Exploration (Beijing, China)最新文献

In the advent of Industry 5.0, the harmonious integration of human ingenuity and robotic precision in complex work environments is pivotal for sustainable industrial growth. The six-axis industrial robot, as an essential part of carrying out cyclic pick-and-place tasks in Industry 5.0, usually works in an extremely complex working environment. This intricate working environment makes the six-axis industrial robot difficult to reach the task points effectively, resulting in a lot of energy consumption. This not only impacts productivity but also leads to excessive energy consumption, which stands at odds with the Industry 5.0 principles of resource conservation. To solve this problem, a novel method to optimize the layout scheme of the six-axis industrial robot with the goal of minimizing the energy loss is creatively proposed in this paper. First, the reachable workspace and feasible workspace under constraints are mathematically modeled and then obtained. Second, the operability and the minimum singular value are utilized to evaluate the energy loss of the feasible workspace. Third, the whale algorithm is designed and improved to obtain the optimal layout scheme of the six-axis industrial robot. Finally, a case of the recliner's production line with the six-axis industrial robot (IRB140; ABB) is provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that after optimization, the optimal layout scheme has been successfully obtained, and the energy loss has reduced from 0.2917 to 0.2309, a decrease of 20.84%, proving that the proposed method can obtain the optimal layout scheme with lower energy consumption.

Gas therapy has been limited in its application as a robust standalone antitumor strategy due to the restricted gas production and cytotoxicity. To address this challenge, we employed electrotoxic PtRu composite metal nano-berries (PR) loaded with various therapeutic gas donors to construct a groundbreaking electric field-induced cascade gas therapy (EGT) platform, which generated a great electro-stress storm at tumor sites, exerting electrotoxicity and immunity functions against solid tumors, including those of large volume, through three pathways. Initially, electric field stimulation effectively boosted the release rate and yield of therapeutic gases from the EGT platform. Further, gas molecules reacted with reactive oxygen species (ROS) to either form oxidation coordination (CO and ROS) or generate more potent therapeutic components (RNS produced from ROS and NO), contributing to an electro-stress storm that augmented the cytotoxic potential of the gas components. Subsequently, this electro-stress storm further activated the tumor immune response, identifying and capturing escaped tumor cells, which held significant implications for treating tumors, including non-solid tumors with indistinct boundaries. In summary, the EGT platform leveraged an electro-stress storm to achieve ablation of large volume solid tumors and suppressed metastatic tumors, paving new pathways for gas-based therapeutic strategies.

Rapid advances in synthetic biology are driving the development of microbes as therapeutic agents. While the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment creates a favorable niche for the systematic delivery of bacteria and therapeutic payloads, these can be harmful if released into healthy tissues. To address this limitation, we designed a spatiotemporal targeting system for engineered Escherichia coli Nissle 1917, controlled by azide-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogel and near-infrared radiation induction. Using a temperature-driven genetic status switch, the system produced durable therapeutic output and promoted the therapeutic activity in solid tumors. The combination of azide-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogel and temperature-sensitive, engineered Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 provided spatiotemporal targeting of solid tumors, not only showing significant therapeutic effects on primary solid tumors, but also inhibiting the metastasis and recurrence of cancer cells by enhancing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. This system has potential for clinical application.

Polymeric conductive patches have conventionally been employed to facilitate the repair of infarcted myocardium by enhancing myocardial electrical conduction and providing mechanical support. However, it remains a challenge to restore the electrical conduction and diastolic-systolic functions with stable and anisotropic mechanical and electrical cues in the dynamic physiological environment. Herein, inspired by the hierarchical myocardial fiber microscopic striated structure, we established a weaving-based processing method to compound a striated polypyrrole conductive coating on the surface of highly oriented elastic fiber bundles. This unique design endows the patch with exceptional stretchability (elongation at break > 400%), stable conductance (ΔR/R ₀ = 0.04 within 20% strain), and excellent fatigue resistance (ΔR/R ₀ = 0.01 after 1,000,000 cycles). In addition, the precision process grounded on woven molding accomplished the tunable mechanical and electrical properties of the patch, which facilitates the achievement of long-term, stable, and anisotropic mechanical-electrical coupling with the infarcted myocardium. The rat MI model experiments demonstrated that this anisotropic conductive patch can not only improve cardiac function and electrical activity over an extended period, but also effectively inhibit myocardial inflammation and fibrosis and promote angiogenesis. This study proposes a promising MI-treatment patch and highlights the potential of woven technology in processing biomaterials composed of both rigid and elastic materials.

Nonporous adaptive crystals (NACs) represent a unique class of supramolecular macrocycle-based crystalline organic materials that have garnered significant attention in supramolecular chemistry and beyond over the past decade. Unlike traditional porous materials, NACs are initially nonporous but can induce porosity through host-guest interactions in the solid-state, enabling exceptional performance in hydrocarbon separation. This review surveys the development of NACs based on novel macrocyclic arenes inspired by pillararene and calixarene structures, encompassing biphen[n]arene, tiara[n]arene, leaning pillararene, hybrid[n]arene, leggero pillararene, geminiarene, bowtiearene, rhombicarene, and other derivatives. Emphasizing their preparation, structural characteristics, and mechanisms of adsorptive selectivity, this comprehensive overview highlights their contributions to advancing supramolecular chemistry, functional materials, and beyond. Finally, the remaining challenges and perspectives are outlined. It is anticipated that this review will serve as a timely and valuable reference for researchers interested in NACs and related materials, stimulating further impactful studies in related fields.

The accumulation of senescent cells and their secretion of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) play important roles in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Small molecules, known as senolytics or senomorphics, have been effective in targeting senescent cells. Although senolytic drugs have been well-studied in pulmonary fibrosis, senomorphics with defined protein targets and potential applications are rarely investigated. In this study, we identified a widely sourced natural product, caffeic acid (CA), to act as a potent senomorphic that effectively inhibits the secretion of SASP in senescent lung cells. We demonstrated that the covalent binding of CA to Annexin A5 protein triggered its degradation, PKCθ deactivation, and the inhibition of the NF-κB inflammatory pathway in senescent cells. Notably, CA exhibited a promising effect in limiting inflammation in the lung and circulatory system, alleviating pulmonary pathology, and improving physical function in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model. Our investigation suggests that Annexin A5 could be used as the target for the precise intervention of aging-related diseases such as IPF.

Photoelectrocatalysis reduction of CO₂ into products such as CO and CH₄ is an effective strategy for improving carbon utilization and advancing the development of renewable energy. Improving the catalytic efficiency by regulating the polarization behavior of the electrode has been proven to be an effective method. In this study, a method for preparing a Ti:Fe₂O₃/CuFeO₂-v photoanode with oxygen vacancies and heterojunctions for PEC CO₂ reduction is reported. Oxygen vacancies not only enhance the carrier transport ability of the electrode and improve the resistance polarization, but also regulate the material's magnetic properties. Based on this, we utilize the magnetic fluid dynamics (MHD) effect to reduce the thickness of the diffusion layer on the electrode surface, thereby improving mass transfer and solving the concentration polarization problem. This adjustment increased the current density to 1.49 mA cm^-2 and increased the CO yield to 154.27 mL h^-1. This method innovatively applies the MHD insights of the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction, aiming to optimize the electrode reaction kinetics for efficient CO₂ conversion, marking a significant progress in the field of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction.

Large bone defects present major problems in plastic, maxillofacial, and orthopedic reconstructive surgery. With respect to osseous tissues, currently, autologous and allogeneic bone grafts are commonly used clinical treatments, but there are limitations in terms of donor availability, morbidity, and risk of immunogenic reactions. Tissue-engineered bone constructs offer promising alternatives but struggle to replicate the complex biological functions of native bone, leading to suboptimal outcomes. The periosteum has been shown to be a key factor in bone regeneration and has a bilayered structure that is essential for bone integrity and repair. However, large bone defects cause damage to the periosteum and weaken its regenerative capacity. Therefore, periosteum organoids have been developed with the help of new organoid technology to achieve accelerated bone regeneration. This technology incorporates a variety of natural/synthetic materials and biologically derived factors that can be endowed with key biological functions for bone regeneration, such as, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, neuromodulatory, angiogenic, and osteogenic capabilities. This review explores the structure and function of periosteum, the design and application of periosteum organoids and their potential integration with bone organoids. In addition, the recent advances and future directions for the use of such organoids in novel regenerative medicine and bone repair strategies are highlighted.

Magnetothermal neuromodulation is a minimally invasive, deep-brain accessible, and tether-free technique. The precisely timed activation of thermosensitive ion channels, such as TRPV1, with local heat generated using magnetic nanoparticles is crucial for efficient neuromodulation. Nevertheless, this technique is greatly hindered by its long stimulus-response time and high safety risks due to the poor heat-generating performance of the nanomediators. Herein, we report the establishment of a ferrimagnetic vortex iron oxide nanoring (FVIO)-mediated magnetothermal neurostimulation technique that is efficient and safe. Compared with widely used superparamagnetic iron oxide nanomediators (SPIOs), the FVIOs triggered Ca²⁺ influx into HEK293T cells and cortical neurons at an Fe concentration of 51 µg mL^-1, which is 20.27-fold lower than that needed for SPIOs. In vivo magnetothermal stimulation in the central nucleus of the amygdala of mice further demonstrated that FVIOs with the optimal dose of 0.05 µg evoked fear behaviors with an average latency of 2.51 s, which was 2.3-fold faster than that in the SPIO (0.80 µg)-treated group. More importantly, FVIOs-mediated stimulation not only exhibited negligible histopathological alterations and proinflammatory cytokine expression but also successfully elicited fear behaviors in transgene-free mice. The FVIO-mediated efficient and safe neuromodulation has the potential for future neuroscience exploitation and neurological disease treatment.

Given its global distribution and high transmissibility in the environment, Candida auris poses a serious threat to global public health. However, the underlying mechanisms of its adaptive strategies remain poorly understood. Here we delineate the pan-genome structures of 1,306 representative C. auris isolates collected from 28 countries. In addition to the clade-related genetic diversity and highly variable pan-genomes, we identify the key regulatory modules and genes specific to C. auris in response to 32 different host microenvironment-mimicking stresses. Through comparative analysis with evolutionarily close fungal relatives, we uncover both shared and species-specific transcriptional responses in C. auris. Intriguingly, our results reveal a distinct pathogenic role for the conserved iron regulon in this species. Unexpectedly, we also identify an evolutionarily divergent functional role for RIM101 in regulating both pathogenicity and commensalism of C. auris. Mechanistically, the high-affinity glucose transporters were found to enhance the tolerance to alkaline stress through alleviation of RIM101-dependent glucose repression in the host microenvironment. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the evolutionarily divergent adaptive strategies in both commensalism and virulence of the emerging critical priority fungal pathogen, C. auris.