The COVID-19 pandemic led to an initial increase in the incidence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) from clinical cultures in South-East Asia hospitals, which was unsustained as the pandemic progressed. Conversely, there was a decrease in CRE incidence from surveillance cultures and overall combined incidence. Further studies are needed for future pandemic preparedness.

We present experimental results of irregular long-crested waves propagating over a submerged trapezoidal bar with the presence of a background current in a wave flume. We investigate the non-equilibrium phenomenon (NEP) induced by significant changes of water depth and mean horizontal flow velocity as wave trains pass over the bar. Using skewness and kurtosis as proxies, we show evidence that an accelerating following current could increase the sea-state non-Gaussianity and enhance both the magnitude and spatial extent of the NEP. We also find that below a ‘saturation relative water depth’ $k_p h_2 \approx 0.5$ ($k_p$ being the peak wavenumber in the shallow area of depth $h_2$), although the NEP manifests, the decrease of the relative water depth does not further enhance the maximum skewness and kurtosis over the bar crest. This work highlights the nonlinear physics according to which a following current could provoke higher freak wave risk in coastal areas where modulation instability plays an insignificant role.

Loneliness, a negative emotion stemming from the perception of unmet social needs, is a major public health concern. Current interventions often target social domains but produce small effects and are not as effective as established emotion regulation (ER)-based interventions for general psychological distress (i.e., depression/anxiety). Given that loneliness and distress are types of negative affect, we aimed to compare them within an ER framework by examining the amount of variance ER strategies accounted for in loneliness versus distress, and comparing the ER strategy profiles characterising them. Participants (N = 582, Mage = 22.31, 77.66% female) completed self-report measures of loneliness, distress, and use of 12 cognitive (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) or behavioural (e.g., expressive suppression) ER strategies. Regression analyses revealed that ER explained comparable variance in these constructs. Latent profile analysis identified seven profiles differing in ER patterns, with no distinct loneliness or distress profile identified. Rather, similar patterns of ER characterised these two constructs, involving the greater use of generally maladaptive strategies and the lesser use of generally adaptive strategies. However, loneliness was additionally characterised by less use of strategies involving social connection/expression. Overall, our study supports the utility of ER for understanding loneliness. Established ER-based frameworks/interventions for distress may have transdiagnostic utility in targeting loneliness.

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.

Multicomponent liquid drops in a host liquid are very relevant in various technological applications. Their dissolution or growth dynamics is complex. Differences in solubility between the drop components combined with the solutal Marangoni effect and natural convection contribute to this complexity, which can be even further increased in combination with the ouzo effect, i.e. the spontaneous nucleation of microdroplets due to composition-dependent miscibilities in a ternary system. The quantitative understanding of this combined process is important for applications in industry, particularly for modern liquid–liquid microextraction processes. In this work, as a model system, we experimentally and theoretically explore water–ethanol drops dissolving in anethole oil. During the dissolution, we observed two types of microdroplet nucleation, namely water microdroplet nucleation in the surrounding oil at drop mid-height, and oil microdroplet nucleation in the aqueous drop, again at mid-height. The nucleated oil microdroplets are driven by Marangoni flows inside the aqueous drop and evolve into microdroplet rings. A one-dimensional multiphase and multicomponent diffusion model in combination with thermodynamic equilibrium theory is proposed to predict the behaviour of spontaneous emulsification, i.e. microdroplet nucleation, that is triggered by diffusion. A scale analysis together with experimental investigations of the fluid dynamics of the system reveals that both the solutal Marangoni flow inside the drop and the buoyancy-driven flow in the host liquid influence the diffusion-triggered emulsification process. Our work provides a physical understanding of the microdroplet nucleation by dissolution of a multicomponent drop in a host liquid.

Integration of photonic devices on silicon (Si) substrates is a key method in enabling large scale manufacturing of Si-based photonic–electronic circuits for next generation systems with high performance, small form factor, low power consumption, and low cost. Germanium (Ge) is a promising material due to its pseudo-direct bandgap and its compatibility with Si-CMOS processing. In this article, we present our recent progress on achieving high quality germanium-on-silicon (Ge/Si) materials. Subsequently, the performance of various functional devices such as photodetectors, lasers, waveguides, and sensors that are fabricated on the Ge/Si platform are discussed. Some possible future works such as the incorporation of tin (Sn) into Ge will be proposed. Finally, some applications based on a fully monolithic integrated photonic–electronic chip on an Si platform will be highlighted at the end of this article.

The Greek aperitif Ouzo is not only famous for its specific anise-flavoured taste, but also for its ability to turn from a transparent miscible liquid to a milky-white coloured emulsion when water is added. Recently, it has been shown that this so-called Ouzo effect, i.e. the spontaneous emulsification of oil microdroplets, can also be triggered by the preferential evaporation of ethanol in an evaporating sessile Ouzo drop, leading to an amazingly rich drying process with multiple phase transitions (Tan et al., Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 113 (31), 2016, pp. 8642–8647). Due to the enhanced evaporation near the contact line, the nucleation of oil droplets starts at the rim which results in an oil ring encircling the drop. Furthermore, the oil droplets are advected through the Ouzo drop by a fast solutal Marangoni flow. In this article, we investigate the evaporation of mixture droplets in more detail, by successively increasing the mixture complexity from pure water over a binary water–ethanol mixture to the ternary Ouzo mixture (water, ethanol and anise oil). In particular, axisymmetric and full three-dimensional finite element method simulations have been performed on these droplets to discuss thermal effects and the complicated flow in the droplet driven by an interplay of preferential evaporation, evaporative cooling and solutal and thermal Marangoni flow. By using image analysis techniques and micro-particle-image-velocimetry measurements, we are able to compare the numerically predicted volume evolutions and velocity fields with experimental data. The Ouzo droplet is furthermore investigated by confocal microscopy. It is shown that the oil ring predominantly emerges due to coalescence.

Research on graphene has been developing at a relentless pace as it holds the promise of delivering composites with exceptional properties. In particular, the excellent mechanical properties of graphene make it a potentially good reinforcement ingredient in ceramic composites while their impressive electrical conductivity has roused interest in the area of multifunctional applications. However, the potential of graphene can only be fully exploited if they are homogenously embedded into ceramic matrices. Thus, suitable processing route is critical in obtaining ceramic composites with desired properties. This paper reviews the current understanding of graphene ceramic matrix composites (GCMC) with three particular topics: (i) principles and techniques for graphene dispersion, (ii) processing of GCMC, and (iii) effects of graphene on properties of GCMC. Besides, toughening mechanisms and percolation phenomenon that may occur in these composites are elaborated with appropriate examples. Challenges and perspectives for future progress in applications are also highlighted.

The aims of the present study were to provide nationally representative data on fruit and vegetable consumption in Vietnam, and to assess the accuracy of the reported numbers of ‘standard servings’ consumed. Data analysed were from a multi-stage stratified cluster survey of 14 706 participants (46·5 % males, response proportion 64·1 %) aged 25−64 years in Vietnam. Measurements were made in accordance with the WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance of non-communicable diseases (STEPS) protocols. Approximately 80 % of Vietnamese people reported having less than five servings of fruit and vegetables daily in a typical week. Fruit and vegetable intake reported in ‘standard serving’ sizes was positively correlated with levels of education completed and household income (P<0·001 for trend). The correlations between summary values for each province reflect some known demographic, geographical and climatic characteristics of the country. For example, provinces at higher latitude had higher mean servings of vegetables (r 0·90), and provinces with higher proportions of urban population had higher mean servings of fruit (r 0·40). In conclusion, about eight in ten Vietnamese people aged 25–64 years did not meet WHO recommendations for daily consumption of at least five servings of fruit and vegetables. On the basis of the consistency of the data collected with other estimates and with physical and demographic characteristics of the country, the WHO STEPS instrument has construct validity for measuring fruit and vegetable intake, but with two issues identified. The issues were seasonal variation in reporting and a limitation on the usefulness of the information for associative analyses.

A trend toward greater body size in dizygotic (DZ) than in monozygotic (MZ) twins has been suggested by some but not all studies, and this difference may also vary by age. We analyzed zygosity differences in mean values and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) among male and female twins from infancy to old age. Data were derived from an international database of 54 twin cohorts participating in the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins), and included 842,951 height and BMI measurements from twins aged 1 to 102 years. The results showed that DZ twins were consistently taller than MZ twins, with differences of up to 2.0 cm in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.9 cm in adulthood. Similarly, a greater mean BMI of up to 0.3 kg/m2 in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.2 kg/m2 in adulthood was observed in DZ twins, although the pattern was less consistent. DZ twins presented up to 1.7% greater height and 1.9% greater BMI than MZ twins; these percentage differences were largest in middle and late childhood and decreased with age in both sexes. The variance of height was similar in MZ and DZ twins at most ages. In contrast, the variance of BMI was significantly higher in DZ than in MZ twins, particularly in childhood. In conclusion, DZ twins were generally taller and had greater BMI than MZ twins, but the differences decreased with age in both sexes.

For over 100 years, the genetics of human anthropometric traits has attracted scientific interest. In particular, height and body mass index (BMI, calculated as kg/m2) have been under intensive genetic research. However, it is still largely unknown whether and how heritability estimates vary between human populations. Opportunities to address this question have increased recently because of the establishment of many new twin cohorts and the increasing accumulation of data in established twin cohorts. We started a new research project to analyze systematically (1) the variation of heritability estimates of height, BMI and their trajectories over the life course between birth cohorts, ethnicities and countries, and (2) to study the effects of birth-related factors, education and smoking on these anthropometric traits and whether these effects vary between twin cohorts. We identified 67 twin projects, including both monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, using various sources. We asked for individual level data on height and weight including repeated measurements, birth related traits, background variables, education and smoking. By the end of 2014, 48 projects participated. Together, we have 893,458 height and weight measures (52% females) from 434,723 twin individuals, including 201,192 complete twin pairs (40% monozygotic, 40% same-sex dizygotic and 20% opposite-sex dizygotic) representing 22 countries. This project demonstrates that large-scale international twin studies are feasible and can promote the use of existing data for novel research purposes.