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Cross-societal differences in cooperation and trust among strangers in the provision of public goods may be key to understanding how societies are managing the COVID-19 pandemic. We report a survey conducted across 41 societies between March and May 2020 (N = 34,526), and test pre-registered hypotheses about how cross-societal differences in cooperation and trust relate to prosocial COVID-19 responses (e.g., social distancing), stringency of policies, and support for behavioral regulations (e.g., mandatory quarantine). We further tested whether cross-societal variation in institutions and ecologies theorized to impact cooperation were associated with prosocial COVID-19 responses, including institutional quality, religiosity, and historical prevalence of pathogens. We found substantial variation across societies in prosocial COVID-19 responses, stringency of policies, and support for behavioral regulations. However, we found no consistent evidence to support the idea that cross-societal variation in cooperation and trust among strangers is associated with these outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results were replicated with another independent cross-cultural COVID-19 dataset (N = 112,136), and in both snowball and representative samples. We discuss implications of our results, including challenging the assumption that managing the COVID-19 pandemic across societies is best modeled as a public goods dilemma.

OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes is an established risk factor for dementia. However, the roles of glycemic control and diabetic complications in the development of dementia have been less well substantiated. This large-scale cohort study aims to examine associations of longitudinal HbA1c levels and diabetic complications with the risk of dementia incidence among patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data of eligible patients with diabetes, aged ≥50 years in the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink from 1987 to 2018, were analyzed. Time-varying Cox regressions were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for dementia risk. RESULTS Among 457,902 patients with diabetes, 28,627 (6.3%) incident dementia cases were observed during a median of 6 years’ follow-up. Patients with recorded hypoglycemic events or microvascular complications were at higher risk of dementia incidence compared with those without such complications (HR 1.30 [95% CI 1.22–1.39] and 1.10 [1.06–1.14], respectively). The HbA1c level, modeled as a time-varying exposure, was associated with increased dementia risk (HR 1.08 [95% CI 1.07–1.09] per 1% HbA1c increment) among 372,287 patients with diabetes with postdiagnosis HbA1c records. Similarly, a higher coefficient of variation of HbA1c during the initial 3 years of follow-up was associated with higher subsequent dementia risk (HR 1.03 [95% CI 1.01–1.04] per 1-SD increment). CONCLUSIONS Higher or unstable HbA1c levels and the presence of diabetic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes are associated with increased dementia risk. Effective management of glycemia might have a significant role in maintaining cognitive health among older adults with diabetes.

Recently, deep learning-based methods are proposed for hyperspectral images (HSIs) denoising. Among them, unsupervised methods such as deep image prior (DIP)-based methods have received much attention because these methods do not require any training data. However, DIP-based methods suffer from the semiconvergence behavior, i.e., the iteration of DIP-based methods needs to terminate by referring to the ground-truth image at the optimal iteration point. In this article, we propose the spatial-spectral constrained deep image prior (S2DIP) for the HSI mixed noise removal. Specifically, we integrate the DIP, the spatial-spectral total variation regularization term, and the $\ell _1$-norm sparse term to respectively capture the deep prior of the clean HSI, the spatial-spectral local smooth prior of the clean HSI, and the sparse prior of noise. The proposed S2DIP jointly leverages the expressive power brought from the deep convolutional neural network without any training data and exploits the HSI and noise structures via hand-crafted priors. Thus, our method avoids the semiconvergence behavior of DIP-based methods. Meanwhile, our method largely enhances the HSI denoising ability of DIP-based methods. To tackle the corresponding model, we utilize the alternating direction multiplier method algorithm. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms model-based and deep learning-based state-of-the-art HSI denoising methods.

As a preprocessing step, hyperspectral image (HSI) restoration plays a critical role in many subsequent applications. Recently, based on the framework of subspace representation and low-rank matrix/tensor factorization (LRMF/LRTF), many single-factor-regularized methods add various regularizations on the spatial factor to characterize its spatial prior knowledge. However, these methods neglect the common characteristics among different bands and the spectral continuity of HSIs. To tackle this issue, this article establishes a bridge between the factor-based regularization and the HSI priors and proposes a double-factor-regularized LRTF model for HSI mixed noise removal. The proposed model employs LRTF to characterize the spectral global low rankness, introduces a weighted group sparsity constraint on the spatial difference images (SpatDIs) of the spatial factor to promote the group sparsity in the SpatDIs of HSIs, and suggests a continuity constraint on the spectral factor to promote the spectral continuity of HSIs. Moreover, we develop a proximal alternating minimization-based algorithm to solve the proposed model. Extensive experiments conducted on the simulated and real HSIs demonstrate that the proposed method has superior performance on mixed noise removal compared with the state-of-the-art methods based on subspace representation, noise modeling, and LRMF/LRTF.

Background: Several studies have assessed the impact of COVID-19-related lockdowns on sleep quality across global populations. However, no study to date has specifically assessed at-risk populations, particularly those at highest risk of complications from coronavirus infection deemed “clinically-extremely-vulnerable-(COVID-19CEV)” (as defined by Public Health England). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 5,558 adults aged ≥50 years (of whom 523 met criteria for COVID-19CEV) during the first pandemic wave that resulted in a nationwide-lockdown (April–June 2020) with assessments of sleep quality (an adapted sleep scale that captured multiple sleep indices before and during the lockdown), health/medical, lifestyle, psychosocial and socio-demographic factors. We examined associations between these variables and sleep quality;and explored interactions of COVID-19CEV status with significant predictors of poor sleep, to identify potential moderating factors. Results: Thirty-seven percent of participants reported poor sleep quality which was associated with younger age, female sex and multimorbidity. Significant associations with poor sleep included health/medical factors: COVID-19CEV status, higher BMI, arthritis, pulmonary disease, and mental health disorders;and the following lifestyle and psychosocial factors: living alone, higher alcohol consumption, an unhealthy diet and higher depressive and anxiety symptoms. Moderators of the negative relationship between COVID-19CEV status and good sleep quality were marital status, loneliness, anxiety and diet. Within this subgroup, less anxious and less lonely males, as well as females with healthier diets, reported better sleep. Conclusions: Sleep quality in older adults was compromised during the sudden unprecedented nation-wide lockdown due to distinct modifiable factors. An important contribution of our study is the assessment of a “clinically-extremely-vulnerable” population and the sex differences identified within this group. Male and female older adults deemed COVID-19CEV may benefit from targeted mental health and dietary interventions, respectively. This work extends the available evidence on the notable impact of lack of social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep, and provides recommendations toward areas for future work, including research into vulnerability factors impacting sleep disruption and COVID-19-related complications. Study results may inform tailored interventions targeted at modifiable risk factors to promote optimal sleep;additionally, providing empirical data to support health policy development in this area. © Copyright © 2021 Udeh-Momoh, Watermeyer, Sindi, Giannakopoulou, Robb, Ahmadi-Abhari, Zheng, Waheed, McKeand, Salman, Beaney, de Jager Loots, Price, Atchison, Car, Majeed, McGregor, Kivipelto, Ward and Middleton.

Submandibular gland (SMG) transplantation improves the tear film and other ocular-surface features for patients with severe dry eye disease (DED). Using the dry eye-related quality of life (QOL) questionnaire, we aimed to evaluate whether DED patients' QOL would benefit from SMG transplantation and determine whether preoperative ophthalmologic and QOL measurements could predict which patients would be most satisfied with this surgery.This prospective study included DED patients with successful SMG transplantation. Using the Chinese version of the Dry Eye Related Quality of Life (CDERQOL) instrument, QOL was measured before and 1-year after surgery.The QOL data of 51 consecutive patients were analyzed. Before surgery, all the patients had a poor QOL. One year after surgery, all five QOL domains (Dry Eye Symptom Bother, Impact on Daily Activities, Emotional Impact, Impact on Work, and Satisfaction with Treatment) showed significant improvement (P 0.01). Unsuccessful treatment experience with cyclosporin eyedrops as well as pre-surgical low scores of visual acuity and all five QOL domains (except for "Satisfaction with Treatment") were found to significantly increase the post-surgical QOL scores (P 0.01); however, pre-surgical Schirmer's test, break-up times of tear-film, and corneal fluorescein staining measurements showed no effects or contradictory correlations with post-surgical QOL scores.The life quality and satisfaction of DED patients showed significant improvement after SMG transplantation. Patients with severe and refractory DED could reap the benefits of surgery. A subjective QOL questionnaire is very valuable for predicting and evaluating the treatment effect.

Objectives To determine prevalence of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency and associations with cognitive performance in participants recruited for the Cognitive Health in Ageing Register: Investigational, Observational, and Trial Studies in Dementia Research: Prospective Readiness cOhort Study (CHARIOTPRO) SubStudy (CPRO-SS). Design Cross-sectional analysis of data collected in the screening phase for the CPRO-SS. Setting Participants were recruited from the Chariot Register at Imperial College London comprising approximately 39,000 community dwelling volunteers. Participants Community dwelling individuals aged 60–85 years with B vitamin biomarker measures available were included (n=1946). After medical history and other exclusions, 1347 cognitively healthy participants were included for analysis of cognitive data. Measurements Cognitive status was assessed with the Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Assays included vitamin B12 and folate, followed by serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels for those with low vitamin B12. Gender-specific linear regression analysis was performed for associations between cognition and biomarkers. Non-gender specific regression for groups graded by B vitamin deficiency severity were also performed. Results Vitamin B12 deficiency ( Conclusion Older men and women are prone to vitamin B12 deficiency with associated subtle and different domain-specific disruptive effects in measures of memory and attention. Elevated homocysteine and methylmalonic acid contributed to poorer cognitive performance. Novel groups at particular risk of cognitive deficit were identified for future interventional studies in this field.

Background Blood pressure (BP) categories are useful to simplify preventions in public health, and diagnostic and treatment approaches in clinical practice. Updated evidence about the associations of BP categories with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and its subtypes is warranted. Methods and findings About 0.5 million adults aged 30 to 79 years were recruited from 10 areas in China during 2004–2008. The present study included 430 977 participants without antihypertension treatment, cancer, or CVD at baseline. BP was measured at least twice in a single visit at baseline and CVD deaths during follow-up were collected via registries and the national health insurance databases. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate the associations between BP categories and CVD mortality. Overall, 16.3% had prehypertension-low, 25.1% had prehypertension-high, 14.1% had isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), 1.9% had isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), and 9.1% had systolic-diastolic hypertension (SDH). During a median 10-year follow-up, 9660 CVD deaths were documented. Compared with normal, the hazard ratios (95% CI) of prehypertension-low, prehypertension-high, ISH, IDH, SDH for CVD were 1.10 (1.01–1.19), 1.32 (1.23–1.42), 2.04 (1.91–2.19), 2.20 (1.85–2.61), and 3.81 (3.54–4.09), respectively. All hypertension subtypes were related to the increased risk of CVD subtypes, with a stronger association for hemorrhagic stroke than for ischemic heart disease. The associations were stronger in younger than older adults. Conclusions Prehypertension-high should be considered in CVD primary prevention given its high prevalence and increased CVD risk. All hypertension subtypes were independently associated with CVD and its subtypes mortality, though the strength of associations varied substantially.

Background The clinical outcomes of patients who received distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy (DPS) and spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (SPDP) have been generally investigated. However, postoperative hematological changes after distal pancreatectomy with or without splenectomy are poorly understood. Methods Information from patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy (DP) between January 2014 and June 2019 at a single institution was reviewed. A linear mixed-effects model was used to compare dynamic hematological changes between different groups. Results A total of 302 patients who underwent DP were enrolled. In the long term, most postoperative hematological parameters remained significantly higher than preoperative levels in the DPS group, while postoperative lymphocyte, monocyte, basophil, and platelet levels returned to preoperative levels in the SPDP group. All postoperative hematological parameters except for red blood cell count and serum hemoglobulin level were significantly higher in the DPS group than in the SPDP group. There were no significant differences in hematological changes between the splenic vessel preservation (SVP) and Warshaw technique (WT) groups. Conclusions Postoperative hematological changes were significantly different between the DPS and SPDP groups. Compared to DPS, SPDP reduced abnormal hematological changes caused by splenectomy. SVP and WT were comparable in terms of postoperative hematological changes.

Background Morning cortisol levels have been reported to be elevated among patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD); yet no meta-analysis has been conducted to confirm the existence and magnitude of this association. It also remains unclear whether hypercortisolism is a risk factor for AD. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were systematically searched for eligible studies. Cross-sectional data were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses; the differences in morning cortisol levels between patients and cognitively normal controls were quantified. Longitudinal studies were qualitatively synthesised due to methodological heterogeneity. Results 17,245 participants from 57 cross-sectional studies and 19 prospective cohort studies were included. Compared with cognitively normal controls, AD patients had moderately increased morning cortisol in blood (g = 0.422, P < 0.001; I2 = 48.5 %), saliva (g = 0.540, P < 0.001; I2 = 13.6 %), and cerebrospinal fluids (g = 0.565, P = 0.003; I2 = 75.3 %). A moderate elevation of morning cortisol was also detected in cerebrospinal fluids from patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) versus controls (g = 0.309, P = 0.001; I2 = 0.0 %). Cohort studies suggested that higher morning cortisol may accelerate cognitive decline in MCI or mild AD patients, but the results in cognitively healthy adults were inconsistent. Conclusions Morning cortisol was confirmed to be moderately elevated in AD patients and may have diagnostic and prognostic values for AD.

Electronic structures and optical anisotropy of α- and β-phase copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecular crystals have been systemically investigated by first-principles calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). Both crystals were shown to be small gap organic semiconductors with relatively flat and dispersionless bands. The α-CuPc was a direct band gap semiconductor, whereas the β-CuPc was an indirect band gap semiconductor. The analysis of Partial Density of States (PDOS) showed that the top of valance band was mainly contributed by N 2p and C 2p states; the bottom of the conduction band was mainly contributed by N 2p, C 2p and Cu 3d states. The interband optical properties, such as the complex dielectric function, absorption coefficient and complex refractive index, showed a high degree of anisotropy that can be traced to the unique structures of these molecular crystals. The calculated dielectric function for α-CuPc in the low energy region was consistent with the experiment results proposed in the literature. These calculations provided particular interpretations on electronic structure and optical properties of α- and β-CuPc organic semiconductors that were critical to optoelectronics, which would promote the applications of these materials in semiconductor optoelectronic devices.

Introduction The role of TOMM40‐APOE 19q13.3 region variants is well documented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) but remains contentious in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Methods We dissected genetic profiles within the TOMM40‐APOE region in 451 individuals from four European brain banks, including DLB and PDD cases with/without neuropathological evidence of AD‐related pathology and healthy controls. Results TOMM40‐L/APOE‐ε4 alleles were associated with DLB (ORTOMM40‐L = 3.61; P value = 3.23 × 10−9; ORAPOE‐ε4 = 3.75; P value = 4.90 × 10−10) and earlier age at onset of DLB (HRTOMM40‐L = 1.33, P value = .031; HRAPOE‐ε4 = 1.46, P value = .004), but not with PDD. The TOMM40‐L/APOE‐ε4 effect was most pronounced in DLB individuals with concomitant AD pathology (ORTOMM40‐L = 4.40, P value = 1.15 × 10−6; ORAPOE‐ε4 = 5.65, P value = 2.97 × 10−8) but was not significant in DLB without AD. Meta‐analyses combining all APOE‐ε4 data in DLB confirmed our findings (ORDLB = 2.93, P value = 3.78 × 10−99; ORDLB+AD = 5.36, P value = 1.56 × 10−47). Discussion APOE‐ε4/TOMM40‐L alleles increase susceptibility and risk of earlier DLB onset, an effect explained by concomitant AD‐related pathology. These findings have important implications in future drug discovery and development efforts in DLB.

ObjectivesThe present study aimed to examine whether habitual snoring was independently associated with risk of type 2 diabetes among Chinese adults, and to assess the role that adiposity measures play in the snoring–diabetes association, as well as to evaluate the joint influence of snoring and adiposity measures on diabetes.Research design and methodsThe China Kadoorie Biobank study recruited 512 715 adults aged 30–79 years from 10 regions in China during 2004 and 2008. Data from 482 413 participants without baseline diabetes were analyzed in the present study. Autoregressive cross-lagged panel analysis was used to assess the longitudinal relationship between adiposity measures and habitual snoring. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between habitual snoring and diabetes risk.ResultsBoth higher body mass index and waist circumference were associated with higher risks of subsequent habitual snoring, whereas no reverse association was detected. A total of 16 479 type 2 diabetes cases were observed during a 10-year follow-up. Habitual snoring was independently associated with 12% (95% CI 6% to 18%) and 14% (95% CI 9% to 19%) higher risks of diabetes among men and women, respectively. Habitual snorers who had general obesity or central obesity were about twice as likely to develop diabetes as non-snorers at the lowest levels of adiposity measures.ConclusionHabitual snoring was independently associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes among Chinese adults. It is important to maintain both a healthy weight and a normal waist circumference to prevent or alleviate habitual snoring and ultimately prevent diabetes among Chinese adults.

OBJECTIVE A differential diagnosis between malignant and benign parathyroid lesions is difficult due to their overlapping clinicopathological characteristics. As such, molecular markers are urgently needed. Cancer-derived immunoglobulin G (CIgG) is a novel molecule playing important roles in carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of CIgG in parathyroid neoplasms. PATIENTS Fifty patients with parathyroid carcinoma (PC), 50 patients with parathyroid adenoma (PA) and 9 patients with parathyroid hyperplasia (PH) were retrospectively enrolled in the current study. MEASUREMENTS Immunohistochemistry was used to assess CIgG expression in these patients. The performance of CIgG expression in the differential diagnosis between parathyroid lesions was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The associations between CIgG expression and clinical outcomes were also analysed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS The expression level of CIgG was significantly higher in PC patients than in PA or PH patients (P

Background: Cancer-derived immunoglobulin G (CIgG) has been detected in various cancers and plays important roles in carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate its clinical significance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods: Using tissue microarrays (TMAs) and immunohistochemistry, we assessed CIgG expression in 326 patients who underwent surgical resection for PDAC. The associations between CIgG expression and clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Functional experiments were also performed to investigate the effect of CIgG on PDAC cells. Results: High CIgG expression was related to poor tumor differentiation and metastasis during follow-up and was associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). A multivariate Cox regression analysis identified high CIgG expression as an independent prognostic factor for DFS and OS. The incorporation of CIgG expression improved the accuracy of an established prognosis prediction model for 1-year OS and 2-year OS. In vitro studies showed that knocking down CIgG profoundly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacity of PDAC cells. Conclusions: CIgG contributes to the malignant behaviors of PDAC and offers a powerful prognostic predictor for these patients.

Elevated cortisol as a measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis hyperactivity has emerged as a predictor of clinical progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in conjunction with amyloid-β (Aβ) abnormalities. Yet factors exist which have the propensity to delay AD symptomatic expression in the face of an AD-type biomarker-based pathological profile. This study sought to determine whether abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ and elevated cortisol levels are associated with clinical transition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD in cognitively normal (CN) individuals, and if this association is modified by reserve proxies. Data from 91 CN individuals participating in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) with available morning CSF cortisol and Aβ42 were evaluated. Reserve was modelled as a latent composite score of standardized intracranial volume and lifetime experience proxies. Cox regressions were used to test associations between baseline CSF cortisol/Aβ42, reserve score and AD progression; adjusting for age, sex, apolipoprotein E genotype, and depressive symptoms. Individuals with elevated cortisol + abnormal Aβ42 levels at baseline showed highest risk of clinical progression. After a median of 84 months follow-up, significant cortisol/Aβ/ reserve interaction for clinical progression was noted (adjusted HR = 0.15, p

Background Mixed results have shown the association between sleep behavior and depression, but evidence relating the joint effect of sleep duration and sleep disturbances is limited, especially in Chinese population. Methods A total of 512,891 adults aged 30–79 years from China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) were included. Depression was defined by Composite International Diagnostic Inventory-short form (CIDI-SF). Sleep duration and sleep disturbances, including difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), early morning awakening (EMA), daytime dysfunction (DDF) and any sleep disturbances (ASD), were obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between sleep behavior and depression. Results About 23.1% of participants reported short sleep duration (≤ 6 h), and 5.1% reported long sleep duration (> 9 h). Compared with normal sleep duration (7–9 h), both groups were associated greater likelihood of having depression (short sleep: OR = 2.32, 95%CI: 2.14–2.51; long sleep: OR = 1.56, 96%CI: 1.34–1.81). Participants reported sleep disturbances were significantly associated with depression (odds ratios ranged from 3.31 to 4.17). Moreover, the associations tended to be stronger for those who reported both abnormal sleep duration and sleep disturbances (p for interactions < 0.05), especially for those who slept long. Limitations The cross-sectional nature of the study design limits the interpretation of the results. Conclusions Abnormal sleep duration and sleep disturbances were associated with depression. The associations were stronger for abnormal sleep duration accompanied with sleep disturbances, especially for a long duration. More attention should be paid on these persons in clinical practice.

Noninvasive technology for measuring instantaneously two-dimensional (2D) temperature distributions of flame using two-color planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of OH is investigated. A calibration method is researched and developed. This method is based on the calibration experiments with a laminar premixed flame and thermocouple, and avoids complex calculation and uncertainty of the spectrum parameters. Measurements for a flat burner at ambient temperature under atmospheric pressure are also presented; calibration results are used to diagnose a supersonic combustion in scramjet combustor. The conclusion indicates that this method is useful, and a better precision of calibration can be acquired by correcting the line shapes of the spectral lines and lasers.

A multi-channel digital variable optical attenuator(VOA) module based on electronic VOA(EVOA) was designed,which integrated with 32 channels VOA and combined with I 2 C interface,so it could be configured flexibly and applied to system devices simply.The module not only overcomed the EVOA's shortage of non-linear of voltage and attenuation,and could be used to perform accurate attenuation,but kept the optical characteristics of EVOA.