Curcuminoids: Implication for inflammation and oxidative stress in cardiovascular diseases.

It has been extensively verified that inflammation and oxidative stress play important roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Curcuminoids, from the plant Curcuma longa, have three major active ingredients, which include curcumin (curcumin I), demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcuminoids have been used in traditional medicine for CVDs' management and other comorbidities for centuries.

Ovarian Hormone-dependent and Spinal ERK Activation-regulated Nociceptive Hypersensitivity in Female Rats with Acid Injection-induced Chronic Widespread Muscle Pain.

Symptoms of chronic widespread muscle pain (CWP) meet most of the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia syndrome, which is prevalent in females. We used an acid injection-induced muscle pain (AIMP) model to mimic CWP. After female rats received an ovariectomy (OVX), acid saline solution was injected into the left gastrocnemius muscle.

In situ synthesis of photoluminescence-quenching nanopaper for rapid and robust detection of pathogens and proteins.

A green and facile method is presented for in situ synthesis of a novel photoluminescence-quenching nanopaper with a highly-efficient quenching ability, rapid reaction time and long-term storage. The as-prepared nanopaper is further used to construct an aptasensor platform with high performance, rapidness and robustness.

Threshold-less and focused Cherenkov radiations using sheet electron-beams to drive sub-wavelength hole arrays.

Cherenkov radiation (CR) was one of the most famous discoveries in the last century and still has broad applications in modern physics. Recently, threshold-less and reversed CRs have attracted even more attention thanks to their unique characteristics and application prospects. Here we illustrated a threshold-less CR in vacuo by using a sheet free-electron beam (FEB) to excite an oblique-lined sub-wavelength hole array.

Dynamical Transformation of Two-Dimensional Perovskites with Alternating Cations in the Interlayer Space for High-Performance Photovoltaics.

The two-dimensional (2D) perovskites stabilized by alternating cations in the interlayer space (ACI) define a new type of structure with different physical properties than the more common Ruddlesden-Popper counterparts. However, there is a lack of understanding of material crystallization in films and its influence on the morphological/optoelectronic properties and the final photovoltaic devices. Herein, we undertake in situ studies of the solidification process for ACI 2D perovskite (GA)(MA) Pb I (⟨ n⟩ = 3) from ink to solid-state semiconductor, using solvent mixture of DMSO:DMF (1:10 v/v) as the solvent and link this behavior to solar cell devices.

Evaluation of activated carbon synthesized by one-stage and two-stage co-pyrolysis from sludge and coconut shell.

Waste biomass and sewage sludge were used to obtain an adsorbent material with excellent performance qualities by adopting a KOH activation process via one-stage (AC) or two-stage (AC) co-pyrolysis. The main purpose of this work was to investigate the effects of both methods in terms of the physicochemical properties and adsorption capacities for methylene blue (MB). Textural analyses revealed that the surface area (S= 683.

Multi-inch single-crystalline perovskite membrane for high-detectivity flexible photosensors.

Single crystalline perovskites exhibit high optical absorption, long carrier lifetime, large carrier mobility, low trap-state-density and high defect tolerance. Unfortunately, all single crystalline perovskites attained so far are limited to bulk single crystals and small area wafers. As such, it is impossible to design highly demanded flexible single-crystalline electronics and wearable devices including displays, touch sensing devices, transistors, etc.

Self-assembled protein-enzyme nanoflower-based fluorescent sensing for protein biomarker.

Multi-protein (or enzyme) conjugates play a vital role in biosensing due to the integrated function of each component, such as biological recognition and signal amplification. In this work, a green self-assembled method for the synthesis of multi-functional protein-enzyme nanoflowers has been developed, in which no chemical modification and coupling reaction is needed to fabricate the fluorescent signal probe. The self-assembled protein-enzyme conjugates streptavidin (SA) -β-galactosidase (β-Gal)-CaHPO nanoflowers load sufficient enzymes without damaging their activity, which meets the requirements of signal tags for biosensing.

Parallel selection on a dormancy gene during domestication of crops from multiple families.

Domesticated species often exhibit convergent phenotypic evolution, termed the domestication syndrome, of which loss of seed dormancy is a component. To date, dormancy genes that contribute to parallel domestication across different families have not been reported. Here, we cloned the classical stay-green G gene from soybean and found that it controls seed dormancy and showed evidence of selection during soybean domestication.

Self-Powered and Highly Efficient Production of HO through a Zn-Air Battery with Oxygenated Carbon Electrocatalyst.

Industrially producing HO consumes lots of energy and generates byproducts. For the first time, we demonstrate the non-energy-consuming, self-powered production of HO based on a Zn-air battery with oxygenated carbon electrocatalyst. The battery with power density of 360 W m at a operating voltage of 0.

DNA methylation footprints during soybean domestication and improvement.

Background: In addition to genetic variation, epigenetic variation plays an important role in determining various biological processes. The importance of natural genetic variation to crop domestication and improvement has been widely investigated. However, the contribution of epigenetic variation in crop domestication at population level has rarely been explored.

Dopamine receptor D2 genetic variations is associated with the risk and clinicopathological variables of urothelial cell carcinoma in a Taiwanese population.

Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is overexpressed in several kinds of cancers and was correlated with the prognosis of these cancers. Polymorphisms within the DRD2 gene were shown to be associated with lung and colon cancers. The purpose of this study was to explore effects of gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility to and clinicopathological characteristics of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC).

De novo assembly of a Chinese soybean genome.

Soybean was domesticated in China and has become one of the most important oilseed crops. Due to bottlenecks in their introduction and dissemination, soybeans from different geographic areas exhibit extensive genetic diversity. Asia is the largest soybean market; therefore, a high-quality soybean reference genome from this area is critical for soybean research and breeding.

N-α-acetyltransferase 10 protein promotes metastasis by stabilizing matrix metalloproteinase-2 protein in human osteosarcomas.

N-α-Acetyltransferase 10 protein (Naa10p) mediates N-terminal acetylation of nascent proteins. Oncogenic or tumor suppressive roles of Naa10p were reported in cancers. Here, we report an oncogenic role of Naa10p in promoting metastasis of osteosarcomas.

Multipedal DNA Walker Biosensors Based on Catalyzed Hairpin Assembly and Isothermal Strand-Displacement Polymerase Reaction for the Chemiluminescent Detection of Proteins.

In this study, two kinds of sensitive biosensors based on a multipedal DNA walker along a three-dimensional DNA functional magnet particles track for the chemiluminescent detection of streptavidin (SA) are constructed and compared. In the presence of SA, a multipedal DNA walker was constructed by a biotin-modified catalyst as a result of the terminal protection to avoid being digested by exonuclease I. Then, through a toehold-mediated strand exchange, a "leg" of a multipedal DNA walker interacted with a toehold of a catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA)-H1 coupled with magnetic microparticles (MMPs) and opened its hairpin structure.

Associations of genetic variations of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene and environmental carcinogens with oral cancer susceptibility and development.

Oral cancer is a major head and neck cancer that is reported to be causally associated with genetic factors and environmental carcinogens. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was reported to modulate carcinogenesis and progression through nitric oxide (NO) production. Genetic polymorphisms in the eNOS gene can regulate its transcription and further mediate NO production.

A 1300 mm Ultrahigh-Performance Digital Imaging Assembly using High-Quality Perovskite Single Crystals.

By fine-tuning the crystal nucleation and growth process, a low-temperature-gradient crystallization method is developed to fabricate high-quality perovskite CH NH PbBr single crystals with high carrier mobility of 81 ± 5 cm V s (>3 times larger than their thin film counterpart), long carrier lifetime of 899 ± 127 ns (>5 times larger than their thin film counterpart), and ultralow trap state density of 6.2 ± 2.7 × 10 cm (even four orders of magnitude lower than that of single-crystalline silicon wafers).

Electrochemical Properties of Al/Cl Doped-0.2Li₂MnO₃ · 0.8LiNiO₂ Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Li-rich layered cathode materials, Li1.2Ni0.4-xAlxMn0.

Giant Phonon Tuning Effect via Pressure-Manipulated Polar Rotation in Perovskite MAPbI.

Perovskite MAPbI that exhibits unique optoelectronic properties has emerged as a promising semiconductor material with a potential to revolutionize the photovoltaic industry. Inadequate understanding of the thermal instability and lattice dynamics of MAPbI, however, hinders its practical applications. Herein, combing molecular dynamics with a first-principles-based interatomic potential and inelastic neutron scattering measurements, we have performed an in-depth study of the lattice dynamics of MAPbI.

Phase Transition Control for High Performance Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskite Solar Cells.

Ruddlesden-Popper reduced-dimensional hybrid perovskite (RDP) semiconductors have attracted significant attention recently due to their promising stability and excellent optoelectronic properties. Here, the RDP crystallization mechanism in real time from liquid precursors to the solid film is investigated, and how the phase transition kinetics influences phase purity, quantum well orientation, and photovoltaic performance is revealed. An important template-induced nucleation and growth of the desired (BA) (MA) Pb I phase, which is achieved only via direct crystallization without formation of intermediate phases, is observed.

Spontaneous analogising caused by text stimuli in design thinking: differences between higher- and lower-creativity groups.

Understanding the cognitive processes used in creative practices is essential to design research. In this study, electroencephalography was applied to investigate the brain activations of visual designers when they responded to various types of word stimuli during design thinking. Thirty visual designers were recruited, with the top third and bottom third of the participants divided into high-creativity (HC) and low-creativity (LC) groups.

A nonenzymatic DNA nanomachine for biomolecular detection by target recycling of hairpin DNA cascade amplification.

Synthetic enzyme-free DNA nanomachine performs quasi-mechanical movements in response to external intervention, suggesting the promise of constructing sensitive and specific biosensors. Herein, a smart DNA nanomachine biosensor for biomolecule (such as nucleic acid, thrombin and adenosine) detection is developed by target-assisted enzyme-free hairpin DNA cascade amplifier. The whole DNA nanomachine system is constructed on gold nanoparticle which decorated with hundreds of locked hairpin substrate strands serving as DNA tracks, and the DNA nanomachine could be activated by target molecule toehold-mediated exchange on gold nanoparticle surface, resulted in the fluorescence recovery of fluorophore.

Recent Progress in Single-Crystalline Perovskite Research Including Crystal Preparation, Property Evaluation, and Applications.

Organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites are promising optoelectronic materials resulting from their significant light absorption properties and unique long carrier dynamics, such as a long carrier lifetime, carrier diffusion length, and high carrier mobility. These advantageous properties have allowed for the utilization of lead halide perovskite materials in solar cells, LEDs, photodetectors, lasers, etc. To further explore their potential, intrinsic properties should be thoroughly investigated.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 was coated with silica and investigated as a flame retardant to improve the flame retardancy and smoke suppression of epoxy resin.

A material (ZIF-8@SiO) with a nuclear shell structure was synthesized to improve the flame retardancy and smoke suppression of epoxy resin (EP) through a synergetic catalytic effect. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was synthesized and its surface was coated with SiO by hydrolyzing tetraethyl orthosilicate. Core-shell structured ZIF-8@SiO was obtained.