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Hydropower development taking place on the Mekong River's mainstream and tributaries across the river basin, including Cambodia, is threatening livelihoods and food security by altering critical mobilities associated with the unique ecosystems of the Mekong River. In this paper, we seek to understand how a politics of mobility around hydropower development links both human and nonhuman entities along the Mekong River in Cambodia. We examine how dams transform myriad localized cross-border and riparian political geographies of the physical-human landscape through partial enclosures, up-downstream reorderings and b/orderings of hydrosocial relations. To explain these transformations, we posit that it is necessary to pay attention to the politics of human and nonhuman (such as water, sediment, and fish) mobilities that are shaped by hydropower dams and the new forms of mobilities engendered as a result. We examine how hydropower development renders water, fish, and sediment immobile, or alters their routes and rhythms in ways that optimize the generation of hydropower but which create new concerns around these changing nonhuman mobilities for riparian communities in Cambodia. There is a tension that exists between technical representations and community experiences of these nonhuman mobilities, which raise implications for the exacerbation of vulnerabilities among Cambodian Mekong communities. In this paper, we focus our analysis on selected sites in Cambodia: 1) Stung Treng Province, downstream of Laos' Don Sahong Dam and the Cambodia-Lao border riverscape, and 2) the Tonle Sap Lake (water-based and floodplain areas), to highlight these changing mobilities and the critical processes of b/ordering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid‒liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a ubiquitous process in which proteins, RNA, and biomolecules assemble into membrane‐less compartments, playing important roles in many biological functions and diseases. The current knowledge on the biophysical and biochemical principles of LLPS is largely from in vitro studies; however, the physiological environment in living cells is complex and not at equilibrium. The characteristics of intracellular dynamics and their roles in physiological LLPS remain to be resolved. Here, by using single‐particle tracking of quantum dots and dynamic monitoring of the formation of stress granules (SGs) in single cells, the spatiotemporal dynamics of intracellular transport in cells undergoing LLPS are quantified. It is shown that intracellular diffusion and active transport are both reduced. Furthermore, the formation of SG droplets contributes to increased spatial heterogeneity within the cell. More importantly, the study demonstrated that the LLPS of SGs can be regulated by intracellular dynamics in two stages: the reduced intracellular diffusion promotes SG assembly and the microtubule‐associated transport facilitates SG coalescences. The work on intracellular dynamics not only improves the understanding of the mechanism of physiology phase separations occurring in nonequilibrium environments but also reveals an interplay between intracellular dynamics and LLPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

* Context.--Breast cancer with low (1%-10%) estrogen receptor (ER) expression (ER--low positive) constitutes a small portion of invasive breast cancers, and the treatment strategy for these tumors remains debatable. Objective.--To characterize the features and outcomes of ER--low positive patients, and clarify the clinical significance of FOXC1 and SOX10 expression in ER--low positive/HER2-negative tumors. Design.--Among 9082 patients diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer, the clinicopathologic features of those with ER--low positive breast cancer were characterized. FOXC1 and SOX10 mRNA levels were analyzed in ER--low positive/HER2-negative cases from public data sets. The expression of FOXC1 and SOX10 in ER--low positive/HER2-negative tumors was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results.--The clinicopathologic study of ER--low positive tumors indicated more aggressive characteristics compared with those tumors with ER .10%, while they had more overlapping features with ER-negative tumors irrespective of the HER2 status. The intrinsic molecular subtype of ER--low positive cases with high FOXC1 and SOX10 mRNA expression was more likely to be nonluminal. Among the ER--low positive/HER2-negative tumors, 56.67% (51 of 90) and 36.67% (33 of 90) were positive for FOXC1 and SOX10, respectively, which was significantly positively correlated with CK5/6 expression. In addition, the survival analysis demonstrated no significant difference between patients who received and who did not receive endocrine therapy. Conclusions.--ER--low positive breast cancers biologically overlap more with ER-negative tumors. ER--low positive/HER2-negative cases demonstrate a high rate of FOXC1 or SOX10 expression, and these cases might be better categorized as a basal-like phenotype/subtype. FOXC1 and SOX10 testing may be used for the intrinsic phenotype prediction for ER--low positive/HER2-negative patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The underground powerhouse of the Shuangjiangkou hydropower station is one of the largest caverns under construction in China, and its stability during construction is crucial for safe construction. To study the stability of the surrounding rock during excavation, the displacement and stress of the surrounding rock were monitored by multi-point displacement meters and bolt stress meters. Based on the monitoring data, the elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, friction angle, and cohesion of surrounding rock were inversely analyzed by the PSO-BP algorithm. Then, the back-analyzed parameters were used to simulate the subsequent excavations and predict the stability of surrounding rock during the following construction. The analysis results show that the surrounding rocks were generally stable during the initial four stages of excavation, and the main factors affecting their stability were blasts and unfavorable geological structures, including the lamprophyre vein and the F1 fault. These unfavorable geological structures also significantly decrease the mechanical parameters of surrounding rock as demonstrated by back analysis, and the stability prediction results show that the omnibus bar cave and the tailrace tunnel were at the greatest risk of instability during the subsequent excavations. This study provides a practical analysis for engineering excavation of the underground caverns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the regulation relationship of Teneleven translocation 1 (Tet1) in DNA demethylation and the proliferation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in chickens. Methods: siRNA targeting Tet1 was used to transiently knockdown the expression of Tet1 in chicken PGCs, and the genomic DNA methylation status was measured. The proliferation of chicken PGCs was detected by flow cytometry analysis and cell counting kit-8 assay when activation or inhibition of Wnt4/β-catenin signaling pathway. And the level of DNA methylation and hisotne methylation was also tested. Results: Results revealed that knockdown of Tet1 inhibited the proliferation of chicken PGCs and downregulated the mRNA expression of Cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6), as well as pluripotency-associated genes (Nanog, PouV, and Sox2). Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that the population of PGCs in Tet1 knockdown group displayed a significant decrease in the proportion of S and G2 phase cells, which meant that there were less PGCs entered the mitosis process than that of control. Furthermore, Tet1 knockdown delayed the entrance to G1/S phase and this inhibition was rescued by treated with BIO. Consistent with these findings, Wnt/β-catenin signaling was inactivated in Tet1 knockdown PGCs, leading to aberrant proliferation. Further analysis showed that the methylation of the whole genome increased significantly after Tet1 downregulation, while hydroxymethylation obviously declined. Meanwhile, the level of H3K27me3 was upregulated and H3K9me2 was downregulated in Tet1 knockdown PGCs, which was achieved by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusion: These results suggested that the self-renewal of chicken PGCs and the maintenance of their characteristics were regulated by Tet1 mediating DNA demethylation through the activation of Wnt4/β-catenin signaling pathway [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is high, and the existing metformin hydrochloride (MH) tablets of 250 mg cannot meet the demands of the Chinese drug market. This study aimed to evaluate the bioequivalence and safety of generic formulations of MH tablets (test formulation [T], 250 mg/tablet) and innovative products (reference formulation [R], 250 mg/tablet) under fasting conditions. This was an open‐label, single‐dose, 2‐period, 2‐sequence crossover, single‐center, randomized phase I clinical trial. T and R were considered bioequivalent if the adjusted geometric mean ratios (GMRs) and 90% confidence intervals of the area under the curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (Cmax) were within the range of 0.8‐1.25. Thirty‐five participants completed the trial. The T/R adjusted GMRs (95.7% for Cmax, 98.7% for AUC0→t, 98.8% for AUC0→∞) were within the acceptable bioequivalence range of 80%‐125%. No serious adverse events or suspected or unexpected serious adverse reactions occurred during this trial. The study findings confirmed that generic MH is a well‐tolerated and bioequivalent alternative to innovative products under fasting conditions in healthy Chinese participants. (www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn; registration no. CTR20190356) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with arboviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, which are all primarily spread by the notorious mosquito Aedes aegypti. Traditional control measures have proven insufficient, necessitating innovations. In response, here we generate a next-generation CRISPR-based precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) for Ae. aegypti that disrupts genes essential for sex determination and fertility, producing predominantly sterile males that can be deployed at any life stage. Using mathematical models and empirical testing, we demonstrate that released pgSIT males can effectively compete with, suppress, and eliminate caged mosquito populations. This versatile species-specific platform has the potential for field deployment to effectively control wild populations of disease vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate temperature prediction is vital for the canned permanent magnet synchronous motor (CPMSM) used in the vacuum pump, as it experiences severe heating. In this paper, a novel motor temperature calculation method is proposed, which takes into account the temperature impact on the heat transfer capacity. In contrast to existing electromagnetic-thermal coupled calculation methods, which solely address the temperature effect on the motor electromagnetic field, the proposed method comprehensively considers its impact on motor losses, permanent magnet magnetic properties, thermal conductivity, and heat dissipation ability of motor components, resulting in a motor temperature simulation that closely resembles the actual physical process. To verify the reliability of the proposed temperature calculation method, a 1.5 kW CPMSM was chosen as the research subject. The method was used to analyze the temperature distribution characteristics of the motor and assess the impact of ambient temperature on motor temperature rise. Furthermore, a prototype was fabricated, and an experimental platform was established to test the motor temperature. The results demonstrate good agreement between the calculated results obtained using the proposed method and the experimental data. This research not only provides a theoretical foundation for optimizing the design of the CPMSM but also provides valuable insights into its operational safety and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Interplay Between Intracellular Transport Dynamics and Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation" explores the relationship between intracellular dynamics and liquid-liquid phase separation in the cytoplasm. The authors, Hui Li, Xiaosong Chen, and their colleagues, discover that the formation of stress granules (SG) leads to a reduction in intracellular diffusion and active transport. This reduction in diffusion promotes SG assembly, while microtubule-associated transport facilitates SG coalescence. The findings shed light on the complex interplay between intracellular dynamics and phase separation. [Extracted from the article]

• Fracture mechanical characteristics of deep dense shale were investigated. • Bedding angle influences the fracturing properties and locations of shale. • Horizontal stress evolution causes changes in shale fracture patterns. • Fracture initiation criterion "maximum stress strength ratio" was established. The mechanical behavior of shale fractures significantly affects the structure and stability of hydraulic fracturing networks in shale gas reservoirs. Currently, there is insufficient research on the mechanical characteristics of fractures, crack initiation, and the prediction of fracture trajectories in deep dense shale. This study involved conducting direct tension, shear, and three-point bending fracture mechanical experiments on shale samples, complemented by numerical calculations and mechanistic analyses. The results show a significant influence of the bedding plane angle (γ) on the initiation properties and locations of shale fractures. With γ ranging from 0° to 90°, shale fractures transition from alignment with the bedding plane to penetration through it. Fracture initiation locations show a significant degree of randomness when fractures propagate along the bedding plane. The horizontal tensile stress changes with increasing γ , initially increasing and then decreasing as it moves away from the center. The evolution of the horizontal tensile stress field primarily causes alterations in shale fracture paths, reaching its peak value at γ = 45°. Shale initiation fractures can be classified into four types: tensile fractures through the bedding plane, tensile fractures along the bedding plane, shear fractures across the bedding plane, and shear fractures along the bedding plane. Established a criterion called the "maximum stress strength ratio" to determine fracture initiation, which can predict the initiation properties, locations, and paths of shale fractures. When γ is small, fractures mainly propagate along the bedding plane, with a higher likelihood of initiation occurring at the center of the specimen. Conversely, when γ is large, fractures mainly propagate through the bedding plane. The spacing of the bedding planes minimally affects the predicted fracture paths of shale. This study is of significant theoretical importance for reservoir stimulation and stability assessment in deep dense shale gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal sewage sludge has a high content of phosphorus, which has a high utilization value. However, this useful resource is always wasted during sludge landfill and incineration processes. In this study, lime was used to regulate the stability of sludge and lime-dried sludge (LDS) was used as a substitute for raw meal and sintering additive for cement clinker production. The variation of phosphorus content or concentration and its threshold level in LDS was investigated. The results showed that after lime drying, 90% of the phosphorus in the sludge existed in the form of inorganic phosphorus (IP), of which 80% was in the stable apatite state. More than 85% of the phosphorus in LDS was eutectic with clinker, avoiding secondary pollution in the synergistic process of cement kiln. The addition of LDS as a phosphorus sintering flux for clinker plays a good role in promoting the formation of bauxite in clinker and improving the burnability of raw materials. The addition of up to 15 wt.% of LDS containing 0.53% P2O5 to cement raw meal does not affect the clinker reaction. As an important flux in cement production, LDS can save phosphate rock and replace flux as a cement sintering ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mortality in patients with gastrointestinal (GIB) bleeding in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The information of the participants was obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. The main outcome of this research was 30/90-day mortality, with ICU mortality and in-hospital mortality as secondary outcomes. Results: This research included 2924 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding in total. Patients with higher RDW had considerably higher 30/90-day and in-hospital mortality rates, as well as longer hospital stays and ICU stays. According to the Kaplan–Meier analysis, the 30/90-day mortality rate was remarkably higher among participants in the higher RDW group (P < 0.0001). In the adjusted multivariate Cox regression analysis, for 30-day mortality, the HR (95% CI) was 1.75 (1.37, 2.24) in comparison to Q1 in the reference group (P < 0.001). Analyses of 90-day mortality and in-hospital mortality both showed the same results. In the subgroup analysis, gender, myocardial infarction, chronic pulmonary disease, cerebrovascular disease and renal disease had no significant effect on the correlation between RDW values and mortality (all P > 0.05). The area under the ROC curve for RDW was 0.599 (95% CI 0.581–0.617) and 0.606 (95% CI 0.588–0.624) in 30/90-day ICU mortality. Conclusion: The current research showed that RDW could be utilized as an independent indicator of short-term mortality in critically ill GIB patients at 30 and 90 days of hospital admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, titled "Exploring the Interface: Unveiling the Intricacies of Interfacial Chemistry," discusses the field of interfacial chemistry, which focuses on the chemical processes that occur at the interfaces between different phases of matter. It explores the fundamental principles, methodologies, applications, and implications of interfacial chemistry across various scientific disciplines and technological domains. The article highlights the unique properties and behaviors exhibited by molecules and ions at different interfaces, such as gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, liquid-solid, and solid-solid interfaces. It also discusses the use of surface analysis techniques, electrochemical techniques, experimental setups, and computational simulations to study interfacial phenomena. The applications of interfacial chemistry include catalysis, materials synthesis, and environmental remediation. The article emphasizes the importance of adopting a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to further understand and utilize interfacial chemistry for innovation and addressing societal challenges. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of this paper is to present a complete and simplified solution procedure for the inventory model under trapezoidal type demand, Weibull-distributed deterioration, and partial backlogging. A published paper already provide a solution approach for this kind of inventory models. However, we will show that his approach is too complicated that depending on the partition the domain of a trapezoidal type demand to result in three sub-optimal problems. However, this paper will show that the already exist approach is correct but tedious. Moreover, a generalization of this kind of inventory systems from a trapezoidal type demand to any positive demand under a condition of generalized backlogged rate is also developed by this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-dimensional multi-physics model of the effect of process parameters on the evolution of the solid–liquid interface during solidification of large-scale Ti-6 wt% Al-4 wt% V (TC4) alloy by[Ballantyne, 1977 #483] (VAR) and a macroscopic model of grain nucleation and growth was established. The simulation results qualitatively reveal the evolution of solid–liquid interface and central cross-sectional solidification structure under various melting conditions, indicating that the melting zone depth increased while the mushy zone width and the number of grains decreased with the increase of melting power; the depth of the melting zone and the width of the mushy zone increase sharply with the increase in solidification velocity, the average grain radius increased, while the number of grains decreased; when the ingot diameter increased from 260 mm to 660 mm, the depth of the melting zone increased and gradually remained stable, and the width of the mushy zone gradually decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on finding a solution to the sharp decline in mechanical properties of Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys due to rapid coarsening of traditional intermediate phases at high temperature. A new type of modified alloy, to be used in automobile engines at high temperatures, was prepared by adding Zr and Mo into Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy. The synergistic effects of Zr and Mo on the microstructure evolution and high-temperature mechanical properties were studied. Results show that the addition of Zr and Mo generates a series of intermetallic phases dispersed in the alloy. They can improve the strength of the alloy by hindering dislocation movement and crack propagation. In addition, some nano-strengthened phases show coherent interfaces with the matrix and improve grain refinement. The addition of Mo greatly improves the heat resistance of the alloy. The extremely low diffusivity of Mo enables it to improve the thermal stability of the intermetallic phases, inhibit precipitation during aging, reduce the size of the precipitates, and improve the heat resistance of the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid emergence of anisotropic collagen fibers in the tissue microenvironment is a critical transition point in late-stage breast cancer. Specifically, the fiber orientation facilitates the likelihood of high-speed tumor cell invasion and metastasis, which pose lethal threats to patients. Thus, based on this transition point, one key issue is how to determine and evaluate efficient combination chemotherapy treatments in late-stage cancer. In this study, we designed a collagen microarray chip containing 241 high-throughput microchambers with embedded metastatic breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231-RFP. By utilizing collagen's unique structure and hydromechanical properties, the chip constructed three-dimensional isotropic and anisotropic collagen fiber structures to emulate the tumor cell microenvironment at early and late stages. We injected different chemotherapeutic drugs into its four channels and obtained composite biochemical concentration profiles. Our results demonstrate that anisotropic collagen fibers promote cell proliferation and migration more than isotropic collagen fibers, suggesting that the geometric arrangement of fibers plays an important role in regulating cell behavior. Moreover, the presence of anisotropic collagen fibers may be a potential factor leading to the poor efficacy of combined chemotherapy in late-stage breast cancer. We investigated the efficacy of various chemotherapy drugs using cell proliferation inhibitors paclitaxel and gemcitabine and tumor cell migration inhibitors 7rh and PP2. To ensure the validity of our findings, we followed a systematic approach that involved testing the inhibitory effects of these drugs. According to our results, the drug combinations' effectiveness could be ordered as follows: paclitaxel + gemcitabine > gemcitabine + 7rh > PP2 + paclitaxel > 7rh + PP2. This study shows that the biomimetic chip system not only facilitates the creation of a realistic in vitro model for examining the cell migration mechanism in late-stage breast cancer but also has the potential to function as an effective tool for future chemotherapy assessment and personalized medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of biochemical cues in the tumor immune microenvironment in affecting cancer metastasis is well established, but the role of physical factors in the microenvironment remains largely unexplored. In this article, we investigated how the mechanical interaction between cancer cells and immune cells, mediated by extracellular matrix (ECM), influences immune escape of cancer cells. We focus on the mechanical regulation of macrophages' targeting ability on two distinct types of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cells with different metastatic potentials. Our results show that macrophages can effectively target CRC cells with low metastatic potential, due to the strong contraction exhibited by the cancer cells on the ECM, and that cancer cells with high metastatic potential demonstrated weakened contractions on the ECM and can thus evade macrophage attack to achieve immune escape. Our findings regarding the intricate mechanical interactions between immune cells and cancer cells can serve as a crucial reference for further exploration of cancer immunotherapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SLC25A26 is the only known human mitochondrial S-adenosylmethionine carrier encoding gene. Recent studies have shown that SLC25A26 is abnormally expressed in some cancers, such as cervical cancer, low-grade glioma, non-small cell lung cancer, and liver cancer, which suggests SLC25A26 can affect the occurrence and development of some cancers. This article in brief briefly reviewed mitochondrial S-adenosylmethionine carrier in different species and its encoding gene, focused on the association of SLC25A26 aberrant expression and some cancers as well as potential mechanisms, summarized its potential for cancer prognosis, and characteristics of mitochondrial diseases caused by SLC25A26 mutation. Finally, we provide a brief expectation that needs to be further investigated. We speculate that SLC25A26 will be a potential new therapeutic target for some cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous rocks exhibit mechanical behaviors characterized by high compressibility and stiffness enhancement under quasi-static cyclic loads. In this study, we investigated the mechanical responses of a porous red sandstone subjected to different cyclic loads and revealed the mesoscopic mechanisms for the evolution of stiffness and strength. Rock stiffness was enhanced by increasing stress and number of load cycles during pre-peak loading, and the normalized viscoelastic strain evolved uniformly during all the unloading phases. Void compaction and microfracturing caused irreversible structural changes and subsequent changes in the stiffness of the rock, and there was a positive linear relationship between the unloading secant modulus and axial irreversible strain. In addition, a new parameter, named the plastic strain increment ratio, was defined to describe the asynchronous development of the axial and lateral irreversible deformation induced by void compaction and microfracturing. These results can provide a better understanding of the mechanical properties of porous sandstone. Highlights: Low-frequency cyclic loads cause stiffness enhancement on the porous red sandstone. Unloading recovery of viscoelastic strain follows a uniform exponential law regardless of loading conditions. The evolution of stiffness is linearly related to the accumulation of irreversible strains. The evolution of stiffness is caused by void compaction and microfracturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1. Triaxial unloading confining pressure tests were conducted on phyllite. • 2. The volume dilatancy behavior and the evolution of dilatancy angle were estimated. • 3. The macroscopic and microscopic failure characteristics of phyllite were observed. • 4. Links between volume dilatancy and the progressive failure behaviors of rock were revealed. Controlled by the foliation structure, foliated rocks exhibit mechanical anisotropy and cause squeezing deformation and subsequent supporting structure failure during tunnel excavation. Here, the deformation and failure characteristics of a phyllite under unloading stress paths were experimentally investigated. The strength and elasticity parameters of phyllite exhibited moderate 'shoulder' shaped anisotropy, and specimens failed in three different modes: cross-plane shear-tensile fracture, in-plane shear sliding, and interlayer buckling, depending on the foliation angle and initial confining pressure. Meanwhile, the evolution of dilatancy angle during volume dilatancy also showed significant anisotropy, either increasing or decreasing with the increasing plastic shear strain during post-peak loading. We further discussed the mechanism of the evolution of dilatancy angle based on the multi-scale observation of the failure characteristics. Generally, interlayer buckling improved the dilatancy angle and roughness loss during shear failure resulted in dilatancy angle degradation. These findings provided evidence for a deeper understanding of the failure mechanisms of tunnel rock mass in foliated strata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outbursts are anthropogenic hazards that can be divided into four stages: preparation, occurrence, development, and termination. Studying the influence of gas on coal damage and energy changes during the formation of outbursts is highly important for investigating the entire hazard. In this paper, laboratory experiments were performed on samples. The energy changes and failure mechanism of coal under different gas pressures were revealed, and a seepage model was established based on compressibility and adsorption to investigate gas-induced coal damage. The results demonstrated that gas pressure caused initial damage within the coal, resulting in nonlinear deformation and strength deterioration of the coal. Gas-induced damage affected the energy evolution mechanism of coal under loading, as pressure caused the premature release of energy at the tips of internal microcracks and reduced the ability to accumulate energy. These changes increased the proportion of dissipative energy under unstable conditions. The combined acoustic emission (AE) parameters—rising angle (RA) and average frequency (AF)—were used to study the fracture mode of gas-containing coal. As the gas pressure increased from 0 to 4 MPa, the RA–AF distribution pattern changed from tensile failure to tensile–shear composite failure, with the proportion of shear cracks increasing from 0.30% to 25.44%. As the complexity of the crack network increased, the randomness of crack propagation increased, and the fracture surface roughness parameters, arithmetic mean height S a , root mean square height S q , and maximum height S z increased by 90.33%, 94.02%, and 81.70%, respectively. These findings could contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism of coal and gas outbursts and guide for predicting and preventing these hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to examine the hypotheses that glucolipid metabolism is linked to neurocognition and gray matter volume (GMV) and that GMV mediates the association of glucolipid metabolism with neurocognition in first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) patients with schizophrenia. Parameters of glucolipid metabolism, neurocognition, and magnetic resonance imaging were assessed in 63 patients and 31 controls. Compared to controls, patients exhibited higher levels of fasting glucose, triglyceride, and insulin resistance index, lower levels of cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, poorer neurocognitive functions, and decreased GMV in the bilateral insula, left middle occipital gyrus, and left postcentral gyrus. In the patient group, triglyceride levels and the insulin resistance index exhibited a negative correlation with Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) mean latency, a measure of attention within the Cambridge Neurocognitive Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), while showing a positive association with GMV in the right insula. The mediation model revealed that triglyceride and insulin resistance index had a significant positive indirect (mediated) influence on RVP mean latency through GMV in the right insula. Glucolipid metabolism was linked to both neurocognitive functions and GMV in FEDN patients with schizophrenia, with the effect pattern differing from that observed in chronic schizophrenia or schizophrenia comorbid with metabolic syndrome. Moreover, glucolipid metabolism might indirectly contribute to neurocognitive deficits through the mediating role of GMV in these patients. • Dysregulated glucolipid metabolism existed in FEDN schizophrenia. • Glucolipid metabolism was associated with neurocognition in FEDN schizophrenia. • Monitoring glucolipid metabolism in the early stages of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Neddylation, an important post-translational modifcation (PTM) of proteins, plays a crucial role in follicular development. MLN4924 is a small-molecule inhibitor of the neddylation-activating enzyme (NAE) that regulates various biological processes. However, the regulatory mechanisms of neddylation in rabbit ovarian cells have not been emphasized. Here, the transcriptome and metabolome profles in granulosa cells (GCs) treated with MLN4924 were utilized to identify diferentially expressed genes, followed by pathway analysis to precisely defne the altered metabolisms. Results The results showed that 563 upregulated and 910 downregulated diferentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in pathways related to cancer, cell cycle, PI3K-AKT, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, and PPAR signaling pathway. Furthermore, we characterized that MLN4924 inhibits PPAR-mediated lipid metabolism, and disrupts the cell cycle by promoting the apoptosis and proliferation of GCs. Importantly, we found the reduction of several metabolites in the MLN4924 treated GCs, including glycerophosphocholine, arachidic acid, and palmitic acid, which was consistent with the deregulation of PPAR signaling pathways. Furthermore, the increased metabolites included 6-Deoxy-6-sulfo-D-glucono-1,5-lactone and N-Acetyl-D-glucosaminyldiphosphodolichol. Combined with transcriptome data analyses, we identifed genes that strongly correlate with metabolic dysregulation, particularly those related to glucose and lipid metabolism. Therefore, neddylation inhibition may disrupt the energy metabolism of GCs. Conclusions These results provide a foundation for in-depth research into the role and molecular mechanism of neddylation in ovary development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of NH2-functionalized nano-sized magnetic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were prepared in this study for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater. It was observed that not only the morphological, i.e., orientation growth of N-doped and iron-based metal–organic frameworks, but also the adsorption of magnetic MOFs is largely related to the used amount of ammonium hydroxide in preparation. For example, with increasing amounts of ammonium hydroxide used in preparation, the morphology of magnetic MOFs changed from spherical to cube and triangular cone. Moreover, the maximum adsorption capacity of spherical-magnetic MOFs, cubic-magnetic MOFs and triangular cone-magnetic MOFs could be up to 204.08 mg/g, 232.56 mg/g and 270.27 mg/g, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the adsorption process of magnetic MOFs for Cr(VI) was consistent with the pseudo-second-order rate equation (R2 = 1) and Langmuir isotherm model (R2 > 0.99). Therefore, magnetic MOFs developed in this work offered a viable option for the removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Sichuan cuisine is characterized by high salt and oil content. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the Sichuan cuisine version of Chinese heart-healthy diet (CHH diet-SC) on blood pressure reduction among hypertensive adults. Methods and Study Design: The Chinese heart-healthy diet (CHH) trial was a multicenter randomized controlled feeding trial among Chinese hypertensive people. We conducted a secondary analysis of the CHH trial using data from the Sichuan center in Southwest China. Fifty-three people aged 25 to 75 years with a mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) between 130 and 159 mmHg were enrolled. Eligible participants underwent a 1-week run-in period with the typical local diet and were randomized 1:1 to consume the CHH diet-SC (n=27) or typical local diet (n=26) for the next 4-week. The primary outcome was the net change in SBP, the secondary outcomes included diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and the rate of BP control. Results: Compared with the control group, the CHH diet-SC decreased cooking salt, oil, and red meat content and increased inclusion of whole grains, fruits, seafood, low-fat dairy, soybean, and nuts; the SBP experienced reductions of 7.54, 8.60, 9.14, and 10.1 mmHg at the end of weeks 1 through 4; the DBP was reduced 4.01 mmHg at week 4; the MAP was significantly reduced 6.02 mmHg finally; and rate of BP control significantly increased (p˂0.05). Conclusions: Adoption of the CHH diet-SC for 4 weeks can significantly reduce BP and increase the rate of BP control in hypertensive adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An N‐phenylcarbazole/triazine hybrid of 2,4,6‐tris(9‐phenyl‐9H‐carbazol‐3‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine (TPhCz‐Trz) is successfully synthesized using cheap raw materials via facile synthesis method with a high yield of 60.9%. Good thermal (Td, 284 °C) and morphological stability are realized due to its rigid structure and three‐dimensional steric hindrance. The high triplet energy level of 2.88 eV for the host is very important to inhibit the energy reverse from guest to host. Surprisingly, orange thermally‐activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are achieved by using excellent green emitter 9,10‐bis(4‐(3,6‐ditertbutyl‐9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)‐2,6‐dimethyl‐phenyl)‐9,10‐diboraanth‐racene (tBuCzDBA) with the maximum external quantum efficiency of 14.0%. The large bathochromic‐shift is probably induced by the polarity of the host compared to the emission peak of 542 nm of tBuCzDBA‐based green TADF device. This indicates high performance of devices with different colors would be achieved through optimizing molecular structure of the host and device framework using tBuCzDBA as emitter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synergic catalytic effect between active sites and supports greatly determines the catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidative desulfurization of fuel oils. In this work, Ni-doped Co-based bimetallic metalorganic framework (CoNi-MOF) is fabricated to disperse N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), in which the whole catalyst provides plentiful synergic catalytic effect to improve the performance of oxidative desulfurization (ODS). As a bimetallic MOF, the second metal Ni doping results in the flower-like morphology and the modification of electronic properties, which ensure the exposure of NHPI and strengthen the synergistic effect of the overall catalyst. Compared with the monometallic Co-MOF and naked NHPI, the NHPI@CoNi-MOF triggers the efficient activation of molecular oxygen and improves the ODS performance without an initiator. The sulfur removal of dibenzothiophene-based model oil reaches 96.4% over the NHPI@CoNi-MOF catalyst in 8 h of reaction. Furthermore, the catalytic product of this aerobic ODS reaction is sulfone, which is adsorbed on the catalyst surface due to the difference in polarity. This work provides new insight and strategy for the design of a strong synergic catalytic effect between NHPI and bimetallic supports toward high-activity aerobic ODS materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general geometric model of the elliptical cross-section double-ogive-nose projectile (ECDP) was established, and the expression of penetration resistance was obtained. Based on the special shape and penetration process characteristics of the ECDP, a three-stage penetration model was constructed, and closed-form penetration equations were derived. Three ECDPs with the major-minor axis ratio of 1.5 were launched by a 130 mm gas-gun to impact the plain concrete targets with the oblique angle of 10° at a nominal striking velocity of 650 m/s, the experimental data such as the penetration depth of the ECDPs and the failure characteristic parameter of the targets was obtained. The initial posture of the ECDP had little effect on the penetration depth and trajectory deflection under the condition of the target with 10° oblique angle, but it had obvious influence on the structural response. The theoretical model was verified by experimental data, the calculated result of the penetration depth was in good agreement with the experimental data, the deviation was within the range of -13.5% ~ -8.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ECL biosensor was developed for ultrasensitive analysis of chloramphenicol based on DNA self-assembly hydrogel. • ECL reaction on the bare electrode without any modification to construct a reagent-based label-free analysis system simply with high efficiency for quantification of the low-abundant chloramphenicol. • The high efficiency biosensing strategy showed excellent practical ability to real samples products of CPA. Today, great attentions have been attracted on chloramphenicol (CAP) to its nonnegligible biotoxicity to human. It is most important and urgent to quantify the low-abundant chloramphenicol by generating simple and efficient analysis approach for the detection of chloramphenicol. Herein, we proposed a novel reagent-based label free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor based on AuNPs@CoFe-PBA nanomaterials as highly efficient catalysts for luminol/hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) system and target indirectly induced activation of the CRISPR/Cas 12a amplification system for simple and efficient quantification of the low-abundant chloramphenicol. Typically, AuNPs@CoFe-PBA nanomaterials as a novel catalyst for luminol/H 2 O 2 system were enclosed in the X-type DNA hydrogel to greatly inhibit their catalytic performance due to the blocking effect of DNA hydrogel. In presence of target CAP, it induced DNA structure transformation of the aptamer of chloramphenicol to generate a toehold to present catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) amplification with the help of two self-designed hairpin structure DNA to perform the hybridizer of the two hairpins, which could activate the CRISPR/Cas 12a system to carry out the DNA cleavage. Its activity breaks the structure of DNA hydrogels and releases AuNPs@CoFe-PBA nanomaterials, which enhances the ECL signals of the luminol/H 2 O 2 systems for simple and sensitive analysis of chloramphenicol. Most importantly, all of the target induced amplifications were performed in the detection solution and the ECL reactions were generated on the bare electrode without any modification to construct a reagent-based label-free analysis system simply with high efficiency for quantification of the low-abundant chloramphenicol. The results showed that there was a good linear relationship between ECL intensity and CAP concentration in range from 10 pg/mL to 1 ug/mL with a detection limit of 7.75 pg/mL, providing great potentials to quantify the low-abundant chloramphenicol and some other biomarkers for early disease diagnosis, food safety testing and environmental analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging in an individual refers to the temporal change, mostly decline, in the body's ability to meet physiological demands. Biological age (BA) is a biomarker of chronological aging and can be used to stratify populations to predict certain age-related chronic diseases. BA can be predicted from biomedical features such as brain MRI, retinal, or facial images, but the inherent heterogeneity in the aging process limits the usefulness of BA predicted from individual body systems. In this paper, we developed a multimodal Transformer-based architecture with cross-attention which was able to combine facial, tongue, and retinal images to estimate BA. We trained our model using facial, tongue, and retinal images from 11,223 healthy subjects and demonstrated that using a fusion of the three image modalities achieved the most accurate BA predictions. We validated our approach on a test population of 2,840 individuals with six chronic diseases and obtained significant difference between chronological age and BA (AgeDiff) than that of healthy subjects. We showed that AgeDiff has the potential to be utilized as a standalone biomarker or conjunctively alongside other known factors for risk stratification and progression prediction of chronic diseases. Our results therefore highlight the feasibility of using multimodal images to estimate and interrogate the aging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platinum-based chemotherapy remains one of the major choices for treatment of ovarian cancer (OC). However, primary or acquired drug resistance severely impairs their efficiency, thereby causing chemotherapy failure and poor prognosis. SH3 domain containing ring finger 2 (SH3RF2) has been linked to the development of cancer. Here we find higher levels of SH3RF2 in the tumor tissues from cisplatin-resistant OC patients when compared to those from cisplatin-sensitive patients. Similarly, cisplatin-resistant OC cells also express higher levels of SH3RF2 than normal OC cells. Through in vitro and in vivo loss-of-function experiments, SH3RF2 is identified as a driver of cisplatin resistance, as evidenced by increases in cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis and DNA damage and decreases in cell proliferation induced by SH3RF2 depletion. Mechanistically, SH3RF2 can directly bind to the RNA-binding protein mRNA processing factor (RBPMS). RBPMS has been reported as an inhibitor of cisplatin resistance in OC. As a E3 ligase, SH3RF2 promotes the K48-linked ubiquitination of RBPMS to increase its proteasomal degradation and activator protein 1 (AP-1) transactivation. Impairments in RBPMS function reverse the inhibitory effect of SH3RF2 depletion on cisplatin resistance. Collectively, the SH3RF2-RBPMS-AP-1 axis is an important regulator in cisplatin resistance and inhibition of SH3RF2 may be a potential target in preventing cisplatin resistance. SH3RF2 suppresses RBPMS stability to promote AP-1 transactivation, and thereby contributes to cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the discovery that water can trigger a peculiar nuclear reaction and produce energy. Cavitation may induce unusual reactions through implosion of water vapor bubbles. Many of this research has been published formally or informally. We have conducted experiments using two reactor types made from multiple-pipe heat exchanger and found that the heat exchange process of water produces peculiar excess heat and abnormally high pressure leading to rupture of the reactor. Recently, we have tested another eight reactors. Interestingly, these reactors produce non-condensable gas. We suspected that they include 22Ne and CO2. We used a mass spectrometer (MS) to analyze 14 gas samples collected from 8 reactors, including ten samples showing a coefficient of performance COPx > 1.05 (with excess heat) and four having COPx < 1.05 (without excess heat). Several methods were adopted to identify the gas content. For CO2 identification, two methods are employed. For 22Ne identification, three methods are employed. All the results confirm that isotope 22Ne and regular CO2 really exist in the output gas from reactors determined to have excess heat. We conjecture a possible mechanism to produce 22Ne and CO2 and find out that 12C and isotope 17O are the intermediate. They finally form isotope gases containing 17O, including H2O-17 (heavy-oxygen water), isotope O2 (16O–17O), and isotope CO2 (12C–16O–17O). In the excess heat producing reactors, all these gasses were detected by MS in the absence of 20Ne and 21Ne. The observed isotope gases produced from reactors having excess heat verifies that water can trigger a peculiar nuclear reaction and produce energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulating the electronic and geometric structures of electrocatalysts is an effective strategy to boost their catalytic properties. Herein, a coral-like nanostructure is assembled with Mo-doped Pt clusters to form a highly active catalyst toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The advantages of a Mo-doped porous skeleton, grain boundaries, and MoOx species on the Pt cluster surfaces synergistically boost the electrocatalytic performance. This unique architecture delivers 3.5- and 2.8-fold higher mass and specific activities, respectively, than commercial Pt/C. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the Mo-doped Pt clusters have an optimized Pt-O bond length of 2.110 Å, which weakens the adsorption energy of the intermediate O* to yield great ORR activity. Moreover, the catalyst shows a decay in the half-wave potential of only 8 mV after 10,000 cycles of accelerated durability testing. The high stability arises from the increased dissociation energy of Pt atoms and the stable architecture of the coral-like structure of clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the significant potential of microRNA (miRNA) as an efficient biomarker and great challenge of accurate analysis of lowly abundant miRNA, herein, we proposed a target-induced multipath-to-one-substrate strategy to monitor miRNA in vivo and in vitro accurately with high-efficient performances. In presence of target miRNA, it could directly generate the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) amplification cycle based on hybridizing with hairpin 1 (H1) and H2 respectively to structure the H1–H2 duplex, then the H1–H2 duplex could activate the cleavage ability of CRISPR/Cas12a to cleavage H1 which represent miRNA indirectly consume H1, which achieve co-consumption of the same substrate H1 by multiple pathways. And thus, the quenched fluorescent signal on H1 could be recovered due to the enlarger distance between fluorescent probe and quencher by the formation of H1–H2 duplex or cleavage of H1, all of which were related directly with target miRNA or indirectly with H1–H2 duplex activated cleavage ability of CRISPR/Cas12a, generating ultrahigh sensitive analytical ability and high-efficient analytical performances, such as more simple, fast, efficient and so on, especially a linear correlation from 100 pM to 100 nM with a detection limit of 78 pM, opening a new door to monitor expression level of biomolecules for early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of various diseases. [Display omitted] • Target-induced multipath-to-one-substrate strategy with high-efficient performances. • Co-consumption of the same substrate by multiple pathways to achieve a higher efficiency. • Making full use of the trans -cleavage and cis -cleavage of CRISPR/Cas12a in one system. • Providing a new idea of combining CRISPR/Cas12a with nucleic acid amplification strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay of climate change, upstream hydropower development, and local water engineering interventions for agricultural production contributes substantially to the transformation of waterscapes and water scarcity in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. This paper aims to examine how these dynamics are linked to the paradigm shift in water management in An Giang and Ben Tre, the two ecologically distinct provinces that face serious water scarcity in the delta. We used the adaptive management concept to examine how state-led policy directions from food security towards water security enable change in water management that gives priority to water retention. While policy learning is evident, questions remain about how this ad-hoc solution could help address the presently acute water scarcity and water security over the long term. The paper advocates achieving water security should focus not only on diplomatic interventions into upstream climate-development complexities but also local water-livelihood politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Candidate male sterility genes were identified in sugarcane, which interacts with kinase-related proteins, transcription factors, and plant hormone signaling pathways to regulate stamen and anther development.Saccharum officinarum is a cultivated sugarcane species that its predominant feature is high sucrose content in stems. Flowering is necessary for breeding new cultivars but will terminate plant growth and reduce sugar yield. The wild sugarcane species Saccharum spontaneum has robust and viable pollen, whereas most S. officinarum accessions are male sterile, which is a desirable trait of a maternal parent in sugarcane breeding. To study male sterility and related regulatory pathways in sugarcane, we carried out RNAseq using flowers in different developmental stages between male-sterile S. officinarum accession ‘LA Purple’ and fertile S. spontaneum accession ‘SES208’. Gene expression profiles were used to detect how genes are differentially expressed between male sterile and fertile flowers and to identify candidate genes for male sterility. Weighted gene correlation networks analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to investigate the regulatory networks. Transcriptomic analyses showed that 988 genes and 2888 alleles were differentially expressed in S. officinarum compared to S. spontaneum. Ten differentially expressed genes and thirty alleles were identified as candidate genes and alleles for male sterility in sugarcane. The gene Sspon.03G0007630 and two alleles of the gene Sspon.08G0002270, Sspon.08G0002270-2B and Sspon.08G0014700-1A, were involved in the early stamen or carpel development stages, while the remaining genes were classified into the post-meiosis stage. Gibberellin, auxin, and jasmonic acid signaling pathways are involved in the stamen development in sugarcane. The results expanded our knowledge of male sterility-related genes in sugarcane and generated genomic resources to facilitate the selection of ideal maternal parents to improve breeding efficiency.Candidate male sterility genes were identified in sugarcane, which interacts with kinase-related proteins, transcription factors, and plant hormone signaling pathways to regulate stamen and anther development.Saccharum officinarum is a cultivated sugarcane species that its predominant feature is high sucrose content in stems. Flowering is necessary for breeding new cultivars but will terminate plant growth and reduce sugar yield. The wild sugarcane species Saccharum spontaneum has robust and viable pollen, whereas most S. officinarum accessions are male sterile, which is a desirable trait of a maternal parent in sugarcane breeding. To study male sterility and related regulatory pathways in sugarcane, we carried out RNAseq using flowers in different developmental stages between male-sterile S. officinarum accession ‘LA Purple’ and fertile S. spontaneum accession ‘SES208’. Gene expression profiles were used to detect how genes are differentially expressed between male sterile and fertile flowers and to identify candidate genes for male sterility. Weighted gene correlation networks analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to investigate the regulatory networks. Transcriptomic analyses showed that 988 genes and 2888 alleles were differentially expressed in S. officinarum compared to S. spontaneum. Ten differentially expressed genes and thirty alleles were identified as candidate genes and alleles for male sterility in sugarcane. The gene Sspon.03G0007630 and two alleles of the gene Sspon.08G0002270, Sspon.08G0002270-2B and Sspon.08G0014700-1A, were involved in the early stamen or carpel development stages, while the remaining genes were classified into the post-meiosis stage. Gibberellin, auxin, and jasmonic acid signaling pathways are involved in the stamen development in sugarcane. The results expanded our knowledge of male sterility-related genes in sugarcane and generated genomic resources to facilitate the selection of ideal maternal parents to improve breeding efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Graphdiyne interfacially chelated iron metal organic framework is designed. • It delivers a low detection limit of 0.54 pM, among the best for CAP sensing. • Strong interfacial interaction promotes charge transfer and catalytic activity. • A portable electrochemical chip is fabricated to achieve on-site monitoring CAP. Chloramphenicol (CAP), a broad-spectrum antibiotic agent that can inhibit protein synthesis, has caused environmental and human health problems upon excessive usage but to realize its ultrasensitive detection is still a great challenge. We report here the design and fabrication of a nanocomposite comprising graphdiyne (GDY) chelated iron-based metal–organic framework (Fe-MOF@GDY) with strong interfacial interaction to achieve high performance electrochemical sensing of CAP. Fe-MOF@GDY exhibits good selectivity, a linear range of 1 pM−24 mM and an ultralow detection limit down to 0.54 pM, among the best performance for CAP detection. It displays good reproducibility and storage stability with retained 98.4% of its initial response after 3 weeks. GDY with unique electronic structure enhances charge transfer of Fe-MOF for improved conductivity, and Fe-MOF nanoparticles are uniformly chelated on GDY for rich active sites towards CAP reduction. Fe-MOF also prevents GDY from being degraded, promoting long-term stability. A portable electrochemical chip is fabricated based on Fe-MOF@GDY, and is successfully used for accurate detection of CAP in lake water with recovery rates of 97.2–104.7%, demonstrating the practical on-site applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "[Retracted] Upregulation of microRNA-181b inhibits CCL18-induced breast cancer cell metastasis and invasion via the NF-κB signaling pathway" was published in the journal Oncology Letters in 2016. However, it has since been retracted due to the discovery that the cell migration and invasion assay data featured in the article had already been published in a different journal by different authors. The authors of the retracted article accepted the decision to retract it, and the editor apologizes for any inconvenience caused. [Extracted from the article]

A hydrodynamic-based microfluidic chip consisted of two function units that could not only separate tumor cells (TCs) from whole blood but also remove residual blood cells was designed. The separation of TCs was achieved by a straight contraction-expansion array (CEA) microchannel on the front end of the chip. The addition of contractive structure brought a micro-vortex like Dean vortex that promoted cell focusing in the channel, while when cells entered the dilated region, the wall-induced lift force generated by the channel wall gave cells a push away from the wall. As the wall-induced lift force is proportional to the third power of the cell diameter, TCs with larger diameter will have a larger lateral migration under the wall-induced lift force, realizing the separation of TCs from blood sample. Fluorescent particles with diameters of 19.3 μm and 4.5 μm were used to simulate TCs and red blood cells, respectively, to verify the separation capacity of the proposed CEA microchannel for particles with different diameter. And a separation efficiency 98.7% for 19.3 μm particles and a removal rate 96.2% for 4.5 μm particles was observed at sample flow rate of 10 μL min−1 and sheath flow rate of 190 μL min−1. In addition, a separation efficiency about 96.1% for MCF-7 cells (stained with DiI) and removal rates of 96.2% for red blood cells (RBCs) and 98.7% for white blood cells (WBCs) were also obtained under the same condition. However, on account of the large number of blood cells in the blood, there will be a large number of blood cells remained in the isolated TCs, so a purification unit based on hydrodynamic filtration (HDF) was added after the separation microchannel. The purification channel is a size-dictated cell filter that can remove residual blood cells but retain TCs, thus achieving the purification of TCs. Combined the CEA microchannel and the purifier, the microchip facilitates sorting of MCF-7 cells from whole blood with a separation rate about 95.3% and a removal rate over 99.99% for blood cells at a sample flow rate of 10 μL min−1, sheath flow rate of 190 μL min−1 and washing flow rate of 63 μL min−1. • A hydrodynamic based dual-function microfluidic chip for the isolation and purification of tumor cells from whole blood is prepared. • The integration of CEA channel and HDF purifier enables efficient separation and purification of tumor cells. • Coupled with ICP-MS, a finite number of tumor cells in whole blood samples are successfully detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A wet chemical approach to synthesize highly branched Pd nanodendrites is developed. • The size of highly branched Pd nanodendrites could be controlled from 25 to 125 nm. • 25 nm B-Pd-Nds show superb catalytic peak current density for formic acid oxidation. • 25 nm B-Pd-Nds show 25 mV more positive half-wave potential than Com Pt/C for ORR. Hierarchical porous noble-metal based structures are of great interest for energy electrocatalysis on account of their unique shape which not only provides high accessible surface area and consequently numerous catalytic active sites but also facilitates mass transport for rapid kinetics. We report a wet chemical approach to synthesize highly branched Pd nanodendrites with tunable sizes ranging from 25 to 125 nm via sequential oriented attachment growth and epitaxial growth. With the merits of mesoporous structure, atomic steps and corners, and grain boundaries, the 25 nm Pd nanodendrites deliver peak current density of 1625.5 mA mg−1 Pd toward formic acid oxidation, the highest value among all reported branched Pd nanostructures, and exhibit half-wave potential of 0.882 V (vs. RHE) for the oxygen reduction reaction, 25 mV more positive than the Commercial Pt/C. The synthetic strategy demonstrated in this work can be further extended to create advanced nanocrystals for broad applications, such as in energy and biosensing systems and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of zinc (Zn) on the seed decomposition process of sodium aluminate solution at different caustic concentrations was investigated. The results showed that as the concentration of Zn(II) in sodium aluminate solution increased from 0 to 1000 mg/L, the decomposition efficiency of the solution and average grain size of the resulting aluminum tri-hydroxide (ATH) changed little at a caustic concentration of 141 g/L. At caustic concentrations of 160 g/L and 177 g/L, the decomposition efficiency increased from 35.8% and 21.6% to 40.6% and 24.9%, respectively, while average grain size of the ATH crystal seeds increased from 14.2 and 9.25 μm to 17.9 and 15.9 μm, respectively. The XRD, FT-IR, and SEM analyses showed that zinc can enter the ATH seeds and interact with the α-ATH crystal planes. It may also form interactions with the Al O octahedral growth structure, thus promoting solution decomposition and influencing crystal growth. The research results will provide valuable references for improving the quality of alumina products. [Display omitted] • Effect of Zn on decomposition of sodium aluminate solution was studied in detail. • Decomposition mechanism of Zn-containing sodium aluminate solutions was explored. • The possible structures of substances formed from Zn and aluminum tri-hydroxide were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking and imaging of nano-plastics are extremely challenging, especially in fresh biological samples. Here, we propose a new strategy in which polystyrene (PS) was doped with the europium chelate Eu (DBM) 3 bpy to quantify, track, and in situ image nano-plastics in fresh cucumber based on inherent metals using cryogenic laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (cryo-LA-ICP-MS). The cryogenic conditions provide a stable condition for imaging fresh cucumber, suppressing the evaporation of water in fresh plants, and maintaining the original structure of plants with respect to room temperature imaging in LA-ICP-MS. The plants were cultivated in two types of nano-plastics solutions with low (50 mg/L) and high (200 mg/L) concentrations for 9 days. The results showed that nano-plastics mainly enrich the roots and have negative effects, which decrease the trace elements of Zn, Mn, and Cu in cucumber. Smaller PS particles are able to penetrate the plant more easily and inflict serious damage. Novel imaging method provides a novel insight into the tracking and imaging of nano-plastics in fresh plant samples. The results illustrated that nano-plastics deposition on plants has the potential to have direct ecological effects as well as consequences for potential health. [Display omitted] • Tracking and imaging of nano-plastic in fresh cucumber roots, stems, and leaves was achieved. • The cryogenic conditions maintain the original structure of plants with respect to room temperature imaging in LA-ICP-MS. • The results showed that nano-plastics mainly enrich the roots and have negative effects. • Nano-plastics decrease the trace elements of Zn, Mn, and Cu in fresh cucumber. • Smaller PS particles enter plants more easily, inflicting significant harm to the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is inconsistent evidence for an association of obesity with white matter microstructural alterations. Such inconsistent findings may be related to the cumulative effects of obesity and alcohol dependence. This study aimed to investigate the possible interactions between alcohol dependence and overweight/obesity on white matter microstructure in the human brain. A total of 60 inpatients with alcohol dependence during early abstinence (44 normal weight and 16 overweight/obese) and 65 controls (42 normal weight and 23 overweight/obese) were included. The diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures [fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD)] of the white matter microstructure were compared between groups. We observed significant interactive effects between alcohol dependence and overweight/obesity on DTI measures in several tracts. The DTI measures were not significantly different between the overweight/obese and normal-weight groups (although widespread trends of increased FA and decreased RD were observed) among controls. However, among the alcohol-dependent patients, the overweight/obese group had widespread reductions in FA and widespread increases in RD, most of which significantly differed from the normal-weight group; among those with overweight/obesity, the alcohol-dependent group had widespread reductions in FA and widespread increases in RD, most of which were significantly different from the control group. This study found significant interactive effects between overweight/obesity and alcohol dependence on white matter microstructure, indicating that these two controllable factors may synergistically impact white matter microstructure and disrupt structural connectivity in the human brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assist-As-Needed (AAN) rehabilitation in related works typically limits subjects to perform rehabilitation tasks with particular time instants. This paper proposes a velocity field based on an active-assistive control system to solve this issue. The active intention of motion of the subjects are extracted via a Kalman filter constructed on the basis of an interactive torque observer. Then, given a task motion pattern devised to provide subjects the time-decoupled assistance, our system can first automatically produce a position-coupled velocity field. Afterwards, a method is proposed to integrate the active and assistive motion based on the subjects' performance and involvement so that eventually they will actively perform the task in a more accurate manner. The stability of the proposed system is verified by Lyapunov analysis. The experiment results show that the execution time and the subjects' exertion are reduced when performing given tasks compared with the related work. To sum up, the hereby developed system not only can maintain the subjects' active intention but also can assist them to run the task accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The particle essence of the discrete element method could prevent the rock block from sliding on the slope surface due to the stress concentration between the convex particles of the sliding block and the slope. To eliminate this sliding blockage effect and simulate more realistic rockfall, slope surface was transformed into a series of successive joints by the discrete fracture network technique, and a damping joint model was developed by adding a normal dashpot and a shear dashpot on the smooth joint model that does not have damping properties. The motion processes of sliding, rolling, and collision were simulated by the proposed method, and the damping and movement performances were investigated. The macroscopic sliding and rolling friction coefficients significantly increase with the microscopic friction coefficient and the shear damping ratio. The normal restitution coefficient of collision decreases with the normal damping ratio, while the shear restitution coefficient of collision decreases with both the shear damping ratio and the friction coefficient. Furthermore, the simulation of a rockfall case demonstrates the proposed method represented a more realistic movement process and more plentiful characteristics of collision, sliding and rolling, compared with the simulated results of Rocfall software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]