Opportunities, Risks and Countermeasures of China`s Investment in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a strategic hub connecting South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia. The United States, Russia, India and other power countries are extremely concerned with Afghanistan. Although the United States will gradually withdraw, it will retain military bases in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is currently in a critical period of transition from war to peace. To deal with the chaos in Afghanistan in the era of withdrawal, China needs to layout in Afghanistan early. This can not only promote the stability of China’s western region, but also help China and Central and Western Asian countries to promote cooperation under the framework of The Belt and Road Initiatives. The key to layout in Afghanistan is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has achieved remarkable results in Pakistan. China Investment and construction experiences in Pakistan will bring better economic benefits to Afghanistan and china

Robust Optimal Sliding-Mode Tracking Control for a Class of Uncertain Nonlinear MIMO Systems

This paper addresses the problem of tracking a reference trajectory asymptotically given by a linear time-varying exosystem for a class of uncertain nonlinear MIMO systems based on the robust optimal sliding-mode control. The nonlinear MIMO system is transformed into a linear one by the input-output linearization technique, and at the same time the input-output decoupling is realized. Thus, the tracking error equation is established in a linear form, and the original nonlinear tracking problem is transformed into an optimal linear quadratic regulator (LQR) tracking problem. A LQR tracking controller (LQRTC) is designed for the corresponding nominal system, and the integral sliding-mode strategy is used to robustify the LQRTC. As a result, the original system exhibits global robustness to the uncertainties, and the tracking dynamics is the same as that of LQRTC for the nominal system. So a robust optimal sliding-mode tracking controller (ROSMTC) is realized. The proposed controller is applied to a two-link robot system, and simulation results show its effectiveness and superiority

Effect of coal mining on soil nitrogen distribution in semi-arid mining area of western China

Soil nitrogen is a key indicator of soil quality and plays a significant role for plant growth. Therefore, it is very important to study soil nitrogen distribution, especially in semi-arid area of western China. Fewer scholars paid attention to the effect on soil nitrogen due to coal mining in semi-arid mining areas of western China. In this paper, soil samples of different locations were tested in both the loess region and the aeolian sand region in the Daliuta mining area in Shaanxi Province. The impacts of mining subsidence on soil nitrogen were investigated. The soil nitrogen distributions between the loess region and the aeolian sand region were compared, and used the principal component analysis method to evaluate soil quality in semi-arid mining area. The results showed that the comprehensive score of soil quality in the loess region was as follows: the internal pulling stress zone (NLS) > the external pulling stress zone (WLS) > the compressive stress zone (YS) > the neutral zone (ZX). The content of soil total nitrogen in YS-zone was the lowest in the loess region. The loss of nitrogen increased with time in the mining area, in which the total nitrogen loss at the depth of 0−15 cm was 0.27 g/kg, and the alkaline nitrogen loss at the depth of 0−15 cm was 1.08 mg/kg. In the aeolian sand region, the comprehensive score of soil quality was as follows: WLS > FC (the non-mining zone) > ZX > NLS > YS. The amount of soil nitrogen content in the loess region was larger than that in the aeolian sand region. It was found that for the loess region, the relationship between total nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen showed a significant positive correlation. It was also a significant positive correlation between ammonium nitrogen and alkaline nitrogen. In the aeolian sand region, there was a significant positive correlation between total nitrogen and alkaline nitrogen. There was no significant correlation among other nitrogen forms

Effectiveness and safety of Compound Danshen injection as treatment for pregnancy-induced hypertension: A metaanalysis

Purpose: To systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Compound Danshen injection in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH).Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese biomedical literature database (CBM), VIP (xiAn), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wan Fang databases were searched up to March 20, 2018, for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of Compound Danshen injection in patients with PIH. Data were extracted from included studies after assessing the quality of literature. Revman 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis．Results: A total of 18 RCTs involving 1735 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis indicated that the study group was superior to the control group in clinical effectiveness (RR = 1.15, 95 % CI: 1.02 - 1.30); intrauterine fetal distress (RR = 0.26, 95 % CI: 0.09 - 0.70); cesarean section (RR = 0.72, 95 % CI: 0.58 - 0.90), and neonatal asphyxia (RR = 0.23, 95 % CI: 0.11 - 0.48). There were no statistical differences in fetal heart rate abnormalities (RR = 0.58, 95 %, CI: 0.33 - 1.02, p > 0.05) and postpartum hemorrhage (RR = 0.86, 95 % CI: 0.53 - 1.42) between the two groups.Conclusion: Treatment of PIH with Compound Danshen injection (alone or in combination) is superior to the use of conventional western medical treatment in safety and effectiveness. However, higher quality clinical studies are needed to confirm these results because most trials included in this study were of low quality.Keywords: Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), Compound Danshen injection, Meta-analysi

Association between body fat percentage and H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women

BackgroundPrevious studies have explored the relationship between body fat percentage (BFP) and hypertension or homocysteine. However, evidence on the constancy of the association remains inconclusive in postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between BFP and H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 1,597 eligible female patients with hypertension. Homocysteine levels ≥10 mmol/L were defined as H-type hypertension. BFP was calculated by measuring patients' physical parameters. Subjects were divided into 4 groups according to quartiles of BFP (Q1: 33.4% or lower, Q2: 33.4–36.1%, Q3: 36.1–39.1%, Q4: >39.1%). We used restricted cubic spline regression models and logistic regression analysis to assess the relationship between BFP and H-type hypertension. Additional subgroup analysis was performed for this study.ResultsAmong 1,597 hypertensive patients, 955 (59.8%) participants had H-type hypertension. There were significant differences between the two groups in age, BMI, educational background, marital status, exercise status, drinking history, WC, TG, LDL, Scr, BUN, and eGFR (P < 0.05). The prevalence of H-type hypertension in the Q1 to Q4 groups was 24.9, 25.1, 24.9, and 25.1%, respectively. After adjusting for relevant factors, we found that the risk of H-type hypertension in the Q4 group had a significantly higher than the Q1 group (OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.3–7.5).ConclusionBFP was positively associated with the risk of H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women should control body fat to prevent hypertension

Association between triglyceride glucose index and H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women

BackgroundRecent studies have reported better predictive performance of triglyceride glucose (TyG) index for cardiovascular events in women, however, whether this association persists in postmenopausal women is inconclusive. We investigated the association between TyG index and H-type hypertension (HHT) in postmenopausal women.Methods1,301 eligible women with hypertension were included in this cross-sectional study. Concomitant homocysteine levels >10 μmol/L were defined as H-type hypertension. The TyG index was calculated as ln [triglycerides (mg/dl) × fasting glucose (mg/dl)/2]. Multivariable logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline models were used to assess the association between TyG index and H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women, and subgroup analyses were performed for potential confounders.ResultsOf the 1,301 hypertensive patients, 634 (48.7%) participants had H-type hypertension. In each adjusted model, TyG index was significantly associated with the risk of H-type hypertension. each 1-unit increase in TyG index was associated with an increased risk of H-type hypertension in all participants (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3–2.0; P < 0.001), and there was a linear relationship between TyG index and H-type hypertension (P for linear trend < 0.001).ConclusionTyG index is positively associated with H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women, suggesting that TyG index may be a promising marker for H-type hypertension. By controlling lipid levels and blood glucose levels, it may help prevent H-type hypertension in postmenopausal women

Structure Mediation and Properties of Poly(l-lactide)/Poly(d-lactide) Blend Fibers

Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(d-lactic acid) (PDLA) blend as-spun fibers (50/50, wt.%) were prepared by melt spinning. Structure mediation under temperature and stress and properties of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(d-lactic acid)(PLLA/PDLA) as-spun fibers were investigated by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that highly oriented stereocomplex (SC) crystals can be formed in PLLA/PDLA blend fibers drawn at 60 °C and annealed at 200 °C. However, at drawn temperature of 80 °C, only lower oriented SC crystals can be formed. For PLLA/PDLA blend fibers drawn twice at 60 °C (PLLA/PDLA-60-2), the crystallinity of SC crystals increases with annealing temperature in the range of 200 to 215 °C, while the degree of orientation decreases slightly. When the annealing temperature is 210 °C, the crystallinity and orientation of SC crystals in PLLA/PDLA-60-2 fibers reach 51% and −0.39, respectively. Moreover, PLLA/PDLA-60-2-210 fibers exhibit excellent heat-resistant property even at 200 °C. The results indicate that the oriented PLLA/PDLA blend fibers with high SC crystals content can be regulated in a short time