Interconnecting EDOT-Based Polymers with Native Lignin toward Enhanced Charge Storage in Conductive Wood.

The 3D micro- and nanostructure of wood has extensively been employed as a template for cost-effective and renewable electronic technologies. However, other electroactive components, in particular native lignin, have been overlooked due to the absence of an approach that allows access of the lignin through the cell wall. In this study, we introduce an approach that focuses on establishing conjugated-polymer-based electrical connections at various length scales within the wood structure, aiming to leverage the charge storage capacity of native lignin in wood-based energy storage electrodes.

Accelerating ab initio melting property calculations with machine learning: application to the high entropy alloy TaVCrW.

Melting properties are critical for designing novel materials, especially for discovering high-performance, high-melting refractory materials. Experimental measurements of these properties are extremely challenging due to their high melting temperatures. Complementary theoretical predictions are, therefore, indispensable.

Changes in short-term variation of antenatal cardiotocography to identify intraamniotic infection: a historical cohort study.

Introduction: Intraamniotic infection (IAI) is one of the main possible complications of preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) and can lead to severe consequences for the neonate, such as early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS). Available diagnostic tools for IAI have poor diagnostic performance, which may result in both over- and underdiagnoses of IAI. In a search for better diagnostic tools, we have examined short-term variation (STV) in fetal heart rate.

Deposit pickers in the Nordic: The role of deposit-refund systems for waste pickers in Stockholm.

This article examines a specific subtype of informal waste picking: deposit picking. Despite its global prevalence, waste picking has neither been extensively studied in the Nordic countries nor in the context of a deposit-refund system. Through interviews and text analyses of waste pickers in Stockholm, Sweden, similarities and differences between deposit picking and traditional waste picking are uncovered.

Aging enacted in practice: How unloved objects thrive in the shadows of care.

In this paper, we explore the seeming stability of aging. More precisely, we offer an empirical account of how aging - images of aging, embodiments of aging, feelings about aging - is enacted in company practice, both in place and across time. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at SMCare, a small-to-medium sized company active in the care technology sector, we show how aging achieves its stability not through practices that are characterized by affection, or purposefully targeted at maintaining or caring for aging, but due to ongoing re-enactments in the shadows of other care practices.

Stitched textile-based microfluidics for wearable devices.

Thread-based microfluidics, which rely on capillary forces in threads for liquid flow, are a promising alternative to conventional microfluidics, as they can be easily integrated into wearable textile-based biosensors. We present here advanced textile-based microfluidic devices fabricated by machine stitching, using only commercially available textiles. We stitch a polyester "Coolmax®" yarn with enhanced wicking abilities into both hydrophobic fabric and hydrophobically treated stretchable fabric, that serve as non-wicking substrates.

Demonstration of a Validated Direct Current Wearable Device for Monitoring Sweat Rate in Sports.

Sweat rate magnitude is a desired outcome for any wearable sensing patch dedicated to sweat analysis. Indeed, sweat rate values can be used two-fold: self-diagnosis of dehydration and correction/normalization of other physiological metrics, such as Borg scale, VO2, and different chemical species concentrations. Herein, a reliable sweat rate belt device for sweat rate monitoring was developed.

Identifying Hub Genes and Metabolic Pathways in Collagen VI-Related Dystrophies: A Roadmap to Therapeutic Intervention.

Collagen VI-related dystrophies (COL6RD) are a group of rare muscle disorders caused by mutations in specific genes responsible for type VI collagen production. It affects muscles, joints, and connective tissues, leading to weakness, joint problems, and structural issues. Currently, there is no effective treatment for COL6RD; its management typically addresses symptoms and complications.

Spatial transcriptomics reveals substantial heterogeneity in triple-negative breast cancer with potential clinical implications.

While triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is known to be heterogeneous at the genomic and transcriptomic levels, spatial information on tumor organization and cell composition is still lacking. Here, we investigate TNBC tumor architecture including its microenvironment using spatial transcriptomics on a series of 92 patients. We perform an in-depth characterization of tumor and stroma organization and composition using an integrative approach combining histomorphological and spatial transcriptomics.

Path-dependencies in the transition to sustainable biowaste valorization: Lessons from a socio-technical analysis of Sweden and Greece.

Achieving sustainable biowaste management is a key challenge for cities worldwide. In this context, biowaste valorization is an indispensable option for managing unavoidable biowaste and reducing the associated methane emissions. Several innovations that enable biowaste valorization are technologically mature.

Effects of Ring Opening and Chemical Modification on the Properties of Dry and Moist Cellulose─Predictions with Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Thermoplastic properties in cellulosic materials can be achieved by opening the glucose rings in cellulose and introducing new functional groups. Using molecular dynamics, we simulated amorphous cellulose and eight modified versions under dry and moist conditions. Modifications included ring openings and functionalization with hydroxy, aldehyde, hydroxylamine, and carboxyl groups.

Infant skull fractures align with the direction of bone mineralization.

The geometry and mechanical properties of infant skull bones differ significantly from those of adults. Over the past decades, debates surrounding whether fractures in infants come from deliberate abuse or accidents have generated significant impacts in both legal and societal contexts. However, the etiology of infant skull fractures remains unclear, which motivates this study with two main components of work.

A multiband NIR upconversion core-shell design for enhanced light harvesting of silicon solar cells.

Exploring lanthanide light upconversion (UC) has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the near-infrared (NIR) responsive region of silicon solar cells (SSCs). However, its practical application under normal sunlight conditions has been hindered by the narrow NIR excitation bandwidth and the low UC efficiency of conventional materials. Here, we report the design of an efficient multiband UC system based on Ln/Yb-doped core-shell upconversion nanoparticles (Ln/Yb-UCNPs, Ln= Ho, Er, Tm).

A new modeling approach for microplastic drag and settling velocity.

Understanding microplastics' (MPs') transport and settling behaviors in aquatic environments is crucial for devising effective management strategies. This study contributes a novel modeling framework to develop accurate and interpretable drag and velocity models for MPs using machine learning techniques. It achieves faster model creation and improved accuracy than traditional methods like theoretical analysis and data fitting.

Flipping a switch on BRD4: How to control the do-it-all.

In this issue, Devaiah et al. identify JNK-catalyzed phosphorylation to convert bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) from a chromatin regulator to a transcription activator.

Deep learning estimation of proton stopping power with photon-counting computed tomography: a virtual study.

Purpose: Proton radiation therapy may achieve precise dose delivery to the tumor while sparing non-cancerous surrounding tissue, owing to the distinct Bragg peaks of protons. Aligning the high-dose region with the tumor requires accurate estimates of the proton stopping power ratio (SPR) of patient tissues, commonly derived from computed tomography (CT) image data. Photon-counting detectors for CT have demonstrated advantages over their energy-integrating counterparts, such as improved quantitative imaging, higher spatial resolution, and filtering of electronic noise.

A PERTURBATION CELL ATLAS OF HUMAN INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS.

Towards comprehensively investigating the genotype-phenotype relationships governing the human pluripotent stem cell state, we generated an expressed genome-scale CRISPRi Perturbation Cell Atlas in KOLF2.1J human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) mapping transcriptional and fitness phenotypes associated with 11,739 targeted genes. Using the transcriptional phenotypes, we created a minimum distortion embedding map of the pluripotent state, demonstrating rich recapitulation of protein complexes, such as strong co-clustering of MRPL, BAF, SAGA, and Ragulator family members.

Candidate serum protein biomarkers for active pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis in tuberculosis endemic settings.

Background: Identification of non-sputum diagnostic markers for tuberculosis (TB) is urgently needed. This exploratory study aimed to discover potential serum protein biomarkers for the diagnosis of active pulmonary TB (PTB).

Method: We employed Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) to measure levels of 92 protein biomarkers related to inflammation in serum samples from three patient groups: 30 patients with active PTB, 29 patients with other respiratory diseases with latent TB (ORD with LTBI+), and 29 patients with other respiratory diseases without latent TB (ORD with LTBI-).

X-ray-Induced Molecular Catapult: Ultrafast Dynamics Driven by Lightweight Linkages.

In our work, we demonstrate that X-ray photons can initiate a "molecular catapult" effect, leading to the dissociation of chemical bonds and the formation of heavy fragments within just a few femtoseconds. We reconstruct the momenta of fragments from a three-body dissociation in bromochloromethane using the ion pair average (IPA) reference frame, demonstrating how light atomic groups, such as alkylene and alkanylene, can govern nuclear dynamics during the dissociation process, akin to projectiles released by a catapult. Supported by calculations, this work highlights the crucial role of low-reduced-mass vibrational modes in driving ultrafast chemical processes.