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In this study, we investigated the surgical technique and endocrine assessment of pituitary function of patients with macroadenoma treated by extra-pseudocapsular transnasal transsphenoidal surgery (ETTS).Clinical data of 144 patients with pituitary macroadenomas in the same surgical group at the Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology were retrospectively analyzed from January 2019 to June 2021. Based on the results of the endocrinological evaluation and MRI examinations before and after surgery, the fluctuation of pituitary function and the extent of resection were analyzed. Multiple Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors affecting postoperative tumor residual.Among the 144 patients with pituitary macroadenomas, 72 (50.0%) were female and 72 (50.0%) were male, the median age was 50 years, 26 (18.1%) had invasiveness grade 0, 46 (31.9%) had grade I, 57 (39.6%) had grade II, and 15 (10.4%) had grade III according to Lu's classification method. Based on observation during surgery, 37 cases (25.7%) had no pseudocapsule, 54 cases (37.5%) had incomplete pseudocapsule, and 53 cases (36.8%) had intact pseudocapsule. In addition, 91 (63.2%) patients had total resection, 39 (27.1%) had subtotal resection, and 14 (9.7%) had partial resection. As for anterior pituitary function, 13 of 19 hypothyroid patients had recovery after surgery, with a remission rate of 68.4%. Eighteen of the 26 decreased cortisol patients got back to normal, with a remission rate of 69.2%. A total of 27 of 51 patients with hypogonadism improved, with a remission rate of 52.9%. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that gender, tumor size, and invasiveness were predictors of postoperative residual in patients (P0.05).The results showed that ETTS is an effective treatment modality for restoring the function of pituitary gland of the patients with macroadenomas. Tumor size and invasiveness are predictors of the extent of surgical resection and postoperative residual of macroadenomas.

Objective To elucidate the role of transsphenoidal surgery in the treatment of pituitary microprolactinoma. Methods The clinical data of 107 prolactinoma cases treated by extra-pseudocapsular transnasal transsphenoidal surgery (ETTS) for different indications in our department since 2011 was retrospectively analyzed. Results The most common indication was the ineffectiveness of oral medication (41.1%), followed by the personal willingness of the patient (35.5%), and 20.6% of the patients were young women with clear tumor boundaries. The pseudocapsule was not observed in 63 cases (58.9%), incomplete pseudocapsule was observed in 26 cases (24.3%), and complete pseudocapsule in 18 cases (16.8%). A total of 97 patients (90.7%) obtained 1-year post-operation remission. According to the relative location of the adenoma and pituitary gland on the MRI scan, 46 patients were classified into a central type, 59 a lateral type, and 2 a supra-pituitary type. Two patients developed hypogonadism, one patient developed hypocortisolism, and one patient developed post-operative hypothyroidism. Two patients were administrated with hormone replacement treatment, and the treatment was stopped within one week. There was no permanent hypopituitarism. Further investigation demonstrated that the adenoma types could affect the remission rates of hyperprolactinemia and gross total resection rate in microprolactinoma. Conclusion ETTS was an effective treatment for pituitary microprolactinomas. This could be the first choice for patients who presented enclosed adenoma on the MRI and were potentially curable in a preoperative evaluation. Maximal safe removal of the adenoma by ETTS with the aim to increase the sensitivity of the drugs was also recommended for patients with invasive dopamine agonist resistant prolactinomas and patients with difficulty in childbirth.

ObjectivesOur objective was to determine the impact of maternal HIV–hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection on pregnancy outcomes.MethodsThe current study was conducted in a county of Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China. Data were abstracted from hospitalisation records, including maternal and infant information. The seroprevalences of HIV and HBV infections and HIV–HBV coinfection were determined and the impact of maternal HIV–HBV coinfection on adverse pregnancy outcomes was assessed using logistic regression analysis. A treatment effects linear regression model was also applied to examine the effect of HBV, HIV or coinfection to quantify the absolute difference in birth weight from a reference of HBV–HIV negative participants.ResultsA total of 13 198 pregnant women were included in our study, and among them, 99.1% were Yi people and 90.8% lived in rural area. The seroprevalences of HIV and HBV infections and HIV–HBV coinfection were 3.6% (95% CI: 3.2% to 3.9%), 3.2% (95% CI: 2.9% to 3.5%) and 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1% to 0.2%) among the pregnant women, respectively. Maternal HIV–HBV coinfection was a risk factor for low birth weight (adjusted OR (aOR)=5.52, 95% CI: 1.97 to 15.40). Compared with the HIV mono-infection group, the risk of low birth weight was significantly higher in the HIV–HBV coinfection group (aOR=3.62, 95% CI: 1.24 to 10.56). Maternal HIV infection was associated with an increased risk of low birth weight (aOR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.38 to 2.60) and preterm delivery (aOR=2.84, 95% CI: 1.81 to 4.47). Perinatal death was more common when mothers were infected with HBV (aOR=2.85, 95% CI: 1.54 to 5.26).ConclusionsThe prevalence of HIV infection was high among pregnant women of the Yi region. Both HIV and HBV infections might have adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes. Maternal HIV–HBV coinfection might be a risk factor for low birth weight in the Yi region, which needs to be confirmed.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) is one of the most important far-infrared optical candidate materials. However, it is indispensable for ZnS to improve its antireflection and protection especially under harsh environments. Compared with conventional surface antireflective films, surface sub-wavelength structures (SWSs) have some unique advantages. In this paper, dewetting nickel dots as etching mask on ZnS substrates were obtained by thermal annealing of as-sputtered Ni films on the intermediate layers of as-sputtered silicon films. ZnS SWSs were then prepared by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. Finally, HfO2 films were deposited on ZnS SWSs by atomic layer deposition. The influences of SWSs and ALD-derived HfO2 films on the transmittance and protection of ZnS were both investigated. The experimental results show that ZnS SWSs can increase both far-infrared transmittance and surface hydrophobicity. Meanwhile, ALD-derived HfO2 films can provide good protection. Compared with bare ZnS, HfO2-coated ZnS with double-sided SWS exhibits average transmittance of 79.2% other than initial 69.1% in 8–12 μm, better hydrophobicity with the wetting angle of 119.7°, and higher composite nano-hardness increased from 25.00 to 38.68 GPa. ALD derived HfO2 films on ZnS surface sub-wavelength structures have excellent application prospective for infrared optical windows.

Microstructured surfaces with spatial arrangements of hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions have been widely studied in boiling heat transfer enhancement. In this study, a conceptual design of microstructured surfaces with time-varying wettability is proposed to regulate bubble dynamics and thus enhance the heat transfer performance in the nucleate boiling regime. The effectiveness of the design is examined numerically for single-bubble heat transfer on a micropillar-arrayed silicon surface using a comprehensive three-dimensional model. The intrinsic contact angle is initially set as 48°, it is subsequently reduced to 20° in the bubble growth (0.152 and 0.4 ms) or departure stage (0.60 and 0.80 ms). The simulations show that two mechanisms contribute to heat transfer enhancement. First, the time-varying wettability decreases the adhesion force on the bubble exerted by the surface, thereby increasing the bubble departure frequency. Second, it also increases the local curvatures of the bubble, leading to the formation of thin liquid films between the bubble and micropillar walls. The liquid films suppress dry spots and hence enhance the heat removal of the bubble from the surface. The simulations also show that the reduction in the intrinsic contact angle enhances the evaporation on the liquid–vapor interface but deteriorates the evaporation in the microlayer. Because the former dominates the heat transfer process of the bubble on the micropillar-arrayed surface, the time-varying wettability increases the total evaporation rate. In the meantime, the time-varying wettability reduces the time proportion of the departure stage, which shortens the weakened heat transfer period in a bubble life-cycle and thus enhances the average heat transfer rate. As compared the case with constant wettability, the average heat transfer rate for the cases with time-varying wettability increases by 38.5%, 23.1%, 19.2%, and 15.4%, respectively, when the intrinsic contact angle is reduced at 0.152, 0.40, 0.60, and 0.80 ms, indicating that earlier wettability modulation gives rise to more significant heat transfer enhancement. The optimal time for wettability modulation is exactly the same as the time at which the total evaporation rate begins to decline.

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that can infect both humans and animals and cause cryptosporidiosis. We aimed to estimate the global prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection. In this study, Web of Science, Medline and PubMed were searched for relative articles, published between January 1, 1960 and January 1, 2018. Included articles were restricted to English language and that sample size of articles was not less than 50. Studies with no information on the study period, location, method of diagnosis, sample size and number of infected people were excluded. Studies about outbreak, laboratory report or immunocompromised population were excluded as well. The quality of the included publications was assessed. The prevalence of cryptosporidiosis was estimated by DerSimonian–Laird random-effects model, after converting by the Freeman–Tukey type double arcsine transformation. From 13,064 publications selected by literature search, 221 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The global pooled prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was 7.6 % (95% CI: 6.9–8.5). The highest estimated prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was in Mexico (69.6%, 95% CI 66.3–72.8), Nigeria (34.0%, 95% CI 12.4–60.0), Bangladesh (42.5%, 95% CI 36.1–49.0) and Republic of Korea (8.3%, 95% CI 4.4–13.2) among general residents, patients, school children and healthy population, respectively. The estimated prevalence was high in people from low-income country, people with gastrointestinal symptoms, people younger than 5 years old and residents not living in urban areas. These estimates indicate the substantial prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in the world, which may provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of the prevention strategy about Cryptosporidium.

Micro-pillars structured surfaces have been found to enhance nucleate boiling significantly, as compared with smooth surfaces. In this study, a VOF-based (volume of fluid) numerical model is developed to investigate the single-bubble dynamics on micro-pillars structured surfaces in nucleate boiling, aiming to understand the effect of pillar height (h) on boiling enhancement. The model is solving by the commercial CFD (computational fluid dynamics) solver Fluent. The results show that increasing h modifies remarkably the bubble morphology. An interesting phenomenon is observed for larger h that the bubble bottom undergoes expansion, shrinkage, and re-expansion in gaps between micro-pillars in the growth stage, so that a mushroom-like bubble is generated, with a small root and a large head. The modified bubble morphology promotes the bubble departure, leading to a shorter departure time. Moreover, increasing h also enhances both evaporation rate in the microlayer and evaporation rate on the liquid-vapor interface, and thereby increasing bubble departure diameter. Thus, the shorter departure time and larger departure diameter are responsible for the enhanced boiling heat transfer on micro-pillar structured surfaces with larger h.

The newly discovered Banduo Pb–Zn deposit in the Somdo area of Tibet is hosted by a Late Triassic granodiorite. A combination of zircon U–Pb dating, Hf isotopic compositions, sulfide Rb–Sr dating, and whole-rock geochemistry was used to determine the age of the mineralization and characterize the metallogenesis of the deposit. The weighted-mean U–Pb ages of zircon from the granodiorite (203.8 ± 1.7 Ma, MSWD = 0.53; 206.1 ± 0.4 Ma, MSWD = 0.098) and the weighted-mean Rb–Sr isochron age of sulfides from the Pb–Zn mineralization (202.7 ± 2.3 Ma; MSWD = 1.3) suggest that the timing of mineralization was close to that of granodiorite crystallization during the Late Triassic. The average (87Sr/86Sr)i value of 0.71026 implies that the ore-forming metals were sourced from a mixture of mantle and crustal material. The weakly altered granodiorite of the deposit is characterized by SiO2 = 66.78–67.85 wt%, K2O = 2.57–3.37 wt%, Al2O3 = 13.53–15.15 wt%, and Mg# = 45.5–51.3. It is enriched in LREEs and LILEs and depleted in HREEs and HFSEs, and it exhibits a negative Eu anomaly. The granodiorite has positive and negative eHf(t) values (−2.5 to 1.7) and crustal model ages (TC DM) of 1.14–1.40 Ga. Hf isotopic analyses and whole-rock geochemistry indicate that the Late Triassic granodiorite was likely sourced from of a mixture of mantle and ancient lower-crust material that had undergone variable degrees of fractional crystallization. Based on regional data, the Banduo deposit is the oldest Pb–Zn deposit in the Gangdese belt and likely formed as a result of the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. The metallogenic epoch indicates that deposits related to the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethys oceanic crust exist in this area. The Late Triassic age of granitoid-hosted mineralization provides additional prospects for exploration in the Gangdese Metallogenic Belt.

Few studies have investigated the spatial variation in road traffic indicators associated with lung cancer risk. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between road traffic-related indicators and lung cancer risk and to estimate its spatial variability. The population-based case control study was conducted, including all the newly diagnosed lung cancer patients (cases) and colorectal cancer patients (controls) in Jiading District, Shanghai from 2014 to 2016. Traffic intensity variable (traffic intensity in a 500 m buffer), residential distance to major road or highway, and greenness exposure at the residence were estimated for each individual. We conducted unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, smoking status and NDVI values and geographically weighted logistic regression (GWLR). The clustering of lung cancer risk was analyzed by Bernoulli model of the SaTScan software. This study included 1461 lung cancer patients and 954 colorectal cancer patients. In multivariate logistic regression, smoking [OR 1.25 95% CI (1.15-1.35)], living50 m from the major road [OR 1.43 95% CI (1.02-2.03)] were significantly associated with lung cancer risk. Residential Proximity to highway, residential greenness, and traffic intensity were not significantly associated with lung cancer risk. The GWLR model showed that the degree of correlation between residential proximity to major road and lung cancer risk varied geographically. The SaTScan results showed a lung cancer cluster in the southwest of Jiading District, Shanghai. Our study suggested that the distance from residence to the main road was significantly associated with lung cancer risk, which varied geographically. It is helpful to further study the traffic factors' spatial variation related to lung cancer risk and carry out reasonable regional planning.

As a successful prevention strategy for controlling the highly contagious and pathogenic disease of spring viremia of carp (SVC), DNA vaccines reported in recent years could trigger protective responses against SVC with the means of injection. However, there remains many concerns and uncertainties related to DNA vaccination as well as injection is labor intensive, costly and not suitable to vaccinate large numbers of fish. Therefore, more efficient and safe prophylactic measures should be urgently investigated. In this research, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the candidate SWCNTs-pET32a-G subunit vaccine carrier were administrated via bath (1, 5, 10, 20, 40 mg L−1) or injection (1, 4, 8, 12, 20 μg) in common carp juvenile, and the different immune treatments to induce immunoprotective effect were analyzed. The results showed that SWCNTs-pET32a-G could enter fish body after immersion for 10 h, furthermore, compared to control groups, antibody levels, the non-specific immune parameters (complement activity, superoxide dismutase activity and alkaline phosphatase activity), and immune-related genes (especially the TNF-α and IFNg2b) in vaccinated groups were significantly enhanced in fish immunized with SWCNTs-subunit vaccine. In addition, as a promising carrier, SWCNTs can increase the immune protective effect of naked subunit vaccine by ca. 16% in bath immunization group and by ca. 23% in injection group. This study suggests that SWCNTs-vaccine may represent a potentially efficient immersion vaccine against viral pathogens of fish in the future.

A new directionally solidified Ni-based superalloy DZ24, which is a modification of K24 alloy without rare and expensive elemental additions, such as Ta and Hf, was studied in this paper. The microstructure and stress rupture properties of conventionally cast and directionally solidified superalloys were comparatively analyzed. It is indicated that the microstructure of K24 alloy is composed of γ, γ′, γ/γ′ eutectics and MC carbides. Compared with the microstructure of K24 polycrystalline alloy, γ/γ′ eutectic completely dissolves into the γ matrix, the fine and regular γ′ phase reprecipitates, and MC carbides decompose to M6C/M23C6 carbides after heat treatment in DZ24 alloy. The rupture life of DZ24 alloy is two times longer than that of K24 alloy. The more homogeneous the size of γ′ precipitate, the longer the rupture life. The coarsening and rafting behaviors of γ′ precipitates are observed in DZ24 alloy after the stress-rupture test.

Over the several decades, China has been incessantly optimizing control strategies in response to the varying epidemic situations of schistosomiasis. We evaluated continuously the changing prevalence under different control strategies of two villages, Sanlian and Guifan, in China through five phases lasting 37 years. We tested residents, calculated prevalence and discussed change causes. We found the prevalence in Sanlian did not differ significant from that of Guifan (p = 0.18) in 1981, but decreased to 2.66%, much lower than Guifan&rsquo, s 11.25%, in 1984 (p = 0). Besides, prevalence in Guifan increased to 21.25% in 1987, while in Sanlian it rose to 20.78% until 1989. Those data confirmed that praziquantel combined with snail control could better reduce the prevalence. From 1992 to 1994, the prevalence in the two villages displayed downtrends, which showed the World Bank Loan Project worked. From 1995 to 2004, repeated oscillations with no obvious change trend was seen. Since 2005, the prevalence in both villages has shown a significant downtrend (p &lt, 0.05), which suggests the integrated strategy is effective. We considered the control strategies were implemented suitably in the study area under changing social circumstances. Adjusting the strategy in consideration of social transformations is necessary and vital. The experience may be useful for policy making of other epidemic areas with an analogous situation.

To study the reasons of natural death of Oncomelania hupensis snails by comparing the differences of the indicator days covered with water (DCW) in snail marshland and non-snail marshland around the build of Three Gorges Dam in Eastern Dongting Lake areas.Two marshlands were selected, one was a non-snail marshland (Qianliang Lake) and another was a snail marshland (Junshan Park). The measuring points were set through the mechanical sampling. The snails and elevation of the points were surveyed, and the data of the water levels from the hydrological station were collected, and then DCWs were calculated.From 1995 to 2013, DCWs of the marshland of natural death of snails were all more than that of the snail marshland (P0.01). In Qianliang Lake marshland, the difference between DCW before natural death and DCW from natural death until the dam was not significant (P = 0.23), while DCWs of the two stages both were more than that after the dam (P1 = 0.045, P2 = 0.002). Before the build of the dam, DCW of the Qianliang Lake marshland of natural death of snails was more than that after the build of the dam (P = 0.013), and there was the same situation in Junshan Park marshland (P = 0.005). The relationship between snail density and DCW was not significant in Junshan Park marshland (r(s) = 0.008, P = 0.914), and the reference range of DCW of all the measuring points was 76-251 days.In the eastern Dongting Lake district, the build of Three Gorges Dam and DCW may be not the direct factors affecting the natural death of snails and the latter may change the distribution of snails.

Background Schistosomiasis remains an important public health issue in China and worldwide. Oncomelania hupensis is the unique intermediate host of schistosoma japonicum, and its change influences the distribution of S. japonica. The Three Gorges Dam (TGD) has substantially changed the ecology and environment in the Dongting Lake region. This study investigated the impact of water level and elevation on the survival and habitat of the snails. Methods Data were collected for 16 bottomlands around 4 hydrological stations, which included water, density of living snails (form the Anxiang Station for Schistosomiasis Control) and elevation (from Google Earth). Based on the elevation, sixteen bottomlands were divided into 3 groups. ARIMA models were built to predict the density of living snails in different elevation areas. Results Before closure of TGD, 7 out of 9 years had a water level beyond the warning level at least once at Anxiang hydrological station, compared with only 3 out of 10 years after closure of TGD. There were two severe droughts that happened in 2006 and 2011, with much fewer number of flooding per year compared with other study years. Overall, there was a correlation between water level changing and density of living snails variation in all the elevations areas. The density of living snails in all elevations areas was decreasing after the TGD was built. The relationship between number of flooding per year and the density of living snails was more pronounced in the medium and high elevation areas; the density of living snails kept decreasing from 2003 to 2014. In low elevation area however, the density of living snails decreased after 2003 first and turned to increase after 2011. Our ARIMA prediction models indicated that the snails would not disappear in the Dongting Lake region in the next 7 years. In the low elevation area, the density of living snails would increase slightly, and then stabilize after the year 2017. In the medium elevation region, the change of the density of living snails would be more obvious and would increase till the year 2020. In the high elevation area, the density of living snails would remain stable after the year 2015. Conclusion The TGD influenced water levels and reduced the risk of flooding and the density of living snails in the study region. Based on our prediction models, the density of living snails in all elevations tends to be stabilized. Control of S. japonica would continue to be an important task in the study area in the coming decade., Author Summary Oncomelania hupensis, an amphibious animal, is the unique intermediate host of schistosoma japonicum. Three Gorges Dam (TGD) is a tremendous hydrological project, and it influences the survival of animals downstream. It is studied for several reasons. First, schistosomiasis is still a world-wide parasitic disease which needs to be prevented and controlled. Second, TGD causes the change of water level, and it will impact the existence of snails, but how TGD causes the change of snails and even the epidemics of schistosomiasis is not revealed. In this study, the authors explore the association between TGD and snails. The time-series data contains over 10-year water level downstream TGD and 10-year density of living snails downstream TGD in Dongting Lake Region. These can help to find out the relationship between the change of water level and the change of density of living snails. After this exploration, we attempt to predict the density of living snails 7years later using ARIMA model.

Hemocytes were collected from Oncomelania hupensis in Junshan, Hunan Province and Puge, Sichuan Province, respectively, and stained with Giemsa solution for light microscopic examination. The cells were classified morphologically. Five types of hemocytes were identified, viz., large acidophilic hyalinocytes, small acidophilic hyalinocytes, basophilic hyalinocytes, basophilic small granulocytes and basophilic large granulocytes. The proportion of small acidophilic hyalinocytes was the most abundant hemocyte [36.7% (229/624) in snails from Junshan and 31.7% (257/810) in snails from Puge], followed by basophilic hyalinocyte [23.1% (144/624) in Junshan and 24.4% (198/810) in Puge]. Basophilic large granulocyte was about 9.3% (58/624) in Junshan and 11.6% (94/810) in Puge. The length of large acidophilic hyalinocytes was the maximum and its nucleocytoplasmic ratio was minimum, followed by small acidophilic hyalinocytes. The length of basophilic cells was shorter and its nucleocytoplasmic ratio was smaller than those of acidophilic cells. There was no significant difference in cellular constituents of hemocytes and the morphological features of hyalinocytes between the snails from Junshan and Puge, while the length and nucleocytoplasmic ratio of granulocytes in Junshan snails were smaller than those of Puge ones.

To study the reasons of natural death of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshland by comparing the differences of environmental factors between snail marshland and non-snail marshland in East Dongting Lake schistosomiasis endemic areas.Two adjoining marshlands were selected, one was a snail marshland and another was a non-snail marshland. The measuring points were set by grid of "20 m x 20 m". The soil moisture, elevation, soil pH and temperature of the points were measured, and the snails of the points were surveyed.The elevation, soil pH and temperature of the snail natural death marshland were all lower than those of the snail marshland (P0.01). The soil moisture, elevation, soil pH and temperature of different snail densities in the snail marshland were different (P0.05). The soil moisture of the non-snail group was higher than that of other four groups (P0.01) and the soil moisture of the group with 0-11 snails per frame was lower than that of other four groups (P0.01). The elevation of the group with 0-11 snails per frame was lower than that of the group with 24-39 snails per frame and the group with more than 39 snails per frame (P0.05). The soil pH of the group without snails was higher than that of other four groups (P0.01) and the soil temperature of the group with 0-11 snails per frame was lower than that of the group with 24-39 snails per frame. The differences of soil moisture and elevation of different death snail densities were not significant, while the differences of soil pH and temperature were significant. The soil pH of the non-snail died group was higher than that of the 2-died, 3-died and more than 3-died groups (P0.05). The soil temperature of the non-snail died group was higher than that of other four groups (P0.05).The elevation, soil pH and soil temperature within the range of the research may be the factors affecting the snail natural death and the soil moisture, elevation, soil pH and soil temperature may be the factors affecting the distribution of snails.

Background Owing to the harmfulness and seriousness of Schistosomiasis japonica in China, the control and prevention of S. japonica transmission are imperative. As the unique intermediate host of this disease, Oncomelania hupensis plays an important role in the transmission. It has been reported that the snail population in Qiangliang Lake district, Dongting Lake Region has been naturally declining and is slowly becoming extinct. Considering the changes of environmental factors that may cause this phenomenon, we try to explore the relationship between circumstance elements and snails, and then search for the possible optimum scopes of environmental factors for snails. Methods Moisture content of soil, pH, temperature of soil and elevation were collected by corresponding apparatus in the study sites. The LISA statistic and GWR model were used to analyze the association between factors and mean snail density, and the values in high-high clustered areas and low-low clustered areas were extracted to find out the possible optimum ranges of these elements for snails. Results A total of 8,589 snail specimens were collected from 397 sampling sites in the study field. Besides the mean snail density, three environmental factors including water content, pH and temperature had high spatial autocorrelation. The spatial clustering suggested that the possible optimum scopes of moisture content, pH, temperature of the soil and elevation were 58.70 to 68.93%, 6.80 to 7.80, 22.73 to 24.23°C and 23.50 to 25.97 m, respectively. Moreover, the GWR model showed that the possible optimum ranges of these four factors were 36.58 to 61.08%, 6.541 to 6.89, 24.30 to 25.70°C and 23.50 to 29.44 m, respectively. Conclusion The results indicated the association between snails and environmental factors was not linear but U-shaped. Considering the results of two analysis methods, the possible optimum scopes of moisture content, pH, temperature of the soil and elevation were 58.70% to 68.93%, 6.6 to 7.0, 22.73°C to 24.23°C, and 23.5 m to 26.0 m, respectively. The findings in this research will help in making an effective strategy to control snails and provide a method to analyze other factors.

To understand the distribution of univalvia molluscs in Eastern Dongting lake area where the Oncomelania hupensis is extinct, so as to explore the causes of extinction and to provide the evidence for formulating schistosomiasis control strategy.The univalvia molluscs of the Qianliang Lake district, Jianxin District and Junshan Park were investigated in August of 2013. All the collected snails were classified and identified. The data were analyzed by using the method of Shapiro-Wilk normality test and non-parametric test. The ecological biodiversity differences from each district were compared by the biodiversity indexes.The univalvia molluscs collected were from 6 species in 3 families in Gastropoda class, namely Oncomelania hupensis Gredler in Pomatiopsidae family, Parafossarulus striatulus, Alocinma longicornis, Parafossarulus sineasis, Bithynia fuchsisana in Bithyniidae family, and one genus provisioy nally named Radix in Lymaneidae family. In Junshan Park, a total of 4553 snails were collected, among which 1264 were Oncomelania snails. In Jianxin District, 336 univalvia molluscs were collected, and no Oncomelania snails were found. In Qianliang Lake district, there were only 7 Alocinma longicornis snails, 2 Parafossarulus sinensis snails and 1 Parafossarulus striatulus snail collected. There were significant differences among the distributions of the samples from the three districts (chi2 = 166.225, P0.01) .The Simpson's diversity indexes in Qianliang Lake area, Jianxin Dis- trict and Junshan Park were 0.4028, 0.7186 and 0.6788, respectively, and the Shannon-Wiener indexes of the 3 areas were 0.7215, 1.4313 and 1.1999, respectively.With the extinction of Oncomelania snails, the species and quantities of other snails become rare in Qianliang Lake area. Whether their causes are relevant is worth further studying.

To understand the change trend of Oncomelania hupensis snails in the bottomland areas of Qian Liang Lake district in Eastern Dongting Lake area so as to provide the evidence for formulating a schistosomiasis control strategy.The monitoring data of snails of Qianliang Lake district from 1988 to 2011 were collected retrospectively and analyzed by using the method of the trend Chi-square test. The correlations among the snail density indicators were analyzed.1988 to 2011, the area of snails surveyed did not change and was 433.2 hm(2). The monitoring data showed that the change trend of the density of living snails and the schistosome infection rates of snails were not obvious (P0.05), but the mortality of snails showed a falling trend (P0.05); There were positive correlations between the average density of infected snails and the mortality of snails (r = 0.640, P0.05) , the infection rate of snails (r = 0.639, P0.05) , and the average density of living snails (r = 0.646, P0.05) , respectively. There was no correlation among other snail indicators. In 1999, only 7 snails were found, of them, only one snail was alive. The alive snails were not found after 2000.In the bottomland areas of Qianliang Lake district, the change trend of the density of alive snails were not obvious from 1988 to 1998, but the number of snails underwent a sharp drop in 1999 and snails have been not found till now.

To evaluate the effects of comprehensive measures with emphasis on schistosomiasis infectious source control at the embankment level.The comprehensive measures with emphasis on schistosomiasis infectious source control were carried out, and the data of human and Oncomelania snail infection rates were collected and analyzed statistically at embankment levels.In Anbao Embankment, except the other comprehensive measures were performed, 2606 buffaloes were removed. The infection rates of residents reduced from 8.04% before the intervention to 0.7% after the intervention, and the infection rates of snails reduced from 0.56% to 0.05%. In Anli Embankment, 535 buffaloes were removed. In the third year after the intervention, the infection rates of residents reduced from 5.87% to 1.09%, and the infection rates of snails reduced from 0.17% to 0.07%. In Anzao Embankment, 62 buffaloes were removed. In the second year after the intervention, the infection rates of residents reduced from 2.67% to 0.39%, and the infection rates of snails reduced from 1.12% to 0.00%. In Anchang Embankment, the buffaloes were not removed. The human infection rates reduced from 1.76% before the intervention to 1.23% after the intervention.The comprehensive measures with emphasis on schistosomiasis infectious source control, especially the buffalo's removal, are effective in the control of schistosome infection rates of residents and snails.

To evaluate the short-term effect of the black film covering combined with niclosamide on Oncomelania hupensis snail control in marshland and lake regions.A ditch with snails in Anxiang County was selected as the experimental sites. The ditch was divided into 3 groups: a film group, a niclosamide group, and a niclosamide and film group. The snails were surveyed before the test and 1, 3, 5, 7 days after the experiment.After the film covering, the highest temperature of the surface of soil was 63.7 degrees C on the first day, and the temperature higher than 40 degrees C lasted 4.34 hours. On the second day, the highest temperature was 52.3 degrees C, and the temperature higher than 40 degrees C lasted 4.96 hours. On the fourth day and fifth day, the temperature was lower than 30 degrees C, while the temperature was lower than 34 degrees C on the sixth day. On the seventh day of the experiment, the snail death rates of the film group, the niclosamide group, and the niclosamide and film group on the soil surface were 16.36%, 58.40% and 53.57%, respectively. On the seventh day, the snail death rates of the film group, and the niclosamide and film group under the soil were 20.00% and 40.00%, respectively, while no snails were found under the soil in the niclosamide group 3 days after the experiment. In mesh bags, the snail death rates of the film group, the niclosamide group, and the niclosamide and film group were 84.00%, 95.33% and 95.33%, respectively.The short-term effect of the black film covering on snail control is not obvious, and the black film covering does no promote the molluscicidal effect of niclosamide.

To detect the snail habitats from the marshland of Eastern Dongting Lake Area, using the Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology based on the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite-02B (CBERS-02B) CCD images.According to the two typical traits of snail habitats in marshland including "water in summer and land in winter" and "no grass, no snails", the "water in summer and land in winter" region and the vegetation coverage region were calculated by RS image processing respectively. The two regions mentioned above were then overlapped to confirm the snail habitats through comparing with the data from field survey under spatial overlapping of Arcgis as the last step.In Eastern Dongting Lake area, the "water in summer and land in winter" region and vegetation coverage region were predicted based on the formula normalized difference water index (NDWI)0.01 and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)0.36, respectively. The snail habitat was determined by theme overlay of the two regions said above. The agreement rate between the prediction and the geospatial data of field survey was 93.55%, which demonstrated the final results were credible and reliable.CBERS-02B image could be used to detect the snail habitats and to monitor the changes of them, so as to find out the characteristics of distribution and the trends of diffusion. The snail index (discriminant 1 and 2) seemed to be suitable for the detection of snail habitats in the marshland of Lake area and used for the programs of snail control.

Experimental results on the study of pyridine molecules adsorbed on Ag films and Ag foils under atmospheric and ultra-high vacuum environments by the secondharmonic generation technique suggest that micro-scaled active sites existing in the evaporated Ag film play the key role for this kind of adsorption.

This study is focused on the effect of boron addition, in the range of 0.0007wt% to 0.03wt%, on the microstructure and stress-rupture properties of a directionally solidified superalloy. With increasing boron content in the as-cast alloys, there is an increase in the fraction of the γ′/γ eutectic and block borides precipitate around the γ′/γ eutectic. At a high boron content of 0.03wt%, there is precipitation of lamellar borides. Upon heat treatment, fine block borides tend to precipitate at grain boundaries with increasing boron content. Overall, the rupture life of the directionally solidified superalloy is significantly improved with the addition of nominal content of boron. However, the rupture life decreases when the boron content exceeds 0.03wt%.