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The backflow and back-pressure propagation induced in a pulse detonation combustor (PDC) are the main factor in causing the thrust losses of a pulse detonation engine. In order to suppression the backflow propagation of a PDC, the aero-dynamic suppression strategy was implemented in this work. A total of ten isolators composed of different geometries were designed. A single-pulse detonation experiment was conducted by using the stoichiometric ethylene/enriched-oxygen mixture. It is shown that when the back-pressure has propagated about 0.86 the length of PDC, the propagation speeds and the pecks of the back-pressure in the isolator, which composed of the Venturi tube (V) and a long tube with 1.5 times diameter of the PDC, can be reduced by 10% and 20%, respectively, comparing with the base isolator. Comparing with the isolators that without the Tesla valve (T), the propagation speed of the back-pressure in the cases with the Tesla valve can be additionally reduced above 27.3%. Comparing with the isolators that without the slit (S), the peaks of the back-pressure in the cases with the slit can be decreased about 25%. The average decay rate of the back-pressure peaks can be highly increased if the cone (C) is introduced. It is found that the CVST-type isolator is the optimal. Comparing with the base isolator, the backpressure propagated in the CVST-type isolator can decrease about 50% and 40.5% of propagation speed and pressure peaks, respectively, and can increase the average decay rate of the back-pressure peaks by a factor of two.

The closed nutrient solution management method allows for the recycling and utilization of nutrient solutions, improving the efficiency of water and fertilizer utilization. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of changing the frequency of nutrient solution renewal and method of nutrient supply on the microbial communities composition, yield, and quality in closed soilless systems by using high-throughput sequencing technology and combining the physicochemical properties of root exudate solution. The results showed that different nutrient solution management modes had a significant impact on the structure and diversity of root exudate solution microbial communities. The abundance and diversity of microorganisms in inorganic perlites were correlative with EC. The abundance and diversity of bacterial communities in the root exudate solution of open liquid supply (CK) were higher than that of closed liquid supply, while the abundance and diversity of fungal communities in the root exudate solution of closed liquid supply (T1, T2, T3) were higher than that of open liquid supply. As the frequency of nutrient solution interval decreased, the accumulation of salt in root exudate solution and the richness and diversity of the fungal community also decreased, especially increasing the K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ contents, which were positively correlated with potential beneficial Candidatus_Xiphinematobacter, Arachidicoccus, Cellvibrio, Mucilaginibacter, Taibaiella communities and decreasing the content of soluble protein, Vitamin C content, but not significantly increased cucumber yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Higher neuroticism might be associated with dementia risk. Here we investigated modification by genetic predisposition to dementia, mediation by mental health and vascular conditions, neuroimaging outcomes, and cognitive function. METHODS: Cox proportional‐hazards models were used to assess the association between neuroticism score and incident dementia over up to 15 years in 1,74,164 participants. Cross‐sectional analyses on dementia‐related neuroimaging outcomes and cognitive function were conducted in 39,459 dementia‐free participants. RESULTS: Higher neuroticism was associated with an 11% higher risk of incident dementia, especially vascular dementia (15% higher risk), regardless of genetic predisposition to dementia. Mental and vascular conditions mediated the association of neuroticism with all‐cause dementia and vascular dementia. Neuroticism was associated with higher cerebrovascular pathology, lower gray matter volume, and worse function across multiple cognitive domains. DISCUSSION: Neuroticism could represent a risk factor for dementia, and vascular and mental health might drive these associations. Highlights: Neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of incident all‐cause dementia, particularly vascular dementia.Associations were not modified by genetic predisposition to dementia.Associations were largely mediated by mental and vascular conditions.Neuroticism was associated with increased cerebrovascular pathology and lower gray matter volume.Neuroticism was associated with worse function across multiple cognitive domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports new types of passive mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser (EDFL) based on a segment of doped fiber saturable absorber (DFSA) with Tm/Ho-doped fiber (THDF), Yb-doped fiber (YDF), and Er-doped fiber (EDF). By employing THDF-SA, a bright pulse sequence with a fundamental repetition rate of 17.86 MHz was obtained. In addition, various mode-locked output states, including dark pulses, dark–bright pulse pairs, bright–dark pulse pairs, and second-harmonic pulses, were obtained through polarization modulation and gain modulation, and the orthogonality of dark–bright pulses in both polarization directions was verified. Furthermore, using EDF-SA and YDF-SA, dark pulses and dark–bright pulses were obtained. A comparison of the three experiments revealed that THDF-SA effectively reduces the mode-locked threshold and improves the average output power. Compared with bright pulses, dark pulses offer several advantages such as resisting noise, increasing propagation speed, and suppressing nonlinear scattering (such as pulse-intrinsic Raman scattering); thus, the EDFL can find broad application in long-distance transmission, precision measurement, and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore photovoltaic power stations (OPVPS) greatly help solve energy problems and land resource scarcity. A crucial phase of the OPVPS project lifecycle is site selection. To select the optimal location of OPVPS with many difficulties such as the uncertainty of the environment, the compensating relationships among criteria, and the different attributes of the alternatives, this paper proposed a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making framework based on Pythagorean fuzzy Elimination et Choix Traduisant la Realité-III (ELECTRE-III) method. First, the comprehensive criteria system for siting OPVPS was constructed, which included veto and evaluation criteria. Second, the Pythagorean fuzzy set was used to express the uncertain evaluation of experts. Third, considering the actual situation that experts had different experiences and abilities, this paper proposed a novel expert weighting method. Fourth, entropy weighting method, best–worst method, and combination weighting of game theory were introduced to calculate the criteria weights. Fifth, considering the compensation between criteria, ELECTRE-III was used for ranking. Finally, to verify the applicability and robustness of the proposed framework, a China case study was conducted; the results showed that Haizhou Bay is the best alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The influence of the safety and security of environments on early childhood development (ECD) has been under-explored. Although housing might be linked to ECD by affecting a child's health and a parent's ability to provide adequate care, only a few studies have examined this factor. We hypothesized that housing environment is associated with ECD in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods and findings From 92,433 children aged 36 to 59 months who participated in Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in 20 SSA countries, 88,271 were tested for cognitive and social-emotional development using the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) questionnaire and were thus included in this cross-sectional analysis. Children's mean age was 47.2 months, and 49.8% were girls. Children were considered developmentally on track in a certain domain if they failed no more than 1 ECDI item in that domain. In each country, we used conditional logistic regression models to estimate the association between improved housing (housing with finished building materials, improved drinking water, improved sanitation facilities, and sufficient living area) and children's cognitive and social-emotional development, accounting for contextual effects and socioeconomic factors. Estimates from each country were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted by the child's gender, maternal education, and household wealth quintiles. On-track cognitive development was associated with improved housing (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.24, p < 0.001), improved drinking water (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.14, p = 0.046), improved sanitation facilities (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.28, p = 0.014), and sufficient living area (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10, p = 0.018). On-track social-emotional development was associated with improved housing only in girls (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.25, p = 0.006). The main limitations of this study included the cross-sectional nature of the datasets and the use of the ECDI, which lacks sensitivity to measure ECD outcomes. Conclusions In this study, we observed that improved housing was associated with on-track cognitive development and with on-track social-emotional development in girls. These findings suggest that housing improvement in SSA may be associated not only with benefits for children's physical health but also with broader aspects of healthy child development., Author(s): Yaqing Gao 1, Long Zhang 2, Ashish Kc 3, Yinping Wang 1, Siyu Zou 1, Chunyi Chen 1, Yue Huang 1, Xiaoyi Mi 1, Hong Zhou 1,* Introduction Early [...]

To estimate the prevalence of violent discipline at home against young children, and to explore the potential association between violent discipline at home and multifaceted health risks in children. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in twenty rural counties of weight provinces in western China. The information about child neglect and socio-demographic factors, exposure to different forms of violent discipline at home and four health outcomes was collected by face-to-face interview. Before analysis, the included interviews were weighted by the double-weighted comprehensive weighting. The proportion of children reported by primary caregivers to have experienced different forms of violent discipline by gender were calculated. To adjust the clustering effect of the survey design, two-level univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the potential association between a child's exposure to violent discipline at home and risk of suffering from diarrhea, fever, cough and injury. A total of 3,682 weighted interviews were finally included in the analysis. The prevalence of any violent discipline, psychological aggression, any physical punishment and severe physical punishment were 76.4%, 57.5%, 68.3% and 14.1%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for clustering, there was still a positive association between a child's exposure to psychological aggression and risk of diarrhea (adjusted OR: 1.47, 95%CI: 1.14-1.90) and injury (adjusted OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.36-2.80); a child's exposure to any physical punishment and risk of diarrhea (adjusted OR: 1.36, 95%CI: 1.04-1.77), cough (adjusted OR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.14-1.66), and injury (adjusted OR: 2.05, 95%CI: 1.37-3.06); and a child's exposure to severe physical punishment and risk of injury (adjusted OR: 2.07, 95%CI: 1.41-3.05). Considering that using violent discipline at home is prevalent in rural western China, and it could threaten young children's health, effective measures to prevent young children from violent discipline are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With great economic development and rapid urbanization in China, left-behind children whose parents migrate to big cities for job has become a large special population which requires more attention. The present study aims to explore the specific influence of migrant mothers on early child development, especially on social-emotional problems.Methods: The data of this study was obtained from a cross-sectional study in 8 counties of central and western rural China. Development status of 1880 children aged <60 months were assessed by Ages & Stages Questionnaire-Chinese Edition (ASQ) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional-Chinese Edition (ASQ: SE). Multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze the association between being left behand by migrant mothers and developmental problems in various domains, while adjusting socio-demographic, socio-economic and perinatal co-variates, and effect modification analysis were conducted to explore the effect of age, gender and birth order.Results: Children left behind by migrant mothers were more likely to have overall suspected developmental delay (odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13-1.35), developmental delay in personal social domain (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.17-2.04) and socio-emotional delay compared with those living with their own mothers (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.11-2.00) after adjusting for potential confounders. Additionally, girls increased the odds of social-emotional problems among children being left behind by migrating mother (P for interaction = 0.037).Conclusions: The study concluded that children left behind by migrant mothers were more likely to have suspected developmental delay compared with their peers living with mothers, especially on social emotional development. Future intervention is needed for this special population and should pay more attention to girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Higher neuroticism might be associated with dementia risk. Here we investigated modification by genetic predisposition to dementia, mediation by mental health and vascular conditions, neuroimaging outcomes, and cognitive function., Methods: Cox proportional-hazards models were used to assess the association between neuroticism score and incident dementia over up to 15 years in 1,74,164 participants. Cross-sectional analyses on dementia-related neuroimaging outcomes and cognitive function were conducted in 39,459 dementia-free participants., Results: Higher neuroticism was associated with an 11% higher risk of incident dementia, especially vascular dementia (15% higher risk), regardless of genetic predisposition to dementia. Mental and vascular conditions mediated the association of neuroticism with all-cause dementia and vascular dementia. Neuroticism was associated with higher cerebrovascular pathology, lower gray matter volume, and worse function across multiple cognitive domains., Discussion: Neuroticism could represent a risk factor for dementia, and vascular and mental health might drive these associations., Highlights: Neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of incident all-cause dementia, particularly vascular dementia. Associations were not modified by genetic predisposition to dementia. Associations were largely mediated by mental and vascular conditions. Neuroticism was associated with increased cerebrovascular pathology and lower gray matter volume. Neuroticism was associated with worse function across multiple cognitive domains., (© 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is an indispensable technology for achieving a net-zero emission society. The offshore CCUS project is still in its infancy. To promote its sustainable development, developing a comprehensive framework for investment decision-making is very crucial. First, a comprehensive evaluation criteria system is established. Second, in order to characterize the ambiguity and uncertainty of information in the process of making decisions, the interval-valued fermatean fuzzy set (IVFFS) is introduced, and the extended variance method of IVFFS is proposed to systematically calculate the weights of experts. Then, the power weighted average (PWA) operator based similarity measure of IVFFSs is developed to aggregate different expert information. Meanwhile, the fuzzy-weighted zero-inconsistency (FWZIC) method and the method based on the removal effects of criteria (MEREC) are used to determine the criteria weights. In addition, considering the interactions between the criteria, we introduce the Hamacher operator into the measurement of alternatives and ranking according to the compromise solution (MARCOS) method to select the optimal alternative in the interval-valued fermatean fuzzy (IVFF) environment. The suggested framework is then used to analyse a case study. After that, sensitivity and comparative analyses are conducted to confirm its robustness and viability. This study creates a practical investment framework for offshore CCUS projects, identifies a number of investment-sensitive criteria and provides management insights. The proposed framework expands the methods and applications in the field of decision-making and provides a scientific approach for investment decision-making in offshore CCUS projects, which can be a useful reference for managers.

Study Objectives: The association between snoring, a very common condition that increases with age, and dementia risk is controversial. We aimed to investigate the observational and causal relationship between snoring and dementia, and to elucidate the role of body mass index (BMI)., Methods: Using data from 451,250 participants who were dementia-free at baseline, we examined the association between self-reported snoring and incident dementia using Cox proportional-hazards models. Causal relationship between snoring and Alzheimer's disease (AD) was examined using bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis., Results: During a median follow-up of 13.6 years, 8,325 individuals developed dementia. Snoring was associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89 to 0.98) and AD (HR 0.91; 95% CI 0.84 to 0.97). The association was slightly attenuated after adjusting for BMI, and was stronger in older individuals, APOE ε4 allele carriers, and during shorter follow-up periods. MR analyses suggested no causal effect of snoring on AD, however, genetic liability to AD was associated with a lower risk of snoring. Multivariable MR indicated that the effect of AD on snoring was primarily driven by BMI., Conclusions: The phenotypic association between snoring and lower dementia risk likely stems from reverse causation, with genetic predisposition to AD associated with reduced snoring. This may be driven by weight loss in prodromal AD. Increased attention should be paid to reduced snoring and weight loss in older adults as potential early indicators of dementia risk., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)