Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Resilience of epidemics for SIS model on networks

Epidemic propagation on complex networks has been widely investigated, mostly with invariant parameters. However, the process of epidemic propagation is not always constant. Epidemics can be affected by various perturbations and may bounce back to its original state, which is considered resilient. Here, we study the resilience of epidemics on networks, by introducing a different infection rate λ2 during SIS (susceptible-infected-susceptible) epidemic propagation to model perturbations (control state), whereas the infection rate is λ1 in the rest of time. Noticing that when λ1 is below λc, there is no resilience in the SIS model. Through simulations and theoretical analysis, we find that even for λ2 < λc, epidemics eventually could bounce back if the control duration is below a threshold. This critical control time for epidemic resilience, i.e., cdmax, seems to be predicted by the diameter (d) of the underlying network, with the quantitative relation cdmax ~ dα. Our findings can help to design a better mitigation strategy for epidemics.Multimedia Computin

Effective Approaches of Improving the Performance of Chalcogenide Solid Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Sodium-Ion Batteries

All-solid-state sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) possess the advantages of rich resources, low price, and high security, which are one of the best alternatives for large-scale energy storage systems in the future. Also, the chalcogenide solid electrolytes (CSEs) of SIBs have the characteristics of excellent room-temperature ionic conductivity (10−3-10−2 S cm−1), low activation energy (<0.6 eV), easy cold-pressing consolidation, etc. Hence, CSEs have become a very active area of all-solid-state SIB research in recent years. In this review, the modification methods and implementation technologies of CSEs are summarized, and the structure and electrochemical performance of the CSEs are discussed. Furthermore, the auxiliary function of first-principle calculations for modification is introduced. Ultimately, we describe the challenges regarding CSEs and propose some strategic suggestions.Electronic Components, Technology and Material

Bridge Load Testing: State-of-The-Practice

Bridge load testing can answer a variety of questions about bridge behavior that cannot be answered otherwise. The current governing codes and guidelines for bridge load testing in the United States are the 1998 NCHRP Manual for Bridge Rating through Load Testing and Chapter 8 of the AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation. Over the last two decades, the practice of load testing has evolved, and its intersections with other fields have expanded. The outcomes of load tests have been used to keep bridges open cost-effectively without unnecessarily restricting legal loads, when theoretical analyses cannot yield insights representative of in-service performance. Load testing data can be further used to develop field-verified finite-element models of tested bridges to understand these structures better. In addition, structural reliability concepts can be used to estimate the probability of failure based on the results of load tests, and noncontact measurement techniques capturing large surfaces of bridges allow for better monitoring of structural responses. Given these developments, a new Transportation Research Board (TRB) Circular, Primer on Bridge Load Testing, has been developed. This document contains new proposals for interpreting the results of diagnostic load tests, loading protocols, and the determination of bridge load ratings based on the results of proof load tests. In addition, included provisions provide an estimation of the resulting reliability index and the remaining service life of a bridge based on load testing results. The benefit of load testing is illustrated based on a cost-benefit analysis. The current state-of-The-practice has demonstrated that load testing is an effective means for answering many important questions regarding bridge behavior that are critical to decisions on bridge maintenance or replacement. Load testing has evolved over its history, and the newly developed TRB Circular reflects this evolution in a practical way. Accepted Author ManuscriptConcrete Structure

Spatial patterns of leaf carbon, nitrogen stoichiometry and stable carbon isotope composition of Ranunculus natans CA Mey. (Ranunculaceae) in the arid zone of northwest China

Leaf carbon concentrations (C%), nitrogen concentrations (N%), carbon-nitrogen ratio (C:N) and stable carbon isotope composition (delta C-13) are key foliar traits with great ecological importance, but few studies have attempted to document the pattern of leaf C%, N%, C:N and delta C-13 value for aquatic macrophytes. In this study, we examined the pattern of leaf C%, N%, C:N and delta C-13 value of Ranunculus natans collected from 26 sites across northwest China, and tried to explore how different environmental conditions affect leaf C%, N%, C: N stoichiometry, and delta C-13 value. Results showed that leaf N%, C:N ratios and delta C-13 varied significantly among the 26 R. natnas collection sites, but leaf C% did not differ significantly. Our study found weak relationships between foliar N% and C: N of R. natans and altitude, latitude and longitude, which indicated that variability in foliar N%, C:N stoichiometry across diverse habitats may result from plant growth, development, metabolism, phenological and life history traits, rather than from variation in geographic environment. We also demonstrated that leaf delta C-13 values displayed a linear increase in altitudinal direction. The differences in delta C-13 values were likely caused by stomatal limitation rather than by nutrient-related changes in photosynthetic efficiency because delta C-13 values in R. natans were not correlated with foliar N concentrations. Our data support the previously proposed temperature-plant physiology hypothesis because there is a negative relationship between leaf N% of R. natans and temperature of water body where R. natans inhabits. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Organochlorine pesticides in soil, water and sediment along the Jinjiang River mainstream to Quanzhou Bay, southeast China

Residue levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in multiple compartments (water, soil and sediment) along the Jinjiang River mainstream to Quanzhou Bay were monitored to elucidate sources and fate. The concentrations of OCPs in surface soil of the watershed of the Jinjiang River (2.44 +/- 1.97 ng/g for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and 11.4 +/- 8.46 ng/g for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs)) and the Quanzhou Bay (1.81 +/- 2.15 ng/g for HCHs and 9.72 +/- 14.66 ng/g for DDTs) were comparable. The concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in dissolved phase were 55-94% for the total HCHs and ten to sixteen percent for the total DDTs in the Jinjiang River. High correlations of OCPs between suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment (p < 0.01) were found in this study, which demonstrated that OCPs absorbed onto SPM was the major source in the sediment of Quanzhou Bay. The use of lindane was the major source of HCHs in the study region. Dicofol pollution was found in water of the Jinjiang River and sediment of Quanzhou Bay. Based on the sediment quality guidelines, DDTs pose more ecotoxicological risk in environment of the Jinjiang River and Quanzhou Bay. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Residue levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in multiple compartments (water, soil and sediment) along the Jinjiang River mainstream to Quanzhou Bay were monitored to elucidate sources and fate. The concentrations of OCPs in surface soil of the watershed of the Jinjiang River (2.44 +/- 1.97 ng/g for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and 11.4 +/- 8.46 ng/g for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs)) and the Quanzhou Bay (1.81 +/- 2.15 ng/g for HCHs and 9.72 +/- 14.66 ng/g for DDTs) were comparable. The concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in dissolved phase were 55-94% for the total HCHs and ten to sixteen percent for the total DDTs in the Jinjiang River. High correlations of OCPs between suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment (p < 0.01) were found in this study, which demonstrated that OCPs absorbed onto SPM was the major source in the sediment of Quanzhou Bay. The use of lindane was the major source of HCHs in the study region. Dicofol pollution was found in water of the Jinjiang River and sediment of Quanzhou Bay. Based on the sediment quality guidelines, DDTs pose more ecotoxicological risk in environment of the Jinjiang River and Quanzhou Bay. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Effects of vegetation rehabilitation on soil organic and inorganic carbon stocks in the Mu Us Desert, northwest China

In arid and semiarid areas, the importance of soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is at least as high as that of soil organic carbon (SOC) in affecting the regional carbon budget following vegetation rehabilitation. However, variations in SIC have been uncertain, and few studies have analyzed the interactions between the SOC and SIC pools. We measured SIC, SOC, C-13-SIC, and C-13-SOC after planting Mongolian pine (MP) and Artemisia ordosica (AO) on shifting sand land (SL) over 10years in the Mu Us Desert, northwest China. The results showed that, compared to SL, SIC stocks at 0-100cm in MP and AO lands significantly increased by 12.6 and 25.8Mgha(-1), respectively; SOC stocks in MP and AO lands significantly increased by 24.0 and 38.4Mgha(-1), respectively. Both C-13-SIC and C-13-SOC in the 2 plantation lands were significantly lower than those in SL were. All 315 samples exhibited a negatively linear relationship between SIC content and C-13-SIC (R-2=.70, p<.01) and showed positively linear relationships between SIC content and SOC content (R-2=.69, p<.01) and between C-13-SIC and C-13-SOC (R-2=.61, p<.01). The results demonstrated that vegetation rehabilitation on SL has a high potential to sequester SIC and SOC in semiarid deserts. The reduction in C-13-SIC and the relationship of SIC with C-13-SIC following vegetation rehabilitation suggested that SIC sequestration is likely caused by the formation of pedogenic inorganic carbon. The relationships between SIC and SOC and between C-13-SIC and C-13-SOC implied that the pedogenic inorganic carbon formation may be closely related to the SOC accumulation

Abnormal baseline brain activity in bipolar depression: A resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

We examined resting state brain activity in the depressive phase of bipolar disorder (BD) by measuring the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal. Unlike functional connectivity, the ALFF approach reflects local properties in specific regions and provides direct information about impaired foci. Groups of 26 patients with BD depression and 26 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy subjects participated in fMRI scans. We examined group differences in ALFF findings as well as correlations between clinical measurements and ALFF in the regions showing significant group differences. Our results showed that patients with BD depression had significantly increased ALFF in the left insula, the right caudate nucleus, the temporal gyrus, the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. They also had decreased ALFF in the left postcentral gyrus, the left parahippocampal gyrus, and the cerebellum. Moderate negative correlations were found between the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score and ALFF in the left insular cortex in the patient group. These results support a model of BD that involves dysfunction in the prefrontal-limbic networks and associated striatal systems. We also demonstrated the feasibility of ALFF as a technique to investigate persistent cerebral dysfunction in BD. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Victims' Time Discounting 2.5 Years after the Wenchuan Earthquake: An ERP Study

Background: Time discounting refers to the fact that the subjective value of a reward decreases as the delay until its occurrence increases. The present study investigated how time discounting has been affected in survivors of the magnitude-8.0 Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in China in 2008

Copper-induced tight junction mRNA expression changes, apoptosis and antioxidant responses via NF-kappa B, TOR and Nrf2 signaling molecules in the gills of fish: Preventive role of arginine

This study explored the possible preventive effects of dietary arginine on copper (Cu)-induced tight junction mRNA expression changes, apoptosis and antioxidant responses in the gills of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). The results indicated that exposure to 0.7 mg/L (11.01 mu mol/L) Cu for 96h induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby increasing protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage in the gills of fish. However, these oxidative effects were prevented by arginine supplementation. Arginine also prevented the toxic effects of Cu on the activities of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and the glutathione (GSH) content (P0.05). These results indicated that Cu exposure induced apoptosis and antioxidant system and tight junction mRNA changes in the fish gills, which could be completely blocked by dietary arginine pre-supplementation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved