A NEW BLAST-RESISTANT DESIGN METHOD OF RC MEMBERS AND ITS APPLICATION IN PERFORMANCE BASED BLAST-RESISTANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

Design method is very essential and important for engineers. Present study proposes a new blast-resistant design method. First, two common used blast-resistant design methods are discussed. By analyzing the disadvantage of the common procedures, a new blast-resistant design method is proposed. The new design method has less design loops, as well as good control of the maximum displacement and ductility. Then, a dimensionless P-I diagram, which is convenient for design, is proposed based on the new design method. Finally, the new blast-resistant design method is applied in the performance-based blast-resistant design (PBBD) procedure described using a detailed design example. The design example shows that the proposed design method could be easily applied in the PBBD procedure

Cost-Effectiveness of Poly ADP-Ribose Polymerase Inhibitors in Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review

Background: PARP inhibitors have shown significant improvement in progression-free survival, but their costs cast a considerable financial burden. In line with value-based oncology, it is important to evaluate whether drug prices justify the outcomes. / Objectives: The aim of the study was to systematically evaluate PARP inhibitors on 1) cost-effectiveness against the standard care, 2) impact on cost-effectiveness upon stratification for genetic characteristics, and 3) identify factors determining their cost-effectiveness, in four cancer types. / Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library using designated search terms, updated to 31 August 2021. Trial-based or modeling cost-effectiveness analyses of four FDA-approved PARP inhibitors were eligible. Other studies known to authors were included. Reference lists of selected articles were screened. Eligible studies were assessed for methodological and reporting quality before review. / Results: A total of 20 original articles proceeded to final review. PARP inhibitors were not cost-effective as recurrence maintenance in advanced ovarian cancer despite improved performance upon genetic stratification. Cost-effectiveness was achieved when moved to upfront maintenance in a new diagnosis setting. Limited evidence indicated non–cost-effectiveness in metastatic breast cancer, mixed conclusions in metastatic pancreatic cancer, and cost-effectiveness in metastatic prostate cancer. Stratification by genetic testing displayed an effect on cost-effectiveness, given the plummeting ICER values when compared to the “treat-all” strategy. Drug cost was a strong determinant for cost-effectiveness in most models. / Conclusions: In advanced ovarian cancer, drug use should be prioritized for upfront maintenance and for patients with BRCA mutation or BRCAness at recurrence. Additional economic evaluations are anticipated for novel indications

Data-driven team ranking and match performance analysis in Chinese Football Super League

Recent years have seen an increasing body of research into the evaluation of the team-level technical- tactical performance in association football using match events data. However, most studies used mono-dimensional approach and modeled the influence of each performance aspects on match result in iso- lation, which limited the interpretability of the results. The study was aimed to apply a state-of-the-art algorithm to the ranking of team performance and exploitation of key performance features in relation to match outcome based on massive match dataset. Data of all 1200 matches from 2014 to 2018 Chinese Football Super League (CSL) were used. From the original 164 match events, we extracted 22 features that were related to attacking, passing, and defending performance and most. A Linear Support Vector Classi- fier (LSVC) model was subsequently built with these 22 input features and trained in order to rank the teams by their performance and analyze the features that influence most match outcome (win/not win), with the dataset being divided into a ratio of 4:1 to train and validate the model. The results have shown that the data-driven LSVC model displayed a prediction accuracy of 0.83 and the ranking of teams’ match performance and prediction of teams’ league standings were highly correlated with their actual rank- ing. Saves, pass success and shot on target in penalty area were demonstrated as top positive features for winning whereas shots on target during open play, pass and bad shot% were three negative features most influential for the match result. The team ranks of all teams were highly correlated with their real final league rankings. In general, CSL winning teams build their success based on defensive ability and shooting accuracy, and high-ranked teams could always maintain better performance than their coun- terparts. The team-rank framework could provide a consolidated and complex approach to evaluate the match performance quality of the teams, refining decisions-making during match preparation and player transfer at different periods of the season

Environmental Application of High Sensitive Gas Sensors with Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

Due to the fact of global warming, air quality deterioration and health concern over the past few decades, great demands and tremendous efforts for new technology to detect hazard gases such as CH4, CO2, CO, H2S, and HONO have been performed. Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is a kind of technology with advantages of high sensitivity, high selectivity, and fast responsivity. It has been widely used in the applications of greenhouse gas measurements, industrial process control, combustion gas measurements, medicine, and so on. In this chapter, we will briefly summarize the most recent progress on TDLAS technology and present several kinds of gas sensors developed mainly by our group for various field applications. These could expand from energy, environment, and public safety to medical science

Does air pollution exposure affect semen quality? Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 93,996 Chinese men

BackgroundAir pollution may impair male fertility, but it remains controversial whether air pollution affects semen quality until now.ObjectivesWe undertake a meta-analysis to explore potential impacts of six pollutants exposure during the entire window (0–90 days prior to ejaculation) and critical windows (0–9, 10–14, and 70–90 days prior to ejaculation) on semen quality.MethodsSeven databases were retrieved for original studies on the effects of six pollutants exposure for 90 days prior to ejaculation on semen quality. The search process does not limit the language and search date. We only included original studies that reported regression coefficients (β) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The β and 95% CIs were pooled using the DerSimonian-Laird random effect models.ResultsPM2.5 exposure was related with decreased total sperm number (10–14 lag days) and total motility (10–14, 70–90, and 0–90 lag days). PM10 exposure was related with reduced total sperm number (70–90 and 0–90 lag days) and total motility (0–90 lag days). NO2 exposure was related with reduced total sperm number (70–90 and 0–90 lag days). SO2 exposure was related with declined total motility (0–9, 10–14, 0–90 lag days) and total sperm number (0–90 lag days).ConclusionAir pollution affects semen quality making it necessary to limit exposure to air pollution for Chinese men. When implementing protective measures, it is necessary to consider the key period of sperm development

Structural analysis and insertion study reveal the ideal sites for surface displaying foreign peptides on a betanodavirus-like particle

Additional file 3: The averaged density distribution of the 3D reconstructions. The mass densities of the RBS are spherically averaged and plotted as a function of the particle radius. Below a radius of 115 Å is the density of enclosed RNA fragments (The RNA fragments do not belong to the virus genome, they are arbitrarily enclosed bacterial RNA). The density distribution between 115–150 Å and 150–190 Å are the capsid and the protrusion respectively. In the capsid shell, each subunit arranged in a “jerry-roll” structure results in that the capsid shell looks like two layers (two density peaks)

Characterization of viral infections in children with influenza-like-illness during December 2018–January 2019

IntroductionRespiratory viral infection (RVI) is of very concern after the outbreak of COVID-19, especially in pediatric departments. Learning pathogen spectrum of RVI in children previous the epidemic of COVID-19 could provide another perspective for understanding RVI under current situation and help to prepare for the post COVID-19 infection control.MethodsA nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) assay, with 19 pairs of primers targeting various respiratory viruses, was used for multi-pathogen screening of viral infections in children presenting influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms. Children with ILI at the outpatient department of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital during the influenza epidemic from 12/2018 to 01/2019 were included. Throat swabs were obtained for both the influenza rapid diagnostic test (IRDT) based on the colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay and the NASBA assay, targeting various respiratory viruses with an integrated chip technology.Results and discussionOf 519 patients, 430 (82.9%) were positive in the NASBA assay. The predominant viral pathogens were influenza A H1N1 pdm1/2009 (pH1N1) (48.4%) and influenza A (H3N2) (18.1%), followed by human metapneumovirus (hMPV) (8.8%) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (6.1%). Of the 320 cases identified with influenza A by NASBA, only 128 (40.0%) were positive in the IRDT. The IRDT missed pH1N1 significantly more frequently than A (H3N2) (P<0.01). Influenza A pH1N1 and A (H3N2) were the major pathogens in <6 years and 6-15 years old individuals respectively (P<0.05). In summary, influenza viruses were the major pathogens in children with ILI during the 2018-2019 winter influenza epidemic, while hMPV and RSV were non-negligible. The coexistence of multiple pathogen leading to respiratory infections is the normalcy in winter ILI cases

Bayesian robust analysis for genetic architecture of quantitative traits

Motivation: In most quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping studies, phenotypes are assumed to follow normal distributions. Deviations from this assumption may affect the accuracy of QTL detection and lead to detection of spurious QTLs. To improve the robustness of QTL mapping methods, we replaced the normal distribution for residuals in multiple interacting QTL models with the normal/independent distributions that are a class of symmetric and long-tailed distributions and are able to accommodate residual outliers. Subsequently, we developed a Bayesian robust analysis strategy for dissecting genetic architecture of quantitative traits and for mapping genome-wide interacting QTLs in line crosses

Effectiveness of intravenous r-tPA versus UK for acute ischaemic stroke: a nationwide prospective Chinese registry study

BACKGROUND Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) and urokinase (UK) are both recommended for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) in China, but with few comparative outcome data being available. We aimed to compare the outcomes of these two thrombolytic agents for the treatment of patients within 4.5 hours of onset of AIS in routine clinical practice in China. METHODS A pre-planned, prospective, nationwide, multicentre, real-world registry of consecutive patients with AIS (age ≥18 years) who received r-tPA or UK within 4.5 hours of symptom onset according to local decision-making and guideline recommendations during 2017-2019. The primary effectiveness outcome was the proportion of patients with an excellent functional outcome (defined by modified Rankin scale scores 0 to 1) at 90 days. The key safety endpoint was symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage according to standard definitions. Multivariable logistic regression was used for comparative analysis, with adjustment according to propensity scores to ensure balance in baseline characteristics. RESULTS Overall, 4130 patients with AIS were registered but 320 had incomplete or missing data, leaving 3810 with available data for analysis of whom 2666 received r-tPA (median dose 0.88 (IQR 0.78-0.90) mg/kg) and 1144 received UK (1.71 (1.43-2.00)×10 international unit per kilogram). There were several significant intergroup differences in patient characteristics: r-tPA patients were more educated, had less history of stroke, lower systolic blood pressure, greater neurological impairment and shorter treatment times from symptom onset than UK patients. However, in adjusted analysis, the frequency of excellent outcome (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.40, p=0.052) and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.47, p=0.344) were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS UK may be as effective and carry a similar safety profile as r-tPA in treating mild to moderate AIS within guidelines in China. REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. unique identifier: NCT02854592