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The poorly conductive organic layers in two-dimensional (2D) perovskites create quantum wells, which hinder the carrier separation and transformation. Therefore, the search for new 2D hybrid lead-halide materials with conductive organic components is crucial to high performance 2D perovskite solar cells. Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and its derivatives are well-known building blocks for conductive organic materials. We report here a new compound containing TMT–TTF (tetrakis(methylthio)tetrathiafulvalene) and layered PbI2, formulated as (TMT–TTF)[Pb2.6/3□0.4/3I2]3 (1). Crystal structural analysis shows that compound 1 is a unique TMT–TTF-intercalated 2D hybrid lead iodide with partially oxidized TMT–TTF cations and Pb-vacancy in anion. Its structural characteristics give the compound a narrow band gap and high conductivity. Furthermore, the carrier density and the photoelectric properties are first evaluated for TTF-PbI compounds and the results show that these properties of 1 are superior to those of the previously reported TTF-PbI salt, which is attractive for exploiting new lead-halide materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently introduced wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with 1f-phase detection (WMS- θ 1 f ) technique showed promising results with potentially improved measurement precision over the popular 1f-normalized WMS-nf (WMS-nf/1f) technique. Like WMS-nf/1f, WMS- θ 1 f enjoys the typical benefits of WMS methods, including low-frequency noise rejection, correction for non-absorbing losses, and insensitivity to the broadband absorption spectra of interfering species. In this work, we performed a detailed analysis of the spectrally resolved scanned-wavelength WMS- θ 1 f measurement technique and its direct comparison against the expected performance of scanned-wavelength WMS-nf/1f and scanned-wavelength direct-absorption spectroscopy (SDAS) measurements. This simulation-based analysis identified specific operating regimes in which the performance of WMS- θ 1 f measurements in terms of accuracy is expected to be greater than the performance of WMS-nf/1f or SDAS. Additionally, improved guidelines for the optimal selection of laser-tuning parameters, including an explicit optimization of the optical scan depth parameter, were developed. Experiments with a CO2 static cell perturbed by a high-speed air jet corroborated the simulation-based findings. Finally, a practical demonstration of a WMS- θ 1 f sensor for measuring temperature and H2O mole fraction in the exhaust of a CH4/air flat-flame burner was presented, with the results confirming model predictions of the superior precision of WMS- θ 1 f relative to WMS-nf/1f and SDAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding single-stranded ribonucleic acid molecules. This type of endogenous oligonucleotide could be secreted into the circulation and exist stably. The detection of specific miRNAs released by cancer cells potentially provides a noninvasive means to achieve early diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. However, the typical concentration of miRNAs in blood is below the ultratrace level. This study uses a simple thermoplastic microfluidic concentration device based on an ion concentration polarization mechanism to perform enrichment and cleanup and Raman sensing beads to determine miRNA quantitatively. One sample solution containing target miRNA molecules having been hybridized with two nucleotide probes, where one probe is on a Raman tag of a nanoaggregate embedded bead (NAEB) and the other probe is on a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP), is first filled into the device. When an external field is applied across a cation exchange membrane stationed in the middle conduit of the device, the MNP-miRNA-NAEB complexed particles are enriched near the membrane edge of the cathode side. The concentrated complexed particles are further trapped using an external magnet to perform washing steps to remove excess noncomplexed NAEBs. When cleanup steps are accomplished, the remaining complexed particles are loaded into one detection capillary to acquire Raman signals from the sensing beads. Compared with that using a conventional magnetic trapping device, the cleanup time is shortened from nearly an hour to less than 10 min. Sample loss during the washing steps becomes more controllable, resulting in adequate standard curve linearity (R > 0.99) ranging from 1 to 100 pM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of breast cancer survivors increases, these patients with sexual problems also increase. For breast cancer survivors, sexual problems are a common and painful experience. Although breast cancer survivors often encounter sexual problems, Taiwanese women are culturally conservative and patients rarely discuss sex problems with clinicians. In this study, we used qualitative methods to better understand the changes in sexual life and related care strategies for breast cancer survivors. Twenty interviews were conducted on clinical patients enrolled in hospitals that received breast cancer treatment. The data were analysed by performing a constant comparative analysis. Three themes emerged: the causes of changes in sexual life, internal response strategies and external response strategies. Ten subthemes were identified. Changes in sexual life in patients with breast cancer in this study included changes related to body image, influence of friends and family, age, genital problems, and illegal love of a partner. Breast cancer survivors can tolerate and regulate sexual life changes by adopting internal and external response strategies. Medical staff must be sensitive and must understand strategies for dealing with sexual life changes that may occur during cancer adjustment and how these strategies can help women's well-being in the rest of their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To test whether fractures and osteoporosis are more prevalent among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) than patients without OUD in Taiwan. Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. Setting: Taiwan. Participants: The number of adult patients with OUD and without OUD was 3695 and 14 780, respectively. We established both cohorts from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2011 to observe the incidence of fracture. The occurrence of fracture was followed‐up until the end of 2011. Measurements The primary measure was incidence of fracture. The relative risk of fracture was estimated using the Cox proportional hazard model after adjusting for age, sex, index year and comorbidities. Comorbidities included diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, alcohol‐related illness, osteoporosis, end‐stage renal disease, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis, using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, clinical modification. Findings Patients with OUD were 4.13 times more likely to suffer fractures than patients without OUD [incidence rate (IR) per 1000 person‐years = 23.0 versus 5.47, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 3.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.27–4.29]. Compared with the control group, the risk of fracture was higher among the patients with OUD. Risk of fracture was higher in male elderly patients with diabetes mellitus, alcohol‐related illness or osteoporosis. The cumulative incidences of fracture over 14 years of patients with OUD and without OUD differed significantly. Conclusions: Taiwanese patients with opioid use disorder appear to have a higher adjusted hazard ratio for fracture than Taiwanese patients without opioid use disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stigma (tip of the pistil) of medlar is wet and covered with stigmatic exudate at anthesis. The exudate contains many vesicles with abundant calcium precipitates. After deposition on the stigma, the pollen grain undergoes hydration, displaying signs of calcium ion (Ca2+) transfer from the exudate vesicles into the pollen grains. Calcium precipitates in the pollen cytoplasm are concentrated into small vacuoles that fuse to form large vacuoles, which provide turgor pressure to push the cytoplasm to the apical region of the growing pollen tube. Many calcium precipitates are present in the stylar transmitting tract, which displays a calcium gradient: fewer precipitates are localised in the distal (upper) transmitting tissue below the stigma, and more precipitates are present in the transmitting tract at the style base. The emporal and spatial distribution of calcium in the stigma and style of medlar suggests that it satisfies the demand for calcium in vivo and played some functional significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale and objective: The presence of three conspecifics prevents stress-induced decreases in newly proliferated cells and neuroblasts in mouse dentate gyrus (DG). In this study, we sought to determine how many conspecifics are required to exert these protective effects against stress. In addition, we manipulated the physiological status of those conspecifics in the context of their stress-buffering effects and used airborne oxytocin exposure as a substitute for the presence of conspecifics. Materials and methods: Bromodeoxyuridine staining was used to indicate the newly proliferated cells and co-staining with doublecortin to reveal the proliferative neuroblasts. Results: Presentation of three intact and lipopolysaccharide-treated conspecifics prevented the stress-induced decreases in the number of newly proliferated cells and neuroblasts in DG. Presentation of one saline- or oxytocin (OT)–treated conspecific did not exert observable stress-buffering effects. In contrast, airborne oxytocin prevented the stress-induced decreases in DG cell proliferation and early neurogenesis, while pretreatment with L-371,257, a selective OT receptor antagonist, abolished the buffering effects of OT. Conclusions: Physical interaction with the conspecifics and conspecifics' sickness, at best, play a minor role in mediating the buffering effects against stress-induced decreases in DG cell proliferation or early neurogenesis. Moreover, stress-buffering effects are negligible with the presence of only one conspecific. Finally, airborne OT produced stress-buffering effects possibly via its stimulation of OT receptors. Oxytocin merits further study as a substitute for the stress-buffering effects of companions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological facilities and services have become attractive features in hotel selection. However, limited research has been conducted on how technological innovation attributes are perceived by hotel tourists. This paper aims to highlight and categorize the technological innovation attributes of hotels based on the Kano model. Empirical testing shows four technological innovation factors: Internet and app usage, smartphone usage as a room key and for payment, E-housekeeping, and the use of electronic self-service systems. Findings provide practical implications for hotel operators planning to introduce technologies into their hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mode shapes estimated from the vehicle responses are normally used to detect bridge damage efficiently for their high spatial resolution. However, an updated baseline finite element model (FEM) is normally required to quantify damages for such an approach. A two-stage damage detection procedure is presented for bridges by utilizing the mode shape estimated from a moving vehicle. Damage locations are first determined through a damage localization index (DLI) defined by regional mode shape curvature (RMSC). Then the relationship between the damage extents and the RMSC changes is investigated by FEM simulation. Finally, an equation set to quantify the single and multiple damages is deduced by combining the RMSCs and the relationship between the damage extents and the RMSC changes established by an un-updated FEM. Numerical and experimental examples are carried out to verify the validity and efficiency of the two-stage method. The results revealed that it can localize and quantify damages with satisfactory precision by using the response measured from one sensor only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report investigations on the elasticity of superconducting FeSe using picosecond ultrasonic technique. The tetragonal (001) FeSe thin film, deposited on a processed SrTiO3 substrate by the pulsed laser deposition, exhibits distinct c-axis preferred orientation and single-crystalline features as a result of the x-ray diffraction. The high-quality crystallinity thus enables quantitative examinations of anisotropic stiffness coefficients (C33) of FeSe, correlating to the interatomic interaction in the simplest iron-based superconductor. Our experiment indicates a room-temperature C33 of 40.9 ± 0.4 GPa and material stiffening of 4.3% at low temperatures, which can be explained by the weakening of anharmonic phonon-phonon interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of first-principles calculations, we have investigated a size dependence of elastic modulus in single-walled ZnO nanotubes with armchair and zigzag forms. It is found that for these tubes the Young's modulus is increased dramatically with the increased diameters and inversely proportional to the Zn-O bond length. Further, the amount of charge transfer, calculated by the Bader analysis, is introduced to elucidate the strength of bonding between Zn and O atoms in these tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Threading dislocation (TD) evolution during patterned GaN nanocolumn (NC) growth and coalescence overgrowth with metal-organic chemical vapor deposition is studied based on the comparisons of NC and coalescence overgrowth samples of different NC cross-section diameters and spacing sizes. From the measurement results of depth-dependent x-ray diffraction and cross-section transmission electron microscopy, it is found that the TD density in an NC depends on the patterned hole size for NC growth. Also, the TD formation at the beginning of coalescence overgrowth is related to the NC spacing size. Although the TD density at the bottom of the overgrown layer is weakly dependent on NC and spacing sizes, at its top surface, the TD density strongly relies on NC size. Among the overgrowth samples of different NC diameters and spacing sizes with a fixed NC diameter/spacing ratio, the one with the smallest size and spacing leads to the lowest TD density, the largest lateral domain size, and the highest photoluminescence efficiency. Also, the optical and crystal qualities at the surfaces of all the overgrowth samples are superior to those of a GaN template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality coalescence overgrowth of patterned-grown GaN nanocolumns on c-plane sapphire substrate with metal organic chemical vapor deposition is demonstrated. Although domain structures of a tens of micron scale in the overgrown layer can be identified with cathodoluminescence measurement, from atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement, the surface roughness of the overgrown layer in an area of 5×5 μm2 is as small as 0.411 nm, which is only one-half that of the high-quality GaN thin-film template directly grown on sapphire substrate (the control sample). Based on the AFM and depth-dependent x-ray diffraction measurements near the surface of the overgrown layer, the dislocation density is reduced to the order of 107 cm-2, which is one order of magnitude lower than that of the control sample and two to three orders of magnitude lower than those of ordinary GaN templates for fabricating light-emitting diodes. Also, the lateral domain size, reaching a level of ∼2.7 μm, becomes three times larger than the control sample. Meanwhile, the ratio of photoluminescence intensity at room temperature over that at low temperature of the overgrown sample is at least six times higher than that of the control sample. Although the strain in nanocolumns is almost completely released, a stress of ∼0.66 GPa is rebuilt when the coalescence overgrowth is implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafast carrier thermalization in n-type indium nitride (InN) with an electron concentration of 3.8×1018 cm-3 was investigated by femtosecond transient transmission measurements at room temperature with different wavelengths. An extremely fast carrier external thermalization time on the order of 400 fs was observed, which is much faster than all previous reports. This observed femtosecond thermalization time is consistent with a prediction based on a Coulomb screening effect. Through wavelength dependent and power dependent studies, even with a 400 fs thermalization time, we did not observe any evidence of the existence of the hot phonon effect, which agrees with a recent report that a longitudinal optical phonon lifetime could be shorter than 300 fs in specific InN samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare the x-ray diffraction (XRD) results of two InGaN/GaN quantum-well (QW) structures to observe the effects of prestrained growth by depositing a low-indium QW before the growth of five high-indium QWs. From the results of reciprocal space mapping, we observe the fully strained condition in the QWs of the control sample. However, in the sample of prestrained growth, the average strain is partially relaxed. By using an XRD fitting algorithm for calibrating QW parameters, we obtain reasonable values for the compositions and thicknesses of the QWs in both samples. In particular, by assuming a nonuniform strain relaxation distribution among the five high-indium QWs in the prestrained sample, we obtain reasonable composition variations among the QWs. The high-indium QW closest to the low-indium one is most strain-relaxed and has the highest indium incorporation, leading to the longest-wavelength emission. The observed red shift with increasing electron penetration depth in the cathodo-luminescence spectra of the prestrained sample is consistent with the distributions of calibrated strain relaxation and indium composition. The results of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and effective band gap calculation also agree with the above conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Picosecond ultrasonic experiments were performed to generate and detect acoustic pulses in piezoelectric (111) epilayers of InxGa(1-x)As, and the longitudinal sound velocities in the [111] direction of InxGa(1-x)As were thus directly determined by controlling the indium content x. We found that the sound velocity exhibits an obvious bowing with different alloy compositions and can be described as a quadratic function of VL(x)=458x2-1451x+5414. This result supports a nonlinear compositional dependence of the elastic constants of InxGa(1-x)As and indicates that the linear-interpolation approximation is inapplicable for estimating sound velocity in this specific case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immature developments of p-type ZnO and ZnO-related ternary or quaternary compound and the small lattice mismatch between ZnO and GaN stimulate interest in the hybrid growth of ZnO and GaN. In this research, we compared the nanostructures and optical properties of two ZnO thin-film samples grown under the same conditions but on different underlying materials (sapphire and GaN). With the high growth temperature of 450 °C, both samples show domain structures. However, in contrast to the sample of ZnO on sapphire, the sample of ZnO on GaN starts with smaller domains (a few tens of nanometers in width) of almost vertical boundaries at the interface and evolves into larger domains (around 100 nm in width). The 30° twist of the basal plane in ZnO with respect to its underlying sapphire does not occur in the sample of ZnO on GaN. Within a domain of ZnO on sapphire, misfit and threading dislocations can be periodically observed along the interface with the separation of about 8 nm. The transition of the lattice structure across the interface between ZnO and GaN was quite smooth, indicating the high heterojunction quality in this sample. The x-ray diffraction results showed that the crystalline quality of ZnO on GaN is slightly better than that of ZnO on sapphire. However, based on the thermal quenching behavior of integrated photoluminescence intensity, we estimated that the optical quality of the two samples is about the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C 4 photosynthesis is more efficient than C 3 photosynthesis for two reasons. First, C 4 plants have evolved efficient C 4 enzymes to suppress wasteful photorespiration and enhance CO 2 fixation. Second, C 4 leaves have Kranz anatomy in which the veins are surrounded by one layer of bundle sheath (BS) cells and one layer of mesophyll (M) cells. The BS and M cells are functionally well differentiated and also well coordinated for rapid assimilation of atmospheric CO 2 and transport of photo-assimilates between the two types of cells. Recent comparative transcriptomics of developing M and BS cells in young maize embryonic leaves revealed not only potential regulators of BS and M cell differentiation but also rapid early BS cell differentiation whereas slower, more prolonged M cell differentiation, contrary to the traditional view of a far simpler process of M cell development. Moreover, new upstream regulators of Kranz anatomy development have been identified and a number of gene co-expression modules for early vascular development have been inferred. Also, a candidate gene regulatory network associated with Kranz anatomy and vascular development has been constructed. Additionally, how whole genome duplication (WGD) may facilitate C 4 evolution has been studied and the reasons for why the same WGD event led to successful C 4 evolution in Gynandropsis gynandra but not in the sister species Tarenaya hassleriana have been proposed. Finally, new future research directions are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Dimer nanojunction. • Emissive material. • Plasmon-modulated photoluminescence mechanisms. Plasmonic nanojunctions can generate hot electrons around them under irradiation, and these hot electrons can interact with the emissive materials around the plasmonic nanojunctions, resulting in a change in the photoluminescence mechanism of emissive materials. The emission enhancement factors of nanocomposites under plasmon-modulated effects strongly depended on (1) electron transfer mechanisms: direction and driving force of electron transfer between compositions; (2) the position and number of hot electrons generated around the dimer nanojunction. Under carefully controlled irradiation conditions (wavelength/intensity), these nanocomposites exhibit two different plasmon-modulated photoluminescence mechanisms: (1) suppression of photoluminescence: the emission enhancement factors of nanocomposites composed of conducting polymers can reach − 67%; (2) enhancement of photoluminescence: the emission enhancement factors of nanocomposites composed of emissive molecule (organic dyes) or emissive semiconductor crystal can reach 300% and 700%, respectively. These results paved the way for designing highly emissive composites for optically stimulated optoelectronic devices, solid-state lighting, biosensing et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Constructing a high-quality dataset for complex orchard scenes. • Proposing a multi-scale feature fusion Segformer semantic segmentation network. • Introducing a novel method to obtain accurate depth information of the targets. • Combining the semantic segmentation results with binocular vision. • The ranging error is less than 6 %, and the overall algorithm runs in 0.8 s. The automation of orchard production is increasingly relying on robotics, driven by the advancements in artificial intelligence technology. However, accurately comprehending semantic information and precisely locating various targets within orchard environments remain challenges. Current research often relies on expensive multi-sensor fusion techniques or vision-only approaches that yield inadequate segmentation outcomes for perceiving orchard surroundings. To address these issues, this article proposes a novel approach for target ranging in complex orchard scenes, leveraging semantic segmentation results. The article introduces the MsFF-Segformer model, which employs multi-scale feature fusion to generate high-precision semantic segmentation images. The model incorporates the MiT-B0 encoder, which utilizes a pure attention mechanism, and the MsFF decoder, specifically designed for multi-scale feature fusion. The MsFF decoder includes the AFAM module to effectively align features of adjacent scales. Additionally, the channel attention module and depth separable convolution module are introduced to reduce model parameter size and obtain feature vectors with rich semantic levels, enhancing the segmentation performance of multi-scale targets in orchards. Based on the accurate semantic segmentation outcomes in orchard environments, this study introduces a novel approach named TPDMR that integrates binocular vision to estimate the distances of various objects within orchards. Firstly, the process involves matching the semantic category matrix with the depth information matrix. Subsequently, the depth information array that represents the target category is obtained, and any invalid depth information is filtered out. Finally, the average depth of the target is calculated. Evaluation of the MsFF-Segformer model on a self-made orchard dataset demonstrates superior performance compared to U-net and other models, achieving a Mean Intersection over Union (MIoU) of 86.52 % and a Mean Pixel Accuracy (MPA) of 94.05 %. The parameters and prediction time for a single frame are 15.1 M and 0.019 s, respectively. These values are significantly lower than those of U-net, Deeplabv3+, and Hrnet models, with reductions of 84.1 %, 32.5 %, 5.9 % and 69.4 %, 59.7 %, 64.2 % respectively. The TPDMR method demonstrates a high level of accuracy and stability in target ranging, with a ranging error of less than 6 % across all targets. Furthermore, the overall algorithm runtime is estimated to be approximately 0.8 s, indicating efficient performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous mutation of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput detection methods. To better analyze the antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in vaccinated or infected subjects, we developed a multiplex detection named Barcode Bead Fluorescence (BBF) assay. These barcode beads were magnetic, characterized by 2-dimensional edges, highly multiplexed, and could be decrypted with visible light. We conjugated 12 magnetic barcode beads with corresponding nine spike proteins (wild-type, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and current omicrons), two nucleocapsid proteins (wild-type and omicron), and one negative control. First, the conjugated beads underwent serial quality controls via fluorescence labeling, e.g., reproducibility (R square = 0.99) and detection limits (119 pg via anti-spike antibody). Next, we investigated serums from vaccinated subjects and COVID-19 patients for clinical applications. A significant reduction of antibody levels against all variant beads was observed in both vaccinated and COVID-19 studies. Subjects with two doses of mRNA-1273 exhibited the highest level of antibodies against all spike variants compared to two doses of AZD1222 and unvaccinated. We also found that COVID-19 patients showed higher antibody levels against spike beads from wild-type, alpha, beta, and delta. Finally, the nucleocapsid beads served as markers to distinguish infections from vaccinated subjects. Overall, this study developed the BBF assay for analyzing humoral immune responses, which has the advantages of robustness, automation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• K. mikimotoi showed a strong capability to mobilize cellular P pool for growth under P deficiency. • PolyP only contributed approximately 1–3 % to particulate P in K. mikimotoi. • K. mikimotoi utilized P components other than polyP under P deficiency. • Cellular polyP was mobilized until severe P limitation. • PolyP may not play a crucial role in cellular P storage in dinoflagellates. Polyphosphate (polyP) has long been recognized as a crucial intracellular reservoir for phosphorus in microorganisms. However, the dynamics of polyP and its regulatory mechanism in eukaryotic phytoplankton in response to variations in external phosphorus conditions remain poorly understood. A comprehensive investigation was conducted to examine the intracellular polyP-associated metabolic response of the dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi , a harmful algal bloom species, through integrated physiological, biochemical, and transcriptional analyses under varying external phosphorus conditions. Comparable growth curves and Fv/Fm between phosphorus-replete conditions and phosphorus-depleted conditions suggested that K. mikimotoi has a strong capability to mobilize the intracellular phosphorus pool for growth under phosphorus deficiency. Intracellular phosphate (IPi) and polyP contributed approximately 6–23 % and 1–3 %, respectively, to the overall particulate phosphorus (PP) content under different phosphorus conditions. The significant decrease in PP and increase in polyP:PP suggested that cellular phosphorus components other than polyP are preferred for utilization under phosphorus deficiency. Genes involved in polyP synthesis and hydrolysis were upregulated to maintain phosphorus homeostasis in K. mikimotoi. These findings provide novel insights into the specific cellular strategies for phosphorus storage and the transcriptional response in intracellular polyP metabolism in K. mikimotoi. Additionally, these results also indicate that polyP may not play a crucial role in cellular phosphorus storage in phytoplankton, at least in dinoflagellates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iridium (III) complexes have attracted much attention as electrochemiluminescence (ECL) luminophores, but their inferior ECL efficiency (Φ ECL) in the aqueous solutions has impeded further applications. Herein, meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphine (TCPP) was developed as interfacial charge mediator to dramatically enhance aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL) of tris (2-phenylpyridine) iridium(Ⅲ) (Ir(ppy) 3), thus improving its Φ ECL. As an interfacial charge mediator, TCPP can efficiently accelerate the electrooxidation of Ir(ppy) 3 through higher hole transport kinetics. Meanwhile, it is found that its rigid structure can suppress the motions of Ir(ppy) 3 to elevate radiative transition efficiency in emission process. Thus, a significantly enhanced AIECL was achieved for aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) Ir(ppy) 3 @TCPP. Compared to monomer Ir(ppy) 3 , Ir(ppy) 3 @TCPP increased ECL efficiency by 18 times. Ir(ppy) 3 @TCPP served as AIEgens to construct ECL biosensor for detecting miRNA-126. Strand-displacement amplification (SDA) coupled with rolling-circle amplification (RCA) for improving the conversion efficiency of target miRNA-126. The integration of excellent AIECL characteristics of Ir(ppy) 3 @TCPP and outstanding amplification efficiency of SDA-RCA endowed sensing system with high sensitivity. The limit of detection (LOD) was as low as 17 aM. This work creatively exploited interfacial charge modulation as an effective way to enhance AIECL efficiency. The prepared Ir(ppy) 3 @TCPP provided much attractive ECL system for bioanalysis. • Interfacial charge modulation was explored to improve AIECL efficiency. • TCPP could accelerate electrooxidation of Ir(ppy) 3 and suppress Ir(ppy) 3 motions. • SDA was coupled with RCA for improving conversion efficiency of target miRNA-126. • AIECL characteristics combined with dual nucleic acid amplification endowed bioassay with high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A Domain-adversarial Neural Network based damage detection method for bridge structures. • The domain invariant feature space between the source and target domain is extracted by adversarial training. • The damage label information is transferred from the source domain to the target domain for damage detection. • The proposed method can reduce the distribution gap and achieve higher damage detection accuracy. Bridge damage detection methods based on moving load induced response and deep learning are popular, and they are effective when the training data generated by a finite element model (FEM) and the testing data measured from the actual bridge have the same distribution. However, their distributions are normally different due to the measurement and model error. This paper proposes a Domain-adversarial Neural Network (DANN) based damage detection method for bridge structures. The moving load induced displacement responses of the FEM and the actual bridge are taken as network inputs, and the feature space with the minimum differentiation between the edge distributions of the FEM (source domain) and the actual bridge (target domain) is extracted by adversarial training between the domain discriminator and the feature extractor. This feature space is a domain invariant feature of the source domain and the target domain and contains damage information only. Thus the damage label information is transferred from the source domain to the target domain for damage detection. Numerical and experimental examples manifest that the proposed method can reduce the distribution gap between the source domain and the target domain, and achieve higher damage detection accuracy than that of the traditional deep learning method by using a small number of sensors without a large amount of damage label data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multifunctional fluorescent sensor Zn-MOF was successfully prepared by hydrothermal reaction, Zn2+ as node, 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl)-benzene (L) and chiral ligands D(+)-camphoric acid (D-H 2 cam) as linkers. The study of fluorescence properties revealed that it was a multifunctional fluorescence sensor could not only be used to distinguish for HSO 4 −, but also could be used to detect acidic amino acids (Glu, Asp) and relay determination for basic amino acids (Arg, Lys). [Display omitted] • A multifunctional fluorescence sensor Zn-MOF is successfully synthesised. • It can be used to detection of HSO 4 −, acidic amino acids and relay recognition for basic amino acid. • This sensor is fast response, high selectivity, sensitivity, anti-jamming, and recyclability. A multifunctional fluorescent sensor Zn-MOF was successfully prepared by hydrothermal reaction, Zn2+ as node, 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl)-benzene (L) and chiral ligands D(+)-camphoric acid (D-H 2 cam) as linkers. It had been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), circular dichroism (CD), chromaticity coordinates (CIE) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The study of fluorescence properties revealed that the multifunctional fluorescent sensor Zn-MOF exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity to detect HSO 4 − or glutamate (Glu)/aspartic (Asp) by "Turn Off" the emission. Furthermore, the in situ generated [Zn-MOF + Glu/Asp] system was used for the relay detection of arginine (Arg)/lysine (Lys) without separation and purification and exhibited a new fluorescence "Turn On" signal under the same conditions. In addition, the sensing process possessed out-standing cost-saving, rapid responsiveness as well as recyclability in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric technology is attractive for waste heat recovery and clean energy; it is highly desired as a potential power supply. In this paper, we investigated the stability, elastic, electronic structures and thermoelectric properties of unexplored 2D materials, GeSb 2 Te 4 and GeBi 2 Te 4 , which deliver high stability, acceptable cleavage energies (0.32–0.33 J/m2), and narrow band gaps of 0.80 and 0.69 eV. We also revealed that the septuple layers possess anisotropic electron and hole mobilities of about 1593.71/791.50 and 522.04/240.52 cm2/Vs, which result in high conductivities of 107–108 S/m, as well as desirable thermoelectric power factors of 28.08–70.382 mW/Km2. Besides, owing to the low group velocities and strong dissipative scattering for low-lying phonons, the materials inherit the low lattice thermal conductivities of 1.51 and 0.41 W/mK. As a result, their thermoelectric figure of merit reaches 1.60 and 1.70 at 300 K, and rises further to 3.80 and 4.16 at 700 K. Together, 2D GeSb 2 Te 4 and GeBi 2 Te 4 are suitable candidates for low-medium temperature thermoelectric application. • 2D GeSb 2 Te 4 and GeBi 2 Te 4 have high stability, and acceptable cleavage energies of 0.32–0.33 J/m2. • They possess band gaps of 0.80 and 0.69 eV, and show carrier mobility of 102−103 cm2/Vs. • They exhibit low lattice thermal conductivities of 1.51 and 0.41 W/mK, high ZT of 1.60 and 1.70 at 300 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C24H26Cu2N8O27, triclinic, P1 (no. 2), a = 4.7705(1) Å, b = 14.6219(5) Å, c = 14.7418(3) Å, α = 61.225(3)°, β = 85.342(2)°, γ = 83.938(2)°, V = 895.73(5) Å3, Z = 1, Rgt(F) = 0.0485, wRref(F2) = 0.1341, T = 170.0 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebellum has been implicated in drug addiction; however, its underlying cellular populations and neuronal circuitry remain largely unknown. In the current study, we identified a neural pathway from tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive Purkinje cells (PCTH+) in cerebellar lobule VI to calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-positive glutamatergic neurons in the medial cerebellar nucleus (MedCaMKII), forming the lobule VI PCTH+-MedCaMKII pathway in male mice. In naive male mice, inhibition of PCTH+ neurons activated Med neurons. During conditioned place preference (CPP) training, exposure to methamphetamine (METH) inhibited lobule VI PCTH+ neurons while excited MedCaMKII neurons in mice. Silencing MedCaMKII using a tetanus toxin light chain (tettox) suppressed the acquisition of METH CPP in mice but resulted in motor coordination deficits in naive mice. In contrast, activating lobule VI PCTH+ terminals within Med inhibited the activity of Med neurons and subsequently blocked the acquisition of METH CPP in mice without affecting motor coordination, locomotor activity, and sucrose reinforcements in naive mice. Our findings identified a novel lobule VI PCTH+-MedCaMKII pathway within the cerebellum and explored its role in mediating the acquisition of METH-preferred behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiggers are a group of ectoparasites and they are the vector of scrub typhus. Although the Ryukyu mouse (Mus caroli) is a common species of rodent in some outdoor habitats, few studies are about the mouse itself and its ectoparasites. To date, there has been no specific report on chiggers of M. caroli. Based on the field investigation in southwest China from 2001 to 2019, this paper reported the infestation and distribution of chiggers on M. caroli for the first time. Among the 91 sites investigated, 263 Ryukyu mice were captured at 18 sites, and 678 chiggers were collected from the mice. The collected chiggers were identified to be one family, two subfamilies, six genera, and 16 species with relatively low species diversity. The overall infestation prevalence (PM), mean abundance (MA), and mean intensity (MI) were PM = 27.38%, MA = 2.58 chiggers/per mouse, and MI = 9.42 chiggers/per mouse respectively. The dominant chigger species are Walchia ewingi and W. micropelta with a total constituent ratio of Cr = 94.10% (638/678), and they were of aggregated distribution among different individuals of the host M. caroli. The distribution of two dominant chigger species seemed to be mutually independent with the association coefficient V ≈ 0 (p < 0.001). The infestation (PM, MA, and MI) of M. caroli with chiggers greatly fluctuated in different geographical landscapes, altitudes, and latitudes with an obvious environmental heterogeneity. The male and adult M. caroli harbored much more chigger mites with significantly higher infestations (PM, MA and MI) than the female and juvenile mice. The theoretical curve of species abundance distribution of the chigger mite community on M. caroli was fitted by Preston lognormal distribution model with fitting goodness R2 = 0.77. Based on the iChao1 formula, the expected total number of chigger species on the mice was estimated to be 24 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic review was used to evaluate the relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA) in preschoolers. PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were searched for terms related to preschoolers' FMS and PA from the establishment to July, 2022. 21 cross-sectional studies and 5 longitudinal studies with 6561 preschoolers were included. There was a significant positive association between FMS and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (r = 0.25, 95%CI 0.22∼0.27) and total physical activity(TPA) (r = 0.23, 95%CI 0.19∼0.27). The locomotor and object control skills were significant positive association with both MVPA and TPA. There is a significant positive association between FMS and MVPA as well as between FMS and TPA, indicating the movement proficiency is associated with increased PA and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An economical and stable single-shot pulse picker design without dispersion, nonlinear effect, and limitation on wavelength is proposed. This design is composed of a periodic pulse blocker (PPB), a control unit, and a mechanical shutter. It has successfully been applied to the commercial high-fluence femtosecond laser with 11-mm beam diameter, 2-mJ pulse energy, and 1-kHz repetition rate. Significantly, by incorporating commercial optical choppers equipped with custom-designed chopper blades in the PPB, this design can accommodate lasers with fluences reaching 610 mJ/cm2 and the standard 1 kHz repetition rate typical of high-fluence lasers. Furthermore, the proposed design provides a cost-effective substitute compared to using electro-optic modulators or acousto-optic modulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-specific sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy is applied to study the molecular configuration of short-chain n-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs with n = 2–6) on the Au surface. For monolayers with n ≥ 3, the alkanethiols are upright-oriented, with the CH3 tilt angle varying between ∼33° and ∼46° in clear even–odd dependency. The ethanethiol monolayer (n = 2) is, however, found to exhibit a distinct lying-down configuration with a larger methyl tilt angle (67°–79°) and a smaller CH2 tilt angle (56°–68°). Such a unique configurational transition from n = 2 to n ≥ 3 discloses the steric effect owing to chain–chain interaction among neighboring molecules. Through density functional theory calculations, the transition is further confirmed to be energetically favorable for thiols on a defective reconstructed Au(111) surface but not on the pristine one. Our study highlights the roles of the chain–chain interaction and the substrate surface atomic structure when organizing SAMs, offering a strategic pathway for exploiting their applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) is a novel oncogene overexpressed in several human cancers, but specific contributions to endometrial carcinoma (EC) have not been examined. The aims of this study were to evaluate the GOLPH3 expression in EC and investigate its functions in EC cell proliferation, migration, and survival. METHODS: The expression levels of GOLPH3 in EC patient samples and EC cell lines (HEC-1A, KLE, RL95-2, and Ishikawa) were examined using qRT-PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Further, EC cell lines with either ectopic GOLPH3 overexpression or knockdown were established, and the effects on proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration were investigated in vitro using cell viability and transwell assays and in mice following cell injection. RESULTS: Compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues, expression of GOLPH3 was significantly upregulated in EC tissues (P < 0.05), and the expression level of GOPLPH3 was related to the grade of the tumor (P < 0.05). The expression of GOLPH3 was also higher in all four EC cell lines than endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) (P < 0.05). Moreover, GOLPH3 expression was greater in EC cell lines with high invasive capacity than in non-invasive EC cells (P < 0.05). Knockdown of GOLPH3 inhibited EC cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis in vitro. Further, knockdown of GOLPH3 also inhibited EC cell invasion and migration in vitro and in vivo by regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Conversely, GOLPH3 overexpression promoted proliferation and migration. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that GOLPH3 promotes EMT and metastasis of EC cells and predicts the risk of EC progression, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for this malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adherence to rehabilitation is beneficial to patients with hip fracture. However, the relationships between different levels of adherence and postoperative recovery among older adults after hip fracture have not been addressed thoroughly in the literature. Objectives: The aims of this study were to explore the trajectories of adherence to home-based rehabilitation during the 12-month period after hospital discharge and to examine the effects of adhering to prescribed home-based rehabilitation on postoperative recovery of physical functions. Methods: We employed a secondary data analysis, and 88 hip-fractured older adults with diabetes were recruited. The Chinese Barthel Index was used to measure daily physical functions, a goniometer was used to measure range of motion, and the MicroFET2 dynamometer was used to measure muscle power. Adherence was measured as the rate of adherence to the suggested frequency of home-based rehabilitation activities. Results: Adherence to home-based rehabilitation decreased over time. The high-adherence group was more likely to recover prefracture physical functions than was the low-adherence group, and the high-adherence group had better self-care abilities, greater range of motion for ankle extension, and higher muscular strength on both adduction and abduction than did the low-adherence group. Discussion: The results of our study suggest that patients adhere to more than 50% of prescribed rehabilitation. Future studies should continue to explore interventions to enhance rehabilitation adherence after hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy is a common treatment option for head and neck cancer patients; however, the surrounding healthy salivary glands are often incidentally irradiated during the process. As a result, patients often experience persistent xerostomia and hyposalivation, which deceases their quality of life. Clinically, there is currently no standard of care available to restore salivary function. Repair of epithelial wounds involves cellular proliferation and establishment of polarity in order to regenerate the tissue. This process is partially mediated by protein kinase C zeta (PKCζ), an apical polarity regulator; however, its role following radiation damage is not completely understood. Using an in vivo radiation model, we show a significant decrease in active PKCζ in irradiated murine parotid glands, which correlates with increased proliferation that is sustained through 30 days post-irradiation. Additionally, salivary glands in PKCζ null mice show increased basal proliferation which radiation treatment did not further potentiate. Radiation damage also activates Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), a proliferation-inducing mitogen-activated protein kinase normally inhibited by PKCζ. In both a PKCζ null mouse model and in primary salivary gland cell cultures treated with a PKCζ inhibitor, there was increased JNK activity and production of downstream proliferative transcripts. Collectively, these findings provide a potential molecular link by which PKCζ suppression following radiation damage promotes JNK activation and radiation-induced compensatory proliferation in the salivary gland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive sintering of crushed metals and carbon is advantageous for preparing toughened complete solid‐solution cermets (CSCs). Here, dual‐grained (Ti0.6, W0.4)C–18Ni cermets were prepared using a two‐step carbonization method. High‐energy milling of Ni–Ti–W–C (Ni(Ti0.6, W0.4)4C) mixture afforded NiTiW solid solution, which was then transformed into Ni6W6C by heating at 1250°C. Twinned (Ti, W)C platelets were formed by the carbonization of Ni2W4C during liquid sintering. W atoms that accumulated in the (111) planes of TiC promoted the {111} twin formation, leading to sandwich‐type (Ti, W)C platelets. Dense (Ti0.6, W0.4)C–18Ni cermets were obtained by hot isostatic press sintering in Ar with satisfactory Hv of 12.8 ± 0.2 GPa, high strength of 1960 ± 84 MPa and toughness of 15.80 ± 0.6 MPa·m1/2. A higher sintering temperature or graphite content accelerated the carbonization, resulting in coarser platelets with decreased aspect ratio. This study provides a new approach to modify the microstructure of CSCs and a method for preparing dual‐grained cermets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a micro-ring resonator model based on gallium nitride (GaN) and graphene, which exhibits tunable properties of nonlinearity. It provides a great bandwidth covering from visible to telecommunication band. Especially, based on the characteristic of GaN, it has unique advantages in shorter wavelength, which is used for demonstrating the ultrafast signal processing including wavelength conversion, temporal amplification and pulse compression. Moreover, the tunable signal processing is achieved via the method of applying additional bias voltage to graphene without changing the geometric dimension of the device. These results have significant potential applications of nonlinear optics and optical communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Optical redox imaging (ORI), based on collecting the endogenous fluorescence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and oxidized flavoproteins (Fp) containing a redox cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), provides sensitive indicators of cellular metabolism and redox status. ORI indices (such as NADH, FAD, and their ratio) have been under investigation as potential progression/prognosis biomarkers for cancer. Higher FAD redox ratio (i.e., FAD/(FAD + NADH)) has been associated with higher invasive/metastatic potential in tumor xenografts and cultured cells. This study is to examine whether ORI indices can respond to the modulation of oncogene DEK activities that change cancer cell invasive/metastatic potential.Procedures: Using lentiviral shRNA, DEK gene expression was efficiently knocked down in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells (DEKsh). These DEKsh cells, along with scrambled shRNA-transduced control cells (NTsh), were imaged with a fluorescence microscope. In vitro invasive potential of the DEKsh cells and NTsh cells was also measured in parallel using the transwell assay.Results: FAD and FAD redox ratios in polyclonal cells with DEKsh were significantly lower than that in NTsh control cells. Consistently, the DEKsh cells demonstrated decreased invasive potential than their non-knockdown counterparts NTsh cells.Conclusions: This study provides direct evidence that oncogene activities could mediate ORI-detected cellular redox state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) is a catastrophic epileptic encephalopathy which developed the refractory status epilepticus following or during a nonspecific febrile illness. To analyze the short-term and long-term outcome of FIRES in the children, we retrospectively analyzed the related data. The motor outcome was evaluated by modified Rankin scale (mRS). Poor motor outcome was defined as a mRS score of 4 or higher at discharge. Significant motor decline was defined as the mRS difference more than 2 before hospital admission and at discharge. We totally enrolled 25 patients for analysis. Four patients were expired during hospitalization, and one patient was lost to follow-up after discharge. Therefore, a total 20 patients were finally analyzed. The age of disease onset ranged from 1.6 to 17.2 years (mean: 9.6 ± 4.4 years). Newly acquired epilepsy and cognitive deficit occurred in 100% and 61%, respectively. The duration of the anesthetic agents ranged from 7 to 149 days (mean: 34.2 ± 36.1 days). The duration of anesthetic agent usage (p = 0.011), refractory epilepsy (p = 0.003), and the use of ketogenic diet (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with the poor long-term motor outcome, and the number of anesthetic agents tended to be associated with the poor long-term motor outcome (p = 0.050). In-hospital mortality was 16%. Significant functional decline at discharge occurred in 100%. However, there was improvement in long-term follow-up. The outcome of FIRES is poor with significant mortality and morbidities. Refractory epilepsy with cognitive deficit in survived cases is common, but improvement is possible. • The FIRES is a epileptic encephalopathy which develops refractory status epilepticus following or during a febrile illness. • The duration of anesthetic agent usage and refractory epilepsy were associated with poor long-term motor outcome. • The outcome of FIRES is poor with significant mortality and morbidities. • Refractory epilepsy with cognitive deficit in survived cases is common, but improvement is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While men are known to be at high risk of recurrent injuries from physical violence, the risk factors in African men have not been investigated. We conducted a matched case-control study to identify factors associated with recurrent injuries from physical violence in The Gambia. Eligible participants were injured male patients aged ≥ 15 years. Over the 12-month study period, 257 cases with recurrent injuries from physical violence, and 257 control patients each from two control groups (violence controls and nonviolence controls) were recruited from eight emergency rooms located in six districts of the Greater Banjul Metropolitan Area, The Gambia. The two control groups matched cases at the same health facility, date of injury, and age, in which violence controls (VCs) experienced only one violence-related injury in the past 12 months and nonviolence controls (NCs) experienced no violence-related injuries. Results of the multivariable conditional logistic regression showed that for both the VC and NC groups, a polygamous family (ORVC, 3.62; ORNC, 2.79), > 8 family members (ORVC, 5.60; ORNC, 4.81), being brought up by a family relative (ORVC, 5.17; ORNC, 2.11), having smoked cigarettes in the past week (ORVC, 3.53; ORNC, 4.03), and perceiving no family support (ORVC, 1.12; ORNC, 1.19) were significantly associated with the occurrence of recurrent violent injuries. Furthermore, compared to the NCs, three additional factors of > 2 male siblings (ORNC, 1.84), low household income (ORNC, 3.11), and alcohol consumption in the past week (ORNC, 4.66) were significantly associated with the occurrence of recurrent violent injuries. These findings may fill in a knowledge gap that will be beneficial for developing effective intervention programs to reduce recurrent injuries from physical violence among African men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided (UG) versus fluoroscopy-guided (FG) percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Methods: A systematic search of PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials that compared UG-PCNL with FG-PCNL, and a meta-analysis of those studies was completed. The primary outcomes assessed were stone-free rate (SFR) and complication rate. Secondary outcomes assessed were the successful access-creation rate, time necessary for entrance into the target calyx, auxiliary procedure rate, transfusion rate, hemoglobin decrease after surgery, surgery duration, and hospital stay. Results: Eight studies comprising 966 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with FG-PCNL, UG-PCNL had comparable stone-free rates [odds ratio (OR) 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67–1.35; p = 0.79] irrespective of the patient's position, and a favorable safety profile resulting in a lower complication rate (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.36–0.86; p = 0.009). No statistical difference was found between UG and FG groups in secondary outcomes. Conclusions: UG-PCNL is as effective as FG-PCNL and has the advantage of lower complication rates. In addition, UG-PCNL could be performed with patients in the supine position without compromising its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious sleep disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of paused or shallow breathing during sleep. Patients with OSA often have excessive daytime sleepiness. The role of cigarette smoking in OSA remains controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and OSA. METHODS In this retrospective chart review, we reviewed 18-month sleep laboratory charts in central Taiwan. We collected data regarding sleep, current cigarette smoking status, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), neck circumference, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, and polysomnographic sleep parameters. In total, 733 subjects were recruited; among these, 151 were smokers and 582 were nonsmokers. RESULTS Smokers had significantly higher apnea--hypopnea index (p<0.001) for non-rapid eye movement sleep stage, higher apnea--hypopnea index (p<0.001) for total sleep time, and higher snore frequency (p<0.001) in t-test analysis. They also demonstrated higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, shorter sleep times, lower percentage of slow-wave (deep) sleep, and longer snore times. However, no significant association was found between cigarette smoking and OSA after adjusting for sex, age, and BMI (OR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.66--1.57). CONCLUSIONS We did not find any significant association between cigarette smoking and OSA after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI. Further well-designed prospective controlled cohort studies might clarify the relationship between cigarette smoking and OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Many reviews on the internet are contributed their time to evaluate which are largely transparent generally; however, How are these information valuable and useful to visitors before making a purchasing decision? As the reason, there is a need to understand the distal path of visitors concern. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of both perceived useful and valuable motivations on visitors' willingness to buy in the distal paths.Design/methodology/approach Web questionnaire survey.Findings Visitors' confirmation was the beginning to impact the intention to buy through only one distal path, perceived value (PV) and satisfaction.Research limitations/implications Even though the author tried his best to design and implement thoughtfully for this research, there are still some limitations. First, the results could be influenced by self-selection bias. The sample of respondents surveyed in this study consisted of young adults (58.90 percent were between the ages 21 and 25 years old), the majority of whom (54.79 percent) were students. Therefore, in the context of this study, the visitors surveyed were young and able to easily access information online. The phenomenon has been, proved by Hsu (2013), found, it still needs to explore further. Second, perceived usefulness did not have a significant impact on satisfaction which consistent with Tao et al. (2009) result. The data represent the response' feeling for now; it needs to be explored further. Third, it would also be worthwhile to investigate any obstacles, such as believable (Cheung et al., 2012) that might reduce the intentions to buy of visitors. Finally, recommendations and promotions have also been found to influence visitors' further purchasing behavior, such as extra buy (Tsao, 2013). These phenomena are worth investigating in future research.Practical implications To inspire visitors, information of reviews can be posted by offering positive or negative suggestions (e.g. good or bad experience); managers should improve their products or services from the suggestions of reviews and need to consider the distinctive influences of various aspects of reviews when promoting products and devising e-marketing strategies. Marketers should recruit and filter reviews to write positive suggestions of their own products or service. IS practitioners should post the reviews might need to provide more detailed information (e.g. the reasons of like or dislike). The posted information from reviews should be accurate, particularly aiming at visitors who are motivated by reviews' suggestions. All proposed measures are particularly important for visitors with sufficient reviews effects. Greater transparency of reviews might be achieved by more explicit reviews information (e.g. via like or dislike statements).Social implications The result provides a basis to generate concrete advice for owners about reviews concern to enhance visitors' PV. It seems sensible to pursue two strategies: first, enhance the visitors' PV to trigger motivation forward, and second, inspire the visitors to progress smoothly in the visiting stage.Originality/value The results of the expectation-confirmation theory applied to reviews recommendations how important to employ for enterprises. These reviews were either directly given by experienced users or at least validated with their help to visitors. Therefore, the value is building the distal bridge between visitors and customers through online general reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Four pairs of enantiomeric β -carboline alkaloids, (+/−)-kumudine A-D, along with their biosynthesis-related compound kumudine E, were obtained from the stems of Picrasma quassioides. Their structures, including the absolute configurations, were determined via extensive spectroscopic data combined with electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses and quantum mechanical ECD calculations. (+/−)-Kumudine A possessed a scaffold of β -carboline-phenylpropanoid adduct, which were the first examples of this type of β -carboline alkaloid from nature. The cytotoxicity assay against hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B and HepG2 cells was evaluated by SRB assay, which showed that (−)-Kumudine B had stronger effect than its enantiomer (+)-Kumudine B in Hep3B cells. Moreover, further flow cytometry analysis also supported the enantioselectivity between (+)-Kumudine B and (−)-Kumudine B, suggesting that the compounds caused death of hepatoma cells through apoptosis induction. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Nine undescribed β -carboline dimers were isolated from Picrasma quassioides. • Kumudine A was the first example of β -carboline-phenylpropanoid adduct from nature. • (+/−)-Kumudine B showed enantioselective inhibitory activity against Hep3B cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a disturbance compensation model predictive control (MPC) method is proposed to reduce rolling and control heading of a ship with only the rudder. The controller reduces rolling and heading error by estimating the lumped disturbance consisting of external disturbance and model mismatch and compensating its impact on the output with control actions. A disturbance observer is adopted to estimate the lumped disturbance. The MPC controller compensates the lumped disturbance by calculating the control actions considering the effects of the estimated lumped disturbance. Simulations are carried out to verify the performance of the proposed controller, which show that the proposed MPC controller possesses a better disturbance rejection performance compared with an LQR controller under the variation of wave disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Seven new tirucallane triterpenoids were isolated from Picrasma quassioides. • Compound 1 contains a rare Δ17, 20 double bond. • Compound 2 possessing a novel 5/3 biheterocyclic ring system at the side chain. • All 27 isolates were screened for the cytotoxicity against HepG2 and Hep3B cells. • Compound 3 mediated its activity associated with induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Abstract Seven new tirucallane-type triterpenoids (1 – 7), kumuquassin A-G, along with 20 known analogues (8 – 27) were isolated from the stems of Picrasma quassioides. The structures and the absolute configurations of new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic data, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses and quantum ECD calculations. Notably, kumuquassin A (1) contains a rare Δ17, 20 double bond, kumuquassin B (2) is the first example of tirucallane triterpenoid possessing a 5/3 biheterocyclic ring system at the side chain. All the compounds were screened for the cytotoxicity against two human hepatoma cell lines, HepG2 and Hep3B, and several compounds exhibited promising activity. The most potential compound 3 was selected for cell cycle analysis, which showed that 3 could cause an accumulation of HepG2 cells at subG1 peak. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining further confirmed that compound 3 caused death of hepatoma cells through apoptosis induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RTx is currently the best treatment for children with ESRD. This study retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of growth after RTx using the pediatric‐to‐pediatric allocation strategy and some factors that may affect it. From March 2012 to August 2016, 8 en bloc and 38 single pediatric RTxs were performed at our center using organs from small pediatric deceased donors (weight < 15 kg). Growth before and after RTx was analyzed according to the height‐for‐age z‐score at RTx, the 3‐year follow‐up, and adulthood and compared between the procedures. The chi‐square test and multiple linear regression analysis were used for statistical analyses. Overall, 79.2% of children were diagnosed with chronic nephritis before RTx; 14.6% of cases were due to congenital urinary tract malformation, and 6.3% of cases were due to unknown causes. All grafts and patients survived postoperatively. The mean estimated GFRs were 92.7 ± 28.6 mL/min/1.73 m2, 100.9 ± 32.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, and 110.1 ± 34.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 1, 2, and 3 years' postoperatively, respectively. The children's postoperative growth and development, particularly during the first year postoperatively, improved but were negatively correlated with age and the height‐for‐age z‐score before RTx. The growth of children after RTx was moderate and accelerated during prepubescence. The rate of post‐RTx growth during the first year postoperatively was unrelated to the recipient's sex or duration of dialysis (P > 0.05) but was negatively correlated with age at RTx (r = −0.349, P = 0.043). Future studies on the long‐term outcomes are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • This paper proposes a novel two-phase damage detection method for structures under a moving load. • The proposed method utilizes both wavelet signal processing and wavelet finite element model for damage detection. • The proposed method consists of two sequential phases, namely localization and quantification. • The proposed method is successfully validates it via a laboratory experiment of a scaled beam structure. Abstract This paper proposes a damage detection method with two phases, namely, localization and quantification, for beam structures subjected to moving load and successfully validates it via a laboratory experiment. Firstly, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is applied to decompose the displacement response change induced by a moving vehicle and locate potential structural damages. Then adaptive-scale wavelet finite element model (WFEM) updating is employed to estimate the damage severity in the identified damage regions in a progressive fashion. The elemental scales of WFEM are adaptively changed according to not only the moving vehicle position but also the progressively identified damage regions. Such a method can effectively minimize the number of modeling degree-of-freedoms (DOFs) and updating parameters during optimization. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method is examined through a laboratory experiment with different damage scenarios. The results indicate the proposed method can achieve good consistency between structural modeling, damage scenarios, and load conditions, as well as an optimal tradeoff between damage detection accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective: Left-behind children have a high incidence of behavioral problems in some Eastern countries, especially China. We sought to assess the combined effects of physical neglect, a major embodiment of the left-behind phenomenon, and the trauma of being left behind on subsequent behavioral problems. Method: 776 children (including 600 left-behind children) aged 12–16 years were chosen by cluster sampling in rural China. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and the Conners Teacher Rating Scale were used to evaluate physical neglect and behavioral problems. Results: Left-behind children experienced more physical neglect (mean difference = 0.63; 95%CI 0.15–1.10; P = 0.01) and were more inattentive (mean difference=0.11; 95%CI 0.03–0.19; P = 0.009) than non-left-behind children. Physically neglected left-behind children had higher scores for conduct problems, inattention, and hyperactivity index than non-left-behind without physical neglect group (P < 0.05 for each). Among left-behind children, physical neglect group had significantly more conduct problems than those of controls (mean difference=0.14; 95%CI 0.05–0.23; P = 0.008). Physically neglected non-left-behind children had higher scores for conduct problems than those of left-behind children without physical neglect (mean difference=0.31; 95%CI 0.13–0.47; P = 0.003). Among physically neglected children, left-behind children had significantly higher scores for inattention than those of non-left-behind children (mean difference=0.13; 95%CI 0.04–0.22; P = 0.037). Conclusion: Left-behind children have more behavioral problems than non-left-behind children. Physical neglect may result in more severe conduct problems than those associated with staying behind, and staying behind may lead to inattention. Exposure to both may lead to more obvious behavioral problems. Therefore, we should accord more attention to physically neglected and left-behind children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]