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This study centers on the e-commerce live streaming environment and delves into the critical factors that influence the purchase intentions of consumer groups. With the rapid advancement of e-commerce live streaming, shopping in live streaming rooms has become a vital channel for consumers. Through a literature survey method, this research systematically organized multiple dimensions that affect consumer purchase intentions in live streaming. Drawing from the concept of perceived value, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) was formulated, encompassing two key dimensions: perceived value and perceived credibility. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory, several research hypotheses were proposed. Relevant data was collected via questionnaire surveys, and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 software, leading to the derivation of corresponding conclusions. This research not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the realm of live commerce but also offers insights for online marketplaces and sellers on how to refine their live selling strategies and boost the buying motivations of their target audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in vitro study demonstrates wirelessly controlled modulation of neural activity using magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs), synchronized to magnetic field application with a sub-25-msec temporal response. Herein, MENPs are sub-30-nm CoFe 2 O 4 @BaTiO 3 core-shell nanostructures. MENPs were added to E18 rat hippocampal cell cultures (0.5 μg of MENPs per 100,000 neurons) tagged with fluorescent Ca2+ sensitive indicator cal520. MENPs were shown to wirelessly induce calcium transients which were synchronized with application of 1200-Oe bipolar 25-msec magnetic pulses at a rate of 20 pulses/sec. The observed calcium transients were similar, in shape and magnitude, to those generated through the control electric field stimulation with a 50-μA current, and they were inhibited by the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin. The observed MENP-based magnetic excitation of neural activity is in agreement with the non-linear M − H hysteresis loop of the MENPs, wherein the MENPs' coercivity value sets the threshold for the externally applied magnetic field. • A study through a reduced in vitro model (on E18 rat hippocampal cell cultures) for the first time demonstrates how 30-nm MENPs can be used to wirelessly induce neural activity via application of magnetic fields, with a sub-25-msec temporal response. • The property of the nanoparticles such as the magnetic coercivity is used as a wireless switch to activate action potential in selected regions. • The validity of MENPs-based neural firing approach is confirmed through different positive and negative control measurements. • The importance of having MENPs adequately dispersed to ensure the desired wireless neural firing control operation is being demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comprehensive review of metastatic lesions to the pituitary. • Includes review of tumor-tumor metastasis and metastatic collision tumors. • Radiological insights to primary versus pituitary metastatic lesions. • Management of pituitary metastasis including surgical indications and adjuvant therapy. A review of the literature with respect to pituitary metastases (PM) with clinical and radiological considerations are summarized to facilitate clinical decision making in the management of PM A review of literature associated with PM and tumour to tumour metastases in the English literature was reviewed and summarized Pituitary metastases account for 1.0–3.6% of all surgically treated pituitary lesions. Often identified in parallel with extensive disseminated disease, once diagnosed, the prognosis is generally poor, although survival is highly heterogeneous and dependent on the primary tumor histology. Within this anatomical region is also the observation of tumor-to-tumor metastases and collision tumours. Both the tumor macro- and microenvironment play central roles to the progression of disease with distinctive radiological features that may suggest a metastatic sellar lesion as opposed to a primary pituitary lesion. Surgical resection is the first line of therapy followed by adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and endocrinological evaluation for hormonal supplementation PMs are relatively rare but important oncological entities representing disseminated disease in the majority of cases. Careful consideration of the relevant clinical history and radiological features can aid the clinician differentiate between a metastatic lesion to the pituitary region and a primary pituitary tumor. While surgical resection is first line therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery in carefully selected patients is emerging as a viable alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine whether gestational cardiovascular health (CVH) during the first trimester is associated with a risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. A multicentre prospective cohort; part of the China birth cohort study. Pregnant women were recruited at 6–13+6 gestation weeks and followed to delivery to identify pregnancy outcomes. Gestational CVH in the first trimester was assessed using five CVH metrics: body mass index, smoking, blood pressure, glucose, and lipids. Multilevel modified Poisson regression models calculated the relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of gestational CVH for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Among 56,852 pregnant women, the mean score for gestational CVH during the first trimester was 9.1. Adjusting for confounding factors, each 1-point decrease in the total gestational CVH score significantly increased the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (RR = 1.682, 95% CI: 1.624–1.743), gestational diabetes mellitus (RR = 1.405, 95% CI: 1.384–1.426), preterm birth (RR = 1.184, 95% CI: 1.174–1.195), large for gestational age (RR = 1.224, 95% CI: 1.199–1.250), caesarean delivery (RR = 1.073, 95% CI: 1.049–1.097), and low Apgar score (RR = 1.131, 95% CI: 1.003–1.277) significantly increased. Meanwhile, the risk of small for gestational age decreased (SGA; RR = 0.922, 95% CI: 0.898–0.946). Worsened CVH categories significantly increased the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, excluding SGA. Poor gestational CVH in the first trimester significantly increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, emphasising the need for early improvement in gestational CVH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of the State of Charge (SoC) plays a vital role in ensuring the efficient and safe operation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. However, the flat open circuit voltage (OCV) curve of the LFP battery implies a low sensitivity to SoC, which results in large SoC estimation errors in the presence of noisy terminal voltage measurements. To address this challenge, an SoC estimation methodology utilizing an ultrasonic reflection response model is proposed, which is the first methodology regarding highly accurate and robust ultrasonic model-based SoC estimation under dynamic load profiles. Since ultrasound waves enable non-destructive acquisition of battery internal physical property changes directly associated with SoC, the ultrasonic battery near-surface reflection feature is extracted and demonstrated to exhibit a highly linear correlation with and higher sensitivity to SoC. We pioneeringly construct an empirical differential ultrasonic model to describe how the ultrasonic feature depends on the SoC and dynamic current. The advantage of such an ultrasonic model is demonstrated by theoretical and experimental results of an Adaptive Extend Kalman Filter (AEKF) and an Adaptive H-infinity Filter (AHIF) under various dynamic load profiles and temperatures. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for ultrasonic model-based SoC estimation remains at approximately 1% across all tests, reducing by 36.7% compared to the voltage model, which shows its great potential in accurate SoC estimation. • The ultrasonic response trend is theoretically and experimentally verified. • A differential model is built to describe the dynamic ultrasonic response. • The ultrasonic model-based close-loop SoC estimation methodology is proposed. • The ultrasonic model performs much better than the voltage model in SoC estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyguluronic acid (PG), a polysaccharide from alginate, possesses excellent bioactivities. We prepared high-purity PG with 10.41 kDa molecular weight (Mw) and a 59 average degree of polymerization (DP) by acid hydrolysis, three pH grades, Q-Sepharose column elution, and Sephadex G-25 column desalination. Then, we evaluated the PG protective effects on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) in vitro and in vivo. The nontoxic PG enhanced cellular viability, reduced cell pyroptosis morphology, diminished the LDH and IL-1β release, and downregulated expressions of ASC oligomerization, NLRP3, cl-CASP1, and GSDMD, by which PG protected the cardiomyocytes from NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in doxorubicin-stimulated HL-1 cells and C57BL/6J mice. The probable underlying mechanism may be that PG downregulated doxorubicin -induced Peli1, the deficiency of which could inhibit doxorubicin-induced NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis. These results suggested that polysaccharide PG from alginate could prevent DIC and may be a potential therapeutic agent or bioactive material for preventing DIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is challenging for emergency physicians (EPs) to distinguish between patients with life-threatening and benign headaches. We examined the effect of peer influence on computed tomography use by EPs for patients with headache and evaluated the peer influence effect in EPs with different levels of risk tolerance.Methods: We conducted a before- and after-retrospective case review, and administered the Risk-Taking subscale of the Jackson Personality Index to attending physicians. Each EP computed tomography (CT) use rate, patient number, and CT use, were e-mailed every two months to enhance EP team norm and establish a trend in behavior.Results: Of the 665 (before intervention) and 669 (after intervention) patients with headache, 206 (31%) and 171 (25.6%) underwent brain CT scans, respectively. Decreased use of CT examination was found in the post-intervention group (OR = 0.758, 95% CI: 0.593-0.967), especially for most risk-tolerant physicians (OR = 0.530, 95% CI: 0.311-0.889). There was prolonged ED length of stay (LOS) in the pre-intervention group (OR = 51.52, 95% CI: 26.998-76.050).Conclusions: We observed that peer influence is an effective way to improve CT use rate and emergency department LOS for patients with isolated headache, especially for most risk-tolerant physicians. These findings could enhance the development of appropriate guidelines to assist ED physicians' CT use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A battery-equalization scheme is proposed to improve the inconsistency of series-connected lithium iron phosphate batteries. Considering battery characteristics, the segmented hybrid control strategy based on cell voltage and state of charge (SOC) is proposed in this paper. The simulation model of equalization circuit with bidirectional fly-back transformer are established. Furthermore, a comparison is made with the proposed hybrid control strategy. The simulation results show that the proposed hybrid control strategy is more capable of effectively enhancing the consistency of batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A multi-physics field model is proposed to evaluate the LMB electro-thermal behavior during the CC cycle and ESC. • The thermal characteristics of LMB are quite different from those of lithium-ion batteries. • Reversible heat accounts for a large proportion of the total heat generation in LMB. • The electro-thermal behavior of LMB in ESC failure is closely related to ESC resistance and battery SOC. As one of the most potent battery technology, liquid metal battery (LMB) plays an important role in addressing the requirement of grid energy storage. However, up to now, few attention has been paid to the heat generation characteristics and thermal safety of LMB, including the conventional and abusive conditions. In this paper, a 2D axisymmetric multi-physics field model coupling electrochemistry, heat transfer, and laminar flow is proposed to evaluate the electro-thermal behavior of 200 Ah Li||Bi LMBs under the states of constant current (CC) cycle and external short circuit (ESC). Verified by the experimental data, the maximum fitting errors of the voltage and temperature are 4.61% and 0.42%, respectively. The reversible and irreversible electrochemical heat generation rates are calculated to assess the total heat power (9.14 W during 0.2 C discharge and −5.06 W during 0.2 C charge). The reversible heat rate is found to occupy a large proportion in the total heat generation, while the percentage of irreversible heat is shown to increase with the increasing current rate. Based on the analysis of CC cycle, the model is applied to investigate the battery electro-thermal performance in ESC failure. The results show that the ESC current and surface temperature vary with the short-circuit resistance and initial state of charge (SOC). The lower ESC resistance and initial SOC may lead to a severer temperature rise due to the unique entropic heat behavior. The maximum current and temperature reach 455.8 A and 549.3 °C in 5 min (100% SOC, 0.1 mΩ). This work provides an important opportunity to advance the understanding of heat generation and abuse phenomena induced by ESC in LMB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metal-free hydrogenation of 2-quinolinecarboxylates has been realized by using 5 mol% of B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 as catalyst. A variety of tetrahydroquinolines were obtained in 57–99% yields. An attempt for the asymmetric hydrogenation with chiral boron Lewis acids generated from chiral dienes afforded very low ee’s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significant variation of N, P and K levels in specific leaves was observed among tea germplasm. • Nutrient utilization efficiency was variety dependent and elite genes were supposed involved. • Significant variation of seasonal nutrient requirements was identified for tea varieties. • Nutrient remobilization efficiency verified the accurate budget to allocate nutrient supply. The tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is the most extensively consumed beverage crop in the world, with steadily increasing consumption over the last decade. Tea plantations are frequently over-fertilized to achieve enhanced growth and yield, which ultimately influences the soil acidification and compaction, resulting in low quality and yield. However, the effect of optimum nutrient concentrations in the leaves on tea yield and quality is poorly understood. In this study, the dynamics of macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels, nutrient use and remobilization efficiencies, and nutrient requirements (NR) were quantified among the diverse tea plant varieties over the entire growing seasons. Leaf samples of two categories, young leaves and mature canopy leaves, were collected from 87 elite tea varieties during the growing seasons to illustrate their biological significance. The results revealed that the highest average N levels were observed in the 2nd spring tea, P levels in summer tea, and K levels in autumn tea in both young and mature leaves. The results further revealed that a higher average nutrient utilization efficiency for nitrogen (NUtE-N) was identified in the summer followed by autumn. The NUtE-P in autumn and the NUtE-K in the 1st spring tea were relatively higher. Nutrient remobilization efficiencies (NRE) (NRE < 0 and NRE > 0) for N, P and K within canopy leaves were calculated, indicating the alternative roles of sources and sinks during the growth period. Moreover, NRE < 0 was almost exclusively found in the spring and summer, whereas NRE > 0 was mainly observed in the autumn. In terms of requirements, N was the most required for optimal tea yield, followed by K, and then P. Seasonally, maximum N, P and K requirements were coincidentally observed in the 2nd spring tea, whereas the minimum were in summer tea, autumn tea and the 1st spring tea, respectively. Based on nutrient utilization, the nutrient requirements of tea plants and the understanding of natural variability in N, P and K dynamics were elucidated to address agronomic, economic and environmental issues. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• FFRLS is utilized to identify model parameters and reconstruct battery OCV. • An intelligent noise estimator is designed based on fuzzy inference system. • DFAEKF is proposed for battery SOC and parameter estimation. • Online estimated ohmic resistance is used to indicate battery SOH. • The DFAEKF is verified through different experiments. Liquid metal batteries (LMBs) are alternatives to conventional lithium-ion batteries due to their specific benefits including high current density and long cycle life. Accurate state of charge (SOC) estimation is an important evaluation index for the battery management system (BMS), which is of great significance to ensure the safe operation of batteries. However, the estimation accuracy of SOC is influenced by many factors, including self-aging and external operating environment changes. Therefore, an online battery model with real-time parameter updates is necessary for accurate SOC estimation. In this paper, a novel dual fuzzy-based adaptive extended Kalman filter (DFAEKF) method is proposed for the SOC estimation of LMBs. Firstly, a second-order RC equivalent circuit model is established to describe the battery's behavior. The forgetting factor recursive least squares (FFRLS) is utilized to identify the model parameters and reconstruct the battery open circuit voltage (OCV). Secondly, the dual adaptive extended Kalman filter (DAEKF) is derived from the battery model. And an intelligent noise estimator is designed based on a fuzzy inference system, which adaptively adjusts the length of the residual innovation sequence (RIS), to update the noise covariance. Finally, the DFAEKF algorithm is proposed for the battery SOC and parameter co-estimation. The online estimated ohmic resistance is employed to calculate the state of health (SOH) of the battery. The proposed DFAEKF is verified through different experiments and compared to conventional algorithms. Experimental results show that the DFAEKF has higher accuracy (error < 1 %) and stronger robustness. The proposed method can also be applied to other model-based state estimation areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This study aimed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of liver resection (LR) and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) for single hepatocellular carcinoma ≤3 cm (HCC) in cirrhotic livers. Methods In this study, 190 patients with single HCC ≤3 cm and Child-Pugh A cirrhosis were retrospectively reviewed. Among these patients, 122 patients underwent LR, and 68 patients received PMCT. The therapeutic efficacy and complications were compared between the two procedures. Results There was no treatment-related hospital mortality in either group. Major complications were significantly more frequent in the LR group compared to the PMCT group (22.1% vs 5.9%, p = 0.004). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates for the LR group and PMCT group were 98.4%, 93.6%, 55.2% and 97.1%, 87.7%, 51%, respectively. There was no significant difference in OS rates between the LR group and PMCT group ( p = 0.153). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS rates were 96.7%, 70.5% and 43.7%, respectively, in the LR group, which were significantly higher compared to the PMCT group (92.6%, 50.5% and 26.3%, p = 0.006). Subgroup analyses revealed that HCC patients with portal hypertension (PH), OS and DFS were similar between the two groups. Conclusions LR may provide better DFS and lower recurrence rates than PMCT for single HCC ≤3 cm and Child-Pugh A cirrhosis. For HCC patients with PH, PMCT may provide therapeutic effects that are similar to LR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme that removes free radicals from cells in many organisms. In order to further characterize these repair effects and their mechanism when subjected to radiation, Bacillus subtilis cells were exposed to gamma radiation and the cell survival rate, intracellular SOD activity, and DNA double-strand breakage were investigated. Vegetative cells of B. subtilis were irradiated by 60Co gamma radiation at varying doses and subsequently exposed to varying levels of exogenous SOD. Standard plate-count, xanthine oxidase, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) methods were employed to investigate the repair effects. The results showed that the exogenous SOD could significantly improve cell survival rate and intracellular SOD activity after gamma radiation. The cell survival rate was elevated 30–87 times above levels observed in control samples. Adding exogenous SOD into gamma irradiated cells may dramatically increase intracellular SOD activity (p < 0.01), while percentage of DNA release (PR) values may decrease significantly when cells are treated with SOD. The repair effects were observed to vary with the gamma radiation dose and SOD concentration. These findings suggest that exogenous SOD may have the ability to repair vegetative B. subtilis cell damage after irradiated by gamma radiation. DNA strand scission may also be prevented by addition of SOD. This research contributes to better understanding of protection from the effects of free radicals and their mechanisms, an ongoing process in many organisms that involves the cellular response to gamma radiation, which occurs naturally in soil and water, as well as in unusual cases of high-dosage exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The detailed growth of FeSb2 films formed on quartz (0001) substrates by magnetron sputtering is reported. FeSb2 films with different orientations and compositions can be produced by adjusting the Ar working gas pressure and the substrate temperature. By employing FeSb2 thin layers produced at different substrate temperatures as templates, <101>-, <120>- and <002>-textured FeSb2 films were produced under identical growth conditions. The thermoelectric properties of film samples grown at different temperatures were measured and the effects of Sb and FeSb impurities were investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nerve injury can produce hypersensitivity to noxious and normally innocuous stimulation. Injury-induced central (i.e. spinal) sensitization is thought to arise from enhanced afferent input to the spinal cord and to be critical for expression of behavioral hypersensitivity. Descending facilitatory influences from the rostral ventromedial medulla have been suggested to also be critical for the maintenance, though not the initiation, of experimental neuropathic pain. The possibility that descending facilitation from the rostral ventromedial medulla is required for the maintenance of central sensitization was examined by determining whether ablation of mu-opioid receptor-expressing cells within the rostral ventromedial medulla prevented the enhanced expression of repetitive touch-evoked FOS within the spinal cord of animals with spinal nerve ligation injury as well as nerve injury-induced behavioral hypersensitivity. Rats received a single microinjection of vehicle, saporin, dermorphin or dermorphin–saporin into the rostral ventromedial medulla and 28 days later, underwent either sham or spinal nerve ligation procedures. Animals receiving rostral ventromedial medulla pretreatment with vehicle, dermorphin or saporin that were subjected to spinal nerve ligation demonstrated both thermal and tactile hypersensitivity, and showed significantly increased expression of touch-evoked FOS in the dorsal horn ipsilateral to nerve injury compared with sham-operated controls at days 3, 5 or 10 post-spinal nerve ligation. In contrast, nerve-injured animals pretreated with dermorphin–saporin showed enhanced behaviors and touch-evoked FOS expression in the spinal dorsal horn at day 3, but not days 5 and 10, post-spinal nerve ligation when compared with sham-operated controls. These results indicate the presence of nerve injury-induced behavioral hypersensitivity associated with nerve injury-induced central sensitization. Further, the results demonstrate the novel concept that once initiated, maintenance of nerve injury-induced central sensitization in the spinal dorsal horn requires descending pain facilitation mechanisms arising from the rostral ventromedial medulla. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: To explore the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) for evaluating early outcomes of CyberKnife radiosurgery for spinal metastases.Materials and Methods: Patients with spinal metastases who were treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery from July 2018 to December 2020 were enrolled. Conventional MRI and DCE-MRI were performed before treatment and at 3 months after treatment. Patients showing disease progression were defined as the progressive disease (PD) group and those showing complete response, partial response, and stable disease were defined as the non-PD group. The haemodynamic parameters (volume transfer constant [Ktrans], rate constant [Kep], and extravascular space [Ve]) before and after treatment between the groups were analysed. Area under the curve (AUC) values were calculated.Results: A total of 27 patients with 39 independent spinal lesions were included. The median follow-up time was 18.6 months (6.2-36.4 months). There were 27 lesions in the non-PD group and 12 lesions in the PD group. Post-treatment Kep, ΔKtrans and ΔKep in the non-PD group (0.959/min, - 32.6% and -41.1%, respectively) were significantly lower than the corresponding values in PD group (1.429/min, 20.4% and -6%; p<0.05). Post-treatment Ve and ΔVe (0.223 and 27.8%, respectively) in the non-PD group were significantly higher than that of the PD group (0.165 and -13.5%, p<0.05). ΔKtrans showed the highest diagnostic efficiency, with an AUC of 0.821.Conclusions: DCE-MRI parameters change significantly at an early stage after CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery for spinal metastases. DCE-MRI may be of value in determining the early treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of Web 2.0 technologies has made it possible for online health communities to provide convenient platforms that enable doctors to provide medical services and enable patients to consult the doctors online. When patients finish medical treatment in offline hospitals, they can find the doctor for online follow-up service at the post-diagnosis step. To understand which factors can affect patients' decisions on adopting an online follow-up service, this paper drew on the Elaboration Likelihood Model as the theoretical base to study patients' decision process. We regarded the technical quality and interpersonal quality of doctors' medical service as central cues and considered electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) as a peripheral cue. By analyzing the data from a popular online health community in China, the results show that the technical quality, interpersonal quality, and eWOM of doctors' medical services positively impacted patients' online follow-up intention. Moreover, we also found that high-privacy disease and private doctor service significantly moderate the relationship between technical quality or eWOM of doctors' medical services and patients' online follow-up intention. Our study sheds some light on profoundly understanding the decision process of patients in using online follow-up services and contributes to the research of online healthcare services. • Information processing impacts patients' intention to adopt online follow-up service. • Service quality and eWOM positively affect patients' online follow-up intention. • High-privacy diseases amplify the effect of technical quality on patients' intention. • High-privacy diseases undermine the effect of eWOM on patients' intention. • Private doctor service amplifies the effects of technical quality and eWOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]