Enhanced and asymmetric signatures of hybridization at climatic margins: Evidence from closely related dioecious fig species

Hybridization plays a significant role in biological evolution. However, it is not clear whether ecological contingency differentially influences likelihood of hybridization, particularly at ecological margins where parental species may exhibit reduced fitnesses. Moreover, it is unknown whether future ecosystem change will increase the prevalence of hybridization. Ficus heterostyla and F. squamosa are closely related species co-distributed from southern Thailand to southwest China where hybridization, yielding viable seeds, has been documented. As a robust test of ecological factors driving hybridization, we investigated spatial hybridization signatures based on nuclear microsatellites from extensive population sampling across a widespread contact range. Both species showed high population differentiation and strong patterns of isolation by distance. Admixture estimates exposed asymmetric interspecific gene flow.Signatures of hybridization increase significantly towards higher latitude zones, peaking at the northern climatic margins. Geographic variation in reproductive phenology combined with ecologically challenging marginal habitats may promote this phenomenon. Our work is a first systematic evaluation of such patterns in a comprehensive, latitudinally-based clinal context, and indicates that tendency to hybridize appears strongly influenced by environmental conditions. Moreover, that future climate change scenarios will likely alter and possibly augment cases of hybridization at ecosystem scales.

Electronic Communication Between Co and Ru Sites Decorated on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes Boosting the Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Designing highly efficient Pt-free electrocatalysts with low overpotential for an alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)remains a significant challenge.Here,a novel and efficient cobalt(Co),ruthenium(Ru)bimetallic electrocatalyst composed of CoRu nanoalloy decorated on the N-doped carbon nanotubes(CoRu@N-CNTs),was prepared by reacting fullerenol with melamine via hydrothermal treatment and followed by pyrolysis.Benefiting from the electronic communication between Co and Ru sites,the as-obtained CoRu@N-CNTs catalyst exhibited superior electrocatalytic HER activity.To deliver a current density of 10 mA·cm^(-2),it required an overpotential of merely 19 mV along with a Tafel slope of 26.19 mV·dec^(-1)in 1 mol·L^(-1)potassium hydroxide(KOH)solution,outperforming the benchmark Pt/C catalyst.The present work would pave a new way towards the design and construction of an efficient electrocatalyst for energy storage and conversion.

Life's essential 8 and risk of subclinical atherosclerosis progression: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of ideal cardiovascular health(CVH) in reducing cardiovascular risk.However,its role in subclinical atherosclerosis(SA) progression remains unclear.We aim to examine the association of CVH,estimated by the American Heart Association's new Life's Essential 8(LE8),with the progression of SA.METHODS This prospective cohort study was conducted among 972 asymptomatic Chinese participants and followed up for5.7 years.The LE8 score(range,0–100) consisted of blood pressure,lipids,glucose,body mass index,smoking status,diet health,physical activity and sleep health was evaluated in 1998 and 2008–2009.Progression of SA was determined by carotid plaque and coronary artery calcification(CAC) in 2008–2009 and 2013–2014.Log-binomial regression model was used to estimate the association of LE8 score with SA progression.RESULTS Each 10 points increment in LE8 score was associated with 15.2%(RR:0.848,95% CI:0.797–0.902),17.7%(RR:0.823,95% CI:0.766–0.884) and 12.0%(RR:0.880,95% CI:0.845–0.916) lower risks of carotid plaque,CAC and overall SA progression,respectively.Compared with participants with non-ideal CVH at both visits,the participants with ideal CVH at both visits had39.1%(RR:0.609,95% CI:0.494–0.752),41.0%(RR:0.590,95% CI:0.456–0.764) and 29.7%(RR:0.703,95% CI:0.598–0.825) lower risks of carotid plaque,CAC and overall SA progression,respectively.CONCLUSIONS Higher LE8 scores were associated with lower risks of SA progression.Besides,long-term maintenance of optimal CVH was more beneficial to prevent SA progression.

角膜塑形镜离焦技术在近视防控中的研究进展

近视发病率在全球范围内呈逐渐上升趋势,严重影响青少年儿童的眼部健康,引起了巨大的经济和社会效益损失。因此,近视防控工作至关重要且刻不容缓。近年来,角膜塑形镜逐渐在近视防控领域体现出其优越性。目前,角膜塑形镜控制近视发展的原理主要以视网膜远视性光学离焦学说为主,促使近视患者的远视性离焦向近视性离焦漂移从而延缓眼轴增长。其控制近视发展的效果与多种因素相关,包括离焦总量、瞳孔直径、光学区设计及镜片偏心等。角膜塑形镜的广泛使用将有效降低青少年儿童的近视发病率,本文就角膜塑形镜利用离焦技术控制近视发展的原理、离焦量和离焦环位置与近视防控效果的关系等方面进行综述,旨在阐明角膜塑形镜离焦技术在近视防控中的研究进展。

Beneficial effects of moderate to vigorous physical activity on cardiovascular disease among Chinese adults

Background In China,lack of evidence remains a significant challenge for the national initiative to promote physical activity(PA).We aimed to quantify the beneficial effects of meeting or maintaining the recommended PA level[150 minutes per week(min/wk)of moderate PA or 75 min/wk of vigorous PA or an equivalent combination]on incident cardiovascular disease(CVD)among Chinese population.Methods We included 100,560 participants without history of CVD from three cohorts in the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China(China-PAR)project.Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios(HRs)and 95%confidence intervals(CIs)for CVD events and its subtypes,including stroke,coronary heart disease,heart failure,and CVD death.Results During a median follow-up of 7.3 years(range:6–15 years),777,163 person-years and 4693 incident CVD events were observed.Compared with participants who were inactive at baseline,the multivariable adjusted HR(95%CI)of developing CVD was 0.74(0.69–0.79)for those who met recommended moderate to vigorous physical activity(MVPA)level at baseline.Furthermore,the risk of CVD incidence was reduced with increment of MVPA(Ptrend<0.001),and the HR(95%CI)of highly-active versus inactive category was 0.62(0.56–0.68).Compared with individuals who were inactive both at the baseline and follow-up,those keeping active over the period of follow-up had a substantial lower risk of incident CVD with the HR(95%CI)of 0.57(0.43–0.77).Conclusions The findings demonstrated that meeting and maintaining the recommended MVPA level could reduce the cardiovascular risk.Wider adoption of the PA recommendations would have considerable health impacts to the Chinese population.

Common SNPs of APM1 Gene Are Not Associated With Hypertension or Obesity in Chinese Population

Objective To investigate whether the common variants 45T/G and 276G/T in APM1 gene were associated with hypertension combined with obesity （HO） and related clinical features in Chinese Han population. Methods A case-control study design was applied. Common polymorphisms of 45T/G and 276G/T were genotyped by PCR product sequencing in 484 cases with HO and 502 controls with normal blood presure and BMI 〈 25. Results The genotype and allele frequencies of 45T/G, 276G/T, and haplotype defined by the two variants in cases did not differ from those in controls. The means of blood pressure, BMI and waist-hip ratio did not differ among genotypes of the two polymorphisms and haplotypes. Among lipid profiles, only serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were significantly lower in T allele carders than that in non-T carriers after adjusting possible confounding factors （1.21 vs 1.32 mmol/L, P=0.0001）. Condusion Polymorphisms of 45T/G and 276G/T in APM1 gene are not associated with hypertension or obesity, or their clinical features in Chinese Han population. Common polymorphism of 45T/G might be associated with serum HDL-C levels in Chinese.

Direct Z-scheme photochemical hybrid systems:Loading porphyrin-based metal-organic cages on graphitic-C_(3)N_(4) to dramatically enhance photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The rational design of photochemical molecular device(PMD)and its hybrid system has great potential in improving the activity of photocatalytic hydrogen production.A series of Pd6L3 type metal-organic cages,denoted as MOC-Py-M(M=H,Cu,and Zn),are designed for PMDs by combining metalloporphyrin-based ligands with catalytically active Pd^(2+)centers.These metal-organic cages(MOCs)are first successfully hybridized with graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))to form direct Z-scheme heterogeneous MOC-Py-M/g-C_(3)N_(4)(M=H,Cu,and Zn)photocatalysts via π-πinteractions.Benefiting from its better light absorption ability,the MOC-Py-Zn/g-C_(3)N_(4) catalyst exhibits high H_(2) production activity under visible light(10348μmol g^(-1) h^(-1)),far superior to MOC-Py-H/g-C_(3)N_(4) and MOC-Py-Cu/g-C_(3)N_(4).Moreover,the MOC-Py-Zn/g-C_(3)N_(4) system obtains an enhanced turn over number(TON)value of 32616 within 100 h,outperforming the homogenous MOC-Py-Zn(TON of 507 within 100 h),which is one of the highest photochemical hybrid systems based on MOC for visible-light-driven hydrogen generation.This confirms the direct Z-scheme heterostructure can promote effective charge transfer,expand the visible light absorption region,and protect the cages from decomposition in MOC-Py-Zn/g-C_(3)N_(4).This work presents a creative example that direct Z-scheme PMD-based systems for effective and persistent hydrogen generation from water under visible light are obtained by heterogenization approach using homogeneous porphyrin-based MOCs and g-C_(3)N_(4) semiconductors.

Associations of tea consumption with blood pressure progression and hypertension incidence

BACKGROUND Association between tea consumption and incident hypertension remains uncertain.This study conducted to examine the health effects of tea consumption on blood pressure progression and hypertension incidence.METHODS A population-based cohort of 38,913 Chinese participants without hypertension at baseline were included in the current study.Information on tea consumption was collected through standardized questionnaires.Associations of tea consump-tion with blood pressure progression and incident hypertension were analyzed using logistic regression models and Cox propor-tional hazards regression models,respectively.RESULTS During a median follow-up of 5.9 years,17,657 individuals had experienced progression to a higher blood pressure stage and 5,935 individuals had developed hypertension.In multivariate analyses,habitual tea drinkers(≥3 times/week for at least six months)had a 17%lower risk for blood pressure progression[odds ratio(OR)=0.83,95%CI:0.79-0.88]and a 14%de-creased risk for incident hypertension[hazard ratio(HR)=0.86,95%CI:0.80-0.91]compared with non-habitual tea drinkers.In-dividuals in different baseline blood pressure groups could obtain similar benefit from habitual tea drinking.In terms of tea con-sumption amount,an inverse,linear dose-response relation between monthly consumption of tea leaves and risk of blood pres-sure progression was observed,while the risk of incident hypertension did not reduce further after consuming around 100 g of tea leaves per month.CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that habitual tea consumption could provide preventive effect against blood pres-sure progression and hypertension incidence.

Association of the Apolipoprotein B Gene Polymorphisms With Essential Hypertension in Northern Chinese Han Population

Objective To study the association of the apolipoprotein B gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension in Northern Chinese Han population. Methods XbaI and EcoRl polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein B （APOB） gene were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and restriction fragment-length polymorphism （RFLP） method in 503 unrelated hypertensive patients and 490 healthy controls recruited from international collaborative study of cardiovascular disease in Asia （InterAsia）. Results The difference in the genotypic distributions could be neglected across the groups. The prevalence of X＋ allele in healthy controls （4.8%） was less frequent in Chinese, and there was no significant difference in the frequency of the X＋ allele between cases （5.7%） and controls （P=0.38）. The observed E- allele frequencies were closely similar among groups （5.9% in cases vs 5.0% in controls, P=0.39）. Logitstic regression analyses revealed that the lack of association still persisted after adjustment of other environmental factors. Haplotype analysis showed that X-E＋ was most frequent and no haplotype could significantly contribute to essential hypertension. Conclusion The APOB gene XbaI and EcoRI polymorphisms are not associated with essential hypertension in the Northern Chinese Han population. Future studies on single nucleotide polymorphisms in larger samples are needed to further investigate the possible contribution of the APOB gene to essential hypertension.

人工智能技术在近视防控领域的研究进展

近视是引起视力损害的主要原因之一,近年来,其发病率逐年升高。有效的近视防控对于维持患者的视觉功能和生活质量非常重要。随着计算机大数据技术的不断发展,人工智能(AI)在医疗卫生领域飞速发展。机器学习和深度学习逐渐在近视防控领域崭露头角。通过对屈光度、眼轴、彩色眼底照相和光学相干断层扫描成像等近视相关数据的训练而形成的AI模型,借助远程医疗平台,人工智能在近视的发生、进展预测、监测、预警病理性近视、近视防控治疗和眼科远程医疗等方面均取得了积极的作用。本文主要就人工智能技术在近视防控领域的研究进展进行综述,旨在为未来近视防控工作提供新的方向。

Associations of soybean products intake with blood pressure changes and hypertension incidence: the China-PAR project

Background The relationships between dietary intake of soybean products and incident hypertension were still uncertain.This study aimed to illustrate the associations between intake of soybean products with risks of incident hypertension and longitudinal changes of blood pressure in a prospective cohort study.Methods We included 67,499 general Chinese adults from the Project of Prediction for Atherosclerosis Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China(China-PAR).Information about soybean products consumption was collected by standardized questionnaires,and study participants were categorized into the ideal(≥125 g/day)or non-ideal(<125 g/day)group.Hazard ratios(HRs)and corresponding 95%confidence intervals(95%CIs)for incident hypertension were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models.Among participants with repeated measures of blood pressure,generalized linear models were used to examine the relationships between soybean products consumption and blood pressure changes.Results During a median follow-up of 7.4 years,compared with participants who consumed<125 g of soybean products per day,multivariable adjusted HR for those in the ideal group was 0.73(0.67-0.80).This inverse association remained robust across most subgroups while significant interactions were tested between soybean products intake and age,sex,urbanization and geographic region(P values for interaction<0.05).The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were 1.05(0.71-1.39)mmHg and 0.44(0.22-0.66)mmHg lower among participants in the ideal group than those in the non-ideal group.Conclusions Our study showed that intake of soybean products might reduce the long-term blood pressure levels and hypertension incidence among Chinese population,which has important public health implications for primary prevention of hypertension.

Effects of the total physical activity and its changes on incidence, progression, and remission of hypertension

OBJECTIVES Moderate to vigorous physical activity is recommended to prevent hypertension according to the current guidelines.However,the degree to which the total physical activity(TPA)and its changes benefit normotensives and hypertensives is uncertain.We aimed to examine the effects of TPA and its changes on the incidence,progression,and remission of hypertension in the large-scale prospective cohorts.METHODS A total of 73,077 participants(55,101 normotensives and 17,976 hypertensives)were eligible for TPA analyses.During a mean follow-up of 7.16 years(394,038 person-years),12,211 hypertension cases were identified.TPA was estimated as metabolic equivalents and categorized into quartiles.Cox proportional hazards regression and multivariable logistic regression were used to estimate associations of TPA and changes in TPA with incident hypertension and progression/remission of hypertension.RESULTS Compared with the lowest quartile of TPA,normotensives at the third and the highest quartile had a decreased risk of incident hypertension,with hazard ratios(HRs)of 0.86[95%confidence interval(CI):0.81−0.91]and 0.81(95%CI:0.77−0.86),respectively.Hypertensives at the highest quartile of TPA demonstrated a decreased risk of progression of hypertension[odds ratio(OR)=0.87,95%CI:0.79−0.95],and an increased probability of hypertension remission(OR=1.17,95%CI:1.05−1.29).Moreover,getting active from a sedentary lifestyle during the follow-up period could reduce 25%(HR=0.75,95%CI:0.58−0.96)risk of incident hypertension,whereas those becoming sedentary did not achieve benefit from initially being active.CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicated that increasing and maintaining TPA levels could benefit normotensives,whereas higher TPA levels were needed to effectively control progression and improve remission of hypertension.Physical activity played undoubtedly an essential role in both primary and secondary prevention of hypertension.

Lifestyle improvement and the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease:the China-PAR project

BACKGROUND The benefits of healthy lifestyles are well recognized. However, the extent to which improving unhealthy lifestyles reduces cardiovascular disease(CVD) risk needs to be discussed. We evaluated the impact of lifestyle improvement on CVD incidence using data from the China-PAR project(Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China).METHODS A total of 12,588 participants free of CVD were followed up for three visits after the baseline examination. Changes in four lifestyle factors(LFs)(smoking, diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption) were assessed through questionnaires from the baseline to the first follow-up visit. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios(HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals(CIs). The risk advancement periods(RAPs: the age difference between exposed and unexposed participants reaching the same incident CVD risk) and population-attributable risk percentage(PAR%) were also calculated.RESULTS A total of 909 incident CVD cases occurred over a median follow-up of 11.14 years. Compared with maintaining 0-1healthy LFs, maintaining 3–4 healthy LFs was associated with a 40% risk reduction of incident CVD(HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.45–0.79)and delayed CVD risk by 6.31 years(RAP:-6.31 [-9.92,-2.70] years). The PAR% of maintaining 3–4 unhealthy LFs was 22.0%compared to maintaining 0-1 unhealthy LFs. Besides, compared with maintaining two healthy LFs, improving healthy LFs from 2to 3–4 was associated with a 23% lower risk of CVD(HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60–0.98).CONCLUSIONS Long-term sustenance of healthy lifestyles or improving unhealthy lifestyles can reduce and delay CVD risk.

Hybridization of covalent organic frameworks and photosensitive metal-organic rings:A new strategy for constructing supramolecular Z-scheme heterostructures for ultrahigh photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The rational design of Z-scheme heterojunction photosystems based on covalent organic frameworks(COFs)is a promising strategy for harnessing solar energy for hydrogen conversion.Herein,a direct Z-scheme single-atom photocatalyst based on COF and metal-organic ring has been constructed through the supramolecular interactions of coral-like COF(S-COF)and photosensitized Pd2L2 type metal-organic ring(MAC-FA1).The MAC-FA1/S-COF heterojunction exhibits good light absorption,efficient charge separation and transfer,slow electron-hole recombination,and highly dispersed Pd active sites,enabling an efficient and stable H_(2) evolution reaction.The optimized 4%MAC-FA1/S-COF achieves an H_(2) evolution rate of 100 mmol g^(−1)h^(−1)within 5 h and obtains a total accumulated turn-over number relative to Pd(TON_(Pd))of 437,685 within 20 h,far superior to S-COF,MAC-FA1,M-5/S-COF,Pd/S-COF,and M-5/Pd/S-COF,which is one of the highest records among COF-based photocatalysts for solar-driven H_(2)evolution.This is the first work to incorporate photosensitized metal-organic rings/cages into porous crystalline COFs to form a supramolecular Z-scheme heterojunction,which has significant potential as a high-performance photocatalyst for solar-driven H_(2)production.

Diabetes awareness, treatment, control rates and associated risk factors among Beijing residents in 2011:A cross-sectional survey

Objective: To examine the awareness, treatment and control rates of diabetes and identify their associated risk factors among Beijing residents. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011, using a stratified multistage cluster random sampling method to select a representative sample of 20,242 residents in Beijing aged 18e79 years. Diabetes was defined as fasting blood glucose (FBG)≥7.0 mmol/L and/or history of diabetes and/or using insulin or hypoglycemic agents. All estimates of awareness, treatment and control rates were weighted by the 2010 Beijing Population Census data and the sampling scheme. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with awareness, treatment and control rates. Results: A total of 2061 (10.3%) participants were diagnosed as diabetes. The overall awareness, treatment and control rate among patients were 60.9%, 51.3% and 22.4%, respectively, while overall control rate among treated patients was 33.8%. These rates differed across subgroups. Women were more likely to be aware of diabetes status, receive treatment and have better glucose controlled than men (69.5%vs. 54.7%for awareness, 61.0%vs. 44.3%for treatment, and 27.6%vs. 18.6%for control, respectively). In addition, only 22.2%of treated patients had both FBG and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) controlled well. Multivariate Logistic regression suggested that old age, women, higher education and family history of diabetes were asso-ciated with higher awareness, treatment and control rates (All P<0.05). Treated individuals living in rural (OR ? 0.67(95%CI: 0.47e0.96)) or with dyslipidemia (OR ? 0.63 (95%CI: 0.44e0.91)) had a lower diabetic control rate. Conclusions: Awareness, treatment and control rates of diabetes in Beijing were still low. A comprehensive intervention strategy on diabetes management and control is warranted.

Association of cardiovascular diseases with milk intake among general Chinese adults

Background:The association of milk intake with cardiovascular disease(CVD)and cause-specific mortality remained controversial and evidence among the Chinese population was limited.We aimed to study the relationship between milk intake and CVDs among general Chinese adults.Methods::A total of 104,957 participants received questionnaire survey.Results of physical examination such as anthropometric measurements and biochemical tests during 2007 to 2008,demographic data and their information on milk intake were collected through standardized questionnaires.Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios(HRs)and their corresponding 95%confidence intervals(CIs)of CVD incidence,cause-specific mortality and all-cause mortality related to milk intake.Restricted cubic splines(RCSs)were applied to examine dose-response associations.Results::Among the 91,757 participants with a median follow-up period of 5.8 years,we documented 3877 CVD cases and 4091 all-cause deaths.Compared with participants who never consumed milk,the multivariate-adjusted HRs(95%CIs)of CVD incidence for 1 to 150 g/day,151 to 299 g/day,and≥300 g/day were 0.94(0.86-1.03)(P>0.05),0.77(0.66-0.89)(P<0.05),and 0.59(0.40-0.89)(P<0.05),respectively;each 100 g increase of daily milk intake was associated with 11%lower risk of CVD incidence(HR,0.89;95%CI:0.85-0.94;P<0.001),and 11%lower risk of CVD mortality(HR,0.89;95%CI:0.82-0.97;P=0.008)after adjustment for age,sex,residential area,geographic region,education level,family history of CVD,smoking,alcohol drinking,physical activity level,body mass index,and healthy diet status(ideal or not).RCS analyses also showed a linear dose-response relationship with CVD(P for overall significance of the curve<0.001;P for non-linearity=0.979;P for linearity<0.001)and stroke(P for overall significance of the curve=0.010;P for non-linearity=0.998;P for linearity=0.002)incidence,and CVD mortality(P for overall significance of the curve=0.045;P for non-linearity=0.768;P for linearity=0.014)within the current range of daily milk intake.Conclusions::Daily milk intake was associated with lower risk of CVD incidence and mortality in a linear inverse relationship.The findings provide new evidence for dietary recommendations in CVD prevention among Chinese adults and people with similar dietary pattern in other countries.

Ethnic differences in the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and peripheral vascular disease: A meta-analysis

Background: Several studies have investigated the association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with peripheral vascular disease (PVD); however, the results remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted the current meta-analysis to evaluate this relationship in the general population of different ethnicities. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, and CNKI to identify eligible studies. Random-effect models were applied to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR) with a 95％ confidence interval (CI), regardless of between-study heterogeneity. Results: A total of 13 studies with 1966 cases and 6129 controls were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled ORs for the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and PVD risk were not statistically significant in the overall population under all genetic models. In further ethnicity-stratified analyses, we found a statistically significant association of ACE I/D polymorphism with PVD susceptibility in Asians under most models. However, the association among Caucasians did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: ACE I/D polymorphism might be associated with susceptibility to PVD in the Asian population, but there was no clear evidence indicating a similar significant relationship among Caucasians.

Genetic variants in the ADD1 and GNB3 genes and bloodpressure response to potassium supplementation

Dietary potassium-supplementation has been associated with a decreased risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular outcomes.However,blood pressure(BP)responses to potassium supplementation vary among individuals.This study was designed to examine the association between 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in the adducin 1 alpha(ADD1)and guanine nucleotide binding protein(G protein)beta polypeptide 3(GNB3)genes and systolic BP(SBP),diastolic BP(DBP),and mean arterial pressure(MAP)responses to potassium-supplementation.We conducted a 7-day high-sodium intervention(307.8 mmol sodium/day)followed by a 7-day high-sodium with potassium-supplementation(60 mmol potassium/day)among 1906 Han Chinese participants from rural north China.BP measurements were obtained at the end of each intervention period using a random-zero sphygmomanometer.We identified significant associations between ADD1 variant rs17833172 and SBP,DBP,and MAP responses to potassium-supplementation(all P<0.0001)that remained significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons.In participants that were heterozygous or homozygous for the G allele of this marker,SBP,DBP,and MAP response to potassium-supplementation were–3.52(–3.82,–3.21),–1.41(–1.66,–1.15)and–2.12(–2.37,–1.87),respectively,as compared to the corresponding responses of 1.99(0.25,3.73),–0.65(–0.10,–0.21),and–0.23(–0.37,0.83),respectively,for those who were homozygous for A allele.In addition,participants with at least one copy of the G allele of rs12503220 of the ADD1 gene had significantly increased DBP and MAP response to potassium-supplementation(P=0.0041 and 0.01,respectively),which was also significant after correction for multiple testing.DBP and MAP responses to potassiumsupplementation were–1.36(–1.63,–1.10)and–2.07(–2.32,–1.82)for those with at least G allele compared to corresponding responses of 0.86(–0.68,2.40)and–0.45(–1.74,0.84)for those who were homozygous for A allele.In summary,our study identified novel associations between genetic variants of the ADD1 gene and BP response to potassium-supplementation,which could have important clinical and public health implications.Future studies aimed at replicating these novel findings are warranted.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Persistent Slip Bands Formation in Nickel-base Superalloys

Persistent slip band （PSB） is an important and typical microstructure generated during fatigue crack initiation. Intensive work has been done to investigate the mechanisms of the formation of persistent slip bands since the 1950s when Wadsworth[1] observed the fatigue fracture in copper. Simulations have indicated that PSBs formation during fatigue crack initiation is related to the dislocation driving force and interaction. In this paper, a molecular dynamics （MD） simulation associated with embedded atom model （EAM） is applied to the PSBs formation in nickel-base superalloys with different microstructure and temperature under tensile- tensile loadings. Five MD models with different microstructure （pure 5/ phase and γ/γ＇ phase）, grain orientation （[1 0 0][0 1 0][0 0 1] and [1 1 1][1 0 1][1 2 1]） and simulation temperature （300 K, 600 K, 900 K） were built up in these simulations. Our results indicated that within the γ phase by massive dislocations, pile-up and propagation which can penetrate the grain. Also, it is found that the temperature will affect the material fatigue performance and blur PSBs appearance. The simulation results are in strong agreement with published experimental test result. This simulation is based on the work[2]. The highlights of the article include： 1） investigation of the PSB formation via molecular dynamics simulation with three different parameters, 2） conduct of a new deformation and velocity combination controlled simulation for the PSB formation, 3） high-performance computing of PSB formation, and 4） systematic analysis of the PSB formation at the atomic scale in which the dislocation plays a critical role.

Coatings of needle/stripe-like fluoridated hydroxyapatite on H2O2-treated carbon/carbon composites prepared by induction heating and hydrothermal methods

A hydroxyapatite （HA） coating was achieved on H2O2-treated carbon/ carbon （C/C） composite through hydrothermally treating and induction heating deposited CaHPO4 coating in an ammonia solution under ultrasonic water bath. Then, this HA coating was placed in a NH4F solution and hydrothermally treated again to fabricate fluorinated hydroxyapatite （FHA） coatings for 24 h at 353, 373, 393 and 413 K, respectively. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of the HA and FHA coatings were characterized by SEM, XRD, EDS and FTIR, and the adhesiveness and chemical stability of these FHA coatings were examined by a scratch test and an immersion test, respectively. The results showed that the as-prepared FHA coatings contained needle-like or stripe-like crystals, different from those of the HA coating. As the fluoridation temperature rose, the adhesiveness of the FHA coating first increased from 34.8 to 40.9 N at a temperature between 353 and 393 K, and then decreased to 24.2 N at 413 K, while the dissolution rate of the FHA coating decreased steadily. The reasons for the property variation of the FHA coatings were proposed by analyzing the morphology, composition and structure of the coatings.