Ultrasensitive Photothermal Switching with Resonant Silicon Metasurfaces at Visible Bands.

Dynamic access to quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs) offers a highly desired platform for silicon-based active nanophotonic applications, while the prevailing tuning approaches by free carrier injections via an all-optical stimulus are yet limited to THz and infrared ranges and are less effective in visible bands. In this work, we present the realization of active manipulations on q-BICs for nanoscale optical switching in the visible by introducing a local index perturbation through a photothermal mechanism. The sharp q-BIC resonance exhibits an ultrasensitive susceptibility to the complex index perturbation, which can be flexibly fulfilled by optical heating of silicon. Consequently, a mild pump intensity of 1 MW/cm2 can yield a modification of the imaginary part of the refractive index of less than 0.05, which effectively suppresses the sharp q-BIC resonances and renders an active modulation depth of reflectance exceeding 80%. Our research might open up an enabling platform for ultrasensitive dynamic nanophotonic devices.

Grinding-Induced Water Solubility Exhibited by Mechanochromic Luminescent Supramolecular Fibers.

Most mechanochromic luminescent compounds are crystalline and highly hydrophobic; however, mechanochromic luminescent molecular assemblies comprising amphiphilic molecules have rarely been explored. This study investigated mechanochromic luminescent supramolecular fibers composed of dumbbell-shaped 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene-based amphiphiles without any tetraethylene glycol (TEG) substituents or with two TEG substituents. Both amphiphiles formed water-insoluble supramolecular fibers via linear hydrogen bond formation. Both compounds acquired water solubility when solid samples composed of supramolecular fibers are ground. Grinding induces the conversion of 1D supramolecular fibers into micellar assemblies where fluorophores can form excimers, thereby resulting in a large redshift in the fluorescence spectra. Excimer emission from the ground amphiphile without TEG chains is retained after dissolution in water. The micelles are stable in water because hydrophilic dendrons surround the hydrophobic luminophores. By contrast, when water is added to a ground amphiphile having TEG substituents, fragmented supramolecular fibers with the same molecular arrangement as the initial supramolecular fibers are observed, because fragmented fibers are thermodynamically preferable to micelles as the hydrophobic arrays of fluorophores are covered with hydrophilic TEG chains. This leads to the recovery of the initial fluorescent properties for the latter amphiphile. These supramolecular fibers can be used as practical mechanosensors to detect forces at the mesoscale.

Seafood intake in childhood/adolescence and the risk of obesity: results from a Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Obesity has been linked to various detrimental health consequences. While there is established evidence of a negative correlation between seafood consumption and obesity in adults, the current research on the association between seafood intake in childhood/adolescence and the risk of obesity is lacking. Our aim was to evaluate the association between seafood intake in childhood/adolescence and the risk of obesity in a Chinese nationwide cohort. METHODS: We utilized data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from the year of 1997 to 2015. Seafood consumption was evaluated through 3-day 24-hour recalls. In our study, overweight/obesity status was determined based on the Chinese Criteria of Overweight and Obesity in School-age Children and Adolescents (WS/T 586-2018), while abdominal obesity status was determined according to the Chinese Criteria of Waist Circumference Screening Threshold among Children and Adolescents (WS/T 611-2018). RESULTS: During an average follow-up of 7.9 years, 404 cases developed overweight/obesity among 2206 participants in the seafood-overweight/obesity analysis, while 381 cases developed abdominal obesity among 2256 participants in the seafood-abdominal-obesity analysis. The high-consumer group was associated with 35% lower risk of overweight/obesity risk and 26% lower risk of abdominal obesity after fully adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, compared with the non-consumer group. Considering different cooking methods, boiled seafood consumption was associated with 43% lower risk of overweight/obesity and 23% lower risk of abdominal obesity in the fully adjusted model, while stir-fried seafood did not demonstrate a statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Higher intake of seafood in childhood/adolescents, particularly in a boiled way, was associated with lower obesity risk.

Sodium, potassium intake, and all-cause mortality: confusion and new findings.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) has established recommended daily intakes for sodium and potassium. However, there is currently some controversy regarding the association between sodium intake, potassium intake, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and overall mortality. To assess the correlations between sodium intake, potassium intake, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and overall mortality, as well as the potential differences in sodium and potassium intake thresholds among different population groups, we analyzed data from NHANES 2003-2018. METHODS: NHANES is an observational cohort study that estimates sodium and potassium intake through one or two 24-h dietary recalls. Hazard ratios (HR) for overall mortality were calculated using multivariable adjusted Cox models accounting for sampling design. A total of 13855 out of 26288 participants were included in the final analysis. Restricted cubic spline analyses were used to examine the relationship between sodium intake, potassium intake, and overall mortality. If non-linearity was detected, we employed a recursive algorithm to calculate inflection points. RESULTS: Based on one or two 24-h dietary recalls, the sample consisted of 13,855 participants, representing a non-institutionalized population aged 40-80 years, totaling 11,348,771 person-months of mean follow-up 99.395 months. Daily sodium intake and daily potassium intake were inversely associated with all-cause mortality. Restrictive cubic spline analysis showed non-linear relationships between daily sodium intake, potassium intake, sodium-potassium ratio, and total mortality. The inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3133 mg/d, and the inflection point for daily potassium intake was 3501 mg/d, and the inflection point for daily sodium-potassium ratio intake was 1.203 mg/mg/d. In subgroup analyses, a significant interaction was found between age and high sodium intake, which was further confirmed by the smooth curves that showed a U-shaped relationship between sodium intake and all-cause mortality in the elderly population, with a inflection point of 3634 mg/d. CONCLUSION: Nonlinear associations of daily sodium intake, daily potassium intake and daily sodium-potassium ratio intake with all-cause mortality were observed in American individuals. The inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3133 mg/d. And the inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3634 mg/d in elderly population. The inflection point for daily potassium intake was 3501 mg/d. The inflection point for daily sodium-potassium ratio intake was 1.203 mg/mg/d, respectively, A healthy diet should be based on reasonable sodium intake and include an appropriate sodium-to-potassium ratio.

Pathways to improve energy efficiency under carbon emission constraints in iron and steel industry: Using EBM, NCA and QCA approaches.

Improving environmental performance of energy- and carbon-intensive sectors represented by the iron and steel (IS) industry is of utmost importance to address the challenges of resource depletion and climate change worldwide. This article adopts a global-super-Epsilon-Based Measure (EBM) model with undesirable output for IS energy efficiency estimation, identifies efficiency determinants based on Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and analyzes various pathways for efficiency improvement by grouping Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). Empirical testing using statistical data of the G20 economies during 2010-2020 demonstrates that: 1) energy efficiency in the IS industry in G20 countries has risen amidst fluctuations, with developed countries performing more efficiently than developing countries; 2) individual factors do not constitute a compulsory condition to achieve high energy efficiency in the IS industry; 3) three different paths to achieve high energy performance are found, that is, technology-structure driven, regulation-economy-technology driven, and regulation-technology-production driven. Heterogenous policy recommendations for efficiency gains in the IS sector of different countries with divergent features are proposed accordingly.

Radiomics analysis of T2 -weighted images for differentiating invasive placentas in women at high risks.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate an MRI-based radiomics model for differentiating invasive placentas in patients with high risks. METHODS: A total of 181 pregnant women suspected of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders and who underwent MRI for placenta evaluation were retrospectively enrolled. The data set was randomly divided into the training (n = 125; invasive = 63, noninvasive = 62) and test (n = 56; invasive = 28, noninvasive = 28) groups. Radiomics features were extracted from half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) and sagittal true fast imaging in steady-state precession (TRUFISP) sequences independently and mainly selected based on their correlations with invasive placentas to construct two radiomics signatures including HASTE-Radscore and TRUFISP-Radscore. Then, the predictive performance of radiomic signatures, clinical features, radiographic features, and their combination were evaluated. The model with the best predictive performance was validated with its discrimination ability, calibration, and clinical usefulness. RESULTS: Five radiomics features from HASTE and three radiomics features from TRUFISP were retained, respectively, for predicting invasive placentas. The combination of radiomics signatures and clinical features including prior cesarean delivery, placenta previa, and radiographic feature, the placental thickness resulted in the best discrimination ability, with area under the curve of 0.898 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.844-0.9522) and 0.858 (95% confidence interval 0.7514-0.9655) in the training and test cohort, respectively. The combined model showed a significantly better area under the curve performance and clinical usefulness than independent clinical or radiographic model according to DeLong test (p < .05), net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement analysis (positive improvement) and decision curve analysis (higher net benefit). CONCLUSIONS: The T2 -weighted imaging MRI radiomics model could serve as a potential prenatal diagnosis tool for identifying invasive placentas in patients with high risks.

Construction waste landfill volume estimation using ground penetrating radar.

Underground landfill, the primary disposal method of construction waste in several areas, negatively affects the surrounding environments. Suitably locating and estimating waste volume in an underground landfill are vital for adequate disposal and recycling of construction wastes. In this study, we investigated the applicability of ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology to estimate waste depth and volume of a construction waste landfill. The results revealed the following. (1) The GPR technology effectively delineated boundaries between underground waste and the surrounding strata; the topographic structure obtained from the analysis of the associated images was consistent with the actual topography. (2) Layer information from GPR images and electromagnetic wave velocity calculated using the complex refractive index model for construction waste burial depth inversion produced highly accurate results. Waste depth in the landfill was estimated using the GPR inversion results and spatial interpolation. Kriging interpolation exhibited the highest accuracy. (3) The trapezoid, Simpson and Simpson 3/8 rules were suitable for estimating construction waste volume. A three-dimensional model created using the spatial interpolation grid precisely depicted the structure of the buried landfill. Our study provides references for the management, recycling and environmental impact assessment of construction waste.

Correlation between glucose metabolism and serum steroid hormones in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an increased prevalence of dysglycaemia, which includes impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with PCOS demonstrate abnormal patterns of steroid hormones. Here, we analyse the correlation between glucose metabolism and serum steroid hormones in PCOS. DESIGN: Observational double-centre study. PATIENTS: 914 patients with PCOS. MEASUREMENTS: We assessed the glucose metabolism status of all patients according to the 1999 WHO criteria. Serum steroid hormones were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 26 years (interquartile range: 21-30), and 40.6% (371/914) had abnormal glucose metabolism: 29.3% (268/914) had prediabetes, and 11.3% (103/914) had T2DM. Correlation analysis not adjusting for confounding factors revealed that serum aldosterone, androstenedione, oestrone, pregnenolone and the free androgen index were positively correlated, while progesterone was negatively correlated with the risk of abnormal glucose metabolism. After adjusting for age, body mass index and fasting insulin levels in the logistic regression model, only aldosterone (P = .013), androstenedione (P = .046) and oestrone (P = .014; in quartiles) were correlated with the risk of abnormal glucose metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates a high prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM in patients with PCOS. Furthermore, there were positive correlations of serum aldosterone, androstenedione and oestrone with the risk of abnormal glucose metabolism after adjusting for confounding factors.

Improved lateral resolution with an annular vortex depletion beam in STED microscopy.

We report on the experimental demonstration of improved lateral resolution in stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy using an annular depletion beam configuration. A tight and finely tuned doughnut focal spot can be created by annular vortex illumination. Its application in STED microscopy for enhanced lateral resolution is systematically investigated by imaging 40 nm fluorescent beads. An improved resolution with more than 20% reduced effective point spread function of the imaging system determined by the full width at half-maximum compared to that of the conventional STED is achieved. The proposed scheme also demonstrates its resolving capability for biological samples. The principle holds great potential in the research fields of biological superresolution imaging as well as STED-based nanolithography and high-density optical data storage.

Effective separation of water-in-oil emulsions using an under-medium superlyophilic membrane with hierarchical pores.

Separating water-in-oil emulsions is important in terms of environmental protection and resource recovery. To address the challenges posed by the water-oil interface, superwetting materials have been designed to accomplish separation through filtration and adsorption. Superhydrophobic membranes prevent the permeation of water droplets owing to extreme repellence and their size-sieving abilities. However, their use in remediating water-contaminated oil is limited by high oil viscosities. Meanwhile, in-air superhydrophilic sorbents are rarely employed for the separation of water-in-oil emulsions due to the thermodynamic and kinetic limitations of water adsorption in oil. Herein, the integration of an under-medium superlyophilic membrane with the hierarchical porous structure of wood is presented for filtration-driven selective adsorption of water from surfactant-stabilized (10 g/L) water-in-oil emulsions. Compared to filtration through a natural wood membrane or direct adsorption using an under-oil superhydrophilic wood membrane, the under-medium superlyophilic wood membrane demonstrated high separation efficiencies of > 99.95% even when applied to the regeneration of high-viscosity lubricating (6.3 mPa s) and edible (50.5 mPa s) oils, exhibiting viscosity-dependent fluxes and excellent stability. Moreover, the cost of purifying 200 mL of lubricating oil using the modified wood membrane was much lower than the oil's market price and required a low energy consumption of ca. 1.72 kWh. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: The ever-growing use of petroleum and industrial/domestic oil products has led to excessive (estimated at a million tons per year) output of waste oils. Because direct discharge of waste oils into the environment causes serious pollution problems, separating water-in-oil emulsions is important in terms of environmental protection and resource recovery. Here filtration-driven water adsorption has been demonstrated to be a feasible method for the remediation of water-contaminated waste oils, even those that are highly viscous.

[Nonlinear Variations in PM2. 5 Concentration in the Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China].

ITA and Beast methods were used to quantitatively analyze the nonlinear process of a PM2.5 concentration time series based on the PM2.5 concentration data of the three major urban agglomerations in China. The results showed that： ① the degree of the PM2.5 pollution in the three major urban agglomerations had decreased， and the high-concentration areas had noticeably shrunk. The degree of spatial polarization of PM2.5 concentration was reduced， and the spatial difference was narrowed. The PM2.5 concentration in most areas showed downward trends， but the degree of change was not the same. Compared with the YRD and PRD， the concentration of PM2.5 in the BTH was still at a relatively high level. ② The concentration of PM2.5 in the three major urban agglomerations had seasonal variation characteristics that were high in winter and spring and low in summer and autumn. There were obvious differences in PM2.5 concentration between winter and summer， and the convergence of PM2.5 concentration in summer was greater than that in winter. Areas with high PM2.5 concentration also had obvious downward trends， but the downward trends of PM2.5 concentration in the PRD were not obvious compared with those in the YRD and BTH. ③ The PM2.5 concentration time series of the three major urban agglomerations all had significant downward trends： Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei （BTH） > the Yangtze River Delta （YRD） > the Pearl River Delta （PRD）. The PM2.5 concentration had the largest downward trends in winter. The higher the PM2.5 pollution level， the greater the downward trends. ④ The trend component of the PM2.5 concentration time series in the BTH had two change points， and there was one change point in the seasonal component. The trend and seasonal components of the PM2.5 concentration time series in the YRD had no change point. There was no change point in the seasonal component but one change point in the trend component of the PM2.5 concentration time series in the PRD. These results can provide scientific references for regional air pollution control.

Causal link between hypothyroidism and gastric cancer risk: insights gained through multivariable Mendelian randomization and mediation analysis.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and hypothyroidism has been identified as a potential influencing factor. Despite known associations between hypothyroidism and various cancers, the causal link between hypothyroidism and GC and potential mediators of this relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: Utilizing genetic variant information from the FinnGen and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit open genome-wide association studies (GWAS) databases, we conducted univariable and multivariable MR analyses to explore the causal relationship between hypothyroidism and GC risk. The analysis was adjusted for confounders such as BMI, smoking status, and alcohol intake, and included mediator MR analysis to examine the role of high cholesterol. Results: We identified a significant inverse association between hypothyroidism and GC risk (OR = 0.93, 95% CI= 0.89-0.98, P = 0.003), with no evidence of reverse causation or pleiotropy. Adjustments for Helicobacter pylori infection weakened this association. Mediator analysis highlighted high cholesterol levels, chronic hepatitis B infection, and diabetes/endocrine disease status as significant mediators of the protective effect of hypothyroidism on GC risk. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that hypothyroidism may confer a protective effect against GC, mediated in part by high cholesterol and other factors. These results underscore the importance of thyroid function and metabolic health in GC risk, offering new insights for preventive strategies and highlighting the need for further research into these complex associations.

Preoperative supine time for adrenal venous sampling: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Primary aldosteronism (P.A.) is the most common form of secondary hypertension, accounting for 5% of hypertensive patients and 17-23% of patients with resistant hypertension. Compared to primary hypertension, P.A. is more prone to cause severe organ damage and even early death. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is a practical confirmatory test for subtyping aldosterone-producing adenoma and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, helping physicians to make an accurate decision between surgery or medication. According to guidelines, supine in bed before AVS is recommended for a desirable result of AVS. However, investigations about the most optimal preoperative supine time before AVS are lacking. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multi-center prospective randomized controlled study. One hundred twenty patients diagnosed as P.A. and willing for AVS examination will be included. Participants will be randomly allocated to a 15-min supine time group or 2-h supine time group. The primary outcome is the degree of biochemical remission (serum potassium and orthostatic ARR). The secondary outcomes are degrees of clinical remission (blood pressure, type and dose of antihypertensive drugs), the technical success rate, and the adverse event of AVS (selective index ≥ 2 is considered successful surgery without corticotropin stimulation). DISCUSSION: P.A. is an intractable public health problem, and many techniques including AVS have been developed to identify this disease correctly. This study will help to understand whether the length of preoperative supine time would affect the diagnostic efficacy of AVS and thus help to formulate a more reasonable AVS procedure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05658705. Registered on 10 September 2022.

Shape effect on a single-nanoparticle-based plasmonic nanosensor.

Plasmonic refractometric nanosensors based on single nanostructures, i.e. spherical, nanorodand bipyramid-shaped gold nanoparticles, are investigated and compared numerically by employing the finite-difference time-domain method. The results show that the plasmonic sensing ability is distributed anisotropically around the nanorod and bipyramid, even for spherical nanoparticles when the illumination light is linearly polarized. To optimize nanosensor performance, some anisotropy in the shape of nanoparticles is required, this latter serving as an intrinsic light polarization filter to suppress the disturbance from localized surface plasmon resonance in other directions. The plasmonic near-field can be engineered by controlling the shape to achieve a concentrated and localized electromagnetic field, in direct relation with the sensing ability. Taking these factors into account, the gold bipyramid nanoconstruct which is easily available in experiment is proposed as an efficient plasmonic sensing platform. The bipyramid presents both highly localized sensitivity and high scattering cross-section, thus avoiding the trade-off during the selection of the widely used nanorod-shaped sensors. The parameters of the bipyramid structure can be optimized by numerical simulation to improve the plasmonic sensing. Our findings permit a deeper understanding of single-nanoparticle-sensor behavior, and the study provides an opportunity to optimize the plasmonic sensor.

The burden of fracture in China from 1990 to 2019.

PURPOSE: Osteoporosis is one of the most common clinical problems among the elderly population. China is one of the countries most threatened by osteoporosis and fragility fracture, because of its large population and aging population trends during recent decades. We aimed to estimate the disease burden of fracture from 1990 to 2019 in China. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of fractures using detailed information for China from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Fracture incidence and prevalence, rate of years lost to disability from fractures, and term secular trends in China from 1990 to 2019 were compared by sex, age, cause, and nature of fracture. RESULTS: The numbers for incidence and prevalence of fracture and years lived with disability (YLDs) from fractures in China increased from 12.54 million, 28.35 million, and 1.71 million in 1990 to 21.27 million, 67.85 million, and 3.79 million in 2019, respectively, increases of 70%, 139%, and 122%, respectively. In 2019, falls was the leading cause of fractures, with an age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 762 per 100 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 629-906), an age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of 1863 per 100 000 (95% UI 1663-2094), and an age-standardized YLD rate (ASYR) of 103 per 100 000 (95% UI 69-147). Fall-associated deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from low bone mineral density increased greatly during the most recent three decades. Fracture of patella, tibia or fibula, and ankle were the most frequent fracture types, with an ASYR of 116 per 100 000 (95% UI 75-169). Hip fracture had more incident cases in adults ≥ 60 years old, and was more frequent for females. CONCLUSIONS: The burden from fractures has increased significantly since 1990 in China. Falls and road injuries are the main causes of the increase. The fall-associated health burden from osteoporosis needs to be prioritized, with longer-term commitment to its reduction required.

Characterization of global research trends and prospects on platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: In the last decades, growing attention has been focused on identifying effective therapeutic strategies in the orphan clinical setting of women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC), generating thousands of original articles. However, the literature involving bibliometric analysis of PROC has not been published yet. Objective: This study hopes to gain a better understanding of the hot spots and trends in PROC by conducting a bibliometric analysis, as well as identify potential new research directions. Methods: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) for PROC-related articles published between 1990 and 2022. CiteSpace 6.1.R2 and VOS viewer 1.6.18.0 were primarily utilized to evaluate the contribution and co-occurrence relationships of various countries and regions, institutes, and journals and to identify research hotspots and promising future trends in this research field. Results: A total of 3,462 Web of Science publications were retrieved that were published in 671 academic journals by 1135 authors from 844 organizations in 75 countries and regions. The United States was the leading contributor in this field, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was the most productive institution. Gynecologic Oncology was the most productive journal, while the Journal of Clinical Oncology was the most cited and influential. Co-citation cluster labels revealed the characteristics of seven major clusters, including synthetic lethality, salvage treatment, human ovarian-carcinoma cell line, PARP inhibitor resistance, antitumor complexes, folate receptor, and targeting platinum-resistant disease. Keywords and references burst detection indicated that biomarkers, genetic and phenotypic changes, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy were the most recent and most significant aspects of PROC research. Conclusion: This study conducted a comprehensive review of PROC research using bibliometric and visual techniques. Understanding the immunological landscape of PROC and identifying the population that can benefit from immunotherapy, especially in combination with other therapeutic options (such as chemotherapy and targeted therapy), will continue to be the focal point of research.

Synergy of S-vacancy and heterostructure in BiOCl/Bi2S3-x boosting room-temperature NO2 sensing.

The special physicochemical properties of Bi2S3 nanomaterial endow it to be exceptional NO2 sensing properties. However, sensors based on pure Bi2S3 cannot detect trace NO2 at room temperature effectively due to the scanty active sites and poor charge transfer efficiency. Herein, vacancy defect and heterostructure engineering are rationally integrated to explore BiOCl/Bi2S3-x heterostructure with rich S vacancies to enhance NO2 sensing performance. The optimized sensor based on S-vacancy-rich BiOCl/Bi2S3-x heterostructure exhibited a high response value (Rg/Ra = 29.1) to 1 ppm NO2 at room temperature, which was about 17 times compared to the pristine Bi2S3. Meanwhile, the BiOCl/Bi2S3-x sensor also exhibited a short response time (36 s) towards 1 ppm NO2 and a low theoretical detection limit (2 ppb). The superior response value of S-vacancy-rich BiOCl/Bi2S3-x heterostructures was ascribed to the improved electron migration at the heterointerface and the additional exposed active sites caused by the S vacancies in Bi2S3-x. Additionally, the sensors based on S-vacancy-rich BiOCl/Bi2S3-x heterostructures showed good long-term stability, outstanding selectivity, and good flexibility. This study offers an effective method for synergistically engineering defect and heterostructure to enhance gas sensing properties at room temperature.

Tailing Optical Pulling Force on a Metal-Dielectric Hybrid Dimer with Electromagnetic Coupling.

In this work, we demonstrate that optical pulling forces (OPFs) can be induced by a hybrid dimer consisting of a Si nanoparticle (NP) and a coated nanoparticle with a gain core and Au shell under normal plane wave illumination. Analytical theory reveals that the underlying physical mechanism relies on interactions between the electric dipole (ED) modes excited in the NPs. As compared with the individual NP, it is found that the magnitude of optical force can be enlarged by almost three orders for the Si NP and one order for the coated gain NP in the coupled dimer. In addition, we find that the OPFs exerted on the NPs are heavily dependent on the gain level of the core materials, the incident polarization angle and the sizes of the NPs. More interestingly, we find that the OPF can also be exerted on a trimer system consisting of two identical Si NPs and a coated NP arranged in a line. The related results could be used to propose a versatile platform for manipulating NPs.

Association between late gadolinium enhancement and outcome in dilated cardiomyopathy: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) derived from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is well studied, and several new metrics of LGE have emerged. However, some controversies remain; therefore, further discussion is needed, and more precise risk stratification should be explored. AIM: To investigate the associations between the positivity, extent, location, and pattern of LGE and multiple outcomes in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies that investigated the prognostic value of LGE in patients with DCM. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the role of LGE in the risk stratification of DCM. RESULTS: Nineteen studies involving 7330 patients with DCM were included in this meta-analysis and covered a wide spectrum of DCM, with a mean left ventricular ejection fraction between 21% and 50%. The meta-analysis revealed that the presence of LGE was associated with an increased risk of multiple adverse outcomes (all-cause mortality, HR: 2.14; arrhythmic events, HR: 5.12; and composite endpoints, HR: 2.38; all P < 0.001). Furthermore, every 1% increment in the extent of LGE was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Analysis of a subgroup revealed that the prognostic value varied based on different location and pattern of LGE. Additionally, we found that LGE was a stronger predictor of arrhythmic events in patients with greater left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSION: LGE by CMR in patients with DCM exhibited a substantial value in predicting adverse outcomes, and the extent, location, and pattern of LGE could provide additional information for risk stratification.