Porous Spindle-Knot Fiber by Fiber-Microfluidic Phase Separation for Water Collection and Nanopatterning.

Porous spindle-knot structures have been found in many creatures, such as spider silk and the root of the soybean plant, which show interesting functions such as droplet collection or biotransformation. However, continuous fabrication of precisely controlled porous spindle-knots presents a big challenge, particularly in striking a balance among good structural controllability, low-cost, and functions. Here, we propose a concept of a fiber-microfluidics phase separation (FMF-PS) strategy to address the above challenge.

Assessment of the potential risks in SD rats gavaged with genetically modified yeast containing the gene.

Introduction: Despite the absence of definitive evidence indicating that the cp4-epsps gene and its resultant recombinant proteins have significant harmful effects on either human or animal health, the safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) crops expressing the CP4-EPSPS proteins has been controversial. This study endeavor was aimed at evaluating the potential risks posed by the CP4-EPSPS protein in transgenic crops, thereby contributing to the advancement of risk assessment methodologies in the context of genetically engineered crops.

Methods: To ascertain the appropriate daily dosages for oral gavage administration, the expression levels of the CP4-EPSPS protein in a recombinant yeast were quantified.

Innovative Synthesis of Photo-Responsive, Self-Healing Silicone Elastomers with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Thermal Stability.

Photo-responsive materials have garnered significant interest for their ability to react to non-contact stimuli, though achieving self-healing under gentle conditions remains an elusive goal. In this research, an innovative and straightforward approach for synthesizing silicone elastomers is proposed that not only self-heal at room temperature but also possess unique photochromic properties and adjustable mechanical strength, along with being both transparent and reprocessable. Initially, aldehyde-bifunctional dithiophene-ethylene molecules with dialdehyde groups (DTEM) and isocyanurate (IPDI) is introduced into the aminopropyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HN-PDMS-NH) matrix.

Crohn disease but not ulcerative colitis increases the risk of acute pancreatitis: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Accumulating evidence has indicated an increased risk of acute pancreatitis in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the establishment of a clear and direct causal connection between IBD and acute pancreatitis remains uncertain. Utilizing genetic data from publicly accessible genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we conducted a 2-sample MR analysis to identify the associations between IBD, ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn disease (CD), and acute pancreatitis risk. Rigorous quality control steps ensured the selection of eligible single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with strong associations to IBD.

Profiles of Family and School Experiences and Adjustment of Adolescents During the Transition to High School.

Although family and school experiences play an important role in adolescents' adjustment during the transition to high school, most prior studies investigated the effects of these experiences in isolation; their joint implications for both adolescents' concurrent and long-term adjustment outcomes are less clear, and the potential role of individual characteristics within such associations remains understudied. Based on 525 10th graders (M = 15.48, SD = 0.

Role of ATF3 triggering M2 macrophage polarization to protect against the inflammatory injury of sepsis through ILF3/NEAT1 axis.

Background: Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response which is frequently associated with acute lung injury (ALI). Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) promotes M2 polarization, however, the biological effects of ATF3 on macrophage polarization in sepsis remain undefined.

Methods: LPS-stimulated macrophages and a mouse model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis were generated as in vitro and in vivo models, respectively.

Architecting the Microenvironment Skeleton of Active Materials in High-Capacity Electrodes by Self-Assembled Nano-Building Blocks.

In analogy to the cell microenvironment in biology, understanding and controlling the active-material microenvironment (ME@AM) microstructures in battery electrodes is essential to the successes of energy storage devices. However, this is extremely difficult for especially high-capacity active materials (AMs) like sulfur, due to the poor controlling on the electrode microstructures. To conquer this challenge, here, a semi-dry strategy based on self-assembled nano-building blocks is reported to construct nest-like robust ME@AM skeleton in a solvent-and-stress-less way.

Manipulating the Nanophase Separation of a Polymer-Salt Microfluid Generates an Advanced Separator for Component-Integrated Energy Storage Devices.

A polymer separator plays a pivotal role in battery safety, overall electrochemical performance, and cell assembly process. Traditional separators are separately produced from the electrodes and dominated by porous polyolefin thin films. In spite of their commercial success, today's separators are facing growing challenges with the increasing demand on the device safety and performance.

"Sandwich-like" structure electrostatic spun micro/nanofiber polylactic acid-polyvinyl alcohol-polylactic acid film dressing with metformin hydrochloride and puerarin for enhanced diabetic wound healing.

A diabetic wound is a typical chronic wound with a long repair process and poor healing effects. It is an effective way to promote diabetic wound healing to design electrospinning nanofiber films with drug-assisted therapy, good air permeability and, a multilayer functional structure. In this paper, a diabetic wound dressing with a "sandwich-like" structure was designed.

Design of High-Entropy Tape Electrolytes for Compression-Free Solid-State Batteries.

Advanced solid electrolytes with strong adhesion to other components are the key for the successes of solid-state batteries. Unfortunately, traditional solid electrolytes have to work under high compression to maintain the contact inside owing to their poor adhesion. Here, a concept of high-entropy tape electrolyte (HETE) is proposed to simultaneously achieve tape-like adhesion, liquid-like ion conduction, and separator-like mechanical properties.

Electrospun polylactic acid nanofiber film modified by silver oxide deposited on hemp fibers for antibacterial fruit packaging.

Bacterial and fungal contamination have become major factors in fruit spoilage and damage, posing a potential risk to human health. In this work, polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers combined with AgO-hemp fibers for a good antimicrobial effect were developed and applied to antimicrobial fruit fresh-keeping packages. The results of molecular simulation calculations showed that the strength of hydrogen bonds between AgO and hemp fibers reached 45.

CircEXOC5 Aggravates Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury by Promoting Ferroptosis Through the IGF2BP2/ATF3 Axis.

Background: Patients with sepsis resulting in acute lung injury (ALI) usually have increased mortality. Ferroptosis is a vital regulator in sepsis-induced ALI. Exploring the association of ferroptosis and sepsis-induced ALI is crucial for the management of sepsis-induced ALI.

Protective role of resilience on the associations between childhood maltreatment and internalising and externalising problems.

Different types of childhood maltreatment have negative effects on individual mental and behavioural outcomes. However, most of previous studies investigated their effects separately. Little is known about the effects of co-occurring maltreatment profiles on adolescents' developmental outcomes and the potential protective factor.

Mass Production of Customizable Core-Shell Active Materials in Seconds by Nano-Vapor Deposition for Advancing Lithium Sulfur Battery.

Rational design and scalable production of core-shell sulfur-rich active materials is vital for not only the practical success of future metal-sulfur batteries but also for a deep insight into the core-shell design for sulfur-based electrochemistry. However, this is a big challenge mainly due to the lack of efficient strategy for realizing precisely controlled core-shell structures. Herein, by harnessing the frictional heating and dispersion capability of the nanostorm technology developed in the authors' laboratory, it is surprisingly found that sulfur-rich active particles can be coated with on-demand shell nanomaterials in seconds.

Particulate nitrated aromatic compounds from corn straw burning: Compositions, optical properties and potential health risks.

Nitrated aromatic compounds (NACs) are important components of brown carbon (BrC), and their health and climate effects are of wide concern. Biomass burning is a major contributor to NACs in the atmosphere, yet NACs emitted from biomass burning are poorly constrained. In this study particulate NACs from open burning of corn straws were characterized in terms of their compositions, light absorption and toxic equivalents.

PCL/Collagen/UA Composite Biomedical Dressing with Ordered Microfiberous Structure Fabricated by a 3D Near-Field Electrospinning Process.

In this work, a functionalized polycaprolactone (PCL) composite fiber combining calf-type I collagen (CO) and natural drug usnic acid (UA) was prepared, in which UA was used as an antibacterial agent. Through 3D near-field electrospinning, the mixed solution was prepared into PCL/CO/UA composite fibers (PCUCF), which has a well-defined perfect arrangement structure. The influence of electrospinning process parameters on fiber diameter was investigated, the optimal electrospinning parameters were determined, and the electric field simulation was conducted to verify the optimal parameters.

Biomimetic Microadhesion Guided Instant Spinning.

Animals create high-performance fibers at natural ambient conditions via a unique spinning process. In contrast, the spinning technologies developed by human beings are usually clumsy and require sophisticated skills. Here, inspired by adhesion-based silkworm spinning, we report a microadhesion guided (MAG) spinning technology for instant and on-demand fabrication of micro/nanofibers.

ABAT gene expression associated with the sensitivity of hypomethylating agents in myelodysplastic syndrome through CXCR4/mTOR signaling.

The factors that affect hypomethylating agents (HMAs) sensitivity in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are complex and multifaceted. They include DNA methylation, gene expression, mutation, etc. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not clearly illustrated.

Emissions and light absorption of PM-bound nitrated aromatic compounds from on-road vehicle fleets.

Vehicle emissions are an important source of nitrated aromatic compounds (NACs) in particulate size smaller 2.5 μm (PM), which adversely affect human health and biodiversity, especially in urban areas. In this study, filter-based PM samples were collected during October 14-19, 2019, in a busy urban tunnel (approximately 35,000 vehicles per day) in south China to identify PM-bound NACs.

Finite time stable inversion in discrete frequency domain: Accuracy analysis, improvement and application to wafer stage.

Stable inversion represents a classic approach to achieve the exact inverse input for non-minimum-phase (NMP) systems. Solutions deduced based on state-space equations and transfer functions have been frequently proposed, however they are basically developed in the infinite-time horizon and are inherently time-domain computation methods. Considering the practical finite-time tracking tasks, this paper investigates the finite-time stable inversion problem.

Regulating Polysulfide Diffusion and Deposition via Rational Design of Core-Shell Active Materials in Li-S Batteries.

Polar host materials with strong adsorption capacity of polysulfides are designed to limit the shuttle effect in sulfur cathodes. However, a critical problem is to control diffusion and deposition of lithium polysulfides during cycling, which significantly impacts cycling stability and sulfur utilization. Here, we report using a sequential adsorption-guided self-assembly to design two types of core-shell sulfur particles with opposite polysulfide adsorption gradients to explore quantitatively the regulation of polysulfide diffusion and deposition.

Steered polymorphic nanodomains in TiO to boost visible-light photocatalytic oxidation.

A breakthrough in enhancing visible-light photocatalysis of wide-bandgap semiconductors such as prototypical titania (TiO) cocatalyst decoration is still challenged by insufficient heterojunctions and inevitable interfacial transport issues. Herein, we report a novel TiO-based composite material composed of generated polymorphic nanodomains including carbon nitride (CN) and (001)/(101)-faceted anatase nanocrystals. The introduction of ultrafine CN results in the generation of many oxygen vacancies in the TiO lattice, and simultaneously induces the exposure and growth of anatase TiO(001) facets with high surface energy.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from photooxidation of CH under the presence of NH: Effects of seed particles.

Frequently-occurred secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) under low-NO conditions contribute to the winter haze episodes and remain unclear in the abundant presence of NH. Here, the effects of CaCl seed particles on the photooxidation of low-molecular-weight CH with co-existing NO and NH were highlighted and investigated through a chamber-simulation study equipped with high-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS). The influences of NH are often overestimated to exclusively enhance SOA yields under a low-[NO] condition.