Probing the Short-Distance Structure of the Quark-Gluon Plasma with Energy Correlators.

Energy-energy correlators (EECs) are promising observables to study the dynamics of jet evolution in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) through its imprint on angular scales in the energy flux of final-state particles. We carry out the first complete calculation of EECs using realistic simulations of high-energy heavy-ion collisions and dissect the different dynamics underlying the final distribution through analyses of jet propagation in a uniform medium. The EECs of γ-jets in heavy-ion collisions are found to be enhanced by the medium response from elastic scatterings instead of induced gluon radiation at large angles. In the meantime, EECs are suppressed at small angles due to energy loss and transverse momentum broadening of jet shower partons. These modifications are further shown to be sensitive to the angular scale of the in-medium interaction, as characterized by the Debye screening mass. Experimental verification and measurement of such modifications will shed light on this scale and the short-distance structure of the QGP in heavy-ion collisions.

SNHG16/miR-205/HDAC5 is involved in the progression of renal fibrosis.

Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) represents an irreversible and progressive pathological manifestation of chronic renal disease, which ultimately leads to end-stage renal disease. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been suggested to be involved in the progression of RIF. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16), a member of lncRNAs, has been found to be involved in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. This paper first researched the effect of SNHG16 on renal fibrosis. We established a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced mouse RIF model by ligation of the left ureter to evaluate the biological function of SNHG16 in RIF. As a result, SNHG16 was upregulated in UUO-induced renal fibrotic tissues. Knockdown of SNHG16 inhibited RIF and reduced alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin, and college IV expression. miR-205 was a target of SNHG16, and downregulated in UUO-induced renal fibrotic tissues. Inhibition of miR-205 promoted RIF and increased the expression of α-SMA, college IV, and fibronectin. Overexpression of SNHG16 promoted the UUO-induced RIF, but miR-205 abrogated this effect of SNHG16. Histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) showed high expression in UUO-induced renal fibrotic tissues. Knockdown of HDAC5 significantly reduced α-SMA, fibronectin, and college IV expression in renal tissues of UUO-induced mice. Inhibition of miR-205 promoted HDAC5 expression, but knockdown of SNHG16 inhibited HDAC5 expression in renal tissues of UUO-induced mice. In conclusion, SHNG16 is highly expressed in renal fibrotic tissues of UUO-induced mice. Knockdown of SHNG16 may prevent UUO-induced RIF by indirectly upregulating HDAC5 via targeting miR-205. SHNG16 may be novel target for treating renal fibrosis.

Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Map Considering Strengthening Effect for Al-10.0Zn-3.0Mg-2.8Cu Alloy.

In this paper, a hot processing map that takes into the strengthening effect into account is optimized for the Al-10.0Zn-3.0Mg-2.8Cu alloy, mainly considering the crushing and dissolving behavior of the insoluble phase. The hot deformation experiments were performed by compression testing with strain rates ranging from 0.001 to 1 s-1 and the temperature ranging from 380 to 460 °C. The hot processing map was established at the strain of 0.9. It exhibits that the appropriate hot processing region is located at the temperature from 431 to 456 °C and its strain rate is within 0.004-0.108 s-1. The recrystallization mechanisms and insoluble phase evolution were demonstrated using the real-time EBSD-EDS detection technology for this alloy. It is verified that the work hardening can also be consumed by the coarse insoluble phase refinement with the strain rate increasing from 0.001 to 0.1 s-1, besides the traditional recovery and recrystallization, but the effect of the insoluble phase crushing was weakened when strain rate increased over 0.1 s-1. Better refinement of the insoluble phase was around strain rate in 0.1 s-1, which exhibits adequate dissolving during the solid solution treatment, leading to excellent aging strengthen effects. Finally, the hot processing region was further optimized, so that the strain rate approaches 0.1 s-1 instead of 0.004-0.108 s-1. This will provide a theoretical support for the subsequent deformation of the Al-10.0Zn-3.0Mg-2.8Cu alloy and its' engineering application in aerospace, defense and military fields.

The Current Progress and Future Options of Multiple Therapy and Potential Biomarkers for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer is a common disease in men and the elderly. Current treatment paradigms include radical resection of the bladder and lymph nodes or transurethral resection, both supported by chemotherapy and/or radiation. New modalities, such as illumination-based therapies are also being translationally pursued. However, while survival rates have increased due to combined therapies (particularly chemotherapy, radiation, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and surgery), a lack of diagnostic markers leads clinical professionals to rely on frequently invasive and expensive means of monitoring, such as magnetic resonance imaging or bladder cystoscopy. To improve real-time diagnostic capabilities, biomarkers that reflect both the metabolic and metastatic potential of tumor cells are needed. Furthermore, indicators of therapy resistance would allow for rapid changes in treatment to optimize survival outcomes. Fortunately, the presence of nanoscale extracellular vesicles in the blood, urine, and other peripheral fluids allow for proteomic, genomic, and transcriptomic analyses while limiting the invasiveness of frequent sampling. This review provides an overview of the pathogenesis and progression of bladder cancer, standard treatments and outcomes, some novel treatment studies, and the current status of biomarker and therapy development featuring exosome-based analysis and engineering.

Search for the Elusive Jet-Induced Diffusion Wake in Z/γ-Jets with 2D Jet Tomography in High-Energy Heavy-Ion Collisions.

Diffusion wake is an unambiguous part of the jet-induced medium response in high-energy heavy-ion collisions that leads to a depletion of soft hadrons in the opposite direction of the jet propagation. New experimental data on Z-hadron correlation in Pb+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider show, however, an enhancement of soft hadrons in the direction of both the Z and the jet. Using a coupled linear Boltzmann transport and hydro model, we demonstrate that medium modification of partons from the initial multiple parton interaction (MPI) gives rise to a soft hadron enhancement that is uniform in azimuthal angle while jet-induced medium response and soft gluon radiation dominate the enhancement in the jet direction. After subtraction of the contributions from MPI with a mixed-event procedure, the diffusion wake becomes visible in the near-side Z-hadron correlation. We further employ the longitudinal and transverse gradient jet tomography for the first time to localize the initial jet production positions in Z/γ-jet events in which the effect of the diffusion wake is apparent in Z/γ-hadron correlation even without the subtraction of the MPI contribution.

Gradient Tomography of Jet Quenching in Heavy-Ion Collisions.

Transverse momentum broadening and energy loss of a propagating parton are dictated by the space-time profile of the jet transport coefficient q[over ^] in a dense QCD medium. The spatial gradient of q[over ^] perpendicular to the propagation direction can lead to a drift and asymmetry in parton transverse momentum distribution. Such an asymmetry depends on both the spatial position along the transverse gradient and path length of a propagating parton as shown by numerical solutions of the Boltzmann transport in the simplified form of a drift-diffusion equation. In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, this asymmetry with respect to a plane defined by the beam and trigger particle (photon, hadron, or jet) with a given orientation relative to the event plane is shown to be closely related to the transverse position of the initial jet production in full event-by-event simulations within the linear Boltzmann transport model. Such a gradient tomography can be used to localize the initial jet production position for more detailed study of jet quenching and properties of the quark-gluon plasma along a given propagation path in heavy-ion collisions.

Bayesian Extraction of Jet Energy Loss Distributions in Heavy-Ion Collisions.

Based on the factorization in perturbative QCD, a jet cross section in heavy-ion collisions can be expressed as a convolution of the jet cross section in p+p collisions and a jet energy loss distribution. Using this simple expression and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, we carry out Bayesian analyses of experimental data on jet spectra to extract energy loss distributions for both single inclusive and γ-triggered jets in Pb+Pb collisions with different centralities at two colliding energies at the Large Hadron Collider. The average jet energy loss has a dependence on the initial jet energy that is slightly stronger than a logarithmic form and decreases from central to peripheral collisions. The extracted jet energy loss distributions with a scaling behavior in x=Δp_{T}/⟨Δp_{T}⟩ have a large width. These are consistent with the linear Boltzmann transport model simulations, in which the observed jet quenching is caused on the average by only a few out-of-cone scatterings.

Highly ordered binary assembly of silica mesochannels and surfactant micelles for extraction and electrochemical analysis of trace nitroaromatic explosives and pesticides.

The rapid and sensitive detection of nitroaromatic compounds is of great significance for human health, the environment, and public security. The present work reports on the extraction and electrochemical analysis of trace nitroaromatic compounds, such as explosives and organophosphate pesticides (OPs), using the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes modified with a highly ordered and aligned binary assembly of silica mesochannels and micelles (BASMM). With a pore diameter of ca. 2-3 nm, silica mesochannels (SMs) perpendicularly oriented to the ITO electrode surface can provide hard and robust supports to confine the soft cylindrical micelles formed by the aggregation of cationic surfactants, namely, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Due to the organized self-assembly of hydrocarbon tails of CTAB surfactants, each micelle has a hydrophobic core, which acts as an excellent adsorbent for rapid extraction and preconcentration of trace nitroaromatic compounds from aqueous solutions via the hydrophobic effect. Furthermore, the cylindrical micelles are directly in contact with the underlying electrode surface, to which extracted compounds can freely diffuse and then be reduced therein, thus allowing their determination by means of voltammetry. Using the BASMM/ITO sensor, electrochemical analysis of trace nitroaromatic explosives, including 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4,6-trinitrophenol, 2,6-dinitrotoluene, 3-nitrophenol, and nitrobenzene, and OPs, such as paraoxon, methyl parathion, and fenitrothion, was achieved with a fast response, wide linear range, high sensitivity, and low detection limit at the ppb level. TNT and paraoxon in real apple, tea, and water samples were also determined. By combining the heterogeneous extraction and determination in one ordered binary nanostructure, the BASMM sensor provides a very simple, rapid, and cost-effective way for analysis of nitroaromatic compounds and can be extended to a wide range of lipophilic yet redox-active analytes.

Immunological multimetal deposition for rapid visualization of sweat fingerprints.

A simple method termed immunological multimetal deposition (iMMD) was developed for rapid visualization of sweat fingerprints with bare eyes, by combining the conventional MMD with the immunoassay technique. In this approach, antibody-conjugated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used to specifically interact with the corresponding antigens in the fingerprint residue. The AuNPs serve as the nucleation sites for autometallographic deposition of silver particles from the silver staining solution, generating a dark ridge pattern for visual detection. Using fingerprints inked with human immunoglobulin G (hIgG), we obtained the optimal formulation of iMMD, which was then successfully applied to visualize sweat fingerprints through the detection of two secreted polypeptides, epidermal growth factor and lysozyme. In comparison with the conventional MMD, iMMD is faster and can provide additional information than just identification. Moreover, iMMD is facile and does not need expensive instruments.

Gold nanoparticles confined in vertically aligned silica nanochannels and their electrocatalytic activity toward ascorbic acid.

A facile method of confining gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in silica nanochannels aligned perpendicularly to an underlying electrode surface is reported. The nanochannel surface carrying a layer of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxy silane (APTS) displays a strong electrostatic interaction with AuCl4(-), eventually resulting in the confinement of AuNPs inside the nanochannels after chemical reduction. As-prepared AuNPs in APTS-modified mesoporous silica film (APTS-MSF) are highly dispersed with a narrow size distribution. Furthermore, these AuNPs are free of protecting ligands and exhibit a good electrochemical catalytic activity toward the oxidation of ascorbic acid.

Electrochemiluminescence imaging of latent fingermarks through the immunodetection of secretions in human perspiration.

We present the combination of electrochemiluminescence imaging with enzyme immunoassay for the highly sensitive detection of protein/polypeptide residues in latent fingermarks. This technique provides an effective method for fingermark detection that enables both identification of an individual and recognition of the secretions in the human perspiration.

Vertically oriented silica mesochannels as the template for electrodeposition of polyaniline nanostructures and their electrocatalytic and electroanalytical applications.

A mesoporous silica film (MSF) with vertically oriented mesochannels on a conductive substrate serves as a hard-template for electrodeposition of polyaniline (PANI). The PANI nanostructures thus prepared are orderly confined in silica mesochannels, eventually producing a robust hybrid film. The film displays a good electrocatalytic activity toward oxidation of ascorbic acid, and can be used for potentiometric pH sensing with a Nernstian response.

Non-destructive enhancement of latent fingerprints on stainless steel surfaces by electrochemiluminescence.

Visualization and detection of latent fingerprints (LFPs) on metal surfaces are of highly practical importance, e.g., in identifying gun cartridges. We report herein the visualization of LFPs on stainless steel surfaces by electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Since organic residues, such as fatty acids, in the fingerprint deposit make the underlying surface electrochemically inert or less active, an ECL reaction occurs only on the metal portions untouched by the fingertip, hence generating a negative image of the fingerprint. The popular ECL reaction solution, consisting of ruthenium(ii) tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) and tri-n-propylamine, was used for this imaging purpose. Factors, including the applied potential and the concentration of ECL luminophore, as well as the stability of ECL negative images, were investigated to achieve a satisfactory visualization enhancement. This imaging approach is simple, rapid, non-invasive, and no pre-treatment either on the background or on the fingerprint itself is needed. It constitutes a powerful tool for visualizing LFPs on metal surfaces. This method was also demonstrated to be suitable for enhancing LFPs collected from various surfaces.

Nano nickel oxide modified non-enzymatic glucose sensors with enhanced sensitivity through an electrochemical process strategy at high potential.

Development of fast and sensitive sensors for glucose determination is important in food industry, clinic diagnostics, biotechnology and many other areas. In these years, considerable attention has been paid to develop non-enzymatic electrodes to solve the disadvantages of the enzyme-modified electrodes, such as instability, high cost, complicated immobilization procedure and critical operating situation et al. Nano nickel oxide (NiO) modified non-enzymatic glucose sensors with enhanced sensitivity were investigated. Potential scanning nano NiO modified carbon paste electrodes up to high potential in alkaline solution greatly increases the amount of redox couple Ni(OH)(2)/NiOOH derived from NiO, and thus improves their electrochemical properties and electrocatalytical performance toward the oxidation of glucose. The non-enzymatic sensors response quickly to glucose and the response time is less than 5s, demonstrating excellent electrocatalytical activity and assay performance. The calibration plot is linear over the wide concentration range of 1-110 µM with a sensitivity of 43.9 nA/µM and a correlation coefficient of 0.998. The detection limit of the electrode was found to be 0.16 µM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The proposed non-enzymatic sensors can be used for the assay of glucose in real sample.