Alignment-Assisted Networks of Polyelectrolyte-Grafted Cellulose Nanocrystals

This study aims to understand the role of polyelectrolyte grafting on the dispersed cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) rods in water through measuring transport coefficients using depolarized and polarized dynamic light scattering and by measuring the viscoelastic properties using rheometer. Rotational and translational diffusivities are found to slow down with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-grafted chains compared to bare CNCs. Translational diffusion is shown to remain constant between pH 3 and 9, indicating the good dispersion and stability of PAA-grafted CNC suspensions. At the overlap solution concentration, chains play a significant role in bridging the CNC and form a network, as measured with the viscoelastic properties of neutral chains. When chains are ionized by altering the pH, the higher viscosity is measured because of the hydrogen bonding between ionized and un-ionized carboxylic groups, as previously demonstrated with PAA-grafted spherical nanoparticles. We further measured the viscoelastic response of PAA-grafted CNC after applying large steady shear. The results show that CNCs with long grafts presented enhanced viscoelastic moduli, and their critical strain value decreased after large shear flow application. Short grafts, in contrast to the long grafts, did not show any changes in the viscoelastic response under shear. These results indicate that the alignment-assisted networks of PAA-grafted CNC enable better entanglements between long grafted chains at the neutral state

Spatial Distribution and Phase Transition Characteristics of Methane Hydrate in the Water-Excess and Gas-Excess Deposits

Methane hydrate is considered as a new environmentally friendly energy to meet future society development. To achieve safe and efficient hydrate production, it is critical to understand the hydrate accumulation characteristics in different deposits, considering the geological feature differences. In this study, the hydrate distribution characteristics in the gas-excess and water-excess deposits were visually investigated by using magnetic resonance imaging technology. Moreover, the effect of the initial gas pressure on hydrate formation behaviors and stability was analyzed. The results showed that methane hydrate first formed in the water–gas interface for the water-excess deposit, and then, the hydrate formation front gradually expanded into the water phase accumulation area. Moreover, the methane hydrate distribution was mainly determined by the initial distribution of water and gas in the porous media. For the water-excess deposit, the spatial distribution of methane hydrate showed an obvious heterogeneity, and the mass hydrate accumulated at the bottom of the deposit. However, a uniform distribution of methane hydrate in the gas-excess deposit was observed. Furthermore, methane hydrate that formed in the higher initial gas pressure and the water-excess environment had good stability during the water flow process, which prolonged the duration of the hydrate decomposition process. The findings attempt to provide valuable information and guidelines for understanding the gas hydrate system

A Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for Combat-Related PTSD among Military Personnel and Veterans

<div><p>Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a complex and chronic disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic event, is a common psychological result of current military operations. It causes substantial distress and interferes with personal and social functioning. Consequently, identifying the risk factors that make military personnel and veterans more likely to experience PTSD is of academic, clinical, and social importance. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO) were used to search for observational studies (cross-sectional, retrospective, and cohort studies) about PTSD after deployment to combat areas. The literature search, study selection, and data extraction were conducted by two of the authors independently. Thirty-two articles were included in this study. Summary estimates were obtained using random-effects models. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias tests were performed. The prevalence of combat-related PTSD ranged from 1.09% to 34.84%. A total of 18 significant predictors of PTSD among military personnel and veterans were found. Risk factors stemming from before the trauma include female gender, ethnic minority status, low education, non-officer ranks, army service, combat specialization, high numbers of deployments, longer cumulative length of deployments, more adverse life events, prior trauma exposure, and prior psychological problems. Various aspects of the trauma period also constituted risk factors. These include increased combat exposure, discharging a weapon, witnessing someone being wounded or killed, severe trauma, and deployment-related stressors. Lastly, lack of post-deployment support during the post-trauma period also increased the risk of PTSD. The current analysis provides evidence of risk factors for combat-related PTSD in military personnel and veterans. More research is needed to determine how these variables interact and how to best protect against susceptibility to PTSD.</p></div

Time-lag analysis of NTAs community dynamics in Bt (a) and non-Bt (b) corn plots.

<p>Time-lag analysis of NTAs community dynamics in Bt (a) and non-Bt (b) corn plots.</p

Principal response curve (PRC) resulting from the analysis of NTAs abundance dataset for the whole study period.

<p>The vertical axis represents the difference in community structure between Bt (filled squares) and non-Bt (empty circles) corn plots expressed as regression coefficients (<i>Cdt</i>) of the PRC model. The species weight (<i>b_k</i>) can be regarded as the affinity of the taxon to the principal response. Only species with a weight less than -0.5 or greater than 0.5 are shown.</p

The relationship between soldiers satisfaction and the hospitalizations aspect, received inpatient care and perception variables.

<p>The relationship between soldiers satisfaction and the hospitalizations aspect, received inpatient care and perception variables.</p

Factors associated with overall outpatient satisfaction in the army after logistic regression analysis.

<p>Factors associated with overall outpatient satisfaction in the army after logistic regression analysis.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Increase of Albinistic Hosts Caused by Gut Parasites Promotes Self-Transmission.docx

<p>Paranosema locustae is a gut parasite that has been applied widely in the control of grasshoppers in many parts of the world. Usually, P. locustae is transmitted horizontally via passive modes under natural conditions but in the current study, a positive transmission strategy of P. locustae was demonstrated. First, infection by P. locustae resulted in the cuticula of infected Locusta migratoria nymphs to become lighter in color: normally only a small proportion of locusts are pale with most either being partly or mostly black; but locusts infected with P. locustae became pale. And it was found that the change to pale occurred even among uninfected black and partly black nymphs reared with infected locusts. The eumelanin of the thorax and abdomen of infected individuals decreased significantly, as did the level of dopamine. In addition, there was a decrease in phenol oxidase activity and the expression of henna and pale, which are involved in the synthesis of cuticle melanin, decreased. What is the ecological significance of this increase in light-colored hosts caused by P. locustae? We discovered that light-colored locusts were more susceptible to the microsporidian pathogen than dark-colored individuals were, because of their weaker melanization. Phenol oxidase activity in pale locusts was lower than that of black locusts, but the serpin expression level of pale locusts was higher than that of black individuals. When examined for infection, it was found that initially uninfected nymphs had picked up P. locustae infections indicating that infections are readily passed from one pale locust to another. The infection rate of healthy locusts reared with light-colored locusts infected with P. locustae was 100% which was more than with black-colored ones. The increase in albinistic locusts clearly promoted the prevalence of P. locustae in the total population. In conclusion, these results elucidated a new strategy of positive self-transmission in P. locustae.</p><p>Importance:</p><p>Mother Nature always grants wisdom to her creatures and feeds them carefully. This wisdom is particularly apparent in the relationships between two interacting species. In this study, our team focused on the interaction between L. migratoria and P. locustae. In a previous study, it was found that L. migratoria isolate infected individuals, reducing avoiding the spread of P. locustae, in a previous study. The solitary, pale individuals infected by P. locustae were left behind as locust groups marched ahead, leading to a kind of behavioral immunity in the insects. Here, we reported that P. locustae promotes pigmentation loss in L. migratoria, causing a larger proportion of light-colored individuals, and these lighter individuals which possessed weaker immunity against pathogens. This strategy is advantageous to P. locustae, as it promotes its propagation and spread. These extraordinary abilities of L. migratoria and P. locustae have accumulated over millennia of years of interaction.</p

Flow of study selection.

<p>Flow of study selection.</p

Changes in mean ± SE (n = 3) values of descriptors of the NTAs communities in Bt and non-Bt corn.

<p>(a) Total abundance; (b) Shannon's diversity index; (c) Pielou's evenness index; (d) Simpson's diversity index. Empty squares represent Bt corn and empty circles represent non-Bt corn. Statistically significant difference according to one-way ANOVA: *: 0.01<<i>p</i>≤0.05; **: 0.001<<i>p</i>≤0.01; ***: <i>p</i>≤0.001.</p