Accurate quantification of nanoparticle fractions in polydisperse mixture is challenging for many analytical techniques. For single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) ...where pulse signals are correlated to nanoparticles size and number concentration, data processing is crucial. The state-of-the-art algorithms distinguish particulate components with size difference of more than about 20 nm. In this work, a Bayes discriminant analysis based on a finite mixture model consisting of kernel density estimation (FMKDE) has been applied for spICP-MS, resulting in an unprecedented improvement in size resolution. Compared to existing data processing methods, the FMKDE model provides highly accurate contents due to the flexibility of the kernel density estimation for probability density. The gold nanoparticle mixtures have been used to verify the comparison. The size discrimination limit for gold mixtures can be decreased to about 5 nm with resolvable component content of <10% using the FMKDE model. The quantified number concentrations are also consistent with the designed values for the prepared mixtures with absolute biases of <3%. This study improves the size resolution of spICP-MS which could broaden its applicability in particle mixtures.
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•Distribution functions affect the quantification of nanoparticle content in mixtures.•FMKDE can quantify nanoparticle content as low as 10% in multi-component mixtures.•FMKDE can accurately discriminate nanoparticles with a size resolution of about 5 nm.•A content bias of <3% is achievable using FMKDE in actual mixtures.
High electric field-induced strain with ultralow hysteresis, which is often generated based on electrostrictive effects in ferroelectric materials, is highly desired due to its potential applications ...in high-precision displacement actuators. In this paper, (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3-xBa(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (1-x)(PMN-PT)-xBZN ceramics were fabricated by a solid-state reaction method. The effect of Ba(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (BZN) content on dielectric and electrostrictive properties in relaxor ferroelectric PMN-PT solid solutions was investigated in detail by dielectric spectra, polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops and strain-electric field (S-E) curves. With an increasing BZN content, the temperature stability of the dielectric permittivity of (1-x)(PMN-PT)-xBZN is improved due to the formation of two coexistent phases. A high electrostrictive strain (~0.17% at 60 kV/cm) with an ultralow hysteresis (<10%) characteristic is obtained in a composition where x = 0.1725. The strain versus polarization (S-P) curves measured from 30 °C to 130 °C can be well fitted based on a quadratic relation, suggesting the dominating role of the electrostrictive effect. The longitudinal electrostrictive coefficient Q33 for this system ranges from 0.0254 m4/C2 to 0.0318 m4/C2. Our results suggest that (1-x)(PMN-PT)-xBZN ferroelectric ceramics are potential candidates for applications in capacitors and high-precision displacement actuators.
Cognitive dysfunction (CD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized primarily by the decline of learning and memory abilities. The physiological and pathological mechanisms of CD are very ...complex, which is mainly related to normal function of the hippocampus. Lancao decoction (LC) is a Chinese medicine formula, which has been used to treat neurodegenerative disorders. However, the potential of LC for the treatment of CD, as well as its underlying mechanisms, is unclear.
In the study, we aimed to reveal the functional and neuronal mechanisms of LC's treatments for CD in scopolamine-induced mice.
Gas chromatography (GC) was used to determine the stability of LC's extraction. CD model was established by the chronic induction of scopolamine (Scop, 1 mg/kg/day) for 1 week. Behavioral tests including morris water maze (MWM) and y-maze were used to evaluate learning and memory abilities of mice after LC's treatments. Immunofluorescence was used to detected the expressions of cFOS, Brdu and Ki67 after LC's treatments. Pharmacological blockade experiments explored the role of α-Amino-3‑hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) in LC's treatments for CD and its relationships with regeneration, activities and differentiation of neurons.
The results showed that LC was capable of improving spatial learning and memory and spontaneous alternating abilities in Scop-induced mice, which was similar to donepezil. LC could increase the number of cFOS positive cells, which was used as a marker of neuronal activity to upregulate by neuronal activities in hippocampus, but donepezil did not. Moreover, LC could strengthen neurogenesis and neuro-differentiation by increasing the number of Brdu and Ki67 positive cells in hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), meanwhile, donepezil could only enhance the number of Ki67 positive cells. Transient inhibition of AMPAR by NBQX blunted the function of LC's treatment for CD and inhibited the enhanced effect of LC on Scop-induced hippocampal neuronal excitability and neurogenesis in mice.
To sum up, our study demonstrated that LC had the function of treating CD by enhancing content of acetylcholine (ACh) to activate AMPAR, which further up-regulated neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation to strengthen neuroactivities in hippocampus.
Indigo (IND) and indirubin (INB) have demonstrated a synergistic effect in treating ulcerative colitis at a ratio of 7.5:1. However, the colon mucus layer, a critical physiological barrier against ...external threats, is also a biological barrier, limiting the potential for effective drug delivery to the lamina propria for regulating inflammatory cells. Inspired by the potential of Hyaluronic acid (HA), to enhance cellular uptake by inflammatory cells, and Pluronic® F127 (F127), known for overcoming the mucus barrier, this study innovatively developed INB/IND nanosuspensions by co-modifying with F127 and HA. Moreover, inulin serves a dual purpose as a spray protective agent and a regulator of intestinal flora. Therefore, it was incorporated into INB/IND nanosuspensions for subsequent spray drying, resulting in the preparation of INB/IND nanocrystals (INB/IND-NC). The mucus penetration of INB/IND-NC was 24.30 times that of the control group. Besides, INB/IND-NC exhibited enhanced cellular uptake properties proximately twice that of Raw INB/IND. Importantly, INB/IND-NC exhibited improved therapeutic efficacy in DSS-induced mice by regulating the expression of cytokines, regulating immune responses via downregulating the expression of macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells and maintaining intestinal flora homeostasis. Our study provides a new perspective for applying natural products for treating inflammatory diseases.
The work zone on the urban road network will affect the surrounding road traffic. To represent the influence area of the work zone, the concept of a subnetwork is proposed in this paper. Delineating ...a suitable subnetwork quantitatively is a challenging problem. To address this issue, the node synthesized indexes (NSI) are deployed as a variability measure that captures both the change of link flow and origin-destination (OD) demand. The inertia-based stochastic user equilibrium with the elastic demand (ISUEED) model is proposed to accurately provide the data of link flow and OD demand for the network with the work zone. Correspondingly, the data of the network without a work zone can be obtained by the stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) model. According to the value of NSI, the initial range of the subnetwork is determined. Finally, the connectivity and compactness can be guaranteed by the modified L-shell algorithm. To demonstrate the performance of the method, two case studies and sensitivity analyses are conducted based on the Braess network and the local road network in Changchun, China. The proposed method is beneficial to reduce the complexity of the traffic model by substituting the entire network with a subnetwork.
Peripheral nerve adhesion after neurolysis leads to nerve dysfunction, limiting nerve regeneration and functional recovery. We previously developed an electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)-amnion ...nanofibrous membrane for preventing adhesion formation. In this study, we investigated the effect of protective nerve wrapping and promoting nerve regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve compression model. A total of 96 SD rats after sciatic nerve chronic compression were randomly divided into three groups: the PCL-amniotic group, in which nerves were wrapped with a PCL-amniotic membrane for treatment; the chitosan group, in which nerves were wrapped with a clinically used chitosan hydrogel; the control group, which involved neurolysis alone without treatment. Twelve weeks postoperatively, the nerve regeneration was evaluated by general and ultrastructure observation, as well as the expressions of neuronal regeneration and inflammatory reaction biomarkers. The nerve functions were assessed with gastrocnemius muscle measurement, hot-plate test, and walking track analysis. Compared with the chitosan hydrogel, the PCL-amnion nanofibrous membrane significantly reduced peripheral nerve adhesion and promoted nerve regeneration. The morphological properties of axons in the nerve wrap group were preserved. Intraneural macrophage invasion, as assessed by the number of CD68-positive cells, was less severe in the PCL-amnion group than in the other groups. Additionally, the gastrocnemius muscle weight and muscle bundle area were significantly higher in the PCL-amnion group than those in the chitosan group. The abilities of sense and movement of the rats in the PCL-amnion group were significantly improved compared to the other groups. In summary, electrospun PCL-amnion nanofibrous membranes effectively prevented post-neurolysis peripheral nerves from developing adhesion, whereas promoted nerve repair and regeneration, which make PCL-amnion nanofibrous membranes a promising biomaterial for clinical application.
Solar interfacial evaporation is a promising method for solving the global shortage of fresh water. While 2D evaporators can efficiently localize solar‐converted heat at the thin layer of the ...water–air interface, 3D solar evaporators can maximize energy reutilization while maintaining effective mass transport ability, few studies are conducted to explore the effect of gradient porosity on evaporation performance. In this study, a multifield assisted strategy based on a gradient 3D structure with high tortuosity is proposed, which creates a thermal field environment for efficient evaporation through high absorption of sunlight and excellent photothermal conversion and uses the gradient structure to optimize the internal pressure field to enhance water evaporation and transport. This hierarchically nanostructured solar absorber, with porosity inhomogeneity‐induced pressure gradient and optimized temperature management, is a valuable design idea for manufacturing a more efficient 3D solar evaporator in the field of seawater desalination. Owing to the understanding of optimizing the dimension by various simulation parameters, the evaporation efficiencies of such structures are found to be 165.7%, suppressing the most evaporator. Moreover, it can provide new ideas and references for the fields of mass transfer and thermal management.
This study proposes a multifield assisted strategy based on a gradient 3D structure with high tortuosity, which creates a thermal field environment for efficient evaporation through high absorption of sunlight and excellent photothermal conversion, uses the gradient structure to optimize the internal pressure field to enhance water evaporation and transport and finally achieves a high evaporation rate of 2.59 kg h−1 m−2.
Solar Interfacial Evaporation
In article number 2305855, Miao Tian, Xi Xu, and co‐workers propose a multi‐field assisted strategy based on a gradient 3D structure with high tortuosity, which creates ...a thermal field environment for efficient evaporation through high sunlight absorption and excellent photothermal conversion, uses the gradient structure to optimize the internal pressure field to enhance water evaporation and transport, and finally achieves a high evaporation rate of 2.59 kg h−1 m−2.
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