Liquid Metal-Based Self-Healable and Elastic Conductive Fiber in Complex Operating Conditions

Flexible conductive fibers are essential for wearable electronics and smart electronic textiles.However,in complex operating conditions,conductive fibers will inevitably fracture or damage.Herein,we have developed an elastic conductive self-healable fiber(C-SHF),of which the electrical and mechanical properties can efficiently heal in a wide operating range,including room temperature,underwater,and low temperature.This advantage can be owed to the combination of reversible covalent imine bond and disulfide bond,as well as the instantaneous self-healing ability of liquid metal.The C-SHF,with stretchability,conductivity stability,and universal self-healing properties,can be used as an electrical signal transmission line at high strain and under different operating conditions.Besides,C-SHF was assembled into a double-layer capacitor structure to construct a self-healable sensor,which can effectively respond to pressure as a wearable motion detector.

Analysis of the common model error on velocity field under Colored noise model by GPS and InSAR: A case study in the Nepal and everest region

The accuracy of the velocity field will be affected by the noise model and common mode errors through GPS time series analysis.In order to analyze the influence of these two factors on the accuracy of the velocity field,two kinds of data are used,including the three-year observation from 20 permanent GPS stations with high spatial correlation in the Everest,which is about 650 km from north to south and 1068 km from east to west,and three-year 80 ascending images and 141 descending images from sentinel-1A,which are processed by GAMIT/GLOBK software and Small Baseline Subset-Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar method(SBAS-InSAR),respectively.The vertical deformation rate is solved by time series analysis through a self-made adaptive algorithm.In the analysis,the linear change rate,period,half period coefficient,and residual sequence of all stations are solved by using James L.Davis periodic model.The noise type of residual sequence is analyzed by the power spectrum model.The spatio-temporal correlated noise,Common Mode Error(CME),is extracted by the Principal Component Analysis(PCA)and Karhunen-Loeve(KLE)methods.The results show that noises can be best described by“flicker noise+white noise”model.After the removal of CME,the R^(2) estimates of all stations are above 0.8,with RMS value of velocity field decreasing from 1.428 mm/yr to 1.062 mm/yr and 1.063 mm/yr to 0.815 mm/yr,in N and E directions,respectively,indicating that the influence of CME can't be ignored in the extraction of the high-precision velocity field in the Nepal and Everest region.

The R1947X mutation of NF1 causing autosomal dominant neurofibromatosis type 1 in a Chinese family

Neurofibromatosis type 1 is a common autosomal dominant disorder with a high rate of penetrance. It is caused by the mutation of the tumor suppressor gene NF1, which encodes neurofibromin. The main function of neurofibromin is down-regulating the biological activity of the proto-oncoprotein Ras by acting as a Ras-specific GTPase activating protein. In this study, we identified a Chinese family affected with neurofibromatosis type 1. The known gene NF1 associated with NF1 was studied by linkage analysis and by direct sequencing of the entire coding region and exon-intron boundaries of the NF1 gene. The R1947X mutation of NF1 was identified, which was co-segregated with affected individuals in the Chinese family, but not present in unaffected family members. This is the first report, which states that the R1947X mutation of NF1 may be one of reasons for neurofibromatosis type 1 in Chinese population.

Optical measurements of dissolved organic matter as proxies for COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)in plateau lakes

The presence of organic matter in lakes profoundly impacts drinking water supplies,yet treatment processes involving coagulants and disinfectants can yield carcinogenic disinfection by-products.Traditional assessments of organic matter,such as chemical oxygen demand(COD_(Mn))and biochemical oxygen demand(BOD_(5)),are often time-consuming.Alternatively,optical measurements of dissolved organic matter(DOM)offer a rapid and reliable means of obtaining organic matter composition data.Here we employed DOM optical measurements in conjunction with parallel factor analysis to scrutinize COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)variability.Validation was performed using an independent dataset encompassing six lakes on the Yungui Plateau from 2014 to 2016(n=256).Leveraging multiple linear regressions(MLRs)applied to DOM absorbance at 254 nm(a254)and fluorescence components C1-C5,we successfully traced COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)variations across the entire plateau(68 lakes,n=271,R^(2)>0.8,P<0.0001).Notably,DOM optical indices yielded superior estimates(higher R^(2))of COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)during the rainy season compared to the dry season and demonstrated increased accuracy(R^(2)>0.9)in mesotrophic lakes compared to oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes.This study underscores the utility of MLR-based DOM indices for inferring COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)variability in plateau lakes and highlights the potential of integrating in situ and remote sensing platforms for water pollution early warning.

Corrigendum to“Optical measurements of dissolved organic matter as proxies for COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)in plateau lakes”[Environ.Sci.Ecotech.19(2024)100326]

The authors regret that the following statements in the original article were wrong and have been corrected.The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Corrigendum to“Optical measurements of dissolved organic matter as proxies for COD_(Mn)and BOD_(5)in plateau lakes”[Environ.Sci.Ecotech.19(2024)100326]

The authors regret that the following statements in the original article were wrong and have been corrected.The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Hepatic Zbtb18 (Zinc Finger and BTB Domain Containing 18) alleviates hepatic steatohepatitis via FXR (Farnesoid X Receptor)

A lasting imbalance between fatty acid synthesis and consumption leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),coupled with hepatitis and insulin resistance.Yet the details of the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.Here,we unraveled that the expression of the transcription factor Zbtb18 is markedly decreased in the livers of both patients and murine models of NAFLD.Hepatic Zbtb18 knockout promoted NAFLD features like impaired energy expenditure and fatty acid oxidation(FAO),and induced insulin resistance.Conversely,hepatic Zbtb18 overexpression alleviated hepato-steatosis,insulin resistance,and hyperglycemia in mice fed on a high-fat diet(HFD)or in diabetic mice.Notably,in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies revealed that Zbtb18 transcriptional activation of Farnesoid X receptor(FXR)mediated FAO and Clathrin Heavy Chain(CLTC)protein hinders NLRP3 inflammasome activity.This key mechanism by which hepatocyte’s Zbtb18 expression alleviates NAFLD and consequent liver fibrosis was further verified by FXR’s deletion and forced expression in mice and cultured mouse primary hepatocytes(MPHs).Moreover,CLTC deletion significantly abrogated the hepatic Zbtb18 overexpression-driven inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activity in macrophages.Altogether,Zbtb18 transcriptionally activates the FXR-mediated FAO and CLTC expression,which inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome’s activity alleviating inflammatory stress and insulin resistance,representing an attractive remedy for hepatic steatosis and fibrosis.

Migration of ammonium nitrogen in ion-absorbed rare earth soils during and post in situ mining: a column study and numerical simulation analysis

Ion-absorbed rare earth mines,leached in situ,retain a large amount of ammonium nitrogen(NH4–N)that continuously releases into the surrounding environments.However,quantitative descriptions and predictions of the transport of NH4–N across mining area with hill slopes are not fully established.Here,laboratory column experiments were designed with an inclined slope(a sand box)to examine the spatial temporal transport of NH4–N in soils collected from the ionic rare earth elements(REE)mining area.An HYDRUS-2D model simulation of the experimental data over time showed that soils had a strong adsorption capacity toward NH4–N.Chemical non-equilibrium model(CNEM)could well simulate the transport of NH4–N through the soil-packed columns.The simulation of the transport-adsorption processes at three flow rates of leaching agents revealed that low flow rate enabled a longer residence time and an increased NH4-N adsorption,but reduced the extraction efficiency for REE.During the subsequent rainwater washing process,the presence of slope resulted in the leaching of NH4–N on the surface of the slope,while the leaching of NH4–N deep inside the column was inhibited.Furthermore,the high-intensity rainfall significantly increased the leaching,highlighting the importance of considering the impact of extreme weather conditions during the leaching process.Overall,our study advances the understanding of the transport of NH4–N in mining area with hills,the impact of flow rates of leaching agents and precipitation intensities,and presents as a feasible modeling method to evaluate the environmental risks of NH4–N pollution during and post REE in situ mining activities.

Comparison of intestinal absorption characteristics between rhubarb traditional Chinese medicine preparation and activity ingredients using in situ and in vitro model

Objective: The intestinal absorption characteristics of active ingredients are very important for oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.However, a deeper understanding about active ingredients absorption characteristics is still lack. The aim of this study was to investigate the absorption properties and mechanism of rhubarb active ingredients in TCM preparation and pure form.Methods: The intestinal absorption behavior of active ingredients in Shenkang extract(SKE) and rhubarb anthraquinone ingredients(RAI) were investigated by in situ single-pass intestinal perfusion model. And the bidirectional transport characteristics of these active ingredients were assessed by in vitro Caco-2 cell monolayer model.Results: In situ experiment on Sprague-Dawley rats, the effective permeability coefficient values of aloeemodin, emodin and chrysophanol in RAI were higher than those in SKE, and the value of rhein in RAI was lower than that in SKE. But the easily absorbed segments of intestine were consistent for all ingredients,whether in SKE or in RAI. In vitro experiment, the apparent permeability coefficient values of rhein, emodin and chrysophanol in RAI were higher than those in SKE, and this value of aloe-emodin in RAI was lower than that in SKE. But their efflux ratio(ER) values in SKE and RAI were all similar.Conclusion: Four rhubarb anthraquinone ingredients in SKE and RAI have similar absorption mechanism and different absorption behavior, and the microenvironment of the study models influenced their absorption behavior. The results may provide an aid for understanding of the absorption characteristics of the TCM active ingredients in complex environments and the complementarities of different research models.

Allele-defined genome reveals biallelic differentiation during cassava evolution

Dear Editor,Generation of heterozygous genomes by hybridization between or within species can help maintain plant diversity and serve as a potential source of new species(Baek et al.,2018).Moreover,genomic heterozygosity is associated with genomic coadaptation,developmental stability,and heterosis.Accurate definition of alleles in haplotypes is necessary to precisely characterize allelic variation controlling agriculturally important traits(Shi et al.,2019).Currently,most released genomes have mosaic assembly of haplotypes due to random selection or collapse of alleles during genome assembly(Shi et al.,2019),which masked allelic variation and functional differentiation of divergent alleles in heterozygous species.

Leukocyte/platelet hybrid membrane-camouflaged dendritic large pore mesoporous silica nanoparticles co-loaded with photo/chemotherapeutic agents for triple negative breast cancer combination treatment

Triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)is an aggressive subset of breast cancer and currently lacks effective therapeutic targets.As two main phototherapeutic methods,photothermal therapy(PTT)and photodynamic therapy(PDT)show many advantages in TNBC treatment,and their combination with chemotherapy can achieve synergistic therapeutic effects.In the present study,a biomimetic nanoplatform was developed based on leukocyte/platelet hybrid membrane(LPHM)and dendritic large pore mesoporous silicon nanoparticles(DLMSNs).A near infrared(NIR)fluorescent dye IR780 and a chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin(DOX)were co-loaded into the large pores of DLMSNs to prepare DLMSN@DOX/IR780(DDI)nanoparticles(NPs),followed by camouflage with LPHM to obtain LPHM@DDI NPs.Through the mediation of LPHM,LPHM@DDI NPs showed an excellent TNBC-targeting ability and very high PTT/PDT performances in vitro and in vivo.Upon NIR laser irradiation,LPHM@DDI NPs exhibited synergistic cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing activity in TNBC cells,and effectively suppressed tumor growth and recurrence in TNBC mice through tumor ablation and anti-angiogenesis.These synergistic effects were sourced from the combination of PTT/PDT and chemotherapy.Altogether,this study offers a promising biomimetic nanoplatform for efficient co-loading and targeted delivery of photo/chemotherapeutic agents for TNBC combination treatment.

Application of the Conceptualization Groundwater Data Model to Study the Upper Arkansas River Corridor,Western Kansas

Large-scale water pumping has caused significant decline in groundwater level in the Upper Arkansas corridor region, which in turn has triggered a chain of hydrological and ecological impacts. A newly developed conceptualization groundwater data model was used to organize various datasets on the Upper Arkansas corridor groundwater system and to develop a MODFLOW model to simulate groundwater flow in the region from 1959 to 2005. The simulation results have shown a sig- nificant decline in groundwater level and the conversion of Arkansas River from a gaining river to a losing river in the western two-thirds of the study area. Correlation analysis between percentage of salt cedar and the hydrogeological conditions indicates that these hydrogeological changes at least partially account for invasion of salt cedar that is more drought tolerant. The analysis also illustrates the com- plexity of the interaction mechanisms between hydrological conditions and salt cedar distribution, and suggests the need for better data on salt cedar distribution with higher spatial resolution and across larger hydrological gradients.