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The measurement of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is essential to diagnosis and treatment of various diseases such as cancers. Herein, we develop a simple method to simultaneously detect multiple lncRNAs using programmable ligation-transcription circuit-driven cascade amplification and single-molecule counting. The presence of targets lncRNA HOTAIR and lncRNA MALAT1 activates the ligation-transcription circuits to produce two corresponding functional RNAs. The functional RNAs then cyclically initiate the digestion of signal probes by duplex-specific nuclease to liberate Cy5 and Cy3 molecules. After magnetic separation, the liberated Cy5 and Cy3 molecules are measured by single-molecule counting. In this assay, a single lncRNA can activate ligation-transcription circuit to generate abundant functional RNAs, endowing this assay with high sensitivity. Integration of single-molecule counting ensures the high sensitivity. This method shows extremely high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.043 aM for HOX gene antisense intergenic RNA (lncRNA HOTAIR) and 0.126 aM for mammalian metastasis-related lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (lncRNA MALAT1). Importantly, this method enables simultaneous measurement of multiple endogenous lncRNAs at the single-cell level, and it may discriminate the expressions of various lncRNA in lung tumor tissues of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and their corresponding healthy adjacent tissues, offering a promising platform for clinical diagnosis and biomedical research.

Apoferritin can act as a scaffold for functionalization in the inner and outer surfaces. However, traditional covalent modification methods have a risk of disrupting the structure and physicochemical properties of apoferritin. Herein, we report a method for designing versatile apoferritin-based nanosystems through noncovalent interaction between a PEGylated [FeFe]-hydrogenase mimic (FeFe-PEG-N

Temozolomide (TMZ) is a prodrug of 5-(3-methyltriazene-1-yl)imidazole-4-carboxamide (MTIC, short-lived) and used as a first-line therapy drug for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, little progress has been made in regulating the kinetics of TMZ to MTIC degradation to improve the therapeutic effect, particularly in the case of TMZ-resistant GBM. In this work, we introduced a strategy to cage MTIC by N-acylation of the triazene moiety to boost the MTIC stability, designed a diblock copolymer-based MTIC prodrug installed with a disulfide linkage, and achieved self-assembled polymer micelles without the concern of MTIC leakage under physiological conditions. Polymer micelles could be induced to disassemble by stimuli factors such as glutathione (GSH) and visible light irradiation through thiol/sulfide exchange and homolytic sulfide scission mechanisms, which contributed to MTIC release in GSH-dependent and GSH-independent pathways. The in vitro results demonstrated that microenvironment-responsive polymeric micelles benefited the suppression of both TMZ-sensitive and TMZ-resistant GBM cells. The chemistry of polymer-MTIC prodrug provided a new option for TMZ-based glioma treatment.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, CRISPR, has recently emerged as a powerful molecular biosensing tool for nucleic acids and other biomarkers due to its unique properties such as collateral cleavage nature, room temperature reaction conditions, and high target-recognition specificity. Numerous platforms have been developed to leverage the CRISPR assay for ultrasensitive biosensing applications. However, to be considered as a new gold standard, several key challenges for CRISPR molecular biosensing must be addressed. In this paper, we briefly review the history of biosensors, followed by the current status of nucleic acid-based detection methods. We then discuss the current challenges pertaining to CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection, followed by the recent breakthroughs addressing these challenges. We focus upon future advancements required to enable rapid, simple, sensitive, specific, multiplexed, amplification-free, and shelf-stable CRISPR-based molecular biosensors.

A fully Integrated Micropillar Polydimethylsiloxane Accurate CRISPR deTection (IMPACT) system is developed for viral DNA detection. This powerful system is patterned with high-aspect-ratio micropillars to enhance reporter probe binding. After surface modification and probe immobilization, the CRISPR-Cas12a/crRNA complex is injected into the fully enclosed microchannel. With the presence of a double-stranded DNA target, the CRISPR enzyme is activated and denatures the single-stranded DNA reporters from the micropillars. This collateral cleavage releases fluorescence reporters into the assay, and the intensity is linearly proportional to the target DNA concentration ranging from 0.1 to 10 nM. Importantly, this system does not rely on the traditional dye-quencher-labeled probe, thus reducing the fluorescence background presented in the assay. Furthermore, our one-step detection protocol is performed on-chip at isothermal conditions (37 °C) without using complicated and time-consuming off-chip probe hybridization and denaturation. This miniaturized and fully packed IMPACT chip demonstrates sensitive and accurate DNA detection within 120 min and paves ways to the next-generation point-of-care diagnostics, responding to emerging and deadly pathogen outbreaks.

To investigate the dynamic stereochemical inversion behavior of pillar[5]arenes (P[5]s) in more detail, we synthesized a series of novel rim-differentiated P[5]s with various substituents and examined their rapid rotations by variable-temperature NMR (203–298 K). These studies revealed for the first time the barrier of “methyl-through-the-annulus” rotation (ΔG‡ = 47.4 kJ·mol–1 in acetone) and indicated that for rim-differentiated P[5]s with two types of alkyl substituents, the smaller rim typically determines the rate of rotation. However, substituents with terminal C=C or C≡C bonds give rise to lower inversion barriers, presumably as a result of attractive π–π interactions in the transition state. Finally, data on a rim-differentiated penta-methyl-penta-propargyl P[5] exhibited the complexity of the overall inversion dynamics.

We designed a conjugated compound by coupling temozolomide (TMZ) with doxorubicin (DOX) via an acylhydrazone linkage as a potential prodrug used for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment. Viscosity and spectroscopic studies revealed that the drug conjugate could act as a nonclassical double intercalating agent. Although free TMZ is an inefficient DNA binder in comparison to DOX, the TMZ moiety interacted with DNA as an induced intercalator, arising from the synergistic effect of DOX moiety that mediated conformational changes of the DNA helix. Two binding modes were proposed to interpret the double intercalating effect of the drug conjugate on intra- and inter-DNA interactions that could cause DNA cross-linking and fibril aggregates. We also developed a delivery nanoplatform with a loading efficiency of 83% using copper-bound apoferritin as a nanocarrier. In sharp contrast to the short half-life of free TMZ, the nanocomposite was stable under physiological conditions without detectable drug decomposition after a 2 week storage, and drug release was activatable in the presence of glutathione at millimolar levels. The antitumor effect of the drug conjugate and nanocomposite against GBM cells was reported to demonstrate the potential therapeutic applications of double intercalating materials.

A novel micro- and nanofluidic device stacked with magnetic beads has been developed to efficiently trap, concentrate, and retrieve Escherichia coli (E. coli) from the bacterial suspension and pig plasma. The small voids between the magnetic beads are used to physically isolate the bacteria in the device. We used computational fluid dynamics, three-dimensional (3D) tomography technology, and machine learning to probe and explain the bead stacking in a small 3D space with various flow rates. A combination of beads with different sizes is utilized to achieve a high capture efficiency (∼86%) with a flow rate of 50 μL/min. Leveraging the high deformability of this device, an E. coli sample can be retrieved from the designated bacterial suspension by applying a higher flow rate followed by rapid magnetic separation. This unique function is also utilized to concentrate E. coli cells from the original bacterial suspension. An on-chip concentration factor of ∼11× is achieved by inputting 1300 μL of the E. coli sample and then concentrating it in 100 μL of buffer. Importantly, this multiplexed, miniaturized, inexpensive, and transparent device is easy to fabricate and operate, making it ideal for pathogen separation in both laboratory and point-of-care settings.

The solid-state reaction has been widely employed as the standard procedure to prepare oxide cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. However, it involves multiple steps and consumes much energy. In this work, we report a facile method to synthesize a large-grained O3–NaCrO2 cathode by directly reducing sodium dichromate dihydrate (Na2Cr2O7·2H2O) under a hydrogen atmosphere. Owing to its unique large particle morphology, the as-prepared NaCrO2 exhibits a high tap density of 2.55 g cm–3. The compact NaCrO2 shows excellent electrochemical performance with a high reversible capacity of 123 mAh g–1 at 0.1C, a high capacity retention of 88.2% after 500 cycles at 2C, and an outstanding rate capability of 68 mAh g–1 at 20C. The performance is attributed to a stable structure from the distinctive morphology with small specific surface area to suppress interfacial side reactions and rapid Na-ion diffusion channels with a highly (110)-oriented crystal structure. Ex situ X-ray diffraction and cyclic voltammetry t...

Very-lysine-rich calf thymus histone proteins form disordered structure and hydrophobic interaction-driven aggregates in weakly acidic solution. We reported that the conjugation of diiron dithiolate complex to the lysine residues induced formation of helical conformation and condensed nanoassemblies with a high loading capacity up to 18.7 wt %. The incorporated diiron dithiolate complex showed photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution in aqueous solutions, with a turnover number (based on [FeFe] catalyst moiety) up to 359 that was more than 6 times that of the free catalyst. The increase of helical conformation in proteins was well correlated to the increasing enhancement of photocatalytic activity. We demonstrated that the [FeFe]-hydrogenase-mimic biohybrid system based on the photocatalyst-induced protein conformational conversion and reassembly is efficient for hydrogen generation regardless of the relatively large size.

[Image: see text] The development of an efficient synthetic route toward rim-differentiated C(5)-symmetric pillar[5]arenes (P[5]s), whose two rims are decorated with different chemical functionalities, opens up successive transformations of this macrocyclic scaffold. This paper describes a gram-scale synthesis of a C(5)-symmetric penta-hydroxy P[5] precursor, and a range of highly efficient reactions that allow functionalizing either rim at will via, e.g., sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) reactions, esterifications, or Suzuki–Miyaura coupling. Afterward, BBr(3) demethylation activates another rim for similar functionalizations.

N6-methyladenine (6mA), a newly identified epigenetic modification, plays important roles in regulation of various biological processes. However, the effect of 6mA on DNA replication has been little addressed. In this work, we investigated how 6mA affected DNA replication by DNA polymerase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Phage PaP1 (gp90 exo-). The presence of 6mA, as well as its intermediate hypoxanthine (Hyp), inhibited DNA replication by gp90 exo-. The 6mA reduced dTTP incorporation efficiency by 10-fold and inhibited next-base extension efficiency by 100-fold. Differently, dCTP was preferentially incorporated opposite Hyp among four dNTPs. Gp90 exo- reduced the extension priority beyond the 6mA:T pair rather than the 6mA:C mispair and preferred to extend beyond Hyp:C rather than the Hyp:T pair. Incorporation of dTTP opposite 6mA and dCTP opposite Hyp showed fast burst phases. The burst rate and burst amplitude were both reduced for 6mA compared with unmodified A. Moreover, the total incorporation efficiency ( kpol/ Kd,dNTP) was decreased for dTTP incorporation opposite 6mA and dCTP incorporation opposite Hyp compared with dTTP incorporation opposite A. 6mA reduced the incorporation rate ( kpol), and Hyp increased the dissociation constant ( Kd,dNTP). However, 6mA or Hyp on template did not affect the binding of DNA polymerase to DNA in binary or ternary complexes. This work provides new insight into the inhibited effects of epigenetic modification of 6mA on DNA replication in PaP1.

Highly infectious illness caused by pathogens is endemic especially in developing nations where there is limited laboratory infrastructure and trained personnel. Rapid point-of-care (POC) serological assays with minimal sample manipulation and low cost are desired in clinical practice. In this study, we report an automated POC system for Ebola RNA detection with RNA-guided RNA endonuclease Cas13a, utilizing its collateral RNA degradation after its activation. After automated microfluidic mixing and hybridization, nonspecific cleavage products of Cas13a are immediately measured by a custom integrated fluorometer which is small in size and convenient for in-field diagnosis. Within 5 min, a detection limit of 20 pfu/mL (5.45 × 107 copies/mL) of purified Ebola RNA is achieved. This isothermal and fully solution-based diagnostic method is rapid, amplification-free, simple, and sensitive, thus establishing a key technology toward a useful POC diagnostic platform.

Since late December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19; previously known as 2019-nCoV) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been surging rapidly around the world. With more than 1,700,000 confirmed cases, the world faces an unprecedented economic, social, and health impact. The early, rapid, sensitive, and accurate diagnosis of viral infection provides rapid responses for public health surveillance, prevention, and control of contagious diffusion. More than 30% of the confirmed cases are asymptomatic, and the high false-negative rate (FNR) of a single assay requires the development of novel diagnostic techniques, combinative approaches, sampling from different locations, and consecutive detection. The recurrence of discharged patients indicates the need for long-term monitoring and tracking. Diagnostic and therapeutic methods are evolving with a deeper understanding of virus pathology and the potential for relapse. In this Review, a comprehensive summary and comparison of different SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic methods are provided for researchers and clinicians to develop appropriate strategies for the timely and effective detection of SARS-CoV-2. The survey of current biosensors and diagnostic devices for viral nucleic acids, proteins, and particles and chest tomography will provide insight into the development of novel perspective techniques for the diagnosis of COVID-19.

The synthesis of "rim-differentiated" C5-symmetric pillar[5]arenes, whose two rims are decorated with different chemical functionalities, has remained a challenging task. This is due to the inherent statistical nature of the cyclization of 1,4-disubstituted alkoxybenzenes with different substituents, which leads to four constitutional isomers with only 1/16th being rim-differentiated. Herein, we report a "preoriented" synthetic protocol based on FeCl3-catalyzed cyclization of asymmetrically substituted 2,5-dialkoxybenzyl alcohols. This yields an unprecedented 55% selectivity of the C5-symmetric tiara-like pillar[5]arene isomer among four constitutional isomers. Based on this new method, a series of functionalizable tiara-pillar[5]arene derivatives with C5-symmetry was successfully synthesized, isolated, and fully characterized in the solid state.

A one-step maskless oxygen plasma etching process is investigated to nanopattern conjugated polymer dodecylbenzenesulfonate doped polypyrrole (PPy(DBS)) and to examine the effects of nanostructures on the inherent tunable wettability of the surface and the droplet mobility. Etching characteristics such as the geometry and dimensions of the nanostructures are systematically examined for the etching power and duration. The mechanism of self-formation of vertically aligned dense-array pillared nanostructures in the one-step maskless oxygen plasma etching process is also investigated. Results show that lateral dimensions such as the periodicity and diameter of the pillared nanostructures are insensitive to the etching power and duration, whereas the length and aspect ratio of the nanostructures increase with them. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and thermal treatment of the polymer reveal that the codeposition of impurities on the surface resulting from the holding substrate is the primary reason for the self-formation of nanostructures during the oxygen plasma etching, whereas the local crystallinity subject to thermal treatment has a minor effect on the lateral dimensions. Retaining the tunable wettability (oleophobicity) for organic droplets during the electrochemical redox (i.e., reduction and oxidization) process, the nanotextured PPy(DBS) surface shows significant enhancement of droplet mobility compared to that of the flat PPy(DBS) surface with no nanotexture by making the surface superoleophobic (i.e., in a Cassie-Baxter wetting state). Such enhancement of the tunable oleophobicity and droplet mobility of the conjugated polymer will be of great significance in many applications such as microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip devices, and water/oil treatment.

A micro- and nano-fluidic device stacked with magnetic beads is developed to efficiently trap, concentrate, and retrieve Escherichia coli (E. coli) from bacteria suspensionand pig plasma. The small voids between the magnetic beads are used to physically isolate the bacteria in the device. We use computational fluid dynamics (CFD), 3Dtomography technology, and machine learning to probe and explain the bead stacking in a small 3D space with various flow rates. A combination of beads with different sizes is utilized to achieve a high capture efficiency of ~86% with a flow rate of 50 μL/min. Leveraging the high deformability of this device, the E. coli sample is retrieved from the designated bacteria suspension by applying a higher flow rate, followed by rapid magnetic separation. This unique function is also utilized to concentrate E. coli from the original bacteria suspension. An on-chip concentrationfactor of ~11× is achieved by inputting 1,300 μL of the E. coli sample and then concentrating it in 100 μL buffer.Importantly, this multiplexed, miniaturized, inexpensive, and transparent device is easy to fabricate and operate, making it ideal for pathogen separation in both laboratory and pointof- care (POC) settings.

Hollow bimetallic nanostructures are of great importance for various applications. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms occurring during the synthesis of such nanomaterials by wet chemistry remains very challenging. This Article reports a mechanistic study on the galvanic replacement reaction between planar arrays of silver nanowires grown site-specifically on tall silicon nanogratings and HAuCl4 in lack of any stabilizing or capping agent, which might complicate and alter the conversion process of silver nanowires into silver–gold nanotubes. The direct contact of the silver nanowires with the substrate is found to modify the reaction as compared to nanowires in suspension. We show that when using diluted HAuCl4, AgCl nanoclusters precipitate on the surface during the process resulting in an increased surface roughness of the nanotubes. Overcoming this drawback requires saturating the HAuCl4 solution with NaCl; this allows distributing the anodic and cathodic sites over the surface of the nano-objects...

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified with a noncovalent functionalization method via ultrasonication in the presence of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as a modifier. The PSS-functionalized MWCNTs dispersed well in PCL matrix and showed good interfacial adhesion with PCL after being incorporated by solution coagulation. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of neat PCL and PCL/MWCNT nanocomposites were comparatively investigated by DSC. It was found that the overall crystallization rate of PCL was enhanced significantly, while the crystallization mechanism was unchanged by incorporation of the functionalized MWCNTs. The addition of only 0.1 wt % MWCNT caused 23.4 times improvement in overall crystallization rates, ascribing to the efficient nucleating effect of well-dispersed PSS-functionalized MWCNTs toward crystallization of PCL in the nanocomposites. The spherulitic morphology observation by polarizing optical microscope confirmed the nucleating effect. X-ray diffraction investig...

Sodium is first introduced to modify Ni-rich LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathode material in this work, and Li1–xNaxNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05) is successfully synthesized by using Na2CO3 as sodium resource through coprecipitation and solid state calcination route. The morphology of the samples analyzed with SEM, EDS. and TEM show that all the samples maintain sphere-like morphology and the main elements are uniformly distributed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that all the synthesized materials have typical hexagonal structure without impurities. The lattice parameters calculated from the XRD data are also refined by Rietveld refinement methods, confirming that the position of Na in the NCA is occupying the Li slab as designed. Despite a slight decrease in the initial discharge capacities, the sodium doped materials display improved capacity retention as well as superior performance at high rates. The Li0.99Na0.01Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 exhibits an initial discharge specific capacity of 184...

Thick haze plagued northeastern China in January 2013, strongly affecting both regional climate and human respiratory health. Here, we present dual carbon isotope constrained (Δ(14)C and δ(13)C) source apportionment for combustion-derived black carbon aerosol (BC) for three key hotspot regions (megacities): North China Plain (NCP, Beijing), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD, Shanghai), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD, Guangzhou) for January 2013. BC, here quantified as elemental carbon (EC), is one of the most health-detrimental components of PM2.5 and a strong climate warming agent. The results show that these severe haze events were equally affected (∼ 30%) by biomass combustion in all three regions, whereas the sources of the dominant fossil fuel component was dramatically different between north and south. In the NCP region, coal combustion accounted for 66% (46-74%, 95% C.I.) of the EC, whereas, in the YRD and PRD regions, liquid fossil fuel combustion (e.g., traffic) stood for 46% (18-66%) and 58% (38-68%), respectively. Taken together, these findings suggest the need for a regionally-specific description of BC sources in climate models and regionally-tailored mitigation to combat severe air pollution events in East Asia.

Hydroxyapatite-graft-poly(D,L-lactide) (HA-g-PDLLA) nanoparticles were synthesized here to fabricate hybrid microspheres with diameter in the range of 150-200 μm by emulsion solvent evaporation techniques. The as-obtained microspheres were treated with alkaline solution in order to selectively degrade the PDLLA layer which covered on the surface of hybrid microspheres and instead to generate a dense coating of HA nanoparticles. The hybrid microspheres with enriched HA nanoparticles on the surface were further immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution to evaluate the bone-forming ability of the bioactive hybrid microspheres via the in vitro biomimetic mineralization process. The resultant microspheres were analyzed by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to understand the nucleation and growth of bioactive calcium phosphate (Ca-P) crystals as a function of surface treatment. Results in this work clearly demonstrated that the existing HA nanoparticles on the surface of hybrid microspheres after alkaline treatment greatly affect the growth of the bone-like Ca-P crystals in SBF solutions. The biomimetic hybrid microspheres were found to be excellent candidates for use as injectable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

We report on the use of layer-by-layer (LbL) hydrogels, composed of amphiphilic polymers that undergo reversible collapse-dissolution transition in solutions as a function of pH, to induce sharp, large-amplitude wetting transition at microstructured surfaces. Surface hydrogels were composed of poly(2-alkylacrylic acids) (PaAAs) of varied hydrophobicity, i.e., poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), poly(2-ethylacrylic acid) (PEAA), poly(2-n-propylacrylic acid) (PPAA) and poly(2-n-butylacrylic acid) (PBAA). When deposited at a micropillar-patterned silicon substrate, hydrophilic PMAA LbL hydrogels supported complete surface wetting (contact angle, CA, of 0°), whereas PEAA, PPAA, and PBAA ultrathin coatings supported large-amplitude wetting transitions, with CA changes from 110 to 125° at acidic to 0° at basic pH values, and the transition pH increasing from 6.2 to 8.4 with increased polyacid hydrophobicity. At acidic pHs, droplets showed a large hysteresis in CA (a "sticky droplet" behavior), and remained in the Wenzel state. The fact that CA changes for wetting-nonwetting transitions occurred at values close to physiologic pH makes these coatings promising for controlling flow and bioadhesion using external stimuli. Finally, we show that the surface wettability transitions can be used to detect positively charged analytes (such as gentamicin) in solution via large changes in CA associated with adsorption of analytes within the hydrogels.

The limited understanding of black carbon (BC) aerosol emissions from incomplete combustion causes a poorly constrained anthropogenic climate warming that globally may be second only to CO2 and regionally, such as over East Asia, the dominant driver of climate change. The relative contribution to atmospheric BC from fossil fuel versus biomass combustion is important to constrain as fossil BC is a stronger climate forcer. The source apportionment is the underpinning for targeted mitigation actions. However, technology-based "bottom-up" emission inventories are inconclusive, largely due to uncertain BC emission factors from small-scale/household combustion and open burning. We use "top-down" radiocarbon measurements of atmospheric BC from five sites including three city sites and two regional sites to determine that fossil fuel combustion produces 80 ± 6% of the BC emitted from China. This source-diagnostic radiocarbon signal in the ambient aerosol over East Asia establishes a much larger role for fossil fuel combustion than suggested by all 15 BC emission inventory models, including one with monthly resolution. Our results suggest that current climate modeling should refine both BC emission strength and consider the stronger radiative absorption associated with fossil-fuel-derived BC. To mitigate near-term climate effects and improve air quality in East Asia, activities such as residential coal combustion and city traffic should be targeted.

A double template method to fabricate poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) hierarchical patterned nanowires with highly ordered nano- and microscaled topography was developed in this study. The topography of PCL film with a patterned nanowire surface can be easily and well controlled by changing the template and melting time of PCL film on the templates. The surface morphology, water contact angle, protein adsorption, and cell growth behavior on the PCL films with different surface structures were well studied. The results revealed that the PCL nanowire arrays and the hierarchical patterned nanowires showed higher capability of protein adsorption and better cell growth than the PCL film with smooth surface. Typically, the PCL surface with hierarchical nanowire patterns was most favorable for cell attachment and proliferation. The present study was innovative at fabrication of polymer substrates with hierarchical architecture of nanowires inside microscaled islands to gain insight into the cell response to this unique topography and to develop a new method of constructing the bionic surface for tissue engineering applications.

The emissions of particulate matter (PM) from anthropogenic sources raise public concern. A new method is described here that was developed to complete in situ rapid response measurements of PM mass emissions from fugitive dust sources by use of optical remote sensing (ORS) and an anemometer. The ORS system consists of one ground-based micropulse light detection and ranging (MPL) device that was mounted on a positioner, two open path-Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) spectrometers, and two open path-laser transmissometers (OP-LT). An algorithm was formulated to compute PM light extinction profiles along each of the plume's cross sections that were determined with the MPL. Size-specific PM mass emission factors were then calculated by integrating the light extinction profiles with particle mass extinction efficiencies (determined with the OP-FTIRs/OP-LTs) and the wind's speed and direction. This method also quantifies the spatial and temporal variability of the plume's PM mass concentrations across each of the plume's cross sections. Example results from three field studies are also described to demonstrate how this new method is used to determine mass emission factors as well as characterize the dust plumes' horizontal and vertical dimensions and temporal variability of the PM's mass concentration.