Highway Transportation Efficiency Evaluation for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Based on Advanced DEA Model

Regional traffic efficiency plays a key role in the development of a regional economy and its social development. How to accurately explain inherent associations and mechanisms is very significant for regional transport development and investment benefits. This paper analyses the road transport and economic development data for Beijing-Tianjin and Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta city populations, identifies an investment and yield indicator system to effectively reflect road transport efficiency and economic development, and establishes a hybrid data envelopment analysis model based on investment indicator preferences. This model is used to compare and analyze the highway transportation efficiency of the whole Beijing-TianjinHebei region and all cities in this region. The conclusion is that the highway transportation efficiency of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is less than it is in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration, and the highway transportation efficiency of cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region are also very different, so different investment strategies should be made for the highway transportation efficiency of different cities. The research results also indicate that improvement of the regional transportation service capability not only depends on expansion of the regional transportation scale, but also depends on improvement of the regional transportation operation efficiency, and maintains support for intensified and sustainable development routes

Variable pitch approach for performance improving of straight-bladed VAWT at rated tip speed ratio

This paper presents a new variable pitch (VP) approach to increase the peak power coefficient of the straight-bladed vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT), by widening the azimuthal angle band of the blade with the highest aerodynamic torque, instead of increasing the highest torque. The new VP-approach provides a curve of pitch angle designed for the blade operating at the rated tip speed ratio (TSR) corresponding to the peak power coefficient of the fixed pitch (FP)-VAWT. The effects of the new approach are exploited by using the double multiple stream tubes (DMST) model and Prandtl’s mathematics to evaluate the blade tip loss. The research describes the effects from six aspects, including the lift, drag, angle of attack (AoA), resultant velocity, torque, and power output, through a comparison between VP-VAWTs and FP-VAWTs working at four TSRs: 4, 4.5, 5, and 5.5. Compared with the FP-blade, the VP-blade has a wider azimuthal zone with the maximum AoA, lift, drag, and torque in the upwind half-cycle, and yields the two new larger maximum values in the downwind half-cycle. The power distribution in the swept area of the turbine changes from an arched shape of the FP-VAWT into the rectangular shape of the VP-VAWT. The new VP-approach markedly widens the highest-performance zone of the blade in a revolution, and ultimately achieves an 18.9% growth of the peak power coefficient of the VAWT at the optimum TSR. Besides achieving this growth, the new pitching method will enhance the performance at TSRs that are higher than current optimal values, and an increase of torque is also generated

Psoralen Induced Liver Injury by Attenuating Liver Regenerative Capability

Psoralen is a major component of the common traditional Chinese medicine Fructus Psoraleae (FP). In this study, we focused on psoralen to explore FP-induced hepatotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms. The acute oral median lethal dose of psoralen in ICR mice was determined to be 1,673 mg/kg. C57BL/6 mice were administered psoralen intragastrically at doses of 400 mg/kg or 800 mg/kg, and were sacrificed 24 h after treatment. Changes in various hepatotoxicity indicators demonstrated that psoralen can cause mild liver injury in mice. Psoralen inhibited the viability of normal human liver L02 cells in vitro by inducing S-phase arrest. In addition, psoralen in both the mouse livers and L02 cells upregulated cyclin E1 and p27 protein levels. The 2/3 partial hepatectomy mouse model was used to further explore the effects of psoralen on the liver regeneration and hepatocellular cycle arrest in vivo. The results showed that the decrease of liver regenerative and self-healing capabilities induced by hepatocellular cycle arrest may play an important role in the hepatotoxicity of psoralen. The further mechanism researches indicated that psoralen-induced hepatotoxicity was associated with inhibition of mTOR signalling pathway and mitochondrial injury; furthermore, MHY, an mTOR activator, partly alleviated the inhibition of mTOR and S-phase cycle arrest induced by psoralen in L02 cells. In conclusion, in this study we showed for the first time, that psoralen significantly induced liver injury in mice; the decrease of liver regenerative and compensatory capabilities induced by hepatocellular cycle arrest may play an important role in the progression of hepatotoxicity associated with the upregulation of cyclin E1 and p27, as well as the inhibition of mTOR signalling and mitochondrial injury. Our findings may contribute to the reduction of hepatotoxicity risk induced by Fructus Psoraleae

Identification of a peripheral blood long non-coding RNA (Upperhand) as a potential diagnostic marker of coronary artery disease

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to be involved in the pathologi­cal processes of multiple diseases. However, the characteristic expression of lncRNAs in peripheral blood of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and whether some of these lncRNAs can be used as diagnostic biomarkers for CAD requires further investigation. Methods: Six healthy and CAD individuals were selected for microarray analysis, and 5 differentially expressed lncRNAs were selected and confirmed in the second cohort consisting of 30 control individu­als and 30 CAD patients with different SYNTAX scores. Upperhand were verified in the third cohort consisting of 115 controls and 137 CAD patients. Results: Thirty one lncRNAs were differentially expressed between the two groups, among whom, 25 were upregulated in the CAD group and 6 were downregulated. Four of the selected five lncRNAs were significantly upregulated in the CAD group, and Upperhand had the largest area under the curve (AUC). The diagnostic value of Upperhand was tested further, and it remained having a high diagnostic value. Conclusions: The expression level of Upperhand in peripheral blood of CAD patients is significantly higher than in control individuals, and is correlated with severity of CAD. Upperhand is a potential diagnostic biomarker of CAD, and when combined with TCONS_00029157, diagnostic value slightly increased

Linking young men who have sex with men (YMSM) to STI physicians: a nationwide cross-sectional survey in China.

BACKGROUND: Many young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are reluctant to seek health services and trust local physicians. Online information seeking may encourage YMSM to identify and see trustworthy physicians, obtain sexual health services, and obtain testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study examined online STI information seeking behaviors among Chinese YMSM and its association with offline physician visits. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide online survey among YMSM through WeChat, the largest social media platform in China. We collected information on individual demographics, sexual behaviors, online STI information seeking, offline STI testing, and STI physician visits. We examined the most commonly used platforms (search engines, governmental websites, counseling websites, generic social media, gay mobile apps, and mobile medical apps) and their trustworthiness. We assessed interest and willingness to use an MSM-friendly physician finder function embedded within a gay mobile app. Logistic regression models were used to examine the correlation between online STI information searching and offline physician visits. RESULTS: A total of 503 men completed the survey. Most men (425/503, 84.5%) searched for STI information online. The most commonly used platform to obtain STI information were search engines (402/425, 94.5%), followed by gay mobile apps (201/425, 47.3%). Men reported high trustworthiness of information received from gay mobile apps. Men also reported high interest (465/503, 92.4%) and willingness (463/503, 92.0%) to use a MSM-friendly physician finder function within such apps. Both using general social media (aOR =1.14, 95%CI: 1.04-1.26) and mobile medical apps (aOR =1.16, 95%CI: 1.01-1.34) for online information seeking were associated with visiting a physician. CONCLUSION: Online STI information seeking is common and correlated with visiting a physician among YMSM. Cultivating partnerships with the emerging mobile medical apps may be useful for disseminating STI information and providing better physician services to YMSM

The Web-Based Physician is Ready to See You: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey of Physicians Using a Mobile Medical App to Evaluate Patients With Sexually Transmitted Diseases in China.

BACKGROUND: Web-based medical service provision is increasingly becoming common. However, it remains unclear how physicians are responding to this trend and how Web-based and offline medical services are linked. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to examine physicians' use of mobile medical apps for sexually transmitted disease (STD) consultations and identify the physicians who frequently use mobile medical apps to evaluate patients with STD. METHODS: In August 2017, we conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey among physicians registered on a mobile medical app in China. We collected data on physicians' demographic information, institutional information, and Web-based medical practices. We compared physicians who used mobile medical apps to evaluate patients with STD frequently (at least once a week) with infrequent users. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify physicians who frequently evaluated patients with STD on mobile medical apps. RESULTS: A total of 501 physicians participated in the survey. Among them, three-quarters were men and the average age was 37.6 (SD 8.2) years. Nearly all physicians (492/501, 98.2%) recommended their last Web-based patient with STD to subsequently see a physician in the clinic. More than half (275/501, 54.9%) of physicians recommended STD testing to Web-based patients, and 43.9% (220/501) provided treatment advice to patients with STD. Of all physicians, 21.6% (108/501) used mobile medical apps to evaluate patients with STD through Web more than once a week. Overall, 85.2% (427/501) physicians conducted follow-up consultation for patients with STD using mobile medical apps. Physicians working at institutions with STD prevention materials were associated with frequent evaluation of patients with STD on mobile medical apps (adjusted odds ratio=2.10, 95% CI 1.18-3.74). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians use mobile medical apps to provide a range of services, including Web-based pre- and posttreatment consultations and linkage to offline clinical services. The high rates of referral to clinics suggest that mobile medical apps are used to promote clinic-seeking, and not replace it. Physicians' use of mobile medical apps could benefit sexual minorities and others who avoid formal clinic-based services