Typhoon disaster state information extraction for Chinese texts.

Typhoon disasters undergo a complex evolutionary process influenced by temporal changes, and investigating this process constitutes the central focus of geographical research. As a key node within the typhoon disaster process, the state serves as the foundation for gauging the dynamics of the disaster. The majority of current approaches to disaster information extraction rely on event extraction methods to acquire fundamental elements, including disaster-causing factors, disaster-bearing bodies, disaster-pregnant environment and the extent of damage. Due to the dispersion of various disaster information and the diversity of time and space, it is a challenge for supporting the analysis of the typhoon disaster process. In this paper, a typhoon disaster state information extraction (TDSIE) method for Chinese texts is proposed, which aims to facilitate the systematic integration of fragmented typhoon disaster information. First, the integration of part-of-speech tagging with spatio-temporal information extraction is employed to achieve the tagging of typhoon disaster texts. Second, within the framework of spatio-temporal semantic units, the typhoon disaster semantic vector is constructed to facilitate the identification of information elements of typhoon disaster states. Third, co-referential state information fusion is performed based on spatio-temporal cues. Experimental analysis, conducted using online news as the data source, reveals that the TDSIE achieves precision and recall rates consistently surpassing 85%. The typhoon disaster state information derived from the TDSIE allows for the analysis of spatio-temporal patterns, evolutionary characteristics, and activity modes of typhoon disasters across various scales. Therefore, TDSIE serves as valuable support for investigating the inherent process properties of typhoon disasters.

The role of traditional Chinese medicine in postoperative wound complications of gastric cancer.

Due to the high risks of postoperative complications brought on by gastric cancer, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a commonly used therapy, has exerted its vital role in postoperative recovery care. In this sense, this meta-analysis was conducted to explore the related documents about TCM's impact on gastric cancer postoperative recovery. During the research, we explored a total of 1549 results from databases PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science (WoS). Thirty-two clinical randomized trials (RCTs) were then selected and analysed for this meta-analysis by using the software RevMan 5.4 (under PRISMA 2020 regulations), with a population of 3178 patients. Data prove that TCM therapy reduced the risks for postoperative complications exposure by an estimated average of 19% (95% CI). Among the complications, TCM therapy suppressed the risks of wound infection and incisional infections by 53% and 48% respectively. Meanwhile, the patient's wound healing duration exhibited a significant reduction compared to those without TCM treatment, with a difference at around 0.74 days (95% CI). TCM also exerted its potential to strengthen the patient's immune and health conditions, leading to a significantly promoted gastrointestinal function in the patients with a shorter duration to release first exhaustion and defecation compared to those with no TCM therapy. In addition, similar promoted phenomena also exist in those patients with TCM therapy in terms of their immunity and nutritional conditions. These facts all indicate a positive impact of TCM therapy in clinical applications.

Evaluating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Jie Geng and Huang Qi combination on reducing surgical site infections in colorectal cancer surgeries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Postoperative wound infections (PWIs) pose a significant challenge in colorectal cancer surgeries, leading to prolonged hospital stays and increased morbidity. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combination of Jie Geng and Huang Qi in reducing PWIs following colorectal cancer surgeries. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we focused on seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1256 patients, examining the incidence of PWIs within 30 days post-surgery, alongside secondary outcomes such as length of hospital stay and antibiotic use. The analysis revealed a significant reduction in PWI incidence in the TCM-treated group compared to controls, with a Risk Ratio of 0.21 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.30, p < 0.01), a notable decrease in hospital stay (Mean Difference: 1.2 days, 95% CI: 0.15 to 1.28 days, p < 0.01) and a significant reduction in antibiotic use (Risk Ratio: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.36, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that Jie Geng and Huang Qi in TCM could be an effective adjunct in postoperative care for colorectal cancer surgeries, underscoring the need for further high-quality RCTs to substantiate these results and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Non-isothermal thermal decomposition behavior and reaction kinetics of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

Environmental concerns associated with the rapid rising plastic consumption have led to the search for better waste utilization and management. Pyrolysis has emerged as an ideal and promising technique for energy extraction from plastic waste. The aim of this work is to explore the waste plastic pyrolysis behavior under non-isothermal heating conditions. The decomposition characteristics, reaction mechanism, kinetics and thermodynamics of a typical widely used thermosetting plastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), were studied via coupled thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (TG-FTIR-GC/MS). Kinetic analysis showed the average Eα values are estimated to be 187.02, 188.55, 187.04 and 185.67 kJ/mol via advanced Vyazovkin, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Tang and Starink model-free method, respectively. Model-fitting CR and master-plots method indicated that f(α)=(1-α)n is the most probable reaction mechanism. The equation of kinetic compensation effect was further developed as lnA = -3.1955 + 0.1736 Eα. Based on these initial inferences, a new reaction scheme coupled with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was put forward for modeling ABS pyrolysis. The optimized values of E, A and n are 198.07 kJ/mol, 7.61 × 1012 s-1 and 1.56, respectively. The predicted results showed that the experimental data can be well characterized by the optimized parameters from PSO, validating the effectiveness and accuracy of the inverse modeling procedure. Moreover, it is found that the volatile products are mainly composed of aromatic compounds, ketones, amines, esters, nitrile compounds, alkenes and amines. Based on the FT-IR and GC-MS results, the possible chemical reactions for ABS pyrolysis from molecular structure were proposed. Finally, thermodynamic analysis was carried out, the calculated values of enthalpy ΔH, Gibb's free energy ΔG and entropy ΔS indicated that non-spontaneous reactions with low favorability exists during ABS decomposition, the process is complex therefore extra energy is needed to promote the reaction. The obtained results should offer as an important reference for future disposal and thermochemical management of such polymer waste.

To study the intervention mechanism of pediatric massage on intestinal flora and host metabolism in children with anorexia.

BACKGROUND: As a common and frequent disease in pediatric patients, pediatric anorexia (PN) poses a serious threat to childhood growth and health. In recent years, societal changes in lifestyle and diet have increased the incidence of this PN, which has attracted extensive attention from both the medical community and parents. It has been shown that massage therapy represents an effective intervention for the treatment of anorexia, but investigation on its mechanism(s) of action remains limited. In this study, we will explore the biological mechanism(s) of PN from the perspective of intestinal flora, to further reveal its site of action and therapeutic mechanism(s). METHODS: A total of 60 healthy children will be randomly selected for physical examination. According to a random number generated by a computer, children with anorexia who meet the inclusion criteria will be selected. In strict accordance with the time sequence of inclusion, subjects will be randomly assigned to either the massage or control group (n = 60 per group). The blank group will receive no treatment. Children in the massage group will receive a designated massage protocol. The control group will be administered oral Jianweixiaoshi tablets over 4 weeks. Each group will be compared for intestinal flora structure, fecal short chain fatty acids levels, serum trace elements, urine D-xylose-excretion rates, gastric fluid emptying, gastric motility, and hemoglobin levels before and after treatment. RESULTS: We will review the clinical trial registry in China (http://www.chictr.org.cn/searchprojen.aspx), peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences. CONCLUSION: This study will verify the intervention mechanism(s) of pediatric massage on intestinal flora and host metabolism in children with anorexia. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000033274.

Total polysaccharides of adlay bran (Coix lachryma-jobi L.) improve TNF-α induced epithelial barrier dysfunction in Caco-2 cells via inhibition of the inflammatory response.

Dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier plays an important role in the pathogenesis of several intestinal diseases, including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. The present research was carried out to investigate the protective effect of total polysaccharides of adlay bran (TPA) on TNF-α-evoked epithelial barrier dysfunction in Caco-2 cells. Caco-2 cells were treated with or without TPA in the absence or presence of TNF-α, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and Phenol Red flux were assayed to evaluate the intestinal epithelial barrier function. The results indicated that TPA suppressed the TNF-α-induced release of pro-inflammatory factors. Furthermore, TPA obviously assuaged both the increased paracellular permeability and the decrease of TEER in TNF-α-challenged Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, TPA obviously assuaged TNF-α-evoked up-regulation of IL-8 and IL-6 expression, down-regulation of occludin and ZO-3 expression, and markedly suppressed the activation and protein expression of NF-κB p65. Our results indicated that TPA assuages the TNF-α-evoked dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier by inhibiting the NF-κB p65-mediated inflammatory response.

In Situ Self-Template Synthesis of Fe-N-Doped Double-Shelled Hollow Carbon Microspheres for Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Herein, we reported a special Fe-N-doped double-shelled hollow carbon microsphere (Fe-N-DSC) which was prepared by a facile, in situ polymerization followed by pyrolysis. With porous ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) hollow microspheres as the templates, where pyrrole monomers were dispersed around the outer surface and prefilled the interior space. By adding hydrochloric acid, Fe3+ ions were released to initiate polymerization of pyrrole on both the outer and inner surfaces of Fe3O4 microspheres until they were completely dissolved, resulting in the Fe-containing polypyrrole double-shelled hollow carbon microspheres (Fe-PPY-DSC). The Fe-PPY-DSC was then pyrolyzed to generate the Fe-N-DSC. The Fe3O4 hollow microspheres played trifunctional roles, i.e., the template to prepare a double-shelled hollow spherical structure, the initiator (i.e., Fe3+ ions) for the polymerization of pyrrole, and the Fe source for doping. The Fe-N-DSC exhibited a superior catalytic activity for oxygen reduction as comparable to commercial Pt/C catalysts in both alkaline and acidic media. The high catalytic performance was ascribed to the special porous double-shelled hollow spherical structure, which provided more active sites and was beneficial to a high-flux mass transportation.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Notonecta chinensis Fallou and implications for the phylogeny of Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

The complete mitochondrial genome of Notonecta chinensis Fallou was sequenced and was 15,149 bp long with 75.6% A + T. There were 37 typical genes including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNAs), and two ribosomal RNA (rRNAs). The 531 bp D-loop region was located between 12S rRNA and trnI-Ile. All PCGs started with ATN codons, except COI and ND4L, and ended with TAA, except COII, COIII, ATPase6 and ND3. Phylogenetic analyses highly supported the monophyly for each superfamily. Notonectoidea was formed a solid monophyletic group, with N. chinensis and Enithares tibialis clustered into one clade.

Combination and simultaneous resonances of gas bubbles oscillating in liquids under dual-frequency acoustic excitation.

The multi-frequency acoustic excitation has been employed to enhance the effects of oscillating bubbles in sonochemistry for many years. In the present paper, nonlinear dynamic oscillations of bubble under dual-frequency acoustic excitation are numerically investigated within a broad range of parameters. By investigating the power spectra and the response curves of oscillating bubbles, two unique features of bubble oscillations under dual-frequency excitation (termed as "combination resonance" and "simultaneous resonance") are revealed and discussed. Specifically, the amplitudes of the combination resonances are quantitatively compared with those of other traditional resonances (e.g. main resonances, harmonics). The influences of several paramount parameters (e.g., the bubble radius, the acoustic pressure amplitude, the energy allocation between two component waves) on nonlinear bubble oscillations are demonstrated.

Variation of Bacterial Community Diversity in Rhizosphere Soil of Sole-Cropped versus Intercropped Wheat Field after Harvest.

As the major crops in north China, spring crops are usually planted from April through May every spring and harvested in fall. Wheat is also a very common crop traditionally planted in fall or spring and harvested in summer year by year. This continuous cropping system exhibited the disadvantages of reducing the fertility of soil through decreasing microbial diversity. Thus, management of microbial diversity in the rhizosphere plays a vital role in sustainable crop production. In this study, ten common spring crops in north China were chosen sole-cropped and four were chosen intercropped with peanut in wheat fields after harvest. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and DNA sequencing of one 16S rDNA fragment were used to analyze the bacterial diversity and species identification. DGGE profiles showed the bacterial community diversity in rhizosphere soil samples varied among various crops under different cropping systems, more diverse under intercropping system than under sole-cropping. Some intercropping-specific bands in DGGE profiles suggested that several bacterial species were stimulated by intercropping systems specifically. Furthermore, the identification of these dominant and functional bacteria by DNA sequencing indicated that intercropping systems are more beneficial to improve soil fertility. Compared to intercropping systems, we also observed changes in microbial community of rhizosphere soil under sole-crops. The rhizosphere bacterial community structure in spring crops showed a strong crop species-specific pattern. More importantly, Empedobacter brevis, a typical plant pathogen, was only found in the carrot rhizosphere, suggesting carrot should be sown prudently. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that crop species and cropping systems had significant effects on bacterial community diversity in the rhizosphere soils. We strongly suggest sorghum, glutinous millet and buckwheat could be taken into account as intercropping crops with peanut; while hulled oat, mung bean or foxtail millet could be considered for sowing in wheat fields after harvest in North China.

The secondary Bjerknes force between two gas bubbles under dual-frequency acoustic excitation.

The secondary Bjerknes force is one of the essential mechanisms of mutual interactions between bubbles oscillating in a sound field. The dual-frequency acoustic excitation has been applied in several fields such as sonochemistry, biomedicine and material engineering. In this paper, the secondary Bjerknes force under dual-frequency excitation is investigated both analytically and numerically within a large parameter zone. The unique characteristics (i.e., the complicated patterns of the parameter zone for sign change and the combination resonances) of the secondary Bjerknes force under dual-frequency excitation are revealed. Moreover, the influence of several parameters (e.g., the pressure amplitude, the bubble distance and the phase difference between sound waves) on the secondary Bjerknes force is also investigated numerically.

Mites and ticks (Acari) in Shanxi Province, China: an annotated checklist.

This paper reviews the research on mites and ticks in Shanxi Province before 1 January 2015. We provided a checklist of 189 species belonging to 4 orders-Ixodida: 24 species in 2 families and 9 genera; Mesostigmata: 74 species in 12 families and 34 genera; Sarcoptiformes: 17 species in 10 families and 14 genera and Trombidiformes: 74 species in 15 families and 47 genera. Information on the host/habitat and distribution is given for each species. Historical mistakes in records are corrected and the classification of the known species is updated.

Tiny bubbles challenge giant turbines: Three Gorges puzzle.

Since the birth of the first prototype of the modern reaction turbine, cavitation as conjectured by Euler in 1754 always presents as a challenge. Following his theory, the evolution of modern reaction (Francis and Kaplan) turbines has been completed by adding the final piece of the element 'draft-tube' that enables turbines to explore water energy at efficiencies of almost 100%. However, during the last two and a half centuries, with increasing unit capacity and specific speed, the problem of cavitation has been manifested and complicated by the draft-tube surges rather than being solved. Particularly, during the last 20 years, the fierce competition in the international market for extremely large turbines with compact design has encouraged the development of giant Francis turbines of 700-1000 MW. The first group (24 units) of such giant turbines of 700 MW each was installed in the Three Gorges project. Immediately after commission, a strange erosion phenomenon appeared on the guide vane of the machines that has puzzled professionals. From a multi-disciplinary analysis, this Three Gorges puzzle could reflect an unknown type of cavitation inception presumably triggered by turbulence production from the boundary-layer streak transitional process. It thus presents a fresh challenge not only to this old turbine industry, but also to the fundamental sciences.

Acoustical scattering cross section of gas bubbles under dual-frequency acoustic excitation.

The acoustical scattering cross section is a paramount parameter determining the scattering ability of cavitation bubbles when they are excited by the incident acoustic waves. This parameter is strongly related with many important applications of acoustic cavitation including facilitating the reaction of chemical process, boosting bubble sonoluminescence, and performing non-invasive therapy and drug delivery. In present paper, both the analytical and numerical solutions of acoustical scattering cross section of gas bubbles under dual-frequency excitation are obtained. The validity of the analytical solution is shown with demonstrating examples. The nonlinear characteristics (e.g., harmonics, subharmonics and ultraharmonics) of the scattering cross section curve under dual-frequency approach are investigated. Compared with single-frequency approach, the dual-frequency approach displays more resonances termed as "combination resonances" and could promote the acoustical scattering cross section significantly within a much broader range of bubble sizes due to the generation of more resonances. The influence of several paramount parameters (e.g., acoustic pressure amplitude, power allocations between two acoustic components, and the ratio of the frequencies) in the dual-frequency system on the predictions of scattering cross section has been discussed.

Research on the practical parameters of sex pheromone traps for the oriental fruit moth.

BACKGROUND: The oriental fruit moth (OFM) is a worldwide fruit-boring insect pest. In China, OFM monitoring traps use a sex pheromone lure, but their overall design is varied. As such, there is a critical need to develop a standardised OFM trap design. In this field study, ten different trap shapes in varying combinations of colours and sizes (such as trap length and surface area) were examined. RESULTS: The results showed that there was no significant difference in the trapping efficiency between eight colours. The ship-shaped trap could kill more OFM in a short period, whereas the automatic watering basin trap could be more effective in the long run. The optimal trapping diameter of the basin trap was 25 cm. The trapping efficiency of triangle traps with diameters of less than 10 cm was better than that of triangle traps with diameters of over 30 cm. The trapping number of pasteboard traps obviously declined when the surface area increased, and the pasteboard trap with a single board possessed excellent trapping efficiency. CONCLUSION: The results provide useful information for the design of standardised sex pheromone traps for monitoring as well as trapping of OFM in the field.

[Digital gene expression profiling analysis of the early adventitious shoot formation in Arabidopsis thaliana].

Most current research in the field of adventitious shoot formation is focused on the regulatory function of a single gene. However, a systematic transcriptomic analysis of the early adventitious shoot formation is still lacking. Here, we analyzed the transcriptome profiling of the early adventitious shoot formation in Arabidopsis by RNA-seq high throughput sequencing technology, and identified 2 457 differentially expressed genes. Detailed categorization revealed that these genes were mainly involved in hormone homeostasis or signal transduction, callus and lateral root formation, shoot apical meristem development and photosynthesis. Further pathway enrichment analysis showed that genes involved in phenylalanine metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were significantly enriched. Moreover, exogenous phenylalanine could repress adventitious shoot formation, indicating that phenylalanine metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis might be important for adventitious shoot formation.

[Effect of pricking blood therapy at Ashi points on peripheral pain mediums in the acute gouty arthritis rat].

OBJECTIVE: To study the analgesic mechanism of pricking blood therapy at Ashi points in the acute gouty arthritis rat. METHODS: Forty rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, an indomethacin group and a pricking blood group. Except the blank group, other groups were injected with sodium urate liquor into the ankle cavity to develop the acute gouty arthritis rat model, and the indomethacin group received gastric perfusion of indomethacin, and the pricking blood group were treated with pricking blood therapy at Ashi points. The peripheral pain mediums K+, NE, DA, (5-HT contents were determined. RESULTS: The K+, DA, 5-HT contents in the pricking blood group decreased significantly as compared with the model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in the content of NE between the pricking blood group and the model group. CONCLUSION: Pricking blood at Ashi points can effectively inhibit release of the peripheral pain mediums K+, DA and 5-HT.