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Palladium (Pd)-based catalysts are widely used for CO2 hydrogenation reactions due to the capability to activate H2, which enhances the overall CO2 conversion. However, most of the current Pd catalysts reported show high CO2 conversion only at higher temperature, and the exploration of efficient catalyst enabling low temperature conversion (180–300 °C) is of importance. In this study, a series of Pd-B/ZnAl2O4 catalysts were synthesized via in-situ doping, resulting in the Pd crystal transformation induced from crystal to amorphous. The catalytic hydrogenation activity of the amorphous Pd-B catalyst reaches its zenith at a Pd-B mole ratio of 1:2, accompanied by the superior catalysis stability in CO2 hydrogenation. Various characterization techniques, including XRD, CO-DRIFTS, H2-TPR, XPS and TEM, were used to investigate the properties of the Pd-B/ZnAl2O4 catalyst. The results showed that the Pd-B/ZnAl2O4 catalyst exhibited higher dispersion and better CO2 conversion efficiency compared to unmodified Pd catalyst. Additionally, the methanol space–time yields are nearly doubled when the B decoration is employed. At 280 °C, CO2 conversion was improved and methanol selectivity remained at ~ 65%. This study provides valuable insights into the design and optimization of Pd-B based catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximin distance designs have attracted increasing attention in computer experiments owing to their appealing space‐filling properties. The quality of these designs is typically evaluated by comparing their separation distance with the associated upper bound. Nevertheless, deriving tight upper bounds for the separation distance of designs remains a challenging problem that has been infrequently addressed in the literature. In this study, we obtain a new upper bound for the separation distance of certain classes of five‐level U‐type designs. We also investigate the characteristics of maximin distance U‐type designs and show the optimality of some existing orthogonal designs. Based on these theoretical results, we develop an efficient algorithm for searching maximin distance U‐type designs. Numerical studies and comparisons are given to show the superior performance of the obtained designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timely injection of gangue slurry into the mining space formed after coal mining can scale up the disposal of gangue and control surface deformation. However, the waterproof effect of gangue slurry in the mining space remains unclear, necessitating urgent investigation into the permeability characteristics of compacted backfill bodies of gangue slurry under the action of overburden. In this study, a multi-field coupled seepage test system for backfill materials was developed based on Forchheimer's nonlinear seepage law, and a laboratory preparation method for compacted backfill body (CBB) of gangue slurry after grouting and backfilling in mining space under pseudo-triaxial conditions was proposed. Additionally, the pressure bleeding characteristics of gangue slurry under the action of overburden were studied, the variation law of permeability of the CBB with the axial pressure, a particle size range, and cement dosage was revealed, and the determination method for the permeability level of the CBB and its optimization method were put forward. The research results indicate that there are obvious staged characteristics in the pressure bleeding changes in gangue slurry. Axial pressure, particle size range, and cement dosage all have a significant impact on the permeability of the CBB. The permeability level of the CBB of gangue slurry is within the range of poor permeability and extremely poor permeability. After backfilling into the mining space, gangue slurry exhibits a significant water-blocking effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthogonal Latin hypercube designs (LHDs) and maximum projection (MaxPro) LHDs are widely used in computer experiments. They are efficient for estimating the trend part and the Gaussian process part of the universal Kriging (i.e., the Gaussian process) model, respectively, especially when only some of the factors are active. Yet, the orthogonality and the MaxPro criteria often do not agree with each other. In this work, we propose a new class of optimal designs, called orthogonal-MaxPro LHDs, optimizing a well-defined multi-objective criterion combining the correlation and the MaxPro metrics. An efficient parallel algorithm via level permutations and expansions is developed, whose efficiency is guaranteed by theories. Numerical results are presented to show that the construction is fast and the obtained designs are attractive, especially for large computer experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza vaccines, which are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), are the most effective preventive measure against influenza virus infection. Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell culture is an emerging technology used to produce influenza vaccines. One challenge when purifying influenza vaccines using this cell culture system is to efficiently remove impurities, especially host cell double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and host cell proteins (HCPs), for safety assurance. In this study, we optimized ion-exchange chromatography methods to harvest influenza viruses from an MDCK cell culture broth, the first step in influenza vaccine purification. Bind/elute was chosen as the mode of operation for simplicity. The anion-exchange Q chromatography method was able to efficiently remove dsDNA and HCPs, but the recovery rate for influenza viruses was low. However, the cation-exchange SP process was able to simultaneously achieve high dsDNA and HCP removal and high influenza virus recovery. For the SP process to work, the clarified cell culture broth needed to be diluted to reduce its ionic strength, and the optimal dilution rate was determined to be 1:2 with purified water. The SP process yielded a virus recovery rate exceeding 90%, as measured using a hemagglutination units (HAUs) assay, with removal efficiencies over 97% for HCPs and over 99% for dsDNA. Furthermore, the general applicability of the SP chromatography method was demonstrated with seven strains of influenza viruses recommended for seasonal influenza vaccine production, including H1N1, H3N2, B (Victoria), and B (Yamagata) strains, indicating that the SP process could be utilized as a platform process. The SP process developed in this study showed four advantages: (1) simple operation, (2) a high recovery rate for influenza viruses, (3) a high removal rate for major impurities, and (4) general applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining of coal resources is accompanied by a large amount of solid waste such as gangue, which seriously affects the ecological environment. The gangue grouting backfilling technique can achieve the dual goals of gangue disposal and surface deformation control by injecting gangue slurry into the underground. The bearing mechanical characteristics of gangue slurry directly affect the surface deformation control effect of the grouting backfilling technique. In this study, a loading simulation system of grouting backfilling materials was designed, uniaxial confined compression tests were conducted, and the self–bearing mechanism of large particle–sized gangue slurry with different fluidities under instantaneous and creep loading modes was investigated. Additionally, the mechanical characteristics of the compacted body (i.e., the gangue slurry after creep loading) were analyzed. The results indicate that the self–bearing process of gangue slurry can be divided into three stages: the rapid compression and drainage stage, the pore compaction and water bleeding stage, and the particle crushing and elastic–plastic deformation stage. The uniaxial compressive stress–strain curve of a compacted body can be classified into four stages: elastic stage, yield stage, reinforcement stage, and crushing stage, and the strength of the compacted body is affected by the loading time and fluidity of the slurry. When the slurry with a fluidity of 240 mm is subjected to constant pressure for 3 h, the compressive strength of the slurry reaches the maximum value of 4.98 MPa, and 13.1% stress damage occurs when the constant pressure reaches 4 h. This research provides a theoretical basis for the improvement of the proportion and bearing characteristics of gangue grouting materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is continuously producing new variants, necessitating effective therapeutics. Patients are not only confronted by the immediate symptoms of infection but also by the long‐term health issues linked to long COVID‐19. Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection promotes virus propagation, mucus hyperproduction, and pulmonary fibrosis, and suppresses the host's antiviral response. Over the long term, EGFR activation in COVID‐19, particularly in COVID‐19‐induced pulmonary fibrosis, may be linked to the development of lung cancer. In this review, we have summarised the significance of EGFR signalling in the context of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. We also discussed the targeting of EGFR signalling as a promising strategy for COVID‐19 treatment and highlighted erlotinib as a superior option among EGFR inhibitors. Erlotinib effectively blocks EGFR and AAK1, thereby preventing SARS‐CoV‐2 replication, reducing mucus hyperproduction, TNF‐α expression, and enhancing the host's antiviral response. Nevertheless, to evaluate the antiviral efficacy of erlotinib, relevant clinical trials involving an appropriate patient population should be designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For oriented object detection, the existing CNN-based methods typically rely on a substantial and diverse dataset, which can be expensive to acquire and demonstrate limited capacity for generalization when faced with new categories that lack annotated samples. In this case, we propose MOCA-Net, a few-shot oriented object detection method with a multi-oriented enhancement branch and context-aware module, utilizing a limited number of annotated samples from novel categories for training. Especially, our method generates multi-oriented and multi-scale positive samples and then inputs them into an RPN and the detection head as a multi-oriented enhancement branch for enhancing the classification and regression capabilities of the detector. And by utilizing the context-aware module, the detector can effectively extract contextual information surrounding the object and incorporate it into RoI features in an adaptive manner, thereby improving its classification capability. As far as we know, our method is the first to attempt this in this field, and comparative experiments conducted on the public remote sensing dataset DOTA for oriented object detection showed that our method is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a space‐filling criterion based on L2‐type discrepancies, namely the uniform projection criterion, aiming at improving designs' two‐dimensional projection uniformity. Under a general reproducing kernel, we establish a formula for the uniform projection criterion function, which builds a connection between rows and columns of the design. For the commonly used discrepancies, we further use this formula to represent the two‐dimensional projection uniformity in terms of the Lp‐distances of U‐type designs. These results generalize existing works and reveal new links between the two seemingly unrelated criteria of projection uniformity and the maximin Lp‐distance for U‐type designs. We also apply the obtained results to study several families of space‐filling designs with appealing projection uniformity. Because of good projected space‐filling properties, these designs are well adapted for computer experiments, especially for the case where not all the input factors are active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability and reactivity of single‐atom catalysts (SACs) are the points of concern in catalysis, especially under the harsh conditions, such as at elevated temperatures in oxidizing conditions. Previous work showed that thermally stable Pt1 SAC supported on K‐modified MgAl2O4 prepared by a vapor‐phase self‐assembly mechanism (Pt1/K/MgAl2O4) showed better performance than a Pt/MgAl2O4 nanocatalyst in catalytic CH4 oxidation (Chem, 2022, 8, 731–748). However, the detailed reaction mechanism remains unclear, which preventing the further development of single‐atom catalysts for CH4 oxidation. Herein, the sintering resistance behaviour of the Pt1/K/MgAl2O4 catalyst, was investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and it was found that the catalytic CH4 oxidation takes place via the Mars‐van Krevelen (MvK) mechanism, similar to that on conventional oxides. This viewpoint is further verified by experiments. Additionally, other noble metals (Au, Ir and Ru) and alkali elements (Na and Cs) are also investigated and it is found that the alkali types also affect the catalytic performance. This work clarifies the reaction mechanism of CH4 oxidation on metal SAC supported on MgAl2O4 synthesized at high temperature, providing a chance to manipulate the performances of metal SAC in CH4 oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have witnessed rapid development and remarkable achievements on deep learning object detection in remote sensing (RS) images. The growing improvement of the accuracy is inseparable from the increasingly complex deep convolutional neural network and the huge amount of sample data. However, the under-fitting neural network will damage the detection performance facing the difficulty of sample acquisition. Thus, it evolves into few-shot object detection (FSOD). In this article, we first briefly introduce the object detection task and its algorithms, to better understand the basic detection frameworks followed by FSOD. Then, FSOD design methods in RS images for three important aspects, such as sample, model, and learning strategy, are respectively discussed. In addition, some valuable research results of FSOD in computer vision field are also included. We advocate a wide research technique route, and some advice about feature enhancement and multi-modal fusion, semantics extraction and cross-domain mapping, fine-tune and meta-learning strategies, and so on, are provided. Based on our stated research route, a novel few-shot detector that focuses on contextual information is proposed. At the end of the paper, we summarize accuracy performance on experimental datasets to illustrate the achievements and shortcomings of the stated algorithms, and highlight the future opportunities and challenges of FSOD in RS image interpretation, in the hope of providing insights into future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colonoscopy is widely used for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of intestinal diseases. Adequate bowel preparation is a prerequisite for high-quality colonoscopy. However, the rate of adequate bowel preparation in outpatients is low. Several studies on supplementary education methods have been conducted to improve the rate of adequate bowel preparation in outpatients. However, the controversial results presented encourage us to perform this meta-analysis. Method: According to the PRISMA statement (2020), the meta-analysis was registered on PROSPERO. We searched all studies up to August 28, 2021, in the three major electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library. The primary outcome was adequate bowel preparation rate, and the secondary outcomes included bowel preparation quality score, polyp detection rate, adenoma detection rate, cecal intubation time, withdrawal time, nonattendance rate and willingness to repeat rate. If there was obvious heterogeneity, the funnel plot combined with Egger's test, meta-regression analysis, sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were used to detect the source of heterogeneity. RevMan 5.3 and Stata 17.0 software were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 2061 records were retrieved, and 21 full texts were ultimately included in the analysis. Our meta-analysis shows that supplementary education can increase the rate of adequate bowel preparation for outpatients (79.9% vs 72.9%, RR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.08–1.20, I2 = 87%, p<0.00001). Supplementary education shortened the withdrawal time (MD: -0.80, 95% CI: -1.54 to -0.05, p = 0.04) of outpatients, increased the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (MD: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.44, p<0.00001), reduced the Ottawa Bowel Preparation Scale (MD: -1.26, 95% CI: -1.66 to -0.86, p<0.00001) and increased the willingness to repeat (91.9% vs 81.4%, RR:1.14, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.25, p = 0.004). Conclusion: Supplementary education for outpatients based on the standard of care can significantly improve the quality of bowel preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) has important roles in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport, and is implicated in lipid-related disorders. Genetic variants are involved in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The objective of this study was to investigate the association of rs2230806 (R219K), a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the lipid-related gene, with the risk of GDM and related traits. Methods: The SNP, rs2230806, was genotyped, and clinical and metabolic parameters were determined in 660 GDM patients and 1,097 control subjects. Genetic associations with related traits were also analyzed. Results: The genotype distributions were similar in GDM patients and normal controls. However, significant differences in the variables examined in the study subjects were noted across the three genotypes. The genotype at the rs2230806 polymorphism was significantly associated with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and atherogenic index (AI) values in GDM patients and total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in control subjects. Subgroup analysis showed that the polymorphism was associated with diastolic blood pressure, in addition to HDL-C levels and AI, in overweight/obese GDM patients, while it was associated with TC levels, AI, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), and BMI at delivery in non-obese GDM patients. In addition, this polymorphism was associated with TC, LDL-C, and apoB levels in overweight/obese control subjects. Conclusions: The rs2230806 polymorphism in the ABCA1 gene was associated with variations in atherometabolic traits in GDM patients, with characteristics of BMI dependency, but not with GDM. Our findings highlight a link between related phenotypes in women with GDM and genetic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is mainly associated with respiratory distress syndrome, but a subset of patients often present gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Imbalances of gut microbiota have been previously linked to respiratory virus infection. Understanding how the gut–lung axis affects the progression of COVID-19 can provide a novel framework for therapies and management. In this study, we examined the gut microbiota of patients with COVID-19 (n = 47) and compared it to healthy controls (n = 19). Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we have identified four microorganisms unique in COVID-19 patients, namely Streptococcus thermophilus , Bacteroides oleiciplenus , Fusobacterium ulcerans , and Prevotella bivia. The abundances of Bacteroides stercoris , B. vulgatus , B. massiliensis , Bifidobacterium longum , Streptococcus thermophilus , Lachnospiraceae bacterium 5163FAA, Prevotella bivia , Erysipelotrichaceae bacterium 6145, and Erysipelotrichaceae bacterium 2244A were enriched in COVID-19 patients, whereas the abundances of Clostridium nexile , Streptococcus salivarius , Coprococcus catus , Eubacterium hallii , Enterobacter aerogenes , and Adlercreutzia equolifaciens were decreased (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of butyrate-producing Roseburia inulinivorans is evidently depleted in COVID-19 patients, while the relative abundances of Paraprevotella sp. and the probiotic Streptococcus thermophilus were increased. We further identified 30 KEGG orthology (KO) modules overrepresented, with 7 increasing and 23 decreasing modules. Notably, 15 optimal microbial markers were identified using the random forest model to have strong diagnostic potential in distinguishing COVID-19. Based on Spearman's correlation, eight species were associated with eight clinical indices. Moreover, the increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreased abundance of Firmicutes were also found across clinical types of COVID-19. Our findings suggest that the alterations of gut microbiota in patients with COVID-19 may influence disease severity. Our COVID-19 classifier, which was cross-regionally verified, provides a proof of concept that a set of microbial species markers can distinguish the presence of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure-phase cobalt nanocrystals with well-defined specific exposed facets were synthesized via controllable reduction of their CoO counterparts while retaining the same scale of particle size. Three different catalysts, i.e. hexagonal close-packed (hcp) Co pyramid with (10−11) and rodlike with (10−10) facets, as well as face-centred cubic (fcc) Co octahedron with (111) exposed were obtained and studied for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reaction. No noticeable changes of either the shape or the exposed facets were found under practical FTS reaction conditions. The hcp (10−11) facet exhibits the highest FTS activity and C5+ product selectivity with the lowest apparent activation energy and CH4 selectivity. Theoretical calculations of the energy barrier for CO dissociation and methanation of the reaction intermediate CHx rationalize the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt–manganese (CoMn) oxides obtained through a one-pot synthesis can be controllably reduced to CoxMn1−xO nanocrystals for the direct production of C2–C4 olefins with high selectivity (50.9 mol%) from syngas at high CO conversion (92.4%), higher than predicted by the Anderson–Schulz–Flory distribution. The formed CoxMn1−xO is the key to generating an active Co2C quadrangular nanoprism phase with (101) and (020) exposed facets in-situ during the reaction, which plays a pivotal role in the high lower-olefin yield. No deactivation was observed after 100 hours under harsh high-conversion reaction conditions, and the activity is one order of magnitude higher than that of the traditional cobalt catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique microporous anionic metal–organic framework, namely [Zn2(btb)2(bbis)](Me2NH2)2·6DMF (1), has been synthesized and structurally characterized [bbis = bis(4-benzylimidazol-ylphenyl)sulfone and H3btb = 4,4′,4′′-benzene-1,3,5-triyltribenzoic acid]. This compound exhibits a 4-fold interpenetrated anionic framework with ins topology. The post-synthetic cation exchange of 1 with Eu3+, Tb3+, Dy3+ and Sm3+ afforded lanthanide(iii)-loaded materials. Eu3+@1 and Tb3+@1 can be used as the potential luminescent probes in nitrobenzene. The adsorption behavior of 1 towards organic dyes was investigated, revealing rapid and selective separation of methylene blue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic framework of MIL‐53(Al) (Al(OH)‐[O2C‐C6H4‐CO2]) with exceptional thermal stability (as high as ≈550 °C in dynamic conditions) are synthesized via a solvothermal method, which serve as a porous host matrix of Co‐based catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS). MIL‐53(Al) shows large micropores and lattice dynamic flexibility, which make this material a promising support for active cobalt species. The as‐synthesized Co/MIL‐53(Al) catalysts with different cobalt loadings are characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry (TG), Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, and temperature programmed reduction. The results show that the immobilization of Co nanoparticles on the MIL‐53(Al) support could be beneficial to obtain novel effective catalysts for FTS. Moreover, compared with the Co/γ‐Al2O3 catalyst of the same cobalt loading, the catalytic performance of Co/MIL‐53(Al) catalyst shows higher FTS activity. Interestingly, the gasoline selectivity over the Co/MIL‐53(Al) catalyst is much higher than that of the Co/γ‐Al2O3 catalyst, close to the optimal value for maximum gasoline and diesel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 is the etiological agent responsible for the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The main protease of SARS-CoV-2, 3CLpro, is an attractive target for antiviral inhibitors due to its indispensable role in viral replication and gene expression of viral proteins. The search of compounds that can effectively inhibit the crucial activity of 3CLpro, which results to interference of the virus life cycle, is now widely pursued. Here, we report that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an active ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), is a potent inhibitor of 3CLpro with half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.874 ± 0.005 μM. In the study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 123 cases of COVID-19 patients, and found three effective Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) prescriptions. Multiple strategies were performed to screen potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro from the active ingredients of TCMs, including network pharmacology, molecular docking, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) binding assay and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based inhibition assay. The SPR assay showed good interaction between EGCG and 3CLpro with KD ~6.17 μM, suggesting a relatively high affinity of EGCG with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. Our results provide critical insights into the mechanism of action of EGCG as a potential therapeutic agent against COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with photocatalytic activity have garnered significant attentions in environmental remediation. Herein, copper-doped zeolitic imidazolate framework-7 (Cu-doped ZIF-7) was synthesized rapidly and easily using a microwave-assisted technique. Various analytical and spectroscopic methods were employed to access the framework, morphology, light absorption, photo-electrochemical and photocatalytic performance of the synthesized materials. Compared to ZIF-7, Cu/ZIF-7 (molar ratio of Cu 2+ to Zn 2+ is 1:1) demonstrates superior visible light absorption ability, narrower band gap, enhanced charge separation capability, and reduced electron-hole recombination performance. Under visible light irradiation, Cu/ZIF-7 serves as a Fenton-like catalyst and demonstrates exceptional activity for contaminant degradation, while virgin ZIF-7 remains inactive. With the addition of 9.8 mmol H 2 O 2 and exposure to visible light for 30 min, 10 mg of Cu/ZIF-7 can completely decompose RhB solution (10 mg/L, 50 mL). The synergistic effect of the Cu/ZIF-7/H 2 O 2 /visible light system is attributed to visible light photocatalysis and Fenton-like reactions. Cu/ZIF-7 demonstrates excellent catalytic performance stability, with only a slight decrease in degradation efficiency from an initial 97.0% to 95.4% over four cycles. Additionally, spin-trapping ESR measurements and active species trapping experiments revealed that h + and ·OH occupied a significant position for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. Degradation intermediate products of Rhodamine B have been identified using UPLC-MS, and the degradation pathways have been proposed and discussed. This work offers a facile and efficient technique for developing MOF-based visible light photocatalysts for water purification.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathways by which health literacy (HL), social support, and self-efficacy influence self-management behaviors of pregnant women with Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the interrelationships between the variables., Methods: A total of 565 pregnant women with GDM was recruited. The Demographic Characteristics Form, Health Literacy Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, General Self-efficacy Scale and GDM Self-management Behavior Scale were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, zero-ordered correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed on the variables; Structural Equation Model (SEM) were constructed for pathway analysis., Results: A positive correlation was found between health literacy, social support, self-efficacy, and self-management behaviors among pregnant women with GDM after adjusting for age, education level, income level, work status, parity, and family history of diabetes ( r ranging from 0.203 to 0.533). A further multiple linear regression analysis showed that functional HL, communicative HL, critical HL, social support, and self-efficacy were all independent influences on self-management behaviors and accounted for 36.3% of the variance. Communicative HL and critical HL explained the strongest self-management behaviors (β = 0.316 and 0.255, respectively, p  < 0.001). The SEM model was suitable for χ 2 /DF = 2.860, RMSEA = 0.060, IFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.943, and CFI = 0.952. The results showed direct positive effects of health literacy on self-management behaviors and self-efficacy, direct positive effects of social support on health literacy and self-efficacy. Social support and self-efficacy have had no significant direct impact on self-management behaviors, but social support may indirectly influence self-management behaviors through the health literacy mediation role., Conclusion: Healthcare providers should pay attention to the positive impacts of health literacy and social support on self-management behaviors of pregnant women with GDM. Improving the health literacy level of pregnant women with GDM should be the key point of intervention in practice, and the social support system should be fully mobilized to enhance emotional support and life support to promote the improvement of self-management behaviors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Tang, Zhong, Liu, Guo and Li.)

Objective: This study aims to translate the Health Professional Communication Skills Scale (HP-CSS) into Chinese and assess its psychometric properties., Methods: A total of 836 healthcare professionals were recruited. The demographic characteristics form and HP-CSS were used for data collection. The psychometric properties of HP-CSS were evaluated by examining item analysis, construct validity, known-group discriminant validity, internal consistency, and split-half reliability., Results: In terms of item analysis, the critical ratio (CR) of 18 items was both >3 (CR ranging from 9.937 to 28.816), and the score of each item was positively correlated with the total score ( r ranging from 0.357 to 0.778, P < 0.001). The fit indices showed that the original correlated four-factor model of HP-CSS was adequate: χ 2 =722.801; df = 126; χ 2 /df = 5.737; RMSEA = 0.075; CFI = 0.923; NNFI = 0.908; TLI = 0.906; IFI = 0.923. In terms of known-group discriminant validity, the HP-CSS total score was related to gender, occupation, work years, and communication skill training. Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.922, and the split-half reliability was 0.865 for the total scale., Conclusion: The Chinese version of the HP-CSS is a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate communication skills among healthcare professionals in China., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhong, Tang, Lai, Guo, Yang, Hu, Li, Lu, Liu and Leal-Costa.)

Background: Pain plays an important role in chronic ankle instability (CAI), and prolonged pain may be associated with ankle dysfunction and abnormal neuroplasticity., Purpose: To investigate the differences in resting-state functional connectivity among the pain-related brain regions and the ankle motor-related brain regions between healthy controls and patients with CAI, and explore the relationship between patients' motor function and pain., Study Design: A cross-database, cross-sectional study., Methods: This study included a UK Biobank dataset of 28 patients with ankle pain and 109 healthy controls and a validation dataset of 15 patients with CAI and 15 healthy controls. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning, and the functional connectivity (FC) among the pain-related brain regions and the ankle motor-related brain regions were calculated and compared between groups. The correlations between the potentially different functional connectivity and the clinical questionnaires were also explored in patients with CAI., Results: The functional connection between the cingulate motor area and insula significantly differed between groups in both the UK Biobank ( p = 0.005) and clinical validation dataset ( p = 0.049), which was also significantly correlated with Tegner scores ( r = 0.532, p = 0.041) in patients with CAI., Conclusion: A reduced functional connection between the cingulate motor area and the insula was present in patients with CAI, which was also directly correlated with reduction in the level of patient physical activity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wang, Li, Xue, Xu, Tao, Liu, Li, Wang and Hua.)

Within the past 2 decades, three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses have emerged, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The health threats and economic burden posed by these tremendously severe coronaviruses have paved the way for research on their etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment. Compared to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV genome encoded fewer accessory proteins, among which the ORF4b protein had anti-immunity ability in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. Our work for the first time revealed that ORF4b protein was unstable in the host cells and could be degraded by the ubiquitin proteasome system. After extensive screenings, it was found that UBR5 (ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component N-recognin 5), a member of the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases, specifically regulated the ubiquitination and degradation of ORF4b. Similar to ORF4b, UBR5 can also translocate into the nucleus through its nuclear localization signal, enabling it to regulate ORF4b stability in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. Through further experiments, lysine 36 was identified as the ubiquitination site on the ORF4b protein, and this residue was highly conserved in various MERS-CoV strains isolated from different regions. When UBR5 was knocked down, the ability of ORF4b to suppress innate immunity was enhanced and MERS-CoV replication was stronger. As an anti-MERS-CoV host protein, UBR5 targets and degrades ORF4b protein through the ubiquitin proteasome system, thereby attenuating the anti-immunity ability of ORF4b and ultimately inhibiting MERS-CoV immune escape, which is a novel antagonistic mechanism of the host against MERS-CoV infection. IMPORTANCE ORF4b was an accessory protein unique to MERS-CoV and was not present in SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 which can also cause severe respiratory disease. Moreover, ORF4b inhibited the production of antiviral cytokines in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, which was likely to be associated with the high lethality of MERS-CoV. However, whether the host proteins regulate the function of ORF4b is unknown. Our study first determined that UBR5, a host E3 ligase, was a potential host anti-MERS-CoV protein that could reduce the protein level of ORF4b and diminish its anti-immunity ability by inducing ubiquitination and degradation. Based on the discovery of ORF4b-UBR5, a critical molecular target, further increasing the degradation of ORF4b caused by UBR5 could provide a new strategy for the clinical development of drugs for MERS-CoV.

Single-atom catalysis is a research Frontier and has attracted extensive interests in catalysis. Significant progresses have been carried out in the synthesis and characterization of metal single-atom catalysts (SACs). However, the stability and catalytic reactivity of metal SAC at elevated temperatures are not well documented because single atoms sinter at elevated temperatures. Therefore, the development of stable and reactive SAC at high temperatures remains a formidable challenge. In this perspective, we summarize recent efforts on the preparation of the thermally-stable SACs synthesized at elevated temperature via the reverse-Ostwald ripening mechanism, including the approaches of atom trapping and vapor-phase self-assembly. The reducibility of lattice oxygen, the loading upper limit and the location of the metal single atom are discussed, combining experiments with simulations. In addition, we demonstrate that the coordination structure of the metal single atom can be tailored to address the relationship of structure and performances of the metal SAC in reactions. We expect that this perspective can provide some insights to guide the study for the rational design of thermally-stable and active single atom catalysts, which are especially suitable for high-temperature reactions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer SL declared a past co-authorship with the author HX to the handling editor., (Copyright © 2022 Liu, Li and Xiong.)

With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronaviruses have begun to attract great attention across the world. Of the known human coronaviruses, however, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the most lethal. Coronavirus proteins can be divided into three groups: nonstructural proteins, structural proteins, and accessory proteins. While the number of each of these proteins varies greatly among different coronaviruses, accessory proteins are most closely related to the pathogenicity of the virus. We found for the first time that the ORF3 accessory protein of MERS-CoV, which closely resembles the ORF3a proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2, has the ability to induce apoptosis in cells in a dose-dependent manner. Through bioinformatics analysis and validation, we revealed that ORF3 is an unstable protein and has a shorter half-life in cells compared to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a proteins. After screening, we identified a host E3 ligase, HUWE1, that specifically induces MERS-CoV ORF3 protein ubiquitination and degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This results in the diminished ability of ORF3 to induce apoptosis, which might partially explain the lower spread of MERS-CoV compared to other coronaviruses. In summary, this study reveals a pathological function of MERS-CoV ORF3 protein and identifies a potential host antiviral protein, HUWE1, with an ability to antagonize MERS-CoV pathogenesis by inducing ORF3 degradation, thus enriching our knowledge of the pathogenesis of MERS-CoV and suggesting new targets and strategies for clinical development of drugs for MERS-CoV treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cobalt-manganese (CoMn) oxides obtained through a one-pot synthesis can be controllably reduced to CoxMn1-xO nanocrystals for the direct production of C2-C4 olefins with high selectivity (50.9 mol%) from syngas at high CO conversion (92.4%), higher than predicted by the Anderson-Schulz-Flory distribution. The formed CoxMn1-xO is the key to generating an active Co2C quadrangular nanoprism phase with (101) and (020) exposed facets in-situ during the reaction, which plays a pivotal role in the high lower-olefin yield. No deactivation was observed after 100 hours under harsh high-conversion reaction conditions, and the activity is one order of magnitude higher than that of the traditional cobalt catalyst.