Erratum to "An Ultrasoft and Flexible PDMS-Based Balloon-Type Implantable Device for Controlled Drug Delivery".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.34133/bmr.0012.

Inverse design workflow discovers hole-transport materials tailored for perovskite solar cells.

The inverse design of tailored organic molecules for specific optoelectronic devices of high complexity holds an enormous potential but has not yet been realized. Current models rely on large data sets that generally do not exist for specialized research fields. We demonstrate a closed-loop workflow that combines high-throughput synthesis of organic semiconductors to create large datasets and Bayesian optimization to discover new hole-transporting materials with tailored properties for solar cell applications.

An Ultrasoft and Flexible PDMS-Based Balloon-Type Implantable Device for Controlled Drug Delivery.

Non-biodegradable implants have undergone extensive investigation as drug delivery devices to enable advanced healthcare toward personalized medicine. However, fibroblast encapsulation is one of the major challenges in all non-biodegradable implants, besides other challenges such as high initial burst, risk of membrane rupture, high onset time, non-conformal contact with tissues, and tissue damage. To tackle such challenges, we propose a novel ultrasoft and flexible balloon-type drug delivery device for unidirectional and long-term controlled release.

Magnetic stimulation of the sciatic nerve using an implantable high-inductance coil with low-intensity current.

Magnetic stimulation using implantable devices may offer a promising alternative to other stimulation methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or electric stimulation using implantable devices. This alternative may increase the selectivity of stimulation compared to TMS, and eliminate the need to expose tissue to metals in the body, as is required in electric stimulation using implantable devices. However, previous studies of magnetic stimulation of the sciatic nerve used large coils, with a diameter of several tens of mm, and a current intensity in the order of kA.

Spatial microheterogeneity in the valence band of mixed halide hybrid perovskite materials.

The valence band of lead halide hybrid perovskites with a mixed I/Br composition is investigated using electronic structure calculations and complementarily probed with hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the latter, we used high photon energies giving element sensitivity to the heavy lead and halide ions and we observe distinct trends in the valence band as a function of the I : Br ratio. Through electronic structure calculations, we show that the spectral trends with overall composition can be understood in terms of variations in the local environment of neighboring halide ions.

Advances in Smoking Related In Vitro Inhalation Toxicology: A Perspective Case of Challenges and Opportunities from Progresses in Lung-on-Chip Technologies.

The inhalation toxicology of multifaceted particulate matter from the environment, cigarette smoke, and e-cigarette liquid vapes is a major research topic concerning the adverse effect of these items on lung tissue. In vitro air-liquid interface (ALI) culture models hold more potential in an inhalation toxicity assessment. Apropos to e-cigarette toxicity, the multiflavor components of the vapes pose a complex experimental bottleneck.

Emerging Technologies for In Vitro Inhalation Toxicology.

Respiratory toxicology remains a major research area in the 21st century since current scenario of airborne viral infection transmission and pollutant inhalation is expected to raise the annual morbidity beyond 2 million. Clinical and epidemiological research connecting human exposure to air contaminants to understand adverse pulmonary health outcomes is, therefore, an immediate subject of human health assessment. Important observations in defining systemic effects of environmental contaminants on inhalation metabolic dysfunction, liver health, and gastrointestinal tract have been well explored with in vivo models.

Carbon nitride-based light-driven microswimmers with intrinsic photocharging ability.

Controlling autonomous propulsion of microswimmers is essential for targeted drug delivery and applications of micro/nanomachines in environmental remediation and beyond. Herein, we report two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride-based Janus particles as highly efficient, light-driven microswimmers in aqueous media. Due to the superior photocatalytic properties of poly(heptazine imide) (PHI), the microswimmers are activated by both visible and ultraviolet (UV) light in conjunction with different capping materials (Au, Pt, and SiO) and fuels (HO and alcohols).

Multiwavelength-Steerable Visible-Light-Driven Magnetic CoO-TiO Microswimmers.

While current light-driven microswimmers require high-intensity light, UV light, or toxic fuels to propel them, powering them with low-intensity UV-free visible light without fuels is essential to enable their potential high-impact applications. Therefore, in this study, a new material for light-driven microswimmers in the form of CoO is introduced. Janus CoO-TiO microswimmers powered with low-intensity, UV-free visible light inside water without using any toxic fuels like HO is proposed.

Unveiling the Relationship between the Perovskite Precursor Solution and the Resulting Device Performance.

For the fabrication of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) using a solution process, it is essential to understand the characteristics of the perovskite precursor solution to achieve high performance and reproducibility. The colloids (iodoplumbates) in the perovskite precursors under various conditions were investigated by UV-visible absorption, dynamic light scattering, photoluminescence, and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy techniques. Their local structure was examined by in situ X-ray absorption fine structure studies.

Development of Botulinum Toxin A-Coated Microneedles for Treating Palmar Hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that is characterized by the production of excess amounts of sweat. The botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) has been used to treat hyperhidrosis through multiple intradermal injections at the site of the condition. However, because of BoNT/A toxicity, it is important to precisely deliver the proper dose of the toxin to the target site.

Long-Term Chemical Aging of Hybrid Halide Perovskites.

Because the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of hybrid halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) could exceed 24%, extensive research has been focused on improving their long-term stability for commercialization in the near future. In a previous study, we reported that the addition of a number of ionized iodide (triiodide: I) ions during perovskite film formation significantly improved the efficiency of PSCs by reducing deep-level defects in the perovskite layer. Understanding the relationship between the concentration of these defects and the long-term chemical aging of PSCs is important not only for obtaining fundamental insight into the perovskite materials but also for studying the long-term chemical stability of PSCs.

Intrinsic Instability of Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Halide Perovskite Materials.

Hybrid lead halide perovskite materials are used in solar cells and show efficiencies greater than 23%. Furthermore, they are applied in light-emitting diodes, X-ray detectors, thin-film transistors, thermoelectrics, and memory devices. Lead trihalide hybrid materials contain methylammonium (MA) or formamidinium (FA) (or a mixture), or long alkylammonium halides, as alternative organic cations.

Applicability of Aerosol Deposition Process for flexible electronic device and determining the Film Formation Mechanism with Cushioning Effects.

In this paper, we demonstrated the feasibility of the Aerosol Deposition (AD) method which can be adapted as a future fabrication process for flexible electronic devices. On the basis of this method's noticeable advantages such as room-temperature processing, suitability for mass production, wide material selectivity, and direct fabrication on a flexible substrate, we fabricated and evaluated a flexible conductive bridge random access memory (CBRAM) to confirm the feasibility of this method. The CBRAM was fabricated by the AD-method, and a novel film formation mechanism was observed and analyzed.

A cross-sectional survey of clinical factors that influence the use of traditional Korean medicine among children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Traditional Korean medicine (TKM) is widely used to treat children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Korea; however, studies investigating factors that influence the use of TKM are scarce. Thus, we investigated the clinical factors that might influence the use of TKM.

Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional, multicenter survey was performed from August 2014 to May 2016.

Understanding how excess lead iodide precursor improves halide perovskite solar cell performance.

The presence of excess lead iodide in halide perovskites has been key for surpassing 20% photon-to-power conversion efficiency. To achieve even higher power conversion efficiencies, it is important to understand the role of remnant lead iodide in these perovskites. To that end, we explored the mechanism facilitating this effect by identifying the impact of excess lead iodide within the perovskite film on charge diffusion length, using electron-beam-induced current measurements, and on film formation properties, from grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

3D skeletal muscle fascicle engineering is improved with TGF-β1 treatment of myogenic cells and their co-culture with myofibroblasts.

Background: Skeletal muscle wound healing is dependent on complex interactions between fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, myogenic cells, and cytokines, such as TGF-β1. This study sought to clarify the impact of TGF-β1 signaling on skeletal muscle cells and discern between the individual contributions of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts to myogenesis when in co-culture with myogenic cells. 3D tissue-engineered models were compared to equivalent 2D culture conditions to assess the efficacy of each culture model to predictively recapitulate the muscle environment.

Cancer cells biomineralize ionic gold into nanoparticles-microplates via secreting defense proteins with specific gold-binding peptides.

Unlabelled: Cancer cells have the capacity to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs). The detailed mechanism of this process is not very well documented. We report the mechanism of biomineralization of aqueous gold chloride into NPs and microplates in the breast-cancer cell line MCF7.

Mixed Sulfur and Iodide-Based Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells.

The use of divalent chalcogenides and monovalent halides as anions in a perovskite structure allows the introduction of 3 and 4 charged cations in the place of the 2 metal cations. Herein we report for the first time on the fabrication of solar cells exploiting methylammonium antimony sulfur diiodide (MASbSI) perovskite structures, as light harvesters. The MASbSI was prepared by annealing under mild temperature conditions, via a sequential reaction between antimony trisulfide (SbS), which is deposited by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method, antimony triiodide (SbI), and methylammonium iodide (MAI) onto a mesoporous TiO electrode, and then annealed at 150 °C in an argon atmosphere.

Magnetotactic Bacteria Powered Biohybrids Target E. coli Biofilms.

Biofilm colonies are typically resistant to general antibiotic treatment and require targeted methods for their removal. One of these methods includes the use of nanoparticles as carriers for antibiotic delivery, where they randomly circulate in fluid until they make contact with the infected areas. However, the required proximity of the particles to the biofilm results in only moderate efficacy.

Propulsion and Chemotaxis in Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers.

Despite the large body of experimental work recently on biohybrid microsystems, few studies have focused on theoretical modeling of such systems, which is essential to understand their underlying functioning mechanisms and hence design them optimally for a given application task. Therefore, this study focuses on developing a mathematical model to describe the 3D motion and chemotaxis of a type of widely studied biohybrid microswimmer, where spherical microbeads are driven by multiple attached bacteria. The model is developed based on the biophysical observations of the experimental system and is validated by comparing the model simulation with experimental 3D swimming trajectories and other motility characteristics, including mean squared displacement, speed, diffusivity, and turn angle.

Multifunctional Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers for Targeted Active Drug Delivery.

High-performance, multifunctional bacteria-driven microswimmers are introduced using an optimized design and fabrication method for targeted drug delivery applications. These microswimmers are made of mostly single Escherichia coli bacterium attached to the surface of drug-loaded polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) microparticles with embedded magnetic nanoparticles. The PEM drug carriers are 1 μm in diameter and are intentionally fabricated with a more viscoelastic material than the particles previously studied in the literature.

Microemulsion-Based Soft Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers for Active Cargo Delivery.

Biohybrid cell-driven microsystems offer unparalleled possibilities for realization of soft microrobots at the micron scale. Here, we introduce a bacteria-driven microswimmer that combines the active locomotion and sensing capabilities of bacteria with the desirable encapsulation and viscoelastic properties of a soft double-micelle microemulsion for active transport and delivery of cargo (e.g.