Visual Feedback Gain Affects Cognitive Motor Function During Constant Grip Strength Control: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Visual feedback gain critically affects feedback quality and fine motor control, yet its neural basis related to cognitive motor control remains unclear. Nineteen healthy right-handed participants performed constant grip tracking at 20% of maximum voluntary contraction under low, medium, and high visual feedback gains. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy recorded hemodynamic responses from six regions of interest (ROIs): left/right prefrontal cortex (LPFC/RPFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), left supplementary motor and premotor area (LSMA&PMA), left primary motor cortex (LM1), and left primary somatosensory cortex (LS1).

When Graphitic Nitrogen Meets Pentagons: Selective Construction and Spectroscopic Evidence for Improved Four-Electron Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis.

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials have emerged as promising metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. However, the structural inhomogeneity, particularly the coexistence of four nitrogen doping structures-pyridinic, graphitic, pyrrolic, and oxidized nitrogen-makes assessing their respective contributions challenging and controversial. The current understanding of the four nitrogen doping structures may be also oversimplified and even problematic.

Atomic Imaging of the Surface Termination and Reconstruction of Low and High Index Iridium Oxide Surfaces and Insights into Their Facet-Dependent Oxygen Evolution Activities.

Resolving the atomic surface structure, particularly surface termination or reconstruction, is essential for understanding the catalytic properties of metal oxides. Although rutile phase iridium dioxide (IrO) is the state-of-the-art electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting, the atomic-level surface structures of IrO remain largely unexplored, limiting our understanding of its facet-dependent OER activities. Herein, we perform aberration-corrected integrated differential phase contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy of the low- and high-index surface structures of spindle-shaped IrO nanorods and reveal distinct surface terminations and/or reconstructions on different surfaces.

Investigating cortical complexity and connectivity in rats with schizophrenia.

Background: The above studies indicate that the SCZ animal model has abnormal gamma oscillations and abnormal functional coupling ability of brain regions at the cortical level. However, few researchers have focused on the correlation between brain complexity and connectivity at the cortical level. In order to provide a more accurate representation of brain activity, we studied the complexity of electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals and the information interaction between brain regions in schizophrenic rats, and explored the correlation between brain complexity and connectivity.

Visual Feedback Gain Modulates the Activation of Task-Related Networks and the Suppression of Non-Task Networks During Precise Grasping.

Visual feedback gain is a crucial factor influencing the performance of precision grasping tasks, involving multiple brain regions of the visual motor system during task execution. However, the dynamic changes in brain network during this process remain unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of changes in visual feedback gain during precision grasping on brain network dynamics.

Influencing factors of corticomuscular coherence in stroke patients.

Stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is an acute cerebrovascular disease with a high incidence, disability rate, and mortality. It can disrupt the interaction between the cerebral cortex and external muscles. Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) is a common and useful method for studying how the cerebral cortex controls muscle activity.

Ultrafast charge transfer in mixed-dimensional WO nanowire/WSe heterostructures for attomolar-level molecular sensing.

Developing efficient noble-metal-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates and unveiling the underlying mechanism is crucial for ultrasensitive molecular sensing. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of mixed-dimensional heterostructures via oxygen plasma treatments of two-dimensional (2D) materials. As a proof-of-concept, 1D/2D WO/WSe heterostructures with good controllability and reproducibility are synthesized, in which 1D WO nanowire patterns are laterally arranged along the three-fold symmetric directions of 2D WSe.

Extensor Digitorum Communis Compartments With a Double Compensation Synergy Strategy for Constant Force Control of the Index Finger.

Precise sustained force control of the fingers is important for achieving flexible hand movements. However, how neuromuscular compartments within a forearm multi-tendon muscle cooperate to achieve constant finger force remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the coordination strategies across multiple compartments of the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) during index finger sustained constant extension.

Dual-metal precursors for the universal growth of non-layered 2D transition metal chalcogenides with ordered cation vacancies.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) are promising for nanoelectronics and energy applications. Among them, the emerging non-layered TMCs are unique due to their unsaturated dangling bonds on the surface and strong intralayer and interlayer bonding. However, the synthesis of non-layered 2D TMCs is challenging and this has made it difficult to study their structures and properties at thin thickness limit.

Ultrastable Fe-N-C Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts by Eliminating Non-Coordinating Nitrogen and Regulating Coordination Structures at High Temperatures.

Pyrolyzed Fe-N-C materials have attracted considerable interest as one of the most active noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Despite significant progress is made in improving their catalytic activity during past decades, the Fe-N-C catalysts still suffer from fairly poor electrochemical and storage stability, which greatly hurdles their practical application. Here, an effective strategy is developed to greatly improve their catalytic stability in PEMFCs and storage stability by virtue of previously unexplored high-temperature synthetic chemistry between 1100 and 1200 °C.

Lithium hexamethyldisilazide as electrolyte additive for efficient cycling of high-voltage non-aqueous lithium metal batteries.

High-voltage lithium metal batteries suffer from poor cycling stability caused by the detrimental effect on the cathode of the water moisture present in the non-aqueous liquid electrolyte solution, especially at high operating temperatures (e.g., ≥60 °C).

Degradation and regeneration of Fe-N active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction: the role of surface oxidation, Fe demetallation and local carbon microporosity.

The severe degradation of Fe-N-C electrocatalysts during a long-term oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has become a major obstacle for application in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Understanding the degradation mechanism and regeneration of aged Fe-N-C catalysts would be of particular interest for extending their service life. Herein, we show that the by-product hydrogen peroxide during the ORR not only results in the oxidation of the carbon surface but also causes the demetallation of Fe active sites.

Cross-linked beta alumina nanowires with compact gel polymer electrolyte coating for ultra-stable sodium metal battery.

Sodium metal batteries have potentially high energy densities, but severe sodium-dendrite growth and side reactions prevent their practical applications, especially at high temperatures. Herein, we design an inorganic ionic conductor/gel polymer electrolyte composite, where uniformly cross-linked beta alumina nanowires are compactly coated by a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)-based gel polymer electrolyte through their strong molecular interactions. These  beta alumina nanowires combined with the gel polymer layer create dense and homogeneous solid-liquid hybrid sodium-ion transportation channels through and along the nanowires, which promote uniform sodium deposition and formation of a stable and flat solid electrolyte interface on the sodium metal anode.

Co-delivery of docetaxel and bortezomib based on a targeting nanoplatform for enhancing cancer chemotherapy effects.

Using facile polydopamine (PDA)-based surface modification and a pH-sensitive catechol-boronate binding mechanism, a novel drug delivery system was designed for the treatment of breast cancer. The system was able to achieve the following goals: active targeting, pH responsiveness, in vivo blood circulation for a prolonged period of time, and dual drug loading. After coating with PDA, the docetaxel (DTX)-loaded star-shaped copolymer cholic acid-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (CA-PLGA@PDA/NPs) were functionalized with amino-poly(ethylene glycol)-folic acid (NH-PEG-FA) and bortezomib (BTZ) to form the targeting composition, DTX-loaded CA-PLGA@PDA-PEG-FA + BTZ/NPs.

Decolorization of dye solutions with Ruditapes philippinarum conglutination mud and the isolated bacteria.

Application of Ruditapes Philippinarum conglutination mud (RPM) for decolorizing synthetic dye solutions was studied. RPM showed good activity for decolorization of Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet, Malachite Green, and Ink Blue. The amount of the RPM had great effect on the decoloration rate of the dye solutions.