New Journal Launch: Energy & Environment Nexus (EEN) We are thrilled to announce the launch of Energy & Environment Nexus, a open-access journal dedicated to the critical interplay between energy systems and environmental sustainability.  Featuring transdisciplinary research, #AI, and policy insights.

This is a correspondence and no abstract is available

A new global study has identified striking inequalities in disability caused by COVID-19 during 2020–2021, offering an early warning signal for the ongoing risk of long COVID in the years that followed — and even today. By examining across 920 locations worldwide, researchers found that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, showed disproportionately high rates of nonfatal COVID-related health loss. These findings highlight potentially hidden vulnerabilities and call for urgent action to address long-term pandemic effects in underserved populations.

Maritime transportation is responsible for nearly 90% of global overseas trade. Modern shipboard power systems integrate inverter-based resources (IBRs) to increase the reliability and security of energy supplies. Led by Prof. Fei Feng of State University of New York Maritime College and Prof. Peng Zhang of Stony Brook University, USA, a research team has developed a generalized power flow approach for future shipboard microgrids. Their method incorporates advanced grid forming controls into power flow algorithms, enabling shipboard microgrids considering power sharing and voltage regulation effects under complex ocean-going conditions.

Within-host evolution is often associated with the emergence of novel antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Intra-host diversity of monoclonal Klebsiella pneumoniae during infections and colonization was revealed. However, the intra-host population structures and their evolution are less well characterized. Professor Qu’s group collected nine K. pneumoniae isolates from a patient enduring a challenging-to-treat K. pneumoniae persistent infection. Genomic analysis revealed that this case was infected by ST (sequence type) 101 and the hypervirulent and initially carbapenem-resistant ST11, both of which persisted for two months. Notably, ST11 underwent rapid evolution and diverged into two subpopulations, as verified by antibiotic susceptibility, growth, and pathogenic testing. The transition of these two subpopulations explained the clinical susceptibility changes. This study underscores the importance of viewing bacterial infections as populations, and highlights the necessity for therapeutic strategies, such as combination antibiotics, which may induce a catastrophic response toward cure.

Thermal-sprayed nanostructured ceramic coatings have demonstrated considerable potential for surface protection applications. Nevertheless, regulation of their microstructure and mechanical properties remains challenging owing to the persistent dependence on reconstituted feedstocks. The advancement of novel feedstock preparation technologies for thermal-sprayed coatings assumes utmost significance. In response, a novel nano-eutectic Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ powder was prepared using a unique combustion synthesis-air atomization (CS-AA) process, which was employed in atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) to fabricate a nanostructured coating for wear protection.

Current international guidelines encourage cancer patients to engage in physical activity and recommend mind-body therapies (MBTs) as a method for treating cancer-related pain (CRP). However, the most effective MBTs for improving CRP in this population remain unknown. Therefore, this network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to assess and rank the relative efficacy of different MBTs for CRP, and to conduct subgroup analyses according to different cancer types and stages of treatment.

A new study has identified three distinct molecular subtypes of follicular lymphoma (FL), offering insights that may shape future precision diagnostics and personalized treatment plans for patients across Asia and the West.

The research was jointly conducted by scientists at BGI Genomics' Institute of Intelligent Medical Research (IIMR) and Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, published in Cell Reports Medicine early August.

Polygonal optical vortices uniquely enable numerous applications due to the new degrees of freedom and their customizable light intensity structure. Previous demonstrations have been limited to continuous-wave regimes. In order to generate femtosecond polygonal optical vortices (FPOVs), scientists in China invented a mode locked solid-state Yb:KGW oscillator with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror working at quasi-frequency-degenerate state to deliver the square, pentagonal, and hexagonal shapes FPOVs.

Nucleic acid aptamers have attained significant prominence in diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical research owing to their affinity towards multiple molecular targets. Researchers have delved into the realm of aptamer research and their potential clinical applications, encompassing their prospects for treating a diverse array of orthopedic diseases. Although they can serve as an efficient and safe means for therapeutic delivery, further investigations regarding aptamer screening and production cost reduction are requisite.