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Background: The skin is the largest organ of the human body and serves distinct functions in protecting the body. The viscoelastic properties of the skin play a key role in supporting the skin‐healing process, also it may be changed due to some skin diseases. Propose: In this study, high‐frequency ultrasound (HFUS) elastography based on a Lamb wave model was used to noninvasively assess the viscoelastic anisotropy of human skin. Method: Elastic waves were generated through an external vibrator, and the wave propagation velocity was measured through 40 MHz ultrafast HFUS imaging. Through the use of a thin‐layer gelatin phantom, HFUS elastography was verified to produce highly accurate estimates of elasticity and viscosity. In a human study involving five volunteers, viscoelastic anisotropy was assessed by rotating an ultrasound transducer 360°. Results: An oval‐shaped pattern in the elasticity of human forearm skin was identified, indicating the high elastic anisotropy of skin; the average elastic moduli were 24.90 ± 6.63 and 13.64 ± 2.67 kPa along and across the collagen fiber orientation, respectively. The average viscosity of all the recruited volunteers was 3.23 ± 0.93 Pa·s. Conclusions: Although the examined skin exhibited elastic anisotropy, no evident viscosity anisotropy was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brick warehouses represent interdisciplinary heritage sites developed by social, cultural, and economic impacts. This study aimed to connect warehouse details and GIS maps in augmented reality (AR) based on the former Camphor Refinery Workshop Warehouse. AR was applied as an innovation interface to communicate the differences between construction details, providing a feasible on-site solution for articulating historical brick engineering technology. A complex warehouse cluster was georeferenced by the AR models of brick details. The map was assisted by a smartphone-based comparison of the details of adjacent warehouses. Sixty AR models of warehouse details exemplified the active and sustainable preservation of the historical artifacts. The side-by-side allocation of warehouse details in AR facilitated cross-comparisons of construction differences. We found that a second reconstructed result integrated AR and reality in a novel manner based on the use of a smartphone AR. GIS and AR facilitated a management effort using webpages and cloud access from a remote site. The vocabulary of building details can be enriched and better presented in AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of nanopipettes largely rely on the materials introduced onto their inner walls, which allow for a vast extension of their sensing capabilities. The challenge of simultaneously enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of nanopipettes for pH sensing remains, hindering their practical applications. Herein, we report insulin-modified nanopipettes with excellent pH response performances, which were prepared by introducing insulin onto their inner walls via a two-step reaction involving silanization and amidation. The pH response intensity based on ion current rectification was significantly enhanced by approximately 4.29 times when utilizing insulin-modified nanopipettes compared with bare ones, demonstrating a linear response within the pH range of 2.50 to 7.80. In addition, insulin-modified nanopipettes featured good reversibility and selectivity. The modification processes were monitored using the I-V curves, and the relevant mechanisms were discussed. The effects of solution pH and insulin concentration on the modification results were investigated to achieve optimal insulin introduction. This study showed that the pH response behavior of nanopipettes can be greatly improved by introducing versatile molecules onto the inner walls, thereby contributing to the development and utilization of pH-responsive nanopipettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammalian defencins are cationic peptides with antimicrobial activity produced by a variety of cells. They are divided into α-defencins, β-defencins and θ-defencins, which exert antimicrobial effects mainly by increasing the permeability of bacterial membranes. Defensins can exert direct and effective bacteriostatic effect on both intracellular and extracellular mycobacteria, and can also exert anti-mycobacterial effect by chemotactic macrophages and neutrophils. The article aims to explore the potential of mammalian defensins as tuberculosis treatment or prevention drugs, summarizes and analyzes the anti-mycobacterial infection mechanism and effect of different mammalian defensins, to provide reference for the subsequent development of mammalian defensins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]