Search Results (24,905)

Molecular engineering has traditionally followed a structure–function paradigm based on well-defined, folded architectures. However, intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (IDPs/IDRs) reveal that nature also exploits disorder as a functional design strategy. Here, we argue that intrinsic disorder can be understood as a biomimetic design principle for molecular and materials engineering. From a soft matter perspective, IDRs function through statistical ensembles, weak multivalent interactions, and collective behavior rather than fixed structure, with sequence features encoding a molecular grammar that governs phase behavior, viscoelasticity, and responsiveness. These principles closely parallel those found in associative polymers and colloidal systems. Recent advances in coarse-grained modeling, machine learning, and inverse design further enable disorder to be treated as a controllable engineering variable. By reframing intrinsic disorder as a programmable and bioinspired design strategy, this Perspective highlights its potential for the development of adaptive and responsive biomimetic materials. Full article

Flexible automated assembly lines (FAALs) in Industry 4.0 require robust quality management that integrates operational data with systematic risk analysis. However, Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) documents are often developed during the design phase and not systematically updated with actual production data, leading to a gap between formal risk assessment and operational reality. This study addresses this gap by developing and validating an integrated data-driven framework that combines classical quality tools (process flow charts, check sheets, cause-and-effect diagrams, and Pareto analysis) with data-driven PFMEA, creating traceable links from operational logs to risk ratings. While individual quality tools are well-established, the core contribution of this work is a structured data transformation pipeline that creates traceable, auditable linkages from raw operational event logs to calibrated PFMEA ratings with quantified uncertainty—a combination not previously demonstrated for flexible assembly systems. The framework was applied to FMS-200, a modular FAAL for bearing units, consisting of eight stations and a common transfer system. Analysis of 186 failure events across 2743 assembly cycles, including 18 product configurations, identified 40 distinct failure modes with risk priority number (RPN) values ranging from 60 to 378, revealing that approximately 90% of the aggregated risk is associated with pneumatic systems. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis (10,000 iterations) demonstrated robust rank stability, with the top five failure modes maintaining their relative ordering in over 90% of simulations. The framework provides production and quality managers with a systematic methodology to maintain PFMEA relevance through continuous data integration, enabling evidence-based prioritization of improvement actions. Full article

The plant mitochondrial genome has become a current research hotspot as an independent genetic model. Nevertheless, mitochondrial genome information for most Dendrobium species remains unknown. In this study, the assembly of mitochondrial genome of Dendrobium nobile Lindl.,1830 and Dendrobium denneanum Kerr., 1933 was conducted through the application of second- and third-generation sequencing technologies, with the mitochondrial genome of D. denneanum Kerr. being reported first. The results revealed that the mitochondrial genomes of the two species possessed a multi-chromosome circular structure. Their total lengths were 641,414 bp and 558,760 bp, consisting of 21 and 19 contigs, respectively. A total of 67 and 72 genes, 993 and 1491 repeat sequences, and 549 and 553 RNA editing sites were identified. Gene loss was observed. A total of 26 and 36 homologous fragments were detected between the mitochondrial and the chloroplast genome, accounting for 5.09% and 4.93% of the total lengths, respectively, indicating intracellular gene transfer. Synteny and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the two species shared extensive collinear regions and clustered together in a distinct clade of the phylogenetic tree, indicating a close sister relationship. These findings enrich the mitochondrial genome database and provide valuable insights to guide future research on species identification and molecular evolution of the genus Dendrobium. Full article

Intensive ornamental planting is increasingly prevalent in urban green spaces, yet its effects on soil microbial community assembly and interaction networks remain poorly understood. Here, we examined shifts in soil properties, microbial diversity, community composition, and interaction networks across successive planting cycles. Bacterial alpha-diversity remained relatively stable, whereas fungal communities showed pronounced sensitivity to early planting stages. Beta-diversity analyses revealed that bacterial community composition was jointly influenced by planting stage and site type, while fungal communities were primarily structured by site characteristics. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed contrasting reassembly trajectories between microbial groups. Bacterial networks exhibited increasing complexity and modularity, indicating enhanced interaction intensity and competitive structuring under intensive management. In contrast, fungal networks displayed reduced connectivity but maintained or recovered modular organization, suggesting structural buffering. Notably, keystone taxa remained taxonomically conserved, indicating that network reorganization was driven by interaction rewiring rather than species turnover. We propose a dual-speed reassembly framework in which bacteria function as fast-responding components with dynamic interaction networks, whereas fungi act as slow-buffering, structurally persistent elements. This decoupling of short-term functional responsiveness and long-term stability provides new insights into how intensive management reshapes soil microbiomes in botanical garden ecosystems. Full article

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonism offers a promising avenue for antiviral intervention. This study characterizes AXC-715, a novel small-molecule agonist that selectively targets TLR7 to elicit broad-spectrum antiviral effects. Structural analysis of the AXC-715–hTLR7 complex (PDB ID: 5GMH) elucidates the molecular basis of receptor activation. AXC-715 occupies the interface of TLR7 monomers, establishing critical hydrogen bonds with D555 and T586, alongside π-π and π-alkyl interactions with F408, V381, and L557. These interactions effectively promote and stabilize the active TLR7 dimeric conformation. Functionally, AXC-715 activates NF-κB signaling in a P65-dependent manner without inducing cytotoxicity in PK-15 or THP-1 cells. In vitro assays demonstrated that AXC-715 potently inhibits the replication of both pseudorabies virus (PRV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) by specifically impairing viral replication, distinct from adsorption, entry, assembly, or release processes. The antiviral effect was abolished in TLR7-knockout PK-15 cells, confirming the strict dependence of AXC-715 on on-target TLR7 signaling. These findings highlight AXC-715 as a potent TLR7 agonist that stabilizes receptor dimerization to inhibit viral replication, providing a valuable framework for developing TLR7-based antiviral therapeutics. Full article

To optimize the oxygen reduction reaction activity and long-term stability of the PrBaFe₂O_6-δ (PBF) cathode for protonic ceramic fuel cell (PCFC), this study employed the sol–gel method to dope Sc at the Fe-site of PBF, preparing a novel PrBaFe_1.8Sc_0.2O_6-δ (PBFS) cathode. The effects of different sintering temperatures on the phase composition, microstructure, and electrochemical performance of the PBFS cathode were systematically studied. Results showed that the PBFS cathode sintered at 1000 °C formed a single cubic perovskite structure, exhibiting excellent chemical compatibility with the electrolyte. Sc doping induced Fe in the cathode to exhibit a mixed valence state of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺/Fe⁴⁺, thus significantly increasing the oxygen vacancy concentration. The single cell assembled achieved a peak power density of 1.303 W·cm⁻² and a polarization resistance as low as 0.035 Ω·cm² with H₂ as the fuel at 700 °C. Moreover, after 100 h of long-term operation at 650 °C, the power density decayed by only 5.23%, thus demonstrating excellent long-term stability. This study offers an efficient cobalt-free cathode candidate for PCFC. Full article

Open-source bioprinting can broaden access to biofabrication, enabling existing systems to perform high-resolution tissue manufacturing. However, most of these focus on low cost, easy assembly, or specific biomaterial ink rather than making a robust standardized and modularized multifunction platform. In this study, we present CrystalCells, a user-friendly modular open-source bioprinting system centered on the TridentExtruder, a high-performance syringe extruder with extrusion/retraction capability and tool-free automated syringe coupling. The system enables the automated exchange of syringe, temperature-controlling, microscope, and pipette modules. Repeated syringe return-and-pickup cycles showed repositioning errors within ±20 μm, while the extruder generated pressures above 950 kPa and exhibited lower elastic deformation than the Replistruder 4 under the same pressure conditions. CrystalCells supported the extrusion of pre-crosslinked alginate, FRESH printing, and dual-biomaterial inks printing with automated exchange. A microscope module resolved stained HeLa cells and enabled layer-by-layer imaging for defect detection during printing. A thermoelectric module maintained the syringe barrel below 6 °C during the printing of an alginate–collagen biomaterial ink at 23 °C (room temperature), and a pipette module transferred 2–10 μL volumes with errors within ±0.5 μL. These results show that CrystalCells is an open-source modular biofabrication platform integrating printing, imaging, temperature control, and liquid handling within a single workflow. Full article

Virus-like particles (VLPs), nanoscale self-assembled structures lacking viral genetic material, have emerged as a versatile platform for vaccines, targeted delivery systems, and gene-editing applications owing to their strong immunogenicity, favorable biosafety profile, and high engineerability. However, the complex architecture of VLPs, their significant size heterogeneity, and the diversity of process- and product-related impurities generated in different expression systems make downstream purification a major bottleneck limiting product quality, yield, and manufacturability. This review systematically discusses advanced downstream purification strategies for VLPs from the perspective of three major objectives: preservation of structure and biological activity, control of product heterogeneity, and assurance of viral safety. First, strategies for maintaining VLP integrity and function are examined, including optimization of solution conditions, adoption of gentle yet efficient separation operations, and integration of process analytical technology (PAT) to reduce process-induced damage. Second, the review summarizes multi-step purification approaches—spanning clarification, ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UF/DF), chromatography, and disassembly/reassembly—to remove host cell proteins, host cell DNA, and product-related impurities while improving particle homogeneity and stability. Third, viral safety is discussed primarily from the perspective of downstream virus clearance under host-dependent risk, with particular attention to orthogonal clearance steps tailored to VLP properties and expression systems such as CHO cells and insect cell–baculovirus platforms. Overall, this review provides a CQA-oriented framework and practical guidance for the development of robust, scalable, and GMP-compliant downstream purification processes for VLP-based products. Full article

Earthworms are ecosystem engineers that are sensitive to land-use intensification and edaphic conditions, yet their ecology remains poorly understood in transformed semi-arid landscapes. We hypothesized that, in recently colonized agroecosystems, land-use intensity and physicochemical soil conditions jointly filter the earthworm assembly. In the recently irrigated Lower Valley of the Negro River, Patagonia, Argentina, we sampled earthworms and soils across five land uses—riparian reference sites, fruit orchards, pastures, cereal crops, and horticulture plots—in landscapes dominated by Natrargid Ustolls and Fluventic Haplocambids. We found five species, all of which were exotic Lumbricidae, including the first Argentine record for Murchieona minuscula, indicating a recent colonization following human-mediated niche construction that created an ecological island. The earthworm abundance and biomass were highest in permanent and semi-permanent uses and were driven primarily by soil moisture, pH, and particulate organic matter. Crucially, our results reveal that land-use intensity filters communities by restricting the initial colonization rather than through local extinctions. These findings confirm that soil properties mediate the impact of land use on earthworm assemblages. The inclusion of pastures and fruit orchards in the rotations favors the earthworm populations that, despite low diversity, enhance soil functioning and contribute to agricultural sustainability in semi-arid irrigated agroecosystems. Full article

Continuous monocropping and inappropriate fertilization have contributed to nutrient depletion and soil degradation, limiting peanut productivity in subtropical red soil agroecosystems. Although diversified cropping may help alleviate these constraints, the reasons why it improves peanut productivity remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a long-term field experiment in Jiangxi, China, to compare four cropping systems, assess soil nutrients, peanut productivity, and bacterial communities, and further evaluate the role of key taxa through inoculation assays and structural equation modeling. Results showed that diversified cropping improved peanut growth and yield, with the green manure integrated system performing best overall. Diversified cropping also increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus, while reshaping bacterial communities. Several taxa, including Bradyrhizobium, Mycobacterium, Dormibacter, and Ardenticatena, were positively associated with soil nutrients. Inoculation assays further showed that a synthetic consortium assembled from representative strains affiliated with key taxa produced stronger effects on plant growth than a single-strain inoculation. Structural equation modeling identified key taxa as the factor most strongly associated with crop productivity. These findings suggest that higher peanut productivity under diversified cropping was closely associated with concurrent improvements in soil fertility and the enrichment of key taxa. Full article

This study proposes an innovative structural wall system and evaluates its compressive performance. The wall consists of GLPB manufactured using laminated bonding (along the grain direction) and assembled using a staggered interlocking masonry method. Two key geometric parameters controlling the mechanical response of the GLPB wall—the slenderness ratio (β) and the eccentricity (e)—were selected as the primary design variables. Using a combined experimental and numerical approach, the study systematically investigated the compressive mechanical behavior and performance evolution of the wall, including compressive strength and deformation behavior. Through axial and eccentric compression tests, six sets of specimens with varying geometric parameters β and e were analyzed, yielding relevant data and characteristics regarding failure modes, ultimate load-carrying capacity, load–displacement response, crack resistance, and wall deformation. To further characterize the compressive mechanical performance of GLPB walls, a refined nonlinear finite element model was developed in ABAQUS (version 2020). This model incorporates the anisotropic constitutive behavior of wood, the Hill yield criterion, and the mechanical interactions at the interlocking and bonding interfaces. The study indicates that the average compressive strength of GLPB walls is 2.63 MPa, with a crack-to-failure load ratio ranging from 0.68 to 0.83. GLPB walls demonstrate comparable load-bearing capacity. The total axial vertical strain ranges from 0.033 to 0.041, indicating that the walls possess good deformation capacity. Based on Chinese masonry design standards and experimental evidence, a preliminary predictive formula for the load-bearing capacity of this wall was derived. A comparison of the aforementioned experimental measurements with simulation results showed errors of less than 10%, verifying the model’s validity and accuracy. Numerical simulation can, to a certain extent, compensate for the limitations of experimental methods in capturing internal mechanical states. Full article

Armillaria species hold significant ecological and economic importance and they play a vital role in the growth of traditional Chinese medicine Gastrodia elata (G. elata). In this study, we assembled and compared the mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of six Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm. (A. mellea) strains isolated from the main G. elata-producing region of Hanzhong, China. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing confirmed that all six strains form a monophyletic clade. Their mitogenomes (120,775 to 120,839 bp) exhibit a highly conserved architecture, each containing 16 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 23 open reading frames (ORFs), 27 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. Codon usage and amino acid frequency were strikingly similar among the six strains, with a strong AT bias. In contrast, comparisons with other Armillaria species revealed marked differences in gene order, repeat structures, and selection pressures. Phylogenetic analyses based on PCGs further resolved the close relationship among the six strains while highlighting distinct molecular variation across species. On the whole, these findings demonstrate that A. mellea strains co-evolving with G. elata maintain a highly uniform mitochondrial genome architecture, suggesting strong purifying selection or recent divergence within this symbiotic population. The pronounced differences from other Armillaria species at the levels of gene arrangement and selection pressure imply that mitochondrial gene rearrangement may have accompanied species diversification in the genus. By providing the first complete mitogenomes of A. mellea from a major G. elata cultivation area, this study not only expands the genomic resources for Armillaria but also establishes a foundation for understanding how mitochondrial variation might influence fungal growth, adaptation, and symbiotic efficiency with G. elata. Full article

Biomass-derived sulfur-containing hard carbons are promising anode candidates for sodium-ion batteries, but cross-study optimization remains difficult because reported electrochemical performance reflects both synthesis history and incomplete or non-uniform structural characterization. Here, we assembled a focused literature-derived dataset of 101 records from 16 journal articles and compared the predictive value of three information sources: precursor descriptors, process variables, and measured structural descriptors. We further introduced domain-knowledge-guided precursor descriptors to encode interpretable aspects of precursor chemistry and architecture, including lignin-related richness, polysaccharide contribution, volatile tendency, precursor-component coupling, and post-treatment category. In controlled feature-set comparisons, the model combining precursor and process descriptors achieved an R² of 0.59, outperforming the conventional combination of process and structural descriptors (R² = 0.57) and remaining close to the full-information setting (R² ≈ 0.61). Model interpretation further showed that, when structural descriptors were removed, predictive reliance shifted toward precursor and process variables, indicating that accessible upstream descriptors retain a meaningful fraction of the formation-pathway information relevant to sodium storage. These results should be interpreted within this curated sulfur-containing literature space rather than as a universal predictor, but they demonstrate that domain-knowledge-guided precursor encoding can support low-characterization, screening-oriented prediction and experimental prioritization. Full article

In the new industrial revolution 5.0 era, manufacturing facilities with manual assembly have higher expectations, higher mass customization, and more human involvement, as well as including new digital technologies in smart workstations. Given these expectations, the cognitive load of manual assembly workers is increasing. Cognitive assessment systems are being added to manufacturing facilities to work in parallel with physical and sensory assistance systems to establish better work conditions for workers and better overall system performance. This paper presents an exploratory study using eye-tracking as an assessment system to identify potential locations of increased cognitive workload and errors to better understand where and how to employ assistance for workers to improve the manual assembly and inspection process. The results of this study indicate that the highest workload occurs with measuring and inspection tasks, and most errors occur during the assembly of parts, where their geometry impacts placement. It also demonstrates the feasibility of eye-tracking as a low-cost, integral part of the human–computer system in the assembly environment. Full article