BINA

The magnesium (Mg2+) ion is the second most abundant intracellular cation after potassium, and it is involved in a variety of biological processes and physiological functions. Because of the different effects which are dependent on Mg2+ ion concentration, it is critical to monitor Mg2+ ion levels in biological systems. Here, we report the hydrothermal synthesis of photoluminescent N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) using 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde and 1, 2, 4, 5-benzenetetramine tetrahydrochloride as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The as-synthesized NCDs demonstrated excitation dependent photoluminescence (PL) with a quantum yield of 16.2%. Because of water dispersibility and chelating functional groups, NCDs were used for highly selective detection of Mg2+ ions using ratiometric PL enhancement with a detection limit of 60 μM. Following that, based on highly biocompatibility and sensing of Mg2+ ions …

We study the effect of acoustic phonons on the quantum phase transition in the O() model. We develop a renormalization group analysis near (3+1) space-time dimensions and derive the RG equations using an -expansion. Our results indicate that when the number of flavors of the underlying O() model exceeds a critical number , the quantum transition remains second-order of the Wilson-Fisher type while, for , it is a weakly first-order transition. We characterize this weakly first-order transition by a length-scale , below which the behavior appears to be critical. At finite temperatures for , a tricritical point separates the weakly first-order and second-order transitions.

Damage and loss of crops and plants caused by pathogens are global problems that have major effects on the food supply of many countries. Environmentally friendly viricide approaches are gaining in popularity to combat these problems. This study proposes the use of environmentally friendly hydrogen peroxide (HP) as a pesticide entrapped in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel for controlled release in agricultural applications. The hydrogel was prepared as a matrix of PVA and PVP containing HP. Freeze–thaw cycles of the PVA/PVP/HP hydrogel improve the mechanical properties and thereby decrease the HP release rate. The hydrogel chemical composition, morphology, and HP release rate through direct and indirect (gas phase) contact were investigated. Viricide capabilities were tested, indicating a high efficiency against ToBRFV on tobacco and tomato plants. Additionally, low …

Ιn the current work we will present the transfer hBN, MoS2 and Bi2Se3-xSx by using the Laser Induced Transfer technique on rigid and flexible substrates. We will exhibit the advantages of the certain technique, the resolution of the transferred pixels and the characterization methods such as Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. Furthermore, we will refer to the possible applications concerning the Bi2Se3-xSx and the hBN. Finally, we will support the experimental results with the corresponding theoretical results of ab initio Molecular Dynamics (AIMD) with main purpose to explain the detachment and the attachment of the 2D materials from the donor to the receiver substrate.

Introduction In non-resectable tumors, chemotherapy is crucial to improve patient survival. However, it is often accompanied by considerable side effects. Targeted delivery of chemotherapy by coupling with iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles (IONP) could potentially increase efficacy while decreasing adverse systemic side effects. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of targeting nontoxic, biodegradable-IONP into tumors in-vivo by applying an external magnetic field.Material and methods Subcutaneous colon carcinoma tumors were induced in 35 mice. IONP was injected systemically, followed by suturing of a magnet on top of the tumors for 2–24 h. Tumors and livers were excised and stained for iron to explore IONP localization.Results Iron staining was evident in 43% and 20% of tumors exposed to magnets for 4 h or 24 h, respectively. No iron was present following 2 h exposure, nor in the control …

Herein, we report on the utility of a large gated SPAD camera, SwissSPAD2, for preclinical imaging. We demonstrate the ability of SwissSPAD2 to quantify FLI-FRET in tumor xenografts in vivo, in full agreement with gated-ICCD measurements.

As highlighted by the recent roadmaps from the European Union and the United States, water electrolysis is the most valuable high‐intensity technology for producing green hydrogen. Currently, two commercial low‐temperature water electrolyzer technologies exist: alkaline water electrolyzer (A‐WE) and proton‐exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEM‐WE). However, both have major drawbacks. A‐WE shows low productivity and efficiency, while PEM‐WE uses a significant amount of critical raw materials. Lately, the use of anion‐exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEM‐WE) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of the current commercial systems. AEM‐WE could become the cornerstone to achieve an intense, safe, and resilient green hydrogen production to fulfill the hydrogen targets to achieve the 2050 decarbonization goals. Here, the status of AEM‐WE development is discussed, with a …

Recently, there have been many attempts to extend the notion of proper time to quantum mechanics with the use of quantum clocks. Using a similar idea combined with the relativistic mass-energy equivalence, we consider an accelerating massive quantum particle with an internal clock system. We show that the ensuing evolution from the perspective of the particle's internal clock is non-Hermitian. This result does not rely on specific implementations of the clock. As a particular consequence, we prove that the effective Hamiltonian of two gravitationally interacting particles is non-Hermitian from the perspective of the clock of either particle.

We report here on focusing of a probe IR (λ = 1.55 μm) laser beam in silicon. The focusing is done by a second pump laser beam, at λ = 0.775 μm and 30 ps pulse width, with a donut shape that is launched collinearly and simultaneously (with some delay time) with the IR beam pulse. The pump beam pulse is absorbed in the silicon and creates, temporally, a free charge carriers (FCCs) donut pattern in the silicon. Following the plasma dispersion effect, the donut FCCs shapes a complex index of refraction pattern in the silicon that serves as a sort of dynamic GRIN lens for the probe beam due to the diffusion of the FCCs towards the donut center. This lens can be tuned to its focal point by the pump-probe delay time to reduce the point spread function (PSF) of the IR probe beam. We start seeing the focusing of the probe beam at pump-probe delay time of . The best focusing (results in PSF ) was observed at …

Introduction In non-resectable tumors, chemotherapy is crucial to improve patient survival. However, it is often accompanied by considerable side effects. Targeted delivery of chemotherapy by coupling with iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles (IONP) could potentially increase efficacy while decreasing adverse systemic side effects. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of targeting nontoxic, biodegradable-IONP into tumors in-vivo by applying an external magnetic field.Material and methods Subcutaneous colon carcinoma tumors were induced in 35 mice. IONP was injected systemically, followed by suturing of a magnet on top of the tumors for 2–24 h. Tumors and livers were excised and stained for iron to explore IONP localization.Results Iron staining was evident in 43% and 20% of tumors exposed to magnets for 4 h or 24 h, respectively. No iron was present following 2 h exposure, nor in the control …

Tattoos are highly trendy in western culture, but many people regret their tattoos for many reasons. It is essential to be aware of the ink location in advance to reduce the long and short‐term side effects. In this study, diffuse reflectance (DR) experiments were conducted on two‐layer (2L) tissue‐mimicking phantoms, where ink was sandwiched between the layers. An appreciable difference in the DR profile was found between the 2L phantom with and without the tattoo ink using the crossover point (Cp) method. Our technique was applied to ex vivo porcine skin. A point of intersection was found, between the skin and the tattooed skin. In the shorter wavelengths (500‐600 nm), a distinguishable 2L behavior was found, and in longer wavelengths (600‐850 nm), a single layer behavior was found between the tattooed skin before and after the intersection. In biological tissue, this Cp indeed finds the tattoo ink without …

Supercapacitors are considered potential energy storage devices and have drawn significant attention due to their superior intrinsic advantages. Herein, we report the synthesis of ReS2 embedded in MoS2 nanosheets (RMS-31) by a hydrothermal technique. The prepared RMS-31 electrode material demonstrated superior pseudocapacitive behavior in 1 M KOH electrolyte solution, which is confirmed by the heterostructure of RMS-31 nanosheet architectures. RMS-31 has a specific capacitance of 244 F g–1 at a current density of 1 A g–1 and a greater areal capacitance of 540 mF cm–2 at a current density of 5 mA cm–2. The symmetric supercapacitor device with the RMS-31 electrode delivers an energy density of 28 W h cm–2 with a power density of 1 W cm–2 and reveals long-term stability at a constant current density of 5 mA cm–2 for 10,000 cycles while accomplishing a retention of 66.5%. The high performance …

Abnormal cellular copper levels have been clearly implicated in genetic diseases, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Ctr1, a high-affinity copper transporter, is a homotrimeric integral membrane protein that provides the main route for cellular copper uptake. Together with a sophisticated copper transport system, Ctr1 regulates Cu(I) metabolism in eukaryotes. Despite its pivotal role in normal cell function, the molecular mechanism of copper uptake and transport via Ctr1 remains elusive. In this study, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), UV-visible spectroscopy, and all-atom simulations were employed to explore Cu(I) binding to full-length human Ctr1 (hCtr1), thereby elucidating how metal binding at multiple distinct sites affects the hCtr1 conformational dynamics. We demonstrate that each hCtr1 monomer binds up to five Cu(I) ions and that progressive Cu(I) binding triggers a marked structural rearrangement in …

Establishing causal relationships between genetic alterations of human cancers and specific phenotypes of malignancy remains a challenge. We sequentially introduced mutations into healthy human melanocytes in up to five genes spanning six commonly disrupted melanoma pathways, forming nine genetically distinct cellular models of melanoma. We connected mutant melanocyte genotypes to malignant cell expression programs in vitro and in vivo, replicative immortality, malignancy, rapid tumor growth, pigmentation, metastasis, and histopathology. Mutations in malignant cells also affected tumor microenvironment composition and cell states. Our melanoma models shared genotype-associated expression programs with patient melanomas, and a deep learning model showed that these models partially recapitulated genotype-associated histopathological features as well. Thus, a progressive series of genome …

Magnetism in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials has recently emerged as one of the most promising areas in condensed matter research, with many exciting emerging properties and significant potential for applications ranging from topological magnonics to low-power spintronics, quantum computing, and optical communications. In the brief time after their discovery, 2D magnets have blossomed into a rich area for investigation, where fundamental concepts in magnetism are challenged by the behavior of spins that can develop at the single layer limit. However, much effort is still needed in multiple fronts before 2D magnets can be routinely used for practical implementations. In this comprehensive review, prominent authors with expertise in complementary fields of 2D magnetism (i.e., synthesis, device engineering, magneto-optics, imaging, transport, mechanics, spin excitations, and theory and …

Scattering is among the most common and widely employed optical phenomena. The spatially resolved analysis of scattering contributions supports distributed sensing of quantities of interest. While optical backscatter events are readily mapped using time-of-flight considerations, the distributed analysis of forward scattering represents a fundamental and long-standing challenge. Interest in distributed analysis of forward scattering has reawakened in recent years, toward optical fiber sensors based on forward-stimulated Brillouin scattering. Existing protocols for distributed analysis of forward Brillouin scattering rely on secondary backscattering mechanisms and mandate the noise-prone differentiation of collected data with respect to position. Here we report on the direct, distributed analysis of forward scattering. The combined contributions of forward-stimulated Brillouin scattering and Kerr effect four-wave mixing are resolved with respect to position along polarization-maintaining fibers. The concept is based on the characteristics of intermodal scattering in such fibers: Forward scattering is initiated by a pair of orthogonally polarized and copropagating pump waves and observed through the nonlinear polarization switching of a counterpropagating probe. Measurements distinguish between dissimilar fibers connected in series, and between air and water outside a polyimide-coated fiber section in a specific location. The measurement range was 1.1 km. The spatial resolution currently achieved is estimated as 60 m, limited by the lifetimes of forward Brillouin scattering. The results provide preliminary proof of concept for distributed forward Brillouin …

A novel type of Li/graphene oxide (Li/GO) battery based on a spontaneous redox reaction between Li metal and GO cathode is introduced as an alternative viable primary battery system. Here, we present an efficient synthesis of GO by the modified Hummers method and focus on a comprehensive study of the reduction mechanism. The Li/GO battery was thoroughly analyzed by various physical and electrochemical methods. GO rich in oxygen‐bearing functional groups on graphene layers provided lithium storage sites and delivered a high discharge capacity of around 720 mAh/g at 12 mA/g. Products formed on the surface during reduction were analyzed, and a mechanism was proposed. The results uncovered the reasons underlying the improved electrochemical properties and the contribution of the irreversible capacity of reduced GO in graphene‐based composite electrode materials for metal‐ion batteries …

We formalize the concept of the modular energy operator within the Page and Wootters timeless framework. As a result, this operator is elevated to the same status as the more studied modular operators of position and momentum. In analogy with dynamical nonlocality in space associated with the modular momentum, we introduce and analyze the nonlocality in time associated with the modular energy operator. Some applications of our formalization are provided through illustrative examples.

Light propagating along a reversed path experiences the same transmission coefficient as in the forward direction, independent of the path complexity. This is called the optical reciprocity of light, which is valid for not too intense scattering media as well. Hence, by utilizing the reciprocity principle, the proposed novel technique can achieve axially and laterally tunable focus, non-invasively, through a scattering media without a priori knowledge or modeling of its scattering properties. Moreover, the uniqueness of the proposed technique lies in the fact that the illumination and detection are on the same side of the scattering media.