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Personal informatics tools can help users self-reflect on their experiences. When reflective thought occurs, it sometimes leads to negative thought and emotion cycles. To help explain these cycles, we draw from Psychology to introduce the concept of rumination—anxious, perseverative cognition focused on negative aspects of the self—as a result of engaging with personal data. Rumination is an important concept for the Human Computer Interaction community because it can negatively affect users’ well-being and lead to maladaptive use. Thus, preventing and mitigating rumination is beneficial. In this conceptual paper, we differentiate reflection from rumination. We also explain how self-tracking technologies may inadvertently lead to rumination and the implications this has for design. Our goal is to expand self-tracking research by discussing these negative cycles and encourage researchers to consider rumination when studying, designing, and promoting tools to prevent adverse unintended consequences among users.

In view of the problem that chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurement in water using UV-Vis spectrometry was easily affected by turbidity, this paper proposed an analytical method for determining the complex refractive index of particles in water based on Lambert-Beer’s law and K-K (Kramers-Kronig) relationship. The obtained complex refractive index was used to establish the turbidity compensation model in the COD characteristic spectral region, and the COD concentration inversion were achieved by using the PLS algorithm. The results show that the turbidity compensation method based on Mie scattering theory can improve the accuracy of COD measurement by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Compared with before turbidity compensation, R2 (determination coefficient) between true values and predicted values of COD increased from 0.2274 to 0.9629, and RMSE (root mean square error) of predicted values decreased from 21.73 to 3.12 mg L−1. Compared with 350 nm PC, derivative method, and improved MSC method, the turbidity compensation method for COD measurement based on Mie scattering theory is simple, fast, and highly accurate. And the calculated spectrum can represent the scattering characteristics of the measured spectrum. The average relative error between the fitted spectrum and the original normalized spectrum in the 55 mixed solutions was 0.52%, and the maximum relative error was 6.65%. This method can be useful for online COD measurement.

Effects of Si and Sr on solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity of Al–Si binary alloys and Al–9Si–Sr ternary were investigated, respectively, with a special focus on the relationship between solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity. It was found that (i) in Al–Si binary alloys, with increasing Si content, α-Al grain size increases and then decreases when Si content is over 7 wt%, while the percentage of eutectic Si continuously increases, which significantly decreases the thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, and (ii) in Al–9Si–Sr ternary alloys, the presence of Sr has no significant effect on α-Al grain, but effectively modifies eutectic Si and significantly improves the thermal and electrical conductivity. On this basis, two theoretical calculation models [the Maxwell model and the Hashin–Shtrikman (H–S) model] were used to elucidate the relationship between solidification microstructure and thermal conductivity. Compared with the Maxwell model, the H–S model fits better with the measured values. The obtained results are very helpful to the precise composition control during alloy design and recycling of Al–Si-based alloys with the aim to further improve the thermal conductivity of Al–Si-based alloys.

Background Before the deposition of amyloid-beta plaques and the onset of learning memory deficits, patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience olfactory dysfunction, typified by a reduced ability to detect, discriminate, and identify odors. Rodent models of AD, such as the Tg2576 and APP/PS1 mice, also display impaired olfaction, accompanied by aberrant in vivo or in vitro gamma rhythms in the olfactory pathway. However, the mechanistic relationships between the electrophysiological, biochemical and behavioral phenomena remain unclear. Methods To address the above issues in AD models, we conducted in vivo measurement of local field potential (LFP) with a combination of in vitro electro-olfactogram (EOG), whole-cell patch and field recordings to evaluate oscillatory and synaptic function and pharmacological regulation in the olfactory pathway, particularly in the olfactory bulb (OB). Levels of protein involved in excitation and inhibition of the OB were investigated by western blotting and fluorescence staining, while behavioral studies assessed olfaction and memory function. Results LFP measurements demonstrated an increase in gamma oscillations in the OB accompanied by altered olfactory behavior in both APP/PS1 and 3xTg mice at 3–5 months old, i.e. an age before the onset of plaque formation. Fewer olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and a reduced EOG contributed to a decrease in the excitatory responses of M/T cells, suggesting a decreased ability of M/T cells to trigger interneuron GABA release indicated by altered paired-pulse ratio (PPR), a presynaptic parameter. Postsynaptically, there was a compensatory increase in levels of GABA A R α1 and β3 subunits and subsequent higher amplitude of inhibitory responses. Strikingly, the GABA uptake inhibitor tiagabine (TGB) ameliorated abnormal gamma oscillations and levels of GABA A R subunits, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for early AD symptoms. These findings reveal increased gamma oscillations in the OB as a core indicator prior to onset of AD and uncover mechanisms underlying aberrant gamma activity in the OB. Conclusions This study suggests that the concomitant dysfunction of both olfactory behavior and gamma oscillations have important implications for early AD diagnosis: in particular, awareness of aberrant GABAergic signaling mechanisms might both aid diagnosis and suggest therapeutic strategies for olfactory damage in AD.

Background: Uric acid has been proposed as a diabetogenic factor while its effect on pancreatic β cell function remains elusive. This study aimed to explore the impact of uric acid levels on β cell function and delineate its underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: Both in vivo hyperuricemia diet-induced mouse models and in vitro pancreatic β cell models were utilized. Results: A progressive decrease in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and increase in β cell apoptosis were observed in the hyperuricemia diet-induced mouse model, and these could be effectively restored by urate-lowering therapy. The dose- and time-dependent direct effects of uric acid on β cell apoptosis and insulin secretion were further confirmed in both INS-1E cells and primary isolated islets. Mechanistically, the primary role of expression of the endoplasmic reticulum stress marker C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) was detected by RNA sequencing, and the inflammatory factor NLRP3 and pro-apoptotic genes were significantly upregulated by uric acid treatment. Conclusions: Together, our findings indicate a direct crosstalk between uric acid and β cells via CHOP/NLRP3 pathway, providing a new understanding of the diabetogenic effect of uric acid.

The frequent fluctuations in climate policy uncertainty can potentially affect corporate productivity. Using panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2008 and 2023, this study examines the impact of climate policy uncertainty on corporate productivity and its underlying mechanisms. We find that climate policy uncertainty significantly reduces corporate productivity, manifesting as increased capital misallocation, further undermining overall production efficiency. Further analysis indicates that the influence of the climate policy uncertainty (CPU) on capital misallocation gradually weakens as the distance between firms and provincial capital cities increases. Moreover, the adverse effect of CPU on corporate production efficiency is more pronounced among manufacturing firms, firms with lower financing constraints, and larger enterprises. These results highlight the crucial role of a stable policy environment in facilitating optimal resource allocation and promoting economic efficiency. The findings provide robust theoretical foundations and empirical evidence to inform policy formulation and corporate strategic decision-making in related fields.

Gasification models of a char particle based on the true porous structure are essential for the accurate simulation of gasifiers, and pore-scale study might provide important information for the development of the porous char particle gasification models. In this paper, a numerical study was conducted on the gasification of a single-pore char particle in supercritical water, and the emphasis was put on the gasification process inside the pore with the effects of surrounding fluid, pore structure and pore position considered. The results showed that the gasification in a pore was quite affected by pore diffusion. The increase in temperature and particle Reynolds number promoted the gasification in the pore, and convection mainly enhanced the heat transfer but had limited promotion on mass transfer in kinetically controlled regime. Increasing pore length and decreasing pore diameter caused the increase in diffusion resistance and the former had more obvious effects. However, the decreased pore diameter increased the specific surface area and benefited the whole char conversion. The pore position affected the species distribution inside the pore for non-diffusive gasification, and the impact was limited in kinetically controlled regime. Finally, study in this work will be further extended to the gasification of the porous char particle.

Background In China, the participation of rural mothers in urban labor markets is on the rise, but there’s limited knowledge about the place of delivery among them. Why do certain rural migrant working mothers choose to return to their rural hometowns for childbirth, while others opt to deliver in urban areas? Methods This study analyzed the data of 1852 rural migrant working mothers collected from the China Migrant Dynamic Survey in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). These mothers, each with at least one child under the age of 18, had left the location of their agricultural hukou for employment or business in the PRD. Results The results indicated that 63.7% of the surveyed mothers returned to rural hometowns for childbirth, with the remaining 36.3% choosing to give birth in urban areas. Factors that positively influenced their decision to deliver in urban areas included self-employment, postsecondary education, higher household income, longer migration duration and exposure to received health education regarding reproduction, contraception/eugenics, and nutrition. On the other hand, inter-provincial migration and earlier birth year negatively influenced rural migrant working mothers’ giving birth in urban areas. Conclusion This study offers insights into childbirth strategies adopted by rural migrant working mothers that can shape future policy studies addressing internal rural-to-urban migration, women, maternal health and childcare services.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is estimated to affect over 30% of the global population with a rising trend, posing significant healthcare burden due to its progression and increased risk of related metabolic diseases. Dietary intervention plays an important role in the prevention and management of MASLD. Ketogenic diets represent a range of high-fat, moderate-protein, very low-carbohydrate (< 20–50 g/day) diets that induce nutritional ketosis. These diets have been proposed to benefit patients with MASLD by promoting weight loss, reducing inflammation and insulin resistance through different pathways. This review summarized the current findings on the outcomes of ketogenic diets on patients with MASLD regarding the liver, plasma lipid profile, systemic inflammation and gut microbiota. Studies showed that short- to medium- term ketogenic diets, with or without calorie restriction, are able to lower plasma triglycerides and ameliorate hepatic steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis in MASLD. In particular, studies found ketogenic diets may be more effective in alleviating hepatic steatosis in short time periods than calorie-matched, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets. Evidence on the impact on plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) was mixed. Clinical trials investigating the effects on different markers of systemic inflammation and the composition of gut microbiota among patients with MASLD were scarce. To better understand the role of ketogenic diets in MASLD management, longer-term, well-controlled trials are warranted to clarify their potential benefits and risks, and whether they are varied by types of fats. Appropriate and sustainable formulations of ketogenic diets that maximize benefits and minimize side effects remain to be determined.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been attractive for nanomedicine because of their pronounced optical properties. Here, we customerized the methods to synthesize two types of gold nanostars, Au nanostars-1 and Au nanostars-2, which have different spire lengths and optical properties, and also spherical AuNPs. Compared to nanospheres, gold nanostars were less toxic to a variety of cells, including macrophages. Au nanostars-1 and Au nanostars-2 also manifested a similar pattern of tissue distribution upon in vivo administration in mice to that of nanospheres, and but reveled less liver retention than nanospheres. Due to their strong absorption in the near-infrared (NIR), Au nanostars-2 induced a strong hyperthermia effect in vitro upon excitation at 808 nm, and elicited a robust photothermal therapy (PTT) efficacy in ablating tumors in a mouse model of orthotopic breast cancer using 4T1 breast cancer cells. Meanwhile, Au nanostars-1 showed a great capability to enhance the Raman signal through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in 4T1 cells. Our combined results opened a new avenue to develop Au nanostars for cancer imaging and therapy.