In recent years, researchers are paying the increasing attention to the development of portable microfluidic diagnostic devices including microfluidic flow cytometry for the point‐of‐care testing. Microfluidic flow cytometry, where microfluidics and flow cytometry work together to realize novel functionalities on the microchip, provides a powerful tool for measuring the multiple characteristics of biological samples. The development of a portable, low‐cost, and compact flow cytometer can benefit the health care in underserved areas such as Africa or Asia. In this article, we review recent advancements of microfluidics including sample pumping, focusing and sorting, novel detection approaches, and data analysis in the field of flow cytometry. The challenge of microfluidic flow cytometry is also examined briefly.

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N-doped carbon fibers and their composites have drawn much attention because of their wide application in energy storage. In this paper, NiO x nanoparticles are anchored on N-doped carbon fibers by chemical bonds with controlled concentration of NiO x , and the fibers interweave into hierarchical structured networks. It is demonstrated that these NiO x nanoparticles consisted of both NiO and Ni 0 other than a single phase. As binder-free anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the NiO x -C fiber networks obtained at 650 C with 9.2 wt% NiO x could deliver a specific capacity of 676 mA h g À1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g À1 . It is also found that the storage and rate capacities of the networks are dependent on both the content of NiO x and the annealing temperature. The improved lithium-ion storage properties can be ascribed to the intimate connection between NiO x and the highly conductive network of carbon fibers through chemical bonds.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tEVs) are important cancer biomarkers for cancer screening and early diagnosis. Multiplex detection of miRNAs in tEVs facilitates accurate diagnosis but remains a challenge. Herein, we propose an encoded fusion strategy to profile the miRNA signature in tEVs for pancreatic cancer diagnosis. A panel of encoded-targeted-fusion beads was fabricated for the selective recognition and fusion of tEVs, with the turn-on fluorescence signals of molecule beacons for miRNA quantification and barcode signals for miRNA identification using readily accessible flow cytometers. Using this strategy, six types of pancreatic-cancer-associated miRNAs can be profiled in tEVs from 2 μL plasma samples (n = 36) in an isolation-free and lysis-free manner with only 2 h of processing, offering a high accuracy (98%) to discriminate pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, and healthy donors. This encoded fusion strategy exhibits great potential for multiplex profiling of miRNA in tEVs, offering new avenues for cancer diagnosis and screening.

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The life-history theory suggests that parental experience of the environment is passed to offspring, which allows them to adapt to prevailing conditions. This idea is supported from the mother’s side, but to a much less extent from the father’s side. Here, we investigated the effect of immunising fathers on pre- and neonatal development and on immune and neuroendocrine phenotypes of their offspring in C57BL/6J mice. Nine days before mating, fathers were intraperitoneally injected with the immunogenic protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Females mated with immunised males had less pre-weaning mortality of newborns compared to those mated with control males. Although the antibody response to KLH was similar for the male offspring of control and immunised fathers, the mass indexes of their main immune organs and their androgen response differed significantly. The mass indexes of the thymus and spleen in adult male offspring of immunised fathers were higher compared with the control offspring. The plasma testosterone levels were significantly decreased after KLH administration in the male offspring of control but not of immunised fathers. This was correlated with changes in sperm average path and straight-line velocities. Finally, excitatory neurotransmitters prevailed over inhibitory ones in the amygdala of the progeny of immunised fathers, while in control offspring, the opposite occurred. This is indicative of complex behavioural changes in the offspring of immunised fathers, including sexual ones. Therefore, the paternal experience of foreign antigens modulates the immune and neuroendocrine systems of their progeny, suggesting possible survival and reproductive adaptations to parasitic pressure.

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The detail fatigue rating (DFR) value of friction stir welded (FSW) lap joints for dissimilar AA7150-AA2524 aluminum alloy was experimentally investigated. The metallographic analysis was carried out on by optical microscope (OM). Fatigue fractography was observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that DFR value of AA7150-AA2524 FSW lap joints is 191.54MPa. There is no distinct different boundary between HAZ and BM of the upper AA7150 sheet. The grains in the upper NZ of AA7150 are coarser than those in the bottom NZ of AA2524. Fracture morphologies shows that lots of hook defects in the FSW lap joint. Fractography indicates that fatigue crack is initiated from the AA2524 bottom surface around the weld center, where weak-bonding defects can be seen. The hook defects and weak-bonding defects have obvious influence on the fatigue property of friction stir welding lap joints, which seriously reduce the fatigue strength.