Microorganism-regulated mechanisms of temperature effects on the performance of anaerobic digestion

Additional file 2. Additional tables

Metallic skeleton promoted two-phase durable icephobic layers

HypothesisThe accretion of ice on component surfaces often causes severe impacts or accidents in modern industries. Applying icephobic surface is considered as an effective solution to minimise the hazards. However, the durability of the current icephobic surface and coatings for long-term service remains a great challenge. Therefore, it is indeed to develop new durable material structures with great icephobic performance.ExperimentsA new design concept of combining robust porous metallic skeletons and icephobic filling was proposed. Nickel/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) two-phase layer was prepared using porous Ni foam skeletons impregnated with PDMS as filling material by a two-step method.FindingsGood icephobicity and mechanical durability have been verified. Under external force, micro-cracks could easily initiate at the ice/solid interface due to the small surface cavities and the difference of local elastic modulus between the ice and PDMS, which would promote the ice fracture and thus lead to low ice adhesion strength. The surface morphology and icephobicity almost remain unchanged after water-sand erosion, showing greatly improved mechanical durability. By combining the advantages of the mechanical durability of porous Ni skeleton and the icephobicity of PDMS matrix, the Ni foam/PDMS two-phase layer demonstrates great potentials for ice protection with long-term service time

Super-hydrophobic/icephobic coatings based on silica nanoparticles modified by self-assembled monolayers

A super-hydrophobic surface has been obtained from nanocomposite materials based on silica nanoparticles and self-assembled monolayers of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS) using spin coating and chemical vapor deposition methods. Scanning electron microscope images reveal the porous structure of the silica nanoparticles, which can trap small-scale air pockets. An average water contact angle of 163° and bouncing off of incoming water droplets suggest that a super-hydrophobic surface has been obtained based on the silica nanoparticles and POTS coating. The monitored water droplet icing test results show that icing is significantly delayed by silica-based nano-coatings compared with bare substrates and commercial icephobic products. Ice adhesion test results show that the ice adhesion strength is reduced remarkably by silica-based nano-coatings. The bouncing phenomenon of water droplets, the icing delay performance and the lower ice adhesion strength suggest that the super-hydrophobic coatings based on a combination of silica and POTS also show icephobicity. An erosion test rig based on pressurized pneumatic water impinging impact was used to evaluate the durability of the super-hydrophobic/icephobic coatings. The results show that durable coatings have been obtained, although improvement will be needed in future work aiming for applications in aerospace

Moderating Effect of Mindfulness on the Relationships Between Perceived Stress and Mental Health Outcomes Among Chinese Intensive Care Nurses

This study aimed to explore the potential moderating effect of mindfulness and its facets on the relationships among perceived stress and mental health outcomes (burnout, depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being) among Chinese intensive care nurses. A total of 500 Chinese intensive care nurses completed self-report measures of mindfulness, burnout syndromes, perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regressions were applied for data analysis. Mindfulness moderated the effects of perceived stress on emotional exhaustion (the core component of burnout syndrome), depression, anxiety, positive affect, and negative affect but not on the other two dimensions of burnout and life satisfaction. Further analyses indicated that the ability to act with awareness was particularly crucial in improving the effects of perceived stress on depression. These results further broaden our understanding of the relationships between perceived stress and burnout, depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being by demonstrating that mindfulness may serve as a protective factor that alleviates or eliminates the negative effects of perceived stress on depression, anxiety, burnout syndrome, and subjective well-being and may instigate further research into targeted mindfulness interventions for Chinese intensive care nurses

Effect of surface adsorption on icing behaviour of metallic coating

Icephobicity of materials has received intensive attention in recent years due to the increasing requirement of ice protection in aerospace, wind energy and power lines. However, the influencing factors of material icephobicity have not been well identified. In this work, the effect of surface gaseous adsorption on icing behaviour of materials was investigated for the first time. Ni-Cu-P coatings with different surface morphologies were fabricated and used as the objects of the study. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was utilized to observe the water condensation and ice formation on the coatings. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to analyse the variations of surface adsorption. Droplets icing time and ice adhesion strength of the coatings were also studied. The results showed that the icing time of water droplets on the Ni-Cu-P coatings increased significantly, and the ice adhesion strength decreased sharply with the spontaneous surface adsorption of gaseous species (mainly hydrocarbon groups) in air. The adsorbed hydrocarbon species would promote the formation of air pockets between the ice-coating interface, which could effectively reduce the interfacial contact of the formed ice with the coating. When the adsorbed hydrocarbon species were removed by plasma cleaning, water droplets tended to have more direct contacts with the coatings prior to icing, leading to the formation of interlocked ice and significantly increased the ice adhesion on the surface. The variation of surface icephobicity can also be attributed to the changes of surface energy due to the surface adsorption. The results indicated that the surface gaseous adsorption in air played an important role in determining the surface icing behaviour and the icephobicity of the materials

Investigation on time-dependent wetting behavior of Ni-Cu-P ternary coating

Hydrophobic metallic coatings have attracted increasing interest in the recent years due to their excellent mechanical durability. But the wetting behavior and hydrophobic mechanism of metallic coatings are far from clear. In this work, Ni-Cu-P ternary coatings with hierarchical structure were prepared on 304 stainless steel by electrodeposition method. The surface morphologies, phase compositions, and wetting behavior were studied systemically. Time-dependent wetting behaviour of Ni-Cu-P coatings had been clearly observed, and the surface of the as-deposited coatings changed from hydrophilic state to hydrophobic state after aging in ambient air. The related surface wetting mechanism was investigated with the assistance of plasma cleaning to study the possible surface adsorption contributing to the time-dependent wetting behavior. The variations of the surface species were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), showing the composition change of both carbon and the oxygen. The atomic ratio of hydrocarbon on the Ni-Cu-P coating first increased from 78.7% to 86.5% when stored in ambient air and then decreased from 82.3% to 65.9% after the plasma cleaning treatment; while the variation of oxygen content was an opposite trend. The results indicated that the observed time-dependent wettability was a combined result of the adsorption of airborne hydrocarbon and the change of lattice oxygen on the coating surface

Presynaptic density determined by SV2A PET is closely associated with postsynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 availability and independent of amyloid pathology in early cognitive impairment

INTRODUCTION: Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) is involved in regulating integrative brain function and synaptic transmission. Aberrant mGluR5 signaling and relevant synaptic failure play a key role in the pathophysiological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Ten cognitively impaired (CI) individuals and 10 healthy controls (HCs) underwent 18FSynVesT-1 and 18FPSS232 positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance to assess synaptic density and mGluR5 availability. The associations between mGluR5 availability and synaptic density were examined. A mediation analysis was performed to investigate the possible mediating effects of mGluR5 availability and synaptic loss on the relationship between amyloid deposition and cognition. RESULTS: CI patients exhibited lower mGluR5 availability and synaptic density in the medial temporal lobe than HCs. Regional synaptic density was closely associated with regional mGluR5 availability. mGluR5 availability and synaptic loss partially mediated the relationship between amyloid deposition and cognition. CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in mGluR5 availability and synaptic density exhibit similar spatial patterns in AD and are closely linked. Highlights - Cognitively impaired patients exhibited lower mGluR5 availability and synaptic density in the medial temporal lobe than HCs. - Reductions in mGluR5 availability and synaptic density exhibit similar spatial patterns in AD. - Regional synaptic density was closely associated with regional mGluR5 availability. - mGluR5 availability and synaptic loss partially mediated the relationship between amyloid deposition and global cognition. - With further research, modulating mGluR5 availability might be a potential therapeutic strategy for improving synaptic function in AD

Ordovician geology and stratigraphy of China: A synthesis

China presently comprises several tectonic blocks and regions assembled over geological time and having independent histories. During the Ordovician, these blocks included South China, North China, Tarim, Qaidam, Junggar, Qiangtang-Qamdo, Lhasa and partially Himalaya, Sibumasu and Indochina, as well as the Altay-Xingâan and Songpan-Garze fold belts, which were discrete but adjacent. Twelve stratigraphic megaregions bounded by tectonic sutures or major fault zones are recognised for the Ordovician System. Some of them are further subdivided into regions according to specific lithological and biotic facies or distinct stratigraphic successions. The palaeontological features and biostratigraphic framework of these stratigraphic megaregions and regions are summarised. The unified biostratigraphic framework presented herein includes 33 graptolite and 27 conodont biozones through the Ordovician, together with supplementary biozones, communities or associations of brachiopods, trilobites, cephalopods, chitinozoans, acritarchs and radiolarians. With the constraints of integrative chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy, along with some geochronological data, our understanding of the temporal and spatial distribution of the Ordovician lithostratigraphic units on these major blocks has been significantly advanced. The refined integrative stratigraphic framework of the Ordovician provides a precise constraint on the major tectonic orogenies and biotic events evident in China

Tumor regression rate, PD-L1 expression, pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel–based regimens, squamous cell carcinoma, and comorbidities were independently associated with efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

BackgroundNeoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NCIO) is more effective than neoadjuvant immunotherapy alone for pathological response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but the processes for determining patient suitability for its implementation are not clear. We aimed to identify the most relevant factors and build a convenient model to select NSCLC patients who would benefit most from NCIO.Methods We retrospectively collected the clinical data of patients with locally advanced NSCLC who received NCIO followed by surgery at our institution between January 2019 and July 2022.ResultsA total of 101 eligible stage IIB-IIIC NSCLC patients were included. After NCIO, all patients successfully underwent surgical resection. A total of 46.53% (47/101) of patients achieved pathological complete response (pCR), and 70.30% (71/101) achieved major pathologic response (MPR). Tumor regression rate (adjusted odds ratio OR = 12.33), PD-L1 expression (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 9.66), pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel–based regimens (adjusted OR = 4.92), and comorbidities (adjusted OR = 0.16) were independently associated with pCR rate (all P < 0.05). Tumor regression rate (adjusted OR = 8.45), PD-L1 expression (adjusted OR = 5.35), and presence of squamous cell carcinoma (adjusted OR = 7.02) were independently associated with MPR rate (all P < 0.05). We established and validated an easy-to-use clinical model to predict pCR (with an area under the curve [AUC] of 0.848) and MPR (with an AUC of 0.847). Of note, the present study showed that CD4+ T-cell count/rate and total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the peripheral blood of pre-NCIO patients were also significantly correlated with pathological response in univariate analyses.ConclusionsThe tumor regression rate, PD-L1 expression, pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel–based regimens, presence of squamous cell carcinoma, and comorbidities were the main influential factors for incidence of pCR/MPR in patients with stage IIB-IIIC NSCLC in the present study. Through predictive models, we can predict who will benefit most from NCIO prior to the emergence of clinical outcomes in locally advanced NSCLC

Distinct miRNAs associated with various clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in viral infections, but their associations with SARS-CoV-2 infection remain poorly understood. Here, we detected 85 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) from 2,336 known and 361 novel miRNAs that were identified in 233 plasma samples from 61 healthy controls and 116 patients with COVID-19 using the high-throughput sequencing and computational analysis. These DE-miRNAs were associated with SASR-CoV-2 infection, disease severity, and viral persistence in the patients with COVID-19, respectively. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses of the DE-miRNAs revealed their connections to viral infections, immune responses, and lung diseases. Finally, we established a machine learning model using the DE-miRNAs between various groups for classification of COVID-19 cases with different clinical presentations. Our findings may help understand the contribution of miRNAs to the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and identify potential biomarkers and molecular targets for diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection