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The infrared conformal window is one of the most critical components in aircraft. Conformal windows with high performance bring low aberrations, high aerodynamic performance, reliability in extreme working environments, and added value for aircraft. Through the past decades, remarkable advances have been achieved in manufacturing technologies for conformal windows, where the machining accuracy approaches the nanometer level, and the surface form becomes more complex. These advances are critical to aircraft development, and these manufacturing technologies also have significant reference values for other directions of the ultra-precision machining field. In this review, the infrared materials suitable for manufacturing conformal windows are introduced and compared with insights into their performances. The remarkable advances and concrete work accomplished by researchers are reviewed. The challenges in manufacturing conformal windows that should be faced in the future are discussed.

Abstract Objective This study aimed to identify a quantitative index for optical coherence tomography (OCT) images to discriminate tumours from surrounding tissues. Subjects and methods Based on OCT measurements, mean grey values were determined from 432 locations on fifty-four human tissue specimens (eighteen cancerous, para-cancerous, and normal tissues each). These results were histologically evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E). Results The mean grey values of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) measurements were significantly different from those of the surrounding healthy tissue (p value

Abstract Objectives To investigate the potential mechanisms of shikonin in preventing and treating periodontitis using network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. Materials and methods The targets of shikonin were obtained in TCMSP and SEA databases, and targets of periodontitis were gathered from the OMIM, GeneCards and Drugbank Databases. The intersecting targets were entered into the DAVID database to obtain the relevant biological functions and pathways by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The obtained targets were analysed the protein–protein interaction (PPI) in STRING platform. In Cytoscape 3.8.0, the network analysis function with the MCODE plug-in were used to obtain the key targets, of shikonin and periodontitis. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation (MD) were used to assess the affinity between the shikonin and the key targets. Results Shikonin was screened for 22 targets and periodontitis was screened for 944 targets, the intersecting targets were considered as potential therapeutic targets. The targets played important roles in cellular response to hypoxia, response to xenobiotic stimulus and positive regulates of apoptotic process by GO enrichment analysis. 10 significant pathways were analyzed by KEGG, such as human cytomegalovirus infection and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, etc. Cytoscape software screened the key genes including AKT1, CCL5, CXCR4, PPARG, PTEN, PTGS2 and TP53. Molecular docking and MD results showed that shikonin could bind stably to the targets. Conclusions The present study enriched the molecular mechanisms in periodontitis with shikonin, providing potential therapeutic targets for periodontitis.

Sapphire exhibits typical anisotropy due to its unique crystal structure, and there are significant property differences in different processing areas during the machining of curved sapphire component, making it essential to investigate the anisotropy in the removal process of sapphire materials for efficient curved surface machining. In this study, the force and acoustic emission (AE) signals were monitored at different scratch stages and orientations, and the anisotropic characteristics of ductile-brittle transition (DBT) depths, material removal morphology, and subsurface crack propagation direction were analyzed. The results indicate that the anisotropy of force signals and DBT depths is mainly reflected in the differences between crystal planes. In addition, the removal morphology of materials with different crystal orientations showed smooth scratch grooves with unclear anisotropic characteristics during the ductile removal (DR) stage, while the crack propagation direction with different scratch orientations during the DBT stage showed significant anisotropic characteristics. The brittle removal (BR) stage is characterized by brittle spalling in the form of shell-like, blocky, and fishbone spalling, and there is a significant anisotropic difference in the spalling shapes on both sides of the scratch. The original AE signals, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) results show that the AE frequencies of different crystal planes are different, and the differences in different scratch orientations on the same crystal plane are reflected in the peak amplitude. Finally, the propagation directions of subsurface cracks with different directions are anisotropic due to different scratching crystal planes, and propagate mainly along directions of 15°, 29°, 32°, 58°, and 105°.

Functional photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) requires laser sources with multiple wavelengths targeting abundant substances, where lipid and water are important components of living organisms. Here, we propose to use a single compact dual-wavelength passively Q-switched solid-state laser as the excitation source to directly achieve PA differentiation of water and lipid simultaneously. The main contribution of our work is to use the excitation difference under 1064- and 1176-nm lasers for mapping water and lipid in PAM, respectively. Meanwhile, the miniature structure (cavity size: ∼10 × 10 × 5.5 mm3) of the laser source is not only promising for portable applications but also benefits the PA-desired nanosecond (

To realize the energy and resource utilization from organic solid waste, a two-phase microbial desalination cell (TPMDC) was constructed using dewatered sludge and kitchen waste as the anode substrate. The performance of electricity generation and composting efficacy was investigated, along with a comprehensive assessment of the potential health risks associated with the land use of the resulting mixed compost products. Experimental outcomes revealed a maximum open-circuit voltage of 0.893 ± 0.005 V and a maximum volumetric power density of 0.797 ± 0.009 W/m³. After 90 days of composting enhanced by microbial electrochemistry, a significant organic matter removal rate of 31.13 ± 0.44 % was obtained, and the anode substrate electric conductivity was reduced by 30.02 ± 0.04 % based on the anode desalination. Simultaneously, there was an increase in the content of available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as an improvement in the seed germination index. The forms of heavy metals shifted from bioavailable to stable residual states. The non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) values for heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the land use of compost products were less than 1, and the total carcinogenic risk (TCR) values for heavy metals and PAHs were below the acceptable threshold of 10−4. The occupational population risk of infection from five pathogens was higher than that of the general public, with all risk values ranging from 8.67 × 10−8 to 1, where the highest risk was attributed to occupational exposure to Legionella. These outcomes demonstrated that the mixture of dewatered sludge and kitchen waste was an appropriate anode substrate to enhance TPMDC stability for electricity generation, and its compost products have promising land use suitability and acceptable land use risk, which will provide important guidance for the safe treatment and disposal of organic solid waste.

The ubiquity of refractory organic matter in aquatic environments necessitates innovative removal strategies. Sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation has emerged as an attractive solution, offering high selectivity, enduring efficacy, and anti-interference ability. Among many technologies, sulfite activation, leveraging its cost-effectiveness and lower toxicity compared to conventional persulfates, stands out. Yet, the activation process often relies on transition metals, suffering from low atom utilization. Here we introduce a series of single-atom catalysts (SACs) employing transition metals on g-C3N4 substrates, effectively activating sulfite for acetaminophen degradation. We highlight the superior performance of Fe/CN, which demonstrates a degradation rate constant significantly surpassing those of Ni/CN and Cu/CN. Our investigation into the electronic and spin polarization characteristics of these catalysts reveals their critical role in catalytic efficiency, with oxysulfur radical-mediated reactions predominating. Notably, under visible light, the catalytic activity is enhanced, attributed to an increased generation of oxysulfur radicals and a strengthened electron donation-back donation dynamic. The proximity of Fe/CN's d-band center to the Fermi level, alongside its high spin polarization, is shown to improve sulfite adsorption and reduce the HOMO-LUMO gap, thereby accelerating photo-assisted sulfite activation. This work advances the understanding of SACs in environmental applications and lays the groundwork for future water treatment technologies.

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a major challenge to neuronal survival in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, effective neuroprotective agents remain to be developed for the treatment of CIRI. In this work, we have developed an Anti-TRAIL protein-modified and indocyanine green (ICG)-responsive nanoagent (Anti-TRAIL-ICG) to target ischemic areas and then reduce CIRI and rescue the ischemic penumbra. In vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated that the carrier-free nanoagent can enhance drug transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in stroke mice, exhibiting high targeting ability and good biocompatibility. Anti-TRAIL-ICG nanoagent played a better neuroprotective role by reducing apoptosis and ferroptosis, and significantly improved ischemia-reperfusion injury. Moreover, the multimodal imaging platform enables the dynamic in vivo examination of multiple morphofunctional information, so that the dynamic molecular events of nanoagent can be detected continuously and in real time for early treatment in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) models. Furthermore, it has been found that Anti-TRAIL-ICG has great potential in the functional reconstruction of neurovascular networks through optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Taken together, our work effectively alleviates CIRI after stoke by blocking multiple cell death pathways, which offers an innovative strategy for harnessing the apoptosis and ferroptosis against CIRI.

Ocular neovascularization is the leading cause of blindness in clinical settings. Pathological angiogenesis of the eye can be divided into corneal neovascularization (CoNV), retinal neovascularization (RNV, including diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity), and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) based on the anatomical location of abnormal neovascularization. Although anti-Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents have wide-ranging clinical applications and are an effective treatment for neovascular eye disease, many deficiencies in this treatment strategy remain. Recently, emerging evidence has demonstrated that macrophages are vital during the process of physiological and pathological angiogenesis. Monocyte-macrophage lineage is diverse and plastic, they can shift between different activation modes and have different functions. Due to the obvious regulatory effect of macrophages on inflammation and angiogenesis, macrophages have been increasingly studied in the field of ophthalmology. Here, we detail how macrophage activated and the role of different subtypes of macrophages in the pathogenesis of ocular neovascularization. The complexity of macrophages has recently taken center stage owing to their subset diversity and tightly regulated molecular and metabolic phenotypes. In this review, we reveal the functional and phenotypic characterization of macrophage subsets associated with ocular neovascularization, more in-depth research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which macrophages regulate angiogenesis as well as macrophage polarization. Targeted regulation of macrophage differentiation based on their phenotype and function could be an effective approach to treat and manage ocular neovascularization in the future.

In this paper, the Vickers indentation experiments were carried out under different loads on the polished surface of polycrystalline yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) ceramics to investigate the surface fracture behavior and subsurface damage under quasi-static conditions. The surface of polycrystalline YAG ceramic was corroded for intuitively observing the surface fracture behavior under quasi-static load, and the method of section polishing combined with chemical corrosion was used to examine the subsurface damage. The Johnson-Holmquist (JH-2) material model of polycrystalline YAG ceramics was established and imported into Abaqus software to simulate the process of Vickers indentation, so as to predict surface fracture behavior and subsurface damage depth under quasi-static load. The results show that the surface fracture behavior was divided into two stages with the increase of loads, that is, the fracture toughness value increased gradually and the fracture behavior was mainly transgranular fracture in the loading range of 0.05–0.3kgf. The fracture toughness value decreased obviously and fracture behavior was mainly intergranular fracture when the load range was 0.3-1kgf. The simulation values of surface fracture length and subsurface damage depth under different loads are highly consistent with the experimental results of Vickers indentation, the accuracy of the established simulation model was verified, which has an important guiding value for predicting the surface fracture behavior and subsurface damage in ultra-precision grinding of polycrystalline YAG ceramics.

Accurate prediction of agricultural product prices is instrumental in providing rational guidance for agricultural production planning and the development of the agricultural industry. By constructing an end-to-end agricultural product price prediction model, incorporating a segmented Bézier curve fitting algorithm and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network, this study selects corn futures prices listed on the Dalian Commodity Exchange as the research subject to predict and validate their price trends. Firstly, corn futures prices are fitted using segmented Bézier curves. Subsequently, the fitted price sequence is employed as a feature and input into an LSTM network for training to obtain a price prediction model. Finally, the prediction results of the Bézier curve-based LSTM model are compared and analyzed with traditional LSTM, ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model), VMD-LSTM, and SVR (Support Vector Regression) models. The research findings indicate that the proposed Bézier curve-based LSTM model demonstrates significant predictive advantages in corn futures price prediction. Through comparison with traditional models, the effectiveness of this model is affirmed. Consequently, the Bézier curve-based LSTM model proposed in this paper can serve as a crucial reference for agricultural product price prediction, providing effective guidance for agricultural production planning and industry development.

IntroductionAccurate identification of the myocardial texture features of fat around the coronary artery on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images are crucial to improve clinical diagnostic efficiency of myocardial ischemia (MI). However, current coronary CT examination is difficult to recognize and segment the MI characteristics accurately during earlier period of inflammation.Materials and methodsWe proposed a random forest model to automatically segment myocardium and extract peripheral fat features. This hybrid machine learning (HML) model is integrated by CCTA images and clinical data. A total of 1,316 radiomics features were extracted from CCTA images. To further obtain the features that contribute the most to the diagnostic model, dimensionality reduction was applied to filter features to three: LNS, GFE, and WLGM. Moreover, statistical hypothesis tests were applied to improve the ability of discriminating and screening clinical features between the ischemic and non-ischemic groups.ResultsBy comparing the accuracy, recall, specificity and AUC of the three models, it can be found that HML had the best performance, with the value of 0.848, 0.762, 0.704 and 0.729.ConclusionIn sum, this study demonstrates that ML-based radiomics model showed good predictive value in MI, and offer an enhanced tool for predicting prognosis with greater accuracy.

[Objective] With the high-degree integration of high-power auxiliary converters in metro trains, the demand for heat dissipation is rising significantly, necessitating the proposal of a new heat dissipation system design scheme. [Method] Through a series of forward designs involving power loss calculation, fan type selection, and heat dissipation duct layout, the rationality of the thermal design is validated by combining the simulation. [Result & Conclusion] Simulation results indicate that under the fault condition of a single auxiliary converter, uneven flow distribution in the intermediate chamber leads to elevated transformer temperature, posing a risk of thermal inefficiency. On this basis, the duct structure is optimized, and the simulation confirms a more uniform flow distribution in the duct, and a significant reduction in transformer temperature rise within the permissible operating temperature range, indicating that the optimized heat dissipation system meets application requirements. To validate the theoretical design, a prototype temperature rise test is conducted to compare the simulation and prototype test results. Under single and dual full-load working conditions, the temperature rise of key components and the temperature difference compared to the simulation are controlled within 5°C, both within the specified application range. This indicates the rationality of the duct heat dissipation system design. A new converter heat dissipation system and cabinet structure are proposed through forward optimization design, and prototype testing validates the effectiveness of the simulation analysis. This approach substantially shortens the prototype development cycle, enhances market responsiveness, and provides a methodology and direction for the design and optimization of high-power high-frequency auxiliary converters.

Urban rail transit offers advantages such as high safety, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness. With cities rapidly expanding, travelers are increasingly using rail systems, heightening demands for passenger capacity and efficiency while also pressuring these networks. Passenger flow forecasting is an essential part of transportation systems. Short-term passenger flow forecasting for rail transit can estimate future station volumes, providing valuable data to guide operations management and mitigate congestion. This paper investigates short-term forecasting for Suzhou’s Shantang Street station. Shantang Street’s high commercial presence and distinct weekday versus weekend ridership patterns make it an interesting test case, making it a representative subway station. Wavelet denoising and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) were combined to predict short-term flows, comparing the results to those of standalone LSTM, Support Vector Regression (SVR), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model (ARIMA). This study illustrates that the algorithms adopted exhibit good performance for passenger prediction. The LSTM model with wavelet denoising proved most accurate, demonstrating applicability for short-term rail transit forecasting and practical significance. The research findings can provide fundamental recommendations for implementing appropriate passenger flow control measures at stations and offer effective references for predicting passenger flow and mitigating traffic pressure in various cities.

The increasing global population and urbanization have led to a pressing need for effective solutions to manage the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). High-solids anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) has garnered attention as a sustainable technology that offers reduced water demand and energy consumption, and an increased biogas production rate. However, challenges such as rheology complexities and slow mass transfer hinder its widespread application. To address these limitations, this review emphasizes the importance of process optimization and the mass transfer enhancement of HS-AD, and summarizes various strategies for enhancing mass transfer in the field of HS-AD for the OFMSW, including substrate pretreatments, mixing strategies, and the addition of biochar. Additionally, the incorporation of innovative reactor designs, substrate pretreatment, the use of advanced modeling and simulation techniques, and the novel conductive materials need to be investigated in future studies to promote a better coupling between mass transfer and methane production. This review provides support and guidance to promote HS-AD technology as a more viable solution for sustainable waste management and resource recovery.

Antibiotics, the most frequently prescribed drugs, have been widely applied to prevent or cure human and veterinary diseases and have undoubtedly led to massive releases into sewer networks and wastewater treatment systems, a hotspot where the occurrence and transformation of antibiotic resistance take place. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), biopolymers secreted via microbial activity, play an important role in cell adhesion, nutrient retention, and toxicity resistance. However, the potential roles of sludge EPS related to the resistance and removal of antibiotics are still unclear. This work summarizes the composition and physicochemical characteristics of state-of-the-art microbial EPS, highlights the critical role of EPS in antibiotics removal, evaluates their defense performances under different antibiotics exposures, and analyzes the typical factors that could affect the sorption and biotransformation behavior of antibiotics. Next, interactions between microbial EPS and antibiotic resistance genes are analyzed. Future perspectives, especially the engineering application of microbial EPS for antibiotics toxicity detection and defense, are also emphatically stressed.

Laser truing has broad application prospects, but the problems of thermal damage and the metamorphic layer of diamond have not been well solved, which significantly affects the quality and precision of truing. To address these problems, we propose a novel laser truing method with a spray-mist assistant (SMA) for an electroplated diamond grinding wheel. First, the action mechanism of SMA laser truing is analysed. Subsequently, the effects of the truing parameters, including the spray pressure and laser truing iterations, on the SMA laser truing quality are studied. Next, a new analysis method is proposed to describe the SMA laser truing effect and thermal damage based on the fractal theory. Finally, the laser truing of an electroplated diamond grinding wheel based on SMA is described. The results show that the SMA laser truing effect is closely related to the spray pressure and truing iterations. The influence of the SMA laser truing iterations on the height of the abrasive grains on the surface of the grinding wheel can be divided into three key stages: rapid decrease stage, slow decrease stage, and stable stage. The inhibition of diamond graphitisation by SMA laser truing is remarkable, and the graphitisation phenomenon is completely eliminated.

Nanotherapeutics as a nascent method has attracted widely interest on the treatment of thrombosis. However, due to the limited temporal and spatial resolution of conventional imaging modalities, the dynamic visualization the thrombogenesis and evaluation of the effect of thrombolytic drugs are facing severely difficulties in vivo. In addition, the development of high targeting, short circulation time, and small size thrombolysis nanotherapeutics agents requires further research. Herein, we report a synergy imaging modality that combining a label-free capillary microscopy and laser speckle microcirculation imaging, which realized dynamic visualization of single red blood cell migration and large-field dynamic blood flow. In this work, we investigated the red blood cells migration and blood flow velocity response before and after treated through introducing a functional nano-thrombolytics, iron-oxide complexes coated urokinase (IPN@UK) on an orthotopic animal model in vivo. The functionalized IPN@UK nanocomposites exhibited outstanding thrombolysis effect. Significantly, whole-course changes, including red blood cell activity, complex thrombolytic therapeutics, were well surveilled and evaluated using dual-modality combining imaging strategy. These results show this synergy imaging strategy not only can achieve multiscale non-invasive visualization of dynamic thrombus events in real-time, but also can quantify hemodynamics information of thrombus. Our study demonstrates the potential of this synergy imaging method, which for early detection of thrombus, evaluation of the effect of drug thrombolysis, developing the thrombolytic drugs, and imaging-guide thrombolytic therapy in living systems.

A novel bioelectrochemical reactor assembled with cooperative cathodes of chemical cathode and bio-cathode (BERCC) and excess sludge as the anodic substrate obtained continuous and effective Cr(VI) reduction. Cooperative cathodes in BERCC stimulated the growth of electrochemically active microorganisms such as Geobacter sp. and Shewanella sp. in the anodic biofilm and produced 8.21 ± 0.64 mg C/(L·h) more electrons than the dual chemical cathodes in the bioelectrochemical reactor with dual chemical cathodes, which enhanced the electrons for electricity generation and Cr(VI) reduction by approximately 58.3% and 56.1 ± 5.6%, respectively.

Three new chlorinated compounds, including two propenylphenol derivatives, chlorophenol A and B (1 and 2), and one benzofuran derivative, chlorophenol C (3), together with 16 known compounds, were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus Amorosia sp. SCSIO 41026. 7-Chloro-3,4-dihydro-6,8-dihydroxy-3-methylisocoumarine (4) and 2,4-dichloro-3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-toluene (5) were obtained as new natural products. Their structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and extensive spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1, 4, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, and 19 possessed inhibitory effects against the excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged RAW264.7 macrophages without obvious cytotoxicity. Moreover, 5-chloro-6-hydroxymellein (13) further alleviated the pathological lung injury of LPS-administrated mice and protected RAW264.7 macrophages against LPS-induced inflammation through PI3K/AKT pathway in vivo. Our research laid the foundation for the application of compound 13 as a potential anti-inflammatory candidate.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique which has become the “gold standard” for diagnosis in the field of ophthalmology. However, in contrast to the eye, nontransparent tissues exhibit a high degree of optical scattering and absorption, resulting in a limited OCT imaging depth. And the progress made in the past decade in OCT technology have made it possible to image nontransparent tissues with high spatial resolution at large (up to 2mm) imaging depth. On the one hand, OCT can be used in a rapid, noninvasive way to detect diseased tissues, organs, blood vessels or glands. On the other hand, it can also identify the optical characteristics of suspicious parts in the early stage of the disease, which is of great significance for the early diagnosis of tumor diseases. Furthermore, OCT imaging has been explored for imaging tumor cells and their dynamics, and for the monitoring of tumor responses to treatments. This review summarizes the recent advances in the OCT area, which application in oncological diagnosis and treatment in different types: (1) superficial tumors:OCT could detect microscopic information on the skin’s surface at high resolution and has been demonstrated to help diagnose common skin cancers; (2) gastrointestinal tumors: OCT can be integrated into small probes and catheters to image the structure of the stomach wall, enabling the diagnosis and differentiation of gastrointestinal tumors and inflammation; (3) deep tumors: with the rapid development of OCT imaging technology, it has shown great potential in the diagnosis of deep tumors such in brain tumors, breast cancer, bladder cancer, and lung cancer.

The machining difficulty has limited the further application of ultra-hard materials. For V-shaped coarse-grained electroplated cubic boron nitride (CBN) grinding wheel, a precise and efficient pulse laser truing method was proposed. Firstly, a theoretical model of the pulse laser truing process was established in order to optimize the laser truing energy distribution. Secondly, the effects of truing depth, grinding wheel speed, laser power and truing time were analyzed. Finally, the grinding performance of laser trued wheels were evaluated. The results showed that larger grinding wheel speed n would bring higher energy value and more stable energy distribution, truing depth h would not affect the value and stability of energy. CBN would not undergo phase transition and could bear more laser power Pavg. With the increase of truing time t, the geometric precision of V-shaped grinding wheel could be improved. The angle of V-shaped grinding wheel could reach 90.15° (deviation 0.02°), the bottom fillet radius was 53 μm (less than 100 μm). The surface roughness and grinding force corresponding to laser truing were less than that of mechanical truing, the truing time required was reduced by 72%∼83%, and the corresponding tooth profile angle and bottom fillet were basically the same.

Abstract Tumor angiogenesis is a complex process that is unamenable to intravital whole‐process monitoring, especially on microscopic assessment of tumor microvessel and quantifying microvascular hemodynamics before and after the nanotherapeutics, which hinder the understanding of nanotheranostics outcomes in tumor treatment. Herein, a new photoacoustic (PA) imaging‐optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)‐laser speckle (LS) multimodal imaging strategy is first proposed, which is not only able to precisely macro guide the thermo‐chemotherapy of tumor by monitoring blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) and hemoglobin content (HbT), but also capable of long‐term microscopic investigating the microvessel morphology (microvascular density) and hemodynamics changes (relative blood flow) before and after the nanotherapeutics in vivo. Moreover, to realize the tumor thermo‐chemotherapy treatment based on this novel multimodal imaging strategy, a 2D 5‐fluorouracil silicon nanosheets (5‐Fu‐Si NSs) therapeutic agent is designed. Furthermore, 2D high‐resolution tumor microvascular images in different stage display that tendency of the thermo‐chemotherapy effect is closely associated with tumor angiogenesis. Taken together, the investigations establish the fundamental base in theory and technology for further tailoring the novel specific diagnosis and treatment strategy in tumor. More importantly, this technique will be beneficial to evaluate the tumor microvascular response to nanotherapeutics at microscale.

High levels of toxic organic pollutants commonly detected during domestic/industrial wastewater treatment have been attracting research attention globally because they seriously threaten human health. Sulfate-radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) have been successfully used in wastewater treatment, such as that containing antibiotics, pesticides, and persistent organic pollutants, for refractory contaminant degradation. This review summarizes activation methods, including physical, chemical, and other coupling approaches, for efficient generation of sulfate radicals and evaluates their applications and economic feasibility. The degradation behavior as well as the efficiency of the generated sulfate radicals of typical domestic and industrial wastewater treatment is investigated. The categories and characteristics of the intermediates are also evaluated. The role of sulfate radicals, their kinetic characteristics, and possible mechanisms for organic elimination are assessed. In the last section, current difficulties and future perspectives of SR-AOPs for wastewater treatment are summarized.

This study statistically reported the current state of sludge treatment/disposal in China from the aspects of sources, technical routes, geographical distribution, and development by using observational data after 1978. By the end of 2019, 5476 municipal wastewater treatment plants were operating in China, leading to an annual sludge productivity of 39.04 million tons (80% water content). Overall, 29.3% of the sludge in China was disposed via land application, followed by incineration (26.7%) and sanitary landfills (20.1%). Incineration, compost, thermal hydrolysis and anerobic digestion were the mainstream technologies for sludge treatment in China, with capacities of 27,122, 11,250, 8342 and 6944 t/d in 2019, respectively. Incineration and drying were preferentially constructed in East China. In contrast, sludge compost was most frequently used in Northeast China (46.5%), East China (22.4%) and Central China (12.8%), while anaerobic digestion in East China, North China and Central China. The capacities of sludge facilities exhibited a sharp increase in 2009–2019, with an overall greenhouse gas emissions in China in 2019 reached 108.18 × 108 kg CO2-equivaient emissions, and the four main technical routes contributed as: incineration (45.11%) > sanitary landfills (23.04%) > land utilization (17.64%) > building materials (14.21%). Challenges and existing problems of sludge disposal in China, including high CO2 emissions, unbalanced regional development, low stabilization and land utilization levels, were discussed. Finally, suggestions regarding potential technical and administrative measures in China, and sustainable sludge management for developing countries, were also given.

Transparent polycrystalline magnesium aluminate spinel (PMAS), owing to its high optical transparency with acceptable mechanical properties and chemical stabilities, exhibits great potential for optical applications under extreme environments and operating conditions. The first stage of preparing highly transparent PMAS is attainable with the rapidly maturing sintering technology. However, the machining technologies aiming to achieve high shape accuracy and surface quality on PMAS are still restricted by its poor machinability and limited endeavours to survey. This paper provides a comprehensive collection of PMAS processing strategies. The state-of-the-art techniques for sintering PMAS are reviewed with a focus on the technical details and intimate relationship with the material properties. The fundamental material properties of PMAS including the crystal structure, mechanical properties and damage mechanisms are systematically discussed. These characteristics inherently govern the material removal mechanisms and the generation of surface damages in the subsequent machining processes. The surveyed fundamental studies signify that the combination of high brittleness, strong anisotropy within each single-crystal grain and polycrystalline structure is the major obstacle in achieving damage-free surface finish. In this regard, further explorations of improving machining performance with advanced machining technologies and enhancing the machinability through optimising sintering strategies are expected in the outlook.

Bisphenol (BP) analogues in wastewater effluent and groundwater pose a potential threat to human health due to their ability to disrupt steroidogenesis. A new solar-assisted electrochemical process (SECP) was developed and evaluated for the degradation of BP analogues. The effects of quenchers, current density, initial pH, supporting electrolyte, and aqueous matrix on the removal kinetics of bisphenol AF (BPAF) and bisphenol A (BPA) were investigated. The kinetic constants of BPAF, BPA, and bisphenol S (BPS) in the SECP with irradiation intensity of 500 mW cm−2 were 0.017 ± 0.002 min−1, 0.022 ± 0.002 min−1, and 0.012 ± 0.001 min−1, respectively. The changes in the degradation rates of BPAF, BPA, and BPS in the presence of quenchers indicated the relative contribution of hydroxyl radical (●OH) oxidation, anodic electrolysis, and singlet (1O2) oxygenation in the degradation of BPs in the SECP. The enhanced rate of generation of ●OH and 1O2 was observed in the SECP compared with those in the conventional electrochemical system. The identification of the transformation products (TPs) of BPAF demonstrated that hydroxylation, ring cleavage, β-scission, and defluorination were the major processes during the oxidation in the SECP. The conversion to fluoride ions (76%) and mineralization of total organic carbon (72%) in the SECP indicated further degradation of TPs. The results from this study improved our understanding of the degradation of BP analogues in the electrooxidation irradiated by solar light and help to establish the application potential of the SECP for the effective degradation of emerging contaminants in wastewater.

Abstract Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is one of the main factors that induce blindness worldwide. However, current medical treatments cannot achieve non‐invasive and safe inhibition of CNV. A noninvasive photoacoustic imaging (PAI)‐guided method is purposed for the regression of CNV. PAI can monitor the oxygen saturation of cornea blood vessels through the endogenous contrast of hemoglobin and trace administrated drugs by themselves as exogenous contrast agents. An indocyanine green (ICG)‐based nanocomposite (R‐s‐ICG) is prepared for CNV treatment via eye drops and subconjunctival injections. It is demonstrated that R‐s‐ICG can enrich corneal tissues and pathological blood vessels rapidly with minor residua in normal eyeball tissues. Anti‐CNV treatment‐driven changes in the blood vessels are assessed by real‐time multimodal PAI in vivo, and then a safe laser irradiation strategy through the canthus is developed for phototherapy and gene therapy synergistic treatment. The treatment leads to the efficient inhibition of CNV with faint damages to normal tissues.

Vessel development in the yolk sac is important for the embryo development and the malfunction of which can lead to cardiac dysfunction, embryonic malformation and miscarriage. Although substantial emphasis has been placed on the yolk sac vascular remodeling, no detailed three-dimensional (3D) imaging and quantitative analysis of this process has been described. Herein, we explored the development of the vascular system in the visceral yolk sac (VYS) on E11.5, E12.5 and E13.5 mouse embryos using a home-built large field-of-view (FOV) optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM). The results showed that OR-PAM can be used as a label-free imaging tool for studying the 2D/3D morphology changes of the vascular system during organogenesis. In addition, after a quantitative analysis the results showed that the microvascular density in the VYS gradually reduced along with the embryo growth. Vascular density in the VYS of E11.5 mouse embryos was almost 6-fold than that of E13.5. Hovever, the averaged vessel diameter of the entire VYS membrane increased gradually with the development of embryos. This study suggests that OR-PAM is a potential tool for acquiring the hemodynamic parameters of mammalian embryos, which could be further used for studying diseases related with the vascular remodeling such as vascular malformations and heart defects. Keywords: Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy, Embryo development, Visceral yolk sac vascular, Vascular remodeling, Vascular density

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly and is attributed to choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which is a feature of wet AMD. The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) pathway contributes to the pathogenesis of CNV. M1-type macrophages/microglia secrete interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), facilitating the development of CNV. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a kind of polyphenol in green tea that exerts anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic effects. In this study, a prodrug of EGCG (pro-EGCG) alleviated mouse laser-induced CNV leakage and reduced CNV area by down-regulating HIF-1α/VEGF/VEGFR2 pathway; M1-type macrophage/microglia polarization; as well as endothelial cell viability, proliferation, migration and tube formation, indicating a novel potential therapy for AMD.

To provide the general information on corneal transplantation (CT) in China, China Cornea Society designed a questionnaire on CT from 2014 to 2018 and entrusted it to 31 committee members for implementation of the survey nationwide. This article presents the results of the survey and compares the indicators used in the survey and those in the annual statistical report released by the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA). The number of corneal transplantations completed by the 64 hospitals from 2014 to 2018 was respectively 5377, 6394, 7595, 8270 and 8980, totally 36,616 (22,959 male and 13,657 female). The five largest hospitals by the number of corneal transplantations completed 15,994 surgeries in total, accounting for 43.68% of all the surgeries performed in the 64 hospitals. The most common indication for corneal transplantations was corneal leukoma (7683, 20.98%), followed by bacterial keratitis (4209, 11.49%), corneal dystrophies (4189, 11.44%), keratoconus (3578, 9.77%) and corneal perforation (2839, 7.75%). The main surgical techniques were penetrating keratoplasty (PK) (19,896, 54.34%), anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) (13,869, 37.88%). The proportion of PK decreased from 57.97% in 2014 to 52.88% in 2018 while the proportion of ALK increased from 36.04% in 2014 to 37.92% in 2018. The geographical distribution of keratoplasties performed in China is unbalanced. PK and ALK were the main techniques of CT and corneal leukoma, bacterial keratitis and corneal dystrophies were the main indications for CT in China.

The reclaimed water from soil aquifer treatment (SAT) column was reused for irrigation as the source water, pollutants' removal and health risk assessment was analyzed via the comparison with secondary and tertiary effluents. The effect of the SAT pre-treatment on the qualities and growth of different crops (Lachca sativa – lettuce, Brasica rapa var chinensis – pak choi, Cucumis sativus – cucumber, Brassica oleracea – cabbage, and Zea mays – maize) were evaluated. Experimental results demonstrated that the tertiary and SAT treatments had no significant effect on the crop qualities, and could efficiently decrease the accumulation of heavy metals (especially for SAT pre-treatment). Moreover, the carcinogenic risk of the chemical carcinogens for the 1.5 m SAT effluent irrigation declined roughly an order of magnitude as compared with the secondary effluent, and three to four orders of magnitude decreasing of the virus risk. These findings are significant for the safe and cheap reuse of secondary effluent for irrigation purposes.

Road dust is one of the primary sources of particulate matter which has implications for air quality, climate and health. With the aim of characterizing the emissions, in this study, a bottom-up approach of county level emission inventory from paved road dust based on field investigation was developed. An inventory of high-resolution paved road dust (PRD) emissions by monthly and spatial allocation at 1 km × 1 km resolution in Harbin in 2016 was compiled using accessible county level, seasonal data and local parameters based on field investigation to increase temporal-spatial resolution. The results demonstrated the total PRD emissions of TSP, PM10, and PM2.5 in Harbin were 270,207 t, 54,597 t, 14,059 t, respectively. The temporal variation trends of pollutant emissions from PRD was consistent with the characteristics of precipitation, with lower emissions in winter and summer, and higher emissions in spring and autumn. The spatial allocation of emissions has a strong association with Harbin’s road network, mainly concentrating in the central urban area compared to the surrounding counties. Through scenario analysis, positive control measures were essential and effective for PRD pollution. The inventory developed in this study reflected the level of fugitive dust on paved road in Harbin, and it could reduce particulate matter pollution with the development of mitigation strategies and could comply with air quality modelling requirements, especially in the frigid region of northeastern China.

Fresnel micro-structured lenses are widely used in the field of modern optoelectronic technology. High-precision Fresnel micro-structured mold is the key technology to achieve its large-scale replication production. Focusing on the surface waviness error of Fresnel micro-structured mold machined by parallel grinding process, this paper conducted theoretical modeling and experiment research. Based on the grinding kinematics theory, the simulation models of the surface waviness topography and the circular waviness profiles of the ground Fresnel micro-structured mold were developed, considering the combined influence of the non-integer rotation speed ratio and other grinding parameters. A series of grinding experiments were carried out to verify the proposed simulation models. The influence of a non-integer rotation speed ratio and a wave-shift value upon the surface waviness error of the ground Fresnel micro-structured molds were analyzed. Both the simulation and experimental results proved that choosing the non-integer rotation speed ratio and a proper wave-shift value could greatly reduce the surface waviness error and improve the surface quality and uniformity.

The resin-bonded spherical diamond wheel is widely used in arc envelope grinding, where the demands for form accuracy are high and the form truing process is challenging. In this paper, on-machine precision form truing of the resin-bonded spherical diamond wheel is accomplished by using a coarse-grained diamond roller, and in-situ measurement of the form-truing error is conducted through a laser scan micrometer. Firstly, a novel biarc curve-fitting method is proposed based on the in-situ measurement results to calculate the alignment error between the diamond roller and the spherical diamond wheel. Then, on-machine precision form truing of a D46 resin-bonded spherical diamond wheel is completed after alignment error compensation. The in-situ measurement results show that the low-frequency form-truing error is approximately 5 μm. In addition, the actual form-trued diamond wheel has been employed in grinding a test specimen, and the resulting form accuracy is approximately 1.6 μm without any compensation. The ground surface profile shared similar characteristics with the roller-trued diamond wheel profile, confirming that the diamond roller truing and in-situ measurements methods are accurate and feasible.

The surface generation mechanism of the Cu alloys in ultra-precision diamond turning is investigated by both simulation and experimental methods, where the effects of the cutting parameters on the surface characteristics are explored, including the workpiece spindle speed, the cutting depth, the feed rate and the nose radius of the diamond tool. To verify the built model, the cutting experiments are conducted at selected parameters, where the causes of the error between the simulation and the machining results are analyzed, including the effects of the materials microstructure and the diamond tool wear. In addition, the nanometric surface characteristics of the Cu alloys after the diamond turning are identified, including the finer scratching grooves caused by the tool wear, the formation of the surface burs and the adhesion of graphite. The results show that the built model can be basically used to predict the surface topography for the selection of the appropriate machining parameters in the ultra-precision diamond turning process.

A Compound fault signal usually contains multiple characteristic signals and strong confusion noise, which makes it difficult to separate week fault signals from them through conventional ways, such as FFT-based envelope detection, wavelet transform or empirical mode decomposition individually. In order to improve the compound faults diagnose of rolling bearings via signals' separation, the present paper proposes a new method to identify compound faults from measured mixed-signals, which is based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and independent component analysis (ICA) technique. With the approach, a vibration signal is firstly decomposed into intrinsic mode functions (IMF) by EEMD method to obtain multichannel signals. Then, according to a cross correlation criterion, the corresponding IMF is selected as the input matrix of ICA. Finally, the compound faults can be separated effectively by executing ICA method, which makes the fault features more easily extracted and more clearly identified. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method in compound fault separating, which works not only for the outer race defect, but also for the rollers defect and the unbalance fault of the experimental system.

Background/Aim: Probing brain tumor micro-vasculature holds significant importance in both basic cancer research and medical practice for tracking tumor development and assessing treatment outcomes. However, few imaging methods commonly used in clinics can noninvasively monitor the brain microvascular network at high precision and without exogenous contrast agents in vivo. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of microvasculature during brain tumor development in an orthotopic glioma mouse model. Materials and Methods: An orthotopic glioma mouse model was established by surgical orthotopic implantation of U87-MG-luc cells into the mouse brain. Then, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was utilized to characterize the microvasculature progression within 14 days. Results: The orthotopic glioma mouse model evaluated by bioluminescence imaging and MRI was successfully generated. As the tumor grew, the microvessels within the tumor area slowly decreased, progressing from the center to the periphery for 14 days. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential of OCTA as a useful tool to noninvasively visualize the brain microvascular network at high precision and without any exogenous contrast agents in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]