Background Although 15 mA transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)has a therapeutic effect on depression,the activations of brain structures in humans accounting for this tACS configuration remain largely un...Background Although 15 mA transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)has a therapeutic effect on depression,the activations of brain structures in humans accounting for this tACS configuration remain largely unknown.Aims To investigate which intracranial brain structures are engaged in the tACS at 77.5 Hz and 15 mA,delivered via the forehead and the mastoid electrodes in the human brain.Methods Actual human head models were built using the magnetic resonance imagings of eight outpatient volunteers with drug-naïve,first-episode major depressive disorder and then used to perform the electric field distributions with SimNIBS software.Results The electric field distributions of the sagittal,coronal and axial planes showed that the bilateral frontal lobes,bilateral temporal lobes,hippocampus,cingulate,hypothalamus,thalamus,amygdala,cerebellum and brainstem were visibly stimulated by the 15 mA tACS procedure.Conclusions Brain-wide activation,including the cortex,subcortical structures,cerebellum and brainstem,is involved in the 15 mA tACS intervention for first-episode major depressive disorder.Our results indicate that the simultaneous involvement of multiple brain regions is a possible mechanism for its effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms.展开更多
The dependence on portable devices and electrical vehicles has triggered the awareness on the energy storage systems with ever-growing energy density.Lithium metal batteries(LMBs)has revived and attracted considerable...The dependence on portable devices and electrical vehicles has triggered the awareness on the energy storage systems with ever-growing energy density.Lithium metal batteries(LMBs)has revived and attracted considerable attention due to its high volumetric(2046 m Ah cm-3),gravimetric specific capacity(3862 m Ah g^(-1))and the lowest reduction potential(-3.04 V vs.SHE.).However,during the electrochemical process of lithium anode,the growth of lithium dendrite constitutes the biggest stumbling block on the road to LMBs application.The undesirable dendrite not only limit the Coulombic efficiency(CE)of LMBs,but also cause thermal runaway and other safety issues due to short-circuits.Understanding the mechanisms of lithium nucleation and dendrite growth provides insights to solve these problems.Herein,we summarize the electrochemical models that inherently describe the lithium nucleation and dendrite growth,such as the thermodynamic,electrodeposition kinetics,internal stress,and interface transmission models.Essential parameters of temperature,current density,internal stress and interfacial Li+flux are focused.To improve the LMBs performance,state-of-the-art optimization procedures have been developed and systematically illustrated with the intrinsic regulation principles for better lithium anode stability,including electrolyte optimization,artificial interface layers,threedimensional hosts,external field,etc.Towards practical applications of LMBs,the current development of pouch cell LMBs have been further introduced with different assembly systems and fading mechanism.However,challenges and obstacles still exist for the development of LMBs,such as in-depth understanding and in-situ observation of dendrite growth,the surface protection under extreme condition and the self-healing of solid electrolyte interface.展开更多
Totheeditor:Major depressive disorder(MDD)is a principal cause of disability worldwide and is often associated with high morbidity and mortality rates.Although there are several therapies available for the treatment o...Totheeditor:Major depressive disorder(MDD)is a principal cause of disability worldwide and is often associated with high morbidity and mortality rates.Although there are several therapies available for the treatment of depression,about one-third of patients with MMD will not respond to two or more antidepressant drugs with different mechanisms;the patients are then referred to as having treatment-resistant depression(TRD).Patients with TRD have a poorer quality of life,greater economic burden and increased suicidal behaviours.Therefore,new antidepressant treatments that are effective,safe,long-lasting and tolerable are needed.Ketamine infusion,intranasal esketamine and transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS)have been used to treat early stage TRD.’A recent review suggests that electroconvulsive therapy(ECT)may be superior to ketamine for reducing depression severity in the acute treatment of TRD.展开更多
Deepwater oil and gas projects embody high risks from geology and engineering aspects, which exert substantial influence on project valuation. But the uncer- tainties may be converted to additional value to the projec...Deepwater oil and gas projects embody high risks from geology and engineering aspects, which exert substantial influence on project valuation. But the uncer- tainties may be converted to additional value to the projects in the case of flexible management. Given the flexibility of project management, this paper extends the classical real options model to a multi-factor model which contains oil price, geology, and engineering uncertainties. It then gives an application example of the new model to evaluate deepwater oil and gas projects with a numerical analytical method. Compared with other methods and models, this multi-factor real options model contains more project information. It reflects the potential value deriving not only from oil price variation but also from geology and engi- neering uncertainties, which provides more accurate and reliable valuation information for decision makers.展开更多
Flow of fluids within biological tissues often meets with resistance that causes a rate-and size-dependent material behavior known as poroelasticity.Characterizing poroelasticity can provide insight into a broad range...Flow of fluids within biological tissues often meets with resistance that causes a rate-and size-dependent material behavior known as poroelasticity.Characterizing poroelasticity can provide insight into a broad range of physiological functions,and is done qualitatively in the clinic by palpation.Indentation has been widely used for characterizing poroelasticity of soft materials,where quantitative interpretation of indentation requires a model of the underlying physics,and such existingmodels are well established for cases of small strain and modest force relaxationWe showed here that existing models are inadequate for large relaxation,where the force on the indenter at a prescribed depth at long-time scale drops to below half of the initially peak force.We developed an indentation theory for such cases of large relaxation,based upon Biot theory and a generalized Hertz contact model.We demonstrated that proposed theory is suitable for biological tissues(e.g.,spleen,kidney,skin and human cirrhosis liver)with both small and large relaxations.The proposed method would be a powerful tool to characterize poroelastic properties of biological materials for various applications such as pathological study and disease diagnosis.展开更多
Bargaining between the host country and oil companies is very common to international oil and gas development projects.The existence of information asymmetry gives the host country an endogenous bargaining advantage.F...Bargaining between the host country and oil companies is very common to international oil and gas development projects.The existence of information asymmetry gives the host country an endogenous bargaining advantage.Foreign oil companies might change their unfavorable negotiating position by changing the order of bidding and adjusting bidding strategies.This paper introduces both factors into a bilateral bargaining model to study the impact of information asymmetry and bidding order on the strategy and equilibrium returns of oil companies.According to the ownership of the right to bid first,two scenarios are designed for the model to compare the equilibrium returns of the host country and oil companies.The results show that:1)There is a first-mover advantage in the process of bilateral bidding,so oil companies better bid first;2)The information asymmetry will lead to a higher nominal income ratio of oil companies and a lower nominal income ratio of the host country,but it doesn’t affect the total income ratio at all.展开更多
Millimeter Wave(mmWave)communication has been widely acknowledged as an attractive solution to address high-speed transmission of massive data in 5G and beyond 5G systems due to the promising spectrum availability.How...Millimeter Wave(mmWave)communication has been widely acknowledged as an attractive solution to address high-speed transmission of massive data in 5G and beyond 5G systems due to the promising spectrum availability.However,mmWave signals are highly susceptible to blockage and may suffer from rapidly changing channels.Thus,directional/beam tracking becomes imperative yet essential for robust mmWave communications.To address this challenge,we propose a robust beam tracking scheme for mmWave Heterogeneous Networks(HetNets)with multi-connectivity.Different from most existing schemes,the proposed beam tracking scheme is effective for outage events.We first discuss theμWave-assisted beam tracking procedure with and without candidate beams,and then analyze the inherent correlation between mmWave link quality and the operating beamwidth and occlusion range to derive the optimal beamwidth.Theoretical and numerical results show that the proposed beam tracking scheme can improve the robustness of mmWave communications while guaranteeing the rate performance.展开更多
The Editorial office regrets that a note about the affiliation of the first author Qing Xue was omitted in the initially published version of this paper.The note is that Qing Xue was co-first affiliated with the UESTC...The Editorial office regrets that a note about the affiliation of the first author Qing Xue was omitted in the initially published version of this paper.The note is that Qing Xue was co-first affiliated with the UESTC and CQUPT for the work of this paper.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the neuroprotective effect and mechanism of Acteoside(AC)on brain injury in epileptic rats.Methods:30 Sprague-Dawlay rats(SPF grade,healthy males,about 200g)were randomly divided into epilepsy...Objective:To investigate the neuroprotective effect and mechanism of Acteoside(AC)on brain injury in epileptic rats.Methods:30 Sprague-Dawlay rats(SPF grade,healthy males,about 200g)were randomly divided into epilepsy group,AC group and blank control group.The epileptic group and the AC group were given 28 days of intraperitoneal injection of pentaerythritazine(PTZ),and the remaining groups were given normal saline injection.The changes of electroencephalogram(EEG),learning and memory ability,pathological changes of brain tissue,superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were observed in all rats.Results:Compared with the epilepsy group,the AC group showed significantly reduced degeneration and necrosis of nerve cells in brain tissue,significantly improved learning and memory ability,and the EEG was dominated by wavelet and slow wave,replacing the typical spike and spike waves.SOD increased and MDA decreased in oxygen radical(P<0.05).Conclusions:Epilepsy are closely related to Oxidative stress.AC can play a protective role in the brain by improving EEG,learning and memory ability,regulating changes in SOD and MDA content,and inhibiting the generation of oxygen free radicals.展开更多
In the modem society, all sorts of polices have been issued successively along with the continuous development of the CPC construction, and also the glorious achievements made in the CPC construction are fully affirme...In the modem society, all sorts of polices have been issued successively along with the continuous development of the CPC construction, and also the glorious achievements made in the CPC construction are fully affirmed at the CPC Congress. CPC's basic policy should be known well, and also the main task in strengthening the CPC construction is proposed under the new situation. In this paper, the progress of the CPC Construction in colleges and universities under the new background is mainly introduced, and also the author proposes her own ideas.展开更多
Endometriosis refers to as an estrogen-dependent disease.Estrogen receptorβ(ERB),the main estrogen receptor subtype which is encoded by the estrogen receptor 2(ESR2)gene,can mediate the action of estrogen in endometr...Endometriosis refers to as an estrogen-dependent disease.Estrogen receptorβ(ERB),the main estrogen receptor subtype which is encoded by the estrogen receptor 2(ESR2)gene,can mediate the action of estrogen in endometriosis.Although selective estrogen receptor modulators can target the ERβ,they are not specific due to the wide distribution of ERβ.Recently,long noncoding RNAs have been implicated in endometriosis.Therefore,we aim to explore and validate the downstream regulatory mechanism of ERβ,and to investigate the potential role of long intergenic noncoding RNA 1018(LINC01018)as a nonhormonal treatment for endometriosis.Our study demonstrates that the expression levels of ESR2 and LINCo1018 are increased in ectopic endometrial tissues and reveals a significant positive correlation between the ESR2 and LINCo1018 expression.Mechanistically,ERβdirectly binds to an estrogen response element located in the LINCO1018 promoter region and activates LINC01018 transcription.Functionally,ERβcan regulate the CDC25C/CDK1/CyclinB1 pathway and promote ectopic endometrial stromal cell proliferation via LINC01018 in vitro.Consistent with these findings,the knockdown of LINC01018 inhibits endometriotic lesion proliferation in vivo.In summary,our study demonstrates that the ERβ/LINC01018/CDC25C/CDK1/CyclinB1 signaling axis regulates endometriosis progression.展开更多
Background: Estradiol, as an important hormone in follicular development and endometrial receptivity, is closely related to clinical outcomes of fresh in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. The aim of...Background: Estradiol, as an important hormone in follicular development and endometrial receptivity, is closely related to clinical outcomes of fresh in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the association between elevated serum estradiol (E2) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) administration and IVF-ET pregnancy and birth outcomes. Methods: A total of 1771 infertile patients with their first fresh IVF-ET cycles were analyzed retrospectively between January 2011 and January 2016 in Peking University First Hospital. Patients were categorized by serum E2 levels on the day of hCG administration into six groups: group 1 (serum E2 levels < 1000 pg/mL, n = 205), group 2 (serum E2 levels 1001-2000 pg/mL, n = 457), group 3 (serum E2 levels 2001-3000 pg/mL, n = 425), group 4 (serum E2 levels 3001-4000 pg/mL, n = 310), group 5 (serum E2 levels 4001- 5000 pg/mL, n = 237), and group 6 (serum E2 levels > 5000 pg/mL, n — 137). The retrieved oocyte and Mil oocyte numbers and implantation and clinical pregnancy rates of the groups were compared as the first objective of the study. For the 360 women with singleton births among all patients, the area under the corresponding receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was calculated to assess the predictive value of the E2 change for the probability of low birth weight (LBW) infants as the second objective. Results: The retrieved oocyte and Mil oocyte numbers and implantation and clinical pregnancy rates gradually increased from groups 1 to 5 but decreased in group 6. The parameters of group 1 were statistically worse than those of the other groups, from group 2 to group 6 (the number of retrieved oocytes, t = 13.096, t = 23.307, t = 23.086, t = 26.376, t = 19.636, P < 0.003;the number of retrieved Mil oocytes, t = 10.856, t = 20.868, t = 21.874, t = 23.374, t = 19.092, P < 0.003;the implantation rate,χ^2= 12.179,χ^2= 22.239,χ^2= 23.993,χ^2= 23.344,χ^2= 16.758, P < 0.003;the clinical pregnancy rate,χ^2= 16.415,χ^2= 28.074,χ^2= 35.387,χ^2= 37.025,χ^2= 24.590, P < 0.003). ROC analysis revealed that when a serum peak E2 of 3148 pg/mL was used to predict LBW. Conclusions: The results indicate that serum E2 levels have a concentration-dependent effect on clinical outcomes. The optimal range of the E2 level during a fresh IVF-ET cycle is 1000 to 3148 pg/mL.展开更多
Background: The endometriosis fertility index (EFI) has a predictive value for pregnancy after surgery. In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is a good treatment to infertility. This study aimed to ...Background: The endometriosis fertility index (EFI) has a predictive value for pregnancy after surgery. In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is a good treatment to infertility. This study aimed to provide external validation of EFI, assess the factors affecting the ability of EFI to predict cumulative spontaneous pregnancy rates (PRs), and propose reasonable advice for treatment by evaluating the effect of infertility management combining surgery and IVF-ET. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 345 endometriosis-related infertile women after laparoscopic surgery from January 2012 to January 2016. Among them, 234 patients tried to conceive naturally and were divided into six groups according to their different EFI scores. Of the 345 patients, 307 with an EFI score 〉5 were divided into non-IVF-ET group (n = 209) and IVE-ET group (n = 98) to compare the cumulative PRs. Cumulative PRs' curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier product limit estimate and the differences were evaluated by log-rank test. Independent predictive factors for pregnancy were assessed using the Cox regression model. Results: Significant differences in spontaneous PRs among different EFI scores were identified (χ2 = 29.945, P 〈 0.05). The least function score was proved to be the most important factor for EFI (χ2 = 6.931, P 〈 0.05) staging system. In patients with an EFI score ≥5 after 12 months from surgery, the cumulative PRs of those who received both surgery and IVF-ET were much higher than the spontaneous PRs of those who received surgery alone (χ2 =4.160, P = 0.041). Conclusions: The EFI is a reliable staging system to predict the spontaneous PR of patients. The least function score was the most influential factor to predict the spontaneous PR. Patients with an EFI score ≥5 after 12 months from surgery are recommended to receive IVF-ET to achieve a higher PR.展开更多
Background::Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),has rapidly spread throughout the world.In this study,we aimed to identify the risk factors...Background::Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),has rapidly spread throughout the world.In this study,we aimed to identify the risk factors for severe COVID-19 to improve treatment guidelines.Methods::A multicenter,cross-sectional study was conducted on 313 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.Patients were classified into two groups based on disease severity(nonsevere and severe)according to initial clinical presentation.Laboratory test results and epidemiological and clinical characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to detect potential risk factors associated with severe COVID-19.Results::A total of 289 patients(197 nonsevere and 92 severe cases)with a median age of 45.0(33.0,61.0)years were included in this study,and 53.3%(154/289)were male.Fever(192/286,67.1%)and cough(170/289,58.8%)were commonly observed,followed by sore throat(49/289,17.0%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that patients who were aged≥65 years(OR:2.725,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.317-5.636;P=0.007),were male(OR:1.878,95%CI:1.002-3.520,P=0.049),had comorbid diabetes(OR:3.314,95%CI:1.126-9.758,P=0.030),cough(OR:3.427,95%CI:1.752-6.706,P<0.001),and/or diarrhea(OR:2.629,95%CI:1.109-6.231,P=0.028)on admission had a higher risk of severe disease.Moreover,stratification analysis indicated that male patients with diabetes were more likely to have severe COVID-19(71.4%vs.28.6%,χ2=8.183,P=0.004).Conclusions::The clinical characteristics of those with severe and nonsevere COVID-19 were significantly different.The elderly,male patients with COVID-19,diabetes,and presenting with cough and/or diarrhea on admission may require close monitoring to prevent deterioration.展开更多
Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive technique used to alter cortex excitability that has been proposed as an efficient method for treating brain hyperexcitability or hyp...Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive technique used to alter cortex excitability that has been proposed as an efficient method for treating brain hyperexcitability or hypoexcitability disorders. Tile aim of this study was to investigate whether high-fi-equency rTMS could have any beneficial effects in restless legs syndrome (RLS). Methods: Fourteen patients with RLS were given high-frequency rTMS (15 Hz, 100% motor threshold) to tile leg representation motor cortex area of the frontal lobe for 14 sessions over 18 days. Patients were diagnosed according to the international criteria proposed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group in 2003. The International RLS Rating Scale (1RLS-RS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (llAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale were used to evaluate the severity of RLS, sleep quality, anxiety and depression, respectively. The scale scores were evaluated at four-time points (baseline, end of the 14th session, and at 1- and 2-month posttreatrnent). One-way analysis of variance was used to compare scale scores at different time points. Results: There was significant improvement in the 1RLS-RS (from 23.86 ± 5.88 to 11.21 ± 7.23, P 〈 0.05), PSQ1 (frorn 15.00 ± 4.88 to 9.29 ± 3.91, P 〈 0.05), and HAMA (from 17.93 ± 7.11 to 10.36 ± 7.13, P 〈 0.05) scale scores at the end of 14th session, with ongoing effects lasting for at least 2 months. Conclusions: High-17equency rTMS can markedly alleviate the motor system symptoms, sleep disturbances, and anxiety in RLS patients. These restllts suggest that rTMS might be an option for treating RLS.展开更多
Background:Transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)offers a new approach for adult patients with major depressive disorder(MDD).The study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tACS treating MDD.Methods:T...Background:Transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)offers a new approach for adult patients with major depressive disorder(MDD).The study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tACS treating MDD.Methods:This is an 8-week,double-blind,randomized,placebo-controlled study.Ninety-two drug-naive patients with MDD aged 18 to 65 years will receive 20 daily 40-min,77.5-Hz,15-mA sessions of active or sham tACS targeting the forehead and both mastoid areas on weekdays for 4 consecutive weeks(week 4),following a 4-week observation period(week 8).The primary outcome is the remission rate defined as the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale(HDRS-17)score≤7 at week 8.Secondary outcomes are the rates of response at weeks 4 and 8 and rate of remission at week 4 based on HDRS-17,the proportion of participants having improvement in the clinical global impression-improvement,the change in HDRS-17 score(range,0-52,with higher scores indicating more depression)over the study,and variations of brain imaging and neurocognition from baseline to week 4.Safety will be assessed by vital signs at weeks 4 and 8,and adverse events will be collected during the entire study.Discussion:The tACS applied in this trial may have treatment effects on MDD with minimal side effects.Trial registration:Chinese Clinical Trial Registry,ChiCTR1800016479;http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=22048.展开更多
基金The study was partly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82371490)the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFC2503900,2022YFC2503901)+1 种基金Beijing Hundred,Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Project(2017-CXYF-09)Beijing Health System Leading Talent Grant(2022-02-10).
文摘Background Although 15 mA transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)has a therapeutic effect on depression,the activations of brain structures in humans accounting for this tACS configuration remain largely unknown.Aims To investigate which intracranial brain structures are engaged in the tACS at 77.5 Hz and 15 mA,delivered via the forehead and the mastoid electrodes in the human brain.Methods Actual human head models were built using the magnetic resonance imagings of eight outpatient volunteers with drug-naïve,first-episode major depressive disorder and then used to perform the electric field distributions with SimNIBS software.Results The electric field distributions of the sagittal,coronal and axial planes showed that the bilateral frontal lobes,bilateral temporal lobes,hippocampus,cingulate,hypothalamus,thalamus,amygdala,cerebellum and brainstem were visibly stimulated by the 15 mA tACS procedure.Conclusions Brain-wide activation,including the cortex,subcortical structures,cerebellum and brainstem,is involved in the 15 mA tACS intervention for first-episode major depressive disorder.Our results indicate that the simultaneous involvement of multiple brain regions is a possible mechanism for its effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51804290,22075025)the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(L182023)+1 种基金the Science and Technology Project of Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute Co.Ltd.(SGGR0000WLJS1900858)the Beijing Institute of Technology Research Fund Program for Young Scholars(2019CX04092)。
文摘The dependence on portable devices and electrical vehicles has triggered the awareness on the energy storage systems with ever-growing energy density.Lithium metal batteries(LMBs)has revived and attracted considerable attention due to its high volumetric(2046 m Ah cm-3),gravimetric specific capacity(3862 m Ah g^(-1))and the lowest reduction potential(-3.04 V vs.SHE.).However,during the electrochemical process of lithium anode,the growth of lithium dendrite constitutes the biggest stumbling block on the road to LMBs application.The undesirable dendrite not only limit the Coulombic efficiency(CE)of LMBs,but also cause thermal runaway and other safety issues due to short-circuits.Understanding the mechanisms of lithium nucleation and dendrite growth provides insights to solve these problems.Herein,we summarize the electrochemical models that inherently describe the lithium nucleation and dendrite growth,such as the thermodynamic,electrodeposition kinetics,internal stress,and interface transmission models.Essential parameters of temperature,current density,internal stress and interfacial Li+flux are focused.To improve the LMBs performance,state-of-the-art optimization procedures have been developed and systematically illustrated with the intrinsic regulation principles for better lithium anode stability,including electrolyte optimization,artificial interface layers,threedimensional hosts,external field,etc.Towards practical applications of LMBs,the current development of pouch cell LMBs have been further introduced with different assembly systems and fading mechanism.However,challenges and obstacles still exist for the development of LMBs,such as in-depth understanding and in-situ observation of dendrite growth,the surface protection under extreme condition and the self-healing of solid electrolyte interface.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82371490)the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFC2503901,2022YFC2503900)+1 种基金the Beijing Hundred,Thousand,and Ten Thousand Talents Project(2017-CXYF-09)Beijing Health System Leading Talent Grant(2022-02-10).
文摘Totheeditor:Major depressive disorder(MDD)is a principal cause of disability worldwide and is often associated with high morbidity and mortality rates.Although there are several therapies available for the treatment of depression,about one-third of patients with MMD will not respond to two or more antidepressant drugs with different mechanisms;the patients are then referred to as having treatment-resistant depression(TRD).Patients with TRD have a poorer quality of life,greater economic burden and increased suicidal behaviours.Therefore,new antidepressant treatments that are effective,safe,long-lasting and tolerable are needed.Ketamine infusion,intranasal esketamine and transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS)have been used to treat early stage TRD.’A recent review suggests that electroconvulsive therapy(ECT)may be superior to ketamine for reducing depression severity in the acute treatment of TRD.
基金supported from the National Science and Technology Major Project under Grant No.2011ZX05030
文摘Deepwater oil and gas projects embody high risks from geology and engineering aspects, which exert substantial influence on project valuation. But the uncer- tainties may be converted to additional value to the projects in the case of flexible management. Given the flexibility of project management, this paper extends the classical real options model to a multi-factor model which contains oil price, geology, and engineering uncertainties. It then gives an application example of the new model to evaluate deepwater oil and gas projects with a numerical analytical method. Compared with other methods and models, this multi-factor real options model contains more project information. It reflects the potential value deriving not only from oil price variation but also from geology and engi- neering uncertainties, which provides more accurate and reliable valuation information for decision makers.
文摘Flow of fluids within biological tissues often meets with resistance that causes a rate-and size-dependent material behavior known as poroelasticity.Characterizing poroelasticity can provide insight into a broad range of physiological functions,and is done qualitatively in the clinic by palpation.Indentation has been widely used for characterizing poroelasticity of soft materials,where quantitative interpretation of indentation requires a model of the underlying physics,and such existingmodels are well established for cases of small strain and modest force relaxationWe showed here that existing models are inadequate for large relaxation,where the force on the indenter at a prescribed depth at long-time scale drops to below half of the initially peak force.We developed an indentation theory for such cases of large relaxation,based upon Biot theory and a generalized Hertz contact model.We demonstrated that proposed theory is suitable for biological tissues(e.g.,spleen,kidney,skin and human cirrhosis liver)with both small and large relaxations.The proposed method would be a powerful tool to characterize poroelastic properties of biological materials for various applications such as pathological study and disease diagnosis.
基金the financial support provided by the Humanities and Social Sciences Program of Chinese Ministry of Education(Grant Nos.19YJCZH106 and 20YJCZH201)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.71904111 and 71774105)Program for the Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi(Grant No.201803079,2nd[2018]of Jin Education)。
文摘Bargaining between the host country and oil companies is very common to international oil and gas development projects.The existence of information asymmetry gives the host country an endogenous bargaining advantage.Foreign oil companies might change their unfavorable negotiating position by changing the order of bidding and adjusting bidding strategies.This paper introduces both factors into a bilateral bargaining model to study the impact of information asymmetry and bidding order on the strategy and equilibrium returns of oil companies.According to the ownership of the right to bid first,two scenarios are designed for the model to compare the equilibrium returns of the host country and oil companies.The results show that:1)There is a first-mover advantage in the process of bilateral bidding,so oil companies better bid first;2)The information asymmetry will lead to a higher nominal income ratio of oil companies and a lower nominal income ratio of the host country,but it doesn’t affect the total income ratio at all.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 62001071Macao Young Scholars Program under Grant AM2021018+2 种基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation under Grant 2020M683291the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission under Grant KJQN201900617 and KJQN202200617The work of G. Feng was partly supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant ZYGX2020ZB044.
文摘Millimeter Wave(mmWave)communication has been widely acknowledged as an attractive solution to address high-speed transmission of massive data in 5G and beyond 5G systems due to the promising spectrum availability.However,mmWave signals are highly susceptible to blockage and may suffer from rapidly changing channels.Thus,directional/beam tracking becomes imperative yet essential for robust mmWave communications.To address this challenge,we propose a robust beam tracking scheme for mmWave Heterogeneous Networks(HetNets)with multi-connectivity.Different from most existing schemes,the proposed beam tracking scheme is effective for outage events.We first discuss theμWave-assisted beam tracking procedure with and without candidate beams,and then analyze the inherent correlation between mmWave link quality and the operating beamwidth and occlusion range to derive the optimal beamwidth.Theoretical and numerical results show that the proposed beam tracking scheme can improve the robustness of mmWave communications while guaranteeing the rate performance.
文摘The Editorial office regrets that a note about the affiliation of the first author Qing Xue was omitted in the initially published version of this paper.The note is that Qing Xue was co-first affiliated with the UESTC and CQUPT for the work of this paper.
基金Research project of Heilongjiang Provincial Health Commission(2017-389)The Interdisciplinary program of Jiamusi University(12J201504)+4 种基金Innovation and Entrepreneurship training program for college students in Heilongjiang Province(201910222070)Project of Heilongjiang Provincial Health Department(2014-241)Innovation and Entrepreneurship training program for college students in Jiamusi University(2015XJ06)The Key project of Science and Technology of Jiamusi University(12Z1201506)Excellent innovation team construction project of basic scientific research business fees of provincial colleges and universities in Heilongjiang Province in 2019.
文摘Objective:To investigate the neuroprotective effect and mechanism of Acteoside(AC)on brain injury in epileptic rats.Methods:30 Sprague-Dawlay rats(SPF grade,healthy males,about 200g)were randomly divided into epilepsy group,AC group and blank control group.The epileptic group and the AC group were given 28 days of intraperitoneal injection of pentaerythritazine(PTZ),and the remaining groups were given normal saline injection.The changes of electroencephalogram(EEG),learning and memory ability,pathological changes of brain tissue,superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were observed in all rats.Results:Compared with the epilepsy group,the AC group showed significantly reduced degeneration and necrosis of nerve cells in brain tissue,significantly improved learning and memory ability,and the EEG was dominated by wavelet and slow wave,replacing the typical spike and spike waves.SOD increased and MDA decreased in oxygen radical(P<0.05).Conclusions:Epilepsy are closely related to Oxidative stress.AC can play a protective role in the brain by improving EEG,learning and memory ability,regulating changes in SOD and MDA content,and inhibiting the generation of oxygen free radicals.
文摘In the modem society, all sorts of polices have been issued successively along with the continuous development of the CPC construction, and also the glorious achievements made in the CPC construction are fully affirmed at the CPC Congress. CPC's basic policy should be known well, and also the main task in strengthening the CPC construction is proposed under the new situation. In this paper, the progress of the CPC Construction in colleges and universities under the new background is mainly introduced, and also the author proposes her own ideas.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82271676)for funding support.
文摘Endometriosis refers to as an estrogen-dependent disease.Estrogen receptorβ(ERB),the main estrogen receptor subtype which is encoded by the estrogen receptor 2(ESR2)gene,can mediate the action of estrogen in endometriosis.Although selective estrogen receptor modulators can target the ERβ,they are not specific due to the wide distribution of ERβ.Recently,long noncoding RNAs have been implicated in endometriosis.Therefore,we aim to explore and validate the downstream regulatory mechanism of ERβ,and to investigate the potential role of long intergenic noncoding RNA 1018(LINC01018)as a nonhormonal treatment for endometriosis.Our study demonstrates that the expression levels of ESR2 and LINCo1018 are increased in ectopic endometrial tissues and reveals a significant positive correlation between the ESR2 and LINCo1018 expression.Mechanistically,ERβdirectly binds to an estrogen response element located in the LINCO1018 promoter region and activates LINC01018 transcription.Functionally,ERβcan regulate the CDC25C/CDK1/CyclinB1 pathway and promote ectopic endometrial stromal cell proliferation via LINC01018 in vitro.Consistent with these findings,the knockdown of LINC01018 inhibits endometriotic lesion proliferation in vivo.In summary,our study demonstrates that the ERβ/LINC01018/CDC25C/CDK1/CyclinB1 signaling axis regulates endometriosis progression.
文摘Background: Estradiol, as an important hormone in follicular development and endometrial receptivity, is closely related to clinical outcomes of fresh in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the association between elevated serum estradiol (E2) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) administration and IVF-ET pregnancy and birth outcomes. Methods: A total of 1771 infertile patients with their first fresh IVF-ET cycles were analyzed retrospectively between January 2011 and January 2016 in Peking University First Hospital. Patients were categorized by serum E2 levels on the day of hCG administration into six groups: group 1 (serum E2 levels < 1000 pg/mL, n = 205), group 2 (serum E2 levels 1001-2000 pg/mL, n = 457), group 3 (serum E2 levels 2001-3000 pg/mL, n = 425), group 4 (serum E2 levels 3001-4000 pg/mL, n = 310), group 5 (serum E2 levels 4001- 5000 pg/mL, n = 237), and group 6 (serum E2 levels > 5000 pg/mL, n — 137). The retrieved oocyte and Mil oocyte numbers and implantation and clinical pregnancy rates of the groups were compared as the first objective of the study. For the 360 women with singleton births among all patients, the area under the corresponding receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was calculated to assess the predictive value of the E2 change for the probability of low birth weight (LBW) infants as the second objective. Results: The retrieved oocyte and Mil oocyte numbers and implantation and clinical pregnancy rates gradually increased from groups 1 to 5 but decreased in group 6. The parameters of group 1 were statistically worse than those of the other groups, from group 2 to group 6 (the number of retrieved oocytes, t = 13.096, t = 23.307, t = 23.086, t = 26.376, t = 19.636, P < 0.003;the number of retrieved Mil oocytes, t = 10.856, t = 20.868, t = 21.874, t = 23.374, t = 19.092, P < 0.003;the implantation rate,χ^2= 12.179,χ^2= 22.239,χ^2= 23.993,χ^2= 23.344,χ^2= 16.758, P < 0.003;the clinical pregnancy rate,χ^2= 16.415,χ^2= 28.074,χ^2= 35.387,χ^2= 37.025,χ^2= 24.590, P < 0.003). ROC analysis revealed that when a serum peak E2 of 3148 pg/mL was used to predict LBW. Conclusions: The results indicate that serum E2 levels have a concentration-dependent effect on clinical outcomes. The optimal range of the E2 level during a fresh IVF-ET cycle is 1000 to 3148 pg/mL.
基金This work was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81671427).
文摘Background: The endometriosis fertility index (EFI) has a predictive value for pregnancy after surgery. In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is a good treatment to infertility. This study aimed to provide external validation of EFI, assess the factors affecting the ability of EFI to predict cumulative spontaneous pregnancy rates (PRs), and propose reasonable advice for treatment by evaluating the effect of infertility management combining surgery and IVF-ET. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 345 endometriosis-related infertile women after laparoscopic surgery from January 2012 to January 2016. Among them, 234 patients tried to conceive naturally and were divided into six groups according to their different EFI scores. Of the 345 patients, 307 with an EFI score 〉5 were divided into non-IVF-ET group (n = 209) and IVE-ET group (n = 98) to compare the cumulative PRs. Cumulative PRs' curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier product limit estimate and the differences were evaluated by log-rank test. Independent predictive factors for pregnancy were assessed using the Cox regression model. Results: Significant differences in spontaneous PRs among different EFI scores were identified (χ2 = 29.945, P 〈 0.05). The least function score was proved to be the most important factor for EFI (χ2 = 6.931, P 〈 0.05) staging system. In patients with an EFI score ≥5 after 12 months from surgery, the cumulative PRs of those who received both surgery and IVF-ET were much higher than the spontaneous PRs of those who received surgery alone (χ2 =4.160, P = 0.041). Conclusions: The EFI is a reliable staging system to predict the spontaneous PR of patients. The least function score was the most influential factor to predict the spontaneous PR. Patients with an EFI score ≥5 after 12 months from surgery are recommended to receive IVF-ET to achieve a higher PR.
基金the grants from Emergency Research Project on COVID-19 Prevention and Control,Xiamen University(Nos.20720200017 and 20720200032).
文摘Background::Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),has rapidly spread throughout the world.In this study,we aimed to identify the risk factors for severe COVID-19 to improve treatment guidelines.Methods::A multicenter,cross-sectional study was conducted on 313 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.Patients were classified into two groups based on disease severity(nonsevere and severe)according to initial clinical presentation.Laboratory test results and epidemiological and clinical characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to detect potential risk factors associated with severe COVID-19.Results::A total of 289 patients(197 nonsevere and 92 severe cases)with a median age of 45.0(33.0,61.0)years were included in this study,and 53.3%(154/289)were male.Fever(192/286,67.1%)and cough(170/289,58.8%)were commonly observed,followed by sore throat(49/289,17.0%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that patients who were aged≥65 years(OR:2.725,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.317-5.636;P=0.007),were male(OR:1.878,95%CI:1.002-3.520,P=0.049),had comorbid diabetes(OR:3.314,95%CI:1.126-9.758,P=0.030),cough(OR:3.427,95%CI:1.752-6.706,P<0.001),and/or diarrhea(OR:2.629,95%CI:1.109-6.231,P=0.028)on admission had a higher risk of severe disease.Moreover,stratification analysis indicated that male patients with diabetes were more likely to have severe COVID-19(71.4%vs.28.6%,χ2=8.183,P=0.004).Conclusions::The clinical characteristics of those with severe and nonsevere COVID-19 were significantly different.The elderly,male patients with COVID-19,diabetes,and presenting with cough and/or diarrhea on admission may require close monitoring to prevent deterioration.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive technique used to alter cortex excitability that has been proposed as an efficient method for treating brain hyperexcitability or hypoexcitability disorders. Tile aim of this study was to investigate whether high-fi-equency rTMS could have any beneficial effects in restless legs syndrome (RLS). Methods: Fourteen patients with RLS were given high-frequency rTMS (15 Hz, 100% motor threshold) to tile leg representation motor cortex area of the frontal lobe for 14 sessions over 18 days. Patients were diagnosed according to the international criteria proposed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group in 2003. The International RLS Rating Scale (1RLS-RS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (llAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale were used to evaluate the severity of RLS, sleep quality, anxiety and depression, respectively. The scale scores were evaluated at four-time points (baseline, end of the 14th session, and at 1- and 2-month posttreatrnent). One-way analysis of variance was used to compare scale scores at different time points. Results: There was significant improvement in the 1RLS-RS (from 23.86 ± 5.88 to 11.21 ± 7.23, P 〈 0.05), PSQ1 (frorn 15.00 ± 4.88 to 9.29 ± 3.91, P 〈 0.05), and HAMA (from 17.93 ± 7.11 to 10.36 ± 7.13, P 〈 0.05) scale scores at the end of 14th session, with ongoing effects lasting for at least 2 months. Conclusions: High-17equency rTMS can markedly alleviate the motor system symptoms, sleep disturbances, and anxiety in RLS patients. These restllts suggest that rTMS might be an option for treating RLS.
基金This work is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2017YFC1310001)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81771862)+2 种基金the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project(No.Z171100000117016)the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(No.KZ201710025017)the Beijing Hundred,Thousand,and Ten Thousand Talents Project(No.2017-CXYF-09).
文摘Background:Transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)offers a new approach for adult patients with major depressive disorder(MDD).The study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tACS treating MDD.Methods:This is an 8-week,double-blind,randomized,placebo-controlled study.Ninety-two drug-naive patients with MDD aged 18 to 65 years will receive 20 daily 40-min,77.5-Hz,15-mA sessions of active or sham tACS targeting the forehead and both mastoid areas on weekdays for 4 consecutive weeks(week 4),following a 4-week observation period(week 8).The primary outcome is the remission rate defined as the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale(HDRS-17)score≤7 at week 8.Secondary outcomes are the rates of response at weeks 4 and 8 and rate of remission at week 4 based on HDRS-17,the proportion of participants having improvement in the clinical global impression-improvement,the change in HDRS-17 score(range,0-52,with higher scores indicating more depression)over the study,and variations of brain imaging and neurocognition from baseline to week 4.Safety will be assessed by vital signs at weeks 4 and 8,and adverse events will be collected during the entire study.Discussion:The tACS applied in this trial may have treatment effects on MDD with minimal side effects.Trial registration:Chinese Clinical Trial Registry,ChiCTR1800016479;http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=22048.