Student Selection for Excellent Engineer Training: a Statistical Approach Based on Exam Scores

"Excellent engineer training program" is important for the education reform of China in recent years and a large number of studies related to the issue have been reported with lacking of discussion related to geological specialty. In this study, statistical analysis has been carried out based on the exam scores of geological students (sixty-four persons and twelve courses) in Suzhou University for revealing the differences between students and subdivision the students into different categories. The results of two-step cluster analysis suggest that these students can be subdivided into two groups with different characteristics, similar to the results obtained by factor analysis that twenty-nine students with high scores of English, global information system, structural geology, survey, palaeontology, coal geology, hydrology, geophysics and quaternary are considered to be chosen for training of excellent engineers. Keywords: student selection, excellent engineer, statistical analysis, geological engineerin

Pollution assessment and source approximation of trace elements in the farmland soil near the trafficway

The traffic related environmental pollution problems have attracted a lot of attention. In this study, contents of eight trace elements along with Fe and Mn in the farmland soil near a trafficway of Suzhou, Anhui province, China have been measured for the pollution assessment and source identification (along with quantification). The results show that iron is the most abundant element, followed by manganese, zinc, chromium, nickel, copper, lead, arsenic, cobalt and cadmium. They have coefficients of variation range between 0.028 and 0.281, indicating that some of them might have multi-sources. The pollution indexes (including single pollution, geo-accumulation and the Nemerow composite indexes) indicate that the soil samples are slightly polluted. Multivariate statistical analyses (including correlation, cluster and factor analyses) have identified three sources (geogenic, traffic and agriculture related) responsible for the elemental concentrations in the soils. Moreover, the EPA Unmix model have calculated their mean contributions to be 33.4%, 33.2% and 33.3%, respectively

Application of major ion concentrations for the prediction of stable isotopic composition in surface water

The δ2H and δ18O values in water bodies are essential to the management of water resources because of the ability to insight into hydrological processes. In this study, we have measured and analyzed the major ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl–, SO24– and HCO–3 ) and stable H-O isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) for fifteen surface water samples collected from the Xinbian River in Suzhou, northern Anhui Province, China. The results show that all of the water samples are classified to be Na-HCO3 type, and the mean values of δ2H and δ18O are –42.93‰ and –5.36‰, respectively. Gibbs diagram and the relationship between δ2H and δ18O indicate that both water chemistry and stable isotopes in river water are mainly controlled by evaporation. Correlation analysis reveals that a significant correlation between major ions and δ18O. Predictors (K+, SO24– and HCO–3 ) have been selected by optimal subset regression analysis were used to model the δ18O values in the river water. Moreover, the residuals of the model were normally distributed and values between –0.2‰ to 0.2‰ for most water samples, suggesting a strong relationship between the observed and predicted δ18O values

Preparation and Characterisation of Nobiletin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers

The objective of this manuscript was to investigate and optimise the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as a carrier system for nobiletin (NOB), which was prepared by high-pressure homogenisation method. Additionally, this study was focused on the application of NOB-loaded NLC (NOB-NLC) in functional food. Response surface method with a three-level Box–Behnken design was validated through analysis of variance, and the robustness of the design was confirmed through the correspondence between the values measured in the experiments and the predicted ones. Properties of the prepared NOB-NLC, such as Z-average, polydispersity, entrapment efficiency, zeta potential, morphology, and crystallinity, were investigated. NOB-NLC exhibited a spherical shape with a diameter of 112.27 ± 5.33 nm, zeta potential of −35.1 ± 2.94 mV, a polydispersity index of 0.251 ± 0.058, and an EE of 81.06%  ±  6.02%. Results from X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry of NOB-NLC reviewed that the NOB crystal might be converted to an amorphous state. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis demonstrated that chemical interaction was absent between the compound and lipid mixture in NOB-NLC

Luminous Lyman-alpha Emitters with Very Blue UV-continuum Slopes at Redshift 5.7 <= z <= 6.6

We study six luminous Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) with very blue rest-frame UV continua at $5.7\le z \le 6.6$. These LAEs have previous HST and Spitzer IRAC observations. Combining our newly acquired HST images, we find that their UV-continuum slopes $\beta$ are in a range of $-3.4\le \beta \le -2.6$. Unlike previous, tentative detections of $\beta \simeq -3$ in photometrically selected, low-luminosity galaxies, our LAEs are spectroscopically confirmed and luminous ($M_{\rm UV}<-20$ mag). We model their broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and find that two $\beta\simeq-2.6\pm0.2$ galaxies can be well fitted with young and dust-free stellar populations. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to fit bluer galaxies. We explore further interpretations by including non-zero LyC escape fraction $f_{\rm esc}$, very low metallicities, and/or AGN contributions. Assuming $f_{\rm esc}\simeq0.2$, we achieve the bluest slopes $\beta\simeq-2.7$ when nebular emission is considered. This can nearly explain the SEDs of two galaxies with $\beta\simeq-2.8$ and --2.9 ($\sigma_{\beta}=0.15$). Larger $f_{\rm esc}$ values and very low metallicities are not favored by the strong nebular line emission (evidenced by the IRAC flux) or the observed (IRAC 1 - IRAC 2) color. Finally, we find that the $\beta\simeq-2.9$ galaxy can potentially be well explained by the combination of a very young population with a high $f_{\rm esc}$ ($\ge0.5$) and an old, dusty population. We are not able to produce two $\beta \simeq -3.4 \pm0.4$ galaxies. Future deep spectroscopic observations are needed to fully understand these galaxies.Comment: Published in ApJ on 2020 Feb 1; Authors' version (9 pages); See published version at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab64e

Maternal Dietary Diversity and Small for Gestational Age:The Effect Modification by Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain in a Prospective Study within Rural Sichuan, China (2021–2022)

Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) remains a significant global public health concern, with potential interconnections among maternal diet, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain (GWG), and SGA. This prospective study investigated the association between dietary diversity (DD) during pregnancy and the risk of SGA, as well as the synergistic effect of DD with pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG on SGA. Maternal dietary intake during pregnancy was assessed using 24 h dietary recalls, and dietary diversity scores (DDS) were calculated based on the FAO’s Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women index. Infant information was followed up. The Poisson regression model was employed to determine the association between maternal DD and SGA. Interactions between DD and pre-pregnancy BMI or GWG were evaluated under additive and multiplicative models. Among the 560 singleton live births, 62 (11.07%) were classified as SGA. After adjusting for potential confounders, the DDS exhibited a protective effect against SGA (aRR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.62–0.95). DD modified the association between being underweight prior to pregnancy and SGA on the additive scale (interaction contrast ratio = 7.39; 95% CI: 5.84, 8.94). These findings suggest that improving dietary diversity during pregnancy, particularly among women with a low pre-pregnancy BMI, may be a feasible strategy to reduce the risk of SGA newborns.</p

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Ensemble Spectroscopic Variability of Quasar Broad Emission Lines

We explore the variability of quasars in the MgII and Hbeta broad emission lines and UV/optical continuum emission using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project (SDSS-RM). This is the largest spectroscopic study of quasar variability to date: our study includes 29 spectroscopic epochs from SDSS-RM over $6$ months, containing 357 quasars with MgII and 41 quasars with Hbeta . On longer timescales, the study is also supplemented with two-epoch data from SDSS-I/II. The SDSS-I/II data include an additional $2854$ quasars with MgII and 572 quasars with Hbeta. The MgII emission line is significantly variable ($\Delta f/f$ 10% on 100-day timescales), a necessary prerequisite for its use for reverberation mapping studies. The data also confirm that continuum variability increases with timescale and decreases with luminosity, and the continuum light curves are consistent with a damped random-walk model on rest-frame timescales of $\gtrsim 5$ days. We compare the emission-line and continuum variability to investigate the structure of the broad-line region. Broad-line variability shows a shallower increase with timescale compared to the continuum emission, demonstrating that the broad-line transfer function is not a $\delta$-function. Hbeta is more variable than MgII (roughly by a factor of $1.5$), suggesting different excitation mechanisms, optical depths and/or geometrical configuration for each emission line. The ensemble spectroscopic variability measurements enabled by the SDSS-RM project have important consequences for future studies of reverberation mapping and black hole mass estimation of $1<z<2$ quasars.Comment: 20 pages, 25 figures. ApJ accepted: minor revisions following referee repor

Quantifying the Escape of Ly α at z ≈ 5–6: A Census of Ly α Escape Fraction with H α -emitting Galaxies Spectroscopically Confirmed by JWST and VLT/MUSE

The James Webb Space Telescope provides an unprecedented opportunity for unbiased surveys of Hα-emitting galaxies at z > 4 with the NIRCam's wide-field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS). In this work, we present a census of Lyα escape fraction (f esc,Lyα ) of 165 star-forming galaxies at z = 4.9–6.3, utilizing their Hα emission directly measured from FRESCO NIRCam/WFSS data. We search for Lyα emission of each Hα-emitting galaxy in the Very Large Telescope/MUSE data. The overall f esc,Lyα measured by stacking is 0.090 ± 0.006. We find that f esc,Lyα displays a strong dependence on the observed UV slope (β obs) and E(B − V), such that the bluest galaxies (β obs ∼ −2.5) have the largest escape fractions (f esc,Lyα ≈ 0.6), indicative of the crucial role of dust and gas in modulating the escape of Lyα photons. f esc,Lyα is less well related to other parameters, including the UV luminosity and stellar mass, and the variation in f esc,Lyα with them can be explained by their underlying coupling with E(B − V) or β obs. Our results suggest a tentative decline in f esc,Lyα at z ≳ 5, implying increasing intergalactic medium attenuation toward higher redshift. Furthermore, the dependence of f esc,Lyα on β obs is proportional to that of the ionizing photon escape fraction (f esc,LyC), indicating that the escape of Lyα and ionizing photon may be regulated by similar physical processes. With f esc,Lyα as a proxy to f esc,LyC, we infer that UV-faint (M UV > −16) galaxies contribute >70% of the total ionizing emissivity at z = 5–6. If these relations hold during the epoch of reionization, UV-faint galaxies can contribute the majority of UV photon budget to reionize the Universe

An Essential Role for RIG-I in Toll-like Receptor-Stimulated Phagocytosis

SummaryRetinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) plays an important role in antiviral response by recognizing double-stranded RNA. Here we demonstrate an unanticipated role of RIG-I in Toll-like receptor (TLR)-stimulated phagocytosis. Stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a ligand of TLR4, induced the expression of RIG-I in macrophages. Depletion of RIG-I by RNAi or gene targeting inhibited the LPS-induced phagocytosis of bacteria. Cellular processes involved in phagocytosis, such as small GTPase Cdc42/Rac1 activation, actin polymerization, and actin-regulator Arp2/3 recruitment, were also impaired in RIG-I-deficient macrophages activated by LPS. Moreover, RIG-I−/− mice were found to be more susceptible to infection with Escherichia coli as compared to wild-type mice. Thus, the regulatory functions of RIG-I are strikingly broad, including a role not only in antiviral responses but in antibacterial responses as well

Using standardized patients to assess the quality of type 2 diabetes care among primary care providers and the health system: Evidence from rural areas of western China

Background Improving type 2 diabetes (T2D) care is key to managing and reducing disease burden due to the growing prevalence of diabetes worldwide, but research on this topic, specifically from rural areas, is limited. This study uses standardized patients (SPs) to assess T2D care quality among primary care providers to access the healthcare system in rural China. Methods Using multi-stage random sampling, health facilities, providers, and households were selected. SPs were used to evaluate providers' T2D care quality and a questionnaire survey was used to collect patient sorting behaviors from households. Logistic regression was used to explore factors correlated with T2D care quality. Provider referral and treatment rates were combined with patient sorting behaviors to assess the overall quality of T2D management by rural China's healthcare system. Results A total of 126 providers, 106 facilities, and 750 households were enrolled into this study. During SP interactions, 20% of rural providers followed the national guidelines for T2D consultation, 32.5% gave correct treatment, and 54.7% provided lifestyle suggestions. Multi-variable regression results showed that providers who had earned practicing certificates (β = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.44, 2.69) and saw more patients (β = 0.77, 95%: 0.25, 1.28) were more likely to use a higher number of recommended questions and perform better examinations, whereas providers who participated in online training were less likely to practice these behaviors (β = −1.03, 95%: −1.95, −0.11). The number of recommended questions and examination (NRQE) was the only significant correlated factor with correct treatment (marginal effect = 0.05, 95%: 0.01, 0.08). Throughout the rural healthcare system, 23.7% of T2D patients were treated correctly.ConclusionThe quality of T2D care in rural western China, especially throughout the consultation and treatment process during a patient's first visit, is poor. Online training may not improve T2D care quality and low patient volume was likely to indicate poor care quality. Further research is needed to explore interventions for improving T2D care quality in rural China's healthcare system