Curcumin Equipped Nanozyme-Like Metal-Organic Framework Platform for the Targeted Atherosclerosis Treatment with Lipid Regulation and Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Capability.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has become the leading cause of death worldwide, and early diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis (AS) are crucial for reducing the occurrence of acute cardiovascular events. However, early diagnosis of AS is challenging, and oral anti-AS drugs suffer from limitations like imprecise targeting and low bioavailability. To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, Cur/MOF@DS is developed, a nanoplatform integrating diagnosis and treatment by loading curcumin (Cur) into metal-organic frameworks with nanozymes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) properties. In addition, the surface-modification of dextran sulfate (DS) enables PCN-222(Mn) effectively target scavenger receptor class A in macrophages or foam cells within the plaque region. This nanoplatform employs mechanisms that effectively scavenge excessive reactive oxygen species in the plaque microenvironment, promote macrophage autophagy and regulate macrophage polarization to realize lipid regulation. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirm that this nanoplatform has outstanding MRI performance and anti-AS effects, which may provide a new option for early diagnosis and treatment of AS.

Learning to play: understanding in-game tutorials with a pilot study on implicit tutorials.

Tutorials are essential strategies used by game designers to improve video games' playability. The concept of "learning to play" exemplified by game tutorials also seems potentially related to game-based learning, but studies on game tutorials still appear scant. In order to support more in-depth researching on in-game tutorials and contribute to the current understanding of players' gameplay learning, this paper performed a literature review on research of game tutorials and revealed five commonly reported features of in-game tutorials. First, tutorials are typically considered more significant for games with complex gameplay. Second, players' gaming proficiency should be consulted when studying in-game tutorials. Third, the tutorials may be more effective when players can practice on their own and receive timely feedback. Fourth, providing players with just-in-time access to tutorials was thought to have a positive effect on their learning of the gameplay. Finally, the research in this area had been reported as deficient until 2017. Based on the literature review, a pilot study on implicit game tutorials was conducted to explore a more effective form of in-game tutorials. Using a designed questionnaire, the pilot study performed a quantitative analysis on recruited players' feedback and in-game performance and tested the results against five hypotheses established upon the literature review. It suggested that providing players with implicit guidance and gamified instructive elements in the tutorial section can improve their in-game perceptions, and implicit tutorials are especially beneficial for players experienced in gaming. This study extended the previous studies on game tutorials and may contribute to the follow-up studies on game tutorials.

A Hole Nucleation Method Combining BESO and Topological Sensitivity for Level Set Topology Optimization.

As is known to all, the incapacity to nucleate holes automatically in the design domain is one of the main issues of the classical level set topology optimization method. To solve the issue of hole nucleation, this paper employs the bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) method based on the material removal scheme and the frequently used topological sensitivity and proposes the combining BESO and topological sensitivity (CBT) method for level set topology optimization. This method can replace the existing hole nucleation method for level set topology optimization. First, the topological sensitivity is combined with BESO, and the BESO method based on topological sensitivity is proposed. Second, the method is integrated into level set topology optimization to solve the issue of hole nucleation. Two sensitivity thresholds are defined depending on the evolutionary volume ratio and boundary topological sensitivity, respectively, and the smaller one is used as the sensitivity threshold for hole nucleation. The material is removed from the design domain to nucleate holes based on this threshold. Three classical two-dimensional numerical examples are used to validate the proposed hole nucleation method.