Topography-induced symmetry transition of droplets on quasi-periodically patterned surfaces

Quasi-periodic structures of quasicrystals yield novel effects in diverse systems. However, there is little investigation on employing quasi-periodic structures in the morphology control. Here, we show the use of quasi-periodic surface structures in controlling the transition of liquid droplets. Although surface structures seem random-like, we find that on these surfaces, droplets spread to well-defined 5-fold symmetric shapes and the symmetry of droplet shapes spontaneously restore during spreading, hitherto unreported in the morphology control of droplets. To obtain physical insights into these symmetry transitions, we conduct energy analysis and perform systematic experiments by varying properties of both liquid droplet and patterned surface. The results show the dominant factors in determining droplet shapes to be surface topography and the self-similarity of the surface structure. Our findings significantly advance the control capability of the droplet morphology. Such a quasi-periodic patterning strategy can offer a new method to achieve complex patterns

Customizing the promotion strategies of integrated air-bus service based on passenger satisfaction

The integrated air-bus service expands the catchment area and alleviates congestion of regional airports. To gain further insights into the unexplored potential attributes of the integrated service that generate passenger satisfaction, this paper utilizes a two-stage analysis approach to identify the key promotion factors for passengers from different constituents. Based on the survey data collected in Nanjing Lukou International Airport, this paper 1) uses k-means clustering to categorize respondents into four groups. 2) Combines the gradient boosting decision tree and impact asymmetry analysis to identify the attributes that have nonlinear influences on the overall service satisfaction for each group respectively. Results suggest that the timetable of the airport bus is critical for all passenger groups. Interestingly, there are noticeable differences in passenger satisfaction with the accessibility, cost affordability, comfort, reliability, and integration of the integrated service, providing the basis for customizing service promotion strategies among different passenger groups and airports.</p

Dynamic polygonal spreading of a droplet on a lyophilic pillar-arrayed surface

<p>We experimentally investigated the dynamic polygonal spreading of droplets on lyophilic pillar-arrayed substrates. When deposited on lyophilic rough surfaces, droplets adopt dynamic evolutions of projected shapes from initial circles to final bilayer polygons. These dynamic processes are distinguished in two regimes on the varied substrates. The bilayer structure of a droplet, induced by micropillars on the surface, was explained by the interaction between the fringe (liquid in the space among the micropillars) and the bulk (upper liquid). The evolution of polygonal shapes, following the symmetry of the pillar-arrayed surface, was analysed by the competition effects of excess driving energy and resistance which were induced by micropillars with increasing solid surface area fraction. Though the anisotropic droplets spread in different regimes, they obey the same scaling law <i>S</i> ~ <i>t</i>^2/3 (<i>S</i> being the wetted area and <i>t</i> being the spreading time), which is derived from the molecular kinetic theory. These results may expand our knowledge of the liquid dynamics on patterned surfaces and assist surface design in practical applications.</p

Nano-Hollow Zeolite-Encapsulated Highly Dispersed Ultra-Fine Fe Nanoparticles as Fischer–Tropsch Catalyst for Syngas-to-Olefins

A nano-hollow zeolite-encapsulating ultra-fine Fe nanoparticle catalyst denoted as Fe@n-hS-HT was successfully synthesized through a simple water steam treatment of the Fe@n-hS catalyst prepared by the “dissolution–recrystallization” (D-R) method. The Fe@n-hS-HT catalyst had a hierarchical porous structure and a high dispersion of Fe2O3 particles with a size of 3.4 nm. Furthermore, the results of several characterization methods, such as XRD, HAADF-STEM, and H2-TPR, further demonstrated the transformation of the skeleton Fe in Fe@n-hS into Fe2O3, which was uniformly dispersed in the Fe@n-hS-HT catalyst. Meanwhile, Fe@n-hS-HT had significantly higher selectivity and yield of C2-C4= than the reference catalysts Fe/S and Fe@n-hS, which provided strong proof for the confined catalysis of the metal@zeolite catalyst

Endoplasmic reticulum stressed HNSCC cell-derived exosomal miR-26a-5p promotes PD-L1 expression in macrophage through PTEN/AKT signaling pathway

Objective To investigate the impact of exosomal miRNAs derived from endoplasmic reticulum-stressed (ERS) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells on macrophages. Methods This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee. The expression levels of ERS-associated proteins, including protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), in HNSCC tissues and para-tumor tissues were detected by Western blot (WB) and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). HN4 human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells were treated with 500 U/mL interferon-γ (IFN-γ) for 48 h to induce ER stress, and exosomes secreted by ER-stressed HN4 cells were collected and identified. The types of miRNAs in exosomes were identified through bioinformatics analysis, and the target genes of miRNAs were predicted. Macrophages were transfected with miRNA, co cultured with collected exosomes, and the expression of PTEN in macrophages was knocked down. The downstream signaling pathway regulated by exosomal miRNAs was studied by WB and RT-qPCR. Results Compared with that in para-tumor tissues, the expression level of ER stress-associated proteins in HNSCC tissues was increased (P<0.05). RNA-seq analysis revealed that miR-26a-5p was highly upregulated in ER-stressed HN4 cell-derived exosomes (P<0.05). PTEN is the target gene for miR-26a-5p. miR-26a-5p increased the expression level of PD-L1 in macrophages and downregulated the expression of PTEN (P<0.05). Macrophages co cultured with ERS extracellular vesicles showed an increase in miR-26a-5p and PD-L1 expression, a decrease in PTEN expression, and an increase in p-AKT expression (P<0.05). Knock down the expression of PTEN in macrophages and increase the expression of PD-L1 (P<0.01). Conclusion ERS HNSCC cell-derived exosomal miR-26a-5p promotes the expression of PD-L1 in macrophages through the PTEN/AKT signaling pathway

Biochar-Based Fertilizer Decreased Soil N2O Emission and Increased Soil CH4 Uptake in a Subtropical Typical Bamboo Plantation

Soil is a crucial contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere. The reduction of GHG emissions in plantation management is crucial to combating and mitigating global climate change. A 12-month field trial was conducted to explore the effects of different fertilization treatments (control, without fertilizer (CK); biochar-based fertilizer treatment (BFT); chemical fertilizer treatment (CFT); and mixture of 50% BFT and 50% CFT (MFT)) on the soil GHG emissions of a typical bamboo (Pleioblastus amarus (Keng) Keng f.) plantation. The results demonstrated that compared with the CK, BFT reduced the annual cumulative soil N2O emission by 16.3% (p &lt; 0.01), while CFT and MFT significantly increased it by 31.0% and 23.3% (p &lt; 0.01), respectively. Meanwhile, BFT and MFT increased the annual cumulative soil CH4 uptake by 5.8% (p &lt; 0.01) and 7.5% (p &lt; 0.01), respectively, while there was no statistically significant difference between CFT and the control. In addition, BFT, CFT, and MFT significantly increased the annual cumulative soil CO2 emission by 9.4% (p &lt; 0.05), 13.0% (p &lt; 0.01), and 26.5% (p &lt; 0.01). The global warming potential (GWP) of BFT did not change significantly, while CFT and MFT increased the GWP by 13.7% (p &lt; 0.05) and 28.6% (p &lt; 0.05), respectively, compared with the control. Structural equation modeling revealed different treatments affected soil N2O and CH4 emission by changing soil labile carbon and labile nitrogen pools. This study suggests utilizing BFT new ideas and strategies for mitigating GHG emissions from soils in subtropical Pleioblastus amarus plantations

Biochar-Based Fertilizer Decreased Soil N₂O Emission and Increased Soil CH₄ Uptake in a Subtropical Typical Bamboo Plantation

Soil is a crucial contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere. The reduction of GHG emissions in plantation management is crucial to combating and mitigating global climate change. A 12-month field trial was conducted to explore the effects of different fertilization treatments (control, without fertilizer (CK); biochar-based fertilizer treatment (BFT); chemical fertilizer treatment (CFT); and mixture of 50% BFT and 50% CFT (MFT)) on the soil GHG emissions of a typical bamboo (Pleioblastus amarus (Keng) Keng f.) plantation. The results demonstrated that compared with the CK, BFT reduced the annual cumulative soil N2O emission by 16.3% (p p 4 uptake by 5.8% (p p 2 emission by 9.4% (p p p p p 2O and CH4 emission by changing soil labile carbon and labile nitrogen pools. This study suggests utilizing BFT new ideas and strategies for mitigating GHG emissions from soils in subtropical Pleioblastus amarus plantations