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This paper introduces a nested sinusoidal re-entrant (NSR) metamaterial characterized by tunable complete bandgaps (CBGs) and dynamic responsiveness in thermal-mechanical dual fields. NSR comprises shape memory polymer and features a sinusoidal modification with nested re-entrant hexagonal and star-shape re-entrant structure. Dynamic response of NSR is studied using the representative volume element method, specifically focusing on the effective modulus and Poisson's ratio and CBGs under varying average strains. The findings indicate that both the mechanical properties and CBGs exhibit dynamic responses to mechanical field, demonstrating interrelation between mechanical adjustments and functional performance. Moreover, the study examines how temperature fluctuations influence the NSR's elastic modulus, thereby altering its CBGs. Hence, manipulating both compression and temperature variations presents a viable approach to control and adjust the CBGs of NSR effectively. These results are validated by computations of the frequency response function under various average strains. Overall, this design presents a promising approach for developing mechanical metamaterials with tunable functionality.

Bacterial blight (BB), which is caused by Xanthomonas oryzaepv. oryzae(Xoo), is one of the most important rice diseases in Asian countries. Developing resistant rice hybrids and cultivars is the most effective and economical strategy for controlling bacterial disease. In this study, a novel dominant gene Xa39, which confers broad-spectrum resistance for BB, was introgressed into two rice restorer lines H6X6 and H6X11 by a marker-assisted introgression breeding approach, combined with artificial inoculation with five Xooand rigorous phenotypic selections. Finally, the two restorer lines H6X6-Xa39and H6X11-Xa39carrying a broader spectrum of BB resistance were developed. H6X6-Xa39, H6X11-Xa39, and their hybrid combinations with three sterile lines exhibited the same level of resistance as that of resistant donor FF329. The newly developed BB-resistant restorers and their derived hybrids with sterile lines were mostly identical to their respective original versions for agronomic traits, suggesting considerable value of the Xa39gene in breeding BB resistance for genetic improvement of hybrid rice. Our results provide important reference information for the utilization of the Xa39gene in rice breeding program.

Herein, a label-free fluorescent signal amplification system based on a catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) is reported. In this system, two hairpin probes, H1 and H2, were well-designed in which G-quadruplex sequences were integrated into H2. The CHA reaction was triggered by target/trigger DNA and G-quadruplex sequences were released, which can bind the fluorescent amyloid dye thioflavin T (ThT) to provide fluorescence signals. At the same time, target/trigger DNA was released from the product of the CHA reaction (H1–H2), which continued to initiate the next CHA cycle, and the signal was eventually amplified. This signal amplification approach has been successfully used to develop a label-free fluorescent sensing platform for sensitive detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA and Pb2+.

Silicon (Si) has been considered as the most potential anode material for next-generation high-energy density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its extremely high theoretical capacity. However, the performance deterioration caused by volume change and low electrical conductivity of active Si particles greatly limit its commercial use. Here, we designed a nonstoichiometric TiOx-coated Si anode with a litchi-like structure, in which Si–Ti and Si–O dual bonds are expected to form between the Si core and TiOxshell. This unique structure plays a major role in preventing the volume expansion and improving the electrical conductivity of the Si anode. The as-prepared TiOx-coated Si anode could exhibit excellent cycling stability after 1000 cycles at 1000 mA g–1with a relatively small capacity decay rate of ∼0.04% per cycle, which can be comparable to most of the modified Si anodes in references. This strategy of surface regulating on the Si anode could be extended to other electrodes with large volume expansion during cycling in LIBs for achieving competitive electrochemical properties.

Developmental biology studies using model organisms suggest that the emergence of spatial patterning in the ectoderm is mediated by the morphogen gradients. However, it is still unclear whether the morphogen gradient is necessary and dominates the cell spatial patterning, particularly in human genetic background. Here, we demonstrate that human pluripotent stem cells can self-organize to concentric rings of all major cell types in ectoderm when cultured on micropatterned surfaces in a chemically defined condition. We reveal that modulating the dynamics of NODAL, BMP, and WNT signals is sufficient to control the spatial order of different cell types. Our mathematical model suggests that changes in wavelength and phase of signaling patterns formed via reaction-diffusion may be the mechanism by which temporal information is translated into spatial information. Together, our work demonstrates that in vitrohuman ectoderm microtissues have great potential in understanding the mechanisms of early-stage human development.

Lithium metal batteries are being explored in meeting ever-increasing energy density needs. Because of serious dendritic lithium issues in liquid-state electrolytes, it is generally thought that solid-state electrolytes are potential alternatives for lithium metal batteries. Herein, we design a new single lithium-ion conducting lithium poly[(cyano)(4-styrenesulfonyl)imide] (LiPCSI) to replace the conventional dual-ion conducting salt for use in solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) that successfully suppress the growth of lithium dendrites. Owing to highly delocalized anion moiety and oxidation-resistant cyano group, the tailored PEO8–LiPCSI SPE exhibits extremely high Li+transference number (0.84) as well as oxidation potential (5.53 V vs Li+/Li). The symmetric Li/PEO8–LiPCSI/Li cell runs for 1000 h at 60 °C without a short circuit. The rechargeable solid-state Li/PEO8–LiPCSI/LiFePO4cell discharges a capacity of 141 mAh g–1with retention over 85% during 80 cycles. These merits enable the proposed PEO8–LiPCSI SPE to be very promising for solid-state lithium metal battery applications.

The hybrid P3/P2-structured Na0.5Ni0.3Mn0.7O2as a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) demonstrates high initial discharge capacity. However, the existence of an unstable P3 phase leads to a fast capacity fade that is adverse to engineering applications. Herein, the introduction of inactive magnesium to partially replace electrochemically active nickel of Na0.5Ni0.3Mn0.7O2is proposed to reinforce the structural stability of the material. It is found that magnesium incorporation can suppress the growth of the P3 phase, and proper substitution of magnesium for nickel can even harvest pure P2 phase material. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals that the prepared Na0.5Ni0.2Mg0.1Mn0.7O2(Mg-0.1) is a structure-stable P2-type material. The fabricated Na0.5Ni0.2Mg0.1Mn0.7O2SIB cathode exhibits acceptable initial discharge capacity, tunable rate capability, and satisfactory cycling stability. These superior electrochemical properties account for low electrochemical resistances, fast Na+diffusion kinetics, and the extremely stable structure of the P2-Na0.5Ni0.2Mg0.1Mn0.7O2material, which are revealed by means of electrochemical impedance spectra and ex situ XRD technologies.

The biohybrid cantilevers have been recently reported for high-throughput measurement of muscle contractility. In previous works, mechanical models were used to predict the contractile stress from the cantilever bending curvature. To derive those models, the cantilever bending process was considered as quasi-static and the viscous force was neglected. To ascertain the effect of the viscous force on the prediction of the muscle contractility in biohybrid cantilever-based experiments, we extend the modified Stoney’s equation to a dynamic model that takes into account both the viscous force and the inertia force. Parametric studies show that, because the viscous force hinders the movement of the cantilever, use of static models result in a system error between the calculated and true contractile stresses. When using static models, the diastolic stress will be over-estimated while the peak systolic stress will be under-estimated. The present work suggests that dynamic models can be used in biohybrid cantilever assays to calculate the muscle contractility with higher accuracy, or can be used to optimize the experimental parameters such that the error due to the use of static models is minimized.

Hydrolyzed leather proteins have been used illegally by some dairy industries in dairy products to increase the protein content in the last few years. As a specific amino acid in collagen, the detection of l-hydroxyproline (l-Hyp) can be used to indicate whether the hydrolyzed leather proteins are added to dairy products or not. A sensitive capillary electrophoretic method with in-capillary optical fiber light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection (ICOF-LED-IFD-CE) was developed for the determination of l-Hyp and further for identification of hydrolyzed leather proteins in dairy products. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labelled l-Hyp (FITC-Hyp) was detected in a background electrolyte of 20 mM sodium borate at pH 9.4 and an applied voltage of 17 kV in less than 8 min. The limit of detection (LOD) for FITC-Hyp was 0.61 nM at the signal to noise ratio (S/N) of 3. The intraday precision (n= 6) of migration time and peak area was 2.65% and 1.97%, while the interday precision (n= 6) of migration time and peak area was 1.54% and 2.36%, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was judged by standard addition method, spectrophotometry method and commercial LIF-CE, and the results indicated that the proposed method was reliable. The ICOF-LED-IFD-CE method was successfully applied to determine l-Hyp in dairy products.

The recycling of hazardous municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) is drawing more attention, in which the alkali-activation technique may provide great potential to make full use of it as sustainable acoustic materials. The present work evaluated the applicability of alkali-activated MSWIFA-based materials (AAFMs) as porous acoustic barriers. The chemical composition and microtomography of the as-prepared AAFMs were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. With the incorporation of MSWIFA and foaming agents, the dry bulk density and porosity of AAFMs were subsequently examined. Moreover, the compressibility and leachability of AAFMs were also investigated to evaluate their mechanical performance and environmental safety as construction materials. A sound absorption test was eventually conducted to explore the sound absorption performance of AAFMs, considering the main factors such as aluminum addition, MSWIFA dosage, and sample thickness. The results verified the good chemical stability, leachability, and sound absorption performance of porous AAFMs. Specifically, it indicated that the aforementioned factors have a boosting effect on forming highly porous structures that improve sound absorption performance, namely sound absorption coefficient and noise reduction coefficient.

Biomedical research has relied on animal studies and conventional cell cultures for decades. Recently, microphysiological systems (MPS), also known as organs-on-chips, that recapitulate the structure and function of native tissues in vitro, have emerged as a promising alternative. However, current MPS typically lack integrated sensors and their fabrication requires multi-step lithographic processes. Here, we introduce a facile route for fabricating a new class of instrumented cardiac microphysiological devices via multimaterial three-dimensional (3D) printing. Specifically, we designed six functional inks, based on piezo-resistive, high-conductance, and biocompatible soft materials that enable integration of soft strain gauge sensors within micro-architectures that guide the self-assembly of physio-mimetic laminar cardiac tissues. We validated that these embedded sensors provide non-invasive, electronic readouts of tissue contractile stresses inside cell incubator environments. We further applied these devices to study drug responses, as well as the contractile development of human stem cell-derived laminar cardiac tissues over four weeks.

The disposal of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) has become a prominent issue due to high environmental risks. In this study, as a potential aluminosilicate precursor, MSWIFA was further alkali-activated as a sustainable construction material in the form of an alkali-activated MSWIFA-based material (AAFM), with a low leaching level of heavy metals. Various 3D-printed polymeric lattices were designed and inserted into the AAFM to promote its inherent brittleness. A special coating was also considered to enhance the alkali resistance of the PEGT lattices. Through a flexural tension test with a 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC) technique, the failure patterns and strain distributions of the 3D-printed polymeric lattice-enhanced MSWIFA-based composites were tracked. These polymeric lattice-containing composites indicated the promotion of mechanical performance, i.e., higher flexural strengths and good ductility. The 3D polymeric lattice-enhanced MSWIFA-based composites showed application prospects as sustainable construction materials, gaining both environmental benefits and good mechanical performance.

A promising strategy for trace analysis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in natural water was established based on solid substrate room temperature phosphorimetry. The use of TiO2/SiO2composite material as a phosphor for H2O2detection was investigated. TiO2/SiO2nanoparticle material was manufactured into a test kit for synchronous multilevel sampling test in the water sample reservoir. The proposed TiO2/SiO2test kit displayed a wide linear response to H2O2concentrations ranging from 1.0 × 10 6 to 1.0 × 10−1M with a detection limit of 4.6 × 10−7M. When the concentration of other species was 100 times of 1.0 × 10−4M H2O2, the proposed test kit exhibited good selectivity toward the coexistence of 20 foreign ions. Satisfactory agreement between the proposed kit and spectrophotometric method was obtained, which demonstrated the possibility of its further development into a promising commercial phosphorescence sensor.

In the present work, we described the facile hydrothermal fabrication of Mn2O3nanoparticle-assembled hierarchical hollow spheres and their application for the electrochemical determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The composition and morphology of the as-prepared samples were well characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Because of the electrochemical responses toward H2O2, a novel nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor for the H2O2determination based on Mn2O3hollow spheres modified glassy carbon electrode was proposed. The electrochemical properties of the modified electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometry. The modified electrode displayed distinct amperometric response to H2O2in a wide concentration range 0.10–1276.5 μM, with a linear range of 0.10–126.5 μM and a detection limit of 0.07 μM (S/N= 3). It exhibited excellent analytical performance in terms of long-time stability, good reproducibility and acceptable anti-interference ability. In addition, it was applied for the H2O2determination in real samples directly with acceptable accuracy and recovery, demonstrating its potential application in routine H2O2analysis.

A 3D-nanonet structured cobalt-basic-carbonate precursor has been obtained by a facile, low cost and eco-friendly route under ambient temperature and pressure. After calcination in air, the as-prepared precursor was converted to a 3D-nanonet hollow structured Co3O4with its original frame structure almost preserved. Encouragingly, by alternating experimental parameters (Table S1 in the Supporting Information), such as concentration of the starting reagents and calcination temperature, we got the optimized condition for the final product with desirable electrochemical performance (Figure S1 in the Supporting Information). The pseudocapacitive properties of the obtained Co3O4were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 6.0 M KOH solution. At different scan rates of 5, 10, 20, and 30 mV s–1, the corresponding specific capacitances were 820, 755, 693, and 656 F g–1, respectively. The material also exhibited superior charge–discharge stability and maintained 90.2% of its initial capacitance after 1000 continuous charge–discharge cycles at a current density of 5 A g–1. From a broad view, our research and the outstanding results not only present a feasible access to nanostructured Co3O4but also remind us of paying more attention to the simple synthetic methods without complex processes and sophisticated instruments.

Tumor cells secrete factors that stimulate the migration of peripheral blood leukocytes and enhance tumor progression by affecting angiogenesis. In these studies, we investigated the effect of morphine, a known immunosuppressant, on leukocyte migration and recruitment to conditioned media derived from long-term cultures of mouse Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Our results indicate that morphine treatment reduced the migration and recruitment of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes into Matrigel plugs and polyvinyl alcohol sponges containing conditioned media derived from long-term cultures of mouse Lewis lung carcinoma cells when compared with placebo. A reciprocal increase in peripheral blood leukocytes was observed at the time of plug or sponge removal in morphine-treated mice. Decreased angiogenesis was observed in conditioned media derived from long-term cultures of mouse Lewis lung carcinoma cells Matrigel plugs taken from morphine-treated wild-type mice when compared with placebo but was abolished in morphine-treated µ-opioid receptor knockout mice. In addition, in vitrostudies using trans-well and electric cell substrate impedance sensing system studies reveal for the first time morphine's inhibitory effects on leukocyte migration and their ability to transmigrate across an activated endothelial monolayer. Taken together, these studies indicate that morphine treatment can potentially decrease leukocyte transendothelial migration and reduce angiogenesis associated with tumor growth. The use of morphine for cancer pain management may be beneficial through its effects on angiogenesis.

Binary metal oxides with three-dimensional (3D) superstructure have been regarded as desirable electrode materials for the supercapacitor due to the combination of the improved electrical conductivity and effective porous structure. 3D hierarchical flower-shaped nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4) microspheres have been fabricated by a rapid and template-free microwave-assisted heating (MAH) reflux approach followed by pyrolysis of the as-prepared precursors. The flower-shaped NiCo2O4microspheres, composed of ultrathin nanopetals with thickness of about 15 nm, are endowed with large specific surface area (148.5 m2g–1) and a narrow pore size distribution (5–10 nm). The as-fabricated porous flower-shaped NiCo2O4microspheres as electrode materials for supercapacitor exhibited high specific capacitance of 1006 F g–1at 1 A g–1, enhanced rate capability, and excellent electrochemical stability with 93.2% retention after 1000 continuous charge–discharge (CD) cycles even at a high current density of 8 A g–1. The desirable integrated performance enables it to be a promising electrode material for the electrochemical supercapacitor (EC).

We report on a non-enzymatic glucose sensor that was fabricated by growing CuO–Ag2O nanoparticles on a AgCuZn alloy substrate. The electrode material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose can be performed at a potential of 0.45 V where the sensor exhibits a sensitivity as high as 3130 μA cm−2mM−1. It also shows a wide and linear response, a fast amperometric response, a dynamic range from 0.4 μM to 3.0 mM, a detection limit of 98 nM (at S/N= 3) and a good selectivity. In addition, the function of each component in the alloy is also explained in this work. Furthermore, this non-enzymatic glucose sensor provides a significant degree of accuracy when tested on real samples.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted significant attention due to their low toxicity, biocompatibility and potential applications, particularly in the field of biomedical imaging. However, the major drawback limiting the application of CQDs is their relatively low quantum yield (QY). For further study and applications of CQDs, this class of carbon nanomaterials requires separation and purification. In this paper, we report a general method to separate CQDs obtained using resorcinol (m-C6H6O2) as the carbon precursor on a C18 column through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The separation of CQDs was achieved by binary gradient elution using acetonitrile–water and acetonitrile–methanol as the mobile phases and acetonitrile plays an important role in the separation of CQDs. The resolution of some peaks improved when the flow rate was increased; however, the separation of certain other peaks worsened, almost disappearing at higher flow rates. The characterization of the collected fractions revealed that the oxygen-containing functional groups on the CQDs are crucial when separating the CQDs through this method. Our method is feasible and the collected purified CQDs have QY as high as 0.72.

An efficient and environmentally‐friendly synthesis of aryl ketones through the electrochemical catalytic hydrocarbonylation of arylacetylene is demonstrated. The reaction conditions are mild without transition metal catalysts, extra oxidants, or strong acids involved. By using Selectfluor as the additive, this electrochemical transformation exhibits good functional‐group tolerance. The aryl ketone product is obtained with up to 90% isolated yield in the mixed electrolytes of acetonitrile and water. This method may open a new window for the green synthesis of aryl ketones from arylacetylenes. An efficient electrochemical hydrocarbonylationof arylacetylenes is demonstrated, producing the corresponding aryl ketones with good efficiency. With the help of Selectfluor as an additive, this process exhibits satisfactory functional‐group tolerance with up to 90% isolated yields. The reaction conditions are mild without the use of transition metal catalysts, extra oxidants, or strong acids. This method may provide a new strategy for the environmentally‐friendly synthesis of aryl ketones from arylacetylenes.

Optically clear adhesives (OCAs) are widely used as bonding materials in display industries. Accurate characterizations on the mechanical behaviors of OCAs are fundamental inputs in bending stress analysis of foldable displays for the optimal design purpose. Yet only a few works have studied the mechanical behaviors of OCAs. No network-based visco-hyperelastic constitutive model has ever been developed or applied to OCAs. In this work, we propose a visco-hyperelastic constitutive model based on the microscopic structure of polymer networks to characterize the mechanical behaviors of OCAs under different loading conditions. The model considers that the OCA consists of crosslinked networks and free chains, both of which are under topological constraints induced by entanglements. The hyperelastic response comes from the crosslinked networks, while the viscoelastic response originates from the free chains. We test the OCAs produced by 3M by loading them to large deformations with different loading rates. Results show that our model can well capture the visco-hyperelastic mechanical behaviors under these conditions. In addition, we program our constitutive model into ABAQUS UMAT and use two case studies to show the application of our model in finite element simulations.

A nitrite (NO2−) sensor has been fabricated by immobilizing cytochrome c (Cyt c) on a graphene/gold nanoparticle-chitosan (Gra/Au NPs–Chit) modified glass carbon electrode (GCE). Graphene/gold nanoparticles (Gra/Au NPs) nanocomposite was prepared by dispersing graphene in an aqueous solution of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate and followed by NaBH4reduction. An aliquot of Gra/Au NPs in a 0.50 wt% chitosan solution was drop-coated on the surface of a GCE to form a Gra/Au NPs–Chit/GCE which was subsequently adsorbed with Cyt c. The Cyt c–Gra/Au NPs–Chit/GCE shows a quasi-reversible cyclic voltammetric redox couple at a formal potential of −0.037 V (vs.SCE) in 0.10 M pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution, suggesting that Gra/Au NPs–Chit film offers a biocompatible microenvironment for the Cyt c. It was found that the Cyt c–Gra/Au NPs–Chit sensor displays good electrocatalytic activity for NO2−oxidation at a relatively low working potential. The sensor possesses a linear response range of 10.0–420.0 μM NO2−with a correlation coefficient of 0.9989 and a sensitivity of 110.0 μA mM−1. The limit of detection is determined as 2.46 μM NO2−based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The proposed sensor has been applied successfully to the determination of NO2−in spiked and real water samples.

Enhanced indirect fluorescence detection with in-column optical-fiber LED-induced fluorescence (LED-IF) detection has been developed for the simultaneous separation and determination of p-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol and trinitrophenol. The instrumental set-up is simple, cost-effective and the detection method is stable. Different experimental parameters have been studied. The optimum conditions were determined as: running buffer (pH 9.1) composed of 10 mM borate, 80 mM sodium dodecylsulfate and 0.18 µM fluorescein (as a background reagent); applied voltage of 15 kV; working temperature of 25.0°C. The limits of detection (S/N= 3) were 11, 18 and 16 µM for p-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol and trinitrophenol, respectively. The nitrophenols were completely separated in 13 min and the number of theoretical plates for p-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol and trinitrophenol were 8.1 × 106, 6.5 × 106and 8.4 × 106, respectively. The RSDs (n= 6) for the migration time and the peak area were better than 0.85 and 0.91%, respectively. Our proposed method possesses the advantages of rapidness and good separation efficiency.

Abstract: The amazing ability of living cells in achieving strict and robust control of their membrane morphologies and functions over different length scales leads to the concept that membrane domains, such as lipid rafts, are the basic organization units of cellular membranes. Yet fundamental understanding of the membrane-mediated inter-domain interaction still remains incomplete. In the present work, we probe inter-domain interactions by performing coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations using a highly coarse-grained implicit-solvent fluid membrane model. Our simulations show that the membrane-mediated inter-domain interaction remains repulsive for the contact angle as large as close to 90°. The repulsive interaction force between curved domains increases with the domain curvature and hinders the further domain coalescence. Our findings have broad implications to various biological phenomena such as lipid raft formation, viral budding, and targeted drug delivery.

A novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on natural clay and ionic liquid was fabricated. Tris(2,2′‐bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)32+) was immobilized on natural clay surface through simple adsorption. An ECL sensor was prepared by mixing Ru(bpy)32+‐incorporated clay, graphite powder and an ionic liquid (1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) as the binder. The electrochemical behavior and ECL of the immobilized Ru(bpy)32+was investigated. It was observed that the ECL of immobilized Ru(bpy)32+was activated by the ionic liquid. The proposed ECL sensor showed high sensitivity to tri‐n‐propylamine (TPrA) and the detection limit was found to be 20 pM. In addition, the ECL sensor displayed good stability for TPrA detection and long‐term storage stability.

Csp3–N coupling between aliphatic carboxylic acids and N-heterocycles via electrochemical decarboxylation is reported. Various N-alkylation products are successfully obtained in moderate to good yields in the presence of CF3SO2Na at a constant current in CH3CN under ambient conditions. With the help of the Co(OAc)2·4H2O catalyst, this electrochemical synthesis exhibits satisfying functional-group tolerance for both primary and secondary carboxylic acids that has not been applicable in previous works.

One of the earliest genes identified with stem and early progenitor cells is the RNA-binding protein, Musashi1 (Msi1). Through gene profiling of mammary epithelial cells transduced with Msi1, a unique autocrine signaling pathway was identified that activates both the Wnt and Notch pathways 1. This process was associated with increased secretion of the growth factor, PLF1 and inhibition of the secreted Wnt pathway inhibitor, DKK3. Identification of PLF1 as an effector of these pathways in the absence of the DKK3 tumor suppressor provides a new avenue for investigating differences between normal and malignant tissues, and potentially targeting tumor stem cells.

Titanium nitride was used as pH‐sensitive material to fabricate all solid‐state pH electrode. The fabrication and the response performance of the pH electrode were described in the paper. The TiN film electrode showed a linear response in the pH range of 2–12 with a near‐Nenstian response (−55 mV/pH). The response time was within 1 min, and the electrode had good reproducibility, stability and low sensitivities for different species. Compared with the glass pH electrode, the electrode exhibited some advantages, for example, without activation, rapid response and high mechanical strength. In addition, the electrode performed excellently in a corrosion medium containing F−(1 M). Electrochemical behaviors of TiN electrode in Britton‐Robinson buffers were studied with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS).

Cell migration is a fundamental biological process involved in many physiological and pathological processes. To understand how cell migration works at the whole cell level, biomechanical and biochemical models have been developed but were mainly independent of each other. In this work, we developed a mechanobiochemical model for cell migration at the whole-cell scale. In the model, mechanics of cytoskeleton contraction generates distributed forces for the cell to sense the mechanical properties of itself and its microenvironment. The mechanosensing is coupled with the signaling network of reaction–diffusion of biomolecules in the cell. The computational results show that the model can simulate cell polarization (head-to-tail formation) and shape-dependent localization of the protrusion signal. Furthermore, this dynamic model of cell migration can recapitulate durotaxis in siliconand simulate cellular morphogenesis.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (Ppard) activation has been implicated in regulating a multitude of biological processes in placental development. In this study, we employed the UPLC-ESI-TOFMS approach to investigate the metabolic traits in placenta from GW501516-treated mice at Embryonic Day 10.5. By analyzing the mass spectrum data, ions with the most significant differences between control and GW501516-treated groups were identified. Among these metabolites, the fatty acids, phospholipids, and sterol lipids were dramatically increased. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) showed that phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis and glycolysis were the top two altered metabolic pathways involved in carbohydrate metabolism, energy production, and lipid metabolism. Subsequent immunoblotting experiments provided evidence for positive correlation of PPARD level and AKT and ERK signaling pathways upon GW501516 treatment. Furthermore, the stimulation of GW501516 increased trophoblast cell fusion gene syncytin-A (Syna), but not syncytin-B (Synb), expression, suggesting a potential role of Ppardactivation in promoting cytotrophoblast differentiation. Our results reveal that Ppardactivation elicits dramatic changes of the metabolic activities in placenta, which is correlated to AKT and ERK signaling.

Neuronal apoptosis inhibitor proteins (NAIPs) are members of Nod-like receptor (NLR) protein family. Recent research demostrated that some NAIP genes were strongly associated with both innate immunity and many inflammatory diseases in humans. However, no similar phenomena have been reported in other mammals. Furthermore, some NAIP genes have undergone pseudogenization or have been lost during the evolution of some higher mammals. We therefore aimed to determine if functional divergence had occurred, and if natural selection had played an important role in the evolution of these genes. The results showed that NAIP genes have undergone pseudogenization and functional divergence, driven by positive selection. Positive selection has also influenced NAIP protein structure, resulting in further functional divergence.