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Cell mechanical microenvironment (CMM) significantly affects cell behaviors such as spreading, migration, proliferation and differentiation. However, most studies on cell response to mechanical stimulation are based on two-dimensional (2D) planar substrates, which cannot mimic native three-dimensional (3D) CMM. Accumulating evidence has shown that there is a significant difference in cell behavior in 2D and 3D microenvironments. Among the materials used for engineering 3D CMM, hydrogels have gained increasing attention due to their tunable properties (e.g. chemical and mechanical properties). In this paper, we provide an overview of recent advances in engineering hydrogel-based 3D CMM. Effects of mechanical cues (e.g. hydrogel stiffness and externally induced stress/strain in hydrogels) on cell behaviors are described. A variety of approaches to load mechanical stimuli in 3D hydrogel-based constructs are also discussed.

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Here we report a low-cost and facile synthesis approach for carbon-doped mesoporous anatase TiO2 by using Ti(BuO)4 as a source for both Ti and carbon through xerogel carbonization in a hypoxic atmosphere. The resultant mesoporous C-TiO2 with high crystallinity exhibits excellent photocatalytic activities for degradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol under visible light irradiation.

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A new type of ultra-lightweight metallic lattice structure (named as the X-type structure) is reported. This periodic structure was formed by two groups of staggered struts in the traditional pyramid structure, and fabricated by folding expanded metal sheet along rows of offset nodes and then brazing the folded structure (as the core) with top and bottom facesheets to form sandwich panels. The out-ofplane compressive and shear properties of the X-type lattice sandwich structure were investigated experimentally and compared to those of the sandwich having a pyramidal truss core. It is found that the formation of the 2-dimensional staggered nodes can effectively make the X-type structure more resistant to inelastic and plastic buckling under both compression and shear loading than the pyramidal lattice truss. Obtained results show that the compressive and shear peak strengths of the X-type lattice structure are about 30% higher than those of the pyramidal lattice truss having the same relative density. sandwich panel, lattice structure, X-type structure, brazing, plastic yielding

The equilibrium geometries and energies of neutral BeSi(n) (n = 2-10) species and their anions have been studied at the highest level of Gaussian-3 (G3) theory. The results reveal that the ground-state structures of these clusters are Be-encapsulated in silicon cages with n >or= 8. The reliable adiabatic electron affinities of BeSi(n) have been predicted to be 1.68 eV for BeSi(2), 1.87 eV for BeSi(3), 2.33 eV for BeSi(4), 2.29 eV for BeSi(5), 2.11 eV for BeSi(6), 2.37 eV for BeSi(7), 2.95 eV for BeSi(8), 2.74 eV for BeSi(9), and 1.92 eV for BeSi(10). The dissociation energies of Be atom from BeSi(n), Si atom from BeSi(n), and Si atom from Si(n) clusters have also been calculated, respectively, to examine relative stabilities. The trend of stability of BeSi(n) changed with n is converse to that of Si(n) when n or= 8, the encapsulated Be atom in silicon cages not only results in an identical trend for stability of BeSi(n) and Si(n) but also improves the stability of Si(n) clusters.

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