Smart nanotextiles: materials and their application

Textiles are ubiquitous to us, enveloping our skin and surroundings. Not only do they provide a protective shield or act as a comforting cocoon but they also serve esthetic appeal and cultural importance. Recent technologies have allowed the traditional functionality of textiles to be extended. Advances in materials science have added intelligence to textiles and created ‘smart’ clothes. Smart textiles can sense and react to environmental conditions or stimuli, e.g., from mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, or magnetic sources (Lam Po Tang and Stylios 2006). Such textiles find uses in many applications ranging from military and security to personalized healthcare, hygiene, and entertainment. Smart textiles may be termed ‘‘passive’’ or ‘‘active.’’ A passive smart textile monitors the wearer’s physiology or the environment, e.g., a shirt with in-built thermistors to log body temperature over time. If actuators are integrated, the textile becomes an active, smart textile as it may respond to a particular stimulus, e.g., the temperature-aware shirt may automatically roll up the sleeves when body temperature rises. The fundamental components in any smart textile are sensors and actuators. Interconnections, power supply, and a control unit are also needed to complete the system. All these components must be integrated into textiles while still retaining the usual tactile, flexible, and comfortable properties that we expect from a textile. Adding new functionalities to textiles while still maintaining the look and feel of the fabric is where nanotechnology has a huge impact on the textile industry. This article describes current developments in materials for smart nanotextiles and some of the many applications where these innovative textiles are of great benefit

Numerical Simulation of Canal Seepage During Construction Period Using Improved Node Virtual Flow Method

This study used the improved node virtual flow method to investigate the seepage field of a largescale canal project during construction period, with different dewatering well configurations corresponding to the design cases P1 to P5. In this simulation, the water head distribution, pump discharge and seepage gradient in different cases were obtained and analyzed. By controlling the pumping level of the dewatering well, the relationship between the pumping level and the groundwater level was studied. The results show that reasonable precipitation arrangement can effectively reduce the groundwater level of the foundation pit and provide a strong guarantee for the safe operation of the project

Synthesis of Boron-Containing Primary Amines

[[abstract]]In this study, boron-containing primary amines were synthesized for use as building blocks in the study of peptoids. In the first step, Gabriel synthesis conditions were modified to enable the construction of seven different aminomethylphenyl boronate esters in good to excellent yields. These compounds were further utilized to build peptoid analogs via an Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi-4CR) under microwave irradiation. The prepared Ugi-4CR boronate esters were then successfully converted to the corresponding boronic acids. Finally, the peptoid structures were successfully modified by cross-coupling to aryl/heteroaryl chlorides via a palladium-mediated Suzuki coupling reaction to yield the corresponding derivatives in moderate to good yields.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙

Improved neonatal outcomes by multidisciplinary simulation—a contemporary practice in the demonstration area of China

BackgroundSimulation-based training improves neonatal resuscitation and decreases perinatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Interdisciplinary in-situ simulation may promote quality care in neonatal resuscitation. However, there is limited information regarding the effect of multidisciplinary in-situ simulation training (MIST) on neonatal outcomes. We aimed to investigate the impact of MIST on neonatal resuscitation in reducing the incidence of neonatal asphyxia and related morbidities.MethodsWeekly MIST on neonatal resuscitation has been conducted through neonatal and obstetrical collaboration at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, China, since 2019. Each simulation was facilitated by two instructors and performed by three health care providers from obstetric and neonatal intensive care units, followed by a debriefing of the participants and several designated observers. The incidence of neonatal asphyxia, severe asphyxia, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) before (2017–2018) and after (2019–2020) the commencement of weekly MIST were analyzed.ResultsThere were 81 simulation cases including the resuscitation of preterm neonates of different gestational ages, perinatal distress, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and congenital heart disease with 1,503 participant counts (225 active participants). The respective incidence of neonatal asphyxia, severe asphyxia, HIE, and MAS decreased significantly after MIST (0.64%, 0.06%, 0.01%, and 0.09% vs. 0.84%, 0.14%, 0.10%, and 0.19%, respectively, all P < 0.05).ConclusionsWeekly MIST on neonatal resuscitation decreased the incidence of neonatal asphyxia, severe asphyxia, HIE, and MAS. Implementation of regular resuscitation simulation training is feasible and may improve the quality of neonatal resuscitation with better neonatal outcomes in low- and middle-income countries

Trust as a mediator in the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and IL-6 level in adulthood

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been shown to predict the coupling of depression and inflammation in adulthood. Trust within intimate relationships, a core element in marital relations, has been shown to predict positive physical and mental health outcomes, but the mediating role of trust in partners in the association between CSA and inflammation in adulthood requires further study. The present study aimed to examine the impact of CSA on inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6 and IL-1β) in adults with depression and the mediating role of trust. A cross-sectional survey data set of adults presenting with mood and sleep disturbance was used in the analysis. CSA demonstrated a significant negative correlation with IL-6 level (r = -0.28, p<0. 01) in adults with clinically significant depression, while trust showed a significant positive correlation with IL-6 level (r = 0.36, p < .01). Sobel test and bootstrapping revealed a significant mediating role for trust between CSA and IL-6 level. CSA and trust in partners were revealed to have significant associations with IL-6 level in adulthood. Counterintuitively, the directions of association were not those expected. Trust played a mediating role between CSA and adulthood levels of IL-6. Plausible explanations for these counterintuitive findings are discussed

A Modified Stratified Model for 3C 273 Jet

We present a modified stratified jet model to interpret the observed spectral energy distributions of knots in 3C 273 jet. Based on the hypothesis of the single index of the particle energy spectrum at injection and identical emission processes among all the knots, the observed difference of spectral shape among different 3C273 knots can be understood as a manifestation of deviation of the equivalent Doppler factor of stratified emission regions in individual knot from a characteristic one. The summed spectral energy distribution of all the ten knots in 3C 273 jet can be well fitted by two components, low-energy (radio to optical) component dominated by the synchrotron radiation and high-energy component (UV, X-ray and $\gamma$-ray) dominated by the inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background. This gives a consistent spectral index of $\alpha=0.88$ ($S_\nu \propto \nu^{-\alpha}$) and a characteristic Doppler factor of 7.4. Assuming the average of the summed spectrum as the characteristic spectrum of each knot in the 3C273 jet, we further get a distribution of Doppler factor. We discuss the possible implications of these results for the physical properties in 3C 273 jet. Future GeV observations with $\it GLAST$ could separate the $\gamma$-ray emission of 3C 273 from the large scale jet and the small scale jet (i.e. the core) through measuring the GeV spectrum.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, accepted by ChJA

Listen to genes : dealing with microarray data in the frequency domain

Background: We present a novel and systematic approach to analyze temporal microarray data. The approach includes normalization, clustering and network analysis of genes. Methodology: Genes are normalized using an error model based uniform normalization method aimed at identifying and estimating the sources of variations. The model minimizes the correlation among error terms across replicates. The normalized gene expressions are then clustered in terms of their power spectrum density. The method of complex Granger causality is introduced to reveal interactions between sets of genes. Complex Granger causality along with partial Granger causality is applied in both time and frequency domains to selected as well as all the genes to reveal the interesting networks of interactions. The approach is successfully applied to Arabidopsis leaf microarray data generated from 31,000 genes observed over 22 time points over 22 days. Three circuits: a circadian gene circuit, an ethylene circuit and a new global circuit showing a hierarchical structure to determine the initiators of leaf senescence are analyzed in detail. Conclusions: We use a totally data-driven approach to form biological hypothesis. Clustering using the power-spectrum analysis helps us identify genes of potential interest. Their dynamics can be captured accurately in the time and frequency domain using the methods of complex and partial Granger causality. With the rise in availability of temporal microarray data, such methods can be useful tools in uncovering the hidden biological interactions. We show our method in a step by step manner with help of toy models as well as a real biological dataset. We also analyse three distinct gene circuits of potential interest to Arabidopsis researchers

β3-Adrenoceptor Antagonist SR59230A Attenuates the Imbalance of Systemic and Myocardial Oxygen Transport Induced by Dopamine in Newborn Lambs

Background In neonates, the increase in O 2 -delivery (DO 2 ) by dopamine is offset by a greater increase in O 2 -consumption (VO 2 ). This has been attributed to β 3 -adrenergic receptors in neonatal brown fat tissue. β 3 receptors in the heart have negative inotropic properties. We evaluated the effects of SR59230A, a β 3 -antagonist, on the balance of systemic and myocardial O 2 -transport in newborn lambs treated with dopamine. Methods Lambs (2-5 days old, n = 12) were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Heart rate (HR) and rectal temperature were monitored. VO 2 was measured by respiratory mass spectrometry and cardiac output (CO) by a pulmonary artery transonic flowmeter. Arterial, jugular bulb venous and coronary sinus blood gases and lactate were measured to calculate DO 2 , O 2 extraction ratio (ERO 2 ), myocardial O 2 and lactate extraction ratios (mERO 2 , mERlac). After baseline measurements, lambs were randomized to receive SR59230A at 5 mg/kg iv (SRG) or placebo. Both groups received incremental doses of a dopamine infusion (0-5-10-15-20 mcg/kg/min) every 15 min. Measurements were repeated at the end of each dose. Results After SR59230A infusion, CO and HR trended to decrease ( P = 0.06), but no significant changes occurred in other parameters. Over the incremental doses of dopamine, temperature increased in both groups ( P 0.1). DO 2 trended to a small increase ( P = 0.08). VO 2 increased in both groups ( P < 0.0001) but to a lesser degree in SRG ( P < 0.0001). As a result, ERO 2 increased in both groups ( P < 0.0001), but to a lesser degree in SRG ( P < 0.0001). mERO 2 was lower in SRG ( P = 0.01) with a faster increase ( P < 0.0001). mERlac was higher in SRG ( P = 0.06) with a faster decrease ( P = 0.04). Conclusion Although SR59230A tends to induce an initial drop in CO, it significantly attenuates the rise in VO 2 and hence the imbalance of systemic and myocardial O 2 transport induced by dopamine at higher doses. Studies are warranted to examine the effect of SR59230A in cases of cardiac dysfunction and increased VO 2 , observed after cardiac surgery