•Some COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for inoculation with good safety.•Ocular events appear to be rare complications of COVID-19 vaccines.•Uveitis after vaccination appears transient and ...responds well to steroids.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious and pathogenic respiratory disease. To date, there is no effective treatment, and there is an urgent need to develop vaccines against the virus. Five coronavirus COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for inoculation in China, with good safety and few adverse reactions.
A 50-year-old woman complained of bilateral blurred vision and visual distortion 5 days after vaccination with the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. Physical and auxiliary examination showed that she developed bilateral posterior uveitis. The patient was administered local and systemic steroids, and the symptoms were appreciably improved 5 weeks later.
A case of bilateral uveitis after COVID-19 vaccination was reported and indicated that uveitis after vaccination appears transient and responds well to steroids.
Temperature is one of the key factors affecting the permeability of water flow in loess, influencing its stability and, consequently, its geohazard potential. The traditional temperature calibration ...formula(TTCF) is widely used in the literature for calculating the permeability at some temperature, based on the permeability at 20 °C. However, its suitability has not been verified, especially for water flow in loess. The influence of temperature on the permeability of loess and the suitability of the TTCF were examined using samples of the late-Pleistocene Malan loess, the most widely distributed loess in the Chinese Loess Plateau, as the subject. The temperature dependency of the saturated permeability of remolded loess was investigated using the constant head permeability test method over a temperature range of 0 to 40 °C. The results show that the permeability of remolded loess increases with temperature, but in a nonlinear manner. Between 0 and 4 °C, although the changes are small, and at around 25 °C, there may be an important change in the soil's structure. We found that the measured values of loess permeability deviate strongly from those calculated by the TTCF, especially over the temperature range 0 to 4 °C and > 25 °C. New formulas for the calibration of temperature effects on the permeability of loess have subsequently been developed. Also, an empirical model for predicting the saturated hydraulic conductivity was inferred, which can satisfactorily reflect the temperature and compactness effects on permeability. The results of this study may be employed for projecting the effects of temperature changes into loess engineering and in assessing geohazard potential.
•The traditional temperature calibration formula not applicable to all temperature stage in loess.•The new formulas for the calibration of temperature effects on permeability in loess are developed•0–4 °C is a constant section of permeability, and around 25 °C is a high temperature node of soil structure changes.•Empirical formula of hydraulic conductivity of loess with temperature and dry density is obtained.
This paper targets learning robust image representation for single training sample per person face recognition. Motivated by the success of deep learning in image representation, we propose a ...supervised autoencoder, which is a new type of building block for deep architectures. There are two features distinct our supervised autoencoder from standard autoencoder. First, we enforce the faces with variants to be mapped with the canonical face of the person, for example, frontal face with neutral expression and normal illumination; Second, we enforce features corresponding to the same person to be similar. As a result, our supervised autoencoder extracts the features which are robust to variances in illumination, expression, occlusion, and pose, and facilitates the face recognition. We stack such supervised autoencoders to get the deep architecture and use it for extracting features in image representation. Experimental results on the AR, Extended Yale B, CMU-PIE, and Multi-PIE data sets demonstrate that by coupling with the commonly used sparse representation-based classification, our stacked supervised autoencoders-based face representation significantly outperforms the commonly used image representations in single sample per person face recognition, and it achieves higher recognition accuracy compared with other deep learning models, including the deep Lambertian network, in spite of much less training data and without any domain information. Moreover, supervised autoencoder can also be used for face verification, which further demonstrates its effectiveness for face representation.
This paper investigates the consensus problem of a class of high-dimensional nonlinear multi-agent systems. The agents are homogeneous and have coupled interactions with their nearby agents. Firstly, ...we study the consensus of this class of nonlinear multi-agent systems and present some consensus conditions based on the linearization technique. By transforming the consensus problem into a stability problem, we show that there exists a domain such that if all pairs of connected agents stay in the domain, the system will achieve consensus under the consensus conditions. Then, we propose a method to estimate the consensus domain since the accurate description of the domain is still challenging. Moreover, a method of coupled controller design is presented to make the multi-agent systems achieve consensus. At last, two numerical examples and a practical example are used to show the effectiveness of the results proposed in this paper.
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•Optimal selection of end-member decomposition method for loess sediments.•Three kinds of dynamic components are identified in the loess-paleosol sequence.•The comprehensive analysis ...of loess-paleosol microstructure is performed.•Loess deposition preserved the fractal characteristics between particles and pores.•A conceptual model of loess formation in the Weihe basin is constructed.
The Loess Plateau has been identified as one of the most important areas for dust particles deposition and considered as one of the key areas for studying the global climate change and regional responses. In this study, a continuous loess profile, located on the southern margin of the Loess Plateau, was selected to analyze microstructure of the loess and palaeosol. Combined with the end-member model and principal factor analysis, the dust transport and loess formation processes were reconstructed. Magnetic susceptibility and grain-size analyses suggest considerable differences between the loess and the palaeosol. The parametric decomposition model was used to decompose the grain-size components into 3 end-members, revealing the transport force of westerly circulation and winter monsoon and pedogenesis after deposition that affected the loess formation. The microstructure analysis reflects the loess is different from the palaeosol in terms of skeleton particles, contact modes, type and morphology of pores. More meso- and minipores and smaller fractal dimension of pores is observed in loess than palaeosol, preserving the climatic information during the formation of loess layers. The principal factor analysis of grain-size components and parameters shows that factor Ⅰ indicates the two important transport force of westerly circulation and winter monsoon. While factor Ⅱ reflects a kind of compound force, the combined effect of high airflow transport and pedogenesis. Based on these, the conceptual model of loess formation in the Weihe Basin is established under different climates between glacial and interglacial. The findings are helpful to understand the regional climatic environmental evolution, formation of loess landform and evolution of the atmospheric circulation system in East Asia.
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•Continuous testing of XRF core scanner for a loess-paleosol sequence.•A systematic and comprehensive study on the geochemical elements of the profile.•Ca scanning results confirm the ...special climatic characteristics of MIS15-MIS13.•Tectonic uplift of the Qinling Mountains affected paleoclimatic of surrounding areas.
The southern edge of the Chinese Loess Plateau affected by the stepwise uplift of the Qinling Mountains is a transitional climatic area between the different climatic environments and sedimentary characteristics to the north and south sides of the Qinling Mountains. The study of different Quaternary loess deposits in this region is conducive to improving our understanding of the micro-scale climatic effects of tectonic developments. Here, we use a series of experimental methods on a well-preserved loess–paleosol sequence in the South Jingyang Plateau to obtain proxy data, including grain-size, magnetic susceptibility, loss on ignition, and geochemical elemental. Changes in grain-size, magnetic susceptibility and loss on ignition indicate that the East Asian monsoon has undergone significant changes due to the continued global cooling and mid-Pleistocene climate transition during the deposition process of XSD loess, i.e., the intensities of the winter and summer monsoons were simultaneously enhanced. Elemental correlations and factor analysis indicate the sedimentary environment and provenance of the deposits, while elemental enrichment and element ratios, including Si/Ti, Al/Ti, Rb/Sr and Zr/Rb, are consistent with changes in the intensity of pedogenic and of the East Asian monsoon as reflected by climate proxies, illustrating that XRF core scanning analysis technology has great potential in the field of Quaternary environmental changes of loess. Furthermore, the stepwise uplift of the Qinling Mountains, which has blocked the winter and summer monsoons to a certain extent, has had a significant impact on the relative degree of loess accumulation and pedogenic in the northern piedmont, southern piedmont and intermontane basin of the Qinling Mountains and also appears to have promoted settlement by early humans. Hence, the study of paleoclimate in areas of active tectonic movement has the potential to promote our understanding of micro-scale climate change in this region in the future.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, accounting for about 90% of cases. Sorafenib, lenvatinib, and the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab are ...considered first-line treatments for advanced HCC. However, clinical application of these drugs has also caused some adverse reactions such as hypertension, elevated aspartate aminotransferases, and proteinuria. At present, natural products and their derivatives have drawn more and more attention due to less side effects as cancer treatments. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are one type of hydrolysis products from glucosinolates (GLSs), secondary plant metabolites found exclusively in cruciferous vegetables. Accumulating evidence from encouraging in vitro and in vivo animal models has demonstrated that ITCs have multiple biological activities, especially their potentially health-promoting activities (antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects). In this review, we aim to comprehensively summarize the chemopreventive, anticancer, and chemosensitizative effects of ITCs on HCC, and explain the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Salinization of irrigation areas is a global environmental challenge. The uncertainty in the distribution of salinization is increased by the complexity of the natural environment. This study adopted ...Yinchuan Plain as a typical irrigation area to study the relationship between soil salinity and the environment from the perspective of macro-environmental elements and micro-ion composition. A Geographic Weighted Regression model (GWR) was used to predict the risk of salinization in the Yinchuan Plain. The results showed obvious spatial variation in soil salinization in the Yinchuan Plain. Farmland accounted for the largest proportion of salinized land area, followed by woodland and “other” land use categories. The main characteristic ions in the salinized area of the Yinchuan Plain were SO42−, K++Na+and Cl−. The rank of ions in terms of change rate with increasing soil salinity was: SO42− > K+ + Na+ > Cl− > Ca2+ > HCO3− > Mg2+ > CO32−. However, the rank of ions in terms of their sensitivity to salinization was: HCO3− > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > SO42− > Cl− > K+ + Na+. On this basis, the geographical indicators of DEM and NDVI, groundwater indicators of groundwater depth and TDS, climate indicators of SPEI, as well as soil indicators of PH and organic matter were taken as the representative ecological drivers of salinization in irrigation areas. These environmental factors were found to control the distribution of salinization, whereas human activity affected the degree of change in salinization. The enrichment of SO42− in the Yinchuan Plain was mainly related to agricultural activities (such as pesticides application and irrigation evaporation), and followed by phreatic evaporation. The salt ions carried by irrigation and rainfall further polluted phreatic water. In the end, the measures of optimizing drainage, combined irrigation, and improving planting layout were recommended for the effectively and economically controlling of salinization.
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•Interpret the process of soil salinization from the perspective of macro-environmental factors and micro-ion compositions•The representative ecological driving factors of salinization in irrigation areas were proposed•A suitable scheme for regulating soil salinization in irrigation areas was provided
Ever-changing educational technology brings new challenges and opportunities in higher education. To keep up with the trends of the digital era when technology integration is emphasized as one key ...feature, university leaders should take technology-related responsibilities on motivating and cooperating with teachers to achieve effective technology integration. However, existing explorations mainly discussed the effects of technology leaders on organizational effectiveness or students’ learning outcomes. This study applies descriptive-correlational design to investigate the relationship between university leaders’ and teachers’ technological behaviors and practices. Quantitative data was collected from a Likert questionnaire of 298 teachers in a public university in China and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated a significant direct relationship between technology leadership and teacher ICT competency, all five dimensions of technology leadership showed significant positive effects on teachers. Also, implications and suggestions for current practices and future studies are presented.
Nanofluidic membranes have been demonstrated as promising candidates for osmotic energy harvesting. However, it remains a long-standing challenge to fabricate high-efficiency ion-permselective ...membranes with well-defined channel architectures. Here, we demonstrate high-performance osmotic energy conversion membranes based on oriented two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with ultrashort vertically aligned nanofluidic channels that enabled efficient and selective ion transport. Experiments combined with molecular dynamics simulations revealed that exquisite control over channel orientation, charge polarity, and charge density contributed to high ion selectivity and permeability. When applied to osmotic energy conversion, a pair of 100 nm thick oppositely charged COF membranes achieved an ultrahigh output power density of 43.2 W m–2 at a 50-fold salinity gradient and up to 228.9 W m–2 for the Dead Sea and river water system. The achieved power density outperforms the state-of-the-art nanofluidic membranes, suggesting the great potential of oriented COF membranes in the fields of advanced membrane technology and energy conversion.
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