Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising building blocks for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices, yet reliable and stable doping, particularly n type, remains challenging due to strong environmental sensitivity and competing extrinsic effects. Encapsulation of charge transfer molecules within the SWCNT cavity offers a promising route to stable doping while preserving the nanotubes outer surface for subsequent processing. Here, we systematically investigate the filling of arc discharge SWCNTs with the electron donor tetrathiafulvalene and electron acceptor tetracyanoquinodimethane, comparing different methods for filling, including melt filling, solution reflux, and vacuum phase sublimation. We follow the entire processing workflow from raw, unfilled powders to aqueous dispersions and employ density gradient ultracentrifugation to separate filled from empty nanotubes as well as metallic from semiconducting ones. Encapsulation efficiency and electronic modification are assessed using absorption spectroscopy, resonant Raman scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance. Finally, we introduce a complementary vacuum-phase method that removes externally adsorbed molecules without extensive solvent washing, enabling cleaner encapsulated systems.
Objectives Endometriosis is a chronic disease for which no curative treatment currently exists. The available palliative treatments are not without side effects and must be tailored to the individual expectations and objectives of each patient. This poses significant challenges for clinician–patient communication. This study explores the perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals regarding endometriosis management to identify ways to improve shared decision-making processes. Methods This cross-sectional qualitative study was performed using a semi-structured focus group methodology. Twenty patients with endometriosis and thirteen healthcare professionals were separately involved in this study between June 2024 and January 2025. Focus group topics investigated the representations of the concept of treatment effectiveness, the emotions associated with endometriosis management, and the perceived impact of care pathways on patient-clinician and patient-environment relationships. Results The study highlighted contrasting perspectives between patients and clinicians regarding what constitutes effective hormonal therapies. Long-term amenorrhea is a priority for healthcare professionals, whereas pain reduction remains the immediate priority for patients. Patients also expect surgery to be as effective as possible and are enthusiastic about non-medical treatments. Patients who participated in the focus groups reported a lack of listening and empathy, a deficit of shared information as regards treatment options and side effects, and a need to involve partners and family members in care. These factors contribute to communication issues between patients and clinicians and contribute to substantial psychological burden on both sides. Conclusion The study highlighted the central role of communication and analysed, at different levels, the factors underlying relational issues that affect patient care and quality of life. Several factors should be addressed to improve shared decision-making in the management of endometriosis, which may inform the development of a shared decision-making tool in the near future.
Linear differential equations and recurrences reveal many properties about their solutions. Therefore, these equations are well-suited for representing solutions and computing with special functions. We identify a large class of existing algorithms that compute such representations as a linear relation between the iterates of an elementary operator known as a pseudo-linear map. Algorithms of this form have been designed and used for solving various computational problems, in different contexts, including effective closure properties for linear differential or recurrence equations, the computation of a differential equation satisfied by an algebraic function, and many others. We propose a unified approach for establishing precise degree bounds on the solutions of all these problems. This approach relies on a common structure shared by all the specific instances of the class. For each problem, the obtained bound is tight. It either improves or recovers the previous best known bound that was derived by ad hoc methods.
Pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) is classified as a nonclimacteric tropical fruit that exhibits significant internal browning (IB), which severely affects its postharvest quality. In this study, we identified the transcription factor AcWRKY65 as a key regulator of IB susceptibility. Molecular characterization revealed that nuclear-localized AcWRKY65 functions as a transcriptional activator, directly binding to the promoters of browning-linked genes (laccase, AcLAC; polyphenol oxidase, AcPPO; citrate synthase, AcCS; and abscisic acid receptor, AcPYL5) and thereby enhancing their expression. Overexpression of AcWRKY65 enhanced pineapple tissue disc and callus browning, while heterologous overexpression in tomato fruit accelerated ripening processes. These results elucidate the role of AcWRKY65 in co-regulating enzymatic browning processes and oxidative stress response pathways, offering critical insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying IB and proposing AcWRKY65 as a promising molecular target to improve postharvest pineapple quality.
Low weight, low price, and excellent long-term stability are the main advantages of vinyl-based polymers. Such polymers are obtained by chain-growth processes leading to all-carbon backbones, which are non(bio)degradable and nonchemically recyclable. Unfortunately, this chemical stability manifests as postuse persistence; coupled with poor waste management practices, polymers including vinyl derivatives pose major environmental problems today. Given that it is very difficult and costly to design entirely new materials that have both desired properties (mechanical, thermal, solvent resistance, etc.) and recyclability and/or biodegradability at the end of their life cycle, it seems worthwhile to transform already known materials into (bio)degradable/chemically recyclable equivalents. One approach is based on the introduction of cleavable bonds into the polymer backbone, so that degradation (by hydrolysis, for example) produces oligomers which can then be further recycled and/or bioassimilated by micro-organisms. An effective method for incorporating weak bonds randomly into the C-C backbone of a vinyl polymer is the copolymerization of vinyl monomers with cyclic monomers by radical ring-opening polymerization (rROP). This method combines the advantages of ring-opening and radical polymerization, i.e., the production of polymers with heteroatoms and/or functional groups in the main chain, with the robustness, ease of use, and mild polymerization conditions of a radical process. The aim of this tutorial review is to provide polymer chemists with guidelines to use rROP to prepare vinyl-based materials with predictable degradation. This review thus presents the rROP principle, the main families of cyclic monomers copolymerizable with vinyl monomers, and the main applications of the resulting (bio)degradable/chemically recyclable materials (polymers for packaging, latexes and degradable surfaces, 3D printing, biomaterials and water-soluble polymers).
