Recent Advances in 4D Printing of Advanced Materials and Structures for Functional Applications

4D printing has attracted tremendous worldwide attention during the past decade. This technology enables the shape, property, or functionality of printed structures to change with time in response to diverse external stimuli, making the original static structures alive. The revolutionary 4D-printing technology offers remarkable benefits in controlling geometric and functional reconfiguration, thereby showcasing immense potential across diverse fields, including biomedical engineering, electronics, robotics, and photonics. Here, a comprehensive review of the latest achievements in 4D printing using various types of materials and different additive manufacturing techniques is presented. The state-of-the-art strategies implemented in harnessing various 4D-printed structures are highlighted, which involve materials design, stimuli, functionalities, and applications. The machine learning approach explored for 4D printing is also discussed. Finally, the perspectives on the current challenges and future trends toward further development in 4D printing are summarized.

Promoted Growth and Multiband Emission in Heterostructured Perovskites Through Cs+ -Sublattice Interaction

Precise control of exciton confinement in metal halide perovskites is critical to the development of high-performance, stable optoelectronic devices. A significant hurdle is the swift completion of ionic metathesis reactions, often within seconds, making consistent control challenging. Herein, the introduction of different steric hindrances in a Cs+ sublattice within CsYb2 F7 is reported, which effectively modulates the reaction rate of Cs+ with lead (Pb2+ ) and halide ions in solution, extending the synthesis time for perovskite nanostructures to tens of minutes. Importantly, the Cs+ sublattice provides a crystal facet-dependent preference for perovskite growth and thus exciton confinement, allowing the simultaneous occurrence of up to six emission bands of CsPbBr3 . Moreover, the rigid CsYb2 F7 nano template offers high activation energy and enhances the stability of the resulting perovskite nanostructures. This methodology provides a versatile approach to synthesizing functional heterostructures. Its robustness is demonstrated by in-situ growth of perovskite nanostructures on Cs+ -mediated metal-organic frameworks.

The influence of upward social comparison on retail trading behaviour

Online investing is often facilitated by digital platforms, where the information of peer top performers can be widely accessible and distributed. However, the influence of such information on retail investors' psychology, their trading behaviour and potential risks they may be prone to is poorly understood. We investigate the impact of upward social comparison on risk-taking, trading activity and investor satisfaction using a tailored experiment with 807 experienced retail investors trading on a dynamically evolving simulated stock market, designed to systematically measure various facets of trading activity. We find that investors presented with an upward social comparison take more risk and trade more actively, and they report significantly lower satisfaction with their own performance. Our findings demonstrate the pitfalls of modern investment platforms with peer information and social trading. The broad implications of this study also provide guidelines for improving retail investor satisfaction and protection.

Mapping of a major QTL for increased robustness and detection of genome assembly errors in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer)

BACKGROUND

For Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer, Bloch 1790) cultured at sea cages various aquatic pathogens, complex environmental and stress factors are considered as leading causes of disease, causing tens of millions of dollars of annual economic losses. Over the years, we conducted farm-based challenges by exposing Asian seabass juveniles to complex natural environmental conditions. In one of these challenges, we collected a total of 1,250 fish classified as either 'sensitive' or 'robust' individuals during the 28-day observation period.

RESULTS

We constructed a high-resolution linkage map with 3,089 SNPs for Asian seabass using the double digest Restriction-site Associated DNA (ddRAD) technology and a performed a search for Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) associated with robustness. The search detected a major genome-wide significant QTL for increased robustness in pathogen-infected marine environment on linkage group 11 (ASB_LG11; 88.9 cM to 93.6 cM) with phenotypic variation explained of 81.0%. The QTL was positioned within a > 800 kb genomic region located at the tip of chromosome ASB_LG11 with two Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers, R1-38468 and R1-61252, located near to the two ends of the QTL. When the R1-61252 marker was validated experimentally in a different mass cross population, it showed a statistically significant association with increased robustness. The majority of thirty-six potential candidate genes located within the QTL have known functions related to innate immunity, stress response or disease. By utilizing this ddRAD-based map, we detected five mis-assemblies corresponding to four chromosomes, namely ASB_LG8, ASB_LG9, ASB_LG15 and ASB_LG20, in the current Asian seabass reference genome assembly.

CONCLUSION

According to our knowledge, the QTL associated with increased robustness is the first such finding from a tropical fish species. Depending on further validation in other stocks and populations, it might be potentially useful for selecting robust Asian seabass lines in selection programs.

Electropolymerized 1D Growth Coordination Polymer for Hybrid Electrochromic Aqueous Zinc Battery

Organic materials are always viewed as promising electrochromic (EC) materials due to their synthetic versatility, color tunability, ready processability, and derivability from sustainable feedstocks. Most organic materials, however, are prone to undesirable redox side reactions in the presence of oxygen and water. As such, redox-active organic layers are often used in tandem with organic electrolytes to preserve their electrochemical stability. With the growing interest in electronics that are environmentally sustainable and biologically safe, developing aqueous-compatible organic materials is gaining growing interest. Herein, a rationally designed iron terpyridyl coordination polymer (CP) is prepared by controlled electropolymerization for realization of aqueous compatible EC and energy storage applications. Detailed analysis is established, showing that the CP grows in a 1D fashion and exhibits a predominant capacitive behavior which is reflected from its rapid charge-transfer kinetics. Taking this as an advantage, an integrated hybrid electrochromic zinc battery device is demonstrated with high color contrast, fast response time, and good endurance.

3D Direct Printing of Silicone Meniscus Implant Using a Novel Heat-Cured Extrusion-Based Printer

The first successful direct 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), of heat-cured silicone meniscal implants, using biocompatible and bio-implantable silicone resins is reported. Silicone implants have conventionally been manufactured by indirect silicone casting and molding methods which are expensive and time-consuming. A novel custom-made heat-curing extrusion-based silicone 3D printer which is capable of directly 3D printing medical silicone implants is introduced. The rheological study of silicone resins and the optimization of critical process parameters are described in detail. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the printed silicone meniscus implant were also included. A time-lapsed simulation study of the heated silicone resin within the nozzle using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was done and the results obtained closely resembled real time 3D printing. Solidworks one-convection model simulation, when compared to the on-off model, more closely correlated with the actual probed temperature. Finally, comparative mechanical study between 3D printed and heat-molded meniscus is conducted. The novel 3D printing process opens up the opportunities for rapid 3D printing of various customizable medical silicone implants and devices for patients and fills the current gap in the additive manufacturing industry.