Investigation into the optoelectrowetting droplet transport mechanism.

To explore the optoelectronic wetting droplet transport mechanism, a transient numerical model of optoelectrowetting (OEW) under the coupling of flow and electric fields is established. The study investigates the impact of externally applied voltage, dielectric constant of the dielectric layer, and interfacial tension between the two phases on the dynamic behavior of droplets during transport. The proposed model employs an improved Young's equation to calculate the instantaneous voltage and contact angle of the droplet on the dielectric layer. Results indicate that, under the influence of OEW, significant variations in the interface contact angle of droplets occur in bright and dark regions, inducing droplet movement. Moreover, the dynamic behavior of droplet transport is closely associated with various parameters, including externally applied voltage, dielectric layer material, and interfacial tension between the two phases, all of which impact the contact angle and, consequently, the transport process. By summarizing the influence patterns of the three key parameters studied, the optimization of droplet transport performance is achieved. The study employs two-dimensional simulation models to emulate the droplet motion under the influence of the electric field, investigating the OEW droplet transport mechanism. The continuous movement of droplets involves three stages: initial wetting, continuous transport, and reaching a steady position. The findings contribute theoretical support for the efficient design of digital microfluidic devices for OEW droplet movement and the selection of key parameters for droplet manipulation.

Ion transport properties in the pH-dependent bipolar nanochannels.

In recent years, researchers have made significant strides in understanding the ion transport characteristics of nanochannels, resulting in the development of various materials, modifications, and shapes of nano ion channel membranes. The aim is to create a nanochannel membrane with optimal ion transport properties and high stability by adjusting factors, such as channel size, surface charge, and wettability. However, during the nanochannel film fabrication process, controlling the geometric structures of nanochannels can be challenging. Therefore, exploring the stability of nanochannel performance under different geometric structures has become an essential aspect of nanochannel design. This article focuses on the study of cylindrical nanochannel structures, which are categorized based on the different methods for generating bipolar surface charges on the channel's inner surface, either through pH gradient effects or different material types. Through these two approaches, the study designed and analyzed the stability of ion transport characteristics in two nanochannel models under varying geometric structures. Our findings indicate that nanochannels with bipolar properties generated through pH gradients demonstrate more stable ion selection, whereas nanochannels with bipolar properties generated through different materials show stronger stability in ion rectification. This conclusion provides a theoretical foundation for future nanochannel designs.

The risk-taking behavioural intentions of pilots in adverse weather conditions: an application of the theory of planned behaviour.

This paper examined pilots' risk-taking behavioural intentions based on the theory of planned behaviour, as well as the impact of experience on behavioural intentions in adverse weather conditions. Two hundred and seventy-three airline pilots and flying cadets were divided into two groups and asked to complete a questionnaire based on two decision-making scenarios. This questionnaire measured pilots' intentions to take risks, along with the attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC), risk perception, and self-identity. The results showed that attitude, subjective norm, PBC, and risk perception explained 52% of the variance in behavioural intentions. Additionally, pilots' risk-taking decisions can be influenced by experience. Inexperienced pilots had a relatively stronger intention to take risks and a more favourable attitude towards risky behaviour. Moreover, pilots were more likely to rely on their own direct experience in the decision-making process. Practitioner summary: This study examined the pilots' risk-taking intentions under adverse weather conditions using a questionnaire based on the TPB theory. Results demonstrated that the TPB model can be applied to the risk-taking scenario and that experience can influence pilots' decisions. These findings have implications for improving flight safety and lowering accident rates.

The interaction between silica flat substrate and functional group-modified nanoparticles.

Inspired by nature, the research of functionalized nanoparticles and nanodevices has been in-depth developed in recent years. In this paper, we theoretically studied the interaction between functional polyelectrolyte brush layer-modified nanoparticles and a silica flat substrate. Based on the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations, the mathematical model is established. The changes of the volume charge density and electric field energy density when the nanoparticle interacts with the silica flat substrate under multi-ions regulation were investigated. The results show that when there is a strong interaction between the silica flat substrate and nanoparticles, such as the distances between the nanoparticle and silica flat substrate, which are 2 or 5 nm, the isoelectric point shift under the influence of silica flat substrate and the total charge density in the brush layer is jointly controlled by the cations in the solution and the volume charge density of the brush layer. With the increase of the distances between the nanoparticle and silica flat substrate, the regulation of the volume charge density of the brush layer dominates. These results will provide guidance for the movement mechanism of functionalized nanoparticles in silica nanochannels.

Electrokinetic translocation of a deformable nanoparticle controlled by field effect in nanopores.

Nanopores have become a popular single-molecule manipulation and detection technology. In this paper, we have constructed a continuum model of the nanopore; the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is used to describe the motion of particles and fluid. The mathematical model couples the stress-strain equation for the dynamics of a deformable particle, the Poisson equation for the electric field, the Navier-Stokes equations for the flow field, and the Nernst-Planck equations for ionic transport. Based on the model, the mechanism of field-effect regulation of particles passing through a nanopore is investigated. The results show that the transport of particles which is controlled by the field effect depends on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) generated by the gate electrode in the nanopore and the electrostatic interaction between the nanopore and particles. That also explains the asymmetry of particle transport velocity in the nanopore with a gate electrode. When the gate potential is negative, or the gate electrode length is small, the maximum deformation of the particles is increased. The field-effect regulation in the nanopore provides an active and compatible method for nanopore detection, and provides a convenient method for the active control of the particle deformation in the nanopore.

The relationship between school climate and general teachers' attitude toward inclusion in China: the mediation effect of teachers' efficacy.

The prosperity of inclusion of students with disabilities largely rest on the attitudes of mainstream teachers. Few studies explore the relationship among school climate, teachers' attitude on inclusion and teachers' efficacy in China. This study surveyed 266 general teachers in China to understand the role of teachers' efficacy on inclusive education between school climate and teachers' attitude. The results indicated that teachers hold positive attitudes towards inclusion on average, especially in the dimension of affection. Additionally, school climate, teachers' efficacy and teachers' attitude were significantly associated, and the mediating effect of teachers' efficacy between school climate and teachers' attitude were proved by mediation analyses. The findings suggested that creating more inclusive school climate and improving general teachers' knowledge and skills on inclusive education, especially the skills on collaboration with others, which could contribute to promote more positive attitude on inclusive education of general teachers.

Multi-omics and machine learning reveal context-specific gene regulatory activities of PML::RARA in acute promyelocytic leukemia.

The PML::RARA fusion protein is the hallmark driver of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) and disrupts retinoic acid signaling, leading to wide-scale gene expression changes and uncontrolled proliferation of myeloid precursor cells. While known to be recruited to binding sites across the genome, its impact on gene regulation and expression is under-explored. Using integrated multi-omics datasets, we characterize the influence of PML::RARA binding on gene expression and regulation in an inducible PML::RARA cell line model and APL patient ex vivo samples. We find that genes whose regulatory elements recruit PML::RARA are not uniformly transcriptionally repressed, as commonly suggested, but also may be upregulated or remain unchanged. We develop a computational machine learning implementation called Regulatory Element Behavior Extraction Learning to deconvolute the complex, local transcription factor binding site environment at PML::RARA bound positions to reveal distinct signatures that modulate how PML::RARA directs the transcriptional response.

Subjective Well-being of Special Education Teachers in China: The Relation of Social Support and Self-Efficacy.

In order to explore the relationship of social support, self-efficacy, and subjective well-being of special education teachers in China, 496 teachers from 67 special education schools were surveyed by questionnaire. We found that (1) the subjective well-being of special education teachers in China was in the medial level. (2) There were significant differences in subjective well-being level among teachers of different genders, teacher position, education background, and teaching age. Male teachers were of higher subjective well-being; subjective well-being of head teachers was lower than those were not head teachers; teachers with the educational background of postgraduate were of higher relaxation and tension than those with junior college educational background; the control scores of emotion and behavior of teachers with teaching age of 3 years and below were significantly lower than those of teachers with teaching age of more than 10 years. (3) Self-efficacy played a partially mediating role in the relationship between social support and subjective well-being of special education teachers. Suggestions to improve the subjective well-being of special education teachers were discussed in the article.

Case Report: Response to Immunotherapy and Anti-Androgen Therapy in Male Occult Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Male occult triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an exceedingly rare form of breast cancer, and prospective information regarding its management is therefore lacking. Current treatment strategies are largely extrapolated from clinical trials of female breast cancer, leading to substantial knowledge gaps concerning the optimal management of male breast cancer. Here, we present a male patient with occult TNBC who responded to immunotherapy, with an obvious reduction in his tumor burden following antiandrogen therapy, after heavy treatment with several lines of chemotherapy. This case highlights the potential efficacy of immunotherapy in cases of male TNBC and suggests a role for antiandrogen therapy in managing patients with luminal androgen receptor-positive TNBC.

Efficacy of immunotherapy in KRAS-mutant advanced NSCLC: A real-world study in a Chinese population.

Background: Immunotherapy has improved the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, in patients with Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations, the superior efficacy of immunotherapy has not been elucidated and especially in real-world practice. Our study aimed to use real-world data to assess the efficacy of immunotherapy in KRAS-mutant NSCLC in a Chinese cohort. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we extracted the clinical, molecular, and pathologic data from the electronic health records of patients with advanced KRAS-mutant NSCLC at Shandong Cancer Hospital between January 2018 and May 2022. Furthermore, we evaluated the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the included patients. Results: Between January 2018 and November 2020, 793 patients were identified with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC and a total of 122 patients with KRAS mutations were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were diagnosed with stage IV (82.0%) adenocarcinoma (93.4%), along with a history of smoking (57.4%). Of these, 42% of patients received anti-PD-(L)1 with or without chemotherapy (Immunotherapy-based regimens), while 58.2% of patients received chemotherapy (Chemotherapy-based regimens). The median overall survival (mOS) in this cohort was 22.9 months (95% CI: 14.1-31.7), while the median-progression-free survival (mPFS) was 9.4 months (95% CI: 6.6-12.1). Patients receiving immunotherapy-based regimens displayed better mOS than those receiving chemotherapy-based regimens (45.2 vs. 11.3 months; P=1.81E-05), with no statistical difference observed in the mPFS (10.5 vs. 8.2 months; P=0.706). Patients receiving immunotherapy-based regimens either in the first line (P=0.00038, P=0.010, respectively) or second-line setting (P=0.010, P=0.026, respectively) showed benefits in both PFS and OS. Subgroup analysis indicated that in patients having KRAS G12C or non-KRAS G12C mutant types, immunotherapy showed benefits of better OS (P=0.0037, P=0.020, respectively) than chemotherapy. Moreover, in advanced NSCLCs patients with or without KRAS/TP53 co-mutation the immunotherapy-based regimen achieved longer OS and PFS than chemotherapy-based regimens. Conclusions: In the Chinese population of patients with KRAS-mutant advanced NSCLC, immunotherapy-based regimens achieved longer OS than chemotherapy-based regimens, which was independent of first or second-line setting, as well as KRAS mutational subtypes.

The Influence of Electric Field Intensity and Particle Length on the Electrokinetic Transport of Cylindrical Particles Passing through Nanopore.

The electric transport of nanoparticles passing through nanopores leads to a change in the ion current, which is essential for the detection technology of DNA sequencing and protein determination. In order to further illustrate the electrokinetic transport mechanism of particles passing through nanopores, a fully coupled continuum model is constructed by using the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method. The model consists of the electric field described by the Poisson equation, the concentration field described by Nernst-Planck equation, and the flow field described by the Navier-Stokes equation. Based on this model, the influence of imposed electric field and particle length on the electrokinetic transport of cylindrical particles is investigated. It is found firstly the translation velocities for the longer particles remain constant when they locate inside the nanopore. Both the ion current blockade effect and the ion current enhancement effect occur when cylindrical particles enter and exit the nanopore, respectively, for the experimental parameters employed in this research. Moreover, the particle translation velocity and current fluctuation amplitude are dominated by the electric field intensity, which can be used to adjust the particle transmission efficiency and the ion current detectability. In addition, the increase in particle length changes the particle position corresponding to the peak value of the ion current, which contributes to distinguishing particles with different lengths as well.

Electrokinetic Translocation of a Deformable Nanoparticle through a Nanopore.

The nanopore-based biosensing technology is built up on the fluctuation of the ionic current induced by the electrokinetic translation of a particle penetrating the nanopore. It is expected that the current change of a deformable bioparticle is dissimilar from that of a rigid one. This study theoretically investigated the transient translocation process of a deformable particle through a nanopore for the first time. The mathematical model considers the Poisson equation for the electric potential, the Nernst-Planck equations for the ionic transport, the Navier-Stokes equations for the flow field, and the stress-strain equation for the dynamics of the deformable bioparticle. The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method is used for the fully coupled particle-fluid dynamic interaction. Results show that the deformation degree of the particle, the velocity deviation, and the current is different from the rigid particle. The deformation degree of the particle will reach the maximum when the particle passes a nanopore. Because of the deformation of particles, the total force applied on deformable particles is larger than that of rigid particles, resulting in larger velocity deviation and current deviation. The influences of the ratio of the nanoparticle radius to the Debye length and surface charge density of the nanopore are also studied. The research results illustrate the translocation mechanism of a deformable nanoparticle in the nanopore, which can provide theoretical guidance for the biosensing technology based on the nanopore.