Advanced Science最新文献

Intelligent Diagnostics

The article number 2400595 by Razieh Salahandish and co-workers narrates the multidisciplinary approach, merging biotechnologies, AI, and wearable devices to pioneer new methods in early disease detection and health assessment. It conveys the transformative potential of the work in enhancing survivorship care and improving the quality of life for patients. Art by the team of INMYWORK Studio (https://inmywork.com).

mRNA Cap Photoaffinity Labeling Probes

Chemically modified messenger RNA (mRNA) has been demonstrated to be a valuable therapeutic platform for antiviral vaccines. However, a more comprehensive understanding of its translation mechanisms is essential for the development of more effective therapeutics. The cover image depicts a translation initiation factor 4E in complex with an mRNA 5′ cap structure, which was modified by Marcin Warminski and co-workers to create novel molecular tools for the identification of binders of different mRNA 5′-end variants. More details can be found in article number 2400994.

Time-varying metamaterials offer new degrees of freedom for wave manipulation and enable applications unattainable with conventional materials. In these metamaterials, the pattern of temporal inhomogeneity is crucial for effective wave control. However, existing studies have only demonstrated abrupt changes in properties within a limited range or time modulation following simple patterns. This study presents the design, construction, and characterization of a novel temporal elastic metamaterial with complex time-varying constitutive parameters induced by self-reconfigurable virtual resonators (VRs). These VRs, achieved by simulating the resonating behavior of mechanical resonators in digital space, function as virtualized meta-atoms. The autonomously time-varying VRs cause significant temporal variations in both the stiffness and loss factor of the metamaterial. By programming the time-domain behavior of the VRs, the metamaterial's constitutive parameters can be modulated according to desired periodic or aperiodic patterns. The proposed time-varying metamaterial has demonstrated capabilities in shaping the amplitudes and frequency spectra of waves in the time domain. This work not only facilitates the development of materials with sophisticated time-varying properties but also opens new avenues for low-frequency signal processing in future communication systems.

With burgeoning considerations over energy issues and carbon emissions, energy harvesting devices such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are developed to provide renewable and sustainable power. Enhancing electric output and other properties of TENGs during operation is the focus of research. Herein, two species (Nb₂S₂C and Ta₂S₂C) of a new family of 2D materials, Transition Metal Carbo-Chalcogenides (TMCCs), are first employed to develop TENGs with doping into Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Compared with control samples, these two TMCC-based TENGs exhibit higher electric properties owing to the enhanced permittivity of PDMS composite, and the best performance is achieved at a concentration of 3 wt. ‰ with open circuit voltage (Voc) of 112 V, short circuit current (Isc) of 8.6 µA and charge transfer (Qsc) of 175 nC for Nb₂S₂C based TENG, and Voc of 127 V, Isc of 9.6 µA, and Qsc of 230 nC for Ta₂S₂C based TENGs. These two TENGs show a maximum power density of 1360 and 911 mW m^-2 respectively. Moreover, the tribology performance is also evaluated with the same materials, revealing that the Ta₂S₂C/PDMS composite as the electronegative material presented a lower coefficient of friction (COF) than the Nb₂S₂C/PDMS composite. Their applications for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing are also demonstrated.

Cervical cancer remains one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies. However, biomarkers for more precise patient care are an unmet need. Herein, the concentration of 285 plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples are analyzed from 84 cervical patients and the clinical significance of cfDNA fragmentomic characteristics across the neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) treatment. Patients with poor NACT response exhibit a significantly greater escalation in cfDNA levels following the initial cycle of treatment, in comparison to patients with a favorable response. Distinctive end motif profiles and promoter coverages of cfDNA in initial plasma are observed between patients with differing NACT responses. Notably, the DNASE1L3 analysis further demonstrates the intrinsic association between cfDNA characteristics and chemotherapy resistance. The cfDNA and motif ratios show a good discriminative capacity for predicting non-responders from responders (area under the curve (AUC) > 0.8). In addition, transcriptional start sites (TSS) coverages around promoters discern the alteration of biological processes associated with chemotherapy resistance and reflect the potential value in predicting chemotherapy response. These findings in predictive biomarkers may optimize treatment selection, minimize unnecessary treatment, and assist in establishing personalized treatment strategies for cervical cancer patients.

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

This cover illustration features a pond with lotus leaves and flowers. A crane, symbolizing cisplatin chemotherapy, hunts crabs representing tumor cells. Dewdrops on the leaves signify DCAF7-induced stress granule (SG)-like structures, while some crabs hide under the left lotus leaf, evading capture. Due to tumor progression, the left side appears withered while the right side is vibrant. This artwork artistically depicts DCAF7's role in promoting chemoresistance and metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. More details can be found in article number 2403262 by Yin Zhao, Ling-Long Tang, and co-workers.

Thermal Insulation

Inspired by polar bear hair, the double-shell fibers exhibit exceptional thermal insulation capabilities. These electrospun mats provide efficient thermal management and energy conversion, extending their applications beyond housing construction. More details can be found in article number 2404154 by Urszula Stachewicz and co-workers.

Living Sells as Chemicals

Cell-cell interactions can be manipulated ‘on demand’ using self-responsive chemical tools. In the article number 2402278, Sébastien Papot and his colleagues show that enzyme-sensitive cell surface markers enable the formation and the breaking of bonds between living cells, offering an easy way to control biological processes associated to cell proximity. Art design by Y. Almécija.

Flexible sensor arrays have attracted extensive attention in human-computer interaction. However, realizing high-performance sensor units with programmable properties, and expanding them to multi-pixel flexible arrays to maintain high sensing consistency is still struggling. Inspired by the contact behavior of octopus antenna, this paper proposes a programmable multistage dome structure-based flexible sensing array with robust sensing stability and high array consistency. The biomimetic multistage dome structure is pressurized to gradually contact the electrode to achieve high sensitivity and a large pressure range. By adjusting the arrangement of the multistage dome structure, the pressure range and sensitivity can be customized. More importantly, this biomimetic structure can be expanded to a multi-pixel sensor array at the wafer level with high consistency through scalable and high-precision imprinting technologies. In the imprinting process, the conductive layer is conformally embedded into the multistage dome structure to improve the stability (maintain stability over 22 000 cycles). In addition, the braced isolation structure is designed to effectively improve the anti-crosstalk performance of the sensor array (crosstalk coefficient: 26.62 dB). Benefitting from the programmable structural design and high-precision manufacturing process, the sensor array can be customized and is demonstrated to detect human musculation in medical rehabilitation applications.