Browse Articles

Efficient quantum random number generation via simultaneously detecting photons in temporal and spatial dimensions

Abstract Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) produce true random numbers with significant applications in quantum communication and numerical computation, where high-rate random number generation is critical. Photon detection-based quantum random-number generation methods have been widely studied. However, the generation rate is constrained by the count rate of single-photon detectors. This study proposes an efficient method that enhances random number generation by simultaneously detecting photons in temporal and spatial dimensions. We achieved simultaneous detection of photon arrival time and spatial position by employing a laboratory-developed 5 × 5 single-photon detector array and a high-saturation count rate multichannel time-to-digital converter. The maximum efficiency of the method was 21.1 bits per event and it maintained a consistent efficiency of 17.6 bits per event while achieving a random number generation rate of 2.1 Gbps. The proposed QRNG approach offers a promising pathway for significantly increasing random number generation rates, benefiting applications that require secure and high-speed random number sequences.

Computational fluid dynamic and machine learning modeling of nanofluid flow for determination of temperature distribution and models comparison

Role of galectin-9 in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus

Historical and projected extreme climate changes in the upper Yellow River Basin, China

An investigation of hole transport layers and electron transport layers to produce highly efficient K2TiI6-based perovskite solar cells

Daily briefing: The sweet smell of outer space

Iron-restricted Mycobacterium tuberculosis exports pathogenicity factors packed in extracellular vesicles

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for human tuberculosis, responds to iron limitation by increasing the production of extracellular vesicles. This study examined the protein composition of induced M. tuberculosis extracellular membrane vesicles using chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results revealed that vesicles contain key pathogenicity factors, including proteins that enhance bacterial survival, immune evasion, and inflammation. These findings deepen our understanding of the potential role of extracellular vesicles in M. tuberculosis-host interactions. The data can also aid in identifying new biomarkers of infection and developing vesicle-based, culture-independent TB diagnostic platforms.

Audio long read: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky

Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified various risk variants for ulcerative colitis (UC), but there is a lack of evidence showing how these variants contribute to the development of UC. We employed an integrated pipeline to effectively translate genetic associations in order to identify pathogenic genes for UC.By combining GWAS data for UC with proteomic data from the human brain and plasma, we conducted a protein-wide association study (PWAS) and utilized protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis to screen for potential key proteins. Subsequently, causal analysis was performed to assess the potential causal relationships between these proteins and the risk of developing UC.Multiple genes associated with UC were identified in the human brain and plasma proteomes, including known genes such as TYK2 and STAT3, as well as newly discovered genes such as NARS2. PPI networks revealed strong interactions among proteins, including TYK2, STAT3, and IL23R. Causal analysis indicated that 11 risk genes, including FCGR2A, showed significant causal associations with UC, and were linked to key processes related to immune regulation and inflammatory responses, suggesting their potential roles in the pathogenesis of UC.This study integrated GWAS and PWAS data to identify risk genes associated with UC, providing new insights into the disease’s pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.

See the Milky Way dazzle during a lunar eclipse — May’s best science images

Impact of thermoneutral acclimation on a murine model of polymicrobial peritonitis

To examine the effects of ambient temperature on the reproducibility and translation of a murine sepsis model, we hypothesized that acclimation of mice in temperatures within their thermoneutral zone would alter immune responses and outcomes compared to standard housing temperatures. Mice housed for one week in thermoneutral (30°C) as compared to standard (22°C) conditions displayed lower counts of circulating neutrophils (0.52 ± 0.20 vs. 1.10 ± 0.54 x103/μL; p = 0.011) and peritoneal macrophages (0.80 ± 0.57 vs. 1.62 ± 0.62 x 105/μL; p = 0.002) as well as reduced in vitro production of IFN-γ by stimulated splenocytes (0.38 ± 0.68 vs 2.55 ± 0.76 x104 pg/mL, respectively, p = 0.004). After one week of temperature acclimation followed by CLP, the 7-day mortality was significantly lower under thermoneutral as compared to standard temperatures (80% vs 30%, respectively; p = 0.012), although core body temperature was preserved (average for 24 hours: 36.4 ± 1.3°C vs 31.7 ± 4.7°C; p < 0.0001). The lower survival was accompanied by increased systemic IL-6 levels (3.8 ± 3.3 vs 1.9 ± 1.3 x103 pg/mL; p = 0.04) and less robust influx of neutrophils into the peritoneum (1.68 ± 1.07 vs. 4.20 ± 2.46 x105/μL, respectively; p = 0.0003). Overall, thermoneutral temperatures impacted innate immune parameters before and after CLP, producing distinctly different outcomes. Therefore, ambient temperature is an important variable that could impact model reproducibility and should be reported for the acclimation period and experimentation phases of murine sepsis studies.

Influence of study shift on the interrelationships among chronobiological factors, health practices, and anthropometry in adolescents

The mismatch between chronobiological predispositions and social demands makes it difficult for adolescents with an evening chronotype to maintain healthy habits. This study aimed to explore the interrelationships among chronobiological factors, health practices, and anthropometry in adolescents attending morning and afternoon class shifts. In this cross-sectional study, 925 adolescents (14–19 years old) completed an online questionnaire covering food practices, chronotype, sleep duration, social jetlag, screen time, socioeconomic data, physical activity, school shift, and anthropometric measurements. The interrelationships among these variables were analyzed through structural equation modeling using six path models. Food practices were categorized into “complete meals” (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bean consumption) – as healthy practices, “unhealthy foods” (sweets, fried snacks, soft drinks, salty ultra-processed foods, and fast food) and “vegetables and fruits,” stratified by shift (morning or afternoon), with body mass index by age (BMI/age) as the main outcome. Among students in the morning shift, reduced sleep time was directly associated with increased BMI/age, while longer screen time was negatively associated with complete meal practices and physical activity. In the afternoon shift, a greater tendency towards an evening chronotype among adolescents was associated with reduced complete meal practices and lower regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Sleep duration was positively associated with a greater likelihood of a complete meal practices and regular fruit consumption. Moreover, longer screen time was positively associated with unhealthy food consumption. In both shifts, physically active adolescents consumed fruits more regularly. The practice of regular consumption of complete meals, fruits, vegetables, or unhealthy foods, in addition to being directly influenced by chronotype and other variables, was also influenced by shift. Adolescents with shorter sleep duration were at a higher risk of being overweight, suggesting a direct influence of sleep on anthropometric measurements. Our findings underscore the importance of considering study shifts in future interventions.

FIAEPI-KD: A novel knowledge distillation approach for precise detection of missing insulators in transmission lines

Ensuring transmission line safety is crucial. Detecting insulator defects is a key task. UAV-based insulator detection faces challenges: complex backgrounds, scale variations, and high computational costs. To address these, we propose FIAEPI-KD, a knowledge distillation framework integrating Feature Indicator Attention (FIA) and Edge Preservation Index (EPI). The method employs ResNet and FPN for multi-scale feature extraction. The FIA module dynamically focuses on multi-scale insulator edges via dual-path attention mechanisms, suppressing background interference. The EPI module quantifies edge differences between teacher and student models through gradient-aware distillation. The training objective combines Euclidean distance, KL divergence, and FIA-EPI losses to align feature-space similarities and edge details, enabling multi-level knowledge distillation. Experiments demonstrate significant improvements on our custom dataset containing farmland and waterbody scenarios. The RetinaNet-ResNet18 student model achieves a 10.5% mAP improvement, rising from 42.7% to 53.2%. Meanwhile, the Faster R-CNN-ResNet18 model achieves a 7.4% mAP improvement, rising from 42.7% to 50.1%. Additionally, the RepPoints-ResNet18 model achieves a 7.7% mAP improvement, rising from 49.6% to 57.3%. These results validate the effectiveness of FIAEPI-KD in enhancing detection accuracy across diverse detector architectures and backbone networks. On the MSCOCO dataset, FIAEPI-KD outperformed mainstream distillation methods like FKD and PKD. Ablation studies confirmed FIA’s role in feature focus and EPI’s edge difference quantification. Using FIA alone increased RetinaNet-ResNet50’s mAP by 0.9%. Combined FIA+EPI achieved a total 3.0% improvement, the method utilizes a lightweight student model for efficient deployment, providing an effective solution for detecting insulation defects in transmission lines.

Analysis of the emergency response capacity of nursing staff for public health emergencies and the influencing factors: A cross-sectional study in China

Background The frequent occurrence of public health emergencies poses a serious challenge to the emergency response capacity of Chinese nurses. However, nurses still suffer from insufficient emergency response knowledge and unskilled skills. An in-depth understanding of the risk factors affecting the emergency response capacity of nursing staff is needed to promote the overall improvement of the emergency response capacity of the healthcare system. Aims To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of nursing staff’s emergency response capacity for public health emergencies, and to provide a reference for the design of a standardized emergency response process, targeted training courses and revision of emergency plans. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to April 2024, using a self-designed general information questionnaire and a public health emergency response capacity scale for nursing staff. A survey was carried out among 4,680 nursing staff from secondary and above general hospitals in the Xinjiang region of China. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to explore the influencing factors of nursing staff’s emergency response capacity for public health emergencies. Results A total of 4292 valid questionnaires were collected. The average score on the emergency response capacity scale was 160.42 ± 24.22, with a mean item score of 4.01 ± 0.61. Multiple linear regression showed that sex, work experience, job title, position, rescue experience, emergency drill experience, presence of anxiety or fear, and willingness to rescue were the factors influencing the emergency response capacity of nursing staff for public health emergencies. Conclusions Nursing staff in Xinjiang have the ability to deal with public health emergencies, but they still need to accumulate practical experience. Hospital administrators should improve the emergency response ability of nursing staff to address public health emergencies through a tiered training and assessment mechanism.

Housing prices in China follow Zipf’s law

This study verifies that housing prices in China follow Zipf’s law by analyzing the average housing prices in 200 Chinese cities between 2015 and 2023. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test further supports this conclusion. Furthermore, the study explores housing price trends in different city tiers and uses rank clocks to reveal price fluctuations, which is not captured by the Zipf’s law. Using nine-year housing price time series data, the ARIMA and ConvLSTM models generate short-term forecasts. The forecasting results are evaluated using various indicators, and KS tests on the predicted prices show a better conformity to Zipf’s law. This paper also builds a dynamic housing price model, offering a new perspective to understand and predict housing price trends. The results of this paper can shed light on the real estate market.

Clinicopathological comparison of eccrine poroma and porocarcinoma: Ki-67 index is not a decisive factor

Background Eccrine poroma (EP) and porocarcinoma (EPC) arise from the intraepidermal part of the sweat gland. Clinically they resemble each other and cannot be distinguished without histopathological examination. EPC has been described as aggressive; however, the Ki-67 index is scarcely reported. The aim of this study was to compare clinicopathological factors between EP and EPC with special interest in Ki-67 index. Methods and Findings 50 EP and 22 EPC samples with clinical data from 48 EP and 21 EPC patients were collected from the Finnish Biobanks. We performed immunohistochemistry using a Ki-67 antibody on a tissue microarray and analysed the Ki-67 index with ImmunoRatio 2.5-program. We analysed 48 EP and 21 EPC samples. EPC patients were older (p = 0.019) and their tumours larger (p = 0.003) but other than these there were no statistically significant differences. Ki-67 ratios were similar (medians: EP 0.6% and EPC 0.5%). The median follow-up time in EP group was 12 (range 1.5–30.6 years) and in EPC group 7 years (range 0.75–20.3 years). The survival of EP patients was better than EPC patients but did not reach statistical significance and, in the Cox multivariate analysis only age had statistically significant effect (HR 1.061, 95% CI 1.026–1.099, p < 0.001). Ki-67 index had no statistically significant effect on survival in EPC group in the Cox univariate analysis (HR 0.746, 95% CI 0.390–1.43, p = 0.378). Conclusions EPC patients were older and their tumours larger. There was no difference in Ki-67 index between EP and EPC groups. In the Cox multivariate analysis only age had a statistically significant effect on survival. According to our findings Ki-67 index might not be a decisive factor in the prognosis of EPC. Further studies to validate our current findings are warranted.

Salary negotiations: a guide for scientists

Psychological factors associated with sensory processing sensitivity in caregiving contexts: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Caregiving, in both professional and informal settings, is a stressful role linked to burnout, anxiety and other negative mental health outcomes. Both environmental factors, such as perceived excessive workload and responsibility, interpersonal conflict, and poor communication, as well as personality factors, such as extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, have been associated with negative psychological outcomes in carers. Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a temperament trait associated with poor mental health, characterised by high empathy and reactivity to environmental stimuli. Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) score highly in SPS and account for approximately 30% of the world’s population. SPS has been shown to be a marker of differential susceptibility, which predisposes individuals to feeling the harmful effects of negative environments and to flourish in positive ones. Given the stressful nature of both professional and informal caring environments, it is of interest to examine the experience of HSPs, those who score highly in SPS, within caregiving roles. The research examining SPS’ psychological correlates in caregivers has yet to be synthesised. The current study aims to systematically review the psychological correlates of SPS in caregiving populations and, where possible, to test the strength of these associations through meta-analysis. Method A systematic search of quantitative and mixed-methods studies, written in English and published since 1997, the year in which the HSP Scale was first validated, will be conducted across 11 databases: Web of Science, Scopus; EBSCO Academic Search Complete; APA PsycINFO; PubMed; MEDLINE; CINAHL Plus with Full Text; APA PsycArticles; Business Source Complete; SocINDEX with Full Text; and ERIC. Google Scholar will also be searched, and the first 200 records by relevance will be screened for eligibility. Forward and backward citation searches of included records will be also performed. MD will search for records, which will be screened for eligibility by MD and TC. Data extraction and quality assessment, using the Joanna Briggs Inventory Risk of Bias tool, will be performed by TC and MD, with doubts and discrepancies being resolved through discussion with AS and MM. Data will be synthesised narratively and, where sufficient data are available, correlational meta-analysis will be conducted using RStudio. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in the development of this protocol. The protocol has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024524463). Discussion This review will present a systematic overview of psychological factors associated with SPS in caregivers. It will identify psychological outcomes associated with SPS, as well as risk factors and protective factors that may be targeted to reduce negative outcomes for caregivers. Identifying these factors will allow for a better understanding of the HSPs’ experience of caregiving and consequently aid in enhancing this experience.

Intertwined risk factors of mental health and cardiovascular diseases: A cross-sectional survey in Godawari Municipality of Far-western Nepal

Introduction Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading global cause of death, whereas mental disorders account for one-third of all global disabilities. Despite clear available evidence of a significant relationship between the CVDs and mental disorders, and the CVDs being regressional to certain risk factors, they are less explored in the Nepalese context, especially for mental disorders. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence of mental health status and its associated factors among people with cardiovascular risk status. Methods A community-based study was carried out during Sep-Nov 2024 among 390 people aged 30–69 years with cardiovascular risk status in Godawari Municipality, Kailali. Data were collected with face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires consisting of four sections: a) socio-demographic characteristics; b) CVD risk factors; c) mental health status; and d) anthropometric measurements, using the KoboToolbox, a mobile and computer-based application. Further, we imported data into SPSS software for statistical analysis. We presented categorical variables as frequency and percentage and continuous variables as median and quartiles. We applied univariate and multivariate logistic regression to determine factors associated with depression symptoms, anxiety, and stress. The result of logistic regression was presented as crude odds ratio, adjusted odds ratio (AOR), beta coefficients (β), their 95% confidence interval, and p-values. Results Of 390 participants, females were two-thirds (67%), and the median age was 48 (36 ~ 60). The prevalences of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were found to be 47.2%, 62.3% and 55.1%, respectively. From multivariate logistic regression analysis, depression symptoms were positively associated with females (β = 1.002, p < .001) and the presence of one CVD risk factor (β = 1.082, p = .016), two risk factors (β = 1.362, p = .006) and three or more risk factors (β = 1.720, p = .017). Anxiety symptoms were associated with exposure to secondhand smoking (β = 0.725, p = .024) and the presence of one risk factor (β = 1.548, p < .001), two risk factors (β = 1.734, p < .001) and three or more risk factors (β = 1.852, p = .022). Dalit, Janajati and Madhesi (β = 0.735, p = .026) and the presence of one risk factor (β = 1.811, p = .001), two risk factors (β = 2.054, p = .016) and three or more risk factors (β = 2.138, p < .001) were associated with stress symptoms. All three mental disorders were found to worsen as the number of CVD risk factors increased. Conclusion The study revealed that nearly fifty percent of the prevalence of each of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among people with cardiovascular risk status. Mental health screening is suggested among the people with CVD risk factors, additionally considering female, secondhand smoker, and disadvantaged ethnic populations for depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Further, a validation study is recommended for accuracy and yield.

Scoping review on regulation, implementation and postmarket surveillance of medical devices

Background Regulation and postmarket surveillance of medical devices have been criticized for being too lenient as compared to drug regulation and postmarket surveillance. Little is known about the factors that determine which medical devices are chosen for implementation among similar medical devices. Objective Our aim was to systematically identify and characterize empirical studies on medical device regulation, implementation and postmarket surveillance, and to describe the recurring themes and trends in the studies. Methods The scoping review was preregistered, with the protocol publicly available (https://osf.io/mx36f). We followed the JBI guidelines for scoping reviews and reported the review in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Last searches were done in MEDLINE and Embase through Ovid on 8th of February 2024. We included primary studies with empirical data, and we excluded any secondary studies such as editorials, opinion papers or systematic reviews using bibliographic databases as the primary data source. We were interested in studies that examined medical devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) and European Union (EU), and any studies on the decision-making process regarding medical device implementation. We described study characteristics and mapped them graphically. Recurring themes were presented in a table. Furthermore, we reported conclusions from identified essential studies and provided a summary of the main results. Graphs and descriptive statistics were done in R version 4.3.2, package ggplot2. Results We screened 3862 titles/abstracts, after which 368 records were assessed in full-text, yielding 139 studies included in the review. Out of these, 68 studies (49%) examined approval, 40 studies (29%) examined postmarket surveillance, 17 studies (12%) implementation and 14 studies (10%) both approval and postmarket surveillance. The studies were published between 2003–2024 and consisted of 77 cross-sectional studies (55%), 35 cohort studies (25%), 20 qualitative studies (14%) and seven mixed-methods studies (5%). As data source, 90 studies (65%) used FDA, 25 studies (18%) other data sources and 24 studies (17%) interviewees through semi-structured interviews. Nine out of the 139 studies investigated regulatory approval within the EU. Predominantly, the studies reported that the available clinical evidence for medical device approval was considered inadequate, making it difficult for stakeholders to evaluate the suitability of a medical device for implementation. Conclusions Studies on medical devices are mainly conducted using FDA device databases, since restricted access to publicly available data has hindered research within the EU. Research on how and why specific medical devices are chosen and adopted into clinical practice is limited. We suggest that evidence on medical device efficacy and harms should be strengthened through higher demands from regulatory agencies and improvement of accessible registries.