Hollow structured CdS@ZnIn2S4 Z-scheme heterojunction for bifunctional photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and selective benzylamine oxidation.

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) is frequently constrained by inadequate light utilization and the rapid combination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Additionally, conventional PHE processes are often facilitated by the addition of sacrificial reagents to consume photo-induced holes, which makes this approach economically unfavorable. Herein, we designed a spatially separated bifunctional cocatalyst decorated Z-scheme heterojunction of hollow structured CdS (HCdS) @ZnIn2S4 (ZIS), which was prepared by a sacrificial hard template method followed by photo-deposition. Consequently, PdOx@HCdS@ZIS@Pt exhibited efficient PHE (86.38 mmol·g-1·h-1) and benzylamine (BA) oxidation coupling (164.75 mmol·g-1·h-1) with high selectivity (97.34 %). The unique hollow core-shelled morphology and bifunctional cocatalyst loading in this work hold great potential for the design and synthesis of bifunctional Z-scheme photocatalysts.

The Mechanism of Anticorrosion Performance and Mechanical Property Differences between Seawater Sea-Sand and Freshwater River-Sand Ultra-High-Performance Polymer Cement Mortar (UHPC).

There are abundant sea-sand resources on the earth. Traditional sea-sand concrete faced various problems relating to insufficient anticorrosion ability. In this paper, artificial seawater, sea sand, industrial waste, steel fiber, and polycarboxylate superplasticizer were used to prepare ultra-high-performance polymer cement mortar (SSUHPC). At the same time, freshwater river-sand ultra-high-performance polymer cement mortar (FRUHPC) with the same mixing ratio was prepared for comparative study. The compressive strength of SSUHPC reached 162.1 MPa, while the that of FRUHPC reached 173.3 MPa, which was slightly higher. Meanwhile, SSUHPC showed excellent anticorrosion characteristics in terms of carbonization, frost resistance and chloride resistance, and especially for sulfate resistance. The composition of SSUHPC was separated into three parts: mortar, pore and steel fiber, and the performance difference mechanisms of SSUHPC and FRUHPC were investigated by X-ray computed tomography (X-CT), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The hydration degree of mortar in SSUHPC was higher, with higher content of CSH and CH, and its better optimized gel pore characteristics gave SSUHPC better corrosion resistance. The mechanical properties of SSUHPC were slightly poor due to the uneven dispersion of steel fibers and air pores, with an- air pore porosity of 1.52% (above 200 µm) that was twice that of FRUHPC (0.6%). In this paper, the mechanics and anticorrosion performance of ultra-high-performance polymer cement mortar prepared with seawater sea sand were comprehensively evaluated, and the mechanism of performance difference between SSUHPC and FRUHPC was revealed, conducive to the targeted improvement of sea sand concrete.

Camera calibration method using synthetic speckle pattern with an improved gray wolf optimizer algorithm.

Camera calibration is essential for various vision-based 3D metrological techniques. In this paper, a novel camera calibration method, to the best of our knowledge, combining synthetic speckle pattern and an improved gray wolf optimizer algorithm is presented. The synthetic speckle pattern serves as the calibration target. The particle swarm algorithm-based digital image correlation is employed to achieve matches among 3D control points and 2D image points; then the improved gray wolf optimizer algorithm is used to calculate the camera parameters. For verification, simulated and real tests are conducted. Through the analysis of calibration results, the proposed method performs better and is more stable than other calibration targets. Research on the influence of camera pose and optimization algorithm is conducted, showing that the improved gray wolf optimizer algorithm performs better than other benchmark algorithms. The camera parameters can be obtained through one captured image when the speckle patterns are added in the portion of the camera sensor.

The values of coagulation function in COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the blood coagulation function in COVID-19 patients, and the correlation between coagulopathy and disease severity. METHODS: We retrospectively collected 147 clinically diagnosed COVID-19 patients at Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital of Hubei, China. We analyzed the coagulation function in COVID-19 patients through the data including thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), α2-plasmininhibitor-plasmin Complex (PIC), thrombomodulin (TM), t-PA/PAI-1 Complex (t-PAIC), prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), thrombin time (TT), D-Dimer (DD), and platelet (PLT). RESULT: The levels of TAT, PIC, TM, t-PAIC, PT, INR, FIB, and DD in COVID-19 patients were higher than health controls (p<0.05), and also higher in the patients with thrombotic disease than without thrombotic disease (p<0.05). What's more, the patients with thrombotic disease had a higher case-fatality (p<0.05). TAT, PIC, TM, t-PAIC, PT, INR, APTT, FIB, DD, and PLT were also found correlated with disease severity. Meanwhile, we found that there were significant difference in TAT, TM, t-PAIC, PT, INR, APTT, DD, and PLT in the death and survival group. Further using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis also found that t-PAIC and DD were independent risk factors for death in patients and are excellent predicting the mortality risk of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Most COVID-19 patients with inordinate coagulation systems, dynamic monitoring of coagulation parameters might be a key in the control of COVID-19 death.

Dam Safety Evaluation Based on Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets and Evidence Theory.

Considering the multi-sources, heterogeneity and complexity of dam safety assessment, a dam safety assessment model based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set and evidence theory is proposed to perform dam safety reliability evaluations. In the proposed model, the dynamic reliability based on the supporting degree is applied to modify the data from homologous information. The interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set is used to describing the uncertainty and fuzziness between heterogeneous information. Evidence theory is employed to integrate the data from heterogeneous information. Finally, a multiple-arch dam undergoing structural reinforcement is taken as an example. The evaluation result before reinforcement shows that the safety degree of the dam is low and the potential risk is more likely to be located at the dam section #13. From the geological survey before reinforcement, there exist weak fracture zone and broken mud belt in the foundation of the dam section #13. The comparison between the evaluation results before and after reinforcement indicates that the dam become safer and more stable after reinforcement.

Atherogenic Index in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Relationship with Chronic Microvascular Complications.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate risk factors related to atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), as well as the relationship between AIP and chronic microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: This study included 2523 patients with T2DM who had not been treated with lipid-lowering drugs and were admitted to the Department of Endocrinology at Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, during the period from January 2015 to February 2018. Anthropometric indicators were measured after overnight fasting. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) were detected by enzymatic analysis. Standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance testing was performed to measure 0 and 2 hr plasma levels of glucose and insulin. Insulin sensitivity was assessed with HOMA-IR. RESULTS: Increase in AIP was associated with an increased risk for hypertension (P < 0.05), HbA1c (P < 0.05), HOMA-IR (P < 0.05), UA (P < 0.05), and decreased eGFR levels (P < 0.05). Furthermore, AIP values directly correlated with BMI (r = 0.182, P < 0.001), waist circumference (r = 0.129, P < 0.001), blood glucose index (FBG (r = 0.153, P < 0.001), PPBG (r = 0.117, P < 0.001), and HbA1c (r = 0.074, P < 0.001)), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; r = 0.112, P < 0.001), and uric acid (UA, r = 0.177, P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that waist circumference, HOMA-IR, FBG, systolic blood pressure, and UA were independent risk factors for AIP (all P < 0.05). The prevalence of diabetic neuropathy and metabolic syndrome was significantly higher among patients with higher AIP. CONCLUSION: AIP represents a clinically convenient indicator for the detection of T2DM with high risk of complications and associated diseases and thus is a good predictor and indicator for follow-up monitoring in the treatment of patients with high-risk type 2 diabetes.

Research on early-warning index of the spatial temperature field in concrete dams.

Warning indicators of the dam body's temperature are required for the real-time monitoring of the service conditions of concrete dams to ensure safety and normal operations. Warnings theories are traditionally targeted at a single point which have limitations, and the scientific warning theories on global behavior of the temperature field are non-existent. In this paper, first, in 3D space, the behavior of temperature field has regional dissimilarity. Through the Ward spatial clustering method, the temperature field was divided into regions. Second, the degree of order and degree of disorder of the temperature monitoring points were defined by the probability method. Third, the weight values of monitoring points of each regions were explored via projection pursuit. Forth, a temperature entropy expression that can describe degree of order of the spatial temperature field in concrete dams was established. Fifth, the early-warning index of temperature entropy was set up according to the calculated sequential value of temperature entropy. Finally, project cases verified the feasibility of the proposed theories. The early-warning index of temperature entropy is conducive to the improvement of early-warning ability and safety management levels during the operation of high concrete dams.

Common genetic variants in the microRNA biogenesis pathway are associated with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor risk in a Chinese population.

PURPOSE: The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in tumorigenesis has been well established. Genetic variants in the miRNA biogenesis pathway genes may modify cancer development and survival by affecting the miRNA biogenesis. Our aim is to investigate the association of polymorphisms in the miRNA biogenesis pathway genes and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) risk among neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients. METHODS: A case-control study was performed to analyze 53 SNPs in 11 miRNA biogenesis pathway genes in 356 patients (200 patients with NF1 and 156 patients with both NF1 and MPNST) in China. Association analysis was performed in an additive genetic model by logistics regression. RESULTS: Four SNPs (DDX5 rs1991401, OR=1.79, 95% CI, 1.34-2.38, P=7.90 × 10(-5); DROSHA rs10719, OR=1.64, 95% CI, 1.23-2.20, P=8.76 × 10(-4); AGO2 rs7005286, OR=0.48, 95% CI, 0.32-0.72, P=3.46 × 10(-4); GEMIN4 rs7813, OR=0.50, 95% CI, 0.34-0.72, P=2.65 × 10(-4)) were significantly associated with MPNST risk. A strong gene-dose effect with increased MPNST risk (P for trend<0.001) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variants in the miRNA biogenesis pathway genes may modify MPNST risk both individually and jointly.

Identification of serum microRNAs in genome-wide serum microRNA expression profiles as novel noninvasive biomarkers for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor diagnosis.

Recent studies found that serum microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as stable and noninvasive biomarkers for disease diagnosis. We used genome-wide serum miRNA expression analysis to investigate the role of serum miRNAs in distinguishing malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) patients with and without neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) from NF1 patients. A total of 100 patients with NF1, 93 sporadic MPNST patients, and 71 NF1 MPNST patients were enrolled in this two-stage, case-control study. Solexa sequencing was used to screen for miRNAs that expressed differentially in three pooled serum samples from 10 NF1 patients, 10 sporadic MPNST patients, and 10 NF1 MPNST patients. The detected serum miRNAs then were validated in 90 patients with NF1, 83 patients with sporadic MPNST, and 61 NF1 MPNST patients by individual quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays. Eight serum miRNAs altered more than fivefold by Solexa sequencing between MPNST patients (with and without NF1) and NF1 patients. MiR-801 and miR-214 increased both in sporadic MPNST patients and NF1 MPNST patients when compared with NF1 patients. The sensitivity and the specificity of sporadic MPNST detection by the two-miRNA signature were 0.747 and 0.856, respectively. MiR-24 was only significantly up-regulated in NF1 MPNST patients. The combination of the three miRNAs (MiR-801, miR-214, and miR-24) could distinguish NF1 MPNST patients from NF1 patients with a sensitivity of 0.820 and a specificity of 0.844. The serum-based miRNA expression profiles could serve as novel noninvasive biomarkers in sporadic MPNST and NF1 MPNST detection.