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Background: Capsaicin is the main component of chili peppers and is believed to have antidiabetic effects. However, the association between spicy food consumption and the incidence of diabetes remains unclear. Methods: A cohort of 20,490 Han residents aged 30–79 without diabetes at baseline were followed from enrollment to June 2, 2023. The consumption of spicy food was obtained through face-to-face surveys conducted during the baseline survey from October 2018 to February 2019. The definition of type 2 diabetes onset was based on the ICD-10 code of E11 in the diabetes case reporting system and death system; Additionally, self-reported diagnosis of diabetes by a physician in active follow-ups, or a fasting blood glucose level of ≥ 7 mmol/L or a glycated hemoglobin percentage of ≥ 6.5% found on-site during the resurvey. Both Cox proportional hazard regression and competing risk regression were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs). Results: During the follow-up period (53.5 ± 3.0 months), 182 individuals (1.1%) were newly diagnosed with T2D with an incidence rate of 246.2 per 100,000 person-years. Cox regression analyses revealed that spicy food consumers had a 34% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (HR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.91) compared to non-consumers. The HRs (95% CIs) for participants consuming spicy food 3–5 days/week, 6–7 days/week, and with weak pungency were 0.45 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.81), 0.69 (0.49, 0.98), and 0.64 (0.46, 0.90), respectively. However, little significant protective effect was observed among those who consumed spicy food for 1–2 days/week, with moderate pungency, or with strong pungency (all P > 0.05). Conclusions: Consuming spicy food may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly at a frequency of 3–5 days/week, and with weak pungency. Further multicenter prospective studies or interventional studies are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly associated with balance and gait disturbances. Little is known whether WMH may affect post-stroke balance and gait recovery. We aim to investigate the association of post-stroke balance and gait recovery with imaging marker of WMH on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: This prospective cohort study will enroll consecutive patients with first-ever ischemic hemisphere stroke, between September 2023 and December 2024. Clinical data will be collected on day 30 ± 3 and at 3 months after stroke onset. WMH on FLAIR are graded according to the modified Fazekas scale. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be acquired to evaluate functional and structural connectivity. The primary endpoint is balance recovery, defined as a Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke score of 32 or higher at 3 months. The secondary endpoint is gait recovery, assessed using the modified Fugl-Meyer Gait Assessment at 3 months. We will investigate the association of post-stroke balance and gait recovery with WMH severity as well as WMH-related functional and structural connectivity. Conclusion: The study may contribute to clarify the effect of WMH on post-stroke balance and gait disorder recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the spatial autocorrelation and spatiotemporal clustering characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome(SFTS) in Anhui Province from 2011 to 2023. Methods: Data of SFTS in Anhui Province from 2011 to 2023 were collected. Spatial autocorrelation analysis was conducted using GeoDa software, while spatiotemporal scanning was performed using SaTScan 10.0.1 software to identify significant spatiotemporal clusters of SFTS. Results: From 2011 to 2023, 5720 SFTS cases were reported in Anhui Province, with an average annual incidence rate of 0.7131/100,000. The incidence of SFTS in Anhui Province reached its peak mainly from April to May, with a small peak in October. The spatial autocorrelation results showed that from 2011 to 2023, there was a spatial positive correlation(P < 0.05) in the incidence of SFTS in all counties and districts of Anhui Province. Local autocorrelation high-high clustering areas are mainly located in the south of the Huaihe River. The spatiotemporal scanning results show three main clusters of SFTS in recent years: the first cluster located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the eastern region of Anhui Province; the second cluster primarily focused on the region of the Dabie Mountain range, while the third cluster primarily focused on the region of the Huang Mountain range. Conclusions: The incidence of SFTS in Anhui Province in 2011–2023 was spatially clustered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species distribution and activity patterns vary across regions, and these patterns reveal key information about the biology of a given species. However, such data in Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve located in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province, China, are inadequate due to limited monitoring studies. From September 2017 to December 2019, 57 infrared cameras were installed to monitor species distribution relative to distance from National Highway 210, and spatial and temporal activity patterns in Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve (elevation range 1,100 to 2,802 m). Sixteen species of mammals were recorded in our survey. The 4 most frequently detected species were Reeves's Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Pere David's Rock Squirrel (Sciurotamias davidianus), and Golden Takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi). Daily patterns of these species indicated that Reeves's muntjacs and golden takins were more active at dawn and dusk, whereas wild boars and Pere David's rock squirrels were more active during the day. The relative abundance index of these mammals varied seasonally. Wild boars and Pere David's rock squirrels showed no obvious preference in elevation distribution, Reeves's muntjacs preferred low-elevation habitats (1,300 to 1,600 m), and golden takins mainly inhabited high-elevation areas (1,900 to 2,100 m). Golden takins showed obvious avoidance of roads, with avoidance distance from the road of >300 m. In contrast, Reeves's muntjacs were remarkably abundant within 200 m of the road. For both wild boars and Pere David's rock squirrels, there was no significant difference in RAI among 5 highway ranges. These findings help describe the distribution and activity patterns of these species in Qinling, to monitor their population dynamics, and to develop tailored conservation strategies for the 4 species and sympatric wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this hospital-based cross-sectional analytic study, we retrospectively reviewed clinical data of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) between January 2017 and April 2023. Atrial cardiopathy was defined as any presence of the following: left atrial diameter ≥ 52 mm (males) or ≥ 47 mm (females), elevated P-wave terminal force in V1 > 5000 μV ms, or serum N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide > 250 pg/ml. Initial stroke severity was defined by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; moderate-to-severe, ≥ 5; and severe, ≥ 15). Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between atrial cardiopathy and stroke severity. Among 662 AIS patients (mean age 70 years [interquartile range 61–78], 31.3% women), 303 (45.8%) had atrial cardiopathy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of atrial cardiopathy was significantly associated with a higher odd of moderate-to-severe stroke (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.46–3.20, p < 0.001) and severe stroke (adjusted OR 4.89, 95%CI 2.45–9.76, p < 0.001). This association remained significant in a sensitivity analysis excluding those with atrial fibrillation or coronary artery disease. Findings of the current study revealed that the association of atrial cardiopathy was with initial stroke severity independent of atrial fibrillation and was even confirmed in patients without atrial fibrillation; future studies to explore improved stroke prevention strategies for patients with atrial cardiopathy are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether the relationship of intracerebral bleeding risk with lipid profile may vary by sex remains unclear. This study aims to investigate potential sex differences in the association between lipid profile and the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) who received intravenous thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA). Methods: This multicenter retrospective observational study analyzed patients with AIS treated with intravenous r-tPA. sICH was defined as a worsening of 4 or higher points in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score within 36 hours after intravenous thrombolysis in any hemorrhage subtype. We assessed the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of lipid profile for sICH for each sex using logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results: Of 957 participants (median age 68 (interquartile range, 59–75), men 628 (65.6%)), 56 sICH events (36 (5.7%) in men and 20 (6.1%) in women) were observed. The risk of sICH in men decreased with increasing serum levels of triglyceride after adjustment for confounding factors (vs lowest tertile, medium tertile OR 0.39, 95% CI [0.17–0.91], top tertile OR 0.33, 95% CI [0.13–0.84], overall p = 0.021; per point increase, adjusted OR 0.29, 95% CI [0.13–0.63], p = 0.002). Neither serum levels of total cholesterol nor low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was associated with sICH in men. In women, there was no association between any of the lipid levels and the risk of sICH. Conclusions: This study indicated that the association between serum levels of triglyceride and sICH may vary by sex. In men, increased triglyceride levels decrease the risk of sICH; in women, this association was lost. Further studies on the biological mechanisms for sex differences in stroke risk associated with triglyceride are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CUP (Camera Under Panel) is applied to the automobile and can identify the driver's identity, monitor the driver's fatigue, attention, and monitor dangerous driving behaviors. The commonly used blind hole technology now leads to the inability to display the camera hole area. Therefore, we proposes a scheme for camera under panel applied to automobile, which is based on the Mini LED backlight structure design to achieve full screen display. At the same time, optical simulation analysis and related experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of the scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibits a high mortality rate due to its high invasion and metastatic nature, and the acidic microenvironment plays a pivotal role. Acid-sensing ion channel 1 (ASIC1) is upregulated in HCC tissues and facilitates tumor progression in a pH-dependent manner, while the specific mechanisms therein remain currently unclear. Herein, we aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which ASIC1 contributes to the development of HCC. Using bioinformatics analysis, we found a significant association between ASIC1 expression and malignant transformation of HCC, such as poor prognosis, metastasis and recurrence. Specifically, ASIC1 enhanced the migration and invasion capabilities of Li-7 cells in the in vivo experiment using an HCC lung metastasis mouse model, as well as in the in vitro experiments such as wound healing assay and Transwell assay. Furthermore, our comprehensive gene chip and molecular biology experiments revealed that ASIC1 promoted HCC migration and invasion by activating the PRKACA/AP-1 signaling pathway. Our findings indicate that targeting ASIC1 could have therapeutic potential for inhibiting HCC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main cause of distal biliary malignant obstructive jaundice (DBMOJ) is the stricture of the extrahepatic biliary tract by malignant tumors, including pancreatic head and uncinate process cancer, low-grade cholangiocarcinoma, duodenal cancer, papillary duodenal cancer and other malignant tumors. The most effective treatment is radical pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, preoperative obstructive jaundice can affect the patient's liver function and blood coagulation function, increase local inflammation and oedema, and make surgery more difficult. Patients with severe obstructive jaundice require preoperative biliary drainage, which can be achieved by various methods, including ultrasound endoscopic biliary drainage (EUS-EBD) and endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD). The latter is mainly divided into endoscopic nasobiliary drainage and endoscopic biliary stent. Some patients underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) when ERBD and EUS-EBD failed. In this study, we aimed to identify PTBD in DBMOJ and to further investigate the role of the puncture pathway in DBMOJ. The relationship between PTBD and bile duct internal diameter was confirmed by analysing and collating clinical data. In this study, DBMOJ was grouped according to bile duct internal diameter and liver function was used as an indicator to examine the improvement in liver function with PTBD in patients undergoing DBMOJ. Analysis of puncture complications showed that PTBD puncture was safe. DBMOJ with different bile duct internal diameters had different rates of liver function improvement after PTBD. The right-side approaches had significantly lower alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alanine transaminase (AST) than the left-side approaches. This study showed that PTBD for DBMOJ is associated with a low complication rate and good reduction of jaundice. Liver function recovery was faster in patients with DBMOJ treated with PTBD in the right-sided approach compared with the left-sided approach. PTBD is an effective tool to be used in patients who have failed ERBD and EUS-EBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A century ago, the Warburg effect was first proposed, revealing that cancer cells predominantly rely on glycolysis during the process of tumorigenesis, even in the presence of abundant oxygen, shifting the main pathway of energy metabolism from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to aerobic glycolysis. Recent studies have unveiled the dynamic transfer of mitochondria within the tumor microenvironment, not only between tumor cells but also between tumor cells and stromal cells, immune cells, and others. In this review, we explore the pathways and mechanisms of mitochondrial transfer within the tumor microenvironment, as well as how these transfer activities promote tumor aggressiveness, chemotherapy resistance, and immune evasion. Further, we discuss the research progress and potential clinical significance targeting these phenomena. We also highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting intercellular mitochondrial transfer as a future anti-cancer strategy and enhancing cell-mediated immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an innovative financial instrument, green credit is a new driving force for environmental governance. To study the impact of green credit on environmental quality, this paper uses the provincial panel data from 2007 to 2020 to construct a panel model for analysis based on the comprehensive environmental quality index. At the same time, it discusses the mechanism and regional heterogeneity of green credit affecting environmental quality. The results show that green credit significantly improves the overall quality of the environment, which has a significant effect on air quality and green quality but has no significant impact on water quality and soil quality. Green credit improves environmental quality by improving green technology innovation and promoting industrial structure upgrading. At the same time, there is obvious heterogeneity in the environmental effect of green credit. Among them, the environmental quality improvement effect of the eastern region and the carbon emission pilot area is more evident than that of the central and western regions and the non-carbon emission pilot area. This paper has important implications for promoting the development of green credit and giving full play to the environmental effects of green credit to achieve sustainable goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This meta-analysis aimed to explore the association of perivascular spaces (PVS) burden with the risks of future stroke events and mortality in patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane database from inception to December 31, 2023. We included eligible studies that reported adjusted estimated effects for future intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), ischemic stroke, and mortality with baseline PVS burden in patients with ischemic stroke and TIA. Data were pooled using an inverse-variance method for the fixed effects (FE) model and a restricted maximum likelihood method for the random effects (RE) model. Results: Thirteen observational studies (5 prospective, 8 retrospective) were included, comprising 20,256 patients. Compared to 0–10 PVS at basal ganglia (BG-PVS), a higher burden (>10) of BG-PVS was significantly associated with an increased risk of future ICH (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] 2.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16–6.73, RE model; aHR 2.14, 95% CI: 1.34–3.41, FE model; I2 = 64%, n = 17,084 from four studies) followed up for at least 1 year. There was no significant association between >10 BG-PVS and ICH within 7 days after reperfusion therapy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.69, 95% CI: 0.74–3.88, RE model; aOR 1.43, 95% CI: 0.89–2.88, FE model; I2 = 67%, n = 1,176 from four studies). We did not detect a significant association of recurrent ischemic stroke, mortality, or disability with BG-PVS burden. Neither >10 PVS at centrum semiovale (CSO-PVS) nor increasing CSO-PVS burden was significantly associated with the risk of future intracranial hemorrhage or ischemic stroke recurrence. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that a higher BG-PVS burden may be associated with an increased risk of future ICH in patients with ischemic stroke and TIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transportation and control of microfluidics have an important influence on the fields of biology, chemistry, and medicine. Pump systems based on the electrocapillary effect and room-temperature liquid metal droplets have attracted extensive attention. Flow rate is an important parameter that reflects the delivery performance of the pump systems. In the systems of previous studies, cylindrical structures are mostly used to constrain the droplet. The analysis and quantitative description of the influence of voltage frequency, alternating voltage, direct current voltage bias, and solution concentration on the flow rate are not yet comprehensive. Furthermore, the systems are driven by only one droplet, which limits the increase in flow rate. Therefore, a pump with a cuboid structure is designed and the droplet is bound by pillars, and the flow rate of the pump is increased by more than 200% compared with the cylindrical pump. For this structure, the mechanism of various factors on the flow rate is analyzed. To further enhance the flow rate, a pump system with multi-droplets is proposed. Moreover, the expression of flow velocity of the solution on the surface of each droplet and the relationship between the flow rate, alternating voltage, and the number of droplets are deduced. Finally, the potential of applying the multi-droplet cuboid pump system in drug delivery and analytical chemistry is demonstrated. Additionally, the core of the pump, the droplet area, is modularized, which breaks the overall structural limitations of the liquid metal pump and provides ideas for pump design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of colorless and odorless environmental pollutants with a wide range of toxic effects. Some PCBs, especially less chlorinated ones, will rapidly undergo phase I metabolism after entering the body, and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) are the main metabolites of PCBs. Intestinal flora α-glucosidase is a common carbohydrate-active enzyme which is ubiquitous in human intestinal flora. It can convert complex dietary polysaccharides into monosaccharides, assisting the body in degrading complex carbohydrates and providing energy for the survival and growth of bacterial flora. The present study aims to investigate the inhibition of the activity of intestinal flora α-glucosidase by OH-PCBs. 4-Nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (PNPG) was used as a probe substrate for α-glucosidase, and in vitro incubation experiments were conducted to study the inhibition of 26 representative OH-PCBs on α-glucosidase. Preliminary screening of in vitro incubation was performed with 100 μM of OH-PCBs. The results showed that 26 OH-PCBs generally exhibited strong inhibition of α-glucosidase. The concentration-dependent inhibition and half inhibition concentrations (IC50s) of OH-PCBs on α-glucosidase were determined. 4′-OH-PCB 86 and 4′-OH-PCB 106 were chosen as representative OH-PCBs, and the inhibition kinetic parameters (Kis) of inhibitors for α-glucosidase were determined. The inhibition kinetic parameters (Kis) of 4′-OH-PCB 86 and 4′-OH-PCB 106 for α-glucosidase are 1.007 μM and 0.538 μM, respectively. The silico docking method was used to further analyze the interaction mechanism between OH-PCBs and α-glucosidase. All these results will help us to understand the risks of OH-PCB exposure from a new perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coalescence-induced droplet jumping holds great potential for applications such as water harvesting, self-cleaning, and the thermal management of electronic devices. This study investigates the impact of the droplet's initial position on coalescence-induced jumping on superhydrophobic surfaces with micropillar arrays. Numerical simulations are conducted to examine the differences in droplet jumping at various initial positions with uniform and nonuniform micropillar distributions, and the effects of the droplet's initial position on its velocity and pressure distribution are analyzed. The findings indicate that altering the initial position produces an asymmetric distribution of the high-pressure region at the droplet's base and the pressure at the solid–liquid contact surface during the contraction of the liquid bridge. This asymmetry allows the droplet to jump away from the surface with both vertical and horizontal components of velocity, and to be transported in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, numerical simulations with various initial droplet positions and radii demonstrate that the direction of the horizontal jumping velocity is influenced by both the offset distance and the direction of the initial droplet position, and that the impact of the initial position decreases as the relative size of the droplet with respect to the micropillars increases. The droplet jumping velocity, direction, and horizontal transport distance can be controlled by adjusting the initial droplet position and size. This work reveals the mechanism of coalescence-induced droplet jumping on superhydrophobic surfaces with micropillar arrays and provides an important reference for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a product of combining digital technology and traditional finance, digital inclusive finance plays a vital role in economic growth. This paper deeply analyzes the impact of digital inclusive finance on economic growth and the specific transmission path. This research selects the municipal panel data of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei from 2011 to 2020 and empirically studies the impact of digital inclusive finance on economic growth. From the perspectives of industrial structure transformation speed, industrial structure upgrading, and industrial structure rationalization, this study analyzes the role of industrial structure in the impact of digital inclusive finance on economic growth and tests the heterogeneity of the impact of digital inclusive finance on economic growth. The results show that digital inclusive finance has a significant role in promoting economic growth. The depth of use of digital inclusive finance has the most significant impact, followed by the breadth of coverage, and the degree of digitization is the smallest. The industrial structure transformation speed and the industrial structure rationalization play a significant intermediary role in the economic growth effect of digital inclusive finance, and the industrial structure upgrading has no significant impact on the economic growth effect of digital inclusive finance; the promotion effect of digital inclusive finance on economic growth is bigger in the economically developed group, the higher digital inclusive finance group and the technologically developed group, and the promotion effect is smaller in the economically underdeveloped group, the lower digital inclusive finance group and the technologically underdeveloped group. The results provide a strong reference for policy formulation to promote the development of digital inclusive finance and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Icing of seawater droplets is capable of causing catastrophic damage to vessels, buildings, and human life, yet it also holds great potential for enhancing applications such as droplet-based freeze desalination and anti-icing of sea sprays. While large-scale sea ice growth has been investigated for decades, the icing features of small salty droplets remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that salty droplet icing is governed by salt rejection-accompanied ice crystal growth, resulting in freezing dynamics different from pure water. Aided by the observation of brine films emerging on top of frozen salty droplets, we propose a universal definition of freezing duration to quantify the icing rate of droplets having varying salt concentrations. Furthermore, we show that the morphology of frozen salty droplets is governed by ice crystals that sprout from the bottom of the brine film. These crystals grow until they pierce the free interface, which we term ice sprouting. We reveal that ice sprouting is controlled by condensation at the brine film free interface, a mechanism validated through molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings shed light on the distinct physics that govern salty droplet icing, knowledge that is essential for the development of related technologies. The understanding of salty water droplet freezing is limited. The authors examine the formation of brine film on top of frozen salty droplets and discover a new ice crystal growth pattern sprouting from the bottom of the brine film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been growing interest in examining the potential of non-bagging patterns due to the decline of fruit inner quality and the increase in labor force cost and ecological pollution. Spraying a non-bagging film agent is an important method for non-bagging cultivation. This paper aims to study the effects of non-bagging film agents on the contents of mineral elements and flavonoid metabolites in apple fruits and determine the feasibility of this method. Fuji apples were used as the sample material and treated individually with two non-bagging film agents, namely, humic acid film (ABM) and Pirrio calcium film (CAM). Also, two control groups, namely, the clear water spraying without bagging group (CK) and the bagging group (TCK), were set in this study to measure the contents of mineral elements and flavonoid metabolites in these apples. Compared with those two control groups, the spraying treatment groups with two kinds of non-bagging film agents present a significant difference between their total contents of mineral elements, with the total content of mineral elements of apples in the ABM treatment group being 1.36 times the content of apples in the CK group. In terms of the flavonoid metabolites, only Astragalin, Tiliroside, Homoplantaginin, Phlorizin, Apigenin, Hesperidin, Oroxin A, and Kaempferol present significant differences in their proportions in apples, and there are no significant differences among the proportions of other compounds. Individual spraying of two kinds of non-bagging film agents can significantly increase the total contents of mineral elements in apples, with slight effects on the contents of flavonoid metabolites in these fruits. Therefore, both film agents can be used for cultivating Fuji apples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the Internet, the issue of cyberbullying on social media has gained significant attention. Cyberbullying is often expressed in text. Methods of identifying such text via machine learning have been growing, most of which rely on the extraction of part-of-speech (POS) tags to improve their performance. However, the current study only arbitrarily used part-of-speech labels that it considered reasonable, without investigating whether the chosen part-of-speech labels can better enhance the effectiveness of the cyberbullying detection task. In other words, the effectiveness of different part-of-speech labels in the automatic cyberbullying detection task was not proven. This study aimed to investigate the part of speech in statements related to cyberbullying and explore how three classification models (random forest, naïve Bayes, and support vector machine) are sensitive to parts of speech in detecting cyberbullying. We also examined which part-of-speech combinations are most appropriate for the models mentioned above. The results of our experiments showed that the predictive performance of different models differs when using different part-of-speech tags as inputs. Random forest showed the best predictive performance, and naive Bayes and support vector machine followed, respectively. Meanwhile, across the different models, the sensitivity to different part-of-speech tags was consistent, with greater sensitivity shown towards nouns, verbs, and measure words, and lower sensitivity shown towards adjectives and pronouns. We also found that the combination of different parts of speech as inputs had an influence on the predictive performance of the models. This study will help researchers to determine which combination of part-of-speech categories is appropriate to improve the accuracy of cyberbullying detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a bridge between economy and ecology, green finance is vital in improving environmental quality and promoting sustainable development. Based on the building of an environmental pollution index system, this paper constructs the STIRPAT - EKC model to deeply explore the specific impact of green finance on environmental pollution using China's provincial panel data from 2007 to 2020. This paper constructs an intermediary model to test the impact mechanism of green finance on reducing environmental pollution and discusses the regional heterogeneity of green finance in reducing environmental pollution. The results show that (1) green finance can significantly reduce environmental pollution, among which green credit has a pronounced effect on reducing environmental pollution, green investment has a relatively small effect, and green securities have not significant effect. (2) Green finance has the best inhibitory effect on solid pollution, less inhibitory effect on air pollution, and no significant improvement effect on water pollution. (3) Green technology innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and environmental regulation play an intermediary role in the process of green finance reducing environmental pollution and improving environmental quality. (4) The effect of green finance in the eastern and carbon emission pilot areas is significantly better than in the central and western regions and non-carbon emission pilot areas respectively. According to the research results of this paper, suggestions are put forward to promote the development of green finance, which is of great significance to reducing environmental pollution and achieving sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psycholinguistic properties such as concept familiarity and concreteness have been investigated in relation to technological innovations in teaching and learning. Due to ongoing advances in semantic representation and machine learning technologies, the automatic extrapolation of lexical psycholinguistic properties has received increased attention across a number of disciplines in recent years. However, little attention has been paid to the reliable and interpretable assessment of familiarity ratings for domain concepts. To address this gap, we present a regression model grounded in advanced natural language processing and interpretable machine learning techniques that can predict domain concepts' familiarity ratings based on their lexical features. Each domain concept is represented at both the orthographic–phonological level and semantic level by means of pretrained word embedding models. Then, we compare the performance of six tree-based regression models (adaptive boosting, gradient boosting, extreme gradient boosting, a light gradient boosting machine, categorical boosting, and a random forest) on domain concepts' familiarity rating prediction. Experimental results show that categorical boosting with the lowest MAPE (0.09) and the highest R2 value (0.02) is best suited to predicting domain concepts' familiarity. Experimental results also revealed the prospect of integrating tree-based regression models and interpretable machine learning techniques to expand psycholinguistic resources. Specifically, findings showed that the semantic information of raw words and parts of speech in domain concepts are reliable indicators when predicting familiarity ratings. Our study underlines the importance of leveraging domain concepts' familiarity ratings; future research should aim to improve familiarity extrapolation methods. Scholars should also investigate the correlation between students' engagement in online discussions and their familiarity with domain concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the outbreak and pandemic of coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19), a huge number of people died of it. Apart from lung injuries, multiple organs have been confirmed to be impaired. In COVID‐19 time, primary wound healing processes always prolong, however, its possible underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Therefore, to overcome this clinical problem, clarifying its underlying mechanisms clearly is necessary and urgently needed. In this review, we summarized that COVID‐19 can prolong primary wound healing by inducing excessive inflammation and oxidative stress, disturbing immune system and haematological system, as well as influencing the functions and viability of epidermal stem cells (ESCs). Otherwise, we summarized that the strict control measures of blocking up COVID‐19 pandemic can also have side effects on primary wound healing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The era of educational big data has sparked growing interest in extracting and organizing educational concepts from massive amounts of information. Outcomes are of the utmost importance for artificial intelligence–empowered teaching and learning. Unsupervised educational concept extraction methods based on pre-trained models continue to proliferate due to ongoing advances in semantic representation. However, it remains challenging to directly apply pre-trained large language models to extract educational concepts; pre-trained models are built on extensive corpora and do not necessarily cover all subject-specific concepts. To address this gap, we propose a novel unsupervised method for educational concept extraction based on word embedding refinement (i.e., word embedding refinement–based educational concept extraction (WERECE)). It integrates a manifold learning algorithm to adapt a pre-trained model for extracting educational concepts while accounting for the geometric information in semantic computation. We further devise a discriminant function based on semantic clustering and Box–Cox transformation to enhance WERECE's accuracy and reliability. We evaluate its performance on two newly constructed datasets, EDU-DT and EDUTECH-DT. Experimental results show that WERECE achieves an average precision up to 85.9%, recall up to 87.0%, and F1 scores up to 86.4%, which significantly outperforms baselines (TextRank, term frequency–inverse document frequency, isolation forest, K-means, and one-class support vector machine) on educational concept extraction. Notably, when WERECE is implemented with different parameter settings, its precision and recall sensitivity remain robust. WERECE also holds broad application prospects as a foundational technology, such as for building discipline-oriented knowledge graphs, enhancing learning assessment and feedback, predicting learning interests, and recommending learning resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold pad–batch dyeing of reactive dyes is low energy consumption and a clean dyeing technique. However, the room dyeing temperature requires strongly active base reactive dyes for dye fixation, bringing about the limitation of dye adaptability. Here, we propose a new technology of hot pad–batch dyeing that has the advantages of higher dye fixation and excellent color fastness. Three blue reactive dyers (C.I. Reactive Blue 19, C.I. Reactive Blue 21, C.I. Reactive Blue 203) that contain β-sulfate ethyl sulfone were used to increase the dye fixation of reactive dyes with cotton fibers. The effects of alkali concentration, dyeing temperature, batching time, and salt concentration on the dyeing performance of cotton fabrics were studied. The effects of post-treatment (soaping and fixation) on the K / S values and color fastness were also investigated. The study showed that the dye fixation rate of the three reactive blue dyes was higher than 87%, and the rubbing and washing color fastness was more than grade 3–4 in the process of hot pad–batch dyeing of cotton fabrics. Furthermore, the dyed cotton fiber was fixed with a fixing agent (polyurethane (PU) and a mixture of PU and an aziridine crosslinker), and the color fastness reached not less than grade 4. Compared with cold pad–batch dyeing, hot pad–batch dyeing has the advantages of higher dye fixation and excellent color fastness for the three reactive blue dyes. Therefore, the dyeing performance of β-sulfate ethyl sulfone types of blue reactive dyes using hot pad–batch dyeing can effectively reduce the burden of post-treatment and the discharge of dyeing wastewater, and has a good application prospect in the dyeing of cotton fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a summary of a special issue on superhydrophobic surfaces published in the journal Applied Physics Letters. Superhydrophobic surfaces are engineered to repel water efficiently, and they have various applications such as anti-icing, self-cleaning, and liquid manipulation. The special issue includes research on topics such as the capture of air by superhydrophobic materials, droplet evaporation on these surfaces, the development of durable superhydrophobic surfaces, and the expansion of their functionality through macrostructures and surface wettability patterns. The issue also covers the dynamic interactions between liquid droplets and solid surfaces, the stability and durability of superhydrophobicity, and the integration of superhydrophobic properties with other effects to create multifunctional surfaces. Overall, the special issue provides a comprehensive overview of the current research and potential applications of superhydrophobic surfaces. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) indicates resistance to preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and a poor prognosis and can only be diagnosed by postoperative pathological examinations in breast cancer. Thus, a technique for preoperative diagnosis of LVI is urgently needed. We aim to explore the ability of an automated breast volume scanner (ABVS)-based radiomics model to noninvasively predict the LVI status in breast cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 335 patients diagnosed with T1-3 breast cancer between October 2019 and September 2022. The patients were divided into training cohort and validation cohort with a ratio of 7:3. For each patient, 5901 radiomics features were extracted from ABVS images. Feature selection was performed using LASSO method. We created machine learning models for different feature sets with support vector machine algorithm to predict LVI. And significant clinicopathologic factors were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression to combine with three radiomics signatures as to develop a fusion model. Results: The three SVM-based prediction models, demonstrated relatively high efficacy in identifying LVI of breast cancer, with AUCs of 79.00%, 80.00% and 79.40% and an accuracy of 71.00%, 80.00% and 75.00% in the validation cohort for AP, SP and CP plane image. The fusion model achieved the highest AUC of 87.90% and an accuracy of 85.00% in the validation cohort. Conclusions: The combination of radiomics features from ABVS images and an SVM prediction model showed promising performance for preoperative noninvasive prediction of LVI in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disrupted intestinal epithelial barrier is one of the major causes of Crohn's disease (CD). Novel molecular targets for intestinal epithelial barrier are essential to treatment of CD. Transmembrane and immunoglobulin domain-containing protein 1 (TMIGD1) is an adhesion molecule that regulates cell adhesion, migration, and enterocyte differentiation. However, the function and mechanism of TMIGD1 in CD and intestinal epithelial barrier has rarely been studied. Furthermore, the association between TMIGD1 and the clinical features of CD remains unclear. Methods: Transcriptome analysis on colonic mucosa from CD patients and healthy individuals were performed to identify dysregulated genes. Multi-omics integration of the 1000IBD cohort including genomics, transcriptomics of intestinal biopsies, and serum proteomics identified the association between genes and characteristics of CD. Inflammation was assessed by cytokine production in cell lines, organoids and intestinal-specific Tmigd1 knockout (Tmigd1INT-KO) mice. Epithelial barrier integrity was evaluated by trans-epithelium electrical resistance (TEER), paracellular permeability, and apical junction complex (AJC) expression. Co-immunoprecipitation, GST pull-down assays, mass spectrometry, proteomics, and transcriptome analysis were used to explore downstream mechanisms. Results: Multi-omics integration suggested that TMIGD1 was negatively associated with inflammatory characteristics of CD. TMIGD1 was downregulated in inflamed intestinal mucosa of patients with CD and mice colitis models. Tmigd1INT-KO mice were more susceptible to chemically induced colitis. In epithelial cell lines and colonic organoids, TMIGD1 knockdown caused impaired intestinal barrier integrity evidenced by increased paracellular permeability and reduced TEER and AJC expression. TMIGD1 knockdown in intestinal epithelial cells also induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Mechanistically, TMIGD1 directly interacted with cytoplasmic BAF nuclear assembly factor 1 (BANF1) to inhibit NF-κB activation. Exogenous expression of TMIGD1 and BANF1 restored intestinal barrier function and inhibited inflammation in vitro and in vivo. TMIGD1 expression predicted response to anti-TNF treatment in patients with CD. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that TMIGD1 maintained intestinal barrier integrity and inactivated inflammation, and was therefore a potential therapeutic target for CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coalescence-induced droplet jumping on superhydrophobic surfaces has significant potential for various applications, such as enhanced condensation, water harvesting, self-cleaning, and thermal management of electronic devices. Existing research focuses primarily on the coalescence and jumping of two or more droplets on the horizontally placed superhydrophobic surface, but the transport behavior of condensate droplets caused by coalescence-induced jumping on the inclined superhydrophobic surface is insufficiently understood. In this work, we investigate the impact of the surface inclination angle on the dynamic behavior of condensate droplets and derive the relationship between the transport distance, transport height, jumping direction of droplets, and the surface inclination angle. Additionally, we establish a droplet motion equation to describe the trajectory of droplets after they jump off the surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate the phenomenon of multi-hop jumping on the inclined superhydrophobic surface, which can increase the droplet transport distance, and the established mathematical model can better predict the multi-hop jumping transport distance. This work exposes the effect of superhydrophobic surface inclination angle on droplet dynamics and droplet directional transport performance, which has significant implications for the application of droplet jumping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition and health knowledge (NHK) is linked to people's dietary behavior and health outcomes. However, studies on the associations between NHK and chronic diseases are limited. This study aimed to examine the association of NHK with five specific chronic diseases (diabetes/hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke) in central China. Individual NHK and disease status were investigated using a self-reporting questionnaire. We further added up the number of chronic diseases and used this as a secondary outcome. A total of 21,559 adults were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. NHK score was significantly inversely associated with diabetes/hyperglycemia, hypertension, CHD, and stroke (all p-trends < 0.001). Moreover, an inverse association was found between NHK and the number of chronic diseases, especially among responders with three or more chronic diseases. Stratified analyses showed that the above association was more likely to be stronger among younger, female, highly educated, and inner-city residents. However, NHK was negatively associated with dyslipidemia in less educated people and positively correlated with dyslipidemia in highly educated people. NHK showed an inverse relationship with specific chronic diseases and the number of chronic diseases. Improving NHK might be a key strategy for easing the global burden of chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic surfaces decorated with macrostructures have presented remarkable potential in diverse engineering fields, such as aircraft anti-icing. Understanding the effects of the structure shape and size on droplet dynamics is crucial to the design and application of surfaces. Herein, we investigate the maximum axial spreading for droplets impacting on ridged superhydrophobic surfaces with varied ridge shapes and sizes. We propose a mathematical formula to describe the structure shape with profiles quantified by the shape factor, which is easily applied to structure-related studies. The effects of ridge shape and size on the maximum axial spreading coefficient are clarified. The axial spreading of droplets is inhibited by the ridge due to the outward flow of liquid above the ridge tip. The maximum axial spreading coefficient reduces when the ridge becomes sharper, which can be achieved by increasing the shape factor or the ridge height–width ratio. The complex effect of the ridge–droplet size ratio is divided into two regimes according to the shape factor. Furthermore, a prediction correlation of the maximum axial spreading coefficient is established, which involves the coupled effects of all parameters, agreeing well with experimental and simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic surfaces have shown great application prospects due to their excellent water repellency in many applications involving fluid–surface interactions. As a ubiquitous fluid–surface interaction phenomenon, droplet impacting dynamics has a crucial effect on the application of superhydrophobic surfaces. In this Perspective, we summarize the basic process of droplet impacting on superhydrophobic surfaces and introduce the two most concerned parameters that describe the droplet impacting dynamics, i.e., the maximum spreading coefficient and the contact time. We then review two improvement strategies for superhydrophobic surfaces: one is to construct macrostructures and the other is to set wettability patterns on the surface. The former strategy shows great potential in reducing the droplet contact time, and the latter one can accurately regulate the behavior of impacting droplets. The motion of superhydrophobic surfaces also changes the droplet impacting dynamics due to the additional aerodynamic effect or energy input, which arouses attention recently. However, only the individual influence of each factor (e.g., macrostructures, wettability patterns, or surface motion) on the droplet impacting dynamics has been focused in literature, so we write this Perspective to emphasize the importance and urgency of studying the coupled effects of these three factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited by the inherent energy loss (Eloss) in carrier transport process, the device efficiency of organic solar cells shows inferior to traditional inorganic photovoltaic devices. Generally, molecular design, morphology optimization and interfacial engineering are usually required to alleviate Eloss. Here, vertical field-effect organic photovoltaic (VFEOPV) by integrating an bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) with vertical field effect transistor (VFET) is invented, in which VFET generates a large, uneven, internal electric field, eliminating the requirement for driving force to dissociate excitons and prevents non-radiative recombination in OPV. In this way, the performance of solar cell can be well controlled by the gate voltage of VFET and the Eloss of VFEOPVs based on J71: ITIC system is dramatically reduced below 0.2 eV, significantly improving power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 10% to 18% under gate voltage of 0.9 V, which only causes negligible additional power consumption (~10−4mJ/cm2). Besides, the device also exhibits multi-functionality including transistor and phototransistors with excellent photodector performance. This work provides a new and general strategy to improve the OPV performance which is compatible with present optimization methods, and can be applied to improve PCE of other types of solar cells such as Perovskite and inorganic solar cells. The device efficiency of organic solar cells is usually limited by the inherent energy loss during carrier transport. Here, authors integrate bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic with vertical field effect transistor, leading to reduced energy loss below 0.2 eV as controlled by the gate voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the association between spicy food intake, dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) score, and incident stroke. This study aimed to explore the association of eating spicy food, DASH score, and their interaction with stroke incidence. We included 22,160 Han residents aged 30–79 in southwest China from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort. Three hundred and twelve cases were newly diagnosed with stroke by October 8, 2022, during a mean of 45.5 months of follow-up. Cox regression analyses showed that eating spicy food reduced stroke risk by 34% among people with low DASH scores (HR 0.66, 95%CI 0.45–0.97), while individuals with high DASH scores versus low DASH scores had a 46% lower stroke incidence among spicy food nonconsumers (HR 0.54, 95%CI 0.36–0.82). The HR of the multiplicative interactive term was 2.02 (95%CI 1.24–3.30) and the overall estimates of relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), and the synergy index (S) were 0.54 (95%CI 0.24–0.83), 0.68 (95%CI 0.23–1.14), and 0.29 (95%CI 0.12–0.70), respectively. Consuming spicy food seems to be associated with lower stroke risk only in people who have a lower DASH score, while the beneficial effect of higher DASH scores seems to be found only among nonconsumers of spicy food, and a negative interaction may exist between them in southwestern Chinese aged 30–79. This study could provide scientific evidence for dietary guidance to reduce stroke risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A process accumulated record solar to hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of 8% is achieved on the Cu2ZnSnS4‐BiVO4 tandem cell by the synergistic coupling effect of solar thermal and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting with the dynamic balance of solar energy storage and conversion of the greenhouse system. This is the first report of a Cu2ZnSnS4‐BiVO4 tandem cell with a high unbiased STH efficiency of over 8% for solar water splitting due to the greenhouse device system. The greenhouse acts as a solar thermal energy storage cell, which absorbs infrared solar light and storage as thermal energy with the solar light illumination time, while thermoelectric device (TD) converts thermal energy into electric power, electric power is also recycled and added onto Cu2ZnSnS4‐BiVO4 tandem cell for enhanced overall water splitting. Finally, the solar water splitting properties of the TD‐Cu2ZnSnS4‐BiVO4 integrated tandem cell in pure natural seawater are demonstrated, and a champion STH efficiency of 2.46% is presented, while a large area (25 cm2) TD‐Cu2ZnSnS4‐BiVO4 integrated tandem device with superior long‐term stability is investigated for 1 week, which provides new insight into photoelectrochemical solar water splitting devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New and existing components of retaining structures are often combined in the width section. When combining the design and use requirements of the existing and new structures, the synergistic interactions between the existing and new structures and the design and working conditions require clarification. In conjunction with an actual project, a sheet pile wall consisting of existing and new components is proposed to retain an embankment. Indoor model tests were carried out to simulate the excavation and compaction and investigate changes in earth pressure, pile bending moment, shear force, and load-sharing ratio of the new and existing sheet pile walls at different stages. The results show that the earth pressure of the cantilever section of the existing and new piles increases with an increase in the fill volume or the upper uniform load. An inflection point is observed in the earth pressure curve halfway between the pile top and the ground due to sudden changes in the pile and soil stiffness. The bending moment of the new and existing piles increases and decreases with the distance from the top of the pile under different working conditions, and the maximum bending moment occurred at 0.485 and 0.9 m from the bottom of the existing pile and the bottom of the new pile, respectively. The lateral displacement of the new and existing piles decreases with the distance from the top of the pile. Due to the adjustment of the structural force in the cantilever section and the soil reaction force in front of the pile, the displacement curves of the new and existing piles are similar in the cantilever section. The displacement in the anchored section is initially larger for the existing pile than for the new pile but then becomes similar for both piles. In working condition 5, the top displacement of the existing pile was 6.531 mm, exceeding the control value (5.6 mm). The earth-pressure-sharing ratio of the existing pile decreases with an increase in the width of the filling material or the load. When the load was applied, the earth-pressure-sharing ratio of the existing pile was 0.451, indicating that the structural design of the combined sheet pile wall is reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, China has built a large number of superblocks and gated residential areas, which have contributed to increased congestion on urban road traffic. Although some studies have found a correlation between residential environments and travel convenience, there is little quantitative evidence to explain which factors influence the connectivity of road networks. This paper aims to clarify the indicators of built environments in Chinese residential areas that affect travel accessibility and their correlation proportions through a more quantitative method and to provide a basis for planning and design decisions. To this end, this study took 204 residential areas in the three districts of Nanjing, China as a sample and calculated 16 built-environment indicators. The path distance (D) and pedestrian route directness (PRD) from the center of these residential areas to the nearest urban intersection were measured by GIS as outcome variables. First, correlation analysis was used to screen for significant variables, and multiple linear regression models were used to examine the significant influencing factors of D and PRD. Then, a binary logistic regression analysis was performed to provide a model that could determine whether the built environment of the residential area met the requirements for convenient travel. The results revealed that the length of the long side, the area size, and the total road length of the residential area were significantly related to D, and the number of entrances and exits, the intersection density, and the X ratio were significantly related to PRD. The indicators that were positively correlated with D were the size, network complexity, and the boundary shape of the residential area according to the degree of correlation. Meanwhile, other indicators such as the density and connectivity of the residential road network were negatively correlated with D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the horizontal mobility of coalesced droplets on a plane could promote droplet jumping. Here, we achieve enhanced horizontal mobility of a coalesced jumping droplet on superhydrophobic surfaces with an asymmetric ridge and investigate the underlying mechanism through experiment and simulation. Results indicate that the coalesced droplet accelerates during the coalescence-induced jumping stage and gains horizontal velocity during the rebound stage. The nondimensional horizontal velocity can reach 0.47, which is about 2.3 times the jumping velocity on the plane. Depending on the height-to-width ratio of the asymmetric ridge, the ratio of the horizontal velocity to the fallen velocity when the fallen droplet makes contact with the ridge is 0.55–0.75. Furthermore, the coalesced droplet can still obtain considerable horizontal velocity on superhydrophobic surfaces with an asymmetric ridge when the initial droplet radius is unequal. This work provides new insights for improving droplet jumping by surface structure in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary compound photovoltaic semiconductor Cu3BiS3 thin film‐based photoelectrode demonstrates a quite promising potential for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution. The presented high onset potential of 0.9 VRHE attracts much attention and shows that the Cu3BiS3 thin films are quite good as an efficient solar water splitting photoelectrode. However, the CdS buffer does not fit the Cu3BiS3 thin film: the conduction band offset between CdS and Cu3BiS3 reaches 0.7 eV, and such a high conduction band offset (CBO) significantly increases the interfacial recombination ratio and is the main reason for the relatively low photocurrent of the Cu3BiS3/CdS photoelectrode. In this study, the InxCd1−xS buffer layer is found to be significantly lowered the CBO of CBS/buffer and that the In incorporation ratio of the buffer influences the CBO value of the CBS/buffer. The Pt‐TiO2/In0.6Cd0.4S/Cu3BiS3 photocathode exhibits an appreciable photocurrent density of ≈12.20 mA cm−2 at 0 VRHE with onset potential of more than 0.9 VRHE, and the ABPE of the Cu3BiS3‐based photocathode reaches the highest value of 3.13%. By application of the In0.6Cd0.4S buffer, the Cu3BiS3‐BiVO4 tandem cell presents a stable and excellent unbiased STH of 2.57% for over 100 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The effect of dietary salt intake on the risk of gastric cancer is not clear. A meta-analysis was performed to estimate the association between dietary salt intake and the risk of gastric cancer. Methods: Three major databases were searched to retrieve case-control studies published in English before 1 July 2022. Random effects model analysis was used to obtain the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the association between dietary salt intake and risk of gastric cancer. Subgroup analyses were used to identify possible sources of heterogeneity. Results: Thirty-eight case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis (total population: n = 37,225). The pooled ORs showed a significantly positive association between high salt intake and gastric cancer compared with low salt intake (OR = 1.55, 95% CI (1.45, 1.64); p < 0.001). In subgroup meta-analysis for geographic region, estimation method for dietary salt intake and the source of controls, this association was not changed. Conclusion: Higher dietary salt intake increased the risk of gastric cancer. This study has implications for the prevention of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a dominant and growing cause of death and disability worldwide that involves inflammation from its inception to the emergence of complications. Studies have demonstrated that intervention with helminth infections or derived products could modulate the host immune response and effectively prevent or mitigate the onset and progression of inflammation-related diseases. Therefore, to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of atherosclerosis, we intervened in ApoE-/- mice maintained on a high-fat diet with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (N. brasiliensis) infection and immunized with its derived products. We found that N. brasiliensis infection and its derived proteins had suitable protective effects both in the initial and progressive stages of atherosclerosis, effectively reducing aortic arch plaque areas and liver lipid contents and downregulating serum LDL levels, which may be associated with the significant upregulation of serum anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-4) and the down-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) in the serum. In conclusion, these data highlighted the effective regulatory role of N. brasiliensis and its derived proteins in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. This could provide a promising new avenue for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supported nanoparticle catalysts are widely used to remove CO pollution in automobile emission control. During vehicle use, catalysts need to experience high‐temperature environments, leading to sintering of active phase and loss of activity. Synthesizing cost‐effective catalysts with simultaneously high catalytic activity and sintering resistance is of great importance but remains challenging. In this study, we show that Cu phase supported on commercial antimony‐doped tin oxide (ATO) is relatively resistant to sintering and can operate at temperatures below 200 °C without any performance degradation after high temperature aging. Specifically, T50 (the temperature of 50 % conversion) of CO conversion over the Cu/ATO sample is maintained at 148 °C before and after high‐temperature aging treatment at 800 °C. The strong active phase‐support interactions could be used to stabilize Cu active phase by taking advantage of extra interfacial bonding stability between Cu islands and surface antimony dopants in ATO, and finally tune activity and stability of the catalysts. The Cu‐on‐ATO ensemble shows excellent resistance against sintering, with conversion efficiency remaining nearly unchanged upon high‐temperature aging at 800 °C for 2 to 10 h. In contrast, strong sintering resistance characteristic of catalysts cannot be attained by supporting Cu on undoped tin oxide (SnO2) or conventional Al2O3 due to absence of specific anchoring sites on the support oxide surfaces. Our findings open up the path in heterogeneous catalysis for the design of active and sintering‐resistant catalysts utilizing surface engineering strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droplet splitting is a fascinating interfacial phenomenon, which shows great potential in applications such as fluid dispending and liquid spraying. Splitting behaviors of droplet impact on structured superhydrophobic surfaces are highly transient and complex, but the underlying mechanism is far from clear. Here, we report the splitting dynamics on ridged superhydrophobic surfaces through experimental and theoretical investigations. As the Weber number increases, three splitting modes appear in sequence: non-splitting, departure splitting, and contact splitting. Based on the movement of the liquid film behavior on the ridge along the axial direction, the splitting time consists of durations of three stages: axial spreading, axial retraction, and oscillation retraction, and it decreases with the increasing Weber number. A theoretical model is further established to predict the splitting time, where the law of the axial spreading and retraction is revealed. Splitting dynamics can be regulated by the geometric shape of the ridge. Droplet splitting is inhibited on the rectangular ridge, while the splitting time and contact time are effectively reduced on the semi-cylindrical and triangular ridges. This work is expected to provide fundamental support for diverse applications related to droplet splitting and offer guidance for the design of superhydrophobic surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak brought online learning to the forefront of education. Scholars have conducted many studies on online learning during the pandemic, but only a few have performed quantitative comparative analyses of students' online learning behavior before and after the outbreak. We collected review data from China's massive open online course platform called icourse.163 and performed social network analysis on 15 courses to explore courses' interaction characteristics before, during, and after the COVID-19 pan-demic. Specifically, we focused on the following aspects: (1) variations in the scale of online learning amid COVID-19; (2a) the characteristics of online learning interaction during the pandemic; (2b) the characteristics of online learning interaction after the pandemic; and (3) differences in the interaction characteristics of social science courses and natural science courses. Results revealed that only a small number of courses witnessed an uptick in online interaction, suggesting that the pandemic's role in promoting the scale of courses was not significant. During the pandemic, online learning interaction became more frequent among course network members whose interaction scale increased. After the pandemic, although the scale of interaction declined, online learning interaction became more effective. The scale and level of interaction in Electrodynamics (a natural science course) and Economics (a social science course) both rose during the pan-demic. However, long after the pandemic, the Economics course sustained online interaction whereas interaction in the Electrodynamics course steadily declined. This discrepancy could be due to the unique characteristics of natural science courses and social science courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal strictures remain one of the most intractable and common complications of Crohn's disease (CD). Approximately 70% of CD patients will develop fibrotic strictures after 10 years of CD diagnosis. Since specific antifibrotic therapies are unavailable, endoscopic balloon dilation and surgery remain the mainstay treatments despite a high recurrence rate. Besides, there are no reliable methods for accurately evaluating intestinal fibrosis. This is largely due to the fact that the mechanisms of initiation and propagation of intestinal fibrosis are poorly understood. There is growing evidence implying that the pathogenesis of stricturing CD involves the intricate interplay of factors including aberrant immune and nonimmune responses, host-microbiome dysbiosis, and genetic susceptibility. Currently, the progress on intestinal strictures has been fueled by the advent of novel techniques, such as single-cell sequencing, multi-omics, and artificial intelligence. Here, we perform a timely and comprehensive review of the substantial advances in intestinal strictures in 2021, aiming to provide prompt information regarding fibrosis and set the stage for the improvement of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of intestinal strictures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pivotal roles of miRNAs in carcinogenesis, metastasis, and prognosis have been demonstrated recently in various cancers. This study intended to investigate the specific roles of hsa-miR-654-5p in lung cancer, which is, in general, rarely discussed. A series of closed-loop bioinformatic functional analyses were integrated with in vitro experimental validation to explore the overall biological functions and pan-cancer regulation pattern of miR-654-5p. We found that miR-654-5p abundance was significantly elevated in LUAD tissues and correlated with patients' survival. A total of 275 potential targets of miR-654-5p were then identified and the miR-654-5p-RNF8 regulation axis was validated in vitro as a proof of concept. Furthermore, we revealed the tumor-suppressing roles of miR-654-5p and demonstrated that miR-654-5p inhibited the lung cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, cell proliferation, and migration using target-based, abundance-based, and ssGSEA-based bioinformatic methods and in vitro validation. Following the construction of a protein–protein interaction network, 11 highly interconnected hub genes were identified and a five-genes risk scoring model was developed to assess their potential prognostic ability. Our study does not only provide a basic miRNA-mRNA-phenotypes reference map for understanding the function of miR-654-5p in different cancers but also reveals the tumor-suppressing roles and prognostic values of miR-654-5p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By constructing the permeability model to distinguish the fracture zone, plastic zone, and elastic zone around the hydraulic fracturing borehole, we study the influence of some important parameters on the stress distribution around the borehole and the permeability of the coal rock. The research results show that the greater the ground stress, the greater the radial stress in the fracture zone and plastic zone, and the smaller the radial stress in the elastic zone, while the trend of the stress variation in permeability is the opposite to the radial stress. The greater the gas pressure, the greater the permeability of the coal rock in each stress area. The larger the borehole radius, the smaller the radial stress at the same distance from the borehole center, and the greater the permeability of the coal rock. The greater the fracturing pressure, the greater the radial stress on the coal rock at the same distance from the borehole center, and the smaller the permeability of the coal rock. The research results can provide a theoretical reference for hydraulic fracturing construction in coal mines with different reservoir environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to comply with the rapid development of new-generation electronics, developing memories which could meet the demands for specific application such as flexibility, transparency and neuromorphic functions are of great significance. In this work, a transparent organic nonvolatile memory (transparency≥81%) is developed with Ag nanowire as floating gate layer, which exhibits excellent memory characteristics and mechanical flexibility. Moreover, the transition from memory to artificial synapse is achieved by adjusting the concentration of Ag nanowire. This work provides a new solution for transparent flexible memory and shows their potential for next-generation transparent organic electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop methods for efficient and accurate information extraction from calcium-imaging-based neural signals. The particular form of information extraction we investigate involves predicting behavior variables linked to animals from which the calcium imaging signals are acquired. More specifically, we develop algorithms to systematically generate compact deep neural network (DNN) models for accurate and efficient calcium-imaging-based predictive modeling. We also develop a software tool, called NeuroGRS, to apply the proposed methods for compact DNN derivation with a high degree of automation. GRS stands for Greedy inter-layer order with Random Selection of intra-layer units, which describes the central algorithm developed in this work for deriving compact DNN structures. Through extensive experiments using NeuroGRS and calcium imaging data, we demonstrate that our methods enable highly streamlined information extraction from calcium images of the brain with minimal loss in accuracy compared to much more computationally expensive approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]