Direct Transport Research Articles

Improving the estimation of direct release rates and transport processes from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident using higher-resolution oceanic dispersion model

A series of accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (F1NPS), following the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, resulted in the release of radioactive substances into the ocean. In particular, the release of large amounts of radioactive caesium has damaged the fishing industry, leading to voluntary restrictions on fishing and shipping. Oceanic dispersion simulations based on estimates of the pathways and fluxes of radioactive materials provide useful information for assessing the environmental impacts and formulating measures to mitigate the effects of the accident. For the direct release rate from the F1NPS site, an estimation method was developed using the results from nearby monitoring, and the seawater exchange rate was estimated in target volume using a numerical simulation. However, the influence of volume on the seawater exchange rate was not considered. Appropriate volumes must be considered when estimating the effects of future accidents. In addition, the directional coastal transport was underestimated in the simulations of the F1NPS accident because of the low resolution. To estimate the pathways and fluxes of radioactive material to the ocean and understand the distribution of the concentration of radioactive material based on ocean dispersion simulations, a study was conducted using a higher-resolution model. The horizontal resolution of the conventional ocean dispersion model Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS), was increased from 1 km to 200 m. The optimal settings of the seawater exchange rate were investigated, and the radioactive caesium transport process in the coastal direction was more accurately reflected. We found that the conventional volume for determining the seawater exchange rate, including the locations of release sources and observation points, is optimal. The validity of this finding was confirmed using experimental equations from previous oceanic tracer release experiments. To estimate future release rates, it an appropriate volume must be defined, for example, depending on the distance between the locations of the release sources and the observation point. In addition, improvements in the accuracy of the simulation of the coastal transport process were observed owing to the higher resolution, which increased reproducibility. However, with a horizontal resolution of 200 m, problems with repeatability near the harbours arose. A higher resolution, achieved using nesting or other methods, would be desirable to deal with releases smaller than those in the F1NPS accident.

Bioinspired Multilayered Knitted Fabric with Directional Water Transport and Collection for Personal Sweat Management.

Effective sweat management fabric for sportswear facilitates sweat removal from the skin and elevates the comfort for human. However, when the body is in a strong hot and humid environment or after strenuous exercise, the sweat management fabric will be totally wetted and saturated quickly. As a result, excess sweat cannot be absorbed effectively by the garment, which creates obvious stickiness and heaviness. In this paper, a directional water transport and collection multilayered knitted fabric (DWTCF) is prepared by plasma pretreatment technology and screen coating. The treelike water transport network inspired from nature is designed in order to drive the liquid flow along the channels. By surface modification, branched hydrophilic flow paths are fabricated, and other regions are hydrophobic. As a demonstration, DWTCF has been injected with water to observe the liquid transport behavior. During the experiment, 76.7% liquid is collected by DWTCF, but there is just 0.06% collected by an ordinary knitted fabric. The weight increase of the ordinary fabric is 555.4% larger than that of DWTCF. Specifically, DWTCF utilizes the wetting and pressure-gradient-induced interfacial tension as well as the gravitational effect to facilitate the fluid motion along the hydrophilic channel, in addition to the capillarity present in the fabric structure. This study provides a new idea to develop directional water transport and collection fabric to solve the moisture absorption saturation problem of the fabric, especially for conditions requiring intense sweating.

Reconfigurability-Encoded Hierarchical Rectifiers for Versatile 3D Liquid Manipulation.

Manipulating small-volume liquids is crucial in natural processes and industrial applications. However, most liquid manipulation technologies involve complex energy inputs or non-adjustable wetting gradient surfaces. Here, a simple and adjustable 3D liquid manipulation paradigm is reported to control liquid behaviors by coupling liquid-air-solid interfacial energy with programmable magnetic fields. This paradigm centers around a hierarchical rectifier with magnetized microratchets, using Laplace pressure asymmetry to enable multimodal directional steering of various surface tension liquids (23-72 mN m-1). The scale-dependent effect in microratchet design shows its superiority in handling small-volume liquids across three orders of magnitude (100-103 µL). Under programmed magnetic fields, the rectifier can reconfigure its morphology to harness interfacial energy to exhibit richer liquid behaviors without dynamic real-time control. Reconfigured rectifiers show improved rectification performance in the inertia-dominant fluid regime, i.e., a remarkable 2000-fold increase in the critical Weber number for pure ethanol. Moreover, the rectifier's switchable reconfigurations offer flexible control over liquid transport directions and spatiotemporally controllable 3D liquid manipulation reminiscent of inchworm motions. This scalable liquid manipulation paradigm promotes versatile engineering and biochemistry applications, e.g., portable liquid purity testing (screening resolution <1 mN m-1), logical open-channel microfluidics, and automated chemical reactionplatforms.

Aerosol-Mediated Spread of Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Biomonitoring Indoor and Outdoor Environments.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a conspicuous global public health threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the "One-Health" approach, which encourages the assessment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within an environment to constrain and alleviate the development of AMR. The prolonged use and overuse of antibiotics in treating human and veterinary illnesses, and the inability of wastewater treatment plants to remove them have resulted in elevated concentrations of these metabolites in the surroundings. Microbes residing within these settings acquire resistance under selective pressure and circulate between the air-land interface. Initial evidence on the indoor environments of wastewater treatment plants, hospitals, and livestock-rearing facilities as channels of AMR has been documented. Long- and short-range transport in a downwind direction disseminate aerosols within urban communities. Inhalation of such aerosols poses a considerable occupational and public health risk. The horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is another plausible route of AMR spread. The characterization of ARGs in the atmosphere therefore calls for cutting-edge research. In the present review, we provide a succinct summary of the studies that demonstrated aerosols as a media of AMR transport in the atmosphere, strengthening the need to biomonitor these pernicious pollutants. This review will be a useful resource for environmental researchers, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers to issue related health advisories.

Carbon-based phase change composites with directional high thermal conductivity for interface thermal management

Phase change materials (PCMs) can provide a buffer platform for thermal management systems to deal with thermal runaway problems. However, prompt heat dissipation and cost-effective thermal regulation in desired devices are still limited by insufficient thermal transport behavior and liquid leakage of PCMs. Here, we report a facile strategy to develop high-power-density device by carbon-based phase change composites (PCCs) with directional high thermal conductivity. The synergistic effect of self-assembled aligned graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) inside the resultant PCCs on thermal transport and structural reinforcement enable the PCCs to show high thermal conductivity (in-plane KPCCs of up to 32.86 W m−1 K−1), large heat storage density (158.2–248.3 J g−1), thermal cycling stability, and leakage-proof properties. Furthermore, a PCC-based high-power-density energy device is demonstrated for the tunable thermal regulation by coordinating the orientation of GNPs heat conduction skeleton inside the PCCs with the thermal transport direction of device. The PCC-based module maintains a suitable temperature range of 149–151 °C under various operating conditions and exhibits a decrease of ∼10 °C in the surface peak temperature of power device, showing excellent temperature control performance. Our work holds promising application prospects in the engineering scalable functional PCCs for thermal regulation of electronics and interface thermal management.

Modeling of sediment transport direction affecting Failaka island marina bathymetry, Kuwait

Failaka Island has a marina, which was constructed in 1979 and managed by the Ministry of Communication (MOC) in collaboration with Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC). The marina is widely used for its ferry landing facility. The coastal waters around Failaka are turbid, and current velocities tend to be as high as ∼0.5 m/s during spring tide. The marina basin, with axial plane view and dimensions of about 285m by 260m, experiences shoaling of naturally flocculated fine (cohesive) sediment and coarse sand at the entrance of the channel and more generally in the southern half of the basin. Particularly noteworthy is its heavy shoaling zone along the inner side of the south breakwater close to the entrance. The Failaka island marina is suffering from siltation and sediment deposition issues. The study was carried out numerically to assess the annual sedimentation, sediment direction, and longshore current from different locations around the marina and recommend solutions to reduce the siltation and sediment deposition based on sediment transport direction at the marina entrance. The study shows that the sediment is mostly transported to the Failaka marina entrance from the southeast due to wave action. The cumulative sediment transport for the period 2016 to 2020 as depicted from locations 1 and 2, which are vulnerable to the southeast waves, is 9,164 m3 and 12,323 m3. The annual sediment transport direction affecting the marina is oriented from south to north due to wave action.

A photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on cobalt corrole sensitized carbon nitride for human norovirus detection

Norovirus (NoV) stands as the prevailing etiological agent behind childhood gastroenteritis and foodborne illness, garnering significant attention due to its high infectivity pathogenicity. Protruding domain within the capsid protein (VP1) emerges as the primary antigenicity determinant and a hypervariable region, presenting a potential target site for detecting NoV infection. Herein, a label-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was proposed to achieve high sensitivity toward VP1, utilizing Co-Corrole sensitized carbon nitride (Co-Corrole/CN). Co-Corrole combines with CN through covalent bonds, and the strong binding effect accelerates the directional transport of electrons from CN to Co-Corrole. Co-Corrole acts as a photosensitizer, enhancing light harvesting in the visible region. The well-defined interfacial contact in Co-Corrole/CN heterojunction facilitates the electron-hole pairs separation and transfer. The strong light utilization and efficient carrier migration improve the PEC performance to amplify the photocurrent. This developed immunosensor platform demonstrated a wide range (0.75 pg mL–1-150 ng mL–1) with a notably low limit of detection (0.25 pg mL–1), exhibiting excellent stability and selectivity for other viruses. Moreover, this sensor detected clinical samples with remarkable accuracy and practicability. This research develops a facile and label-free diagnostic analytical technology for highly sensitive detection of NoV VP1 and offers promising prospects for improved diagnostic capability.

From constraints fusion to manifold optimization: A new directional transport manifold metaheuristic algorithm

The ascent of geometry-based models and methodologies, exemplified by geometric deep learning and manifold numerical optimization algorithms, has inaugurated a novel domain across various applications that grapple with geometric data complexities, such as electroencephalogram signals represented by symmetric positive definite matrix manifold, hierarchical data represented by hyperbolic manifold. The imperative fuels this inevitable paradigm shift to encapsulate the intricacies and richness inherent in data, areas where traditional methods prove inadequate. While metaheuristic algorithms are renowned for their versatile adaptability across applications, offering practical solutions within reasonable timeframes. However, the conventional metaheuristic algorithms fail on manifold applications with meaningless solutions. From an extrinsic optimization perspective, we treat manifold optimization problems as general optimization problems with multiple fused constraints that limit the optimization path to the manifold. This study pioneered the proposal and implementation of a metaheuristic manifold optimization, introducing a novel directional transport operator to rectify previously identified issues. Through experimentation across five sets of 25 problems, comparing against five algorithms, including both gradient-free and gradient-dominant counterparts, our proposed algorithm emerges as the optimal performer within the gradient-free category, demonstrating competitiveness even against gradient-dominant algorithms. Furthermore, we applied the proposed algorithm to the robot dynamic manipulation problem, achieving a close-optimal solution that eludes gradient-dominant approaches. This paper delves into the inherent capabilities and establishes the generalization of a metaheuristic algorithm within non-Euclidean functional landscapes. The source code will be available at https://github.com/lingping-fuzzy/metaheuristic-manifold-optimization.

Rural-urban differences in emergency medical services bypass routing of stroke in North Carolina.

Acute stroke is a serious, time-sensitive condition requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency medical services (EMS) routing and direct transport of acute stroke patients to stroke centers improves timely access to care. This study aimed to describe EMS stroke routing and transports by rurality in North Carolina (NC). We conducted a retrospective study using existing data on EMS transports of suspected stroke patients in NC in 2019. The primary study outcome was EMS bypass of the nearest hospital for transport to a nonnearest hospital, determined by geographic information systems (GIS) analysis. Incident addresses were geocoded to census tracts and classified as urban, suburban, or rural by Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes. We compared the frequency of bypass and estimated additional transport times by urban, suburban, and rural incident locations. Of 3666 patients, 1884 (51%) EMS transports bypassed the nearest hospital. Bypass occurred less often for rural EMS incidents (39%) compared to those in urban (57%) and suburban (63%) tracts. The estimated additional transport time for rural bypasses of nonendovascular-capable stroke centers for endovascular-capable stroke centers was a median of 25min (interquartile range 13-33). Using GIS analysis, we found nearly half of EMS transports of suspected stroke patients in NC bypassed the nearest hospital, including noncertified hospitals and stroke centers. Bypasses occurred less often in rural areas, though incurred significantly longer transport times, compared to urban areas. These findings are important for regional stroke system planning, especially for improving rural access to acute stroke care.

Adhesion switchable transition on bio-inspired Janus surface for multi-directional droplet manipulation

Achieving precise and rapid droplets manipulation in versatile directions transport remains a considerable challenge, however adhesion switchable transitions deemed to be rather serviceable. Here, a double-sided microplate array (DMPA) with bio-inspired Janus surfaces, is proposed to fulfill adjustable adhesion through surface wettability switching and microplate dynamic deformation, thereby executing the droplet multi-dimensional manipulation in response to dynamic magnetic field. The triple-coupled bio-inspired Janus surfaces are newly designed with a convex hull and striped structure respectively, inspired by the respiratory ciliary motion and surface properties of lotus and rice leaves. Leveraging variation in superhydrophobicity and low adhesion of convex hull side on Janus surface, diverse droplet directional transports are achieved in plane, such as high-speed horizontal transport (120 mm/s and 500 µL), anti-gravitational climbing (inclined by 15°), and selective droplet orientation. The adhesion switchable transition of surface striped structure on other side is predominated by solid–liquid contact lines evolution resulting from microplate bending deformation, realizing droplet capture/release for long-distance multi-dimensional transport. Concurrently, a magnetic-responsive droplet switch is developed based on multi-directional droplet manipulation, demonstrating enormous potential for practical application.

Gene expression and protein localization of Cl− transporters, Slc26a6 and Cftr, in the gill ionocytes of rainbow trout

Euryhaline fishes acclimate to various osmotic environments by changing the direction of water and ion transport between body fluids and environmental waters. Ionocytes in the gills are one of the most important cells for the active ion transport. This study aimed to identify the molecules responsible for apical Cl− transport in rainbow trout ionocytes. Tissue distribution and time-course changes after seawater transfer were analyzed for mRNA expression of slc26a6, cftr1, and cftr2. slc26a6 was specifically expressed in the freshwater gills and decreased after seawater transfer. Both cftr genes were expressed in the gills and higher in seawater; however, the magnitude of expression increase after seawater transfer was greater in cftr1 than in cftr2. These results suggest that Cftr1 is mainly functioned in hypo-osmoregulation and that Cftr2 may also be involved in ion transport under freshwater conditions, such as acid–base regulation. Slc26a6 was localized at the apical membrane of Nkcc1-negative ionocytes only in freshwater-acclimated trout. Apical Cftr1 localization was also identified in most of ionocytes in seawater-acclimated fish. These results indicate that Slc26a6 in freshwater and Cftr1 in seawater contribute to osmoregulatory Cl− transport across the apical membrane of ionocytes in rainbow trout.

Enhancing Ionic Selectivity and Osmotic Energy by Using an Ultrathin Zr‐MOF‐Based Heterogeneous Membrane with Trilayered Continuous Porous Structure

AbstractDesigning a nanofluidic membrane with high selectivity and fast ion transport property is the key towards high‐performance osmotic energy conversion. However, most of reported membranes can produce power density less than commercial benchmark (5 W/m2), due to the imbalance between ion selectivity and permeability. Here, we report a novel nanoarchitectured design of a heterogeneous membrane with an ultrathin and dense zirconium‐based UiO‐66‐NH2 metal–organic framework (MOF) layer and a highly aligned and interconnected branched alumina nanochannel membrane. The design leads to a continuous trilayered pore structure of large geometry gradient in the sequence from angstrom‐scale to nano‐scale to sub‐microscale, which enables the enhanced directional ion transport, and the angstrom‐sized (~6.6–7 Å) UiO‐66‐NH2 windows render the membrane with high ion selectivity. Consequently, the novel heterogeneous membrane can achieve a high‐performance power of ~8 W/m2 by mixing synthetic seawater and river water. The power density can be largely upgraded to an ultrahigh ~17.1 W/m2 along with ~48.5 % conversion efficiency at a 50‐fold KCl gradient. This work not only presents a new membrane design approach but also showcases the great potential of employing the zirconium‐based MOF channels as ion‐channel‐mimetic membranes for highly efficient blue energy harvesting.

Enhancing Ionic Selectivity and Osmotic Energy by Using an Ultrathin Zr-MOF-Based Heterogeneous Membrane with Trilayered Continuous Porous Structure.

Designing a nanofluidic membrane with high selectivity and fast ion transport property is the key towards high-performance osmotic energy conversion. However, most of reported membranes can produce power density less than commercial benchmark (5 W/m2), due to the imbalance between ion selectivity and permeability. Here, we report a novel nanoarchitectured design of a heterogeneous membrane with an ultrathin and dense zirconium-based UiO-66-NH2 metal-organic framework (MOF) layer and a highly aligned and interconnected branched alumina nanochannel membrane. The design leads to a continuous trilayered pore structure of large geometry gradient in the sequence from angstrom-scale to nano-scale to sub-microscale, which enables the enhanced directional ion transport, and the angstrom-sized (~6.6-7 Å) UiO-66-NH2 windows render the membrane with high ion selectivity. Consequently, the novel heterogeneous membrane can achieve a high-performance power of ~8 W/m2 by mixing synthetic seawater and river water. The power density can be largely upgraded to an ultrahigh ~17.1 W/m2 along with ~48.5 % conversion efficiency at a 50-fold KCl gradient. This work not only presents a new membrane design approach but also showcases the great potential of employing the zirconium-based MOF channels as ion-channel-mimetic membranes for highly efficient blue energy harvesting.

Nanoengineering construction of g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 S-scheme heterojunctions for cooperative enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction and pollutant degradation

S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts featuring efficient charge transport paths provide a promising strategy for cooperative achieving photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. In this work, S-scheme heterojunctions composed of g-C3N4 nanosheets coated on Bi2WO6 nanosheets were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method, resulting in broad-spectrum light absorption, high electron–hole separation efficiency, and excellent photocatalytic CO2 reduction and RhB oxidization performance. Mechanistic analysis revealed the formation of a directional charge transport path at the interface of the heterojunction, which maintained a high oxidation and reduction potential and improved the efficiency of photoexcited carrier separation. In particular, the synergistic reaction system showed excellent photoredox activity compared with the two separate half-reactions. The optimal catalyst 15CN/BWO displayed the highest CO2 conversion efficiency, with CO and CH4 generation rates of 4.3 and 2.7 μmol g−1h−1, respectively, and the degradation efficiency of the composite heterojunction was significantly higher than that of its constituent materials. This work provides a new possibility for designing a novel dual-function photocatalytic reaction system.

Schottky barrier diode and photoelectric device based on two dimensional noble transition-metal sulfides vertical heterojunction

In this work, we use first-principles method to investigate the properties of two-dimensional noble transition-metal sulfides MS2 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) and the electronic and optoelectronic applications of their vertical heterojunctions. The vertically bilayer or trilayer stacking can modulate the band structures and optical absorption spectra of MS2 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) obviously. Therefore, we create the atomically thin Schottky barrier diodes (SBD) by vertically stacking the MS2 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) on monolayer MS2 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt). All SBDs reveal more excellent current rectification behavior along the armchair edge (AE) transport direction than that along the zigzag edge (ZE) transport direction. SBD based on PdS2 bilayer and monolayer heterojunction has the high current value and the significant rectification ratio (exceeding 105) along AE transport direction. The total photocurrent densities of all SBDs along the ZE transport direction are bigger than that along the AE transport direction. SBD based on PdS2 bilayer and monolayer heterojunction has the largest total photocurrent density (1208.07 μA/mm2) along the ZE transport direction. Our work provides foundations for the application of two-dimensional noble transition-metal sulfides in rectification and optoelectronics.

Light-Powered Directional Ion Transport via PFN-Br/MoS2 Heterogeneous Membranes: Band Alignment and Activation Energy Barrier Engineering.

Biological photoresponsive ion transport systems consistently attract researchers' attention owing to their remarkable functions of harvesting energy from nature and participating in visual perception systems. Designing and constructing artificial light-driven ion transport devices to mimic biological counterparts remains a challenge owing to fabrication limitations in nanoconfined spaces. Herein, a typical conjugated polyelectrolyte (PFN-Br) was assembled onto a laminated MoS2M using simple solution-processing vacuum filtration, resulting in a heterogeneous three- and two-dimensional nanoporous membrane. The designed band alignment between PFN-Br and MoS2 enables effective directional ion transport under irradiation in an equilibrium solution, even against a 30-fold concentration gradient. The staggered energy structure of PFN-Br and MoS2 enhances charge separation and establishes a photogenerated potential as the driving force for ion transport. Additionally, the activation energy barrier for ion transport across the heterogeneous membrane decreased by 60% after light irradiation, considerably improving ion transport flux. The easy fabrication and high performance of the membrane in light-powered ion transport provide promising approaches for designing nanofluidic devices with possible applications in energy conversion, light-enhanced biosensing, and photoresponsive ionic devices.

Tailoring asymmetric wettability of Janus nanofiber membranes for directional oil transport and oil capture from oil/water mixtures and oil-in-water emulsions

The separation of oil from oil-in-water emulsions is crucial for the recycling of valuable resources. Janus membranes, characterized by their asymmetric configuration, have shown promise in capturing oil from these emulsions due to their ability to efficiently catch micro-size oil droplets with competitive flux rates, minimal energy costs, and fouling-free operations. This study explored the impact of asymmetric wettability on the oil capture capabilities of Janus nanofiber membranes (JNMs). The wettability of the JNMs’ skin layer was modified from oleophilic, with an oil contact angle (OCA) of ∼0°, to oleophobic, with an OCA of ∼142.7°. This adjustment significantly influenced the oil capture process. The oleophobic skin layer acted as a barrier, reducing oil permeation flux from the feed side. However, this same repellent effect facilitated the directional transport of oil once it breached the skin layer. Interestingly, this led to divergent outcomes in the JNMs’ ability to capture oil from oil/water mixture versus oil-in-water emulsion, a distinction not reported in previous studies. These findings are expected to contribute to the enhancement of Janus membranes, optimizing them for more efficient oil recovery from both oil/water mixture and oil-in-water emulsion.

Contamination Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metal in the Topsoil of a Small Watershed in South Taihang

With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, the issue of soil environmental pollution is becoming more and more prominent, especially concerning heavy metal contamination, which has garnered significant scholarly attention. The surface watershed formed by waterline is influenced by various factors such as topography, industrial emissions, and agricultural runoff, resulting in a complex process of migration and accumulation of heavy metal elements from multiple sources. In this study, the pollution characteristics and sources of heavy metal elements Hg, As, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn in 165 surface soil samples from the Manghe River watershed in Jiyuan City were comprehensively analyzed using a variety of methods, including statistics, geostatistics, enriched factor analysis and the Positive Matrix Factorization Model (PMF). The results showed that the concentrations of Hg, Cd, As, Cu, Pb and Zn exceeded their corresponding background values with varying degrees of enrichment. Notably, the average contents of Cd, Hg and Pb were 26.70 times, 3.69 times and 4.49 times higher than those in Chinese soils on average, respectively, showing obvious enrichment characteristics. Moreover, there were distinct spatial distribution patterns for each heavy metal element; Ni and Cr exhibited similar trends mainly controlled by the parent material, while human activities significantly affect the other six elements forming high-value areas around mining and related industries. It is noteworthy that Cu, Hg and Zn were influenced by dominant wind direction in autumn and winter, forming sub-high-value zones in southern forested areas; meanwhile, Cu and Zn were also influenced by agricultural fertilizer application as well as surface runoff, leading to secondary high-value areas in the dryland areas. Further analysis revealed a significant positive correlation among these heavy metal elements, suggesting that they may share common sources. Through the PMF Model, four main factors were identified, with factor 2 (36.25%), factor 1 (23.00%), factor 3 (21.20%) and factor 4 (19.55%) ranked in descending order of contribution rate. The heavy metal pollution in the study area was attributed to anthropogenic activities and natural factors, accounting for 63.75% and 36.25%, respectively. Coal mining, chemical industry smelting, vehicle emissions and excessive use of agrochemicals were identified as the main sources of heavy metal pollution. These pollutants entered the soil through direct emissions, atmospheric deposition, transportation and agricultural activities, exerting a significant impact on the soil environment. Therefore, delving into the spatial distribution pattern of soil heavy metal pollution and precise analysis of its sources are of great importance for effective treatment and remediation of soil heavy metal pollution in small watersheds, maintaining healthy soil ecology and safeguarding human health.

Advanced Janus Membrane with Directional Sweat Transport and Integrated Passive Cooling for Personal Thermal and Moisture Management

Advanced Janus Membrane with Directional Sweat Transport and Integrated Passive Cooling for Personal Thermal and Moisture Management

Single-molecule live-cell RNA imaging with CRISPR-Csm.

High-resolution, real-time imaging of RNA is essential for understanding the diverse, dynamic behaviors of individual RNA molecules in single cells. However, single-molecule live-cell imaging of unmodified endogenous RNA has not yet been achieved. Here, we present single-molecule live-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization (smLiveFISH), a robust approach that combines the programmable RNA-guided, RNA-targeting CRISPR-Csm complex with multiplexed guide RNAs for efficient, direct visualization of single RNA molecules in a range of cell types, including primary cells. Using smLiveFISH, we tracked individual endogenous NOTCH2 and MAP1B mRNA transcripts in living cells and identified two distinct localization mechanisms: co-translational translocation of NOTCH2 mRNA at the endoplasmic reticulum, and directional transport of MAP1B mRNA toward the cell periphery. This method has the potential to unlock principles governing the spatiotemporal organization of native transcripts in health and disease.