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Abstract Background It’s unclear if excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass in individuals with prediabetes can be countered by adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle (MEDLIFE). We aimed to examine VAT mass, MEDLIFE adherence, and their impact on type 2 diabetes (T2D) and diabetic microvascular complications (DMC) in individuals with prediabetes. Methods 11,267 individuals with prediabetes from the UK Biobank cohort were included. VAT mass was predicted using a non-linear model, and adherence to the MEDLIFE was evaluated using the 25-item MEDLIFE index, encompassing categories such as “Mediterranean food consumption,” “Mediterranean dietary habits,” and “Physical activity, rest, social habits, and conviviality.” Both VAT and MEDLIFE were categorized into quartiles, resulting in 16 combinations. Incident cases of T2D and related DMC were identified through clinical records. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were employed to examine associations, adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results Over a median follow-up of 13.77 years, we observed 1408 incident cases of T2D and 714 cases of any DMC. High adherence to the MEDLIFE, compared to the lowest quartile, reduced a 16% risk of incident T2D (HR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71–0.98) and 31% for incident DMC (0.69, 0.56–0.86). Conversely, compared to the lowest quartile of VAT, the highest quartile increased the risk of T2D (5.95, 4.72–7.49) and incident any DMC (1.79, 1.36–2.35). We observed an inverse dose-response relationship between MEDLIFE and T2D/DMC, and a dose-response relationship between VAT and all outcomes (P for trend

Abstract Using a model of an accretion disk around a Schwarzschild black hole, the analytic estimates for image polarization were derived by Narayan et al. (Astrophys J 102:912, 2021). Recently, the EHT team also obtained polarization images of the Sgr A $$^{*}$$ ∗ and measured both linear and circular polarization (Astrophys J Lett 964:L25, 2024). We find that quantum correction effects can also influence polarization information. Considering the quantum corrected Schwarzschild black hole (Kazakov–Solodukhin black hole), we derive the polarization intensity of the target black hole and investigate polarization images under different parameters. It is found that a larger quantum deformation leads to an expansion of the polarization region, while the polarization intensity value decrease. Under different observation angles, magnetic fields, fluid direction angles, and fluid velocity conditions, we also derive polarization images of corrected black holes. These key indicators not only affect the intensity of polarization but also the direction of polarization. We establish the relationship between polarization intensity and quantum correction deformation parameters, revealing a gradual decline in polarization intensity with reduced radius and an anti-polarization behavior induced by the progressive increase in deformation parameters at a constant radius. Our analysis may provide observational evidence for quantum effect of general relativity.

To address the issue of low accuracy and inefficiency in the traditional parameter calibration methods for the SWMM model, this paper constructs an automatic parameter calibration model based on multi-objective optimisation algorithms. Firstly, the Sobol method and GLUE method are utilised to determine sensitive parameters and their ranges, aiming to narrow down the solution space and expedite the model-solving speed. Secondly, the NSGA-3 multi-objective optimisation algorithm based on the Pareto theory is applied for the optimisation and calibration of sensitive parameter sets. The model is validated in the rainwater drainage system with independent runoff in a residential area in a northwestern city in China. The results show that parameters such as N-Imperv and KSlope are highly sensitive to the model output under the land-use conditions of the study area. The simulation accuracy of the multi-objective continuous optimisation algorithm is significantly better than that of the single-objective genetic algorithm. The simulation results of the SWMM model under multi-objective optimisation demonstrate a certain level of reliability and stability. The research findings can provide technical support for the automatic calibration of SWMM model parameters, accurate model simulation, and application. HIGHLIGHTS The study provides a quantitative interpretation of the results of sensitivity parameter screening and ranking for the SWMM model.; During the construction of the objective function, the SWMM model system's multi-objective continuous optimisation criteria were adopted.; Combining the concepts of uncertainty and optimisation.;

Study region: The Yangtze−Huang−Huai−Hai River basin (3.19 million km2) in China, which is vital for China's economic development. Study focus: We employed the Eulerian method to identify the primary water vapor channels from 2005 to 2020, and the water vapor net budget over the basin was calculated. Additionally, the Lagrangian method was utilized to simulate water vapor transport trajectories across four seasons, with the aim of investigating the influence of changes in water vapor on precipitation. New hydrological insights for the region: Utilizing both Eulerian and Lagrangian methods, the findings indicate that: (1) Precipitation in the basin experienced a downward trend of −3.5 mm·a−1 during 2005−2020, mainly in spring (−1.4 mm·a−1) and summer (−1.7 mm·a−1); (2) The water vapor net budget has a substantial downward trend (−0.9 kg·m−1·s−1·a−1), mainly in spring (−0.4 kg·m−1·s−1·a−1) and summer (−0.3 kg·m−1·s−1·a−1), which aligns with the declining trend of precipitation. (3) The Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model demonstrates that the decrease in long−distance water vapor transport trajectories impacts the basin’s water vapor channels. The decline in spring is predominantly influenced by the water vapor transport trajectories from Asia, Europe, and Africa−Arctic Ocean (−0.7 %·a−1), while the summer is mainly driven by the water vapor transport trajectory from the Indian Ocean−South China Sea (−0.3 %·a−1). This study improves the existing understanding of the hydrological cycle in the context of the basin, and offers a crucial scientific basis for water resource management and regulation.

High-resolution multi-color printing relies upon pixelated optical nanostructures, which is crucial to promote color display by producing nonbleaching colors, yet requires simplicity in fabrication and dynamic switching. Antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) is a newly rising chalcogenide material that possesses prompt and significant transition of its optical characteristics in the visible region between amorphous and crystalline phases, which holds the key to color-varying devices. Herein, we proposed a dynamically switchable color printing method using Sb2S3-based stepwise pixelated Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavities with various cavity lengths. The device was fabricated by employing a direct laser patterning that is a less time-consuming, more approachable, and low-cost technique. As switching the state of Sb2S3 between amorphous and crystalline, the multi-color of stepwise pixelated FP cavities can be actively changed. The color variation is due to the profound change in the refractive index of Sb2S3 over the visible spectrum during its phase transition. Moreover, we directly fabricated sub-50 nm nano-grating on ultrathin Sb2S3 laminate via microsphere 800-nm femtosecond laser irradiation in far field. The minimum feature size can be further decreased down to ~45 nm (λ/17) by varying the thickness of Sb2S3 film. Ultrafast switchable Sb2S3 photonic devices can take one step toward the next generation of inkless erasable papers or displays and enable information encryption, camouflaging surfaces, anticounterfeiting, etc. Importantly, our work explores the prospects of rapid and rewritable fabrication of periodic structures with nano-scale resolution and can serve as a guideline for further development of chalcogenide-based photonics components.

Objectives To update the Ghana PrenaBelt Trial’s (GPT) primary outcome data with the latest fetal growth standard and reanalyse it. To estimate the posterior probability, under various clinically relevant prior probabilities, of maternal nightly positional therapy (PT) throughout the third-trimester having a beneficial effect on customised birth weight centile (CBWC) using Bayesian analyses.Design A reanalysis of a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomised clinical trial.Setting A single, tertiary-level centre in Accra, Ghana.Participants Two-hundred participants entered, 181 completed and 167 were included in the final analysis. Participants were Ghanaian, healthy, aged 18–35 years, with low-risk, singleton pregnancies in their third-trimester, with Body Mass Index0%, >5% and >10% gain in CBWC with PT, the posterior probabilities were highly probable, probable and unlikely, respectively, given a range of prior probabilities reflecting varying degrees of pre-existing enthusiasm and scepticism.Conclusions Maternal nightly PT throughout the third-trimester did not have a statistically significant effect on CBWC on a frequentist analysis using the latest fetal growth standard. However, from a Bayesian analysis, clinicians can infer that PT is likely to benefit fetal growth but with a modest effect size.Trial registration number NCT02379728.

Radiation therapy (RT) not only can directly kill tumor cells by causing DNA double-strand break, but also exerts anti-tumor effects through modulating local and systemic immune responses. The immunomodulatory effects of RT are generally considered as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, RT effectively enhances the immunogenicity of tumor cells, triggers type I interferon response, induces immunogenic cell death to activate immune cell function, increases the release of proinflammatory factors, and reshapes the tumor immune microenvironment, thereby positively promoting anti-tumor immune responses. On the other hand, RT stimulates tumor cells to express immunosuppressive cytokines, upregulates the function of inhibitory immune cells, leads to lymphocytopenia and depletion of immune effector cells, and thus negatively suppresses immune responses. Nonetheless, it is notable that RT has promising abscopal effects and may achieve potent synergistic effects, especially when combined with immunotherapy in the daily clinical practice. This systematic review will provide a comprehensive profile of the latest research progress with respect to the immunomodulatory effects of RT, as well as the abscopal effect of radioimmunotherapy combinations, from the perspective of biological basis and clinical practice.

In order to reduce the dust disaster in the coal mine industry and reduce the probability of coal miners suffering from pneumoconiosis, the graft copolymerization method was adopted, and polyvinyl alcohol was used as the dust suppressant matrix material, under the action of an initiator and a cross-linking agent, 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and acrylic acid are graft-copolymerized with a matrix to prepare a superabsorbent resin as a microcapsule core material. Using chitosan as the wall material, a new type of water-absorbing resin dust-suppressing microcapsules was prepared through the amine-aldehyde condensation of chitosan and glutaraldehyde. The encapsulation of water-absorbent resin and its microcapsules was determined by infrared spectrum analysis and scanning electron microscope. The swelling, moisture retention, wind erosion resistance, and biodegradability of the water-absorbent resin and its microcapsules were studied. The results showed that the microcapsules could swell up to 23 times, and the mass loss after 12 h was only 19.6 %. In the wind erosion resistance experiment, under the wind speed of 13 m/s, the dust suppression efficiency of the microcapsule dust suppressant is as high as 91.98 %, which inhibits the diffusion of coal dust. And after 22 days in the natural environment, the microcapsule dust suppressant can be degraded completely.

Abstract Background Arterial stiffness contributes to additional cardiovascular risks in diabetic patients by triggering the loss of vascular and myocardial compliance and promoting endothelial dysfunction. Thus, prevention of arterial stiffness is a public health priority, and the identification of potential biomarkers may provide benefits for early prevention. This study investigates the relationships between serum laboratory tests and pulse wave velocity (PWV) tests. We also investigated the associations between PWV and all‐cause mortality. Methods We examined a panel of 33 blood biomarkers among diabetic populations in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. The carotid‐femoral (cfPWV) and femoral‐ankle PWV (faPWV) were measured using an automated cardiovascular screening device. The aortic‐femoral arterial stiffness gradient (afSG) was calculated as faPWV divided by cfPWV. Biomarker levels were log‐transformed and correlated with PWV. Cox proportional hazard models were employed for survival analysis. Results Among 1079 diabetic patients, biomarkers including high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, glycated hemoglobin, high‐sensitivity troponin T, cystatin C, creatinine, and albuminuria were significantly correlated with afSG (R = 0.078, −0.193, −0.155, −0.153, −0.116, and −0.137, respectively) and cfPWV (R = −0.068, 0.175, 0.128, 0.066, 0.202, and 0.062, respectively). Compared with the lowest tertile of afSG, the risk of all‐cause mortality was lower in the highest tertile (hazard ratio 0.543; 95% confidence interval 0.328–0.900). Conclusion Certain biomarkers related to blood glucose monitoring, myocardial injury, and renal function significantly correlated with PWV, suggesting that these putative risk factors are likely to be important atherosclerosis mechanisms in diabetic patients. AfSG may be an independent predictor of mortality among diabetic populations.

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer measured with high significance the X-ray polarization of the brightest Z-source, Sco X-1, resulting in the nominal 2–8 keV energy band in a polarization degree of 1.0% ± 0.2% and a polarization angle of 8° ± 6° at a 90% confidence level. This observation was strictly simultaneous with observations performed by NICER, NuSTAR, and Insight-HXMT, which allowed for a precise characterization of its broadband spectrum from soft to hard X-rays. The source has been observed mainly in its soft state, with short periods of flaring. We also observed low-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations. From a spectropolarimetric analysis, we associate a polarization to the accretion disk at

BackgroundAdolescents living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) often experience diabetes distress (DD), a construct distinct from depression or anxiety that refers to the negative emotions that arise from living with and managing diabetes. Self-compassion, which involves being open to one’s own suffering and treating oneself with the same care one would show to loved ones, is associated with better psychological and clinical outcomes among individuals with T1D. Self-compassion is a skill that can be taught and therefore represents an opportunity for intervention. ObjectiveThe overall aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a web-based mindful self-compassion for teens (MSC-T) intervention on improving DD, anxiety, depression, diabetes-related disordered eating, and suicidal ideation experienced by youth with T1D (aged between 12 and 17 years) compared with a waitlist control group (standard of care). We will also explore (1) if the effect of the MSC-T intervention changes over time, (2) if the MSC-T intervention has a positive impact on measures of glycemic control, and (3) if the effect of the MSC-T intervention differs based on self-reported gender. MethodsWe will conduct a single-center, parallel-group randomized controlled trial of 140 adolescents with T1D followed for 12 months. Participants will be randomly allocated (using hidden allocation) in a 1:1 ratio to either the MSC-T intervention or the waitlist control group. Our primary outcome is DD, as measured by the Problem Areas in Diabetes-Teen (PAID-T) version at 3 months. Secondary outcomes, assessed at 3 and 12 months, include anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item [GAD-7] scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]), diabetes-related disordered eating (Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised [DEPS-R] version), and suicidal ideation (using 1 question from the PHQ-9). ResultsStudy recruitment began in October 2022 and was completed in March 2023, with a total of 141 participants enrolling. Data collection will be ongoing until March 2024. The first results are expected in June 2024. ConclusionsThis study will be the first randomized trial to assess the effectiveness of the web-based MSC-T intervention on adolescents with T1D. Given that adolescence is a period where individuals are typically required to assume more responsibility for their diabetes care, providing adolescents with the tools they need to better manage the stress that often accompanies T1D management is paramount. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05463874; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05463874 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/53935

Creation of arbitrary features with high resolution is critically important in the fabrication of nano-optoelectronic devices. Here, sub-50 nm surface structuring is achieved directly on Sb2S3 thin films via microsphere femtosecond laser irradiation in far field. By varying laser fluence and scanning speed, nano-feature sizes can be flexibly tuned. Such small patterns are attributed to the co-effect of microsphere focusing, two-photons absorption, top threshold effect, and high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser-induced incubation effect. The minimum feature size can be reduced down to ~30 nm (λ/26) by manipulating film thickness. The fitting analysis between the ablation width and depth predicts that the feature size can be down to ~15 nm at the film thickness of ~10 nm. A nano-grating is fabricated, which demonstrates desirable beam diffraction performance. This nano-scale resolution would be highly attractive for next-generation laser nano-lithography in far field and in ambient air.

Abstract Background Research on the association of physical activity and sedentary time with dementia is accumulating, though elusive, and the interaction effects of the two remain unclear. We analysed the joint associations of accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time with risk of incident dementia (all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia). Methods A total of 90,320 individuals from the UK Biobank were included. Accelerometer-measured total volume of physical activity (TPA) and sedentary time were measured at baseline and dichotomised by median (low TPA [ 0.05). Conclusion Higher TPA level was related to a lower risk of incident dementia irrespective of sedentary time, which highlighted the implication of promoting physical activity participation to counteract the potential detrimental effect of sedentary time on dementia.

Arid zone ecosystems, integral to terrestrial systems, exhibit relatively low stability and are prone to influences from human activities and climate change. To elucidate the influence on the ecological environment of the arid zone by climate change and human activities, the paper takes normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as an evaluation index of the ecosystem and uses trend analysis to evaluation of NDVI variation characteristics in the Shiyang River Basin (SRB) from 1990 to 2020. Simultaneously using methods such as partial correlation analysis and residual analysis to evaluate the impact of climate change and human activities on NDVI changes. This study yielded several key findings: (1) The NDVI in the SRB exhibits an increasing trend of 0.034/10a in the interannual variation. (2) The relation cooperatives between NDVI and the deviation of precipitation and temperature in the SRB range from −0.735 to 0.770 and −0.602 to 0.773, respectively. (3) The changes in land use and groundwater depth in the SRB have a certain impact on NDVI changes. (4) The proportion of areas with significant contributions (contribution rate greater than 60%) from climate change and human activities to NDVI change is 33.5% and 22.5%, respectively.

Abstract Background The optimal thresholds for the initiation of invasive ventilation in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure are unknown. Using the saturation-to-inspired oxygen ratio (SF), we compared lower versus higher hypoxemia severity thresholds for initiating invasive ventilation. Methods This target trial emulation included patients from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV, 2008–2019) and the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AmsterdamUMCdb, 2003–2016) databases admitted to intensive care and receiving inspired oxygen fraction ≥ 0.4 via non-rebreather mask, noninvasive ventilation, or high-flow nasal cannula. We compared the effect of using invasive ventilation initiation thresholds of SF

Breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent malignancy. There exists a strong association between gut microbiota (GM) and the development of BC. The GM composition in individuals with BC significantly differs from that in their healthy counterparts. Furthermore, the distribution of GM varies significantly among individuals with different types of BC. The GM can impact BC through metabolite secretion, the gut-mammary axis, and other pathways. Modulating the GM can serve as a very promising potential therapeutic strategy in the treatment of BC. This article will summarize existing research, focusing on the relationship between intestinal microbiota and BC. At the same time, the project will also analyze the application value of intestinal microorganisms in BC intervention work, so as to provide a reference for the further development of BC prevention and treatment work.

Recent Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observations of blazars tend to support the shock model for the X-ray emission, but report a low degree of polarization (Π ∼ 10%) in X-rays compared with the previous theoretical expectations in the shock model. In order to reconcile the theoretical expectations with observations, we revisit the polarization of the shock emission by considering different types of directions in the distribution of the shock-generated magnetic fields (sgMFs). Here, ${w}_{\mathrm{sg}}^{{\prime} }\propto {(\sin \theta ^{\prime} )}^{{\zeta }_{\mathrm{sg}}}$ with $\theta ^{\prime} =0$ along the shock normal direction is used to describe the direction in the distribution of sgMFs in the shock comoving frame. It is found that the polarization in the X-ray and radio emission for a general jet in blazars can be described as ${\rm{\Pi }}\sim 44.5[1-\exp (-{\zeta }_{\mathrm{sg}}/2.6)] \% $ and ${\rm{\Pi }}\sim 20[1-\exp (-{\zeta }_{\mathrm{sg}}/2.4)] \% $ , respectively. Correspondingly, one can have ζ _sg ∼ 1−1.5 according to IXPE observations. Besides the sgMFs, the magnetic fields generated by the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) (rmMFs) are supposed to be present in the jets. The direction of the rmMFs is mainly distributed along the shock normal in the simulations and thus ${w}_{\mathrm{rm}}^{{\prime} }\propto {(\cos \theta ^{\prime} )}^{{\zeta }_{\mathrm{rm}}}$ is adopted to describe the direction of the distribution in rmMFs. We find that rmMFs are likely to significantly affect the polarization properties at low-frequency emission, especially when the sgMFs decay rapidly. Based on contemporaneous radio and X-ray observations, we find that the emission of electrons in rmMFs makes a significant contribution to the low-frequency emission and the ordered background magnetic fields can be neglected.

We report on X-ray polarization measurements of the extragalactic Crab-like PSR B0540-69 and its Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using a ∼850 ks Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) exposure. The PWN is unresolved by IXPE. No statistically significant polarization is detected for the image-averaged data, giving a 99% confidence polarization upper limit (MDP _99 ) of 5.3% in the 2–8 keV energy range. However, a phase-resolved analysis detects polarization for both the nebula and pulsar in the 4–6 keV energy range. For the PWN defined as the off-pulse phases, the polarization degree (PD) of (24.5 ± 5.3)% and polarization angle (PA) of (78.1 ± 6.2)° is detected at 4.6 σ significance level, consistent with the PA observed in the optical band. In a single on-pulse window, a hint of polarization is measured at 3.8 σ with PD of (50.0 ± 13.1)% and PA of (6.2 ± 7.4)°. A “simultaneous” PSR/PWN analysis finds two bins at the edges of the pulse exceeding 3 σ PD significance, with PD of (68 ± 20)% and (62 ± 20)%; intervening bins at 2–3 σ significance have lower PD, hinting at additional polarization structure.

The sap flow and transpiration of three typical tree species (poplar, locust tree, and willow) in Ningxia are crucial for sustaining the ecosystem in the Ningxia Yellow River Irrigation area. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding the variations in sap flow and transpiration of these trees and their corresponding responses to environmental factors. From February to December 2021, this study selected 30 samples representing the three typical trees in the irrigation area and monitored their tree sapwood sap flow continuously and dynamically using the Thermal Diffusion Probe method. This study yielded several key findings: (1) Variations exist in sap flow density and transpiration among the three typical trees, with willows exhibiting higher sap flow density and transpiration than poplars and locust trees. (2) Tree transpiration showed a highly significant positive correlation with net radiation, temperature, and vapor pressure deficit, along with a highly significant negative correlation with relative humidity. (3) Soil moisture content undergoes changes under precipitation and artificial drip irrigation, but its correlation with tree transpiration is limited. (4) The primary environmental factors influencing poplars, locust trees, and willows are temperature, soil moisture content at a depth of 30 cm, and soil moisture content at a depth of 60 cm.

The cold regions of China (CRC) are important and vulnerable freshwater recharge areas on land, and any changes in them are related to the survival of millions of people in East Asia. However, for nearly half a century, in cold regions, the extreme temperature response to global warming is still poorly understood. In this study, we systematically studied the temperature extreme changes in cold regions of China since 1961 and discussed the possible circulation factors in detail. The results showed that 1) the warming magnitudes in cold nights and warm nights are greater than those in cold days and warm days, and decreases in cold nights and cold days and increases in warm days and warm nights appeared in almost all of cold regions of China. Most of the temperature indices displayed the largest magnitudes of warming in winter. 2) Spatially, for most of the temperature extremes, the stations located at Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (TPC) and Northwest China (NWC) showed a larger warming trend than that shown by the station at Northeast China (NEC). 3) The responses of temperature extremes at different cold regions to each circulation index are variable. Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) has a significant relationship with almost all the indices in cold regions of China. Almost all the temperature extremes of TPC and NWC showed closely relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), especially for diurnal temperature range (DTR), daily maximum temperature, and the cold extremes. Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) is significantly related to most the temperature indices of Northwest China and Northeast China. However, MEI has a significant impact on only TPC’s diurnal temperature range and warmest night (TNx). 4) Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation displayed significant relationships with most the temperature extremes in every season in cold regions of China. However, the summer and winter MEI and the summer and winter North Atlantic Oscillation showed significant impacts on only diurnal temperature range, daily minimum temperatures (TNm), and TNx.

Abstract Actively controlling the polarization states of terahertz (THz) waves is essential for polarization-sensitive spectroscopy, which has various applications in anisotropy imaging, noncontact Hall measurement, and vibrational circular dichroism. In the THz regime, the lack of a polarization modulator hinders the development of this spectroscopy. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that conjugated bilayer chiral metamaterials (CMMs) integrated with Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST225) active components can achieve nonvolatile and continuously tunable optical activity in the THz region. A THz time-domain spectroscopic system was used to characterize the device, showing a tunable ellipticity (from ‒36° to 0°) and rotation of the plane polarization (from 32° to 0°) at approximately 0.73 THz by varying the GST225 state from amorphous (AM) to crystalline (CR). Moreover, a continuously tunable chiroptical response was experimentally observed by partially crystallizing the GST225, which can create intermediate states, having regions of both AM and CR states. Note that the GST225 has an advantage of nonvolatility over the other active elements and does not require any energy to retain its structural state. Our work allows the development of THz metadevices capable of actively manipulating the polarization of THz waves and may find applications for dynamically tunable THz circular polarizers and polarization modulators for THz emissions.

Coordinated regulation of alternative splicing is essential for germ cell development. Here, the authors report that hnRNPH1 interacts with alternative splicing factors PTBP2 and SRSF3 in the germline to regulate pre-mRNA alternative splicing.

Objectives: To examine the association between visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) and incident diabetes mellitus (DM) risk in a Chinese population.Methods: Data comes from China Health and Nutrition Survey (n = 15,084). BPV was estimated as the average real variability (ARV) using at least three BP measurements from the year preceding the event and was divided into quartiles. Participants were also categorized into 9 groups on the basis of combinations of systolic BPV (SBPV) and diastolic BPV (DBPV) tertiles. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used.Results: During a median follow-up of 16.8 years, 1,030 (6.8%) participants developed diabetes (incidence rate: 4.65/1,000 person-years). The HRs (95% CIs) for the highest quartile (vs. the lowest quartile) of SBPV and DBPV were 1.60 (1.30–1.97) and 1.37 (1.13–1.67), respectively. Participants with both highest SBPV and DBPV tertile had an ≈89% higher risk of DM (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.47–2.42) compared with those in the both SBPV and DBPV tertile 1 group.Conclusion: Higher SBP ARV and DBP ARV were independently associated with increased risk of incident DM, which was augmented when both presented together.

Abstract Miniaturized nonvolatile reconfigurable optical components with a subwavelength thickness, extremely compact size, high-speed response, and low power consumption will be the core of next-generation all-optical integrated devices and photonic computing to replace traditional bulky optical devices and integrated circuits, which are reaching physical limitations of Moore’s law. Metasurfaces, as ultrathin planar surfaces, have played a major role in controlling the amplitude, phase, and polarization of electromagnetic waves and can be combined with various active modulation methods to realize a variety of functional devices. However, most existing reconfigurable devices are bounded in volatile nature with constant power to maintain and single functionality, which restricts their further extensive applications. Chalcogenide phase change materials (PCM) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique optical properties in the visible and infrared domains, whereas in the terahertz (THz) regime, research on the reversible phase transition in large-scale areas and applications of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) are still under exploration. Here, we achieved reversible, repeated, and large-area switching of GST with the help of optical and thermal stimuli. Large-area amorphization with a 1 cm diameter of GST is realized by using a single laser pulse. Then, we incorporate GST into metasurface designs to realize nonvolatile, reconfigurable, multilevel, and broadband terahertz modulators, including the anomalous deflector, metalens, and focusing optical vortex (FOV) generator. Experimental results verify the feasibility of multilevel modulation of THz waves in a broadband frequency range. Moreover, the modulators are reusable and nonvolatile. The proposed approach presents novel avenues of nonvolatile and reconfigurable metasurface designs and can enable wide potential applications in imaging, sensing, and high-speed communications.

In this paper, we present a full spatially resolved polarization map for the Vela pulsar wind nebula (PWN) observed by IXPE. By employing effective background discrimination techniques, our results show a remarkably high degree of local polarization in the outskirt region, exceeding 60% (55%) with a probability of 95% (99%), which approaches the upper limit predicted by the synchrotron emission mechanism. The high degree of polarization suggests that the turbulent magnetic energy is at most 33% of the ordered one. In addition, the X-ray polarization map exhibits a toroidal magnetic field pattern that is consistent with the field revealed by radio observations across the entire nebula. This consistency reveals that the observed X-ray and radio emissions are radiated by electrons from the same magnetic field. Different from the Crab PWN, the consistency observed in the Vela PWN may be attributed to the interaction between the reverse shock of the supernova blast wave and the PWN, which leads to a displacement between the synchrotron-cooled nebula and the fresh nebula close to the pulsar. These findings deepen our understanding of the structure and evolution of the Vela PWN and the magnetohydrodynamic interaction in PWNe.

This paper reports the first detection of polarization in the X-rays for atoll-source 4U 1820−303, obtained with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) at 99.999% confidence level (CL). Simultaneous polarimetric measurements were also performed in the radio with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The IXPE observations of 4U 1820−303 were coordinated with Swift X-ray Telescope, Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer, and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array aiming to obtain an accurate X-ray spectral model covering a broad energy interval. The source shows a significant polarization above 4 keV, with a polarization degree of 2.0% ± 0.5% and a polarization angle of −55° ± 7° in the 4–7 keV energy range, and a polarization degree of 10% ± 2% and a polarization angle of −67° ± 7° in the 7–8 keV energy bin. This polarization also shows a clear energy trend with polarization degree increasing with energy and a hint for a position-angle change of ≃90° at 96% CL around 4 keV. The spectro-polarimetric fit indicates that the accretion disk is polarized orthogonally to the hard spectral component, which is presumably produced in the boundary/spreading layer. We do not detect linear polarization from the radio counterpart, with a 3 σ upper limit of 50% at 7.25 GHz.

Summary: Background: Statin use could benefit patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the evidence is segmented and inconclusive. This multidimensional study comprehensively investigated the potential benefits and mechanism-of-action of statins in NAFLD. Methods: A cross-sectional investigation was performed within the Rotterdam Study (general population; n = 4.576) and the PERSONS cohort (biopsy-proven NAFLD patients; n = 569). Exclusion criteria were secondary causes for steatosis and insufficient data on alcohol, dyslipidemia or statin use. Associations of statin use with NAFLD (among entire general population), fibrosis and NASH (among NAFLD individuals and patients) were quantified. These results were pooled with available literature in meta-analysis. Last, we assessed statins’ anti-lipid and anti-inflammatory effects in 3D cultured human liver organoids and THP-1 macrophages, respectively. Findings: Statin use was inversely associated with NAFLD in the Rotterdam study compared to participants with untreated dyslipidemia. In the PERSONS cohort, statin use was inversely associated with NASH, but not with fibrosis. The meta-analysis included 7 studies and indicated a not significant inverse association for statin use with NAFLD (pooled-Odds Ratio: 0.69, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.46–1.01) and significant inverse associations with NASH (pooled-OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.44–0.79) and fibrosis (pooled-OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.33–0.70). In vitro, statins significantly reduced lipid droplet accumulation in human liver organoids and downregulated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. Interpretation: Pooled results demonstrated that statin use was associated with a lower prevalence of NASH and fibrosis and might prevent NAFLD. This may be partially attributed to the anti-lipid and anti-inflammatory characteristics of statins. Given their under-prescription, adequate prescription of statins may limit the disease burden of NAFLD. Funding: ZonMw, KWF, NWO, SLO, DGXII, RIDE, National and regional government, Erasmus MC and Erasmus University.

Metamaterials composed of metallic antennae arrays are used as they possess extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) in the terahertz (THz) region, whereby a giant forward light propagation can be created using constructive interference of tunneling surface plasmonic waves. However, numerous applications of THz meta-devices demand an active manipulation of the THz beam in free space. Although some studies have been carried out to control the EOT for the THz region, few of these are based upon electrical modulation of the EOT phenomenon, and novel strategies are required for actively and dynamically reconfigurable EOT meta-devices. In this work, we experimentally present that the EOT resonance can be coupled to optically reconfigurable chalcogenide metamaterials which offers a reversible all-optical control of the THz light. A modulation efficiency of 88% in transmission at 0.85 THz is experimentally observed using the EOT metamaterials, which is composed of a gold (Au) circular aperture array sitting on a non-volatile chalcogenide phase change material (Ge2Sb2Te5) film. This comes up with a robust and ultrafast reconfigurable EOT over 20 times of switching, excited by a nanosecond pulsed laser. The measured data have a good agreement with finite-element-method numerical simulation. This work promises THz modulators with significant on/off ratios and fast speeds.

In this study, a new series of zinc oxide (ZnO) with high specific surface area and narrow energy band gap are prepared using a facile microwave-induced method. The corresponding formation mechanism is also discussed for the first time. Due to the introduction of C, these ZnO can be excited by long wave temperature light without harmful short wave radiation, and play an efficient photocatalytic activity. This valuable property fundamentally improves the biological safety of its photocatalytic application. Herein, taking teeth whitening as an example, the photocatalytic performance of ZnO is evaluated. The “pure” yellow light-emitting diode (PYLED) with high biological safety is used as the excitation source. It is found that this method could effectively remove pigment on the tooth surface through physical adsorption. In addition, these ZnO could generate active oxygen to degrade the pigment on the tooth surface under the irradiation of yellow light. Some further optimization of these “warm light” responsive ZnO is also discussed in this systematical study, which could open up new opportunities in biomedical field.

The ligand-tailored SnO2 QDs ETL with multi-functional terminal groups in situ refines the buried interfaces with both the perovskite and transparent electrode via enhanced interface binding and perovskite passivation.

With the development of the engineering construction industry, knowledge became an important strategic resource for construction enterprises, and knowledge graphs are an effective method for knowledge management. In the context of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality, low carbon emission became one of the important indicators for the selection of construction schemes, and knowledge management research related to low carbon construction must be performed. This study investigated a method of incorporating low-carbon construction knowledge into the bridge construction scheme knowledge graph construction process and proposed a bridge construction scheme recommendation method that considers carbon emission constraints based on the knowledge graph and similarity calculation. First, to solve the problem of the poor fitting effect of model parameters caused by less annotation of the corpus in the bridge construction field, an improved entity recognition model was proposed for low-resource conditions with limited data. A knowledge graph of low carbon construction schemes for bridges was constructed using a small sample dataset. Then, based on the construction of this knowledge graph, the entities and relationships related to construction schemes were obtained, and the comprehensive similarity of bridge construction schemes was calculated by combining the similarity calculation principle to realize the recommendation of bridge construction schemes under different constraints. Experiments on the constructed bridge low carbon construction scheme dataset showed that the proposed model achieved good accuracy with named entity recognition tasks. The comparative analysis with the construction scheme of the project verified the validity of the proposed construction scheme considering carbon emission constraints, which can provide support for the decision of the low-carbon construction scheme of bridges.

Morphology of organic thin film, including the in-plane and out-of-plane directions, plays a crucial role in determining the performance of organic solar cells, yet the characterisation is challenging for the out-of-plane direction. Here, the authors use GTSAXS to uncover the nanomorphology in this dimension, and show how it affects exciton dissociation and charge transfer.

Graded bulk-heterojunction organic solar cell with well-defined vertical phase separation has the potential to surpass the classical counterpart, thus the optimisation of this structure is crucial. Here, the authors reveal solvent selection strategies for optimising morphology of the structure, enabling efficient, eco-friendly, and scalable solar cells.

2D black phosphorus (BP) possesses an in‐plane anisotropy, offering another degree of freedom to create new optoelectronic and photonic devices, such as waveplates with atomic thickness. Yet, due to its very low energy bandgap, the anisotropy of BP crystal is mainly studied in the near‐infrared region and remains elusive in the visible region. Furthermore, the strength of optical anisotropy of few‐layer BP, which is crucial for practical applications, is still limited. Herein, a BP‐based Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavity that can increase the strength of BP anisotropy twice compared with the bare BP flake is proposed. Notably, the FP cavity composed of BP/Au dual‐layer structure sitting on the Si substrate could realize a reconfigurable color switching over the whole visible region by varying the polarization of the incident light, utilizing polarization‐dependent complex permittivity of the anisotropic BP crystal. The finding not only offers a simple approach to improve the optical anisotropy of 2D layered materials but also advises an efficient method to develop BP optical devices, including a phase plate, a linear polarizer, and a color display.

Integrating tunable characteristics and multiple functions into a single metasurface attracts more and more attention. Herein, a reconfigurable bifunctional metasurface is proposed to realize the switch between broadband polarization conversion and absorption. The switchable performance can be achieved by changing the conductivity of phase‐change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) in the way of heating. When the conductivity σ of GST is set to 0 Sm−1, the metasurface is a polarizer that can transform the x‐polarized wave into the y‐polarized wave in the range of 0.53–1.22 THz. Moreover, its polarization–conversion ratio (PCR) is more than 90% from 0.60 to 1.15 THz. As σ increases to 1 × 105 Sm−1, the metasurface absorbs more than 75% of the incident wave from 0.44 to 1.34 THz, which means it is a broadband absorber. In addition, the performance of the metasurface is verified by simulation, experiment, and theory. Through comparison, the three results have a high fitting degree. The reconfigurable metasurface provides a new way to develop switchable photonic devices in the terahertz frequency region.

Abstract Cesium lead based all‐inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising candidates for tandem solar cells owing to their favorable thermal stability and suitable bandgap. However, to exploit the advantage to the full, there is still huge room to reduce energy loss and enhance the VOC. In this work, we developed low‐temperature processed ZnO as an ETL alternative. Incorporation of PbX2 (X = I−, Cl−, and CH3COO−) was found to increase oxygen vacancies in ZnO, which not only promoted the growth of all‐inorganic perovskite layer with improved morphology and orientational order, but also formed a favorable energy level alignment with the perovskite layer, thus facilitating charge extraction and suppressing charge recombination. Consequently, the CsPb(I1−xBrx)3 PSCs based on PbX2:ZnO exhibited enhanced stability and performance. The efficiency was boosted from 17.64% to 20.04% with an improved fill factor of 84.14% and a VOC of 1.28 V, being the highest VOC among highly efficient (>20%) all‐inorganic PSCs to date.

ObjectiveThe purpose of the study was to describe the burden and temporal trend of cancer attributable to high body mass index (BMI), with major patterns highlighted by sex, Socio-demographic Index (SDI), and geographical region.MethodsThis population-based observational study collected epidemiological data on cancer attributable to high BMI from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2019. The obtained data included deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and their age-standardized rates at the global, gender, SDI, regional, and country levels. The trend magnitudes and directions over time for mortality were analyzed. The associations between SDI and burden of cancer attributable to high BMI were also evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis.ResultsWorldwide, 462.55 thousand deaths and 11.18 million DALYs of cancer were related to high BMI in 2019, and both have more than doubled since 1990. An annual 0.6% increase was observed for the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and the rate of increase slowed after 2000. In general, the burden of cancer attributable to high BMI was heavier in regions with higher SDI levels, whereas the increase slowed down or even showed a decreasing trend in the recent years. In contrast, in regions with lower SDI levels, although the baseline burden of cancer attributable to high BMI was relatively low, both the numbers and rates of deaths and DALYs showed a significantly increasing trend and may not stop increasing for a period of time. The trend and magnitude of high BMI-related cancer burden varied substantially in different anatomical sites. The leading three cancers of DALYs attributable to high BMI in 2019 were esophageal, colorectal, and liver cancer.ConclusionThe high BMI-related burden of cancers is worsening, particularly in developing countries. Concerted action should be suggested to increase awareness of the harmful effects of high BMI and decrease the burden of disease attributable to high BMI, including cancer.

Enantioseparation is crucial in pharmaceutics and agrochemicals. Compared to the current chemical technique, the optical enantioseparation is more effective means yet hampered by the weak chiral optical force. Recently, plasmonic nanostructures have been theoretically demonstrated to excite superchiral fields that can enhance enantioselective optical forces. Yet, the quality (Q) factors of plasmonic resonances are limited by the ohmic losses intrinsically existing in metals, thus hindering their applications for sorting of a few nanometer size chiral molecules (i.e., proteins and DNA). Herein, a dielectric metasurface consisting of an array of silicon (Si) rings with a broken symmetry is proposed. This dielectric metasurface can excite a sharp high‐Q magnetic dipolar (MD) resonance caused by a distortion of symmetry‐protected bound states in the continuum (BICs), so called quasi‐BIC. It is shown that this quasi‐BIC MD resonance can pronouncedly improve the chiral lateral force on the paired enantiomers under linearly polarized illumination, offering an enantioseparation of sub‐10 nm nanoparticles with chirality parameters of ±0.2 in 1 ms. The work provides a new approach for enantiopurification and enantioseparation, taking a novel perspective to discriminate and separate chiral molecules in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is accompanied by overactivation of multiple pro‐inflammatory factors. Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) has been shown to aggravate lung injury in response to hyperoxia. However, the relationship between CYP1A1 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced ALI is unknown. In this study, CYP1A1 was shown to be upregulated in mouse lung in response to LPS. Using CYP1A1‐deficient (CYP1A1−/−) mice, we found that CYP1A1 knockout enhanced LPS‐induced ALI, as evidenced by increased TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and nitric oxide in lung; these effects were mediated by overactivation of NF‐κB and iNOS. Furthermore, we found that aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and creatinine levels were elevated in serum of LPS‐induced CYP1A1−/− mice. Altogether, these data provide novel insights into the involvement of CYP1A1 in LPS‐induced lung injury.

It is proposed that the synchrotron emission from an internal shock with a decaying shock-generated magnetic field can account for the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Generally, a jet from the central engine of a GRB is launched with a significant magnetization, and thus there would be a background magnetic field, rather than only the shock-generated magnetic field, in the emission region. In this paper, we study the synchrotron emission of internal shocks with both a decaying shock-generated magnetic field and a nondecaying background magnetic field. It is found that a shoulder with spectral index −1/2 appears in the low-energy regime of the radiation spectrum. The shoulder becomes dominant by increasing the ratio of the background magnetic field energy to the initial value of the shock-generated magnetic field energy f _B . Correspondingly, a radiation spectrum with two bumps or a plateau around the peak of the ν F _ν − ν spectrum may appear. Owing to the decay of the shock-generated magnetic field, the radiation spectral morphology in the high-energy regime is not a power-law function even though a power-law distribution of electrons is injected. We apply our model to GRB 211211A, of which the hard main emission is suggested to originate from the synchrotron emission. Compared with the spectral fitting results with a Band function and the synchrotron emission from the standard straightforward internal shocks, our model presents a perfect fitting to the observations. The fitting results show that f _B is around 0.41–0.99 for the hard main emission of this burst.

The relative importance of regional species pool and local assembly processes as drivers of beta diversity is unclear. Here the authors investigate soil bacterial diversity patterns along a 3700-km latitudinal gradient in Chinese forests, finding that community assembly processes differ based on environmental heterogeneity.

Perfect absorption ranging from visible, infrared, terahertz, to microwave is desirable for solar cell, photodetection, telecommunications, and molecular sensing. Recently, the air/dielectric–metal stacks/substrate‐based asymmetric Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavity has attracted much attention owing to lithography‐free design which is scalable and low cost. Herein, a reversibly tunable asymmetric FP cavity high absorber in the near‐infrared (NIR) region is experimentally demonstrated, relying on chalcogenide (Ge2Sb2Te5)–metal (Au) stacked layers. It exhibits an extremely high absorptance of 0.99 at a resonant wavelength of 1180 nm for amorphous (AM) state; yet, the peak absorptance redshifts to 1680 nm for crystalline (CR) state. Importantly, it takes about 5 ns to reversibly transit the peak absorptance by reamorphizing the GST225. It is also experimentally shown the Brewster modes can be excited in the cavity absorber, and a wide tuning of Brewster modes (from 820 to 1500 nm) is realized as switching the state between AM and CR. The Goos–Hänchen (GH) shift can be observed at the Brewster angle for each state. For the proof of concept multibiosensing application, the cavity to detect two different solutions of the copper sulfate and glucose in both AM and CR states is numerically functionalized, respectively.

Droplet retention during pesticide application is a serious problem because run-off droplets flow out of the target area and pose a hazard to human health and the environment. The present study was conducted with the aim to measure the droplet retention of sprayed droplets on crop leaves in vivo using a constructed test system. In the measurement, three crop species with different surface properties (tomato, chili pepper, and winter wheat) were selected for droplet retention determination, and the variations in the time intervals of maximum retention and stable retention were determined. Contact angle and surface roughness (Ra), which are the most important surface properties of crop leaves, were used as independent variables. The Ra values of tomato, pepper, and winter wheat were 24.73 μm, 5.28 μm, and 17.59 μm, respectively, while the contact angles of tomato, pepper, and winter wheat were 97.67°, 70.07° and 131.98°, respectively. The results showed that the curves of droplet retention on sprayed tomato and wheat leaves had similar patterns over time and could be divided into four periods (rapidly increasing period, slowly increasing period, collapsing period, and stable period). The maximum droplet retention on tomato leaf surface was Rmax = 0.169 g⋅cm−2, and the stable retention was Rst = 0.134 g⋅cm−2. The maximum droplet retention on the surface of winter wheat leaf was Rmax = 0.244 g⋅cm−2, and the stable retention was Rst = 0.093 g⋅cm−2. However, droplet retention on pepper leaves was different from that on tomato and wheat leaves. The curve pattern of droplet retention on pepper leaves over time showed two peaks and two valleys. Moreover, the maximum retention, Rmax, was in the range of 0.149~0.151 g⋅cm−2, and the stable retention was Rst = 0.077 g⋅cm−2. It is expected that the obtained results can be used to characterize the properties of crop leaves and that this study can contribute to the improvement of droplet retention for effective chemical application and the reduction in the environmental pollution caused by agricultural pesticides.

Abstract Extensive studies are conducted on perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with significant performance advances (mainly spin coating techniques), which have encouraged recent efforts on scalable coating techniques for the manufacture of PSCs. However, devices fabricated by blade coating techniques are inferior to state‐of‐the‐art spin‐coated devices because the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is highly dependent on the morphology and crystallization kinetics in the controlled environment and the delicate solvent system engineering. In this study, based on the widely studied perovskite solution system dimethylformamide–dimethyl sulfoxide, air‐knife‐assisted ambient fabrication of PSCs at a high relative humidity of 55 ± 5% is reported. In‐depth time‐resolved UV–vis spectrometry is carried out to investigate the impact of solvent removal and crystallization rate, which are critical factors influencing the crystallization kinetics and morphology because of adventitious moisture. UV–vis spectrometry enables accurate determination of the thickness of the wet precursor film. Anti‐solvent‐free, high‐humidity ambient coatings of hysteresis‐free PSCs with PCEs of 21.1% and 18.0% are demonstrated for 0.06 and 1 cm2 devices, respectively. These PSCs exhibit comparable stability to those fabricated in a glovebox, thus demonstrating their high potential.

Cleistogenes (Orininae, Cynodonteae, Chloridoideae, Poaceae) is an ecologically important genus. The phylogenetic placement of Cleistogenes and phylogenetic relationships among Cleistogenes taxa remain controversial for a long time. To resolve the intra- and inter-generic relationships of Cleistogenes, the plastomes of 12 Cleistogenes taxa (including 8 species and 4 varieties), one Orinus species, 15 Triodia species, two Tripogon species, and two Aeluropus species were included in the present study. All the taxa showed a similar pattern in plastome structure, gene order, gene content, and IR boundaries. The number of simple sequence repeats ranged from 145 (O. kokonorica) to 161 (T. plurinervata and T. schinzii). Moreover, 1,687 repeats were identified in these taxa, including 1,012 forward, 650 palindromic, 24 reverse, and one complement. Codon usage analysis revealed that these plastomes contained 16,633 (T. stipoides) to 16,678 (T. tomentosa) codons. Sequence divergence analysis among Cleistogenes and closely related genera identified five non-coding regions (trnS-UGA-psbZ, rpl32-trnL-UAG, trnQ-UUG-psbK, trnD-GUC-psbM, trnT-GGU-trnE-UUC). Phylogenetic analysis of complete plastomes indicated that Cleistogenes is sister to a clade composed of Orinus and Triodia, whereas it did not support the sister relationship between the recently proposed subtribe Orininae (Cleistogenes and Orinus) and Triodia. The subtribe Orininae was not supported by our complete plastome data. The split between Cleistogenes and Orinus-Triodia clade go back to 14.01 Ma. Besides, our findings suggested that C. squarrosa and C. songorica are the successive early diverging groups in the phylogenetic analysis. The other 10 taxa are divided into two groups: a monophyletic group composed of Cleistogenes sp. nov. and C. caespitosa var. ramosa is sister to other eight Cleistogenes taxa. Cleistogenes was estimated to have experienced rapid divergence within a short period, which could be a major obstacle in resolving phylogenetic relationships within Cleistogenes. Collectively, our results provided valuable insights into the phylogenetic study of grass species.

To address the shortcomings of the existing linear power flow calculation methods for distribution networks with low versatility and calculation accuracy, a linear power flow calculation method considering distributed generation (DG) is proposed. According to the characteristics of distribution networks and using the Taylor series expansion technology, the nonlinear terms of the basic power flow equation are linearized. The reactive power generated by the non-PV type DG is simplified to a quadratic function of the voltage amplitude. Then, combined with linear approximation and the simplified DG calculation model, the basic power flow equation is simplified into a linear form. Based on the linear power flow equation, a linear power flow calculation method for distribution networks with DG is proposed. The proposed method, which considers various types of DG, has a strong versatility. Finally, the calculation results of typical test systems show that compared with the existing linear power flow calculation methods, the proposed method has a higher calculation accuracy and more versatility and can be used for rapid analysis of distribution networks.

In computer vision, pollutant detection is a highly concerning issue, and it has been widely used in the fields of pollutant identification, tracking, and precise positioning. In the ocean, oil tends to disperse into the water column as droplets under breaking waves, and it is called sunken and submerged oil. Aiming at the most difficult issue of identifying liquid submerged oil pollution, this paper proposes a method of synthesized data containing specific markers for oil detection. The Canny operator was used to remove the background of the liquid submerged oil. Then, affine transformation was applied to simulate the real situation of oil deformation. Linear mapping was presented by matrix multiplication, and translation was represented by vector addition. At last, bilinear interpolation was used to integrate the oil into the image of the laboratory pictures. In addition, this research randomly added interference information, so that the probability distribution of synthesized data was closer to the probability distribution of the real data. Then, this paper combined various methods to improve the accuracy of liquid oil detection, such as Feature Pyramid Networks, RoIAlign, difficult sample mining. Based on the above methods, 1838 images were synthesized in this paper and combined into a training set. The results show that the average accuracy of the oil detection is increased by 79.72%. The accuracy of the synthesized data method for labeled oil detection was 18.56% higher than that of oil detection without labeling. This research solves the difficulty of obtaining sunken and submerged oil images and the high cost of image annotation.

In the Loess Plateau, seasonal freeze and thaw cause great damage to the mechanical behavior and microstructure of soil, which leads to frequent geological disasters during winter and spring. To investigate the influence of freeze-thaw (FT) cycling (FTC) on the shear strength and microstructure of intact loess, triaxial shear, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscope tests were carried out on soil samples after target FT cycles. The results indicate that the FTC has limited changes to the soil stress-strain curve, but has a significant attenuation effect on the peak deviatoric stress. The peak deviatoric stress was attenuated by FTC but changed insignificantly after ten cycles. The cohesive force decays exponentially with the number of FT cycles, while the internal friction angle increases slightly. Moreover, under FTC, the T2 hydrogen spectra of soil samples showed a multimodal distribution, with the main peak appearing to have two obvious upward shifts that occurred at 6 and 10 FT cycles. Indeed, a depolarization phenomenon related to the directional frequency of soil particles was observed, and the mass fractal dimension of the pore network increased slightly. In an FT environment, the shear strength declines due to accumulated internal microstructural damage. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the response of loess to FTC and provide novel ideas for the prevention of frost damage in loess areas.

Summary: Metamaterials analog of electromagnetically induced reflectance (EIR) has attracted intense attentions since they can provide various applications for novel photonic devices such as optical detectors with a high sensitivity and slow-light devices with a low loss. The development of dynamic photonic devices desires a tunable EIR feature in metamaterials. However, most metamaterials-induced EIR is not spectrally controllable particularly for the near-infrared (NIR) region. Herein, a tuning of EIR is illustrated in Babinet chalcogenide metamaterials in the NIR region. The EIR response is created by weak hybridization of two dipolar (bright) modes of the paired Au slots. Such a mode interference can be engineered through non-volatile phase transition to the refractive index of the Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST), resulting in an active controlling of the reflection window. A 15% spectral tuning of the reflectance peak is observed experimentally in the NIR region as switching the GST state between amorphous and crystalline.