Charcoal Nanoparticles as a Delivery System for Doxorubicin and Sorafenib in Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Advanced HCC displays strong resistance to chemotherapy, and traditional chemotherapy drugs do not achieve satisfactory therapeutic efficacy. The delivery of therapeutic compounds to the target site is a major challenge in the treatment of many diseases. Objective: This study aims to evaluate activated charcoal nanoparticles as a drug delivery system for anticancer agents (Sorafenib and Doxorubicin) in Hepatocellular Cancer Stem Cells. Method: The percent efficiency of entrapment (% EE) of the doxorubicin and sorafenib entrapped onto the activated charcoal was obtained by determining the free doxorubicin and sorafenib concentration in the supernatant-prepared solutions. Then the characterizations of nanoparticles were formed by determination of the particle size distribution, zeta potential, and polydispersity index (PDI). The anticancer activity of activated Charcoal, Doxorubicin-ACNP, sorafenib-ACNP, free doxorubicin, and free sorafenib solutions was measured based on cell viability percentage in HepG2 cell lines (ATCC-CCL 75). In vitro RBC’s toxicity of Doxorubicin/sorafenib loaded charcoal was estimated by hemolysis percentage. Results: The synthesized Doxorubicin-ACNP and Sorafenib-ACNP were evaluated and their physiochemical properties were also examined. Essentially, the percent Efficiency of Entrapment (EE %) was found to be 87.5% and 82.66% for Doxorubicin-ACNP and Sorafenib-ACNP, respectively. The loading capacity was 34.78% and 24.31% for Doxorubicin-ACNP and Sorafenib-ACNP. Using the Dynamic Light scattering [DLS] for the determination of the hydrodynamic size and surface zeta potential, a narrow sample size distribution was obtained of (18, 68, and 190 nm for charcoal, 105, 255, and 712 nm for doxorubicin, and 91, 295, and 955 nm for sorafenib), respectively. A surface charge of −13.2, −15.6 and −17 was obtained for charcoal, doxorubicin/charcoal, and sorafenib/charcoal nanoparticles. The cytotoxic activity of Doxorubicin-ACNP and Sorafenib-ACNP was evaluated in-vitro against HepG2 cell lines and it was observed that Drug loaded ACNP improved anticancer activity when compared to Doxorubicin or Sorafenib alone. Moreover, testing the toxicity potential of DOX-ACNP and Sorafenib-ACNP showed a significant reduction in the hemolysis of red blood cells when compared to Doxorubicin and Sorafenib alone. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is notable to state that this study is regarded as the first to investigate the use of Activated charcoal for the loading of Doxorubicin and Sorafenib for further use in the arena of hepatocellular carcinoma. Doxorubicin-ACNP and Sorafenib-ACNP showed noteworthy anticancer activity along with a reduced potential of RBCs hemolysis rendering it as an efficacious carrier with a low toxicity potential.

A Two-Layer Active Power Optimization and Coordinated Control for Regional Power Grid Partitioning to Promote Distributed Renewable Energy Consumption

With the large-scale development and utilization of renewable energy,industrial flexible loads,as a kind of loadside resource with strong regulation ability,provide new opportunities for the research on renewable energy consumption problem in power systems.This paper proposes a two-layer active power optimization model based on industrial flexible loads for power grid partitioning,aiming at improving the line over-limit problem caused by renewable energy consumption in power grids with high proportion of renewable energy,and achieving the safe,stable and economical operation of power grids.Firstly,according to the evaluation index of renewable energy consumption characteristics of line active power,the power grid is divided into several partitions,and the interzone tie lines are taken as the optimization objects.Then,on the basis of partitioning,a two-layer active power optimization model considering the power constraints of industrial flexible loads is established.The upper-layer model optimizes the planned power of the inter-zone tie lines under the constraint of the minimum peak-valley difference within a day;the lower-layer model optimizes the regional source-load dispatching plan of each resource in each partition under the constraint of theminimumoperation cost of the partition,so as to reduce the line overlimit phenomenon caused by renewable energy consumption and save the electricity cost of industrial flexible loads.Finally,through simulation experiments,it is verified that the proposed model can effectively mobilize industrial flexible loads to participate in power grid operation and improve the economic stability of power grid.

Liquid crystal-integrated metasurfaces for an active photonic platform

Metasurfaces have opened the door to next-generation optical devices due to their ability to dramatically modulate electromagnetic waves at will using periodically arranged nanostructures.However,metasurfaces typically have static optical responses with fixed geometries of nanostructures,which poses challenges for implementing transition to technology by replacing conventional optical components.To solve this problem,liquid crystals(LCs)have been actively employed for designing tunable metasurfaces using their adjustable birefringent in real time.Here,we review recent studies on LCpowered tunable metasurfaces,which are categorized as wavefront tuning and spectral tuning.Compared to numerous reviews on tunable metasurfaces,this review intensively explores recent development of LC-integrated metasurfaces.At the end of this review,we briefly introduce the latest research trends on LC-powered metasurfaces and suggest further directions for improving LCs.We hope that this review will accelerate the development of new and innovative LC-powered devices.

An active high-static-low-dynamic-stiffness vibration isolator with adjustable buckling beams:theory and experiment

High-static-low-dynamic-stiffness(HSLDS)vibration isolators with buckling beams have been widely used to isolate external vibrations.An active adjustable device composed of proportion integration(PI)active controllers and piezoelectric actuators is proposed for improving the negative stiffness stroke of buckling beams.A nonlinear output frequency response function is used to analyze the effect of the vibration reduction.The prototype of the active HSLDS device is built,and the verification experiment is conducted.The results show that compared with the traditional HSLDS vibration isolator,the active HSLDS device can broaden the isolation frequency bandwidth,and effectively reduce the resonant amplitude by adjusting the active control parameters.The maximum vibration reduction rate of the active HSLDS vibration isolator can attain 89.9%,and the resonant frequency can be reduced from 31.08 Hz to 13.28 Hz.Therefore,this paper devotes to providing a new design scheme for enhanced HSLDS vibration isolators.

Symptom presentation and evolution in the first 48 hours after injury are associated with return to play after concussion in elite Rugby Union

Background:Return to play(RTP)in elite rugby is managed using a 6-stage graduated RTP protocol,which can result in clearance to play within 1 week of injury.We aimed to explore how symptom,cognitive,and balance presentation and evolution during concussion screens 2 h(head injury assessment(HIA2)and 48 h(HIA3)after injury were associated with time to RTP)to identify whether a more conservative graduated RTP may be appropriate.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 380 concussed rugby players from elite men’s rugby over 3 consecutive seasons.Players were classified as shorter or longer returns,depending on whether RTP occurred within 7 days(allowing them to be considered to play the match 1 week after injury)or longer than 8 days,respectively.Symptom,cognitive,and balance performance during screens was assessed relative to baseline(normal or abnormal)and to the preceding screen(improving or worsening).Associations between sub-test abnormalities and RTP time were explored using odds ratios(OR,longer vs.shorter).Median day absence was compared between players with abnormal or worsening results and those whose results were normal or improving.Results:Abnormal symptom results during screens 2 h and 48 h after concussion were associated with longer return time(HIA2:OR=2.21,95%confidence interval(95%CI):1.39-3.50;HIA3:OR=3.30,95%CI:1.89-5.75).Worsening symptom number or severity from the time of injury to 2 h and 48 h post-injury was associated with longer return(HIA2:OR=2.49,95%CI:1.36-4.58;HIA3:OR=3.34,95%CI:1.10-10.15).Median days absence was greater in players with abnormal symptom results at both HIA2 and HIA3.Cognitive and balance performance were not associated with longer return and did not affect median days absence.Conclusion:Symptom presentation and evolution within 48 h of concussion were associated with longer RTP times.This may guide a more conservative approach to RTP,while still adhering to individualized concussion management principles.

Corrigendum to“Active components of Dengzhan Shengmai ameliorate cognitive impairment by facilitating hippocampal long-term potentiation via the NMDA receptor-mediated Ca^(2+)/CaMKII pathway”[J.Pharm.Anal.14(2024)435–438]

The authors regret there was an unfortunate error in the reproduction of Fig.1I in the article.In the original figure,the fluorescence picture of the positive control drug-ifenprodil was misused.The authors have corrected Fig.1I and provided the original fluorescence pictures of all groups(seven groups,n=5 for each group)to the editorial office.Below,the corrected Fig.1I is shown below.The authors declare that this correction does not affect the description,interpretation,or the original conclusions of the article.

Data-Driven Active Disturbance Rejection Control of Plant-Protection Unmanned Ground Vehicle Prototype: A Fuzzy Indirect Iterative Learning Approach

Dear Editor,This letter proposes a fuzzy indirect iterative learning(FIIL)active disturbance rejection control(ADRC)scheme to address the impact of uncertain factors of plant-protection unmanned ground vehicle(UGV),in which ADRC is a data-driven model-free control algorithm that only relies on the input and output data of the system.Based on the established nonlinear time-varying dynamic model including dynamic load(medicine box),the FIIL technology is adopted to turn the bandwidth and control channel gain online,in which the fuzzy logic system is used to update the gain parameters of iterative learning in real time.Simulation and experiment show the FIIL-ADRC scheme has better control performance.

Robust Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Modeling the Effectof Oxides Thermal Properties on AMIG 304L Stainless Steel Welds

There are several advantages to the MIG(Metal Inert Gas)process,which explains its increased use in variouswelding sectors,such as automotive,marine,and construction.A variant of the MIG process,where the sameequipment is employed except for the deposition of a thin layer of flux before the welding operation,is the AMIG(Activated Metal Inert Gas)technique.This study focuses on investigating the impact of physical properties ofindividual metallic oxide fluxes for 304L stainless steel welding joint morphology and to what extent it can helpdetermine a relationship among weld depth penetration,the aspect ratio,and the input physical properties ofthe oxides.Five types of oxides,TiO_(2),SiO_(2),Fe_(2)O_(3),Cr_(2)O_(3),and Mn_(2)O_(3),are tested on butt joint design withoutpreparation of the edges.A robust algorithm based on the particle swarm optimization(PSO)technique is appliedto optimally tune the models’parameters,such as the quadratic error between the actual outputs(depth and aspectratio),and the error estimated by the models’outputs is minimized.The results showed that the proposed PSOmodel is first and foremost robust against uncertainties in measurement devices and modeling errors,and second,that it is capable of accurately representing and quantifying the weld depth penetration and the weld aspect ratioto the oxides’thermal properties.

Effect of simulated gastrointestinal digestion on antioxidant,and anti-inflammatory activities of bioactive peptides generated in sausages fermented with Staphylococcus simulans QB7

Dry-fermented sausages are a good source of bioactive peptides,whose stability against gastrointestinal(GI)digestion determines their bioaccessibility.This study focused on evaluating the effect of peptide extracts from sausages fermented with Staphylococcus simulans QB7 during in vitro simulated GI digestion,including peptide profiles and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.Peptides present in sausages were degraded during digestion,with molecular weight reduced from>12 kDa to<1.5 kDa.Besides,the content of amino acids increased from 381.15 to 527.07 mg/g,especially tyrosine being found only after GI digestion.The anti-inflammatory activities were increased after GI digestion,however,the changes in antioxidant activities were the opposite.A total number of 255,252 and 386 peptide sequences were identified in undigested,peptic-digested and GI-digested samples,respectively.PeptideRanker,BIOPEP-UWM and admetSAR were used to further predict the functional properties and intestinal absorption of the identified peptide sequences from GI digestion.Finally,18 peptides were discovered to possess either antioxidant or anti-inflammatory capacities.

Disorder-to-order transition induced by spontaneous cooling regulation in robotic active matter

In classical matter systems, typical phase-transition phenomena usually stem from changes in state variables, such as temperature and pressure, induced by external regulations such as heat transfer and volume adjustment. However, in active matter systems, the self-propulsion nature of active particles endows the systems with the ability to induce unique collectivestate transitions by spontaneously regulating individual properties to alter the overall states. Based on an innovative robot-swarm experimental system, we demonstrate a field-driven active matter model capable of modulating individual motion behaviors through interaction with a recoverable environmental resource field by the resource perception and consumption.In the simulated model, by gradually reducing the individual resource-conversion coefficient over time, this robotic active matter can spontaneously decrease the overall level of motion, thereby actively achieving a regulation behavior like the cooling-down control. Through simulation calculations, we discover that the spatial structures of this robotic active matter convert from disorder to order during this process, with the resulting ordered structures exhibiting a high self-adaptability on the geometry of the environmental boundaries.

Synthesizing active and durable cubic ceria catalysts(<6 nm)for fast dehydrogenation of bio-polyols to carboxylic acids coproducing green H_(2)

Dehydrogenation is considered as one of the most important industrial applications for renewable energy.Cubic ceria-based catalysts are known to display promising dehydrogenation performances in this area.Large particle size(>20 nm)and less surface defects,however,hinder further application of ceria materials.Herein,an alternative strategy involving lactic acid(LA)assisted hydrothermal method was developed to synthesize active,selective and durable cubic ceria of<6 nm for dehydrogenation reactions.Detailed studies of growth mechanism revealed that,the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups in LA molecule synergistically manipulate the morphological evolution of ceria precursors.Carboxyl groups determine the cubic shape and particle size,while hydroxyl groups promote compositional transformation of ceria precursors into CeO_(2) phases.Moreover,enhanced oxygen vacancies(Vo)on the surface of CeO_(2) were obtained owing to continuous removal of O species under reductive atmosphere.Cubic CeO_(2) catalysts synthesized by the LA-assisted method,immobilized with bimetallic PtCo clusters,exhibit a record high activity(TOF:29,241 h^(-1))and Vo-dependent synergism for dehydrogenation of bio-derived polyols at 200℃.We also found that quenching Vo defects at air atmosphere causes activity loss of PtCo/CeO_(2) catalysts.To regenerate Vo defects,a simple strategy was developed by irradiating deactivated catalysts using hernia lamp.The outcome of this work will provide new insights into manufacturing durable catalyst materials for aqueous phase dehydrogenation applications.

Chitosan Nanoparticles as Biostimulant in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Plants

Biodegradable nanoparticles such as chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) are used in sustainable agriculture since theyavoid damage to the environment;CSNPs have positive effects such as the accumulation of bioactive compoundsand increased productivity in plants. This study aimed to investigate the impact of applying CSNPs on lettuce,specifically focusing on enzymatic activity, bioactive compounds, and yield. The trial was conducted using a completelyrandomized design, incorporating CSNPs: 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mg mL−1. The doses of 0.4 mg mL−1improve yields up to 24.6% increases and 0.1 mg mL−1 of CSNPs increases total phenols by 31.2% and antioxidantcapacity by 34.6%. In addition, when low concentrations of CSNPs (0.05 and 0.1 mg L−1) were applied, anincrease in catalase was determined. The CSNPs represent a good alternative to be used as a biostimulant in sustainableagriculture because they improve the yield and quality of lettuce by increasing the bioactive compounds.

In-situ construction of abundant active centers on hierarchically porous carbon electrode toward high-performance phosphate electrosorption: Synergistic effect of electric field and capture sites

Phosphate removal is crucial for eutrophication control and water quality improvement.Electro-assisted adsorption,an eco-friendly elec-trosorption process,exhibited a promising potential for wastewater treatment.However,there are few works focused on phosphate electro-sorption,and reported electrodes cannot attach satisfactory removal capacities and rates.Herein,electro-assisted adsorption of phosphate via in-situ construction of La active centers on hierarchically porous carbon(LaPC)has been originally demonstrated.The resulted LaPC composite not only possessed a hierarchically porous structure with uniformly dispersed La active sites,but also provided good conductivity for interfacial electron transfer.The LaPC electrode achieved an ultrahigh phosphate electrosorption capability of 462.01 mg g^(-1) at 1 V,outperforming most existing electrodes.The superior phosphate removal performance originates from abundant active centers formed by the coupling of electricfield and capture sites.Besides,the stability and selectivity toward phosphate capture were maintained well even under comprehensive conditions.Moreover,a series of kinetics and isotherms models were employed to validate the electrosorption process.This work demonstrates a deep understanding and promotes a new level of phosphate electrosorption.

Geomorphic signatures and active tectonics in western Saurashtra,Gujarat,India

Active tectonics in an area includes ongoing or recent geologic events.This paper investigates the tectonic influence on the subsidence,uplift and tilt of western Saurashtra through morphotectonic analysis of ten watersheds along with characteristics of relief and drainage orientation.Watersheds 7-9 to the north(N)are tectonically active,which can be linked with the North Kathiawar Fault System(NKFS)and followed by watersheds 6,10,1,4 and 5.Stream-length gradient index and sinuosity index indicate the effect of tectonic events along the master streams in watersheds 6-9.Higher R^(2)values of the linear curve fit for watershed 7 indicate its master stream is much more tectonically active than the others.The R^(2)curve fitting model and earthquake magnitude/depth analysis confirm the region to be active.The reactivation of the NKFS most likely led to the vertical movement of western Saurashtra.

Discovery and structure-activity relationship studies of novel tetrahydro-β-carboline derivatives as apoptosis initiators for treating bacterial infections

Developing and excavating new agrochemicals with highly active and safe is an important tactic for protecting crop health and food safety.In this paper,to discover the new bactericide candidates,we designed,prepared a new type of1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline(THC)derivatives and evaluated the in vitro and in vivo bioactivities against the Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae(Xoo),Xanthomonas axonopodis pv.citri(Xac),and Pseudomonas syringae pv.actinidiae(Psa).The in vitro bioassay results exhibited that most title molecules possessed good activity toward the three plant pathogenic bacteria,the compound A17 showed the most active against Xoo and Xac with EC50 values of 7.27 and 4.89 mg mL^(-1)respectively,and compound A8 exhibited the best inhibitory activity against Psa with EC50value of 4.87 mg mL^(-1).Pot experiments showed that compound A17 exhibited excellent in vivo antibacterial activities to manage rice bacterial leaf blight and citrus bacterial canker,with protective efficiencies of 52.67 and 79.79%at 200 mgmL^(-1),respectively.Meanwhile,compound A8 showed good control efficiency(84.31%)against kiwifruit bacterial canker at 200 mg mL^(-1).Antibacterial mechanism suggested that these compounds could interfere with the balance of the redox system,damage the cell membrane,and induce the apoptosis of Xoo cells.Taken together,our study revealed that tetrahydro-β-carboline derivatives could be a promising candidate model for novel broadspectrum bactericides.

PVDF-assisted pyrolysis strategy for corrugated plate oxygen electrocatalysis nanoreactor:Simultaneously realizing efficient active sites and rapid mass transfer

Though Zn-air batteries(ZABs)are one of the most promising system for energy storage and conversion,challenge still persists in its commercial application due to the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction/evolution reaction(ORR/OER).Hereby,a polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)-assisted pyrolysis strategy is proposed to develop a novel corrugated plate-like bifunctional electrocatalyst using two-dimensional zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(2D ZIF-67)as the precursor.The employed PVDF plays an important role in inheriting the original 2D structure of ZIF-67 and modulating the composition of the final products.As a result,a corrugated plate-like electrocatalyst,high-density Co nanoparticles decorated 2D Co,N,and F tri-doped carbon nanosheets,can be obtained.The acquired electrocatalyst enables efficient active sites and rapid mass transfer simultaneously,thus showing appreciable electrocatalytic performance for rechargeable Zn-air batteries.Undoubtedly,our proposed strategy offers a new perspective to the design of advanced oxygen electrocatalysts.

An active learning workflow for predicting hydrogen atom adsorption energies on binary oxides based on local electronic transfer features

Machine learning combined with density functional theory(DFT)enables rapid exploration of catalyst descriptors space such as adsorption energy,facilitating rapid and effective catalyst screening.However,there is still a lack of models for predicting adsorption energies on oxides,due to the complexity of elemental species and the ambiguous coordination environment.This work proposes an active learning workflow(LeNN)founded on local electronic transfer features(e)and the principle of coordinate rotation invariance.By accurately characterizing the electron transfer to adsorption site atoms and their surrounding geometric structures,LeNN mitigates abrupt feature changes due to different element types and clarifies coordination environments.As a result,it enables the prediction of^(*)H adsorption energy on binary oxide surfaces with a mean absolute error(MAE)below 0.18 eV.Moreover,we incorporate local coverage(θ_(l))and leverage neutral network ensemble to establish an active learning workflow,attaining a prediction MAE below 0.2 eV for 5419 multi-^(*)H adsorption structures.These findings validate the universality and capability of the proposed features in predicting^(*)H adsorption energy on binary oxide surfaces.

Construction and performance test of charged particle detector array for MATE

A charged particle array named MATE-PA,which serves as an auxiliary detector system for a Multi-purpose Active-target Time projection chamber used in nuclear astrophysical and exotic beam Experiments(MATE),was constructed.The array comprised of 20 single-sided strip-silicon detectors covering approximately 10%of the solid angle.The detectors facilitated the detection of reaction-induced charged particles that penetrate the active volume of the MATE.The performance of MATE-PA has been experimentally studied using an alpha source and a 36-MeV 14 N beam injected into the MATE chamber on the radioactive ion beam line in Lanzhou(RIBLL).The chamber was filled with a gas mixture of 95%4 He and 5%CO_(2) at a pressure of 500 mbar.The results indicated good separation of light-charged particles using the forward double-layer silicon detectors of MATE-PA.The energy resolution of the Si detectors was deduced to be approximately 1%(σ)for an energy loss of approximately 10 MeV caused by theαparticles.The inclusion of MATE-PA improves particle identification and increases the dynamic range of the kinetic energy of charged particles,particularly that of theαparticles,up to approximately 15 MeV.

Fudan multi-purpose active target time projection chamber(fMeta-TPC)for photonuclear reaction experiments

Active target time projection chambers are state-of-the-art tools in the field of low-energy nuclear physics and are particularly suitable for experiments using low-intensity radioactive ion beams or gamma rays.The Fudan multi-purpose active target time projection chamber(fMeta-TPC)with 2048 channels was developed to studyα-clustering nuclei.This study focused on the photonuclear reaction with a laser Compton scattering gamma source,particularly for the decay of the highly excitedαcluster state.The design of fMeta-TPC is described in this paper.A comprehensive evaluation of its offline performance was conducted using an ultraviolet laser and ^(241)Amαsource.The results showed that the intrinsic angular resolution of the detector was within 0.30°,and the detector had an energy resolution of 6.85%for 3.0 MeVαparticles.The gain uniformity of the detector was approximately 10%(RMS/Mean),as tested by the ^(55)Fe X-ray source.

Highly Sensitive Ammonia Gas Sensors at Room Temperature Based on the Catalytic Mechanism of N,C Coordinated Ni Single-Atom Active Center

Significant challenges are posed by the limitations of gas sensing mechanisms for trace-level detection of ammonia(NH3).In this study,we propose to exploit single-atom catalytic activation and targeted adsorption properties to achieve highly sensitive and selective NH3 gas detection.Specifically,Ni singleatom active sites based on N,C coordination(Ni-N-C)were interfacially confined on the surface of two-dimensional(2D)MXene nanosheets(Ni-N-C/Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx),and a fully flexible gas sensor(MNPE-Ni-N-C/Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx)was integrated.The sensor demonstrates a remarkable response value to 5 ppm NH3(27.3%),excellent selectivity for NH3,and a low theoretical detection limit of 12.1 ppb.Simulation analysis by density functional calculation reveals that the Ni single-atom center with N,C coordination exhibits specific targeted adsorption properties for NH3.Additionally,its catalytic activation effect effectively reduces the Gibbs free energy of the sensing elemental reaction,while its electronic structure promotes the spill-over effect of reactive oxygen species at the gas-solid interface.The sensor has a dual-channel sensing mechanism of both chemical and electronic sensitization,which facilitates efficient electron transfer to the 2D MXene conductive network,resulting in the formation of the NH3 gas molecule sensing signal.Furthermore,the passivation of MXene edge defects by a conjugated hydrogen bond network enhances the long-term stability of MXene-based electrodes under high humidity conditions.This work achieves highly sensitive room-temperature NH3 gas detection based on the catalytic mechanism of Ni single-atom active center with N,C coordination,which provides a novel gas sensing mechanism for room-temperature trace gas detection research.