Publications by authors named "Cao Xiaoyu"

The assembly of peptides is generally mediated by liquid-liquid phase separation, which enables control over assembly kinetics, final structure, and functions of peptide-based supramolecular materials. Modulating phase separation can alter the assembly kinetics of peptides by changing solvents or introducing external fields. Herein, we demonstrate that the assembly of peptides can be effectively catalyzed by complex coacervates.

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The development of affordable, intelligent dual-separation technology is crucial for the treatment of oil-water mixtures. Pyridinium-based poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs), designed using molecular theory, exhibit unique switching wettability properties, making them ideal for use in both aqueous and oily environments. By prewetting the material's surface with water or oil, the targeted separation of these components becomes feasible.

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Indoor dust can adsorb various pollutants and long-term deposition can significantly impact air quality and human health. This study investigated the occurrence, source apportionment, and health risks associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives (d-PAHs) in indoor dust, by focusing on residential and public buildings in Nanjing, China. The concentration of 16 PAHs and 27 d-PAHs ranged from 511 to 5472 ng/g and from 422 to 2904 ng/g, with the most abundant compounds being fluoranthene and 1,2-benz[a]anthraquinone, respectively.

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Nucleation is a critical step that determines the assembly pathway and the structure and functions of the peptide assemblies. However, the dynamic evolution of interactions between nucleating agents and peptides, as well as between peptides themselves during the nucleation process, remains elusive. Herein, we show that the heterogeneous nucleating agent carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) can promote the nucleation of Aβ (KF) peptide.

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Inflammatory response is a natural protective response in infection or injury. The immune imbalance of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and the use of anti-rheumatic immune drugs may affect the inflammatory response process of shock. The evidence of the impact of RA on short-time mortality in shock patients is limited.

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Lung adenocarcinoma, a subtype of lung cancer, is produced by uncontrolled proliferation of somatic cells affected by some tumorigenic factors. The origin of this disease can be attributed to the concept of "cancer driver," which links the occurrence of tumor with specific changes in some key genes. These key genes can be identified at various molecular levels.

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  • Cotton struggles with growth in low temperatures, especially during seedling stages, due to limited research on how it adapts to cold stress.
  • A study tracked the expression of 5140 genes during cold stress in seed germination, identifying three key responsive gene modules and pinpointing 98 important genes linked to cold tolerance.
  • The gene GhSPX9 was highlighted as critical for cold resistance; silencing this gene made cotton seedlings more sensitive to cold, providing insights for future research on enhancing cold tolerance in cotton.
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  • Quantum conference key agreement (QCKA) allows secure sharing of conference keys among several participants, but current methods using entangled photons face limitations in key rate and scalability due to practical challenges.
  • The proposed source-independent QCKA utilizes the post-matching method, which can work within existing entangled photon distribution networks, ensuring unconditional security even against sophisticated attacks.
  • By improving the conference key rate from O(η) in previous protocols, the new approach shows significant advantages in performance over long distances, suggesting promising applications for future quantum networks.
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Although the nonmonotonic variation in the diffusion coefficients of alcohol and water with changing alcohol concentrations in aqueous solutions has been reported for many years, the underlying physical mechanisms remain unclear. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the molecular diffusion mechanisms in aqueous methanol solutions. Our findings reveal that the molecular diffusion is co-influenced by hydrogen bonding and the hydrophobic ends of methanol molecules.

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Furfural is an essential compound that contributes to the distinctive flavor of sauce-flavored Baijiu. However, traditional detection methods are hindered by lengthy and complex sample preparation procedures, as well as the need for expensive equipment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new approach that allows rapid detection.

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  • Researchers are exploring sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and found NaMnO (NMO) to be a promising cathode material due to its 3D structure that aids sodium diffusion, but it faces issues like low conductivity and structural distortion.
  • To address these challenges, NMO/Polypyrrole (PPy) composites were created, enhancing sodium storage capabilities significantly with an initial capacity of 135.2 mA h/g and maintaining 94.5% retention after 100 cycles.
  • The study suggests that adding conductive polymer coatings like PPy can effectively improve the performance and longevity of NMO in SIB applications.
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Carotenoids belonging to the class of tetraterpenoids have extensive applications in medicine, food, nutrition, cosmetics, and feed. Among them, lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent macular degeneration in the elderly, which is very important for protecting vision. Here, we introduce the first metabolomic analysis of sp.

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  • This study investigates the effectiveness of a combined treatment using Kangbainian lotion (KBN) and miconazole nitrate (MN) against antifungal resistance in biofilms.
  • Various methods, including advanced analysis techniques, assays, and microscopy, were employed to evaluate the treatment's impact on biofilm viability and structure.
  • The results suggest that KBN and MN may work synergistically to disrupt biofilm structure and alter gene expression related to biofilm formation, indicating potential for improved antifungal strategies.
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In recent years, with the development of solar seawater desalination technology, many solar evaporators are affected by precipitated salts during the evaporation process, which can reduce efficiency. In this work, flexible fabrics made of polypyrrole (PPy)/MXene are obtained by impregnating the prepared PPy ink onto waffle like fabrics. The combination of PPy and fabric greatly improves the water absorption and evaporation performance of the fabric.

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Food safety has garnered global attention, necessitating advanced methods for the quick and accurate detection of contaminants. Sensors, notable for their ease of use, high sensitivity, and fast analysis, are prominent. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have been employed to improve sensor performance.

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Multiphase Pickering emulsions, including two or more active agents, are of great importance to effectively manage complicated wounds. However, current strategies based on Pickering emulsions are still unsatisfying since they involve only stabilization by inactive particles and encapsulation of the hydrophobic drugs in the oil phase. Herein, thyme essential oil (TEO) was encapsulated in the shell of functional tea polyphenol (TP)-curcumin (Cur) nanoparticles (TC NPs) to exemplarily develop a novel Pickering emulsion (TEO/TC PE).

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Although vanadium-based compounds possess several advantageous characteristics, such as multivalency, open structure, and high theoretical specific capacity, which render them highly promising candidates for cathode materials in aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs), their large-scale application still necessitates addressing the challenges posed by slow kinetics resulting from low conductivity and capacity degradation caused by material dissolution. Therefore, we have successfully synthesized high-purity mixed multivalent (NH)[VVO(OH)]·11HO (NVO) crystalline materials via a liquid-phase precipitation modulation method and employed it as an innovative AZIB cathode material for the first time. It exhibits a remarkable reversible specific capacity of 240 and 102.

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While the majority of knots are made from the metal-template approach, the use of entangled, constrained knotted loops to modulate the coordination of the metal ions remains inadequately elucidated. Here, we report on the coordination chemistry of a 140-atom-long cinquefoil knotted strand comprising five tridentate and five bidentate chelating vacancies. The knotted loop is prepared through the self-assembly of asymmetric "3 + 2" dentate ligands with copper(II) ions that favor five-coordination geometry.

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  • Understanding the kinetic modulation of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacements (TMSD) is crucial for advances in DNA nanotechnology, as the toehold sequence impacts the kinetics significantly.
  • Machine learning was used to analyze the complex relationship between TMSD kinetics and the toehold sequence, revealing key factors that influence rate constants, such as the number of free hydrogen bonding sites and bases.
  • A predictive model was developed that accurately estimates TMSD rate constants, even accommodating subtle variations in toehold sequences.
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Objective: Investigate the differences in clinical manifestations, imaging features, and associated inflammatory markers between Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease (NTM-PD) and Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB), identify potential risk factors for NTM-PD, and establish a logistic regression model to evaluate its diagnostic value.

Methods: Baseline data were collected from 145 patients with NTM-PD and 206 patients with PTB. Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to achieve a 1:1 match between the two groups, resulting in 103 matched pairs.

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Adenosine kinase (ADK) is a key enzyme widely distributed in plants, playing an important role in maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and regulating plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses. However, research on genes in cotton (), an economically significant crop, has been limited. This study identified 92 genes from four cotton species (, , , and ) using HMMER and Local BLASTP methods and classified them into six groups.

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  • - The study introduces a new passive radiative cooling technology using a polyimide/zinc oxide composite membrane that effectively reflects sunlight and emits infrared heat, achieving significant cooling without electricity.
  • - The membrane demonstrates impressive performance with a 91.4% sunlight reflectance and a temperature drop of around 9.3°C under direct sun, while maintaining effectiveness even after being heated to 200°C.
  • - This innovative material is not only efficient in cooling, but also shows high resistance to UV exposure and outdoor contamination, making it suitable for practical use in challenging environments.
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  • Achieved precise control over nanotubular structures by engineering a new class of single-molecule nanotubes called isoreticular covalent organic pillars (iCOPs) through dynamic covalent imine bonds.
  • Developed diverse iCOPs with unique cavity shapes influenced by the choice of rigid diamine linkers, while maintaining a similar overall structure.
  • Enabled tailored host-guest interactions in specific iCOP variants, which can lead to advancements in molecular recognition and purification technologies.
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Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between mA methylation regulators and cell infiltration characteristics in tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), so as to help understand the immune mechanism of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods: The expression and consensus cluster analyses of mA methylation regulators in early-stage LUAD were performed. The clinicopathological features, immune cell infiltration, survival and functional enrichment in different subtypes were analyzed.

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The effect of surfactant, polymer, and tailor-made additives on the crystallization of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was studied in this work. Cooling crystallization of GABA in water yielded plate-like crystals. In the presence of sodium stearate, polyhedral block-like crystals of GABA were obtained.

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