Establishment of diagnostic methods with low detection limits plays a critical role in the maintenance of early diagnosis, prevention of serious neurological complications, and control of the spread of ZIKA. In this study, we established the micro-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and real-time fluorescent quantification PCR (qPCR) protocols for the detection of Zika virus based on the NS5 gene. For the Zika standard plasmid, the standard curve of R² was 0.999, and the amplification efficiency was 92.203%, as determined by qPCR. Both ddPCR and qPCR were positive for cell culture of Zika nucleic acid.The minimum detection limit of ddPCR is 1–2 times lower than qPCR. Moreover, all tests of Dengue virus (1–4 serotypes) were negative in cell culture. Overall, these results suggested than ddPCR may have a lower limit of detection than qPCR.

Motivated by the increasing need of optimised micro-devices for droplets production in medical and biological applications, this paper introduces an integrated approach for the study of the liquid-liquid droplet creation in flow-focusing micro cross-junctions. The micro-junction considered is characterised by a restriction of the channels cross-sections in the junction, which has the function of focusing the flow in the region of the droplet formation. The problem is studied numerically in OpenFOAM environment and validated by the comparison with experimental results obtained by high-speed camera images and micro-PIV measurements. The analysis of the forces acting on the dispersed phase during the droplet formation and the diameter of the droplets obtained numerically are considered for the development of a model of the droplet breakup under the squeezing regime. On the basis of energy balancing during the breakup, a relation between interfacial tension, the size of the cross-sections in the junction, and the time interval needed for droplet creation is obtained, which yields a novel correlation between the dimensionless length of the droplet and the dimensionless flow rate. This correlation is general and can be used to predict the droplet diameters produced by similar micro-junctions with different aspect ratios and extended to different geometries of flow-focusing micro-junctions.

Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is a method used to detect and quantify nu-cleic acids even when present in exceptionally low numbers. While it has proven to be valuable for clinical studies, it has failed to be widely adopted for environmental and applied studies. Due to the complexity of the chemical and biological composition of environmental samples, protocols tailored to clinical studies are not appropriate, and results are difficult to interpret. We used en-vironmental DNA samples originating from field studies to determine a protocol for environ-mental samples. Samples included field soils which had been inoculated with the soil fungus Rhizophagus irregularis (environmental positive control), field soils that had not been inoculat-ed and the targeted fungus was not naturally present (environmental negative control), and root samples from both field categories. To control for the effect of soil inhibitors, we also in-cluded DNA samples of an organismal control extracted from pure fungal spores (organismal positive control). Finally, we included a no-template control consisting only of the PCR reaction reagents and nuclease free water instead of template DNA. Using original data, we examined which factors contribute to poor resolution in root and soil samples and propose best practises to ensure accuracy and repeatability. Furthermore, we evaluated manual and automatic threshold determination methods and we propose a novel protocol based on multiple controls that is more appropriate for environmental samples.

The viral nervous necrosis virus (VNNV) is the causative agent of an important disease affecting fish species cultured worldwide. Early and accurate diagnosis is at present the most effective control and prevention tool, and the molecular techniques have been strongly introduced and accepted by official organizations. Among those, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (rt-qPCR) is nowadays displacing other molecular techniques. However, another PCR-based technology, the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), is on the increase. It has many advantages over qPCR, such as higher sensitivity and more reliability of the quantification. Therefore, we decided to design and validate a protocol for diagnosis and quantification of SJ and RG type VNNV, using reverse transcription-ddPCR (RT-ddPCR). We obtained an extremely low limit of detection, 10 to 100-folds lower than with RT-qPCR. Quantification by RT-ddPCR, with a dynamic range of 6.8 – 6.8 x 104 (SJ type) or 1.04 x 101 – 1.04 x 105 (RG) cps/rctn, was more reliable than with RT-qPCR. The procedure was tested and validated in field samples, providing the high clinical sensitivity and negative predictive values. In conclusion, we propose this method to substitute RT-qPCR protocols because it exceeds the expectations of qPCR in the diagnosis and quantification of VNNV.

The device and method in accordance with the constant pressure regulation of micro droplet PCR in microfluidic chips are developed to explore the optimization way for the micro droplet movement, fragmentation, and bubble generation in microfluidic chips in existing digital PCR technology. In the developed device, an air source device is adopted to regulate the pressure in the chip, such that micro droplet generation and PCR amplification without bubbles can be achieved. In 3 min, the sample in 20ul will be distributed into nearly 50,000 water-in-oil droplets exhibiting a diameter of about 87μm, and the micro droplet will be subjected to a close arrangement in the chip without air bubbles. The device and chip are adopted to quantitatively detect the human gene . As indicated by the experimental results, a good linear relationship exists between detection signal and DNA concentration ranging from 101~ 105 copies /μL (R2=0.999). The micro droplet PCR devices based on constant pressure regulation chips exhibit a wide variety of advantages (e.g., achieving high pollution resistance, micro droplet fragmentation and integration avoidance, reducing human interference, and standardizing results). Thus, micro droplet PCR devices based on constant pressure regulation chips have promising applications in nucleic acid quantification.

For the in-house validation of a droplet digital PCR method, a factorial experimental design was implemented. This design serves different purposes. On the one hand, it is an efficient design in relation to the workload involved in achieving a desirable level of reliability of variance estimates. On the other hand, it allows a partitioning of total variance into different components, thus providing information regarding the dominant sources of random variation. The statistical modelling reflects the actual measurement mechanism, establishing relationships between nominal target DNA copies per well, the range of variation of copy numbers per droplet, probability of detection values, and estimated numbers of copies.

A fern, Polypodium aureum, possesses a specialized spore-releasing mechanism like a catapult induced by quick expansion of vaporized bubbles. This study introduces lipid-coated perfluorocarbon droplets to enable repeatable vaporization-condensation cycles, inspired by the repeatable vaporization of Polypodium aureum. Lipid-perfluorocarbon droplets have been considered not to exhibit repeatable oscillations due to bubble collapse by low surface tension of lipid layers. However, a single lipid-dodecafluoropentane droplet with a diameter of 9.17 µm shows expansion-contraction oscillations over 4,000 cycles by changing lipid composition and applying low power of 1.7 MHz ultrasound to induce partial vaporization of droplets. The optimal combinations of shell composition, droplet fabrication, and acoustic conditions can minimize damage on shell structure and quick recovery of damaged shell layers. The highly-expanding oscillatory microbubbles provide a new direction for fuel-free micro or nanobots as well as biomedical applications of contrast agents and drug delivery.

Achieving effective control over microbial contamination necessitates the precise and concurrent identification of numerous pathogens. In this research, we have devised a remarkably sensitive duplex droplet digital PCR (dddPCR) reaction system to simultaneously detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Pseudomonas fragi (P. fragi). Employing comparative genomics, we identified four genes of P. fragi. By specific analysis, RS22680 gene was selected as the detection target of P. fragi and LasR gene was chosed as P. aeruginosa, which were applied to construct a dddPCR reaction. In terms of specificity, sensitivity and anti-interference ability, the constructed dddPCR detection system was verified and analyzed. The assay showed excellent sensitivity and applicability, as evidenced by a limit of detection of 100 CFU/mL. When the concentration of natural background bacteria in milk or fresh meat was 100 times that of the target detection bacteria, the method was still capable of completing the absolute quantification. In the simulation of actual sample contamination, P. aeruginosa could be detected after 3 h of enrichment culture, and P. fragi could be detected after 6 h. The established ddPCR detection system exhibits exceptional performance, serving as a foundation for the simultaneous detection of various pathogenic bacteria in food products.

This review paper delves into using micro-credentials in higher education ecosystems as a digital enablers. Micro-credentials, which are digital credentials that attest to a learner’s mastery of a specific skill or knowledge area, are becoming more popular in higher education. The paper examines the successful implementation of micro-credential frameworks in higher education, using case studies to demonstrate the advantages of micro-credentials. The review emphasizes the agility and flexibility of microcredentials, which enable learners to acquire new skills quickly and respond to changes in the job market. In addition, the paper discusses the digital nature of micro-credentials and how they allow institutionsto provide targeted, skills-based training that isrelevant to employers. It also explores how micro-credentials are delivered through online platforms, making them convenient and easily accessible for learners. The review underscores the significance of digital infrastructure, connectivity, and public utility for promoting micro-credentials. The paper argues that micro-credentials function as a digital enabler for higher edu- cation ecosystems, allowing learners to acquire targeted training and enabling institutions to expand their offerings and reach more students. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential for micro-credentials to help bridge the skills gap and equip learners with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s digital economy.

Spraying various liquids (primarily aqueous solutions of various substances) is widely used in various technological processes. For most of them, high dispersibility and narrow droplet size distribution are essential. This facilitates ultrasonic spray technique. However, the higher the dispersity of droplets produced by ultrasonic spray, the lower the spray productivity. To solve this problem, we proposed a method of multistage spraying, consisting in generation of a large number of particles of large initial size (to ensure high productivity) and their subsequent destruction by propagation in a periodic ultrasonic field (to ensure small droplet sizes at high productivity). To experimentally determine the capabilities of this technique, a tubular emitter in the shape of a cylinder of stepped-variable cross-section was designed. Configuration of the ultrasonic field inside the emitter (22.2 kHz; 182 dB) implements three-stage spraying (the number of sputtering stages corresponds to the number of anti-nodes along the emitter axis). The effectiveness of proposed and developed technique suitable for generation of droplets sized less than 40 µm with performance exceeding the known ultrasonic spray techniques at least 10 times has been confirmed in the course of conducted research.

Background: The reference test for SARS-CoV-2 detection is the reverse transcriptase real time PCR (real time RT-PCR). However, evidences reported that real time RT-PCR has a lower sensitivity compared with the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) leading to possible false negative in low viral load cases. Methods: We used ddPCR for viral genes N1 and N2 on 20 negative (no detection) samples from symptomatic hospitalized COVID-patients presenting fluctuating real time RT-PCR results and 10 suspected samples (Ct value>35) from asymptomatic not hospitalized subjects. Results: ddPCR performed on RNA revealed 65% of positivity for at least one viral target in the hospitalized patients group of samples (35% for N1 and N2, 10% only for N1 and 20% only for N2) and 50% in the suspected cases (30% for N1 and N2, while 20% only for N2). On hospitalized patients’ samples, we applied also a direct ddPCR approach on the swab material, achieving an overall positivity of 83%. Conclusion: ddPCR, in particular the direct quantitation on swabs, shows a sensitivity advantage for the SARS-CoV-2 identification and may be useful to reduce the false negative diagnosis, especially for low viral load suspected samples.

We provide an extensive and systematic investigation of exciton dynamics in droplet epitaxial quantum dots comparing the cases of (311)A, (001) and (111)A surfaces. In spite of a similar s-shell exciton structure common to the three cases, the absence of a wetting layer for (311)A and (111)A samples leads to a larger carrier confinement with respect to (001), where a wetting layer is present. Moreover, this leads to a more pronounced dependence of the binding energies of s-shell excitons on the quantum dot size and to a strong anti-binding character of the positive charged exciton for smaller quantum dots. In-plane geometrical anisotropies of (311)A and (001) quantum dots lead to a large electron-hole fine interaction (fine structure splitting, FSS ~ 100 ueV) whereas for the three-fold symmetric (111)A counterpart this figure of merit is reduced of about one order of magnitude. In all these cases we do not observe any size dependence of the fine interactions. Heavy-hole/light-hole mixing is present in all the studied cases leading to a broad spread of linear polarization anisotropy (from 0 up to about 50%) irrespective of surface orientation (symmetry of the confinement), fine interactions and nanostructure size. These results are important for the further development of ideal single and entangled photon sources based on semiconductor quantum dots.

For our research on droplet deformation and breakup in scaled high-pressure homogenizing units we developed a pressure stable inline droplet generator. It consists of an optically accessible flow channel with a combination of stainless steel and glass capillaries and a 3D printed orifice. The droplet size is determined online by live image analysis. The influence of the orifice diameter, the mass flow of the continuous phase and the mass flow of the disperse phase on the droplet diameter was investigated. Furthermore, the droplet detachment mechanisms were identified. Droplet diameters with small diameter fluctuation between 175 µm and 500 µm could be realized, which allows a precise adjustment of the Ca and We Number in the subsequent scaled high pressure homogenizer disruption unit. The determined influence of geometry and process parameters on the resulting droplet size and droplet detachment mechanism agreed well with literature on microfluidics. Furthermore, droplet trajectories in an exemplary scaled high-pressure homogenizer disruption unit are presented which show that the droplets can be reinjected on a trajectory close to the center axis or close to the wall, which should result in different stresses on the droplets.

Electrowetting – induced detachment of droplets from solid surfaces is important for numerous applications in the fields of heat transfer and fluid mechanics. The forced oscillations of droplets on solid surfaces and their ability to detach are studied. In this study the process is efficiently simulated by implementing a powerful methodology developed by our team. Our results agree with experiments, showing that optimal detachment, in terms of actuation energy, is achieved when the application of voltage is synchronized with the spreading time of the droplet. Under these conditions, the droplet oscillates with a period close to that of a mirrored Rayleigh droplet. The relation between the droplet’s oscillation period and its physical properties is examined. During voltage-droplet synchronization, the droplet’s ability to detach depends mostly on its contact angle, its viscosity, and the applied voltage. An energy analysis is also conducted, revealing how energy is supplied to the droplet by electrowetting-induced detachment.

In this paper, we critically examine the burgeoning role of advanced computational methodologies in deciphering the complex tapestry of farm animal behaviors and emotions. Leveraging digital imaging and artificial intelligence, we unearth nuanced behavioral patterns and micro-expressions, offering predictive insights into animal emotional states. Sound vocalization analysis, often overlooked, emerges as a pivotal tool, decoding intricate communicative nuances and emotional undertones. Cognitive tests, including mirror and bias assessments, challenge long-standing perceptions, revealing surprising depths of animal self-awareness and cognitive sophistication. However, the paper also underscores the imperative of integrating these tools with a profound understanding of animal psyche, ensuring technology serves as an enhancer, not a replacement, of traditional observational methods. This research not only highlights the transformative potential of cognitive computing in animal welfare but also calls for a judicious application, ensuring technology augments, not undermines, the intrinsic value of human-animal interactions and understanding.

This work presents the results of the experimental and theoretical study of the static pull-in of tilting actuation executed by a hybrid levitation micro-actuator (HLMA) based on the combination of inductive levitation and electrostatic actuation. A semi-analytical model to study such the pull-in phenomenon is developed, for the first time, as a result of using the qualitative technique based on the Lagrangian approach to analyze inductive contactless suspensions presented in work and a recent progress in the calculation of mutual inductance and force between two circular filaments. The obtained non-linear model, accounting for two degrees of freedom of the actuator, allows us to predict accurately the static pull-in displacement and voltage. The results of modelling were verified experimentally and agree well with measurements.

While laminar flow heat transfer and mixing in microfluidic geometries has been investigated experimentally, as has the effect of geometry-induced turbulence in microfluidic flow (it is well documented that turbulence increases convective heat transfer in macrofluidic flow), little literature exists investigating the effect of electrokinetically-induced turbulence on heat transfer at the micro scale. Using recently observed experimental data, this work employed computational fluid dynamics coupled with electromagnetic simulations to determine if electrokinetically-forced, low-Reynolds number turbulence could be observed in a rectangular microchannel with using Newtonian fluids. Analysis of the results was done via comparison to the experimental criteria defined for turbulent flow. This work shows that, even with a simplified simulation setup, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software can produce results comparable to experimental observations of low-Reynolds turbulence in microchannels using Newtonian fluids. In addition to comparing simulated velocities and turbulent energies to experimental data this work also presents initial data on the effects of electrokinetic forcing on microfluidic flow based on entropy generation rates.

Micro-technology has played a substantial role in bioscience, biomedical and biotechnological research due to its core advantages in modern science and engineering. It has created unique development in various sectors of bio-research and upsurges the efficacy of research at the molecular level in recent years. Microfluidic technology makes it possible to manipulate sample volumes at the micro- and nano-level (called nanofluidics) with terrific control outside in vivo cellular microenvironment, enabling the reduction of discrepancies between in vivo and in vitro environments as well as reducing reaction time and cost. In this review, we discuss various effective integrations of microfluidic technologies into biotechnology and its paradigmatic significance in bio-research, supporting mechanical and chemical in vitro cellular micro-environment. Specific innovations relating to the application of microfluidics to advance microbial life, solitary and co-cultures along with a multiple-type cell culturing, cellular communications, cellular interactions and population dynamics are discussed.

Lipid droplet (LD) accumulation in hepatocytes is one of the major symptoms associated with fatty liver disease. Mitochondria play a key role in catabolizing fatty acids for energy production through β-oxidation. The interplay between mitochondria and LD assumes a crucial role in lipid metabolism, while it is obscure how mitochondrial morphology affects systemic lipid metabolism in the liver. We previously reported that cilnidipine, an already existing anti-hypertensive drug, has potency to prevent pathological mitochondrial fission by inhibiting protein-protein interaction between dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and filamin, an actin-binding protein. Here, we found that cilnidipine and its new dihydropyridine (DHP) derivative, 1,4-DHP, which lacks Ca2+ channel blocking action of cilnidipine, prevent the palmitic ac-id-induced Drp1-filamin interaction, LD accumulation and cytotoxicity of human hepatic HepG2 cells. Cilnidipine and 1,4-DHP also suppressed the LD accumulation accompanied by reducing mitochondrial contact with LD in obese model and high fat diet-fed mouse livers. These results propose that targeting Drp1-filimin interaction becomes a new strategy for the prevention or treatment of fatty liver disease.

Chemical instability of liquid-repellent surfaces is one of the nontrivial hurdles that hinders their real-world applications. Although much efforts have been made to prepare chemically durable liquid-repellent surfaces, few attentions have been paid to exploit the instability for versatile use. Herein, we propose to create hydrophilic patterns on superhydrophobic surface by taking advantage of its chemical instability induced by acid solution treatment. Superhydrophobic Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles covered Cu plate that shows poor stability towards HCl solution (1.0 M) is taken as an example. Results show that 2.5 min of HCl solution exposure leads to the etching of Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles and partial removal of self-assembled fluoroalkyl silane molecular layer, resulting in the wettability transition from superhydrophobocity to hydrophilicity, and the water contact angle decreases from ~160° to ~30°. Hydrophilic dimples with different diameters are then created on the superhydrophobic surfaces by depositing HCl droplets with different volumes. Afterwards, the hydrophilic dimple patterned superhydrophobic surfaces are used for water droplet manipulations, including controlled transfer, merging and nanoliter droplets deposition. The results thereby verify the feasibility of creating wettability patterns on superhydrophobic surfaces by using their chemical instability towards corrosive solutions, which broadens the fabrication methods and applications of functional liquid-repellent surfaces.

The phenomenon of droplet impact on moving surfaces is widely observed in fields such as transportation, rotating machinery, and inkjet printing. Droplets exhibit non-axisymmetric behavior due to the motion of solid surfaces which significantly determines core parameters such as contact time, maximum spreading radius, and bounding velocity, thereby affecting the efficiency of related applications. In this study, we focus on kinetics and morphology of the non-axisymmetric bouncing behaviors for droplets impacting on a moving superhydrophobic surface (SHPS) within the normal (Wen) and tangential (Wet) Weber numbers. Considering the influences of moving surface on the contact area and contact time, the previous scaling formula for the horizontal velocity of droplets has been improved. Based on the velocity superposition hypothesis, we establish a theoretical model for the ratio of the maximum spreading radius at both ends depending on Wen and Wet. This research provides both experimental and theoretical evidence for understanding and controlling the non-axisymmetric behavior of droplets impacting on moving surfaces.

The temperature-assisted laser shock process has shown promising prospects in the fields of forming manufacturing and surface strengthening. However, large-scale application of this process is limited by the instability and failure of confinement medium at high temperatures (≥300 ℃). Aiming at this problem, we propose a novel laser shock strategy based on Leidenfrost effect, where the suspended droplets are utilized as the confinement medium. According to the sequence of images acquired by time delay system and high-speed camera, the droplet dynamics behavior is studied. The focusing enhancement effect of the droplet is comprehensively explored. And the correlations between droplet size, ambient temperature, vapor layer thickness and focusing effect are investigated. Combining the dynamics and focusing enhancement effect of droplets, a theoretical model of laser shock pressure under droplet confinement is established. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of the droplet-based laser shock strategy in high temperature processing environments are verified by typical applications in laser shock forming and laser shock peening fields. The results show that the droplet-based laser shock process presents better forming effect. And the mechanical property tests demonstrate that this process can obtain the simultaneous improvement of the strength (~51%) and ductility (~6.4%) of annealed Cu. The multiscale plasticity mechanisms of the strengthened material are comprehensively investigated. We believe that this low-energy, low-cost and high-quality process can provide a new solution for the industrial application of laser shock at high temperatures.

The controllability and consistency in the fabrication of micro-textures on large-scale remains a challenge for existing production processes. Mask electrolyte jet machining (MEJM) is an alternative to Jet-ECM for controllable and high-throughput surface microfabrication with more consistency of dimensional tolerances. This hybrid configuration combines the high-throughput of masked-ECM and the adjustable flow-field of jet-ECM. In this work, a duckbill jet nozzle was introduced to make MEJM more capable of batch micro-structuring. A multiphysics model was built to simulate the distribution of electrochemical reaction ions, the cur- rent density distribution and the evolution of the shape of the machined cavity. Experimental investigations are presented showing the influence of the machining voltage and nozzle moving speed on the micro cavity. Several 35 ×35 micro cavity arrays with a diameter of 24.92 − 11.73 µm and depth of 15.86 − 7.24 µm are generated on 304 stainless steel.

We report a 92 channel RF channelizer based on a 48.9 GHz integrated micro-comb that operates via soliton crystals, together with a passive high-Q ring resonator that acts as a periodic filter with an optical 3dB bandwidth of 121.4 MHz. We obtain an instant RF bandwidth of 8.08 GHz and 17.55 GHz achieved through temperature tuning. These results represent a major advance to achieving fully integrated photonic RF spectrum channelizers with reduced low complexity, size, and high performance for digital-compatible signal detection and broadband analog signal processing.

The steady streaming (SS) phenomenon is gaining increased attention in the microfluidics community, because it can generate net mass flow from the zero-mean vibration. We developed numerical simulation and experimental measurement tools to analyze this vibration induced flow, which has been challenging due to its unsteady nature. Validity of these analysis methods is confirmed by comparing the three-dimensional (3D) flow field induced around a cylindrical micropillar under circular vibration. In the numerical modeling, we directly solved the flow in the Lagrangian frame so that the substrate with a micropillar becomes stationary, and the result was converted to the Eulerian frame to compare them with the experimental results. The present approach enables to avoid the introduction of moving boundary or small perturbation approximation. The flow field obtained by the micro particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement supported the three-dimensionality observed in the numerical results, which could be important for controlling the mass transport and manipulating particulate objects in the microfluidic systems.

In this paper, we present an experimental procedure to enhance the dimensional accuracy of fabrication via Stereolithography (SLA) of features at the micro-scale. Using a custom benchmark part, deviations in feature dimensions (micro-pores diameters and depths) were detected and measured by confocal microscopy. Samples characterization and experimental observations allowed the identification of inaccuracy sources, mainly due to the laser beam scanning strategy and to the incomplete removal of uncured liquid resin in post-processing (i.e., IPA washing). As a technology baseline, the measured dimensional errors on pores diameters were up to -46%. A compensation method of the nominal laser spot diameter (85m) was defined and implemented resulting in relevant improvements in dimensional accuracy of 9.8% and 11.3% on full-open pores diameter and depth, respectively. Further investigation was performed on a customized test part to adjust the calibration procedure. The measurements revealed that the estimate of the laser beam spot size is 968m. Measurements on micro-pores having different sizes revealed that a constant compensation parameter (i.e., C=85, 96, 120m) is not fully effective at the micro-scale, where average errors still remain at -24%, -18.8%, and -16% for compensations equals to 85, 96 and 120m, respectively. A further experimental campaign allowed the identification of an effective nonlinear compensation law where the compensation parameter depends on the micro-feature size C= f (D). Results show a sharp improvement in dimensional accuracy on micro-pore fabrication, with errors consistently below +8.2%. The proposed compensation method can be extended for the fabrication of any micro-features without restrictions on the specific technology implementation. Concerning the inaccuracy introduced by the laser path, experimentation with a customized part allowed the optimization of the part orientation to reduce the errors and their differences along the X and Y machine axes.

The centrifugal force field in the hydrocyclone was affected by the concave-wall curvature radius R0, the mechanism of droplet deformation was closely related to the mass transfer efficiency. Numerical simulation and experimental data were collected to reveal the deformation characteristics and mechanism of single droplet crossing concave-wall jet. Normalized interfacial energy γ and stretching performance were provided to investigate the droplet deformation process. The results showed that the droplet was stretched along the streamwise and shrank along the spanwise in the concave-wall jet. The droplet interfacial energy and deformation were the largest when the droplet crossed the jet boundary at t = 0.20 s. Maximum γ value increased with the increase of R0 by 57.3% to 71.4%, and the distance between droplet and concave-wall increased with R0. Q-criterion was exported to show the vortex strength increasing as the decrease of R0 in the jet boundary. The pressure distribution inside the droplet showed that the pressure decreased as R0 increased, while the pressure difference increased along the streamwise and wall-normal direction. The study suggested that the droplet breakup was more difficult for the smaller R0, which was beneficial for liquid-liquid heterogeneous separation.

Microfluidic technology has become a powerful tool for several applications in chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Benefiting from the advantages of flowing fluids in the laminar regime, droplet-based microfluidics enable the development of various delivery systems based on food-grade emulsions, such as multiple emulsions, microgels, microcapsules, solid lipid micro-particles, and giant liposomes. Besides, by manipulating fluids on a micrometer scale with low-energy demand, it is possible to control the size, shape, and dispersity of droplets generated, which makes microfluidic emulsification an excellent strategy to modulate delivery system properties depending on the entrapped compound type. Thus, this review points out the most current advances in droplet-based microfluidic processes, in which food-grade materials were successfully utilized to develop simple and complex delivery systems. In that context, we sum-marized the principles of droplet-based microfluidics, introducing the most common microde-vices geometries, manufacturing materials, and forces involved in the different droplet generation processes within the microchannels. Subsequently, the encapsulated compound type, classified as lipophilic or hydrophilic functional compounds, was used as a starting point to present current advances in delivery systems based on food-grade emulsions and assembly using microfluidic technologies. Finally, we discuss the limitations and perspectives of scale-up in droplet-based microfluidic approaches, including the challenges that have limited the transition of microfluidic processes from lab-scale to industrial-scale.

Paraffin wax stores energy in the form of latent heat at a nearly constant temperature during melting and releases this energy during solidification. This effect is used in industrial energy storage. An unusual change in the shape of a melted droplet of paraffin wax placed on a relatively cold glass plate is studied. As the droplet solidifies, its upper surface becomes nearly flat and a dimple is formed in the center of this surface, making the droplet look like a fruit (pumpkins are more commonly shaped like this, but the authors prefer apples). A series of experiments, as well as physical and numerical modeling of the droplet's thermal state, taking into account the formation of a mushy zone between liquidus and solidus, made it possible to understand the role of gravity and gradual increase in viscosity and density of paraffin wax on changing the droplet shape and, in particular, to clarify the mechanism of formation of the dimple on its upper.

With the rapid progress of genetic engineering and gene therapy, World Anti-Doping Agency has alerted to gene doping and prohibited its use in sports. However, there is no standard method available yet for detection of transgenes delivered by recombinant adenoviral (rAdV) vectors. Here we aimed to develop a detection method for transgenes delivered by rAdV vectors in a mouse model that mimics gene doping. rAdV vectors containing mCherry gene was delivered in mice through intravenous injection or local muscular injection. After five days, stool and whole blood samples were collected, and total DNA was extracted. As additional experiments, whole blood was also collected from mouse tail tip until 15 days from injection of the rAdv vector. Transgene fragments from different DNA samples were analyzed using semi-quantitative PCR (sqPCR), quantitative PCR (qPCR), and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). In the results, transgene fragments could directly be detected from blood cell fraction-DNA, plasma-cell free DNA and stool-DNA by qPCR and ddPCR, depending on specimen type and injection methods. We observed that a combination of blood cell fraction-DNA and ddPCR was more sensitive than other combinations used in this model. These results could accelerate the development of detection methods for gene doping.

We present a case of Capnocytophaga canimorsus septic shock after a dog bite in an immunocompetent individual, where real-time nanopore metagenomic sequencing characterized the microbial agent within 19 hours, with subsequent confirmation using droplet digital PCR. Oral swabs from the dog demonstrated a nearly-identical C. canimorsus isolate by sequencing.

In this work, we proposed a novel design of microfluidic mixer utilizing the amplified Marangoni chaotic advection induced by AC continuous electrowetting of a metal droplet situated in electrolyte solution, due to the linear and quadratic voltage-dependence of flow velocity at small or large voltages, respectively. Unlike previous researchers exploiting the unidirectional surface stress with DC bias at droplet/medium interface for pumping of electrolyte where the resulting flow rate is linearly proportional to the field intensity, dominance of another kind of dipolar flow pattern caused by local Marangoni stress at the drop surface in sufficiently intense AC electric field is demonstrated by both theoretical analysis and experimental observation, which exhibits a quadratic growth trend as a function of the applied voltage. The dipolar shear stress merely appears at larger voltages and greatly enhances the mixing performance by inducing chaotic advection between the neighboring laminar flow. The mixer design developed herein, on the basis of amplified Marangoni chaotic advection around a liquid metal droplet at larger AC voltages, has great potential for chemical reaction and MEMS actuator applications, because of generating high-throughput and excellent mixing performance at the same time.

To improve the measurement accuracy of wood density and study the linear correlation between the drill feed resistance and wood density, a new micro drill instrument that can can simultaneously measure the rotation resistance and feed resistance of the drill needle was designed. The test wood samples included hardwood, softwood and conifer. The absolute dry density of each wood sample was measured. The drill resistance data was tested by using self-developed micro drill instrument and Resistogaph 650-SC. 4 linear models between drill resistance and the absolute dry density of wood . The results showed that: the statistical indicators of each model of the self-made micro drill resistance in-strument were better than the corresponding indicators of Resistogaph 650-SC; the coefficient of determination of the linear regression model between the feed resistance of the self-made micro drill resistance instrument and the absolute dry density of wood was 0.946; the statistical indicators of model including rotation resistance and feed resistance, were better than those of the model only including rotation resistance. Therefor, the design proposed in the article is reasonable, and increasing the feed resistance can improve the measurement accuracy of the micro drill resistance instrument for measuring wood density.

The early detection of cognitive decline and timely non-pharmacological management or drug therapy are extremely important in providing care for Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD). In this study, we first conducted a discovery study to identify six plasma microRNAs that may allow for the differentiation of PD with or without mild cognitive impairment via NGS. A total of 120 participants were further recruited in a validation cohort and divided into four subgroups, namely, normal controls (HC), PD with no dementia (PDND), PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and PDD. Among the six candidates, miR-203a-3p was successfully detected in the plasma of the validation cohort using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Our results show that the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p observed in PDD was significantly increased compared to in PD-MCI (p < 0.001) and PDND (p = 0.041). Moreover, the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p showed a significant correlation with MoCA scores (r = -0.237, p = 0.024) in patients with PD (PwP). The ROC curve of the logistic regression model, consisting of the variables of age, the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p and the UPDRS III score, also demonstrated an average AUC of 0.883 via 5-fold cross-validation. In conclusion, the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p may serve as a potential biomarker for distinguishing cognitive dysfunction from PwP.

Cannabis has developed into a multi-billion dollar industry that relies on clonal propagation of elite genetics with desirable agronomic and chemical phenotypes. While the goal of clonal propagation is to produce genetically uniform plants, somatic mutations can accumulate during growth and compromise long-term genetic fidelity. Cryopreservation is a process in which tissues are stored at cryogenic temperatures, halting cell division and metabolic processes to facilitate high fidelity germplasm preservation. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to optimize various stages of cryopreservation and develop a protocol for long-term germplasm storage of Cannabis sativa. The resulting protocol uses a standard vitrification procedure to cryopreserve nodal explants from in vitro shoots as follows: Nodes were cultured for 17 hours in a pre-culture solution (PCS), followed by a 20 minute treatment in a loading solution (LS), and a 60 minute incubation in plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2). The nodes were then flash frozen in liquid nitrogen, re-warmed in an unloading solution at 40°C, and cultured on basal MS culture medium in the dark for 5 days followed by transfer to standard culture conditions. This protocol was tested across 13 genotypes to assess the genotypic variability. The protocol was successful across all 13 genotypes, but significant variation was observed in tissue survival (43.3-80%) and regrowth of shoots (26.7-66.7%). Plants grown from cryopreserved samples were morphologically and chemically similar to control plants for most major traits, but some differences were observed in the minor cannabinoid and terpene profiles. While further improvements are likely possible, this study provides a functional cryopreservation system that works across multiple commercial genotypes for long-term germplasm preservation.

We report cyclic growth/retraction phenomena observed for saline droplets placed on the cured PDMS membrane with the thickness of 7.8±0.1 µm floating on pure water surface. Osmotic mass transport across the micro-scaled floating PDMS membrane provided the growth of the sessile saline droplets followed by evaporation of the saline droplets. The observed growth/retraction cycle was reversible. The model of the osmotic mass transfer across the cured PDMS membrane is suggested. The model explains semi-quantitatively the time evolution of a droplet.

Liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1) has emerged as a regulator of hepatic glucose, bile acid, and mitochondrial metabolism. However, the functional mechanism underlying the effect of LRH-1 on lipid mobilization has not been addressed. This study investigated the regulatory function of LRH-1 in lipid metabolism during fasting. The wild-type (WT) and LRH-1 liver-specific knockout (LKO) mice were either fed or fasted for 24 h, and the liver and serum were isolated. During fasting, the LRH-1 LKO mice showed greater accumulation of triglycerides in the liver compared to that in WT mice. Interestingly, LRH-1 LKO liver decreased the perilipin 5 (PLIN5) expression and genes involved in β-oxidation. Additionally, the LRH-1 agonist dialauroylphosphatidylcholine also enhanced PLIN5 expression in human cultured HepG2 cells. To identify new target genes of LRH-1, these findings directed to analyze the PLIN5 promoter sequence, which revealed −1620/−1614 to be a putative binding site for LRH-1. This was confirmed by promoter activity and chromatin immuno-precipitation assays. Moreover, fasted WT primary hepatocytes showed increased co-localization of PLIN5 in lipid droplets (LDs) compared to that in fasted LRH-1 LKO primary hepatocytes. Overall, these findings suggest that PLIN5 might be a novel target of LRH-1 to mobilize LDs and manage the cellular needs.

In this work modeling and analysis of an integrated opto-fluidic sensor, with a focus on achievement of single mode optical confinement and continuous flow of micro particles in the microfluidic channel for Lab-on-a Chip (LOC) sensing application is presented. This sensor consists of integrated optical waveguides, microfluidic channel among other integrated optical components. A continuous flow of micro particles in a narrow fluidic channel is achieved by maintaining the two sealed chambers at different temperatures and by maintaining a constant pressure of 1Pa at the centroid of narrow fluidic channel geometry. The analysis of silicon on insulator (SOI) integrated optical waveguide at an infrared wavelength of 1550nm for single mode sensing operation is presented. The optical loss is found to be 0.0005719dB/cm with an effective index of 2.2963. The model presented in this work can be effectively used to detect the nature of micro particles and continuous monitoring of pathological parameters for sensing applications.

Epidemiological and clinical evidence have extensively documented the role of obesity in the develop-ment of endometrial cancer. However, the effect of fatty acids on cell growth in endometrial cancer has not been widely studied. Here we reported that palmitic acid significantly inhibited cell proliferation of endometrial cancer cells and primary cultures of endometrial cancer, and reduced tumor growth in a transgenic mouse model of endometrial cancer, in parallel with increased cellular stress and apoptosis and decreased cellular adhesion and invasion. Inhibition of cellular stress by N-acetyl-L-cysteine effec-tively reversed the effects of palmitic acid on cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasive capacity in the endometrial cancer cells. Palmitic acid increased the intracellular formation of lipid droplets in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Depletion of lipid droplets by blocking DGAT1 and DGAT2 effectively increased the ability of palmitic acid to inhibit cell proliferation and induce cleaved caspase 3 activity. Collectively, this study provides new insight into the effect of palmitic acid on cell proliferation, inva-sion and the formation of lipid droplets that may have potential clinical relevance in the treatment of obesity-driven endometrial cancer

Spray technology is widely used in various industries, including medicine, food production, mechanical engineering, and nanopowder manufacturing. Achieving high dispersion and a narrow particle size distribution is crucial for many applications. Ultrasonic spraying is commonly used to achieve this. On other hand, hydraulic nozzles provide high atomization performance. Combining these two technologies promises to offer significant benefits, but the complex processes that occur simultaneously in such a device require careful study. This work proposes a fundamental design for an acoustic-hydraulic nozzle and investigates the physical processes when a liquid is sprayed using this nozzle, both theoretically and experimentally. The study identifies the critical modes of spraying and confirms that the simultaneous use of ultrasound and hydraulic pressure can produce a fine spray (droplet size less than 50 μm) with high productivity (5-10 ml/s). This approach has significant potential for modern industries and technologies.

Inspired by Dirac's large number hypothesis (LNH), Zeldovich proposed a relation between the cosmological constant (CC), the mass of a proton, the Planck constant and Newton's gravitational constant. Zeldovich's formula suggests that the substance which is responsible for CC may interact with elementary particles. Since Newton's gravitational constant and the Planck constant appear in Zeldovich's formula, these interactions may be related to gravitational phenomena and quantum phenomena. Following this clue, we propose a liquid droplet model of electron. Applying the Laplace's equation, Zeldovich's formula of CC is derived. Weinberg proposes a relation between the mass of a pion, the Planck constant, the Hubble constant, Newton's gravitational constant and the velocity of light in vacuum when discussing cosmological models with a varying constant of gravitation. Weinberg pointed out that this relation may not merely be regarded as a meaningless random combinations of these fundamental constants in physics. The Weinberg's relation is derived based on the critical mass density formula in the Friedmann model of the universe and Zeldovich's formula.

The evaporation of polymer solution droplet is an important in solution-based polymer film fabrications, such as inkjet print, spray coatings, and droplet casting etc. In this work, we investigated the effect of droplet size, solvent evaporation rate, and concentration on “coffee-ring” effect, crystal nucleation, polymorphism, and morphology of dried poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) solution droplets with atomic force microscopy (AFM) method. We found that the crystal structure, morphology and crystal distribution in the center and edge regions of dried PVDF droplets were different due to “coffee-ring” effect. The “coffee-ring” effect of dried PVDF droplets was mainly composited of accumulated crystals at the edge region of droplet, which was mainly made by crystallization of migrated chains. The interplay between migration of chains, crystallization and solidification of PVDF droplets significantly influenced the formation of “coffee-ring”. In addition, our results showed that the decrease of droplet size and controlling solvent evaporation rate were effective ways to improve the PVDF β-phase nucleation and decrease crystal size.

The contactless coalescence of a droplet is of paramount importance for physical and industrial applications. This paper describes a coalescence method in mid-air via acoustic levitation using an ultrasonic phased array system. Acoustic levitation using ultrasonic phased arrays provides promising lab-on-a-drop applications, such as transportation, coalescence, mixing, separation, evaporation, and extraction in a continuous operation. The mechanism of droplet coalescence in mid-air may be better understood by experimentally and numerically exploring the droplet dynamics immediately before the coalescence. In this study, water droplets were experimentally levitated, transported, and coalesced by controlling acoustic fields. We observed that the edge of droplets deformed and attracted each other immediately before the coalescence. Through image processing, the radii of curvature of the droplets were quantified and the pressure difference between the inside and outside the droplet was simulated to obtain the pressure and velocity information on the droplet surface. The results revealed that the sound pressure acting on the droplet clearly decreased before the impact of the droplets. This pressure on the droplets was quantitatively analyzed from the experimental data. Our experimental and numerical results provide deeper physical insights into contactless droplet manipulation for futuristic lab-on-a-drop applications.

In this paper, a numerical modeling of the impact, spreading, and eventually rebound of a viscoelastic droplet is reported. The numerical model is based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method coupled with the FENE-CR constitutive equations, and accounts for both the surface tension and the substrate wettability. The FENE-CR constitutive equations are used to model the polymer solution, while taking advantage of its rheological characterization. The comparison is performed between droplets of Newtonian solvent and a monodisperse polymer solution. The droplet impact on both hydrophilic and superhydrophobic substrate is analyzed through a detailed analysis of the spreading diameter evolution. It is found that while the droplet kinematic phase seems independent of the substrate and fluids properties, the recoiling phase is highly related to all of them. In addition, the model infers a critical polymer concentration above which the droplet rebound from a superhydrophobic substrate is suppressed. The simulation is of particular interest to ink-jet processing, and demonstrates the capability of the model to handle complex non-Newtonian droplet dynamics.

This work presents a novel approach for the study of the movement of droplets on inclined surfaces under the influence of gravity and chemical heterogeneities. The developed numerical methodology uses data-driven modeling to extend the applicability limits of an analytically derived reduced-order model for the contact line velocity. More specifically, while the reduced-order model is able to capture the effects of the chemical heterogeneities to a satisfactory degree, it does not account for gravity. To alleviate this shortcoming, datasets generated from direct numerical simulations are used to train a data-driven model for the contact line velocity, which is based on the Fourier neural operator and corrects the reduced-order model predictions to match the reference solutions. This hybrid surrogate model, which comprises of both analytical and data-driven components, is then integrated in time to simulate the droplet movement, offering a speedup of five orders of magnitude compared to direct numerical simulations. The performance of this hybrid model is quantified and assessed in different wetting scenarios, by considering various inclination angles and values for the Bond number, demonstrating the accuracy of the predictions as long as the adopted parameters lie within the ranges considered in the training dataset.

Genetic engineering and directed evolution are effective methods to address the low yield and poor industrialization level of microbial target products. The current research focus is on how to efficiently and rapidly screen beneficial mutants from constructed large-scale mutation libraries. Traditional screening methods such as plate screening and well plate screening are severely limited in their development and application due to their low efficiency and high costs. In the past decade, microfluidic technology has become an important high-throughput screening technology due to its fast speed, low cost, high automation, and high screening throughput, and it has developed rapidly. Droplet-based microfluidic high-throughput screening has been widely used in various fields such as strain/enzyme activity screening, pathogen detection, single-cell analysis, drug discovery, and chemical synthesis, and has been widely applied in industries such as materials, food, chemicals, textiles, and biomedicine. In particular, in the field of enzyme research, droplet-based microfluidic high-throughput screening has shown excellent performance in discovering enzymes with new functions, improved catalytic efficiency or stability, acid-base tolerance, etc. Currently, droplet-based microfluidic high-throughput screening technology has achieved high-throughput screening of enzymes such as glycosidase, lipase, peroxidase, protease, amylase, oxidase, and transaminase, as well as high-throughput detection of products such as riboflavin, coumarin, 3-dehydroquinate, lactic acid, and ethanol. This article reviews the application of droplet-based microfluidics in high-throughput screening, with a focus on high-throughput screening strategies based on UV, visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy, including labeled optical signal detection screening, as well as label-free electrochemical detection, mass spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, etc. Furthermore, the research progress and development trends of droplet-based microfluidic technology in enzyme modification and strain screening are also introduced.

The two-phase flow of water and reactive gas in the channel of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) plays an important role in high-quality water management. In this study, the removal effect of 3D wave channel and 2D straight channel for liquid water was studied by volume of fluid method. The dynamic behavior of droplet emerge from the gas diffusion layer (GDL) into the channel under the influence of gas flow was investigated. The effects of droplet growth, deformation, detachment, force, pore size on water critical behavior and water content in the channel are discussed. The results show that the 3D wave channel is superior to the removal of liquid water than the 2D straight channel. The increase of velocity is conducive to the discharge liquid water. While infinite increase of velocity will cause more parasitic power loss. The larger pore size of GDL is not advantageous to the performance of PEMFC, but the appropriate increase of pore size is conducive to the discharge of liquid water. The basic knowledge obtained in this study will help to deepen the understanding of droplet dynamics in PEMFC gas channels, and help to optimize the design and working conditions of these channels.

Fabric material was coated with Viruferrin™ and tested for its inactivating properties against the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A viruses. A statistically significant (p<0.0001) decrease in the number of infectious virus particles exposed to Viruferrin-treated fabric when compared with the cotton control for both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses was observed. For both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, Viruferrin-treated fabrics experienced a > 99% virus reduction without saliva after five minutes of contact when compared to the positive control at time point 0. Furthermore, the reusability of the Viruferrin treated fabric was demonstrated by stability for up to 10 washes. The level of anti-viral (SARS-CoV-2) activity remained constant from 5 to 10 washes and demonstrated a significant difference (p<0.0001) from the unwashed untreated material. Applications for this treated fabric are far-reaching, and as a biological face covering offers not only a unique 2-way protection but also is unlikely to cause onward touch transmission.

Droplet epitaxy allows the efficient fabrication of a plethora of 3D, III-V-based nanostructures on different crystalline orientations. Quantum dots grown on (311)A-oriented surface are obtained with record surface density, with or without a wetting layer. These are appealing features for quantum-dot lasing, thanks to the large density of quantum emitters and a truly 3D lateral confinement. However, the intimate photophysics of this class of nanostructures has not yet been investigated. Here we address the main optical and electronic properties of s-shell excitons in individual quantum dots grown on (311)A substrates with photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments. We show the presence of neutral exciton and biexciton as well as positive and negative charged excitons. We investigate the origins of spectral broadening, identifying them in spectral diffusion at low temperature and phonon-interaction at higher temperature, the presence of fine interactions between electron and hole spin, and a relevant heavy-hole/light-hole mixing. We interpret the level filling with a simple Poissonian model reproducing the power excitation dependence of the s-shell excitons. These results are relevant for the further improvement of this class of quantum emitters and their exploitation as single photon sources for low density samples as well as for efficient lasers for high density samples.

The Voronoi entropy is a mathematical tool for quantitative characterization of the orderliness of points distributed on a surface. The tool is useful to study various surface self-assembly processes. We provide the historical background, from Kepler and Descartes to our days, and discuss topological properties of the Voronoi tessellation, upon which the entropy concept is based, and its scaling properties, known as the Lewis and Aboav-Weaire laws. The Voronoi entropy has been successfully applied to recently discovered self-assembled structures, such as patterned micro-porous polymer surfaces obtained by the breath figure method and levitating ordered water micro-droplet clusters.

Grape dehydration is practiced widely in the food industry with large yields of sultanas produced globally. This paper proposes an investigation into grape microstructure changes as it is dried by imaging specimens at intervals during dehydration at two temperatures using scanning electron microscopy. Detailed images of the microstructure were obtained, and a unique image processing algorithm was developed to quantitatively analyse the properties of this microstructure. Two main methods were developed to obtain the complex boundaries of cells present in the grape tissue in over 36 SEM images. Segmentation of the binary image using an adapted watershed function obtained the most consistent and accurate morphological shape. This was compared to a secondary method which used Canny’s edge detection function, morphological closing and skeletonizing to outlines the cellular microstructure. MATLAB was utilised to convert these boundaries into measurable areas so that quantitative data on average cell area, perimeter and cell axis lengths was acquired. It was found that over drying time cell area and perimeter reduced as expected. Some variability in the data was clear due to only single samples being analysed for each temperature and time combination. The development of automatic image processing techniques will enable quantitative data to be extracted from these images. Trends in cell perimeter, diameter and shape will be used to demonstrate relationships between morphological structure, drying temperature, and duration.

With the increased emphasis on competition in academic settings, anxiety is becoming more common, which inevitably has some impact on students’ learning process and result. This study aimed to explore how competition-induced anxiety influences the subjective cognitive load (SCL), attention level and test score. Meanwhile, we investigated the mediating role of the behavioral inhibition system/behavioral activation system (BIS/BAS) in those processes. A total of 101 college students were recruited in Study 1 to learn five micro-lectures from massive open online courses (MOOC) under with and without competitive conditions. The results showed that participants’ state anxiety (SA) scores were higher after the experiment, participants in the competition condition had higher test scores, and the relationship between SA/ trait anxiety (TA) and SCL could be mediated by the BIS. To obtain more objective data on learning processes (attention levels), we conducted Study 2, which collected behavioral and EEG data from 42 college students during the online learning. The results showed that the competition group had higher SA, lower attention levels, and worse test scores, and the relationship between SA/TA and attention levels could be mediated through the BIS. The present study not only expands previous research by finding that BIS functioning plays an important role in the effects of anxiety on cognitive load and attention, but also offers implications for using competitive strategies to motivate students according to their aptitude.

In our day-to-day life, Lie detection has a significant concern. We human beings are very much inaccurate while detecting the liars and We believe in what we are told. Lie detection is important in today’s life, because Concealing the information or faking it can sometimes take you to huge problems. In any areas like airport management[2], criminal investigations, counterterrorism, etc this concept has great importance. It is an evergreen challenging and changing topic. This paper presents the common technique which was followed up till now and why it was not considered effective and a review of Robust solutions to detection of deception. People generally do not[3] always believe on what someone says but also try to visualize their facial expressions. While in Robust solution these facial micro-expressions are identified, which are tiny, natural expressions seen on the individual’s face, when they try to conceal or suppress emotions. In addition, the article also provides the year-wise assessment and analysis of research articles published in the area of Lie detection from 2011 to 2022. In the end, our proposed framework for lie detection system is also presented. This paper cover up current issues as well as challenges that could be helpful to resolve in future research works. The review paper closes up by supporting future directions.

Abstract: Microstructural and mechanical properties of the eutectic Sn58Bi and micro-alloyed Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag solder alloys were compared. With the addition of Ag micro-alloy, the tensile strength was improved and this is attributed to a combination of microstructure refinement and an Ag3Sn precipitation hardening mechanism. However, ductility is slightly deteriorated due to the brittle nature of the Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Additionally, a board level reliability study of Ag micro-alloyed Sn58Bi solder joints produced utilising a surface-mount technology (SMT) process, were assessed under accelerated temperature cycling (ATC) conditions. Results reveal that micro-alloyed Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag has a higher characteristic lifetime with a narrower failure distribution. This enhanced reliability corresponds with improved bulk mechanical properties. It is postulated that Ag3Sn IMCs are located at the Sn-Bi phase boundaries and suppress the solder microstructure from coarsening during the temperature cycling, hereby extending the time to failure.

The tissue micro environment or milieu consists of a highly dynamic population of cellular and non-cellular components which constitute a complex regulatory network aimed at maintaining the organ homeostasis. In the modern medicine the discovery of miRNAs is undoubtedly a promising field of research and they are essential in orchestrating immune system logic and their release in the gut micro milieu can directly affect bacterial gene expression. Here, we briefly review the role of microRNAs, focuses on their role on immune system components in physiological and pathophysiological gut micro milieu.

Titanium micro-scale topography results in excellent osteoconductivity and bone-implant integration. However, the biological effects of sub-micron topography are unknown. We compared osteoblastic phenotypes and in vivo bone and implant integration abilities between titanium surfaces with micro- (1–5 µm) and sub-micro-scale (0.1–0.5 µm) topographies and machined titanium. Average roughness was 12.5 ± 0.65 nm, 123 ± 6.15 nm, and 24 ± 1.2 nm for machined, micro-rough, and sub-micro-rough surfaces, respectively. The micro-rough surface showed the fewest cells attaching during the initial stage and the lowest proliferation. Calcium deposition and expression of osteoblastic genes were highest on the sub-micro-rough surface and lowest on the machined surface. Bone-to-implant integration was strongest for the micro-rough surface, consistent with it having the greatest ability to retain cells in vitro. Thus, the biological effects of titanium surfaces are not necessarily proportional to the degree of roughness in osteoblastic cultures or in vivo. Sub-micro-rough titanium ameliorates the disadvantage of micro-rough titanium by restoring cell attachment and proliferation and enhances the rate of osteoblastic differentiation over that of micro-rough titanium; however, bone integration and the ability to retain cells are compromised due to its lower interfacial mechanical locking compared to that of micro-rough titanium.

Background: This study aimed to assess the impact of a nutrition-care bundle on growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes of micro-preterm infants born in a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by two years corrected age. Methods: A nutrition-care bundle emphasizing the prompt initiation of parenteral nutrition at birth, initiation of enteral feeds within 6 hours after birth, and early addition of human milk fortifiers was implemented in 2015 for infants born &lt;26 weeks gestation. This before-and-after study evaluated growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants born between 2012-2013 (before-nutrition-bundle BNB) and 2016-2017 (after-nutrition-bundle ANB). Results: A total of 145 infants were included in the study. Infants in the ANB group (n=73) were smaller (birthweight and gestational age), and there were more male infants and multiples included compared to the BNB group (n=72). Enteral feeds and fortifiers started earlier in the ANB group. Growth velocity and weight-z-score changes were similar in both groups during NICU stay and post-discharge. Systemic steroid use, but not cohort, was linked to lower Bayley scores across all domains. Conclusions: Implementing a nutrition-care bundle was not consistently associated with improved weight-gain and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the micro-preterm infant population, likely due to ongoing high-quality nutritional care by the clinical team.

It was for long time believed that lidar systems based on the use of high-repetition micro-pulse lasers could be effectively used to only stimulate atmospheric elastic backscatter echoes, and thus only exploited in elastic backscatter lidar systems. Their application to stimulate rotational and roto-vibrational Raman echoes, and consequently their exploitation in atmospheric thermodynamic profiling, was considered not feasible based on the technical specifications possessed by these laser sources until a few years ago. However, recent technological advances in the design and development of micro-pulse lasers, presently achieving high UV average powers (1-5 W) and small divergences (0.3-0.5 mrad), in combination with the use of large aperture telescopes (0.3-0.4 m diameter primary mirrors), allow to presently develop micro-pulse laser-based Raman lidars capable to measure the vertical profiles of atmospheric thermodynamic parameters, namely water vapour and temperature, both in daytime and nighttime. This paper is aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of these measurements and at illustrating and discussing the high achievable performance level, with a specific focus on water vapour profile measurements. The technical solutions identified in the design of the lidar system and their technological implementation within the experimental setup of the lidar prototype are also carefully illustrated and discussed.

Mass transfer is often the rate determining step for solid-liquid chemical reactions. Decrease of the concentration boundary layer thickness is essential to intensify the chemical reaction. Because the concentration boundary layer exists in the velocity boundary layer, force imposition in the concentration boundary layer by superimposing an electrical current and a magnetic field was proposed. Through, flow can be directly excited in the concentration boundary layer. The previous result indicates that by superimposing a DC current and a gradient magnetic field, the development of the concentration boundary layer was suppressed, because of a macro-scale flow excitation in the whole vessel. And by superimposing the gradient magnetic field with a modulate current, the development of the concentration boundary layer was further suppressed. This is because of the macro-scale flow enhancement and the excitation of a micro-scale flow near the solid-liquid interface. However, the mechanism for the micro-scale flow excitation has not been clarified. To clarify this, a uniform magnetic field was superimposed with the DC current or the modulate current. By this means, only the micro-scale flow was excited near the anode surface. The results found that the non-unform electromagnetic force distribution is the main reason for the micro-scale flow excitation.

As the scarcity of potable water increases, recycling of treated wastewater is increasing. Small-scale, decentralized treatment can be implemented to serve local populations by keeping water within their boundaries and within reach for reuse, particularly in less dense, non-urban communities. Availability of cellular networks and high-speed internet connectivity, along with significant reduction in cost, allows ongoing monitoring of decentralized treatment systems at a central location. In this paper a decentralized treatment system using micro nanobubble aeration, moving media and membranes is able to produce reusable water with low energy consumption, thereby allowing the use of solar energy in places with unreliable electrical supply. The treatment system, which uses no external chemicals, is able to operate unattended and deliver clear, disinfected water with non-detect suspended solids, BOD5 less than 10 mg/L and nutrients below 5 mg/L.

Along with the popularity of the Internet, people are exposed to more and more ways of micro-videos, and a huge amount of micro-video data has emerged. micro-videos have gradually become the Internet content preferred by the public, and a large number of micro-video apps have also emerged, such as Tiktok and Kwai. Intelligent classification and mining of micro-videos can greatly enhance user experience, improve business operation efficiency and enhance user experience. Through deep intelligent analysis and mining of micro-videos, important information in micro-videos can be extracted to provide an important basis for beautifying videos, content appreciation, video recommendation, content search, etc. In the past, content understanding for short videos often used human work annotation, but in recent years, with the great success of deep convolutional neural networks in image recognition, short video content understanding based on this method has gradually developed. Nowadays, most recognition algorithms extract the feature representation of each frame independently and then fuse them. However, while extracting the feature representation, some low-level semantic features are lost, which makes the algorithm unable to accurately distinguish the category of the video. At present, the algorithm of micro-video recognition based on deep learning has surpassed the iDT algorithm, making these traditional methods fade out of people’s view. In this paper according to the micro-video classification task, a new network model is proposed to concatenate features of each modality into the overall features of various modalities through the network, and then fuse the various modal features with the attention mechanism to obtain the whole micro-video features, which will be used for classification. In order to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm proposed in this paper, experiments are conducted in the public dataset, and it is shown the effectiveness of our model.

We demonstrate a photonic RF integrator based on an integrated soliton crystal micro-comb source. By multicasting and progressively delaying the input RF signal using a transversal structure, the input RF signal is integrated discretely. Up to 81 wavelengths are provided by the microcomb source, which enable a large integration time window of ~6.8 ns, together with a time resolution as fast as ~84 ps. We perform signal integration of a diverse range of input RF signals including Gaussian pulses with varying time widths, dual pulses with varying time intervals and a square waveform. The experimental results show good agreement with theory. These results verify our microcomb-based integrator as a competitive approach for RF signal integration with high performance and potentially lower cost and footprint.

Femtosecond laser-induced fluorescence (FLIF) and femtosecond laser-induced optical breakdown spectroscopy (FIBS) are important tools for remote diagnostics of atmospheric aerosols using LiDAR techniques. They are based on light emission excitation in disperse medium via the multiphoton nonlinear processes in aerosol particles induced by high-power optical pulses. To date, the main challenge restraining the large-scale application of the FLIF and FIBS in atmospheric studies is the lack of valued theory of the stimulated light emission in liquid microparticles with sufficiently broad range of sizes. In this paper, we fill this gap and present the theoretical model of dye water droplets emission under high-intense laser exposure that adequately simulates the processes of multiphoton excited fluorescence and optical breakdown plasma emission in microparticles and gives quantitative estimates of the angular and power characteristics of the nonlinear emission. The model is based on the numerical solution to the inhomogeneous Helmholtz equations for the stimulating (primary) and nonlinear (secondary) waves provided by the random nature of molecule emission in particles. We show that droplet fluorescence stimulated by the multiphoton absorption generally becomes more intensive with increasing particle size. Moreover, far-field plasma emission from liquid particles demonstrates larger angular diversity when changing droplet radius in comparison with the multiphoton excited fluorescence, which is mainly due to the excitation of the internal optical field resonances in spherical particles.

We investigated experimentally, analytically and numerically the formation process of double emulsion formations under dripping regime in a tri-axial co-flow capillary device. The results show that mismatches of core and shell droplets under a given flow condition can be captured both experimentally and numerically. We propose a semi-analytical model using the match ratio between the pinch-off length of the shell droplet and the product of the core growth rate and its pinch-off time. The mismatch issue can be avoided if the match ratio is lower than unity. We considered a model with the wall effect to predict the size of the matched double emulsion. The model shows slight deviations with experimental data if the Reynolds number of continuous phase is lower than 0.06, but asymptotically approaches to good agreement if the Reynolds number increases from 0.06 to 0.14. The numerical simulation generally agrees with the experiments under various flow conditions.

This review summarises the main numerical models of fuel droplet heating and evaporation (DHE) in combustion engines across the different scales by accessing the nano/micro, meso and macroscopic fluid elements. The phenomena of multi-physics, multi-scale and multi-phase fluid flow and heat transfer are fully investigated when the fuel droplet (dodecane) is heating and evaporated into a background gas (nitrogen) crossing the liquid-vapour (LV) interface, kinetic region (i.e., Knudsen layer) and the bulk regions of liquid and gas in terms of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, kinetic theory modelling (i.e., direct numerical solutions of Boltzmann equations) and convectional fluid dynamics approach, respectively. The evaporation coefficient of fuel evaporating molecules and their velocity distributions at the LV interface derived from MD simulations formulate a new kinetic boundary condition (KBC). Moreover, a novel kinetic model considering the inelastic collision between fuel molecules alongside the new KBC enables us to describe the non-equilibrium gas dynamics of fuel vapour and gas mixture in Knudsen layer (KL). Heat and mass flux analysis of the fuel droplet under combustion engine conditions can be accurately assessed by implementing the inelastic collision between fuel molecules in KL and a temperature-dependent evaporation coefficient at the LV interface into DHE. The surface temperature of fuel droplet and its evaporation time, which play a significant role in resolving the ignition delay and hence the combustion phasing in engines, can also be well estimated. The multi-scale modelling of fuel DHE will make significantly potential input into the cleaner engine targeting the low-carbon emissions and enhance the capability of the existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers.

To achieve the near zero emission of wastewater in the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system in coal-fired power plant and better utilize the exhaust heat from flue gas, a feasible technology of spraying FGD wastewater in the flue duct for evaporation is discussed in the present study. A full-scale influencing factor investigation on the wastewater droplet evaporation performance is established under the Eulerian-Lagrangian model numerically. The dominant factors, including the characters of wastewater droplets, flue gas and the spray nozzles were analyzed under different conditions, respectively. Considering the multiple factors and conditions in the process, a Least-Square support vector machine (LSSVM) model is introduced to predict the evaporation rate based on the numerical results. Conclusions are made that the flue gas temperature and droplet diameter are of great importance in the evaporation process. The spray direction of droplet parallel with the flue gas flow direction is profitable for the dispersion of droplet, resulting the maximal evaporation rate. A double-nozzle arrangement optimized with relatively small flow rate is recommended. The LSSVM model can accurately predict the evaporation rate using the numerical results with different conditions.

Bloodstream infection is a major health problem worldwide, with extremely high mortality. Detecting infection in the early stage is challenging due to the extremely low concentration of bacteria in the blood. Digital PCR provides unparalleled sensitivity and can achieve absolute quantification, but it is time-consuming. Moreover, the presence of unavoidable background signals in negative controls poses a significant challenge for single-molecule detection. Here, we propose a novel strategy called “Ultrafast flexible thin tube-based droplet digital PCR (utPCR)” that can shorten the digital PCR process from 2 hours to only 5 minutes, with primer annealing/extension time reduced from minutes to only 5 seconds. Importantly, the ultrafast PCR eliminates the nonspecific amplification and thus enables single-molecular detection. The utPCR enabled sensitive detection and digital quantification of E. coli O157 in the high background of 106-fold excess of E. coli K12 cells. Moreover, this method also displayed the potential to detect rare pathogens in blood samples, and the limit of detection (LOD) could be as low as 10 CFU per mL of blood without false positive results. Considering ultrafast (<5 min) and highly sensitive (single-molecule detection), the utPCR holds excellent prospects in the next generation of molecular diagnosis.

Abstract: Due to sever land degradation throughout Ethiopia, the government has been implementing massive soil and water conservation works at the watershed scale since 2010 to conserve soil and water resources. However, most of the rivers in Ethiopia carry huge amount of sediment in the rainy season and streams dried up in the dry period. Planned research was conducted on two paired micro-catchments of Mt.Yewel with the main objective of evaluating the impact of soil and water conservation measures on base flow modification. Stream flow and rainfall data were collected from 22/11/2020 to 8/11/2022 on both micro-catchments at their outlets and center respectively. Base flow separation was done using Sp. Hydro base flow separation tool and SPSS Ver.21 statistical software was employed for data analysis. Flow duration curve (FDC) for both watersheds were developed. The FDC indicated that the base flow from treated micro-catchment is higher and sustained in the dry season while it is low and un-sustained in untreated micro-catchment. From statistical analysis, there is a significant difference in base flow enhancement between the treated and untreated micro-catchment (P<0.001). Hence, catchment treatment contributed to improve groundwater recharge and sustain base flow in the dry season by reducing surface runoff during rainy season.

Abstract: Due to sever land degradation throughout Ethiopia, the government has been implementing massive soil and water conservation works at the watershed scale since 2010 to conserve soil and water resources. However, most of the rivers in Ethiopia carry huge amount of sediment in rainy season and streams dried up in the dry period. Planned research was conducted on two paired micro-catchments Mt.Yewel with the main objective of evaluating the impact of soil and water conservation measures on base flow modification. Stream flow and rainfall data were collected from 22/11/2020 to 8/11/2022 on both micro-catchments at their outlets and center respectively. Base flow separation was done using Sp. Hydro base flow separation tool and SPSS Ver.21 statistical software was employed for data analysis. Flow duration curve (FDC) for both watersheds were developed. The FDC indicated that the base flow from treated micro-catchment ishigher and sustained in the dry season while it is low and un-sustained in untreated micro-catchment. From statistical analysis, there is a significant difference in base flow enhancement between the treated and untreated micro-catchment (P<0.001). Hence, catchment treatment contributed to improve groundwater recharge and sustain base flow in the dry season by reduce surface runoff during rainy season.

Evaluating soil quality across various altitudinal gradients, both with and without vegetative cover, is crucial for the proper functioning of soil and optimal crop growth, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agroecosystems. Although the altitudinal gradient significantly influences soil quality, the ability to predict this quality, expressed through an index, in soils with and without vegetative cover, is still insufficiently explored. This study aimed to assess soil quality in the Jun Jun micro-watershed, located in the Tungurahua region, Ecuador. To achieve this objective, three categories of altitudinal gradients were selected: less than 2800 meters above sea level (masl), between 2800 and 2900 masl, and greater than 2900 masl. A total of 24 soil samples were collected in the mentioned gradients, considering both areas with and without vegetative cover. The indicators used included chemical and biological parameters such as soil organic carbon (OC), earthworm density (WD), earthworm biomass (WB), organic matter (OM), pH, total nitrogen (TN), and organic carbon (OC). The results revealed that in areas with altitudinal gradients below 2800 masl, soil quality index values were higher compared to other altitudes. In vegetated areas, a decrease in index values was observed as the altitudinal gradient increased, indicating a deterioration in soil quality with altitude. These findings are significant in providing a quantitative assessment of the effects of altitudinal gradient and vegetative cover influence on soil quality.

A recent study reported that micro-osteoperforations (MOPs) accelerated tooth movement by activating alveolar bone remodeling. However, very little is known about the relationship between MOPs and external apical root resorption during orthodontic treatment. In this study, in order to investigate the mechanism which MOPs accelerate tooth movement without exacerbating the progression of root resorption, we measured the volume of resorbed root, and performed the immunostaining for the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end-labelling method (TUNEL) exposed MOPs during rat experimental tooth movement. Male Wistar rats (11 week old) were divided into 3 groups: 10-g orthodontic force (optimal force) applied to the maxillary first molar (optimal force: OF group), 50-g orthodontic force application (heavy force: HF group) and 10-g force application plus 3 small perforations of the cortical plate (OF+MOPs group). On days 1, 4, 7, 10 and 14 after force application, the tooth movement and root volume were investigated by micro-computed tomography. Furthermore, the expression levels of apoptotic cells in pressure sides of periodontal ligament (PDL) and surround hard tissues were determined by TUNEL staining. The OF+MOP group exhibited a 1.8-fold increase in tooth movement on days 7, 10 and 14 compared with the OF group. On days 14, the HF group had a higher volume of root loss than the OF and OF+MOP groups. On the same day, the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the HF group increased at the root (cementum) site whereas that in the OF group increased at the alveolar bone site. Furthermore, that in the OF + MOP group increased at the alveolar bone site compared with the OF group. These results suggest that MOPs accelerate orthodontic tooth movement without exacerbating the progression of root resorption.

This research was aimed to apply probiotics in aquaculture to improve fish health and growth performances of Nile tilapia. Fingerlings with a mean initial body weight of 11.43±1.27 and mean initial body length of 6.2±0.84 were stocked in 12 happas. Fish were fed four times daily with four different diets having 30% crude protein at 5% of their body weight and reared for two months. The four diets were control diet, diets treated with Saccharomyces cervisiae, Lactobacillus fermentum and their combinations at a dosage of (1.5×108CFU/ml). Growth performance and gut pathogenic microbial of fish were investigated. Accordingly results indicated that the highest performance interims of body weight gain (33.43±1.65g), daily growth rate (0.51±0.05g), feed conversion ratio (1.89±0.10), and protein efficiency ratio (1.78±0.09) was achieved in fish fed with L. fermentum whereas, the lowest performance (19.83±2.23, 0.33±0.04, 3.52±0.39, and 0.97±0.11) respectively was achieved in fish fed with control diet. Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli and, Proteus were detected in gut of fish. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that Nile tilapia fed with probiotics Lac-tobacillus fermentum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae based diets improved growth and health of Nile tilapia reared under pond culture condition.

Both the use of plastic and its decomposition products lead to the distribution of plastic all over the earth and finally to the uptake by all kind of living beings including humans. Still, it is widely unknown what risks harbor the widespread uptake of plastics for human health, espe-cially regarding contributing factors like size, shape and surface composition. We assessed the uptake of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-nano- and microbeads for HEK293-, A549- and MRC5 cells. Via confocal microscopy, we localized multiple PMMA-beads inside the cytosol of cells. Uptake of PMMA-beads did not alter cell growth and cell division, implying no short-term toxicity towards human cells. Further, we used a cAMP response element binding protein (CREB)-mediated reporter assay to assess whether internalized PMMA-nanobeads alter cell-signaling pathways. In contrast to the in vitro transcription, where the addition of PMMA-nanobeads abolished the transcription, no changes regarding CREB-mediated cell sig-naling are given in HEK293-cells. Our data led to the assumption that PMMA-nano-and mi-crobeads are internalized via endocytosis and end up as lysosomes within the cells cytosol. Therefore, we concluded differences regarding the surface composition of the PMMA-nanobeads mainly affect its potential to alter cell signaling. These findings emphasize the key role the sur-face composition plays regarding microplastic and its risks for human health.

This study aims to formulate binary cementitious systems containing silica fume (SF) and micro quartz (MQ) to improve cementitious concrete's durability and mechanical properties. In this investigation, we examined the effects of different essential variables, such as the level of SF and MQ replacement and the ratio of the water-binder (w/b). In this study, the w/b ratios were 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, and 0.4. Replacement levels for SF were 8, 10, and 12%, while replacement levels for MQ were 5, 8, 10, 15, 25, and 35%. The porosity and permeability decreased with an increase in replacement levels, regardless of the type of fine material used or the amount of replacement. Meanwhile, the strength increased markedly with SF replacement, reaching its maximum MQ of 25% at the SF level. The strength of the SF mixing was the highest in all mixes, and it remained the highest until 15% of MQ was replaced. The ultrafine size of MQ particles contributes to the improvement of compressive strength, porosity, and permeability in a similar way to SF particles, despite their high crystalline structure. Furthermore, in this study, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to verify the influence of each variable on the studied response.

Abstract: Autophagy has a dual role in gliomagenesis in a microRNA-modulated environment. We investigated the potential relevance of autophagy in glioma development and survival by exploring the association of autophagy-associated genes and microRNAs in low- and high-grade gliomas. Real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to determine the expression of genes and microRNAs in 50 fresh glioma tissues while Formalin-fixed paraf-fin-embedded tissues of the same patients were used for immunohistochemistry. The Mann-Whitney U-test test, Spearman correlation test, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were performed to evaluate the expression, association, and overall survival in patients respectively. The expression of LC3, AKT, and miR-21 was increased in high-grade glioma compared to low-grade glioma while ULK2 expression was decreased in high-grade glioma. A strong positive correlation was observed for ULK2 with UVRAG, PTEN, miR-7, and miR-100, while the moderate correlation with mTOR, Beclin1, miR-30, miR-204, miR-374, miR-21 and miR-126 in low-grade glioma, while a moderate positive correlation between ULK2 and PI3K, PTEN, ULK1, VPS34, mTOR, Beclin1, UVRAG, AKT and miR-374, and between AKT and ULK1, VPS34, UVRAG, and miR-7 in high-grade gliomas. The low ULK2 and LC3 expression group was significantly associated with better overall survival in gliomas while miR-21 overexpression showed a poor prognosis in glioma patients. Therefore, miR-21, ULK2, and LC3 may serve as prognostic biomarkers for survival outcomes in glioblastoma.

Broadband noise reduction over the low-mid frequency range in the building and transportation sectors requires compact lightweight sound absorbers of typical sub-wavelength size. The use of multi-layered closely-spaced (micro-)perforated membranes or panels, if suitably optimized, contribute to these objectives. However, their elasticity or modal behaviors often impede the final acoustical performance of the partition. The objective of this study is to get insights into the vibrational effects induced by elastic limp membranes or panels volumetric modes on the optimized sound absorption properties of acoustic fishnets and functionally-graded partitions (FGP). Cost-efficient global optimization of the partition total frequency-averaged dissipation is achieved from simulated annealing with vibrational effects included through an impedance translation method. Critical coupling analysis reveals how the membranes or panels vibrations redistribute the locations of the Hole-Cavity resonances as well as their cross-coupling with the panels first volumetric mode. It is found that elastic limp micro-perforated membranes broaden the first pass-band of acoustic fishnets while smoothing out the dissipation ripples over the FGP optimiza-tion bandwidth. Moreover, the resonance frequency of the first panels mode sets an upper limit to the broadband optimization of FGPs, up to which high dissipation, low reflection and low trans-mission can be achieved.

Magnesium ions play an important immune-regulatory role during bone repair. For this study, we prepared micro-nano bioactive glass containing magnesium, which can release magnesium, silicon, and calcium ions and has a positive impact on osteogenic differentiation and vascular regeneration. In this study, MgMNBG was compounded and combined with PLGA and PCL for 3D printing. Afterwards, the physicochemical properties and bone repair performance of the scaffolds were evaluated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. We also investigated the effects of MgMNBG on osteogenic differentiation, immune regulation, and vascular regeneration. The results showed that MgMNBG can inhibit inflammation and promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis by regulating macrophages. PLGA/PCL/MgMNBG scaffolds have good osteogenic and angiogenic effects, and the composite scaffolds have excellent bone repair performance and potential application value.

Aluminum alloy (Al6061) sheet micro-hole processing is extensively used in smartphones, tablet PC, and smart wearable devices. The micro-hole processing is commonly performed using laser, micro drilling, microstamping, micro discharge, and chemical etching technologies. Micro-stamping technology is characterized by precision and rapid processing, but the precision positioning of the punch head and lower die is one of the major difficulties in micro-hole stamping, especially in manufacturing array micro-holes. This study used stamping without die technology. This technology uses an array punch head to punch the lower die holes on the base, then performs array micro-hole stamping. The experimental results show that a micro-hole array with 37 micro-holes were successfully manufactured and can be reproduced many times. Tapered array micro-holes with a high aspect ratio can be manufactured using this stamping without die technology; the micro-hole depth can be 260μm, the inlet diameter is 116μm, and the outlet diameter is 25μm. This study has successfully developed the feasibility of array micro-hole stamping technology.

This study evaluated the efficacy of experimental TEGDMA-functionalized dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (T-DCPD) filler-based resin-based composites (RBC) in preventing caries lesions around the restoration margins (secondary caries”, SC). Standardized Class-II cavities were made in sound molars having the cervical margin in dentin. Cavities were filled with a commercial resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (RMGIC) or experimental RBCs containing a BisGMA-TEGDMA resin blend and one of the following inorganic fractions: 60 wt.% Ba glass (RBC-0); 40 wt.% Ba glass, 20 wt.% T-DCPD (RBC-20); 20 wt.% Ba glass, 40 wt.% T-DCPD (RBC-40). An open-system bioreactor produced S. mutans biofilm-driven SC. Specimens were scanned using micro-CT to evaluate demineralization depths. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy characterized the specimens’ surfaces, while antimicrobial activity, buffering effect, and ion uptake by the biofilms were also evaluated. ANOVA and Tukey’s test were applied at p<0.05. RBC-0 and RBC-20 showed SC development in dentin, while RBC-40 and RMGIC significantly reduced the lesion depth at the restoration margin (p<0.0001). Initial enamel demineralization could be observed only around RBC-0 and RBC-20 restorations. A direct antibiofilm activity could explain SC reduction by RMGIC, while a buffering effect on biofilm’s acidogenicity explained the behavior of RBC-40. Experimental RBC with CaP-releasing functionalized T-DCPD filler could prevent SC with the same efficacy as F-releasing materials.

This research was carried out with the objective of analyzing the principles of social and solidarity economy in the community funds of the rural sector of Pichincha, Ecuador. Small organizations promote microcredits for local, social and economic development, representing an alternative to those managed by traditional banks. The research was descriptive, non-experimental field research. The population analyzed consisted of 220 community funds, and the size of the representative sample was 49 community organizations that practice solidarity finance. The data were collected through online questionnaires using a Likert scale, and the validity of this approach was judged by experts; the reliability of the instrument obtained was 0.95 using the Cronbach’s alpha method. The results highlight that in these organizations, the following traits prevail: associativity, self-management and organization. However, autonomy and solidarity have a negative valuation, which shows that strategies must be rethought to achieve the empowerment of the financial service. This will allow them to be sustainable and to expand with more benefits that promulgate financial activity and promote structures in rural community networks that promote local development and strengthen deficient principles as a basis for generating a greater benefit to the partners.

Excitation of the acoustic field leading to the Blaha effect affects the plasticity of the material significantly in ultrasonic vibration-assisted forming. In a micro-forming field, the effects are more significant in the deformation in surface of materials [1]-[3], in which reduction of the surface roughness based on the increasing of plastic deformation of surface asperity was effective [4]. On the other hand, the effect on deformation behavior of the bulk region indicted reduction in the yield stress of materials, and not only acoustic effect [5], but also impact effect is found to generate a large amount of dislocation and produce plastic deformation [6][7]. However, the effect on the bulk is more significant as that on the surface. Differences in the effect on the surface and the bulk are not clarified. In this study, the mechanism of the deformation in the surface of the material with ultrasonic vibration assistance is investigated and compared with that in the bulk. Forging tests using a newly developed ultrasonic vibrator were carried out on pure Cu foils with various process conditions. The longitudinal vibration frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is 60∓2kHz, and the vibration amplitude is in an adjustable range of 0~10μm. Forging test was carried out at different initial stress, specimen size and amplitude. The difference in acoustic softening and impact effects on the surface and the bulk was discussed.

The rapid growth of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector requires additional infrastructure, such as more micro-datacenters and telecom stations, to support the higher internet speeds and low latency requirements of 5G net-works. The increased power requirements of the new ICT technologies necessitate the proposal of new power supplies in an attempt to retain the increase in energy demand and running costs. This work provides an in-depth theoretical analysis on the losses of the individual stages of commercially available PSU and proposes a new multicell PSU, Buck-PFC converter, which offers a higher overall efficiency at varying load levels. The theoretical results are verified using simulation results, via PSIM Thermal Module, and using experimental data. The results indicate that multi-cell structures can improve the overall PSU ef-ficiency by 1.2% at 50% rated power and more than 2.1% at full power. Finally, taking into consideration the economic implica-tions of this study, it is shown that the proposed multicell structure may increase the PSU costs by 10.78% but the payback pe-riod is in the order of just 3.3 years.

Substantial research is required to ensure that micro-mobility ride sharing provides a better fulfillment of user needs. This study proposes a novel crowdsourcing model for the ride-sharing system where light vehicles such as scooters and bikes are crowdsourced. The proposed model consists of three entities: suppliers, customers, and a management party responsible for receiving, renting, booking, and demand matching with offered resources. It can allow suppliers to define the location of their private e-scooters/e-bikes and the period of time they are available for rent. Using a dataset of over 9 million e-scooter trips in Austin, Texas, we ran an agent-based simulation six times using three maximum battery ranges (i.e., 35, 45, and 60 km) and different numbers of e-scooters (e.g., 50 and 100) at each origin. Computational results show that the proposed model is promising and might be advantageous to shift the charging and maintenance efforts to a crowd of suppliers.

Minerals play many important functions in plant and animal metabolism. Therefore, we investigated the concentration of Se and other minerals and their relationships in soils and fodder plants in Kosovo. Seventy-three samples of each soil and fodder plants (grass, maize, and wheat) from 30 farms were collected. Both soil and plant samples, after processing and digestion, were analyzed for mineral concentration by ICP-MS. Mineral concentrations in soil and fodder crops, and the best predicting/explanatory models for micro minerals concentration, achieved by stepwise linear regression, are presented. Results showed very low concentration of Se in most of the soil and all fodder samples. In addition, the concentration of Co, Zn and Fe was not sufficient to satisfy requirements for all categories of farm animals. Plant Se concentration showed a positive relationship with Se concentration in soils. Plant Zn, Mo, Mn, Fe and Pb, in general, showed no significant relationship with their concentration in soil, while plant Co and Cd showed positive relationship only in maize, and Cu in wheat grain. Among the soil properties, pH had the highest effect on the concentrations of Co, Mo, Mn, Cd and Pb in fodder crops.

A phosphate/molybdate and cerium-modified phosphate/molybdate conversion coatings were deposited on a carbon steel surface and their protective and self-healing abilities were evaluated. Surface morphology and inner structure of the coatings were examined using FE-SEM-FIB and TEM techniques, chemical composition and element distribution depth profiles in conversion layers were determined using EDX measurements, whereas XPS was applied for the analysis of Mo and Ce oxidation states. Voltammetric measurements and EIS were performed to assess the corrosion behavior of the samples. The higher protective and stronger self-healing abilities were found for phosphate/molybdate/cerium conversion coating deposited in a sulphate-containing solution. This was attributed to higher values of both: total cerium and Ce(IV) content in the conversion layer as well as to lower number of structural defects in the coating. It was demonstrated that the micro-structural characteristics of protective coatings are also important in determining self-healing abilities.

Biological micro-dissection has a wide range of applications in the field of molecular pathology. The current laser-assisted dissection technology is expensive, and laser radiation can lead to sample contamination. As an economical and pollution-free micro-dissection method, piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-dissection has a wide application prospect. However, the performance of the current piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-dissection technology is unsatisfactory. In this paper, a novel piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-dissection device based on a flexure mechanism is proposed in order to solve the problems of low dissecting precision and excessive wear of the dissecting needle caused by the harmful lateral vibration of the current piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-dissection device. By analyzing the flexibility of flexure hinge, the type of flexure beam and the optimal design parameters are determined. Through comparing the harmonic response simulation analysis of the micro-dissection device based on a flexure mechanism and the traditional micro-dissection device without the flexure mechanism, the newly designed micro-dissection device achieves the best vibration effect when the driving frequency is 28kHz, compared with the traditional micro-dissection device, the lateral vibration suppression effect is improved by 68%. Then, based on the 3D printing technology, a prototype of a novel micro-dissection device was produced, and its performance was tested. It was found that the flexure mechanism did indeed suppress the lateral vibration of the needle tip. Finally, the experiments of 5μm thick paraffin-embedded rat liver sections were carried out, and the effects of different dissecting parameters on the dissecting effect were analyzed, and the optimal dissecting parameters were obtained. By comparing the dissecting effects of the tissue sample and the wear condition of the needle tip between the novel micro-dissection device and the traditional micro-dissection device under their optimal dissecting parameters, it is proved that the suppression of harmful lateral vibration not only significantly improves the dissecting effect, but also improves the service life and durability of the dissecting needle, which is beneficial to reduce the equipment costs.

The flipped classroom is gaining prominence as an active learning pedagogy to engage a new generation of students. However, all courses do not lend themselves to a fully flipped design and instructors are often reluctant to flip lectures. In this study, I experimented with a “partial” flipped classroom design in a first-year undergraduate economics course. In this partial flipped format, traditional lectures were substituted with micro-lectures and the remaining class time was devoted to activities like quizzes, group work and student presentations. The full lectures were panopto recorded and put up on the e-learning site, Blackboard. This format enabled me to combine the benefits of a traditional lecture with a flipped classroom design. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the partial flipped classroom format, I compared the final exam scores of students in the partial flipped classroom with those in the control group, which followed a traditional lecture-based approach. The key results from the analysis revealed that students in the partial flipped classroom performed better in the final exams vis-à-vis students in the traditional classroom format. Furthermore, the partial flipped classroom format was associated with lower odds of students failing in the module. This format also resulted in better student engagement, more flexibility and enhanced student-tutor interaction within the classroom.

The Neotropical region is one of the most diverse regions of the globe in terms of macro-organismic species. Regarding the microbial world, however, little is known about the diversity and biogeography patterns of micro-organisms in the Neotropics. In this context, the study of several microbial taxonomic groups is still missing and/or incomplete, such as the protists. Our goal here was to summarize the available information of Neotropical protists, focusing on molecular data from environmental continental samples, to explore what these data evidence on their ecology and biogeography. For this, we reviewed the findings from all articles that focused on or included the terrestrial protists using metabarcoding approach and identified the gaps and future perspectives in this research field. We found that Neotropical protists diversity patterns seem to be, at least in part, congruent with that of macro-organisms and, different than plants and bacteria, just weakly explained by environmental variables. We argue that studies with standardized protocols including different biomes are necessary to fully characterize the ecology and biogeography on Neotropical protists. Furthermore, dismember evolutionary lineages and functional guilds of protists are important to better understand the relationship between diversity, dispersal abilities and functionality of particular taxa of protists in their habitats.

The evolution of metals micro/nano-structure upon severe plastic deformation (SPD) is still far to be theoretically explained, while experimental datasets are persistently growing for several decades. Major problem associated with understanding of SPD is related to a fact that the latter is a synergetic product of several competing physical effects which alter the material micro/nano-structure. In attempt to find deformational boundaries, where predominantly one mechanism determines the micro/nano-structure, in this paper we propose a continuous piecewise model for the analysis of experiments on material hardness vs strain of SPD processed materials. The novelty of this approach lies in its ability to find, as free-fitting parameters, the strain breakpoints which separate different micro/nano-structure modes generated upon SPD process. The model is applied to analyse experimental data for polycrystalline samples of pure iron and two distinctive strain breakpoints are revealed with good accuracies. This finding is in a good agreement with our earlier results on TEM microscopy studies on pure iron polycrystals after SPD treatment.

This study evaluated the mechanical strengths of three types of orthodontic micro-implants by analyzing their structural configurations. Thirty micro-implants of three types (diameter 1.5 mm, Types A, B, C) were assessed. All micro-implants were manually driven into artificial bones at an 8-mm depth. The insertion torque (IT), pullout strength (PS), and gripping volume (GV) of each type were measured. Intergroup comparisons and intragroup correlation were investigated by statistical analysis. Type B had the greatest inner–outer diameter ratio (0.67), and Type A had the smallest (0.53). The IT of Type A (5.26 Ncm) was significantly (p = 0.038) lower than that of Type C (8.8 Ncm). There was no significant difference in the pullout strength (p = 0.868). The GV of Type A (9.7 mm3) was significant (p < 0.01) greater than Type C (8.4 mm3). Type C was significant (p < 0.01) greater than Type B (7.2 mm3). Spearman’s rho rank correlation test showed that PS of Type B was correlated significantly with GV. In conclusion, the design of thread and its GV were the important factors on the mechanical strengths of micro-implant.

The Wolfram (W), Silicium (Si) and Molybdenum (Mo) doped Co-Cr biomedical alloy were fabricated by additive manufacturing method, which is part of powder metadology. The mixture of Wolfram (W), Silicium (Si), Chrome (Cr) and Cobalt (Co) alloy is known good wear and corrosion resistance among of biomedical applications. By addition of Molybdenum (Mo) into the structure of alloy, the structure become more stbale also increase the corrosion and wear resistance. In addition, the effects of secondary annealing process on the alloy were investigated. The microstructure of the produced alloy was analyzed by X-ray diffraction method XRD, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis EDX and scanning electron microscope SEM. Moreover, Electrochemical corrosion test, micro hardness and density measurements were performed to investigate the mechanical properties of the alloy. As a result of the analyzes, the effects of Molydenum (Mo) doped and secondary annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of bioalloying were determined.

Optical micro-angiography (OMAG) is a new method of detecting flow rate and widely used for in vivo imaging. Although OMAG can distinguish between flowing and stationary parts, it cannot obtain accurate flow rate information. This study proposed a range formula for OMAG and the ultrahigh-sensitivity OMAG (UHS-OMAG) method to quantify the measurement range of an entire system. The parameters of the angle between beam scanning and flow directions, the angular velocity of the galvanometer, and the offset of incident light were introduced, and a formula for calculating the range was derived. Experiments were conducted to measure fine and ultra-fine flow rates by using OMAG and UHS-OMAG methods. The minimum measured flow rate was approximately 30 μm/s, and the maximum measured flow rate was approximately 8 mm/s. Experimental results are in good agreement with the preset results.

Natural events such as floods, fires, tsunamis, earthquakes and others have nowadays caused serious damage to human beings and nature. The precise detection of these natural events and especially the earthquake has nowadays become the focus of many computer and geoscientific researchers. Computer science and machine learning algorithms have revolutionized early detection and prediction of these events. Hence, a fuzzy method has been initially used in this article to enhance the authenticity of data based on application of effective variables and then combination of neural network algorithms of the MLP perceptron and radial network of RBF in form of a collective learning system in order to more accurately identify seismic events on a small scale. It was observed after simulating the proposed method that the proposed method has significantly improved based on actual error and root-mean-square error (RMSE) criteria compared to basic methods.

Ti and its alloys are the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications. However, bacterial infection after implant placement is still one of the significant rising complications. Therefore, the application of the antimicrobial agents into implant surfaces to prevent implant-associated infection has attracted lots of attention. Scientific papers have shown that inorganic antibacterial metal element (e.g. Ag, Cu, Zn) can be introduced to implant surfaces with the addition of metal nanoparticles or metallic compounds into electrolyte via micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technology. In this review, the effects of the composition and concentration of electrolyte and process parameters (e.g. voltage, current density, oxidation time) on morphological characteristics (e.g. surface morphology, bonding strength), antibacterial ability and biocompatibility of MAO antimicrobial coating were discussed in detail. Anti-infection and osseo-integration can be simultaneously accomplished with the selection of the proper antibacterial elements and operating parameters. Besides, MAO assisted by magnetron sputtering (MS) to endow Ti-based implant materials with superior antibacterial ability and biocompatibility was also discussed. Finally, the development trend of MAO technology in the future was forecasted.

The ability to detect the presence as well as classify the activities of individuals behind visually obscuring structures is of significant benefit to police, security and emergency services in many situations. This paper presents the analysis from a series of experimental results generated using a through-the-wall (TTW) Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) C-Band radar system named Soprano. The objective of this analysis was to classify whether an individual was carrying an item in both hands or not using micro-Doppler information from a FMCW sensor. The radar was deployed at a standoff distance, of approximately 0.5 m, outside a residential building and used to detect multiple people walking within a room. Through the application of digital filtering, it was shown that significant suppression of the primary wall reflection is possible, significantly enhancing the target signal to clutter ratio. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) signal processing techniques were then applied to the micro-Doppler signatures from different individuals. Features from the SVD information have been used to classify whether the person was carrying an item or walking free handed. Excellent performance of the classifier was achieved in this challenging scenario with accuracies up to 94%, suggesting that future through wall radar sensors may have the ability to reliably recognize many different types of activities in TTW scenarios using these techniques.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has been confirmed in over 10,000,000 individuals worldwide and has resulted in more than 500,000 deaths in a few months since it first surfaced. With such a rapid spread it is no surprise that there has been a massive effort around the world to collectively elucidate the mechanism by which the virus is transmitted. Despite this, there is still no definitive consensus regarding droplet versus airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Public health officials around the world have introduced guidelines within the scope of droplet transmission. However, increasing evidence and comparative analysis with similar coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1) and middle eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS), suggest that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be effectively ruled out. As the data supporting COVID-19 airborne transmission grows, there needs to be an increased effort in terms of technical and policy measures to mitigate the spread of viral aerosols. These measures can be in the form of broader social distancing and facial covering guidelines, exploration of thermal inactivation in clinical settings, low-dose UV-C light implementation, and greater attention to ventilation and airflow control systems. This review summarizes the current evidence available about airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, available literature about airborne transmission of similar viruses, and finally the methods that are already available or can be easily adapted to deal with a virus capable of airborne transmission.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has revolutionized the field of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) by offering hope to individuals and couples struggling with infertility. Nevertheless, traditional IVF methods are not exempt from drawbacks, such as suboptimal success rates, intrusive procedures, and ethical considerations. The introduction of micro/nanorobotics in IVF offers a revolutionary chance to tackle these difficulties. This paper presents a short review of the utilization of micro/nanorobotics in IVF, investigating progress in the manipulation of sperm, retrieval of oocytes, culture of embryos, and potential future developments in this fast progressing area. In this discussion, we explore the fundamental concepts, advantages, difficulties, and possible influence of micro/nanorobotics in transforming IVF processes and enhancing patient outcomes.

Engineering Education needs to be approached in different, innovative ways to meet the needs of society, learners, and education providers. This ranges from new educational programs and innovative pedagogies in individual classrooms, to online and immersive learning, to micro-credentials and modularity along with how to enable rapid adaptation for reskilling and upskilling, to entirely new pathways of restructuring education. Gamification is the application of game elements and digital game design techniques to non-game problems, such as learning challenges. It is about using game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to enhance users’ engagement, motivate action, and support learning. At first view, the concept of gamification does not contain game design elements, but with the addition of additional elements such as the video game component that is applied in different contexts, the users are encouraged to participate in learning activities and complete learning challenges successfully. The first step in the process of designing a gamification activity is to think like a game designer. According to Cook (2013), any process can be gamified when the following requirements are covered: (i) the gamified activity is easy to learn, (ii) user progress can be measured, (iii) continuous feedback is provided to users.

Objective To observe the effect of roxadustat on blood pressure and micro-inflammatory response in patients with hemodialysis anemia, and to provide a viable technique for the treatment of hemodialysis anemia patients. Methods A total of 100 hemodialysis anemia patients admitted to the Nephrology Department of our hospital from July 2020 to July 2021 were enrolled and randomly divided into an observation group (roxadustat) and a control group (human recombinant erythropoietin (rhEPO). The clinical efficacy, blood lipid metabolism, inflammatory factor levels, iron metabolism-related indicators, blood biochemical indicators, anemia indicators, adverse reactions and blood pressure were recorded and compared. Results There was no significant difference in baseline data and serum indicators (P>0.05). The study group demonstrated superior performance to the control group in terms of clinical efficacy, blood lipid metabolism, inflammatory factor levels, iron metabolism-related indicators, blood biochemical indicators, anemia indicators, adverse reactions and blood pressure (all P<0.05). Conclusion Compared with rhEPO treatment, roxadustat exhibits a promising outcome in treating anemia and has slight impact on blood pressure of patients.

Micro-gyroscopes based on the Coriolis principle are widely employed in inertial navigation, motion control, and vibration analysis applications. This paper presents our main contributions which include a novel dual-frame optomechanical gyroscope, a unique photonic crystal cavity design, and advanced numerical simulation and optimization methods. The proposed design utilizes an optical cavity formed between dual oscillating frames, whereby input rotation induces a measurable phase shift via optomechanical coupling. Actuation of the frames is achieved electrostatically via an interdigitated comb-drive design. Through theoretical modeling based on cavity optomechanics and finite element simulation, the operating principle and performance parameters are evaluated in detail. Results indicate an expected angular rate sensitivity of 22.8 mV/°/s and angle random walk of 7.1×10-5 °/h1/2, representing superior precision than to existing micro-electromechanical systems gyroscopes of comparable scale. Detailed analysis of the optomechanical transduction mechanism suggests this dual-frame approach could enable angular vibration detection with resolution exceeding state-of-the-art solutions.