Light offers a powerful means of activating materials with spatial and temporal precision. However, translating excited-state processes into chemically responsive electronic function in conductive solids remains challenging, particularly under low-energy red illumination. Herein, we report red light-gated charge transfer in dye-sensitized single-walled carbon nanotube-TiO2 (SWCNT-TiO2) hybrids that enables trace oxygen detection. Immobilization of red-absorbing squaraine sensitizers on TiO2 domains embedded within a conductive SWCNT network reversibly generates a photostationary charge-transfer state under 628 nm excitation. Despite the low photon energy of red light, the hybrid architecture supports interfacial electron injection into TiO2 and hole accumulation in the nanotube scaffold, while remaining electronically dormant in the dark. Interception of photogenerated electrons by O2 perturbs this light-induced state and converts excited-state redox chemistry into a chemiresistive signal with ppb-level sensitivity. This capability enables continuous monitoring of oxygen depletion in a sealed headspace during food spoilage. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, energy-level alignment analysis, and charge-carrier inversion experiments show that O2 triggers light-activated changes in SWCNT carrier density. These findings demonstrate that low-energy optical excitation can gate chemical response in dye-sensitized SWCNT-TiO2 hybrids, establishing a design strategy for temporally controlled sensing and photoresponsive electronic function.

In this study, solvent-assisted flavor evaporation coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, chemometrics, and molecular sensory methods were used to analyze aroma characteristics and origin markers of cinnamon using Ceylon, Luoding, and Fangcheng cinnamon. The results showed that Ceylon cinnamon exhibited more pronounced citrus-like, floral, and sweet notes; Luoding cinnamon displayed a prominent cooling sensation; and Fangcheng cinnamon showed intense spiciness. Among the 110 volatile compounds identified, (E)-cinnamaldehyde, coumarin, cinnamyl alcohol, and octanal were found to be the key aroma contributors common to all three cinnamon samples based on their odor activity values, whereas additional variety-specific aroma contributors were also identified. Eugenol, coumarin, (E)-cinnamaldehyde, and cinnamyl acetate, with both a variable importance in projection >1 and an odor activity value ≥50, were identified as key markers for variety discrimination and aroma contribution. This study provides a framework for the origin identification, quality evaluation, and value-added utilization of cinnamon.

Symptomatic immobile spondylolisthesis with severe circumferential stenosis consisting of foraminal, lateral recess, and central canal narrowing secondary to disc height loss and facet arthropathy typically may require direct decompression followed by fixation given the need for complete facetectomies to adequately release exiting nerve roots. Recent evidence suggests that standalone grafts may offer a favorable risk profile for indirect decompression in cases with appropriate spinal alignment and normal bone density. A 54-year-old female presented with a one-year history of neurogenic claudication and a bilateral L4 radiculopathy with paresthesia and pain. Symptoms were refractory to aggressive medical management. On exam, she had pain limited weakness in her bilateral dorsiflexors and plantar flexors. She had decreased sensation to light touch below her knees, and she had hyporeflexia of her patellar tendon reflexes bilaterally. This innovative approach presents the first single position, dual surgeon simultaneous navigated prone lateral standalone graft placement with endoscopic unilateral laminectomy for bilateral decompression (ULBD) for symptomatic immobile spondylolisthesis without the need for augmentation with posterior fixation. This approach should be further evaluated in a larger cohort of patients.

Gastrulation begins when the epiblast epithelium breaks symmetry to form the primitive streak, but current in vitro models neither fully capture this process nor separate its mechanical and chemical inputs. Here, we introduce LightBMP, an optogenetic platform that enables spatiotemporally programmable BMP4 expression in human pluripotent stem cells. Dose and duration control reveal a sustained low-BMP regime, inaccessible to recombinant ligand, that specifies mesoderm. Spatially programmed BMP4 sources in uniform cultures mimic the radial organization of 2D gastruloids, showing that mechanical context and edge sensing are not required for patterning. In micropatterned colonies, light-defined sources break symmetry to generate a stripe-shaped, primitive-streak-like domain where cells acquire multiple mesodermal fates and undergo directed migration. Together, these results show that spatial control of a single morphogen source is sufficient to drive symmetry breaking and primitive-streak-like patterning, independent of edge constraints.

Sucrose amounts in a water solution have diverse applications in healthcare, metabolic regulation, and food quality control. It is widely utilized as an alternative for physiological circumstances, fermenting phases, or quality assurance based on its level of concentration in biological and industrial samples. Current detection methodologies, such as enzymatic tests or chromatography, provide remarkable precision but tend to be time-consuming, dependent on reagents, and insufficient for monitoring in real time. To fix these limitations, we have envisioned a Four-Arm Ring-Embedded Refractive Index Sensor (FARERIS) to determine various concentrations of sucrose. Additionally, this study has been elaborated with a machine learning approach, which gives accurate as well as time-saving results. The design of the geometry of a quad-arm pattern leads to multiple pathways of light coupling while simultaneously enhancing interaction between the concentrating optical structures and their surroundings, the analyte. The achieved significant sensitivity values of 1553.39 nm/RIU, 1600.00 nm/RIU, 1518.98 nm/RIU, 1481.48 nm/RIU, 1647.05 nm/RIU, 1477.27 nm/RIU, and significant values for detection limits are 0.000269 RIU, 0.000440, 0.000310, 0.000434, 0.000360, and 0.000332 for the sucrose concentration of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%, correspondingly. The significant quality factor of 1723.96, and the significant figure of merit of 1283.79 RIU[-1] have been obtained for detecting 5% of sucrose concentration, with the determined significant value of neural network fitting is 0.96475. The fusion of optical sensing and computational intelligence serves as a feasible approach towards advanced, adaptable biosensor devices.

This study aimed to enhance the nutritional, functional, and sensory properties of ketchup by incorporating traditional fermented Turkish shalgam juice. Five ketchup formulations were prepared using concentrated shalgam juice and concentrated tomato puree at ratios of 0:100 (S0), 25:75 (S25), 50:50 (S50), 75:25 (S75), and 100:0 (S100). Their physicochemical, textural, rheological, bioactive, and sensory properties were evaluated. The addition of shalgam juice significantly increased firmness, consistency, and antioxidant activity (AA) (p < 0.05). In contrast, it significantly decreased cohesiveness, viscosity index, and l-ascorbic acid content (p < 0.05). Total phenolic content exhibited an increasing trend. No serum separation was observed in any of the samples. All ketchup samples containing shalgam juice exhibited non-Newtonian behavior and a viscoelastic, solid-like structure. Sensory evaluation showed that S50 had the highest color-appearance score, whereas S25 had the highest scores for texture-consistency, taste-odor, and overall liking. S50 ranked second for taste-odor and overall liking, followed by S0. S50 and S0 did not differ significantly except in color-appearance (p > 0.05). Sensory scores decreased above 50% shalgam juice substitution, with S100 showing the lowest scores. Ketchup formulated with up to 50% concentrated shalgam juice was sensorially acceptable and showed improved functional properties. At 50% replacement, FRAP value increased significantly by 48.1% (p < 0.05), whereas ABTS and CUPRAC values increased by 23.1% and 9.6%, respectively, without significant differences. Total monomeric anthocyanin content increased from 0 to 17.17 mg/kg (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the potential of shalgam juice as a functional ingredient for the development of ketchups with enhanced bioactive and sensory characteristics.

III-nitride nanowires (NWs), including gallium nitride (GaN) and its alloys, possess tunable direct band gaps, high electron mobility, and large breakdown voltages, making them highly promising for electronic and optoelectronic applications. In addition, their wide bandgap, efficient charge transport, mechanical robustness, and compatibility with CMOS technology make them strong candidates for high-performance sensing platforms. A gas sensor must meet certain qualities, such as low-temperature operation and high selectivity toward a particular gas, to prevent false signals caused by interference from other gases in the environment. Here, we review recent progress in room-temperature gas sensors based on III-nitride NW arrays, emphasizing defect-mediated gas adsorption, noble-metal decoration, integration with metal oxides and 2D materials, and light-activated sensing platforms. Detailed fabrication methods, sensing mechanisms, and strategies to enhance sensitivity, selectivity, and stability are discussed. Finally, current challenges and future design perspectives are highlighted to guide the development of practical, high-performance III-nitride NW gas sensors.

Self-powered sensing devices for human-machine interaction suffer from poor mechanical robustness, fragile structural stability, and fluctuating sensing signals under cyclic deformation, severely restricting their long-term operational reliability. Integrating self-healing functionality into triboelectric substrates is an effective approach to address these bottlenecks, but it remains challenging to simultaneously realize superior stretchability, steady electrical output, and efficient self-healing performance in a single material system. Inspired by the arm structure of brittle stars, a waterborne polyurethane (WPU) incorporating dynamic disulfide and hydrogen bonds was fabricated, and the hydrogen-bonding interfacial network between MXene and WPU was tailored. A composite system enabling synergistic multilevel energy dissipation through reversible dynamic bonds and disulfide exchange was therefore constructed. The resulting MXene/WPU (M-WPU) composite film exhibits a tensile strength of 14.7 MPa, an elongation at break of 970%, a triboelectric output of 14 µA, and a self-healing efficiency of 89% after thermal healing at 100°C for 12 h. The flexible sensor assembled from this M-WPU film, integrated with machine learning, enables accurate handwriting recognition and human-machine interaction. Notably, after macroscopic crack self-healing, the M-WPU can still maintain stable electrical signal output, offering novel design insights for the development of long-life, highly reliable self-powered flexible sensors.

A bipyridine-functionalized covalent organic polymer (Bpy-COP) was synthesized as a fluorescent sensor for Zn[2+] detection in pure water. Structural characterization confirmed the formation of an imine-linked amorphous polymer incorporating accessible bipyridine coordination sites within a conjugated framework. Upon Zn[2+] coordination, Bpy-COP exhibited a pronounced fluorescence turn-on response, consistent with the combined effects of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) suppression and chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF). DFT and TD-DFT calculations further supported the proposed PET suppression mechanism by indicating the thermodynamic feasibility of PET in the metal-free sensor and its suppression upon Zn[2+] coordination. The sensor displayed a detection limit of 10 nM (0.67 ppb), a response-time of 30 s, and high selectivity toward Zn[2+] over a broad range of competing metal ions. Unlike many previously reported fluorescent probes, Bpy-COP operates directly in pure water without the need for organic cosolvents. The sensor also exhibited reversible fluorescence switching over five Zn[2+]/EDTA cycles and accurately determined Zn[2+] in drinking water, tap water, and river water, with recoveries of 97-105% and relative standard deviations below 2%. These results demonstrate that Bpy-COP provides a recyclable platform for selective Zn[2+] sensing under fully aqueous conditions.

Tungsten diselenide (WSe2), a prominent member of the two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (2D-TMDC) family, has attracted significant attention for next-generation flexible and wearable optoelectronic applications owing to its tunable bandgap, excellent carrier transport characteristics, strong light-matter interaction, and superior mechanical flexibility. Recent advancements in heterostructure engineering, composite formation, and sustainable device fabrication have considerably enhanced the performance of WSe2-based photodetectors and multifunctional electronic devices. In particular, the integration of WSe2 with paper substrates has emerged as a promising strategy for developing lightweight, low-cost, biodegradable, and electronic systems with potential environmental advantages associated with biodegradable substrates and low-complexity fabrication. This review comprehensively summarizes recent progress in WSe2 heterostructures and composites fabricated on flexible substrates for flexible and wearable optoelectronics. The fundamental properties of WSe2, material synthesis routes, electrode fabrication techniques, and heterostructure design strategies are critically discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of interface engineering, defect modulation, doping methods, and hybrid material integration in improving responsivity, detectivity, response speed, and mechanical durability. Furthermore, recent developments in paper-based photodetectors, wearable sensing platforms, self-powered devices, and intelligent optoelectronic systems are systematically assessed through performance benchmarking and comparative analysis. Present challenges associated with material quality, device stability, large-scale manufacturing, and commercialization are highlighted, together with emerging opportunities in sustainable electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, artificial intelligence-assisted sensing, and next-generation wearable systems. By giving a critical assessment of recent advances and future research directions, this review serves as a valuable resource for the development of high-performance, flexible, and environmentally responsible WSe2-based optoelectronic technologies.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2026.1856857.].

Mechanosensing and mechanotransduction are essential for all living cells. In mammals, Piezo1 and Piezo2 are two mechanically activated cation channels that serve as mechanosensors for a variety of physiological and pathological processes, ranging from touch sensing to sickle cell disease. These two channels are well evolutionarily conserved, and orthologous genes can be traced back to the origin of vertebrates, which underwent whole-genome duplications (WGDs). The number of paralogous genes originating from the vertebrate WGD varies across gene families. Thus, whether there are more PIEZO paralogous genes in vertebrates remains understudied. Here, we identified piezo3, a new paralog of the piezo gene family, and analyzed its evolutionary history using phylogenetic and synteny analyses. The piezo3 gene is present in most vertebrate lineages but absent in birds and most mammals, likely due to nonfunctionalization after WGDs. In addition, we demonstrated that this channel could mediate calcium flux in response to mechanical stimuli in HEK293T cells, suggesting that Piezo3 exhibits PIEZO1/2-like activation and conduction channel functions. Our CRISPR mutation analysis revealed that the zebrafish piezo3 gene is not developmentally essential for skeletons and survival, possibly because its expression overlaps with other PIEZO channels. Mutant zebrafish showed elevated sensitivity to mechanical force and increased locomotor activity under (photopic) light illumination. Our results suggest that this new mechanical-sensing Piezo channel is widespread in vertebrates and may be critical for vertebrate adaptation by modulating mechanical sensing and light responses during evolution.

Near-infrared-II (NIR-II) luminescent materials have attracted increasing attention owing to their excellent penetration capability and low background interference, making them promising for optical thermometry and spectroscopic sensing. However, the weak intrinsic absorption of Er[3+] severely limits its luminescence performance under blue-light excitation. Here, enhanced blue-light-excited NIR-II emission is realized in Lu-based double perovskite Cs2NaLuCl6 through an Fe[3+]/Er[3+] codoping strategy. The introduction of Fe[3+] induces a broadband excitation band extending from 250 to 600 nm and boost the characteristic emissions of Er[3+] at 1542 and 1559 nm by up to 8.6-fold under 418 nm excitation. Leveraging the temperature-dependent intensity ratio of these two NIR-II bands, a non-contact optical thermometer with a maximum relative sensitivity of 5.15% K[-1] is achieved. Moreover, effective identification of water, ethanol, and acetonitrile is demonstrated based on the spectral overlap between the NIR-II emission and molecular vibrational absorptions. This work presents a feasible route toward blue-light-excited NIR-II emitters through Fe[3+] broadband sensitization and expands the application prospects of halide luminescent materials.

Beech leaf disease (BLD) is an epidemic spreading among American beech (Fagus grandifolia) populations, with characteristic symptoms including dark green, yellow, or brown bands of thickened leaf tissue between secondary veins. Because near infrared (NIR) light is reflected by leaf tissue structure, we used multispectral NIR imaging reflectance to distinguish symptomatic from asymptomatic leaves amongst affected trees, as well as to distinguish between different expressions of symptoms (dark green, yellow, and brown bands) within symptomatic leaves and symptom severity (low, moderate high) at the whole leaf scale. Key findings include significantly higher NIR reflectance in dark green bands of symptomatic tissue compared to asymptomatic tissue amongst affected trees (λ = 840, 860, 900, 940, and 980 nm; ∼26.2%, 25.9%, 35.0%, 35.3%, and 32.5% increase respectively). A partial least squares regression model predicted 97% of variation in symptomatic vs. asymptomatic NIR reflectance was attributed primarily to the increase in spongy mesophyll thickness and overall leaf thickness in symptomatic tissue. Whole leaf symptom severity (asymptomatic, moderate, severe) was most clearly diagnosed at λ = 860 nm. Water infiltration of the intercellular airspaces in symptomatic dark green bands and asymptomatic leaves removed differences in NIR reflectance, supporting a mechanistic link between increased NIR reflectance and the foliar symptoms of BLD. Our results highlight the interaction of leaf internal architecture with NIR wavelengths and inform the development of targeted remote sensing tools.