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Allergic respiratory diseases can increase serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels. We report three cases experiencing allergic symptoms that proved refractory to inhaled corticosteroids but exhibited a positive response to long-term treatment with oral corticosteroids. This response was characterized by a synchronous alteration in serum eosinophil counts and carcinoembryonic antigen levels. Immunofluorescence assays indicated localized carcinoembryonic antigen production within eosinophils. In addition, we conducted a systematic review of patients exhibiting similar characteristics on PubMed. After comprehensively reviewing this unique pathophysiological condition, we herein introduced a novel term “Allergic hyper-carcinoembryonic antigen syndrome,” defined by the following criteria: (1) recurrent asthmatic attacks; (2) eosinophilia or pulmonary eosinophilic infiltrations accompanied by elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels; (3) pulmonary lesions determined by imaging or biopsy; (4) exclusion of malignancy and infections; and (5) responsive to systemic corticosteroids. Allergic hyper-carcinoembryonic antigen syndrome suggests systemic corticosteroids should be introduced early when managing allergic patients with both eosinophilia and elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels.

Abstract On-site and real-time non-destructive measurement of elastic constants for materials of a component in a in-service structure is a challenge due to structural complexities, such as ambiguous boundary, variable thickness, nonuniform material properties. This work develops for the first time a method that uses ultrasound echo groups and artificial neural network (ANN) for reliable on-site real-time identification of material parameters. The use of echo groups allows the use of lower frequencies, and hence more accommodative to structural complexity. To train the ANNs, a numerical model is established that is capable of computing the waveform of ultrasonic echo groups for any given set of material properties of a given structure. The waveform of an ultrasonic echo groups at an interest location on the surface the structure with material parameters varying in a predefined range are then computed using the numerical model. This results in a set of dataset for training the ANN model. Once the ANN is trained, the material parameters can be identified simultaneously using the actual measured echo waveform as input to the ANN. Intensive tests have been conducted both numerically and experimentally to evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of the currently proposed method. The results show that the maximum identification error of numerical example is less than 2%, and the maximum identification error of experimental test is less than 7%. Compared with currently prevailing methods and equipment, the proposefy the density and thickness, in addition to the elastic constants. Moreover, the reliability and accuracy of inverse prediction is significantly improved. Thus, it has broad applications and enables real-time field measurements, which has not been fulfilled by any other available methods or equipment.

The sensory quality of infant formula (IF) has a significant impact on the preferences and purchasing behavior of maternal consumers. Consumer-based rapid descriptive methods have become popular and are widely preferred over classical methods, but the application of Pivot Profile (PP) in IF is still little explored. In this study, both Pivot Profile (PP) and Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) were applied to characterize the sensory profile of 12 batches of one-stage and three-stage IF with different storage periods, respectively, along with consumer preference data to determine the flavors contributing to liking. The results of PP and QDA aligned moderately well, with the most perceptible differences identified as “fishy”, “milky”, and “T-sweet” attributes. IFs with shorter storage times were highly associated with “milky” aromas and “T-sweet” tastes, whereas IFs with longer storage times exhibited a strong correlation with “fishy” and “oxidation” aromas. External preference analysis highlighted that the occurrence of “fishy” and “oxidation” aromas during prolonged storage periods significantly reduced the consumer preference for IFs. Conversely, the perception of “milky” and “creamy” aromas and “T-sweet” tastes may be critical positive factors influencing consumer preference. This study provided valuable insights and guidance for enhancing the sensory quality and consumer preference of IF.

ObjectivesTo report the first and largest systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole or bupropion augmentation and switching in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) or major depressive disorder(MDD).MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature retrieval via PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane until April 2023 for RCT, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole or bupropion augmentation and switching for patients with TRD or MDD. Outcomes measured were changes in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), response and remission rate, and serious adverse events.ResultsFive RCTs, including 4480 patients, were included for meta-analysis. Among them, two RCTs were rated as "high risk" in three aspects (allocation concealment, blinding of participants and personnel and blinding of outcome assessment) because of the non-blind method, and the quality evaluation of the remaining works of literature was "low risk". Augmentation treatment with Aripiprazole (A-ARI) was associated with a significant higher response rate compared with augmentation treatment with bupropion (A-BUP) (RR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.25; P = 0.0007; I2 = 23%). Besides, A-ARI had a significant higher remission rate compared with switching to bupropion (S-BUP) (RR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.49; P = 0.05; I2 = 59%) and A-BUP had a significant higher remission rate compared with S-BUP (RR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.36; P = 0.0004; I2 = 0%). In addition, there was no significant difference in remission rate(RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.17; P = 0.42; I2 = 33%), improvement of MADRS(WMD: -2.07; 95% CI: -5.84, 1.70; P = 0.28; I2 = 70%) between A-ARI and A-BUP. No significant difference was observed in adverse events and serious adverse events among the three treatment strategies.ConclusionsA-ARI may be a better comprehensive antidepressant treatment strategy than A-BUP or S-BUP for patients with TRD or MDD. More large-scale, multi-center, double-blind RCTs are needed to further evaluated the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole or bupropion augmentation and switching treatment strategies.

The odor of infant formula changes due to alterations in its volatile composition during the shelf life. However, there is currently a lack of research on whether the odor changes in infant formula during the secondary shelf life, which refers to the period of repeated opening and usage in daily life. This study used headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-electrostatic orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-Orbitrap-MS) to investigate the volatile composition changes in one-stage and three-stage infant formulas during different stages (0 day, 3 days, and 7 days during the secondary shelf-life, i.e. simulated daily use). A total of 32 volatiles were identified, including nine aldehydes, seven ketones, four alcohols, three furans, two sulfur compounds, two esters, and five terpenoids. Of these, 16 compounds changed significantly in one-stage samples and 23 compounds in three-stage samples within 7 days of the secondary shelf-life. Further the odor of the three-stage infant formula samples was found changed substantially after 3 days of simulated use by using the triangle test. This study highlighted the considerable alterations in volatile compound composition and sensory changes during the simulated daily use and provided valuable insights for consumers in selecting and using infant formula products, as well as a new perspective for enterprises to improve the sensory quality of their products.

With the rising nutritional requirements of food and the advancement of technology in the food industry, protein modification has become one of the food industry's top concerns. Glycosylation products are safer than other chemical modifications ones and have a significant deal of potential to enhance food's sensory qualities. This article summarizes the progression of casein glycosylation interactions, including covalently bonded and non-covalently linked reactions, and analyses the effect of glycosylation on the functional properties of casein. Glycosylation is a promising and socially significant protein modification strategy that can improve the functional qualities of casein in a number of ways, potentially helping the dairy processing industry and even food innovation research.

Abstract Background Selective activation of Delta-like 1 (DLL1)-Notch signaling is a new approach to activate CD8+ T cell and suppress tumor growth, while the efficacy remains modest. Lentinan (LNT) is a clinically used immunomodulation agent. Thus, we hypothesized that LNT could improve the efficacy of DLL1. Methods The effects of LNT combined with DLL1 on tumor growth were evaluated by growth curve and tumor weight in EO771 breast and LAP0297 lung tumor models. The impacts on immune cells and gene expression in tumor tissues were determined by flow cytometry, qPCR. Neutrophil depletion was used to investigate the mechanism of the combination therapy on tumor growth. The data sets were compared using unpaired student’s t-test or ordinary one-way ANOVA. Results LNT treatments additively improved the antitumor effects of DLL1 in EO771 breast tumor growth. Remarkably, LNT treatments synergistically enhanced the suppression of DLL1 on LAP0297 lung tumor growth, resulting in tumor regression. Mechanically, the combination of LNT and DLL1 interventions not only promoted the accumulation and activation of CD8+ T cells, but also increased intratumoral CD45+CD11b+Ly6G+ neutrophils. Reduced neutrophils by anti-Gr1 antibody administrations reversed the improved antitumor effects by LNT treatments in LAP0297 lung tumor. These results suggest that LNT treatments improve the inhibition of DLL1 on tumor growth via neutrophils. Conclusions Our findings indicates that LNT and DLL1 may induce synergistical antitumor immunity via simultaneous modulating lymphoid and myeloid cell populations regardless of the type of tumor, providing a potential new strategy to potentiate cancer immunotherapy.

The reliable bond of CFRP to heat-damaged concrete is fundamental to ensuring cooperative working when the CFRP is applied for strengthening fire-damaged concrete structures. In this paper, the bond performance of hybrid-bonded (HB) CFRP to a heat-damaged concrete surface was investigated by using single shear tests. The concrete blocks were initially heat-damaged to temperatures of 100 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C, and 400 °C. The heat-damaged blocks were subsequently bonded with CFRP using the HB technique. The primary experiment parameters were the exposure temperature, the number of mechanical fasteners, and the bonded layers of CFRP. The test results show that the external-bonded (EB) and HB-CFRP joints with concrete exposed to a temperature of 400 °C were prone to fail with concrete shear-tension due to the decreased shear strength of concrete at high temperatures. The EB- and HB-CFRP joints with heat-damaged concrete anchored with no more than three fasteners present a higher bond than the reference joints with unheated concrete, while the HB-CFRP joints anchored with three fasteners provide a decreased bond capacity with the increase in exposure temperature. The utilization rate of single-layer CFRP joints with unheated concrete increased by 57.9%, 139.5%, and 136.8% with the mechanical fasteners in numbers of one, two, and three compared with the reference specimen. Accordingly, the bond capacity increased by 111.8%, 128.4%, and 186.7%. Finally, a model was proposed to estimate the bond strength of HB-CFRP joints with heat-damaged concrete.

Mathematical modeling in epidemiology, biology, and life sciences requires the use of stochastic models. In this paper, we derive a competitive two-strain stochastic SIR epidemic model by considering the change in state of the epidemic process due to an event. Based on the density-dependent process theory, we construct a six-dimensional deterministic model that can be used to describe the diffusion limit of the stochastic epidemic on a heterogeneous network. Furthermore, we show the explicit expressions for the variances of infectious individuals with strain 1 and strain 2 when the level of infection is increasing exponentially. In particular, we find that the expressions of the variances are symmetric. Finally, simulations for epidemics spreading on networks are performed to confirm our analytical results. We find a close agreement between the simulations and theoretical predictions.

This study combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and odor activity value (OAV) assessments to analyze the volatile ingredient changes in formula powder during 11 months of storage at room temperature. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and variable importance in projection (VIP) were also used to assess the potential indicators of aroma changes during storage. The aim was to expose the possible changes in the aroma profile and the substances that alter infant formula (IF) aroma during storage. The results showed that the aldehyde and ketone content in the milk formula increased as the storage time was extended, while the lactone and terpenoid levels decreased significantly. The OAV indicated the presence of various major aromatic substances at different storage times. Considering consumer concern regarding product flavor, this study ascertained that monitoring substance changes during storage showed that 2-heptanone was a good indicator of milk flavor, dimethyl disulfide was a suitable indicator of protein degradation, and 3-methylbutanal, heptanal, hexanal, pentanal, and octanal were all good indicators of fat oxidation. The results of previous related studies were used to supplement the data in this work regarding the changes in IF during product shelf life and to provide support for controlling the flavor substances and quality during new product development.

In this paper, we investigate a reaction-diffusive-advection two-species competition model with one delay and Dirichlet boundary conditions. The existence and multiplicity of spatially non-homogeneous steady-state solutions are obtained. The stability of spatially nonhomogeneous steady-state solutions and the existence of Hopf bifurcation with the changes of the time delay are obtained by analyzing the distribution of eigenvalues of the infinitesimal generator associated with the linearized system. By the normal form theory and the center manifold reduction, the stability and bifurcation direction of Hopf bifurcating periodic orbits are derived. Finally, numerical simulations are given to illustrate the theoretical results.

Background: In China, Coptis chinensis Franch. (Chinese name: Huanglian) prescriptions (HLPs) are prominent hypoglycemic agents used in glycemic control. However, the curative effect of HLPs as adjunctive therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been evaluated. Based on a systematic review and a meta-analysis, this study was conducted to assess the effects of HLPs combined with metformin as a reinforcing agent for T2DM.Materials and methods: A total of 33 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on 2,846 cases concerning the use of HLPs in the treatment of T2DM were identified from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu (VIP), Wanfang, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. Primary outcomes included fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin, type A1c (HbA1c), fasting serum insulin (FINS), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Secondary outcomes included total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and gastrointestinal dysfunction (GD). Continuous data were expressed as mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The methodological quality of the included RCTs was assessed by Cochrane evidence-based medicine systematic evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using the Review Manager and Stata software. The required information size and treatment benefits were evaluated by trial sequential analysis (TSA). The quality of evidence was rated using the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.Results: The results revealed that HLPs are beneficial to improve the following: FBG (MD = −1.16%, 95% CI: −1.24 to −1.07), 2hPG (MD = −1.64%, 95% CI: −1.84 to −1.43), HbA1c (MD = −0.78%, 95% CI:−0.96 to −0.60), FINS (MD = −1.94%, 95% CI: −2.68 to −1.20), HOMA-IR (MD = −0.77%, 95% CI: −1.28 to −0.27), TC (MD = −0.70%, 95% CI: −1.00 to −0.39), TG (MD = −0.57%, 95% CI: −0.74 to −0.40), LDL-c (MD = −0.70%, 95% CI: −0.97 to −0.43), and HDL-c (MD = −0.21%, 95% CI: −0.32 to −0.10) for patients with T2DM. The funnel plot, Egger’s test, and trim-and-fill method indicated a moderate publication bias in the results. The TSA showed that the required sample size of HLPs in improving FBG, 2hPG, HbA1c, FINS, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, LDL-c, and HDL-c could sufficiently draw reliable conclusions. GRADE assessment revealed that the quality of the evidence for the effectiveness of HLPs in improving FBG was moderate, but the quality of evidence for 2hPG, HbA1c, FINS, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, LDL-c, and HDL-c was low, and for GD was very low.Conclusion: The systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that HLPs were beneficial for achieving glycemic control. However, HLPs recommended for T2DM patients have yet to be confirmed because of the poor methodological quality of some trials. Therefore, more RCTs with multicenter and double-blind designs are needed to assess the efficacy of HLPs for patients with T2DM.

Abstract This paper studies the linear fractional-order delay differential equation * D − α C x ( t ) − p x ( t − τ ) = 0 , $$ {}^{C}D^{\alpha }_{-}x(t)-px(t-\tau )= 0, $$ where 0 < α = odd integer odd integer < 1 $0 0 $p, \tau >0$ , D − α C x ( t ) = − Γ − 1 ( 1 − α ) ∫ t ∞ ( s − t ) − α x ′ ( s ) d s ${}^{C}D_{-}^{\alpha }x(t)=-\Gamma ^{-1}(1-\alpha )\int _{t}^{\infty }(s-t)^{- \alpha }x'(s)\,ds$ . We obtain the conclusion that p 1 / α τ > α / e $$ p^{1/\alpha } \tau >\alpha /e $$ is a sufficient and necessary condition of the oscillations for all solutions of Eq. (*). At the same time, some sufficient conditions are obtained for the oscillations of multiple delays linear fractional differential equation. Several examples are given to illustrate our theorems.

Basic reproduction number $ \mathcal {R}_0 $ in network epidemic dynamics is studied in the case of stochastic regime-switching networks. For generality, the dependence between successive networks is considered to follow a continuous time semi-Markov chain. $ \mathcal {R}_0 $ is the weighted average of the basic reproduction numbers of deterministic subnetworks. Its position with respect to 1 can determine epidemic persistence or extinction in theories and simulations.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of perfectionistic concerns (PC) on mobile phone addiction (MPA) and the mediating role of academic procrastination (AP), as well as the moderating role of causality orientations (autonomous/controlled/impersonal orientation). A cross-sectional sample of 625 Chinese college students (20.8% male, mean age = 20.47 years old) completed measures of PC, AP, causality orientations, and MPA. We analyzed the survey data using structural equation modeling (SEM) in Mplus 8.0. PC was positively related to MPA. In addition, AP partially mediated this association. The hypothesized moderating effect of autonomous orientation and controlled orientation was not supported. Impersonal orientation moderated the second stage of the mediating effect of AP on the PC–MPA link in that the mediating effect was positive when impersonal orientation was high, while the mediating effect was not significant when impersonal orientation was low. The findings confirm the importance of investigating how individual difference (i.e., PC) contributes to MPA. The implications of the findings for relieving MPA or preventing college students from developing MPA are also discussed deeply and thoroughly.

This paper considers the optimal harvesting problem for a size-structured model of unidirectional consumer–resource mutualisms in which the consumer species has both positive and negative effects on the resource species, while the resource has only a positive effect on the consumer. First, we show the existence of a unique nonnegative solution of the system and give the continuous dependence of solutions on the control variable. Next, the adjoint system is derived, which is necessary for optimality and the existence of a unique optimal policy. Then necessary conditions for optimality are established via the normal cone and adjoint system. Moreover, the existence of a unique optimal strategy is proved via Ekeland’s variational principle and fixed-point reasoning in convex analysis. Finally, we use numerical simulations to verify the main results and find other dynamic properties of the system.

With the wide application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) plate, used for strengthening existed concrete structures, the prestressing technology of CFRP plate is becoming a hot topic, in order to sufficiently develop its high-strength peculiarity. In this paper, a full-scale hollow-section beam with length of 16 m taken from an old bridge which was in service for about 20 years was first examined for existed cracks and repaired by filling epoxy adhesive, and then the beam was strengthened with prestressed CFRP plates. The CFRP plates were tensioned and fixed with flat-plate anchorages at ends and bonded with adhesive on the bottom surface of the beam. The strengthened beam was experimentally studied using a four-point test to measure the concrete strain along the height of the mid-span section and the mid-span deflection. The finite element model of the strengthened beam was verified by the comparison of test results and used for an extending study of parametric analysis considering the effect of the length and amount of CFRP plates. Results indicated that with an increase in the length and amount of CFRP plates, the mid-span deflection of the beam decreases with the increased cracking resistance and bearing capacity, while the ultimate failure mode transfers from the under-reinforcement to the over-reinforcement.

Background: Peanut allergy (PA) has become a clinical and public health problem, which is mainly regulated by genetics, immune responses, and environmental factors. Diagnosis and treatment for PA have always remained huge challenges due to its multiple triggers. Studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in the development of allergic diseases. Method and Results: In the current study, we examined the plasma lncRNA expression profiles of peanut allergy Brown Norway rats and healthy controls and 496 differently expressed lncRNAs were identified, including 411 up-regulated genes and 85 down-regulated genes. We screened 8 lncRNAs based on the candidate principle and the candidates were verified in individual samples by quantitative real-time PCR. Then, the four lncRNA-based diagnostic model was established by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and logistic regression, which was proved by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Conclusions: In summary, we assessed the correlation between lncRNA expression levels and the diagnosis of peanut allergy, which may perform a vital role in guiding the management of peanut allergy.

BackgroundApigenin (APG), a natural flavonoid, can affect the development of a variety of tumors, but its role in ovarian cancer remains unclear. There has been an increasing amount of evidence supporting the vital role played by mast cells and the bioactive mediators they release, as components of the tumor microenvironment, in the progression of ovarian cancer (OC); however, the mechanism warrants further exploration.Methods and ResultsIn this study, a combination of transcriptomics analysis and application of TCGA database was performed, and we found that the expression of genes related to mast cell degranulation in ovarian cancer tissues changed remarkably. We then explored whether histamine, a major constituent of mast cell degranulation, could affect the development of ovarian cancer through immunohistochemistry analysis and cell proliferation assays. The results showed that a certain concentration of histamine promoted the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells by upregulating the expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα)/estrogen receptor β (ERβ). Additionally, we found that the inhibition of ERα or the activation of ERβ could inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells induced by histamine through real-time PCR and western blot assays. Finally, we demonstrated the attenuation effect imparted by apigenin in histamine-mediated ovarian cancer via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.ConclusionOur research revealed that apigenin decelerated ovarian cancer development by downregulating ER-mediated PI3K/AKT/mTOR expression, thus providing evidence of its applicability as a potentially effective therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer treatment.

In order to evaluate the influence of freeze–thaw action on the durability of concrete structures, this paper presented an experimental study to investigate the effects of freezing–thawing cycles and concrete strength on the bond behavior between steel bars and concrete confined with stirrups. Through freeze–thaw cycles and center pullout tests, the failure mode of pullout specimen, concrete strength, mass loss, dynamic elastic modulus, and bond–slip curves were analyzed. At last, the bond–slip constitutive model was proposed for specimens with stirrup confinement under freeze–thaw action. Main test results indicate that the failure mode and shape of bond–slip curves are affected by stirrups. The bond strength hasa certain increase after 100 freeze–thaw cycles owing to the constraining force from stirrups, whereas the splitting tensile strength significantly declines. After 100 freeze–thaw cycles, the splitting tensile strength of C20 and C40 decreased by 40.8% and 46.5%, respectively. The formula was provided to calculate the bond strength of constrained concrete after freeze–thaw cycles, and the damage coefficient and other related parameters in the formula were suggested. The predicted bond–slip curves are close to the experimental results, which could provide reference for the related research of bond performance after freeze–thaw action.

In recent decades, a rapid increase in the prevalence of food allergies has led to extensive research on novel treatment strategies and their mechanisms. Mouse models have provided preliminary insights into the mechanism of epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT)-induced immune tolerance. In EPIT, antigen applied on the skin surface can be captured, processed, and presented in the lymph nodes (LNs) by Antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In the LNs, induction of regulatory T cells (Treg cells) requires both direct contact during antigen presentation and indirect mechanisms such as cytokines. Foxp3+CD62L+ Treg cells can exhibit the characteristics of hypomethylation of Foxp3 TSDR and Foxp3-LAP+ Treg cells, which increase the expression of surface tissue-specific homing molecules to exert further sustained systemic immune tolerance. Studies have shown that EPIT is a potential treatment for food allergies and can effectively induce immune tolerance, but its mechanism needs further exploration. Here, we review Treg cells’ role in immune tolerance induced by EPIT and provide a theoretical basis for future research directions, such as the mechanism of EPIT and the development of more effective EPIT treatments.

For a stochastic three-species food web model with double parameters perturbation and Lévy jumps, we give the existence and uniqueness of global positive solution,which is beneficial to further study its dynamic properties. Then, by constructing Lyapunov function and applying It′s formula and Chebyshev’s inequality, it is found that the model is stochastic and ultimately bounded. Moreover, the sufficient conditions of extinction are obtained by using exponential martingale inequality and Borel-Cantelli’s lemma. Finally, some numerical simulations are introduced to illustrate the rationality of the theoretical results. The results show that the model is stochastic and ultimately bounded under the influence of Lévy noise, and large Lévy noise can lead to the extinction of populations. The algorithm has obtained good results both in theory and numerical simulations, which provides certain significance for many problems of stochastic population models.

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of a stochastic SIRS epidemic model with non-linear incidence rate and transfer from infectious to susceptible. Firstly, the existence and uniqueness of global positive solution of the model with any positive initial value are proved. Next, sufficient conditions for extinction and persistence of the disease are established. It is found that a large noise intensity has the effect of suppressing the epidemic. At last, some numerical simulations are introduced to demonstrate the theoretical results. Our results generalize and improve the existing results.

Abstract This paper is concerned with a stochastic predator–prey model with Allee effect and Lévy noise. First, by the comparison theorem of stochastic differential equations, we prove that the model has a unique global positive solution starting from the positive initial value. Then we investigate the asymptotic pathwise behavior of the model by the generalized exponential martingale inequality and the Borel–Cantelli lemma. Next, we establish the conditions under which predator and prey populations are extinct. Furthermore, we show that the global positive solution is stochastically ultimate bounded under some conditions by using the Bernoulli equation and Chebyshev’s inequality. At last, we introduce some numerical simulations to support the main results obtained. The results in this paper generalize and improve the previous related results.

Shrimp allergy (SA) is pathological type 2 inflammatory immune responses against harmless shrimp protein allergen, which is caused by complex interactions between dendritic cells (DCs) and other immune cells. Lipid metabolism in different DCs states are significantly changed. However, the lipid metabolism of spleen DCs in SA remain ambiguous. In this study, we established a BALB/c mouse shrimp protein extract-induced allergy model to determine the lipid profile of spleen DCs in SA, and the molecular mechanism between lipid metabolism and immune inflammation was preliminarily studied. Spleen DCs were sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and then widely targeted lipidomics and transcriptomics analysis were performed. Principal component analysis presented the lipidome alterations in SA. The transcriptomic data showed that Prkcg was involved in lipid metabolism, immune system, and inflammatory signaling pathway. In the correlation analysis, the results suggested that Prkcg was positively correlated with triacylglycerol (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.917, p = 0.01). The lipidomics and transcriptomics integrated pathway analysis indicated the activated metabolic conversion from triacylglycerol to 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol and the transmission of lipid metabolism to immune inflammation (from triacylglycerol and ceramide to Prkcg) in SA spleen DCs, and cellular experiments in vitro showed that glyceryl trioleate and C16 ceramide treatment induced immune function alteration in DCs.

BackgroundPatients with systemic internal diseases present high risks for invasive fungal infections, which results in increased morbidity and mortality. Identification of high-risk departments and susceptibility systems could help to reduce the infective rate clinically. Correct selection of sensitive anti-fungal drugs not only could improve the cure rate but also could reduce the adverse reactions and complications caused by long-term antifungal drug treatment, which can be especially important in patients with serious systemic diseases. Therefore, the distribution changes of invasive fungal strains in patients with systemic internal diseases and the choice of antifungal drugs in clinical practice should be updated.ObjectiveThis work aimed to investigate the incidence, strain distributions, and drug susceptibility of invasive fungal strains isolated from patients with systemic internal diseases.MethodsSamples were collected from 9,430 patients who were diagnosed with internal diseases in our hospital from January to December 2018. We then cultured and identified the fungal strains using API 20C AUX. We performed drug sensitivity analysis via the ATB Fungus-3 fungal susceptibility strip. Resistance was defined using the revised Clinical Laboratory Standardization Committee of United States breakpoints/epidemiological cutoff values to assign susceptibility or wild-type status to systemic antifungal agents.ResultsA total of 179 patients (49 female, 130 male) with fungal infection were included. The high-incidence departments were determined to be the respiratory department (34.64%), intensive care unit (ICU; 21.79%), and hepatology department (9.50%). The susceptible systems for infection were the respiratory tract (sputum, 68.72%, 123/179; secretion retained in the tracheal catheter, 3.35%, 6/179), urinary tract (urine, 9.50%, 17/179), and gastrointestinal tract (feces, 9.50%, 17/179). The major pathogens were Candida (90.50%), Aspergillus (8.93%), and Cryptococcus neoformans (0.56%). The infective candida subgroups were Candida albicans (70.95%), Candida krusei (6.15%), Candida glabrata (5.59%), Candida parapsilosis (3.91%), and Candida tropicalis (3.91%). The susceptibility of non-Aspergillus fungi for amphotericin B was 100.0%. The susceptibility rates of 5-fluorocytocine (5-FC) and voriconazole were 72.73 and 81.82%, respectively, for C. krusei, 98.43 and 100% for C. albicans, and 100% for both drugs for C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis. The susceptibility rates of fluconazole and itraconazole were 0 and 54.55%, respectively, for C. krusei, 20 and 20% for C. glabrata, and 57.14 and 57.14% for C. tropicalis. The resistance rate of C. tropicalis for both fluconazole and itraconazole was 41.43%.ConclusionPatients in the respiratory department, ICU, and hepatology department presented high rates of invasive fungal infections and should include special attention during clinical treatment. The respiratory tract, urinary tract, and gastrointestinal tract were the susceptible systems. Candida, especially C. albicans, was the main pathogen. From the perspective of drug sensitivity, amphotericin B should be given priority in treating the non-Aspergillus fungi infection in patients with systemic internal diseases, while the susceptibility of invasive fungal strains to azoles was variant. These data might provide clinical evidence for the prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infection in patients with systemic internal diseases.

This paper investigates a stochastic two-patch predator-prey model with ratio-dependent functional responses. First, the existence of a unique global positive solution is proved via the stochastic comparison theorem. Then, two different methods are used to discuss the long-time properties of the solutions pathwise. Next, sufficient conditions for extinction and persistence in mean are obtained. Moreover, stochastic persistence of the model is discussed. Furthermore, sufficient conditions for the existence of an ergodic stationary distribution are derived by a suitable Lyapunov function. Next, we apply the main results in some special models. Finally, some numerical simulations are introduced to support the main results obtained. The results in this paper generalize and improve the previous related results.

The transport mechanism of chloride ions in concrete is relatively complicated since the erosion process is influenced by many factors. To investigate the effect of exposure conditions on the chloride ion diffusion property, three exposure conditions (long-term immersion in static sodium chloride solution, long-term immersion in circulating sodium chloride solution and dry–wet cycles in circulating sodium chloride solution) were considered in chloride ion diffusion experiments. Experimental results indicated that the chloride ion content at a certain depth increased with erosion age. The chloride ions in static sodium chloride solution transported more rapidly than those under dry–wet cycle conditions. Moreover, the chloride ion content of concrete under dry–wet cycles of the circulating sodium chloride solution was slightly higher than that under long-term immersion in the circulating solution. Based on Fick’s second law, empirical equations for the chloride diffusion coefficient and chloride content at the surface of concrete were proposed by fitting experimental data, and the values of correlation coefficients of different exposure conditions were suggested. By comparison with the experiment results, it was verified that the calculation formula had better applicability. This method could be used to predict and analyze the chloride ion content under different exposure conditions.

Patients with advanced cancer often undergo myelosuppression after receiving chemotherapy. However, severe myelosuppression results in treatment delay, and some can even be life-threatening. At present, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy urgently need effective intervention strategies to prevent myelosuppression. Fortunately, ginsenoside Rg3 has shown promise as an anti-myelosuppression agent. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of ginsenoside Rg3 in preventing chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression in cancer patients. The PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu (VIP), and Wanfang databases were searched in this study. A total of 18 trials which reported on 2,222 subjects were identified. All trials concerning the use of ginsenoside Rg3 for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression (the decline of leukocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, and neutrophil counts) were randomized-controlled trials. Dichotomous data were expressed as odds ratio (OR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Cochrane evidence-based medicine systematic evaluation was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included trials. The Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 12.0 software were used to perform the statistical analyses. The trial sequential analysis (TSA) was used to evaluate information size and prevention benefits. The results revealed obvious ginsenoside Rg3-induced improvement in the leukocyte (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.37–0.55), hemoglobin (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.53–0.77), platelet (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.48–0.75) and neutrophil (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.43–0.90) counts at toxic grades I–IV, and leukocyte (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.28–0.54) counts at toxic grades III–IV. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the results were robust. The Egger’s test indicated that there was no publication bias in the results. Overall, this study suggested that ginsenoside Rg3 is beneficial for alleviating the chemotherapy-induced decrease in leukocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, and neutrophil counts. However, the confirmation of the ginsenoside Rg3 can be recommended for myelosuppression patients was limited due to poor methodological quality. Thus, more rigorously designed randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) are required to assess the efficacy of ginsenoside Rg3 for myelosuppression.

Based on the influence of random environmental perturbations and the patch structure, we propose a stochastic Nicholson-type delay system under Markovian switching on patches. Existence of a global positive solution is studied. Then, we show ultimate boundedness and estimation of the sample Lyapunov exponent of the solution. Furthermore, sufficient conditions for extinction of species are established, which is the main new ingredient of this paper. Finally, some numerical examples are presented. Our results improve and generalize previous related results.

We investigate a stochastic SIRS model with transfer from infectious to susceptible and nonlinear incidence rate. First, using stochastic stability theory, we discuss stochastic asymptotic stability of disease-free equilibrium of this model. Moreover, if the transfer rate from infectious to susceptible is sufficiently large, disease goes extinct. Then, we obtain almost surely exponential stability of disease-free equilibrium, which implies that noises can lead to extinction of disease. By the Lyapunov method, we give conditions to ensure that the solution of this model fluctuates around endemic equilibrium of the corresponding deterministic model in average time. Furthermore, numerical simulations show that the fluctuation increases with increase in noise intensity. Finally, these theoretical results are verified by numerical simulations. Hence, noises play a vital role in epidemic transmission. Our results improve and extend previous related results.

Based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Ecological Systems Theory (EST), this study attempted to examine the relationship between teacher support and Chinese migrant children’s academic achievement as well as the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of parents’ psychological control. An opt-in consent procedure was employed and participation rates were 85%. Finally, six hundred and one migrant children participated in the study in spring and completed self-report questionnaires concerning teacher support, self-esteem and parents’ psychological control. Teacher support was measured by Teacher Behavior Questionnaire, self-esteem by Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and parents’ psychological control by 18 items from prior research. And students’ final academic performance of the semester was provided by the dean office. Results indicated that self-esteem (positive self-esteem/self-deprecation) mediated the positive relationship between teacher support and academic achievement. Parents’ psychological control moderated the relationship between teacher support and self-deprecation. Furthermore, parents’ psychological control moderated the mediating effect of self-deprecation on teacher support–academic achievement relationship, such that the mediating effect was positive when the level of psychological control was high while the mediating effect was not significant when psychological control was low. Parents’ psychological control neither moderate teacher support – positive self-esteem link nor the mediating effect. The findings are consistent with SDT and EST, and have both culturally specific and universal meanings. The implications of the study for promoting Chinese migrant children’s academic achievement are also discussed.

For the structural application of high-performance Steel Fiber Reinforced Expanded-shale Lightweight Concrete (SFRELC), a reliable bond of ribbed steel bar should be ensured. In this paper, an experimental study was carried out on the bond properties of ribbed steel bar embedded in SFRELC by the direct pull-out test. The SFRELC was produced with a strength grade of 35 MPa and a volume fraction of steel fiber as 0%, 0.8%, 1.2%, 1.6% and 2.0%, respectively. Fifteen groups of specimens were made with a central placed steel bar with diameter of 14 mm, 20 mm and 28 mm, respectively. Complete bond stress-slip curves were determined for each group of specimens, and the characteristic values of bond-stress and slip at key points of the curves were ascertained. Results show that the bond strength, peak-slip and residual bond strength increased with the increase of the volume fraction of steel fiber. With the increase of steel bar diameter, bond strength decreased while the peak-slip increased, and the descending curves became sharp with a decreased residual bond strength. Formulas for calculating the bond strength and peak-slip were proposed. The relationships were determined for the splitting bond strength, residual bond strength with the bond strength, the splitting bond slip and residual bond slip with the peak-slip. Combined with rational fitting analyses of bond strength and slip, a constitutive model was selected for predicting the bond stress-slip of ribbed steel bar in SFRELC.

To ensure the quality of concrete construction, the workability of fresh mix measured by rational test methods is critical to be controlled. With the presence of steel fibers, whether the test methods and evaluation indices of fresh self-compacting concrete (SCC) are adaptable for self-compacting steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) needs to be systematically verified. In this paper, seven groups of self-compacting SFRC, referenced with one group SCC, were prepared by using the mix proportion design method based on the steel fiber-aggregates skeleton packing test. The main factors included the volume fraction and the length of hooked-end steel fiber. Tests for filling ability, passing ability, and stability of fresh self-compacting SFRC and SCC were carried out. Results indicate that the adaptability was well for the slump-flow test with indices of slump flow and flow time T500 to evaluate the filling ability, the J-ring flow test with an index of PA level to evaluate the passing ability, and the static segregation test with an index of static segregation resistance to evaluate the stability of fresh self-compacting SFRC. By the repeated tests and measurements, the slump cone should be vertically lifted off to a height of 300 mm within 3 s at a constant speed, the spacing of the rebar in the J-ring test should be adjusted to be two times the fiber length. If the table jumping test is used, the dynamic segregation percent should be increased to 35% to fit the result of the static segregation test. Good workability of the self-compacting SFRC prepared in this study is presented with the general evaluation of test results.

This paper considers a stochastic delay Gilpin-Ayala model with Markovian switching. Using Lyapunov method, we show existence and uniqueness of global positive solution. Then, by using Chebyshev’s inequality, M-matrix method, and BDG’s inequality, stochastic permanence and asymptotic estimations of solutions are studied. Finally, numerical simulations illustrate the theoretical results. Our results generalize and improve the existing results.

This paper is concerned with a stochastic three-species food web model with omnivory which is defined as feeding on more than one trophic level. The model involves a prey, an intermediate predator, and an omnivorous top predator. First, by the stochastic comparison theorem, we show that there is a unique global positive solution to the model. Next, we investigate the asymptotic pathwise behavior of the model. Then, we conclude that the model is persistent in mean and extinct and discuss the stochastic persistence of the model. Further, by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of an ergodic stationary distribution to the model. Then, we present the application of the main results in some special models. Finally, we introduce some numerical simulations to support the main results obtained. The results in this paper generalize and improve the previous related results.

This work is dedicated to constructing a multi-scale structural health monitoring system to monitor and evaluate the serviceability of bridges based on the Hadoop Ecosystem (MS-SHM-Hadoop). By taking the advantages of the fault-tolerant distributed file system called the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and high-performance parallel data processing engine called MapReduce programming paradigm, MS-SHM-Hadoop features include high scalability and robustness in data ingestion, fusion, processing, retrieval, and analytics. MS-SHM-Hadoop is a multi-scale reliability analysis framework, which ranges from nationwide bridge-surveys, global structural integrity analysis, and structural component reliability analysis. This Nationwide bridge survey uses deep-learning techniques to evaluate the bridge serviceability according to real-time sensory data or archived bridge-related data such as traffic status, weather conditions and bridge structural configuration. The global structural integrity analysis of a targeted bridge is made by processing and analyzing the measured vibration signals incurred by external loads such as wind and traffic flow. Component-wise reliability analysis is also enabled by the deep learning technique, where the input data is derived from the measured structural load effects, hyper-spectral images, and moisture measurement of the structural components. As one of its major contributions, this work employs a Bayesian network to formulate the integral serviceability of a bridge according to its components serviceability and inter-component correlations. Here the inter-component correlations are jointly specified using a statistics-oriented machine learning method (e.g., association rule learning) or structural mechanics modeling and simulation.

This paper investigates the maximum principle for a nonlinear size-structured model that describes the optimal management of the fish resources taking into account harvesting the fish and putting the fry. We establish the well-posedness of the state system by Banach fixed-point theorem. Necessary conditions for optimality are established via the normal cone technique and adjoint system. The existence of a unique optimal policy is proved via Ekeland's variational principle and fixed-point reasoning. Finally, some examples and numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results in our paper.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the global stability of traveling front solutions with noncritical and critical speeds for a more general nonlocal reaction-diffusion equation with or without delay. Our analysis relies on the technical weighted energy method and Fourier transform. Moreover, we can get the rates of convergence and the effect of time-delay on the decay rates of the solutions. Furthermore, according to the stability results, the uniqueness of the traveling front solutions can be proved. Our results generalize and improve the existing results.

This paper is concerned with a stochastic two-species competition model under the effect of disease. It is assumed that one of the competing populations is vulnerable to an infections disease. By the comparison theorem of stochastic differential equations, we prove the existence and uniqueness of global positive solution of the model. Then, the asymptotic pathwise behavior of the model is given via the exponential martingale inequality and Borel-Cantelli lemma. Next, we find a new method to prove the boundedness of the pth moment of the global positive solution. Then, sufficient conditions for extinction and persistence in mean are obtained. Furthermore, by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of the stochastic model around the interior equilibrium of the deterministic model. At last, some numerical simulations are introduced to justify the analytical results. The results in this paper extend the previous related results.

The stability of a reaction advection diffusion equation with nonlinear-nonlocal functional response is concerned. By using the technical weighted energy method and the comparison principle, the exponential stability of all noncritical traveling waves of the equation can be obtained. Moreover, we get the rates of convergence. Our results improve the previous ones. At last, we apply the stability result to some real models, such as an epidemic model and a population dynamic model.

The present study concerns the bond behavior of steel bar in concrete under a water environment. This topic was put forward because of the changes of concrete under a water environment and the importance of reliable anchorage of steel bar for reinforced concrete structures. Thirty bond specimens with deformed steel bars were immersed in water and experimentally studied by pull-out tests. The soaking time from 28 day to 360 day and the cubic compressive strength of concrete with 20 N/mm2 and 40 N/mm2 were considered as the main parameters. The results indicate that the moisture content, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength of concrete are affected by the water environment; the splitting tensile strength varies almost linearly with the compressive strength of concrete; and the descent portion of the bond−slip curve dropped slowly owing to the confinement of stirrups. On the basis of the test data, the formulas for the prediction of bond strength, residual strength, and the corresponding slips with different soaking time are proposed. Finally, the constitutive relation of bond−slip with two portions in the water environment is established with good agreement with the experimental bond−slip curves.

We investigate a ratio-dependent predator-prey model with Holling type III functional response based on system of neutral impulsive differential equations. Sufficient conditions for existence of positive periodic solutions are obtained by applying continuation theorem. Our main results demonstrate that under the suitable periodic impulse perturbations, the neutral impulsive system preserves the periodicity of the corresponding neutral system without impulse. In addition, our results can be applied to the corresponding system without impulsive effect, and thus, extend previous results.

By using a continuation theorem based on coincidence degree theory, we establish some easily verifiable criteria for the existence of positive periodic solutions for neutral delay ratio-dependent predator-prey model with Holling-Tanner functional response x'(t)=x(t)[r(t)-a(t)x(t-σ(t))-b(t)x'(t-σ(t))]-c(t)x(t)y(t)/h(t)y(t)+x(t), y'(t)=y(t)d(t)-f(t)y(t-τ(t))/x(t-τ(t)).

Food allergies (FA), a major public health problem recognized by the World Health Organization, affect an estimated 3%-10% of adults and 8% of children worldwide. However, effective treatments for FA are still lacking. Recent advances in glycoimmunology have demonstrated the great potential of sialic acids (SAs) in the treatment of FA. SAs are a group of nine-carbon a-ketoacids usually linked to glycoproteins and glycolipids as terminal glycans. They play an essential role in modulating immune responses and may be an effective target for FA intervention. As exogenous food components, sialylated polysaccharides have anti-FA effects. In contrast, as endogenous components, SAs on immunoglobulin E and immune cell surfaces contribute to the pathogenesis of FA. Given the lack of comprehensive information on the effects of SAs on FA, we reviewed the roles of endogenous and exogenous SAs in the pathogenesis and treatment of FA. In addition, we considered the structure-function relationship of SAs to provide a theoretical basis for the development of SA-based FA treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]