[Short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation in patients with heart failure].

Objective: To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) in patients with heart failure. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with heart failure who underwent CCM placement at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February to June 2022. With a follow-up of 3 months, CCM sensation, impedance, percent output, and work time were monitored, and patients were compared with pre-and 3-month postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and 6-minute walk test distance and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, and the occurrence of complications was recorded. Results: CCM was successfully implanted in all 9 patients. Seven(7/9) of them were male, aged (56±14) years, 3 patients had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 6 patients had dilated cardiomyopathy. At 3-month postoperative follow-up, threshold was stable, sense was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle: (16.3±7.0) mV vs. (8.2±1.1) mV, P<0.05; local sense: (15.7±4.9) mV vs. (6.7±2.5) mV, P<0.05), and impedance was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle (846±179) Ω vs. (470±65) Ω, P<0.05, local sense: (832±246) Ω vs. (464±63) Ω, P<0.05). The CCM output percentage was (86.9±10.7) %, the output amplitude was (6.7±0.4) V, and the daily operating time was (8.6±1.0) h. LVEF was elevated compared to preoperative ((29.4±5.2) % vs. (38.3±4.3) %, P<0.05), the 6-minute walk test was significantly longer than before ((96.8±66.7)m vs. (289.3±121.7)m, P<0.05). No significant increase in the number of NYHA Class Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was seen (7/9 vs. 2/9, P>0.05). The patient was not re-hospitalised for worsening heart failure symptoms, had no malignant arrhythmic events and experienced significant relief of symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath. No postoperative complications related to pocket hematoma, pocket infection and rupture, electrode detachment, valve function impairment, pericardial effusion, or cardiac perforation were found. Conclusions: CCM has better short-term safety and efficacy in patients with heart failure.

Discovery of New Isotopes

Using the fusion-evaporation reaction ^{106}Cd(^{58}Ni,4n)^{160}Os and the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS, two new isotopes _{76}^{160}Os and _{74}^{156}W have been identified. The α decay of ^{160}Os, measured with an α-particle energy of 7080(26) keV and a half-life of 201_{-37}^{+58} µs, is assigned to originate from the ground state. The daughter nucleus ^{156}W is a ß^{+} emitter with a half-life of 291_{-61}^{+86} ms. The newly measured α-decay data allow us to derive α-decay reduced widths (δ^{2}) for the N=84 isotones up to osmium (Z=76), which are found to decrease with increasing atomic number above Z=68. The reduction of δ^{2} is interpreted as evidence for the strengthening of the N=82 shell closure toward the proton drip line, supported by the increase of the neutron-shell gaps predicted in theoretical models.

[The mechanism of NRF2 inhibiting ROS induced autophagy to reduce ovarian granulosa cells damage].

This study explores the effects and possible mechanisms of nuclear factor E2 related factor 2 (NRF2) on ovarian granulosa cells, providing a scientific basis to prevent premature ovarian failure. An ovarian cell injury model was constructed by treating human ovarian granulosa cell (KGN cell) with 4-Vinylcyclohexene dioxide (VCD). Firstly, KGN cells were treated with different concentrations of VCD, and cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) was used to detect ovarian cell proliferation. After determining IC50 by CCK8, the levels of estradiol and progesterone in the cell supernatant were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay kit was used to detect the content of ROS in ovarian cells, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression level of NRF2, and Western blot was used to detect the protein expression level of NRF2. Further, NRF2 silence (siNRF2) and overexpression (NRF2-OE) cell models were constructed through lentivirus transfection, and the effects of regulating NRF2 on VCD treated cell models were investigated by detecting hormone levels, oxidative stress indicators (ROS, SOD, GSH-Px), and autophagy (LC3B level). The results showed that VCD intervention inhibited the proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner (F>100, P<0.05), with an IC50 of 1.2 mmol/L at 24 hours. After VCD treatment, the level of estradiol in the cell supernatant decreased from (56.32±10.18) ng/ml to (24.59±8.75) ng/ml (t=5.78, P<0.05). Progesterone decreased from (50.25±7.03) ng/ml to (25.13±6.67) ng/ml (t=6.54, P<0.05). After VCD treatment, the SOD of cells decreased from (44.47±7.71) ng/ml to (30.92±4.97) ng/ml (t=3.61, P<0.05). GSH-Px decreased from (68.51±10.17) ng/ml to (35.19±6.59) ng/ml (t=5.73, P<0.05). Simultaneously accompanied by an increase in autophagy and a decrease in NRF2. This study successfully constructed KGN cell models that silenced NRF2 and overexpressed NRF2. Subsequently, this study treated each group of cells with VCD and found that the cell proliferation activity of the siNRF2 group was significantly reduced (t=8.37, P<0.05), while NRF2-OE could reverse the cell activity damage caused by VCD (t=3.37, P<0.05). The siNRF2 group had the lowest level of estradiol (t=5.78, P<0.05), while NRF2-OE could reverse the decrease in cellular estradiol levels caused by VCD (t=5.58, P<0.05). The siNRF2 group had the lowest progesterone levels (t=3.02, P<0.05), while NRF2-OE could reverse the decrease in cellular progesterone levels caused by VCD (t=2.41, P<0.05). The ROS level in the siNRF2 group was the highest (t=2.86, P<0.05), NRF2-OE could reverse the increase in ROS caused by VCD (t=3.14, P<0.05), the SOD enzyme content in the siNRF2 group was the lowest (t=2.98, P<0.05), and NRF2-OE could reverse the decrease in SOD enzyme content caused by VCD (t=4.72, P<0.05). The GSH-Px enzyme content in the siNRF2 group was the lowest (t=3.67, P<0.05), and NRF2-OE could reverse the decrease in antioxidant enzyme content caused by VCD (t=2.71, P<0.05). The LC3B level was highest in the siNRF2 group (t=2.45, P<0.05), and NRF2-OE was able to reverse the LC3B elevation caused by VCD (t=9.64, P<0.05). In conclusion, NRF2 inhibits ROS induced autophagy, thereby playing a role in reducing ovarian granulosa cell damage, which may be a potential target for premature ovarian failure.

[Clinical analysis of 86 cases of acute fatty liver of pregnancy].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and maternal and fetal prognosis of pregnant women with acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP). Methods: The clinical data of 86 AFLP pregnant women admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from September 2017 to August 2022 were collected, and their general data, clinical characteristics, laboratory tests and maternal and fetal outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Results: (1) General information: the age of the 86 pregnant women with AFLP was (30.8±5.4) years, and the body mass index was (21.0±2.5) kg/m2. There were 50 primiparas (58.1%, 50/86) and 36 multiparas (41.9%, 36/86). There were 64 singleton pregnancies (74.4%, 64/86) and 22 twin pregnancies (25.6%, 22/86). (2) Clinical characteristics: the main complaints of AFLP pregnant women were gastrointestinal symptoms, including epigastric pain (68.6%, 59/86), nausea (47.7%, 41/86), anorexia (46.5%, 40/86), vomiting (39.5%, 34/86). The main non-gastrointestinal symptoms were jaundice of skin and/or scleral (54.7%, 47/86), edema (38.4%, 33/86), fatigue (19.8%, 17/86), bleeding tendency (16.3%, 14/86), polydipsia or polyuria (14.0%, 12/86), skin itching (8.1%, 7/86), and 17.4% (15/86) AFLP pregnant women had no obvious symptoms. (3) Laboratory tests: the incidence of liver and kidney dysfunction and abnormal coagulation function in AFLP pregnant women was high, and the levels of blood ammonia, lactate dehydrogenase and lactic acid were increased, and the levels of hemoglobin, platelet and albumin decreased. However, only 24 cases (27.9%, 24/86) of AFLP pregnant women showed fatty liver by imageology examination. (4) Pregnancy outcomes: ① AFLP pregnant women had a high incidence of pregnancy complications, mainly including renal insufficiency (95.3%, 82/86), preterm birth (46.5%, 40/86), hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (30.2%, 26/86), gestational diabetes mellitus (36.0%, 31/86), fetal distress (24.4%, 21/86), pulmonary infection (23.3%, 20/86), disseminated intravascular coagulation (16.3%, 14/86), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (16.3%, 14/86), hepatic encephalopathy (9.3%, 8/86), and intrauterine fetal death (2.3%, 2/86). ② Treatment and outcome of AFLP pregnant women: the intensive care unit transfer rate of AFLP pregnant women was 66.3% (57/86). 82 cases were improved and discharged after treatment, 2 cases were transferred to other hospitals for follow-up treatment, and 2 cases (2.3%, 2/86) died. ③ Neonatal outcomes: except for 2 cases of intrauterine death, a total of 106 neonates were delivered, including 39 cases (36.8%, 39/106) of neonatal asphyxia, 63 cases (59.4%, 63/106) of neonatal intensive care unit admission, and 3 cases (2.8%, 3/106) of neonatal death. Conclusions: AFLP is a severe obstetric complication, which is harmful to mother and fetus. In the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment, attention should be paid to the clinical manifestations and laboratory tests of pregnant women, early diagnosis and active treatment, so as to improve maternal and fetal outcomes.

[Association between internet use and healthy lifestyles in urban adults in Hangzhou, China].

Objective: To explore the association between internet use and healthy lifestyles in urban adults. Methods: From May to August, 2022, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted in residents aged 18-64 years selected in the urban area of Hangzhou by integrated cluster stratified random sampling and Kish grid method. The information about internet use included the internet use time in the past 7 days and 12 kinds of internet use contents. Using factor analysis and K-means clustering, three types of internet use were summarized, i.e. general type, video game type and working/learning type. Healthy lifestyles were defined as active physical activity, healthy diet habit, non-smoking, non-drinking, healthy weight, and healthy waist circumference. The correlations between internet use and healthy lifestyles were evaluated by using binary logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 1 624 participants were included. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the longer internet use time group (≥8.5 h/d) was less likely to have healthy weight (OR=0.59, 95%CI:0.41-0.85) and 5-6 healthy lifestyles (OR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.32-0.96) compared with those with shorter internet use time group (<2.5 h/d). For different types of internet use, it was found that compared with working/learning type group, the general type group was less likely to have healthy diet habits (OR=0.63, 95%CI: 0.46-0.86), non-drinking (OR=0.68, 95%CI: 0.47-0.99), healthy waist circumference (OR=0.59, 95%CI: 0.42-0.84) and 5-6 healthy lifestyles (OR=0.40, 95%CI: 0.23-0.69), the video game type group was less likely to have active physical activity (OR=0.73, 95%CI: 0.55-0.97) and healthy diet habits (OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.62-0.99). Conclusion: Too long internet use (≥8.5 h/d), general type and video game type of internet use were associated with unhealthy lifestyles.

[Category of facial symmetry perception after maxillary reconstruction using anterolateral thigh flap].

OBJECTIVE: To preliminarily establish a category of facial symmetry perception after maxillary reconstruction using anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) by the methods of stereophotogrammetry and subjective assessment. METHODS: The patients underwent maxillectomy due to neoplasms invasion, and all the maxillary defects were reconstructed using ALTF.Three-dimensional (3D) photographs were captured from the patients with a stereophotogrammatrical camera set-up.In the Geomagic software, the mirror image was created by reflecting along an arbitrary plane outside of the face.After the registration, the postoperative side on the original 3D photograph was segmented into 6 areas.The 3D change of the facial soft-tissue was measured using surface-based color map.Twenty laypeople took part in the study as observers, and they were asked to rate the 3D photographs using 5 point Likert-type scale according to their own aesthetic standard.The soft tissue asymmetry was graded according to the score.The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis using the SPSS 24.0 software. RESULTS: In the study, 44 subjects were recruited (21 males and 23 females, age range from 19 to 79 years).The soft-tissue symmetry was graded into three levels according to the subjective scores.The grade Ⅰ was basically symmetrical.The grade Ⅱ was slightly asymmetrical.The grade Ⅲ was obviously asymmetrical.Statistically significant differences were found in the suborbital (P < 0.05) and zygomatic (P < 0.05) areas when comparing all grades of soft-tissue asymmetry, and in the buccal (P < 0.05) and superiolabial (P < 0.05) areas when comparing grades Ⅰ and Ⅲ.The extent of maxillary defect had significant impact on the symmetry of the midface soft-tissue after maxillary reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Varying extent maxillectomy would result in varying degrees of asymmetry, and cause different grades of symmetry perception even if they had been reconstructed using ALTF.The higher the grade, the worse the symmetry of facial soft-tissue.Suborbital and zygomatic areas were important aesthetic units that affected the facial symmetry perception, followed by buccal and superiolabial areas.The clinicians should pay attention to the soft-tissue support in these areas when reconstructing the maxillary defect, especially large defect with orbital floor involved.

Occupancy of orbitals and the quadrupole collectivity in 45Sc nucleus.

In the present work, the Doppler Shift Attenuation method (DSAM) was used to analyze the observed lineshapes of transitions from excited states in 45Sc, populated in the reaction 36Ar + 12C at a beam energy of 145 MeV. The interpretation and comparison of the experimental results have been performed with large-scale shell model calculations, involving different interactions like: GX1A, GX1J, FPD6, KB3 and ZBM2. KB3 and FPD6 (present work) interactions in the negative parity states, and in positive parity states ZBM2 are most pre-eminent in reproducing the results, due to the large configuration space describing strong collective effects. Furthermore, the present work also looks at the details of the shell model helping in improving the understanding for the occupancy of orbitals. The present investigation suggests the observation of stronger collectivity for positive parity states over negative parity states with predicted enhanced collectivity of states in 45Sc nucleus.

Mass Measurement of Upper fp-Shell N=Z-2 and N=Z-1 Nuclei and the Importance of Three-Nucleon Force along the N=Z Line.

Using a novel method of isochronous mass spectrometry, the masses of ^{62}Ge, ^{64}As, ^{66}Se, and ^{70}Kr are measured for the first time, and the masses of ^{58}Zn, ^{61}Ga, ^{63}Ge, ^{65}As, ^{67}Se, ^{71}Kr, and ^{75}Sr are redetermined with improved accuracy. The new masses allow us to derive residual proton-neutron interactions (δV_{pn}) in the N=Z nuclei, which are found to decrease (increase) with increasing mass A for even-even (odd-odd) nuclei beyond Z=28. This bifurcation of δV_{pn} cannot be reproduced by the available mass models, nor is it consistent with expectations of a pseudo-SU(4) symmetry restoration in the fp shell. We performed ab initio calculations with a chiral three-nucleon force (3NF) included, which indicate the enhancement of the T=1 pn pairing over the T=0 pn pairing in this mass region, leading to the opposite evolving trends of δV_{pn} in even-even and odd-odd nuclei.

[Analysis of factors related to systemic embolism in patients≥75 years old with non-valvular atrial fibrillation].

Objective: To explore the related risk factors for systemic embolism (SE) in patients aged≥75 years with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods: A case-control study. NVAF patients aged≥75 years who were hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from October 2018 to October 2020 were divided into no SE (n=1 127) and SE (n=433) groups according to the occurrence of SE after NVAF. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze SE-related factors in patients with NVAF without anticoagulation treatment. Results: In the multivariate model, the following factors were associated with an increased risk of SE in patients with NVAF: history of AF≥5 years [odds ratio (OR)=2.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.98-3.82, P<0.01], lipoprotein(a)>300 g/L (OR=2.07, 95%CI 1.50-2.84, P<0.01), apolipoprotein (Apo)B>1.2 g/L (OR=1.91, 95%CI 1.25-2.93, P=0.003), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 30%-49% (OR=2.45, 95%CI 1.63-3.69, P<0.01), left atrial diameter>40 mm (OR=1.54, 95%CI 1.16-2.07, P=0.003), and CHA2DS2-VASc score≥3 (OR=15.14, 95%CI 2.05-112.13, P=0.01). ApoAI>1.6 g/L was negatively correlated with the occurrence of SE (OR=0.28, 95%CI 0.15-0.51, P<0.01). Conclusions: History of AF≥5 years, lipoprotein(a)>300 g/L, elevated ApoB, left atrial diameter>40 mm, LVEF of 30%-49%, and CHA2DS2-VASC score≥3 are independent risk factors for SE whereas ApoAI>1.6 g/L is a protective factor against SE in patients with NVAF.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting the risk of nursing home-acquired pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is one of the most frequent infections in nursing homes, with a difficult diagnosis, poor prognosis, and high mortality. The present study was performed to develop and validate a nomogram to predict the risk of NHAP in nursing homes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on a literature review and clinician's recommendations, we identified and collected the possible factors affecting the occurrence of NHAP. Based on the above factors, a retrospective observational study of 620 nursing home residents' medical records was performed from September 2016 to September 2021. Significant risk factors for NHAP were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis successively. A nomogram was constructed based on the binary logistic regression models to visualize the prediction model. The model's performance was determined by the concordance index (C-index), and the prediction accuracy was evaluated using a calibration curve. Clinical effectiveness was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: Finally, 12 independent risk factors were identified and assembled into the nomogram. The nomogram had a C-index of 0.958 (95% confidence interval: 0.943-0.972). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) value of the nomogram was 0.958 (p<0.05), and the calibration plot showed good goodness of fit. The decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve showed good clinical usefulness of the nomogram. CONCLUSIONS: A nomogram for the early prediction of NHAP, which is easy for nurses to perform in nursing homes, was successfully constructed and validated, and it had a good predictive performance.

[Correlation between abnormal left atrial appendage function and thrombotic events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation].

Objective: To investigate the association between abnormal left atrial appendage function and thrombotic events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and the independent risk factors affecting left atrial appendage function. Methods: Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, who visited the Atrial Fibrillation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2021, were selected. According to left atrial appendage flow velocity (LAAFV), they were divided into normal left atrial appendage function group (297 patients with LAAFV ≥ 40 cm/s) and abnormal left atrial appendage function group (85 patients with LAAFV<40 cm/s). Baseline data and transesophageal echocardiography images were collected from all the patients. The occurrence of thrombotic events was recorded. Univariate and multivariate unconditional logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the correlation between abnormal left atrial appendage function and the occurrence of thrombotic events. Results: There were significant differences in gender, type of atrial fibrillation, CHA2DS2-VASc score, anticoagulant therapy, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, international normalized ratio (INR), left atrial diameter, proportion of patients with right atrial enlargement, left ventricular ejection fraction, inner diameter, sum of inner diameter, depth, and sum of depth of all angles of the left atrial appendage, and incidence of thrombotic events between the two groups (all P<0.05). After adjusting for confounders, multivariate unconditional logistic regression analyses showed that abnormal left atrial appendage function was closely associated with thrombotic events (ß=1.168 P=0.002), and left atrial diameter (OR=1.084, 95%CI 1.019-1.153, P=0.011) and persistent atrial fibrillation (OR=2.323, 95%CI 1.226-4.403, P=0.010) were independent risk factors affecting left atrial appendage function. Conclusions: Abnormal left atrial appendage function is closely associated with thrombosis. The left atrial diameter and persistent atrial fibrillation were independent risk factors affecting left atrial appendage function.

Probing

The isomer depletion of ^{93m}Mo was recently reported [Chiara et al., Nature (London) 554, 216 (2018)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/nature25483] as the first direct observation of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC). However, the measured excitation probability of 1.0(3)% is far beyond the theoretical expectation. In order to understand the inconsistency between theory and experiment, we produce the ^{93m}Mo nuclei using the ^{12}C(^{86}Kr,5n) reaction at a beam energy of 559 MeV and transport the reaction residues to a detection station far away from the target area employing a secondary beam line. The isomer depletion is expected to occur during the slowdown process of the ions in the stopping material. In such a low γ-ray background environment, the signature of isomer depletion is not observed, and an upper limit of 2×10^{-5} is estimated for the excitation probability. This is consistent with the theoretical expectation. Our findings shed doubt on the previously reported NEEC phenomenon and highlight the necessity and feasibility of further experimental investigations for reexamining the isomer depletion under low γ-ray background.

[Clinical characteristics and risk factors of pericardial effusion after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with thalassemia major].

Objective: To investigate the characteristics, risk factors and outcomes of thalassemia major (TM) children with pericardial effusion (PE) after allo-geneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: Clinical data of 446 TM children received allo-HSCT at Shenzhen Children's Hospital between January 2012 and December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into PE and non-PE group according to the occurrence of PE. Chi-square tests were used to investigate the risk factors that were associated with the development of PE. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis of the 2 groups. Results: Twenty-five out of 446 patients (5.6%) developed PE at a time of 75.0 (66.5, 112.5) days after allo-HSCT. Among these patients, 22 cases (88.0%) had PE within 6 months after allo-HSCT and 19 patients (76.0%) had PE within 100 days after allo-HSCT. The diagnoses of PE were confirmed using echocardiography. Pericardial tamponade was observed in only 1 patient, who later undergone emergency pericardiocentesis. The rest of patients received conservative managements alone. PE disappeared in all patients after treatment. Risk factors that were associated with the development of PE after allo-HSCT included the gender of patients, the type of transplantation, the number of mononuclear cells (MNC) infuse, pulmonary infection after HSCT and transplantation associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) (χ²=3.99, 10.20, 14.18, 36.24, 15.03, all P<0.05). In 239 patients that received haploidentical HSCT, the development of PE was associated with the gender of patients, pulmonary infection after HSCT and TA-TMA (χ²=4.48, 20.89, 12.70, all P<0.05). The overall survival rates of PE and non-PE groups were 96.0% (24/25) and 98.6% (415/421). The development of PE was not associated with the overall survival of TM children after allo-HSCT (χ²=1.73, P=0.188). Conclusions: PE mainly develop within 100 days after allo-HSCT in pediatric TM recipients. Haploidentical grafts, female gender, pulmonary infection after HSCT and TA-TMA are the main risk factors associated with PE development after transplant. However, the presence of PE don't have a significant impact on the outcomes of pediatric TM patients after allo-HSCT.

[Spatiotemporal evolution of COVID-19 epidemic in the early phase in China].

Objective: Based on the geographic information systems, we exploreed the spatiotemporal clustering and the development and evolution of COVID-19 epidemic at prefectural level in China from the time when the epidemic was discovered to the time when the lockdown ended in Wuhan. Methods: The information and data of the confirmed COVID-19 cases from December 8, 2019 to April 8, 2020 were collected from 367 prefectures in China for a spatial autocorrelation analysis with software GeoDa, and software ArcGIS was used to visualize the results. Software SatScan was used for spatiotemporal scanning analysis to visualize the hot-spot areas of the epidemic. Results: The incidence of new cases of COVID-19 had obvious global autocorrelation and the partial autocorrelation results showed that incidence of COVID-19 had different spatial distribution at different times from December 8, 2019 to March 4, 2020. There was no significant difference in global autocorrelation coefficient from March 5, 2020 to April 8, 2020. The statistical analysis of spatiotemporal scanning identified two kinds of spatiotemporal clustering areas, the first class clustering areas included 10 prefectures, mainly distributed in Hubei, from January 13 to February 25, 2020. The secondary class clustering areas included 142 prefectures, mainly distributed in provinces in the north and east of Hubei, from January 23 to February 1, 2020. Conclusions: There was a clear spatiotemporal correlation in the distribution of the outbreaks in the early phase of COVID-19 epidemic (December 8, 2019-March 4, 2020) in China. With the decrease of the case and effective prevention and control measures, the epidemics had no longer significant correlations among areas from March 5 to April 8. The study results showed relationship with time points of start and adjustment of emergency response at different degree in provinces. Furthermore, improving the early detection of new outbreaks and taking timely and effective prevention and control measures played an important role in blocking the transmission.

Space-efficient optical computing with an integrated chip diffractive neural network.

Large-scale, highly integrated and low-power-consuming hardware is becoming progressively more important for realizing optical neural networks (ONNs) capable of advanced optical computing. Traditional experimental implementations need N2 units such as Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) for an input dimension N to realize typical computing operations (convolutions and matrix multiplication), resulting in limited scalability and consuming excessive power. Here, we propose the integrated diffractive optical network for implementing parallel Fourier transforms, convolution operations and application-specific optical computing using two ultracompact diffractive cells (Fourier transform operation) and only N MZIs. The footprint and energy consumption scales linearly with the input data dimension, instead of the quadratic scaling in the traditional ONN framework. A ~10-fold reduction in both footprint and energy consumption, as well as equal high accuracy with previous MZI-based ONNs was experimentally achieved for computations performed on the MNIST and Fashion-MNIST datasets. The integrated diffractive optical network (IDNN) chip demonstrates a promising avenue towards scalable and low-power-consumption optical computational chips for optical-artificial-intelligence.

Direct Measurement of the Astrophysical

Fluorine is one of the most interesting elements in nuclear astrophysics, where the ^{19}F(p,α)^{16}O reaction is of crucial importance for Galactic ^{19}F abundances and CNO cycle loss in first generation Population III stars. As a day-one campaign at the Jinping Underground Nuclear Astrophysics experimental facility, we report direct measurements of the essential ^{19}F(p,αγ)^{16}O reaction channel. The γ-ray yields were measured over E_{c.m.}=72.4-344 keV, covering the Gamow window; our energy of 72.4 keV is unprecedentedly low, reported here for the first time. The experiment was performed under the extremely low cosmic-ray-induced background environment of the China JinPing Underground Laboratory, one of the deepest underground laboratories in the world. The present low-energy S factors deviate significantly from previous theoretical predictions, and the uncertainties are significantly reduced. The thermonuclear ^{19}F(p,αγ)^{16}O reaction rate has been determined directly at the relevant astrophysical energies.

[Clinical characteristics of children infected with different subtypes/genotypes of human respiratory syncytial virus in Beijing from 2009 to 2017].

Objective: To explore the different clinical characteristics of children infected with different subtype/genotype of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in Beijing. Methods: Respiratory specimens for positive HRSV were randomly collected from children with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in the epidemic season of HRSV from November of each year to January of the next year during 2009 and 2017. G genes of HRSV were amplified and sequenced for subtyping and genotyping by bioinformatics analysis. Clinical data were collected and analyzed. Results: Out of 590 children, 376 (63.7%) with subtype A, and 214 (36.3) with subtype B. The annual dominant subtypes of HRSV from 2009 to 2017 were B-A-A-B-AB-A-A-B-A, respectively, whilst a total of 10 genotypes were detected with 95.8% assigned to genotype ON1 and NA1 of subtype A, and genotype BA9 of subtype B. Children infected with subtype B (96 cases, 44.9%) were more likely aged 0-3 month old than those with subtype A (118 cases, 31.4%) (P=0.001), and more likely to be admitted to Intensive Care Unit(ICU) ((124 cases, 57.9%) than those with subtype A (172 cases, 45.7%)) (P=0.005). Statistical significance were shown among children infected with genotype ON1, NA1 or BA9, in the possibility of infection in children aged 0-3 month (P=0.003), proportion of admission into ICU (P=0.007), length of stay in hospital (P=0.001), and clinical outcome (P=0.001), respectively. Conclusion: Children infected with different subtype or genotype of HRSV have different clinical characteristics, which stresses the important role of the monitoring HRSV subtypes and genotypes among children.

New α-Emitting Isotope

A new α-emitting isotope ^{214}U, produced by the fusion-evaporation reaction ^{182}W(^{36}Ar,4n)^{214}U, was identified by employing the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS and the recoil-α correlation technique. More precise α-decay properties of even-even nuclei ^{216,218}U were also measured in the reactions of ^{40}Ar, ^{40}Ca beams with ^{180,182,184}W targets. By combining the experimental data, improved α-decay reduced widths δ^{2} for the even-even Po-Pu nuclei in the vicinity of the magic neutron number N=126 are deduced. Their systematic trends are discussed in terms of the N_{p}N_{n} scheme in order to study the influence of proton-neutron interaction on α decay in this region of nuclei. It is strikingly found that the reduced widths of ^{214,216}U are significantly enhanced by a factor of two as compared with the N_{p}N_{n} systematics for the 84≤Z≤90 and N<126 even-even nuclei. The abnormal enhancement is interpreted by the strong monopole interaction between the valence protons and neutrons occupying the π1f_{7/2} and ν1f_{5/2} spin-orbit partner orbits, which is supported by the large-scale shell model calculation.

Emerging role of lncRNA DANCR in progenitor cells: beyond cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important participants in biological processes including cell proliferation, differentiation and death, as well as pathogenesis of various diseases. LncRNA differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) is an emerging regulator in cell metabolism and many diseases besides cancers. DANCR is negative in epidermal, osteoblastic and endoderm differentiation, but positive in chondrogenic differentiation of progenitor cells. It is protective for calcification of the ligamentum flavum, stroke, acute myocardial infarction and arterial calcification, but a risk factor for bone loss, fracture healing and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, DANCR is a potential target for improving tissue regeneration. Mechanically, DANCR, a cytoplasmic lncRNA, sponges corresponding microRNAs or interacts with various proteins. This review aims to summarize the role of DANCR in progenitor cells and provide perspectives for further studies.