Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) impair the intestinal epithelial barrier via STAT3 activation mediated by macrophages.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a spectrum of complex compounds widely found in processed foods and frequently consumed by humans. AGEs are implicated in impairing the intestinal barrier, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of three types of AGEs on gene expression of tight junctions (TJs) in colorectal epithelial HT-29 cells, and observed minimal alterations in TJs expression.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its alternative perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) alter hepatic bile acid profiles via different pathways.

The disruption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on bile acid (BA) homeostasis has raised public concerns, making the evaluation of their effects and underlying mechanisms a high priority. Although the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been restricted, it remains a widespread legacy PFAS in the environment. Concurrently, the use of its prevalent short-chain alternative, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), is increasing, yet the toxicity assessment of PFBA remains inadequate.

Observation of a massive phason in a charge-density-wave insulator.

The lowest-lying fundamental excitation of an incommensurate charge-density-wave material is believed to be a massless phason-a collective modulation of the phase of the charge-density-wave order parameter. However, long-range Coulomb interactions should push the phason energy up to the plasma energy of the charge-density-wave condensate, resulting in a massive phason and fully gapped spectrum. Using time-domain terahertz emission spectroscopy, we investigate this issue in (TaSe)I, a quasi-one-dimensional charge-density-wave insulator.

Author Correction: Atomically precise graphene etch stops for three dimensional integrated systems from two dimensional material heterostructures.

The original version of this Article contained an error in the second sentence of the second paragraph of the 'Electrical properties of fluorinated graphene contacts' section of the Results, which incorrectly read 'The mobility was calculated by the Drude model, μ = ne/σ where μ, n, e, and σ are the carrier mobility, carrier density, electron charge, and sheet conductivity, respectively'. The correct version states 'μ = σ/ne ' in place of 'μ = ne/σ '. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Unusual high thermal conductivity in boron arsenide bulk crystals.

Conventional theory predicts that ultrahigh lattice thermal conductivity can only occur in crystals composed of strongly bonded light elements, and that it is limited by anharmonic three-phonon processes. We report experimental evidence that departs from these long-held criteria. We measured a local room-temperature thermal conductivity exceeding 1000 watts per meter-kelvin and an average bulk value reaching 900 watts per meter-kelvin in bulk boron arsenide (BAs) crystals, where boron and arsenic are light and heavy elements, respectively.

High thermal conductivity in cubic boron arsenide crystals.

The high density of heat generated in power electronics and optoelectronic devices is a critical bottleneck in their application. New materials with high thermal conductivity are needed to effectively dissipate heat and thereby enable enhanced performance of power controls, solid-state lighting, communication, and security systems. We report the experimental discovery of high thermal conductivity at room temperature in cubic boron arsenide (BAs) grown through a modified chemical vapor transport technique.

Molecular Arrangement and Charge Transfer in C/Graphene Heterostructures.

Charge transfer at the interface between dissimilar materials is at the heart of electronics and photovoltaics. Here we study the molecular orientation, electronic structure, and local charge transfer at the interface region of C deposited on graphene, with and without supporting substrates such as hexagonal boron nitride. We employ ab initio density functional theory with van der Waals interactions and experimentally characterize interface devices using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electronic transport.

Topological valley transport at bilayer graphene domain walls.

Electron valley, a degree of freedom that is analogous to spin, can lead to novel topological phases in bilayer graphene. A tunable bandgap can be induced in bilayer graphene by an external electric field, and such gapped bilayer graphene is predicted to be a topological insulating phase protected by no-valley mixing symmetry, featuring quantum valley Hall effects and chiral edge states. Observation of such chiral edge states, however, is challenging because inter-valley scattering is induced by atomic-scale defects at real bilayer graphene edges.