Study on the Rectification of Ionic Diode Based on Cross-Linked Nanocellulose Bipolar Membranes.

Nanocellulose-based membranes have attracted intense attention in bioelectronic devices due to their low cost, flexibility, biocompatibility, degradability, and sustainability. Herein, we demonstrate a flexible ionic diode using a cross-linked bipolar membrane fabricated from positively and negatively charged cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). The rectified current originates from the asymmetric charge distribution, which can selectively determine the direction of ion transport inside the bipolar membrane.

Radiotherapy regimens for rectal cancer: long-term outcomes and health-related quality of life in the Stockholm III trial.

Background: The Stockholm III trial randomly assigned 840 patients to short-course radiotherapy of 5 × 5 Gy with surgery within 1 week (SRT), short-course radiotherapy of 5 × 5 Gy with surgery after 4-8 weeks (SRT-delay), or long-course radiotherapy of 25 × 2 Gy with surgery after 4-8 weeks (LRT-delay). This study details the long-term oncological outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: Patients with biopsy-proven resectable adenocarcinoma of the rectum were included.

The effect of crosslinking on ion transport in nanocellulose-based membranes.

Ion selective membranes are at the heart of energy conversion and harvesting, water treatment, and biotechnologies. The currently available membranes are mostly based on expensive and non-biodegradable polymers. Here, we report a cation-selective and low-cost membrane prepared from renewable nanocellulose and 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid which simultaneously serves as crosslinker and source of anionic surface groups.

Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembled Nanostructured Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Gaining control over the nanoscale assembly of different electrode components in energy storage systems can open the door for design and fabrication of new electrode and device architectures that are not currently feasible. This work presents aqueous layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly as a route towards design and fabrication of advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with unprecedented control over the structure of the electrode at the nanoscale, and with possibilities for various new designs of batteries beyond the conventional planar systems. LbL self-assembly is a greener fabrication route utilizing aqueous dispersions that allow various Li intercalating materials assembled in complex 3D porous substrates.

The Use of Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly and Nanocellulose to Prepare Advanced Functional Materials.

The current knowledge about the formation of layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assemblies using combinations of nanocelluloses (NCs) and polyelectrolytes is reviewed. Herein, the fundamentals behind the LbL formation, with a major focus on NCs, are considered. Following this, a special description of the limiting factors for the formation of LbLs of only NCs, both anionic and cationic, and the combination of NCs and polyelectrolytes/nanoparticles is provided.

Dendritic Polyampholyte-Assisted Formation of Functional Cellulose Nanofibril Materials.

A new platform of functional hybrid materials from anionically charged high-aspect-ratio cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and a dendritic polyampholyte, Helux, is herein proposed. The polyampholytic character of Helux enabled facile and efficient nanoscale mixing with the CNFs, and the resulting composite mixtures of CNFs and Helux displayed thixotropic behavior and formed physical and reversibly cross-linked gels when left unperturbed for short spans of time. The gel could be chemically cross-linked into self-supporting solid hydrogels containing impressive water contents of 99.

Interfacial Polymerization of Cellulose Nanocrystal Polyamide Janus Nanocomposites with Controlled Architectures.

The widespread use of renewable nanomaterials has been limited due to poor integration with conventional polymer matrices. Often, chemical and physical surface modifications are implemented to improve compatibility, however, this comes with environmental and economic cost. This work demonstrates that renewable nanomaterials, specifically cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), can be utilized in their unmodified state and presents a simple and versatile, one-step method to produce polyamide/CNC nanocomposites with unique Janus-like properties.

Multifunctional Nanocomposites with High Strength and Capacitance Using 2D MXene and 1D Nanocellulose.

The family of two-dimensional (2D) metal carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, are among the most promising electrode materials for supercapacitors thanks to their high metal-like electrical conductivity and surface-functional-group-enabled pseudocapacitance. A major drawback of these materials is, however, the low mechanical strength, which prevents their applications in lightweight, flexible electronics. A strategy of assembling freestanding and mechanically robust MXene (Ti C T ) nanocomposites with one-dimensional (1D) cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) from their stable colloidal dispersions is reported.

Layer-by-Layer Assembly of High-Performance Electroactive Composites Using a Multiple Charged Small Molecule.

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a versatile tool for fabricating multilayers with tailorable nanostructures. LbL, however, generally relies on polyelectrolytes, which are mostly insulating and induce large interlayer distances. We demonstrate a method in which we replace polyelectrolytes with the smallest unit capable of LbL self-assembly: a molecule with multiple positive charges, tris(3-aminopropyl)amine (TAPA), to fabricate LbL films with negatively charged single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

Tumour regression after radiotherapy for rectal cancer - Results from the randomised Stockholm III trial.

Background And Purpose: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in rectal cancer induces tumour regression with a possible complete response (pCR). The optimal fractionation and timing to surgery is not established. The Stockholm III trial randomly assigned 840 patients to 5 × 5 Gy surgery within one week (SRT), 5 × 5 Gy with surgery after 4-8 weeks, and 2 Gy × 25 with surgery after 4-8 weeks (LRT-delay).

Genetically Engineered Mucoadhesive Spider Silk.

Mucoadhesion is defined as the adhesion of a material to the mucus gel covering the mucous membranes. The mechanisms controlling mucoadhesion include nonspecific electrostatic interactions and specific interactions between the materials and the mucins, the heavily glycosylated proteins that form the mucus gel. Mucoadhesive materials can be used to develop mucosal wound dressings and noninvasive transmucosal drug delivery systems.

Sulfoethylated nanofibrillated cellulose: Production and properties.

Sulfoethylated nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) was produced by an industrially relevant process. The properties of the NFC were compared with those of carboxymethylated nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), which has been identified as an attractive NFC for several industrial applications. The investigations revealed that NFC is characterized by a higher degree of fibrillation and has superior redispersion properties.

Optimal fractionation of preoperative radiotherapy and timing to surgery for rectal cancer (Stockholm III): a multicentre, randomised, non-blinded, phase 3, non-inferiority trial.

Background: Radiotherapy reduces the risk of local recurrence in rectal cancer. However, the optimal radiotherapy fractionation and interval between radiotherapy and surgery is still under debate. We aimed to study recurrence in patients randomised between three different radiotherapy regimens with respect to fractionation and time to surgery.

Intertidal zone management in the Western Indian Ocean: assessing current status and future possibilities using expert opinions.

This expert opinion study examined the current status of the intertidal zone in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and ranked and discussed future management approaches. Information was gathered from scientists, practitioners, and managers active in the WIO region through a questionnaire and a workshop. The experts stated that the productive intertidal environment is highly valuable for reasons such as recreation, erosion protection, and provision of edible invertebrates and fish.

Patchiness and co-existence of indigenous and invasive mussels at small spatial scales: the interaction of facilitation and competition.

Ecological theory predicts that two species with similar requirements will fail to show long-term co-existence in situations where shared resources are limiting, especially at spatial scales that are small relative to the size of the organisms. Two species of intertidal mussels, the indigenous Perna perna and the invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis, form mixed beds on the south coast of South Africa in a situation that has been stable for several generations of these species, even though these populations are often limited by the availability of space. We examined the spatial structure of these species where they co-exist at small spatial scales in the absence of apparent environmental heterogeneity at two sites, testing: whether conspecific aggregation of mussels can occur (using spatial Monte-Carlo tests); the degree of patchiness (using Korcak B patchiness exponent), and whether there was a relationship between percent cover and patchiness.

THE MAINTENANCE OF A CLINE IN THE MARINE SNAIL LITTORINA SAXATILIS: THE ROLE OF HOME SITE ADVANTAGE AND HYBRID FITNESS.

Steep clinal transitions in one or several inherited characters between genetically distinct populations are usually referred to as hybrid zones. Essentially two different mechanisms may maintain steep genetic clines. Either selection acts against hybrids that are unfit over the entire zone due to their mixed genetic origin (endogenous selection), or hybrids and parental types attain different fitness values in different parts of the cline (exogenous selection).