Research on Concrete Durability Improving for Existing Island-Building and Its Application

China’s coastal cities contain a large number of islands with abundant human activities, in which buildings are in a typical marine corrosion environment and the corrosion of reinforced concrete structures is very prominent. This paper makes research work on two aspects: (1) the durability assessment and durability improvement after a thorough investigation of the architecture of Xiangtan County, Ningbo city, on an island and (2) the application research of the bidirectional electromigration rehabilitation (BIEM) technology to enhance the durability of existing island building life. This paper designs a set of BIEM equipment based on solar power supply and develops a BIEM control system with an automatic control system based on 3G networks, which realized the functions of indoor BIEM parameter setting, data receiving and wire breaking, and so on. The research results show that the complete set of BIEM techniques proposed in this paper can effectively remove the chloride ion in the concrete and transfer the rust inhibitor to the surface of steel bar. The research results have important effects on the durability and safety of island buildings

Benchmarking hybrid assembly approaches for genomic analyses of bacterial pathogens using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing

We benchmarked the hybrid assembly approaches of MaSuRCA, SPAdes, and Unicycler for bacterial pathogens using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing by determining genome completeness and accuracy, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), virulence potential, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), phylogeny, and pan genome. Ten bacterial species (10 strains) were tested for simulated reads of both mediocre- and low-quality, whereas 11 bacterial species (12 strains) were tested for real reads. Unicycler performed the best for achieving contiguous genomes, closely followed by MaSuRCA, while all SPAdes assemblies were incomplete. MaSuRCA was less tolerant of low-quality long reads than SPAdes and Unicycler. The hybrid assemblies of five antimicrobial-resistant strains with simulated reads provided consistent AMR genotypes with the reference genomes. The MaSuRCA assembly of Staphylococcus aureus with real reads contained msr(A) and tet(K), while the reference genome and SPAdes and Unicycler assemblies harbored blaZ. The AMR genotypes of the reference genomes and hybrid assemblies were consistent for the other five antimicrobial-resistant strains with real reads. The numbers of virulence genes in all hybrid assemblies were similar to those of the reference genomes, irrespective of simulated or real reads. Only one exception existed that the reference genome and hybrid assemblies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with mediocre-quality long reads carried 241 virulence genes, whereas 184 virulence genes were identified in the hybrid assemblies of low-quality long reads. The MaSuRCA assemblies of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium with mediocre-quality long reads contained 126 and 118 virulence genes, respectively, while 110 and 107 virulence genes were detected in their MaSuRCA assemblies of low-quality long reads, respectively. All approaches performed well in our MLST and phylogenetic analyses. The pan genomes of the hybrid assemblies of S. Typhimurium with mediocre-quality long reads were similar to that of the reference genome, while SPAdes and Unicycler were more tolerant of low-quality long reads than MaSuRCA for the pan-genome analysis. All approaches functioned well in the pan-genome analysis of Campylobacter jejuni with real reads. Our research demonstrates the hybrid assembly pipeline of Unicycler as a superior approach for genomic analyses of bacterial pathogens using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-020-07041-

Experimental Validation of DeeP-LCC for Dissipating Stop-and-Go Waves in Mixed Traffic

We present results on the experimental validation of leading cruise control (LCC) for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). In a mixed traffic situation that is dominated by human-driven vehicles, LCC strategies are promising to smooth undesirable stop-and-go waves. Our experiments are carried out on a mini-scale traffic platform. We first reproduce stop-and-go traffic waves in a miniature scale, and then show that these traffic instabilities can be dissipated by one or a few CAVs that utilize Data-EnablEd Predicted Leading Cruise Control (DeeP-LCC). Rather than identifying a parametric traffic model, DeeP-LCC relies on a data-driven non-parametric behavior representation for traffic prediction and CAV control. DeeP-LCC also incorporates input and output constraints to achieve collision-free guarantees for CAVs. We experimentally demonstrate that DeeP-LCC is able to dissipate traffic waves caused by car-following behavior and significantly improve both driving safety and travel efficiency. CAVs utilizing DeeP-LCC may bring additional societal benefits by mitigating stop-and-go waves in practical traffic.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Are we China-ready? Chinese tourism in Western Australia

Chinese tourism to Australia has grown substantially since the start of the millennium, and this group of travellers is now the top international tourism spender. This report looks at the characteristics of Chinese visitors coming to Western Australia, their detailed travel experiences while here and whether WA is China-ready to take advantage of the boom. We use a range of data sources to capture information on Chinese visitor travel experiences, including Chinese travel websites, Tourism Research Association (TRA) surveys, intercept surveys at Perth International Airport, and industry workshops. The report finds that Chinese visitors are young, with money to spend – 75% of Chinese visitors to Western Australia are aged 20 to 40 years, and spend on average almost $500 per night when they stay in Australia. Chinese visitors see WA as a destination to enjoy an unpolluted environment, to see the distinctive flora and fauna, and to experience the natural beauty of the coast and inland regions. The report recommends trip itineraries suitable for Chinese visitors and provides consumer and market insights that could be used to inform tourism industry management and influence government policies and strategies. While WA may not be China-ready yet, this report suggests policy changes the WA Government can make to capture this growing market. Extending trading hours to 6.30pm on weeknights and additional earlier trade on Sundays is one way the WA Government could increase the$291 million already being spent in the State by Chinese visitors each year. The report also recommends tourism operators develop and market their products to appeal to this growing market. Of the 22 tourism providers surveyed, 78 per cent did not have any Asian language skills or training and 44 per cent had no training or experience in the Asian market. Participation by tourism providers in courses such as the ChinaReady® accreditation program, and informal online learning, could see an increase in Chinese visitor number. However, some government assistance will be required if we are to fully capitalise on the opportunities this market brings to the WA economy

HIV Vulnerability in Out-of-School Adolescents and Youth in Yunnan, China

This study investigated multiple aspects of vulnerability to HIV in out-of-school adolescents and youth in Yunnan Province, a high HIV risk region in China. The findings show that socially disadvantaged adolescents and youth were overrepresented in the out-of-school young people in Yunnan. The out-of-school young people in Yunnan exhibited 1) limited knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention, 2) a high prevalence of unprotected sexual activity, 3) high exposure to illicit drugs and alcohol use and a high prevalence of drug use in themselves, and 4) limited access to health services. There is an indication of higher exposure to risk behaviours in the younger age group. The study population used multiple media, particularly television, internet and radio, to obtain information about HIV transmission and pre- vention, particularly in the younger age group. These media may be an effective way of reaching this population in fu- ture HIV education and prevention programs in the region

HIV testing in re-education through labour camps in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China (a cross-sectional survey)

Objective: HIV testing is mandatory in re-education-through-labour camps (laojiaosuo) in China yet no studies have reported on the process. Methods: The survey response rate was 100% although 29 detainees were excluded because they were under 18 years of age. A cross-sectional face-to-face survey was conducted in three labour camps in Guangxi, located in the south-western region of China. Results: Of the 755 detainees surveyed, 725 (96%) reported having a blood test in the labour camps of whom 493 (68%) thought this included an HIV test. 61 detainees self-reported they were HIV infected, their status confirmed by medical records, if available. Of these, 53 (87%) recalled receiving post-test HIV education, and 15 (25%) were currently receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy. Pretest education on HIV was provided to 233/725 (32%) detainees. The study further reports on detainees’ reactions and feelings towards non-disclosure and disclosure of their HIV test results in the labour camps. Conclusions: Mandatory testing is almost universal in the labour camps although a proportion of detainees were unaware that this included an HIV test. HIV test results should be disclosed to all labour camp detainees to reduce their distress of not knowing and prevent misconceptions about their HIV status. Labour camps provide another opportunity to implement universal treatment (‘Test and Treat’) to prevent the spread of HIV

Psychological distress among re-education through labour camp detainees in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China

There is currently no information about the prevalence of, and factors contributing to psychological distress experienced by re-education through labour camp detainees in China. [Methods:] A cross-sectional face-to-face survey was conducted in three labour camps in Guangxi, China. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic characteristics; sexually transmissible infections (STIs); drug use; psychological distress (K-10); and health service usage and access inside the labour camps. K-10 scores were categorised as ≤30 (low to moderate distress) and  >30 or more (highly distressed). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models identified factors independently associated with high K-10 scores for men and women separately. [Results:] In total, 755 detainees, 576 (76%) men and 179 (24%) women, participated in the health survey. The study found 11.6% men versus 11.2% women detainees experienced high psychological distress, but no significant gender differences were observed (p> 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that multiple physical health problems were significantly associated with high psychological distress among men. [Conclusion:] Drug treatment and forensic mental health services need to be established in detention centres in China to treat more than 10% of detainees with drug use and mental health disorders