Computerized cognitive remediation therapy on cognitive impairment and social function in patients with chronic schizophrenia

BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia may have various disease manifestations,most of which gradually tend toward incurable chronic decline,leading to mental disability.The basic symptoms of the disease can impair social function,whereas long-term hospitalization produces hospitalization syndrome,causing serious damage to social function.AIM To investigate the effects of Computerized Cognitive Remediation Therapy(CCRT)on cognitive and social functioning in patients with chronic schizophrenia.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 120 patients with chronic schizophrenia in Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center was performed.They were divided into an intervention group(60 cases treated with CCRT combined with conventional medication)and a control group(60 cases treated with conventional medication).After treatment,effects on cognitive function and social roles were observed in both groups.The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)was used to assess the patients'psychiatric symptoms.The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test(WCST)was used to assess the patients'cognitive functioning,and the Social Functioning Scale for Psychiatric Inpatients(SSPI)was used to assess the social functioning of the inpatient psychiatric patients.RESULTS No significant differences were observed in the PANSS,WCST,and SSPI intergroup scores before treatment(P>0.05).After 2,4,and 6 wk of therapy,general psychopathological factors,positive symptoms,negative symptoms,and total PANSS scores of PANSS in the intervention group were lower than in the control group(P<0.05).After 2,4,and 6 wk of treatment,the number of false responses,number of persistent bugs,and total responses in the WCST were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group(P<0.05),and the amount of completed classification was significantly higher than in the control group(P<0.05).After 2,4,and 6 wk of therapy,the SSPI scores were significantly greater than those of the controls(P<0.05).After 6 wk of treatment,the efficacy rates of the control and intervention groups were 81.67%and 91.67%,respectively.The curative effect in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION CCRT can significantly improve cognitive function and social abilities in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

The role of natural fracture activation in hydraulic fracturing for deep unconventional geo-energy reservoir stimulation

The presence of sealed or semi-sealed,multiscale natural fracture systems appears to be crucial for the successful stimulation of deep reservoirs.To explore the reaction of such systems to reservoir stimulation,a new numerical simulation approach for hydraulic stimulation has been developed,trying to establish a realistic model of the physics involved.Our new model successfully reproduces dynamic fracture activation,network generation,and overall reservoir permeability enhancement.Its outputs indicate that natural fractures facilitate stimulation far beyond the near-wellbore area,and can significantly improve the hydraulic conductivity of unconventional geo-energy reservoirs.According to our model,the fracture activation patterns are jointly determined by the occurrence of natural fractures and the in situ stress.High-density natural fractures,high-fluid pressure,and low effective stress environments promote the formation of complex fracture networks during stimulation.Multistage or multicluster fracturing treatments with an appropriate spacing also increase the stimulated reservoir area(SRA).The simulation scheme demonstrated in this work offers the possibility to elucidate the complex multiphysical couplings seen in the field through detailed site-specific modeling.

Analysis of workload of tank crew under the conditions of informatization

A consensus has been reached that the tanks need to be integrated into the informatization battlefield. With the development of technology,the tank crew has being gradually decreased, so the research on two-soldier crew tank has become a hotspot. The workload of tank crew under the conditions of informatization is analyzed based on the combat mission of tank and the typical combat scenarios, and the impact of new technologies on workload is evaluated. The crew members in tank can be reduced from three to two, but it is necessary to substantially improve the automation of target search and the reliability of each subsystem and component.

Microstructure and properties of Al-coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy prepared by pack-cementation

Al-containing coatings were prepared on AZ31 magnesium alloy by pack-cementation technology.X-ray diffraction(XRD),backscattered electron imaging(BSEI)and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)were jointly employed to characterize the phases,microstructure and composition of the coated samples.The results show that the feedstock composition has a significant impact on the phases,microstructure and thickness of the coatings.For the sample with AlCl3 powder as the activator,the coating is very thick and composed of gradient phases and structures from surface to inside,including small amount ofb-Mg2Al3,coarse eutectic-like structure ofγ-Mg17Al12+δ-Mg,and fineγ-Mg17Al12 precipitations.In contrast,for the sample with AlCl3 and pure Al composite powders as the activator,the coating is relatively thin and contains a thin Al2O3 layer and a small amount of fineγ-Mg17Al12 precipitates.For the pack-cementation aluminizing that is not protected by high-vacuum or inert gas,the addition of pure Al powders can easily introduce the Al2O3 layer into the coating to prevent active Al ions further penetrating into the magnesium matrix,resulting in the thin Al-containing coating.The microhardness and corrosion behavior of the two kinds of aluminized coatings were also studied and discussed.

Consolidation mechanism of gold concentrates containing sulfur and carbon during oxygen-enriched air roasting

Consolidation in calcines is a common problem in the oxygen-enriched air roasting of refractory gold concentrates containing sulfur and carbon when the initial temperature is greater than 600°C. To determine the phases that caused consolidation, gold concentrates were roasted under different conditions and the calcines were mainly detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The possible underlying mechanism was then studied through comparisons of the XRD patterns of different calcines. The results indicated that the generation of calcium magnesium silicate, iron-doped calcium aluminosilicate, and calcium aluminate caused the consolidation. Furthermore, an enriched oxygen atmosphere accelerated the oxidation reaction and the emitted heat increased the local temperature in calcines. The local temperature was inferred to have increased to the generation temperature zone of the corresponding liquid phases. Oxidation of the pyrite and decomposition of the dolomite and muscovite mainly occurred at the initial stage of oxygen-enriched air roasting. Calcium was confirmed to be essential to the consolidation process. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Casein kinase 2 interacting protein 1 positively regulates caudal-related homeobox 1 in intestinal-type gastric cancer

Background:Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies,and intestinal-type GC is the main histopathologic type of GC in China.We previously reported that casein kinase 2 interacting protein 1(CKIP-1)acts as a candidate tumor suppressor in intestinal-type GC.CKIP-1 participates in the regulation of multiple signaling pathways,including the Wnt/b-catenin pathway,of which caudal-related homeobox 1(CDX1)may be a downstream target gene.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between CKIP-1 and CDX1 in intestinal-type GC.Methods:Sixty-seven gastroscopy biopsy specimens and surgically resected gastric specimens were divided into four groups:gastric mucosa group,intestinal metaplasia(IM)group,dysplasia group,and intestinal-type GC group.The expression levels of CKIP-1 and CDX1 were detected in these groups and GC cell lines,and the correlations between these expression levels were analyzed.SGC7901 and BGC823 cells were divided into CKIP-1 shRNA groups and CKIP-1 over-expression groups,and CDX1 expression was detected.b-Catenin expression was detected in intestinal-type GC tissue samples and CKIP-1 shRNA and CKIP-1 overexpression SGC7901 cells,and its correlation with CKIP-1 expression in intestinal-type GC tissue was analyzed.The Wnt/b-catenin pathway inhibitor DKK-1 and activator LiCl were incubated with SGC7901 cells,BGC823 cells,and CKIP-1 shRNA and CKIP-1 over-expression SGC7901 and BGC823 cells,following which CDX1 and Ki-67 expression were detected.Results:The expression levels of CKIP-1 and CDX1 were lower in patients with intestinal-type GC than in patients with IM and dysplasia(both P<0.05).CKIP-1 and CDX1 expression levels were positively correlated in IM,dysplasia,and intestinal-type GC tissue and cell lines(r=0.771,P<0.01;r=0.597,P<0.01;r=0.654,P<0.01;r=0.811,P<0.01,respectively).CDX1 expression was decreased in the CKIP-1 shRNA groups and increased in the CKIP-1 over-expression groups of SGC7901 and BGC823 cells compared to that in the corresponding control groups(both P<0.05).CKIP-1 expression was negatively correlated with b-catenin expression in intestinal-typeGCpatients(r=0.458,P<0.01).Compared to the control group,b-catenin expression was increased in the CKIP-1 shRNA SGC7901 cell group and decreased in the CKIP-1 over-expression SGC7901 cell group(P<0.05).CDX1 expression was increased inSGC7901 andBGC823 cells treatedwithDKK-1,DKK-1 increasedCDX1 expression and decreased Ki-67 expression in the CKIP-1 shRNA group;the opposite result was observed in SGC7901 and BGC823 cells treated with LiCl,and LiCl decreased CDX1 expression and increased Ki-67 expression in the CKIP-1 over-expression group(both P<0.05).Conclusions:Through the Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway,CKIP-1 may positively regulate CDX1 in intestinal-type GC.

Synthesis of a novel diether–ester conjugated model compound for electron donors of the polypropylene catalysts

A novel diether-ester conjugated electron donor model compound, 1,3-dimethoxypropan-2-yl benzoate, was synthesized via a reaction of 1,3-dimethoxypropan-2-ol and benzoyl chloride in the presence of triethyl amine and 4-dimethylaminopryidine. Compared to the known routes of preparing diethers, which usually employ the reactions to O-alkylate the corresponding diols with O-alkylating reagents, the presented method here provides a new way to prepare the diether electron donor compounds. It avoids employing the traditional O-alkylation reactions, so that highly toxic O-alkylating chemicals, such as iodomethane, and very strong basic deprotonating reagents, such as alkoxides or metal hydrides, are not required. The product can be obtained in high yields without complicated purification processes. Catalyst component containing the electron donor compound was prepared and used to catalyze propylene polymerization.