BINA

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) holds great promise for the next generation of fast nanoscale optoelectronic devices, as silicon-based electronic devices approach fundamental speed and scaling limitations. However, in order to fully exploit the potential of plasmonics, devices and material systems capable of actively controlling and manipulating plasmonic response are essential. Here, we demonstrate active control of the electric field distribution of a microantenna by coupling LSPRs to a photosynthetic protein with outstanding optoelectronic properties and a long-range and efficient exciton transfer ability. The hybrid biosolid state active platform is able to tune and modulate the optical activity of a microplasmonic antenna via the interaction of the bioactive material with plasmon oscillations occurring in the antennae. In addition, we demonstrate that the effect of the coupling can be further enhanced …

Flexible sensors are important for applications, such as wearable medical devices, soft robotics, and more, as they can easily conform to soft and irregularly shaped surfaces. This study presents elliptical planar Hall effect magnetic sensors fabricated on a polyamide tape with an equivalent magnetic noise (EMN) better than 200 pT/ffiffiffiffiffiffi Hz p. The sensor is characterized in flat and bent states with a bent radius of 10 mm. An EMN of 200 and 400 pT/ffiffiffiffiffiffi Hz p in flat and bent states, respectively, is achieved at a frequency of 100 Hz. The remarkable EMN combined with a simple, low-cost fabrication process makes these sensors a promising candidate for flexible electronics.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor. GBM contains a small subpopulation of glioma stem cells (GSCs) that are implicated in treatment resistance, tumor infiltration, and recurrence, and are thereby considered important therapeutic targets. Recent clinical studies have suggested that the choice of general anesthetic (GA), particularly propofol, during tumor resection, affects subsequent tumor response to treatments and patient prognosis. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying propofol’s anti-tumor effects on GSCs and their interaction with microglia cells. Propofol exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the self-renewal, expression of mesenchymal markers, and migration of GSCs and sensitized them to both temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation. At higher concentrations, propofol induced a large degree of cell death, as demonstrated using microfluid chip technology. Propofol increased the expression of the lncRNA BDNF-AS, which acts as a tumor suppressor in GBM, and silencing of this lncRNA partially abrogated propofol’s effects. Propofol also inhibited the pro-tumorigenic GSC-microglia crosstalk via extracellular vesicles (EVs) and delivery of BDNF-AS. In conclusion, propofol exerted anti-tumor effects on GSCs, sensitized these cells to radiation and TMZ, and inhibited their pro-tumorigenic interactions with microglia via transfer of BDNF-AS by EVs.

Hydrogels have a significant impact on the fields of biological study and medical diagnosis. They are becoming more useful in bioanalytical and biosensing applications. The intriguing new nanomaterials quantum dots-hydrogel composites have gained a lot of interest because of their unmatched biocompatibility and tolerable biodegradability, which opens up a wide range of possible applications. Focusing on synthesis techniques, this review describes current developments in quantum dots-hydrogel composites, such as hydrogel gelation in quantum dots (QDs) solution, inserting prepared QDs into hydrogels after gelation, generating QDs in situ inside the preformed gel, and cross-linking through QDs. Biomedical applications such as bioimaging and biosensing are specifically examined, and then the inherent problems of design optimisation, biocompatibility, and bimodal applications, as well as the potential of …

This study reports significant steps toward developing anti-biofilm surfaces based on superhydrophobic properties that meet the complex demands of today's food and medical regulations. It presents inverse Pickering emulsions of water in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) stabilized by hydrophobic silica (R202) as a possible food-grade coating formulation and describes its significant passive anti-biofilm properties. The final coatings are formed by applying the emulsions on the target surface, followed by evaporation to form a rough layer. Analysis shows that the final coatings exhibited a Contact Angle (CA) of up to 155° and a Roll-off Angle (RA) lower than 1° on the polypropylene (PP) surface, along with a relatively high light transition. Dissolving polycaprolactone (PCL) into the continuous phase enhanced the average CA and coating uniformity but hindered the anti-biofilm activity and light transmission. Scanning …

X-ray imaging is a prevalent technique for non-invasively visualizing the interior of the human body and opaque instruments. In most commercial X-ray modalities, an image is formed by measuring the X-rays that pass through the object of interest. However, despite the potential of scattered radiation to provide additional information about the object, it is often disregarded due to its inherent tendency to cause blurring. Consequently, conventional imaging modalities do not measure or utilize these valuable data. In contrast, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a high-resolution technique for X-ray computed tomography (CT) that measures scattered radiation by exploiting computational ghost imaging (CGI). We show that our method can provide sub-200 µm resolution, exceeding the capabilities of most existing X-ray imaging modalities. Our research reveals a promising technique for incorporating scattered radiation data in CT scans to improve image resolution and minimize radiation exposure for patients. The findings of our study suggest that our technique could represent a significant advancement in the fields of medical and industrial imaging, with the potential to enhance the accuracy and safety of diagnostic imaging procedures.

B cell class switch recombination is regulated by DYRK1A through MSH6 phosphorylation | Research Square Research Square Browse Preprints COVID-19 Preprints Protocols Videos Journals Tools & Services Overview Digital Editing Professional Editing Badges Research Promotion Your Cart About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies FAQ Our Team Advisory Board Blog Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article B cell class switch recombination is regulated by DYRK1A through MSH6 phosphorylation Liat Stoler-Barak, Ethan Harris, Ayelet Peres, Hadas Hezroni, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1779641/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Nature Portfolio Version 1 posted 05 Jul, 2022 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Protection from viral infections depends …

We propose a cheating strategy to a relativistic quantum commitment scheme (Nadeem, 2014) which was claimed to be unconditionally secure. It is shown that the sender Alice can cheat successfully with probability 100%, thus disproving the security claim.

Since 2011, 2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides known as MXenes have gained huge attention due to their attractive chemical and electronic properties. The diverse functionalities of MXenes make them a promising candidate for multitude of applications. Recently, doping MXene with metallic and non-metallic elements has emerged as an exciting new approach to endow new properties to this 2D systems, opening a new paradigm of theoretical and experimental studies. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview on the recent progress in this emerging field of doped MXenes. We compare the different doping strategies; techniques used for their characterization and discuss the enhanced properties. The distinct advantages of doping in applications such as electrocatalysis, energy storage, photovoltaics, electronics, photonics, environmental remediation, sensors, and biomedical …

We present recent measurements of nonlinear x-ray optical mixing in silicon. These measurements demonstrate how x-ray optical mixing can measure details of the atomic-scale nonlinear electron dynamics that are invisible to purely optical techniques.

The development of platinum group metal-free catalysts is considered the most prominent path for reducing the cost of low-temperature fuel cells (LTFC). Despite the great advancement in the field, its further progress is currently limited by the ability to understand and mitigate the catalysts’ degradation mechanisms, which up to recent years was limited by the lack of activity descriptors. Recent work showed that this could be solved using Fourier-transformed alternating current voltammetry that enables to deconvolute Faradaic currents arising from the redox reaction of the active sites from the capacitive currents, and by that accurately measure the electrochemically active site density of these catalysts in situ fuel cells. However, the analysis of the results can be complex, requiring simulation software for accurate parameter extraction. Herein, a simplified analysis of Fourier-transformed alternating current voltammetry is …

The need for new, reliable, and sustainable energy sources led to the development of new types of fuel cells. Fuel cells that rely on liquid hydrogen carriers may be the ultimate solution to the expensive hydrogen logistics issues. In this category, direct quinone fuel cells (DQFCs) are a promising new technology that solves many of the issues of traditional fuel cells. As a new technology, DQFCs need to be studied thoroughly to reach their full potential. Here, we use a distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis to analyze the impedance data of DQFCs, to gain a better understanding of the system. We systematically changed the operating parameters and attributed the changes in the DRT spectra to the physical processes they correspond to. The four main peaks observed in the DRT measurements were assigned to oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), quinone diffusion resistance, proton diffusion in the membrane …

Hydrogen produced from neutral seawater electrolysis faces many challenges including high energy consumption, the corrosion/side reactions caused by Cl-, and the blockage of active sites by Ca2+/Mg2+ precipitates. Herein, we design a pH-asymmetric electrolyzer with a Na+ exchange membrane for direct seawater electrolysis, which can simultaneously prevent Cl- corrosion and Ca2+/Mg2+ precipitation and harvest the chemical potentials between the different electrolytes to reduce the required voltage. In-situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal that water dissociation can be promoted with a catalyst based on atomically dispersed Pt anchored to Ni-Fe-P nanowires with a reduced energy barrier (by 0.26 eV), thus accelerating the hydrogen evolution kinetics in seawater. Consequently, the asymmetric electrolyzer exhibits current densities of 10 mA cm−2 and 100 mA cm …

Optical fibers are an excellent sensor platform. However, the detection and analysis of media outside the cladding and coating of standard fibers represent a long-standing challenge: light that is guided in the single optical core mode does not reach these media. Cladding modes help work around this difficulty, as their transverse profiles span the entire cross-section of the fiber cladding and reach its outer boundary. In this tutorial, we introduce and discuss in detail two recent advances in optical fiber sensors that make use of cladding modes. Both concepts share optomechanics as a common underlying theme. First, we describe a spatially continuous distributed analysis using the optical cladding modes of the fiber. Light is coupled to these modes using Brillouin dynamic gratings, which are index perturbations associated with acoustic waves in the core that are stimulated by light. Unlike permanent gratings, which …

We present a highly diagonal “split-well resonant-phonon” (SWRP) active region design for GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs). Negative differential resistance is observed at room temperature, which indicates the suppression of thermally activated leakage channels. The overlap between the doped region and the active level states is reduced relative to that of the split-well direct-phonon (SWDP) design. The energy gap between the lower laser level (LLL) and the injector is kept at 36 meV, enabling a fast depopulation of the LLL. Within this work, we investigated the temperature performance and potential of this structure.

The G- and V-type nerve agents are among the most toxic compounds known, where inhalation of a few mg could cause potential death. Over the years, wild-type phosphotriesterase (PTE) has gained much attention due to its capability of detoxifying these deadly compounds. The underlying mechanism proceeds via a hydroxyl attack on the P or C centers of the organophosphate nerve agents, followed by the departure of the leaving group. Two Zn2+ cations present in the active center of PTE indirectly assist the hydrolysis. Apart from the wild-type PTE, several designer enzyme variants reportedly catalyze the hydrolysis process much more efficiently. Herein, we studied the hydrolysis of eight toxic compounds with one of the enzyme variants (PTE_27) that show higher efficiency than the wild type as reported in a recent article. We docked both the high energy intermediate state and substrate for all the eight ligands …

Casimir forces, related to London-van der Waals forces, arise if the spectrum of electromagnetic fluctuations is restricted by boundaries. There is great interest both from fundamental science and technical applications to control these forces on the nano scale. Scientifically, the Casimir effect being the only known quantum vacuum effect manifesting between macroscopic objects, allows to investigate the poorly known physics of the vacuum. In this work, we experimentally investigate the influence of self-assembled molecular bio and organic thin films on the Casimir force between a plate and a sphere. We find that molecular thin films, despite being a mere few nanometers thick, reduce the Casimir force by up to 14%. To identify the molecular characteristics leading to this reduction, five different bio-molecular films with varying chemical and physical properties were investigated. Spectroscopic data reveal a broad absorption band whose presence can be attributed to the mixing of electronic states of the underlying gold layer and those of the molecular film due to charge rearrangement in the process of self-assembly. Using Lifshitz theory we calculate that the observed change in the Casimir force is consistent with the appearance of the new absorption band due to the formation of molecular layers. The desired Casimir force reduction can be tuned by stacking several monolayers, using a simple self-assembly technique in a solution. The molecules - each a few nanometers long - can penetrate small cavities and holes, and cover any surface with high efficiency. This process seems compatible with current methods in the production of micro …

Despite having the ability to deliver 650 W h kg−1 in addition to the impressive rate capability, superior thermal stability, and facilitated electronic and ionic lithium conduction, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) is far from commercial applications. LNMO suffers from irreversible electrolytic degradation on its surface under high voltage operations leading to capacity fading and poor battery life. Therefore, this work aims to improve the stability and electrochemical behavior of LNMO by creating a Zn-enriched cathode layer interface via eccentric and facile diethyl zinc-assisted atomic surface reduction (Zn-ASR). In-depth surface characterization tools and computational calculations demonstrates a conformal 7-8 nm thin Zn-O and C-O enriched layer encapsulating the cathode particles resulting from Zn-ASR. The intensive comparative electrochemical and spectroscopic analysis, indicates superior electrochemical performance of …

We study ergodic properties of one-dimensional Brownian motion with resetting. Using generic classes of statistics of times between resets, we find respectively for thin/fat tailed distributions, the normalized/non-normalised invariant density of this process. The former case corresponds to known results in the resetting literature and the latter to infinite ergodic theory. Two types of ergodic transitions are found in this system. The first is when the mean waiting time between resets diverges, when standard ergodic theory switches to infinite ergodic theory. The second is when the mean of the square root of time between resets diverges and the properties of the invariant density are drastically modified. We then find a fractional integral equation describing the density of particles. This finite time tool is particularly useful close to the ergodic transition where convergence to asymptotic limits is logarithmically slow. Our study implies rich ergodic behaviors for this non-equilibrium process which should hold far beyond the case of Brownian motion analyzed here.

Analysis of dynamic differential speckle patterns, scattered from human tissues illuminated by a laser beam, has been found by many researchers to be applicable for noncontact sensing of various biomedical parameters. The COVID-19 global pandemic brought the need for massive rapid-remote detection of a fever in closed public spaces. The existing non-contact temperature measurement methods have a significant tradeoff between the measurement distance and accuracy. This paper aims to prove the feasibility of an accurate temperature measurement system based on speckle patterns analysis, enabling the sensing of human temperature from an extended distance greater than allowed by the existing methods. In this study, we used speckle patterns analysis combined with artificial intelligence (AI) methods for human temperature extraction, starting with fever/no fever binary classification and continuing with …