Experimental study on the dynamic mechanical response of a blue light-stimulated acrylate side chain liquid crystal elastomer.

This study demonstrates a breakdown analysis of the dynamics of a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) including quality check, geometric measurement, thermal characterization, and comparison of heat- and light-induced contractions. A blue light-responsive acrylate side chain LCE with 1% azobenzene dye was characterized. From a classical viewpoint, photo-thermal contraction is considered a dominating effect, while direct photo-mechanical deformation can be neglected due to a low dye percentage.

Investigation of high-risk antibiotic resistance bacteria and their associated antibiotic resistance genes in different agricultural soils with biogas slurry from China.

High-risk antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and their accompanying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) seriously threaten public health. As a crucial medium for ARB and ARGs spread, soils with biogas slurry have been widely investigated. However, few studies focused on high-risk multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRB) and their associated ARGs.

Co-application of concentrated biogas slurry and pyroligneous liquor mitigates ammonia emission and sustainably releases ammonium from paddy soil.

Biogas production causes vast amounts of biogas slurry (BS). Application of BS to croplands can substitute chemical fertilizers while result in higher ammonia emissions. Tremendous variation of ammonium concentration in different BSs induces imprecise substitution, while concentrated BS holds higher and more stable ammonium.

Manganese losses induced by severe soil acidification in the extensive Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys violascens) plantation stands in Eastern China.

Manganese (Mn) is a critical element in soils, essential to plant growth. Long-term and intensively managed Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys violascens) stands are usually subjected to severe soil acidification and Mn activation. However, Mn migration from topsoil to deep soil induced by severe soil acidification was poorly recognized and studied.

A neural network-assisted 3D theoretical thermoelastic solution for laminated liquid crystal elastomer plate used in restoring cardiac mechanical function.

Some atrial contractile assist devices applied on the heart surface can be regarded as a laminated Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) plate under steady temperature loads and a contact mechanical force. An exact solution for the deformation of the laminated LCE plate under combined thermal and mechanical loads is derived by solving the three-dimensional (3D) equilibrium equations including heat conduction and thermoelastic theory. The validity of mathematical formula and computer programming is proved by convergence and comparison examples with finite element method (FEM).

Macroaggregates Serve as Micro-Hotspots Enriched With Functional and Networked Microbial Communities and Enhanced Under Organic/Inorganic Fertilization in a Paddy Topsoil From Southeastern China.

Microbial communities of soil aggregate-size fractions were explored with molecular and networking assays for topsoil samples from a clayey rice paddy under long-term fertilization treatments. The treatments included no fertilizer (NF) as control, chemical fertilizer only (CF), chemical fertilizer with swine manure (CFM), and chemical fertilizer with rice straw return (CFS). Following a wet-sieving protocol, water-stable aggregates were separated into size fractions of large macroaggregates (L-MacA, >2,000 μm), macroaggregates (MacA, 2,000-250 μm), microaggregates (MicA, 250-53 μm), fine microaggregates (F-MicA, 53-2 μm), and fine clay (F-Clay, <2 μm).

Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of daily hospital admissions for anxiety in China: A multicity study.

The potential impact of short-term exposure to ambient air pollution on risk of anxiety remains uncertain. We performed a detailed evaluation based on data from national insurance databases in China. Daily hospital admissions for anxiety disorders were identified in 2013-2017 from the national insurance databases covering up to 261 million urban residents in 56 cities in China.

Prediction of mechanical solutions for a laminated LCEs system fusing an analytical model and neural networks.

This paper presents a convenient and efficient method to predict the mechanical solutions of a laminated Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) system subjected to combined thermo-mechanical load, based on a back propagation (BP) neural network which is trained by machine learning from a database established by analytical solutions. Firstly, the general solutions of temperature, displacement, and stress of any single layer in the LCEs system are obtained by solving the two-dimensional (2D) governing equations of both heat conduction and thermoelasticity. Then, the unknown coefficients in above general solutions are determined by a transfer-matrix method based on the continuity condition at the interface of adjacent layers and the combined thermo-mechanical loads condition at the surface of the LCEs system.

Association between gaseous air pollutants and biomarkers of systemic inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Studies have linked gaseous air pollutants to multiple health effects via inflammatory pathways. Several major inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) have also been considered as predictors of cardiovascular disease. However, there has been no meta-analysis to evaluate the associations between gaseous air pollutants and these typical biomarkers of inflammation to date.

Short-Term Ambient Particulate Air Pollution and Hospitalization Expenditures of Cause-Specific Cardiorespiratory Diseases in China: A Multicity Analysis.

Background: Ambient air pollution is leading risk factor for health burden in China. Few studies in China have investigated the economic loss related to short-term exposure to ambient PM, which could trigger acute onset of cardiorespiratory diseases within a few days.

Methods: Daily ambient air pollutants data are obtained for each city from the National Air Quality Monitoring System and daily hospitalization data are obtained from the urban employee-based basic medical insurance scheme database in 74 Chinese cities with an average coverage of 88.

Association between short-term exposure to ambient particulate air pollution and biomarkers of oxidative stress: A meta-analysis.

Background: Exposure to ambient particulate air pollution contributes substantially to the mortality and morbidity due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), respiratory diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. Several hypothetical mechanisms have been proposed to explain these associations, particularly oxidative stress. Malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) are typical biomarkers of oxidative stress and have been frequently investigated.

The impact of crop residue biochars on silicon and nutrient cycles in croplands.

Croplands are subjected to nutrient loss mainly due to agricultural harvest. Silicon has beneficial effect on alleviating nutrient imbalance-induced stress. Addition of crop residue biochars to cropland can import both silicon (Si) and nutrients (e.