Extending Cycling Life Beyond 300 000 Cycles in Aqueous Zinc Ion Capacitors Through Additive Interface Engineering.

Developing low-cost and long-cycling-life aqueous zinc (Zn) ion capacitors (AZICs) for large-scale electrochemical energy storage still faces the challenges of dendritic Zn deposition and interfacial side reactions. Here, an interface engineering strategy utilizing a dibenzenesulfonimide (BBI) additive is employed to enhance the stability of the Zn metal anode/electrolyte interface. The first-principles calculation results demonstrate that BBI anions can be chemically adsorbed on Zn metal. Meanwhile, the experimental results confirm that the BBI-Zn interfacial layer converts the original water-richelectric double layer (EDL) into a water-poor EDL, effectively inhibiting the water related parasitic reaction at the electrode/electrolyte interface. In addition, the BBI-Zn interfacial layer introduces an additional Zn ions (Zn2+) migration energy barrier, increasing the Zn2+ de-solvation activation energy, consequently raising the Zn2+ nucleation overpotential, and thus achieving the compact and uniform Zn deposition behavior. Furthermore, the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer derived from the BBI-Zn interfacial layer during cycling can further maintain the interfacial stability of the Zn anode. Owing to the above favorable features, the assembled AZIC exhibits an ultra-long cycling life of over 300 000 cycles based on the additive engineering strategy, which shows application prospects in high-performance AZICs.

Associations between anxiety, depression, and personal mastery in community-dwelling older adults: a network-based analysis.

BACKGROUND: In China, about 18.70% of the population aged 60 years and older are at risk of low personal mastery as well as anxiety and depression for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this study was to construct a symptom network model of the relationship between anxiety, depression, and personal mastery in community-dwelling older adults and to identify central and bridge symptoms in this network. METHODS: Depression, anxiety, and personal mastery were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Personal Mastery Scale (PMS), respectively. A total of 501 older adults in 16 communities in Changzhou and Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China, were surveyed by using a combination of stratified sampling and convenience sampling methods. The R language was used to construct the network. RESULTS: (1) The network structure of anxiety-depression-personal mastery was stable, with "Nervousness" (node GAD1, strength = 1.38), "Sad mood" (node PHQ2, strength = 1.22), " Inability to change" (node PMS2, strength = 1.01) and "Involuntarily" (node PMS3, strength = 0.95) as the central symptoms. (2) "Irritability" (node GAD6, bridge strength = 0.743), "Sad mood" (node PHQ2, bridge strength = 0.655), and "Trouble relaxing" (node GAD4, bridge strength = 0.550) were the bridge symptoms connecting anxiety, depressive symptoms, and personal mastery. (3) In the network comparison test (NCT), residence, somatic chronic comorbidity and gender had no significant effect on network structure. CONCLUSIONS: The construction of the anxiety-depression-personal mastery network structure opens up new possibilities for mechanisms of action and intervention formulation for psychological disorders in community-dwelling older adults. The identification of central symptoms (e.g., nervousness, sad mood, inability to change, involuntarily) and bridge symptoms (e.g., irritability, sad mood, trouble relaxing) in community-dwelling older adults with anxiety, depression, and low sense of mastery can provide a scientific basis for the development of precise interventions.

Medium to long term of self-report outcomes of high tibial osteotomy in advanced age patients.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the mid- to long-term benefits of high tibial osteotomy in advanced age patients. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2021 with data prospectively collected, 47 patients with knee osteoarthritis who over 65 years old were included, and a 1:1 propensity score (PS) of patients < 65 years were matched according to gender, body mass index, and side. Patient demographics, intraooperative and postoperative variables, and patient self-reported outcomes were compared. A generalized linear model was used to screen possible risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 94 consecutive patients were included; the average age of advanced age group was 69.47 + 4.26 years and 57.87 + 5.51 years in the younger group. There were no statistically difference in K-L grade, smoke, drink, comorbidity, ASA, blood loss, operative duration, length of stay, surgical site infection, hinge fracture, DVT, and preooperative and postoperative aFTA; significantly statistical difference of the eFI was found between two groups (P < 0.05). Two groups had comparable VAS and MOMAC scores at one year postoperatively (P > 0.05), while the younger group had lower VAS and WOMAC scores than the advanced age group at the end of follow-up (P < 0.05). Generalized linear model showed both age and eFI were associated with WOMAC scores; there was a statistically significant difference in the effect of eFI on WOMAC scores at different ages (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with younger patients, advanced age patients have similar short-term benefits, but less long-term benefits. We recommend that patients proposed for HTO be discriminated by eFI, and patients with higher scores should be cautiously selected.

Organophosphorus flame retardants and their metabolites in paired human blood and urine.

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) have been shown to be carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and endocrine disruptive, so it is important to understand the levels of OPFRs in human body as well as the modes of external exposure. In this study, we investigated the levels of 13 OPFRs and 7 phosphodiester metabolites in paired human blood and urine, as well as the influencing factors (region, age and gender), and studied the relationship between OPFRs and oxidative stress by urinary metabolites. We found that the concentrations of triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) and tris-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) in the blood of urban populations were higher than those of rural populations, and that younger populations suffered higher TPhP and 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) exposures than older populations. In addition, we found that tris-(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tributyl phosphate (TnBP), TPhP and EHDPP exposure induced oxidative stress. The results of the internal load principal component analysis indicated that dust ingestion, skin exposure, respiration and dietary intake may be the most important sources of TCEP, tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and TEHP, respectively, and dust ingestion and skin exposure may be the main sources of TPhP for humans.

The Proportional Relationship Among the Aesthetic Units of the Upper Lip: A 3-Dimensional Morphological Analysis of Young Adults.

A deep understanding of the proportional relationship among the crucial aesthetic units of the upper lip is essential for lip treatment procedures, yet limited information can be found. The authors used 3-dimensional (D) photogrammetry to analyze the proportional features involving different lip structures. One hundred sixty volunteers (aged 18-35 y) were included, and standardized frontal view 3D images were obtained. A series of anthropometric parameters were measured, including linear, angular, and ratio parameters. The authors took the philtrum as one structure of particular concern. The philtrum was classified into 4 groups according to the shape of philtral columns, and philtrum depth was measured. The authors analyzed the correlations between the philtrum and the vermillion lip. They found significant differences in philtrum depth among different type groups. A significant negative correlation between philtral depth and philtrum length was found, which indicated that a long philtrum was more likely to be accompanied by a flat philtrum with shallow depth. The philtrum width was significantly correlated with the mouth width with a mean ratio of 0.25. The authors also found a significantly negative correlation between philtral depth and angle of Cupid's bow's peak (Achp), and a positive correlation between Achp and mouth width. This study used 3D photography to quantitatively analyze proportional characteristics among labial aesthetic units in young Chinese adults. The results showed that the philtrum and the vermillion lip morphology were closely related, providing helpful references in perioral procedures.

Research on Global Optimization Algorithm of Integrated Energy and Thermal Management for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

Power distribution and battery thermal management are important technologies for improving the energy efficiency of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). In response to the global optimization of integrated energy thermal management strategy (IETMS) for PHEVs, a dynamic programming algorithm based on adaptive grid optimization (AGO-DP) is proposed in this paper to improve optimization performance by reducing the optimization range of SOC and battery temperature, and adaptively adjusting the grid distribution of state variables according to the actual feasible region. The simulation results indicate that through AGO-DP optimization, the reduction ratio of the state feasible region is more than 30% under different driving conditions. Meanwhile, the algorithm can obtain better global optimal driving costs more rapidly and accurately than traditional dynamic programming algorithms (DP). The computation time is reduced by 33.29-84.67%, and the accuracy of the global optimal solution is improved by 0.94-16.85% compared to DP. The optimal control of the engine and air conditioning system is also more efficient and reasonable. Furthermore, AGO-DP is applied to explore IETMS energy-saving potential for PHEVs. It is found that the IETMS energy-saving potential range is 3.68-23.74% under various driving conditions, which increases the energy-saving potential by 0.55-3.26% compared to just doing the energy management.

The Underappreciated Role of the Platysma Muscle in the Perioral Expressions in Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: The platysma is involved in lower face movement, yet limited information on its functional role when making perioral expressions is available. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to use 3-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry to analyze platysma activity when making expressions. METHODS: Standardized frontal-view 3D images were obtained from 54 volunteers. Three perioral expressions were analyzed: a full smile, mouth corner depression, and a grimace to show the lower teeth. Positive volume change in the "heat map" of the neck skin surface-determined by the superimposed image subtraction technique-served as a sensitive indicator of platysma contraction. RESULTS: When making the 3 expressions, the proportions of platysma contraction were 42.6%, 75.9%, and 92.6%, respectively. The platysma worked as a more critical dynamic force than expected. In most smiles involving the platysma, its upper portion contracted. With the laterally downward traction on the lower lip increasing, the upper and lower portions of the platysma contracted together and formed muscular bands. The platysma contracted extensively in the other 2 expressions. In some cases, platysma bands were observed to form due to vigorous contraction of muscle fibers. In addition, the platysma was found to be highly functionally active in young individuals. CONCLUSIONS: This study introduced a simple method that can sensitively identify the functional status of the platysma. The results showed the platysma's highly active function in perioral expressions in young adults. These findings may assist surgeons in personalized decision-making toward platysma muscle-weakening strategies and work as an objective tool for outcome evaluation.

Relationship between eating problems and the risk of dementia: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Older adults and individuals with decreased cognition often experience appetite changes and weight loss. As weight loss can result in cognitive decline, change in appetite may be an important contributor to the onset of dementia. However, there is a lack of relevant studies on this topic. This study aimed to determine the relationship between appetite changes, weight loss, and dementia onset. METHODS: A total of 135 patients with normal cognitive function, subjective cognitive impairment, and mild cognitive impairment who were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory 12 item version (NPI-12) and followed up for at least 1 month were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Eating problems were assessed using the NPI Eating Problems Score. Appetite and weight loss were assessed at the first visit by caregivers. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses with a log-rank test were used to compare the time to the onset of dementia between the presence or absence of the NPI eating problems, appetite loss, weight loss, or NPI depression scores. Cox proportional hazards regression models using the forced entry method were employed to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for dementia. RESULTS: Weight loss was significantly related to dementia onset (P = 0.027) in the Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, while eating problems, appetite loss, and depression showed no significant association (P = 0.519, P = 0.326, and P = 0.317, respectively). In the Cox proportional hazards regression models, the MMSE score was found to be a significant factor (P = 0.021, HR = 0.871); moreover, weight loss tended to increase the risk of dementia onset (P = 0.057, HR = 1.694). CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss experienced by older adults could contribute to an increased risk of developing dementia.

Historical change of El Niño properties sheds light on future changes of extreme El Niño.

El Niño's intensity change under anthropogenic warming is of great importance to society, yet current climate models' projections remain largely uncertain. The current classification of El Niño does not distinguish the strong from the moderate El Niño events, making it difficult to project future change of El Niño's intensity. Here we classify 33 El Niño events from 1901 to 2017 by cluster analysis of the onset and amplification processes, and the resultant 4 types of El Niño distinguish the strong from the moderate events and the onset from successive events. The 3 categories of El Niño onset exhibit distinct development mechanisms. We find El Niño onset regime has changed from eastern Pacific origin to western Pacific origin with more frequent occurrence of extreme events since the 1970s. This regime change is hypothesized to arise from a background warming in the western Pacific and the associated increased zonal and vertical sea-surface temperature (SST) gradients in the equatorial central Pacific, which reveals a controlling factor that could lead to increased extreme El Niño events in the future. The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) models' projections demonstrate that both the frequency and intensity of the strong El Niño events will increase significantly if the projected central Pacific zonal SST gradients become enhanced. If the currently observed background changes continue under future anthropogenic forcing, more frequent strong El Niño events are anticipated. The models' uncertainty in the projected equatorial zonal SST gradients, however, remains a major roadblock for faithful prediction of El Niño's future changes.

Importance of loneliness in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.

OBJECTIVES: Loneliness is considered to be a crucial factor in mental health of elderly people. However, the effects of loneliness on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have not been fully examined. The aim of this study was to investigate whether loneliness in patients with dementia is related to BPSD. METHODS: A total of 152 patients with dementia were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-12) and the revised University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale. Spearman correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to examine factors associated with the revised UCLA loneliness scale. Logistic regression analysis with a forced entry method was performed to identify risk factors for BPSD. RESULTS: The revised UCLA loneliness scale score was not significantly associated with age, years of education, mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score, gender, living status, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and marital status. However, this score was a significant predictor of NPI delusion and hallucination subscale scores and Geriatric Depression Scale-15 score. The MMSE score was a significant predictor of NPI anxiety and apathy subscale scores. CONCLUSIONS: Loneliness is a risk factor for BPSD, especially for depressive symptoms and psychosis. Paying attention to loneliness in patients with dementia will help medical staff to intervene in psychiatric symptoms of these patients at an early stage.

Intake of Furocoumarins and Risk of Skin Cancer in 2 Prospective US Cohort Studies.

BACKGROUND: In prior studies, higher citrus consumption was associated with higher risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Furocoumarins, compounds with phototoxicity and photocarcinogenicity in citrus, may be responsible for the association. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to investigate the association between furocoumarin intake and skin cancer risk. METHODS: A total of 47,453 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) and 75,291 women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) with diet data collected every 2-4 y in the 2 prospective cohort studies were included. A furocoumarin food composition database for 7 common furocoumarins [bergaptol, psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen, bergapten, 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin (6'7'-DHB), epoxybergamottin, and bergamottin] was developed and used to calculate participants' cumulative average and energy-adjusted furocoumarin intake. Multivariate HRs and 95% CIs of the associations between furocoumarin intake and skin cancer risk were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Analyses were performed separately in each cohort as well as pooled using a fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Throughout follow-up (1984-2012 in the NHS and 1986-2012 in the HPFS), we identified 1593 melanoma, 4066 SCC, and 28,630 BCC cases. Higher intake of total furocoumarins was associated with an increased risk of BCC; the pooled HR comparing the top with the bottom quintile was 1.16 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.21; P-trend = 0.002). Higher intakes of bergaptol, bergapten, 6'7'-DHB, and bergamottin were also significantly associated with increased BCC risk. No significant associations were found between intake of total furocoumarins and the risks of SCC or melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: Intakes of total furocoumarins as well as some individual furocoumarins were associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, especially BCC, in 2 cohorts of US health professionals.

MCN: A comprehensive corpus for medical concept normalization.

Normalization of clinical text involves linking different ways of talking about the same clinical concept to the same term in the standardized vocabulary. To date, very few annotated corpora for normalization have been available, and existing corpora so far have been limited in scope and only dealt with the normalization of diseases and disorders. In this paper, we describe the annotation methodology we developed in order to create a new manually annotated wide-coverage corpus for clinical concept normalization, the Medical Concept Normalization (MCN) corpus. In order to ensure wider coverage, we applied normalization to the text spans corresponding to the medical problems, treatments, and tests in the named entity corpus released for the fourth i2b2/VA shared task. In contrast to previous annotation efforts, we do not assign multiple concept labels to the named entities that do not map to a unique concept in the controlled vocabulary. Nor do we leave that named entity without a concept label. Instead, our normalization method that splits such named entities, resolving some of the core ambiguity issues. Lastly, we supply a sieve-based normalization baseline for MCN which combines MetaMap with multiple exact match components. The resulting corpus consists of 100 discharge summaries and provides normalization for the total of 10,919 concept mentions, using 3792 unique concepts from two controlled vocabularies. Our inter-annotator agreement is 67.69% pre-adjudication and 74.20% post-adjudication. Our sieve-based normalization baseline for MCN achieves 77% accuracy in cross-validation. We also detail the challenges of creating a normalization corpus, including the limitations deriving from both the mention span selection and the ambiguity and inconsistency within the current standardized terminologies. In order to facilitate the development of improved concept normalization methods, the MCN corpus will be publicly released to the research community in a shared task in 2019.

Green, fast, and large-scale synthesis of highly fluorescent Au nanoclusters for Cu2+ detection and temperature sensing.

Gold nanoclusters have attracted widespread attention because of their unique optical and physical properties. However, traditional synthesis methods are complicated and require additional reducing agents, while the yield is often very low. Such resource and time-consuming synthesis processes limit their further application. Herein, a rapid sonochemical route is used to synthesize fluorescent Au nanoclusters in large quantities using glutathione (GSH) both as a capping and reducing agent. These Au nanoclusters are synthesized quickly (∼40 min) due to the presence of ultrasonic waves, and show orange red photoluminescence (Em = 598 nm), small size (∼2 nm) and good dispersion in aqueous solution. Moreover, GSH, as a protecting agent on the surface of resultant Au nanoclusters, has many functional groups including carboxyl and amino groups because of which the nanoclusters show high photo-, storage-, metal- and pH-stability. A stable Au nanoclusters-based nano-sensor is designed for highly sensitive and selective label-free detection of Cu2+ with a low limit of detection of 7 ppb (based on S/N = 3). The fluorescent probe can be used in versatile nanothermometry devices, because their photoluminescence intensity correlates strongly with temperature and varies considerably over a wide temperature range (20-80 °C). Therefore, the novel fluorescent sensing probe has great application prospects in Cu2+ detection and temperature sensing.

Orbicularis-Tarsus Fixation Approach in Double-Eyelid Blepharoplasty: A Modification of Park's Technique.

BACKGROUND: Incisional double-eyelid blepharoplasty is widely applied because of its extensive indications and robust results. The orbicularis-levator fixation method is an incisional approach that provides stronger adhesion than traditional techniques. However, there remains the risk of postoperative relapse or suture spitting out. METHODS: The authors introduced a modified technique for supratarsal crease formation. When necessary soft tissue removal was completed, the orbicularis oculi muscle was anchored on the tarsus. Then the muscle edges near canthus were reattached to prevent muscle retraction. For skin closure, the skin-pretarsal fascia-skin maneuver was adopted to enhance cicatricial adhesion. RESULTS: Six hundred and fifty-nine patients underwent double eyelidplasty by the same surgeon using this modified technique. Patients were followed up from 2 to 38 months, with a mean period of 15 months. Short-term complications included mild edema, bruising or reddish change of the upper eyelid, yet all gradually relieved in 6-8 weeks. Fourteen cases of palpebral fold asymmetry and nine cases of unsatisfactory fold formation near the inner canthus were encountered, and all the defects had been well improved by revision surgeries. Ninety-five percent of the patients were satisfied with the long-term outcomes, which showed as natural and well-defined palpebral folds without scar hypertrophy, suture spitting out or crease depression. Besides, no supratarsal crease drooping or disappearing was observed 3 years postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The authors introduced an orbicularis-tarsus fixation method for upper eyelid blepharoplasty. It is a reliable technique that enables high feasibility and long-lasting result, and with lower risk of suture spitting out. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Spatial distribution, source identification, and potential risks of 14 bisphenol analogues in soil under different land uses in the megacity of Chengdu, China.

This study explored the levels, distribution, potential sources, ecological risks and estrogenic activities of 14 bisphenol analogues (BPs) in soil under eight land-use types in the megacity of Chengdu, China. Eleven BPs were detected in the soil samples and the total concentrations ranged from 32.3 to 570 ng/g d.w. Levels of bisphenol BP (BPBP) in the soil (up to 208 ng/g d.w.) only second to the most dominant compound bisphenol A (BPA) were found. Relatively higher Σ14BP accumulation in the soil was observed in the commercial and residential areas (median: 136 ng/g d.w. and 131 ng/g d.w.) compared with agricultural area (median: 67.5 ng/g d.w.). Source identification indicated the role of atmospheric particulate deposition and consecutive anthropogenic activities in BP emission. The ecotoxicity assessment implied that BPA, bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol PH (BPPH) might pose low to medium risk to the ecosystem due to their extensive use and biological effects. The calculated 17ß-estradiol equivalents of BPs were in the range of 0.501-7.74 pg E2/g d.w, and the estrogenic activities were inferior to those contributed by natural estrogens in the soil.

Relationship Between Illness Uncertainty and Family Resilience Among Caregivers of Stroke Patients in Chinese Nuclear Families: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress.

Purpose: Stroke is a major disease endangering the health of Chinese people, and patients need to rely on the care of family members, which brings heavy caregiving burdens and pressures to caregivers and families, thus disrupting the stable family structure. In view of this, this study was to analyse the current status of family resilience among caregivers of stroke patients in Chinese nuclear families, and to explore the correlation and mechanism of action among perceived stress, illness uncertainty and family resilience. Patients and Methods: This study used a cross-sectional research design. A total of 350 carers of stroke patients in nuclear families from four tertiary hospitals in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China were selected by convenience sampling method and assessed by using demographic questionnaires, the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), the Parental Perceptions of Uncertainty Scale-Family (PPUS-FM), and a short Chinese version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS-C). Based on the above data, structural equation model was used to test the mediating role of perceived stress between illness uncertainty and family resilience. Results: Family resilience among caregivers of stroke patients in nuclear families was at the medium lower level, illness uncertainty was at the medium level, and perceived stress was at the relatively high level. Illness uncertainty was positively correlated with perceived stress (P<0.01) and negatively correlated with family resilience (P<0.01). Illness uncertainty directly predicted family resilience (ß = -0.516, p < 0.05). And the pathway between illness uncertainty and family resilience was partially mediated by perceived stress (Effect= -0.091, 95% CI [-0.141, -0.055]). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should pay adequate attention to the level of illness uncertainty and perceived stress among carers of stroke patients, with the need to take measures to reduce carers' illness uncertainty and perceived stress in order to improve family resilience.

Occurrence and exposure evaluation of bisphenol A and its analogues in indoor and outdoor dust from China.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues have been proved to be harmful to human reproduction, endocrine and nervous system. But information on the occurrence and human exposure to bisphenol compounds (BPs) in dust (especially outdoor dust) is limited. In this study, 14 BPs were determined in 174 indoor dust samples and 202 outdoor dust samples from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. BPA, BPS, BPAF, BPF, BPAP and BPE were widely detected with detection frequencies of 98.94 %, 98.67 %, 97.87 %, 95.21 %, 87.23 % and 71.54 %, respectively. The median total concentrations of the most detected six BPs in the dust were in the order of south urban indoors (556 ng/g) > south rural outdoors (438 ng/g) > south urban outdoors (432 ng/g) > south rural outdoors (418 ng/g) > north rural indoors (412 ng/g) > north urban outdoors (341 ng/g) > north urban indoors (311 ng/g) > north rural outdoors (246 ng/g). The amounts of garbage incineration, plastic output and recycled paper may have influence on the BPs levels. Some BPs (BPAF, BPAP, BPF and BPS) in the indoor and outdoor samples were significantly positively correlated. In addition, the BPs in the indoor dust from different indoor micro environments in Chengdu were investigated. BPA (median concentration: 571.2 ng/g) and BPF (median concentration: 114.3 ng/g) were the two primary BPs, accounting for 78.1 % of the median total concentrations of the investigated BPs. High concentration of BPA appeared in printing workshops and offices, while high concentration of BPAP, BPC, BPE and BPF appeared in electronic repair shops. Occupational exposure to BPs deserves attention in the future. ΣBPs exposure risk for children and adults in the urban areas of southern China was the highest. To our knowledge, this is the first report in China to study BPs in outdoor dust sample.

Photodegradation of anthelmintic drugs under natural sunlight and simulated irradiation: kinetics, mechanisms, transformation products, and toxicity.

Albendazole (ALB) and bithionol (BIT) are two anthelmintic drugs (ADs) with high consumption from benzimidazole group and diphenylsulfide group, respectively. However, information on the transformation of the two anthelmintics under environmental condition is scare. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the natural attenuation of the two ADs in the aquatic environment, including biodegradation, hydrolysis, and direct and indirect photodegradation. The direct photodegradation occupied a vast portion among other degradation pathways of the two ADs in natural water, with near-surface summer half-lives of 0.272-0.387 h and 0.110-0.520 h for ALB and BIT, respectively. Suspended particles in water were found to facilitate the photodegradation of the two ADs. Study on the indirect photodegradation demonstrated the positive roles of singlet oxygen (1O2) and excited triplet dissolved organic matter (3DOM*) in the photolysis of the two ADs, whereas the hydroxyl radical (•OH) affected little on the overall photodegradation procedures of ALB due to the scavenging effect of HCO3-. Dual effects of DO, DOM, HCO3-, NO3-, and NO2- on the photodegradation of ALB and BIT were perceived. Transformation intermediates (TIs) of the two ADs during photodegradation were analyzed by UHPLC-QTOF-MS. Six TIs of ALB were identified, including a broad-spectrum fungicide carbendazim and another common AD ricobendazole. Two TIs of BIT yielded from dechlorination were also detected. Probable transformation mechanism and predicted aquatic ecotoxicity based on the identified TIs were unveiled.

Core and bridge symptoms of demoralization in Chinese female cancer patients: a network analysis.

Objective: In this study, we explore the core and bridge symptoms of demoralization in female cancer patients in China, and provide a basis for precise psychological intervention among female cancer patients. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey. Participants were recruited from three third-class hospitals in Jiangsu Province from June 2022 to June 2023 using the convenience sampling method. The severity of each symptom of demoralization was investigated in female cancer patients using the Demoralization Scale (DS). Network analysis was performed using the R language to identify core and bridge symptoms in the network and further explore some characteristic edge connections in the network. Results: The network structure model of demoralization had strong accuracy and stability. In the network, the symptoms with the highest strength centrality were "Discouragement" (C3, strength=2.19), "No self-worth" (A3, strength=1.21), "Don't want to live" (A5, strength=1.20), "Hopeless" (D4, strength=0.81), and "Vulnerability" (B3, strength=0.74), respectively. The bridge strength analysis identified "Hopeless" (D4, bridge strength=0.92), "Discouragement" (C3, bridge strength=0.85), "No self-worth" (A3, bridge strength=0.75), "Poor spirits" (E2, bridge strength=0.71), and "Vulnerability" (B3, bridge strength=0.69) as the bridge symptoms. The strongest edge connections of all dimensions were "No self-worth" and "Worthless" (A3-E6, edge weighting=0.27), "Poor spirits" and "Loss of emotional control" (E2-D1, edge weighting=0.22), "Discouragement" and "Vulnerability" (C3-B3, edge weighting=0.14), and "Hopeless" and "No meaning of survival" (D4-A4, edge weighting=0.12). Conclusion: "Discouragement (C3)", "No self-worth (A3)", "Hopeless (D4)", and "Vulnerability (B3)" are both core symptoms and bridge symptoms. These symptoms can not only trigger a patient's demoralization but also stimulate more severe symptom clusters through interactions. The early recognition of and intervention regarding these symptoms could be important for the prevention and treatment of demoralization among female cancer patients.

Partial femoral head replacement: a new innovative hip-preserving approach for treating osteonecrosis of the femoral head and its finite element analysis.

Purpose: Controversy remains regarding the optimal treatment for stage III Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). This study presents, for the first time, the precise treatment of stage III ONFH using the "substitute the beam for a pillar" technique and performs a comparative finite element analysis with other hip-preserving procedures. Methods: A formalin-preserved femur of male cadavers was selected to obtain the CT scan data of femur. The proximal femur model was reconstructed and assembled using Mimics 20.0, Geomagic, and UG-NX 12.0 software with four different implant types: simple core decompression, fibula implantation, porous tantalum rod implantation, and partial replacement prosthesis. The finite element simulations were conducted to simulate the normal walking gait, and the stress distribution and displacement data of the femur and the implant model were obtained. Results: The peak von Mises stress of the femoral head and proximal femur in the partial replacement of the femoral head (PRFH) group were 22.8 MPa and 37.4 MPa, respectively, which were 3.1%-38.6% and 12.8%-37.4% lower than those of the other three surgical methods. Conclusion: The PRFH group exhibits better mechanical performance, reducing stress and displacement in the ONFH area, thus maintaining femoral head stability. Among the four hip-preserving approaches, from a biomechanical perspective, PRFH offers a new option for treating ONFH.