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Background: Previous studies have focused on the relationship between specific dietary factors (such as sodium intake or consumption of fruits and vegetables) and the development of hypertension. However, less is known about the role of overall dietary patterns (food intake, dietary behaviors, and cooking methods) in the development of hypertension. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by using unsupervised machine-learning techniques to identify dietary patterns associated with the incidence of hypertension. Methods: Data were obtained from Japanese participants enrolled in a prospective cohort study between August 2008 and August 2010. A total of 447 male participants were included in the analysis. Dimension reduction using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) and subsequent K-means clustering was used to derive dietary patterns. In addition, multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and the incidence of hypertension. Results: We identified four dietary patterns: ‘Sweet Tooth,’ ‘Herbivorous,’ ‘Meat-based healthy,’ and ‘Seafood and Alcohol.’ Approximately 13.4% of the cohort study participants developed hypertension in the following two years. Compared with ‘Seafood and Alcohol’ as a reference, the protective dietary patterns for hypertension were ‘Herbivorous’ (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.19–0.80, p = 0.013) and the ‘Meat-based healthy’ (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.16–0.86, p = 0.022) after adjusting for potential confounding factors, including age, body mass index, smoking, education, physical activity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. An age-matched sensitivity analysis confirmed this finding. Conclusions:From a methodological perspective, we successfully identified clear dietary patterns by clustering using the UMAP and K-means algorithms in an epidemiological dataset with a small sample size. The ‘Herbivorous’ and ‘Meat-based healthy’ dietary patterns were associated with a lower risk of hypertension in Japanese males than the ‘Seafood and Alcohol’ pattern. These findings provide helpful insights into hypertension-preventive interventions in Japanese males through dietary pattern regulation.

In recent years, operators have reported that dissolvable frac plugs have made completions more time-consuming and costly in many cases. Poorly designed dissolvable frac plugs can cause problems such as early failure and skidding under pressure when they dissolve too early. On the other hand, if dissolvable frac plugs do not dissolve completely, it can lead to extended post-intervention time. Drilling out a composite frac plug typically takes 2-15 minutes, while removing a dissolvable frac plug that hasn't dissolved fully can take up to an hour or even longer due to the material structure not being designed for quick drilling. Additionally, when undissolved frac plugs are pushed towards the bottom of the well, they can create a pack-off on the way, which increases drill-out time. This is a common issue in low temperature and low salinity environments because temperature and salinity are two key factors that influence the dissolving process of dissolvable frac plugs. Based on our experiences, dissolvable technology can be both beneficial and challenging. To customize products that are suitable for different conditions, expertise and a thorough understanding of both application and engineering are necessary. The tool supplier must consider all operational details, including the conditions and requirements, to design, simulate, validate, and optimize the product in order to achieve optimal performance and results for end users. This requires a careful balance between tool performance and dissolvability.

PURPOSE To evaluate the retention rate, efficacy, and safety of ketogenic diet therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy in children and compare the results with those of a previous cohort at our institution. METHODS A total of 634 children with drug-resistant epilepsy were included in this retrospective study. Patients were categorized into two groups. The previous cohort was included as a control group and included 317 children assessed between 2004 and 2011, whereas the current group included 317 children assessed between 2015 and 2019. The control group was provided care as usual, and the current group additionally adopted the goal and long-term management strategy. Outcomes were measured with respect to retention rate, seizure reduction, and adverse reaction. RESULTS Patient demographics were consistent between both cohorts. Compared to the past ten years, the retention rate significantly increased over time (3 months: 62.8% vs. 82.0%, p

Because the velocities of a ship are unmeasured, a novel iterative sliding mode (ISM)-based output feedback control scheme is proposed for the dynamic positioning (DP) of a ship subjected to external environmental disturbances. First, the finite-time state observer is addressed, guaranteeing that estimated errors converge to a small neighborhood of zero in finite time with high precision. Furthermore, based on the outputs of the state observer, an ISM function is given. Then, the output feedback control scheme is designed for the DP of the ship with two remarkable features: (1) an integral item of the sign function exists in the control scheme, which inherently eliminates the chattering of the traditional sliding mode control (SMC), and (2) an integral term of the sliding mode is added to the control scheme, which is helpful in strengthening the transient response with lower overshooting. Finally, simulation studies and quantitative analysis are carried out to demonstrate the superior advantages of the proposed control scheme compared to the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control scheme and the traditional SMC scheme.

Organic UV absorbers (UVAs) are contaminants of emerging concern. Environmental persistence and potential toxicological enrichment studies of UVAs have attracted international concern. It is important to study the toxicity mechanism of UVAs. This study is the first to report the toxicological mechanism of two cinnamate UV absorbers (CUVAs), 2-ethyl 4-methoxycinnamate (OMC) and isoamyl 4-methoxycinnamate (IMC) based on cellular models and molecular models. Cellular models demonstrated that the CUVAs-induced apoptosis might be associated with cellular mitochondrial damage pathways. The results of molecular models showed that OMC and IMC could affect the binding between major proteins and enzymes in the mitochondrial damage pathway and contaminants, ultimately leading to apoptosis. The cellular-molecular models showed that IMC and OMC have dose-effect relationships on cytotoxicity. The composite model is more informative than a single model. This study further indicate that UVAs causes toxicology effects that have implications for the environment and human health.

Co-granulation of teawaste with limestone was investigated using sodium-based lignosulfonate as a binder. A quality by design (QbD) approach was employed to formulate models for predicting the granule mean size, granule strength, limestone and binder uniformity from the process, and formulation variables. The results showed that teawaste volume fraction and liquid to solid ratio had a greater effect than other variables on granule mean size. Increasing teawaste in a binary mixture had a negative effect on granule mean size but positive effect on granule tensile strength. Limestone and binder uniformity could be increased by using higher impeller speed. DEM simulation showed that the impeller speed had a significant effect on the mixing quality and light particle fraction could significantly affect the fluctuation of the mixing index at the equilibrium stage. X-ray micro-computer tomography was applied as a technique to see the internal structure of the granules produced.

In this research, compost was used as raw materials in the production of biomass adsorbent granules using drum granulation technique. Different concentrations of aqueous sodium silicate solution were used as the binding agents. Chromium and Methylene Blue solutions were selected as model adsorbates for heavy metals and dyes, respectively. The results obtained showed that the concentration of sodium silicate used had a positive influence on the mechanical strength of the granules, increasing the concentration would increase the compressive strength of the granules. The adsorbent granules had sufficient strength to survive wet conditions they were subjected during the adsorption study. However, increasing the concentration has a negative influence on the adsorption properties of the compost granules for both Chromium and Methylene Blue.

PurposeThis study was designed to assess the effects of epilepsy severity, family resilience, and social support on depression in primary caregivers of children with epilepsy (CWE), and to test the mediating roles of family resilience and social support in this relationship.MethodTwo hundred fifty-two caregivers of children with epilepsy were recruited from October 2020 to May 2021. The questionnaire contained sociodemographic characteristics, Epilepsy Severity, Chinese-Family Resilience Assessment Scale (C-FRAS), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Structural equation models were used to evaluate whether family resilience and social support as mediators between epilepsy severity and depression.ResultsIn this study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms among primary caregivers of CWE in China was 69.84%. Epilepsy severity was positively associated with depression. Family resilience and social support were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (both p < 0.01). Furthermore, the fitness indices of structural models were satisfactory. The direct effect of epilepsy severity on depression was 0.266 (95% CI 0.064–0.458), this pathway explained 62.88% variance of depression. The indirect effect of family resilience and then social support was 0.069 (95% CI 0.025–0.176), indicating that the serial multiple mediation was significant. The serial mediation pathway explained 16.31% variance of depression.ConclusionsThe high incidence of depression among primary carers of CWE deserves more attention. They should be screened routinely, especially those parents of children with severe epilepsy. Family resilience and social support could be protective factors for caregivers' mental adjustment. Therefore, future psychosocial interventions for enhancing family resilience and social support should be implemented, in order to reduce their depression.

Many researches have been conducted to investigate creep behavior of wood; however, the effects of structure on wood creep behavior remain unclear. Therefore, the effects of existence and distribution of earlywood vessel belt on creep behavior of white oak (Quercus alba L.) wood were investigated by dynamic thermal mechanical analyzer (DMA) with double cantilever bending in this study. Besides, a comparative numerical modeling simulation on strain curves of white oak specimens was completed using Burger and Five-parameter model. Results revealed that instantaneous strain and 45-min strain of specimens decreased with increase in the distance between earlywood vessel belt and stress acting surface obviously. Additionally, instantaneous strain and 45-min strain of specimens remarkably increased with increase in temperature from 20 to 80 °C. An obvious bending creep behavior was observed with increase in temperature from 20 to 80 °C. Both Burger and Five-parameter model can effectively simulate the creep behavior of white oak specimens with R2 values greater than 0.90. Furthermore, Five-parameter model illustrated a better fitting effect than Burger model in the final creep stage due to the introduction of a non-linear creep strain growth expression. It concluded that creep behavior of white oak wood strongly depends on the existence and distribution of earlywood vessel belt.

Background Stroke can induce cardiac dysfunction in the absence of primary cardiac disease; however, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between the neurological deficits and the heart are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of stroke on cardiac function and to identify the transcriptome characteristics of the heart. Results Stroke significantly decreased heart weight/tibia length ratio and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional areas and increased atrogin-1 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase MuRF-1, indicating myocardial atrophy in MCAO-induced mouse hearts. RNA sequencing of mRNA revealed 383 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MCAO myocardium, of which 221 were downregulated and 162 upregulated. Grouping of DEGs based on biological function and quantitative PCR validation indicated that suppressed immune response and collagen synthesis and altered activity of oxidoreductase, peptidase, and endopeptidase may be involved in MCAO-induced cardiomyopathy. The DEGs were mainly distributed in the membrane or extracellular region of cardiomyocytes and acted as potential mediators of stroke-induced cardiac dysregulation involved in cardiac atrophy. Conclusion Stroke induced a unique transcriptome response in the myocardium and resulted in immediate cardiac atrophy and dysfunction.

Herein compost was selected as a model bio-waste substrate to make solid biofuel granules using wet drum granulation and a sodium silicate binder. Using a laboratory-scale drum granulator (300 g/batch), spherical compost granules within the targeted size range (3.35–14 mm) could be produced with a good compressive strength in good to excellent yields. The effects of compost moisture content, process parameters (drum speed, granulation time) and binder parameters (binder concentration, binder to compost ratio) on the properties of the resulting granules (size distribution, bulk density, compressive strength, water resistance, gross calorific value, ash content) were investigated. The optimal conditions for producing granules as a solid biofuel with competitive properties when compared with woody biomass fuels were achieved by applying a drum rotational speed of 32–37 rpm, granulation time of 15 min, sodium silicate solution 1–3 wt% and binder to solid ratio 0.77–0.90.

Objectives Severe or critical COVID-19 is associated with intensive care unit admission, increased secondary infection rate, and would lead to significant worsened prognosis. Risks and characteristics relating to secondary infections in severe COVID-19 have not been described. Methods Severe and critical COVID-19 patients from Shanghai were included. We collected lower respiratory, urine, catheters, and blood samples according to clinical necessity and culture and mNGS were performed. Clinical and laboratory data were archived. Results We found 57.89% (22/38) patients developed secondary infections. The patient receiving invasive mechanical ventilation or in critical state has a higher chance of secondary infections (P

Due to the increasingly severe electromagnetic pollution, the green, lightweight, and high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials need to be urgently developed. However, there are still challenges in constructing biomass-based high-performance electromagnetic shielding materials through uncomplicated methods. Herein, a flexible MXene/wood composite (F-MWC) with sandwich structure was constructed for EMI shielding application based on MXene and delignified wood via impregnation and densification process. The resultant F-MWC shows the mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 68.1 MPa, and excellent flexibility compared with natural wood due to the thinner thickness and highly aligned cellulose nanofibers. It also shows remarkable fire-retardant properties with a self-extinguishing effect attributed to the synergistic effect of MXene's flame retardancy and densification treatment. Moreover, F-MWC possessed a high electrical conductivity of 1858 S m-1 and excellent EMI-shielding effectiveness of 32.7 dB at a thickness of only 0.38 mm. In addition, the multilayered MXene/wood composite assembled by cross-combining F-MWC along the fiber direction with better EMI-shielding effectiveness and strength makes it more scalable in applications. This technique provides an alternate strategy for producing wood-based EMI shielding materials for electronic devices, packaging, and modern buildings.

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous organelles in eukaryotic cells that fulfil a variety of biochemical functions. The biogenesis of peroxisomes requires a variety of proteins, named peroxins, which are encoded by PEX genes. Pex14/17 is a putative recently identified peroxin, specifically present in filamentous fungal species. Its function in peroxisomal biogenesis is still obscure and its roles in fungal pathogenicity have not yet been documented. Here, we demonstrate the contributions of Pex14/17 in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (Mopex14/17) to peroxisomal biogenesis and fungal pathogenicity by targeting gene replacement strategies. Mopex14/17 has properties of both Pex14 and Pex17 with regard to its protein sequence. Mopex14/17 is distributed at the peroxisomal membrane and is essential for efficient peroxisomal targeting of proteins containing peroxisomal targeting signal 1. MoPEX19 deletion leads to the cytoplasmic distribution of Mopex14/17, indicating that the peroxisomal import of Pex14/17 is dependent on Pex19. The knockout mutants of MoPEX14/17 show reduced fatty acid utilization, reactive oxygen species (ROS) degradation and cell wall integrity. Moreover, Δmopex14/17 mutants show delayed conidial generation and appressorial formation, and a reduction in appressorial turgor accumulation and penetration ability in host plants. These defects result in a significant reduction in the virulence of the mutant. These data indicate that MoPEX14/17 plays a crucial role in peroxisome biogenesis and contributes to fungal development and pathogenicity.

Objectives During surveillance, we found a new type of Vibrio parahaemolyticus named ‘O4:KUT-recAin' and studied the phenotypic, pathogenic and epidemiological characteristics of O4:KUT-recAin. Methods V. parahaemolyticus were isolated from acute diarrhoeal patients in coastal hospitals of China. Serum agglutination test, specific PCR assay, growth curves under different conditions and rabbit diarrhoeal models were using to characterize O4:KUT-recAin. Results The O4:KUT-recAin strain has a new type of K antigen and a 25 043-bp-large fragment encoding 20 proteins inserted in the housekeeping gene recA. Retrospective analysis found that only one O4:KUT-recAin strain was detected in 563 V. parahaemolyticus strains in 2014; then the proportion increased rapidly and reached 17.8% (105/590) in 2016 and 31.1% (224/721) in 2017, making O4:KUT-recAin the second dominant serotype following O3:K6. O4:KUT-recAin strains (100%, 14/14) exhibited increased acid resistance and could reproduce in medium at pH 4.9, while 92.9% (13/14) of the O3:K6 strains could not grow at this pH value. O4:KUT-recAin could cause diarrhoea and small intestinal tissue lesions in infant rabbits, but its diarrhoeal (93.1%, 27/29) and mortality (78.6%, 22/28) rates were slightly lower than those of O3:K6 (100% 16/16, 100% 16/16). Based on diarrhoea patients, there were no significant differences in the two groups for most clinical symptoms and laboratory results, except media age, haemoglobin and the number of red blood cells in stool samples. Conclusions O4:KUT-recAin had enhanced acid resistance, was capable of causing infectious diarrhoea in both rabbits and humans, and has become widespread during a short period of time in China.

To study the effect of peroxisome proliferations (PPs) on the development and pathogenicity of rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.The peroxisomal proliferation and the expression of peroxisomal biogenesis related genes were detected in M. oryzae strain Guy11 under the induction of 6 PPs. Vegetative growth, conidial germination, appressoria formation and pathogenicity of the strain treated with PPs were compared with those of the control.Induced by 6 PPs, the quantity of peroxisome and the expression of PEX14, PEX8 and PEX11 were significantly increased. Vegetative growth, conidial germination, appressorial formation and pathogenicity were inhibited by the majority of the PPs. Of them, 2, 4-D and aspirin (ASA) exhibited higher inhibition rates than others. Further, the inhibition of 2, 4-D and Aspirin to the vegetative growth of Δpex5 and Δpex7 mutants of M. oryzae was found significantly increased than that of the wild type strain.PPs could induce peroxisome proliferation in M. oryzae, inhibit the growth and development and reduce the pathogenicity of the fungus. This is the first investigation on the effects of PPs to filamentous fungi.

Background The pattern of epochal evolution of NoV is ongoing, while novel GII.4 variants emerge and cause new pandemics. Since, the emergence in March 2012, Sydney_2012 had replaced GII.4-2009 as the primary NoV strain in most countries in the northern hemisphere by November 2012. Objectives To determine the genotype distribution around the emergence of Sydney_2012 and to investigate the underlying evolution mechanisms of the contemporary GII.4 strains. Study design From January 2012 to December 2013, molecular epidemiology of norovirus in 846 adults (≥16 years) in Shanghai were conducted. The VP1 proteins of the contemporary GII.4 strains (Den_Haag_2006b, New_Orleans_2009 and Sydney_2012) were expressed in vitro and purified. Receptor binding patterns of these three epidemic strains were determined through histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding assays. Convalescent serum from patients infected with GII.4 epidemic strains were employed to investigate the role of antigenic drift in the persistence of GII.4 epidemic strains through receptor-binding blockade assays. Results Epidemiological studies revealed that Sydeny_2012 has completely replaced Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009 and has been the dominant circulating strain in Shanghai since its emergence in October 2012. Interestingly, Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009 have been co-circulating in Shanghai before the emergence of Sydeny_2012. The contemporary GII.4 epidemic norovirus strains displayed commonly high tropism to the histo-blood group antigen receptors, whereas Sydeny_2012 was antigenically different from Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009. Conclusions Antigenic drift, rather than receptor switch, played a key role in the emergence and spreading of Sydney_2012. The contemporary GII.4 strains were evolving via epochal evolution without altered ligand binding profiles.

Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are the only available licensed therapeutics against human H7N9 influenza virus infections. The emergence of NAI-resistant variants of H7N9viruses with an NA R292K mutation poses a therapeutic challenge. A comprehensive understanding of the susceptibility of these viruses to clinically available NAIs, non-NAIs and their combinations is crucial for effective treatment. In this study, by using limited serial passage and plaque purification, an R292K variant of the Anhui1 lineage was isolated from a patient with clinical evidence of resistance to oseltamivir. In vitro and cell-based assays confirmed a high level of resistance conferred by the R292K mutation to oseltamivir carboxylate and a moderate level of resistance to zanamivir and peramivir. Non-NAI antivirals, such as T-705, ribavirin and NT-300, efficiently inhibited both the variant and the wild-type in cell-based assays. A combination of NAIs and non-NAIs did not exhibit a marked synergistic effect against the R292K variant. However, the combination of two non-NAIs (T-705 and ribavirin) exhibited significant synergism against the mutant virus. In experimentally infected mice, the variant showed delayed onset of symptoms, a reduced viral load and attenuated lethality compared with the wild-type. Our study suggested non-NAIs should be tested clinically for H7N9 patients with a sustained high viral load. Possible drug combination regimens, such as T-705 plus ribavirin, should be further tested in animal models. The pathogenicity and transmissibility of the R292K H7N9 variant should be further assessed with genetically well-characterized pairs of viruses and, most-desirably, with competitive fitness experiments.

As interests in using agricultural bio-waste to generate heat and energy are increasing, more information is needed on their suitability for production as potential bio-waste fuels. This is due largely to uncertainty regarding their physico-chemical properties, combustion potential and emissions profiles. The study described in this paper focused on the granulation of agricultural bio-waste and its performance as a solid biofuel during the combustion process in comparison with two standard wood fuels. It was observed that the granular bio-waste fuels had excellent flowability during the combustion process. Large variations were found in mineral concentrations, energy value, ash content and ash melting point between the fuels. Combustion tests in a 50 kW multi-fuel boiler revealed significant differences in flame temperature, boiler net efficiency and some gaseous emissions such as CO, CO2 and NO between different bio-waste fuels and wood fuels. The cow slurry and grass silage digestate based granular fuel produced the highest boiler temperature, followed by the granules made by the chicken litter and digestate mixed with wood waste. It was concluded that these granular bio-waste fuels met the energetic requirement for biomass fuels though combustion performance and flue gas emissions might raise issues.

Excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) from reactive astrocytes and microglia may contribute to the development of many types of neurological diseases. Insulin has been shown to inhibit the expression of iNOS, in several organs and cell types. Although insulin and its receptors are present in the central nervous system, the effects of insulin on the iNOS pathway in the brain have not been determined. In this study, using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated astrocytes as a model of reactive astrocytes, we investigated the effects of insulin on iNOS expression in activated astrocytes and the mechanism involved. The expression of iNOS was significantly upregulated by LPS in astrocytes. Insulin applied prior to LPS, dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced iNOS gene expression and iNOS protein levels. In agreement with the suppressive effects of insulin on iNOS expression, insulin also inhibited LPS-induced iNOS activity and NO production. Moreover, insulin was found to significantly inhibit LPS-induced IκB-α phosphorylation and degradation, which led to a decrease in levels of the p65 subunit of NF-κB in the nuclear fraction. Therefore, insulin inhibited LPS-induced iNOS expression via suppressing NF-κB pathway in astrocytes. In addition, treatment with insulin had no effect on LPS-induced PKB phosphorylation. Based on our results, it is plausible to speculate that insulin in the brain may play a neuroprotective role in neurological disorders by controlling the release of NO via the regulation of iNOS expression in astrocytes.

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous organelles in eukaryotic cells that fulfil a variety of biochemical functions. The biogenesis of peroxisomes requires a variety of proteins, named peroxins, which are encoded by PEX genes. Pex14/17 is a putative recently identified peroxin, specifically present in filamentous fungal species. Its function in peroxisomal biogenesis is still obscure and its roles in fungal pathogenicity have not yet been documented. Here, we demonstrate the contributions of Pex14/17 in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (Mopex14/17) to peroxisomal biogenesis and fungal pathogenicity by targeting gene replacement strategies. Mopex14/17 has properties of both Pex14 and Pex17 with regard to its protein sequence. Mopex14/17 is distributed at the peroxisomal membrane and is essential for efficient peroxisomal targeting of proteins containing peroxisomal targeting signal 1. MoPEX19 deletion leads to the cytoplasmic distribution of Mopex14/17, indicating that the peroxisomal import of Pex14/17 is dependent on Pex19. The knockout mutants of MoPEX14/17 show reduced fatty acid utilization, reactive oxygen species (ROS) degradation and cell wall integrity. Moreover, Δmopex14/17 mutants show delayed conidial generation and appressorial formation, and a reduction in appressorial turgor accumulation and penetration ability in host plants. These defects result in a significant reduction in the virulence of the mutant. These data indicate that MoPEX14/17 plays a crucial role in peroxisome biogenesis and contributes to fungal development and pathogenicity.

Norovirus (NoV) is now recognized as a leading cause of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis; however, the NoV GII.17 genotype has rarely been reported as the predominant genotype in clinical diarrhea cases. During the winter of 2014–2015, the GII.17 genotype, together with the NoV GII.4 genotype, dominated in sporadic adult patients with gastroenteritis in Shanghai. Phylogenetic analysis based on full-length VP1 amino acid sequences showed that the GII.17 strains that emerged in Shanghai have close evolutionary relationships with strains recently collected in the Hong Kong area, Guangdong province of China, and Japan during the same period. This cluster in the phylogenetic tree may represent a novel NoV GII.17 lineage recently circulating in East Asia. Pairwise distances between clusters also revealed the evolution of the NoV GII.17 genotype in previous decades. Our study emphasizes the importance of combined surveillance of NoV-associated infections.

Nano-TiO2/Co4Sb11.7Te0.3 composites were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and cold isostatic pressing (CIP) process. The phase composition, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties were characterized. The diffraction spectra of all samples well corresponds to CoSb3 skutterudite diffraction plane. TiO2 agglomerates into irregular clusters. They locate at the grain boundaries or some are distributed on the surface of Co4Sb11.7Te0.3 particles. For composites with high TiO2 content (0.6% and 1.0% TiO2), the phonon scattering by TiO2 particle, pores, and small size grains can result in a remarkable reduction in thermal conductivity. The maximum value of ZT is 0.79 for sample with 0.6 wt.% TiO2 at 700 K, which is 11% higher than that of non-dispersed sample.

p53-induced ring-H2 protein (PIRH2), a newly identified E3 ubiquitin ligase, has been reported to be interacted with p27Kip1 and promote ubiquitination of p27Kip1 independently of p53. p27kip1, a member of the Cip/Kip family of cyclin-dependent kinases inhibitors (CKIs), was shown to control cell cycle progression and promote cell proliferation. While the distribution and function of PIRH2 and p27kip1 in nervous system lesion and regeneration remains unclear. Here, we performed a sciatic nerve injury model in adult rats and studied the dynamic changes of PIRH2 and p27kip1 expression by western blot and RT-PCR in injured rat sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve crush resulted in a significant up-regulation of PIRH2 and a down-regulation of p27kip1. Besides, we observed that they were expressed widely in both Schwann cells and axons in adult rat sciatic nerve by double immunofluorescence staining. Results obtained by coimmunoprecipitation and double labeling further showed their interaction in the regenerating process. Thus, these results indicate that PIRH2 and p27kip1 likely play an important role in peripheral nerve injury and regeneration.

Demographic transition has been widely discussed but rarely examined in the disaster research context. With the anticipated Tokai-Tonankai-Nankai Earthquake becoming an issue, we are developing adaptation strategies targeting enhancing resilience against and reducing vulnerability to this potential threat. Using mesh-based population estimation in cohort component analysis, we are characterizing the current and 2030 populations into sustainable, dependent, and marginal demographic transition patterns to discuss the impact of demographic transition. Specific to each area of certain demographic transition and seismicity exposure, and wide-area management, we suggest 4 adaptation strategies - business continuity planning, regional vitalization, community-capability reinforcement, and wide-area management - for improving current management.