Scope Of Application Research Articles

Protocol paper: randomized controlled trial of the smart online-to-offline model development for chronic diseases management through digital health in real world setting

BackgroundChronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension pose significant health and economic challenges globally, and South Korea is no exception. Innovative digital health services have the potential to revolutionize chronic disease management by providing patients with real-time, personalized care and empowering them to take an active role in their health. There is a critical need to evaluate the effectiveness of such services. This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial that evaluates the effectiveness of an online-to-offline (O2O) digital healthcare service for patients with chronic diseases, specifically diabetes and hypertension, in Pyeongchang-gun.MethodsThis study presents a comprehensive protocol for the assessment of an online-to-offline (O2O) digital health service model aimed at managing chronic diseases. The study consists of two main groups of participants: those with diabetes and those with hypertension. Participants are randomized into treatment and control arms for each group. The intervention includes personalized digital healthcare support, continuous data monitoring, and online education, with primary care provided by healthcare professionals. To evaluate the primary and secondary outcomes—such as HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, and cholesterol levels—the study applies a range of statistical methods. These include intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis to account for all randomized participants, regression models to estimate the treatment effect, and adjustments for baseline covariates to improve precision. Subgroup analyses will explore variations in treatment effects based on factors such as intervention intensity, comorbidity, and healthcare provider.DiscussionThis protocol outlines a novel approach to evaluating the O2O digital health service model for chronic disease management. It offers insights into the nuanced effects of the intervention, highlighting the potential for tailoring future interventions for maximum benefit. By assessing its real-world effectiveness, this study can inform healthcare policies, expand the application scope of O2O service models, and identify additional chronic diseases that can benefit from digital health services. This research bridges the gap between theory and practice, contributing to evidence-based healthcare decision-making and improving patient outcomes in the era of digital health.Trial registrationThis study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov of the US National Library of Medicine. The registration number is NCT06150508, and the registered date is 2023–11-29

Impression of Insect's Proteolytic Enzyme Cocoonase and Its Application: A Comprehensive Review.

Cocoonase is a naturally secreted protease responsible for facilitating moth emergence from inside of cocoon. This protease is considered as of prime importance for all the cocooning lepidopteron. It specifically degrades sericin, the glue protein of the cocoon without damaging the fibroin and makes an escape hatch for adult emergence. Owing to this property cocoonase was characterized and explored for its prospective utilization in eco-friendly enzyme-based silk degumming. However, the applicability of cocoonase has not been explored much other than in silk degumming. Moreover, being a serine protease, and because of its similarity to trypsin, there is, tremendous potential for this enzyme to have biomedical applications, as well as numerous other uses that need to be investigated. This review article presents the comprehensive physicochemical properties of the cocoonase and its possible scope of applications in the near future.

Emerging Smart Contact Lens Technology for Wearable Biosensors and Drug Delivery: Biomarkers in Tears

There is a growing need for personalised medicine to manage and prevent diseases, as well as to monitor patient health continuously, even outside the hospital setting. Biosensor devices hold a huge potential in addressing this need and can aid in decentralising healthcare by offering faster disease diagnosis and prognosis. Integrating biosensors with wearables such as contact lenses has widened their scope of application and addresses some key challenges associated with other techniques, such as invasive monitoring and the need for bulky equipment. Indeed, traditional approaches tend to be invasive, such as those used for diabetes management that require regular finger pricks to obtain a blood sample to monitor glucose. In contrast, smart contact lenses use tears, which are naturally and regularly replenished. Tears are rich in biomarkers such as proteins and electrolytes, and variations in their concentration can be monitored non-invasively to offer valuable information related to the onset or progression of disease. In addition, intraocular pressure monitoring for glaucoma has been achieved using contact lenses utilising nanomaterials and microfluidics technology. With these promising successes, current researchers seek to address neurodegenerative diseases and cancer diagnosis and prognosis using contact lenses. Contact lenses can also be used as ocular drug delivery systems as they possess 10 times more drug bioavailability advantage than topical administration. By combining contact lenses with a sensing platform, a power source, an antenna, a data transmitter, and a display, smart contact lenses have become more than vision collection devices. Although considerable challenges remain to be tackled because we are still at the initial stages of this technological advancement, the number of diseases and drugs that could potentially be sensed and delivered, respectively, seems vast.

Diagnosing fertilizer levels in spinach and detecting pesticides in cauliflower using an electronic nose augmented with machine learning

Abstract The increasing use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural practices poses substantial consumer risks. This study explores the utilization of an E-Nose (electronic nose) system augmented with machine learning (ML) to identify fertilizers and pesticides in plants. E-Nose technology effectively analyzes the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants at different conditions.
The principle behind E-Nose technology involves using a gas sensor array to record and monitor VOC emissions from plant samples. These emissions are then analyzed using ML models to identify patterns related to pesticide and fertilizer treatments.
One significant advantage of this technology is its capability to detect chemical residues without direct contact with the plants, making it a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional chemical analysis.
The scope of application of E-nose technology extends to various agricultural monitoring requirements, particularly in identifying the fertilizer and pesticide applications in plants. In this study, the spinach plants were classified into three categories—organic, lightly fertilized, and heavily fertilized. Similarly, the cauliflower plants were exposed to different concentrations of a pesticide mixture containing 40% profenofos and 4% cypermethrin. VOC readings were taken after specific growth periods to capture the effects of these treatments.
The generated data was classified using ML models, SVM (Support Vector Machine) and random forest, achieving accuracies of 90.9% for pesticide classification and 99.5% in distinguishing plants treated with fertilizers of different concentrations. The E-Nose technology offers a rapid and cost-effective solution for real-time agricultural monitoring.

Point-of-care tests in the emergency medical services: a scoping review

BackgroundThis scoping review aimed to summarize existing research on point-of-care tests (POCTs) within emergency medical services (EMS). There is a lack of comprehensive reviews covering the breadth and scope of application of POCTs in EMS despite growing interest and potential benefits in this setting. A review of the research will inform how we target future research efforts to support effective implementation and avoid duplication.MethodsWe searched three databases to April 2023 using comprehensive terms for POCTs. One author screened titles and abstracts, full-text papers and extracted data with a second author checking the data. A scoping review framework was used to categorise studies according to demographics, study design, medical conditions, biomarkers and test devices.ResultsWe found 141 papers that included 158 reports of 9 study designs, 155 reports of 40 combinations of biomarker and condition and 161 reports of 41 test-devices. The majority of research was done in the UK (19%), US (17%), and the Netherlands (16%), mostly in land-based EMS (82%). Most frequently assessed were troponin for acute coronary syndromes (26%), lactate for sepsis (14%) or lactate for trauma/critical illness (13%). The majority of research designs investigated the accuracy of the tests (43%). Few studies were of a design to inform guidelines to change patient pathways and the associated outcomes, including, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (4%), non-randomised studies able to assess causality (6%), economic analyses (1%) or qualitative work on acceptability (3%). In those few cases where RCTs were done there were long delays between initial test-accuracy research and publication of the first RCT, for example 11 years delay for troponin for acute coronary syndromes.ConclusionsWe identified a thriving base of research on POCT in the EMS, however most studies established the diagnostic accuracy of the tests with few RCTs, economic analyses or qualitative research on acceptability. The time-lag from diagnostic accuracy to developing an RCT is considerable. Investment in funding and infrastructure is needed to support the research pathway for potential POCTs beyond diagnostic accuracy to designs able to assess clinical effectiveness, acceptability and economic effectiveness.

Indirect Construction of Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks for Enantioselective Luminescence Sensing.

ConspectusChiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates as luminescent sensing materials for chiral species, which are essential components in modern industries, pharmaceuticals, and biological processes. The discrimination of enantiomers with highly similar physical and chemical properties is crucial because they are often present concurrently in the same system but may feature distinct effects on living matters. While the rapid and precise sensing capabilities of chiral MOFs outshine traditional detection methods for chiral species in daily life, chemical production, and the natural environment, it requires well-matched chemical and electronic structures between MOFs and chiral species. Yet, conventional strategies to construct chiral luminescent MOFs are immensely challenging due to the crystallization difficulties based on low-symmetric building blocks.Recent advancements in MOF chemistry have led to novel pathways for synthesizing chiral MOFs for enantioselective sensing. Compared with direct synthesis using optically pure luminescent ligands, which are usually complex and costly, indirect synthesis has garnered significant attention for reduced costs, simplified synthesis, enhanced material stability, and broad application scope. In the past few years, our group has developed chiral guest ion exchange, chiral coordination modification, and chiral defect engineering for indirectly synthesizing chiral MOFs. The chiral guest ion exchange is cost-effective for introducing chiral ions into MOF pores but can be applied only in charged frameworks. In addition, it also faces limitations in chiral ion availability and the tendency toward chirality loss during the sensing process. Besides, compared with ion exchange, the chiral coordination modification can maintain the chemical stability of chiral MOFs due to the stronger coordination bonds. Still, it requires MOFs with accessible open metal sites that may bind disordered dangling molecules, complicating structural determination. Therefore, specific pathways such as chiral linker installation with dual-end coordination have been developed to afford well-defined crystal structures. While all aforementioned methods may decrease the MOFs' pore sizes to a certain degree, we further developed a chiral defect engineering approach to enlarge pore size and introduce chiral center simultaneously. Such a highly competitive strategy is facile and low-cost and can be expanded to many well-known stable MOFs.In this Account, we delve into the intricate evolution of indirect strategies for constructing chiral MOFs tailored for enantioselective sensing applications. We provide a detailed analysis of the progression and innovation within the field, tracing the development of MOF-based enantioselective luminescence sensors. By systematically reviewing the various synthetic approaches, this work highlights their respective strengths and limitations. Beyond reviewing the state of the art, this Account offers forward-looking insights aiming to inspire the design and development of next-generation chiral luminescent MOFs. These advanced materials hold promise for versatile and impactful applications across enantioselective sensing and beyond.

Well-to-Wheel Efficiency and Energy Consumption Analysis for Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Over the last few decades, there has been an increased focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions among all sectors to keep the global temperature increase below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Automotive sector has been at the fore front of this transition as necessitated by the impact that gas powered vehicles play on overall greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, the past few decades saw rapid increase in the efficiency of gas-powered vehicles as well as introduction of alternative technologies to power ground transportation such as hybrid electric vehicles and battery powered electric vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles have been prominent in increasing vehicle efficiency owing to the unique architecture of power generation and transmission. Today, most automotive OEMs have a significant hybrid electric vehicle portfolio along with battery electric vehicles and traditional combustion engine portfolio. Although battery electric vehicles have been gaining in popularity, hybrid electric vehicles have been in the market for more than two decades and there are still a considerable number of vehicles being developed and operated as compared the battery electric vehicles running today. Thus, understanding the chain of energy conversions and transmissions in operating a hybrid electric vehicle is crucial to formulate strategies to improve the overall efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although, efficiency is a universally used term that signifies the energy consumed to energy generated, the scope of application is different. Most generally, efficiency of a vehicle refers to the amount of energy consumed (via the fuel) vs amount of useful energy generated at the wheels. This scope is limiting as it does not consider the energy consumed in processes relating to sourcing of the fuel, transportation of fuel, manufacturing and maintenance of the vehicle. Therefore, it becomes essential to compute an efficiency term that involves the impact of all the energy consuming processes in the lifecycle of the vehicle for a more comprehensive understanding of efficiency. This efficiency term that encompasses all the energy consuming processes is known as well-to-wheel (WTW) efficiency. This study examines the energy transfer chain of a hybrid electric vehicle, providing a detailed measurement of the efficiency in the entire process, from the supply of fuel to the energy transmitted to the wheels of the vehicle. Within the scope of the analysis, every stage of the energy transfer process from the well to the vehicle, such as extraction, transportation, processing and storage of the fuel is included. The first part of this study focuses on estimating the energy consumption of processes involving mining, transportation, refining and distribution of the fuel to compute the well-to-tank efficiency (WTT). The next part of the study uses this well-to-tank efficiency along with the conversion efficiency and energy consumed during manufacturing and maintenance of the vehicle to compute the overall well-to-wheel efficiency of hybrid vehicles.

Intermolecular naphthylamine cyclization–based synthesis of bandgap-modulated carbon dots for multicolor light-emitting diodes

Owing to their tunable optical properties, N-doped carbon dots (CDs) have a broad scope of optoelectronic applications. However, the difficulty of precisely controlling nitrogen incorporation limits our understanding of its impact on CD electronic structure and emission behavior. To address this gap, N-doped CDs with tunable bandgaps are herein synthesized via the solvothermal carbonization of 1-naphthylamine in the presence of a controlled amount of nitric acid to obtain single-source emitters with two distinct emission wavelengths. The amount of nitric acid determines the extent of nitrogen incorporation through the intermolecular cyclization of 1-naphthylamine and, hence, the proportions of pyrrolic/pyridinic N-heterocycles (red emission, ∼600 nm) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (blue emission, ∼400 nm). For a practical utility demonstration, the prepared N-doped CDs are used to fabricate high-color-purity multicolor light-emitting diodes. By establishing a correlation between nitrogen incorporation modes and photophysical properties, this study paves the way for the rational design of advanced N-doped CDs for next-generation optoelectronic devices.

Creating a New Payment Instrument for BRICS Countries as an Alternative to Petrodollars

This research work is dedicated to the comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of the creation of a new payment instrument by the BRICS countries on international trade, the economy, and the relations between the countries of this bloc. The research aims to identify possible changes in the structure of global trade, to investigate its impact on the interaction with tax, customs, and other barriers, and to determine potential benefits for the participating countries of this initiative. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive analysis of both theoretical and practical aspects of the relationship between international trade and currency mechanisms. The methods employed in writing this research work include extensive analysis of statistical data, examples from contemporary economic practice, as well as scientific, historical, and news publications from various time periods. The results and conclusions drawn by the researchers indicate that the creation of a new payment instrument by the BRICS countries may lead to significant shifts in the structure of international trade, facilitated by a reduction in dependence on the US dollar and encouragement of the use of alternative currency mechanisms. Furthermore, it is concluded that the development and implementation of a new payment instrument could have a positive impact on streamlining trade operations by improving interaction with customs barriers, thereby enhancing the efficiency of international trade and reducing costs associated with cross-border transactions. The research findings have a broad scope of application, encompassing international trade, foreign economic relations, geopolitics, financial market policies, and strategic economic development planning. The authors’ conclusions underscore the importance of creating fundamentally new currency settlement mechanisms to establish infrastructure for ensuring sustainable and equitable global economic development, as well as to enhance the competitiveness of participating countries and their integration into global economic processes.

Assessing the influence of far UV-C (222 nm) and UV-C (254 nm) treatment on the physicochemical and microbial properties of milk in an annular flow reactor

The quest for alternatives to traditional cold chain preservation and heat-based shelf-life extension has become increasingly important in recent years. As a result, investigation into the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the physicochemical properties of various substances, including milk, has gained significant attention. UV-C light, in particular, is recognized for its effectiveness in inactivating a wide range of bacteria and spores in aqueous solutions. This work aims to design a continuous annular UV reactor for milk treatment to examine the impacts on milk’s microbial and physicochemical characteristics and compare these outcomes to those achieved through conventional pasteurization methods. For the same, a 11 W conventional UV-C lamp (254 nm) and an in house designed 17.5 W far UV-C (222 nm) lamp have been used. The key parameters, such as pH, conductivity, temperature, fat/solid not fat, and microbial load, are assessed. The UV dosage supplied to milk samples is determined using actinometry and measured to be 6.16 J/ml. The methylene blue reduction test of milk increases up to more than 5 h, with just four passes through the UV reactor. Approximately 5 log reductions in the Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus have been achieved in just three passes (residence time 24.3 s) of whole milk. The results obtained are compared to those obtained using the pasteurization technique. We found that the proposed UV reactor has an identical performance in inactivating the micro-organisms compared to pasteurization without altering the physico-chemical properties. This suggests the possibility of utilizing UV sources to improve milk’s safety, quality, and shelf life. This study expands the scope of applications for UV-C irradiation as a feasible non-thermal method in the dairy industry.

Recent progress in magnetic covalent organic framework materials for the enrichment and detection of typical organic pollutants

Trace contaminants are toxic and their widespread presence in the environment potentially threatens human health. The levels of these pollutants are often difficult to determine directly using instruments owing to the complexities of environment matrices. Hence, pretreatment steps, such as sample purification and concentration, are key along with various processes that enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of the detection method. To date, researchers have successfully developed a variety of efficient and reliable sample-pretreatment techniques that are based on different principles. Among these, magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) is a rapid and efficient sample-pretreatment technology that is based on the similar solid-phase-extraction (SPE) principle, which mainly enriches target analytes by exploiting their interactions with functional groups on the surfaces of magnetic materials, thereby achieving rapid separation when an external magnetic field is applied. MSPE has been a focus of attention in the environmental-sample-pretreatment, food-analysis, and other fields owing to advantages that include ease of operation, low cost, and high enrichment efficiency. The selection of the magnetic material is key to MSPE process because traditional magnetic materials exhibit certain functionality limitations. Accordingly, designing and synthesizing green and efficient functionalized magnetic materials have become a research focus in this field, with researchers having extensively explored multiple ways of preparing functionalized modified magnetic materials through the introduction of a variety of emerging materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene oxide (GO), and other specific functional groups to modify magnetic materials and effectively expanded the applications scope of MSPE. Among these, COFs are porous crystalline materials consisting of light elements (C, N, H, O and B, etc.) linked through covalent bonds. COFs are mainly classified as imine COFs, boronic-acid COFs, triazine COFs, and ketenimine COFs according to bonding type. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that COFs can be synthesized from a number of monomers, and the functional groups exposed on the COF surface can also be used for further modification purposes. COFs are versatile and modifiable; consequently, they have attracted significant research attention, with a series of COF-functionalized magnetic materials having been designed and synthesized. The magnetic COFs (MCOFs) combine the advantages of COFs and magnetic materials. MCOFs are not only endowed with the large specific surface areas, high porosities, and good stabilities that are characteristic of COFs, but also exhibit the rapid separation and reusability characteristics of magnetic material, thereby quickly and efficiently enriching targets through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobicity, π-π stacking, and van der Waals forces, making them ideal sample-pretreatment materials. MCOFs have also been converted into more-versatile functional materials using post-modification strategies. Combining MCOFs with advanced analytical techniques, such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has effectively improved the limits of detection (LODs) for various analytes as well as method accuracy; these techniques have been widely used to enrich and detect trace pollutants. However, some material design and synthesis challenges remain and need to be overcome, despite the promising potential of MCOFs. Future research needs to focus on exploring novel synthetic strategies that reduce experimental costs and improve the functionalities of MCOFs while expanding their applicabilities to broader sample matrices. In this review, we first introduce and discuss the construction and functionalized designs of various MCOF composites, and then summarize their use in applications that include the enrichment and detection of pesticides, endocrine disruptors (EDCs), pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (PPCPs), and finally provide an outlook on future developmental prospects.

Review on improvement of physicochemical properties of sodium alginate-based edible films.

Sodium alginate (SA) is favored for its film-forming ability, biodegradability, and non-toxicity, often serving as a substrate for edible films. However, the application of SA-based edible films in the food industry is limited due to their inherent strong hydrophilicity and high brittleness. To enhance their physical and chemical properties, various exogenous compounds are frequently incorporated. This review summarizes the advancements in the physicochemical properties (mechanical, optical, thermal, hydrophobic, and barrier properties) of SA-based edible films over the past decade. It discusses the types of exogenous additives used and their effects on the properties of these films. Additionally, it highlights the applications of SA-based edible films enriched with functional compounds in areas such as food freshness detection, antioxidation, and antibacterial activity. It has been observed that the characteristics of SA-based edible films vary depending on the properties and structures of the exogenous compounds used, as well as their interactions with the SA matrix. SA-based edible films with functional additives demonstrate significant potential for extending food shelf life and enhancing freshness detection. However, challenges such as scalability, high production costs, and limited application scope still need to be addressed in future research.

Nanoparticle-based lubrication during machining: synthesis, application, and future scope—a critical review

Nanoparticle-based lubrication during machining: synthesis, application, and future scope—a critical review

VISUAL IMAGE DESIGN OF JINGDEZHEN PORCELAIN BRAND UNDER THE PERSPECTIVE OF MEME

Starting from the perspective of Meme Theory, this study explores the ideas of Jingdezhen porcelain brand design in order to break through the limitations of traditional porcelain development, realize cultural inheritance and innovation, and promote the sustainable development of the porcelain industry. Literature survey, field research and case study method are used to comprehensively analyze the current situation of visual image design of Jingdezhen porcelain brand, and propose brand design strategies in combination with Meme Theory. The study finds that Meme Theory has significant validity in cultural communication, plays a central role in Jingdezhen porcelain culture, and provides new ideas for brand visual image design. The study provides support for the inheritance and innovation of Jingdezhen porcelain culture, provides theoretical and practical references for the protection and development of regional culture, enriches the scope of application of Meme Theory, and provides specific guidance for porcelain product design, emphasizes the significance of cultural modality for the development of local cultural industry, and has far-reaching value for promoting the inheritance and innovation of Jingdezhen porcelain culture.

Application of a CYP1B1-Targeted NIR Probe for Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Surgical Navigation, and CYP1B1-Associated Chemotherapy Resistance Monitoring.

Early detection and precise treatment for breast cancer are crucial, given its high global incidence rate. Hence, the development of novel imaging targets is essential for diagnosing and monitoring resistance to chemotherapy, which is pivotal for achieving precise and personalized treatment for breast cancer patients. In our previous work, we successfully developed a near-infrared (NIR) probe 1 for CYP1B1-targeted imaging. In this study, we aimed to investigate the utility of the probe as a NIR fluorescence and photoacoustic dual-mode imaging probe for the detection and surveillance of breast cancer. Western blotting of cancer cell lines has confirmed that CYP1B1 is widely expressed in breast cancer and gynecological cancer. In vitro NIR fluorescence imaging capability of the probe for tracking CYP1B1-positive tumor cells was validated by using confocal microscopy. Further studies, including in vivo fluorescence and photoacoustic dual-model imaging and ex vivo biological distribution analysis on a triple-negative breast cancer xenograft mouse model, demonstrated that the probe selectively accumulated in tumor tissue within as early as 0.5 h postinjection. The results of the surgical resection experiment revealed that the tumor could be entirely removed under the guidance of NIR imaging, thereby indicating the probe's efficacy in surgical navigation. CYP1B1 expression was found to be upregulated in adriamycin (ADR)-resistant breast cancer cells, MCF-7/ADR. Consequently, the sensitivity of CYP1B1 overexpressed cells, MCF-7/1B1, to ADR was significantly reduced, with an IC50 value of 0.586 ± 0.0934 μM, compared to the parental MCF-7 cells with an IC50 value of 0.183 ± 0.0444 μM. In vivo and ex vivo imaging assays conducted on MCF-7/ADR tumor-bearing mice demonstrated that the probe was specifically enriched in tumor sites, suggesting its potential for monitoring chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. This study expands the scope of application for NIR probe 1, establishing its utility in breast cancer diagnosis through fluorescence-photoacoustic dual-model imaging, monitoring of chemotherapy resistance, and guidance for surgical resection. This strategy paves the way for novel approaches to precise and personalized treatment for breast cancer patients.

Color-shifting Crystalline Colloidal Arrays from Polymers With Upper Critical Solution Temperature.

Crystalline colloidal arrays (CCAs) composed of core-shell microspheres with thermoresponsive structural iridescence governed by Bragg's law have garnered significant attention for diverse applications. While core-shell microspheres with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) properties are extensively studied, upper critical solution temperature (UCST) counterparts remain unexplored, offering the potential to expand the application scope of thermoresponsive CCAs. In this study, poly(N-acryloyl glycinamide) (PNAGA), a UCST homopolymer, is employed for the first time to synthesize core-shell microspheres. By copolymerizing NAGA with the hydrophilic co-monomer acrylamide (AM) to form the shell, microspheres with soft shells capable of assembling into CCAs with bright iridescence are obtained. Owing to Bragg's law and the UCST properties of the shell, the diffraction wavelength of these CCAs depends on concentration, observation angle, and temperature. The CCAs exhibit thermoresponsive behavior, with a size transition temperature around 14°C. Upon heating, the shells swell, and the microspheres transition from a rigid to a soft state, leading to an increase in interparticle distance and enhanced stabilization of the ordered microsphere packing. This process results in a red shift and a significant increase in the intensity of the diffraction peak. The thermoresponsive properties of these CCAs highlight their potential as intelligent temperature-sensing materials.

Diffusion/Modulator Dual-Mediated Solid-Liquid/Vapor Interfacial Synthesis of Crystalline Covalent Organic Framework Membranes.

Constructing oriented crystalline covalent organic framework (COF) membranes with controllable thickness for water purification is highly desirable. Herein, we present a simple and universal protocol to prepare high-quality COF membranes on the inner wall of a glass vessel using a diffusion/modulator dual-mediated solid-liquid/vapor interfacial synthesis strategy. By meticulous control of the solvent and temperature, a thin supersaturated spreading liquid layer was formed on the glass wall surface and served as a confined microreactor for incubating crystal nuclei. This induced the aniline-modulated solid-liquid/vapor interfacial exchange reaction and upward growth of a highly ordered COF membrane. The experiments and theoretical simulations revealed the underlying mechanisms of solid-liquid/vapor interfacial nucleation, growth and crystallization. Using this strategy, we created 13 types of new, free-standing, imine-linked COF membranes with exceptional performances in crystallinity, porosity, stability, processability and adsorption capacity. As an application demonstration, a COF membrane-filled filter was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography system for the automated removal of multitarget liquid-crystal monomers in real water samples (removal efficiency ≥ 96%). This study enriches the synthesis toolboxes of COF membranes and broadens their application scopes.

Ultrasound‐Enhanced Spleen‐Targeted mRNA Delivery via Fluorinated PEGylated Lipid Nanoparticles for Immunotherapy

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) based messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics hold immense promise for treating a wide array of diseases, while their nonhepatic organs targeting and insufficient endosomal escape efficiency remain challenges. For LNPs, polyethylene glycol (PEG) lipids have a crucial role in stabilizing them in aqueous medium, but they severely hinder cellular uptake and reduce transfection efficiency. In this study, we designed ultrasound (US)‐assisted fluorinated PEGylated LNPs (F‐LNPs) to enhance spleen‐targeted mRNA delivery and transfection. Through liquid‐to‐gas phase transition, we enabled the controlled shedding of fluorinated PEG lipids from F‐LNPs, facilitating cellular uptake, membrane fusion, and mRNA release. In vivo results demonstrated that US‐assisted F‐LNPs increased mRNA transfection approximately 4.0‐fold in the spleen following intravenous administration. Notably, the F‐LNPs achieved effective mRNA delivery to antigen‐presenting cell subsets, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, and B cells. The targeted delivery of full‐length ovalbumin‐encoding mRNA vaccine induced significant CD8+ T cell response and exhibited excellent therapeutic effect against the ovalbumin‐transduced B16F10 tumor model. These findings establish a novel strategy for spleen‐specific mRNA delivery through the combination of fluorinated PEG lipids and US treatment, which holds substantial promise for enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy, potentially broadening the scope of clinical applications for mRNA‐based therapy.

Ultrasound-Enhanced Spleen-Targeted mRNA Delivery via Fluorinated PEGylated Lipid Nanoparticles for Immunotherapy.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) based messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics hold immense promise for treating a wide array of diseases, while their nonhepatic organs targeting and insufficient endosomal escape efficiency remain challenges. For LNPs, polyethylene glycol (PEG) lipids have a crucial role in stabilizing them in aqueous medium, but they severely hinder cellular uptake and reduce transfection efficiency. In this study, we designed ultrasound (US)-assisted fluorinated PEGylated LNPs (F-LNPs) to enhance spleen-targeted mRNA delivery and transfection. Through liquid-to-gas phase transition, we enabled the controlled shedding of fluorinated PEG lipids from F-LNPs, facilitating cellular uptake, membrane fusion, and mRNA release. In vivo results demonstrated that US-assisted F-LNPs increased mRNA transfection approximately 4.0-fold in the spleen following intravenous administration. Notably, the F-LNPs achieved effective mRNA delivery to antigen-presenting cell subsets, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, and B cells. The targeted delivery of full-length ovalbumin-encoding mRNA vaccine induced significant CD8+ T cell response and exhibited excellent therapeutic effect against the ovalbumin-transduced B16F10 tumor model. These findings establish a novel strategy for spleen-specific mRNA delivery through the combination of fluorinated PEG lipids and US treatment, which holds substantial promise for enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy, potentially broadening the scope of clinical applications for mRNA-based therapy.

Research on the resilience path of digitally driven project-based organizations: configuration analysis based on multivalue-set qualitative comparative analysis

PurposeThe use of digital technology is crucial for building resilience and shaping competitive advantages in project-based organizations (PBOs). The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of digital elements on organizational resilience and resilience enhancement paths in PBOs represented by the construction industry in the context of digitization.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses multivalue-set qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA). First, we collect digitization keywords from the annual reports of PBOs in the construction industry and classify them as process digitization, digital technology application and production intelligence while also considering word frequency statistics as antecedent conditions. Second, through a literature review and the use of the data collected, we define organizational resilience as the ability of organizations to defend, resist, recover and develop. Then, we use the mvQCA approach to examine how digital antecedent variables collectively advance PBO resilience.FindingsBy collecting data on 79 listed Chinese construction companies and utilizing mvQCA, we identify five combinations of conditions that produce high levels of organizational resilience, and the solution coverage is 1. These methods are (1) digital technology application-oriented, (2) process digitalization-oriented, (3) digitized multifactor coupling, (4) process digitization and digital technology application-driven and (5) process digitalization and production intelligence-driven.Originality/valueThese findings have important theoretical and practical implications for revealing the digital-driven path to high levels of PBO resilience. In theory, this study enriches the research on organizational resilience and expands the application scope of organizational resilience theory and the QCA method. Furthermore, this study provides new ways and ideas for PBOs to effectively integrate and utilize internal and external digital resources to increase their levels of organizational resilience.