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BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergic diseases in China has risen significantly over the past decades, affecting the quality of life for approximately 40% of the population. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to integrate survey and genomic data to explore the potential causal relationship between alcohol consumption and allergic diseases. METHOD: In collaboration with a leading genetic testing company in China, we collected data on 3,041 participants via an online survey between December 2018 and October 2019. A Mendelian Randomization (MR) design was employed in data analysis, leveraging the random allocation of genes at meiosis in humans to create instrumental variables for alcohol intake. This method was used to estimate the causal effect of alcohol consumption on the incidence of allergic diseases. RESULTS: While ordinary least-squares estimates showed a negative association between alcohol drinking and the risk of self-reported allergic diseases, MR estimates suggest that higher alcohol consumption increased the risks of allergy in certain subgroups. Specifically, predicted drinking [b = 0.445, p = 0.032] and the number of drinking times during the past 30 days [b = 0.031, p

Designing homogeneous networks is considered one typical strategy for solving the problem of strength and toughness conflict of polymer network materials. Experimentalists have proposed the hypothesis of obtaining a structurally homogeneous hydrogel by crosslinking tetra-armed polymers, whose homogeneity was claimed to be verified by scattering characterization and other methods. Nevertheless, it is highly desirable to further evaluate this issue from other perspectives. In this study, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation coupled with a stochastic reaction model is applied to reveal the topological structure of a polymer network synthesized by tetra-armed monomers as precursors. Two different scenarios, distinguished by whether internal cross-linking is allowed, are considered. We introduce the Dijkstra algorithm from graph theory to precisely characterize the network structure. The microscopic features of the network structure, e.g., loop size, dispersity, and size distribution, are obtained via the Dijkstra algorithm. By comparing the two reaction scenarios, Scenario II exhibits an overall more idealized structure. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of the Dijkstra algorithm for precisely characterizing the polymer network structure. We expect this work will provide a new insight for the evaluation and description of gel networks and further help to reveal the dynamic process of network formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud analyzing and processing have attracted extensive attention due to their broad application in numerous sectors. Although many previous deep learning-based frameworks have had significant improvement, they often struggle with processing efficiency and neglect the spatial relationships between points. In this paper, we introduce CSP-Former, a novel framework for point cloud classification and segmentation. Inspired by the impressive strides of self-attention obtained in NLP and CV tasks, we designed a transformer-based network as a backbone for feature extraction; additionally, a fast sampling layer based on compressed sensing theory is proposed to enhance the sampling efficiency, which speeds up the sampling process through only once matrix multiplication. Subsequently, a hierarchical spatial self-attention module is also proposed to better capture the spatial relationships between points, improving segmentation performance. Extensive experiments on the ModelNet40 and ShapeNet part datasets demonstrate that our proposed framework achieves superior performance in point cloud classification and segmentation tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT University student academic competitions can test students' learning outcomes, improve their academic performance and stimulate their interest in learning. Exploring the behavioural mechanisms influencing students' academic competition is quite important, but there is currently little research on this topic. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature. We collected data from 460 university students during the fall semester of the 2023–2024 academic year and conducted a path analysis using structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore these behavioural mechanisms. The study found that external support, perceived value and institutional trust are significantly positively correlated with competition behaviour. However, the relationship between perceived usefulness and competition behaviour is not significant. Institutional trust plays a partial mediating role in the effects of external support, perceived usefulness and perceived value on competition behaviour. Therefore, the factors that affect college students' competitive behaviour include internal and external factors. The contribution of this research is to provide empirical evidence and explain what factors may affect competition behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrates a novel class of CaNd2ZnTi2O9 microwave dielectric ceramic using the traditional solid-state methods. Analysis by XRD and Rietveld refinement revealed that the CaNd2ZnTi2O9 sample is single-phase and possesses an orthorhombic crystal configuration with a Pbnm (62) space group. SEM observation confirmed the double perovskite structure of CaNd2ZnTi2O9 ceramics and the relative density of the ceramic samples reached 95.8%. Additionally, the τf of CaNd2ZnTi2O9 sample is affected by VTi–O bond valence. CaNd2ZnTi2O9 samples sintered at 1430 °C show significant microwave dielectric properties (εr = 35.41, Q × f = 15,440 GHz, τf = −S54.8 ppm/°C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrates a novel class of CaNd2ZnTi2O9 microwave dielectric ceramic using the traditional solid-state methods. Analysis by XRD and Rietveld refinement revealed that the CaNd2ZnTi2O9 sample is single-phase and possesses an orthorhombic crystal configuration with a Pbnm (62) space group. SEM observation confirmed the double perovskite structure of CaNd2ZnTi2O9 ceramics and the relative density of the ceramic samples reached 95.8%. Additionally, the τf of CaNd2ZnTi2O9 sample is affected by VTi–O bond valence. CaNd2ZnTi2O9 samples sintered at 1430 °C show significant microwave dielectric properties (εr = 35.41, Q × f = 15,440 GHz, τf = −S54.8 ppm/°C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the timely transmission of signals, the research of low dielectric constant microwave ceramics is essential. In this study, a new type of low-permittivity Lu2MgAl4SiO12 microwave dielectric ceramic was prepared by traditional solid-phase method. The successful synthesis of Lu2MgAl4SiO12 ceramics with cubic crystal system and space group Ia-3d (230) was determined by XRD and Rietveld refinement. SEM observation confirmed the garnet structure of Lu2MgAl4SiO12 ceramics, and verified the dense structure of the ceramic samples with a relative density of 99.1%. In addition, the influence of relative density and packing fraction on Q × f was studied by analyzing the Lu2MgAl4SiO12 system. The findings revealed that τf was affected by the valence state of VSi-O bond. Finally, Lu2MgAl4SiO12 sample sintered at 1490 °C demonstrated notable microwave properties (εr = 9.13, Q × f = 15,100 GHz, τf = –47.1 ppm/°C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]