is the recipient of the 2025 Byler Distinguished Faculty Award at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) The Byler Award is considered the highest university recognition for faculty members It is presented each spring in honor of its namesake author and teacher who graduated from UCM in 1927 with a major in chemistry and physics He established an endowment fund to provide annual recognition for distinguished faculty performance scholarly or creative activity and professional-related service “It’s a joy for us to be able to recognize Dr Yao today for his many accomplishments but also his service to the University of Central Missouri and to his students,” UCM President Roger Best said during a reception Monday “One of the benefits of this position is that I have the pleasure of hearing regularly how great our faculty are from our students and alumni Yao over the years and his great teaching and his support for students Yao and what he means to us on a personal level and to this institution.” Colleagues at UCM said Yao exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding educator He joined UCM in 2003 as an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction ascending the ranks to associate professor in 2008 and professor in 2013 He is currently a professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Literacy coordinator of the Master of Arts in Teaching and coordinator of the Master of Science in Education His journey as an educator is characterized by continuous growth and a commitment to refining his teaching practices Yao has spent time observing middle and high school classrooms to enhance his understanding of assessment strategies He has also continued attending workshops and earning certifications to further his learning Yao’s ongoing efforts have contributed to a positive student learning experience His commitment to education includes his own scholarly achievements including a strong record of publications in reputable educational journals and books with a focus on educational assessment and teacher education Yao has also contributed to the academic publishing community through peer review and editorial roles He has also presented extensively at national regional and international conferences and has been involved in several professional organizations Yao has played a role in serving UCM beyond his role as a professor he has served on Faculty Senate committees as both a member and a co-chair he has been deeply involved in strategic initiatives He served as chair of the College of Education Tenure and Promotion Committee twice and as president of the Faculty Assembly He has led curriculum development at the department level and coordinated assessment efforts for a decade Yao has received numerous awards while at UCM including the Distinguished Faculty Award for the College of Education in 2017-18 and the Governor’s Excellence in Education Award in 2018-19 “Receiving the Byler Distinguished Faculty Award feels less like an individual honor and more like a collective milestone wisdom and trust of so many here today,” Yao said at the reception “It is a privilege to be part of a community that takes as much pride in one another’s light as in its own and to be recognized with this award is a humbling reminder of the excellence that we strive for together Thank you for letting me be part of this exceptional academic family.” Colleagues who wrote in support of Yao’s nomination said he is a remarkable force for leadership problem-solving and community building through his service College of Education faculty members see Yao as a true leader and an excellent research partner He frequently collaborates closely with other faculty members including established professionals and newer educators which helps them develop as quality scholars in their own right students have also praised Yao’s passion and dedication Courses on research and assessment can seem daunting relevance and structure into his classes to encourage student confidence students noted their professor had high standards and expectations Numerous students said Yao was always available to answer questions or offer support and more than one mentioned his willingness to assist them over the weekend Yao earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and his Graduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics and Teaching Methodology Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Yao will be recognized and offer brief remarks during the graduate commencement ceremony at 10 a.m He was also recognized during the UCM Board of Governors meeting on April 24 and will deliver the keynote address at Freshman Convocation on Aug Yao will be recognized and offer brief remarks during the graduate commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. May 10 in the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center.\nRead More Ivy Green which is where Helen Keller later lived with her teacher Anne Sullivan Between the two buildings is the well where Keller made her breakthrough in communicating with Sullivan - Location: Washington\r\n- Recreational visits in 2021: 17,855 The top of Desolation Peak provides beautiful views of the North Cascades range which contains one-third of all the glaciers on the mainland United States within its 789 square miles The peak offers literature fans an added thrill as writer Jack Kerouac spent a summer inside the fire tower at the top while serving as a fire lookout Summer is the best time to visit the park since snow closes down many of the access roads from October through June Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) technologies and translating PAT advances into diagnostic and therapeutic applications especially in functional brain imaging and early cancer theranostics Our mission at PI-Lab is to develop state-of-the-art photoacoustic tomography (PAT) technologies and translate PAT advances into diagnostic and therapeutic applications PAT is the most sensitive modality for imaging rich optical absorption contrast over a wide range of spatial scales at high speed and is one of the fastest growing biomedical imaging technologies Using numerous endogenous and exogenous contrasts PAT can provide high-resolution images at scales covering organelles we develop PAT technologies with novel and advanced imaging performance We are interested with all aspects of PAT technology innovations we are devoted to serve the broad life science and medical communities with matching PAT systems for various research and clinical needs and inherent functional and molecular imaging capabilities PAT is well suited for a variety of pre-clinical applications especially for studying tumor angiogenesis and brain disorders; it is also a promising tool for clinical applications in procedures such as cancer screening Our spring 2025 issue focuses on innovation building a learning culture collaborating on climate initiatives The global technology company shifts from developing products to offering services for AI implementation chief operating officer and head of strategy for Lenovo’s Strategy and Services Group and vice president of hybrid cloud and AI solutions and AI podcast to explain the organization’s transition from technology product company to managed services provider It’s now helping organizations with the change management required to implement AI in the enterprise as well as the four pillars of AI readiness that Lenovo guides its clients to achieve for Linda’s perspective on the role of human connection in what she calls the era of inference a time when we should focus on the implementation of maturing AI tools Linda Yao serves as vice president of hybrid cloud and AI solutions at Lenovo Yao recently also took on the role of chief operating officer and head of Lenovo’s Strategy and Services Group and established the company’s AI Center of Excellence she incubated a data science practice in the U.S and oversaw investments for one of the largest corporate retirement plans in the world She earned her finance chops at IBM in New York and Shanghai Yao earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University and an engineering certificate from MIT Presidential Scholars Foundation and the YoungArts If you’re enjoying the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn. Join the AI for Leaders group today Subscribe to Me, Myself, and AI on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Shervin Khodabandeh: Stay tuned after today’s episode to hear Sam and I break down the key points made by our guest What are the four areas that companies need to prioritize for AI readiness a podcast on artificial intelligence in business we introduce you to someone innovating with AI I’m also the AI and business strategy guest editor at MIT Sloan Management Review Shervin Khodabandeh: And I’m Shervin Khodabandeh senior partner with BCG and one of the leaders of our AI business MIT SMR and BCG have been researching and publishing on AI since 2017 interviewing hundreds of practitioners and surveying thousands of companies on what it takes to build and to deploy and scale AI capabilities and really transform the way organizations operate Shervin and I are talking with Linda Yao from Lenovo Linda is the vice president of AI solutions and services as well as the chief operating officer and head of strategy for [Lenovo’s] Solutions and Services Group For our listeners who are not familiar with Lenovo the IBM PC division and then decided to diversify our technology business We acquired the x86 data center infrastructure business from IBM We acquired the Motorola phones business from Google after they had bought Motorola The latest journey that we’ve been on the past three to five years has been all about service-led transformation Lenovo just launched — three and a half years ago — our Solutions and Services Group which is all around moving up the stack and answering the demand from our customers to help them not just with their hardware technology needs but also with their software Sam Ransbotham: So I’m guessing artificial intelligence ends up being a big part of those solutions and services but this has been the third wave of AI to hit the enterprise since I’ve been working in technology The first wave about 20 years ago was when big data really began finding itself in enterprise commercialized applications Then we fast-forward 10 years to about a decade ago and that was around the time when AWS [Amazon Web Services] really made computing more accessible and democratized every enterprise was looking at setting up its own machine learning team Every university was trying to launch a data science master’s program That was where I really saw these types of data science and AI applications hit the workforce and use this technology to make our workflows more efficient and generate more and more of those business results so what really excites me about the past couple of years is the fact that generative AI [GenAI] has captured the imagination the majority of AI applications that we work on today are not necessarily generative but what ChatGPT did a couple of years ago was really put AI at the fingertips of every consumer and really put it into the mental model of every C-suite member so it’s become a little bit of the rising tide that raises all of our boats when it comes to technology adoption I’m very excited and proud to be launching the AI solutions practice Shervin Khodabandeh: Tell us more about that Linda Yao: We really have embraced AI from an enterprise and consumer perspective in a couple of different ways The first is by embedding AI into all of our existing offerings I will give you an example: We provide digital workplace solutions We help our customers and their enterprises and organizations provide support around end user devices What we’ve been able to do now with generative AI is to hyper-personalize If you would have asked me five years ago to tailor a company’s IT support desk to help specific employee profiles even down to the individual user patterns on their device but could I have done it in a cost-effective way Because I would have had to hire a bunch of analysts and some delivery hub somewhere to really analyze and go through the data of every user’s patterns What we’ve launched now with this AI solutions practice is a set of services — advisory and managed services — to help companies also adopt AI That includes the change management services to help companies really assess whether their people are ready all the way to technology integration and implementation services to ensure that you have the right GPU access and configurations Sam Ransbotham: You’ve got a recent study that … is talking about how challenging CIOs are finding handling this current wave of artificial intelligence intention You pointed out that it’s brought a lot of attention but with that comes some difficulties for the C-suite I think one of the statistics that caught my eye you said something about 96% of CIOs anticipate increasing budget but 40-something percent found that people were struggling to see ROI from AI investments or didn’t expect it for two or three years Why are people putting that money in if they’re not getting ROI and you’re referring to our survey that we did for CIOs and IT decision makers across many markets not limited to any particular geographic location But what we found is similar statistics across each of these markets Every CIO has some impetus to want to embrace this technology and really put it to work in the enterprise Fewer than half of them see quick ROI or see ROI on the horizon or see ROI that’s in a very achievable We identify three necessary items that CIOs are looking for Speed means that we have a set of offerings that we call the AI Fast Start whether it is an enterprise AI problem or an end user AI problem we can help a customer to spin up a proof of concept and a proof of value so that they can use this to demonstrate to their stakeholders why [they should] continue the experiment or why to launch into production or why to deploy at scale we have a good sense of what works and what works less well in an enterprise setting And we have curated a lot of those best practices by domain when you get beneath the use case to actually make it run and to make it run at scale Sam Ransbotham: One of the things that I think is interesting here is that with everybody paying so much attention to artificial intelligence one of the things that your study mentioned was the risk of AI washing I don’t think we’ve talked about AI washing much yet on this show and this seems like a great opportunity to mention that AI is everything,” there’s a tendency to put a sticker on every solution and call it “new and improved there’s not quite as much artificial intelligence under there as you might expect AI washing is a little bit inspired by the word greenwashing where a lot of companies might attribute a lot of activities to being more environmentally sustainable or heading toward their ESG [environmental and governance] goals and maybe get a little bit carried away or maybe a little bit exaggerated in the sense that everyone is so excited to embrace AI And there’s quite a level of FOMO [fear of missing out] as well We want to show that we’re making progress We want to show that as AI and GenAI have hit the public mindset that we as enterprises are also using it to improve our businesses sometimes what happens is that a lot of things and a lot of solutions might get branded as AI it might start from a kernel of truth but might not be the whole truth I think it’s just because everyone’s so excited but not everyone has come up to speed yet on the latest technology what it can actually do and what AI can’t do We have found that the best defense against AI washing is really just to look at the facts And when we look at the results that we’ve actually achieved with AI we are able to really dissect that solution down to: What are the algorithms What is the computational metric that we used to measure this ROI And what types of applications and what types of business scenarios do we use it in I’ll give you a couple of examples of our own early adopters of GenAI our chief marketing officer and our chief legal officer were two of the first big functions who saw GenAI as a way to capture a lot of the lower-hanging fruit in terms of their automation needs What we were able to do for our chief marketing officer was to create an AI-powered content generation platform that is now able to create tailored content for our … product brochures feature fact sets — create all of that in a way that has now saved them 90% on third-party agency costs That is the type of result that doesn’t lie That is how we know that this is not an AI wash Shervin Khodabandeh: I just want to maybe riff on this a little bit because you mentioned the three unlocks to ROI: speed tech-focused because you’re talking to the CIO The part that I’ve seen a lot of AI programs fail on the ROI side is … they can’t even get off the ground without those three things that you said Because you’re going to build stuff that’s not going to run or not going to run at scale or the data is going to be all over the place so all of that is just a completely necessary condition But then so many proofs of concepts just sort of sit on the shelf because [of] the organizational aspect of the change that’s required and people doing things differently You mentioned the marketing example for Lenovo which was quite successful from what you’re describing But there you’re inside the company and so you’re getting to affect how marketers and brand and creative people are doing things How do you traverse the gap between the tech side and the actual usage or as Linda Yao: I really think that a large part of it is the people element Our methodology is really centered on four pillars of readiness So those four pillars of readiness are security and data but what we’ve noticed is exactly your point when we look at the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the first hurdle that these stakeholders have to overcome is all around security and data “How is AI and GenAI going to impact my security posture Once we get past that point of what I would call risk management the next thing they want to know is if their people are ready change management and AI adoption and training [are] a huge aspect of it A lot of what we do in this people readiness assessment is also help a company understand which of [its] departments are most ready to embrace AI which job tasks in that department might be more likely to embrace AI and then be a positive feedback loop and a beacon for the rest of the organization We find that one of the biggest barriers to scaling AI if the AI is meant to augment their tasks or to replace some of their tasks and data [are] still by far the biggest barrier for CIOs [They are] the majority of what they see when it comes to inhibitors to scaling AI they all make sense to me and they resonate The idea of security and people and tech and processes make sense but there’s something about them that does not feel very AI specific That feels like the same sorts of things we’ve had with IT implementations for years and years but is there anything different about artificial intelligence with this process that differs from the prior generations because when we develop these four pillars of AI readiness it’s actually the same areas and the same categories we looked at for our digital transformation that has been occurring for decades and [is] not limited to AI and certainly not limited to GenAI I think what GenAI though has really brought to the forefront is more focus on each of these pillars in a different way the security question: It is so much more prevalent now just because of the sheer amount of data that AI requires and the amount of data that AI now generates what types of barriers we put around the usage of that data and around the newly generated data that becomes hyper-important so you have some longitudinal perspective here as well Do you see in the data since the advent of generative AI that CIOs and companies have a better sense of where they’re going with AI or a worse sense of where they were going with AI The reason I’m asking is there was a time where [we] would ask thousands of folks that we surveyed “Do you have an AI strategy?” And back in 2017 and 2018 and they were investing in [it] and they were getting some results what we saw in the data was a smaller percentage would say how does it affect the CIO’s outlook from where you’re sitting in the future in terms of how well articulated the vision and the plan and the direction [are] Linda Yao: That’s such an interesting question AI strategy is a topic where the level of precision and certainty that we might see in some other ways of technology adoption is not necessarily there I mentioned the couple of waves of AI adoption in the enterprise that I’ve experienced even in my career it was not every department that had the ability to generate and curate so much data to be the fuel for AI not every organization had the skill set necessary to be developing data science algorithms to be implementing machine learning engineering applications have really been lowered — in terms of the types of AI we can experiment with the types of AI and data that we can create ourselves But I do think that one huge weapon in the arsenal of these C-suite members is that AI is now so accessible We can each now become more and more educated on AI ourselves we have a segment here that we call five questions and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind Shervin Khodabandeh: What do you see as the biggest opportunity with AI right now Linda Yao: I think that one of the biggest opportunities I see with AI right now is how we are now moving from the era of training to the era of inference What I mean by that is we have spent a lot of time and a lot of investment now honing the tools honing the platforms to really harness all this power of artificial intelligence I think we’re going to see a real renaissance and resurgence around how do we actually put that to use And how is that going to make a real difference for you and me Shervin Khodabandeh: What is the biggest misconception with AI Linda Yao: I think one of the biggest misconceptions is this trepidation about AI coming for our jobs and I like to believe in a world where we cannot just coexist but actually wield AI to make ourselves better and to make society and industry better that somehow we as humans will lack the ability and somehow be overcome by this AI that we create I think we just have to go about it responsibly and intelligently Shervin Khodabandeh: What was the first career you wanted Linda Yao: I wanted to be an airplane pilot and that’s actually one of the reasons that led me to my previous employer and I was able to work on the flight line for the F-18s and it was one of the highlights of my career there there are a lot of applications now that really enforce the human in the loop And I think the human in the loop is a way to bring in another guardrail that really focuses on keeping AI within the bounds of where it’s meant to be I don’t want to make that sound too sinister the AI is a naughty creature that’s always trying to get out but there are definitely use cases where AI is not the applicable technology In use cases where we don’t have the right data or enough data or an unbiased view of the data those are the use cases where AI is not going to work well because data is the fuel for AI And that’s where we have to really be careful Shervin Khodabandeh: What is the one thing you wish AI could do right now that it can’t for AI — I think it’s actually coming soon — I really wish that AI could become even more hyper-personalized [and] really help each of us as individuals not just make ourselves more productive at work but really make ourselves more fulsome and more engaged in our lives outside of work really closing the distance and some of those barriers I think that element of AI that helps us become better — I will say emotional-sensing perceptive people — is probably coming I see the advancements we’re making in AI feeling and sensing and perceiving more around us but getting past the AI that’s all around cold and getting to something that is a little more holistic That feels like a great way to end — thinking about how hyper-personalization can help us make connections with people and not with technology Sam Ransbotham: We just finished talking with Linda and a couple interesting points came out: the emphasis on the ROI and the difficulty but also the conversation went in a little different direction While we started off talking about organizations and technology we ended up talking about people and human connections Shervin Khodabandeh: It’s interesting Linda’s commenting on that because it is a fact that before generative AI and then they doubled down [on] those investments They got a pass in 2023 and 2024 in terms of showing returns particularly some of … this AI washing thing that she was talking about We’ve got to do it.” This notion of AI washing is similar to greenwashing so [it] totally makes sense that investments went in [and some achieved] great returns I think that’s also a real thing that they’re seeing from their lens you pointed out that this seems like a digital transformation kind of a thing I think that it’s got to be different because the patience isn’t there And I think a lot of it is in the feedback loops and the learning loops and trying faster and learning faster and changing the nature of work Sam Ransbotham: I think if I was sitting in a CIO suite and like you said This time will pay off.” How many times can we reach out and make that promise I think this is going to be a tough year: 2025 and 2026 are going to be tough years for companies was on this notion of AI as a way for us to be more human which is a little bit of doing a little bit of jujitsu on AI itself It’s not that far off with everything that multimodal can do with tone and language and context and all that it can be a coach and help us understand ourselves better understand the impacts that we have with our words and on other people it could remind us to pick up the phone and call the folks we haven’t called Sam Ransbotham: That feels like AI washing Shervin Khodabandeh: What do you think about that part of me wonders sometimes if we are searching so hard for there to be a human connection that we grasp at straws that there’s no reason to believe that AI use can only affect this part of our lives and not other parts of our lives It would be sort of naive to think that it would be limited in scope to just our workplace efficiency Shervin Khodabandeh: But I could see it can go in scary ways Sam Ransbotham: I do worry that it starts to feel [inauthentic] and [disingenuous] that but only because I’ve got a … red light showing in my monitor that my tone needs to improve when I’m talking to you You’re going to know that I’m only doing it to pass my content filter That seems like the technology is putting [up] a barrier Sam and I speak with Chandra Kapireddy from Truist Your streams and downloads make a big difference please consider leaving us an Apple Podcasts review or a rating on Spotify And share our show with others you think might find it interesting and helpful and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper You must sign in to post a comment.First time here? Sign up for a free account: Comment on articles and get access to many more articles Metrics details The exactly solvable spin-1/2 Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice has drawn significant interest as it offers a pathway to realizing the long-sought-after quantum spin liquid Yao and Lee introduced another exactly solvable model on an unusual star lattice featuring non-abelian spinons The additional pseudospin degrees of freedom in this model could provide greater stability against perturbations a mechanism to realize such an interaction in a standard honeycomb lattice remains unknown we provide a microscopic theory to obtain the Yao-Lee model on a honeycomb lattice by utilizing strong spin-orbit coupling of anions edge-shared between two eg ions in the exchange processes This mechanism leads to the desired bond-dependent interaction among spins rather than orbitals implying that the orbitals fractionalize into gapless Majorana fermions and fermionic octupolar excitations emerge Since the conventional Kugel-Khomskii interaction also appears using classical Monte Carlo simulations and exact diagonalization techniques Our findings reveal a broad region of disordered states that break rotational symmetry in the bond energy suggesting intriguing behavior reminiscent of a spin-orbital liquid Kitaev’s exactly solvable model21 is an exemplar of bond-frustration featuring competing spin-1/2 Ising interactions on the honeycomb lattice a Virtual hopping process of one hole (or electron) between adjacent M and A sites separated by the charge transfer gap Δpd Large SOC λ on the A site splits the p orbitals into j = 1/2 and j = 3/2 states and is responsible for generating an imaginary spin-dependent hopping Separation of the d orbital manifold into t2g and eg irreducible representations due to cubic crystal field splitting and filled t2g (not shown) are imposed Charge densities for the j = 1/2 Kramer’s doublet is shown alongside its label with the red and blue texture representing spin up and spin-down density Two of the j = 3/2 states are plotted alongside their label for jz = 1/2 (left) and jz = 3/2 (right) located at the center of each octahedral cage of A sites Orbitals are centered at the atomic sites; positive and negative lobes are encoded by orange and blue y (green) and z (blue) bonds are represented as transparent planes and are related by the honeycomb C3 symmetry Red lines represent a hole or electron hopping (∝ tpdσ) between M and A sites; together these paths provide an inter-orbital bridge via the ligand between sites Mi and Mj Only these two paths are shown for simplicity This raises the question of how to generate bond-dependent Kitaev interactions acting on either spins or orbitals while retaining the Heisenberg interaction for the other the origin of the Kitaev interaction lies in the orbitals which manifest as pseudospin bond-dependent interactions via SOC If we treat orbitals as a separate degree of freedom from spins the result is either the KK or compass model introducing the SOC required for Kitaev interactions entangles spin and orbital degrees of freedom eliminating the possibility of treating them separately as is necessary for generating the YL model and present a roadmap for generating a YL type interaction on the honeycomb lattice By leveraging the strong SOC of anions in the exchange process within an edge-sharing structure like the honeycomb lattice we find an exactly solvable YL-like spin-orbital model The key idea is that the spin-orbital model obtained through indirect exchange—via an intermediate anion with strong SOC—between neighboring eg ions includes the flavored-Kitaev interaction For the 90° edge sharing lattice such as the honeycomb interorbital hopping between eg orbitals is only allowed via the anion making this exchange process dominate over intraorbital direct exchange Utilizing classical Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and exact diagonalization (ED) we map the classical and quantum phase diagrams revealing a large disordered region that breaks rotational symmetry and encompasses an exactly solvable flavored-Kitaev spin-orbital liquid Our work offers a microscopic pathway to transition from the traditional KK limit to the bond-dependent flavored Kitaev limit in orbital-fluctuating Mott insulators surrounded by heavy ions forming a honeycomb lattice would serve as promising candidate materials We first recall how the KK model arises to make a comparison with the mechanism of the flavored-Kitaev interaction Consider one electron or hole in two degenerate orbitals at M sites leading to fluctuations between the two orbitals we introduce pseudospin-1/2 operators \({T}^{k}=\frac{1}{2}{\sigma }^{k}\) with k = x such that \(\left\vert a\right\rangle\) and \(\left\vert b\right\rangle\) are eigenstates of Tz with eigenvalues \({\pm}\!\frac{1}{2}\) intraorbital hopping of electrons between neighboring transition metal (M) sites Mi and Mj The SU(4) Kugel-Khomskii model is a classic example of frustration between degrees of freedom and is given by which enables bond-dependent spin interactions while allowing the other degrees of freedom to behave in a Heisenberg fashion After taking into account the SOC on the p-orbitals at A sites, we determine an effective nearest-neighbor hopping between eg ions by integrating out the ligand p-orbitals. Due to the symmetry imposed by the ideal octahedra and 90° bonding geometry, seen in Fig. 1 only hopping via σ-bonds (tpdσ) between d- and p-orbitals at M and A sites Assuming that tpdσ is much smaller than the charge-transfer gap Δpd the effective hopping between eg ions at the sites Mi and Mj on a z-bond though the anion p-orbitals is given by where \({t}_{{\rm{eff}}}=\scriptstyle\frac{{t}_{pd\sigma }^{2}}{4\sqrt{3}}\left(\scriptstyle\frac{1}{{\Delta }_{pd}-\frac{\lambda }{2}}-\frac{1}{{\Delta }_{pd}+\lambda }\right)\) and σ = ±1 for spin up and down respectively We emphasize that this hopping is only finite with SOC present on the A site which can be seen explicitly in the expression for teff where interference between different exchange paths results in an exact cancellation when λ = 0 If the M sites are well-separated such that the dominant exchange process is through the ligands a strong-coupling expansion yields the final form of the effective spin-orbital model where \(J\equiv \frac{8{t}_{{\rm{eff}}}^{2}}{U}\) The YL-like interaction with spin-1/2 having Kitaev type combined with a Heisenberg orbital interaction \(({S}_{i}^{\gamma }{S}_{j}^{\gamma }\otimes {{\bf{T}}}_{i}\cdot {{\bf{T}}}_{j})\) is uncovered Note that if we perform a two-site sub-lattice transformation on the orbital operators the first two terms of the orbital interactions are cast into Heisenberg form which we dub the flavored-Kitaev interaction. Note that the bond-dependent interaction acts on spins, not orbitals. While there is a negative sign in \({T}_{i}^{y}{T}_{j}^{y}\), the ground state is expected to be the same as the YL model. As demonstrated in the SI the energy spectra obtained via the ED for the YL model and the flavored-Kitaev model are identical up to the 10−6 decimal place where the factor of 2 difference originates from the eg wavefunctions Taking into account the direct intraorbital hopping process that leads to the KK interaction modifies the coefficients in front of (Si ⋅ Sj)(Ti ⋅ Tj) Note that the direct intraorbital hopping generated KK interaction Eq making the overall KK interaction strength weaker We introduce two parameters α and β to account for the exchange couplings J and Jkk We study the following model Hamiltonian for the γ = x z bond to understand the impact of other terms to the YL model: while the flavored-Kitaev (or YL) and KK limit correspond to α = β = 0 and α → ∞ Below we present the classical and quantum phase diagrams by tuning α and β to understand how the YL limit is connected to the KK limit followed by the MC and ED methods used to obtain the phase diagrams We use a thick blue line to emphasize the spin-disordered line along α = 0 and a red star to represent the classical YL model we identify two regions of intriguing phases and the spin-orbital (SO) correlator given by The green dot denotes the ground state of the effective model Heff corresponding to α = 1 and \(\beta =\frac{1}{4}\) NP1 and NP3 denote the NP phases in the quantum model that were distinguished by looking at bond-energy correlators shown in the inset Bonds with lower energy are denoted by dark blue lines The light blue line at α = 0 for large β denotes a region with no signatures of long-range spin or orbital order The exactly solvable point is denoted by a red star and exhibits a spin liquid ground state which extends to β ≈ 0.19 and is emphasized by a thick red line The lower energy bonds form a chain in NP1 implying that the relative difference between the two NP phases is independent of the ED cluster shape since no discontinuities in the ground state energy or its derivatives were observed This can be contrasted with the classical phase diagram where this line collapses into a single point suggesting the phase is stabilized by quantum fluctuations but it disappears as the system size increases The finite-size effects on the NP phases also warrant further investigation our Hamiltonian maps to the exactly solvable flavored-Kitaev model The bond-dependent Ising interaction appears on the spin and the orbital interaction is not the Heisenberg type \({T}_{i}^{x}{T}_{j}^{x}+{T}_{i}^{z}{T}_{j}^{z}-{T}_{i}^{y}{T}_{j}^{y}\) \({S}_{i}^{\alpha }=-\scriptstyle\frac{i}{4}{\epsilon }^{\alpha \beta \gamma }{c}_{i}^{\beta }{c}_{i}^{\gamma }\) and \({T}_{i}^{\alpha }=-\frac{i}{4}{\epsilon }^{\alpha \beta \gamma }{d}_{i}^{\beta }{d}_{i}^{\gamma }\) the model is then written as \({\mathcal{H}}=\frac{1}{8}{\sum }_{\langle ij\rangle }{\hat{u}}_{ij}(i{d}_{i}^{x}{d}_{j}^{x}+i{d}_{i}^{z}{d}_{j}^{z}-i{d}_{i}^{y}{d}_{j}^{y})\) where \({\hat{u}}_{ij}=-i{c}_{i}^{\gamma }{c}_{j}^{\gamma }\) This implies that it is the orbitals that fractionalize into gapless Majorana fermions in the background of the zero-flux sector composed of the c Majoranas Note that the eg orbitals transform like pseudospins while Ty carries an octupolar moment; \({T}_{x}=1/(2\sqrt{3}){Q}_{{x}^{2}-{y}^{2}}\,{T}_{y}=1/(3\sqrt{5}){O}_{xyz}\,{T}_{z}=1/(2\sqrt{3}){Q}_{3{z}^{2}-{y}^{2}}\) A complex fermion operator can then obtained by combining \({d}_{i}^{z}\) and \({d}_{i}^{x}\) Majorana fermions \({f}_{i,y}=({d}_{i}^{z}-i{d}_{i}^{x})/2\) implying fermionic octupolar excitations in the ground state There are many exciting avenues for future exploration One possible direction is to identify microscopic mechanisms to tune the system toward the exactly solvable point or to expand its stability in phase space exchange processes such as cyclic and two-hole exchanges which are beyond the scope of the current study will introduce additional symmetry-allowed interactions and may reduce some unwanted interactions the compass interaction on orbital degrees of freedom can be present the flavored-Kitaev spin-orbital liquid is protected by the Z2 flux gap inherent to the spin interaction with the Kitaev-type interaction as long as the orbital compass interaction is small the spin-orbital liquid is expected to be stable Investigating these interactions and their impacts on the flavored-Kitaev spin-orbital liquid’s stability window would be valuable the flavored Kitaev interaction is also allowed Exploring its interplay with the KK interaction in this candidate material presents an interesting direction for future research d7 compounds (such as Co2+) are another possibility while keeping the octahedra crystal field symmetry may be challenging We hope that our theory will inspire further studies on extended models and the search for flavored-Kitaev spin-orbital liquid candidates we present the first microscopic theory that links the extensively studied KK model to the exactly solvable YL-like limit We demonstrate that d9 ions (or d7 ions with sufficiently large cubic crystal field splitting leading to a low spin state) surrounded by heavy ligands with SOC coupling are positioned near large swaths of nematic phases that engulf an exactly solvable spin liquid point verified through both classical and quantum simulations Our work serves as a starting point for the search for materials that exhibit this new class of flavored-Kitaev spin-orbital liquid featuring fermionic octupolar excitations Given the limitations of the current methods—small size ED and classical Monte Carlo—employing other numerical techniques such as variational methods and density matrix renormalization group to explore the extended Kitaev-Yao-Lee model would be valuable for future studies The phase diagrams were computed using classical Monte Carlo simulations and exact diagonalization we considered a honeycomb bilayer with one lattice representing spin and another representing orbitals We determined the phase boundaries with both methods by identifying divergent behavior in ∂2EGS/∂α2 and ∂2EGS/∂β2 where EGS is the energy of the groundstate The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request The code used to generate the data used in this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request Resonating valence bonds: a new kind of insulator Colloquium: zoo of quantum-topological phases of matter Physics of the Kitaev model: fractionalization Concept and realization of Kitaev quantum spin liquids Orbital order and fluctuations in Mott insulators Mott insulators in the strong spin-orbit coupling limit: from Heisenberg to a quantum compass and Kitaev models Generic spin model for the honeycomb iridates beyond the Kitaev limit Correlated quantum phenomena in the strong spin-orbit regime Spin-orbit physics giving rise to novel phases in correlated systems: iridates and related materials Challenges in design of Kitaev materials: magnetic interactions from competing energy scales Materials design of Kitaev spin liquids beyond the Jackeli–Khaliullin mechanism Spin–orbit-entangled electronic phases in 4d and 5d transition-metal compounds Beyond Kitaev physics in spin-orbit coupled magnets Anyons in an exactly solved model and beyond Fault-tolerant quantum computation by anyons Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a honeycomb lattice: possible exotic phases in iridium oxides A2iro3 Pseudospin exchange interactions in d7 cobalt compounds: possible realization of the kitaev model Kitaev spin liquid in 3d transition metal compounds Non-Kitaev versus Kitaev honeycomb cobaltates and the spin quantum Hall effect from an exactly solvable spin-1/2 Kitaev model with su(2) symmetry and flat bands in exactly solvable spin-orbital liquids and crystalline phases in the Yao-lee model Fractionalized fermionic quantum criticality in spin-orbital mott insulators Microscopic models for Kitaev’s sixteenfold way of anyon theories Kitaev spin-orbital bilayers and their moiré superlattices Poliakov, V., Kao, W.-H. & Perkins, N. B. Topological transitions in the yao-lee spin-orbital model and effects of site disorder. https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.17359 (2024) Wu, Z., yun Zhang, J. & Yao, H. Exact deconfined gauge structures in the higher-spin Yao-Lee model: a quantum spin-orbital liquid with spin fractionalization and non-abelian anyons. https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.07261 (2024) The jahn-teller effect and magnetism: transition metal compounds Compass models: theory and physical motivations Orbital ordering of complex orbitals in doped mott insulators Orbital ordering in frustrated jahn-teller systems with 90° exchange Role of local geometry in the spin and orbital structure of transition metal compounds Spin-orbital quantum liquid on the honeycomb lattice Competing valence bond and symmetry-breaking mott states of spin- \(\frac{3}{2}\) fermions on a honeycomb lattice Emergent SU(4) symmetry in α—zrcl3 and crystalline spin-orbital liquids Su(4) Heisenberg model on the honeycomb lattice with exchange-frustrated perturbations: Implications for twistronics and mott insulators Twisting the dirac cones of the su(4) spin-orbital liquid on the honeycomb lattice Vörös, D. & Penc, K. The dynamical structure factor of the su(4) algebraic spin liquid on the honeycomb lattice. https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.16242 (2024) Microscopic mechanism for a higher-spin Kitaev model Hidden symmetries of the extended Kitaev-Heisenberg model: Implications for the honeycomb-lattice iridates A2IrO3 QuSpin: a Python package for dynamics and exact diagonalisation of quantum many body systems Magnetic field induced quantum phases in a tensor network study of Kitaev magnets Emergence of nematic paramagnet via quantum order-by-disorder and pseudo-goldstone modes in Kitaev magnets Spin nematics meet spin liquids: Exotic quantum phases in the spin-1 bilinear-biquadratic model with Kitaev interactions Quantum phase transition between spin liquid and spin nematics in spin-1 Kitaev honeycomb model Absence of Jahn–Teller transition in the hexagonal ba3cusb2o9 single crystal Optimal phase space sampling for Monte Carlo simulations of Heisenberg spin systems Large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional xy spin glass Honeycomb-lattice Heisenberg-Kitaev model in a magnetic field: spin canting Download references Tsvelik for introducing the Yao-Lee model and for their stimulating discussions This work is supported by the NSERC Discovery Grant No acknowledges support from the Canada Research Chairs Program and the Simons Emmy Noether fellowship of the Perimeter Institute supported by a grant from the Simons Foundation (1034867 Computations were performed on the Niagara supercomputer at the SciNet HPC Consortium SciNet is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation under the auspices of Compute Canada the Ontario Research Fund—Research Excellence and Monte Carlo calculations were performed by D.C The authors declare no financial or non-financial competing interests Kee serves as Associate Editor of this journal and had no role in the peer-review or decision to publish this manuscript Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00744-9 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science RADNOR — It wasn’t until her eighth grade year that Nyah Yao made a call that would change her high school years — and most likely beyond — quite considerably.  Though the Radnor middle schooler had been a swimmer growing up her father David playing it in his high school years out in California she asked her dad if she could join a fall basketball league and give hoops a shot Nyah Yao (above) is in her second year as a starter at Radnor So I came to play for school — and then going into high school I started really starting to train right after freshman year I might be able to make something of this.” the 5-foot-8 junior guard has become one of the best scorers in the Central League and a hot commodity amongst high-academic Division III coaches She kept her strong start to her season going on Tuesday night pouring in 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Raptors won their Central League opener Not bad for someone who only began taking the sport seriously in that fall of her eighth grade season Yao played sparingly as a freshman for Radnor under head coach Rob Baxter but moved into the starting lineup full-time as a sophomore where she instantly became a key part of the Raptors’ attack.  “I was always a big believer in let’s let the freshmen learn a little bit and get their feet wet and nowadays everybody just throws their freshmen in the mix,” Baxter said “I probably held her back a little bit too much but hopefully she doesn’t come up six points short of 1,000 and it’s on me because I didn’t play her as a freshman.” With three starters gone from last year’s 19-win squad which finished tied for third in the Central League with a 13-3 record there was already going to be a lot of extra responsibility on Yao’s shoulders coming into this year a Dartmouth lacrosse commit and the team’s other returning starter.  Most of Radnor’s basketball program plays another fall sport so the Raptors weren’t able to get too much action in the fall a mix of varsity and JV players on any given weekend but it wasn’t until right before the season began that the whole roster was finally able to take the court together.  it was so nice to be back together,” Yao said Going through plays is easier because you have people who know what they’re doing and it’s good to see everybody again Yao (above) is being recruited by a number of high-academic D-III programs Yao was coming off an important summer of her own Playing with her Philly Roots squad for the second summer in a row and in various camps around the area she’s caught the attention of a number of high-academic Division III programs from across the Northeast — she named locals Bryn Mawr and Haverford College Babson and other New England colleges.  Yao said she took two AP courses as a sophomore and is taking three as a junior She’s not sure yet what exactly she wants to do with her career “I just know I’m not a history kid figured that out pretty quick,” she said with a laugh “Depending on what I find interesting the next few years Yao scored 12 points in a season-opening win over Shanahan last week and then a team-high 16 in a win over West Chester East over the weekend bettering that by one point with an impressive showing against Harriton and though she ran into some stout opposition in the form of Rams’ senior forward Anna Chimento — the Ursinus commit racked up 16 points and six rebounds — Yao got a few tough buckets of her own and also earned five trips to the foul line She said she wants to continue working on her shooting and ball-handling areas where she feels she’s already made a significant improvement over the last 12 months.  “Her strength and confidence has really [improved],” Baxter said “She worked a lot in the weight room over the summer she’d ask the janitors to open the gym early in the morning before school Anna Reger (above) stuffed the stat sheet against Harriton was all over the court against Harriton with nine points chippined in eight points and four of her five rebounds on the offensive end.  It was neither team’s most efficient night from the floor but a couple third-quarter 3-pointers from Reger and Sadie Boulden helped open things up and good energy from senior Riley D’Entremont (seven rebounds “We’re at our best when we can spread the ball around a little bit and our first couple games we had three people in double figures,” Baxter said Radnor has a tough road ahead in the Central League with Conestoga and Garnet Valley expected to be the main competitors for the title Joe’s commit Rian Dotsey in the mix as well Despite several new faces in the rotation Yao doesn’t want people to forgot about Radnor “We lost a lot of starters from last year oh this team’s going to be good,” Yao said “Coming out and winning the first Central League game it almost made a statement to the rest of the league that we’re still there.” Yao was born in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley to Taiwanese parents and graduated in Anthropology from the University of California Yao staged at various restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles but had no formal culinary training when in 2016 he took over the small space his parents had leased in West LA Their intention had been to run a fast-casual takeout business a fine-dining restaurant with a high-end tasting menu Kato almost immediately garnered attention thanks to an Eater reviewer who came in just two days after the restaurant opened Yao based his cuisine largely on memories of his mother’s home cooking reinterpreted in line with his personal tastes he was recognized with a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef semifinalist nod Then in 2021—shortly before Kato moved to its current considerably grander premises in Downtown Los Angeles—Yao won the California Young Chef Award presented by the Michelin Guide in partnership with Sanpellegrino after a dog that Yao once wanted to adopt but never did Kato began life in 2016 as an intimate 27-seat restaurant in a strip mall in West LA before reopening in a considerably more spacious venue in Downtown Los Angeles at the start of 2022 The restaurant is known for Yao’s Southern California-influenced nostalgia-tinged take on Taiwanese cuisine are accompanied by an extensive wine list and innovative pairing options Kato was awarded its first Michelin star in 2019 and Yao is open about his ambition for the restaurant to earn a second in due course The original incarnation of the restaurant garnered the top spot in the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list in 2019 and the current version headed the list again in 2023 It also picked up the coveted One to Watch award from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 Kato’s cuisine is full of the Taiwanese and Chinese flavors of Yao’s childhood in the San Gabriel Valley where he was fortunate enough not only to have a mother who was a great cook but also to be surrounded by some of the US’s best Asian food But his creativity lies in taking familiar recipes and giving them his own spin sometimes assembling dishes from original combinations of ingredients or focusing on a single well-known ingredient and building an entirely new dish around it One classic Kato recipe that signaled a turning point for the restaurant is a Chinese-style steamed fish dish served with soy sauce and thin slivers of scallions This was a staple in Yao’s home growing up and its success with diners convinced him that revisiting the Taiwanese cuisine of his youth was the right direction for Kato Another popular favorite is his adaptation of traditional Taiwanese three cup chicken Learn more about the chef's restaurant(s) and add to your wishlist Yao also filed for divorce from Beasley in 2020 after he was seen cozying up to Larsa Pippen Xia Ru Chen Yao passed away in Mount Kisco on Wednesday 2025 in her 95 year surrounded by her loving family Family will honor Xia Ru's life at Pleasant Manor Funeral Home 2025 from 10:00 - 10:30 AM.  Xia Ru will be laid to rest in her family plot at The Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla Image: Tom Curtis / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Cindy Yao joined one of the country’s leading Asian food service product providers to lead it out of a difficult past and into a future that promises growth Although Cindy Yao spent the first two-thirds of her finance career working for companies known for their consumer products — Kodak Corning Incorporated and Bausch & Lomb — it was the manufacturing piece of each business that resonated with her the most Ready for a new challenge after Bausch & Lomb was acquired in 2013 Yao left her position as corporate treasurer and vice president to indulge her interest in manufacturing in a much bigger way by joining the Markel Food Group She was CFO and executive vice president of one of the country’s largest automated bakery equipment providers for 10 years Yao left Markel and joined HF Foods Group in May 2024 as CFO just before the SEC announced it had settled fraud charges involving the organization’s former CEO and CFO The company is a leading marketer and distributor of food and non-food products to primarily Asian restaurants and other food service customers throughout the U.S This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity CINDY YAO: I believe it was my leadership capability, broad experience with finance and accounting and team- and relationship-building skills. I have almost three decades of experience with both mature and highly structured companies as well as those that are more entrepreneurial. I’m also Asian, and because HF Foods is an Asian food service distributor, my cultural awareness and bilingual language ability made me a perfect fit. I wanted to join the company because of its potential. The management team had already started many transformational projects that included new KPIs and facility and fleet upgrades, and I wanted to be a part of that. YAO: My biggest challenge when I walk into any new situation is to try to understand the capabilities of the people on the finance team. In this case, I’m looking at that with our new leadership’s growth plans in mind. Do we have the right people? Where do we have gaps? I’m learning more about who we hired for a specific reason such as the Workday platform implementation, which people are the general talent that will help me sustain and grow the company, and what new blood we need to infuse into the business. YAO: When we hire people, we first have to look at our company’s personality, right? Our competitive advantage is our ability to foster deep and long-term relationships with a diverse customer and supplier base. That means relationships and collaboration are among our corporate culture pillars. So, when I hire people here, I want to make sure they not only have the technical ability but are also open-minded and willing to go above and beyond to help and collaborate so our customers are happy. That type of cultural fit is extremely important for us. YAO: I was asked to co-lead and co-sponsor the IPO process at Bausch & Lomb. Through this experience, I realized how finance is woven through every part of the company. Every fact, every story — all the information we put into the Form S-1 — is provided or validated by the finance people. Everything we do eventually falls on the three financial statements: income, balance sheet and cash flow. YAO: When I was younger, all I wanted was to be a ballerina. Or a journalist. However, I ultimately chose accounting for practical reasons and consider myself very fortunate because I soon discovered I love it. My experience in all areas of finance and accounting prepared me to be a well-rounded CFO, but I didn’t realize I was ready to be a CFO — and that I wanted the position — until I went through the IPO experience at Bausch & Lomb. That made it clear that my experience with every finance discipline would help me to be a good CFO. YAO: In recent years, the CFO has been given more and more responsibility. You certainly need to sharpen your pencil and acquire accounting, tax, treasury and technical knowledge. But most importantly, I think you need to intentionally and purposefully make sure you have certain leadership attributes. These include understanding that you can’t always lead with your head. You have to lead with your heart, too. Get the free daily newsletter with financial industry insights and practical advice for CFOs. A resource to help finance leaders track the state-by-state changes to CPA requirements. Monthly updates on interesting takes from CFOs on their company's earnings calls.  Keep up with the story. Subscribe to the CFO.com free daily newsletter Want to share a company announcement with your peers? The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines Prof. Bo Yao conducted the first in-situ ozone depleting substance (ODS) measurement in Asia and the first fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHG) in -situ measurement in China.  He is one of the leading scientists for JJJ Megacity Carbon Emission Project, establishing a comprehensive CO2 monitoring network in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. He developed Tianji ODS-Pro, a high precision monitoring system for F-gas and ODS, and established the joint monitoring network for F-GHG and ODS network of 9 stations in China. He has published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers. BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech women's golf head coach Carol Robertson announced Wednesday the signing of Yao Wang to her Class of 2025 will join the Hokies next summer.Yao Wang5-3Kuala Lumpur Malaysia … Daughter of Mei Yong Fei and Wenge Wang … Has one younger sibling Xin Qi … Plans to major in human nutrition she has aspirations to play professionally.Coach Robertson on Wang: "We have no doubt that Yao will be a big contributor to our team Her passion for the game is apparent and we look forward to welcoming her to Hokie Nation.” This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Authors: Mengwen Chen and Michele Scalzulli #ForAllWomenandGirls is a rallying call for action on the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action talks about enhancing multi-agency coordination to effectively support survivors of domestic violence A young woman’s leadership in fighting domestic violence Yao is a driving force in the fight against domestic violence in Changsha City As Director of the Xinchen Marriage and Family Comprehensive Service Centre the 31-year-old has dedicated the past decade to supporting survivors and advocating for systemic change She began as an intern social worker when the centre was established in 2014 “Some survivors would say: ‘You’re so young – do you have experience with marriage or family How can you understand my situation and advise me if you’re not married?’” she recalls “I would patiently explain that my ability to provide support comes not from personal experience but from professional training and access to the right resources and tools create safety plans and navigate the legal system they began to believe in my ability to help them break free from their abusers and end the cycle of violence.” Yao’s organization has supported over 300 survivors and provided over 5,000 consultations it has been an implementing partner of UN Women China’s “Solidarity in Efforts for Ending Violence Against Women” Programme which helped establish China’s first court-based “One-Stop” Anti-Domestic Violence Service Centre Creating change through integrated services the One-Stop Centre is a groundbreaking initiative located within the People’s Court of Yuelu District It offers domestic violence survivors integrated services – legal aid emergency shelter and coordinated case management – all in one safe location survivors had to navigate multiple agencies on their own when survivors file for divorce on the grounds of domestic violence the court directly refers them to our centre for comprehensive service,” Yao explains in-court shelter options for survivors and their children during legal proceedings social workers continue to offer housing support and connect survivors with financial resources to help them regain stability “The centre also offers psychological counselling for both survivors and their children helping to mitigate the emotional and psychological impact,” says Yao we are exploring rehabilitation programmes for perpetrators aiming to address the root causes of violence and prevent recidivism.” the centre has already assisted 11 survivors four of whom obtained protection orders – a promising start for what Yao hopes will become a replicable model nationwide The One-Stop Centre is a catalyst for enhanced multi-agency coordination local women’s federations and social service-providers have received four specialized trainings These have built their capacity to ensure that the needs of survivors are met with empathy and professionalism receiving the protection and justice they deserve without facing gender biases For all women and girls … everyone has a role to play Yao’s message to young people is clear: “It’s important to remember that everyone has a role to play in ending violence against women If you witness or become aware of domestic violence Don’t hesitate to be an active bystander – listen to survivors encourage them and stand by them as they navigate their path to safety.” Copyright © UN Women While many chefs speak of cooking as an art his Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant Yao grew up as a first-generation Taiwanese American not as a professional pursuit but as an essential cultural touchstone learned from television and family recipes recreating dishes that became part of their household’s repertoire He recalls being fascinated with eggs as a child—not just as food “My mom made it a point to tell me that eggs were a luxury,” he says he spent much of his time in restaurants—not working in them yet A close family friend ran a small chain of Taiwanese restaurants where Yao spent hours watching the controlled chaos of a kitchen those experiences were laying a foundation for his future Yao’s path to becoming a chef was unconventional studying anthropology at UC Riverside while preparing for the LSATs “I would save up money to go try different restaurants in LA,” he recalls he started working in small Asian restaurants doing everything from bussing tables to dishwashing to cutting vegetables unpaid apprenticeships in professional kitchens Unlike traditional culinary students who climb the ranks in structured kitchens Yao pieced together his education by working in multiple restaurants The French Laundry Cookbook was a revelation to him “It was like reading about magic,” he says The lack of formal training shaped his approach you’re conditioned to think you need certifications to be qualified,” he says It’s about what you can do.” This mindset led him to question everything—why techniques were done a certain way and how small adjustments could lead to better outcomes Yao opened Kato in a strip mall—a small space that was originally meant to be a café But demand and ambition pushed it toward a tasting menu format where he could refine dishes and apply his data-driven approach “A lot of things in hospitality are done because that’s how they’ve always been done,” Yao says “But that doesn’t mean it’s the best way.” He wanted to reframe Taiwanese food in a fine dining context without watering it down for Western audiences He was also deeply aware of the way fine dining had made his own family feel like outsiders we’d go to restaurants where we were always made to feel less than,” he says his answer to that—a space where diners like his parents felt welcomed and valued dishes go through an exhaustive R&D process “We poke as many holes in a dish as possible before it ever reaches a guest,” he explains Instead of relying on handed-down techniques he applies the scientific method—comparing ingredients If a certain cooking method or ingredient improves a dish Since relocating Kato to a larger downtown Los Angeles space in 2021 Yao has doubled down on his analytical approach The move gave him the resources to expand his research and push the boundaries of what a modern Taiwanese fine dining experience could be it’s about more than just technical excellence He wants to create a restaurant where dining isn’t just an exclusive experience particularly those from immigrant backgrounds he often felt like an outsider in the fine dining industry “We definitely had a target on our back,” he says Without the credentials of a well-known kitchen on his résumé There was skepticism about whether he had the experience to run a serious restaurant “It’s hard for people to trust you when you haven’t ‘earned it’ in the traditional way.” with a Michelin star already under his belt Yao’s next goal is clear: pushing Kato to the next level A continued redefinition of what fine dining can be which is as good as any time to try to find the answer to some extremely dumb questions such as: How large is Yao Ming's wine glass Does this matter at all to anyone? Of course not. But while mindlessly scrolling on Wednesday night, I came across an advertisement for the Houston Rockets' legend's signature blends featuring the seven-footer enjoying a cabernet sauvignon As previously noted, Yao is over seven feet tall. He makes other NBA players look small. His hands have a habit of making normal-sized objects appear miniature How big was this wine glass if it looked proportional to the man holding it With a hat tip to SB Nation's James Dator for the inspiration we knew we just needed to find something we could compare for scale in the photo to figure out the size of the wine glass Unfortunately, there wasn't a ton to go on. We first thought to measure the size of his index finger and use that to get the length of the glass, which would've been seemingly easy to do since there are a ton of photos with his hand next to a measuring tape but it proved an imperfect science as his finger was bent at bit in the advertisement there were more photos from this same shoot that were much more helpful We've got the big glass and an even bigger bottle next to it At first it seemed like the bottle was a Nebuchadnezzar (which holds 15 liters) but after discussing it with For The Win's resident alcohol guru Christian D'Andrea — as well as comparing with other photos and videos of Nebuchadnezzars — we concluded it was most likely a Balthazar I also brought in a little extra backup in the form of the two graphic designers who sit across from me at the co-working space I use Both were extremely helpful as they noticed some of the photos may have been edited to make the glass look a bit slimmer "I can't believe I've fallen into such a stupid rabbit hole." Which From this point we had to start ballparking a tiny bit If we assume that's the size of the bottle in this photo we simply needed to count the pixels and do some of that proportional math our middle school selves truly never thought we'd need in the real world That works out to a wine glass approximately 12.7 inches tall Trying to find a glass for sale between 12 and 13 inches that looks like Yao's didn't turn up much in admittedly morning's long search, but it's also fair to assume someone with their own wine label with the wealth and stature of Yao Ming would have a custom set for himself. All that said, BigWineGlasses.com sells an 11-inch tall Imperial glass that can hold 34 ounces If you need a reference for what a wine glass this large would look like in a normal-sized person's hands just search for bachelorette parties in Napa on Instagram and you can find every angle imaginable this brings us to the end of our epic investigation because 34 ounces is more than what's in a standard bottle of wine So to answer the questions above: Yao's glass is at least 11 inches tall but more likely closer to 13 and it can hold at least an entire bottle We have reached out to Yao Family Wines and can hopefully confirm our findings with them soon Orange Liberia celebrates ACE cable rerouting milestone future plans for network expansion and data center construction Orange Liberia has officially celebrated the successful completion of the rerouting of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) fiber optic cable a major infrastructure milestone aimed at strengthening Liberia’s digital connectivity and resilience and Orange Liberia executives to reflect on the accomplishment and underscore the company’s continued investment in Liberia’s digital Jean-Marius Yao praised his technical team and partners for their commitment and professionalism in overcoming a significant infrastructure challenge “We are here to celebrate and appreciate a job well done,” Yao said This rerouting project is not just a technical success — it is a testament to our values of boldness Yao took the opportunity to highlight Orange Liberia’s broader contributions to Liberia’s socioeconomic development presenting key statistics and achievements across various sectors “We are more than just a telecom company,” Yao emphasized Among the company’s key milestones is the growth of its mobile financial service which has now surpassed one million monthly active users Despite entering the mobile money space later than its competitors Orange Liberia has quickly established itself as a formidable player “We are running for leadership in mobile financial services,” Yao said “We launched a 1% cash-out fee campaign last year The company has also rolled out innovative financial services including Liberia’s first mobile money ATM enabling customers to withdraw cash 24/7 using just their mobile phones Since entering the Liberian market in 2016 Orange Liberia has contributed more than US$291 million in taxes and fees making it one of the top three taxpayers in the country “We are a compliant company and among Liberia’s top contributors to the national budget,” said Yao we are number two or three in terms of tax contributions.” Orange Liberia has invested approximately US$250 million in network expansion since 2016 and fiber-to-the-home and fiber-to-the-office services,” Yao noted “We have completed regulatory due diligence for 5G and are ready to launch once the environment permits.” Orange Liberia’s superior network performance has not gone unnoticed The company has received multiple awards from UCLA an international telecommunications assessment organization recognizing it as Liberia’s best network for mobile speed Discussing the ACE cable rerouting project Yao explained how the newly constructed fiber link between Monrovia and Lugato connects Liberia to six other undersea cables via Côte d'Ivoire enhancing redundancy and minimizing service disruptions this new route ensures that connectivity continues,” Yao said and we are working on a second fiber line to further strengthen our resilience That project should be completed next year.” Orange Liberia has laid 673 kilometers of fiber optic cable and is expanding into Buchanan and other parts of the country To support data management and improve national infrastructure Orange Liberia is constructing a new state-of-the-art data center in Buchanan This facility will complement the existing one in Monrovia and serve as a disaster recovery hub and open platform for other institutions We are open to hosting the data of other companies and institutions,” Yao said and we look forward to its inauguration early next year.” Orange Liberia is also investing in Liberia’s youth through digital education initiatives The company has established several Orange Digital Centers and Digital Center Clubs including at Cuttington University and Tubman University in Harper “These centers offer free access to the latest digital technologies and education for Liberian youth,” said Yao “It’s a way of giving back and preparing the next generation for a digital future.” the company’s philanthropic arm — the Orange Liberia Foundation — continues to support community development through digital schools With a workforce of over 623 employees and indirect employment impacts reaching more than 100,000 Liberians Orange Liberia positions itself as the employer of choice in the country “Our impact goes beyond technology — we are empowering people and communities,” Yao said “Are you happy to work here?” he asked the staff in attendance Chairman of the Board of Directors at Orange Liberia and CEO of the Cable Consortium of Liberia (CCL) the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) and CCL for their support in Liberia’s digital development and praised Orange Liberia’s swift and effective response during the recent four-day ACE cable outage “Orange Liberia's investment in the fiber link to Côte d'Ivoire proved to be the country’s digital lifeline,” said Benson “It allowed Liberia to maintain 100% of its international internet traffic during the outage thanks to cross-border cooperation and a culture of boldness “Connectivity is not a luxury — it’s a necessity And Orange Liberia proved its commitment by keeping Liberians connected to opportunities Benson emphasized that Orange Liberia’s actions during the outage reflect the company’s strong commitment to continuity planning we are proving that Liberia’s digital future is not just a dream — it is a reality we build every day,” he concluded Yao expressed gratitude to his entire team and thanked key partners like the CCL and LTA He reaffirmed Orange Liberia’s mission to drive progress in Liberia through infrastructure Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Around Cornell News directly from Cornell's colleges and centers On September 25 at the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center in New York City during which she will offer a tour of Architecture Research Office's diverse body of work and their foundational principles she shared insights drawn from her experiences in teaching and practice Molly Sheridan: How does the architect you are today compare with the expectations you may have had as a student when you considered the path you would follow Kim Yao: I actually feel really fortunate in that what I hoped to achieve in terms of type of work and type of practice is very much aligned with where I've landed I had so many great teachers who were mentors for me those mentors became people who then hired me for my first teaching positions and became colleagues and lifelong friends Who your teachers are when you're in school is very important I looked to those mentors as examples of the kind of architect I wanted to be I wanted to stay in New York City and have a smallish-sized practice that was focused on design work and where I could also teach There's a big bridge from the abstraction of what you think real life is going to be like to the reality of what it is like Probably the biggest misalignment is not in terms of the ideals but where I actually spend the majority of my time — how much time and care is spent on the business and on strategically thinking through how to design the practice itself And that's true: How do we continue to make how we practice better So much quality time is spent stewarding the way we work and these in-between spaces that are less overtly about the design work but are absolutely critical to enabling it Continue reading on the Architecture, Art, and Planning website. Get Cornell news delivered right to your inbox « Back Photo by: Mark CoenPhoto by: Mark CoenPhoto by: Mark CoenPriscilla YaoWeapon: SaberClass: FreshmanCustom2: 4 / Fightin' FourthHometown: Flushing, NYHigh School: Francis LewisBioMediaBioBioMediaBefore Air Force: Competed for Queens Fencing Club and was coached by Gregory Rupp … high school academic honors include ARISTA, gold math team, gold JROTC, bronze robotics. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Yao syndrome (YAOS) is formerly called nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2)-associated autoinflammatory disease.We report a large cohort of YAOS. We conducted a retrospective analysis of a cohort of adult patients with systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs). All patients underwent testing for a periodic fever syndrome gene panel. This largest cohort has provided comprehensive clinical and genotyping data in YAOS. Variants in the NOD2 gene can give rise to a spectrum from inflammatory bowel disease to autoinflammatory disease.This report further raises awareness of the underdiagnosed disease in the medical community. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders: Autoinflammatory Disorders Volume 15 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1458118 Objective: Yao syndrome (YAOS) is formerly called nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2)-associated autoinflammatory disease.We report a large cohort of YAOS Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a cohort of adult patients with systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs) All patients underwent testing for a periodic fever syndrome gene panel Results: A total of 194 patients carried NOD2 variants and 42 had mixed autoinflammatory diseases with combined variants in NOD2 and other SAID-associated genes clinical and molecular data were summaried individual patients were often identified to carry two or more variants that usually included IVS8 + 158/R702W Ninety-nine patients carried single variants these variants contribute to the disease in combination or individually Conclusion: This largest cohort has provided comprehensive clinical and genotyping data in YAOS Variants in the NOD2 gene can give rise to a spectrum from inflammatory bowel disease to autoinflammatory disease.This report further raises awareness of the underdiagnosed disease in the medical community we report the largest single-site cohort of YAOS patients and provide an update on clinical phenotypes and related aspects Patients with NOD2 and other variants in two or more different SAID genes were also included to delineate the NOD2 genetic landscape Descriptive statistics was used for analysis Median+/-IQR were reported for continuous variables; category percentages were reported for categorical variables All analyses were performed using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc. clinical and laboratory data in YAOS patients Cutaneous presentations in three representative patients erythematous rash on the thigh and knee with swelling (C) This patient carries heterozygous NOD2 IVS8 + 158 only and had a good response to IL-1 inhibitor therapy bilateral eyelid swelling with discoloration (B) This patient carries heterozygous NOD2 V955I only and had a good response to IL-1 inhibitor therapy Lower panel: erythematous patches on the face forehead and bilateral eyelid swelling with discoloration(A) large patchy erythema on the left cheek (B) This patient carries heterozygous and compound NOD2 IVS8 + 158/1007fs/V955I and had a good response to IL-1 inhibitor therapy Among the 152 patients with NOD2 variants only in the current study 40 were tested for Immunoglobulin (Ig) quantitation and 45% (18/40) had low Ig of different degrees Approximately 50% of patients had documented elevated acute phase reactants such as ESR and/or CRP Patients may have detectable antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) of low titers but serologic testing for systemic autoimmune diseases is negative for anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies Rheumatoid factor and Cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies among others cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal system with rare involvement of internal solid organs The characteristic clinical phenotypes are recurrent fever and distal leg swelling to constitute a constellation with other uncharacteristic symptoms a proper diagnostic workup for autoinflammatory process may be initiated Genotyping combinations in YAOS can be common and low frequency NOD2 variants or low frequency or common NOD2 variants with rare NOD2 variants these data underpin the contributions of these NOD2 variants to the disease in combination or individually A schematic representation of NOD2 gene and protein There are 12 exons in the NOD2 gene as indicated in vertical lines NOD2 protein is composed of 1040 amino acids and is divided into three regions: the leucin-rich repeats (LRRs) nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) and caspase recruitment domains (CARDs) They are responsible for bacterial recognition NOD2 self-oligomerization and down steam signal transduction are identified in -40% patients with Crohn’s disease V955I or other variants are linked to Yao syndrome (YAOS) Most YAOS-associated variants are within the region encoding LRRs and are detected often in combination in individual patients variants in exon 4(non-Blau syndrome associated variants) and between the exon 4 and the region encoding the LRRs are identified; these are usually rare variants and were detected singly or in combination with the LRR variants Blau syndrome-associated variants are within exon 4 and are of high penetrance Genotyping distribution in disease (piechart) YAOS is an increasingly recognized autoinflammatory disease associated with NOD2 mutations. In this largest patient cohort, we delineated the genotyping architecture of NOD2 and updated clinical phenotypes (Table 1, Figure 2) This study provides a more detailed genetic map and clinical data useful for prompt recognition and diagnosis the intronic variant NOD2 IVS8 + 158 (rs5743289) has been identified in approximately 60% of our adult patients a significant portion of these patients also carrried concurrent one or two low- frequency or rare NOD2 variants in the form of compound heterozygous variants NOD2 IVS8 + 158 can coincide with R702W (missense mutation) 26% (50) of patients carried heterozygous NOD2 V955I of whom 33 had V955I only and 17 were concurrent with other NOD2 variants Notably, in our cohort of patients, approximately 50% of patients carried two or more NOD2 variants, or NOD2 with other SAID gene variants, including MEFV, NLRP3 and NLRP12. We recently reported that patients with combined NOD2 and other gene variants may present with mixed autoinflammatory diseases, but YAOS was enriched. Such combinations may contribute to the etiological complexity of disease due to the genetic background in relation to SAID genes (30) some YAOS patients with monoallelic NOD2 variants may be further examined to search for another one or more germline or somatic mutational events BS-associated NOD2 variants are highly penetrant whereas CD- and YAOS-associated NOD2 variants are of low penetrance Functional study of YAOS has been limited to date Further study will be needed to refine molecular mechanisms of YAOS it produced mixed or temporary improvement for the treatment of YAOS Further studies are warranted to identify or develop more effective new drugs to treat YAOS our study of the largest YAOS cohort has updated the clinical phenotype and genotype in the disease The study provides more comprehensive data and deeper understanding of the contribution of NOD2 genetic variants to adult-onset inflammatory disease Given that the Two-hit like theory is postulated to be a potential mechanism of the gene variants in YAOS functional study of compound NOD2 variants and combined variants with other related SAID genes might be needed in the future to unveil novel immunobiological mechanisms underlying the disease The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author The studies involving humans were approved by Stony Brook University institutional review board The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The ethics committee/institutional review board waived the requirement of written informed consent for participation from the participants or the participants’ legal guardians/next of kin because This is a retrospective study Written informed consent was obtained from the individual(s) for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The author declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher Autoinflammatory disease reloaded: a clinical perspective PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar The NLR gene family: from discovery to present day Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2: Structure doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2012.12.005 Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Autoinflammatory disease with focus on NOD2-associated disease in the era of genomic medicine Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar A systematic analysis of treatment and outcomes of NOD2-associated autoinflammatory disease Dermatitis as a characteristic phenotype of a new autoinflammatory disease associated with NOD2 mutations A novel nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 genetic marker for Yao syndrome Coincidence of NOD2-associated autoinflammatory disease (Yao syndrome) and HCV infection with fatal consequences: interaction between genes and environment Expanding clinical characteristics and genotypic profiling of yao syndrome in chinese patients Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar The expanding clinical spectrum of autoinflammatory diseases with NOD2 variants: a case series and literature review Expansion of phenotypic and genotypic spectrum in yao syndrome: A case series NOD2-associated autoinflammatory disease: a large cohort study Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar NOD2-associated autoinflammatory disease and immune deficiency CARD15/NOD2 mutational analysis and genotype-phenotype correlation in 612 patients with inflammatory bowel disease Supervised machine learning classifies inflammatory bowel disease patients by subtype using whole exome sequencing data Mutation spectrum of NOD2 reveals recessive inheritance as a main driver of Early Onset Crohn’s Disease NOD2-associated pediatric granulomatous arthritis an expanding phenotype: study of an international registry and a national cohort in Spain PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Clinical and genetic aspects of Blau syndrome: a 25-year follow-up of one family and a literature review Clinical characteristics and treatment of 50 cases of Blau syndrome in Japan confirmed by genetic analysis of the NOD2 mutation Two Chinese pedigrees of Blau syndrome with thirteen affected members PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Production of different phenotypes from the same genotype in the same environment by developmental variation The background puzzle: how identical mutations in the same gene lead to different disease symptoms Geographic barriers drive disparities in specialty center access for older adults with huntington's disease Up-to-date and projected estimates of survival for people with cystic fibrosis using baseline characteristics: A longitudinal study using UK patient registry data Genetically transitional disease: a new concept in genomic medicine Genetically transitional disease: conceptual understanding and applicability to rheumatic disease Genomic imprinting disorders: lessons on how genome The complex underpinnings of genetic background effects Implications of combined NOD2 and other gene mutations in autoinflammatory diseases Differential effects of NOD2 variants on Crohn's disease risk and phenotype in diverse populations: a metaanalysis doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2004.40304.x Susceptibility of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 mutations to Whipple's disease Gene-environment interaction modulated by allelic heterogeneity in inflammatory diseases Blau syndrome NOD2 mutations result in loss of NOD2 cross-regulatory function NOD2/CARD15 genotype influences MDP-induced cytokine release and basal IL-12p40 levels in primary isolated peripheral blood monocytes A novel NOD2/CARD15 haplotype conferring risk for Crohn disease in Ashkenazi Jews Recommendations for clinical interpretation of variants found in non-coding regions of the genome PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Alterations in nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-2 expression Identifying functional dysregulation of NOD2 variant Q902K in patients with Yao syndrome SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and its relationship with NOD2 and ubiquitination Potential benefits of TNF targeting therapy in blau syndrome a NOD2-associated systemic autoinflammatory granulomatosis Molecular genetic analysis for periodic fever syndromes: a supplemental role for the diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease Aksentijevich I and Yao Q (2024) Comprehensive clinical phenotype Received: 01 July 2024; Accepted: 06 September 2024;Published: 20 September 2024 Copyright © 2024 Nomani, Wu, Saif, Hwang, Metzger, Navetta-Modrov, Gorevic, Aksentijevich and Yao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Qingping Yao, cWluZ3BpbmcueWFvQHN0b255YnJvb2ttZWRpY2luZS5lZHU= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype and genotype of patients with Yao syndrome (YAOS), with focus on comparing to prior cohorts, identifying novel features, and describing treatment observations. A retrospective medical records review of patients with YAOS seen at Mayo Clinic was conducted to characterize clinical features, NOD2 genotypes, and therapeutic trials and responses. Our findings substantiate the occurrence of fevers, arthralgia/arthritis, rash, chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, and sicca-like symptoms described previously in patients with YAOS. Novel clinical features and one NOD2 variant not previously described were identified. Glucocorticoids, biologic IL-1 inhibitors, and IL-6 receptor inhibitors appeared to be effective for treatment of patients with YAOS. Volume 15 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1304792 Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype and genotype of patients with Yao syndrome (YAOS) Methods: A retrospective medical records review of patients with YAOS seen at Mayo Clinic was conducted to characterize clinical features Results: Twenty-two patients diagnosed with YAOS were included Eighteen patients (81.8%) were female and twenty (90.9%) were White Mean age at symptom onset was 24.0 ± 14.8 years Common clinical manifestations included fever (81.8% of patients) NOD2 genotypes as single variants included IVS8 + 158 in 14 patients (63.6%) and one patient had only a previously unreported rare variant Eight patients (36.4%) had compound (two or more) NOD2 variants Potential comorbidities of YAOS observed in this cohort included gastrointestinal dysmotility Glucocorticoid responsiveness was observed in 15 of 20 patients exposed (75%) Eleven patients (50.0%) received IL-1 inhibitor therapy and one patient (4.5%) received IL-6 inhibitor therapy with adequate disease control Conclusion: Our findings substantiate the occurrence of fevers and sicca-like symptoms described previously in patients with YAOS Novel clinical features and one NOD2 variant not previously described were identified and IL-6 receptor inhibitors appeared to be effective for treatment of patients with YAOS most of what is known about YAOS has been reported by a single group we describe a case series of patients with YAOS seen at Mayo Clinic with the aim of corroborating prior descriptions and reporting possible novel phenotypes and genotypes of this increasingly recognized clinical syndrome We further describe our clinical experience treating YAOS This was a retrospective case series of patients diagnosed clinically with YAOS by their primary rheumatologist at our institution Mayo Data Explorer (MDE) is an institutional tool for exploration and retrieval of data in individual patients’ electronic health records (EHR) MDE was used to identify adult or pediatric patients with signed research authorization at least one ICD-10 code for an autoinflammatory/periodic fever syndrome (M04.1 and detection of either “NOD2,” “CARD15,” or “Yao syndrome” as free text in patients’ clinical notes A study investigator reviewed each patient’s EHR using a case report form to ascertain their eligibility The study was reviewed and approved by the Mayo Foundation Institutional Review Board with waiver of informed consent The assembly of the final YAOS case series is illustrated in Figure 1 The Mayo Data Explorer search identified 64 patients Eight patients were excluded due to lack of documentation of NOD2 test results or for testing negative for NOD2 variants Twenty-nine patients were excluded due to a diagnosis of an alternative medical condition to YAOS Four excluded patients did not undergo genetic testing for periodic fever/autoinflammatory diseases beyond NOD2 and one patient lacked a clinical diagnosis of YAOS by the treating rheumatologist The most common alternative diagnoses included undifferentiated or mixed autoinflammatory syndromes (11 cases) A total of 22 patients with YAOS were included in the final case series Assembly of the Mayo Clinic YAOS case series The electronic medical record was thoroughly reviewed for each patient YAOS characteristics (including clinical phenotype and NOD2 genotype) Treatment trials and clinical response to medications were also abstracted Continuous variables were expressed as mean and standard deviation and categorical variables as count and frequency/percentage The final case series consisted of 22 patients seen at Mayo Clinic and meeting diagnostic criteria for YAOS (Table 1) There were 20 non-Hispanic White patients (90.9%) The mean age at first clinical manifestation was 24.0 ± 14.8 years (range 2 – 59 years) The mean age of YAOS diagnosis was 36.1 ± 13.1 years (range 11 – 71 years) One patient was diagnosed by a pediatric rheumatologist at age 11; all other cases were adults (age ≥18 years) at diagnosis Duration of symptoms prior to YAOS diagnosis was 11.6 ± 6.8 years Eight patients (36%) had previously been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease later revised to YAOS. Prior diagnoses included atypical adult-onset Still’s disease (N = 1) seronegative or undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis (N = 2) and undifferentiated autoimmune disorder (N = 2) Five patients (22.7%) reported a family history of suspected autoinflammatory disease None of the included patients had a family history of confirmed monogenic AID and laboratory features of patients with YAOS diagnosed at Mayo Clinic There was significant heterogeneity in the pattern of flares in this cohort there was significant variability in duration of flare symptoms and interval between episodes Fever and skin manifestations were the most common clinical symptoms to occur periodically (in discrete episodes ranging from a few days to several months followed by symptom-free intervals) Rash and fever symptoms were noted to flare concordantly at times in some individuals and independently in others Vaccination and infection were the most commonly identifiable triggers for symptom flares Fever patterns were characterized as periodic (occurring in discrete episodes followed by periods of remission without fever) in 10 patients (55.5%) sporadic (irregular occurrence including in single occurrences or multiple occurrences per week) in six patients (33.3%) The duration of febrile episodes and intervals between episodes were highly variably between patients even among individual patients over time Fatigue was reported in all patients Lymphadenopathy involving the cervical lymph nodes was most common occurring in eight of the 11 patients with lymphadenopathy (72.7%) Other regions of lymphadenopathy included inguinal (2 patients) Seven of the 11 cases with lymphadenopathy had enlarged lymph nodes confirmed on imaging (computed tomography or ultrasound) with the remainder having palpable lymph nodes noted by the patient or provider during symptom flares Other descriptions of rash present in the cohort included livedo reticularis (N = 4) Eleven patients underwent skin biopsy with dermatopathology from five biopsies demonstrating perivascular lymphocytic inflammation and three demonstrating spongiotic dermatitis Clinical rash appearance did not correlate to specific histopathologic findings aside from biopsies completed of petechial/ecchymotic lesions in two patients both demonstrating perivascular lymphocytic inflammation without vasculitis Ten patients (45.5%) experienced oral ulcerations Clinical features of YAOS in the Mayo Clinic cohort (A) Eyelid redness and swelling and (B) erythematous patches and plaques on the anterior neck of a patient with NOD2 IVS8 + 158 and R702W variants (C) Erythematous maculopapular eruption on the back of a patient with NOD2 IVS8 + 158 and R702W variants Dermatopathology revealed focal follicular mucinosis and mild perivascular lymphocytic inflammation (D) Cutaneous flushing overlying the bilateral knees and (E) distal extremity swelling and erythema in a patient with NOD2 IVS8 + 158 and R702W variants (F) Musculoskeletal ultrasonography of the dorsal radiocarpal joint in longitudinal scan demonstrating grayscale and power Doppler synovitis in a patient with NOD2 IVS8 + 158 variant (G) Positron emission tomography showing left basilar pleural thickening with faint fluorodeoxyglucose avidity in a patient with restrictive lung disease in a patient with two copies of NOD2 IVS8 + 158 Joint symptoms were present in 21 patients (95.5%). Of these, eight patients (38.1%) had inflammatory arthritis (Figure 2F) Joint involvement was most commonly polyarticular (85.7% of cases with joint manifestations) with both small and large joint involvement (85.7%) and affecting both upper and lower extremity joints (90.5%) Involvement was otherwise oligoarticular in the lower extremities Joint radiographs were performed in 16 of the 21 patients with no erosive changes identified Myalgia was present in 16 patients (72.7%) and distal lower extremity swelling was present in 17 patients (77.3%) Distal extremity swelling most often occurred bilaterally (82.4%) and could occur with or without erythema in the affected site Sites of extremity swelling included the ankles Gastrointestinal symptoms (one of more of abdominal pain Recurrent abdominal pain was noted in 21 patients (95.5%) and diarrhea in 20 patients (90.9%) with five patients endorsing at least one occasion of bloody stools (in the absence of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]) Abdominal bloating and nausea were also frequently reported (77.3% for each) with findings considered to be normal in all cases one patient was reported to have a non-specific isolated lymphoid aggregate No patients had any histopathologic evidence of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis Two patients were diagnosed with collagenous colitis and one with non-specific mild focal active colitis by colon biopsy Fifteen patients underwent upper endoscopy revealing eosinophilic esophagitis in one patient chronic gastritis in four patients (one eosinophilic gastritis and one collagenous gastritis) Seven patients were diagnosed with gastrointestinal dysmotility (with cases of gastric Three of these cases were confirmed with abnormal motility studies There were five patients diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction eight patients with irritable bowel syndrome Two patients were diagnosed with pancreatic insufficiency and there was one case of recurrent pancreatitis There was one patient with abnormal liver function tests identified during periods of clinical flare without an alternative etiology for liver dysfunction Recurring headaches were noted in 17 patients (77.3%) No patients were found to have signs of autonomic failure One patient was diagnosed externally with dysautonomia but had normal tilt table and sweat testing at our institution One patient was found to have a small fiber neuropathy with abnormal findings on both autonomic testing and skin biopsy which showed reduced epidermal nerve fiber density This patient was also diagnosed with a movement disorder manifesting with myoclonus Fifteen patients (68.2%) experienced sicca symptoms None were diagnosed with inflammatory eye disease although four patients described recurrent flares of eye redness Three patients (13.6%) had history of nephrolithiasis One patient was diagnosed and concurrently treated for mast cell activation disorder based on elevated an elevated tryptase and urinary N-methylhistamine levels and another patient had a clinical diagnosis by an allergist at another institution with partial response to treatment with ketotifen An additional ten patients experienced repeated flushing episodes that raised concern for mast cell activation disorder but had normal blood tryptase levels The earliest onset of symptoms in this cohort was age 2 and noted to be recurrent fevers in the absence of identifiable infection Ten patients (45.5%) were less than 18 years of age at symptom onset with earliest symptoms including one or more of recurring fevers Only one patient was diagnosed with YAOS earlier than age 18 Patients underwent extensive rheumatic disease evaluations and were commonly evaluated for ANA-associated diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, and HLA-B27-associated spondyloarthritis based on clinical symptoms. Full details of these serological test results are available in the Supplementary Table 2 Seven patients were found to have a positive ANA (five patients ANA-positive with immunofluorescence titers ranging from 1:40 to 1:320 Only one ANA-positive patient was found to have more specific autoantibodies (anti-SSB) and none demonstrated positive anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies Two patients in total were positive for anti-SSB antibodies Neither patient was positive for anti-SSA antibodies and neither patient diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome Rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP were checked in 21 and 18 patients respectively and negative in all cases one was positive for anti-proteinase-3 antibody with negative c-ANCA and p-ANCA Eleven patients were tested and negative for HLA-B27 Laboratory data of the patients with YAOS demonstrated anemia present in nine cases (40.9%) although this was related to iron deficiency in three patients Leukocytosis (episodic) was present in three cases (13.6%) Elevation of either the C-reactive protein (CRP) or sedimentation rate (ESR) was present in six cases (27.3%) including two with both elevated CRP and ESR and two with elevated ESR alone NOD2 genotypes in the Mayo Clinic YAOS case series compared to a previous study The patients were treated with a variety of medications over their disease course (Table 3) conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used for symptom management in a small number of patients but were generally ineffective Twenty patients (90.9%) were treated with glucocorticoids with benefit noted in 15 (75%) with one patient having reduction in oral ulcers and one patient who improved subjectively but ultimately transitioned to anakinra for continued disease activity Three patients were maintained on conventional DMARD therapy alone One patient was on methotrexate monotherapy and another on methotrexate and sulfasalazine only the patient on methotrexate monotherapy was reported to have good disease control on this therapy Fourteen patients (63.6%) trialed sulfasalazine Five patients experienced allergic reaction or intolerable side effects Only one of the remaining patients experienced symptomatic improvement in musculoskeletal pain and the remaining patients experienced insufficient benefit Patients were trialed on a variety of biologics including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors There was also infrequent use of rituximab Two patients (9.1%) were observed off any immunosuppressive therapy Thirteen patients (59.1%) achieved adequate disease control on therapy including eleven patients who were maintained on IL-1 inhibitor therapy alone or combined with conventional synthetic DMARD therapy and one patient treated long-term with IL-6 receptor inhibitors Summary of therapeutic trials among the patients with YAOS at Mayo Clinic We further describe treatment observations which may be helpful in focusing future studies on management of YAOS Evaluations for chronic gastrointestinal symptoms were universally negative for IBD (i.e. Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) Laboratory abnormalities including leukocytosis and elevated acute phase reactants were comparable to published findings Recurrent chest pain was more prevalent in this cohort occurring in 59.1% of patients with half of these attributed to pleurisy/pleuritis Pericarditis was less frequent and seen in just four patients Recurrent dizziness was a novel symptom present in over two-thirds of this cohort and has not been previously detailed in YAOS There was a spectrum of orthostatic intolerance to orthostatic hypotension and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome underlying dizziness which has also not been previously described gastrointestinal dysmotility was present in seven cases and not previously described in YAOS Several additional gastrointestinal processes such as presence of pelvic floor dysfunction pancreatic and biliary disease were also noted and novel findings in this YAOS cohort It is uncertain if these clinical features of mast cell activation and dysmotility conditions are causally related to YAOS or NOD2 Association between specific NOD2 genotypes and severity of disease or refractoriness to treatment were not clearly observed A few patients were observed to have variants of unknown significance in other immune-related genes disease-causing mutations in other immune-related genes known to cause autoinflammatory disease were excluded Treatment was frequently complicated by side effects or intolerance to therapies or waning effectiveness The primary limitations of this study relate to its retrospective nature which allowed for a larger cohort but resulted in variable duration of follow-up which required documentation pertaining to NOD2 or YAOS and diagnosis code for autoinflammatory syndromes along with a clinical diagnosis of YAOS by a patient’s rheumatology provider may have missed some cases of YAOS but provided for a more thorough documentation of autoinflammatory signs and symptoms and minimized risks of misclassification The limitations of the study design precluded correlation of NOD2 genotype with clinical features and treatment responses The findings of this retrospective case series corroborate the previously reported clinical phenotypes and genotypes of patients with YAOS and expand upon these with new observations It is uncertain whether gastrointestinal dysmotility and mast cell activation disorder are comorbidities or mechanistically related to NOD2 variants or the diagnosis of YAOS A novel NOD2 variant associated with YAOS is also described This study contributes to the limited evidence on therapeutic options for YAOS and IL-6 receptor inhibitors appear to be effective Further research is needed to identify the most efficacious dosing of these therapies and adjunctive therapies The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material The studies involving humans were approved by Mayo Foundation Institutional Review Board The ethics committee/institutional review board waived the requirement of written informed consent for participation from the participants or the participants’ legal guardians/next of kin because the study was retrospective and the research could not be practically undertaken without the waiver of consent and collaboration and our patients for their participation She is a board member of the Hidradenitis Suppurativa foundation and principal investigator for Processa and Boehringer Ingelheim JD has research support from Pfizer and has technology licensing agreements with Girihlet and Remission Medical “Methods and Materials for Assessing and Treating Arthritis,” which has been licensed to NLC Ventures The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1304792/full#supplementary-material Supplementary Table 1 | Genetic Screening Methods for Autoinflammatory Disease Supplementary Table 2 | Laboratory results in the Mayo Clinic YAOS cohort *Results show the number of patients with positive tests/number of patients (%) tested †Immunofluorescence testing ranging from less than 1:40 to 1:320 Only one patient positive for ANA by immunofluorescence testing was found to have more specific autoantibodies (anti-SSB) and none demonstrated positive anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies The second patient positive for anti-SSB had a negative ANA by immunofluorescence #One patient was PR3 positive with negative c-ANCA and p-ANCA immunofluorescence testing PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Germline mutations in the extracellular domains of the 55 kDa TNF receptor define a family of dominantly inherited autoinflammatory syndromes Autoinflammatory diseases with periodic fevers PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar The monogenic autoinflammatory diseases define new pathways in human innate immunity and inflammation Consensus proposal for taxonomy and definition of the autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs): a Delphi study Nod2 is a general sensor of peptidoglycan through muramyl dipeptide (MDP) detection NOD2-associated diseases: Bridging innate immunity and autoinflammation NOD2/CARD15 gene polymorphisms and sarcoidosis susceptibility: review and meta-analysis Blau Syndrome: NOD2-related systemic autoinflammatory granulomatosis NOD2 in Crohn’s disease- unfinished business Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar A new category of autoinflammatory disease associated with NOD2 gene mutations Expansion of phenotypic and genotypic spectrum in Yao syndrome: A case series A Chinese case series of Yao syndrome and literature review Orthostatic intolerance and postural tachycardia syndrome: new insights into pathophysiology and treatment Granulomatous disease associated with NOD2 sequence variants and familial camptodactyly: An intermediate form of NOD2-associated diseases doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2015.05.007 Distal lower extremity swelling as a prominent phenotype of NOD2-associated autoinflammatory disease Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Treatment of refractory Yao syndrome with canakinumab PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Effectiveness of canakinumab for the treatment of patients with Yao syndrome PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Moyer AM and Davis JM III (2024) Clinical phenotype and treatment observations in Yao syndrome: a retrospective case series Received: 30 September 2023; Accepted: 12 September 2024;Published: 04 October 2024 Copyright © 2024 Williamson, Samec, Patel, Orandi, Wang, Crowson, Loftus, Alavi, Moyer and Davis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: John M. Davis III, ZGF2aXMuam9objRAbWF5by5lZHU= Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish 4 (CNA) Renowned romance novelist Chiung Yao (瓊瑤) was found dead at her home on Wednesday in New Taipei after taking her own life Police said they responded to a suicide report at 1:22 p.m and discovered Chiung Yao at her apartment in Tamsui District with no signs of life and no indication of foul play An initial investigation revealed that Chiung Yao also left a suicide note addressed to her son and a public Facebook post Chiung Yao asked people not to feel sad for her In the letter Chiung Yao said she chose death to take control of the final "major event" in her life rather than letting it be determined by fate or endure a slow decline Chiung Yao explained that she wanted to avoid the painful process of "weakness and eventual futility" often seen in aging and I do not want that kind of 'death,'" she said Chiung Yao was married to Ping Hsin-tao (平鑫濤) had many works adapted into TV dramas and films including "Outside the Window," "The Young Ones," and "My Fair Princess," making her the most famous romance writer in the Chinese-speaking world from the 1970s-1990s stars who rose to fame through those adaptations shared their condolences who portrayed Prince Yongqi in "My Fair Princess," wrote on Weibo that working with Chiung Yao had left an everlasting mark on his life "I feel fortunate to have portrayed a character from (Chiung Yao's) stories," he wrote who played Xiao Jian in "My Fair Princess III," expressed on Weibo that "(Chiung Yao's) works have illuminated the youth of generations and face the challenges and difficulties in life." Astra Yao takes the stage in version 1.5 of Zenless Zone Zero which means you’ll need to farm a bunch of materials plus a lotta straight cash To help out folks looking to build Astra Yao in ZZZ I’ve put together an Astra Yao farming guide that lists all the materials you need not just for her character ascension but also leveling up her standard and core skills this guide will provide material counts and Dennies for different builds from full-on maxed out kits to more reasonable high-level skill builds that don’t go all the way but are more realistic for most players Zenless Zone Zero 1.5: Astra Yao, Evelyn, reruns, skins, events and free pulls - Technobubble Gaming let’s get this Astra Yao character farming guide started Here is a quick list of materials and Dennies needed to fully ascend Astra Yao to level 60 and also max out her core skills to F and all five of her standard skills to Level 12: Senior Investigator Log: 300 (equivalent to 900,000 experience)Basic Support Certification Seal: 4Advanced Support Certification Seal: 32Ruler Certification Seal: 30Notorious Hunt Material: 9 (Finale Dance Shoes)HIA Expert Challenge Material: 60 (Thunderous Dragon)Basic Ether Chip:  25Advanced Ether Chip:  75Specialized Ether Chip: 250Hamster Cage Pass: 5Dennies: 3,705,000 (800,000 for Ascension + 2,905,000 for skills)This is for Astra Yao’s fully maxed no compromises build for folks who want to go all the way without skimping on any resources or money Hamster Cage Passes are a very limited resource For folks looking to max out Astra Yao as much as they can without using a Hamster Cage Pass here are the materials and Dennies that you need Note that her five standard skills will only go up to Level 11 without a Hamster Cage it technically is maxed out for all intents and purposes and is quite outstanding With other things competing for your limited resources including weapon and disc leveling plus building other characters it’s usually better to aim high but not quite at the max level if you’re getting tight on materials and Dennies This makes it a good idea to aim for a more realistic “balanced” build that focuses on raising character’s more important skills which lets you save resources but still gets you a character that can tackle the hardest content quite well Here are the number of materials you will need for a Level 60 Astra Yao with two Level 10 plus Core Skill E (instead of the max Core Skill F) going with a balanced build for Astra Yao saves a significant amount of Dennies while also cutting down the number of Specialized Ether Chips that you need by a huge amount Characters built to this level can also still handle endgame content very well — provided you are not giving them a potato as a weapon or have no discs equipped If you’re really tight on money or need to save so you can build more characters you can also keep Astra Yao at character level 50 instead of ascending her all the way to level 60 which will save you an additional 400,000 Dennies Because Astra Yao is a support character as opposed to a DPS it can be OK to leave her at a lower level initially The downside is that you won’t be able to reach her Core Skill E since you need to be Level 55 to activate it you can get her up to Level 55 as a compromise so you can unlock her Core Skill E while still saving some Dennies in the process Astra Yao needs a high amount of ATK for her key buff so her recommended main stats are: This combination gives a 10% ATK buff from Astral Voice and boosts the damage of a character who uses quick assist to enter the field by up to 24% for 15 seconds 1 choice Swing Jazz’s 4-piece bonus that provides a 12-second damage boost of 15% after two quick assists each quick assist from Astral Voice boosts DMG by 8% and can be stacked up to 3 times The buff lasts for 15 seconds and is refreshed every time it’s triggered You can still use Swing Jazz as the 2-piece set for this disc combination which grants a 20% Energy Regen buff from Swing Jazz’s 2-piece bonus To level up one S-Rank disc all the way to the Level 20 max You have your pick of support W-Engines to use with Astra Yao Elegant Vanity: Astra Yao’s signature W-Engine and best option the Elegant Vanity boasts a high ATK main stat for a support weapon and also boosts ATK% via its secondary stat Its special effect also lets Astra Yao boost the ATK of her allies by up to 20% and requires Polychrome or Master Tape to pull Bashful Demon: Soukaku’s signature W-Engine is geared more for Ice characters but still provides some nice effects for non-Ice support characters which is great for Astra given how she thrives on it while its special effect can boost ally ATK by up to 8% at S1 and 12.8% at S2 for 12 seconds when upgraded to the hilt with dupes Kaboom the Cannon: Lucy’s signature weapon this W-Engine provides good Energy Regen via its secondary stat and an ATK buff through its special effect that can go up to 10% or 16% depending on how much it’s upgraded with dupes ATK: 42 to 624Energy Regen: 20% to 50%The Vault: The signature weapon of Nicole who was the only Ether support agent prior to Astra Yao’s arrival Provides a nice amount of Energy Regen through its secondary stat while its special effect — which boosts ally DMG and ER generation as well — can be triggered easily by Ether characters Slice of Time: Although not the strongest support weapon this free-to-play-friendly option can be crafted at the Box Galaxy Gadget Store making it the most easily accessible and upgraded support W-Engine in this list Its special effect generates decibels and energy Only use it if you have neither of the previous weapons or are not able to swap them from other members for some reason For folks who are leveling up a W-Engine from scratch at Level 1 to Level 60 here are the materials and Dennies that you need: a sleepy isle in Southern Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay is a 30-minute speedboat ride from party-down Phuket and 20 minutes from tourist-slammed Krabi Anantara’s motorbike sidecar tour of the island takes visitors to secluded white-sand beaches and into predominantly Muslim fishing villages; for children and penthouses put families and groups top of mind: some rooms have bunk beds with built-in slides and direct pool access; others feature private kitchens Parents of picky eaters will be relieved to see a breakfast selection that serves chicken nuggets and smiley-face pancakes alongside more local options That next-level thoughtfulness is a trademark of Anantara: mention that your toddler likes a Cozy Coupe and you’ll find a fleet of foot-powered vehicles discreetly rolled into your suite Hint to the DJ that your kid loves a certain pop star and she’ll drop his tracks back-to-back before dessert And that’s to say nothing of the property’s kid-centric programming which includes crab chasing and sandcastle building on a golden shoreline and private Muay Thai boxing lessons or you can drop your litter off at the enormous kids club (all climbing walls and pastel-colored ball pits) while you make good use of the spa or your suite’s double-wide soaking tub with views of jagged limestone karsts TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice “Men read works of Louis Cha Leung Yung and women Chiung Yao.” In the minds of boys the works of Louis Cha Leung Yung represent a martial arts world while Chiung Yao’s works tell romantic tales Chiung Yao was one of the famous contemporary Chinese female writers In the era of black-and-white televisions (in the 1980s in China) her works were already widely acknowledged The beautiful childhood memory of “Princess of Pearl” we watched on TV is adapted from one of her works Chiung Yao leaves us with an unforgettable memory and her nickname was Fenghuang ("phoenix" in English) Born in a scholarly family in Chengdu in the 1940s Chiung Yao had been fascinated by novels since childhood and had a deep passion for reading Chiung Yao was not only a novelist but also a screenwriter and director Due to her unique literary insights and ability to capture the times her works always reflect human nature and touch people’s hearts both her personality and works had a significant impact on the life values of a generation what is incredible is that she at the age of 86 chose to suicide in her twilight years the cause of her death was carbon monoxide poisoning Her suicide note reveals that she had been suffering from illness for many years and she felt unable to overcome the shadow of disease and chose death to overcome it and bid farewell to her loved ones in this way Chiung Yao’s suicide note is heartbreaking and helpless she wanted to express that her life had already blossomed like a flower she did not want to be tortured by illness anymore Some people believe that Chiung Yao’s choice is wise as human dignity lies in not being bound by any illness or death but in living a free and unrestrained life others believe that her choice is wrong and selfish because she did not consider the feelings of her family and only wanted to control her life since the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden people have wanted to control themselves and be their own masters but the result of such an attempt is death Committing suicide is just a manifestation of an inability to face painful realities and to escape them Chiung Yao’s story serves as a great warning to all of us and strive for promotions and salary increases hoping to provide a comfortable and respectable life for themselves and their families we see that even though Chiung Yao had everything she was still gripped by pain and helplessness because her fame and wealth could not save her from the shadow of death not only for her literary achievements but also because they believe she was a wise and insightful person Her story helps us see a fact: even the wisest person’s end is the same as everyone else’s being unable to escape the emptiness of life and the oppression of death As Solomon lamented in the Book of Ecclesiastes 'The fate of the fool will overtake me also What then do I gain by being wise?' I said to myself will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten the wise too must die!” Both the wise and the foolish will encounter death Human wisdom is powerless in the face of death The reasons for the suicides of intellectuals like Plato Hai Zi (the late famous contemporary Chinese poet) and Ernest Hemingway are not that they lacked knowledge but that the more knowledge they acquired and the more they saw through life I remember a news report about a famous poetry critic who was a doctoral supervisor at a university in Hebei he jumped from the 16th floor of a building in his university The reason was that his dream had always been to become a doctoral supervisor and contribute to literary causes he felt overwhelming despair about his life It seemed that after acquiring knowledge that ordinary people could not attain he was left with despair after seeing through many realities he dressed neatly and jumped from the teaching building ending not only his life but also his dreams of literary causes feeling despair about life when he realizes that both the wise and the foolish cannot escape the power of death which refers to a life without a focus on God living without a sacred eternal focus by just eating They no longer live in response to God’s grace or eternity and fall into vanity The so-called vanity and chasing wind refer to not obtaining substantial eternal meaning The phrase ‘in vain’ often appears in the New Testament to mean the same In Albert Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Sisyphus is punished for defying the gods and thrown into hell where he is forced to push a boulder up a hill each time Sisyphus is close to pushing it to the top it will roll back down after he is exhausted Sisyphus is stuck in a cycle of failure and retry with no substantial meaning to his life in the process of failing When such phenomena continuously appear in our sight they reflect not that we do not have enough but that we live in the emptiness in the sun and are unable to find the meaning and value of life This is a question that everyone should stop to ponder This is a question that Chiung Yao pondered and struggled with but did not find the answer My hope is that everyone who loves Chiung Yao will continue to think and search for the answer to this question through her suicide what we truly long for is not sweet love but unending happiness; what we truly desire is not money and fame but eternity (Originally published by the Christian Times the article has been edited under permission and the author is a Christian contributor Brendan Herb and Benian Yao Earn Big South Conference Men's Soccer Weekly Awards 10.28.2024 | Men's Soccer Assistant Professor Zhihao "Zephyr" Yao of the Department of Computer Science at NJIT's Ying Wu College of Computing has been named among IEEE Computing’s Top Early Career Professionals This prestigious recognition is awarded to individuals worldwide who have demonstrated exceptional early-career achievements and are actively shaping the future of technology in the fields of artificial intelligence Professor Yao's research on enhancing trust and security within mobile systems has been recognized as a significant contribution to the development of innovative solutions that safeguard against privacy breaches unauthorized access and service disruptions while maintaining optimal performance and usability a one-year membership to the IEEE Computer Society a certificate of recognition and a featured article detailing his work and career "The Computer Society Top 30 Early Career Professionals represent the vanguard of computing professions and the future of the Computer Society We commend each recipient for their past accomplishments and anticipate their continued contributions," said Andy Seely Professor Yao joined NJIT in September 2023 following the completion of his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Computer Science at the University of California Data Science Meets Ironbound Street Shrines in NJIT Undergrad Summer Research Three NJIT Students Win Gilman Scholarships to Study Internationally has left an indelible imprint on China’s approach to AI Others have secured positions at top universities like Stanford and Princeton More FromTIME100 AI 2024Jensen HuangBy Billy Perrigo Contact us at letters@time.com Our generation is facing a grand challenge to shift the global energy landscape from fossil fuels to renewable clean energy and tackle the pressing green-house gas emission issues Electrochemistry represents one of the most promising approaches for enhancing energy efficiency mitigating environmental impacts and carbon emissions and enabling renewable energy technologies My physical electrochemistry group’s work lies at the interface of chemistry and energy materials We focus on a fundamental understanding of electrochemical mechanisms at interfaces with an emphasis on CO2 reduction clean H2 production and rechargeable batteries Our central objective involves the development of operating methods to investigate fundamental aspects of solid-liquid interfaces related to renewable energy technologies using advanced electron microscopy facilities at the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) and synchrotron X-ray methods at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) The Yang group focuses on developing multimodal operando electron microscopy and synchrotron based X-ray methods to address grand challenges in probing chemical dynamics of energy materials at solid-liquid interfaces across multiple spatiotemporal scales We are pushing and defining the frontier of operando electrochemical liquid-cell scanning transmission electron microscopy (EC-STEM) equipped with machine-learning-driven four-dimensional (4D) STEM to interrogate dynamic structural evolution of electrocatalysts at the atomic scale.  “The Alchemy of Air” by Thomas Hager  downhill skiing (learned how to ski at Cornell) Courses you’re most looking forward to teaching: CHEM6291: Electrochemistry of Energy Materials I received my graduate education at Cornell and now it's my turn to contribute back to Cornell and educate the next generation of budding scientists for a clean energy future.  https://yang.chem.cornell.edu An imaging technology 'listens' to the sound of light to study different biological phenomena Call it a science fair for adults. On November 20, Duke inventions and companies started by faculty and students will be featured at the sixth annual ‘Invented at Duke’ celebration Duke Today introduces you to three of the inventor teams who were supported with financing and mentoring by Duke translational funds and incubators In December 2022, Junjie Yao made national headlines with his technology that allows researchers to understand how glass frogs make themselves transparent.  Using high-speed “photoacoustic imaging,” Yao and his colleagues discovered that these frogs make themselves transparent while they sleep by hiding their red blood cells inside their liver his work goes far beyond visualizing the innards of this elusive amphibian.  “It’s a technology that listens to the sound of light,” Yao says and we listen to the ultrasound generated in the process By listening to the ultrasound of the light absorbed by different molecules we can differentiate molecules from molecules we’re able to study a lot of interesting biological phenomena.” Yao sees his cutting-edge technology being used in research and clinical settings whether by pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs or doctors studying vascular disease or brain function imagine a breast cancer patient undergoing surgery to remove a tumor The surgeon hopes they got it all and that the edges are clean But the surgeon doesn’t know for sure until the lab report comes back Through the use of high-speed photoacoustic imaging they can put the excised cancer tissue under the microscope and quickly learn whether it’s all there “We don’t want to wait for the pathology result to come back in seven days We can tell the surgeon right away if this is a clean cut or not,” says Yao This can save the patient both stress and the thought of going back under the knife The technology differs from CT scans and MRIs in that it does not require dyes or contrasts And unlike those technologies that image in millimeters it can image in micrometers or about one-tenth the diameter of a strand of hair “We are putting together a design that can utilize the most efficient components and the most cost-effective designs so we can make it more affordable by a large number of researchers and doctors.” While portable – it can be moved from place to place via a small cart – there is still much product development needed to make it even more portable and affordable Yao is in the process of raising additional funds while also looking at the possibility of licensing the technology so we can make it more affordable by a large number of researchers and doctors,” Yao says “That is very important for us to make it more accessible to a broad range of people.” Although he’s been at it for the last eight years it could be a decade or more to bring an invention out of the lab Read on Duke Translation & Commercialization Read on Translation & Commercialization Duke Today is produced jointly by University Communications and Marketing and the Office of Communication Services (OCS) Articles are produced by staff and faculty across the university and health system to comprise a one-stop-shop for news from around Duke Geoffrey Mock of University Communications is the editor of the 'News' edition Leanora Minai of OCS is the editor of the 'Working@Duke' edition 86-year-old romance novelist Chen Che — better known by her pen name Chiung Yao — took her own life shared posthumously on her Facebook account looking into the camera and saying: “This day has finally come.. For those familiar with the writer’s life and work, the news of her death, while sad, was not entirely unexpected. Seven years ago, Chiung penned an open letter declaring her desire to die with dignity was not death itself but the prospect of dementia and incapacitation — conditions that claimed the final years of her second husband Chiung’s decision to end her life is a reflection of her deeply held philosophy She was not just a writer who depicted life with intensity; she also lived that way Chiung wrote: “The beauty of life lies in being able to love her books received an unusual distinction: becoming the focus of a series of academic papers in the prestigious Chinese academic journal “Exploration and Debate.” Many of these books were later adapted — often under Chiung’s watchful eye — into successful dramas Shows like the “My Fair Princess Trilogy” ensured China’s so-called Chiung Yao fever would not break until well into the 21st century Even her pen name could be a byword for passion If someone exhibited too much interest in a romantic partner they were often teasingly asked if they’d been binging Chiung Yao dramas I myself used to be one of those love-crazed fans When I was in middle school in the early 1990s I stayed up countless nights in my dormitory reading every one of her books I could get my hands on Eventually I noticed my writing style starting to change as I developed a preference for Chiung-esque parallel sentences in dialogue mixed in with a healthy dollop of exclamation marks I longed for a passionate love like the ones she wrote about — a sentiment shared by many of my female classmates Chiung’s understanding of love can be summarized as a kind of binary opposition: either you are in love this kind of simplistic approach to romance ceased to satisfy but I never forgot Chiung’s impact on my life Eventually, Chinese society seemed to reach the same conclusion. In 2013, Chiung combined three of her novels into a new TV series called “Flowers in Fog,” which mixed romance The drama had all the typical characteristics of past Chiung hits: beautiful male and female leads In the decade since, the notion that Chiung is “outdated,” or even “toxic,” has gained widespread currency online. The earliest critics focused on, of all things, her lack of morals. Many of Chiung Yao’s love stories involve extramarital affairs, and her detractors, many of them self-proclaimed feminists seized on this point as well was the fact that Chiung’s relationship with her second husband to attack her for supposedly glorifying improper love and undermining traditional marriage If those critiques reflected a growing conservatism within Chinese society the past two years have seen Chiung’s works beset by a very different attitude: indifference If Chinese once dismissed Chiung’s books as “outdated,” now they seem to consider the very idea of love passé On social media, users are quick to criticize women who date as being “love-addled.” Slogans like “No kids, no ring, keep living serene” and “The wise never fall in love” are everywhere. There’s even a “breakup advice group” on Douban with over 370,000 members Even those who claim to still believe in love approach relationships pragmatically prioritizing conditions such as the other person’s background Think of it as the consumer approach to love: A relationship must produce pleasant feelings and cause no trouble reckless passion strikes readers as almost comical and the dramatic outbursts of her heroes and heroines make more sense as memes than as genuine expressions of emotion I sometimes wonder whether these offhand mockeries conceal pain and fear Personal feelings can seem increasingly insignificant given everything going on in the world today While young people may still yearn for genuine connection it’s no wonder that they might prefer to preemptively dismiss it as a possibility rather than open themselves up to getting hurt finding a semblance of control by devaluing love itself beneath their derision lies a subconscious envy for the very passion they claim to find outdated from her vibrant life to her deliberate departure one that dared to love with abandon and live without fear