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The letter to the editor discusses a study on the prognostic significance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting outcomes of COVID-19. The authors raise questions about potential factors that were not considered in the study, such as medication use, timing of blood sampling, and other variables that could impact the results. They hope that their reflections will contribute to improving future research design and interpretation of study results. The authors, Jiahua Zhang and Xinjie Wang, declare no conflicts of interest and state that the article is based on previously conducted studies without involving human patients or animals. [Extracted from the article]

Using data from surveys on "social quality survey questionnaires", carried out by the Asian Consortium for Social Quality between 2009 and 2011, this study investigates the causes of social exclusion in six Asian societies. About 6,460 questionnaires were completed and the analysis of the data reveals the features and the causes of social exclusion in these societies. The study concludes that the impact of social factors (marital status, parental relations, and personal relations with local communities) on social exclusion is stronger than the political and economical factors (including class stratification and lack of financial resources). The findings indicate that the lack of social capitals is the most significant cause of social exclusion in these societies.

Vegetation cover change and its interaction with climate are significant to study as it has impact on ecosystem stability. We used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and climatic factors (temperature and rainfall) for investigating the relationship between vegetation and climate. We also traced spatiotemporal changes in the vegetation in Pakistan from 2000 to 2020; we used the Hurst exponent to estimate future vegetation trends in Pakistan. Our results show an increase in vegetation throughout Pakistan, and the Punjab Province is showing the highest significant vegetation trend at 88.51%. Our findings reveal that the response of vegetation to climate change varies by region and is influenced by local climatic conditions. However, the relationship between rainfall and annual NDVI is stronger than the temperature in the study area—Pakistan. The Hurst exponent value is above 0.5 in all four provinces, that is, the indication of consistent vegetation trends in the future. The highest values are observed in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). In the Punjab Province, 88.41% of the area showed positive development, with forests in particular showing a significant positive effect on land use classes. On the other hand, the Sindh Province has the highest negative result at 2.87%, with urban areas showing the highest negative development. To sum up, the NDVI pattern and change attribute suggest vegetation restoration in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently high doping of lanthanide ions (till 100 %) is realized unprecedentedly in nanostructured upconversion (UC) phosphors. However, oddly enough, this significant breakthrough did not result in a corresponding UC enhancement at ambient temperature, which hinders the otherwise very interesting applications of these materials in various fields. In this work, taking the Er3+‐rich UC nanosystem as an example, we confirm unambiguously that the phonon‐assisted cross relaxation (CR) is the culprit. More importantly, combining the theoretical modeling and experiments, the precise roles of different CR channels on UC energy loss are quantitatively revealed. As a result, lowering the temperature can exponentially enhance the relevant UC luminescence by more than two orders of magnitude. Our comprehension will play an important role in promoting the UC performance and further application of high doping rare earth materials. As a proof of concept, an Er3+‐rich core/multi‐shell nanophosphor is exploited which demonstrates the great potential of our finding in the field of ultra‐sensitive temperature sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extra care should be taken when new tunnels pass through an existing tunnel. If it is not handled properly, this will affect the operation safety of the existing line, and bring security risks to the train's operation. In order to study the impact of an under-crossing parallel double-line shield tunnel on the existing shield tunnel structure, the influence of tunnel construction on the deformation of overlying strata was analyzed, and the formula for estimating the formation settlement at depth Z below the surface, caused by the excavation of a double-tunnel parallel tunnel, was deduced. Then, a series of three-dimensional finite element numerical simulations were carried out. We analyzed and systematically studied the adverse effects of the tunnel structure of Guangzhou subway Line 5, caused by the tunneling of subway Line 18, evaluated its structure and operational safety, and provided suggestions for site construction. This research demonstrates the following conclusions. (1) The tunnel structures of subway Line 5 and Line 18 are mainly in the strongly weathered argillaceous siltstone stratum, and lightly weathered argillaceous siltstone stratum, respectively, and the stratum where the Line 18 tunnel is located is relatively safe. (2) According to three-dimensional finite element numerical simulation analysis, during the shield-tunneling process of subway Line 18, the maximum X horizontal displacement, the maximum Y horizontal displacement, and the maximum Z vertical displacement of the tunnel structure in subway Line 5 are 1.09, 3.50, and 4.55 mm, respectively. It is considered that the impact of the shield-tunnel penetration of subway Line 18 on the tunnel structure of subway Line 5 is relatively controllable, and does not affect the structure and operational safety. (3) It is suggested that settlement monitoring should be strengthened within the range of 12 m (about 1.5 tunnel diameter D). before and after the excavation axis of the underpass tunnel, and it is necessary to carry out local reinforcement treatment, to prevent adverse effects on the operation of the existing tunnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nanofluidic energy absorption system (NEAS) is composed of nanoporous material and functional liquid with high energy absorption density. Applying an electric field to adjust the energy absorption characteristics of a nanofluidic system will open broader prospects for its application. In the current work, ZSM-5 zeolite was adopted as the nanoporous material and water, a 25% KCl solution, and a saturated KCl solution were adopted as functional liquids to configure NEASs. Pressure-induced infiltration experiments were carried out to study the infiltration and defiltration characteristics of the NEASs under the action of an applied electric field. The results show that the introduction of an applied electric field can weaken the hydrogen bonds between molecules, thus reducing the equivalent surface tension and contact angle, changing the infiltrability of liquid molecules into the nanopores, and reducing the infiltration pressure of the system. In an electrolyte solution/zeolite system, the anions and cations move close to the two plate electrodes under the action of an external electric field, and the fluid properties in the central zone of the pressure chamber are close to the water/zeolite system. For both an ultra-low conductivity liquid and an electrolyte solution/zeolite system, applying an electric field can effectively improve the relative outflow rate of liquid, thus improving the reusability of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current status regression analysis, the responses are indirectly observed and the regression coefficients can not be estimated using the commonly used least squares estimate, instead semiparametric maximum likelihood estimate is used. As the nonparametric component estimate is a non-smooth step function, the regression coefficients are bundled inside it, so the asymptotic distribution of the estimated coefficients is an open problem. To overcome this issue, smoothed versions are proposed in the literature; however, in these versions the score equation for the regression coefficients is still not continuous, the estimate is not an exact solution of the score equation, and zero-crossing is used instead. Here we propose a modified smoothed version to make the score equation a continuous function of the regression coefficients, and thus the estimator is the exact solution of the score equation. Asymptotic distribution of the resulting estimators can be shown as in our related papers. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of the method, and it demonstrates superior finite sample behavior. For illustration, we applied the method to the analysis of a real data set from a HIV study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]