Caring for the "Osteo-Cardiovascular Faller": Associations between Multimorbidity and Fall Transitions among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese.

It is still uncertain how multimorbidity patterns affect transitions between fall states among middle-aged and older Chinese. Data were obtained from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011-2018. We utilized latent class analysis to categorize baseline multimorbidity patterns, Markov multi-state model to explore the impact of multimorbidity characterized by condition counts and multimorbidity patterns on subsequent fall transitions, and Cox proportional hazard models to assess hazard ratios of each transition.

Supercritical CO extrusion foaming of highly open-cell poly(lactic acid) foam with superior oil adsorption performance.

Addressing marine oil spills and industrial water pollution necessitates the development of eco-efficient oil-absorbing materials. With increasing concern for the environment, there is a consensus to decrease the use of petroleum-based polymers. Herein, lightweight poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend foams with varying thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) content were fabricated via a solvent-free, eco-friendly supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO) extrusion foaming technology.

A surface defect detection method for steel pipe based on improved YOLO.

Surface defect detection is of great significance as a tool to ensure the quality of steel pipes. The surface defects of steel pipes are charactered by insufficient texture, high similarity between different types of defects, large size differences, and high proportions of small targets, posing great challenges to defect detection algorithms. To overcome the above issues, we propose a novel steel pipe surface defect detection method based on the YOLO framework.

Significance of Volatile Organic Compounds to Secondary Pollution Formation and Health Risks Observed during a Summer Campaign in an Industrial Urban Area.

The chemical complexity and toxicity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are primarily encountered through intensive anthropogenic emissions in suburban areas. Here, pollution characteristics, impacts on secondary pollution formation, and health risks were investigated through continuous in-field measurements from 1-30 June 2020 in suburban Nanjing, adjacent to national petrochemical industrial parks in China. On average, the total VOCs concentration was 34.

Optimizing Robotic Task Sequencing and Trajectory Planning on the Basis of Deep Reinforcement Learning.

The robot task sequencing problem and trajectory planning problem are two important issues in the robotic optimization domain and are solved sequentially in two separate levels in traditional studies. This paradigm disregards the potential synergistic impact between the two problems, resulting in a local optimum solution. To address this problem, this paper formulates a co-optimization model that integrates the task sequencing problem and trajectory planning problem into a holistic problem, abbreviated as the robot TSTP problem.

[Characteristics of Light Absorption, Sources, and Seasonal Variation of Atmospheric Brown Carbon in Northern Nanjing].

Brown carbon (BrC) refers to a group of organic compounds in fine atmospheric particles (PM) that are able to absorb light in the ultraviolet and visible range. They have a significant impact on the visibility of air and on the earth's climate. In this study, we used a black carbon analyzer (Model AE33) to conduct field measurements in northern suburban Nanjing from March 2021 to February 2022.

Nonagricultural emissions enhance dimethylamine and modulate urban atmospheric nucleation.

Gas-phase dimethylamine (DMA) has recently been identified as one of the most important vapors to initiate new particle formation (NPF), even in China's polluted atmosphere. Nevertheless, there remains a fundamental need for understanding the atmospheric life cycle of DMA, particularly in urban areas. Here we pioneered large-scale mobile observations of the DMA concentrations within cities and across two pan-region transects of north-to-south (∼700 km) and west-to-east (∼2000 km) in China.

Deep Reinforcement Learning for Charging Scheduling of Electric Vehicles Considering Distribution Network Voltage Stability.

The rapid development of electric vehicle (EV) technology and the consequent charging demand have brought challenges to the stable operation of distribution networks (DNs). The problem of the collaborative optimization of the charging scheduling of EVs and voltage control of the DN is intractable because the uncertainties of both EVs and the DN need to be considered. In this paper, we propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approach to coordinate EV charging scheduling and distribution network voltage control.

Improved thermal insulation and compressive property of bimodal poly (lactic acid)/cellulose nanocomposite foams.

In this work, an innovative PLA/CNF nanocomposite foam with a bimodal cell structure is prepared by a simple one-step depressurization foaming process using only supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO) as the foaming agent. Only at a specific foaming temperature, PLA/CNF nanocomposites foam with a bimodal cell structure could be obtained. According to the different crystallization kinetics and nucleation efficiency of samples, it was inferred that the crystallization rate and phase interface would affect the cell structure.

Chemical Characteristics and Source-Specific Health Risks of the Volatile Organic Compounds in Urban Nanjing, China.

This work comprehensively investigated the constituents, sources, and associated health risks of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sampled during the autumn of 2020 in urban Nanjing, a megacity in the densely populated Yangtze River Delta region in China. The total VOC (TVOC, sum of 108 species) concentration was determined to be 29.04 ± 14.

Chemical composition, sources and optical properties of nitrated aromatic compounds in fine particulate matter during winter foggy days in Nanjing, China.

Functionalized aromatic compounds are one of the most important light-absorbing organic chromophores - so-called brown carbon (BrC) - in fine particulate matter (PM). In this study, we conducted a wintertime field campaign to measure eight nitrated aromatic compounds (NACs) in PM with offline analysis techniques, including liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS) and aerodyne high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements, during foggy and nonfoggy days in suburban Nanjing in the Yangtze River Delta region, China. On average, 4-nitrophenol could be one of the most important light absorbing materials in the observed BrC, which accounted for over 40% of the mass concentration of identified chromophores.

Fabrication of super-hydrophilic and highly open-porous poly (lactic acid) scaffolds using supercritical carbon dioxide foaming.

Porous poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-based scaffolds have been widely used as a promising product in tissue engineering. However, it is still a challenge to prepare the PLA-based scaffolds with high expansion ratio, good hydrophilicity, and excellent cytocompatibility by a green and cost-effective fabrication approach. Herein, we prepared porous PLA-based scaffolds using carbon dioxide (CO) as the physical foaming agent.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from photooxidation of CH under the presence of NH: Effects of seed particles.

Frequently-occurred secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) under low-NO conditions contribute to the winter haze episodes and remain unclear in the abundant presence of NH. Here, the effects of CaCl seed particles on the photooxidation of low-molecular-weight CH with co-existing NO and NH were highlighted and investigated through a chamber-simulation study equipped with high-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS). The influences of NH are often overestimated to exclusively enhance SOA yields under a low-[NO] condition.

Characterization of Size-Resolved Hygroscopicity of Black Carbon-Containing Particle in Urban Environment.

The hygroscopic properties of BC-containing particles (BCc) are important to determine their wet scavenging, atmospheric lifetime, and interactions with clouds. Such information is still lacking in the real world because of the challenges in isolating BCc from other aerosols to be directly characterized. In this study, the size-resolved chemical components of BCc including the refractory BC core and associated coatings were measured by a soot particle-aerosol mass spectrometer in suburban Nanjing.

Ambient PM2.5 caused depressive-like responses through Nrf2/NLRP3 signaling pathway modulating inflammation.

PM2.5 pollution has been associated with numerous adverse effects including cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases as well as emotional disorders. However, the potential mechanism has not known clearly.

Transcription factors GATA4 and TBX5 promote cardiomyogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) have potential applications in cell and gene therapies for cardiac disease. The cardiac-specific transcription factors GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA4) and T-Box protein 5 (TBX5) are considered to be pivotal in cardiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of GATA4 and TBX5 on cardiomyogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Protective effects of pre-germinated brown rice diet on low levels of Pb-induced learning and memory deficits in developing rat.

Lead (Pb) is a known neurotoxicant in humans and experimental animals. Numerous studies have provided evidence that humans, especially young children, and animals chronically intoxicated with low levels of Pb show learning and memory impairments. Unfortunately, Pb-poisoning cases continue to occur in many countries.