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Particulate matter (PM) has always received widespread attention, PM2.5 pollution is associated with many adverse effects, including cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases and mood disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet clear. In this study, the small animal whole body inhalation exposure system collected real-time PM2.5 in the real environment, which can truly reflect the presence status of PM2.5 in the atmospheric environment. This study investigated the depressive like behavior of mice exposed to PM2.5 for a long time and proved its molecular mechanism through RNA-seq. C57BL/6 male mice were exposed to ambient air together with control mice, who breathed air filtered through high-efficiency air particulate filters. Depression like behavior was observed in mice exposed to PM for 4, 6, and 8 weeks through behavioral experiments, EEG signals, and pathological sections. RNA-seq results indicated that the depressive like behavior of mice exposed to PM2.5 might be related to pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, as well as the BDNF pathways in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb. This study suggests that PM2.5 may induce depression in mice through the MAPK/CREB/BDNF pathway. Environmental Implication: Atmospheric particulate matter has been classified as Class 1 pollutant by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Current research mainly believed that PM2.5 seriously affected lung health, but there was little research on the effects of PM2.5 on other organs. With the improvement of quality of life, people were paying more attention to mental health, while there is little research on the effects of PM2.5 on brain. This study simulated a real PM2.5 exposure environment and explored the effects of PM2.5 on the brain of mice, provided a solid scientific basis for inducing depression after PM2.5 exposure.

ABSTRACT: Campylobacter jejuni continues to be a major public health issue worldwide. Poultry are recognized as the main reservoir for this foodborne pathogen. Implementing measures to decrease C. jejuni colonization on farms has been regarded as the most effective strategy to control the incidence of campylobacteriosis. The probiotics supplementation has been regarded as an attractive approach against C. jejuni in chickens. Here the inhibitory effects of one probiotic B. velezensis isolate CAU277 against C. jejuni was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro antimicrobial activity showed that the supernatant of B. velezensis exhibited the most pronounced inhibitory effects on Campylobacter strains compared to other bacterial species. When co-cultured with B. velezensis, the growth of C. jejuni reduced significantly from 7.46 log10 CFU/mL (24 h) to 1.02 log10 CFU/mL (48 h). Further, the antimicrobial activity of B. velezensis against C. jejuni remained stable under a broad range of temperature, pH, and protease treatments. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that oral administration of B. velezensis significantly reduced the colonization of C. jejuni by 2.0 log10 CFU/g of feces in chicken cecum at 15 d postinoculation. In addition, the supplementary of B. velezensis significantly increased microbial species richness and diversity in chicken ileum, especially enhanced the bacterial population of Alistipes and Christensenellaceae, and decreased the existence of Lachnoclostridium. Our study presents that B. velezensis possesses antimicrobial activities against C. jejuni and promotes microbiota diversity in chicken intestines. These findings indicate a potential to develop an effective probiotic additive to control C. jejuni infection in chicken.

A finite-time path tracking control scheme with state constraint is proposed for the autonomous vehicle path tracking control problem affected by compound disturbance and unmeasurable variables. First, the state observer and the disturbance observer are constructed to estimate the sideslip angle and the compound disturbance, respectively. On this basis, the state constraint finite-time controller is designed by combining the finite-time technique with the introduction of the barrier Lyapunov function and the backstepping control technique. Stability analysis is carried out according to the Lyapunov stability theory to ensure that all signals of the closed-loop system are bounded in finite time. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experiments.

The increasing variety and frequency of subgrade defects in operational highways have led to a rise in road safety incidents. This study employed ground-penetrating radar (GPR) detection and forward simulation to analyze the characteristic patterns of common subgrade defects, such as looseness, voids, and cavities. Through the integration of instantaneous feature information from different defect patterns with complex signal techniques, the boundary judgment of structural layers and anomalies in GPR images of various subgrade defects was improved. An intelligent recognition platform was established, and a radar image dataset was created and trained to evaluate the recognition performance of the You Only Look Once (YOLO) v3 and Single-Shot Multi-Box Detector (SSD) algorithms. Evaluation metrics such as precision, recall, F1-score, average precision (AP), and mean average precision (mAP) were used to assess the detection efficiency and accuracy for subgrade defect images. The results showed that YOLO v3 achieved an average detection accuracy of 76.69%, while the SSD achieved 75.07%. This study demonstrates that the reliability of the intelligent recognition and classification of highway subgrade defects can be enhanced by using GPR for non-destructive testing.

Microseismic monitoring is an effective and widely used technology for dynamic fault disaster early warning and prevention in deep-buried hard rock tunnels. However, the insufficient understanding of the distribution of native faults poses a major challenge to yielding precise early warnings of disasters using an MS (Microseismic Monitoring System). Velocity field inversion is a reliable means to reflect fault information, and there is an urgent need to establish a real-time velocity field inversion method during tunnel excavation. In this paper, a method based on an MS is proposed to achieve the inversion of the velocity field in the monitoring area using microseismic event and excavation blasting data. The velocity field inversion method integrates the reflected wave ray-tracing method based on PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) theory and FWI (Full-Waveform Inversion) theory. The accuracy of the proposed velocity inversion method was verified by various classic numerical simulation cases. In numerical simulations, the robustness of our method is evident in its ability to identify anomalous structural surfaces and velocity discontinuities ahead of the tunnel face.

Ruihai gold mine is a super large underwater gold mine with an initial mining depth of more than 1,400 m. Deep mining may face rockburst disaster. In order to scientifically control the potential rockburst risk, ensure the safety of underground personnel and equipment, and realize the safe and efficient mining of the mine, it is necessary to evaluate the rockburst risk of the mine and formulate appropriate rockburst risk warning and mitigation strategies. XRD mineral composition analysis and conventional rock mechanical tests were carried out on the parent rock granite samples. The results show that there are differences in the lithologic composition and rock mechanics parameters of the three colors of granite, which are preliminarily determined as three kinds of granite; The rockburst tendency of three kinds of granites is evaluated by using three classical rockburst criteria, and the discrimination results of the three rockburst criteria are not completely consistent or even contradictory. The application limitations rockburst risk assessment based on index criteria are discussed and analyzed in detail. It is proposed to apply microseismic monitoring technology to warn and manage the rockburst risk of Ruihai gold mine in development and mining stages, and put forward microseismic monitoring layout schemes and targeted rockburst prevention and control measures in different stages. The research results can provide reference for similar projects.

Abstract The problem of solving a class of Sylvester‐conjugate periodic matrix equations is investigated in this paper. Utilising conjugate gradient method, an iterative algorithm is provided, from which a matrix sequence can be generated to approximate the unknown matrix of the equation to be solved. Theoretical derivation proves that the proposed algorithm is convergent starting from any initial value, and simulation examples show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Background and Aim: As a new feed additive, bile acid (BA) can promote the absorption and transport of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins. In recent years, BAs have been widely used in animal feed to promote fat absorption. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of bile salt supplementation in the diet of yellow-feathered broilers on messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBF1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4). Materials and Methods: Four hundred and twenty commercial male chicks were randomly divided into seven groups (with four replicates per group and 15 chickens per replicate). They were fed diets supplemented with bile salts at 0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 mg/kg, and 2 mg/kg tylosin for 30 days. Changes in SREBF1, fatty acid transporter 4, FAS, and acetyl- CoA carboxylase genes in intestinal mucosa and liver of yellow-feathered broilers were determined using a quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction. Results: mRNA expression of SREBF1, FAS, ACC, and FATP4 in the small intestine decreased in chicks fed diets supplemented with 3.5 and 4.5 mg/kg bile salts (p

In their daily use of social media, most people cannot maintain consistency in every message they present, leading observers to experience a feeling of inconsistency. Building on computer-mediated interpersonal theories [i.e., attribution theory, warranting theory, and authenticity model of computer-mediated communication (CMC)], this study aims to explore how people interpret and reconcile perceived inconsistent expressions on social media. Through thematic analysis of data obtained from six focus groups, two main themes were extracted: the origin of perceived inconsistency on social media and the strategies for reconciling perceived inconsistency. Specifically, three forms of perceived inconsistent information were identified: those within the same account; those between public and private accounts; and those between online and offline settings. Additionally, three types of reconciliation strategies were distilled from participants’ narratives: relying on authentic representation; engaging in perspective-taking to compensate for situational factors; and inferring inner motives behind acting inconsistently. With these two themes, this study proposes a two-stage model of processing inconsistency (i.e., reasoning from inconsistency to consistency) in CMC. This model suggests that several factors–including perceived authenticity, social categorical cues, and relationship or familiarity between observers and a presenter–are involved in perceiving inconsistent information and determine the outcomes of interpersonal evaluations. These findings enhance our understanding of online interpersonal perceptions.

Choosing reasonable control measures for different intensity rockburst risks not only effectively prevents and mitigates rockburst risks but also reduces time and engineering investment costs. Due to the limitations of the tunnel boring machine’s structure and working conditions, tunnels excavated by TBMs are highly susceptible to rockbursts. What is even worse is that there are very few measures to control the rockburst risk in these tunnels. Implementing reasonable control measures from the limited mitigation measures to control and mitigate rockburst in TBM tunnels is an urgent problem that warrants a solution. In this paper, a large number of on-site rockburst risk control cases and a large amount of MS monitoring data (the total mileage of MS monitoring is approximately 7 km, lasting for 482 days) are used to derive a reasonable scheme to control the rockburst risk of different intensities in twin TBM tunnels. First, the rockburst early warning effect of the two headrace tunnels of the Neelum–Jhelum hydropower station based on microseismic monitoring is analyzed. Second, based on highly accurate rockburst warning results, 94 rockburst risk control cases are applied to analyze the control effect of different control measures at different intensities of rockburst risk. Then, by combining factors such as the time cost and expense cost of different control measures, more reasonable control measures for different intensity rockburst risks are proposed: for slight rockburst risk, normal excavation is preferred; for moderate rockburst risk, horizontal destress boreholes are preferred; and for intense rockburst risk, a combination of measures of shortening daily advance and horizontal destress boreholes is preferred. The research results can provide a reference for other TBM excavation projects to carry out rockburst risk prevention and mitigation.

Seed germination marks the beginning of a new plant life cycle. Improving the germination rate of seeds and the consistency of seedling emergence in the field could improve crop yields. Many genes are involved in the regulation of seed germination. Our previous study found that some peanut XTHs (xyloglucan endotransglucosylases/hydrolases) were expressed at higher levels at the newly germinated stage. However, studies of the XTH gene family in peanut have not been reported. In this study, a total of 58 AhXTH genes were identified in the peanut genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these AhXTHs, along with 33 AtXTHs from Arabidopsis and 61 GmXTHs from soybean, were classified into three subgroups: the I/II, IIIA and IIIB subclades. All AhXTH genes were unevenly distributed on the 18 peanut chromosomes, with the exception of chr. 07 and 17, and they had relatively conserved exon-intron patterns, most with three to four introns. Through chromosomal distribution pattern and synteny analysis, it was found that the AhXTH family experienced many replication events, including 42 pairs of segmental duplications and 23 pairs of tandem duplications, during genome evolution. Conserved motif analysis indicated that their encoded proteins contained the conserved ExDxE domain and N-linked glycosylation sites and displayed the conserved secondary structural loops 1–3 in members of the same group. Expression profile analysis of freshly harvested seeds, dried seeds, and newly germinated seeds using transcriptome data revealed that 26 AhXTH genes, which account for 45% of the gene family, had relatively higher expression levels at the seed germination stage, implying the important roles of AhXTHs in regulating seed germination. The results of quantitative real-time PCR also confirmed that some AhXTHs were upregulated during seed germination. The results of GUS histochemical staining showed that AhXTH4 was mainly expressed in germinated seeds and etiolated seedlings and had higher expression levels in elongated hypocotyls. AhXTH4 was also verified to play a crucial role in the cell elongation of hypocotyls during seed germination.

BackgroundMobile devices have greatly facilitated the use of digital health resources, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile health (mHealth) has become a common and important way to monitor and improve health conditions for people from different social classes. The ability to utilize mHealth affects its effectiveness; therefore, the widespread application of mHealth technologies calls for an instrument that can accurately measure health literacy in the era of mobile media. ObjectiveWe aimed to (1) identify the components of mHealth literacy for ordinary users and (2) develop a systematic scale for appropriately measuring individuals’ self-perceived mHealth literacy through a problem-based framework. MethodsWe conducted an exploratory study involving in-depth interviews and observations (15 participants) in January 2020 and used exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to identify the components of mHealth literacy and develop an item pool. In February 2020, we conducted a pilot survey with 148 participants to explore the factor structures of items identified during the exploratory study. Subsequently, 2 surveys were administrated using quota sampling. The first survey (conducted in Guangdong, China) collected 552 responses during March 2020; we assessed composite reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The second survey (conducted in China nationwide) collected 433 responses during October 2021; we assessed criterion-related validity using structural equation modeling. ResultsWe identified 78 items during the exploratory study. The final scale—the Problem-Based mHealth Literacy Scale—consists of 33 items that reflect 8 domains of mHealth literacy. The first web-based survey suggested that mHealth literacy consists of 8 factors (ie, subscales), namely, mHealth desire, mobile phone operational skills, acquiring mHealth information, acquiring mHealth services, understanding of medical terms, mobile-based patient–doctor communication, evaluating mHealth information, and mHealth decision-making. These factors were found to be reliable (composite reliability >0.7), with good convergent validity (average variance extracted >0.5) and discriminant validity (square root of average variance extracted are greater than the correlation coefficients between factors). The findings also revealed that these 8 factors should be grouped under a second-order factor model (χ2/df=2.701; comparative fit index 0.921; root mean square error of approximation 0.056; target coefficient 0.831). The second survey revealed that mHealth use had a significant impact (β=0.43, P

A triangle subchannel model was established to study the flow and heat transfer characteristics of lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) alloy and the erosion rate of the core channel by the particulate in LBE. Under different inlet velocities, particle types, particle diameters, and particle concentrations, the erosion law of the channel wall in LEB was investigated by using a discrete phase model (DPM). The results of this study showed that with the increase of inlet velocity, the outlet temperature of the LEB decreases and the heat transfer capacity was strengthened. The increase of inlet velocity will lead to the increase of erosion rate on the wall, and the change is exponential. The erosion rate of particulate in the low concentration is small but cannot be ignored; with increasing concentration of particulates, the erosion of the wall by particulates becomes serious. The effect of particulate density on the wall erosion rate can be ignored. The effect of changing the particle size on the erosion rate is more significant when the particle size is small, and at the same time, the erosion rate of the particles on the wall increases with the increase of the particle size.

This study aims to understand how the valence of self-disclosure (operationalized as the dominantly positive vs. balanced vs. dominantly negative social media posts of a future collaborator) influences first impression formation on social media. We also focus on trustworthiness as a mediator and perceived homophily as a moderator to specify the underlying mechanisms through which self-disclosure valence affects first impression formation. The results from an online experiment (N = 204) suggest that self-disclosure valence has a significant effect on perceived trustworthiness and likability when individuals evaluate an unknown future collaborator using the social media profile. Trustworthiness mediates the effect of self-disclosure valence on likability when the individuals feel that they are dissimilar or even slightly similar to strangers. At that time, individuals tend to seek cues from both self-disclosure valence and perceived homophily to form the trustworthiness perception, and the influence of self-disclosure depends on the level of perceived homophily.

The NAC transcription factor (TF) is one of the most significant TFs in plants and is widely involved in plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. To date, there are no systematic studies on the NAC family in peanuts. Herein, 132 AhNACs were identified from the genome of cultivated peanut, and they were classified into eight subgroups (I–VIII) based on phylogenetic relationships with Arabidopsis NAC proteins and their conserved motifs. These genes were unevenly scattered on all 20 chromosomes, among which 116 pairs of fragment duplication events and 1 pair of tandem duplications existed. Transcriptome analysis showed that many AhNAC genes responded to drought and abscisic acid (ABA) stresses, especially most of the members in groups IV, VII, and VIII, which were expressed at larger differential levels under polyethylene glycol (PEG) and/or ABA treatment in roots or leaves. Furthermore, 20 of them selected in response to PEG and ABA treatment were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that these genes significantly responded to drought and ABA in roots and/or leaves. This study was helpful for guiding the functional characterization and improvement of drought-resistant germplasms in peanuts.

LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1) is a HAP3 subunit of CCAAT-binding transcription factor, which controls several aspects of embryo and postembryo development, including embryo morphogenesis, storage reserve accumulation and skotomorphogenesis. Herein, using the method of chromosomal walking, a 2707bp upstream sequence from the ATG initiation codon site of AhLEC1A which is a homolog of Arabidopsis LEC1 was isolated in peanut. Its transcriptional start site confirmed by 5' RACE was located at 82 nt from 5' upstream of ATG. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that there existed many tissue-specific elements and light responsive motifs in its promoter. To identify the functional region of the AhLEC1A promoter, seven plant expression vectors expressing the GUS (β-glucuronidase) gene, driven by 5' terminal series deleted fragments of AhLEC1A promoter, were constructed and transformed into Arabidopsis. Results of GUS histochemical staining showed that the regulatory region containing 82bp of 5' UTR and 2228bp promoter could facilitate GUS to express preferentially in the embryos at different development periods of Arabidopsis. Taken together, it was inferred that the expression of AhLEC1A during seed development of peanut might be controlled positively by several seed-specific regulatory elements, as well as negatively by some other regulatory elements inhibiting its expression in other organs. Moreover, the GUS expression pattern of transgenic seedlings in darkness and in light was relevant to the light-responsive elements scattered in AhLEC1A promoter segment, implying that these light-responsive elements harbored in the AhLEC1A promoter regulate skotomorphogenesis of peanut seeds, and AhLEC1A expression was inhibited after the germinated seedlings were transferred from darkness to light.

To study the mechanical properties of red clay under repeated dry and wet cycle test conditions, in this paper, the disturbed red clay in an engineering area in Liuzhou, Guangxi Province, was taken as the research object. By artificially controlling different dry and wet cycles in the laboratory, a direct shear test and triaxial consolidation drainage test were carried out on the red clay samples after different dry and wet cycles. The stress-strain curve and change rule of corresponding c and φ values were obtained. The results showed that, in both the direct shear test and the triaxial test, the shear strength parameters of red clay decreased with an increase in the number of dry and wet cycles and the attenuation was most obvious during the first cycle. With an increase in the number of dry and wet cycles, the attenuation gradually decreased. The constitutive model of the deviatoric stress and strain curve of red clay under dry and wet cycles was a plastic-hardening type. By analyzing the variation in parameters in the P-H model, the relationship between c, φ, and the number of dry and wet cycles n was obtained. The results showed that the parameters had different degrees of attenuation with the action of dry and wet cycles. To explain the above rules, some samples under different drying-wetting cycles were selected for environmental electron microscope scanning, and appropriate assumptions were made based on the microstructure.

Introduction: Lack of a gold standard definition for advanced Parkinson's Disease (APD), coupled with absence of disease severity information in diagnostic codes, hinders use of large administrative databases for conducting population health and comparative effectiveness studies. Methods: Using pharmacy claims data, we created an algorithm to identify APD: any 30-day average levodopa equivalent dose (LED) >1000 mg/day. Using 2013 100% U.S. Medicare claims, we applied this algorithm and used multivariate logistic regression to examine associations between assigned APD status and claims-based indicators of PD severity (any deep brain stimulation, fall, hallucinations, walker, wheelchair, specialty bed, dementia diagnosis, skilled nursing facility, hospice), adjusting for sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics. Levodopa >1000 mg/day, levodopa >800 mg/day and LED >800 mg/day were used in sensitivity analysis. Results: In our sample (N = 144,703), 20% were assigned APD status based on the LED >1000 mg/day cut-off. This group had significantly higher odds of having each claims-based indicator, compared with those assigned mild-moderate PD status. Odds ratios were highest for indicators for any DBS (OR: 2.96; 95% CI:2.75–3.19) and specialty bed (OR:2.15, 95% CI: 1.99–2.32) and lowest for fall (OR:1.27; 95% CI:1.20–1.34) and dementia diagnosis (OR:1.21; 95% CI:1.18–1.25). Results based on alternative approaches were similar. Conclusions: Medicare patients classified as having APD via a pharmacy claims-based algorithm had higher odds of having claims-based clinical markers of APD, compared with patients categorized as having mild-moderate PD. This proxy strategy could facilitate future claims-based studies and warrants further refinement and validation using medical records or other clinical sources.

Seed dormancy and germination are the two important traits related to plant survival, reproduction and crop yield. To understand the regulatory mechanisms of these traits, it is crucial to clarify which genes or pathways participate in the regulation of these processes. However, little information is available on seed dormancy and germination in peanut. In this study, seeds of the variety Luhua No.14, which undergoes nondeep dormancy, were selected, and their transcriptional changes at three different developmental stages, the freshly harvested seed (FS), the after-ripening seed (DS) and the newly germinated seed (GS) stages, were investigated by comparative transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that genes with increased transcription in the DS vs FS comparison were overrepresented for oxidative phosphorylation, the glycolysis pathway and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, suggesting that after a period of dry storage, the intermediates stored in the dry seeds were rapidly mobilized by glycolysis, the TCA cycle, the glyoxylate cycle, etc.; the electron transport chain accompanied by respiration was reactivated to provide ATP for the mobilization of other reserves and for seed germination. In the GS vs DS pairwise comparison, dozens of the upregulated genes were related to plant hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction, including the majority of components involved in the auxin signal pathway, brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signal transduction as well as some GA and ABA signal transduction genes. During seed germination, the expression of some EXPANSIN and XYLOGLUCAN ENDOTRANSGLYCOSYLASE genes was also significantly enhanced. To investigate the effects of different hormones during seed germination, the contents and differential distribution of ABA, GAs, BRs and IAA in the cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles, and plumules of three seed sections at different developmental stages were also investigated. Combined with previous data in other species, it was suggested that the coordination of multiple hormone signal transduction nets plays a key role in radicle protrusion and seed germination.

Drifting snow, the flow of dispersed snow particles near ground level under the action of wind, is a major form of snow damage. When drifting snow occurs on railways, highways, and other transportation lines, it seriously affects their operational safety and results in drifting snow disasters. Drifting snow disasters frequently occur in the high latitudes of northwest China. At present, most scholars are committed to studying the prevention and control measures of drifting snow, but the prerequisite for prevention is to effectively evaluate the susceptibility of drifting snow along railways and highways to identify areas with a high risk of occurrence. Taking the Xinjiang Afukuzhun Railway as an example, this study uses a geographic information system (GIS) combined with on-site monitoring and surveys to establish a drifting snow susceptibility evaluation index system. The drifting snow susceptibility index (DSSI) is calculated through the weight of an evidence (WOE) model, and a genetic algorithm backpropagation (GA-BP) algorithm is used to obtain optimised evaluation index weights to improve the accuracy of model evaluation. The results show that the accuracies of the WOE model, WOE backpropagation (WOE-BP) model, and weight of evidence genetic algorithm backpropagation (WOE-GA-BP) model are 0.747, 0.748, and 0.785, respectively, indicating that the method can be effectively applied to evaluate drifting snow susceptibility.

This paper proposes a novel approach to deal with pilot contamination for spatially correlated massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with insufficient pilots. Specifically, a typical multi-cell multi-terminal time division duplex massive MIMO system is modeled first. To maximize the average achievable system capacity, a user grouping method which progressively merges the individual terminals with the largest angle of arrival similarity is proposed to mitigate the intra-cell interference. Furthermore, in order to alleviate the inter-cell interference, a pilot allocation method is proposed, including two algorithms, i.e., group matching algorithm and graph coloring-based pilot allocation algorithm. Compared with the existing pilot allocation schemes, the simulation results validate that the proposed approach can effectively improve the complexity-performance trade-off with a finite number of the base station antennas.

In this paper, the delay and delay-constrained throughput performance of a point-to-point wireless-powered communication system is investigated. In this system, the wireless-powered node, e.g., a user equipment (UE), receives data at the same time when powered from the other node, e.g., an access point (AP), and uses the harvested wireless energy to send data to the other node. The investigation focuses on the delay performance of sending data in the downlink (DL) from the AP node to the UE node and that in the uplink (UL) from the UE node to the AP node, based on which the throughput performance on both directions when delay constraints are enforced is also studied. To this aim, the cumulative service capacity of the service process is first analyzed for both DL and UL, taking into consideration the delay caused by the nontransmission phase for the AP or UE in each charging cycle. Thereafter, a general upper bound on the delay distribution for stochastic traffic arrivals is obtained for both DL and UL, based on which the delay-constrained throughput performance is further studied. In addition, to ensure the delay performance, the required energy storage capacity and wireless charging rate are investigated. The obtained results are exemplified with two specific traffic types, and the accuracy of the analysis is validated by comparison with extensive simulation results. The analysis and results shed new light on the performance of wireless-powered communication systems.

Adsorption of a cationic surfactant dodecyl pyridinium chloride (DPC) on silica was studied to show a comparison with the adsorption of an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), whose carbon chain length is the same and on the same silica. Results provided a better understanding of the adsorption mechanism of cationic and anionic surfactant on negatively charged silica. The experiment covered different electrolyte concentrations and pH values. Results indicated that at the same pH, the DPC adsorption amounts are higher when the electrolyte concentration is higher; at a higher DPC equilibrium concentration, the adsorption amount difference is larger than that at low DPC equilibrium concentration, and when DPC equilibrium concentration is lower than 0.1 mmol/L, the adsorption amount difference cannot be observed. At charge compensation point (CCP, 0 zeta potential), the negative surface charge of silica was compensated by DP+, a continuous increasing zeta potential indicated a bilayer adsorption of DPC on silica. The adsorption amount increased with increasing pH. The calculated lines by Gu and Zhu model show a two-step property, including a bilayer and hemi-micelle adsorption. DPC adsorbed more strongly on silica than SDS due to the combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic attraction.

Background: The proportion of outpatient surgeries performed in physician offices has been increasing over time, raising concern about the impact on outcomes. Objective: To use a private insurance claims database to compare 7-day and 30-day hospitalization rates following relatively complex outpatient surgical procedures across physician offices, freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). Methods: A multivariable logistic regression model was used to compare the risk-adjusted probability of hospitalization among patients after any of the 88 study outpatient procedures at physician offices, ASCs, and HOPDs over 2008-2012 in Florida. Results: Risk-adjusted hospitalization rates were higher following procedures performed in physician offices compared with ASCs for all procedures grouped together, for most procedures grouped by type, and for many individual procedures. Conclusions: Hospitalizations following surgery were more likely for procedures performed in physician offices compared with ASCs, which highlights the need for ongoing research on the safety and efficacy of office-based surgery.

Using US Medicaid data, we found that 52% of adult Medicaid patients with acute respiratory tract infections filled prescriptions for antimicrobial drugs in 2007. Factors associated with lower likelihood of use were higher county-level availability of primary care physicians and state-level participation in a campaign for appropriate antimicrobial drug use.

The asymmetric unit contains two independent molecules, C10H19N3, which are linked into dimers by two Npyrrole—H...Namine hydrogen bonds.

BackgroundCost sharing is widely used to encourage therapeutic substitution. This study aimed to examine the impact of increases in patient cost‐sharing differentials for brand name and generic drugs on statin utilization on entry into the Medicare Part D coverage gap. Method and ResultsUsing 5% Medicare Chronic Condition Warehouse files from 2006, this quasi‐experimental study examined patients with hyperlipidemia who filled prescriptions for atorvastatin or rosuvastatin between January and March 2006. Propensity score matching and difference‐in‐difference regressions were used to compare changes in statin utilization for the study group (patients who were not eligible for low‐income subsidies [non–LIS] and had generic‐only gap coverage) to those of a control group (LIS patients who faced the same cost sharing before and during the Part D coverage gap). In the final sample, 801 patients in the study group were matched to 801 patients in the control group. We found that, compared to the control group, the study group had a larger decline in any monthly brand‐name statin use (−0.24 30‐day fills, P

Spatially and temporally regulated membrane trafficking events incorporate membrane and cell wall materials into the pollen tube apex and are believed to underlie the rapid pollen tube growth. In plants, the molecular mechanisms and physiological functions of intra-Golgi transport and Golgi integrity maintenance remain largely unclear. The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex has been implicated in tethering of retrograde intra-Golgi vesicles in yeast and mammalian cells. Using genetic and cytologic approaches, we demonstrate that T-DNA insertions in Arabidopsis COG complex subunits, COG3 and COG8, cause an absolute, male-specific transmission defect that can be complemented by expression of COG3 and COG8 from the LAT52 pollen promoter, respectively. No obvious abnormalities in the microgametogenesis of the two mutants are observed, but in vitro and in vivo pollen tube growth are defective. COG3 or COG8 proteins fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) label the Golgi apparatus. In pollen of both mutants, Golgi bodies exhibit altered morphology. Moreover, γ-COP and EMP12 proteins lose their tight association with the Golgi. These defects lead to the incorrect deposition of cell wall components and proteins during pollen tube growth. COG3 and COG8 interact directly with each other, and a structural model of the Arabidopsis COG complex is proposed. We believe that the COG complex helps to modulate Golgi morphology and vesicle trafficking homeostasis during pollen tube tip growth.

OBJECTIVE:Since 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have published 5-star quality rating measures to aid consumers in choosing Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans (MAPDs). We examined the impact of these star ratings on Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) enrollment before and after 2012, when star ratings became tied to bonus payments for MAPDs that could be used to improve plan benefits and/or reduce premiums in the subsequent year. METHODS:A longitudinal design and multivariable hybrid models were used to assess whether star ratings had a direct impact on concurrent year MAPD contract enrollment (by influencing beneficiary choice) and/or an indirect impact on subsequent year MAPD contract enrollment (because ratings were linked to bonus payments). The main analysis was based on contract-year level data from 2009-2015. We compared effects of star ratings in the pre-bonus payment period (2009-2011) and post-bonus payment period (2012-2015). Extensive sensitivity analyses varied the analytic techniques, unit of analysis, and sample inclusion criteria. Similar analyses were conducted separately using stand-alone PDP contract-year data; since PDPs were not eligible for bonus payments, they served as an external comparison group. RESULT:The main analysis included 3,866 MAPD contract-years. A change of star rating had no statistically significant effect on concurrent year enrollment in any of the pre-, post-, or pre-post combined periods. On the other hand, star rating increase was associated with a statistically significant increase in the subsequent year enrollment (a 1-star increase associated with +11,337 enrollees, p

To improve rural access to care, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 allowed eligible rural hospitals to convert to critical access hospitals (CAHs), which changed their Medicare payment from a prospective payment system (PPS) to a cost-based system. The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of CAH conversion on rural hospital operating revenues, operating expenses, and operating margins using an eight-year panel of 89 rural hospitals in Iowa. Ad hoc hospital revenue, cost, and profit functions were estimated using panel data fixed-effects linear models. We found that rural hospital CAH conversion was associated with significant increases in hospital operating revenues, expenses, and margins.

Hospital specialization has become a controversial topic, culminating in a moratorium issued in 2003 by Congress directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to cease payments to new physician-owned specialty hospitals for those Medicare and Medicaid patients referred by physicians with a financial interest in the facility. This paper focuses on one important economic question: does the presence of specialty hospitals in a market affect general hospitals' financial performance? We estimate longitudinal fixed-effects models for a national panel of short-term acute care hospitals for the period 1997 though 2004; models are estimated for general hospital patient-care revenue, costs, and operating margins. We find that the presence of one or more new or established specialty hospitals in a market has a negative effect on general hospital costs and a positive effect on general hospital operating margins. Results, which were consistent across several different modeling approaches, imply that the presence of specialty hospitals encourages greater efficiency on the part of incumbent general hospitals, and the existence of profits attracts market entry. Our findings question the contention that competition from specialty hospitals harms general hospitals financially.