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In this paper, multiresponsive actuators based on asymmetric design of graphene-conjugated poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) gradient films have been developed by a simple drop casting method. The biomimetic actuation is attributed to the hygroscopic expansion property of PEDOT:PSS and the gradient distribution of graphene sheets within the film, which resembles the hierarchical swelling tissues of some plants in nature. Graphene-conjugated PEDOT:PSS (GCP) actuators exhibit reversible bending behavior under multistimuli such as moisture, organic vapor, electrothermal, and photothermal heating. Noticeably, the bending curvature reaches 2.15 cm–1under applied voltage as low as 1.5 V owing to the high electrical conductivity of GCP actuator. To mimic the motions of nyctinastic plants, a GCP artificial flower that spreads its petals under sunlight illumination has been fabricated. GCP actuators have been also demonstrated as intelligent light-controlled switches for light-emitting diodes and smart curtains for thermal management. Not only do the GCP gradient films exhibit potential applications in flexible electronics and energy harvesting/storage devices but also the facile fabrication of multiresponsive GCP actuators may shed light on the development of soft robotics, artificial muscles, wearable electronics, and smart sensors.

Lately in Nature Communications, Liu and co-workers reported that the record-breaking 19.06% power conversion efficiency of all-polymer solar cells is obtained to adopt hierarchical morphology, establishing surface winkle pattern on blended thin films.

Owing to their high sensitivity, surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensors depict broad application prospects in biochemical detection, environmental monitoring, and food safety. In this paper, an optical fiber-based SPR sensor is proposed and demonstrated for the refractive index (RI) detection of liquid samples. This sensor is composed of a multimode fiber (MMF), a no-core fiber (NCF), and another MMF that is connected in sequence. The length of the NCF is 2 cm. A thin silver film is deposited on the NCF surface to stimulate the SPR effect. Experimental results indicated that the shift amount of resonance dip wavelength is as high as 303.6 nm as RI increases from 1.333 to 1.4107. A sensitivity of 2507.58 nm/RIU with a fitting linearity R^2 of 0.9931 is obtained in the lower RI region of 1.333–1.3723, while the sensitivity and R^2 reaches 5228.21 nm/RIU and 0.97395, respectively, in the higher RI region of 1.3723–1.4107. Compared with previously reported RI sensors, the proposed fiber optic SPR sensor exhibits the advantages of simple structure, small volume, low cost, high sensitivity, and wide detection range.

Clofazimine, a lipophilic (log P= 7.66) riminophenazine antibiotic approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a good safety record, was recently identified as a lead hit for cryptosporidiosis through a high-throughput phenotypic screen. Cryptosporidiosis requires fast-acting treatment as it leads to severe symptoms which, if untreated, result in morbidity for infants and small children. Consequently, a fast-releasing oral formulation of clofazimine in a water-dispersible form for pediatric administration is highly desirable. In this work, clofazimine nanoparticles were prepared with three surface stabilizers, hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS), lecithin, and zein, using the flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) process. Drug encapsulation efficiencies of over 92% were achieved. Lyophilization and spray-drying were applied and optimized to produce redispersible nanoparticle powders. The release kinetics of these clofazimine nanoparticle powders in biorelevant media were measured and compared with those of crystalline clofazimine and the currently marketed formulation Lamprene. Remarkably improved dissolution rates and clofazimine supersaturation levels up to 90 times equilibrium solubility were observed with all clofazimine nanoparticles tested. Differential scanning calorimetry indicated a reduction of crystallinity of clofazimine in nanoparticles. These results strongly suggest that the new clofazimine nanoparticles prepared with affordable materials in this low-cost nanoparticle formulation process can be used as viable cryptosporidiosis therapeutics.

The microbial fermentation of food has emerged as an efficient means to eliminate pesticide residues in agricultural products; however, the specific degradation characteristics and mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, a Gram-positive bacterium, Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticusD-21, isolated from fermented Pixian Douban samples exhibited the capability to degrade 45 mg/L of cyfluthrin with an efficiency of 90.37%. Product analysis unveiled a novel cyfluthrin degradation pathway, involving the removal of the cyanide group and ammoniation of the ester bond into an amide. Whole genome analysis discovered the enzymes linked to cyfluthrin degradation, including nitrilase, esterase, carbon–nitrogen ligases, and enzymes associated with aromatic degradation. Additionally, metabolome analysis identified 140 benzenoids distributed across various aromatic metabolic pathways, further substantiating D-21’s catabolic capability toward aromatics. This study underscores the exceptional pyrethroid degradation prowess of A. aneurinilyticusD-21, positioning it as a promising candidate for the biotreatment of pesticide residues in food systems.

The modified clear twin-block aligner (CTBA) was developed to provide a mandibular advancement appliance for the treatment of mandibular retrognathia. The objective of this study was to analyse the stress distribution changes of CTBA with 45°, 60° and 70° bite blocks.

Economic loss of postharvest wheat under poor storage conditions due to fungal spoilage and mycotoxin contamination is severe. In order to study the influencing factors of the aggravation of mildew in natural wheat during storage, we assessed changes in Fusariummycotoxins by high performance liquid chromatography, changes in fungal communities by high-throughput sequencing, and changes in biochemical components in wheat stored under artificial simulation conditions. Deoxynivalenol was the dominant Fusariummycotoxin, reaching 1103 μg/kg at 25 °C with 75% relative humidity after 30 weeks. Under these conditions, Fusariumdominated the fungal communities, and Fusarium graminearumwas significantly negatively correlated with glutenin (p< 0.05). Low storage temperatures and low humidity result in lower levels of Fusariummycotoxins. Different fungi tended to consume different wheat components, and the interaction between environmental and biological factors eventually leads to the deterioration of wheat quality. These findings might provide valuable information for control strategies of mildew occurrence during grain storage.

Clofazimine, a drug previously used to treat leprosy, has recently been identified as a potential new drug for the treatment for cryptosporidiosis: a diarrheal disease that contributes to 500 000 infant deaths a year in developing countries. Rapid dissolution and local availability of the drug in the small intestine is considered key to the treatment of the infection. However, the commercially available clofazimine formulation (Lamprene) is not well-suited to pediatric use, and therefore reformulation of clofazimine is desirable. Development of clofazimine nanoparticles through the process of flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) has been previously shown to provide fast and improved drug dissolution rates compared to clofazimine crystals and Lamprene. In this study, we investigate the effects of milk-based formulations (as possible pediatric-friendly vehicles) on the in vitro solubilization of clofazimine formulated as either lecithin- or zein/casein-stabilized nanoparticles. Milk and infant formula were used as the lipid vehicles, and time-resolved synchrotron X-ray scattering was used to monitor the presence of crystalline clofazimine in suspension during in vitro lipolysis under intestinal conditions. The study confirmed faster dissolution of clofazimine from all the FNP formulations after the digestion of infant formula was initiated, and a reduced quantity of fat was required to achieve similar levels of drug solubilization compared to the reference drug material and the commercial formulation. These attributes highlight not only the potential benefits of the FNP approach to prepare drug particles but also the fact that enhanced dissolution rates can be complemented by considering the amount of co-administered fat in lipid-based formulations to drive the solubilization of poorly soluble drugs.

Abstract:In Chinese VO (verb-object) phrases, 2+1 (disyllabic + monosyllabic) is ill formed when other length patterns are available, such as 2+1 zhongzhi suan vs. the well-formed 2+2 zhongzhi dasuan 'plant garlic'. However, 2+1 VO is acceptable when alternative length patterns are unavailable, such as jieyue shui 'save water' and xihuan qian 'love money'. The conditional acceptance of 2+1 VO is known as the 'last resort' effect. However, the predicted judgment difference has not been demonstrated experimentally. In addition, it is unclear whether native speakers find the last resort 2+1 to be as good as 2+2. Moreover, it is unclear what other factors may affect native judgment. To address the questions, we conducted a judgment experiment. Our study shows that (i) 2+2 VO is ranked the best, (ii) 2+1 is ranked the worst when a better form is available, and (iii) the last resort 2+1 is ranked between (i) and (ii). The result (iii) indicates a persistent effect of prosody, even for the last resort 2+1. In addition, we found a collocation effect between V and O. Moreover, we found considerable variation among the subjects, in that some subjects consistently gave higher scores than others, and for some expressions, there is a high degree of disagreement among subjects, which suggests that personal perspectives may play a role.Abstract:

The physiological and morphological changes during pregnancy could lead to changes in characteristics of the ground reaction forces (GRFs) in the stance phase of gait. Sixteen healthy pregnant women during the second and third trimester and post-partum were recruited. A force plate was used to measure the GRFs, and spatiotemporal parameters of gait were analysed through three-dimensional motion system. The results showed that the stride length and velocity decreased during the third trimester compared with post-partum. The vertical and anterior-posterior components of GRFs were obviously higher in the third trimester than post-partum. This study shows that pregnant females make adjustments in loading character to keep balance during pregnancy.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is widely used as a plasticizer in plastic food packaging and has attracted extensive attention due to its residual hazards and ability to accumulate. Microbial degradation is a very effective way to remove DBP from a polluted environment. In this study, Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphilaBDBP 071, a strain that efficiently degraded DBP was isolated from tomato rhizosphere soil. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the degradation mechanism of DBP by S. acidaminiphilastrain BDBP 071, whole genome sequencing of this strain was performed. The results showed that the genome size of BDBP 071 was 3.87 Mb, the G + C content was 69.43%, and the number of predicted coding sequences was 3484. Based on whole genome sequencing, the metabolic pathway related to DBP biotransformation was obtained, and key genes were subsequently verified by a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to infer the degradation pathway of DBP. It was preliminarily predicted that the relative expression of monoester hydrolase of EstB3 is increased in this strain. This study provides a scientific basis for applying S. acidaminiphilaBDBP 071 in environmental pollution bioremediation, as well as a rich resource for DBP biodegradation genes.

In this work, we observed size-dependent behavior of filler on both the thermal and electrical conductivities of nacre-like graphene-conjugated conducting polymer films and demonstrated the display of apparent Wiedemann–Franz law and tunability of Lorenz constant in such films. The maximum thermal and electrical conductivities of as-fabricated films can reach over 73 W·m–1·K–1and 1200 S·cm–1, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum value of electromagnetic interference shielding reaches 54 dB with SSE/tover 16000 dB·cm2·g–1. These films can not only show high-quality electromagnetic interference shielding performance with small thickness and low filler ratio but also achieve simultaneous thermal management during electromagnetic shielding. The findings in this work offer new insight into designing flexible graphene-conjugated polymers with customizable thermal and electrical properties in the broad fields of thermal management systems, electromagnetic defense systems, and flexible electronic systems.

This report presents nanoparticles composed of a liquid gallium core with a reduced graphene oxide (RGO) shell (Ga@RGO) of tunable thickness. The particles are produced by a simple, one-pot nanoprobe sonication method. The high near-infrared absorption of RGO results in a photothermal energy conversion of light to heat of 42.4%. This efficient photothermal conversion, combined with the large intrinsic thermal expansion coefficient of liquid gallium, allows the particles to be used for photoacoustic imaging, that is, conversion of light into vibrations that are useful for imaging. The Ga@RGO results in fivefold and twofold enhancement in photoacoustic signals compared with bare gallium nanoparticles and gold nanorods (a commonly used photoacoustic contrast agent), respectively. A theoretical model further reveals the intrinsic factors that affect the photothermal and photoacoustic performance of Ga@RGO. These core–shell Ga@RGO nanoparticles not only can serve as photoacoustic imaging contrast agents but also pave a new way to rationally design liquid metal-based nanomaterials with specific multi-functionality for biomedical applications.

A series of starburst oligomers (T1–T3) that contained a fully diarylmethene‐bridged triphenylamine core and oligofluorene arms were designed and synthesized through Suzuki cross‐coupling reactions. Their thermal, photophysical, and electrochemical properties were also investigated. These materials showed high glass transition, in the range of 123–129 °C, and good film‐forming abilities. They displayed deep‐blue emission both in solution and as thin films. Solution‐processed devices based on these oligomers exhibited highly efficient deep‐blue electroluminescence and the device performances were significantly enhanced with the extension of the oligofluorene arms. The double‐layered device that contained T3 as an emitter showed a maximum current efficiency of 3.83 cd A−1and a maximum external quantum efficiency of 4.19 % with CIE coordinates of (0.16, 0.09), which are among the highest values for undoped deep‐blue OLEDs that are based on solution‐processable starburst oligomers.

ABSTRACTAntibiotic resistance and recurrence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), a polymicrobial infection, justify the need for novel antimicrobials to counteract microbial resistance to conventional antibiotics. Previously, two series of cationic amphiphiles (CAms) which self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures with membrane-lytic properties were designed with hydrophilic head groups and nonpolar domains. The combination of CAms and commonly prescribed antibiotics is suggested as a promising strategy for targeting microorganisms that are resistant to conventional antibiotics. Activities of the CAms against Gardnerella vaginalisATCC 14018, a representative BV pathogen, ranged from 1.1 to 24.4 μM. Interestingly, the tested healthy Lactobacillusspecies, especially Lactobacillus plantarumATCC 39268, were significantly more tolerant of CAms than the selected pathogens. In addition, CAms prevented biofilm formation at concentrations which did not influence the normal growth ability of G. vaginalisATCC 14018. Furthermore, the biofilm minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC-Bs) of CAms against G. vaginalisATCC 14018 ranged from 58.8 to 425.6 μM, while much higher concentrations (≥850 μM) were required to produce ≥3-log reductions in the number of biofilm-associated lactobacilli. The conventional antibiotic metronidazole synergized strongly with all tested CAms against planktonic cells and biofilms of G. vaginalisATCC 14018. The synergism between CAms and the tested conventional antibiotic may be considered a new, effective, and beneficial method of controlling biofilm-associated bacterial vaginosis.

In Chinese VO (verb-object) phrases, 2+1 (disyllabic + monosyllabic) is ill formed when other length patterns are available, such as 2+1 *种植蒜 zhongzhi suan vs. the well-formed 2+2种植大蒜 zhongzhi dasuan ‘plant garlic’. However, 2+1 VO is acceptable when alternative length patterns are unavailable, such as 节约水 jieyue shui ‘save water’ and 喜欢钱 xihuan qian ‘love money’. The conditional acceptance of 2+1 VO is known as the ‘last resort’ effect. However, the predicted judgment difference has not been demonstrated experimentally. In addition, it is unclear whether native speakers find the last resort 2+1 to be as good as 2+2. Moreover, it is unclear what other factors may affect native judgment. To address the questions, we conducted a judgment experiment. Our study shows that (i) 2+2 VO is ranked the best, (ii) 2+1 is ranked the worst when a better form is available, and (iii) the last resort 2+1 is ranked between (i) and (ii). The result (iii) indicates a persistent effect of prosody, even for the last resort 2+1. In addition, we found a collocation effect between V and O. Moreover, we found considerable variation among the subjects, in that some subjects consistently gave higher scores than others, and for some expressions, there is a high degree of disagreement among subjects, which suggests that personal perspectives may play a role.