Designing Zwitterionic Peptide with Superhydrophilicity through Carboxyl-Amino Spacing Adjustment for Robust Antifouling Electrochemical Biosensing in Complex Biofluids.

The performance of electrochemical biosensors is severely compromised by biofouling in complex biofluids, underscoring the necessity to explore high-performance antifouling materials to construct robust nonfouling electrochemical biosensors. Here, the antifouling zwitterionic peptide CPPPP(D-Dap)(D-Dap)(D-Dap)(D-Dap) (CP(DDap)) was designed by adjusting the distance between the adjacent amino and carboxyl groups of the peptide, and it was further employed to fabricate antifouling electrochemical biosensors. Compared with traditional zwitterionic peptides, CP(DDap) exhibited not only superhydrophilicity but also higher structural rigidity and a smaller dipole moment, enabling it to achieve superior antifouling performance in complex biological media, while its unnatural characteristics endowed it with robust stability against hydrolysis by natural proteinase in biofluids.

Mixed-matrix membranes incorporating hierarchical ZIF-8 towards enhanced CO/N separation.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) has been widely used as filler of mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) because of their tunable pore sizes, large surface areas, and rich functional groups. However, a relatively high diffusion barrier in the framework of bulk MOF fillers inevitably reduces gas permeability. Introduction of hierarchically porous structure represents an effective method for reducing guest diffusion resistance with no compromise in gas selectivity.

Antifouling peptides engineered with amino-terminal copper-nickel-binding motifs for low-fouling and antibacterial electrochemical detection of HER2 in complex biofluids.

Conventional electrochemical biosensors used for biomarker detection in complex biofluids often suffer from reduced sensitivity and accuracy due to nonspecific molecular adsorption and bacterial interference. To overcome these limitations, it is essential to design biosensors that combine antifouling and antibacterial functionalities. Herein, a multifunctional branched peptide (MBP) was designed and used to construct electrochemical biosensor for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) detection in complex biofluids.

A chip-integrated comb-based microwave oscillator.

Low-noise microwave oscillators are cornerstones for wireless communication, radar and clocks. The employment and optimization of optical frequency combs have enabled photonic microwave synthesizers with unrivalled noise performance and bandwidth breaking the bottleneck of those electronic counterparts. Emerging interest is to use chip-based Kerr frequency combs, namely microcombs.

Lignin-derived carbon dots with molten salt confinement for ultra-stable room-temperature phosphorescence.

In response to the critical challenges of high toxicity, complex synthesis, and poor environmental stability in conventional room-temperature phosphorescent materials, this study presents a sustainable biomass-derived strategy through the development of lignin-based carbon dot/inorganic salt composites (CDSL-T). By employing a one-step molten salt approach, we construct a hierarchical architecture featuring lignin-derived sp-hybridized carbon cores and a rigid crystalline shell comprising multi-component inorganic salts (MgO/Mg(PO)/KCl/KNO). The inherent conjugated moieties of lignin facilitate efficient intersystem crossing, while nitrogen doping optimizes (n, π*) electronic configurations to enhance spin-orbit coupling effects.

Corrigendum to "Study on the fluidity of foamed alkali-activated slag cementitious material (AASCM)" [Heliyon 9(11) November 2023 e22277].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.

Supercritical Ethane Processing of ZIF-8 Membranes towards Pressure-Resistant CH/CH Separation.

ZIF-8 membranes have shown great promise in industrial-scale CH/CH separation. Nonetheless, sustainable preparation of pressure-resistant ZIF-8 membranes remains a grand challenge. In this study, we pioneered the use of supercritical ethane (scCH) as reaction medium for preparing pressure-resistant ZIF-8 membranes.

Coulombic Condensation of Liquefied Gas Electrolytes for Li Metal Batteries at Ambient Pressure.

The concept of employing highly concentrated electrolytes has been widely incorporated into electrolyte design, due to their enhanced Li-metal passivation and oxidative stability compared to their diluted counterparts. However, issues such as high viscosity and sub-optimal wettability, compromise their suitability for commercialization. In this study, we present a highly concentrated dimethyl ether-based electrolyte that appears as a liquid phase at ambient conditions via Li - solvents ion-dipole interactions (Coulombic condensation).

The mining of thermostable β-glucosidase for tea aroma enhancement under brewing conditions.

The β-glucosidases known to improve tea aroma are all mesothermal enzymes, limiting their use under brewing conditions. Based on the properties analysis and molecular docking, the thermostable β-glucosidase (TPG) from Thermotoga petrophlia showed potential to enhance tea aroma. Treatment by recombinant TPG at 90 °C, the floral, sweet and grassy notes of instant Oolong tea were increased, while the roasted, caramel and woody notes were decreased.

Use of ultrasound to increase the catalytic activity of α-L-rhamnosidase.

α-L-rhamnosidase (Rha) is ubiquitous in nature and has high feasibility in the food and biotechnology industries. A green and environmentally friendly method was used to improve the activity of Rha. Here, we show that the effects of ultrasound treatment on the Rha.

Antifouling strategies for electrochemical sensing in complex biological media.

Surface fouling poses a significant challenge that restricts the analytical performance of electrochemical sensors in both in vitro and in vivo applications. Biofouling resistance is paramount to guarantee the reliable operation of electrochemical sensors in complex biofluids (e.g.

Study on the fluidity of foamed alkali-activated slag cementitious material (AASCM).

This study aims to investigate the evolution patterns of fluidity and rheological properties of AASCM under varying dosages of foaming agent and particle sizes of filling aggregate. The flow characteristics of AASCM are significantly affected by the filling aggregate's size and the foaming agent's dosage. Specifically, an increase in filling aggregate size (D(4,3) ϵ [26 μm, 69 μm]) enhances the fluidity of foamed AASCM, while an increase in foaming agent dosage reduces fluidity.

[Expression of β-xylosidase -xyl from and characterization of its xylose tolerance].

The hydrolysis of xylo-oligosaccharides catalyzed by β-xylosidase plays an important role in the degradation of lignocellulose. However, the enzyme is easily inhibited by its catalytic product xylose, which severely limits its application. Based on molecular docking, this paper studied the xylose affinity of β-xylosidase -xyl, which was significantly differentially expressed in the fermentation medium of tea stalks, through cloning, expression and characterization.

Toward a quantitative interfacial description of solvation for Li metal battery operation under extreme conditions.

The future application of Li metal batteries (LMBs) at scale demands electrolytes that endow improved performance under fast-charging and low-temperature operating conditions. Recent works indicate that desolvation kinetics of Li plays a crucial role in enabling such behavior. However, the modulation of this process has typically been achieved through inducing qualitative degrees of ion pairing into the system.

Effect of Electrolyte Chemistry and Sulfur Content in Li||Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) Batteries.

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) is considered as a high-value cathode material, which leverages the high energy of S redox while mitigating the negative externalities that limit elemental S cycling. As such, the sulfur content in Li-SPAN batteries plays a critical role. In this work, we demonstrate that high-S loading SPAN cathodes, where the PAN backbone approaches the saturation point without signs of elemental S, are highly dependent on the electrolyte chemistry for long-term reversibility.

Unravelling Ultrafast Li Ion Transport in Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework-Based Battery Electrolytes.

Nonaqueous fluidic transport and ion solvation properties under nanoscale confinement are poorly understood, especially in ion conduction for energy storage and conversion systems. Herein, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and aprotic electrolytes are studied as a robust platform for molecular-level insights into electrolyte behaviors in confined spaces. By employing computer simulations, along with spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements, we demonstrate several phenomena that deviate from the bulk, including modulated solvent molecular configurations, aggregated solvation structures, and tunable transport mechanisms from quasi-solid to quasi-liquid in functionalized MOFs.

Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Crystal-Assisted Etching of Nickel Foam for the Collectively Exhaustive Electrochemical Performance of Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

In this work, an organic-inorganic hybrid crystal, violet-crystal (VC), was used to etch the nickel foam (NF) to fabricate a self-standing electrode for the water oxidation reaction. The efficacy of VC-assisted etching manifests the promising electrochemical performance towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), requiring only ~356 and ~376 mV overpotentials to reach 50 and 100 mA cm , respectively. The OER activity improvement is attributed to the collectively exhaustive effects arising from the incorporation of various elements in the NF, and the enhancement of active site density.

Application status and future prospects of the PDX model in lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent, fatal, and highly heterogeneous diseases that, seriously threaten human health. Lung cancer is primarily caused by the aberrant expression of multiple genes in the cells. Lung cancer treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

[Expression of β-glucosidase -bgl3 from for conversion of scopolin].

Scopoletin is a coumarin compound with various biological activities including detumescence and analgesic, insecticidal, antibacterial and acaricidal effects. However, interference with scopolin and other components often leads to difficulties in purification of scopoletin with low extraction rates from plant resource. In this paper, heterologous expression of the gene encoding β-glucosidase -bgl3 derived from were carried out.

A Novel Manifold Dual-Microchannel Flow Field Structure with High-Performance Heat Dissipation.

With the development of miniaturization and integration of electronic devices, the conventional manifold microchannels (MMCs) structure has been unable to meet the heat dissipation requirements caused by the rapid growth of internal heat flux. There is an urgent need to design a new heat dissipation structure with higher heat dissipation capacity to ensure the working stability and life of electronic devices. In this paper, we designed a novel manifold dual-microchannel (MDMC) cooling system that embedded the microchannel structure into the manifold microchannel structure.

A Fast Evaluation Method for Electrical Performance of Frequency and Pattern Reconfigurable Microstrip Antenna Based on Electromechanical Coupling.

With the constant increase in communication requirements in modern society, the number and type of antennas on communication platforms have been increasing at an accelerating rate. This has led to a continuous increase in platform volume and weight, and the electromagnetic environment of antenna operating has increasingly worsened, seriously restricting the further development of communication systems. As a new communication system antenna type, a reconfigurable microstrip antenna can reconstruct operating frequencies, beam directions, etc.

The Neuromodulatory Role of the Noradrenergic and Cholinergic Systems and Their Interplay in Cognitive Functions: A Focused Review.

The noradrenergic and cholinergic modulation of functionally distinct regions of the brain has become one of the primary organizational principles behind understanding the contribution of each system to the diversity of neural computation in the central nervous system. Decades of work has shown that a diverse family of receptors, stratified across different brain regions, and circuit-specific afferent and efferent projections play a critical role in helping such widespread neuromodulatory systems obtain substantial heterogeneity in neural information processing. This review briefly discusses the anatomical layout of both the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems, as well as the types and distributions of relevant receptors for each system.

Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complex-Sensitized NiO-Based-Cathodic Photoelectrochemical Platform for DNA Methyltransferase Assay.

This work reports an efficient [(C6)Ir(dppz)]PF (C6 = coumarin 6 and dppz = dipyridophenazine)-sensitized NiO photocathode and its application in photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis field for the first time. This dye-sensitized NiO photocathode was found to exhibit a markedly enhanced cathodic photocurrent. A sensitive cathodic PEC platform was proposed integrating the as-prepared photocathode with enzyme-free cascaded amplification strategies of the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) and the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for DNA methyltransferase (MTase) assay.

Employing a Fuzzy-Based Grey Modeling Procedure to Forecast China's Sulfur Dioxide Emissions.

Effective determination of trends in sulfur dioxide emissions facilitates national efforts to draft an appropriate policy that aims to lower sulfur dioxide emissions, which is essential for reducing atmospheric pollution. However, to reflect the current situation, a favorable emission reduction policy should be based on updated information. Various forecasting methods have been developed, but their applications are often limited by insufficient data.