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Fluorescent organic hybrid nanosheets were generated by crystallization of polymers capped with luminogenic molecules exhibiting aggregation-induced emission characteristics (AIE). During crystallization of polymers, AIE molecules were expelled out of lamellar crystals of polymers, and finally resided on the surface. The fluorescent nanosheets with dangling AIE molecules showed sensitive and specific response to explosives. Such polymer crystallization-induced fluorescent nanomaterials offers a unique avenue to fabricate functional nanomaterials with AIE molecule-enriched domains for potential applications in nanodevices, biological engineering, and so on.

Polymer/inorganic functional nanostructures are essential for the fabrication of high-performance nanodevices in the future. The synthesis of hybrid nanostructures is hindered by complicated synthetic protocols or harsh conditions. Herein, we report a facile and scalable method for the synthesis of organometallic polymer nanoribbons through crystallization of polymers capped with a ferrate complex. Nanoribbons consisted of a single crystalline polymer lamella coated with a redox-active ferrate complex on both sides. The nanoribbons had a width of approximately 70 nm and a thickness of 10 nm. With the merit of highly ordered crystalline structures of polymers and functional coating layers, as well as a highly anisotropic nature, the nanoribbons are useful in nanodevices and biosensors.

Background: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators can improve inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain. Inflammation translocate signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) to the nuclei of activated macrophages, and STAT3 phosphorylation promotes the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS). In this study, we determined whether AMPK activation alleviate inflammatory pain via STAT3 nuclear translocation and phosphorylation. Methods: Immunoblotting was used to measure the expression of p-AMPK, and iNOS. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect the nuclear translocation of p-STAT3(Ser727) and STAT3 in macrophages of local inflammatory tissues. Flow cytometry was used to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial damage.Results: AMPK activation with AICAR significantly alleviated pain hypersensitivity and inhibited the expression of iNOS in complete Freund's adjust (CFA)-induced inflamed skin tissues. CFA caused nuclear translocation of STAT3 and p-STAT3(Ser727) in macrophages of inflamed skin tissues. AICAR inhibited nuclear translocation of STAT3 and p-STAT3(Ser727) and promoted the phosphorylation of STAT3(Ser727) in the cytoplasm of macrophages. AICAR also inhibited the expression of iNOS and nuclear translocation of STAT3 and p-STAT3(Ser727), and promoted the phosphorylation of STAT3(Ser727) in NR8383 macrophages treated with CFA. AMPK activation also inhibited the ROS generation and the mitochondrial damage of NR8383 macrophages caused by CFA. In addition, transfection of STAT3 S727D decreased ROS and alleviated mitochondrial damage.Conclusions: Activation of AMPK attenuates inflammatory pain and suppresses STAT3 nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of STAT3(Ser727) in macrophages, resulting in reduced iNOS. Activation of AMPK also promotes phosphorylation of STAT3(Ser727) in the cytoplasm of macrophages to alleviate ROS accumulation and mitochondrial damage associated with inflammation.

A shaking table test of a three-story reinforced concrete (RC) building was conducted. The tested building is vertically irregular because of the first story’s elevated height and the third story’s added RC walls. In addition to far-field ground motions, near-fault ground motions were exerted on this building. A numerical model of the three-story building was constructed. Comparing with the test results indicates that the numerical model is satisfactory for simulating the seismic response of the three-story building. This validated numerical model was then further applied to look into two issues: the effective section rigidities of RC members and the effects of near-fault ground motions. The study results show the magnitude of the possible discrepancy between the actual seismic response and the estimated seismic response, when the effective section rigidities of the RC members are treated as in common practice. An incremental dynamic analysis of the three-story RC building subjected to one far-field and one near-fault ground motion, denoted as CHY047 and TCU052, respectively, was conducted. In comparison with the far-field ground motion, the near-fault ground motion is more destructive to this building. In addition, the effect of the selected near-fault ground motion (i.e. TCU052) on the building’s collapse is clearly identified.

Iron nanoparticles encapsulated within graphene shells (Fe@C) were examined for cellular internalization, subcellular behavior, biocompatibility, and influence on cell viability and proliferation. Studies on human lung (adenocarcinoma human alveolar basal epithelial) and skin (epidermoid carcinoma) cells indicate Fe@C is less toxic and more biocompatible than the magnetite nanoparticles coated by an amorphous carbon (Fe3O4@C). Fe3O4@C exhibited more signs of degradation than Fe@C when exposed to murine macrophages (mouse monocyte-macrophages J774). Unlike Fe3O4@C, Fe@C has a high drug loading capacity (0.18 g/g) for ferulic acid, an active pharmaceutical ingredient found in the traditional Chinese herb Angelica sinensis and releases the drug at a constant dosing rate of 8.75 mg/g/day over 30 days. Ferulic acid released by Fe@C injected subcutaneously in diabetic BALB/c mice is effective in lowering the blood glucose level., This work is supported by the Horizon 2020 BIORIMA project and the Hong Kong Research Grant Council E-HKUST601/17 and in part by the Project of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (HZQB-KCZYB-2020083). Dr. B.H. Zhong is a recipient of the HKJEBN Scholarship and his stay at INA is supported by the HKUST Overseas Research Award. The team is also grateful for the funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) through projects PI16/00496, PI19/00349, the Spanish Ministerio Ciencia e innovaccion (MICINN) through project DTS19/00033, co-funded by ERDF/ESF, “Investing in Your Future”. These results are part of the project PID2019-106947RB-C21 financed by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033. The authors also thank the CSIC (through the project PIE 201960E119) and the Regional Government of Aragón (DGA) for financial support through grant E28_20R. Finally, the authors acknowledge the support of the Central Facilities of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology including the Material Characterization and Preparation Facility (MCPF), the Environmental Central Facility (ENVF), and the Animal and Plant Care Facility (APCF) and the use of Servicio General de Apoyo a la Investigación-SAI of the University of Zaragoza, and the support from the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory (LMA) of the University of Zaragoza.

Arsenic content in copper concentrates is continuously increasing worldwide. It is desirable to remove arsenic from copper in the earlier stages of copper making due to the deposition of arsenic to cathode copper during the electrorefining process. Effects of temperature, flux, and oxygen on the distribution of arsenic during copper converting and fire refining processes were studied using FactSage 8.2. The results showed that arsenic can be effectively removed by proper selection of converting and refining slags. The decrease in Fe/SiO2 or Fe/CaO ratio in the converting slag is favorable for arsenic distributed to slag. CaO is more effective than SiO2 in decreasing the liquidus temperature of the slag and arsenic content in the blister copper during the converting process. Na2O or CaO as a flux is effective to remove arsenic in the fire refining process.

BackgroundElectroacupuncture (EA) produces analgesic effects on inflammatory pain partially via activating adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway in the spinal cord. However, it is unclear whether EA activates AMPK in peripheral tissues in inflammatory pain. This study was aimed at determining whether EA promotes autophagy by activating AMPK to inhibit the expression of inflammatory mediators IL-1β and iNOS in inflamed skin tissues. MethodsIn CFA-induced inflammatory pain in mice, mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were tested 2 hours after EA treatment. The AMPK antagonist Compound C was injected intraperitoneally 30 minutes before EA treatment. The analgesic effects of AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxyamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) were determined and its effects on autophagy, IL-1β and iNOS expression were detected. Also, the effects of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) on EA analgesia and iNOS/IL-1β expression in inflamed skin tissues were examined. The phosphorylation of AMPK (Thr172) and total AMPK proteins, LC3BII/I, autophagy substrate protein p62, IL-1β and iNOS were detected using Western blotting. Co-labeling of macrophages (CD68) with IL-1β and iNOS was detected using immunofluorescence. In addition, after NR8383 macrophages were treated with CFA, the effects of AICAR and Compound C on autophagy were determined using stubRFP-sensGFP-LC3 Lentivirus..ResultsEA reduced CFA-induced inflammatory pain, activated AMPK and autophagy, and inhibited iNOS and IL-1β expression in inflamed skin tissues. AICAR also attenuated CFA-induced hyperalgesia, promoted autophagy and inhibited iNOS and IL-1β expression in vivo and in vitro. In addition, the AMPK inhibitor Compound C reversed the effect of EA on autophagy. Pretreatment with 3-MA, an inhibitor of autophagy, inhibited the effect of EA on inflammatory pain and expression of iNOS and IL-1β in inflamed skin tissues. ConclusionsEA treatment alleviated inflammatory pain by activation of AMPK, enhancing autophagy, and inhibiting iNOS and IL-1β expression in the inflamed skin tissues.

As one of the most catastrophic natural disasters worldwide, earthquakes and their effect on structures are very important to structural health monitoring (SHM), particularly for the ones living around the Pacific ring of fire. In this regard, SHM techniques with real-time or online processing can be used to identify states of structures, track modal parameters, provide a warning message about damage, and help post-earthquake reconnaissance and rehabilitation. For instance, a recursive formulation based on subspace identification (SI) has been demonstrated that it is capable to track system changes. In this study, a recursive subspace identification (RSI) algorithm with a fixed window is proposed to investigate the time-varying dynamic characteristics under seismic excitations. Subsequently, some suggestion is described and discussed for practical implementation. For verifying the proposed algorithm, different datasets from full-scale experiments are applied to examine its applicability. In other words, the practicability of implementing RSI in real-time or online has been developed and examined in this paper.

We report controllable adjustment of the flow dynamics of polystyrene films supported by oxide-covered silicon by using a combination of ultraviolet ozone (UVO) treatment of the polymer and variable treatments of the substrate that adjust the contents of Si–OH and Si–H groups on the surface. The latter were achieved by submerging the substrates in a piranha solution and then in deionized water (leading to enrichment of Si–OH) or an aqueous hydrogen fluoride solution (leading to enrichment of Si–H) or both (leading to intermediate surface chemistry). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic chemical analyses showed that the UVO treatment produced oxygenated functional groups in the polymer. Alongside, effective viscosity (ηeff) of the films became enhanced. However, the degree of enhancement increases (decreases) with the content of Si–OH (Si–H) groups on the substrate surface, ascribable to the resulting increases in the attractive interactions between the UVO-induced oxygenated groups in the polymer and Si–OH o...

The scalable growth of wafer-sized single-crystal graphene in an energy-efficient manner and compatible with wafer process is critical for the killer applications of graphene in high-performance electronics and optoelectronics. Here, ultrafast epitaxial growth of single-crystal graphene wafers is realized on single-crystal Cu90Ni10(1 1 1) thin films fabricated by a tailored two-step magnetron sputtering and recrystallization process. The minor nickel (Ni) content greatly enhances the catalytic activity of Cu, rendering the growth of a 4 in. single-crystal monolayer graphene wafer in 10 min on Cu90Ni10(1 1 1), 50 folds faster than graphene growth on Cu(1 1 1). Through the carbon isotope labeling experiments, graphene growth on Cu90Ni10(1 1 1) is proved to be exclusively surface-reaction dominated, which is ascribed to the Cu surface enrichment in the CuNi alloy, as indicated by element in-depth profile. One of the best benefits of our protocol is the compatibility with wafer process and excellent scalability. A pilot-scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system is designed and built for the mass production of single-crystal graphene wafers, with productivity of 25 pieces in one process cycle. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of single-crystal graphene in electrically controlled liquid-crystal microlens arrays (LCMLA), which exhibit highly tunable focal lengths near 2 mm under small driving voltages. By integration of the graphene based LCMLA and a CMOS sensor, a prototype camera is proposed that is available for simultaneous light-field and light intensity imaging. The single-crystal graphene wafers could hold great promising for high-performance electronics and optoelectronics that are compatible with wafer process.

Recently, we found that a brief, 1 s exposure to ultraviolet ozone (UVO) can cause the effective viscosity, ηeff, of polystyrene films supported by oxide-coated silicon (PS-SiOx) to increase by mor...

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a major effector molecule of immunity and a common feature of tumors responding to immunotherapy. Active IFN-γ signaling can directly trigger apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human cancer cells. However, the mechanisms underlying these actions remain unclear. Here, we report that IFN-γ rapidly increases protein synthesis and causes the unfolded protein response (UPR), as evidenced by the increased expression of glucose-regulated protein 78, activating transcription factor-4, and c/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) in cells treated with IFN-γ. The JAK1/2-STAT1 and AKT-mTOR signaling pathways are required for IFN-γ-induced UPR. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress promotes autophagy and restores homeostasis. Surprisingly, in IFN-γ-treated cells, autophagy was impaired at the step of autophagosome-lysosomal fusion and caused by a significant decline in the expression of lysosomal membrane protein-1 and −2 (LAMP-1/LAMP-2). The ER stress inhibitor 4-PBA restored LAMP expression in IFN-γ-treated cells. IFN-γ stimulation activated the protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK)-eukaryotic initiation factor 2a subunit (eIF2α) axis and caused a reduction in global protein synthesis. The PERK inhibitor, GSK2606414, partially restored global protein synthesis and LAMP expression in cells treated with IFN-γ. We further investigated the functional consequences of IFN-γ-induced ER stress. We show that inhibition of ER stress significantly prevents IFN-γ-triggered apoptosis. CHOP knockdown abrogated IFN-γ-mediated apoptosis. Inhibition of ER stress also restored cyclin D1 expression in IFN-γ-treated cells. Thus, ER stress and the UPR caused by IFN-γ represent novel mechanisms underlying IFN-γ-mediated anticancer effects. This study expands our understanding of IFN-γ-mediated signaling and its cellular actions in tumor cells.

In this paper, we propose an extraction method for landslide topographic features and based on these fine features, we trained a landslide stability classification model. Topographic factors have a huge impact on the stability of landslides, and our new feature extraction methods can provide more accurate portraits of landslides. Considering the factors affected landslide stability, this paper studied the factors used in traditional quantitative stability calculations and analyzed the factors affecting stability based on landslide data. So, the proposed method is a combination of theoretical method and numerical method. Based on support vector classification (SVC), random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models, this paper compares and analyzes the rationality and reliability of the landslide stability classification results output by three models. After adopting the new fine feature extraction method, the accuracy of the stable classification results has been improved by about 5% on average, and the interpretability of the classification results has also been greatly enhanced.

In landslide disaster prevention project, landslide profile is an important research object, which contains rich geological information of landslide. When we get the profile image of the landslide, if we can recommend several landslide cases with similar geological characteristics by the landslide profile image for research, the landslide disaster prevention project can be carried out quickly. In this paper, we propose a recommendation system based on similarity of landslide geological characteristics. The recommendation system is divided into two steps. Firstly, we construct a classification model to obtain the categories of landslide geological characteristics from the profile image by random forest algorithm and supervised machine learning approach. Then, according to the categories of landslide geological characteristics, the landslide case recommended model is constructed, and 5 landslide cases with similar geological characteristics are recommended for the landslide. According to the evaluation index of the recommendation system, the evaluation results show the effectiveness of the recommendation system.

House prices have received unusual attention in recent years, and evaluation of housing price has also become a research hotpot. Value of a house is considered as a mixture of various features, such as house type, orientation and location. Accurate assessment of houses thus faces a large number of challenges. Several methods have been applied to assess the value of a house, including geographically weighted regression and machine learning. However, every method has some limitations. The accuracy of traditional regression methods needs to be improved. Machine learning methods are weak in interpretability. In this paper, to analyze the housing price, we compared XBGoost, Random Forest, Support vector regression, back-propagation network and geographically weighted regression to model the second-hand housing price dataset, and analyzed the influenced of each feature. The result shows Random Forest reaches a lowest mean absolute error of 1517.29 and best r2 of 0.83. According to the constructed models, the importance values are given, and the area of house shows a strongest influence on housing price in the study area.

Electrodynamic suspension (EDS) system based on moving Halbach Array over a conducting plate has been verified to be poor in stability, but it is not clear whether the load could impact on it. This paper focuses on the effect of the load on the stability of the EDS system based on the Halbach array moving over a plate. Generalized energy was introduced by quantifying the Hamiltonian function. By Pade approximation, formulas to obtain both the amplitude and frequency were given. Load varied from 50kg to 64kg, keeping the generalized energy fixed to study the stability. Results show that the stability of electrodynamic suspension system could be improved by lager load, yet the oscillation frequency drifts.

Impervious surfaces have become the most intuitive indicator in the process of urbanization. Timely and accurate information on impervious surfaces from remote sensing images is essential. It not only helps us understand the process of land use/cover change, but also the influences on human society and the environment. In this study, convolutional neural network (CNN) was used to extract the impervious surface in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, China. The overall accuracy in 2009 and 2017 were 98.75% and 99.76% respectively. From the results for 2009 and 2017, the impervious surface increased by 51.24 km2, Growth rate is 13.8%. During the process of urban expansion, suburban farmland was replaced by impervious surfaces and the area of impervious surface gradually increased.

With the rapid development of urbanization, more and more attention has been paid to the structure of urban function zone. Thus, it is of great significance to investigate urban function zone. In this paper, we introduced the deep neural network (DNN) to infer the urban function zone with a supervised classification approach, taking the Shenzhen city in China as a case. First of all, the urban road networks of Shenzhen city were gathered and selected appropriately. Then, the fifth level road networks were utilized to segment the study region. Second, the communication data of different times and points of interest (POI) were collected. Then, the fifteen factors influencing urban function zone were derived. In addition, the urban function zone was divided into five types and the labeled examples with fifteen influencing factors were chosen. Third, the labeled examples were employed to train the DNN with different hidden layers compared with random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM). The models were trained with the approach of five-fold cross validation, and the average training accuracy with five times is taken as the accuracy of models. Finally, this paper compared the accuracy. It's been shown in the results that DNN was the optimum model and achieved the highest accuracy. Therefore, our proposed method is an efficient approach to infer the urban function zone.

Diethyl malonate-based fluorescent probe NE-N2H4 was constructed for monitoring hydrazine (N2H4). The novel probe NE-N2H4 exhibits good properties, such as large Stokes shift (about 125 nm), good selectivity, and low cytotoxicity. This sensing probe NE-N2H4 can be operated to detect hydrazine in living HeLa cells. Especially after soaking in probe solution, the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plate could detect the vapor of hydrazine. Therefore, the probe NE-N2H4 might be used to monitor hydrazine in biosamples and environmental problem.

The aliovalent-substitution of cobalt into ceria lattice was demonstrated using a bimetallic CoCeBDC MOF to achieve a high degree of atomic level mixing in the CoCeO catalyst. Spectroscopic analyses including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) confirmed the successful insertion of cobalt atom with a concomitant increase in defects (i.e., Raman I/I = 0.25) and oxygen vacancies (i.e., XPS O/(O+O) = 0.33) that correlates well with catalytic activity for the oxidations of methanol, acetone, toluene, and o-xylene. The as-prepared CoCeO performed a 50% conversion (T) and 90% conversion (T) in toluene oxidation at 212 °C and 227 °C that are significantly lower than the reference CoO/CeO nanocube catalyst that had T of 261 °C and T of 308 °C, indicating its better catalytic activity. Moreover, CoCeO catalyst completely oxidizes organic compounds to carbon dioxide and water, while reaction over CoO/CeO nanocube catalyst produces significant carbon monoxide., The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China / Research Grants Council Joint Research Scheme [N_HKUST626/13] and Research Grants Council - General Research Fund [16307014], Innovation and Technology Fund [ITS/300/18], the Spanish Ministry [CTM2017-82335-R], and Guangzhou Collaborative Innovation Key Program [201704030074]. We also acknowledge the staff from MCPF, AEMF, CBE from HKUST and CSIC-ICP.

Visualization of the chemical structures of two-dimensional (2D) materials and their interfaces at the virtually atomic scale is an imperative step toward devising highly efficient ultrathin optoelectronic devices. Herein, we demonstrate a universal method featuring time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), coupled with the structure simplicity of 2D materials, as a versatile tool to reveal the vertical atomic layers of various two-dimensional (2D) materials including graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). We demonstrated that the vertical atomic layers of those 2D materials can be unveiled layer-by-layer using a strategy of ToF-SIMS three-dimensional (3D) analysis developed in this work. Moreover, we found that the extreme surface sensitivity and chemical specificity of ToF-SIMS also enables the examination of the lateral uniformity of 2D materials. During this process, we first removed interference of adsorbed organic contamination by anne...

A novel calcium hydroxide nanospherulite (CNS) strengthened super elastic hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties has been successfully invented and investigated. The CNSs are one major hydration product of cement hydrated at low temperature. They are incorporated into the hydrogel polymer network through the Ca2+ ions diffusing from the cement particles into the hydrogel matrix first and then forming calcium hydroxide nanospherulites with diameters

Graphite oxide powder was obtained using the modified Hummers' method and characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The XPS results indicated that the epoxy groups were the main functional groups on the graphite oxide powder surface. The graphite oxide powder was then reacted with SO2 and NH3 gases, respectively, at 25 °C. The XPS and ToF-SIMS analyses of the surface of the reacted graphite oxide powder showed that the reactions mainly occurred in the epoxy groups. Bisulfate and amine groups were formed on the surface of the graphite oxide powder after the reactions between the graphite oxide powder and SO2 and NH3 gases. This work demonstrates a new method of removing SO2 and NH3 gases using graphite oxide powder.

A 7-story reinforced concrete building with a soft bottom story and plan-asymmetry in one horizontal direction was collapsed on a shake table by generation of bi-directional near-fault ground motions. The numerical model of the 7-story building is introduced and verified through a comparison with the experimental results. The hysteretic models of the verified numerical model are calibrated according to static cyclic component tests. To assume the condition that the static cyclic component tests are not available, the hysteretic models of some critical structural components are intentionally altered. Three additional numerical models of the building, which serve as the distorted numerical models, are obtained from the combinations of the altered hysteretic models. Incremental dynamic analyses (IDA) are applied to the four numerical models of the building (i.e., one verified model and three distorted models). Comparing the IDA results of the four numerical models helps to elucidate the effect of the hysteretic models on the full range of the seismic responses (i.e., from elastic response to total collapse) of the building.

The surface chain conformations of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at different temperatures were extensively studied by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Similar to our previous experimental studies on polystyrene (PS) and poly(2, 3, 4, 5, 6-pentafluorostyrene) (5FPS), a transition temperature ( T T ) could be identified through the principal component analysis (PCA) of the ToF-SIMS spectra obtained from the PMMA samples annealed at different temperatures. Interestingly, our results show that the T T depended on molecular weight and was about 50–60˚C below the bulk glass transition temperature ( T g ) and therefore could possibly be related to the surface glass transition temperature ( T g S ). These results were confirmed by contact angle measurements. ToF-SIMS results showed higher peak intensities of several low-mass oxygen-containing positive ions, hydrocarbon positive ions and OCH3− negative ion at higher temperatures, which can be interpreted by a higher surface concentration of methoxy groups at the surface.

The effect of wind environment is becoming increasingly important in analyzing and selecting sites for better natural ventilation of residential buildings, external comfort, and pollution dispersion. The main purpose of this study was to develop a set of methods for wind environment assessment in coastal concave terrains. This set of methods can be used to provide quantifiable indicators of preferable wind conditions and help site analysis. Firstly, a total of 20 types of coastal bays with concave terrains in East Asia were characterized to find ideal locations. The selected areas were divided into five categories according to the main terrain features. Then a sample database for the concave terrains was compiled for modelling comparisons. Secondly, a number of key wind variables were identified. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the typical coastal concave terrains identified as a result of the study were created, and the local wind environments were simulated with input from geographic information system (GIS) and statistic package for social science (SPSS) analysis. A measure of wind suitability was proposed that takes wind velocity and wind direction into account using GIS. Finally, SPSS was used to find the relationship between wind suitability and key terrain factors. The results showed that wind suitability was significantly associated with terrain factors, especially altitude. The results suggest that residential building sites should be selected such that their bay openings face the direction of the prevailing wind and that the opposite direction should be avoided.

Adhesive hydrogels are attractive biomaterials for various applications, such as electronic skin, wound dressing, and wearable devices. However, fabricating a hydrogel with both adequate adhesiveness and excellent mechanical properties remains a challenge. Inspired by the adhesion mechanism of mussels, we used a two-step process to develop an adhesive and tough polydopamine-clay-polyacrylamide (PDA-clay-PAM) hydrogel. Dopamine was intercalated into clay nanosheets and limitedly oxidized between the layers, resulting in PDA-intercalated clay nanosheets containing free catechol groups. Acrylamide monomers were then added and in situ polymerized to form the hydrogel. Unlike previous single-use adhesive hydrogels, our hydrogel showed repeatable and durable adhesiveness. It adhered directly on human skin without causing an inflammatory response and was easily removed without causing damage. The adhesiveness of this hydrogel was attributed to the presence of enough free catechol groups in the hydrogel, which were created by controlling the oxidation process of the PDA in the confined nanolayers of clay. This mimicked the adhesion mechanism of the mussels, which maintain a high concentration of catechol groups in the confined nanospace of their byssal plaque. The hydrogel also displayed superior toughness, which resulted from nanoreinforcement by clay and PDA-induced cooperative interactions with the hydrogel networks. Moreover, the hydrogel favored cell attachment and proliferation, owning to the high cell affinity of PDA. Rat full-thickness skin defect experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel was an excellent dressing. This free-standing, adhesive, tough, and biocompatible hydrogel may be more convenient for surgical applications than adhesives that involve in situ gelation and extra agents.

Clean surface of graphene was obtained at 500 °C and characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). In the XPS C1s spectrum of graphene, besides an asymmetric sp2 carbon peak and a π-π∗ shake-up peak appeared, an additional sp3 carbon peak representing sp3 defects was also present. In the ToF-SIMS positive ion spectrum of graphene, a series of CxH2+ ions originated from the defects of graphene was found. To determine the origin of the CxH2+ ions, defects were created on the surface of nearly defect-free highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by bombarding it with a Cs+ ion beam at various sputtering doses. A detailed examination of the positive ion spectra of ion-bombarded HOPG surfaces reveals the presence of the CxH2+ ions, confirming that these CxH2+ ions, which came from the defects created on the sputtered HOPG surfaces, are similar to the defects present on graphene surface. A sp3 carbon peak at 285.3 eV, representing sp3 defects appeared in the XPS spectra of sputtered HOPG samples, confirms that the surface of the sputtered HOPG is similar to that of graphene. Fragmentation mechanisms of selected ions in the ToF-SIMS spectra of graphene and HOPG were proposed.

A facile single-cell patterning (ScP) method was developed and integrated with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) for the study of drug-induced cellular phenotypic alterations. Micropatterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stencil film and centrifugation-assisted cell trapping were combined for the preparation of on-surface single-cell microarrays, which exhibited both high site occupancy (>90%) and single-cell resolution (>97%). TOF-SIMS is a surface-sensitive mass spectrometry and is increasingly utilized in biological studies. Here we demonstrated, for the first time, its successful application in high-throughput single-cell analysis. Drug-induced phenotypic alterations of HeLa cells in the early stage of apoptosis were investigated using TOF-SIMS. The major molecular sources of variations were analyzed by principle component analysis (PCA).

Mixed transition metal oxides (MTMOs) have enormous potential applications in energy and environment. Their use as catalysts for the treatment of environmental pollution requires further enhancement in activity and stability. This work presents a new synthesis approach that is both convenient and effective in preparing binary metal oxide catalysts (CeCuO

The interaction between graphene and different metal substrates is important for preparation of graphene with large area and high quality. The existence of graphene-metal interaction can also alter the electronic properties of graphene. In this study, experiments using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were conducted at 450 °C to investigate the interaction between graphene and Cu foil substrate. In the ToF-SIMS spectra, in addition to graphene and Cu-related peaks, we also found the peaks originated from the interaction between graphene and Cu foil substrate. The distribution of the graphene-related ions and the ions related to the graphene-Cu interaction shows a similar pattern in the ToF-SIMS images; however, the distribution of the ions related to the graphene and the Cu oxide exhibits a complementary pattern, revealing that a graphene-covered Cu surface shows an improved oxidation resistance during annealing processes and storage. This work provides direct and strong evidence showing the interaction between graphene and Cu foil substrate.

We report a new nanoconfinement phenomenon whereby surface confinement leads to the amorphization of polyethylene oxide (PEO) in porous ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene membrane (UHMWPE). The surface confinement was achieved through a monolayer attachment of PEO onto the UHMWPE nanofibril surfaces‒pore bounding edges‒in the membrane via amphiphilic interactions of polypropylene oxide (PPO) blocks in the triblock copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO). Full amorphization of PEO is corroborated through the lack of phase transitions under differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and liquid-like vibrational absorption responses under Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Monolayer confinement of PEO in the membrane is quantified using a combination of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) molecular depth profiling and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The total amount of PEO confined in the porous membrane is 7.7 wt% agreeing with that expected from the total BET surface area of the UHMWPE membrane; ToF-SIMS depth profiling using argon cluster ion reveals the homogeneous PEO distribution along the membrane depth; and surface topology analysis by SEM shows no obvious topological changes after PEO confinement.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-grafted nanoparticles and PDMS were added, respectively, to inhibit the dewetting of polymer films and the formation of surface patterns in spin coating. Uniform and flat films were successfully achieved with the addition of PDMS-grafted silica nanoparticles or PDMS. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profiling indicated that PDMS-grafted silica nanoparticles and PDMS preferentially segregated to the surface. A high concentration of bromine end groups was observed at the interface. The surface layer of PDMS or PDMS-grafted silica nanoparticles can decrease the surface tension of the polymer solutions and reduce the evaporation rates of the solvents, providing more time for the bromine end groups to anchor themselves at the silicon substrates. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The present work employs a facile hydroxylation technique to efficiently functionalize the surface of a waste-derived aluminosilicate for ultra-high heavy metal uptake via ion exchange. The functionalization process leads to the transformation of a nonporous hydrophobic waste material to a mesoporous hydrophilic material with a high concentration of ion exchange sites. The modification of the surface and textural characteristics of the mesoporous aluminosilicate has been thoroughly elucidated. The functionalization brings about the partial depolymerization of the aluminosilicate network and the transformation of unreactive bridging oxygens (BO) into non-bridging oxygens (NBO) as active sites as evidenced by 29Si NMR and FTIR. The positively-charged alkali metals bound to the NBO act as facile ion exchange sites. Ultra-high heavy metal uptake capacity of the functionalized material through a combination of ion exchange and physisorption mechanisms has revealed the great potential of this aluminosilicate material for treatment of heavy metal-laden wastewater in a sustainable manner for practical applications.

Hydrogenated graphite powder was obtained through Birch reduction of graphite powder and characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) at 500 °C. The sp3 carbons formed at the edges of the surface of the hydrogenated graphite powder exhibited an sp3 carbon peak in the XPS C1s spectrum. The sp3-to-sp2 carbon ratio calculated from the XPS spectra increased from 0.08 to 1.19 after hydrogenation. Two sets of peaks, the Cx− and CxH− ion series (where x = 1, 2, 3…), were identified in the ToF-SIMS spectra of both the graphite powder and hydrogenated graphite powder. The difference between these two spectra represented an increase in the normalized intensities of the H− and CxH− ions in the spectrum of the hydrogenated graphite powder, indicating the formation of more sp3 carbons on the surface.

Graphene, as well as other two-dimensional materials, is a promising candidate for use in bioimaging, therapeutic drug delivery, and bio-sensing applications. Here, we developed a protocol to functionalize graphene with recombinant proteins using genetically encoded SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry. SpyTag forms a covalent isopeptide bond with its genetically encoded partner SpyCatcher through spontaneous amidation under physiological conditions. The functionalization protocol developed is based on the use of short proteins as a linker, where two graphene-binding-peptides (GBPs) are attached to both ends of SpyTag (referred to as GStG), followed by the covalent conjugation with SpyCatcher-fusion proteins. The proposed method enables the decoration of crystalline graphene with various proteins, such as fluorescent proteins and affibody molecules that bind to cancerous cells. This scheme, which takes advantage of the cleanness of single-crystal graphene and the robustness of SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry, provides a versatile platform on which to study the biomolecule-surface and cell-substrate interactions and, indeed, may lead to a new way of designing biomedical devices. The interaction between peptides and graphene was clearly shown using molecular dynamics simulation and proven using specially designed experiments.

Background: There is debate as to whether c-Myc predicts prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aimed to review the association between c-Myc and CRC prognosis. Methods: Pertinent studies were identified by searching electronic databases and carefully reviewing the reference lists of pertinent studies until March 2016. The summary hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to study the association between c-Myc and CRC prognosis. Results: Eight cohort studies (including seven studies about overall survival [OS] and one study about disease free survival [DFS]) were included. The pooled HR of OS was 1.13 (95% CI: 0.66–1.95). In subgroup analysis, no significant association between c-Myc and CRC prognosis was found in the studies either from Western countries (HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.68–1.10) or Asian countries (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 0.62–5.77). HRs were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.38–1.94) and 1.57 (95% CI: 0.73–3.39) for the studies using univariate analysis and multivariate analysis, respectively. HR from the studies that examined DNA level was significantly different (HR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.22–3.46); while that about RNA level or protein level was not significantly different. Conclusion: c-Myc was not associated with CRC prognosis in this meta-analysis. However, the conclusion is preliminary and should be examined in future studies.

To explore the clinical diagnosis and treatment of seminal vesicle cyst (SVC) associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis (Zinner syndrome) in order to promote the understanding of the disease.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 1 case ofZinner syndrome diagnosed and treated in our hospital and reviewed the literature related to this disease in domestic and foreign authoritative databases.The patient was a 23-year-old male, diagnosed with Zinner syndrome, treated bytransrectal aspiration of SVC, and discharged from hospital 3 days postoperatively. Follow-upat 6 months after discharge found that the patient no longer felt perineal discomfort in the endstage of urination, but transrectal ultrasonography of the prostate revealedthe samevolume of fluid in the left seminal vesicles as before,which indicated recurrence.SVC associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis can be considered asZinner syndrome. Transrectal aspiration of SVCcan relieve the local symptoms of the patient but relapse may easilyoccur. Therefore it is not recommended as the first-choice treatment of the disease.目的： 探讨精囊囊肿伴同侧肾缺如（Zinner综合征）的临床诊断和治疗特点，提高对本病的认识。 方法： 回顾性总结我院1例Zinner综合征患者的诊断、治疗等临床资料。复习文献对Zinner综合征进行讨论。 结果： 患者23岁，经影像学检查确诊为Zinner综合征，入院后行经直肠精囊囊肿穿刺抽吸术，术后3 d出院。出院6个月后随访，患者排尿终末期会阴部不适症状消失，但经直肠前列腺彩超提示左侧精囊腺积液大小同前，考虑复发。 结论： 一侧精囊囊肿伴同侧肾缺如，需要考虑Zinner综合征的可能。经直肠精囊囊肿穿刺抽吸术明显缓解患者局部不适症状，但精囊囊肿容易复发，不推荐作为该病治疗的首选方法。.

Graphite oxide powder was obtained using the modified Hummers' method and characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The XPS results indicated that the epoxy groups were the main functional groups on the graphite oxide powder surface. The graphite oxide powder was then reacted with SO