In this study, we design a new refractive index sensor based on a metal–insulator–metal waveguide coupled with a notched ring and vertical rectangular resonators. We use the finite element method to study the propagation characteristics of the sensor. According to the calculation results, the transmission spectrum exhibits a typical Fano resonance shape. The phenomenon of Fano resonance is caused by the coupling between the wide spectrum and narrow spectrum. In the design, the wide spectrum signal is generated by the vertical rectangular resonator, while the narrow spectrum signal is generated by the notched ring resonator. In addition, we varied the structural parameters of the resonators and filled the structure with media of different refractive indices to study the sensing properties. The maximum achieved sensitivity of the sensor reached 1071.4 nm/RIU. The results reveal potential applications of the coupled system in the field of sensors.

Apigenin (API) possesses excellent antitumor properties, but its limited water solubility and low bioavailability restrict its therapeutic impact. Thus, a suitable delivery systems is needed to overcome these limitations and improve the therapeutic efficiency. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a copolymer extensively utilized in drug delivery. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major extracellular matrix and can specifically bind with CD44 on colon cancer cells. Chitosan (CS) can serve as an intermediate binding with HA and PLGA. Herein, we aimed to perpare receptor-selective HA-coated PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) for colon cancer with high expression of CD44. Firstly, API was encapsulated in PLGA to obtain PLGA-API-NPs, which were then sequentially combined with CS and HA to form HA-coated PLGA NPs. HA coated PLGA NPs had a stronger sustained-release capability. Cellular uptake of HA coated PLGA NPs was enhanced in HT-29 cells with high expression of CD44. HA-PLGA-DiR-NPs can target specificity towards the HT-29 ectopic tumor model. Overall, HA coated PLGA NPs was an effectively drug deliver platform for API in treatment of colon cancer with high expression of CD44.

The rapid development of the regional economy in China has led to the rise of local ecological risks. It is very important to provide enjoyable ecosystem services to residents while reducing ecological risks. In order to understand spatial relationships between ecosystem services and ecological risks, we took Chongqing as an example in this study to assess the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks at the county scale based on the ES-DPSIR system. The main findings include: (1) significant variation in the spatial distribution of the comprehensive ecosystem service index, where the lowest ecosystem service index (0.013) was found in the main urban area of Chongqing and the scores gradually increased outward from this center, reaching 0.689 in the outermost areas, (2) the increase of the comprehensive ecological risk index from east to west, ranging from -0.134 to 0.333, (3) the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks was prominent, with 52.63% of the districts and counties being imbalanced or mild imbalanced, and (4) the significant differences between development trends of ecosystem services-ecological risks, including 60.53% being imbalanced districts and 30.47% mildly balanced. Overall, it was necessary to improve the relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks in Chongqing by reducing ecological risks., and these research results could provide effective approaches and technical support for improving regional ecological security and enhancing ecosystem service capabilities.

With the continuous update of gene editing technology, great progress has been made in livestock breeding, researchers have produced gene edited pigs, cattle, sheep and other improved livestock. Gene editing technology is a genetic means to knock in, knock out, delete, inhibit, activate or replace specific bases of DNA or RNA sequences at the genome level to achieve accurate modification, and can edit genes at a fixed point without the need for DNA templates. In recent years, although regular clusters of interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system mediated gene editing technology has been widely used in animal genetic breeding research, but so far, the system's precise insertion efficiency of foreign genes is not high enough, and there are certain off-target effects, and it is not enough to be used in genome editing of large livestock such as cashmere goats. In this paper, the development status, challenges, application prospects and look into the distance of CRISPR/ Cas9-mediated precisiongene editing technology in livestock breeding were reviewed, in order to provide theoretical reference for livestock gene function analysis, genetic improvement and livestock breeding with local economic characteristics.