STATE-OF-ART Algorithms for Injectivity and Bounded Surjectivity of One-dimensional Cellular Automata

Surjectivity and injectivity are the most fundamental problems in cellular automata (CA). We simplify and modify Amoroso's algorithm into optimum and make it compatible with fixed, periodic and reflective boundaries. A new algorithm (injectivity tree algorithm) for injectivity is also proposed. After our theoretic analysis and experiments, our algorithm for injectivity can save much space and 90\% or even more time compared with Amoroso's algorithm for injectivity so that it can support the decision of CA with larger neighborhood sizes. At last, we prove that the reversibility with the periodic boundary and global injectivity of one-dimensional CA is equivalent

Prevalence of picky eating behaviour in Chinese school-age children and associations with anthropometric parameters and intelligence quotient. A cross-sectional study

AbstractPrevious studies have demonstrated the importance of eating behaviour regarding dietary variety and nutrient intake of children. However, the association between picky eating and growth of children is still a topic of debate. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of picky eating and to identify possible associations with the growth of school-age children in China. In this survey, 793 healthy children aged 7–12 years were recruited from nine cities and rural areas in China using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data collected included socio-demographic information and parents' perceptions of picky eating using a structured questionnaire, nutrient intake using 24-hour dietary recall, weight and height using body measurements, and intelligence using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Blood samples were collected and analysed for minerals. The prevalence of picky eating reported by parents was 59.3% in children. Compared with non-picky eaters, picky eaters had a lower dietary intake of energy, protein, carbohydrates, most vitamins and minerals, and lower levels of magnesium, iron, and copper in the blood (p < 0.05), and also had a 0.184 z-score lower in height for age (95% CI: −0.332, 0.036; p = 0.015), a 0.385 z-score lower in weight for age (95% CI: −0.533, −0.237; p < 0.001), a 0.383 z-score lower in BMI for age (95% CI: −0.563, −0.203; p < 0.001), and scored 2.726 points higher on the intelligence test (95% CI: 0.809, 4.643; p = 0.006) when adjusted for children's birth weight and food allergy, mothers' education, and family income. Picky eating behaviour towards meat, eggs and vegetables showed negative associations with growth. Picky eating behaviour is prevalent in school-age children in China and may have a negative effect on growth

Effects of water level fluctuation on thermal stratification in a typical tributary bay of Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Xiangxi River is a typical tributary of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China. Based on field observations in 2010, thermal stratification was significant in most months of the year. Through field data analysis and numerical simulations, the seasonal and spatial variation of thermal stratification as related to the impact of the operation of TGR were investigated. Thermal stratification was most pronounced from April to September in the Xiangxi River tributary. Air temperature (AT) and water level (WL) were the two dominant variables impacting thermal stratification. AT affected the surface water temperature promoting the formation of thermal stratification, and high WLs in TGR deepened the thermocline depth and thermocline bottom depth. These results provide a preliminary description of the seasonal variation and spatial distribution of thermal stratification, which is important for better understanding how thermal stratification affects algae blooms in Xiangxi River

Association of sleep duration and sleep quality with the risk of metabolic syndrome in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: The association between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains controversial, and few have considered the effects of sleep quality. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship of sleep duration and sleep quality with the risk of MetS. Material and methods: We conducted a systematic and comprehensive literature search of electronic databases from inception to 17 February 2022. The effect sizes of covariates from each study were pooled using a random or fixed model, and a restricted cubic spline random-effects meta-analysis was performed to examine the dose-response relationship between sleep duration and MetS. Results: A total of 62 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Compared to normal sleep duration, short sleep duration [odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–1.19] and long sleep duration (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.09–1.23) were associated with an increased risk of MetS. The restricted cubic spline analysis indicated that sleep durations of 8.5 h (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92–0.97) and 11 h (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.31–1.91) were significantly associated with the risk of MetS. The pooled results showed that poor sleep quality (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.03–2.06) and sleep complaints had significant positive associations with MetS. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that short sleep duration increased the risk of developing MetS. Long sleep duration was also associated with MetS, especially for 11 h. 8.5 h can be considered the recommended sleep duration for MetS. Poor sleep quality and sleep complaints were also associated with MetS

The prevalence and risk factor control associated with noncommunicable diseases in China, Japan, and Korea

Background: Noncommunicable disease (NCD) has become the leading cause of mortality and disease burden worldwide. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out to investigate the prevalence of NCDs and risk factor control on dietary behaviors and dietary intake in China, Japan, and Korea. Results: There were significant differences among the three countries on the prevalence of hypertension (24.5% in China, 17.6% in Korea, and 15.2% in Japan), diabetes (8.9% in China, 5.7% in Korea, and 4.8% in Japan), hyperlipidemia (13.1% in China, 9.2% in Korea, and 6.9% in Japan), and angina pectoris (3.6% in China, 1.7% in Korea, and 1.5% in Japan). The prevalence rate of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and angina pectoris was highest in China and lowest in Japan. However, 82.2%, 48.4%, and 64.4% of Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese presented good dietary behavior, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that sex, age, and marital status were predictors of good dietary behavior. In addition, in comparison with subjects without hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia, subjects with hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia significantly improved their dietary behaviors and controlled their intake of salt, sugar, and oil. Conclusions: The prevalence of NCDs and trends in major modifiable risk factor control in China, Korea, and Japan remain troubling. Public efforts to introduce healthy lifestyle changes and systematic NCDs prevention programs are necessary to reduce the epidemic of NCDs in these three Asian countries

Effects of Water Level Fluctuation on Thermal Stratification in a Typical Tributary Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Xiangxi River is a typical tributary of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China. Based on field observations in 2010, thermal stratification was significant in most months of the year. Through field data analysis and numerical simulations, the seasonal and spatial variation of thermal stratification as related to the impact of the operation of TGR were investigated. Thermal stratification was most pronounced from April to September in the Xiangxi River tributary. Air temperature (AT) and water level (WL) were the two dominant variables impacting thermal stratification. AT affected the surface water temperature promoting the formation of thermal stratification, and high WLs in TGR deepened the thermocline depth and thermocline bottom depth. These results provide a preliminary description of the seasonal variation and spatial distribution of thermal stratification, which is important for better understanding how thermal stratification affects algae blooms in Xiangxi River

Remote Sensing Assessment of Safety Risk of Iron Tailings Pond Based on Runoff Coefficient

Iron tailings ponds are engineered dam and dyke systems used to capture iron tailings. They are high-risk hazards with high potential energy. If the tailings dam broke, it would pose a serious threat to the surrounding ecological environment, residents&#8217; lives, and property. Rainfall is one of the most important influencing factors causing the tailings dam break. This paper took Chengde Area, a typical iron-producing area, as the study area, and proposed a remote sensing method to evaluate the safety risk of tailings ponds under rainfall condition by using runoff coefficient and catchment area. Firstly, the vegetation coverage in the study area was estimated using the pixel dichotomy model, and the vegetation type was classified by the support vector machine (SVM) method from Landsat 8 OLI image. Based on DEM, the slope of the study area was extracted, and the catchment area of the tailings pond was plotted. Then, taking slope, vegetation coverage, and vegetation type as three influencing factors, the runoff coefficient was constructed by weight assignment of each factor using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model in both quantitative and qualitative way. Finally, the safety risk of tailings ponds was assessed according to average runoff coefficient and catchment area in the study area. The results showed that there were 124 low-risk tailings ponds, 16 moderate-risk tailings ponds, and 4 high-risk tailings ponds in the study area. This method could be useful for selecting targeted tailings ponds for focused safety monitoring. Necessary monitoring measurements should be carried out for the high-risk and moderate-risk tailings ponds in rainy season

Synthesis and Characterization of La-Doped Luminescent Multilayer Films

In this work, we have successfully designed ordered luminescent multilayer films based on La-doped nonmagnetic or magnetic inorganic nanostructure with electronic microenvironment (EM). The inorganic nanosheets with opposite charge can assemble EM between the interlayers. At the same time, their elements on nanosheets of layer double hydroxides (LDHs) are facile to be replaced so that we can introduce transition metal or lanthanide elements. Besides, ferromagnetic effect (FE) can be formed in this microenvironment due to introducing transition metal on LDHs nanosheets. As a result, we confirm that EM, FE, and doping La element in the LDHs can affect the vibration of backbone of chromophores and then prolong the luminescent lifetime, which suggests a new pathway for developing the novel light-emitting thin films

Effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on bone health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Bone metabolism is a complicated process, which involves bone modeling and remodeling. If this process is unbalanced, bone loss and resultant osteoporosis might occur. Recently, nutrition supplementations such as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are considered to be used on improving the bone metabolism and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. To more precisely assess the effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on bone mass and clarify its potential mechanism, we have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Based on the strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 articles were included in this meta-analysis. The results in articles show that n-3 PUFAs could slightly enhance the level of bone mineral density (BMD) (0.005 g/cm2; 95% CI, 0.000–0.010) (n = 7), which was the primary outcome for the research in comparison with the control group. In addition, the results also illustrate that the increasing effect on BMD (0.024 g/cm2; 95% CI, 0.020–0.028) became more significant for postmenopausal women. N-3 PUFAs had no significance on the level of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) (−0.24 µg/L; 95% CI, −0.86 to 0.39) and osteocalcin (−0.63 μg/L; 95% CI, −1.84 to 0.57) (n = 5), which are the specific markers of bone formation. When compared with the eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid supplementation, the supplementation form of α-linolenic acid significantly increased the content of BALP (0.396 µg/L; 95% CI, 0.069–0.724). The effects of n-3 PUFAs on bone resorption biomarkers containing type I collagen cross-linked C-terminal peptide (CTX) and type I collagen cross-linked N-terminal peptide (NTX) are considered and used in our study. Results indicated that participants who received n-3 PUFAs significantly decreased the level of CTX in the human body (−0.367 μg/L; 95% CI, −0.726 to −0.007) (n = 4). However, there was no significant difference in NTX levels in humans after supplementation with n-3 PUFA (−1.744 µg/L; 95% CI, −3.970–0.481) (n = 3). For postmenopausal women, it presented a significant decreasing level of CTX (−0.393 µg/L; 95% CI, −0.651 to −0.135) and NTX (−2.082 µg/L; 95% CI, −2.970 to −1.195) within their bodies. In conclusion, these findings suggested that n-3 PUFAs might have a beneficial effect on bone health, especially for α-linolenic acid supplementation form or for postmenopausal women