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Farmland ecosystems represent a vital carbon source and sink within terrestrial ecosystems. The investigation into the characteristics of carbon emissions and their influencing factors within farmland ecosystems is crucial for the realization of carbon reduction and the promotion of low-carbon development. This study leveraged the analytical prowess of CiteSpace software (version 6.1.5) to examine a comprehensive body of 2805 scholarly works related to carbon emissions within agricultural ecosystems, as documented in the Web of Science Core Database from 1991 through to 2023. Through a visual dissection of data based on national, institutional, and thematic dimensions, the study elucidated emergent focal points and evolving trajectories within this scholarly domain. The findings revealed that current scholarly discussions on carbon emissions from agricultural lands have primarily focused on three key areas: the factors that influence these emissions, the possibilities for their reduction, and the subsequent environmental impacts. Focal points of research have predominantly centered on four key themes: "greenhouse gas emissions from farmland ecosystems", "carbon emission models for farmland ecosystems", "carbon sequestration in farmland ecosystems", and "sustainable development in agricultural ecosystems". The academic perspective has gradually shifted from a broad overview of carbon emissions towards a detailed examination of the determinants of emissions and the efficiency of agricultural resource utilization. Looking forward, it is crucial to explore the mechanisms behind high-carbon agricultural practices and to establish their optimal operational thresholds. The focus of research is shifting from macro carbon emissions to the analysis of emission factors and the efficiency of agricultural input use. Future efforts should emphasize exploring the mechanisms of the environmental impacts caused by high-carbon agricultural inputs and the optimal input levels, refining emission reduction methods in agricultural ecosystems, and promoting collaboration and exchange among researchers worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objectives Methods Results and Conclusions Both socially regulated learning and cognitive quality are important factors affecting collaborative knowledge building, but the current research lacks a joint quantified evaluation method that combines these two aspects.Based on the existing framework, we proposed a joint evaluation method for regulated learning and cognitive quality in collaborative knowledge building, and further extracted the evaluation indicators.This study involved 74 learners enrolled in a course named ‘the Application of Modern Educational Technology’ as the subject of study, and made a case analysis with this method.First, the indicators of this joint evaluation method could complement the indicators of traditional frequency statistics methods and facilitate an analysis of regulated learning and cognitive quality in collaborative knowledge building. Second, the group with a higher proportion of high‐level cognitive quality and socially shared regulation in collaborative knowledge building achieved better final scores. Finally, four types of groups were obtained through clustering: excellent, risky, mixed group, and highly collaborative group. This study introduced a joint evaluation method for regulated learning and cognitive quality in collaborative knowledge building and provides suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association of a combined healthy lifestyle in early pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. Design, setting and population: A Chinese prospective cohort study with 6980 pregnant women. Methods: Individual modifiable lifestyle factors were assessed in early pregnancy and a combined lifestyle score was derived from the sum of the lifestyle factors, with a higher score indicating a healthier lifestyle. The association of a combined healthy lifestyle with GDM risk was examined. Main outcome measures: Gestational diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in middle pregnancy according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group criteria or diagnoses in medical records. Results: Overall, 501 (7.2%) pregnant women were diagnosed with GDM. Being physically active (total energy expenditure in upper three quintiles, i.e. ≥100.1 metabolic equivalent of task [MET]‐hours/week; odds ratio [OR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63–0.92), healthy diet (total intake of vegetables and fruits ≥5 times/day; OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59–0.94), sufficient sleep (night‐time sleep duration ≥7 hours/night; OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48–0.90) and healthy weight (early‐pregnancy BMI <24.0 kg/m2; OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.46–0.71) were associated with lower GDM risk. The GDM risk decreased linearly across the combined lifestyle score (Ptrend <0.001): women with 2, 3 and 4 lifestyle factors compared with those with 0–1 factor had 38% (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46–0.84), 57% (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.31–0.58) and 66% (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.22–0.52) lower risks of GDM, respectively. Conclusion: A healthy lifestyle in early pregnancy was associated with a substantially lower GDM risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-systems (size range: 1 ~ 1000 nm) have been widely investigated as pulmonary drug delivery carriers, and the safety of inhaled nano-systems has aroused general interests. In this work, bibliometric analysis was performed to describe the current situation of related literature, figure out the revolutionary trends, and eventually forecast the possible future directions. The relevant articles and reviews from 2001 to 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. The documents were processed by Clarivate Analytic associated with Web of Science database, Statistical Analysis Toolkit for Informetric, bibliometric online platform and VOSviewer, and the data were visualized. The bibliometric overview of the literature was described, citation analysis was performed, and research hotspots were showcased. The bibliometric analysis of 3362 documents of interest indicated that most of the relevant source titles were in the fields of toxicology, pharmacy, and materials science. The three research hotspots were the biological process of inhalable nano-systems in vivo, the manufacture of inhalable nano-systems, and the impact of nano-systems on human health in the environment. Toxicity and safety have always been the keywords. The USA was the major contributing country, and international collaboration and co-authorship were common phenomena. The general situation and development trend of literature of inhalable nano-systems were summarized. It was anticipated that bibliometrics analysis could provide new ideas for the future research of inhalable nano-systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use changes significantly impact the structure and functioning of ecosystems. The current research focus lies in how to utilize economic and policy instruments to regulate conflicts among stakeholders effectively. The objective is to facilitate rational planning and sustainable development of land utilization resources. The PLUS model integrates a rule-based mining method for land expansion analysis and a CA model based on multi-type stochastic seeding mechanism, which can be used to mine the driving factors of land expansion and predict the patch-level evolution of land use landscapes. Using the PLUS model, a simulation was conducted to study the future land use distribution in the research area over the next 30 years. Based on land use data from Guizhou Province in 2000, 2010, and 2020, a total of 16 driving factors were selected from three aspects: geographical environment, transportation network, and socio-economic conditions. Four scenarios, namely natural development, urban development, ecological conservation, and farmland rotection, were established. Comparative analysis of the simulated differences among the various scenarios was performed. (1) The overall accuracy of the land use simulation using the PLUS model in the study area was 0.983, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.972 and a FoM coefficient of 0.509. The research accuracy meets the simulation requirements. (2) Through the simulation of four different scenarios, the study investigated the land use changes in Guizhou Province over the next 30 years. Each scenario exhibited distinct impacts on land utilization. Comprehensive comparison of the different simulation results revealed that the farmland protection scenario aligns with the sustainable development goals of the research area. Currently, there is a relative scarcity of research on land use simulation, particularly in model application, for Guizhou Province. This study aims to provide a reference for the rational planning of land resources and high-quality urban construction in Guizhou, promoting the high-quality economic development in tandem with advanced ecological and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-systems (size range: 1 ~ 1000 nm) have been widely investigated as pulmonary drug delivery carriers, and the safety of inhaled nano-systems has aroused general interests. In this work, bibliometric analysis was performed to describe the current situation of related literature, figure out the revolutionary trends, and eventually forecast the possible future directions. The relevant articles and reviews from 2001 to 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. The documents were processed by Clarivate Analytic associated with Web of Science database, Statistical Analysis Toolkit for Informetric, bibliometric online platform and VOSviewer, and the data were visualized. The bibliometric overview of the literature was described, citation analysis was performed, and research hotspots were showcased. The bibliometric analysis of 3362 documents of interest indicated that most of the relevant source titles were in the fields of toxicology, pharmacy, and materials science. The three research hotspots were the biological process of inhalable nano-systems in vivo, the manufacture of inhalable nano-systems, and the impact of nano-systems on human health in the environment. Toxicity and safety have always been the keywords. The USA was the major contributing country, and international collaboration and co-authorship were common phenomena. The general situation and development trend of literature of inhalable nano-systems were summarized. It was anticipated that bibliometrics analysis could provide new ideas for the future research of inhalable nano-systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Equal contributor's note is shown below: Zhengwei Huang and Linjing Wu contributed equally to this article. The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-021-05384-1. The online version of the original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-021-05384-1 The original article has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

A method is reported for recognizing MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells based on silica-encapsulated nanoparticles modified with aminophenylboronic acid which can recognize sialic acid on cell surfaces. Gold@rhodamine B nanoparticles were coated with aminophenylboronic acid and used to capture MCF-7 cells. It is found that the presence of gold NPs was favorable to prepare nanoparticles easily and that they were extraordinarily biocompatible with MCF-7 cells. The experimental results confirmed that the nanoparticles can be used to target breast carcinoma cells using HS 578Bst normal breast cells as the negative control. The MCF-7 cells were imaged by laser scanning microscopy and showed strong red fluorescence in dark field. An MTT test revealed an 82 % viability of cells when 50 mg · mL fluorescent probe was used in the incubation experiments. The results exhibited that the NPs are innocuous and stable. In our perception, the method has a larege potential for early diagnosis of breast cancer due to high affinity between nanoparticles and the breast carcinoma cells. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are platforms teachers can use to seek guidance on different strategies to update their teaching skills. This study finds the effectiveness of MOOCs in developing professional performance and skills of school teachers. It tries to show the extent to which school teachers can benefit from these courses and how they apply them in their practical teaching. A mixed-method sequential explanatory (following up the quantitative findings with qualitative ones) method by using multiple data sources, including the MOOC system’s log files, final grades and the discussion forum, with additional of face to face class snapshots was used. Some of the data were analysed using statistical, correlations and clustering models, with others coded in excel to develop different themes based on reported experiences. Results indicated how TPD core features uncover school teachers’ knowledge and skills level through their learning behaviour variables for the MOOC platform, which will help to transform their pedagogical and instructional approaches while shifting their classrooms into 21st Century classrooms. Generally, this study contributes fresh insights into the literature on the importance of MOOCs for teachers’ professional growth while sustaining their work and connections for networked learning. Implications for future studies are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chinese word segmentation is a difficult and challenging job because Chinese has no white space to mark word boundaries. Its result largely depends on the quality of the segmentation dictionary. Many domain phrases are cut into single words for they are not contained in the general dictionary. This paper demonstrates a Chinese domain phrase identification algorithm based on atomic word formation. First, atomic word formation algorithm is used to extract candidate strings from corpus after pretreatment. These extracted strings are stored as the candidate domain phrase set. Second, a lot of strategies such as repeated substring screening, part of speech (POS) combination filtering, and prefix and suffix filtering and so on are used to filter the candidate domain phrases. Third, a domain phrase refining method is used to determine whether a string is a domain phrase or not by calculating the domain relevance of this string. Finally, sort all the identified strings and then export them to users. With the help of morphological rules, this method uses the combination of statistical information and rules instead of corpus machine learning. Experiments proved that this method can obtain better results than traditional n-gram methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To evaluate the prospective associations of nighttime sleep duration, midday napping, and sleep quality during early pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk among Chinese pregnant women. Sleep-related information was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in baseline surveys during the 6–15 (mean 10.3) gestational weeks. GDM was diagnosed during 24–28 gestational weeks according to the Chinese Guidelines on Diagnosis and Management of Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy (2022). Multivariable logistic regression models with adjustments for socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations of sleep traits with GDM risk. We identified 503 incident GDM cases among 6993 participants. Compared with women who slept for 7–9 hours/night in early pregnancy, those who slept <7 hours/night showed a higher risk of GDM (OR, 1.75; 95 % CI: 1.20–2.54), whereas those who slept >9 hours/night showed no significant association for GDM risk (OR, 1.01; 95 % CI: 0.78–1.30). Compared with women with absolutely no napping, those with ≤60 and > 60 min/day midday napping showed no significant association for GDM risk (OR, 0.82; 95 % CI: 0.64–1.05 for ≤60 min/day midday napping; OR, 0.87; 95 % CI: 0.66–1.15 for >60 min/day midday napping). Poor sleep quality was not associated with GDM risk compared with good quality (OR, 0.90; 95 % CI: 0.72–1.12). A short nighttime sleep duration during early pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of GDM, which was independent of midday napping, sleep quality and lifestyle factors. [Display omitted] • The associations of sleep traits with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have not been thoroughly examined. • This study investigated the prospective associations of sleep traits during early pregnancy with GDM risk among Chinese. • Short nighttime sleep duration was associated with an increased risk of GDM in the relatively large prospective cohort. • The study highlights the importance of maintaining adequate nighttime sleep duration during early pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacognition is important in self-regulated learning and understanding its epistemic network can improve teaching and learning. We collected self-reported metacognition reflections on collaborative learning activities from 87 college students to analyze how students' metacognitive patterns differ by performance level and discipline type. We used an epistemic network analysis to identify these differences, and the results indicated that description of goals appeared most in self-reported reflections. There are variations in metacognitive patterns between different groups. High-score students had stronger connections around actions, while low-score students had stronger connections between metacognitive knowledge and context. The natural science students focused more on metacognitive knowledge and actions, while the humanities science students focused more on metacognitive experience and context. This implies that teachers should provide clear explanations about the collaborative learning goal, and a group strategy that takes both performance and discipline types into consideration could address the variation in metacognitive patterns. • Students' metacognitive patterns were investigated through self-report reflections. • Epistemic network analysis was used to compare the metacognition differences between different groups. • Students use most of their energy on thinking about learning goals in metacognitive process. • Different groups (performance, discipline) have different metacognitive patterns in collaborative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve high flow hydrogen production, a laminated self-thermal methanol reforming microreactor was designed. Through simulation and experiments, the hydrogen production performance of the microreactor and the compatibility between the methanol catalytic combustion module and the methanol steam reforming module were investigated. The results show that the microreactor exhibits impressive hydrogen production performance, with a methanol conversion rate of 95.27%. When the inlet flow rate of the mixture of methanol and deionized water was increased to a high flow rate, the microreactor exhibits significant cold spots over a wide range in the reaction chamber plates, which could be effectively solved by enhancing the methanol catalytic combustion intensity. The methanol catalytic combustion module inside the microreactor can meet the heat demand of the methanol reforming module. The microreactor operated for 20 h with a methanol-deionized water mixture inlet flow rate of 12 mL/min and a methanol inlet flow rate of 7.5 mL/min; the methanol conversion rate finally stabilized at 90.1%, which was decreased by about 2.2% compared with the initial methanol conversion rate. • Laminated self-thermal methanol steam reforming microreactor was designed with a maximum hydrogen flow rate of 10 L/min. • Thermal matching of methanol catalytic combustion reaction and methanol reforming reaction gained explored. • Methanol conversion rate was improved from 58.6% to 91.2% at the inlet flow rate of methanol of 7.5 mL/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liver is an important organ for amino acid metabolism, and its damage can be reflected in the changes of amino acid level in the body. Triptolide (TP) has broad anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities, but its clinical application is limited due to hepatotoxicity. In this work, a simple, accurate and sensitive gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for evaluating the serum levels of amino acids from control and TP-induced liver injured rats, and chemometric analysis was employed for amino acid metabolic profiles analysis. It was found that 11 amino acids showed significant changes after TP administration, and they were mainly involved in 5 metabolic pathways that are phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, glutamine and glutamate metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism and arginine biosynthesis. Five amino acids including tyrosine, glutamine, glutamic acid, tryptophan and alanine were identified as biomarkers of TP hepatotoxicity by further analysis. These results indicated that the novel amino acid metabolic profiling study based on the GC-QqQ-MS/MS provided not only exact concentrations of serum amino acids, but also a prospective methodology for evaluation of chemically induced liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The testes are suspected target organs of SARS‐CoV‐2. However, the results of studies on the effect of COVID‐19 on male reproduction are controversial. Objective: To summarize current research on the effects of COVID‐19 on male reproduction. Methods: A systematic review of English literature was performed using PubMed and Ovid Embase up to 18 August 2020. Research articles on the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in semen, the effects of the virus on semen parameters and any pathological changes in the testes were evaluated. Results: Fourteen studies were included in this review. Six of 176 survivors (3.4%) and 1 of 13 decedents (7.7%) in 2 of 12 studies were positive for viral RNA in semen and testicular tissue, respectively. After stratification of patient groups, we found that the virus was detected in the relatively early stage of infection, 6–16 days after disease onset, in semen from survivors. Two of 3 studies reported that some participants had substandard semen quality after COVID‐19, and 1 study found that COVID‐19 may impair semen quality in a severity‐related manner. Pathological analyses showed that injuries to the seminiferous tubule occurred in all decedents (N = 11). Another study found that orchitic and testis fibrin microthrombi occurred in patients with fatal disease (100%, N = 2). Scrotal discomfort of orchiepididymitis or spermatic cord inflammation has also been reported in COVID‐19 patients. Conclusion: Current studies suggest that semen is rarely considered a carrier of SARS‐CoV‐2 genetic material during the infection period but not in the semen of recovered patients. Fatal COVID‐19 may cause testicular structure damage without the presence of virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem‐oriented teaching (POT) activities are important in classroom instruction. The level of student response can be influenced by different teacher behaviours in POT. However, the characteristics of teachers' multimodal behaviours at different levels of response are unclear. This study applied epistemic network analysis to explore the characteristics of teachers' multimodal behaviours in POT with different response levels. Using 256 POT segments from 12 classroom teaching videos in primary and secondary schools, this study found that authentic questions and iconic gestures occupied a central position in multimodal behaviours. The concomitant use of multimodal behaviours and the flexibility in eye contact could improve the response levels of students. These findings help understand how teachers' multimodal behaviours can promote students' responses. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Various behaviours have been shown to impact learners' response, such as teachers' responses to students and teachers' non‐verbal behaviours.Epistemic network analysis can be used to analyse the structure of the connections between cognitive, social and interaction data.What this paper adds This study analyses the characteristics of teachers' multimodal behaviours during problem‐oriented activities.It also compares the salient properties of non‐verbal, verbal and multimodal behavioural networks generated by interactive fragments of students' responses of different cognitive levels.Implications for practice and policy Teachers should ask more authentic questions in the classroom to promote in‐depth thinking processes in students.The appropriate coordination of multimodal behaviours by teachers is crucial to promote the cognitive level of students' responses.Upon making eye contact with students, teachers should also use iconic gestures and be flexible regarding the use of eye contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver plays an important role in maintaining glucose homeostasis. We aimed to examine the associations of liver enzymes and hepatic steatosis index (HSI, a reliable biomarker for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) in early pregnancy with subsequent GDM risk, as well as the potential mediation effects of lipid metabolites on the association between HSI and GDM. Methods: In a birth cohort, liver enzymes were measured in early pregnancy (6-15 gestational weeks, mean 10) among 6,860 Chinese women. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between liver biomarkers and risk of GDM. Pearson partial correlation and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were conducted to identify lipid metabolites that were significantly associated with HSI in a subset of 948 women. Mediation analyses were performed to estimate the mediating roles of lipid metabolites on the association of HSI with GDM. Results: Liver enzymes and HSI were associated with higher risks of GDM after adjustment for potential confounders, with ORs ranging from 1.42 to 2.24 for extreme-quartile comparisons (false discovery rate-adjusted P-trend ≤0.005). On the natural log scale, each SD increment of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, and HSI was associated with a 1.15-fold (95% CI: 1.05, 1.26), 1.10-fold (1.01, 1.20), 1.21-fold (1.10, 1.32), 1.15-fold (1.04, 1.27), and 1.33-fold (1.18, 1.51) increased risk of GDM, respectively. Pearson partial correlation and LASSO regression identified 15 specific lipid metabolites in relation to HSI. Up to 52.6% of the association between HSI and GDM risk was attributed to the indirect effect of the HSI-related lipid score composed of lipid metabolites predominantly from phospholipids (e.g., lysophosphatidylcholine and ceramides) and triacylglycerol. Conclusions: Elevated liver enzymes and HSI in early pregnancy, even within a normal range, were associated with higher risks of GDM among Chinese pregnant women. The association of HSI with GDM was largely mediated by altered lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A traveling-wave flow field is established and investigated for the performance improvement effect of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). This study analyzes the influence of multiple structural parameters of traveling-wave length, wave height, wave number, and wave spacing on the flow law, mass transfer characteristics, and output performance of PEMFC, and obtains the weight coefficient of each structural parameter through the Grey-relational theory. Simulation results show that the traveling-wave flow field has excellent oxygen transport and drainage functions, and its corresponding functional structures are wave crest and wave trough respectively. Compared with the conventional flow field (CFF), the effective mass transfer coefficient (EMTC) at the BPP/GDL interface can be increased about 35.89–118%, and the drainage at the BPP/GDL interface can be increased about 0.9–2.24%, and the net power density of the PEMFC can be increased about 4.45–11.17% of the PEMFC with traveling-wave flow field. In addition, the weighting relationship of the traveling-wave structural parameters on the mass transfer performance and net power density is wave height > wave number > wave length > wave spacing. • Flow field with a traveling-wave structure for PEMFC is designed. • Effects of traveling-wave structural parameters on the PEMFC performance are investigated. • Increasing the height of the traveling-wave has a significant impact on the PEMFC performance. • Mass transfer coefficient of a traveling-wave flow field can be increased about 35.89–118%. • Net power density of the PEMFC achieves an improvement between 4.45% and 11.17%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain the flexible microreactor for potential application in constrained space, a novel flexible tubular microreactor was designed by using a corrugated shell and a high porosity porous copper fiber rod (PCFR) as catalyst support. The effect of placement position, bending direction, and bending angle on reaction performance of flexible tubular microreactor was investigated. Then, the stability of flexible tubular microreactor was further evaluated. The experimental results showed that the placement position and bending direction had a significant influence on the reaction performance of flexible tubular microreactor. Methanol conversion of flexible tubular microreactor with the vertical placement was 6.67% higher than that with horizontal placement. Higher methanol conversion and H 2 flow rate were obtained when the microreactor bent along the vertical direction. The reaction performance of flexible tubular microreactor was found to decrease as the bending angle increased, and the methanol conversion decreased by around 14.07% with a bend of 90°. When the flexible tubular microreactor was horizontal placed with a bend of 60° in the vertical direction, the reaction performance of microreactor was not changed little after 20 cyclic bending. After continuous bending for 10 h, the methanol conversion and H 2 flow rate of flexible tubular microreactor were 70.58% and 0.88 mol/h, showing good reaction performance. • A novel flexible tubular microreactor was developed. • A high porosity porous copper fiber rod as catalyst support was designed. • Effect of factors on reaction performance of the microreactor was investigated. • Microreactor exhibited better hydrogen production performance under different bending conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) application is a promising arising therapy for the treatment of premature ovarian failure (POF). However, little is known about the inflammation regulatory effects of human umbilical cord MSCs (UC-MSCs) on chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage, regardless of in vivo or in vitro. This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of UC-MSC transplantation and underlying mechanisms regarding both apoptosis and inflammation in POF mice. The chemotherapy-induced POF models were induced by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide. Ovarian function parameters, granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis, and inflammation were examined. Morphological staining showed that UC-MSC treatment increased the ovary size, and the numbers of primary and secondary follicles, but decreased the number of atretic follicles. Estradiol levels in the UC-MSC-treated group were increased while follicle-stimulating hormone levels were reduced compared to those in the POF group. UC-MSCs inhibited cyclophosphamide-induced GC apoptosis and inflammation. Meanwhile, phosphorylation of AKT and P38 was elevated after UC-MSC treatment. Tracking of UC-MSCs in vivo indicated that transplanted UC-MSCs were only located in the interstitium of ovaries rather than in follicles. Importantly, UC-MSC-derived extracellular vesicles protected GCs from alkylating agent–induced apoptosis and inflammation in vitro. Our results suggest that UC-MSC transplantation can reduce ovary injury and improve ovarian function in chemotherapy-induced POF mice through anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects via a paracrine mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the critical components of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the flow channel design in the bipolar plate is crucial to improve the mass transfer performance and stability. In this study, the effect of the structural characteristics and location arrangement of traveling wave flow channels, with a concave surface as the mass transfer surface, on the fuel cell performance is investigated, and the evaluation indexes, such as oxygen mass flux, net power density, synergistic coefficient, and unevenness coefficient, are established to evaluate the flow law of fluid, distribution law of pressure, synergistic mass transfer, and performance stability of the fuel cell. Results show that the synergistic mass transfer performance is better in the traveling wave channels with identical structural characteristics and uniform arrangement. Furthermore, a 21.20 % increase in the average fluid flow velocity can enhance oxygen and liquid water flux at the bipolar plate (BP)/gas diffusion layer (GDL) interfaces by about 198.48 % and 207.94 %, respectively, resulting in an 87.13 % increase in net power density and 70.95 % improvement in the performance stability of the fuel cell. • Multiple traveling wave flow channels with a concave surface are verified. • A Novel evaluation method for mass transfer and performance stability is established. • Traveling wave channel of Model 1 has the best synergistic mass transfer performance. • Efficiency of oxygen mass transfer improved by about 198.48 %. • Stability of output power increased by approximately 70.95 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An optimised 1,8-cineole-loaded self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (CIN-SMEDDS) with a mean droplet size, polydispersity index, mean zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency of 38.14 ± 1.47 nm, 0.208 ± 0.036, −9.312 ± 1.764 mV and 95.35% ± 1.13%, respectively, successfully ameliorated the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endothelial injury in mice. Acute toxicity assay in mice through the oral administration of CIN-SMEDDS showed that the median lethal dose of CIN-SMEDDS was 2998.9 mg/kg. The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay indicated that the cytotoxicity of CIN-SMEDDS to Caco-2 cells may be ascribed to the surfactant/co-surfactant mixture. In particular, CIN-SMEDDS remarkably inhibited inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 with a simultaneous increase in IL-10 in LPS-treated mice. Haematoxylin-eosin staining results showed that CIN-SMEDDS attenuated LPS-induced vascular endothelial injury. Western blot results showed that the vascular protective effects of CIN-SMEDDS were associated with the NF-κB and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ signalling pathways. These findings indicated that CIN-SMEDDS can attenuate LPS-induced endothelial injury and thus was proposed as a promising agent for the treatment of inflammatory cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While virtual reality (VR) provides a great potential for musical instrument learning, little attention has been paid to the instructional design in creating a VR musical instrument. Previous research has suggested that high embodied interaction or added visual cues (e.g., distinctive colors, flashing areas) on VR-based musical instrument may aid students' learning. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and efficacy of the embodied design (low and high level of embodiment; LoEmb and HiEmb) and visual cues (low and high level of visual cues; LoViz and HiViz) on students' musical instrument learning. Four corresponding virtual Chinese dulcimers (Yangqin) were thereby designed. A sample of 112 university students participated in our study, and they were randomly assigned into the four conditions (LoEmb & LoViz, LoEmb & HiViz, HiEmb & LoViz, and HiEmb & HiViz). Results showed that the LoEmb design benefited students' completion rate, the HiViz improved students' playing rhythmic accuracy. Both LoEmb and HiViz decreased students' playing errors and improved their overall performance. Moreover, we found that the HiViz and HiEmb designs had a combined effect on reducing students' cognitive load and improving the instructional efficiency of learning material. These findings collectively reveal that the design of VR learning materials should carefully consider the trade-off between the level of embodiment and visual cues. • The effect of embodiment and visual cues was investigated in musical instrument learning. • The LoEmb design benefited students' musical playing completion rate, and the HiViz facilitated students' playing rhythm. • Both LoEmb and HiViz decreased students' playing errors and improved their overall performance. • HiViz and HiEmb design can reduce students' cognitive load and improve the instructional efficiency of learning material. • Designing a VR learning material should carefully consider the trade-off between the level of embodiment and visual cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mechanism of performance uniformity of the PEMFC stack is explored. • Novel evaluation method for the performance uniformity is established. • Power density of the PEMFC achieves an improvement between 4.78% and 15.44%. • Performance uniformity can be increased about 29.95–66.94%. The performance uniformity of the proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack depends sensitively on the operating parameters. In this work, the dispersion of performance across the cells is explored through experiments and simulations, and the effects of operating conditions on the performance uniformity are evaluated using a novel criterion. According to the results, operating conditions such as stoichiometric ratio (SR), back pressure (P B), dew point temperature (T D), and heating temperature (T H) have a great influence on the performance uniformity and determine the content of liquid-saturated water and the uniformity of oxygen distribution at the catalytic layer (CL)/gas diffusion layer (GDL) interface of fuel cell. Further research shows that decreasing the content of liquid-saturated water and increasing the uniformity of oxygen distribution can improve the output performance stability, while increasing the oxygen content can improve the output performance of the PEMFC stack. What's more, when the stoichiometric ratio (SR), back pressure (P B), dew point temperature (T D), and heating temperature (T H) are 2.0, 3.0, 0.7 bar, 0.6 bar, 343 K, 333 K, and 348 K, respectively, the performance uniformity of the PEMFC stack achieves the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • UV-Laser ablation enhanced Joule-heating catalyst support used in MSR microreactor as internal heat source is proposed. • Methanol conversion rate is improved from 70.52 % to 91.45 % with energy density input of only 2 W/cm3. • Reforming efficiency of 51.91% is obtained without any waste heat recovery measures. • Mechanism of radial temperature gradient in microreactor eliminated by JHCS is revealed. Methanol is a promising hydrogen carrier, where hydrogen-rich gas can be produced by methanol steam reforming (MSR). However, this method of releasing hydrogen is highly energy consuming. Herein, the Joule-heating catalyst support (JHCS) was fabricated by a FeCrAl metal to enhance the efficiency of electrification, replacing the conventional external heating method. The heat can be provided for the reforming reaction directly inside the microreactor by the Joule-heating method. The Joule-heating reactor showed a faster thermal response than the externally heated reactor; the start-up heating time and the time of a start-stop cycle are about 75 % and 50 % of those for external heating, respectively. The methanol conversion rate of the Joule-heating microreactor was 91.45 % at 280 °C, improved by nearly 30 % than the external heating counterpart. The consumed power density of the Joule-heating microreactor was 2 W/cm3, only 15.8 % of external heating (12.61 W/cm3). The reforming efficiency reached 51.91 % without any waste heat recovery measures, about 4 times of the external heating method. Heat transfer simulation verified the minimal radial temperature gradient in the microreactor eliminated by JHCS. The proposed JHCS method demonstrates a uniform microreactor temperature distribution and superior hydrogen production performance with lower power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluplus® nanomicelles have been widely reported in biomedical field for their excellent drug loading capacity and solubility enhancement ability. However, when administrated in vivo, the protein corona will be formed on Soluplus® nanomicelles, significantly affecting their drug delivery performance. Up to now, few studies examined the protein corona formation process and its impact factors of Soluplus® nanomicelles. The multiple proteins in biofluids may form protein corona in different modes due to their diversified properties. In this study, Bovine serum albumin (BSA), Lysozyme (Lyso) and Bovine hemoglobin (BHb) were chosen as model proteins to investigate the protein corona formation process of Soluplus® nanomicelles. By analyzing the polarity of the protein amino acid residues distributing microenvironments, the results showed that there were two different protein corona formation modes, i.e., surface adsorption and insertion, which were determined by the hydrophilicity of proteins. The hydrophobic BHb followed the insertion mode while hydrophilic BSA and Lyso followed the surface adsorption mode. Ultimately, upon protein corona formation, the size and surface chemistry of nanomicelles was significantly affected. We believe this study will provide a new research paradigm to the design and application of Soluplus® nanomicelles. [Display omitted] • Proving the protein corona formation on Soluplus® nanomicelles. • Investigating the protein corona formation modes with different proteins. • Validating the existence of surface adsorption mode and insertion mode. • Finding the dominate role of protein hydrophilicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]