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Extensive research has explored the link between emotions and life satisfaction, yet a notable gap remains in understanding the prospective connections between teacher work-related emotions and life satisfaction during role transitions—a critical period in teacher development—and the moderating impact of emotional intelligence (EI). To address this, we used cross-lagged models to analyze the relationship between work-related emotions and life satisfaction in 357 novice teachers, from their internship through their first year of teaching, and explored the moderating role of EI in this relationship. The results indicated that positive emotions positively predicted future life satisfaction, while negative emotions had a negative effect over time. Positive emotions exhibited a stronger correlation with life satisfaction compared to negative ones. Furthermore, EI moderated these relationships: Among high-EI teachers, positive emotions predicted increased life satisfaction, which subsequently predicted fewer future negative emotions. In contrast, among low-EI teachers, negative emotions predicted lower life satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of promoting positive emotions and enhancing emotional intelligence to bolster teachers' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption capacity is a critical indicator of adsorbent performance, its assessment often requires precise but complicated measurements of adsorbate concentration in the liquid phase. This study presents a colorimetric sensing method based on a fabricated model for directly assessing the adsorption capacity of colored cations through the absorbance of the adsorbent. The exceptional analytical capability of the proposed method was demonstrated by the rapid determination of colored cation adsorption capacity in single-cation (Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and U(VI)) systems, mixed-cation systems, and real wastewater samples. Additionally, a series of colorimetric cards have been developed to enable rapid and effective real-time monitoring of adsorption capacity in industrial production, resource extraction, wastewater treatment, and other applications. This research is expected to significantly enhance the methods available for adsorption capacity measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), hepatic stellate cells undergo activation and transform into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) due to the influence of tumor cells. The interaction between CAFs and tumor cells can compromise the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs and promote tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. This study explores the potential of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA)-modified liposomes (lip-GA) as a strategy for co-delivery of berberine (Ber) and doxorubicin (Dox) to treat HCC. The characterizations of liposomes, including particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, stability and in vitro drug release, were investigated. The study evaluated the anti-proliferation and anti-migration effects of Dox&Ber@lip-GA on the Huh-7 + LX-2 cell model were through MTT and wound-healing assays. Additionally, the in vivo drug distribution and anti-tumor efficacy were investigated using the H22 + NIH-3T3-bearing mouse model. The results indicated that Dox&Ber@lip-GA exhibited a nanoscale particle size, accumulated specifically in the tumor region, and was efficiently taken up by tumor cells. Compared to other groups, Dox&Ber@lip-GA demonstrated higher cytotoxicity and lower migration rates. Additionally, it significantly reduced the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and inhibited tumor angiogenesis, thereby suppressing tumor growth. In conclusion, Dox&Ber@lip-GA exhibited superior anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in vivo, highlighting its potential as an effective therapeutic strategy for combating HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the longitudinal trajectories of teacher emotions across the role transition and their association with emotional intelligence and teacher-student relationships. This study investigates 238 teachers reported their teacher emotions, emotional intelligence and teacher-student relationships. Latent class growth analyses revealed three trajectories of positive emotions and two trajectories of negative emotions, highlighting the heterogeneity in teacher longitudinal emotions in the role transition period. Moreover, teachers reporting higher levels of emotional intelligence at internship were more likely belonging to high-stable trajectory of positive emotions, and teachers with high-stable trajectory of positive emotions scored higher on teacher-student relationships, whereas teachers with high-stable trajectory of negative emotions scored lower on teacher-student relationships. These findings suggested that person-centered and longitudinal designs are valuable direction for theoretical studies of teacher emotions, and practically, monitoring the trajectories of teacher emotions and providing emotional intelligence training are important for teacher development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hendra and Nipah viruses (HNVs) are highly pathogenic pathogens without approved interventions for human use. In addition, the interaction pattern between the attachment (G) and fusion (F) glycoproteins required for virus entry remains unclear. Here, we isolate a panel of Macaca-derived G-specific antibodies that cross-neutralize HNVs via multiple mechanisms. The most potent antibody, 1E5, confers adequate protection against the Nipah virus challenge in female hamsters. Crystallography demonstrates that 1E5 has a highly similar binding pattern to the receptor. In cryo-electron microscopy studies, the tendency of 1E5 to bind to the upper or lower heads results in two distinct quaternary structures of G. Furthermore, we identify the extended outer loop β1S2-β1S3 of G and two pockets on the apical region of fusion (F) glycoprotein as the essential sites for G-F interactions. This work highlights promising drug candidates against HNVs and contributes deeper insights into the viruses. There are no approved interventions for Hendra or Nipah viruses. Here, the authors isolate a G glycoprotein-specific antibody with cross-neutralizing and in vivo protective activities, and structurally resolve its binding pattern to the G protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nipah virus (NiV) is a World Health Organization priority pathogen and there are currently no approved drugs for clinical immunotherapy. Through the use of a naïve human phage-displayed Fab library, two neutralizing antibodies (NiV41 and NiV42) targeting the NiV receptor binding protein (RBP) were identified. Following affinity maturation, antibodies derived from NiV41 display cross-reactivity against both NiV and Hendra virus (HeV), whereas the antibody based on NiV42 is only specific to NiV. Results of immunogenetic analysis reveal a correlation between the maturation of antibodies and their antiviral activity. In vivo testing of NiV41 and its mature form (41-6) show protective efficacy against a lethal NiV challenge in hamsters. Furthermore, a 2.88 Å Cryo-EM structure of the tetrameric RBP and antibody complex demonstrates that 41-6 blocks the receptor binding interface. These findings can be beneficial for the development of antiviral drugs and the design of vaccines with broad spectrum against henipaviruses. Nipah virus is a WHO priority pathogen, and there is currently no approved drug for clinical therapy. Here, the authors identified potent human neutralizing antibodies that block receptor binding and provide protection against NiV infection in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic residues in the environment pose a serious threat to ecosystems and human health. Therefore, it is important to develop sensitive and rapid in situ detection methods. In this work, the designed nanozymes, with excellent four enzyme activities, were proved to be constituted of unique hollow nanocage structures (CoZnSe@CN HCs). Based on the peroxidase-like enzymes, a portable colorimetric sensor was constructed for the on-site determination of tetracycline (TC) in real samples. The linear range of TC detection was 0.1–100 μM, and the detection limit was 0.02 μM. At the same time, colorimetric detection and smartphones have also been combined for on-site colorimetric detection of TC. In-depth exploration of the detection mechanism showed that TC could be bound with the material, inhibiting the production of oxidized 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine. The sensor was also used for the detection of TC in environmental soil and water samples. This study can provide an intelligent detection method for environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key factor in determining the optimal harvest period of Camellia oleifera fruit maturity is significant in increasing camellia oil yield. Due to the interference of environmental factors, capturing hyperspectral images of Camellia oleifera fruit on-site often suffers from a low spectral signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, the multi-head attention parallel residual block-cycle generative adversarial network (MAPRB-CycleGAN) model was used to reconstruct on-site spectral data of Camellia oleifera fruit. Meanwhile, the characteristics and quality of the reconstructed spectra were analyzed through subjective visual inspection of the curve effect and the principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm. Then, the modeling effect of the reconstructed on-site spectral data after being reconstructed by wavelet transform, PCA, and kernel principal component analysis was compared. After the conventional pretreatment method in chemometrics, the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model established with the field original spectra of Camellia oleifera fruit achieved the highest classification accuracy of 93.82%. The maturity classification model of Camellia oleifera fruit established by the PLS-DA method using the reconstructed spectra from this paper achieved 99.54% accuracy, and the classification accuracy of this data set in multiple models was higher than that of other reconstructed data sets. The results indicate that hyperspectral imaging technique combined with MAPRB-CycleGAN can realize high-accuracy maturity classification of Camellia oleifera fruit, and the spectral reconstruction can be exploited as a preprocessing method for on-site spectral data collection, which provides important technical support for obtaining high-quality spectral data of Camellia oleifera fruit in field environments. The randomness and unpredictability of outdoor environmental factors lead to the diversity in data collection, and enhancing the robustness of generative models to cope with environmental influences is the most significant challenge in practical applications. It will also be the focal point of our future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato cultivation in China is concentrated in Xinjiang, Henan, and Shandong provinces, and the quality of tomatoes produced in different regions shows huge differences. Xinjiang tomatoes have extraordinary nutritional compositions and sensory qualities, and counterfeit Xinjiang tomato products are proliferating in the market. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of identifying the geographical origin of Chinese tomatoes by using long-wave Fourier-Transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR, 10,000–4000 cm−1). First, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on the raw spectra, and it was found that the first two PCs effectively identified the geographical origin of the tomatoes. Meanwhile, the results of partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) combined with different preprocessing methods showed that the PLS-DA model based on the raw spectra achieved the best performance. The optimal PLS-DA model achieved the correct classification rate (CCR) of 97.8% in an external prediction set, and showed that raw spectra contained sufficient valid information. Besides, six algorithms, grid search (GS), genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm algorithm (PSO), grey wolf algorithm (GWO), improved grey wolf algorithm (IGWO), and sparrow search algorithm (SSA) were employed to optimize the parameters of support vector machine (SVM). The SSA-SVM model exhibited the best performance with a CCR of 97.8% in the prediction set. Afterward, 40 and 8 spectral features were extracted from the raw full spectra using stacked autoencoder (SAE) and PC loading, respectively. Finally, the qualitative analysis model based on the feature variables was further investigated, and the SAE-SSA-SVM simplified model showed the best performance with a CCR of 98.7%, 95.6%, and 95.6% in the calibration, cross-validation, and prediction set, respectively. The results of this study provide theoretical support for applying long-wave FT-NIRS combined with machine learning and deep learning to tomato origin identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe marine metallic corrosion urges extensive research on corrosion protection methods. Environment-friendly photoelectric cathodic protection (PCP) technology for marine metallic corrosion adopting abundant solar light in ocean was developed speedily. Particularly, photoelectric materials with dark-state sustained cathodic protection performance are worthy of further studies in pursue of the long-term PCP. Based on nanoarchitectonics strategy, together with the integration of electron storage materials, herein, an environment-friendly network-like SnIn4S8/TiO2 photoelectrode with electron storage capability was constructed. The flower-like SnIn4S8 with variable valence indium was compounded in situ on the ultrafine branched TiO2 substrate and formed a dual network-like SnIn4S8/TiO2 architecture. Its larger electrochemical surface area and electric double layer capacitance, and the reversible valence variation of In3+/In+, gives full play of the storage and release of photogenerated electrons. SnIn4S8-15h/TiO2 photoelectrode offered photogenerated electrons to the coupled pure copper (Cu) electrode with electric quantity of 3401 µC under the simulated sunlight irradiation of 50 s, and sustainedly offered the stored photogenerated electrons to it with 1390 µC in the dark. Contrastively, single TiO2 or SnIn4S8 did not show sustained PCP performance. The multiple architecture characteristics make SnIn4S8-15h/TiO2 show enhanced PCP and sustained cathodic protection performance for Cu and 316 L stainless steel (SS) both under light illumination and in the dark. Polysulfide SnIn4S8 pulls the potential toward negative direction which benefits the PCP for more kinds of metals in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution (a simulated marine environment) without hole scavenger added. This work provides insights in the solar light-driven sustained PCP application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miniature magnetic soft machines could significantly impact minimally invasive robotics and biomedical applications. However, most soft machines are limited to solid magnetic materials, whereas further progress also relies on fluidic constructs obtained by reconfiguring liquid magnetic materials, such as ferrofluid. Here we show how harnessing the wettability of ferrofluids allows for controlled reconfigurability and the ability to create versatile soft machines. The ferrofluid droplet exhibits multimodal motions, and a single droplet can be controlled to split into multiple sub-droplets and then re-fuse back on demand. The soft droplet machine can negotiate changing terrains in unstructured environments. In addition, the ferrofluid droplets can be configured as a liquid capsule, enabling cargo delivery; a wireless omnidirectional liquid cilia matrix capable of pumping biofluids; and a wireless liquid skin, allowing multiple types of miniature soft machine construction. This work improves small magnetic soft machines’ achievable complexity and boosts their future biomedical applications capabilities.Ferrofluids with their extreme deformability are being used as soft machines. Using ferrofluids, Sun et al. show a variety of soft machines by playing with the wetting properties of solid surfaces [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global annual consumption of marine metal corrosion is a significant challenge to the service life of metals and the development of marine strategies. A tri-dimensional AgInS2/In2S3 co-modified TiO2 nanobush (NB) superstructure photoanode is constructed. It shows superior photoelectric cathodic protection (PECP) characteristic for pure copper whose self-corrosion potential is more negative in simulated natural marine environment without additional any hole scavengers under simulated solar light illumination. Origin from the more negative energy level potential of AgInS2/In2S3, the quasi-Fermi level of the photogenerated electrons of TiO2 NB/AgInS2/In2S3 was pull to a more negative position, reinforcing the transmission of photogenerated electrons to the pure copper whose self-corrosion potential is more negative. The sensitizer AgInS2 together with the assistant layer In2S3 dramatically enhances the PECP performance of TiO2 NB/AgInS2/In2S3. The tri-dimensional ultrafine branch-like architecture of TiO2 NB with the nanoparticles quickens the collection and transfer of photogenerated electrons to the metallic pure copper. This environmentally friendly 3D photoanode structure provides a good reference for the optimized construction of photoelectric materials for marine metal corrosion protection. The tri-dimensional AgInS2/In2S3 co-modified TiO2 nanobush superstructure photoanode possesses superior photoelectric cathodic protection characteristic for pure cooper whose self-corrosion potential is more negative in simulated marine environment under simulated solar light illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is an aggressive and heterogeneous malignancy. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key infiltrating cell populations in the inflammatory microenvironment of malignant tumors including MIBC. It intrigues us to explore the clinical significance and immunoregulatory role of TAMs infiltration and polarization in MIBC. Methods: A total of 141 patients with MIBC from Zhongshan Hospital and 391 patients with MIBC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were included in this study. Moreover, 195 patients who received anti-PD-L1 therapy from the IMvigor210 trial were enrolled. Patients were categorized into three subtypes considering the infiltration level and polarization status of TAMs, denoted as TAMlow (Subtype I), TAMhigh&M2/M1low (Subtype II), and TAMhigh&M2/M1high (Subtype III). Results: Subtype III suffered inferior prognosis, and Subtype II could benefit more from adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT). Subtype III was featured with increased pro-tumor cells and immunosuppressive cytokines, while Subtype II possessed more immunogenic cells infiltration with activated and tumoricidal properties. Subtype II and Subtype III presented basal/squamous-like characterization and showed additional prognostic merit beyond molecular classification. Subtype I exhibited elevated level of FGFR3 signature, while Subtype II had EGFR signaling activation and immunotherapeutic indication. Additionally, Subtype II patients were indeed highly sensitive to PD-L1 blockade therapy in IMvigor210 trial. Conclusion: The infiltration and polarization status of TAMs shaped distinct immune microenvironment with predictive significance for survival outcome, ACT benefit, and PD-L1 blockade therapy sensitivity in MIBC. Immune classification based on TAMs polarization and infiltration might provide tools to tailor chemotherapy and immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel photoelectrochemical cathodic protection technology is actively researched and developed for alleviating severe corrosion of marine metallic materials. And the corresponding sustained photoelectrochemical cathodic protection in the dark, under the collaboration of the electron storage materials, is also developed and optimized. WO3, as a kind of electron storage material, shows great potential in this area. The WO3/graphene oxide (WO3/GO) nanothorn cluster composites were synthesized via solovthermal method. The nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) sheets, added as templates, result in the formation of WO3 nanothorn clusters in the WO3/GO composite. The hybrid structure of the WO3/GO composite was formed when the GO adding amount is 0.2 wt%, denoted as WO3/GO 0.2. The lattice of WO3 contracted slightly and the crystallinity of WO3 was enhanced. The WO3/GO 0.2 nanothorn cluster composites promote the transfer and storage efficiency of the electrons compared with pure WO3. The high conductivity of the partly reduced GO leads to a faster electron transfer in the WO3/GO composite. The sustained photoelectrochemical cathodic protection performance of the WO3/GO composite under the assistance of TiO2 (i.e., the coupling of WO3/GO 0.2-TiO2) for 304 stainless steel (SS) was promoted. A larger number of photoinduced electrons, generated by TiO2 under white light illumination, can be stored in the WO3/GO composite and be transferred to the coupled 304 SS electrode after shutting off the light. WO3/GO composite exhibits enhanced sustained photoelectrochemical cathodic protection performance for 304 stainless steel under the assistance of TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide the basis for clinical diagnosis in an emergency case, a portable smartphone device-based multi-signal sensing system for on-site determination of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is introduced. In this system, cobalt hydroxide (CoOOH) nanoflakes can oxidize O-phenylenediamine (OPD) to produce 2,3-diaminophenazine (OxOPD), resulting in a strong fluorescence at 565 nm and an absorbance at 420 nm, respectively. The ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AAP) can be hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to yield ascorbic acid (AA). Then, AA reduces the CoOOH nanoflakes to produce Co2+, and AA is oxidized to form dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA), thereby inhibiting the formation of OxOPD. The reaction product DHAA further combines with OPD to yield 3-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)furo[3,4-b]quinoxalin-1(3H)-one (DFQ) accompanied by a strong fluorescence at 430 nm. Based on this, the fluorometric assay for ALP has a wide linear range from 0.8 to 190 U/L with a low detection limit of 0.16 U/L, and the colorimetric assay from 3 to 130 U/L with a detection limit of 1.94 U/L. Moreover, a portable smartphone sensing platform integrated with fluorescent and colorimetric signals was established for rapid determination of ALP without spectrometers. Recoveries of 97–104% for spiked samples and relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 2% (n = 3) confirmed the feasibility of the developed platform in complicated samples, opening up new horizons for on-site evaluation in the biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protonectin was a typical amphiphilic antimicrobial peptide with potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In the present study, when its eleventh amino acid in the sequence was substituted by phenylalanine, the analog named phe-Prt showed potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, but no antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, indicating a significant selectivity between Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria. However, when Gram-negative bacteria were incubated with EDTA, the bacteria were susceptible to phe-Prt. Next, the binding effect of phe-Prt with LPS was determined. Our result showed that LPS could hamper the bactericidal activity of phe-Prt against Gram-positive bacteria. The result of zeta potential assay further confirmed the binding effect of phe-Prt with LPS for it could neutralize the surface charge of E. coli and LPS. Then, the effect of phe-Prt on the integrity of outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria was determined. Our results showed that phe-Prt had a much weaker disturbance to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria than the parent peptide protonectin. In summary, the introduction of l-phenylalanine into the sequence of antimicrobial peptide protonectin made phe-Prt show significant selectivity against Gram-positive bacteria, which could partly be attributed to the delay effect of LPS for phe-Prt to access to cell membrane. Although further study is still needed to clarify the exact mechanism of selectivity, the present study provided a strategy to develop antimicrobial peptides with selectivity toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than 2 decades, Augmented Reality (AR)/Mixed Reality (MR) has received an increasing amount of attention by researchers and practitioners in the manufacturing community, because it has applications in many fields, such as product design, training, maintenance, assembly, and other manufacturing operations. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no comprehensive review of AR-based co-design in manufacturing. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of existing research, projects, and technical characteristics between 1990 and 2017 in the domain of co-design based on AR technology. Among these papers, more than 90% of them were published between 2000 and 2017, and these recent relevant works are discussed at length. The paper provides a comprehensive academic roadmap and useful insight into the state-of-the-art of AR-based co-design systems and developments in manufacturing for future researchers all over the world. This work will be useful to researchers who plan to utilize AR as a tool for design research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cu2O/TiO2 p-n heterojunction composite photoelectrodes were prepared by depositing Cu2O nanoparticles on the surface of TiO2 nanotubes via anodic oxidation and constant current deposition. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses showed that Cu2O nanoparticles not only deposited on the surface of TiO2 nanotube array, but also on the wall of TiO2 nanotubes. The Cu2O deposition amount could be adjusted by changing the deposition time. The photoelectrochemical cathodic protection (PECCP) performance of the prepared photoelectrodes for 316L stainless steel (SS) was tested under visible light. The constant current deposition time had a significant effect on the PECCP performance of Cu2O/TiO2-X photoelectrodes and Cu2O/TiO2-20 had the best PECCP performance for the coupled 316L SS. This was attributed to the appropriate amount and thickness of Cu2O to form p-n heterojunctions with TiO2, in which separation of the photogenerated carriers was accelerated and transfer of the photogenerated electrons to 316L SS for PECCP was facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

g-C3N4 is a promising material for the application in the area of photoelectrochemical cathodic protection. However, it suffers from limited light absorption and lower charge separation efficiency. In this work, a N defects and C deposition co-modified g-C3N4, C–g-C3Nx, was prepared by NaOH-assisted sintering and ethanol-assisted hydrothermal treatment. The presence of N defects and C deposition was verified by the XRD, SEM and XPS tests. The N defects changed the band structure of g-C3N4 by lowering down the conduction band position, therefore widening the light absorption range of g-C3N4. In addition, the N defects and C deposition co-modification promotes the charge transfer process of g-C3N4, leading to increased separation efficiency of the photogenerated charge carriers. Therefore, C–g-C3Nx shows enhanced photoelectrochemical cathodic protection performance for the coupled 316L stainless steel. It can provide a photoinduced potential drop of 120 mV and a photoinduced current density of 9.1 μA cm−2, which is three times that of pristine g-C3N4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current remote collaborative systems in manufacturing are mainly based on video-conferencing technology. Their primary aim is to transmit manufacturing process knowledge between remote experts and local workers. However, it does not provide the experts with the same hands-on experience as when synergistically working on site in person. The mixed reality (MR) and increasing networking performances have the capacity to enhance the experience and communication between collaborators in geographically distributed locations. In this paper, therefore, we propose a new gesture-based remote collaborative platform using MR technology that enables a remote expert to collaborate with local workers on physical tasks. Besides, we concentrate on collaborative remote assembly as an illustrative use case. The key advantage compared to other remote collaborative MR interfaces is that it projects the remote expert's gestures into the real worksite to improve the performance, co-presence awareness, and user collaboration experience. We aim to study the effects of sharing the remote expert's gestures in remote collaboration using a projector-based MR system in manufacturing. Furthermore, we show the capabilities of our framework on a prototype consisting of a VR HMD, Leap Motion, and a projector. The prototype system was evaluated with a pilot study comparing with the POINTER (adding AR annotations on the task space view through the mouse), which is the most popular method used to augment remote collaboration at present. The assessment adopts the following aspects: the performance, user's satisfaction, and the user-perceived collaboration quality in terms of the interaction and cooperation. Our results demonstrate a clear difference between the POINTER and 2.5DHANDS interface in the performance time. Additionally, the 2.5DHANDS interface was statistically significantly higher than the POINTER interface in terms of the awareness of user's attention, manipulation, self-confidence, and co-presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginsenoside extracts are often used as raw materials for various pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food supplement products. Development of a direct, rapid, cheap, and comprehensive measurement tool for the quality assessment of ginsenoside extracts, and indeed all herbal extracts, is urgently needed. In addition, a bioactivity-based assessment should be linked with quality control. In this report, we try to develop a novel quality control tool using ginsenoside extracts as an example. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect nine principal ginsenosides in 11 batches of ginsenoside extracts. Delayed luminescence (DL) was used to analyze the same ginsenoside extract samples. DL measurements showed the same results in terms of differentiating 11 ginsenoside extract samples compared with chemical analysis, and DL properties could be closely linked to index ginsenosides in the quality control of ginsenoside extracts. Next, a zebrafish tail-fin amputation model was used to study differences in anti-inflammatory effect between the ginsenoside extract batches. The results indicate that both chemical analysis and DL measurements could partially reflect biological activity. Thus, DL may serve as a rapid, direct, sensitive, and systemic tool for studying the overall properties of ginsenoside extracts. Our proposal for linking bioactivities as a tool for evaluation of the quality of ginsenoside extracts opens a new direction for quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) can be used as robust and flexible encapsulation overlayers, which effectively protect metal cores but allow reactions to occur between inner cores and outer shells. Here, we demonstrate this concept by showing that Pt@h-BN core-shell nanocatalysts present enhanced performances in H2/O2 fuel cells. Electrochemical (EC) tests combined with operando EC-Raman characterizations were performed to monitor the reaction process and its intermediates, which confirm that Pt-catalyzed electrocatalytic processes happen under few-layer h-BN covers. The confinement effect of the h-BN shells prevents Pt nanoparticles from aggregating and helps to alleviate the CO poisoning problem. Accordingly, embedding nanocatalysts within ultrathin 2D material shells can be regarded as an effective route to design high-performance electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine mangrove Xylocarpus granatum is used as a folk medicine and is rich in bioactive limonoids. The quantitative determination of the chemical composition and distribution of limonoids in different parts of X. granatum fruit (fruit peel, seed coat, seed kernels, seed, and fruit) is significant for authentication and quality control purposes. However, the quantitative determination of limonoids in X. granatum has not yet been reported. In this study, a chemometric-assisted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 17 limonoids to reveal the chemical composition and distribution in different parts of X. granatum fruit. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction, optimized by response surface methodology (RSM), was more accurate than the general one-variable-at-a-time method. The overall distribution of 17 limonoids in different parts of X. granatum fruit had the following order: seed kernels > seed > fruit, and 13 limonoids showed a rank order of seed kernels > seed > fruit > fruit peel > seed coat. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to analyze the LC-MS/MS data and provide a chemometric model for easy visualization and interpretation to classify the different parts of X. granatum fruit. In addition, the study indicated that the chemometric-assisted strategy, consisting of RSM, PCA, and OPLS-DA for the development, optimization, and data analysis of multicomponent quantitation by LC-MS/MS, is effective and feasible. This study provided the chemical composition and distribution evidence for the authentication and quality control of X. granatum fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core-shell nanostructures consisting of active metal cores and protective shells often exhibit enhanced catalytic performance, in which reactants can access a small part of the core surfaces through the pores in the shells. In this study, we show that Pt nanoparticles (NPs) can be embedded into few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) overlayers, forming Pt@h-BN core-shell nanocatalysts. The h-BN shells not only protect the Pt NPs under harsh conditions but also allow gaseous molecules such as CO and O2 to access a large part of the Pt surfaces through a facile intercalation process. As a result, the Pt@h-BN nanostructures act as nanoreactors, and CO oxidation reactions with improved activity, selectivity, and stability occur at the core-shell interfaces. The confinement effect exerted by the h-BN shells promotes the Pt-catalyzed reactions. Our work suggests that two-dimensional shells can function as robust but flexible covers on nanocatalyst surfaces and tune the surface reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcrystal muscovite composite superabsorbents (MMCSA) were prepared by water solution polymerization using acrylic acid, acrylamide and itaconic acid as comonomers and microcrystal muscovite as an inorganic additive. Properties, such as water absorbency, salt absorbency, gel strength, water retention capacity and structure of MMCSA characterized by SEM and XRD, were investigated. Water absorbency, salt absorbency, gel strength, water retention capacity and thermostability were enhanced by incorporation of suitable amount of microcrystal muscovite. Water absorption of MMCSA was rapid, requiring 24.55 min to reach 63% of equilibrium absorbency (1218 g/g). Microcrystal muscovite was physically combined into the polymeric network without destroying its polycrystalline structure and microcrystal muscovite composite superabsorbent had some irregular, undulant, and small microporous holes with sheet-like microcrystal muscovite distributed in the polymeric matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human serum albumin (HSA) nanometer or micron particles represent promising drug-carrier systems. The azimuthal and radial variations of a linear polarization-sensitive backscattering Mueller matrix were experimentally studied in two cases: the scattering particle was smaller or larger in size to the probing wavelength of 780 nm. The results show that the twofold and fourfold structures are characteristic of small particle size suspension, whereas the eightfold structure is characteristic of large particle size suspension. Moreover, for both particle size suspensions, the element patterns have strong radial dependence when the suspension concentration and the incident power of laser change. In addition, for both particle size suspensions, the rotational symmetry of each element is lost in the case of oblique incidence but the multifold structure is maintained. Some suggestions for applications of Mueller matrix imaging in biomedical optics are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu/OMMT (organo-montmorillonite)/LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene) nanocomposites were prepared via melt mixing combined with melt extruding process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the resultant nanocomposites. The results showed that the OMMT layers were exfoliated and the nano-Cu particles were distributed uniformly in the polymer matrix. And the introduction of nanofiller into LLDPE matrix had little effect on the crystallinity of the polymer. The salt spray tests showed that OMMT and nano-Cu could improve the anticorrosion properties of LLDPE matrix, respectively. And the coexistence of OMMT and nano-Cu in Cu/OMMT/LLDPE nanocomposites could produce a synergistic effect on enhancing the anticorrosion properties. Furthermore, the co-incorporation of OMMT and nano-Cu into the polymer matrix also increased the thermal-oxidative stability and mechanical properties of LLDPE matrix significantly, as compared with the Cu/LLDPE and OMMT/LLDPE nanocomposites due to the synergistic effect. The bactericidal properties evaluation showed that the bactericidal ability of Cu/OMMT/LLDPE increases with nano-Cu content effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the European and eastern Chinese waterbird assemblages and checked whether the effects of human disturbance could be detected in the assemblages' composition. For the different Chinese provinces, we expected to find a negative effect of economic development on the mean bird species mass and on the proportion of bentivorous, piscivorous and insectivorous bird species. We also expected to find relatively fewer large species in the Chinese assemblage. Species rank-abundance curves were relatively similar, but China had significantly more species with smaller body masses. The China assemblage was characterized by relatively higher abundance of heavy-bodied species, contrary to our expectations. Mean bird body mass decreased in China with increasing disturbance and increasing gross domestic product (GDP). For coastal provinces in China the percentage of bentivorous, piscivorous and insectivorous bird species declined with increasing GDP, maybe through the increased use of pesticides or fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

multi-mesopores composite has successfully been synthesized from natural montmorillonite and tetraethoxysilane. Two templating surfactants, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and polyethylene glycol, have been employed in basic hydrothermal conditions in order to shape the pores in the composite. The N adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectra and thermal analysis were used to obtain the detailed information of the porous structures. And the mechanism for the formation of this mesoporous silica-clay composite has been discussed. The results show that part of the walls of mesopores are originated from montmorillonite layers whose crystalline structure and required thickness benefit the stability of the sample. Moreover, as the infrared spectra revealed, the amorphous hydrolysate of tetraethoxysilane bonds with montmorillonite layers tightly. The resultant silica-clay has large specific surface area (472 m/g) and its porous structure could resist the thermal treatment up to 900 °C, which makes it a potentially host material for catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous material with dual mesoporous size distribution had been synthesized with montmorillonite as precursor. The materials exhibited two kinds of mesopores: one is mesopore in interlayers of montmorillonite with mean sizes of 2.9 nm, the other is mesopore out of layers of montmorillonite with mean sizes of 3.9 nm. With the increasing of pH values (8.0-11.0), the specific surface area and pore volume of two kinds of mesopores changed regularly. The samples were characterized by XRD, TEM and Nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. The results indicated that higher pH benefits the synthesis of mesoporous montmorillonite with smaller pore and the TOT of montmorillonite had been present as porous wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For translocated animals, behavioral competence may be key to post-release survival. However, monitoring behavior is typically limited to tracking movements or inferring behavior at a gross scale via collar-mounted sensors. Animal-bourne acoustic monitoring may provide a unique opportunity to monitor behavior at a finer scale. The giant panda is an elusive species of Ursid that is vulnerable to extinction. Translocation is an important aspect of the species' recovery, and survival and recruitment for pandas likely hinge on behavioral competence. Here we tested the efficacy of a collar-mounted acoustic recording unit (ARU) to remotely monitor the behavior of panda mothers and their dependent young. We found that trained human listeners could reliably identify 10 behaviors from acoustic recordings. Through visual inspection of spectrograms we further identified 5 behavioral categories that may be detectable by automated pattern recognition, an approach that is essential for the practical application of ARU. These results suggest that ARU are a viable method for remotely observing behaviors, including feeding. With targeted effort directed towards instrumentation and computing advances, ARU could be used to document how behavioral competence supports or challenges post-release survival and recruitment, and allow for research findings to be adaptively integrated into future translocation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The pharmacological activities of medicinal plants are reported to be due to a wide range of metabolites, therein, the concentrations of which are greatly affected by many genetic and/or environmental factors. In this context, a metabolomics approach has been applied to reveal these relationships. The investigation of such complex networks that involve the correlation between multiple biotic and abiotic factors and the metabolome, requires the input of information acquired by more than one analytical platform. Thus, development of new metabolomics techniques or hyphenations is continuously needed.Objectives: Feasibility of high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) were investigated as a supplementary tool for medicinal plants metabolomics supporting 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy.Method: The overall metabolic difference of plant material collected from two species (Rheum palmatum and Rheum tanguticum) in different geographical locations and altitudes were analyzed by 1H NMR- and HPTLC-based metabolic profiling. Both NMR and HPTLC data were submitted to multivariate data analysis including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least square analysis.Results: The NMR and HPTLC profiles showed that while chemical variations of rhubarb are in some degree affected by all the factors tested in this study, the most influential factor was altitude of growth. The metabolites responsible for altitude differentiation were chrysophanol, emodin and sennoside A, whereas aloe emodin, catechin, and rhein were the key species-specific markers.Conclusion: These results demonstrated the potential of HTPLC as a supporting tool for metabolomics due to its high profiling capacity of targeted metabolic groups and preparative capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]