Research on Index System for Disabled Elders Evaluation and Grey Clustering Model Based on End-point Mixed Possibility Functions

The file attached to this record is the Publisher's final version.An operational ability assessment system for older adults is of great help to address health and social challenges for ageing. In this paper, the main problems in currently available ADL and ability evaluation systems have been analyzed. The basic principles to build an index system for disability elders evaluation have been put forwarded. Then，an improved Barthel index system for ADL evaluation and a new older adults ability evaluation system consisted of 4 first-level indexes and 14 secondary indexes based on experts’ opinion and the ability assessment system for older adults by Ministry of Civil Affairs of China have been built. The grey clustering model based on end-point mixed triangular possibility function has been introduced. And three living examples of adults’ disability evaluation have been conducted. It is confirmed clearly that the three older adults belong to different categories of "severe disability", "mild disability", and "ability passable" respectively. The research results can be used as reference for government to formulate the elderly-care policies, to run and allocate the elderly-care resources, as well as reference for various nursing or elderly-care institutions

First-line treatment with chemotherapy plus cetuximab in Chinese patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Efficacy and safety results of the randomised, phase III CHANGE-2 trial.

Abstract Background The EXTREME regimen (chemotherapy [CT; cisplatin/carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil]) plus cetuximab is a standard-of-care first-line (1L) treatment for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN), as supported by international guidelines. The phase III CHANGE-2 trial assessed the efficacy and safety of a modified CT regimen (with a reduced dose of both components) and cetuximab versus CT for the 1L treatment of Chinese patients with R/M SCCHN. Methods Patients were randomised to receive up to six cycles of CT plus cetuximab followed by cetuximab maintenance until progressive disease or CT alone. The primary end-point was the progression-free survival (PFS) time assessed by the independent review committee (IRC). Results Overall, 243 patients were randomised (164 to CT plus cetuximab; 79 to CT). The hazard ratios for PFS by IRC and overall survival (OS) were 0.57 (95% CI: 0.40–0.80; median: 5.5 versus 4.2 months) and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.50–0.93; median: 11.1 versus 8.9 months), respectively, in favour of CT plus cetuximab. The objective response rates (ORR) by IRC were 50.0% and 26.6% with CT plus cetuximab and CT treatment, respectively. Treatment-emergent adverse events of maximum grade 3 or 4 occurred in 61.3% (CT plus cetuximab) and 48.7% (CT) of patients. Conclusions CHANGE-2 showed an improved median PFS, median OS and ORR with the addition of cetuximab to a modified platinum/5-fluorouracil regimen, with no new or unexpected safety findings, thereby confirming CT plus cetuximab as an effective and safe 1L treatment for Chinese patients with R/M SCCHN. Clinical trial registration number NCT02383966

Study on variable condition model for steam turbine based on internal and external characteristics

It is not easy to carry out the detailed variable condition calculation of steam turbine in engineering application. In this paper, a variable condition calculation model based on the internal and external characteristics of steam turbine is proposed, and a variable condition calculation model of constant power and constant flow is established. The model is applied to calculate 75% THA, 50%THA, typical industrial and heating extraction conditions of a subcritical 330 MW unit. The error is small compared with the design value, and the calculation accuracy meets the requirements. The results show that the model has high accuracy and can meet the requirements of engineering application

Novel Deng’s Grey Development Relation Model Based on Information Difference and Its Application in Sanatorium Performance Evaluation

In view of the varying amounts of information and the difference in information value in sanatorium performance evaluation, Deng’s development relation model based on information difference is proposed herein. Firstly, the definition of panel data on sanatorium performance evaluation and the construction criteria of its optimal vector are given. Simultaneously, the indicators are standardized. In order to objectively highlight the difference of effective information among indicators, the entropy weight method is introduced to determine the weight of performance evaluation indicators in sanatoriums on the basis of traditional Deng’s correlation model avoiding the limitation of subjective effects. Furthermore, the weight of the temporal index is employed to determine the weight of performance evaluation results in different years, based on the new information priority, to dynamically evaluate the development trend of annual sanatorium performance. Finally, the performances of TS, YZ, and XZ sanatoriums are dynamically evaluated by using the proposed new grey relational model. Combined with the weight of time index, the 5-year comprehensive performance value is given. It is found that the performance level of TS sanatorium is the highest followed by YZ sanatorium and XZ sanatorium, which verifies the practicability and effectiveness of the model

Effect of long-period stacking ordered structure on very high cycle fatigue properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloys

Magnesium alloys with a long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) structure usually possess excellent static strength, but their fatigue behaviors are poorly understood. This work presents the effect of the LPSO structure on the crack behaviors of Mg alloys in a very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime. The LPSO lamellas lead to a facet-like cracking process along the basal planes at the crack initiation site and strongly prohibit the early crack propagation by deflecting the growth direction. The stress intensity factor at the periphery of the faceted area is much higher than the conventional LPSO-free Mg alloys, contributing higher fatigue crack propagation threshold of LPSO-containing Mg alloys. Microstructure observation at the facets reveals a layer of ultrafine grains at the fracture surface due to the cyclic contact of the crack surface, which supports the numerous cyclic pressing model describing the VHCF crack initiation behavior

Study on Improving Measures of Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Materials and Its Effect on CO₂ Emission

Using construction and demolition waste composites (CDWC) and fly ash (FA) to replace cement to produce concrete can reduce CO2 emissions. However, the CDWC-based geopolymer materials have two imperfections: the compressive strength is prone to decrease with the increase of curing age (strength shrinkage) under heat curing conditions, and the strength develops slowly under ambient curing conditions. To solve the problems of these materials, on the one hand, we designed an experiment of preparing CDWC-based geopolymer concrete (CDWGC) with pretreated CDWC at different high temperatures. We analyzed the influence of different pretreatment temperatures on the mechanical properties of CDWGC through compressive strength, SEM-EDS and XRD. On the other hand, we added CaO to improve the mechanical properties of CDWC-based geopolymer paste (CDWGP) under ambient curing conditions. Further, the CO2 emissions of pretreating CDWC and adding CaO were calculated by life cycle assessment (LCA). The results show that: (1) Pretreatment of CDWC can effectively solve the problem of CDWGC strength shrinkage. (2) The compressive strength of CDWGP cured at ambient can be significantly improved by adding CaO, and the compressive strength can be increased by 180.9% when the optimum content is 3%. (3) Adding CaO had less impact on CO2 emissions, a low-carbon way to improve its strength effectively

Mechanical anisotropy of ultra strong-and-ductile lamellar dual-phase steel

Generally, high-strength metallic materials with large ductility are of technological importance in various engineering fields, including aerospace, fuel efficiency, and emission reduction. This work developed a new type of steel with exceptional yield strength (1.5∼2.0 GPa) and high total elongation (11∼26%) through a simple three-step process involving cold-rolling, warm-rolling and annealing treatments. Microstructural analysis revealed that the steel is composed of nano platelets made up of austenite and martensite. These platelets aggregate within elongated prior austenite grains, forming hierarchical lamellar structures. The study thoroughly investigated the anisotropic mechanical properties of the steel, particularly its strength and yield point behavior in rolling and transverse directions. The primary sources of strength were mainly originated from nano lamellae and high density of dislocations, while the anisotropic strengthening and yield point behavior was attributed to the textures and lamellar boundaries. With increasing warm-rolling reduction, the anisotropy level of dislocation strengthening gradually decreases, while the anisotropy level of boundary strengthening significantly increases. The discrepancy in yield point behavior along the rolling and transverse directions is ascribed to the differing number of boundaries per unit area of cross-section perpendicular to the tensile direction and the shear stress required for dislocation slip. This study provides a deep insight into understanding the anisotropy of strengthening and yield point behavior in nanolamellar steel so as to contribute to its future applications in engineering structural components

Ionic Liquid/Metal–Organic Framework Composites for H₂S Removal from Natural Gas: A Computational Exploration

The separation of H₂S/CH₄ mixture was computationally examined in the composites of ionic liquids (ILs) supported on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) at room temperature. Cu-TDPAT was selected as supporter for four types of ILs combined from identical cation [BMIM]⁺ with different anions ([Cl]⁻, [Tf₂N]⁻, [PF₆]⁻, and [BF₄]⁻). The results show that introducing ILs into Cu-TDPAT can greatly enhance the adsorption affinity toward H₂S compared to the pristine MOF, and the strongest enhancement occurs in the composite containing the anion [Cl]⁻ with the smallest size. The H₂S/CH₄ adsorption selectivities of each composite are significantly higher than those of the pristine Cu-TDPAT within the pressure range examined, and the selectivity generally shows an increasing trend with increasing the loading of the IL. By further taking the H₂S working capacity into account, this work also reveals that the [BMIM]­[Cl]/Cu-TDPAT composite exhibits the best separation performance in both VSA and PSA processes. These findings may provide useful information for the design of new promising IL/MOF composites applied for H₂S capture from natural gas

Vacancy Augmented Piezo‐Sonosensitizer for Cancer Therapy

Abstract Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has been widely reported as a noninvasive and high‐penetration therapy for cancer; however, the design of an efficient sonosensitizer remains an urgent need. To address this issue, molybdenum disulfide nanoflowers (MoS2 NF) as piezo‐sonosensitizers and introduced sulfur vacancies on the MoS2 NF (Sv‐MoS2 NF) to improve their piezoelectric property for cancer therapy are designed. Under ultrasonic mechanical stress, the Sv‐MoS2 NF resulted in piezoelectric polarization and band tilting, which enhanced the charge carrier separation and migration. This resulted in an improved catalytic reaction for reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, ultimately enhancing the SDT performance. Thanks to the high efficiency of ROS generation, the Sv‐MoS2 NF have demonstrated a good anticancer effect in vitro and in vivo. Following a systematic evaluation, Sv‐MoS2 NF also demonstrated good biocompatibility. This novel piezo‐sonosensitizer and vacancy engineering strategy provides a promising new approach for achieving efficient SDT