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Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services are critical points of intervention for children impacted by trauma. Intervention Mapping was utilised to develop an initiative for trauma-informed organisational change in ECEC. This paper describes how the research team understood the need and opportunity for the program using Intervention Mapping Step 1. This included: (i) convening a planning group, (ii) conducting needs assessment, (iii) describing the context for intervention, and (iv) establishing program goals. Benefits, challenges, and recommendations on using Intervention Mapping for program development in ECEC settings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored educators' perspectives on the role the physical and sensory Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) environment plays in supporting children's social and emotional development. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted, in August 2022, at two ECEC sites in Victoria, Australia. Data were thematically analysed and key findings suggest children engage and interact with their environment to facilitate opportunities for social interactions and emotional regulation. Environmental stimuli can have a positive and negative influence on children's social and emotional competence. Educators reported lack of resources, building design, and limited staffing were barriers to using the environment. Reflective practice, collaboration within teams and services, and access to resources strengthened the use of the environment in everyday practice. Optimal environments rely on educator reflections and responsivity to adapt the environment to the needs of the children utilising the space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Rich in numerous nutrients, undaria pinnatifida (UP) exhibited a broad spectrum of biological properties, including anti‐inflammatory, anti‐bacterial, anti‐cancer, and antioxidant properties. A sexual pigment protein complex known as phycocyanin (PC) was the perfect photosensitiser and had no negative effects. Due to their superior qualities, hydrogels were also widely employed in tissue engineering, medication administration, and food packaging at the same time. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of UVB irradiation on the gel characteristics of PC‐UP hydrogels using UVB irradiation technology rather than chemical crosslinking approach. The results showed that the G′ value of PC‐UP hydrogel increased from 114.17 ± 0.58 Pa to 156.72 ± 0.82 Pa and the G″ value increased from 36.80 ± 0.79 Pa to 58.05 ± 1.06 Pa after UVB irradiation. At the same time, the texture properties of hydrogel were significantly improved, and the hardness, adhesion and chewiness were increased to 214.02 ± 3.85, 198.51 ± 4.25 and 195.81 ± 5.69, respectively. After UVB irradiation, hydrogen bond was formed in PC‐UP hydrogel to improve its thermal stability. In conclusion, the results show that PC decomposes with alginic acid, potassium salt, and sodium salt in UP under UVB irradiation to form a gel network structure, which enhances its gel properties. This study provides guidance for the photo response of PC‐UP hydrogels, provides ideas for the application of PC‐UP hydrogels, and broadens the application field of future hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma in early childhood is a significant public health concern. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services are uniquely positioned to buffer the negative impact of early childhood trauma on children. This scoping review synthesized studies evaluating trauma-informed interventions in ECEC settings through a systematic search of four relevant online databases (PsycINFO, Medline, ERIC, A+ Education). Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, with 12 ECEC center-based trauma-informed interventions evaluated. Types and components of trauma-informed interventions, outcomes, and measures are presented. Findings suggest that trauma-informed interventions in ECEC settings are nascent but growing. Increasingly, programs are adopting multi-tiered system of support to address early childhood trauma, with these models suggesting promising results. The predominant focus of ECEC center-based trauma-informed interventions was upskilling teachers through training and coaching, with studies focused on assessment of teacher-level outcomes. Child, organization, and caregiver-level outcomes are not explored to the same extent, with evaluation of organizational outcomes relying predominately on qualitative methods. Whilst the short-term outcomes of trauma-informed approaches in ECEC have been examined, longer-term impacts and the causal mechanistic pathways of such programs have yet to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young children have rights; they are agents and active constructors of their social worlds. Despite well-established theoretical foundations, the 'methods' and 'ethics' of qualitative research to elicit young children's voice require further exploration to ensure young children are central to our research endeavors. This systematic review examined studies that sought to capture young children's (3–6 years) voice in Early Childhood Education and Care settings. Fifty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Interview was found to be the most common strategy; this is often coupled with other child-friendly methods. Findings suggest that young children are increasingly listened to; however, there appears to be a need to further promote children's agency and the inclusion of assent-seeking as an ongoing process. Gaps in methods supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs and Indigenous children are also evident. In addition, advancing non-permanent methods of meaning making to support children's participation appears ripe for methodological innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalently tethered, nonleaching antifoulant groups to surface or coating matrix are being explored as an ecofriendly option to develop a robust antifouling coating with enhanced static antifouling ability. And most of marine antifouling coatings usually have a relatively low coating hardness owing to intrinsically polymeric property. In this work, we exploited the self-assembly of random zwitterionic amphiphilic copolymers with an isothiazolinone-based antifoulant to develop a scalable hard (> 6H pencil hardness) coating against marine biofouling under static conditions. Upon exposure to aqueous media, strong fluorinate-zwitterion interactions drive microphase separation into bicontinuous networks of hydrophobic and zwitterionic nanodomains, leading to the enrichment of antifoulant moieties on the coating surface. The obtained hybrid coating could significantly restrain the growth of bacteria biofilms, the settlement of marine diatoms and mussel larvae owing to the presence of covalently tethered antifoulants. Oxidative stress levels in the body of bacteria and marine diatoms were significantly enhanced nearby the coating containing nonteaching antifoulants. On the other hand, the fouling release capability was not compromising on the developed hybrid coating with such high Young's modulus and large coating hardness, implying an obviously different antifouling mechanism. We attempt to report an ecofriendly and hard coating system to simultaneously prohibit fouling settlement and promote fouling removal in static conditions. An unconventional hard and robust fouling release coating was developed to simultaneously resist the initial attachment of soft and hard foulings and reduce the adhesion force of settled ones. [Display omitted] • A hard and robust fouling release coating was developed to inhibit the initial attachment of foulings under static conditions. • The unconventional fouling release coating could simultaneously prohibit the attachment of soft bacteria and marine diatoms. • Oxidative stress levels in the body of bacteria and marine diatoms nearby coating were significantly enhanced in a short contacting time. • Soft foulings could monitor the signal of oxidative stress level and preferentially stay away from the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A warming and wetting trend in Chinese drylands resulted in an increased CUEe. • The slight inhibiting effect of warming on CUEe is overridden by the strong promotion effect by increased precipitation. • The response pattern of CUEe to warming or wetting is nonlinear and unimodal. Co-limited by environmental constraints, ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions (ASARs) are extremely sensitive to climate change. A warmer and wetter climate trend has been observed extensively in ASARs of China, but whether and how the changing climate has influenced ecosystem carbon allocation and balance remains largely unclear. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive study integrating manipulative experiments, flux observations, and model simulations and our research findings reveal that the changing climate exerts a significant influence on ecosystem carbon use efficiency (CUEe) in ASARs. Specifically, the effect of increased precipitation has outweighed the warming effect, resulting in a widespread rise in CUEe across most parts of ASARs. In regions with alpine vegetation, the stimulated effects of increased temperature and precipitation play a dominant role in shaping the pattern of CUEe changes. However, with intensified warming, its stimulated effect on CUEe gradually diminishes or even reverses in ASARs. These findings can improve our understanding of ecosystem carbon sequestration regarding the response of resource-constrained ecosystems to climate change, thereby guiding ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, people eat Undaria pinnatifida (UP) in a single way, and processing homogeneity is serious. However, UP has not gained any traction in the 3D printing industry to date. This study explored the incorporation of soy protein isolate (SPI), pea protein (PP), xanthan gum (XG), guar gum (GG), corn starch (CS), and potato starch (PS) into UP slurry liquid, the primary component of the study, to formulate a UP gel ink. The UP gel 3D printing ink system based on UP paste was established and characterized. The results show that hydrogen bonds are formed, and three-dimensional gel network structure is formed in all UP gel inks. UP gel inks containing high concentrations of SPI and GG exhibited good texture and rheological qualities and good 3D printing effect, with storage modulus (G ′) values of 8440.405 ± 3.893 and 8111.730 ± 3.585 Pa. The loss of modulus (G ″) values were 1409.107 ± 3.524 and 1071.673 ± 3.669 Pa. Unfortunately, the properties of other UP gel inks are not suitable, resulting in poor 3D printing results. The food 3D printing method developed in this study provides valuable insights for expanding food 3D printing material choices and achieving high-value applications of UP. [Display omitted] • 3D printing with Undaria pinnatifida (UP) slurry as the main body. • UP slurry can form hydrogen bonds with the additives. • All additives form pseudoplastic fluid with UP slurry and have gel network structure. • The group with soy protein isolate and guar gum had the best 3D printing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powered by deep learning technology, automatic check-out (ACO) has made great breakthroughs. Nevertheless, because of the complex nature of real scenes, ACO is still an exceedingly testing task in the field of computer vision. Existing methods cannot fully exploit the contextual information, so that the improvement of checkout accuracy is inhibited. In this study, a novel context-guided feature enhancement network (CGFENet) is proposed, in which products are detected in multi-scale features by exploring the global and local context. Specifically, we design three customized modules: Global context learning module (GCLM), local context learning module (LCLM), and attention transfer module (ATM). GCLM is designed for enhancing the feature representation of feature maps by fully exploring global context information, the purpose of LCLM is that interactions between local and global features can be strengthened gradually, and ATM aims to make the model attach more attention to the challenging products. For the purpose of proving the effectiveness of the proposed CGFENet, extensive experiments are conducted on the large-scale retail product checkout dataset. Experimental results indicate that CGFENet accomplishes favorable performance and surpasses state-of-the-art methods. We achieve 85.88% checkout accuracy in the averaged mode, by comparison with 56.68% of the baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-viscosity modified asphalt (HVA) is widely used as the binder for permeable asphalt pavement, and hydrated lime (HL) attracts a strong technical interest as an effective moisture additive in asphalt for a long time. However, the application of HL in HVA has been rarely studied. The present study evaluates the influence of HL on the high-temperature rheological properties of HVA and selects the optimum HL content and fineness. The asphalt mortars of HVA and HL of different contents and fineness were prepared. Temperature scanning (DSR-TS), multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) by using a dynamic shear rheometer, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests were carried out to evaluate the high-temperature rheological properties and microstructure morphology characteristics of the asphalt mortars. Based on the DSR-TS and MSCR tests, the results showed that high-temperature performance together with the ability to deformation resistance of HVA was improved apparently with the increase of the HL content. When the HL content is above 1.2, the stress sensitivity of HVA is lower. The SEM results clearly showed that the uniformity of asphalt mortars could be effectively guaranteed when the HL content was 1.2 and the fineness was 800 mesh. The HL fineness has little effect on the high-temperature performance of HVA. In summary, taking into account the high-temperature performance and microstructure of HVA with HL, the optimum HL content and fineness could be finally determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An under-examination of early childhood teachers' experiences and needs in working with trauma-impacted children was identified. • Teachers report multiple challenges, face several dilemmas and confusion relating to the boundaries of their role. • Working with trauma-impacted children, without adequate preparation and support, can have a negative impact on teacher wellbeing. • Multifaceted support, including training, collaboration with professionals with expertise in trauma, and trauma-informed organisational change is needed. Trauma experienced during childhood can have deleterious impact on children's social, emotional, and physical health. Teachers working in educational settings are uniquely positioned to respond to and support children impacted by trauma. The aim of this systematic review and thematic synthesis is to explore the experiences and needs of early childhood and primary teachers in terms of their work with trauma-impacted children. This is a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis of primary studies. Systematic searching and screening were conducted following the PRISMA guidelines; an iterative three-stepped thematic synthesis procedure was followed in terms of coding and analysis. Fourteen studies were included in the final synthesis, with three themes emerging across studies: (1) teachers lack training and support to work with trauma-impacted children, (2) dilemma of teachers' roles, and (3) teachers need multifaceted support. An under-examination of early childhood teachers' experiences and needs in working with trauma-impacted children was identified. Teachers are ill-prepared and lack confidence working with children impacted by trauma. They report multiple challenges, face several dilemmas and confusion relating to the boundaries of their role. Working with trauma-impacted children, without adequate preparation and support, can have a negative impact on teacher wellbeing. Multifaceted support, including training, collaboration with professionals with expertise in trauma, and trauma-informed organisational change is needed. Recommendations for future research and practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A Pickering emulsion is formed using a natural edible pigment phycocyanin. • The storage state of Pickering emulsion is enhanced by the introduction of lysozyme. • Pickering emulsion as a delivery system improves the bioavailability of fucoxanthin. Food-grade Pickering emulsions with plant proteins have attracted increasing interest in recent years. In this work, we report a type of phycocyanin (PC) electrostatic nanocomplex fabricated following a complexation between PC and lysozyme (Lys). The aim was to investigate toward investigating the performance of phycocyanin-Lysozyme (PC-Lys) nanocomplexes in stabilizing Pickering emulsions and protecting fucoxanthin (FX) from degradation. The properties of the PC-Lys nanocomplexes were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and three-phase contact angle. Using PC-Lys nanocomplexes as emulsifiers, Pickering emulsions were successfully prepared. Pickering emulsions stabilized by PC-Lys nanocomplexes generated a tight three-dimensional network structure, which increased the memory modulus and viscoelasticity of the emulsion. Furthermore, the produced Pickering emulsions considerably increased the chemical stability and bioavailability of FX. Overall, our study showed that PC-Lys nanocomplexes have the potential for use in Pickering emulsion construction with enhanced protective effects on loaded lipophilic ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A Pickering emulsion is formed using a natural edible pigment phycocyanin. • The storage state of Pickering emulsion is enhanced by the introduction of lysozyme. • Pickering emulsion as a delivery system improves the bioavailability of fucoxanthin. Food-grade Pickering emulsions with plant proteins have attracted increasing interest in recent years. In this work, we report a type of phycocyanin (PC) electrostatic nanocomplex fabricated following a complexation between PC and lysozyme (Lys). The aim was to investigate toward investigating the performance of phycocyanin-Lysozyme (PC-Lys) nanocomplexes in stabilizing Pickering emulsions and protecting fucoxanthin (FX) from degradation. The properties of the PC-Lys nanocomplexes were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and three-phase contact angle. Using PC-Lys nanocomplexes as emulsifiers, Pickering emulsions were successfully prepared. Pickering emulsions stabilized by PC-Lys nanocomplexes generated a tight three-dimensional network structure, which increased the memory modulus and viscoelasticity of the emulsion. Furthermore, the produced Pickering emulsions considerably increased the chemical stability and bioavailability of FX. Overall, our study showed that PC-Lys nanocomplexes have the potential for use in Pickering emulsion construction with enhanced protective effects on loaded lipophilic ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have identified the curative effects of traditional Chinese medicine for constipation. The mechanism of action of Guiren Runchang granules (GRGs) in the treatment of slow transit constipation (STC) was evaluated in this study. Here, we assessed the efficacy of GRG by comparing the differences in fecal characteristics, stool weight, and intestinal transit rate (ITR) among 6 groups (n = 12/group), which were administered three concentrations of GRG, mosapride, and saline. The influence of GRG on the SCF/c-kit pathway, AQP4, and serum motilin of mice was assessed through ELISA, western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis. The dry weight of mouse feces at 24 hr and ITR in the MD (medium-dose GRG; 9.44 g/kg/d) and HD (high-dose GRG; 18.88 g/kg/d) groups was higher than that in the MC (model control) group. The serum motilin of morphine-induced mice level was lower in the MC group than in the NC (normal control) group, and this condition was improved in the HD group. The HD group expressed significantly higher levels of SCF and c-kit protein but lower levels of AQP4 and simultaneously presented more SCF-positive and c-kit-positive cells. However, no differences in the serum SCF level were found among the six groups. Certain concentrations of GRG are effective in STC mice, the potential mechanism of which may be associated with repairing the SCF/c-kit pathway and reducing the expression of AQP4 in the colon. GRG improved the serum motilin level but had no influence on the serum SCF level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have identified the curative effects of traditional Chinese medicine for constipation. The mechanism of action of Guiren Runchang granules (GRGs) in the treatment of slow transit constipation (STC) was evaluated in this study. Here, we assessed the efficacy of GRG by comparing the differences in fecal characteristics, stool weight, and intestinal transit rate (ITR) among 6 groups (n = 12/group), which were administered three concentrations of GRG, mosapride, and saline. The influence of GRG on the SCF/c-kit pathway, AQP4, and serum motilin of mice was assessed through ELISA, western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis. The dry weight of mouse feces at 24 hr and ITR in the MD (medium-dose GRG; 9.44 g/kg/d) and HD (high-dose GRG; 18.88 g/kg/d) groups was higher than that in the MC (model control) group. The serum motilin of morphine-induced mice level was lower in the MC group than in the NC (normal control) group, and this condition was improved in the HD group. The HD group expressed significantly higher levels of SCF and c-kit protein but lower levels of AQP4 and simultaneously presented more SCF-positive and c-kit-positive cells. However, no differences in the serum SCF level were found among the six groups. Certain concentrations of GRG are effective in STC mice, the potential mechanism of which may be associated with repairing the SCF/c-kit pathway and reducing the expression of AQP4 in the colon. GRG improved the serum motilin level but had no influence on the serum SCF level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a superamphiphobic surface with a hydrogen peroxide-triggered switch to antithetic fluid repellence is presented. Novel arbitrary superamphiphobicity in one phase to repel the other two phases from an oil–water–air system or a generalized liquid–liquid–air three-phase fluid system can be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-efficiency on-demand separation of immiscible organic liquid mixtures has rarely been achieved. Herein, we developed a facile and scalable protocol to prepare a practical dual underliquid superlyophobic surface for polar liquid droplets in nonpolar liquid media or nonpolar liquid droplets in polar liquid media. The challenging on-demand organic liquid separation was successfully realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of Cerasus humilis (Bge.) Sok seed shells yielded the identification of six previously uncharacterized compounds, in addition to twelve known compounds. Structure elucidation of these compounds relied on spectroscopic data analysis, and their absolute configurations were established by comparing calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroic (ECD) spectra, supplemented by interpretation of optical rotation data. Notably, none of these compounds exhibited cytotoxicity against HepG2 and A549 cell lines. Remarkably, a majority of the compounds displayed potent antioxidant activity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric daytime and nighttime warming broadly affects terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling in the Northern Hemisphere. Photosynthesis mostly occurs in the daytime and respiration occurs during the whole day. Then AW D-N will certainly affect the ratio between net primary productivity (NPP) against gross primary productivity (GPP), i.e. vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE). However, how night and daytime warming differentially affects CUE remains unclear on a global scale. Using long-term productivity datasets from MODIS and terrestrial biosphere models, we investigated spatiotemporal patterns of CUE response to daytime (Tmax) and nighttime (Tmin) temperature changes across the Northern Hemisphere (>30°N) spanning 2000–2019. Regions exhibiting a negative correlation between Tmax and CUE were extensive throughout the growing season in most northern ecosystems, with a stronger correlation magnitude in summer than in spring and autumn. Tmin warming tended to cause a positive impact on CUE in spring and autumn, while being correlated negatively with summer CUE, resulting in an overall weak positive relationship between CUE and Tmin. Divergences in the strength and direction of productivity and respiratory responses to AW D-N lead to spatial and seasonal patterns between CUE and Tmax or Tmin, and this pattern is regulated by soil moisture. Our findings provide an in-depth understanding on how the interactions between AW D-N and water limitations regulate the spatiotemporal variations of vegetation gross primary product allocation, which is vital for improving model performance. • Daytime warming has decreased CUE, while night warming has weakly increased CUE. • The net effect is a modest CUE decreasing in response to asymmetric diurnal warming. • The response pattern is regulated by regional moisture conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a simple, facile and versatile protocol was presented to fabricate water-resistant fabrics based on an in situ bio-silicification strategy and fluorinate-free modification. The whole fabrication procedure is green and avoids the need for any fluorinate-containing compounds, environmentally harmful organic solvents and high preparation temperature. The produced fabrics maintained robust lyophobic properties after multiple machine laundry cycles, repeated abrasion cycles, UV irradiation, and organic solvent and strong acid/base attacks. The obtained superhydrophobic fabrics exhibited repeatable self-repairing behaviour against repeated washing and oxygen plasma etching cycles. Our in situ biomimetic silicification strategy for developing robust self-repairing superhydrophobic fabrics using a waterborne fluorinate-free coating system well fits the motifs of green chemistry and will lead to the development of green preparation of other superwetting surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer (TC), the most common endocrine malignancy, has been increasing. Emerging evidence indicates that the CUT/CUX/CDP family of proteins can play an important role in tumor development and progression by regulating many cancer-related functions. However, the molecular functions of CUX2 in TC remain unknown. Methods: In this study, we used a series of loss-of-function experiments and Western blot analysis to investigate the function of CUX2 in TC and the mechanisms involved. Results: Our data revealed that CUX2 expression levels were upregulated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Functionally, CUX2 silencing significantly inhibited PTC cell line (KTC-1 and BCPAP) proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Furthermore, CUX2 induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and influenced the phosphorylation of AKT and mTOR in the PI3K–AKT–mTOR pathways. Conclusion: In summary, CUX2 may function as a tumor promoter in TC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia poses a clinical challenge due to its poor prognosis and lack of effective treatment. Blinatumomab, a novel immunotherapy, has demonstrated excellent efficacy in relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia; however, life-threatening toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome have been reported in pivotal clinical trials. In this report, we describe the safe reintroduction of blinatumomab in an adult patient with relapsed Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia after experiencing grade 4 blinatumomab-induced cytokine release syndrome using a unique dosing strategy and a very diligent monitoring approach. As blinatumomab often represents a last-line therapeutic option for many patients, such a step-wise dosing approach and diligent monitoring plan may be useful in an attempt to retrial blinatumomab in patients who require reintroduction of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two different designs of self-healing asphalt mixtures were promoted, the asphalt mixtures were healed through heating fibers or aggregate respectively. Induction heating and microwave heating were applied respectively to provide healing atmospheres. The thermal conductivity and temperature raising tests were conducted to measure the heating performance of those two self-healing asphalt mixtures. Infrared images were used to demonstrate the temperature field of asphalt specimens during heating. Cyclic fracture-healing test with three-point bending method was recorded to investigate the healing performance of the designed asphalt mixtures. It is concluded that asphalt mixtures containing steel fibers or steel slags could be healed with appropriate heating methods. It is also indicated that the healing performance of samples with microwave heating was a little better than the healing performance of steel fiber modified asphalt mixture with induction heating. The steel slag asphalt mixture showed a better performance of healing with the microwave as the temperature distribution was more uniform. Furthermore, the locally overheating and temperature uneven distribution remained to be big problems in the self-healing performance of asphalt mixtures in practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the major distresses of asphalt pavement, the moisture damage usually results in a very serious loss of strength and structural deformation. This paper aimed to study the healing properties of asphalt concrete suffered moisture damage. Both microwave heating and induction heating were applied in this research to activate healing. A series of experiments including freeze-thaw splitting test, Marshall Immersion test and three-point bending test were conducted to evaluate the healing performance of asphalt concrete. It was found that the heating speed of asphalt mixtures was enhanced at the presence of water. The results also indicated that both microwave heating and induction heating could only partially heal the loss of strength of asphalt mixtures suffered moisture damage due to structural deformation of the samples, which could not be healed with heating technics. The presence of moisture significantly decreased the healing rate of asphalt mixtures induced by induction heating or microwave heating. It was believed that the moisture on crack surfaces could prevent the thermal healing of cracks. It is recommended that the asphalt mixtures be healed in dry condition rather than at the presence of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) are a family of intercalated functional materials with a layered structure and regarded as an effective modifier to improve the UV ageing resistance of bitumen. However, the preparation of LDHs modified bitumen is very complicated and time-consuming. Based on the theory of Stokes’ law and the equation of the terminal velocity, pre-dispersion and microwave heating were proposed in this research to promote the dispersion of LDHs powder in bitumen matrix. LDHs modified pre-dispersed bitumen (LDHs-PDB) particles were first prepared and then were dispersed in bitumen matrix with the assistance of microwave heating. The cosolvent was optimized and the dispersion of LDHs in the modified bitumen was characterized by the laser particle size analyzer. It is found that the utilization of pre-dispersion alone could slightly improve the dispersion of LDHs in bitumen. The combination of pre-dispersion and microwave heating significantly improved the dispersion of LDHs in bitumen matrix. Although the distribution is still not uniform, it is believed that a reasonable design of the size distribution of LDHs-PDB particles may result in a uniform vertical distribution of particles in bitumen matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern smart grids are built based on top of advanced computing and networking technologies, where condition monitoring relies on secure cyberphysical connectivity. Over the network infrastructure, transported data containing confidential information, must be protected as smart grids are vulnerable and subject to various cyberattacks. Various machine learning based classifiers were proposed for intrusion detection in smart grids. However, each of them has respective advantage and disadvantages. Aiming to improve the performance of existing machine learning based classifiers, this paper proposes an adaptive deep learning algorithm with a data pre-processing module, a neural network pre-training module and a classifier module, which work together classify intrusion data types using their high-dimensional data features. The proposed Adaptive Deep Learning (ADL) algorithm obtains the number of layers and the number of neurons per layer by determining the characteristic dimension of the network traffic. With transfer learning, the proposed ADL algorithm can extract the original data dimensions and obtain new abstract features. By combining deep learning models with traditional machine learning-based classification models, the performance of classification of network traffic data is significantly improved. By using the Network Security Laboratory-Knowledge Discovery in Databases (NSL-KDD) dataset, experimental results show that the proposed ADL algorithm improves the effectiveness of existing intrusion detection methods and reduces the training time, indicating a promising candidate to enhance network security in smart grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directional transport of fluids is crucial for vital activities of organisms and numerous industrial applications. This process has garnered widespread research attention due to the wide breadth of flexible applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, and digital microfluidics. The rational design of functional surfaces that can achieve the subtle control of liquid behavior. Previous studies were mainly dependent on the special asymmetric structures, which inevitably have the problem of slow transport speed and short distance. To improve controllability, researchers have attempted to use external fields, such as thermal, light, electric fields, and magnetic fields, to achieve controllable droplet transport. On the fundamental side, much of their widespread applicably is due to the degree of control over droplet transport. This review provides an overview of recent progress in the last three years toward the transport of droplets with different mechanisms induced by various external stimuli, including light, electric, thermal, and magnetic field. First, the relevant basic theory and typical induced gradient for directional liquid transport are illustrated. We will then review the latest advances in the external-field-induced directional transport. Moreover, the most emerging applications such as digital microfluidics, harvesting of energy and water, heat transfer, and oil/water separation are also presented. Finally, we will outline possible future perspectives to attract more researchers interest and promote the development of this field. A comprehensive insight of external-field-induced droplet directional transport inspired by natural organisms was presented in this review, which is expected to serve as a touchstone for further development of multifunction surface for various application. [Display omitted] • In this review, the liquid directional transports especially for the external-field-induced point of views were summarized. • Some research progress and most emerging applications were introduced. • We introduce the corresponding typical natural organisms in detail. • We also introduce the basic theory of droplet motion driven by the external field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping biodiversity is essential for assessing conservation and ecosystem services in global terrestrial ecosystems. Compared with remotely sensed mapping of forest biodiversity, that of grassland plant diversity has been less studied, because of the small size of individual grass species and the inherent difficulty in identifying these species. The technological advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based or proximal imaging spectroscopy with high spatial resolution provide new approaches for mapping and assessing grassland plant diversity based on spectral diversity and functional trait diversity. However, relatively few studies have explored the relationships among spectral diversity, remote-sensing-estimated functional trait diversity, and species diversity in grassland ecosystems. In this study, we examined the links among spectral diversity, functional trait diversity, and species diversity in a semi-arid grassland monoculture experimental site. The results showed that (1) different grassland plant species harbored different functional traits or trait combinations (functional trait diversity), leading to different spectral patterns (spectral diversity). (2) The spectral diversity of grassland plant species increased gradually from the visible (VIR, 400–700 nm) to the near-infrared (NIR, 700–1100 nm) region, and to the short-wave infrared (SWIR, 1100–2400 nm) region. (3) As the species richness increased, the functional traits and spectral diversity increased in a nonlinear manner, finally tending to saturate. (4) Grassland plant species diversity could be accurately predicted using hyperspectral data (R2 = 0.73, p < 0.001) and remotely sensed functional traits (R2 = 0.66, p < 0.001) using cluster algorithms. This will enhance our understanding of the effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functions and support regional grassland biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, molecular biology-based diagnostic techniques have made remarkable strides and are now extensively utilized in clinical practice, providing invaluable insights for disease diagnosis and treatment. However, forensic medicine, especially forensic pathology, has witnessed relatively limited progress in the application of molecular biology technologies. A significant challenge in employing molecular techniques for forensic diagnoses lies in the quantitative and qualitative changes observed in diagnostic markers due to sample degradation-a recognized and formidable obstacle. Inspired by the success of DNA sequencing in forensic practices, which enables accurate individual identification even in cases involving degraded and deteriorated tissues and organs, we propose the application of the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) to identify targets at the transcriptional onset, exploring chromatin and DNA-level alterations for injury and disease inference in forensic samples. This study employs ATAC-seq to explore alterations in chromatin accessibility post-injury and their subsequent changes over a 2-h degradation period, employing traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a representative model. Our findings reveal high sensitivity of chromatin accessibility sites to injury, evidenced by shifts in thousands of peak positions post-TBI. Remarkably, these alterations remain largely unaffected by early degradation. Our results robustly endorse the notion that integrating and incorporating these specific loci for injury and disease diagnosis in forensic samples holds tremendous promise for practical application. We further validated the above results using human cortical tissue, which supported that early degradation did not significantly affect chromatin accessibility. This pioneering advancement in molecular diagnostic techniques may revolutionize the field of forensic science, especially forensic pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Leaf traits should be hyperspectrally estimated on an area basis in grasslands. • LAI-based upscaling in spectral estimates of canopy traits outperforms biomass basis. • Plot-level leaf trait values and intraspecific variations link traits to productivity. Plant functional traits are closely associated with key ecological processes and ecosystem functions. Recent studies have demonstrated that plant functional traits, especially physiological traits, can be successfully derived from hyperspectral images. Plant physiological traits are frequently quantified either as area-based content [μg cm−2 or mass-based concentration [mg g−1 or %]. However, it remains unclear whether the two metrics of traits can be quantified using remote sensing approaches. We quantified area- and mass-based foliar physiological traits to compare the prediction accuracy of the two metrics based on leaf spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) at a grassland monoculture experiment. These two metrics were then scaled up to canopy traits, respectively, based on leaf area index (LAI) and biomass to test their performance at the canopy level. The canopy physiological traits with high prediction accuracy (R2 ≥ 0.60) were selected for mapping using the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based UHD185 spectrometer. Biomass and LAI were also estimated and mapped using the PLSR method. The mapped leaf traits (canopy traits divided by the corresponding LAI), were used to explore the relationships between the interspecific and intraspecific variations in leaf physiological traits and ecosystem productivity (i.e., aboveground biomass). The results showed that the retrieval of leaf physiological traits using leaf spectra and canopy spectra or remote sensing was better performed on an area basis rather than a mass basis, especially for the physiological traits related to photosynthesis. Model selection results also indicted that remotely sensed physiological traits (chlorophyll a , chlorophyll b , carotenoid, carbon, nitrogen, and leaf mass per area (LMA)) and their intraspecific variations (coefficient variation (CV) for a single trait and functional richness (FRic) for multiple traits) were significant predictors of community aboveground biomass across grassland monocultures. Our study highlights the potential of hyperspectral images for trait mapping and estimating ecosystem productivity at large scales. Our findings also provide a vital insight for disentangling the links of functional traits and intra- and interspecific trait variations to key ecological processes and functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phlorotannins are a group of major polyphenol secondary metabolites found only in brown algae and are known for their bioactivities and multiple health benefits. However, they can be oxidized due to external factors and their bioavailability is low due to their low water solubility. In this study, the potential of utilizing nanoencapsulation with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to improve various activities of phlorotannins was explored. Phlorotannins encapsulated by PVP nanoparticles (PPNPS) with different loading ratios were prepared for characterization. Then, the PPNPS were evaluated for in vitro controlled release of phlorotannin, toxicity and antioxidant activities at the ratio of phlorotannin to PVP 1:8. The results indicated that the PPNPS showed a slow and sustained kinetic release of phlorotannin in simulated gastrointestinal fluids, they were non-toxic to HaCaT keratinocytes and they could reduce the generation of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, PPNPS have the potential to be a useful platform for the utilization of phlorotannin in both pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable superoleophobic–superhydrophilic coating for water-infused omniphobic surface and organic liquid separation was proposed. • A stable superoleophobic–superhydrophilic coating was prepared. • The obtained coating displays reasonable mechanical and chemical robustness. • A novel water-infused omniphobic surface can be obtained. • Immiscible organic liquid mixtures can be effectively separated. Superoleophobic–superhydrophilic surface has arousing massive research interests owing to its remarkable advantages in applications including liquid-liquid separation, anti-fogging and liquid transportation. But such superwetting surface has been considered counterintuitive since a given superoleophobic surface tends to repel water based on the classical surface free energy theory. Although significant progresses have been achieved for fabricating such superwetting surfaces, the existing attempts for searching the most cutting-edge and state-of-the-art functions are still extremely rare. In this work, we have successfully fabricated a stable superoleophobic–superhydrophilic surface by spraying an all-in-one suspension containing silica nanoparticles, aluminium phosphate, and Capstone FS-50 in ethanol-water cosolvent. The stable coating on various substrates displayed clever solvent-responsive behavior that highly polar liquid droplets can quickly wet surface while nonpolar liquid droplet can bead up, even after suffering from mechanical and chemical attacks. Thanks to the superhydrophilic porous surface hierarchy, a novel water-infused slippery surface can be achieved without using any costly low-surface energy lubricants. Based on the selective wettability caused by polarity interaction difference, the coated mesh can successfully achieve repeatable separation of immiscible polar liquid-nonpolar liquid mixtures in a high-efficiency mode, even for the liquid pair with a small surface energy difference of 3.1 mJ m−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full‐thickness skin injuries have always been an intricate problem in clinical treatment. The application of biomaterials provides an artificial matrix for the recruitment of cells and deposition of extracellular matrix to accelerate wound healing. For the recovery of full‐thickness skin defects, the double cross‐linking of MgO‐catechol and Schiff's base bonds are used as part of the gel‐forming mechanism, and a bio‐multifunctional hydrogel (CCOD‐MgO) is prepared by adding MgO to catechol‐modified chitosan (CHI‐C) and oxidized dextran (ODex). The CCOD‐MgO demonstrates high tissue adhesion, excellent self‐repairing, hemostasis function, and low swelling rate. With the addition of MgO and catechol chelation, the adhesion strength of CCOD‐MgO is about 35 kpa, which is much greater than fibrin glue. Moreover, the CCOD‐MgO has better antibacterial properties than CHI‐C/ODex hydrogel (CCOD) due to the synergy of chitosan and MgO in vitro. Accordingly, the CCOD‐MgO can protect the wounds from infection and accelerate the healing speed of the epidermis in full‐thickness cutaneous defect and burn model in vivo. These results demonstrate that the CCOD‐MgO would be a promising therapeutic strategy in full‐thickness skin injuries for clinical therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Paclitaxel is a commonly used chemotherapy drug with substantial variability in pharmacokinetics (PK) that affects treatment efficacy and toxicity. Pharmacometabolomic signatures that explain PK variability could be used to individualize dosing to improve therapeutic outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify pretreatment metabolites or metabolomic signatures that explain variability in paclitaxel PK.Methods: This analysis was conducted using data previously collected on a prospective observational study of 48 patients with breast cancer receiving weekly 80 mg/m2 paclitaxel infusions. Paclitaxel plasma concentrations were measured during the first infusion to estimate paclitaxel time above threshold (Tc>0.05) and maximum concentration (Cmax). Metabolites measured in pretreatment whole blood by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry were analyzed for an association with Tc>0.05 and Cmax using Pearson correlation followed by stepwise linear regression.Results: Pretreatment creatinine, glucose, and lysine concentrations were positively correlated with Tc>0.05, while pretreatment betaine was negatively correlated and lactate was positively correlated with Cmax (all uncorrected p < 0.05). After stepwise elimination, creatinine was associated with Tc>0.05, while betaine and lactate were associated with Cmax (all p < 0.05).Conclusion: This study identified pretreatment metabolites that may be associated with paclitaxel PK variability demonstrating feasibility of a pharmacometabolomics approach for understanding paclitaxel PK. However, identification of more robust pharmacometabolomic predictors will be required for broad and routine application for the clinical dosing of paclitaxel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Oxidized phlorotannin can be used as a protein crosslinking agent to produce high‐quality fish gel products. Phlorotannin can be easily induced to form quinone compounds in an oxidizing environment, while o‐quinone has been proven to be a reactive, electrophilic intermediate that easily reacts with proteins to form rigid molecular crosslinking networks. The objective of this study was to investigate the synergistic effects of ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation (1 h, 15 W m−2) and various concentrations of Laminaria japonica phlorotannin extracts (PTE) on the gel properties of grass carp myofibrillar protein (MP). RESULTS: UVA treatment and PTE could synergistically improve the MP gel properties more than PTE alone (P < 0.05). At 625 mmol kg−1 MP PTE alone, the gel strength and cooking yield reached 3.10 ± 0.16 g cm and 47.45 ± 0.35%, respectively, while with the same level of PTE plus UVA they became 4.26 ± 0.19 g cm and 53.89 ± 1.54%, respectively. The three‐dimensional network structure of the gel (with PTE + UVA) showed higher connectivity and tightness than that of the control group (no treatment). CONCLUSIONS: The synergistic effects of PTE and UVA could effectively induce crosslinking of grass carp MP, which could lead to an improvement of MP gel quality. These findings would provide a new technical approach to produce high‐quality protein gel products in the fish processing industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignancy occurring in women worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play a role in tumor development. In the current study, we evaluated expression profiles and functions of snoRNAs associated with BC. Methods: We analyzed the expression levels of snoRNAs between breast cancer and normal tissues in TCGA database and found that SNORA7B is upregulated in BC. We confirmed this result in clinical cancer tissues and BC cell lines via qRT-PCR. Then, we investigated clinical significance in public datasets and biological function of SNORA7B using a series of in vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Results: SNORA7B expression was significantly upregulated in samples from patients with BC in both public database and our clinical tissues compared to its expression in normal tissues. Meanwhile, patients with high SNORA7B expression have worse prognosis. Inhibition of SNORA7B expression impaired cell growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion via inducing apoptosis. Conclusions: SNORA7B functions as an important oncogenic snoRNA in BC and may serve as a potential prognosis biomarker for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial cancer (EC) is an aggressive gynecological malignancy with an increased incidence rate. The immune landscape crucially affects immunotherapy efficacy and prognosis in EC patients. Here, we characterized the distinct tumor microenvironment signatures of EC tumors by analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data from Gene Expression Omnibus and bulk RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, which were compared with normal endometrium. Three macrophage subsets were identified, and two of them showed tissue-specific distribution. One of the macrophage subsets was dominant in macrophages derived from EC and exhibited characteristic behaviors such as promoting tumor growth and metastasis. One of the other macrophage subsets was mainly found in normal endometrium and served functions related to antigen presentation. We also identified a macrophage subset that was found in both EC and normal endometrial tissue. However, the pathway and cellular cross-talk of this subset were completely different based on the respective origin, suggesting a tumor-related differentiation mechanism of macrophages. Additionally, the tumor-enriched macrophage subset was found to predict immunotherapy responses in EC. Notably, we selected six genes from macrophage subset markers that could predict the survival of EC patients, SCL8A1, TXN, ANXA5, CST3, CD74 and NANS, and constructed a prognostic signature. To verify the signature, we identified immunohistochemistry for the tumor samples of 83 EC patients based on the selected genes and further followed up with the survival of the patients. Our results provide strong evidence that the signature can effectively predict the prognosis of EC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐droplet electricity generator (SDEG) has superior potential over other solid–liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) for energy harvesting. However, its shunting effect of parasitic capacitance is adverse and unavoidable, resulting in the reduction of the SDEG voltage. In addition, TENG‐based bacterial biosensors are still facing issues of incompetence in resolution, precision, and specificity. Therefore, a novel SDEG‐based bacterial biosensor is developed by making use of parasitic capacitance. By taking the advantages of aptamer and parasitic capacitance, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) can be specifically and precisely detected via signal change from a single droplet without energy accumulation. This study proves that the SDEG‐based bacterial biosensor exhibits an excellent performance for P. aeruginosa detection in low limit of detection (4.5×103 CFU mL−1) with high selectivity. Meanwhile, the established mathematical model yields consistent results to the experimental ones, which serves as a solid basis for quantifying bacterial concentration. This work contributes to TENG‐based bacterial biosensor, and opens up a new way for the diversified application of SDEG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realist research is increasingly used to evaluate complex interventions. However, it can be challenging to codify and implement, with few examples to guide the process. This article describes how a team of social care leaders, practitioners and researchers developed initial program theories for the Trauma Consultancy Service (TraCS) in early learning settings, as the first phase of a realist evaluation. It explores conceptualisation of realist terminology, design and facilitation of realist interviews, and data coding and analysis using retroductive reasoning. Qualitative interviews with the TraCS team focused on understanding contextual factors, resources provided by TraCS consultants, changes in educators' reasoning and how components interacted to generate educator and child outcomes. Eight program theories capture how TraCS supports educators to develop a trauma-informed lens and practice. This research contributes to understanding of the benefits of welfare sector-driven consultancy in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess whether the beta‐cell function of inpatients undergoing antidiabetic treatment influences achieving time in range (TIR) and time above range (TAR) targets. Materials and Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 180 inpatients with type 2 diabetes. TIR and TAR were assessed by a continuous glucose monitoring system, with target achievement defined as TIR more than 70% and TAR less than 25%. Beta‐cell function was assessed by the insulin secretion‐sensitivity index‐2 (ISSI2). Results: Following antidiabetic treatment, logistic regression analysis showed that lower ISSI2 was associated with a decreased number of inpatients achieving TIR (OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.19‐8.06) and TAR (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.35‐8.55) targets after adjusting for potential confounders. Similar associations still existed in those participants treated with insulin secretagogues (TIR: OR = 2.91, 95% CI: 0.90‐9.36, P =.07; TAR, OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.01‐9.80) or adequate insulin therapy (TIR: OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 0.91‐8.81, P =.07; TAR, OR = 3.24, 95% CI: 1.08‐9.67). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the diagnostic value of the ISSI2 for achieving TIR and TAR targets was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.66‐0.80) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.63‐0.79), respectively. Conclusions: Beta‐cell function was associated with achieving TIR and TAR targets. Stimulating insulin secretion or exogenous insulin treatment could not overcome the disadvantage of lower beta‐cell function on glycaemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions and programmes to support the development of preschool children's social and emotional skills are commonly used in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Research suggests the physical and sensory ECEC environment can influence children's social and emotional development. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effectiveness of physical and sensory ECEC environment interventions, delivered by ECEC educators, to support children's social and emotional development. Relevant studies were identified through a systematic search of PsycINFO, ERIC, Medline, and other sources; seven papers, published since 2000, were included in this review. The interventions used in ECEC settings, include: nature-based programmes, playground redevelopment, background music, indoor toy arrangement and sensory cushions. The results show the effectiveness of physical and sensory environment interventions is mixed, but shows promise. This paper outlines recommendations for future research and practice, including the need to further explore the characteristics of supportive sensory ECEC environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fluorescent probe (Flu-Si) based on fluorescein and coumarin fluorophores for highly selective and sensitive detection of F − was successfully developed. It was shown that the mechanism of recognition involves a desilylation reaction that takes place after addition of F − anions. A linear relationship between the ratio of emission intensities at 532 and 465 nm (I 532 /I 465 ) and F − concentration over the range of 0–20 μmol L −1 with a LOD of 0.025 μmol L −1 was found. The sensing mechanism of Flu-Si with F − was confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculation. Moreover, it was demonstrated that Flu-Si is an efficient fluorescent probe for F − anions in living cells and zebrafish, indicating its sensing potential in clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the triboelectrification and electrostatic induction coupling, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, showing a promising potential in the fields of micro/nano energy and self‐powered sensors applications. However, the devices are prone to malfunction due to fatigue and damage, limiting their development and applications. In this review, according to the working modes and operational malfunctions as well as the possible solutions, it is proposed that a robust TENG device can be constructed from three perspectives: self‐healing friction layers, self‐healing electrodes, and self‐healing whole devices. Based on the structure, suitable environment, and self‐healing materials, the design ideas and fabrication approaches of self‐healing TENGs in recent years are summarized in detail. Finally, the development of self‐healing TENGs in energy harvesting and self‐powered sensors is outlined. It is the wish to provide insights and guidance for the application design of self‐healing TENGs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) provides an alternative method to stabilize the soil. To further improve the reinforcement effect, this study aims to propose a strategy by incorporating the mixing MICP method with pretreatment procedure. A series of laboratory tests were performed to investigate the preparation parameters (including the moisture content and dry density of the soil, the concentration of urea and CaCl2 in cementation solution), the engineering properties, the CaCO3 distribution as well as the mineralogical and micro structural characteristics of pretreatment-mixing MICP reinforced soil (PMMRS). Based on the orthogonal experiment results, the optimum preparation parameters for PMMRS were determined. The UCS of PMMRS was more strongly dependent on the moisture content and concentration of CaCl2 than the concentration ratio of CaCl2 to urea. Moreover, it was testified that incorporation of pretreatment procedure improved the stabilization effect of traditional mixing MICP method on the clayed sand (CLS). The UCS of PMMRS specimen was increased by 198% and 78% for the pure CLS and the simple mixing MICP reinforced soil, respectively. Furthermore, the CaCO3 products generated consisted of the aragonite, calcite and vaterite, which distributed unevenly inside the specimen no matter the lateral or vertical direction. The reason for the uneven distribution might be that oxygen content varied with the regions in different directions, and hence affected the mineralization reaction. In addition, the mineralization reaction would affect the pore structure of the soil, which was highly related to the stabilization effect of MICP reinforced soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening lung disease characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration and lung epithelial injury. Icariside II (ICS II), one of the main active ingredients of Herba Epimedii, exhibits anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, the effect and mechanism of ICS II in ALI remain unclear. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the pharmacological effect and underlying mechanism of ICS II in ALI. Models of neutrophil-like cells, human peripheral blood neutrophils, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mouse model were utilized. RT-qPCR and Western blotting determined the gene and protein expression levels. Protein distribution and quantification were analyzed by immunofluorescence. ICS II significantly reduced lung histopathological damage, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration, and it reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines in ALI. There is an excessive activation of neutrophils leading to a significant production of NETs in ALI mice, a process mitigated by the administration of ICS II. In vivo and in vitro studies found that ICS II could decrease NET formation by targeting neutrophil C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4). Further data showed that ICS II reduces the overproduction of dsDNA, a NETs-related component, thereby suppressing cGAS/STING/NF-κB signalling pathway activation and inflammatory mediators release in lung epithelial cells. This study suggested that ICS II may alleviate LPS-induced ALI by modulating the inflammatory response, indicating its potential as a therapeutic agent for ALI treatment. The mechanism by which ICSII relieved acute lung injury was illustrated. The ICS II administration was carried out through gavage, while the ALI model was induced by LPS. Mechanistically, ICS II bound to the CXCR4 protein, resulting in the inhibition of neutrophils' release of NETs (Neutrophil Extracellular Traps). This, in turn, hampered a cascade of inflammatory immune responses orchestrated by NETs. dsDNA (double-stranded DNA) present in NETs entered endothelial cells. Within these cells, it activated the cGAS/STING/NF-κB pathway, triggering the transcription of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. These inflammatory factors, in turn, had the potential to worsen lung epithelial damage and amplify the inflammation in the surrounding tissue. [Display omitted] • Icariside II alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice. • Icariside II inhibits neutrophil extracellular trap formation by targeting CXCR4. • Icariside II inhibits lung epithelial immune responses by inhibiting dsDNA release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global greening and its eco-environmental outcomes are getting mounting international focus. The important contribution of China to the global greening is highly appreciated. However, the basic driving forces are still elusive. The Loess Plateau (LP) and Three-River Source Region (TRSR) were chased as study areas in Northern China. The prior one represents the region experiencing intensive human interventions from ecological engineering projects, while the latter is a typical region that is experiencing faster climate change. Hypothesized to be driven by a disproportionate rate of human activities and climates, also being regions of typical large-scale ecological engineering projects, the study goal is to identify the actual driving forces on vegetation dynamics in these two regions. Trend analysis, correlation analysis, and residual trend-based method (RESTREND) were utilized to understand the relationships between climate variability, human activities, and vegetation dynamics. The spatiotemporal variations of vegetation from 1982 to 2019 were evaluated and the respective impacts of climatic and anthropogenic factors on vegetation dynamics were disentangled. Indicating apparent vegetation restoration in LP and TRSR, the results depict that annual LAI has remarkably increased during the 38 years. Temperature and precipitation promoted vegetation growth, whereas the solar radiation and vapor pressure deficit hampered it. After implementing the ecological engineering projects, the primary climatic factor changed from temperature to precipitation. Meanwhile, human activities act as the major driving factor in vegetation greening in the entire study area, with a contribution rate exceeding 70%. This information highlights that ecological engineering can significantly reduce the risks of ecosystem degradation and effectively restore vegetation, especially in ecologically sensitive and vulnerable areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite high sensitivity of nanoparticle-on-mirror cavities, a crucial branch of plasmonic nanomaterials, complex preparation and readout processes limit their extensive application in biosensing. Alternatively, liquid metals (LMs) combining fluidity and excellent plasmonic characteristics have become potential candidates for constructing plasmonic nanostructures. Herein, we propose a microfluidic-integration strategy to construct LM-based immunoassay platform, enabling LM-based nanoplasmonic sensors to be used for point-of-care (POC) clinical biomarker detection. Flowable LM is introduced onto protein-coated Au nanoparticle monolayer to form a "mirror-on-nanoparticle" nanostructure, simplifying the fabrication process in the conventional nanoparticle-on-mirror cavities. When antibodies were captured by antigens coated on the Au nanoparticle monolayer, devices respond both thickness and refractive index change of biomolecular layers, outputting naked-eye readable signals with high sensitivity (limit of detection: ∼ 604 fM) and a broad dynamic range (6 orders). This new assay, which generates quantitative results in 30 min, allows for high-throughput, smartphone-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies against multiple variants in clinical serum or blood samples. These results establish an advanced avenue for POC testing with LM materials, and demonstrate its potential to facilitate diagnostics, surveillance and prevalence studies for various infectious diseases. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA-519d-3p (miR-519d-3p) has emerged as a tumor suppressor in several human cancers. But whether miR-519d-3p is involved in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the potential relevance of miR-miR-519d-3p in PTC. A retrospective study of 119 PTCs was carried out. The RT-qPCR analysis was used to measure the expression of miR-519d-3p and FOXQ1 in PTC tissues and cells. Chi-square test, Kaplan–Meier curve analysis, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the clinical and prognostic value of miR-519d-3p in PTC. Then cellular experiments were used to explore its biological effects on PTC cells. Finally, the Pearson correlation coefficient, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and rescue experiments were used to analyze the association between miR-519d-3p and FOXQ1. miR-519d-3p was significantly downregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines. The decreased expression of miR-519d-3p was associated with reduced overall survival and progression-free survival of patients. The proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of cells were blocked or elevated after upregulation or downregulation of miR-519d-3p, while FOXQ1 reversed these cellular behaviors caused after upregulation or knockdown of miR-519d-3p. In conclusion, miR-519d-3p was downregulated in PTC and associated with OS and PFS of patients. MiR-519d-3p may be a tumor-inhibiting miRNA in PTC, and that miR-519d-3p/FOXQ1 axis mediated PTC tumor progression from cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in PTC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vegetation greening slows land surface warming in Chinese drylands. • Biogeophysical feedback of vegetation greening to climate is seasonally asymmetric. • Land use change amplifies the greening-induced cooling effects. Vegetation change can provide strong feedback to climate system, but there is a severe shortage of understanding regarding how biogeophysical (BGP) processes related to vegetation changes and their impact on local temperature in arid and semi-arid regions of China (ASAC), a unique region where large-scale ecological engineering projects have been implemented. To address this knowledge gap, this study is aims to investigate the BGP effects of vegetation changes (including growth change and type conversion) and elucidate the BGP mechanisms that link vegetation and surface temperature (T s) through integrating the Intrinsic Biophysical Mechanism (IBM) method and pairwise comparison analysis. The findings reveal that vegetation change slows down climate warming rate of T s in ASAC, with a cooling magnitude of -0.0096 K/year (Non-radiative forcing: -0.0114 K/year; Radiative forcing: 0.0018 K/year) from 2000 to 2018, embodied as cooling in summer-autumn and warming in winter-spring. Vegetation-induced BGP effects in ASAC are dominated by non-radiative mechanisms. During the study period, compared to the stable land use/land cover (LULC), cropland expansion and grassland restoration usually led to cooling exceeding -0.05 K and -0.01 K, respectively. However, afforestation and urbanization generally cause warming about 0.02 K and 0.04 K, respectively. From a BGP point of view, avoiding large-scale afforestation in extremely arid regions is an effective strategy. This study highlights the importance of land use/ land cover change (LULCC) in regulating regional climates, and emphasizes the necessity of fully considering the multiple effects of LULCC in the formulation or evaluation of climate change mitigation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the flow behaviors and self-healing properties of two asphalt binders with different ageing degrees were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test was first used to characterize the ageing degrees of the binders. Then, frequency sweep test was conducted to calculate the flow behavior indices of asphalt binders with different ageing degrees to determine their self-healing threshold temperatures and fatigue life recovery test was performed to investigate their real self-healing rates. The capillary flow test was finally carried out to simulate the flow ability of asphalt binders with different ageing degrees within cracks in asphalt. It was found in FTIR that the carbonyl index increased with the ageing degree of the binders and tended to level off once the binders approached their ageing limits. With the deepening of ageing, the self-healing threshold temperature and the flow activation energy of asphalt binders increased and their healing performance was getting worse. Once the asphalt binders were aged to a certain extent, no self-healing threshold temperature can be found and the fatigue-healing rate was very low. A strong correlation between self-healing threshold temperature, flow activation energy and self-healing ratio can be found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]