Search

Music has been shown to improve social interaction and attention to verbal stimuli in autism. We report a feasibility randomised controlled trial of an online intervention using music-assisted programmes, compared with best-practice treatment (Social Communication Intervention for Pre-schoolers-Intensive) for language learning in preschool autistic children with minimal verbal language. Minimisation randomisation ensured comparability of groups before intervention. Ninety-one people expressed interest in taking part; 27 met eligibility criteria and were randomised to receive either music-assisted programmes or Social Communication Intervention for Pre-schoolers--Intensive. Children and their parent received two 45-min sessions weekly, over 18 weeks, coached online by a speech and language therapist. A smartphone app was developed to support home-based practice between sessions. Over the study period, 20% of participants completed the intervention and assessments of outcome measures. At 3 months post-intervention follow-up, social responsiveness, understanding of words and phrases and number of words spoken and parent-child interaction improved more in the music-assisted programmes than the Social Communication Intervention for Pre-schoolers-Intensive group. The results demonstrate the feasibility of recruiting this population into a randomised controlled trial and the music-assisted programmes had high perceived acceptability highlighted by parent interviews. A full clinical trial to establish music-assisted programmes' effectiveness in improving early vocabulary learning in autistic children is warranted.

Previous studies reported mixed findings on autistic individuals' pitch perception relative to neurotypical (NT) individuals. We investigated whether this may be partly due to individual differences in cognitive abilities by comparing their performance on various pitch perception tasks on a large sample (n = 164) of autistic and NT children and adults. Our findings revealed that: (i) autistic individuals either showed similar or worse performance than NT individuals on the pitch tasks; (ii) cognitive abilities were associated with some pitch task performance; and (iii) cognitive abilities modulated the relationship between autism diagnosis and pitch perception on some tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of taking an individual differences approach to understand the strengths and weaknesses of pitch processing in autism.

This study investigated bilingualism effects on the production of focus in 5- to 9-year-old Cantonese-English bilingual autistic children's L1 Cantonese, compared to their monolingual autistic peers as well as monolingual and bilingual typically developing children matched in nonverbal IQ, working memory, receptive vocabulary and maternal education. The results from an elicitation task showed that monolingual autistic children had significantly lower accuracy than typically developing children in producing focus in subject and object positions. Bilingual autistic children in general performed similarly to monolingual autistic children but outperformed their monolingual autistic peers in the production of object focus with a significantly higher accuracy. The total amount of English exposure did not relate to the accuracy of focus production in autistic and typically developing children. Our results also revealed autistic children's tendency to make use of less prosodic means to produce focus. The overall findings indicate that bilingual exposure has no detrimental effect on the language skills of autistic children but might enhance the production of focus in bilingual autistic children's L1 Cantonese.

Abstract Objective This study aimed to analyze the associations between depressive and anxiety symptoms and risk of incident kidney failure in patients with biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods This retrospective study enrolled 241 type 2 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven DN. Huaxi Emotional-Distress Index (HEI) was used to evaluate the depression and anxiety status of patients on admission. According to the HEI score, DN patients were divided into HEI score ≤ 8 group (without depression and anxiety) and HEI score > 8 group (with depression and anxiety). The study endpoint was defined as progression to kidney failure. The cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to investigate the risk factors for progression to kidney failure in DN patients. Results Twenty-three patients had HEI score > 8, accounting for about 9.5% of all patients. Compared with HEI score ≤ 8 group, those with HEI score > 8 had more severe proteinuria, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower baseline eGFR and serum albumin levels. During a median follow-up of 28 months, the outcome event occurred in 89 (36.9%) of all the patients. After multivariable adjustment, HEI score > 8 (HR 1.825, 95% CI 1.050–3.172) was associated with an increased risk of progression to kidney failure. Conclusion Depressive and anxiety symptoms might be associated with an increased risk of progression to kidney failure in patients with DN, which implied psychosocial issues should be early screened, assessed and intervened to delay the progression of DN.

Abstract Global hunger has increased recently, returning to levels observed a decade ago. Climate change is identified as a key factor contributing to these increases and is a significant cause of severe food crises. When combined with population growth and globalization, future climate variability is expected to significantly affect global food security. This study examined the influence of climate variability, globalization, and population growth on food security (FS) in Pakistan from 1995 to 2023. Food security data was sourced from the Food and Agricultural Organization, and globalization data was obtained from the KOF Globalization Index. Datasets on climate variability, population growth, unemployment, and inflation were collected from the World Development Indicators. A two-layer principal component analysis was utilized to develop the food security index. Multivariate Generalized Auto-Regressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity was used to assess the impact of globalization, population growth, and climate variability on food security. All indexed components explained more than 50% of the variance, resulting in a food security eigenvalue of 3.603 with a 0.901 proportion. The findings indicated that population growth and climate variability significantly negatively affect Pakistan’s food security. Furthermore, the study found that globalization notably mitigates the adverse effects of climate variability and population growth on food security. This research may help alleviate the risk of future undernourishment, reverse current trends of escalating food insecurity, and support the sustainable development goal of eliminating global hunger by 2030.

Abstract Gallstone disease is a common and complex condition, strongly associated with abnormal cholesterol metabolism, changes in bile composition, and impaired gallbladder motility. Recent studies have suggested that the gut microbiota, particularly probiotics like lactic acid bacteria, may play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of cholesterol gallstones. This study aims to optimize the cholesterol gallstone model in C57BL/6 mice and evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus intervention on gallstone formation induced by a high-fat diet. In this study, 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: a high-fat diet + saline group (HF-S), a high-fat diet + probiotic group (HF-P), a normal diet + saline group (ND-S), and a normal diet + probiotic group (ND-P), to assess the effect of probiotics on gallstone formation. The results showed significant differences among the four groups in body weight gain, liver weight, gallstone formation, and histopathology. Based on these preliminary findings, we added two more experimental groups: a 2-week probiotic pretreatment + high-fat diet group (Pre2w-HF) and a 4-week probiotic pretreatment + high-fat diet group (Pre4w-HF), to further investigate the dose-dependence and efficacy of probiotic pretreatment. The results indicated that probiotic intervention significantly reduced the incidence and severity of gallstones induced by a high-fat diet, with the pretreatment groups showing more pronounced effects. Histological analysis also revealed that probiotic intervention reduced inflammation and pathological changes in the liver and gallbladder. This study suggests that probiotics have potential therapeutic value in the prevention and treatment of cholesterol gallstones. Future research should explore the effects of different strains and doses, as well as the underlying mechanisms involved.

Abstract The incidence of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting PitNETs, commonly known as ACTH PitNETs, is significantly higher in females; however, the underlying causes for this gender disparity remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the expression of deubiquitinating enzymes in functioning ACTH PitNETs from both male and female subjects using RNA sequencing and identified USP11 as a potential susceptibility factor contributing to the higher prevalence of these PitNETs in females. Further investigation revealed that USP11 expression is markedly elevated in female functioning ACTH PitNETs, with levels significantly higher than those observed in male PitNETs and normal pituitary tissue. Experimental data indicate that USP11 promotes the transcription of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and the secretion of ACTH. In contrast, knockdown of USP11 leads to a substantial reduction in both POMC transcription and ACTH secretion, as demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo models. Mechanistically, we found that USP11 facilitates the deubiquitination of the key transcription factor TPIT in functioning ACTH PitNETs, enhancing its protein stability and thereby promoting POMC transcription and ACTH secretion. Additionally, virtual screening identified Lomitapide and Nicergoline as potential inhibitors of USP11, reducing POMC expression and ACTH secretion. Thus, USP11 emerges as a potential therapeutic target, and drugs aimed at inhibiting its function could benefit women with Cushing’s disease.

Abstract Background Children with cerebral palsy have substantial caregiving demands, and the overall health of their caregivers is greatly affected. The contributing variables to caregivers’ quality of life must be identified. Our attention will be paid to the impact of caregiver’s social resources such as social support and caregiver’s personal resources such as coping styles on their care situation. Aims To explore the relationships among care burden, social support, coping styles, and QOL of caregivers for cerebral palsy children by mediation effect models. Design A cross-sectional study design. Methods The purposive sampling method was used in this study to select 189 caregivers of cerebral palsy children from the rehabilitation department of a children’s hospital in western China from May 2022 to August 2023. Self-designed demographic data questionnaire, the WHO’s Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Zarit Burden Interview, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire were used for conducting the investigation. Correlations analyses between variables were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The mediating effects were explored using the Process Macro and bootstrap method. Results Among the 189 caregivers, 59.26% were mothers, 64.55% had received high school or lower education. The majority of caregivers were not employed (62.96%). Care burden had a detrimental impact on both physical QOL and mental QOL. Social support and positive coping style were positively correlated with physical and mental QOL. Among the mediation analyses, significant indirect effects were found for the mediation path of social support between care burden and either physical or mental QOL. Whereas positive coping style as a mediator was not statistically significant. Additionally, social support and positive coping style formed a significant serial mediation path. Conclusion Caregivers of cerebral palsy children suffer from a certain level of caregiving burden and an unsatisfactory living quality. Social support alone or in combination with positive coping style played mediating roles in connection of care burden and QOL. Future interventional research ought to prioritize boosting social support and developing positive coping style since they may exert the synergistic effect on both physical and mental QOL of caregivers.

Cognizant of the growing Chinese e-commerce as one of the fundamental elements of the modern world because of technological advancements, this empirical study investigated e-businesses that utilize a variety of digital channels, such as social media, websites, and specialized applications, to market their products. Through a quantitative-descriptive research method, this study assessed the factors influencing e-commerce patronage, including product type, product quality, pricing competitiveness, user experience, and information security. The respondents were 300 customers of Tiktok, TaoBao, and JingDong in Beijing, China, chosen through quota sampling, who completed a survey questionnaire as the primary instrument for gathering data to answer research problems and test the hypothesis. The results revealed that user experience is highly influential in e-commerce patronage. The impact of these elements on patronage may vary depending on user preferences, platform design, and the overall shopping journey. The availability of a wide range of products on e-commerce platforms attracts customers looking for diverse options, influencing their patronage decisions. Competitive pricing strategies, including discounts, promotions, and price comparisons, significantly influence customers' choice of e-commerce channels. Trustworthiness and security of payment methods, data protection, and overall transaction security play a crucial role in attracting and retaining customers. The factors influencing e-commerce patronage are not significantly affected by demographic characteristics such as age, sex, educational attainment, and income.

Abstract Background Salinity stress impairs cotton growth and fiber quality. Protoplasts enable elucidation of early salt-responsive signaling. Elucidating crop tolerance mechanisms that ameliorate these diverse salinity-induced stresses is key for improving agricultural productivity under saline conditions. Results Herein, we performed transcriptome profiling of Gossypium arboreum root tips and root tips-derived protoplasts to uncover salt tolerance genes and mechanisms. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the plant hormone signal transduction and MAPK signaling pathways. Transcriptome based weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) clustered 885 commonly differentially expressed genes into four distinct modules. Black and yellow modules were highly upregulated under salt treatment, containing hub genes integral to signaling and transport, highlighting their importance. Differential expression analysis revealed more dynamic changes in protoplasts, identifying key genes including the Ga-α-expansin 4 (GaEXPA4). Silencing of the GaEXPA4 gene through virus-induced gene silencing heightened cotton’s sensitivity to salt stress, leading to increased wilting, elevated lipid peroxidation, and impaired antioxidant activity under salt conditions compared to controls. Conclusion These findings underscore the functional significance of GaEXPA4 in the salt stress response. Future research should focus on elucidating the precise mechanisms of putative salt tolerance genes like GaEXPA4 and evaluating the potential of signaling pathways, such as MAPK, for engineering enhanced salt resilience in cotton. Integrating multi-omics approaches could further expand the genetic resources available for improving cotton cultivation in saline environments.

Abstract Autosomal dominant deafness-15 which is caused by mutation in the POU4F3 gene, has been reported with a wide degree of clinical heterogeneity, even between intrafamilial members. However, the reason is still elusive. In this study, A four-generation Chinese family with 11 patients manifesting late-onset progressive non-syndromic hearing loss was recruited. The phenotype of hearing loss in this family showed a large variability in terms of onset age and progression speed. A novel mutation (c.706 C > T, p.L236F) was identified by the whole exome sequencing, and its pathogenicity was confirmed by altering the subcellular localization of POU4F3. In addition, we found that two individuals with earlier age of onset and more rapid progression of hearing loss carry additional pathogenic variants in other deafness genes (III-7, STRC:c.4057 C > T; IV-1, GJB2:c.109G > A; CDC14A:c.935G > A). By using the real time quantitative PCR, western blot, luciferase assays and electrophoretic mobility-shift assay, POU4F3 was proved to directly regulate the expression of STRC, GJB2 and CDC14A respectively. ChIP-seq further revealed that POU4F3 can also bind to a series of deafness genes. In summary we expanded the mutation spectrum of POU4F3 by identifying a novel mutation and its pathogenicity. Meanwhile, three genes STRC, GJB2 and CDC14A were validated as POU4F3 new targets, implicating that the variants in the three genes may play a role of genetic modifier to generate a synergistic and enhancement effect on the progression of DFNA15.

Abstract We conducted two experiments to examine the lexical and sub-lexical processing of Chinese two-character words in reading. We used a co-registration electroencephalogram (EEG) for the first fixation on target words. In Experiment 1, whole-word occurrence frequency and initial constituent character frequency were orthogonally manipulated, while in Experiment 2, whole-word occurrence frequency and end constituent character frequency were orthogonally manipulated. Results showed that word frequency facilitated eye-tracking measures, while initial and end character frequencies inhibited them. Classical word frequency effects on N170 and N400 in the posterior region and reversed word frequency effects over the anterior region were consistently observed in both experiments. Experiment 1 revealed an inhibiting effect of initial character frequency on anterior N170. In Experiment 2, interaction between end-character frequency and word frequency showed reliable effects on anterior N170 and N400. These results demonstrate both facilitating and inhibiting word frequency effects, along with inhibiting effects of character frequency and that word frequency moderates the inhibiting effects of end constituent character frequency during natural silent Chinese reading.

Abstract Limited by the adsorption and diffusion rate of water molecules, traditional humidity sensors, such as those based on polymer electrolytes, porous ceramics, and metal oxides, typically have long response times, which hinder their application in monitoring transient humidity changes. Here we present an ultrafast humidity sensor with a millisecond-level response. The sensor is prepared by assembling monolayer graphene oxide quantum dots on silica microspheres using a simple electrostatic self-assembly technique. Benefiting from the joint action of the micro spheres and the ultrathin humidity-sensitive film, it displays the fastest response time (2.76 ms) and recovery time (12.4 ms) among electronic humidity sensors. With the ultrafast response of the sensor, we revealed the correlation between humidity changes in speech airflow and speech activities, demonstrated the noise immunity of humidity speech activity detection, confirmed the humidity shock caused by explosions, realized ultrahigh frequency respiratory monitoring, and verified the effect of humidity-triggering in the non-invasive ventilator. This ultrafast humidity sensor has broad application prospects in monitoring transient humidity changes.

Abstract Background Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) initiate the process of odorant perception. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that OBPs bind a broad variety of chemicals and are more likely to carry pheromones or odor molecules with high binding affinities. However, few studies have investigated its effects on insect behavior. Previously, we found that AmelOBP4 has a significantly higher expression in the heads of foragers than that of nurses regardless of their ages, revealing its importance in foraging behaviour of the honey bee. RNA interference (RNAi) is the induction of sequence specific gene silencing by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), it is a powerful tool that makes gene inactivation possible in organisms that were not amenable to genetic analysis before. Results In this study, we found that AmelOBP4 had high expression levels in the antennae of both nurses and foragers, and could be successfully inhibited by feeding double stranded RNA of AmelOBP4 (dsAmelOBP4). Foragers with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly lower sugar responsiveness than control bees, and also significantly reduced EAG response to plant volatiles of nonanal, linalool and 1-Octen-3ol. On the other hand, nurses with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly reduced EAG response to brood pheromone of ethyl oleate, methyl linoleate, methyl palmitate and β-ocimene. Finally, the Y-tube choice assay showed nurses only exhibited a significantly reduced preference to ethyl oleate, but foragers exhibited significantly reduced preference to all these three plant volatiles. Conclusions The findings of our study suggested that AmelOBP4 plays an important role in the odorant binding process, especially in modulating olfactory behaviour in workers. Our results provide a foundation for exploring the olfactory mechanism of Apis mellifera.

Abstract Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a highly lethal subtype of renal cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests cellular senescence impacts tumor development and progression. This study aimed to identify ccRCC subtypes based on a cellular senescence gene signature and assess their clinical relevance. Using hierarchical clustering on the TCGA-KIRC dataset, two senescence-related subtypes were identified and validated in independent datasets. These subtypes exhibited distinct dysregulation of cancer-related pathways, including the p53 pathway. The C2 subtype was associated with poorer overall survival, higher tumor grade and stage, low hemoglobin, and elevated platelet and serum calcium levels. Patients with the C2 subtype also had lower endothelial cell infiltration, indicating reduced benefit from anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. A nomogram based on these subtypes effectively predicted 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival outcomes. These findings highlight two distinct senescence-related ccRCC subtypes that correlate with prognosis and therapy response, offering insights for personalized treatment strategies.

Abstract Yes-associated protein (YAP) activation confers resistance to chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Methionine participates in cellular processes by converting to methyl donor for the methylation of DNA, RNA and protein. However, it remains unclear whether methionine affects drug resistance by influencing YAP activity. In this study, we report that methionine deprivation remarkably suppresses the transcriptional activity of YAP–TEAD in cancer cells. Methionine promotes PRMT1-catalyzed asymmetric dimethylation at R124 of YAP (YAP R124me2a). Mimicking of YAP methylation abolishes the reduction effect of methionine-restricted diet on YAP-induced drug resistance. YAP activates the transcription of SLC43A2, the methionine transporter, to increase methionine uptake in cancer cells. Knockdown of SLC43A2 decreases the level of YAP R124me2a. BCH, the inhibitor of SLC43A2, sensitizes tumors to anticancer drugs. Thus, our results unravel the positive feedback between YAP R124 methylation and SLC43A2 that contributes to anticancer drug resistance. Disrupting this positive feedback could be a potential strategy for cancer therapy.

Abstract Optical neural networks are considered next-generation physical implementations of artificial neural networks, but their capabilities are limited by on-chip integration scale and requirement for coherent light sources. This study proposes a spectral convolutional neural network (SCNN) with matter meta-imaging. The optical convolutional layer is implemented by integrating very large-scale and pixel-aligned spectral filters on CMOS image sensor. It facilitates highly parallel spectral vector-inner products of incident incoherent natural light i.e., the direct information carrier, which empowers in-sensor optical analog computing at extremely high energy efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first integrated optical computing utilizing natural light. We employ the same SCNN chip for completely different real-world complex tasks and achieve accuracies of over 96% for pathological diagnosis and almost 100% for face anti-spoofing at video rates. These results indicate a feasible and scalable in-sensor edge computing chip of natural light for various portable terminals.

Abstract We explore the decay of bound neutrons in the JUNO liquid scintillator detector into invisible particles (e.g., $$n\rightarrow 3 \nu $$ n → 3 ν or $$nn \rightarrow 2 \nu $$ n n → 2 ν ), which do not produce an observable signal. The invisible decay includes two decay modes: $$ n \rightarrow { inv} $$ n → inv and $$ nn \rightarrow { inv} $$ n n → inv . The invisible decays of s-shell neutrons in $$^{12}\textrm{C}$$ 12 C will leave a highly excited residual nucleus. Subsequently, some de-excitation modes of the excited residual nuclei can produce a time- and space-correlated triple coincidence signal in the JUNO detector. Based on a full Monte Carlo simulation informed with the latest available data, we estimate all backgrounds, including inverse beta decay events of the reactor antineutrino $${\bar{\nu }}_e$$ ν ¯ e , natural radioactivity, cosmogenic isotopes and neutral current interactions of atmospheric neutrinos. Pulse shape discrimination and multivariate analysis techniques are employed to further suppress backgrounds. With two years of exposure, JUNO is expected to give an order of magnitude improvement compared to the current best limits. After 10 years of data taking, the JUNO expected sensitivities at a 90% confidence level are $$\tau /B( n \rightarrow { inv} ) > 5.0 \times 10^{31} \, \textrm{years}$$ τ / B ( n → inv ) > 5.0 × 10 31 years and $$\tau /B( nn \rightarrow { inv} ) > 1.4 \times 10^{32} \, \textrm{years}$$ τ / B ( n n → inv ) > 1.4 × 10 32 years .

High-repetition-rate free-electron lasers impose stringent requirements on thermal deformations of optics in the beamline. The Shanghai HIgh-repetition-rate XFEL aNd Extreme light facility (SHINE) experiences high average thermal power and demands wavefront preservation. To effectively manage thermal deformation in the first reflection mirrors M1, we optimized the cooling length and position of the cooling groove with numerical calculations. For example, the root mean square of the height error of the thermal deformation of the mirror at a photon energy of 900 eV was optimized, resulting in a 12.7× reduction, from 13.76 nm to 1.08 nm. This optimized design also eliminated stray light in the focus spot at the sample and resulted in a 177% increase in the peak intensity of the beam's focus spot at the sample, from 3.08 × 105 to 8.53 × 105. The multi-segment cooling design of the mirror advanced the quality of the beam's focus spot at the sample and ensured the stable operation of SHINE under high repetition rates.

Objective: To study immediate therapeutic outcomes, subsequent fertility effects and menstrual changes in cesarean scar pregnancy patients who received uterine artery embolization with or without methotrexate followed by ultrasound guided curettage. Materials and methods: Totally, 82 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in our study and divided into two groups. Group I included 50 patients who received uterine artery embolization and ultrasound guided curettage, and Group II had 32 patients who received uterine artery embolization plus methotrexate and ultrasound guided curettage. Results: No significant difference was found in demographic features between the two groups, but the level of serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin before uterine artery embolization, 1 day and 7 days after ultrasound guided curettage is significantly higher in Group II than that in Group I. Patients were followed up for a mean time of 38.9 months. 10 patients had reproductive desire and half of them failed while half succeeded including one recurrent cesarean scar pregnancy. Most patients (74.4 %) had no menstrual changes, while 19 patients complaint a decrease in menstruation and 2 patients had a prolonged menstruation. Conclusion: Uterine artery embolization combined with or without methotrexate plus ultrasound guided curettage is an effective, safe and recommended therapy to eliminate the gestational sac and meanwhile to preserve fertility for cesarean scar pregnancy patients, and methotrexate could help reduce the blood level of β-human chorionic gonadotropin and shorten the days to recover to normal, thus reducing hospitalized days.

Abstract Background Nursing students exhibit a higher incidence of mental disorders. Studies have identified psychological stress contributes to elevated depression symptoms through reappraisal cognitive in nursing students. However, there is little research exploring the knowledge regarding the role of ruminative thinking in mediating the associations between psychological stress and depression symptoms. Guiding by the non-hemostatic model and cognitive control theory, the study aims to investigate the chained mediation of cognitive reappraisal and ruminate thinking between psychological stress and depression symptoms among nursing undergraduates. Methods A total of 1,220 nursing undergraduates were carried out by stratified sampling from July to December of 2023 via online survey. The investigation adopted the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) to measure the level of psychological stress, cognitive reappraisal, ruminative thinking and depression symptoms, respectively. Pearson’s r was utilized to investigate the interrelationships, and the structural equation model (SEM) was used to clarify the mediation effects among the four variables. Results The mean total score of CES-D was 21.57 ± 10.79. SEM analysis proved that psychological stress had a direct positive effect on depression symptoms (β = 0.388). accounting for a substantial 51.52% of the total effect. Cognitive reappraisal and ruminate thinking partially mediated the association between psychological stress and depression symptoms (95% CI: 0.094–0.210), and the mediating effect accounted for 48.48% of the total effect. Conclusions Nursing students exhibited a high prevalence of depression, and cognitive reappraisal and ruminate thinking partially mediated the correlations between psychological stress and depression symptoms. Interventions targeting at consolidating cognitive reappraisal and ruminate thinking are imperative for improving depression.

Abstract Background Gallbladder and biliary diseases (GABD) represent prevalent disorders of the digestive system. Methods Data on age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate (ASDR) were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was utilized to quantify temporal trends in GABD. Age-period-cohort analysis was conducted to determine the effects attributable to age, period, and birth cohort. Additionally, we projected global trends to 2035. Results Globally, GABD incident cases, mortality cases, and DALYs increased by 60.11%, 71.71%, and 56.90%, respectively. However, all corresponding age-standardized rates (ASRs) demonstrated overall downward trends with estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) of -0.32 (-0.38 to -0.26), -0.95 (-1.08 to -0.83), and − 0.69 (-0.74 to -0.65), respectively. The number of incident cases was higher in females than in males across all age groups. The age effect indicated that older individuals had higher age-specific incidence and death rates. Both period and cohort effects showed declining risk across incidence and mortality. The ASIR and ASMR of GABD are projected to continue decreasing over the next 15 years. Conclusion GABD continue to pose a significant global public health challenge, particularly affecting women and the elderly population. Consequently, the implementation of effective interventions to mitigate the GABD burden is of paramount importance.

Abstract Plasma biomarkers have great potential in the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, findings on their associations with cerebral perfusion and structural changes are inconclusive. We examined both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between plasma biomarkers and cerebral blood flow (CBF), gray matter (GM) volume, and white matter (WM) integrity. Forty-eight AD patients whose diagnosis was supported by amyloid-β (Aβ) PET received measurement of plasma biomarkers with a single molecular array, including Aβ42, phosphorylated tau 181 (P-tau181), neurofilament light (NfL), total tau (T-tau), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and both baseline and one-year follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, including pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling, T1-weighted imaging, and diffusion tensor imaging. Correlations were found between regional CBF and several plasma biomarkers, with Aβ42 showing the strongest correlation with CBF in the left inferior temporal gyrus (r = 0.507, p = 0.001). Plasma P-tau181 and GFAP levels were correlated with GM volume in the posterior cingulate gyrus and the bilateral hippocampus and right middle temporal gyrus, respectively. Decreased CBF and GM volume in regions vulnerable to AD, such as the posterior cingulate gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and hippocampus, could be predicted by the levels of specific plasma biomarkers. Most biomarkers, except Aβ42, showed extensive correlations with longitudinal WM disruption. Plasma biomarkers exhibited varied correlations with brain perfusion, GM volume, and WM integrity and predicted their longitudinal changes in AD patients, suggesting their potential to reflect functional and structural changes and to monitor pathophysiological progression in the brain.

AIM: To investigate the effect of 0.01% low-concentration atropine (LA) on quantitative contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) in children with myopia. METHODS: This paired case-control study included 90 eyes of 58 children who were sex-, age-, and refraction-matched and equally divided into two groups: the 0.01% LA group had undergone 6mo use of daily 0.01% atropine and control group was naïve to LA. Routine ophthalmic examinations and qCSF test without refractive correction were performed. Two groups were compared in monocular and binocular qCSF parameters, including the area under logCSF, CSF acuity, and contrast sensitivity (CS) at 1.0-18.0 cycle per degree (cpd). RESULTS: In the monocular comparison, the CSF acuity of the LA group was significantly higher than that of the control group (7.58±5.51 vs 6.37±4.22 cpd, P

Abstract Background Polyarteritis nodosa is a relatively uncommon type of systemic necrotizing vasculitis that primarily affects medium-sized arteries. While gastrointestinal involvement is known in polyarteritis nodosa, heavy gastrointestinal bleeding due to gastric ulceration is relatively uncommon. We present the case of an 81-year-old male of Chinese ethnicity who experienced severe gastrointestinal bleeding as a result of polyarteritis nodosa and an innovative treatment approach for a better patient outcomes. Case presentation Upon admission to the medical intensive care unit, the patient underwent a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, including examinations for cardiovascular and dermatological abnormalities, laboratory tests, autoantibody and tumor marker assessments, and imaging studies (such as endoscopies, whole-body computed tomography, and positron emission tomography–computed tomography scans), and a skin biopsy. The patient had tachycardia, hypotension, and extensive skin abnormalities on the lower extremities along with anemia, low platelets, and abnormal renal function. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed gastric and duodenal ulcers. Additional examinations, including electronic colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy, and whole-body computed tomography, were negative. A positron emission tomography–computed tomography scan showed increased uptake in the arterial walls and skin, which supported the diagnosis of polyarteritis nodosa, later confirmed by a biopsy of the skin on the lower extremities. Methylprednisolone, octreotide, and omeprazole were administered, leading to improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms, ulcer healing, and skin recovery. The patient continued with prednisone for 1 month. Conclusion This case serves to inform gastroenterologists about the need to consider polyarteritis nodosa in severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding and underscores the importance of prompt, medication-based treatment for successful patient outcome.

Abstract Background In the process of education reform, carrying out continuous educational environment measurement is necessary. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of the medical education environment and learning autonomy in blended learning in pediatrics among clinical medicine students, as well as the relationship between these two constructs. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on clinical medical students from the First Clinical School of Wuhan University who had completed the blended learning courses of pediatrics. Perceptions of the medical education environment and learning autonomy were surveyed using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and the Autonomy in Learning Rating Scale for college students (ALRS), respectively. Independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Results A total of 487 students participated in the survey (valid response rate: 83.53%). Students’ perceptions of the current medical education environment and learning autonomy were generally positive. Among the average scoring rates of DREEM, students’ perception of teachers (SPT) > students’ perception of learning (SPL) > students’ perception of atmosphere (SPA) > students’ academic self-perceptions (SASP) > students’ social self-perception (SSSP), while learning strategies > learning motivation > self-regulation > content and environment among the average scoring rates of ALRS. Correlation analyses revealed that all subscales of the two were significantly associated with each other (P

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a persistent inflammatory bowels disease (IBD) characterized by immune response dysregulation and metabolic disruptions. Tryptophan metabolism has been believed as a significant factor in UC pathogenesis, with specific metabolites influencing immune modulation and gut microbiota interactions. However, the precise regulatory mechanisms and key genes involved remain unclear. Methods AUCell, Ucell, and other functional enrichment algorithms were utilized to determine the activation patterns of tryptophan metabolism at the UC cell level. Differential analysis identified key genes associated with tryptophan metabolism. Five machine learning algorithms, including Random Forest, Boruta algorithm, LASSO, SVM-RFE, and GBM were integrated to identify and categorize disease-specific characteristic genes. Results We observed significant heterogeneity in tryptophan metabolism activity across cell types in UC, with the highest activity levels in macrophages and fibroblasts. Among the key tryptophan metabolism-related genes, CTSS, S100A11, and TUBB were predominantly expressed in macrophages and significantly upregulated in UC, highlighting their involvement in immune dysregulation and inflammation. Cross-analysis with bulk RNA data confirmed the consistent upregulation of these genes in UC samples, highly indicating their relevance in UC pathology and potential as targets for therapeutic intervention. Conclusions This study is the first to reveal the heterogeneity of tryptophan metabolism at the single-cell level in UC, with macrophages emerging as key contributors to inflammatory processes. The identification of CTSS, S100A11, and TUBB as key regulators of tryptophan metabolism in UC underscores their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Abstract Background Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders beyond Eosinophilic Esophagitis (non-EoE EGIDs) are chronic rare inflammatory disorders characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Case presentation We report the first pediatric case of eosinophilic duodenitis (one type of the non-EoE EGIDs) with concomitant pancreatic reaction that was misdiagnosed as acute pancreatitis (AP). A 13-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital for a week of abdominal distension, vomiting, and epigastric pain that worsened recently. She was suspected of AP based on increased amylase and lipase values and relevant imaging findings. During hospitalization, her clinical manifestation improved, while the eosinophilia was more aggravated without a known cause. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed, and histopathological evidence demonstrated the diagnosis of Eosinophilic duodenitis, which was treated with oral prednisone tapering. During the 1-year follow-up, the patient was symptom-free and presented no signs of recurrence. Conclusions Although rare, pediatricians should consider non-EoE EGIDs in the differential diagnosis in children presenting with peripheral blood eosinophilia and duodenal wall thickening on imaging findings.

Abstract Objective Searching for potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for early diagnosis of gynecological tumors to improve patient survival. Methods Microarray datasets of cervical cancer (CC) and ovarian cancer (OC) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, then, differential gene expression between cancerous and normal tissues in the datasets was analyzed. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to screen for co-expression modules associated with CC and OC. The screened shared genes were then further analyzed for functional pathway enrichment. Next, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) with tenfold cross validation is used to further screened for common diagnostic biomarkers for the two diseases, and further validation is performed using two independent GEO datasets. Finally, the CIBERSORT algorithm was used to estimate the immune infiltration levels of CC and OC, and the correlation between immune cell infiltration and common biomarkers was explored. Results After crossing the common DEGs detected by "Limma" R package with the common module genes identified by WGCNA, 44 shared genes were obtained. Functional enrichment indicates that these shared genes are mainly related to DNA synthesis pathways. Lasso regression analysis revealed that EFNA1, TYMS, and WISP2 were co-diagnostic markers for CC and OC, and then based on their expression levels and diagnostic efficacy, EFNA1 was selected as the best co-marker for CC and OC. Immune infiltration analysis shows that the immune environment has a significant impact on the occurrence and development of CC and OC, and the expression of EFNA1 is related to changes in immune cells. Gene-drug interaction analyses identified 27 common drug compounds that interact with candidate genes. Conclusion This study adopted bioinformatics methods to investigate the common pathways and identify diagnostic markers between CC and OC, suggesting that DNA synthesis and immune environment are closely related to the occurrence and development of CC and OC. EFNA1 may be a potential diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target for patients with CC and OC.

Abstract Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder mainly marked by increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations and a heightened risk of early-onset arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This study seeks to characterize the genetic spectrum and genotype‒phenotype correlations of FH in Chinese pediatric individuals. Methods Data were gathered from individuals diagnosed with FH either clinically or genetically at multiple hospitals across mainland China from January 2016 to June 2024. Results In total, 140 children and adolescents (mean age of 6.00 years) with clinically and genetically diagnosed FH were enrolled in the study, with 87 distinct variants identified in the LDLR, APOB and PCSK9 genes. Among the variants, 11 variants were newly identified worldwide, with 9 classified as “pathogenic” or “likely pathogenic”, and 2 classified as “variants of uncertain significance”. Additionally, the 5 most common variants in the study were c.1448G > A (p.W483*), c.1879G > A (p.A627T), c.1216C > A (p.R406R), and c.1747C > T (p.H583Y) in the LDLR gene, as well as c.10579C > T (p.R3527W) in the APOB gene, accounting for 49.29% (69/140) of all patients. These variants are primarily observed in the Asian or Chinese population and are distinct from those present in Caucasian groups. In this cohort, 105 patients were diagnosed with heterozygous FH (HeFH), while 35 were diagnosed with homozygous FH (HoFH). Finally, only 28.57% of the patients (40/140) were using lipid-lowering medications with 33.33% of HoFH patients initiating treatment after the age of 8. Additionally, only 3 compound heterozygous patients (2.14%) underwent liver transplantation because of significantly high lipid levels. Conclusion This study reveals the variable genotypes and phenotypes of children with FH in China and illustrates that the genotypes in the Chinese population differ from those in Caucasians, providing a valuable dataset for the clinical genetic screening of FH in China. Furthermore, the older age at diagnosis and treatment highlights the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of Chinese FH pediatric patients, suggesting that early identification should be improved through lipid or genetic screening, and that more timely and regular pharmacological treatments should be implemented.

ABSTRACT Background Cancer cachexia can impact prognosis, cause resistance to anticancer treatments and affect the tolerability of treatments. This study aims to identify hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with cachexia by characterizing longitudinal body composition (BC) trajectories. Methods This longitudinal, multicentre cohort study included unresectable HCC patients treated with first‐line programmed death‐(ligand)1 inhibitors plus anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor antibody/tyrosine kinase inhibitors between 01/2018–12/2022. BC measurements including skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and total adipose tissue area (TATA) were evaluated by computed tomography at the third lumbar vertebra at baseline and follow‐up imaging. Unsupervised latent class growth mixed models were applied to distinguish potential longitudinal SMM and TATA trajectories for identifying cachexia. The primary study endpoint was overall survival (OS), with secondary endpoints including progression‐free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and safety. Multiple Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for survival. Results A total of 411 patients with 2138 time‐point measurements were included. The median age was 56 years, and 50 (12.2%) patients were female. Two distinct trajectories were identified for SMM and TATA: sharp‐falling and stable. SMM sharply declined in 58 patients (14.1%) and TATA in 71 of 406 patients (17.5%) with significant worse OS (for SMM, 17.0 vs. 24.9 months; p

Abstract Objective This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for assessing the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by integrating radiomics and pathomics features using a particle swarm optimization-supported support vector machine (PSO-SVM). Methods A retrospective multi-center study was conducted, which included 389 NPC patients who received NACT from three institutions. Radiomics features were extracted from magnetic resonance imaging scans, while pathomics features were derived from histopathological images. A total of 2,667 radiomics features and 254 pathomics features were initially extracted. Feature selection involved intra-class correlation coefficient evaluation, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation analysis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. The PSO-SVM model was constructed and validated using 10-fold cross-validation on the training set and further evaluated using an external validation set. Model performance was assessed using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis. Results Eight significant predictive features (five radiomics and three pathomics) were identified. The PSO-SVM radiopathomics model achieved superior performance compared to models based solely on radiomics or pathomics features. The AUCs for the PSO-SVM radiopathomics model were 0.917 (95% CI: 0.887–0.948) in internal validation and 0.814 (95% CI: 0.742–0.887) in external validation. Calibration curves demonstrated good agreement between predicted probabilities and actual outcomes. Decision curve analysis showed that the PSO-SVM radiopathomics model provided higher clinical net benefit over a wider range of risk thresholds compared to other models. Conclusion The PSO-SVM radiopathomics model effectively integrates radiomics and pathomics features, offering enhanced predictive accuracy and clinical utility for assessing NACT efficacy in NPC. The multi-center approach and robust validation underscore its potential for personalized treatment planning, supporting improved clinical decision-making for NPC patients.

Abstract Objectives Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a key regulator of hepatocyte function and has a strong therapeutic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by inducing the differentiation of hepatoma cell into hepatocytes. Our previous study showed that Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) directly interacts with and promotes the degradation of HNF4α in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Disrupting the TRIB3–HNF4α interaction by a cell-permeating peptide, called P-T3H2, stabilized HNF4α protein. This study aimed to assess the anti-tumor impact of P-T3H2 in HCC. Methods The expression of TRIB3 and HNF4α was evaluated using western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Hepatic functions and cellular senescence of HCC cells were evaluated through periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, acetylated low-density lipoprotein (ac-LDL) uptake and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity staining, respectively. RNA-Seq analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in Huh7 cells treated with P-T3H2. The impact of P-T3H2 on HCC malignancy was assessed in vitro and in vivo. Results TRIB3 exhibited a negative correlation with HNF4α in both human and mouse HCC tissues. The administration of P-T3H2 significantly inhibited the malignancy of HCC cells. Additionally, P-T3H2 stabilized HNF4α protein and facilitated the restoration of hepatic functions and the cellular senescence in HCC cells. RNA-Seq analysis demonstrated that P-T3H2 enhanced the transcriptional activity of HNF4α in HCC. Furthermore, P-T3H2 effectively suppressed the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC in mice. Conclusion P-T3H2 suppressed HCC progression through the stabilization of HNF4α protein and may be a promising therapeutic candidate for clinical application in the treatment of HCC.

Abstract Objective Tic disorders (TD) often present with associated neuropsychiatric comorbidities. This study aims to examine the clinical manifestations of TD in pediatric patients and explore the spectrum and features of neuropsychiatric comorbidities among Chinese children diagnosed with TD. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on pediatric TD cases newly diagnosed at our institution, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents 5.0 to screen for comorbidities. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of clinical features was undertaken. Results The study enrolled 182 patients, comprising 140 males and 42 females. The diagnoses were distributed as follows: 65 cases of provisional TD, 29 cases of chronic TD, and 88 cases of Tourette syndrome. 94 (51.65%) patients presented with at least a single neuropsychiatric comorbid, while 40 (21.98%) patients exhibited two or more such comorbidities. TD is most frequently comorbid with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (33.52%, 61/182), oppositional defiant disorder (11.00%, 20/182) and current/previous manic/hypomanic episode (7.69%, 14/182). Children with comorbidities, compared to those without, experienced delayed diagnosis (P = 0.039), were more prone to developing vocal tics (simple vocal tics P = 0.030, complex vocal tics P

Video abnormal behavior detection is a hot research topic in computer vision. It involves extracting temporal and spatial features from video content to determine the presence of abnormal events and their types within the video, as well as to localize the regions and time where anomalies occur. This paper systematically reviews and categorizes existing methods for video abnormal behavior detection based on supervised/unsupervised learning. This paper categorizes the supervised methods into methods based on deviation mean calculation and multimodal methods. For unsupervised methods, it summarizes various completely unsupervised approaches. Starting from the current mainstream modeling approaches, this paper gives a detailed explanation of deviation mean calculation methods, summarizes multimodal methods based on the utilization and processing of different modal features, and introduces completely unsupervised methods based on two training approaches. By comparing the network architectures of different models, this paper summarizes the test datasets, use cases, advantages, and limitations of various abnormal behavior detection models. Furthermore, it compares and evaluates models using benchmark datasets and common evaluation standards such as frame-level and pixel-level standards, and conducts intra-class comparisons based on performance results, followed by analysis of the outcomes. Lastly, it explores trends in video abnormal behavior detection through five directions: virtual synthetic datasets, multimodal large models, lightweight models, etc.

High energy diets are a risk factor for intestinal barrier damage. Butyrate, a major energy source for intestinal epithelial cells, has been shown to improve barrier dysfunction and modulate the gut microbiota. In this trial, we examined the preventative effect of coated sodium butyrate (CSB) on high-energy and low-protein (HELP)-induced intestinal barrier injury in laying hens, and also worked to determine the underlying mechanisms by an integrative analysis of gut microbiota and the metabolome. A total of 216 healthy 28-week-old Huafeng laying hens were randomly assigned to 3 groups with 6 replicates each: the CON group (normal diet), HELP group (HELP diet) and CH500 group (500 mg/kg CSB added to HELP diet). The duration of the trial encompassed a period of 10 weeks. The results revealed that CSB treatment improved the laying rate and mitigated the detrimental effects on intestinal barrier function and the inflammatory response induced by the HELP diet in laying hens (P

Lung cancer is a dangerous disease that is lacking in an ideal therapy. Here, we evaluated the anti-lung cancer effect in nude mice of a fully human single-chain antibody (scFv) against the associated antigen 7 transmembrane receptor (Ts7TMR), which is also called G protein-coupled receptor, between A549 cells and Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis). Our data showed that anti-Ts7TMR scFv could inhibit lung cancer growth in a dose-dependent manner, with a tumour inhibition rate of 59.1%. HE staining did not reveal any obvious tissue damage. Mechanistically, immunohistochemical staining revealed that the scFv down-regulated the expression of PCNA and VEGF in tumour tissues. Overall, this study found that anti-Ts7TMR scFv could inhibit A549 lung cancer growth by suppressing cell proliferation and angiogenesis, which may provide a new strategy for treating lung cancer.

Abstract Residual histograms can provide meaningful statistical information in low-level visual research. However, the existing image denoising methods do not deeply explore the potential of alternate multiple residual histograms for overall optimization constraints. Considering this deficiency, this paper presents a novel unified framework of the alternating multiple residual Wasserstein regularization model (AMRW), which can tactfully embrace multiple residual Wasserstein constraints and different image prior information for image denoising. Specifically, AMRW focuses on solving the practical and meaningful problem of restoring a clean image from multiple frame degraded images. Utilizing the Wasserstein distance in the optimal transport theory, the residual histograms of the multiple degraded images are as close as possible to the referenced Gaussian noise histogram to enhance the noise estimation accuracy. Further, the proposed concrete AMRW combines the triple residual Wasserstein distance with the image total variation prior information for Gaussian image denoising. More importantly, through the alternating implementation of residual Wasserstein regularization from different image frames, the beneficial information of the image is essentially transmitted in each cycle, continuously improving the quality of the output image. Synchronously, the alternate iterative algorithm of histogram matching and Chambolle dual projection has high implementation efficiency. AMRW provides a new research idea for other visual processing tasks such as image inpainting and image deblurring. Finally, extensive numerical experiments substantiate that our AMRW can greatly boost the subjective and objective performance of the restored images compared with some popular image denoising algorithms in recent years.

Abstract The cladding of fast reactor fuel rods, made of stainless steel, presents significant challenges in cutting due to its ductility, which leads to increased tool wear and poor cut quality with traditional mechanical methods. Laser cutting has emerged as a superior alternative, offering non-contact precision, high efficiency, and suitability for radioactive environments. This study systematically investigates the effects of laser cutting parameters—cutting speed, focal position, power, and gas pressure—on the cutting quality of simulated fast reactor fuel rods. The results show that optimal cutting is achieved with a cutting speed of 1 m/min, a focal position between − 20 and − 25 mm, a laser power between 7200 and 9600 W, and a gas pressure of 10 MPa. These parameters provide the best balance between cutting efficiency, surface roughness, and minimal slag formation. This study contributes valuable insights into optimizing laser cutting technology for nuclear fuel rod processing, with potential applications in fuel reprocessing and decommissioning.

Abstract In 2022, the M S 6.9 Menyuan (Qinghai Province) and M S 6.8 Luding (Sichuan Province) earthquakes occurred successively on China’s North–South seismic belt. Both earthquakes caused serious property losses, and the Luding earthquake caused 100 + casualties. Gravity observations performed in the North–South Seismic Belt before the two earthquakes indicate that gravity changes occurred near the epicentres and exhibited four-quadrant distributions. In this study, We reviewed the successful prediction of these two earthquakes by using gravity data. The distances between the actual and predicted epicenters of the two earthquakes were

Abstract Group-III nitride semiconductors such as GaN have various important applications based on their three-dimensional form. Previous work has demonstrated the realization of buckled two-dimensional GaN, which can be used in GaN-based nanodevices. However, the understanding of buckled two-dimensional GaN remains limited due to the difficulties in experimental characterization. Here, for the first time, we have experimentally determined the phonon dispersion of buckled two-dimensional GaN by using monochromatic electron energy loss spectroscopy in conjunction with scanning transmission electron microscopy. A phonon band gap of ~40 meV between the acoustic and optical phonon branches is identified for buckled two-dimensional GaN. This phonon band gap is significantly larger than that of ~20 meV for the tetrahedral-coordinated three-dimensional GaN. Our theoretical calculations confirm this larger phonon band gap. Our findings provide critical insights into the phonon behavior of buckled two-dimensional GaN, which can be used to guide high-performance thermal management in GaN-based high-power devices.

Abstract Background This study has employed network analysis while investigating the interrelationships among stress and stigma symptoms and their associations with quality of life among Chinese female infertility patients. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 428 female patients who visited the Department of Reproductive Center of Dalian Women and Children’s Medical Group with chief complaints of infertility symptoms were recruited using convenience sampling from November 2022 to December 2023. Fertility-related stress and stigma status were examined by the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and Infertility Stigma Scale (ISS), respectively. Quality of life was examined by the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL). Network analysis was conducted to estimate the network of stress and stigma symptoms. The flow network approach was used to identify specific stigma and stress symptoms related to quality of life. Expected influence (EI) and bridge expected influence (bEI) were used to quantify central and bridge symptoms in the network, respectively. The bootstrapping method evaluated the accuracy and robustness of the network estimates. Results The average predictability of FPI and ISS symptoms was 0.67. The “relationship concern” was the most central symptom across all centrality indices, followed by “public stigma” and “social concern”. The main symptoms bridging the FPI and ISS clusters were “self-devaluation”, “social concern”, and “relationship concern”. The network demonstrated robustness in stability and accuracy tests. In the flow network, “social withdrawal” and “self-devaluation” showed strong negative associations with FertiQoL. Conclusions “Relationship concern,” “public stigma,” “social concern,” and “self-devaluation” have been identified as the main central and bridge symptoms in the stress and stigma network in this study. Notably, stigma symptoms, particularly “social withdrawal” and “self-devaluation”, showed stronger associations with FertiQoL compared to stress symptoms, highlighting their importance in potential treatment strategies.