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Since 2000, CO2 emissions from emerging economies have outstripped those of developed economies. To limit global warming to under 1.5 ∘C by 2100, over 100 emerging economies have proposed net-zero carbon targets. Yet the supportive data are lacking – no inventory of CO2 emission outlines detailed sources by sector or distribution at the subnational level for these economies. Here, we redress the balance by establishing a dataset for an energy-related CO2 emission inventory that covers 47 sectors and eight energy types in 40 emerging economies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7309360, Cui et al., 2021). Their emissions, growing rapidly by 3.0 % yr−1, reached 7.5 Gt in 2019 and were sourced primarily in coal and oil (34.6 % and 28.1 %, respectively) and consumed by the power and transportation sectors. Meanwhile, among African countries in this group, biomass combustion was responsible for 34.7 %–96.2 % of emissions. Our dataset fills a data gap by providing a detailed, robust emission accounting baseline for emerging economies – an advance that will support emission reduction policymaking at global, national, and subnational levels.

Laryngeal cancer (LC) is the most common aggressive malignancy of the head and neck. LncRNA ZNFX1 antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) displays oncogenic properties in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, but its regulatory role in laryngeal cancer progression remains obscure. Here, we found that ZFAS1 expression in laryngeal cancer tissues and cells was higher than that in adjacent normal tissues and normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. Highly expressed ZFAS1 was associated with advanced lymph node metastasis stages and clinical stages. ZFAS1 overexpression promoted LC cell proliferation, invasion, and N-cadherin and Vimentin expression, and suppressed E-cadherin expression. While ZFAS1 knockdown played an opposite role. Mechanistically, ZFAS1 stabilized RNA binding fox-1 homolog 2 (RBFOX2) protein expression by binding to RBFOX2, and RBFOX2 overexpression reversed the effect of ZFAS1 silence on cell functions. Moreover, highly expressed RBFOX2 led to skipping of MENA exon 11a and generating a pro-invasive isoform (MENA

The proliferation and steroid hormone synthesis of granulosa cells (GCs) are essential for ovarian follicle growth and ovulation, which are necessary to support the normal function of the follicle. Numerous studies suggest that miRNAs play key roles in this process. In this study, we report a novel role for miR-10a-5p that inhibits ovarian GCs proliferation and progesterone (P4) synthesis in chicken. Specifically, we found that miR-10a-5p significantly decreased the P4 secretion by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and western blot. Moreover, we observed that miR-10a-5p can inhibit the proliferation of chicken GCs through the investigation of cell proliferation gene expression, cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8), cell cycle progression, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay. Then we screened a target gene MAPRE1 of miR-10a-5p, which can promote P4 synthesis and proliferation of GCs. To explore how miR-10a-5p affects cell cycle by MAPRE1, we investigated the interaction between MAPRE1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) by Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and then we found that MAPRE1 can form a complex with CDK2. In addition, miR-10a-5p was found to inhibit CDK2 expression by repressing the expression of MAPRE1. Overall, our results indicate that miR-10a-5p regulates the proliferation and P4 synthesis of chicken GCs by targeting MAPRE1 to suppress CDK2.

Family history of coronary artery disease (FHxCAD) is a critical risk factor for CAD, underscoring the contribution of genetic factors to disease pathogenesis and susceptibility. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) simulates the clinical features of and frequently coexists with CAD. However, the association between FHxCAD and TCM is unclear. Here, we retrospectively examined the impact of FHxCAD on in-hospital outcomes of patients with TCM. Using the National Inpatient Sample database (2016–2018), we identified 4733 patients admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of TCM. We compared in-hospital outcomes and complications between TCM patients with (n=646, 13.7%) and without FHxCAD (n=646) in the unmatched and in a propensity-score matched cohort (1:1 ratio). TCM with FHxCAD patients had a reduced incidence of cardiogenic shock, acute kidney injury (AKI), and acute respiratory failure (ARF); lower mortality rates; shorter length of stay (LOS); and decreased total charge compared with TCM without FHxCAD patients (p

The sedimentary laminae of Tamarix cones in arid regions are of great significance for dating and climatic reconstruction. Here, we present a multiproxy climatic record from the Tamarix cones in the southern margin of the Taklimakan Desert. Both the bivariate analysis and canonical correlation analysis were carried out for four groups of climate proxies in Tamarix cones, including organic matter content, grain size, cation content, and stable isotope content (δ13C, and δ18O). The temperature during the period from 1790 to 2010 AD has been reconstructed using the support vector machine optimized by the grey wolf optimizer, in which the climate proxies (TN, TOC, C/N, Mg2+, Ca2+, δ13C, and δ18O) were selected using the neighborhood rough set. The reconstructed values are in good agreement with the instrumental data. The regional temperature has distinct stages during the period from 1790 to 2010 AD, with cold conditions during 1790–1840 AD and 1896–1939 AD, and with warm conditions during 1841–1895 AD and 1940–2010 AD. The present work is beneficial to predict the future climate in the local area and encourage local governments to develop more effective measures to address the risks of climate change to environmental sustainability.

All fracture repairs start with the innate immune system with the inflammatory response known as the inflammatory stage guided and driven by the secretion of chemokine by the ruptured tissue, followed by the sequential recruitment of neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. These innate immune cells would infiltrate the fracture site and secrete inflammatory cytokines to stimulate recruitment of more immune cells to arrive at the fracture site coordinating subsequent stages of the repair process. In which, subsidence of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage and transformation to anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages promotes osteogenesis that marks the start of the anabolic endochondral stage.Literature search was performed on Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases (last accessed 15th April 2021) using "macrophage AND fracture". Review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline.Eleven pre-clinical animal studies out of 429 articles were included in this systematic review according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria. All of which investigated interventions targeting to modulate the acute inflammatory response and macrophage polarization as evident by various markers in association with fracture healing outcomes.This systematic review summarizes attempts to modulate the innate immune response with focuses on promoting macrophage polarization from M1 to M2 phenotype targeting the enhancement of fracture injury repair. Methods used to achieve the goal may include applications of damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) or mechanical stimulation that hold high translational potentials for clinical application in the near future.

Sarcopenia is a hallmark of the ageing process, which is characterized by the decline in muscle mass and strength. Growing evidence indicates that mitochondria dysfunction play core roles in this process. Meanwhile, physical exercise is regarded as one of the efficiency therapies to attenuate sarcopenia via regulating mitochondrial function during ageing. However, the specific mechanisms among exercise, mitochondrial function and sarcopenia are still unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to delineate the effects of physical exercise on mitochondria during ageing in order to explore potential target for rescuing sarcopenia.A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Information was extracted from the included studies for review.In this review, 16 pre-clinical studies were included and 105 clinical studies that were not mechanistic research were excluded. 16 pre-clinical studies provided evidence that physical exercise could affect mitochondrial quality control to attenuate sarcopenia. Most of the included studies described the important role of mitochondrial dynamic equilibrium in sarcopenia and showed that effective physical exercise could influence mitochondrial biogenesis, fusion, fission and mitophagy to attenuate sarcopenia in aged animal.This systematic review provides an up-to-date sequential overview and highlights the link in the potential mitochondria-related target and physical exercise in aged animal.Currently, there is no standard treatment method for sarcopenia. This systematic review revealed the underlying mechanisms for how physical exercise improved muscle performance via regulating mitochondrial dynamic equilibrium, which could provide scientific support for using exercise as a timely intervention for sarcopenia. Additionally, this systematic review allows a better understanding of mitochondrial dynamic equilibrium and exercise for future development of new therapeutic interventions to attenuate sarcopenia.

CO2 emission database lays the foundation of climate research and climate governance. Most current global CO2 emission inventories were developed with energy statistics from International Energy Agency (IEA) and were available at country level with limited source categories. Here, as the first step toward a high-resolution and dynamic updated global CO2 emission database, we developed a data-driven approach to construct seamless and highly-resolved energy consumption data cubes for 208 countries/territories, 797 sub-country administrative divisions in 29 countries, 42 fuel types, and 52 sectors, with the fusion of energy consumption from 24 international statistics and 66 regional/local statistics. Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production in 1970-2021 were then estimated with highly-resolved source category (1484 of total) and sub-country information (797 of total). Specifically, 73% of global CO2 emissions in 2021 were calculated based on sub-country information, providing considerably improved spatial resolution for global CO2 accounting. With the support of detailed information, the dynamics of global CO2 emissions across sectors and fuels were presented, representing the evolution of global economy and progress of climate governance. Remarkable differences of sectoral contribution were found across sub-country administrative divisions within a given country, revealing the uneven distribution of energy and economic structure among different regions. Our estimates were generally consistent with existing databases at aggregated level for global total or large emitters, while large discrepancies were observed for middle and small emitters. Our database, named Multi-resolution Emission Inventory model for Climate and air pollution research (MEIC) is publicly available through http://meicmodel.org.cn with highly-resolved information and timely update, which provides an independent carbon emission accounting data source for climate research.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a typical wide band-gap semiconductor material, and exhibit excellent physical properties like high electron saturated drift velocity, high breakdown field, etc. SiC material contains many polytypes, among them, 4H-SiC is almost the most popular polytype as it possesses suitable band-gap and high electron saturated drift velocity. In order to produce 4H-SiC power devices with high barrier voltage over several thousand volts, minority carrier lifetime of 4H-SiC single crystal must be carefully managed. In general, both bulk defects and surface defects in 4H-SiC can reduce the minority carrier lifetime. Nevertheless, as surface defects have received less attention in publications, this study reviews surface defects in 4H-SiC. Surface defects in 4H-SiC can be classified into a number of categories like triangle defect、pit、carrot, etc. This paper discusses each one individually followed by the introduction of industrial feasible methods to characterize them. Subsequently, the impact of surface defects on minority carrier lifetime is analyzed and discussed. At last, a particular emphasis is put on discussing various passivation schemes and their effects on minority carrier lifetime of 4H-SiC single crystal. Overall, this review paper aims to help young researchers comprehend surface defects in 4H-SiC single crystal material.

The long-standing challenge in designing far-infrared transparent conductors (FIRTC) is the combination of high plasma absorption edge (λp) and high conductivity (σ). These competing requirements are commonly met by tuning carrier concentration or/and effective carrier mass in a metal oxide/oxonate with low optical dielectric constant (εopt = 2–7). However, despite the high σ, the transparent band is limited to mid-infrared (λp σ and λp by increasing the “so-called constant” εopt that has been neglected, and successfully develop the material family of FIRTC with εopt > 15 and λp > 15 μm. These FIRTC crystals are mainly octahedrally-coordinated heavy-metal chalcogenides and their solid solutions with shallow-level defects. Their high εopt relies on the formation of electron-deficiency multicenter bonds resulting in the great electron-polarization effect. The new FIRTC enables us to develop the first “continuous film” type far-infrared electromagnetic shielder that is unattainable using traditional materials. Therefore, this study may inaugurate a new era in far-infrared optoelectronics.

Rice cultivated in Cd-polluted acidic paddy soil poses important health risks in China. Decreasing Cd accumulation in rice is important for food safety and human health. Early rice cultivar ZY-819 and late rice cultivar XWX-13 with low Cd-accumulation potentials, and early rice cultivar LY-996 and late rice cultivar YZX with high Cd-accumulation potentials, were grown in mildly polluted double-cropping paddy fields (Cd content 0.3–0.6 mg kg−1). The effects of adding biochar (10 t ha−2), lime (1500 kg ha−2), and silicon–calcium fertilizer (SC; 2250 kg ha−2) and foliar spraying with silicon fertilizer solution (Si; 1500 g ha−2) on Cd uptake and transport in rice, were assessed in plot experiments. The soil amendments and foliar spraying decreased the Cd content of brown rice from the high Cd-accumulation potential cultivars. The soil amendments decreased the Cd content of LY-996 and YZX brown rice by 25.24–32.40% and 32.99–44.16%, respectively, and SC decreased the Cd content most. Foliar spraying with Si decreased the Cd content of LY-996 and YZC brown rice by 23.79% and 26.40%, respectively. When soil amendments and foliar spraying were combined, the Cd content of brown rice was decreased most by the SC–Si treatment. Compared with the control, the SC–Si treatment decreased the Cd content of LY-996, ZY-819, YZX, and XWX-13 brown rice by 45.63%, 35.67%, 52.79%, and 32.03%, respectively. Soil amendments can effectively decrease Cd uptake by rice roots and Cd migration from roots to shoots. Compared with the control, the soil amendments increased the soil pH and decreased Cd availability. The strongest effects were for the lime and SC treatments. Foliar spraying with Si can effectively decrease Cd translocation through stems and leaves to brown rice. Applying SC fertilizer and foliar spraying with Si is the best method for decreasing the Cd content of rice grown in mildly Cd-polluted paddy fields.

With the development of the social economy, people are paying more and more attention to decorative effects and the comfort and individual characteristics of decoration. To meet the increasingly high requirements of customers, many restaurants have begun to focus on the personalization of the dining environment, which is comfortable to build and focuses on the spiritual satisfaction and experience of customers during the dining process. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of digital image processing technology is performed to implement an automatic illumination system with improved performance for the restaurant interior design and embed the restaurant interior design with intelligence. The convolutional neural network (CNN) is employed in the automatic illumination system to develop the human body recognition model. After a test of its recognition accuracy, the parameters of CNN are optimized, and high recognition accuracy of 0.97 is achieved. Compared with other models, the process of training the designed model implemented in this study can finish in 40 minutes, and the performance has been well optimized. Moreover, the processing function of the model is also able to resist the interference of other external objects. The excellent automatic illuminating system can greatly improve the atmosphere as well as the service level of the restaurant at night, which can promote the modernization of the restaurant and give certain reference significance to the reform and advancement of the decoration industry.

Background. The CXC chemokines belong to a unique family of chemotactic cytokines that influence the initiation, progression, and clinical outcome of many tumor types. Herein, we investigated the association of the CXC-chemokine ligand 3 (CXCL3) with tumor progression and an unfavorable prognosis for colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to explore the expression of CXCL3 in CRC tissue, adjacent tissue, and plasma. The usefulness of plasma levels of CXCL3 for the diagnosis of CRC was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Pearson’s correlation analysis assessed relationships among plasma CXCL3, cancer tissue CXCL3, and plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to assess the survival of CRC patients with high and low expression levels of CXCL3. Survival differences were compared by log-rank test. Results. Initial analysis of the GSE156720 dataset identified CXCL3 as the most enriched CXCL gene in CRC patients. Higher CXCL3 levels were detected in CRC tissue than in adjacent tissue ( P < 0.001 ). Compared to healthy controls, CRC patient plasma CXCL3 levels were higher ( P < 0.001 ). The area under the curve was 0.81 with a sensitivity of 0.71 and specificity of 0.82, distinguishing CRC from other tumor types. Plasma CXCL3 was positively related to CXCL3 in cancer tissue ( r = 0.78 , P < 0.01 ), and also to plasma CEA ( r = 0.50 , P < 0.01 ). Plasma CXCL3 was also related to tumor size ( P = 0.034 ), staging ( P < 0.001 ), tumor stage ( P = 0.003 ), differentiation ( P = 0.001 ), and lymph node metastasis ( P = 0.007 ), but not to sex ( P = 0.853 ), age ( P = 0.691 ), tumor site ( P = 1.347 ), or distant metastasis ( P = 1.218 ). Conclusions. CXCL3 levels were increased in CRC patients, with plasma CXCL3 levels associated with tumor progression and an unfavorable CRC prognosis. The results of this study suggest that plasma CXCL3 may be a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for CRC.

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices display volatile characteristics, and are not well suited for analog applications such as neuromorphic computing. Spintronic devices, on the other hand, exhibit both non-volatile and analog features, which are well-suited to neuromorphic computing. Consequently, these novel devices are at the forefront of beyond-CMOS artificial intelligence applications. However, a large quantity of these artificial neuromorphic devices still require the use of CMOS, which decreases the efficiency of the system. To resolve this, we have previously proposed a number of artificial neurons and synapses that do not require CMOS for operation. Although these devices are a significant improvement over previous renditions, their ability to enable neural network learning and recognition is limited by their intrinsic activation functions. This work proposes modifications to these spintronic neurons that enable configuration of the activation functions through control of the shape of a magnetic domain wall track. Linear and sigmoidal activation functions are demonstrated in this work, which can be extended through a similar approach to enable a wide variety of activation functions.

Pipeline inner inspection technology based on Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG), is the primary means for ensuring the safety of submarine pipelines. The dynamic characteristics of a PIG can change abruptly with the excitation of obstacles such as girth welds inside the pipeline, which would result in failure or inaccuracy of the inspection results. This study establishes a dynamic model of the PIG sealing disc based on Kelvin spring damping in the circumferentially confined space. The axial vibration differential equations of the PIG is examined in detail. MSC/ADAMS is used to conduct the dynamic simulation of the PIG at different motion velocities and center of mass positions while passing through the girth weld process. Results indicate that the axial vibration caused by the girth weld intensifies substantially as the speed of the PIG increases, while the pitch and vertical vibrations exhibit a significant decline with an increase in the motion velocity. The change in the PIG’s center of mass positions has little effect on its axial vibration, while the pitch and vertical vibration conditions are significantly different in the same circumstances.

Metallic lithium is considered as the ultimate anode material for lithium-based batteries due to its highest energy density. However, as an anode, commercial Li metal foils are too thick, with a large amount of trouble to balance its exorbitant areal capacity with common cathodes in full cells. Here, a new chemical thinning strategy is proposed via a simple surface dissolving reaction between lithium and naphthalene, which enables scalable, continuous, and roll-to-roll preparation of ultrathin Li foil. A Li foil less than 15 μm with a clean surface can be successfully obtained within 20 min. The thinning rate and thickness of the lithium foil can be easily adjusted by changing the concentration, temperature, and operation mode. The produced Li-Naph solution after thinning can also be used as a multifunctional reagent of great value, and the Li ions in the final waste solution can be further extracted in the form of Li

Although carbon dioxide laser vaporization is frequently used for treating vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN), the optimal depth of epithelial destruction with laser vaporization requires elucidation. We aimed to evaluate VaIN depth and better illustrate epithelial destruction during laser vaporization.We included 246 women diagnosed with VaIN (low-grade VaIN [VaIN 1], 123 women; high-grade VaIN [VaIN 2/3], 123 women) using colposcopy-directed biopsy at our hospital from January 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020. The thickness of the noninvolved epithelium, if available, was determined. All available data, including cytology and histological information, were recorded. The t test and Pearson χ 2 test were used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was set at p.05.The involved epithelial thicknesses in VaIN 2/3 and VaIN 1 were 0.41 ± 0.21 and 0.40 ± 0.19 mm, respectively, which were both greater than their noninvolved epithelial thickness values (0.17 ± 0.10 and 0.17 ± 0.08 mm, p.01 and p.01, respectively). In subgroup comparisons between the VaIN 2/3 and VaIN 1 groups, the involved epithelial thickness did not differ between premenopausal patients, postmenopausal women receiving estrogen, and postmenopausal women who did not receive estrogen ( p.05). In the VaIN 2/3 group, the lesion thickness in premenopausal was greater than that in postmenopausal women receiving estrogen ( p = .016) and those who were not receiving estrogen ( p = .017).The thickness of VaIN is generally less than 1 mm for women of all ages, except in rare cases of visible lesions with papillary hyperplasia.

FilaminC (Flnc) is a member of the actin binding protein family, which is preferentially expressed in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues. Although it is known to interact with proteins associated with myofibrillar myopathy, its unique role in skeletal muscle remains largely unknown. In this study, we identify the biological functions of Flnc in vitro and in vivo using chicken primary myoblast cells and animal models, respectively. From the results, we observe that the growth rate and mass of the skeletal muscle of fast-growing chickens (broilers) were significantly higher than those in slow-growing chickens (layers). Furthermore, we find that the expression of Flnc in the skeletal muscle of broilers was higher than that in the layers. Our results indicated that Flnc was highly expressed in the skeletal muscle, especially in the skeletal muscle of broilers than in layers. This suggests that Flnc plays a positive regulatory role in myoblast development. Flnc knockdown resulted in muscle atrophy, whereas the overexpression of Flnc promotes muscle hypertrophy in vivo in an animal model. We also found that Flnc interacted with dishevelled-2 (Dvl2), activated the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and controlled skeletal muscle development. Flnc also antagonized the LC3-mediated autophagy system by decreasing Dvl2 ubiquitination. Moreover, Flnc knockdown activated and significantly increased mitophagy. In summary, these results indicate that the absence of Flnc induces autophagy or mitophagy and regulates muscle atrophy., Graphical Abstract, Filamin C (Flnc) interacts with dishevelled-2 (Dvl2) to activate wnt/β-catenin signaling, consequently regulating skeletal muscle development. Furthermore, Flnc stabilizes Dvl2 by reducing the level of LC3-labeled Dvl2 and preventing cells from undergoing autophagy. In addition, Flnc silence-induced autophagy mediates muscle atrophy by mitochondrial clearance.

AIM:To quantitatively evaluate the macular microvasculature and visual function in patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion(RVO)by optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)combined with microperimetry. METHODS: Totally 36 patients(36 eyes)with monocular RVO complicated with macular edema were enrolled, including 15 patients(15 eyes)in central retinal vein occlusion(CRVO)group and 21 patients(21 eyes)in branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO)group(all with superior temporal vein occlusion), 15 age-matched healthy subjects(24 eyes)were included as controls. OCTA was used to scan macular retina in the range of 3mm×3mm in all three groups and measure the vascular density(VD)of superficial capillary plexus(SCP)and deep capillary plexus(DCP), the area of foveal avascular zone(FAZ)and the central retinal thicknes(CRT); the retinal mean sensitivity(RMS)at 10°was measured by MP-3 microperimetry. VD and RMS in BRVO group were further divided into lesion area(superior), non-lesion area(inferior)VD and RMS. The lesion area and non-lesion area of the control group were divided according to corresponding regions of the BRVO group. The changes of above indexes in CRVO group and BRVO group were compared with control group respectively, and the correlation between RMS and VD, CRT and FAZ areas in CRVO group and BRVO group was analyzed.RESULTS:The overall VD(SCP and DCP)in CRVO group were lower than those in control group(t= -2.536, P=0.016; t= -8.834, P

Under the repeated action of traffic and thermal loads, a cement concrete pavement slab may partially lose contact with its base course, and voids may develop underneath the slab. Such distress will greatly impact the pavement performance. To fill the voids and restore the base support to the slab, the technology of polymer grouting has been increasingly adopted in recent years due to its advantages of quick application and high efficiency. There is, however, a lack of research on the mechanistic responses and performance of such a repaired rigid pavement under coupled influences of thermal and traffic loads. Existing literature has mainly focused on normal cement concrete pavement structures (i.e., without polymer grouted voids). This study intends to fill the research gap by investigating the time-domain characteristics of thermal stress response of a cement concrete pavement with underlying voids filled with polymer grout, along with design traffic loads. The finite element method was adopted with a 3-dimensional nonlinear temperature field within the pavement. A program module was developed in the Abaqus FEA software environment for temperature effect analysis. It was found that under the coupling action of thermal and traffic loads, thermal stress had a greater influence on the critical slab stress at the slab corner than those at other slab locations. Through the comparative analysis before and after polymer grouting repair, the critical tensile stress at the slab corner under the vehicle and thermal loads can be effectively reduced. The polymer performance is stable after three years.

Nano-porous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) was used as the template for fabricating ion-selective electrode (ISE) sensors towards long-term continuous monitoring of wastewater quality.

Background The majority of medical students in China have experienced home confinement and a reliance on online resources to study medicine since the outbreak of COVID-19. More time spent studying online during the COVID-19 pandemic may be a potential risk factor for problematic smartphone use, since smartphones have become the most commonly used device for accessing the internet. The objective of the present study was to explore the association between anxiety, smartphone problematic use and sleep disturbance among medical students during the enforced COVID-19 home confinement. Methods Altogether, 666 medical students validly answered a self-administered questionnaire, which included the Chinese version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, Smartphone addiction scale - short version, and the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance scale (short form). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were employed to explore the associated factors of anxiety. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test hypothesized associations. Results Anxiety was significantly associated with problematic smartphone use and sleep disturbance among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Problematic smartphone use not only directly affected anxiety, but also exerted a significant indirect effect on anxiety via sleep disturbance. A significant decrease of the path coefficient of problematic smartphone use on anxiety (from β=0.53 to β=0.22, P

We developed a Zn-doped δ-MnO2 material via a microwave-assisted method for the cathode in aqueous ZIBs. The successive insertion of H+ and Zn2+ and deep two-electron transfer routes mechanism is revealed systematically by ex situ experiments.

This paper focuses on the recent advances in polyoxometalate-based metal-alkynyl clusters.