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Endohedral metal–metal-bonding fullerenes have recently emerged, in which encapsulated metals form a metal–metal bond. However, the physical reasons why some metal elements prefer to form metal–metal bonds inside fullerene are still unclear. Herein, we reported first-principles calculations on electronic structures, bonding properties, dynamics, and thermodynamic stabilities of endohedral metallofullerenes M2@C82 (M = Sc, Y, La, Lu). Multiple bonding analysis approaches unambiguously reveal the existence of one two-center two-electron σ covalent metal–metal bond in M2@C82 (M = Sc, Y, Lu); however, the La–La bonding interaction in La2@C82 is weaker and could not be categorized as one metal–metal covalent bond. The energy decomposition analysis on bonding interactions between an encapsulated metal dimer and fullerene cages suggested that there exist two electron-sharing bonds between a metal dimer and fullerene cages. The reasons why La2 prefers to donate electrons to fullerene cages rather than form a standard σ covalent metal–metal bond are mainly attributed to two following facts: La2 has a lower ionization potential, while the hybridization of ns, (n − 1)d, and np atomic orbitals in La2 is higher. Ab initio molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the M–M bond length at room temperature follows the trend of Sc < Lu < Y. The statistical thermodynamics calculations at different temperatures reveal that the experimentally observed endohedral metal–metal-bonding fullerenes M2@C82 have high concentrations in the endohedral fullerene formation temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor stability and difficult uptake of natural polysaccharides have been the main problems in their application. The purpose of this study was to optimize the preparation conditions of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharides liposomes (PCPL) and to investigate the immune enhancement activity of PCPL in vitro and in vivo, with a view to discovering new ways of natural polysaccharide application. The optimal preparation conditions of PCPL were as follows: the adding amount of Tween 80 of 0.5 %, the ultrasound time of 2 min and the ultrasound times of once. Under these conditions, the entrapment efficiency, drug loading rate and particle size of PCPL were 38.033 %±0.050, 2.172 %±0.003 and 146 nm, which indicated that PCPL with small particle size could be prepared by the reverse-phase evaporation method. Furthermore, PCPL promoted proliferation, phagocytosis, and secretion of nitric oxide and related cytokines in RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, PCPL improved spleen and thymus indices, increased the number or proportion of red blood cells, platelets, and lymphocytes in the blood, and ameliorated spleen and thymus atrophy in immunosuppressed mice. This study provides a new idea for applying Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharides (PCP) and references for studying other polysaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the information construction and taking a hospital as an example, this paper analyzes the current situation, existing problems, and reasons for financial management. This paper puts forward the scheme of optimizing hospital financial management and points out that accounting, asset management, cost management, and performance are all based on accounting. Even though with the continuous improvement and development of hospital informatization, various infrastructures have been built, the problems are more prominent. This can be solved by improving the focus on the products, and processes by reducing waste, or by increasing the quality. In hospitals, the core layer of hospital information technology is the financial management construction and development, and it is also an indispensable factor. It is better to improve the hospital's financial fine management level and promote the hospital's sustainable development. It is not enough to improve the assessment management and comprehensive budget management. It is necessary to integrate the perfect Health Information System, enterprise resource planning system, scientific research system, and structured query language database, establish a comprehensive financial management platform, and obtain data information and indicators of various economic operations in hospitals. Experiments show that the consumables sorting optimization algorithm in this paper can improve the equipment management of medical finance to some extent. In other aspects, this system also incorporates information technology to make enhancements to the original financial management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the correlations of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) with clinicopathological features and quality of life in gastric cancer. Methods. Using a convenient sampling method, 230 patients with gastric cancer admitted to our hospital from March 2020 to July 2022 were collected. They were divided into the fatigue group (n = 152) and the nonfatigue group (n = 78) according to the presence/absence of CRF. Relevant data were collected and compared. Results. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in age ratio ( χ 2 = 41.671 , P < 0.001), T stage ratio ( χ 2 = 9.973 , P = 0.019), N stage ratio (P < 0.001), PS score (P < 0.001), and the degree of gastric cancer thickening (14.21 ± 3.32 vs. 12.12 ± 3.81 mm, t = 4.572 , P < 0.001). Patients with gastric cancer had the lowest CRF Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) score for general activities (2.26 ± 0.37) and high scores for work activities (6.23 ± 0.24) and enjoyment of life (7.11 ± 1.34). Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between patient emotions and the CRF BFI score (r = 0.443 , P = 0.001). Patients with mild, moderate, and severe CRF showed statistically significant differences in physical functioning (83.34 ± 21.12 vs. 65.23 ± 21.14 vs. 32.25 ± 17.29 , F = 15.382 , P < 0.001), role emotional (72.53 ± 21.21 vs. 67.33 ± 27.56 vs. 54.37 ± 26.45 , F = 14.483 , P < 0.001), fatigue (49.12 ± 18.44 vs. 54.61 ± 26.64 vs. 67.51 ± 14.27 , F = 13.581 , P < 0.001), bodily pain (56.56 ± 25.12 vs. 76.43 ± 21.71 vs. 80.32 ± 12.39 , F = 14.582 , P < 0.001), appetite reduction (57.45 ± 25.47 vs. 69.51 ± 16.21 vs. 76.23 ± 27.58 , F = 14.592 , P < 0.001), and overall health status and quality of life (67.21 ± 19.45 vs. 53.43 ± 22.32 vs. 43.43 ± 12.52 , F = 16.494 , P < 0.001). After chemotherapy, the average CRF BFI scores of the partial remission (PR), disease stability (SD), and disease progression (PD) groups all reduced than those before chemotherapy (all P < 0.05). At 3 months of follow-up, a comparison of the average CRF BFI scores with those before chemotherapy revealed a decrease in the SD and PR groups and an increase in the PD group. Conclusion. In conclusion, CRF is correlated with age, T stage, and N stage in gastric cancer. The later the T and N stages, the more significant the effect on fatigue. Moreover, CRF can also affect the quality of life in gastric cancer, and the severer the CRF, the poorer the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a determinant formula for a contravariant form on Verma modules over the N = 1 Bondi–Metzner–Sachs (BMS) superalgebra. This formula establishes a necessary and sufficient condition for the irreducibility of the Verma modules. We then introduce and characterize a class of simple smooth modules that generalize both Verma and Whittaker modules over the N = 1 BMS superalgebra. We also utilize the Heisenberg–Clifford vertex superalgebra to construct a free field realization for the N = 1 BMS superalgebra. This free field realization allows us to obtain a family of natural smooth modules over the N = 1 BMS superalgebra, which includes Fock modules and certain Whittaker modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein sequence design can provide valuable insights into biopharmaceuticals and disease treatments. Currently, most protein sequence design methods based on deep learning focus on network architecture optimization, while ignoring protein-specific physicochemical features. Inspired by the successful application of structure templates and pre-trained models in the protein structure prediction, we explored whether the representation of structural sequence profile can be used for protein sequence design. In this work, we propose SPDesign, a method for protein sequence design based on structural sequence profile using ultrafast shape recognition. Given an input backbone structure, SPDesign utilizes ultrafast shape recognition vectors to accelerate the search for similar protein structures in our in-house PAcluster80 structure database and then extracts the sequence profile through structure alignment. Combined with structural pre-trained knowledge and geometric features, they are further fed into an enhanced graph neural network for sequence prediction. The results show that SPDesign significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, such as ProteinMPNN, Pifold and LM-Design, leading to 21.89%, 15.54% and 11.4% accuracy gains in sequence recovery rate on CATH 4.2 benchmark, respectively. Encouraging results also have been achieved on orphan and de novo (designed) benchmarks with few homologous sequences. Furthermore, analysis conducted by the PDBench tool suggests that SPDesign performs well in subdivided structures. More interestingly, we found that SPDesign can well reconstruct the sequences of some proteins that have similar structures but different sequences. Finally, the structural modeling verification experiment indicates that the sequences designed by SPDesign can fold into the native structures more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermal comfort and energy consumption of two different terminal units when combined with three different water supply temperatures were studied. Results showed that convection–radiation combined cooling terminals can increase the water supply temperature under the same thermal comfort level compared with convection cooling terminals. When the water supply temperature was fixed at 11 °C, the energy consumption of convection–radiation combined cooling terminals was 9.1 % lower than that of convection cooling terminals. The higher the water supply temperature, the lower the energy consumption under convection–radiation combined cooling terminals. Furthermore, the energy consumption rates at a water supply temperature of 15 °C were 18.2 % and 8.8 % lower than those at 7 °C and 11 °C, respectively. Meanwhile, the comfort and system operation efficiency were optimal when the water supply temperature was 15 °C, and the energy consumption was lower when combined with the cooling of the dual terminals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the stability and nonlinear vibrations of a thin plate in narrow aero-thermal channel are studied. According to the classic nonlinear plate theory and linear potential flow theory, the governing equation of the thin plate in narrow aero-thermal channel is obtained by employing the Hamilton's principle and discretized into nonlinear ordinary differential equations by using the assumed mode method. The effects of the temperature variation, airflow velocity and slit height on the stability and nonlinear vibrations of the plate are considered. The stability of the thin plate in flow field is obtained by generalized eigenvalue method. For the nonlinear system, the nonlinear vibrations of the plate subjected to harmonic excitation are studied by using incremental harmonic balance method. From the results, with the temperature change, the airflow velocity, and the slit height decreasing, the stability of the plate becomes worse. The effects of the temperature change, airflow velocity and slit height on the nonlinear amplitude-frequency response of the first four generalized coordinates of the plate are discussed. It is found that with the temperature change, the airflow velocity, and the slit height decreasing, the resonance frequency of the plate decreases and resonance amplitude of the plate increases. In the simulation, some novel nonlinear dynamic behaviors of the plate in narrow aero-thermal channel are also observed such as the resonance trough and the resonance peak of the unstable solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Older adults are prone to live alone and feel lonely. The main objective of this study was to assess the associations of loneliness and living alone with cardiovascular disease (CVD) among community-dwelling older individuals in China. Methods We conducted a longitudinal analysis on 3 661 participants aged older than 65 years from the latest 2014 and 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations of loneliness and living alone with CVD risk, with adjustment for confounding factors. Results A total of 616 incident CVD cases were identified during follow-up. Participants who reported feeling lonely experienced a 28% increased risk of developing CVD after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and baseline health status (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.62; p trend = .046). In contrast, no significant association was observed between living alone and CVD risk. Subgroup analyses showed that among those individuals who lived alone, often feeling lonely doubled the risk of CVD compared to never being lonely (HR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.20–3.93; p trend = .007). Conclusions Loneliness was an independent risk factor for CVD among Chinese older adults. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing loneliness in the prevention of CVD among older individuals, especially those who live alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the potential application of hollow glass beads (HGB) compounded with graphene oxide (GO, HGB@GO) to improve the mechanical properties of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF). This HGB@GO/RPUF composite is considered a potential filler for reinforcing aluminum honeycomb (AH). A characterization of the chemical structure and surface morphology of HGB@GO was conducted, as well as the analysis of its effect on the compression properties of the foam. The compressive strength of HGB@GO/RPUF (4 wt. %) is 146.17% higher than that of pure RPUF. This study also compared the deformation modes of AH and foam-filled honeycomb (F-AH) structure under axial crushing. The interaction effects between the foam and AH were also analyzed. The results indicated that the RPUF improves the compressive capacity and deformation stability of the AH through its good compression properties and interaction with the aluminum foil. The use of HGB@GO/RPUF further enhances the energy absorption characteristics of the F-AH. In comparison with the pure RPUF-AH, the total and specific energy absorption of the HGB@GO/RPUF (4 wt. %)-AH increase by 74.65% and 44.98%, respectively. This work demonstrates that the prepared HGB@GO can enhance the mechanical properties of RPUF, and HGB@GO/RPUF-AH is expected to be a desirable energy-absorbing device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructure formation is predicted during solidification of Mg–4Y–3Nd–0.5Zr (wt.%) alloy processed by laser surface remelting (LSR). A three-dimensional (3D) multiscale model is developed, which couples a thermal-fluid model to describe the molten-pool dynamics at macro-scale with a sharp interface model to describe nucleation and dendrite growth at micro-scale. A derived formula of interfacial weighted mean curvature incorporated with surface energy anisotropy realizes the simulation of eighteen-branch α-Mg dendrite growth. Microsegregation of Y, Nd and Zr elements is simulated through a solutal equilibrium approach. The simulated results show that the α-Mg matrix is depletion of Y and Nd elements and enrichment of Zr. Rapid solidification in LSR induces the α-Mg phase to solidify as an equiaxed structure without apparent dendritic branching. Under a fast cooling condition, the cooling-rate-induced thermal undercooling dominates the heterogeneous nucleation. Continuous nucleation manner is favored, with many nuclei activated. The simulated molten-pool depth, microstructure, and segregation pattern are shown to be in qualitative agreement with experimental results. The developed 3D multiscale model can contribute to a comprehensive prediction of microstructure and microsegregation formations of Mg-RE alloys during LSR and help optimize the actual LSR process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway promotes motor function recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) in both neurons and astrocytes. But the role and mechanism of this pathway in oligodendrocytes during nerve repair following SCI has not been researched. This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of this signaling pathway in oligodendrocytes on nerve myelin regeneration and motor function recovery in rats with SCI. After inhibiting or activating this signaling pathway, Western blotting and double immunofluorescence labeling were used to determine the levels of the signaling molecules in this pathway and myelin formation-related proteins in the plane of the thoracic segment of the injured spinal cord. The level of motor function recovery was evaluated and the oligodendrocytes involved in nerve myelin regeneration were studied. Primary oligodendrocytes were isolated and cultured in vitro, then MBP, PLP, and MOG were measured with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway was activated after SCI compared with the sham-operated rats, prominently elevated levels of the pathway components were observed in the SC79-treated group. The activation of the signaling pathway significantly increased the expression levels of myelin formation-related proteins, including MBP, PLP, and MOG, and improved the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores in the injured spinal cord. Conversely, rapamycin suppressed the expression of these signaling molecules and reduced the levels of myelin formation-related proteins. Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway activation can contribute to nerve myelin regeneration and has the potential to improve the regenerative environment and motor function, as well as the potential to promote repair of SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] As a cost-effective photocatalyst, carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) holds tremendous promise for addressing energy shortages and environmental pollution. However, its application is limited by disadvantages such as low specific surface area and easy recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. This study introduces C and O co-doped g-C 3 N 4 with a three-dimensional (3D) structure achieved through a straightforward one-step calcination process, demonstrating excellent photocatalytic activity of hydrogen production and oxytetracycline degradation, with superoxide radicals as the primary active species. We propose a plausible enhanced mechanism based on systematic characterizations and density functional theory calculations. The 3D structure confers a substantial specific surface area, enhancing both the adsorption area and active sites of catalysts while bolstering structural stability. Co-doping optimizes the band structure and electric conductivity of the catalyst, facilitating rapid migration of photogenerated charges. The synergistic effects of these enhancements significantly elevate the photocatalytic performance. This study presents a convenient and feasible method for the preparation of dual-regulated photocatalysts with outstanding performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate discrimination of pathogenic and nonpathogenic variation remains an enormous challenge in clinical genetic testing of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) patients. Computational methods for predicting variant pathogenicity are the main solutions for this dilemma. The majority of the state-of-the-art variant pathogenicity prediction tools disregard the differences in characteristics among different genes and treat all types of mutations equally. Since missense variants are the most common type of variation in the coding region of the human genome, we developed a novel missense mutation pathogenicity prediction tool, named Prediction of Deleterious Missense Mutation for IRDs (PdmIRD) in this study. PdmIRD was tailored for IRDs-related genes and constructed with the conditional random forest model. Population frequencies and a newly available prediction tool were incorporated into PdmIRD to improve the performance of the model. The evaluation of PdmIRD demonstrated its superior performance over nonspecific tools (areas under the curves, 0.984 and 0.910) and an existing eye abnormalities-specific tool (areas under the curves, 0.975 and 0.891). We also demonstrated the submodel that used a smaller gene panel further slightly improved performance. Our study provides evidence that a disease-specific model can enhance the prediction of missense mutation pathogenicity, especially when new and important features are considered. Additionally, this study provides guidance for exploring the characteristics and functions of the mutated proteins in a greater number of Mendelian disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phishing evolves rapidly nowadays, causing much damage to finance, brand reputation, and privacy. Various phishing detection methods have been proposed along with the rise of phishing, but there are still research issues. Phishing websites mainly steal users’ information through visual deception and deep learning methods have been proved very effective in computer vision applications but there is a lack in the research on visual analysis using deep learning algorithms. Moreover, most research use balanced datasets, which is not the case in a real Web environment. Therefore, this paper proposes a security indicator area (SIA) which contains most security indicators that are designed to help users identify phishing sites. The proposed method then takes screenshots of SIA and uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) as a classifier. To prove the efficiency of the proposed method, this paper carries out several comparative experiments on an unbalanced dataset with much fewer phishing sites, which increases detection difficulty but also makes the detection closer to reality. The results show that the proposed method achieves the highest F1-score among the compared methods, while providing advantages on detection efficiency and data expansibility in phishing detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a gold nanocluster [Au14(2-SAdm)9(Dppe)2]+ was synthesized and structurally determined by X-ray crystallography. The crystals of this cluster exhibit a 50-fold enhancement in quantum yield (5.05% for crystals) compared with its solution. Crystallographic analysis reveals that the weak intermolecular interactions (C–H⋯π, π⋯π) can inhibit the molecular vibration and thus generate the crystallization-induced emission enhancement phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the structure of a dark matter halo can be well described by the mass model of M87 and the Einasto profile for the cold dark matter model, i.e., ρ eina (r) = ρ e exp (- 2 α - 1 ((r / r e) α - 1)) (Wang et al. in Nature 585:39–42, 2020). Under these conditions, we construct a solution of a static spherically symmetric black hole in a dark matter halo. Then, using the Newman–Janis algorithm, we extend this static solution to the case of rotation, and obtain a solution for the Kerr-like black hole. We prove that this solution of the Kerr-like black hole is indeed a solution to the Einstein field equations. Finally, taking M87 as an example, we study and analyze some physical properties of this Kerr-like black hole, and then compare them with the Kerr black hole. Particularly, from the perspective of the black hole shadow and the fact that the Kerr-like black hole and the Kerr black hole is distinguishable, we give the upper limit of the shape parameter of the Einasto density profile, that is approximately α < 0.22 , which may provide a new method to further improve and perfect the density profile of dark matter model. These research results for the black hole in a dark matter halo may indirectly provide an effective method for detecting the existence of dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed quantum chemical calculations on the geometries, electronic structures, bonding properties, and stability strategy of endohedral metallofullerenes TM@C28 (TM = Sc−, Y−, La−, Ti, Zr, Hf, V+, Nb+, Ta+). Our calculations revealed that there are three different lowest-energy structures with C2v, C3v, and Td symmetries for TM@C28. The HOMO–LUMO gap of all these structures ranges from 1.35 eV to 2.31 eV, in which [V@C28]+ has the lowest HOMO–LUMO gap of 1.35 eV. The molecular orbitals are mainly composed of fullerene cage orbitals and slightly encapsulated metal orbitals. The bonding analysis on the metal–cage interactions reveals they are dominated by the Coulomb term ΔEelstat and the orbital interaction term ΔEorb, in which the orbital interaction term ΔEorb contributes more than the Coulomb term ΔEelstat. The addition of one or two CF3 groups to [V@C28]+ could increase the HOMO–LUMO gap and further increase the stability of [V@C28]+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work introduces an innovative methodology combining the in-situ boron/carbon thermal reduction (BCTR) reaction and replication carbon aerogel template to synthesize hierarchically high porosity ZrB 2 ceramics. The meticulously designed ceramic liquid-phase precursor ensures higher solubility of solutes while reducing the temperature requisite for boron/carbon thermal reduction. An additional carbon source is incorporated in the precursor to ensure the uniformity of resulting ZrB 2 grains, concurrently maintaining ZrB 2 phase purity. The ultimate prepared ZrB 2 porous ceramics present a uniform microstructure, with grain sizes at the hundred-nanometer scale, and exhibit a hierarchical pore structure. The ZrB 2 porous ceramics exhibited high porosity (85.4–92.9%), low density (0.264–0.482 g/cm3), reasonable compressive strength (0.26–0.51 MPa), low thermal conductivity (0.103–0.212 W/m·K), and efficient light absorption in the range of 400–2000 nm (>94%). The fabricated ZrB 2 porous ceramics hold significant promise for applications in high-temperature insulation and light absorption within elevated-temperature environments. • A new preparation strategy combining in-situ sintering and replication template. • First innovative design of ternary liquid-phase ceramic impregnation solution. • Obtaining high porosity nano ZrB 2 porous ceramics with hierarchical pore structure. • The obtained ceramic owns low thermal conductivity and high light absorption. • The process of the BCTR reaction and the effect of the C source were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing walkable urban environments is crucial for enhancing urban liveability and sustainability. To evaluate the chrono‐urbanism status, this study combines conventional census and mapping data with social media check‐in big data. A composite index is proposed, which assesses the accessibility of essential urban functions under the 5/10/15‐minute chrono‐thresholds. This index incorporates five categories of urban functions (public transit, living, education, health care and entertainment) in Macau. Utilising check‐in information from Sina Weibo, the level of attraction for different urban functions is integrated into the calculation. The findings highlight significant disparities in chrono‐urbanism status, with regions inhabited by lower socio‐economic status residents being more vulnerable than the affluent institutional and commercial centre of Macau. Leveraging social media big data, this study provides valuable insights to urban planners and policy‐makers, enabling them to understand the overall chrono‐urbanism status and target interventions for developing a more sustainable and liveable urban environment in Macau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical resection is the only option to achieve long-term survival in cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCA). Due to limitations of health care systems and unforeseeable events, e.g., the COVID pandemic, the time from diagnosis to surgery (time-to-surgery (TTS)) has gained great interest in malignancies. Thus, we investigated whether TTS is associated with the oncological outcome in patients who underwent surgery for CCA. A cohort of 276 patients undergoing curative-intent surgery for intrahepatic and perihilar CCA excluding individuals with neoadjuvant therapy and perioperative mortality between 2010 and 2021 were eligible for analysis. Patients were grouped according to TTS (≤ 30; 31–60; 61–90; > 90 days) and compared by Kruskal–Wallis-analysis. Survival was compared using Kaplan–Meier analysis and characteristics associated with cancer-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) using Cox regressions. The median CSS was 39 months (3-year-CSS = 52%, 5-year-CSS = 42%) and the median RFS 20 months (3-year-CSS = 38%, 5-year-CSS = 33%). In univariable Cox regressions, TTS was not associated with CSS (p = 0.971) or RFS (p = 0.855), respectively. A grouped analysis with respect to TTS (≤ 30 days, n = 106; 31–60 days, n = 134; 61–90 days, n = 44; > 90 days, n = 29) displayed a median CSS of 38, 33, 51 and 41 months and median RFS of 17, 22, 28 and 20 months (p = 0.971 log rank; p = 0.520 log rank). No statistical difference regarding oncological risk factors were observed between the groups. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of TTS in CCA patients. Within a representative European cohort, TTS was not associated with earlier tumor recurrence or reduced CCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient electrochemical ammonia (NH3) synthesis is one promising alternative to the energy‐intensive Haber–Bosch route. However, the industrial requirement for the electrochemical NH3 production with amperes current densities or gram‐level NH3 yield remains a grand challenge. Herein, we report the high‐rate NH3 production via NO2− reduction using the Cu activated Co electrode in a bipolar membrane (BPM) assemble electrolyser, wherein BPM maintains the ion balance and the liquid level of electrolyte. Benefited from the abundant Co sites and optimal structure, the target modified Co foam electrode delivers a current density of 2.64 A cm−2 with the Faradaic efficiency of 96.45 % and the high NH3 yield rate of 279.44 mg h−1 cm−2 in H‐type cell using alkaline electrolyte. Combined with in situ experiments and theoretical calculations, we found that Cu optimizes the adsorption behavior of NO2− and facilitates the hydrogenation steps on Co sites toward a rapid NO2− reduction process. Importantly, this activated Co electrode affords a large NH3 production up to 4.11 g h−1 in a homemade reactor, highlighting its large‐scale practical feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient electrochemical ammonia (NH3) synthesis is one promising alternative to the energy‐intensive Haber–Bosch route. However, the industrial requirement for the electrochemical NH3 production with amperes current densities or gram‐level NH3 yield remains a grand challenge. Herein, we report the high‐rate NH3 production via NO2− reduction using the Cu activated Co electrode in a bipolar membrane (BPM) assemble electrolyser, wherein BPM maintains the ion balance and the liquid level of electrolyte. Benefited from the abundant Co sites and optimal structure, the target modified Co foam electrode delivers a current density of 2.64 A cm−2 with the Faradaic efficiency of 96.45 % and the high NH3 yield rate of 279.44 mg h−1 cm−2 in H‐type cell using alkaline electrolyte. Combined with in situ experiments and theoretical calculations, we found that Cu optimizes the adsorption behavior of NO2− and facilitates the hydrogenation steps on Co sites toward a rapid NO2− reduction process. Importantly, this activated Co electrode affords a large NH3 production up to 4.11 g h−1 in a homemade reactor, highlighting its large‐scale practical feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we obtain a new spherically symmetric black hole surrounded by the pseudo-isothermal dark matter halo. Furthermore, to explore the effects of the pseudo-isothermal halo profile on a rotating black hole at the M87 galactic center, we derive a rotating black hole solution encompassed by the pseudo-isothermal halo by using the Newman-Janis method. Our investigation focuses on the impact of the pseudo-isothermal halo on the black hole event horizon, time-like and null orbits, as well as the black hole shadow. We find that as the spin parameter a increases, the interval between the inner event horizon and the outer event horizon of the rotating black hole surrounded by the pseudo-isothermal halo in M87 diminishes. This leads to the formation of an extreme black hole. The presence of dark matter, however, has minimal effect on the event horizon. Moreover, in the M87 as the spin parameter a increases, the black hole shadow deviates increasingly from a standard circle, with larger spin parameters causing more pronounced distortion relative to the standard circle. Surprisingly, we observe that the dark matter density has very little influence on the shadow of the black hole surrounded by the pseudo-isothermal halo in the M87. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of black hole structures and the role of dark matter in the universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the new upper limit of the magnetic monopole (MM) flux and discuss three MM models of the heating resource for supermassive white dwarfs (WDs) by considering the effect of temperature on thermonuclear reaction and mass radius relation of WDs based on the catalytic nuclear decay by MM. We discuss the luminosity and compared it with the observations to apply to 25 supermassive WDs. We find the maxnium of the number of MM captured can be 9.6943 × 10 11 , and 9.0671 × 10 11 for O+Ne core high mass WDs (e.g., WD J055631.17+130639.78), and C+O core high mass WDs (e.g., WD J055631.17+130639.78), respectively. The luminosities increase with the increasing of the temperature and are agreed well with the observations for model (III). The differences are no more than one, and three orders of magnitude higher than observations for model (III), and (I, II), respectively. Finally, we find that the maxnium of the upper limits of the MM flux ϕ m due to RC effect can be 9.1071 × 10 - 15 , and 2.7670 × 10 - 14 for O+Ne and C+O core high mass WDs, respectively. Our results are about one and two orders of magnitude higher than those of Abbasi et al. (EPJC 69:361, 2010) (Albert et al. in JHEP 07:054, 2017) for O+Ne, and C+O core mass WDs, respectively, and can be about three and four orders of magnitude higher than those of Aartsen et al. (EPJC 76:133, 2016) (Ic40, Ic86), respectively. Our results show that the monopole-catalyzed nucleon decay could prevent WDs from cooling down into a stellar graveyard by keeping them hot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model quality evaluation is a crucial part of protein structural biology. How to distinguish high-quality models from low-quality models, and to assess which high-quality models have relatively incorrect regions for improvement, are remain a challenge. More importantly, the quality assessment of multimer models is a hot topic for structure prediction. In this study, we propose GraphCPLMQA, a novel approach for evaluating residue-level model quality that combines graph coupled networks and embeddings from protein language models. The GraphCPLMQA consists of a graph encoding module and a transform-based convolutional decoding module. In encoding module, the underlying relational representations of sequence and high-dimensional geometry structure are extracted by protein language models with Evolutionary Scale Modeling. In decoding module, the mapping connection between structure and quality is inferred by the representations and low-dimensional features. Specifically, the triangular location and residue level contact order features are designed to enhance the association between the local structure and the overall topology. Experimental results demonstrate that GraphCPLMQA using single-sequence embedding achieves the best performance compared with the CASP15 residue-level interface evaluation methods among 9108 models in the local residue interface test set of CASP15 multimers. In CAMEO blind test (20 May 2022 to 13 August 2022), GraphCPLMQA ranked first compared with other servers (https://www.cameo3d.org/quality-estimation). GraphCPLMQA also outperforms state-of-the-art methods on 19, 035 models in CASP13 and CASP14 monomer test set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the clinical application value of ultrasonography–computed tomography (CT) fusion navigation technology in bone tumor biopsy surgery. Thirty patients with bone tumors requiring biopsy surgery were randomly assigned to either the U-C group (ultrasonography–CT group; n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The U-C group used ultrasonography–CT fusion navigation technology for real-time localization of the biopsy needle, whereas the control group relied on intraoperative C-arm fluoroscopy for localization. The success rate of the surgeries, the number of radiation exposures during the procedure, surgical time, and intraoperative blood loss were compared between the 2 groups. The number of intraoperative radiation exposures in the U-C group was 2 versus 7 in the control group (P < 0.05), showing significant differences between the 2 groups. The success rate of biopsies in the U-C group and control group was 100% (P > 0.05), the mean operative time was 45 ± 9 minutes versus 42 ± 13 minutes (P > 0.05), and intraoperative bleeding volume was 10 ± 4 mL versus 11 ± 5 mL (P > 0.05), all showing no significant differences between the 2 groups. The real-time localization of the biopsy needle in bone tumor biopsy surgery using ultrasonography–CT fusion navigation technology can significantly reduce intraoperative radiation exposure for both patients and surgeons during the procedure. Consequently, this technique holds certain clinical applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pharyngeal recess cyst is a benign lesion, located at the nasopharyngeal recess with limited development. Pharyngeal recess cysts rarely occur. This case report describes a young male patient presenting with a foreign body sensation in the pharynx. Electronic nasopharyngoscope examination revealed a large nasopharyngeal cyst, whose root was located in the left pharyngeal recess. Complete surgical resection was performed, and the patient successfully recovered. Pharyngeal recess cysts are rare lesions that can be diagnosed based on imaging and endoscopy findings. It is treated surgically and has a favorable prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune mucocutaneous bullous disease that can be life-threatening. We report a case of pemphigus vulgaris with pharyngeal ulcer as the initial presentation that was treated with glucocorticoid therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of artificial photosynthetic systems including CO2 reduction is a promising pathway to produce carbon-neutral fuels and mitigate the greenhouse effect concurrently. However, the exploitation of earth-abundant catalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction remains a fundamental challenge, which can be assisted by a systematic summary focusing on a specific catalyst family. Cobalt-based complexes featuring tripodal ligands should merit more insightful discussion and summarization, as they are one of the most examined catalyst families for CO2 photoreduction. In this feature article, the key developments of cobalt-based tripodal complexes as molecular catalysts for light-driven CO2 reduction are discussed to offer an upcoming perspective, analyzing the present progress in electronic/steric tuning through ligand modification and dinuclear design to achieve a synergistic effect, as well as the bottlenecks for further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the influence of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) as a filling material on the energy absorption performance of thin-walled tubes through experiments. Hybrid graphene oxide-silica nanoparticles (GO-SiO2) was prepared using the electrostatic adsorption method and its potential application in RPUF enhancement were investigated. The interaction between GO and nano SiO2 inhibits the agglomeration of each other and improved the mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity of RPUF. When the GO-SiO2 hybrid content was 6 wt%, the compressive strength and total energy absorption of the GO-SiO2/RPUF composite material increased by 99.59% and 89.63% compared with those of pure RPUF, respectively. In addition, the deformation characteristics of empty tube and foam-filled tube under lateral compression were compared, and the influence of the RPUF material's mechanical properties on the energy absorption characteristics of foam-filled tube was further analyzed. Test results show that the foam material can effectively improve the stability of the compression deformation of thin-walled circular tubes and improve the compression resistance of the structure. Improving the mechanical properties of RPUF materials can further increase the bearing capacity and energy absorption of foam-filled tubes. The results in this study validated the feasibility of using GO-SiO2 hybrid as a new nano-reinforcing filler for RPUF, and provide an experimental reference for the engineering application of foam-filled tubes as energy absorption components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an infiltrative malignancy characterized by a significantly elevated recurrence rate. Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), which plays an oncogene role in many cancers, acts as an inhibitor of the Wingless protein (Wnt) signaling pathway. Currently, there is a lack of consensus regarding the role of DKK1 in OSCC or its clinical significance. To examine the role and effect of DKK1 in OSCC. The identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in OSCC was conducted by utilizing databases such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). A comprehensive analysis of gene expression profile interactions (GEPIA) and Kaplan-Meier curve were conducted to investigate the associations among DEGs, patient survival and prognosis in individuals with OSCC. The biological function of DKK1 in OSCC was investigated by using molecular biology approaches. The expression of DKK1 was found to be upregulated in OSCC tissues at various stages. High levels of DKK1 expression exhibited a positive correlation with the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates among OSCC patients. DKK1 knockdown suppressed the proliferation and induced apoptotic response in OSCC cells. Moreover, DKK1 exerted a positive regulatory effect on HMGA2 expression, thereby modulating cell growth and apoptosis in OSCC. The expression of DKK1 was found to be positively correlated with the infiltration of immune cells in patients with OSCC. Additionally, higher levels of CD4+ T cells were associated with improved 5-year survival rates. DKK1 is a prognostic biomarker for patients with OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-metal catalyst (Ni/MoO 2 @CoFeO x) nanosheet with a crystalline/amorphous structure exhibits an ultra-low overpotential of 18, 39, and 93 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline water, alkaline seawater and natural seawater, respectively. [Display omitted] • Multi-metal electrocatalyst with crystalline/amorphous structure was developed for energy-saving HER. • Ni/MoO 2 @CoFeO x exhibits an ultra-low overpotential of 18 mV and high stability in alkaline water. • Multiple active sites in the catalytic process was revealed by in-situ Raman spectroscopy. • The synergistically catalytic mechanism for Ni/MoO 2 @CoFeO x was surveyed. The development of well-defined nanomaterials as non-noble metal electrocatalysts has broad application prospect for hydrogen generation technology. Recently, multi-metal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have attracted extensive attention due to their high catalytic performance arising from the synergistic effect of multi-metal interaction. However, most multi-metal catalysts suffer from the limited synergistic effect because of poor interfacial compatibility between different components. Here, a novel multi-metal catalyst (Ni/MoO 2 @CoFeO x) nanosheet with a crystalline/amorphous structure is demonstrated, which shows high HER activity. Ni/MoO 2 @CoFeO x exhibits an ultra-low overpotential of 18, 39, and 93 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline water, alkaline seawater and natural seawater, respectively, which outperformances most of the state-of-the-art non-noble metal compounds. In addition, the catalyst shows exceptional stability under 500 mA cm−2 in alkaline solution. In-situ Raman and other advanced structural characterization confirms the excellent catalytic activity is mainly contributed by: (1) the strong synergistic effect of multi-metal components provides multiple active sites in the catalytic process; (2) the crystalline/amorphous interface in Ni/MoO 2 @CoFeO x boosts the catalytically active sites and structure stability; (3) the crystalline phase enhances the intrinsic conductivity greatly; and (4) the amorphous phase provides abundant unsaturated sites for improved intrinsic catalytic activity. This work provides a feasible way to design electrocatalyst with high activity and stability for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In consideration of energy shortages and environmental pollution, there is a critical need to develop a photocatalyst with high catalytic performance for rapid hydrogen production and efficient pollutant degradation. We synthesized a photocatalytic composite catalyst with three-dimensional (3D) porous aminopyridine rings grafted on the edge of g-C 3 N 4 (APCN) using melamine, cyanuric acid and 4-aminopyridine as raw materials. The composite catalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for H 2 production (2.44 mmol g−1h−1) and RhB degradation (97.08%) under visible light. Subsequently, a possible enhanced mechanism of the catalyst was proposed on the basis of a series of characterization and photocatalytic experiments. The 3D porous structure not only enhanced the structural stability but also increased the surface area of the APCN catalysts, which generated more exposed active sites. Moreover, the aminopyridine ring embellishment was beneficial for achieving a narrowed bandgap and charge migration and separation, which decreased the occurrence of photogenerated carrier recombination. In summary, these two structural features showed a synergistic effect to enhance the photocatalytic performance of the APCN catalyst. Finally, an integrated feasible enhanced mechanism of photocatalytic activity was elucidated according to the results of active substance capture tests, showing that O 2 •− played an important role during RhB degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of significance to develop an active, efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as this determines the efficiency and cost of water/seawater electrolysis. Here, a cost‐effective Ni─Fe hydroxide as a promising OER catalyst is developed by 1 min ultrafast method. The catalyst shows low OER overpotentials of 240 and 254 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in both 1 m KOH and alkaline seawater, respectively. It also exhibits excellent electrochemical stability. In situ Raman spectra and other physical characterizations prove the incorporation of Fe and the transformation of Ni(Fe)(OH)2 to Ni(Fe)OOH are responsible for the enhancement of the OER performance. Furthermore, the Ni─Fe hydroxide catalyst can be readily scaled up and synthesized within 1 min. The catalyst with a size of 2000 cm2 still remains electrochemically uniform. The alkaline electrolysis cell integrated with the Ni─Fe catalyst as the anode and commercialized porous NiMo foam as the cathode has demonstrated a current density of 200 mA cm−2 at 2.3 and 2.9 V in 6 m KOH and alkaline seawater at 60 °C, respectively. Therefore, the ultrafast synthesized, earth‐abundant Ni─Fe catalyst is scalable, economical, and highly active for OER, which is promising for industrial water/seawater splitting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The average on-schedule/timely vaccination decreased in Beijing, during 2020–2021. • The on-schedule vaccination of DTaP4 and MPSV-A1,2 decreased significantly. • The timely vaccination of for DTaP1-3 and "Four Vaccines"decreased significantly. The routine immunization program for children is a primary strategy and a core part of vaccination. Achieving and maintaining high level of vaccination coverage are important to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by vaccine-preventable diseases. In Beijing, annual coverage surveys have been conducted since 2005. It is necessary and possible to assess the level and trend of routine vaccination coverage of children in Beijing as well as the disruption of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and provide the reference for the further improve the vaccination coverage. The data of 61,521 children aged 1–3 years in the vaccination coverage surveys during 2005–2021 were analyzed by Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the data and the difference of vaccination coverage within the time period. More than 99 % of participants had immunization cards and electronic immunization records. The concordance rate of both records were also over 99 %. During 2011–2019, the rates of on-time and in-time vaccination of each routine vaccine reached 96 % or more and increased significantly (all P values <0.05), compared with that of 2005–2010. All rates of the investigated vaccine, except for Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG) and the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB), decreased in 2020–2021 significantly (all P values <0.05). For the causes of failing to vaccinate on time, delayed vaccination accounted for 47.82 %. The top two vaccines to be missed were the first dose of hepatitis A vaccine and the 4th dose of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine, accounting for 21.41 % and 20.79 %, respectively. The main reason for zero-dose/drop-out vaccination was "Guardians regarded the immunization service time as inappropriate", accounting for 72.27 %. The coverage level and service quality of routine immunization in Beijing were relatively high. However, as influenced by COVID-19 epidemics, both on-time and in-time vaccination rates decreased significantly, except for BCG and HepB. Under the background of COVID-19 pandemic, the keys to maintain high level of vaccination coverage include flexible immunization service time to ensure the guardians bringing their children for vaccination timely, and more attention from providers to the doses after children's first birthday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal chordomas are locally aggressive and frequently recurrent tumors with a poor prognosis. Previous studies focused on a Cox regression model to predict the survival of patients with spinal chordoma. We aimed to develop a more effective model based on deep learning for prognosis prediction in spinal chordoma. Patients with spinal chordoma were gathered from the SEER database. Cox regression analysis was conducted to compare the influence of different clinical characteristics on cancer-specific survival. Two deep learning models, namely, DeepSurv and NMTLR, were developed, alongside 2 classic models, for the purpose of comparison. Performance of these models was evaluated by concordance index, Integrated Brier Score, receiver operating characteristic curves, Kaplan–Meier curves, and calibration curves. A total of 258 spinal chordoma patients were included in the current study. The median follow-up time was 94 ± 52 months. Variables used for prognosis prediction consisted of age, primary site, tumor size, histologic grade, extension of surgery, tumor invasion, and metastasis. Comparing with conventional models, each deep learning model showed superior predictive performance, the C-index on the test cohort is 0.830 for DeepSurv and 0.804 for NMTLR, respectively. The DeepSurv model represented the best performance, with area under the curve of 0.843 in predicting 5-year survival and 0.880 in predicting 10-year survival. We successfully constructed a deep learning model to predict the CSS of spinal chordoma patients and proved that it was more accurate and practical than conventional prediction model. Our deep learning model has the potential to guide clinicians in better care planning and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were used to study the effects of temperature (310 K to 400 K), pressure (≤30 MPa) and water content (0 molecule/nm3 to 9 molecule/nm3) on the adsorption and diffusion behavior of CH4 and C2H6 in 3 nm kaolinite slit under supercritical conditions. The obtained adsorption capacity, isosteric adsorption heat, concentration distribution and diffusion coefficient were analyzed and compared. The simulation results show that the adsorption capacity of C2H6 is higher under low pressure conditions, and the adsorption capacity of CH4 is higher under high pressure conditions due to the small molecular radius and increased adsorption space. The addition of water molecules and the increase in temperature will reduce the adsorption capacity and isosteric adsorption heat of the two gases. We analyzed the changes in Langmuir volume and Langmuir pressure of the two gases under different temperature and water content conditions. The addition of water molecules and the increase in temperature will reduce the saturation adsorption capacity (which has a greater effect on C2H6) and the adsorption rate of the two gases in the kaolinite slit. The water molecules occupy the adsorption site of the gas molecules (limiting the diffusion of the gas molecules), which reduces the interaction between gas molecules and the wall surface, thus altering the distribution of the two gases in the slit. The increase in temperature will accelerate the oscillation of the gas molecules, increasing diffusion, and also leads to a reduction in the peak value of the adsorption peaks of the two gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibro-acoustic modulation (VAM) method assesses the integrity of a structure using modulation of a high-frequency probe wave and a low-frequency pump wave and measuring the modulation index. A large body of studies found that the modulation index could be used for the defection of contact-type defects in different materials. However, it was also found that the performance of this method is dependent on the probe wave frequency selection. To enhance the robustness of this method, researchers made efforts to modify the VAM method raising the complexity of the equipment and related operator skills, creating needs for extra preparation or procedures. All of these limits VAM potential for industrial application. To develop a robust, efficient, and fast VAM-based non-destructive testing method, the machine learning algorithm was employed. The algorithm utilises amplitude of the multiple sidebands of the modulation spectrum as feature variables and the structural integrity as target variables for training and testing the machine learning model. The experimental result shows that the fatigue crack could be detected with an arbitrary probe wave frequency using the applied machine learning approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Model quality assessment is a crucial part of protein structure prediction and a gateway to proper usage of models in biomedical applications. Many methods have been proposed for assessing the quality of structural models of protein monomers, but few methods for evaluating protein complex models. As protein complex structure prediction becomes a new challenge, there is an urgent need for model quality assessment methods that can accurately assess the accuracy of interface residues of complex structures. Results Here, we present DeepUMQA3, a web server for evaluating the accuracy of interface residues of protein complex structures using deep neural networks. For an input complex structure, features are extracted from three levels of overall complex, intra-monomer, and inter-monomer, and an improved deep residual neural network is used to predict per-residue lDDT and interface residue accuracy. DeepUMQA3 ranks first in the blind test of interface residue accuracy estimation in CASP15, with Pearson, Spearman, and AUC of 0.564, 0.535, and 0.755 under the lDDT measurement, which are 17.6%, 23.6%, and 10.9% higher than the second best method, respectively. DeepUMQA3 can also assess the accuracy of all residues in the entire complex and distinguish high- and low-precision residues. Availability and implementation The web sever of DeepUMQA3 are freely available at http://zhanglab-bioinf.com/DeepUMQA_server/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress in photonic crystals (PhCs) enables the advanced manipulation of light propagation, leading to strong light–matter interactions and unconventional applications. To explore the physical nature and realize the precise and efficient control of position‐dependent light–matter interactions, the direct deep‐subwavelength characterization of PhC states is pivotal. Here, the super‐resolved visualization of bulk states in the z‐direction asymmetric dielectric PhC is realized by characterizing the radiative local density of optical states, including the etched hole area. An accelerating voltage scanning approach is proposed to selectively probe bulk states and substrates, elucidating the electron–matter interactions affected by the electron‐beam energy. The bulk state energy is demonstrated to be confined inside structure holes as shown by the cathodoluminescence intensity mappings of PhCs with different geometrical parameters, enabling the design of a silicon‐based high‐quality cavity in the visible range. This work provides a deep investigation of the depth‐dependent interaction between the electron beam and dielectric PhCs, promoting the characterization of PhC delocalized modes. The deep‐subwavelength detail of bulk state benefits the future nanoscale manipulation of light–matter interactions and the optimization of quantum emission devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the investigation on oribatid fauna of agricultural region is carried out for the first time in Yangchun City, Guangdong Province, southeast China. A list of identified taxa, including 19 species from 18 genera and 15 families, is presented. Of these, one species, Dolicheremaeus variolobatus Hammer, 1981, is recorded in China for the first time. 13 species are newly recorded in Guangdong Province. A new species, Unguizetes yangchunensissp. nov., is described. In addition, an updated key to all known species of Unguizetes is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital PCR (dPCR) is an important tool for precise nucleic acid quantification in clinical setting, but the limited multiplexing capability restricts its applications for quantitative gene panel profiling. Here, this work describes melt‐encoded‐tags for expanded optical readout in digital PCR (METEOR‐dPCR), a simple two‐step assay that enables simultaneous quantification of a large panel of arbitrary genes in a dPCR platform. Target genes are quantitatively converted into DNA tags with unique melting temperatures through a ligation approach. These tags are then counted and distinguished by their melt‐curve profiles on a dPCR platform. A multiplexing capacity of M^N, where M is the number of resolvable melting temperature and N is the number of fluorescence channel, can be achieved. This work validates METEOR‐dPCR with simultaneous DNA copy number profiling of 60 targets using dPCR in cancer cells, and demonstrates its sensitivity for estimating tumor fraction in mixed tumor and normal DNA samples. The rapid, quantitative, and highly multiplexed METEOR‐dPCR assay will have wide appeal for many clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical models play an important role in neuroscience studies, particularly in brain connectivity analysis. Typically, observations/samples are from several heterogenous groups and the group membership of each observation/sample is unavailable, which poses a great challenge for graph structure learning. In this paper, we propose a method which can achieve Simultaneous Clustering and Estimation of Heterogeneous Graphs (briefly denoted as SCEHG) for matrix‐variate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Unlike the conventional clustering methods which rely on the mean differences of various groups, the proposed SCEHG method fully exploits the group differences of conditional dependence relationships among brain regions for learning cluster structure. In essence, by constructing individual‐level between‐region network measures, we formulate clustering as penalized regression with grouping and sparsity pursuit, which transforms the unsupervised learning into supervised learning. A modified difference of convex programming with the alternating direction method of multipliers (DC‐ADMM) algorithm is proposed to solve the corresponding optimization problem. We also propose a generalized criterion to specify the number of clusters. Extensive simulation studies illustrate the superiority of the SCEHG method over some state‐of‐the‐art methods in terms of both clustering and graph recovery accuracy. We also apply the SCEHG procedure to analyze fMRI data associated with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which illustrates its empirical usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an original event‐triggered model‐free adaptive control is presented for nonlinear systems with output constraints. Firstly, a compact form dynamic linear model for this nonlinear system is established. Based on the output saturated data, the pseudo partial derivative (PPD) parameter is designed to identify the linear model. Then, a novel event‐triggered mechanism is inserted into the controller. The mechanism will be activated only if the event‐triggered error satisfies the predefined condition; Otherwise, it keeps the last triggering state. The purpose is to alleviate the transmission burden and save the communication resources. Varying from the existing studies, the main innovation of this article is that the controller is reconstructed in virtue of saturated data and event‐triggered condition. The present algorithm convergence is proved. Finally, the simulation study illustrates the feasibility of the plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal processing of rolled rings inevitably generates and accumulates massive residual stresses, as quenching residual stresses produced by water cooling treatment. Non-uniformly distributed residual stresses would seriously affect the structural strength, dimensional stability and service life of the component. In the traditional rolling process of titanium alloy rings, the quenching residual compressive stresses introduced by solution treatment could reach – 400–600 MPa, for which effective control of the stresses is an urgent issue to be solved. In this research, the stress control efficiency of rolling rings under different process routes was explored according to the thermal bulge stress relief technique. The FEM model of the stress evolution in the whole process of the rolled ring was established. The residual stresses on the ring surface are characterized by the hole-drilling method, while the microstructures are characterized by electron backscatter diffraction. The results indicated that the optimized process incorporating the thermal bulging stress relief technique reduced the levels of stress values to within about ± 50 MP and the stress homogenization index by approximately 60–90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To investigate the levels and influencing factors of compassion fatigue among new nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background. New nurses are often unable to cope with the escalating nursing problems during the COVID-19 epidemic because of their lack of work experience, which may reduce their level of compassion satisfaction and cause compassion fatigue. However, there is little research on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among new nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study. From June to October 2021, 520 new nurses were selected from eight designated hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in China for electronic survey. Questions elicited social-demographics, work-related information, lifestyle factors, and the Chinese version Professional Quality of Life Scale. Results. The scores of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress of new nurses were 31.85 ± 6.18, 27.94 ± 5.04, and 27.17 ± 4.87, respectively. In addition, regression analysis showed that nurses' compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress were affected by social-demographics, work-related information, and lifestyle factors. Conclusions. During the COVID-19 epidemic, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress of new nurses were at a moderate level, which were relatively affected by work-related information and lifestyle, and had little correlation with social-demographics. Implications for Nursing Management. Hospital administrators can promote new nurses' compassion satisfaction and alleviate their compassion fatigue by improving job satisfaction, encouraging smoking cessation, arranging work hours reasonably, ensuring sleep hours, reducing workplace violence, and strengthening the reporting of violence incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supermassive black holes from the center of galaxy may be immersed in a dark matter halo. This dark matter halo may form a "cusp" structure around the black hole and disappear at a certain distance from the black hole. Based on this interesting physical background, we use the continued fraction method to study gravitational ringring of the Kerr-like black holes immersed in a dark matter halo, i.e., quasinormal modes (QNM) and quasibound states (QBS). We consider these gravitational ringring of black holes both in cold dark matter (CDM) model and scalar field dark matter (SFDM) model at the LSB galaxy, and compare them with Kerr black hole. By testing the states of QNM/QBS frequencies with different parameters l, m, a, we confirm the existence of the superradiant instabilities when the black holes both in CDM model and SFDM model. Besides, we also study the impacts of dark matter parameters on the QNM/QBS of black holes at the specific circumstances. In the future, these results may be used for gravitational wave detection of supermassive black holes, and may provide an effective method for detecting the existence of dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]