University of Science and Culture

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from nail products pose potential health risks to technicians and clients. The present study investigates the exposure of nail technicians to VOC and assesses the effectiveness of dilution ventilation in mitigating these exposures. A test chamber was configured to simulate a nail salon environment, where three common activities were performed: applying nail polish, removing nail extensions, and nail extension application. A MultiRae Lite gas meter was used to monitor VOC concentrations in the technicians’ breathing zones and the ambient environment under both non-ventilated and dilution-ventilated conditions. The average VOC concentrations in the technicians’ breathing zones were measured at 8.3 (± 8.576) ppm, 116.2 (± 120.04) ppm, and 29.73 (± 7.876) ppm during nail polish application, nail extension removal, and nail extension application, respectively (n = 30 measured over 15 min). For the same activities, the average ambient VOC concentrations in the non-ventilated chamber were 25.03 (± 13.006) ppm, 192.17 (± 114.900) ppm, and 40.90 (± 30.891) ppm. These concentrations were significantly lowered by dilution ventilation to 0.93 (± 0.179) ppm, 12.6 (± 5.21) ppm, and 2.63 (± 0.812) ppm. For all three activities, a t-test verified a statistically significant drop in VOC concentration with dilution ventilation (p < 0.001). Additionally, the study discovered that VOC emissions could be reduced by over 65% at an air change rate (ACH) of 10 per hour. The results indicate that dilution ventilation can significantly decrease VOC exposure; nonetheless, the study concludes that it is insufficient as the sole control strategy in nail salons because concentrations failed to reach the limit levels, even at the highest tested ACH (100 ACH). This research provides a new scientific perspective on ventilation as a means of controlling occupational exposure to VOC in nail salons.

Liver fibrosis, characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) driven by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation, remains a critical challenge due to its progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review clarifies the complex crosstalk between the immune system and HSCs, highlighting key cellular players including macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and their cytokine‐mediated signaling pathways that regulate fibrogenesis and fibrosis resolution. We describe pivotal molecular mechanisms such as transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β, platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF), Wnt/β‐catenin, and NF‐κB signaling in HSCs modulation, emphasizing their interplay with immune responses. Novel therapeutic strategies targeting this complex immune–HSCs interaction, ranging from immunomodulatory agents, macrophage polarization, and NK cell‐based therapies, to stem cell‐derived exosomes, offer promising opportunities for preventing and reversing fibrosis. We further discuss innovative combination therapies integrating immunotherapies with antifibrotic agents, personalized strategies based on immune profiling, and the challenges of immune heterogeneity in fibrosis management. This review discusses recent advances in molecular interplay of immune system and HSCs, highlighting novel therapeutic targets, and future perspectives for managing chronic liver diseases.

Solid tumors remain difficult to treat due to antigen heterogeneity, physical barriers that limit immune-cell trafficking, and a profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Over the past decade, cancer immunotherapy advanced considerably through innovative strategies, including macrophage reprogramming and CAR-macrophages, dendritic-cell (DC) vaccines, natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cell approaches, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, TCR-engineered and CAR-T cells, emerging B-cell engineering, and cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). Here we summarize how each modality interacts with the TME, highlight key clinical milestones (e.g., FDA approval of a TIL product for melanoma in 2024), and outline bioengineering strategies—multi-antigen targeting, cytokine armoring, trafficking cues, and safety switches—that aim to overcome resistance and toxicity. We also review EV-based, cell-free strategies that retain tumor specificity with potentially improved safety and manufacturability. Finally, we discuss remaining barriers—standardized manufacturing, on-target/off-tumor effects, limited persistence—and propose rational combinations with checkpoint blockade, radiotherapy, and targeted agents. This overview positions immune cell–based therapy as a rapidly maturing, transformative approach for solid tumors.Graphical abstract

This study introduces and evaluates a novel Modified Rotational Friction Damper (MRFD) developed to overcome the limitations of conventional friction dampers in seismic protection. The MRFD incorporates three key innovations: (i) a Belleville washer-based clamping system that ensures stable and reliable preload, (ii) a bronze-filled PTFE-stainless steel friction interface providing a consistent coefficient of friction, and (iii) an SMA-assisted restoring mechanism that generates a flag-shaped hysteresis loop, enabling effective self-centering and minimizing residual drifts. To assess its performance, a fifteen-story steel moment-resisting frame was analyzed under seven far-field ground motions, considering both fixed-base and soil-structure interaction (SSI) conditions. Nonlinear time-history analyses demonstrate that the MRFD significantly reduces seismic demands: peak floor accelerations decreased by up to 36%, base shear by more than 30%, and inter-story drift by over 32%, while the device dissipated 40–55% of the input seismic energy. The combined MRFD-SSI configuration exhibited the most favorable overall performance. These results highlight the MRFD’s potential for integration into performance-based seismic design and retrofitting strategies, offering a cost-effective and reliable solution to enhance the resilience of steel structures in seismically active regions.

The heart is the first functional organ to develop during embryogenesis, yet its cellular and molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Proteomic studies of in vitro cardiomyogenesis have provided valuable insights, but most have focused on late-stage processes leading to cardiomyocyte specification. In this study, we profiled the proteome of differentiating cells at the mesendoderm (ME), cardiac mesoderm (CME), cardiac progenitor cell (CPC), and cardiomyocyte (C) stages using in-depth quantitative analysis via multiplexed tandem mass tag-based mass spectrometry. Unsupervised clustering of 4417 differentially expressed proteins revealed six main clusters corresponding to key biological processes at each differentiation stage. Transitional-specific proteins (TSPs), identified through pairwise comparisons of consecutive stages, were most abundant in CME, with 325 differentially expressed TSPs. Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted ferroptosis as a key process in CME specification, whereas sirtuin signaling was implicated in driving cardiomyocyte fate. This proteomic profiling expands the repertoire of potential biomarkers for each developmental stage toward cardiomyocyte specification. Overall, our stepwise proteome analysis of in vitro cardiomyocyte differentiation uncovers novel molecular mechanisms underlying heart development.

This article reports the first meta-analytic Structural Equation Modeling study that examined the within- and cross-language relations of three metalinguistic awareness skills (orthographic, phonological, and morphological awareness, or OA, PA, and MA) with word reading among school-aged dual language learners (DLLs) of English. Based on 156 primary studies (N = 23,371), we found that (1) OA, PA, and MA each uniquely predicted word reading within first language (L1) and second language (L2); (2) L1 OA, PA, and MA predicted their corresponding skill in L2, showing a construct-level transfer facilitation effect; (3) for cross-over transfer, L1 PA, as opposed to L1 OA and MA, predicted L2 word reading, but their indirect effects on L2 word reading were all significant. Moderator analysis was conducted on L1 background (Chinese vs. non-Chinese); L2 learning context (ESL vs. EFL); and developmental stage (younger vs. older). We discuss the transfer facilitation effects of L1 metalinguistic awareness skills that can be leveraged for effective and differentiated instruction for DLLs.