Transport Ability Research Articles

Supramolecular Barrel-Rosette Ion Channel Based on 3,5-Diaminobenzoic Acid for Cation-Anion Symport.

The structural tropology and functions of natural cation-anion symporting channels have been continuously investigated due to their crucial role in regulating various physiological functions. To understand the physiological functions of the natural symporter channels, it is vital to develop small molecule-based biomimicking systems that can provide mechanistic insights into the ion-binding sites and the ion-translocation pathways. Herein, we report a series of bis((R)-(-)-mandelic acid)-linked 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid-based self-assembled ion channels with distinctive ion transport ability. Ion transport experiment across the lipid bilayer membrane revealed that compound 1b exhibits the highest transport activity among the series, and it has interesting selective co-transporting functions, i.e., facilitates K+/ClO4- symport. Electrophysiology experiments confirmed the formation of supramolecular ion channels with an average diameter of 6.2 ± 1 Å and single channel conductance of 57.3 ± 1.9 pS. Selectivity studies of channel 1b in BLM demonstrated the permeability ratio of PCl-/PK+ = 0.053 ±0.02, PClO4-/PCl- = 2.1 ± 0.5, and PK+/PNa+ = 1.5 ± 1, respectively, indicating the higher selectivity of the channel towards KClO4 over KCl salt. A hexameric assembly of a trimeric rosette of 1b was subjected to molecular dynamics simulations with different salts to understand the supramolecular channel formation and ion selectivity pattern.

Electrostatic force promoted intermolecular stacking of polymer donors toward 19.4% efficiency binary organic solar cells

Conjugated polymers are generally featured with low structural order due to their aromatic and irregular structural units, which limits their light absorption and charge mobility in organic solar cells. In this work, we report a conjugated molecule INMB-F that can act as a molecular bridge via electrostatic force to enhance the intermolecular stacking of BDT-based polymer donors toward efficient and stable organic solar cells. Molecular dynamics simulations and synchrotron X-ray measurements reveal that the electronegative INMB-F adsorb on the electropositive main chain of polymer donors to increase the donor-donor interactions, leading to enhanced structural order with shortened π-π stacking distance and consequently enhanced charge transport ability. Casting the non-fullerene acceptor layer on top of the INMB-F modified donor layer to fabricate solar cells via layer-by-layer deposition evidences significant power conversion efficiency boosts in a range of photovoltaic systems. A power conversion efficiency of 19.4% (certified 18.96%) is realized in PM6/L8-BO binary devices, which is one of the highest reported efficiencies of this material system. The enhanced structural order of polymer donors by INMB-F also leads to a six-fold enhancement of the operational stability of PM6/L8-BO organic solar cells.

Tapping the Light Emitting Potential of Chalcogenide Perovskite SrHfS3 via Eu2+ Doping

AbstractChalcogenide perovskites are an emerging family of perovskite materials, which possess excellent optoelectronic properties comparable with halide perovskites, avoiding the drawbacks of toxicity and poor stability. Due to the superiorities of strong light absorption, direct bandgaps, excellent carrier transport abilities, high defect tolerance, robust stability, and non‐toxicity, chalcogenide perovskites have been extensively studied as photovoltaic materials. However, the light emitting potential of chalcogenide perovskites is ignored or less explored. In this work, an Eu2+ doping strategy is proposed to activate the light emitting abilities of chalcogenide perovskite. The synthesized SrHfS3:Eu2+ powder exhibits intense red emission of Eu2+ through the relaxation of 4f65d1 to 4f75d0. The strong interband absorption of SrHfS3, as a distinct character of chalcogenide perovskite, harvests the optical energy and funnels it to the luminescent center Eu2+. Besides, SrHfS3:Eu2+ is characterized by superior semiconducting properties, suggesting its strong potential as suitable emitters in light‐emitting diodes. Moreover, the obtained SrHfS3:Eu2+ powder and its luminescence properties remain stable under ultraviolet irradiation, water, and high temperature testing. The above observations open a new frontier for exploring luminescent chalcogenide perovskites, highlighting their great potential in lighting and displays, rather than being limited to photovoltaic devices.

Carbon quantum dots as a tracer of water seepage sources and pathways in grottoes

Water seepage is one of the main factors leading to the damage of grottoes. The sources and pathways of water seepage need to be identified to relieve it. Although the sources and pathways are investigated using geophysical exploration methods commonly, the results are unsatisfactory due to the limitation of resolution. The tracer method has been widely used to examine water seepage in the natural sciences and engineering. However, most tracers have an impact on grottoes, making this method inapplicable. This study was the first to use the carbon quantum dots as a tracer of water seepage in grottoes. The characteristics of the carbon quantum dots, which was synthesized by various biomass precursors through large-scale synthesis in the field, were analyzed to determine the optimal precursor. The structure, fluorescence intensity, and water solubility of the carbon quantum dots were evaluated. Laboratory tests were designed to examine the transport properties of the carbon quantum dots in rocks and cracks. The results showed that the carbon quantum dots synthesized by Ginkgo biloba were small and had uniform size, excellent fluorescence, good water solubility and transport ability. Furthermore, the carbon quantum dots were successfully used to tracing the source of water seepage at the chest of the Leshan Giant Buddha. The low cost of synthesis, wide precursors, easy and convenient synthesis methods, friendliness to grottoes, and excellent performance of the carbon quantum dots as a tracer suggest the efficacy of this method. These findings could lead to the widespread use of tracer method in studies of water seepage in grottoes.

Age, provenance and tectonic setting of the Tonian–Cryogenian clastic successions in the northwest Bikou terrane, NW Yangtze Block, Central China

Studies on the widely-exposed Neoproterozoic geological records in the Bikou terrane (northwestern Yangtze Block, Central China) have produced different tectonic models (e.g., arc, rift and ridge settings), confusing the relationships between the Bikou and Yangtze blocks in the Neoproterozoic. In addition to the Neoproterozoic Bikou Group igneous rocks and Hengdan Group sedimentary strata which have been well investigated, clastic sedimentary records in the westernmost regions are also crucial for understanding the Neoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the terrane. Here, we target a 3000 m-thick siliciclastic outcrop section along the Bailongjiang River and conduct sedimentological, petrographic, elemental geochemical and zircon U-Pb geochronological analyses to constrain depositional time, sediment provenance and tectonic settings. The outcrop indicates an overall coarsening-upward sedimentary succession, from deep-water sequences to ice-water sequences with dropstone textures. Two volcanic tuffaceous rocks from the basal and middle parts of the succession were dated as 773.2 ± 5.9 Ma and 758.0 ± 8.7 Ma, respectively. The upper parts are characterized by thick, continuous, poorly-sorted glacial diamictites and are conformably overlain by Ediacaran strata. We contend that these diamictites are most likely equivalents to the widespread Cryogenian strata in the Yangtze Block. While provenance analysis results demonstrate felsic bedrock-dominated source terranes with minor mafic contributions, the dropstone gravel components, sandstone petrography and heavy mineral compositions and fine-grained sedimentary rock element concentrations are evidently variable vertically, revealing temporal variations in sediment source-to-sink systems in this region during the late Tonian–Cryogenian. We suggest that the late Tonian deposits were most likely fed by proximal mixed sources with continental arc-related and recycled orogenic terranes, whereas the Cryogenian deposits were dominated by detritus from recycled orogenic terranes. Climate change during the Neoproterozoic glacial-interglacial cycles also played a crucial role in the variable deposit compositions by regulating sediment transport agents and abilities. We favor that the Bikou terrane connected with the Yangtze Block under convergent settings during the early-middle Neoproterozoic and was subsequently under extensional settings. Such findings are a significant step in our understanding of the role of the Yangtze Block in global Neoproterozoic tectonic and climatic frameworks.

Engineering High-Tortuosity 3D Gradient Structure and CFD-Assisted Multifield Analysis for Solar Interfacial Evaporation.

Solar interfacial evaporation is a promising method for solving the global shortage of fresh water. While 2D evaporators can efficiently localize solar-converted heat at the thin layer of the water-air interface, 3D solar evaporators can maximize energy reutilization while maintaining effective mass transport ability, few studies are conducted to explore the effect of gradient porosity on evaporation performance. In this study, a multifield assisted strategy based on a gradient 3D structure with high tortuosity is proposed, which creates a thermal field environment for efficient evaporation through high absorption of sunlight and excellent photothermal conversion and uses the gradient structure to optimize the internal pressure field to enhance water evaporation and transport. This hierarchically nanostructured solar absorber, with porosity inhomogeneity-induced pressure gradient and optimized temperature management, is a valuable design idea for manufacturing a more efficient 3D solar evaporator in the field of seawater desalination. Owing to the understanding of optimizing the dimension by various simulation parameters, the evaporation efficiencies of such structures are found to be 165.7%, suppressing the most evaporator. Moreover, it can provide new ideas and references for the fields of mass transfer and thermal management.

Identification of VrNIP2-1 aquaporin with novel selective filter regulating the transport of beneficial as well as hazardous metalloids in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.)

Nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein (NIP) subfamily of aquaporins (AQPs) in plants, is known to be involved in the uptake of metalloids including boron, germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), and silicon (Si). In the present study, a thorough evaluation of 55 AQPs found in the mungbean genome, including phylogenetic distribution, sequence homology, expression profiling, and structural characterization, contributed to the identification of VrNIP2-1 as a metalloid transporter. The pore-morphology of VrNIP2-1 was studied using molecular dynamics simulation. Interestingly, VrNIP2-1 was found to harbor an aromatic/arginine (ar/R) selectivity filter formed with ASGR amino acids instead of GSGR systematically reported in metalloid transporters (NIP2s) in higher plants. Evaluation of diverse cultivars showed a high level of Si accumulation in leaves indicating functional Si transport in mungbean. In addition, heterologous expression of VrNIP2-1 in yeast revealed As(III) and GeO2 transport activity. Similarly, VrNIP2-1 expression in Xenopus oocytes confirmed its Si transport ability. The metalloid transport activity with unique structural features will be helpful to better understand the solute specificity of NIP2s in mungbean and related pulses. The information provided here will also serve as a basis to improve Si uptake while restricting hazardous metalloids like As in plants.

Neuroprotective effects of a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (stroma-free hemoglobin nanoparticle) on ischemia reperfusion injury

The application of hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) to the treatment of cerebral ischemia has been investigated. A cluster of 1 Hb and 3 human serum albumins (Hb-HSA3) was found to exert neuroprotective effects on ischemia/reperfusion injury. Stroma-free hemoglobin nanoparticles (SFHbNP), a subsequently developed HBOC consisting of a spherical polymerized stroma-free Hb core with a HSA shell, contains the natural antioxidant enzyme catalase and, thus, is expected to exert additive effects. We herein investigated whether SFHbNP exerted enhanced neuroprotective effects in a rat transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model. Rats were subjected to 2-hour tMCAO and divided into the following 3 groups with the intravenous administration of the respective reagents: (1) phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), as a vehicle (2) Hb-HSA3, and (3) SFHbNP. After 24-hour reperfusion, infarct and edema volumes decreased in the order of the PBS, Hb-HSA3, and SFHbNP groups, with a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the PBS and SFHbNP groups. Similar reductions were observed in oxidative stress, leukocyte recruitment, and blood–brain barrier disruption in the order of the PBS, Hb-HSA3, and SFHbNP groups. In the early phase of reperfusion within 6 h, microvascular HBOC perfusion and cerebral blood flow were maintained at high levels during the reperfusion period in the Hb-HSA3 and SFHbNP groups. However, a difference was observed in tissue oxygen partial pressure levels, which significantly decreased after 6-hour reperfusion in the Hb-HSA3 group, but remained high in the SFHbNP group. A superior oxygen transport ability appears to be related to the enhanced neuroprotective effects of SFHbNP.

Improved La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ oxygen electrode activity by introducing high oxygen ion conductor oxide for solid oxide steam electrolysis

The limited oxygen ion conductivity of conventional La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ (LSM) electrode has hindered the development of high-performance solid oxide cells. To address this issue, the electrode interface structure of LSM electrode is regulated by incorporating oxides with high oxygen ion conductivity. Specifically, the addition of Dy and Y co-doped Bi2O3-δ oxide (DBY) with a conductivity of 0.34 S cm−1 at 700 °C, which is almost 9 and 20 times higher than conventional SDC and YSZ oxides, has found to substantially reduce the electrode sintering temperature and enhance the transport ability of ion and electron at the interface. As a result, the interface polarization resistance of the LSM/DBY composite electrode is as low as 0.096 Ω cm2 at 700 °C. Finally, a solid oxide cell equipped with an LSM/DBY electrode attains a high power density of 1.78 Wcm−2 in fuel cell mode at 800 °C and 3%H2O–H2, as well as a current density of −1.58 Acm−2 in electrolysis mode under 1.50 V and 50% H2O–H2 condition.

3D structured liquid/gas diffusion layers with flow enhanced microchannels for proton exchange membrane electrolyzers

Porous transport layers (PTLs) work as key water/gas transport components in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. In PTLs, the gas accumulation under the lands of bipolar plate (BP) has been widely recognized, which decreases the local water saturation and blocks some active areas. Especially for some 2D structured PTLs, the absence of in-plane transport ability raises transport concerns at high current densities. In this study, a wet etching method is introduced to fabricate 3D-structured PTLs, named flow enhanced liquid/gas diffusion layer (FELGDL) for promoting multiphase transport under BP lands. In-situ performance evaluation validates a 330-mV voltage drop and a 7.9% efficiency improvement at 6 A/cm2 compared with the 2D-structured LGDL, which are mainly attributed to the improved reactant supply to the pores under BP lands. Additionally, the mass transport limitation is extended from 6.3 to 9.0 A/cm2 with an anode water flow rate of 20 mL/min. By the in-situ visualization method, the enhanced in-plane mass transport under BP lands is directly visualized. The successful fabrication and performance validation of FELGDL opened a new direction to high-performance 3D structured PTL manufacturing.

The traces elements absorption, accumulation and translocation ability of Phragmites australis

In this study, the wastewater analyses of Oued K’sob for one year showed a spatiotemporal diminution of zinc content seasonally, it rest light than copper. But Zinc and copper a threat to the environment of the region. The wastewater analyses of Oued K’sob water for one year showed a spatiotemporal diminution of zinc content seasonally, with a minimum and maximum range of 249 ± 219 µg/l and 2382 ± 3426 µg/l obtained in autumn and summer for the zinc and 75 ± 24 µg/l and 433 ± 310 µg/l obtained in winter and spring at the first and fifth station for the copper. These concentrations of zinc and copper a threat to the environment of the region. Like a solution for this problem, the absorption, accumulation and translocation abilities of Phragmites australis were determined toward iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb). In the soils contaminated by different concentrations (100, 200 and 500 mg/L), the absorption, accumulation and transport ability of elements were evaluated via the Bio-concentration (BCF), Bioaccumulation (BF) and Translocation (TF) factors. A proportional increase between the BCF, BFs, TFs and the irrigation concentrations, where BCFs of all metallic elements exceed 1 and the Zn BCF, BFs and TFL are the highest and exceed 1 relative to the other elements which remain lower than 1, which has a low accumulation. Therefore, according to the BCFs obtained and which exceed 1, we can consider this plant as a hyper-accumulator of Zn, Fe, Cu and Pb. Extraction of fatty and organic acids followed by HPLC confirmed the oxalic, citric, malic, succinic, fumaric, formic, acetic, propionic, and butyric acid presence, which are responsible for the transport of the metal from roots to leaves. In the light of these results, we can therefore propose Phragmites australis species as an alternative and natural solution to reduce the high concentrations of zinc and copper in the Oued k‘sob (region of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria).

Two-dimensional vertical-lateral hybrid heterostructure for ultrasensitive photodetection and image sensing

Constructing heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) materials is critical for boosting their photoelectric performances, enabling a promising route to meet the harsh requirement of next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, the practical application of currently-studied lateral and vertical heterostructures is usually limited by poor photocarrier generation and transport abilities, primarily due to their inherent imbalance of depletion region and interface area. To solve this obstacle, we herein report a novel 2D hybrid heterostructure of bismuth selenide/oxyselenide with the coexistence of lateral and vertical interfaces. The unique hybrid structure provides the heterostructure with a huge interface area and a wide depletion region for sufficient photocarrier generation and separation, significantly improving the overall optoelectronic performances of the device. Specifically, the resultant photodetectors exhibit a remarkably decreased dark current and ultrafast photoresponse rate (τrise = 50 μs and τdecay = 20 μs). Moreover, our photodetector demonstrates outstanding image sensing capability for recording various complex patterns with high resolution over a wide spectral range from ultraviolet, visible to near-infrared regions. Our research provides a highly promising route for designing and fabricating novel geometries of 2D heterostructures to realize diverse photoelectric applications.

Sex differences in renal transporters: assessment and functional consequences.

Mammalian kidneys are specialized to maintain fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. The epithelial transport processes along the renal tubule that match output to input have long been the subject of experimental and theoretical study. However, emerging data have identified a new dimension of investigation: sex. Like most tissues, the structure and function of the kidney is regulated by sex hormones and chromosomes. Available data demonstrate sex differences in the abundance of kidney solute and electrolyte transporters, establishing that renal tubular organization and operation are distinctly different in females and males. Newer studies have provided insights into the physiological consequences of these sex differences. Computational simulations predict that sex differences in transporter abundance are likely driven to optimize reproduction, enabling adaptive responses to the nutritional requirements of serial pregnancies and lactation - normal life-cycle changes that challenge the ability of renal transporters to maintain fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. Later in life, females mayalso undergo menopause, which is associated with changes in disease risk. Although numerous knowledge gaps remain, ongoing studies will provide further insights into the sex-specific mechanisms of sodium, potassium, acid-base and volume physiology throughout the life cycle, which may lead to therapeutic opportunities.

Transport and Model Calculation of Microplastics Under the Influence of Ionic Type, Strength, and Iron Oxide

Microplastics (MPs) in soil have attracted extensive attention as an emerging pollutant, and the transport of MPs is affected by their own physical and chemical properties, the chemical composition of soil solutions, and soil minerals. However, in the presence of oxides, the underlying mechanism for the transport of MPs in different ionic types and ionic strengths is still not fully understood. In this study, the effects of ionic type, ionic strength, and iron oxide on the transport of polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) with different functional groups were investigated through stability experiments and transport experiments. The colloid transport model, CD-MUSIC model, and DLVO theory were used to explore the transport mechanism. The results showed that normalized concentrations (c/c0) of PSMPs were 0.99 in the NaH2PO4 background and 0.94 in the CaCl2 background, respectively, which indicated that the strongest stability of PSMPs was observed in the former and the weakest in the latter. Different ionic types had different effects on the transport of PSMPs. For the cations Na+ and Ca2+, Ca2+ strongly inhibited PSMPs transport in pure quartz sand because of the bridging effect and strong charge neutralization effect; the recovery rate of the PSMPs in the effluent was (43.83±1.71)%, and a first-order retention coefficient on the second kinetic Site-2 (k2a) was 1.54 min-1. The presence of iron oxide enhanced the inhibition, the recovery rate of the PSMPs in the effluent decreased to (6.04±0.40)%, and k2a increased to 5.33 min-1. For the anions Cl- and PO43-, the transport of PSMPs in pure quartz sand was dominated by surface electronegativity of PSMPs, and PSMPs exhibited lower electronegativity under Cl- background and thus showed higher recovery[(92.95±0.63)%] and lower k2a (0.19 min-1). However, in the presence of iron oxides, the Zeta potential of the quartz sand surface was the controlling factor for PSMPs transport. According to results of the CD-MUSIC model, PO43- could be easily adsorbed on the iron oxide surface to form innersphere complexes, which reduced the surface electronegativity of the iron-loaded quartz sand and enhanced the transport of PSMPs, higher recovery[(76.22±1.39)%], and lower k2a (0.66 min-1). Moreover, the species of the formed innersphere complex was controlled by the PO43- concentration, and different species of innersphere complexes had distinct negative surface charges. Higher surface electronegativity of the iron-loaded quartz sand was observed under higher PO43- concentration, which was not conducive to the transport of PSMPs. Further, the transport ability of PSMPs decreased with the increase in ionic strength. Finally, the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory was used to calculate the variation in the primary barrier between PSMPs and the collector under the conducted experimental conditions, which helped better elucidate the transport behavior of PSMPs. The variation in the primary barrier was consistent with the transport ability of PSMPs, and a higher primary barrier indicated a larger repulsion between PSMPs and the collector, which was in favor of PSMPs transport.

River connectivity determines microbial assembly processes and leads to alternative stable states in river networks

River network is a common form of lotic ecosystems. Variances in river connection modes would form networks with significantly different structures, and further affect aquatic organisms. Microbial communities are vital organisms of river networks, they participate in numerous biogeochemical processes. Identifying associations between microbial community and structural features of river networks are essential for maintaining environmental quality. Thus, dendritic (DRN) and trellised river networks (TRN) were studied by combining molecular biological tools, ecological theory and hydrodynamic calculation. Results illustrated that river connectivity, a vital structural feature exhibiting mass transport ability of river network, increased relative importance of homogeneous selection processes in microbial assembly, which would further shape community with alternative stable states. Between the two researched river networks, DRN possessed higher connectivity, which made homogeneous selection as the driving force in community assembly. The microbial communities in DRN were consisted of species occupying similar ecological niche, and exhibited two alternative stable states, which can decrease influences of environmental disturbance on community composition. On the contrary, lower connectivity of TRN decreased proportions of homogeneous selection in community assembly, which further led to species occupying varied ecological niche. The microbial community exhibited only one stable state, and environmental disturbance would cause loss of ecological niche and significantly alter community composition. This study could provide useful information for the optimization of river connection engineering.

Probing the Effect of Acceptor Moiety Engineering in Carbazole‐Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

AbstractComputational studies on the relationship between the molecular structures and properties of hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) are an effective way to find promising HTMs for high‐performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a series of carbazole‐based five HTMs with diphenyl pyridine‐based side arms (namely CDPC, CDPP, CDPI, CDPT, and CDPM) are designed. The results indicated that designed HTMs have deeper HOMO &amp; LUMO levels, high absorption coefficient, low recombination rate, superior solubility, and comparable stability compared to the reference molecule which is based on carbazole diphenyl pyridine (CDP) for high‐efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The design molecules exhibit smaller exciton binding energies, which demonstrates that the electron‐hole pairs are easily dissociated into the free charge that facilitates the hole transport for PSCs. The results of low hole reorganization energy and the high total amount of charge transfer indicated that designed HTMs have effective hole transport ability. In the future, it is expected that this studies will demonstrate the potential of designed HTMs in the manufacture of effective PSCs in the solar industry.

Polar molecule as passivation agent towards enhanced carrier transport properties in perovskite solar cells

Defect passivation using aryl ammonium salts have been proved as a feasible way to promote the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the design criterion is still no clear. Herein, a series of diammonium iodides were used as passivators on the perovskite surface. We find that in situation of diammonium salts, carrier transport ability is more important than their pKa values. And passivator molecules with high polarity would lead to improved carrier transport and then mitigated nonradiative recombination in PSCs due to the enhanced induced electric field and high carrier mobility. As a result, cell 3 (passivator with a pKa of 3.69 and high polarity) show superior PCE (21.59%) and stability than the control PSCs, but other devices with low polarity passivators show worse transport and poorer performance, despite their higher pKa (cell 4 and 5) or better energy level (cell 1). This work proposes a way to design passivators with enhanced carrier transport properties for PSCs.

Measurement of red blood cell deformability during morphological changes using rotating-glass-plate-based scanning optical tweezers.

It is important to measure the deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) before transfusion, which is a key factor in the gas transport ability of RBCs and changes during storage of RBCs in vitro. Moreover, the morphology of RBCs also changes during storage. It is proposed that the change in morphology is related to the change in deformability. However, the efficiency of typical methods that use particles as handles is low, especially in the deformability measurement of echinocyte and spherocytes. Therefore, the deformability of RBCs with different morphologies is hard to be measured and compared in the same experiment. In this study, we developed a cost-effective and efficient rotating-glass-plate-based scanning optical tweezers device for the measurement of deformability of RBCs. The performance of this device was evaluated, and the deformability of three types of RBCs was measured using this device. Our results clearly show that the change of erythrocyte morphology from discocyte to echinocyte and spherocyte during storage in vitro is accompanied by a decrease in deformability.

N-doped reduced graphene oxide supported Pd-doped lanthanum vanadate constructs an electrochemical sensing platform for simultaneous detection of carbendazim and methyl parathion in food

The abuse of pesticides is apt to cause residue issues. In this study, an electrochemical sensing platform was developed using N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) loaded with the Pd-doped lanthanum vanadate (Pd-LaV) to simultaneously detect two pesticides: carbendazim (CBZ) and parathion methyl (MP). The results demonstrated that N-doping can not only enhance the electron transport and catalytic ability of rGO, but also avoid the aggregation of Pd-LaV. Moreover, Pd compensated for the insufficient conductivity of LaV, fulfilling the catalytic performance of LaV better played out. N-rGO/Pd-LaV possessed abundant active groups, reaction sites, and effective interaction, which served its charge transfer rate and electrocatalytic ability as superior. In individual detection, LODs of CBZ and MP were 2.42 nmol/L and 1.85 nmol/L, respectively. In simultaneous detection, LODs of CBZ and MP were 1.94 nmol/L and 1.71 nmol/L, respectively. Finally, the sensing platform was applied to water and vegetable juice samples.

Controls of the Sandbody Scale and Fault Throw on the Lithology and Composite Reservoir Formation in the Baoyunting Slope, East China Sea

Under the conditions of many faults, sandbodies, and hydrocarbon sources on the slopes of faulted basins where structural traps are scarce, only a few sandbodies are capable of forming hydrocarbon pools, while most sandbodies act as aquifers. This situation presents a challenge for predicting favorable hydrocarbon accumulation areas and understanding controlling factors. The Pinghu Formation reservoirs in the Baoyunting nose structure of the Xihu Sag in the East China Sea exemplify this characteristic. Among the 19 small-scale oil and gas reservoirs discovered in this area, 10 are faulted sandbody composite traps and 9 are lithological traps, while the majority of the remaining sand layers, especially the thick layers, act as aquifers, resulting in significantly lower accumulation probabilities compared to the adjacent northern and southern areas. We analyzed the relationship between the sandstone thickness and the amplitude through the 1-D forward modeling of wells and dissected the 3-D seismic event to obtain the planar distribution of a single sandbody. Further comprehensive research on fault sealing and kinetic reservoir formation processes suggests that the gas pool formation in this area is closely related to fault sealing and lateral oil and gas transport. A small fault-to-caprock ratio is beneficial for the sealing of mudstone caprocks, while a large fault-to-sand thickness ratio is beneficial for the lateral sealing of faults and the formation of fault–sand composite pools. The tidal microfacies sandbody has a small scale, poor lateral transport ability, and a low probability of gas reservoir formation. The barrier and delta front sandbodies have a large scale, good lateral transport, and a high probability of reservoir formation. Based on the above methods, favorable pool formation traps were identified in the area, and high-yield gas wells were drilled.