Metal-stabilized G-quadruplexes: biological insights and sensing applications.

Repeat sequences account for approximately 45% of the human genome, and can produce noncanonical DNA secondary structures that include G-quadruplexes (G4s). Among these, G4s are unique, in that their formation and stability are largely influenced by metal cations, such as Na＋, K＋, Ca2＋, and Mg2＋. These cations stabilize G4 structures, while also influencing their folding and biological activities.

Direct Detection of Textile Dyes in Environmental Samples by LDI and MALDI FT-ICR MS.

Dye contamination poses a serious problem in some developing countries, which often lack the facilities for effective analysis. International shipment of samples for high-resolution mass spectrometry is hindered by strict regulations and high costs. Therefore, there is a need for a direct, low-volume analytical method.

High-frequency (> 65 MHz) broadband transparent transducer with ultrathin gold electrode for dual-mode photoacoustic and laser-induced ultrasound microscopy.

For high-performance combined photoacoustic (PA) and Ultrasound (US) microscopy, precise coaxial alignment of the US and laser beams is essential. This can be realized using broadband transparent ultrasound transducers (TUTs). However, the current dual-mode imaging systems encounter significant challenges in simultaneous PA and US data acquisition due to sequential transmission of light and ultrasound and mechanical movement of dual-mode probes, leading to longer acquisition times and potential registration inaccuracies.

Single Atom Catalysts for Electrochemical CO Reduction Reaction: Synthetic Strategies and Mechanistic Insights.

Electrocatalytic CO reduction is one of the most promising pathways for addressing environmental and green energy concerns while converting CO into added value chemicals and fuels. For this purpose, single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as highly active and selective classes of materials toward electrochemical CO reduction (CORR) due to their unique electronic properties, exposed active centers, and tunable coordination environment. Herein, a critical assessment of the recent development of SACs for CORR is presented.

Uterine angiomyofibroblastoma in a domestic cat: A need of precise diagnosis for proper perioperative management.

Angiomyofibroblastoma (AMFB) is rarely reported in humans as well as domestic animals, especially in the female genital tract. This painless tumour is characterised by the proliferation of spindle or ovoid tumour cells with myofibroblastic differentiation, which often cluster around thin-walled blood vessels. This report presents a case of feline AMFB for the first time.

Assessment of Static Balance Metrics in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Categorized Using the Fall Risk Appraisal Matrix.

The Fall Risk Appraisal Matrix (FRAM) is a simple fall risk assessment tool that categorizes older adults into four separate groups based on their fear of falling (FOF) and static balance performance. Static balance for the FRAM is evaluated solely by postural sway distance, which does not account for other static balance parameters, such as sway area, anterior-posterior (AP) sway range, medial-lateral (ML) sway range, and sway velocity. The objective of this study was to compare these additional metrics across the FRAM groups to assess their relevance and validity for inclusion in static balance performance assessment.

Magnetocrystalline Anisotropic Platinum-Palladium-Iron Ternary Intermetallic Alloy for Enhanced Fuel Cell Electrocatalysis.

Ordered Pt-based intermetallic alloys have emerged as promising candidates for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts in comparison to their disordered counterparts. Here, novel ferromagnetic PtPdFe ternary intermetallic alloys with structurally ordered tetragonal L1 and cubic L1 phases are presented, featuring distinctive characteristics in crystal structures and atomic alignments. Insights into the fundamental understanding of the Pt-based ternary intermetallic catalysts are provided, unveiling magnetocrystalline anisotropy as a structure-intrinsic descriptor for ORR catalysis.

Intestinal therapeutic agent delivery microrobot with magnetic targeting and pH-triggered degradation abilities.

Oral drug delivery remains a clinically preferred route for colorectal cancer therapy due to its noninvasive nature and patient compliance. However, conventional formulations suffer from premature degradation in the gastric environment and poor site-specific targeting in the intestine, significantly reducing therapeutic efficacy. Here, we introduce an intestinal therapeutic agent delivery microrobot (ITAM) composed of a therapeutic agent (TA) encapsulated core, a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) layer for precise magnetic guidance, and a protective layer to minimize the loss of functional materials.

CoN-CoO with Core-Shell Structure Coupled on Cotton Stalk Derived Carbon as Catalyst to Accelerate Hydrogen Production from Sodium Borohydride.

In the future hydrogen economy, the design of efficient catalysts with dual active sites is essential to promote catalytic hydrogen production. In this paper, CoN-CoO with core@shell structure supported on cotton stalk carbon (CoN-CoO@C) possessing dual-active sites of CoN and CoO is designed. The catalyst shows excellent catalytic activity for sodium borohydride (NaBH) hydrolysis with hydrogen evolution rate (r = 1408 mL min g ).

Sandwich-structured piezoelectric ultrasound harvester for wireless power charging of implantable biomedical electronics.

Implantable biomedical electronics (IBMEs) require reliable power sources for long-term operation and minimize frequent of battery-replacement surgeries. Piezoelectric ultrasound harvesters (PUSHs) have emerged as a promising solution for ultrasound-based wireless power transfer (US-WPT). However, their output power is constrained by regulatory limits on ultrasound transmission intensity and the small size of implantable harvesters.

Boosting Efficiency and Longevity of Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes with Dibenzofuran-Incorporated Hole Transport Materials Featuring High Bond Dissociation Energy.

The intrinsic degradation of quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) is often attributed to the insufficient stability of hole transport materials (HTMs), which adversely affects both efficiency and operational lifetime. Despite efforts to address this issue, HTMs with high bond dissociation energy (BDE) for enhanced QLED performance remain underdeveloped. Here, a series of dibenzofuran (DBF)-incorporated HTMs with high BDE is synthesized to improve QLED efficiency and longevity.

Efficient one-shot federated learning on medical data using knowledge distillation with image synthesis and client model adaptation.

One-shot federated learning (FL) has emerged as a promising solution in scenarios where multiple communication rounds are not practical. Though previous methods using knowledge distillation (KD) with synthetic images have shown promising results in transferring clients' knowledge to the global model on one-shot FL, overfitting and extensive computations still persist. To tackle these issues, we propose a novel one-shot FL framework that generates pseudo intermediate samples using mixup, which incorporates synthesized images with diverse types of structure noise.

Cross-Species Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 From Dogs to Hamsters and Pathological Changes in the Brain.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19 causative agent, infects several species. Although COVID-19 was reported in some dogs, their roles in transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to other species remain unclear. We investigated the ability of COVID-19 infected dogs to transmit SARS-CoV-2 virus to hamsters and assessed associated pulmonary and neuropathological changes in hamsters.

Disclosing Pathogenic Variant Effects on the Structural Dynamics of the VAPB MSP Domain Causing Familial ALS.

Vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)-associated protein B (VAPB) serves as a tethering factor that interacts with various proteins and recruits these proteins to the ER surface, exerting multiple functions, such as organelle membrane tethering, lipid transfer between organelles, regulation of calcium homeostasis, autophagy, and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Its interaction is often mediated by its MSP (major sperm) domain, which binds with FFAT (two phenylalanines in an acidic tract)-motif-containing proteins. However, pathogenic variations, such as P56S, P56H, and T46I, in the VAPB MSP domain lead to the familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS8).

Unveiling hidden wavepacket dynamics in time-resolved x-ray scattering data via singular spectrum analysis.

Time-resolved x-ray liquidography (TRXL) is a powerful technique for directly tracking ultrafast structural dynamics in real space. However, resolving the motion of vibrational wavepackets generated by femtosecond laser pulses remains challenging due to the limited temporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of experimental data. This study addresses these challenges by introducing singular spectrum analysis (SSA) as an efficient method for extracting oscillatory signals associated with vibrational wavepackets from TRXL data.

Tailoring the properties of TiC MXenes via transition metal doping for RRAM applications: Using ab-initio calculation.

Experts consider MXene as a highly sophisticated material that can be utilized in creating effective optoelectronic gadgets due to its exceptional physical properties. Here, the theoretical aspects of the structural, phonon, thermodynamic stability, mechanical, electronic and optical properties of MXenes are computed, serving as a roadmap for scientists for developing high performance MXene based devices. The Plane Wave Augmented (PAW) method is employed within the VASP code framework to investigate the physical properties of pure MXene TiC and doped MXenes TiXC, (X = Ni, Fe, Mn, and Co) yielding TiNiC, TiFeC, TiMnC and TiCoC.

Deep Learning-Based Classification of NSCLC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Using AFM Nanomechanical Signatures.

Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with liquid biopsy emerging as a promising tool for noninvasive diagnostics. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) serve as molecular messengers of the tumor microenvironment, yet precise characterization methods remain limited. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we analyzed EVs from NSCLC subtypes (A549, PC9, PC9/GR) and nontumorigenic bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B), revealing that A549-derived EVs exhibited significantly higher stiffness, likely due to mutation-associated lipid alterations.

Development of an active-control foot press trainer and comparison of lower limb muscle activity by exercise type and intensity.

BackgroundAddressing lower limb disabilities in stroke survivors is crucial for enhancing gait patterns and overall mobility.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop an active-control foot press trainer (AFPT) to strengthen lower extremity muscles to improve rehabilitation outcomes.MethodsThis study utilized AFPT to examine the effects of different exercise types (forefoot exercise, FFE; Rearfoot Exercise, RFE) and intensities (30 and 15 repetition maxima) on lower limb muscle activity.

Anti-depressant effects of a human telomerase-derived peptide GV1001 in an animal model of chronic restraint stress.

Depression is a common cause of mental illness in the modern world, and the wide variation in symptoms makes it difficult to develop suitable antidepressants. The commonly used serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) cause many side effects, making it imperative to develop alternative treatments. GV1001, a 16-amino acid peptide derived from human telomerase reverse transcriptase, has shown various neuroprotective effects in recent studies.

High-temperature-induced FKF1 accumulation promotes flowering through the dispersion of GI and degradation of SVP.

Floral transition is influenced by photoperiod and ambient temperature, which are integrated to modulate development via a molecular mechanism that remains to be elucidated. Here we demonstrate that the F-box protein FLAVIN-BINDING, KELCH REPEAT, F-BOX 1 (FKF1) and its interacting partner GIGANTEA (GI), central regulators of photoperiodic flowering, target SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) for 26S-proteasome-dependent degradation to regulate the temperature-responsive developmental transition to flowering. At low temperatures, GI is sequestered in liquid-like nuclear condensates.

Magnetization switching driven by magnonic spin dissipation.

Efficient control of magnetization in ferromagnets is crucial for high-performance spintronic devices. Magnons offer a promising route to achieve this objective with reduced Joule heating and minimized power consumption. While most research focuses on optimizing magnon transport with minimal dissipation, we present an unconventional approach that exploits magnon dissipation for magnetization control, rather than mitigating it.

High-Performance, Roll-to-Roll Fabricated Scaffold-Supported Solid Electrolyte Separator for Practical All-Solid-State Batteries.

All-solid-state batteries (ASBs) are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems due to their enhanced safety and potential for higher energy densities. However, achieving practical ASBs with energy densities surpassing those of state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) requires the development of thin, mechanically robust solid electrolyte separators (SESs). In this study, a scalable tape casting method is employed to fabricate a thin SES with a thickness of 27 µm and a high ionic conductance of 146 mS cm.

Comprehensive Osteosarcoma Treatment with Multifunctional Composite Hydrogels Enabling Combined Photothermal Cancer Ablation and Osteoinductive Tissue Regeneration.

Osteosarcoma treatment can lead to considerable loss of bone tissue, creating a challenging microenvironment for recovery. Here, a novel biomaterial is described for tumor treatment via photothermal therapy and bone-tissue regeneration. Multifunctional composite hydrogels can be fabricated by incorporating mineralized magnetic fibers (G-mMFs) into a gelatin-genipin hydrogel.

PLUS: Primary Layer for Universal Sensing Enabling Improved Immunocapture of Biomarkers in Clinical Scenarios.

The biofunctionalization of sensor surfaces to enable biorecognition capabilities remains a major challenge in developing diagnostic devices. However, efficient surface chemistries applicable to various sensor types remain elusive. In this study, Primary Layer for Universal Sensing (PLUS), a universal coating for bioprobe immobilization designed to enhance sensor functionality across diverse substrates, is introduced.

Extracellular Vesicles as Targeted Communicators in Complementary Medical Treatments.

The supposed meridians of traditional oriental medicine have been a cause of conflict between traditional and modern medical science. A possible resolution has been proposed: That extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, may be the transmitters of traditional therapies such as massage and acupuncture. This article develops that idea by proposing that the pathways between surface and deep structures may be laid down during the embryonic migration of cells from one region of the developing body to distant regions.