Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Particulate Matter and Dry Deposition Flux in the Cuihu Wetland of Beijing

In recent years, the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization has caused serious environmental pollution, especially particulate pollution. As the “Earth’s kidneys,” wetland plays a significant role in improving the environmental quality and adjusting the climate. To study how wetlands work in this aspect, from the early autumn of 2014 to 2015, we implemented a study to measure the PM concentration and chemical composition at three heights (1.5, 6, and 10 m) during different periods (dry, normal water, and wet periods) in the Cuihu wetland park in Beijing for analyzing the dry deposition flux and the effect of meteorological factors on the concentration. Results indicated that (1) the diurnal variations of the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations at the three heights were similar in that the highest concentration occurred at night and the lowest occurred at noon, and the daytime concentration was lower than that at night; (2) the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations also varied between different periods that wet period \u3e normal water period \u3e wet period, and the concentration at different heights during different periods varied. In general, the lowest concentration occurred at 10 m during the dry and normal water periods, and the highest concentration occurred at 1.5 m during the wet period. (3) SO4 2− , NO3 − , and Cl− are the dominant constituents of PM2.5, accounting for 42.22, 12.6, and 21.56%, respectively; (4) the dry depositions of PM2.5 and PM10 at 10 m were higher than those at 6 m, and the deposition during the dry period was higher than those during the wet and normal water periods. In addition, the deposition during the night-time was higher than that during the daytime. Moreover, meteorological factors affected the deposition, the temperature and wind speed being negatively correlated with the deposition flux and the humidity being positively correlated. (5) The PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were influenced by meteorological factors. The PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were negatively correlated with temperature and wind speed but positively correlated with relative humidity

A Design of Double Broadband MIMO Antenna

The MIMO antenna applied to LTE mobile system should be miniaturization and can work in the current communication frequency band; isolation between each antenna unit also should be good so as to reduce loss of radio wave energy and improve the antenna performance of the MIMO system. This paper puts forward the design scheme of a broadband MIMO double antenna. And the design of antenna unit and debugging and related technical measures, such as bending antenna bracket, are both presented; the integration design of high isolation of ultra broadband MIMO antenna is realized on the plate with the volume of 100 × 52 × 0.8 mm3; antenna working bands are 698 MHz~960 MHz and 1710 MHz~2700 MHz; in the whole spectrum, the 10 dB of port isolation can be basically achieved; in low frequency band, the isolation degree of antenna port can reach 12 dB

KIAA1199 promotes migration and invasion by Wnt/β-catenin pathway and MMPs mediated EMT progression and serves as a poor prognosis marker in gastric cancer

Background KIAA1199 was upregulated in diverse cancers, but the association of KIAA1199 with gastric cancer (GC), the biological role of KIAA1199 in GC cells and the related molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Methods KIAA1199 expression was analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in GC patient tissue. The small hairpin RNA (shRNA) was applied for the knockdown of endogenous KIAA1199 in NCI-N87 and AGS cells. MTT, colony formation, scratch wounding migration, transwell chamber migration and invasion assays were employed respectively to investigate the role of KIAA1199 in GC cells. The potential signaling pathway of KIAA1199 induced migration and invasion was detected. Results KIAA1199 was upregulated in GC tissue and was an essential independent marker for poor prognosis. Knockdown KIAA1199 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion in GC cells. KIAA1199 stimulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and the enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family members and thus accelerated the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression in GC cells. Conclusion These findings demonstrated that KIAA1199 was upregulated in GC tissue and associated with worse clinical outcomes in GC, and KIAA1199 acted as an oncogene by promoting migration and invasion through the enhancement of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and MMPs mediated EMT progression in GC cell

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Effect of Pisha sandstone on water infiltration of different soils on the Chinese Loess Plateau

The infiltration of water into soil is one of the most important soil physical properties that affect soil erosion and the eco-environment, especially in the Pisha sandstone area on the Chinese Loess Plateau. We studied the one-dimensional vertical infiltration of water in three experimental soils, created by mixing Pisha sandstone with sandy soil, irrigation-silted soil, and loessial soil, at mass ratios of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5. Our objective was to compare water infiltration in the experimental soils and to evaluate the effect of Pisha sandstone on water infiltration. We assessed the effect by measuring soil bulk density (BD), porosity, cumulative infiltration, infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). The results showed that Pisha sandstone decreased the infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity in the three experimental soils. Cumulative infiltration over time was well described by the Philip equation. Sandy soil mixed with the Pisha sandstone at a ratio of 1:3 had the best water-holding capacity. The results provided experimental evidence for the movement of soil water and a technical support for the reconstruction and reclamation of mining soils in the Pisha sandstone area.<br style=" font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; " /

Design of Frequency- and Pattern-Reconfigurable Wideband Slot Antenna

A wideband slot antenna with frequency- and pattern-reconfigurable characteristics for TD-LTE (3.4–3.8 GHz) and C-band (3.7–4.2 GHz) applications is proposed. The antenna consists of two symmetric slots that are fed by a fork-shaped microstrip line. Two PIN diodes are loaded in the slots to produce two different frequency bands. Meanwhile, two additional PIN diodes are inserted in the feed line to achieve the pattern reconfigurability. The wideband operation is realized by using the symmetric slots and fork-shaped feed line. Simulated and measured results show that the antenna provides 25° and 20° beam-steering in 3.4–3.8 and 3.7–4.2 GHz bands, respectively. Also, an impedance bandwidth of at least 12.8% is obtained in the operating bands

Transmission Line Model for Compact Differential Dual-band Antenna with Stacked Patches

The transmission line model for a compact differential dual-band antenna with stacked configuration is presented in this paper. The coupling admittance between stacked patches is calculated when the antenna is fed from the upper patch. To validate the transmission line model, two compact differential dual-band antennas are designed. The simulated results indicate that the proposed transmission line model is suitable for analyzing compact differential dual-band antennas with stacked configuration

Polarization-Controlled and Flexible Single-/Penta-Band Metamaterial Absorber

In this paper, a polarization-controlled and flexible metamaterial absorber made of a set of wires etched on ultrathin teflon dielectric substrate is proposed. The simulation results showed that the proposed absorber achieved single-band absorptivity of 99.8% at 6.64 GHz for the TM (transverse magnetic) polarization wave and penta-band absorptivity of more than 99% at 11.68 GHz, 13.58 GHz, 15.48 GHz, 17.38 GHz, and 19.28 GHz for the TE (transverse electric) polarization waves. Moreover, each absorption peak had very narrow relative bandwidth and the position of penta-band absorption peaks could be adjusted by changing the length of the corresponding wire or selecting suitable substrate material according to actual requirements, because each wire can independently respond to electromagnetic (EM) waves. Furthermore, the surface current distributions corresponding to each absorption peak were studied to demonstrate the absorption mechanism. The absorption properties of the proposed structure with different bending radii and under different incident angles of the EM waves were investigated, showing good flexibility and incident angle-insensitive properties. In addition, the simulation results were confirmed by measuring a fabricated prototype. The proposed absorber may have useful applications in polarizers, sensors, bolometers, polarization detectors, etc