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Protein-based adhesives have attracted substantial consideration due to their environmentally friendly advantages and the abundance of functional groups they possess. However, these adhesives suffered from poor properties, including poor bonding strength, low stability, and limited resistance to mildew, which hindered their widespread application in the wood processing sector. In this study, a straightforward and practical strategy for preparing keratin-based wood adhesives was presented. By incorporating hydrogen peroxide, the performance of the fabricated adhesives was significantly reinforced. The adhesion forces between wood substrates reached up to approximately 2.4 and 1.3 MPa under dry and wet conditions, respectively. All components used in the adhesive were derived from biomass and low cost. Furthermore, this keratin-based adhesive demonstrated excellent mildew resistance and bactericidal properties compared to other modified protein adhesives. Therefore, this study proposed an eco-friendly and effective approach to developing high-performance, multifunctional, and fully biobased protein adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states are exotic quantum many-body phases whose elementary charged excitations are anyons obeying fractional braiding statistics. While most FQH states are believed to have Abelian anyons, the Moore–Read type states with even denominators – appearing at half filling of a Landau level (LL) – are predicted to possess non-Abelian excitations with appealing potential in topological quantum computation. These states, however, depend sensitively on the orbital contents of the single-particle LL wavefunctions and the LL mixing. Here we report magnetotransport measurements on Bernal-stacked trilayer graphene, whose multiband structure facilitates interlaced LL mixing, which can be controlled by external magnetic and displacement fields. We observe robust FQH states including even-denominator ones at filling factors ν = − 9/2, − 3/2, 3/2 and 9/2. In addition, we fine-tune the LL mixing and crossings to drive quantum phase transitions of these half-filling states and neighbouring odd-denominator ones, exhibiting related emerging and waning behaviour. The fractional quantum Hall effect offers a potential platform to harness non-Abelian anyons. Here, the authors report fractional quantum Hall states in trilayer graphene and drive quantum phase transitions between neighbouring states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw strip burial in saline soil is an effective method for tideland reclamation in China, but optimal forms of straw strips for regulating soil water and salinity remain unclear. An indoor soil column test investigated the water and salt distribution in soil treated with four different straw forms under freshwater irrigation. The treatments included no straw layer (CK), straw stalks arranged longitudinally (T5), horizontally (T25), longitudinally combined horizontally in layers (T25+2.5), and randomly (T2.5). The results showed that compared to CK, T25, T5, and T25+2.5 significantly reduced the infiltration rate of irrigation water, leading to prolonged infiltration times. Wetting front curves under T5, T25+2.5, and T25 exhibited similar inverted "V" shapes, while CK and T2.5 showed fluctuating parallel lines. Water retention in the soil was higher under straw strip treatments (T5, T25, T25+2.5) and straw layer treatment (T2.5) compared to CK after 24 h of the first irrigation. T5 demonstrated the most effective salt removal, surpassing other treatments, with a desalination rate of 97.71%. Additionally, T5 had the highest salt leaching efficiency (SLE) in the 0–20 cm soil layer, recommending it as the optimal form for managing saline soils in crop production due to its simplicity and higher SLE. We found that buried straw strips reduced soil water infiltration rate and wetting front propulsion speed, increased soil water content and enhanced salt leaching efficiency in the saline soil. Our findings provide a basis for developing strategies that improve soil quality and irrigation efficiency, mitigate the effects of salinity on crop production, and ensure food security for a rapidly growing global population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the increasing need for green synthesis and environmental protection, the utilization of biological organism‐derived carbons as supports for noble‐metal electrocatalysts has garnered public interest. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which microorganisms generate nanometals has not been fully understood yet. In the present study, we used genetically engineered bacteria of Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 (∆SO4317, ∆SO4320, ∆SO0618 and ∆SO3745) to explore the effect of surface substances including biofilm‐associated protein (bpfA), protein secreted by type I secretion systems (TISS) and type II secretion systems (T2SS), and lipopolysaccharide in microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Results showed Pd/∆SO4317 (the catalyst prepared with the mutant ∆SO4317) shows better performance than other biocatalysts and commercial Pd/C, where the mass activity (MA) and specific activity (SA) of Pd/∆SO4317 are 3.1 and 2.1 times higher than those of commercial Pd/C, reaching 257.49 A g−1 and 6.85 A m−2 respectively. It has been found that the exceptional performance is attributed to the smallest particle size and the presence of abundant functional groups. Additionally, the absence of biofilms has been identified as a crucial factor in the formation of high‐quality bio‐Pd. Because the absence of biofilm can minimize metal agglomeration, resulting in uniform particle size dispersion. These findings provide valuable mechanical insights into the generation of biogenic metal nanoparticles and show potential industrial and environmental applications, especially in accelerating oxygen reduction reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karstification plays a crucial role in forming magnificent scenery, and storing oil, natural gas, mineral resources, and water. Through the inspiration of karstification, a hierarchical layered double hydroxide (LDH) with funnel-like and cave-like structures (called Karst-LDH) is formed by the dissolution of acrylic acid/water solution. Meanwhile, the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that Karst-LDH has complicated and interconnected internal pipe networks. The actual maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of Karst-LDH reaches 126.38 mg g−1 due to the unique structures, protonation, ligand exchange, ion exchange, and hydrogen bonding, which is over ten times that of general LDH with a regular hexagonal structure. The results of isotherms and thermodynamics also indicate that Karst-LDH conforms to more heterogeneous and multilayer adsorption with a higher entropy-driven process. Karst-LDH exhibits good selectivity for chloride and nitrate ions. The change in the frontier orbital interaction between phosphate and different LDHs is a significant reason for quick macropore transmission, mesopore interception, and finally, phosphate storage in Karst-LDH. This work provides an efficient way for the design and fabrication of high adsorption performance materials with unique karst-type structures, which can be used for multiple fields potentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights Magnetic elastomer composites are extending the field of soft robotics by integrating the flexibility of elastomers with the versatile performance of magnetic materials. In this work, a series of magnetic elastomers (BaCoxTixFe12–2xO19/PDMS) with tunable magnetic response have been successfully synthesized. In this composite, the magnetic component consists of Co‐Ti co‐doped barium hexaferrite (BaCoxTixFe12–2xO19, BCTF) nano powders, and the matrix is made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The coercivity (Hc) of BCTF can be reduced from 3950 Oe to 70 Oe, which bestow on the magnetic elastomer different magnetic response behavior. These magnetic elastomer composites obtained by blending have low Young's modulus, approximately 1.5 MPa. Furthermore, when applying the same external magnetic field, BaCo1.2Ti1.2Fe9.6O19/PDMS the magnetic deformation Angle can be as high as 60°. These magnetic elastomers exhibit different magnetic‐induced deformation owing to the adjustable permeability of the magnetic nanoparticles. This research significantly advances the design of applications with specific magnetic characteristics, such as sensors and transducers, thus opening new horizons for innovation in soft robotics and related fields. All elastomer composite exhibit a low modulus of approximately 1.5 MPa. These composites exhibit different magnetic response behaviors. This research provides a solution for the innovation of transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbes produce α-l-fucosidases critical for utilizing human milk oligosaccharides, mucosal and dietary glycans. Although gut Parabacteroides have garnered attention for their impact on host health and disease, their CAZymes remain poorly studied. CAZome analysis of eleven gut Parabacteroides type strains revealed their capacity to degrade mucin O-glycans. Their abundance of GH29 fucosidases caught our attention, and we predicted the functional profiles of 46 GH29 fucosidases using in silico approaches. Our findings showed diverse linkages specificities and species-specific distributions, with over half of GH29 enzymes functioning as α1,3/4 fucosidases, essential for acting on Lewis antigen epitopes of mucin O-glycans. We further enzymatically validated 4 novel GH29 sequences from poorly characterized groups. PgoldGH29A (cluster37 GH29BERT, GH29:75.1 CUPP) does not act on tested natural substrates. PgoldGH29B (cluster1 GH29BERT, GH29:84.1 CUPP) functions as a strict α1,3/4 fucosidase. PgoldGH29C (cluster14 GH29BERT, GH29:29.1 CUPP) displays unprecedented substrate specificity for α1,2/3/4 disaccharides. PgoldGH29D (cluster4 GH29BERT, GH29:6.2 CUPP) acts on α1,2/3/4/6 linkages similar to enzymes from GH29:6.1 CUPP but prefers disaccharides over trisaccharides. These results suggest that PgoldGH29B and PgoldGH29D can contribute to mucin O-glycan degradation via their α1,3/4 and α1,2 fucosidase activity, respectively, while the natural substrates of PgoldGH29A and PgoldGH29C may be irrelevant to host-glycans. These insights enhance our understanding of the ecological niches inhabited by gut Parabacteroides and may guide similar exploration in other intriguing gut microbial species., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

3-Acetylaconitine (AAC) is a commercially analgesic drug for arthritis, however, due to its narrow safety range, its clinical application is limited. The objective of the study was to investigate the combined effect of Cucumaria frondosa polysaccharide (CFP) and AAC in microneedles on knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The characterization of microneedles was conducted and a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced KOA was established to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity in this study. The inhibitory effects on cartilage degradation and synovial inflammation were determined by morphological observation of the knee joint, pathological and imaging results. The von Frey pain threshold and hind limb weight bearing test were used to evaluate the effect of microneedles on pain relief. The results showed that microneedles had the mechanical strength to penetrate the skin and dissolved well in the skin for drug delivery within 30 min after patch administration. Furthermore, AAC-MN and CFP-AAC-MN both played roles in relieving pain, reducing cartilage degeneration and inhibiting synovial inflammation in KOA. In summary, CFP combined with AAC loading into microneedles exhibited higher skin penetration and more advantages in inhibiting cartilage damage and inflammation compared to AAC alone., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors state that they have no potential competing financial interests or personal relationships with other people or organizations that might unduly influence their work in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Acute lung injury (ALI) is one of the most deadly and prevalent diseases in the intensive care unit. Ferroptosis and mitophagy are pathological mechanisms of ALI. Ferroptosis aggravates ALI, whereas mitophagy regulates ALI. Ferroptosis and mitophagy are both closely related to reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitophagy can regulate ferroptosis, but the specific relationship between ferroptosis and mitophagy is still unclear. This study summarizes previous research findings on ferroptosis and mitophagy, revealing their involvement in ALI. Examining the functions of mTOR and NLPR3 helps clarify the connection between ferroptosis and mitophagy in ALI, with the goal of establishing a theoretical foundation for potential therapeutic approaches in the future management of ALI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 Cheng et al.)

Excitons, pairs of electrons and holes, undergo a Bose-Einstein condensation at low temperatures. An important platform to study excitons is double-layer two-dimensional electron gases, with two parallel planes of electrons and holes separated by a thin insulating layer. Lowering this separation (d) strengthens the exciton binding energy, however, leads to the undesired interlayer tunneling, resulting in annihilation of excitons. Here, we report the observation of a sequences of robust exciton condensates (ECs) in double bilayer graphene twisted to ~ 10° with no insulating mid-layer. The large momentum mismatch between two graphene layers suppresses interlayer tunneling, reaching a d ~ 0.334 nm. Measuring the bulk and edge transport, we find incompressible states corresponding to ECs when both layers are in half-filled N = 0, 1 Landau levels (LLs). Theoretical calculations suggest that the low-energy charged excitation of ECs can be meron-antimeron or particle-hole pair, which relies on both LL index and carrier type. Our results establish a novel platform with extreme coupling strength for studying quantum bosonic phase., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Owing to the increasing need for green synthesis and environmental protection, the utilization of biological organism-derived carbons as supports for noble-metal electrocatalysts has garnered public interest. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which microorganisms generate nanometals has not been fully understood yet. In the present study, we used genetically engineered bacteria of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (∆SO4317, ∆SO4320, ∆SO0618 and ∆SO3745) to explore the effect of surface substances including biofilm-associated protein (bpfA), protein secreted by type I secretion systems (TISS) and type II secretion systems (T2SS), and lipopolysaccharide in microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Results showed Pd/∆SO4317 (the catalyst prepared with the mutant ∆SO4317) shows better performance than other biocatalysts and commercial Pd/C, where the mass activity (MA) and specific activity (SA) of Pd/∆SO4317 are 3.1 and 2.1 times higher than those of commercial Pd/C, reaching 257.49 A g -1 and 6.85 A m -2 respectively. It has been found that the exceptional performance is attributed to the smallest particle size and the presence of abundant functional groups. Additionally, the absence of biofilms has been identified as a crucial factor in the formation of high-quality bio-Pd. Because the absence of biofilm can minimize metal agglomeration, resulting in uniform particle size dispersion. These findings provide valuable mechanical insights into the generation of biogenic metal nanoparticles and show potential industrial and environmental applications, especially in accelerating oxygen reduction reactions., (© 2024 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Karstification plays a crucial role in forming magnificent scenery, and storing oil, natural gas, mineral resources, and water. Through the inspiration of karstification, a hierarchical layered double hydroxide (LDH) with funnel-like and cave-like structures (called Karst-LDH) is formed by the dissolution of acrylic acid/water solution. Meanwhile, the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that Karst-LDH has complicated and interconnected internal pipe networks. The actual maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of Karst-LDH reaches 126.38 mg g -1 due to the unique structures, protonation, ligand exchange, ion exchange, and hydrogen bonding, which is over ten times that of general LDH with a regular hexagonal structure. The results of isotherms and thermodynamics also indicate that Karst-LDH conforms to more heterogeneous and multilayer adsorption with a higher entropy-driven process. Karst-LDH exhibits good selectivity for chloride and nitrate ions. The change in the frontier orbital interaction between phosphate and different LDHs is a significant reason for quick macropore transmission, mesopore interception, and finally, phosphate storage in Karst-LDH. This work provides an efficient way for the design and fabrication of high adsorption performance materials with unique karst-type structures, which can be used for multiple fields potentially.