Mapping the Scientific Literature on Health Needs of Women with Same-Sex Attraction in Mainland China: A Scoping Review.

Purpose: This review study aimed to investigate how much and how well the unique health needs of women with same-sex attraction (WSSA) in mainland China have been studied. Methods: This review included published studies and gray reports between January 1, 1990, and March 31, 2022, regarding the health needs of Chinese WSSA. Chinese peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, theses, and dissertations were retrieved through the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Studies with WSSA of mainland China as research participants were retrieved through PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, LGBT Life, CINAHL, Web of Science, and International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. Gray reports were provided by two informaticists and eight Chinese WSSA who consented to be our stakeholders for consultation. Results: Of the 38 reviewed articles, unmet health needs of Chinese WSSA fell into three domains: mental health and substance abuse, sexual and reproductive health, and domestic, intimate partner, and dating violence, which were significantly associated with minority stress. Minority stigma was discovered to oppress Chinese WSSA by a covert and subtle pathway that makes Chinese WSSA culturally unintelligible and health care providers unprepared to provide them with respectful care. The barriers to the health care of Chinese WSSA were identified as health care providers' presumption of heterosexuality and Chinese WSSA's concealment of minority sexuality when discussing medical history. Conclusion: This scoping review is the first research effort to explore studies about the health needs of WSSA in mainland China. More research is needed with the guidance of minority stress theory to address the unique health needs of Chinese WSSA.

Leaf trait association in relation to herbivore defense, drought resistance, and economics in a tropical invasive plant.

PREMISE: Exploring how functional traits vary and covary is important to understand plant responses to environmental change. However, we have limited understanding of the ways multiple functional traits vary and covary within invasive species. METHODS: We measured 12 leaf traits of an invasive plant Chromolaena odorata, associated with plant or leaf economics, herbivore defense, and drought resistance on 10 introduced populations from Asia and 12 native populations from South and Central America, selected across a broad range of climatic conditions, and grown in a common garden. RESULTS: Species' range and climatic conditions influenced leaf traits, but trait variation across climate space differed between the introduced and native ranges. Traits that confer defense against herbivores and drought resistance were associated with economic strategy, but the patterns differed by range. Plants from introduced populations that were at the fast-return end of the spectrum (high photosynthetic capacity) had high physical defense traits (high trichome density), whereas plants from native populations that were at the fast-return end of the spectrum had high drought escape traits (early leaf senescence and high percentage of withered shoots). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that invasive plants can rapidly adapt to novel environmental conditions. Chromolaena odorata showed multiple different functional trait covariation patterns and clines in the native and introduced ranges. Our results emphasize that interaction between multiple traits or functions should be considered when investigating the adaptive evolution of invasive plants.

Cultural Unintelligibility and Marital Pressure: A Grounded Theory of Minority Stigma Against Women with Same-Sex Attraction in Mainland China.

Minority stigma against sexual minority women and its contributions to these women's health disparities have been widely investigated in Western countries. By contrast, little has been known about minority stigma against women with same-sex attraction (WSSA) in mainland China. This study aimed at exploring the nature, genesis, and pathways of minority stigma among this rarely studied minority group in terms of China's unique social and cultural organization of gender and sexuality. A grounded theory approach was applied to 28 participants of Chinese WSSA through in-depth telephone interviews to elicit their views and perspectives anchored in their daily experiences with gender hierarchy and normative heterosexuality. Findings of this study identified marital pressure and cultural unintelligibility as two principal components of minority stigma against Chinese WSSA. A conceptual framework was developed to illustrate how minority stigma relies on the mutually reinforcing loop of martial pressure and culturally unintelligible status of female same-sex attraction to oppress Chinese WSSA within and across intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels. The parent-daughter relationship, laden with the Confucian value of filial piety, was highlighted as the major pathway of minority stigma to force Chinese women with same-sex attraction into heterosexual marriage and make female same-sex attraction culturally unintelligible. These findings lay a foundation for conceptualizing and measuring minority stigma of Chinese WSSA caused by the stigmatization of their same-sex attraction. Moreover, these findings would contribute greatly to understanding how cultural particularities critically affect the local process of stigmatization through which power relations and social control are practiced.

Large-scale, low-cost, broadband and tunable perfect optical absorber based on phase-change material.

Metamaterial-based electromagnetic absorbers have attracted much attention recently, but most previous realizations suffer from issues of narrow bandwidth, time-consuming and high-cost fabrication methods, and/or fixed functionalities, and so are unfavorable for practical applications. Here, we demonstrate experimentally a large-scale, broadband, polarization-independent, and tunable metamaterial absorber, which works for both visible and near-infrared light. A lithography-free and low-cost method was utilized to fabricate a centimeter-sized metamaterial sample in a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration with nano-scale precision, in which a phase-change material, Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST), was adopted as the insulating spacer of the MIM structure. With two different resonance mechanisms working together, the proposed device was shown to exhibit high absorptivity (>80%) within a broad wavelength band (480-1020 nm). By thermally tuning the phase state of the GST layer, we can dramatically enlarge the working bandwidth of the metamaterial absorber by shifting one absorption peak by about 470 nm. These findings may stimulate many potential applications in, for example, solar cells, energy harvesting, smart sensing/imaging, and color printing.

Low-cost optical fiber physical unclonable function reader based on a digitally integrated semiconductor LiDAR.

This paper introduces an integrated fiber physical unclonable function (PUF) verification system based on a semiconductor laser source at substantially lower complexity and cost than existing alternatives. A source sub-section consisting of a linear frequency-swept semiconductor laser is used in combination with an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR)/LiDAR-based measurement sub-section in order to conduct fiber identification via measurement of the unique Rayleigh reflection pattern of a section of optical fiber. When using these Rayleigh reflection patterns as PUFs, this technique results in a maximum equal error rate (EER) of 0.15% for a 5-cm section of optical fiber and an EER of less than 1% for a 4-cm section. These results demonstrate that the system can serve as a robust method fiber identification for device and communication verification applications.

Bio-production of Baccatin III, an Important Precursor of Paclitaxel by a Cost-Effective Approach.

Natural production of anti-cancer drug taxol from Taxus has proved to be environmentally unsustainable and economically unfeasible. Currently, bioengineering the biosynthetic pathway of taxol is an attractive alternative production approach. 10-deacetylbaccatin III-10-O-acetyl transferase (DBAT) was previously characterized as an acyltransferase, using 10-deacetylbaccatin III (10-DAB) and acetyl CoA as natural substrates, to form baccatin III in the taxol biosynthesis. Here, we report that other than the natural acetyl CoA (Ac-CoA) substrate, DBAT can also utilize vinyl acetate (VA), which is commercially available at very low cost, acylate quickly and irreversibly, as acetyl donor in the acyl transfer reaction to produce baccatin III. Furthermore, mutants were prepared via a semi-rational design in this work. A double mutant, I43S/D390R was constructed to combine the positive effects of the different single mutations on catalytic activity, and its catalytic efficiency towards 10-DAB and VA was successfully improved by 3.30-fold, compared to that of wild-type DBAT, while 2.99-fold higher than the catalytic efficiency of WT DBAT towards 10-DAB and Ac-CoA. These findings can provide a promising economically and environmentally friendly method for exploring novel acyl donors to engineer natural product pathways.

Anchoring and Upgrading Ultrafine NiPd on Room-Temperature-Synthesized Bifunctional NH2 -N-rGO toward Low-Cost and Highly Efficient Catalysts for Selective Formic Acid Dehydrogenation.

Hydrogen is widely considered to be a sustainable and clean energy alternative to the use of fossil fuels in the future. Its high hydrogen content, nontoxicity, and liquid state at room temperature make formic acid a promising hydrogen carrier. Designing highly efficient and low-cost heterogeneous catalysts is a major challenge for realizing the practical application of formic acid in the fuel-cell-based hydrogen economy. Herein, a simple but effective and rapid strategy is proposed, which demonstrates the synthesis of NiPd bimetallic ultrafine particles (UPs) supported on NH2 -functionalized and N-doped reduced graphene oxide (NH2 -N-rGO) at room temperature. The introduction of the NH2 N group to rGO is the key reason for the formation of the ultrafine and well-dispersed Ni0.4 Pd0.6 UPs (1.8 nm) with relatively large surface area and more active sites. Surprisingly, the as-prepared low-cost NiPd/NH2 -N-rGO dsiplays excellent hydrophilicity, 100% H2 selectivity, 100% conversion, and remarkable catalytic activity (up to 954.3 mol H2 (mol catalyst)-1 h-1 ) for FA decomposition at room temperature even with no additive, which is much higher than that of the best catalysts so far reported.

A Cost-Effective Geodetic Strainmeter Based on Dual Coaxial Cable Bragg Gratings.

Observations of surface deformation are essential for understanding a wide range of geophysical problems, including earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and glaciers. Current geodetic technologies, such as global positioning system (GPS), interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), borehole and laser strainmeters, are costly and limited in their temporal or spatial resolutions. Here we present a new type of strainmeters based on the coaxial cable Bragg grating (CCBG) sensing technology that provides cost-effective strain measurements. Two CCBGs are introduced into the geodetic strainmeter: one serves as a sensor to measure the strain applied on it, and the other acts as a reference to detect environmental noises. By integrating the sensor and reference signals in a mixer, the environmental noises are minimized and a lower mixed frequency is obtained. The lower mixed frequency allows for measurements to be taken with a portable spectrum analyzer, rather than an expensive spectrum analyzer or a vector network analyzer (VNA). Analysis of laboratory experiments shows that the strain can be measured by the CCBG sensor, and the portable spectrum analyzer can make measurements with the accuracy similar to the expensive spectrum analyzer, whose relative error to the spectrum analyzer R3272 is less than ±0.4%. The outputs of the geodetic strainmeter show a linear relationship with the strains that the CCBG sensor experienced. The measured sensitivity of the geodetic strainmeter is about -0.082 kHz/µÎµ; it can cover a large dynamic measuring range up to 2%, and its nonlinear errors can be less than 5.3%.

Assessment of asymptotically corrected model potentials for charge-transfer-like excitations in oligoacenes.

We examine the performance of the asymptotically corrected model potential scheme on the two lowest singlet excitation energies of acenes with different numbers of linearly fused benzene rings (up to 5), employing both the real-time time-dependent density functional theory and the frequency-domain formulation of linear-response time-dependent density functional theory. The results are compared with the experimental data and those calculated using long-range corrected hybrid functionals and others. The long-range corrected hybrid scheme is shown to outperform the asymptotically corrected model potential scheme for charge-transfer-like excitations.

Characterization of nitrogen-bridged 1,2,4,5-tetrazine-, furazan-, and 1H-tetrazole-based polyheterocyclic compounds: heats of formation, thermal stability, and detonation properties.

The heats of formation (HOFs), thermal stability, and detonation properties for a series of nitrogen-bridged 1,2,4,5-tetrazine-, furazan-, and 1H-tetrazole-based polyheterocyclic compounds (3,6-bis(1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazole-5-ylamino)-1,2,4,5- tetrazine (TST), 3,6-bis(furazan-5-ylamino)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (FSF), 3,4-bis(1,2,4,5- tetrazine-3-ylamino)-furazan (SFS), 3,4-bis(1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazole-5-ylamino)-furazan (TFT), 1,5-bis(1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3-ylamino)-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazole (STS), and 1,5-bis(furazan-3-ylamino)-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazole (FTF) derivatives) were systematically studied by using density functional theory. The results show that the -N(3) or -NHNH(2) group plays a very important role in increasing the HOF values of the derivatives. Among these series, the SFS derivatives have lower energy gaps, while the TFT derivatives have higher ones. Incorporation of the -NH(2) group into the FSF, SFS, STS, or FTF ring is favorable for enhancing its thermal stability, whereas the substitution of the -NHNH(2) group could increase the thermal stability of the TST, SFS, STS, or FTF ring. The calculated detonation properties indicate that the -NO(2) or -NF(2) is very helpful for enhancing the detonation performance for these derivatives. Considering the detonation performance and thermal stability, six derivatives may be regarded as promising candidates of high-energy density materials (HEDMs). These results provide basic information for the molecular design of novel HEDMs.

A visible dye-based staining method for DNA in polyacrylamide gels by ethyl violet.

We describe a visible dye-based staining method for DNA in polyacrylamide gels using ethyl violet (EV). The novel method is a background-free, sensitive, economical, and simple procedure involving only staining and washing steps that can be completed within 30 min. As little as 0.8-1.6 ng of phiX174 DNA/HaeIII can be detected by EV, which is about eightfold more sensitive than Nile blue (NB) stain and twofold less sensitive than ethidium bromide (EB) stain.

Previsible silver staining of protein in electrophoresis gels with mass spectrometry compatibility.

A convenient silver staining method for protein in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gels is described. The method is previsible, sensitive, and mass spectrometry (MS) compatible. Two visible counter ion dyes, ethyl violet (EV) and zincon (ZC), were used in the first staining solution with a detection limit of 2 to 8 ng/band in approximately 1h. The dye-stained gel can be further stained by silver staining, which is based on acidic silver staining employing ZC with sodium thiosulfate as silver ion sensitizers. Especially, ZC has silver ion reducing power by cleavage of the diazo bond of the dye during silver reduction. The second silver staining can be completed in approximately 1h with a detection limit of 0.2 ng/band.

Developing and applying a gene functional association network for anti-angiogenic kinase inhibitor activity assessment in an angiogenesis co-culture model.

BACKGROUND: Tumor angiogenesis is a highly regulated process involving intercellular communication as well as the interactions of multiple downstream signal transduction pathways. Disrupting one or even a few angiogenesis pathways is often insufficient to achieve sustained therapeutic benefits due to the complexity of angiogenesis. Targeting multiple angiogenic pathways has been increasingly recognized as a viable strategy. However, translation of the polypharmacology of a given compound to its antiangiogenic efficacy remains a major technical challenge. Developing a global functional association network among angiogenesis-related genes is much needed to facilitate holistic understanding of angiogenesis and to aid the development of more effective anti-angiogenesis therapeutics. RESULTS: We constructed a comprehensive gene functional association network or interactome by transcript profiling an in vitro angiogenesis model, in which human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) formed capillary structures when co-cultured with normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). HUVEC competence and NHDF supportiveness of cord formation were found to be highly cell-passage dependent. An enrichment test of Biological Processes (BP) of differentially expressed genes (DEG) revealed that angiogenesis related BP categories significantly changed with cell passages. Built upon 2012 DEGs identified from two microarray studies, the resulting interactome captured 17226 functional gene associations and displayed characteristics of a scale-free network. The interactome includes the involvement of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in angiogenesis. We developed a network walking algorithm to extract connectivity information from the interactome and applied it to simulate the level of network perturbation by three multi-targeted anti-angiogenic kinase inhibitors. Simulated network perturbation correlated with observed anti-angiogenesis activity in a cord formation bioassay. CONCLUSION: We established a comprehensive gene functional association network to model in vitro angiogenesis regulation. The present study provided a proof-of-concept pilot of applying network perturbation analysis to drug phenotypic activity assessment.