A stacked single-crystalline Si/α-Ga2O3p-n heterojunction was formed by transferring a 100 nm p-Si nanomembrane onto anα-Ga2O3epiwafer. Theα-Ga2O3layer exhibited a (110) x-ray diffraction reflection, and the epi-layer at the Si/α-Ga2O3interface had a valence-band maximum located 4.29 ± 0.10 eV below the Fermi-level. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling revealed decreases of 0.11 eV in the Si 2p binding energy and 0.35 eV in the Ga 3d binding energy from the bulk-like regions to the interface, consistent with upward band bending on both sides at the junction interface. Applying the Kraut method with the valence-band offset defined asEV(Si) -EV(α-Ga2O3) gave 3.93 eV; the corresponding conduction-band offset was 0.25 eV. The enhanced Si-O and Ga-O components indicate an ultrathin oxide-containing bonding region formed during heterojunction integration. Rather than being treated as a thick parasitic oxide, this region is interpreted as a thin passivating interlayer that does not preclude reliable extraction of the effective band alignment of the as-fabricated junction. Energy band profiles in equilibrium and under forward and reverse bias were calculated using technology-computer-aided design. The fabricated p-n heterojunction diode exhibited rectifying current density-voltage characteristics with an ideality factor of 1.47. These results provide an experimentally constrained band alignment for stacked Si/α-Ga2O3p-n heterojunctions and support their development for bipolar electronic devices.

Extensive desmoplastic remodeling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) limits the intratumoral access of therapeutic agents and contributes to treatment resistance. Here, we investigated the stromal uptake preference, fibrosis-modulating activity, and siRNA-loading capacity of human pancreatic stellate cell-derived exosomes (HPSC-Exos). HPSC-Exos were recovered through sequential centrifugation steps ending with ultracentrifugation. Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) placed most detected particles within the 100-150 nm range, whereas immunoblotting identified CD9, CD81, and TSG101, but not Calnexin. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy showed greater HPSC-Exo-associated fluorescence in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) than in PANC-1 and HEK-293T cells. Integrin αv and integrin β1 were detected in HPSC-Exo preparations, and RGD peptide competition reduced CAF uptake, supporting RGD-sensitive, integrin-associated interactions. Unloaded HPSC-Exos reduced fibrosis-associated protein expression and produced concentration-associated decreases in FAP, α-SMA, fibronectin, COL1A1, and COL3A1 mRNA levels by approximately 30-51% at 40 μg/mL. CAF wound closure at 24 h was reduced by approximately 68.6% and 81.7% following treatment with 20 and 40 μg/mL HPSC-Exos, respectively, relative to untreated controls. No significant reduction in the metabolic viability of HPSCs, HEK-293 T cells, or CAFs was observed at concentrations up to 80 μg/mL. Additionally, chemically modified siRNA directed against GLI2 (siGLI2) was incorporated into HPSC-Exos by electroporation, and the loaded preparations retained a predominantly nanoscale size distribution and CAF uptake comparable to unloaded HPSC-Exos. Collectively, HPSC-Exos exhibit preferential CAF-associated uptake and intrinsic modulation of fibrosis-associated phenotypes in vitro, while also supporting siRNA loading, providing a biological platform for further investigation in the PDAC stromal microenvironment.

This study investigates shape-dependent thermal transport in a blood-based Cu-Al2O3-Au trihybrid nanofluid using a local throat-level similarity model motivated by stenosed arterial geometry. The model incorporates magnetohydrodynamics, thermal radiation, viscous dissipation, porous-medium resistance, Darcy-Forchheimer drag, and Cattaneo-Christov non-Fourier heat-flux. The key novelty lies in combining mixed-shape nanoparticle modeling with response surface methodology (RSM) optimization and artificial neural network (ANN) surrogate prediction for arterial-flow configurations relevant to thermal therapy. Shape-dependent property correlations compare a fully spherical trihybrid suspension with a mixed-shape case (spherical Cu/Al2O3, cylindrical Au). Using similarity transformations, the governing equations are converted into coupled nonlinear ODEs and solved numerically with a collocation-based boundary-value solver. Parametric analysis covers magnetic parameter (0 ≤ M ≤ 3), Eckert number (0 ≤ Ec ≤ 1.5), radiation parameter (0 ≤ Rd ≤ 0.75), Darcy parameter (1 ≤ K ≤ 5), thermal relaxation parameter (0 ≤ αt ≤ 0.1), and nanoparticle volume fraction (0.03 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.1). RSM with a face-centered central composite design applied over the bounded optimization space for prediction of Nusselt number (Nu), followed by feedforward ANN, identifies the high-M, high-ϕ, and low-Rd region as favorable for local wall heat-transfer enhancement. The solver-confirmed constrained optimum (M = 2.9935, ϕ = 0.0525, and Rd = 0.00012) yields Nu = 12.286, with ANN predicting Nu = 12.1721 (relative deviation: 0.93%). The mixed shape configuration increase mean velocity by 0.56-6.18% and mean temperature by 0.49-12.88% versus spherical particles. Overall, the combined numerical-RSM-ANN framework offers a reproducible route for screening design space and optimizing trihybrid nanofluid heat transfer in magnetically assisted arterial thermal-therapy modeling.Clinical trial number: Not applicable. This study did not involve a clinical trial.

Induced-fission neutron imaging based on associated particles is widely used for nondestructive analysis of nuclear materials. It overcomes the limitation of transmission imaging in distinguishing materials with similar attenuation coefficients, such as depleted uranium (DU) and highly enriched uranium (HEU). Center-of-mass (COM) motion alters the emission angle of neutrons and alpha particles, introducing systematic errors. This work calculates the average COM velocity at atomic-ion energies of 60, 70 and 80 keV. Geant4 simulations are carried out to investigate neutron angular distribution, as well as the influences of beam spot dimension and alpha pixel size. COM effects are corrected by rotating the alpha particle detector. Simulation results show that COM motion is the dominant cause of offset in the mean horizontal neutron angle. After correction, the central region of the detector corresponds to a horizontal angle of approximately 90°. For induced-fission reconstructions of stainless steel, polyethylene, DU, and HEU specimens, uncorrected images are dominated by artifacts, whereas corrected images clearly separate fissionable from non-fissionable materials. HEU exhibits higher reconstructed values and greater contrast than DU. These results prove the validity of the COM correction method proposed in this study.

Characterization of fusion alpha particles is essential for the study of plasmas with significant alpha heating and, consequently, for the scientific success of ITER. Current diagnostic plans include gamma spectroscopy, collective Thomson scattering, charge exchange recombination spectroscopy, and a fast ion loss detector, although it remains unclear whether these methods will fully meet the requirements of this novel experiment. Pellet Charge Exchange (PCX) is an alternative approach in which alpha particles acquire electrons from the neutral cloud of an ablating fueling pellet through charge exchange, producing He+ ions and He atoms. The concept was previously tested in TFTR experiments, where escaping He atoms were analyzed using a neutral particle analyzer. In this work, a new optical approach is explored by modeling the emission of excited He+ ions produced in the charge exchange reactions. This signal could provide information on the density, energy, and distribution of fusion alpha particles along the pellet flight path, in the pedestal region of the plasma. The presented results are based on solving a system of rate equations for the n-resolved ionization states of alpha particles propagating through pellet clouds, with cloud parameters obtained from the Hydrogen Pellet Injection code HPI2. The model tracks the populations of ionization and excitation states of helium in one dimension, including the density of He+ (n = 4) states whose emission would be observed. Estimates of emission intensity and signal-to-background ratio based on expected bremsstrahlung radiation are also provided, identifying viable parameter ranges for PCX diagnostics.

In vivo pretargeting is an emergent approach to nuclear imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy that leverages the exquisite selectivity and affinity of full-length immunoglobulins while skirting their pharmacokinetic and dosimetric limitations. One particularly promising approach to pretargeting is predicated on the inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction between a trans-cyclooctene (TCO)-bearing antibody and a tetrazine (Tz)-based radioligand. This methodology has been validated with a wide variety of antibody-antigen systems paired with radionuclides for positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and radioimmunotherapy. The halogen group of the periodic table offers an abundance of isotopes that emit β--particles (i.e. 131I), α-particles (i.e. 211At), and Auger electrons (i.e. 125I) for radiopharmaceutical therapy. Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterization of a pair of Tz radioligands containing 131I-labeled residualizing guanidinium prosthetic groups: iso-[131I]GMIB-PEG6-Tz and iso-[131I]GMIB-Tz. Subsequently, these two radioligands were used in conjunction with a TCO-bearing variant of the A33 antigen-targeting mAb huA33 (i.e. huA33-TCO) for in vivo pretargeting experiments in a murine model of colorectal carcinoma. The biodistribution and dosimetry data from these preclinical experiments suggested that the PEG6-containing radioligand offered a superior pharmacokinetic profile, and protocols were developed for the synthesis of iso-[211At]AGMB-PEG6-Tz. Finally, the in vivo behavior of iso-[211At]AGMB-PEG6-Tz was probed in both healthy mice and in a pretargeting system paired with huA33-TCO in a murine model of colorectal carcinoma.

This study presents a facile, one-pot aqueous coating strategy to synthesize oxidation-resistant silica-coated iron (Fe/SiO2) core-shell nanoparticles under ambient conditions. Citrate-mediated reduction produced metallic Fe cores, with citrate ions and a thin native surface oxide layer acting as interfacial modifiers that promote SiO2 nucleation and eliminate the need for intermediate washing. Ultrasonication-assisted SiO2 encapsulation via a sol-gel process yielded Fe/SiO2 nanoparticles comprising a metallic Fe core (50.4 ± 15.1 nm in diameter) and a SiO2 shell (14.1 nm thick), as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Magnetic measurements demonstrated that the saturation magnetization of bare Fe nanoparticles decreased from 105.9 to 39.7 emu g-1 after 72 h in water owing to oxidation, whereas that of Fe/SiO2 nanoparticles remained at 84.6 emu g-1 compared with an initial value of 86.4 emu g-1. X-ray diffraction confirmed the preservation of the metallic α-Fe (body-centered cubic) phase, demonstrating that the SiO2 shell served as an effective diffusion barrier against oxidation. By providing a facile and eco-friendly route to protect metallic nanomaterials robustly, this study opens new avenues for their practical applications in advanced magnetic sensors, biosensors, catalysis, and magnetic separation.

Macadamia protein isolate (MPI) was phosphorylated using sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP), and the effects of phosphorylation on its solubility, structure, and high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) stabilization of MPI were investigated. Both STPP and STMP reached the highest phosphorylation degree at 5% addition, with phosphorus contents of 3.95 ± 0.05 and 3.22 ± 0.02 mg/g, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the successful introduction of phosphate groups into MPI through the formation of phosphorus-containing bonds. Phosphorylation markedly altered the aggregation state and molecular conformation of MPI. In particular, STMP-treated MPI exhibited its highest solubility at 4% addition, whereas 5% STPP-treated MPI showed the best overall performance, with particle size decreasing from 197.9 ± 0.99 to 165.2 ± 0.57 nm, absolute zeta potential increasing from 25.77 ± 0.06 to 70.67 ± 0.41 mV, and solubility increasing from 14.01% ± 0.72% to 96.78% ± 0.24%. In addition, phosphorylation increased surface hydrophobicity and free sulfhydryl content, and promoted the transformation of β-sheet and β-turn structures into α-helix and random coil, suggesting pronounced conformational rearrangement of MPI. These changes improved the aqueous dispersion and interfacial adsorption behavior of MPI. Accordingly, 5% STPP-treated MPI exhibited superior ability to stabilize HIPEs, producing smaller droplet sizes, a more uniform and compact microstructure, while native MPI failed to stabilize HIPEs at an internal phase fraction of 80%. Overall, phosphorylation is an effective strategy for improving MPI functionality and broadening its application in HIPE-based food systems.

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) is a unique phenomenon in which materials contract upon heating, and thus, there is a strong demand for rational synthetic strategies and the design of giant NTE materials. In tetracyanoborate salts, however, the formation of interpenetrated structures suppresses structural flexibility and limits NTE behavior. Herein, we demonstrated that constructing a fluorite structure is an effective strategy for enhancing NTE through the synthesis of Ba[B(CN)4]2 with toluene as a template molecule. Density functional theory calculations predicted that Ba[B(CN)4]2 exhibited pronounced volume contraction at elevated temperature among M[B(CN)4]2 (M = Ca[2+], Sr[2+], and Ba[2+]). In situ X-ray diffraction measurements showed that Ba[B(CN)4]2 exhibited giant NTE with a volumetric thermal expansion coefficient of αv = -122.0 × 10[-6] K[-1] over 620-657 K after the removal of the template molecules. Phonon calculations revealed that giant NTE in Ba[B(CN)4]2 originates from a non-rigid unit mode with strongly negative Grüneisen parameters. These findings provide a new design principle for synthesizing open-framework materials with precisely controlled thermal expansion properties.

Alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX) is a sucrose nonfermentable 2 (Snf2)-family ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler essential for chromatin regulation and genome stability, but its remodeling mechanism remains unclear. Here, we report three structures of the human ATRX ATPase domain (ATRXATPase) in its free, nucleosome-bound, and histone-bound states, revealing a non-canonical mechanism of activity regulation and chromatin remodeling. ATRXATPase adopts a structurally primed but autoinhibited conformation that is relieved upon nucleosome binding. ATRX favors ATP-dependent nucleosome disassembly over sliding and engages a non-canonical nucleosomal site, contacting unwrapped DNA at superhelical location (SHL) 5.5-7. An ATRX-specific histone-binding motif contributes to ATPase-driven nucleosome disassembly and also binds H3-H4, cooperating with ASF1 to promote tetrasome assembly. Genome-wide analyses further indicate that ATRX associates with active chromatin independently of death domain-associated protein (DAXX) and contributes to chromatin accessibility at intergenic regulatory elements. These findings define ATRX as a mechanistically distinct remodeler that couples disassembly-biased remodeling to histone chaperoning, thereby supporting dynamic chromatin regulation.

Benzimidazole-based Schiff bases, (Z)-2-(((1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)imino)methyl)phenol monohydrate (HL1·H2O) and (Z)-1-(((1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)imino)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol monohydrate (HL2·H2O) were synthesized and characterized by IR, UV-vis, EI-mass, [1]H NMR spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Molecular structure determination suggested the presence of crystal water in the unit cell of each compound. The structure adopted a usual enol-imine form, with an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the phenolate-oxygen and the imine-nitrogen atoms. Supramolecular packing indicated that the structure was assembled and stabilized by several significant intermolecular non-covalent interactions between symmetrically related lattice water and the molecules, as supported by quantitative Hirshfeld surface analyses. DSC analyses revealed an irreversible phase transition from solid-crystal to isotropic liquid. Computational modeling by DFT/TD-DFT supported the experimental results of the molecular and electronic structures of the compounds. Molecular orbital (MO) calculations revealed a relatively lower HOMO-LUMO energy gap for HL2 (ΔE g = 2.41 eV) compared with HL1 (2.65 eV), suggesting the former had enhanced charge delocalization due to the extended π-electrons conjugation system, in parallel with molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surface maps. Biological activities were assessed using cytotoxicity, antioxidant, α-amylase, and antibacterial tests. HL1 possessed more pronounced cytotoxic effects on cervical cancer (HeLa) cells (IC50 = 75.53 ± 3.10 µM) than HL2 (IC50 = 462.61 ± 5.24 µM). DPPH radical-scavenging studies revealed moderate antioxidant activity for HL2 (IC50 = 168 ± 4 µM) and weaker activity for HL1 (IC50 = 233 ± 5 µM) compared with the standard ascorbic acid (IC50 = 106 ± 1 µM). HL1 showed moderately the inhibit α-amylase enzyme (IC50 = 399 ± 2.7 µM), while no inhibitory activity for HL2 was noted. Both compounds were moderately active against selected bacterial strains in a concentration-dependent manner. Computational analyses on Escherichia coli BepA metalloprotease (6SAR) and human DNA topoisomerase IIα (5GWK) using molecular docking exhibited favorable predicted protein-ligand interactions, involving hydrogen-bonding, hydrophobic and π-stacking interactions. HL1 had a more favorable predicted binding affinity towards BepA metalloprotease, whereas HL2 had a more favorable predicted binding affinity towards human DNA topoisomerase IIα, which was associated with enhanced hydrophobic interactions.