Search

Partially coherent perfect vortex beams with periodic coherence properties, namely, optical coherence perfect vortex lattices (OCPVLs), are proposed in this letter. Rhombus-, spiral-, and circle-shaped OCPVLs were investigated in detail both theoretically and experimentally through the manipulation of the coherent structures. Manipulating the coherence width yielded unique advantages, such as maintaining uniformity over a longer distance, more efficient optical trapping, and high-capacity free-space optical communications. OCPVLs with such advantages hold outstanding potential for applications in multi-particle trapping and manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study we examined the cytogenetic profile of 1087 patients with plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs) at different stages, including monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), and refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma (RRMM). Our study demonstrated that >95% of patients exhibited at least one cytogenetic abnormality detected by FISH tests and/or chromosomal analysis. The frequency of IGH::CCND1 rearrangement was 26% in this cohort, but with no apparent differences across races, ages, or disease groups. Almost all cases with abnormal karyotypes presented a complex or composite karyotype, with most featuring five or more chromosomal abnormalities, and chromosome 1 structural abnormalities were the most prevalent (65%). The genomic complexity escalated from MGUS to SMM and further to NDMM and RRMM. Elevated frequencies of high-risk cytogenetics (59%) and the presence of subclones (48%) were particularly notable in RRMM cases. The aim of this study was to examine the cytogenetic profiles of plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs) at various disease stages, encompassing 1087 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), and refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma (RRMM). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses were conducted on highly purified plasma cell samples, revealing that 96% of patients exhibited at least one cytogenetic abnormality. The genomic complexity escalated from MGUS to SMM and further to NDMM and RRMM, largely driven by 1q gain, del(17p), MYC-rearrangement (MYC-R), del(1p), and tetraploidy. Elevated frequencies of high-risk cytogenetics (59%), 1q gain (44%), and del(17p) (23%), as well as the presence of subclones (48%), were particularly notable in RRMM cases. IGH::CCND1 was observed in 26% of the cases, with no apparent variations across races, ages, or disease groups. Concurrent chromosomal analysis with FISH revealed that the incidence of abnormal karyotypes was strongly correlated with the extent of neoplastic plasma cell infiltration, genomic complexity, and the presence of specific abnormalities like del(17p) and MYC-R. Approximately 98% of the cases with abnormal karyotypes were complex, with most featuring five or more abnormalities. Chromosome 1 structural abnormalities were the most prevalent, found in 65% of cases. The frequent presence of subclones and composite karyotypes underscored the genomic heterogeneity and instability in this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment for endometrial cancer (EC) is increasingly guided by molecular risk classifications. Here, we aimed at using machine learning (ML) to incorporate clinical and molecular risk factors to optimize risk assessment. The Cancer Genome Atlas-Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (n = 596), Memorial Sloan Kettering-Metastatic Events and Tropisms (n = 1315) and the American Association for Cancer Research Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (n = 4561) datasets were used to identify genetic alterations and clinicopathological features. Software packages including Keras, Pytorch, and Scikit Learn were tested to build artificial neural networks (ANNs) with a binary output as either intra-abdominal metastatic progression ('1') vs. non-metastatic ('0'). Black patients with EC have worse prognosis than White patients, adjusting for TP53 or POLE mutation status. Over 75% of Black patients carry TP53 mutations as compared to approximately 40% of White patients. Older age is associated with an increasing likelihood of TP53 mutation, high risk histology, and distant metastasis. For patients above age 70, 91% of Black and 60% of White EC patients carry TP53 mutations. A ML-based New Unified classifiCATion Score (NU-CATS) that incorporates age, race, histology, mismatch repair status, and TP53 mutation status showed 75% accuracy in prognosticating intra-abdominal progression. A higher NU-CATS is associated with an increasing risk of having positive pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes and distant metastasis. NU-CATS was shown to outperform Leiden/TransPORTEC model for estimating risk of FIGO Stage I/II disease progression and survival in Black EC patients. The NU-CATS, a ML-based, cost-effective algorithm, incorporates diverse clinicopathologic and molecular variables of EC and yields superior prognostication of the risk of nodal involvement, distant metastasis, disease progression, and overall survival. [Display omitted] • Race is an independent risk factor for endometrial cancer (EC) prognosis. • Over 75% of Black EC patients have TP53 mutations as compared to 40% of White patients. • A machine learning (ML)-based algorithm NU-CATS predicts early-stage and Black EC patients' progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The fractured surrounding rock-shotcrete lining interface mechanism is studied. • The reinforcement mechanism of FRP in shotcrete lining is clarified. • Design suggestion for FRP reinforced shotcrete lining is proposed. Tunnel excavation in the southwestern area of China encounters many difficulties caused by the large deformation of extremely fractured surrounding rock, which is the product of high plate tectonic stress. Improving the initial cracking strength and ductility of shotcrete layer is one of the most important means to reduce the frequency of support structure repair, which will improve tunnel construction efficiency and ensure personnel safety. In this case, this paper introduced fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) mesh to replace the steel mesh as reinforcement to optimize the support effect of shotcrete lining. Both large-scale model test and mechanical test are conducted to compare the reinforcement effect between FRP and steel mesh. Research results indicate that replacing steel mesh with FRP can increase the ultimate deformation capacity of tunnel lining by more than four times. The parametric analysis results indicate that increasing the lining thickness, the diameter of the FRP bars and the mesh density have different degrees of effect on improving the stiffness and strength of tunnel lining. The research results can provide reference for relevant projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) materials-based membranes with artificial transfer channels have shown significant potential for selective separation. However, the challenges such as uncontrollable interlayer spacing and undesirable molecular sieving capabilities of 2D channels have impeded their further application in separation. Inspired by biological selectivity transport channels with proper steric and affinity sites, herein we have designed biomimetic 2D selective transport channels based on a ZIF-L nanosheet membrane. In this design, the UiO-66-NH 2 nanoparticles tune the appropriate interlayer confinement and compensate for laminate framework defects of 2D selectivity transport channels, the artificial imprinting recognition sites establishes the essential chemical environment for specific separation. As a result, the obtained MOFs nanosheet based membranes with imprinted recognition sites (MN-IMs) exhibited enhanced permeation flux (J = 1.0847 × 10−3 and 1.0423 × 10−3 mg min−1 cm−2) and permselectivity (α = 3.77 and 4.10), outperforming state-of-the-art similar technologies. Besides, the composite MOFs demonstrated good photoinduced self-recovery ability, which also enables MN-IMs to have long-lasting selective separation performance (the separation efficiency is 90.76 %) in the continuous separation process. This study introduces a novel design strategy for developing sophisticated 2D materials-based membranes and offers new insights into the precise separation of specific molecules. [Display omitted] • Designing biomimic 2D selective transport channels based on MOFs nanosheet. • Successfully constructed self-recovery two-dimensional selective channels. • Artificial recognition sites constructed based on molecularly imprinting technology. • MOFs based membranes exhibited long-lasting selective separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-imprinted GO/TiO 2 -loaded nanocomposite membranes based on polydopamine-based and sol–gel imprinting methods were prepared for selective separation of tetracycline. [Display omitted] Molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) with sufficient and even-distributed recognition sites that can break the permeability-selectivity trade-off phenomenon are desirable in chemical field of selective separation. Herein graphene oxide (GO)/TiO 2 -loaded nanocomposite fibrous membranes were prepared by developing two kinds of tetracycline (TC)-imprinted systems in the same MIMs-based material. Thereinto, polydopamine-based and sol–gel-based imprinting processes were applied to the synthesis of GO/TiO 2 -loaded dual-imprinted mixed matrix membranes (GT-DIMs). The as-prepared GT-DIMs encompassed innovative GO/TiO 2 -based nanocomposite fibrous channels and two kinds of TC-imprinted systems, and critical comparisons regarding the fluxes, rebinding capacities and permselectivity were provided and studied. Importantly, dual-imprinted system of GT-DIMs could not only allow for largely enhanced rebinding result (70.63 mg/g) and fast adsorption equilibrium rate within 30 min, but also facilitate the high permselectivity of TC in complex separation systems and lab-simulated wastewater samples. The permselectivity factors were all around 5.0, which strongly demonstrated the efficiently selective recognition and separation performance of GT-DIMs. Overall, based on testing results of practical separation and scalability, excellent structural stability and separation continuity had been successfully obtained for selective separation applications of pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous&permselective dual-tetracycline-imprinted nanocomposite membranes based on twice-polymerization-based imprinting process were prepared for selective separation of tetracycline. [Display omitted] • Twice-PDA-based dual-TC-imprinted membrane was first proposed. • Dual-imprinted membrane with GO/SiO 2 -loaded structure was successfully constructed. • Well-designed TC-imprinted membrane was applied as selective separation device. • High-performance flux and permselectivity of MIMs were obtained simultaneously. Here, the graphene oxide (GO)/SiO 2 -loaded dual-imprinted membranes (GS-DIMs) were constructed based on the self-polymerization imprinting technique of dopamine, in which a twice polydopamine (PDA)-based imprinting strategy had been successfully developed to obtain the three-dimensional nanocomposite membrane-based separation system. Meanwhile, the pollution-intensive antibiotics of tetracycline (TC) was used as template molecule throughout the GS-DIMs synthesis, and the dopamine molecules were simultaneously used as functional monomer and cross-linking agent during the twice polydopamine (PDA)-based imprinting processes. Therefore, dual-TC-imprinted sites had been prepared based on the as-designed dual imprinting processes, the as-prepared GS-DIMs-based separation system with dual-TC-imprinted structures could not only allow for the largely enhanced rebinding result of 65.61 mg/g and faster adsorption equilibrium rate within 20 min, but also facilitate the permselectivity performance from TC-based complex separation system and mimetic water sample. Importantly, we demonstrated the applications and effects of the dual-imprinted membrane-based separation materials to selective rebinding and separation of TC from complex solution systems and mimetic water samples. The as-obtained permselectivity factors (β) around 4.0 strongly illustrated the efficiently selective separation ability and high-intensitive recognizability of TC than any other non-template molecules based on our GS-DIMs-based separation system. Overall, the as-designed GS-DIMs had great potential for selective separation applications and provided critical comparisons based on the as-achieved excellent rebinding and permselectivity performance, which encompassed innovative GO/SiO 2 -loaded nanocomposite and PDA-based dual-TC-imprinted system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the environmental contamination and ecological poisons of antibiotics have possessed great challenges for human health. Versatile methods have been developed in enhanced demand for high-efficiency selective removal of tetracycline (TET), in which molecularly imprinted composite membranes (MICMs) have gained wide attention for selective separation of TET due to their preferable selective recognition and separation performance. Herein, we described a simple two-step method for developing the MICMs by using TET as a template molecule, acrylamide (AM) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a cross-linker, and azo-bis-isobutryronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. Based on ample rebinding sites and strong affinity force, the as-prepared MICMs possessed high rebinding capacity (20.15 mg/g) for adsorbing TET. The superior relative selectivity coefficients could also be achieved, which facilitated for TET adsorbed and separated. These results might be due to the design of tailor-made recognition sites for binding TET in the final application. The as-obtained MICMs showed potential applications for selective recognition and separation of TET from environmental contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Accurate assessment of a molecular classifier that guides patient care is of paramount importance in precision oncology. Recent years have seen an increasing use of external validation for such assessment. However, little is known about how it is affected by ubiquitous unwanted variations in test data because of disparate experimental handling and by the use of data normalization for alleviating such variations. METHODS: In this paper, we studied these issues using two microarray data sets for the same set of tumor samples and additional data simulated by resampling under various levels of signal-to-noise ratio and different designs for array-to-sample allocation. RESULTS: We showed that (1) unwanted variations can lead to biased classifier assessment and (2) data normalization mitigates the bias to varying extents depending on the specific method used. In particular, frozen normalization methods for test data outperform their conventional forms in terms of both reducing the bias in accuracy estimation and increasing robustness to handling effects. We make available our benchmarking tool as an R package on GitHub for performing such evaluation on additional methods for normalization and classification. CONCLUSION: Our findings thus highlight the importance of proper test-data normalization for valid assessment by external validation and call for caution on the choice of normalization method for molecular classifier development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Accurate assessment of a molecular classifier that guides patient care is of paramount importance in precision oncology. Recent years have seen an increasing use of external validation for such assessment. However, little is known about how it is affected by ubiquitous unwanted variations in test data because of disparate experimental handling and by the use of data normalization for alleviating such variations. METHODS: In this paper, we studied these issues using two microarray data sets for the same set of tumor samples and additional data simulated by resampling under various levels of signal-to-noise ratio and different designs for array-to-sample allocation. RESULTS: We showed that (1) unwanted variations can lead to biased classifier assessment and (2) data normalization mitigates the bias to varying extents depending on the specific method used. In particular, frozen normalization methods for test data outperform their conventional forms in terms of both reducing the bias in accuracy estimation and increasing robustness to handling effects. We make available our benchmarking tool as an R package on GitHub for performing such evaluation on additional methods for normalization and classification. CONCLUSION: Our findings thus highlight the importance of proper test-data normalization for valid assessment by external validation and call for caution on the choice of normalization method for molecular classifier development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D wood-based Nd3+-imprinted membranes with high permselectivity performance were successfully synthesized by developing a PDA@basswood-based multilevel membrane structure. • Basswood was used as the supporting membrane for the preparation of imprinting materials. • 3D wood-based Nd3+-imprinted multilevel structure was designed and prepared. • Well-designed multilevel/hierarchical 3DW-IIMs were first proposed and applied as selective separation membranes. • The PDA@basswood structure was first proposed and applied as imprinting-initiated factors. • High rebinding capacity and permselectivity performance could be simultaneously obtained. Three-dimensional (3D) basswood materials, for the first time, were successfully used for the construction of rare-earth Nd(III)-imprinted nanocomposite membranes. Herein, polydopamine (PDA)-modified layers could be initially synthesized on basswood surfaces. After the double-bonded modification procedure, the 3D wood-based ionic imprinted membranes (3DW-IIMs) system was finally accomplished by developing a re-modified two-step-temperature free radical polymerization process. The as-design PDA@basswood surface structure was first proposed and applied as imprinting-initiated factors for the preparation of Nd(III)-imprinted sites. Importantly, excellent rebinding capacity (120.87 mg g−1), adsorption kinetics and permselectivity coefficients (more than 10) were achieved successfully. Furthermore, an important research result had also been found that the PDA-modified layers caused significant promotions to the rebinding capacities of the as-prepared 3DW-IIMs, that is to say, more and more Nd(III)-imprinted sites could be synthesized because of the PDA-modified surfaces. The as-obtained selective rebinding and separation results together with the green natural wood-based materials strongly demonstrated that our synthesis methodology of 3DW-IIMs had great potential for applications in various fields of rare earth separation, chemical industry, and environment protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new multifunctional KGM/PDA/PVDF composite membrane was successfully prepared via facile nonsolvent induced phase inversion method. Here, the KGM component consisted of numerous covalent bonds, which could improve the corrosion resistance of membrane materials. The dopamine, as a natural "glue" between PVDF substantial and KGM, is capable of integrating different materials together suitably. The as-prepared membrane possessed superior superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic property, great corrosion resistance and antifouling property. The separation efficiency was as high as 99.01%, and could stay relatively stable even in the acid, alkali or high salty environment. Additionally, the membrane had great regeneration performance and could keep stable after 15 cyclic separation, which was appropriate for efficient various oil–water separation process. Moreover, the composite membrane could also effectively separate dyes in different environments and the efficiencies were all more than 91%. All in all, the multifunctional composite membrane with facile preparation method might provide a promising strategy and significant theoretical basis for the efficient separation of oil–water emulsions and dyes. Multifunctional KGM/PDA/PVDF composite membrane was gained via blending the biomass material KGM, PDA and PVDF powder. The separation efficiency was as high as 99.01%, and could stay relative stable even in the acid, alkali or high salty environment. Moreover, the composite membrane could also effectively separate dyes in different environments and the efficiency was all more than 91%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A borate-affinity sol–gel co-imprinted basswood-based nanocomposite membrane was constructed based on the synergistic effect of MOFs and nanofluidic layers grown in situ in three-dimensional mesoporous wood pores. [Display omitted] • Borate-affinity sol–gel imprinted structures based on nanofluidic layers were developed. • Nanofluidic layers were constructed for the first time in MOF-based basswood. • Nanofluidic layer greatly enhanced water transport in basswood. • A dynamic permeation test was proposed for the first time to verify the stability of the imprinted membrane. By top-down method, the nanofluidic layers were polymerized in situ in the basswood pore of the in-situ growth of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and the nanofluidic layers were combined with molecular imprinting to prepare borate affinity sol–gel-imprinting composite membrane-based MOF/wood and nanofluidic layers for the adsorption and separation of shikimic acid (SA). For the first time, nanofluidic layers were polymerized in situ within the basswood pores of in-situ-grown MOFs, nanofluidic layers were combined with molecular imprinting to prepare boronate affinity sol–gel imprinting composite membrane-based MOF/wood and nanofluidic layers for the adsorption and separation of SA. Since MOFs previously grown in situ on basswood provided many accessible imprinting sites, coupled with the high permeability of the nanofluidic layer, the resulting imprinted membrane exhibited good adsorption capacity (72.5 mg g−1), selectivity coefficient (greater than 4.0) and ultrahigh water flux (more than 120000 L/m2 h), which solves the "trade-off" effect between membrane flux and selectivity. In addition, the synthesis process of the prepared boronate affinity sol–gel basswood-based molecular imprinting membranes (BSISMs) are not complicated and pollution-free. Finally, the above experimental results and the green synthesis process indicate that our synthesis method of BSISMs has great potential for application in selective separation, chemical industry, environment, biomedicine and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Au/SiO 2 -pDA-based nanocomposite ovalbumin-imprinted membranes with controllable biocompatibility/selectivity were first proposed and developed for the achievements of thermo-responsive recognition ability and reversible cell adhesion/detachment. Inspired by the biomimetic modification strategy of dopamine self-polymerization technique, molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (MINCMs) with thermo-responsive rebinding and separation performance were synthesized and evaluated. Herein, the Au/SiO 2 -based multilevel structure had been successfully obtained onto the polydopamine (pDA) modified membrane surfaces. Afterward, the poly(N -isopropylacrylamide)-based biomolecule-imprinted sites were adequately constructed by developing a photoinitiated atom transfer radical polymerization (pATRP) imprinting strategy using the high-biocompatible ovalbumin (Ova, pI 4.6) as template molecule. Therefore, thermo-responsive 'specific recognition sites' toward Ova were then achieved on the as-prepared MINCMs after the well-designed imprinting process. When the external temperature was set at 37 °C, excellent ovalbumin rebinding capacity (33.26 mg/g), selectivity factor (3.06) and structural stability were obtained. Importantly, as to the controllable biocompatibility research of this work, the bare glass and Ova-bound-MINCMs (the MINCMs were bound with Ova) showed basically the same cell adhesion behaviors and viability, indicating the excellent biocompatibility of the Ova-bound-MINCMs. Additionally, efficient and rapid regulation of cell adhesion/detachment on ovalbumin-bound MINCMs could be still obtained even after 10 cycles of temperature-switch process, which indicated that the as-prepared MINCMs had strong ability to work under high intensity and long continuous operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CNVs and expression levels of CUL2 can predict GBM progression and survival rate. • CNVs regulate CUL2 expression in cranial and extracranial tissues. • Elevated cullin2 protein levels correlate to decreased EGFR, HIF-α and VEGF-A. • Elevated CUL2 expression levels predict dampened perfusion intensity. • GBM cases with elevated CUL2 expression levels are often radiosensitive. Positive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) immunoreactivity in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) often predicts poor radiation response. Meanwhile, all attempts to target EGFR pharmaceutically have been unsuccessful, mainly due to molecular heterogeneity of EGFR expression in GBM. A molecular biology-based and efficient way to access cellular protein levels of EGFR is urgently needed. EGFR, together with HIF-1α and Cyclin B1, is degraded via cullin2-RING E3 ligase (CRL2). It is worthwhile to investigate the possible involvement of CRL2 on GBM survival and radiosensitivity. Clinicopathological features, radiographic images, survival data, RNA-Seq, copy number variations (CNVs), and other genetic changes were studied on over 3800 glioma and GBM cases, which are derived from 5 independent cohorts. These datasets include the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas, The Cancer Genome Atlas, Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium, and the 2008 Parson's GBM dataset. Expression of CUL2 , which encodes the scaffold protein cullin2 in the CRL2 E3 ligase, can predict GBM progression and survival rate. Cullin2 protein levels are inversely related to those of HIF-1α, VEGF-A, Cyclin B1, and EGFR. Elevated CUL2 expression predicts increased radiosensitivity and dampened signal intensities in perfusion imaging. CUL2 expression are regulated via CNVs, which are inheritable structural DNA variations. CUL2 expression levels and CNVs can be integrated as potential biomarkers in facilitating GBM and prognosis and radiosensitivity profiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PDA/CaCO 3 -based imprinted nanocomposite membranes with high rebinding capacity and permselectivity performance were first proposed and developed for the selective recognition and separation of m-cresol. In spite of the intense efforts in selective separation field, the utilization and preparation of membrane-associated molecularly imprinted membranes with both enhanced rebinding capacities and high permselectivity performance still remain strong challenges. Herein, the bioinspired PDA-modified porous regenerated cellulose membrane (pRCMs) with mineral-coated multilevel structure was first proposed for the preparation of PDA/CaCO 3 -based imprinted nanocomposite membranes (PCIMs), m-cresol was chosen as the template molecule. Importantly, this bioinspired methodology was redeveloped and optimized to obtain abundant and uniformly distributed CaCO 3 nanocomposite on the surfaces of PDA@pRCMs. The as-designed sandwich-like imprinting structure were then constructed on PDA/CaCO 3 -based surfaces by developing a simple sol-gel imprinting process. Attributing to the design of the uniform CaCO 3 /PDA@pRCMs surfaces, amount of m-cresol-imprinted sites and permeation selectivity could be both optimized, it was no surprise that more excellent rebinding capacity (97.4 mg g−1), fast adsorption kinetics and high permselectivity coefficients (more than 13) were successfully achieved. Importantly, the whole synthesis process was conducted without complicated procedures and polluting the environment. Finally, the experimental results mentioned above, together with the green synthesis processes strongly demonstrated that our synthesis methodology of PCIMs had great potential for applications in various fields of selective separation, chemical industry, environment, biological medicine and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural displacement monitoring remains a challenging problem, especially for long-span bridges. A ground-based microwave interferometric radar system was developed and used to obtain multipoint displacement measurements of a suspension bridge with a main span of 1200 m. First, a microwave interferometric radar system with the merits of low price, straightforward usage, and good stability and robustness was developed. The phase was obtained by performing fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the in-phase/quadrature signals and calculating the displacement according to the phase interference. Second, the radar system was used in field tests of a long-span suspension bridge, including static, ambient vibration, and moving load tests. Multipoint displacements of the bridge girder, tower, and cables were obtained, and simultaneous measurements of the multipoint displacement influence lines of the bridge girder were performed. A method that uses three reference points to measure the bridge girder displacement was proposed. Good agreements between the results from the developed radar system and those from traditional sensors, including connecting pipes and total stations, demonstrated the excellent performance of the proposed method for remote multipoint displacement measurements of long-span bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a data-supported prediction equation (Lankford equation) for walking metabolic cost ( C W ), and to compare this equation to the ACSM, Pandolf, Minetti, and LCDA equations. The current study also investigated how kinematics of incline walking relates to mechanical efficiency and metabolic cost. Method: Subjects consisted of 145 recreationally fit individuals. Walking speeds were between 1 AND 3 mph with grades ranging from − 18 to 40%. The Lankford equation was then compared to four other reference equations using adjusted R-squared (R2) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) as primary metrics to determine correlation with measured CW. Kinematics data collected from reflective markers placed on bony landmarks were compared to CW, incline, and metabolic efficiency to determine the interrelationship between these variables. Results: The Lankford equation for estimating C W was validated with an adjusted R2 = 0.89 and a RMSE of 5.92 Kj min−1, shown to have the highest accuracy among all equations tested. A 0.21 efficiency plateau was observed above 15% incline, and hip, knee, HAT, thigh, and shank angles at foot touch down were found to be highly correlated with C W (r > 0.980). Conclusion: The Lankford equation is a validated and highly accurate prediction equation for steady-state walking across a wide range of inclines and speeds and is applicable to the general public. Altered leg swing observed above 15% incline was found to account for the mechanical efficiency plateau and the rectilinear increase in C W with increasing incline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the surface self-assembly modification technique using dopamine, herein, a polydopamine (pDA)-modified nanocomposite was successfully obtained on the surfaces of TiO2 (pDA@TiO2). The key design of the as-reported ibuprofen-imprinted nanocomposite membranes (IINCMs) was the composite integration process of pDA@TiO2 and porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes, in which the pDA@TiO2 was used as functional microspheres. As such, the novel porous IINCMs were developed and synthesized through a simple sol–gel method by using ibuprofen as the template molecule. Importantly, the as-prepared pDA-coating layers on TiO2 could largely enhance the rebinding capacity of IINCMs, and contribute to the blended functional pDA@TiO2 microspheres, and the as-prepared IINCMs revealed an outstanding adsorption amount (42.14 mg g−1) and regenerability. In addition, an excellent permselectivity performance (the βketoprofen/ibuprofen and βnaproxen sodium/ibuprofen were 4.42 and 4.46, respectively) could be achieved, which was beneficial for the adsorption and separation of ibuprofen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggravating environmental problems have driven the unprecedented development of sustainable materials. Treatments of environmental pollutants with biomass-based sustainable materials are catching attention of more researchers. In the present work, a biomass-based strategy was developed to prepare sustainable molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (S-MINMs). Based on this strategy, biomass-activated carbon nanoparticles (ACNPs) as the porous filler were integrated into the porous cellulose acetate (CA)/chitosan (CS) hybrid membranes to synthesize renewable and easy degradable basal membranes. The specific recognition sites were fabricated from simple free radical polymerization method, and using methacrylic acid (MAA) and acrylamide (Am) as functional monomers, we obtain improved adsorption capacity on tetracycline (TC, template molecule). Performance of S-MINMs was evaluated by adsorption isotherm, adsorption kinetics, perm-selectivity, reusability and biodegradability. Results indicated that the as-prepared S-MINMs not only exhibited desirable biodegradability, but also possess superior adsorption and separation performance toward TC (15.99 mg g − 1 for adsorption capacity and 4.91 for perms-selectivity factor). The method developed here shows great potential for development of sustainable membranes for selective separation of various pollutants. A biomass-based strategy was developed to prepare sustainable molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (S-MINMs) with tetracycline (TC) as a template molecule. The as-prepared S-MINMs not only possess superior selective adsorption and separation performance towards TC, but also exhibited a desirable biodegradability, and the method developed here shows great potential in the development of sustainable membranes for selective separation of various pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second recovery of rare earth elements from the bastnaesite-rich slags can effectively alleviate their industry demand and achieve cleaner production, but it still remains unclear and difficult to remove impurities from the leachate by hydrochloric acid. In this study, NaOH and NH 4 HCO 3 as precipitants were used to remove impurities and explore the optimal precipitation conditions and the mechanism by the D-optimal mixture design. The results showed that among the factors of temperature, pH and concentration, pH was the key affecting factor in impurity removal by the two reagents. The synergistic effect between the temperature and concentration promoted the impurity removal for NaOH and NH 4 HCO 3 , and the antagonism of pH with temperature inhabited the removal in the NH 4 HCO 3 group. At the optimal conditions of 35.7–70.0 °C, 2.0–6.0 solution pH and 2.0–6.0 mol L−1 concentrations, the removal rates of Fe3+, Al3+, and Cu2+ by the NaOH were about 100, 64.9, and 58.4%, respectively, and those were about 100, 36.1, and 26.6% under the optimal conditions of 25.9–60.0 °C, 3.0–5.0 solution pH and 0.5–2.5 mol L−1 concentrations by NH 4 HCO 3 , respectively. Therefore, NaOH and NH 4 HCO 3 are two feasible reagents for impurity removal in rare earth leachate for cleaner production. [Display omitted] • Impurity ions were effectively removed by NaOH and NH 4 HCO 3. • D-optimal mixture design was first employed for impurity removal optimization. • Interaction between temperature and concentration lifted the impurity removal. • The REEs recovery efficiencies are 99.6 and 94.4% in optimized conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of a steady supply of high-quality construction and demolition (C&D) waste hinders the development of the recycling industry, and information asymmetry makes it difficult for a recycling company to determine incentive strategies for a collector. To address the problem, a dynamic moral-hazard model is formulated to obtain the optimal incentive mechanism. Bayesian learning is then introduced to update the estimation of a collector's private information. The results show that the collector is always motivated to voluntarily sustain a high-quality supply of C&D waste in the optimal mechanism. Additionally, the private information is gradually revealed by learning, which is conducive to controlling incentive costs. However, the collector is likely to misreport their information for higher profits, which reduces the learning accuracy and increases the incentive cost. Numerical analyses suggest that in response to misreporting, the recycling company should partially ignore the provided false information and extend the duration of each period of the contract over time, which can improve the learning accuracy. Therefore, this study helps to realize better recycling management from the perspective of interactive decision-making between the recycling company and the collector. [Display omitted] • Information asymmetry in the supply of construction waste is addressed. • The dynamic incentive mechanism can improve the quality of waste supply. • Bayesian method is adopted to depict the recycling company's learning behavior. • The influence of the collector's misreporting and countermeasures are studied. • Promote waste recycling from the perspective of interaction of market entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • GO/TiO 2 -based molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes were prepared. • A versatile filtering strategy was developed to obtain the multilayer membrane structure. • Large enhanced propranolol-rebinding capacity was achieved with superior regeneration. • Efficient selective separation ability toward propranolol was obtained reversibly. Abstract Herein, the GO/TiO 2 -based molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (GT-MIMs) with high selectivity and constitutionally structural stability were developed by by the incorporation of polydopamine (pDA) membrane modification technique and the simple vacuum filtering method. Instead of constructing imprinted polymers onto pristine membrane surfaces, a versatile filtering strategy was conducted on the membrane surfaces by using GO and TiO 2 as the nanocomposite structures. And the GT-MIMs were finally obtained after a two-step-temperature imprinting process by using propranolol as the template molecules. Moreover, attributing to the formation of this membrane-based multilevel nanocomposite surfaces, largely enhanced propranolol-rebinding capacities (53.44 mg/g), permselectivity (separation factors were all more than 16.5) and structural stability (still maintained 92% of the maximum adsorption capacity after 11 cycling operations) were easily achieved. These results strongly illustrated that this GO/TiO 2 -based imprinting membrane materials would achieve both the high rebinding capacity and the excellent permselectivity. All the synthesis processes were carried out at low temperature and ordinary pressure, which were energy-efficient and environmentally friendly for large-scale application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tremendous effort has been made for the synthesis and multifunction of environmentally responsive and selective separation membranes. With the bioinspired design of polydopamine (pDA)-assisted inorganic film, we proposed a simple, yet efficient, thermo-responsive cell culture substrate. Herein, a Ag/TiO 2 /pDA-based nanocomposite structure was initially obtained, and the ciprofloxacin-imprinted membranes (MINCMs) with thermo-responsive recognition sites were then synthesized by using NIPAm as backbone monomer. The opto-thermally responsive molecularly imprinted membranes (OT-MIMs) were obtained through in situ reduction of HAuCl 4 on membrane surfaces, Au nanoparticles were used as the light-heat converters. The light-switching principle was elaborated as well as the energy conversions that took place in this system. These conformational changes finally allowed the constructions or destructions of ciprofloxacin-imprinted sites. Due to the formation of the opto-thermally responsive ciprofloxacin-imprinted sites, rapid adsorption dynamics and opto-thermally responsive perm-selectivity toward templates were both achieved. Therefore, 58.65 mg/g of adsorption capacity and 4.91 of permselectivity factor from OT-MIMs were successfully obtained. Importantly, the as-designed bioinspired strategy led to a state-of-the-art design that was capable of reversibly controlling the flow rate ( J ) of ciprofloxacin from 12.10 to 4.93 mg min −1  cm −2 in less than a few minutes using light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible yolk-shelled NiCo2S4 hollow spheres/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) hybrid lamellar films were successfully fabricated by developing a facile strategy of vacuum filtration. After constructing the sandwich-like structures, the NiCo2S4 hollow spheres were inserted in-between the RGO nanosheets, which effectively prevented the self-restacking of RGO nanosheets and increased the interlayer spacing, leading to fast ion penetration and diffusion. The as-prepared NiCo2S4/2RGO hybrid lamellar films with excellent conductivity delivered an appreciable capacitance of 1000.5 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was successfully synthesized utilizing activated carbon (AC) and NiCo2S4/2RGO hybrid lamellar films as the negative electrode and positive electrode, which manifested a high energy density (15.4 W h kg−1) and power density (2227.3 W kg−1) coupled with remarkable cycling stability (80.5% retention over 5000 cycles). After charging, two ASC devices connected in series were capable of lighting two red LEDs connected in parallel for at least 2.0 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of efficient visible light driven photocatalysts for water splitting has attracted great research interest. Herein, a novel H2-producing nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs)-Cu2O was successfully constructed and synthesized. The as-prepared NGQDs-Cu2O photocatalysts were benefited for light harvesting and charge separation and showed highly efficient photocatalytic property for hydrogen production by water splitting. Results displayed that the amount of NGQDs exhibited significant influence for H2 production, and the optimum sample of 3%NGQDs-Cu2O performed the highest hydrogen-evolution rate of 22.6 μ mol h − 1 g − 1 , which was about 2 times higher than that of the pure Cu2O (10.1 μ mol h − 1 g − 1 ). By further study, the enhanced photocatalytic performance could be ascribed to the crucial role of NGQDs, which widely improve the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pair’s. The NGQDs-Cu2O photocatalysts were obtained using the chemical reduction method. The optimal sample of 3% NGQDs-Cu2O sample exhibited excellent photocatalytic H2 production performance of 22.6 μmolg–1h–1, which was about two times higher than that of bare Cu2O (10.1 μmolg–1h–1). The enhanced photocatalytic property could be ascribed to high charge carrier mobility of NGQDs, which greatly promoted efficient separation of charge carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster categories were introduced in 2006 by Buan-Marsh-Reineke-Reiten-Todorov in order to categorify acyclic cluster algebras without coefficients. Their construction was generalized by Amiot (2009) [3] and Plamondon (2011) [50] to arbitrary cluster algebras associated with quivers. A higher dimensional generalization is due to Guo (2011) [17]. Cluster algebras with coefficients are important since they appear in nature as coordinate algebras of varieties like Grassmannians, double Bruhat cells, unipotent cells, etc. The work of Geiss-Leclerc-Schröer often yields Frobenius exact categories which allow us to categorify such cluster algebras. In this paper, we generalize the construction of (higher) cluster categories by Claire Amiot and by Lingyan Guo to the relative context. We prove the existence of an n -cluster tilting object in a Frobenius extriangulated category, namely the Higgs category (generalizing the Frobenius categories of Geiss-Leclerc-Schröer), which is stably n -Calabi–Yau and Hom-finite, arising from a left (n + 1) -Calabi–Yau morphism. Our results apply in particular to relative Ginzburg dg algebras coming from ice quivers with potential and higher Auslander algebras associated to n -representation-finite algebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing amount of europium in aqueous environment from rare earth industry has become a serious environmental challenge. Significant efforts have been focused on ion-imprinting membranes (IIMs) for selective separation of ions from analogues. Based on ion-imprinting technique, we have developed Eu 3+ -imprinted nanocomposite membranes (Eu-IIMs) for selectively separating Eu 3+ from La 3+ , Gd 3+ and Sm 3+ . Polydopamine (pDA) was previously synthesized on basal membranes to augment the interfacial adhesion. Grapheme oxide (GO) and modified silicon dioxide (kSiO 2 ) were synergistically stacked on pDA-modified substrates to form hydrophilic nanocomposite membranes. Ag nanoparticles were modified on the surface to enhance anti-fouling performance. The temperature-controlled selective recognition sites were formed using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and acrylamide (Am) as functional monomers as well as europium ions as templates by RAFT (reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer) method. Large enhanced Eu 3+ -rebinding capacity (101.14 mg g −1 ), adsorptive selectivity (1.82, 1.57, 1.45 for Eu 3+ /La 3+ , Eu 3+ /Gd 3+ , Eu 3+ /Sm 3+ ) and permselectivity (3.82, 3.47, 3.34 for La 3+ /Eu 3+ , Gd 3+ /Eu 3+ , Sm 3+ /Eu 3+ ) were achieved on Eu-IIMs with superior regeneration performance. Additionally, the negligible damage of the membranes after buried for 20 d indicated the superior anti-fouling property of the Eu-IIMs. The ion-imprinted nanocomposite membranes synthesized in this work have shown great potentials for selective separation of rare earth ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel core-shell molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared based on zinc oxide quantum dots for the determination of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol by fluorescence. Principally, ZnO quantum dots and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were chosen as the core substrate and the template molecule, respectively. The specific recognition sites for 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were obtained during the polymerization process in presence of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and tetraethylorthosilicate. Molecularly imprinted ZnO quantum dots were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the optical properties were evaluated by spectrofluorometry. Under the optimal conditions, molecularly imprinted ZnO quantum dots were successfully applied to the sensitive determination and selective recognition of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in water. A linear relationship was obtained to cover the concentration range of 0-160 µmol L−1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9931 calculated by the Stern-Volmer equation. The products were used for the determination of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in the water from local rural areas and the results strongly supported that the molecularly imprinted ZnO quantum dots were suitable for the determination of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in real examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission pollutants in rare earths hydrometallurgy industry have been the main constraint restricting its development. Membrane technology, as a sustainable green strategy with easy operation, is receiving great attentions in metal separation and wastewater treatment. Numerous membrane strategies for rare earths separation have been designed but few reviews could be found. The present article makes a state-of-the-art summary on current membrane techniques in rare earths separation including both liquid and non-liquid membranes. Further understandings of the crucial scientific and technical issues, such as REEs transport features, extraction performances, separation efficiency, transport models and mechanisms, membrane stability, operation modes and transport apparatus were discussed in details. Evaluations of each strategy and critical perspectives for future researches were suggested. Novel developments in non-liquid membrane techniques, such as polymer inclusion membranes, imprinted membranes, nanocomposite membranes and metal-organic framework membranes, were recommended and highlighted as potential strategies for rare earths separation in the near future. We hope that this overview would be a stimulator providing more opportunities for reference in membrane techniques for rare earths separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired from the highly bioadhesive performance of polydopamine (pDA)-based layers, a facile method was developed to modify GO nanosheets with pDA (pDA@GO). The key design of the molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (MINMs) was integrated pDA@GO nanosheets into the porous PVDF membranes as the highly adjustable active domains. Dendrites-like 3D Ag microspheres were obtained on the surface of nanosheets-infiltrated nanocomposite membranes (NS-NMs) to obtain high performance membranes. The as-prepared pDA coating layers not only modified GO nanosheets, but also could be used as a versatile platform for the further immobilizing dendrites-like 3D Ag microspheres on the surface of NS-NMs to improve anti-fouling property. Attribute to the highly adjustable active domains and dendrites-like 3D Ag microspheres, the as-prepared MINMs revealed an outstanding adsorption amount (61.55 mg g −1 ), a better hydrophilicity and regenerability. Most importantly, excellent perm-selectivity performance ( β ketoprofen/ibuprofen and β naproxen sodium/ibuprofen were 6.55 and 6.63, respectively) could be also achieved, which is beneficial to adsorb and separate of ibuprofen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel system for harvesting molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (MINcMs) with Au-modified polyaniline (Au@polyaniline) nanocomposite structure was developed for selective enrichment and separation of ibuprofen. This unique nanocomposite structure obviously enhanced the adsorption capacity, perm-selectivity performance, and regeneration ability of MINcMs. The as-prepared MINcMs showed outstanding adsorption capacity (22.02 mg g −1 ) of ibuprofen, which was four times higher than that of non-imprinted nanocomposite membranes (NINcMs). Furthermore, the selectivity factor of MINcMs for ibuprofen reached up to 4.67 and the perm-selectivity factor β was about 8.74, which indicated MINcMs had a good selective separation performance of ibuprofen. We envision that this novel synthesis method will open a new direction to manipulation of molecularly imprinted membrane materials and provide a simple yet convenient way to selective separation of ibuprofen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic pollutants in water have received remarkable attention due to the untold damage to human health and the environment, yet no approach has been used to solve the problem effectively. In this work, novel and efficient norfloxacin-molecularly imprinted composite membranes with an organic–inorganic structure (NFIcMs) were designed and developed using GO/PVDF blended membranes as substrates for selective separation and fast enrichment of norfloxacin from aqueous solution. The selectivity coefficient (α) of NFIcMs was up to 7.35 and more than 1.0, and the permeability factor β values were about 6.0 and more than 1.0, which indicated that the as-prepared NFIcMs possessed outstanding selectivity and permeability. Moreover, the synergistic effects of the specific surface area of GO, fouling resistance of TiO2 and high mechanical strength of PVDF membranes resulted in the fact that NFIcMs had a high adsorption capacity (44.81 mg g−1) for norfloxacin. Additionally, the facile and eco-friendly preparation of the demonstrated NFIcMs rendered them with the application potential in the treatment of antibiotic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The high-performance MXene nanosheets with stable and tunable lamellar nanochannels were introduced to the polymeric membrane matrix. • As a multifunction hybrid coating, PDA enhances the antioxidant properties and hydrophilicity of the original MXene. • A discontinuous cooperative imprinting strategy is developed to achieve high selectivity. • A lasting adsorption stability was realized. Ti 3 C 2 T x (MXene) has attracted wide research interest for application in various fields due to its rich surface chemistry and 2D multilayer structure. However, its application remains challenging due to its oxidative fragility. Here, Polydopamine (PDA) act as both the functional monomer and crosslinker, could self-polymerize to form a stable multifunction hybrid coating on MXene surfaces, which enhances the antioxidant properties of the MXene while form the first SA-imprinted sites. During the second imprinting process, the PDA-based first SA-imprinted recognition layer acted as the "anchor" to trigger the second SA-imprinted layer (sol–gel boronate affinity imprinting layer). Benefiting from the above mentioned discontinuous cooperative imprinting strategy, an efficient SA dual-imprinted sites was constructed on the surface of MXene-based molecularly imprinted membrane(P-MBMs). Such cooperative imprinting strategy could generate highly specific and strong binding sites for the template molecule. Adsorption isotherm and dynamics, permeation selectivity, and stability were studied, with ideal rebinding ability for SA (363.29 g m−2) and permselectivity factors (β Catechol/SA = 2.40, β P-HB/SA = 5.50, β P-NP/SA = 7.54), respectively. In-situ diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) analysis revealed that the high selectivity of P-MBMs for SA was mainly realized by the SA dual-imprinted sites constructed on the membrane. In addition, dynamic penetration test was first used to to verify the stability of the P-MBMs to specifically recognize the target molecule in this work. Compared to one-step imprinting approaches, the proposed discontinuous cooperative imprinting strategy would offer precise recognition sites, multiple strengthening of SA-imprinted sites could improve the selective separation performance of P-MBMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant efforts have been focused on the functionalization and simplification of membrane-associated molecularly imprinted materials, which can rapidly recognize and separate specific compound. However, issues such as low permselectivity and unstable composite structures are restricting it from developing stage to a higher level. In this work, with the bioinspired design of polydopamine (pDA)-assisted inorganic film, we present a novel molecular imprinting strategy to integrate multilevel nanocomposites (Ag/pDA) into the porous membrane structure. The molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes were then obtained through an in situ photoinitiated ATRP method by using tetracycline (TC) as the template molecule. Importantly, attributing to the formation of the Ag/pDA-based TC-imprinted layers, largely enhance TC-rebinding capacity (35.41 mg/g), adsorption selectivity and structural stability (still maintained 92.1% of the maximum adsorption capacity after 10 cycling operations) could been easily achieved. Moreover, largely enhanced permselectivity performance toward template molecule (the permeability factor β values were also more than 5.95) was also obtained. Finally, all synthesis methods were conducted in aqueous solution at ambient temperature, which was environmental friendly for scaling up without causing pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of membrane-associated molecularly imprinted materials that can rapidly recognize and separate specific compounds has broad technological applications for areas ranging from sewage treatments to biomedical devices. However, issues such as low permselectivity and unstable composite structures are restricting it from developing stage to a higher level. Here, inspired by the bioadhesive technology of polydopamine (pDA), a novel porous pDA/SiO 2 -based molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (PMINcMs) strategy was developed and obtained. The as-prepared PMINcMs were synthesized through an in situ AGET-ATRP method by using ciprofloxacin as template molecule. Importantly, largely enhanced specific rebinding capacity (64.54 mg/g) and permselectivity (the permeability factor β was larger than 2.27) had be successfully achieved, which should be attributing to the formation of high-stability and uniform growth of ciprofloxacin-imprinted layers onto the pDA/SiO 2 -based surfaces. Additionally, the PMINcMs not only exhibited rapid adsorption dynamics of template molecule, but also possessed excellent regeneration performance. All synthesis methods were conducted in water at ambient temperature, which was environmental friendly for scaling up without causing pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is becoming significant needed that ‘smart membranes’ with specific recognition sites can rapidly change flow rates in response to external stimuli. Herein, inspired by a mussel-inspired two-step surface synthesis methodology, we have reported a novel system for harvesting thermally responsive molecularly imprinted composite membranes (TMICMs) with excellent selective adsorption and separation performance toward template molecules. A self-polymerized polydopamine coating process was initially conducted to obtain the highly adjustable active surfaces. The TMICMs were then prepared through an in situ photoinitiated ATRP method by using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) as the thermo-responsive backbone monomer. Attributing to the formation of the polydopamine coating surfaces, remarkably enhanced rebinding capacity (2.343 mmol cm −2 ) was obtained. Importantly, the as-prepared TMICMs with thermo-responsive “specific recognition sites” also exhibited excellent temperature-dependent switching modes for selective recognition and separation of the template molecule (ciprofloxacin). Meanwhile, this bioinspired thermo-responsive method could not only present an outstanding permselectivity property (separation factor β was more than 4.0), but also showed excellent structural stability and adsorption regeneration performance (the TMICMs could still possessed 92.74% of the maximum adsorption capacity after four adsorption/desorption cycles). Finally, we envision that the developed bio-adhesive platform synthesis strategy employed in this case can be utilized in a broad range of applications and will have a great impact on the fields of fluid handling, thermo-responsive sensors, membrane-based drug delivery and separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of nanocomposites with environmentally response-type affinity sites, which can rapidly change the recognition rates in response to external, noninvasive stimuli, has broad technological applications for areas. In this work, inspired by a polydopamine (pDA) self-assembly strategy, a well-defined optically and thermally responsive silica/MIPs/gold nanocomposite (TO-MIPs) was successfully synthesized for the selective recognition and separation of sodium cholate hydrate (SCH). The design and engineering of these smart materials was achieved through the coupling of pDA-modified SiO 2 surfaces with poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm)-based SCH-imprinted layers that can change their physical conformation in response to heat. The TO-MIPs were finally synthesized by being coupled with Au nanoparticles (the sensitive light-heat converter) through an in situ reduction of metallic salts. Importantly, largely enhanced rebinding capacity (37.87 mg/g) and regeneration performance were both achieved. Moreover, with the opto-thermally responsive ‘specific recognition sites’, the as-prepared TO-MIPs not only exhibited rapid specific adsorption dynamics, but also possessed opto-thermally responsive separation performance of SCH. This biologically inspired methodology processed high durability and regeneration performance and was capable of reversibly controlling specific binding capacities of SCH from 11.76 to 35.79 mg/g in less than 5 min using the noninvasive stimulus of light. Additionally, the whole synthesis procedures were conducted in aqueous solution at low temperature, which are environmental friendly for scaling up without pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of membrane-associated molecularly imprinted materials that can rapidly adsorb and separate specific compound has broad technological applications for areas ranging from sewage treatments to biomedical devices. However, issues such as low permselectivity and unstable composite structures are restricting it from developing stage to a higher level. Here, inspired by the bioadhesive technology of polydopamine (pDA), we present a novel molecular imprinting strategy to integrate multilevel nanocomposites (Br-Ag-pDA@SiO 2 ) into the porous membrane structure. The molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (MINcMs) were then obtained through an in situ photoinitiated ATRP method by using propranolol as the template molecule, which was one of the pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs). In this work, largely enhanced specific rebinding capacity (48.53 mg/g) and permselectivity (the permeability factor β values were also more than 9.6) had been successfully achieved, which should be attributing to the creation of high-stability and uniform growth of propranolol-imprinted polymer layers onto the nanoparticle-integrated nanocomposite membrane surfaces. Specifically, the as-prepared MINcMs not only exhibited rapid adsorption dynamics of template molecule, but also possessed excellent regeneration performance. Moreover, when the other PhACs were respectively imprinted, similar recognition selectivity could be observed dependent on the template molecule. Importantly in this case, all synthesis methods were conducted in aqueous at ambient temperature, which was environmental friendly for scaling up without causing pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomimetic multilevel structured membrane materials have great potential for energy-efficient chemical separations and biomedical applications. The current study represents a simple, yet efficient, method to obtain the biomimetic protein separation membrane and controllable cell culture substrate with high stability, selectivity, and antibacterial property. Here, a molecular imprinting methodology is reported to introduce the high-biocompatible protein ovalbumin (Ova) to a multilevel Ag/SiO2/organic based molecularly imprinted membranes (ASO-MIMs), which have made significant achievements in protein identification and controllable growth of liver cells in vitro platform. Interestingly, the relative morphological observations of the adhered cells and in vitro viability tests show no significant difference between the ASO-MIMs binding with 13.6 mg g−1 Ova (13.6-ASO-MIMs) and bare glass, indicating the excellent biocompatibility of the 13.6-ASO-MIMs. Here, the results on largely enhanced adsorption capacity, perm-selectivity (β values are more than 2.2), regeneration ability (still maintained 90% of the maximum adsorption capacity after 10 cycling operation), and high-performance cell adhesion system (controlled by the binding amount of template protein) are shown, which clearly demonstrates the potential value of this method in smart biomaterials and biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired from the highly bioadhesive performance of mussel protein, a straightforward synthetic method for highly dense imprinting of artemisinin (Ars) was developed to prepare bio-inspired porous molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes (MINCMs). The key design for the successful synthesis of MINCMs is the formation of an organic–inorganic hybrid structure at the surface of polydopamine-modified regenerated cellulose membranes (PDA@RCMs). In this regard, the polydopamine coating surfaces could be used as a versatile platform for the further coating of inorganic nanoparticles. After a bio-inspired adhesion process, a larger active surface area and layered structure could be obtained at the surface of PDA@RCMs, hence promoting the preparation of the novel MINCMs with excellent perm-selectivity performance and regeneration ability. Moreover, the as-prepared MINCMs not only exhibited an outstanding adsorption capacity (54 mg g −1 ), but also showed an excellent perm-selectivity (separation factor β is 15.03) toward Ars, which is promising for Ars separation and purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to engineer novel membrane materials with enhanced anti-fouling and comprehensive properties as well as highly selective separation abilities are hampered by the lack of effective imprinted cavities and structure stability. In this work, a novel multi-component metal–organic nanocomposite imprinted membrane (MMO-MIM) has been prepared by integrating a bioinspired metal–organic methodology with the secondary surface sol–gel imprinting technique. The synthesis pathway of MMO-MIM involves two steps: initially, a self-polymerized polydopamine process followed by hydrolysis with ammonium fluotitanate on the surface of the PVDF membrane, a surface-initiated sol–gel imprinted procedure is then conducted on the obtained bio-adhesive nano-sized TiO2 surface system for the fabrication of MMO-MIM. Attributed to the formation of the multilayered membrane structure, stronger fouling resistance and largely enhanced adsorption capacities have been obtained in this case. Meanwhile, the as-prepared MMO-MIM not only exhibits rapid adsorption dynamics, but also possesses excellent separation performance (βMMO-MIM/MMO-NIM and βm-cresol/2,4-DP are higher than 2.6 and 4.0, respectively) of templates. In addition, all synthesis procedures were conducted in aqueous or ethanol solution at ambient temperature, which was environmental friendly for scaling up without causing pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by a surface functionalmonomer-directing prepolymerizationsystem, a straightforward and effective synthesis method was firstdeveloped to prepare highly regenerate and perm-selective molecularlyimprinted composite membranes of artemisinin (Ars) molecules. Attributingto the formation of the prepolymerization system, Ars molecules areattracted and bound to the membrane surface, hence promoting the growthof homogeneous and high-density molecular recognition sites on thesurface of membrane materials. Afterward, a two-step-temperature imprintingprocedure was carried out to prepare the novel surface functionalmonomer capping molecularly imprinted membranes (FMIMs). The as-preparedFMIMs not only exhibited highly adsorption capacity (11.91 mg g–1) but also showed an outstanding specific selectivity(imprinting factor α is 4.50) and excellent perm-selectivityability (separation factor β is 10.60) toward Ars molecules,which is promising for Ars separation and purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), as a brand-new classification of propitious photocatalysts, which have caused serious concern due to its possible utilization in the changeover of resources into "solar fuels", is challenged by low efficiency of charge separation. Herein, a metal-free 2D-2D BP/TpPa-1-COF p-n hetero-junction was compounded by an effortless solvothermal approach. The construction of BP/TpPa-1-COF p-n hetero-junction could effectively solve the problem of high recombination rate of photoelectron-hole pairs. Optimal sample (15% BP/TpPa-1-COF) exhibited the highest hydrogen production (456.7 μmol·h−1·g−1) among all heterostructures with non-noble loading, which has been raised 13 times compared with that of pristine TpPa-1-COF and 24 times of 2D BP flakes, respectively. This work not only improved the catalytic efficiency by accelerating the detachment and transport of charge carriers among different interfaces, but also indicated an effective method for constructing highly-efficiency metal-free and cocatalysts-free COF-based photocatalysts. [Display omitted] • We have prepared the BP/TpPa-1-COF photocatalysts by hydrothermal method. • Hydrogen production were chosen to explore the photocatalytic performance. • The highest rate of hydrogen production was 456.7 μmol·h−1·g−1 within 5 h by 15% BP/TpPa-1-COF sample. • The enhanced activity due to the 2D-2D connection and the p-n junction photocatalytic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Molecularly imprinted membrane was synthesized to selectively separate Ars. [•] A molecular imprinting method based on AGET ATRP was developed on PVDF membrane. [•] Batch rebinding studies were conducted to determine selective permeation and adsorption performance. [•] The reusability of MIMs showed no obviously deterioration at least five repeated cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A complete understanding of the behavioral influence and phenotypic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells, as well as the effects of the characteristics of these cells on the physiological and pathological processes of atherosclerosis, is crucial if new therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis are to be identified. In the present study, the long non-coding RNA RP11-531A24.3 was identified to be expressed at low levels in plaque tissues through screening a microarray for differentially expressed genes. The functional experimental results suggested that RP11-531A24.3 reduced the viability and inhibited the migration of human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs). RNA antisense purification-mass spectrometry was used to identify the RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) for RP11-531A24.3. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the pathway with the highest degree of association with RP11-531A24.3 RBPs was related to cell migration. The reduced migration and viability mediated by RP11-531A24.3 overexpression was more significantly suppressed after annexin 2 (ANXA2) depletion in RP11-531A24.3-overexpressing HA-VSMCs. Culture of HA-VSMCs under hypoxic conditions (1% O2) reduced the expression of RP11-531A24.3, and enhanced the protein expression of ANXA2 and HIF-1α, while knockdown of ANXA2 downregulated the protein expression of HIF-1α. These results suggested that RP11-531A24.3 regulated the proliferation and migration of HA-VSMCs through ANXA2 expression, and hypoxia may be an external factor in the regulation of RP11-531A24.3 and its downstream targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We analyze nanotechnology patent applications filed in China from 1998 to 2008 and find that the extraordinary pace of nanotechnology development achieved over that period has been promoted primarily by the public sector rather than being driven by industry and market forces. This finding implies that developing countries such as China with public research capacity and commitment to technological development can make rapid progress in basic research in emerging technologies, but it remains uncertain whether and when local industry can benefit from public R&D investment enough to enable active development of indigenous innovation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cell blocks can be prepared from residual ThinPrep material, and immunohistochemical staining can be used. The objectives of the current study were (1) to investigate the role of cell block preparation in identifying significant preneoplastic cervical lesions; and (2) to assess the diagnostic value of p16INK4A and Ki-67 immunostaining on cell blocks to identify significant preneoplastic cervical lesions. Samples from residual substances of ThinPrep from 79 patients were collected for cell block preparations. Cell block sections and histological sections of the same patients were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and were immunostained with antibodies against p16INK4A and Ki-67 antigen. The sensitivity and specificity for p16INK4A and Ki-67 immunostaining to detect high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia were 95.12% and 73.68%, respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 79.59% and 93.33%, respectively. Immunostaining of cell blocks for p16INK4A and Ki-67 exhibited a statistically significant association with the presence of significant lesions on cell blocks (P <0.05). p16INK4A and Ki-67 immunostaining on cell blocks from residual ThinPrep material is helpful in identifying significant preneoplastic cervical lesions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mixed-matrix membranes with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based dual-imprinted structure (MMM-MDIs) were prepared by choosing tetracycline (TC) as the template molecule. Polydopamine (PDA)-based TC-imprinted UiO-66 particles (PDA-TC-UiO-66) were constructed by developing a self-polymerization imprinting technique of dopamine, in which the dopamine molecule could be regarded as functional monomer and cross-linking agent in the same time. After the phase conversion membrane production, the sol-gel-based TC-imprinted structure could be then synthesized on the membrane surface. Importantly, due to the preparation of the dual-TC-imprinted structure in MMM-MDIs, high adsorption capacity (48.62 mg/g) and fast adsorption equilibrium rate (within 60 min) had been successfully achieved. Meanwhile, excellent permselectivity rates (β) of MMM-MDIs toward TC were also obtained as 6.33, 5.93 and 6.73, which demonstrated the successful synthesis of high-affinity and high-density TC-imprinted sites. Overall, based the practical selective separation and scalability analysis, we believed that the as-prepared MMM-MDIs with high-intensitive recognizability and permeability of template molecule would provide a possibility for breaking the permeability-selectivity trade-off of molecularly imprinted membrane materials. Mixed matrix imprinted membrane with MOFs-based dual-imprinted structure was synthesized for selective separation of tetracycline based on a recombination method of polydopamine-based imprinting and sol-gel-based imprinting. [Display omitted] ● Nanocomposite membrane with MOFs-based dual-imprinted structure was synthesized. ● Two types of tetracycline-imprinted method were developed in the same membrane. ● Dual-imprinted membrane was applied to selective separation of tetracycline. ● High permselectivity of imprinted membranes has been successfully achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of membrane-based molecularly imprinted material with rapid rebinding and high-permselectivity performance has become an urgent need in chemical separation and industrial production. Herein, the high-quality membrane-based designs were proposed for the preparation of SiO 2 @polydopamine blended nanocomposite imprinted membranes with hierarchical structure. The high-efficiency antimalarial drug, artemisinin, was used as template molecule during the newly-developed sol-gel artemisinin-imprinted strategy. Importantly in this work, instead of the direct construction of imprinting layers on membranes, the artemisinin-imprinted SiO 2 @polydopamine particles were initially synthesized followed by a phase conversion process to obtain the SPIMs. The SiO 2 -based artemisinin-imprinted polymers on PDA nanospheres would played imprinted-triggered roles for achieving specific artemisinin-imprinted sites. Meanwhile, amount of artemisinin-imprinted cavities and permselectivity were both optimized, high-permselectivity coefficients (more than 11.5), fast adsorption kinetics and enhanced rebinding capacity (45.89 mg g−1) could be obtained. That is to say, this new direction of the membrane's design would become the further design and guide for selective separation membrane materials. SiO 2 @PDA-blended nanocomposite imprinted membranes with multilevel synergistic integration structure were first proposed and developed for the selective recognition and separation of artemisinin. [Display omitted] • The sol-gel artemisinin-imprinted SiO 2 @PDA particles were first proposed. • A nanocomposite-blended synthesis strategy was developed instead of the direct modification of MIPs on membranes. • Well-designed multilevel/hierarchical SPIMs were used as selective separation membranes. • High rebinding capacity and permselectivity performance could be simultaneously obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]