Browse Articles

Effects of substrates on the efficiency of a monocrystalline solar panel

Maternal PRDM10 activates essential genes for oocyte-to-embryo transition

Ventral Midline Hysterectomy, Ovariectomy, and Ovariohysterectomy in Mus Musculus: A Surgical Protocol

Plasma exchange therapy for the post COVID-19 condition: a phase II, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial

Longevity of neonicotinoid seed treatments in cotton seedlings under various deficit irrigation levels

Ultra-low extracorporeal volume microfluidic leukapheresis is safe and effective in a rat model

Abstract Leukapheresis is a potentially life-saving therapy for children with symptomatic hyperleukocytosis. However, the standard centrifugation-based approach exposes pediatric patients to significant complications due to its large extracorporeal volume, high flow rates, and considerable platelet loss. Here, we tested whether performing cell separation with a high-throughput microfluidic technology could alleviate these limitations. In vitro, our microfluidic devices removed ~85% of large leukocytes and ~90% of spiked leukemic blasts from undiluted human whole blood, while minimizing platelet losses. Multiplexed devices connected in parallel allowed for faster, clinically relevant flow rates in vitro with no difference in leukocyte collection efficiency. When connected to Sprague-Dawley rats, the devices removed large leukocytes with ~80% collection efficiency, reducing the leukocyte count in recirculating blood by nearly half after a 3-hour procedure. Evaluation of plasma biomarkers and end-organ histology revealed no adverse effects compared to sham control. Overall, our study suggests that microfluidics-based leukapheresis is safe and effective at selectively removing leukocytes from circulation, with separation performance sufficiently high to ultimately enable low extracorporeal volume leukapheresis in children.

Vibration response analysis of simply supported girder bridges using millimeter-wave radar measurements

Additively-manufactured monocrystalline YBCO superconductor

Abstract Single-crystal microstructures enable high-performance YBa2Cu3O7-x superconductors which are however limited to simple shapes due to their brittleness. Additive manufacturing can fabricate YBa2Cu3O7-x superconductor with complex shapes, albeit with a polycrystalline microstructure. Here, we demonstrate a route to grow single-crystals from 3D-ink-printed, polycrystalline, sintered superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO or Y123) + Y2BaCuO5 (Y211), manufacturing objects with complex architectures displaying both high critical current density (Jc=2.1 × 104 A.cm–2, 77 K) and high critical temperature (Tc= 88-89.5 K). An ink containing precursor powders (Y2O3, BaCO3, and CuO) is 3D-extruded into complex geometries and then reaction-sintered to obtain polycrystalline Y123 + Y211. A seed is then utilized to transform these 3D-printed parts from polycrystal to monocrystal via the melt growth method. The geometric details of 3D-printed parts survive the process without slumping, sagging or collapse, despite the long-term presence of liquid above the peritectic temperature. Origami structures can be created by sheet folding after 3D-printing. This additive approach enables the facile fabrication of superconducting devices with complex shapes and architectures, such as advanced undulator magnets to generate synchrotron radiation and microwave cavities for dark-matter axion search. This work highlights the potential of additive manufacturing for producing monocrystalline cuprate superconductors and opens the door to additive manufacturing of other monocrystalline functional ceramic or semiconductor materials.

Wide-field OCT volumetric segmentation using semi-supervised CNN and transformer integration

Drop-shaped microgrooves guide unidirectional cell migration for enhanced endothelialization

Research on prediction of nanocrystalline alloy hysteresis properties based on long short-term memory network

Activating inert non-defect sites in Bi catalysts using tensile strain engineering for highly active CO2 electroreduction

Evodiamine inhibits programmed cell death ligand 1 expression via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to regulate antitumor immunity in melanoma

Deviatoric stress-induced transition of self-trapped exciton emissions

Association between resting heart rate and prognosis in patients with gastric cancer

Author Correction: On the longevity and inherent hermeticity of silicon-ICs: evaluation of bare-die and PDMS-coated ICs after accelerated aging and implantation studies

Proper likelihood functions for parameter estimation in S-shaped models of unperturbed tumor growth

Cortical representations of affective pain shape empathic fear in male mice

Seasonal variations and risk assessment of microplastic contamination in agricultural soil and associated macroinvertebrates in Egypt

Abstract Contamination by microplastics (MPs) has the potential to rank among the world’s most significant environmental issues. Despite the fact that MP contamination is a global problem, little is known about the time variation of MPs in agricultural soil and its faunal communities which represent a key role to risk assessment. This study represents a first field investigation regarding the MP concentrations in agricultural ecosystem in Egypt. Our study investigates the seasonal fluctuations of MPs in soil and its common fauna in a citrus orchard (Citrus sinensis) in Egypt’s Sohag Governorate. Moreover, this work aimed to identify how feeding strategies and body size of the selected fauna affect the no. of MPs ingested. The greatest mean concentration of MPs in soil was observed in summer (664 ± 90.20 items/kg) dry weight. However the lowest was recorded in autumn (354 ± 70.92 items/kg). Aporrectodea caliginosa (earthworms) was more contaminated with MPs (6.84 ± 2.5 item/individual annually) than Anisolabis maritima (earwigs) (2.06 ± 0.86 item/individual annually). When comparing between taxa without considering the size of the organisms, earwigs showed higher MPs concentrations (ranged from 117.93 ± 5.23 to 244.38 ± 4.57 items/gm wet weight) than the earthworms (ranged from 25.62 ± 2.43 to 51.66 ± 4.05 items/gm wet weight). Our results found that blue and red colors were the predominant colors in the soil and the selected fauna. Also, polyester fibers (PES) were the most popular type of microplastics, followed by fractions of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Interestingly, the reduction in the MP particles in the present taxa was observed compared to those in the soil. Pollution load index (PLI) value varied across seasons, with the lowest recorded in autumn due to reduced MPs abundance. The Hazard (H) index indicates a moderate risk (level III) due to high polyester abundance and a low hazard score (4) across all seasons. Our results represent a starting point for further studies on the impact of MPs on soil organisms in various agricultural soils.

Controlling crystallization in covalent organic frameworks to facilitate photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract The catalytic performance, depending on the surface nature, is ubiquitous in photocatalysis. However, surface engineering for organic photocatalysts through structural modulation has long been neglected. Here, we propose a zone crystallization strategy for covalent organic frameworks (COFs) that enhances surface ordering through regulator-induced amorphous-to-crystalline transformation. Dynamic simulations show that attaching monofunctional regulators to the surface of spherical amorphous precursor improves surface dynamic reversibility, increasing crystallinity from the inside out. The resulting COF microspheres display surface-enhanced crystallinity and uniform spherical morphology. The visible photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate reaches 126 mmol g–1 h–1 for the simplest β-ketoenamine-linked COF and 350 mmol gCOF –1 h–1 for SiO2@COF with minimal Pt cocatalysts. Mechanism studies indicate that surface crystalline domains build the surface electrical fields to accumulate photogenerated electrons and diminish electron transfer barriers between the COF and Pt interface. This work bridges the gap between microscopic molecules and macroscopic properties, allowing tailored design of crystalline organic photocatalysts.