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Background: Breast cancer ranks first among malignant tumors, of which triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by its highly invasive behavior and the worst prognosis. Timely diagnosis and precise treatment of TNBC are substantially challenging. Abnormal tumor vessels play a crucial role in TNBC progression and treatment. Nitric oxide (NO) regulates angiogenesis and maintains vascular homeostasis, while effective NO delivery can normalize the tumor vasculature. Accordingly, we have proposed here a tumor vascular microenvironment remodeling strategy based on NO-induced vessel normalization and extracellular matrix collagen degradation with multimodality imaging-guided nanoparticles against TNBC called DNMF/PLGA. Results: Nanoparticles were synthesized using a chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX), a NO donor L-arginine (L-Arg), ultrasmall spinel ferrites (MnFe2O4), and a poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) shell. Nanoparticle distribution in the tumor was accurately monitored in real-time through highly enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and photoacoustic imaging. Near-infrared irradiation of tumor cells revealed that MnFe2O4 catalyzes the production of a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from H2O2, resulting in a cascade catalysis of L-Arg to trigger NO production in the presence of ROS. In addition, DOX activates niacinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase to generate and supply H2O2. The generated NO improves the vascular endothelial cell integrity and pericellular contractility to promote vessel normalization and induces the activation of endogenous matrix metalloproteinases (mainly MMP-1 and MMP-2) so as to promote extravascular collagen degradation, thereby providing an auxiliary mechanism for efficient nanoparticle delivery and DOX penetration. Moreover, the chemotherapeutic effect of DOX and the photothermal effect of MnFe2O4 served as a chemo-hyperthermia synergistic therapy against TNBC. Conclusion: The two therapeutic mechanisms, along with an auxiliary mechanism, were perfectly combined to enhance the therapeutic effects. Briefly, multimodality image-guided nanoparticles provide a reliable strategy for the potential application in the fight against TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over four semesters of a large introductory statistics course the authors found students were engaging in contract cheating on Chegg.com during multiple choice examinations. In this paper we describe our methodology for identifying, addressing and eventually eliminating cheating. We successfully identified 23 out of 25 students using a combination of unique academic and digital fingerprints, and identified students who used virtual private networks (VPNs) to protect their online identity. There were two forms of cheating – posting questions and waiting for responses from tutors, and looking for questions that had already been solved. We found that 165 questions from these examinations were posted by 10 different students, but that the most common form of cheating was searching for answers that had already been posted. This paper discusses these patterns of Chegg usage, the consequences of not catching cheating early on, and how students reacted to being caught. Also provided are R and Python code that readers may use to identify cheating students in their own courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We described the alteration of characteristic microflora and metabolite profiles from adenoma into colorectal cancer. • Gut microflora dominated by Lachnospiraceae and Parasutterella in CRA patients. • Butyric acid was most enriched in CRA patients, belong to harmful serum metabolites. • A combined biomarker was found to be more specificity than CEA and CA199. • The gut microbial composition of CRA patients may be affected by high-fat diet, suggesting early intervention to reduce risk. Our study focuses on the microbial and metabolomic profile changes during the adenoma stage, as adenomas can be considered potential precursors to colorectal cancer through the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Identifying possible intervention targets at this stage may aid in preventing the progression of colorectal adenoma (CRA) to malignant lesions. Furthermore, we evaluate the efficacy of combined microbial and metabolite biomarkers in detecting CRA. Fecal metagenomic and serum metabolomic analyses were performed for the discovery of alterations of gut microbiome and metabolites in CRA patients (n = 26), Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (n = 19), Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) patients (n = 10), and healthy controls (n = 20). Finally, analyzing the associations between gut microbes and metabolites was performed by a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Our analysis present that CRA patients differ significantly in gut microflora and serum metabolites compared with healthy controls, especially for Lachnospiraceae and Parasutterella. Its main metabolite, butyric acid, concentrations were raised in CRA patients compared with the healthy controls, indicating its role as a promoter of colorectal tumorigenesis. α-Linolenic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine represented the other healthy metabolite for CRA. Combining five microbial and five metabolite biomarkers, we differentiated CRA from CRC with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.85 out of this performance vastly superior to the specificity recorded by traditional markers CEA and CA199 in such differentiation of these conditions. The study underlines significant microbial and metabolic alterations in CRA with a novel insight into screening and early intervention of its tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Prepare a novel hierarchical structured cathode for aqueous zinc batteries. • The hierarchical cathode shows ultra-long cycle life. • Nanorod arrays on the hierarchical cathode regulate the local electric field. • Tip effect accumulates protons near the surface to inhibit the side reaction. Vanadium-based oxides are promising cathode candidates for aqueous zinc batteries, but their cycling stability is unsatisfactory. Herein, a unique hierarchical structured zinc vanadate material, with amorphous nanorod arrays standing on crystalline lamellar plates, is produced by the in-situ electrochemical conditioning from a H 0.39 V 2 O 5 precursor. The hierarchical cathode achieves a high capacity of 536 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g and 344 mAh/g at 5 A/g. Importantly, a long life of 10,000 cycles with 88% capacity retention is realized at 5 A/g. Finite-element analysis shows that the tip effect of the nanorod arrays accumulates protons near the surface of the hierarchical cathode. The resulting locally low-pH environment prevents vanadium dissolution and formation of inactive Zn 3 V 2 O 7 (OH) 2 ·nH 2 O during cycling, which ensures the high cycling stability. This work presents insights into local pH regulation to optimize the cycling stability of cathode materials in aqueous zinc batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, chiral metamaterials (CMM) were optimized from conceptual design to fine design with the effective elastic constants unchanged under finite strain. First, through calculation and comparison of examples, the unit cell method was selected to compute the effective elastic properties of the periodic chiral metamaterials under finite strain. Secondly, the conceptual design of chiral metamaterials with prescribed Poisson's ratios under finite strain was realized through density-based and feature-driven topology optimization. Then, the method of moving asymptotes (MMA) was used to solve the optimization problems. Based on the optimal configuration, chiral metamaterials with prescribed Poisson's ratios and Young's moduli under finite strain were carefully designed through shape optimization. Genetic algorithm was used to solve the optimization problem. Finally, the optimal models were fabricated by 3D printing. The optimal design was validated by tensile test results, i.e., the designed chiral metamaterials can maintain effective elastic properties under large deformation, and the invariance of the effective elastic properties depends on the nonlinearity of the flexible chiral metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This add-on discussion addresses a shortcoming of the paper in the title – the authors missed an important reference by Clausen et al. (2015). Differences between the current work and the said reference are clarified in this comment. In addition, some mistakes in the commented paper were corrected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable conversion of wastes into eco-friendly wearable energy storage materials is of uppermost priority when facing the rapid development of human society. Although some attempts have successfully developed wastes into activated carbon electrodes, the high energy consumption of the production process and the powder form greatly restrict their application in eco-friendly wearable supercapacitors. Here, industrial waste-flax noil was conversed into fiber-shaped supercapacitors (FSSCs) via wet spinning and in situ deposition of polypyrrole (PPy). The regenerated cellulose fibers (RCFs) collected from the ethyl alcohol coagulation bath possessed excellent tensile behaviors and multi-groove surfaces, encouraging the subsequent textile processing and ions activities. After PPy deposition, the obtained fiber electrodes yielded high specific capacitance (510.7 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1) and excellent coulombic efficiency (99.3% at 10 A g-1). More importantly, the assembled FSSCs delivered remarkable electrochemical performances and could power the LED. The green strategy proposed in this work provides a new consideration for converting wastes into practical eco-friendly wearable devices. [Display omitted] • Flax noil was successfully converted into eco-friendly fiber supercapacitors. • ETf@PPy12 electrodes possessed high specific capacitance and coulombic efficiency. • The assembled flexible supercapacitor showed superior electrochemical performance. • The devices in series could power the LED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green finance development, which enhances innovation capacity and economic green transformation, helps people deal with the challenges of climate change, ecological crisis and energy security. It is important to achieve sustainable and balanced development for green finance. In this paper, an evolutionary game model is built with four participants, which include governments, financial institutions, enterprises, and consumers. Analogue simulation is applied to analyze the influences of each parameter on changes and development in green financial market. Equilibrium strategy and influence mechanism of participating entities are investigated. The result shows that: first, the integrity of the green financial system has a positive impact on sustainability developments and cleaner production. Second, it is critical to strengthen the government regulation, slash financial institutions and enterprises' green finance production cost, increase the compensation for consumer pollution, and reduce the supervision cost of government. Accordingly, to integrity green financial system, governments, financial institutions, enterprises, and consumers needs participation and cooperation among each other. Image 1 • Evolutionary game model was established, and it was used to analyze and simulate green finance sustainability based on multi-agent.. • Green finance, together with consumers' strong environmental protection preferences leads to a more comprehensive development of green financial market.. • Increasing benefits promote green sustainability, but more cost will lead to negative effects.. • The influence of four participants on evolution was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), metal ion accumulation, and tricarboxylic acid cycle collapse are crucial factors in mitochondria‐mediated cell death. However, the highly adaptive nature and damage‐repair capabilities of malignant tumors strongly limit the efficacy of treatments based on a single treatment mode. To address this challenge, a self‐reinforced bimetallic Mito‐Jammer is developed by incorporating doxorubicin (DOX) and calcium peroxide (CaO2) into hyaluronic acid (HA) ‐modified metal‐organic frameworks (MOF). After cellular, Mito‐Jammer dissociates into CaO2 and Cu2+ in the tumor microenvironment. The exposed CaO2 further yields hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Ca2+ in a weakly acidic environment to strengthen the Cu2+‐based Fenton‐like reaction. Furthermore, the combination of chemodynamic therapy and Ca2+ overload exacerbates ROS storms and mitochondrial damage, resulting in the downregulation of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels and blocking of Cu‐ATPase to sensitize cuproptosis. This multilevel interaction strategy also activates robust immunogenic cell death and suppresses tumor metastasis simultaneously. This study presents a multivariate model for revolutionizing mitochondria damage, relying on the continuous retention of bimetallic ions to boost cuproptosis/immunotherapy in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of insulating polymers into conjugated polymers has been widely explored as a strategy to improve mechanical properties of flexible organic electronics. However, phase separation due to the immiscibility of these polymers has limited their effectiveness. In this study, we report the discovery of multiple non‐covalent interactions that enhances the miscibility between insulating and conjugated polymers, resulting in improved mechanical properties. Specifically, we have added polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into the conjugated polymer PM6 and observed a significant increase in solution viscosity, indicative of favorable miscibility between these two polymers. This phenomenon has been rarely observed in other insulating/conjugated polymer composites. Thin films of PM6/PVC exhibit a much‐improved crack‐onset strain of 19.35 %, compared to 10.12 % for pristine PM6 films. Analysis reveal that a "cyclohexyl‐like" structure formed through dipole‐dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding between PVC and PM6 acted as a cross‐linking site in the thin films, leading to improved mechanical properties. Moreover, PM6/PVC blend films have demonstrated excellent thermal and bending stability when applied as an electron donor in organic solar cells. These findings provide new insights into non‐covalent interactions that can be utilized to enhance the properties of conjugated polymers and may have potential applications in flexible organic electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of insulating polymers into conjugated polymers has been widely explored as a strategy to improve mechanical properties of flexible organic electronics. However, phase separation due to the immiscibility of these polymers has limited their effectiveness. In this study, we report the discovery of multiple non‐covalent interactions that enhances the miscibility between insulating and conjugated polymers, resulting in improved mechanical properties. Specifically, we have added polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into the conjugated polymer PM6 and observed a significant increase in solution viscosity, indicative of favorable miscibility between these two polymers. This phenomenon has been rarely observed in other insulating/conjugated polymer composites. Thin films of PM6/PVC exhibit a much‐improved crack‐onset strain of 19.35 %, compared to 10.12 % for pristine PM6 films. Analysis reveal that a "cyclohexyl‐like" structure formed through dipole‐dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding between PVC and PM6 acted as a cross‐linking site in the thin films, leading to improved mechanical properties. Moreover, PM6/PVC blend films have demonstrated excellent thermal and bending stability when applied as an electron donor in organic solar cells. These findings provide new insights into non‐covalent interactions that can be utilized to enhance the properties of conjugated polymers and may have potential applications in flexible organic electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Breakthrough nanoplatform to enhance local therapy and inhibit metastasis in triple negative breast cancer. • Utilizing ultrasound, photoacoustic, and magnetic resonance imaging techniques for precise guidance of tumor treatment. • Novel strategy for early diagnosis and synergistic treatment of triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with high invasiveness and the worst prognosis. Immunotherapy has demonstrated significant potential in its treatment. However, the response rate remains unsatisfactory. In this work, we prepared multifunctional theranostic nanoplatforms (P-R@P/U-V) with synergetic ferroptosis and photothermal therapy (PTT) in improving TNBC tumor microenvironment for improving local treatment in situ, and synergistic anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunotherapy to prevent distant metastasis. With P-R@P/U-V, real-time monitoring of the specific distribution in tumors is possible due to the greatly improved ultrasound imaging (US), photoacoustic imaging (PAI), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capabilities. Moreover, P-R@P/U-V has excellent photothermal conversion ability. Whereas PTT killed TNBC cells after laser irradiation, the liquid–gas phase transition not only improved US but also triggered controllable release of RSL3 in situ, enhancing ferroptosis of TNBC cells. Besides, the release of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) increased via PTT and ferroptosis, strongly stimulating T cell activation, dendritic cell maturation, and anti-tumor cytokine secretion. The lung metastases of TNBC were significantly inhibited following the combined use of P-R@P/U-V and PD-L1 inhibitors. The multimodal and multifunctional nanoplatforms demonstrated excellent effects in early diagnosis and synergistic treatment of TNBC. This represents a novel strategy based on local treatment for additional enhanced anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy, with high clinical application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An integrated method to screen and determine bioactive components was established. • Integrating serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. • 112 components of GSD extract and 90 serum migrating constituents were identified. • 37 GSD-related and OP-related core targets and 20 main pathways were obtained. • Individual and holistic profiles of 7 active ingredients were characterized. Gushudan (GSD), a compound prescription on the basis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory and clinical practice, has been used in the treatment of osteoporosis (OP) for many years. Although studies have shown that GSD can treat OP, there is a lack of systematic screening method to explore the bioactive components, which are still unclear. Therefore, this study was aimed to establish an integrated method to screen and determine bioactive ingredients of GSD in the treatment of OP by serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. Firstly, 112 components of the GSD extract and 90 serum migrating constituents were identified by the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS), most of which were derived from flavonoids, tanshinones, coumarins and organic acids. Secondly, based on the network pharmacological analysis of the serum migrating constituents, 37 core targets and 20 main pathways related to both GSD and OP were obtained. More importantly, 7 bioactive ingredients were further screened as the PK markers by the network topology parameters including icariin, icariside II, isopimpinellin, bergapten, imperatorin, osthole and tanshinone IIA. Finally, a sensitive and accurate quantitative method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was established and validated for simultaneous determination of the 7 bioactive ingredients in the rat plasma after oral administration of GSD extract, which was then applied to pharmacokinetic study. Besides, the overall pharmacokinetic characteristics were further calculated: C max was 180.52 ± 31.18 ng/mL, T max was 0.46 ± 0.20 h, t 1/2 was 4.09 ± 0.39 h, AUC 0-∞ was 567.24 ± 65.29 ng·h/mL, which displayed quick absorption and medium elimination in rats after oral administration of GSD extract. This study provided a new and holistic insight for exploring bioactive constituents and main targets to decode the therapeutic material basis of GSD against OP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two kinds of small molecular dyads (SMDs) based on trithiophene-benzodithiophene-rhodanine (DR3TBDT) main backbone and PBI termini, named SMD2-C6 and SMD2-C12, were designed with different lengths of alkyl linkers (C 6 H 12 and C 12 H 24). The length effect of alkyl linkers on the photovoltaic performance of the two SMDs have been systematically studied. The results show that the length of alkyl linkers can simutaneously tune the energy levels and phase separation in molecular dyad thin films. As a result, a power conversion efficiency of 1.33% was obtained for SMD2-C12 based single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs), showing higher open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, and fill factor than those of SMD2-C6 based devices. Our findings provide a strategy for designing new SMDs and reveal the importance of alkyl linkers' length on the morphology of SMDs toward improved SCOSC performance. Small molecular dyads based on DR3TBDT backbone and PBI end groups with varying alkyl linker lengths have been developed for application in single-component organic solar cells. [Display omitted] • Two molecular dyads based on a donor backbone and perylene bisimides end groups were developed. • Different alkyl linkers as C 6 H 12 and C 12 H 24 were introduced. • Longer alkyl linkers were found to improve the nanophase separation and provided higher efficiency in single-component organic solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pristine polypyrrole (PPy) membrane with nanotubes were prepared for Cr(VI) removal. • The flexibility and shape stability make PPy membranes easy for separation. • The maximum Cr (VI) adsorption capacity of PPy membrane was 250.31 mg/g. • The Cr (VI) adsorption capacity fell by only 8.2% after four cycles of regeneration. The effective removal of toxic Cr(VI) from wastewater remains an important environmental issue. The low adsorption capacity and the complex processes to separate the adsorbents from the treated wastewater are the main scientific and technological challenges. In this study, a flexible and free-standing pristine polypyrrole (PPy) membrane with a nanotube structure (PPy-N) was synthesized via template-assisted interfacial polymerization (TIP) for the selective removal of Cr(VI) through a simple separation and collection process. The superior Cr(VI) adsorption capacity as high as 250.31 mg/g was endowed by the unique structure of the PPy-N membrane. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm model was used to describe the adsorption behavior, with the adsorption kinetics followed a quasi-second-order kinetic model. After four adsorption-and–desorption cycles, the PPy-N membrane adsorption capacity fell by only 8.2%. The mechanism of the selective removal of Cr(VI) was proposed, including electrostatic adsorption, ion exchange and reduction. A combination of the highly attractive material properties, including mechanical processability, large surface area, superior Cr(VI) adsorption capacity and regeneration, makes the single-component PPy-N membrane a good candidate for removing Cr(VI) ions from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]