Monolithic 24 cm2 flexible triple-junction solar cell encapsulated module based on the ipsilateral electrode welding technology.

The inverted metamorphic multi-junction solar cell is anticipated to be widely applied in stratospheric flight because of its exceptional properties of flexibility and light weight. We propose an ipsilateral welding technology based on Ti/Au electrodes to simplify the fabrication process of GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs solar cells and encapsulate large-sized flexible solar cells. After annealing at 200°C for 2 h, the Ti/Au electrode achieved a low specific contact resistivity of 2.9×10-7 Ω⋅c m 2. The performance of the ohmic contact remains stable after the thermal cycling tests. The Ti/Au electrode can require less heat input for welding to reduce the risk of microcrack formation of the solar cells. By employment of this electrode, a 24c m 2 solar cell achieved a conversion efficiency of 34.74%. A flexible solar cell module with an efficiency of 32.82% under AM 1.5G illumination was obtained by the ipsilateral electrode welding technology.

Monolithic 24 cm2 flexible triple-junction solar cell encapsulated module based on the ipsilateral electrode welding technology: erratum.

This erratum corrects an error in Fig. 1 of the original paper, Appl. Opt.63, 2815 (2024)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.518102.

Growth, Biochemical Characteristics, Flesh Quality, and Gut Microbiota of the Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) Fed a Defatted Superworm (Zophobas atratus) Larvae Meal.

This study evaluated the effects of defatted superworm (Zophobas atratus) larvae meal (DBWLM) as an alternative protein ingredient for juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic experimental diets were characterized by replacing 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, 60%, and 75% fish meal (DBWLM0, DBWLM15, DBWLM30, DBWLM45, DBWLM60, and DBWLM75, respectively) with DBWLM on a w/w basis and feeding them to juvenile shrimp (0.34 ± 0.04 g) for 56 days. The results showed that the replacement of up to 75% fish meal by DBWLM had no negative effect on the growth performance of P. vannamei. The survival of shrimp in the DBWLM30 group was the highest, and the weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, condition factor, and apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter in the DBWLM15 group were the highest. The substitution of DBWLM for fish meal significantly increased the elasticity of flesh, improved the total content of umami amino acids in flesh (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, and alanine), promoted lipid metabolism in shrimp, and reduced serum lipid levels. With the increase in DBWLM level, serum acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase activity, and intestinal inflammatory gene expression (IGF-1 and IL-6) were inhibited, malondialdehyde content decreased, and total antioxidant capacity level and superoxide dismutase activity increased significantly. Histological sections of the hepatopancreas showed that when 60% or more fish meal was replaced, the hepatopancreas atrophied and had irregular lumen distortion, but the cell membrane was not damaged. Microbiome analysis showed that the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes increased and the abundance of Proteobacteria decreased in the DBWLM replacement group, and it was rich in "metabolism"-related functional pathways. It is worth mentioning that the expression of amino-acid-related enzymes was upregulated in the DBWLM15 and DBWLM30 groups, and the DBWLM75 group inhibited the biosynthesis of steroids and hormones. To conclude, the replacement of 15%-45% fish meal with DBWLM can result in better growth and immune status, improved meat elasticity, and reduced inflammation in P. vannamei. However, it is recommended that the replacement level should not exceed 60%, otherwise it will cause atrophy of hepatopancreas cells.

An Oral-mucosa-on-a-chip sensitively evaluates cell responses to dental monomers.

Knowledge of human gingival cell responses to dental monomers is critical for the development of new dental materials. Testing standards have been developed to provide guidelines to evaluate biological functionality of dental materials and devices. However, one shortcoming of the traditional testing platforms is that they do not recapitulate the multi-layered configuration of gingiva, and thus cannot evaluate the layer-specific cellular responses. An oral mucosa-chip with two cell layers was previously developed as an alternative platform to assess the oral mucosa responses to dental biomaterials. The mucosa-chip consists of an apical keratinocyte layer attached to a fibroblast-embedded collagen hydrogel through interconnecting pores in a three-microchannel network. Here, cell responses in the mucosa-chip were evaluated against 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), a common monomer used in restorative and aesthetic dentistry. The response of mucosal cell viability was evaluated by exposing the chip to HEMA of concentrations ranging from 1.56 to 25 mM and compared to cells in conventional well-plate monoculture. The co-cultured cells were then stained and imaged with epifluorescence and confocal microscopy to determine the layer-specific responses to the treatment. Mucosa-chips were demonstrated to be more sensitive to assess HEMA-altered cell viability than well-plate cultures, especially at lower doses (1.56 and 6.25 mM). The findings suggest that the mucosa-chip is a promising alternative to traditional platforms or assays to test a variety of biomaterials by offering a multi-layered tissue geometry, accessible layer-specific information, and higher sensitivity in detecting cellular responses.

Constructing Stable and Porous Covalent Organic Frameworks for Efficient Iodine Vapor Capture.

Covalent organic frameworks (COF) with periodic porous structures and tunable functionalities are a new class of crystalline polymers connected via strong covalent bonds. Constructing COF materials with high stability and porosity is attracting and essential for COFs' further functional exploration. In this work, two new covalent organic frameworks (TTA-TMTA-COF and TTA-FMTA-COF) with high surface area, large pore volume, and excellent chemical stability toward harsh conditions are designed and synthesized by integrating the methoxy functional groups into the networks. Both two COFs are further employed for iodine removal since radioactive iodine in nuclear waste has seriously threatened the natural environment and human health. TTA-TMTA-COF and TTA-FMTA-COF can capture 3.21 and 5.07 g g-1 iodine, respectively. Notably, the iodine capture capacity for iodine of TTA-FMTA-COF does not show any decline after being recycled five times. These results demonstrate both COFs possess ultrahigh capacity and excellent recyclability.

Microstructural densification and alignment by aspiration-ejection influence cancer cell interactions with three-dimensional collagen networks.

Extracellular matrix microstructure and mechanics are crucial to breast cancer progression and invasion into surrounding tissues. The peritumor collagen network is often dense and aligned, features which in vitro models lack. Aspiration of collagen hydrogels led to densification and alignment of microstructure surrounding embedded cancer cells. Two metastasis-derived breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, were cultured in initially 4 mg/ml collagen gels for 3 days after aspiration, as well as in unaspirated control hydrogels. Videomicroscopy during aspiration, and at 0, 1, and 3 days after aspiration, epifluorescence microscopy of phalloidin-stained F-actin cytoskeleton, histological sections, and soluble metabolic byproducts from constructs were collected to characterize effects on the embedded cell morphology, the collagen network microstructure, and proliferation. Breast cancer cells remained viable after aspiration-ejection, proliferating slightly less than in unaspirated gels. Furthermore, MDA-MB-231 cells appear to partially relax the collagen network and lose alignment 3 days after aspiration. Aspiration-ejection generated aligned, compact collagen network microstructure with immediate cell co-orientation and higher cell number density apparently through purely physical means, though cell-collagen contact guidance and network remodeling influence cell organization and collagen network microstructure during subsequent culture. This study establishes a platform to determine the effects of collagen density and alignment on cancer cell behavior, with translational potential for anticancer drug screening in a biomimetic three-dimensional matrix microenvironment, or implantation in preclinical models.

Interfacial Electrofabrication of Freestanding Biopolymer Membranes with Distal Electrodes.

Using electrical signals to guide materials' deposition has a long-standing history in metal coating, microchip fabrication, and the integration of organics with devices. In electrodeposition, however, the conductive materials can be deposited only onto the electrode surfaces. Here, an innovative process is presented to electrofabricate freestanding biopolymer membranes at the interface of electrolytes without any supporting electrodes at the fabrication site. Chitosan, a derivative from the naturally abundant biopolymer chitin, has been broadly explored in electrodeposition for integrating biological entities onto microfabricated devices. It is widely believed that the pH gradients generated at the cathode deprotonate the positively charged chitosan chains into a film on the cathode surface. The interfacial electrofabrication with pH indicators, however, demonstrated that the membrane growth was driven by the instantaneous flow of hydroxyl ions from the ambient alginate solution, rather than the slow propagation of pH gradients from the cathode surface. This interfacial electrofabrication produces freestanding membrane structures and can be expanded to other materials, which presents a new direction in using electrical signals for manufacturing.

Microfluidic fabrication of stable collagen microgels with aligned microstructure using flow-driven co-deposition and ionic gelation.

The controlled biofabrication of stable, aligned collagen hydrogels within microfluidic devices is critically important to the design of more physiologically accurate, longer-cultured on-chip models of tissue and organs. To address this goal, collagen-alginate microgels were formed in a microfluidic channel by calcium crosslinking of a flowing collagen-alginate solution through a cross-channel chitosan membrane spanning a pore allowing ion diffusion but not convection. The gels formed within seconds as isolated islands in a single channel, and their growth was self-limiting. Total gel thickness was controlled by altering the concentration of calcium and collagen-alginate flow rate to reach an equilibrium of calcium diffusion and solution convection at the gel boundary, for a desired thickness of 30-200 µm. Additionally, less calcium and higher flow produced greater compression of the gel, with regions farther from the pore compressing more. An aligned, stable collagen network was demonstrated by collagen birefringence, circumferential texture orientation, and little change in gel dimensions with de-chelation of calcium from alginate by prolonged flow of EDTA in the channel. Resultant gels were most stable and only slightly asymmetric when formed from solutions containing 8 mg ml-1 collagen. Diffusion of 4 kDa and 70 kDa fluorescently-labeled dextran indicated size-dependent diffusion across the gel, and accessibility of the construct to appropriately-sized bioactive molecules. This work demonstrates the physicochemical parameter control of collagen gel formation in microfluidic devices, with utility toward on-chip models of dense extracellular matrix invasion, cancer growth and drug delivery to cells within dense extracellular matrix bodies.

Energy response and fatty acid metabolism in Onychostoma macrolepis exposed to low-temperature stress.

Temperature is a key environmental factor, and understanding how its fluctuations affect physiological and metabolic processes is critical for fish. The present study characterizes the energy response and fatty acid metabolism in Onychostoma macrolepis exposed to low temperature (10 °C). The results demonstrated that cold stress remarkably disrupted the energy homeostasis of O. macrolepis, then the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) could strategically mobilize carbohydrates and lipids. In particular, when the O. macrolepis were faced with cold stress, the lipolysis was stimulated along with the enhanced fatty acid ß-oxidation for energy, while the fatty acid synthesis was supressed in the early stage. Additionally, the fatty acid composition analysis suggested that saturated fatty acid (SFA) might accumulate while monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in storage lipids (mainly containing non-polar lipid, NPL) could be utilized to supply energy during cold acclimation. Altogether, this study may provide some meritorious for understanding the cold-tolerant mechanism of fish in the viewpoint of energy balance combined with fatty acid metabolism, and thus to contribute to this species rearing in fish farms in the future.

Identification and characterization of two isoforms of acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 gene and their expression in fasting-induced grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella adipocyte lipolysis.

Acyl-coenzyme A oxidases 1 (ACOX1) is the first rate-limiting enzyme responsible for peroxisomal ß-oxidation. In the present study, two mRNA variants, ACOX1a and ACOX1b, transcribed from a single gene, were for the first time isolated and characterized from grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, both encoding putative peptides of 660 amino acids. Analysis of the exon-intron structures clarified that grass carp ACOX1a and ACOX1b comprise 14 coding exons and correspond to 3a and 3b isoforms of exon 3 splicing variants. Both ACOX1a and ACOX1b mRNAs were expressed in a wide range of tissues, but the abundance of each ACOX1 mRNA showed the tissue-dependent expression patterns. Time-course analysis of ACOX1 expressions indicated that the level of ACOX1a mRNA reached an almost maximal level at day 2, while that of ACOX1b mRNA reached an almost maximal level at day 8 during grass carp primary preadipocyte differentiation. In fasting-induced adipocyte lipolysis, only ACOX1a showed a significant increase in adipocyte, indicating that two ACOX1 isoforms may serve somewhat different roles in the peroxisomal ß-oxidation. These results suggested that grass carp ACOX1a and ACOX1b were differently modulated by fasting in adipocyte. In addition, we found that mitochondrial ß-oxidation might dominate at the early stage of fasting in adipocytes, indicating that mitochondria and peroxisomes might possess different capacities in fasting-induced adipocytes fatty acid oxidation.

Greater potency of adipocytes compared with preadipocytes under lipopolysaccharide exposure in grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella.

Excessive body fat is a chronic inflammatory disorder. In this process, white adipose tissue (WAT) performs immune activities because of the dysregulated expression of adipokines. Excessive fat is accumulated in farmed fish, thereby threatening fish health. Studies have shown that adipose tissue is also an active immune organ in fish, capable of participating in and influencing immune responses. Adipocytes are the main cellular component of adipose tissue; however, little is known about the relationship between adipocyte and inflammation in fish. In this study, we analyzed transcriptome changes during adipogenesis in the primary culture of grass carp adipocytes using bioinformatics. The results showed that inflammatory signaling pathway may be activated during grass carp adipocyte differentiation, such as NFκB signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and Adipocytokine signaling pathway, indicating that grass carp adipocytes have immune activities. Exposure to LPS induced expression of adipokines genes in adipocytes and preadipocytes, including NF-kB, IL-6, MCP-1 and TNFα, suggesting that preadipocytes and adipocytes both have immune response and the immune activity is conserved in vertebrates white adipocytes. Further study found that these immune marker genes were higher expressed in adipocytes compared with preadipocytes in LPS-induced inflammation. In summary, adipocyte should be considered as an active immune site in fish. Adipocytes have greater potency compared with preadipocytes in LPS-induced inflammation. This study indicated that adipocytes and preadipocytes may have different contribution in inflammation.

Improved two-stage group sequential procedures for testing a secondary endpoint after the primary endpoint achieves significance.

In two-stage group sequential trials with a primary and a secondary endpoint, the overall type I error rate for the primary endpoint is often controlled by an α-level boundary, such as an O'Brien-Fleming or Pocock boundary. Following a hierarchical testing sequence, the secondary endpoint is tested only if the primary endpoint achieves statistical significance either at an interim analysis or at the final analysis. To control the type I error rate for the secondary endpoint, this is tested using a Bonferroni procedure or any α-level group sequential method. In comparison with marginal testing, there is an overall power loss for the test of the secondary endpoint since a claim of a positive result depends on the significance of the primary endpoint in the hierarchical testing sequence. We propose two group sequential testing procedures with improved secondary power: the improved Bonferroni procedure and the improved Pocock procedure. The proposed procedures use the correlation between the interim and final statistics for the secondary endpoint while applying graphical approaches to transfer the significance level from the primary endpoint to the secondary endpoint. The procedures control the familywise error rate (FWER) strongly by construction and this is confirmed via simulation. We also compare the proposed procedures with other commonly used group sequential procedures in terms of control of the FWER and the power of rejecting the secondary hypothesis. An example is provided to illustrate the procedures.

Conferring biological activity to native spider silk: A biofunctionalized protein-based microfiber.

Spider silk is an extraordinary material with physical properties comparable to the best scaffolding/structural materials, and as a fiber it can be manipulated with ease into a variety of configurations. Our work here demonstrates that natural spider silk fibers can also be used to organize biological components on and in devices through rapid and simple means. Micron scale spider silk fibers (5-10 µm in diameter) were surface modified with a variety of biological entities engineered with pentaglutamine tags via microbial transglutaminase (mTG). Enzymes, enzyme pathways, antibodies, and fluorescent proteins were all assembled onto spider silk fibers using this biomolecular engineering/biofabrication process. Additionally, arrangement of biofunctionalized fiber should in of itself generate a secondary level of biomolecular organization. Toward this end, as proofs of principle, spatially defined arrangement of biofunctionalized spider silk fiber was shown to generate effects specific to silk position in two cases. In one instance, arrangement perpendicular to a flow produced selective head and neck carcinoma cell capture on silk with antibodies complexed to conjugated protein G. In a second scenario, asymmetric bacterial chemotaxis arose from asymmetric conjugation of enzymes to arranged silk. Overall, the biofabrication processes used here were rapid, required no complex chemistries, were biologically benign, and also the resulting engineered silk microfibers were flexible, readily manipulated and functionally active. Deployed here in microfluidic environments, biofunctional spider silk fiber provides a means to convey complex biological functions over a range of scales, further extending its potential as a biomaterial in biotechnological settings. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 83-95. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Two Finite Binuclear [M2(µ2-OH)(COO)2] (M = Co, Ni) Based Highly Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks with High Performance for Gas Sorption and Separation.

Two highly porous MOFs, [Co2(µ2-OH)(bpdc)(Htpim)2][SiF6]·3.5DMA·2.5CH3OH (JLU-Liu37, H2bpdc = biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate, Htpim = 2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)imidazole) and [Ni2(µ2-OH)(bpdc)(Htpim)2][SiF6]·7.5DMA·6CH3OH (JLU-Liu38), have been solvothermally synthesized by using the mixed ligand strategy. Both of the compounds possess finite binuclear [M2(µ2-OH)(COO)2] (M = Co, Ni) secondary building units (SBUs) which formed with a polar functional group, µ2-OH. JLU-Liu37 and JLU-Liu38 exhibit notable adsorption capacities for CO2 and light hydrocarbons (CH4, C2H6, and C3H8). Moreover, both of the materials exhibit arrestive natural gas selective separation ability, especially for C3H8/CH4 (206 for an equimolar mixture under 1 bar and 298 K, for JLU-Liu37). Both of the MOFs may be effectively applied in the separation of industrial light hydrocarbons.

Host-Guest Chirality Interplay: A Mutually Induced Formation of a Chiral ZMOF and Its Double-Helix Polymer Guests.

A novel homochiral zeolite-like metal-organic framework (ZMOF), [(Cu4I4) (dabco)2]·[Cu2(bbimb)]·3DMF (JLU-Liu23, dabco =1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]-octane, H2bbimb =1,3-bis(2-benzimidazol)benzene, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide), has been successfully constructed to host unprecedented DNA-like [Cu2(bbimb)]n polymers with double-helicity. The host-guest chirality interplay permitted the induced formation of an unusual gyroid MOF with homochirality and helical channels in the framework for the first time, JLU-Liu23. Importantly, the enantiomeric pairs (23P, 23M) can be promoted and isolated in the presence of appropriate chiral inducing agents, affording enantioselective separation of chiral molecules as well as small gas molecules.

A proposed approach for analyzing post-study therapy effect in survival analysis.

Clinical trials that explore long-term endpoints may confound the analysis when post-study therapy effects are considered. This article introduces a procedure to mediate the effects of confounding and allow inferences of first-line experimental treatments in the presence of post-study therapy. The procedure is evaluated by intensive simulation analyses and applied to an analysis of a clinical cancer trial.

A modified technique of paraumbilical three-port laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty for infants and children.

BACKGROUND: Common causes of complications of laparoscopic pyeloplasty in children include anastomotic stricture, poor drainage due to high ureteropelvic anastomosis, and torsion of ureter. Herewith, we described our modified technique of paraumbilical three-port laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty (PTLDP) to minimize these complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 62 patients (age: 1-180 months, median: 12 months) with ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) who underwent pyeloplasty using our modified technique of PTLDP between February 2014 and September 2014 at our institution were reviewed. The key steps of our modified method involve identifying the lowest point of the renal pelvis and the lateral aspect of the ureter to guarantee a low pelviureteric and correct orientation anastomosis, and using a 4-0 silk for assistant suturing to avoid crushing of the anastomotic tissue. RESULTS: All surgeries were successfully completed without conversion. Three patients required an accessory port for the anastomosis. All the patients achieved complete clinical or radiologic resolution after the operation. The mean operative time was 103.4 min, and mean estimated blood loss was 14.4 mL. Mean postoperative differential function of affected kidney was 43.0 ± 16.3 % (range 24-100 %), increased from 39.7 ± 18.0 % (range 18-100 %), preoperatively (p < 0.001). The success rate was 100 % at a mean follow-up of 18.3 ± 2.9 (range 13-25) months. CONCLUSIONS: Our modified technique of PTLDP is safe and feasible and to allow high success rate for the treatment of pelviureteric junction obstruction in children.

[An Identification Study on Field-Derived Spectra of Grassland Combustibles and Soil Based on Fractal Theory].

Grassland fire disaster is an important influence factor to grassland ecological system in China. Therefore, it is crucial to study on the monitoring, prediction and management of grassland fire. Remote Sensing (RS) provides detailed data and saves a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources on the research of grassland fire. However, it is difficult to identify the grassland fuel and soil with Remote Sensing. In this paper, we introduced fractal into the spectral analyses of the field-derived spectra (FDS) of grassland fuel and soil to solve the problem above. The study area laid on the Westward of Changling, Jinlin province, China. Study subjects included soil and dominant species: Leymus chinensis, Reed, Chloris virgate, Kalimeris integrifolia and Artemisia mongolica. FDS of study subjects were measured with ASD FS3 and continuums of FDS were calculated by Matlab 2010. Meanwhile, Box-counting values of FDS and continuums were calculated by Matlab 2010. According to the spectral and continuum analysis, it is difficult to identify soil, Leymus chinensis, Reed, Chloris virgate, and Artemisia mongolica because of the similar spectral curves. However, the Artemisia mongolica can be identified for the strong reflection. For typical fractal characteristics of FDS and continuum, clustering analyses of study subjects were done according to box-counting values of FDS and continuum. The results of clustering analyses show that Box-counting values of FDS and continuum are important indexes to identify the study subjects. This study provides a new thought to identity the grassland combustibles and soil with Remote Sensing.

Triarylboron-Linked Conjugated Microporous Polymers: Sensing and Removal of Fluoride Ions.

A luminescent conjugated microporous polymer (BCMP-3) has been synthesized in high yield by a carbon-carbon coupling reaction using triarylboron as a building unit. BCMP-3 was fully characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, (13) C solid-state NMR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen and carbon dioxide adsorption. The new three-dimensional conjugated framework possess a high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area up to 950 m(2) g(-1) with a pore volume of 0.768 cm(3) g(-1) , good stability, and abundant boron sites in the skeleton. Under excited-light irradiation, BCMP-3 exhibits strong fluorescent emission at 488 nm with a high absolute quantum yield of 18 % in the solid state. Polymer BCMP-3 acts as a colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor with high sensitivity and selectivity for F(-) over other common anions. In addition, the polymer also works as an adsorbent for F(-) removal and shows good adsorption capacities of up to 24 mg g(-1) at equilibrium F(-) concentrations of 16 mg L(-1) and a temperature of 298 K. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm were analyzed by fitting experimental data with pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir equations. Furthermore, we highlight that BCMP-3 is an adsorbent for fluoride removal that can be efficiently reused many times without loss of adsorption efficiency.