University of Macau

Simultaneous interpreting with text or slides is a complex form of bilingual language processing due to its dual input. The present study seeks to explore the processing and rendering of asymmetrical structures in SI with slides. To achieve this, we first investigate asymmetrical structures in Chinese-English SI with slides in both directions. Then, we examine whether the processing of asymmetrical structures generates a spillover effect on the continuation segment, and how the spillover effect varies with the interpreting direction. Twenty interpreting students were invited to perform tasks of SI with slides in an eye-tracking experiment. The results show that (1) the processing of asymmetrical structures was more challenging in L2–L1 SI with slides than in L1–L2 SI with slides; (2) asymmetrical structures had a spillover effect on the processing of the subsequent segment; (3) the spillover effect was greater in L2–L1 than in L1–L2 SI with slides. The findings provide new insights into the processing of syntactic asymmetry in an interpreting mode with dual input. Our results also suggest that asymmetrical structures might be potential causes of the spillover effect.

Background While previous studies indicated that seeking online health information could reduce individuals’ cancer information overload, the results are inconsistent and have remained unknown in China. This study focuses on cancer patients’ family members to determine whether online health information seeking helps lessen cancer information overload and the processes underlying this association. Objective To examine the relationship between online health information seeking and cancer information overload through psychological empowerment and anxiety in the sequel, we carried out a quota sampling online survey in mainland China in 2023. We also looked at the underlying mechanism's moderated role in eHealth literacy. Methods We standardized all variables from 0 to 1 using a Min-max normalization and conducted Model 6 and Model 92 of Process Macro to examine the mediation and moderation effects. The final sample size was 628 cancer patients’ family members. Results We found that online health information seeking negatively impacted cancer information overload through psychological empowerment and anxiety (bp = −.007, CI: [−.013, −.002]). Specifically, online health information seeking was positively related to psychological empowerment (bp = .201, CI: [.149, .252]), which eased family members’ anxiety (bp = −.271, CI: [−.420, −.122]) and eventually reduced cancer information overload (bp = .120, CI: [.063, .177]). Moreover, we observed that while online health information seeking increased family members’ anxiety (bp = .126, CI: [.023, .228]), eHealth literacy served as a moderator to mitigate this association (bp = −.668, p < .05). Conclusion The findings can be used by healthcare workers, public health policymakers, and online health information providers to advise Chinese cancer patients’ family members about the overwhelming amount of information they may encounter when seeking online health information.

Creating lifelike 3D head avatars and generating compelling animations for diverse subjects remain challenging in computer vision. This paper presents GaussianHead, which models the active head based on anisotropic 3D Gaussians. Our method integrates a motion deformation field and a single-resolution tri-plane to capture the head's intricate dynamics and detailed texture. Notably, we introduce a customized derivation scheme for each 3D Gaussian, facilitating the generation of multiple “doppelgangers” through learnable parameters for precise position transformation. This approach enables efficient representation of diverse Gaussian attributes and ensures their precision. Additionally, we propose an inherited derivation strategy for newly added Gaussians to expedite training. Extensive experiments demonstrate GaussianHead's efficacy, achieving high-fidelity visual results with a remarkably compact model size ( $\approx 12$ MB). Our method outperforms state-of-the-art alternatives in tasks such as reconstruction, cross-identity reenactment, and novel view synthesis. The source code is available at: https://github.com/chiehwangs/gaussian-head .

Tumour‐derived small extracellular vesicles (sEV) are critical mediators within the tumour microenvironment (TME) and are known to regulate various metabolic pathways. In metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), mass spectrometry protein analysis of HCC‐derived sEV (HCC‐sEV) identified an upregulation of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), a key enzyme in maintaining cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels. Our study demonstrates that sEV‐NAMPT enhances glycolysis, tumorigenesis, and metastasis in HCC. Specifically, sEV‐NAMPT activates the NF‐κB transcription factor through toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4), leading to elevated SLC27A4 expression. SLC27A4 functions primarily as a long‐chain fatty acid transporter and acyl‐CoA synthetase. Lipidomic and metabolomic analyses revealed a positive correlation between SLC27A4 and intracellular levels of triacylglycerol (TG) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). Increased TG levels enhance lipolysis via hepatic lipase and facilitate the conversion of glycerol‐3‐P to DHAP, an intermediate that bridges lipid metabolism and glycolysis. This study uncovers a novel regulatory axis involving sEV‐NAMPT and SLC27A4 in glycolysis, independent of traditional fatty acid metabolism pathways. Clinically, targeting sEV‐NAMPT with the inhibitor FK866 significantly inhibited tumour growth in various HCC in vivo models, highlighting the potential of sEV‐NAMPT as both a biomarker and therapeutic target in HCC.

Nebulized RNA therapies are well suited for treating respiratory diseases, in particular pulmonary fibrosis (PF); however, effective delivery remains challenging. In this study, we present a highly efficient aerosol inhalation system that enables high levels of in vivo transfection efficiency in lung macrophages, yielding durable responses against PF. First, we established a nose-only aerosol inhalation device integrated with a hydrogen supplement system. This setup enables the precise administration of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) at a controlled low dose, while simultaneously delivering the optimal concentration of therapeutic hydrogen gas. We further developed a hybrid lipid NP (HNP) by hybridizing a pH-dependent charge-inverting lipid film with apoptotic T cell membranes to enhance endosomal escape and trigger macrophage production of hepatocyte growth factor for lung repair. We demonstrated that the hydrogen flow–induced shear stresses disrupt the NP-mucus interaction, enhancing the deposition of aerosolized HNPs/ TGF β 1 siRNA within fibrotic lung lesions, effectively blocking fibrogenic signaling pathways and offering a clinically viable strategy for combating PF.

The oscillation trajectories of lasing modes can describe both static and dynamic properties of a microlaser, helping determine high-quality (Q) lasing modes and modulate their optical behaviors. Almost all lasing modes for droplet microlasers have a geodesic oscillation path, taking the form of a ring-like curve or a semicircular curve, which is considered the optimal path for achieving the highest gain. However, we have discovered a lasing mode, referred to as the S-mode (SM), with a non-geodesic S-shaped oscillation path in a curable dye-based droplet microlaser. SM exhibits a longer gain length and a smaller free-spectral range than other lasing modes with geodesic oscillation paths, resulting in a high Q-factor up to 9000. Lasing spectra of SM microlasers can be modulated through manipulating the number of SMs and the relative spatial positions of their oscillation paths. Leveraging the oscillation trajectory of SM, out-of-plane lasing coupling is achieved between a microresonator and a tapered fiber positioned atop its dome. Our findings on SM are promising to enrich the understanding of lasing mode theory and inspire the design of other semiconductor-based SM microlasers, which may have practical significance for the design of photonic devices and their on-chip integration.

Research on informal digital learning of English (IDLE) has proliferated in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) over the past decade, due largely to the status of English as a global language and the increasing accessibility of digital technologies among students of the digital native generation. In this article, we report the results of a thematic review we conducted of 49 empirical studies on IDLE in Asian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts during the years 2014–2024. In this review, we first clarify the conceptual orientations of the IDLE scholarship in a changing world shaped by globalization and technological innovations. We then present three major research strands that Asian TESOL researchers and practitioners should attend to: how IDLE serves as a new individual difference variable in second language development; how language teachers perceive and prepare for pedagogically integrating IDLE; and how unequal IDLE practices reinforce issues of the digital divide. By mapping out the terrain of informal digital learning of English in Asian EFL contexts, we point out the pedagogical implications and future investigations that can create conditions for empowering and enabling Asian students to become self-directed and productive informal language learners in a rapidly changing digital world.

Loss aversion is a human tendency, which is used to explain the reference price effect. We critically examined the loss aversion account of the reference price effect in accommodation decisions by adopting a mixed-method approach. Physiological reactions to losses were captured by electrodermal activities and trait loss aversion was measured by a behavioral economic task. We tested whether trait loss aversion predicts individuals’ susceptibility to the reference price effect in lodging decisions and whether physiological reactions mediate the effect. We explored the moderating role of travel use history and established a methodological triangulation among the three loss-aversion measures: trait, hotel choice, and physiological. The physiological results gave support to the role of emotions in the reference price effect. Our findings provide valuable insights for managers in addressing asymmetric pricing, particularly highlighting the importance of monitoring customer emotional fluctuations during price presentation and segmenting the market based on travel experience.

WiFi channel state information (CSI) based fall detection is highly sensitive to different environments. Existing work ignores the CSI subcarrier mutual information which carries critical characteristic of each activity and is robust to environment. In this paper, we propose a data-efficient DapFall system, which enables cross-environment fall detection without the model retraining. The key insight of DapFall is to transform the CSI amplitude into dynamic amplitude probability density (DAPD), which is a 3D visual representation, strongly emphasizing the dynamic features. Further, DAPD retains subcarrier mutual information and meanwhile reduces static components. Then, we employ specific data augmentations to change the amplitude variation feature and further increase the diversity of fall dataset. DAPD enables an efficient cross-domain knowledge utilization using deep learning model R2+1D pre-trained in a totally unrelated task and then facilitate detection capability without the need for extensive data. Experimental results demonstrate that DapFall achieves an 94.3% recall (TPR) and 6.25% FPR in original environments with limited training samples and meanwhile exhibit robust performance in other environments without retraining the model.

This paper presents the development of highly sensitive micro thermal expansion-based angular motion (TEAM) sensors utilizing water and ethanol as the working fluids. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that replacing the gas medium with liquids significantly increases the sensitivity of TEAM sensors, attributed to the larger Rayleigh number (Ra*). Among the two liquids studied, the ethanol-based TEAM sensor exhibits greater sensitivity to fluctuations in thermal properties than the water-based sensor. To ensure waterproofing, a Parylene-C coating was applied as the encapsulation layer for developing the novel liquid-based sensors. Experimental results identify a critical Ra* of 2950, which distinguishes the linear and nonlinear regions of operation for both the water-based and ethanol-based sensors. In the linear region, the water-based and ethanol-based sensors exhibit normalized sensitivities of 0.1638 mV/°/s/mW and 0.37 mV/°/s/mW, respectively, which are more than 10 times and 20 times higher than those of conventional air-based sensors, supporting the theoretical predictions and confirming the feasibility of the proposed design strategy. Furthermore, the ethanol-based TEAM sensor outperforms the SF6-based sensor, currently the most sensitive gas-based thermal angular motion sensor, by over five times. Experimental comparisons of single-heater and dual-heater configurations further highlight the importance of the dual-heater setup in minimizing heat loss and enhancing sensor performance, particularly for liquid-based sensors. These findings demonstrate the potential of the liquid-enhanced TEAM sensor for developing more accurate and reliable angular motion detection systems in complex environments.

T-cell senescence occurs in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and influences cancer outcomes, as well as the effectiveness of immunotherapies. The TME triggers this T-cell senescence via multiple pathways, including persistent stimulation with tumor-associated antigens, altered metabolic pathways, and activation of chronic inflammatory responses. Senescent T cells exhibit characteristics such as genomic instability, loss of protein homeostasis, metabolic dysregulation, and epigenetic alterations. Direct cross-talk between senescent T cells and other immune cells further exacerbates the immunosuppressive TME. This immune–tumor cell interaction within the TME contributes to impaired tumor antigen recognition and surveillance by T cells. The presence of senescent T cells is often associated with poor prognosis and reduced efficacy of immunotherapies; thus, targeting the tumor-promoting mechanisms of T-cell senescence may provide novel insights into improving tumor immunotherapy and patient outcomes. This review explores the contributors to tumor-derived T-cell senescence, the link between T-cell senescence and tumor prognosis, and the potential for targeting T-cell senescence to enhance tumor immunotherapy.

Background Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) is increasingly occurring worldwide, yet it is a process that can lead to inappropriate use of antibiotics, with potentially multiple adverse consequences such as an increased risk of antibiotic resistance. Objective The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among the Chinese population and investigate the factors associated with this behavior. Methods A multi-stage sampling method was employed to carry out a national cross-sectional questionnaire survey among Chinese individuals aged 18 years and above from July 10, 2021, to September 15, 2021. Following the statistical analysis of the collected data, binary logistic regression was applied to identify the factors associated with respondents’ self-medication with antibiotics. Model robustness testing was also performed using best subset regression. Results From a total of 11,031 questionnaires, 9,344 qualified samples were selected. The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among Chinese residents was found to be 34.63% (3,237/9,344). The most important factor considered in SMA was the advice of medical professionals, accounting for 89.00%, including recommendations from doctors (2,524/3,237, 77.97%) and pharmacists (1,905/3,237, 58.85%). The results of the binary stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that female, people older than 36 years, with higher education, had consumed alcohol in the past month, with mild depression, having residential or employee health insurance as the primary form of health coverage, having commercial insurance, having better family health status, and perceiving higher levels of social support were more likely to practice SMA ( P < 0.05). Conversely, individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder were found to be less likely to engage in self-medication with antibiotics ( P < 0.05). The best subset regression method and stepwise regression method gave the same results. Conclusion The SMA issue of Chinese residents is still relatively serious. Residents’ SMA was associated with their demographic and sociological characteristics, depression, family health, and perceived level of social support. The primary consideration for resident SMA is the advice of medical staff. The problem of SMA in China should be improved through antibiotic management, education on antibiotic knowledge, and medical staff’s correct guidance.

We study the estimation of the Hellinger correlation proposed recently by Geenens and Lafaye de Micheaux (J Am Stat Assoc 117:639–653, 2022), where they show that the Hellinger correlation can be stated as a function of the integral of square-rooted copula density, and they propose a consistent estimator via the power function of a density function. In this paper, we propose a new estimator of the Hellinger correlation. We use the kernel method to estimate the copula density and then construct the estimator from the Hellinger distance. We consider both the classic kernel method and the beta kernel approach in the density estimation. The asymptotic theory has been established. Simulation results show that our kernel-based resampling estimator has performs similarly to the estimator proposed by Geenens and Lafaye de Micheaux (J Am Stat Assoc 117:639–653, 2022). Finally, we apply the estimators to a real data set to demonstrate the association between cancer mortality risk and body mass or adult life expectancy.

Purpose This study investigated the effects of an 8-week unilateral and bilateral plyometric training program on leg power and change of direction (COD) performance in basketball players. Methods Twenty male university basketball players (mean age: 20.8 ± 1.9 years) were randomly assigned to two groups: the unilateral training group (UG, n = 10) and the bilateral training group (BG, n = 10). Both groups completed training sessions twice weekly over 8 weeks. Results The UG exhibited significant improvements across multiple measures of power and directional performance, including unilateral left and right countermovement jump (CMJ), bilateral CMJ, unilateral reactive strength index (RSI), bilateral RSI, 10-m sprint and all COD variables (all p < 0.05). The BG demonstrated significant improvements in bilateral CMJ, bilateral RSI, left and right 505 COD, left change of direction deficit (CODD), and V-cut (all p < 0.05). Between-group comparisons revealed statistically significant differences favoring the UG in left CMJ, left and right 505 COD, left and right CODD, and V-cut (all p < 0.05). Conclusions Unilateral plyometric training appears to offer greater efficacy than bilateral training in enhancing both single-leg and double-leg jumping ability and promoting neuromuscular adaptations that improve COD performance in basketball players, aligning with principles of movement development.

Near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered pyroptosis based on biocompatible Pt(IV)-coordinated nanomedicine for tumor precision therapy is challenging. Here, we disclose a supramolecular approach to construct a hollow-spherical supra-(carbon dots) (HS-Pt-CDs) via ultrasound-assisted J-type assembly of Pt(IV)-coordinated carbon dots (Pt-CDs). The peculiar assembling behaviors arise from the steric hindrance and lattice distortion in the bowl-like Pt-CDs caused by the coordination of Pt(IV) atoms among the sp ² domains, which result in around 240 nm red-shifted absorption bands and promoting charge separation in the NIR region due to strong inter-molecular charge transfer (CT) in HS-Pt-CDs. The results reveal that HS-Pt-CDs exhibit excellent NIR light-activated photocatalytic capacities, involving the release of Pt(II) species, the generation of hydroxyl radicals, and acidification under 690 nm laser irradiation. Combined with the effective cellular uptake and tumor accumulation, HS-Pt-CDs can efficiently trigger cancer cell pyroptosis under 690 nm laser irradiation, resulting in the destruction of the primary tumor and effectively induction of strong immunogenic cell death (ICD), thereby evoking anti-tumor immune responses to suppress distant tumor and prevent cancer metastasis. Taken these merits, an important perspective of Pt(IV)-contained supra-CDs with outstanding NIR-triggered photocatalytic behaviors can be of great significance toward precision tumor phototherapy.