Interdiffusion-enhanced cation exchange for HgSe and HgCdSe nanocrystals with infrared bandgaps.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals based on CdSe have been precisely optimized for photonic applications in the visible spectrum, with modern products exhibiting structural uniformity, near 100% quantum yield and linewidths narrower than 100 meV. Here we report homogeneous nanocrystals with tunable bandgaps in the infrared spectrum based on HgSe and HgCdSe alloys deriving from CdSe precursors. We find that Ag catalyses cation interdiffusion to reduce the CdSe-HgSe alloying temperature from 250 °C to 80 °C.

Dynamic Polymer Cross-linking Limits the Homogeneity of Compact Quantum Dots for Single-Particle Tracking.

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals with stable and bright fluorescence, attributes particularly valued for single-molecule imaging in the life sciences. For these applications, QDs must be compact and homogeneously dispersed as single colloids, attributes enabled by multidentate polymer coatings. However, high-resolution analyses show evidence of clusters of two or more QDs (multimers) that may dominate measurements at the single-particle level.

Amorphous Metal-Organic Framework Database for Amorphization Prediction and CO Direct Air Capture Screening.

The amorphous phases of crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), known as amorphous metal-organic frameworks (AMOFs), offer a vast yet underexplored search space for numerous applications. To efficiently navigate this chemical space, data-driven methodologies are essential for elucidating structure-property relationships. In this study, a novel approach to explore this space is introduced by utilizing chemically accurate reactive force field (ReaxFF) to first create the AMOF database.

Quantum Dot Composite Colloids with Layer-by-Layer Shells: Biological Self-Assemblies for Signal Amplified Detection.

Quantum dot composite colloids (QDCCs), submicron-sized colloidal particles incorporating multiple QDs, have been employed as signal reporters. Multiple QDs were encapsulated within the hydrophobic pockets of amphiphilic polyethylenimine derivative (amPEI), forming amPEI-QDCCs with a hydrodynamic size of approximately 100 nm. Fluorescence (FL) correlation spectroscopy revealed that each QDCC encapsulates an average of 20 QDs.

Time-resolved chemically-selective spectroscopic investigation of the redox reaction between hematite and aluminium.

Thermite reactions -highly energetic redox processes between a metal and an oxide-are used in welding, propulsion, and the fabrication of advanced materials. When reduced to the nanoscale, these reactions exhibit enhanced energetic performance, but their ultrafast dynamics remain poorly understood. Gaining insight into charge transfer during these processes is essential for advancing applications in energy conversion and materials design.

Hydrothermal Carbonaceous Nanospheres as Emerging Candidates for High-Performance Chemi-Resistive NO Gas Sensing.

Chemiresistive gas sensors have garnered increasing attention due to their critical role in environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and public health. Recently, metal-free carbon-based polymeric semiconductors have emerged as promising, offering advantages in processability, stability, and functional tunability. Building on this approach, hydrothermal carbonaceous nanospheres (HC-NSs) are designed as a new class of high-performance sensing materials for NO detection.

Elucidating Interactome Dynamics of the A2A Adenosine Receptor in the Presence of Polydeoxyribonucleotide.

Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) is a tissue regeneration substance that resembles human DNA and is present in mammalian cells. It stimulates physiological regeneration and metabolic activity, and the effects of PDRN are attributed to the activation of Adenosine A2A receptors (ADORA2A). Several previous studies have demonstrated that PDRN activates ADORA2A, which has been shown with various models including rat fibroblasts, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and the experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) model, resulting in the upregulation of angiogenesis and growth factor.

DHCR7 inhibition ameliorates MetALD and HCC in mice and human 3D liver spheroids.

Background & Aims: Metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-associated liver disease (MetALD) results in the development of liver steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). lipogenesis and cholesterol synthesis play an important role in the pathogenesis of MetALD. DHCR7 (7-dehydrocholesterol reductase) regulates the last stages of cholesterol production.

A microfluidic electrochemical immunosensor for detection of CEA and Ki67 in 3D tumor spheroids.

Microfluidic chip-based electrochemical sensors have been developed to detect cancer biomarkers and monitor changes in the tumor microenvironment. However, the limitation of detecting only a single biomarker restricts their utility as accurate diagnostic tools. Simultaneous detection of multiple tumor biomarkers is important for early diagnosis of cancer.

Investigation of Structural, Optical, Electrical, and Biological Properties of a Porous Platinum Electrode for Neurostimulation Devices.

The structural and optical properties, as well as the electrical and biological characteristics of a porous platinum (Pt) structure for neurostimulation applications, are investigated. Critical factors such as biocompatibility, electrical performance, and structural and optical differences, which can adversely affect the functionality of implantable devices, are systematically analyzed and compared with general electrodes. By employing an integration of three-dimensional simulations and implantation experiments, we demonstrate that the remarkably extensive surface area, low reflectance, and outstanding peak current values inherent in porous Pt facilitate effective stimulation while simultaneously ensuring a high degree of biological safety.

Carbon ion stimulation therapy reverses iron deposits and microglia driven neuroinflammation and induces cognitive improvement in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Insoluble iron deposits often exist as iron oxide nanoparticles in protein aggregates, impaired ferritin, or activated microglia and have been implicated as major causes of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease. However, no crucial evidence has been reported to support the therapeutic effects of current iron chelators on the deposition of various molecular forms of insoluble iron. We investigated the therapeutic effect of carbon ion stimulation (CIS) via a transmission beam on insoluble iron deposits, iron inclusion bodies, and the associated biological response in 5xFAD AD mouse brains.

Recent advances and future challenges in predictive modeling of metalloproteins by artificial intelligence.

Metal coordination is essential for structural/catalytic functions of metalloproteins that mediate a wide range of biological processes in living organisms. Advances in bioinformatics have significantly enhanced our understanding of metal-binding sites and their functional roles in metalloproteins. State-of-the-art computational models developed for metal-binding sites seamlessly integrate protein sequence and structural data to unravel the complexities of metal coordination environments.

Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated MSH3 suppression reduces somatic CAG repeat expansion in Huntington's disease iPSC-derived striatal neurons.

Expanded CAG alleles in the huntingtin () gene that cause the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease (HD) are genetically unstable and continue to expand somatically throughout life, driving HD onset and progression. MSH3, a DNA mismatch repair protein, modifies HD onset and progression by driving this somatic CAG repeat expansion process. is relatively tolerant of loss-of-function variation in humans, making it a potential therapeutic target.

Suppressing astrocytic GABA transaminase enhances tonic inhibition and weakens hippocampal spatial memory.

Pharmacological suppression of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase (GABA-T), the sole GABA-degrading enzyme and a potential therapeutic target for treating brain disorders such as epilepsy, increases not only phasic inhibition but also tonic inhibition. However, the specific cellular source, neuromodulatory effects and potential therapeutic benefits of this enhanced tonic inhibition remain unexplored due to the lack of cell-type-specific gene manipulation studies. Here we report that the increase in tonic GABA currents observed after GABA-T suppression is predominantly due to increased tonic GABA release from astrocytes rather than action-potential-dependent synaptic GABA spillover.

LARP6 regulates the mRNA translation of fibrogenic genes in liver fibrosis.

Unlabelled: Metabolic syndrome and excessive alcohol consumption result in liver injury and fibrosis, which is characterized by increased collagen production by activated Hepatic Stellate Cells (HSCs). LARP6, an RNA-binding protein, was shown to facilitate collagen production. However, LARP6 expression and functionality as a regulator of fibrosis development in a disease relevant model remains elusive.

Harnessing Large Language Models to Collect and Analyze Metal-Organic Framework Property Data Set.

This research focused on the efficient collection of experimental metal-organic framework (MOF) data from scientific literature to address the challenges of accessing hard-to-find data and improving the quality of information available for machine learning studies in materials science. Utilizing a chain of advanced large language models (LLMs), we developed a systematic approach to extract and organize MOF data into a structured format. Our methodology successfully compiled information from more than 40,000 research articles, creating a comprehensive and ready-to-use data set.

Long somatic DNA-repeat expansion drives neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease.

In Huntington's disease (HD), striatal projection neurons (SPNs) degenerate during midlife; the core biological question involves how the disease-causing DNA repeat (CAG) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene leads to neurodegeneration after decades of biological latency. We developed a single-cell method for measuring this repeat's length alongside genome-wide RNA expression. We found that the HTT CAG repeat expands somatically from 40-45 to 100-500+ CAGs in SPNs.

Optimization of Paper-Based Alveolar-Mimicking SERS Sensor for High-Sensitivity Detection of Antifungal Agent.

Crystal violet (CV) is a disinfectant and antifungal agent used in aquaculture that plays a vital role in treating aquatic diseases and sterilizing water. However, its potential for strong toxicity, including carcinogenicity and mutagenicity, upon accumulation in the body raises concerns regarding its safe use. Therefore, there is a growing need for the quantitative detection of CV in its early application stages to ensure human safety.

Improving forward compatibility in class incremental learning by increasing representation rank and feature richness.

Class Incremental Learning (CIL) constitutes a pivotal subfield within continual learning, aimed at enabling models to progressively learn new classification tasks while retaining knowledge obtained from prior tasks. Although previous studies have predominantly focused on backward compatible approaches to mitigate catastrophic forgetting, recent investigations have introduced forward compatible methods to enhance performance on novel tasks and complement existing backward compatible methods. In this study, we introduce effective-Rank based Feature Richness enhancement (RFR) method that is designed for improving forward compatibility.

Impaired chaperone-mediated autophagy leads to abnormal SORT1 (sortilin 1) turnover and CES1-dependent triglyceride hydrolysis.

SORT1 (sortilin 1), a member of the the Vps10 (vacuolar protein sorting 10) family, is involved in hepatic lipid metabolism by regulating very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion and facilitating the lysosomal degradation of CES1 (carboxylesterase 1), crucial for triglyceride (TG) breakdown in the liver. This study explores whether SORT1 is targeted for degradation by chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective protein degradation pathway that directs proteins containing KFERQ-like motifs to lysosomes via LAMP2A (lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2A). Silencing LAMP2A or HSPA8/Hsc70 with siRNA increased cytosolic SORT1 protein levels.

Selection of priority watershed for water environment management.

As part of the National Water Management Basic Plan, this study conducted research to identify priority management watersheds in the Yeongsan River basin to respond to changes in water environmental conditions and improve water quality. Analysis of water quality over the past decade revealed that points located in the middle and lower of the Yeongsan River exceeded the target water quality standards. As based on the results, pollution sources and loads indicated that the W-1 watershed, classified as urban areas, exhibited high levels in residential, industrial, and urban landuse characteristics, whereas the W-6 watershed, classified as rural areas, showed high levels in livestock farming, aquaculture, and agricultural landuse (wet and dry filed) categories.

Multi-modal analysis of human hepatic stellate cells identifies novel therapeutic targets for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background & Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease ranges from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver (MASL) to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with fibrosis. Transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) into fibrogenic myofibroblasts plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of MASH liver fibrosis. We compared transcriptome and chromatin accessibility of human HSCs from NORMAL, MASL, and MASH livers at single-cell resolution.

Assembly of glioblastoma tumoroids and cerebral organoids: a 3D in vitro model for tumor cell invasion.

Glioblastoma (GBM) has a fatal prognosis because of its aggressive and invasive characteristics. Understanding the mechanism of invasion necessitates an elucidation of the relationship between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. However, there has been a scarcity of suitable models to investigate this.

Large-Scale Construction and Analysis of Amorphous Porous Polymer Network Materials.

In recent decades, data-driven methodologies have emerged as irreplaceable tools in materials science, particularly for elucidating structure-property relationships and facilitating the discovery of novel materials. However, despite the rapid development witnessed in other domains, amorphous materials have received relatively less attention in this context. The disordered atomic structure of amorphous materials resulting from irreversible reactions between building blocks has posed a difficulty in structural modeling, leading to a lack of databases that accurately reflect the amorphous nature of these materials.