Mast Cell Infiltration and Subtype Promote Malignant Transformation of Oral Precancer and Progression of Oral Cancer.

The role of mast cell (MC), a common myeloid-derived immune cell, in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate MC infiltration in oral precancer and oral cancer. The evaluation of immune cell infiltration and its association with prognosis in OSCC used RNA sequencing and multiple public datasets. Multiplex immunofluorescence was used to explore the infiltration of MC in the microenvironment of OSCC and oral precancer and the interaction with CD8+ cells. The role of MC in OSCC progression was verified by in vivo experiments. The resting MC infiltration was mainly present in oral precancer, whereas activated MC infiltration was significantly higher in OSCC. Activated MC was associated with malignant transformation of oral precancer and poor prognosis of OSCC. In vivo studies showed that MC promoted the growth of OSCC. The infiltration of activated MC was negatively correlated with the infiltration of CD8+ T cells. The subtype of MC containing tryptase without chymase (MCT) was significantly higher in OSCC compared with oral precancer and was associated with poor survival. Furthermore, spatial distance analysis revealed a greater distance between MCT and CD8+ cells, which was also linked to poor prognosis in OSCC. Cox regression analysis showed that MCT could be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. This study provides new insights into the role of MC in the immune microenvironment of OSCC. It might enhance the immunotherapeutic efficacy of OSCC by developing targeted therapies against MC. SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we investigated the role of mast cells (MC) in oral precancer and oral cancer and demonstrated that MCs are involved in oral cancer progression and may serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker. It might improve the immunotherapeutic efficacy through developing targeted therapies against MCs.

Ginsenoside Rg3 Restores Mitochondrial Cardiolipin Homeostasis via GRB2 to Prevent Parkinson's Disease.

Regulating cardiolipin to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis is a promising strategy for addressing Parkinson's disease (PD). Through a comprehensive screening and validation process involving multiple models, ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) as a compound capable of enhancing cardiolipin levels is identified. This augmentation in cardiolipin levels fosters mitochondrial homeostasis by bolstering mitochondrial unfolded protein response, promoting mitophagy, and enhancing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Consequently, this cascade enhances the survival of tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH+) dopaminergic neurons, leading to an amelioration in motor performance within PD mouse models. Using limited proteolysis-small-molecule mapping combined with molecular docking analysis, it has confirmed Growth Factor Receptor-Bound Protein 2 (GRB2) as a molecular target for Rg3. Furthermore, these investigations reveal that Rg3 facilitates the interaction between GRB2 and TRKA (Neurotrophic Tyrosine Kinase, Receptor, Type 1), thus promotes EVI1 (Ecotropic Virus Integration Site 1 Protein Homolog) phosphorylation by ERK, subsequently increases CRLS1 (Cardiolipin Synthase 1) gene expression and boosts cardiolipin synthesis. The absence of GRB2 or CRLS1 significantly attenuates the beneficial effects of Rg3 on PD symptoms. Finally, Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) that also promotes the binding between GRB2 and TRKA is further identified. The identified compounds, Rg3 and TDF, exhibit promising potential for the prevention of PD by bolstering cardiolipin expression and reinstating mitochondrial homeostasis.

Effects of comprehensive nursing with cognitive behavioral therapy in orthodontic osteodilated arch treatment.

BACKGROUND: This work explored the effects of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)-based comprehensive nursing intervention (CNI) mode in arch expansion to treat patients with orthodontic osteodilated arch (OOA). AIM: To explore the application effect of CBT-based CNI model in orthodontic expansion arch treatment. METHODS: Using convenient sampling method, 81 patients with OOA were selected and rolled into a control group (Ctrl group, 40 cases) and an observation group (Obs group, 41 cases). During the treatment, patients in the Ctrl group received routine nursing intervention mode, and the those in the Obs group received CBT mode on the basis of this. Before and after intervention, the incidence of oral mucositis, the mastery rate of correct arch expansion method, self-rating anxiety scale score, soft scale index, and plaque index were compared for patients in different groups. In addition, satisfaction and complications were comparatively analyzed. RESULTS: Incidence of oral mucositis in the Obs group was lower (14.6% vs 38.5%), and the mastery rate of correct arch expansion method was obviously higher (90.2% vs 55.0%) was obviously higher (all P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the soft scale index and plaque index in the Obs group were much lower (P < 0.05). The compliance (90.24%) and satisfaction (95.12%) in the Obs group were greatly higher (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The CBT-based CNI mode greatly improved the mastery rate of correct arch expansion method during arch expansion in treating patients with OOA and enhanced the therapeutic effect of arch expansion and the oral health of patients, improving the patient compliance.

A Sweet Synthesis of MXenes.

Two-dimensional transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) have shown great promise in various applications. However, mass production of MXenes suffers from the excessive use of toxic fluorine-containing reagents. Herein, a new method was validated for synthesizing MXenes from five MAX ceramics. The method features a minimized (stoichiometric) dosage of F-containing reagent (NaBF4) and polyols (glycerol, erythritol, and xylitol) as the reaction solvent. Due to the sweetness of polyols and the low environmental impact, we refer to this method as a "sweet" synthesis of MXenes. An in-depth molecular dynamics simulation study, combined with experimental kinetic parameters, further revealed that the diffusion of F- in the confined interplanar space is rate-determining for the etching reaction. The expansion of interlayer spacing by polyols effectively reduces the diffusion activation energy of F- and accelerates the etching reaction.

Lactylation stabilizes TFEB to elevate autophagy and lysosomal activity.

The transcription factor TFEB is a major regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy. There is growing evidence that posttranslational modifications play a crucial role in regulating TFEB activity. Here, we show that lactate molecules can covalently modify TFEB, leading to its lactylation and stabilization. Mechanically, lactylation at K91 prevents TFEB from interacting with E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2, thereby inhibiting TFEB ubiquitination and proteasome degradation, resulting in increased TFEB activity and autophagy flux. Using a specific antibody against lactylated K91, enhanced TFEB lactylation was observed in clinical human pancreatic cancer samples. Our results suggest that lactylation is a novel mode of TFEB regulation and that lactylation of TFEB may be associated with high levels of autophagy in rapidly proliferating cells, such as cancer cells.

Efficient and low-energy degradation of chlorobenzene via catA-mediated cleavage and bedC1 docking in a novel Burkholderia stabilis TF-2.

In this study, a novel strain Burkholderia stabilis TF-2 capable of assimilatory and co-metabolic degradation of chlorobenzenes was obtained. The interaction between chlorobenzene (CB) and target enzymes, as well as the metabolic pathways in TF-2, were elucidated using multi-omics and molecular docking techniques. Results of degradation experiments indicated that TF-2 assimilated CB at a rate of 0.22-0.66 mg·gcell-1·h-1 in concentrations of 20-200 mg L-1. Additionally, TF-2 also used sodium succinate and sodium citrate as substrates to co-metabolize CB, with degradation rates of 0.26-2.00 and 0.31-1.72 mol·gcell-1·h-1, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing revealed over 18 novel genes associated with aromatic hydrocarbon degradation in TF-2. Transcriptomic analysis showed that CB induced the high expression of 119 genes involved in CB metabolism and late mineralization. The significant up-regulation of the bedC1 (encoding a ring-hydroxylated dioxygenase), CatA (chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase), pcaJ (3-oxoadipate CoA-transferase alpha subunit) and fadA (acetyl-CoA acyltransferase) genes facilitated CB metabolism. Based on these findings, a metabolic pathway for CB was constructed, with the key step involving ortho cleavage of the aromatic ring under the action of the catA gene. Furthermore, molecular docking revealed that CB bound to bedC1 with -4.5 kcal mol-1 through hydrophobic bonds, π-stacking, and a halogen bond. These results provide strong support for development of efficient strains to enhance the removal of chlorinated organic compounds.

PRMT5 mediated FUBP1 methylation accelerates prostate cancer progression.

Strategies beyond hormone-related therapy should need to be developed to improve prostate cancer mortalityfor better disease management. Here we show that FUBP1 and its methylation are essential for prostate cancer progression, and a competitive peptide interfering with FUBP1 methylation suppresses the development of prostate cancer. FUBP1 accelerated prostate cancer development across in various pre-clinical models. PRMT5-mediated FUBP1 methylation, regulated by BRD4, was crucial for its oncogenic effect and correlated with earlier biochemical recurrence shorter treatment durations in our patient cohort. Suppressed prostate cancer progression was observed in different various genetic mouse models expressing FUBP1 mutants deficient in PRMT5-mediated methylation. A competitive peptide, which was delivered through nanocomplexes, successfully disrupted the interaction of FUBP1 with PRMT5, blocked FUBP1 methylation, and inhibited prostate cancer development in different various pre-clinical models. Overall, our findings suggest that targeting FUBP1 methylation provides a potentially therapeutic strategy for disease prostate cancer management.

Spatial Variation of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Response to Long-Term Administration of Vonoprazan in Mice With High Risk of Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker, is superior to traditional proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in acid suppression and has been approved in the treatment of acid-related disorders. Accumulating evidence suggest associations between PPI use and gut microbiota, yet the effect of vonoprazan on GI microbiota is obscure. METHODS: Transgenic FVB/N insulin-gastrin (INS-GAS) mice as a model of gastric cancer (GC) were administered vonoprazan by gavage every other day for 12 weeks. Stomachs were evaluated by histopathology, Ki-67 proliferation index, and inflammatory cytokines. The mucosal and lumen microbiota from stomach, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and feces were detected using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: Higher incidence of intestinal metaplasia and epithelial proliferation were observed in the vonoprazan group than that in the control mice. Vonoprazan also elevated the gastric expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6. Each mice comprised a unique microbiota composition that was consistent across different niches. The structure of GI microbiota changed dramatically after vonoprazan treatment with the stomach being the most disturbed segment. Vonoprazan administration shifted the gut microbiota toward the enrichment of pathogenic Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Bilophila, and the loss of commensal Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium. Interestingly, compared to the controls, microbial interactions were weaker in the stomach while stronger in the jejunum of the vonoprazan group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term vonoprazan treatment promoted gastric lesions in male INS-GAS mice, with the disequilibrium of GI microbiome. The clinical application of vonoprazan needs to be judicious particularly among those with high risk of GC.

Multi-scale design of MWCNT/glass fiber/balsa wood composite multilayer stealth structure with wide broadband absorption and excellent mechanical properties.

In unmanned aircraft applications, electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers suffer from defects in narrow absorption bands and poor mechanical properties. To solve the problems, a lightweight multilayer stealth structure with wide broadband absorption performance and excellent mechanical properties was designed and prepared by adjusting microscopically the number of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and modulating macroscopically the thickness-matching relationship of the structure to promote the absorption of EMW synergistically. Under the MWCNT of 30 wt% and the depletion layer with the thickness of 0.2 mm, the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) covers the entire Ku-band while maintaining a minimum reflection loss (RL) of -15 dB. Besides, the radar cross-sectional area attenuation is as high as 23.1 dBm2, as well as the mechanical properties of the radar absorbing structures (RAS) were improved significantly due to the reducing structural density from balsa wood and the enhancement effect of glass fiber mats (GFM). The study constructed balsa-based RAS with excellent EMW absorbing and mechanical properties from both micro-nano scale and macro-structure, providing a research route for designing high-performance and lightweight stealth structures.

Microbially Driven Iron Cycling Facilitates Organic Carbon Accrual in Decadal Biochar-Amended Soil.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is pivotal for both agricultural activities and climate change mitigation, and biochar stands as a promising tool for bolstering SOC and curtailing soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, the involvement of biochar in SOC dynamics and the underlying interactions among biochar, soil microbes, iron minerals, and fresh organic matter (FOM, such as plant debris) remain largely unknown, especially in agricultural soils after long-term biochar amendment. We therefore introduced FOM to soils with and without a decade-long history of biochar amendment, performed soil microcosm incubations, and evaluated carbon and iron dynamics as well as microbial properties. Biochar amendment resulted in 2-fold SOC accrual over a decade and attenuated FOM-induced CO2 emissions by approximately 11% during a 56-day incubation through diverse pathways. Notably, biochar facilitated microbially driven iron reduction and subsequent Fenton-like reactions, potentially having enhanced microbial extracellular electron transfer and the carbon use efficiency in the long run. Throughout iron cycling processes, physical protection by minerals could contribute to both microbial carbon accumulation and plant debris preservation, alongside direct adsorption and occlusion of SOC by biochar particles. Furthermore, soil slurry experiments, with sterilization and ferrous iron stimulation controls, confirmed the role of microbes in hydroxyl radical generation and biotic carbon sequestration in biochar-amended soils. Overall, our study sheds light on the intricate biotic and abiotic mechanisms governing carbon dynamics in long-term biochar-amended upland soils.

Dual-Drug Nanomedicine Assembly with Synergistic Anti-Aneurysmal Effects via Inflammation Suppression and Extracellular Matrix Stabilization.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) represents a critical cardiovascular condition characterized by localized dilation of the abdominal aorta, carrying a significant risk of rupture and mortality. Current treatment options are limited, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches. This study investigates the potential of a pioneering nanodrug delivery system, RAP@PFB, in mitigating AAA progression. RAP@PFB integrates pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) and rapamycin (RAP) within a metal-organic-framework (MOF) structure through a facile assembly process, ensuring remarkable drug loading capacity and colloidal stability. The synergistic effects of PGG, a polyphenolic antioxidant, and RAP, an mTOR inhibitor, collectively regulate key players in AAA pathogenesis, such as macrophages and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). In macrophages, RAP@PFB efficiently scavenges various free radicals, suppresses inflammation, and promotes M1-to-M2 phenotype repolarization. In SMCs, it inhibits apoptosis and calcification, thereby stabilizing the extracellular matrix and reducing the risk of AAA rupture. Administered intravenously, RAP@PFB exhibits effective accumulation at the AAA site, demonstrating robust efficacy in reducing AAA progression through multiple mechanisms. Moreover, RAP@PFB demonstrates favorable biosafety profiles, supporting its potential translation into clinical applications for AAA therapy.

Thyroid hormone T4 mitigates traumatic brain injury in mice by dynamically remodeling cell type specific genes, pathways, and networks in hippocampus and frontal cortex.

The complex pathology of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a main contributor to the difficulties in achieving a successful therapeutic regimen. Thyroxine (T4) administration has been shown to prevent the cognitive impairments induced by mTBI in mice but the mechanism is poorly understood. To understand the underlying mechanism, we carried out a single cell transcriptomic study to investigate the spatiotemporal effects of T4 on individual cell types in the hippocampus and frontal cortex at three post-injury stages in a mouse model of mTBI. We found that T4 treatment altered the proportions and transcriptomes of numerous cell types across tissues and timepoints, particularly oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia, which are crucial for injury repair. T4 also reversed the expression of mTBI-affected genes such as Ttr, mt-Rnr2, Ggn12, Malat1, Gnaq, and Myo3a, as well as numerous pathways such as cell/energy/iron metabolism, immune response, nervous system, and cytoskeleton-related pathways. Cell-type specific network modeling revealed that T4 mitigated select mTBI-perturbed dynamic shifts in subnetworks related to cell cycle, stress response, and RNA processing in oligodendrocytes. Cross cell-type ligand-receptor networks revealed the roles of App, Hmgb1, Fn1, and Tnf in mTBI, with the latter two ligands having been previously identified as TBI network hubs. mTBI and/or T4 signature genes were enriched for human genome-wide association study (GWAS) candidate genes for cognitive, psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders related to mTBI. Our systems-level single cell analysis elucidated the temporal and spatial dynamic reprogramming of cell-type specific genes, pathways, and networks, as well as cell-cell communications as the mechanisms through which T4 mitigates cognitive dysfunction induced by mTBI.

Effect of dienogest treatment on uterine fibroid volume in patients with endometriosis or adenomyosis complicated by uterine fibroids.

BACKGROUND: Currently, the use of dienogest in clinical practice has increased significantly, and many studies have focused on its effectiveness and safety in the treatment of endometriosis and adenomyosis; however, the effects of treatment with dienogest on uterine fibroid size in patients with endometriosis or adenomyosis have not been investigated. AIM: To explore changes in fibroid size in patients with concomitant uterine fibroids undergoing dienogest treatment for endometriosis or adenomyosis and to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the drug. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with uterine fibroids treated with dienogest for endometriosis or adenomyosis at Peking University First Hospital from January 2021 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The maximum uterine fibroid diameter and volume increased after 3 months, 6 months and 1 year of dienogest treatment compared with those before treatment (P < 0.01). The maximum diameter and volume of the uterine adenomyoma increased after 3 months of dienogest treatment but decreased after 6 months and 1 year of treatment compared with those before treatment, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). Endometrial thickness and antigen 125 levels were significantly thinner and decreased, respectively, after dienogest treatment (P < 0.01). Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that the increase in uterine fibroid volume after 3 months of dienogest treatment was positively correlated with the basic uterine fibroid volume (r = 0.792, P < 0.01). Among 64 patients with dysmenorrhea, 63 experienced significant relief of dysmenorrhea after 6 months of treatment with dienogest, and all patients experienced significant relief of dysmenorrhea after 12 months. Patients were able to tolerate the drugs, with an average drug tolerance score of 8.73. CONCLUSION: The use of dienogest in patients with endometriosis or adenomyosis combined with uterine fibroids can effectively relieve the patient's pain symptoms and significantly reduce the sizes of ovarian endometriotic cysts, but it cannot inhibit uterine fibroid growth.

Active Beam Steering Enabled by Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser.

Emitting light toward on-demand directions is important for various optoelectronic applications, such as optical communication, displaying, and ranging. However, almost all existing directional emitters are assemblies of passive optical antennae and external light sources, which are usually bulky and fragile and show unendurable loss of light power. Here we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a conceptual design of a directional emitter, by using a single surface-emitting laser source itself to achieve dynamically controlled beam steering. The laser is built on photonic crystals that operate near the band edges in the continuum. By shrinking laser sizes to tens-of-wavelength, the optical modes quantize in three-dimensional momentum space, and each of them directionally radiates toward the far-field. Further utilizing the luminescence spectrum shifting effect under current injection, we consecutively select a sequence of modes into lasing action and show the laser maintaining single-mode operation with line widths at a minimum of 1.8 MHz and an emitting power of ∼10 milliwatts, and we demonstrate fast beam steering across a range of 3.2° × 4° on a time scale of 500 ns. Our work proposes a method for on-chip active beam steering for the development of automotive, industrial, and robotic applications.

An Evaluation of the Corrosion Inhibition Performance of Chitosan Modified by Quaternary Ammonium Salt for Carbon Steel in Stone Processing Wastewater.

Chitosan was used as the raw material. A quaternization reaction was carried out between 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride and water-soluble chitosan to prepare quaternary ammonium salt water-soluble chitosan (QWSC), and its corrosion inhibition performance against the corrosion of carbon steel in stone processing wastewater was evaluated. The corrosion inhibition efficiencies of QWSC on carbon steel in stone processing wastewater were investigated through weight loss, as well as electrochemical and surface morphology characterization techniques. The results show that QWSC has superior corrosion inhibition performance for A3 carbon steel. When an amount of 60 mL·L-1 is added, the corrosion inhibition efficiency can reach 59.51%. Electrochemical research has shown that a QWSC inhibitor is a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor. The inhibition mechanisms of the QWSC inhibitor revealed that the positive charge on the surface of carbon steel in stone wastewater was conducive to the adsorption of Cl- in the medium, which produced an excessive negative charge on the metal's surface. At the same time, the quaternary ammonium cation and amino cation formed in QWSC in stone processing wastewater can be physically absorbed on the surface of A3 carbon steel, forming a thin-film inhibitor to prevent metal corrosion.

Performance of a polymerization-based electrochemically assisted persulfate process on a real coking wastewater treatment.

Industrial wastewater should be treated with caution due to its potential environmental risks. In this study, a polymerization-based cathode/Fe3+/peroxydisulfate (PDS) process was employed for the first time to treat a raw coking wastewater, which can achieve simultaneous organics abatement and recovery by converting organic contaminants into separable solid organic-polymers. The results confirm that several dominant organic contaminants in coking wastewater such as phenol, cresols, quinoline and indole can be induced to polymerize by self-coupling or cross-coupling. The total chemical oxygen demand (COD) abatement from coking wastewater is 46.8% and the separable organic-polymer formed from organic contaminants accounts for 62.8% of the abated COD. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) abatement of 41.9% is achieved with about 89% less PDS consumption than conventional degradation-based process. Operating conditions such as PDS concentration, Fe3+ concentration and current density can affect the COD/DOC abatement and organic-polymer yield by regulating the generation of reactive radicals. ESI-MS result shows that some organic-polymers are substituted by inorganic ions such as Cl-, Br-, I-, NH4+, SCN- and CN-, suggesting that these inorganic ions may be involved in the polymerization. The specific consumption of this coking wastewater treatment is 27 kWh/kg COD and 95 kWh/kg DOC. The values are much lower than those of the degradation-based processes in treating the same coking wastewater, and also are lower than those of most processes previously reported for coking wastewater treatment.

Applications of ß-defensins against infectious pathogenic microorganisms.

INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are polypeptides with potent antimicrobial activity against a broad range of pathogenic microorganisms. Unlike conventional antibiotics, AMPs have rapid bactericidal activity, a low capacity for inducing resistance, and compatibility with the host immune system. A large body of data supports the antimicrobial activities of a large body of data supports the antimicrobial activities of the class of AMPs known as ß-defensins. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects of ß-defensins against various pathogenic microorganism: bacteria, fungi, viruses, Mycoplasmas and Chlamydiae. The primary mechanisms of ß-defensins against pathogenic microorganisms include inhibition of biofilms formations, dissolution of membranes, disruption of cell walls, and inhibition of adhesion and receptor binding. Although further study and structural modifications are needed, ß-defensins are promising candidates for antimicrobial therapy. AREAS COVERED: This review describes the inhibitory effects of ß-defensins on various pathogenic microorganisms. Additionally, we focus on elucidating the mechanisms underlying their actions to provide, providing valuable references for the further study of ß-defensins. EXPERT OPINION: The biological activities and modes of action of ß-defensins provide powerful resources for clinical microbial infection management. Addressing the salt sensitivity and toxicity of ß-defensins may further enhance their potential applications.

Toward an Understanding of Uric Acid Particle Dissolution: Surface and Bulk-Driven Water Activity.

Uric acid particles contribute to kidney stones, and natural processes for the elimination of stones depend on solute-solvent interactions. The process of uric acid dissolution has previously been understood via the lens of solubility; however, for pure and mixed salt solutions, these approaches do not provide a comprehensive picture of nanoscale particle solution thermodynamics. Unlike solubility measurements, water activity measurements provide us with information about the chemical potential responsible for the migration of water molecules driving the dissolution of particles. In this work, we used in situ experimental tools to estimate water activity values for pure uric acid aqueous droplets at different stages of droplet growth. The process of cloud formation, i.e., water condensation on a solute particle resulting in aqueous droplet formation, was leveraged to compare the water affinity for nanosized uric acid particles with a well-studied inorganic salt, sodium chloride. Specifically, we investigated microscopic uric acid particles (nanoparticles <300 nm, amorphous and super micron particles >5 µm, crystalline) and the mechanism of water uptake. The growth of droplet volume (Growth Factor, GF) for uric acid particles is experimentally observed for supermicrometer crystalline particles (>1 µm) at subsaturated humidity conditions (<100% RH). In addition, the water activity of submicrometer-size uric acid particles is estimated under subsaturated and supersaturated humidity conditions. These measurements provide us with information about the volume growth of droplets as water condenses in particles exposed to different humidity conditions. Our observations under subsaturated humidity conditions show that the uric acid particles have limited volume growth (<1% change per volume and <10% change per volume for crystalline and amorphous measurement, respectively). From the experimental data, the affinity of uric acid solute with water as a solvent is quantified in terms of water activity.

Dynamics modeling and nonlinear attitude controller design for a rocket-type unmanned aerial vehicle.

This paper presents an altitude and attitude control system for a newly designed rocket-type unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propelled by a gimbal-based coaxial rotor system (GCRS) enabling thrust vector control (TVC). The GCRS is the only means of actuation available to control the UAV's orientation, and the flight dynamics identify the primary control difficulty as the highly nonlinear and tightly coupled control distribution problem. To address this, the study presents detailed derivations of attitude flight dynamics and a control strategy to track the desired attitude trajectory. First, a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control algorithm is developed based on the formulation of linear matrix inequality (LMI) to ensure robust stability and performance. Second, an optimization algorithm using the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) method is introduced to solve the nonlinear inverse mapping problem between the control law and the actual actuator outputs, addressing the nonlinear coupled control input distribution problem of the GCRS. In summary, the main contribution is the proposal of a new TVC UAV system based on GCRS. The PID control algorithm and LM algorithm were designed to solve the distribution problem of the actuation model and confirm altitude and attitude tracking missions. Finally, to validate the flight properties of the rocket-type UAV and the performance of the proposed control algorithm, several numerical simulations were conducted. The results indicate that the tightly coupled control input nonlinear inverse problem was successfully solved, and the proposed control algorithm achieved effective attitude stabilization even in the presence of disturbances.

[Source Apportionment and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Dust Around Bus Stops in Kaifeng City Based on APCS-MLR Model].

In order to reveal the influence of urban transportation systems on the quality of urban ecological environment, this study selected surface dust from bus stops, which is strongly disturbed by transportation, as the research object. The contents of eight heavy metals (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in the dust were determined through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-ASE). The spatial distribution characteristics and pollution levels of the eight heavy metals in the dust were analyzed using the geo-accumulation index method. A combined qualitative (correlation analysis and principal component analysis) and quantitative (absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression model (APCS-MLR)) method was used to explore the sources of heavy metals in surface dust near bus stops. The spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metals from different sources were elucidated using the Kriging interpolation method. The health risk assessment model proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency was used to evaluate the human health risks. The results showed that the average values of ω(V), ω(Cr), ω(Co), ω(Ni), ω(Cu), ω(Zn), ω(Cd), ω(Pb), and ω(As) in the bus stop surface dust were 68.36, 59.73, 5.81, 19.34, 40.10, 208.32, 1.01, and 49.46 mg·kg-1, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cr) in the dust were all higher than the background values in the surrounding dust, exceeding them by 3.37, 2.70, 2.01, 1.95, and 1.28 times, respectively. The order of the geo-accumulation index for the eight heavy metals was Cd > Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > V > Ni > Co, with Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb in the dust indicating mild pollution levels and the others showing no pollution. The source analysis results showed that Cr, Co, and Ni were natural sources, whereas Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd were traffic sources, and V was derived from a combination of industrial and natural sources. The APCS-MLR results indicated that the average contribution rates of the four sources were as follows:natural source (34.17 %), traffic source (29.84 %), industrial-natural mixed source (14.64 %), and unknown source (21.35 %). The spatial distribution map of the contribution rate of the traffic source was consistent with the trends of traffic volume and bus route density distribution. According to the health risk assessment, the cancer risk and non-cancer risk for children were both higher than those for adults. Cr was the main non-cancer factor, and Cd was the main cancer-causing factor. Natural and traffic sources contributed the most to non-cancer risk and cancer risk, respectively.