A novel design method for improving collapse resistances of multi-story steel frames with unequal spans using steel braces

Zheng Tan,Wei-hui Zhong,Bao Meng,Shi-chao Duan,Hong-chen Wang3,Xing-You Yao,Yu-hui Zheng 국제구조공학회 2023 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.47 No.2

The bearing capacities resisted by the two-bay beams of multi-story planar frames with unequal spans under column removal scenarios differ considerably owing to the asymmetric stress on the left and right beams connected to the failed column and cause the potential for beams with larger span-to-depth ratios to be unable to exert effectively, which is disadvantageous for resisting the vertical load in unequal-span frame structures. To address this problem, the structural measure of adding braces to the weak bays of multi-story unequal-span frames was proposed, with the objective of achieving a coordinated stress state in two-bay beams with unequal spans, thereby improving the collapse resistance of unequal-span frame structures. Before conducting the numerical simulation, the modeling methods were verified by previous experimental results of two multi-story planar frames with and without steel braces. Thereafter, the effects of the tensile and compressive braces on the collapse behavior of the frame structures were elucidated. Then, based on the mechanical action laws of the braces throughout the collapse process, a detailed design method for improving the collapse resistance of unequal-span frame structures was proposed. Finally, the proposed design method was verified by using sufficient example models, and the results demonstrated that the design method has good application prospects and high practical value.

No Association Between Tea Consumption and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Meta-analysis of Epidemiological Studies

Hu, Zheng-Hui,Lin, Yi-Wei,Xu, Xin,Chen, Hong,Mao, Ye-Qing,Wu, Jian,Xu, Xiang-Lai,Zhu, Yi,Li, Shi-Qi,Zheng, Xiang-Yi,Xie, Li-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.3

Objective: To evaluate the association between tea consumption and the risk of renal cell carcinoma. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus between 1970 and November 2012. Two evaluators independently reviewed and selected articles based on predetermined selection criteria. Results: Twelve epidemiological studies (ten case-control studies and two cohort studies) were included in the final analysis. In a meta-analysis of all included studies, when compared with the lowest level of tea consumption, the overall relative risk (RR) of renal cell carcinoma for the highest level of tea consumption was 1.03 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-1.21). In subgroup meta-analyses by study design, there was no significant association between tea consumption and renal cell carcinoma risk in ten case-control studies using adjusted data (RR=1.08, 95% CI 0.84-1.40). Furthermore, there was no significant association in two cohort studies using adjusted data (RR=0.95, 95% CI 0.81-1.12). Conclusion: Our findings do not support the conclusion that tea consumption is related to decreased risk of renal cell carcinoma. Further prospective cohort studies are required.

Biocatalysis and Fermentation Technology : Purification and Characterization of a Thermostable Xylanase from Paenibacillus sp. NF1 and its Application in Xylooligosaccharides Production

( Hong Chen Zheng ),( Ming Zhe Sun ),( Ling Cai Meng ),( Hai Sheng Pei ),( Xiu Qing Zhang ),( Zheng Yan ),( Wen Hui Zeng ),( Jing Sheng Zhang ),( Jin Rong Hu ),( Fu Ping Lu ),( Jun She Sun ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.4

High levels of extracellular xylanase activity (211.79 IU/mg) produced by Paenibacillus sp. NF1 were detected when it was submerged-cultured. After three consecutive purification steps using Octyl-Sepharose, Sephadex G75, and Q-Sepharose columns, a thermostable xylanase (XynNF) was purified to homogeneity and showed a molecular mass of 37 kDa according to SDS-PAGE. The specific activity of the purified XynNF was up to 3,081.05 IU/mg with a 14.55-fold purification. The activity of XynNF was stimulated by Ca2+, Ba2+, DTT, and β-mercaptoethanol, but was inhibited by Fe3+, Zn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, SDS, and EDTA. The purified XynNF displayed a greater affinity for oat spelt xylan with the maximal enzymatic activity at 60°C and pH 6.0. XynNF, which was shown to be cellulose-free, with high stability at high temperature (70°C-80°C) and low pH range (pH 4.0-7.0), is potentially valuable for various industrial applications. The enzyme hydrolyzed oat spelt xylan to yield mainly xylooligosaccharides (95.8%) of 2-4 degree of polymerization (DP2-4). Moreover, the majority of the xylooligosacharides (DP2- 4) products was xylobiose (61.5%). The thermostable xylanase (XynNF) thus seems potentially usefull in the production of xylooligosaccharides.

Risk Factors for Anxiety in Major Depressive Disorder Patients

Li-Min Xin,Lin Chen,Zhen-Peng Ji,Suo-Yuan Zhang,Jun Wang,Yan-Hong Liu,Da-Fang Chen,Fu-De Yang,Gang Wang,Yi-Ru Fang,Zheng Lu,Hai-Chen Yang,Jian Hu,Zhi-Yu Chen,Yi Huang,Jing Sun,Xiao-Ping Wang,Hui-Chun 대한정신약물학회 2015 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.13 No.3

Objective: To analyze the sociodemographic and clinical factors related to anxiety in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: This study involved a secondary analysis of data obtained from the Diagnostic Assessment Service for People with Bipolar Disorders in China (DASP), which was initiated by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry (CSP) and conducted from September 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011. Based on the presence or absence of anxiety-related characteristics, 1,178 MDD patients were classified as suffering from anxious depression (n=915) or non-anxious depression (n=263), respectively. Results: Compared with the non-anxious group, the anxious-depression group had an older age at onset (t=−4.39, p<0.001), were older (t=−4.69, p<0.001), reported more lifetime depressive episodes (z=−3.24, p=0.001), were more likely to experience seasonal depressive episodes (χ2=6.896, p=0.009) and depressive episodes following stressful life events (χ2=59.350, p <0.001), and were more likely to have a family history of psychiatric disorders (χ2=6.091, p=0.014). Their positive and total scores on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the 32-item Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) (p<0.05) were also lower. The logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, p<0.001), a lower total MDQ score (OR=0.94, p=0.011), depressive episodes following stressful life events (OR=3.04, p<0.001), and seasonal depressive episodes (OR=1.75, p=0.039) were significantly associated with anxious depression. Conclusion: These findings indicate that older age, fewer subclinical bipolar features, an increased number of depressive episodes following stressful life events, and seasonal depressive episodes may be risk factors for anxiety-related characteristics in patients with MDD.

Effects of Benzoic Acid and Thymol on Growth Performance and Gut Characteristics of Weaned Piglets

Hui Diao,Ping Zheng,Bing Yu,Jun He,Xiangbing Mao,Jie Yu,Daiwen Chen 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.6

A total of 144 weaned crossed pigs were used in a 42-d trial to explore the effects of different concentrations/ combinations of benzoic acid and thymol on growth performance and gut characteristics in weaned pigs. Pigs were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments: i) control (C), basal diet, ii) C+1,000 mg/kg benzoic acid+100 mg/kg thymol (BT1), iii) C+1,000 mg/kg benzoic acid+200 mg/kg thymol (BT2) and, iv) C+2,000 mg/kg benzoic acid+100 mg/kg thymol (BT3). Relative to the control, pigs fed diet BT3 had lower diarrhoea score during the overall period (p<0.10) and improved feed to gain ratio between days 1 to 14 (p<0.05), which was accompanied by improved apparent total tract digestibility of ether extract, Ca and crude ash (p<0.05), and larger lipase, lactase and sucrose activities in the jejunum (p<0.05) at d 14 and d 42. Similarly, relative to the control, pigs fed diet BT3 had higher counts for Lactobacillus spp in digesta of ileum at d 14 (p<0.05), and pigs fed diets BT1, BT2, or BT3 also had higher counts of Bacillus spp in digesta of caecum at d 14 (p<0.05), and lower concentration of ammonia nitrogen in digesta of caecum at d 14 and d 42 (p<0.05). Finally, pigs fed diet BT3 had higher concentration of butyric acid in digesta of caecum at d 42 (p<0.05), and a larger villus height:crypt depth ratio in jejunum and ileum at d 14 (p<0.05) than pigs fed the control diet. In conclusion, piglets fed diet supplementation with different concentrations/combinations of benzoic acid and thymol could improve feed efficiency and diarrhoea, and improve gut microfloral composition. The combination of 2,000 mg/kg benzoic acid+100 mg/kg thymol produced better effects than other treatments in most measurements.

Dose-Dependent Associations between Wine Drinking and Breast Cancer Risk - Meta-Analysis Findings

Chen, Jia-Yan,Zhu, Hong-Cheng,Guo, Qing,Shu, Zheng,Bao, Xu-Hui,Sun, Feng,Qin, Qin,Yang, Xi,Zhang, Chi,Cheng, Hong-Yan,Sun, Xin-Chen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.3

Purpose: To investigate any potential association between wine and breast cancer risk. Materials and Methods: We quantitatively assessed associations by conducting a meta-analysis based on evidence from observational studies. In May 2014, we performed electronic searches in PubMed, EmBase and the Cochrane Library to identify studies examining the effect of wine drinking on breast cancer incidence. The relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) were used to measure any such association. Results: The analysis was further stratified by confounding factors that could influence the results. A total of twenty-six studies (eight case-control and eighteen cohort studies) involving 21,149 cases were included in our meta-analysis. Our study demonstrated that wine drinking was associated with breast cancer risk. A 36% increase in breast cancer risk was observed across overall studies based on the highest versus lowest model, with a combined RR of 1.0059 (95%CI 0.97-1.05) in dose-response analysis. However, 5 g/d ethanol from wine seemed to have protective value from our non-linear model. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that wine drinking is associated with breast cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner. High consumption of wine contributes to breast cancer risk with protection exerted by low doses. Further investigations are needed for clarification.

Effects of two enzyme extracts of Aspergillus niger on green tea aromas

Hui Ni,Sun Hao,Fuping Zheng,Liangzhen Zhang,Bolim Lee,Yaqi Wang,Feng Chen 한국식품과학회 2017 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.26 No.3

Green tea was investigated in terms of its aroma changes induced by two enzyme extracts of Aspergillus niger, i.e., crude enzyme extracted from fermentation using tea stalk medium (CETSM) and crude enzyme yielded in potato dextrose medium. The result showed that the former had significant effects on sensory indexes and volatile constituents, with significant increases in toasty and mushroom notes, while the latter had little influence on the aforementioned indexes. In addition, the volatile constituents were significantly affected; in particular, the contents of cis-3-hexenol, 1-octen-3-ol, eucalyptol, hexanol, and benzaldehyde increased. Furthermore, gas chromatography– olfactometry (GC–O) analysis showed that an increase in 1-octen-3-ol strengthened the mushroom note. These results indicate that CETSM contains some novel enzymes that can modify the aroma profile of green tea.This study also provides valuable information and suggestions to use fermented enzymes to modify food aromas.

HE4 as a Serum Biomarker for ROMA Prediction and Prognosis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Chen, Wen-Ting,Gao, Xiang,Han, Xiao-Dian,Zheng, Hui,Guo, Lin,Lu, Ren-Quan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Background and Purpose: Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has been suggested to be a novel biomarker of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The present study aimed to evaluate and compare HE4 with the commonly used marker, carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), in prediction and therapy-monitoring of EOC. Patients and Methods: Serum HE4 concentrations from 123 ovarian cancer patients and 174 controls were measured by Roche electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA). Risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) values were calculated and assessed. In addition, the prospects of HE4 detection for therapy-monitoring were evaluated in EOC patients. Results: The ROMA score could classify patients into high- and low-risk groups with malignancy. Indeed, lower serum HE4 was significantly associated with successful surgical therapy. Specifically, 38 patients with EOC exhibited a greater decline of HE4 compared with CA125. In contrast, elevation of HE4 better predicted recurrence (of 46, 11 patients developed recurrence, and with it increased HE4 serum concentrations) and a poor prognosis than CA125. Conclusions: This study suggests that serum HE4 levels are closely associated with outcome of surgical therapy and disease prognosis in Chinese EOC patients.

Intelligent Operation Center for Hengqin New Area Smart Grid

Zheng, Wenjie,Chen, Hui,Li, Chuanjian,Yu, Nanhua,Chen, Jiongcong The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2014 The Journal of International Council on Electrical Vol.4 No.3

This paper presents a framework of intelligent operation center (IOC)for Hengqin New Area smart grid demonstration project in terms of IT topology and system functionalities. The platform is developed based on Service Oriented Architechture(SOA) and the newly released enterprise standards of China Southern Grid (CSG).The system information covers transmission system, substation and distribution system on Hengqin Island by monitoring the status of various devices with cutting edge technologies as well as coordinating and merging different systems in a new platform which is expected to enable a more intelligent way for future operation and maintenance information exchange in between the systems currently used. In addition, it will not only enhance the system operational efficiency but also create a novel management experience for further promotion of IOC in the continuously deregulated market environment within service areas of CSG.

Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Human Papillomavirus Infections in Women Attending Hospitals in Chaozhou of Guangdong Province

Chen, Qiang,Luo, Zhao-Yun,Lin, Min,Lin, Qi-Li,Chen, Chan-Yu,Yang, Chun,Xie, Long-Xu,Li, Hui,Zheng, Jia-Kun,Yang, Li-Ye,Ju, Gui-Zhi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancer. Limited epidemiologic data of HPV prevalence are available for women attending hospitals in southern China. This study aimed to evaluate the profiles of HPV infection and cytology status in gynecological outpatients in Chaozhou City. Methods: A total of 2833 eligible women were enrolled. The HPV GenoArray test was used for HPV detection and genotyping. Nearly one half of the HPV positive women received liquid-based cytology test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the predictable effects of age and genotype for categories of abnormal cytology. Results: The prevalence of overall, high-risk, and low-risk HPV infection were 24.5%, 19.5% and 8.4%, respectively. A U-shaped age-specific prevalence curve was observed in overall HPV and high-risk HPV, but not in low-risk HPV, which declined with age increasing. The 6 most common high-risk HPV type in descending order, were types 52, 16, 58, 18, 68, and 33. Age and HPV genotype were both important determinants of abnormal cytology incidence, the older women (>45 years) and those infected with HPV type 16 and/or 18 having the highest risk for abnormal cytology. Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis that second-generation HPV prophylactic vaccines including HPV-52 and -58 may offer higher protection for women residing in Chaozhou and neighboring cities in Guangdong.