Machine learning (ML) models have been developed to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to accelerate systematic reviews (SRs). However, their use has been limited due to concerns about their performance and practical benefits. We developed a high-recall ensemble learning model using Cochrane RCT data to enhance the identification of RCTs for rapid title and abstract screening in SRs and evaluated the model externally with our annotated RCT datasets. Additionally, we assessed the practical impact in terms of labour time savings and recall improvement under two scenarios: ML-assisted double screening (where ML and one reviewer screened all citations in parallel) and ML-assisted stepwise screening (where ML flagged all potential RCTs, and at least two reviewers subsequently filtered the flagged citations). Our model achieved twice the precision compared to the existing SVM model while maintaining a recall of 0.99 in both internal and external tests. In a practical evaluation with ML-assisted double screening, our model led to significant labour time savings (average 45.4%) and improved recall (average 0.998 compared to 0.919 for a single reviewer). In ML-assisted stepwise screening, the model performed similarly to standard manual screening but with average labour time savings of 74.4%. In conclusion, compared with existing methods, the proposed model can reduce workload while maintaining comparable recall when identifying RCTs during the title and abstract screening stages, thereby accelerating SRs. We propose practical recommendations to effectively apply ML-assisted manual screening when conducting SRs, depending on reviewer availability (ML-assisted double screening) or time constraints (ML-assisted stepwise screening).

Laterite could play a crucial role in soil stabilization and environmental remediation, but its internal particle interaction mechanism remains unclear. This study, based on molecular dynamics simulations, used umbrella sampling methods to measure the interaction strength between amorphous alumina and montmorillonite particles in laterite. The mechanisms were explored using differential charge density analysis and bond energy analysis. The results show that the interaction process between alumina and montmorillonite exhibited initial repulsion, then attraction, followed again by repulsion. Calcium ion-induced polarization, the negative charge on the alumina surface and the bonding strength during adsorption played key roles in this interaction. Notably, the bond energy measurement results in this study are consistent with data from other related research, validating the data’s accuracy. These findings improve our understanding of the microscopic mechanisms of laterite particle interactions, providing a scientific basis for its application in soil stabilization and environmental remediation.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of low-carbohydrate diet, balanced dietary guidance and pharmacotherapy on weight loss among individuals with overweight or obesity over a period of 3 months. The study involves 339 individuals with overweight or obesity and received weight loss treatment at the Department of Clinical Nutrition at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2023. The primary outcome is the percentage weight loss. Among the studied patients, the majority chose low-carbohydrate diet as their primary treatment (168 (49·56 %)), followed by balanced dietary guidance (139 (41·00 %)) and pharmacotherapy (32 (9·44 %)). The total percentage weight loss for patients who were followed up for 1 month, 2 months and 3 months was 4·98 (3·04, 6·29) %, 7·93 (5·42, 7·93) % and 10·71 (7·74, 13·83) %, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified low-carbohydrate diet as an independent factor associated with percentage weight loss of ≥ 3 % and ≥ 5 % at 1 month (OR = 0·461, P < 0·05; OR = 0·349, P < 0·001). The results showed that a low-carbohydrate diet was an effective weight loss strategy in the short term. However, its long-term effects were comparable to those observed with balanced dietary guidance and pharmacotherapy.

This paper retrospectively analysed the prevalence of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) in some parts of China. Between January 2013 and December 2019, we collected 4,145 respiratory samples, including pharyngeal swabs and alveolar lavage fluid. The highest PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae was 74.5% in Beijing, the highest resistance rate was 100% in Shanghai, and Gansu was the lowest with 20%. The highest PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae was 74.5% in 2013, and the highest MRMP was 97.4% in 2019; the PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae for adults in Beijing was 17.9% and the MRMP was 10.48%. Among the children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the PCR-positive and macrolide-resistant rates of M. pneumoniae were both higher in the severe ones. A2063G in domain V of 23S rRNA was the major macrolide-resistant mutation, accounting for more than 90%. The MIC values of all MRMP to erythromycin and azithromycin were ≥ 64 μg/ml, and the MICs of tetracycline and levofloxacin were ≤ 0.5 μg/ml and ≤ 1 μg/ml, respectively. The macrolide resistance varied in different regions and years. Among inpatients, the macrolide-resistant rate was higher in severe pneumonia. A2063G was the common mutation, and we found no resistance to tetracycline and levofloxacin.

As an important component of prehistoric subsistence, an understanding of bone-working is essential for interpreting the evolution of early complex societies, yet worked bones are rarely systematically collected in China. Here, the authors apply multiple analytical methods to worked bones from the Longshan site of Pingliangtai, in central China, showing that Neolithic bone-working in this area, with cervid as the main raw material, was mature but localised, household-based and self-sufficient. The introduction of cattle in the Late Neolithic precipitated a shift in bone-working traditions but it was only later, in the Bronze Age, that cattle bones were utilised in a specialised fashion and dedicated bone-working industries emerged in urban centres.

Given the possibility of cultural differences in the meaning and levels of gratitude among children, we evaluated the measurement invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire–5 (GQ–5) and differences in latent means across adolescents from two distinct cultures, China and America. Data were obtained from 1,991 Chinese and 1,685 American adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the factor structure and the measurement equivalence across Chinese and American adolescents. The Cronbach’s alpha and Item-total Correlations of the GQ–5 were also evaluated. Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the expected one-factor structure. Also, a series of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses supported full configural invariance, full metric invariance, and partial scalar invariance between the two groups. Furthermore, the findings suggested that the GQ–5 is suitable for conducting mean level comparisons. The subsequent comparison of latent means revealed that the Chinese adolescents reported significantly lower gratitude than American adolescents.

In this article, the electron trapping and acceleration in the wake field driven by an ultrarelativistic hollow electron beam is studied. When the hollow driver injects into plasma, there is a doughnut-shaped electron bubble formed because of the existence of a special ‘backflow’ beam in the centre of the electron bubble. At the same time, there is a transverse convergence of the hollow driver, which leads to the weakening of the backflow beam. This results in a local electron density transition at the rear of the bubble. During this process, there is an expansion of the longitudinal electron bubble size, and a bunch of background electrons is trapped by the wake field at the rear of the bubble. The tracks for the trapped electrons show that there are two sources: one is from the bubble sheath and the other is from the unique backflow beam. In the particle-in-cell simulation where the driving beam has initial energy of $1.0$ GeV per particle, the trapped beam can be accelerated to energy of more than $1.5$ GeV per particle and the corresponding transformer ratio is $1.5$. With the increase of driving beam energy up to $40.0$ GeV, a transformer ratio of $1.4$ still can be achieved. By adjusting the hollow beam density, it is possible to control the trapped beam charge value and beam quality, such as its energy spread and transverse emittance.

This study examined the contribution of long-term use of Lipiodol capsules, as a supplement to iodised salt to the control of iodine deficiency disorders among women in Xinjiang of China. A total of 1220 women across Kashgar, Aksu, Turpan and Yili Prefectures were surveyed in 2017. Lipiodol capsules were administered twice yearly in Kashgar and once yearly in Aksu and Turpan, but not in Yili. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin antibody, thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroid volume values were assessed. All the women in the four areas were in a state of non-iodine deficiency by UIC. The UIC were higher than adequate in Kashgar and Aksu (619·4 v. 278·6 μg/l). Thyroid hormone levels differed significantly in Turpan and Yili (FT3: 4·4 v. 4·6 pmol/l, FT4: 13·8 v. 14·2 pmol/l, TSH: 2·0 v. 2·7 mIU/l), but did not differ significantly in Kashgar, Aksu and Yili. The four areas did not differ significantly with regard to thyroid nodules, autoimmune thyroiditis or goitre. However, the detection rates of subclinical hypothyroidism (16·6 %) and total thyroid dysfunction (25·4 %) were higher among women in Yili. The supplementation with Lipiodol capsules had improved the iodine nutrition status of women in iodine-deficient areas of Xinjiang since 2006. To avoid negative effects of excess iodine, we suggest a gradual discontinuation of Lipiodol capsules in women with special needs based on the existing iodine nutrition level of local women.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including obesity, diabetes, and allergy are chronic, multi-factorial conditions that are affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Over the last decade, the microbiome has emerged as a possible contributor to the pathogenesis of NCDs. Microbiome profiles were altered in patients with NCDs, and shift in microbial communities was associated with improvement in these health conditions. Since the genetic component of these diseases cannot be altered, the ability to manipulate the microbiome holds great promise for design of novel therapies in the prevention and treatment of NCDs. Together, the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease concept and the microbial hypothesis propose that early life exposure to environmental stimuli will alter the development and composition of the human microbiome, resulting in health consequences. Recent studies indicated that the environment we are exposed to in early life is instrumental in shaping robust immune development, possibly through modulation of the human microbiome (skin, airway, and gut). Despite much research into human microbiome, the origin of their constituent microbiota remains unclear. Dust (also known as particulate matter) is a key determinant of poor air quality in the modern urban environment. It is ubiquitous and serves as a major source and reservoir of microbial communities that modulates the human microbiome, contributing to health and disease. There are evidence that reported significant associations between environmental dust and NCDs. In this review, we will focus on the impact of dust exposure in shaping the human microbiome and its possible contribution to the development of NCDs.

We aimed to investigate the association between plasma retinol and incident cancer among Chinese hypertensive adults. We conducted a nested case–control study, including 231 patients with incident cancer and 231 matched controls during a median 4·5-year follow-up of the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. There was a significant, inverse association between retinol levels and digestive system cancer (per 10 μg/dl increases: OR 0·79; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·91). When compared with participants in the first quartile of retinol (< 52·3 μg/dl), a significantly lower cancer risk was found in participants in quartile 2–4 ( ≥ 52·3 μg/dl: OR 0·31; 95 % CI 0·13, 0·71). However, there was a U-shaped association between retinol levels and non-digestive system cancers where the risk of cancers decreased (although not significantly) with each increment of plasma retinol (per 10 μg/dl increases: OR 0·89; 95 % CI 0·60, 1·31) in participants with retinol < 68·2 μg/dl, and then increased significantly with retinol (per 10 μg/dl increase: OR 1·65; 95 % CI 1·12, 2·44) in participants with retinol ≥ 68·2 μg/dl. In conclusion, there was a significant inverse dose–response association between plasma retinol and the risk of digestive system cancers. However, a U-shaped association was observed between plasma retinol and the risk of non-digestive cancers (with a turning point approximately 68·2 μg/dl).

Ti–47Al samples with a diameter of 18 mm are obtained by electromagnetic confinement and directional solidification at different growth velocities. Controlled by a Ti–43Al–3Si seed, the α grains are aligned well and the parallel lamellar microstructure is obtained at the growth velocity of 10 μm/s. With the growth velocity increases to 25 and 50 μm/s, although the lamellar microstructures are still aligned well in the initial transition stage, the lamellar alignment fails due to the nucleation and growth of new β and α grains and then the inclined and perpendicular lamellar microstructures form eventually. The room temperature tensile properties of the different lamellar microstructures are measured and the results show that the desired lamellar microstructure has a tensile strength of 693 MPa and an elongation of 10.0% simultaneously. They are the maximum values that have been reported in binary γ-TiAl alloys so far and are far higher than those of the other two types of lamellar microstructures. The fracture behaviors of the lamellar microstructures are checked by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Two models are used to illustrate the fracture mechanism of the different lamellar structures.

In this paper, we introduce a lower extremity exoskeleton CUHK-EXO that is developed to help paraplegic patients, who have lost the motor and sensory functions of their lower limbs to perform basic daily life motions. Since the sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit (STS) motion is the first step for paraplegic patients toward walking, analysis of the exoskeleton's applicability to the STS motion assistance is performed. First, the human-exoskeleton system (HES) is modeled as a five-link model during the STS motion, and the center of pressure (COP) on the ground and center of gravity of the whole system are calculated. Then, a description of the CUHK-EXO hardware design is presented, including the mechatronics design and actuator selection. The COP position is an important factor indicating system balance and wearer's comfort. Based on the COP position, a trajectory online modification algorithm (TOMA) is proposed for CUHK-EXO to counteract disturbances, stabilize system balance, and improve the wearer's comfort in the STS motion. The results of STS motion tests conducted with a paraplegic patient demonstrate that CUHK-EXO can provide a normal reference pattern and proper assistive torque to support the patient's STS motion. In addition, a pilot study is conducted with a healthy subject to verify the effectiveness of the proposed TOMA under external disturbances before future clinical trials. The testing results verify that CUHK-EXO can counteract disturbances, and help the wearer perform the STS motion safely and comfortably.

Effects of traveling magnetic field (TMF) on freckle formation of directionally solidified Pb–Sn alloys were investigated experimentally and numerically. The experimental results demonstrated that freckles could form without any magnetic field and with the upward TMF. In the former case, the formation location is the center. In the latter case, it diverted from the center to the surface with the increasing intensity of TMF. However, freckle could not form under the downward TMF. Numerical results indicated that the change of the formation location under upward TMF should be attributed to the different solid/liquid interface shape, and no formation under downward TMF should be attributed to the convection intensity driven by TMF. These magnetic fields are used to modulate melt flow, which is similar to the effects of the gravity. For eliminating freckle, a microgravity environment can be established under the suitable downward TMF.

The volatile compounds of crofton weed infested by cotton aphids and sprayedwith MeJA were collected and analyzed by the TCT-GC/MS technique. Thehealthy weeds were controls. Seventeen volatiles identified from croftonweed included green leaf odors, monoterpenes and sequiterpenes, andoxo-compounds. Camphene, 2-carene, α-phellandrene, ρ-cymene, andcaryophyllene were the major volatiles and constituted about 77% of thetotal volatile emissions from the control. In the aphid-infested weeds, nonew induced component was found. Among the terpenes, ρ-cymene increasedmarkedly in the infested weeds compared with the control, whereas allsesquiterpenes decreased markedly. Levels of endogenous JA in leaves andyoung stems of the aphid-infested weeds were markedly higher than in thecontrol, whereas both endogenous SA level and ABA level were notsignificantly different. MeJA sprayed on crofton weed with the aphidinfestation had a similar effect on volatile emissions. It is suggested thatJA was one of the most important signals in crofton weed and could regulatethe emission of volatile compounds.

In this paper, field effect transistors (FET) based on different kinds of non-graphene materials are introduced, which are MoS2, WSe2 and black phosphorus (BP). Those devices have their unique features in fabrication process compared with conventional FETs. Among them, MoS2 FET shows better electrical characteristics by applying a SiO2 protective layer; WSe2 FET is fabricated based on a new low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method; BP FET acquires high on/off ratio and high hole mobility by using a simple dry transfer method. Those novel non-graphene materials inspire new design and fabrication process of basic logic device.

Recent studies have suggested an association between vitamin D and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, some results are subject to debate. This study was carried out to evaluate the correlation between NAFLD and vitamin D in men and women in East China. The data were obtained from a cross-sectional study that focused on the health and metabolic status of adults in sixteen areas of East China. According to ultrasonic assessments, the patients were divided into normal and NAFLD groups. Demographic characteristics and biochemical measurements were obtained. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association. In total, 5066 subjects were enrolled, and 2193 (43·3 %) were diagnosed with NAFLD; 84·56 % of the subjects showed vitamin D deficiency. Subjects with high vitamin D levels had a lower prevalence of NAFLD, particularly male subjects. Within the highest quartile of vitamin D levels, the prevalence of NAFLD was 40·8 %, whereas the lowest quartile of vitamin D levels showed a prevalence of 62·2 %, which was unchanged in women across the vitamin D levels. Binary logistic analysis showed that decreased vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of NAFLD (OR 1·54; 95 % CI 1·26, 1·88). This study suggests that vitamin D levels are significantly associated with NAFLD and that vitamin D acts as an independent factor for NAFLD prevalence, particularly in males in East China. Vitamin D interventional treatment might be a new target for controlling NAFLD; elucidating the mechanism requires further research.