High biodegradability of microbially-derived dissolved organic matter facilitates arsenic enrichment in groundwater: Evidence from molecular compositions and structures.

Although biodegradation of organic matter is well-known to trigger enrichment of arsenic (As) in groundwater, the effects of DOM sources and biodegradability on As enrichment remain elusive. In this study, groundwater samples were collected from the Hetao basin to identify DOM source and evaluate biodegradability by using spectral and molecular techniques. Results showed that in the alluvial fan, DOM was mainly sourced from terrestrially derived OM, while DOM in the flat plain was more originated from microbially derived OM. Compared to terrestrially derived DOMs, microbially derived DOMs in groundwater, which had relatively higher H/Cwa ratios, NOSC values and more biodegradable molecules, exhibited higher biodegradability. In the flat plain, microbially derived DOMs with higher biodegradability encountered stronger biodegradation, facilitating the reductive dissolution of Fe(III)/Mn oxides and As enrichment in groundwater. Moreover, the enrichment of As depended on the biodegradable molecules that was preferentially utilized for primary biodegradation. Our study highlights that the enrichment of dissolved As in the aquifers was closely associated with microbially derived DOM with high biodegradability and high ability for primary biodegradation.

The role of circular RNA during the urological cancer metastasis: exploring regulatory mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

Metastasis is a major contributor to treatment failure and death in urological cancers, representing an important biomedical challenge at present. Metastases form as a result of cancer cells leaving the primary site, entering the vasculature and lymphatic vessels, and colonizing clones elsewhere in the body. However, the specific regulatory mechanisms of action underlying the metastatic process of urological cancers remain incompletely elucidated. With the deepening of research, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to not only play a significant role in tumor progression and prognosis but also show aberrant expression in various tumor metastases, consequently impacting tumor metastasis through multiple pathways. Therefore, circRNAs are emerging as potential tumor markers and treatment targets. This review summarizes the research progress on elucidating how circRNAs regulate the urological cancer invasion-metastasis cascade response and related processes, as well as their role in immune microenvironment remodeling and circRNA vaccines. This body of work highlights circRNA regulation as an emerging therapeutic target for urological cancers, which should motivate further specific research in this regard.

Theoretical insights into the intercalation mechanism of Li, Na, and Mg ions in a metallic BN/VS2 heterostructure.

Layered VS2 has been widely used as a battery anode material owing to its large specific surface area and controllable ion-transport channel. However, its semiconductor properties and poor cycling stability seriously limit its further applications. Herein, a two-dimensional BN/VS2 heterostructure (BVH) was constructed as an anode material for rechargeable metal-ion batteries (RMIBs). Demonstrated using first principles calculations, BVH exhibits a metallic property due to lattice stress between monolayer BN and VS2. BVH displays low ion diffusion energy barriers (0.13, 0.43, and 0.56 eV) and high theoretical capacities (447, 553.5, and 340.7 mA h g-1) for Li+, Na+, and Mg2+ storage. In BVH, the VS2 layer as the main redox center supports charge transfer, while the inactive BN layer enables high structural stability. This synergistic effect is expected to simultaneously achieve a high rate, high capacity, and long life. This design provides an important insight into developing new anode materials for RMIBs.

Untargeted Metabolomic Analyses and Antilipidemic Effects of Citrus Physiological Premature Fruit Drop.

Increasingly globally prevalent obesity and related metabolic disorders have underscored the demand for safe and natural therapeutic approaches, given the limitations of weight loss drugs and surgeries. This study compared the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of five different varieties of citrus physiological premature fruit drop (CPFD). Untargeted metabolomics was employed to identify variations in metabolites among different CPFDs, and their antilipidemic effects in vitro were assessed. The results showed that Citrus aurantium L. 'Daidai' physiological premature fruit drop (DDPD) and Citrus aurantium 'Changshan-huyou' physiological premature fruit drop (HYPD) exhibited higher levels of phytochemicals and stronger antioxidant activity. There were 97 differential metabolites identified in DDPD and HYPD, including phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, organic acids, terpenes, and lipids. Additionally, DDPD and HYPD demonstrated potential antilipidemic effects against oleic acid (OA)-induced steatosis in HepG2 hepatocytes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In conclusion, our findings reveal the outstanding antioxidant activity and antilipidemic effects of CPFD, indicating its potential use as a natural antioxidant and health supplement and promoting the high-value utilization of this resource.

Assessing the effect of scanning parameter on the size and density of pulmonary nodules: a phantom study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer remains a leading cause of death among cancer patients. Computed tomography (CT) plays a key role in lung cancer screening. Previous studies have not adequately quantified the effect of scanning protocols on the detected tumor size. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of various CT scanning parameters on tumor size and densitometry based on a phantom study and to investigate the optimal energy and mA image quality for screening assessment. METHODS: We proposed a new model using the LUNGMAN N1 phantom multipurpose anthropomorphic chest phantom (diameters: 8, 10, and 12 mm; CT values: - 100, - 630, and - 800 HU) to evaluate the influence of changes in tube voltage and tube current on the size and density of pulmonary nodules. In the LUNGMAN N1 model, three types of simulated lung nodules representing solid tumors of different sizes were used. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were used to evaluate the image quality of each scanning combination. The consistency between the calculated results based on segmentation from two physicists was evaluated using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: In terms of nodule size, the longest diameters of ground-glass nodules (GGNs) were closest to the ground truth on the images measured at 100 kVp tube voltage, and the longest diameters of solid nodules were closest to the ground truth on the images measured at 80 kVp tube voltage. In respect to density, the CT values of GGNs and solid nodules were closest to the ground truth when measured at 80 kVp and 100 kVp tube voltage, respectively. The overall agreement demonstrates that the measurements were consistent between the two physicists. CONCLUSIONS: Our proposed model demonstrated that a combination of 80 kVp and 140 mA scans was preferred for measuring the size of the solid nodules, and a combination of 100 kVp and 100 mA scans was preferred for measuring the size of the GGNs when performing lung cancer screening. The CT values at 80 kVp and 100 kVp were preferred for the measurement of GGNs and solid nodules, respectively, which were closest to the true CT values of the nodules. Therefore, the combination of scanning parameters should be selected for different types of nodules to obtain more accurate nodal data.

Interaction between eye movements and adhesion of extraocular muscles.

The contact and pull-off tests and finite element simulations were used to study the extraocular muscle-sclera adhesion and its variation with eye movement in this research. The effect of the adhesion on the eye movements was also determined using equilibrium equations of eye motion. The contact and pull-off tests were performed using quasi-static and non-quasi-static unloading velocities. Finite element models were developed to simulate these tests in cases with high unloading velocity which could not be achieved experimentally. These velocities range from the eye's fixation to saccade movement. The tests confirmed that the pull-off force is related to the unloading velocity. As the unloading velocity increases, the pull-off force increases, with an insignificant increase at the high ocular saccade velocities. The adhesion moment between the extraocular muscles and the sclera exhibited the same trend, increasing with higher eye movement velocities and higher separation angles between the two interfaces. The adhesion moment ratio to the total moment was calculated by the traditional model and the active pulley model of eye movements to assess the effect of adhesion behavior on eye movements. At the high ocular saccade velocities (about 461 deg/s), the adhesion moment was found to be 0.53% and 0.50% of the total moment based on the traditional and active pulley models, respectively. The results suggest that the adhesion behavior between the extraocular muscles and the sclera has a negligible effect on eye movements. At the same time, this adhesion behavior can be ignored in eye modeling, which simplifies the model reasonably well. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: 1. Adhesion behavior between the extraocular muscles and the sclera at different indenter unloading velocities determined by contact and pull-off tests. 2. A finite element model was developed to simulate the adhesive contact between the extraocular muscles and the sclera at different indenter unloading velocities. The bilinear cohesive zone model was used for adhesive interactions. 3. The elastic modulus and viscoelastic parameters of the extraocular muscle along the thickness direction were obtained by using compressive stress-relaxation tests. 4. The influence of the adhesion moment between the extraocular muscles and the sclera on eye movement was obtained according to the equation of oculomotor balance. The adhesion moment between the extraocular muscles and the sclera was found to increase with increased eye movement velocity and increased separation angle between the two interfaces.

Lemon essential oil nanoemulsions: Potential natural inhibitors against Escherichia coli.

Lemon essential oil (LEO) is a common natural antibacterial substance, and encapsulating LEO into nanoemulsions (NEs) can improve their stability and broaden its application. Our study aimed to investigate the bacterial inhibitory effect of LEO-NEs against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of LEO-NEs was 6.25 mg/mL, and the time-kill curve showed that E. coli were significantly killed by LEO-NEs after 5 h of treatment at 1MIC. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that LEO-NEs adversely affected the cell-membrane depolarisation, cell-membrane integrity, and efflux pump function of E. coli. Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that 8MIC of LEO-NEs induced changes in the cell-membrane permeability and cell-wall integrity of E. coli. Proteomic results suggested that the mode of action LEO-NEs against E. coli was to enhance bacterial chemotaxis and significantly inhibit ribosomal assembly. They may also affect butyric acid, ascorbic acid and aldehyde metabolism, and sulphur-relay system pathways. In conclusion, LEO-NEs had potential application as a natural antibacterial agent for the control of E. coli in the food industry.

Nanocomposites based on nanoceria regulate the immune microenvironment for the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.

The immune system is closely associated with the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Macrophages are one of the important immune cell types in the ovarian proinflammatory microenvironment, and ameliorate the inflammatory status mainly through M2 phenotype polarization during PCOS. Current therapeutic approaches lack efficacy and immunomodulatory capacity, and a new therapeutic method is needed to prevent inflammation and alleviate PCOS. Here, octahedral nanoceria nanoparticles with powerful antioxidative ability were bonded to the anti-inflammatory drug resveratrol (CeO2@RSV), which demonstrates a crucial strategy that involves anti-inflammatory and antioxidative efficacy, thereby facilitating the proliferation of granulosa cells during PCOS. Notably, our nanoparticles were demonstrated to possess potent therapeutic efficacy via anti-inflammatory activities and effectively alleviated endocrine dysfunction, inflammation and ovarian injury in a dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-induced PCOS mouse model. Collectively, this study revealed the tremendous potential of the newly developed nanoparticles in ameliorating the proinflammatory microenvironment and promoting the function of granulosa cells, representing the first attempt to treat PCOS by using CeO2@RSV nanoparticles and providing new insights in combating clinical PCOS.

Collective motion in hcp-Fe at Earth's inner core conditions.

Earth's inner core is predominantly composed of solid iron (Fe) and displays intriguing properties such as strong shear softening and an ultrahigh Poisson's ratio. Insofar, physical mechanisms to explain these features coherently remain highly debated. Here, we have studied longitudinal and shear wave velocities of hcp-Fe (hexagonal close-packed iron) at relevant pressure-temperature conditions of the inner core using in situ shock experiments and machine learning molecular dynamics (MLMD) simulations. Our results demonstrate that the shear wave velocity of hcp-Fe along the Hugoniot in the premelting condition, defined as T/Tm (Tm: melting temperature of iron) above 0.96, is significantly reduced by ~30%, while Poisson's ratio jumps to approximately 0.44. MLMD simulations at 230 to 330 GPa indicate that collective motion with fast diffusive atomic migration occurs in premelting hcp-Fe primarily along [100] or [010] crystallographic direction, contributing to its elastic softening and enhanced Poisson's ratio. Our study reveals that hcp-Fe atoms can diffusively migrate to neighboring positions, forming open-loop and close-loop clusters in the inner core conditions. Hcp-Fe with collective motion at the inner core conditions is thus not an ideal solid previously believed. The premelting hcp-Fe with collective motion behaves like an extremely soft solid with an ultralow shear modulus and an ultrahigh Poisson's ratio that are consistent with seismic observations of the region. Our findings indicate that premelting hcp-Fe with fast diffusive motion represents the underlying physical mechanism to help explain the unique seismic and geodynamic features of the inner core.

A two-dimensional VO2/VS2 heterostructure as a promising cathode material for rechargeable Mg batteries: a first principles study.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) are considered as highly promising energy storage systems. However, the lack of cathode materials with fast Mg2+ diffusion kinetics and high energy density severely hinders the development of RMBs. Herein, a two-dimensional (2D) VO2/VS2 heterostructure as a RMB cathode material is proposed by introducing an O-V-O layer in VS2 to improve the discharge voltage and specific capacity while keeping the fast Mg2+ diffusion kinetics. Based on first principle calculations, the geometric structures, electronic characteristics of the VO2/VS2 heterostructure, and the adsorption properties and diffusion behaviors of Mg2+ in VO2/VS2 are systematically studied. The metallic properties of VO2/VS2 and a relatively low diffusion barrier of Mg2+ (0.6 eV) in VO2/VS2 enable a large potential in delivering high rate performance in actual RMBs. Compared with traditional VS2 materials (1.25 V), the average discharge platform of VO2/VS2 could be increased to 1.7 V. The theoretical capacities of the layered VS2 and VO2/VS2 are calculated as 233 and 301 mA h g-1, respectively. Thus, the VO2/VS2 heterostructure exhibits a high theoretical energy density of 511.7 W h kg-1, significantly surpassing that of VS2 (291.3 W h kg-1). This work provides important guidance for designing high-energy and high-rate 2D heterostructure cathode materials for RMBs and other multivalent ion batteries.

Independent Component Analysis Reveals the Transcriptional Regulatory Modules in Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110.

The dynamic adaptation of bacteria to environmental changes is achieved through the coordinated expression of many genes, which constitutes a transcriptional regulatory network (TRN). Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110 is an important model strain for the study of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF), and its SNF ability largely depends on the TRN. In this study, independent component analysis was applied to 226 high-quality gene expression profiles of B. diazoefficiens USDA110 microarray datasets, from which 64 iModulons were identified. Using these iModulons and their condition-specific activity levels, we (1) provided new insights into the connection between the FixLJ-FixK2-FixK1 regulatory cascade and quorum sensing, (2) discovered the independence of the FixLJ-FixK2-FixK1 and NifA/RpoN regulatory cascades in response to oxygen, (3) identified the FixLJ-FixK2 cascade as a mediator connecting the FixK2-2 iModulon and the Phenylalanine iModulon, (4) described the differential activation of iModulons in B. diazoefficiens USDA110 under different environmental conditions, and (5) proposed a notion of active-TRN based on the changes in iModulon activity to better illustrate the relationship between gene regulation and environmental condition. In sum, this research offered an iModulon-based TRN for B. diazoefficiens USDA110, which formed a foundation for comprehensively understanding the intricate transcriptional regulation during SNF.

[Explored the Function of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) of Medical Devices from the Perspective of Test].

OBJECTIVE: To improve the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) quality of medical devices, improve the efficiency of EMC testing, and promote the speed of market approval. METHODS: The unqualified cases of EMC test items of medical devices in recent years were statistically analyzed, and the reasons of low EMC quality of medical devices were analyzed from the perspective of test. RESULTS: Based on the analysis of the reasons, the suggestions were given from the perspectives of medical device manufacturers and testing organizations. CONCLUSIONS: In order to ensure the quality of EMC of medical devices, medical device manufacturers, regulatory authorities and inspection and testing institutions should strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of medical device electromagnetic compatibility, to ensure the safety of products work together to promote the development of the medical device industry healthily and orderly.

Hydrogeochemical and sediment parameters improve predication accuracy of arsenic-prone groundwater in random forest machine-learning models.

The relative importance of groundwater geochemicals and sediment characteristics in predicting groundwater arsenic distributions was rarely documented. To figure this out, we established a random forest machine-learning model to predict groundwater arsenic distributions in the Hetao Basin, China, by using 22 variables of climate, topographic features, soil properties, sediment characteristics, groundwater geochemicals, and hydraulic gradients of 492 groundwater samples. The established model precisely captured the patchy distributions of groundwater arsenic concentrations in the basin with an AUC value of 0.84. Results suggest that Fe(II) was the most prominent variable in predicting groundwater arsenic concentrations, which supported that the enrichment of arsenic in groundwater was caused by the reductive dissolution of Fe(III) oxides. The high relative importance of SO42- indicated that sulfate reduction was also conducive to groundwater arsenic enrichment in inland basins. Nevertheless, parameters of climate variables, sediment characteristics, and soil properties showed secondly important roles in predicting groundwater arsenic concentrations. The other two models, which excluded parameters of groundwater geochemicals and/or sediment characteristics, showed much worse predictions than the model considering all variables. This highlights the importance of variables of groundwater geochemicals and sediment characteristics in improving the precision and accuracy of predicting results. Future studies should probe a method constructing the random forest predicting model with high precision based on the limited number of groundwater samples and sediment samples.

Transformation of dissolved organic matter and related arsenic mobility at a surface water-groundwater interface in the Hetao Basin, China.

Porewater arsenic mobility above the groundwater table has been recognized as a potential cause of arsenic-rich groundwater, but the processing pathways of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in that hyporheic zone and their effect on porewater arsenic release remain poorly understood. To address these issues, two porewater profiles were sampled in a surface water-groundwater interaction zone from the Hetao Basin, China, to monitor the porewater geochemistry and DOM molecular characteristics. The results show that the porewater arsenic, Fe(II), and DOC concentrations were all significantly higher than those of the intruding pond water, and were located above the conservative mixing model lines. This indicates a net release of these solutes from the sediment. By comparing the porewater with pond water DOM, we found that the carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM) were selectively preserved, carbohydrates and aliphatics/proteins were preferentially consumed, and low O/C-ratio compounds with high bioproduction index (I_bioprod) and terrestrial index (I_terr) were produced. The transformation of CHO to CHOS compounds also represented a pathway of recalcitrant DOM production. The produced recalcitrant organic compounds mostly contributed to the elevated porewater DOC concentrations, but their contribution decreased along the filtration path. The consumption of labile DOM compounds would be responsible for Fe(III) hydroxide reduction and arsenic release. The generated recalcitrant DOM may also be a driver of porewater arsenic mobility by acting as electron shuttles. This study highlights the importance of the hyporheic zone in shaping shallow groundwater DOM composition and the potential contribution to arsenic enrichment.

Prognostic signature analysis and survival prediction of esophageal cancer based on N6-methyladenosine associated lncRNAs.

Esophageal cancer (ESCA) has a bad prognosis. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) impacts on cell proliferation. However, the prognosis function of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-associated lncRNAs (m6A-lncRNAs) in ESCA remains unknown. Univariate Cox analysis was applied to investigate prognosis related m6A-lncRNAs, based on which the samples were clustered. Wilcoxon rank and Chi-square tests were adopted to compare the clinical traits, survival, pathway activity and immune infiltration in different clusters where overall survival, clinical traits (N stage), tumor-invasive immune cells and pathway activity were found significantly different. Through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and proportional hazard (Lasso-Cox) model, five m6A-lncRNAs were selected to construct the prognostic signature (m6A-lncSig) and risk score. To investigate the link between risk score and clinical traits or immunological microenvironments, Chi-square test and Spearman correlation analysis were utilized. Risk score was found connected with N stage, tumor stage, different clusters, macrophages M2, B cells naive and T cells CD4 memory resting. Risk score and tumor stage were found as independent prognostic variables. And the constructed nomogram model had high accuracy in predicting prognosis. The obtained m6A-lncSig could be taken as potential prognostic biomarker for ESCA patients. This study offers a theoretical foundation for clinical diagnosis and prognosis of ESCA.

Corneal Biomechanical Properties Demonstrate Anisotropy and Correlate With Axial Length in Myopic Eyes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ex vivo and in vivo biomechanical characteristic of cornea in myopic eyes. Methods: Fifty-one corneal stromal lenticules were obtained from myopic eyes during the SMILE procedure and were tested by a biaxial tensile system within 24 hours postoperatively. The material properties of the lenticules were described using stress-strain curves and were compared among axial length (AL) <26 mm and AL ≥ 26 mm group. Pre-operative stress-strain index (SSI) parameters were used to evaluate the biomechanical properties of the cornea in vivo. Results: Compared with AL < 26 mm, the tangent modulus significantly decreased in horizontal and vertical directions when AL ≥ 26 mm (P < 0.05); SSI also significantly decreased when AL ≥ 26 mm (P < 0.05). Anisotropic parameter is positively correlated with AL (r = 0.307, P < 0.05). Compared with AL < 26 mm, anisotropic parameter significantly increased when AL ≥ 26 mm (P < 0.05). SSI was negatively correlated with AL (r = -0.380, P < 0.05) in the AL < 26 mm group but not in the AL ≥ 26 mm group (P > 0.05). Compared with 26 mm ≤ AL < 27 mm group, the tangent modulus significantly decreased in the horizontal direction (P < 0.05) but not in the vertical direction when 27 mm ≤ AL < 28 mm (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The biomechanical properties of cornea decreased with the increase of AL. Tangent modulus significantly decreased in the horizontal direction compared with vertical direction. AL should be taken into account during calculation of corneal biomechanical parameters in order to improve validity.

The adhesion behavior of the retina.

Ocular diseases and treatment related to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) are highly correlated with retinal adhesion behavior. Therefore, this paper proposes to study the adhesion behavior of the intact retina. This can provide theoretical guidance for the treatment and research of retinal detachment (RD) related diseases. To systematically analyze this aspect, two experiments were performed on the porcine retina. The pull-off test combined with the modified JKR theory was used to study the adhesion behavior of the vitreoretinal interface, while the peeling test was used to study the adhesion behavior of the chorioretinal interface. In addition, the adhesion phase involved in the pull-off test was simulated and analyzed by building the corresponding finite element method (FEM). The experimental results of adhesion force on the vitreoretinal interface were obtained by pull-off test with five sizes of rigid punch. The experimental value of the pull-off force FPO tends to increase gradually with increasing punch radius in the range of 0.5-4 mm. A comparison of the experimental results with the simulation results shows that they are in a well agreement. And there is no statistical difference between the experimental and theoretical values of the pull-off force FPO. In addition, the values of retinal adhesion work were also obtained by pull-off test. Interestingly, there is a significant scale effect of the retinal work of adhesion. Finally, the peeling test gave a maximum peeling strength TMax of about 13 mN/mm and a stable peeling strength TD of about 11 mN/mm between the retina and the choroid. The pull-off test well shows the process of retinal traction by the diseased vitreous at the beginning of RRD. A comparison of the experimental results with the finite element results verifies the accuracy of the simulation. The peeling test well investigated the adhesion behavior between the retina and the choroid and obtained key biomechanical data (peeling strength, etc.). The combination of the two experiments allows a more systematic study of the whole retina. This research can provide more complete material parameters for finite element modeling of retina-related diseases, and it also can provide the theoretical guidance for individualized design of retinal repair surgery.

[Bionic optic nerve based on perovskite (CsPbBr 3) quantum-dots].

The bionic optic nerve can mimic human visual physiology and is a future treatment for visual disorders. Photosynaptic devices could respond to light stimuli and mimic normal optic nerve function. By modifying (Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythio-phene):poly (styrenesulfonate)) active layers with all-inorganic perovskite quantum dots, with an aqueous solution as the dielectric layer in this paper, we developed a photosynaptic device based on an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT). The optical switching response time of OECT was 3.7 s. To improve the optical response of the device, a 365 nm, 300 mW·cm -2 UV light source was used. Basic synaptic behaviors such as postsynaptic currents (0.225 mA) at a light pulse duration of 4 s and double pulse facilitation at a light pulse duration of 1 s and pulse interval of 1 s were simulated. By changing the way light stimulates, for example, by adjusting the intensity of the light pulses from 180 to 540 mW·cm -2, the duration from 1 to 20 s, and the number of light pulses from 1 to 20, the postsynaptic currents were increased by 0.350 mA, 0.420 mA, and 0.466 mA, respectively. As such, we realized the effective shift from short-term synaptic plasticity (100 s recovery of initial value) to long-term synaptic plasticity (84.3% of 250 s decay maximum). This optical synapse has a high potential for simulating the human optic nerve.

Enhanced soft magnetic properties and high-frequency stability of FeNiMo powder cores by coating SiO2 insulation layer.

FeNiMo/SiO2 powder cores were prepared using the sol-gel method. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was added to produce an amorphous SiO2 coating outside the FeNiMo particles to form a core-shell structure. The thickness of the SiO2 layer was designed by varying the concentration of TEOS, and the optimized permeability and magnetic loss of the powder core could achieve 78.15 and 633.44 kW m-3 at 100 kHz and 100 mT, respectively. Compared with other soft magnetic composites, these FeNiMo/SiO2 powder cores have a significantly higher effective permeability and a lower core loss. Surprisingly, the high-frequency stability of permeability could be substantially enhanced through the insulation coating process in which µf/µ100 kHz could reach 98.7% at 1 MHz. In comparison with 60µ commercial products, the comprehensive soft magnetic properties of the FeNiMo/SiO2 cores were superior to most manufacturers, which would be potentially applied to high-performance inductance devices in high-frequency ranges.

Development of two immunochromatographic test strips based on signal amplification and selenium nanoparticles for the rapid detection of T-2 mycotoxin.

Conventional immunochromatographic test strips (ICSs) based on gold nanoparticle (AuNP) probes offer limited sensitivity. Here, AuNPs were separately labeled with monoclonal or secondary antibodies (MAb or SAb). In addition, spherical, homogeneously dispersed, and stable selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were also synthesized. By optimizing the preparation parameters, two ICSs based on the dual AuNP signal amplification (Duo-ICS) or SeNPs (Se-ICS) were developed for the rapid detection of T-2 mycotoxin. The detection sensitivities of the Duo-ICS and Se-ICS assays for T-2 were 1 ng/mL and 0.25 ng/mL, respectively, which were 3-fold and 15-fold more sensitive, respectively, than a conventional ICS. Furthermore, the ICSs were applied in the detection of T-2 in cereals, which requires higher sensitivity. Our findings indicate that both ICS systems can be used for rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of T-2 toxin in cereals and potentially other sample types.