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Background: Preadolescents, who are in a transitional phase of development, may experience higher exposure to heterosexual interactions while facing higher risks regarding misinformation in sexual knowledge and unsafe engagement in sexual activities. There is a deficiency in the availability of qualified educators and age-appropriate teaching materials for sexuality education in China. Methods: We implemented an animation-based comprehensive sexuality education package among preadolescents aged 9 to 12 years from eight schools in Anhui, China. The first round of intervention included 1,835 participants, lasting 2 months from September to November 2020. A total of 374 participants, accounting for 52% of the intervention group, received a second round of intervention in September 2021. Participants completed immediate follow-up assessment and 1-year follow-up assessment to assess changes in their sexual knowledge, attitudes, and other outcomes. Propensity score matching and difference-in-difference analysis were performed to determine the short- and long-term impacts. Results: Significant improvements were observed for both sexual knowledge and sexual attitudes in the immediate follow-up. There was no significant effect on pornography-seeking behavior or awareness of experiencing sexual abuse. After 1 year, the effect was sustained for sexual knowledge, but slightly declined for sexual attitudes. The second intervention significantly improved sexual knowledge; however, no significant change in sexual attitudes, pornography-seeking behavior, or awareness of experiencing sexual abuse was observed. Conclusions: Our comprehensive sexuality education package was effective in improving sexual knowledge both immediately and 1 year after the intervention. Repeated intervention can be an effective strategy for promoting preadolescent health development regarding comprehensive sexuality education.

Abstract Limited by the adsorption and diffusion rate of water molecules, traditional humidity sensors, such as those based on polymer electrolytes, porous ceramics, and metal oxides, typically have long response times, which hinder their application in monitoring transient humidity changes. Here we present an ultrafast humidity sensor with a millisecond-level response. The sensor is prepared by assembling monolayer graphene oxide quantum dots on silica microspheres using a simple electrostatic self-assembly technique. Benefiting from the joint action of the micro spheres and the ultrathin humidity-sensitive film, it displays the fastest response time (2.76 ms) and recovery time (12.4 ms) among electronic humidity sensors. With the ultrafast response of the sensor, we revealed the correlation between humidity changes in speech airflow and speech activities, demonstrated the noise immunity of humidity speech activity detection, confirmed the humidity shock caused by explosions, realized ultrahigh frequency respiratory monitoring, and verified the effect of humidity-triggering in the non-invasive ventilator. This ultrafast humidity sensor has broad application prospects in monitoring transient humidity changes.

Abstract Recent advances in tissue engineering have been remarkable, yet the precise control of cellular behavior in 2D and 3D cultures remains challenging. One approach to address this limitation is to genomically engineer optogenetic control of cellular processes into tissues using gene switches that can operate with only a few genomic copies. Here, we implement blue and red light-responsive gene switches to engineer genomically stable two- and three-dimensional mammalian tissue models. Notably, we achieve precise control of cell death and morphogen-directed patterning in 2D and 3D tissues by optogenetically regulating cell necroptosis and synthetic WNT3A signaling at high spatiotemporal resolution. This is accomplished using custom-built patterned LED systems, including digital mirrors and photomasks, as well as laser techniques. These advancements demonstrate the capability of precise spatiotemporal modulation in tissue engineering and open up new avenues for developing programmable 3D tissue and organ models, with significant implications for biomedical research and therapeutic applications.

Abstract Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) may have an impact on cognitive disability through multiple pathways. Frequent Mental Distress (FMD) could result in cognitive disability through different aspects, but the potential mediating role of FMD in the associations remained unclear. So we aimed to investigate not only the association between self-reported ACEs and cognitive disability, but also the mediating effect of FMD between ACEs and cognitive disability. A cross-sectional analysis of respondents aged 18–25 years old in the 2020 and 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was performed. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of ACEs with FMD and cognitive disability. Mediation effects were used to investigate FMD as mediation between ACEs and cognitive disability in emerging adults. Among the 10,309 respondents, the prevalence of cognitive disability was 15.8%, and 71.6% of them experienced ACEs. We found experienced ACEs, self-reported FMD were significantly associated with 4.05 and 5.61 times increased risk of cognitive disability, respectively. The more types of ACEs respondents experienced, the higher risks of cognitive disability. And mediating effect analysis found FMD mediated the associations between ACEs and cognitive disability. Our study indicated a strong association between ACEs and cognitive disability in emerging adults. Furthermore, FMD plays a mediating role in the associations.

Abstract Background Breastmilk is widely regarded as the healthiest choice for both infants and mothers due to its numerous advantages over formula, such as higher concentrations of essential nutrients and antibodies, easier digestion, and superior taste. The World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was adopted over 40 years ago to mitigate the effects of infant formula marketing on a woman’s decision to breastfeed. Yet, the commercial formula milk industry has continued to market their products aggressively and through an increasing variety of social media channels. This study examines the impact of formula milk marketing on specific components of the health system to understand how systems that are built to support and sustain breastfeeding may have been captured and repurposed by industry practices. Methods As part of A Multi-country Study of Early Infant Feeding Decisions, this qualitative study was conducted in two representative cities in China, Beijing and Jinan, in 2020. The participants were recruited through convenience sampling and snowballing sampling methods. Data were collected through 40 in-depth interviews and 10 focus group discussions with health professionals, pregnant women, and formula milk marketing executives. A thematic analytical method was used to analyze the main themes and sub-themes that detail the characteristics of formula milk marketing and its impact on the health system in China. Results Our results identified the most common practices used by the formula milk industry to reach health workers as well as mothers and their families through health systems. Such practices include (1) provider/facility-based marketing to sponsor academic activities (e.g., seminars, conferences, and research projects) and promote specialized infant formula that targets health care providers and facilities, which influence the health consultations and recommendations provided by health professionals to mothers and families; and (2) receiver-based marketing that targets Chinese women and increases marketing exposure through lectures provided by maternity schools at health facilities during the antenatal period and health promotion activities organized by formula milk companies outside of facilities during the postnatal care period. Conclusions Formula milk marketing aims to influence the practices and services within the health system in China, both directly through health professionals and facilities, and also indirectly by targeting mothers. These marketing strategies have impacted the perceptions of providers on formula milk, and strategies targeting consumers have aimed to further influence and undermine mothers’ intentions to continue breastfeeding. Stricter regulation of industry marketing practices is needed to create a supportive environment for mothers to breastfeed.

Abstract Background Ficolins were originally identified as proteins that bind to transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). They are capable of activating the complement system through lectin pathway for immune system protection. Ficolin-2 and 3 have been identified in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and their function in these diseases is currently being explored. In contrast, the functional role of ficolin-1 in pulmonary fibrosis is still elusive and remains to be elucidated. Methods The expression of ficolin-1 in the plasma of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and connective tissue disease (CTD)-ILD patients was first determined. As the orthologue of human ficolin-1, ficolin-B knockout and ficolin-B overexpression were used to establish bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model. Co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence and RNA sequencing were utilized to explore and expound on the expression and the functional mechanism of ficolin-1 in pulmonary fibrosis. Results Compared with healthy controls, plasma ficolin-1 was significantly decreased in patients with IPF and CTD-ILD. In the bleomycin (BLM)-induced mice model, ficolin-B deficiency aggravated lung injury and fibrosis. There was also observed increase in TGF-β1 levels and enhanced downstream signaling. However, the overexpression of ficolin-B showed preventative and therapeutic efficacy against lung fibrosis. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed the direct interaction between ficolin-1 and TGF-β1 in human plasma, which was further confirmed by the colocalization of ficolin-1 and TGF-β1 in lung tissues. Conclusions Ficolin-1 inhibits pulmonary fibrosis by directly binding to the key profibrogenic factor TGF-β1, marking it as a potential target for therapy in the treatment of fibrotic lung diseases.

Abstract Background While the association between pregnancy loss and individual cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) is well-established, its impact on the risk of coexisting CMDs remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the association between pregnancy loss with the risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity in Chinese women. Method We analyzed the cross-sectional data of 299,582 female participants aged 30–79 years old from the China Kadoorie biobank. Cardiometabolic multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of two or more CMDs, including coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds ratios (ORs) between the number and type of pregnancy loss with the risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity, characterized by the number and type of CMD. Results After adjusting for confounding factors, pregnancy loss was found to be significantly associated with increased cardiometabolic multimorbidity risk (OR, 1.13 95% CI 1.08–1.19). Specifically, pregnancy loss due to spontaneous and induced abortion (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03–1.18 and OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.08–1.19, respectively). In contrast, no significant association was found between stillbirth and cardiometabolic multimorbidity (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.95–1.11). The risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity increases as the number of pregnancy loss increases (one pregnancy loss: OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05–1.16, two or more pregnancy loss: OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.10–1.22). Similarly, the diagnosis of multiple CMDs increases with increasing number of pregnancy loss. Pregnancy loss was related to higher risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity across most CMD combinations of CMDs. Conclusion Pregnancy loss, in particular, spontaneous and induced abortion was significantly associated with greater risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity. The associations were stronger among those with recurrent pregnancy loss.

Abstract Issue Biomedical approaches want to change locals’ behaviors without understanding the sociocultural rationales and contextualizing the cultural and structural backdrop of women’s agency. Objectives This study explored the perceptions and practices of rural mothers about fertility and reproductive health and further examine the lack of preference for contraception and birth spacing in Southern Pakistan. Methodology Using purposive sampling we recruited 15 healthcare providers and 20 mothers from Southern Punjab. Key informants and in-depth interviews were used for data collection. We extracted themes and sub themes to analyse qualitative data. Findings Five major themes identified preventing birth spacing and contraceptive use: (1) cultural barriers (2) economic difficulties and demographic factors; (3) gender-related hurdles; (4) spiritual and religious obstacles, and (5) medico-ethical complications. Nearly, ten sub-themes contributing to these major themes were: custom of girls’ early marriages, in-laws’ permission for contraception, women’s concern for medical complications and preference for safer methods, misuse of contraceptive methods by the medical community, mothers’ perception of contraception as sinful act and controlling birth is against faith, economic and rural-ethnic factors for high fertility, masculine disapproval of condom use, and wishing to give birth to male children. Suggestions We advocate for understanding the sociocultural explanations for low contraceptive use and urge practice of more natural methods of birth spacing over commercial solutions. The study suggests socio-economic development of less developed communities and empowerment of poor, illiterate, and rural women along with behavior change communication strategies.

18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-1007 positron emission tomography/computed tomograpy (PET/CT) had been increasingly significant in detecting prostate cancer. This study was aimed to assess the usefulness of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in preoperative evaluation of prostate cancer for the cases with serum total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) levels between 4 and 10 ng/mL, referred as the PSA gray area. A total of 117 prostate cancer patients in PSA gray area were retrospectively analyzed in the period between March 2019 and December 2022. The independent predictors of extraprostatic extension (EPE) were identified via the Univariate and multivariate analyses. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was the only independent predictor of EPE odds ratio (OR), 1.114; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.040–1.194; p = 0.002). The predicted model’s area under receiver-operating characteristic curves was 75.4%. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT were calculated for diagnosing the regional lymph node and bone metastases, and obtained as 85.71%, 99.20%, 99.05% and 100%, 97.35%, 99.15%, respectively. In conclusion, SUVmax as compared to the clinical parameters had higher predictive value for EPE in prostate cancer patients within PSA gray area. 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT had thus the satisfactory evaluation efficacy for diagnosing the regional lymph node and bone metastases.

Abstract The therapeutic efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy is largely restricted by reduced viability and dysfunction of CD8+ T cells. Continuous antigen stimulation disrupts the expansion, effector function, and metabolic fitness of CD8+ T cells, leading to their differentiation into an exhausted state within the tumor microenvironment (TME). While the function of the cell cycle negative regulator p16 in senescent cells is well understood, its role in T cell exhaustion remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that TCR stimulation of CD8+ T cells rapidly upregulates p16 expression, with its levels positively correlating with TCR affinity. Chronic TCR stimulation further increased p16 expression, leading to CD8+ T cell apoptosis and exhaustion differentiation, without inducing DNA damage or cell senescence. Mechanistic investigations revealed that p16 downregulates mTOR, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) associated gene expression, resulting in impaired mitochondrial fitness, reduced T cell viability, and diminished effector function. Furthermore, the deletion of p16 significantly enhances the persistence of CD8+ T cells within tumors and suppresses the terminal exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating T cells. Overall, our findings elucidate how increased p16 expression reshapes T cell intracellular metabolism, drives T cell apoptosis and exhaustion differentiation, and ultimately impairs T cell anti-tumor function.

Abstract Endowing the widely-used synthetic polymer nylon with high-performance organic room-temperature phosphorescence would produce advanced materials with a great potential for applications in daily life and industry. One key to achieving this goal is to find a suitable organic luminophore that can access the triplet excited state with the aid of the nylon matrix by controlling the matrix-luminophore interaction. Herein we report highly-efficient room-temperature phosphorescence nylons by doping cyano-substituted benzimidazole derivatives into the nylon 6 matrix. These homogeneously doped materials show ultralong phosphorescence lifetimes of up to 1.5 s and high phosphorescence quantum efficiency of up to 48.3% at the same time. The synergistic effect of the homogeneous dopant distribution via hydrogen bonding interaction, the rigid environment of the matrix polymer, and the potential energy transfer between doped luminophores and nylon is important for achieving the high-performance room-temperature phosphorescence, as supported by combined experimental and theoretical results with control compounds and various polymeric matrices. One-dimensional optical fibers are prepared from these doped room-temperature phosphorescence nylons that can transport both blue fluorescent and green afterglow photonic signals across the millimeter distance without significant optical attenuation. The potential applications of these phosphorescent materials in dual information encryption and rewritable recording are illustrated.

The current study investigates the microstructure and properties of laser welding involving Hastelloy C-276 and 304 stainless steel with filler wire, which is closely related to nuclear reactor pump can end sealing. The experimental results indicate the presence of an unmixed zone (UZ) and a small amount of Mo-rich secondary phase in weld seam, and microstructure of UZ is composed of austenite and ferrite phases. Laser welding enhances the ratio of low-angle misorientation and the uniformity of elements macro-distribution. The end sealing property of nuclear reactor pump can is characterized by anti-peel property of weld joints. The welded joint has local fracture and through fracture in the test of anti-peel property. The weld with local fracture exhibits superior anti-peel property. The joint crack starts at the bottom of the UZ. The anti-peel property of the welded joint is 239.6 ± 4.7 N/mm and mainly related to the weld penetration. The corrosion property of welded joints is determined by the elements of the weld, and the welded joints showcasing a better integral corrosion property than that of 304 base metals. Laser welding Ni-based alloy/austenitic stainless steel with filler wire has significant technical advantages for end sealing of nuclear reactor pump can.

BackgroundThe global adolescent population faces the challenge of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM), characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity, including diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This dual challenge, prevalent across various socio-economic backgrounds, necessitates double-duty actions, i.e., integrated interventions designed to concurrently address both sets of conditions. These actions are critical for fostering the overall health and well-being of adolescents. The objective of this review is to describe the content, setting, and delivery mechanisms of double-duty actions, synthesize their impacts on adolescents’ nutritional status, and offer policy and program implications for future interventions.MethodsAs part of this scoping review, we will conduct a comprehensive search across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Google Scholar, to identify relevant interventions, programs, policies, guidelines, evaluation studies, and strategies targeting DBM among adolescents aged 10–19 years. Inclusion criteria encompass a range of evidence sources with methodologically sound and well-described study designs. All full-text articles and abstracts will be independently screened by two reviewers to ensure a comprehensive inclusion of papers that align with the established criteria. The final protocol is available on Open Science Forum (https://osf.io/kxapb).DiscussionAddressing DBM through integrated double-duty actions is crucial for achieving global nutrition and public health goals. However, challenges persist in the form of uncoordinated efforts, lack of comprehensive evidence for what interventions work among adolescents, and the need for context-specific strategies to effectively address the heterogeneity of DBM. The results of this scoping review may provide evidence for future policies and interventions, emphasizing integrated, multi-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique needs of the adolescent population.

Abstract Droplet transmission is the primary infection route for respiratory diseases like COVID‐19 and influenza, but small and low‐cost wearable droplet detection devices are a significant challenge. Herein, a respiratory droplet micro‐sensor based on graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) assembled onto SiO2 microspheres by the nebulized natural deposition is presented. Benefiting from the energy dissipation of the microsphere to droplets, the sensor can detect droplets as far as 2 m from coughing. With this sensor, droplet signal variations caused by some factors like distance, speech, angles, and wind directions are explored, and the effectiveness of different protective measures in preventing droplet transmission is evaluated. This droplet detection technology is expected to be utilized for the development of personal detection and protection devices against infectious respiratory diseases.

Abstract Immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) have been applied for cancer therapy and achieved great success in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the broad application of ICBs is limited by the low response rate. To address this issue, increasing studies have found that the induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumor cells is becoming an emerging therapeutic strategy in cancer treatment, not only straightly killing tumor cells but also enhancing dying cells immunogenicity and activating antitumor immunity. ICD is a generic term representing different cell death modes containing ferroptosis, pyroptosis, autophagy and apoptosis. Traditional chemotherapeutic agents usually inhibit tumor growth based on the apoptotic ICD, but most tumor cells are resistant to the apoptosis. Thus, the induction of non-apoptotic ICD is considered to be a more efficient approach for cancer therapy. In addition, due to the ineffective localization of ICD inducers, various types of nanomaterials have been being developed to achieve targeted delivery of therapeutic agents and improved immunotherapeutic efficiency. In this review, we briefly outline molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis, pyroptosis and autophagy, as well as their reciprocal interactions with antitumor immunity, and then summarize the current progress of ICD-induced nanoparticles based on different strategies and illustrate their applications in the cancer therapy. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background This study views sustainability after the exit of development assistance for health (DAH) as a shared responsibility between donors and recipients and sees transitioning DAH-supported interventions into domestic health policy as a pathway to this sustainability. It aims to uncover and understand the reemergent aspects of the donor–recipient dynamic in DAH and how they contribute to formulating domestic health policy and post-DAH sustainability. Methods We conducted a case study on two DAH-supported interventions: medical financial assistance in the Basic Health Services Project supported by the World Bank and UK (1998–2007) and civil society engagement in the HIV/AIDS Rolling Continuation Channel supported by the Global Fund (2010–2013) in China. From December 2021 to December 2022, we analyzed 129 documents and interviewed 46 key informants. Our data collection and coding were guided by a conceptual framework based on Walt and Gilson’s health policy analysis model and the World Health Organization’s health system building blocks. We used process tracing for analysis. Results According to the collected data, our case study identified three reemergent, interrelated aspects of donor–recipient dynamics: different preferences and compromise, partnership dialogues, and responsiveness to the changing context. In the case of medical financial assistance, the dynamic was characterized by long-term commitment to addressing local needs, on-site mutual learning and understanding, and local expertise cultivation and knowledge generation, enabling proactive responses to the changing context. In contrast, the dynamic in the case of HIV/AIDS civil society engagement marginalized genuine civil society engagement, lacked sufficient dialogue, and exhibited a passive response to the context. These differences led to varying outcomes in transnational policy diffusion and sustainability of DAH-supported interventions between the cases. Conclusions Given the similarities in potential alternative factors observed in the two cases, we emphasize the significance of the donor–recipient dynamic in transnational policy diffusion through DAH. The study implies that achieving post-DAH sustainability requires a balance between donor priorities and recipient ownership to address local needs, partnership dialogues for mutual understanding and learning, and collaborative international–domestic expert partnerships to identify and respond to contextual enablers and barriers.

Water electrolysis is a promising path to the industrialization development of hydrogen energy. The exploitation of high-efficiency and inexpensive catalysts become important to the mass use of water decomposition. Ni-based nanomaterials have exhibited great potential for the catalysis of water splitting, which have attracted the attention of researchers around the world. Here, we prepared a novel Mo-doped NiFe-based layered double hydroxide (LDH) with a nanoarray microstructure on Ni foam. The doping amount of Mo can significantly change the microstructure of the electrocatalysis, which will further affect the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of water splitting. This novel nanomaterial required only an overpotential of 227 mV for 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 54.8 mV/dec in 1 M KOH. Meanwhile, there was no Mo, and the NiFe-LDH needed 233 mV to attain to 10 mA cm−2. Compared to the NiFe-LDH without Mo, the NiFeMo-LDH nanosheet arrays exhibited enhanced activities with 17.1 mV/dec less Tafel in OER. The good performance of the electrocatalyst is ascribed to the special nanosheet arrays and the heterostructure of the Ni-Fe-Mo system. These features help to increase the active surface, enhancing the efficient charge transfer and the reactive activity in OER.

Introduction To empirically investigate sustainability of development assistance for health (DAH), we conducted a retrospective case study on the Basic Health Services Project (BHSP) for rural health system strengthening, supported by the World Bank and the UK in China between 1998 and 2007. Specifically, this study examines the integration of the BHSP interventions into China’s health system.Methods From December 2021 to December 2022, we reviewed 64 published papers and project or policy documents, and conducted semistructured interviews with 22 key informants, ranging from managers of donor agencies and the government to township-level hospital directors. From February to March 2023, the data were analysed under an analytical framework for integration of targeted health interventions into health systems.Results Evidence of the BHSP shows that the integration outcomes can vary by the levels of integration (national or subnational), geographical coverage (project areas or both project and non-project areas) and approach to integration (policy or routinisation). The country’s health system reform facilitated the integration of the interventions relevant to the reform policies, as the BHSP was one of the pilot schemes. However, interventions incompatible with this broad context were integrated to a limited extent. This integration occurred through embedding the project within the existing system, with a higher degree of embeddedness leading to smoother integration. Cross-sectoral leading groups and a technical support system heightened the project visibility and enabled contextualised local adaptation, contributing to the smooth integration of the project interventions.Conclusion The DAH-supported interventions can achieve sustainability by being integrated into the local health system. This integration can take various forms to improve health outcomes, including being accepted and internalised, modified as well as innovated and expanded. The host country and development partners can promote DAH sustainability by contextually integrating these interventions within the project scope.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) systems rely on semantic symmetry similarity measuring between two sentences. To address the challenges of insufficient training data and limited domain-specific understanding in low-resource FAQs, this paper proposes a general framework, PDAM-FAQ, to solve these issues. Firstly, we propose a paraphrasing-based data augmentation model that integrates syntactic information and edit vectors. Using a rule-based approach, it retrieves template sentences from a corpus and masks relevant words with special characters. Edit vectors between the original and paraphrase sentences are added to a pre-trained model’s encoding layer to enhance the model’s ability to learn the differences between the original and reference paraphrase sentences. Additionally, this paper presents a mixed-feature semantic matching model based on SimBERT. The model extracts keyword features from the text, replacing these keywords with special characters to construct intent features. These intent features, along with the user question and keyword features, are then concatenated to form the model’s input. Experiments were conducted respectively on the paraphrasing-based data augmentation model, mixed-feature semantic matching model and their comprehensive application in a low-resource domain-specific FAQ. The experimental results show that the proposed framework effectively improve the performance of domain-specific FAQ system.

Entity and relation extraction are key tasks in natural language processing (NLP) and knowledge graph construction. However, existing methods often overlook the complex interactions between entities and their relations. To address this problem, we propose GUniER, which uses a GPT enhancement module and deep bidirectional semantics to optimize the extraction of entities and relations while significantly reducing computational cost. Specifically, the GPT module unifies relation labels with sentence representations, while the BiGRU model captures deep bidirectional semantics to improve the model’s ability to handle complex relations and long-distance dependencies. Additionally, we introduce a two-dimensional interaction table to better model entity-relation interactions, and a cross-entropy loss function to address class imbalance. Experimental results on both open domain and domain-specific datasets show that GUniER achieves a notable improvement in accuracy and reduces computational time compared to state-of-the-art models. Specifically, GUniER achieved a 2.1% improvement in F1 score on the CNShipNet dataset and demonstrated reduced training and inference times compared to previous models, showcasing its efficiency. Our code and models are available at https://anonymous.4open.science/r/UniER.

Abstract With the widespread use of wireless sensor networks, one of the most pressing concerns is extending the lifetime of the sensors. By deploying directional antenna arrays, millimeter wave (mmWave) is a possible candidate for wireless energy transfer (WPT). This paper investigates a beneficial combination of WPT and data transmission in a typical mmWave sensor network with Rayleigh channels, where a transmission interval can be divided into two sub-intervals. During the first sub-interval, one hybrid access point (HAP) employs beamforming techniques to transfer energy for serving multiple sensors within the service sector. The sensors then transmit their individual signal in turn to the HAP based on time division multiple address (TDMA) strategy by using the whole harvested energy. According to stochastic geometry, the exact and approximate expressions of beam outage probability for the considered system are determined, respectively. The optimal time allocation of energy harvesting and data transmission for sensors is examined in order to maximize the energy efficiency of the system. The optimization problem can be translated into corresponding parametric form, and the resulting optimization problem can be solved using the Lagrange dual method with Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions. The numerical results show the variation trend of the beam outage probability under various parameters and verify the accuracy of the theoretical analyses. Furthermore, the simulation results illustrate that the proposed optimal time allocation strategy can significantly enhance the overall energy efficiency of the system compared with a similar scheme.

Abstract Background The activated complement cascade is involved in asthmatic airway inflammation. Ficolins are essential for innate immunity and can activate the complement lectin pathway. Despite this, the significance of ficolins in asthma has yet to be determined. This study aimed to explore the presence of ficolins in individuals with asthma and to determine the relationship between ficolins and clinical characteristics. Methods For the study, 68 asthmatic patients and 30 healthy control subjects were recruited. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine plasma ficolin-1, ficolin-2, and ficolin-3 concentrations both before and after inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy. Further, the associations of plasma ficolin-1 level with pulmonary function and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) score were examined in the asthma patients. Results Patients with asthma exhibited significantly elevated plasma ficolin-1 levels (median, 493.9 ng/mL; IQR, 330.2–717.8 ng/mL) in comparison to healthy controls (median, 330.6 ng/mL; IQR, 233.8–371.1 ng/mL). After ICS treatment, plasma ficolin-1 (median, 518.1 ng/mL; IQR, 330.2–727.0 ng/mL) in asthmatic patients was significantly reduced (median, 374.7 ng/mL; IQR, 254.8–562.5 ng/mL). Additionally, ficolin-1 expressions in plasma were significantly correlated with pulmonary function parameters and ACQ score in asthmatic patients. Asthma patients with higher plasma ficolin-1 levels demonstrated poorer lung function than those with lower plasma ficolin-1 levels. Conclusions The results revealed that asthmatic patients had higher plasma ficolin-1 concentrations, which decreased after ICS treatment and were linked to their lung function, implying a potential involvement of ficolin-1 in asthma pathogenesis.

Curing modulation is one of the important processes in tobacco production, so it is crucial to recognize tobacco flue-curing states effectively and accurately. This study created a dataset of the complete tobacco flue-curing process in a bulk curing barn environment and proposed a lightweight recognition model based on a feature skip connections module. Firstly, the image data was enhanced using a color correction matrix, which was used to recover the true color of the tobacco leaf in order to reduce the misidentification of adjacent states. Secondly, the convolutional neural network model proposed in this paper introduced Spatially Separable convolution to enhance the extraction of tobacco leaf texture features. Then, the standard convolution in Short-Term Dense Concatenate (STDC) was replaced with Depthwise Separable Convolutional blocks with different expansion rates to reduce the number of model parameters and FLOPs (Floating Point Operations Per Second). Finally, the Tobacco Flue-Curing State Recognition Network (TFSNet) was constructed by combining the SimAm attention mechanism. The experimental results showed that the model accuracy was improved by 1.63 percentage points after the color correction process. The recognition accuracy of TFSNet for the seven states of tobacco flue-curing was as high as 98.71%. The number of params and the FLOPs of the TFSNet model were 203,058 and 172.39 M, which were 98.18% and 90.55% lower than that of the ResNet18 model, respectively. The size of the model was 0.78 mb, and the time consumed per frame was only 21 ms. Compared with the mainstream model, TFSNet significantly improved the detection speed while maintaining high accuracy, and it provided effective technical support for the intelligentization of the tobacco flue-curing process.

Water splitting is an important approach to hydrogen production. But the efficiency of the process is always controlled by the oxygen evolution reaction process. In this study, a three-dimensional nickel–molybdenum binary nanoarray microstructure electrocatalyst is successfully synthesized. It is grown uniformly on Ni foam using a hydrothermal method. Attributed to their unique nanostructure and controllable nature, the Ni-Mo-based nanoarray samples show superior reactivity and durability in oxygen evolution reactions. The series of Ni-Mo-based electrocatalysts presents a competitive overpotential of 296 mV at 10 mA·cm−2 for an OER in 1.0 M KOH, corresponding with a low Tafel slope of 121 mV dec−1. The three-dimensional nanostructure has a large double-layer capacitance and plenty of channels for ion transfer, which demonstrates more active sites and improved charge transmission. This study provides a valuable reference for the development of non-precious catalysts for water splitting.

Abstract The ability to predict a grinding force is important to control, monitor, and optimize the grinding process. Few theoretical models were developed to predict grinding forces when a structured wheel was used in a grinding process. This paper aimed to establish a single-grit cutting force model to predict the ploughing, friction and cutting forces in a grinding process. It took into the consideration of actual topography of the grinding wheel, and a theoretical grinding force model for grinding hardened AISI 52100 by the wheel with orderly-micro-grooves was proposed. The model was innovative in the sense that it represented the random thickness of undeformed chips by a probabilistic expression, and it reflected the microstructure characteristics of the structured wheel explicitly. Note that the microstructure depended on the randomness of the protruding heights and distribution density of the grits over the wheel. The proposed force prediction model was validated by surface grinding experiments, and the results showed (1) a good agreement of the predicted and measured forces and (2) a good agreement of the changes of the grinding forces along with the changes of grinding parameters in the prediction model and experiments. This research proposed a theoretical grinding force model of an electroplated grinding wheel with orderly-micro-grooves which is accurate, reliable and effective in predicting grinding forces.

Abstract Single-crystal silicon carbide (SiC) has been widely applied in the military and civil fields because of its excellent physical and chemical properties. However, as is typical in hard-to-machine materials, the good mechanical properties result in surface defects and subsurface damage during precision or ultraprecision machining. In this study, single- and double-varied-load nanoscratch tests were systematically performed on single-crystal 4H-SiC using a nanoindenter system with a Berkovich indenter. The material removal characteristics and cracks under different planes, indenter directions, normal loading rates, and scratch intervals were analyzed using SEM, FIB, and a 3D profilometer, and the mechanisms of material removal and crack propagation were studied. The results showed that the Si-plane of the single-crystal 4H-SiC and edge forward indenter direction are most suitable for material removal and machining. The normal loading rate had little effect on the scratch depth, but a lower loading rate increased the ductile region and critical depth of transition. Additionally, the crack interaction and fluctuation of the depth-distance curves of the second scratch weakened with an increase in the scratch interval, the status of scratches and chips changed, and the comprehensive effects of the propagation and interaction of the three cracks resulted in material fractures and chip accumulation. The calculated and experimental values of the median crack depth also showed good consistency and relativity. Therefore, this study provides an important reference for the high-efficiency and precision machining of single-crystal SiC to ensure high accuracy and a long service life.

Summary: Background: Despite lifelong and detrimental effects, the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors (HRBs) during adolescence remains understudied in low- and middle-income countries. This study examines the co-occurrence of HRBs and its correlates among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, China, and India. Methods: A multi-country cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021–2022, involving 9697 adolescents (aged 10–19 years) from eight countries, namely Burkina Faso, China, Ethiopia, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. A standardized questionnaire was administered to examine five types of HRBs − physical inactivity, poor dietary habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, and risky sexual behavior. Latent class analysis was employed to identify clustering patterns among the behaviors, and logistic regression was used to identify the correlates of these patterns. Findings: Three clusters of HRBs were identified, with Cluster 1 (27.73%) characterized by the absence of any specific risky behavior, Cluster 2 (68.16%) characterized by co-occurrence of physical inactivity and poor dietary habits, and Cluster 3 (4.11%) characterized by engagement in smoking, alcohol consumption, and risky sexual behavior. Relative to Cluster 1, being in Cluster 2 was associated with being female (aOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.09–1.32), not enrolled in education (aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71–0.99), and not engaged in paid work (aOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.08–1.41). Compared with those Cluster 1, adolescents in Cluster 3 were less likely to be female (aOR 0.41, 95% CI 0.32–0.54), be engaged in paid work (aOR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41–0.71), more likely to be older (aOR 7.56, 95% CI 5.18–11.03), not be enrolled in educational institution (aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.27–2.38), and more likely to live with guardians other than parents (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.19–2.05). Interpretation: The significant clustering patterns of HRBs among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, China, and India highlights the urgent need for convergent approaches to improve adolescent health behaviors. Early life and school-based programs aimed at promoting healthy behaviors and preventing risky and unhealthy behaviors should be prioritized to equip adolescents with the tools and skills for lifelong well-being. Funding: Fondation Botnar (Grant #INV-037672) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, partially funded this study.

ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy and safety of pelvic floor magnetic stimulation (PFMS) combined with mirabegron in female patients with refractory overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.Patients and methodsA total of 160 female patients with refractory OAB symptoms were prospectively randomized into two groups. Eighty cases in the combination group accepted PFMS and mirabegron therapy and 80 cases as control only accepted mirabegron therapy (The clinical trial registry number: ChiCTR2200070171). The lower urinary tract symptoms, OAB questionnaire (OAB-q) health-related quality of life (HRQol), symptom bother score and OABSS between two groups were compared at the 1st, 2nd and 4th week ends.ResultsAll of 160 patients were randomly assigned to two groups, of which 80 patients were included in the combination group and 80 in the mirabegron group. The incidences of LUTS, including urgency, frequent urination, and incontinence episodes, in the 2nd week and the 4th week after combination treatment were significantly lower than those in the mirabegron group (p 0.05). With respect to secondary variables, the OAB-q HRQol score in the combination group was statistically superior in comparison with that in the mirabegron group between the 2nd week and the 4th week (p