Polyvinyl Alcohol/Graphene Oxide Conductive Hydrogels via the Synergy of Freezing and Salting Out for Strain Sensors

Hydrogels of flexibility, strength, and conductivity have demonstrated broad applications in wearable electronics and soft robotics. However, it is still a challenge to fabricate conductive hydrogels with high strength massively and economically. Herein, a simple strategy is proposed to design a strong ionically conductive hydrogel. This ion-conducting hydrogel was obtained under the synergistic action by salting out the frozen mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and graphene oxide (GO) using a high concentration of sodium chloride solution. The developed hydrogel containing only 5 wt% PVA manifests good tensile stress (65 kPa) and elongation (180%). Meanwhile, the PVA matrix doped with a small amount of GO formed uniformly porous ion channels after salting out, endowed the PVA/GO hydrogel with excellent ionic conductivity (up to 3.38 S m; -1; ). Therefore, the fabricated PVA/GO hydrogel, anticipated for a strain sensor, exhibits good sensitivity (Gauge factor = 2.05 at 100% strain), satisfying working stability (stably cycled for 10 min), and excellent recognition ability. This facile method to prepare conductive hydrogels displays translational potential in flexible electronics for engineering applications

Ginsenoside induces apoptosis, autophagy and cell cycle arrest in gastric cancer cells by regulation of reactive oxygen species and activation of MAPK pathway

Purpose: To study the influence of ginsenoside on apoptosis, cell cycle and autophagy in gastric carcinoma (GC), and its effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Methods: Human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 was randomly divided into the following groups: control, 100 μM ginsenoside (Rg5), 150 μM Rg5, and 200 μM Rg5 groups. Western blot assay was used to determine the expressions of autophagy-associated protein 12 (Atg12), Beclin-1, lc3b II, cycle-related protein, phosphated mitotic cyclin 25 homologous protein C (p-cdc25c), cyclin B1, and MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins. Results: There was significantly higher apoptosis in Rg5-treated BGC-823 cells than in untreated cells. Relative protein levels of Beclin-1, Atg5, Atg12, and lc3b II in BGC-823 cells in Rg5 groups were significantly and concentration-dependently up-regulated, relative to the corresponding expression levels in untreated cells. There were markedly up-regulated proteins of p-cdc25c, cyclin B1 and p-cdc2 in Rg5-exposed BGC-823 cells than in untreated cells, while CDC2 protein expression was significantly and concentration-dependently lower than that of control group (p < 0.05). Rg5 treatment resulted in marked and concentration-dependent increases in ROS levels in BGC-823 cells, relative to control cells (p < 0.05), whereas the expression levels of p-p38, p-JNK and p-ERK were significantly higher in Rg5-exposed cells than in unexposed cells (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Ginsenoside induces apoptosis, autophagy and cycle interruption in GC cells by regulating ROS production and activating MAPK pathway. Therefore, ginsenoside may be a promising agent for the management of gastric cancer. However, there is a need to conduct in vivo studies on the compound

Bioinspired cellulose-integrated MXene-based hydrogels for multifunctional sensing and electromagnetic interference shielding

Bioinspired hydrogels are complex materials with distinctive properties comparable to biological tissues. Their exceptional sensitivity to various external stimuli leads to substantial application potential in wearable smart devices. However, these multifaceted hydrogels are often challenging to be combined with pattern customization, stimulus responsiveness, self-healing, and biocompatibility. Herein, inspired by mussel secretions, a printable, self-healing, and biocompatible MXene-based composite hydrogel was designed and prepared by incorporating Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets into the hydrogel framework through the chelation of calcium ions (Ca2+) with polyacrylic acid and cellulose nanofibers at alkaline conditions. The biocompatible conductive hydrogel exhibited sensitivity (gauge factor of 2.16), self-healing (within 1 s), recognition, and adhesion, distinguishing it as an ideal candidate for wearable multifunctional sensors toward strain sensing, vocal sensing, signature detection, and Morse code transmission. Additionally, the multifunctional hydrogel manifested efficient electromagnetic interference shielding properties (reaching more than 30 dB at a thickness of 2.0 mm), protecting electronics and humans from electromagnetic radiation and pollution. Therefore, the presented work represents a versatile strategy for developing environmentally friendly conductive hydrogels, demonstrating the perspectives of intelligent hydrogels for multifunctional applications

Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Activity of Zn-Doped SnO 2

Zn-doped SnO2/Zn2SnO4 nanocomposites were prepared via a two-step hydrothermal synthesis method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, and adsorption-desorption isotherms. The results of FESEM and TEM showed that the as-prepared Zn-doped SnO2/Zn2SnO4 nanocomposites are composed of numerous nanoparticles with the size ranging from 20 nm to 50 nm. The specific surface area of the as-prepared Zn-doped SnO2/Zn2SnO4 nanocomposites is estimated to be 71.53 m2/g by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB), and the resulting showed that Zn-doped SnO2/Zn2SnO4 nanocomposites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity due to their higher specific surface area and surface charge carrier transfer

A bibliometric analysis of preoperative anxiety research (2001–2021)

Recently, mental health has received increasing attention, particularly preoperative anxiety, which constitutes a bad emotional experience for surgical patients. Many experts have studied preoperative anxiety in terms of its related risk factors, interventions, and postoperative effects; however, there has been no systematic analysis of published articles. This paper presents a bibliometric review of documents related to preoperative anxiety published between 2001 and 2021. A detailed data analysis of 1,596 publications was conducted using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Since the 20th century, the field of preoperative anxiety has gradually developed; research began around 2000 and has made a huge leap forward since 2016. Developed countries, led by the United States, were the first to conduct research, but preoperative anxiety research in developing countries like Turkey and China has gradually increased and led to an irreplaceable contribution. Intervention has remained the main topic of preoperative anxiety research, and measures have developed from premedication to the provision of education and information. Moreover, the use of advanced equipment such as virtual reality has emerged with great popularity. Based on previous research, the application of virtual reality combined with pediatric patients will become a new research direction

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: mapping the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, and the distant universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median ). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: Mapping the Milky Way, Nearby Galaxies, and the Distant Universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median $z\sim 0.03$). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between $z\sim 0.6$ and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July

The relationship between virulence and drug resistance genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antibiotic resistance: a targeted next-generation sequencing approach

ObjectivePseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for nosocomial infections in critically ill and immunocompromised patients. To elucidate genomic-phenotypic-clinical correlations in P. aeruginosa infections, this study integrates targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) with conventional diagnostics.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted between September, 2023 and December, 2024 at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University on patient specimens that were subjected to both conventional culture and tNGS testing. Only a single Gram-negative bacterium, P. aeruginosa, was detected by tNGS, and these isolates were subsequently analyzed in order to compare their genomic profiling (virulence/resistance genes), antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), and clinical characteristics.ResultsA total of 105 samples were included in the study. Exoenzyme Y gene (exoY) and O-antigen polymerase gene (wzy) were detected in 77.1% and 12.4% of the samples, respectively. Meanwhile, aminoglycoside acetyltransferase gene (aac(6’)aac(3’)), aminoglycoside resistance methyltransferase gene (armA), and chloram phenicol resistance genes (cmlA) were detected in 6.7%, 4.8%, and 12.4% of the samples, respectively. P. aeruginosa isolates detected the exoY gene exhibit a higher level of drug resistance, particularly to cefepime (32.1% vs 4.2%, p<0.05) and piperacillin-tazobactam (33.3% vs 8.3%, p<0.05). aac(6’)aac(3’) and armA genes were statistically associated with tobramycin resistance (p<0.05). The use of antibiotics before hospitalization (within 90 days), hospital-acquired infections, ICU admission, as well as pre-P. aeruginosa detection interventions including invasive procedures, catheterization, mechanical ventilation, duration of antibiotic use time≥14 days, and antibiotic use type ≥3 types (p<0.05) is associated with multidrug-resistant (MDR) and carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) infections (p<0.05). Furthermore, the detection of MDR and CRPA strains appears to lead to an increase in the duration and variety of antibiotic use, as well as prolonged of hospital stay (p<0.05).ConclusionOur study highlights the importance of integrating tNGS results, which provide insights into pathogen identification, resistance, and virulence genes, with phenotypic and clinical data in order to enhance the accuracy of diagnosis and guide treatment strategies

The Fifteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys: First Release of MaNGA-derived Quantities, Data Visualization Tools, and Stellar Library

Twenty years have passed since first light for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Here, we release data taken by the fourth phase of SDSS (SDSS-IV) across its first three years of operation (2014 July–2017 July). This is the third data release for SDSS-IV, and the 15th from SDSS (Data Release Fifteen; DR15). New data come from MaNGA—we release 4824 data cubes, as well as the first stellar spectra in the MaNGA Stellar Library (MaStar), the first set of survey-supported analysis products (e.g., stellar and gas kinematics, emission-line and other maps) from the MaNGA Data Analysis Pipeline, and a new data visualization and access tool we call "Marvin." The next data release, DR16, will include new data from both APOGEE-2 and eBOSS; those surveys release no new data here, but we document updates and corrections to their data processing pipelines. The release is cumulative; it also includes the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since first light. In this paper, we describe the location and format of the data and tools and cite technical references describing how it was obtained and processed. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has also been updated, providing links to data downloads, tutorials, and examples of data use. Although SDSS-IV will continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V (2020–2025), we end this paper by describing plans to ensure the sustainability of the SDSS data archive for many years beyond the collection of data