Molecular detection of Cryptosporidium in Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) in Gansu Province, Northwest China.

Cryptosporidium spp. are protozoa commonly found in domestic and wild animals. Limited information is available on Cryptosporidium in deer worldwide. In this study, 201 fecal samples were collected from Alpine musk deer on three farms in Gansu Province, China. Detection and subtyping of Cryptosporidium were performed by PCR and sequence analysis of the SSU rRNA and gp60 genes. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in Alpine musk deer was 3.9% (8/201), with infection rates of 1.0% (1/100), 2.8% (1/36), and 9.2% (6/65) in three different farms. All positive samples for Cryptosporidium were from adult deer. Two Cryptosporidium species were identified, including C. parvum (n = 2) and C. xiaoi (n = 6). The C. parvum isolates were subtyped as IIdA15G1, while the C. xiaoi isolates were subtyped as XXIIIa (n = 2) and XXIIIg (n = 4). The IIdA15G1 subtype of C. parvum was found for the first time in deer. These results provide important insights into the identity and human infectious potential of Cryptosporidium in farmed Alpine musk deer.

TCS-Fall: Cross-individual fall detection system based on channel state information and time-continuous stack method.

Background: Falls pose a serious health risk for the elderly, particular for those who are living alone. The utilization of WiFi-based fall detection, employing Channel State Information (CSI), emerges as a promising solution due to its non-intrusive nature and privacy preservation. Despite these advantages, the challenge lies in optimizing cross-individual performance for CSI-based methods. Objective: This study aimed to develop a resilient real-time fall detection system across individuals utilizing CSI, named TCS-Fall. This method was designed to offer continuous monitoring of activities over an extended timeframe, ensuring accurate and prompt detection of falls. Methods: Extensive CSI data on 1800 falls and 2400 daily activities was collected from 20 volunteers. The grouped coefficient of variation of CSI amplitudes were utilized as input features. These features capture signal fluctuations and are input to a convolutional neural network classifier. Cross-individual performance was extensively evaluated using various train/test participant splits. Additionally, a user-friendly CSI data collection and detection tool was developed using PyQT. To achieve real-time performance, data parsing and pre-processing computations were optimized using Numba's just-in-time compilation. Results: The proposed TCS-Fall method achieved excellent performance in cross-individual fall detection. On the test set, AUC reached 0.999, no error warning ratio score reached 0. 955 and correct warning ratio score reached of 0.975 when trained with data from only two volunteers. Performance can be further improved to 1.00 when 10 volunteers were included in training data. The optimized data parsing/pre-processing achieved over 20× speedup compared to previous method. The PyQT tool parsed and detected the fall within 100 ms. Conclusions: TCS-Fall method enables excellent real-time cross-individual fall detection utilizing WiFi CSI, promising swift alerts and timely assistance to elderly. Additionally, the optimized data processing led to a significant speedup. These results highlight the potential of our approach in enhancing real-time fall detection systems.

Establishment of human hematopoietic organoids for evaluation of hematopoietic injury and regeneration effect.

BACKGROUND: Human hematopoietic organoids have a wide application value for modeling human bone marrow diseases, such as acute hematopoietic radiation injury. However, the manufacturing of human hematopoietic organoids is an unaddressed challenge because of the complexity of hematopoietic tissues. METHODS: To manufacture hematopoietic organoids, we obtained CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) using stepwise induction and immunomagnetic bead-sorting. We then mixed these CD34+ HSPCs with niche-related cells in Gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) to form a three-dimensional (3D) hematopoietic organoid. Additionally, we investigated the effects of radiation damage and response to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in hematopoietic organoids. RESULTS: The GelMA hydrogel maintained the undifferentiated state of hESCs-derived HSPCs by reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. The established hematopoietic organoids in GelMA with niche-related cells were composed of HSPCs and multilineage blood cells and demonstrated the adherence of hematopoietic cells to niche cells. Notably, these hematopoietic organoids exhibited radiation-induced hematopoietic cell injury effect, including increased intracellular ROS levels, γ-H2AX positive cell percentages, and hematopoietic cell apoptosis percentages. Moreover, G-CSF supplementation in the culture medium significantly improved the survival of HSPCs and enhanced myeloid cell regeneration in these hematopoietic organoids after radiation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings substantiate the successful manufacture of a preliminary 3D hematopoietic organoid from hESCs-derived HSPCs, which was utilized for modeling hematopoietic radiation injury and assessing the radiation-mitigating effects of G-CSF in vitro. Our study provides opportunities to further aid in the standard and scalable production of hematopoietic organoids for disease modeling and drug testing.

Stabilization of NCM811 cathode interface through macromolecular compound protective film formed by 2,5-bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)-benzoic acid additive in lithium metal batteries.

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) offer substantial promise for next-generation energy storage owing to lithium metal's low reduction potential (-3.045 V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode) and its high specific capacity of 3860 mA h g-1. Among various cathode materials in LMBs, LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) is extensively employed because of its notably high specific capacity (over 200 mA h g-1) and comparatively lower cost. However, structural stress, nickel ions migration, and uneven Li+ deposition in NCM811 particles lead to cracking, irreversible decomposition of active substances, and the growth of mossy Li dendrites, causing severe capacity decline and low Coulomb efficiency in LMBs. In this study, we introduce an effective ethoxyl additive, 2,5-bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)-benzoic acid (2,5BTBA), directly into the carbonate electrolyte. This additive forms a dense and conductive macromolecular protective film on the NCM811 cathode and lithium metal anode during initial cycles, preventing electrode contact with the electrolyte. Consequently, it safeguards the cathode's structural integrity and enables dense lithium deposition. Adding 3 wt% 2,5BTBA, the Li/NCM811 battery retains a high capacity of 150.60 mA h g-1 and 89.41% retention after 700 cycles at 0.5C, maintaining an average Coulomb efficiency of 99.13%. This study presents an efficient and straightforward strategy to enhance the capacity retention of LMBs.

CircNSD1 promotes cardiac fibrosis through targeting the miR-429-3p/SULF1/Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Cardiac fibrosis is a detrimental pathological process, which constitutes the key factor for adverse cardiac structural remodeling leading to heart failure and other critical conditions. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of various cardiovascular diseases. It is known that several circRNAs regulate gene expression and pathological processes by binding miRNAs. In this study we investigated whether a novel circRNA, named circNSD1, and miR-429-3p formed an axis that controls cardiac fibrosis. We established a mouse model of myocardial infarction (MI) for in vivo studies and a cellular model of cardiac fibrogenesis in primary cultured mouse cardiac fibroblasts treated with TGF-ß1. We showed that miR-429-3p was markedly downregulated in the cardiac fibrosis models. Through gain- and loss-of-function studies we confirmed miR-429-3p as a negative regulator of cardiac fibrosis. In searching for the upstream regulator of miR-429-3p, we identified circNSD1 that we subsequently demonstrated as an endogenous sponge of miR-429-3p. In MI mice, knockdown of circNSD1 alleviated cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, silence of human circNSD1 suppressed the proliferation and collagen production in human cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. We revealed that circNSD1 directly bound miR-429-3p, thereby upregulating SULF1 expression and activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Collectively, circNSD1 may be a novel target for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis and associated cardiac disease.

Association between polypharmacy and chronic kidney disease among community-dwelling older people: a longitudinal study in southern China.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy would increase the risk of adverse drug events and the burden of renal drug excretion among older people. Nevertheless, the association between the number of medication and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the association between the number of medication and the incidence of CKD in older people. METHODS: This study investigates the association between the number of medications and CKD in 2672 elderly people (≥ 65 years older) of the community health service center in southern China between 2019 and 2022. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between polypharmacy and CKD. RESULTS: At baseline, the average age of the study subjects was 71.86 ± 4.60, 61.2% were females, and 53 (2.0%) suffer from polypharmacy. During an average follow-up of 3 years, new-onset CKD developed in 413 (15.5%) participants. Logistic regression analysis revealed that taking a higher number of medications was associated with increase of CKD. Compared with people who didn't take medication, a higher risk of CKD was observed in the older people who taken more than five medications (OR 3.731, 95% CI 1.988, 7.003), followed by those who take four (OR 1.621, 95% CI 1.041, 2.525), three (OR 1.696, 95% CI 1.178, 2.441), two drugs (OR 1.585, 95% CI 1.167, 2.153), or one drug (OR 1.503, 95% CI 1.097, 2.053). Furthermore, age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), white blood cell (WBC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and triglyceride (TG) were also independent risk factors CKD (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The number of medications was associated with CKD in older people. As the number of medications taken increased, the risk of CKD was increased.

Enhanced pyroptosis induction with pore-forming gene delivery for osteosarcoma microenvironment reshaping.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor without efficient management for improving 5-year event-free survival. Immunotherapy is also limited due to its highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Pore-forming gasdermins (GSDMs)-mediated pyroptosis has gained increasing concern in reshaping TME, however, the expressions and relationships of GSDMs with osteosarcoma remain unclear. Herein, gasdermin E (GSDME) expression is found to be positively correlated with the prognosis and immune infiltration of osteosarcoma patients, and low GSDME expression was observed. A vector termed as LPAD contains abundant hydroxyl groups for hydrating layer formation was then prepared to deliver the GSDME gene to upregulate protein expression in osteosarcoma for efficient TME reshaping via enhanced pyroptosis induction. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations analysis proved that the hydroxyl groups increased LPAD hydration abilities by enhancing coulombic interaction. The upregulated GSDME expression together with cleaved caspase-3 provided impressive pyroptosis induction. The pyroptosis further initiated proinflammatory cytokines release, increased immune cell infiltration, activated adaptive immune responses and create a favorable immunogenic hot TME. The study not only confirms the role of GSDME in the immune infiltration and prognosis of osteosarcoma, but also provides a promising strategy for the inhibition of osteosarcoma by pore-forming GSDME gene delivery induced enhanced pyroptosis to reshape the TME of osteosarcoma.

Simple and Efficient Synthesis of Ruthenium(III) PEDOT:PSS Complexes for High-Performance Stretchable and Transparent Supercapacitors.

In the evolving landscape of portable electronics, there is a critical demand for components that meld stretchability with optical transparency, especially in supercapacitors. Traditional materials fall short in harmonizing conductivity, stretchability, transparency, and capacity. Although poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) stands out as an exemplary candidate, further performance enhancements are necessary to meet the demands of practical applications. This study presents an innovative and effective method for enhancing electrochemical properties by homogeneously incorporating Ru(III) into PEDOT:PSS. These Ru(III) PEDOT:PSS complexes are readily synthesized by dipping PEDOT:PSS films in RuCl3 solution for no longer than one minute, leveraging the high specific capacitance of Ru(III) while minimizing interference with transmittance. The supercapacitor made with this Ru(III) PEDOT:PSS complex demonstrated an areal capacitance of 1.62 mF cm-2 at a transmittance of 73.5%, which was 155% higher than that of the supercapacitor made with PEDOT:PSS under comparable transparency. Notably, the supercapacitor retained 87.8% of its initial capacitance even under 20% tensile strain across 20,000 cycles. This work presents a blueprint for developing stretchable and transparent supercapacitors, marking a significant stride toward next-generation wearable electronics.

Electrochemical Restructuring Driven Catalytic Cycle of Bi-Based Heterojunctions for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Restructuring is an important phenomenon in catalytic reactions. Conversion-type materials with suitable redox potential may undergo in situ electrochemically driven restructurings and induce highly active catalytic sites in a working lithium-sulfur battery. Herein, driven by the electrochemical conversion reaction of BiVO4, a reversible catalytic cycle of Bi/amorphous Li3VO4 (a-Li3VO4) and Bi2S3/a-Li3VO4 heterojunctions is constructed, which targets the oxidation of Li2S and the conversion of polysulfide, respectively. The heterostructures and electrochemically driven size confinement provide abundant sites for shuttle restraining and sulfur conversion. Especially, the p-block Bi and Bi2S3 could dramatically reduce the conversion energy barriers of Li2S and polysulfide by virtue of the p-p orbital hybridization, promoting bidirectional reactions of the sulfur cathode. As a result, the corresponding sulfur cathode possesses a high reversible capacity of 7.5 mAh cm-2 after 120 cycles under a high sulfur loading of 10.3 mg cm-2 with a current density of 0.38 mA cm-2. This study furnishes a feasible scheme to obtain highly effective catalysts for bidirectional sulfur redox by utilizing the electrochemically induced restructuring.

Protocol to test for the formation of ternary protein complexes in vivo or in vitro using a two-step immunoprecipitation approach.

Co-immunoprecipitation (coIP) is an experimental technique to study protein-protein interactions (PPIs). However, single-step coIP can only be used to identify the interaction between two proteins and does not solve the interaction testing of ternary complexes. Here, we present a protocol to test for the formation of ternary protein complexes in vivo or in vitro using a two-step coIP approach. We describe steps for cell culture and transfection, elution of target proteins, and two-step coIP including western blot analyses. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Li et al.1.

A Hybrid Nanotube Stamp System in Intracellular Protein Delivery for Cancer Treatment and NMR Analytical Techniques.

In contrast to intracellular gene transfer, the direct delivery of expressed proteins is a significantly challenging yet essential technique for elucidating cellular functions, including protein complex structure, liquid-liquid phase separation, therapeutic applications, and reprogramming. In this study, we developed a hybrid nanotube (HyNT) stamp system that physically inserts the HyNTs into adhesive cells, enabling the injection of target molecules through HyNT ducts. This system demonstrates the capability to deliver multiple proteins, such as lactate oxidase (LOx) and ubiquitin (UQ), to approximately 1.8 × 107 adhesive cells with a delivery efficiency of 89.9% and a viability of 97.1%. The delivery of LOx enzyme into HeLa cancer cells induced cell death, while enzyme-delivered healthy cells remained viable. Furthermore, our stamp system can deliver an isotope-labeled UQ into adhesive cells for detection by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

An Investigation of the Impact of Precipitation Temperature and Filter Cake Thickness on the Physical Stability of Amorphous Solids: A Case Study.

The purpose of this study was to resolve the issue of physical instability in amorphous solid drugs, which can result in unwanted crystallization, affecting solubility and dissolution rates. The focus was on precipitating physically stable amorphous forms of the nilotinib free base, an anticancer drug, by monitoring preparation conditions such as precipitation temperature and filter cake thickness. A comprehensive set of characterization techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM), were used. These were supplemented by advanced data analysis methods that incorporated pair distribution function (PDF), reduced crystallization temperature (Rc), and principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the physical stability of the amorphous samples. Results emphasized that optimal physical stability was achieved when amorphous solids were prepared at a precipitation temperature of 10 °C and a filter cake thickness of 4 cm. Moreover, the integration of PDF analysis with Rc values was confirmed as an innovative approach for assessing physical stability, thus offering enhanced efficiency and accuracy over conventional accelerated stability testing methods.

The Optimization of Pair Distribution Functions for the Evaluation of the Degree of Disorder and Physical Stability in Amorphous Solids.

The amorphous form of poorly soluble drugs is physically unstable and prone to crystallization, resulting in decreased solubility and bioavailability. However, the conventional accelerated stability test for amorphous drugs is time-consuming and inaccurate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop rapid and accurate stability assessment technology. This study used the antitumor drug nilotinib free base as a model drug. The degree of disorder and physical stability in the amorphous form was assessed by applying the pair distribution function (PDF) and principal component analysis (PCA) methods based on powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data. Specifically, the assessment conditions, such as the PDF interatomic distance range, PXRD detector type, and PXRD diffraction angle range were also optimized. The results showed that more reliable PCA data could be obtained when the PDF interatomic distance range was 0-15 Å. When the PXRD detector was a semiconductor-type detector, the PDF data obtained were more accurate than other detectors. When the PXRD diffraction angle range was 5-40°, the intermolecular arrangement of the amorphous drugs could be accurately predicted. Finally, the accelerated stability test also showed that under the above-optimized conditions, this method could accurately and rapidly assess the degree of disorder and physical stability in the amorphous form of drugs, which has obvious advantages compared with the accelerated stability test.

Synthesis, fungicidal activity and molecular docking of novel pyrazole-carboxamides bearing a branched alkyl ether moiety.

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors are essential fungicides used in agriculture. To explore new pyrazole-carboxamides with high fungicidal activity, a series of N-substitutedphenyl-3-di/trifluoromethyl-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamides bearing a branched alkyl ether moiety were designed and synthesized. The in vitro bioassay indicated that some target compounds displayed appreciable fungicidal activity. For example, compounds 5d and 5e showed high efficacy against S. sclerotiorum with EC50 values of 3.26 and 1.52 µg/mL respectively, and also exhibited excellent efficacy against R. solani with EC50 values of 0.27 and 0.06 µg/mL respectively, which were comparable or superior to penflufen. The further in vivo bioassay on cucumber leaves demonstrated that 5e provided strong protective activity of 94.3 % against S. sclerotiorum at 100 µg/mL, comparable to penflufen (99.1 %). Cytotoxicity assessment against human renal cell lines (239A cell) revealed that 5e had low cytotoxicity within the median effective concentrations. Docking study of 5e with succinate dehydrogenase illustrated that R-5e formed one hydrogen bond and two π-π stacking interactions with amino acid residues of target enzyme, while S-5e formed only one π-π stacking interaction with amino acid residue. This study provides a valuable reference for the design of new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor.

Assembled MXene-Liquid Metal Cages on Silicon Microparticles as Self-Healing Battery Anodes.

In pursuit of higher energy density in lithium-ion batteries, silicon (Si) has been recognized as a promising candidate to replace commercial graphite due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the pulverization issue of Si microparticles during lithiation/delithiation results in electrical contact loss and increased side reactions, significantly limiting its practical applications. Herein, we propose to utilize liquid metal (LM) particles as the bridging agent, which assemble conductive MXene (Ti3C2Tx) sheets via coordination chemistry, forming cage-like structures encapsulating mSi particles as self-healing high-energy anodes. Due to the integration of robust Ti3C2Tx sheets and deformable LM particles as conductive buffering cages, simultaneously high-rate capability and cyclability can be realized. Post-mortem analysis revealed the cage structural integrity and the maintained electrical percolating network after cycling. This work introduces an effective approach to accommodate structural change via a resilient encapsulating cage and offers useful interface design considerations for versatile battery electrodes.

Monitoring and evaluation of vegetation restoration in the Ebinur Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve under lockdown protection.

For a long time, human activities have been prohibited in ecologically protected areas in the Ebinur Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve (ELWNNR). The implementation of total closure is one of the main methods for ecological protection. For arid zones, there is a lack of in-depth research on whether this measure contributes to ecological restoration in the reserve. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is considered to be the best indicator for ecological monitoring and has a key role to play in assessing the ecological impacts of total closure. In this study, we used Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing data to select optimal data and utilized Sen slope estimation, Mann-Kendall statistical tests, and the geographical detector model to quantitatively analyze the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dynamics and its driving factors. Results were as follows: (1) The vegetation distribution of the Ebinur Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve (ELWNNR) had obvious spatial heterogeneity, showing low distribution in the middle and high distribution in the surroundings. The correlation coefficients of Landsat-8 and MODIS, Sentinel-2 and MODIS, and Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 were 0.952, 0.842, and 0.861, respectively. The NDVI calculated from MODIS remote sensing data was higher than the value calculated by Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 remote sensing images, and Landsat-8 remote sensing data were the most suitable data. (2) NDVI indicated more degraded areas on the whole, but the ecological recovery was obvious in the localized areas where anthropogenic closure was implemented. The ecological environment change was the result of the joint action of man and nature. Man-made intervention will change the local ecological environment, but the overall ecological environment change was still dominated by natural environmental factors. (3) Factors affecting the distribution of NDVI in descending order were as follows: precipitation > evapotranspiration > land use type > elevation > vegetation type > soil type > soil erosion > slope > temperature > slope direction. Precipitation was the main driver of vegetation change in ELWNNR. The synergistic effect of the factors showed two-factor enhancement and nonlinear enhancement, and the combined effect of the driving factors would increase the influence on NDVI.

Giant ab-Plane Birefringence in Quasi-1D Fibrous Red Phosphorus.

Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) van der Waals crystal fibrous red phosphorus (RP) exhibits pronounced in-plane optical anisotropy, positioning it as a potential candidate for polarization-related micro-nano devices. Unfortunately, a comprehensive investigation into the complex refractive index of fibrous RP and the structure-activity relationship connecting the distinctive quasi-1D structure with optical anisotropy is currently deficient. Herein, we have collectively determined the complex refractive index of the fibrous RP flakes within the ab-plane through Kramers-Kronig (KK) analysis and theoretical calculation. Notably, the maximum birefringence of fibrous RP reaches 0.642@475 nm with an absolute extinction coefficient of only 0.08, superior to the reported traditional optical crystals and the emerging low-dimensional materials as well. The remarkable birefringence can be attributed to the synergistic influence of the large electronic dipole polarizability, anisotropic electron density distribution and the distortion of stereochemically active lone pair (SCALP). This work demonstrates the potential of fibrous RP for polarization-sensitive devices, illuminating possibilities to exploit novel giant birefringent crystals based on the structure-activity relationship.

Inhibitory Effect of Lactococcus and Enterococcus faecalis on Citrobacter Colitis in Mice.

Probiotics are beneficial for intestinal diseases. Research shows that probiotics can regulate intestinal microbiota and alleviate inflammation. Little research has been done on the effects of probiotics on colitis in mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of the strains isolated and screened from the feces of healthy piglets on the enteritis of rocitrobacter. The compound ratio of isolated Lactobacillus L9 and Enterococcus faecalis L16 was determined, and the optimal compound ratio was selected according to acid production tests and bacteriostatic tests in vitro. The results showed that when the ratio of Lactobacillus L9 to Enterococcus faecalis L16 was 4:1, the pH value was the lowest, and the antibacterial diameter was the largest. Then, in animal experiments, flow cytometry was used to detect the number of T lymphocytes in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes of mice immunized with complex lactic acid bacteria. The results showed that the number of T lymphocytes in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes of mice immunized with complex lactic acid bacteria significantly increased, which could improve the cellular immunity of mice. The microbiota in mouse feces were sequenced and analyzed, and the results showed that compound lactic acid bacteria could increase the diversity of mouse microbiota. It stabilized the intestinal microbiota structure of mice and resisted the damage of pathogenic bacteria. The combination of lactic acid bacteria was determined to inhibit the intestinal colitis induced by Citrobacter, improve the cellular immune response of the body, and promote the growth of animals.

Droplet-based proteomics reveals CD36 as a marker for progenitors in mammary basal epithelium.

Deep proteomic profiling of rare cell populations has been constrained by sample input requirements. Here, we present DROPPS (droplet-based one-pot preparation for proteomic samples), an accessible low-input platform that generates high-fidelity proteomic profiles of 100-2,500 cells. By applying DROPPS within the mammary epithelium, we elucidated the connection between mitochondrial activity and clonogenicity, identifying CD36 as a marker of progenitor capacity in the basal cell compartment. We anticipate that DROPPS will accelerate biology-driven proteomic research for a multitude of rare cell populations.

Bistable Electrochromic Ionogels via Supramolecular Interactions for Energy-Efficient Displays.

Bistable electrochromic (EC) materials and systems offer significant potential for building decarbonization through their optical modulation and energy efficiency. However, challenges such as limited design strategies and bottlenecks in cost, fabrication, and color have hindered the full commercialization of energy-saving EC windows and displays, with few materials achieving true bistability. Herein, a novel strategy for designing bistable electrochromic materials is proposed by leveraging supramolecular interactions. These interactions facilitate reversible color transitions, stabilize the colored structure, and enable spatial confinement to inhibit diffusion, thereby achieving bistable electrochromism. The mechanisms and materials underlying these unconventional electrochromic systems are substantiated through detailed characterization. This strategy enables the preparation of low-cost and sustainable transparent electrochromic displays with high performance. Notably, the display information remains clearly visible for more than 2 h without consuming energy. Involving biomass materials and removable device structures also enhances the sustainability and scalability of EC technology applications and development. These results demonstrate the crucial role of supramolecular chemistry in the development of cutting-edge materials for applications such as energy-saving smart windows.