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Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has emerged as a pedagogical approach integrating foreign language learning with subject content. Nevertheless, its foray into the online environment, where courses are commonly delivered in two modes: asynchronous and synchronous, remains unexplored. By integrating synchronous delivery into an asynchronous-only online CLIL course, this study aims to probe how synchronous delivery affects students’ learning performances (learning behaviors and outcomes), and investigate learners’ perspectives on synchronous delivery as affordances for enhancing these performances. The study involved 969 learners and two teachers, with data collected from six sources for triangulation: tracking data from social media chat logs, website learning records, course scores, teachers’ reflective narratives, observation of synchronous learning, and student interviews. The findings unveil the effectiveness of synchronous delivery in promoting learning performances, evident in students’ proactive time management and interactive behaviors, as well as elevated learning outcomes. Three affordances – pedagogical, technological, and social – are offered by synchronous delivery for promoting learning performances. Particularly noteworthy are the social affordances, which significantly enhance learning behaviors and outcomes by fostering efficient interactions, cordial interpersonal relationships, and a learning community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the relationship between left atrial strain and microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A total of 165 T2DM patients who admitted to in the Department of Endocrinology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from February to December 2023 were collected. The age, sex, duration of diabetes mellitus, use of rapid-acting insulin, use of long-acting insulin were collected, glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) were detected, left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), left atrial storage strain during reservoir phase (LASr), left atrial strain during conduit phase (LAScd), left atrial strain during contraction phase (LASct) were examined by two-dimensional spot tracking echocardiography. According to the number of microvascular complications of T2DM, the patients were divided into simple T2DM group (group A, 54 patients), T2DM with one complication group (group B, 69 patients), and T2DM with 2-3 complications group (group C, 42 patients). One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the baseline information, medication characteristics and biochemical indicators among the three groups. The relationship between left atrial strain parameters and microvascular complications of T2DM was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis. Results The LASr, LAScd, and LVGLS of patients in group C were lower than those in group A and group B, and the LASr, LAScd, LASct, and LVGLS of patients in group B were lower than those in group A (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus were negatively correlated with left atrial strain parameters LASr (r=-0.381, P<0.001) and LAScd (r=-0.385, P<0.001), but not with LASct (r=-0.151, P>0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for age, sex, duration of diabetes mellitus, use of rapid-acting insulin, use of long-acting insulin, HbA1c, TC, UACR, and LVGLS, compared with group A, LASr (OR=0.932, 95%CI 0.871-0.998), LAScd (OR=0.910, 95%CI 0.840-0.987) in group B and LASr (OR=0.886, 95%CI 0.799-0.983) and LAScd (OR=0.823, 95%CI 0.719-0.942) in group C were influencing factors associated with complications (P<0.05). Conclusion The number of microvascular complications in T2DM patients was negatively correlated with left atrial strain parameters LASr and LAScd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hg2+ is one of the most toxic heavy metals, posing a serious threat to the human body and the environmental ecosystem. In order to detect Hg2+ rapidly, accurately, and sensitively, a kind of boron, nitrogen, and sulfur co‐doped carbon dots (B,N,S‐CDs) were synthesized by a simple, economical, and direct hydrothermal method. The average size of the prepared B,N,S‐CDs is 2.7 ± 0.7 nm, and the high photoluminescence quantum yield is 67.6%. Furthermore, due to the efficient quenching effect of Hg2+, such B,N,S‐CDs are considered to serve as an efficient fluorescence sensing platform for label‐free and sensitive detection of Hg2+ with a detection limit of 72 nM. The selectivity experiments reveal that the B,N,S‐CDs are selective and specific for Hg2+ even in the presence of other interfering substances. Most importantly, the Hg2+ sensing platform based on B,N,S‐CDs can be successfully applied to the determination of Hg2+ in tap water and real lake water samples. This stable and inexpensive carbon material exhibits excellent sensitivity and selectivity, potentially suitable for Hg2+ monitoring in environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted in the purpose of investigating the effect of Tai Chi on drug craving for women with drug disorders. One hundred and twelve women were recruited from a drug rehabilitation center in China, and 47 and 48 were finally analyzed in the control group and exercise group, respectively. The exercise group underwent a 3-month Tai Chi training, whereas the control group experienced no exercise intervention during the same time period. The drug craving was measured by the visual analog scale. In data analysis, repeated-measures were utilized to test the differences between the control and exercise group over the course of the experiment time. The mean of the craving score significantly dropped from pre-test (control: mean = 5.38, SD = 3.04; exercise: mean = 4.68, SD = 2.93) to post-test (control: mean = 4.03, SD = 2.73; exercise: mean = 1.91, SD = 1.90) in both groups (control group: t = 3.84, df = 46, p < 0.001; exercise group: t = 5.941, df = 47, p < 0.001), with more decrease witnessed in the exercise group. Repeated-measures analysis with a Huynh–Feldt correction showed the significant effect of time (F = 27.383, p < 0.001) as well as the study group by time interaction (F = 3.52, p = 0.024). Tai Chi can ameliorate the drug craving in women and it could be a supportive treatment for drug addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) bacteria are essential for aquaculture wastewater treatment to ensure product quality and environmental sustainability. Klebsiella aerogenes strain B23 was isolated from shrimp farm wastewater and identified based on phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics. The strain demonstrated high removal efficiency and the maximum removal rates for ammonia (96.48%; 6.18 mg/L/h), nitrate (93.48%; 4.45 mg/L/h), and nitrite (90.92%; 2.38 mg/L/h). In wastewater from a shrimp farm, B23 reached a nitrate removal efficiency of 92.18% after 36 h. The expression of denitrifying genes (norV, norW, narJ, and narR) confirmed the HN-AD ability of strain B23. Single-factor experiments revealed that the optimal conditions for nitrate removal were a nitrate concentration of 5 mg/L, sucrose as a carbon source, temperature of 30 °C, pH of 7.5, rotation rate of 120 rpm, and salinity of 5‰. These findings demonstrate that strain B23 is a candidate for nitrogen removal in aquaculture wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of research on multi-modal data fusion and its combination with online data management, the application of multi-modal big data fusion in information management systems is more and more extensive. How to integrate multi-modal big data effectively is the key technology to building an efficient information management system. In this paper, based on the combination of a multi-support vector machine and convolution neural network, the feature-level data fusion of multi-source heterogeneous big data is implemented, and it is applied to the real data set to test the relevant model. Experimental results show that this method can not only realize heterogeneous integration of big data, but also has high accuracy and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sphingosine (Sph) plays important roles in various complex biological processes. Abnormalities in Sph metabolism can result in various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. However, due to the lack of rapid and accurate detection methods, understanding sph metabolic in related diseases is limited. Herein, a series of near‐infrared fluorogenic probes DMS‐X (X = 2F, F, Cl, Br, and I) are designed and synthesized. The fast oxazolidinone ring formation enables the DMS‐2F to detect Sph selectively and ultrasensitively, and the detection limit reaches 9.33 ± 0.41 nm. Moreover, it is demonstrated that DMS‐2F exhibited a dose‐ and time‐dependent response to Sph and can detect sph in living cells. Importantly, for the first time, the changes in Sph levels induced by Aβ42 oligomers and H2O2 are assessed through a fluorescent imaging approach, and further validated the physiological processes by which Aβ42 oligomers and reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induce changes in intracellular Sph levels. Additionally, the distribution of Sph in living zebrafish is successfully mapped by in vivo imaging of a zebrafish model. This work provides a simple and efficient method for probing Sph in living cells and in vivo, which will facilitate investigation into the metabolic process of Sph and the connection between Sph and disease pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the objectives of achieving "peak carbon" and "carbon neutrality", accurately quantifying the carbon emissions of road transportation becomes crucial. It is challenging to accurately describe the energy consumption of vehicles at both temporal and spatial scales from a macro perspective. Therefore, focusing on the quantitative model of vehicle micro energy consumption and road meso energy consumption, this paper reviewed and summarized the energy consumption model of road traffic in terms of data collection, quantification accuracy, and scope of application. Based on this analysis, this paper identifies the challenges of the current road traffic energy consumption model. Finally, we look forward to future research directions for studying quantitative models of energy consumption from road transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing awareness of mental health problems among older adults, limited mental health services are available to meet their needs. The proposed study aimed to evaluate the need for mental health services among older adults in Shanghai, China, and identify gaps in the existing service system to inform policy making. Based on 80 face-to-face interviews amongst several groups of older adults and community officers, doctors and government stakeholders, the study found that (a) the mental health needs of older adults living with family members mainly present as needs for social interaction, sense of belonging, and self-realization; (b) special groups, such as older adults living alone, mainly desire support to address loneliness, older adults with physical disabilities desire social respect, and those with mental disabilities seek social acceptance; and (c) community cadres and other stakeholders have paid little attention to demands related to mental well-being among older people. It is necessary to deliver mental health education to community stakeholders and the public, popularize mental health knowledge, and publicize professional psychological counseling and treatment services. Meanwhile, policy makers should allocate resources to train professional mental health services personnel to meet these growing mental health needs and increase financial support for mental health services for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using students' assessments of teaching at a top university in China from 2016 to 2021, this study examines whether evaluation of teaching improves teaching quality. Given the many doubts about the validity of students' evaluation of teaching, this study adopts a methodology to distinguish teaching quality improvement from the reversal effect. It shows that instructors with a poor (good) ranking in the previous evaluation are more likely to receive an improved (decreased) ranking in the current evaluation. This reversal effect is more pronounced among the instructors who are associate/assistant professors, younger and female. This study provides evidence that supports the reversal effect rather than the improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lattice thermal conductivity of carbon materials is particularly interesting because it can vary within a range spanning five orders of magnitude depending on the atomic configuration. Herein, we systematically study the lattice thermal conductivity and phonon transport properties of pentadiamond, a new three-dimensional carbon allotrope consisting of pentagonal carbon rings. Based on first-principles calculations and an iterative solution to the linearized Boltzmann transport equation, the intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity (kl) is found to be 490.88 W/mK at room temperature, much lower than 2664.93 W/mK of diamond. A detailed analysis of both harmonic and anharmonic properties reveals that the low kl of pentadiamond essentially originates from its large phonon phase space, short phonon relaxation time resulting from strong overlap between the acoustic and low-lying optical phonon branches, and the low phonon group velocity. The distinct thermal transport behavior exhibited in pentadiamond further shows the diversity and complexity in lattice thermal conductivity of carbon allotropes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enantiomeric separation of furanocoumarins and dihydroflavones compounds were systematically studied in the normal‐phase mode using four different polysaccharide‐type chiral stationary phases, namely, Chiralpak IA, Chiralpak IC, Chiralpak IG, and Chiralpak IK‐3 by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The effect of alcohol modifiers and alcohol content on enantiomeric separation was evaluated for the separation of furanocoumarins and dihydroflavones. All the eight compounds have achieved baseline separation with the resolutions ranging between 1.52 and 23.11. For a better insight into the enantiorecognition mechanisms, thermodynamic analysis was carried out. The mechanisms of chiral recognition have been discussed. Among four chiral columns, Chiralpak IG exhibited the most universal and the best enantioseparation ability toward furanocoumarins and dihydroflavones when used n‐hexane‐isopropanol and n‐hexane‐ethanol as mobile phase, respectively. The steric hindrance, hydrogen bonding, and π‐π interaction played major roles in chiral recognition on Chiralpak IG. By comparing four chiral columns, this work systematically analyzed the separation methods of furanocoumarins and dihydroflavones for the first time and reported some active chiral ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine that have never been separated, which provided a further insight into the enantioseparation of furanocoumarins and dihydroflavones on chiral stationary phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Over the past few years, the growing market demand for functional food leads to the development of inulin‐containing staple food. Comparing to previous works, this study investigates the effect of inulin with different polymerisation degrees on dough rheology and water distribution in the fresh noodles. Rheological properties of gluten, either using empirical or fundamental methods illustrate the distinctly improved farinograph properties. The tensile properties of the noodles added with LCI increased. Both SCI and LCI reduced the gelatinisation temperature and viscosity of the mixed powder, inhibited the retrogradation of starch. The relaxation time of weakly bound water of fresh noodles with LCI was shortened, the proportion of tightly bound water increased by 3.33%, and the content of freezable water decreased by 1.97%. Results showed that LCI inhibits the fluidity of water and increases the toughness and stability of gluten protein network structure. Noodles with LCI were of higher quality than those in the control group and those with SCI. Both groups inhibit the fluidity of water in noodles and enhance the toughness and stability of the gluten protein network structure. These results show that comparing to SCI, LCI improve the quality of fresh noodles more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an association between drug use and psychological disorders. The correlation between drug craving and psychological symptoms has been studied during drug use and acute withdrawal. However, this correlation has not been researched during non-acute withdrawal. This study recruited 175 females who had long-term drug use history and their abstinent time was at least 30 days. Psychiatric symptoms were tested by Symptoms Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and Visual Analog Scale was utilized to present subjects' craving intensity. The craving intensity was positively associated with SCL-90 total score and its ten subscales, p < 0.01. SCL-90 total score, somatization, obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, and additional items were negatively linked to abstinent time, p < 0.05. Moreover, with the increasing abstinent time, the correlation between craving severity and SCL-90 and its subscales was weakening. The craving was positively associated with psychiatric symptoms in non-acute withdrawal women. This association might weaken and the severity of some psychiatric symptoms may ameliorate over time. Women who have drug use disorders would benefit from psychiatric treatment to reduce drug craving and to subsequently decrease relapse rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Introduction of small amount of methanol can effectively decrease the energy barrier for propane dehydrogenation, as the methoxy and alkene-based species generated in methanol conversion are important hydrogen transfer reagents that promote the C–H bond activation of propane. • Direct dehydrogenation of propane on the acid sites of H-ZSM-5 is very difficult. • Introduction of methanol can promote the dissociation of C–H bond of propane. • Alkene-based species are important hydrogen transfer agents. • Alkene-based species show higher activity towards C–H bond activation of propane. Co-coupling conversion of propane and methanol is an effective method to promote the activation of propane; however, the reaction mechanism has not been fully understood due to the complex reaction network. In this study, the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics of various elementary steps for propane activation under the assistance of methanol over H-ZSM-5 zeolite were systemically investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations combining with model experiments. The results show that direct dehydrogenation of propane on the acid sites of zeolite is very difficult, while introduction of methanol considerably decreases the free energy barrier for propane activation. This is because large amounts of active intermediates, such as surface methoxy and alkene-based species, are generated in methanol conversion that promote the propane dehydrogenation through hydrogen transfer reactions. Among these active intermediates, alkene-based species (including adsorbed alkene and tertiary carbocations) show higher activity towards C–H bond activation of propane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of rhodamine‐based fluorescent sensors for the selective and sensitive detection of Pd2+ metal ions in aqueous media has been developed. A rhodamine‐based sensor PMS and a rhodamine‐BODIPY Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)‐pair sensor PRS have been incorporated with a piperazine linker and an O−N−S−N podand ligand for specific recognition of Pd2+ ion. Both probes displayed colorimetric and fluorescent ratiometric changes when exposed to Pd2+, due to their spirolactam rings opening and restoring rhodamine conjugation. PRS is highly selective to Pd2+ over 22 other metal ions, showing a 0.6‐fold ratiometric difference at I600nm/I515nm. Additionally, the lactam ring in Pd2+ coordinated PRS‐Pd could be switched back to the closed form in the presence of various thiols, providing a "red‐green traffic light" detection mechanism between red and green emission. Furthermore, PRS showed excellent cell viability and was successfully employed to image Pd2+ and the PRS‐Pd complex ensemble could interchangeably detect biothiols including glutathione (GSH) in A549 human lung cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoraleae Fructus (PF) is one of the most frequently used traditional Chinese medicine, which has good efficacy in warming kidney to activate yang, promoting inspiration to relieve asthma and warming spleen to stop diarrhea. However, the chemical composition of PF is complex, which makes it difficult to determine its active and toxic components. In order to rapidly classify and identify the chemical components of the extracts from PF, this research was processed with CNKI, PubMed, and PubChem databases and data post‐processing technique basing on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC‐Q‐Orbitrap MS) technique. Finally, 73 chemical components were discriminated, including 44 flavonoids, 18 coumarins, and 11 terpenoids, with the cleavage rules of each chemical component summarized. This study established a UPLC‐Q‐Orbitrap MS method for the separation and discrimination of the chemical constituents of PF, which can lay a foundation for the further study of its medicinal substances and quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peritoneal metastasis (PM) frequently occurs in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and is a major cause of mortality. Risk stratification for PM can optimize decision making in GC treatment. Methods: A total of 25 GC patients (13 with synchronous, 6 with metachronous PM and 6 PM-free) were included in this study. Quantitative proteomics by high-depth tandem mass tags labeling and whole-exome sequencing were conducted in primary GC and PM samples. Proteomic signature and prognostic model were established by machine learning algorithms in PM and PM-free GC, then validated in two external cohorts. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells in GC were analyzed by CIBERSORT. Results: Heterogeneity between paired primary and PM samples was observed at both genomic and proteomic levels. Compared to primary GC, proteome of PM samples was enriched in RNA binding and extracellular exosomes. 641 differently expressed proteins (DEPs) between primary GC of PM group and PM-free group were screened, which were enriched in extracellular exosome and cell adhesion pathways. Subsequently, a ten-protein signature was derived based on DEPs by machine learning. This signature was significantly associated with patient prognosis in internal cohort and two external proteomic datasets of diffuse and mixed type GC. Tumor-infiltrating immune cell analysis showed that the signature was associated with immune microenvironment of GC. Conclusions: We characterized proteomic features that were informative for PM progression of GC. A protein signature associated with immune microenvironment and patient outcome was derived, and it could guide risk stratification and individualized treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between the severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and indexes of left ventricle (LV) structure and function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. Retrospective analysis of 790 patients with T2DM and preserved LV ejection fraction. Retinopathy stages were classified as no DR, early nonproliferative DR, moderate to severe nonproliferative DR, or proliferative DR. The electrocardiogram was used to assess myocardial conduction function. Echocardiography was used to evaluate myocardial structure and function. Results. Patients were divided into three groups based on the DR status: no DR group (NDR, n = 475), nonproliferative DR group (NPDR, n = 247), and proliferative DR group (PDR, n = 68). LV interventricular septal thickness (IVST) increased significantly with more severe retinopathy (NDR: 10.00 ± 1.09 ; NPDR: 10.42 ± 1.21 ; and PDR: 10.66 ± 1.58 ; P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the significant correlation of IVST persisted between subjects with no retinopathy and proliferative DR (odds ratio = 1.35 , P = 0.026). Indices of myocardial conduction function were assessed by electrocardiogram differences among groups of retinopathy (all P < 0.001). In multiple-adjusted linear regression analyses, the increasing degree of retinopathy was closely correlated with heart rate (β = 1.593 , P = 0.027), PR interval (β = 4.666 , P = 0.001), and QTc interval (β = 8.807 , P = 0.005). Conclusion. The proliferative DR was independently associated with worse cardiac structure and function by echocardiography. Furthermore, the severity of retinopathy significantly correlated with abnormalities of the electrocardiogram in patients with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ontology user portraits describe the semantic structure of users' interests. It is very important to study the similar relationship between user portraits to find the communities with overlapping interests. The hierarchical characteristics of user interest can generate multiple similarity relations, which is conducive to the formation of interest clusters. This paper proposed a method of overlapping community detection combining the hierarchical characteristics of user interest and the module distribution entropy of node. First, a hierarchical user interest model was constructed based on the ontology knowledge base to measure the multi-granularity topic similarity of users. Then, a heterogeneous hypergraph was established by using the multi-granularity topic similarity and the following similarity of users to represent the interest network. Based on the mechanism of module distribution entropy of nodes, the community detection algorithm was applied to identify the interested community. The real performance of the proposed algorithm on multiple networks was verified by experiments. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is better than the typical overlapping community detection algorithm in terms of accuracy and recall rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the unrefined instanton partition functions of various 5d gauge theories with matter beyond the fundamental representation as sums over Young diagrams. By using these explicit expressions, we verify a range of identities among the instanton partition functions predicted by Higgsing procedures of fivebrane web diagrams and representation theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has been considered a new biomarker for the diagnosis of angiocardiopathy and insulin resistance. However, the association of the TyG index with subclinical left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction still lacks comprehensive exploration. This study was carried out to examine this relationship in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 150 T2DM patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%) from June 2021 to December 2021 were included in this study. The subclinical LV function was evaluated through global longitudinal strain (GLS), with the predefined GLS < 18% as the cutoff for subclinical LV systolic dysfunction. The TyG index calculation was obtained according to ln (fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2), which was then stratified into quartiles (TyG index—Q). Results: Analyses of clinical characteristics in the four TyG indexes-Q (Q1 (TyG index ≤ 8.89) n = 38, Q2 (8.89 < TyG index ≤ 9.44) n = 37, Q3 (9.44 < TyG index ≤ 9.83) n = 38, and Q4 (TyG index > 9.83) n = 37) were conducted. A negative correlation of the TyG index with GLS (r = -0.307, P < 0.001) was revealed according to correlation analysis. After gender and age were adjusted in multimodel logistic regression analysis, the higher TyG index (OR 6.86; 95% CI 2.44 to 19.30; P < 0.001, Q4 vs Q1) showed a significant association with GLS < 18%, which was still maintained after further adjustment for related clinical confounding factors (OR 5.23, 95% CI 1.12 to 24.51, p = 0.036, Q4 vs Q1). Receiver operator characteristic analysis indicated a diagnostic capacity of the TyG index for GLS < 18% (area under curve: 0.678; P < 0.001). Conclusions: A higher TyG index had a significant association with subclinical LV systolic dysfunction in T2DM patients with preserved ejection fraction, and the TyG index may have the potential to exert predictive value for myocardial damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to examine the association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), microvascular complications, and subclinical left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, and to determine the strength of the correlation in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Global longitudinal strain (GLS) was employed to assess the subclinical LV function of 152 enrolled T2DM patients with preserved LV ejection fraction, with the cutoff for subclinical LV systolic dysfunction predefined as GLS < 18%. Results: According to univariate analysis, the reduced GLS exhibited association with the clinical features including HbA1c, triglyceride, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, heart rate, diabetic retinopathy, and urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) (all p <.05). After the factors of gender, age, and related clinical covariables adjusted, multiple logistic regression analysis revealed the HbA1c (odds ratio [OR] 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–2.13; p <.001), UACR (OR 2.48; 95% CI 1.12–5.47; p =.025) and triglyceride (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.12–3.03; p =.017) as the independent risk factors for the reduced GLS. Receiver operating characteristic curve showed a predictive value of the HbA1c for the subclinical LV systolic dysfunction (area under curve: 0.74; p <.001). Conclusions: In asymptomatic T2DM patients, subclinical LV systolic dysfunction was associated with HbA1c, diabetic complications, and triglyceride. More prominently, HbA1c may exert a prognostic significance for the progression of myocardial damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the unrefined instanton partition functions of various 5d gauge theories with matter beyond the fundamental representation as sums over Young diagrams. By using these explicit expressions, we verify a range of identities among the instanton partition functions predicted by Higgsing procedures of fivebrane web diagrams and representation theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The driver's stochastic nature is one of the important causes of traffic oscillation. To better describe the impact of the driver's stochastic characteristics on car-following behavior, we propose a stochastic full velocity difference model (SFVDM) considering the stochastic variation of the desired velocity. In order to mitigate traffic oscillation caused by driving stochasticity, we further propose a stable speed guidance model (S-SFVDM) by leveraging vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Stochastic linear stability conditions are derived to demonstrate the prominent influence of the driver's stochasticity on the stability of traffic flow and the improvement of traffic flow stability by the proposed guidance strategy, respectively. We present numerical tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed models. The results show that the SFVDM can capture the traffic oscillation caused by the driver's stochastic desired velocity and reproduce the same disturbance growth pattern as in the field experiment. The results also indicate that the S-SFVDM can significantly expand the stable area of traffic flow to decrease the negative impact on traffic flow stability caused by the driver's stochastic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetic hierarchical pores carbon materials synthesized by a self -sacrificing template method. • Rapid and efficient adsorption is possible with a small amount of adsorbent. • The material has good stability and regenerative properties. • Pore filling, hydrogen bond, and hydrophobic interactions enhance the adsorption of BUs. The high speed enrichment of benzoylurea insecticides (BUs) in complex matrices is an essential and challenging step. The present study focuses on the synthesis of a hierarchical pore nitrogen-doped carbon material for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of BUs. This material was prepared through the carbonization of a composite material ZIF-67@MCA which assembly with hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (melamine-cyanurate, MCA) and zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) at room temperature. The optimal adsorption effect is achieved when the mass ratio of ZIF-67 to MCA is 1/3, and the carbonization was performed at 600 °C, the such obtained carbon material was denoted as 1/3ZIF-67@MCA-DCs-600. The material was characterized with various physical methods including X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), water contact angle measurement, Raman spectrometry. 1/3ZIF-67@MCA-DCs-600 exhibits a macro-mesoporous 3D structure with a high degree of nitrogen doping and relatively large specific surface area, making it suitable for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE). The adsorption of BUs with concentration of 100 ng mL-1 can reach equilibrium within 5 s. The interaction between BUs and the adsorbent, facilitated by π-π stacking, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding forces, as well as the material's porosity, enables efficient extraction recoveries ranging from 45 % to 92 %. The enrichment of BUs was achieved through the establishment of an MSPE method under optimized conditions, which was further coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of the four BUs. The linear range spans from 5 ng ml-1 to 1000 ng ml-1 with the correlation coefficient (R2) of ≥ 0.99, Meanwhile, the detection limit for these four BUs falls within the range of 0.01 to 0.10 ng ml-1. The material exhibits good reusability and can be reused for at least 5 cycles. Inter day and intra-day precision ranges from 2.1-7.9 % and 1.0-5.4 %, respectively. The method demonstrates a high level of reliability in practical applications for the determination of BUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ventilated roof thermal performance is analyzed by multi-field coupling COMSOL method. • An optimal air velocity exists in air cavity to obtain a better roof thermal performance. • Roof thermal performance with air vents is better than that without air vents. • Thermal performance of ventilated roof can be enhanced by air deflectors and solar panels. • Optimal layout and design parameters are presented for the ventilated roofs. Building roofs play a pivotal role in energy conservation and carbon reduction of buildings due to their high peak heat gain and large roof area. However, the optimal layout and design parameters for ventilated roofs is not very clear. In this study, the influences of air vents, air inlet and outlet sizes, air velocity in the air cavity, solar panels, and air deflectors on the thermal performance of ventilated roofs were numerically investigated using a new thermal-flow-solar radiation coupling simulation approach and an experimentally validated COMSOL model. The research results show that a ventilated roof structure with air vents has a better thermal performance than that without air vents. The air velocity range of the air inlet between 1 m/s and 1.5 m/s shows a better energy-saving effect than the other air inlet velocities. The thermal performance of the ventilated roof first increases and then reduces as the air inlet and air outlet size increases. An optimal air velocity exists in the air cavity to obtain a better roof thermal performance. A ventilated roof structure with an air deflector exhibits better thermal performance than that without an air deflector. The larger the percentage of solar panel area to the roof area, the greater the energy savings of the ventilated roof. Thermal performance of ventilated roofs can be enhanced by using air deflectors and solar panels. The findings of this study can provide valuable suggestions for optimizing the design and assessing the energy saving-effects of ventilated roofs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, with the increase in the number of climate anomalies, the frequency and severity of landslides and slope failure events are gradually escalating. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a reliable approach that can assess the evolution of slope stability under the long-term climate effects. This study proposes a feasible framework for the approach. Firstly, a finite element (FE) numerical model that integrates thermal–hydraulic (TH) coupling analysis and land–atmosphere interaction process is established. Particularly, a new algorithm for dealing with the unilateral boundary condition of evaporation and infiltration has been proposed. Secondly, a method combining the numerical simulation with discretization-based upper-bound limit analysis approach is employed to evaluate the slope stability. Finally, the performance of the proposed scheme is tested by tracking the evolution of a cut slope stability under climate influence. Results of the case study suggest that significant variation in equivalent pore fluid pressure (EPFP) with suction is crucial for the stability of unsaturated soil slopes. EPFP is strongly dependent on seasonal climate change. Moreover, the stability analysis method adopted can effectively capture the transformation of slope failure modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the swift development of tourism all around the world, it has become vital to improve the recommendation of useful travel information to tourists to assure their convenience and satisfaction. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-objective optimal travel route recommendation framework, which collects tourists' travel trajectories from their mobile phone signaling data. Then, the proposed framework preprocesses the mobile signaling data to transform raw trajectories into tourists' travel sequences. Subsequently, the framework finds the popular attractions and frequent travel routes from the travel pattern sequences by using a frequent pattern mining method. Finally, an improved ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm with a novel extensible heuristic factor approach is adopted to search the multi-objective optimal travel routes according to the popularity of attractions and travel time of tourists. The experimental results indicate that the proposed framework is efficient in recommending multi-objective optimal travel routes considering tourists' travel time and attractions' popularity while ensuring that the recommended travel route is suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of autonomous driving and communication technology, the heterogeneous traffic flow by combining connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and manually driven vehicles (MVs) will appear on the freeway in the near future. It is expected that CAVs can improve the freeway capacity and reduce vehicle exhaust emissions, but sharing the same road by CAVs and MVs will cause certain interference to CAVs. In order to reduce the negative influence of the heterogeneous traffic flow, setting up CAV dedicated lanes to separate CAVs from MVs to a certain extent is regarded as a reasonable solution. Based on the characteristics that MVs should be decelerated by a realistic amplitude and that the connected and autonomous vehicle can accurately predict the speed of its preceding and rear CAVs at the next time step, a heterogeneous traffic flow model was established. Based on this model, we studied the overall influence of different lane strategies on the operating efficiency of freeway traffic flow and vehicle exhaust emissions under different densities with different CAV penetration rates. The results show that setting up CAV dedicated lanes with low CAV penetration rates will have a negative impact on the freeway traffic flow. When the CAV penetration rate is 40%–60% and the density is not less than 30 veh/km/lane, setting up one CAV dedicated lane is the best choice. When the CAV penetration rate exceeds 60% and the density is not less than 40 veh/km/lane, setting up two CAV dedicated lanes is the best choice. The research finding will assist in understanding the overall influence of CAV dedicated lanes on freeway traffic flow and help determine the optimal number of CAV dedicated lanes under different traffic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the efficacy of surgical intervention with antibiotic treatment for congenital dermal sinus (CDS) with central nervous system infection. Clinical data of 20 patients with CDS and central nervous system infection were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received early surgical treatment combined with postoperative antibiotic therapy after the diagnosis was confirmed. The infection control effect was evaluated according to the clinical symptoms, laboratory examination results, and improvement of neurological function. All 20 patients were treated with complete resection of the CDS and postoperative antibiotic therapy. No severe surgical complications occurred. Patients were followed for 3–81 months with a median follow-up time of 37.5 months. Postoperative infection was effectively controlled with no recurrence. Neurological dysfunction and related symptoms improved to varying extents after treatment, and the Spina Bifida Neurological Scale score at the final follow-up significantly increased. Patients with CDS and central nervous system infection should receive surgical management at an early stage with antibiotic treatment. This treatment algorithm was effective for control infection and protection of neurological function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of solar energy into chemical energy by photo‐hydrolysis is considered as an effective way to solve current energy and environmental problems. The preparation of photo‐catalysts with excellent activity is expected to promote the rapid development of photo‐catalytic hydrogen production research. A two‐step strategy is used to obtain a CdS‐based photo‐catalyst with enhanced photo‐hydrogen production efficiency by improving the electron transport efficiency and the intrinsic electric field to promote electron separation. The CdS/Ag2S/NiS nanocomposites were prepared by a two‐step method in this work. After characterization of the structure, optical properties and surface chemical state by XRD, EDS, XPS, TEM and UV‐vis, it is found that Under visible light exposure (λ=420 nm), when the ratio of NiS is 11 %, the sample got the highest hydrogen yield (3280 μmol ⋅ g−1 ⋅ h−1), which is 2.8 times of CdS/Ag2S material, and also showing good cycle stability. The improved catalytic efficiency can be attributed to two points: the introduction of Ag2S provides more electro‐chemical active sites and routes for nano‐materials; the introduction of NiS builds an internal electric field to promote the transmission and separation of optical electrons and holes, and improve aquatic hydrogen capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel type of robust membrane with organic–inorganic dual-network structure were constructed for flue gas carbon capture. [Display omitted] • Robust polysesquioxane/polymer organic–inorganic dual-network membranes were prepared. • The dual-network membranes demonstrated superior structural stability and gas permselectivity. • The dual-network membranes hold great potential for flue gas carbon capture. In the present study, robust organic/inorganic dual-network membranes were designed by combining the advantages of polysesquioxane with superior thermal and structural stabilities, and polyether with outstanding CO 2 -philic and film-forming abilities. Specifically, a typical polysesquioxane precursor, bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE), was selected to generate the inorganic-based amorphous network via a hydrolysis and condensation process, during which polyethylene glycol (PEG) was introduced to form the organic network. The Si-O-Si network derived from BTESE could provide excellent mechanical stability, while the repeat polar ethylene oxide units contained in PEG were expected to furnish a strong affinity toward CO 2 through dipolar-dipolar interactions. In comparison to individual membranes, the dual-network membranes presented both attractive CO 2 /N 2 separation performance and improved structural stability. These dual-network membranes proposed in this work hold great potential in industrial flue gas carbon capture and the strategies for designing such inorganic–organic dual-network membranes could be extended to other robust inorganic–organic hybrid films/materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for patients with unresectable or partially resectable GC. However, its adverse effects and chemoresistance greatly restrict its applicability and efficacy. Although HER2-targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been successfully used for GC treatment, their beneficial population is limited. To expand the range of cancer treatments, drug repurposing has emerged as a promising strategy. In this study, we evaluated the potential of Metformin, an oral anti-hyperglycemic agent, to suppress GC progression both in vivo and in vitro. Functional investigations showed that Metformin significantly inhibits GC proliferation and migration. Furthermore, we discovered that Metformin bound and disrupted STAT1 phosphorylation, inhibiting PRMT1 expression and consequently GC progression. In conclusion, our study not only provides further evidence for the anti-GC role of Metformin but also identifies the direct target mediating the tumor-inhibitory effects of Metformin in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-driving control for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) presents significant energy-saving potential by enabling smooth, non-stop travel through signalized intersections. This study addresses the challenge of traffic uncertainties under congestion conditions, which often lead to trajectory planning errors and increased energy consumption. We propose a hierarchical eco-driving approach for CAVs that incorporates both upper-layer trajectory planning and lower-layer velocity control. The upper layer employs a dynamic programming-based model for time-based optimal eco-driving reference trajectory planning, focusing on objectives of energy efficiency and high mobility. In the lower layer, a model predictive control (MPC)-based two-mode velocity controller is formulated to adeptly handle infeasible or unreasonable reference trajectories. Evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms existing strategies, achieving average improvements of 3.99% in CO 2 emissions, 3.65% in fuel consumption, and 2.61% in vehicle mobility. We suggest that a comprehensive evaluation framework for eco-driving performance of CAVs should be established with respect to diverse traffic conditions, regulating CAV market entry from an environmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicles' lane-changing behavior can potentially result in traffic conflicts and crash risks, particularly in scenarios with interactions among multiple vehicles. To assess the crash risk of multi-vehicle interaction lane-changing (MILC) scenarios, this study presents a dynamic traffic graph-based risk assessment method. First, a method for constructing dynamic scene graphs is proposed, along with graph-based indicators for assessing scene and scenario risks. Second, the Gaussian mixture model-latent Dirichlet allocation (GMM-LDA) algorithm is utilized to cluster risk sequences of MILC scenarios, enabling the classification of scenario risks into different levels. The method considers both dynamic and static elements in these scenarios, as well as the spatial relationships among these elements. A case study was conducted to illustrate this approach at a weaving area in China. The findings reveal that diverging segments have the highest probability of high-risk MILC scenarios. Furthermore, the likelihood of high-risk scenarios involving consecutive lane-changing maneuvers is higher compared to single lane changes. Left lane-changing behavior exhibits a higher probability of high-risk scenarios compared to right lane-changing. The proposed risk assessment method facilitates the identification and construction of high-risk MILC scenarios. It also enables the exploration of the risk evolution process. • A semantic representation method is proposed to represents multi-vehicle interaction lane changing (MILC) scenarios. • A graph-based risk assessment method for MILC scenarios (MIRA) portrays the dynamic interactive feedback relationship between vehicles. • The GMM-LDA clustering method is used to identify the risk patterns of the MILC scenarios considering the dynamic spatial distribution of vehicles. • The research facilitates the identification of high-risk MILC scenarios, as well as enabling the exploration of the process of risk evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale activities such as the Winter Olympics are usually held in areas with low temperature or other harsh environments, which greatly affects the spectating experience of pedestrians. In order to improve the travel efficiency and reduce the safety risk of pedestrians, an adaptive information-distribution strategy of VMS (variable message sign) for road networks is proposed to guide the pedestrians. In the proposed strategy, the dynamic feedback mechanism between the VMS information distribution and the state of crowded pedestrians is established, and the dynamic optimization model of the VMS information release layout is formulated. To evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy, a multiagent-based simulation method is proposed. Through numerical simulation, it is found that the guidance strategy can improve the movement efficiency by adjusting releasing duration of VMS information or improving the information obedience rate of pedestrians. In this paper, a large-scale competition area in the Xiaohaituo Mountain in Beijing was taken as an example to simulate the scenarios of ingress and egress with and without the strategy. The results show that the average walking time and the road congestion can be significantly reduced in the road network with the strategy, and the proportion of pedestrians with shorter travel time can be increased. Therefore, the research can provide theoretical foundation and data support for managers to guide passenger flows and improve the spectating experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the effect of on-the-spot diagnosis of senile cataract, this paper combines the intelligent processor to explore the application of color Doppler ultrasound in the clinical analysis of senile cataract. Moreover, this paper measures and calculates the diameter, perimeter, area, volume, or velocity of blood flow reflected by color Doppler ultrasound images. In addition, this paper adopts the measurement method provided by composite measurement to design the intelligent processor. Each measurement analysis package is defined as an independent class, and the data, properties, and methods are encapsulated in a class, which is beneficial to the modular design of the program and the overall management of the system. The experimental results verify that the intelligent processor proposed in this paper has a certain effect in the clinical analysis of color Doppler ultrasound diagnosis of senile cataract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effects of motivational interviewing (MI) on treatment outcome as measured by variations within glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and depression in cases subject to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Methods: Two independent investigators electronically conducted a literature search by exploiting Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to January 2021. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental interventions were involved, in which motivational interviewing was examined to be associated with the treatment outcome in people with T1DM. We calculated standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model by RevMan V 5.4.1 software. Results: Lastly, a total of 9 studies comprising 1322 (680 vs 642) cases were covered, 3 of which involved 332 (166 vs 166) cases for depression meta-analysis. The analysis indicated a 0.11% improvement in glycemic control in populations having accepted a MI intervention in comparison with usual care participants, whereas the effect did not show statistical significance (SMD, − 0.11; 95% CI, − 0.33 to 0.11; Z = 0.97, p = 0.33, I2 = 60%). The depression scores between the intervention group and the control showed no significant difference (SMD, − 0.00; 95% CI, − 0.93 to 0.92; Z = 0.00, p = 1.00, I2 = 91%). Conclusions: The effect of motivational interviewing in reducing glucose levels and depression is suggested to be limited. But as impacted by the issues of heterogeneity and small number of included studies, caution in interpreting the present findings is advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the maturity and popularity of network technology and multimedia technology, more and more communication tools and means have entered people's lives. The usual communication tools are often limited to the ability to transmit sound signals. This method does not well express the information between the two parties in some special occasions, such as a noisy environment, where both parties have language or hearing impairments. The multimedia communication system is a technology that combines network communication and multimedia. It utilizes the efficiency of data transmission over the network and the diversity of information in multimedia, making communication between people faster, clearer, and more intuitive. The multimedia communication system is an important part of the application to the intelligent transportation system. Intelligent transportation system is a systematic, real-time, accurate, interactive, and extensive traffic management system established by the comprehensive use of modern high and new technology in the transportation system. With these characteristics, intelligent transportation system has increasingly become an important means to solve modern traffic problems. Based on multimedia communication and intelligent transportation system, this article optimizes the vehicle path and realizes the application of intelligent transportation. The proposed intelligent transportation system realizes functions, such as vehicle speed detection, vehicle behavior semantic analysis, license plate recognition by processing video data, and image data acquired based on multimedia communication, and can capture illegal vehicles and then identify illegal vehicles. The license plate is conducive to promoting the management and control of intelligent transportation and reducing the occurrence of traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association of potential cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: We enrolled 120 participants (aged 61.5-69.5 years) with type 2 diabetes and 60 (aged 62.5-73.5 years) with normal glucose tolerance in the discovery group from the original Da Qing Diabetes Study. Their diabetes status was confirmed in 1986; then, the participants were followed over 23 years to collect CVD outcome data. Untargeted and targeted metabolomics analyses based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were used to identify potential markers. Multivariable regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between metabolites and CVD outcomes. An independent group of 335 patients (aged 67.0-77.0 years) with diabetes was used for biomarker validation.Results: In the discovery group, untargeted metabolomics analysis found 16 lipids and fatty acids metabolites associated with CVD risk in patients with diabetes, with palmitoyl sphingomyelin (PSM) having the strongest association. Plasma PSM concentrations were significantly higher in cases of diabetes with CVD than without (41.68 ± 10.47 vs. 9.69 ± 1.47 μg/mL; P < 0.0001). The odds ratio (OR) of CVD for 1 µg/mL PSM change was 1.19 (95% CI 1.13-1.25) after adjustment of clinical confounders. The validation study confirmed that PSM was significantly associated with increased CVD risk in diabetes (OR 1.22 [95% CI 1.16-1.30]).Conclusions: Changes in lipid and fatty acid content were significantly associated with CVD risk in the Chinese population with diabetes. PSM is a potential biomarker of increased CVD risk in diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have attracted intense interest due to their solution-processability, flexibility, and mechanical stretchability. Dramatic improvements have been made in the performance of OFETs, but, in reality, OFETs are usually plagued by ambient instability. This instability is strongly associated with extrinsic factors, such as the presence of moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this review, recent studies of water- and oxygen-related instabilities in OFETs and their origins are discussed and summarized, with a particular focus on p-type OFETs. Based on this, we have focussed on the discussion of the strategies for improving the ambient stability of OFETs, particularly for those components that are most studied in this context: organic semiconductor (OSC) layers, OSC/gate dielectric interface, and OSC/electrode interface. Finally, a summary of the review, as well as a conclusion with a perspective on the pathways to further enhance the stability of OFETs, are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The active region of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) is usually sensitive to moisture and O2 in the air ambient, which hinders their practical applications. In this study, the effects of air ambient on characteristics of unpassivated 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis (triethylsilylethynyl) anthradithiophene (dif-TES-ADT) OTFTs are clarified. The device is much more sensitive to H2O vapor than O2, although both of which cause TFT instability. To improve the environmental stability, inkjet-printed passivation of the fluoropolymer CYTOP and UV curing adhesive are compared. It is found that the CYTOP passivation is well compatible with the organic channel while the UV curing adhesive has excellent barrier ability to both H2O vapor and O2. Then CYTOP/UV adhesive bilayer passivation combining advantages of both materials is introduced to achieve stable operation of OTFTs, which can resist saturated H2O vapor and O2 for 25 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of urban rail transit necessitates accurate short-term passenger flow forecasts (STPFF) to optimize operation plans and enhance service quality. However, the existing STPFF methods do not fully consider the effect of built environment on passenger flow. In this regard, a convolutional long short-term memory neural network (CNN-LSTM) model incorporating built environment indicators has been proposed for accurately short-term passenger flow predictions. First, a system of built environment indicators (including 11 indicators), anchored in the 5Ds framework, is introduced to depict the characteristics of the built environments surrounding rail transit stations. Then, the random forest model (RF) is utilized to measure and rank the indicator importance. Finally, using historical passenger flow and key built environment indicators as input variables, a CNN-LSTM model for short-term passenger flow forecast is built. Taking Beijing city, China as an example for empirical research, the results show that CNN-LSTM model considering built environment can improve the accuracy of STPFF. Utilizing the top four key built environment indicators (the ratio of commercial land area, density of point of interest (POI) categories, and bus station density) as input variables can effectively reduce model computational complexity while concurrently enhancing predictive accuracy. The highest forecasting accuracy of the model is achieved at a time granularity of 5 min. This study can effectively support the operation and management of urban rail transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of accidents in expressway weaving areas is significantly influenced by frequent lane change maneuvers. Acquiring the lane change behavior pattern characteristics of vehicles in this area can provide prior knowledge for autonomous vehicles when performing lane change maneuvers, which helps ensure the safety of autonomous vehicles. This study aims to extract lane change behavior patterns of vehicles in weaving areas, to analyze the distribution differences of patterns across different lane change maneuvers, and to explore risk characteristics during the lane change process. First, a lane-changing sequence segmentation method was designed based on the hierarchical Dirichlet process hidden semi-Markov model (HDP-HSMM) algorithm, taking into account the interaction with surrounding vehicles and risk factors. Second, the Gaussian mixture model latent Dirichlet allocation (GMM-LDA) algorithm was employed to cluster the segments and derive patterns of lane-changing behavior that include risk attributes. The trajectory data from the UCF SST dataset were used to validate the method framework and make an in-depth analysis. The results show that the behavior patterns obtained by this method are able to better describe the operational and risk states of the vehicle. Variations exist in the behavioral patterns of different types of lane change maneuvers throughout the entire process. Spatial distribution disparities exist in the behavior patterns of lane change maneuvers across various sections of weaving areas. The findings of this study provide behavioral characteristics of different types of lane change maneuvers in weaving areas, which might contribute to enhancing the accurate recognition of lane change behaviors by autonomous vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct Z-scheme photocatalytic systems driven by visible light to eliminate organic pollutants in wastewater have become important scientific tools in the field of photocatalysis. In this study, a direct Z-scheme CdIn2S4/TiO2 heterojunction with high efficiency was prepared through a simple hydrothermal method. Benefiting from the increased visible light response and prolonged lifetime of photoexcited carriers, the as-prepared CdIn2S4/TiO2 composites exhibit significantly promoted photocatalytic performance for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible-light illumination (λ ≥ 420 nm). The CdIn2S4-25 wt% TiO2 (25CT) photocatalyst exhibited the highest degradation efficiency (96.2% within 30 min) with a rate constant of 0.1193 min−1 and remarkable stability and repeatability. In the meantime, the study of the photocatalytic mechanism shows that the charge transfer path conforms to the Z-scheme model, in which h+ and ˙O2− are the main active species. This study provides strong practical support for the preparation of efficient Z-scheme photocatalytic materials by hydrothermal methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Link prediction of complex network intends to estimate the probability of existence of links between two nodes. In order to improve link prediction accuracy and fully exploit the potentialities of nodes, many studies focus more on the influence of degree on nodes but less on the hybrid influence of degree and H-index. The nodes with a larger degree have more neighbors, and the nodes with larger H-index have more neighbors of neighbors. Meanwhile, weak ties consisting of neighbors with a small degree have powerful strength of intermediary ability and a high probability of passing similarity. A novel link prediction model is proposed considering the hybrid influence of degree and H-index and weak ties, which is called Hybrid Weak Influence, marked as HWI. After experimenting with nine real datasets, the results show that this method can significantly improve the link prediction accuracy, compared with the empirical methods: Common Neighbors (CN), Resource-Allocation (RA) and Adamic/Adar (AA). Meanwhile, the computation complexity is less than the long path algorithm of LP, SRW, PCEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We aimed to investigate whether a modified implantation method facilitating a fully open umbrella can reduce the pericardial effusion/pericardial tamponade (PE/PT) rate after left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) with the LAmbre device compared with the conventional method (CM) in patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods and Results: Patients with NVAF who received either isolated LAAC or combined catheter ablation and LAAC using the LAmbre device at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled. CM was used for device implantation in the initial 59 patients, while a modified method (MM) was used in the remaining 165 patients. Successful implantation was achieved in 98.3% of patients in the CM group and 98.8% in the MM group. A higher rate of a fully open umbrella (98.8% vs. 69%, p <.001), less requirement for recapture (46% vs. 62.1%, p =.036), and a lower incidence of delayed PE/PT (1.2% vs. 8.6%, p =.005) were found in the MM group compared with the CM group. All of the five delayed PT events occurred in patients with combined treatment. An umbrella that was not fully open was the only factor associated with delayed PE/PT events in a multivariable Cox model. Conclusions: LAAC with the LAmbre device using an MM significantly increases the rate of a fully open umbrella and decreases the requirement for recapture and the incidence of delayed PE/PT. This method is more effective in patients with combined treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Small molecule precursors are widely available, easy to synthesize and low cost. • Mn single-atom active sites are evenly distributed on the carbon skeleton. • Coupled Mn-N 4 and N sites facilitate efficient PMS activation for 1O 2 generation. • SA-Mn-NC/PMS shows pH adaptability, environmental resilience, and cyclic stability. Single-atom catalysts with high catalytic efficiency and simple preparation methods are critical for activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade emerging contaminants in aqueous solution. Herein, manganese single-atom nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst (SA-Mn-NC) was synthesized by precisely controlled catalytic carbonization using small-molecule organic compounds as precursors, and Mn was uniformly dispersed in a single-atom state and existed in the ligand structure of Mn-N 4. Thus, the SA-Mn-NC had considerable catalytic activity and can realize 100% bisphenol A degradation within 3 min with k obs of 1.56 min−1, which was 4.7 and 9.2 times higher than that of NC (0.33 min−1) and Mn-NC (0.17 min−1). Moreover, SA-Mn-NC has excellent environmental adaptability, negligible metal leaching concentration, good cycling stability, and selectivity to electron-rich compounds. EPR tests, quenching experiments, electrochemical measurements, and selective degradation results together confirmed that singlet oxygen (1O 2) was the main active species in the SA-Mn-NC/PMS system. The coupled N-active sites of Mn-N 4 contribute to the efficient activation of PMS to generate 1O 2 and achieve high catalytic turnover frequency. This work provides a simple strategy for the preparation of single-atom catalysts with considerable PMS catalytic efficiency and negligible metal leaching toxicity, which is of guiding importance for the design of single-atom catalysts for high-efficiency water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]