A possible probe to neutron-skin thickness by fragment parallel momentum distribution in projectile fragmentation reactions

Neutron-skin thickness is a key parameter for a neutron-rich nucleus;however,it is difficult to determine.In the framework of the Lanzhou Quantum Molecular Dynamics(LQMD)model,a possible probe for the neutron-skin thickness(δ_(np))of neutron-rich ^(48)Ca was studied in the 140A MeV ^(48)Ca+^(9)Be projectile fragmentation reaction based on the parallel momentum distribution(p∥)of the residual fragments.A Fermi-type density distribution was employed to initiate the neutron density distributions in the LQMD simulations.A combined Gaussian function with different width parameters for the left side(Γ_(L))and the right side(Γ_(R))in the distribution was used to describe the p∥of the residual fragments.Taking neutron-rich sulfur isotopes as examples,Γ_(L) shows a sensitive correlation withδ_(np) of ^(48)Ca,and is proposed as a probe for determining the neutron skin thickness of the projectile nucleus.

Updates on global epidemiology,risk and prognostic factors of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer(GC)is defined as the primary epithelial malignancy derived from the stomach,and it is a complicated and heterogeneous disease with multiple risk factors.Despite its overall declining trend of incidence and mortality in various countries over the past few decades,GC remains the fifth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally.Although the global burden of GC has shown a significant downward trend,it remains severe in certain areas,such as Asia.GC ranks third in incidence and mortality among all cancer types in China,and it accounts for nearly 44.0%and 48.6%of new GC cases and GC-related deaths in the world,respectively.The regional differences in GC incidence and mortality are obvious,and annual new cases and deaths are increasing rapidly in some developing regions.Therefore,early preventive and screening strategies for GC are urgently needed.The clinical efficacies of conventional treatments for GC are limited,and the developing understanding of GC pathogenesis has increased the demand for new therapeutic regimens,including immune checkpoint inhibitors,cell immunotherapy and cancer vaccines.The present review describes the epidemiology of GC worldwide,especially in China,summarizes its risk and prognostic factors,and focuses on novel immunotherapies to develop therapeutic strategies for the management of GC patients.

SPAGINS:semiempirical parameterization for fragments in gamma-induced nuclear spallation

From the empirical phenomena of fragment distributions in nuclear spallation reactions,semiempirical formulas named SPAGINS were constructed to predict fragment cross-sections in high-energyγ-induced nuclear spallation reactions(PNSR).In constructing the SPAGINS formulas,theoretical models,including the TALYS toolkit,SPACS,and Rudstam formulas,were employed to study the general phenomenon of fragment distributions in PNSR with incident energies ranging from 100 to 1000 MeV.Considering the primary characteristics of PNSR,the SPAGINS formulas modify the EPAX and SPACS formulas and efficiently reproduce the measured data.The SPAGINS formulas provide a new and effective tool for predicting fragment production in PNSR.

Determination of neutron-skin thickness using configurational information entropy

Configurational information entropy(CIE)theory was employed to determine the neutron-skin thickness of neutron-rich calcium isotopes.The nuclear density distributions and fragment cross sections in 350 MeV/u ^(40-60)Ca+^(9)Be projectile fragmentation reactions were calculated using a modified statistical abrasion-ablation model.CIE quantities were determined from the nuclear density,isotopic,mass,and charge distributions.The linear correlations between the CIE determined using the isotopic,mass,and charge distributions and the neutron-skin thickness of the projectile nucleus show that CIE provides new methods to extract the neutron-skin thickness of neutron-rich nuclei.

3D microstructures of nuclear graphite:IG-110,NBG-18 and NG-CT-10

Molten salt is used as primary coolant flowing through graphite moderator channel of a molten salt reactor.Working at high temperature under radiation environment,the pore network structure of nuclear graphite should be well understood.In this paper,X-ray tomography is employed to study the 3D pore structure characteristics of nuclear grades graphite of IG-110,NBG-18 and NG-CT-10,and permeability simulation through geometries are performed.The porosity,number of pores and throats,coordination number and pore surface are obtained.NGCT-10 is of similar microstructure to IG-110,but differs significantly from NBG-18.The absolute permeabilities of IG-110,NG-CT-10 and NBG-18 are 0.064,0.090 and0.106 mD,respectively.This study provides basis for future research on graphite infiltration experiment.

Multiple-models predictions for drip line nuclides in projectile fragmentation of^(40,48)Ca,^(58,64)Ni,and^(78,86)Kr at 140 MeV/u

Modern rare isotope beam(RIB)factories will significantly enhance the production of extremely rare isotopes(ERI)at or near drip lines.As one of the most important methods employed in RIB factories,the production of ERIs in projectile fragmentation reactions should be theoretically improved to provide better guidance for experimental research.The cross-sections of ERIs produced in 140 MeV/u^(78,86)Kr/^(58,64)Ni/^(40,48)Ca+9Be projectile fragmentation reactions were predicted using the newly proposed models[i.e.,Bayesian neural network(BNN),BNN+FRACS,and FRACS,see Chin.Phys.C,46:074104(2022)]and the frequently used EPAX3 model.With a minimum cross-section of 1015 mb,the possibilities of ERIs discovery in a new facility for rare isotope beams(FRIB)are discussed.

Non-frozen process of heavy-ion fusion reactions at deep sub-barrier energies

The hindrance in heavy-ion fusion reactions a deep sub-barrier energies is investigated using the double folding model with a hybrid method between the frozen and adiabatic density approximations.In this method,the density distributions of the projectile and the target depend closely on the distance between them.As the distance decreased,the half-density radii of the colliding nucle gradually increased to the half-density radius of the compound nucleus.The total potential based on this non-frozen approximation generates a slightly shallower pocket and becomes more attractive inside the pocket compared to that obtained from the frozen approximation.A damping factor was used to simulate the decline of the coupled channel effects owing to the density rearrangement of the two colliding nuclei.The calculated fusion cross-sections and astrophysical S factors at the deep sub-barrier energies are both in good agreement with the experimental data for the medium-heavyNi+Ni and medium-lightMg+Si mass systems.In addition,it was concluded that the apparent maximum of the S factors most likely appears in fusion systems with strong coupling effects.

Materials and structural design for preferable Zn deposition behavior toward stable Zn anodes

Benefiting from the high capacity of Zn metal anodes and intrinsic safety of aqueous electrolytes,rechargeable Zn ion batteries(ZIBs)show promising application in the post‐lithium‐ion period,exhibiting good safety,low cost,and high energy density.However,its commercialization still faces problems with low Coulombic efficiency and unsatisfied cycling performance due to the poor Zn/Zn2+reversibility that occurred on the Zn anode.To improve the stability of the Zn anode,optimizing the Zn deposition behavior is an efficient way,which can enhance the subsequent striping efficiency and limit the dendrite growth.The Zn deposition is a controlled kinetics‐diffusion joint process that is affected by various factors,such as the interaction between Zn2+ions and Zn anodes,ion concentration gradient,and current distribution.In this review,from an electrochemical perspective,we first overview the factors affecting the Zn deposition behavior and summarize the modification principles.Subsequently,strategies proposed for interfacial modification and 3D structural design as well as the corresponding mechanisms are summarized.Finally,the existing challenges,perspectives on further development direction,and outlook for practical applications of ZIBs are proposed.

Tailored wrinkles for tunable sensing performance by stereolithography

Conducting polymer hydrogel can address the challenges of stricken biocompatibility and durability.Nevertheless,conventional conducting polymer hydrogels are often brittle and weak due to the intrinsic quality of the material,which exhibits viscoelasticity.This property may cause a delay in sensor response time due to hysteresis.To overcome these limitations,we have designed a wrinkle morphology three-dimensional(3D)substrate using digital light processing technology and then followed by in situ polymerization to form interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels.This novel design results in a wrinkle morphology conducting polymer hydrogel elastomer with high precision and geometric freedom,as the size of the wrinkles can be controlled by adjusting the treating time.The wrinkle morphology on the conducting polymer hydrogel effectively reduces its viscoelasticity,leading to samples with quick response time,low hysteresis,stable cyclic performance,and remarkable resistance change.Simultaneously,the 3D gradient structure augmented the sensor's sensitivity under minimal stress while exhibiting consistent sensing performance.These properties indicate the potential of the conducting polymer hydrogel as a flexible sensor.

Determinants of self-management behaviors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients: a path analysis

Background Tuberculosis(TB)is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world.Since Directly Observed Therapy(DOT)as a core strategy for the global TB control are not applicable to all types of TB patients,and self-management of TB patients(SMTP)as a patient-centered supervision type is a supplement to DOT and can improve TB case management.However,the factors related to SMTP are complex and need more study.This study aimed at identifying the determinants of SMTP and examining the direct/indirect effects of these determinants.Methods The purposive sampling technique was used to select study sites and participants were recruited from the study sites by the consecutive sampling method.The PRECEDE model was used as the framework to analyze the determinants of SMTP.The responses of TB patients were acquired via a questionnaire survey for data collection.A Pearson correlation analysis was used to define the relationship between the predisposing,enabling,reinforcing factors with SMTP behaviors.A regression-based path analysis was used to determine the action paths of the predisposing,enabling,and reinforcing factors on SMTP behaviors.Results The predisposing(TB knowledge),enabling[health education and healthcare workers(HCWs)support],reinforcing factors(family support)had significant positive correlations with SMTP behaviors(P<0.05).The predisposing,enabling,reinforcing factors were positively correlated with each other(r=0.123‒0.918,P<0.05),except for family support and HCWs support.The predisposing factors(TB knowledge,β=0.330)and the enabling factors(HCWs support,β=0.437)had direct effects on SMTP behaviors.The enabling factors(health education and HCWs support)and the reinforcing factors(family support)had indirect effects on SMTP behaviors.Conclusions This study revealed the effects and action path of TB knowledge,health education,HCWs support,and family support on SMTP behaviors via a path analysis.Assessing patient’s needs for SMTP along with promoting effective TB health education and providing firm support from HCWs and family members are potential strategies to promote SMTP behaviors.

GSDMD protects intestinal epithelial cells against bacterial infections through its N-terminal activity affecting intestinal immune homeostasis

The intestinal mucosal barrier serves as a vital guardian of the gut health,maintaining a delicate equilibrium between gut microbiota and host immune homeostasis.Gasdermin D(GSDMD),a key executioner of pyroptosis downstream of the inflammasome,has been found to play intricate roles in modulating colitis by influencing intestinal macrophages and regulating mucus secretion from goblet cells.However,the exact nature of the regulatory function of GSDMD in maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis and defending against pathogens remains to be elucidated.In the current study,by using the Citrobacter rodentium infection model,we found that GSDMD played a key role in the defense against intestinal Citrobacter rodentium infection,with high expression levels in intestinal epithelial and lamina propria myeloid cells.Our results showed that GSDMD acted specifically in intestinal epithelial cells to combat the infection,independently of its effects on antimicrobial peptides or mucin secretion.Instead,the resistance was mediated by the N-terminal fragment of GSDMD,highlighting its importance in intestinal immunity.However,the specific mechanism underlying the N-terminal activity of GSDMD in protecting against intestinal bacterial infections requires future investigation.

Precise machine learning models for fragment production in projectile fragmentation reactions using Bayesian neural networks

Machine learning models are constructed to predict fragment production cross sections in projectile fragmentation(PF)reactions using Bayesian neural network(BNN)techniques.The massive learning for BNN models is based on 6393 fragments from 53 measured projectile fragmentation reactions.A direct BNN model and physical guiding BNN via FRACS parametrization(BNN+FRACS)model have been constructed to predict the fragment cross section in projectile fragmentation reactions.It is verified that the BNN and BNN+FRACS models can reproduce a wide range of fragment productions in PF reactions with incident energies from 40 MeV/u to 1 GeV/u,reaction systems with projectile nuclei from^40 Ar to^208 Pb,and various target nuclei.The high precision of the BNN and BNN+FRACS models makes them applicable for the low production rate of extremely rare isotopes in future PF reactions with large projectile nucleus asymmetry in the new generation of radioactive nuclear beam factories.

A Bayesian-neural-network prediction for fragment production in proton induced spallation reaction

Fragment production in spallation reactions yields key infrastructure data for various applications.Based on the empirical SPACS parameterizations,a Bayesian-neural-network(BNN)approach is established to predict the fragment cross sections in proton-induced spallation reactions.A systematic investigation has been performed for the measured proton-induced spallation reactions of systems ranging from intermediate to heavy nuclei systems and incident energies ranging from 168 MeV/u to 1500 MeV/u.By learning the residuals between the experimental measurements and SPACS predictions,it is found that the BNN-predicted results are in good agreement with the measured results.The established method is suggested to benefit the related research on nuclear astrophysics,nuclear radioactive beam sources,accelerator driven systems,proton therapy,etc.

Vanadium metal-organic framework-derived multifunctional fibers for asymmetric supercapacitor,piezoresistive sensor,and electrochemical water splitting

Fiber-shaped integrated devices are highly desirable for wearable and portable smart electronics,owing to their merits of lightweight,high flexibility,and wearability.However,how to effectively employ multifunctional fibers in one integrated device that can simultaneously achieve energy storage and utilization is a major challenge.Herein,a set of multifunctional fibers all derived from vanadium metal-organic framework nanowires grown on carbon nanotube fiber(V-MOF NWs@CNT fiber)is demonstrated,which can be used for various energy storage and utilization applications.First,a fiber-shaped asymmetric supercapacitor(FASC)is fabricated based on the CoNi-layered double hydroxide nanosheets@vanadium oxide NWs@CNT fiber(CoNi-LDH NSs@V2O5 NWs@CNT fiber)as the positive electrode and vanadium nitride(VN)NWs@CNT fiber as the negative electrode.Benefiting from the outstanding compatibility of the functional materials,the FASC with a maximum working voltage of 1.7 V delivers a high-stack volumetric energy density of 11.27 mW·h/cm3.Then,a fiber-shaped integrated device is assembled by twisting a fiber-shaped piezoresistive sensor(FPS;VN NWs@CNT fiber also served as the highly sensitive material)and a FASC together,where the highperformance FASC can provide a stable and continuous output power for the FPS.Finally,the S-VOx NWs@CNT fiber(sulfur-doped vanadium oxide)electrode shows promising electrocatalytic performance for both hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER),which is further constructed into a self-driven water-splitting unit with the integration of the FASCs.The present work demonstrates that the V-MOF NWs@CNTderived fibers have great potential for constructing wearable multifunctional integrated devices.

Comorbidity Burden of Dementia:A Hospital-Based Retrospective Study from 2003 to 2012 in Seven Cities in China

Dementia is increasing dramatically and imposes a huge burden on society. To date, there is a lack of data on the health status of patients with dementia in China. In an attempt to investigate the comorbidity burden of dementia patients in China at the national level, we enrolled 2,938 patients with Alzheimer＇s disease（AD）, vascular dementia（Va D）, or other types of dementia, who were admitted to tertiary hospitals in seven regions of China from January2003 to December 2012. The Charlson Comorbidity Index（CCI） was used to evaluate the comorbidity burden of the patients with dementia. Among these patients, 53.4% had AD, 26.3% had Va D, and 20.3% had other types of dementia. The CCI was 3.0 ± 1.9 for all patients,3.4 ± 1.8 for those with Va D, and 3.0 ± 2.1 for those with AD. The CCI increased with age in all patients, andthe length of hospital stay and daily expenses rose with age and CCI. Males had a higher CCI and a longer stay than females. Moreover, patients admitted in the last 5 years of the study had a higher CCI than those admitted in the first 5 years. We found that the comorbidity burden of patients with dementia is heavy. These findings provide a better understanding of the overall health status of dementia patients, and help to increase the awareness of clinicians and policy-makers to improve medical care for patients.

Is tuberculosis patients management improved in the integrated TB control model in West China?A survey in Guizhou Province,China

Background:Tuberculosis(TB)patient management(TPM)is crucial to improve patient compliance to treatment.The coverage of TPM delivered by TB dispensaries or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)was not high under the previous CDC model of TB control in China.In the integrated TB control model in China,TB patient management(TPM)was mainly delivered by lay health workers(LHWs)in primary health care(PHC)sectors.This study aims to investigate TPM delivery in resource-limited western China and to identify factors affecting TPM delivery by LHWs under the integrated TB control model.Methods:A stratified random sampling was used to select study sites.Pulmonary TB(PTB)patients≥15 years old from selected counties/districts in Guizhou Province were surveyed from August 2015 to May 2016.Structured questionnaires were used to collect data.Aχ^2 test and logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with self-administered treatment(non-TPM).Results:In total,638 PTB patients were included in the final analysis.Close to 30%of patients were ethnic minorities.More than 30%of patients were from counties with high TB burden,and 24.9%of patients had poor compliance to treatment.Only 37.1%of patients received TPM delivered by LHWs under the integrated TB control model throughout the treatment period.The main reasons for unwillingness to manage reported by patients included social stigma and no perceived need.Being ethnic minorities(OR=3.35)was a main factor associated with lower likelihood of receiving TPM,while living in areas with middle or high TB burden may increase the likelihood of receiving TPM(OR=0.17 and 0.25,respectively).Among current management approaches,more than 85%of patients chose phone reminder as their preferred TPM by LHWs.Conclusions:TPM under the integrated model in West China is still low and need further improvement,and the impeding factors of TPM need to be addressed.Strengthening patient-centered and community-based TPM and developing more feasible approaches of TPM delivery should be explored in future research in this region.

Confinement synthesis of bimetallic MOF-derived defect-rich nanofiber electrocatalysts for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Zn-air batteries with high energy density and safety have acquired enormous attention,while the practical application is hindered by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).In this work,a threedimensional(3D)defect-rich bifunctional electrocatalyst(CoFe/N CNFs)comprising irregular hollow CoFe nanospheres in Ndoped carbon nanofibers is presented,which is fabricated from CoFe ZIFs-derived(ZIF:zeolitic-imidazolate framework)polymer nanofibers precursor.The CoFe ZIFs with tunable particle size and composition are constructed using a confined synthesis strategy.Moreover,the Kirkendall diffusion process is available for forming the irregular hollow CoFe nanospheres,and the decomposition of polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)results in forming the defective carbon nanofibers,which provide more efficient active sites and enhance the electrocatalytic properties toward both OER and ORR.The optimized CoFe/N CNFs exhibit superior bifunctional activities,outperforming that of the benchmark Pt/C+RuO_(2) catalyst.As a result,the CoFe/N CNFs as an air-cathode endow the rechargeable Zn-air battery with an excellent power density of 149 mW·cm^(−2),energy density of 875 Wh·kg^(−1),and cycling stability.This work provides a new strategy to develop bifunctional electrocatalysts with desired nanostructure and regulated performance toward energy applications.

Experimental study on the compressive performance of new sandwich masonry walls

Sandwich masonry wall,namely,multi-leaf masonry wall,is widely applied as energy-saving wall since the interlayer between the two outer leaves can act as insulation layer.New types of sandwich walls keep appearing in research and application,and due to their unique connection patterns,experimental studies should be performed to investigate the mechanical behavior,especially the compressive performance.3 new types of sandwich masonry wall were investigated in this paper,and 3 different technical measures were considered to guarantee the cooperation between the two leaves of the walls.Based on the compression tests of 13 specimens,except for some damage patterns similar with the conventional masonry walls,several new failure patterns are found due to unique connection construction details.Comparisons were made between the tested compression capacity and the theoretical one which was calculated according to the Chinese Code for Design of Masonry Structures.The results indicate that the contributions of the 3 technical measures are different.The modification coefficient(γ)was suggested to evaluate the contribution of the technical measures on the compression capacity,and then a formula was proposed to evaluate the design compression capacity of the new sandwich masonry walls.

Pauli blocking potential applied to heavy-ion fusion reactions

In this study,the Pauli blocking potential between two colliding nuclei in the density overlapping regionis applied to describe the heavy nuclei fusion process.Inspired by the Pauli blocking effect in theα-decay of heavynuclei,the Pauli blocking potential of single nucleon from the surrounding matter is obtained.In fusion reactionswith strong density overlap,the Pauli blocking potential between the projectile and target can be constructed using asingle folding model.By considering this potential,the double folding model with a new parameter set is employedto analyze the fusion processes of 95 systems.A wider Coulomb barrier and shallower potential pocket are formed inthe inner part of the potential between the two colliding nuclei,compared to that calculated using the Akyüz-Win-ther potential.The fusion hindrance phenomena at deep sub-barrier energies are described well for fusion systems^(16)O+^(208)Pb and^(58)Ni+^(58)Ni.

A 10-bit 110 MHz SAR ADC with asynchronous trimming in 65-nm CMOS

A 10-bit 110 MHz SAR ADC with asynchronous trimming is presented.In this paper,a high linearity sampling switch is used to produce a constant parasitical barrier capacitance which would not change with the range of input signals.As a result,the linearity of the SAR ADC will increase with high linearity sampled signals.Farther more,a high-speed and low-power dynamic comparator is proposed which would reduce the comparison time and save power consumption at the same time compared to existing technology.Additionally,the proposed comparator provides a better performance with the decreasing of power supply.Moreover,a highspeed successive approximation register is exhibited to speed up the conversion time and will reduce about 50%register delay.Lastly,an asynchronous trimming method is provided to make the capacitive-D AC settle up completely instead of using the redundant cycle which would prolong the whole conversion period.This SAR ADC is implemented in 65-nm CMOS technology the core occupies an active area of only 0.025 mm-2 and consumes 1.8 mW.The SAR ADC achieves SFDR 〉 68 dB and SNDR 〉 57 dB,resulting in the FOM of 28 f J/conversion-step.From the test results,the presented SAR ADC provides a better FOM compared to previous research and is suitable for a kind of ADC IP in the design SOC.