Bioinspired Ultrasensitive Flexible Strain Sensors for Real‑Time Wireless Detection of Liquid Leakage

Liquid leakage of pipeline networks not only results in considerableresource wastage but also leads to environmental pollution and ecological imbalance.In response to this global issue, a bioinspired superhydrophobic thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon nanotubes/graphene nanosheets flexible strain sensor (TCGS) hasbeen developed using a combination of micro-extrusion compression molding andsurface modification for real-time wireless detection of liquid leakage. The TCGSutilizes the synergistic effects of Archimedean spiral crack arrays and micropores,which are inspired by the remarkable sensory capabilities of scorpions. This designachieves a sensitivity of 218.13 at a strain of 2%, which is an increase of 4300%. Additionally, it demonstrates exceptional durability bywithstanding over 5000 usage cycles. The robust superhydrophobicity of the TCGS significantly enhances sensitivity and stability indetecting small-scale liquid leakage, enabling precise monitoring of liquid leakage across a wide range of sizes, velocities, and compositionswhile issuing prompt alerts. This provides critical early warnings for both industrial pipelines and potential liquid leakage scenariosin everyday life. The development and utilization of bioinspired ultrasensitive flexible strain sensors offer an innovative and effectivesolution for the early wireless detection of liquid leakage.

Inter‑Skeleton Conductive Routes Tuning Multifunctional Conductive Foam for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding,Sensing and Thermal Management

Conductive polymer foam(CPF)with excellent compressibility and variable resistance has promising applications in electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding and other integrated functions for wearable electronics.However,its insufficient change amplitude of resistance with compressive strain generally leads to a degradation of shielding performance during deformation.Here,an innovative loading strategy of conductive materials on polymer foam is proposed to significantly increase the contact probability and contact area of conductive components under compression.Unique inter-skeleton conductive films are constructed by loading alginate-decorated magnetic liquid metal on the polymethacrylate films hanged between the foam skeleton(denoted as AMLM-PM foam).Traditional point contact between conductive skeletons under compression is upgraded to planar contact between conductive films.Therefore,the resistance change of AMLM-PM reaches four orders of magnitude under compression.Moreover,the inter-skeleton conductive films can improve the mechanical strength of foam,prevent the leakage of liquid metal and increase the scattering area of EM wave.AMLM-PM foam has strain-adaptive EMI shielding performance and shows compression-enhanced shielding effectiveness,solving the problem of traditional CPFs upon compression.The upgrade of resistance response also enables foam to achieve sensitive pressure sensing over a wide pressure range and compression-regulated Joule heating function.

Smart Cellulose‑Based Janus Fabrics with Switchable Liquid Transportation for Personal Moisture and Thermal Management

The Janus fabrics designed for personal moisture/thermal regulation have garnered significant attention for their potential to enhance human comfort.However,the development of smart and dynamic fabrics capable of managing personal moisture/thermal comfort in response to changing external environments remains a challenge.Herein,a smart cellulose-based Janus fabric was designed to dynamically manage personal moisture/heat.The cotton fabric was grafted with N-isopropylacrylamide to construct a temperature-stimulated transport channel.Subsequently,hydrophobic ethyl cellulose and hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber were sprayed on the bottom and top sides of the fabric to obtain wettability gradient.The fabric exhibits anti-gravity directional liquid transportation from hydrophobic side to hydrophilic side,and can dynamically and continuously control the transportation time in a wide range of 3–66 s as the temperature increases from 10 to 40℃.This smart fabric can quickly dissipate heat at high temperatures,while at low temperatures,it can slow down the heat dissipation rate and prevent the human from becoming too cold.In addition,the fabric has UV shielding and photodynamic antibacterial properties through depositing graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets on the hydrophilic side.This smart fabric offers an innovative approach to maximizing personal comfort in environments with significant temperature variations.

Understanding the local structure and thermophysical behavior of Mg-La liquid alloys via machine learning potential

The local structure and thermophysical behavior of Mg-La liquid alloys were in-depth understood using deep potential molecular dynamic(DPMD) simulation driven via machine learning to promote the development of Mg-La alloys. The robustness of the trained deep potential(DP) model was thoroughly evaluated through several aspects, including root-mean-square errors(RMSEs), energy and force data, and structural information comparison results;the results indicate the carefully trained DP model is reliable. The component and temperature dependence of the local structure in the Mg-La liquid alloy was analyzed. The effect of Mg content in the system on the first coordination shell of the atomic pairs is the same as that of temperature. The pre-peak demonstrated in the structure factor indicates the presence of a medium-range ordered structure in the Mg-La liquid alloy, which is particularly pronounced in the 80at% Mg system and disappears at elevated temperatures. The density, self-diffusion coefficient, and shear viscosity for the Mg-La liquid alloy were predicted via DPMD simulation, the evolution patterns with Mg content and temperature were subsequently discussed, and a database was established accordingly. Finally, the mixing enthalpy and elemental activity of the Mg-La liquid alloy at 1200 K were reliably evaluated,which provides new guidance for related studies.

Transfer RNA-derived small RNA serves as potential non-invasive diagnostic marker and a novel therapeutic target for acute pancreatitis

Transfer RNA(tRNA)-derived fragments,a new type of tRNA-derived small RNA(tsRNA),can be cleaved from tRNA by enzymes to regulate target gene expression at the transcriptional and translational levels.tsRNAs are not only degradation fragments but also have biological functions,including those in immune inflammation,metabolic disorders,and cell death.tsRNA dysregulation is closely associated with multiple diseases,including various cancers and acute pancreatitis(AP).AP is a common gastrointestinal disease,and its incidence increases annually.AP development is associated with tsRNAs,which regulate cell injury and induce inflammation,especially pyroptosis and ferroptosis.Notably,serum tRF36 has the potential to serve as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker and leads to pancreatic acinar cell ferroptosis causing inflammation to promote AP.We show the characteristics of tsRNAs and their diagnostic value and function in AP,and discuss the potential opportunities and challenges of using tsRNAs in clinical applications and research.

Perfluoropentane-based oxygen-loaded nanodroplets reduce microglial activation through metabolic reprogramming

Microglia,the primary immune cells within the brain,have gained recognition as a promising therapeutic target for managing neurodegenerative diseases within the central nervous system,including Parkinson’s disease.Nanoscale perfluorocarbon droplets have been reported to not only possess a high oxygen-carrying capacity,but also exhibit remarkable anti-inflammatory properties.However,the role of perfluoropentane in microglia-mediated central inflammatory reactions remains poorly understood.In this study,we developed perfluoropentane-based oxygen-loaded nanodroplets(PFP-OLNDs)and found that pretreatment with these droplets suppressed the lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of M1-type microglia in vitro and in vivo,and suppressed microglial activation in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.Microglial suppression led to a reduction in the inflammatory response,oxidative stress,and cell migration capacity in vitro.Consequently,the neurotoxic effects were mitigated,which alleviated neuronal degeneration.Additionally,ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry showed that the anti-inflammatory effects of PFP-OLNDs mainly resulted from the modulation of microglial metabolic reprogramming.We further showed that PFP-OLNDs regulated microglial metabolic reprogramming through the AKT-mTOR-HIF-1αpathway.Collectively,our findings suggest that the novel PFP-OLNDs constructed in this study alleviate microglia-mediated central inflammatory reactions through metabolic reprogramming.

Homozygous phytosterolemia and a literature review:A case report

BACKGROUND Phytosterolemia,also known as sitosterolemia,is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by elevated plasma plant sterol levels and xanthomata,which is easily misdiagnosed as familial hypercholesterolemia.Patients with homozygous phytosterolemia often have severe clinical manifestations,with xanthomata in childhood and premature atherosclerosis.Our patient had a milder clinical phenotype.CASE SUMMARY This report describes a patient with homozygous phytosterolemia who presented with only elevated cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)without xanthomata,arteriosclerosis,or hematological abnormalities.Homozygous mutation of ABCG5 which encodes an ATP-binding cassette transporter,was detected by whole exome sequencing and diagnosed as phytosterolemia.Measurement of the patient’s plasma plant sterol levels detected significant elevations in stigmasterol,rapeseed oil-derived plant sterol,andβ-glutaminol levels.Ezetimibe was started and a low plant sterol diet was recommended.The patient’s blood lipid profile was reexamined one month later and showed significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL-C levels.Phytosterolemia has similar clinical features as familial hypercholesterolemia,is highly susceptible to misdiagnosis,and has a very low incidence,and therefore clinicians need to consider a genetic diagnosis of a definitively hyperlipidemic disorder when statin drugs fail to lower lipid levels.CONCLUSION Phytosterolemia is easily misdiagnosed as familial hypercholesterolaemia and can be treated by dietary modification and cholesterol absorption inhibitors to lower blood lipids.

Molecular simulation study of the microstructures and properties of pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]mixed with acetonitrile

The microstructures and thermodynamic properties of mixed systems comprising pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]and acetonitrile at different mole fractions were studied using molecular dynamics simulation in this work.The following properties were determined:density,self-diffusion coefficient,excess molar volume,and radial distribution function.The results show that with an increase in the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the self-diffusion coefficient decreases.Additionally,the excess molar volume initially decreases,reaches a minimum,and then increases.The rules of radial distribution functions(RDFs)of characteristic atoms are different.With increasing the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the first peak of the RDFs of HA1-F decreases,while that of CT6-CT6 rises at first and then decreases.This indicates that the solvent molecules affect the polar and non-polar regions of[HPy][BF_(4)]differently.

Efficient fixation of CO_(2) to cyclic carbonates and oxazolidinones with multi-hydroxyl bis-(quaternary ammonium) ionic liquids as catalysts under mild conditions

A series of multi-hydroxyl bis-(quaternary ammonium)ionic liquids(Ils1‒7)was prepared as bifunctional catalysts for the chemical fixation of CO_(2).All these ionic liquid compounds were efficient for the catalytic synthesis of cyclic carbonates and oxazolidinones via the cycloaddition reactions between CO_(2) and epoxides or aziridines with excellent yield and high selectivity in the absence of co-catalyst,metal and solvent.Due to the synergistic effects of hydroxyl groups and halogen anion,the cycloaddition reactions proceeded smoothly either at atmospheric pressure or room temperature.The selectivity for substituted oxazolidinones at 5-and 4-positions can be tuned via changing the reaction conditions.Finally,possible mechanisms including the activation of both CO_(2) and epoxide or aziridines were proposed based on the literatures and experimental results.

Diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer:A molecular perspective

This editorial comments on the review by Da Silva et al,published in the World Journal of Clinical Oncology which focuses on the molecular perspectives of lung cancer.With the rapid development of molecular technology,new diagnostic methods are constantly emerging,including liquid biopsy,the identification of gene mutations,and the monitoring biomarkers,thus providing precise in-formation with which to identify the occurrence and development of lung cancer.Biomarkers,such as circulating tumor cells,circulating tumor DNA,and cir-culating RNA can provide helpful information for clinical application.Common types of genetic mutations and immune checkpoints include epidermal growth factor receptor,anaplastic lymphoma kinase,c-ROS proto-oncogene 1,progra-mmed death-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein.According to specific biomarkers,targeted therapy and immunotherapy can improve survival outcomes based on the types of gene mutation and immune checkpoints.The application of molecular approaches can facilitate our ability to control the progression of disease and select appropriate therapeutic strategies for patients with lung cancer.

Performance optimization of ammonium dinitramide-based liquid propellant in pulsed laser ablation micro-propulsion using LIBS

The efficacy of spacecraft propulsion systems significantly depends on the choice of propellant.This study utilized laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)to investigate the impact of different fuel types,fuel ratios,and laser energies on the plasma parameters of ammonium dinitramide(ADN)-based liquid propellants.Our findings suggest that 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide(AMIMDCA)as a fuel choice led to higher plasma temperatures compared to methanol(CH_3OH)and hydroxyethyl hydrazine nitrate(HEHN)under the same experimental conditions.Optimization of the fuel ratio proved critical,and when the AMIMDCA ratio was 21wt.%the propellants could achieve the best propulsion performance.Increasing the incident laser energy not only enhanced the emission spectral intensity but also elevated the plasma temperature and electron density,thereby improving ablation efficiency.Notably,a combination of 100 mJ laser energy and 21wt.%AMIMDCA fuel produced a strong and stable plasma signal.This study contributes to our knowledge of pulsed laser micro-ablation in ADN-based liquid propellants,providing a useful optical diagnostic approach that can help refine the design and enhance the performance of spacecraft propulsion systems.

An efficient process for decomposing perfluorinated compounds by reactive species during microwave discharge in liquid

Microwave discharge plasma in liquid(MDPL)is a new type of water purification technology with a high mass transfer efficiency.It is a kind of low-temperature plasma technology.The reactive species produced by the discharge can efficiently act on the pollutants.To clarify the application prospects of MDPL in water treatment,the discharge performance,practical application,and pollutant degradation mechanism of MDPL were studied in this work.The effects of power,conductivity,pH,and Fe^(2+)concentration on the amount of reactive species produced by the discharge were explored.The most common and refractory perfluorinated compounds(perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA)and perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS)in water environments are degraded by MDPL technology.The highest defluorination of PFOA was 98.8% and the highest defluorination of PFOS was 92.7%.The energy consumption efficiency of 50% defluorination(G_(50-F))of PFOA degraded by MDPL is 78.43 mg/kWh,PFOS is 42.19 mg/kWh.The results show that the MDPL technology is more efficient and cleaner for the degradation of perfluorinated compounds.Finally,the reaction path and pollutant degradation mechanisms of MDPL production were analyzed.The results showed that MDPL technology can produce a variety of reactive species and has a good treatment effect for refractory perfluorinated pollutants.

Melon2K array:A versatile 2K liquid SNP chip for melon genetics and breeding

High-throughput genotyping tools can effectively promote molecular breeding in crops.In this study,genotyping by target sequencing(GBTS)system was utilized to develop a genome-wide liquid SNP chip for facilitating genetics and breeding in melon(Cucumis melo L.),a globally cultivated economically important horticultural crop.Based on over eight million SNPs derived from 823 representative melon accessions,16K,8K,4K,2K,1K,500,250 and 125 informative SNPs were screened and evaluated for their polymorphisms,conservation of flanking sequences,and distributions.The set of 2K SNPs was found to be optimal for representing the maximum diversity with the lowest number of SNPs,and it was selected to develop the liquid chip,named“Melon2K”.Using Melon2K,more than 1500 SNPs were detected across 17 samples of five melon cultivars,and the phylogenetic relationships were clearly constructed.Within the same cultivar,genetic differences were also assessed between different samples.We evaluated the performance of Melon2K in genetic background selection during the breeding process,obtaining the introgression lines of interested trait with more than 97%genetic background of elite variety by only two rounds of backcrossing.These results suggest that Melon2K provides a cost-effective,efficient and reliable platform for genetic analysis and molecular breeding in melon.

Functional metabolomics analysis of the protective mechanism of total flavonoids of Scutellaria baicalensis on acute myocardial ischemia rats

Background:The study aimed to investigate the protective effect and mechanism of total flavonoids of Scutellaria baicalensis(TFSB)on acute myocardial ischemia(AMI)rats by using functional metabonomics.Methods:Rats were divided into the Control,Model,AMI positive control(Propranolol hydrochloride,30 mg/kg),low dose TFSB(50 mg/kg),and high dose TFSB(100 mg/kg)groups.Rats received the corresponding treatment by intragastric administration once daily for 10 consecutive days.Electrocardiogram,myocardial enzyme,triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining,hematoxylin-eosin,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed to evaluate the protective effect of TFSB on AMI rats.Then,the UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS method based on serum metabolomics was utilised to search for metabolic biomarkers and metabolic pathways.Subsequently,Western blot and RT-PCR techniques were employed to identify the respective genes and proteins.Results:Pharmacodynamics revealed that TFSB could ameliorate AMI in rats.The results of the metabolomics analysis indicated that the alterations in metabolic profile observed in rats with AMI were partially improved by treatment with TFSB.Moreover,the mRNA expression levels of 5-lipoxygenase(5-LOX)and 15-lipoxygenase(15-LOX)and the protein expression levels of 5-LOX,15-LOX,interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and NF-κB p65 were reduced following treatment with TFSB.Conclusion:The potential treatment of TFSB in AMI may be ascribed to its ability to regulate arachidonic acid metabolism.

An Environment‑Tolerant Ion‑Conducting Double‑Network Composite Hydrogel for High‑Performance Flexible Electronic Devices

High-performance ion-conducting hydrogels(ICHs)are vital for developing flexible electronic devices.However,the robustness and ion-conducting behavior of ICHs deteriorate at extreme tempera-tures,hampering their use in soft electronics.To resolve these issues,a method involving freeze–thawing and ionizing radiation technology is reported herein for synthesizing a novel double-network(DN)ICH based on a poly(ionic liquid)/MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol)(PMP DN ICH)system.The well-designed ICH exhibits outstanding ionic conductivity(63.89 mS cm^(-1) at 25℃),excellent temperature resistance(-60–80℃),prolonged stability(30 d at ambient temperature),high oxidation resist-ance,remarkable antibacterial activity,decent mechanical performance,and adhesion.Additionally,the ICH performs effectively in a flexible wireless strain sensor,thermal sensor,all-solid-state supercapacitor,and single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator,thereby highlighting its viability in constructing soft electronic devices.The highly integrated gel structure endows these flexible electronic devices with stable,reliable signal output performance.In particular,the all-solid-state supercapacitor containing the PMP DN ICH electrolyte exhibits a high areal specific capacitance of 253.38 mF cm^(-2)(current density,1 mA cm^(-2))and excellent environmental adaptability.This study paves the way for the design and fabrication of high-performance mul-tifunctional/flexible ICHs for wearable sensing,energy-storage,and energy-harvesting applications.

Liquid crystal-integrated metasurfaces for an active photonic platform

Metasurfaces have opened the door to next-generation optical devices due to their ability to dramatically modulate electromagnetic waves at will using periodically arranged nanostructures.However,metasurfaces typically have static optical responses with fixed geometries of nanostructures,which poses challenges for implementing transition to technology by replacing conventional optical components.To solve this problem,liquid crystals(LCs)have been actively employed for designing tunable metasurfaces using their adjustable birefringent in real time.Here,we review recent studies on LCpowered tunable metasurfaces,which are categorized as wavefront tuning and spectral tuning.Compared to numerous reviews on tunable metasurfaces,this review intensively explores recent development of LC-integrated metasurfaces.At the end of this review,we briefly introduce the latest research trends on LC-powered metasurfaces and suggest further directions for improving LCs.We hope that this review will accelerate the development of new and innovative LC-powered devices.

Multi-dimensional multiplexing optical secret sharing framework with cascaded liquid crystal holograms

Secret sharing is a promising technology for information encryption by splitting the secret information into different shares.However,the traditional scheme suffers from information leakage in decryption process since the amount of available information channels is limited.Herein,we propose and demonstrate an optical secret sharing framework based on the multi-dimensional multiplexing liquid crystal(LC)holograms.The LC holograms are used as spatially separated shares to carry secret images.The polarization of the incident light and the distance between different shares are served as secret keys,which can significantly improve the information security and capacity.Besides,the decryption condition is also restricted by the applied external voltage due to the variant diffraction efficiency,which further increases the information security.In implementation,an artificial neural network(ANN)model is developed to carefully design the phase distribution of each LC hologram.With the advantage of high security,high capacity and simple configuration,our optical secret sharing framework has great potentials in optical encryption and dynamic holographic display.

Ionic Liquid-Enhanced Assembly of Nanomaterials for Highly Stable Flexible Transparent Electrodes

The controlled assembly of nanomaterials has demon-strated significant potential in advancing technological devices.However,achieving highly efficient and low-loss assembly technique for nanomate-rials,enabling the creation of hierarchical structures with distinctive func-tionalities,remains a formidable challenge.Here,we present a method for nanomaterial assembly enhanced by ionic liquids,which enables the fabrication of highly stable,flexible,and transparent electrodes featuring an organized layered structure.The utilization of hydrophobic and non-volatile ionic liquids facilitates the production of stable interfaces with water,effectively preventing the sedimentation of 1D/2D nanomaterials assembled at the interface.Furthermore,the interfacially assembled nanomaterial monolayer exhibits an alternate self-climbing behavior,enabling layer-by-layer transfer and the formation of a well-ordered MXene-wrapped silver nanowire network film.The resulting composite film not only demonstrates exceptional photoelectric performance with a sheet resistance of 9.4Ωsq^(-1) and 93%transmittance,but also showcases remarkable environmental stability and mechanical flexibility.Particularly noteworthy is its application in transparent electromagnetic interference shielding materials and triboelectric nanogenerator devices.This research introduces an innovative approach to manufacture and tailor functional devices based on ordered nanomaterials.

Corrosion behavior of pure metals(Ni and Ti)and alloys(316H SS and GH3535)in liquid GaInSn

In this study,the interactions between a Ga-based liquid metal,GaInSn,and several metal materials,including pure metals(Ni and Ti)and alloys(316H stainless steel(SS)and GH3535),at 650℃were investigated.The aim was to evaluate the corrosion performance and select a suitable candidate material for use as a molten salt manometer diaphragm in thermal energy storage systems.The results indicated that the alloys(316H SS and GH3535)exhibited less corrosion than pure metals(Ni and Ti)in liquid GaInSn.Ga-rich binary intermetallic compounds were found to form on the surfaces of all the tested metal materials exposed to liquid GaInSn,as a result of the decomposition of liquid GaInSn and its reaction with the constituent elements of the metal materials.The corrosion mechanism for all the tested materials exposed to liquid GaInSn was also investigated and proposed,which may aid in selecting the optimal candidate material when liquid GaInSn is used as the pressure-sensing medium.

An ionic liquid-assisted strategy for enhanced anticorrosion of low-energy PEO coatings on magnesium–lithium alloy

A low-energy plasma electrolytic oxidation(LePEO)technique is developed to simultaneously improve energy efficiency and anti-corrosion.Ionic liquids(1-butyl-3-methylimidazole tetrafluoroborate(BmimBF_(4)))as sustainable corrosion inhibitors are chosen to investigate the corrosion inhibition behavior of ionic liquid(ILs)during the LePEO process for LA91 magnesium-lithium(Mg-Li)alloy.Results show that the ionic liquid BmimBF_(4)participates in the LePEO coating formation process,causing an increment in coating thickness and surface roughness.The low conductivity of the ionic liquid is responsible for the voltage and breakdown voltage increases during the LePEO with IL process(LePEO-IL).After adding BmimBF_(4),corrosion current density decreases from 1.159×10^(−4)A·cm^(−2)to 8.143×10^(−6)A·cm^(−2).The impedance modulus increases to 1.048×10^(4)Ω·cm^(−2)and neutral salt spray remains intact for 24 h.The superior corrosion resistance of the LePEO coating assisted by ionic liquid could be mainly attributed to its compact and thick barrier layer and physical absorption of ionic liquid.The ionic liquid-assisted LePEO technique provides a promising approach to reducing energy consumption and improving film performance.