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Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), as the major pathogen of diarrhea in healthcare settings, has become increasingly prevalent within community populations, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. However, the therapeutic options for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) remain limited, and as of now, no authorized vaccine is available to combat this disease. Therefore, the development of a novel vaccine against C. difficile is of paramount importance. In our study, the complete proteome sequences of 118 strains of C. difficile were downloaded and analyzed. We found four antigenic proteins that were highly conserved and can be used for epitope identification. We designed two vaccines, WLcd1 and WLcd2, that contain the ideal T-cell and B-cell epitopes, adjuvants, and the pan HLA DR-binding epitope (PADRE) sequences. The biophysical and chemical assessments of these vaccine candidates indicated that they were suitable for immunogenic applications. Molecular docking analyses revealed that WLcd1 bonded with higher affinity to Toll-like receptors (TLRs) than WLcd2. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, performed using Gmx_MMPBSA v1.56, confirmed the binding stability of WLcd1 with TLR2 and TLR4. The preliminary findings suggested that this multi-epitope vaccine could be a promising candidate for protection against CDI; however, experimental studies are necessary to confirm these predictions.

Abstract It is generally believed that Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) colonization is primarily responsible for systemic infection in humans. However, there is no consensus on whether decolonization should be recommended in clinical practice. In China, the specific situation of CRE colonization and consequent systemic infection in hospitalized patients necessitates further exploration. We conducted a cohort study and analyzed various clinical characteristics of inpatients with intestinal CRE colonization. A risk prediction model for consequent CRE infection was established and externally validated. Our prediction model is freely available online at https://creinfection.shinyapps.io/dynnomapp/ . 839 intestinal CRE colonization samples from inpatients were included. 317 cases of intestinal CRE colonization were enrolled, 25.9% of whom developed systemic infections. The consequent CRE infection rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli were 27.0% and 32.3%. The departments at high risk for subsequent CRE infection were respiratory medicine, hematology, and intensive care unit. Secondary infection after intestinal CRE colonization in inpatients can significantly prolong the length of hospital stay (26 days vs. 33 days, P < 0.001), increase the total medical cost (144735.34￥ vs. 281852.34￥, P < 0.001), and has poor (85.11% vs. 52.44%, P < 0.001) efficacy and high mortality (5.96% vs. 18.29%, P = 0.001). Our study makes a significant contribution to comprehensively specify CRE infection, because these results can facilitate early identification of high-risk hospitalized patients, timely implementation to decolonize treatment interventions, ultimately achieve the goal of CRE nosocomial infection prevention and control.

In this study, we report a sensitive real-time microbial growth monitoring technique using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) dielectric sensor with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. The sensor comprised an LC oscillator array operating at 65-GHz, whose resonant frequency was altered according to the dielectric properties of the region approximately 15 μm from the surface. We previously reported the rapid detection of viable Escherichia coli suspended in a liquid medium using the dielectric sensor; however, sensing growing cells was challenging owing to their tendency to float outside the effective sensing area in the suspended medium. To address this, we propose a new method to enhance the sensitivity of the device using a PTFE membrane that retains cells inside the effective area during measurement. Experiments using Escherichia coli suggested that the use of the membrane more than doubled sensitivity, reducing inspection times for practical applications. Furthermore, experiments with Lactococcus lactis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated that this method can be used to monitor the growth of various microbes. In addition, variations in the output values of each oscillator facilitated the determination of microbial characteristics, such as cell size and growth distribution. This microbial growth monitoring technique is expected to find applications across a wide range of fields, such as food inspection, environmental hygiene monitoring, antibiotic susceptibility testing, new drug discovery, and the exploration of beneficial microbes.

Abstract Background Medical devices are instruments, apparatus, appliances, software, implants, reagents, materials or other articles that are intended for use in the treatment or diagnosis of disease or injury in humans. Concerning medical endoscope devices, which enable doctors to observe and manipulate the area under examination through a puncture hole in the body cavity or organ, hospitals predominantly consider the quality and cost of maintenance services when making their selection. The effective and efficient provision of maintenance services plays a crucial role in ensuring cost-effective and high-quality management of medical devices. In this study, we have developed an innovative decision tool that analyzed key factors impacting the choice of medical devices’ maintenance service. This tool assists hospitals in evaluating and selecting appropriate maintenance services for medical device, specifically endoscopy devices. Moreover, it also serves as a valuable resource for manufacturers and suppliers to enhance their after-sales service offerings. Methods A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 50 Chinese hospitals, including primary and tertiary hospitals. Moreover, 56 medical staff and 65 medical engineers were recruited from 50 Chinese hospitals to participate the survey. A comprehensive set of factors were defined and investigated. Conjoint analysis and orthogonal design were used for survey design and statistical analysis. Results Factors importance and utility values of decision-making factors were analyzed at the aggregate, occupation, and medical institution levels. (1) At the aggregate level, the most critical factor is “maintenance response” and the least important one is “maintenance efficiency”. (2) At the occupation level, medical staff paid more attention to “maintenance response” while medical engineers paid more attention to “maintenance quality”. (3) At the medical institution level, Primary hospitals paid more attention to “maintenance price”, while tertiary hospitals paid more attention to “maintenance quality”. Conclusions In general, this study provides a more scientific decision-making tool to both hospitals in choosing maintenance service for medical device such as endoscopy, and it also helps manufacturers and suppliers improve the after-sales service.

Abstract Background Prediction of non-perfusion volume ratio (NPVR) is critical in selecting patients with uterine fibroids who will potentially benefit from ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, as it reduces the risk of treatment failure. The purpose of this study is to construct an optimal model for predicting NPVR based on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (T2MRI) radiomics features combined with clinical parameters by machine learning. Materials and methods This retrospective study was conducted among 223 patients diagnosed with uterine fibroids from two centers. The patients from one center were allocated to a training cohort (n = 122) and an internal test cohort (n = 46), and the data from the other center (n = 55) was used as an external test cohort. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was employed for feature selection in the training cohort. The support vector machine (SVM) was adopted to construct a radiomics model, a clinical model, and a radiomics–clinical model for NPVR prediction, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) and the decision curve analysis (DCA) were performed to evaluate the predictive validity and the clinical usefulness of the model, respectively. Results A total of 851 radiomic features were extracted from T2MRI, of which seven radiomics features were screened for NPVR prediction-related radiomics features. The radiomics–clinical model combining radiomics features and clinical parameters showed the best predictive performance in both the internal (AUC = 0.824, 95% CI 0.693–0.954) and external (AUC = 0.773, 95% CI 0.647–0.902) test cohorts, and the DCA also suggested the radiomics–clinical model had the highest net benefit. Conclusions The radiomics–clinical model could be applied to the NPVR prediction of patients with uterine fibroids treated by HIFU to provide an objective and effective method for selecting potential patients who would benefit from the treatment mostly.

In the present study, multiscale finite element (FE) models of half-through steel basket-handle arch bridges were established. The eigenvalue analyses were conducted to explore the dynamic characteristics of the arch bridges based on the FE models. In addition, a parametric analysis was carried out to investigate the impact of the inclination angle of the arch rib (0°, 4°, and 7°) on the longitudinal and transverse seismic performances of arch bridges. The results show that with the increase in inclination angle, the out-of-plane stiffness of half-through steel basket-handle arch bridges increases, resulting in the natural period of the structure becoming shorter from 3.09 s to 2.93 s. Adjusting the inclination angle appropriately has a beneficial impact on the overall seismic performance of the structures, affecting both displacement and internal forces, in which the most significant improvements include a 42.8% decrease in displacement and a 62.6% reduction in internal forces. Adjusting the inclination angle can cause the arch springing and transverse brace to undergo larger plastic deformation. It is advisable to judiciously enlarge the sectional dimensions and enhance the material strength of both the arch springing and the transverse bracing in seismic designs.

In this paper, the optimal ratio of tannic acid (TA) and sodium molybdate (SM) and the influence of different hydrodynamic factors on the corrosion inhibition effect of 304 stainless steel at 90° bending were evaluated. This study combines static immersion and simulation of a pipeline circulating flow device, and uses electrochemical and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to evaluate the corrosion inhibition effect of corrosion inhibitors in this system. The optimal ratio of tannic acid and sodium molybdate is 3 g/L tannic acid +0.05 g/L sodium molybdate. The study found that the corrosion inhibition efficiency of the corrosion inhibitor at different positions of the elbow is different, and the corrosion inhibition efficiency decreases with the increase of the flow rate. The surface morphology and corrosion products of the samples were analyzed by SEM and XPS, which further verified the experimental results and analyzed the corrosion inhibition mechanism.

The effects of secondary passivation on the electrochemical behavior of passive films on the surface of 2205 duplex stainless steel were studied by potentiodynamic polarization, EIS and Mott–Schottky analysis. The composition and surface morphology of the passive film were analyzed by ICP-MS, ARXPS and SEM. These results manifested that the passive film formed by secondary passivation has good pitting resistance, due to the increase of the content of oxidized Fe3+, Cr3+ and Mo4+ in the passive film, which improves and increases the dissolution and migration rate of metal cations in the passive film, thus improving the compactness and stability of the passive film. The Mott–Schottky plots demonstrated that the five kinds of passive films have different semiconductor properties. The estimated doping density shows that the donor density of the passive film was significantly reduced by secondary passivation. In addition, Cl− and SO42− are permeated in the passivation layer and their adsorption on the surface of the passive film can be inhibited by the secondary passivation.

Abstract Background Medical endoscope is widely used in clinical practice for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment, occupying around 5% of the medical device market. Evaluating the true service level of medical endoscope is essential and necessary to improve overall performance of medical diagnosis and treatment, and to maintain competitiveness of endoscope manufacturers, however, such a tool is not available in the market. This study develops an Evaluation Index System (EIS) to assess service level of medical endoscope, and to provide suggestions for improving the service level through the Delphi method. Methods Firstly, the possible factors influencing the service level were identified from literature review. In parallel, the Delphi expert method questionnaire was designed and 25 experts were invited to conduct three rounds of questionnaire, to evaluate and rate the possible factors. Finally, we determined the weights associated with the factors, using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and percentage method, and developed the service level EIS. Results The EIS consists of 3 first-level indicators, 24 s-level indicators and 68 third-level indicators. According to the weights computed using AHP, first-level indicators are ranked as post-sale (0.62), in-sale (0.25) and pre-sale (0.13). Through case verification, the medical endoscope brand Olympus had a total score of 4.17, Shanghai Aohua had a total score of 3.71, and Shanghai Chengyun had a total score of 3.28, which matches its market popularity and ranking in terms of market share. The results obtained from the EIS are consistent with the reality. Conclusions The EIS established in this study is comprehensive, reliable and reasonable with strong practicality. The EIS can act as a tool for the endoscope users to evaluate potential products and make informed choices. It also provides a measurable basis for endoscope manufacturers and service providers to improve service quality.

Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) is an exclusively anaerobic, spore-forming, and Gram-positive pathogen that is the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea and is becoming increasingly prevalent in the community. Because C. difficile is strictly anaerobic, spores that can survive for months in the external environment contribute to the persistence and diffusion of C. difficile within the healthcare environment and community. Antimicrobial therapy disrupts the natural intestinal flora, allowing spores to develop into propagules that colonize the colon and produce toxins, thus leading to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous enteritis. However, there is no licensed vaccine to prevent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). In this study, a multi-epitope vaccine was designed using modern computer methods. Two target proteins, CdeC, affecting spore germination, and fliD, affecting propagule colonization, were chosen to construct the vaccine so that it could simultaneously induce the immune response against two different forms (spore and propagule) of C. difficile. We obtained the protein sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. After the layers of filtration, 5 cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes, 5 helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes, and 7 B-cell linear epitopes were finally selected for vaccine construction. Then, to enhance the immunogenicity of the designed vaccine, an adjuvant was added to construct the vaccine. The Prabi and RaptorX servers were used to predict the vaccine’s two- and three-dimensional (3D) structures, respectively. Additionally, we refined and validated the structures of the vaccine construct. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were performed to check the interaction model of the vaccine–Toll-like receptor (TLR) complexes, vaccine–major histocompatibility complex (MHC) complexes, and vaccine–B-cell receptor (BCR) complex. Furthermore, immune stimulation, population coverage, and in silico molecular cloning were also conducted. The foregoing findings suggest that the final formulated vaccine is promising against the pathogen, but more researchers are needed to verify it.

The primary objective of the present research was to explore the statistical predictive power of thinking styles in coping strategies beyond demographic factors. One hundred and forty-eight mainland postgraduate students were administered to the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II (TSI-R2) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Revised. Results indicated that Type I thinking styles primarily predicted adaptive coping strategies, while Type II thinking styles positively contributed to maladaptive coping strategies. Results in the present research were largely in the expected directions beyond the influence of demographic factors. Furthermore, thinking styles varied as a function of age, gender, gender-role orientation, and marital status. Implications for postgraduate students, academics, university administrators, and the limitations of the research, are discussed.

The introduction of thermal relaxation makes non-Fourier heat transfer more effective than Pennes equation to reflect rapid bio-heat transferring during HIFU, however, the contribution of thermal relaxation in specific tissues needs to be further clarified. In this study, we first measured the thermal relaxation times of porcine muscle and porcine fat. Combining with experimental measurements, the effects of thermal relaxation on temperature elevation in the tissues were investigated by using Pennes equation, thermal wave model of bio-heat transfer (TWMBT) and dual phase-lag (DPL) bio-heat transfer. Results showed that: a) The thermal relaxation times of porcine muscle and porcine fat are experimentally determined as 5.71± 0.11 s and 5.02± 0.06 s, respectively. b) In the absence of cavitation, DPL bio-heat transfer is more accurate to predict the temperature elevation at the focus and 2 mm from the focus than Pennes equation and TWMBT. Particularly, comparing with the reported of bologna (16 s) used in most of the theoretical analysis, the utilization of the measured thermal relaxation time for a specific tissue in DPL bio-heat transfer is more effective in predicting the temperature elevation during HIFU. c) Acoustic cavitation and nonlinear propagation is easier to happen in fat, under which all bio-heat transfer models are failed to forecast the temperature elevation induced by HIFU. The results demonstrate that different tissues have different thermal relaxation, DPL bio-heat transfer with the measured thermal relaxation times of specific tissues can accurately predict the temperature elevation during HIFU without cavitation.

Background: This single-center, retrospective study aims to determine the association between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). Methods: In total, 256 pediatric patients undergoing TCPC were included and divided into a normal-ALT group and a high-ALT group. Clinical data were collected for comparisons between groups, and risk factors of high postoperative ALT were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis. A ROC analysis of the predictive value of postoperative ALT was conducted. Results: Compared to the normal-ALT group, the members of the high-ALT group were 1.6 years older and had significantly higher preoperative creatinine and direct bilirubin levels. The high-ALT group had increased fluid overload, higher vasoactive inotropic drug scores, and inferior central venous pressure. The short-term outcomes in the high-ALT group were markedly worse: they suffered a longer duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), had a higher ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), and higher rates of mortality, infection, and reintubation. Prolonged ICU and hospital LOS, longer MV, and reintubation were identified as independent risk factors for high postoperative ALT. Postoperative ALT was of high value in predicting reintubation, MV, ICU LOS, and mortality. Conclusions: Elevated postoperative ALT levels are associated with poor short-term outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing TCPC.

Coaxial slow wave structures have always been used to enhance the power handling capacity in the relativistic O-type Cherenkov oscillators generally. However, little attention has been paid to the regularity and the problem it may bring by using large average radius. The aim of this study was to investigate the high-frequency characteristics of coaxial slow wave structures in order to evaluate the influence of the radial dimension comprehensively. The results indicate that a large overmoded ratio can make the power handling capacity increase significantly, but as a result, it will bring some problems such as low efficiency, long starting time, and the difficulty in mode control. In addition, this paper also gives some suggestions and precautions for using large radial dimensions. The conclusion of this paper has strong applicability for the design of coaxial slow wave structures.

This paper describes the role of ambient pressure in self-heating torrefaction of livestock manure. We explored the initiating temperatures required to cause self-heating of wet dairy cattle manure at different ambient pressures (0.1, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.0 MPa). Then, we conducted proximate, elemental, and calorific analyses of biochar torrefied at 210, 250, and 290°C. The results showed that self-heating was induced at 155°C or higher for 0.1 MPa and at 115°C or lower for 0.4 MPa or higher. The decrease of the initiating temperature at elevated pressure was due not only to more oxygen, but also to the retention of moisture that can promote chemical oxidation of manure. Biochar yields decreased with increasing torrefaction temperature and pressure, and the yield difference at 0.1 and 1.0 MPa was more substantial at lower temperatures: a 29.8, 16.4, and 9.4% difference at 210, 250, and 290°C, respectively. Proximate and elemental analyses showed that elevated pressure promotes devolatilization, deoxygenation, and coalification compared to atmospheric pressure; its impact, however, was less at higher temperatures as the torrefaction temperature became more dominant. Calorific analysis revealed that elevated pressure can increase the higher heating value (HHV) on a dry and ash-free basis at 210°C because of the increase in carbon content, but its impact is limited at 250 and 290°C. Meanwhile, the HHV on a dry basis exhibited the opposite trend due primarily to an enlargement of ash content. The present study revealed that ambient pressure considerably affects the initiating temperature of self-heating and the chemical properties of biochar at a low torrefaction temperature.

Various configurations of corrugated coaxial Slow-Wave Structures (SWSs) are utilized in O-type Cherenkov oscillators to achieve different goals. This is the reason why a strategy targeting the proper selection of corrugated coaxial SWSs configurations deserves to be further studied. In this paper, high frequency characteristics of different configurations of corrugated coaxial SWSs are calculated and analyzed. The analysis suggests that the coaxial SWSs with corrugations on inner conductor only are characterized by higher coupling impedance and higher growth rate of microwave oscillations, while the coaxial SWSs with corrugations on the outer conductor only are characterized by higher power capacity. Due to the low power capacity, coupling impedance and growth rate, the coaxial SWSs with corrugations on both inner and outer conductors are not suitable for O-type Cherenkov oscillators desired to operate in the quasi-TEM mode. However, if these devices are desired to operate in the TM01 quasi-π mode, the SWSs with both inner and outer conductor corrugations may be a better choice to make it happen.

The heart girth parameter is an important indicator reflecting the growth and development of pigs that provides critical guidance for the optimization of healthy pig breeding. To overcome the heavy workloads and poor adaptability of traditional measurement methods currently used in pig breeding, this paper proposes an automated pig heart girth measurement method using two Kinect depth sensors. First, a two-view pig depth image acquisition platform is established for data collection; the two-view point clouds after preprocessing are registered and fused by feature-based improved 4-Point Congruent Set (4PCS) method. Second, the fused point cloud is pose-normalized, and the axillary contour is used to automatically extract the heart girth measurement point. Finally, this point is taken as the starting point to intercept the circumferential perpendicular to the ground from the pig point cloud, and the complete heart girth point cloud is obtained by mirror symmetry. The heart girth is measured along this point cloud using the shortest path method. Using the proposed method, experiments were conducted on two-view data from 26 live pigs. The results showed that the heart girth measurement absolute errors were all less than 4.19 cm, and the average relative error was 2.14%, which indicating a high accuracy and efficiency of this method.

Although several lipid-lowering agents have been introduced for the treatment of atherosclerosis (AS), currently marketed medications have not solved the problem completely. This study aims to investigate the effects of leonurine (SCM-198) on dyslipidemia in mammals with ApoE knockout (ApoE-/-) mice, New Zealand white rabbits and senile Rhesus monkeys fed with high fat diet were dosed daily with leonurine or atorvastatin. The serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were determined. Moreover, in Rhesus monkeys, bodyweight, arterial ultrasound of right common carotid artery, Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and ApoB levels, hematologic and toxicological examinations were detected. Serum TC and TG in both mice and rabbits were significantly reduced by SCM-198 and atorvastatin. In the 10 mg/kg SCM-198 group of monkeys, maximum TC reduction of 24.05% was achieved at day 150, while 13.16% LDL reduction achieved at day 60, without arterial morphologic changes or adverse events. Atorvastatin (1.2 mg/kg) showed similar effects as SCM-198 in improving lipid profiles in monkeys, yet its long-term use could induce tolerance. Furthermore, leonurine suppressed genes expression of fatty acid synthesis, such as fatty acid synthase (FASN), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD-1), sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBF) in liver in high fat diet feeding ApoE-/- mice. SCM-198, with a reliable safety profile, is of high value in improving lipid profiles in mammals, providing an alternative to a substantial population who are statin-intolerant.

A 57GHz overmoded relativistic backward wave oscillator (RBWO) operating on the quasi-TEM mode with pure TM01 mode output is presented in this paper, by using outer trapezoidal slow wave structure (SWS) with large distance between inner and outer conductors. The large overmoded ratio can be obtained in coaxial devices to improve power handling capacity, while the large distance between inner and outer conductors can guarantee the electron beam transmit effectively. The 8π/9 mode of quasi-TEM synchronously interacts with the electron beam, while the TM01 mode diffracted by the quasi-TEM mode outputs. The existence of TM01 6π/9 mode in SWS can extract energy from the quasi-TEM mode (which has a high value of Qe) thus increasing the power handling capacity. Particle-in-cell simulation shows that generation with high power 560 MW and efficiency 43.5% is obtained under the diode voltage 520 kV and current 2.47 kA. And the microwave has the pure frequency spectrum of 56.8 GHz radiates in the pure TM01 mode (about 98%).

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a highly clinically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder primarily attributed to abnormal GGC repeat expansions in the NOTCH2NLC gene. This study aims to comprehensively explore its phenotypic characteristics and genotype-phenotype correlation. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from September 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022, encompassing reported NIID cases confirmed by pathogenic NOTCH2NLC mutations. Linear regressions and trend analyses were performed. Analyzing 635 cases from 85 included studies revealed that familial cases exhibited significantly larger GGC repeat expansions than sporadic cases (p < 0.001), and this frequency significantly increased with expanding GGC repeats (p trend < 0.001). Age at onset (AAO) showed a negative correlation with GGC repeat expansions (p < 0.001). The predominant initial symptoms included tremor (31.70%), cognitive impairment (14.12%), and muscle weakness (10.66%). The decreased or absent tendon reflex (DTR/ATR) emerged as a notable clinical indicator of NIID due to its high prevalence. U-fiber was observed in 79.11% of patients, particularly prominent in paroxysmal disease-dominant (87.50%) and dementia-dominant cases (81.08%). Peripheral neuropathy-dominant cases exhibited larger GGC repeat expansions (median = 123.00) and an earlier AAO (median = 33.00) than other phenotypes. Moreover, a significant genetic anticipation of 3.5 years was observed (p = 0.039). This study provides a comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of genotypic and phenotypic information on NIID since the identification of the causative gene NOTCH2NLC. We contribute a novel diagnostic framework for NIID to support clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Surface modulation strategies have spurred great interest with regard to regulating the morphology, dispersion and flexible processability of materials. Unsurprisingly, customized modulation of surfaces is primed to offer a route to control their electronic functions. To regulate electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption applications by surface engineering is an unmet challenge. Thanks to pyrolyzing surface-anchored metal-porphyrin, here we report on the surface modulation of four-nitrogen atoms-confined single metal site on a nitrogen-doped carbon layer (sM(N4)@NC, M = Ni, Co, Cu, Ni/Cu) (sM=single metal; NC= nitrogen-doped carbon layer) that registers electromagnetic wave absorption. Surface-anchored metal-porphyrins are afforded by attaching them onto the polypyrrole surface via a prototypical click reaction. Further, sM(N4)@NC is experimentally found to elicit an identical dipole polarization loss mechanism, overcoming the handicaps of conductivity loss, defects, and interfacial polarization loss among the current EMW absorber models. Importantly, sM(N4)@NC is found to exhibit an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.44 and reflection loss of −51.7 dB, preceding state-of-the-art carbon-based EMW absorbers. This study introduces a surface modulation strategy to design EMW absorbers based on single metal sites that enable fine-tunable and controlled absorption mechanism with atomistic precision.

Numerous systems of musical notation have been developed to address some of the complexities associated with conventional Staff notation, such as translating it into physical movements and memorizing the meaning of its symbols. Surprisingly, there has been little empirical research assessing and comparing the comprehensibility of conventional versus alternative notation methods. In this study, three main features were assessed for 10 different musical notation systems: discriminability (the ease of visually distinguishing pitch or duration changes in notation), iconicity (extent of resemblance between melodies and notation), and complexity . A total of 213 valid responses were collected in an online experiment. Participants completed two tasks, visual discriminability and melody-notation matching. They also provided complexity ratings for different notational systems. Multilevel Bayesian regression models show strong evidence that Figurenotes, Numbered notation, and Piano Roll notation have a relatively high level of discriminability, while Figurenotes, Proportional notation, Staff notation, and Piano Roll notation have a relatively high level of iconicity. Piano Roll notation was rated the least complex musical notation system. Differences in the results across pitch and duration dimensions, age, and musical sophistication were also found. Importantly, we also examined the effects of the different visual variables used by the notational systems (color, position, shape): changes in position have the highest discriminability, iconicity, and the lowest complexity. Qualitative analysis for some open questions also supported Piano Roll notation as being the most favorable musical notation, especially among novices.