Hybrid Functional Polymer-Enabled Multiplexed Chemosensor Patch for Wearable Adrenocortex Stress Profiling.

Measuring bioactive stress hormones, including cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), allows for evaluating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, offering valuable insights into an individual's stress response through adrenocortex stress profiles (ASPs). Conventional methods for detecting steroid hormones involve sample collections and competitive immunoassays, which suffer from drawbacks such as time-consuming labeling and binding procedures, reliance on unstable biological receptors, and the need for sophisticated instruments. Here, we report a label-free and external redox reagent-free amperometric assay directly detecting sweat cortisol and DHEA levels on the skin.

Enzyme-Mimics for Sensitive and Selective Steroid Metabolite Detection.

We present an enzyme-like functional polymer that recognizes nonelectroactive targets and catalyzes their redox reactions for simple, selective steroid metabolite detection. Measuring steroid metabolites, such as cortisol, has been widely adopted to diagnose stress and chronic diseases. Conventional detection method based on competitive immunoassay requires time-consuming labeling processes for signal transduction and unstable biological receptors for biorecognition yet with limited selectivity.

Establishing Self-Dopant Design Principles from Structure-Function Relationships in Self-n-Doped Perylene Diimide Organic Semiconductors.

Self-doping is a particular doping method that has been applied to a wide range of organic semiconductors. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the relationship between dopant structure and function. A structurally diverse series of self-n-doped perylene diimides (PDIs) is investigated to study the impact of steric encumbrance, counterion selection, and dopant/PDI tether distance on functional parameters such as doping, stability, morphology, and charge-carrier mobility.

[Piggery wastewater cultivating bioflocculant-producing flora B-737 and the fermentation characteristics].

Piggery wastewater was used as a cheap alternative medium for a bioflocculant-producing bacterial flora B-737. Effects of COD concent, addition of ammonium oxalate or phosphate on the cell growth and bioflocculant yield were investigated, and the fermentation kinetics was studied in the optimal culture media. The results showed that the piggery wastewater (COD was about 3000 mg x L(-1), TN was about 170 mg x L(-1)) had a suitable C/N ratio for the growth and fermentation of flora B-737, with addition of only 1.