Wearable electronics have received considerable attention in recent years. These devices have penetrated every aspect of our daily lives and stimulated interest in futuristic electronics. Thus, flexible batteries that can be bent or folded are desperately needed, and their electrochemical functions should be maintained stably under the deformation states, given the increasing demands for wearable electronics. Carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and/or their composites, as flexible materials exhibit excellent properties that make them suitable for use in flexible batteries. Herein, the most recent progress on flexible batteries using carbon nanomaterials is discussed from the viewpoint of materials fabrication, structure design, and property optimization. Based on the current progress, the existing advantages, challenges, and prospects are outlined and highlighted.

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Rapid detection of highly contagious pathogens is the key to increasing the probability of survival and reducing infection rates. We developed a sensitive and quantitative lateral flow assay for detection of Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein with a novel multifunctional nanosphere (RNs@Au) as a reporter. Each RNs@Au contains hundreds of quantum dots and dozens of Au nanoparticles and can achieve enhanced dual-signal readout (fluorescence signal for quantitative detection and colorimetric signal for visual detection). Antibody (Ab) and streptavidin (SA) were simultaneously modified onto the RNs@Au to label the target and act as signal enhancer. After the target was labeled by the Ab-RNs@Au-SA and captured on the test line, biotin-modified RNs@Au was used to amplify the dual signal by the reaction of SA with biotin. The assay enables naked-eye detection of 2 ng/mL glycoprotein within 20 min, and the quantitative detection limit is 0.18 ng/mL. Additionally, the assay has been successfully tested in field work for detecting EBOV in spiked urine, plasma, and tap water samples and is thus a promising candidate for early diagnosis of suspect infections in EBOV-stricken areas.

BackgroundGenome-wide gene expression profile using deep sequencing technologies can drive the discovery of cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Such efforts are often limited to profiling the expression signature of either mRNA or microRNA (miRNA) in a single type of cancer.MethodologyHere we provided an integrated analysis of the genome-wide mRNA and miRNA expression profiles of three different genitourinary cancers: carcinomas of the bladder, kidney and testis.Principal FindingsOur results highlight the general or cancer-specific roles of several genes and miRNAs that may serve as candidate oncogenes or suppressors of tumor development. Further comparative analyses at the systems level revealed that significant aberrations of the cell adhesion process, p53 signaling, calcium signaling, the ECM-receptor and cell cycle pathways, the DNA repair and replication processes and the immune and inflammatory response processes were the common hallmarks of human cancers. Gene sets showing testicular cancer-specific deregulation patterns were mainly implicated in processes related to male reproductive function, and general disruptions of multiple metabolic pathways and processes related to cell migration were the characteristic molecular events for renal and bladder cancer, respectively. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that tumors with the same histological origins and genes with similar functions tended to group together in a clustering analysis. By assessing the correlation between the expression of each miRNA and its targets, we determined that deregulation of ‘key’ miRNAs may result in the global aberration of one or more pathways or processes as a whole.ConclusionsThis systematic analysis deciphered the molecular phenotypes of three genitourinary cancers and investigated their variations at the miRNA level simultaneously. Our results provided a valuable source for future studies and highlighted some promising genes, miRNAs, pathways and processes that may be useful for diagnostic or therapeutic applications.

The large‐scale fabrication of efficient and inexpensive bifunctional catalysts is highly desirable but very challenging for oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (ORR–OER) in metal–air batteries. Here, a facile and scalable approach for the fabrication of hierarchically porous air electrode consisting of cobalt nanoparticles embedded in bamboo‐like nitrogen‐rich carbon nanotubes (Co/N@CNTs), which are in situ grown onto the surface of carbon nanotube macrofilm (CNMF) through a catalytic growth of crosslinked carbon nanotubes is reported. The resulting hybrid macrofilm (Co/N@CNTs@CNMF) can be directly used as a freestanding air electrode without adding any binder or addivities. More importantly, when incorporated in a zinc–air battery (ZAB), the Co/N@CNTs@CNMF electrode demonstrates drastically enhanced ORR and OER activity while maintaining excellent durability during cycling. Further, when it is used to assemble an all‐solid‐state ZAB, the cell also displays excellent mechanical flexibility, implying promising perspectives as power sources for wearable electronics.

The fluorescence method has made great progress in the construction of sensitive sensors but the background fluorescence of the matrix and photobleaching limit its broad application in clinical diagnosis. Here, we propose a digital single virus immunoassay for multiplex virus detection by using fluorescent magnetic multifunctional nanospheres as both capture carriers and signal labels. The superparamagnetism and strong magnetic response ability of nanospheres can realize efficient capture and separation of targets without sample pretreatment. Due to their distinguishable fluorescence imaging and photostability, the nanospheres enable single-particle counting for ultrasensitive multiplexed detection. Furthermore, the integration of digital analysis provided a reliable quantitative strategy for the detection of rare targets. Based on multifunctional nanospheres and digital analysis, a digital single virus immunoassay was proposed for simultaneous detection of H9N2, H1N1, and H7N9 avian influenza virus without complex signal amplification, whose detection limits were 0.02 pg/mL. Owing to its good specificity and anti-interference ability, the method showed great potential in single biomolecules, multiplexed detection, and early diagnosis of diseases.

We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study of edge enhancement in optically pumped Rb vapor in coated cylindrical pyrex glass cells. The Zeeman polarization of Rb atoms is produced and probed in the vicinity (∼10 −4 cm) of the cell surface by evanescent pump and probe beams. Spin-polarized Rb atoms diffuse throughout the cell in the presence of magnetic field gradients. In the present experiment the edge enhanced signal from the back surface of the cell is suppressed compared to that from the front surface, due to the fact that polarization is probed by the evanescent wave at the front surface only. The observed magnetic resonance line shape is reproduced quantitatively by a theoretical model and yields information about the dwell time and relaxation probability of Rb atoms on Pyrex glass surfaces coated with antirelaxation coatings.