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Diplomacy of quasi-alliances in the Middle East
Quasi-alliance refers to the ideation, mechanism and behavior of policy-makers to carry out security cooperation through informal political and security arrangements. As a \"gray zone\" between alliance and neutrality, quasi-alliance is a hidden national security statecraft. Based on declassified archives and secondary sources, this book probes the theory and practice of quasi-alliances in the Middle East. Four cases are chosen to test the hypotheses of quasi-alliance, one of which is the Anglo-French-Israeli quasi-alliance during the Suez Canal War of 1956.
Book
The history of nutritional sciences
Human history began with the understanding of food, including what can be eaten, what cannot be eaten, and what is beneficial for health. This is the earliest and simplest form of food nutrition for humans. The history of nutrition, from ancient dietary habits to modern nutritional science as we know it today, is a fascinating journey spanning thousands of years. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the development history of human nutrition.
Journal Article
Scalable and hierarchically designed polymer film as a selective thermal emitter for high-performance all-day radiative cooling
Traditional cooling systems consume tremendous amounts of energy and thus aggravate the greenhouse effect
1
,
2
. Passive radiative cooling, dissipating an object’s heat through an atmospheric transparency window (8–13 μm) to outer space without any energy consumption, has attracted much attention
3
–
9
. The unique feature of radiative cooling lies in the high emissivity in the atmospheric transparency window through which heat can be dissipated to the universe. Therefore, for achieving high cooling performance, the design and fabrication of selective emitters, with emission strongly dominant in the transparency window, is of essential importance, as such spectral selection suppresses parasitic absorption from the surrounding thermal radiation. Recently, various materials and structures with tailored spectrum responses have been investigated to achieve the effect of daytime radiative cooling
6
–
8
,
10
–
15
. However, most of the radiative cooling materials reported possess broad-band absorption/emission covering the whole mid-infrared wavelength
11
–
15
. Here we demonstrate that a hierarchically designed polymer nanofibre-based film, produced by a scalable electrostatic spinning process, enables selective mid-infrared emission, effective sunlight reflection and therefore excellent all-day radiative cooling performance. Specifically, the C–O–C (1,260–1,110 cm
−1
) and C–OH (1,239–1,030 cm
−1
) bonding endows the selective emissivity of 78% in 8–13 μm wavelength range, and the design of nanofibres with a controlled diameter allows for a high reflectivity of 96.3% in 0.3–2.5 μm wavelength range. As a result, we observe ~3 °C cooling improvement of this selective thermal emitter as compared to that of a non-selective emitter at night, and 5 °C sub-ambient cooling under sunlight. The impact of this hierarchically designed selective thermal emitter on alleviating global warming and temperature regulating an Earth-like planet is also analysed, with a significant advantage demonstrated. With its excellent cooling performance and a scalable process, this hierarchically designed selective thermal emitter opens a new pathway towards large-scale applications of all-day radiative cooling materials.
A hierarchically designed polymer nanofibre-based film produced by a scalable electrospinning process enables selective mid-infrared emission and effective sunlight reflection, and thus realizes an excellent all-day radiative cooling performance.
Journal Article
Growth factors-based therapeutic strategies and their underlying signaling mechanisms for peripheral nerve regeneration
Peripheral nerve injury (PNI), one of the most common concerns following trauma, can result in a significant loss of sensory or motor function. Restoration of the injured nerves requires a complex cellular and molecular response to rebuild the functional axons so that they can accurately connect with their original targets. However, there is no optimized therapy for complete recovery after PNI. Supplementation with exogenous growth factors (GFs) is an emerging and versatile therapeutic strategy for promoting nerve regeneration and functional recovery. GFs activate the downstream targets of various signaling cascades through binding with their corresponding receptors to exert their multiple effects on neurorestoration and tissue regeneration. However, the simple administration of GFs is insufficient for reconstructing PNI due to their short half‑life and rapid deactivation in body fluids. To overcome these shortcomings, several nerve conduits derived from biological tissue or synthetic materials have been developed. Their good biocompatibility and biofunctionality made them a suitable vehicle for the delivery of multiple GFs to support peripheral nerve regeneration. After repairing nerve defects, the controlled release of GFs from the conduit structures is able to continuously improve axonal regeneration and functional outcome. Thus, therapies with growth factor (GF) delivery systems have received increasing attention in recent years. Here, we mainly review the therapeutic capacity of GFs and their incorporation into nerve guides for repairing PNI. In addition, the possible receptors and signaling mechanisms of the GF family exerting their biological effects are also emphasized.
Journal Article
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-communicable diseases: Meta-analysis based systematic review
The aim of this updated systematic review is to summarize the evidence of the effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Publications of meta-analysis up to August 2014 were systematically searched from PubMed, the Cochrane and EMBASE databases. N-3 PUFAs have the following beneficial effects; cardio-protective effects, reduce ischemic stroke risk in both men and women and total stroke risk in women, increase insulin sensitivity in Asians, decrease risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer in men. However, n-3 PUFAs may have unfavourable effects on type 2 diabetes in Caucasians. In conclusion, n-3 PUFA plays a crucial role in the prevention of NCDs, however, unfavourable effects should be considered in subjects with certain clinical conditions. Cross-cultural studies on the effect of n-3 PUFA on type 2 diabetes are needed to verify why diabetic patients with different ancestries have a different response to n-3 PUFA.
Journal Article
The Impact of Age Difference on the Efficacy and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
This meta-analysis compared the efficacy and safety of five kinds of COVID-19 vaccines in different age groups (young adults and older adults), aiming to analyze the difference of adverse events (AEs) rate and virus geometric mean titer (GMT) values between young and older people, in order to find a specific trend, and explore the causes of this trend through meta-analysis.
Meta-analysis was used to analyze the five eligible articles. The modified Jadad scoring scale was used to evaluate the quality of eligible literature with a scoring system of 1 to 7. The primary endpoint of the effectiveness index was GMT. The primary endpoints of the safety index were the incidence of local AEs and systemic AEs. Stata 12.0 software was used for meta-analysis. Revman 5.0 software was used to map the risk of publication bias, and Egger's test was used to analyze publication bias.
The GMT values of young adults were higher than older adults (SMD = 1.40, 95% CI (0.79, 2.02), P<0.01). There was a higher incidence of local and systemic AEs in young people than in the elderly (OR = 1.10, 95% CI (1.08, 1.12), P<0.01; OR = 1.18, 95% CI (1.14, 1.22), P<0.01).
The immune effect of young people after being vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines was better than that of the elderly, but the safety was worse than that of old people, the most common AEs were fever, rash, and local muscle pain, which were tolerable for young people. As the AEs of the elderly were lower, they can also be vaccinated safely; the reason for the low level of GMT in the elderly was related to Immunosenescence. The vaccine tolerance of people of different ages needs to be studied continuously.
Journal Article
Trends in the global burden of childhood meningitis between 1990 and 2021 and projections to 2035: based on the global burden of diseases database 2021
Objective
This study aimed to assess trends in the incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of meningitis in children aged 0–14 years between 1990 and 2021 worldwide.
Methods
This study analysed the incidence, mortality and DALYs of meningitis in children aged 0–14 years in 204 countries between 1990 and 2021 and used a mixed effects regression model to calculate the average annual percentage change. The Markov chain Monte Carlo method was used to quantify uncertainty (95% uncertainty interval).
Results
In 2021, the global incidence of meningitis in children aged 0–14 years was 66.24 per 100,000, and the mortality rate was 5.59 per 100,000. Between 1990 and 2021, the global incidence decreased by 282.70%, and the mortality rate decreased by 310.8%. The incidence and mortality rates were highest in neonates and children aged 1–5 months, at 1,185.02 per 100,000 and 541.35 per 100,000, respectively. According to the socio-demographic index (SDI) stratifications, low SDI areas have the heaviest burden. Pathogen analysis showed that the main pathogens causing meningitis in children aged 0–14 years worldwide in 2021 included
Streptococcus pneumoniae
,
Neisseria meningitidis
and
Klebsiella pneumoniae
, of which
S. pneumoniae
caused 1.69632 million DALYs,
N. meningitidis
caused 1.41484 million DALYs and
K. pneumoniae
caused 1.19393 million DALYs. By 2035,
N. meningitidis
will become the main pathogen.
Conclusion
The burden of meningitis in children has decreased significantly worldwide, but those in low-income areas and newborns still face severe challenges.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
,
N. meningitidis
and
K. pneumoniae
are the main pathogens.
Journal Article
Effect of Marine-Derived n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor α: A Meta-Analysis
Previous studies did not draw a consistent conclusion about the effects of marine-derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on fasting blood level of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α).
A comprehensive search of Web of Science, PubMed, Embase and Medline (from 1950 to 2013) and bibliographies of relevant articles was undertaken. Sixty-eight RCTs with a total of 4601 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. Marine-derived n-3 PUFAs supplementation showed a lowering effect on Marine-derived n-3 PUFAs supplementation had a significant lowering effect on TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP in three groups of subjects (subjects with chronic non-autoimmune disease, subjects with chronic autoimmune disease and healthy subjects). A significant negative linear relationship between duration and effect size of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs supplementation on fasting blood levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in subjects with chronic non-autoimmune disease was observed, indicating that longer duration of supplementation could lead to a greater lowering effect. A similar linear relationship was also observed for IL-6 levels in healthy subjects. Restricted cubic spline analysis and subgroup analysis showed that the lowering effect of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs on CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α in subjects with chronic non-autoimmune disease became weakened when body mass index was greater than 30 kg/m². The effect of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs from dietary intake was only assessed in subjects with chronic non-autoimmune disease, and a significant lowering effect was observed on IL-6, but not on CRP and TNF-α.
Marine-derived n-3 PUFAs supplementation had a significant lowering effect on CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α level. The lowering effect was most effective in non-obese subjects and consecutive long-term supplementation was recommended.
Journal Article
Analysis of risk factors for plastic bronchitis induced by Streptococcus pneumoniae in children
Objective
To explore the clinical characteristics and independent risk factors of pneumococcal pneumonia complicated with plastic bronchitis.
Methods
156 patients with pneumococcal pneumonia who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University. The patients were divided into plastic bronchitis (PB) group and non-plastic bronchitis (non-PB) group. PB patients were further divided into complication group (EC) and non-complication group (non-EC). The Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test was used to compare the differences between the groups. The ROC curve was drawn to evaluate the accuracy of independent risk factors in predicting PB.
Results
There were significant differences in the positive rate of pulmonary consolidation in different lobes (χ2 = 20.01,
P
= 0.0005), among which the probability of consolidation in the right lower lung was significantly higher than that in the other four lobes (
P
< 0.05). Bronchoscopy showed that the PB group was more serious than the non-PB group in terms of mucosal erythema (
P
= 0.02) and color of secretion(
P
< 0.01). The extrapulmonary complications were more common (
P
< 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that mucosal erythema, secretion color and PCT were independent risk factors for PB (
P
< 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that mucosal erythema, secretion volume, secretion color and PCT had a certain predictive value for PB, with AUCs of 0.7, 0.77, 0.71 and 0.61, respectively.
Conclusion
The amount of secretion, mucosal erythema, secretion color (yellow-white) and PCT are independent risk factors for plastic bronchitis and have high value in its prediction.
Journal Article
Dynamics, interactions and delays of the 2019 Ridgecrest rupture sequence
The observational difficulties and the complexity of earthquake physics have rendered seismic hazard assessment largely empirical. Despite increasingly high-quality geodetic, seismic and field observations, data-driven earthquake imaging yields stark differences and physics-based models explaining all observed dynamic complexities are elusive. Here we present data-assimilated three-dimensional dynamic rupture models of California’s biggest earthquakes in more than 20 years: the moment magnitude (
M
w
) 6.4 Searles Valley and
M
w
7.1 Ridgecrest sequence, which ruptured multiple segments of a non-vertical quasi-orthogonal conjugate fault system
1
. Our models use supercomputing to find the link between the two earthquakes. We explain strong-motion, teleseismic, field mapping, high-rate global positioning system and space geodetic datasets with earthquake physics. We find that regional structure, ambient long- and short-term stress, and dynamic and static fault system interactions driven by overpressurized fluids and low dynamic friction are conjointly crucial to understand the dynamics and delays of the sequence. We demonstrate that a joint physics-based and data-driven approach can be used to determine the mechanics of complex fault systems and earthquake sequences when reconciling dense earthquake recordings, three-dimensional regional structure and stress models. We foresee that physics-based interpretation of big observational datasets will have a transformative impact on future geohazard mitigation.
Data-assimilated three-dimensional dynamic rupture models of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence in California are used to reveal the dynamics, interactions and delays of the earthquake sequence.
Journal Article