazakii. Compared to the wild-type strain, the nlpD mutant exhibited attenuated virulence in a rat model. Using macrophage THP-1 cells and a pH probe, we verified that nlpD enables bacteria to resist macrophages by resisting acidification. Finally, we confirmed that nlpD maintains C. sakazakii membrane integrity in acid using propidium iodide permeabilization assays via flow cytometry. Our results confirm that nlpD is a novel virulence factor that permits C. sakazakii to survive under acid stress conditions. Considering that NlpD is a conserved lipoprotein located in the bacterial outer membrane, NlpD could be used as a target for drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to suppress the overpressure and flame damage caused by the explosion of premixed methane-air, a self-built duct with a 10 × 10 × 100 cm was used to conduct an experimental study on the explosive characteristics and propagation rules of 9.5% methane under the effect of different porous materials at a fixed position. The methods of suppressing methane-air explosion in confined space are optimized. By analyzing the effect of porosity and distance of the porous material on the explosion, the overpressure and flame propagation characteristics after the methane-air explosion and under the influence of the dual factors are studied. It provides data support to explain the mechanism of blocking and suppressing premixed methane-air explosion when porous materials with different porosity and different positions. Studies have shown that the different porosity of porous materials and the position from the explosion source have significant and different effects on the propagation of overpressure and flame. The 10 PPI porous material has a strong promoting effect on the overpressure and flame propagation after the explosion, it accelerates the overpressure rising rate and increases the overpressure peak, and enhances the turbulence intensity of the explosion flame and accelerates the flame propagation rate. The 20 PPI porous material failed to suppress the explosion during the acceleration phase, but had certain suppression on the explosion flame in other phases. The effect of 30 PPI porous material to suppress explosion overpressure and flame depends on where it is placed. Both 20 PPI and 30 PPI porous materials can quench the flame and block the propagation of high-temperature carbonaceous products. This research results have theoretical value and guiding significance for the prevention and emergency treatment of methane explosion accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thalictrum viscosum W.T.Wang & S.H.Wang, 1979 is a flowering plant species in family Ranunculaceae that is endemic to Yunnan province of China. To facilitate genetic study of T. viscosum, we de novo assembled and annotated the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of T. viscosum for the first time. The total length of the cp genome of T. viscosum was 155,984 bp, with a GC content of 38.4%. The T. viscosum cp genome had a typical quadripartite structure with a large single-copy region of 85,339 bp, a small single-copy region of 17,656 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,495 bp. The cp genome consisted of 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 38 transfer RNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. We performed phylogenetic analysis of T. viscosum with the maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree and indicated that T. viscosum was closely related to T. cirrhosum and T. foeniculaceum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzophenone (BP) is an emerging contaminant that is widely distributed in soil, groundwater, sediment and surface water. In this study, the degradation kinetics, mechanisms, and influence of anions on thermally activated persulphate (TAP) oxidation of BP were systematically investigated. BP degradation was promoted by elevated temperature. The BP degradation data fitted well to the Arrhenius equation with calculated activation energy of 122.8 kJ/mol. BP degradation was also promoted by alkaline pH and high persulphate concentrations. Radical scavenging experiments suggested that both SO4•− and HO• were involved in BP oxidation. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS) identified six degradation intermediates. Based on these results, two possible reaction pathways were proposed. Water matrix anions had complex impacts on BP degradation by TAP. Cl− had dual effects on the reaction: low concentration promoted it while high concentration inhibited it. Br− strongly suppressed the reaction. SO42− and NO3− did not affect the reaction. Overall, this study shows that thermally activated persulphate can effectively remove BP and water matrix anions greatly influence the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outstanding mechanical properties and high thermal conductivity epoxy composites are being developed and are becoming urgent in the electronic and aerospace industries. Boron nitride nanosheet (BN), a nanomaterial with high thermal conductivity, and its epoxy composite adhesive have high thermal conductivity. However, due to its characteristics, the mechanical properties of BN/epoxy will decrease when more BN is added. Therefore, this study graphene platelet and carbon nanotube are selected and packed epoxy/BN composite adhesives to develop adhesives with excellent mechanical properties and thermal conductivity at the same time. In this study, an enhancement effect between a graphene platelet (GnP) and a carbon nanotube (CNT) within an epoxy/BN composite is reported. In the three-phase composite adhesive, the 2 D graphene platelets and 1D carbon nanotubes form a global bearing force network, and the boron nitride nanosheets provide high heat conduction inside the epoxy. They both complement each other in developing thermal conductive and high mechanical energy epoxy composite adhesives. At filler ranging from 0 to 1.0 wt%, epoxy/BN-CNT can improve the fracture toughness (K1c), critical stress-energy release rate (G1c) and Young's modulus of pure epoxy, are 89, 484, and 67% compared to 52, 286, and 42% in epoxy/BN-GnP composites, respectively. When adding 5.0 wt% of BN-CNT, the epoxy composites' thermal conductivity is up to 0.8 W/m%K, 400% higher than pure epoxy. This article also tested the electrical conductivity of epoxy/BN-CNT and epoxy/BN-GnP composites and found that the electrical conductivity was increased by 12 and 10 orders of magnitude, respectively, and it could be used as an antistatic material. Investigating the enhanced mechanism of epoxy/BN/CNT and epoxy/BN/GnP composites by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Lap shear strength tests on epoxy composite adhesives confirm the reinforcement effect of GnP and CNT of epoxy/BN composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miso, the Japanese fermented soybean paste, an essential seasoning for preparing washoku, is gaining increased international recognition. Miso quality is normally evaluated by a panel of sensory assessors, which is a time-consuming and costly procedure. The final quality of miso products depends on the complex interactions of color, taste, flavor, and aroma. This study aimed to use visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy combined with a partial least-square regression (PLSR) algorithm to develop a rapid method for predicting the sensory qualities of miso products. The full Vis/NIR spectrum with nine different pretreatment methods was used to build calibration, cross validation and prediction models. The best performance was achieved by a PLSR model with the first derivative pretreatment of the spectra, giving the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and bias values of 25 and 13, respectively, for the validation test. This model effectively classified miso products into different grades. An investigation of particular spectral regions revealed that a similar performance to the best PLSR model was obtained using just the spectra from 400 to 1100 nm with first derivative pretreatment or combined with multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), and standard normal variate (SNV) methods. The study demonstrated that Vis/NIR spectroscopy has the potential for evaluating miso quality with the advantages of being rapid, accurate, low cost, and nondestructive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an amino-terminated polyether (ATP) was synthesized and used for the functionalization of GO to obtain an amino-terminal polyether-functionalized graphene oxide (FGO). The structure of FGO was characterized by FTIR, Raman, XPS, XRD, AFM, SEM and TGA. And then the FGO was incorporated into waterborne epoxy resin (WEP) to prepare FGO/WEP composites. The SEM results revealed that such amino-terminal polyether functionalization can significantly improve the interfacial interaction between GO and the WEP matrix. The tensile test showed that the Young's modulus and tensile strength of FGO/WEP composites were much higher than that of WEP and GO/WEP composites. In particular, the 0.1 wt% FGO/WEP nanocomposite exhibited increases of 56% and 83% in tensile strength and Young's modulus as compared to WEP. In addition, the initial thermal decomposition temperature (Td) of the 0.1 wt% FGO/WEP composite was increased by 42 °C compared with pure WEP. Furthermore, the FGO/WEP composites showed lower water absorption and higher water contact angles, indicated that the addition of FGO can significantly improve the hydrophobicity of WEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher cognitive functions such as linguistic comprehension must ultimately relate to perceptual systems in the brain, though how and why this forms remains unclear. Different brain networks that mediate perception when hearing have recently been proposed to respect a taxonomic neurobiological model for the processing of different acoustic-semantic categories of real-world natural sounds. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with Chinese/English bilingual listeners, the present study explored whether reception of short spoken phrases that described corresponding natural sounds, in both Chinese (Mandarin) and English, would engage overlapping brain regions at a semantic category level. The results revealed a double-dissociation of cortical regions that were preferential for representing knowledge of human versus environmental action events, whether conveyed through natural sounds or the corresponding spoken phrases depicted by either comprehended language. These findings of cortical hubs exhibiting linguistic-perceptual knowledge links at a semantic category level should help to advance neurocomputational models of the neurodevelopment of language systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface of stainless steel (SS) mesh was modified by in-situ growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from ethanol flame. Then the interfacial bond strength of SSM and polyetherimide (PEI) was improved by the CNTs-modified SSM, a heating element (HE) for the resistance welding of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy (CF/Epoxy) laminates. The effects of CNTs growth time (tg) on the wettability of PEI solution to SS mesh, interfacial microstructure, and mechanical properties of the welded joint were investigated. The results indicated that the addition of CNTs increased the wettability of PEI solution to SS mesh due to the capillary action of high porosity CNTs coating. The microstructure of the welded joints changed with tg. The maximum single lap shear strength (SLSS) value of the welded joint reached 24.7 MPa when tg = 10 min. The strengthening mechanism of CNTs and the failure modes of the welded joints were systematically analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study used a graphene far infrared dryer to experimentally evaluate the two varieties of corn (ZD88 and RP909) at three varying temperatures (35, 45, and 55 °C) to analyze the drying process. The experimental finding showed that ZD88 observed a minimum energy consumption of 2.93 kWh at 55 °C. The ZD88 at 35 °C did not show any effect on the structure on the surface of the corn grains with a higher RC of 43.85%. The RP909 showed the starch granules formed an amorphous granular structure on the surface with a lower RC of 37.45% at 55 °C. The color parameter values showed an L* and b* decrease, while the a* values increased. ZD88 and RP909 observed an A-type peak pattern crystal structure. Therefore, this innovative graphene far infrared drying system could be a promising solution to enhance food industrial applications and improve corn characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volatile compounds present in ten edible oils (six refined, two roasted, and two natural pressed) with different fatty acid compositions were measured to study volatile profile and flavor characteristics. The volatile profile of the refined oils was found to be linked to the fatty acid composition. The percentage of alcohol in the volatile profiles, varied from 38.59 to 74.37%, was smaller in refined oils with more linoleic and linolenic acid than those in oils with more oleic acid, while the opposite trend was observed for the percentage of aldehyde, ranging from 20.27 to 37.19%. The total peak area and number of volatile compounds detected in roasted oils were much greater relative to those in natural pressed oils. Ten characteristic compounds were detected exclusively in roasted sesame oil, and seven compounds were found to be unique to roasted perilla oil. 2-Methylpropan-1-ol and hexanal were the only volatile compounds common to all ten oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid fluorescence immunochromatographic assay (FIA) was developed and verified for the determination of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) bound to specific quantum dot microspheres within 15 min. The assay is based on the fluorescence intensity being directly proportional to the VEGF content in serum samples. The detection range was from 25 to 1,600 pg/mL, the correlation coefficient of the standard curve was greater than 0.999, and the coefficient of variation was less than 10%. The reaction recovery met the analytical requirements, and VEGF did not cross-react with eight other growth factor analogs. The application of this method to sera collected from patients with and without tumors (n = 100 each) revealed significantly different VEGF levels. The FIA offered results more rapidly than any traditional immunoassays with appropriate accuracy and specificity. This approach is clinically practical for the emergency or bedside detection of serum VEGF, and has excellent prospects for cancer screening, diagnosis, and the evaluation and monitoring of the effects of tumor angiogenesis therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional carbon nanosheets (3D-CNS) with excellent photothermal conversion (PTC) efficiency and solar evaporation performance were synthesized via a facile, versatile, and gram-scale co-precipitation carbonization strategy. Here, water-soluble biomass (protein) and inorganic salt (K2SO4) were co-precipitated in organic phase. The co-precipitation was then carbonized. The 3D-CNS constituted of thin, transparent, wrinkled, and interconnected nanosheets was yielded by the removal of soft template. The resulted material displayed an unprecedented PTC efficiency (h = 79.76%) at a power density of 1.5 W cm−2. The carbon-based photothermal membrane based on 3D-CNS was easily obtained by suction filtration, and exhibited excellent evaporation performance (89.55 ± 0.56%). Three-dimensional carbon nanosheets with excellent photothermal conversion efficiency (79.76%) and solar evaporation performance (89.55%) were synthesized and demonstrated the potential application for high efficiency clean water production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates interdependence and contagion between oil and BRIC stock markets before and after COVID-19. We used a local Gaussian correlation approach to identify the asymmetric relationship and a bootstrap method to test contagion. The empirical results show that, except for China, the linkages between the crude oil markets and BRIC stock markets significantly increased in crashing markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contagion is identified from crude oil markets to the Indian stock market, and from West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures to the Russian stock market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]