Smart Directional Liquid Manipulation on Curvature-Ratchet Surfaces.

Structured surfaces leverage interfacial energy for directional liquid manipulation without external power, showing tremendous potential in microfluidics, green energy and biomedical applications. While the interplay of interfacial energy between solid surfaces and liquids is crucial for liquid manipulation, a systematic understanding of how the balance in liquid-solid interfacial energy affects liquid behaviors remains lacking. Here, using the curvature-ratchet surface as a generic example, we reveal the complex directional liquid dynamics inherent in the subtle regulation of liquid-solid interfacial energy.

Targeted Conversion of Biomass into Primary Diamines via Carbon Shell-Confined Cobalt Nanoparticles.

Primary diamines are valuable yet challenging to synthesize due to issues such as product and intermediate condensation and catalyst poisoning. To address these problems, effective synthesis systems must be explored. Here, 2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan (BAMF), a biomass-derived primary diamine, is chosen as the model for constructing such a system.

Photoredox-Mediated Radical Addition/Cyclization To Construct Benzannulated 6,5-Spiroketal Glycosides.

We herein present a green and mild photoredox strategy for constructing a framework of benzannulated 6,5-spiroketal glycosides. This method employs various -arylacetylene glycosides and aryl ketone acids as the starting materials, facilitating the rapid and straightforward synthesis of 6,5-spiroketal glycosides with up to 92% yields under photoredox catalytic conditions. This efficient approach has the potential to significantly enhance the molecular library of carbohydrate-based pharmaceuticals.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Twin Growth Discordance: New Insights from a Twin Birth Cohort Study.

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been linked to adverse fetal growth and development. However, most evidence was generated based on the singleton pregnancy studies, whereas potential impact on twin fetuses remains largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the associations of prenatal PFAS exposure with the growth and developmental differences within twin pairs by investigating 162 twin newborns and their mothers and determining 19 PFASs in maternal serum during the first, second, and third trimesters and cord serum of twins.

Chemical upcycling of Ni from electroplating wastewater into a well-defined catalyst for electrooxidation of glycerol to formate.

Highly effective and efficient remediation of hazardous Ni waste from electroless electroplating wastewater remains a significant challenge. However, rather than regarding it as hazardous waste, Ni-electroplating wastewater can instead be considered a huge resource of Ni. Herein, we report a convenient hydrothermal strategy for upcycling Ni from nickel-electroplating wastewater into a carbon-doped Ni-P alloy (denoted as C/Ni-P) electrocatalyst for the oxidation of glycerol to formate.

Enhancing a Perovskite Solar Cell and Module by Suppressing Protonation through Chelating Agents.

Formamidinium-based perovskites (FA perovskites) often incorporate methylammonium chloride (MACl) to stabilize the α-FAPbI phase and prevent formation of the δ phase. However, MACl undergoes deprotonation and reacts with FA, leading to the generation of unstable byproducts that can cause component degradation and negatively impact the device performance. In this study, we introduce ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonic acid as a corrosion inhibitor, which effectively prevents the formation of these byproducts and stabilizes α-FAPbI.

Synchronously degradation of biogas slurry and decarbonization of biogas using microbial fuel cells.

Two-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) with biogas slurry (BS) of corn stover as the anode substrate and as the cathode substrate was investigated to solve the problem of the accumulation of wastewater generated from biogas plants and to achieve low-cost separation of CO from biogas. A simple two-compartment MFC was constructed using biocatalysis and inexpensive materials without expensive catalysts. The performance of MFC (X1-W, Y1-W, Z1-W) with different biogas solution concentrations as anode substrate and MFC (X2-C, Y2-C, Z2-C) with as biocathode were compared, respectively.

Tyramine-enzyme conjugate repeats for an interdigitated capacitance immunosensing array in the detection of neuroblastoma biomarker neuron-specific enolase.

Methods based on enzyme labelling strategies have been widely developed for capacitance immunoassays, but most suffer from low sensitivity and are unfavorable for routine use in the early stages of diagnostics. Herein, we designed a highly efficient capacitance immunosensing method for the low-abundance neuroblastoma biomarker neuron-specific enolase (NSE) using an interdigitated micro-comb electrode. Initially, monoclonal mouse anti-human NSE capture antibodies were immobilized on the interdigitated gold electrodes using bovine serum albumin.

Activating Redox Chemistry of Quinones for High Energy Density Aqueous Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Anode materials with high capacity and suitable redox potential are crucial for improving the energy density of aqueous sodium-ion batteries (ASIBs). And organic anode materials play a promising role due to their tunable electrochemical performance. However, the insufficient electroactive sites lead to a low capacity, hindering the elevation of energy density.

Insight into the molecular initiating event of mutagenic N-nitrosamines: a computational study on DNA alkylation by their diazonium ions.

N-Nitrosamines are a class of compounds that includes the potent mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of many of its members and is distributed widely throughout the human environment. DNA alkylation by their diazonium ions formed metabolically acts as a molecular initiating event (MIE) that links molecular chemistry to mutagenicity. However, the regiochemistry for diazonium ions reacting with DNA bases is still under debate.

Modelling and analysis of an epidemic model with awareness caused by deaths due to fear.

In this paper, we establish a compartmental model in which the transmission rate is associated with the fear of being infected by COVID-19. We provide a detailed analysis of the epidemic model and established results for the existence of a positively invariant set. The expression of the basic reproduction number is characterized.

Scalable Integration of High Sensitivity Strain Sensors Based on Silicon Nanowire Spring Array Directly Grown on Flexible Polyimide Films.

The growth and integration of position-controlled, morphology-programmable silicon nanowires (SiNWs), directly upon low-cost polymer substrates instead of postgrowth transferring, is attractive for developing advanced flexible sensors and logics. In this work, a low temperature growth of SiNWs at only 200 °C has been demonstrated, for the first time, upon flexible polyimide (PI) films, via a planar solid-liquid-solid (IPSLS) growth mechanism. The SiNWs with diameter of ∼146 nm can be grown into precise locations on PI as orderly array and with preferred elastic geometry.

Transdermal patch based on pressure-sensitive adhesive: the importance of adhesion for efficient drug delivery.

Introduction: Transdermal patches offer a unique advantage by providing extended therapeutic benefits while maintaining stable plasma drug concentration. The efficacy and safety of patches depend significantly on their ability to adhere to the skin, a feature influenced by various external and internal factors.

Areas Covered: The review primarily focuses on the fundamental aspects of adhesion in transdermal patches, including basic information about the skin, the underlying principles of adhesion, drug delivery, and adhesion characteristics of pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), adhesion issues, impact factors, strategies to improve patch adhesion, and relevant molecular mechanisms.

3D-Printed PCL/SrHA@DFO Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffold with Bone Regeneration and Vascularization Function.

The application of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed biological functional scaffold in the repair of bone defects is a promising strategy. In this study, strontium-containing hydroxyapatite (SrHA) powder was synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and then poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/HA and PCL/SrHA composite scaffolds were prepared by the high-temperature melt extrusion 3D printing technology. The basic physical and chemical properties, in vitro biological properties, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis abilities of the scaffold were studied.

The dynamics of CD4+ T cell proliferation and regulation.

We use mathematical modeling to study the proliferation dynamics of CD4+ T cells within an immune response. This proliferation is driven by the autocrine reaction of helper T cells and interleukin-2 (IL-2), and regulated by natural regulatory T cells (nTregs). Previous studies suggested that a fratricidal mechanism is necessary to eliminate helper T cells post-infection.

APT imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma signals an effective therapeutic response in advance of tumor shrinkage.

The aim of this study was to assess the utility of weighted amide proton transfer (APT) MRI in three different rodent models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). APT MRI was evaluated in models of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced HCC, N1S1 syngeneic orthotopic xenograft and human HepG2 ectopic xenograft. All models of HCC showed a higher APT signal over the surrounding normal tissues.

Analyzing the Linker Structure of PROTACs throughout the Induction Process: Computational Insights.

Linker structures are a crucial component of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and have traditionally been designed based on empirical methods, which presents significant challenges in the development of PROTACs. Current optimization strategies typically focus on reducing the number of rotatable bonds in the linker to limit conformational freedom. However, this approach overlooks the complexity of the target protein degradation process.

Centrosome protein TAX1BP mediates STING-dependent immune response and potentiates anti-PD-1 efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Centrosome aberrations are a common feature in human cancer cells. Our previous studies demonstrated that the centrosomal protein Tax1 binding protein 2 (TAX1BP2) inhibits centrosome overduplication and is underexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we report that Intratumoral TAX1BP2 promotes tumor lymphocyte infiltration and enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.

Chloroplast State Transitions Modulate Nuclear Genome Stability via Cytokinin Signaling in Arabidopsis.

Activities of the chloroplasts and nucleus are coordinated by retrograde signaling, which has crucial roles in plant development and environmental adaptation. However, the connection between chloroplast status and nuclear genome stability is not well understood. Chloroplast state transitions allow the plant to balance the absorption capacity of the photosystems in an environment in which the light quality was changing.

GEFormer: a Genomic Prediction Method of Genotype-Environment Interaction in Maize by Integrating Gating Mechanism MLP and Linear Attention Mechanism.

The integration of genotypic and environmental data can enhance the prediction accuracy of field traits of crops. The existing genomic prediction methods fail to consider the environmental factors and do not consider the real growing environment of crops, resulting in low genomic prediction accuracy. In this work, we propose a genotype-environment interaction genomic prediction method in maize, called GEFormer, based on integrating the gating mechanism MLP and linear attention mechanism.

The CRY1-COP1-HY5 axis mediates blue-light regulation of Arabidopsis thermotolerance.

High-temperature stress, also referred to as heat stress, often has detrimental effects on plant growth and development. Phytochromes have been implicated in regulating plant heat stress responses, but the role of blue-light receptors, such as cryptochromes, in plant blue light-dependent heat stress response has remained unclear. We found that the blue light receptor cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) negatively regulates heat stress tolerance (thermotolerance) in Arabidopsis.

Sjogren's Syndrome Complicated by Naso-Orbito-Cerebral Mucormycosis: A Case Report.

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction. Mucormycosis is a rare yet life-threatening opportunistic fungal infection caused by species, with a high mortality rate. In patients undergoing long-term immunosuppressive therapy or corticosteroid use, especially when compounded by conditions such as diabetes or hyperlipidemia, Mucor can become pathogenic.

Development and validation of an integrated model for the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis with portal vein thrombosis combined with endoscopic characters and blood biochemistry data: a retrospective propensity score matching (PSM) cohort study.

Background: Liver cirrhosis complicated by portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a fatal complication with no specific manifestations but often misdiagnosed, it crucially increases the mortality worldwide. This study aimed to identify risk factors and establish a predictive model for diagnosis of venous thrombosis clinical by routine blood tests and endoscopic characteristics.

Methods: Patients from Gansu Provincial Hospital from October 2019 to December 2023 were enrolled.

Combination of reverse shock index and simplified motor score as a strong discriminator of trauma outcomes.

Background: The reverse shock index multiplied by simplified motor score (rSI-sMS) is a novel and rapid measure for assessing injury severity in patients with trauma in prehospital settings; however, its discriminant ability requires further validation.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from trauma database of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital to compare the accuracy of the rSI-sMS with that of the shock index, modified shock index, reverse shock index multiplied by the Glasgow Coma Scale (rSI-GCS), and the reverse shock index multiplied by GCS motor subscale (rSI-GCSM) for discriminating in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, prolonged ICU stays ≥14 days, and prolonged hospital stays ≥30 days in patients with trauma.

Results: A total of 11,760 patients from the trauma database were included.