Engineering Ratchet-Based Particle Separation via Shortcuts to Isothermality

Microscopic particle separation plays vital role in various scientific and industrial domains. In this Letter, we propose a universal non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach, employing the concept of Shortcuts to Isothermality, to realize controllable separation of overdamped Brownian particles. By utilizing a designed ratchet potential with temporal period $\tau$, we find in the slow-driving regime that the average particle velocity \Bar{v}_s\propto\left(1-D/D^*\right)\tau^{-1}, indicating that particles with different diffusion coefficients $D$ can be guided to move in distinct directions with a preset $D^*$. Furthermore, we reveal that there exists an extra energetic cost with a lower bound W_{\rm{ex}}^{(\rm{min})}\propto\mathcal{L}^{2}\Bar{v}_s, alongside a quasi-static work consumption. Here, $\mathcal{L}$ is the thermodynamic length of the driving loop in the parametric space. We numerically validate our theoretical findings and illustrate the optimal separation protocol (associated with $W_{\rm{ex}}^{(\rm{min})}$) with a sawtooth potential. This study establishes a bridge between thermodynamic process engineering and particle separation, paving the way for further explorations of thermodynamic constrains and optimal control in ratchet-based particle separation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures + Supplemental Materials (10 pages, 4 figures). Comments are welcome

A coordination polymer of CdII with benzene-1,3-dicarboxyl­ate and 1,4-bis­[1-(2-pyridylmeth­yl)benzimidazol-2-yl]butane

The title CdII coordination polymer, catena-poly[[{1,4-bis­[1-(2-pyridylmeth­yl)benzimidazol-2-yl]butane}cadmium(II)]-μ-benzene-1,3-dicarboxyl­ato], [Cd(C8H4O4)(C30H28N6)]n, was obtained by reaction of CdCO3, benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (H2btc) and 1,4-bis­[1-(2-pyridylmeth­yl)benzimidazol-2-yl]butane (L). The CdII cation is six-coordinated by an N2O4-donor set. L acts as a bidentate ligand and btc anions link CdII centers into a chain propagating parallel to [010]

1,3-Bis[5-(2-pyrid­yl)-1H-tetra­zol-1-yl]propane

The title compound, C15H14N10, is a multidentate ligand obtained by the reaction of 5-(2-pyrid­yl)tetra­zole with 1,3-dibromo­propane. The mol­ecule consists of two 5-(2-pyrid­yl)-1H-tetra­zol-1-yl units connected by a propyl­ene bridge in a U-like conformation. A twofold rotation axis passes through the central C atom

Visual Reconstruction and Feature Analysis of the Three-Dimensional Surface of Earthworm

This paper demonstrates a method for visual reconstruction and feature analysis of the three-dimensional surface of earthworm in CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) and IDL (Interactive Data Language). The earthworm, with a relatively simple surface morphology and good capability in reducing soil adhesion and resistance, was selected to study the feasible methods in the visual reconstruction and feature analysis of the three-dimensional surface of living things. The digital measurements of surfaces of the earthworm were carried out using a three-dimensional laser scanner. Point clouds, the scanning digital data of the surface of the earthworm, were processed by screening unwanted data, reconstructing surface and analysing feature in CATIA. In order to get more detail information about the point clouds, IDL, which integrates a powerful, array-oriented language with numerous mathematical analysis and graphical display techniques, was adopted for the visual reconstruction and feature analysis of three- dimensional surface of the earthworm. Importing of point clouds and reconstruction of the surface of earthworm were conducted in CATIA. Analysis feature of the scanning data and reconstructing surface were carried out in IDL, which provides a high level of flexibility to access, analyse and visualize the data using different methods. Polynomial regression equation of the surface of earthworm in the longitudinal plane was derived. In addition, point clouds were more easily displayed and analysed by resizing, rotating and zooming in IDL. Methods and results presented in this paper prove to be potentially useful for analyzing the feature of biological prototype, optimizing the mathematical model and affording deformable physical model to bionic engineering, those works would have great implications to the research of biological coupling theory and technological creation in bionic engineering. Keywords: Visual Reconstruction; Feature Analysis; Three-Dimensional Surface; Earthworm; CATIA; ID

N-(3,4-Diethoxy­phen­yl)acetamide

In the title compound, C12H17NO3, the conformations of the N—H and C=O bonds are anti to each other. In the crystal structure, N—H⋯O hydrogen-bond inter­actions help to establish the packing

Effects of Yifukang Oral Liquid on Chemotherapy- and Radiotherapy-Induced Toxic and Side Effects of Myelosuppression, Leucopenia and Gastrointestinal Tract Disturbances

Purpose: To investigate the effects of Yifukang oral liquid (YFKOL) on chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced myelosuppression, leucopenia and gastrointestinal tract disturbances.Methods: The effects of YFKOL on myelosuppression, leucopenia and gastrointestinal tract disturbances were assessed by cyclophosphamide- and Co60-induced leucopenia in mice, copper sulfate-induced emesis in pigeons, ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions in rats, gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion in mice.Results: In cyclophosphamide- and Co60-induced leucopenia assays, the mean white blood cell count (82.6 and 90.1 × 109/L; 7.3 and 8.2 × 109/L, respectively) and thighbone marrow granulocytes (66.1 % and 67.4 %; 60.8 and 66.5 %, respectively) were significantly (p < 0.05) increased after treatment with YFKOL (15 and 30 mL/kg), compared with the respective control (68.2 and 4.7 × 109/L; 58.2 and 53.1 %). In emesis, gastric mucosal lesions, gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion assays, the mean frequency of emesis (30.8 and 22.3 times, respectively) and ulcer index (39.6 and 26.5, respectively) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased, and the mean gastric emptying (25.0 and 24.0 %) and intestinal propulsion (81.9 and 82.8 %) were significantly (p < 0.05) promoted after treatment with YFKOL (10 and 20 mL/kg), compared with the respective control (54.7 times, 62.8, 42.0 and 68.9 %).Conclusion: YFKOL may suppress chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced myelosuppression, leucopenia and gastrointestinal tract disturbances.Keywords: Yifukang oral liquid, Gastrointestinal tract disturbances, Leucopenia, Myelosuppression, Tumor, Chemotherapy, Radiotherap

The expression of PLK-1 in cervical carcinoma: a possible target for enhancing chemosensitivity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Polo-like kinase-1 (PLK-1) is reported to be upregulated in a variety of human tumors and is implicated in cell proliferation and survival. However, its importance in cervical carcinoma has not yet been fully elucidated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined PLK-1 expression in cervical carcinoma tissues using immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, we blocked PLK-1 expression in HeLa cells using specific siRNA and detected the cell cycle, cell proliferation and chemosensitivity using western blotting, MTT and flow cytometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We provide evidence that expression of PLK-1 exists in human cervical carcinoma tissues and establish an association with tumor size. Furthermore, we show that PLK-1 knockdown by transfection of siRNA induces accumulation of HeLa cells in the G2/M cell cycle phase and enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results indicate that PLK-1 production in HeLa cells might be critical in determining whether cells survive or undergo apoptosis. Therefore, targeting PLK-1 might be a promising strategy for enhancing sensitivity to chemotherapeutic reagents in cervical carcinoma.</p

Isomorphic Cd(II)/Zn(II)-MOFs as Bifunctional Chemosensors for Anion (Cr2O72–) and Cation (Fe3+) detection in Aqueous Solution

Two isomorphic 3D MOFs [Cd(2-bpeb)(sdba)] (1) and [Zn(2-bpeb)(sdba)] derived from the π-conjugated pro-ligand 2-(4-((E)-2-(pyridine-2-yl)vinyl)styryl)pyridine (2-bpeb) and 4,4’-sulfonyldibenzoate (H2sdba) were synthesized and characterized. Complexes 1 and 2 exhibit striking fluorescence properties and can function as chemical sensors via rapid luminescence quenching in the presence of Fe3+and Cr2O72- in aqueous media with high sensitivity and selectivity