Unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with sensor packages to study spatiotemporal variations of air pollutants in industry parks.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with a miniaturized sensor package were developed for aerial observations, which realizes aerial observations affordable to scientists in atmospheric science and achieves aerial measurements in high spatial resolution. UAVs are deployed to a variety of aerial detecting tasks in different scientific scenarios including chemical industry parks (CIPs) with hazardous gases emissions, and some places difficult for humans to reach. In this study, UAV sensing technology was deployed to detect air pollutants in a suburb, a CIP and a natural gas plant, respectively. The effects of atmospheric conditions such as the atmospheric boundary layer height, long-distance transport and atmospheric stability on the spatiotemporal variations of the air pollutants vertical profiles were investigated by the UAV. The UAV with the sensor package was deployed to capture the methane (CH4) leakages in a natural gas plant. The spatiotemporal variations of CH4 in both vertical and horizontal directions studied by UAV were employed to calculate accurate CH4 emissions, which is crucial to reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases. The low-cost UAV sensing technology for air pollutants was developed by Dr. Xiaobing Pang, who was funded by the Newton Fellowship in 2009 and worked in the University of York. This article is part of the theme issue 'Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Royal Society Newton International Fellowship'.

DFT characterization of a new possible two-dimensional BN allotrope with a biphenylene network structure.

The pioneering work on the newly experimentally synthesized biphenylene network C has triggered a worldwide tide of research on its family material counterparts. In this study, a biphenylene network BN structure was theoretically characterized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Initially, the structure's mechanical and thermal stabilities were evaluated. There were no imaginary frequencies in the phonon dispersion curve, indicating that the structure was mechanically stable. Additionally, the energy barrier for forming a biphenylene network BN structure from perfect pristine 2D h-BN is substantially less than that for forming a biphenylene network C from a perfect graphene sheet, as can be explained from the greater structure distortion in the biphenylene network BN with lower bond stress which thus caused lower energy. The electronic band structure and detailed projected density of states analysis indicated that the biphenylene network BN is a semiconductor with the valence band maximum (VBM) and the conduction band minimum (CBM) states from the pz orbitals of N and B atoms with sp2 hybridization. Finally, a bilayer structure was also proposed. Our obtained results provide more insights into two-dimensional biphenylene network BN based structures and those family materials which could be widely used in relevant nanoelectronic devices.

Molybdenum and cadmium co-exposure induces CaMKKß/AMPK/mTOR pathway mediated-autophagy by subcellular calcium redistribution in duck renal tubular epithelial cells.

Excessive molybdenum (Mo) and cadmium (Cd) are toxic environmental pollutants. Our previous research confirmed excessive Mo and Cd co-induced calcium homeostasis disorder and autophagy in duck kidneys, but how calcium ion (Ca2+) regulates autophagy is unclear. The results revealed that the Mo- and/or Cd-induced cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) increase mainly came from intracellular calcium stores. Mo and/or Cd caused mitochondrial Ca2+ content ([Ca2+]mit) and [Ca2+]c increase with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ content ([Ca2+]ER) decrease and upregulated calcium homeostasis-related factor expression levels, but 2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) reversed subcellular Ca2+ redistribution. Increased Phospholipase C (PLC) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) activities and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) expression level were observed in Mo- and/or Cd-treated cells, which was reversed by the PLC inhibitor U-73122. 2-APB and 1,2-Bis (2-aminophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA-AM) addition mitigated [Ca2+]c and autophagy (variations in microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), LC3B-II/LC3B-I, autophagy related 5 (ATG5), sequestosome-1(P62), programmed cell death-1 (Beclin-1) and Dynein expression levels, LC3 puncta, autophagosomes and acid vesicle organelles) under Mo and/or Cd treatment, respectively, while thapsigargin (TG) had the opposite impacts. Additionally, the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase ß (CaMKKß) inhibitor STO-609 reversed the increased CaMKKß, adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Beclin-1, and LC3B-II/LC3B-I protein expression levels and reduced mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and P62 protein expression levels in Mo- and/or Cd-exposed cells. Collectively, the results confirmed that [Ca2+]c overload resulted from PLC/IP3/IP3R pathway-mediated ER Ca2+ release, and then activated autophagy by the CaMKKß/AMPK/mTOR pathway in Mo- and/or Cd-treated duck renal tubular epithelial cells.

Engineering multiscale polypyrrole/carbon nanotubes interface to boost electron utilization in a bioelectrochemical system coupled with chemical absorption for NO removal.

The chemical absorption-bioelectrochemical reduction (CABER) integrated system provides an alternative of good potential for NO removal. The efficient utilization of cathode electrons directly determines the system performance and operating cost. Herein, we synthesize a polypyrrole/carbon nanotubes (PPy/CNTs) composite to engineer a micro-and nanoscale interface with low resistance and high biocompatibility between the cathode and biofilms in the CABER system. The resulting PPy/CNTs biocathodes exhibit 36.4% increase in biomass density, 40.7%-302.6% increase in Faraday efficiency along Fe(III)EDTA reduction, and 204% increase in Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction rate. The enrichment of functional microorganisms is validated to be a key strengthening factor, as the proportion of which increased from 57.9% to 84.6%. Moreover, for efficient electron transfer and utilization, a low-resistance electron transfer route, "electrode substrate → PPy (→ CNTs) → microbial cells → Fe(III)EDTA or Fe(II)EDTA-NO", is realized in the multiscale conductive networks constructed of PPy/CNTs composite and microbial nanowires.

Dynamic changes of IgM and IgG antibodies in asymptomatic patients as an effective way to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, and close contacts and asymptomatic patients are worthy of attention. METHODS: A total of 1844 people in close contacts with 76 COVID-19 patients were investigated, and nasopharyngeal swabs and venous blood were collected for centralized medical quarantine observation. Real-time fluorescence was used to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in nasopharyngeal swabs of all close contacts, and the colloidal gold method was used to detect serum-specific antibodies. Levels of IgM- and IgG-specific antibodies were detected quantitatively through chemiluminescence from the first nucleic acid turned negative date (0 week) and on weekly intervals of ≤1 week, 1-2 weeks, 2-3 weeks, 3-4 weeks, 4-5 weeks, 5-6 weeks, and 6-7 weeks. RESULTS: The total positive rate of the colloidal gold method (88.5%, 23/26) was significantly higher (χ2  = 59.182, p < 0.001) than that of the healthy control group (2.0%, 1/50). There was significant difference in IgG concentration at different time points (0-7 weeks) after negative nucleic acid conversion (χ2  = 14.034, p = 0.029). Serum IgG levels were significantly higher at weekly time points of 4-5 weeks (Z = -2.399, p = 0.016), 5-6 weeks (Z = -2.049, p = 0.040), and 6-7 weeks (Z = -2.197, p = 0.028) compared with 1-2 weeks after negative nucleic acid conversion. However, there was no significant difference (χ2  = 4.936, p = 0.552) in IgM concentration between time points tested (0-7 weeks) after negative nucleic acid conversion. The positive rates of IgM and IgG in asymptomatic patients (χ2  = 84.660, p < 0.001) were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (χ2  = 9.201, p = 0.002) within 7 weeks of negative nucleic acid conversion. CONCLUSIONS: The IgG concentration in asymptomatic cases remained at a high level after nucleic acid turned negative. Nucleic acid detection combined with IgM and IgG antibody detection is an effective way to screen asymptomatic infections.

Predictors for survival in patients with bone metastasis of small cell lung cancer: A population-based study.

ABSTRACT: The objective of the current study is to analyze the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with bone metastasis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and explore their survival predictors.We retrospectively extracted patients with bone metastasis of SCLC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. We applied Cox regression analyses to identify independent survival predictor of overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Only significant predictors from univariable analysis were included for multivariable Cox analysis. Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate survival differences between groups by the log-rank test.A total of 5120 patients with bone metastasis of SCLC were identified and included for survival analysis. The 1-year OS and CSS rates of bone metastasis of SCLC were 19.8% and 21.4%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, gender, age, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, liver metastasis, brain metastasis, insurance status, and marital status independently predicted OS and CSS. There was no significant difference of OS and CSS in terms of race and tumor size.Independent predictors of survival were identified among patients with bone metastasis of SCLC, which could be valuable to clinicians in treatment decision. Patients with bone metastasis of SCLC may benefit from radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Development and Validation of a Prognostic Nomogram for Extremity Soft Tissue Leiomyosarcoma.

Background: Extremity soft tissue leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to develop nomograms to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with extremity soft tissue LMS. Methods: Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, 1,528 cases of extremity soft tissue LMS diagnosed between 1983 and 2015 were included. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to analyze prognosis and obtain independent predictors. The independent predictors were integrated to develop nomograms predicting 5- and 10-year OS and CSS. Nomogram performance was evaluated by a concordance index (C-index) and calibration plots using R software version 3.5.0. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥60 years, high tumor grade, distant metastasis, tumor size ≥5 cm, and lack of surgery were significantly associated with decreased OS and CSS. These five predictors were used to construct nomograms for predicting 5- and 10-year OS and CSS. Internal and external calibration plots for the probability of 5- and 10-year OS and CSS showed excellent agreement between nomogram prediction and observed outcomes. The C-index values for internal validation of OS and CSS prediction were 0.776 (95% CI 0.752-0.801) and 0.835 (95% CI 0.810-0.860), respectively, whereas those for external validation were 0.748 (95% CI 0.721-0.775) and 0.814 (95% CI 0.785-0.843), respectively. Conclusions: The proposed nomogram is a reliable and robust tool for accurate prognostic prediction in patients with extremity soft tissue LMS.

The Treatment of Fibrosis of Joint Synovium and Frozen Shoulder by Smad4 Gene Silencing in Rats.

Soft tissue fibrosis at the joint induced by inflammation is the pathological basis of frozen shoulder. In the present study, we utilized a lentiviral approach to silence the Smad4 gene in an in vitro fibrosis model of fibroblasts and an in vivo frozen shoulder model. We observed the change in the fibrosis process and the biological indicators of frozen shoulder. The in vitro fibrosis models (Rat myoblasts L6, Rat synovial cell RSC-364 and Rat chondrocytes RCs) were established using TGF-ß1 induction, and the effect of Smad4 gene silencing on fibrosis was analyzed. The method of Kanno A was employed to establish a rat model of frozen shoulder, and Smad4 in the relevant part was knocked down with the lentiviral approach. We then examined the abduction and rotation angles and the length of synovial intima and measured the inflammatory factors in effusion and the fibrotic markers of tissues. We found that Smad4 knockdown suppressed the proliferation and expression of fibrotic markers in L6, RSC-364 and RCs cells induced by TGF-ß1. MMP activity measurements showed that Smad4 knockdown significantly reversed the decrease in MMP activity in these three cell lines that were induced by TGF-ß1. Furthermore, using lentivirus in the rat frozen shoulder model, we found that Smad4 silencing attenuated the inflammatory response and fibrosis. It significantly inhibited the increase of the Vimentin, α-SMA, collagen I and III, Lama1 and Timp1 proteins in synovial tissue as well as the inflammatory factors of TNF-a, IL-1α/ß, IL-6 and IL-10 in effusion. MMP acidity assays revealed that Smad4 silencing inhibited MMP activity in the synovial, cartilage and ligament tissues in the model animals. The assessment of the phosphorylated Smad2/3 in the nuclei isolated from the synovial tissues showed that Smad4 silencing significantly inhibited the phosphorylation and subsequent nuclear translocation of Smad2/3 proteins. Moreover, Smad4-shRNA lentivirus inhibited the decrease in both the abduction and rotation angles caused by immobilization as well as the decrease in the length of the synovial intima. Based on shoulder movement data, Smad4 knockdown can increase the rotation limitation caused by immobilization. In summary, Smad4 silencing can suppress chronic inflammation and fibrosis in joint tissues by inhibiting the TGF-ß/Smad pathway and can play a positive role in the prevention and treatment of joint stiffness.

[AO elastic intramedullary nailing for the treatment of clavicle fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of Titanium elastic intramedullary nailing (TEN) for the treatment of displaced midclavicular fractures. METHODS: Between February 2010 and February 2013, 62 patients with displaced midclavicular fractures were treated by TEN, including 27 males and 35 females with an average age of 37.6 years old ranging from 15 to 67 years. The course of disease was from 1 to 9 days (means 2.7 days). Thirty-nine cases were treated by closed reduction and 23 cases by assistant small incision. Based on OTA (the Orthopaedic Trauma Association classification) classification, 31 cases of simple fractures involved 5 cases of 06-A1,15 cases of 06-A2,11 cases of 06-A3; 31 cases of wedge fractures involved 4 cases of 06-B1,12 cases of 06-B2,15 cases of 06-B3. Postoperative pain relief were evaluated by VAS score,and operation time,fracture healing time were recorded. After 6 weeks and after removing internal fixation shoulder joint function was evaluated by Constant score, and shoulder joint function were assessed by Herscovici score after 6 weeks. RESULTS: Except 2 cases were lost to follow-up, 2 cases did not remove internal fixation, 3 cases' fractures were nonunion, the remaining 55 patients received follow-up for an average time of 11.4 months. The average preoperative VAS score was 5.20±0.71, and it turned to be 1.550.59 at 3 days after operation. The average operative duration was 40 min (15 to 65 min). The average bone healing time was (2.71±0.54) months (2 to 5 months). No difference about bone healing time was found between simple fractures and wedge fractures,and between the patients treated by closed reduction and assistant small incision. According to Herscovici standard, the shoulder function was excellent in 49 cases, good in 4, fair in 1, and poor in 1. Simple fractures achieved better Constant score than wedge fractures at 6 weeks postoperatively, whereas no difference was found at 4 weeks after fixation removal. CONCLUSION: Titanium elastic nails (TEN) for treatment of displaced midclavicular fractures has advantages of good clinical effect,rapid pain relief,fast recovery of shoulder joint function. For OTA classification type B patients with comminuted fracture can replace steel to achieve very good effect, but to grasp the appropriate.

Inkjet printed Prussian blue films for hydrogen peroxide detection.

An inkjet printing method is described to fabricate hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) sensors. Insoluble Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles were dispersed in aqueous solvent, and were printed on screen printed carbon electrodes with a piezoelectric inkjet printer for H(2)O(2) detection. The electrochemical behavior of the printed sensors was studied by using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The printed sensors showed great electrocatalytic activity toward H(2)O(2) and can be used for amperometric detection of H(2)O(2). The calibration curves for H(2)O(2) determination showed a linear range from 0.02 to 0.7 mM with a sensitivity of 164.82 µA M(-1) cm(-2) for the printed PB film. The results showed the feasibility of applying inkjet printing technology on surface modification; the results also provide an alternative way for manufacturing electrochemical sensors.