20 research outputs found
Geochronology of the Duguer range metamorphic rocks, Central Tibet: implications for the changing tectonic setting of the South Qiangtang subterrane
<p>The Duguer area represents one of the few occurrences of high-grade metamorphic rocks in the ‘Central Uplift’ zone of the Qiangtang terrane, central Tibet. The metamorphic rocks consist mainly of orthogneiss, paragneiss, and schist. To better understand the formation of these rocks, seven samples of gneiss and schist from the Duguer area were selected for <i>in situ</i> zircon U–Pb analysis and Ar–Ar dating of metamorphic minerals. The results suggest two distinct metamorphic stages, during the Late Triassic (229–227 Ma) and Late Jurassic (150–149 Ma). These stages correspond to the closure of the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean and northward subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Neo-Tethys oceanic crust, respectively. We suggest that the Late Triassic metamorphic rocks of the Duguer area in the central South Qiangtang subterrane provide evidence of continental collision between the North and South Qiangtang subterranes, following the subduction of oceanic crust. It is likely that deep subduction of oceanic crust occurred along the Longmu Co–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang suture zone (LSLSZ), which would have hindered exhumation owing to the high density of oceanic crust. Subsequent break-off and delamination of the subducted oceanic slab at ~220 Ma may have resulted in exhumation of high-pressure and high-grade metamorphic rocks in the South Qiangtang subterrane. The Late Jurassic ages of metamorphism and deformation obtained in this study indicate the occurrence of an Andean-type orogenic event within the South Qiangtang subterrane. This hypothesis is further supported by an apparent age gap in magmatic activity (150–130 Ma) along the magmatic arc, and the absence of Late Jurassic sediments.</p
Electroactive Hydrogels with Photothermal/Photodynamic Effects for Effective Wound Healing Assisted by Polydopamine-Modified Graphene Oxide
Antibacterial
hydrogel wound dressings have attracted considerable
attention in recent years. However, bacterial infections can occur
at any point during the wound-healing process. There is a demand for
hydrogels that possess on-demand antibacterial and excellent wound
repair properties. Herein, we report a near-infrared (NIR)-light-responsive
indocyanine green (ICG)-loaded polydopamine (PDA)-mediated graphene
oxide (PGO) and amorphous calcium phosphate (CaP)-incorporated poly(vinyl
alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel using a mussel-inspired approach. PGO was
reduced by PDA, which endowed the hydrogel with electroactivity and
provided abundant sites for loading ICG. Amorphous CaP was formed
in situ in the PVA hydrogel to enhance its mechanical properties and
biocompatibility. Taking advantage of the high photothermal and photodynamic
efficiency of ICG-PGO, the ICG-PGO-CaP-PVA hydrogel exhibited fascinating
on-demand antibacterial activity through NIR light irradiation. Moreover,
the thermally induced gel–sol conversion of PVA accelerated
the release of Ca ions and allowed the hydrogel to adapt to irregular
wounds. Meanwhile, PGO endows the hydrogel with conductivity and cell
affinity, which facilitate endogenous electrical signal transfer to
control cell behavior. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that
the ICG-PGO-CaP-PVA hydrogel exhibited a strong tissue repair activity
under NIR light irradiation. This mussel-inspired strategy offers
a novel way to design hydrogel dressings for wound healing
Cambrian granitic gneiss within the central Qiangtang terrane, Tibetan Plateau: implications for the early Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of the Gondwanan margin
<p>The Tibetan Plateau is located in the eastern Himalayan–Alpine orogen, an area where previous research has focused on ophiolites and a high-pressure metamorphic belt, whereas comparatively little research has been undertaken on the Tibetan basement. Cambrian granitic gneiss crops out in the Duguer area of the South Qiangtang terrane in northern Tibet and yields zircon laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U–Pb ages of 502–492 Ma, providing insight into the possible existence of basement rocks within the South Qiangtang terrane. The granitic gneisses are geochemically similar to high-K, calc-alkaline S-type granites, and Hf isotopic analysis of zircons within the gneisses yields negative <i>ε</i>Hf(<i>t</i>) values (–7.4 to – 1.1) and old zircon Hf model ages (T<sub>DM</sub><sup>C</sup> = 1757–1406 Ma). These granitic gneisses were generated by partial melting of ancient pelitic rocks, and the resulting melts were contaminated by a small amount of mantle-derived material. Combining our new data with previous research, we conclude that these Cambrian granitic gneisses developed in a post-collisional tectonic setting after Pan-African tectonism. This suggests that the South Qiangtang terrane might have the same early Palaeozoic crystalline basement as the Lhasa, Himalaya, Baoshan, Gongshan, and Tengchong terranes.</p
Tuning Water-Resistant Networks in Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels for Robust Wet Tissue and Bioelectronic Adhesion
Hydrogels
with robust wet adhesion are desirable for
applications
in aqueous environments. Wet adhesion arising from synergy between
hydrophobic and catechol components in mussel foot proteins has been
highlighted. However, optimizing hydrogels with multiple components
is challenging because of their complex structure–property
relationships. Herein, high-throughput screening of a series of hydrophobic
alkyl monomers and adhesive catechol derivatives was used to systematically
develop wet adhesive hydrogels. Short alkyl chains promote wet adhesion
by repelling water at the adhesive interface, whereas long alkyl chains
form strong hydrophobic interactions inside the hydrogel network that
impede or dissipate energy for wet adhesion. The optimized wet adhesive
hydrogel, containing short alkyl chain, was applied for rapid hemostasis
and wound healing because of the synergistic effect of catechol and
alkyl groups and its immunomodulation ability, which is revealed through
a transcriptomic analysis. Conductive nanocomponents were incorporated
into the optimized hydrogel to produce a wearable device, which was
used for continuous monitoring human electrocardiogram (ECG) during
swimming, and in situ epicardial ECG on a porcine living and beating
heart. This study demonstrated an efficient and generalized molecular
design strategy for multifunctional wet adhesive hydrogels
Tuning Water-Resistant Networks in Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels for Robust Wet Tissue and Bioelectronic Adhesion
Hydrogels
with robust wet adhesion are desirable for
applications
in aqueous environments. Wet adhesion arising from synergy between
hydrophobic and catechol components in mussel foot proteins has been
highlighted. However, optimizing hydrogels with multiple components
is challenging because of their complex structure–property
relationships. Herein, high-throughput screening of a series of hydrophobic
alkyl monomers and adhesive catechol derivatives was used to systematically
develop wet adhesive hydrogels. Short alkyl chains promote wet adhesion
by repelling water at the adhesive interface, whereas long alkyl chains
form strong hydrophobic interactions inside the hydrogel network that
impede or dissipate energy for wet adhesion. The optimized wet adhesive
hydrogel, containing short alkyl chain, was applied for rapid hemostasis
and wound healing because of the synergistic effect of catechol and
alkyl groups and its immunomodulation ability, which is revealed through
a transcriptomic analysis. Conductive nanocomponents were incorporated
into the optimized hydrogel to produce a wearable device, which was
used for continuous monitoring human electrocardiogram (ECG) during
swimming, and in situ epicardial ECG on a porcine living and beating
heart. This study demonstrated an efficient and generalized molecular
design strategy for multifunctional wet adhesive hydrogels
Miocene adakitic volcanism in eastern Lhasa Terrane, Tibet: perspective from zircon U–Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes
The Riduo intermediate-felsic volcanic rocks are located in the eastern Lhasa terrane in southern Tibet. Zircon U–Pb dating, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotope analyses were carried out to constrain the age, petrogenesis and magma source of the Riduo magma suite, including andesite, dacitic tuff, and quartz diorite. Zircon U–Pb dating yielded Early Miocene ages of 19.5 ± 0.5 Ma (andesite), 17.6 ± 0.3 Ma (dacitic tuff), and 15.6 ± 0.5 Ma (quartz diorite). Geochemically, this early Miocene suite is adakitic with high SiO2 (55.76–69.46 wt.%), Al2O3 (15.21–16.61 wt.%), Na2O (3.82–4.83 wt.%), Sr (427–1033 ppm), and Sr/Y (24.5–145), but low Y (2O (0.44–3.82 wt.%). They are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs), large ion lithophile elements (LILEs, e.g. K, Rb, Th and U), but depleted in high-field strength elements (e.g. Nb, Ta) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), and have weakly negative to positive Eu anomalies. Isotope analyses reveal that most samples have high whole-rock initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.705611–0.708807), low εNd(t) (−2.25 to −1.15), and positive zircon εHf (t) (+1.29 to +6.49). We suggest that the early Miocene magmas in the eastern Lhasa terrane were likely sourced from post-collisional partial melting of the juvenile lower crust with minor mantle input. The magmas may have been crustal-contaminated during their ascent to the upper crust along the N-S-trending Cona-Riduo rift.</p
Tuning Water-Resistant Networks in Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels for Robust Wet Tissue and Bioelectronic Adhesion
Hydrogels
with robust wet adhesion are desirable for
applications
in aqueous environments. Wet adhesion arising from synergy between
hydrophobic and catechol components in mussel foot proteins has been
highlighted. However, optimizing hydrogels with multiple components
is challenging because of their complex structure–property
relationships. Herein, high-throughput screening of a series of hydrophobic
alkyl monomers and adhesive catechol derivatives was used to systematically
develop wet adhesive hydrogels. Short alkyl chains promote wet adhesion
by repelling water at the adhesive interface, whereas long alkyl chains
form strong hydrophobic interactions inside the hydrogel network that
impede or dissipate energy for wet adhesion. The optimized wet adhesive
hydrogel, containing short alkyl chain, was applied for rapid hemostasis
and wound healing because of the synergistic effect of catechol and
alkyl groups and its immunomodulation ability, which is revealed through
a transcriptomic analysis. Conductive nanocomponents were incorporated
into the optimized hydrogel to produce a wearable device, which was
used for continuous monitoring human electrocardiogram (ECG) during
swimming, and in situ epicardial ECG on a porcine living and beating
heart. This study demonstrated an efficient and generalized molecular
design strategy for multifunctional wet adhesive hydrogels
Tuning Water-Resistant Networks in Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels for Robust Wet Tissue and Bioelectronic Adhesion
Hydrogels
with robust wet adhesion are desirable for
applications
in aqueous environments. Wet adhesion arising from synergy between
hydrophobic and catechol components in mussel foot proteins has been
highlighted. However, optimizing hydrogels with multiple components
is challenging because of their complex structure–property
relationships. Herein, high-throughput screening of a series of hydrophobic
alkyl monomers and adhesive catechol derivatives was used to systematically
develop wet adhesive hydrogels. Short alkyl chains promote wet adhesion
by repelling water at the adhesive interface, whereas long alkyl chains
form strong hydrophobic interactions inside the hydrogel network that
impede or dissipate energy for wet adhesion. The optimized wet adhesive
hydrogel, containing short alkyl chain, was applied for rapid hemostasis
and wound healing because of the synergistic effect of catechol and
alkyl groups and its immunomodulation ability, which is revealed through
a transcriptomic analysis. Conductive nanocomponents were incorporated
into the optimized hydrogel to produce a wearable device, which was
used for continuous monitoring human electrocardiogram (ECG) during
swimming, and in situ epicardial ECG on a porcine living and beating
heart. This study demonstrated an efficient and generalized molecular
design strategy for multifunctional wet adhesive hydrogels
Tuning Water-Resistant Networks in Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels for Robust Wet Tissue and Bioelectronic Adhesion
Hydrogels
with robust wet adhesion are desirable for
applications
in aqueous environments. Wet adhesion arising from synergy between
hydrophobic and catechol components in mussel foot proteins has been
highlighted. However, optimizing hydrogels with multiple components
is challenging because of their complex structure–property
relationships. Herein, high-throughput screening of a series of hydrophobic
alkyl monomers and adhesive catechol derivatives was used to systematically
develop wet adhesive hydrogels. Short alkyl chains promote wet adhesion
by repelling water at the adhesive interface, whereas long alkyl chains
form strong hydrophobic interactions inside the hydrogel network that
impede or dissipate energy for wet adhesion. The optimized wet adhesive
hydrogel, containing short alkyl chain, was applied for rapid hemostasis
and wound healing because of the synergistic effect of catechol and
alkyl groups and its immunomodulation ability, which is revealed through
a transcriptomic analysis. Conductive nanocomponents were incorporated
into the optimized hydrogel to produce a wearable device, which was
used for continuous monitoring human electrocardiogram (ECG) during
swimming, and in situ epicardial ECG on a porcine living and beating
heart. This study demonstrated an efficient and generalized molecular
design strategy for multifunctional wet adhesive hydrogels
Pulse Electrochemical Driven Rapid Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Polydopamine and Hydroxyapatite Nanofilms via Alternative Redox <i>in Situ</i> Synthesis for Bone Regeneration
Polydopamine (PDA) is an important
candidate material for the surface
modification of biomedical devices because of its good adhesiveness
and biocompatibility. However, PDA nanofilms lack osteoinductivity,
limiting their applications in bone tissue engineering. Hydroxyapatite
nanoparticles (HA-NPs) are the major component of natural bone, which
can be used to effectively enhance the osteoinductivity of PDA nanofilms.
Herein, we developed a pulse electrochemical driven layer-by-layer
(PED-LbL) assembly process to rapidly deposit HA-NPs and PDA (HA-PDA)
multilayer nanofilms. In this process, PDA and HA-NPs are <i>in situ</i> synthesized in two sequential oxidative and reductive
pulses in each electrochemical deposition cycle and alternately deposited
on the substrate surfaces. PDA assists the <i>in situ</i> synthesis of HA-NPs by working as a template, which avoids the noncontrollable
HA nucleation and aggregation. The HA-PDA multilayer nanofilms serve
as a tunable reservoir to deliver bone morphogenetic protein-2 and
exhibit high osteoinductivity both <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>. This PED-LbL assembly process breaks the limitation
of traditional LbL assembly, allowing not only the rapid assembly
of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes but also the <i>in situ</i> synthesis of organic/inorganic NPs that are uniformly incorporated
in the nanofilm. It has broad applications in the preparation of versatile
surface coatings on various biomedical devices
