Data-centric artificial olfactory system based on the eigengraph.

Recent studies of electronic nose system tend to waste significant amount of important data in odor identification. Until now, the sensitivity-oriented data composition has made it difficult to discover meaningful data to apply artificial intelligence in terms of in-depth analysis for odor attributes specifying the identities of gas molecules, ultimately resulting in hindering the advancement of the artificial olfactory technology. Here, we realize a data-centric approach to implement standardized artificial olfactory systems inspired by human olfactory mechanisms by formally defining and utilizing the concept of Eigengraph in electrochemisty.

Multiplexed DNA-functionalized graphene sensor with artificial intelligence-based discrimination performance for analyzing chemical vapor compositions.

This study presents a new technology that can detect and discriminate individual chemical vapors to determine the chemical vapor composition of mixed chemical composition in situ based on a multiplexed DNA-functionalized graphene (MDFG) nanoelectrode without the need to condense the original vapor or target dilution. To the best of our knowledge, our artificial intelligence (AI)-operated arrayed electrodes were capable of identifying the compositions of mixed chemical gases with a mixed ratio in the early stage. This innovative technology comprised an optimized combination of nanodeposited arrayed electrodes and artificial intelligence techniques with advanced sensing capabilities that could operate within biological limits, resulting in the verification of mixed vapor chemical components.

Effects of Saussurea costus on apoptosis imbalance and inflammation in benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Saussurea costus (synonym: Aucklandia lappa Decne) is a medicinal plant distributed in Yunnan, Guangxi, and Sichuan in China. In traditional Korean medicine, the plant parts (especially the root-"radix aucklandiae") is widely used to treat vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammation. However, little has been reported on its effect on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is common in middle-aged men.

Block Copolymer Vitrimers.

In this report, we merge block copolymers with vitrimers in an effort to realize the prospect of higher-order, nanoscale control over associative cross-link exchange and flow. We show the use of controlled polymerization as a vital tool to understand fundamental structure-property effects through the precise control of polymer architecture and molecular weight. Vitrimers derived from self-assembling block copolymers exhibit superior resistance to macroscopic deformation in comparison to their analogs generated from statistical copolymers.

Enhanced Conductivity via Homopolymer-Rich Pathways in Block Polymer-Blended Electrolytes.

The optimization of ionic conductivity and lithium-ion battery stability can be achieved by independently tuning the ion transport and mechanical robustness of block polymer (BP) electrolytes. However, the ionic conductivity of BP electrolytes is inherently limited by the covalent attachment of the ionically conductive block to the mechanically robust block, among other factors. Herein, the BP electrolyte polystyrene--poly(oligo-oxyethylene methacrylate) [PS--POEM] was blended with POEM homopolymers of varying molecular weights.

A nonconjugated radical polymer glass with high electrical conductivity.

Solid-state conducting polymers usually have highly conjugated macromolecular backbones and require intentional doping in order to achieve high electrical conductivities. Conversely, single-component, charge-neutral macromolecules could be synthetically simpler and have improved processibility and ambient stability. We show that poly(4-glycidyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl), a nonconjugated radical polymer with a subambient glass transition temperature, underwent rapid solid-state charge transfer reactions and had an electrical conductivity of up to 28 siemens per meter over channel lengths up to 0.

The formation and control of highly crumpled metal surfaces on a photocurable viscous liquid.

Folds, highly deformed structures, have received extensive attention for their nonlinear responses due to a large strain on soft matters. To investigate the folding phenomena, here, we exploit residual tensile stress during metal deposition, which is large enough to compress a thin film coating and introduce a photocurable viscous fluid to decrease the resistance of the substrate against compressive stress. The system has the advantages of the abilities for freezing the highly deformed surfaces by post-UV exposure to the UV-crosslinkable substrate and manipulating the substrate effect by controlling the thickness of the substrate.

Nanoscale Mapping of Dielectric Properties of Nanomaterials from Kilohertz to Megahertz Using Ultrasmall Cantilevers.

Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) is often used for nanoscale dielectric spectroscopy, the measurement of local dielectric properties of materials as a function of frequency. However, the frequency range of atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based dielectric spectroscopy has been limited to a few kilohertz by the resonance frequency and noise of soft microcantilevers used for this purpose. Here, we boost the frequency range of local dielectric spectroscopy by 3 orders of magnitude from a few kilohertz to a few megahertz by developing a technique that exploits the high resonance frequency and low thermal noise of ultrasmall cantilevers (USCs).

Systematic Control of the Nanostructure of Semiconducting-Ferroelectric Polymer Composites in Thin Film Memory Devices.

In polymer-based ferroelectric diodes, films are composed of a semiconducting polymer and a ferroelectric polymer blend sandwiched between two metal electrodes. In these thin films, the ferroelectric phase serves as the memory retention medium while the semiconducting phase serves as the pathway to read-out the memory in a nondestructive manner. As such, having distinct phases for the semiconducting and ferroelectric phases have proven critical to device performance.

Expression system for production of bioactive compounds, recombinant human adiponectin, in the silk glands of transgenic silkworms.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte hormone involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to develop a human adiponectin expression system in transgenic silkworm using a human adiponectin expression vector. The silk gland of the silkworm is a highly specialized organ that has the wonderful ability to synthesize and secrete silk protein.

Toward mass producible ordered bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices.

A strategy to fabricate nanostructured poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films for organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells by a direct transfer method from a reusable soft replica mold is presented. The flexible polyfluoropolyether (PFPE) replica mold allows low-pressure and low- temperature process condition for the successful transfer of nanostructured P3HT films onto PEDOT/PSS-coated ITO substrates. To reduce the fabrication cost of masters in large area, we employed well-ordered anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as a template.

Mold design rules for residual layer-free patterning in thermal imprint lithography.

We present the mold design rules for assuring residual layer-free patterning in thermal imprint processes. Using simple relations for mass balance, structural stability, and work of adhesion, we derive the conditions with respect to the given single or multigeometrical feature of the mold, which are compared with simple thermal imprint experiments using soft imprint molds. Our analysis could serve as a guideline for designing the optimum mold geometry and selecting mold material in residual layer-free thermal imprint processes.