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We exploit an exogenous introduction of a mobile phone plan among rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing, China, to study the causal impact of communication on immigrant integration and assimilation. More contact via phone calls and social media over a year improves immigrants' language alignment, enhances their perceived similarity with the natives, while attenuates self-identity of and adherence to original cultures. Migrants show stronger settlement intentions in capital cities of native provinces rather than in Beijing, because of more concerns about distant family members and perceived perpetuating discrimination under intervention. Long-term integration, indicated by a sense of belonging, attitudes on inter-group marriage and the importance of their children to learn original languages remains stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional cancer chemotherapy is facing difficulties in improving the bioavailability, overcoming the severe adverse side effects of chemotherapeutics and reversing the multidrug resistance of cancer cells. To address these challenges, we report a feasible strategy to realize a multistage sustained release of dual drugs using injectable short nanofibers as a carrier system. In this work, layered double hydroxide (LDH) was selected as the primary carrier to load the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), and the DOX-loaded LDH was incorporated within an α-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS)-doped poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) fibrous mat. After homogenization in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol), dual drug-loaded injectable short nanofibers (DOX@LDH/α-TOS/PLGA) with an average length of 17.4 μm and a diameter of 830.2 nm were formed to have a pH-responsive drug release profile. In an acidic tumor microenvironment, DOX@LDH/α-TOS/PLGA short nanofibers show a fast release of α-TOS due to its incorporation within the fiber matrix and a slow release of DOX due to the extended diffusion distance (first from the LDH to the fiber matrix and then from the fiber matrix to the external medium). As α-TOS can inhibit the expression of p-glycoprotein on the cell membrane, the dual drug-loaded short nanofibers can exert the therapeutic effect on multidrug-resistant cancer cells in vitro. The developed injectable short nanofiber-based drug delivery system may be extended to the treatment of different tumor types in vivo, in particular for long-term effective chemotherapy of drug-resistant tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Hierarchical CuO architectures and monodisperse CuO nanoplates are synthesized via a hydrothermal method with the assistance of ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl). The products are characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, BET, and XPS, and the results indicate that the CuO architectures are composed of nanosheets with exposed (001) facets and the CuO nanoplates are single crystals enclosed by (200) facets. More specially, it is found that [Bmim]Cl serves as an effective template for the synthesis of CuO nanoplates by adsorbing on the (200) planes of monoclinic CuO. When evaluated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, CuO architectures possess higher discharge capacity, better cycling stability, and better rate capability than CuO nanoplates. The initial discharge capacity of CuO architectures is 1096 mAh g −1 at a rate of 0.5 C, whereas CuO nanoplates exhibit a lower capacity of 878.4 mAh g −1 . Moreover, after 50 cycles, CuO architectures and CuO nanoplates can deliver discharge capacities of 465.6 and 281.6 mAh g −1 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]