The question of whether narcissists are more creative than peers has attracted much scholarly attention in both psychology and organizational management sciences. Drawing from social cognitive theory, we theorized that the relationship between narcissism and creativity could be explained by individual creative self-efficacy, which depends on one's direct and vicarious experiences of creativity. Drawing from trait activation theory, we further proposed organizational valuing of creativity as a key contextual moderator that determines whether narcissism facilitates or inhibits creative self-efficacy and, in turn, creativity. We suggest that high organizational valuing of creativity will energize narcissists to put their attention and effort into both direct and vicarious experiences of creativity, enhancing their creative self-efficacy and creativity. We tested our conceptual model through a field study with data collected from 269 full-time employees working in 86 work teams. The empirical results provided support for the social cognitive explanation for the positive relationship between narcissism and creativity in the context of high organizational valuing of creativity. Our study not only resolved prior debates on the relationship between narcissism and creativity but also provided direct empirical support for social cognitive theory and the person-in-context interactionist perspective of creativity research.

The ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and significantly impacts the world economy and daily life. Symptoms of COVID-19 range from asymptomatic to fever, dyspnoea, acute respiratory distress and multiple organ failure. Critical cases often occur in the elderly and patients with pre-existing conditions. By binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, SARS-CoV-2 can enter and replicate in the host cell, exerting a cytotoxic effect and causing local and systemic inflammation. Currently, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19, and immunotherapy has consistently attracted attention because of its essential role in boosting host immunity to the virus and reducing overwhelming inflammation. In this review, we summarise the immunopathogenic features of COVID-19 and highlight recent advances in immunotherapy to illuminate ideas for the development of new potential therapies.

The time to positivity (TTP) of blood cultures has been considered a predictor of clinical outcomes for bacteremia. This retrospective study aimed to determine the clinical value of TTP for the prognostic assessment of patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia. A total of 167 adult patients with E.coli bacteremia identified over a 22-month period in a 3500-bed university teaching hospital in China were studied. The standard cut-off TTP was 11 h in the patient cohort. The septic shock occurred in 27.9% of patients with early TTP (⩽11 h) and in 7.1% of those with a prolonged TTP (>11 h) (P = 0.003). The mortality rate was significantly higher for patients in the early than in the late group (17.7% vs. 4.0%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that an early TTP (OR 4.50, 95% CI 1.70–11.93), intensive care unit admission (OR 8.39, 95% CI 2.01–35.14) and neutropenia (OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.55–11.40) were independently associated with septic shock. Likewise, the independent risk factors for mortality of patients were an early TTP (OR 3.80, 95% CI 1.04–12.90), intensive care unit admission (OR 6.45; 95% CI 1.14–36.53), a Pittsburgh bacteremia score ⩾2 (OR 4.34, 95% CI 1.22–15.47) and a Charlson Comorbidity Index ⩾3 (OR 11.29, 95% CI 2.81–45.39). Overall, a TTP for blood cultures within 11 h appears to be associated with worse outcomes for patients with E.coli bacteremia.

Since the first report of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the outbreak of the disease has been continuously evolving. Until March 17, 2020, 185, 178 cases had been confirmed, including 81,134 cases in China and 104,044 cases outside of China. In this comment, we report the unexpected beneficial effect of a deployable rapid-assembly shelter hospital on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We describe the shelter hospital maintenance, treatment mode and primary treatment methods, which will provide a valuable experience in dealing with public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, for other countries and areas.

Compared with traditional stainless steels, high nitrogen stainless steels (HNSS), have been widely used due to their high strength, toughness along with excellent corrosion resistance and low cost, formed by partial replacement of Ni (austenite-forming element) by N. The evolution of the microstructure of a Cr19Mn19Mo2N0.7 stainless steel is investigated after solution treatment at 1010, 1060, 1200 or 1250°C for 30min. A complex multilayer structure has been found under a negative pressure vacuum. A white ferritic layer at the surface is formed, and a subsurface layer with full austenitic structure and a bulk microstructure comprising of austenite and ferrite are detected. With increasing solution temperature, the surface layer thickness increases. The formation of the multilayer structure is attributed to an outward diffusion, a diffusive retardation and an abnormal accumulation of nitrogen during solution treatment.

For a multiplier Hopf algebra pairing 〈A,B〉, we construct a class of group-cograded multiplier Hopf algebras D(A,B), generalizing the classical construction of finite dimensional Hopf algebras introduced by Panaite and Staic Mihai [Isr. J. Math. 158 (2007), 349–365]. Furthermore, if the multiplier Hopf algebra pairing admits a canonical multiplier in M(B⊗A) we show the existence of quasitriangular structure on D(A,B). As an application, some special cases and examples are provided.

This study was designed to explore the association between undernutrition in the growth period and cardiovascular risk factors in a middle-aged Chinese population. A total of 1756 subjects, aged 45–60 years, were invited to participate in the Hefei Nutrition and Health Study and divided into three groups according to their self-reported animal food intake in the growth period. Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 were defined as undernutrition, nutritional improvement and the good nutrition group, respectively. In the three groups, the subjects in Groups 1 and 2 had more oil and salt intake (P<0.001), and less eggs and milk intake (P<0.001), when compared with the subjects in Group 3. After adjusting for age, education, smoking status and other confounding factors, it was found that male participants who experienced nutritional improvement before age 18 had higher risk of hypertension [odds ratio (OR)=1.68; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.05, 2.69] than those with good nutrition, and female participants with undernutrition (OR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.29) and nutritional improvement (OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.69) before age 18 had a higher risk of hypertension than those with good nutrition. For diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, our results did not found difference among the three groups both in male and female. Our findings indicated that nutritional deficiency in childhood was associated with bad dietary behaviors and a significantly increased risk of hypertension in middle age. Therefore, early adequate nutrition is very important for the prevention of non-communicable diseases later.

In the new generation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), dual-frequency constant envelope multiplexing is widely desired and is becoming an important subject in signal design. Considerable work has been devoted to multiplexing for the Alternative Binary Offset Carrier (AltBOC)-like signal model, for which each sideband consists of two or fewer signal components. In this paper, a phase-aligned dual-frequency constant envelope multiplexing technique is proposed for a general dual-frequency signal model. This multiplexing technique can be used to combine two constant-envelope-modulated signals in two sidebands into a composite signal with a constant envelope, where the constant-envelope-modulated signal in each sideband consists of an arbitrary number of signal components with an arbitrary power ratio and phase relationship among the signal components. A Lookup Table (LUT)-based signal generation method is also proposed, for which the required driving clock rate of the signal generator can be flexibly adjusted to meet the requirements of the satellite payload. Applications for the AltBOC-like signal model and a general dual-frequency signal model in the Beidou B1 band validate the flexibility and high multiplexing efficiency of our method. Specifically, AltBOC is a special case of the proposed method.

The Palaeolithic sequence of East Asia differs from that of western Eurasia in that it is characterised by core-and-flake tools. Blade industries only appear late in the sequence, long after the first appearance of modern humans; bone tools and personal ornaments may therefore function as a better marker of modern human presence. Longquan Cave provides vital new evidence to this effect, with dated hearths indicating an initial occupation around 40 kya cal BP, followed by a second period of activity around 35–31 kya cal BP. They are associated with a polished bone awl and a structured division of settlement space, features typically associated with modern humans.

Alternative Binary Offset Carrier (AltBOC) modulation signal has the constraint of an equal power allocation scheme. Thus, it is not flexible enough to meet different requirements. To solve this problem, we propose a General AltBOC (GAltBOC) modulation. The proposed technique can achieve the same function as AltBOC. Meanwhile, its power allocation ratio can be adjusted when required. The detailed derivation of the GAltBOC modulation is presented, and three representative cases as well as the signal properties are discussed. To further improve the combination efficiency, we develop the Interlacing GAltBOC (IGAltBOC) modulation based on the GAltBOC modulation. The Power Spectrum Density (PSD) and correlation functions of the proposed signals are verified by simulation. The code tracking error and implementation complexities are analysed and compared with existing methods. Results show the proposed signals indeed enhance the flexibility of power allocation ratio with the same level code tracking accuracy. Compared with AltBOC modulation, the proposed signal can reach a higher combination efficiency at the expense of relatively higher implementation complexity. Compared with Asymmetric Constant Envelope Double-sideband (ACED) modulation, the proposed signals have significantly lower complexity of signal generation, which is helpful in simplifying the signal generation in the payload transmitter.

Surface properties affect the attachment of micro- and macroscopic marine organisms. The current study examined the settlement response of the mussel Mytilus coruscus plantigrades to natural biofilms formed on surfaces of different wettability. The percentages of plantigrade settlement were not influenced by the biofilms formed on variously wettable surfaces in the short term, but after 10 days, the plantigrade settlement rates decreased on biofilms formed on lower wettability surfaces. In general, lower wettability of the surfaces resulted in the decrease of the dry weight, bacterial and diatom density and the thickness of natural biofilms when compared to high wettability surfaces. In contrast, chlorophyll-a concentration in biofilms was independent of the initial wettability of the surfaces. Comparative cluster analysis of bacterial denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis patterns revealed that high variability existed between the bacterial community on high wettability surfaces and that on low wettability surfaces. Thus, surface wettability affects the formation of natural biofilms, and this variation in biofilms developed on different wettability surfaces may explain the discrepancy in their corresponding inducing activities on M. coruscus plantigrade settlement. This finding provides new insight into interactions between mussel settlement, biofilm characteristics and surface properties.

Flexible surface acoustic wave (SAW) based temperature and humidity sensors were fabricated and characterized. ZnO piezoelectric films were deposited on polyimide substrates by DC magnetron sputtering. ZnO films possess (0002) crystal orientation with large grain sizes of 50∼70 nm. SAW devices showed two wave modes, namely the Rayleigh and Lamb modes, with the frequencies at fR ∼132MHz and fL∼427MHz respectively for a wavelength of 12 μm device. The two resonant frequencies have a temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of −423ppm/K and −258ppm/K for the Rayleigh and Lamb waves, respectively. The SAW sensors exhibited a good repeatability in responding to cyclic change of humidity. The responses of the sensors increase with the increase in humidity, and the sensitivity increases with the decrease in wavelength. A high sensitivity of 34.7 kHz/10%RH has been obtained from a SAW device without any surface treatment, demonstrated that the flexible SAW humidity sensors are very promising for application in flexible sensors and microsystems.

We consider approximation of multivariate functions in Sobolev spaces by high order Parzen windows in a non-uniform sampling setting. Sampling points are neither i.i.d. nor regular, but are noised from regular grids by non-uniform shifts of a probability density function. Sample function values at sampling points are drawn according to probability measures with expected values being values of the approximated function. The approximation orders are estimated by means of regularity of the approximated function, the density function, and the order of the Parzen windows, under suitable choices of the scaling parameter.

The dense granule antigen 4 (GRA4) is known as an immundominant antigen of Toxoplasma gondii and, therefore, is considered as a vaccine candidate. For further evaluation of its vaccine effect, a recombinant plasmid and vaccinia virus, both expressing GRA4, were constructed, and a heterologous prime-boost vaccination regime was performed in a mouse model. The mice immunized with the heterologous prime-boost vaccination regime showed a high level of specific antibody response against GRA4 and a significantly high level of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production and survived completely against a subsequent challenge infection with a lethal dose of T. gondii. In addition, the formation of cysts was inhibited in the mice vaccinated with the heterologous prime-boost vaccination regime. These results demonstrate that the heterologous prime-boost vaccination regime using DNA and a vaccinia virus, both expressing GRA4, could induce both humoral and cellular immune responses and provide effective protection against lethal acute and chronic T. gondii infections in mice.