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Background: The occurrence and progression of asthma can be influenced by the components in food. Our study aims to determine whether dietary antioxidant and inflammatory potential are associated with the risk of mortality in asthma patients. Methods: Participants from the 2001–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) aged 20 years and older with a diagnosis of asthma were included. Mortality status was obtained according to death certificate records from the National Death Index. The antioxidant and inflammatory potential of the diet was assessed using two widely used and dependable indices, Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI) and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression was used to analyze the non-linear relationship between the two indexes and mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional risk models were used to estimate hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals for mortality. Finally, the relationship between CDAI and DII was analyzed. Results: A total of 4698 NHANES participants represented 23.2 million non-institutionalized residents of the US were enrolled in our study. Patients with higher CDAI or lower DII exhibited longer survival times. RCS regression showed a linear relationship of CDAI or DII with mortality. In the Cox regression, both crude and adjusted models demonstrated that higher CDAI or lower DII was linked to a reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Similar associations were found in subgroup analysis. Finally, a negative relationship was found between CDAI and DII. Conclusion: Reducing pro-inflammatory or increasing antioxidant diets could reduce all-cause mortality among adult asthma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Interface engineering and nano-effects were employed to enhance the ORR activity. • PBSC/CPO heterostructure nanofibers were constructed by in situ self-assembly combined with electrostatic spinning. • PBSC/CPO heterostructure nanofibers facilitate the charge transfer and oxygen ion transport. • PBSC/CPO heterostructure nanofibers exhibits an impressive MPD of 1363 mW cm−2 at 750 °C. The engineering and exploration of cathode materials to achieve superior oxygen reduction catalytic activity and resistance to CO 2 are crucial for enhancing the performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Herein, a novel heterostructure composite nanofiber cathode comprised of PrBa 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 2 O 5+δ and Ce 0.8 Pr 0.2 O 1.9 (PBSC-CPO-ES) was prepared for the first time through a synergistic approach involving in-situ self-assembly and electrostatic spinning techniques. PBSC-CPO-ES exhibits exceptionally high oxygen reduction catalytic activity and CO 2 resistance, which is attributed to its unique nanofiber microstructure and abundant presence of heterointerfaces, significantly accelerating the charge transfer process, surface exchange and bulk diffusion of oxygen. The introduction of CPO not only effectively reduces the thermal expansion of PBSC but also changes the characteristics of oxygen ion transport anisotropy in layered perovskite materials, forming three-dimensional oxygen ion transport pathways. At 750 °C, the single cell employing the PBSC-CPO-ES heterostructure nanofiber attains an impressive peak power density of 1363 mW cm−2. This represents a notable 60.7 % improvement in comparison to the single-phase PBSC powder. Moreover, PBSC-CPO-ES exhibits excellent CO 2 tolerance and performance recovery after CO 2 exposure. This work provides new perspectives to the design and advancement of future high-performance and high-stability SOFC cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete in coastal areas is susceptible to structural damage caused by corrosion and expansion of reinforcement. Near‐surface mounted (NSM) fiber‐reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have become effective for strengthening damaged reinforced concrete structures. The bonding performance of NSM FRP bars in concrete is a key factor limiting their application and promotion in civil engineering. In this study, the influences of the conditioned environment, such as the chloride salt concentration, immersion time, and bond length of the FRP bar, on the bonding performance were investigated experimentally. First, material properties in a conditioned environment were studied. Subsequently, the failure mode, bond stress–slip curve, and bond strength of the NSM FRP bar in concrete were investigated. Finally, the microstructure and chemical composition of the materials were revealed using scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) images of the materials under environmental conditions. The transfer mechanism of NSM FRP bars in concrete with epoxy was revealed. The results showed that the failure modes of the pullout specimens can be divided into epoxy splitting failure and basalt fiber‐reinforced polymer (BFRP) pulling failure. The chloride‐salt concentration was a critical factor affecting the bond properties, and the longer the bond length, the lower the bond strength. The microstructure clearly shows that the degradation of the bonding behavior at the interface of the NSM FRP bar in concrete in a conditioned environment is attributable primarily to the resin damage of the epoxy, resulting in pit corrosion. There was no significant damage to the fibers in the FRP bar, and the degradation was primarily due to resin matrix damage and interfacial debonding. The EDS results showed that the degradation of the epoxy resin and BFRP bars was caused by CO bond and SiO bond fractures, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing challenges in oxygen reduction efficiency and CO 2 endurance is essential for advancing the electrochemical energy conversion performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). This investigation introduces an innovative strategy by employing Ce doping to enhance the oxygen reduction kinetics and CO 2 resistance of NdBaCoFeO 5+ δ (NBCF) cathodes. Ce doping effectively regulates the oxygen vacancy content, the ratio of Co3+/Co4+ and Fe3+/Fe4+ in NBCF, leading to substantial improvements in oxygen exchange, lattice diffusion, and charge transfer processes. Consequently, a significant enhancement in the oxygen reduction reaction catalytic activity and CO 2 endurance is achieved. At 800 °C, the introduction of 10 mol% Ce doping results in a 65.3% reduction in Rp, reaching 0.024 Ω cm2. Simultaneously, the power density experiences a 50.8% enhancement, reaching 1.0 W cm−2. The current investigation presents a novel avenue towards the advancement of next-generation high-efficiency and stable cathode materials for SOFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and susceptibility to CO 2 poisoning present significant challenges in the application of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). In this study, bismuth (Bi) was introduced as a dopant for the first time to enhance both the ORR activity and CO 2 tolerance of PrBaCoCuO 5+ δ (PBCCO) cathode. Bi doping serves to concurrently modulate the oxygen vacancy content and carrier concentration. This dual regulation enhances the processes of oxygen adsorption, dissociation, and charge transfer, as evidenced by the distribution of relaxation time (DRT) technique. Furthermore, PBBCCO demonstrates exceptional CO 2 tolerance and remarkable performance recovery following exposure to CO 2 -induced degradation. At 800 °C, the polarization resistance (R p) and maximum power density (MPD) of PBBCCO were 0.026 Ω cm2 and 631 mW cm−2, respectively. Notably, R p was reduced by 52.45%, and MPD exhibited an improvement of 45.11% at 800 °C. These findings highlight the significant impact of Bi doping on the performance of the PBCCO double perovskite cathode, underscoring its crucial importance for future developments of novel cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the differences in iodine metabolism and expression of NIS and Pendrin in pregnant rats under different iodine nutritional status. Methods: Female Wistar rats were divided into four groups: low iodine (LI), normal iodine (NI), ten fold high iodine (10HI), and fifty fold high iodine (50HI). The intervention began after one week of adaptive feeding. Iodine metabolism experiments were performed beginning on the 15th day of pregnancy. 24-h iodine intake and excretion were calculated. The concentrations of iodine in urine, fecal, thyroid, and placenta were measured by ICP-MS. PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the mRNA levels and cell membrane protein of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) and Pendrin in the small intestine, thyroid, kidney, and placenta. Results: Fecal iodine excretion (FIE) and urinary iodine excretion (UIE) in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (P < 0.05). The NIS protein and mRNA in the kidney and small intestine have an upward trend in iodine deficiency and a downward trend in iodine excess. Thyroid and placental iodine storage in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (P < 0.05). NIS, Pendrin protein, and mRNA in the thyroid and placenta tend to increase when iodine is deficient and decrease when there is excess. Conclusion: Iodine excretion and iodine stores in the placenta and thyroid gland are positively correlated with iodine intake. NIS and Pendrin are also regulated by iodine intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The sneaky onset and dismal prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) make it an important public health issue. Obesity-related kidney illness has garnered more attention in recent times. Establishing and validating a risk prediction model for chronic renal illness in overweight or obese adults was the goal of this investigation. Methods: Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were used for analysis. The definition of CKD was reduced renal function (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²), while overweight and obesity were characterized through a body mass index exceeding 24 kg/m². The dataset was divided into derivation and validation cohorts using a 7:3 ratio. With respect to the derivation cohort, we constructed a prediction model using LASSO analysis and multivariate logistic regression. The model's performance was evaluated using Hosmer-Lemeshow tests, calibration curves, decision curve analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The validation cohort's model was subjected to additional assessment. Results: The study was based on survey data from 2011 to 2015 and comprised 3246 individuals who were overweight or obese, with 2274 being part of the derivation cohort and 972 being part of the validation cohort. The research constructed a prediction model that included age, sex, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, triglyceride, hypertension, and BMI. The validation cohort's area under the ROC curve was 0.812 (95% CI = 0.763, 0.859) while the derivation cohort's was 0.789 (95% CI = 0.754, 0.831). Hosmer-Lemeshow tests were utilized to evaluate the model's accuracy in the validation and derivation cohorts (P = 0.681 and 0.547, respectively). The calibration curve showed a high level of consistency between the actual observations and the projected outcomes. According to decision curve analysis, the model offered significant net advantages. Conclusions: The forecasting model established in this research has predictive value for CKD in patients with overweight or obesity. These findings could help doctors conduct early detection and intervention in clinical practice and further improve patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of cathode materials with high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is crucial to realize the wide application of solid oxide fuel cells. Nd-doped SrFeO 3-δ (SNF) two-phase nanocomposite was fabricated by a dopant-induced in situ self-assembly process. The SNF nanocomposite comprises 63.4 wt% perovskite main phase (P–SNF) and 36.6 wt% Ruddlesden-Popper second phase (RP-SNF). The average thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of SrFeO 3-δ is reduced by 36.5 % and down to 13.9 × 10−6 K−1. At 750 °C, SNF demonstrates an impressive output power of 779 mW cm−2, which is twice that of the single-phase SrFeO 3-δ. The superior performance stems from the heterointerface effect of the in situ self-assembled two phases. This effect increases the content of oxygen vacancies, thereby enhancing both chemical oxygen surface exchange coefficient and bulk diffusion coefficient. Moreover, the SNF composite exhibits excellent CO 2 tolerance than the single-phase SrFeO 3-δ. This work presents a promising avenue for exploring multifunctional materials through interface engineering, offering new possibilities for future energy conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of cathode materials with high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is crucial to realize the wide application of solid oxide fuel cells. Nd-doped SrFeO 3-δ (SNF) two-phase nanocomposite was fabricated by a dopant-induced in situ self-assembly process. The SNF nanocomposite comprises 63.4 wt% perovskite main phase (P–SNF) and 36.6 wt% Ruddlesden-Popper second phase (RP-SNF). The average thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of SrFeO 3-δ is reduced by 36.5 % and down to 13.9 × 10−6 K−1. At 750 °C, SNF demonstrates an impressive output power of 779 mW cm−2, which is twice that of the single-phase SrFeO 3-δ. The superior performance stems from the heterointerface effect of the in situ self-assembled two phases. This effect increases the content of oxygen vacancies, thereby enhancing both chemical oxygen surface exchange coefficient and bulk diffusion coefficient. Moreover, the SNF composite exhibits excellent CO 2 tolerance than the single-phase SrFeO 3-δ. This work presents a promising avenue for exploring multifunctional materials through interface engineering, offering new possibilities for future energy conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐atomic transition metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) structures are promising alternatives toward noble‐metal‐based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis involved in sustainable energy devices. The symmetrical electronic density distribution of the M─N4 moieties, however, leads to unfavorable intermediate adsorption and sluggish kinetics. Herein, a Fe–N–C catalyst with electronic asymmetry induced by one nearest carbon vacancy adjacent to Fe─N4 is conceptually produced, which induces an optimized d‐band center, lowered free energy barrier, and thus superior ORR activity with a half‐wave potential (E1/2) of 0.934 V in a challenging acidic solution and 0.901 V in an alkaline solution. When assembled as the cathode of a Zinc–air battery (ZAB), a peak power density of 218 mW cm−2 and long‐term durability up to 200 h are recorded, 1.5 times higher than the noble metal‐based Pt/C+RuO2 catalyst. This work provides a new strategy on developing efficient M–N–C catalysts and offers an opportunity for the real‐world application of fuel cells and metal–air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is a severe consequence of infections from Streptococcus pyogenes. The early identification and timely intervention with appropriate anti-infective agents are pivotal for managing pediatric STSS. This study evaluates the effectiveness of various treatment regimens for STSS in children. Methods: Clinical data of children with STSS resulting from β-hemolytic streptococcal infections in two hospitals were retrospectively analyzed from January 2009 to April 2023. Additionally, literature from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure on pediatric STSS was examined. Antimicrobial treatments were categorized into four groups based on their compositions, with an additional categorization for adjunct therapeutic drugs. Results: Of 32 confirmed STSS cases, all displayed sensitivity to ampicillin, β-lactam antibiotics, and vancomycin, but resistance to clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. From the literature, 23 studies with 50 cases were extracted, leading to a total of 82 patients for evaluation. The efficacy rates varied significantly among the four treatment groups. Notably, the standard penicillin-containing group exhibited the highest efficacy (86.4%), while the group with macrolides/unused antibiotics registered a 0% efficacy rate. The other two groups demonstrated efficacy rates of 32.1% and 42.3%. Conclusion: For pediatric STSS, Streptococcus pyogenes shows notable sensitivity to ampicillin. Implementing timely β-lactam antibiotics, specifically penicillin, in conjunction with clindamycin and intravenous immunoglobulins enhances the treatment success rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encephalomycarditis virus (EMCV) is an essential pathogen with a broad host range and causes enormous economic losses to the pig industry worldwide. Here, we constructed and assembled the EMCV virus-like particles (VLPs) in vitro and verified high efficiency of virus protection. Results showed that the proteins auto-assembled into VLPs successfully in vitro. The animal experiments revealed that high-titer antibody production is triggered by VLPs. Meanwhile, the mice challenged with EMCV were obviously protected. The protection rate of group VLPs with the adjuvant was 75%, while that of the VLPs group was 62.5% compared to the control. These findings indicate that recombinant EMCV VLPs have a remarkable anti-EMCV effect and could be a new vaccine candidate for the control of EMCV infection. • EMCV recombinant structural proteins successfully purified. • Recombinant proteins auto-assembled into VLPs in vitro and had a similar structure compared to the natural virus particle. • EMCV VLPs has remarkable protection efficacy and could be used as vaccines candidates against EMCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of polyoxyethylene chain length on the formation and temperature stability of W/O microemulsion emulsified by polyoxyethylene ether surfactant is investigated by dissipative particle dynamics simulation (DPD) on the mesoscopic level. The results show that W/O microemulsions can be formed by three polyoxyethylene chain length ether nonionic surfactants with decreasing the water-oil ratio equal to increasing the oil phase content. However, W/O microemulsion is most easily formed by diethylene glycol monododecyl ether (H1T2) with the smallest oxyethylene base. The results of temperature stability show that W/O microemulsion emulsified by H1T2 has better stability resistant to high or low temperature. In addition, the interfacial tension of the W/O microemulsion system is the lowest, the end-to-end distance of the surfactant molecule is smallest, and the molecular chain is the most curved at the water-oil interface. The theoretical simulation results can guide the formation of the W/O microemulsion induced by polyoxyethylene ether nonionic surfactant, and provide the guidance for its practical application. The effect of polyoxyethylene chain length on the formation and temperature stability of W/O microemulsion emulsified by polyoxyethylene ether surfactant is investigated by Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation which can provide information on the mesoscopic level by a larger time and space scale. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare ginsenosides are the major components of red ginseng. However, there has been little research into the relationship between the structure of ginsenosides and their anti-inflammatory activity. In this work, BV-2 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or nigericin, the anti-inflammatory activity of eight rare ginsenosides, and the target proteins expression of AD were compared. In addition, the Morris water maze test, HE staining, thioflavins staining, and urine metabonomics were used to evaluate the effect of Rh4 on AD mice. Our results showed that their configuration influences the anti-inflammatory activity of ginsenosides. Ginsenosides Rk1, Rg5, Rk3, and Rh4 have significant anti-inflammatory activity compared to ginsenosides S-Rh1, R-Rh1, S-Rg3, and R-Rg3. Ginsenosides S-Rh1 and S-Rg3 have more pronounced anti-inflammatory activity than ginsenosides R-Rh1 and R-Rg3, respectively. Furthermore, the two pairs of stereoisomeric ginsenosides can significantly reduce the level of NLRP3, caspase-1, and ASC in BV-2 cells. Interestingly, Rh4 can improve the learning ability of AD mice, improve cognitive impairment, reduce hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and Aβ deposition, and regulate AD-related pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the sphingolipid metabolism. Our findings conclude that rare ginsenosides with a double bond have more anti-inflammatory activity than those without, and 20(S)-ginsenosides have more excellent anti-inflammatory activity than 20(R)-ginsenosides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a graph with the adjacency matrix A (G) , and let D (G) be the diagonal matrix of the degrees of G. Nikiforov first defined the matrix A α (G) as A α (G) = α D (G) + (1 − α) A (G) , 0 ≤ α ≤ 1 , which shed new light on A (G) and Q (G) = D (G) + A (G) , and yielded some surprises. The α − adjacency energy E A α (G) of G is a new invariant that is calculated from the eigenvalues of A α (G) . In this work, by combining matrix theory and the graph structure properties, we provide some upper and lower bounds for E A α (G) in terms of graph parameters (the order n, the edge size m, etc.) and characterize the corresponding extremal graphs. In addition, we obtain some relations between E A α (G) and other energies such as the energy E (G) . Some results can be applied to appropriately estimate the α -adjacency energy using some given graph parameters rather than by performing some tedious calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of cationic functional groups is one of the key factors determining lifetime of alkaline anion‐exchange membranes (AAEMs) and the AAEM‐based electrochemical devices. Main‐group metal and crown ether complexes are stable cations due to the absence of degradation pathways including nucleophilic substitution, Hofmann elimination, and cation redox. However, the binding strength, a key feature for AAEM applications, is overlooked in previous work. We herein propose the use of barium [2.2.2]cryptate ([Cryp‐Ba]2+) as a new cationic functional group for AAEMs due to its extremely strong binding (109.5 M−1 in water at 25 °C). The [Cryp‐Ba]2+‐AAEMs with polyolefin backbones remain stable after treatment in 15 M KOH at 60 °C for over 1500 hours. More importantly, these AAEMs are successfully applied in water electrolyzers, and an anolyte‐feeding switch method is designed to further reveal the influence of binding constants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of cationic functional groups is one of the key factors determining lifetime of alkaline anion‐exchange membranes (AAEMs) and the AAEM‐based electrochemical devices. Main‐group metal and crown ether complexes are stable cations due to the absence of degradation pathways including nucleophilic substitution, Hofmann elimination, and cation redox. However, the binding strength, a key feature for AAEM applications, is overlooked in previous work. We herein propose the use of barium [2.2.2]cryptate ([Cryp‐Ba]2+) as a new cationic functional group for AAEMs due to its extremely strong binding (109.5 M−1 in water at 25 °C). The [Cryp‐Ba]2+‐AAEMs with polyolefin backbones remain stable after treatment in 15 M KOH at 60 °C for over 1500 hours. More importantly, these AAEMs are successfully applied in water electrolyzers, and an anolyte‐feeding switch method is designed to further reveal the influence of binding constants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the formation and stability of the O/W and reverse W/O microemulsion, dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation was utilized to investigate the system composed of oil, water and Gemini surfactants. The effects of oil-water ratio, temperature, inorganic salt and shear rate were discussed in the simulation. Controlled of the formation process and stability of microemulsions by analyzing the interfacial tension of oil and water interfaces, end-to-end distance of Gemini surfactants and the translucent three-dimensional structures of formed aggregates. Two types microemulsions could form and mutually transform with changing the oil-water ratio. In conclusion, the O/W microemulsion has better temperature, salt and shear tolerance comparing to the reverse W/O microemulsion. The results of the research using DPD simulation expanded the theoretical knowledge of microemulsion on the molecular level, which is of great importance to develop new microemulsion systems with other surfactants and provided better theoretical guidance for the application of microemulsions. The O/W and W/O microemulsion could formed and transformed by changing the oil-water ratio (from 1:5 to.5:1) at same external conditions(a). Besides, the O/W Microemulsion has a better stabitity with changing inorganic salt, temperature and shear(b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a simple graph on n vertices. The Laplacian Estrada index of G is defined as L E E (G) = ∑ i = 1 n e μ i (G) , where μ 1 (G) , μ 2 (G) , ... , μ n (G) are the Laplacian eigenvalues of G. In this paper, we characterize the connected (n , m) -graph with the maximum Laplacian Estrada index for m ≥ 3 n 2 − 4 n + 1 8 . We also obtain some results on the Laplacian Estrada index for 3 n − 6 ≤ m < 3 n 2 − 4 n + 1 8 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) and abscisic acid (ABA) play important roles in plant heat responses but have not been extensively studied in pea (Pisum sativum L.), whose heat susceptibility is well known. In this study, four pea varieties varying in heat tolerance based on field trials were evaluated. Plants were heat stressed for 3, 6, 12, or 24 h at 38 °C before pollination. Anther and stipule RNA from the same flowering node were sampled for transcriptional profiling of PsHSP18.1 and PsHSP71.2. Additional stipules were sampled for the quantification of ABA concentration and its five key catabolites from the four major ABA catabolic pathways by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐SRM/MS). The transcription of both HSP genes was upregulated because of heat stress (HS). In stipules, the upregulation was greatest at 3 h HS, whereas in anthers, the induced transcription was similar among different hours of HS. Likewise, more ABA accumulated in the ABA metabolism pool because of HS, and the ABA response started rapidly after 3 h of treatment. Heat‐tolerant varieties had a higher ABA synthesis and turnover rate at 3 h HS than their respective heat‐susceptible counterparts. This study provides new insights into different heat tolerance among Canadian pea varieties regarding HSP and ABA hormone regulation. Core Ideas: Heat‐induced expression of PsHSP18.1 and PsHSP71.2 was a conserved heat response among four pea varieties.ABA response differential at 3 h heat stress was associated with heat tolerance in pea, similar to previous field trials.The involvement of HSP and ABA in heat response in pea was independent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Data are limited on the relationship between waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and mortality risk among maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Moreover, the combined association of body mass index (BMI) and WHR with mortality remains uncertain. Therefore, we aimed to explore the individual and combined association of BMI and WHR with the all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Methods In this multicenter prospective cohort study, we enrolled 1034 MHD patients. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and secondary outcome was CVD mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the individual and combined association of BMI and WHR with the risk of mortality. Results A nonlinear inverse relationship was found between BMI and risk of all-cause mortality (P for nonlinearity <.05). Being underweight (<18.5 kg/m2) was associated with higher all-cause mortality risk (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.08–1.94) compared with normal weight (18.5–23.9 kg/m2), while being overweight (24–27.9 kg/m2; HR 0.96; 95% CI 0.70–1.31) and obese (≥28 kg/m2; HR 1.19; 95% CI 0.62–2.26) showed no significant differences. Of note, WHR was independently and positively associated with all-cause mortality (per standard deviation increase, HR 1.13; 95% CI 1.00–1.27). When analyzed jointly, patients with low BMI (<18.5 kg/m2) and high WHR (≥0.95) had the highest risk of all-cause mortality. Similar results were obtained for CVD mortality. Conclusions In patients undergoing hemodialysis from China, low BMI and high WHR were individually and jointly associated with higher risk of mortality. Our results emphasize that BMI and WHR may jointly affect the prognosis of MHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) poses a severe threat to public health. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes significantly to DILI pathogenesis, with peroxynitrite (ONOO−) identified as a pivotal indicator. However, the temporal and spatial fluctuations of ONOO− associated with ER stress in the pathogenesis of DILI remain unclear. Herein, a novel ER-specific near-infrared (NIR) probe (QM-ONOO) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features for monitoring ONOO− fluctuations in DILI was elaborately constructed. QM-ONOO exhibited excellent ER-targeting specificity, a large Stoke's shift, and a low detection limit (26.9 nM) toward ONOO−. QM-ONOO performed well in imaging both exogenous and endogenous ONOO− in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, molecular docking calculations validated the ER-targeting mechanism of QM-ONOO. Most importantly, using this probe allowed us to intuitively observe the dynamic fluctuations of ONOO− during the formation and remediation processes of DILI in the acetaminophen (APAP)-induced mouse model. Consequently, this work provides a promising tool for in-depth research of ONOO− associated pathological processes in DILI. [Display omitted] • An endoplasmic reticulum-targeted NIR fluorescent probe with aggregation-induced emission features was developed for ONOO−. • The multifunctional probe can detect ONOO− selectively and sensitively with fluorescence changes at 620 nm. • The fluorescence probe can image ER-associated ONOO− with low biotoxicity in cells. • The probe can monitor the fluctuations of ONOO− in the APAP-induced mouse model of DILI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral emulsions, with the chiral center of chiral-surfactant as the emulsifier, provide opportunities for selective catalysis and inorganic material synthesis. Janus emulsion draws researcher's attention due to excellent multiple chambers, advanced structures and diverse interfaces. Chiral Janus emulsions are prepared with two immiscible oils of vegetable oil (VO)/dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and 2-(Perfluorooctyl)ethyl methacrylate (PFOEMA)/Ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate (ETPTA) as inner phases, by emulsified by chiral-surfactant [H-G-C 16 ]FeCl 4 , in batch-scale by traditional vortex mixing. AuNPs as functional nanomaterials with peroxidase activity are then applied as active centers, adsorbing at the oil/water interface due to the electrostatic interactions between the positive charge of [H-G-C 16 ]FeCl 4 at Janus emulsion interfaces and the negative charge of AuNPs modified by SDS. Chiral Janus emulsion is endowed with catalytic activity and enantioselectivity. Catalytic results show two AuNPs@ Janus emulsions show better affinity to catalyze the oxidation of L -DOPA than D -DOPA. By investigating two AuNPs@ Janus emulsions with different inner phases, chiral Janus emulsion of AuNPs@ETPTA/PFOEMA/[H-G-C 16 ]FeCl 4(aq) has better catalytic activity and enantioselectivity than AuNPs@DMP/VO/[H-G-C 16 ]FeCl 4 (aq) because of the smaller droplets have larger interface areas could adsorb more [H-G-C 16 ]FeCl 4 molecules and AuNPs. The findings open an avenue in the production of chiral Janus emulsions with catalytic effect and enantioselectivity, which would push forward future applications in selective catalysis and inorganic material synthesis. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel anion doping strategy is used to enhance the catalysis of NiCo 2 O 4. • NCOF demonstrates enhanced performance as an electrode for both SOFCs and LIBs. • NCOF shows a 61.5 % reduction in R p at 750 °C in SOFCs. • NCOF exhibits outstanding discharge specific capacity and rate capability in LIBs. The advancement of electrode materials exhibiting high catalytic activity is crucial for the application of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, the anion substitution strategy is used to enhance the electrochemical catalytic activity of spinel oxide NiCo 2 O 4. For the first time, F-doped NiCo 2 O 3 F (NCOF) was synthesized and systematically studied as the electrode for both SOFCs and LIBs. The results demonstrate a noticeable increase in both the content of oxygen vacancies and the unit cell free volume after F doping. Simultaneously, there is a reduction in the band gap width, consequently significantly enhancing the conductivity of NCO. These changes are beneficial to the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) process. At 750 °C, the R p of NCOF is 0.05 Ω cm2, exhibiting a reduction of 61.5 % compared to NCO. F doping accelerates the process of charge transfer and the adsorption/dissociation of oxygen. At 800 °C, NCOF exhibits an output performance of 0.85 W cm2, which is 46.6 % higher than that of NCO. Simultaneously, the initial discharge specific capacity of NCOF-based LIB reaches 1395 mAh/g at a current density of 100 mA g−1. F doping demonstrates a noteworthy improvement in both insertion potential and cycling performance. As a result, the NCOF electrode exhibits exceptional rate capability, highlighting its enhanced ability to efficiently handle charging and discharging processes over multiple cycles. These findings suggest that NCOF holds significant potential as an advanced electrode material for both SOFC and LIBs. This study introduces fresh perspectives for designing and developing high catalytic activity multifunctional electrodes for energy conversion and storage devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handan city as a transportation hub in North China, air quality ranks at the bottom all year round, causing environmental pollution that has aroused widespread concern. In order to explore the pollution characteristics and main sources of heavy metals in atmospheric wet deposition in the city, and comparison of the applicability of multiple traceability models, a total of 76 wet deposition samples were collected in the three functional areas from December 2017 to November 2019 by a dry and wet deposition automatic sampler. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Pb, and As were determined and enrichment factors were calculated. Sources of these heavy metals were apportioned by PMF, Unmix, and APCS-MLR models, and analyzed using a backward trajectory analysis model. The results showed that the concentrations of these heavy metals in the atmospheric wet deposition were in order of Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, and As, and their mean concentrations were 29.53, 14.11, 9.18, 7.03, 6.41, and 1.21 μg·L−1, respectively. According to the results of EF, the studied heavy metals were mainly affected by anthropogenic activities. The source apportionment results showed that heavy metal pollution in the wet deposition was mainly affected by traffic sources, industrial sources, and coal combustion sources, and PMF identified an additional source factor: metal smelting source. By comparing the relevant parameters of the source apportionment results of the three models, the APCS-MLR model has better accuracy results than PMF and Unmix models. The analysis of the backward trajectory of the air mass showed that the wet deposition of Handan in the study time was mainly from the southwest direction, accounting for 54.35%. In the future, more evaluation methods and models will be used to compare and analyze the different application scenarios and parameter selection requirements in order to contribute to urban atmospheric environmental pollution prevention and control work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sixth-generation (6G) wireless system has been perceived to be the technology to connect everything. This will generate a huge volume of data traffic, resulting in severe spectrum shortage and system latency. To address this issue, data compression is considered to be indispensable for 6G to achieve efficient data transmissions, increase spectrum efficiency, and reduce system latency. Consequently, data compression technologies based on machine learning and deep learning, commonly known as learning-based data compressions, have received intensive attention lately. Taking the industrial IoT (IIoT) as a use case, this article attempts to explore the latest research progress on learning-based data compressions toward efficient data transmissions. Specifically, we first propose a novel learning-based data compression framework for edge-cloud collaborative IIoT. Then, we summarize the learning-based data transmission methods which are involved with various layers of the proposed edge-cloud collaborative framework. Moreover, we conduct a case study to show that our learning-based data transmission methods can effectively reduce the volume of the transmitted data. Finally, we highlight several promising future research directions on the learning-based data compression, such as robustness and instability of deep models, deep model optimization, and future deployment strategies for 6G enabled IIoT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short‐circuit fault current of the urban rail transit systems is hard to interrupt due to the high amplitude and the high rising rate. The existing air DC circuit breakers applied in the rail transit DC traction system are difficult to interrupt the short‐circuit fault current quickly and reliably, and cannot meet the increasing demand of the system capacity. The objective of this paper is to design a novel DC combined apparatus including a DC fuse module and an artificial zero crossing module series‐connected to solve the problem of rapid isolation of short‐circuit fault current in DC traction systems. The DC fuse module consists of a DC fuse and a transfer switch with additional auxiliary coils. Experimental results show that the DC combined apparatus can interrupt the rated current, overload current, and short‐circuit current effectively within 6 ms. It can interrupt a 20 kA overload current within 5.12 ms, and the interrupting time of a prospective short‐circuit current of 100 kA is less than 5.08 ms. The designed DC combined apparatus has the full range of current interrupting capacity and has the advantages of low on‐state loss and low cost, which can significantly improve the reliability and stability of rail transit systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microemulsion and reverse microemulsion exhibited important applications in many fields. Bola-surfactant as a specific type of surfactants has a certain impact on the formation and stability of the microemulsion and reverse microemulsion. In this work, the formation and stability of the O/W and reverse W/O microemulsion at different surfactant concentration, inorganic salt, temperature and shear rate were researched using Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation on mesoscopic level. The results show that two types of Microemulsions could form and mutually transform with changing the oil-water ratio under the same other conditions. The O/W Microemulsion emulsified by a little surfactants and have better abbility to resist inorganic salt, temperature and shear rate comparing to the reverse W/O Microemulsion. The simulation results provide new insight into formation, transformation and stability conditions of different microemulsions from the mesoscopic scale, and supply theoretical guidance for the practical application of the microemulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive bitrate streaming can confront dynamic environment and satisfy multifarious user requirements by encoding video files into different bitrate versions. It can significantly improve the user quality of experience (QoE). But at the same time, it can also lead to a further increase in video data volume. The interaction of massive video data tends to aggravate network congestion and increase transmission energy, which triggers new challenges for wireless networks in terms of delivery delay and energy consumption. In this paper, taking different video sizes and playback rate requirements into account, we aim to minimize the weighted sum of delivery delay and energy consumption for adaptive video streaming. The problem is formulated by jointly optimizing caching, computing and power allocation, which turns out to be a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. To tackle it, a joint caching, computing and power allocation (JCCPA) algorithm is proposed. More specifically, the original problem is decomposed into two subproblems: 1) power allocation problem and 2) joint caching placement and computing decision problem. The power allocation problem is proved to be a quasi-convex problem, and the closed-form solution is derived. With the optimal transmit power, the joint caching placement and computing decision problem is further divided into two subproblems, which are solved in an iterative manner. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms can effectively reduce the weighted sum of delivery delay and energy consumption (outperforms the baselines around 5%–12% within a certain range). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to overcome the problems such as low yield and complex products caused by direct esterification reaction of glutamic acid and cholesterol for the preparation of glutamic cholesterol ester (GCE), the new synthesis protocol was proposed. In this process, the amino of glutamic acid was first protected with a phthalimido group to produce followed N-phthaloyl-glutamic anhydride. Then, the glutamic anhydride was combined with cholesterol to form N-phthaloyl-glutamic cholesterol ester (NP-GCE). Finally, a de-protected GCE was obtained by hydrazine hydrate. The structures of GCE and NP-GCE were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum (1H and 13C NMR) and high-resolution mass spectra (HR-MS). The gelation properties of GCE and NP-GCE were evaluated in 15 solvents. The thermodynamic parameters of gels were studied by gel-sol transition temperature. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to characterize the gelation mechanism and possible accumulation models of GCE. The results indicated that the new reaction route can eliminate the interference of amino group from glutamic acid, and the yield of GCE can reach 89.62 w%, which increased by 41.99 w% in comparison with the direct synthesis of glutamic acid and cholesterol. The gelling property demonstrated that GCE performs good gel properties in 5 solvents while NP-GCE only can from gel in 3 solvents. The gel-sol transition enthalpy of GCE is greater than that of NP-GCE, revealing the thermal stability of the gel from GCE is enhanced. XRD and SEM showed that GCE gel accumulated in lamellar structure due to the π-π stacking and hydrogen bond interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thalassemia is a group of common hereditary anemias that cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, precisely diagnosing thalassemia, especially rare thalassemia variants, is still challenging. Long-range PCR and long-molecule sequencing on the PacBio Sequel II platform utilized in this study could cover the entire HBA1, HBA2 and HBB genes, enabling the diagnosis of most of the common and rare types of thalassemia variants. In this study, 100 cases of suspected thalassemia were subjected to traditional thalassemia testing and third-generation sequencing for thalassemia genetic diagnosis. Compared with traditional diagnostic methods, an additional 10 cases of rare clinically significant variants, including 3 cases of structure variants and 7 cases of single nucleotide variations (SNVs) were identified, of which a case with − α3.7 subtype III (− α3.7III) was first identified and validated in the Chinese population. Other rare variants of 11.1 kb deletions (− 11.1/αα), triplicate α-globin genes (aaa3.7/αα) and rare SNVs have also been thoroughly detected. The results showed that rare thalassemia variants are not rare but have been misdiagnosed by conventional methods. The results further validated third-generation sequencing as a promising method for rare thalassemia genetic testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and characterized by progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). As glaucoma progresses asymptomatically and the lack of specific biomarkers or noninvasive imaging tools during the early stage, it is often discovered at a relatively late stage without cure. Development of an effective tool for early diagnosis remains a necessity. As well known, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and subsequent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a vital role in the development of glaucoma, with peroxynitrite (ONOO−) as one of the most abundant cytotoxic ROS. In this work, we constructed a novel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanoprobe named ER-ONOO-NPs. It specifically and sensitively targets ER-associated ONOO− with low biotoxicity in cultured RGCs. Systematically applied to the NMDA-induced mouse model of glaucoma, ER-ONOO-NPs performs well for real-time dynamic monitoring of ONOO− fluctuations at the Ganglion cell layer of mice prior to RGCs apoptosis. Thus, our results suggest that the ER-targeted NIR fluorescent nanoprobe could be a noninvasive imaging tool for early diagnosis of glaucoma in high-risk population. [Display omitted] • An endoplasmic reticulum-targeted NIR fluorescent nanoprobe was developed for ONOO−. • The nanoprobe can detect ONOO− selectively and sensitively with fluorescence changes at 660 nm. • The fluorescence nanoprobe can image ER-associated ONOO− with low biotoxicity in cells. • The nanoprobe can monitor the level changes of ONOO− under endoplasmic reticulum stress in glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the strategic background of the Internet and big data, the technical means of telemedicine show strong advantages in the consultation and treatment of various acute and chronic diseases so that the majority of patients can enjoy high-quality medical resources and save unnecessary costs. The resulting medical management decision-making has also become a research topic widely concerned by experts and scholars in relevant fields at home and abroad. In this article, the multiagent optimization decision-making problem in telemedicine has not formed a systematic research system, and there is a lack of corresponding decision-making analysis methods. In view of this, based on the optimal decision theory and decision-making method in telemedicine, this article focuses on the preferences and behavior strategies of participants in the context of telemedicine and makes a phased and in-depth foundation for management and the decision-making of each link of telemedicine. Theoretical research and specific decision analysis methods have certain theoretical and practical significance. The design ideas and implementation process of the acquisition converter and client software are introduced in detail. In order to support the system with good scalability and maintainability, not only is a communication plug-in designed above the transmission layer, but also a transcoding plug-in is designed to support the protocol conversion of medical equipment. The design idea and implementation process of acquisition converter and client software are introduced in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channels (BCs), the transmitter simultaneously broadcasts signals to multiple receivers at same frequency band, resulting in that the communication capacity is affected by both interference, channel fading and random noise. Although channel fading can be mitigated by transceivers, the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) of the practical communication system is still dynamically changing due to the randomly changing noise. Traditional MIMO transceiver optimization algorithms can not flexibly adapt to the dynamic changes of SNR, resulting in large performance degradation. In this paper, we comprehensively consider signal power and signal space dimensions of the received signal in MIMO BCs, and propose two transceiver optimization algorithms which can dynamically adapt to the variance of SNRs. In the proposed algorithms, SNR is adopted to be an adjustment factor to cope with its variance. When SNR is low, i.e, large noise, the algorithm parameters are automatically adjusted so that the signal power is preserved as much as possible to combat the loss of communication capacity caused by large random noise. Correspondingly, under the condition of high SNR environment, the algorithm parameters are adjusted automatically to effectively compress the inter-user-interference (IUI) and intra-user-inter-stream-interference (ISI) by optimizing signal space dimensions. Simulation results show that in different SNR environments, the proposed algorithms can automatically adjust the focus of optimization, so that the optimization of signal power and signal space dimensions can automatically adapt to different SNRs. Compared with traditional transceiver optimization algorithms, the proposed algorithms can improve the communication capacity within a large dynamic range of SNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology, the value of massive power data has been widely considered. Aiming at the problem of single-phase-to-ground fault line selection in resonant grounding system, a fault line selection method based on transfer learning depthwise separable convolutional neural network (DSCNN) is proposed. The proposed method uses two pixel-level image fusions to transform the three-phase current of each feeder into the RGB color image, which is used as the input of DSCNN. After DSCNN self-feature extraction, the fault line selection is completed. With the consideration that not all of power distribution systems can obtain a large amount of data in practical applications, the transfer learning strategy is adopted to transplant the trained line selection model. The smaller number of DSCNN parameters increases the portability of the model. The test results show that not only does the proposed method extracts obvious features, but also the line selection accuracy can reach 99.76%. It also has good adaptability under different sampling frequencies, different noise environments, and different distribution network topologies; the line selection accuracy can reach more than 97.43%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic performance and clinical utility of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with suspected aortic dissection (AD) and investigate its role in predicting in-hospital mortality in AD. NLR values were calculated and compared in 467 consecutive patients with initially suspected AD. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis with the area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the discriminative accuracy and predictive capability of the NLR for AD. Clinical utility was determined by decision curve analysis (DCA). The association between NLR and in-hospital mortality was investigated by logistic regression analyses in patients diagnosed with AD. The NLR was significantly elevated in patients with AD, and the optimal cut-off point for the NLR to distinguish AD from other acute chest pain diseases was 5.67 [AUC (95% CI): 0.877 (0.844–0.905)]. We recommended an NLR of 2.43 as the appropriate cut-off point with 96.9% sensitivity and a negative likelihood ratio (LR) of 0.09 to satisfy clinical requirements for diagnosis. DCA showed that the use of NLR had a positive net benefit. The deceased patients with AD had a higher NLR than the discharged patients. Moreover, the NLR was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality for AD [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.084 (1.029–1.142)], and patients with higher NLR values tended to have a higher risk of in-hospital mortality. The optimal cut-off point for the NLR to predict in-hospital mortality was 9.20 [AUC (95% CI): 0.695 (0.619–0.765)]. As an easily available and inexpensive parameter, the NLR could serve as a valuable clinical biomarker for early differential diagnosis and prognosis assessment of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To accommodate the ever-increasing demands for non-safety critical services in vehicular networks, heterogeneous vehicular networks (HVNs) have been proposed and drawn considerable attention. It is known that the performance of HVNs suffers from a shortage of spectrum resource, and the relatively low utilization of licensed spectrum makes the spectrum shortage even worse. To cope with this, by introducing unlicensed spectrum into HVNs, we investigate the spectrum efficiency (SE)-oriented collaborative transmission. The SE for HVNs depends highly on the channel state information (CSI) of the effective communication links which are normally determined by the vehicle pairing. So, we first propose a joint social-physical domain vehicle pairing algorithm (JSPD-VPA), and then formulate an optimization problem to maximize the SE of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications while guaranteeing the quality of services (QoS) requirements of cellular users in licensed spectrum and users in unlicensed spectrum. Considering that the formulated problem is NP-Hard problem, to solve it, the formulated problem is decomposed into two subproblems, i.e., spectrum assignment subproblem and power control subproblem. An optimal hypergraph coloring algorithm is proposed to solve the spectrum assignment subproblem, and a low-complexity three-dimensional geometry approach is developed to solve the power control subproblem. Simulation results reveal that the proposed vehicle pairing, spectrum assignment and power control algorithm (VP-SA-PCA) can greatly enhance the SE and outperforms the baselines around 7%-37% within a certain range. Moreover, the superiority of the proposed JSPD-VPA has been validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although urgent orbital decompression surgery for sight-threatening Graves' orbitopathy unresponsive to available medical treatments continues to evolve, post-operative new-onset or worsened pre-operative strabismus or diplopia remains a significant complication. At present, the optimal surgical technique remains debatable. Here, we sought to compare long-term outcomes after balanced medial–lateral wall versus selective 3-wall decompression as an urgent treatment for unresponsive sight-threatening GO. Methods: This retrospective study examined the post-operative outcome of 102 eyes (57 patients) that underwent urgent orbital decompression for sight-threatening GO. Treatment effectiveness was measured by visual acuity, proptosis, perimetry, and strabismus/diplopia, while fundus findings were detected by fundus color photography and optical coherence tomography and followed up for more than 12 months. Results: Fifty-seven patients (102 orbits) with an average age of 52.7 ± 10.2 years were evaluated. Balanced medial–lateral wall (BMLW-OD) or selective 3-wall decompression(S3W-OD) were performed in 54 and 48 eyes, respectively. Twelve months after orbital decompression, all parameters significantly improved in both groups, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), mean defect of visual field (VF-MD), pattern standard deviation of visual field (VF-PSD), and proptosis (all P < 0.01). However, new-onset esotropia occurred in 25.8% and 3.8% of patients who underwent BMLW-OD surgery or S3W-OD, respectively. Moreover, 6.5% and 38.5% of patients improved after decompression in the medial–lateral wall decompression group and the selective 3-wall decompression group, respectively. Conclusions: We demonstrated that S3W-OD provides a lower rate of new-onset strabismus/diplopia as compared with BMLW-OD surgery, while still allowing for satisfactory visual outcomes. Trial registration number : NCT05627401. Date of registration: November 25, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Doping combined with surface modification boost the performance of Fe-based cathode. • The R p of PSCFN was reduced by 32.4% through Ni doping. • The R p of PSCFN was further reduced by 56.8% after surface modification. • PrO 2 -PSCFN0.1 achieved an performance of 1190 mW·cm−2 at 800 °C. The development of cathodes with high catalytic activity and stability remains a critical challenge for the commercialization of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, a novel approach combining doping and surface modification was employed to enhance the catalytic activity and CO 2 resistance of Pr 0.4 Sr 0.6 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3- δ (PSCF) cathode. Initially, Ni was partially substituted for Fe in PSCF, resulting in the reduction of the average bond energy of metal–oxygen, thereby increasing oxygen vacancy concentration and electrochemical activity. The polarization resistance of PSCFN0.1 at 800 °C was found to be 0.025 Ω·cm2, representing a 32.4 % reduction compared to PSCF. Subsequently, Pr(NO 3) 3 solution was impregnated on the surface of the PSCFN0.1 using a spin-coating technique, resulting in the formation of a PrO 2 /PSCFN0.1 heterostructure that significantly improved the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. At 800 °C, the polarization resistance of PrO 2 -PSCFN0.1 was only 0.016 Ω·cm2, a 56.8 % reduction compared to PSCF. Moreover, the peak power density of PrO 2 -PSCFN0.1 reached 1190 mW·cm−2 at 800 °C, representing a substantial increase of 207.4 % compared to PSCF. Furthermore, PrO 2 -PSCFN0.1-based full cell exhibited excellent performance stability and CO 2 resistance. This work provides an effective strategy to explore novel cathodes for SOFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur-containing pollutants are released during coal thermal conversion processes and must be controlled to satisfy the requirements of industrial production and protect the environments. This study investigated the release behaviors of sulfur species in Zhundong (ZD) coal during combustion and gasification. H2O-washed ZD coal and Shenmu (SM) coal were also investigated as reference samples to compare with ZD coal and to obtain general release properties. The experiments were carried out using online thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry. Theoretical calculation of the released gas was obtained by a novel method and equivalent characteristic spectrum analysis. The mass flow rate, the release proportion and the release temperature range of individual sulfur-containing pollutant were evaluated. The results show that water washing process did not change the combustion reactivity and the sulfur release temperature ranges of ZD coal, but the maximum gasification rate and the SO2 release rate were decreased. H2S, COS and SO2 were observed in gasification of the coals, while COS and SO2 were observed in combustion. SO2 was always the main sulfur-containing gaseous product in both combustion and gasification. Some sulfur starts to release as SO2 at high temperature (at about 1000 °C for ZD coal and H2O-washed ZD coal, and at about 1100 °C for SM coal) due to the decomposition of sulfate, at which temperature carbon had already burned out in combustion, and the coal conversion in gasification reached about 90%. With combustion temperature lower than 1000 °C, the release of SO2 from ZD coal, H2O-washed ZD coal and SM coal can be decreased by 46.14%, 38.95% and 4.36%, respectively. With gasification temperature lower than 1000 °C, few SO2 from ZD coal and H2O-washed ZD coal and SM coal can be released. It was observed that the releases of sulfur species were related to their occurrence, reaction evolution, temperature and atmosphere. Controlling the temperature is helpful in reducing the release of SO2 in both combustion and gasification. This work also shows that it is possible to achieve high carbon conversion of ZD coal gasification at a moderate temperature and simultaneously reduce the release of sulfur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the indispensable components in convolutional neural network (CNN), loss function assists in updating parameters of CNN models during the training phase. Generally, different loss functions can assist convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn different feature representations, and different feature representations can be treated as different knowledge learned from objects. In this paper we introduce a novel training framework, namely Loss Transferring (LT), to improve the generalization ability of CNN. LT contains multiple training phases, and each training phase uses a different loss function. Under this framework, CNN models can combine different knowledge of objects by transferring the knowledge learned via one loss function to another. LT contains two components, i.e., loss function set and training strategy. In order to build appropriate loss function set, we establish two basic guides. And according to these basic guides, we design a new loss function in the last layer of CNN models (layer before softmax operation), namely Near Classifier Hyper-Plane (N-CHP) loss, which makes the learned object features belonging to the same category have the minimum intra-class distance and be near the classifier hyper-plane. Based on the two loss function set $\{\text {MSE, softmax}\}$ and $\{\text {N-CHP, softmax}\}$ , we setup two specific training methods, $LT_{\text {MSE, softmax}}$ and $LT_{\text {N-CHP, softmax}}$ , which can be universally applied to different CNN models with low additional computation cost. Meanwhile, two training strategies, multi-phase strategy 1 and multi-phase strategy 2, are further proposed to improve the training efficiency of LT. Extensive experimental results on shallow, moderate and deep models with four benchmark datasets, including MNIST, SVHN, CIFAR-10 and CIFAR-100, demonstrate that CNN models can bring obvious performance improvements when working with $LT_{\text {MSE, softmax}}$ and $LT_{\text {N-CHP, softmax}}$ , which verifies the effectiveness of LT and the proposed two basic guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Few studies have compared the yield of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays in nasopharyngeal swabs, oropharyngeal swabs, and sputum for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection. Methods We conducted an observational study in Beijing Ditan Hospital, China. Specimens including nasopharyngeal swabs, oropharyngeal swabs, and sputum from confirmed coronavirus 2019 patients were collected for RT-PCR testing. Disease duration was calculated from the date of symptom onset to the date of specimen collection and divided into 3 groups: ≤14 days, 14–21 days, and >21 days. We compared positive rates across the 3 specimens collected. The kappa coefficient was used to evaluate the consistency of RT-PCR results between different specimens. Results A total of 291 specimens were collected and tested from 43 confirmed patients. Among specimens collected with a disease duration of ≤14 days, the positive rate was highest in sputum (79.2%); this rate was significantly higher than that in nasopharyngeal swabs (37.5%; P =.003) and oropharyngeal swabs (20.8%; P <.001). Similar findings were observed with the disease durations of 14–21 days and >21 days. The consistency of testing results between nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs was low with the disease durations of ≤14 days and >21 days. The consistency between the sputum and oropharyngeal swabs and between the sputum and nasopharyngeal swabs was very low across all 3 disease durations, with statistical significance. Conclusions Compared with nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs, sputum had the highest yield of SARS-CoV-2 detection. Nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs had a similar yield. If sputum is not feasible, a nasopharyngeal swab can be recommended for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, and early testing is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 was divided into two subgroups by eGFR (45 mL/ min 1.73 m2). There is difference in prevalence of CKD, racial differences, economic development, genetic, and environmental backgrounds between China and Western countries. Methods: We used a computational intelligence model (CKD stage 3 Modeling, CSM) to distinguish CKD stage 3 with CKD stage 3a/3b by data distribution rules, pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), spearman correlation (SCC) analysis, logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and neural network (Nnet) to develop Prognostic Model for patients with CKD stage 3a/3b in South Central China. Furthermore, we used RF to discover risk factors of progression of CKD stage 3a and 3b to CKD stage 5. 1090 cases of CKD stage 3 patients in Xiangya Hospital were collected. Among them, 455 patients progressed to CKD stage 5 in a median follow-up of 4 years (IQR 4.295, 4.489). Results: We found that the common risk factors for progression of CKD stage 3a/3b to CKD stage 5 included albumin, creatinine, total protein, etc. Proteinuria, direct bilirubin, hemoglobin, etc. accounted for the progression from stage CKD stage 3a to stage 5. The risk factors for CKD stage 3b progression to stage 5 included low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, eosinophil percentage, etc. Conclusions: CSM could be used as a point-of-care test to screen patients at high risk for disease progression, might allowing individualized therapeutic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few reports of Cryptosporidium spp. in snakes in China have been published. To determine the infection rate and document the presence of Cryptosporidium in pet snakes using molecular methods, 273 fecal samples were collected from eight species of pet snakes from 13 pet households in Beijing, China, and were examined by PCR amplification of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Cryptosporidium was detected from 17 of 273 (6.2%) samples, and nine out of 13 households tested positive for Cryptosporidium with a range of 3.3 to 33.3% among households showing significant difference (p < 0.01). The infection rate of Cryptosporidium for females and males was 6.5% (13/201) and 5.6% (4/72), respectively, showing no significant difference (p > 0.05). Six out of eight pet snake species tested positive for Cryptosporidium with a range of 4.2 to 9.1% among species, showing no significant difference (p > 0.05). Two Cryptosporidium species were identified: Cryptosporidium serpentis in 10 samples and Cryptosporidium varanii in seven samples. No zoonotic Cryptosporidium species occur in our study populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an asymptotic capacity analysis for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications with insufficient transmit radio frequency (RF) chains and sufficient receive RF chains, which is named as iMIMO communications. We characterize the iMIMO channel capacity by the maximum mutual information given any vector inputs subject to not only an average power constraint but also a sparsity constraint. It is proven that an optimized Gaussian mixture input distribution is capacity-achieving in the high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) regime. The optimal mixture coefficients and the covariance matrices of the Gaussian mixtures are derived and also the corresponding asymptotic capacity. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of insufficient receive RF chains on the achievable spectral efficiency. We investigate the superiority of the capacity-achieving technique, which is an optimized non-uniform subspace modulation (NUSM), by comparing it with the best subspace selection (BSS) and the uniform subspace modulation (USM). The comparison results reveal that the optimized NUSM is optimal in the high SNR regime. Numerical results are presented to validate our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the release behaviors and reaction reactivities of gaseous products during CO2 gasification of three chars (Guanghui char, Hongshagang char, and Shenmu char) and graphite using thermogravimetric–mass spectrometry. The three chars with different sulfur contents had similar release behaviors. CO was the primary gaseous product, while SO2 was the main gaseous sulfur product. CO forms through the reaction between carbon and CO2. The temperature ranges at which H2 and COS evolved are similar to that of CO, and both H2S and SO2 were released at around 1100 °C. For the same gas, the differences in release behaviors were mainly due to the reactivity of the evolution reactions. Alkali mineral species had a catalytic effect on char gasification, while the increasing degree of graphitization tended to increase gasification reaction resistance. Larger surface area resulted in decreased reaction resistance at the initial stage of the gasification reaction. The most important factor influencing sulfur release reactivity was gasification activity rather than sulfur species in char. Moreover, acidic minerals may accelerate the release of sulfur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previously, we have reported that these outcomes are associated with the impaired function of decidual Treg cells; however, the detailed mechanisms involved were unclear. It has been reported that the suppressive capacity of Treg cells is dependent on PD-1 expression. The present study explored the role of decidual PD-1+ Treg cell function in adverse pregnancy outcomes due to T. gondii infection. Toxoplasma gondii–infected pregnant mice were sacrificed on gestational day 14 and their pregnancy outcomes were observed. The expression of PD-1 on decidual Treg cells and expressions of Foxp3, CTLA-4, TGF-β, and IL-10 on decidual PD-1+ and PD-1− Treg cells were determined using flow cytometry. The results showed that the expression of PD-1 on decidual Treg cells was clearly higher in the T. gondii–infected mice than in the normal mice. Meanwhile, the expressions of Foxp3, CTLA-4, TGF-β, and IL-10 on decidual PD-1+ Treg cells were higher in the infected mice than in the normal mice. The expressions were higher in decidual PD1+ Treg cells than in PD-1− Treg cells in the infected mice. However, these expressions on PD-1− Treg cells did not significantly differ between the infected and normal mice. Nonetheless, the absolute percentages of decidual PD-1+ Treg cells decreased significantly in the infected mice compared with those in the normal mice. These results suggest that T. gondii infection mainly influences the function of decidual PD-1+ Treg cells, which would result in an insufficiently immunotolerant microenvironment and consequently in adverse pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Danshen tablets (DST), an effective traditional Chinese multi-herbal formula, are often combined with amlodipine (ALDP) for treating coronary heart disease. Objective: This study investigated the effects of DST on the pharmacokinetics of ALDP and the potential mechanism. Materials and methods: The pharmacokinetics of ALDP (1 mg/kg) in male Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 6), with or without pretreatment of DST (100 mg/kg for 7 d), were investigated using LC-MS/MS. The effects of DST on the metabolic stability of ALDP were also investigated using rat liver microsomes (RLM). Results: The results indicated that Cmax (16.25 ± 2.65 vs. 22.79 ± 2.35 ng/ml), AUC(0–t) (222.87 ± 59.95 vs. 468.32 ± 69.87 n gh/ml), and t1/2 (10.60 ± 1.05 vs. 14.15 ± 1.59 h) decreased significantly when DST and ALDP were co-administered, which suggested that DST might influence the pharmacokinetic behaviour of ALDP when they are co-administered. The metabolic stability of ALDP was also decreased (23.6 ± 4.7 vs. 38.9 ± 5.2) with the pretreatment of DST. Discussion and conclusions: This study indicated that DST could accelerate the metabolism of ALDP in RLM and change the pharmacokinetic behaviours of ALDP. Accordingly, these results showed that the herb–drug interaction between DST and ALDP might occur when they were co-administered. Therefore, the clinical dose of ALDP should be increased when DST and ALDP are co-administered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs), high electrochemical catalytic activity and a suitable thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) are essential criteria. In this investigation, simultaneous Ca and Fe co-doped NdBa 1- x Ca x CoFeO 5+ δ (NBCCF, x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2) double-perovskites were prepared and investigated as SOFC cathode materials. The introduction of Ca and Fe effectively decreased the TECs and improved the oxygen reduction activity of the cathode. The average TEC of NdBa 0.9 Ca 0.1 CoFeO 5+δ (NBCCF1) at 30–850 °C was 19.1 × 10−6 K−1, which is decreased by 27.1 % compared to the only Fe-doped NdBaCoFeO 5+δ (NBCF). According to the distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analysis, the rate-limiting steps of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) include bulk diffusion and surface exchange of oxygen, and Ca doping can improve both steps. The maximum power density of the single cell with NBCCF1 as cathode reached 665 mW cm−2 at 750 °C. The polarization resistance decreased from 0.0722 to 0.0482 Ω cm2 at 800 °C. These findings indicate NBCCF1 is a viable cathode candidate for IT-SOFC. [Display omitted] • Ca and Fe co-doped NdBaCo 2 O 5+δ double perovskites were synthesized. • Ca and Fe co-doping effectively decreased the TECs of the cathode. • Ca and Fe co-doping significantly increaseed the oxygen vacancy concentration. • NBCCF1 cathode has an output power density of 665 mW cm−2 at 750 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]