Retrospective observational study of the association between changes in physical activity and frailty in middle-aged and older adults: evidence from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2022).

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in physical activity and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in Korea, using panel data from the 2006-2022 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA).

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: For this longitudinal panel study, data were sourced from the KLoSA dataset.

A Novel Methacryloyl-Masked NIR Fluorescent Probe for Detection of Cysteine and Its Application in Bioimaging.

Cysteine (Cys) detection is recognized as an essential element in this investigation due to the critical function of Cys in several physiological processes in living organisms. A new NIR fluorescent probe SNC-Cys has been synthesized by incorporating a five-membered malononitrile derivatized ring as an electron withdrawing group, and a methacryloyl group detection moiety for cysteine. After adding Cys, SNC-Cys shows an emission of 654 nm and further works as a "Turn-on" probe via ICT photomechanism.

A trans-Ferulic acid based fluorescence "turn-on" chemosensor for aluminum (III) ions in live cells and environmental samples.

This study introduces a novel fluorescence 'turn-on' chemosensor, FHDA, based on a trans-Ferulic acid Schiff-base derivative. FHDA stands out as a highly selective and sensitive tool for the fluorescent detection of Al3 with the fluorescence 'turn-on' effect. FHDA exhibits a strong CHEF effect and ICT upon complexation with Al in a 1:2 binding stoichiometry.

Tongue-in-Groove: A Novel Implant Design for a Blow-Out Fracture.

: During blow-out fracture surgery, restoration of the orbital volume and rigid implant fixation are essential. The migration of an implant is a concern of most surgeons. The purpose of this study was to introduce a simple idea of molding and fixing an orbital implant.

Miscibility and ternary diagram of aqueous polyvinyl alcohols with different degrees of saponification.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), an important phenomenon in the field of polymer science and material design, plays an essential role in cells and living bodies. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a popular semicrystalline polymer utilized in the synthesis of artificial biomaterials. The aqueous solutions of its derivatives with tuned degrees of saponification (DS) exhibit LLPS.

The efficacy of CRISPR-mediated cytosine base editing with the RPS5a promoter in Arabidopsis thaliana.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing is an important and versatile technology in modern biological research. Recent advancements include base-editing CRISPR tools that enable targeted nucleotide substitutions using a fusion protein comprising a nickase variant of Cas9 and a base deaminase. Improvements in base editing efficiencies and inheritable of edited loci need to be made to make CRISPR a viable system in plants.

CuSnS-Rich Nanomaterials for Thin-Film Lithium Batteries with Enhanced Conversion Reaction.

Through a simple gelation-solvothermal method with graphene oxide as the additive, a CuSnS-rich composite of nanoparticles and nanotubes is synthesized and applied for thin and flexible Li-metal batteries. Unlike the CuSnS-rich electrode, the CuSnS-rich electrode cycles stably with an enhanced conversion capacity of ∼416 mAh g (∼52% of total capacity) after 200 cycles. The lithiation/delithiation mechanisms of Cu-Sn-S electrodes and the voltage ranges of conversion and alloying reactions are informed by X-ray diffraction tests.

Interface Engineering and its Effect on WO-Based Photoanode and Tandem Cell.

During photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, the reactions occur on the surface of the photoelectrode. Therefore, the properties of the interfaces between the various components of the electrode (semiconductor/semiconductor, semiconductor/catalyst, or photoelectrode/electrolyte) affect the PEC performance of the composite material. Notably, surface trap states may hinder charge transfer and transport properties, and also cause Fermi pinning, affecting the quasi-Fermi level and onset potential under illumination, which may in turn influence the PEC performance of the corresponding tandem cells.

Activation of a Nickel-Based Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalyst on a Hematite Photoanode via Incorporation of Cerium for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

There has been debate on whether Ni(OH) is truly catalytically active for the photo/electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction. In this report, we synthesized a Ni(OH) cocatalyst on a hematite photoanode and showed that, as has been proposed in other studies, the current density varies as a function of scan rate, which arises due to a photoinduced capacitive charging effect. We discovered that this photoinduced charging of Ni can be overcome by mixing cerium nitrate into the Ni precursor solution.

Shape and Composition Control of Monodisperse Hybrid Pt-CoO Nanocrystals by Controlling the Reaction Kinetics with Additives.

Here, we report the effect of Fe(CO) additives in the synthesis of branched Pt-CoO nanowires (NWs) and core@shell concave nanocubes (NCs), in a one-pot system. Key to the success of this synthesis is control over the shape of the Pt seeds by controlling the quantity of Fe(CO) additive. In the absence of Fe(CO), branched Pt-CoO NWs were synthesized through the attachment of small Pt seed particles, followed by the growth of CoO by deposition.

Hydrogen Oxidation-Selective Electrocatalysis by Fine Tuning of Pt Ensemble Sites to Enhance the Durability of Automotive Fuel Cells.

A simple, inexpensive approach is proposed for enhancing the durability of automotive proton exchange membrane fuel cells by selective promotion of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and suppression of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the anode in startup/shutdown events. Dodecanethiol forms a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on the surface of Pt particles, thus decreasing the number of Pt ensemble sites. Interestingly, by controlling the dodecanethiol concentration during SAM formation, the number of ensemble sites can be precisely optimized such that it is sufficient for the HOR but insufficient for the ORR.

Bifunctional Interface of Au and Cu for Improved CO2 Electroreduction.

Gold is known currently as the most active single-element electrocatalyst for CO2 electroreduction reaction to CO. In this work, we combine Au with a second metal element, Cu, to reduce the amount of precious metal content by increasing the surface-to-mass ratio and to achieve comparable activity to Au-based catalysts. In particular, we demonstrate that the introduction of a Au-Cu bifunctional "interface" is more beneficial than a simple and conventional homogeneous alloying of Au and Cu in stabilizing the key intermediate species, *COOH.

On the mechanism of high product selectivity for HCOOH using Pb in CO2 electroreduction.

While achieving high product selectivity is one of the major challenges of the CO2 electroreduction technology in general, Pb is one of the few examples with high selectivity that produces formic acid almost exclusively (versus H2, CO, or other byproducts). In this work, we study the mechanism of CO2 electroreduction reactions using Pb to understand the origin of high formic acid selectivity. In particular, we first assess the proton-assisted mechanism proposed in the literature using density functional calculations and find that it cannot fully explain the previous selectivity experiments for the Pb electrode.