A research team led by Prof. WAN Yinhua at the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently developed an innovative mix-charged nanofiltration (NF) membrane featuring horizontal charge distribution, designed specifically for wastewater treatment. This novel membrane exhibits remarkable salt permeation and organic matter retention capabilities as well as antifouling properties, making it particularly effective for treating high-salinity organic wastewater.

How to achieve high-level integration of composite micro-nano structures with different structural characteristics through a minimalist and universal process? In International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers from Zhejiang University, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, and Aalborg University revealed a controllable ultrafast laser-induced focal volume light field and experimentally succeeded in highly efficient one-step composite structuring in multiple transparent solids based on focal volume optical printing.  Their work reports a highly universal all-optical fabrication of composite micro-nanostructures in various transparent solids with independent controllability in multiple degrees of freedom, expands the current cognition of ultrafast laser-based material modification in transparent solids, and establishes a new scientific aspect of strong-field optics, namely, focal volume optics for composite structuring transparent solids.

Funded by the Department of Energy, these centers are part of an effort that brings together national laboratories, universities and industry to invent and accelerate novel microelectronics technologies to operate efficiently or in extreme environments.

Cells degrade components that are no longer needed through autophagy. New results show that a weak molecular interaction is essential for this process.

By modifying this interaction, it is possible to artificially trigger autophagy, which could then enable the degradation of deposits in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, or support cancer therapies.

The study was published in the journal Nature Cell Biology and was led by Prof. Dr. Claudine Kraft, a member of the CIBSS Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg, and Dr. Florian Wilfling from the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt.

Food drying is a common process for preserving many types of food, including fruits and meat; however, drying can alter the food’s quality and nutritional value. In recent years, researchers have developed precision techniques that use optical sensors and AI to facilitate more efficient drying. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discusses three emerging smart drying techniques, providing practical information for the food industry.