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A dynamic model built theoretically and simulated numerically for an unsymmetric bistable laminate is elucidated, elaborating the dynamic regimes. Peak-to-peak amplitude diagrams being amplitude-frequency and amplitude-force response curves are derived. The single-well vibrations, the limit-cycle oscillations, the multiple-period dynamic snap-through, the chaotic dynamic snap-through and the intermittency dynamic snap-through can be detected. The amplitude-frequency response curves exhibit the softening stiffness effect. The dynamic regimes are correlated with the excitation amplitude and the modal frequencies. Deploying the high-level excitation amplitude and the low-level modal frequency leads to the limit-cycle oscillations. Besides, the single-well vibrations are characterized by the period-doubling bifurcation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionsThis study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the health literacy of parents of children with asthma in a Chinese context.The preliminary Parents' Health Literacy Scale for Children with Asthma (PHLSCA) was developed based on a literature review and refined to 45 items through two rounds of expert consultation using the Delphi method. A total of 481 parents of children with asthma were recruited from seven hospitals across four provinces in China between February and April 2019. Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to evaluate the structural and construct validity of the scale.The development and validation processes led to a 38 items scale comprising three subscales, namely: Health Knowledge (11 items), Health Skills (19 items) and Health Behavior (8 items). The scale demonstrated good reliability, with an internal consistency of Cronbach’s α = 0.956 and a split-half reliability of r = 0.887 (p < 0.01). The Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.81 to 1.00, and the Scale-CVI was 0.842. The correlation coefficients and factor analysis results indicated good construct validity, with the factors explaining 59.33% to 62.90% of the variance in each subscale.The final version of the questionnaire (PHLSCA) has been demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing the health literacy of parents of Chinese children with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMethodsResultsConclusionCerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI) is still a complicated disease with high fatality rates worldwide. Transmembrane Protein 79 (TMEM79) regulates inflammation and oxidative stress in some other diseases.CIRI mouse model was established using C57BL/6J mice through middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (MCAO/R), and BV2 cells were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to simulate CIRI. Brain tissue or BV2 cells were transfected or injected with lentivirus-carried TMEM79 overexpression vector. The impact of TMEM79 on CIRI-triggered oxidative stress was ascertained by dihydroethidium (DHE) staining and examination of oxidative stress indicators. Regulation of TMEM79 in neuronal apoptosis and inflammation was determined using TUNEL staining and ELISA.TMEM79 overexpression mitigated neurological deficit induced by MCAO/R and decreased the extent of cerebral infarct. TMEM79 prevented neuronal death in brain tissue of MCAO/R mouse model and suppressed inflammatory response by reducing inflammatory cytokines levels. Moreover, TMEM79 significantly attenuated inflammation and oxidative stress caused by OGD/R in BV2 cells. TMEM79 facilitated the activation of Nrf2 and inhibited NLRP3 and caspase-1 expressions. Rescue experiments indicated that the Nrf2/NLRP3 signaling pathway mediated the mitigative effect of TMEM79 on CIRI in vivo and in vitro.Overall, TMEM79 was confirmed to attenuate CIRI via regulating the Nrf2/NLRP3 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study presents the experimental findings investigating the effect of different interruptions on stress levels and validates indicators for interruption detection based on machine learning. Data were collected from one hundred and four subjects across simulated office-like tasks (i.e., writing and problem-solving) by four interruption types (i.e., distraction, intrusion, break, and multitasking). Behavioral data (RT and error rate), physiological signals (HR and EDR), and subjective ratings were recorded. Features based on ANOVA were extracted and entered into the classification models as inputs to examine how well different variables could be used to evaluate interruptions. Different stress outcomes were found on objective and subjective measures by interruption type. Also, we found that a combination of physiological signals, behavioral data, and subjective ratings provides the best accuracy. Additionally, the results suggest that task performance is a more reliable indicator than subjective ratings for interruption measurement and classification. This study uses methods that could be adapted for office workers, and the results provide preliminary support for developing an early interruption detection system. The methods employed in this research may benefit office staff, and the results offer preliminary support for developing an early interruption detection system to enhance worker health and company productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractFlow-induced vibration is known as a prevalent phenomenon in various industries. As a result of the flow, dynamic fluid forces are generated, which lead to the excitation of the system. Multiphase flow, found commonly in both natural and industrial settings, including industrial plants, is a significant source of noise and vibration. In the two-phase flow, as a particular case of multiphase flow, flow configuration plays a major role in the system’s traits. Despite recent advancements in flow-induced vibration, it is still considered an unresolved topic. This research develops a new multi-physics simulation for the stability study of a two-directional functionally graded tilted curved cylindrical nanopipe conveying a liquid-gas two-phase flow. Nonlocal stress–strain gradient theory (NSGT) with two size-dependent parameters (nonlocal and length scale) is presented to simulate the current nanostructure. Newton’s second law has been employed to govern the resultant forces that act on a control volume at a differential fluid element of fluid. Hiring the finite element (FE) approach alongside the generalized differential quadrature role (GDQR), both the eigenvector and eigenvalue problems are presented for analyzing the characteristics of the nanosystem under various situations. An exhaustive parametric analysis is also provided to make clear the role of varied parameters such as velocity of fluid flow, aerodynamic pressure, air yaw angle, and gas volume fraction coefficient on the system’s fundamental frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe stabilization of Pickering emulsions using micro/nanoparticles has gained significant attention due to their wide range of potential applications in industries such as cosmetics, food, catalysis, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. There is a growing demand for the development of environmentally friendly micro/nanoparticles to create stable Pickering emulsions. Naturally occurring polysaccharides like pectin offer promising options as they can assemble at oil/water interfaces. This polysaccharide is considered a green candidate because of its biodegradability and renewable nature. The physicochemical properties of micro/nanoparticles, influenced by fabrication methods and post-modification techniques, greatly impact the characteristics and applications of the resulting Pickering emulsions. This review focuses on recent advancements in Pickering emulsions stabilized by pectin-based micro/nanoparticles, as well as the application of functional materials in delivery systems, bio-based films and 3D printing using these emulsions as templates. The effects of micro/nanoparticle properties on the characteristics of Pickering emulsions and their applications are discussed. Additionally, the obstacles that currently hinder the practical implementation of pectin-based micro/nanoparticles and Pickering emulsions, along with future prospects for their development, are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodResultConclusionThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of symbolic gestural training on enhancing recovery of spoken naming in people with aphasia (PWA) using a systematic review and meta-analysis.Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, article search was conducted from four databases: Web of Science Core Collection, Medline, PsycINFO, and EBSCO. A total of 45 participants from four studies investigating the symbolic gestural training effects on PWA and outcome measures of spoken naming were included.The meta-analysis showed a medium overall effect of symbolic gestural training on enhancing recovery of spoken naming in PWA. Subgroup analysis also revealed that the training effect was more remarkable in the gesture + verbal training paradigm than in the gesture-only training paradigm. However, the differences in the training effects between short and long duration, and training supplied with and without feedback, were nonsignificant.This study illustrates the current state of the literature on symbolic gestural training in PWA, and serves as a reference for clinicians, patients, and health policy-makers regarding the application of symbolic gestural training in clinical or rehabilitation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionAsthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) often occur simultaneously, with GERD being a comorbidity of asthma. This study aimed to explore the biological markers related to asthma and GERD by bioinformatics analysis.Initially, gene expression datasets for asthma and GERD were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and subsequent differential expression analysis yielded 620 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for asthma and 2367 DEGs for GERD. The intersection of these two gene sets yielded a total of 84 DEGs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses revealed that these genes may be involved in steroid hormone secretion and cellular stress response. Five hub genes (PTGDR2, CPA3, FCER1A, TPSAB1, and IL1RL1) were identified by a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and topological algorithm.Enrichment analysis results indicated that hub genes may be involved in hormone secretion and disease development, particularly in regulating the renin–angiotensin system and systemic arterial blood pressure. PTGDR2, CPA3, TPSAB1, and IL1RL1 were upregulated in both asthma and GERD patient groups, while FCER1A was upregulated in asthma patients but downregulated in GERD patients. Through drug prediction, 22 drugs targeting hub genes PTGDR2, FCER1A, and TPSAB1 were identified. By constructing a transcription factor (TF)-target gene network, we found that eight TFs may regulate the expression of PTGDR2, FCER1A, and IL1RL1.Hence, Asthma and GERD were related to steroid hormone secretion and the renin–angiotensin system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we concern the strong convergence and stability of the balanced Euler method for stochastic pantograph differential equations with Markovian switching (SPDEs-MS). We present the balanced Euler method of SPDEs-MS and consider its moment boundedness under polynomial growth condition plus Khasminskii-type condition. We also study its strong convergence order and its mean-square stability. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe shear thickening fluid (STF) impregnated Kevlar fabric coating glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite structure has both wearing comfort and high protective ability, which will provide guidance for the development of new protective products. In this study, STF with SiO2 mass fraction of 34% was prepared, the quasi-static/dynamic mechanical behavior of STF, Kevlar and STF impregnated Kevlar fabric coating GFRP were carried out by the high-speed impact experiments, respectively. At the same time, the damage characteristics and energy absorption properties of the composite structure are analyzed by integrating experimental data with numerical simulation. The results showed that the composite structure makes the energy absorption capacity of GFRP improved. STF impregnated 4 layers of Kevlar fabric coating GFRP composite structure was impacted by the projectile at a speed of 244 m/s, and the composite structure consumes 1.54 times the energy of single GFRP laminates. The resistance of composite structures can be improved by placing more layers of Kevlar fabric behind GFRP laminates. The evaluation of the target’s bullet resistance cannot solely rely on the energy consumed by the projectile. A portion of the energy is transferred to the obstacle that impedes the target’s motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) is a rare but devastating complication post spinal surgery. We present three cases of post spine surgery ICH that were associated with high drain outputs postoperatively. The first patient underwent C1–C6 instrumented fusion and C4–C6 decompression. 950 mls hemoserous fluid was drained via suction drain immediately postoperatively. He suffered cerebral hemorrhage with tonsillar herniation and was brain dead on the same night. The second patient underwent C1–T1 instrumented fusion with C3–C4 decompression. 400 mls hemoserous fluid was drained via suction drain shortly after skin closure. He suffered subdural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrhage, with persistent neurologic deficits and required long-term institutionalised care. The third patient underwent L2–L4 decompression and instrumented fusion. 480 mls hemoserous fluid was drained via suction drain 2 hours postoperatively. He suffered subdural haemorrhage but eventually recovered fully. An excessive drain output, especially within first few minutes to hours postoperatively, may signify a CSFleak. Suction drains should be used with caution in these cases as negative suction in the presence of a dura tear increases risk of post spine surgery ICH. In these cases, the use of non-suction drains should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study Stackelberg stochastic differential game driven by stochastic differential equation (SDE for short) with random coefficients on infinite horizon under convex control constraint. The control enters into the drift and diffusion terms simultaneously. By employing the first-order adjoint equation (backward stochastic differential equation, BSDE for short), we are able to announce Pontryagin's maximum principle for the leader's global Stackelberg solution, within adapted open-loop structure, where the term global means that the leader's domination over the entire game duration. Due to the follower's adjoint equation develops into a BSDE, the leader will be confronted with a control problem where the state equation is a kind of infinite horizon fully coupled forward-backward stochastic differential equation (FBSDE for short). We shed light on an important application in a class of infinite horizon linear-quadratic (LQ for short) Stackelberg games in which the control process of leader's is constrained in a closed convex subset $ \Gamma _{1} $ Γ 1 of full space $ \mathbb {R}^{m_{1}} $ R m 1 . Whenever the control domain is postulated to be full space, we derive a new kind of infinite horizon backward stochastic Riccati equation (BSRE for short) with asymmetric coefficients. [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]

AbstractIn property insurance claims triage, insurers often use static information to assess the severity of a claim and to identify the subsequent actions. We hypothesize that the pattern of weather conditions throughout the course of a loss event is predictive of the insured losses, and hence appropriate use of weather dynamics improves the operation of insurers’ claim management. To test this hypothesis, we propose a deep learning method to incorporate dynamic weather information in the predictive modeling of the insured losses for reported claims. The proposed method features a hierarchical network architecture to address the challenges in claims triage due to the nature of weather dynamics. In the empirical analysis, we examine a portfolio of hail damage property insurance claims obtained from a major U.S. insurance carrier. When supplemented by dynamic weather information, the deep learning method exhibits substantial improvement in the hold-out predictive performance. We further design a cost-conscious decision strategy for triaging claims using the probabilistic forecasts of the insurance claim amounts. We show that leveraging weather dynamics in claims triage leads to a reduction of up to 9% and 6% in operational costs compared to when the triaging decision is based on forecasts without any weather information and with only static weather information, respectively. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level is characteristic of cancer cells and could act as a target for the efficient targeted drug delivery for cancer treatment. Consequently, biomaterials that react to excessive levels of ROS are essential for biomedical applications. In this study, a novel ROS-responsive polymer based on D-α-Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) and poly (β-thioester) (TPGS-PBTE) was synthesized for targeted delivery of the first-line antineoplastic drug, paclitaxel (PTX). The resultant TPGS-PBTE NPs showed good ROS-responsive capability in size change and drug release. Compared to PTX, PTX-loaded nanoparticles (PTX@TPGS-PBTE NPs) showed enhanced cytotoxicity and higher level of apoptosis toward squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-7) cells. Tumor-targeted delivery of the NPs was also observed, especially after being modified with a tumor-targeting peptide, cRGD. Enhanced tumor growth inhibition was also observed in head and neck cancer SCC-7 murine models. In summary, PTX@TPGS-PBTE NPs can achieve good therapeutic effects of PTX against head and neck cancer both in vitro and in vivo, especially when modified by cRGD for active targeting, which enriched the application of ROS responsive system utilized in the delivery of anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulatory mechanisms governing metabolism of fatty acids in cow mammary gland are crucial for establishing relationships between milk quality and fatty acid content. Both, microRNAs (miRNAs) and protein-coding genes are important factors involved in the regulation of milk fat synthesis. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of miRNAs and mRNAs in bovine mammary gland tissue was performed during peak lactation (3 samples) and late lactation (3 samples) periods to characterize expression profiles. Differential expression (DE) analyses of miRNA and mRNA and miRNA–mRNA regulatory pathway screening were performed. Two-hundred eighty regulatory miRNA–mRNA pairs were identified, including the miR-33a-lipid phosphate phosphatase-related protein type 4 (LPPR4) pathway. Bioinformatics prediction, dual-luciferase reporter system detection, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting revealed that miR-33a can directly target LPPR4 and inhibit its expression. Experiments also revealed that miR-33a promotes the synthesis of triglycerides and increases the content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs). These results indicate that miR-33a via LPPR4 plays an important role in the regulation of milk fat synthesis and UFA levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overhead power distribution system (OPDS) is vulnerable to strong winds, such as hurricanes. Due to the challenges of including tree damage risks to the OPDS, tree failures are usually ignored in the risk assessment of the OPDS against strong winds. In the present study, an integrated damage modeling and assessment framework for the OPDS is proposed considering tree failure risks. The geographical information of trees surrounding the OPDS is extracted from satellite images using computer vision techniques, including CNN-based (convolutional neural network) image classifier and sliding window approach. The tree failure risk models are developed using tree geographical information in conjunction with tree height data, tree allometry and finite element analysis. With further integration of the conditional probability failure of poles under fallen tree impacts, the pole's failure probability considering the combined wind and fallen trees is obtained using series system reliability analysis. The failure probability of the pole is obtained using physics-based modeling facilitated by Bayesian regularisation neural network (BRNN) algorithm. The poles and wires are connected for system reliability assessment using connectivity-based theory. When the wind direction is 300 ° counterclockwise from the east and the wind speed is 57 m/s, tree-failure can introduce 68.6% differences in OPDS' failure probabilities compared with that without consideration of fallen trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used the categorical perception (CP) paradigm, a fine-grained perceptual method, to investigate the perceptual performance of lexical tones in Chinese people with post-stroke aphasia (PWA). Twenty patients with post-stroke aphasia (10 Broca's and 10 Wernicke's) and ten neurologically intact age-matched control participants were recruited to complete both identification and discrimination tasks of the Mandarin Tone 1–2 continuum. In addition, all participants completed tests on their auditory comprehension ability and working memory. The results showed that both Broca's and Wernicke's patients exhibited reduced sensitivity to within-category and between-category information but preserved CP of lexical tones. The degree of CP of lexical tones related to working memory in aphasic patients. Furthermore, lower-level acoustic processing underpinned higher-level phonological processing on the CP of lexical tones since both patient groups' unbalanced pitch processing ability extended to their CP of lexical tones. These findings are significant for researchers and clinicians in speech-language rehabilitation, clinical psychology, and cognitive communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passenger flow forecast is the prerequisite and foundation for urban rail transit planning and operation. With the continuous expansion of rail network scale and the surge of passenger flow, the passenger flow prediction task becomes increasingly important and arduous. This paper presents an overview of the current research on passenger flow forecast in the field of urban rail transit, which mainly incorporates short-term passenger flow forecast, passenger flow forecast under emergency, typical days' passenger flow forecast and long-term passenger flow forecast for new opening line and extended line. The prediction characteristics in each subfield are discussed and the state-of-the-art forecasting approaches are reviewed. A multitude of existing studies shows that the forecast under different scenarios went through an imbalanced development. There are special prediction procedures and various applicable models in each scenario. Finally, we propose some future research prospects and discuss the potential applications of passenger flow forecast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have consistently shown that agricultural producers in the continental United States have disproportionately high rates of depression and suicide as compared to other occupations. It is not known whether this is true in Hawaiʻi, which is both geographically distinct and ethnically diverse. To examine rates of depression and suicide as well as potential risk and protective factors, a state-wide mental health needs assessment was conducted from November 2021 to September 2022. We conducted a survey with a nonprobability-based convenience sample targeting agricultural producers across Hawaiʻi, and performed descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. In a sample of 408 respondents, 35% (n = 143) had clinical depression symptomatology, and 8% (n = 33) had suicidal ideation based on the Patient Health Questionnaire−9. Older age was slightly protective in that every year of increase in age was associated with 0.98 times (95% CI: 0.96, 0.99) reduced odds of depression symptomatology, and 0.96 times (95% CI:0.94, 0.98) reduced odds of suicidal ideation. Identifying as East Asian had 2.04 times (95% CI: 1.16, 3.61) higher odds of depression symptomatology, and Southeast Asian had 3.04 times odds (95% CI:1.15, 8.00) of suicidal ideation. However, in the presence of stress and coping variables, the demographic factors became statistically non-significant. Instead, feeling stressed, uncertainty as the stressor, and media-focused coping were significant risk factors in increasing two to eight times the odds of depressive symptoms. For suicidal ideation, depression symptomatology increased odds by 31.95 (95% CI: 5.60–182.32), using media-focused coping increased 5.20 odds (95% CI: 1.66, 16.27), but problem-focused coping decreased 0.32 times odds (0.10, 0.99). Culturally specific prevention and intervention measures should be tailored for Hawai'i agricultural producers with an emphasis toward younger, East, and Southeast Asian producers and attention toward providing skillful coping strategies for effective stress regulation and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosion wastage is a significant factor that leads to load bearing capacity degradation of cable steel wire (CSW) structures. This paper aims to study the influence of pitting corrosion parameters on residual fatigue life (RFL) of a steel cable, so as to fit a series of formulas to predict the RFL of steel cables directly and quickly. Firstly, single and double pitting corroded CSWs are modelled by FEM. Secondly, stress concentration factors (SCFs) and residual fatigue lives (RFLs) of the corroded CSWs are calculated. Finally, calculation formulas of SCFs and RFLs of the CSWs with various pit depths and widths are fitted. The results show that SCF increases with the increase of pit depth and decreases with the increase of pit width. RFL decreases with the increase of pit depth and increases with the increase of pit width. SCF and RFL have nothing to do with the amount of corrosion pits, but only affected by the depth of the deepest pit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H-S-frame is in essence a more general operator-valued frame than generalized frames. In this paper, we aim at studying the characterizations and representations of H-S-frames in H (Hilbert space). We first introduce the notion of H-S-preframe operator, and characterize the H-S-frames, Parseval H-S-frames, H-S-Riesz bases, H-S-orthonormal bases and dual H-S-frames with the help of H-S-preframe operators, and obtain the accurate expressions of all dual H-S-frames of a given H-S-frame by drawing support from H-S-preframe operators. Then we discuss the sum of H-S-frames through the properties of H-S-preframe operators. Finally, with the help of the approaches and skills of frame theory, we present the representations of H-S-frames and H-S-Bessel sequences. Specifically, the necessary and sufficient condition for the H-S-frame to be represented as a combination of two H-S-orthonormal bases is that the H-S-frame is an H-S-Riesz basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While some evidence of an effect of radiation exposure on respiratory disease at low dose levels has now emerged, there is heterogeneity in the risks between different studies and countries. In this paper, we aim to show the effect of radiation on three different sub-types of respiratory disease mortality through the analysis of the NRRW cohort in UK. The NRRW cohort consisted of 174,541 radiation workers. Doses to the surface of the body were monitored using individual film badges. Most of the doses are associated with X-rays and gamma rays and to a less extent of beta and neutron particles. The overall mean 10-year lagged lifetime external dose was 23.2 mSv. Some workers were potentially exposed to alpha particles. However, doses from internal emitters were not available for the NRRW cohort. 25% of male workers and 17% of female workers were identified as being monitored for internal exposure. The Poisson regression methods for grouped survival data with a stratified baseline hazard function were used to describe the dependence of the risk on cumulative external radiation dose. The disease was analyzed by the following subgroups: Pneumonia (1066 cases including 17 cases of influenza), COPD and allied disease (1517 cases) and other remaining respiratory diseases (479 cases). There was very little radiation effect on pneumonia mortality, but evidence of a reduction in mortality risk for COPD and allied disease (ERR/Sv= −0.56, 95%CI: −0.94, −0.06; p =.02) and an increase in risk for other respiratory disease mortality (ERR/Sv = 2.30, 95%CI: 0.67, 4.62; p =.01) with increasing cumulative external dose were observed. The effects of radiation were more prominent amongst workers monitored for internal exposure. The reduction in mortality risk of COPD and allied disease per cumulative external dose was statistically significant for the radiation workers monitored for internal exposure (ERR/Sv= −0.59, 95%CI: −0.99, −0.05; p =.017) but not significant among the workers who were not monitored (ERR/Sv= −0.43, 95%CI: −1.20, 0.74; p =.42). A statistically significant increased risk was observed for other respiratory diseases among monitored radiation workers (ERR/Sv = 2.46, 95%CI: 0.69, 5.08; p =.019), but not among unmonitored workers (ERR/Sv = 1.70, 95%CI: −0.82, 5.65; p =.25). The effects of radiation exposure can be different depending on the type of respiratory disease. No effect was seen in pneumonia; a reduction in mortality risk of COPD, and increased mortality risk of other respiratory diseases were observed with cumulative external radiation dose. More studies are needed to verify these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has coupled a wave generating model with the existing in-house 3D Large Eddy Simulation (LES) hydrodynamic model. The primary focus is to simulate the hydrodynamics around a circular cylinder under non-linear waves. To accurately capture the behaviour of non-linear waves, a relaxation method is implemented on an unstructured grid, and its effectiveness is examined in a numerical wave tank with a vertical cylinder. To validate the accuracy of the proposed model, we compare the simulation results with experimental data, specifically analysing the transmission of the wave surface across the cylinder and examining the phased-averaged pressure distribution. The simulations also consider the shedding of lee-wake vortices, and the results are extensively discussed. Significantly, this paper represents the first known investigation of hydrodynamics under non-linear waves using the large-eddy simulation technique on unstructured grids. This approach opens up new possibilities for studying complex wave-structure interactions with improved accuracy and realism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective communication between automated vehicles and human drivers in manual driving vehicles is of great importance for traffic safety during the transition phase of automated vehicles. Gestures, which were widely used in road users' communication, were promising in conveying the intentions of automated vehicles naturally and intuitively without extra learning costs. However, the effect of gestures in conveying the automated vehicles' intentions on human understanding remains unknown. This study proposed the idea of adopting mechanical arms to produce gestures. An experiment based on video recordings was conducted to explore the effect of arms type (slow-waved mechanical arm (80 beats/min) vs. fast waved mechanical arm (120 beats/min) vs. human arm) and gesture type (taking the road vs. giving the road) on the participants' objective responses and subjective opinions. A total of 30 participants were recruited as human drivers in a manual driving vehicle, who received and responded to the gestures transferred by an encountering automated vehicle. Results indicated that regardless of the gesture type, the slow-waved mechanical arm led to a longer response time (mean ± SD: 4.871 ± 0.947 s) and lower response accuracy (88.3 ± 32.4%) when compared with the human arm (response time: 4.457 ± 0.727 s, response accuracy: 95.0 ± 22.0%). It was also rated less understandable and comfortable than the human arm. Nevertheless, the fast-waved mechanical arm not only exerted as fast (4.484 ± 0.818 s) and accurate responses (98.3 ± 12.9%) as the human arm but was also rated as understandable, polite, and comfortable as the human arm. This indicated the implication of conveying gestures by utilizing the fast-waved mechanical arm (120 beats/min) to facilitate effective communication from automated vehicles to human drivers in manual driving vehicles. The present study's findings provided reference implications for manufacturers and designers to adopt this gesture-based communication method to develop safe and user-friendly automated vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unreinforced concrete block masonry (URM) walls are seismic vulnerable. Thus, this study examined the responses of URM walls strengthened using high ductile fiber-reinforced concrete (HDC) to assess the effectiveness of the proposed retrofitting technique. A reference specimen and five retrofitted specimens were tested based on the cyclic loading program; the strengthening configurations included the HDC strips or layers. The experimental results validated the effectiveness of the retrofitting techniques for enhancing the seismic performance of URM walls. The paper proposed the formulas to calculate the bearing capacity of each specimen corresponding to different failure modes, which is informative for engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater resources (FWRs) are under enormous stress due to human activities and climate change. Given the centrality of local communities in managing natural resources, community-based conservation (CBC) for FWRs (fCBC) offers a mechanism for addressing these challenges. A framework informing fCBC that incorporates unique features of FWRs (such as being fugitive resources, having increased risk of negative externalities, and sheer spatial coverage) is needed to unlock CBC's potential in achieving environmental and developmental impacts in freshwater contexts. We critically review and synthesize existing research adapting The Nature Conservancy's Voice, Choice and Action framework, organized around four pillars (Secure rights and fair externality consideration; Strong community capacity; Effective multi-stakeholder platforms; Sustainable livelihood and development opportunities) and two cross-cutting elements (Cultural connections; Equity and power balancing), and provide recommendations on ways to strengthen facilitation and support community empowerment in fCBC. We report on how applying the framework during a conservation planning process for fCBC projects in four geographies provides important insights for developing robust CBC programs. The unique features of freshwater resources require additional considerations as compared to terrestrial resources. Elevating thinking about how these unique features can exacerbate threats helps motivate more diverse ideas on holistic strategies for community-based conservation. The Voice, Choice and Action framework has been adapted to the freshwater resource context in this study, drawing on a critical literature review. The adapted framework provides a useful framework for conducing strategy selection processes and situation and stakeholder analyses to ensure that projects pay attention to creating critical enabling conditions for robust community-based conservation for freshwater resources capable of preserving cultural connections, achieving equity and water justice, and resolving power imbalance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In portfolio optimization, non-convex regularization has recently been recognized as an important approach to promote sparsity, while countervailing the shortcomings of convex penalty. In this paper, we customize the non-convex piecewise quadratic approximation (PQA) function considering the background of portfolio management and present the PQA regularized mean–variance model (PMV). By exposing the feature of PMV, we prove that a KKT point of PMV is a local minimizer if the regularization parameter satisfies a mild condition. Besides, the theoretical sparsity of PMV is analysed, which is associated with the regularization parameter and the weight parameter. To solve this model, we introduce the accelerated proximal gradient (APG) algorithm, whose improved linear convergence rate compared with proximal gradient (PG) algorithm is developed. Moreover, the optimal accelerated parameter of APG algorithm for PMV is attained. These theoretical results are further illustrated with numerical experiments. Finally, empirical analysis demonstrates that the proposed model has a better out-of-sample performance and a lower turnover than many other existing models on the tested datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) is a large longitudinal study of childhood health. A main objective of the study is to estimate the joint distributions of cardiovascular risk outcomes at any two time points conditioning on a large number of covariates. Existing multivariate longitudinal methods are not suitable for outcomes at multiple time points. We present a dynamic copula approach for estimating an outcome's joint distributions at two time points given a large number of time-varying covariates. Our models depend on the outcome's time-varying distributions at one time point, the bivariate copula densities and the functional copula parameters. We develop a three-step procedure for variable selection and estimation, which selects the influential covariates using a machine learning procedure based on spline Lasso-regularized least squares, computes the outcome's single-time distribution using splines, and estimates the functional copula parameter of the dynamic copula models. Pointwise confidence intervals are constructed through the resampling-subject bootstrap. We apply our procedure to the NGHS cardiovascular risk data and illustrate the clinical interpretations of the conditional distributions of a set of risk outcomes. We demonstrate the statistical properties of the dynamic models and estimation procedure through a simulation study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive polyurethane hot melt adhesives (HMPURs) containing a blend of polyester and polycarbonate diols can typically exhibit balanced performance, such as bonding properties, tensile strength, and heat resistance. Two series of HMPURs made from poly 1,4-butylene adipate or sebacic acid (SeA)-based polyester diols with different molecular weights were prepared and investigated. Increasing the molecular weight of the SeA-based polyester diols was found to significantly improve their mechanical properties and lap shear strengths. Moreover, the HMPURs made from SeA-based polyester diol exhibited better performances than those made from poly 1,4-butylene adipate. Also, the HMPURs were more suitable for bonding on PC substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does social class matter in understanding health inequalities in early 21st century China, when the country experienced unprecedented social stratification? Using nationally representative data from the latest waves of China Household Income Project surveys, we examine to what extent an individual's health is structured by social class and how that structure evolved. We draw on a neo-Marxist measure of social class to tap into the hidden mechanism that engenders and sustains inequalities. Four classes are defined based primarily on their relationships to productive resources: owners/managers, professionals/skilled workers, less-skilled workers, and farmers. Such a measure has not been considered in the health gradient literature in the Chinese context. Our results show that, despite remedial policies that helped mitigate economic inequalities, inequalities in health have mostly widened during the early years of the current century between the 'haves', who own productive assets and/or managerial authority, and the 'have-nots'. In 2002, self-rated health (SRH) was not clearly associated with class rank; in 2007, when China's economic inequality reached a historical zenith, a gradational pattern between SRH and class emerged, and the largest health gap was found between the class of owners/managers and farmers; in 2013, when China's income inequality reached a plateau, the health gap between owners/managers and less-skilled workers grew larger. Further, we identify job security as a mediator that links class and health among the lower social strata. In addition to improving the health of the disadvantaged, policies designed to narrow health inequalities should be orientated towards addressing social stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a major complication of death from bacterial infection. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important regulators in addressing lung injury. Considering the extensive research of circular RNAs (circRNAs), the role of circRNA in Treg modulation during ARDS remains unclear. In this study, patients with sepsis-induced ARDS along with non-ARDS controls were obtained, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected as clinical samples. Additionally, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was performed to construct a septic ARDS model, and lung tissues as well as peripheral blood were collected. mRNA expressions were measured by RT-qPCR. ELISA was carried out to measure the concentration of inflammatory factors. A combination of online bioinformatics, dual-luciferase reporter, and RND pull-down assays was performed to verify interactions between microRNA (miRNA) and circRNA/mRNA. Tregs were measured by flow cytometry. Our data suggested that circFLNA was aberrantly elevated in ARDS, and depletion of circFLNA upregulated CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs and decreased inflammatory response. Additionally, miR-214-5p which binds with circFLNA, reversed circFLNA-induced effects in ARDS. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is a downstream target gene of miR-214-5p, and abrogated the effects of miR-214-5p on regulating CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs and inflammatory response. In a word, circFLNA/miR-214-5p/PD-1 signaling is a novel pathway that modulates Tregs in ARDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chemical study of 90% ethanol extract of the barks of Juglans cathayensis resulted in the isolation of three new nortriterpenoids, jugcathenoids A–C (1–3). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (NMR, IR, UV, and MS). The isolated nortriterpenoids were tested in vitro for cytotoxic activities against 6 pancreatic cell lines. As a result, compounds 1-3 exhibited some cytotoxic activities against all the tested tumor cell lines with IC50 values less than 50 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lessons learned from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are numerous. Low dose radiotherapy (LDRT) was used in the pre-antibiotic era as treatment for bacterially/virally associated pneumonia. Motivated in part by these historic clinical and radiobiological data, LDRT for treatment of COVID-19-associated pneumonia was proposed in early 2020. Although there is a large body of epidemiological and experimental data pointing to effects such as cancer at low doses, there is some evidence of beneficial health effects at low doses. It has been hypothesized that low dose radiation could be combined with immune checkpoint therapy to treat cancer. We shall review here some of these old radiobiological and epidemiological data, as well as the newer data on low dose radiation and stimulated immune response and other relevant emerging data. The paper includes a summary of several oral presentations given in a Symposium on "Low dose RT for COVID and other inflammatory diseases" as part of the 67th Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research Society, held virtually 3-6 October 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsaturated modified linoleate based on linoleic acid (LA) was synthesized by a three-step reaction. The linoleic acid was first reacted with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), then the resulting product was reacted with maleic anhydride (MA) to prepare branched methacrylated linoleic acid, and the unsaturated modified linoleate was prepared via the esterification reaction of as-prepared branched methacrylated linoleic acid and GMA. The chemical structure of as-prepared unsaturated modified linoleate was characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) and 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The effect of different photo-initiators on cure rates was studied. The unsaturated modified linoleate can fast cure within 2 s under Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in presence of photo-initiator of Irgacure 907. The cured coatings exhibit good water resistance, excellent adhesion, and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have received increasing attention in recent years as a promising means to address poverty challenges in rural China. This paper uses a unique three-wave panel data set of household surveys, collected from seven officially recognized poor counties in rural China during 2012–2018, to examine the effect of ICT adoption on poverty. The results show that ICTs contributed positively to poverty reduction in the sampled counties, which may have been primarily achieved through increased migration and off-farm income, instead of through improved agricultural production and farm income. This suggests that ICT development facilitated households escaping poverty by helping them diversify their livelihood strategies away from agriculture in remote mountainous areas. The findings highlight the importance of creating incentives to complement the opportunities brought by ICTs for local development. It is important to strike a balance between poverty reduction and food security objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark brick tea, a unique kind of dark tea has a history of more than 100 years in China. In this paper, 1 and 10 years old dark brick tea were used to regulate blood lipid. The results showed that dark brick tea could significantly reduce the total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels in serum and liver homogenate. It also significantly increased the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In addition, dark brick tea can enhance the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in rats, reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), promote the activities of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and liver lipase (HL) in rats, and effectively reduce blood lipid levels. In conclusion, the experimental results of this study will provide a scientific basis for the lipid-lowering effects of black brick tea with a theoretical basis for its further development and utilization in the form different products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain sprouting poses a significant global challenge, especially for wheat. Nonetheless, recent investigators have unveiled numerous benefits of germination. In this study, we incorporated various proportions of sprouted wheat flour (SF) into wheat flour to produce sprouted wheat steamed bread (SWSB). The impact of SF on the quality of flour and SWSB was evaluated, resulting a development of GABA-enhanced, green-healthy SWSB. With increased addition of SF, the falling number, pasting viscosity, and dough stability time of flour exhibited significant decreases, whereas the gluten index initially increased and then decreased. The textural properties, such as hardness, chewiness, adhesion, springiness, and cohesion, exhibited varying degrees of fluctuation with increasing SF levels. The specific volume of SWSB was optimal at an SF concentration of 6% and the sensory score was highest at 2%. Lightness of SWSB was comparable to that of the control at 4% SF addition. C-cell images revealed that the fineness of the SWSB texture initially increased and then decreased with increasing SF levels. Overall, an SF concentration of 4% was found to be optimal for dough properties, color, texture characteristics and sensory quality, providing a theoretical foundation for industrial production and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, non-apoptotic mode of cell death characterized by excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It plays an important role in the occurrence, development and treatment of various cancers, but little is known regarding the role of ferroptosis in hematologic malignancies. This review elaborates the regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis and the treatment opportunities for targeting ferroptosis in hematologic malignancies. A systematic literature review through PubMed was conducted to summarize the published evidence on the therapeutic potential of targeting ferroptosis in hematological malignant tumors. Literature sources published in English were searched, using the terms ferroptosis, leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. More and more small molecules have been found to induce ferroptosis in hematologic malignancies through targeted iron metabolism and lipid peroxidation, and some ferroptosis inducers have been proved to have synergistic effect with other chemotherapeutic drugs. This paper discusses the significance of ferroptosis in hematologic malignancies and provides a new way for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, and more experimental studies should be conducted in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyse the clinical characteristics and therapeutic response of Chinese patients with primary extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma DLBCL (PE-DLBCL). We analysed the clinical features and outcomes of 197 patients who were newly diagnosed with PE-DLBCL between January 2015 and December 2020. The gastrointestinal tract showed the highest rate of involvement (34%), followed by the central nervous system (CNS) and intraocular system (31.5%). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 81% for the entire group and 79% for those with CNS and vitreoretinal involvement. Ann Arbour stage, lactate dehydrogenase level, International Prognostic Index > 2, and complete remission (CR) were significantly related to the survival of patients with PE-DLBCL. The lack of CR was the only independent adverse prognostic factor for OS. The clinical outcomes of patients with PE-DLBCL at our centre were encouraging, especially for patients with CNS and vitreoretinal involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological indices are the significant numerical quantities in the fields of chemical graph theory. Quantitative structure-property and structure-activity relationships of the Honeycomb Network, Hexagonal Network and Silicate Network SiO4 necessitate expressions for the molecular topological features of these networks. ev-degree and ve-degree established topological indices demarcated as analogous to their relating spouses. In this paper, we have computed topological indices based on ev-degree and ve-degree for the Honeycomb Network, Hexagonal Network and Silicate Network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the prognostic role of the pretreatment geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in patients with esophageal cancer. Methods: Several electronic databases were searched from inception to January 27, 2022, for relevant studies. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined to assess the association between pretreatment GNRI and the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. The primary and secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA software (version 12.0). Results: Fourteen retrospective studies involving 3981 patients were enrolled. The pooled results demonstrated that lower pretreatment GNRI was an independent prognostic risk factor for poorer OS (HR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.33–1.63, P < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.24–2.31, P = 0.001). Subgroup analysis based on pathological type (squamous cell carcinoma vs. esophageal cancer) and treatment (non-surgery vs. surgery) showed similar results. Conclusion: Pretreatment GNRI was significantly associated with prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer, and lower pretreatment GNRI predicted worse survival. However, more prospective high-quality studies are needed to verify these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow over a stationary cylinder is destabilized mainly in the separated shear layer (SSL) and wake regions and transverse shedding forms downstream of the cylinder. It has been revealed that aiding/opposing buoyancy or diverging/converging channel could stabilize/destabilize the separated and wake flows, while their joint effect has not been investigated. In this numerical investigation, the low-Re buoyancy-driven flow over a circular cylinder placed in a channel consists of diverging or converging walls is studied. We aim to reveal the effects of two parameters, i.e. Richardson number Ri representing buoyancy and channel angle α, on the flow dynamics and heat transfer. The cases of aiding (Ri > 0) and opposing (Ri < 0) buoyancy, and diverging (α > 0) and converging (α < 0) channels are considered in this work. The effects of Ri and α are presented in terms of the instantaneous flow field, global characteristic quantities, heat transfer between the fluid and cylinder surface, separation and shearing of wake flow, and temperature variations of the channel walls. We found that the flow transits to steady subjected to aiding buoyancy at a lower value of Ri where the fluctuations of force and heat transfer rate reduces to zero; however, the mean drag and Nusselt number do not exhibit monotonic variations with Ri. The convection heat transfer is prone to be notably affected by Ri rather than α on the leeward side of the cylinder, and its fluctuation is significant in the separation zone downstream of the separation point. Depending on the value of Ri, the steady and unsteady wake flow present different velocity profile as well as the shearing; the deficit wake flow recovers more rapidly for the steady flow cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users' continuance intention to use plays a key role in realising disruptive technology innovation. Drawing from expectation – confirmation theory, this study integrates perceived value, trust, and habit to investigate how they affect users' continuance intention to use disruptive technology innovation by using a questionnaire survey of 247 e-business microcredit users in China. The results indicate that perceived value and trust have an independent positive effect on users' satisfaction and continuance intention to use, satisfaction has a positive effect on users' continuance intention to use, and habit moderates negatively the relationship between perceived value and users' continuance intention to use. The findings contribute to the literature of disruptive technology innovation, innovation adoption, and post adoption behaviour, and shed light on continuers' behaviour of disruptive technology innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Which one of the two measures, distal arterial supercharging (DAS) and distal venous superdrainage (DVS), is better to enhance flap survival? No consistent conclusions have been reached. All flaps were pedicled on the deep circumflex iliac vessels. Seventy-two healthy male rats were distributed to four groups randomly: DAVS group (distal arteriovenous supercharging group), the thoracodorsal (TD) artery and TD vein were preserved; DAS group (distal arterial supercharging group), the TD vein was ligated; DVS group (distal venous superdrainage group), the TD artery was ligated; control group, the TD artery and TD vein were ligated. Flap survival rate was evaluated on postoperative day 7. Flap angiography was performed to assess vascular changes of the flap. Microvascular density (MVD) was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and CD34-positive microvessel density was measured by immunohistochemistry. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level was measured by western blot. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated using specialized commercial kits. The mean flap survival rate was increased significantly in DAVS and DAS groups than in DVS and control groups. DAVS and DAS groups had higher flap vascularization, MVD, CD34-positive microvessel density, VEGF expression and SOD level compared to DVS and control groups. DAVS and DAS groups also had lower MDA level relative to DVS and control groups. DAS is more conducive to improving the survival rate of the multiterritory perforator flap compared to DVS, mainly by enhancing angiogenesis and preventing ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drying temperature, air velocity, material thickness during hot air drying usually have a significant influence on drying kinetics and quality attributes of fruits and vegetables. However, under constant drying temperature, the influence of relative humidity (RH) of hot air on heat and mass transfer is often ignored in drying practice. On the other hand, the current literature about the influence of relative humidity of drying medium on drying kinetics and quality of fruits and vegetables are inconsistent or even contradictory. Usually, the relative humidity is roughly controlled based on experience. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize and reveal the influence mechanism of relative humidity of drying medium on drying kinetics and quality of fruits and vegetables. The RH effect mechanism on drying kinetics is analyzed in two aspects including heat transfer and mass transfer. Increasing RH intensifies heat transfer process while decreasing RH intensifies mass transfer process. Applied high RH in the initial drying stage and then decreasing RH can improve drying efficiency compared to the continuous dehumidification RH drying method. Additionally, step-down RH drying strategy method helps to mitigate the formation of casehardening on product surface and promote pore network, which is benefit for moisture transfer and diffusion. High RH during hot air has the potential to improve the pore network of materials, which is helpful for rehydration ratio. Additionally, low RH increases drying rate so that material surface generates a rigid crust or shell that fixes the volume. Low temperature but high RH drying medium can preheat the sample as soon as possible so as the energy which was used to heat the drying air can be saved. The applicable of step-down RH drying strategy is suitable for those food materials drying, whose β value is more than 1 in Weibull distribution model and Bi value in Bi-Di model is more than 0.1. In other circumstances, continuous dehumidification drying is suitable for food material drying. The auto RH control adjustment drying strategy has been investigated based on material temperature. Such RH control drying strategy provides theoretical foundation for enhancing drying efficiency and quality of fruits and vegetable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this retrospective population-based study was to investigate the survival outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with the two cervical carcinomas. A cohort of patients diagnosed with papillary serous adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix (PSAC) and papillary squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) between 1973 and 2015 were drawn from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and prognostic factors were assessed using Cox proportional hazards survival regression analysis. The 5-year and 10-year OS rates were 38.4 and 33.1% for PSAC and 64.6 and 50.8% for PSCC, respectively. The 2-year and 5-year CSS rates were 60.6 and 45.9% for PSAC and 79.6 and 69.0% for PSCC, respectively. Patients with PSCC survive longer than PSAC patients and have other well-described prognostic factors for improved survival rates, including an early cancer stage, a younger patient age and standardised surgery. What is already known on this subject? Papillary serous adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix (PSAC) and papillary squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC)are both very rare subtypes of cervical carcinomas. What do the results of this study add? This retrospective population-based analysis has evaluated the survival outcomes and prognostic indicators of patients with PSAC and PSCC. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Knowing the survival outcomes and prognostic indicators of PSAC and PSCC patients, we can better follow up patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intercritical heat affected zone (ICHAZ) has been reported as one of the most Type IV cracking susceptible regions in 9Cr creep-resistant steel weldments. However, creep degradation mechanisms within the ICHAZ itself need further clarifications. In this work, two ICHAZ specimens of Grade 91 steel, low-temperature ICHAZ (LT-ICHAZ) and high-temperature ICHAZ (HT-ICHAZ), were simulated using the Gleeble thermomechanical system by exposing to two peak temperatures (860 °C and 900 °C) between AC1 and AC3. Dramatically different creep strengths of two simulated ICHAZs were observed and studied. Dilation curve analysis indicates a high fraction of newly transformed martensite formed in the HT-ICHAZ, which results in a much higher hardness (360 HV0.5) of the HT-ICHAZ than 266 HV0.5 of LT-ICHAZ. Precipitates, especially M23C6 carbides, were not fully dissolved in both ICHAZ specimens. After a typical postweld heat treatment (760 °C-2 hours), the faster recovery of low-carbon martensite and reduced precipitation strengthening due to M23C6 carbides coarsening in the HT-ICHAZ led to a significant hardness reduction. These microstructural degradations in the HT-ICHAZ made its creep lifetime about 36 times shorter than that of the LT-ICHAZ tested at 650 °C. The remaining tempered martensite from base metal in the LT-ICHAZ was the primary contributor to maintain its high creep resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider stochastic differential equations with locally Lipschitz coefficients. Two classes of balanced Euler method are presented. Their moment boundedness and their convergence are considered. Their convergence rates are shown to be that of the classical Euler method. Moreover, the methods are showed that they can reproduce the mean square exponential stability of SDEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspect ratio is a critical parameter of bamboo fiber (BF), and is not well defined for the bending properties of BF composite for automobile inner parts. In this study, six different types of BF were extracted and tensile tested that 20–130 mm in length and 483–713 in aspect ratio, then mixed with polypropylene (PP) fiber which has been added 5%wt maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene by non-fabric and heat pressing technology. The results present that the bending performance of BF composite is the best when the BF aspect ratio is 600–700; and the modified Halpin–Tsai equation with anisotropic material factor can approximate fitting out the relationship between BF aspect ratio and bending modulus of BF/PP composite. Polyvinyl alcohol can effectively enhance the three dimensional (3D) cross structure of non-fabric mats showed by optical microscopy images, so as improve the bending modulus of 12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]