Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate which findings were delayed in diagnosis with respect to chest CT findings of paragonimiasis. Methods: This retrospective, informed questionnaire ...study was conducted to evaluate chest CT scans of 103 patients (58 men and 45 women; mean age 46.1 ± 14.6 years). The patients were diagnosed with paragonimiasis from 2003 to 2008 in four tertiary hospitals. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test to identify differences between an initially correct diagnosis and an incorrect one of paragonimiasis on chest CT scans, for which we evaluated such variables as the location of lesion, type of parenchymal lesions, and worm migration track. Results: Nodular opacities on chest CT scans were the most common findings (53/94, 56.4%). The sign of worm migration tracks was only present in 18.1% of cases (17/94). Although statistically insignificant, the form of consolidation (18/25, 72%) and mass (6/8, 75%) on CT was common in correct diagnostics, and the form of the worm migration track (12/17, 70.6%) was high in correct diagnostics. Conclusion: A delayed diagnosis of paragonimiasis may often be made in patients with non-nodular, parenchymal lesions who are negative for worm migration track on chest CT scans.
Changbai Mountain is an important part of the development and opening pilot area of Changjitu. It is the birthplace of Songhua River, Yalu River, and Tumen River, and is known as the source of the ...three rivers. Millions of people live in the basin. A volcanic eruption accompanied by earthquakes would lead to a large number of landslides, debris flows, and show a chain effect, the formation of a secondary geological disaster chain, which is a serious threat to people’s lives and property safety. This paper selected indexes from three aspects: the hazard of earthquake-induced geological disaster chain, the exposure and vulnerability of disaster-bearing bodies, and the risk assessment of earthquake-induced geological disaster chain. The sensitivity values of each influence factor were calculated by the certainty factor (CF) using the support vector machine, and then, the susceptibility assessment was obtained. The cumulative displacement calculated by the Newmark model represented the potential risk intensity. We considered the Changbai Mountain volcanic earthquake–landslide disaster chain as an example. The results of risk assessment showed that the extremely high and high risk areas were mainly located within the 12 km radius of Tianchi Lake, and the other areas in the study area were mainly associated with very low to low risk values. The verification results showed that the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area was 0.8373, indicating that the method was very effective in the identification and assessment of seismic hazard chain risk. In these high-risk areas, relevant countermeasures should be formulated to prevent the risk of geological disasters, strengthen the implementation of regional disaster prevention and reduction work, and ensure the safety of residents’ lives and property.
Women are typically portrayed as being helpless victims of natural disasters, along with the elderly, children and the disabled. Recent disaster research has increasingly focused on reducing women's ...vulnerability to disaster by empowering them directly or indirectly through implementing institutional changes in disaster management. This extends to community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM). The social and political status of women in Taiwan is among the highest in Asia, and Taiwan is also well-known for its disaster management performance and successful CBDRM experience. However, to date, Taiwan's CBDRM experience has not been examined from a gender perspective. What role do Taiwanese women play in CBDRM? Is it the same as men, and there is no need to investigate further? Based on the authors' years of experience in CBDRM, combined with key informant interviews, this paper takes the examines disaster resistant communities (DRCs) promoted by Taipei City and New Taipei City and finds the following: (1) superficial and stereotyped institutional design; (2) female self-deprecation; (3) women's disproportional responsibility or domestic labor affects their participation in CBDRM; (4) women's abilities are recognized and respected; (5) the personal traits of local administrators and their supporters determine the DRC's gender awareness; and (6) gender issues in CBDRM are a microcosm of those in society as a whole. Thus, Taiwan must develop a gender-sensitive DRC implementation model to increase the participation of women and ensure their rights throughout the whole disaster cycle. Women's empowerment should also be strengthened, and connecting serving female sub-district chiefs can effectively encourage other women to run in local elections and contribute to DRC development.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
We report the discovery of two
r
-process-enhanced stars with Fe/H > −0.6 dex selected from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) survey. Three candidate ...stars have been selected from the LAMOST medium-resolution (
R
∼ 7500) spectroscopic survey, and the followed-up high signal-to-noise ratio and high-resolution (
R
∼ 31,500) spectra are obtained with the ARC Echelle Spectrograph mounted on the 3.5 m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory, which allow us for the determination of stellar atmospheric parameters and abundances of 20 elements. Among these three
r
-process-enhanced candidate stars, TYC 1710-933-1 and TYC 2858-372-1 have Eu/Fe higher than 0.3 dex and Ba/Eu lower than 0.0 dex, thus, can be identified as new
r
-process-enhanced objects. TYC 2858-372-1 shows similar
r
+
s
-process pattern to the Sun. TYC 1710-933-1 presents enhancement of the
r
-process elements of Nd and Eu. Our work indicates that the enrichment mechanisms of the heavy neutron-capture elements are complicated for metal-rich stars.
Abstract With the advent of the internet of things and artificial intelligence, flexible and portable pressure sensors have shown great application potential in human-computer interaction, ...personalized medicine and other fields. By comparison with traditional inorganic materials, flexible polymeric materials conformable to the human body are more suitable for the fabrication of wearable pressure sensors. Given the consumption of a huge amount of flexible wearable electronics in near future, it is necessary to turn their attention to biodegradable polymers for the fabrication of flexible pressure sensors toward the development requirement of green and sustainable electronics. In this paper, the structure and properties of silk fibroin (SF) are introduced, and the source and research progress of the piezoelectric properties of SF are systematically discussed. In addition, this paper summarizes the advance in the studies on SF-based capacitive, resistive, triboelectric, and piezoelectric sensors reported in recent years, and focuses on their fabrication methods and applications. Finally, this paper also puts forward the future development trend of high-efficiency fabrication and corresponding application of SF-based piezoelectric sensors. It offers new insights into the design and fabrication of green and biodegradable bioelectronics for in vitro and in vivo sensing applications.
Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites were prepared by two frequently-used approaches, melt and solution mixing. The dispersion state of MWCNTs in the PVDF ...matrix was evaluated by rheological properties and confirmed by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images. It was found that the dispersion state of MWCNTs was dependent not only on the concentration of MWCNTs but also the mixing method. Specifically, solution mixing led to a much better dispersion of MWCNTs than melt mixing at low concentrations of MWCNTs (less than 5wt.%), while the situation was reversed at higher concentrations. The dispersion mechanisms of MWCNTs for the two mixing methods were also discussed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Electrically conductive elastomer composites (CECs) with segregated networks of conductive nanofillers show high potential in stretchable strain sensors due to balanced mechanical and electrical ...properties, yet the sensitivity at low strain is generally insufficient for practical application. Herein, we report an easy and effective way to improve the resistive response to low strain for CECs with segregated network structure via adding stiff alumina into carbon nanostructures (CNS). The CEC containing 0.7 wt% CNS and 5 wt% Al2O3 almost sustains the same elasticity (elongation at break of ∼900%) and conductivity (0.8 S/m) as the control, while the piezoresistive sensitivity is significantly improved. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites with a segregated network of hybrid nanofillers (CNS and Al2O3) show much higher strain sensitivity (Gauge factor, GF = 566) at low strain (45% strain) due to a local stress concentration effect, this sensitivity is superior to that of TPU/CNS composites (GF = 11). Such a local stress concentration effect depends on alumina content and its distribution at the TPU particle interface. In addition, CECs with hybrid fillers show better reproducibility in cyclic piezoresistive behavior testing than the control. This work offers an easy method for fabricating CECs with a segregated filler network offering stretchable strain sensors with a high strain sensitivity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
“Shengyu” decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat diseases with deficit in “qi” and “blood” induced frequently by profound loss of blood or by long sores with heavy pus, in ...which a potential anti-inflammatory effect is implied. The modified “Shengyu” decoction (MSD) used in the present study was designed on the basis of the “Shengyu” decoction, additional four herbs were added in. Many ingredients in these herbs have been demonstrated to be anti-inflammatory and thus MSD may be used for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). To evaluate the neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanisms of MSD on the rat brain after TBI.
TBI was induced in the right cerebral cortex of male adult rats using Feeney's weight-drop method. The rats were administered a gavage of MSD (0.5, 1.0 or 2.0ml/200g) 6h after TBI. The neurological functions, brain water content, contusion volume, and neuron loss were determined. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 and the number of GFAP- and Iba1-positive cells in the brain ipsilateral to TBI were also measured. Moreover, the influence of MSD on these variables was observed at the same time.
The neurological deficits, brain water content, and neuron loss were significantly reduced after 1.0 or 2.0ml/200g of MSD treatment but not after 0.5ml/200g. In addition, treatment with MSD (1.0ml/200g) significantly increased the level of IL-10 and reduced the level of TNF-α and IL-1β and the number of GFAP- and Iba1-positive cells after TBI. However, the contusion volume of brain tissue and the expression of IL-6 were not significantly changed.
MSD may be a potential therapeutic for the treatment of TBI because MSD alleviated secondary brain injury induced by TBI. In addition, MSD inhibited the inflammatory response through reducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of microglial cells and astrocytes in the brain tissue of rats after TBI. Therefore, a potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of the “Shengyu” decoction was confirmed, which may be one of the main reasons of “Shengyu” decoction used to treat diseases with obvious inflammatory responses.
In conclusion, the present study suggests that MSD may be a potential therapeutic for the treatment of TBI because MSD alleviated secondary brain injury induced by TBI. In addition, MSD inhibited the inflammatory response through reducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of microglial cells and astrocytes in the brain tissue of rat after TBI. Therefore, a potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of the “Shengyu” decoction was confirmed, which may be one of the main reasons of “Shengyu” decoction used to treat diseases with obvious inflammatory responses, such as long sores with heavy pus. Display omitted
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