Advances and applications of dynamic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for single molecule studies.

Dynamic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is nowadays one of the most interesting applications of SERS, in particular for single molecule studies. In fact, it enables the study of real-time processes at the molecular level. This review summarizes the latest developments in dynamic SERS techniques and their applications, focusing on new instrumentation, data analysis methods, temporal resolution and sensitivity improvements, and novel substrates.

Strain-tunable optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of 2D GaN/MoSiP heterobilayers: potential optoelectronic/photocatalytic materials.

Herein, we propose a new GaN/MoSiP van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructure constructed by vertically stacking GaN and MoSiP monolayers. Its electronic, optical, and photocatalytic properties are explored DFT++BSE calculations. The calculated binding energy and phonon spectrum demonstrated the material's high stabilities.

An all-vanadium-based lithium-ion full battery with hierarchical yolk-shell structure electrodes.

An all-vanadium-based lithium-ion full battery is successfully assembled with hierarchical micro-nano yolk-shell structures VO and VO as the cathode and anode, which were obtained through a facile solvothermal method with heat treatment under different atmospheres. When used as the cathode of the lithium-ion battery, the hierarchical micro-nano yolk-shell VO demonstrated higher capacities than bulk VO, commercial LiFePO, and LiNiCoMnO cathodes at various current densities. The all-vanadium-based lithium-ion full battery shows good cycle performance at 0.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Semen Associated with Repeated Measures of Semen Quality in Healthy Adult Men.

Although epidemiological studies have explored the association between poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations and semen quality, existing findings are often inconsistent. Our work aimed to explore the association of PFAS in plasma and semen with repeated measures of semen quality parameters in healthy adults. Plasma was collected at the initial recruitment and semen was collected at least once within five predetermined intervals during an approximately 3-month period.

Hypoglycemic effect of -pMTL007-GLP-1 engineered probiotics on type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia. Recently, the incidence of diabetes has increased exponentially, and it is estimated to become the seventh leading cause of global mortality by 2030. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone derived from the intestine, has been demonstrated to exert remarkable hypoglycemic effects.

SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 regulate host m6A modification via activation of the mTORC1 signaling pathway to facilitate viral replication.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent post-transcriptional modification in eukaryotic RNA and is also present in various viral RNAs, where it plays a crucial role in regulating the viral life cycle. However, the molecular mechanisms through which viruses regulate host RNA m6A methylation are not fully understood. In this study, we reveal that SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 infection enhance host m6A modification by activating the mTORC1 signaling pathway.

The epidemiology and gene mutation characteristics of pyrazinamide-resistant clinical isolates in Southern China.

This study investigates the epidemic trend of pyrazinamide (PZA)-resistant tuberculosis in Southern China over 11 years (2012-2022) and evaluates the mutation characteristics of PZA resistance-related genes ( and ) in clinical () isolates. To fulfil these goals, we analyzed the phenotypic PZA resistance characteristics of 14,927 clinical isolates for which Bactec MGIT 960 PZA drug susceptibility testing (DST) results were available, revealing that 2,054 (13.76%) isolates were resistant to PZA.

An mpox quadrivalent mRNA vaccine elicits sustained and protective immunity in mice against lethal vaccinia virus challenge.

Assessing the long-term efficacy of MPXV vaccine candidates is crucial for the global response to the ongoing mpox epidemic. Built upon our previous study of the mpox quadrivalent mRNA vaccine, herein we reported that MPXV-1103 could elicit sustained humoral and cellular immunity in mice, including the induction of MPXV A35/B6/A29/M1-specific IgG antibodies, VACV neutralizing antibodies and activated cytotoxic CD8T cells, which provides 100% protection against lethal VACV challenge even at 280 days after the first vaccination. Our results provide critical insights for orthopoxvirus vaccine development.

Controlling crystal planes of biomass-derived carbon based Mo2C NPs and the electrochemical performance.

The electrochemical property of Mo2C nanoparticles (NPs) depends on the structure and crystal planes. Herein, Mo2C nanoparticles were prepared and dispersed on carbon nanosheets by the construction of a biomass-derived carbon precursor, and the exposed dual crystal planes were also controlled by optimal conditions. The structure, compositions, and morphology of the carbon-based Mo2C were characterized, and the Mo2C NPs were well dispersed on the carbon nanosheets.

Endohedral vs exohedral boron in C60: Bonding nature and impact on hot-electron relaxation dynamics.

Endohedral and exohedral fullerenes have both been employed as electron acceptors in polymer solar cells (PSCs). However, their differences in hot-electron relaxation dynamics remain unclear. Previous studies have shown that the location of a single atom, whether inside or outside the fullerene cage, results in significant differences in charge distribution.

Accurate DFT simulation of complex functional materials: Synergistic enhancements achieved by SCAN meta-GGA.

Complex functional materials are characterized by intricate and competing bond orders, making them an excellent platform for evaluating the newly developed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) density functional. In this study, we explore the effectiveness of SCAN in simulating the electronic properties of displacive ferroelectrics (BaTiO3 and PbTiO3) and magnetoelectric multiferroics (BiFeO3 and YMnO3), which encompass a broad spectrum of bonding characteristics. Due to a significant reduction in self-interaction error, SCAN manifests its improvements over the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) method in three aspects: SCAN predicts more accurate ionicity, produces more compact orbitals, and better captures d-orbital anisotropy.

Tunable phase behaviors of diblock copolyelectrolytes under alternating electric fields: A coarse-grained molecular dynamics study.

Diblock copolyelectrolytes have significant potential in applications such as solid-state single-ion conductors, but precisely controlling their nanostructures for efficient ion transport remains a challenge. In this study, we explore the phase behavior and microphase transitions of AX BY-type diblock copolyelectrolytes under alternating electric fields using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. We systematically investigate the effects of various electric field features, including unipolar and bipolar square-waves, as well as offset and non-offset sine-waves, focusing on how field strength and period influence the self-assembling morphology of the copolyelectrolytes.

Trajectory analysis of anomalous dynamics in optical lattice.

We apply the trajectory formulation to analyze the anomalous dynamics of cold atoms in an optical lattice. The phase space probability density function of cold atoms, their dynamics, and the mechanism of dynamic evolution from an initial Gaussian distribution to a power-law distribution are analyzed. The results of the trajectory formulation are in good agreement with the previously reported experimental results for the exponent of position variance for a long time and the position-momentum correlation.

Amorphous-dominated MgO hollow spheres enhanced fluoride adsorption: Mechanism analysis and machine learning prediction.

Amorphous-dominated magnesium oxide hollow spheres (A-MgO) were prepared using a spray-drying method in this study. These hollow spheres exhibited excellent sphericity, large specific surface areas, and abundant porosity. A-MgO exhibited outstanding fluoride adsorption properties, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 260.

High-throughput computational screening of auxetic two-dimensional metal dichalcogenides and dihalides.

Auxetic materials hold tremendous potential for many advanced applications, but candidates are quite scarce, especially at two dimensions. Here, we focus on two-dimensional (2D) metal dichalcogenides and dihalides with the chemical formula MX2 by screening structures sharing the P4̄m2 space group among 330 MX2 compounds from the computational 2D materials database. Via high-throughput first-principles computations, 25 stable MX2 (M = Mg, Ca, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, Cd, Sn; X = F, Cl, Br, I, O, S, Se) systems with in-plane negative Poisson's ratios (NPRs) are successfully identified.

Initiator-Free Thiol-Aldehyde Photo Polycondensation.

Traditional photopolymerizations generally requires an initiator for initiating the polymerization while few cases have created degradable chemical bonds. Moreover, the migration instability and cytotoxicity of photo initiators are posing issues to human health and the environment. In this work, we discovered an initiator-free photo polycondensation system (IFPPC) between polymercaptans and aldehyde monomers, producing high strength plastic materials with exchangeable and degradable dithioacetal groups.

Epitaxial Stabilization of a Pyrochlore Interface between Weyl Semimetal and Spin Ice.

Pyrochlore materials are known for their exotic magnetic and topological phases arising from complex interactions among electron correlations, band topology, and geometric frustration. Interfaces between different pyrochlore crystals characterized by complex many-body ground states hold immense potential for novel interfacial phenomena due to the strong interactions between these phases. However, the realization of such interfaces has been severely hindered by limitations in material synthesis methods.

A Surrogate BSL2-compliant Infection Model Recapitulating Key Aspects of Human Marburg Virus Disease.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe infectious disease characterized by fever and profound hemorrhage caused by the Marburg virus (MARV), with a mortality rate reaching 90%, posing a significant threat to humans. MARV lies in its classification as a biosafety level four (BSL-4) pathogen, which demands stringent experimental conditions and substantial funding. Therefore, accessible and practical animal models are urgently needed to advance prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for MARV.

An Integrated, Portable, and Automatic Digital Detection System for Hepatitis B Virus Using Hybrid Magnetic System.

The rapid, precise, and automated diagnosis of infectious diseases is crucial for effective disease management and control. Herein, the integrated portable and automatic digital detection system (IPADS), a novel diagnostic platform for nucleic acid detection is introduced. The device employs the hybrid magnetic system (HMS), which uses an electromagnet and a movable permanent magnet to modulate the magnetic field and control bead movement, increasing nucleic acid extraction efficiency to over 80%, while simplifying the traditional labor-intensive process and enabling quick, low-risk sample processing.

Lignin Tandem Catalytic Transformation to Phenolic Aryl Acrylic Esters as Plant Growth Regulators.

Based on the concept "Derived from Agroforestry, belong to (Servicing) Agroforestry", we herein achieved the tandem catalytic transformation of lignin to phenolic aryl acrylic esters, which can work as plant growth regulators. The transformation involves the first catalytic oxidative fractionation (COF) of lignin into aromatic aldehydes, which can further undergo Knoevenagel condensation with acids/esters with active Cα-H to generate the phenolic aryl acrylic esters. For the first lignin transformation, the Cu salt (CuSO4) in a 7.

"Cation-Recognition" Effect of 2D Nanochannels in Graphene Oxide Membranes Intercalated with Ionic Liquid for High Desalination Performance.

Water and ion transport in nanochannels is crucial for membrane-based technology in biological systems. 2D materials, especially graphene oxide (GO), the most frequently used as the starting material, are ideal building blocks for developing synthetic membranes. However, the selective exclusion of small ions while maintaining in a pressured filtration process remains a challenge for GO membranes.

Unveiling the Oxidation Mechanisms of High-entropy Carbides Through Atomic-scale Dynamic Observation.

Understanding the behavior of high-entropy carbides (HECs) under oxygen-containing environments is of particular importance for their promising applications in structural components, catalysis, and energy-related fields. Herein, the structural evolution of (Ta, Ti, Cr, Nb)C (HEC-1) nanoparticles (NPs) is tracked in situ during the oxidation at the atomic scale by using an open-cell environmental aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. Three key stages are clearly discerned during the oxidation of HEC-1 NPs at the atomic level below 900 °C: i) increased amorphization of HEC-1 NPs from 300 to 500 °C due to the energetically favorable formation of carbon vacancies and substitution of carbon with oxygen atoms; ii) nucleation and subsequent growth of locally ordered nanocluster intermediates within the generated amorphous oxides from 500 to 800 °C; and iii) final one-step crystallization of non-equimolar MeO and MeO (Me = metallic elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, and Nb) high-entropy oxides above 800 °C, accompanied with the reduction in atomic defects.

Targeted Nanoprobes Enabled Precision Theranostics in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a highly aggressive and prognostically unfavorable subtype of breast cancer, characterized by the absence of common hormone receptors, which renders conventional therapies largely ineffective. This review comprehensively examines the molecular and clinical characteristics of TNBC, underscoring the substantial challenges inherent in its treatment and the innovative potential of targeted nanoprobes in advancing both diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms. Through the modification of targeting molecules, nanoprobes can deliver therapeutic agents highly specific to TNBC cells, thus significantly improving the sensitivity of diagnostic modalities and the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

Evaluation of the Mechanical and Biological Properties of Polycaprolactone Scaffolds Produced by a Material Extrusion 3D Printer or 3D Pen: A Novel Bone Repair Strategy.

Addressing the high cost and long cycle associated with the multistep digital restoration process involving 3D printing technology, we proposed the 3D pen as an innovative strategy for rapid bone repair. Capitalizing on the low melting point characteristic of polycaprolactone (PCL), we introduced, for the first time, the novel concept of directly constructing scaffolds at bone defect sites using 3D pens. In this in vitro study, we meticulously evaluated both the mechanical and biological properties of 3D pen-printed PCL scaffolds with six distinct textures: unidirectional (UNI) (0°, 45°, 90°), bidirectional (BID) (-45°/45°, 0°/90°), and concentric (CON).

Galvanic Cell-Stimulated Mesenchymal Stem Cell Mesh for Enhanced Pelvic Organ Prolapse Treatment.

Implantation of a mesh loaded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a common approach for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The mesh provides effective support to pelvic floor, enhancing muscle contraction of pelvic organs while reducing inflammation. In this study, a fully degradable mesh is designed for the treatment of POP, utilizing MSCs stimulated by a galvanic battery-powered electric field.