Efficacy and safety of the traditional Chinese formula Shengjiang powder combined with conventional therapy in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of Shengjiang powder as a treatment for DKD.

Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in eight databases from their inception to December 30, 2023, to identify relevant RCTs. The inclusion criteria were diagnosis of DKD and intervention including TCM that contained Shengjiang powder.

[Comparative study of two novel nickel-titanium instruments for root canal preparation in curved canals on shaping ability and microcrack formation].

Purpose: To evaluate the shaping ability and microcrack formation of ProTaper Next (PTN) and XP-endo Shaper (XPS) systems in the mesial curved root canals of mandibular molars by using micro-CT scans.

Methods: Sixteen mandibular molars with two independent mesial root canals and curvature ranging from 25° to 35° were randomly divided into two groups. The preparation time was recorded.

A New Distance Stereotest by Autostereoscopic Display Using an Eye-Tracking Method.

This research aimed to present a novel glasses-free distance random-dot stereotest system (GFDRDSS) using an eye-tracking method. A single-view autostereoscopic display applying a backlight control system combined with an eye-tracking method and the corresponding random-dot stereotest software were developed to create a GFDRDSS with a viewing distance of 5 m. The stereoacuity of 12 subjects with normal eye position was evaluated using the Randot Stereotest, Stereoscopic Test Charts vol.

neural network MD simulation of thermal decomposition of a high energy material CL-20/TNT.

CL-20 (2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane, also known as HNIW) is one of the most powerful energetic materials. However, its high sensitivity to environmental stimuli greatly reduces its safety and severely limits its application. In this work, based neural network potential (NNP) energy surfaces for both β-CL-20 and CL-20/TNT co-crystals were constructed.

Fragment-Based Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulation for Combustion.

We develop a fragment-based ab initio molecular dynamics (FB-AIMD) method for efficient dynamics simulation of the combustion process. In this method, the intermolecular interactions are treated by a fragment-based many-body expansion in which three- or higher body interactions are neglected, while two-body interactions are computed if the distance between the two fragments is smaller than a cutoff value. The accuracy of the method was verified by comparing FB-AIMD calculated energies and atomic forces of several different systems with those obtained by standard full system quantum calculations.

Complex reaction processes in combustion unraveled by neural network-based molecular dynamics simulation.

Combustion is a complex chemical system which involves thousands of chemical reactions and generates hundreds of molecular species and radicals during the process. In this work, a neural network-based molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is carried out to simulate the benchmark combustion of methane. During MD simulation, detailed reaction processes leading to the creation of specific molecular species including various intermediate radicals and the products are intimately revealed and characterized.

Correlates of stalking victimization in Canada: A model of social support and comorbidity.

Research into stalking victimization has proliferated over the last three decades, but little research has been done with Canadian data and several theoretical questions related to stalking victimization risk remain largely unanswered. To address the gaps in the literature, this study advances an integrated approach of neighborhood social support from criminology and comorbidity model from health science to examine the correlates of stalking victimization. Relying on data from Canadian General Social Survey, results confirm that the correlation model is better justifiable than the causal model in exploring the relationships between risk factors and being stalked and that variables broadly derived from social support theory, such as community order and trust, are statistically significant correlates of stalking victimization.

Young patients with divergence insufficiency related to excessive near work.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between excessive near work and divergence insufficiency esotropia in young adults. A prospective study described a series of young patients with divergence insufficiency esotropia related to excessive near work between 2012 and 2017. The medical records of twelve young patients with divergence insufficiency esotropia and a history of excessive near work were reviewed, and the duration of near work, angle of primary position deviations at distance and at near, and angle of primary position deviations after refraining from near work for 3 months were analyzed.

ReacNetGenerator: an automatic reaction network generator for reactive molecular dynamics simulations.

Reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulation makes it possible to study the reaction mechanism of complex reaction systems at the atomic level. However, the analysis of MD trajectories which contain thousands of species and reaction pathways has become a major obstacle to the application of reactive MD simulation in large-scale systems. Here, we report the development and application of the Reaction Network Generator (ReacNetGenerator) method.

Nanoporous NiP Evolutionarily Structured onto a Ni Foam for Highly Selective Hydrogenation of Dimethyl Oxalate to Methyl Glycolate.

Methyl glycolate (MG) is a versatile platform molecule to produce numerous important chemicals and materials, especially new-generation biocompatible and biodegradable poly(glycolic acid). In principle, it can be massively produced from syngas (CO + H) via gas-phase hydrogenation of CO-derived dimethyl oxalate (DMO), but the groundbreaking catalyst represents a grand challenge. Here, we report the discovery of a Ni-foam-structured nanoporous NiP catalyst, evolutionarily transformed from a NiP/Ni-foam engineered from nano- to macro-scale, being capable of nearly fully converting DMO into MG at >95% selectivity and stable for at least 1000 h without any sign of deactivation.

Correlates of Illicit Drug Use Among Indigenous Peoples in Canada: A Test of Social Support Theory.

Relying on a national stratified random sample of Indigenous peoples aged 19 years old and above in Canada, this study investigates the correlates of illicit drug use among Indigenous peoples, paying special attention to the association between social support measures and illegal drug use. Results from multivariate logistical regression show that measures of social support, such as residential mobility, strength of ties within communities, and lack of timely counseling, are statistically significant correlates of illicit drug use. Those identifying as Christian are significantly less likely to use illegal drugs.

Acceptance of Prostitution and Its Social Determinants in Canada.

The nature of collective perception of prostitution is understudied in Canada. Except some rudimentary reports on the percentages of the key legal options, multivariate analysis has never been used to analyze the details of public opinion on prostitution. The current study explores the trend of public attitude toward prostitution acceptability in Canada over a 25-year span and examines the social determinants of the acceptability of prostitution, using structural equation modeling (SEM), which allows researchers to elaborate both direct and indirect effects (through mediating variables) on the outcome variable.

Effects of cold light bleaching on the color stability of composite resins.

To evaluate the effects of cold light bleaching on the color stability of four restorations using a thermocycling stain challenge. 160 specimens (10 mm in diameter and 2 mm thick) were fabricated from 4 composite resins (Gradia Direct-A, Z350XT, Premisa, and Précis) and divided into 4 subgroups. Color was assessed according to the CIEL*a*b* color scale at baseline, after the first cycle of bleaching, after thermocycling stain challenges, and after the second cycle of bleaching.

Governance and Regional Variation of Homicide Rates: Evidence From Cross-National Data.

Criminological theories of cross-national studies of homicide have underestimated the effects of quality governance of liberal democracy and region. Data sets from several sources are combined and a comprehensive model of homicide is proposed. Results of the spatial regression model, which controls for the effect of spatial autocorrelation, show that quality governance, human development, economic inequality, and ethnic heterogeneity are statistically significant in predicting homicide.

In vivo implantation of hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses with surface modification.

Purpose: To assess the surface properties of modified hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOL) implanted in rabbits.

Methods: The hydrophobic acrylic IOLs were modified with monomer vinyl pyrrolidone by surface modification technique. Phacoemulsification combined with IOL implantation was conducted in 9 rabbits (18 eyes).

An in vitro investigation of wear resistance and hardness of composite resins.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the wear resistance and hardness of five kinds of composite resins.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-five specimens were fabricated with one nano-hybrid (Charisma Diamond), two micro-hybrid (3MZ250, Clearfil AP-X) and two packable (3MP60, Surefil) composite resins, according to a randomized complete block design (n=13, 8 for wear test; 5 for hardness test). The composites were filled in a rectangular mold, and light polymerization.

Social support and anomie: a multilevel analysis of anomie in Europe and North America.

On the basis of the reasoning of social support theory, the authors examine the macro effect of social support on anomie at the individual level. Data from international surveys have documented wide variation in anomie across nations, but to what extent this variation among nations can be contributed to structural characteristics has not been explored before. Using hierarchical linear modeling techniques to sort out the effects of structural context and personal characteristics on anomie across 31 European and North American nations, the authors test the hypothesis that variation in social support at the national level is inversely related to individuals' sense of anomie.

Correlates of the victim-offender relationship in homicide.

Using a classification of homicides based on the victim-offender relationship, this research analyzes individual-level data from a local prosecutor's office in Taiwan with multinomial logistic regression to locate the more precise correlates of three different homicide relationship types. The results of the analyses provide further support for the hypothesis that such partitioning of homicides is fruitful in revealing the relationships otherwise obscured. They indicate that both sociodemographic variables and situational variables are important correlates of three different homicide relationships, but their strengths vary based on the particular homicide relationship type.

Returning to normality: anomie and crime in China.

The current study explored the value change as manifested in the sense of anomie during the 1990s and sources of anomie in contemporary China. The multiple regression analysis found that employment, having children, and satisfaction in life were significantly related to anomie; however, the effect of education was related to anomie in the direction that was inconsistent with what was known in the Western literature. Age had no significant effect on anomie.