Association of solid fuel use with risk of stunting in children living in China

Stunting adversely affects physical and mental outcomes of children. It has not been examined whether household air pollution from solid fuel combustion is a risk factor for stunting in children. In a total of 41,439 children aged 6-17 across China, height was measured using a unified protocol. Multivariable linear regression models and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of solid fuel use for cooking/heating with stunting in children. Adjusted for covariates, cooking/heating with solid fuel was significantly associated with a lower z-score for height for age and sex (β = −0.21 [−0.32 to −0.09] and −0.17 [−0.31 to −0.03], respectively) and an increased risk of stunting with an estimated ORs of 1.34 [1.07~1.68] and 1.37 [1.02~1.83], respectively. The risk of stunting associated with solid fuel use was statistically significant in high-age children. And the effect was greater on girls than on boys, though the difference was not statistically significant. Our study suggested that Chinese children living in households using solid fuel had a significantly higher risk of stunting than those living in households using cleaner fuel.     

Microstructure and damage evolution of SiCf/PyC/SiC and SiCf/BN/SiC mini-composites: A synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography study

SiC_f/PyC/SiC and SiC_f/BN/SiC mini-composites comprising single tow SiC fibre-reinforced SiC with chemical vapor deposited PyC or BN interface layers are fabricated. The microstructure evolutions of the mini-composite samples as the oxidation temperature increases (oxidation at 1000, 1200, 1400, and 1600?°C in air for 2?h) are observed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction characterization methods. The damage evolution for each component of the as-fabricated SiC_f/SiC composites (SiC fibre, PyC/BN interface, SiC matrix, and mesophase) is mapped as a three-dimensional (3D) image and quantified with X-ray computed tomography. The mechanical performance of the composites is investigated via tensile tests.The results reveal that tensile failure occurs after the delamination and fibre pull-out in the SiC_f/PyC/SiC composites due to the volatilization of the PyC interface at high temperatures in the air environment. Meanwhile, the gaps between the fibres and matrix lead to rapid oxidation and crack propagation from the SiC matrix to SiC fibre, resulting in the failure of the SiC_f/PyC/SiC composites as the oxidation temperature increases to 1600?°C. On the other hand, the oxidation products of B₂O₃ molten compounds (reacted from the BN interface) fill up the fracture, cracks, and voids in the SiC matrix, providing excellent strength retention at elevated oxidation temperatures. Moreover, under the protection of B₂O₃, the SiC_f/BN/SiC mini-composites show a nearly intact microstructure of the SiC fibre, a low void growth rate from the matrix to fibre, and inhibition of new void formation and the SiO₂ grain growth from room to high temperatures. This work provides guidance for predicting the service life of SiC_f/PyC/SiC and SiC_f/BN/SiC composite materials, and is fundamental for establishing multiscale damage models on a local scale.     

Metabolism and biochemical effects of 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl in pregnant and fetal rats

The metabolism and distribution of a single oral dose of 25 mumol 14C-labelled 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (14C-TCB) were investigated in pregnant female Wistar rats and their fetuses. TCB was administered on day 13 of gestation and the elimination was followed for 7 days. Non-pregnant rats were treated similarly for comparison. Fecal elimination of 14C-TCB derived radioactivity was significantly lower in pregnant rats than in non-pregnant rats. The major metabolite found in adult liver and plasma, placental tissue, whole fetuses and fetal plasma was 3,3',4',5-tetrachloro-4-biphenylol (4-OH-TCB). Tissue levels (liver, abdominal fat, skin, skeletal muscle, kidney and plasma) of 14C-TCB-derived radioactivity declined by 65-85% over a 7-day period following administration in the adult animals. However, 14C-TCB-derived radioactivity accumulated more than 100-fold in the fetuses over the same time period, and GC/MS analysis revealed that the fetal accumulation in radioactivity was due primarily to 4-OH-TCB, and not the parent compound. On day 20 of gestation, concentrations of 4-OH-TCB were 14 times greater in fetal plasma than maternal plasma. Treatment with 14C-TCB significantly reduced plasma thyroxine levels by at least 28% up to 7 days after administration in non-pregnant animals and up to 4 days after administration in pregnant rats (31% decrease). By 7 days after administration plasma thyroxine levels had returned to control levels in the TCB-treated pregnant rats. However, fetal plasma thyroxine levels were significantly decreased by 35% in fetuses from 14C-TCB-treated dams 7 days after TCB administration. Hepatic microsomal ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity was significantly induced in TCB-treated dams relative to controls at 4 and 7 days after administration, while no EROD activity was detected in hepatic microsomes from control or TCB treated fetal rats at day 20 of gestation. These data suggest that hydroxylated metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls may play a role in the development toxicity of these compounds.     

SURF1, encoding a factor involved in the biogenesis of cytochrome c oxidase, is mutated in Leigh syndrome

A drug with cationic characteristics such as procaine can be conveyed in a Carbomer hydrogel in two different ways: (i) in the form of salt in solution in the aqueous phase, and (ii) in the base form salified with the same polymer. Introduction of the drug into the hydrogel with different concentrations of polymer produced, in both cases, a reduction in viscosity in relation to drug concentration. The gels with procaine salified with the polymer showed greater viscosity. The drug release rate, in general, diminished with the increase in polymer concentration. Nevertheless, when this concentration was maintained, there was no variation in release rate when the viscosity produced as a consequence of drug concentration was changed. Gels with procaine salified with the carboxyvinylic polymer had a faster release rate than those with procaine in the hydrochloride form dissolved in the aqueous phase. These results have also been confirmed by a simulated absorption test.     

在CodeWarrior编译环境下运行μC／OS—Ⅲ

μC／OS-Ⅱ是面向8／16位及低端32位单片机应用的RTOS,而新近推出的μC／OS-Ⅲ则面向高性能32位单片机,如ARMCortex等。以Cortex—M4为内核的Kinetis系列单片机,不仅用于全国大学生飞思卡尔杯智能车竞赛,也用于诸多大学的嵌入式系统教学,官方提供的开发环境是CodeWarrior。本文介绍如何利用CodeWarrior开发环境,将μC／OS-Ⅲ在Kinetis单片机上运行起来,以便将μC／OS-Ⅲ引入教学、科研与应用。     

物联网技术发展与应用

近年来许多国家将物联网技术列为国家战略新兴产业。文章介绍了物联网的概念和基本特征,分析了物联网关键技术,详细阐述了物联网技术在交通、电网、工业监测、物流、医疗和智能家居等领域的应用。     

金银花变色与5-羟甲基糠醛等有效成分含量的相关性研究

[目的]研究不同年限金银花的外观颜色与其5-羟甲基糠醛、绿原酸含量的相关性,为金银花的质量评价提供依据.[方法]采用高效液相色谱仪测定9批金银花中5-羟甲基糠醛和绿原酸的含量,引入色差仪测定不同年限的金银花色度值L*、a*、b*,同时通过SPSS 20.0将金银花有效成分含量测定的结果与色度值进行相关性分析.[结果]储存年限越长、色泽偏黄棕色的金银花中,绿原酸含量越少,5-羟甲基糠醛含量越多;5-羟甲基糠醛和明度L*呈负相关,相关系数为-0.769 (P＜0.05);绿原酸和明度L*呈正相关,相关系数为0.757 (P＜0.05).[结论]5-羟甲基糠醛与金银花色泽变化存在相关性,能更好的将外观指标与内在成分联系起来,可作为金银花质量评价的指标.     

Location-Dependent Lane-Changing Behavior for Arterial Road Traffic

Lane-changing behavior plays an important role in characterizing urban arterial road traffic dynamics. This paper investigates efficiency-driven and objective-driven motives for drivers to change lanes on arterial roads. The former motive is determined by the circumstances of the surrounding traffic flow, whereas the latter depends on position. A location-dependent lane changing model is then established by weighing the two motives for lane changing. Both continuous and discrete versions of the arterial traffic model are obtained using the LWR (Lighthill–Whitham–Richards) model with the two types of lane changing. Simulations show that the proposed model can reproduce macroscopic traffic phenomena such as spillover and a decrease in the concomitant departure flow, which is the reason for capacity loss. It is concluded that 1) there exists a critical condition under which there is no capacity loss and that 2) a different flow composition could result in a different capacity loss, which varies according to the flow direction. Hence, traffic management and control should take this loss into account.     

Multidisciplinary design modeling and optimizationfor satellite with maneuver capability

According to the mission of a satellite with maneuver capability, the collaborative optimization (CO) method was introduced for the satellite system design, and the related multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) model was established. The possessing and needed velocity increments Δv and Δv _{n e e d} were taken as the measurement of maneuvering capability of the studied satellite, which were then combined with total mass of the satellite to form the optimization objective in the systematic level of the MDO problem. The design variables and constraints of the MDO problem dealt with disciplines or subsystems as guidance, navigation and control (GNC), power, and structure, and corresponding engineering analysis models were also built. A program system to solve the MDO problem wasdeveloped by integrating a non-nested CO method, the commercial and user-supplied codes on framework software iSIGHT. The result showed that the satellite performance could be obviously improved, which also indicates MDO technique is feasible and effective for the spacecraft design problem. The modeling and optimization procedure of the work can be referred for further research and engineering design.