Unit Increases Research Articles

Inflammation scores based on C-reactive protein and albumin predict mortality in hospitalized older patients independent of the admission diagnosis

Systemic inflammation significantly increases the risk of short- and long-term mortality in geriatric hospitalized patients. To predict mortality in older patients with various age-related diseases and infections, including COVID-19, inflammatory biomarkers such as the C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR), and related scores and indexes, i.e. Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), modified GPS (mGPS), and high sensitivity (hs)-mGPS, have been increasingly utilized. Despite their easy affordability and widespread availability, these biomarkers are predominantly assessed for clinical purposes rather than predictive applications, leading to their underutilization in hospitalized older patients. In this study, we investigated the association of CAR, GPS, mGPS, and hs-mGPS with short-term mortality in 3,206 geriatric hospitalized patients admitted for acute conditions, irrespective of admission diagnosis. We observed that unit increases of CAR, and the highest classes of GPS, mGPS, and hs-mGPS were significantly associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of death, even adjusting the risk for different confounding variables. Interestingly, a hs-mGPS of 2 showed the highest effect size. Furthermore, gender analysis indicated a stronger association between all CRP-albumin based parameters and mortality in men, underscoring the gender-specific relevance of inflammation-based circulating parameters in mortality prediction. In conclusion, scores based on serum CRP and albumin levels offer additional guidance for the stratification of in-hospital mortality risk in older patients by providing additional information on the degree of systemic inflammation.

Study of self-actuated time-controlled tower microvalves

Abstract Time-controlled microvalves are vital components of microfluidic systems, primarily used to regulate the sequential or precise introduction of reagents. However, existing time-controlled microvalves face certain limitations. For instance, those driven by magneto-thermal mechanisms require additional control elements, and fabricating some 3D time-controlled microvalves can be complex. To address these challenges, a self-driven time-controlled tower microvalve was designed and fabricated. This study investigates how structural parameters of the time-delay unit affect bubble generation and the time-delay effect. Experimental testing confirmed that the delay time of the time-controlled microvalve increases and then decreases with variations in the trapezoidal aspect ratio (a) and the upper and lower width ratios (b). Additionally, the delay time of a single unit extends as the width of the delay unit increases. The optimal parameters for the time-controlled microvalve were determined as follows: W1 =1, 000 μm, W2 =500 μm, and H=800 μm, achieving an overall delay time of 16.7±0.8 s.

What determines the vote-seeking behavior of legislators in South Korea?

Pre-existing studies suggest that legislators in small districts tend to be more responsive to the electorate than those in large districts, as accountability is typically clearer in a smaller setting. However, it is not clear whether the relationship between district size and legislators' constituency-oriented spending holds in other electoral settings (e.g., South Korea), where pork barrel benefits tend to be determined at the administrative unit, not the electoral district. The present study hypothesizes that as the number of legislators in an administrative unit increases, they are less likely to try to appeal to the voters. Additionally, this study examines the moderating effects of partisan homogeneity and legislators' seniority. The results from the statistical analysis of data from Korean National Assembly members confirm our hypothesis: the number of legislators in an administrative unit turns out to be negatively associated with their vote-seeking behavior. Such a relationship tends to be strong in administrative units co-represented by multiple parties and weak among newly elected legislators.

Plasma pentraxin-3 levels and its role in childhood obesity-Is it anti-inflammatory? A matched group study.

Obesity has been associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) with anthropometric measurements, dietary content and physical activity level in children. A matched group study. This study was conducted with 91 children aged 6-17 years, divided into two groups: "non-obese group" (Body Mass Index Standard Deviation Score [BMI SDS] <95th percentile) and "obese group" (BMI SDS ≥95th percentile). Plasma PTX-3 levels. The mean age of 91 children included in the study was 12.34 ± 2.86 years. Plasma PTX-3 levels were significantly higher in obese children (p = .028). No significant correlation was found between BMI SDS and plasma PTX-3 values, but a weak positive correlation was found when physical activity level was controlled (r = .176, p = .049). In addition, it was found that fat mass was a partial mediator of plasma PTX-3 level, and an increase in the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue negatively affected plasma PTX-3 level. Plasma PTX-3 level showed a weak positive correlation (r = .223, p = .017) with physical activity score and dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid intake, while a weak negative correlation with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. One unit increase in physical activity score or polyunsaturated fatty acid level caused 0.730 and 2.061 unit increases in plasma PTX-3 level, respectively; while one unit increase in dietary fat intake caused 0.413-unit decrease. There was an indirect relationship between the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue and PTX-3 level. The results of our study suggested that plasma PTX-3 was associated with lower levels of inflammation in children.

Vascular endothelial growth factors and risk of cardio-renal events: Results from the CREDENCE trial

BackgroundCirculating concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members may be abnormally elevated in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The roles of placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), and VEGF-A in cardio-renal complications of T2D are not established. Method2602 individuals with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) from the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation trial were randomized to receive canagliflozin or placebo and followed for incident cardio-renal outcomes. PlGF, sFLT-1, and VEGF-A were measured at baseline, year 1, and year 3. Primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease, doubling of the serum creatinine, or renal/cardiovascular death. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to investigate the association between biomarkers with adverse clinical events. ResultsAt baseline, individuals with higher PlGF levels had more prevalent cardiovascular disease compared to those with lower values. Treatment with canagliflozin did not meaningfully change PlGF, sFLT-1, and VEGF-A concentrations at years 1 and 3. In a multivariable model, 1 unit increases in baseline log PlGF (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23, 2.54, p-value = 0.002), sFLT-1 (HR: 3.34, [95% CI: 1.71, 6.52], p-value< 0.001), and PlGF/sFLT-1 ratio (HR: 4.83, [95% CI: 0.86, 27.01], p-value= 0.07) were associated with primary composite outcome, while 1 unit increase in log VEGF-A did not increase the risk of primary outcome (HR: 0.96 [95%CI: 0.81, 1.07]). Change by 1 year of each biomarker was also assessed: HR (95% CI) of primary composite outcome was 2.45 (1.70, 3.54) for 1 unit increase in 1-year concentration of log PlGF, 4.19 (2.18, 8.03) for 1 unit increase in 1-year concentration of log sFLT-1, and 21.08 (3.79, 117.4) for 1 unit increase in 1-year concentration of log PlGF/sFLT-1. Increase in 1-year concentrations of log VEGF-A was not associated with primary composite outcome (HR: 1.08, [95% CI: 0.93, 1.24], p-value=0.30). ConclusionsPeople with T2D and DKD with elevated levels of PlGF, sFLT-1, and PlGF/sFLT-1 ratio were at a higher risk for cardiorenal events. Canagliflozin did not meaningfully decrease concentrations of PlGF, sFLT-1, and VEGF-A. Clinical TrialCREDENCE, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02065791

Proposal design and thermodynamic analysis of a coal-fired sCO2 power system integrated with thermal energy storage

It is essential to develop supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power systems integrated with thermal energy storage (TES) to achieve efficient and flexible operation of thermal power plants. This study proposes a novel integrated configuration of the sCO2 coal-fired power system and TES. The extracted sCO2 from the high-pressure turbine inlet is utilized as the source of the stored heat, and the extracted heat is used for storage, work, and recovery in steps to decrease the feasible lowest power load ratio. While in the discharging process, the stored energy is used to heat the branched sCO2 to increase the output power. Thermodynamic models for both design and off-design conditions are developed, and the multi-parameter optimization is carried out by genetic algorithm aiming at the highest energy efficiency. The energy conversion characteristics of the heat storage/release process are obtained, and the impacts of variations in the sCO2 extraction ratio and the initial temperature of the molten salt on the performance are analyzed. The results indicate that the adjustable power load range of the integrated system widens with an increase in the sCO2 extraction ratio. When the extraction ratio reaches its maximum value of 0.2749, the minimum power load of the charging process can reduce from 30 % of the rated load to 10.47 %, and the load of the discharging process can increase from 75 % of the rated load to 88.20 %, thus enhancing the operational flexibility. At this point, the round-trip efficiency of the TES system is 67.56 %, which is mainly limited by the performance of the charging process, especially the throttling loss of the turbine. Furthermore, as the temperature of the molten salt cold tank increases, the heat storage capacity decreases, while the minimum power load of the unit increases, thereby reducing the system's flexibility.

Interference in drug assay by phytochemicals: An experience with colorimetric assay of amlodipine in physiological fluids

Purpose: To investigate the potential interactions between methanol extract of Aframomum melegueta seeds (AMSE) and amlodipine (AML).&#x0D; Methods: Amlodipine concentrations 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 µg/mL were assayed in vitro with or without AMSE using potassium ferricyanide/FeCl3 (FeCl3/K4(Fe(CN)6)) method. The resulting solution was wavelength-scanned in the range 380 – 950 nm and absorbance read at 393.1, 455.6 and 774.8 nm.&#x0D; Results: Aframomum melegueta seeds (AMSE), when present in biological fluids and solutions of AML, interfered significantly with FeCl3/K4(Fe(CN))6. The highest interference occurred at 774.8 nm, and 50 µg/mL AMSE gave as much as 1.5 absolute unit increase in absorbance of 2.5 µg/mL when compared to its absence. Spectral scan of the sample revealed two additional peaks at 393.1 and 455.6 nm with only 0.07 and 0.16 nm unit increases in the presence of AMSE. Concentration–absorbance relationship at these two wavelengths satisfied Beer-Lambert’s law. Beyond 15 µg/mL AML at 774.8 nm, Beer-Lambert’s law was not followed.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study highlights the potential interactions between components of the methanol extract of Aframomum melegueta seeds on assay methods of AML. Furthermore, reliable concentration measurements have been made at 393.1 or 455.6 nm. This should be kept in mind when carrying out drug measurements in populations where concurrent use of herbal remedies is highly probable.

Study on Surface Reflectance Sampling Method and Uncertainty Based on Airborne Hyperspectral Images

The validation of satellite remote sensing surface reflectance products is aimed at comparing the reflectance pixel values of products with ground measurement values at the pixel scale. Due to the existence of surface heterogeneity, we cannot obtain the satellite pixel scale truth value through ground sampling, and only the satellite relative pixel scale truth value that closely approximates it can be acquired. The process of converting the point-scale spectrum of ground sampling into a pixel-scale spectrum will produce certain errors, known as point-to-pixel-scale conversion uncertainty, which is closely related to the type of sample area and the ground sampling method. In this study, we conducted research on the uncertainty of point-to-pixel-scale conversion generated via different ground sampling methods in the upscaling process. We utilized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral images to invert the surface reflectance spectral curves of wheat, corn, bare soil, and soybeans at the pixel scale, and simulate the ground measurement spectra and satellite pixel scale ground truth of different sampling methods, so as to realize the quantitative calculation of the uncertainty of the ground truth at the satellite pixel scale. On this basis, we analyzed in depth the effects of the sampling method, measurement height, and number of spectra on the scale conversion uncertainty. The research results show that airborne hyperspectral images can accurately simulate the spectra of ground measurements, and can be used as an effective means of ground spectral sampling and uncertainty analysis. When using the systematic sampling method, the more the sampling points, the smaller the uncertainty. However, the uncertainty of scale conversion tends to stabilize when the number of sampling points is increased to a certain quantity. As the height of ground measurement increases, the number of spectra within the elementary sampling unit (ESU) increases, leading to smaller scale conversion uncertainties. The research results of this study will provide support for the subsequent optimization of ground sampling methods and the improvement of measurement efficiency and measurement accuracy.

Performance Study of Booster-Driven Hybrid Cooling Units for Free Cooling in Data Centers

In the data center, using ambient energy cooling technology can effectively reduce the average power use efficiency, and the heat pipe as an effective use of ambient energy device has attracted much attention. For the dynamic heat pipe, reducing the power consumption of the pump effectively is the key to improving the efficiency. In this paper, the rotary booster is selected as the gas phase booster device of the heat pipe unit, the standard unit of the rotary booster is improved, and three types of boosters are obtained, including two improved boosters and one standard unit. Comparative test studies are conducted on three different types of boosters, and the power of the booster shows a downward trend with the increase in indoor and outdoor temperature differences (outdoor temperature decreases). With the increase in indoor and outdoor temperature differences, the cooling capacity increases first and then decreases. When the indoor and outdoor temperature difference is greater than 20 °C, the suction pressure of the booster is greater than the saturated condensing pressure force under outdoor ambient temperature, and the work of the booster decreases. Among the three types of boosters, the medium pressure ratio booster energy efficiency ratio (EER) is the largest. After throttling the standard unit, results show that its cooling capacity unit increases, but the booster power also increases, and the EER is still smaller than that of the improved unit.

Impact of climate change under the RCP8.5 emission scenario on multivariable agroclimatic indices in Western Canada from convection-permitting climate simulation

Climate change will impact crop production in Western Canada by modifying growing season conditions. Precipitation pattern changes and warmer temperatures will pose significant risks to crops. Studies have shown that multivariable agroclimatic indices can enhance climatic impact assessment on crop production. This study uses multivariable agroclimatic indices to assess how climate change may impact crop production in western Canada by the end of the 21st century. We use convection-permitting regional climate simulations for the current (CTL) and future climate under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario (RCP8.5) scenario based on the pseudo-global warming (PGW) approach to assess the impact of the climate on growing season indices. CTL and PGW are bias-corrected to the Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) Canadian Precipitation Analysis (CaPA) (GEM-CaPA) dataset using the multivariate quantile mapping method. Our study analyses Effective Precipitation (Pe), Temperature Humidity Index (THI), and Precipitation Intensity Index (PII) at seasonal and sub-seasonal scales as they apply to cool-season crops. The CTL simulation shows a good performance in reproducing the spatial patterns and the temporal variability of the selected indices in western Canada. Results show that precipitation (Effective Precipitation) will decrease by over 60 mm (40 mm), rainy days will decrease by up to 10 days, and precipitation intensities will increase across western Canada. Warming will lead to THI unit increases of about 3.5 (>5) in the prairies (northeastern parts of western Canada in June). This study’s findings can be useful in generating appropriate information to inform policy on adaptation for sustainable crop production by the end of the 21st century.

Preventing and Combating Cybercrimes: Case of Cybercrimes Investigation Unit of Tanzania Police

The study was conducted at the cybercrimes investigation unit of Tanzania Police Force. The study investigates the current situation of Tanzania Police Force on combating and preventing cybercrimes in Tanzania and examine the effect of the current legal framework governing them on preventing and combating cybercrime. The study used a sample size of 86 respondents from cybercrimes investigation unit at Tanzania Police Force. Data collection was done by using interview guide and questionnaire. The data was analysed by using multiple regression model and thematic analysis for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The findings show that, Cybercrimes in Tanzania is on high rate as justified by the respondents regarding on number of reported cases of cybercrimes in Dar es Salaam despite of effort shown by Police Force to battle this problem. It was also found that a unit increases in technological capability of Police Force lead to significant decreases in preventing and combating cybercrimes. Furthermore, the results show that, other things remain constant, a unit increase in the current legal framework governing the Police Force lead to significant decrease of effort on preventing and combating cybercrimes. Therefore, it is recommended that there is a need for the Police Force to invest more in acquiring new technologies well as providing continuous public awareness of cybercrimes. Also cybercrime act of 2015 as well as legal and regulatory compliances governing all cybercrimes stakeholders to be reviewed so that can enable Police Force to perform their duties of preventing and combating cybercrimes efficiently.

Using recycled bricks to improve the compressive strength of concrete and produce lightweight concrete

This research presents the aim of using sustainable materials like crushed bricks from the demolition of old buildings as additives to preserve the environment, reduce energy consumption, reduce the cost of concrete, improve the properties of concrete, and obtain lightweight concrete for high buildings with more fluidity for narrow places. Also, it discusses the best replacement ratios because the knowledge about them is still lake. Three mixes of concrete were used and tested. Mix-1was the standard, where the replacement of coarse aggregate with crushed brick aggregate has been used in mix-2, the mix-3 was to study the replacement of fine aggregate by powder brick. In this analysis, only two factors were taken into account: the percentage of coarse aggregate replaced by brick aggregate (from 0 to 50%) and the percentage of fine aggregate replaced by brick aggregate (from 0 to 75%). Compressive strength was tested after curing at ages (7, and 28) days. The results showed that concrete with crushed brick aggregate reduces unit weight and increases of compressive strength of concrete. Using mix-2 increased the compressive strength by about 9.7%, and 7% at ages (7, 28) days respectively, and reduced the weight by 11%. Also, using mix-3 increased the compressive strength with high percentages of about 59%, and 61% at ages (7, and 28) days respectively, with a little percentage of reducing the weight by 2%.

Influence of Guide Vane Opening on the Runaway Stability of a Pump-Turbine Used for Hydropower and Ocean Power

Runaway is a common phenomenon in pump-turbines for hydropower and ocean power, accompanied by strong instability, which can easily lead to accidents. This study reveals the stability during the runaway process of a pump-turbine, mainly exploring the phenomenon of guide vane rejection happening in transition conditions when dealing with hydropower or ocean power. Through model experiments and computational fluid dynamics numerical simulations, the pressure pulsation when reaching runaway was compared under different guide vane opening angles. The amplitude of pressure pulsation measured in the experiment increases with the increase in guide vane opening, but there are also local changes in size and peak. The simulation results show that when the guide vane opening angle is 12 degrees, the vortex flow in the area between the guide vane and the runner of the unit increases, leading to instability. When the opening angle of the guide vane is between 12 and 20 degrees, the vortex flow intensity does not change much and the distribution becomes uniform, resulting in a decrease in the amplitude of pressure fluctuations. The pulsation of the flow field causes a dissipation of flow energy. Relationships can be found among velocity field, vortex intensity, and entropy production. This study is of great significance for ensuring the stable operation of pump-turbines.

Effect of Chemical Composition on Molecular Mobility and Phase Coupling in Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) with Different Comonomer Contents

Two series of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBHV) and poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) with different amounts of hydroxyvalerate (HV) and hydroxyhexanoate (HHx) units are compared. The influence of chemical composition on the molecular mobility in quenched samples is discussed, as well as the consequences on the aptitude to crystallize and the microstructures developed during cold-crystallization. In both quenched PHBHV and PHBHHx, $$T_g$$ decreases as the content of comonomer unit increases. The HHx units (propyl side-groups) are better molecular spacers and produce a stronger $$T_g$$ shift as compared to the HV units (ethyl side-groups). Copolymerization has no striking effect on the width of the glass transition and the cooperativity length in quenched samples, but in cold-crystallized samples the glass transition is dramatically broadened. When the fully amorphous copolymers are heated from the glassy state to room temperature, crystallization occurs but is largely disrupted, suggesting that the molecular environment in the amorphous phase is significantly changed. The HHx units, which are excluded from the host crystals, delay and slow down the crystallization kinetics in a stronger way as compared to the HV units, which can partially co-crystallize. The obtained crystalline phases are prone to reorganization and the residual amorphous phases appear to have strong differences in composition and large density fluctuations. A practical consequence is that microstructures with different coupling between phases, and thus different properties and stability over time, can be obtained by controlling the nature and content of the comonomer units.

Modifiable pathways for longevity: A Mendelian randomization analysis

A variety of factors, including diet and lifestyle, obesity, physiology, metabolism, hormone levels, psychology, and inflammation, have been associated with longevity. The specific influences of these factors, however, are poorly understood. Here, possible causal relationships between putative modifiable risk factors and longevity are investigated. A random effects model was used to investigate the association between 25 putative risk factors and longevity. The study population comprised 11,262 long-lived subjects (≥90 years old, including 3484 individuals ≥99 years old) and 25,483 controls (≤60 years old), all of European ancestry. The data were obtained from the UK Biobank database. Genetic variations were used as instruments in two-sample Mendelian randomization to reduce bias. The odds ratios for genetically predicted SD unit increases were calculated for each putative risk factor. Egger regression was used to determine possible violations of the Mendelian randomization model. Thirteen potential risk factors showed significant associations with longevity (≥90th) after correction for multiple testing. These included smoking initiation (OR:1.606; CI: 1.112-2.319) and educational attainment (OR:2.538, CI: 1.685-3.823) in the diet and lifestyle category, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (OR per SD increase: 0.518; CI: 0.438-0.614 for SBP and 0.620; CI 0.514-0.748 for DBP) and venous thromboembolism (OR:0.002; CI: 0.000-0.047) in the physiology category, obesity (OR: 0.874; CI: 0.796-0.960), BMI (OR per 1-SD increase: 0.691; CI: 0.628-0.760), and body size at age 10 (OR per 1-SD increase:0.728; CI: 0.595-0.890) in the obesity category, type 2 diabetes (T2D) (OR:0.854; CI: 0.816-0.894), LDL cholesterol (OR per 1-SD increase: 0.743; CI: 0.668-0.826), HDL cholesterol (OR per 1-SD increase: 1.243; CI: 1.112-1.390), total cholesterol (TC) (OR per 1-SD increase: 0.786; CI: 0.702-0.881), and triglycerides (TG) (OR per 1-SD increase: 0.865; CI: 0.749-0.998) in the metabolism category. Both longevity (≥90th) and super-longevity (≥99th), smoking initiation, body size at age 10, BMI, obesity, DBP, SBP, T2D, HDL, LDL, and TC were consistently associated with outcomes. The examination of underlying pathways found that BMI indirectly affected longevity through three pathways, namely, SBP, plasma lipids (HDL/TC/LDL), and T2D (p<0.05). BMI was found to significantly affect longevity through SBP, plasma lipid (HDL/TC/LDL), and T2D. Future strategies should focus on modifying BMI to improve health and longevity.

Doping induced tailoring of properties in polycrystalline spinel vanadate – MnV2O4

We investigate the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Mn1-xCuxV2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) to study the role of Cu in spinel vanadate MnV2O4. X-ray diffraction studies show the synthesized materials are single phase. However, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the presence of cations in more than one valence state. The higher valence states of cations together with the desired ones confirm the presence of excess oxygen in a formula unit and non-stoichiometry increases with increasing Cu content. Further, with increasing Cu content, lattice parameters, unit cell volumes as well as different atomic separations shrink, whereas magnetic transition temperature gradually decreases and the structural transition disappears for x = 0.1. Moreover, magnetic hysteresis loops at 5 K remain unsaturated up to 6 Tesla applied field, whereas coercivity gradually increases and remanent magnetization decreases with increasing Cu content, in tandem with the increasing trend of grain size.

Key performance of tunneling magnetoresistance sensing unit modulated by exchange bias of free layer

Optimizing sample structural parameters, magnetic field annealing, series-parallel bridge design, current thermal effect, and additional bias magnetic field are common methods used for controlling the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) magnetic sensing performance. By employing these methods, key performance parameters of TMR sensors such as sensitivity, noise resistance index, linearity, and linear magnetic field range can be optimized and improved. Changing the sample structural parameters, such as the pinning layer, free layer, and barrier layer materials and thickness of the TMR magnetic sensing unit, can change the exchange bias field and thus enhance the TMR magnetic sensing performance parameters. In this study, through micromagnetic simulation and experimental measurements, it is discovered that by modifying the exchange coupling in the free layer CoFeB/Ru/NiFe/IrMn, the exchange bias field magnitude of the TMR free layer can be modulated, leading to improved performance of the TMR magnetic sensing unit. As the IrMn pinning effect is gradually enhanced, the linear magnetic field range of the TMR magnetic sensing unit increases, but the magnetic field sensitivity decreases. It is further found that the linearity of the TMR magnetic sensor is optimal within a range of ±0.5 times the magnetic moment variation of the free layer (primarily the CoFeB layer). Through our work, the effect of exchange bias field (caused by the pinning IrMn of the free layer) on the magnetic sensing performance is verified in the TMR magnetic sensing unit. Our work demonstrates more possibilities for designing and optimizing TMR magnetic sensors, enriching the dimensions of magnetic sensing performance modulation.

Experimental study on the effect of cold soaking with liquid nitrogen on the coal chemical and microstructural characteristics.

In this paper, the chemical microstructure of coal samples is quantitatively analyzed experimentally before and after liquid nitrogen cold soaking, by using elemental analyzer, X-ray diffractometer, and Fourier infrared spectrometer, including the reverse side of chemical composition of elements, organic matter, and functional groups. It was found that with the increase of coal metamorphism, the contents of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur elements gradually increase, while those of hydrogen and oxygen elements gradually decrease. In addition, as the degree of metamorphism increases, the graphitization phenomenon of coal becomes weaker, the interlayer spacing of aromatic rings (d002) increases, the structure of coal crystal nucleus is loose, its order is weakened, the crystal volume becomes smaller, and the void structure unit increases. The FTIR spectra of each coal sample could be divided into four absorption bands, i.e., the aromatic structure, oxygen-containing functional group, aliphatic group, and hydroxyl absorption band. After cold soaking of liquid nitrogen, the peak intensity areas of aromatic and aliphatic structures decrease, while those of oxygenated functional groups and hydroxyl groups increase, and the values of A(C = O)/A(C-O) increase and those of A(CH3)/A(CH2) decrease, mainly due to the gradual decrease of methylene side chains and increase of methylene straight chains. The present results are helpful to further reveal the mechanism of adsorption-resolution deformation of coal body due to cold immersion of liquid nitrogen.

Single Camera-Based Dual-Channel Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging system.

In this study, we propose a single camera-based dual-channel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging system that produces color and dual-channel NIR fluorescence images in real time. To simultaneously acquire color and dual-channel NIR fluorescence images of two fluorescent agents, three cameras and additional optical parts are generally used. As a result, the volume of the image acquisition unit increases, interfering with movements during surgical procedures and increasing production costs. In the system herein proposed, instead of using three cameras, we set a single camera equipped with two image sensors that can simultaneously acquire color and single-channel NIR fluorescence images, thus reducing the volume of the image acquisition unit. The single-channel NIR fluorescence images were time-divided into two channels by synchronizing the camera and two excitation lasers, and the noise caused by the crosstalk effect between the two fluorescent agents was removed through image processing. To evaluate the performance of the system, experiments were conducted for the two fluorescent agents to measure the sensitivity, crosstalk effect, and signal-to-background ratio. The compactness of the resulting image acquisition unit alleviates the inconvenient movement obstruction of previous devices during clinical and animal surgery and reduces the complexity and costs of the manufacturing process, which may facilitate the dissemination of this type of system.

Healthier Lifestyles Attenuated Association of Single or Mixture Exposure to Air Pollutants with Cardiometabolic Risk in Rural Chinese Adults.

There is little research on how long-term exposure to independent and multiple air pollutants changes cardiometabolic risk in adults. In addition, previous studies focused on only the effect of one or two lifestyles on cardiometabolic risk. The evidence on the interactive effects of the lifestyle score and exposure to independent and mixtures of air pollutants on cardiometabolic risk is lacking. A total of 33,638 rural residents were included in the cross-sectional study. The three-year average concentrations of air pollutants for participants were predicted by using a satellite-based prediction. The air pollution score was created to assess the combined exposure of four air pollutants (PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2). A gender−age-specific cardiometabolic risk score was calculated. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression and quantile g-computation were used to investigate the associations between air pollutants and cardiometabolic risk. Interaction plots were applied to describe the interactive effects of air pollution and the healthy lifestyle score on cardiometabolic risk. Per interquartile range (IQR) unit increases in PM1, PM2.5, PM10, or NO2 were associated with 0.162 (95% CI: 0.091, 0.233), 0.473 (95% CI: 0.388, 0.559), 0.718 (95% CI: 0.627, 0.810), and 0.795 (95% CI: 0.691, 0.898) unit increases in cardiometabolic risk score (all p < 0.05), respectively. A 0.854 (95% CI: 0.768, 0.940) unit increase in cardiometabolic risk was associated with each IQR increase in air pollution score. Furthermore, the strengths of associations of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and the air pollution score on cardiometabolic risk score were attenuated with the healthy lifestyle score increase. In addition, there was no statistical significance after the lifestyle score equal to four scores for the effect of PM1 on the cardiometabolic risk score. In conclusions, individual or joint air pollutants were associated with an increased cardiometabolic risk. Improving the healthy lifestyle may be an effective method to improve cardiometabolic health in highly polluted rural regions.