Obesity, a global health issue, is associated with numerous diseases and has been shown to affect male reproductive health by inducing endocrine hormonal changes, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and epigenetic alterations in reproductive cells. This study investigates the impact of obesity on testicular gene expression across mice, monkeys and humans, identifying 730 conserved testis-specific genes. High-fat diet-induced obesity upregulates GNG5, INHA, MSH5, SLC30A8 and SLC7A4 in testes, suggesting their potential as regulatory targets in testicular damage associated with obesity. Single-cell analysis reveals species-conserved expression patterns of SLC7A4 in Sertoli cells and SLC30A8 in SPG cells. It also confirmed that SLC30A8 and SLC7A4 were significantly upregulated in the testes of spontaneously obese mice. The findings highlight the potential of these genes as regulatory targets in obesity-related testicular dysfunction, providing insights into male reproductive health impairments caused by obesity.

Although it is well established that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with fetal overgrowth in singleton pregnancies, little is known about its role in twins. We aimed to explore the relationship between GDM and the longitudinal fetal growth in twin pregnancies. This was a retrospective matched cohort study of GDM and non-GDM twin pregnancies delivered ≥36 weeks without other complications. All the women performed ≥3 ultrasounds after 22 weeks. Linear mixed models (LMMs) were used to explore the relationships between longitudinal fetal growth trajectories and GDM. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were applied to identify the latent growth patterns and investigate their relationships with GDM. In total, 215 GDM and 645 non-GDM twins were included, the majority of the patients did not require medication therapy (n = 202, GDMA1). LMM revealed that, compared with non-GDM, GDM was associated with an average increase in fetal weight of 4.36 g (95% CI [1.25, 7.48]) per week. GBTM and GEE further revealed that GDM increased the odds of fetal weight trajectory to nearly 40% of the total fetal weight trajectory, classified into the high-speed group (aOR = 1.39, 95% CI [1.03, 1.88]), associating with a 49.44 g (95% CI [11.41, 87.48]) increase in birth weight. Subgroup analysis revealed that all these differences were only significant among the GDMA1 pregnancies (p < .05). GDM (GDMA1) is significantly associated with an increase in fetal weight during gestation in twin pregnancies. However, this acceleration is mild, and its significance requires further exploration.

The aim of this paper is to discuss nonparametric item response theory scores in terms of optimal scores as an alternative to parametric item response theory scores and sum scores. Optimal scores take advantage of the interaction between performance and item impact that is evident in most testing data. The theoretical arguments in favor of optimal scoring are supplemented with the results from simulation experiments, and the analysis of test data suggests that sum-scored tests would need to be longer than an optimally scored test in order to attain the same level of accuracy. Because optimal scoring is built on a nonparametric procedure, it also offers a flexible alternative for estimating item characteristic curves that can fit items that do not show good fit to item response theory models.

A high-energy pulsed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) solid-state laser at 177 nm with high peak power by the sixth harmonic of a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) amplifier in a KBe2BO3F2 prism-coupled device was demonstrated. The ultraviolet (UV) pump laser is a 352 ps pulsed, spatial top-hat super-Gaussian beam at 355 nm. A high energy of a 7.12 mJ VUV laser at 177 nm is obtained with a pulse width of 255 ps, indicating a peak power of 28 MW, and the conversion efficiency is 9.42% from 355 to 177 nm. The measured results fitted well with the theoretical prediction. It is the highest pulse energy and highest peak power ever reported in the VUV range for any solid-state lasers. The high-energy, high-peak-power, and high-spatial-uniformity VUV laser is of great interest for ultra-fine machining and particle-size measurements using UV in-line Fraunhofer holography diagnostics.

Few studies have evaluated the joint effect of trace elements on spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB). This study aimed to examine the relationships between the individual or mixed maternal serum concentrations of Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr and Mo during pregnancy, and risk of SPTB. Inductively coupled plasma MS was employed to determine maternal serum concentrations of the six trace elements in 192 cases with SPTB and 282 controls with full-term delivery. Multivariate logistic regression, weighted quantile sum regression (WQSR) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to evaluate the individual and joint effects of trace elements on SPTB. The median concentrations of Sr and Mo were significantly higher in controls than in SPTB group (P < 0·05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, compared with the lowest quartile levels of individual trace elements, the third- and fourth-quartile Sr or Mo concentrations were significantly associated with reduced risk of SPTB with adjusted OR (aOR) of 0·432 (95 CI < 0·05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, compared with the lowest quartile levels of individual trace elements, the third- and fourth-quartile Sr or Mo concentrations were significantly associated with reduced risk of SPTB with adjusted aOR of 0·432 (95 % CI 0·247, 0·756), 0·386 (95 % CI 0·213, 0·701), 0·512 (95 % CI 0·297, 0·883) and 0·559 (95 % CI 0·321, 0·972), respectively. WQSR revealed the inverse combined effect of the trace elements mixture on SPTB (aOR = 0·368, 95 % CI 0·228, 0·593). BKMR analysis confirmed the overall mixture of the trace elements was inversely associated with the risk of SPTB, and the independent effect of Sr and Mo was significant. Our findings suggest that the risk of SPTB decreased with concentrations of the six trace elements, with Sr and Mo being the major contributors.

The hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) is not fully understood and certain gaps in knowledge are still present, such as the effect of coupled mechanical and chemical processes. The current study aimed to develop a simplified mathematical model to predict the hydraulic conductivity of GCLs, particularly regarding the coupled effects of mechanical and chemical processes. Based on Darcy's Law and Poiseuille’s Law, the method combines diffuse double layer (DDL) theory and fractal theory. External factors such as confining pressure and the concentration of the permeating solution, and inherent properties such as exchangeable cations, ionic radius, montmorillonite surface fractal dimension, the distance between two montmorillonite layers (m) after swelling at the exchangeable cation i (i denotes the primary exchangeable cations, such as Na+, Ca2+, K+, and Mg2+ in bentonite), density, and coefficient of viscosity of interlayer water between two montmorillonite layers, were considered. The proposed theoretical model gave relatively accurate predictions. A practical estimate of GCL hydraulic conductivity was also derived. The predictions were compared with experimental results and good qualitative agreement was found. From the experimental results, the proposed prediction model has a maximum deviation of ~1:10–10:1, and the empirical model has a mean deviation of ~1:15–15:1.

The production and industrial use of asbestos cement and other asbestos-containing materials have been restricted in most countries because of the potential detrimental effects on human health and the environment. Chrysotile is the most common form of asbestos and investigations into how to recycle this serpentine phyllosilicate mineral have attracted extensive attention. Chrysotile asbestos tailings can be transformed thermally, at high temperature, by in situ carbothermal reduction (CR). The CR method aims to maximize use of the chrysotile available and uses high temperatures and carbon to change the mineral form and structure of the chrysotile asbestos tailings. When chrysotile asbestos is employed as the raw material and coke (carbon) powder is used as the reducing agent for CR transformation, stable, high-temperature composites consisting of forsterite, stishovite, and silicon carbide are formed. Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) was the most abundant crystalline phase formed in samples heat treated below 1500ºC. At 1600ºC, forsterite was exhausted through decomposition and β-SiC formed by reduction of stishovite. A larger proportion of β-SiC was generated as the carbon content was increased. This research revealed that both temperature and carbon addition play key roles in the transformation of chrysotile asbestos tailings.

Innovations in horse equipment during the early Middle Ages provided advantages to societies from the steppes, reshaping the social landscape of Eurasia. Comparatively little is known about the precise origin of these crucial advances, although the available evidence points to early adoption in East Asia. The authors present new archaeological discoveries from western and northern Mongolia, dating to the fourth and fifth centuries AD, including a wooden frame saddle with horse hide components from Urd Ulaan Uneet and an iron stirrup from Khukh Nuur. Together, these finds suggest that Mongolian groups were early adopters of stirrups and saddles, facilitating the expansion of nomadic hegemony across Eurasia and shaping the conduct of medieval mounted warfare.

In this work, the dynamics of two-dimensional rotating Janus drops in shear flow is studied numerically using a ternary-fluid diffuse interface method. The rotation of Janus drops is found to be closely related to their deformation. A new deformation parameter $D$ is proposed to assess the significance of the drop deformation. According to the maximum value of $D$ ($D_{max}$), the deformation of rotating Janus drops can be classified into linear deformation ($D_{max}\le 0.2$) and nonlinear deformation ($D_{max}> 0.2$). In particular, $D_{max}$ in the former depends linearly on the Reynolds and capillary numbers, which can be interpreted by a mass–spring model. Furthermore, the rotation period $t_R$ of a Janus drop is found to be more sensitive to the drop deformation than to the aspect ratio of the drop at equilibrium. By introducing a corrected shear rate and an aspect ratio of drop deformation, a rotation model for Janus drops is established based on Jeffery's theory for rigid particles, and it agrees well with our numerical results.

Disasters or mass-casualty incidents are uncommon events. The use of simulation is an ideal training modality in full-scale exercises as it immerses the participants in a replication of the actual environment where they can respond to simulated casualties in accordance with existing protocols.

The objective of this scoping review is to answer the research question: “How effective is simulation, as assessed in full-scale exercises, for response to disasters and mass-casualty incidents world-wide?” Studies on full-scale exercises, as defined in World Health Organization (WHO) simulation exercise toolbox, that were published in peer-reviewed journals using the English language from 2001 through 2021 were included. Twenty studies were included from searching PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Simulated casualties were the most common simulation modality. Using Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation to synthesize the data, simulation was reported to be generally effective and mostly demonstrated at the levels of learning of individuals and/or systems, as well as reaction of individuals. Evaluations at levels of behavior and results were limited due to the uncommon nature of disasters and mass-casualty incidents. However, evaluation outcomes across the full-scale exercises were varied, leading to the inability to consolidate effectiveness of simulation into a single measure. It is recommended for best evidence-based practices for simulation to be adhered to in full-scale exercises so that the trainings could translate into better outcomes for casualties during an actual disaster or mass-casualty incident. In addition, the reporting of simulation use in full-scale exercises should be standardized using a framework, and the evaluation process should be rigorous so that effectiveness could be determined and compared across full-scale exercises.

This study aimed to investigate the optimal frozen embryo transfer (FET) strategy for recurrent implantation failure (RIF) patients with three consecutive failed cleaved embryo implantations and no blastocyst preservation. This retrospective analysis was divided into three groups based on the FET strategy: thawed day 3 embryo transfer (D3 FET group); and extended culture of frozen–thawed day 3 embryos to day 5 blastocysts transfer (D3–D5 FET group); thawed blastocyst transfer (D5 FET group). Transplant cycle data were compared between the three groups. In total, 43.8% of vitrified–thawed cleavage embryos developed into blastocysts. Analysis of the three transplantation strategies showed that, compared with the D3 FET group, D3–D5 had a significantly better hCG-positivity rate and live-birth rate (P < 0.05). Pregnancy outcomes in the D3–D5 FET group and D5 FET group were similar regarding hCG-positivity rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live-birth rate. Our findings propose two potentially valuable transfer strategies for patients experiencing repeated implantation failures. The D3–D5 FET approach presents a greater potential for selecting promising embryos in cases without blastocyst preservation; however, this strategy does entail the risk of cycle cancellation. Conversely, in instances where blastocyst preservation is an option, prioritizing consideration of the D5 FET strategy is recommended.