Ultrafast photophysics of an orange-red thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter: the role of external structural restraint.

The application of thermally activated delay fluorescence (TADF) emitters in the orange-red regime usually suffers from the fast non-radiative decay of emissive singlet states (kSNR), leading to low emitting efficiency in corresponding organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. Although kSNR has been quantitatively described by energy gap law, how ultrafast molecular motions are associated with the kSNR of TADF emitters remains largely unknown, which limits the development of new strategies for improving the emitting efficiency of corresponding OLED devices. In this work, we employed two commercial TADF emitters (TDBA-Ac and PzTDBA) as a model system and attempted to clarify the relationship between ultrafast excited-state structural relaxation (ES-SR) and kSNR. Spectroscopic and theoretical investigations indicated that S1/S0 ES-SR is directly associated with promoting vibrational modes, which are considerably involved in electronic-vibrational coupling through the Huang-Rhys factor, while kSNR is largely affected by the reorganization energy of the promoting modes. By restraining S1/S0 ES-SR in doping films, the kSNR of TADF emitters can be greatly reduced, resulting in high emitting efficiency. Therefore, by establishing the connection among S1/S0 ES-SR, promoting modes and kSNR of TADF emitters, our work clarified the key role of external structural restraint for achieving high emitting efficiency in TADF-based OLED devices.

Scaffold-Based Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) and Its Copolymers: Materials, Fabrication Methods, Applications, and Perspectives.

Tissue engineering involves implanting grafts into damaged tissue sites to guide and stimulate the formation of new tissue, which is an important strategy in the field of tissue defect treatment. Scaffolds prepared in vitro meet this requirement and are able to provide a biochemical microenvironment for cell growth, adhesion, and tissue formation. Scaffolds made of piezoelectric materials can apply electrical stimulation to the tissue without an external power source, speeding up the tissue repair process. Among piezoelectric polymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers have the largest piezoelectric coefficients and are widely used in biomedical fields, including implanted sensors, drug delivery, and tissue repair. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of PVDF and its copolymers and fillers for manufacturing scaffolds as well as the roles in improving piezoelectric output, bioactivity, and mechanical properties. Then, common fabrication methods are outlined such as 3D printing, electrospinning, solvent casting, and phase separation. In addition, the applications and mechanisms of scaffold-based PVDF in tissue engineering are introduced, such as bone, nerve, muscle, skin, and blood vessel. Finally, challenges, perspectives, and strategies of scaffold-based PVDF and its copolymers in the future are discussed.

Ligand-dependent folding and unfolding dynamics and free energy landscapes of acylphosphatase.

Acylphosphatase (AcP) is an enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of acylphosphate. The binding with the phosphate ion (Pi) assumes significance in preserving both the stability and enzymatic activity of AcP. While previous studies using single molecule force spectroscopy explored the mechanical properties of AcP, the influence of Pi on its folding and unfolding dynamic behaviors remains unexplored. In this work, using stable magnetic tweezers, we measured and compared the force-dependent folding and unfolding rates of AcP in the Tris buffer and phosphate buffer within a force range from 2 pN to 40 pN. We found that Pi exerts no discernible effect on the folding dynamics but consistently decreases the force-dependent unfolding rate of AcP by a constant ratio across the entire force spectrum. The free energy landscapes of AcP in the absence and presence of Pi are constructed. Our results reveal that Pi selectively binds to the native state of AcP, stabilizing it and suggesting the general properties of specific ligand-receptor interactions.

Boosting Excited-State Energy Transfer by Anchoring Dipole Orientation in Binary Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence/J-Aggregate Assemblies.

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been widely applied in fluorescence imaging, sensing and so on, while developing useful strategy of boosting FRET efficiency becomes a key issue that limits the application. Except optimizing spectral properties, promoting orientation factor (κ2) has been well discussed but rarely utilized for boosting FRET. Herein, we constructed binary nano-assembling of two thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters (2CzPN and DMAC-DPS) with J-type aggregate of cyanine dye (C8S4) as doping films by taking advantage of their electrostatic interactions. Time-resolved spectroscopic measurements indicated that 2CzPN/Cy-J films exhibit an order of magnitude higher kFRET than DMAC-DPS/Cy-J films. Further quantitative analysing on kFRET and kDET indicated higher orientation factor (κ2) in 2CzPN/Cy-J films play a key role for achieving fast kFRET, which was subsequently confirmed by anisotropic measurements. Corresponding DFT/TDDFT calculation revealed strong "two-point" electrostatic anchoring in 2CzPN/Cy-J films that is responsible for highly orientated transitions. We provide a new strategy for boosting FRET in nano-assemblies, which might be inspired for designing FRET-based devices of sensing, imaging and information encryption.

A double-stranded RNA binding protein enhances drought resistance via protein phase separation in rice.

Drought stress significantly impacts global rice production, highlighting the critical need to understand the genetic basis of drought resistance in rice. Here, through a genome-wide association study, we reveal that natural variations in DROUGHT RESISTANCE GENE 9 (DRG9), encoding a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) binding protein, contribute to drought resistance. Under drought stress, DRG9 condenses into stress granules (SGs) through liquid-liquid phase separation via a crucial α-helix. DRG9 recruits the mRNAs of OsNCED4, a key gene for the biosynthesis of abscisic acid, into SGs and protects them from degradation. In drought-resistant DRG9 allele, natural variations in the coding region, causing an amino acid substitution (G267F) within the zinc finger domain, increase DRG9's binding ability to OsNCED4 mRNA and enhance drought resistance. Introgression of the drought-resistant DRG9 allele into the elite rice Huanghuazhan significantly improves its drought resistance. Thus, our study underscores the role of a dsRNA-binding protein in drought resistance and its promising value in breeding drought-resistant rice.

Exploring the free energy landscape of proteins using magnetic tweezers.

Proteins fold to their native states by searching through the free energy landscapes. As single-domain proteins are the basic building block of multiple-domain proteins or protein complexes composed of subunits, the free energy landscapes of single-domain proteins are of critical importance to understand the folding and unfolding processes of proteins. To explore the free energy landscapes of proteins over large conformational space, the stability of native structure is perturbed by biochemical or mechanical means, and the conformational transition process is measured. In single molecular manipulation experiments, stretching force is applied to proteins, and the folding and unfolding transitions are recorded by the extension time course. Due to the broad force range and long-time stability of magnetic tweezers, the free energy landscape over large conformational space can be obtained. In this article, we describe the magnetic tweezers instrument design, protein construct design and preparation, fluid chamber preparation, common-used measuring protocols including force-ramp and force-jump measurements, and data analysis methods to construct the free energy landscape. Single-domain cold shock protein is introduced as an example to build its free energy landscape by magnetic tweezers measurements.

Common and specific genetic basis of metabolite-mediated drought responses in rice.

Plants orchestrate drought responses at metabolic level but the genetic basis remains elusive in rice. In this study, 233 drought-responsive metabolites (DRMs) were quantified in a large rice population comprised of 510 diverse accessions at the reproductive stage. Large metabolic variations in drought responses were detected, and little correlation of metabolic levels between drought and normal conditions were observed. Interestingly, most of these DRMs could predict drought resistance in high accuracy. Genome-wide association study revealed 2522 significant association signals for 233 DRMs, and 98% (2471/2522) of the signals were co-localized with the association loci for drought-related phenotypic traits in the same population or the linkage-mapped QTLs for drought resistance in other populations. Totally, 10 candidate genes were efficiently identified for nine DRMs, seven of which harbored cis-eQTLs under drought condition. Based on comparative GWAS of common DRMs in rice and maize, representing irrigated and upland crops, we have identified three pairs of homologous genes associated with three DRMs between the two crops. Among the homologous genes, a transferase gene responsible for metabolic variation of N-feruloylputrescine was confirmed to confer enhanced drought resistance in rice. Our study provides not only genetic architecture of metabolic responses to drought stress in rice but also metabolic data resources to reveal the common and specific metabolite-mediated drought responses in different crops.

Natural uORF variation in plants.

Taking advantage of natural variation promotes our understanding of phenotypic diversity and trait evolution, ultimately accelerating plant breeding, in which the identification of causal variations is critical. To date, sequence variations in the coding region and transcription level polymorphisms caused by variations in the promoter have been prioritized. An upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) regulates gene expression at the post-transcription or translation level. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that natural uORF variations shape phenotypic diversity. This opinion article highlights recent researches and speculates on future directions for natural uORF variation in plants.

Free Energy Landscape of Type III Fibronectin Domain with Identified Intermediate State and Hierarchical Symmetry.

The tenth domain of type III fibronectin (FNIII_{10}) mediates cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Despite its structural similarity to immunoglobulin domains, FNIII_{10} exhibits unique unfolding behaviors. We employed magnetic tweezers to investigate the unfolding and folding dynamics of FNIII_{10} under physiological forces (4-50 pN). Our results showed that FNIII_{10} follows a consistent transition pathway with an intermediate state characterized by detached A and G ß strands. We determined the folding free energies and all force-dependent transition rates of FNIII_{10} and found that both unfolding rates from the native state to the intermediate state and from the intermediate state to the unfolded state deviate from Bell's model. We constructed a quantitative free energy landscape with well-defined traps and barriers that exhibits a hierarchical symmetrical pattern. Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of FNIII_{10} conformational dynamics and demonstrate how free energy landscape of multistate biomolecules can be precisely mapped, illuminating the relationship between thermal stability, intermediate states, and folding rates in protein folding.

Resolving the Photophysics of Nitrogen-Embedded Multiple Resonance Emitters: Origin of Color Purity and Emitting Efficiency.

The emerging nitrogen-embedded multiple resonance (MR) emitters with an indolo[3,2,1-jk] carbazole (ICz) unit have exhibited promising performance for high-resolution organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices, while the underlying photophysics has been rarely reported. In this work, the optical spectra, color purity, and emitting efficiency of ICz-based MR emitters were investigated by using electronic structure and thermal vibration correlation function (TVCF) calculations. Unlike B-N MR emitters, the high color purity of investigated ICz-based MR emitters was mainly contributed by considerable structural rigidity, which also greatly affects the radiative decay rate and fluorescence quantum yield of the S1 state. For the majority of investigated emitters, potential reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) channels (T1 → S1 and T2 → S1) are limited by thermally inaccessible ΔEST* or insufficient spin-orbital coupling (SOC), which can be distinguished by the calculated temperature-dependent RISC rate pattern. We provided a systematic photophysical picture for ICz-based MR emitters that might be interesting for the OLED design and application community.

Transparent nanopaper for ultrashort pulse generation in the near-infrared region.

Transparent nanopaper (T-paper) can be applied in the field of electromagnetic shielding materials, antistatic materials, composite conductive materials, electric pool materials, super capacitors, and thermal management systems. However, this kind of T-paper has not been employed in ultrafast photonics yet. For the first time, to our knowledge, transparent electrical nanopaper is used in fiber lasers, different from the conventional pulsed fiber laser, which operates in the Q-switched regime under low pump power and then in the mode-locked regime under high pump power. Mode-locking is achieved first with a pulse duration of 550 fs under low pump power (166 mW). When further increasing the pump power up to 198 mW, the proposed fiber laser can be converted from a mode-locked to Q-switched state, which is a result of the two-photon absorption effect. The proposed fiber laser based on T-paper can be potentially applied in optical tomography, metrology, spectroscopy, micro-machining technology, and biomedical diagnostics.

Natural variation of GmRj2/Rfg1 determines symbiont differentiation in soybean.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) provides much of the N utilized by leguminous plants throughout growth and development. Legumes may simultaneously establish symbiosis with different taxa of microbial symbionts. Yet, the mechanisms used to steer associations toward symbionts that are most propitious across variations in soil types remain mysterious. Here, we demonstrate that GmRj2/Rfg1 is responsible for regulating symbiosis with multiple taxa of soybean symbionts. In our experiments, the GmRj2/Rfg1SC haplotype favored association with Bradyrhizobia, which is mostly distributed in acid soils, whereas the GmRj2/Rfg1HH haplotype and knockout mutants of GmRj2/Rfg1SC associated equally with Bradyrhizobia and Sinorhizobium. Association between GmRj2/Rfg1 and NopP, furthermore, appeared to be involved in symbiont selection. Furthermore, geographic distribution analysis of 1,821 soybean accessions showed that GmRj2/Rfg1SC haplotypes were enriched in acidic soils where Bradyrhizobia were the dominant symbionts, whereas GmRj2/Rfg1HH haplotypes were most prevalent in alkaline soils dominated by Sinorhizobium, and neutral soils harbored no apparent predilections toward either haplotype. Taken together, our results suggest that GmRj2/Rfg1 regulates symbiosis with different symbionts and is a strong determinant of soybean adaptability across soil regions. As a consequence, the manipulation of the GmRj2/Rfg1 genotype or application of suitable symbionts according to the haplotype at the GmRj2/Rfg1 locus might be suitable strategies to explore for increasing soybean yield through the management of SNF.

Secreted glucose regulated protein78 ameliorates DSS-induced mouse colitis.

The secreted form of 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (sGRP78) has been widely reported for its property in aiding resolution of inflammatory. However, little is known on its potential in the treatment of colitis. To investigate the expression pattern and functional outcome of GRP78 in ulcerative colitis, its expression was measured in human and murine colitis samples. It was found that GRP78 was spontaneously secreted to a high level in gut, which is a physiological site of immune tolerance. During the active phase of DSS-induced colitis, the sGRP78 level was significantly reduced but rebounded quickly during resolving phase, making it a potential candidate for the treatment of colitis. In the following experiments, the administration of sGRP78 was proved to decrease susceptibility to experimental colitis, as indicated by an overall improvement of intestinal symptoms, restoration of TJ integrity, decreased infiltration of immune cells and impaired production of inflammatory cytokines. And specific cleavage of endogenous sGRP78 could aggravate DSS colitis. Adoptive transfer of sGRP78-conditioned BMDMs reduced inflammation in the gut. We linked sGRP78 treatment with altered macrophage biology and skewed macrophage polarization by inhibiting the TLR4-dependent MAP-kinases and NF-κB pathways. Based on these studies, as a naturally occurring immunomodulatory molecule, sGRP78 might be an attractive novel therapeutic agent for acute intestinal inflammation.

Intrinsic Optical Properties and Emerging Applications of Gold Nanostructures.

The collective oscillation of free electrons at the nanoscale surface of gold nanostructures is closely modulated by tuning the size, shape/morphology, phase, composition, hybridization, assembly, and nanopatterning, along with the surroundings of the plasmonic surface located at a dielectric interface with air, liquid, and solid. This review first introduces the physical origin of the intrinsic optical properties of gold nanostructures and further summarizes stimuli-responsive changes in optical properties, metal-field-enhanced optical signals, luminescence spectral shaping, chiroptical response, and photogenerated hot carriers. The current success in the landscape of nanoscience and nanotechnology mainly originates from the abundant optical properties of gold nanostructures in the thermodynamically stable face-centered cubic (fcc) phase. It has been further extended by crystal phase engineering to prepare thermodynamically unfavorable phases (e.g., kinetically stable) and heterophases to modulate their intriguing phase-dependent optical properties. A broad range of promising applications, including but not limited to full-color displays, solar energy harvesting, photochemical reactions, optical sensing, and microscopic/biomedical imaging, have fostered parallel research on the multitude of physical effects occurring in gold nanostructures.

Polydopamine-Decorated PLCL Conduit to Induce Synergetic Effect of Electrical Stimulation and Topological Morphology for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration.

Due to the limited self-repairing capacity after peripheral nerve injuries (PNI), artificial nerve conduits are widely applied to facilitate neural regeneration. Exogenous electrical stimulation (ES) that is carried out by the conductive conduit regulates the biological behavior of Schwann cells (SCs). Meanwhile, a longitudinal surface structure counts to guide axonal growth to accelerate the end-to-end connection. Currently, there are no conduits equipped with both electrical conduction and axon-guiding surface structure. Herein, a biodegradable, conductive poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone)/graphene (PLCL/GN) composite conduit is designed. The conduit with 20.96 ± 1.26 MPa tensile strength has a micropatterned surface of 20 µm groove fabricated by microimprint technology and self-assembled polydopamine (PDA). In vitro evaluation shows that the conduits with ES effectively stimulate the directional cell migration, adhesion, and elongation, and enhance neuronal expression of SCs. The rat sciatic nerve crush model demonstrates that the conductive micropatterned conduit with ES promotes the growth of myelin sheath, faster nerve regeneration, and 20-fold functional recovery in vivo. These discoveries prove that the PLCL(G)/PDA/GN composite conduit is a promising tool for PNI treatment by providing the functional integration of physical guidance, biomimetic biological regulation, and bioelectrical stimulation, which inspires a novel therapeutic approach for nerve regeneration in the future.

Swellable hollow periodic mesoporous organosilica capsules with ultrahigh loading capacity for hydrophobic drugs.

As a new kind of drug carrier, practical applications of hollow periodic mesoporous organosilica (HPMO) have been greatly limited by their low loading capacity for hydrophobic drugs. In this work, we demonstrated the preparation of HPMO capsules with tunable shell thickness by using 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane as the precursor. The capsules with thin shells and thus low Young's modulus showed excellent swellability to organic solvents containing hydrophobic drugs. As a result, hydrophobic drugs, i.e., paclitaxel (PTX) could be loaded into the hollow interior of the HPMO capsules with 4 nm shell at an efficiency of ca. 120 %. The as-prepared PTX-loaded HPMO capsules were dispersible in aqueous media and showed improved performance in killing cancer cells compared to free PTX.

Modular synthesis, host-guest complexation and solvation-controlled relaxation of nanohoops with donor-acceptor structures.

Carbon nanohoops with donor-acceptor (D-A) structures are attractive electronic materials and biological fluorophores, but their synthesis is usually challenging. Moreover, the preparation of D-A nanohoop fluorophores exhibiting high fluorescence quantum yields beyond 500 nm remains a key challenge. This study presents a modular synthetic approach based on an efficient metal-free cyclocondensation reaction that readily produced nine congeners with D-A or donor-acceptor-donor' (D-A-D') structures, one of which is water-soluble. The tailored molecular design of nanohoops enabled a systematic and detailed study of their host-guest complexation with fullerene, optical properties, and charge transfer (CT) dynamics using X-ray crystallography, fluorescence titration, steady and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations. The findings revealed intriguing physical properties associated with D-A motifs, such as tight binding with fullerene, moderate fluorescence quantum yields (37-67%) beyond 540 nm, and unique solvation-controlled CT relaxation of D-A-D' nanohoops, where two CT states (D-A and A-D') can be effectively tuned by solvation, resulting in dramatically changed relaxation pathways in different solvents.

A Review of Recent Advances in Vital Signals Monitoring of Sports and Health via Flexible Wearable Sensors.

In recent years, vital signals monitoring in sports and health have been considered the research focus in the field of wearable sensing technologies. Typical signals include bioelectrical signals, biophysical signals, and biochemical signals, which have applications in the fields of athletic training, medical diagnosis and prevention, and rehabilitation. In particular, since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a dramatic increase in real-time interest in personal health. This has created an urgent need for flexible, wearable, portable, and real-time monitoring sensors to remotely monitor these signals in response to health management. To this end, the paper reviews recent advances in flexible wearable sensors for monitoring vital signals in sports and health. More precisely, emerging wearable devices and systems for health and exercise-related vital signals (e.g., ECG, EEG, EMG, inertia, body movements, heart rate, blood, sweat, and interstitial fluid) are reviewed first. Then, the paper creatively presents multidimensional and multimodal wearable sensors and systems. The paper also summarizes the current challenges and limitations and future directions of wearable sensors for vital typical signal detection. Through the review, the paper finds that these signals can be effectively monitored and used for health management (e.g., disease prediction) thanks to advanced manufacturing, flexible electronics, IoT, and artificial intelligence algorithms; however, wearable sensors and systems with multidimensional and multimodal are more compliant.

Free-energy landscape of two-state protein acylphosphatase with large contact order revealed by force-dependent folding and unfolding dynamics.

Acylphosphatase (AcP) is a small protein with 98 amino acid residues that catalyzes the hydrolysis of carboxyl-phosphate bonds. AcP is a typical two-state protein with slow folding rate due to its relatively large contact order in the native structure. The mechanical properties and unfolding behavior of AcP has been studied by atomic force microscope. Here using stable magnetic tweezers, we measured the force-dependent folding rates within a force range 1-3 pN, and unfolding rates 15-40 pN. The obtained unfolding rates show different force sensitivities at forces below and above ∼27 pN, which determines a free-energy landscape with two energy barriers. Our results indicate that the free-energy landscape of small globule proteins have general Bactrian camel shape, and large contact order of the native state produces a high barrier dominate at low forces.