Pt(II) Complexes Showing Multicolor Emissions from Nanoparticles in Solution and Reversible Grinding- and Heating-Induced Luminescence Switching in Solid State.

To well understand luminescence modulation of Pt(II) complexes by inter-molecular interactions, three platinum complexes [Pt(moppy)Cl(L)] have been synthesized (Scheme 1) through incorporating the same C^N ligand moppyH=2-(4-methoxyphenyl)pyridine, while different auxillary ligands L: SEt in 1, iccy=isocyanocyclohexane in 2, and icna=isocyanonaphthalene in 3. Crystal structures indicate that neighbouring molecules are connected through π⋅⋅⋅π interactions, forming supramolecular dimer structures in both 1 and 2, while supramolecular chain structure in 3. In a CHCN-HO mixed solvent, complexes 1-3 reveal enhanced luminescence due to nanoparticle formation.

Unusual Cross-Conjugation in Cyclic Dipeptide-Based Building Blocks for Donor-Acceptor Semiconducting Conjugated Polymers.

Cross conjugation, though prevalent in many organic compounds, is typically considered less effective for electron delocalization compared to linear conjugation. Consequently, it is rarely used as the backbone structure for semiconducting conjugated polymers. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel building block, TIDP, which features a central cyclic dipeptide with cross conjugation characteristics.

Directed Self-Assembly of Polystyrene-Block-Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Monolayer by Nano-Trench for Nanopatterning.

This work pioneers to combine fast self-assembly of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) nanocage-based giant surfactants with high etching contrast and directed self-assembly for reliable long-range lateral order to create well-aligned sub-10 nm line nanopatterns via reactive ion etching (RIE). Polystyrene-block-oligo(dimethylsiloxane) substituted POSS (PS-b-oDMSPOSS) with seven oligo(dimethylsiloxane) at the corners of the POSS nanocage and one polystyrene (PS) tail is designed and synthesized as a giant surfactant with self-assembly behaviors like block copolymer (BCP). In contrast to BCP, oDMSPOSS gives a volume-persistent "nanoatom" particle with higher mobility for fast self-assembly and higher segregation strength with PS for smaller feature size.

Berberine hydrochloride alleviates chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome by modifying gut microbiome signaling.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is highly prevalent worldwide and poses a significant threat to men's health, particularly affecting young men. However, the exact causes and mechanisms behind CP/CPPS remain unclear, leading to challenges in its treatment. In this research, a CP/CPPS rat model was established with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), and berberine hydrochloride was administered through daily gavage to assess its therapeutic effects.

Giant Iontronic Flexoelectricity in Soft Hydrogels Induced by Tunable Biomimetic Ion Polarization.

Flexoelectricity features the strain gradient-induced mechanoelectric conversion using materials not limited by their crystalline symmetry, but state-of-the-art flexoelectric materials exhibit very small flexoelectric coefficients and are too brittle to withstand large deformations. Here, inspired by the ion polarization in living organisms, this paper reports the giant iontronic flexoelectricity of soft hydrogels where the ion polarization is attributed to the different transfer rates of cations and anions under bending deformations. The flexoelectricity is found to be easily regulated by the types of anion-cation pairs and polymer networks in the hydrogel.

Analysis of risk factors affecting the postoperative drainage after a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: a retrospective study.

Purpose: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) remains the most commonly used measure for treating localized renal cell cancer (RCC) with an increasing incidence of RCC ever since the 1990s. This study aimed to identify risk factors that affect the postoperative time of drainage and total drainage volume after LPN.

Method: The clinical data of 612 RCC patients who received LPN from January 2012 to December 2022 in our hospital, including the postoperative drainage time and total drainage volume, were retrospectively analyzed.

Bowel preparation protocol for hospitalized patients ages 50 years or older: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: The incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer progressively increase with age and become particularly prominent after the age of 50 years. Therefore, the population that is ≥ 50 years in age requires long-term and regular colonoscopies. Uncomfortable bowel preparation is the main reason preventing patients from undergoing regular colonoscopies.

Ambient-conditions spinning of functional soft fibers via engineering molecular chain networks and phase separation.

Producing functional soft fibers via existing spinning methods is environmentally and economically costly due to the complexity of spinning equipment, involvement of copious solvents, intensive consumption of energy, and multi-step pre-/post-spinning treatments. We report a nonsolvent vapor-induced phase separation spinning approach under ambient conditions, which resembles the native spider silk fibrillation. It is enabled by the optimal rheological properties of dopes via engineering silver-coordinated molecular chain interactions and autonomous phase transition due to the nonsolvent vapor-induced phase separation effect.

A Wearable Multidimensional Motion Sensor for AI-Enhanced VR Sports.

Regular exercise paves the way to a healthy life. However, conventional sports events are susceptible to weather conditions. Current motion sensors for home-based sports are mainly limited by operation power consumption, single-direction sensitivity, or inferior data analysis.

Recent Advances in Triboelectric Nanogenerators: From Technological Progress to Commercial Applications.

Serious climate changes and energy-related environmental problems are currently critical issues in the world. In order to reduce carbon emissions and save our environment, renewable energy harvesting technologies will serve as a key solution in the near future. Among them, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which is one of the most promising mechanical energy harvesters by means of contact electrification phenomenon, are explosively developing due to abundant wasting mechanical energy sources and a number of superior advantages in a wide availability and selection of materials, relatively simple device configurations, and low-cost processing.

Sequence-Isomerism-Controlled Macromolecular Self-Assembly in Dendritic Rod-Like Molecules.

Although in Nature sequence control is widely adopted to tune the structure and functions of biomacromolecules, it remains challenging and largely unexplored in synthetic macromolecular systems due to the difficulties in a precision synthesis, which impedes the understanding of the structure-property relationship in macromolecular sequence isomerism. Herein, we report the sequence-controlled macromolecular self-assembly enabled by a pair of rationally designed isomeric dendritic rod-like molecules. With an identical chemical formula and molecular topology, the molecular solid angle of the dendron isomers was determined by the sequence of the rod building blocks tethered with side chains of different lengths.

Mean nocturnal baseline impedance: Influencing factors and diagnostic value in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Background: At present, there are few studies related to mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI), esophageal dynamic reflux monitoring, high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) parameter indexes, and its diagnostic value in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Objective: To analyze the factors influencing MNBI and examine the diagnostic value of MNBI in GERD.

Methods: A retrospective analysis on 434 patients with typical reflux symptoms who underwent gastroscopy, 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring (MII/pH) and HRM.

Evidence for predictions established by phantom sound.

Predictions, the bridge between the internal and external worlds, are established by prior experience and updated by sensory stimuli. Responses to omitted but unexpected stimuli, known as omission responses, can break the one-to-one mapping of stimulus-response and can expose predictions established by the preceding stimulus built up. While research into exogenous predictions (driven by external stimuli) is often reported, that into endogenous predictions (driven by internal percepts) is rarely available in the literature.

Event-Related Potential Evidence for Involuntary Consciousness During Implicit Memory Retrieval.

Classical notion claims that a memory is implicit if has nothing to do with consciousness during the information retrieval from storage, or is otherwise explicit. Here, we demonstrate event-related potential evidence for involuntary consciousness during implicit memory retrieval. We designed a passive oddball paradigm for retrieval of implicit memory in which an auditory stream of Shepard tones with musical pitch interval contrasts were delivered to the subjects.

Bioinspired soft electroreceptors for artificial precontact somatosensation.

Artificial haptic sensors form the basis of touch-based human-interfaced applications. However, they are unable to respond to remote events before physical contact. Some elasmobranch fishes, such as seawater sharks, use electroreception somatosensory system for remote environmental perception.

Solvent-Free Templated Synthesis of Core-Crosslinked Star-Shaped Polymers in Supramolecular Body-Centered Cubic Phase.

This study reports the exploration of a solvent-free supramolecular templated synthesis strategy toward highly core-cross-linked star-shaped polymers (CSPs). To achieve this, a kind of cross-linkable giant surfactant, based on a functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) head tethered with a diblock copolymer tail containing reactive benzocyclobutene groups, is designed and prepared. By varying the volume fraction of linear block copolymer tail, these giant surfactants can self-assemble into a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure in bulk, in which the supramolecular spheres are composed of a core of POSS cages, a middle shell of crosslinkable poly(4-vinylbenzocyclobutene) (PBCB) blocks, and a corona of inert polystyrene (PS) blocks.

Crowding-Induced Unconventional Phase Behaviors in Dendritic Rodlike Molecules via Side-Chain Engineering.

Dendritic molecules with a fanlike or conelike conformation are common molecular building blocks to construct supramolecular columnar or spherical phases. Although it is well-accepted that the preferred molecular conformation of dendritic molecules dictates their packing schemes, manipulation of this crucial parameter usually requires significant changes in molecular structures and tedious synthetic efforts. Herein, we report a simple yet highly efficient strategy to tune the molecular conformation of dendritic rodlike molecules by adjusting the length of alkyl side chains tethered to the rods.

Ultralight Iontronic Triboelectric Mechanoreceptor with High Specific Outputs for Epidermal Electronics.

The pursuit to mimic skin exteroceptive ability has motivated the endeavors for epidermal artificial mechanoreceptors. Artificial mechanoreceptors are required to be highly sensitive to capture imperceptible skin deformations and preferably to be self-powered, breathable, lightweight and deformable to satisfy the prolonged wearing demands. It is still struggling to achieve these traits in single device, as it remains difficult to minimize device architecture without sacrificing the sensitivity or stability.

A Retrospective Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Endoscopic Radiofrequency Therapy Under Direct Vision in 59 Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease from 2 Centers in Beijing, China Using the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND This retrospective study from 2 centers in Beijing, China aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of endoscopic radiofrequency therapy under direct vision in 59 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) using the gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire (GerdQ). MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-nine GERD patients who underwent endoscopic radiofrequency treatment were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups: the endoscopic radiofrequency therapy under direct vision group and the non-direct vision radiofrequency therapy group.

Electricity Generation and Self-Powered Sensing Enabled by Dynamic Electric Double Layer at Hydrogel-Dielectric Elastomer Interfaces.

The electric double layer (EDL) at liquid-solid interfaces is fundamental to many research areas ranging from electrochemistry and microfluidics to colloidal chemistry. Here, we demonstrate the electricity generation by mechanically modulating the EDL at the hydrogel-dielectric polymer interfaces. It is found that contact electrification between the hydrogel and the dielectric polymer could charge the dielectric polymer surface at first; the mechanical deformation of the pyramid-shaped hydrogel results in the periodic variation of the EDL area and capacitance, which then induces an alternative current in the external circuits.

Sesamin attenuates PM-induced cardiovascular injury by inhibiting ferroptosis in rats.

: This study aimed to elucidate the pharmacological effects of sesamin (Ses) and its mechanism of action towards PM-induced cardiovascular injuries. : Forty Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups: a saline control group; a PM exposure group; and low-, middle-, and high-dose Ses pretreatment groups. The SD rats were pretreated with different concentrations of Ses for 21 days.

Triboelectric-optical responsive cholesteric liquid crystals for self-powered smart window, E-paper display and optical switch.

Intelligent responsive devices are crucial for a variety of applications ranging from smart electronics to robotics. Electro-responsive cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) have been widely applied in display panels, smart windows, and so on. In this work, we realize the mechanical stimuli-triggered optical responses of the CLC by integrating it with a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which converts the mechanical motion into alternating current electricity and then tunes the different optical responses of the CLC.