BINA

T cells that express the transcription factor RORγ, regulatory (Treg), or conventional (Th17) are strongly influenced by intestinal symbionts. In a genetic approach to identify mechanisms underlying this influence, we performed a screen for microbial genes implicated, in germfree mice monocolonized with Escherichia coli Nissle. The loss of capsule-synthesis genes impaired clonal expansion and differentiation of intestinal RORγ+ T cells. Mechanistic exploration revealed that the capsule-less mutants remained able to induce species-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) and were highly IgA-coated. They could still trigger myeloid cells, and more effectively damaged epithelial cells in vitro. Unlike wild-type microbes, capsule-less mutants were mostly engulfed in intraluminal casts, large agglomerates composed of myeloid cells extravasated into the gut lumen. We speculate that sequestration in luminal casts of potentially …

Cilia motion is an indicator of pathological-ciliary function, however current diagnosis relies on biopsies. In this paper, we propose an innovative approach for sensing cilia motility. We present an endoscopic configuration for measuring the motion frequency of cilia in the nasal cavity. The technique is based on temporal tracking of the reflected spatial distribution of defocused speckle patterns while illuminating the cilia with a laser. The setup splits the optical signal into two channels; One imaging channel is for the visualization of the physician and another is, defocusing channel, to capture the speckles. We present in-vivo measurements from healthy subjects undergoing endoscopic examination. We found an average motion frequency of around 7.3 Hz and 9.8 Hz in the antero-posterior nasal mucus (an area rich in cilia), which matches the normal cilia range of 7–16 Hz. Quantitative and precise measurements of …

Here, three types of surface coatings based on adsorption of organic aromatic acids or their Li salts are applied as functional coating substrates to engineer the surface properties of high voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) spinel cathodes. The materials used as coating include 1,3,5‐benzene‐tricarboxylic acid (trimesic acid [TMA]), its Li‐salt, and 1,4‐benzene‐dicarboxylic acid (terephthalic acid). The surface coating involves simple ethanol liquid‐phase mixing and low‐temperature heat treatment under nitrogen flow. In typical comparative studies, TMA‐coated (3–5%) LNMO cathodes deliver >90% capacity retention after 400 cycles with significantly improved rate performance in Li‐coin cells at 30 °C compared to uncoated material with capacity retention of ≈40%. The cathode coating also prevents the rapid drop in the electrochemical activity of high voltage Li cells at 55 °C. Studies of high voltage full cells …

Metal–semiconductor interfaces are ubiquitous in modern electronics. These quantum-confined interfaces allow for the formation of atomically thin polarizable metals and feature rich optical and optoelectronic phenomena, including plasmon-induced hot-electron transfer from metal to semiconductors. Here, we report on the metal–semiconductor interface formed during the intercalation of zero-valent atomic layers of tin (Sn) between layers of MoS2, a van der Waals layered material. We demonstrate that Sn interaction leads to the emergence of gap states within the MoS2 band gap and to corresponding plasmonic features between 1 and 2 eV (0.6–1.2 μm). The observed stimulation of the photoconductivity, as well as the extension of the spectral response from the visible regime toward the mid-infrared suggests that hot-carrier generation and internal photoemission take place.

The optimal performance of organic electrodes for aqueous batteries requires their full compatibility with selected electrolyte solutions. Electrode materials having 1–3-dimensional structures of variable rigidity possess a confined space in their structure filled with water and electrolyte solutions. Depending on the rigidity and confined space geometry, insertion and extraction of ions into electrode structures are often coupled with incorporation/withdrawal of water molecules. Aside from the scientific interest in understanding the charging mechanism of such systems, co-insertion of solvent molecules affects strongly the charge storage capability of the electrodes for energy storage devices. We present herein in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (EQCM-D) investigations of polyaniline (PANI) electrodes operating in various aqueous Na+-containing electrolytes, namely, Na2SO4 …

Fast charging is regarded as one of the most coveted technologies for commercial Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but the lack of suitable electrolytes with sufficient ionic conductivity and effective passivation properties hinders its development. Herein, we designed a mixed-solvent electrolyte (1 M LiPF6 in fluoroethylene carbonate/acetonitrile, FEC/AN, 7/3 by vol.) to overcome these two limitations by achieving an FEC-dominated solvation structure and an AN-rich environment. The specific AN-assisted Li+ hopping transport behavior shortens the Li+ diffusion time, doubling the ionic conductivity to 12 mS cm–1, thus endowing the graphite anode with >300 mAh g–1 at 20C and reversible (de)intercalation over a wide temperature range (from −20 to +60 °C). Furthermore, the designed electrolyte triples the capacity of the 1 Ah graphite||LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811) pouch cells at 8C in comparison with the commercial …

Among extensively studied Li‐ion cathode materials, LiCoO2 (LCO) remains dominant for portable electronic applications. Although its theoretical capacity (274 mAh g−1) cannot be achieved in Li cells, high capacity (≤240 mAh g−1) can be obtained by raising the charging voltage up to 4.6 V. Unfortunately, charging Li‐LCO cells to high potentials induces surface and structural instabilities that result in rapid degradation of cells containing LCO cathodes. Yet, significant stabilization is achieved by surface coatings that promote formation of robust passivation films and prevent parasitic interactions between the electrolyte solutions and the cathodes particles. In the search for effective coatings, the authors propose RbAlF4 modified LCO particles. The coated LCO cathodes demonstrate enhanced capacity (>220 mAh g−1) and impressive retention of >80/77% after 500/300 cycles at 30/45 °C. A plausible mechanism …

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has become a promising structural biology tool to resolve complex and dynamic biological mechanisms in-vitro and in-cell. Here, we focus on the advantages of continuous wave (CW) and pulsed EPR distance measurements to resolve transcription processes and protein-DNA interaction. The wide range of spin-labeling approaches that can be used to follow structural changes in both protein and DNA render EPR a powerful method to study protein-DNA interactions and structure–function relationships in other macromolecular complexes. EPR-derived data goes well beyond static structural information and thus serves as the method of choice if dynamic insight is needed. Herein, we describe the conceptual details of the theory and the methodology and illustrate the use of EPR to study the protein-DNA interaction of the copper-sensitive transcription factor, CueR.

Copper ions play a crucial role in various cellular biological processes. However, these copper ions can also lead to toxicity when their concentration is not controlled by a sophisticated copper-trafficking system. Copper dys-homeostasis has been linked to a variety of diseases, including neurodegeneration and cancer. Therefore, manipulating Cu-trafficking to trigger selective cancer cell death may be a viable strategy with therapeutic benefit. By exploiting combined in silico and experimental strategies, we identified small peptides able to bind Atox1 and metal-binding domains 3-4 of ATP7B proteins. We found that these peptides reduced the proliferation of cancer cells owing to increased cellular copper ions concentration. These outcomes support the idea of harming copper trafficking as an opportunity for devising novel anti-cancer therapies.

The process of forward stimulated Brillouin scattering in standard single-mode fibers is described. The analysis brings together the electrostrictive stimulation of guided acoustic modes by a pair of co-propagating optical fields and the photoelastic scattering of the same two optical fields by the acoustic wave. The propagation of the optical fields is formulated in terms of nonlinear polarization components and coupled nonlinear wave equations. The solutions to the equation signify the coupling of optical power from the higher-frequency optical wave component to the lower-frequency one. Coupling is quantified by a nonlinear coefficient, with units of W−1 × m−1, the same one that was found earlier to describe spontaneous scattering processes. The stimulated Brillouin scattering between the pair of tones is also associated with the generation of spectral sidebands of increasing orders. The Brillouin scattering …

The interfaces between inorganic selective contacts and halide perovskites (HaPs) are possibly the greatest challenge for making stable and reproducible solar cells with these materials. NiOx, an attractive hole-transport layer as it fits the electronic structure of HaPs, is highly stable and can be produced at a low cost. Furthermore, NiOx can be fabricated via scalable and controlled physical deposition methods such as RF sputtering to facilitate the quest for scalable, solvent-free, vacuum-deposited HaP-based solar cells (PSCs). However, the interface between NiOx and HaPs is still not well-controlled, which leads at times to a lack of stability and Voc losses. Here, we use RF sputtering to fabricate NiOx and then cover it with a NiyN layer without breaking vacuum. The NiyN layer protects NiOx doubly during PSC production. Firstly, the NiyN layer protects NiOx from Ni3+ species being reduced to Ni2+ by Ar plasma …

Cilia motion is an indicator of pathological-ciliary function, however current diagnosis relies on biopsies. In this paper, we propose an innovative approach for sensing cilia motility. We present an endoscopic configuration for measuring the motion frequency of cilia in the nasal cavity. The technique is based on temporal tracking of the reflected spatial distribution of defocused speckle patterns while illuminating the cilia with a laser. The setup splits the optical signal into two channels; One imaging channel is for the visualization of the physician and another is, defocusing channel, to capture the speckles. We present in-vivo measurements from healthy subjects undergoing endoscopic examination. We found an average motion frequency of around 7.3 Hz and 9.8 Hz in the antero-posterior nasal mucus (an area rich in cilia), which matches the normal cilia range of 7–16 Hz. Quantitative and precise measurements of …

Humidity is often reported to compromise the stability of lead halide perovskites or of devices based on them. Here we measure the humidity dependence of the elastic modulus and hardness for two series of lead halide perovskite single crystals, varying either by cation or by anion type. The results reveal a dependence on bond length between, hydrogen bonding with, and polarizability/polarization of these ions. The results show an intriguing inverse relation between modulus and hardness, in contrast to their positive correlation for most other materials. This anomaly persists and is strengthened by the effect of humidity. This, and our overall findings are ascribed to the materials’ unique atomic-scale structure and properties, viz nano-polar domains and strong dynamic disorder, yet high-quality average order. Our conclusions are based on comparing results obtained from several different nano-indentation …

Polarization-maintaining fibers support guided acoustic modes that are more complex than those of single-mode fibers, due to the presence of strain rods. Forward Brillouin scattering interactions in those fibers can be intra-modal as well as inter-modal. Intra-modal interactions involve the stimulation of guided acoustic waves by a pair of optical fields that co-propagate in a common principal axis. The intra-modal processes can lead to phase modulation of co-polarized optical probe signals, similar to standard single-mode fibers. The forward Brillouin scattering spectra differ between the two axes. In addition, acoustic modes stimulated through an intra-modal process in one axis may also modulate a probe wave in the orthogonal axis. Such inter-polarization cross-phase modulation is analogous to the dynamic gratings of backward Brillouin scattering in polarization-maintaining fibers. In inter-modal forward Brillouin …

MethodRat pups' brains were dissected and placed on a chilled petri dish. They then entered the experimental protocol. The suspended synaptosomes were divided equally into four experimental groups (control, high potassium" surrogate to hypoxic stimulation," cocaine, and cocaine+ high K). Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analyzed glutamate with fluorescent detectionResultsThe glutamate level was lowest in the cocaine-only group, with a level of 1.96× 10 4, compared to the control and high potassium group. However, combining cocaine with high potassium seemed to generate a synergistic effect, achieving the highest glutamate level of all groups with a value of 5.31× 10 4.

Copper is an essential element in nature but in excess it is toxic to the living cell. The human metallochaperone Atox1 participates in copper homeostasis and is responsible for copper transmission. In a previous multiscale simulation study, we noticed a change in the coordination state of the Cu(I) ion, from 4 bound cysteine residues to 3, in agreement with earlier studies. Here we perform and analyse classical molecular dynamic simulations of various coordination states: 2, 3, and 4. The main observation is an increase in protein flexibility as a result of a decrease in coordination state. Additionally, we identified several populated conformations that correlate well with double electron‐electron resonance distance distributions or an X‐ray structure of Cu(I)‐bound Atox1. We suggest that the increased flexibility might benefit the process of ion transmission between interacting proteins. Further experiments can …

Geometric phase is a key player in many areas of quantum science and technology. In this review article, we outline several foundational aspects of quantum geometric phases and their relations to classical geometric phases. We then discuss how the Aharonov-Bohm and Sagnac effects fit into this context. Moreover, we present a concise overview of technological applications of the latter, with special emphasis on gravitational sensing, like in gyroscopes and gravitational wave detectors.

In the first chapter of this book, the opto-mechanical effect of forward Brillouin scattering is introduced within a broader context of propagation effects in fibers and of interactions between optical and acoustic waves. A review of linear and nonlinear scattering phenomena is provided, including the mechanisms of Rayleigh, Raman, and Brillouin scattering, and the optical Kerr effect. Scattering from short-period and long-period grating devices is discussed as well. The potential applications and implications of the various mechanisms in optical fiber communications, sensing, signal processing, and lasing are briefly addressed. Next, the physical principles of opto-mechanics are introduced. These include the stimulation of elastic waves by electrostrictive bulk forces and radiation pressures and the scattering of optical waves through photoelasticity and moving boundary effects. Specific formalisms are developed for the …

Silicon-photonic integrated circuits are a pivotal technology for the continued growth of data communications. A main task of silicon photonics is the wavelength division multiplexing of communication channels to aggregate bandwidths that exceed the working rates available in electronics. In this work, we design and implement a 16-channel, wavelength division multiplexing device in silicon-on-insulator. The device operates at the O-band wavelengths, centered at 1310 nm, which are favored by many data center applications. The spacing between adjacent channels is 0.96 nm (167 GHz), close to those of dense wavelength division multiplexing standards in the 1550 nm wavelength range (C band). The layout consists of 15 Mach-Zehnder interferometers, cascaded in a four-stage tree topology. The differential phase delay within each interferometer is precisely trimmed post-fabrication, through local illumination of a photosensitive upper cladding layer of As 2 Se 3 chalcogenide glass. Trimming is performed subject to closed-loop feedback of transfer functions measurements. The devices can be useful in data center optical communications.

Fast charging is regarded as one of the most coveted technologies for commercial Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but the lack of suitable electrolytes with sufficient ionic conductivity and effective passivation properties hinders its development. Herein, we designed a mixed-solvent electrolyte (1 M LiPF6 in fluoroethylene carbonate/acetonitrile, FEC/AN, 7/3 by vol.) to overcome these two limitations by achieving an FEC-dominated solvation structure and an AN-rich environment. The specific AN-assisted Li+ hopping transport behavior shortens the Li+ diffusion time, doubling the ionic conductivity to 12 mS cm–1, thus endowing the graphite anode with >300 mAh g–1 at 20C and reversible (de)intercalation over a wide temperature range (from −20 to +60 °C). Furthermore, the designed electrolyte triples the capacity of the 1 Ah graphite||LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811) pouch cells at 8C in comparison with the commercial …

Increasing the production capacity of electrical energy to fulfill the continuously rising global demand, while simultaneously trying to avoid greenhouse gas emissions in the process, and being environmentally sound, is one of the largest challenges of this era.One way to achieve it is to rely on hydrogen for energy storage. Nowadays, most of the hydrogen produced is mainly from fossil fuels, and the emission of detrimental gasses is only shifted. To get to a true green hydrogen, it is necessary to produce it in emissions-free processes.One method to achieve this is to use renewable energies in combination with electrochemical water electrolyzers, in which two distinct chemical reactions take place: the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Both reaction require catalysts to execute at high rates, and while the HER is considered to be relatively facile and takes …