Supplementation of Mangiferin to a High-Starch Diet Alleviates Hepatic Injury and Lipid Accumulation Potentially through Modulating Cholesterol Metabolism in Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).

Starch is a common source of carbohydrates in aqua feed. High-starch diet can cause hepatic injury and lipid accumulation in fish. Mangiferin (MGF) can regulate lipid metabolism and protect the liver, but there is limited research on its effects in fish. In the present study, we investigated whether MGF could ameliorate high-starch-induced hepatic damage and lipid accumulation in channel catfish. The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were fed one of four experimental diets for eight weeks: a control diet (NCD), a high-starch diet (HCD), an HCD supplemented with 100 mg/kg MGF (100 MGF), and an HCD supplemented with 500 mg/kg MGF (500 MGF). The results demonstrated that the weight gain rate (WGR) (p = 0.031), specific growth rate (SGR) (p = 0.039), and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) (p = 0.040) of the 500 MGF group were significantly higher than those of the NCD group. MGF supplementation alleviated liver damage and improved antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) compared to those of the HCD group (p = 0.000). In addition, dietary MGF significantly reduced plasma glucose (GLU) (p = 0.000), triglyceride (TG) (p= 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (p = 0.000) levels. It is noteworthy that MGF significantly reduced the plasma total cholesterol (TC) levels (p = 0.000) and liver TC levels (p = 0.005) of channel catfish. Dietary MGF improves cholesterol homeostasis by decreasing the expression of genes that are involved in cholesterol synthesis and transport (hmgcr, sqle, srebf2, sp1, and ldlr) and increasing the expression of genes that are involved in cholesterol catabolism (cyp7a1). Among them, the largest fold decrease in squalene epoxidase (sqle) expression levels was observed in the 100 MGF or 500 MGF groups compared with the HCD group, with a significant decrease of 3.64-fold or 2.20-fold (p = 0.008). And the 100 MGF or 500 MGF group had significantly decreased (by 1.67-fold or 1.94-fold) Sqle protein levels compared to those of the HCD group (p = 0.000). In primary channel catfish hepatocytes, MGF significantly down-regulated the expression of sqle (p = 0.030) and reduced cholesterol levels (p = 0.000). In NCTC 1469 cells, MGF significantly down-regulated the expression of sqle (p = 0.000) and reduced cholesterol levels (p = 0.024). In conclusion, MGF effectively inhibits sqle expression and reduces cholesterol accumulation. The current study shows how MGF supplementation regulates the metabolism and accumulation of cholesterol in channel catfish, providing a theoretical basis for the use of MGF as a dietary supplement in aquaculture.

Providing a Photovoltaic Performance Enhancement Relationship from Binary to Ternary Polymer Solar Cells via Machine Learning.

Ternary polymer solar cells (PSCs) are currently the simplest and most efficient way to further improve the device performance in PSCs. To find high-performance organic photovoltaic materials, the established connection between the material structure and device performance before fabrication is of great significance. Herein, firstly, a database of the photovoltaic performance in 874 experimental PSCs reported in the literature is established, and three different fingerprint expressions of a molecular structure are explored as input features; the results show that long fingerprints of 2D atom pairs can contain more effective information and improve the accuracy of the models. Through supervised learning, five machine learning (ML) models were trained to build a mapping of the photovoltaic performance improvement relationship from binary to ternary PSCs. The GBDT model had the best predictive ability and generalization. Eighteen key structural features from a non-fullerene acceptor and the third components that affect the device's PCE were screened based on this model, including a nitrile group with lone-pair electron, a halogen atom, an oxygen atom, etc. Interestingly, the structural features for the enhanced device's PCE were essentially increased by the Jsc or FF. More importantly, the reliability of the ML model was further verified by preparing the highly efficient PSCs. Taking the PM6:BTP-eC9:PY-IT ternary PSC as an example, the PCE prediction (18.03%) by the model was in good agreement with the experimental results (17.78%), the relative prediction error was 1.41%, and the relative error between all experimental results and predicted results was less than 5%. These results indicate that ML is a useful tool for exploring the photovoltaic performance improvement of PSCs and accelerating the design and application with highly efficient non-fullerene materials.

Comprehensive pregnancy monitoring with a network of wireless, soft, and flexible sensors in high- and low-resource health settings.

Vital signs monitoring is a fundamental component of ensuring the health and safety of women and newborns during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. This monitoring is often the first step in early detection of pregnancy abnormalities, providing an opportunity for prompt, effective intervention to prevent maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Contemporary pregnancy monitoring systems require numerous devices wired to large base units; at least five separate devices with distinct user interfaces are commonly used to detect uterine contractility, maternal blood oxygenation, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and fetal heart rate. Current monitoring technologies are expensive and complex with implementation challenges in low-resource settings where maternal morbidity and mortality is the greatest. We present an integrated monitoring platform leveraging advanced flexible electronics, wireless connectivity, and compatibility with a wide range of low-cost mobile devices. Three flexible, soft, and low-profile sensors offer comprehensive vital signs monitoring for both women and fetuses with time-synchronized operation, including advanced parameters such as continuous cuffless blood pressure, electrohysterography-derived uterine monitoring, and automated body position classification. Successful field trials of pregnant women between 25 and 41 wk of gestation in both high-resource settings (n = 91) and low-resource settings (n = 485) demonstrate the system's performance, usability, and safety.

Reliable, low-cost, fully integrated hydration sensors for monitoring and diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases in any environment.

Present-day dermatological diagnostic tools are expensive, time-consuming, require substantial operational expertise, and typically probe only the superficial layers of skin (~15 µm). We introduce a soft, battery-free, noninvasive, reusable skin hydration sensor (SHS) adherable to most of the body surface. The platform measures volumetric water content (up to ~1 mm in depth) and wirelessly transmits data to any near-field communication-compatible smartphone. The SHS is readily manufacturable, comprises unique powering and encapsulation strategies, and achieves high measurement precision (±5% volumetric water content) and resolution (±0.015°C skin surface temperature). Validation on n = 16 healthy/normal human participants reveals an average skin water content of ~63% across multiple body locations. Pilot studies on patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis, urticaria, xerosis cutis, and rosacea highlight the diagnostic capability of the SHS (P AD = 0.0034) and its ability to study impact of topical treatments on skin diseases.

Modifying the Crystal Field of CsPbCl3:Mn2+ Nanocrystals by Co-doping to Enhance Its Red Emission by a Hundredfold.

CsPbCl3:Mn2+ is a practical solution for obtaining red-orange light inorganic perovskite nanocrystals since CsPbI3 is unstable. Increasing the concentration of Mn2+ is an effective way to enhance the orange-red emission of CsPbCl3:Mn2+. However, the relationship between emission intensity of the Mn2+ dopant and the concentration of Mn2+ is very chaotic in different studies. As a transition metal ion, the electronic states of Mn2+ are very sensitive to the crystal field environment. Here, the crystal field of the CsPbCl3:Mn2+ nanocrystals was adjusted by co-doping other cations, and the concentration of Mn2+ remained unchanged. Additionally, the crystal field strength of different samples was calculated. Compared with the CsPbCl3:Mn2+ nanocrystals, the red-orange peak in the fluorescence spectrum of CsPbCl3:Mn2+, Er3+ nanocrystals was redshifted from 580 to 600 nm and enhanced by 100 times successfully. The same experiment was carried out on CsPbCl3:Mn2+ nanoplatelets at the same time to confirm the changed crystal field around Mn2+. The effect of co-doping cations on the luminescence properties of Mn2+ is similar to that in nanocubes, and the mechanism was analyzed in detail.

CsPbBr3@CsPbBr3-x Cl x Perovskite Core-Shell Heterojunction Nanowires via a Postsynthetic Method with HCl Gas.

CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are promising materials due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. This work shows a successful anion exchange reaction in CsPbBr3 nanowire (NW) systems with HCl gas resulting in a blue-green light-emitting CsPbBr3@CsPbBr3-x Cl x core-shell heterojunction. By adjusting the reaction time and the reaction temperature, the structure and light emission of the NWs can be adjusted. The core-shell heterojunction NCs are stably luminescent in 24 h. The rational mechanism of anion exchange in perovskite NCs is also investigated. The work highlights the feasibility of NWs heterogeneously prepared under the HC1 gas atmosphere, which provides a new strategy for studying the two- and multicolor luminescent perovskite NCs.

Improving the Quality and Luminescence Performance of All-Inorganic Perovskite Nanomaterials for Light-Emitting Devices by Surface Engineering.

Lead halide perovskites and their applications in the optoelectronic field have garnered intensive interest over the years. Inorganic perovskites (IHP), though a novel class of material, are considered as one of the most promising optoelectronic materials. These materials are widely used in detectors, solar cells, and other devices, owing to their excellent charge-transport properties, high defect tolerance, composition- and size-dependent luminescence, narrow emission, and high photoluminescence quantum yield. In recent years, numerous encouraging achievements have been realized, especially in the research of CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals (NCs) and surface engineering. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize the principles and effects of these surface engineering optimization methods. It is also important to scientifically guide the applications and promote the development of perovskites more efficiently. Herein, the principles of surface ligands are reviewed, and various surface treatment methods used in CsPbX3 NCs as well as quantum-dot light-emitting diodes are presented. Finally, a brief outlook on CsPbX3 NC surface engineering is offered, illustrating the present challenges and the direction in which future investigations are intended to obtain high-quality CsPbX3 NCs that can be utilized in more applications.

Skin-interfaced biosensors for advanced wireless physiological monitoring in neonatal and pediatric intensive-care units.

Standard clinical care in neonatal and pediatric intensive-care units (NICUs and PICUs, respectively) involves continuous monitoring of vital signs with hard-wired devices that adhere to the skin and, in certain instances, can involve catheter-based pressure sensors inserted into the arteries. These systems entail risks of causing iatrogenic skin injuries, complicating clinical care and impeding skin-to-skin contact between parent and child. Here we present a wireless, non-invasive technology that not only offers measurement equivalency to existing clinical standards for heart rate, respiration rate, temperature and blood oxygenation, but also provides a range of important additional features, as supported by data from pilot clinical studies in both the NICU and PICU. These new modalities include tracking movements and body orientation, quantifying the physiological benefits of skin-to-skin care, capturing acoustic signatures of cardiac activity, recording vocal biomarkers associated with tonality and temporal characteristics of crying and monitoring a reliable surrogate for systolic blood pressure. These platforms have the potential to substantially enhance the quality of neonatal and pediatric critical care.

Skin-integrated wireless haptic interfaces for virtual and augmented reality.

Traditional technologies for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) create human experiences through visual and auditory stimuli that replicate sensations associated with the physical world. The most widespread VR and AR systems use head-mounted displays, accelerometers and loudspeakers as the basis for three-dimensional, computer-generated environments that can exist in isolation or as overlays on actual scenery. In comparison to the eyes and the ears, the skin is a relatively underexplored sensory interface for VR and AR technology that could, nevertheless, greatly enhance experiences at a qualitative level, with direct relevance in areas such as communications, entertainment and medicine1,2. Here we present a wireless, battery-free platform of electronic systems and haptic (that is, touch-based) interfaces capable of softly laminating onto the curved surfaces of the skin to communicate information via spatio-temporally programmable patterns of localized mechanical vibrations. We describe the materials, device structures, power delivery strategies and communication schemes that serve as the foundations for such platforms. The resulting technology creates many opportunities for use where the skin provides an electronically programmable communication and sensory input channel to the body, as demonstrated through applications in social media and personal engagement, prosthetic control and feedback, and gaming and entertainment.

The luminescence properties of CsPbxM1-xBr3 perovskite nanocrystals transformed from Cs4PbBr6 mediated by various divalent bromide MBr2 salts.

A novel high concentration doping method based on the transformation from Cs4PbBr6 nanocrystals (NCs), which reacted with divalent metal bromide MBr2, to CsPbxM1-xBr3 NCs was developed. Two types of M2+ and Zn2+ which cannot emit light and Mn2+ and Eu2+ which can be used as the luminous centres, were chosen to trigger the transformation of Cs4PbBr6 NCs to CsPbxM1-xBr3 NCs. CsPbxZn1-xBr3 NCs maintained high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) (>75%) and had good dispersion in hexane without obvious dissolution or agglomeration after two weeks. By adjusting the reaction temperature, the intrinsic band edge luminescence and the emission of Mn2+ ions CsPbxMn1-xBr3 NCs show different colours of light from green, green-yellow, pink, and orange-red to purple under an excitation of 365 nm. CsPbxEu1-xBr3 NCs were synthesized for the first time, and a weak luminescence around 618 nm from Eu3+ was detected in addition to the band edge luminescence of NCs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data showed that Zn2+, Mn2+ and Eu3+ (Eu2+) doping concentrations are up to 80%, 75% and 50%, respectively. We also analysed the doping mechanism and compared the new method with the traditional high temperature injection method. The lead-depleted perovskite NCs transformed from Cs4PbBr6 can provide a feasible pathway to reduce the lead toxicity of perovskite NCs and expand their applications.

Water-resistant, monodispersed and stably luminescent CsPbBr3/CsPb2Br5 core-shell-like structure lead halide perovskite nanocrystals.

Lead halide perovskite materials are thriving in optoelectronic applications due to their excellent properties, while their instability due to the fact that they are easily hydrolyzed is still a bottleneck for their potential application. In this work, water-resistant, monodispersed and stably luminescent cesium lead bromine perovskite nanocrystals coated with CsPb2Br5 were obtained using a modified non-stoichiometric solution-phase method. CsPb2Br5 2D layers were coated on the surface of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals and formed a core-shell-like structure in the synthetic processes. The stability of the luminescence of the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals in water and ethanol atmosphere was greatly enhanced by the photoluminescence-inactive CsPb2Br5 coating with a wide bandgap. The water-stable enhanced nanocrystals are suitable for long-term stable optoelectronic applications in the atmosphere.