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The biomechanical properties of blood are considered promising label-free biomarkers for early disease detection. Disposable pumps have been suggested as replacements for bulky and expensive syringe pumps. However, they have limitations, including initial air bubble removal, simple stop-and-run flow control, and quantification of many rheological properties. In this study, a compliance-based pump (CP) is developed by fitting a blood-loaded syringe, an air-compliance unit, and a needle into each port of a three-way valve. When blood is loaded into the microfluidic channel from the CP, the initial air bubbles are removed from the channels. By manipulating the three-way valve, blood flow is stopped immediately. Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation index (AI) is obtained by analyzing microscopic blood images. The air-compliance unit induces a transient blood flow. The time-resolved micro-particle image velocimetry technique is employed to obtain the blood velocity. The flow rate and time constant are obtained by assuming the flow rate as Q (t) = Q1 exp(−t/λ1) + Q2 exp(t/λ2) and conducting nonlinear regression analysis. The proposed method is employed to obtain the properties (AI, Q1, Q2, λ1, and λ2) of suspended bloods (hematocrit = 30%–70%, 5–30 mg/ml dextran solution, and heat-shocked RBCs). It is also used to detect four different types of suspended blood prepared by adding two types of RBCs (normal or hardened RBCs) to two types of diluents (1 × phosphate-buffered saline or dextran). In conclusion, the proposed method can be used to detect differences in suspended blood by manipulating the CP and consistently analyzing microscopic blood images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ian McEwan's The Children Act serves as a profound narrative inquiry into the intricate legal challenges of British civil court practice. This paper responds to the scholarly omission of the law's practical portrayal in the novel by foregrounding its hermeneutic dimensions. Beginning with the novel's illustration of legal contradictions, the study examines law as a form of social praxis. It emphasizes the interpretive nature shared by both law and literature, and applies hermeneutic theory to elucidate the impact of individual subjectivities on the interpretation of law as depicted through the novel's characters. Concluding with an analysis from the legal practitioners' standpoint, the research navigates through the paradoxes and pragmatic realities inherent in legal proceedings. By conducting this hermeneutic exploration of The Children Act, the paper enhances our understanding of its thematic underpinnings and provides substantive hermeneutic contributions to the field of legal research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The gangue content in coal seriously affects the calorific value produced by its combustion. In practical applications, gangue in coal needs to be completely separated. The pseudo-dual-energy X-ray method does not have high sorting accuracy. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to propose a novel multi-dimensional coal and gangue X-ray sorting algorithm based on CdZnTe photon counting detectors to solve the problem of coal and gangue sorting by X-ray. METHODS: This complete algorithm includes five steps: (1) Preferred energy bins, (2) transmittance sorting, (3) one-dimensional R-value sorting, (4) two-dimensional R-value sorting, and (5) three-dimensional R-value sorting. The output range of each step is determined by prior information from 65 groups of coal and gangue. An additional 110 groups of coal and gangue are employed experimentally to validate the algorithm's accuracy. RESULTS: Compared with the 60% sorting accuracy of the Pseudo-dual-energy method, the new algorithm reached a sorting accuracy of 99%. CONCLUSIONS: Study results demonstrate the superiority of this novel algorithm and its feasibility in practical applications. This novel algorithm can guide other two-substance X-ray sorting applications based on photon counting detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptability of living organisms to dynamically adjust their biological behavior in response to fluctuating surroundings is a prerequisite for their evolutionary success. However, artificially‐synthesized materials, especially semiconductors, have not been able to replicate such adaptability due to their inherent physical rigidity and lack of intrinsic structural responsiveness to external stimuli. Herein, an adaptive structural evolution in group‐III‐nitride semiconductors is demonstrated by constructing an AlGaN‐nanowire/Ni(OH)2 symbiotic‐system, resulting in self‐improved optoelectronic characteristics. The mutualistic interplay between AlGaN and Ni(OH)2 nanostructure leads to the adaptive evolution of crystalline‐facets of AlGaN‐nanowires, along with self‐optimization of Ni(OH)2 nanocrystals upon photon‐irradiation during its operation. Specifically, the nanowire‐surfaces dynamically evolve during Ni(OH)2 photo‐deposition, removing the (0001¯$\bar{1}$) plane while exposing the (101¯1¯$\bar{1}\bar{1}$), which facilitates carrier transport at AlGaN/Ni(OH)2 interface. Moreover, light‐induced electrons generated from AlGaN‐nanowires then partially reduce Ni2+ ions in the Ni(OH)2 nanostructure into Ni0 nanometals, which further boosts the proton reduction thermodynamics, generating an unusual self‐improving photocurrent from −59.6 to −101.6 µA cm−2. Such a "symbiotic system," which is barely observed in conventional semiconductors, provides a promising avenue toward realizing smart adaptive semiconductors that are capable of dynamic structural evolution to fully unleash their potential for emerging optoelectronic and artificial‐photocatalysis applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Residual unbalance and bearing dynamic coefficients are estimated simultaneously. • Dual augmented Kalman filter is applied successfully in the estimation method. • The method performs a strong robustness in different measurement noise levels. • The reliability of the method is verified in different measurement configurations. Simultaneous estimation of the residual unbalance and bearing dynamic coefficients is of great significance to the dynamic analysis and rotor design of rotating machinery. However, traditional estimation methods are susceptible to routine scattering caused by the ill-posed problem and require external excitation forces, making them inconvenient and costly for engineering applications. Therefore, a novel simultaneous estimation method based on the augmented state-space model of the system combined with the dual augmented Kalman filter (DAKF) method is proposed for the double-disc rotor-bearing system without the external excitation force. The principle of this method is designed through an iterative strategy in the time domain, which only requires the steady-state unbalance responses of the two selected locations. To prevent the coupling relationship between the unbalance and the bearing dynamic coefficients from affecting the results, the estimation of the bearing dynamic coefficients is indirectly converted to the determination of the equivalent oil-film force according to the dynamic theory. Besides, features of the coupling relationship are investigated by the sensitivity analyses, proving that the coupling relationship has a significant influence on the estimation performance, especially for the bearing dynamic coefficients. Furthermore, simulations and experimental studies show that the proposed method can effectively estimate the bearing dynamic coefficients and unbalance parameters under different measurement noise levels, rotation speeds and measurement configurations. This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the estimation of dynamic characteristics and thereby establishes a reliable foundation for further assessment of the rotor-bearing system's overall performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the practical application of CdZnTe photon counting detectors, severe detector counting distortion can be caused by pulse pileup. A count rate correction method in this paper is proposed to solve this problem. In this method, the case where multi-photons are recorded by higher energy regions due to pulse pileup crossing the energy threshold is considered to calculate the true count rates under all energy bins. A verification method based on Poisson distribution is also proposed to evaluate the accuracy of the correction method. A 16-pixel linear array CdZnTe photon counting detector was used for verification. Taking the dual-energy bin as an example, this method was introduced, and the true count rates of the high- and low-energy bins are successfully calculated. The result was highly consistent with the verification result, which proves the reliability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lemnoideae, commonly referred to as the duckweed, are aquatic plants found worldwide. Wolffia species are known for their extreme reduction in size and complexity, lacking both roots and leaves, and they hold the distinction of being the smallest plants among angiosperms. Interestingly, it belongs to the Araceae family, despite its apparent morphological differences from land plants in the same family. Traditional morphological methods have limitations in classifying these plants, making molecular-level information essential. The chloroplast genome of Wolffia arrhiza is revealed that a total length of 169,602 bp and a total GC content of 35.78%. It follows the typical quadripartite structure, which includes a large single copy (LSC, 92,172 bp) region, a small single copy (SSC, 13,686 bp) region, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR, 31,872 bp each) regions. There are 131 genes characterized, comprising 86 Protein-Coding Genes, 37 Transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Moreover, 48 simple sequence repeats and 32 long repeat sequences were detected. Comparative analysis between W. arrhiza and six other Lemnoideae species identified 12 hotspots of high nucleotide diversity. In addition, a phylogenetic analysis was performed using 14 species belonging to the Araceae family and one external species as an outgroup. This analysis unveiled W. arrhiza and Wolffia globosa as closely related sister species. Therefore, this research has revealed the complete chloroplast genome data of W. arrhiza, offering a more detailed understanding of its evolutionary position and phylogenetic categorization within the Lemnoideae subfamily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric‐type UV photodetectors have attracted extensive interest for their applications in modern optoelectronics. Conventional fabrication approaches for asymmetric metal contacts typically cause damage at the metal‐semiconductor interface, leading to Fermi level pinning and further limiting barrier height adjustability and functionality. Herein, for the first time, van der Waals (vdW) asymmetric metal contact on wide bandgap semiconductor gallium‐nitride (GaN) is successfully fabricated and achieve the mitigation of Fermi level pinning effect through the formation of a damage‐free metal‐semiconductor interface. Scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals an atomically clean and sharp interface with a distinct vdW gap between the semiconductor and metal electrode. More importantly, the absence of interface damage effectively suppresses charge recombination and results in substantial enhancement in photoresponse characteristics, demonstrating an increased responsivity from 1.8 to 56.7 A W−1 along with a significantly improved response/recovery time from 545/115 to 420/20 ms and an ultralow dark current at the picoampere‐level compared to that of the photodetector with electrodes fabricated with traditional e‐beam evaporated technique. Such simultaneously enhanced responsivity and response speed overcome the responsivity‐speed trade‐off in asymmetric photodetectors and mark a milestone in integrating asymmetric metal contacts with semiconductors through a non‐destructive manner, offering unparalleled opportunities for developing high‐performance asymmetric optoelectronic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) photosensor composed of GaN nanowire-on-Si platform demonstrates record-high responsivity of 247.8 mA W−1 with ultra-stable operation characteristics. Strategic internal and external band structure engineering of semiconductor nanowires promotes efficient PEC reaction via controlling carrier dynamics while preserving nanowires from material degradation. The glucose sensing system is constructed to successfully analyze blood glucose levels in real human serum samples, featuring a high sensitivity of 0.173 µA µM−1 cm−2 and a low detection limit of 0.07 µM. Photosensors with versatile functionalities have emerged as a cornerstone for breakthroughs in the future optoelectronic systems across a wide range of applications. In particular, emerging photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type devices have recently attracted extensive interest in liquid-based biosensing applications due to their natural electrolyte-assisted operating characteristics. Herein, a PEC-type photosensor was carefully designed and constructed by employing gallium nitride (GaN) p–n homojunction semiconductor nanowires on silicon, with the p-GaN segment strategically doped and then decorated with cobalt–nickel oxide (CoNiOx). Essentially, the p–n homojunction configuration with facile p-doping engineering improves carrier separation efficiency and facilitates carrier transfer to the nanowire surface, while CoNiOx decoration further boosts PEC reaction activity and carrier dynamics at the nanowire/electrolyte interface. Consequently, the constructed photosensor achieves a high responsivity of 247.8 mA W−1 while simultaneously exhibiting excellent operating stability. Strikingly, based on the remarkable stability and high responsivity of the device, a glucose sensing system was established with a demonstration of glucose level determination in real human serum. This work offers a feasible and universal approach in the pursuit of high-performance bio-related sensing applications via a rational design of PEC devices in the form of nanostructured architecture with strategic doping engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-based supramolecular self-assembling delivery systems have enhanced the bioavailability of chemotherapeutic drugs and reduced systemic side effects; however, improving the delivery efficiency and responsive release ability of these systems remains challenging. This study focuses primarily on the utilization of per-6-thio-β-cyclodextrin (CD) to link a significant quantity of paclitaxel (PTX) via ROS-sensitive thioketal (TK) linkages (designated as CDTP), thereby allowing efficiently drug release when exposed to high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the tumor microenvironment. To construct these supramolecular nanoparticles (NPs) with CDTP, we introduced PEGylated ferrocene (Fc) through host-guest interactions. The intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) is converted into hydroxyl radicals (•OH) through the Fc-catalyzed Fenton reaction. Additionally, the generated Fc+ consumes the antioxidant glutathione (GSH). In both in vivo and in vitro experiments, CDTP@Fc-PEG NPs were absorbed effectively by tumor cells, which increased levels of ROS and decreased levels of GSH, disrupting the redox balance of cancer cells and increasing their sensitivity to chemotherapy. Furthermore, CDTP@Fc-PEG NPs exhibited high tumor accumulation and cytotoxicity without causing significant toxicity to healthy organs. Collectively, our results suggest CDTP@Fc-PEG NPs as a promising supramolecular nano-delivery platform for high drug-loading of PTX and synergistic chemotherapy. [Display omitted] • The ROS-driven supramolecular NPs has been constructed successfully and corresponding characterizations have been conducted. • Supramolecular prodrug nano-delivery system that can respond to the TME, while also demonstrating a high drug-loading capacity and delivery efficiency. • The results show that the nanoparticle can deplete GSH and amplify ROS simultaneously, resulting in the disruption of redox homeostasis. And the chemosensitization due to redox imbalance has also verified. • The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments both confirmed the excellent antitumor capability and favorable biosafety of the nanoparticle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TyG index in normal glucose tolerance (NGT) correlated with composite ISI. • High TyG index in NGT increased the risk of T2DM over an 18-year follow-up. • The predictability of TyG index for T2DM surpassed that of OGTT-derived markers. We explored the role of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index as an early and superior predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) using a community-based Korean cohort over 18 years. We retrospectively examined 6,072 adults with NGT from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Cox proportional hazard regression models were employed to evaluate the risk of incidence of T2DM and receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC). At baseline, the TyG index correlated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and the composite insulin sensitivity index (ISI) (β: 0.045, p < 0.001; β: −0.105, p < 0.001, respectively). Over the 18-year follow-up period, 999 individuals developed T2DM. An increase in the TyG quartile independently predicted the incidence of T2DM [hazard ratio, 2.36 (1.9–2.93) for Q4]. The AUC value of the TyG index was 0.642, the highest value among HOMA-IR and OGTT-derived insulin sensitivity and secretion markers. The TyG index is associated with HOMA-IR and composite ISI even with NGT. The TyG index demonstrated independent predictability for T2DM incidence in individuals with NGT, better than OGTT-derived insulin sensitivity and secretion markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biogenic K-jarosite coatings were synthesized to inhibit pyrite oxidation. • Coated pyrite can resist both chemical and biological oxidation. • Biogenic K-jarosite coatings were stable even when pH < 3. • It is a promising method to prevent AMD production. This study proposes a novel method by forming biogenic K-jarosite coatings on pyrite surfaces driven by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) to reduce heavy metal release and prevent acid mine drainage (AMD) production. Different thicknesses of K-jarosite coatings (0.7 to 1.1 μm) were able to form on pyrite surfaces in the presence of A. ferrooxidans , which positively correlated with the initial addition of Fe2+ and K+ concentrations. The inhibiting effect of K-jarosite coatings on pyrite oxidation was studied by electrochemical measurements, chemical oxidation tests, and bio-oxidation tests. The experimental results showed that the best passivation performance was achieved when 20 mM Fe2+ and 6.7 mM K+ were initially introduced with a bacterial concentration of 4 × 108 cells·mL−1, reducing chemical and biological oxidation by 70 % and 98 %, respectively (based on the concentration of total iron dissolved into the solution by pyrite oxidation). Similarly, bio-oxidation tests of two mine waste samples also showed sound inhibition effects, which offers a preliminary demonstration of the potential applicability of this method to actual waste rock. This study presents a new perspective on passivating the oxidation of metal sulfide tailings or waste and preventing AMD. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]