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Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) is sensitive to supra‐optimal temperature, which makes summer bentgrass decline (SBD) a main conundrum troubling turf manager. Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA‐6) is an artificial and bioactive plant growth regulator affecting tolerance to various abiotic stresses. It is commercially available for field application due to multiple advantages such as low cost, environmentally friendly compound, and sustainable effect. However, the positive effect and mechanism of DA‐6‐mediated heat tolerance in cool‐season grass species and SBD are not yet been explored. Objectives of the study were to screen the optimal dose of DA‐6 for improvement in thermotolerance and to investigate roles of DA‐6 in regulating photosynthesis, osmotic balance, and antioxidant homeostasis in two creeping bentgrass cultivars (heat‐tolerant 13 M and heat‐sensitive Seaside II) in controlled heat condition. Summer heat tolerance induced by the DA‐6 was further evaluated for 2 years under field conditions in a subtropical zone. Results demonstrated that the optimal dose of DA‐6 was screened as 0.1 mM based on analyses of chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency, and cell membrane stability under heat stress. Foliar application of DA‐6 significantly alleviated heat‐induced leaf senescence by improving photosynthetic performance, accumulation of sugars (sucrose, fructose, and glucose) for osmotic homeostasis, and total antioxidant capacity for reactive oxygen species scavenging in the two cultivars. A 2‐year field test was further carried out to demonstrate that turf quality of the two cultivars was significantly improved after being treated by foliar DA‐6 during hot summer months in 2020 and 2021. Current findings suggested that DA‐6‐mediated thermo‐resistant mechanism was associated with photosynthesis, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant in cool‐season grass species. Foliar application of DA‐6 could be a cheap, effective, and environmentally friendly strategy to alleviate SBD. Core Ideas: Foliar application of Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA‐6) could be a cheap, effective, and environmentally friendly strategy to alleviate summer bentgrass decline (SBD).DA‐6‐mediated thermo‐resistant mechanism was associated with photosynthesis, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant.The optimal dose of DA‐6 for thermotolerance of creeping bentgrass was screened as 0.1 mM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that occupy a significant role in biological processes as important regulators of intracellular homeostasis. First, we will discuss the biological genesis and functions of the miR‐302/367 cluster, including miR‐302a, miR‐302b, miR‐302c, miR‐302d, and miR‐367, as well as their roles in physiologically healthy tissues. The second section of this study reviews the progress of the miR‐302/367 cluster in the treatment of cancer, inflammation, and diseases associated with aging. This cluster's aberrant expression in cells and/or tissues exhibits similar or different effects in various diseases through molecular mechanisms such as proliferation, apoptosis, cycling, drug resistance, and invasion. This article also discusses the upstream and downstream regulatory networks of miR‐302/367 clusters and their related mechanisms. Particularly because studies on the upstream regulatory molecules of miR‐302/367 clusters, which include age‐related macular degeneration, myocardial infarction, and cancer, have become more prevalent in recent years. MiR‐302/367 cluster can be an important therapeutic target and the use of miRNAs in combination with other molecular markers may improve diagnostic or therapeutic capabilities, providing unique insights and a more dynamic view of various diseases. It is noted that miRNAs can be an important bio‐diagnostic target and offer a promising method for illness diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Significance statement: Eight microRNA precursors and five microRNA matrices are produced by the miR‐302/367 cluster, which is found on human chromosome 4. In addition to playing an important function in both health and disease, miR‐302/367 can affect how certain drugs for cancer work. The miR‐302/367 cluster's regulation mechanism is made up of an enormous number of components. An increasing body of research is being done on this network's targets, signaling pathways, and other associated molecular mechanisms. The bio‐diagnostic target activities of the miR‐302/367 cluster can be thoroughly investigated in the future to support clinical translation and raise the cluster's clinical utility. Our research uncovered some intriguing data that can offer pertinent hints for upcoming investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a warm‐season turfgrass, bermudagrass (Cynodon) is sensitive to low ambient temperature. The objectives of this study were to evaluate cold tolerance of a new variant Chuannong‐3 under field condition and to further elucidate metabolic and molecular bases of cold tolerance in the Chuannong‐3 as compared to triploid Tifdwarf (Cynodon transvaalensis × Cynodon dactylon) and tetraploid common bermudagrass 001 (C. dactylon). The Chuannong‐3 was identified as a triploid bermudagrass based on ploidy analysis. Chuannong‐3, Tifdwarf, or common bermudagrass 001 exhibited different tolerance to low temperature in field (Chuannong‐3 > common bermudagrass 001 > Tifdwarf). The Chuannong‐3 maintained significantly lower oxidative damage to cell membrane system, chlorophyll loss, and inhibition of photochemical efficiency as well as higher water‐soluble carbohydrate content than Tifdwarf or common bermudagrass 001 in winter of 2022 and 2021. Further study found that Chunanong‐3 exhibited the highest glucose, fructose, sucrose, raffinose content, raffinose synthase activity, and CdSPS1 expression as compared to Tifdwarf and common bermudagrass 001, which provided potential protection against chilling and freezing damages. Chilling and freezing stresses significantly up‐regulated ABA‐dependent (endogenous ABA level, CdABF1, CdDHN4, and CdLEA3) and ABA‐independent (CdWRKY2, CdCBF1, and CdCOR440) pathways in three bermudagrasses, but the most pronounced effects were detected in the Chuannong‐3. These findings indicated that Chuannong‐3 had better ability to acclimate to low temperature stress in relation to up‐regulation of sugar accumulation and metabolism, ABA signaling, and CBF‐COR pathway. This new variant Chuannong‐3 could be a valuable bermudagrass grown in temperate and transition zones. Core Ideas: New bermudagrass variant Chuannong‐3 has dwarf phenotype and strong cold tolerance.Chuannong‐3 is identified as a triploid bermudagrass based on ploidy analysis.Chuannong‐3, common bermudagrass 001, or Tifdwarf is classified as a cold‐tolerant, medium, or sensitive genotype.Chunanong‐3 exhibits strong tolerance to low temperature associated with enhanced sugar metabolism.Chunanong‐3 has strong cold tolerance related to up‐regulation of ABA and CBF pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies exist on homozygous myostatin gene mutant (MSTN−/−) pigs, especially on their reproductive ability. We have previously shown that semen quality of homozygous MSTN−/− boars is comparable to that of wild type (WT). However, no data exist on the reproductive ability of heterozygous MSTN gene mutant (MSTN+/−) sows. The present study highlights showed that the heterozygous MSTN+/− sows have delayed pubertal age than WT sows (255.80 ± 6.79 versus 191.10 ± 3.42, respectively). The number of services per pregnancy of heterozygous MSTN+/− sows is significantly higher than that of WT sows (3.33 ± 0.43 versus 1.60 ± 0.25, respectively). Moreover, although heterozygous MSTN+/− sows have natural reproduction ability, their litter size was significantly lower than that of WT sows (7.75 ± 0.44 versus 14.25 ± 0.60, respectively). Offsprings generated from heterozygous MSTN+/− sow and homozygous MSTN−/− boar were genotyped with the PCR and sequencing method to detect myostatin mutation and to identify whether the piglets are homozygous MSTN−/− or heterozygous MSTN+/−. The proportion of homozygous MSTN−/− piglets was significantly lower than that of heterozygous MSTN+/− piglets (2.50 ± 0.35 versus 5.25 ± 0.60, respectively). Furthermore, none of the sows presented dystocia, and the phenotype of heterozygous MSTN+/− piglets was normal. However, 10% homozygous MSTN−/− piglets died of dyspnoea within 2 hr after birth, 60% of homozygous MSTN−/− piglets showed large tongues, and 50% had umbilical hernias. In summary, this study for the first time reports the reproduction traits of heterozygous MSTN+/− sows crossbred with homozygous MSTN−/− boars. This study will pave the way in a new direction for the breeding and development of super lean meat varieties in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrier mobility (weighted mobility more specifically) of thermoelectrics fundamentally determines its power factor, representing a new cut‐in point to optimize the thermoelectric performance. However, researches on enhancing the carrier mobility to improve power factor has been overlooked. In present work, we highlight a significant mobility enhancement in BiTeI by introducing I deficiency, which improves the power factor and final ZT value. A defect compensation weakening mechanism is adopted that the induced I vacancies reduce the concentration of intrinsic ITe• and TeI' antisite defects, which weakens the donor‐acceptor defect compensation and suppresses the defects‐induced carrier scattering. As a result, the carrier mobility is obviously enhanced in I‐deficient samples, which ensures an effectively improved power factor and final ZT. A maximum ZT of 0.57 is achieved at 570 K perpendicular to the pressing direction, which is superior to pristine BiTeI and among the highest values reported for bulk BiTeI‐based thermoelectric materials. Present work opens up a new avenue for thermoelectric optimization mainly by mobility enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myo‐inositol (MI) regulates stress adaptation in plants. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of foliar MI application on improving drought tolerance associated with osmotic adjustment (OA), photosynthesis, and antioxidant defense in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Both MI‐pretreated (1 mM) and untreated plants were subjected to drought stress or well‐watered conditions for 12 d in growth chambers. Results showed that exogenous MI application protected plants from drought damage by improving OA and water use efficiency, and this contributed to better water status in creeping bentgrass. Interestingly, the foliar spray of MI promoted the accumulation of water‐soluble carbohydrates but decreased drought‐induced free proline in leaves. The MI‐pretreated plants exhibited significantly greater chlorophyll (Chl) content, photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), performance index on an absorption basis (PIABS), and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) than untreated plants in response to drought stress. Foliar application of MI decreased superoxide anion radical, H2O2, and malondialdehyde contents and electrolyte leakage but increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities and gene expression in leaves under drought stress. This study indicates that MI‐induced drought tolerance was involved in the maintenance of better water relation associated with increases in OA and water use efficiency, the decline in Chl loss for photosynthetic maintenance, and improvement in antioxidant enzymes activity and gene expression contributing to less oxidative damage under drought stress. It is worth further investigating stress‐defensive proteins and metabolites induced by MI in turfgrass or other plant species under drought stress or other abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO), γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), and mannose (MAS) could be important regulators of plant growth and adaptation to water stress. The application of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a NO donor), GABA, and MAS improved plant growth under water‐sufficient conditions and effectively mitigated water stress damage to white clover. The metabonomic analysis showed that both SNP and GABA application resulted in a significant increase in myo‐inositol content; the accumulation of mannose was commonly regulated by SNP and MAS; GABA and MAS induced the accumulation of aspartic acid, quinic acid, trehalose, and glycerol under water deficit. In addition, citric acid was uniquely up‐regulated by SNP associated with tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle under water stress. GABA specially induced the accumulation of GABA, glycine, methionine, and aconitic acid related to GABA shunt, amino acids metabolism, and TCA cycle in response to water stress. MAS uniquely enhanced the accumulation of asparagine, galactose, and D‐pinitol in association with amino acids and sugars metabolism under water stress. SNP‐, GABA‐, and MAS‐induced changes of metabolic profiles and associated metabolic pathways could contribute to enhanced stress tolerance via involvement in the TCA cycle for energy supply, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense, and signal transduction for stress defense in white clover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent neoplastic diseases worldwide, and effective treatment remains a challenge. Here, we found that the macrolide antibiotic brefeldin A (BFA) exhibits considerable antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. Induction of complete autophagic flux is characterized as a key event in BFA-induced CRC suppression. Mechanistically, BFA provokes endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated binding immunoglobulin protein (Bip) expression, leading to increased Bip/Akt interaction and resultant decreased Akt phosphorylation, thereby activating autophagy. Autophagy inhibition or Bip suppression relieves BFA-induced cell death, suggesting a key role for Bip-regulated autophagy in the antitumor properties of BFA. Moreover, BFA acts synergistically with paclitaxel or 5-fluorouracil in CRC suppression. Collectively, our study provides an important molecular basis for BFA-induced autophagy and suggests that the antibiotic BFA could be repositioned as a potential anticancer drug for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic encephalopathy is a neuropsychological syndrome due to biochemical disturbance of brain function in advanced liver disease patients. Diagnosis and treatment of the condition is very demanding and has negative toll on finances with increased healthcare utilization. The pathophysiology is not completely understood; however, there is evidence that ammonia plays an important role in the etiology. Conventional methods of solely relying on blood ammonia level to diagnose hepatic encephalopathy did not help much; likewise, the use of lactulose alone in treating hepatic encephalopathy has also been discouraged. This paper analyzed the current knowledge regarding the mechanism of how ammonia disrupts the normal brain function as well as the use of latest diagnosing tools including those under development to evaluate the neuropsychiatric state of patients and their quality of life. The efficacies of lactulose and rifaximin combination for short‐term and long‐term treatment in addition to nutritional interventions and other drugs undergoing clinical trials were also reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of photochromic devices has stimulated great enthusiasm for the design and preparation of luminescent materials. Introducing fluorescent powder ZnS:Cu into the cross‐linked polymer matrix is an efficient and simple method to obtain photochromic materials with excellent comprehensive performance. However, the traditional method is to directly introduce fluorescent powder into the polymer matrix by physical mixing. This not only increases the internal defects of the polymer and reduces the mechanical properties, but also hinders the fluorescent powder from absorbing external energy and reduces its luminescence efficiency. In addition, few studies have focused on recyclable photochromic luminescent materials. Inspired by dynamic covalent cross‐linking technology, this paper first modified fluorescent powder with 3‐mercaptopropionic acid and then introduced it into epoxy silicone rubber to prepare recyclable luminescent elastomer. Compared with traditional physical blending, the mechanical properties and luminescence performance of the covalently bonded luminescent elastomer were improved. Excellent mechanical properties and luminescence performance were maintained in multiple recycling processes. This paper provides a feasible and simple scheme for the preparation of recyclable luminescent elastomers, paving the way for the recycling and long‐term utilization of photochromic luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HBr and DMPU (1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2-pyrimidinone) form a room-temperature-stable complex that provides a mild, effective, and selective hydrobrominating reagent toward alkynes, alkenes, and allenes. HBr-DMPU could also replace other halogenating reagents in the halo-Prins reaction, ether cleavage, and deoxy-bromination reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plant-associated fungi host endosymbiotic endobacteria with reduced genomes. While endobacteria play important roles in these tri-partite plant-fungal-endobacterial systems, the active physiology of fungal endobacteria has not been characterized extensively by systems biology approaches. Here, we use integrated proteomics and metabolomics to characterize the relationship between the endobacterium Mycoavidus sp. and the root-associated fungus Mortierella elongata. In nitrogen-poor media, M. elongata had decreased growth but hosted a large and growing endobacterial population. The active endobacterium likely extracted malate from the fungal host as the primary carbon substrate for energy production and biosynthesis of phospho-sugars, nucleobases, peptidoglycan and some amino acids. The endobacterium obtained nitrogen by importing a variety of nitrogen-containing compounds. Further, nitrogen limitation significantly perturbed the carbon and nitrogen flows in the fungal metabolic network. M. elongata regulated many pathways by concordant changes on enzyme abundances, post-translational modifications, reactant concentrations and allosteric effectors. Such multimodal regulations may be a general mechanism for metabolic modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An updated thermodynamic description of pure Co was obtained by applying new models for the third generation of Calphad databases. In these models, different contributions to the heat capacity, especially the vibrational part, were treated separately, each with a clear physical meaning. More importantly, the phase stabilities of the various allotropes are now physically well defined. Thus, the derived thermodynamic properties vary more reasonably and smoothly from 0 K and up. Calculated thermodynamic properties were compared with experimental data and good agreement was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Knowledge of dielectric properties of malignant human tissues is necessary for the recently developed magnetic resonance (MR) technique called MR electrical property tomography. This technique may be used in early tumor detection based on the obvious differentiation of the dielectric properties between normal and malignant tissues. However, the dielectric properties of malignant human tissues in the scale of the Larmor frequencies are not completely available in the literature. In this study, the authors focused only on the dielectric properties of colorectal tumor tissue. Methods: The dielectric properties of 504 colorectal malignant samples excised from 85 patients in the scale of the Larmor frequencies were measured using the precision open-ended coaxial probe method. The obtained complex-permittivity data were fitted to the single-pole Cole-Cole model. Results: The median permittivity and conductivity for the malignant tissue sample were 79.3 and 0.881 S/m at 128 MHz, which were 14.6% and 17.0% higher, respectively, than those of normal tissue samples. Significant differences between normal and malignant tissues were found for the dielectric properties (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Experimental results indicated that the dielectric properties were significantly different between normal and malignant tissues for colorectal tissue. This large-scale clinical measurement provides more subtle base data to validate the technique of MR electrical property tomography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible pressure sensors are valuable in applications such as electronic skin, smart robots, artificial prosthetics, and wearable electronics. In this study, a fully packaged, flexible, self‐powered, long‐term stable sensor array based on piezoelectrets is developed for pressure monitoring. A pressure sensor with a microcavity structure and a thickness of 500 µm achieved an impressive piezoelectric coefficient of 23.8 pC N−1 and a fast response time of 93 ms. The sensor yielded an output voltage of 0.26 V when subjected to a force using 0.3 g soybeans, and it displayed a remarkable linear relationship (R2 = 0.992) between force and electricity with pressure ranging from 1.4 to 13.6 N and a sensitivity of 9 mV N−1. Real‐time monitoring of sound vibration, radial artery pulse, and finger movement is demonstrated along with the successful recording of dynamic pressure changes within the porcine knee joint. It holds potential for fields such as monitoring pressure changes in the movement of human bodies and robotics and can contribute significantly to pressure assessment during total knee replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment outcomes of nanomedicines against colorectal cancer are severely restricted by their insufficient accumulation in the tumor tissues, unsatisfactory antitumor effect, and weak immunometabolic modulation. To address these issues, flying‐saucer‐shaped nanoheterojunctions by coating copper oxide (CuxO) onto the surface of PEGylated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are constructed. When exposed to ultrasound, the resultant CuxO@ZnO nanoheterojunctions exhibit increased locomotor activities, facilitating colorectal mucus infiltration, deep tumor penetration, and tumor cell internalization. The decoration of CuxO suppresses the rapid recombination of electrons and holes in CuxO@ZnO exposed to ultrasound, promoting the production of singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical, which are generated by CuxO through a Fenton‐like chemodynamic reaction and CuxO@ZnO through sonodynamic reaction. After rectal administration, the sono‐chemodynamic CuxO@ZnO plus PD‐L1 antibodies effectively inhibit the growth of orthotopic and distant tumors. It elicits immunometabolic responses by inducing immunogenic cell death, activating the interferon genes signaling pathway stimulator, and inhibiting glucose transport and the glycolytic signaling pathways. This combined modality also increases the proportion of beneficial microbes (e.g., Bifidobacterium) and decreases the abundance of harmful microorganisms (e.g., Romboutsia) in the intestine. This treatment modality (CuxO@ZnO plus ultrasound and PD‐L1 antibodies) is a promising strategy for the synergistic treatment of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have attracted extensive attention in various applications, including aerospace, optical communication, and fire warning. However, the intrinsic coupling of high responsivity and fast response as well as imperfect interface transmission impede the further improvement of UV photodetector. Here, a high‐performance Au‐decorated PbI2/ZnO pn junction UV photodetector with a one‐dimensional (1D) and two‐dimensional (2D) interspersed structure is presented. The pyro‐phototronic effect and energy band engineering effect from the localized pn junction generated by the layered p‐type PbI2 nanosheets along the c‐axis of ZnO are coupled to modulate the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the localized surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles produces transient thermal power to raise temperature fast to enhance pyroelectric current. The self‐powered Au@PbI2/ZnO photodetector displays a high responsivity of 0.21 A W−1, excellent detectivity of 7.9 × 1012 Jones, and fast response/recovery time of 25/31 ms, under the illumination of 325 nm light with the power density of 0.08 µW cm−2. This work offers an effective strategy for designing high‐performance next‐generation optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevention of aseptic loosening, the main reason for secondary surgery of bone implants, is of great crucial clinical importance. As a promising bioactive material to promote bone regeneration, the piezoelectric materials for preventing aseptic loosening has not been reported. Here, a surface coating is presented for implants based on piezoelectric poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA). The coating ingeniously utilizes zoledronic acid (ZA), a drug used to treat osteoporosis, as a nucleating agent to enhance the piezoelectricity of PLLA. The coating can not only provide a continuous porous piezoelectric environment to stimulate osteogenic differentiation without intervention, but also effectively inhibit the osteolytic activity of osteoclasts through the slow release of ZA, achieving long‐term effectiveness with a single implantation. The rat femur cavity implantation experiment suggests that, the PLLA/ZA coating can rapidly initiate osseointegration of the implant and effectively mitigate the risk of aseptic loosening, even in the presence of metal submicroscopic particles that induce aseptic loosening. This strategy of piezo‐enhanced PLLA drug‐loaded coating may provide a new idea for the surface modification of bone implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible regulation of bandgap of perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) is fundamentally critical for desirable optoelectronic functions and applications. Here, regulating chemical composition and emission wavelength of PNCs in glass by a simple heat‐treatment process are reported, which is established to rely on the thermal‐trigger phase separation and ion exchange. The first principle calculations are overall performed to reveal the mechanism of bandgap engineering and optimization of emission performance. The PNCs exhibit excellent stability against thermal, ultraviolet irradiation, and organic molecules. The bandgap of PNCs in the heat‐treated glass can also be re‐modulated by ultrafast laser irradiation. Ultrafast laser direct writing of multi‐color patterns and holographic dynamic displays are achieved, which hold great potential in the application of encryption‐decryption and emissive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how individual species contribute to nutrient transformations in a microbial community is critical to prediction of overall ecosystem function. We conducted microcosm experiments in which floating acid mine drainage ( AMD) microbial biofilms were submerged - recapitulating the final stage in a natural biofilm life cycle. Biofilms were amended with either 15NH4+ or deuterium oxide ( 2H2O) and proteomic stable isotope probing ( SIP) was used to track the extent to which different members of the community used these molecules in protein synthesis across anaerobic iron-reducing, aerobic iron-reducing and aerobic iron-oxidizing environments. S ulfobacillus spp. synthesized 15N-enriched protein almost exclusively under iron-reducing conditions whereas the L eptospirillum spp. synthesized 15N-enriched protein in all conditions. There were relatively few 15N-enriched archaeal proteins, and all showed low atom% enrichment, consistent with A rchaea synthesizing protein using the predominantly 14N biomass derived from recycled biomolecules. In parallel experiments using 2H2O, extensive archaeal protein synthesis was detected in all conditions. In contrast, the bacterial species showed little protein synthesis using 2H2O. The nearly exclusive ability of A rchaea to synthesize proteins using 2H2O may be due to archaeal heterotrophy, whereby A rchaea offset deleterious effects of 2H by accessing 1H generated by respiration of organic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil/water separation is a worldwide challenge. Learning from nature provides a promising approach for the construction of functional materials with oil/water separation. In this contribution, inspired by superhydrophobic self-cleaning lotus leaves and porous biomaterials, a facile method is proposed to fabricate polyurethane foam with simultaneous superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. Due to its low density, light weight, and superhydrophobicity, the as-prepared foam can float easily on water. Furthermore, the foam demonstrates super-repellency towards corrosive liquids, self-cleaning, and oil/water separation properties, possessing multifunction integration. We expect that this low-cost process can be readily and widely adopted for the design of multifunctional foams for large-area oil-spill cleanup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anomalous photovoltaic (APV) effect in organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) has attracted massive interest for developing high‐performance optoelectronic devices. However, exploring the ionizing radiation responsive APV effect remains blank, let alone its potential applications. Herein, the unprecedented APV behavior in a 1D lead‐free OIHP, (4‐AMP)BiI5 (ABI, 4‐AMP = 4‐(aminomethyl)pyridine) under X‐ray irradiation is reported, exhibiting a large above‐bandgap bulk photovoltage of ≈10 V. Such a strong APV effect is closely related to the intrinsic electric polarization in polar ABI, which acts as the driving force for X‐ray‐generated carriers' separation and transport, thus allowing it to be self‐powered. As a result, sensitive self‐powered X‐ray detectors based on high‐quality ABI single crystals are successfully fabricated, possessing a high sensitivity of 66.84 µC Gy−1 cm−2, a low detection limit of 482 nGy s−1, and superior operational stability. This work first demonstrates the ionizing radiation‐responsive APV effect in OIHPs, which further enables passive radiation detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is widely used in clinical practice to treat diseases related to central nervous system (CNS) damage. However, the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) constitutes a significant impediment to the effective delivery of TCM, thus substantially diminishing its efficacy. Advances in nanotechnology and its applications in TCM (also known as nano‐TCM) can deliver active ingredients or components of TCM across the BBB to the targeted brain region. This review provides an overview of the physiological and pathological mechanisms of the BBB and systematically classifies the common TCM used to treat CNS diseases and types of nanocarriers that effectively deliver TCM to the brain. Additionally, drug delivery strategies for nano‐TCMs that utilize in vivo physiological properties or in vitro devices to bypass or cross the BBB are discussed. This review further focuses on the application of nano‐TCMs in the treatment of various CNS diseases. Finally, this article anticipates a design strategy for nano‐TCMs with higher delivery efficiency and probes their application potential in treating a wider range of CNS diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable electronics with multi‐functionalities are widely utilized in various domains, including everyday living, healthcare, military training, and sports. Advances in flexible electronic technology, new materials, artificial intelligence technology, and sensor technology have accelerated the rapid development of smart wearable devices toward multifunctional and highly integrated trends. The energy supply technology based on the human‐body energy harvesting method endows wearable, multifunctional electronic devices with sustainable, renewable, and self‐powered characteristics, which proposes a solution strategy for the function expansion and energy supply of wearable devices. Herein, this paper discusses recent research on various methods of harvesting human body energy and wearing parts respectively, focusing on the new materials, structures, and processes involved in the representative studies, as well as the impact on energy harvesting and output, and functional applications. Furthermore, the challenges and obstacles faced in the creation of wearable multifunctional devices based on human self‐sufficiency and propose solution strategies to propel them in order to advance the creation of the next wave of intelligent wearable technology are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable polymers (BPs)‐based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have advantages, including biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, biodegradable TENGs (BD‐TENGs) possess relatively low output performance, limiting their application due to the small differences in triboelectric polarities for most BPs. Molecular doping is a simple and effective method in altering the triboelectric polarity of triboelectric materials and improving the output performance of BD‐TENGs. However, there is a lack of laws and mechanism about the differences in triboelectric polarities of different doped molecules, especially of molecules with biodegradability and biocompatibility. Here, kinds of doping molecules are selected for doping in tribopositive and tribonegative materials, respectively, and their triboelectric polarities and related laws are researched. In particular, the output performance of BD‐TENG is improved several times by doping small amounts of poly (propylene glycol) (PPG) and ethyl cellulose (EC), with enhanced resolution in abnormal respiratory signal monitoring. This work not only provides theoretical guidance for the selection of triboelectric molecules but also conducts in‐depth research in molecular‐level triboelectric mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision medicine requires precise regulation of drugs in terms of time, space, and dosage. Exogenous control systems, such as electrical responsiveness, have made great progress. However, wearable or implantable controlled drug release devices still face major challenges due to limitations including limited battery life, large size, and fixed power supply. To overcome these limitations, the fabrication of autonomous devices is available to endure extended periods without reliance on external power sources. As a promising strategy, nanogenerators (NGs) turn body mechanical energy into electricity, powering long‐term drug release. In this review, the current status of drug delivery systems (DDS) is briefly outlined and the importance of self‐driven controlled drug release systems is emphasized. The main types and operational mechanisms of various nanogenerators are introduced. This review also focuses on summarizing the latest progress of self‐powered controlled drug release systems based on nanogenerators (NG‐based CDRs). Additionally, their applications in the field of drug release are introduced in detail. Finally, the existing challenges and future trends of self‐powered NG‐based CDRs are discussed from the perspectives of clinical needs and practical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, porous Ti‐15Mo scaffolds with different porosity gradient structures (uniform gradient structures [U‐BCC], level gradient structures [LG‐BCC], and vertical gradient structures [VG‐BCC]) were fabricated by selective laser melting, and the corrosion fatigue testing in Hank's solution was conducted for the first time. The fatigue strength order, when considering the same fatigue life, follows the sequence of LG‐BCC structure > U‐BCC structure > VG‐BCC structure. Cyclic ratcheting is a prominent factor leading to fatigue failure. The sequence of crack initiation and propagation in the latter stage of corrosion fatigue can be listed as follows: LG‐BCC structure < U‐BCC structure < VG‐BCC structure. During the corrosion fatigue process, the grain refinement occurs, and the deformation twinning is generated, leading to a dissipation of energy and an increase of the fatigue resistance. The corrosive effect of Hank's solution induces the surface roughening of the sample, accelerating crack initiation and propagation. Highlights: The corrosion fatigue behavior of gradient porous Ti‐15Mo alloy was investigated.The corrosion fatigue strength decreases in the order: LG‐BCC > U‐BCC > VG‐BCC.Grain refinement occurs and deformation twinning is formed during the test.The corrosive effect of Hank's solution will induce roughening of the sample surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can collect and convert random mechanical energy into electric energy, with remarkable advantages including broadly available materials, straightforward preparation, and multiple applications. Over the years, researchers have made substantial advancements in the theoretical and practical aspects of TENG. Nevertheless, the pivotal challenge in realizing full applications of TENG lies in ensuring that the generated output meets the specific application requirements. Consequently, substantial research is dedicated to exploring methods and mechanisms for enhancing the output performance of TENG devices. This review aims to comprehensively examine the influencing factors and corresponding improvement strategies of the output performance based on the contact electrification mechanism and operational principles that underlie TENG technology. This review primarily delves into five key areas of improvement: materials selection, surface modification, component adjustments, structural optimization, and electrode enhancements. These aspects are crucial in tailoring TENG devices to meet the desired performance metrics for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Busulfan is an antineoplastic, which is always accompanied with the abnormal of spermatogonia self‐renewal and differentiation. It has been demonstrated that the omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) benefits mature spermatozoa. However, whether omega‐3 can protect endogenous spermatogonia and the detailed mechanisms are still unclear. Evaluate of spermatogenesis function (in vivo) were examined by histopathological analysis, immunofluorescence staining, and western blotting. The levels of lipid metabolites in testicular tissue were determined via liquid chromatography. We investigated the effect of lipid metabolites on Sertoli cells provided paracrine factors to regulate spermatogonia proliferation and differentiation using co‐culture system. In our study, we showed that omega‐3 PUFAs significantly improved the process of sperm production and elevated the quantity of both undifferentiated Lin28+ spermatogonia and differentiated c‐kit+ spermatogonia in a mouse model where spermatogenic function was disrupted by busulfan. Mass spectrometry revealed an increase in the levels of several omega‐3 metabolites in the testes of mice fed with omega‐3 PUFAs. The eicosapentaenoic acid metabolite 12‐hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (12‐HEPE) up‐regulated bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) expression through GPR120‐ERK1/2 pathway activation in Sertoli cells and restored spermatogonia proliferation and differentiation. Our study provides evidence that omega‐3 PUFAs metabolite 12‐HEPE effectively protects spermatogonia and reveals that GPR120 might be a tractable pharmacological target for fertility in men received chemotherapy or severe spermatogenesis dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Most species of temperate regions are believed to have shifted to lower latitudes or elevations during the glacial periods of the Quaternary. In this study we test whether this phylogeographic assumption is also true for the plateau zokor ( Eospalax baileyi), a fossorial rodent endemic to the climate-sensitive Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP), which ranges in elevation from 2600 to 4600 m. Location The QTP of western China. Methods Phylogeographic analyses were conducted based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences of 193 individuals from 20 populations over the entire range of the species. Results A total of 54 haplotypes identified in the present study clustered into four geographically correlated clades located in the interior of the QTP (clade A) and at the plateau edge (B, C and D). Molecular calibrations suggest that the interior plateau (A) and plateau-edge (B–D) clades diverged at 1.2 Ma and that the three plateau-edge clades diverged between 0.85 and 0.80 Ma. These estimates are concordant with diastrophism and glaciation events in the QTP. Coalescent tests rejected both the hypothesis that all current populations originated from a single refugium at a low elevation during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the hypothesis that the two lineages diverged during the LGM. The tests instead supported the hypothesis that there were four refugia during the LGM, and that the four clades diverged prior to the late Pleistocene. Main conclusions Our results suggest that Quaternary diastrophisms and glaciations repeatedly promoted allopatric divergence of the plateau zokor into geographical clades, and that these regional clades subsequently persisted at high elevations, rather than migrating to the low-elevation plateau edge during subsequent glacial ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, exhibits a competitive inhibition on the CYP450 2D6 isozyme with a Ki value of 7.5 μm. However, the clinical significance of the inhibition and its relevance to 2D6 polymorphisms have not been evaluated. The pharmacokinetics of imatinib have been well studied in Caucasians, but not in a Chinese population. • Metoprolol, a CYP2D6 substrate, has different clearances among patients with different CYP2D6 genotypes. It is often used as a CYP2D6 probe substrate for clinical drug–drug interaction studies. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • Co-administration of imatinib at 400 mg twice daily increased the plasma AUC of metoprolol by approximately 23% in 20 Chinese patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), about 17% increase in CYP2D6 intermediate metabolizers (IMs) ( n = 6), 24% in extensive metabolizers (EMs) ( n = 13), and 28% for the subject with unknown 2D6 status ( n = 1) suggesting that imatinib has a weak to moderate inhibition on CYP2D6 in vivo. • The clearance of imatinib in Chinese patients with CML showed no difference between CYP2D6 IMs and EMs, and no major difference from Caucasian patients with CML based on data reported in the literature. AIMS To investigate the effect of imatinib on the pharmacokinetics of a CYP2D6 substrate, metoprolol, in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). The pharmacokinetics of imatinib were also studied in these patients. METHODS Patients ( n = 20) received a single oral dose of metoprolol 100 mg on day 1 after an overnight fast. On days 2–10, imatinib 400 mg was administered twice daily. On day 8, another 100 mg dose of metoprolol was administered 1 h after the morning dose of imatinib 400 mg. Blood samples for metoprolol and α-hydroxymetoprolol measurement were taken on study days 1 and 8, and on day 8 for imatinib. RESULTS Of the 20 patients enrolled, six patients (30%) were CYP2D6 intermediate metabolizers (IMs), 13 (65%) extensive metabolizers (EMs), and the CYP2D6 status in one patient was unknown. In the presence of 400 mg twice daily imatinib, the mean metoprolol AUC was increased by 17% in IMs (from 1190 to 1390 ng ml−1 h), and 24% in EMs (from 660 to 818 ng ml−1 h). Patients classified as CYP2D6 IMs had an approximately 1.8-fold higher plasma metoprolol exposure than those classified as EMs. The oral clearance of imatinib was 11.0 ± 2.0 l h−1 and 11.8 ± 4.1 l h−1 for CYP2D6 IMs and EMs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Co-administration of a high dose of imatinib resulted in a small or moderate increase in metoprolol plasma exposure in all patients regardless of CYP2D6 status. The clearance of imatinib showed no difference between CYP2D6 IMs and EMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with epilepsy have varying degrees of postictal impairment including confusion and amnesia. This impairment adds substantially to the disease burden of epilepsy. However, the mechanism responsible for postictal cognitive impairment is unclear. The purpose of this study was to study single-cell firing patterns in hippocampal cells after spontaneous seizures in rats previously subjected to status epilepticus. Methods: In this study, we monitored place cells and interneurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus before and after spontaneous seizures in six epileptic rats with a history of status epilepticus. Place cells fire action potentials when the animal is in a specific location in space, the so-called place field. Place cell function correlates well with performance in tasks of visual–spatial memory and appears to be an excellent surrogate measure of spatial memory. Results: Twelve spontaneous seizures were recorded. After the seizures, a marked decrease in firing rate of action potentials from place cells was noted, whereas interneuron firing was unchanged. In addition, when place cell firing fields persisted or returned, they had aberrant firing fields with reduced coherence and information content. In addition to postictal suppression of firing patterns, seizures led to the emergence of firing fields in previously silent cells, demonstrating a postictal remapping of the hippocampus. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that postictal alterations in behavior are not due solely to reduced neuronal firing. Rather, the postictal period is characterized by robust and dynamic changes in cell-firing patterns resulting in remapping of the hippocampal map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The interictal EEG spike(s) is the hallmark of the epileptic EEG. While focal interictal spike (IS) have been associated with transitory cognitive impairment, with the type of deficit dependent on where in the cortex the IS arises, the mechanism by which IS result in transitory dysfunction is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of IS on single-cell firing patterns in freely moving rats with a prior history of seizures. Methods: We studied IS in two seizure models; pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus and recurrent flurothyl models. The effect of spontaneous hippocampal spikes on action potentials (APs) of CA1 cells in rats walking in a familiar environment was investigated using 32 extracellular electrodes. We also compared the effect of spikes on two types of hippcampal cells; place cells that discharge rapidly only when the rat's head is in a specific part of the environment, the so-called firing field, and interneurons, which are a main source of inhibition in the hippocampus. Results: IS were associated with a decreased likelihood of AP compared with IS-free portions of the record. Compared to pre-IS baseline, IS were followed by significant decreases in CA1 APs for periods up to 2 s following the IS in both models. When occurring in flurries, IS were associated with a pronounced decrease in APs. The response to IS was cell-dependent; IS resulted in decreases in AP firing after the IS in interneurons but not place cells. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that IS have substantial effects on cellular firing in the hippocampus and that these effects last far longer than the spike and slow wave. Furthermore, the effect of IS on cellular firing was cell specific, affecting interneurons more than place cells. These findings suggest that IS may contribute to seizure-induced cognitive impairment by altering AP firing in a cell-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the mechanisms(s) of age-dependent atrophy of the cerebellum of the ataxia and male sterility (AMS) mouse at young age, the morphological changes were evaluated and the nature of neural cell death was examined. Dying Purkinje cells lacked characters of classical apoptosis except for light microscopic morphology, but their death was considered to be autonomous death triggered by the direct effect of ams mutation, because of the acute and near-complete disappearance and particular change of the cytoplasm. In contrast, in the granular layer, typical apoptotic bodies were recognized by electron microscopy, and substantial numbers of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end-labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells and activated caspase-3-positive cells were observed. Granule cell death was considered to be target-related apoptosis induced after post-synaptic Purkinje cell death, because the age-dependent changes in TUNEL-positive cell counts followed that of Purkinje cell loss and the peak value was still noted 1 week after total loss of Purkinje cells. These results indicate that both total and partial losses of Purkinje cells and granule cells, respectively, contributed to the atrophy of the AMS cerebellum. Furthermore, different types of neuronal death were recognized; the granule cell death was apoptotic while Purkinje cell death was different from that of classical apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P4S10 molecule is a modification material that has important application value in lithium–sulfur batteries. It could modify lithium metal electrode and improve the performance of lithium–sulfur batteries. The mechanism of P4S10 modifying Li (100) surface is investigated with the first‐principles calculation based on density functional theory. The structure and electronic properties of P4S10, freestanding Li (100) surface, and modified Li (100) surface are researched. P4S10 is adsorbed strongly on Li (100) surface and then dissociated completely, which accelerates the redox of P4S10, and finally produces new substances. Density of states shows that newly formed substances could passivate Li (100) surface. It is deduced that it could act as a protective layer to protect Li (100) surface from the other parasitic reaction, polysulfide corrosion, and possibly inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites. There are large charge redistributions between P4S10 and Li (100) surface, improving the interface wettability. The reaction Gibbs free energy is proximately of −20.50 eV per molecule, due to the interaction of occupied orbitals and unoccupied orbitals. The electrons from Li‐s orbitals partially transfer to π* orbitals of P4S10. This work provides theoretical guidance to understand the modification mechanism and the formation of protective layers from P4S10 in lithium–sulfur batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microneedles (MNs) have emerged as a highly promising technology for delivering drugs via the skin. They provide several benefits, including high drug bioavailability, non‐invasiveness, painlessness, and high safety. Traditional strategies for intravenous delivery of anti‐tumor drugs have risks of systemic toxicity and easy development of drug resistance, while MN technology facilitates precise delivery and on‐demand release of drugs in local tissues. In addition, by further combining with stimulus‐responsive materials, the construction of smart stimulus‐responsive MNs can be achieved, which can respond to specific physical/chemical stimuli from the internal or external environment, thereby further improving the accuracy of tumor treatment and reducing toxicity to surrounding tissues/cells. This review systematically summarizes the classification, materials, and reaction mechanisms of stimulus‐responsive MNs, outlines the benefits and challenges of various types of MNs, and details their application and latest progress in cancer treatment. Finally, the development prospects of smart MNs in tumor treatment are also discussed, bringing inspiration for future precision treatment of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological constraint theory (TCT) has enabled the prediction of various properties of oxide glasses as a function of their composition and structure. However, the robust application of TCT relies on accurate knowledge of the network structure and topology. Here, based on classical molecular dynamics simulations, we derive a fully analytical model describing the topology of the calcium aluminosilicate [(CaO)x(Al2O3)y(SiO2)1−x−y, CAS] ternary system. This model yields the state of rigidity (flexible, isostatic, or stressed‐rigid) of CAS systems as a function of composition and temperature. These results reveal the existence of correlations between network topology and glass‐forming ability. This study suggests that glass‐forming ability is encoded in the network topology of the liquid state rather than that of the glassy state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A twin-hole fiber with two 1-m-long tungsten wires inserted as its internal electrode was made successfully. This is the longest internal-electrode fiber ever achieved from metal wire insertion technology. The propagation loss of this kind of fiber is only 0.47 dB/m at 1 550 nm. No additional loss is measured after the tungsten wire has been inserted. The fiber is thermally poled at 3 kV voltage, inducing a permanent electro-optic coefficient of 0.06 pm/V. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 2010–2012, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22578 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special Issue: Research Highlights in the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems (Adv. Funct. This special issue showcases some of the ongoing research at the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems (BINN). The fields of research can be summarized using a "science tree". [Extracted from the article]

The Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems (BINN), Chinese Academy of Sciences, was founded in 2012 by Wang. Piezotronics is a term coined by Wang in 2007, which involves using the piezoelectric effect to control electronics via mechanical stimuli. The combination of photon excitation, coupling among semiconductors, photon excitation, and piezoelectricity represents a new field of research called piezo-phototronics. [Extracted from the article]

The reaction of Ni(CH3COO)2·4H2O, 5-nitro-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H2nmbdc), 1,10-phenanthroline and water under hydrothermal conditions yields the first reported two-dimensional nickel coordination polymer with water- and carboxylate-bridged dimeric units, viz. [Ni2(C8H3NO6)2(C12H8N2)2(H2O)]n. The coordination polyhedron of the NiH ion in the title structure is an octahedron defined by an N2O4 donor set. The water molecule is positioned on a mirror plane and the 5-nitro-1,3-benzenedicarboxylate group is located on a twofold axis. Two types of nmbdc2- coordination mode are observed: one is a bis-monodentate mode, μ2-nmbdc2-, and the other is a bis-bridging mode, μ4-nmbdc2-. The dimeric unit in the title compound is similar to the structural moiety in urease. In the two-dimensional framework in the title compound, strong stacking interactions between benzene rings (μ2-nmbdc2- and μ4-nmbdc2-) and 1,10-phenanthroline ligands are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliable function in vivo of self‐powered implantable bioelectric devices (iBEDs) requires biocompatible, seamless, effective interactions with biological tissues. Herein, an implantable tissue‐adhesive piezoelectric soft sensor (TPSS), in which the piezoelectric sensor converts biomechanical signals into electrical signals, and the adhesive hydrogel (AH) strengthens this conversion by seamlessly adhering the sensor on the wet and curvilinear surface, is proposed. The optimized AH exhibits strong adhesion to various organic or inorganic surfaces, including six commonly used engineering materials and three biological tissues. As a pressure sensor, TPSS proves good in vitro electrical performance with a high output of 8.3 V, long‐term stability of over 6000 cycles, and high energy power density of 186.9 µW m−2. In a large animal experiment, TPSS seamlessly adheres to the right‐side internal carotid artery of a Yorkshire pig to monitor blood pressure during a surgical operation. Compared to commercial sensors that work by inserting into tissues, TPSS does not cause any damage and can be peeled off after service. The integration of adhesive hydrogel and self‐powered pressure sensors enables biocompatible, seamless, and more efficient interactions between the biological system and iBEDs, which also contributes to next‐generation implantable bioelectronics with features of battery‐free, intelligent, and accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients may experience persistent impairment of the lungs after recovery and discharge, which can cause a decline in pulmonary function. Therefore, regular pulmonary function tests are essential for COVID‐19 recovered patients, and portable, home‐based pulmonary function test devices are of great significance during the pandemic. Herein, a portable self‐powered turbine spirometer (PSTS) is designed for respiratory flow measurement and assessment of pulmonary function with high accuracy, humidity resistance, good durability, and low cost. The respiratory airflow can directly drive PSTS to produce a sinusoidal signal with a signal‐to‐noise of 40.64 dB. By utilizing the long short‐term memory (LSTM) model, the flow is successfully predicted, and the "lag‐before‐start" and "spin‐after‐stop" defects of the turbine spirometer are eliminated effectively. For pulmonary function tests, the flow‐volume loop curve can be obtained from PSTS, and pulmonary function parameters such as inspiratory capacity (IC), forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the first 1 s (FEV1) can be calculated. The accuracy of IC is over 95%, and others can reach over 97%. A portable smart pulmonary function assessment system is further developed and used to test the pulmonary function of COVID‐19 patients one month after symptom onset, demonstrating potential for assessing rehabilitation trends and long‐term follow‐up of COVID‐19 recovered patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart windows (SWs) with tunable opacity are sought to regulate solar‐irradiation and privacy protection. A new smart window material based on a phase‐changing polymer that can be reversibly switched between a semicrystalline, opaque state and an amorphous, transparent state is introduced. The polymer film is a network of the phase‐changing poly(stearyl acrylate) crosslinked with a poly(ethylene oxide) oligomer. The two constituent polymers show strong phase separation. The transmission switching of the resulting copolymer film is resulted from the combination of three different mechanisms: reversible phase changing of the poly(stearyl acrylate) component, phase separation between the two distinct constituent polymers, and a large change of refractive index of the phase‐changing polymer during the amorphous‐to‐semicrystalline transition. The opaqueness switching can be reversed and repeated for more than 500 cycles of heating and cooling. A silver nanowire (AgNW)‐based transparent heater is combined with the SW film to control the semicrystalline‐to‐amorphous phase transition. The resulting smart window exhibits a high infrared transmittance modulation (ΔTIR) of 80.4% and solar transmittance modulation (ΔTsolar) of 70.2%, which significantly outperform existing thermochromic smart windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Maintenance of stable mitochondrial respiratory chains could enhance adaptability to high temperature, but the potential mechanism was not elucidated clearly in plants. In this study, we identified and isolated a TrFQR1 gene encoding the flavodoxin‐like quinone reductase 1 (TrFQR1) located in mitochondria of leguminous white clover (Trifolium repens). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that amino acid sequences of FQR1 in various plant species showed a high degree of similarities. Ectopic expression of TrFQR1 protected yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) from heat damage and toxic levels of benzoquinone, phenanthraquinone and hydroquinone. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and white clover overexpressing TrFQR1 exhibited significantly lower oxidative damage and better photosynthetic capacity and growth than wild‐type in response to high‐temperature stress, whereas AtFQR1‐RNAi A. thaliana showed more severe oxidative damage and growth retardation under heat stress. TrFQR1‐transgenic white clover also maintained better respiratory electron transport chain than wild‐type plants, as manifested by significantly higher mitochondrial complex II and III activities, alternative oxidase activity, NAD(P)H content, and coenzyme Q10 content in response to heat stress. In addition, overexpression of TrFQR1 enhanced the accumulation of lipids including phosphatidylglycerol, monogalactosyl diacylglycerol, sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol and cardiolipin as important compositions of bilayers involved in dynamic membrane assembly in mitochondria or chloroplasts positively associated with heat tolerance. TrFQR1‐transgenic white clover also exhibited higher lipids saturation level and phosphatidylcholine:phosphatidylethanolamine ratio, which could be beneficial to membrane stability and integrity during a prolonged period of heat stress. The current study proves that TrFQR1 is essential for heat tolerance associated with mitochondrial respiratory chain, cellular reactive oxygen species homeostasis, and lipids remodeling in plants. TrFQR1 could be selected as a key candidate marker gene to screen heat‐tolerant genotypes or develop heat‐tolerant crops via molecular‐based breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical engineering in lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) has garnered significant attention for tailoring optoelectronic properties, such as bandgap, quantum yield (QY), and stability. Here, pure blue emissive PNCs in glass by using ultrafast laser are reported. The emission wavelength is tuned in the range from 461 to 520 nm by engineering the chemical composition in the B‐site Cd/Pb mix‐cation system. The photoluminescence (PL) QY of CsCdxPb1−xBr3 PNCs reaches 13.4% for the pure blue emission at 467 nm, which is twice that of CsPbBryCl3−y PNCs. The pure blue emissive PNCs exhibit remarkable stability when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, heat, and ethanol solvents. The ultrafast laser print patterns can be encrypted and decrypted for information, which shows great potential for crucial information security applications. These results imply that B‐site engineering for lead halide PNCs embedded in glass is effective to tailor the PL spectra and increase the PL QY. The pure blue emissive PNCs hold great potential in the applications of blue and full‐color emissive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis-induced skeletal muscle wasting may lead to various severe clinical consequences. Understanding molecular mechanisms of the regulation of the loss of skeletal muscle mass in septic patients remains a significant clinical challenge. The current study was conducted to establish septic mouse models to explore the relationship between microRNA (miR)-351 and the transcription element apical (TEA) domain transcription factor (Tead)-4 gene and to investigate its effects on the skeletal muscle through mediating the Hippo signaling pathway in mice with acute sepsis. A total of 60 mice were collected to establish mouse models of acute sepsis. The positive expression rate of Tead-4 and the apoptotic index (AI) were measured. A dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to verify the targeting relationship between miR-351 and Tead-4. Furthermore, the muscle fiber diameter (MFD) and area (MFA) and the content of 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and tyrosine (Tyr) were assessed. The expression levels of miR-351, p38-MAPK, Yes-associated protein, Tead-4, B-cell lymphoma X protein (Bax), and Caspase-3 were determined with quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Finally, cell viability, apoptosis, and levels of inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, IL-6, IGF-1, TNF-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, flow cytometry, and ELISA. Initially, Tead-4 protein expression was higher in skeletal muscle tissues of mice with acute sepsis. Tead-4 was identified to negatively regulate miR-351. Upregulation of miR-351 increased MFA and MFD, muscle weight water content, Bcl-2 expression levels, and cell viability. Up-regulation of miR-351 reduced AI; 3-MH and Tyr content; positive expression of Tead-4 protein; the expression levels of p38-MAPK, Yap, Tead-4, Bax, and Caspase-3; apoptosis; and inflammatory responses. The current study demonstrated that up-regulation of miR-351 inhibits the degradation of skeletal muscle protein and the atrophy of skeletal muscle in mice with acute sepsis by targeting Tead-4 through suppression of the Hippo signaling pathway. Thus, miR-351 overexpression may be a future therapeutic strategy for acute sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite (HOIP) ferroelectrics with high Curie temperature (Tc), typified by the lead halide hybrid perovskite ferroelectrics, are developing rapidly owing to their maneuverable ferroelectricity at high temperatures. However, acquiring high‐Tc lead‐free HOIP ferroelectrics via rational strategy still needs development. In this study, a brand‐new program by modulating the steric confinement in a cuplike cavity to design high‐Tc bismuth‐halide ferroelectrics [H2mdap]BiX5 (H2mdap = N‐Methyl‐1,3‐Propanediamine, X = Cl (1), Br (2), I(3)) is proposed. Emphatically, the Tc enhanced dramatically from 264 K of 3 to 318 K of 2 and 377 K of 1, induced by the substitution of Br and Cl to I, accompanied with an interesting transition from second‐order phase transition (for 3) to the first‐order one (for 1 and 2). The extent of Tc increase is up to 113 K, which far outweighs that of reported Pb‐halide hybrid ferroelectrics. Structural and computational analyses elucidate that this unprecedented improvement of Tc is due to the higher phase transition energy barriers induced by modulating the steric confinement of cuplike cavity via halogen substitution. These results will provide new inspiration for designing high‐Tc lead‐free HOIP ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory disease can be early warned by many respiratory parameters such as intensity, rhythm, temperature, and breath molecules like acetone. It requires a complex process to measure these respiratory parameters simultaneously in clinical practice. Therefore, it is a hot topic to design portable devices especially wearable electronics to monitor respiratory conditions continually in daily life. Here, a flexible self‐powered multi‐parameter respiration sensor based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) thin film and flexible interdigital electrodes that is bonding with sodium‐doped zinc oxide nanoflowers is demonstrated , which can detect airflow, temperature, and acetone during breathing. The respiration sensor may provide some reference ways for the fabrication of miniaturized respiratory disease monitoring devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanocytes stimulated by ultraviolet radiation (UVR) produce melanin and melanosomes, which causes skin pigmentation and acts as an important physiological defence process for photoprotection. Neutral luminal pH of melanosomes is critical for providing optimal conditions for the rate‐limiting, pH‐sensitive melanin synthesizing enzyme tyrosinase (TYR). As a major component of extraocular phototransduction pathway, transient receptor potential ankyrin1 (TRPA1) can be activated by ultraviolet B (UVB) and reported to be expressed in melanocytes. However, whether TRPA1 is involved in the regulation of melanogenesis remains unclear. Melanogenic activity of TRPA1 was evaluated in primary normal human epidermal melanocytes (HEMs) and murine B16‐F10 cell cultures, and the effects of topical applications of TRPA1 specific agonist and antagonist on UVB‐induced skin pigmentation were confirmed on in vivo guinea pig models. Calcium (Ca2+) imaging and pH imaging were performed to analyse the effects of TRPA1 on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]ic) and melanosome luminal pH. TRPA1 regulated melanin synthesis, UVB‐induced Ca2+ influx and melanosome luminal pH in HEMs and B16‐F10 cells. Topical treatment of TRPA1 specific agonist JT010 increased UVB‐induced skin pigmentation in guinea pigs, while topical using of TRPA1 selective antagonist HC‐030031 mitigated such pigmentation. Our results indicated that TRPA1 activated by UVB enhanced the skin pigmentation, most likely by regulating the [Ca2+]ic and the melanosomal pH, consequently influencing the enzymatic activity of TYR. Therefore, the results suggest TRPA1 as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of skin pigmented disorders that are at high risk under UVB irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]