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This paper presents a microfluidic multifunctional device, which can flexibly change the light input energy by using the effect of Electrowetting-on-Dielectric(EWOD). It can also realize multiple functions of variable aperture, variable optical attenuator and optical switch. The utility model has the advantages of simple structure, small volume, simple operation, wide application, flexibility and low cost. In this paper, the optical characteristics of the proposed microfluidic multifunctional device are analyzed and discussed, and the structure is optimized. The results show that the insertion loss of the proposed microfluidic multifunctional device is as small as only 0.014 dB. The aperture of the liquid variable aperture varies from 0 to 0.506 mm. In theory, the variable optical attenuator has a variable attenuation range of 0 ~100%, and the attenuation can reach 40.2 dB when the applied voltage is 91.1 V. The state microfluidic optical switch is " off" when there is no applied voltage and the state is " on" when the applied voltage is greater than 135 V.

Delimiting species requires multiple sources of evidence. Here, we delimited two varieties of Halenia elliptica (Gentianaceae) using several lines of evidence, including morphological traits and mating system in a sympatric population, phylogenetic relationships based on nrITS and cpDNA (rpl16) data, and complete chloroplast genome sequences. Comparative analysis of 21 morphological traits clearly separates the two varieties of H. elliptica. Examination of the flowering process and pollination treatments indicate that H. elliptica var. grandiflora produces seeds via outcrossing, whereas H. elliptica var. elliptica produces seeds via mixed mating. Furthermore, hand-pollinated hybridization of the two varieties produced no seeds. Observations of pollinators showed that when bees began a pollination bout on H. elliptica var. grandiflora they preferred to continue pollinating this variety; however, when they began a pollination bout on H. elliptica var. elliptica, they showed no preference for either variety. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the monophyly of H. elliptica, which was further divided into two monophyletic clades corresponding to the two varieties. A large number of variants from the chloroplast genomes reflected remarkable genetic dissimilarities between the two varieties of H. elliptica. We recommend that the two varieties of H. elliptica should be revised as two species (H. elliptica and H. grandiflora). Our findings indicate that H. elliptica varieties may have split into two separate species due to a shift in mating system, changes in flowering phenology and/or post-pollination reproductive isolation.

Let n≥2n\ge 2 and Ω⊂Rn\Omega \subset {{\mathbb{R}}}^{n} be a bounded nontangentially accessible domain. In this article, the authors investigate (weighted) global gradient estimates for Dirichlet boundary value problems of second-order elliptic equations of divergence form with an elliptic symmetric part and a BMO antisymmetric part in Ω\Omega . More precisely, for any given p∈(2,∞)p\in \left(2,\infty ), the authors prove that a weak reverse Hölder inequality with exponent pp implies the global W1,p{W}^{1,p} estimate and the global weighted W1,q{W}^{1,q} estimate, with q∈[2,p]q\in \left[2,p] and some Muckenhoupt weights, of solutions to Dirichlet boundary value problems. As applications, the authors establish some global gradient estimates for solutions to Dirichlet boundary value problems of second-order elliptic equations of divergence form with small BMO{\rm{BMO}} symmetric part and small BMO{\rm{BMO}} antisymmetric part, respectively, on bounded Lipschitz domains, quasi-convex domains, Reifenberg flat domains, C1{C}^{1} domains, or (semi-)convex domains, in weighted Lebesgue spaces. Furthermore, as further applications, the authors obtain the global gradient estimate, respectively, in (weighted) Lorentz spaces, (Lorentz–)Morrey spaces, (Musielak–)Orlicz spaces, and variable Lebesgue spaces. Even on global gradient estimates in Lebesgue spaces, the results obtained in this article improve the known results via weakening the assumption on the coefficient matrix.

BackgroundPost-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms occurred in most of the COVID-19 survivors. However, few studies have examined the issue of whether hospitalization results in different post-acute COVID-19 symptom risks. This study aimed to compare potential COVID-19 long-term effects in hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.MethodsThis study is designed as a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. A systematic search of six databases was performed for identifying articles published from inception until April 20th, 2022, which compared post-acute COVID-19 symptom risk in hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors using a predesigned search strategy included terms for SARS-CoV-2 (eg, COVID, coronavirus, and 2019-nCoV), post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome (eg, post-COVID, post COVID conditions, chronic COVID symptom, long COVID, long COVID symptom, long-haul COVID, COVID sequelae, convalescence, and persistent COVID symptom), and hospitalization (hospitalized, in hospital, and home-isolated). The present meta-analysis was conducted according to The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement using R software 4.1.3 to create forest plots. Q statistics and the I2 index were used to evaluate heterogeneity in this meta-analysis.ResultsSix observational studies conducted in Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, and the USA involving 419 hospitalized and 742 non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors were included. The number of COVID-19 survivors in included studies ranged from 63 to 431, and follow-up data were collected through visits in four studies and another two used an electronic questionnaire, visit and telephone, respectively. Significant increase in the risks of long dyspnea (OR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.90–5.32), anxiety (OR = 3.09, 95% CI = 1.47–6.47), myalgia (OR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.02–5.33), and hair loss (OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.07–7.12) risk were found in hospitalized COVID-19 survivors compared with outpatients. Conversely, persisting ageusia risk was significantly reduced in hospitalized COVID-19 survivors than in non-hospitalized patients.ConclusionThe findings suggested that special attention and patient-centered rehabilitation service based on a needs survey should be provided for hospitalized COVID-19 survivors who experienced high post-acute COVID-19 symptoms risk.

BackgroundFree-living amoebae (FLA) including Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba spp., and Balamuthia mandrillaris can become pathogenic and cause severe cerebral infections, named primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), and balamuthia amoebic encephalitis (BAE), respectively. FLA encephalitis has been reported across China, but the clinical data descriptions and analytical results of these different reports vary widely. Currently, no consensus treatment has been established. We conduct a systematic review to evaluate the exposure location, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of three FLA encephalitis and aim to reveal the differences between three FLA encephalitis in China.MethodsWe used MEDLINE (PubMed interface), EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, and China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc) databases for literatures published and manually retrieve the hospital records of our hospital. The search time was up to August 30, 2022, with no language restrictions.ResultsAfter excluding possible duplicate cases, a total of 48 patients of three FLA encephalitis were collected. One from the medical records of our hospital and 47 patients from 31 different studies. There were 11 patients of PAM, 10 patients of GAE, and 27 patients of BAE. The onset of PAM is mostly acute or subacute, and the clinical symptoms are acute and fulminant hemorrhagic meningoencephalitis. Most patients with GAE and BAE have an insidious onset and a chronic course. A total of 21 BAE patients (77.8%) had skin lesions before onset of symptoms. Additionally, 37 cases (77.1%) were diagnosed with FLA encephalitis before death. And there were 4 of PAM, 2 of GAE, and 10 of BAE diagnosed using next generation sequencing. No single agent can be proposed as the ideal therapy by itself. Only 6 cases were successfully treated.ConclusionsThis review provides an overview of the available data and studies of FLA encephalitis in China and identify some potential differences. FLA encephalitis is a rare but pathogenic infection, and physicians should early identify this encephalitis to improve survival.

Abstract Background Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the most common liver diseases and has no safe and effective drug for treatment. We have previously reported the function of blueberry, but the effective monomer and related molecular mechanism remain unclear. Methods The monomer of blueberry was examined by ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). The NASH cell model was constructed by exposing HepG2 cells to free fatty acids. The NASH mouse model was induced by a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. NASH cell and mouse models were treated with different concentrations of blueberry monomers. The molecular mechanism was studied by Oil Red O staining, ELISA, enzyme activity, haematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blot, RNA sequencing, and qRT-PCR. Results We identified one of the main monomer of blueberry as tectorigenin (TEC). Cyanidin-3-O glucoside (C3G) and TEC could significantly inhibit the formation of lipid droplets in steatosis hepatocytes, and the effect of TEC on the formation of lipid droplets was significantly higher than that of C3G. TEC can promote cell proliferation and inhibit the release of inflammatory mediators in NASH cell model. Additionally, TEC administration provided a protective role against high-fat diets induced lipid damage, and suppressed lipid accumulation. In NASH mouse model, TEC can activate autophagy, inhibit pyroptosis and the release of inflammatory mediators. In NASH cell model, TEC inhibited pyroptosis by stimulating autophagy. Then, small RNA sequencing revealed that TEC up-regulated the expression of tRF-47-58ZZJQJYSWRYVMMV5BO (tRF-47). The knockdown of tRF-47 blunted the beneficial effects of TEC on NASH in vitro, including inhibition of autophagy, activation of pyroptosis and release of inflammatory factors. Similarly, suppression of tRF-47 promoted the lipid injury and lipid deposition in vivo. Conclusions These results demonstrated that tRF-47-mediated autophagy and pyroptosis plays a vital role in the function of TEC to treat NASH, suggesting that TEC may be a promising drug for the treatment of NASH.

Let γ ∈ ℝ ∖ { 0 } and X (ℝ n) be a ball Banach function space satisfying some extra mild assumptions. Assume that Ω = ℝ n or Ω ⊂ ℝ n is an (, ∞) -domain for some ∈ (0 , 1 ]. In this paper, the authors prove that a function f belongs to the homogeneous ball Banach Sobolev space Ẇ 1 , X (Ω) if and only if f ∈ L loc 1 (Ω) and sup λ ∈ (0 , ∞) λ ∫ { y ∈ Ω :   | f (⋅) − f (y) | > λ | ⋅ − y | 1 + γ p } ⋅ − y γ − n d y 1 p X (Ω) < ∞ , where p ∈ [ 1 , ∞) is related to X (ℝ n). This result is of wide generality and can be applied to various specific Sobolev-type function spaces, including Morrey [Bourgain–Morrey-type, weighted (or mixed-norm or variable) Lebesgue, local (or global) generalized Herz, Lorentz, and Orlicz (or Orlicz-slice)] Sobolev spaces, which is new even in all these special cases; in particular, it coincides with the well-known result of H. Brezis, A. Seeger, J. Van Schaftingen, and P.-L. Yung when X (Ω) : = L q (ℝ n) with 1 < p = q < ∞ , while it is still new even when X (Ω) : = L q (ℝ n) with 1 ≤ p < q < ∞. The novelty of this paper exists in that, to establish the characterization of Ẇ 1 , X (Ω) , the authors provide a machinery via using the generalized Brezis–Seeger–Van Schaftingen–Yung formula on X (ℝ n) , the extension theorem on Ẇ 1 , X (Ω) , the Bourgain–Brezis–Mironescu-type characterization of the inhomogeneous ball Banach Sobolev space W 1 , X (Ω) , and the method of extrapolation to overcome those difficulties caused by that X (ℝ n) might be neither the rotation invariance nor the translation invariance and that the norm of X (ℝ n) has no explicit expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Energy-containing materials such as explosives have attracted considerable interest recently. In the field of high-energy materials, tetrazine and its derivatives can largely meet the requirements of high nitrogen content and oxygen balance. Nitrogen-rich energetic salts are important research subjects. Nitrogen-rich salt of 3,6-dinitramino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine is a high-energy nitrogen-rich material, but there are few related studies. This paper systematically studies the crystal structure and electronic, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of (NH4)2(DNAT). The lattice parameters of (NH4)2(DNAT) are observed to align well with the experimental values. The properties of electrons are analyzed by band structure and density of states (DOS). The phonon dispersion curves indicate that the compound is dynamically stable. The vibrational modes of bonds and chemical groups are described in detail, and the peaks in the Raman and infrared spectra are assigned to different vibration modes. Based on the vibration characteristics, thermodynamic properties such as enthalpy (H), Helmholtz free energy (F), entropy (S), Gibbs free energy (G), constant volume heat capacity (CV), and Debye temperature (Θ) are analyzed. This article can pave the way for subsequent work or provide data support to other researchers, promoting further research. Methods: In this study, we utilized the density functional theory (DFT) for our calculations. The exchange–correlation potential and van der Waals interactions were characterized based on the GGA-PBE + G function calculation. We obtained Brillouin zone integrals using Monkhorst–Pack k-point grids, with the k-point of the Brillouin zone set to a 2 × 2 × 2 grid. During the self-consistent field operation, we set the total energy convergence tolerance to 5 × 10−6 eV per atom. The cut-off energy for the calculation was established at 830 eV. Additionally, the states of H (1s1), C (2s2 2p2), N (2s2 2p3), and O (2s2 2p4) were treated as valence electrons in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations between breastfeeding duration and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents and to further investigate the role of birth weight for gestational age (GA) on these associations. Methods: A total of 10 275 participants aged 7 to 18 years were included applying multistage cluster random sampling from a Chinese national survey. Birth weight was classified into small for GA (SGA), appropriate for GA (AGA) and large for GA (LGA). Information was collected through a self‐administered questionnaire, physical examination and blood biochemical examination. Multivariable linear regression, logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the relationships of breastfeeding duration and MetS with different birth weight for GA. Results: The prevalence of non‐breastfeeding, 0–5, 6–12 and >12 months groups were 16.2%, 23.1%, 42.5% and 18.2%, and the prevalence of SGA and LGA was 11.9% and 12.7%, respectively. Prolonged breastfeeding duration was associated with higher odds of MetS (β: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.13), WC (β: 3.49, 95% CI: 2.82, 4.16) and SBP (β: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.80, 2.89). SGA and prolonged breastfeeding synergistically increased MetS risks, but LGA appeared to offset the adverse effects of prolonged breastfeeding. Conclusion: Prolonged breastfeeding may increase children's MetS risks. SGA synergies with prolonged breastfeeding increased MetS burden in children and adolescents, while LGA mitigated the risks. This reminds us that intensive attention should be paid to both early birth weight and subsequent living environment for children and adolescents' lifelong health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of microstructures featuring freeform surfaces on semiconductor substrates confronts substantial obstacles due to their inherent material difficulties, including considerable hardness and brittleness, as well as geometric complexity. In this investigation, we leverage laser direct writing (LDW) combined with photoelectrochemical etching to achieve precise material removal from semiconductor surfaces. By conducting a series of experiments on a home-made LDW apparatus under varying conditions, we established a correlation between the etching depth and both the power intensity and motion speed of the laser spot. The analysis revealed that the etching depth exhibited linearly with the power intensity of the laser spot and inversely with the motion speed. Additionally, the half widths of the grooves maintained consistently within the range of 1–2 μm. By leveraging this methodology, we successfully fabricated a freeform micro-optical structure on an n-GaAs wafer by precisely adjusting the power intensity of the laser spot during scanning, thus demonstrating the feasibility for achieving nanoscale machining precision. This research underscores the promise of this technique in significantly advancing the fabrication processes of semiconductor devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to their unique non-Newtonian characteristics, gel propellants have become a new type of fuel with promising applications in the aerospace industry. However, the complex rheological properties and high viscosity of gels pose significant challenges for flow control in gel engines, particularly in terms of fuel atomization and combustion efficiency. Focusing primarily on kerosene gel, this study investigates the secondary atomization characteristics of shear-thinning droplets, where the volume of fluid method is employed to capture interface dynamics on adaptive grids, and the viscosity of the gel is described by a power-law model. The accuracy of the numerical model is validated by comparing it with the experimental observations of the breakup process of 1% silica kerosene gel droplets. Numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the droplet breakup processes and formation mechanisms under bag, multimode, and shear breakup. Compared to kerosene, the apparent viscosity distribution inside the kerosene gel droplets is non-uniform, and the inhibition of viscous force delays the breakup time and reduces the droplet deformation, thereby affecting the transition of the breakup mode. By varying the Weber number, We, the rheological parameters, and the density ratio, the quantitative effects of these factors on droplet deformation, centroid velocity, average viscosity, the breakup time, etc. are revealed. The results indicate that the breakup becomes more severe with increasing We number, resulting in larger deformation and a greater number of smaller droplets; the rheological parameters significantly affect the droplet breakup by altering the fluid viscosity; moreover, under the same flow condition, the higher the density ratio, the more difficult it is for the droplet to break up; however, on dimensionless scales, the effect of density ratio appears weak. Additionally, a breakup regime diagram is constructed in the We–Oh (Ohnesorge) number space for low Weber numbers. This study validates the numerical method for simulating the secondary atomization of kerosene gel propellants, providing a thorough analysis of three breakup mechanisms and the impact of key parameters on kerosene gel droplets. These insights offer a theoretical foundation for the optimization of gel propellants, aiding in the development of efficient and stable propulsion systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Generalization of pollination systems is widely accepted by ecologists in the studies of plant–pollinator interaction networks at the community level, but the degree of generalization of pollination networks remains largely unknown at the individual pollinator level. Using potential legitimate pollinators that were constantly visiting flowers in two alpine meadow communities, we analyzed the differences in the pollination network structure between the pollinator individual level and species level. The results showed that compared to the pollinator species‐based networks, the linkage density, interaction diversity, interaction evenness, the average plant linkage level, and interaction diversity increased, but connectance, degree of nestedness, the average of pollinator linkage level, and interaction diversity decreased in the pollinator individual‐based networks, indicating that pollinator individuals had a narrower food niche than their counterpart species. Pollination networks at the pollinator individual level were more specialized at the network level (H′2) and the plant species node level (d′) than at the pollinator species‐level networks, reducing the chance of underestimating levels of specialization in pollination systems. The results emphasize that research into pollinator individual‐based pollination networks will improve our understanding of the pollination networks at the pollinator species level and the coevolution of flowering plants and pollinators.