Multiphase Janus Azobenzene Inverse Opal Membrane toward On-Demand Photocontrolled Motion.

Azobenzene actuators have generated extensive research investment in the field of soft robots, artificial muscles, etc., based on the typical photoresponsive - isomerization. However, it remains challenging to achieve multiphase actuation at the gas-liquid interface and liquid phase.

Spatiotemporal Programmability of 3D Chiral Color Units Driven by Ink Spontaneous Diffusion toward Customized Printing.

Blue phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) have exhibited promising applications in 3D flexible displays due to their molecular-level self-assembled chiral structures, fast response, and tunable polarized colors. However, there remain challenges for spatiotemporal programming of 3D chiral color units for BPLC dynamic patterning. Herein, the programmable temporal evolution of micrometer-scale color units and spatial configuration switch of chiral modes are achieved by spontaneous ink diffusion-driven asymmetric lattice deformation in dual-chiral polymer-templated blue phases.

Mapping and Analyzing Ecosystem Services Hotspots and Coldspots for Sustainable Spatial Planning in the Greater Asmara Area, Eritrea.

Rapid urbanization in African metropolises like the Greater Asmara Area, Eritrea, poses numerous environmental challenges, including soil sealing, loss of vegetation cover, threats to protected natural areas, and climate change, among others. Mapping and assessing ecosystem services, particularly analyzing their spatial and temporal distribution is crucial for sustainable spatial planning. This study aims at mapping and analyzing ecosystem services hotspots and coldspots dynamics in the Greater Asmara Area to identify recent trends and opportunities for enhancing ecosystem services supply.

Integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis to reveal the protective effect of Complanatoside A on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Introduction: The rising prevalence and severe consequences of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have driven the quest for preventive medications. Complanatoside A (CA) is the marked flavonoid of Astragali complanati semen, a traditional Chinese herb that acts on the liver meridian and is widely used to treat liver problems. CA has been proven to have considerable lipid-lowering and liver-protective effects in vitro.

Structural characterization, anti-aging activity and mechanisms investigation in vivo of a polysaccharide from Anthriscus sylvestris.

Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm has a long history of use for anti-aging, although the anti-aging properties of its decoction ingredients have been seldom explored. This study marks the first detailed examination of the in vivo anti-aging activity of A.

Water-Writing Pattern on PEDOT:PSS Inverse Opal Films through the Synergistic Effect of Morphology/Conformation Transition.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has received tremendous attention in the energy field owing to its high conductivity, ease of processing, biocompatibility, and low cost-effectiveness. Combining PEDOT:PSS and photonic crystals (PCs) is expected to promote the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices. The conductivity of PEDOT:PSS at present can only be measured through specific equipment, and the visualization of optoelectronic integration still remains a challenge.

Alterations in gut microbiota and inflammatory cytokines after administration of antibiotics in mice.

Antibiotics are widely used to treat bacterial infection and reduce the mortality rate, while antibiotic overuse can cause gut microbiota dysbiosis. The impact of antibiotics on gut microbiota is not fully understood. In our study, four commonly used antibiotics (ceftazidime, cefoperazone-sulbactam, imipenem-cilastatin, and moxifloxacin) were given subcutaneously to mice, and their impacts on the gut microbiota composition and serum cytokine levels were evaluated through 16S rRNA analysis and a multiplex immunoassay.

When quantum dots meet blue phase liquid crystal elastomers: visualized full-color and mechanically-switchable circularly polarized luminescence.

Polymer-based circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials with the advantage of diversified structure, easy fabrication, high thermal stability, and tunable properties have garnered considerable attention. However, adequate and precise tuning over CPL in polymer-based materials remains challenging due to the difficulty in regulating chiral structures. Herein, visualized full-color CPL is achieved by doping red, green, and blue quantum dots (QDs) into reconfigurable blue phase liquid crystal elastomers (BPLCEs).

A Halogen-Bonded Fluorescent Molecular Photoswitch: Transition from 3D Cubic Lattice to 1D Helical Superstructure for Polarization Inversion of Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

The fabrication of materials that can switch between circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) signals is both essential and challenging. Here, two new halogen-bonded fluorescent molecular photoswitches, namely, HB-switch 1 and HB-switch 2, containing α-cyano-substituted diarylethene compounds with different end groups were developed. Upon exposure to specific UV or visible light wavelengths, they exhibited controllable and reversible Z/E photoisomerization.

Gut microbiota and serum metabolite signatures along the colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence: Implications for early detection and intervention.

Aim: Our study focuses on the microbial and metabolomic profile changes during the adenoma stage, as adenomas can be considered potential precursors to colorectal cancer through the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Identifying possible intervention targets at this stage may aid in preventing the progression of colorectal adenoma (CRA) to malignant lesions. Furthermore, we evaluate the efficacy of combined microbial and metabolite biomarkers in detecting CRA.

A multifunctional ionic liquid coating on 3D-Printed prostheses: Combating infection, promoting osseointegration.

Periprosthetic infection and mechanical loosening are two leading causes of implant failure in orthopedic surgery that have devastating consequences for patients both physically and financially. Hence, advanced prostheses to simultaneously prevent periprosthetic infection and promote osseointegration are highly desired to achieve long-term success in orthopedics. In this study, we proposed a multifunctional three-dimensional printed porous titanium alloy prosthesis coated with imidazolium ionic liquid.

Co-γ Irradiation-Induced Shift and Polarity Reversal in the Triboelectric Series of Poly(ether sulfone)s.

The sensitivity of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to the surface charge density highlights the significance of triboelectric materials and their modifications. Efforts have been directed toward developing effective strategies for increasing the surface charge density, expanding the potential applications of TENGs. This study proposes the use of irradiation technology for grafting to modify the electron-donating capability of poly(ether sulfone) (PES), thereby affording a dual benefit of enhancing the surface charge density and inducing a shift in the position of PES from negative to positive within the triboelectric series.

Gender Differences in the Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Metabolic Syndrome in First-Episode and Drug-Naïve Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe psychiatric symptom worldwide, and the coexistence of MDD with metabolic syndrome (MetS) is common in clinical practice. However, gender differences in comorbid MetS in first-episode and drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD patients have not been reported. Here, we explored potential gender differences in the prevalence and clinical correlates of comorbid MetS in FEDN MDD patients.

Custom-designed, mass silk production in genetically engineered silkworms.

Genetically engineered silkworms have been widely used to obtain silk with modified characteristics especially by introducing spider silk genes. However, these attempts are still challenging due to limitations in transformation strategies and difficulties in integration of the large DNA fragments. Here, we describe three different transformation strategies in genetically engineered silkworms, including transcription-activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN)-mediated fibroin light chain (FibL) fusion (BmFibL-F), TALEN-mediated FibH replacement (BmFibH-R), and transposon-mediated genetic transformation with the silk gland-specific fibroin heavy chain (FibH) promoter (BmFibH-T).

Large-Scale, Vertically Aligned 2D Subnanochannel Arrays by a Smectic Liquid Crystal Network for High-Performance Osmotic Energy Conversion.

The osmotic energy, an abundant renewable energy source, can be directly converted to electricity by nanofluidic devices with ion-selective membranes. 2D nanochannels constructed by nanosheets possess abundant lateral interfacial ion-exchange sites and exhibit great superiority in nanofluidic devices. However, the most accessible orientation of the 2D nanochannels is parallel to the membrane surface, undoubtedly resulting in the conductivity loss.

Biodegradable photo-crosslinked polycaprolactone/polydopamine elastomers with excellent light driven programmable shape memory and chemical degradation properties.

Fabrication of biodegradable shape memory polymer with remotely controllable shape actuation is of great significance in the biomedical field but remains challenging. Herein, we present a simple strategy to fabricate a monolayer-based stretchable and mechanically robust polycaprolactone/polydopamine elastomer via efficient thiol-ene click chemistry. The resultant elastomers exhibit desirable photothermal transfer efficiency and can enable rapid temperature increase over the melting temperature of polymeric matrix, and quantitative results demonstrate that the crosslinked film exhibited excellent shape memory properties with shape fixity (R) and shape recovery ratios (R) approaching 92.

Michael Addition Inducing Self-Assembly to Construct Mechanochromic BP Film.

Liquid crystalline blue phase (BP) with 3D cubic nanostructure has attracted much interest in the fields of photonic crystals due to their unique optical properties and the ability to control the flow of light. However, there remains a challenge for simultaneously achieving self-assembly and mechanochromic response of soft 3D cubic nanostructures. Herein, a scalable strategy for the preparation of soft 3D cubic nanostructured films using oligomerization of the Michael addition reaction, which can induce the assembly of double-twisted cylinders for collective replication, remodeling, recombination, and growth, with a phase transition from BPII to BPI, and to chiral nematic phase, is presented.

Super-Wide Temperature Lasers Spanning from -180 to 240 °C Based on Fully-Polymerized Blue Phase Superstructures.

Blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) lasers have potential applications in displays, sensors, and anti-counterfeiting fields owing to their outstanding optical properties. However, there remain challenges on lasing below 0 °C, which significantly limits the potential application of BPLC lasers in low-temperature environments. In this work, BPLC lasing below 0 °C is realized for the first time in a super-wide temperature range of -180-240 °C using a well-designed fully-polymerized BPLC system with a narrow line width of 0.

Scalable Photochromic Film for Solar Heat and Daylight Management.

The adaptive control of sunlight through photochromic smart windows could have a huge impact on the energy efficiency and daylight comfort in buildings. However, the fabrication of inorganic nanoparticle and polymer composite photochromic films with a high contrast ratio and high transparency/low haze remains a challenge. Here, a solution method is presented for the in situ growth of copper-doped tungsten trioxide nanoparticles in polymethyl methacrylate, which allows a low-cost preparation of photochromic films with a high luminous transparency (luminous transmittance T = 91%) and scalability (30 × 350 cm ).

Ammonia mitigation campaign with smallholder farmers improves air quality while ensuring high cereal production.

Reducing cropland ammonia (NH) emissions while improving air quality and food supply is a challenge, particularly in China where there are millions of smallholder farmers. We tested the effectiveness of a tailored nitrogen (N) management strategy applied to wheat-maize cropping systems in 'demonstration squares' across Quzhou County in the North China Plain. The N-management techniques included optimal N rates, deep fertilizer placement and application of urease inhibitors, implemented through cooperation between government, researchers, businesses and smallholders.

Lysozyme-Immobilized Polyethersulfone Membranes with Satisfactory Hemocompatibility and High Enzyme Activity for Endotoxin Removal.

Endotoxin adsorption has received extensive attention in the field of blood purification. However, developing highly efficient endotoxin adsorbents with excellent hemocompatibility remains challenging. In this study, we propose a new approach for developing the functional polyethersulfone (PES) membrane to remove endotoxins.

Correction: Intelligent antibacterial surface based on ionic liquid molecular brushes for bacterial killing and release.

Correction for 'Intelligent antibacterial surface based on ionic liquid molecular brushes for bacterial killing and release' by Lunqiang Jin , , 2019, , 5520-5527, https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TB01199D.

Specific Clearance of Lipopolysaccharide from Blood Based on Peptide Bottlebrush Polymer for Sepsis Therapy.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the primary bacterial toxin that is vital to the pathogenesis and progression of sepsis associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, specific clearance of LPS from circulating blood is highly challenging because of the structural complexity and its variation between/within bacterial species. Herein, a robust strategy based on phage display screening and hemocompatible peptide bottlebrush polymer design for specific clearance of targeted LPS from circulating blood is proposed.

An autofocusing method for dynamic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection realized by optimized hill-climbing algorithm with long time stable hotspots.

In the manual dynamic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (D-SERS) detection process, it is difficult to focus on sample drop due to the constantly changing hotspot and easy judgment method. In this paper, we proposed an automatic focusing method based on long time stable hotspot with aid of optimization of hill-climbing algorithm and achieved on a designed device. First, set up a high temperature accelerating evaporation process to obtain hotspot and then cool to a low temperature rapidly to maintain it.

IgG1-Dominant Antibody Response Induced by Recombinant Trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein with PIKA Adjuvant.

Recombinant trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein with PIKA (polyI:C) adjuvant induces potent and durable neutralizing antibodies that protect against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants. The immunoglobulin subclasses of viral-specific antibodies remain unknown, as do their glycosylation status on Fc regions. In this study, we analyzed immunoglobulins adsorbed by plate-bound recombinant trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein from serum of Cynomolgus monkey immunized by recombinant trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein with PIKA (polyI:C) adjuvant.