Fast and Efficient Water Absorption Material Inspired by Cactus Root

Analogous to the morphological and functional features of cactus root, a novel cactus root-inspired material (CRIM) was fabricated by integrating cellulose fibers, microparticles, and agarose-based cryogels. Without undergoing sophisticated chemical synthesis or surface modification, the CRIM exhibited efficient water absorption and retention ability with high structural stability. 82% of the total water absorption capacity was recovered within 1 min, with a swelling rate nearly 930-fold faster than the evaporation rate, while only about 17% of the length extension occurred. Given that efficient water absorption and storage without physical change is crucial to the design and fabrication of water management devices, the CRIM is a promising material for various applications, including cosmetics or healthcare products, functional fabrics, and drug delivery devices

Isolation of High-Purity Extracellular Vesicles by Extracting Proteins Using Aqueous Two-Phase System

<div><p>We present a simple and rapid method to isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) by using a polyethylene glycol/dextran aqueous two-phase system (ATPS). This system isolated more than ~75% of melanoma-derived EVs from a mixture of EVs and serum proteins. To increase the purity of EVs, a batch procedure was combined as additional steps to remove protein contaminants, and removed more than ~95% of the protein contaminants. We also performed RT-PCR and western blotting to verify the diagnostic applicability of the isolated EVs, and detected mRNA derived from melanoma cells and CD81 in isolated EVs.</p></div

Partitioning studies.

<p>(a) Image of partitioned B16BL6 melanoma cells and polystyrene beads (hydrophobic) after phase separation. (b) Contact angle of melanoma and polystyrene beads with DEX-phase. The contact angle between melanoma and DEX-phase was ~40°, indicating that the cell membranes prefer DEX-phase to PEG-phase. Meanwhile, the contact angle between the polystyrene bead and DEX-phase was ~150°, indicating that polystyrene beads prefer PEG-phase.</p

Reliure de Voyage autour de mon jardin

La reliure industrielle apparaît tôt au XIX e siècle mais c'est surtout dans la deuxième moitié du siècle qu'elle connaît un véritable essor. Il s'agit de cartonnages recouverts le plus souvent de papier ou de percaline (toile de coton lustrée qui apparaît vers 1830). Ces cartonnages d'éditeur étaient réalisés à faible coût mais devaient cependant copier l'esthétique des reliures précieuses : dorures, décors d'entrelacs, de semis, etc. À partir de 1840, ils s'ornent de médaillons lithographiés en couleur dans le but de séduire le public (alors même que l'ouvrage reste en noir et blanc). Destinés surtout à un public jeune, ces livres servaient notamment de cadeaux lors des distributions de prix scolaires ou pour des étrennes. Certaines maisons d’édition étaient renommées pour leurs cartonnages : Martial Ardant, Mame, Mégard, Hachette, Hetzel, etc. Ici Voyage autour de mon jardin d’Alphonse Karr s’orne d’un cartonnage d’éditeur en toile gaufrée bleue, à décor floral doré et polychrome, par plaque.téléchargeabl

TEM, western blot and RT-PCR for comparison of ATPS, ATPS-Batch and ultra-centrifugation.

<p>(a) TEM image of EVs from ATPS and ultra-centrifugation method. The image did not show morphological difference between both methods. (b) The pellet after ultra-centrifugation was resuspended in 70 μl of PBS which was the same as the volume of the bottom phase of ATPS used to isolate EVs. Using the prepared samples, CD81 western blot was performed for the same sample volume (5 μl). Protein samples (5 μl) from standard mixture, ultra-centrifugation (25 μl for Ultra*5), ATPS method, and ATPS combined with Batch number 2 and 4 (ATPS-Batch #2 and #4) were used to confirm recovery efficiency. The band was brighter than that of the ultra-centrifugation method. (c) Purity of EVs was analyzed by western blot using CD81 antibody with the same protein amount (0.4 μg) from standard mixture, ultra-centrifugation, ATPS method, and ATPS-Batch #2 and #4. (d) RT-PCR was performed with 4.5 μl of isolated RNA from ultra-centrifugation, ATPS and ATPS combined with batch procedure. Bands of the house-keeping gene GAPDH and melanoma tumor marker Melan A were stronger after ATPS and ATPS-Batch than after ultra-centrifugation.</p

Recovery efficiency of EVs and proteins in batch procedure.

<p>After batch procedure, the recovery efficiency of EVs was almost unchanged while the recovery efficiency of proteins decreased.</p

Comparison of ATPS, ATPS-Batch #4 and ultra-centrifugation method.

<p>(a) Recovery efficiency. (b) Enrichment ratio.</p

Scheme and phase diagram for PEG/DEX ATPS.

<p>(a) Scheme of ATPS separation. EVs prefer DEX-phase to PEG-phase after phase separation using centrifugation (~1000ⅹg). (b) Phase diagram of PEG/DEX ATPS. The two-phase forms when system concentration is above the binodal curve.</p

Toward Near-Foldable Surface Light Sources with Ultimate Efficiency: Ultrathin Substrates Embedded with Micron-Scale Inverted Lens Arrays

Foldable organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are essential building blocks for portable devices with expandable screens as well as more futuristic systems such as wearable or body-attachable electronic devices. Although various approaches have been proposed to realize foldable OLEDs, the efficiency enhancement techniques developed for their rigid counterparts are not always applicable due to the strict thickness limitations, making it challenging to achieve very high efficiency in a foldable OLED. Here, we propose ultrathin substrates embedded with an inverted microlens array (IMLA) as a platform on which to design and realize OLEDs that can be bent at sub-100 μm bending radius while also exhibiting very high light outcoupling efficiency. By noting the periodic arrangement of the patterns in the IMLA, the potential effects of optical diffraction on the overall emission pattern and efficiency enhancement are carefully analyzed by incorporating a bidirectional scattering distribution function via a trans-scale approach. Neutral-plane engineering is also done with finite element method simulations that examine the effect of the IMLA structures on the local modulation of the strain and stress in ultrathin devices, where the feature size of the IMLA is comparable to the overall thickness of the whole device. With the proposed method, highly efficient foldable OLEDs are demonstrated that show the maximum external quantum efficiency to be as high as 58% without optical side effects and that can withstand 10,000 trials of repeated folding cyclic tests at a bending radius of 50 μm

C(sp³)–C(sp³) Reductive Elimination from (Phenoxyimine)Cobalt(III)(CH₃)₂(PMe₃)₂ Complexes

A series of six-coordinate, idealized octahedral phenoxyimine (FI)–cobalt(III) dimethyl bis(trimethylphosphine) complexes was synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The thermal stability of the parent Ph-FI complex was evaluated at 60 °C in benzene-d6, and a 13(1):1 ratio of ethane to methane was observed. The major detectable cobalt product of this reaction was the bis(chelate) cobalt derivative (Ph-FI)2Co formed by disproportionation of the (FI)cobalt(I) product following ethane reductive elimination. Addition of excess PMe3 inhibited C(sp3)–C(sp3) reductive elimination, consistent with phosphine dissociation preceding C–C bond formation from a five-coordinate (FI)cobalt(III) dimethyl intermediate. The reductive elimination of substituted (R-FI)cobalt(III) dimethyl bis(trimethylphosphine) compounds was evaluated in acetonitrile-d3, where ligands bearing electron-donating aniline substituents underwent reductive elimination the fastest and electron-withdrawing substituents the slowest. These data support a buildup of positive charge in the rate-limiting step, consistent with the formation of a more electropositive five-coordinate cobalt center prior to rate-limiting C–C reductive elimination. Attempted synthesis of a cobalt(III) dimethyl complex bearing a sterically hindered FI ligand with a tert-butyl substituent ortho to the phenol led exclusively to the corresponding bis(chelate) cobalt derivative, whose formation was rationalized by steric destabilization of pre–reductive elimination intermediates