Electro-spinning/netting: A strategy for the fabrication of three-dimensional polymer nano-fiber/nets.

Since 2006, a rapid development has been achieved in a subject area, so called electro-spinning/netting (ESN), which comprises the conventional electrospinning process and a unique electro-netting process. Electro-netting overcomes the bottleneck problem of electrospinning technique and provides a versatile method for generating spider-web-like nano-nets with ultrafine fiber diameter less than 20 nm. Nano-nets, supported by the conventional electrospun nanofibers in the nano-fiber/nets (NFN) membranes, exhibit numerious attractive characteristics such as extremely small diameter, high porosity, and Steiner tree network geometry, which make NFN membranes optimal candidates for many significant applications. The progress made during the last few years in the field of ESN is highlighted in this review, with particular emphasis on results obtained in the author's research units. After a brief description of the development of the electrospinning and ESN techniques, several fundamental properties of NFN nanomaterials are addressed. Subsequently, the used polymers and the state-of-the-art strategies for the controllable fabrication of NFN membranes are highlighted in terms of the ESN process. Additionally, we highlight some potential applications associated with the remarkable features of NFN nanostructure. Our discussion is concluded with some personal perspectives on the future development in which this wonderful technique could be pursued

Analysis of Down syndrome failed to be diagnosed after prenatal screening: A multicenter study.

To analyze the characters of Down syndrome (DS) who failed to be diagnosed after prenatal screening and hope to be able to improve the programs of prenatal screening and reduce the missed diagnosis of DS. In this multicenter study, we collected the missed cases from 3 prenatal diagnosis centers and analyzed their characters. A total of 126 DS babies failed to be diagnosed after prenatal screening. Their mothers accepted the prenatal screening in second trimester. We collected the mothers' blood and detected the levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and the free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (fβhCG) by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. The values were also presented as multiples of the median (MoM) and determined the risk of carrying a fetus with DS by Wallace LifeCycle Elipse analysis software. Compared with normal control group, the level of fβhCG and hCG MoM were dramatically increased, while AFP and AFP MoM were decreased. The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve of trisomy 21 was 0.8387 for hCG-MoM and AFP-MoM testing. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 84.6%, 74.8%, 75.4%, and 83.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, the prediction mode was "0.39957 + 1.90897HCG-MOM -3.32713AFP-MOM". It was worthwhile noting that the risk of 65.9% DS missed diagnosis group were higher than 1/1000, 92.9% higher than 1/3000. However, 72.5% cases in normal control group were lower than 1/3000. Only 9.2% mothers would be higher than the value of risk in 1/1000. The prediction mode of hCG MoM and AFP MoM might be able to help us reduce the missed diagnosis. It is also necessary to adjust more reasonable range of noninvasive prenatal testing with further clinical researches

Spin asymmetry and dipole moments in τ\tau-pair production with ultraperipheral heavy ion collisions

The anomalous magnetic (MDM) and electric (EDM) dipole moments of the $\tau$ lepton serve as crucial indicators of new physics beyond the Standard Model. Leveraging azimuthal angular asymmetry as a novel tool in ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs), we attain unparalleled precision in the study of these key properties. Driven by the highly linear polarization of coherent photons, this method uniquely enables both the MDM and EDM to contribute to the $\cos2\phi$ angular distribution in similar magnitudes. Importantly, our approach substantially narrows the parameter space, excluding more than half of it compared to expected UPC-based measurements reliant solely on the total cross-section. This method not only provides improved constraints but also minimizes the need for additional theoretical assumptions.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Age as a risk factor for acute mountain sickness upon rapid ascent to 3,700 m among young adult Chinese men.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to explore the relationship between age and acute mountain sickness (AMS) when subjects are exposed suddenly to high altitude.MethodsA total of 856 young adult men were recruited. Before and after acute altitude exposure, the Athens Insomnia Scale score (AISS) was used to evaluate the subjective sleep quality of subjects. AMS was assessed using the Lake Louise scoring system. Heart rate (HR) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) were measured.ResultsResults showed that, at 500 m, AISS and insomnia prevalence were higher in older individuals. After acute exposure to altitude, the HR, AISS, and insomnia prevalence increased sharply, and the increase in older individuals was more marked. The opposite trend was observed for SaO2. At 3,700 m, the prevalence of AMS increased with age, as did severe AMS, and AMS symptoms (except gastrointestinal symptoms). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age was a risk factor for AMS (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.13, P<0.05), as well as AISS (adjusted OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.28-1.51, P<0.001).ConclusionThe present study is the first to demonstrate that older age is an independent risk factor for AMS upon rapid ascent to high altitude among young adult Chinese men, and pre-existing poor subjective sleep quality may be a contributor to increased AMS prevalence in older subjects

Comparison of multi-field coupling numerical simulation in hot dry rock thermal exploitation of enhanced geothermal systems

 In order to alleviate the environmental crisis and improve energy structure, countries from all over the world have focused on the hot dry rock geothermal resources with great potential and with little pollution. The geothermal heat production from Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) comes with complex multi-field coupling process, and it is of great significance to study the temporal and spatial evolution of geothermal reservoir. In this work, a practical numerical model is established to simulate the heat production process in EGS, and the comparison of thermal-hydraulic (TH), thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) and thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) coupling in geothermal reservoir is analyzed. The results show that the stable production stage of the three cases is approximately 5 years; however, compared with TH and THMC coupling, the service-life for THM coupling decreased by 1140 days and 332 days, respectively. The mechanical enhanced effects are offset by the chemical precipitation, and the precipitation from SiO2 is much larger than the dissolution of calcite.Cited as: Chen, S., Ding, B., Gong, L., Huang, Z., Yu, B., Sun, S. Comparison of multi-field coupling numerical simulation in hot dry rock thermal exploitation of enhanced geothermal systems. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2019, 3(4): 396-409, doi: 10.26804/ager.2019.04.0