Crosbyringgaard0109
These alterations represented the typical biochemical characteristics of NAFLD progression, which may provide insight into the potential mechanisms underlying steatosis. The proposed human NAFLD-on-a-chip model combines stem cell organoids with organs-on-chips, which may provide a promising platform for extending their applications for disease studies and effective therapies.Photodynamic theranostics/therapy (PDT) is a potential strategy for selectively imaging malignant sites and treating cancer via a non-invasive therapeutic method. Photosensitizers, the crucial components of PDT, enable colocalization of photons and light, and photon/light therapy in the therapeutic window of 400-900 nm exhibits photocytotoxicity to tumor cells. Due to their high biostability and photocytotoxicity, nanophotosensitizers (NPSs) are of much interest for malignant tumor theranostics at present. NPS-activated photons transfer energy through the absorption of a photon and convert molecular oxygen to the singlet reactive oxygen species, which leads to apoptosis and necrosis. Moreover, NPSs modified by polymers, including PLGA, PEG-PLA, PDLLA, PVCL-g-PLA, and P(VCL-co-VIM)-g-PLA, exhibit excellent biocompatibility, and a tumor-targeting molecule linked on the nanoparticle surface can precisely deliver NPSs into the tumor region. The development of NPSs will accelerate the progress in tumor theranostics through the photon/light pathway.Simple, rapid, and accurate detection methods for saccharides are potentially applicable to various fields such as clinical and food chemistry. However, the practical applications of on-site analytical methods are still limited. To this end, herein, we propose a 96-well microtiter plate made of paper as a paper-based chemosensor array device (PCSAD) for the simultaneous classification of 12 saccharides and the quantification of fructose and glucose among 12 saccharides. The mechanism of the saccharide detection relied on an indicator displacement assay (IDA) on the PCSAD using four types of catechol dyes, 3-nitrophenylboronic acid, and the saccharides. The design of the PCSAD and the experimental conditions for the IDA were optimized using a central composite design. The chemosensors exhibited clear color changes upon the addition of saccharides on the paper because of the competitive boronate esterification. The color changes were employed for the subsequent qualitative, semiquantitative, and quantitative analyses using an automated algorithm combined with pattern recognition for digital images. A qualitative linear discrimination analysis offered discrimination of 12 saccharides with a 100% classification rate. The semiquantitative analysis of fructose in the presence of glucose was carried out from the viewpoint of food analysis utilizing a support vector machine, resulting in clear discrimination of the various concentrations of fructose. Most importantly, the quantitative detection of fructose in two types of commercial soft drinks was also successfully carried out without sample pretreatments. Thus, the proposed PCSAD can be a powerful method for on-site food analyses that can meet the increasing demand from consumers for sensors of saccharides.Nanometer-sized liposomes decorated with macromolecules are increasingly used as drug delivery vehicles due to their long lifetimes and target cell specificity, but surface characterization methods often change their properties, which leads to incorrect results. Ligand binding is commonly applied for characterizing these surface modifications. Here, we use a nanofluidic-based label-free sensor for real-time sensing of ligands binding to liposomes. The liposomes are trapped in a nanochannel with a salt concentration gradient, and as the trapping position depends on the liposomes' zeta potential, it changes when charged ligands bind to the liposomes. Our sensing method does not require immobilization of the liposomes or labeling of the ligands with fluorophores, which may both affect the sensing. The zeta potential sensing is demonstrated by measuring hybridization of DNA targets with complementary DNA probes on liposome surfaces. DNA hybridization is monitored for both ensembles and individual liposomes, the latter allows for analysis of ensemble heterogeneity, and we demonstrate sensitivity to changes in surface charge down to 1.5%. DNA hybridization is used to demonstrate label-free sensing, but the method also has potential applications within exosome characterization, where biorecognition of, e.g., surface DNA, proteins, and antibodies is a promising candidate for early stage cancer diagnostics.Atomic-scale incorporation of CuAlSe2 inclusions within the Cu2Se matrix, achieved through a solid-state transformation of CuSe2 template precursor using elemental Cu and Al, enables a unique temperature-dependent dynamic doping of the Cu2Se matrix. The CuAlSe2 inclusions, due to their ability to accommodate a large fraction of excess metal atoms within their crystal lattice, serve as a "reservoir" for Cu ions diffusing away from the Cu2Se matrix. Such unidirectional diffusion of Cu ions from the Cu2Se matrix to the CuAlSe2 inclusion leads to the formation, near the CuAlSe2/Cu2Se interface, of a high density of Cu-deficient β-Cu2-δSe nanoparticles within the α-Cu2Se matrix and the formation of Cu-rich Cu1+yAlSe2 nanoparticles with the CuAlSe2 inclusions. This gives rise to a large enhancement in carrier concentration and electrical conductivity at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the nanostructuring near the CuAlSe2/Cu2Se interface, as well as the extensive atomic disorder in the Cu2Se and CuAlSe2 phases, significantly increases phonon scattering, leading to suppressed lattice thermal conductivity. Consequently, a significant improvement in ZT is observed for selected Cu2Se/CuAlSe2 composites. This work demonstrates the use of in situ-formed interactive secondary phases in a semiconducting matrix as an elegant alternative approach for further improvement of the performance of leading thermoelectric materials.Dual-cross-linked network (DCN) hydrogels with multiresponsive and self-healing properties are attracting intensive interests due to their enhanced mechanical strength for a wide range of applications. Herein, we developed a DCN hydrogel that combines a dynamic imine and a benzoxaboronic ester with a neutral pKa value (∼7.2) as dual linkages and contains biocompatible zwitterionic poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) [poly(MPC)] as the backbone. Oscillatory rheology result indicated shear strengthening mechanical properties compared to the single-cross-linked network (SCN) hydrogels, which use either imine bond or benzoxaboronic ester as the linkage alone. Due to the coexistence of stimuli-responsive imine and benzoxaboronic ester, the DCN hydrogels show sensitive multiple responsiveness to pH, sugar, and hydrogen peroxide. The dynamic nature of the dual linkages endows the DCN hydrogels with excellent self-healing ability after fracture. More importantly, the excellent biocompatibility and performance in three-dimensional (3D) cell encapsulation were established by a cytotoxicity Live/Dead assay, indicating DCN hydrogel's great potential as a cell culture scaffold. The biocompatible poly(MPC)-based backbone and the rapid formation of the cross-linking network make the DCN hydrogels promising candidates for future biomedical applications.Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials have emerged as promising candidates for thin-film solar cells due to their wide bandgap range across the visible wavelengths, high absorption coefficient, and ease of integration with both arbitrary substrates and conventional semiconductor technologies. However, reported TMD-based solar cells suffer from relatively low external quantum efficiencies (EQE) and low open circuit voltage due to unoptimized design and device fabrication. This paper studies Pt/WSe2 vertical Schottky junction solar cells with various WSe2 thicknesses in order to find the optimum absorber thickness. Also, we show that the devices' photovoltaic performance can be improved via Al2O3 passivation, which increases the EQE up to 29.5% at 410 nm wavelength incident light. The overall resulting short circuit current improves through antireflection coating, surface doping, and surface trap passivation effects. Thanks to the Al2O3 coating, this work demonstrates a device with an open circuit voltage (VOC) of 380 mV and a short circuit current density (JSC) of 10.7 mA/cm2. Finally, the impact of Schottky barrier height inhomogeneity at the Pt/WSe2 contact is investigated as a source of open circuit voltage lowering in these devices.Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful platform to quantify chirality, a vital biological property that performs a pivotal role in the metabolism of life organisms. With a photoelastic modulator (PEM) integrated into an infrared spectrometer, the differential response of a sample to the direction of circularly polarized light can be used to infer conformation handedness. However, these optical components inherently exhibit chromatic behavior and are typically optimized at discrete spectral frequencies. Advancements of discrete frequency infrared (DFIR) spectroscopic microscopes in spectral image quality and data throughput are promising for use toward analytical VCD measurements. Utilizing the PEM advantages incorporated into a custom-built QCL microscope, we demonstrate a point scanning VCD instrument capable of acquiring spectra rapidly across all fingerprint region wavelengths in transmission configuration. Moreover, for the first time, we also demonstrate the VCD imaging performance of our instrument for site-specific chirality mapping of biological tissue samples. This study offers some insight into future possibilities of examining small, localized changes in tissue that have major implications for systemic diseases and their progression, while also laying the groundwork for additional modeling and validation in advancing the capability of VCD spectroscopy and imaging.Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have large surface-to-volume ratios; thus, surface control is critical, especially when CQDs are utilized in optoelectronic devices. Layer-by-layer solid-state ligand exchange is a facile and applicable process for the formation of conductive CQD solids through various ligands; however, achieving complete ligand exchange on the CQD surface without dangling bonds is challenging. Herein, we demonstrate that CQDs can be further passivated through two-step annealing; air annealing forms sulfonate bonding at (111) Pb-rich surfaces, and subsequent N2 annealing removes insulating oxygen layers from the (100) surfaces of CQDs. By subsequently conducting annealing treatment in two different environments, traps on the surface of CQDs could be significantly reduced. We achieved a 40.8% enhancement of the power conversion efficiency by optimizing each two-step annealing process.The multi-anion molybdenum-based nanohybrids, N-doped β-Mo2C/MoP/MoO x (denoted as MoCPO), serving as a highly efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), are fabricated via a simple and scalable electrosynthesis in molten NaCl-KCl, which integrates pyrolysis/electroreduction/compounding into a one-pot strategy using polyphosphazenes (PPAs) and earth-abundant molybdenite (mainly MoS2) as precursors. The deliberately selected PPA and molten electrolyte ensure the unique lamellar nanostructures and the blending of multiple anions of C, N, P, and O in the obtained catalyst, specifically, triggering the in situ formation of the structural oxygen vacancies (VO) in MoCPO. The nature of the hybrids can be regulated by adjusting the synthesis condition. The optimized hybrid displays a low overpotential of 99.2 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for HER in 0.5 M H2SO4 and stays active over a broad pH range. The theoretical calculations reveal that VO in the hybrids serves as favorable active sites, thus contributing to the superior HER activity.