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Numerous studies have shown flexible electronics play important roles in health management. The way of power supply is always an essential factor of devices and self-powered ones are very attractive because of the fabrication easiness, usage comfort and aesthetics of the system. In this work, based on the metal-air redox reaction, which is usually used in designing metal-air batteries, we design a self-powered chemoelectric humidity sensor where a silk fibroin (SF) and LiBr gel matrix containing parallel aligned graphene oxide (GO) flakes serve as the electrolyte. The abundant hydrophilic groups in GO/SF and the hygroscopicity of LiBr lead to tight dependence of the output current on the humidity, enabling the sensor high sensitivity (0.09 μA/s/1%), fast response (1.05 s) and quick recovery (0.80 s). As proofs of concept, we design an all-in-one respiratory monitoring-diagnosing-treatment system and a non-contact human-machine interface, demonstrating the applications of the chemoelectric humidity sensor in health management. Self-powered sensors are of interest in wearable technology and other applications. Here, the authors report on the creation of a metal-air redox reaction humidity sensor where the conductance and charge generated is influenced by the amount of absorbed water and demonstrate application in respiration monitoring.

The development of the green economy has significantly impact the traditional mining industry. Mining enterprises must invest in green technology to reduce the environmental pollution caused by flying dust and soil erosion and are subject to increased scrutiny to be socially responsible when conducting their business. To address this issue, we consider a competitive mining supply chain system consisting of two excavators and two exclusive retailers. Among them, the excavators have a certain sense of corporate social responsibility (CSR), that is, in addition to pursuing economic profits, they also consciously pay attention to the interests of consumers. We establish three different game models that two excavators exhibit no CSR behaviour (NN), two excavators exhibit CSR behaviour (SS) and one excavator exhibits CSR behaviour (SN). We examine the optimal decision-making strategies and analyse the impact of social responsibility. Analytical results show that the optimal strategies of mining supply chain are different under different supply chain structures. The optimal decisions of the mining supply chain members are the same in each case under the NN and SS models. In the SN model, the optimal decision strategy value of mining supply chain members is always greater than non-socially responsible supply chain members. In SS model, when the intensity of social responsibility competition is low, two excavators reduce the wholesale price, and retailers reduce the sales price; when the intensity of social responsibility competition is strong, two excavators will increase the wholesale price, and retailers will increase the sales price. These help to promote product sales and increase the profits of the supply chain system. In SN model, with the increase of social responsibility competition intensity, the wholesale price of two excavators and the sales price of retailers first increased and then decreased. Finally, numerical examples illustrated to justify the proposed model.

High-velocity impact welding is a kind of solid-state welding process that is one of the solutions for the joining of dissimilar materials that avoids intermetallics. Five main methods have been developed to date. These are gas gun welding (GGW), explosive welding (EXW), magnetic pulse welding (MPW), vaporizing foil actuator welding (VFAW), and laser impact welding (LIW). They all share a similar welding mechanism, but they also have different energy sources and different applications. This review mainly focuses on research related to the experimental setups of various welding methods, jet phenomenon, welding interface characteristics, and welding parameters. The introduction states the importance of high-velocity impact welding in the joining of dissimilar materials. The review of experimental setups provides the current situation and limitations of various welding processes. Jet phenomenon, welding interface characteristics, and welding parameters are all related to the welding mechanism. The conclusion and future work are summarized.

The development of the green economy has significantly impact the traditional mining industry. Mining enterprises must invest in green technology to reduce the environmental pollution caused by flying dust and soil erosion and are subject to increased scrutiny to be socially responsible when conducting their business. To address this issue, we consider a competitive mining supply chain system consisting of two excavators and two exclusive retailers. Among them, the excavators have a certain sense of corporate social responsibility (CSR), that is, in addition to pursuing economic profits, they also consciously pay attention to the interests of consumers. We establish three different game models that two excavators exhibit no CSR behaviour (NN), two excavators exhibit CSR behaviour (SS) and one excavator exhibits CSR behaviour (SN). We examine the optimal decision-making strategies and analyse the impact of social responsibility. Analytical results show that the optimal strategies of mining supply chain are different under different supply chain structures. The optimal decisions of the mining supply chain members are the same in each case under the NN and SS models. In the SN model, the optimal decision strategy value of mining supply chain members is always greater than non-socially responsible supply chain members. In SS model, when the intensity of social responsibility competition is low, two excavators reduce the wholesale price, and retailers reduce the sales price; when the intensity of social responsibility competition is strong, two excavators will increase the wholesale price, and retailers will increase the sales price. These help to promote product sales and increase the profits of the supply chain system. In SN model, with the increase of social responsibility competition intensity, the wholesale price of two excavators and the sales price of retailers first increased and then decreased. Finally, numerical examples illustrated to justify the proposed model.

Aims The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between the glycated hemoglobin/high-density lipoprotein (HbA1c/HDL-C) ratio and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in non-diabetic adults in the United States. Methods Using pertinent variables gathered from the 2017–2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, we performed a cross-sectional study including 5,485 adult U.S. citizens. Data were analyzed using multifactor logistic regression, smoothed curve fitting, subgroup, and interaction analyses. Results Among the 5485 individuals included, there was a significant positive correlation between NAFLD and HbA1c/HDL-C ratio. After adjusting for all covariates, the probability of having NAFLD increased significantly for each unit increase in the log-transformed ratio of this [2.39 (1.94, 2.93)]. Furthermore, we discovered a nonlinear relationship with an inflection point of 1.43 between the ratio and NAFLD. In the end, subgroup analyses revealed a significant interaction between the correlation of this ratio and NAFLD, stratified by the presence or absence of comorbid coronary artery disease (interaction P  < 0.05). Conclusion Our study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio and NAFLD risk in non-diabetic individuals. Thus, the ratio may be a useful correlate of NAFLD risk. Monitoring this ratio through routine physical examination may help to identify high-risk individuals early and then take lifestyle interventions (e.g., dietary modification, increased exercise, etc.) or pharmacological treatments to prevent the development of NAFLD.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of different coarse aggregate mineral compositions on the skid resistance performance of asphalt pavement. The imprint method was utilized to assess the contact probability between various graded asphalt surface aggregates and tires. Additionally, macroscopic adhesive friction coefficients between polished surfaces of three types of rock slabs (basalt, limestone, granite) and rubber were determined using a pendulum friction tester. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to model the main aggregate minerals and rubber, and a “sandwich” type constrained shear model was constructed to evaluate micro-scale adhesive friction coefficients. Results indicated a 40% contact probability between aggregate and tire in a unit area of the road surface, highlighting the importance of studying adhesive friction between minerals and rubber. Macroscopically, basalt exhibited the highest adhesive friction coefficient, followed by limestone and granite. At the molecular level, feldspar showed the highest micro-scale friction coefficient with rubber, while quartz exhibited the lowest. The micro-scale adhesive friction coefficients correlated well with the macroscopic findings (correlation coefficient of 0.81), providing theoretical support for optimizing coarse aggregate selection to enhance skid resistance in road applications.

Nanomedicine has been developed for cancer therapy over several decades, while rapid clearance from blood circulation by reticuloendothelial system (RES) severely limits nanomedicine antitumour efficacy. We design a series of nanogels with distinctive stiffness and investigate how nanogel mechanical properties could be leveraged to overcome RES. Stiff nanogels are injected preferentially to abrogate uptake capacity of macrophages and temporarily block RES, relying on inhibition of clathrin and prolonged liver retention. Afterwards, soft nanogels deliver doxorubicin (DOX) with excellent efficiency, reflected in high tumour accumulation, deep tumour penetration and outstanding antitumour efficacy. In this work, we combine the advantage of stiff nanogels in RES-blockade with the superiority of soft nanogels in drug delivery leads to the optimum tumour inhibition effect, which is defined as mechano-boosting antitumour strategy. Clinical implications of stiffness-dependent RES-blockade are also confirmed by promoting antitumour efficacy of commercialized nanomedicines, such as Doxil and Abraxane. Nanomedicine proofed to be efficient in cancer therapy but rapid clearance from blood circulation by reticuloendothelial system (RES) severely limits the antitumor efficacy. Here, the authors design a series of nanogels with distinctive stiffness and investigate how nanogel mechanical properties could be leveraged to overcome RES.

Foliar water uptake (FWU) has increasingly been regarded as a common approach for plants to obtain water under water-limited conditions. At present, the research on FWU has mostly focused on short-term experiments; the long-term FWU plant response remains unclear; Methods: Through a field in-situ humidification control experiment, the leaves of Calligonum ebinuricum N. A. Ivanova ex Soskov were humidified, and the changes of leaf water potential, gas exchange parameters and fluorescence physiological parameters of plants after long-term and short-term FWU were discussed; The main results were as follows: (1) After short-term humidification, the water potential of Calligonum ebinuricum decreased, the non-photochemical quenching ( NPQ ) increased, and the plant produced photoinhibition phenomenon, indicating that short-term FWU could not alleviate drought stress. (2) After long-term humidification, the leaf water potential, chlorophyll fluorescence parameter and net photosynthetic rate ( Pn ) increased significantly. That is to say, after long-term FWU, the improvement of plant water status promoted the occurrence of light reaction and carbon reaction, and then increased the net photosynthetic rate ( Pn ); Therefore, long-term FWU is of great significance to alleviate drought stress and promote Calligonum ebinuricum growth. This study will be helpful to deepen our understanding of the drought-tolerant survival mechanism of plants in arid areas.

Plasmonic nanostructure biosensors based on metal are a powerful tool in the biosensing field. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can be classified into localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and propagating surface plasmon polariton (PSPP), based on the transmission mode. Initially, the physical principles of LSPR and PSPP are elaborated. In what follows, the recent development of the biosensors related to SPR principle is summarized. For clarity, they are categorized into three groups according to the sensing principle: (i) inherent resonance-based biosensors, which are sensitive to the refractive index changes of the surroundings; (ii) plasmon nanoruler biosensors in which the distances of the nanostructure can be changed by biomolecules at the nanoscale; and (iii) surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensors in which the nanostructure serves as an amplifier for Raman scattering signals. Moreover, the advanced application of single-molecule detection is discussed in terms of metal nanoparticle and nanopore structures. The review concludes by providing perspectives on the future development of plasmonic nanostructure biosensors.