Functional Liquid Metal Nanoparticles Produced by Liquid-Based Nebulization

Functional liquid metal nanoparticles (NPs), produced from eutectic alloys of gallium, promise new horizons in the fields of sensors, microfluidics, flexible electronics, catalysis, and biomedicine. Here, the development of a vapor cavity generating ultrasonic platform for nebulizing liquid metal within aqueous media for the one-step production of stable and functional liquid metal NPs is shown. The size distribution of the NPs is fully characterized and it is demonstrated that various macro and small molecules can also be grafted onto these liquid metal NPs during the liquid-based nebulization process. The cytotoxicity of the NPs grafted with different molecules is further explored. Moreover, it is shown that it is possible to control the thickness of the oxide layer on the produced NPs using electrochemistry that can be embedded within the platform. It is envisaged that this platform can be adapted as a cost-effective and versatile device for the rapid production of functional liquid metal NPs for future liquid metal-based optical, electronic, catalytic, and biomedical applications

The effectiveness of continuing education programmes for health workers in rural and remote areas: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Health workers in rural and remote areas shoulder heavy responsibilities for rural residents. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of continuing education programs for health workers in rural and remote areas. Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched on 28 November 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies evaluating the effectiveness of continuing education for health workers in rural and remote areas were included. The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias tool provided by Effective Practice and Organization of Care. A meta-analysis was performed for eligible trials, and the other findings were presented as a narrative review because of inconsistent study types and outcomes. Results: A total of 17 studies were included, four of which were RCTs. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared to no intervention, continuing education programs significantly improved the knowledge awareness rate of participants (odds ratio=4.09, 95% confidence interval 2.51-6.67, p<0.05). Qualitative analysis showed that 12 studies reported on the level of knowledge of participants, with all showing positive changes. Eight studies measured the performance of health workers in rural and remote areas, with 87.50% (n=7) finding improved performance. Two studies reported on the impact of continuing education programs for health workers in rural and remote areas on patient health, with only one showing a positive change. One study from India measured the health of communities, which showed a positive change. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that continuing education programs are an effective way to address the lack of knowledge and skills among health workers in rural and remote areas. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of education programs for health workers in rural and remote areas in improving patient health outcomes. It is not yet known whether the delivery of continuing education programs to health workers in rural areas has a positive impact on patient and community health. Future attention should continue to be paid to the impact on these outcomes

Continuous and comprehensive atmospheric observations in Beijing : a station to understand the complex urban atmospheric environment

Peer reviewe

The effect of COVID-19 restrictions on atmospheric new particle formation in Beijing

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the dramatic reduction of anthropogenic emissions provided a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of reduced anthropogenic activity and primary emissions on atmospheric chemical processes and the consequent formation of secondary pollutants. Here, we utilize comprehensive observations to examine the response of atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) to the changes in the atmospheric chemical cocktail. We find that the main clustering process was unaffected by the drastically reduced traffic emissions, and the formation rate of 1.5 nm particles remained unaltered. However, particle survival probability was enhanced due to an increased particle growth rate (GR) during the lockdown period, explaining the enhanced NPF activity in earlier studies. For GR at 1.5-3 nm, sulfuric acid (SA) was the main contributor at high temperatures, whilst there were unaccounted contributing vapors at low temperatures. For GR at 3-7 and 7-15 nm, oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) played a major role. Surprisingly, OOM composition and volatility were insensitive to the large change of atmospheric NOx concentration; instead the associated high particle growth rates and high OOM concentration during the lockdown period were mostly caused by the enhanced atmospheric oxidative capacity. Overall, our findings suggest a limited role of traffic emissions in NPF.Peer reviewe

Programación "flow-based" para el IoT

[ES] La programación basada en flujo (PBF) es un paradigma de programación que define las aplicaciones como redes de procesos de "caja negra", los cuales intercambian datos a través de conexiones predefinidas por pasos de mensajes, donde las conexiones están especificadas externamente a los procesos. Estos procesos de caja negra pueden ser conectados un numero ilimitado de veces para formar diferentes aplicaciones sin tener que ser modificados internamente. En el IoT se está empezando a utilizar este paradigma con plataformas como NodeRED, Flowhub, NoFlo, MsgFlo, imgflo y MicroFlo. En particular NodeRED permite integrar dispositivos embedded como RaspberryPi. En este proyecto se quiere evaluar las efectivas posibilidades de este paradigma diseñando y evaluado un prototipo de una aplicación a definir por el estudiante que permita ofrecer unas lineas guías para otros desarrolladores sobre el uso de estas herramientas.[EN] Flow-based programming (PBF) is a programming paradigm that defines applications as "black box" process networks, which exchange data through predefined connections by message steps, where the connections are specified externally to the processes. . These black box processes can be connected an unlimited number of times to form different applications without having to be modified internally. In the IoT, this paradigm is beginning to be used with platforms such as NodeRED, Flowhub, NoFlo, MsgFlo, imgflo and MicroFlo. In particular, NodeRED allows the integration of embedded devices such as RaspberryPi, Odroid, jetson nano etc. In this project we want to evaluate the effective possibilities of this paradigm by designing and evaluating a prototype of an application to be defined by the student that allows offering guidelines for other developers on the use of these tools.Guo, Y. (2021). Programación "flow-based" para el IoT. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/175222TFG

A composite visible-light photocatalyst for hydrogen production

A composite photocatalyst, Pd–TiO 2− x N x –WO 3, was synthesized by the template method and characterized by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis spectrometer, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results of EDX analysis reveals that the molecular formula of the composite photocatalyst can be expressed as Pd–TiO 1.72N 0.28–WO 3. The UV–vis absorption spectrum indicates that the absorption edge of the catalyst red-shifts to around 600 nm. Under the irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light, the catalyst showed good performance for photocatalytic hydrogen production with a Na 2S/Na 2SO 3 system as the sacrificial agent

Study of surface photovoltage spectrum in p+-GaAs/p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs structures

Surface photovoltage (SPV) in p ^+ -GaAs/p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs has been studied by establishing a multilayer model and measuring the SPV at room temperature. The model mainly considers surface recombination velocity, interface recombination velocity and the space charge region (SCR) at the surface of p ^+ -GaAs. The SPV of the multilayer structure is shown to originate predominantly from the minority carrier diffusion, which caused photovoltage between the surface and bottom. Subsequently, the minority carrier diffusion lengths in p ^+ -GaAs and in p-GaAs are obtained from fitting experimental data to the theoretical model. At the same time, the minority carrier diffusion length in p-GaAs is obtained by illuminating the backside (illuminating on p-GaAs) of the p ^+ -GaAs/p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs. The p ^+ -GaAs in p ^+ -GaAs/p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs structure with different thickness are measured to show the variation of SPS with different thickness, but the experimental parameters are not affected. In multi-layer structure, the SPV contributed by different layers has a great difference with different dark saturation current density

Phototunable underwater oil adhesion of micro/nanoscale hierarchical-structured ZnO mesh films with switchable contact mode

Controllable surface adhesion of solid substrates has aroused great interest both in air and underwater in solving many challenging interfacial science problems such as robust antifouling, oil-repellent, and highly efficient oil/water separation materials. Recently, responsive surface adhesion, especially switchable adhesion, under external stimulus in air has been paid more and more attention in fundamental research and industrial applications. However, phototunable underwater oil adhesion is still a challenge. Here, an approach to realize phototunable underwater oil adhesion on aligned ZnO nanorod array-coated films is reported, via a special switchable contact mode between an unstable liquid/gas/solid tri-phase contact mode and stable liquid/liquid/solid tri-phase contact mode. The photo-induced wettability transition to water and air exists (or does not) in the micro/nanoscale hierarchical structure of the mesh films, playing important role in controlling the underwater oil adhesion behavior. This work is promising in the design of novel interfacial materials and functional devices for practical applications such as photo-induced underwater oil manipulation and release, with loss-free oil droplet transportation