Structural evolution of the Taiwan fold-and-thrust belt gleaned from balanced cross sections and tectono-metamorphic studies in the Central Range

Taiwan is situated along an active plate boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate, with a convergence rate at about 80 mm/yr. The convergence results in an ongoing mountain building that displays a structure particularly complex. This dissertation mainly focuses on the structural and tectonic evolution of the Taiwan fold-and-thrust belt and its eastern metamorphic Yuli Belt in the Central Range. The study involves geological mapping, cross-section construction and balancing, whole-rock geochemistry analysis, Raman spectroscopic geothermometry, and palaeogeographic reconstructions. (1) Three crustal-scale geological cross-sections at various latitudes of the Taiwan fold-and-thrust belt were constructed. The largely Eurasian basement overthrust the Cenozoic passive margin series and which are tectonically overlain by the upper-plate-derived Coastal Range series. The restoration of cross sections yields a minimum shortening of ca. 120 km in the Eurasian passive margin series, on top of which the accreted material was initially sitting, already subducted below the Philippine Sea Plate. (2) Fieldwork and structural analyses indicate three deformation phases in the Yuli Belt. Based on cross sections and a review of available P-T-t data, we suspect that blueschist-facies units could have been emplaced on top of greenschist-facies metasedimentary units along a thrust during a first deformation phase D1. (3) We integrated new and published Raman-spectroscopic measurements on carbonaceous matter from metasedimentary successions across the Tailuko and Yuli Belts and combined these results with new cross sections. We suggest that the Yuli Belt was initially emplaced on top of lower-grade Paleogene successions. Later, the nappe succession was overprinted by E-vergent backfolding of the Central Range and contemporaneous backthrusting along the Shoufeng Fault, leading to the presently observed synformal structure of the Yuli Belt

REPRESENTING SCIENCE: A MULTIMODAL STUDY OF SCIENCE POPULARIZATION ON INSTITUTIONAL AND MASS MEDIA WEBSITES

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Adherence to a healthy lifestyle and its association with cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults in Shanghai

IntroductionThere is a growing body of recent literature linking the association of specific or multiple lifestyles with cognitive impairment, but most of these studies have been conducted in Western populations, and it is necessary to study multiple lifestyles and cognitive abilities in different populations, with the primary population of this study being a select group of community-dwelling older adults in Shanghai, China.MethodsThe sample included 2,390 community-dwelling Chinese participants. Their cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We defined a healthy lifestyle score on the basis of being non-smoking, performing ≥210 min/wk moderate/vigorous-intensity physical activity, having light to moderate alcohol consumption, eating vegetables and fruits daily, having a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5–23.9 kg/m2, and having a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) <0.90 for men and <0.85 for women, for an overall score ranging from 0 to 6.ResultsCompared with participants with ≤2 healthy lifestyle factors, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for participants with 4, 5, and 6 healthy lifestyle factors were 0.53 (95% CI, 0.29–0.98), 0.40 (95% CI, 0.21–0.75), and 0.36 (95% CI, 0.16–0.79), respectively. Only WHR (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.37–0.78) and physical activity (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.51–0.92) were associated with cognitive impairment. A healthy lifestyle correlated with overall cognition (β = 0.066, orientation (β = 0.049), language ability (β = 0.060), delayed recall (β = 0.045) and executive function (β = 0.044) (P all < 0.05).ConclusionThe study provides evidence on an inverse association between healthy lifestyles and cognitive impairment. We investigated whether healthy lifestyle was related to specific cognitive functions to provide a theoretical basis for accurate clinical prescription

PCSK9 inhibitors ameliorate arterial stiffness in ACS patients: evidences from Mendelian randomization, a retrospective study and basic experiments

BackgroundCurrent evidences suggest that Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/kexin Type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) exhibit a protective influence on acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Nevertheless, further investigation is required to comprehend the impact and mechanisms of these pharmaceutical agents on inflammatory factors and arterial stiffness (AS) in patients with ACS. Consequently, the objective of this study is to ascertain the influence of PCSK9i on arterial stiffness in ACS patients and elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind their actions.MethodsThis study employed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to examine the association between genetic prediction of PCSK9 inhibition and arterial stiffness. Data of 71 patients with ACS were retrospectively collected, including PCSK9i group (n = 36, PCSK9 inhibitors combined with statins) and control group (n = 35, statins only). Blood lipid levels, inflammatory markers and pulse wave velocity (PWV) data were collected before treatment and at 1 and 6 months after treatment for analysis. Additionally, cell experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of PCSK9i on osteogenesis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), utilizing western blot (WB), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and calcification index measurements.ResultsThe results of the MR analysis suggest that genetic prediction of PCSK9 inhibition has potential to reduce the PWV. Following treatment of statins combined with PCSK9 inhibitors for 1 and 6 months, the PCSK9i group exhibited significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), fibrinogen (FIB) and procalcitonin (PCT) compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, PWV in the PCSK9i group demonstrated significant reduction after 6 months of treatment and was found to be associated with the circulating CRP level. In cell experiments, PCSK9i pretreatment ameliorated osteogenesis of VSMCs through reducing the deposition of calcium ions, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2).ConclusionPCSK9i have potential to enhance arterial stiffness in ACS patients. Specifically, at the clinical level, this impact may be attributed to alterations in circulating CRP levels. At the cellular level, it is associated with the signaling pathway linked to RUNX2

COMPARISON OF LEADERSHIP STYLES IN CHINESE COMPANIES : Case Study: Wuhuan Engineering Co, Ltd.

With the rapid development of economy and technology, internationalization and globalization are the main trends for businesses nowadays. Moreover, the role of leadership becomes more important to corporations and it is also one factor of a company’s success. As the second largest economy, China still has long way to develop in this area, and transformation is needed to adapt to this fast changing world in business leaders’ views. The main research problem of the study is to find out the leadership styles implemented in a Chinese case company and then give suggestions for its development. The four discourses of leadership is chosen to be the main background for the thesis; other related theories such as leading with humility and the studies of Ohio State University about consideration and initiating structure are also included. Furthermore, the empirical part is conducted by qualitative methods; seven leaders in different departments were interviewed. Outcome of the study indicates that the main leadership styles utilized in the case company are the Controller Leadership and the Therapist Leadership, both the consideration and initiating structure can be found in practice. Moreover, humility is also the factor that leaders should take into account, additionally, evaluation tests can be implemented among leaders, and both natural environment and economy have to be considered when operating business

Kinematic evolution of fold-and-thrust belts in the Yubei-Tangbei area: Implications for tectonic events in the southern Tarim Basin

The Yubei-Tangbei area in the southern Tarim Basin is one of the best-preserved Early Paleozoic northeast-southwest trending fold-and-thrust belts within this basin. This area is crucial for the exploration of primary hydrocarbon reservoirs in northwestern China. In this study, we constructed the structural geometric morphology of the Yubei-Tangbei area using geophysical logs, drilling, and recent two- and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) seismic data. The Early Paleozoic fault-propagation folds, the Tangnan triangle zone, fault-detachment folds, and trishear fault-propagation folds developed with the detachment of the Middle Cambrian gypsum–salt layer. According to a detailed chronostratigraphic framework, the growth strata in the Upper Ordovician–Lower Silurian layer formed by onlapping the back limb of the asymmetric fault-propagation folds, which therefore defines the timing of deformations. The changes in kink band hinges and amplitudes in the Permian–Carboniferous and Cenozoic folding strata suggest that the evolution of the fold-and-thrust belts followed a sequential evolution process rather than a simultaneous one. Above the pre-existing Precambrian basement structure, the Yubei-Tangbei fold-and-thrust belts can be divided into four tectonic evolution stages: Late Cambrian, Late Ordovician to Early Carboniferous, Carboniferous to Permian, and Cenozoic. The northwestern-verging Cherchen Fault is part of the piedmont fold-and-thrust system of the southern Tarim foreland basin. We interpreted its strata as a breakthrough trishear fault-propagation fold that developed in three phases: Mid–Late Ordovician, Silurian to Middle Devonian, and Triassic to present. These tectonic events are responses of the Altyn-Tagh and Kunlun collisional orogenic belts and the Indian-Eurasian collision. The inherited deformation and structural modification in the southern Tarim Basin may be an indicator of the growth and evolution of peripheral orogens

Mapping and Spatial Variation of Seagrasses in Xincun, Hainan Province, China, Based on Satellite Images

Seagrass is an important structural and functional component of the global marine ecosystem and is of high value for its ecological services. This paper took Xincun Bay (including Xincun Harbor and Li’an Harbor) of Hainan Province as the study area, combined ground truth data, and adopted two methods to map seagrass in 2020 using Chinese GF2 satellite images: maximum-likelihood and object-oriented classification. Sentinel-2 images from 2016 to 2020 were used to extract information on seagrass distribution changes. The following conclusions were obtained. (1) Based on GF2 imagery, both the classical maximum likelihood classification (MLC) method and the object-based image analysis (OBIA) method can effectively extract seagrass information, and OBIA can also portray the overall condition of seagrass patches. (2) The total seagrass area in the study area in 2020 was about 395 hectares, most of which was distributed in Xincun Harbor. The southern coast of Xincun Harbor is an important area where seagrass is concentrated over about 228 hectares in a strip-like continuous distribution along the coastline. (3) The distribution of seagrasses in the study area showed a significant decaying trend from 2016 to 2020. The total area of seagrass decreased by 79.224 ha during the five years from 2016 to 2020, with a decay rate of 16.458%. This study is the first on the comprehensive monitoring of seagrass in Xincun Bay using satellite remote sensing images, and comprises the first use of GF2 data in seagrass research, aiming to provide a reference for remote sensing monitoring of seagrass in the South China Sea

Synergistic therapeutic potential of alpelisib in cancers (excluding breast cancer): Preclinical and clinical evidences

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway is well-known for its important role in cancer growth, proliferation and migration. The activation of PI3K pathway is always connected with endocrine resistance and poor prognosis in cancers. Alpelisib, a selective inhibitor of PI3K, has been demonstrated to be effective in combination with endocrine therapy in HR+ PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer in preclinical and clinical trials. Recently, the synergistic effects of alpelisib combined with targeted agents have been widely reported in PIK3CA-mutated cancer cells, such as breast, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), cervical, liver, pancreatic and lung cancer. However, previous reviews mainly focused on the pharmacological activities of alpelisib in breast cancer. The synergistic therapeutic potential of alpelisib in other cancers has not yet been well reviewed. In this review, an extensive study of related literatures (published until December 20, 2022) regarding the anti-cancer functions and synergistic effects of alpelisib was carried out through the databases. Useful information was extracted. We summarized the preclinical and clinical studies of alpelisib in combination with targeted anti-cancer agents in cancer treatment (excluding breast cancer). The combinations of alpelisib and other targeted agents significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy both in preclinical and clinical studies. Unfortunately, synergistic therapies still could not effectively avoid the possible toxicities and adverse events during treatment. Finally, some prospects for the combination studies in cancer treatment were provided in the paper. Taken together, this review provided valuable information for alpelisib in preclinical and clinical applications

The Application of Thermosensitive Nanocarriers in Controlled Drug Delivery

Thermosensitive nanocarriers as the “smart” drug delivery systems have shown tremendous promise in the field of controlled drug delivery due to their special property. Thermosensitive nanocarriers with long circulation properties can accumulate in the pathological sites by enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect or attach targeting ligands to the surface of the nanocarriers, and the drug release rates of these pharmaceutical nanocarriers can be adjusted in response to thermal variability of the environment. In this paper, we first discuss the classification of thermosensitive polymer according to their functional properties in thermosensitive nanocarriers. On the basis of this, our main purposes are focused on reviewing the characteristics of various thermosensitive nanocarriers including the strategies for their functionalization, thermosensitive behavior, or site-specific targeting. Furthermore, the paper discusses the current and future trends of the thermosensitive nanocarriers in controlled drug delivery

Pairing nitroxyl radical and phenazine with electron-withdrawing/-donating substituents in “water-in-ionic liquid” for high-voltage aqueous redox flow batteries

Aqueous redox-active organic materials-base electrolytes are sustainable alternatives to vanadium-based electrolyte for redox flow batteries (RFBs) due to the advantages of high ionic conductivity, environmentally benign, safety and low cost. However, the underexplored redox properties of organic materials and the narrow thermodynamic electrolysis window of water (1.23 V) hinder their wide applications. Therefore, seeking suitable organic redox couples and aqueous electrolytes with a high output voltage is highly suggested for advancing the aqueous organic RFBs. In this work, the functionalized phenazine and nitroxyl radical with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing group exhibit redox potential of −0.88 V and 0.78 V vs. Ag, respectively, in “water-in-ionic liquid” supporting electrolytes. Raman spectra reveal that the activity of water is largely suppressed in “water-in-ionic liquid” due to the enhanced hydrogen bond interactions between ionic liquid and water, enabling an electrochemical stability window above 3 V “Water-in-ionic liquid” supporting electrolytes help to shift redox potential of nitroxyl radical and enable the redox activity of functionalized phenazine. The assembled aqueous RFB allows a theoretical cell voltage of 1.66 V and shows a practical discharge voltage of 1.5 V in the “water-in-ionic liquid” electrolytes. Meanwhile, capacity retention of 99.91% per cycle is achieved over 500 charge/discharge cycles. A power density of 112 mW cm−2 is obtained at a current density of 30 mA cm−2. This work highlights the importance of rationally combining supporting electrolytes and organic molecules to achieve high-voltage aqueous RFBs