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Owing to their eco-friendly substrate, cellulose-based transparent electrodes have attracted considerable attention from researchers. However, the fabrication methods for transparent electrodes were mostly developed by focusing on normal nonporous substrates such as polydimethylsiloxane or polyethylene terephthalate. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of transparent conductive nitrocellulose (TCNC) by the filtration method with a 0.2 μm-pore nitrocellulose (NC) membrane and solvent evaporation process to fill in the pores. This method allows for simple and fast fabrication. To ensure good optical and electrical performances for diverse materials and compositions, single-wall carbon nanotubes, multiwall carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxide, and silver nanowires (AgNWs) are filtered onto the nitrocellulose. The filtrated conductive nitrocellulose membrane is transformed to nonporous TCNC by dimethylsulfoxide evaporation. The materials and surface morphology of TCNC, which is fabricated by these methods are analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, TCNC fabricated by diverse materials is analyzed optically and electrically using the transmittance and sheet resistance, the current–voltage curve, and the mechanical properties. The highly conductive AgNW TCNC could be applied for touch-sensor devices and envelop-paper electronics, which may be operated by an embedded personal computer system.

DNA has been employed to either store digital information or to perform parallel molecular computing. Relatively unexplored is the ability to combine DNA-based memory and logical operations in a single platform. Here, we show a DNA tri-level cell non-volatile memory system capable of parallel random-access writing of memory and bit shifting operations. A microchip with an array of individually addressable electrodes was employed to enable random access of the memory cells using electric fields. Three segments on a DNA template molecule were used to encode three data bits. Rapid writing of data bits was enabled by electric field-induced hybridization of fluorescently labeled complementary probes and the data bits were read by fluorescence imaging. We demonstrated the rapid parallel writing and reading of 8 (2 3 ) combinations of 3-bit memory data and bit shifting operations by electric field-induced strand displacement. Our system may find potential applications in DNA-based memory and computations. DNA based technology holds promise for non-volatile memory and computational tasks, yet the relatively slow hybridization kinetics remain a bottleneck. Here, Song et al. have developed an electric field-induced hybridization platform that can speed up multi-bit memory and logic operations.

DNA can be used to store digital data, and synthetic short‐sequence DNA pools are developed to store high quantities of digital data. However, synthetic DNA data cannot be actively processed in DNA pools. An active DNA data editing process is developed using splint ligation in a droplet‐controlled fluidics (DCF) system. DNA fragments of discrete sizes (100–500 bps) are synthesized for droplet assembly, and programmed sequence information exchange occurred. The encoded DNA sequences are processed in series and parallel to synthesize the determined DNA pools, enabling random access using polymerase chain reaction amplification. The sequencing results of the assembled DNA data pools can be orderly aligned for decoding and have high fidelity through address primer scanning. Furthermore, eight 90 bps DNA pools with pixel information (png: 0.27–0.28 kB), encoded by codons, are synthesized to create eight 270 bps DNA pools with an animation movie chip file (mp4: 12 kB) in the DCF system.

Background: Various cell culture platforms that could display native environmental cue-mimicking stimuli were developed, and effects of environmental cues on cell behaviors were studied with the cell culture platforms. Likewise, various cell culture platforms mimicking native trabecular meshwork (TM) composed of juxtacanalicular, corneoscleral and uveal meshwork located in internal scleral sulcus were used to study effects of environmental cues and/or drug treatments on TM cells and glaucoma development. Glaucoma is a disease that could cause blindness, and cause of glaucoma is not clearly identified yet. It appears that aqueous humor (AH) outflow resistance increased by damages on pathway of AH outflow can elevate intraocular pressure (IOP). These overall possibly contribute to development of glaucoma. Methods: For the study of glaucoma, static and dynamic cell culture platforms were developed. Particularly, the dynamic platforms exploiting AH outflow-mimicking perfusion or increased IOP-mimicking increased pressure were used to study how perfusion or increased pressure could affect TM cells. Overall, potential mechanisms of glaucoma development, TM structures and compositions, TM cell culture platform types and researches on TM cells and glaucoma development with the platforms were described in this review. Results and conclusion: This will be useful to improve researches on TM cells and develop enhanced therapies targeting glaucoma.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites have been widely used for electronic devices because of their high conductivity and ease of processing. However, these nanocomposites have limited functionality because of their rigid intrinsic mechanical properties. In this study, we fabricated a stretchable serpentine structure using a CNT nanocomposite with a carboxymethyl cellulose binder. For a flexible mold, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was cast by the stretchable serpentine structure fabricated by a 3D printer. The CNT nanocomposite slurry was squeegeed into the serpentine-patterned PDMS mold. Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the material properties of the nanocomposites with 15–45 wt% CNTs. We analyzed the serpentine grid structure using current-voltage curves, strain resistance values, and the Joule heating effect. Next, we developed the structural CNT nanocomposite electrode (SCNE) that was insulated by PDMS, and induced a skin-warming effect by Joule heating. Furthermore, light emitting diodes (LEDs) were implanted in series into a T-shaped linear SCNE, which had greater stretchability. The nine LEDs embedded in the SCNE were successfully operated by applying 20 V during the bending of the structure. Finally, the serpentine-shaped linear SCNEs with serially-implanted LEDs were programmed to light the LEDs in unison with the beat of a song.

The surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was chemically modified using 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) to improve its compatibility with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The carboxylic acid groups of the MWCNTs-PBA (PCNTs) provide a β-phase nucleation site to the fluorine of PVDF along their surface. The content of the β-phase crystalline structure of PVDF was found to be the highest at a concentration of 1.0 wt.% of PCNTs, and these PVDF-PCNTs composites were utilized as active layers in triboelectric devices. The maximum output voltage achieved was 16 volts at a concentration of 1.0 wt.% of PCNTs in the PVDF composites.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), utilizing ultrasound (US) and sonosensitizers, holds immense potential as a noninvasive and targeted treatment for a variety of deep-seated tumors. However, the clinical translation of SDT is hampered by several key limitations in sonosensitizers, especially their low aqueous stability and poor cellular uptake. In this study, non-ionic polysorbate (Tween 80, T80) was adopted to formulate effective nanocarriers for the safe and efficient delivery of sonosensitizers to cancer cells. Mitochondria-targeting triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-conjugated chlorin e6 (Ce6) sonosensitizer was loaded into T80-based micelles for efficient SDT. Pro-oxidant piperlongumine (PL) was co-encapsulated with TPP-conjugated Ce6 (T-Ce6) in T80 micelles to enable combination chemo-SDT. T80 micelles substantially enhanced the cellular internalization of T-Ce6. As a result, T80 micelles loaded with T-Ce6 and PL [T80(T-Ce6/PL)] significantly elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells upon US exposure. Moreover, T-Ce6 exhibited selective accumulation within the mitochondria, leading to efficient cell death under US irradiation. Importantly, T80(T-Ce6/PL) micelles caused cancer-specific cell death by selectively triggering apoptosis in cancer cells through PL. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using T80(T-Ce6/PL) micelles for efficient and cancer-specific combination chemo-SDT.

This dissertation studies the incentives of private equity (PE) fund managers. In the first chapter, I study how the management fee structures of funds shape their incentives. I find that one of the most common management fee structures in the industry - changing fee bases at the end of the investment period from committed capital to invested capital - creates an agency problem where the managers overinvest to receive more management fees. Importantly, this finding implies that that the investors face a trade-off when choosing this fee structure. Changing fee bases in this way reduces management fees, but it also creates an overinvestment problem. In the second chapter, I examine what determines the nature of the operational changes that the PE fund managers bring to their portfolio companies. In the context of PE ownership of nursing homes in the U.S., I find that the PE fund managers improve quality of care of their nursing homes by hiring more skilled nurses, but only at the nursing homes in competitive markets. In contrast, in concentrated markets, PE fund managers fire nurses which lowers quality of care. Overall, this chapter shows that the competition in the product market largely shapes the effects of PE ownership on consumer welfare. Importantly,this finding implies that policy makers may use pro-competition policies to assuage negative effects of PE ownership on consumer welfare. Consistent with this finding, this chapter shows that PE-owned nursing homes responded more strongly to the introduction of the star-rating system at the end of 2008. In the final chapter of this dissertation, I examine how the incentives of the PE fund managers change in times of crisis. To do this, I examine the effects of PE ownership on nursing homes during COVID-19. In the media, there were several accusations that the PE investors make nursing homes more vulnerable to COVID-19. This chapter shows that PE-ownership is actually associated with a lower likelihood of having a COVID-19 outbreak, and a lower likelihood of nursing homes being short of Personal Protective Equipments for their nurses and patients. These findings are consistent with the view that PE investors help their portfolio companies survive through crises by bringing both management expertise and capital injections to their portfolio companies.

Recently, the integration of a wide range of nanocomponents has been investigated for building patterned or layered structures on the macroscopic and mesoscopic scale. In order to break through the issues of current devices and develop diverse and reliable applications from nanobiomaterials to nanoelectronics, it is necessary to fabricate nano-devices and systems using nanocomponents. However, traditional fabrication methods have required the modification of these nanomaterials, and need new approaches for the advancement of development for diverse and reliable applications. In this dissertation, two novel methods are demonstrated for pragmatic nano devices and systems: Controlling extrinsic nanoparticle alignment by electrical field deposition, and intrinsic DNA binding through photolithography. First, the use of nanoparticles' electrophoretic deposition (EPD) onto porous biodegradable polymer allows the production of transparent flexible carbon nanotube network films with mechanical strength. Most importantly, after solvent treatment, the opaque substrate changed to transparent with conductivity. Thus, we produced flexible transparent films. Another unique aspect of this process is that after solvent treatment, the substrate can be implanted onto newspapers or cloth. Second, we demonstrate a DNA double write process that represents, which allows DNA to be used as a unique material for UV patterning, with subsequent selfassembly via the hybridization of complementary DNA sequences. This novel method allows true synergy for combining top-down photolithography with bottom-up selfassembly. In addition, we have been able to demonstrate both first- and second-level patterning, including target sequence detection and streptavidin /biotin binding with the DNA double write process.

Test-Time Adaptation (TTA) enables real-time adaptation to domain shifts without off-line retraining. Recent TTA methods have predominantly explored additive approaches that introduce lightweight modules for feature refinement. Recently, a subtractive approach that removes domain-sensitive channels has emerged as an alternative direction. We observe that these paradigms exhibit complementary effectiveness patterns: subtractive methods excel under severe shifts by removing corrupted features, while additive methods are effective under moderate shifts requiring refinement. However, each paradigm operates effectively only within limited shift severity ranges, failing to generalize across diverse corruption levels. This leads to the following question: can we adaptively balance both strategies based on measured feature-level domain shift? We propose CD-Buffer, a novel complementary dual-buffer framework where subtractive and additive mechanisms operate in opposite yet coordinated directions driven by a unified discrepancy metric. Our key innovation lies in the discrepancy-driven coupling: Our framework couples removal and refinement through a unified discrepancy metric, automatically balancing both strategies based on feature-level shift severity. This establishes automatic channel-wise balancing that adapts differentiated treatment to heterogeneous shift magnitudes without manual tuning. Extensive experiments on KITTI, Cityscapes, and ACDC datasets demonstrate state-of-the-art performance, consistently achieving superior results across diverse weather conditions and severity levels.