Triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) is a surrogate marker of subcutaneous fat. Evidence is limited about the association of sex-specific TSF with the risk of all-cause mortality among maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationship of TSF with all-cause mortality among MHD patients. A multicenter prospective cohort study was performed in 1034 patients undergoing MHD. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of TSF with the risk of mortality. The mean (standard deviation) age of the study population was 54.1 (15.1) years. 599 (57.9%) of the participants were male. The median (interquartile range) of TSF was 9.7 (6.3–13.3 mm) in males and 12.7 (10.0–18.0 mm) in females. Over a median follow up of 4.4 years (interquartile range, 2.4-7.9 years), there were 548 (53.0%) deaths. When TSF was assessed as sex-specific quartiles, compared with those in quartile 1, the adjusted HRs (95%CIs) of all-cause mortality in quartile 2, quartile 3 and quartile 4 were 0.93 (0.73, 1.19), 0.75 (0.58, 0.97) and 0.69 (0.52, 0.92), respectively (P for trend =0.005). Moreover, when analyzed by sex, increased TSF (≥9.7 mm for males and ≥18mm for females) was significantly associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality (quartile 3-4 vs. quartile 1-2; HR, 0.70; 95%CI: 0.55, 0.90 in males; quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1-3; HR, 0.69; 95%CI: 0.48, 1.00 in females). In conclusion, high TSF was significantly associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in MHD patients.

Spin coating is the process of generating a uniform coating film on a substrate by centrifugal forces during rotation. In the framework of lubrication theory, we investigate the axisymmetric film evolution and contact-line dynamics in spin coating on a partially wetting substrate. The contact-line singularity is regularized by imposing a Navier slip model. The interface morphology and the contact-line movement are obtained by numerical solution and asymptotic analysis of the lubrication equation. The results show that the evolution of the liquid film can be classified into two modes, depending on the rotational speed. At lower speeds, the film eventually reaches an equilibrium state, and we provide a theoretical description of how the equilibrium state can be approached through matched asymptotic expansions. At higher speeds, the film exhibits two or three distinct regions: a uniform thinning film in the central region, an annular ridge near the contact line, and a possible Landau–Levich–Derjaguin-type (LLD-type) film in between that has not been reported previously. In particular, the LLD-type film occurs only at speeds slightly higher than the critical value for the existence of the equilibrium state, and leads to the decoupling of the uniform film and the ridge. It is found that the evolution of the ridge can be well described by a two-dimensional quasi-steady analysis. As a result, the ridge volume approaches a constant and cannot be neglected to predict the variation of the contact-line radius. The long-time behaviours of the film thickness and the contact radius agree with derived asymptotic solutions.

This study investigates the mechanisms driving the effectiveness of free-form communication in promoting cooperation within a sequential social dilemma game. We hypothesize that the self-constructing nature of free-form communication enhances the sincerity of messages and increases the disutility of dishonoring promises. Our experimental results demonstrate that free-form messages outperform both restricted promises and treatments where subjects select and use previously constructed free-form messages. Interestingly, we find that selected free-form messages and restricted promises achieve similar levels of cooperation. We observe that free-form messages with higher sincerity increase the likelihood of high-price and high-quality choices, thereby promoting cooperation. These messages frequently include promises and honesty, while threats do not promote cooperation. Our findings emphasize the crucial role of the self-constructed nature of free-form messages in promoting cooperation, exceeding the impact of message content compared to restricted communication protocols.

The problem of how to effectively track and intercept small aircraft that break into the no-fly zones is now attracting increasing interest in robotics society. Vision-based control has been proved an effective solution to the target tracking problem for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Due to the limited field of view (FOV) of onboard vision sensors, existing works assume that the target is always detectable during tracking or limit the flight speed of the UAV in practice. In this paper, inspired by the broad FOV of camera network, we are the first to propose an eye-to-hand (i.e., fixed cameras) visual servoing scheme to track and intercept aerial targets by using UAVs and ground visual sensors. Specifically, utilizing rotation matrices, we first present a visual servoing equation to convert the UAV motion in image planes to the inertial frame. Then, an image-based visual servoing controller is designed directly based on image errors of camera nodes in the sensor network, and system stability is proved by means of Lyapunov analysis. Additionally, to achieve the desired translational velocity command, a low-level attitude controller is developed based on the UAV dynamics. Finally, a series of experiments in both simulated and real flight scenarios show the outstanding efficacy of our method.

In this paper, a novel polarization conversion metasurface (PCM) is proposed. Compared with the conventional receiver-transmitter metasurface units, two metallized via holes are set up to correct the current. It can achieve better polarization conversion from linear to circular and maintain a high reflectivity performance. A patch antenna with an L-probe feed is used as a feeder. The circularly polarized Fabry–Perot resonator antenna (CP-FPRA) consists of the PCM with a 5 × 5 array and a feeder. The measurements indicate a 3 dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 8.6% (22.3–24.3 GHz). And it achieves a maximum gain of 14.2 dBic at 24 GHz, compared to the feed antenna has a gain enhancement of 5.5 dBi (from 8.7 dBi to 14.2 dBic). The proposed CP-FPRA has high gain, a wide AR, and a relatively low profile, providing ideas for subsequent antenna designs.

Let E be an elliptic curve defined over $\mathbb {Q}$ with good ordinary reduction at a prime $p\geq 5$ and let F be an imaginary quadratic field. Under appropriate assumptions, we show that the Pontryagin dual of the fine Mordell–Weil group of E over the $\mathbb {Z}_{p}^2$-extension of F is pseudo-null as a module over the Iwasawa algebra of the group $\mathbb {Z}_{p}^2$.

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.

EXOSC10 is an exosome-associated ribonuclease that degrades and processes a wide range of transcripts in the nucleus. The initial segment (IS) of the epididymis is crucial for sperm transport and maturation in mice by affecting the absorption and secretion that is required for male fertility. However, the role of EXOSC10 ribonuclease-mediated RNA metabolism within the IS in the regulation of gene expression and sperm maturation remains unknown. Herein, we established an Exosc10 conditional knockout (Exosc10 cKO) mouse model by crossing Exosc10F/F mice with Lcn9-Cre mice which expressed recombinase in the principal cells of IS as early as post-natal day 17. Morphological and histological analyses revealed that Exosc10 cKO males had normal spermatogenesis and development of IS. Moreover, the sperm concentration, morphology, motility, and frequency of acrosome reactions in the cauda epididymides of Exosc10 cKO mice were comparable with those of control mice. Thus, Exosc10 cKO males had normal fertility. Collectively, our genetic mouse model and findings demonstrate that loss of EXOSC10 in the IS of epididymis is dispensable for sperm maturation and male fertility.

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.

Salivary iodine concentrations (SIC) and urinary iodine concentrations are correlated. This study aimed to verify the use of SIC as a biomarker for estimating iodine intake in pregnant and lactating women and to diagnose abnormal thyroid function. A cross-sectional study was conducted in northern Xinjiang, China. Participants provided venous blood, random urine, saliva and milk samples. A total of 607 pregnant and 171 lactating women volunteered to participate in the study. The average daily iodine intake was calculated for each participant. Pregnant women were divided according to trimester. The median daily iodine intake was 436·41 μg/d in the first trimester, 425·83 μg/d in the second trimester and 430·56 μg/d in the third trimester. The average daily iodine intake in lactating women was 416·16 μg/d. Different indicators were used to diagnose excessive iodine intake (> 500 μg/d). Among pregnant women, SIC had an AUC of 0·62 (P < 0·01), sensitivity of 51·75 % and specificity of 65 %. Among lactating women, SIC had an AUC of 0·63 (P = 0·03), sensitivity of 43·52 % and specificity of 85 %. SIC was an effective biomarker for diagnosing abnormal thyroid function (P = 0·03). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that SIC is a reliable biomarker for evaluating both iodine nutrition status and abnormal thyroid function in pregnant and lactating women.

In epidemiological investigations, pathogen genomics can provide insights and test epidemiological hypotheses that would not have been possible through traditional epidemiology. Tools to synthesize genomic analysis with other types of data are a key requirement of genomic epidemiology. We propose a new ‘phylepic’ visualization that combines a phylogenomic tree with an epidemic curve. The combination visually links the molecular time represented in the tree to the calendar time in the epidemic curve, a correspondence that is not easily represented by existing tools. Using an example derived from a foodborne bacterial outbreak, we demonstrated that the phylepic chart communicates that what appeared to be a point-source outbreak was in fact composed of cases associated with two genetically distinct clades of bacteria. We provide an R package implementing the chart. We expect that visualizations that place genomic analyses within the epidemiological context will become increasingly important for outbreak investigations and public health surveillance of infectious diseases.

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.

The zosterophyllopsids had a widespread distribution and constituted a dominant component in many plant assemblages during the Early Devonian. Although a large number of zosterophyllopsids have been documented, knowledge about the paleogeographic distribution of different genera/species remains to be expanded by further fossil evidence. In this article, new material assigned to the genus Gosslingia Heard, 1927 and designated as Gosslingia cf. G. breconensis Heard, 1927 is described from a new locality of the Lower Devonian of Guizhou Province, China. The Guizhou material shows main axes that are pseudomonopodially branched, pseudomonopodial lateral branching systems, subaxillary tubercle branches, circinate apices, elliptical xylem strand, exarch maturation of xylem, and G-type tracheids, and exhibits considerable similarities with the type and only species of Gosslingia, Gosslingia breconensis. Our finding represents the first report of Gosslingia in the South China Block and the most convincing occurrence of this genus outside of Wales, UK. Gosslingia adds to the diversity of genera shared among the Early Devonian floras of South China, western Europe, and North America, along with Distichophytum Mägdefrau, Estinnophyton Fairon-Demaret, Zosterophyllum Penhallow, and others, and indicates that the dispersal of early vascular plants among different paleocontinents was more common than previously appreciated.

Examination of plant microfossils (phytoliths and starch granules) preserved in dental calculus allows for the direct identification of some components of prehistoric diets. In this article, the authors present the results of microfossil analysis of dental calculus from wild and domestic animals at the Late Neolithic site of Kangjia in the Central Plains, an area critical in the emergence of early Chinese states. Consumption of cooked plant foods by domestic pigs and dogs, and of domestic crops by wild animals, at this site hints, the authors argue, at an interdependent relationship between animal management, agricultural production and ritual practices that contributed to the political transformations of Late Neolithic China.

Considering straw resource utilization and air pollution prevention, straw return has been commonly practiced in China. However, the practicability of plenty straw return in an emerging maize–rice rotation and their effects on soil C and N pools have not been extensively investigated. This study has been conducted to examine the effects of straw return on soil nutrients, soil functional C and N fractions, and then to figure out their relationships with yield and N use efficiency. Two treatments of straw return (S2Nck) and without straw return (S0Nck) were compared in 3-year field experiment, and subplots without N application were added in their respective plots in the third year. The results showed that, relative to the control (S0Nck), straw return significantly increased soil mineralized nitrogen (Nmin), available P, and exchange K content by 11.7%, 41.1%, and 17.4% averaged across 3-year experiments, respectively. Straw return substantially increased soil dissolved organic C, microbial biomass C, and microbial biomass N content by 73.0%, 25.2%, and 36.8%, respectively. Furthermore, straw return markedly increased C and N retention in particulate organic matter in microaggregates (iPOM) and mineral associated organic matter within microaggregates (intra-SC), but significantly reduced in free mineral associated organic matter (free-SC) fraction. The structural equation modeling analysis showed that yield and the partial factor productivity of N were positively correlated with labile and slow soil C and N fractions. Consequently, straw incorporation significantly increased grain yields of maize by 14.7% and rice by 15.1%. The annual potential reduction proportion in fertilizer-N induced by straw return was estimated to be 25.7% in the third year. This study suggests that the incorporation of straws is an effective way to enhance soil nutrients and regulate soil C and N pools to improve crop production and has the potential to reduce N fertilizer application under maize–rice rotation in subtropical regions.

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.