The increasing accumulation of discarded plastics has already caused serious environmental pollution. Simple landfills and incineration will inevitably lead to the loss of the abundant carbon resources contained in plastic waste. In contrast, photoconversion technology provides a green and sustainable solution to the global plastic waste crisis by converting plastics into hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals. This review briefly introduces the advantages of photoconversion technology and highlights recent research progress, with a focus on photocatalyst design as well as the thermodynamics and kinetics of the reaction process. It discusses in detail the degradation of typical common plastic types into hydrogen and fine chemicals via photoconversion. Additionally, it outlines future research directions, including the application of artificial intelligence in catalyst design. Although photocatalytic technology remains at the laboratory stage, with challenges in catalyst performance and industrial scalability, the potential for renewable energy generation and plastic valorization is promising.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has announced that, through joint research with KAIST, they developed a new technology that can implement stable quantum communication even in moving environments such as satellites, ships, and drones for the first time in the world.

A research team at the University of Pittsburgh, led by Dr. Anne Robertson and PhD candidate Fatemeh Azari, discovered that the bladder does not simply inflate like a balloon when it fills. Instead, it contains large internal folds that flatten to allow the bladder to expand with very little increase in pressure. Using advanced imaging techniques, the team showed how these folds play a major role in maintaining bladder function and protecting the kidneys. Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, represent the first full-organ mechanical study of healthy bladder filling and will help improve understanding and treatment of conditions like bladder outlet obstruction. The team is now working on a digital twin model to support more personalized medical interventions.

Researchers at Wayne State University and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute have developed a chemical imaging probe that resists the breakdown of certain compounds in the body, giving doctors a more dependable way to track, and potentially treat, prostate cancer.

When it comes to self-control, adolescents tend to follow the patterns their parents establish, according to West Virginia University psychology researcher Amy Gentzler who led a six-month survey of more than 200 Appalachian adolescents and their parents.

The sperm is not a passive supplier of genetic material to the egg. A study from Linköping University, Sweden, shows that certain molecules that come with the sperm, so-called micro-RNA, contribute to the development of the embryo several days after conception. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, may in the long term contribute to better diagnosis and treatment of involuntary childlessness.

In a paper published in Frontiers of Engineering Management, a team of researchers from Zhejiang University and Beijing Jiaotong University present a new strategic roadmap called the "5S framework" to tackle the growing challenges of integrating electric vehicles (EVs) with power grids. This framework—smart charging, synergistic infrastructure, and storable grid for a stable and sustainable power system—aims to harmonize the transportation and power systems, addressing grid instability and infrastructure shortfalls to accelerate the path to Net Zero Emissions.

This paper proposes a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm for a small satellite to accomplish on-orbit inspection

missions. The relative dynamics of satellite is modelled first. Then, multiple constraints are taken into account for the

on-orbit inspection missions, including input saturation, obstacle avoidance, velocity limit, and task specifications. To

precisely formulate the tasks, the signal temporal logic (STL) framework is employed, where an auxiliary function is

required to be designed based on the robust semantics of STL formulas. Considering the impact of input saturation, the

proposed algorithm designs the auxiliary function in the form of cube power function, and incorporate it into the optimi

zation problem in MPC. After that, the terminal ingredients are designed, whose parameters can be efficiently calculated

based on linear matrix inequality techniques. Finally, numerical simulation is applied to validate the effectiveness of the  proposed control strategy.

Diethyl ether (DEE, C4H10O) has emerged as a promising renewable alternative to conventional diesel fuels, offering potential solutions for sustainable energy development. This review systematically examines the fundamental combustion characteristics of DEE, including pyrolysis and oxidation behaviors, kinetic modeling, and actual combustion characteristics. It comprehensively summarized the key research progress and main findings in this field. Research has indicated that DEE demonstrates excellent ignition performance, whether used alone or as an additive, and significantly reduces soot formation during combustion by limiting the discharge of C3-C4 hydrocarbon species. However, a complete mechanistic understanding of DEE combustion still remains limited by the lack of key coupling reaction pathways, which directly restricted the accuracy of the reaction kinetic model. At the actual combustion level in devices, the effects of DEE on engine performance, combustion behavior, and emissions has been investigated. Although a large number of experiments have confirmed that DEE has a significant improvement effect in the above aspects, certain performance degradation phenomena and their internal mechanism still require further elucidation. Based on these insights, this review also analyzes the key challenges facing DEE in practical applications and discusses possible solutions, aiming to build a complete research framework spanning from fundamental studies to engineering application future development.

Mode-division multiplexing based on few-mode optical fiber is a promising technology to increase the transmission capacity of optical communication systems, where multi-input multi-output (MIMO) digital signal processing (DSP) is employed to (de)multiplex the signals from different mode channels. Since the group velocity of each mode is different, the signals are separated in the time domain when they reach the receivers. Therefore, it is necessary to compensate for the mode-group-velocity delay of the interval modes to reduce the complexity of the MIMO-DSP algorithm. In this work, we demonstrated an on-chip differential-mode group delay (DMGD) manipulating device based on 3D multilayer cladding waveguides. The proposed device supports compensating the DMGD of about 10.0 ps/m with a device formed with a low refractive index difference. In the meanwhile, the value of DMGD can be greatly improved to be 1878.6 ps/m by forming the device with high refractive index difference material such as thin-film lithium niobate with silicon dioxide cladding. The proposed device provides a feasible design for on-chip DMGD manipulation, which can find various applications in the mode division multiplexing system.