Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease risk prediction in anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis: the CROSS model

BackgroundThe prognosis of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 positive dermatomyositis (anti-MDA5+DM) is poor and heterogeneous. Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) is these patients’ leading cause of death. We sought to develop prediction models for RP-ILD risk in anti-MDA5+DM patients.MethodsPatients with anti-MDA5+DM were enrolled in two cohorts: 170 patients from the southern region of Jiangsu province (discovery cohort) and 85 patients from the northern region of Jiangsu province (validation cohort). Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify risk factors of RP-ILD. RP-ILD risk prediction models were developed and validated by testing every independent prognostic risk factor derived from the Cox model.ResultsThere are no significant differences in baseline clinical parameters and prognosis between discovery and validation cohorts. Among all 255 anti-MDA5+DM patients, with a median follow-up of 12 months, the incidence of RP-ILD was 36.86%. Using the discovery cohort, four variables were included in the final risk prediction model for RP-ILD: C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, anti-Ro52 antibody positivity, short disease duration, and male sex. A point scoring system was used to classify anti-MDA5+DM patients into moderate, high, and very high risk of RP-ILD. After one-year follow-up, the incidence of RP-ILD in the very high risk group was 71.3% and 85.71%, significantly higher than those in the high-risk group (35.19%, 41.69%) and moderate-risk group (9.54%, 6.67%) in both cohorts.ConclusionsThe CROSS model is an easy-to-use prediction classification system for RP-ILD risk in anti-MDA5+DM patients. It has great application prospect in disease management

Assessing the Genetic Diversity and Genealogical Reconstruction of Cypress (Cupressus funebris Endl.) Breeding Parents Using SSR Markers

To identify genetic diversity, genetic structure and the relationship among accessions, and further establish a core collection for the long-term breeding of cypress (Cupressus funebris Endl.), the genealogy of breeding parents was reconstructed using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Seventeen SSR markers were used to detect molecular polymorphisms among 290 cypress accessions from five provinces and 53 accessions with unknown origin in China. A total of 92 alleles (Na) were detected with 5.412 alleles per locus and an average polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.593. The haplotype diversity (H) ranged from 0.021 to 0.832, with an average of 0.406. The number of alleles (Na) and the effective number of alleles (Ne) ranged from 4.294 to 5.176 and from 2.488 to 2.817 among five populations, respectively. The pairwise population matrix of Nei’s genetic distance ranged from 0.008 to 0.023. Based on the results of unweighted pair group method average (UPGMA) cluster and population structure analyses, 343 breeding parents were divided into two major groups. Lower genetic differentiation coefficients and closer genetic relationships were observed among cypress breeding parents, suggesting that the genetic basis was narrow, and the genetic relationship was confused by frequent introduction and wide cultivation. Moreover, we reconstructed the genealogy between breeding parents and 30 accessions of breeding parents from an identified core collection. According to the present study, not only geographic origin but also the relationship of the individuals should be considered in future crossbreeding work

Deformation mechanism and stability evaluation of Tanjiawan landslide based on multi-source data

In view of the Tanjiawan landslide, which occurred in the northwest of Zigui County in May 2016, this paper preliminarily defined the affected area, characteristics and occurrence time sequence of the landslide based on multi-source data such as satellite remote sensing images, field survey data and historical data.By means of drilling, trough exploration and geophysical exploration, indoor and outdoor experiments were carried out to clarify the stratum characteristics and the physical and mechanical properties of the rock and soil mass in the landslide area.By analyzing the crack displacement and GPS data in the area, the deformation mechanism of the slope was discussed and the stability of the area was evaluated.The results show that: ①The Tanjiawan landslide belongs to reservoir descending landslide with irregular "chair-shaped" medium-sized loose layer; the surface morphology, geological structure and lithology of landslide area determine the formation and development of landslide, and the joint action of reservoir water level and precipitation stimulates the development of landslide; ②The landslide is divided into three levels of sliding body according to the time sequence, showing multiple, multi-layered and mutual shadows on the whole.The third-order sliding body has the characteristics of traction; ③The groundwater level in the landslide body decreases with the decrease of the reservoir level, but the rate of decline is slower than the reservoir level, and the hydraulic gradient and permeability in the slope body become significantly larger.Heavy rainfall at this time will lead to the occurrence of groundwater in the slope body, softening of rock and soil mass, and exacerbating landslide deformation, and necessary protective measures must be applied; ④Stability analysis shows that the landslide is in a critical stable state.Once rainfall and reservoir water level change, instability sliding may occur in some sections

Development of an Underwater Detection Robot for the Structures with Pile Foundation

Addressing the challenges for detecting underwater damage to the structures with pile foundation, this study presents the design of an adsorption-operated robotic system. Initially, a prototype is proposed for an adsorption-operated robot that is equipped with an automatic movement mechanism. To account for the disturbance of the drag force in the control system, a hydrodynamic numerical model for the detection robot is established. The numerical results of the drag force are then integrated into the control system, leading to the design of a force-redeemed active disturbance rejection controller. Furthermore, a novel detection algorithm based on the image segmentation network UNet is developed for the automatic identification of damages. The performance of the controller and detection algorithm is evaluated against traditional methods. The results indicate that the proposed force-redeemed active disturbance rejection controller outperforms traditional PID and ADR controllers in terms of overshoot and adjustment time. Moreover, the developed detection algorithm exhibits superior performance in precision, F1 score, and mean intersection over union compared to the traditional algorithms of FCN, PSPnet, Deeplabv3, and UNet. Overall, this paper advances the technology of autonomous robots for underwater detection in the structures with pile foundation

Destructive and Protective Effects of NH3 on the Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Stability of SAPO-34 and Cu-SAPO-34

The influences of gaseous, weakly adsorbed, and strongly adsorbed NH3 on the low-temperature (<100 degrees C) hydrothermal stability of SAPO-34 and Cu-SAPO-34 were investigated. NH3 temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), H-1 magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) were adopted to characterize the adsorption states of NH3 and H2O in SAPO-34, and the destruction of the SAPO-34 framework was revealed by direct and cross-polarization Si-29, Al-27, and P-31 MAS NMR. Gaseous NH3 coadsorbed with H2O inside SAPO-34 micropores and induced the hydrolysis of framework P-O-Al and Si-O(H)-Al bonds. Weakly adsorbed NH3 was released during aging and played a similar negative role to gaseous NH3. When being combined with hydrolyzed Al species from the framework, active Cu ions transformed to inactive CuAl2O4-like species, leading to deactivation in low-temperature SCR of Cu-SAPO-34. Strongly adsorbed NH4+ via 200 degrees C preadsorption protected the framework integrity of SAPO-34 and the SCR activity of Cu-SAPO-34

Destructive and Protective Effects of NH3 on the Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Stability of SAPO-34 and Cu-SAPO-34

The influences of gaseous, weakly adsorbed, and strongly adsorbed NH3 on the low-temperature (<100 degrees C) hydrothermal stability of SAPO-34 and Cu-SAPO-34 were investigated. NH3 temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), H-1 magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) were adopted to characterize the adsorption states of NH3 and H2O in SAPO-34, and the destruction of the SAPO-34 framework was revealed by direct and cross-polarization Si-29, Al-27, and P-31 MAS NMR. Gaseous NH3 coadsorbed with H2O inside SAPO-34 micropores and induced the hydrolysis of framework P-O-Al and Si-O(H)-Al bonds. Weakly adsorbed NH3 was released during aging and played a similar negative role to gaseous NH3. When being combined with hydrolyzed Al species from the framework, active Cu ions transformed to inactive CuAl2O4-like species, leading to deactivation in low-temperature SCR of Cu-SAPO-34. Strongly adsorbed NH4+ via 200 degrees C preadsorption protected the framework integrity of SAPO-34 and the SCR activity of Cu-SAPO-34

Impact of Wuhan lockdown on the indications of cesarean delivery and newborn weights during the epidemic period of COVID-19.

ObjectiveTo prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government implemented a strict lockdown in Wuhan starting on 23 January, 2020, which inevitably led to the changes in indications for the mode of delivery. In this retrospective study, we present the changes in the indications for cesarean delivery (CD) and the birth weights of newborns after the lockdown in Wuhan.MethodsA total of 3,432 pregnant women in the third trimester of their pregnancies who gave birth in our hospital from 23 January 2019 to 24 March 2020 were selected as the observation group, while 7,159 pregnant women who gave birth from 1 January 2019 to 22 January 2020 were selected as the control group; control group was matched using propensity score matching (PSM). A comparative analysis of the two groups was performed with the chi-square test, t test and rank sum test.ResultsThe difference in the overall rate of CD between the two groups was not statistically significant (pConclusionsThe results may provide useful information to management practices regarding pregnancy and childbirth after lockdown in other cities or countries, enabling better control of the rate of CD due to CDMR, reducing fetal distress, and controlling newborn weight. We recommend that pregnant women pay more attention to controlling the weight of newborns through diet and exercise

Nitration Poisoning of Silver on Al2O3 for the Catalytic Oxidation of Soot in NOR-Containing Atmospheres

Silver-based catalysts are promising candidates for soot oxidation because of their good catalytic performances and low costs compared with platinum catalysts. NO2 acts as a strong agent for the oxidation of soot over Pt/Al2O3. However, an abnormal inhibition effect of NOx was observed over the Ag/Al2O3 catalyst during the processes of soot temperature programmed oxidation and transient reaction analysis. The formation of silver nitrates was confirmed by temperature-programmed decomposition of NOx, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction with H2. The intrinsic reactivity of silver nitrate was found to be much lower than that of metallic silver in '' loose '' and '' tight '' contacts between soot and catalyst. Moreover, the formed silver nitrate was relatively thermally stable, with the decomposition completed at around 450 degrees C. At higher temperatures, the catalyst recovered and the nitrate poisoning effect no longer worked

Nitration Poisoning of Silver on Al2O3 for the Catalytic Oxidation of Soot in NOR-Containing Atmospheres

Silver-based catalysts are promising candidates for soot oxidation because of their good catalytic performances and low costs compared with platinum catalysts. NO2 acts as a strong agent for the oxidation of soot over Pt/Al2O3. However, an abnormal inhibition effect of NOx was observed over the Ag/Al2O3 catalyst during the processes of soot temperature programmed oxidation and transient reaction analysis. The formation of silver nitrates was confirmed by temperature-programmed decomposition of NOx, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction with H2. The intrinsic reactivity of silver nitrate was found to be much lower than that of metallic silver in '' loose '' and '' tight '' contacts between soot and catalyst. Moreover, the formed silver nitrate was relatively thermally stable, with the decomposition completed at around 450 degrees C. At higher temperatures, the catalyst recovered and the nitrate poisoning effect no longer worked