In situ and General Multidentate Ligand Passivation Achieves Efficient and Ultra-Stable CsPbX3 Perovskite Quantum Dots for White Light-Emitting Diodes.

Inorganic CsPbX3 perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) show great potential in white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) due to excellent optoelectronic properties, but their practical application is hampered by low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and especially poor stability. Herein,  we developed an in-situ and general multidentate ligand passivation strategy that allows for CsPbX3 PeQDs not only near-unit PLQY, but significantly improved stability against storage, heat, and polar solvent. The enhanced optical property arises from high effectiveness of the multidentate ligand, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) with five carboxyl groups, in passivating uncoordinated Pb2+ defects and suppressing nonradiative recombination. First-principles calculations reveal that the excellent stability is attributed to tridentate binding mode of DTPA that remarkably boosts the adsorption capacity to PeQD core. Finally, combining the green and red PeQDs with blue chip,  we demonstrated highly luminous WLEDs with distinctly enhanced operation stability, a wide color gamut of 121.3% of national television system committee, standard white light of (0.33,0.33) in CIE 1931, and tunable color temperatures from warm to cold white light readily by emitters' ratio. This study provides an operando yet general approach to achieve efficient and stable PeQDs for WLEDs and accelerates their progress to commercialization.

Enhancing perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells through numerical optical and electric optimizations for light management.

We integrated optical and electrical numerical simulations to precisely investigate the effectiveness of using a pyramidal perovskite (Cs0.18FA0.82Pb(I,Br)3) nanostructured film as an example in perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells to reduce reflective losses and balance the current densities. Through our calculations, the PCE of tandem solar cells can be improved from 29.2% (the planar structures without texturing) to 36.1% in the best-performing textured tandem devices under the consistently calculated absorbed and EQE spectrum, where the predicted open-circuit voltage could reach over 2 V. These findings offer valuable theoretical insights for the advancement and optimization of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.

Cross-domain heterogeneous metasurface inverse design based on a transfer learning method.

In this Letter, a transfer learning method is proposed to complete design tasks on heterogeneous metasurface datasets with distinct functionalities. Through fine-tuning the inverse design network and freezing the parameters of hidden layers, we successfully transfer the metasurface inverse design knowledge from the electromagnetic-induced transparency (EIT) domain to the three target domains of EIT (different design), absorption, and phase-controlled metasurface. Remarkably, in comparison to the source domain dataset, a minimum of only 700 target domain samples is required to complete the training process. This work presents a significant solution to lower the data threshold for the inverse design process and provides the possibility of knowledge transfer between different domain metasurface datasets.

A Polymeric Nanoparticle to Co-Deliver Mitochondria-Targeting Peptides and Pt(IV) Prodrug: Toward High Loading Efficiency and Combination Efficacy.

Developing combination chemotherapy systems with high drug loading efficiency at predetermined drug ratios to achieve a synergistic effect is important for cancer therapy. Herein, a polymeric dual-drug nanoparticle composed of a Pt(IV) prodrug derived from oxaliplatin and a mitochondria-targeting cytotoxic peptide is constructed through emulsion interfacial polymerization, which processes high drug loading efficiency and high biocompatibility. The depolymerization of polymeric dual-drug nanoparticle and the activation of Pt prodrug can be effectively triggered by the acidic tumor environment extracellularly and the high levels of glutathione intracellularly in cancer cells, respectively. The utilization of mitochondria-targeting peptide can inhibit ATP-dependent processes including drug efflux and DNA damage repair. This leads to increased accumulation of Pt-drugs within cancer cells. Eventually, the polymeric dual-drug nanoparticle demonstrates appreciable antitumor effects on both cell line derived and patient derived xenograft lung cancer model. It is highly anticipated that the polymeric dual-or multi-drug systems can be applied for combination chemotherapy to achieve enhanced anticancer activity and reduced side effects.

Unique Cyclized Thiolopyrrolones from the Marine-Derived Streptomyces sp. BTBU20218885.

Two new cyclized thiolopyrrolone derivatives, namely, thiolopyrrolone A (1) and 2,2-dioxidothiolutin (2), together with the kn own compound, thiolutin (3) were identified from a marine-derived Streptomyces sp. BTBU20218885, which was isolated from a mud sample collected from the coastal region of Xiamen, China. Their chemical structures were determined using spectroscopic data, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR techniques. 1 possessed a unique unsymmetrical sulfur-containing thiolopyrrolone structure. All the compounds were tested for bioactivities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Candida albicans. 1 displayed antibacterial activities against BCG, M. tuberculosis, and S. aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 10, 10, and 100 µg/mL, respectively. Thiolutin (3) showed antibacterial activities against E. coli, BCG, M. tuberculosis, and S. aureus with MIC values of 6.25, 0.3125, 0.625, and 3.125 µg/mL, respectively.

Screening and characterisation of potential antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic components revealed in Portulaca oleracea via multi-target affinity ultrafiltration LC-MS and molecular docking.

INTRODUCTION: Portulaca oleracea is a commonly used nutritional vegetable and traditional herbal medicine with plenty of nutrients and manifold pharmacological activities. However, the potential active ingredients for its remarkable antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities remain unexplored. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to systematically evaluate the antioxidant activities of different extracts of P. oleracea and screen bioactive ligands that can interact with α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). METHODS: In this research, the antioxidant activities of different parts of P. oleracea and their corresponding total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were systematically determined. Subsequently, a multi-target affinity ultrafiltration method was developed using affinity ultrafiltration with SOD, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase coupled to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UF-LC-MS). Later, molecular docking was used to further investigate the possible interaction mechanism between these ligands and target enzymes. RESULTS: Among them, the ethyl acetate (EA) fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity along with the highest TPC and TFC, and four compounds in the EA fraction were quickly retrieved as potential SOD, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase ligands, respectively. Molecular docking revealed that these potential ligands exhibited strong binding ability and inhibitory activities on SOD, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that P. oleracea can be used as a functional food with excellent antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. Meanwhile, the integrated strategy based on multi-target UF-LC-MS and molecular docking also provided a powerful tool and a multidimensional perspective for further exploration of active ingredients in P. oleracea responsible for the antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities.

Improved Interfacial Contact for Pyramidal Texturing of Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells.

Reducing the surface reflectivity of silicon substrates is essential for preparing high-performance Si-based solar cells. We synthesized pyramid-nanowire-structured Si (Si-PNWs) anti-reflection substrates, which have excellent light-trapping ability (<4% reflectance). Furthermore, diethyl phthalate (DEP), a water-insoluble phthalic acid ester, was applied to optimize the Si-PNWs/PEDOT:PSS interface; the photoelectric conversion efficiency of heterojunction solar cells was shown to increase from 9.82% to 13.48%. We performed a detailed examination of the shape and optical characteristics of Si-PNWs, as well as associated photoelectric performance tests, to investigate the origin of performance improvements in Si-PNWs/PEDOT:PSS heterojunction solar cells (HSCs).

Interference femtosecond laser stamping of micro-grating structures and time-resolved observation of its dynamics.

Selective slicing on a 100 nm thick ZnO film deposited on a Si substrate is achieved by an interference femtosecond (fs) laser stamping. A micro-grating structure with a period of ∼5 µm is completely ablated by an energy-optimized single pulse in one step. The elemental mappings demonstrate complete slice removals of the irradiated areas from the substrate without impurities mixed into the thin film. A calculation of the energy transmitted to the substrate and the characterization of the ablated Si channels infer that the irradiated slices are detached from the substrate by the selective ablation of the thin film and the counterforce of the Si substrate. The temporal and spatial evolution of the grating formation is investigated through a pump-probe microscope using the white light continuum (WLC) as the illumination probe. It is found that the extinctive constructive fringes occur at a delay of 8 picosecond (ps) caused by the increase of electron density. The irradiated slices initially bulge at the delay of 10-12 ps, then subsequently swell until strong material ejections at 800 ps. This study provides an opportunity to advance the understanding of micro-grating fabrications and thin film removals on heterostructures using fs lasers.

π-Conjugated Molecule Boosts Metal-Organic Frameworks as Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalysts.

To improve the efficiency of water electrolysis, developing efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysis is extremely important due to its four-electron transfer dynamics. In this work, a π-conjugated molecule (2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene, HHTP), which can accelerate the electron transfer, is coated directly on pristine ZIF-67, resulting in a composite named HHTP@ZIF-67, via a simple one-step solvothermal method. The obtained HHTP@ZIF-67 possesses a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 2013.9 m2 g-1 and displays microporous behavior, which can provide enough active sites for OER. The double-layer capacitance of HHTP@ZIF-67 is also enhanced, corresponding to an enlarged electrochemical active surface area. HHTP@ZIF-67 presents a quite low overpotential of 238 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 m KOH. This material synthesized via the simple coating strategy is promising in the application of energy conversion devices.

Secondary Metabolites from Marine-Derived Fungus Penicillium rubens BTBU20213035.

Two new polyketide derivatives, penirubenones A and B (1 and 2), and two naturally rare amino-bis-tetrahydrofuran derivatives, penirubenamides A and B (3 and 4), together with nine known compounds (5-13) were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium rubens BTBU20213035. The structures were identified by HRESIMS and 1D and 2D NMR analyses, and their absolute configurations were determined by a comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy and 13C NMR data. We found that 6 exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with an MIC value of 3.125 µg/mL, and 1 and 2 showed synergistic antifungal activity against Candida albicans at 12.5 and 50 µg/mL with 0.0625 µg/mL rapamycin.

Correlation of vitamin A levels in umbilical cord blood with neonatal pulmonary diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between umbilical cord blood vitamin A (VA) and neonatal lung diseases and explore the impact of umbilical cord blood VA on neonatal lung diseases. METHOD: Umbilical vein blood was collected at birth, and its VA content was measured. According to the VA levels in umbilical cord blood, a VA deficiency (VAD) group, a marginal deficiency group and a normal group were created and followed up until 28 days after birth. RESULTS: The umbilical cord blood VA level in the neonatal group with lung disease was 0.13 ± 0.05 mg/L, while the result for the VA level in the non-lung disease group was 0.15 ± 0.05 mg/L. The umbilical cord blood VA levels in the neonatal lung disease group were significantly lower than those in the non-lung disease group. The incidence of neonatal pulmonary diseases was highest in the VAD group, and the incidence decreased as the level of VA in umbilical cord blood increased. Umbilical cord blood VAD and premature birth were found to be independent risk factors for neonatal respiratory disease. CONCLUSION: Umbilical cord blood VAD and premature birth are independent risk factors for neonatal pulmonary diseases. The lower the level of VA in umbilical cord blood, the more susceptible infants will be to neonatal respiratory infections in the neonatal period.

Reducing the Open-Circuit Voltage Loss of PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells via Hybrid Ligand Exchange Treatment.

The interface VOC loss between the active layer and the hole transport layer (HTL) of lead sulfide colloidal quantum dot (PbS-CQD) solar cells is a significant factor influencing the efficiency improvement of PbS colloidal quantum dot solar cells (PbS-CQDSCs). Currently, the most advanced solar cells adopt organic P-type HTLs (PbS-EDT) via solid-state ligand exchange with 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) on the CQD top active layer. However, EDT is unable to altogether remove the initial ligand oleic acid from the quantum dot surface, and its high reactivity leads to cracks in the HTL film caused by volume contractions, which inevitably results in significant VOC loss. These flaws prompted this research to develop a method involving hybrid organic ligand exchange using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and 1,2-EDT (PbS-Hybrid) to overcome these drawbacks of VOC loss. The results indicated that the new exchange strategy improved the quality of the HTL film and benefited from the enhanced passivation of the quantum dot surface and better alignment of energy levels, and the average VOC of PbS-Hybrid devices is increased by approximately 25 mV compared to control devices. With the enhanced VOC, the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the devices is improved by 10%, with the highest PCE reaching 13.24%.

Reduced Zn2+ promotes retinal ganglion cells survival and optic nerve regeneration after injury through inhibiting autophagy mediated by ROS/Nrf2.

The molecular mechanism of how reduced mobile zinc (Zn2+) affected retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and optic nerve regeneration after optic nerve crush (ONC) injury remains unclear. Here, we used conditionally knocked out ZnT-3 in the amacrine cells (ACs) of mice (CKO) in order to explore the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2, Nrf2) and autophagy in the protection of RGCs and axon regeneration after ONC injury. We found that reduced Zn2+ can promote RGC survival and axonal regeneration by decreasing ROS, activating Nrf2, and inhibiting autophagy. Additionally, autophagy after ONC is regulated by ROS and Nrf2. Visual function in mice after ONC injury was partially recovered through the reduction of Zn2+, achieved by using a Zn2+ specific chelator N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-Pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine (TPEN) or through CKO mice. Overall, our data reveal the crosstalk between Zn2+, ROS, Nrf2 and autophagy following ONC injury. This study verified that TPEN or knocking out ZnT-3 in ACs is a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of optic nerve damage and elucidated the postsynaptic molecular mechanism of Zn2+-triggered damage to RGCs after ONC injury.

Phage P2-71 against multi-drug resistant Proteus mirabilis: isolation, characterization, and non-antibiotic antimicrobial potential.

Proteus mirabilis, a prevalent urinary tract pathogen and formidable biofilm producer, especially in Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection, has seen a worrying rise in multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. This upsurge calls for innovative approaches in infection control, beyond traditional antibiotics. Our research introduces bacteriophage (phage) therapy as a novel non-antibiotic strategy to combat these drug-resistant infections. We isolated P2-71, a lytic phage derived from canine feces, demonstrating potent activity against MDR P. mirabilis strains. P2-71 showcases a notably brief 10-minute latent period and a significant burst size of 228 particles per infected bacterium, ensuring rapid bacterial clearance. The phage maintains stability over a broad temperature range of 30-50°C and within a pH spectrum of 4-11, highlighting its resilience in various environmental conditions. Our host range assessment solidifies its potential against diverse MDR P. mirabilis strains. Through killing curve analysis, P2-71's effectiveness was validated at various MOI levels against P. mirabilis 37, highlighting its versatility. We extended our research to examine P2-71's stability and bactericidal kinetics in artificial urine, affirming its potential for clinical application. A detailed genomic analysis reveals P2-71's complex genetic makeup, including genes essential for morphogenesis, lysis, and DNA modification, which are crucial for its therapeutic action. This study not only furthers the understanding of phage therapy as a promising non-antibiotic antimicrobial but also underscores its critical role in combating emerging MDR infections in both veterinary and public health contexts.

Glutenin-chitosan 3D porous scaffolds with tunable stiffness and systematized microstructure for cultured meat model.

A glutenin (G)-chitosan (CS) complex (G-CS) was cross-linked by water annealing with aim to prepare structured 3D porous cultured meat scaffolds (CMS) here. The CMS has pore diameters ranging from 18 to 67 µm and compressive moduli from 16.09 to 60.35 kPa, along with the mixing ratio of G/CS. SEM showed the porous organized structure of CMS. FTIR and CD showed the increscent content of α-helix and ß-sheet of G and strengthened hydrogen-bondings among G-CS molecules, which strengthened the stiffness of G-CS. Raman spectra exhibited an increase of G concentration resulted in higher crosslinking of disulfide-bonds in G-CS, which aggrandized the bridging effect of G-CS and maintained its three-dimensional network. Cell viability assay and immuno-fluorescence staining showed that G-CS effectively facilitated the growth and myogenic differentiation of porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells (PSCs). CLSM displayed that cells first occupied the angular space of hexagon and then ring-growth circle of PSCs were orderly formed on G-CS. The texture and color of CMS which loaded proliferated PSCs were fresh-meat like. These results showed that physical cross-linked G-CS scaffolds are the biocompatible and stable adaptable extracellular matrix with appropriate architectural cues and natural micro-environment for structured CM models.

Transaction decision optimization of new electricity market based on virtual power plant participation and Stackelberg game.

This study intends to optimize the trading decision-making strategy of the new electricity market with virtual power plants and improve the transmission efficiency of electricity resources. The current problems in China's power market are analyzed from the perspective of virtual power plants, highlighting the necessity of reforming the power industry. The generation scheduling strategy is optimized in light of the market transaction decision based on the elemental power contract to enhance the effective transfer of power resources in virtual power plants. Ultimately, value distribution is balanced through virtual power plants to maximize the economic benefits. After 4 hours of simulation, the experimental data shows that 75 MWh of electricity is generated by the thermal power system, 100 MWh by the wind power system, and 200 MWh by the dispatchable load system. Comparatively, the new electricity market transaction model based on the virtual power plant has an actual generation capacity of 250MWh. In addition, the daily load power of the models of thermal power generation, wind power generation, and virtual power plant reported here are compared and analyzed. For a 4-hour simulation run, the thermal power generation system can provide 600 MW of load power, the wind power generation system can provide 730 MW of load power, and the virtual power plant-based power generation system can provide up to 1200 MW of load power. Therefore, the power generation performance of the model reported here is better than other power models. This study can potentially encourage a revised transaction model for the power industry market.

A new phenyl 6,7-dihydroxygeranyl ether derivative from a marine-derived fungus strain of Penicillium arabicum ZH3-9.

A new phenyl 6,7-dihydroxygeranyl ether derivative, named (Z)-4-((6,7-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethyloct-2-en-1-yl)oxy)benzoic acid (1), and 8 known compounds (2-9) were characterized from a marine-derived fungus strain of Penicillium arabicum ZH3-9 isolated from a mud sample collected from the coast of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. The structure of 1 was elucidated by HRESIMS, 1 D and 2 D NMR. All compounds were evaluated antimicrobial activities against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Compounds 4-6 displayed antibacterial activity against S. aureus with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 50, 12.5, and 50 µg/mL.

The Hypolipidemic Characteristics of a Methanol Extract of Fermented Green Tea and Spore of Eurotium cristatum SXHBTBU1934 in Golden Hamsters.

Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT), a distinctive Chinese dark tea with the predominant fungus of Eurotium cristatum, offered significant health benefits to Chinese people. In the current study, the in vivo bioactivities of E. cristatum (SXHBTBU1934) fermented green tea and spores of E. cristatum fermented on wheat were investigated, respectively. The methanol extract of fermented green tea and spore of E. cristatum both showed potent lipid-lowering activity in the blood of a high-fat diet induced hyperlipidemia model in golden hamsters and significantly reduced the accumulation of fat granules in the liver. These results indicated that the key active components were produced by E. cristatum. Chemical investigations suggested similar components in the two extracts and led to the identification of a new alkaloid, namely variecolorin P (1), along with four known structurally related compounds, (-)-neoechinulin A (2), neoechinulin D (3), variecolorin G (4), and echinulin (5). The structure of the new alkaloid was elucidated by HRESIMS, 1H, 13C, and 2D NMR analysis. The lipid-lowering activity of these compounds was evaluated using an oleic acid-induced HepG2 cell line model. Compound 1 significantly reduced the lipid accumulation in the HepG2 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.127 µM.

Metabolomic analysis reveals key metabolites alleviating green spots under exogenous sucrose spraying in air-curing cigar tobacco leaves.

Cigar variety CX-010 tobacco leaves produce localized green spots during the air-curing period, and spraying exogenous sucrose effectively alleviates the occurrence of the green spots. To investigate the alleviation effect of exogenous sucrose spraying, the total water content and the number and size of green spots on tobacco leaves were investigated during the air-curing period under four treatments; CK (pure water), T1 (0.1 M sucrose), T2 (0.2 M sucrose) and T3 (0.4 M sucrose). The results showed that the total water content of tobacco leaves showed a trend of T3 < CK < T2 < T1 in the early air-curing stage, and the number and size of green spots showed a trend of T3 < T2 < T1 < CK. All sucrose treatments alleviated the green spot phenomenon, and T3 had the fewest green spots. Thus, the tobacco leaves of the T3 and CK treatments at two air-curing stages were used to perform metabolomics analysis with nontargeted liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry to determine the physiological mechanism. A total of 259 and 178 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) between T3- and CK-treated tobacco leaves were identified in the early air-curing and the end of air-curing stages, respectively. These DAMs mainly included lipid and lipid-like molecules, carbohydrates, and organic acids and their derivatives. Based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, the T3 treatment significantly altered carbohydrate metabolism (pentose phosphate pathway, sucrose and starch metabolism and galactose metabolism) and amino acid metabolism (tyrosine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism) in air-curing tobacco leaves. Sucrose treatment alleviated green spots by altering DAMs that affected chlorophyll degradation, such as tyrosine and citric acid, to promote the normal degradation of chlorophyll.

Oral immunocontraceptive vaccines: A novel approach for fertility control in wildlife.

The overabundant populations of wildlife have caused many negative impacts, such as human-wildlife conflicts and ecological degradation. The existing approaches like injectable immunocontraceptive vaccines and lethal methods have limitations in many aspects, which has prompted the advancement of oral immunocontraceptive vaccine. There is growing interest in oral immunocontraceptive vaccines for reasons including high immunization coverage, easier administration, frequent boosting, the ability to induce systemic and mucosal immune responses, and cost-effectiveness. Delivery systems have been developed to protect oral antigens and enhance the immunogenicity, including live vectors, microparticles and nanoparticles, bacterial ghosts, and mucosal adjuvants. However, currently, no effective oral immunocontraceptive vaccine is available for field trials because of the enormous development challenges, including biological and physicochemical barriers of the gastrointestinal tract, mucosal tolerance, pre-existing immunity, antigen residence time in the small intestine, species specificity and other safety issues. To overcome these challenges, this article summarizes achievements in delivery systems and contraceptive antigens in oral immunocontraceptive vaccines and explores the potential barriers for future vaccine design and application.