Advanced lithography materials: From fundamentals to applications.

The semiconductor industry has long been driven by advances in a nanofabrication technology known as lithography, and the fabrication of nanostructures on chips relies on an important coating, the photoresist layer. Photoresists are typically spin-coated to form a film and have a photolysis solubility transition and etch resistance that allow for rapid fabrication of nanostructures. As a result, photoresists have attracted great interest in both fundamental research and industrial applications. Currently, the semiconductor industry has entered the era of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) and expects photoresists to be able to fabricate sub-10 nm structures. In order to realize sub-10 nm nanofabrication, the development of photoresists faces several challenges in terms of sensitivity, etch resistance, and molecular size. In this paper, three types of lithographic mechanisms are reviewed to provide strategies for designing photoresists that can enable high-resolution nanofabrication. The discussion of the current state of the art in optical lithography is presented in depth. Practical applications of photoresists and related recent advances are summarized. Finally, the current achievements and remaining issues of photoresists are discussed and future research directions are envisioned.

An automated multi-layer perceptron discriminative neural network based on Bayesian optimization achieves high-precision one-source single-snapshot direction-of-arrival estimation.

This paper proposes an innovative global solution which is a pioneering work applying automated machine learning algorithms to remarkable precision sparse underwater direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation that views the subaquatic sparse-sampling DOA estimation problem as a classification prediction task. The proposed solution, termed automated multi-layer perceptron discriminative neural network (AutoMPDNN), is built upon a Bayesian optimization framework. AutoMPDNN transforms sparsely sampled time-domain signals into the complex domain, preserving essential components in a one-source single-snapshot scenario. Leveraging Bayesian optimization principles, the algorithm embeds necessary hyperparameters into the loss function, effectively defining it as a maximum likelihood problem using the upper confidence bound function and incorporating sparse signal features. We also explore the model space architecture and introduce variants of AutoMPDNN, denoted as AutoMPDNNs_ln (n = 2,3,4). Through a series of plane wave simulation experiments, it is demonstrated that AutoMPDNN achieves the highest prediction performance for one-source single-snapshot scenarios compared to classical DOA estimation algorithms that incorporate sparse representation approaches, as well as contemporary deep learning DOA methods under varying conditions.

Corrigendum to "The community proactive health management model based on the grounded theory: The case of Beijing, China" [Heliyon 9 (4) (2023) 14992].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14992.].

Imaging-Guided Photoacoustic Immunotherapy Based on the Polydopamine-Functionalized Black Phosphorus Nanocomposites.

Phototherapy has great application prospects in superficial tumors, such as melanoma, esophageal cancer, and breast carcinoma, owing to the advantages of noninvasiveness, high spatiotemporal selectivity, and less side effects. However, classical phototherapies including photodynamic and photothermal therapy still need to settle the bottleneck problems of poor efficacy, inevitable thermal damage, and a high rate of postoperative recurrence. In this study, we developed a nanocomposite with excellent optical properties and immune-stimulating properties, termed PBP@CpG, which was obtained by functionalizing black phosphorus (BP) with polydopamine and further adsorbing CpG. Benefiting from the protection of polydopamine against BP, ideal light absorption, and photoacoustic conversion properties, PBP@CpG not only enables precisely delineation of the tumor region with photoacoustic imaging but also powerfully disrupts the plasma membrane and cytoskeleton of tumor cells with a photoacoustic cavitation effect. In addition, we found that the photoacoustic cavitation effect was also capable of inducing immunogenic cell death and remarkably strengthening the antitumor immune response upon cooperating with immune adjuvant CpG. Therefore, PBP@CpG was expected to provide a promising nanoplatform for optical theranostics and herald a new strategy of photoimmunotherapy based on the photoacoustic cavitation effects and immunostimulatory effect.

Cu3P/1-MT Nanocomposites Potentiated Photothermal-Immunotherapy.

Purpose: Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising anticancer treatment that involves inducing thermal ablation and enhancing antitumor immune responses. However, it is difficult to completely eradicate tumor foci through thermal ablation alone. Additionally, the PTT elicited antitumor immune responses are often insufficient to prevent tumor recurrence or metastasis, due to the presence of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Therefore, combining photothermal and immunotherapy is believed to be a more effective treatment approach as it can modulate the immune microenvironment and amplify the post-ablation immune response. Methods: Herein, the indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase-1 inhibitors (1-MT) loaded copper (I) phosphide nanocomposites (Cu3P/1-MT NPs) are prepared for PTT and immunotherapy. The thermal variations of the Cu3P/1-MT NPs solution under different conditions were measured. The cellular cytotoxicity and immunogenic cell death (ICD) induction efficiency of Cu3P/1-MT NPs were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry in 4T1 cells. And the immune response and antitumor therapeutic efficacy of Cu3P/1-MT NPs were evaluated in 4T1-tumor bearing mice. Results: Even at low energy of laser irradiation, Cu3P/1-MT NPs remarkably enhanced PTT efficacy and induced immunogenic tumor cell death. Particularly, the tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) could help promote the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and antigen presentation, which further activates infiltration of CD8+ T cells through synergistically inhibiting the indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase-1. Additionally, Cu3P/1-MT NPs decreased the suppressive immune cells such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) and M2 macrophages, indicating an immune suppression modulation effect. Conclusion: Cu3P/1-MT nanocomposites with excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and immunomodulatory properties were prepared. In addition to enhanced the PTT efficacy and induced immunogenic tumor cell death, it also modulated the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Thereby, this study is expected to offer a practical and convenient approach to amplify the antitumor therapeutic efficiency with photothermal-immunotherapy.

miR-181a targets PTEN to mediate the neuronal injury caused by oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation.

Evidence suggests that the microRNA-181 (miR-181) family performs various roles in the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury (CIRI). MiR-181a has been identified as a critical determinant of neuronal survival. Moreover, the significance of miR-181a in controlling neuronal death after CIRI has received little attention. The objective of this study was to assess the role of miR-181a in neuronal cell injury after CIRI. To mimic the in-vitro and in-vivo CIRI, we developed an oxygen-glucose deficiency/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model in SH-SY5Y cells and a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model in rats. MiR-181a expression was significantly higher in both in-vivo and in-vitro CIRI models. The overexpression of miR-181a increased cell damage and oxidative stress caused by OGD/R, whereas inhibition of miR-181a reduced both. PTEN has also been found to be a direct miR-181a target. PTEN overexpression reduced cell apoptosis and oxidative stress induced by miR-181a upregulation under an OGD/R condition. Furthermore, we found that the rs322931 A allele was related to increased miR-181a levels in IS peripheral blood and higher susceptibility to IS. The current results offer new insights into the understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of CIRI, as well as possible new treatment candidates.

The community proactive health management model based on the grounded theory: The case of Beijing, China.

The 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic has been a governance challenge for countries and cities worldwide. In China, the community-based joint prevention and control governance mechanism is one of the highlights of the "Chinese experience" in fighting the pandemic. As aging accelerates, communities can take on more functions in managing the health of their residents. Especially in the post-pandemic era, the actual needs of community residents in terms of health, medical care, and elderly care need to be addressed. This paper uses a questionnaire to understand the current situation of community health management in Beijing, followed by the selection of four typical communities for in-depth interviews, and uses the triple process of open coding, selective coding, and theoretical coding of the grounded theory to analyze residents' needs and willingness for proactive health management. More than 80 concepts, 41 categories, and 6 master categories were obtained from 204 initial statements. The "logical line" of the relationship between the main categories was constructed, and we developed a conceptual model of community-based proactive health management, consisting of six dimensions: (1) perception and willingness, (2) primary population, (3) health behavior paradigm, (4) management mechanism, (5) information technology applications, and (6) facilities and services. The study aims to contribute to the community-based health management in China and for the international community and provide strategies to improve community-based health management.

Direct targeting of DOCK4 by miRNA-181d in oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-mediated neuronal injury.

The miRNA-181 (miR-181) family regulates neuronal persistence during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CI/RI). Since the effect of miR-181d on CI/RI has never been studied, the current work sought to determine the involvement of miR-181d in neuronal apoptosis after brain I/R injury. To replicate in vivo and in vitro CI/RI, a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model in rats and an oxygen-glucose deficiency/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model in neuro 2A cells were developed. In both in vivo and in vitro stroke models, the expression of miR-181d was considerably higher. miR-181d suppression reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress in OGD/R-treated neuroblastoma cells, but miR-181d overexpression increased both. Furthermore, it was observed that miR-181d has a direct target in dedicator of cytokinesis 4 (DOCK4). The overexpression of DOCK4 partially overcame cell apoptosis and oxidative stress induced by miR-181d upregulation and OGD/R injury. Furthermore, the DOCK4 rs2074130 mutation was related to lower DOCK4 levels in ischemic stroke (IS) peripheral blood and higher susceptibility to IS. These findings suggest that downregulating miR-181d protects neurons from ischemic damage by targeting DOCK4, implying that the miR-181d/DOCK4 axis might be a novel therapeutic target for IS.

The Effectiveness of Local Governments' Policies in Response to Climate Change: An Evaluation of Structure Planning in Arden, Melbourne.

It is widely acknowledged that climate change has caused serious environmental issues, including drought, bushfires, floods, and heatwaves, and urban sustainability is currently seriously threatened as a result. Arden is one of the key urban regeneration areas set to experience dramatic residential changes under Melbourne's development blueprint within the next 20 years. The Arden Structure Plan (2022) outlines specific implementation steps but does not go into detail about the strategies and tactics used to address climate change and urban sustainability. Therefore, there are still problems with the plan, including a lack of information and time-bound development targets, ambiguous public engagement, little focus on urban crime, and insufficient climate change adaptation measures. The plan also considers affordable housing, a mixed-use development pattern that will significantly decrease environmental harm, and active transportation options, primarily walking and bicycling. Considering climate change, this plan will make Arden a suitable location for population growth. This paper aims to evaluate the Arden Structure Plan and make recommendations on how to improve the plan's urban sustainability and climate change considerations. Furthermore, it provides guidance on whether Arden is a suitable location for Melbourne's population growth in light of the climate change impacts anticipated to occur by 2100.

Local Chain Feature Mandated Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers.

This work demonstrates an effective and robust approach to regulate phase behaviors of a block copolymer by programming local features into otherwise homogeneous linear chains. A library of sequence-defined, isomeric block copolymers with globally the same composition but locally different side chain patterns were elaborately designed and prepared through an iterative convergent growth method. The precise chemical structure and uniform chain length rule out all inherent molecular defects associated with statistical distribution. The local features are found to exert surprisingly pronounced impacts on the self-assembly process, which have yet to be well recognized. While other molecular parameters remain essentially the same, simply rearranging a few methylene units among the alkyl side chains leads to strikingly different phase behaviors, bringing about (i) a rich diversity of nanostructures across hexagonally packed cylinders, Frank-Kasper A15 phase, Frank-Kasper σ phase, dodecagonal quasicrystals, and disordered state; (ii) a significant change of lattice dimension; and (iii) a substantial shift of order-to-disorder transition temperature (up to 40 °C). Different from the commonly observed enthalpy-dominated cases, the frustration due to the divergence between the native molecular geometry originating from side chain distribution and the local packing environment mandated by lattice symmetry is believed to play a pivotal role. Engineering the local chain feature introduces another level of structural complexity, opening up a new and effective pathway for modulating phase transition without changing the chemistry or composition.

KFWC: A Knowledge-Driven Deep Learning Model for Fine-grained Classification of Wet-AMD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Automated diagnosis using deep neural networks can help ophthalmologists detect the blinding eye disease wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Wet-AMD has two similar subtypes, Neovascular AMD and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy (PCV). However, due to the difficulty in data collection and the similarity between images, most studies have only achieved the coarse-grained classification of wet-AMD rather than a fine-grained one of wet-AMD subtypes. Therefore, designing and building a deep learning model to diagnose neovascular AMD and PCV is a great challenge. METHODS: To solve this issue, in this paper, we propose a Knowledge-driven Fine-grained Wet-AMD Classification Model (KFWC) to enhance the model's accuracy in the fine-grained disease classification with insufficient data. We innovatively introduced a two-stage method. In the first stage, we present prior knowledge of 10 lesion signs through pre-training; in the second stage, the model implements the classification task with the help of human knowledge. With the pre-training of priori knowledge of 10 lesion signs from input images, KFWC locates the powerful image features in the fine-grained disease classification task and therefore achieves better classification. RESULTS: To demonstrate the effectiveness of KFWC, we conduct a series of experiments on a clinical dataset collected in cooperation with a Grade III Level A ophthalmology hospital in China. The AUC score of KFWC reaches 99.71%, with 6.69% over the best baseline and 4.14% over ophthalmologists. KFWC can also provide good interpretability and effectively alleviate the pressure of data collection and annotation in the field of fine-grained disease classification for wet-AMD. CONCLUSIONS: The model proposed in this paper effectively solves the difficulties of small data volume and high image similarity in the wet-AMD fine-grained classification task through a knowledge-driven approach. Besides, this method effectively relieves the pressure of data collection and annotation in the field of fine-grained classification. In the diagnosis of wet-AMD, KFWC is superior to previous work and human ophthalmologists.

Transcriptome Analysis of Granulosa Cells Reveals Regulatory Mechanisms Related to Chicken Follicle Development.

In this study, we aimed to better understand the difference between the functions of the two types of granulosa cells and sought to discover more key genes involved in follicle development and follicle selection. Herein, we separately collected pre-hierarchical follicle granulosa cells (PHGCs) and preovulatory follicle granulosa cells (POGCs) for RNA extraction; the transcriptomes of the two groups were compared via RNA-seq. A total of 5273 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the PHGCs and POGCs; 2797 genes were up-regulated and 2476 were down-regulated in the PHGCs compared with the POGCs. A qPCR analysis confirmed that the expression patterns of 16 randomly selected DEGs were highly consistent with the RNA-seq results. In the POGCs, many of the genes with the most significant increase in expression were related to steroid hormone synthesis. In addition, the genes with the most significant decline in expression, including AMH and WT1, were related to the inhibition of steroid hormone synthesis. These results suggest that steroid hormones play a key role in follicle development. Furthermore, a Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in the primary metabolic process, the carbohydrate metabolic process, the cellular process, ribosomes, the cytoplasm, and intracellular processes. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in steroid biosynthesis, the cell cycle, ribosomes, the TGF-beta signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and so on. We also observed the morphology of the follicles at different developmental stages, and the results showed that the thickness of the granular layer of the small yellow follicles (SYFs) decreased significantly with further development. In addition, we also found that the thickness of the granulosa layer of hens over 300 days old was significantly lower than that of 200-day-old hens. In short, these data indicate that the tissue morphology and function of granulosa cells change throughout follicle development.

Hydrogen sulfide activatable metal-organic frameworks for Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Photodynamic Therapy of colorectal cancer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative and palliative therapeutic strategy for colorectal cancer (CRC). A novel photosensitizer with higher selectivity for CRC and fewer side effects is vital for clinical application. Given that the overexpression of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in CRC, it is expected to provide a selective stimulus for activatable photosensitizers that in respond to the specific microenvironment. Herein, we report a novel development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composed of meso-Tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphine (TCPP) and ferric ion (Fe3+) through a facile one-pot process. Experiments both in vitro and in vivo reveal that the MOF is capable of depredating in response to the high content of H2S in tumor microenvironment of CRC. Accompanying with the degradation and release of TCPP, the fluorescence and photosensitivity effect is switched from "off" to "on", enabling the MOF to serve as a H2S activatable nano-photosensitizer for real-time fluorescence imaging-guided and targeted PDT of CRC.

A hybrid of long short-term memory neural network and autoregressive integrated moving average model in forecasting HIV incidence and morality of post-neonatal population in East Asia: global burden of diseases 2000-2019.

BACKGROUND: To forecast the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence and mortality of post-neonatal population in East Asia including North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Japan and China Mainland and Taiwan province. METHODS: The data on the incidence and mortality of HIV in post-neonatal population from East Asia were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD). The morbidity and mortality of post-neonatal HIV population from GBD 2000 to GBD 2013 were applied as the training set and the morbidity and mortality from GBD 2014 to GBD 2019 were used as the testing set. The hybrid of ARIMA and LSTM model was used to construct the model for assessing the morbidity and mortality in the countries and territories of East Asia, and predicting the morbidity and mortality in the next 5 years. RESULTS: In North Korea, the incidence and mortality of HIV showed a rapid increase during 2000-2010 and a gradual decrease during 2010-2019. The incidence of HIV was predicted to be increased and the mortality was decreased. In South Korea, the incidence was increased during 2000-2010 and decreased during 2010-2019, while the mortality showed fluctuant trend. As predicted, the incidence of HIV in South Korea might be increased and the mortality might be decreased during 2020-2025. In Mongolia, the incidence and mortality were slowly decreased during 2000-2005, increased during 2005-2015, and rapidly decreased till 2019. The predicted incidence and mortality of HIV showed a decreased trend. As for Japan, the incidence of HIV was rapidly increased till 2010 and then decreased till 2015. The predicted incidence of HIV in Japan was gradually increased. The mortality of HIV in Japan was fluctuant during 2000-2019 and was slowly decreased as predicted. The incidence and mortality of HIV in Taiwan during 2000-2019 was increased on the whole. The predicted incidence of HIV during was stationary and the mortality was decreased. In terms of China Mainland, the incidence and mortality of HIV was fluctuant during 2000-2019. The predicted incidence of HIV in China Mainland was stationary while the mortality was rapidly decreased. CONCLUSION: On the whole, the incidence of HIV combined with other diseases in post-neonatal population was increased before 2010 and then decreased during 2010-2019 while the mortality of those patients was decreased in East Asia.

Ultrasensitive label-free electrochemical immunosensor of NT-proBNP biomarker based on branched AuPd nanocrystals/N-doped honeycombed porous carbon.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide is a major cardiac biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure. Herein, a novel label-free electrochemical immunosensor was developed based on home-made branched AuPd nanocrystals/N-doped porous carbon (AuPd NCS/NPC) for ultrasensitive and high-selective detection of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. Specifically, the AuPd NCS/NPC was prepared by a one-pot wet-chemical strategy by using thymine as a green structural directing agent, whose morphology, structures, and properties were strictly examined, showing high-efficiency catalysis towards electro-reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Under the optimized conditions, the fabricated sensor exhibited a dynamic linear range of 0.001 âˆ¼ 10 ng mL-1 and a low limit of detection (0.34 pg mL-1, S/N = 3) for immunoassay of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. Furthermore, this platform was explored for detection of the biomarker in human serum sample with satisfactory results. Thus, the built biosensor can render valuable guidance for prospective clinical diagnostic applications.

A sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for CYFRA 21-1 based on probe-confined in PtPd/polydopamine/hollow carbon spheres coupled with dendritic Au@Rh nanocrystals.

A signal-on sandwich-like electrochemical immunosensor was built for determination of cytokeratin 19 fragments 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by confining electroactive dye (e.g., methylene blue, MB) as a probe for amplifying signals. Specifically, core-shell gold@rhodium dendritic nanocrystals (Au@Rh DNCs) behaved as a substrate for primary antibody and accelerate interfacial electron transfer. Besides, hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) were subsequently modified with polydopamine (PDA) and PtPd nanoparticles for sequential integration of the secondary antibody and confinement of MB as a label, termed as MB/PtPd/PDA/HCSs for clarity. The built sensors showed a broad linear range (100 fg mL-1 ~ 100 ng mL-1) for detection of CYFRA 21-1 with an ultra-low detection limit (31.72 fg mL-1, S/N = 3), coupled with satisfactory performance in human serum samples. This work can be explored for assays of other proteins and provides some constructive insights for early and accurate diagnosis of NSCLC.

Polymorphisms of Calgranulin Genes and Ischemic Stroke in a Chinese Population.

Background: The S100/calgranulin gene appears to modulate neuroinflammation following cerebral ischemia and could be a valuable biomarker for stroke prognosis, according to growing research. This study aimed at evaluating the correlation between calgranulin gene variants and susceptibility to ischemic stroke (IS) in the Southern Chinese population. Methods: Using an enhanced multi-temperature ligase detection reaction genotyping, 310 IS patients and 324 age-matched healthy controls were genotyped to identify five calgranulin gene variants. Results: According to the obtained results, the S100A8 rs3795391, rs3806232, and S100A12 rs2916191 variants were linked to a higher risk of IS, while the S100A9 rs3014866 variant was associated with a lower risk of IS. Moreover, the T-T-C-A-T, T-T-C-G-T, or C-C-C-G-C haplotypes have been linked to a greater risk of developing IS, according to haplotype analysis. The occurrence of the variant C allele there in S100A8 rs3795391, rs3806232, and S100A12 rs2916191 variants may impart a greater risk of stroke in the LAA subtype, according to further stratification by IS subtypes, while the T allele of the S100A9 rs3014866 variant may be linked to a reduced risk of stroke of all subtypes. Furthermore, patients with the variant C allele of the S100A8 rs3795391, rs3806232, and S100A12 rs2916191 variants presented with increased circulating S100A8 and S100A12 levels and larger infarct volumes relative to those with the major TT genotype. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that calgranulin gene variants are linked to IS susceptibility, implying that the calgranulin gene may be a potential biomarker for IS prevention and personalized treatment.

Modulation of viral replication, apoptosis and antiviral response by induction and mutual regulation of EGR and AP-1 family genes during coronavirus infection.

Coronaviruses have evolved a variety of strategies to exploit normal cellular processes and signalling pathways for their efficient reproduction in a generally hostile cellular environment. One immediate-early response gene (IEG) family, the AP-1 gene family, was previously shown to be activated by coronavirus infection. In this study, we report that another IEG family, the EGR family, is also activated in cells infected with four different coronaviruses in three genera, i.e. gammacoronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), alphacoronaviruses porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) and human coronavirus-229E (HCoV-229E), and betacoronavirus HCoV-OC43. Knockdown of EGR1 reduced the expression of cJUN and cFOS, and knockdown of cJUN and/or cFOS reduced the expression of EGR1, demonstrating that these two IEG families may be cross-activated and mutual regulated. Furthermore, ERK1/2 was identified as an upstream kinase, and JNK and p38 as inhibitors of EGR1 activation in coronavirus-infected cells. However, upregulation of EGR family genes, in particular EGR1, appears to play a differential role in regulating viral replication, apoptosis and antiviral response. EGR1 was shown to play a limited role in regulation of coronavirus replication, and an anti-apoptotic role in cells infected with IBV or PEDV, but not in cells infected with HCoV-229E. Upregulation of EGR1 may also play a differential role in the regulation of antiviral response against different coronaviruses. This study reveals a novel regulatory network shared by different coronaviruses in the immediate-early response of host cells to infection.

Growth of Laser-Induced Microbubbles inside Capillary Tubes Affected by Gathered Light-Absorbing Particles.

Microbubbles have important applications in optofluidics. The generation and growth of microbubbles is a complicated process in microfluidic channels. In this paper, we use a laser to irradiate light-absorbing particles to generate microbubbles in capillary tubes and investigate the factors affecting microbubble size. The results show that the key factor is the total area of the light-absorbing particles gathered at the microbubble bottom. The larger the area of the particles at bottom, the larger the size of the microbubbles. Furthermore, the area is related to capillary tube diameter. The larger the diameter of the capillary tube, the more particles gathered at the bottom of the microbubbles. Numerical simulations show that the Marangoni convection is stronger in a capillary tube with a larger diameter, which can gather more particles than that in a capillary tube with a smaller diameter. The calculations show that the particles in contact with the microbubbles will be in a stable position due to the surface tension force.

Ecosystem Health and Environmental Geography in the Belt and Road Regions.

The "Belt and Road" Initiative (BRI), i.e., the official Chinese term for the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road", was proposed to share China's development opportunities with BRI-related countries and achieve common prosperity. Though the BRI itself conveys rich social and economic connotations, ecosystem health and the environmental problems in the Belt and Road regions are scientific issues. In this study, papers relating to the ecological issues of the BRI between January 2013 and December 2021 were collected and analyzed via CiteSpace. We found that some ecological issues were involved with the environmental challenges posed by the BRI, whereas others were, to a certain extent, subjective assumptions. Accordingly, we identified and classified the limitations and constraints of those environmental views about the BRI. By emphasizing that scientific data is key to explaining the ecological problems, we advanced four prospects for ecosystem health and environmental geography studies in the Belt and Road regions: (1) Spatial analysis and monitoring technology for the environment; (2) Clarification of the characteristics and mechanisms of the ecosystem and environments; (3) A focus on the interaction between the economy and the environment; (4) Specific and targeted strategies and solutions to different environmental problems.