Four-Dimensional Micro/Nanorobots via Laser Photochemical Synthesis towards the Molecular Scale.

Miniaturized four-dimensional (4D) micro/nanorobots denote a forerunning technique associated with interdisciplinary applications, such as in embeddable labs-on-chip, metamaterials, tissue engineering, cell manipulation, and tiny robotics. With emerging smart interactive materials, static micro/nanoscale architectures have upgraded to the fourth dimension, evincing time-dependent shape/property mutation. Molecular-level 4D robotics promises complex sensing, self-adaption, transformation, and responsiveness to stimuli for highly valued functionalities.

Release of Additives from Agricultural Plastic Films in Water: Experiment and Modeling.

Globally, more than 6 million metric tons of agricultural plastic films are used to increase crop yields and reduce the use of water and herbicides, resulting in the contamination of soil and water by plastic debris and additives. However, knowledge of the occurrence and release of additives from agricultural films is limited. In this study, suspect screening with high-resolution mass spectrometry, one-dimensional Fickian diffusion models, and linear free energy relationships (LFERs) were used to determine the occurrence and mass transfer of various additives from agricultural plastic films.

Monolayer heterojunction interactive hydrogels for high-freedom 4D shape reconfiguration by two-photon polymerization.

Mimicking natural botanical/zoological systems has revolutionarily inspired four-dimensional (4D) hydrogel robotics, interactive actuators/machines, automatic biomedical devices, and self-adaptive photonics. The controllable high-freedom shape reconfiguration holds the key to satisfying the ever-increasing demands. However, miniaturized biocompatible 4D hydrogels remain rigorously stifled due to current approach/material limits.

Development of a hepatocellular carcinoma imaging database and structured imaging reports based on PACS, HIS, and repository.

Purpose: To establish a hepatocellular carcinoma imaging database and structured imaging reports based on PACS, HIS, and repository.

Methods: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. The steps of establishing the database are as follows: 1) According to the standards required for the intelligent diagnosis of HCC, it was attempted to design the corresponding functional modules after analyzing the requirements; 2) Based on client/server (C/S) mode, 3-tier architecture model was adopted.

ZnO nanorods decorated with Ag nanoflowers as a recyclable SERS substrate for rapid detection of pesticide residue in multiple-scenes.

Pesticide residues threaten the ecological environment and human health. Therefore, developing high performance SERS substrate to achieve highly sensitive detection of pesticide residues is meaningful. In this study, based on the strategy of combining "hot spots" engineering and material hybridization, we construct a novel hybrid SERS substrate by depositing Ag nanoflowers (NFs) on ZnO nanorods (NRs).

Renal lysophospholipase A1 contributes to -induced hypertension by enhancing sodium reabsorption.

Our recent study has found that gut bacteria contributes to hypertension and upregulates lysophospholipase A1 (LYPLA1) in the renal medulla of rats. This work aimed to investigate the role of LYPLA1 in the development of -induced hypertension. Compared to control, treatment increased blood pressure (BP), serum angiotensin II, sodium reabsorption, and expression of αENaC and LYPLA1 in the renal medulla of mice, and these effects were attenuated by knockdown of LYPLA1.

Renal Farnesoid X Receptor improves high fructose-induced salt-sensitive hypertension in mice by inhibiting DNM3 to promote nitro oxide production.

Objective: Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) is highly expressed in renal tubules, activation of which attenuates renal injury by suppressing inflammation and fibrosis. However, whether renal FXR contributes to the regulation of blood pressure (BP) is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the anti-hypertensive effect of renal FXR on high-fructose-induced salt-sensitive hypertension and underlying mechanism.

Moderation of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism by chlorogenic acid improves high-fructose-induced salt-sensitive hypertension in mice.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a natural compound with many important pharmacological effects including anti-hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the anti-hypertensive effect of CGA on high-fructose-induced salt-sensitive hypertension and the underlying mechanism. Hypertension was induced in male C57BL/6 mice by 20% fructose in drinking water plus 4% sodium chloride in the diet (HFS) for 8 weeks.

Do transition and hepatobiliary phase hypointensity improve LI-RADS categorization as an alternative washout: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The definition of washout in gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI (Gd-EOB-MRI) is controversial. The current Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) defines washout only in the portal venous phase on Gd-EOB-MRI, leading to low diagnostic sensitivity for HCC. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the diagnostic performance of Gd-EOB-MRI using conventional (cWO) and modified (mWO) definitions of washout.

Semiconductor-based surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS): from active materials to performance improvement.

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful spectral analysis technique and has exhibited remarkable application prospects in various fields. The design and fabrication of high-performance SERS substrates is key to promoting the development of SERS technology. Apart from noble metal substrates, non-metal substrates based on semiconductor materials have received increasing attention in recent years owing to their unique physical, chemical, and optical properties.

Four-Dimensional Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels Micro-Structured via Femtosecond Laser Additive Manufacturing.

Rapid fabricating and harnessing stimuli-responsive behaviors of microscale bio-compatible hydrogels are of great interest to the emerging micro-mechanics, drug delivery, artificial scaffolds, nano-robotics, and lab chips. Herein, we demonstrate a novel femtosecond laser additive manufacturing process with smart materials for soft interactive hydrogel micro-machines. Bio-compatible hyaluronic acid methacryloyl was polymerized with hydrophilic diacrylate into an absorbent hydrogel matrix under a tight topological control through a 532 nm green femtosecond laser beam.

Rapid In-Situ Synthesis and Patterning of Edge-Unsaturated MoS by Femtosecond Laser-Induced Photo-Chemical Reaction.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) is a representative transition metal sulfide that is widely used in gas and biological detection, energy storage, and integrated electronic devices due to its unique optoelectrical and chemical characteristics. To advance toward the miniaturization and on-chip integration of functional devices, it is strategically important to develop a high-precision and cost-effective method for the synthesis and integration of MoS patterns and functional devices. Traditional methods require multiple steps and time-consuming processes such as material synthesis, transfer, and photolithography to fabricate MoS patterns at the desired region on the substrate, significantly increasing the difficulty of manufacturing micro/nanodevices.

Suspecting screening "known unknown" pesticides and transformation products in soil at pesticide manufacturing sites.

The occurrence and risks of pesticides and their transformation products in soil at the manufacturing sites are "known unknowns." In this study, pesticides and their transformation products were screened in soil at 6 pesticide manufacturing sites across China using liquid and gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The screening strategy can correctly identify 75% of 209 pesticides spiked at 50 ng g.

An ultrathin memristor based on a two-dimensional WS/MoS heterojunction.

Memristors are regarded as one of the key devices to break through the traditional Von Neumann computer architecture due to their capability of simulating the function of neural synapses. Among various memristive materials, two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising candidates to build advanced memristors with extremely high integration density and low power consumption. However, memristors based on 2D materials usually suffer from poor endurance and retention due to their vulnerability to material degradation during the formation/fusing processes of conductive filament channels within the switching media of 2D materials.

Simultaneous determination of phthalate diesters and monoesters in soil using accelerated solvent extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

Phthalate diesters are a group of plasticizers extensively used in the manufacturing and processing of plastics. Phthalate monoesters are the primary degradation products of the diesters. Accumulation of endocrine disruptive diesters and monoesters in soil is of great concern because of the extensive use of plastic mulching and misdisposal of plastics.

Two-Step Freezing Polymerization Method for Efficient Synthesis of High-Performance Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels.

The widespread use of stimuli-responsive hydrogels is closely related to their synthesis efficiency. However, the widely used thermal-responsive poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels usually require a time-consuming synthesis process to produce (more than 12 h) and exhibit a relatively slow response speed in the field of cryo-polymerization. In this study, a sequence of thawing polymerization after freezing polymerization by a two-step method of free radical polymerization for the efficient synthesis of PNIPAM hydrogels (merely 2 h) with an excellent comprehensive performance is demonstrated.

Polarized second-harmonic generation optical microscopy for laser-directed assembly of ZnO nanowires.

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) based on laser direct writing is currently one of the most prevailing 3D micro/nano fabrication techniques. Nanomaterials can be doped in resins and assembled by TPP for developing advanced 3D functional devices. However, there lacks an effective visualization tool to determine the distribution and orientation of the nanomaterials as-doped in the composite resins.

Nanostructured electrically conductive hydrogels obtained via ultrafast laser processing and self-assembly.

Electrically conductive polymers have emerged as functional materials for future electronics due to their high electrical conductivity, real-time responsiveness, easy film-formation ability and desirable stretchability. However, the previously developed conductive polymer electronics are still limited to macroscopic hydrogels or films without complicated designs of fine features. Herein, a carbon nanotube-doped hydrophilic photoresist was ultrafast laser processed as an absorbent 3D scaffold to fabricate nanostructured electrically conductive hydrogels (NECHs) for the first time.

Integration of polarization-multiplexing and phase-shifting in nanometric two dimensional self-mixing measurement.

Integration of phase manipulation and polarization multiplexing was introduced to self-mixing interferometry (SMI) for high-sensitive measurement. Light polarizations were used to increase measuring path number and predict manifold merits for potential applications. Laser source was studied as a microwave-photonic resonator optically-injected by double reflected lights on a two-feedback-factor analytical model.

Lymphoid neoplastic P388D1 cells express membrane protein candidates that discriminate among the C-terminal phylogenetic diversity in heat shock protein 70 sequences.

We previously found that mouse inducible Hsp72 bound more extensively to lymphoblast-like lymphoid neoplastic P388D1 cells than to RAW264.7 monocyte-macrophages. In the present study, we analyzed the characteristics of the binding to P388D1 cells of recombinant HSP70 derived from different species.

Mouse CD40-transfected cell lines cannot exhibit the binding and RANTES-stimulating activity of exogenous heat shock protein 70.

Here we demonstrate the inducible mouse Hsp72 binds markedly to lymphoid neoplastic macrophage-like P388D1 cells. To examine whether mouse CD40 can play a role in signaling exogenously administered HSP70 in a fashion similar to that of human CD40, we established mouse CD40-transfectants of both human 293 cells and murine-pro-B cell line Ba/F3. A small portion of mouse CD40 expressed on 293-derived transfectants was the mature form with a signal-transducible C-terminal domain, whereas a majority of expressed antigen showed the molecular size smaller than we expect.

Biotinylation of heat shock protein 70 induces RANTES production in HEK293 cells in a CD40-independent pathway.

Biotinylated proteins and peptides have been used as popular ligands for characterization of cell surface receptors by a variety of methods including flow cytometry. The number and the location of biotin moieties incorporated could alter the structural and physicochemical properties of ligands, although biotin is thought to be such a small molecule (244Da) that it is capable of being conjugated to most proteins without affecting their activity. Here, we demonstrate that the biotinylated HSP70 molecule via primary amines bound to epithelium-like HEK 293 cells in a saturable manner whereas the unlabeled counterparts of HSP70 other than mouse Hsp72 do not.