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Inspired by the global budget concept in health care, we propose an innovative subsidy scheme in which governments do not commit the subsidy amount in advance but determine it by the end of the subsidy period. The performance of the traditional and proposed subsidy schemes is evaluated in an oligopoly without competition, where each manufacturer decides its product quality and production quantity under the diseconomies of scale in production. Both types of schemes can take into account product quality or not. Our results show that compared to the traditional scheme, the proposed scheme drives manufacturers to reduce production quantity but improves product quality and brings them higher profits. Furthermore, the scheme results in greater social welfare when the subsidy budget is large. Finally, we conduct robustness checking by considering the market competition and absence of the diseconomies of scale, respectively. The result shows that the main findings in the basic model continue to hold, while there are additional findings. In the first scenario, as the market competition intensity increases, our proposed scheme becomes more preferable to the manufacturers and the government. In the second scenario, subsidy schemes that take product quality into account are never preferable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder. Its etiology may be associated with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. With the advancement of technology, the integration of genomics, transcriptomics, and imaging data related to AD allows simultaneous exploration of molecular information at different levels and their interaction within the organism. This paper proposes a hypergraph-regularized joint deep semi-non-negative matrix factorization (HR-JDSNMF) algorithm to integrate positron emission tomography (PET), single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and gene expression data for AD. The method employs matrix factorization techniques to nonlinearly decompose the original data at multiple layers, extracting deep features from different omics data, and utilizes hypergraph mining to uncover high-order correlations among the three types of data. Experimental results demonstrate that this approach outperforms several matrix factorization-based algorithms and effectively identifies multi-omics biomarkers for AD. Additionally, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data for AD were collected, and genes within significant modules were used to categorize different types of cell clusters into high and low-risk cell groups. Finally, the study extensively explores the differences in differentiation and communication between these two cell types. The multi-omics biomarkers unearthed in this study can serve as valuable references for the clinical diagnosis and drug target discovery for AD. The realization of the algorithm in this paper code is available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (Mecp2) is an epigenetic modulator and numerous studies have explored its impact on the central nervous system manifestations. However, little attention has been given to its potential contributions to the peripheral nervous system (PNS). To investigate the regulation of Mecp2 in the PNS on specific central regions, we generated Mecp2fl/flAdvillincre mice with the sensory-neuron-specific deletion of the Mecp2 gene and found the mutant mice had a heightened sensitivity to temperature, which, however, did not affect the sense of motion, social behaviors, and anxiety-like behavior. Notably, in comparison to Mecp2fl/fl mice, Mecp2fl/flAdvillincre mice exhibited improved learning and memory abilities. The levels of hippocampal synaptophysin and PSD95 proteins were higher in Mecp2fl/flAdvillincre mice than in Mecp2fl/fl mice. Golgi staining revealed a significant increase in total spine density, and dendritic arborization in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons of Mecp2fl/flAdvillincre mice compared to Mecp2fl/fl mice. In addition, the activation of the BDNF-TrkB-CREB1 pathway was observed in the hippocampus and spinal cord of Mecp2fl/flAdvillincre mice. Intriguingly, the hippocampal BDNF/CREB1 signaling pathway in mutant mice was initiated within 5 days after birth. Our findings suggest a potential therapeutic strategy targeting the BDNF-TrkB-CREB1 signaling pathway and peripheral somasensory neurons to treat learning and cognitive deficits associated with Mecp2 disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of iron ore could cause heavy metals pollution in the soils, which threatens the ecosystem and human health. In this study, soil, stream sediment, tailings, rock, and atmospheric deposition samples were collected from an iron mine in Baotou City. The concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn, Al2O3, CaO, K2O, MgO, Na2O, SiO2, and Fe2O3, as well as the mineral composition and heavy metal speciation of the samples, were analyzed for pollution assessment and source identification of heavy metals. The results reveal that the concentration of Cu in the soils was significantly higher than the background value, and an unpolluted to moderately polluted state was the main pollution level. By analyzing the relationship between Cu/Al2O3 and CaO in different samples, as well as the characteristics of the chemical index of alteration (CIA), mineral composition, and the chemical speciation of Cu in soils and profiles, the results suggest that tailings were the source of Cu pollution in soils. The distribution characteristics of Cu and CaO in stream sediments indicated that hydraulic transport may be one of the main migration pathways. In addition, wind transport may also be a pathway of migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In several disorders, the monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) has been considered a biomarker of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. However, its role in Bell's palsy (BP) remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between elevated MHR and poor recovery in BP patients. Methods: The clinical data of 729 BP patients were analyzed retrospectively. The House-Brackmann Facial Nerve Grading System (H-B) was utilized to assess the severity of facial motor dysfunction during admission and the follow-up period after discharge. According to the 6 months follow-up data, H-B grades 1–2 were classified as recovered (n = 557), and H-B grades 3–6 as unrecovered (n = 172). The patients were split into MHR ≤ 0.26 (n = 361) and MHR > 0.26 (n = 368) groups based on the median MHR to further analyze the connection between different MHRs and prognosis. Results: The level of MHR was substantially greater in the unrecovered group of BP patients than in the restored group (medians[interquartile range], 0.32[0.20, 0.49] vs 0.24[0.11, 0.39], P < 0.001). MHR was an independent risk factor for BP prognosis as indicated by the multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR = 4.467, 95% CI = 1.875–10.646, P = 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.615 (95% CI = 0.566–0.664, P < 0.001). The initial H-B score did not differ significantly between MHR ≤ 0.26 (n = 361) and MHR > 0.26 (n = 368) groups. However, after 6 months of follow-up, the high-MHR group's H-B score was considerably greater than the low-MHR group's. Conclusions: MHR is expected to be an accessible and effective biomarker of BP. In BP patients, elevated MHR is related to an increased chance of poor recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate the financial shortage for public service provision, a government agency may jointly finance, own, and run a service system with a private firm (in the manner of a joint venture) or delegate service provision to the firm subject to regulation in service price or wait time. We model the service system as a queueing system in which customers are heterogeneous in service valuation and sensitive to price and delay. While the government aims to maximize social welfare, the firm's goal is to maximize profit. Hence, the joint venture has the objective of a mix of profit maximization and social welfare creation. Under the regulation, two types of interaction between the government and the firm, that is, sequential move (in the absence of the government's myopic adjustment) and simultaneous move (in the presence of myopic adjustment), are considered. We find that while wait time regulation is more efficient than price regulation in the presence of myopic adjustment, the relationship is reversed in the absence of myopic adjustment. Somewhat surprisingly, price regulation with myopic adjustment may backfire. However, in some instances, the government must take a large share in a joint venture to achieve the same performance under price regulation without myopic adjustment. Our work uncovers whether the government adopts myopic adjustment plays a critical role in choosing the regulation instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowded object detection under the heavy traffic environment is always a challenging task in the field of autonomous driving and robotics, because the dense gathering of vehicles or pedestrians inevitably bring heavy occlusion. It is difficult to distinguish highly overlapped objects and predict their bounding boxes accurately, especially for small objects far down the road. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an improved YOLOv5s network integrating a multi-scale feature fusion module with attention mechanism for crowded road object detection task. Specifically, to enhance the multi-scale representation of semantic features and to model the object scale variation flexibly, we introduce an attention-guided pyramid feature fusion strategy into the YOLOv5s backbone network. Then a C3CA module is designed by embedding the coordinate attention (CA) into the concentrated-comprehensive convolution (C3) module of the original YOLOv5s, which can boost the ability of extracting distinguishing features from the overlapped objects. In addition, we add implicit detection heads (IDHs) into the original YOLOv5s’s detection head part, which helps the network to learn implicit knowledge and improves the detection accuracy. Finally, a simplified optimal transport assignment (SimOTA) and a bounding box regression loss with dynamic focusing mechanism are used to improve the detector’s overall performance. Extensive experiments on the public dataset BDD100K and our self-built crowded road object dataset (XMRD) demonstrate the superiority of our model in crowded road scenarios. The mean average precision (mAP) of our model can achieve 71.2% and 88.2% on the BDD100K and XMRD datasets, respectively, which provides an improvement of +3% over the existing state of the art models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SnZn defect passivation and heterojunction interface energetics‐modification are crucial for further improvement of open‐circuit voltage (Voc) and efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. Herein, a simple but effective cation substitution strategy is reported to promote the performance of CZTSSe devices by simultaneously modifying the absorber and heterojunction interface. This is achieved by introducing the organic silicon salt C8H20O4Si into CZTSSe precursor solution as a source of silicon to partially substitute Sn with Si. Systematic studies reveal that there are two mechanisms synergistically contributing to the increase of efficiency: 1) This strategy can passivate the undesired SnZn defect in CZTSSe absorber more efficiently, leading to at least one order of magnitude lower SnZn defect density and beneficial carrier transport properties; 2) After Si incorporation, the conduction band minimum of the CZTSSe is upshifted, thus enlarging the bandgap, which ultimately optimizes the energy level structure at the CdS/CZTSSe interface and reduces interfacial energy loss by decreasing the carrier transport barrier. Consequently, the CZTSSe device with 7% Si substitution delivers a satisfactory efficiency of 13.02% owing to an increase in Voc. It is hoped the Si substitution strategy reported here can provide inspiration for developing advanced CZTSSe devices with broad application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the roller-shaped double V-wing honeycomb (DVWH) structure was used as the object, which was designed for forest harvesting machines. The deformation characteristics of its rotation under a specific compression were studied during the feeding process for the steel feeding roller used in the traditional combined harvesting machine for trees, which is prone to damaging the wood. The compression rate (10%–15%) and rotational speed (100 mm/s–320 mm/s) were used to analyze the relationship between compression rate, rotational speed, and deformation characteristics. The deformation characteristics, characterized by equivalent stress, radial displacement sensitivity, and energy absorption efficiency, were analyzed. The results show that the deformation characteristics of the roller-shaped DVWH structure under driven mode were more sensitive to compression rate and less sensitive to changes in rotational speed. There was a positive correlation between the equivalent stress of the node and the compression rate. The peak equivalent stress of the outermost node at 10% and 15% compression rates were 111.9 MPa and 230.9 MPa. There was a negative correlation between radial displacement–compression sensitivity and compression rate, and a decrease in radial displacement–compression sensitivity from 10% to 15% compression rate at different nodes ranges from 5% to 22%. The feed performance efficiency (EF) grew from 8.3% to 12.7% for a 1% increase in compression rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer remains a significant health issue worldwide, often facing limitations in treatment due to side effects and drug resistance. Tumor cells typically undergo the "Warburg effect," preferring glycolysis, which leads to their rapid growth and survival. Metformin, a widely used diabetes medication, targets 5' adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), reducing glycolysis and thereby slowing tumor growth. Additionally, forkhead box protein K2 (FOXK2), a transcription factor often found in excess in many tumors, promotes glycolysis and tumor development. Delivering metformin and FOXK2 siRNA directly to the tumor site in the body is challenging due to the metformin's poor water solubility and the fragile nature of siRNA. To address this, zirconium and 5,10,15,20‐tetra(4‐pyridyl)porphyrin nanoparticles loaded with FOXK2 siRNA, enveloped in cell membrane, co‐encapsulated with metformin in gelatin methacrylate microspheres (ZrTCP@siFOXK2@CM/Met@GelMA) hydrogel microspheres are developed for effective dual delivery. These microspheres facilitate targeted drug delivery, photothermal therapy with near‐infrared light, and interference with glucose metabolism. These results show that infrared light combined with metformin and FOXK2 siRNA successfully activates the AMPK pathway, reducing ovarian cancer growth. This method offers a promising new direction in treatment, utilizing the complex metabolic characteristics of ovarian cancer to achieve better results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This work designed a motion planning algorithm for autonomous vehicles in unanticipated obstacle scenarios. In standard driving scenarios, the proposed motion planning algorithm plans a trajectory that complies with intersection regulations, including lane-marking, recommended turning lane, traffic light, right-of-way, and no-parking rules. In unanticipated obstacle scenarios, after the necessity of obstacle avoidance is identified, the ego vehicle would break the rules temporarily to ensure the safety and mobility of autonomous vehicles. In unanticipated obstacle scenarios at intersections, the safety and mobility of autonomous vehicles (AVs) are negatively impacted due to the conflict between traffic law compliance and obstacle avoidance. To solve this problem, an obstacle avoidance motion planning algorithm based on artificial potential field (APF) is proposed. An APF-switching logic is utilized to design the motion planning framework. Collision risk and travel delay are quantified as the switching triggers. The intersection traffic laws are digitalized and classified to construct compliance-oriented potential fields. A potential violation cost index (PVCI) is designed according to theories of autonomous driving ethics. The compliance-oriented potential fields are reconfigured according to the PVCI, forming violation cost potential fields. A cost function is designed based on compliance-oriented and violation cost potential fields, integrated with model predictive control (MPC) for trajectory optimization and tracking. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified through simulation experiments comparing diverse traffic law constraint strategies. The results indicate that the algorithm can help AVs avoid obstacles safely in unanticipated obstacle scenarios at intersections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Answering text-related questions while reading is a questioning strategy which is called adjunct questions or embedded questions, the benefits of which have been established in first-language reading as to enhance comprehension. The present study aims to study the effects different adjunct questions exert on second-language (L2) readers' comprehension of texts of various types. One hundred and forty-four intermediate-level Chinese EFL learners participated in this study and were divided randomly into six groups. Each group was given either a narrative or an expository text with 'what or why' questions or no questions. A brief topic familiarity questionnaire was attached to the end of each text paper. The results showed that inserted adjunct questions improved the readers' reading comprehension both in expository and narrative texts, but only narrative texts inserted with why questions had significant effects on the L2 reading comprehension. The findings suggested that text types and question types modulate the effects of inserted adjunct questions on the English reading of intermediate learners. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the simplicity and low cost of attribute inspection, several control charts have been proposed for employing attribute inspection to monitor the mean shifts. But these charts usually require a larger sample size to perform well as the X ¯ chart. In this paper, a new npCEV chart is proposed to monitor process mean shifts based on attribute inspection in which the conditional expected value (CEV) weight method is adopted to take full advantage of the censored observations obtained from attribute inspection. The optimal design of the proposed chart is derived from optimizing average run length (ARL) properties. Several numerical experiments are conducted to investigate the performance of the proposed chart. The results demonstrate that the proposed chart is always superior to npx chart by reducing the sample size by 70% to 97% while achieving the same ARL as npx chart. In addition, the proposed chart always achieves a smaller ARL1 than X ¯ rec chart. Furthermore, the proposed chart outperforms X ¯ chart as it achieves the same ARL as that of X ¯ chart with a lower inspection cost. Finally, an industry example is given to illustrate how to simply apply the proposed chart to the manufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic knee pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common complication that is difficult to treat. This report aims to highlight the benefit of combining embolotherapy and neurolysis intervention for symptomatic relief of post-TKA pain in a patient with long-standing pain refractory to conservative management. Case presentation: A 77-year-old man who had previously undergone left knee arthroplasty has been grappling with worsening knee effusion and debilitating pain, resulting in limited mobility and progressive musculature deconditioning over a 20-year period. Diagnostic arteriography showed marked diffuse periarticular hyperemia around the medial and lateral joint spaces of the left knee, along with capsular distention. The patient initially underwent microsphere embolization to selectively target multiple branches of the genicular arteries, achieving a 50% reduction in pain at the one-month follow-up. Subsequently, the patient underwent image-guided genicular nerve neurolysis, targeting multiple branches of the genicular nerves, which led to further pain reduction (80% compared to the initial presentation or 60% compared to post-embolization) at the one-month follow-up. This improvement facilitated weight-bearing and enabled participation in physical therapy, with sustained pain relief over the 10-month follow-up period. Conclusion: The combination of genicular artery embolization and genicular nerve block may be a technically safe and effective option for alleviating chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship of metabolic issues to pregnancy outcomes during assisted reproductive technology (ART) is gaining much attention. Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) is one of the most common metabolic indicators. Abnormal FPG not only affects the quality of life of human body, but also has a bearing on reproductive health. However, most attentions are paid on women's physical health and reproductive assessment, the health status of the male partner on pregnancy outcomes during ART treatment is often neglected. This study investigated whether male fasting hyperglycemia (FH, FPG > 6.1 mmol/L) can affect live birth rates (LBR) in singleton intrauterine clinical pregnancy women with cryo-thawed embryo transfer (CET) cycles. Material and methods: A retrospective cohort study (370 CET cycles with first singleton clinical intrauterine pregnancy and grouped by male FPG) was conducted to analyze the relationship between male FH and clinical pregnancy outcomes using binary logistic regression; the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as a measure of relevancy. Live birth rate was the main outcome measure. Results: The live birth rate (LBR) was significantly lower [58.6% vs. 81.8%, P = 0.007, adjusted OR 0.635, 95% CI 0.456–0.884] and miscarriage rate (MR) was significantly higher [41.4% vs. 18.2%, P = 0.007, adjusted OR 1.575, 95% CI 1.131–2.195] in the FH group when compared with the Con group. There was no difference in healthy baby rate [88.2% vs. 89.6%, P = 0.058, adjusted OR 2.143, 95% CI 0.974–4.716] or abnormal birth weight rate (23.5% vs. 11.8%, P = 0.238, adjusted OR 2.859, 95% CI 0.777–10.460] between the FH and control group. No birth defects were observed in the present study. Conclusion: Male FH is an independent risk factor for lower LBR and higher MR in singleton intrauterine pregnancy women with CET cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater pottery relics salvaged from shipwrecks are vulnerable to physical, chemical and biological corrosion. In this study, the microscopic morphology and structural composition of glazed pottery fragments excavated from the South China Sea as well as purple clay teapot samples from the Yangtze River Estuary II shipwreck were analyzed by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier infrared transform spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. According to the research results, the corrosion products deposited on the surface of the glazed pottery fragment from the South China Sea mainly included FeOOH and MnO2, whereas those on the surface of the purple clay teapot fragment from the Yangtze River Estuary II shipwreck primarily incorporated FeS2 and FeS. According to the corrosion phenomenon, it was speculated that the underwater pottery relics were mainly corroded by different microorganisms in the underwater environment, including manganese-oxidizing bacteria, dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria. As the corrosion process of these cultural artifacts was described and related models were established, this study provides valuable reference for the disease removal and protection of pottery relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study was performed to investigate the predictive power of the Ovarian Sensitivity Index (OSI) for IVF/ICSI outcomes in infertile patients who were of normal expected ovarian response. A total of 912 infertile patients who underwent GnRH antagonist protocol between January 2017 to August 2019 at the Medical Center for Human Reproduction, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital were included. All patients completed the full oocyte retrieval cycle and either had a live birth or had no embryos left. OSI was significantly lower in patients with a live birth (196.0 ± 120.4 in the live birth group vs 276.4 ± 235.7 in the non-live birth group, p < 0.001) while follicular output rate (FORT, defined as the ratio of pre-ovulatory follicle count on hCG day x 100/small antral follicle count at baseline) showed no significant difference. Patients were divided into low, average and high OSI groups and analysed in tertiles. From the low to the high OSI group, the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) decreased dramatically (72.7 vs 67.2 vs 54.8%, p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that OSI was an independent factor affecting CLBR (OR: 0.996, 95%CI: 0.995–0.998, p < 0.001) in our study population. In conclusion, OSI can be used as an independent indicator to distinguish fecundity in infertile patients with normal expected ovarian response and is probably more sensitive than FORT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thinning of the sclera happens in myopia eyes owing to extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, but the initiators of the ECM remodeling in myopia are mainly unknown. The matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMPs) regulate the homeostasis of the ECM. However, genetic studies of the MMPs and TIMPs in the occurrence of myopia are poor and limited. This study systematically investigated the association between twenty-nine genes of the TIMPs and MMPs families and early-onset high myopia (eoHM) based on whole exome sequencing data. Two TIMP4 heterozygous loss-of-function (LoF) variants, c.528C>A in six patients and c.234_235insAA in one patient, were statistically enriched in 928 eoHM probands compared to that in 5469 non-high myopia control (p = 3.7 × 10−5) and that in the general population (p = 2.78 × 10−9). Consequently, the Timp4 gene editing rat was further evaluated to explore the possible role of Timp4 on ocular and myopia development. A series of ocular morphology abnormalities in a dose-dependent manner (Timp4−/− < Timp4+/− < Timp4+/+) were observed in a rat model, including the decline in the retinal thickness, the elongation in the axial length, more vulnerable to the form deprivation model, morphology changes in sclera collagen bundles, and the decrease in collagen contents of the sclera and retina. Electroretinogram revealed that the b-wave amplitudes of Timp4 defect rats were significantly reduced, consistent with the shorter length of the bipolar axons detected by HE and IF staining. Heterozygous LoF variants in the TIMP4 are associated with early onset high myopia, and the Timp4 defect disturbs ocular development by influencing the morphology and function of the ocular tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The etiology of Bell's palsy (BP) is currently unknown, and the findings from previous studies examining the association between seasonal or meteorological factors and BP have been inconsistent. This research aims to clarify this relationship by analyzing a larger dataset and employing appropriate statistical methods. Data from 5387 patients with BP treated at Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, from May 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023, was gathered. We assessed the temporal distribution of meteorological factors and the incidence of BP across seasons and months. A distributed lag non-linear model was used to further investigate the lagged and overall effects of temperature and air pressure on the onset of BP. The temporal distribution of BP incidence revealed the highest average number of cases occurring in December and the lowest in June. A correlation existed between BP episodes and temperature or air pressure. The model revealed a higher relative risk during periods of low temperature and high air pressure, characterized by a time lag effect. This correlation was notably more pronounced in female patients and individuals in the young and middle-aged groups. Our findings suggest that exposure to low temperatures and high air pressure constitute risk factors for BP development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As an important vegetable crop, cultivated lettuce is grown worldwide and a great variety of agronomic traits have been preserved within germplasm collections. The mechanisms underlying these phenotypic variations remain to be elucidated in association with sequence variations. Compared with single nucleotide polymorphisms, structural variations (SVs) that have more impacts on gene functions remain largely uncharacterized in the lettuce genome. Results: Here, we produced a comprehensive SV set for 333 wild and cultivated lettuce accessions. Comparison of SV frequencies showed that the SVs prevalent in L. sativa affected the genes enriched in carbohydrate derivative catabolic and secondary metabolic processes. Genome-wide association analysis of seven agronomic traits uncovered potentially causal SVs associated with seed coat color and leaf anthocyanin content. Conclusion: Our work characterized a great abundance of SVs in the lettuce genome, and provides a valuable genomic resource for future lettuce breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a service market with two firms: one that provides regular and another that provides premium services. Customers are delay sensitive and heterogeneous in evaluating the service level. We study two competition games that differ in segmentation-marketing strategies. One is the size-based competition in which firms compete on the segment size dimension, and the other is the value-based competition in which firms compete on the segment target (regarding customer valuation) dimension. For both games, the Nash equilibrium always exists, and the (Pareto dominant) equilibrium is unique. Interestingly, the premium service provider's effective arrival rate can be increasing in its competitor's service rate in the value-based game. Moreover, we capture the conditions for the equilibrium market as either a monopoly or a duopoly and show that size-based competition helps sustain service variety. We also show that the prices are reduced in the value-based game; the premium (regular) service provider serves more (fewer) customers in the value-based game than in the size-based game. Our results show that value-based competition is more intensive in the sense that the number of customers who are served, customer surplus and social welfare are higher, while the total revenue of two firms is lower in the value-based competition than in the size-based competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cap-and-trade systems, or emission trading systems (ETS), are increasingly adopted by countries and regions to provide economic incentives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The majority of existing ETS are early-stage systems implemented in and after 2013. These early-stage ETS are typically characterised by a focus on few industry sectors, and the employment of free emission allocation schemes including grandfathering and benchmarking. In this paper, we investigate the impact of emission allocation schemes in an early-stage cap-and-trade system in a duopoly market. We show that benchmarking scheme may lead the energy-efficient firm to reserve part of its emission permits, while firms always use up their after-trading permits under grandfathering. We also find that a more stringent emission cap may increase firms' profits rather than decreasing them under both allocation schemes, suggesting a possible cause for windfall profits observed in early-stage ETS. Benchmarking is found to lead to lower emissions compared to those under grandfathering, while it may result in higher or lower firm profits, consumer surplus, and the overall social welfare. Furthermore, under either allocation scheme, allowing emission trading does not affect the total emissions, while it can increase firm profits and consumer surplus and therefore the overall social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali post deposition treatment (PDT) of the absorber material is an efficient strategy to boost the desired photovoltaic performance of kesterite-based Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. Here, a simple and innovative solution-processed cesium PDT method was employed as an effective strategy for the CZTSSe absorber bulk and interface modification toward efficient CZTSSe-based photovoltaic devices. The material properties of the CZTSSe thin film and the photoelectric properties of the corresponding photovoltaic devices are investigated subsequently. After Cs treatment, the Cs element is mainly detected on the surface of the CZTSSe-based sample, while the phase structure itself is not affected. Systematic studies reveal that the presence of small amounts of cesium in the CZTSSe absorber bulk results in a low defect concentration, prevents the bandgap tail states, enlarges the depletion region width, and reduces the carrier recombination. Meanwhile, the majority of the Cs element detected on the surface inhibits the carrier recombination, and leads to improved carrier transport and extraction. Benefiting from the synergistic optimization effects brought by Cs treatment, a champion device with 12.83% efficiency is achieved using the 1.25 wt% CsCl hot solution with a soaking time of 30 s, which is ≈26% higher than that of its pristine counterpart (10.21%). Our work offers judicious direction to expedite design strategies for solving bottleneck problems regarding the bulk and interface recombination, showing a promising future in developing efficient kesterite-based CZTSSe photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in the development of kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells are urgently needed to further exploit their high-efficiency and low-cost nature. However, almost all the CZTSSe photovoltaics are presently fabricated using physically sputter-deposited i-ZnO as a window layer, which often results in self-doping with detrimental oxygen vacancies (VO) and zinc interstitial (Zni) defects, leading to ineffective charge collection and enlarged interface recombination losses. Herein, a solution-processed ZnO:Li nanoparticle (NP) window layer is demonstrated via the construction of a high-quality ZnO:Li/CdS/CZTSSe heterojunction to enhance the charge collection and minimize the interface recombination. The interstitial Li doping at a certain content significantly enhances the electrical conductivity of ZnO and quasi-Fermi level splitting at the p–n junction interface and reduces the concentration of VO and Zni defects. These electric benefits finally improve the conversion efficiency from 11.31% up to 12.60% with significant gains in FF and Voc. Our findings suggest that developing a ZnO:Li NP window layer is an effective method to manage electrical conductivity, contact resistance and interface band offset at the p–n junction, boosting the development of high-efficiency and low-cost kesterite solar cells to a higher level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermally evaporated Se, including the molecules of Se2, Se5, Se6, Se7, and Se8 in the vapor at 550–600 °C, is widely used for the selenization of CZTSSe films. However, active small‐molecule Se2 tends to form large clusters of Se atoms at saturation vapor pressure, resulting in the large Se deficiency and poor crystallization of CZTSSe films. To regulate the time for Se to reach saturation vapor pressure and promote the role of active small‐molecule Se, the evaporation area of Se is controlled. Then the corresponding grain growth mechanism of CZTSSe films and device efficiency are systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that the appropriate evaporation area of Se can not only optimize the time for Se vapor to reach saturation, promote the rapid reaction crystallization between the precursor films and active Se2, but also inhibit the nucleation at the CZTSSe/Mo interface, thus making the CZTSSe films show a perfect top‐down grain growth mode. By preliminary optimization, when the evaporation area of Se is 245 mm2, a large‐grain spanning monolayer CZTSSe thin film is obtained; meanwhile, a device with a high efficiency of 12.39% is achieved. This study provides a new selenization strategy for improving the crystallinity of CZTSSe thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising absorber material for thin film solar cells, the highest reported power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) is still far from the detailed balance limit of efficiency due to the large VOC deficit. Back contact engineering plays an important role in promoting the CZTSSe solar cell towards realizing high PCE. In this study, a MoO3-modified layer with the highest oxidation state 6+ and better thermal stability was in situ introduced by spin-coating Na2S aqueous solution on the Mo electrode. The results demonstrate that the Na2S layer at the rear contact provides more Na to diffuse into the absorber, thus improving the crystallinity of the film and the quality of the p–n heterojunction, and the carrier collection in the neutral region and at the front interface of the devices is enhanced. The formation of the MoO3 layer can also inhibit the decomposition reaction between Mo and CZTSSe, which minimizes the secondary phases and voids, and improves the quality of the back interface. Moreover, the band alignment and interfacial barrier at the back contact were modified by the MoO3 layer, resulting in better carrier collection and the reduction of photogenerated carrier recombination. By optimizing the Na2S (MoO3) layer, the average PCE of the CZTSSe solar cell increased to 12.48% from 10.22% with the large VOC increments of 60 mV and FF increments of 5%, and the best performance was achieved, with an active area efficiency of 12.74% without the anti-reflection coating layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a mixed duopoly service system with two service providers (SPs): one private and the other public. The public SP's objective is welfare maximization, whereas the private SP is profit driven. Customers are heterogeneous in terms of their quality tastes and choose from three options, namely, joining the private queue, joining the public queue, and balking (or taking an outside option). We first consider the scenario where the private SP provides a premium service and the public SP provides a regular service. Paradoxically, we find that although the public SP's objective is welfare maximization, welfare in the system can be less than that obtained with only profit-seeking private SPs. We further demonstrate that the maximum social welfare is achieved by partially privatizing the public SP, that is, by including both welfare and profit maximization as arguments in its objective function. In extreme cases in which the public SP's capacity is very small, fully privatizing the public SP can be socially desirable. We then consider the alternate setting where the public SP provides a premium service and the private SP provides a regular service and obtain similar conclusions. These findings, however, rely on the assumption that an outside option exists for balking customers, and one should be cautious in generalizing to no-balking situations. This paper was accepted by Jayashankar Swaminathan, operations management. Funding: W. Zhou was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71925002 and 71731006]. W. Huang acknowledges the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71801096 and 72101090] and the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation [Grant 2022A1515011983]. V. N. Hsu was supported by the General Research Fund of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council [Grant CUHK14526216]. P. Guo received financial support from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council [Grant 15502820]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4424. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant intrinsic defects and defect clusters in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells lead to severe nonradiative recombination and limited photoelectric performance. Therefore, developing effective method to suppress the detrimental defects is the key to achieve high‐efficiency solar cell. Herein, a convenient two‐step cooling strategy in selenization process is reported to suppress the CuZn and SnZn defects and defect clusters synergistically. The results show that rapid cooling during section from selenization temperature to turning temperature can inhibit the volatilization of Sn and restrain the corresponding Sn‐related defects, while slow cooling during the subsequent temperature section can reduce the degree of Cu‐Zn disorder. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of two‐step cooling, a significantly lowered concentration of SnZn and CuZn defect and their defect clusters [2CuZn+SnZn] in absorber is observed, meanwhile, a reduced band tailing effect and promoted carrier collection efficiency of the photovoltaic device is obtained. Finally, a device with improved open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 505.5 mV and efficiency of 12.87% is achieved. This study demonstrates the impact of cooling process on defects controlling for the first time and provides a simple and effective new strategy for intrinsic defect control, which may be universal in other inorganic thin film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photovoltaic performance of the environmentally friendly Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells is lower than its predecessor Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. Severe carrier recombination at the CZTSSe/CdS interface is one major reason that results in a large open‐circuit voltage loss. Doping zinc into CdS is a feasible strategy to modifying the CdS buffer layer film, but the present methods are not satisfactory. In this study, novel zinc incorporation strategy is developed to deposit a gradient composition ternary ZnxCd1–xS buffer layer for optimizing the heterojunction interface. The application of gradient composition ZnxCd1–xS buffer layer constructs a gradient conduction band energy configuration in the CZTSSe/buffer layer interface, which highly reduces the interface recombination. The suppressed interface recombination contributes to the enhanced open circuit voltage and device performance. Consequently, the CZTSSe solar cell based on gradient composition ZnxCd1–xS buffer layers achieves champion efficiency of 12.35% with VOC of 504.81 mV, JSC of 36.90 mA cm−2, and FF of 66.28%. It is worth noting that flammable and the toxic hydrazine solvent are replaced by the safe and low‐toxic 2‐methoxyethanol, making it more promising for the future commercialization of CZTSSe solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant intrinsic defects and defect clusters in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells lead to severe nonradiative recombination and limited photoelectric performance. Therefore, developing effective method to suppress the detrimental defects is the key to achieve high‐efficiency solar cell. Herein, a convenient two‐step cooling strategy in selenization process is reported to suppress the CuZn and SnZn defects and defect clusters synergistically. The results show that rapid cooling during section from selenization temperature to turning temperature can inhibit the volatilization of Sn and restrain the corresponding Sn‐related defects, while slow cooling during the subsequent temperature section can reduce the degree of Cu‐Zn disorder. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of two‐step cooling, a significantly lowered concentration of SnZn and CuZn defect and their defect clusters [2CuZn+SnZn] in absorber is observed, meanwhile, a reduced band tailing effect and promoted carrier collection efficiency of the photovoltaic device is obtained. Finally, a device with improved open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 505.5 mV and efficiency of 12.87% is achieved. This study demonstrates the impact of cooling process on defects controlling for the first time and provides a simple and effective new strategy for intrinsic defect control, which may be universal in other inorganic thin film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photovoltaic performance of the environmentally friendly Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells is lower than its predecessor Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. Severe carrier recombination at the CZTSSe/CdS interface is one major reason that results in a large open‐circuit voltage loss. Doping zinc into CdS is a feasible strategy to modifying the CdS buffer layer film, but the present methods are not satisfactory. In this study, novel zinc incorporation strategy is developed to deposit a gradient composition ternary ZnxCd1–xS buffer layer for optimizing the heterojunction interface. The application of gradient composition ZnxCd1–xS buffer layer constructs a gradient conduction band energy configuration in the CZTSSe/buffer layer interface, which highly reduces the interface recombination. The suppressed interface recombination contributes to the enhanced open circuit voltage and device performance. Consequently, the CZTSSe solar cell based on gradient composition ZnxCd1–xS buffer layers achieves champion efficiency of 12.35% with VOC of 504.81 mV, JSC of 36.90 mA cm−2, and FF of 66.28%. It is worth noting that flammable and the toxic hydrazine solvent are replaced by the safe and low‐toxic 2‐methoxyethanol, making it more promising for the future commercialization of CZTSSe solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are both types of lupus, yet the characteristics, and differences between them are not fully understood. Here we show single-cell RNA sequencing data of cutaneous lesions from DLE and SLE patients and skin tissues from healthy controls (HCs). We find significantly higher proportions of T cells, B cells and NK cells in DLE than in SLE. Expanded CCL20+ keratinocyte, CXCL1+ fibroblast, ISGhiCD4/CD8 T cell, ISGhi plasma cell, pDC, and NK subclusters are identified in DLE and SLE compared to HC. In addition, we observe higher cell communication scores between cell types such as fibroblasts and macrophage/dendritic cells in cutaneous lesions of DLE and SLE compared to HC. In summary, we clarify the heterogeneous characteristics in cutaneous lesions between DLE and SLE, and discover some specific cell subtypes and ligand-receptor pairs that indicate possible therapeutic targets of lupus erythematosus. Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and systemic LE (SLE) can present as cutaneous lesions. Here the authors characterise an scRNA dataset of cutaneous lesions from these patients and compare these to healthy controls showing differential immune cell recruitment, cell type and gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the tremendous progress in the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) photovoltaic devices, open‐circuit voltage (Voc) deficit, mainly related to the SnZn‐related defects in the absorber, still remains one of the key issues that hinders the cell performance. To overcome this hurdle, here a facile synergistic post‐deposition treatment (PDT) strategy in CZTSSe family via AgF‐PDT after LiF‐PDT in the photovoltaic absorber to suppress SnZn defects, and thus, to promote the Voc and power conversion efficiency (PCE), is reported. Furthermore, a mechanism for improving device efficiency of CZTSSe cell is also proposed. The in‐depth investigation results demonstrate that Li/Ag co‐doping reduces the band tailing characteristic, enlarges the depletion region width, and enhances the carrier transport and collection, resulting in a lower bulk and interface recombination. More importantly, Li/Ag co‐doping strategy provides an effective method for SnZn defect passivation, thereby prolonging minority carrier lifetime in the ensuing devices and leading to enhancement in device performance. Correspondingly, the resulting Li/Ag co‐doped device delivers a champion efficiency of 12.58% with an impressive Voc of 507 mV. This work explores an effective strategy to kill the SnZn‐related defects, thereby overcoming the problems associated with the Voc deficit and lower cell efficiency in Kesterite‐based photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic carcinoma is an aggressive subtype of cancer with poor prognosis, known for its refractory nature. To address this challenge, we have established a stable nanoplatform that combines chemotherapy with photodynamic therapy (PDT) to achieve better curative efficacy. First, we designed and synthesized a disulfide-bonded paclitaxel (PTX)-based prodrug, which was further mixed with gemcitabine (GEM) and photosensitizer THPP in an optimized ratio. Subsequently, the mixture was added dropwise into amphiphilic polymer DSPE-PEG water solution to form micelles composed of DSPE-PEG nanoparticles (TPG NPs). The TPG NPs were around 135 nm, and showed great ability of DTT stimulated release of PTX and GEM. Moreover, the TPG NPs can be efficiently uptaken by pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells and effectively kill them, especially when combined with 650 nm laser irradiation. Finally, the TPG NPs have shown enhanced long-term circulation ability and also exhibited efficient anti-tumor activity in combination with 650 nm laser irradiation in a pancreatic cancer mouse model. In summary, the designed TPG NPs possesses great potential for co-delivery of paclitaxel prodrug, GEM and THPP, which enables combined chemo-photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment. In addition, the stimulated release of PTX prodrug and GEM also allows for better targeting of tumor cells and the increased therapeutic effect against cancer cells. Overall, the TPG NPs can serve as a good candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to examine the clinical value of blastocysts derived from mono-pronuclear (1PN) or non-pronuclear (0PN) zygotes with two polar bodies (2PB), which were selected by our criteria. We retrospectively analysed 610 frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FET) cycles and the corresponding oocyte retrieval cycles from 2014 to 2017. Developmental potential and clinical outcomes of embryos derived from zygotes with various numbers of pronuclei were analysed. Based on more detailed pre-selection settings, blastulation rates of 1PN/2PB and 0PN/2PB-derived embryos were 70.18% and 69.17%, respectively. Blastocyst FET results were not significantly different between 2PN/2PB, 1PN/2PB and 0PN/2PB groups in terms of clinical pregnancy rates (59.79%, 47.06% and 56.25%), implantation rates (47.24%, 40.00% and 47.62%), live birth rates (49.39%, 29.41% and 43.75%) or malformation rates (0%, 0% and 0%). In conclusion, after strict morphological selection and blastocyst culture, 1PN/2PB and 0PN/2PB-derived embryos in IVF cycles can have considerable clinical value. Blastocysts derived from 1PN/2PB or 0PN/2PB zygotes are worthwhile FET option for patients who have no available 2PN-derived embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the popular opinion that forgetting is only the opposite of learning and memory, active forgetting explains the intrinsic instability of a labile memory that lasts for hours and has its own signal transduction pathways. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying forgetting are still lacking, though the investigations available in this field offer the first insights into their regulation. To identify the alternative signaling pathways that control the process of forgetting, we used the short-term forgetting model of Caenorhabditis elegans and discovered the involvement of lev-10, a scaffolded transmembrane protein of L-AChR, by screening the candidate genes that potentially functioned in synaptic plasticity. The LEV-9/LEV-10/L-AChR functional complex was confirmed to participate in forgetting occurrence. Furthermore, EGL-9 functioned upstream of LEV-10 and negatively regulated the latter during forgetting. Meanwhile, EGL-9 was also the target of miR-51, and hence the mutation of miR-51 similarly affected the function of L-AChR and delayed the short-term forgetting. Our findings have identified an integrated signaling pathway responsible for active forgetting, which provides the new experimental evidence on the cholinergic forgetting signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand for wound healing around the world, the level of medical equipment is also increasing, but sutures are still the preferred medical equipment for medical personnel to solve wound closures. Compared with the traditional sutures, the nanofiber sutures produced by combining the preparation technology of drug-eluting sutures have greatly improved both mechanical properties and biological properties. Electrospinning technology has attracted more attention as one of the most convenient and simple methods for preparing functional nanofibers and the related sutures. This review firstly discusses the structural classification of sutures and the performance analysis affecting the manufacture and use of sutures, followed by the discussion and classification of electrospinning technology, and then summarizes the relevant research on absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. Finally, several common polymers and biologically active substances used in creating sutures are concluded, the related applications of sutures are discussed, and the future prospects of electrospinning sutures are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study studies the impact of loss aversion on queue configurations in a doubled‐ended queueing system such as taxi stations. We assume that there exist two types of demands/passengers, namely, the short‐haul and long‐haul, with long‐haul demand offering a larger monetary reward for drivers. Loss‐averse drivers decide to either join or balk based on their overall utility. We first consider the passenger‐side system to be a loss system; that is, an arriving passenger balks if there is no taxi waiting for her. We derive the system performance of two queue configurations, that is, a pooled queue and two dedicated queues. By comparing the total passenger boarding rates, we find that the pooled queue is not always preferable. From the drivers' perspective, the pooled queue generates a rather stable waiting time and hence mitigates their loss aversion in the waiting time dimension; nevertheless, it creates uncertainty in the reward dimension and thus brings about potential loss. We also compare the two configurations regarding the boarding rate of each type of passengers. We show that dedicated queues can achieve a Pareto improvement; that is, they can generate a higher boarding rate for each type of passenger when drivers are sufficiently loss averse in the reward dimension and not so in the waiting time dimension. Nevertheless, dedicated queues may decrease both passenger boarding rates. We then extend our setting by incorporating passengers' joining/balking decisions and find that our managerial insights derived from the lost‐demand system still hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human hepatic organic ion transporting polypeptides OATP1B1 and ‐1B3 are uptake transporters that influence the disposition of several small molecule drugs and perpetrate certain adverse drug‐drug interactions. To predict these in vivo effects, in vitro systems are used to screen new drug entities as potential transporter substrates or inhibitors. To simplify such studies, we synthesized luminogenic derivatives of the OATP1B1 and ‐1B3 substrate D‐luciferin to test as probe substrates in a rapid, no‐wash optical approach for substrate and inhibitor identification and characterization. Each derivative is a pro‐luciferin containing a self‐immolating trimethyl lock quinone linker that is sensitive to intracellular reducing environments that cause the release of free luciferin in proportion to the amount of probe taken up by the transporter. A subsequent luciferin‐limited luciferase reaction produces light in proportion to transporter activity. We tested the derivatives in HEK293 cells that overexpress OATP1B1 or OATP1B3 by transient transfection or viral transduction. Derivatives were identified that showed OATP‐dependent uptake that was time and concentration dependent, saturable and sensitive to inhibition by known OATP1B1 and ‐1B3 substrates and inhibitors. These luminogenic transporter probes enabled an add‐only multi‐well plate protocol suitable for automation and high throughput screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]