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Objectives • This systematic review aimed to identify independent prognostic factors of severe pneumonia. Methods • A systematic search was undertaken in Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to March 2023 to find cohort studies investigating the association between prognostic factors and adverse outcomes of severe pneumonia in adult patients. The study selection process involved screening the title and abstract of articles to identify relevant studies on severe pneumonia in adult patients. Inclusion criteria included studies with a prospective or retrospective longitudinal design, investigating prognostic factors, and performing multivariate analysis. Exclusion criteria included non-English or non-Chinese studies, studies focusing on severe pneumonia in children, studies conducting only univariate analysis, and conference abstracts, reviews, and case reports. The risk of bias was assessed by the Quality In Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. Results • A total of 27 published studies, including both prospective and retrospective cohort studies, were included. These studies reported on 53 different prognostic factors and covered four unique outcomes. The quality assessment indicated that 59.3% of the studies had a low risk of bias. Age, functional dependence, heart rate, and oxygen saturation/respiratory rate index were found to be associated with mortality. Additionally, various laboratory indexes, such as serum cholinesterase, albumin, and blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio, demonstrated either protective or risk factors for prognosis. Injury and comorbidities, including acute renal failure, chronic lung disease, and Glasgow Coma Scale, were identified as risk factors for mortality. Scoring tools like Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, CURB-65 score, and Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) score showed associations with mortality. Lastly, certain treatment protocols, such as vasoactive agent use, vasopressor use, and mechanical ventilation, were found to increase the risk of mortality, while invasive mechanical ventilation and the use of remdesivir and steroids had a positive impact on prognosis. These findings provide valuable insights for clinicians in predicting and managing severe pneumonia outcomes. Conclusion • This most comprehensive review identified 53 unique prognostic factors of severe pneumonia, which provided a reference for subsequent researchers to construct models to predict clinical outcomes in patients with severe pneumonia for clinical use. By identifying prognostic factors through multivariate analysis, healthcare providers can better assess the severity and prognosis of individual patients. This knowledge can aid in treatment planning, resource allocation, and determining the appropriate level of care for patients with severe pneumonia. Additionally, understanding the prognostic factors can help identify high-risk patients who may require more intensive monitoring or interventions. Overall, this study provides valuable insights that can inform clinical practice and improve patient outcomes in the management of severe pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work is becoming more and more flexible nowadays. It can take place in the office, at home, or even on the go; tasks may encompass activities in the form of documents, multimedia, or 3D models in virtual space. Under such circumstances, personal computers (PC), the most widely used productivity devices for work today, cannot well address the diverse needs such as screen size, privacy, and flexibility to display diverse content formats (e.g., 2D to 3D), due to their fixed hardware specs. We believe the solution lies in Extended Reality (XR). In this article, we explored how XR glasses can be used for PC's virtual extended displays, and conducted user interviews and usability tests to propose a systematic user experience design and evaluation framework. We discovered that the design space encompasses four dimensions general placement, display specs, operating system integration, and interaction behaviors) and summarized users' corresponding preferences. We proposed a quality-of-experience (QoE) evaluation framework for XR virtual displays consisting of visual quality, visual fatigue and discomfort, as well as immersiveness, and identified clarity as the most significant factor that affects user satisfaction. Our design and evaluation frameworks could serve as a resource for both practitioners and scholars with an interest in the design and evaluation of virtual displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adopt a multilayer networks approach to assess how network structural embeddedness affects corporate technological innovation. Our findings indicate an annual increase in both single-layer and multilayer networks, although adoption of the latter by Chinese listed companies is comparatively low. We found that structural embeddedness of multilayer networks positively impacts corporate technological innovation. By reducing uncertainty within the internal environment, these networks bolster technological innovation. Moreover, such embeddedness notably spurs innovation in non-state-owned companies and those with greater internal transparency and robust external oversight. Our analysis reveals an intermediate effect where structural embeddedness in multilayer networks influences innovation. Our work provides new insights into enhancing innovation capacity via network embeddedness and supplies empirical data on utilizing network resources for innovation. We also offer actionable guidance and policy advice for managers, investors, and policymakers, especially relevant amidst economic transformation and pursuit of technological self-reliance of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shading is an effective agronomic technique to protect tea plants from intense sunlight. However, there are currently very few studies on more effective shading methods to improve the quality of summer tea. In this study, 'Longjing43' plants were grown under four different shading treatments for 14 days, with no shading as the control. Among the four shading treatments, double-layer-net shadings had the most positive impact on the tea quality, resulting in higher levels of amino acids but lower levels of tea polyphenols. Additionally, double-layer-net shadings provided more suitable microenvironments for tea plants. The tea leaves in T4 (double nets 50 cm above the plant canopy) contained 16.13 mg∙g−1 of umami and sweet amino acids, which was significantly higher than in other treatments. T4 had the lowest air temperature and the most suitable and stable soil water content. Interestingly, the ratio of red light to far-red light in T4 was only 1.65, much lower than other treatments, which warrants further study. In conclusion, the microenvironment induced by shading can greatly affect the tea quality, and double-layer-net shading is better for improving the quality of summer tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]