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Introduction and hypothesis: There were few data about the long-term outcomes of bio-compatible patches for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The efficacy of poly (L-lactide-co-caprolactone) blended with fibrinogen [P(LLA-CL)/Fg] bio-patches were investigated for anterior vaginal wall prolapse treatment in a 6-year follow-up. Methods: The P(LLA-CL)/Fg bio-patch was fabricated through electrospinning. Nineteen patients with symptomatic anterior prolapse (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification [POP-Q] stage ≥ 2) were treated with anterior pelvic reconstruction surgery using a P(LLA-CL)/Fg bio-patch and were followed up at 1, 2, 3, 6 months, and 6 years. The primary outcome was objective anatomical cure (anterior POP-Q stage ≤ 1). Secondary outcomes included complications, MRI evaluation, and scores of the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7) and the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20). Results: The micro-morphology of the bio-patch resembled the extracellular matrix, which was suitable for the growth of fibroblasts. Sixteen (84.2%) patients were finally assessed, with a mean follow-up of 6.08 ± 0.18 years. The cure rate without anterior prolapse recurrence was 93.8% at 6 years. Compared with baseline, the POP-Q measurements of Aa, Ba, and C points and scores of PFIQ-7 and PFDI-20 manifested significant differences at all times (all p < 0.05). One (5.26%) case of bio-patch-related infection, 1 (5.26%) case of urinary retention, and no exposures and erosion occurred. MRI evaluation showed that the bio-patch gradually degraded to fragments at 1 month and was completely absorbed at 3 months. Conclusions: Among long-term follow-ups, anterior pelvic reconstruction surgery with a P(LLA-CL)/Fg bio-patch demonstrated significant improvements in anatomical correction of anterior pelvic prolapse and pelvic function without severe morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With accelerated ensemble of the Internet of Things technology and automotive industry, vehicular network has been established as powerful tools. However, it is a significant challenge for dynamic and heterogeneous vehicular network to meet high requirements of the sixth-generation (6G) network such as high reliability and high security. To address this challenge, we design a novel weight-based ensemble machine learning algorithm (WBELA) to identify abnormal messages of vehicular Controller Area Network (CAN) bus network. Then, we establish a model based on many-objective optimization for intrusion detection of CAN bus network. To support this model, a many-objective optimization algorithm based on balance convergence and diversity (MaOEA-BCD) is designed. Open-source CAN bus message data sets and tamper attack scenarios are used to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed algorithm for different ID data frames. Experimental results revealed that proposed methods significantly enhance precision, reduce the false positive rate and have better performance than other methods so as to enhance security of vehicular networks in 6G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Air pollution and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) are still serious worldwide problems, especially in areas of developing countries. Whether there is an association between high ambient air pollutant concentrations and PTB has not been fully explored.Methods: Bayesian spatial-temporal models were constructed to analyse the association between ambient air pollutants (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of ≤10 μm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) and PTB incidence, adjusting for socioeconomic covariates. We collected data on pulmonary TB, ambient air pollution (PM10, SO2 and NO2) concentrations and socioeconomic covariates from 17 prefectures in the central Chinese province of Hubei between Jan 1, 2006, and Dec 31, 2015.Results: For every annual 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2, the relative risk (RR) of PTB incidence was 1.046 (95% credible interval [CI], 1.038-1.054) in the study area. Moreover, we found positive associations with each annual 10 μg/m3 increase in ambient air pollutants (PM10, SO2 and NO2) in females but only with SO2 in males. A significant association for each 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2 was observed in all the age groups, with a significant association for PM10 only in children under 14 years of age. A significant response relationship was also observed at a 0-1 month moving average lag for each 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2.Conclusions: High ambient air pollution concentrations in areas of developing countries might increase the risk of regional PTB incidence, especially for women and young people. Precautions and protective measures and efforts to reduce ambient air pollutant concentrations should be strengthened in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common fatal cancers. Recent studies have identified the vital role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development and progression of BC. In this investigation, lncRNA TTN-AS1 was studied to identify its function in the metastasis of BC. TTN-AS1 expression of tissues was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in 56 BC patients. Wound healing assay and transwell assay were used to observe the biological behavior changes of BC cells through gain or loss of TTN-AS1. In addition, luciferase assays and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed to discover the potential targets of TTN-AS1 in BC cells. TTN-AS1 expression level in BC samples was higher than that of adjacent tissue. Besides, the ability of cell migration and invasion of BC cells was inhibited after TTN-AS1 was silenced, while cell migration and cell invasion of BC cells were promoted after TTN-AS1 was overexpressed. In addition, miR-140-5p was upregulated after silencing of TTN-AS1 in BC cells, while miR-140-5p was downregulated after overexpression of TTN-AS1 in BC cells. Furthermore, luciferase assays and RIP assay showed that miR-140-5p was a direct target of TTN-AS1 in BC. Our study uncovered a new oncogene in BC and suggests that TTN-AS1 enhances BC cell migration and invasion via sponging miR-140-5p, which provides a novel therapeutic target for BC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sulfide solid electrolytes possess high ionic conductivity and moderate dendrite suppression capability, but rather poor compatibility against oxide cathodes and metallic Li. Here, we report O-doped Li 6 PS 5 Br as solid electrolyte synthesized by a facile solid-state sintering. Different from other O-incorporated sulfides, the O atoms in Li 6 PS 5- x O x Br prefer to substitute the S atoms at free S2− sites rather than those at the PS 4 tetrahedra. Remarkably, without deteriorating the ionic conductivity, this inorganic solid electrolyte with O doping exhibits comprehensively enhanced properties including excellent dendrite suppression capability, superior electrochemical and chemical stability against Li metal as well as high voltage oxide cathodes, and good air stability. Li(Ni 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1)O 2 and LiCoO 2 -based all-solid-state batteries with Li 6 PS 4.7 O 0.3 Br electrolyte deliver high specific capacity, superior rate capability, and outstanding cycling stability accompanied with low interfacial resistivity. This type of inorganic solid electrolytes is promising for all-solid-state batteries with high energy density. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • O-doped Li 6 PS 5 Br argyrodite is synthesized. • O atoms prefer to occupy the free S2− sites rather than the PS 4 tetrahedra. • Li dendrite is intensively suppressed with O incorporation. • The stability against Li and high voltage cathodes are significantly improved. • NCM-811 and LiCoO 2 cells with Li 6 PS 4.7 O 0.3 Br achieve superior performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li 6 PS 5 X (X = Cl, Br, I) argyrodites possess high ionic conductivity but with rather scattered values due to various processing conditions. In this work, Li 6 PS 5 X solid electrolytes were prepared by solid-state sintering or mechanical alloying and optimized with or without excess Li 2 S. Solid-state sintering prefers excess Li 2 S, whereas mechanical alloying prefers stoichiometric Li 2 S to synthesize high-purity samples with high ionic conductivity. Solid-state sintering is also more suitable than mechanical milling for high ionic conductivity. Li 6 PS 5 Cl with the highest ionic conductivity among Li 6 PS 5 X was comprehensively characterized for electrochemical performance and air stability. MoS 2 /Li 6 PS 5 Cl all-solid-state batteries assembled with Li 6 PS 5 Cl-coated MoS 2 as cathode and with Li 6 PS 5 Cl as solid electrolyte demonstrate high capacity and good cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipase‐catalyzed synthesis of lauroyl glucose ester was continuously performed in a biphasic system consisting of supercritical CO2 and an ionic liquid (IL). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy are employed to identify the product lauroyl glucose ester. The effects of reaction pressure, temperature, substrate flow rate, the amount of enzyme, and the amount of IL on the glucose conversion rate are investigated. The highest glucose conversion of up to 95.5% could be achieved at the optimal condition, which is higher than that in the pure IL. The enzyme activity in the biphasic system was 18.19 μmol/g/min, which is much higher than that in the pure IL. The continuous reaction in the binary system could last for 10 h at high enzyme activity. The combination of supercritical CO2 and ILs could not only improve the reaction rate and yield, which are attributed to the fast mass transfer rate and enhanced enzyme activity and lifespan, but also make the product separation and enzyme/ILs recycling easier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Equitable access to basic public health services is a priority in China. However, primary healthcare workers’ competence to deliver public health services is relatively poor because they lack professional training. Since the availability of web-based training has increased in China, the current study explored stakeholders’ perceptions of a web-based training program on basic public health services to understand their thoughts, experiences, and attitudes about it. Methods: Six focus group discussions with primary healthcare workers and three with directors of township hospitals, county-level Health Bureaus, and county-level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were conducted in Yichang City during 2013. Semi-structured topic guides were used to facilitate qualitative data collection. Audio recordings of the sessions were transcribed verbatim and theme analysis was performed. Results: Most of the study’s participants, especially the village doctors, had insufficient knowledge of basic public health services. The existing training program for primary healthcare workers consisted of ineffective traditional face-to-face sessions and often posed accessibility problems for the trainees. Most of the study’s participants had a positive attitude about web-based learning and expressed a strong desire to receive this novel training approach because of its flexibility and convenience. The perceived barriers to utilizing the web-based training method included poor computer literacy, lack of personal interaction, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of time and motivation. The facilitators of this approach included the training content applicability, the user-friendly and interactive learning format, and policy support. Conclusions: Web-based training on basic public health services is a promising option in rural China. The findings of the study will contribute knowledge to implementation of web-based training in similar settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of various communication networks has attracted many researchers from various academic fields in recent years. It is a major research to identify the faulty links in communication networks. A dependent failure approach is presented to identify the faulty links in wireless communication networks. The node importance evaluation is introduced to overcome the limitations of traditional independent failure methods. Faulty nodes effect on their direct links in the network. The dependent failure topology graph (DFTG) model and faulty link identification method take into consideration the failure probability of different nodes. The management node can autonomously identify, in real time, the most probable failed network links through building the DFTG model. Experimental validation and actual application are carried out separately. The identification method of faulty links applies to satellite networks with the connection‐oriented network structure. From the simulation analyses and the actual satellite network, the test results demonstrate that this proposed method is valid, efficient, and suitable for wireless communication network applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of surface roughness on the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) and the corrosion behavior of 446 stainless steel in simulated anode environments for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) (i.e., 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4 + 2 ppm F− and 5 × 10−4 mol L−1 H2SO4 + 0.1 ppm F− bubbled with hydrogen gas at 80 °C) was investigated by means of atomic force microscopy, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and ICR test. The surface roughness (Ra) produced by mechanical grinding increases noticeably with the decrease of sandpaper grit size from 1000# to 240#. 446 stainless steel shows the active state under free corrosion conditions in the two test solutions and the passive state at the typical anode working potential of PEMFC after the activation-passivation transition. The corrosion resistance decreases with the increase of roughness in both solutions. The corrosion product films formed in the solution with lower acidity are more protective, leading to the appearance of the diffusion process. The enlargement of surface roughness results in the gradual reduction of ICR, but the acceleration of active and passive dissolutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell cycle studies in plants and algae are highly dependent on reliable methods for detecting cellular DNA replication. With its short growth cycle and ease of genetic transformation, Phaeodactylum tricornutum is an important model organism for the study of pennate diatoms. Here we explored two different methods to detect the cell cycle of P. tricornutum, one using SYBR‐green I to via flow cytometry, and the other using EdU labeling to observe cell cycle changes under fluorescence microscopy. Both EdU labeling fluorescence microscopy and SYBR‐green I staining flow cytometry accurately indicated that the cells of P. tricornutum enter the G2/M phase after 12 h of light exposure. The results indicate that SYBR Green I was an adequate detection method for nuclear DNA quantitation in cells of P. tricornutum using a flow cytometer and without RNase A treatment. In addition, EdU can be applied to P. tricornutum to reliably detect cell proliferation. Besides, Mg‐ProtoIX was able to reverse the cell cycle division inhibition of P. tricornutum and allow the nuclear DNA replication to proceed normally. Taken together, the photoperiodic division time point was clearly identified, which sheds light on the regulation of cell division mechanism in P. tricornutum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of long-wavelength emitting carbon dots (CDs) with good antibacterial function and biosensing ability through element doping method is the hotspot of present researches. This paper reports the rapid synthesis of nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped long wavelength-emitting CDs (N, P-CDs, λ em = 530 nm) under low reaction temperature (30 min, 60 °C). This method used glucose, polyethyleneimine and phosphoric acid as raw materials, and each raw material worked multi-functionally during the synthesis process. The impacts of raw materials and reaction parameters upon optical properties of prepared N, P-CDs have been studied, and the synthesis mechanism has been discussed. Meanwhile, N, P-CDs were used as antibacterial material with minimum inhibitory concentrations against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli at 7.5 μg·mL−1 and 0.5 mg·mL−1 respectively. The prepared CDs were also used to realize fluorescence imaging of S. aureus , and work as fluorescence probe to detect Sudan Red I with limit of detection at 43 nM. • Low-temperature and fast synthesis of long-wavelength emitting N, P-CDs • Discussion on the mechanism of synthetic materials affecting the optical properties of CDs • The high inhibitory ability of N, P-CDs against Staphylococcus aureus • The highly sensitive detection of Sudan Red I by N, P-CDs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anodic titanium dioxide (ATO) has been investigated for decades of years. It can be widely used in microextraction fiber for sample pretreatment because of its rich variety of morphologies such as nanotube, nanowires, nanoparticles and so on. In this work, TiO 2 nanotube clusters in situ growth were prepared on titanium substrate by anodization method. The effects of anodization distance, anodizing time and temperature of electrolyte were investigated. The results showed that uniform nanotube clusters coating can be obtained under the conditions of 1.5 cm anodizing distance, 50 min anodizing time and 60 °C anodizing temperature. On this basis, a novel, simple and fast octadecyl functionalization was followed by one step chemical self-assembly method based on the chemical reaction between octadecyltrichlorosilane and surface titanium hydroxyl groups (Ti-OH). The electrochemical scanning microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and XPS were employed for sample characterization, which showed that octadecyl groups were successfully assembled on the surface of TiO 2 nanotube clusters. Moreover, the surface corrosion resistance of the fibers was also tested by electrochemical methods. Unlabelled Image • A novel in-situ growth of TiO 2 nanotube clusters by anodization method was evaluated. • Octadecyl groups were one step self-assembled and the corrosion resistance is greatly enhanced. • The coating fabrication is facile, rapid and repeatable, which is expected to be used in many fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solution-processability is one of the merits of sulfide solid electrolytes because it is a facile and scalable process to construct a thin electrolyte coating layer on active material powders to reduce the interfacial resistance. Herein the argyrodite-type Li 6 PS 5 X is synthesized by an one-step solution-process method with ethanol, which avoids the multi-step processes and toxic solvent adopted in other reported works, and greatly reduces the processing time. The as-synthesized Li 6 PS 5 Cl has room temperature ionic conductivity of 0.21 mS cm−1 and comparable Li-dendrite suppression ability to solid-state-sintered Li 6 PS 5 Cl, despite of the unavoidable impurities due to the use of the protic solvent. By coating Li 6 PS 5 Cl on LiCoO 2 particles with the one-step solution process, the assembled all-solid-state battery exhibits higher capacity and better rate capability than the uncoated baseline battery. The improved electrochemical performance is attributed to a well-maintained interfacial resistance during cycling by the interfacial architecture, though the performance is not good yet and need to be further improved. The one-step solution-process method can be used for coating cathode materials. Image 1 • One-step solution-process synthesis is optimized for preparation of Li 6 PS 5 X. • Li 6 PS 5 Cl is synthesized with one-step solution process from raw materials. • The interfacial performance is enhanced by the thin and uniform electrolyte coating. • An improved cycling stability is achieved from the coated all-solid-state cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The computation offloading problem in mobile edge computing (MEC) has received a lot of attention, but service caching is also a research topic that cannot be ignored in MEC. Due to the limited resources available on the Edge Server (ES), a wise computation offloading and service caching policy must be formulated in order to maximize system offload efficiency. In this paper, a many-objective joint optimization computation offloading and service caching model (MaJOCOSC) is designed. The model takes into account the limited computing and storage resources of ES, the delay and energy consumption constraints of different types of tasks, and multiple processing modes of user tasks, and sets delay, energy consumption, task hit service rate, service cache balancing, and load balancing as the five optimization objectives of MaJOCOSC. Meanwhile, a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGAIII-ASF&WD) based on achievement scalar function (ASF) and the k-nearest neighbor weighted distance mating selection strategy is proposed for better solving the model. The ASF ensures that the given strategy performs well for each objective value, and the k-nearest neighbor weighted distance provides the user with a diversity of strategies. Simulation results show that NSGAIII-ASF&WD can obtain better objective values when solving the model compared with other many-objective evolutionary algorithms, and a suitable computation offloading and service caching strategy is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute monocytic leukemia-M5 (AML-M5) remains a challenging disease due to its high morbidity and poor prognosis. In addition to the evidence mentioned earlier, several studies have shown that programmed cell death (PCD) serves a critical function in treatment of AML-M5. However, the role and relationship between ferroptosis and necroptosis in AML-M5 remains unclear. Methods: THP-1 cells were mainly treated with Erastin and IMP-366. The changes of ferroptosis and necroptosis levels were detected by CCK-8, western blot, quantitative real-time PCR, and electron microscopy. Flow cytometry was applied to detect the ROS and lipid ROS levels. MDA, 4-HNE, GSH and GSSG were assessed by ELISA kits. Intracellular distribution of FSP1 was studied by immunofluorescent staining and western blot. Results: The addition of the myristoylation inhibitor IMP-366 to erastin-treated acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 cell not only resulted in greater susceptibility to ferroptosis characterized by lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) depletion and mitochondrial shrinkage, as the FSP1 position on membrane was inhibited, but also increased p-RIPK1 and p-MLKL protein expression, as well as a decrease in caspase-8 expression, and triggered the characteristic necroptosis phenomena, including cytoplasmic translucency, mitochondrial swelling, membranous fractures by FSP1 migration into the nucleus via binding importin α2. It is interesting to note that ferroptosis inhibitor fer-1 reversed necroptosis. Conclusion: We demonstrated that inhibition of myristoylation by IMP-366 is capable of switching ferroptosis and ferroptosis-dependent necroptosis in THP-1 cells. In these findings, FSP1-mediated ferroptosis and necroptosis are described as alternative mechanisms of PCD of THP-1 cells, providing potential therapeutic strategies and targets for AML-M5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of synergistic effects has been widely applied in many scientific fields such as in biomedical science and material chemistry, and has further attracted interest in the fields of both synthesis and application of nanomaterials. In this paper, we report the synthesis of long-wavelength emitting silicon quantum dots based on a one-step hydrothermal route with catechol (CC) and sodium citrate (Na-citrate) as a reducing agent pair, and N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (DAMO) as silicon source. By controlling the reaction time, yellow-emitting silicon quantum dots and green-emitting silicon quantum dots were synthesized with quantum yields (QYs) of 29.4% and 38.3% respectively. The as-prepared silicon quantum dots were characterized by fluorescence (PL) spectrum, UV–visible spectrum, high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Zeta potential. With the aid of these methods, this paper further discussed how the optical performance and surface characteristics of the prepared quantum dots (QDs) influence the fluorescence mechanism. Meanwhile, the cell toxicity of the silicon quantum dots was tested by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) bromide method, and its potential as a fluorescence ink explored. The silicon quantum dots exhibit a red-shift phenomenon in their fluorescence peak due to the participation of the carbonyl group during the synthesis. The high-efficiency and stable photoluminescence of the long-wavelength emitting silicon quantum dots prepared through a synergistic effect is of great value in their future application as novel optical materials in bioimaging, LED, and materials detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel 3D graphene/Fe 3 O 4 (G-Fe 3 O 4) nanocomposite was prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal process used to be adulterated into the varnish as an anticorrosive and electromagnetic shielding paint. It is confirmed that the skeleton structure of graphene can effectively inhibit Fe 3 O 4 agglomeration by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique, and the G-Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites can be well dispersed in the varnish for a longtime without settling. The graphene/Fe 3 O 4 composite varnish shows excellent corrosion resistance both in city water and seawater, besides its corrosion resistance is also superior to that of ordinary anti-rust paint. Moreover, the electromagnetic shielding test confirms that the as-prepared composite varnish shows well electromagnetic shielding performance. This new type of composite varnish has a broad application prospect to be used as urban exterior wall and ships paint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we have developed a novel single-molecular probe (NORP) for selective and accurate determination of NTR in living cells. It was discovered that up-regulation of endogenous NTR occurred in response to hypoxic stimulation, and there was a dependence between the NTR levels and the degree of hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Fe3+, Co2+, H3BTC, and collagen peptide are used to achieve a one-step assembly of stable FeCo-MOG/CP by manipulating the complexation effect and solution polarity. By optimizing pyrolysis, two kinds of nitrogen-doped carbon aerogels loaded with virus-shaped and nanospherical magnetic particles are obtained. FeCo/Fe3O4/NC and FeCo/NC aerogels exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave absorbing and radar stealth performances. Metal–organic gel (MOG) derived composites are promising multi-functional materials due to their alterable composition, identifiable chemical homogeneity, tunable shape, and porous structure. Herein, stable metal–organic hydrogels are prepared by regulating the complexation effect, solution polarity and curing speed. Meanwhile, collagen peptide is used to facilitate the fabrication of a porous aerogel with excellent physical properties as well as the homogeneous dispersion of magnetic particles during calcination. Subsequently, two kinds of heterometallic magnetic coupling systems are obtained through the application of Kirkendall effect. FeCo/nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) aerogel demonstrates an ultra-strong microwave absorption of − 85 dB at an ultra-low loading of 5%. After reducing the time taken by atom shifting, a FeCo/Fe3O4/NC aerogel containing virus-shaped particles is obtained, which achieves an ultra-broad absorption of 7.44 GHz at an ultra-thin thickness of 1.59 mm due to the coupling effect offered by dual-soft-magnetic particles. Furthermore, both aerogels show excellent thermal insulation property, and their outstanding radar stealth performances in J-20 aircraft are confirmed by computer simulation technology. The formation mechanism of MOG is also discussed along with the thermal insulation and electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism of the aerogels, which will enable the development and application of novel and lightweight stealth coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, visible light-responsive composite photocatalysts SrFe 2 O 4 /g-C 3 N 4 were simply prepared by ultrasonically dispersing and refluxing the mixture of SrFe 2 O 4 and g-C 3 N 4. The as-prepared composites exhibited remarkably higher photocatalytic activity than both pristine SrFe 2 O 4 and g-C 3 N 4 for degradation of Rhodamine B driven by visible light. Especially, the most efficient catalyst SrFe 2 O 4 /g-C 3 N 4 (1:1) with 1:1 mass ratio of SrFe 2 O 4 to g-C 3 N 4 can completely degradate 100 mL 10 mg/L RhB in 40 min. Furthermore, the catalyst could be magnetically separated easily for reuse and no obvious loss of activity was observed when reused in five consecutive runs. Visible light-responsive composite photocatalysts of strontium ferrite/graphitic carbon nitride, SrFe 2 O 4 /g-C 3 N 4 , were simply synthesized by ultrasonically dispersing and refluxing the mixture of SrFe 2 O 4 and g-C 3 N 4. The as-prepared composites were well characterized and their catalytic performances for photocatalytic Rhodamine B degradation were evaluated under visible-light irradiation. The composites catalysts exhibited remarkably higher activities than both pristine SrFe 2 O 4 and g-C 3 N 4 endowed by synergetic effect between the two moieties. Especially, the most efficient catalyst SrFe 2 O 4 /g-C 3 N 4 (1:1) with 1:1 mass ratio of SrFe 2 O 4 to g-C 3 N 4 can completely degradate RhB in 100 mL aqueous solution with concentration of 10 mg/L in 40 min. Furthermore, the catalyst can be facilely separated by external magnet for recycling and almost no decrease in its catalytic activity was observed after five runs reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract In this work, Ca-doped spinel Co ferrites were prepared by a facile, mild and environment-friendly route. The samples exhibit remarkably high activities in the oxidation of cyclopentene using H 2 O 2 as green oxidant. The Ca-doped samples have shown greatly enhanced performances than the pristine CoFe 2 O 4. More interestingly, the products distribution showed strong dependence on the solvents, that is, special product can be obtained by selecting special solvent. The highest cyclopentene conversion of 100% and cyclopentenone selectivity of 99.5% was achieved with the catalyst sample Ca 0.3 Co 0.7 Fe 2 O 4 in DMF solvent. Abstract The calcium doped CoFe 2 O 4 spinels Ca x Co 1− x Fe 2 O 4 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7) were prepared by simple sol–gel auto-combustion method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectrometry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, N 2 -physisorption and inductive coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The samples have shown prominent activities in oxidation of cyclopentene using 30% hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. When compared to the pristine CoFe 2 O 4 , the Ca-doped ones were more efficient having a conversion ranging from 72.1% to 100% and a H 2 O 2 utilization efficiency range of 80.0–84.7%. When the calcium content was 0.3 and above, the cyclopentene was quantitatively converted to cyclopentenone at 60 °C for 8 h reaction. More interestingly, the catalyst has shown great solvent selectivity with respect to the product distribution. Finally, the catalyst can be easily separated magnetically for reuse and no obvious loss of activity was observed after five consecutive runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behavior and surface conductivity of type 446 stainless steel were investigated in the simulated cathode environment of proton exchange membrane fuel cell with 0.0005 M H2SO4 + 0.1 ppm F− solution at 80 °C under different polarization potentials by using electrochemical measurement methods, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The 446 stainless steel passivates spontaneously in the simulated environment. The current density and interface contact resistance (ICR) enlarge slightly with increasing the anodic polarization potential in the passive region. As the potential changes from 0.7 to 1.5 V vs. SCE, the current density and ICR increase markedly due to the occurrence of transpassivation, secondary passivation, and oxygen evolution. The ICR values are larger by about 24 mΩ cm2 after the polarization above 0.7 V vs. SCE. The polarization potential shifts from the passive region to oxygen evolution region, resulting in higher oxidized Fe and Mo contents in the product film on specimen surface and relatively more release of alloying constituents (especially Cr and Mo) into the solution. These are mainly responsible for the degradation of corrosion and surface conductivity properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The studies on the preparation of high-quality and long-wavelength-emitting silicon quantum dots and their application in biochemical detections have attracted increasing interests from researchers. In particular, the exploration of the effect of SiQDs and their complex in antibacterial and inhibition of biofilm areas, is of great significance to human health. This paper reports the fast synthesis of green-fluorescent SiQDs (TC-SiQDs, QYs=25%, Em=520 nm) with the synergistic effect of thiourea and catechol through microwave-assisted one-step hydrothermal route. Based on internal filtering effect, TC-SiQDs were then successfully employed as selective probes to detect vitamin B 12 , with detection range at 0.05–30 μM and limit of detection at 50 nM. Thanks to the excellent biocompatibility and fluorescence property of TC-SiQDs, they have been applied in bacterial imaging. The prepared TC-SiQDs also exhibit certain antibacterial ability with their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) at 250 μg/mL, but their inhibitory ability is effective to the growth of S. aureus biofilm only when the concentration reaches 1.3 mg/mL. TC-SiQDs-lysozyme complex were prepared, based on the effects of singlet oxygen, charge effect and lysozyme hydrolysis of peptidoglycan in the cell wall, the complex exhibits high inhibiting activity with MIC against S. aureus at 10 μg/mL and exhibits superior inhibition activity against S. aureus biofilm at a concentration of only 62.5 μg/mL. This paper provides good theoretical and practical basis for the synthesis of long-wavelength emission and ultra-bright SiQDs and their applications in detection, antibacterial and biofilm growth inhibition, and other biomedical fields. [Display omitted] • The green-emitting TC-SiQDs have been prepared through synergistic effect. • The sensitive detection of VB 12 has been realized based on inner filter effect. • TC-SiQDs exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial and bacterial imaging abilities. • TC-SiQDs-LZM shows strong antibacterial ability to certain bacteria and biofilm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial corrosion resistance of ferritic stainless steels with various Cr and Mo levels in simulated fuel cell environments is evaluated using the HKD calculation method and electrochemical tests. HKD utilizes high-throughput DFT, KMC, and AIMD statistical coverage calculations to study passivation film development and ion/molecule adsorption behaviors, like O2-, F-, H 2 O, and OH-. Super-high Cr-containing Mo steel shows reliable corrosion resistance due to their stable structure and effective passivation film integrity at various F- concentrations and pH values. Furthermore, the impact of F- competes with O2-, influencing film formation as pH lowers and concentration rises. • The corrosion properties of ferritic stainless steel in the PEMFC environment. • HKD integrates high-throughput DFT, KMC, and AIMD. • The high-throughput DFT and KMC are applied to tailor the unit cell of stainless steel. • AIMD calculations provide passivation properties and elemental distribution in PEMFC environment. • The experiments confirm that SHCr-Mo maintains excellent corrosion resistance under PEMFC conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Innovating and proposing the DPWSIR model based on the DPSIR model. • Clarifying the toughness index for each stage of the DPWSIR model. • Using the G1-entropy weighting method to assign weights to evaluation indicators. • Analyzing the correlation between the criteria stage and the indicator stage indicators. • Providing support for improving the social-ecological resilience of arid cities in northwest China. Assessment of social-ecological system resilience is a reliable means of characterizing the system's ability to respond and recover in response to crisis events. This study takes Northwest China as the research area and aims to assess the spatiotemporal evolutionary trends of social-ecological system resilience levels. Driving force-Pressure-Meteorological constraint-State-Impact-Response(DPWSIR) model is proposed to construct the social-ecological system resilience evaluation system innovatively. The G1 entropy weight method is used to determine the index weight, and the comprehensive index method is used to calculate the social-ecological system resilience level values, evaluate the resilience of arid cities social-ecological systems in Northwest China from 2015 to 2021, and determine the resilience grades. The results demonstrate that: (1) The core status of regional central cities is highlighted, in general, the "center-periphery" spatial structure characteristics gradually stabilize. The resilience levels of regional central cities, such as Hohhot, Baotou, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan, and Urumqi, are as high as 0.37, 0.43, 0.414, 0.41, 0.43, 0.58, and 0.39, respectively. (2) In the study area, the meteorological constraint resilience index showed a "flat-to-sudden decline" trend, with the inflection point of the sharp decline occurring in 2020. The decline in the resilience index value in arid cities is caused by the increase in precipitation and temperature, which is manifested as the result of "warming and humidification". (3) Meteorological factors, as the direct influencing factors of sandstorms, are the most critical to the assessment of the resilience of arid cities social-ecological systems. The relative percentage difference (RPD) is used to characterize the relative difference between the traditional model (DPSIR) and the improved model (DPWSIR). In areas for example Jinchang(29%), which is close to the dust sources and greatly affected by sandstorms, the differences in the social-ecological systems resilience are large and the RPD values are significant. Therefore, the DPWSIR model is more suitable for arid cities. This study provides scientific reference for the formulation of ecological environment protection policies and resilience improvement strategies for cities affected by sandstorms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we developed a new organic electrochemical probe, 4-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)phenol, for the determination of tyrosinase. The designed probe contained a 4-hydroxybenzyloxy moiety for the specific determination of Tyr and a terminal alkyne group for chemical adsorption onto the electrode surface. The oxidation peak of the phenolic group from Pyyp decreased but increased for o-diphenol or o-quinone generated after the reaction between Tyr and Pyyp. The present sensor demonstrated a good linearity with Tyr activity in a dynamic range of 1.0–30 U mL−1. The limit of detection was as low as 0.28 ± 0.12 U mL−1. Moreover, this sensor demonstrated high selectivity for Tyr determination against metal ions, amino acids, ROS and neurotransmitters due to the specific recognition of Tyr. Finally, the developed sensor with high accuracy, high selectivity and long-term stability was successfully applied for evaluating Tyr activity in normal brain homogenate and brain homogenate with Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between depression and/or depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the risk of an operative delivery or preeclampsia, and to quantify the strength of the association. Methods: A search of the PubMed, SCI/SSCI, Proquest PsycARTICLES and CINAHL databases was supplemented by manual searches of bibliographies of key retrieved articles and review articles. We aimed to include case control or cohort studies that reported data on antenatal depression and /or depressive symptoms and the risk of an operative delivery and/or preeclampsia. Results: Twelve studies with self-reported screening instruments were eligible for inclusion with a total of 8400 participants. Seven articles that contained 4421 total participants reported the risk for an operative delivery, and five articles that contained 3979 total participants reported the risk for preeclampsia. The pooled analyses showed that both operative delivery and preeclampsia had a statistically significant association with antenatal depressive symptoms (RR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.35, and OR = 1.63, 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.02, respectively). When the pre-pregnancy body mass indices were controlled in their initial design, the risk for preeclampsia still existed (OR = 1.48, 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.01), while the risk for an operative delivery became uncertain (RR = 1.01, 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.22). Conclusions: Antenatal depressive symptoms are associated with a moderately increased risk of an operative delivery and preeclampsia. An abnormal pre-pregnancy body mass index may modify this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water electrolysis is the most clean and high-efficiency technology for production of hydrogen, an ultimate clean energy in future. Highly efficient non-noble electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are desirable for large scale production of hydrogen by water electrolysis. Especially, exposing as many active sites as possible is a vital way to improve activities of the catalysts. Herein, a series of new hydrangea like composite catalysts of ultrathin Mo 2 S 3 nanosheets assembled uprightly and interlacedly on N, S-dual-doped graphitic biocarbon spheres were facilely prepared. The unique structure endowed the catalysts highly exposed edge active sites and prominently high activities for HER. Especially, the optimized catalyst Mo 2 S 3 /NSCS-50 exhibited as low as 106 mV of overpotential at 10 mA/cm2 (denoted as ƞ 10). The catalyst also showed low Tafel slope of 53 mV/dec, low electron transfer resistance of 34 Ω and high stability evidenced by the result that the current density only attenuated 11.7% after 10 h i-t test. The catalyst has shown broad prospect for commercial application in water electrolysis. • New Mo 2 S 3 ultrathin nanosheets based catalysts have been fabricated for HER. • Mo 2 S 3 ultrathin nanosheets assembled uprightly and interlacedly on carbon spheres. • Hydrangea like composite catalysts were formed based on the above assembly. • The unique structure can provide plenty of exposed edge active sites. • The catalysts exhibited prominent activities and high stabilities for HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and prognosis of surgical treatment in anorectal malignant melanoma (ARMM) as well as its effects on immune and inflammatory profiles. A total of 64 patients with ARMM were enrolled and divided into control group (n=32) and observation group (n=32) based on different therapeutic methods. Patients in the observation group underwent wide local excision, while those in the control group were given non-surgical treatment. The immune function was compared between the two groups after treatment. The expression levels of serum IL-17, IL-23 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were compared between the groups before and after treatment. Patients were followed up for 5 years to observe the recurrence and survival rates in the two groups. Compared with those in the control group, the levels of cluster of differentiation (CD)3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ were increased, while the level of CD8+ was reduced in the observation group (P<0.05). The levels of serum IL-17, IL-23 and VEGF were significantly lower in both groups at 4, 6 and 8 weeks after treatment than those before treatment, and the decrease was more obvious in the observation group (P<0.05). The observation group exhibited a notably elevated 5-year survival rate and a remarkably decreased recurrence rate in comparison with the control group (P<0.05). For ARMM, surgical treatment is more effective than non-surgical treatment, which has less effect on immune function, is able to reduce serum IL-17, IL-23 and VEGF levels, lower recurrence rate, improve patient survival rate, and plays a certain positive role in prolonging the survival time of ARMM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adjustment of the emitting wavelength of carbon dots (CDs) is usually realized by changing the raw materials, reaction temperature, or time. This paper reported the effective synthesis of multicolor photoluminescent CDs only by changing the solvent in a one-step solvothermal method, with 1,2,4,5-tetraaminobenzene as both the novel carbon source and nitrogen source. The emission wavelengths of the as-prepared CDs ranged from 527 to 605 nm, with quantum yields (QYs) reaching 10.0% to 47.6%, and it was successfully employed as fluorescence ink. The prepared red-emitting CDs (R-CDs, λem = 605 nm) and yellow-emitting CDs (Y-CDs, λem = 543 nm) were compared through multiple characterization methods, and their luminescence mechanism was studied. It was discovered that the large particle size, the existence of graphite Ns, and oxygen-containing functional groups are beneficial to the formation of long wavelength-emitting CDs. Y-CDs responded to crystal violet, and its fluorescence could be quenched. This phenomenon was thus employed to develop a detection method for crystal violet with a linear range from 0.1 to 11 µM and a detection limit of 20 nM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the Pb2+ biosorption potential of live and dead biosorbents of the hydrocarbon-degrading strain Rhodococcus sp. HX-2 was analyzed. Optimal biosorption conditions were determined via single factor optimization, which were as follows: temperature, 25°C; pH, 5.0, and biosorbent dose, 0.75 g L−1. A response surface software (Design Expert 10.0) was used to analyze optimal biosorption conditions. The biosorption data for live and dead biosorbents were suitable for the Freundlich model at a Pb2+ concentration of 200 mg L−1. At this same concentration, the maximum biosorption capacity was 88.74 mg g−1 (0.428 mmol g−1) for live biosorbents and 125.5 mg g−1 (0.606 mmol g−1) for dead biosorbents. Moreover, in comparison with the pseudo-first-order model, the pseudo-second-order model seemed better to depict the biosorption process. Dead biosorbents seemed to have lower binding strength than live biosorbents, showing a higher desorption capacity at pH 1.0. The order of influence of competitive metal ions on Pb2+ adsorption was Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Ni+. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses revealed that several functional groups were involved in the biosorption process of dead biosorbents. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Pb2+ attached to the surface of dead biosorbents more readily than on the surface of live biosorbents, whereas transmission electron microscopy confirmed the transfer of biosorbed Pb2+ into the cells in the case of both live and dead biosorbents. It can thus be concluded that dead biosorbents are better than live biosorbents for Pb2+ biosorption, and they can accordingly be used for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child emotional or behavioral problems and insufficient social development has been a heavy burden on family and society. However, currently large-scale studies on emotional and behavioral problems as well as social competence among school children in China are still lacking. This cross-sectional study analyzed the current status and risk factors of behavioral problems and social competences in Beijing students. A total of 9,295 students, with ages ranging from 6 to 16 years old, were enrolled in the study. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to screen emotional and behavioral problems, social competences of students. We then assessed significant predictors factors associated with children behavioral problems and social competences. The total detection rate of behavioral problems of this cohort was 16.7%. All kinds of social competence scores of boys were lower than girls (P <0.05). The scores of social and learning ability in children with behavioral problems were significantly lower than those without behavior problems (P <0.05). Gender, developmental delay, recent life events, negative relationships and negative child-rearing styles were the shared influencing factors for behavioral problems and social competence. In addition, age, macrosomia, threatened abortion, hospitalization for physical illness, physical illness, poor sleep were independent risk factors for children's emotional and behavioral problems, and non-breastfeeding was an independent risk factor for abnormal social competence. The social competence, emotional and behavioral problems are serious among students in Beijing. More attention should be paid to mental health and effective intervention measures should be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lithium chloride catalyzed aza-Michael reaction of pyrazoles to α,β-unsaturated imides has been developed. A range of aromatic and aliphatic α,β-unsaturated imides are found to be suitable for the established method, providing the corresponding aza-Michael adducts in up to 93% yields. The inexpensive catalyst, good substrate tolerance, and ease of scale-up make this procedure highly practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Co 3 S 4 @Co 3 O 4 /N, S-doped carbon core@shell structural composites were constructed. • Interfacial and structural engineering were comprehensively employed. • Interfacial effect optimizes the adsorption properties of the active sites. • Synergistic effect among the composites can modulate the electron configuration. • The optimal catalyst has excellent OER/ORR performances for metal-air batteries. Herein, a class of Co 3 S 4 @Co 3 O 4 /NSC (N, S-doped carbon) composites with core@shell nanostructures were facilely fabricated through a two-step pyrolysis-oxidation strategy using methyl orange and cobalt chloride as raw materials. By constructing heterointerfaces between different components and controlling the surface oxidation degree, the interfacial and synergistic effects endowed the composited catalysts tailorable and excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic activities on oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). A rechargeable Zn-air battery (ZAB) with the optimized catalyst Co 3 S 4 @Co 3 O 4 /NSC-260-8 as air cathode has shown excellent performance with a high specific capacity of 885 mAh·g Zn −1 and energy density of 948 Wh·kg Zn −1 (at 20 mA·cm−2), which is higher than 836 mAh·g Zn −1 and 929 Wh·kg Zn −1 of the one employing Pt/C (20%) + RuO 2 as air cathode under the same conditions. The catalyst also showed robust stability and no obvious decrease in the voltage was observed after 200 h charging and discharging cycles. This work presents a feasible concept to design and construct heterostructural and multifunctional composite catalysts with heterointerfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rare earth metal Ce-doped cobalt ferrite samples Ce x Co 1− x Fe 2 O 4 ( x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5) were prepared by the sol–gel autocombustion route. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ICP–atomic emission spectroscopy, and N 2 physisorption. Their catalytic performance was evaluated in oxidation of styrene using hydrogen peroxide (30%) as oxidant. Compared with pristine CoFe 2 O 4 , the Ce-doped samples were found to be more efficient catalysts for the oxidation of styrene to benzaldehyde, with greatly enhanced catalytic performance. Especially, when Ce 0.3 Co 0.7 Fe 2 O 4 was used as catalyst, 90.3% styrene conversion and 91.5% selectivity for benzaldehyde were obtained at 90 °C for 9 h reaction. The catalyst can be magnetically separated easily for reuse, and no obvious loss of activity was observed when it was reused in five consecutive runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel communication-efficient federated recommendation model is proposed. • A many-objective evolutionary method is used to achieve parameter reduction. • Recommended performances and communication cost are optimized simultaneously. The federated recommendation system (FedRS), which is the application of the recommendation system (RS) in federated learning, has been creatively developed as increasing attention has been paid to user privacy protection. However, traditional federated learning consumes excessive communication time and resource, which seriously limits the development of the FedRS. To reduce the communication cost and improve the recommendation performance of FedRS, an improved many-objective federated recommendation model with a novel parameter reduction strategy is proposed in this paper. The model aims to optimize the number of parameters shared between the server and client to improve communication efficiency in the federated process. Optimal parameter selection solutions can be obtained using the many-objective evolutionary algorithm (MaOEA), which can optimize the recommendation accuracy, novelty, diversity, and communication efficiency of FedRS simultaneously. Furthermore, the reference vector guided evolutionary algorithm (RVEA) was adopted to evaluate the proposed model. Experiments were performed on two famous recommendation datasets to examine the superiority of RVEA for the evaluation. The performance results indicated that the proposed model can not only provide accurate, diverse, and novel recommendations for the client, but can also realize efficient communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies in China have focused on advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease (AHD) and late entry to HIV care, which are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. A population-based retrospective study was conducted using 980 national HIV surveillance reports from 1994 to February 2012 in Wuhan, China. AHD was defined as presence of a first-reported CD4 count <200 cells/μL or an acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining event within 1 month of HIV diagnosis. Late entry to HIV care was defined as patients with a first-reported CD4 cell count >6 months after diagnosis. Non-conditional logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with AHD, late entry to HIV care, and AIDS within 1 year of HIV diagnosis. The proportions of AHD, AIDS within 1 year of HIV diagnosis, and late entry to HIV care were 29.49%, 39.39%, and 20.84%, respectively. Most of the deaths (74.27%, 127/171) occurred within 1 year of diagnosis. Short-term mortality, proportion of AHD, and late entry to HIV care showed a similar downward trend from pre-2003 to 2011 ( p<0.001). Age, transmission category, sample source, and occupation were associated with AHD, late entry to HIV care, and AIDS within 1 year of HIV diagnosis in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. These findings indicate that AHD and late entry to HIV care were associated with an increased incidence of AIDS or death, particularly within 1 year of diagnosis. More effort should be made to assure early diagnosis and timely entry to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School absenteeism is a common data source in syndromic surveillance, which allows for the detection of outbreaks at an early stage. Previous studies focused on its correlation with other data sources. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of control measures based on early warning signals from school absenteeism surveillance in rural Chinese schools. Methods: A school absenteeism surveillance system was established in all 17 primary schools in 3 adjacent towns in the Chinese region of Hubei. Three outbreaks (varicella, mumps, and influenza-like illness) were detected and controlled successfully from April 1, 2012, to January 15, 2014. An impulse susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered model was used to fit the epidemics of these three outbreaks. Moreover, it simulated the potential epidemics under interventions resulting from traditional surveillance signals. The effectiveness of the absenteeism-based control measures was evaluated by comparing the simulated datasets. Results: The school absenteeism system generated 52 signals. Three outbreaks were verified through epidemiological investigation. Compared to traditional surveillance, the school absenteeism system generated simultaneous signals for the varicella outbreak, but 3 days in advance for the mumps outbreak and 2–4 days in advance for the influenza-like illness outbreak. The estimated excess protection rates of control measures based on early signals were 0.0%, 19.0–44.1%, and 29.0–37.0% for the three outbreaks, respectively. Conclusions: Although not all outbreak control measures can benefit from early signals through school absenteeism surveillance, the effectiveness of early signal-based interventions is obvious. School absenteeism surveillance plays an important role in reducing outbreak spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence of NiO-doping on the microstructure and dielectric properties of CaCu3Ti4O12–xNiO (x=0, 0.003, 0.006, 0.010, 0.015, and 0.020) ceramics has been investigated using SEM, Raman spectra and dielectric spectrum measurements. The positron annihilation lifetime spectra (PALS) are used to investigate the influence of defects on the dielectric properties. The SEM results show that the grain morphology varies significantly with increasing NiO content. An appropriate small amount of NiO can promote the grain growth, which is beneficial to improve the dielectric properties in a CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) system. Positron results show that there are vacancy-type defects in the experimental samples, and the concentration of the defect and the defect type both change with increasing NiO content. The effects of microstructure including the grain morphology and the vacancy defects on the mechanism of the dielectric properties by adding NiO are discussed. The results demonstrate the importance of the grain morphology and the characteristic of defects in controlling the electrical properties of CCTO ceramics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Development of effective non-noble electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for hydrogen production by water electrolysis. Herein, several composite catalysts of non-stoichiometric Mo 6 S 9.5 films grown on graphene-like N-doped carbon films were prepared and evaluated for HER in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4. The unique structure endowed the catalysts with highly exposed edge active sites, high specific surface area and prominently high activities for HER. The optimized catalyst exhibited a low overpotential of 113 mV at 10 mA/cm2, a low Tafel slope of 64 mV/dec, and a low charge transfer resistance of 40 Ω along with a highly catalytic stability. [Display omitted] • New Mo 6 S 9.5 ultrathin films based catalysts have been fabricated for HER. • Mo 6 S 9.5 ultrathin films were grown on graphene-like N-doped carbon films. • The unique structure can provide plenty of exposed edge active sites. • The carbon films can improve the conductivity of the catalysts. • The catalysts exhibited prominent activities and high stabilities for HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The M-doped GdBa2Cu3− x M x O7− δ (Mystems have been systemically investigated by means of XRD, SEM and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the samples undergo an orthorhombic–tetragonal (O–T) phase transition near x =0.10 by Fe ions doping. Although all the Zn-doped samples remain orthorhombic structure, the changes of the lattice parameters in the Zn-doped samples may induce a structural distortion because of Jahn–Teller effect. The crystallite appearances alter perceptibly with the Fe/Zn doping contents. Meanwhile, the changes of the typical Raman models are discussed. The research has found that the Raman modes present distinctive behaviors by Zn or Fe ions doping, which strongly depend on the crystal structure, especially on O–T phase transition. The effects of structure phase transition and the changes of the phonon vibration on the mechanism of electrical transport properties by Fe and Zn doping in different Cu sites are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highly efficient multifunctional earth-abundant elements based electrocatalysts are key important for development of clean energy transformation technologies, such as metal-air batteries, fuel cells and water electrolysis. Herein, composite catalysts of N-doped carbon wrapping Co x P hollow spheres have been successfully prepared by pyrolysis of precursors from self-assembly of cobalt salt, terephthalic acid and PVP followed by carbonization and phosphatization in the presence of sodium hypophosphite. The resulted composites showed high specific surface areas, pore volumes and nitrogen contents, especially more than 47% of pyridinic-N. The electrocatalytic activity tests showed that the optimized Co x P-NC-420 sample exhibited superior multifunctional performances and high stabilities for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under alkaline conditions. A low overpotential of 125/273 mV (at 10 mA cm−2) and Tafel slope of 66/81 mV dec−1 was obtained for HER and OER, respectively. As for ORR, as high as 0.860 V of half-wave potential was obtained, which is even 36 mV higher than that of Pt/C (20%). The catalyst also exhibited high practical performances on water electrolysis and Zn−air battery. Only 1.61 V of cell voltage was needed to reach 10 mA cm−2 for water electrolysis, and 1.374 V of open-circuit potential and 52 mW cm−2 of power density were obtained for Zn−air battery, which was 16 mW cm−2 higher than that of Pt/C (20%). Moreover, a highly effcient self-driven water electrolyzer has been designed with Co x P-NC-420 as both anode and cathode catalyst, powered by two-series-connected Co x P-NC-420-based Zn–air batteries. This work provides a new strategy for fabrication of non-precious multifunctional electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy is limited for a large proportion of individuals living with HIV presenting for medical care at an advanced stage. Controversial results of gender differences in risk of late HIV diagnosis were reported among existing literatures. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to synthesize a summary of gender differences in risk of advanced HIV disease (AHD) and late presentation (LP) according to European consensus definitions. Totally, 32 studies were included based on predetermined selection criteria. The pooled adjusted odds ratios of males presenting with AHD and LP compared with females were 1.73 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59-1.89) and 1.38 (95% CI, 1.18-1.62) with significant heterogeneity observed (I2 = 78.50%, and I2 = 85.60%, respectively). Subgroup analysis revealed that time lag, study location, number of patients, proportion of females, study design, number of adjusted variables might be potential source of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis showed robustness of the results. No publication bias was observed in studies on AHD or LP. The current meta-analysis indicated that males are at higher risk of AHD or LP compared with females. More attention should be paid to males to make sure early testing, diagnosis, and treatment, and ultimately improve individual and population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]