Effect of Living Arrangements on Cognitive Function in Chinese Elders: A Longitudinal Observational Study

Objective To examine how living arrangement as a social contextual factor can affect Chinese elders’ cognitive function. Setting and participants Our sample consists of 2486 Chinese elders from two waves (2014 and 2018) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) that was administered in 22 of China’s 31 provinces using a multi-stage, disproportionate, purposive random sampling method. The CLHLS aims to better understand the determinants of healthy longevity in China and collects extensive data on a large population of fragile elders aged 80–112 in China. Outcome measures Cognitive function was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Living arrangement was divided into living in an institution, living alone and living with household members. Generalised linear regressions were carried out to examine the associations between baseline characteristics and cognitive function, while controlling age, gender and residential area. Results A total of 2486 participants were included in the study at baseline in 2014. Of these, 1162 (46.7%) were men and 1324 (53.3%) were women. The mean age at baseline was 75.07 (±8.31) years. The mean years of schooling were 2.86 (±3.68). The number (proportion) of the three living arrangements (lived in institutions, lived alone and lived with household members) were 93 (3.8%), 463 (18.6%) and 1930 (77.6%), respectively. Among all participants, cognitive function declined over time. Those who lived alone presented with the highest MMSE scores at baseline and showed the lowest decline after 4 years. Living arrangements had significant effects on decreasing cognitive function. Conclusion Chinese elders living in institutions were most vulnerable to cognitive decline. Living alone was not a risk condition in itself for the elderly in terms of cognitive decline. In addition, the benefits of living with household members to support cognitive function were not found in our study

Performance testing of a cross-flow membrane-based liquid desiccant dehumidification system

A membrane-based liquid desiccant dehumidification system is one of high energy efficient dehumidification approaches, which allows heat and moisture transfers between air stream and desiccant solution without carryover problem. The system performance is investigated experimentally with calcium chloride, and the impacts of main operating parameters on dehumidification effectiveness (i.e. sensible, latent and total effectiveness) are evaluated, which include dimensionless parameters (i.e. solution to air mass flow rate ratio m∗ and number of heat transfer units NTU) and solution properties (i.e. concentration Csol and inlet temperature Tsol,in). The sensible, latent and total effectiveness reach the maximum values of 0.49, 0.55, and 0.53 respectively at m∗= 3.5 and NTU = 12, and these effectiveness are not limited by m∗ and NTU when m∗ > 2 and NTU > 10. Both the latent and total effectiveness increase with Csol , while almost no variation is observed in the sensible effectiveness. All effectiveness can be improved by decreasing Tsol,in. The experimental data provide a full map of main design parameters for the membrane-based liquid desiccant air conditioning technology

Genome-Wide SNP Data Revealed the Extent of Linkage Disequilibrium, Persistence of Phase and Effective Population Size in Purebred and Crossbred Buffalo Populations

Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is a useful parameter for guiding the accuracy and power of both genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS) among different livestock species. The present study evaluated the extent of LD, persistence of phase and effective population size (Ne) for the purebred (Mediterranean buffalo; n = 411) and crossbred [Mediterranean × Jianghan × Nili-Ravi buffalo, n = 9; Murrah × Nili-Ravi × local (Xilin or Fuzhong) buffalo, n = 36] buffalo populations using the 90K Buffalo SNP genotyping array. The results showed that the average square of correlation coefficient (r2) between adjacent SNP was 0.13 ± 0.19 across all autosomes for purebred and 0.09 ± 0.13 for crossbred, and the most rapid decline in LD was observed over the first 200 kb. Estimated r2 ≥ 0.2 extended up to ~50 kb in crossbred and 170 kb in purebred populations, while average r2 values ≥0.3 were respectively observed in the ~10 and 60 kb in the crossbred and purebred populations. The largest phase correlation (RP, C = 0.47) was observed at the distance of 100 kb, suggesting that this phase was not actively preserved between the two populations. Estimated Ne for the purebred and crossbred population at the current generation was 387 and 113 individuals, respectively. These findings may provide useful information to guide the GS and GWAS in buffaloes

A rechargeable molecular solar thermal system below 0 °C

An optimal temperature is crucial for a broad range of applications, from chemical transformations, electronics, and human comfort, to energy production and our whole planet. Photochemical molecular thermal energy storage systems coupled with phase change behavior (MOST-PCMs) offer unique opportunities to capture energy and regulate temperature. Here, we demonstrate how a series of visible-light-responsive azopyrazoles couple MOST and PCMs to provide energy capture and release below 0 °C. The system is charged by blue light at -1 °C, and discharges energy in the form of heat under green light irradiation. High energy density (0.25 MJ kg-1) is realized through co-harvesting visible-light energy and thermal energy from the environment through phase transitions. Coatings on glass with photo-controlled transparency are prepared as a demonstration of thermal regulation. The temperature difference between the coatings and the ice cold surroundings is up to 22.7 °C during the discharging process. This study illustrates molecular design principles that pave the way for MOST-PCMs that can store natural sunlight energy and ambient heat over a wide temperature range.This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0207500), National Natural Science Foundation of China (22022507 and 51973111), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS202004), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M681279) and European Research Council (ERC) through CoG 101002131 “PHOTHERM”.With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000917-S).Peer reviewe

THE RESEARCH OF A NEW MULTIUSER DETECTION SCHEME COMBINING DECORRELATING DETECTOR AND PARTIAL PARALLEL INTERFERENCE CANCELLER

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CaliforniaThe decorrelating detector can afford good data estimates because it does not need to know many parameters of the received signal. However, it shows great performance deprivation when the background noise is high. On the other hand, partial parallel interference canceller(PPIC) has the potential to combat the near-far problem and have much lower computation complexity. But its performance depends on the initial data estimate. An improved PPIC scheme is proposed in this paper to combat the near-far problem. It utilizes the advantages of the two detectors by combining them. The focus of this paper is on the BER performance and the near-far resistance capability of the proposed scheme. Computer simulations demonstrate that the proposed detector has good BER performance and near-far resistance capability.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection

The Choices of The Remote-Control Commanding Code Set of The Pseudo Random

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1989 / Town & Country Hotel & Convention Center, San Diego, CaliforniaIn this paper, it is described that all of these pseudo-random sequences with BaumertWang-Welch’s tow limits can be used to construct remote-control commanding codes; some general conclusions are got, a general formula of maximum fault tolerant number of this kind of code set is given. It is proved that the code set of command, which all of this equivalent translating sequences of a pseudorandom sequence with Baumert-WangWelch’s low limit construct, is an optimal “Cyclic” code set oil interference-free performance. In particular, these equivalent translating sequences of a sequence with period p = 3 mod4, auto-correlation limit & = -1, construct an optimal code set. It’s given that the full essential condition of which a sequence and its inverse sequence together with their equivalent translating sequences can be used to construct remote-control command code set is that the peak value of the absolute values of out of phase periodic autocorrelation of the sequence is little. It is pointed that this constructing way makes coding more effective, easy to carry out, and there are many suitable sequences that can be broadly seleted. In the cases where a high level of interference-free function is required in a remote control system, we usually enforce the commanding into interference-free coding, so that it will posses certain fault-tolerance. The coding and decoding circuits should be simple in equipment and easy to realise. But the efficiency of coding may be quite low. According to the requirements and characteristics, the principles of using the equivalent translating squences m as the remote-control commanding code set, its realization and characteristics are described [1] [2]. A scheme of realising the remote-control commanding by using the sequence m and its inverse-sequence is given [6]. In this paper from the more general point of view, the possibility and the general result of all the pseudo-random sequence reached Baument-Wang-Welch’s inferior limit that is used in remote control commanding code is discussed. The Condition which one sequence and the equivalent translating sequence of its inverse sequence can be used together as the command-code set is given.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection

The Choices of the Remote-Control Commanding Code Set of the Pseudo Random

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1989 / Town & Country Hotel & Convention Center, San Diego, CaliforniaIn this paper, it is described that all of these pseudo-random sequences with Baumert- Wang-Welch's tow limits can be used to construct remote-control commanding codes; some general conclusions are got, a general formula of maximum fault tolerant number of this kind of code set is given. It is proved that the code set of command, which all of this equivalent translating sequences of a pseudorandom sequence with Baumert-Wang- Welch's low limit construct, is an optimal "Cyclic" code set oil interference-free performance. In particular, these equivalent translating sequences of a sequence with period p = 3 mod4, auto-correlation limit & = -1, construct an optimal code set. It's given that the full essential condition of which a sequence and its inverse sequence together with their equivalent translating sequences can be used to construct remote-control command code set is that the peak value of the absolute values of out of phase periodic autocorrelation of the sequence is little. It is pointed that this constructing way makes coding more effective, easy to carry out, and there are many suitable sequences that can be broadly seleted. In the cases where a high level of interference-free function is required in a remote control system, we usually enforce the commanding into interference-free coding, so that it will posses certain fault-tolerance. The coding and decoding circuits should be simple in equipment and easy to realise. But the efficiency of coding may be quite low. According to the requirements and characteristics, the principles of using the equivalent translating squences m as the remote-control commanding code set, its realization and characteristics are described [1] [2]. A scheme of realising the remote-control commanding by using the sequence m and its inverse-sequence is given [6]. In this paper from the more general point of view, the possibility and the general result of all the pseudo-random sequence reached Baument-Wang-Welch's inferior limit that is used in remote control commanding code is discussed. The Condition which one sequence and the equivalent translating sequence of its inverse sequence can be used together as the command-code set is given.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection