Antibiotic residues in water are an emerging environmental concern because conventional treatment processes may not remove them completely. Now, researchers have shown that carefully tuning the balance of nitrogen and boron in biochar made from waste sawdust can greatly improve its ability to activate an oxidant and break down the widely used antibiotic sulfamethoxazole.

A new 0.36-mm² photonic chip is set to advance industrial swept-source optical coherence tomography, according to a study in PhotoniX Synergy. The compact system demonstrated high-precision performance, including imaging a smartphone camera, measuring silica wafers with sub-2 µm absolute error, and gauging photoresist height with a relative error of less than 0.12%. Additionally, the integration of a ball-lens fiber probe allows for 3D imaging inside narrow, hard-to-reach industrial components

Carbon quantum dot-mediated Fe₁₁ polyoxometalate (Fe₁₁POM) enrichment for accelerated photocatalytic H₂ evolution in a Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S system. The schematic illustrates the ternary Fe₁₁POM@CQD@Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S photocatalyst. Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S harvests visible light, carbon quantum dots relay photogenerated electronsand Fe₁₁POM accepts the transferred electrons to drive proton reduction to H₂. Lactic acid consumes photogenerated holes, helping suppress charge recombination and sustain hydrogen generation.

his study provides the first clinical evaluation of the combined use of microneedling and PRX PLUS for multidimensional skin quality improvement. By integrating objective imaging-based assessments (VISIA® and Visioscope) with patient-reported outcomes, the study demonstrates potential benefits of this minimally invasive approach in improving skin texture, pigmentation, redness, pore visibility, and overall facial appearance. These findings provide preliminary clinical evidence supporting regenerative, low-downtime strategies for skin rejuvenation and highlight the need for further controlled studies to validate the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of this combined protocol.

With the increasing scale of space infrastructure such as large space telescopes, antenna arrays, and solar power stations, the payload fairing size of launch vehicles has become a critical bottleneck constraining their development. On-orbit autonomous assembly via deployable modules has emerged as an important technical approach to overcome this limitation. Deployable modules typically exhibit high packaging ratios; however, the geometric deviations caused by residual strain, assembly tolerances, and dynamic coupling effects after deployment can significantly affect docking accuracy and structural stability, and may even lead to assembly failure. Nevertheless, existing studies have mostly focused on post-deployment final configuration accuracy optimization, with insufficient attention paid to the cooperative strategies between real-time deformation control and motion control during the assembly process. Moreover, a dynamic modeling method capable of accurately describing the coupling between variable-length flexible components and rigid bodies is still lacking. Therefore, how to achieve active configuration correction and coordinated position–attitude control of deployable modules on orbit has become a key challenge in the autonomous assembly of large space structures.

Researchers have demonstrated a fast, minimally invasive, optical-fiber-based imaging technique that combines dual-comb interferometry with a Transformer-based deep learning model to overcome the technical bottlenecks of traditional ghost imaging. By generating wavelength-multiplexed speckle patterns from a single-core fiber and detecting the target-encoded light with a single-pixel detector, the system achieves 2D imaging of dynamic targets at beyond-video rates. This experimental demonstration opens new frontiers for minimally invasive endomicroscopy and portable sensing in constrained environments.

With the advancement of long-term crewed deep-space exploration missions, the effects of the microgravity environment on astronauts' brain function have become an important topic in aerospace medicine. The disappearance of the hydrostatic pressure gradient during spaceflight induces cephalad fluid shifts, which can alter cerebral blood flow (CBF) and are closely associated with visual impairment, spatial disorientation, and cognitive decline. However, existing studies have predominantly focused on the steady-state phase during the middle and late stages of microgravity exposure, with insufficient understanding of the characteristics of CBF fluctuations during the early phase of postural transitions. Moreover, as an indicator of terminal perfusion in the cerebral microcirculation, the coupling relationship between CBF and the upstream hemodynamics of the internal carotid and vertebral arteries has not been systematically investigated. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cannot be applied in real time during spaceflight due to its bulky equipment, whereas ultrasound offers the advantages of portability, real-time capability, and radiation-free operation. Therefore, elucidating the association between early macrovascular hemodynamic changes under simulated microgravity and regional CBF alterations, and evaluating the feasibility of using ultrasound parameters as portable predictors of CBF, holds significant scientific importance and application value.

The efficiency with which forest canopies capture sunlight is a primary driver of their growth and carbon storage. 

Although taurine is often considered hepatoprotective, Professor Feng and colleagues report a dose-dependent paradox in alcohol-associated liver disease, which was published in eGastroenterology. In a chronic-plus-binge mouse model, high-dose taurine worsened liver injury, steatosis, apoptosis and inflammation, accompanied by gut dysbiosis, hydrogen sulfide-producing bacteria, intestinal barrier disruption and bile acid dysregulation. By contrast, low-dose taurine improved hepatic steatosis and liver injury. The study cautions against indiscriminate taurine supplementation, particularly among people with alcohol misuse or existing liver disease, in clinical practice and research settings alike.