Interaction of Avelox with Bovine Serum Albumin and Effect of the Coexistent Drugs on the Reaction

The interaction between Avelox and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated at different temperatures by fluorescence spectroscopy. Results showed that Avelox could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA strongly, and the quenching mechanism was a static quenching process with Förester spectroscopy energy transfer. The electrostatic force played an important role on the conjugation reaction between BSA and Avelox. The order of magnitude of binding constants (Ka) was 104, and the number of binding site (n) in the binary system was approximately equal to 1. The binding distance (r) was less than 3 nm and the primary binding site for Avelox was located in subdomain IIA of BSA. Synchronous fluorescence spectra clearly revealed that the microenvironment of amino acid residues and the conformation of BSA were changed during the binding reaction. In addition, the effect of some antibiotics on the binding constant of Avelox with BSA was also studied

Prediction of In-Cylinder Pressure of Diesel Engine Based on Extreme Gradient Boosting and Sparrow Search Algorithm

In-cylinder pressure is one of the most important references in the process of diesel engine performance optimization. In order to acquire effective in-cylinder pressure value, many physical tests are required. The cost of physical testing is high; various uncertain factors will bring errors to test results, and the time of an engine test is so long that the test results cannot meet the real-time requirement. Therefore, it is necessary to develop technology with high accuracy and a fast response to predict the in-cylinder pressure of diesel engines. In this paper, the in-cylinder pressure values of a high-speed diesel engine under different conditions are used to train the extreme gradient boosting model, and the sparrow search algorithm—which belongs to the swarm intelligence optimization algorithm—is introduced to optimize the hyper parameters of the model. The research results show that the extreme gradient boosting model combined with the sparrow search algorithm can predict the in-cylinder pressure under each verification condition with high accuracy, and the proportion of the samples which prediction error is less than 10% in the validation set is 94%. In the process of model optimization, it is found that compared with the grid search method, the sparrow search algorithm has stronger hyper parameter optimization ability, which reduces the mean square error of the prediction model by 27.99%

Prevalence and environmental impact factors of somatization tendencies in eastern Chinese adolescents: a multicenter observational study

The aim of this study is at examining the prevalence and impact factors of adolescent somatization tendencies (ST) across three eastern Chinese provinces. A multicenter school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in these provinces from 2015 to 2016. The sample included 11,153 middle-school students aged 13-18 years, who were randomly selected using a multi-phase stratified cluster sampling technique. We also designed a multicenter school-based case-control study to evaluate the potential environmental impact of ST factors on this population. The overall positive rate of ST among the eastern Chinese adolescents was 12.1%. Somatic symptoms score (SSS) and positive ST rate were higher in females than males. Additionally, the SSS and positive ST rate for the 18-year-old group were significantly higher than in other age groups. In comparison to those in urban areas, adolescents in rural areas had significantly higher SSS and positive ST rate. Multiple conditional regression analyses revealed that family medical history, anxiety and depression scores; superstitious beliefs; left-behind adolescents; teacher-student support; family conflict; and family independence and achievement orientation were significantly linked to ST in adolescents. The models also indicated family medical history was the strongest impact factor to adolescent ST, even though ST were prevalent in the three studied eastern Chinese provinces. Gender, age, and dwelling differences were very significant in the SSS and positive ST rate in adolescents. This study concludes that adolescent ST are influenced by multiple environments

Gender differences in the prevalence and impact factors of hysterical tendencies in adolescents from three eastern Chinese provinces

Abstract Background Few studies have attempted to compare the differences in the prevalence and impact factors of hysterical tendencies (HTs) in adolescents. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine gender differences in the prevalence and impact factors of adolescents’ HTs across three eastern Chinese provinces (Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang). Methods A multicenter, school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in three provinces (Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang) in China in 2014. The sample included 10,131 middle-school students aged 13–18 years who were randomly selected using a multiphase, stratified, cluster sampling technique. A two-stage appraisal procedure was used to determine the adolescents’ HTs. We also designed a multicenter, school-based, case control (1329 cases with 2661 control individuals) study to collect data on the common factors affecting this population using a common protocol and questionnaire. Results An overall positive rate of HTs among adolescents across the three eastern Chinese provinces studied was found at 13.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 12.5–13.8%), at 14.5% (95% CI 13.3–15.7%) for females, and at 12.2% (95% CI 11.1–13.4%) for males. Gender-stratified, multiple conditional regression analyses revealed that superstitious beliefs pertaining to life, somatotype, teacher–student satisfaction, and family achievement orientation were significantly linked to HTs only in males, while left-behind adolescents, emotional and social adaptation, teacher–student support, family cohesion, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - depression scores were significantly associated with female HTs only. The models indicated that of all the independent variables studied, family medical history was the strongest impact factor for both male HTs (adjusted matched odds ratio (amOR) = 2.92, 95% CI = 1.84–4.86) and female HTs (amOR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.59–4.98). Conclusions HTs are prevalent among adolescents in the three eastern Chinese provinces studied. Gender differences in the prevalence and impact factors of HTs are significant in adolescents, and HTs seem to affect more females than males. Therefore, sex-specific intervention programs against HTs in adolescents should be considered to reduce HT prevalence in adolescents by modifying influential social, school, and family factors

Bulk Photovoltaic Current Mechanisms in All-Inorganic Perovskite Multiferroic Materials

After the discovery of bulk photovoltaic effect more than half a century ago, ferro-electrical and magneto-optical experiments have provided insights into various related topics, revealing above bandgap open voltages and non-central symmetrical current mechanisms. However, the nature of the photon-generated carriers responses and their microscopic mechanisms remain unclear. Here, all-inorganic perovskite Bi0.85Gd0.15Fe1−xMnxO3 thin films were prepared by a sol-gel process and the effects of Gd and Mn co-doped bismuth ferrites on their microtopography, grain boundries, multiferroic, and optical properties were studied. We discovered a simple “proof of principle” type new method that by one-step measuring the leakage current, one can demonstrate the value of photo generated current being the sum of ballistic current and shift current, which are combined to form the so-called bulk photovoltaic current, and can be related to the prototype intrinsic properties such as magneto-optical coupling and ferroelectric polarization. This result has significant potential influence on design principles for engineering multiferroic optoelectronic devices and future photovoltaic industry development

Evaluation of Immunogenicity and Safety of Vero Cell-Derived Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine in Older Patients with Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus

Background: To evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine (Vero cell), inactivated, in a population aged ≥60 years with hypertension or(/and) diabetes mellitus. Methods: A total of 1440 participants were enrolled and divided into four groups, 330 in the hypertension group, 330 in the diabetes group, 300 in the hypertensive combined with diabetes group (combined disease group), and 480 in the healthy population group. Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (Vero cell), inactivated, were administered at a 21-day interval and blood samples were collected before vaccination and 28 days after the second dose to evaluate the immunogenicity. The adverse events and changes in blood pressure and blood glucose levels after vaccination were recorded. Results: The seroconversion rate of the COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies was 100% for all participants. The post-inoculation geometric mean titer (GMT) in the four groups of the hypertension, diabetes, combined disease, and healthy populations were 73.41, 69.93, 73.84, and 74.86, respectively. The seroconversion rates and post-vaccination GMT in the hypertension, diabetes, and combined disease groups were non-inferior to the healthy population group. The rates of vaccine-related adverse reactions were 11.93%, 14.29%, 12.50%, and 9.38%, respectively. No serious adverse events were reported during the study. No apparent abnormal fluctuations in blood pressure and blood glucose values were observed after vaccination in participants with hypertension or(/and) diabetes. Conclusions: The COVID-19 vaccine (Vero cell), inactivated, showed good immunogenicity and safety in patients aged ≥60 years suffering from hypertension or(/and) diabetes mellitus