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Magnetic property (e.g. spin order) of support is of great importance in the rational design of heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, we have taken the Ni-supported ferromagnetic (FM) CrBr3 support (Nix/CrBr3) to thoroughly investigate the effect of spin-order on electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via spin-polarized density functional theory calculations. Specifically, Ni loading induces anti-FM coupling in Ni–Cr, leading to a transition from FM-to-ferrimagnetic (FIM) properties, while Ni–Ni metallic bonds create a robust FM direct exchange, benefiting the improvement of the phase transition temperature. Interestingly, with the increase in Ni loading, the easy magnetic axis changes from out-of-plane (2D-Heisenberg) to in-plane (2D-XY). The adsorption properties of Nix/CrBr3, involving O2 adsorption energy and configuration, are not governed by the d-band center but strongly correlate with magnetic anisotropy. It is noteworthy that the applied potential and electrolyte acidity triggers spin-order transition phenomena during the ORR and induces the catalytic pathway change from 4e− ORR to 2e− ORR with the excellent onset potential of 0.93 V/reversible hydrogen electrode, comparable to the existing most excellent noble-metal catalysts. Generally, these findings offer new avenues to understand and design heterogeneous catalysts with magnetic support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary A catalyst‐free and additive‐free ring‐opening reaction of polyfluoroalkyl peroxides, triethylenediamine (DABCO), and 1,2‐dichloroethane (DCE) has been developed for the defluorinative synthesis of structurally diverse piperazines featuring a fluoroenone framework and a N‐chloroethyl‐substituent with high Z‐stereoselectivity. The success of this three‐component reaction is attributed to the in situ generation of an active 1‐(2‐chloroethyl)‐1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octan‐1‐ium (DABCO·DCE) salt, which judiciously acts as a formal N‐(2‐chloroethyl)piperazine equivalent in the defluorinative coupling with less‐studied aliphatic fluorinated substances. Impressively, this reaction accomplishes multi‐activation of robust C(sp3)‐F, C(sp3)‐Cl, C(sp3)‐O, and C(sp3)‐N bonds in a one‐pot process, offering a practical platform for the late‐stage functionalization of complex molecules. Furthermore, the resulting products can not only serve as versatile building blocks for the synthesis of fluorinated heterocycles, but also undergo C—Cl bond displacement transformations with N‐, O‐, and S‐nucleophiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength aviation gears are notably challenging to grind, primarily due to an increased risk of grinding burn. Consequently, the precise and efficient prediction of the three-dimensional temperature distribution throughout the grinding process of aviation gears is crucial. This study focuses on aviation gear in 12Cr2Ni4A material, devising a dynamic, time-variant triangular heat source model alongside a method for calculating the three-dimensional grinding temperature field for aviation gears. By proposing an accurate loading algorithm for the boundary conditions of the moving heat source load on the spatially curved surface in the grinding area and then directly solving the heat transfer differential equation constructed in a fully discrete form based on the principle of minimum potential and the Ritz method, a high-strength aviation gear grinding temperature field prediction model has been established. The accuracy of this proposed method was confirmed through experimental temperature measurements of gear grinding and by comparing these results with those obtained from standard finite element software. The results show that the maximum relative error between prediction values and experimental data is less than 5%. Moreover, when contrasted with the simulation results of standard finite element software, the present approach exhibits superior computational efficiency and accuracy. The developed numerical method reliably forecasts the temperature distribution throughout the gear grinding process and provides a significant reference for precise and efficient temperature field calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in which neutrophils play a critical role. Immune-responsive gene 1 (IRG1), responsible for itaconate production, has emerged as an important regulator of inflammation and infection, but its role during M. pneumoniae infection remains unknown. Here, we reveal that itaconate is an endogenous pro-inflammatory metabolite during M. pneumoniae infection. Irg1 knockout (KO) mice had lower levels of bacterial burden, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and pro-inflammatory cytokines compared with wild-type (WT) controls after M. pneumoniae infection. Neutrophils were the major cells producing itaconate during M. pneumoniae infection in mice. Neutrophil counts were positively correlated with itaconate concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with severe M. pneumoniae pneumonia. Adoptive transfer of Irg1 KO neutrophils, or administration of β-glucan (an inhibitor of Irg1 expression), significantly attenuated M. pneumoniae pneumonia in mice. Mechanistically, itaconate impaired neutrophil bacterial killing and suppressed neutrophil apoptosis via inhibiting mitochondrial ROS. Moreover, M. pneumoniae induced Irg1 expression by activating NF-κB and STAT1 pathways involving TLR2. Our data thus identify Irg1/itaconate pathway as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of M. pneumoniae pneumonia. Author summary: M. pneumoniae is a common human pathogen that causes community-acquired pneumonia. Neutrophil infiltration has been widely recognized as a characteristic of M. pneumoniae pneumonia; however, the interaction between neutrophils and M. pneumoniae is not completely understood. Here we demonstrate a critical role of the Irg1/itaconate metabolic pathway in neutrophils in the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae pneumonia. We observe a positive correlation between neutrophil counts and itaconate levels in BALF from patients with severe M. pneumoniae pneumonia. We find that M. pneumoniae infection induces itaconate production in neutrophils, which dampens neutrophil bactericidal activity and impedes neutrophil apoptosis through inhibiting mitochondrial ROS (mtROS). Suppressing neutrophil itaconate production mitigates M. pneumoniae pneumonia in mice. We also find that M. pneumoniae induces Irg1 expression in neutrophils by activating NF-κB and STAT1 signaling pathways. Therefore, our findings suggest that targeting neutrophil itaconate production may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of M. pneumoniae pneumonia in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the current status of delirium care self-efficacy among nurses in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the level of their knowledge about delirium in the ICU, more importantly, to analyze factors influencing the delirium care self-efficacy of ICU nurses and to provide a theoretical basis for ICU nursing managers to develop strategies for effective delirium care and management. Methods: The study was based on a sample of 283 ICU nurses from eight hospitals in Chongqing selected using a convenience sampling method between July 2023 and September 2023. The tools used included a general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Delirium Care Self-Efficacy of ICU Nurses Scale, and the Chinese version of the ICU Delirium Knowledge Level Questionnaire. Results: The self-efficacy score (47.84 ± 9.93) of ICU nurses was positively correlated with the delirium knowledge level score (12.32 ± 3.47, r = 0.591, P < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified the gender of the nurse, hospital level (tier), duration of ICU work experience, whether the nurse was a specialized ICU nurse, whether the nurse received delirium-related training, and the level of knowledge about delirium (all P < 0.05) as the influencing factors for the delirium care self-efficacy of ICU nurses. Conclusion: It is recommended that ICU nursing managers offer targeted interventions based on the influencing factors to improve the delirium care self-efficacy of ICU nurses and their delirium knowledge levels, thereby reducing the incidence of delirium and improving the quality of care provided for patients with delirium in the ICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioactive iodine from nuclear waste poses a major threat to public safety due to its toxicity and long half-life. The capture and storage of radioactive iodine remains a major challenge. The incorporation of electron-rich heterocycles into the adsorbents could increase the adsorption capacity for iodine due to their strong interaction. In this study, three novel spiro-thioketal-based porous organic polymers, POPSP-1–3, were synthesized in excellent yields by a thiol-aldehyde polycondensation reaction. The polymers of POPSPs were thoroughly characterized using FT-IR, 13C-NMR, BET, and PXRD techniques. These analyses revealed that the polymers are amorphous in nature and have a low surface area. The iodine uptake capacities of POPSP-1, POPSP-2, and POPSP-3 were measured to be 4.13, 5.25, and 5.65 g g−1, respectively, at a temperature of 75 °C due to the increased density of the adsorption sites. Furthermore, the POPSPs exhibit exceptional adsorption performance in iodine/n-hexane solution and their effectiveness in removing iodine is excellent. This work provides a novel approach for the development of sulfur-rich porous organic polymers (POPs) as effective adsorbents for iodine capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modified furosemide responsiveness index (mFRI) is a novel biomarker for assessing diuretic response and AKI progression in patients with early AKI. However, the comparative predictive performance of mFRI and novel renal biomarkers for adverse renal outcomes remains unclear. In a single-center prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the discriminatory abilities of mFRI and other novel renal biomarkers in predicting AKI progression and prognosis in patients with initial mild and moderate AKI (KDIGO stage 1 to 2). Results: Patients with initial mild and moderate AKI within 48 h following cardiac surgery were included in this study. The mFRI, renal biomarkers (including serum or urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin [sNGAL or uNGAL], serum cystatin C, urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glycosaminidase [uNAG], urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio) and cytokines (TNF, IL-1β, IL-2R, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) were measured at AKI diagnosis. The mFRI was calculated for each patient, which was defined as 2-hour urine output divided by furosemide dose and body weight. Of 1013 included patients, 154 (15.2%) experienced AKI progression, with 59 (5.8%) progressing to stage 3 and 33 (3.3%) meeting the composite outcome of hospital mortality or receipt of renal replacement therapy (RRT). The mFRI showed non-inferiority or potential superiority to renal biomarkers and cytokines in predicting AKI progression (area under the curve [AUC] 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77–0.82), progression to stage 3 (AUC 0.87, 95% CI 0.85–0.89), and composite outcome of death and receipt of RRT (AUC 0.85, 95% CI 0.82–0.87). Furthermore, the combination of a functional biomarker (mFRI) and a urinary injury biomarker (uNAG or uNGAL) resulted in a significant improvement in the prediction of adverse renal outcomes than either individual biomarker (all P < 0.05). Moreover, incorporating these panels into clinical model significantly enhanced its predictive capacity for adverse renal outcomes, as demonstrated by the C index, integrated discrimination improvement, and net reclassification improvement (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: As a rapid, cost-effective and easily accessible biomarker, mFRI, exhibited superior or comparable predictive capabilities for AKI progression and prognosis compared to renal biomarkers in cardiac surgical patients with mild to moderate AKI. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04962412. Registered July 15, 2021, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04962412?cond=NCT04962412&draw=2&rank=1. Highlights: The mFRI is a rapid, cost-effective and easily accessible biomarker. The mFRI exhibited superior or comparable predictive capabilities for AKI progression and prognosis compared to renal biomarkers and cytokines in cardiac surgical patients with mild to moderate AKI. Combining the functional biomarker mFRI with a urinary injury biomarker (uNAG or uNGAL) enhanced predictive accuracy for adverse renal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel synthesis design approach to multimode resonant, azimuthal null frequency scanning antennas (ANFSAs) coordinated by null‐depth is presented. The antenna is composed of a principal radiator and an auxiliary one fed by different ports. A synthesis chart gauged by different null‐depths is developed to determine the respective exciting amplitude and phase conditions for the principal and auxiliary radiators. As is theoretically demonstrated and numerically verified, the ANFSA can exhibit an adjustable null‐depth varying from −12∼−30 dB. A three‐port unequal‐split power divider with the simplest configuration is properly designed, utilised and integrated to meet the oriented power and phase conditions. A prototype with in‐band null‐depth of −30 dB is designed, fabricated and validated in such a way that its available bandwidth can reach up to 32.7%, and the null can continuously scan from φ = 160°–275° in azimuth plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel method based on a numerical simulation approach and fatigue fracture theory to analyze the fracture behavior and assess the fatigue life of spring clips. To this end, the finite element (FE) model of the vehicle‐track‐foundation system was developed including the key parts of the type II fastening system. Meanwhile, the spring clip FE model was validated through the natural vibration characteristics. Subsequently, the numerical simulations were performed under various working conditions to obtain the fatigue characteristics of the spring clips. The fatigue crack initiation life and damage were analyzed using FE results for the spring clips with ε‐N curve and Brown‐Miller criterion. Moreover, based on the initial crack geometry of the spring clips, the maximum circumferential stress criterion with the Paris equation was employed to analyze the crack extension behavior and assess the fatigue crack extension life. Highlights: A novel approach is developed for fatigue assessment of spring clip.A FE model of vehicle‐track‐foundation system was built including fastening system.The Fracture behavior of the spring clip was reproduced.Fatigue characteristic of spring clips subjected to axle load is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study attempts to measure RMB real effective exchange rate (REER) equilibrium and its associated degree of misalignments for China using the behavioral equilibrium exchange rate (BEER) and permanent equilibrium exchange rate approaches. We use a range of economic fundamentals and employ yearly data covering the period 1980–2020, and apply the Johansen Cointegration test and other econometric methods for the study purpose. We find evidence of the existence of RMB real effective exchange rate equilibrium, and for most of the periods, the RMB REER is closer to its equilibrium level. We also find that the RMB REER misaligned with its equilibrium producing episodes of undervaluation and overvaluation, but the magnitude of the misalignments is small and the BEER approach produces a lower degree of misalignments. This suggests that the RMB undervaluation is moderate and not as exaggerated. We identify that the economic fundamentals used in this study are important determinants of RMB real effective exchange rate equilibrium. In line with the above, the study recommends that China may continue using its RMB exchange rate as its policy tool, but the policymakers should focus on the core fundamentals that derived the equilibrium exchange rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skyrmions, a stable topological vectorial textures characteristic with skyrmionic number, hold promise for advanced applications in information storage and transmission. While the dynamic motion control of skyrmions has been realized with various techniques in magnetics and optics, the manipulation of acoustic skyrmion has not been done. Here, the propagation and control of acoustic skyrmion along a chain of metastructures are shown. In coupled acoustic resonators made with Archimedes spiral channel, the skyrmion hybridization is found giving rise to bonding and antibonding skyrmionic modes. Furthermore, it is experimentally observed that the skyrmionic mode of acoustic velocity field distribution can be robustly transferred covering a long distance and almost no distortion of the skyrmion textures in a chain of metastructures, even if a structure defect is introduced in the travel path. The proposed localized acoustic skyrmionic mode coupling and propagating is expected in future applications for manipulating acoustic information storage and transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma start, development, and exacerbation have all been linked in numerous studies to exposure to a variety of metal elements. However, there is still a dearth of epidemiological data linking heavy metal exposure to death in asthmatics. The investigation included 2432 eligible adults with asthma. The study examined the possible correlation between blood heavy metal levels and all-cause mortality. This was done by utilizing Cox proportional hazards models, restricted cubic spline (RCS), threshold effect models, and CoxBoost models. Subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between blood metal levels and all-cause mortality among distinct asthmatic populations. An inverse association was found between blood selenium and all-cause mortality in asthmatics, while blood manganese showed a positive association with all-cause mortality. However, there were no significant connections found between blood lead, cadmium, mercury, and all-cause mortality via multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. In model 3, after accounting for all factors, all-cause mortality dropped by 10% for every additional 10 units of blood selenium (μg/L) and increased by 6% for every additional unit of blood manganese (μg/L). The RCS and threshold effect model found a U-shaped correlation between blood selenium, blood manganese, and all-cause mortality. The lowest all-cause mortality among asthmatics was observed when blood selenium and manganese were 188.66 μg/L and 8.47 μg/L, respectively. Our investigation found a U-shaped correlation between blood selenium levels, blood manganese levels, and all-cause mortality in asthmatic populations. Optimizing dietary selenium intake and effectively managing manganese exposure could potentially improve the prognosis of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant organ biomass allocation and morphological characteristics are important functional traits. The responses of plant root, stem, and leaf traits to heterogeneous habitats in floodplain wetlands are highly important for understanding the ecological adaptation strategies of riparian plants. However, the patterns of these responses remain unclear. In a floodplain wetland in the middle reaches of the Heihe River, we studied the responses of the root, stem, and leaf morphological traits and biomass allocation of Leymus secalinus to varying habitat conditions. We measured these traits in three sample plots, delineated based on distance from the riverbank: plot I (near the riparian zone, 50–150 m from the riverbank), plot II (middle riparian zone, 200–300 m from the riverbank), and plot III (far riparian zone, 350–450 m from the riverbank). The results showed that in plot I, L. secalinus tended to have slender roots and stems and small leaves, with a biomass allocation strategy that maximized the root–shoot ratio (RSR). In plot II, L. secalinus had thick stems and moderate leaf and root patterns, and the RSR values were between those of plot I and plot III. In plot III, L. secalinus had thin and short stems and large leaves; furthermore, among the root morphological structures, plot III had the shortest Rhizome length (RL) and longest Rhizome diameter (RD), and the RSR was the lowest. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between organ biomass and leaf thickness, stem length, RD, and RL in the three habitats (p < 0.05). By balancing the biomass allocation among organs, wetland plants in floodplains balance changes in root, stem, and leaf morphological characteristics to improve their environmental adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anoikis is a distinct type of programmed cell death and a unique mechanism for tumor progress. However, its exact function in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. This study aims to investigate the function of anoikis-related lncRNA (ar-lncRNA) in the prognosis of GC and its immunological infiltration. The ar-lncRNAs were derived from RNA sequencing data and associated clinical information obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Pearson correlation analysis, differential screening, LASSO and Cox regression were utilized to identify the typical ar-lncRNAs with prognostic significance, and the corresponding risk model was constructed, respectively. Comprehensive methods were employed to assess the clinical characteristics of the prediction model, ensuring the accuracy of the prediction results. Further analysis was conducted on the relationship between immune microenvironment and risk features, and sensitivity predictions were made about anticancer medicines. A risk model was built according to seven selected ar-lncRNAs. The model was validated and the calibration plots were highly consistent in validating nomogram predictions. Further analyses revealed the great accuracy of the model and its ability to serve as a stand-alone GC prognostic factor. We subsequently disclosed that high-risk groups display significant enrichment in pathways related to tumors and the immune system. Additionally, in tumor immunoassays, notable variations in immune infiltrates and checkpoints were noted between different risk groups. This study proposes, for the first time, that prognostic signatures of ar-lncRNA can be established in GC. These signatures accurately predict the prognosis of GC and offer potential biomarkers, suggesting new avenues for basic research, prognosis prediction and personalized diagnosis and treatment of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although people with dementia have leisure travel needs, no scholars appear to have empirically explored how to meet this group's needs as hotel guests. To bridge this research gap in tourism literature, the current study employed in-depth interviews to collect first-hand data from 15 travel-eligible tourists with early-stage dementia and 15 senior luxury hotel managers in China. Specifically, six key themes were extracted from Chinese hotel guests with dementia. Hotel managers' commentary on meeting travel-eligible tourists with dementia' needs during leisure travel led to three themes. Innovatively, this study further sheds light on possible contributions the tourism and hospitality industry makes to the global health field using the context of a vulnerable group – travel-eligible tourists in an ageing society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tailoring the specific properties to practical applications by structural modification is of vital importance for the envisioned development of two-dimensional ferroelectric materials. Herein, a comprehensive investigation on the effects of single doping on the ferroelectric properties and electronic transport in a monolayer of α-In2Se3 was carried out via the combination of first-principles density functional theory calculations and electron–phonon coupling simulations. Our results show that single-doping in In2Se3 can reduce effective mass of carriers and thereby enhance the high carrier mobility potential of the material. Moreover, the ferroelectric phonon mode in single-doped In2Se2X features a lower scattering rate, associating with the single-doping atom, and indicates reduced hindrance to carrier transport during ferroelectric switching. Compared to pristine In2Se3, the obtained smaller ferroelectric barriers (<1 eV) of single-doped ones promote more promising ferroelectricity from the analysis of the ferroelectric soft mode. Interestingly, the observed variations in ferroelectric behaviors resulting from doping of different elements highlight the significance of single-doping in modifying the ferroelectric properties of monolayers. Furthermore, strain engineering results reveal that single doping obviously affects the dependence of gap on strains: linear relationship for doping ones and nonlinearity for pristine one. Our study provides valuable insights into achieving higher carrier mobility in these critical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel soft template assisted strategy has been constructed to the size-tunable preparation of porous Cu−N−C/Surfactant catalysts successfully. The synergistic effects between the adjacent Cu ACs and atomically dispersed Cu-N 4 are favorable for manipulating the binding energy of O 2 adsorption and intermediates desorption at the atomic interface of catalysts, resulting in an excellent electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance with a faster kinetics for Cu−N−C/F127 comparable to the commercially available Pt/C catalyst. [Display omitted] In this paper, a novel, simple and mild soft template assisted strategy and further carbonization approach has been constructed to the size-tunable preparation of porous Cu−N−C/Surfactant catalysts successfully. Note that the pluronic F127 has a significant influence on the synthesis of porous Cu−N−C/F127 with the atomically dispersed Cu-N 4 and adjacent Cu atomic clusters (ACs) than other surfactants owing to their particular non-ionic structure. By combining a series of experimental analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the synergistic effects between the adjacent Cu ACs and atomically dispersed Cu-N 4 are favorable for manipulating the binding energy of O 2 adsorption and intermediates desorption at the atomic interface of catalysts, resulting in an excellent electrocatalytic ORR performance with a faster kinetics for Cu−N−C/F127 than those of the Cu−N−C, Cu−N−C/CTAB, Cu−N−C/SDS, and comparable with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. This method not only provides a novel approach for synthesizing highly effective copper based single atom catalysts toward ORR, but also offers an in-depth understanding of the synergisms of adjacent ACs on the Cu single atoms (SAs) for highly effective electrocatalytic ORR and Zn-air Battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The genus Hydrocotyle Tourn. ex L. is a key group for further study on the evolution of Apiales, comprising around 170 species globally. Previous studies mainly focused on separate sections and provided much information about this genus, but its infrageneric relationships are still confusing. In addition, the genetic basis of its adaptive evolution remains poorly understood. To investigate the phylogeny and evolution of the genus, we selected ten representative species covering two of three diversity distribution centers and exhibiting rich morphology diversity. Comparative plastome analysis was conducted to clarify the structural character of Hydrocotyle plastomes. Positive selection analyses were implemented to assess the evolution of the genus. Phylogenetic inferences with protein-coding sequences (CDS) of Hydrocotyle and 17 related species were also performed. Results: Plastomes within Hydrocotyle were generally conservative in structure, gene order, and size. A total of 14 regions (rps16-trnK, trnQ-rps16, atpI-atpH, trnC-petN-psbM, ycf3-trnS, accD-psaI-ycf4, petA-psbJ, rps12-rpl20, rpl16 intron, rps3-rpl16 intron, rps9-rpl22, ndhF-rpl32, ndhA intron, and ycf1a) were recognized as hotspot regions within the genus, which suggested to be promising DNA barcodes for global phylogenetic analysis of Hydrocotyle. The ycf15 gene was suggested to be a protein-coding gene for Hydrocotyle species, and it could be used as a DNA barcode to identify Hydrocotyle. In phylogenetic analysis, three monophyletic clades (Clade I, II, III) were identified with evidence of rapid radiation speciation within Clade I. The selective pressure analysis detected that six CDS genes (ycf1b, matK, atpF, accD, rps14, and psbB) of Hydrocotyle species were under positive selection. Within the genus, the last four genes were conservative, suggesting a relation to the unique evolution of the genus in Apiales. Seven genes (atpE, matK, psbH, ycf1a, ycf1b, rpoA, and ycf2) were detected to be under some degree of positive selection in different taxa within the genus Hydrocotyle, indicating their role in the adaptive evolution of species. Conclusions: Our study offers new insights into the phylogeny and adaptive evolution of Hydrocotyle. The plastome sequences could significantly enhance phylogenetic resolution and provide genomic resources and potential DNA markers useful for future studies of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shear-thinning hydrogels have emerged for endoscopic submucosal dissection, while wound intervention after surgery has rarely been mentioned. Herein, a catechol-modified chitosan hydrogel with shear-thinning property was developed for simultaneously facilitating endoscopic submucosal dissection and postoperative wound healing. Benefiting from the shear-thinning and self-healing characteristics, the asprepared hydrogel showed easily endoscopic injectability. It also performed very well as submucosal cushion, which could remain above 70% after injection for 120 min in ex vivo porcine large intestine model. In fact, the cushion height of normal saline dramatically decreased to 46% of the initial height at 30 min. Ag nanoparticles encapsulated into the network endowed the hydrogel with almost reached 100% antibacterial effect against E. coli and S. aureus. The hemolysis ratio of the hydrogel was calculated to be as low as 0.8%. Combined with good hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility, the as-prepared hydrogel displayed much higher in vivo wound closure and healing efficacy than normal saline. These results demonstrated the superiority of the shear-thinning chitosan hydrogel in facilitating clinical endoscopic submucosal dissection surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droplets oscillating on vibrating substrates are very interesting scientifically, with applications such as anti-icing, droplet transportation, and measuring dynamic surface tension. Reported here are the dynamics of droplets with different volumes on a vibrating smooth surface infused with liquid of different viscosities. The movement of the three-phase droplet contact line is used to quantify the droplet dynamics, and it is found that this movement is linearly proportional to the amplitude of the substrate and inversely proportional to the viscosity of the liquid infused therein. When the substrate viscosity is relatively low, the droplet volume also affects the contact-line movement. Scaling laws for the contact-line movement are derived involving the Ohnesorge number and the reciprocal of the capillary number. Also elucidated is the relationship between the resonance frequency and the substrate viscosity, and the characteristic droplet morphology under different substrate viscosities is extracted to describe the contact-line movement. Interestingly, the substrate viscosity is controlled in an innovative way to achieve almost the same contact-line movement on the present surface as on superhydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christianity and Buddhism, two of the most influential religions in the world, have given much thought to the concept of love, and both regard it as the basic spirit of their religions, but there are some essential differences between the two. Specifically speaking, the Lutheran theological tradition which has developed since the Reformation in the 16th century advocates the holy love entirely centered on God. In contrast, Buddhism affirms an uncontaminated love emanating from a compassionate heart. This article attempts to analyze and examine the fundamental assertations of the concept of love in Lutheran theology and the Buddhist concept of love in order to reveal the essential differences between the two religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter proposes a novel planar endfire circularly polarized antenna with widened half‐power beamwidth. Widened azimuth beamwidth mechanism of 2D sectorial electric dipole is theoretically revealed, thus it is able to combine with a rectangular magnetic dipole to yield a half‐power beamwidth widened planar endfire circularly polarized antenna. Finally, a prototype planar endfire circularly polarized antenna with sectorial flared angle of α = 270° is fabricated, simulated, and implemented to validate the design approach. As investigated, the antenna exhibits broadened azimuth half‐power beamwidth of 150° over a frequency range of 2.40–2.45 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the global warming getting worse and increasing demand for energy, countries around the world are trying to develop new energy storage technologies to solve this problem. Currently, potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) have attracted tremendous attention from researchers as low‐cost and high‐performance energy storage devices. However, due to the huge ionic radius of K+, PIBs face significant volume expansion during cycling, which can easily lead to the collapse of electrode structures. In addition, the poor diffusion kinetics of K+ seriously affect the electrochemical performance of the battery. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs)‐based materials (including CNFs, metal/CNFs composites, chalcogenide/CNFs composites, and other CNFs‐based materials) are widely used as PIBs electrode anode materials due to their three‐dimensional conductive network, heteroatom doping and excellent mechanical properties. This review discusses in detail the research progress of CNFs‐based materials in PIBs, including material preparation, structural design, and performance optimization. On this basis, this article explores the key issues faced by CNFs‐based materials and future development directions, and proposes improvement suggestions for providing new ideas for the development of CNFs‐based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Presently, the majority of investigations primarily evaluate the association between lipid profiles and asthma. However, few investigations explore the connection between lipids and mortality related to the disease. This study aims to explore the association of serum lipids with all-cause mortality within asthmatic adults. Methods: The investigation included 3233 eligible patients with asthma from the NHANES (2011–2018). The potential associations were explored using three Cox proportional hazards models, restricted cubic splines (RCS), threshold effect models, and CoxBoost models. In addition, subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate these associations within distinct populations. Results: After controlling all covariables, the Cox proportional hazards model proved a 17% decrease in the probability of death for each increased unit of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (mmol/L). Yet, there was no association seen between blood high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol, or triglyceride and all-cause mortality in asthmatics. The application of RCS and threshold effect models verified an inverse and linear association of LDL-C with all-cause mortality. According to the results from the CoxBoost model, LDL-C exhibited the most substantial impact on the follow-up status of asthmatics among the serum lipids. Conclusion: Our investigation concluded that in American asthmatic populations, LDL-C levels were inversely and linearly correlated with mortality. However, no independent relationship was found between triglycerides, total cholesterol, or HDL-C and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study investigates the genetic mechanisms underlying the spotted leaf phenotype in rice, focusing on the spl43 mutant. This mutant is characterized by persistent reddish-brown leaf spots from the seedling stage to maturity, leading to extensive leaf necrosis. Using map-based cloning, we localized the responsible locus to a 330 Kb region on chromosome 2. We identified LOC_Os02g56000, named OsRPT5A, as the causative gene. A point mutation in OsRPT5A, substituting valine for glutamic acid, was identified as the critical factor for the phenotype. Functional complementation and the generation of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout lines in the IR64 background confirmed the central role of OsRPT5A in controlling this trait. The qPCR results from different parts of the rice plant revealed that OsRPT5A is constitutively expressed across various tissues, with its subcellular localization unaffected by the mutation. Notably, we observed an abnormal accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in spl43 mutants by examining the physiological indexes of leaves, suggesting a disruption in the ROS system. Complementation studies indicated OsRPT5A's involvement in ROS homeostasis and catalase activity regulation. Moreover, the spl43 mutant exhibited enhanced resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), highlighting OsRPT5A's role in rice pathogen resistance mechanisms. Overall, our results suggest that OsRPT5A plays a critical role in regulating ROS homeostasis and enhancing pathogen resistance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In extended-reach or long-horizontal drilling, cuttings usually deposit at the bottom of the annulus. Once cuttings accumulate to a certain thickness, complex problems such as excessive torque and drag, tubing buckling, and pipe stuck probably occur, which results in a lot of non-productive time and remedial operations. Cuttings bed remover can efficiently destroy deposited cuttings in time through hydraulic and mechanical stirring effects. This paper aims to build a method for hole cleaning evaluation and installation spacing optimization of cuttings bed remover to improve the wellbore cleaning effect. Firstly, a Computational Fluid Dynamics approach with EulerianeEulerian multiphase model was utilized to investigate the mechanism of cuttings transportation, and a new type of cuttings bed remover was designed. Next, an evaluation method of hole cleaning effect of remover was established. After that, the effects of several drilling parameters on hole cleaning including flow rate of drilling fluid, rotational speed of drillpipe, rate of penetration, wellbore size, rheological property of drilling fluid, and remover eccentricity on the performance of cuttings bed remover were investigated. The results demonstrate that the new type of remover with streamline blade performs better than conventional removers. The efficiency of hole cleaning is greatly improved by increasing the rotational speed of drillpipe, flow rate of drilling fluid, remover eccentricity, and 6 rpm Fann dial reading for drilling fluid. While higher rate of penetration and large wellbore size result in worse hole cleaning. These findings can serve as an important guide for the structure optimization design of cuttings bed remover and installation spacing of removers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a novel design approach to wideband dual-mode resonant circularly polarized (CP) antenna is advanced. An analytical design approach with low complexity as supported by a set of closed-form formulas is presented. Thus, the wideband dual-mode CP characteristics can be forward predicted and simply realized by incorporating stub asymmetryenabled self-phase-shift dipoles and unequal feeding branches. At first, stubs are employed to broaden the impedance bandwidth by simultaneously exciting dual resonant modes. Then, the phase quadrature and equal magnitude conditions for wideband CP can be automatically realized by incorporating unequal Y-shaped microstrip branches and asymmetric slotline stubs. Finally, the coincidence between the simulated and measured results of the fabricated prototype antenna further confirms the feasibility of the design approach. It is shown that the presented antenna can exhibit an impedance bandwidth of 20.1% and a 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 16.3% in the boresight direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Presently, the majority of investigations primarily evaluate the correlation between triglyceride-glucose index (TyGI) with lung diseases, such as asthma. However, they did not delve into the correlation between TyGI and inflammatory responses related to the disease. Few studies have explored the association between TyGI and blood eosinophil count (BEOC). Thus, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data were used in this study to evaluate the correlation between TyGI and BEOC in individuals with asthma. Methods: This study investigated 3902 individuals with asthma. Linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between TyGI and BEOC in patients with asthma. Subsequently, the GAM and threshold effect models were used to validate the presence of either a nonlinear or linear association between TyGI and BEOC. Finally, stratified analyses were conducted to ascertain the correlations between different subgroups. Results: Four linear regression models confirmed a positive linear correlation between TyGI and BEOC in patients with asthma. In Model D, which controlled for all covariates, BEOC increased by 12.44 cells/uL for every extra unit of TyGI. The GAM and threshold effect models further verified the positive linear correlation between TyGI and BEOC. The XGBoost model indicated that the six most significant variables influencing BEOC, in order of relative importance, were age, cholesterol level, body mass index (BMI), poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), BNEUC, and TyGI. Conclusions: In patients with asthma, the study discovered a linear positive correlation between TyGI and BEOC. This indicates a potential connection between TyGI and alterations in the immune status of individuals with asthma, which may help detect abnormalities in a timely manner and provide a reference for clinical decision-making. This study offers fresh insights for the future exploration of the management and treatment of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olivine-rich lavas in the Margi area, Cyprus, are part of the boninitic Upper Pillow Lava series of the Troodos ophiolite. Re-Os isotope compositions of both whole rock and olivine phenocrysts of these lavas have been measured to determine the initial 187Os/188Os isotope compositions of the primary boninitic magma. The Margi lavas have high and variable whole rock Re-Os isotope compositions (187Re/188Os: 1.060–8.613; 187Os/188Os: 0.1307–0.1599), with (87Sr/88Sr) 90Ma (0.705936 ± 0.001021), ε Nd (90 Ma) (5.6 ± 2.5), and δ18O (8.59 ± 0.38 ‰). In contrast, olivine phenocrysts, which host spinel and melt inclusions, have low and constant 187Os/188Os from 0.1301 to 0.1336 and low 187Re/188Os from 0.1350 to 1.557. Initial 187Os/188Os of these olivine phenocrysts (0.1300 ± 0.0041) is lower than that of whole rock (0.1373 ± 0.0135). These facts indicate that the olivine phenocrysts faithfully record initial 187Os/188Os of the primary boninitic magmas, which are comparable to the 187Os/188Os of primitive mantle, whereas whole rock Re-Os isotopes have been affected by secondary processes after olivine crystallization. Further geochemical modeling indicates that, although Os can be mobilized during slab dehydration, the contribution of crustal Os is insufficient to significantly raise the 187Os/188Os of the mantle wedge in a nascent subduction zone. Overall, our findings provide new insights about Os recycling in the early stages of subduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The objective of this study is to evaluate the mean body mass index (BMI), general obesity and abdominal obesity in adults aged ≥40 years residing in China in 2020, and to analyse variations in these factors across different geographic areas and subpopulations. Methods: We utilized data from the National Stroke High‐Risk Population Screening programme to calculate and compare the mean BMI and prevalence of obesity across various demographics, including sex, age, urban‐rural locality, geographical region (province) and ethnicity status. Results: In our study, we found that the standardized mean BMI level was 24.65 kg/m2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 24.50‐22.84] in men and 24.31 kg/m2 (95% CI: 24.15‐24.45) in women. Using the criteria from China, we found that the standardized prevalence of general obesity and abdominal obesity was 13.13% (95% CI: 13.05‐13.21%) and 33.03% (95 CI: 32.92‐33.14%), respectively. Our study also identified significant effects of age, sex, urban‐rural locality, province and ethnicity status on the prevalence of obesity. Overall, our study estimated that in 2020, approximately 91.1 million adults aged ≥40 years in China were obese (46.5 million men and 44.6 million women), while 229.2 million adults (110.4 million men and 118.8 million women) were diagnosed with abdominal obesity. Conclusion: Our research has revealed compelling new evidence about the obesity epidemic among Chinese adults aged ≥40 years, particularly at the provincial and ethnic levels. As a result, more targeted and effective prevention strategies should be developed to alleviate the burden of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the inaccurate phoneme segmentation problem caused by the lack of consideration of Lao language tone changes and audio diversity in existing methods, this paper proposes an unsupervised phoneme segmentation method for Lao language with multi-feature interaction fusion. Firstly, self-supervised features, spectral features and pitch features are independently coded to avoid the insufficiency of a single feature. Secondly, multiple independent features are gradually fused based on the attention mechanism, so that the model can more comprehensively capture the information of Lao language tone changes and phoneme boundaries. Finally, a learnable framework is adopted to optimize the phoneme segmentation model. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the R-value by 27.88% on the Lao phoneme segmentation task compared with the baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unraveling uranium complexes has become a popular study topic in recent years to address the problem of spent fuel treatment. An important and promising investigation is the enantiomer separation of chiral organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) via uranyl‐containing receptors. Among them, malaoxon (MLX), as a chiral OP with high toxicity and good selectivity, is controversial because of the different toxicity differences caused by the R and S configurations to target and non‐target organisms. Therefore, it is crucial to explore effective methods for separating its enantiomers. In this work, a novel 2‐(9‐[1H‐pyrazole‐1‐carbonyl]‐1,10‐phenanthrolin‐2‐yl)‐1H‐inden‐1‐one (HPIDO) ligand, which combines with uranyl to form the chiral‐at‐uranium complex (Uranyl‐HPIDO receptor), was designed for the enantioseparation of R/S‐malaoxons (R/S‐MLXs). Based on density functional theory (DFT), we explored the potential coordination modes between the Uranyl‐HPIDO receptor and R/S‐MLXs at various sites. The analyses of bonding properties, orbital interactions, and weak interactions of intramolecular groups of the complexes, along with the study of thermodynamic properties, revealed that the Uranyl‐HPIDO receptor preferred to bind to the phosphoryl oxygen (O5) of R/S‐MLXs to form stable complexes. Good enantioseparations of the two enantiomers were achieved in various solvents (water, n‐Butanol, n‐Octanol, dichloromethane, propanoic acid, toluene, and cyclohexane); the separation factors (SFR/S) ranged 21–853, and the enantioselectivity coefficients (ESCR/S) were more than 95%. The findings could theoretically offer useful information and guidance for the separation of R/S‐MLXs, in addition to providing fresh concepts for the creation of novel uranyl receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional computer-aided design (CAD) tools based on keyboard and mouse interactions present challenges to efficiency and quality in terms of free creation, iteration efficiency, and operational experience. This paper proposes a multimodal interactive guiding grammar framework for virtual-reality modeling scenarios. In studies on the characteristics of multimodal combinations, the present heuristic method leads to a high cognitive load and experimental cost, and the heuristic is difficult. Therefore, we propose a two-stage heuristic method. Subsequently, we use this method to decompose the interaction task into two stages: modalities and interactive operations. A clearer and more specific reference for multimodal selection is provided for the interaction design phase, based on the two dimensions of modality and task. This can reduce the heuristic cost and difficulty of users in completing tasks in multimodal interaction scenarios. Finally, the proposed virtual modeling platform which is used for experimental verification, and the results shows that, compared with traditional modeling, the interactive modeling method built according to the results of modal interaction in this study can better satisfy users in terms of emotional experience. In the index evaluation, high scores are achieved, with an average score of 5 points (1 and 7 are the lowest and highest scores of the evaluation index, respectively), and the large-area distribution of high scores also shows a good user experience. To a certain extent, this method improves the interaction mode of the previous 3D modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reflect both fuzziness and hesitation in the evaluation of interactivity between attributes in the identification process of 2-order additive fuzzy measure, this work uses the hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (HFLTS) to describe and depict the interactivity between attributes. Firstly, the interactivity between attributes is defined by the supermodular game theory. According to this definition, a linguistic term set is established to characterize the interactivity between attributes. Under the linguistic term set, the experts employ linguistic expressions generated by context-free grammar to qualitatively describe the interactivity between attributes. Secondly, through the conversion function, the linguistic expressions are transformed into the hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTSs). The individual evaluation results of all experts were further aggregated with the defined hesitant fuzzy linguistic weighted power average operator (HFLWPA). Thirdly, based on the standard Euclidean distance formula of the hesitant fuzzy linguistic elements (HFLEs), the hesitant fuzzy linguistic interaction degree (HFLID) between attributes is defined and calculated by constructing a piecewise function. As a result, a 2-order additive fuzzy measure identification method based on HFLID is proposed. Based on the proposed method, using the Choquet fuzzy integral as nonlinear integration operator, a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) process is then presented. Taking the credit assessment of the big data listed companies in China as an application example, the analysis results of application example prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. This work successfully reflects both the fuzziness and hesitation in evaluating the interactivity between attributes in the identification process of 2-order additive fuzzy measure, enriches the theoretical framework of 2-order additive fuzzy measure, and expands the applicability and methodology of 2-order additive fuzzy measure in multi-attribute decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high efficiency thermocatalysts remains a great challenge for gaseous formaldehyde elimination. Herein, rare earth‐doped manganese dioxide (RE‐MnO2) particles with sizes of approximately 200 nm were deposited on corrugated silica carrier (CSC) by using cerium or samarium as dopants. One part of rare earth ions in RE‐MnO2/CSC were substituted for the manganese ions in α‐MnO2, and the other part existed in the form of cerium oxide or samarium oxide. RE‐MnO2/CSC exhibited better thermocatalytic activity than MnO2/CSC. The formaldehyde removal efficiency over RE‐MnO2/CSC reached nearly 100 % even after cycle tests of 5 times. Both the cerium and samarium doping accelerated HCHO oxidation via increasing lattice oxygen and Mn4+ amounts, improving low‐temperature redox properties, and reducing apparent activation energy. Notably, the RE oxides in the catalysts played different roles in HCHO degradation. Samarium oxide did not possess thermocatalytic activity, while cerium oxide in RE‐MnO2/CSC participated directly in the formaldehyde degradation via the CeO2↔Ce2O3 redox reaction and facilitated the oxidation of Mn2O3 into MnO2. This work revealed the effect mechanisms of RE doping and RE oxide on the enhanced thermocatalytic activity, and provided a novel viewpoint to develop RE‐doped catalysts for formaldehyde removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Source Region of the Yellow River (SRYR), renowned as the "Water Tower of the Yellow River", serves as an important water conservation domain in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, significantly influencing water resources within the basin. Based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model Hydrological modeling system (WRF-Hydro), the key variables of the atmosphere–land–hydrology coupling processes over the SRYR during the 2013 rainy season are analyzed. The investigation involves a comparative analysis between the coupled WRF-Hydro and the standalone WRF simulations, focusing on the hydrological response to the atmosphere. The results reveal the WRF-Hydro model's proficiency in depicting streamflow variations over the SRYR, yielding Nash Efficiency Coefficient (NSE) values of 0.44 and 0.61 during the calibration and validation periods, respectively. Compared to the standalone WRF simulations, the coupled WRF-Hydro model demonstrates enhanced performance in soil heat flux simulations, reducing the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of surface soil temperature by 0.96 K and of soil moisture by 0.01 m3/m3. Furthermore, the coupled model adeptly captures the streamflow variation characteristics with an NSE of 0.33. This underscores the significant potential of the coupled WRF-Hydro model for describing atmosphere–land–hydrology coupling processes in regions characterized by cold climates and intricate topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To understand the current situation and characteristics of chronic disease comorbidities among the elderly living alone in China, to analyze their comorbidity patterns, and to explore the relationship between health-related behaviors and chronic comorbidity in the elderly living alone, so as to provide basis for co-prevention and co-management of multiple diseases in the elderly. Methods Based on the data of the 2018 Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey (CLHLS), the network map was used to identify the common binary co-disease patterns of chronic diseases in the elderly living alone, and the Gephi software was used to visualize the chronic disease co-disease network of the elderly. Using Apriorism algorithm, the association rules were used to analyze the correlation between health-related behaviors and co-diseases of the elderly living alone, and multi-factor Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between chronic diseases and health-related behaviors of the elderly living alone. Results A total of 1 905 elderly people living alone over 65 years were included, of whom 766 suffered from two or more chronic diseases, and the co-morbidity of chronic diseases was 40.2%. A total of 45 meaningful binary co-disease patterns with strong links were identified through network map analysis, of which 10 were related to hypertension and 7 were related to heart disease. The strong association rules among the association rules of health-related behaviors and co-diseases of the elderly living alone were poor sleep quality, no physical activity, no exercise, and no outdoor activity. The multivariate Logistic regression model showed that the elderly living alone with smoking (OR =1.791, 95% CI: 1.205-2.664) and alcohol consumption (OR=1.597, 95% CI: 1.084-2.353) had an increased risk of chronic co-disease compared with those without chronic diseases. Elderly people living alone with exercise (OR=0.132, 95% CI: 0.100-0.175), outdoor activities (OR=0.047, 95% CI: 0.035-0.063), good sleep quality (OR=0.469, 95% CI: 0.319-0.688), and adequate sleep (OR=0.648, 95% CI: 0.484-0.867) had a lower risk of chronic comorbidity. Conclusion The comorbidity pattern of the elderly living alone in China is complex and related to health-related behaviors. The risk of comorbidity in the elderly can be reduced by improving health-related behaviors, such as increasing exercise and outdoor activities and adjusting sleep duration and sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 21st century has seen tourists from various source markets significantly impacted by non-communicable diseases, including mental disorders. Yet, research and practice frequently overlook tourists with mental disorders. Building on Buckley's discussion in the Journal of Travel Research about tourism and mental health, this study examines the travel eligibility of tourists diagnosed with four prevalent mental disorders: major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), schizophrenia, and dementia. We present preliminary recommendations for accommodating these tourists and highlight the urgent need for collaborative efforts between stakeholders in tourism, hospitality, and medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate recent trends in physical inactivity prevalence by sociodemographic characteristics and the province of China's residence between 2013 and 2019. Methods: The study included 4,229,616 participants 40 yr or older from 414 geographically defined localities in China during the 7-yr period. Self-reported total physical inactivity was collected to determine the standardized prevalence of physical inactivity. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between physical inactivity and stroke risk, obtaining odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Results showed that the standardized prevalence of physical inactivity increased from 22.12% (95% CI = 21.99%–22.45%) in 2013 to 28.79% (95% CI = 28.48%–29.19%) in 2019, with an absolute difference of 6.67% (95% CI = 6.15% to 7.16%) and a yearly increase rate of 5.03% (95% CI = 4.85% to 5.21%). In 2019, physical inactivity was higher in female and rural participants (female = 29.55%, rural = 29.46%) than in male and urban participants (male = 28.03%, urban = 28.26%). The prevalence of physical inactivity also varied by race/ethnic groups, with the highest prevalence observed among Uyghur (47.21%) and the lowest among Yizu (14.84%). Additionally, the prevalence of physical inactivity differed by province, ranging from 14.44% in Beijing to 50.09% in Tianjin in 2019. Multivariate analyses showed that physical inactivity was associated with a higher risk of stroke (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.12–1.21, P < 0.001). Conclusions: In conclusion, our study found an overall increase in physical inactivity prevalence among Chinese adults ≥40 yr old from 2013 to 2019, with significant variation across regions, sex, ages, and race/ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehension of the textbook and augmented Solow growth model has been studied to picture the consequences of workforce growth and capital. In the age of digitalization, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is also the first necessity identified factors affecting labor productivity. This paper revisits the augmented Solow growth equation by integrating ICT as an explanator that improves labor productivity in Southeast Asian emerging economies. We used a Two‐Way Random‐Effects Model to regress the impact of workforce growth rate, physical capital, and human capital on labor productivity. The results show that using human capital is essential to improve output in emerging market countries rather than only using physical capital. According to our adjusted ICT factors, our analysis reveals that using the Internet and mobile cellular significantly boosts labor productivity. Moreover, the analysis of total factor productivity shows that most Southeast Asian economies highly depend on implementing ICT, especially the contribution of Internet usage and mobile cellular. Therefore, this study contributes to further studies and policy recommendations in improving the introduction of Internet usage and installation, especially for the emerging Southeast Asian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have employed the highly accurate multistate complete active space second‐order perturbation theory (MS‐CASPT2) method to investigate the photoinduced excited state relaxation properties of one unnatural base, namely Z. Upon excitation to the S2 state of Z, the internal conversion to the S1 state would be dominant. From the S1 state, two intersystem crossing paths leading to the T2 and T1 states and one internal conversion path to the S0 state are possible. However, considering the large barrier to access the S1/S0 conical intersection and the strong spin‐orbit coupling between S1 and T2 states (>40 cm−1), the intersystem crossing to the triplet manifolds is predicted to be more preferred. Arriving at the T2 state, the internal conversion to the T1 state and the intersystem crossing back to the S1 state are both possible considering the S1/T2/T1 three‐state intersection near the T2 minimum. Upon arrival at the T1 state, the deactivation to S0 can be efficient after overcoming a small barrier to access T1/S0 crossing point, where the spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) is as large as 39.7 cm−1. Our present work not only provides in‐depth insights into the photoinduced process of unnatural base Z, but can also help the future design of novel unnatural bases with better photostability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common inherited metabolic disorder with an elevated risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The effects of coffee on FH individuals remain unclear. The aim of this study is to examine the association between coffee consumption and ASCVD and mortality in adults with clinical diagnosed FH. Cross-sectional and prospective (up to December 31st, 2019) analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018. Coffee consumption was calculated by 24-hour dietary recalls. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression and Cox analysis were performed to evaluated the relationship between coffee consumption and ASCVD and all-cause mortality. A total of 1008 FH individuals with coffee information were included and were categorized into four groups: 357 (35.42%) did not consume coffee on a regular basis, 390 (38.69%) consumed 0.5–3 cups per day, 141 (13.99%) consumed 3–5 cups per day and 120 (11.90%) ≥5 cups per day. Higher coffee or caffeine consumption was associated with elevated risk of ASCVD and heart attack. Compared to non-coffee drinkers, ≥5 cups coffee drinking was associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (multivariate HR: 1.67, 95%CI: 1.02–2.73, P = 0.04). The risk of all-cause death increased dose-dependently along with the higher coffee or caffeine intake (P < 0.05). The results remained similar among those who excluded non-coffee drinkers. Coffee consumption of up to five cups per day was associated with unfavorable ASCVD and all-cause mortality, suggesting that high coffee consumption should be avoided among patients with FH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cycloalkanols ring‐opening transformation is one of the most valuable and wide area of research. Among the numerous methods that have been developed, transition‐metal‐free approaches have attracted great interest from both chemists and pharmacologists. This is largely due to the advantages of being environmentally benign, cost‐effective and operationally simple. Here we provide a comprehensive outline on recent advances in the synthesis of distally substituted ketones and cyclic compounds via ring‐opening transformation of cycloalkanols under transition‐metal‐free conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tripterospermum, comprising 34 species, is a genus of Gentianaceae. Members of Tripterospermum are mostly perennial, entwined herbs with high medicinal value and rich in iridoids, xanthones, flavonoids, and triterpenes. However, our inadequate understanding of the differences in the plastid genome sequences of Tripterospermum species has severely hindered the study of their evolution and phylogeny. Therefore, we first analyzed the 86 Gentianae plastid genomes to explore the phylogenetic relationships within the Gentianae subfamily where Tripterospermum is located. Then, we analyzed six plastid genomes of Tripterospermum, including two newly sequenced plastid genomes and four previously published plastid genomes, to explore the plastid genomes' evolution and phylogenetic relationships in the genus Tripterospermum. The Tripterospermum plastomes have a quadripartite structure and are between 150,929 and 151,350 bp in size. The plastomes of Tripterospermum encoding 134 genes were detected, including 86 protein-coding genes (CDS), 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, eight ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and three pseudogenes (infA, rps19, and ycf1). The result of the comparison shows that the Tripterospermum plastomes are very conserved, with the total plastome GC content ranging from 37.70% to 37.79%. In repeat sequence analysis, the number of single nucleotide repeats (A/T) varies among the six Tripterospermum species, and the identified main long repeat types are forward and palindromic repeats. The degree of conservation is higher at the SC/IR boundary. The regions with the highest divergence in the CDS and the intergenic region (IGS) are psaI and rrn4.5-rrn5, respectively. The average pi of the CDS and the IGS are only 0.071% and 0.232%, respectively, indicating that the Tripterospermum plastomes are highly conserved. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Gentianinae is divided into two clades, with Tripterospermum as a sister to Sinogeniana. Phylogenetic trees based on CDS and CDS + IGS combined matrices have strong support in Tripterospermum. These findings contribute to the elucidation of the plastid genome evolution of Tripterospermum and provide a foundation for further exploration and resource utilization within this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this issue of Neuron , Wang et al. 1 demonstrate that parvalbumin interneurons in the sensory thalamic reticular nucleus are necessary and sufficient for regulating social memory in mice, identify a novel cortico-reticular thalamic-parafascicular pathway for social cognition, and highlight an essential role of GABAergic inhibitory neurons in social memory engrams. In this issue of Neuron , Wang et al. demonstrate that parvalbumin interneurons in the sensory thalamic reticular nucleus are necessary and sufficient for regulating social memory in mice, identify a novel cortico-reticular thalamic-parafascicular pathway for social cognition, and highlight an essential role of GABAergic inhibitory neurons in social memory engrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature field prediction for the gear profile grinding process is an essential theoretical basis for preventing grinding burn and is significant to gear performance improvement. However, the existing models rely on the secondary development of finite element software, which has the disadvantages of prolonged time consumption and poor robustness and is limited to the guidance of the actual process. This study presents an efficient calculation model integrated with the heat source and temperature field of gear profile grinding, considering the non-uniform and complex boundary conditions on the local area of the gear tooth flank. Based on the proposed model, the relationship of grinding parameters and the tooth temperature field is established in detail. Besides, the risk assessment and prevention strategy of grinding burn for gear profile grinding are conducted to optimize the processing parameters. According to the gear profile grinding experiments, the maximum error of peak grinding temperature between the calculated and experimental values is less than 4.1%, which verifies the accuracy of the proposed model. This work offers an effective tool for improving gear profile grinding technology and could be applied to other mechanical components with complex surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SCUT-3 p24880 is much stronger than common Streptomyces promoter. • Keratinase activities of recombinant strain was 16.21 times higher than wild-type. • SSF feather/water ratio was increased to 1:1.5 and time shortened to 2.5 days. • Degraded FM (90.49% protein) was high soluble (41% peptide and 14% amino acid). • SSF of feather waste by recombinant strain is a much green and effective method. Feather waste, a rich source of proteins, has traditionally been processed through high-temperature puffing and acid-base hydrolysis, contributing to generation of greenhouse gases and H 2 S. To address this issue, we employed circular economy techniques to recover the nutritional value of feather waste. Streptomyces sp. SCUT-3, an efficient proteolytic and chitinolytic bacterium, was isolated for feather degradation previously. This study aimed to valorize feather waste for feed purposes by enhancing its feather transformation ability through promoter optimization. Seven promoters were identified through omics analysis and compared to a common Streptomyces promoter ermE*p. The strongest promoter, p24880 , effectively enhanced the expression of three candidate keratinases (Sep39, Sep40, and Sep53). The expression efficiency of double-, triple- p24880 and sandwich p24880 - sep39-p24880 promoters were further verified. The co-overexpression strain SCUT-3- p24880 - sep39-p24880-sep40 exhibited a 16.21-fold increase in keratinase activity compared to the wild-type. Using this strain, a solid-state fermentation process was established that increased the feather/water ratio (w/w) to 1:1.5, shortened the fermentation time to 2.5 days, and increased soluble peptide and free amino acid yields to 0.41 g/g and 0.14 g/g, respectively. The resulting has high protein content (90.49 %), with high in vitro digestibility (94.20 %). This method has the potential to revolutionize the feather waste processing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the most promising methods to replace the conventional anthraquinone route for the green and facile synthesis of H2O2. Owing to the outstanding electrochemical active surface area and fast charge transfer capability of carbon nanomaterials or nanostructures with different dimensions, such as 1D, 2D, and 3D, various strategies including nanostructure engineering, defect engineering, and interface engineering have been proposed to promote the catalytic activity of carbon‐based catalysts toward two‐electron (2e−) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for H2O2 generation over the past decade. In this review, the latest progress, major achievements, and prospects of the transition metal‐supported carbon with different dimensions for highly efficient electrochemical H2O2 preparation via the 2e− ORR process are summarized. The rational design principles and synthetic strategies of transition metal‐supported carbon are systematically introduced while the representative advances, the identification of active sites, and their possible catalytic mechanisms toward the H2O2 production are discussed. Finally, according to the current development stage and existing shortcomings of 2e– ORR catalysts for H2O2 production, the challenges and prospects of transition metal‐supported carbon with different dimensions are also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casing wear and casing corrosion are serious problems affecting casing integrity failure in deep and ultra-deep wells. This paper aims to predict the casing burst strength with considerations of both wear and corrosion. Firstly, the crescent wear shape is simplified into three categories according to common mathematical models. Then, based on the mechano-electrochemical (M-E) interaction, the prediction model of corrosion depth is built with worn depth as the initial condition, and the prediction models of burst strength of the worn casing and corroded casing are obtained. Secondly, the accuracy of different prediction models is validated by numerical simulation, and the main influence factors on casing strength are obtained. At last, the theoretical models are applied to an ultra-deep well in Northwest China, and the dangerous well sections caused by wear and corrosion are predicted, and the corrosion rate threshold to ensure the safety of casing is obtained. The results show that the existence of wear defects results in a stress concentration and enhanced M-E interaction on corrosion depth growth. The accuracy of different mathematical models is different: the slot ring model is most accurate for predicting corrosion depth, and the eccentric model is most accurate for predicting the burst strength of corroded casing. The burst strength of the casing will be overestimated by more than one-third if the M-E interaction is neglected, so the coupling effect of wear and corrosion should be sufficiently considered in casing integrity evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]