Browse Articles

Enhancing SOC accuracy in electric vehicle batteries via trapezoidal integration and capacity degradation compensation

Pyridinium- and bromine-substituted distyryl-BODIPY dyes for mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy

Abstract A series of 1-methylpyridinium-substituted brominated distyryl-BODIPY dyes, PyB X I ( X = H, M, or Br), was synthesized to achieve cooperative singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) production through qualitatively different dual intersystem crossing (ISC) pathways: spin–orbit charge-transfer ISC (SOCT-ISC) and heavy-atom-induced ISC. Upon photoexcitation of the PyB X I dyes, charge-transfer states were preferentially formed through photoinduced electron transfer from the distyryl-BODIPY core to the 1-methylpyridinium moiety, however, followed by nonradiative charge recombination rather than the desired SOCT-ISC. This resulted in negligible fluorescence and 1 O 2 quantum yields in the non-brominated dye PyBHI. The introduction of bromine atoms improved 1 O 2 quantum yield from 0.0034 for the mono-brominated dye PyBMI to 0.0061 for the di-brominated dye PyBBrI, attributable to the heavy atom effect. Nonetheless, the 1 O 2 production efficiency of these dyes remained limited, as photoinduced electron transfer was considered to occur nearly two orders of magnitude faster than singlet-to-triplet ISC. In vitro assays using MCF-7 and HeLa cells demonstrated that PyBBrI induced significant cell death, with IC 50 values of ca. 95 and 220 nM, respectively, confirming its potential for use in cancer therapy.

Determinants of poor glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Northwest Ethiopia

Near-source wastewater surveillance as a non-invasive tool for disease detection in prisons

Abstract Near-source wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) offers a non-intrusive alternative to clinical testing of whole prison populations. Prisons sit at the centre of high transmission risk but experience limited health-care access and barriers to testing individual prisoners. However, the use of WBE for health protection in prison settings has been limited. To assess its merit during the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were quantified in 680 composite wastewater samples collected from 14 prisons across England and Wales between January and June 2021. Viral RNA was detected in 48% of samples, and wastewater viral loads were found to closely mirror clinical case numbers Lead–lag analysis with adjacent municipal wastewater samples indicated a bidirectional flow between the prisons and their local community: seven prisons exhibited wastewater peaks ahead of their communities, while six lagged, highlighting heterogeneous epidemiological coupling. Marked differences between prisons were apparent in both physicochemical wastewater traits and clinical testing uptake, indicating each institution constitutes a distinct surveillance unit. Collectively, findings here indicate near-source WBE as a rapid, unbiased and scalable tool for disease outbreak detection and for mapping disease flow between prisons and their surrounding communities, advocating its integration into routine health-security frameworks for custodial and other high-density settings.

Silicon and methionine enhance cowpea water stress tolerance

Abstract This study investigated whether foliar application of silicon (Si) and methionine (Met) can modulate the biochemical metabolism and growth of cowpea ‘BRS Exuberante’ during water restriction and rehydration cycles, based on the hypothesis that these elicitors could improve physiological recovery after water stress. Considering the above, the experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, in a 2 × 4 factorial scheme, with four replications. The factors studied were: water stress period and rehydration period. In addition, the following foliar doses of the elicitors were applied: control, 300 mg L-1 of Si, 890 mg L-1 of Met, and the combination of both, 300 mg L-1 of Si + 890 mg L-1 of Met. The results that positively impacted the mitigation of water stress observed in the presence of silicon were more related to growth, although they also reflected improvements in biochemical metabolism. Methionine, on the other hand, was associated with changes in biochemical aspects that benefited growth. In both cases, the improvements that occurred during water restriction were what enabled greater recovery potential after rehydration. Both attenuating agents proved effective in inducing tolerance to certain physiological characteristics. Therefore, their use represents a promising alternative to strengthen the tolerance mechanisms of cowpea, especially by stimulating its ability to recover from stress after rehydration.

Experimental and numerical analysis of shear behaviour at the interface geopolymer mortar and sand

Radiosensitizing effects of silver nanoparticles targeting angiogenesis and matrix metalloproteinase signaling in triple negative breast cancer cell lines

Time-dependent comparison of serum BDNF responses following high-intensity interval exercise and moderate- and low-intensity continuous exercise in healthy young men

TRMT6 mitigates susceptibility and progression of DSS-induced colitis multifacetedly via translational regulation

Intensity-dependent tACS entrainment effects in a cortical microcircuit: a computational study

Abstract Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a promising noninvasive technique for modulating disrupted neural oscillations in psychiatric disorders and enhancing cognitive functions. However, its efficacy remains debated, partly because neuronal morphology and other microscopic factors critically affect the response to external electric fields. To address this issue and investigate cellular- and network-level mechanisms underlying tACS-induced neural entrainment, we developed a cortical microcircuit model integrating realistic neuronal morphologies, synaptic connectivity, and intrinsic oscillatory dynamics. Using the NEURON simulation environment, we constructed a microcircuit comprising five distinct biophysical cortical neuron models. Neural responses to a range of tACS intensities were assessed with metrics based on cross-correlation, phase coherence, and phase-locking value. While tACS modulates spike timing without significantly altering firing rates, pyramidal neurons are particularly sensitive to external fields compared to interneurons. In addition, tACS can either disrupt or enhance synchronization depending on the endogenous oscillation and stimulation intensity. Our computational study reveals that tACS effects arise from a complex interplay between intrinsic neuronal properties and network dynamics. These findings underscore the importance of neuronal morphology in determining tACS responses and provide insights that may help optimize stimulation parameters for precise neuromodulation in both clinical and research settings.

Differential sensitivity of impedance plethysmography and photoplethysmography sensors to temperature-induced peripheral vasoconstriction

Abstract Impedance plethysmography (IPG) and photoplethysmography (PPG) are non-invasive techniques for measuring blood volume changes. This study investigated the differential responses of IPG and PPG to temperature-mediated vasoconstriction induced by localized cooling. Twenty-one participants underwent control and treatment conditions, with fake or real ice cubes applied to the forearm. Blood pressure remained stable, while heart rate decreased. PPG signal amplitude significantly decreased with cooling (p adj = 0.004), indicating sensitivity to superficial blood flow changes. In contrast, IPG signal amplitude remained stable (p adj = 1.0). No statistically significant differences were observed in timing-derived metrics. These findings suggest IPG is less sensitive to superficial changes in blood flow than PPG, and may be more suitable for monitoring deeper blood flow. This study provides insights into the distinct sensitivities of IPG and PPG, with implications for wearable device development and cardiovascular monitoring.

Comparison of plyometric repeated sprint and plyometric aerobic training on physical performance in youth soccer players

The difference in light intensities during culture affects the production of health-beneficial metabolites in a diatom used in producing aquaculture feed

Abstract Microalgae are increasingly being utilized as sustainable materials for aquaculture feed production. As microalgae-derived compounds, including those with health benefits to humans, can accumulate in the bodies of fish and shellfish, enhancing the production of these compounds will further add value to the utilization of microalgae as aquaculture feed. Although light intensity has been known to affect the composition of intracellular compounds, the relationship between light intensity and the production of health-beneficial metabolites in microalgae remains unclear. Hence, in this study, the changes in the production of water- and lipid-soluble compounds in Chaetoceros gracilis , a diatom species used as aquaculture feed, under high and normal light conditions were quantified by performing metabolome analyses. While there was no significant difference in the growth of C. gracilis between the light conditions, the overall composition of compounds differed between the light intensities, and several health-beneficial metabolites were specifically produced under each light condition. Interestingly, these included compounds such as nobiletin and carnosine, which are not commonly reported to be produced by microalgae. Our results suggest the potential that by varying light intensity, we selectively modulate the types and amounts of health-beneficial metabolites in microalgal cells without altering the overall yield of the feed.

The expression profiling of serum circPHLPP2 and LncRNA ILF3 in colorectal cancer patients

Benchmarking action recognition models for self-harm detection in studio and real-world datasets

Assessment of the durability of polyurea resin coatings against selected aggressive solutions in the sewage infrastructure environment

Abstract This article presents the results of a study on how selected chemical solutions affect the durability of specific properties of polyurea resin coatings used for surface protection of concrete in wastewater treatment plants. The solutions tested included sulphuric acid at 1% and 10%, phenol at concentrations of 0.1% and 1%, and urea at 3%. Three randomly chosen coatings were treated with these solutions for 7 and 28 days. After treatment, changes in appearance, weight, hardness, and tensile strength were assessed. Tests were performed using our proprietary methods and in accordance with the standards EN 868 and EN 527-3. It was observed that phenol solutions had the most pronounced negative impact on all polyurea resin coatings, causing significant soaking (up to 30%) and reductions in hardness (up to 40 Shore units) and tensile strength (up to 80%). The 3% urea solution led to a decrease in hardness (up to 17 Shore units) and resulted in notable reductions in tensile strength (ranging from 10% to 30%). Sulphuric acid solutions within the tested concentration range (1% to 10%) caused minor changes in the coatings’ functional properties, including a 10–30% decrease in tensile strength and up to a 14% reduction in hardness.

Room-temperature polariton condensate in a quasi-2D hybrid perovskite

Abstract Quasi-2D halide perovskites are chemically synthesized realizations of quantum well stacks with giant exciton oscillator strengths, tunable emission spectra, and very large exciton binding energies. While these features render quasi-2D halide perovskites a promising platform for room-temperature polaritonics, bosonic condensation and polariton lasing in quasi-2D perovskites have so far remained elusive at ambient conditions. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature cavity exciton-polariton condensation in mechanically exfoliated crystals of the quasi-2D Ruddlesden-Popper iodide perovskite (BA) 2 (MA) 2 Pb 3 I 10 in an open optical microcavity. We observe a polariton condensation threshold of 0.41 µJ cm −2 per pulse and detect a strong non-linear response. Interferometric measurements confirm the spontaneous emergence of spatial coherence across the condensate with an associated first-order autocorrelation reaching 0.6 with 1 ps coherence time and an effective de Broglie wavelength of 13 µm. Our results lay the foundation for a new class of room-temperature polariton lasers based on quasi-2D halide perovskites with great potential for hetero-integration with other van-der-Waals materials and combination with photonic crystals or waveguides.

Printed origami thermoelectric generator achieves > 20 Wm−² from low-grade heat via material and process design

Abstract Printing facilitates low-cost thermoelectric generators to power battery-free internet-of-things devices, wearables, and Industry 4.0 systems. However, scaling up requires printable thermoelectric materials with good mechanical properties and high performance. Here, we report a high-performance Ag 2 (Se 1- x S x ) 1.05 -based n-type printed thermoelectric film through a combination of engineering non-stoichiometric defects and sulfur substitution. An optimal sulfur substitution of 2 at. % facilitates an excellent flexibility and a power factor of~16 µWcm −1 K −2 at 360 K, a 65 % increase compared to a pristine Ag 2 Se film. A fully printed origami-thermoelectric generator produces a maximum power output $${P}_{\max }$$ P max of 907 µW at a temperature difference of 80 K. A record-high power density p d of 21 W m −2 (corresponding to 800 µW g −1 as a weight-normalized power density) is achieved, twice that of previously reported origami-thermoelectric generators. These results highlight cost-effective manufacturing of thermoelectric generators with the capability to power next-generation autonomous electronic devices.

Transition to bio-based plastic packaging reveals complex climate–biodiversity trade-offs

Abstract Plastics are a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss, with packaging accounting for around 40% of European plastic production. Bio-based plastics are often promoted as a climate-friendly alternative, yet their broader environmental implications remain unclear. Here, we conduct a harmonized life cycle assessment of fossil- and bio-based plastic packaging, integrating end-of-life fate and plastic leakage. We find that while bio-based plastics reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they increase ecosystem damage, primarily driven by land use. At the product level, outcomes are sensitive to feedstock origin and waste management. When mismanaged, environmentally persistent bio-based plastics contribute substantially to ecosystem damage. Scaling scenarios for Europe show that even complete substitution with bio-based plastics cannot offset the environmental burden of continued demand growth. Only strong demand-side measures, particularly demand reduction and improved circularity, can mitigate trade-offs across climate change and biodiversity, calling for a shift from material substitution to systemic interventions in production and consumption.

DNA diamond formulates a decomposable composite letter constellation model for DNA data storage

Abstract Oligonucleotide multiplicity is an inherent property of current DNA synthesis technology. Composite letter DNA storage exploits this property to improve logical density and reduce costs. However, letter indistinguishability and high molecular diversity pose challenges for reliable recovery. Here, we formulate a composite letter constellation model, named DNA diamond, consisting of 15 decomposable points. Inspired by set partitioning in telecommunications, we propose a two-stage letter detection framework that partitions these letters into four distinguishable subsets based on their discrete entropy. Furthermore, we incorporate encoded double-end indices to eliminate crosstalk between synthesis sites and simultaneously apply length filtering to suppress error propagation during readout. We validate the eight-letter and 15-letter composite letter DNA storage under DNA diamond model, each with 10,000 composite strands. The eight-letter system achieves a payload density of 2.5 bits per letter and enables error-free recovery at 14× coverage, surpassing the storage density of prior six-letter systems while requiring lower coverage. The full 15-letter constellation enables 3.125 bits per letter for payload with error-free recovery at 33× coverage, corresponding to a density of 2.23 bits per letter for payload plus indices. The proposed decomposable DNA diamond model advances a practical and scalable framework for high-density composite DNA data storage.