Spatial-ontogenetic structure of Globularia bisnagarica L. (Plantaginaceae) cenopopulations

The results of studying the spatial-ontogenetic structure of five cenopopulations of Globularia bisnagarica L. on the territory of the Orenburg region and the Republic of Tatarstan are presented. Analysis of the age structure using the OntoParam program algorithm revealed the heterogeneity of ontogenetic spectra in most cenopopulations. Assessment of the parameters of average age, recovery index and ageing index showed that most cenopopulations are capable of self-restoration and maintenance of numerosity. Analysis of spatial structure taking into account the ontogenetic state of individuals showed that the spatial relationships between pregenerative and generative individuals is random in most cases, which indicates the absence of any pronounced interactions between plants from these age groups. In the cenopopulation from Severny district of the Orenburg region, there is a slight sparseness in the mutual arrangement of pregenerative and generative individuals, which may be due to the influence of intraspecific competition.

Nanomechanical behaviour of ZrO2 dispersed sisal-based polymeric composites

Alkali-treated sisal fibre-incorporated silanized ZrO2 dispersed unsaturated polyester composites were fabricated with a filler loading of 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 wt%, respectively. The mechanical characterization of the composites was suitably executed at the sub-micron scale using the nanoindentation technique. Various mechanical properties were derived from the standard nanoindentation measurements namely, nanohardness, reduced modulus, recovery index, residual depth, wear rate and indentation creep, respectively. A marked improvement in the mechanical properties of the unsaturated polyester matrix due to the incorporation of the fillers (sisal and/or ZrO2) was observed through indentation-derived parameters namely, nanohardness (∼186%), reduced modulus (∼175%), recovery index (∼62%), wear rate (∼63%) and indentation creep (∼33%), respectively. A simulated dynamic mechanical analysis was performed using the sinus mode of the nanoindentation technique. A similar enhancement in the dynamic mechanical properties of the matrix was further observed through dynamic mechanical analysis as storage modulus (∼71%), loss modulus (∼60%), loss factor (∼150%) and specific damping coefficient (∼200%), respectively.

The Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Steroidal Muscular Relaxants and Antibiotics Used: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: The impact of cigarette smoking on perianesthesia management is not clear elucidated. This paper studies the impact of long-term cigarette smoking on the dose-response of rocuronium and vecuronium used under general anesthesia and the type of antibiotics used after surgery.Methods: We enrolled 240 participants from a teaching hospital in China in which finally enrolled in 221 participants. 106 participants have a history of long-term cigarette use and 115 participants without a history of smoking. All participants received general anesthesia for various surgeries, and rocuronium was used as the muscular relaxant. The primary outcome was the effective onset time of rocuronium after adjusting for its dose. The secondary outcomes included a recovery index and the time of muscle recovery changing from 25 to 75%.Results: There was no measurable difference in the muscle relaxant onset time, duration of effectiveness, 75% recovery, recovery index, dose of opiates, anesthetics during surgery, or complication rate between smokers or non-smokers. However, the results showed a significant difference in antibiotic use between smokers and non-smokers (chi-squared = 13.695, p < 0.001), and a significant difference in the type of antibiotics used (chi-squared = 21.465, p = 0.003). Smokers had a significantly higher rate of cefathiamidine use.Conclusion: Smoking cigarettes had no effect on muscle relaxants used under general anesthesia, but patients who had a history of smoking were more likely to receive antibiotics after surgery.Clinical Trial Registration:http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR-OIC-16009157.

Study of highway asphalt pavement recycling maintenance scheme decision system and decision method

With modern economic and social development, the technical and economic requirements of highway maintenance and construction projects have become increasingly complicated. Meticulous and in-depth investigation and demonstration guided by scientific theories and methods are of considerable importance to highway maintenance scheme decision. As basis for the selection of highway asphalt pavement recycling maintenance scheme, the factors influencing the decision are analytically demonstrated and an evaluation system is proposed, including three major decision indexes: applicability of recycling mode, recycled pavement quality recovery index, and economic benefit. According to the principles of data statistics and analysis, this study proposes a calculation method for the recycled pavement quality recovery index, analyzes the economic benefits of decision schemes using economic models such as recycling ratio and cost, and puts forward an optimal evaluation method of engineering cost and its fuzzy score intervals. Index weights are calculated through the analytic hierarchy process, and the comprehensive decision evaluation system and comprehensive evaluation method are established. Subsequently, the decision-making method is analyzed on the basis of the decision system by combining the related data. Results show maximum weight of the pavement quality recovery index and minor differences among four recycling schemes in the quality recovery index and applicability. The decision-making results are simplified with clear hierarchical feature because of the fuzzy score intervals of each index. Findings can provide a reference for the asphalt pavement recycling scheme decision.