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).

This study aimed to understand the potassium voltage-gated channel KQT-like subfamily, member 1 gene polymorphism in a rural elderly population in a county in Guangxi and to explore the possible relationship between its gene polymorphism and blood sugar. The 6 SNP loci of blood DNA samples from 4355 individuals were typed using the imLDRTM Multiple SNP Typing Kit from Shanghai Tianhao Biotechnology Co. The data combining epidemiological information (baseline questionnaire and physical examination results) and genotyping results were statistically analyzed using GMDR0.9 software and SPSS22.0 software. A total of 4355 elderly people aged 60 years and above were surveyed in this survey, and the total abnormal rate of glucose metabolism was 16·11 % (699/4355). Among them, male:female ratio was 1:1·48; the age group of 60–69 years old accounted for the highest proportion, with 2337 people, accounting for 53·66 % (2337/4355). The results of multivariate analysis showed that usually not doing farm work (OR 1·26; 95 % CI 1·06, 1·50), TAG ≥ 1·70 mmol/l (OR 1·19; 95 % CI 1·11, 1·27), hyperuricaemia (OR 1·034; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·66) and BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 (OR 1·06; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·09) may be risk factors for abnormal glucose metabolism. Among all participants, rs151290 locus AA genotype, A allele carriers (AA+AC) were 0.70 times more likely (0.54 to 0.91) and 0.82 times more likely (0.70 to 0.97) to develop abnormal glucose metabolism than CC genotype carriers, respectively. Carriers of the T allele at the rs2237892 locus (CT+TT) were 0.85 times more likely to have abnormal glucose metabolism than carriers of the CC genotype (0.72 to 0.99); rs2237897 locus CT gene. The possibility of abnormal glucose metabolism in the carriers of CC genotype, TT genotype and T allele (CT + TT) is 0·79 times (0·67–0·94), 0·74 times (0·55–0·99) and 0·78 times (0·66, 0·92). The results of multifactor dimensionality reduction showed that the optimal interaction model was a three-factor model consisting of farm work, TAG and rs2237897. The best model dendrogram found that the interaction between TAG and rs2237897 had the strongest effect on fasting blood glucose in the elderly in rural areas, and they were mutually antagonistic. Environment–gene interaction is an important factor affecting abnormal glucose metabolism in the elderly of a county in Hechi City, Guangxi.

Regolith-hosted rare earth element (REE) deposits hosted by the granitic regolith in South China provide >90% of the world’s heavy REEs. Kaolinite is one of the major carriers of REE ions in regolith. The formation and transformation of kaolinite can be affected by chemical weathering and hydrodynamic conditions, but the contribution of each factor has not been evaluated. This study systematically investigated the variation in abundance of phyllosilicate minerals and structural order of kaolinite in the Renju regolith-hosted REE deposit. The total abundance of 1:1 phyllosilicate minerals increased upwards along the profile from Section I to Section III. However, semi-quantitative analyses indicated that Section III-1 (depth at 10–16 m) featured an evident decrease in both abundance and structural order of kaolinite upward along the profile. The morphological feature and abundance of kaolinite revealed intensive kaolinite-to-halloysite transformation and kaolinite dissolution in Section III-1. This suggests that the alternating wetting and drying zone in Section III-1 provided a favorable kinetic environment for the entry of water molecules into the kaolinite interlayer and the kaolinite-to-halloysite transformation, resulting in both lower structural order and abundance of kaolinite in Section III-1. Moreover, REE ions started to be enriched from the alternating wetting and drying zone and formed high-grade ores at the lower part of the water table, due to a significant increase in pore water and decrease in the seepage velocity. Therefore, the abundance and structural order of secondary kaolinite can serve as important indicators of hydrodynamic changes in regolith, as well as the mineralization of regolith-hosted REEs.

The mid-infrared optical frequency comb is a powerful tool for gas sensing. In this study, we demonstrate a simple mid-infrared dual-comb spectrometer covering 3–4 μm in LiNbO3 waveguides. Based on a low-power fiber laser system, the mid-infrared comb is achieved via intra-pulse difference frequency generation in the LiNbO3 waveguide. We construct pre-chirp management before supercontinuum generation to control spatiotemporal alignment for pump and signal pulses. The supercontinuum is directly coupled into a chirped periodically poled LiNbO3 waveguide for the 3–4 μm idler generation. A mid-infrared dual-comb spectrometer based on this approach provides a 100 MHz resolution over 25 THz coverage. To evaluate the applicability for spectroscopy, we measure the methane spectrum using the dual-comb spectrometer. The measured results are consistent with the HITRAN database, in which the root mean square of the residual is 3.2%. This proposed method is expected to develop integrated and robust mid-infrared dual-comb spectrometers on chip for sensing.

As a common mineral phase on Earth and Martian regolith, natural rutile was reported as a potential candidate for use as a Fenton catalyst in this study. The influences of Fe and V in various chemical states on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) and the catalytic activity of rutile were examined. A series of rutile samples with various surface and bulk states of Fe and V were obtained initially by hydrogen annealing of natural rutile at ~773–1173 K. X-ray diffraction, electron paramagnetic resonance spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that the atomic fractions of Fe(III) and V(V) decreased sharply with increasing temperature, along with the accumulation of surface Fe(II) and bulk V(III). All as-prepared materials showed enhanced Fenton degradation efficiency on methylene blue (MB) compared with P25-TiO2, and the treated samples exhibited up to 3.5-fold improvement in efficiency at pH 3 compared to the untreated sample. The improved efficiency was attributed mainly to Fenton catalysis involving Fe(II) and V(III). The dissolved Fe2+ played a crucial role in the homogeneous Fenton reaction, while the bound V(III) favored adsorption primarily and may have facilitated heterogeneous Fenton reaction and the regeneration of Fe2+. The pH regulated the reaction mechanism among homogeneous (pH = 3) and heterogeneous (pH = 3.7) Fenton catalysis and physical adsorption (pH = 5, 6). The aim of the present study was to improve the understanding of the potential role of natural rutile with advanced oxidation functions in Earth systems and even on Mars, which also provide an inspiration for screening natural rutile and any other similar, Earth-abundant, low-cost minerals for environmental application.

In this paper, we propose a numerical model to simulate gas–liquid–solid interaction problems, coupling the lattice Boltzmann method and discrete element method (LBM–DEM). A cascaded LBM is used to simulate the liquid–gas flow field using a pseudopotential interaction model for describing the liquid–gas multiphase behaviour. A classical DEM resorting to fictitious overlaps between the particles is used to simulate the multiple-solid-particle system. A multiphase fluid–solid two-way coupling algorithm between LBM and DEM is constructed. The model is validated by four benchmarks: (i) single disc sedimentation, (ii) single floating particle on a liquid–gas interface, (iii) sinking of a horizontal cylinder and (iv) self-assembly of three particles on a liquid–gas interface. Our simulations agree well with the numerical results reported in the literature. Our proposed model is further applied to simulate droplet impact on deformable granular porous media at pore scale. The dynamic droplet spreading process, the deformation of the porous media (composed of up to 1277 solid particles) as well as the invasion of the liquid into the pores are well captured, within a wide range of impact Weber number. The droplet spreading dynamics on particles is analysed based on the energy budget, which reveals mechanisms at play, showing the evolution of particle energy, surface energy and viscous dissipation energy. A scaling relation based on the impact Weber number is proposed to describe the maximum spreading ratio.

Dietary antioxidant indices (DAI) may be potentially associated with relative telomere length (RTL) of leucocytes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DAI and RTL. A cross-sectional study involving 1656 participants was conducted. A generalised linear regression model and a restricted cubic spline model were used to assess the correlation of DAI and its components with RTL. Generalised linear regression analysis revealed that DAI (β = 0·005, P = 0·002) and the intake of its constituents vitamin C (β = 0·043, P = 0·027), vitamin E (β = 0·088, P < 0·001), Se (β = 0·075, P = 0·003), and Zn (β = 0·075, P = 0·023) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL. Sex-stratified analysis showed that DAI (β = 0·006, P = 0·005) and its constituents vitamin E (β = 0·083, P = 0·012), Se (β = 0·093, P = 0·006), and Zn (β = 0·092, P = 0·034) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL among females. Meanwhile, among males, only vitamin E intake (β = 0·089, P = 0·013) was significantly and positively associated with RTL. Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed linear positive associations between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in the total population. Sex-stratified analysis revealed a linear positive correlation between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in females. Our study found a significant positive correlation between DAI and RTL, with sex differences.

Adsorption of nanoparticles on minerals affects the fate and transport of nanoparticles directly and is of great significance to many fields, including research into ore deposits, geochemistry, the environment and mineral materials. Whereas many previous studies have been conducted under the equilibrium pH and low solid (mineral) to liquid (nanoparticle suspension) ratio conditions, adsorption processes under initial pH and high solid/liquid ratio conditions may represent many important yet underexamined complex scenarios. To fill in this research gap, the adsorption of gold nanoparticles on illite was investigated experimentally at a relatively high solid/liquid ratio of 5 g L–1 and the effects of initial pH, ionic strength, citrate concentration, temperature and illite particle size were evaluated. The adsorbed amount of gold nanoparticles (from <5% to nearly 100%) increased with increasing ionic strength, temperature and citrate concentration and decreased with increasing pH and illite particle size. The presence of illite resulted in the dynamic evolution of the pH of the suspension, which, along with solution chemistry parameters, controlled the electrostatic interaction of illite and gold nanoparticles. The adsorption results, scanning electron microscopy observations and surface properties of illite suggest that the negatively charged gold nanoparticles were adsorbed predominantly on the positive illite edges through electrostatic interaction. The electrostatic attraction between illite and gold nanoparticles appeared to be strong, supported by the minor amount of desorption. These research findings are expected to provide a valuable reference regarding many critical issues in the geosciences as well as for industrial applications.

Trace elements may play an important role in obesity. This study aimed to assess the plasma and dietary intake levels of four trace elements, Mn, Cu, Zn and Se in a rural Chinese population, and analyse the relationship between trace elements and obesity. A cross-sectional study involving 2587 participants was conducted. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between trace elements and obesity; restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to assess the dose–response relationship between trace elements and obesity; the weighted quantile sum (WQS) model was used to examine the potential interaction of four plasma trace elements on obesity. Logistic regression analysis showed that plasma Se concentrations in the fourth quartile (Q4) exhibited a lower risk of developing obesity than the first quartile (Q1) (central obesity: OR = 0·634, P = 0·002; general obesity: OR = 0·525, P = 0·005). Plasma Zn concentration in the third quartile (Q3) showed a lower risk of developing obesity in general obesity compared with the first quartile (Q1) (OR = 0·625, P = 0·036). In general obesity, the risk of morbidity was 1·727 and 1·923 times higher for the second and third (Q2, Q3) quartiles of dietary Mn intake than for Q1, respectively. RCS indicated an inverse U-shaped correlation between plasma Se and obesity. WQS revealed the combined effects of four trace elements were negatively associated with central obesity. Plasma Zn and Se were negatively associated with obesity, and dietary Mn was positively associated with obesity. The combined action of the four plasma trace elements had a negative effect on obesity.

Burn patients are at high risk of central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). However, the diagnosis of such infections is complex, resource-intensive, and often delayed. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of CLABSI and develop a prediction model for the infection in burn patients. The study analysed the infection profiles, clinical epidemiology, and central venous catheter (CVC) management of patients in a large burn centre in China from January 2018 to December 2021. In total, 222 burn patients with a cumulative 630 CVCs and 5,431 line-days were included. The CLABSI rate was 23.02 CVCs per 1000 line-days. The three most common bacterial species were Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; 76.09% of isolates were multidrug resistant. Compared with a non-CLABSI cohort, CLABSI patients were significantly older, with more severe burns, more CVC insertion times, and longer total line-days, as well as higher mortality. Regression analysis found longer line-days, more catheterisation times, and higher burn wounds index to be independent risk factors for CLABSI. A novel nomogram based on three risk factors was constructed with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) value of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.782–0.898) with a mean absolute error of calibration curve of 0.023. The nomogram showed excellent predictive ability and clinical applicability, and provided a simple, practical, and quantitative strategy to predict CLABSI in burn patients.

We aimed to investigate the association of metabolic obesity phenotypes with all-cause mortality risk in a rural Chinese population. This prospective cohort study enrolled 15 704 Chinese adults (38·86 % men) with a median age of 51·00 (interquartile range: 41·00–60·00) at baseline (2007–2008) and followed up during 2013–2014. Obesity was defined by waist circumference (WC: ≥ 90 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women) or waist-to-height ratio (WHtR: ≥ 0·5). The hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % CI for the risk of all-cause mortality related to metabolic obesity phenotypes were calculated using the Cox hazards regression model. During a median follow-up of 6·01 years, 864 deaths were identified. When obesity was defined by WC, the prevalence of participants with metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO), metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUNO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) at baseline was 12·12 %, 2·80 %, 41·93 % and 43·15 %, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity and education, the risk of all-cause mortality was higher with both MUNO (HR = 1·20, 95 % CI 1·14, 1·26) and MUO (HR = 1·20, 95 % CI 1·13, 1·27) v. MHNO, but the risk was not statistically significant with MHO (HR = 0·99, 95 % CI 0·89, 1·10). This result remained consistent when stratified by sex. Defining obesity by WHtR gave similar results. MHO does not suggest a greater risk of all-cause mortality compared to MHNO, but participants with metabolic abnormality, with or without obesity, have a higher risk of all-cause mortality. These results should be cautiously interpreted as the representation of MHO is small.

Scattering kernel models for gas–solid interaction are crucial for rarefied gas flows and microscale flows. However, most existing models depend on certain accommodation coefficients (ACs). We propose here to construct a data-based model using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and machine learning. The gas–solid interaction is first modelled by 100 000 MD simulations of a single gas molecule reflecting on the wall surface, which is fulfilled by GPU parallel technology. The results showed a correlation of the reflection velocity with the incidence velocity in the same direction, and also revealed correlations that may exist in different directions, which are neglected by the traditional gas–solid interaction model. Inspired by the sophisticated Cercignani–Lampis–Lord (CLL) model, two improved scattering kernels were constructed to better reproduce the probability density of velocity determined from MD simulation. The first one adopts variable ACs which depend on the incidence velocity and the second one combines three CLL-like kernels. All the parameters in the improved kernels are automatically chosen by the machine learning method. Compared with the numerical experiments of a molecular beam, the reconstructed scattering kernels are basically consistent with the MD results.

Interception by plant canopies during wind dispersal can affect the final destination of diaspores. However, how the interaction of wind speed, canopy type and diaspore attributes affects interception of diaspores by the plant canopy has rarely been studied. We investigated canopy interception for 29 species with different diaspore attributes, six canopy types and six wind speeds in controlled experiments in a wind tunnel. Shrub canopy interception of diaspores were controlled by wind speed and diaspore attributes, but the latter had a greater influence on canopy interception than the former. At low wind speed, diaspore wing loading had a large influence on canopy interception, whereas at high wind speed, diaspore projection area had a large influence. The chance of canopy interception at a particular wind speed was additionally affected by the type of canopy. This study increases our knowledge of the dispersal process, corrects the previous understanding of diaspore dispersal potential and improves the theoretical basis for predicting spatial pattern and dynamics of plant populations.

Potassium and cerium co-doped Bi4Ti2.86W0.14O12 ceramics with a formula of (K0.5Ce0.5)xBi4−xTi2.86W0.14O12 (abbreviated as KC100x-BITW, x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1) were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The effect of (K0.5Ce0.5) complex doping amount on the structure, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of the KC100x-BITW ceramics was investigated. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the KC100x-BITW ceramics are Aurivillius-type phase with the bismuth layer structure. (K0.5Ce0.5) complex addition first increases and then decreases the grain size which can be observed by scanning electron microscopy. With the increase of (K0.5Ce0.5) complex doping amount, the Curie temperature (TC) was slightly decreased from 632 to 608 oC. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties were optimized in KC100x-BITW ceramics with x = 0.08 as follows: d33 = 24 pC/N, kp = 8.2%, Qm = 6766, εr = 135 (@100 kHz), tanδ = 0.28% (@100 kHz), Tc = 611 oC, and resistivity ρ = 2.9 × 106 Ω cm at 500 oC, indicating that the KC100x-BITW ceramics are suitable for high-temperature piezoelectric sensing applications.

Resistant starch (RS) was recently approved to exert a powerful influence on gut health, but the effect of RS on the caecal barrier function in meat ducks has not been well defined. Thus, the effect of raw potato starch (RPS), a widely adopted RS material, on microbial composition and barrier function of caecum for meat ducks was determined. A total of 360 Cherry Valley male ducks of 1-d-old were randomly divided and fed diets with 0 (control), 12, or 24 % RPS for 35 d. Diets supplemented with RPS significantly elevated villus height and villus height:crypt depth ratio in the caecum. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that the diet with 12 % RPS had a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and the butyrate-producing bacteria Faecalibacterium, Subdoligranulum, and Erysipelatoclostridium were enriched in all diets. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were significantly increased in the 24 % RPS diet v. the control diet. When compared with the control diet, the diet with 12 % RPS was also found to notably increase acetate, propionate and butyrate contents and up-regulated barrier-related genes including claudin-1, zonula occludens-1, mucin-2 and proglucagon in the caecum. Furthermore, the addition of 12 % RPS significantly reduced plasma TNF-α, IL-1β and endotoxin concentrations. These data revealed that diets supplemented with 12 % RPS partially improved caecal barrier function in meat ducks by enhancing intestinal morphology and barrier markers expression, modulating the microbiota composition and attenuating inflammatory markers.

Novel NiMoO4-integrated electrode materials were successfully prepared by solvothermal method using Na2MoO4·2H2O and NiSO4·6H2O as main raw materials, water, and ethanol as solvents. The morphology, phase, and structure of the as-prepared materials were characterized by SEM, XRD, Raman, and FT-IR. The electrochemical properties of the materials in supercapacitors were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, constant current charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The effects of volume ratio of water to ethanol (W/E) in solvent on the properties of the product were studied. The results show that the pure phase monoclinic crystal NiMoO4 product can be obtained when the W/E is 2:1. The diameter and length are 0.1–0.3 µm and approximately 3 µm, respectively. As an active material for supercapacitor, the NiMoO4 nanorods material delivered a discharge specific capacitance of 672, 498, and 396 F/g at a current density of 4, 7, and 10 A/g, respectively. The discharge specific capacitance slightly decreased from 815 to 588 F/g with a retention of 72% after 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 A/g. With these superior capacitance properties, the novel NiMoO4 integrated electrode materials could be considered as promising material for supercapacitors.

Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in China (JUNA) will take the advantage of the ultra-low background in Jinping underground lab. High current accelerator with an ECR source and detectors were commissioned. JUNA plans to study directly a number of nuclear reactions important to hydrostatic stellar evolution at their relevant stellar energies. At the first period, JUNA aims at the direct measurements of 25Mg(p,γ)26 Al, 19F(p,α) 16 O, 13C(α, n) 16O and 12C(α,γ) 16O near the Gamow window. The current progress of JUNA will be given.