Intelligent Biosensors for Healthcare 5.0

Increasing demands for smart health management driven by aging population and chronic diseases are transforming traditional healthcare delivery into intelligent and personalized ones. However, some critical issues still exist in the development of intelligent biosensors towards the new era of healthcare 5.0, such as the design and fabrication of highly integrated biosensing devices, the exploitation of artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), the complete realization of smart disease control and health management, etc. Recent advances have explored the feasibility of miniaturized and portable biosensing device for household diagnostics, whereas the integration of IoT and AI is an unmet challenge. Hence, this chapter summarizes promising on-going efforts with emphasis on two domains: electrochemistry and spectroscopy. State-of-the-art intelligent biosensors are presented and insights in prospective exploration directions are discussed in the context of Healthcare 5.0

Comparative transcriptomes reveal molecular mechanisms of apple blossoms of different tolerance genotypes to chilling injury

Apple (Malus domestica, Borkh.) is one of the four largest fruits in the world. Freezing damage during the flowering period of apples is one of the main factors leading to the reduction or even extinction of apple production. Molecular breeding of hardy apples is a good solution to these problems. However, the current screening of cold tolerance genes still needs to be resolved. Therefore, in this article, the transcriptome detection and cold tolerance gene screening during the cold adaptation process of apple were studied in order to obtain potential cold-resistant genes. Herein, two high-quality apple tree species (Malus robusta Rehd and M. domestica) were used for cold adaptation experiments and studied under different low-temperature stress conditions (0, −2 and −4°C). The antioxidant levels of two apple flower tissues were tested, and the transcriptome of the flowers after cold culture was tested by next-generation sequencing technology. Antioxidant test results show that the elimination of peroxides in M. robusta Rehd and the adjustment of the expression of antioxidant enzymes promote the cold resistance of this variety of apples. Functional enrichment found that the expression of enzyme activity, cell wall and cell membrane structure, glucose metabolism/gluconeogenesis, and signal transmission are the main biological processes that affect the differences in the cold resistance characteristics of the two apples. In addition, three potential cold-resistant genes AtERF4, RuBisCO activase 1, and an unknown gene (ID: MD09G1075000) were screened. In this study, three potential cold-resistant genes (AtERF4, RuBisCO activase 1, and an unknown gene [ID: MD09G1075000]) and three cold-repressed differential genes (AtDTX29, XTH1, and TLP) were screened

Evacuation Simulation Implemented by ABM-BIM of Unity in Students’ Dormitory Based on Delay Time

China’s university dormitories have high population densities, which can result in a large number of casualties because of crowding and stampedes during emergency evacuations. It is therefore important to plan properly for evacuations by mitigating the effect of choke points that create backlogs ahead of time. Accurate computer representations of the structure of a building and behavior of the evacuees are two important factors to obtain accurate evacuation time. In this paper, Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are, respectively, implemented using the Unity platform to simulate the evacuation process. As a case study, the layout of a student dormitory building at Shanghai Normal University Xuhui District, Shanghai, China, is utilized along with the A* algorithm in Unity to explore the impact of evacuation speed and delays in creating choke points. Compared with previous research, the innovation of this study lies in: (1) using Unity software to make simulation of the physical environment both realistic and easy to implement, demonstrating Unity can be a well-developed platform to implement ABM-BIM research that focuses on crowd evacuation. (2) Using these simulations to evaluate different degrees of congestion caused by varying evacuation speeds, thus providing information about possible issues relating to evacuation efforts. Using the results, several recommended measures can be generated to help improve evacuation efficiency

Testing the MODIS Satellite Retrieval of Aerosol Fine-Mode Fraction

Satellite retrievals of the fine-mode fraction (FMF) of midvisible aerosol optical depth, tau, are potentially valuable for constraining chemical transport models and for assessing the global distribution of anthropogenic aerosols. Here we compare satellite retrievals of FMF from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to suborbital data on the submicrometer fraction (SMF) of tau. SMF is a closely related parameter that is directly measurable by in situ techniques. The primary suborbital method uses in situ profiling of SMF combined with airborne Sun photometry both to validate the in situ estimate of ambient extinction and to take into account the aerosol above the highest flight level. This method is independent of the satellite retrieval and has well-known accuracy but entails considerable logistical and technical difficulties. An alternate method uses Sun photometer measurements near the surface and an empirical relation between SMF and the Angstrom exponent, A, a measure of the wavelength dependence of optical depth or extinction. Eleven primary and fifteen alternate comparisons are examined involving varying mixtures of dust, sea salt, and pollution in the vicinity of Korea and Japan. MODIS ocean retrievals of FMF are shown to be systematically higher than suborbital estimates of SMF by about 0.2. The most significant cause of this discrepancy involves the relationship between 5 and fine-mode partitioning; in situ measurements indicate a systematically different relationship from what is assumed in the satellite retrievals. Based on these findings, we recommend: (1) satellite programs should concentrate on retrieving and validating since an excellent validation program is in place for doing this, and (2) suborbital measurements should be used to derive relationships between A and fine-mode partitioning to allow interpretation of the satellite data in terms of fine-mode aerosol optical depth

Efficient and stable perovskite solar cells by build-in pi-columns and ionic interfaces in covalent organic frameworks

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted much attention due to their rapidly increased power conversion efficiencies, however, their inherent poor long-term stability hinders their commercialization. The degradation of PSCs first comes from the degradation of hole transport materials (HTMs). Here, we report the construction of periodic p-columnar arrays and ionic interfaces over the skeletons by introducing cationic covalent organic frameworks (C-COFs) to the HTM. Periodic p-columnar arrays can optimize the charge transport ability and energy levels of the hole transport layer and suppress the degradation of HTM, and ionic interfaces over the skeletons can produce stronger electric dipole and electrostatic interactions, as well as higher charge densities. The C-COFs were designed and synthesized via Schiff base reaction by using 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol as a neutral knot and dimidium bromide as cationic linker. The neutral COFs (N-COFs) were also synthesized as a reference by using 3,8-diamino-6-phenylphenanthridine as neutral linker. PSCs with cationic COF exhibit the highest efficiency of 23.4% with excellent humidity and thermal stability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest efficiency among the meso-structured PSCs fabricated by a sequential process

Halide-chalcogenide hetero-structure for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have experienced rapid growth in power conversion ef-ficiencies (PCEs), however, their commercialization is limited by their inherent poor long-term stability. Mixed halide and chalcogenide is a good pathway to fabricate highly efficient and stable solar cells. Here, we con-structed halide-chalcogenide hetero-structure in PSCs by incorporating Bi2S3 quantum dots (QDs) into 2,2 ',7,7 '- tetrakis-(N,N-di-4-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9 '-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). The construction of halide-chalcogenide hetero-structure optimizes the energy level matching between spiro-OMeTAD and perovskite, in-hibits the decomposition of alpha-phase FAPbI3 and the formation of delta-phase FAPbI3, increases the hole mobility of spiro-OMeTAD, reduces the defect density, and passivates the defect states. The solar cells with halide-chalcogenide hetero-structure prepared by 0.5 mg/mL Bi2S3 QDs exhibited the highest PCE of 23.31% at stan-dard air mass 1.5 global with enhanced humidity stability. This work provides a perspective on the introduction of halide-chalcogenide hetero-structure to enhance the stability of PSCs

Long-term stability and salt-responsive behavior of polyzwitterionic brushes with cross-linked structure

Long-term stability and salt-responsive behavior of polyzwitterionic brushes with cross-linked structur

Anaerobic digestion of corn straw pretreated by ultrasonic combined with aerobic hydrolysis

Corn straw (CS) was pretreated by ultrasonic combined aerobic with biogas slurry as medium for anaerobic digestion (AD), that strengthened the degradation efficiency CS, varied in the composition of digestion slurry, thereby the methane production was increased. Central combinatorial design (CCD) test was used to treat CS at ultrasonic power (200, 400, and 600 W), time (10, 20, and 30 min) and AD for 25 days, at 37 +/- 1celcius. According to data showed that the pH and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) affected methane production directly. With an ultrasonic power 309 W, time 26 min, it reached the maximum content of VFAs with 16.24 g/L, the cumulative methane production achieved the highest with 198.56 mL/g VS, which was 46.73% higher than unpretreated raw material as CK. Ultrasonic-aerobic hydrolysis pretreatment can obtain higher VFAs and methane production content in a short period of time that is great significance to biogas engineering

Image_1_Protocol of a randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and neural correlates of mindfulness-based habit reversal training in children with Tourette syndrome.TIF

BackgroundTourette syndrome (TS) is a developmental neuropsychiatric disorder. Behavior therapy, especially habit reversal training (HRT), has gradually become regarded as one of the core therapies for TS. Mindfulness approaches can improve psychological adjustment and reduce stress and anxiety, suggesting potential benefits when incorporated into behavior therapy. To improve the efficacy of HRT, we combined it with mindfulness, an approach named mindfulness-based habitual reversal training (MHRT). The aim of this protocol is to investigate the efficacy and neural mechanisms of MHRT for TS.Methods/designWe will perform a randomized control trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy and neural mechanisms of MHRT. The sample will include 160 participants (including 120 patients with TS and 40 healthy controls). The patient sample will be randomly divided into three groups exposed to three different types of training: MHRT, HRT, and psychoeducation and supportive therapy (PST). Participants will be assessed and undergo resting-state fMRI scans at baseline and at the end of the 12-week training. The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and Premonitory Urge for Tic Scale (PUTS) will be used to assess the severity of tic symptoms and premonitory urges. The primary outcomes are change scores on the YGTSS and other assessments from baseline and the end of the training. The secondary outcomes are the neural correlates of these trainings among these groups based on graph theory, which is used to characterize brain functional connectivity networks. The default mode network (DMN) and the salience network (SN) will be assessed (which have been associated with mindfulness as well as the generation of tic symptoms) by network parameters, including clustering coefficients and shortest path lengths. Changes in these network parameters will be regarded as the neural correlates of the behavioral training.DiscussionMHRT was newly developed for the treatment of TS. MHRT may lead to greater reductions in tic severity than traditional HRT. Changes in the network parameters of the DMN and SN may show associations with the efficacy of MHRT.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100053077, China.</p