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Aims: To understand the sagittal and mobility characteristics of the thoracolumbar segment of the spine in students specialising in physical dance. METHODS: Sagittal curvature and mobility of the thoracolumbar segment of the spine was measured in 35 standard dance students, 41 Latin dance students and 43 general university students using the Spinal Mouse spine electrometer. Results: (1) In the upright position, the sagittal curvature of the T9/10 to L4/5 segment was significantly less in standard dance-specific girls than in regular female university students (p

An ouzo droplet is a multicomponent liquid comprising ethanol, water, and anise oil, each possessing distinct thermophysical properties, volatility, and mutual miscibility. Evaporation leads to the complex physicochemical process of coupled mass and heat transfer, spontaneous emulsification, and liquid–liquid phase separation, known as the ouzo effect. An acoustically levitated ouzo droplet undergoes five characteristic stages of evaporation based on temporal temperature variation. Such levitated droplet shows a significantly longer lifespan upon evaporation because of the thermal isolation in air, as well as a drastic initial cooling. Sessile droplets, on the other hand, have heat transferred from the surroundings via the substrate to replenish latent heat of vaporization. A conductive substrate thus helps the droplet to stay close to the ambience and a shorter lifespan. A rudimentary theoretical model based on dimensional analysis is developed and shows consistency with measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO), an important derivative of graphene, with a variety of active oxygen-containing groups (hydroxyl, carboxyl and epoxy) on its surface is easy to be functionalized to obtain adsorbent with high adsorption capacity. To date, the adsorption behaviour of organic pollutants by functionalized GO adsorbents have been extensively studied, but there has been no systematic review regarding the functionalization method of GO for the purpose to remove organic pollutants from wastewater. The leading objective of this review is to (i) summarize the functionalization strategies of GO for organic pollutants removal (covalent functionalization and non-covalent functionalization), (ii) evaluate the adsorption performance of functional GO towards organic pollutants by taking aromatic pollutants and dyes as examples and (iii) discuss the regeneration property and adsorption mechanism of functional GO adsorbent. In addition, the problems of existing studies and future research directions are also identified briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioweathering crusts are widely distributed on the limestone sculptures of the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, information on microbial communities in this archaeological site is missing. To fill this gap, we identified bacterial communities involved in the formation of bioweathering crusts. The composition analysis showed that Cyanobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Planctomycetota are the major components of the bacterial communities in the crusts. Cyanobacteria might be one of the major contributors to the formation of the crusts. A culture-based analysis indicated the presence of bacterial isolates (e.g., Enterobacter sp. and Bacillus sp.) with a potential role in bioprotection. Moreover, five types of biogenic organic acids were detected in the crusts, implying a consequence of organic acid corrosion. Scanning electron microscopy analysis further confirmed microbial penetration into the stone monuments with a biomechanical attack. Our reports provide a microbiological reference for heritage conservators to treat bioweathering crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of material science, hydrogels with antibacterial and wound healing properties are becoming common. However, injectable hydrogels with simple synthetic methods, low cost, inherent antibacterial properties, and inherent promoting fibroblast growth are rare. In this paper, a novel injectable hydrogel wound dressing based on carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and polyethylenimine (PEI) was discovered and constructed. Since CMCS is rich in -OH and -COOH and PEI is rich in -NH 2 , the two can interact through strong hydrogen bonds, and it is theoretically feasible to form a gel. By changing their ratio, a series of hydrogels can be obtained by stirring and mixing with 5 wt% CMCS aqueous solution and 5 wt% PEI aqueous solution at volume ratios of 7:3, 5:5, and 3:7. Characterized by morphology, swelling rate, adhesion, rheological properties, antibacterial properties, in vitro biocompatibility, and in vivo animal experiments, the hydrogel has good injectability, biocompatibility, antibacterial ( Staphylococcus aureus : 56.7 × 10 7  CFU/mL in the blank group and 2.5 × 10 7  CFU/mL in the 5/5 CPH group; Escherichia coli : 66.0 × 10 7  CFU/mL in the blank group and 8.5 × 10 7  CFU/mL in the 5/5 CPH group), and certain adhesion (0.71 kPa in the 5/5 CPH group) properties which can promote wound healing (wound healing reached 98.02% within 14 days in the 5/5 CPH group) and repair of cells with broad application prospects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Fang, Lin, Fan, Qiu, Zhong, Yang, Yang, Zhang, Feng, Ai, Shi and Wan.)