copy and easy to authenticate) is the primary approach for resisting the increasing sophistication of counterfeiting. [1] Due to their visual identifiability, colorful light emissions of luminophors are considered to be ideal security elements. The luminescent patterns of banknotes under ultraviolet (UV) excitation are a well-known sample of this approach. In addition to the spatial spectral fingerprints displayed in emission colors, the excitation mode and emission lifetime of luminescence can be used as authentication information, providing higher coding levels. For example, photoluminescence (PL), upconversion luminescence (UCL), and long-lasting luminescence (LLL) are three quintessential modes for anticounterfeiting and information security. [2] The PL mode produces photons at longer wavelengths than the excitation wavelength, for example, downshifting UV excitation to visible emission. [3] The UCL mode converts longwavelength photons to short-wavelength ones, for example, in the upconversion of near-infrared (NIR) excitation to visible emission. [4] It is important to note that PL and UCL phenomena will disappear immediately once light excitation is stopped, showing a feature of pulse duration (so-called fluorescence). In contrast, LLL shows delayed initiation after the cessation of Optical characteristics of luminescent materials, including emission color (wavelength), lifetime, and excitation mode, play crucial roles in data communication and information security. Conventional luminescent materials generally display unicolor, unitemporal, and unimodal (occasionally bimodal) emission, resulting in low-level readout and decoding. The development of multicolor, multitemporal, and multimodal luminescence in a single material has long been considered to be a significant challenge. In this study, for the first time, the superior integration of colorful (red-orange-yellowgreen), bitemporal (fluorescent and delayed), and four-modal (thermo-/ mechano-motivated and upconverted/downshifted) emissions in a particular piezoelectric particle via optical multiplexing of dual-lanthanide dopants is demonstrated. The as-prepared versatile NaNbO 3 :Pr 3+ ,Er 3+ luminescent microparticles shown are particularly suitable for embedding into polymer films to achieve waterproof, flexible/wearable and highly stretchable features, and synchronously to provide multidimensional codes that can be visually read-out using simple and commonly available tools (including the LED of a smartphone, pen writing, cooling-heating stimuli, and ultraviolet/ near-infrared lamps). These findings offer unique insight for designing highly integrated stimuli-responsive luminophors and smart devices toward a wide variety of applications, particularly advanced anticounterfeiting technology.
BackgroundHyperlipidemia plays a crucial role in the development and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent studies have identified that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of lipid metabolism, but little is known about the circulating levels of lipometabolism-related miRNAs and their relationship with the presence of CAD in patients with hyperlipidemia.MethodsIn the present study, we enrolled a total of 255 hyperlipidemia patients with or without CAD and 100 controls with normal blood lipids. The plasma levels of four known lipometabolism-related miRNAs, miR-122, miR-370, miR-33a, and miR-33b were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. Blood levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol were determined. Furthermore, the severity of CAD was assessed with the Gensini score system based on the degree of luminal narrowing and its geographic importance.ResultsOur results revealed for the first time that plasma levels of miR-122 and miR-370 were significantly increased in hyperlipidemia patients compared with controls, and the levels of miR-122 and miR-370 were positively correlated with TC, TG, and LDL-C levels in both hyperlipidemia patients and controls. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the increased levels of miR-122 and miR-370 were associated with CAD presence, even after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, miR-122 and miR-370 levels were positively correlated with the severity of CAD quantified by the Gensini score. However, both miR-33a and miR-33b were undetectable in plasma.ConclusionsOur results suggest that increased plasma levels of miR-122 and miR-370 might be associated with the presence as well as the severity of CAD in hyperlipidemia patients.
Electrospinning (e-spinning) has attracted tremendous attention because this technology provides a simple and versatile method for fabricating ultrafine fibers from a rich variety of materials including polymers, composites, and ceramics.
Bicomponent composite fibers, due to their unique versatility, have attracted great attention in many fields, such as filtration, energy, and bioengineering. Herein, we efficiently fabricated polyvinylidene fluoride/polyimide (PVDF/PI) side-by-side bicomponent nanofibers based on electrospinning, which resulted in the synergism between PVDF and PI, and eventually obtained the effect of 1 + 1 > 2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the morphology and chemical structure of nanofibers, indicating that a large number of side-by-side nanofibers were successfully prepared. Further, the thermal stability, mechanical strength, and filtration properties of PVDF/PI were carefully investigated. The results revealed that the bicomponent nanofibers possessed both good mechanical strength and remarkable thermal stability. Moreover, the mechanical properties of PVDF/ PI were strengthened by more than twice after the heat treatment (7.28 MPa at 25 °C, 15.49 MPa at 230 °C). Simultaneously, after the heat treatment at 230 °C for 30 min, the filtration efficiency of PVDF/PI membrane was maintained at about 95.45 ± 1.09%, and the pressure drop was relatively low. Therefore, the prepared PVDF/PI side-by-side bicomponent nanofibers have a favorable prospect of application in the field of medium- and high-temperature filtration, which further expands the application range of electrospun fiber membranes.
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