城市养老院建筑的人性化设计

老年人是一群比较特殊的群体，城市疗养院要想为老年人提供更好的生活，在建筑设计方面应该尽可能地为老人提供方便，对老人衰退的感觉机能和生理机能加以综合考虑，从而实现最为人性化的设计，为老年群体的起居生活提供便利。     

Degradation of acephate and its metabolite methamidophos in rice during processing and storage

The degradation of acephate and its metabolite methamidophos during different stages of commercial processing, homing processing, and storage was assessed. Residues were determined by a simple gas-chromatographic method using a flame photometry detector. Acephate and methamidophos mostly remained in rice hull fractions, and hulling significantly reduced acephate and methamidophos in rice. Commercial processing caused the loss of 86% of acephate and 35.9% of methamidophos from rough brown rice to polished rice, whereas home processing caused the loss of 83.9% of acephate and 70% of methamidophos from polished rice to cooked rice. Washing for 5, 15, and 30 min (with tap water, 0.9% NaCl, and 0.1% Na₂CO₃) caused an average loss in the range of 9.8%-35.3% of acephate and 9.7%-45.2% of methamidophos. Extending washing time and adding a small amount of soda into the washing solution can efficiently eliminate acephate and methamidophos. The stability of acephate and methamidophos in polished rice was studied at different storage intervals, from 7 to 42 days at ambient temperatures (25 °C). Methamidophos was found to be more persistent than acephate.     

Synergistic effects of toughening of nano-CaCO3 and toughness of β-polypropylene

High performance β-polypropylene (β-PP) nanocomposites were prepared by nano-CaCO₃ with β-nucleation (β-CC) filled PP, and the crystallization and mechanical properties of β-PP nanocomposites were investigated. The results show that β-CC prepared by nano-CaCO₃ supported β-nucleating agent calcium pimelate (CaPA) does not only increase the crystallization temperature of PP, but also induce the forming of a number of β-PP. It indicates that the nucleation mechanism of nano-CaCO₃ has been changed from α- to β-nucleation. The notched impact strength of β-CC filled PP nanocomposites was higher than that of CC filled PP and CaPA nucleated PP. It is suggested that there is a synergistic effect of toughening of CC and toughness of β-PP. Meanwhile, the reinforcing of CC nanoparticles increased the stiffness of β-PP. The synergistic toughening effect of CC and β-PP was discussed. This method can be extended to prepare other high performance filled β-PP composites.     

Dual Toll Pricing for Hazardous Materials Transport with Linear Delay

In this paper, we propose a dual toll pricing method to mitigate risk of hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation. We aim to simultaneously control both regular and hazmat vehicles to reduce the risk. In our model, we incorporate a new risk measure to consider duration-population-frequency of hazmat exposure. We first formulate the model as a Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraints (MPEC). Then we decompose the MPEC formulation into first-stage and second-stage problems. Separate methods are developed to solve each stage. A numerical example is provided and possible extensions are discussed.     

Cloud Based Software Computing as a Service in Hybrid Evolution Algorithm with Feedback Assistance

This paper develops cloud based software computing as a service (SCaaS) in the hybrid evolution algorithm with feedback assistance to solve the data optimal NP-complete problems such as travel salesman problems and job shop scheduling problems. Suitable steps, methods, or procedures of the genetic algorithm can be adopted from various evolution procedures or methods of the genetic algorithms based on the fitness evaluation results and survival ratio of different crossover methods in the current generation. The proposed system can dynamically emphasize the corresponding methods or procedures for the better performance in optimal solution searching. In addition, according to the proposed XML format, system users can upload only the coding of chromosomes without implementing the genetic algorithm program. Furthermore, by using the feedback assistance, the convergence time of the optimal solution can be enhanced.     

TMT-HCC: A tool for text mining the biomedical literature for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biomarkers identification

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. New insights into the pathogenesis of this lethal disease are urgently needed. Chromosomal copy number alterations (CNAs) can lead to activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressors in human cancers. Thus, identification of cancer-specific CNAs will not only provide new insight into understanding the molecular basis of tumor genesis but also facilitate the identification of HCC biomarkers using CNA.     

Methylglyoxal: A newly detected and potentially harmful metabolite in the blood of ketotic dairy cows

Ketosis causes serious economic losses for the modern dairy industry because it is a highly prevalent metabolic disease among cows in high-producing herds during the transition period. Due to some striking similarities between diabetes in humans and ketosis in dairy cows, there is potential for the use of methylglyoxal (MGO)—commonly used in human diabetics—as a biomarker in dairy cattle. However, currently no data are available about the presence of MGO in the serum of dairy cattle or about the characteristics of its production or its potential contribution in the pathogenesis of ketosis. To determine the potential origin and pathway of formation of MGO, cows in different metabolic conditions [i.e., non-subclinically ketotic dairy cows in early lactation (n = 7), subclinically ketotic dairy cows in early lactation (n = 8), overconditioned dry cows (BCS >4.25, n = 6), and nonlactating heifers (n = 6)] were selected. Serum MGO concentrations were determined and correlated with indicators of the glucose and lipid metabolism and with haptoglobin (Hp) as an inflammatory marker. The serum MGO concentrations in subclinically ketotic cows (712.60 ± 278.77 nmol/L) were significantly greater than in nonlactating heifers (113.35 ± 38.90 nmol/L), overconditioned dry cows (259.71 ± 117.97 nmol/L), and non-subclinically ketotic cows (347.83 ± 63.56 nmol/L). In serum of lactating cows, concentrations of glucose and fructosamine were lower than in heifers and were negatively correlated with MGO concentrations. Even so, concentrations of metabolic and inflammatory markers such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate, nonesterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, acetone, and Hp were remarkably higher in subclinically ketotic cows compared with nonlactating heifers; these metabolites were also positively correlated with MGO. In human diabetics elevated MGO concentrations are stated to originate from both hyperglycemia and the enhanced lipid metabolism, whereas higher MGO concentrations in subclinically ketotic cows were not associated with hyperglycemia. Therefore, our data suggest MGO in dairy cows to be a metabolite produced from the metabolization of acetone within the lipid metabolization pathway and from the metabolization of dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Furthermore, the highly positive correlation between MGO and Hp suggests that this reactive compound might be involved in the proinflammatory state of subclinical ketosis in dairy cows. However, more research is needed to determine the potential use of MGO as a biomarker for metabolic failure in dairy cows.     

Porous Ni2P nanoflower supported on nickel foam as an efficient three-dimensional electrode for urea electro-oxidation in alkaline medium

Porous Ni₂P nanoflower supported on nickel foam (Ni₂P@Ni foam) electrodes are synthesized via a simple hydrothermal growth strategy accompanied with further phosphating treatment. The prepared electrodes are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electro-catalytic performances towards urea electro-oxidation are tested by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) coupled with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). By phosphating Ni(OH)₂ precursor, the final obtained Ni₂P@Ni foam electrode presents a porous Ni₂P nanoflower structure within abundant porosity, and so exposes a large amount of electro-catalytic active sites and electronic transmission channels to accelerate the interfacial reaction. Compared with Ni(OH)₂@Ni foam precursor, the Ni₂P@Ni foam catalyst exhibits more excellent electro-catalytic activity as well as lower onset oxidation potential. Remarkably, the Ni₂P@Ni foam catalyst reaches a peak current density of 750 mA cm^?2 with an onset oxidation potential of 0.24 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) accompanied by an excellent stability in 0.60 M urea with 5.00 M KOH solutions. Benefiting from the unique porous nanosheet structure, the as-synthesized Ni₂P@Ni foam catalyst performs a highly enhanced catalytic behavior for alkaline urea electro-oxidation, indicating that the material can be hopefully applied in direct urea fuel cells.     

New Results on Reachable Sets Bounding for Switched Neural Networks Systems with Discrete,Distributed Delays and Bounded Disturbances

Neural Processing Letters - In this paper, problem of reachable sets bounding is considered for switched neural networks systems with mixed time-varying delays and bounded disturbances. By using...     

退火时间对FeCuSiBAl纳米晶/非晶复合材料的纳米压痕力学行为的影响

采用充氩气的电弧熔炼加单辊甩带法制备一种FeCuSiBAl非晶合金,然后在831K下恒温退火,研究退火时间对非晶合金的显微组织与纳米压痕力学行为的影响。结果表明,FeCuSiBAl非晶合金退火时在非晶基体中产生纳米晶,纳米晶化程度随退火时间延长而增加。在60min退火时间内,合金的硬度随退火时间延长而增大,退火时间超过60min后,硬度开始下降。退火以及降低载荷都导致合金的弹性模量增大。