Explore the vast range of titles available.

Nanochannel membranes have demonstrated remarkable potential for osmotic energy harvesting; however, their efficiency in practical high-salinity systems is hindered by reduced ion selectivity. Here, we propose a dual-separation transport strategy by constructing a two-dimensional (2D) vermiculite (VMT)-based heterogeneous nanofluidic system via an eco-friendly and scalable method. The cations are initially separated and enriched in micropores of substrates during the transmembrane diffusion, followed by secondary precise sieving in ultra-thin VMT laminates with high ion flux. Resultantly, our nanofluidic system demonstrates efficient osmotic energy harvesting performance, especially in hypersaline environment. Notably, we achieve a maximum power density of 33.76 W m −2 , a 6.2-fold improvement with a ten-fold increase in salinity gradient, surpassing state-of-the-art nanochannel membranes under challenging conditions. Additionally, we confirm practical hypersaline osmotic power generation using various natural salt-lake brines, achieving a power density of 25.9 W m −2 . This work triggers the hopes for practical blue energy conversion using advanced nanoarchitecture. Harvesting osmotic energy in real world high-salinity solutions poses great challenges, authors propose nanofluidic membranes with a dual separation mechanism based on vermiculite nanosheets with an isomorphic substitution structure, showing excellent energy conversion in hypersaline environments.

Passive temperature sensing systems based on the Internet of Things (IoT) present an efficient, reliable, and convenient solution for temperature monitoring with extensive application prospects and market value. This paper introduces a passive, battery-free, chipless, metasurface temperature sensing tag. The key insight is that the sensing tag uses vanadium dioxide ( ) to solve the problems of measuring distance, large size, and high cost related to active devices. The sensing tag fabricated with tungsten-doped powder demonstrated a significant variation in the reflection magnitude within the temperature range of 34–42 °C. It was achieved through coating, sintering, metasurface design, and ion beam etching. Experimental results showed that the square resistance of the prepared coating decreased from 1003 to 90 as the temperature increased from 34 to 42 °C. Additionally, the reflection magnitude of the tag significantly increased with the temperature decrease in the 3.5–5.27 GHz frequency band. These results indicate that the passive temperature sensing tags can achieve rapid and accurate temperature sensing within the 34–42 °C range.

Various factors contribute to suicide. Psychological strains are hypothesized to precede suicidal thought and attempt. Life satisfaction can be a measure of relative deprivation strain and aspiration–reality strain. This study was to compare the suicide attempters with various levels of life satisfaction and find out how life satisfaction affects the degree of suicide intent among medically serious suicide attempters. Subjects for study were recruited in some rural counties in China. Interview data were from hospital emergency rooms with medically serious attempters of suicide (n=791). The subjects were aged between 15 and 54years and 293 males and 498 females. Face to face interview was conducted for each suicide attempter with a semi-structural protocol including life satisfaction, physical health, demographic, sociological, and psychological measures, as well as psychological strains. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that mental disorder, aspiration strain and relative deprivation strain were significant risk factors for high intent of suicide among suicide attempters. The interaction between the two psychological strains also indicated that both failed aspiration and self-perceived low economic status in village play an important role in suicidal intent. Low level of life satisfaction is associated with strong intent for suicide. Lack of life satisfaction is exemplified by relative deprivation perceived by the individuals and the discrepancy between an individual's aspiration for life and his/her reality. The findings from the suicide attempt data in rural China support the Strain Theory of Suicide.

Controlling water and ion transport across nanoconfined channels is essential for natural biological processes and crucial for breakthroughs in diverse scientific and technological fields. Here, we present an efficient voltage-controlled strategy that simultaneously regulates water and ion diffusion by fine-tuning the external voltage applied to a high-conductivity Zr 4 -Ti 3 C 2 T x nanochannel membrane, which demonstrates high structural stability in aqueous environments. Under positive voltage, ion permeation increased by a factor of 10.18, whereas negative voltage reduced it to 0.17 of its original value. Interestingly, water diffusion exhibited the opposite response, with negative voltage enhancing water transport due to the facilitated rotation motion of nanoconfined water with the increased interfacial hydrogen bonding. This distinct voltage-gated transport behavior provides a potential solution to the longstanding trade-off between permeation and selectivity in membrane separation. In desalination trials, applying negative voltage improved ion rejection from 72.09 % to 98.57 % and doubled water permeation. Additionally, in lithium concentration applications, our approach enabled simultaneous improvements in water permeation and Li + rejection. Our findings open promising pathways for advancements in energy, resource, and environmental applications. Efficient voltage-controlled regulation of water and ion transport was achieved in stable Zr 4 -Ti 3 C 2 T x membranes. Under negative voltage, water diffusion was enhanced while ion transport was suppressed. This provides a promising strategy to overcome the intrinsic permeability– selectivity trade-off.

Background Total Healthcare Expenditure (THE) has increased substantially in all countries. Since the health system reform and health policy environment differ from each country, it is necessary to analyze the motivations of THE in a specific country. Methods The objective of this study was to analyze the influential factors of Provincial THE (PTHE) per capita in China by using spatiotemporal panel data across 31 provinces (including provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, all called provinces in here) from 2009 to 2016 at the provincial and annual level. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) was used to identify the influential factors of PTHE per capita. Results The number of beds per 10,000 population explained most of the variation of PTHE per capita. The results also showed that health expenditure in China reacts more to mortality compared with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. But mortality and Out-Of-Pocket Payments (OOP) as a percentage of THE were associated with PTHE per capita negatively. The rate of infectious diseases and THE as a percentage of GDP had no statistical significance. And the Proportion of the Population Aged 65 and Over (POP65) impact PTHE per capita positively. But the coefficient was small. Conclusions In response to these findings, we conclude that the impact of the increasing percentage of OOP in THE diminishes the PTHE. Furthermore, we find that both the “baseline” health level and health provision are positively correlated with PTHE, which outweighs the effect of GDP.

Student course performance evaluation serves as a critical pedagogical tool for diagnosing learning gaps and enhancing educational outcomes, yet conventional assessments often suffer from rigid single-metric scoring and ambiguous causality. This study proposes an integrated analytic framework addressing these limitations by synergizing pedagogical expertise with data-driven diagnostics through four key measure: (1) Interval Analytic Hierarchy Process (I-AHP) to derive criterion weights reflecting instructional priorities via expert judgment; (2) K-means clustering to objectively stratify students into performance cohorts based on multidimensional metrics; (3) Random Forest classification and SHAP value analysis to quantitatively identify key discriminators of cluster membership and interpret decision boundaries; and (4) attribution-guided interventions targeting cohort-specific deficiencies. Leveraging a dual-channel ecosystem across pre-class, in-class, and post-class phases, we established a hierarchical evaluation system where I-AHP weighted pedagogical sub-criteria to generate comprehensive student scores.

Background Although tissue-engineered cartilage has been broadly studied, complete integration of regenerated cartilage with residual cartilage is still difficult for the inferior mechanical and biochemical feature of neocartilage. Chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells can be induced by biophysical and biochemical factors. Methods In this study, autologous platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) membrane was used as a growth factor-rich scaffold that may facilitate differentiation of the transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). At the same time, hydrostatic pressure was adopted for pre-adjustment of the seed cells before transplantation that may promote the mechanical flexibility of neocartilage. Results An in vitro study showed that the feasible hydrostatic pressure stimulation substantially promoted the chondrogenic potential of in vitro-cultured BMSC/PRF construct. In vivo results revealed that at every time point, the newborn tissues were the most favorable in the pressure-pretreated BMSC/PRF transplant group. Besides, the transplantation of feasible hydrostatic pressure-pretreated construct by BMSC sheet fragments and PRF granules could obviously improve the integration between the regenerated cartilage and host cartilage milieu, and thereby achieve boundaryless repair between the neocartilage and residual host cartilage tissue in rabbit temporomandibular joints. It could be concluded that feasible hydrostatic pressure may effectively promote the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs in a BMSC/PRF construct. Conclusion This newly formed construct with biomechanical flexibility showed a superior capacity for cartilage regeneration by promoting the mechanical properties and integration of neocartilage.

The transfer of carbon dioxide (CO2) implied in inter-sectoral trade is significantly affecting the process of reducing CO2 emissions in China. This phenomenon also affects Zhejiang Province, which has the top five GDP in China. In this study, a universal modeling system is developed to clarify CO2 emission reduction responsibilities and visualize relationships of each pair of transfers in Zhejiang Province. The system includes “three modules”, namely input-output module, CO2 emission factor module and ecological network module. The proposed modelling system is employed for sectors of Zhejiang province. Research results demonstrate that industry should assume more responsibility for emission reduction; the existing development models of various industries need to be further adjusted. Achievements of this research will provide a scientific reference and a strong basis for decision-makers to formulate reasonable emission reduction policies in Zhejiang Province.

Various explanations account for suicide incidents, and some patients continue to attempt afterwards and others never again. The suicide mortality rate increases with the number of serious attempts. The prevention of secondary attempt of suicide should be an important approach to reduce suicide mortality. However, the characteristics of the targeted population of repeated suicide attempters are understudied. This was a cross-sectional data collection from hospital emergency room from patients who had either attempted suicide for the first time (n=721) or for two or more times (n=70). The subjects were between 14 and 53years old and comprised 293 males and 498 females. In-depth interview was conducted for each suicide attempter with a semi-structural protocol. Demographic and social-psychological characteristics were compared between the two groups of suicide attempters. Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of multiple attempts. The two groups only differed in religion factor among demographic characteristics and multiple suicide attempters group have a higher percentage of subjects who reported to have a religion affiliation than first time suicide attempters. Multiple attempters were more likely to have family suicide history, physical illness, mental disorder, higher scores on Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and Suicide Intent Scale (SIS) and lower scores on Duke Social Support Scale (DSSI). In the final regression model, family history of suicide, mental disorder, hopelessness and social support emerged as significant predictors of multiple suicide attempts. Suicide attempters that have mental disorder, family history of suicide, higher level of hopelessness and lower level of social support are more likely to re-attempt suicide again. Social and clinical interventions may have to also focus on this sub-group of patients with these characteristics to effectively reduce suicide mortality rate.

Collaborative implementation of agricultural yield and fertilizer input has been a fundamental issue of sustainable and green production. Aerated drip irrigation (ADI) could potentially overcome the aforementioned conflict by enhancing crop yield, quality, and water/fertilizer use efficiency in a synergistic manner. However, its effects on the accumulation and distribution of plant biomass and nutrients are still elusive. Two consecutive years of ADI experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation frequency and fertilizer amount on agronomic performance. The results indicated that watermelon yield and IWUE were increased by 7.7–52.9% and 4.7–53.5%, respectively, compared to no-aerated (CK) treatment, and that there was a positive correlation between irrigation frequency and these increases. In addition, the application of ADI and increasing the frequency of irrigation increased the total dry matter and plant nutrient (N, P, K) contents. There was no discernible difference in watermelon performance when 20% of fertilizer was reduced in ADI conditions. ADI promoted plant biomass buildup and nutrient absorption and forced nutrient partitioning from vegetative organs (root, stem, leaf) to reproductive organs (fruit), resulting in synergistic benefits in crop yield, quality, and water/fertilizer use efficiency. ADI application once every 3 days with 80% traditional fertility application was suggested as a viable regulatory method for greenhouse watermelon. Our research sheds fresh light on the putative regulatory pathway of ADI’s beneficial effects on crop agronomic performance, with potential implications for crop production strategy.