Background
There is limited information involving population data about the role of maternal health, fetal growth and neonatal health on children's developmental status at ages 4–7 years. Our aim was ...to determine the contribution of maternal, fetal and neonatal health to developmental status at ages 4–7 years.
Methods
In this 7‐year follow‐up prospective cohort study, a sample of 26 803 mothers participated in the beginning. Among their children, 19 187 voluntarily completed the development screening test or the social life ability survey, which were designed for two different age groups (<6 or ≥6 years old, respectively). Logistic regression analysis was used to link the data with the prenatal outcome card and interview questionnaire applied to pregnant women in previous study, to the analysis of various related factors such as demographic, socio‐economic, disease and menstrual history, marriage and pregnancy care.
Result
Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used separately in two age groups 4–6 (n = 8439) and 6–7 (n = 10 748) years old to analyse relative factors. Maternal age of 25–30 years, maternal education of high school and greater, family income and not drinking during pregnancy were associated with higher scores in development.
Conclusion
Both preconception and pregnancy health education and health care are the important maternal factors closely associated with children's cognitive and social competence. Public health policies for preconception care and public welfare for high‐quality childcare are essential for improving children's life.
Seeking nuclear materials that possess a high resistance to particle irradiation damage is a long-standing issue. Permanent defects, induced by irradiation, are primary structural changes, the ...accumulation of which will lead to structural damage and performance degradation in crystalline materials served in nuclear plants. In this work, structural responses of neutron irradiation in metallic glasses (MGs) have been investigated by making a series of experimental measurements, coupled with simulations in ZrCu amorphous alloys. It is found that, compared with crystalline alloys, MGs have some specific structural responses to neutron irradiation. Although neutron irradiation can induce transient vacancy-like defects in MGs, they are fully annihilated after structural relaxation by rearrangement of free volumes. In addition, the rearrangement of free volumes depends strongly on constituent elements. In particular, the change in free volumes occurs around the Zr atoms, rather than the Cu centers. This implies that there is a feasible strategy for identifying glassy materials with high structural stability against neutron irradiation by tailoring the microstructures, the systems, or the compositions in alloys. This work will shed light on the development of materials with high irradiation resistance.
Reentrant glass transition is a new glass-transition phenomenon in which a devitrified liquid reenters a second glassy state and is well-known in some colloidal systems. Reentrant glass transition ...has been recently discovered in metallic-liquid systems but its ongoing mechanisms remain mostly unknown. Here, the reentrant glass transition of a series of Pd-Ni-P metallic liquids are investigated using fast-calorimetric analyses and ab-initio molecular dynamics simulation. While the amount of heat release of reentrant glass transition in different Pd-Ni-P liquids are similar, the change of liquid kinetics itself results in different reentrant-glass-transition behaviors: the transition kinetics is governed by the fast hopping of P atoms rather than the cooperative liquid motions related with vitrification. The reentrant glass transition is found to be related to medium-range structural ordering process through vertex-sharing of the P-centered polyhedral clusters. The kinetics map of liquid freezing for Pd-Ni-P glass-forming liquids over broad ranges of heating-rate and composition is presented.
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An annular solar eclipse swept over Taiwan in the early morning on 21 May 2012. This provides an excellent opportunity to study ionospheric response to the solar eclipse mainly due to photochemical ...effects. Local ground‐based Global Positioning System receivers, an ionosonde, high frequency‐continue wave Doppler sounding systems, and very low frequency receivers are used to observe ionospheric eclipse signatures. These multiinstrument observations show that the extreme total electron content (TEC) depression lags the maximum obscuration by about 5–20 min, while the Doppler frequency shift decreases and increases (i.e., the ionosphere ascends and descends) during first contact‐maximum obscuration and maximum obscuration‐last contact, respectively. The ionosonde data well agree with the TEC and Doppler frequency shift observations. The results show that the extreme TEC depression lag (i.e., delay time) being inversely proportional to the associated maximum obscuration confirms that the photochemical process is essential in Taiwan during the 21 May 2012 annular solar eclipse. A theoretical derivation is proposed for the first time to explain the delay time due to pure photochemical process during solar eclipses.
Key Points
Multi‐observations on the 21 May 2012 annular solar eclipse were conducted over Taiwan
Preenhancement and sunset enhancement of TEC have been observed
The delay time of TEC depression is inversely proportional to the maximum obscuration
SUMMARY
Esophageal submucosal gland duct adenoma (ESGDA) is a rare tumor. The clinicopathological features of the ESGDA and its precursor lesion have not been comprehensively evaluated. In this ...study, we aimed at delineating the clinicopathological features of the ESGDA and cyst formation of the esophageal submucosal gland duct (ESGD), as well as their correlations and clinical implications. We identified three cases of ESGDA and 16 cases of cyst formation of the ESGD among 786 endoscopic mucosal resection specimens over a 7-year period. The median patient age was 58 years with a male predominance. These lesions were small submucosal bulges locating at the lower esophagus with a size no more than 1 cm. The main microscopic changes of these lesions included content retention, multilayered epithelium or papillary folds of the ESGD and inflammatory cell infiltration, acidophilic degeneration, hyperplasia or atrophy of the acini. The included cases generally showed moderate to severe microscopic esophagitis. The ESGDA was mainly consisted by multiple glandular cysts covered by two layers of cells. Immunohistochemical results showed that the luminal duct lining cells and basal cells were positive for CK7 and p63, respectively. Both of the two layer cells were positive for HMWCK and negative for CK20, p53, CDX2, MUC5AC, MUC6, MUC2 and MUC1. The proliferation index was very low (1%). The diagnostic criteria of the ESGDA were proposed and, the differential diagnosis was discussed. Cyst formation of the ESGD is considered to be the precursor lesion of the ESGDA, because they have overlapping clinicopathological features with progressive relationship. In addition, the ESGDA have close connection with advance of the GERD and, probably, an increased risk of carcinoma.
This paper investigates the interaction of the zero sequence component into both permanent magnet (PM) shape and phase current to improve the output torque in dual three-phase surface-mounted PM ...(SPM) machines. The optimal zero sequence components are analytically derived and validated by finite element (FE) analyses. It is found that the optimal zero sequence components into both PM shape and current waveform are dependent on the fundamental and zero sequence harmonic winding factors. For the dual three-phase SPM machines having rotors without shaping, Sine shape, Sine shape with the zero sequence components, the electromagnetic performances including the back electromotive force (EMF) waveform, cogging torque, average torque, and torque ripple are compared. It is demonstrated that the average torque with the optimal zero sequence component in PM shaping and current waveform can be improved by >30% while the torque ripple remains similar to that of the one with Sine shaping. Finally, the experiments are given to verify both the analytical and FE analysis.
Diffusion of alloying elements in a low-cost third generation Ni-based single crystal superalloy during oxidation at high temperature was investigated. The evolution of oxide layers depended on ...dominant diffusion of alloying elements at different stages of oxidation. Outward diffusion of Cr, Co and Ni was dominant at initial stage of oxidation, resulting in the formation of (Ni, Co)O and Cr2O3. Diffusion of Al and Ta was restricted in γ/γ' area, but dominant in γ'-free layer. Due to outward diffusion of other elements, passive enrichment of refractory elements, Re, W, Mo and Ta included, caused the formation of mixed oxides layer. Finally, selective oxidation of Al led to the formation of (Ni, Co)Al2O4 and Al2O3 layer.
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•Evolution of oxide layers depended on dominant diffusion of alloying elements.•Dominant diffusion of alloying elements changed with different oxidation stages.•Other elements diffused outwards led to passive enrichment of refractory elements.•Distribution of Re, W and Mo was mainly controlled by passive enrichment.
Summary
Background
Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar abortus equi (S. abortus equi) is well known as the aetiological agent of equine abortion. However, abortion caused by S. abortus ...equi has not been previously described in donkeys.
Objectives
To investigate whether S. abortus equi was correlated with an abortion outbreak consisting of 61 abortions.
Study design
Investigation of the clinical cases using pathoanatomical, bacteriological, serological and molecular approaches.
Methods
Autopsies on nine aborted foetuses were performed. Tissue specimens from seven aborted foetuses and two mares were cultured and subjected to detection of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV‐1), equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV‐4) and equine arteritis virus (EAV) by polymerase chain reaction. The isolates were serotyped according to the Kaufmann−White scheme and analysed by multi‐locus sequence typing (MLST). Detection of EHV and EAV antibodies was performed in all pregnant mares.
Results
No obvious gross lesions were observed in the foetuses. Nine Gram‐negative isolates were obtained from all nine tissue samples and were identified as Salmonella spp. All of the isolates belonged to the B group, the O antigen epitope was 4, 12 and H antigen was not obtained. The isolates of Salmonella were characterised as sequence type (ST) 251. Detection of EHV‐1, EHV‐4 and EAV was negative.
Main limitations
The mechanism that causes abortion in donkeys needs further study and the lack of histological examination.
Conclusion
Salmonella abortus equi was isolated as the single agent and was responsible for the abortions. Equine practitioners should be aware of S. abortus equi infection as a cause of abortion in donkeys.
Cell-to-cell interactions are important for the regulation of various cell activities, such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. This paper presents an approach to studying cell-to-cell ...interactions at a single-cell level through manipulating cell adhesions with optical tweezers. Experiments are performed on leukemia cancer cells and stromal cells to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. After the adhesion properties of leukemia cells on stromal cells are characterized, fluorescence intensity is used as a label to study the Wnt signaling pathway of leukemia cells. The activities of the Wnt signaling pathway of K562 cells on M210B4 and HS5 cells are examined based on fluorescence analysis. The reliability of the fluorescence imaging is confirmed through comparison with traditional flow cytometry analysis. The proposed approach will offer new avenues to investigate otherwise inaccessible mechanisms in cell-to-cell interactions.
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