Aerosol Jet Printing for Neuroprosthetic Device Development.

Aerosol jet printing (AJP) technology has emerged as a transformative tool in neuroprosthetic device development, offering high accuracy and versatility in fabricating complex and miniaturized structures, which are essential for advanced neural interfaces. This review explores the fundamental principles of AJP, highlighting its unique aerosol generation and concentrated deposition mechanisms, which facilitate the use of different materials on a variety of substrates. The advantages of AJP, including its device scalability, ability to print on flexible and stretchable substrates, and compatibility with a wide range of biocompatible materials, are examined in the context of neuroprosthetic applications.

Engineering a microfluidic-assisted 3D bioprinting approach for the hierarchical control deposition and compartmentalisation of graded bioinks.

The advent of 3D bioprinting has revolutionized tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Today, tissues of single cell type can be fabricated with extreme resolution and printing fidelity. However, the ultimate functionality of the desired tissue is limited, due to the absence of a multicellular population and diversity in micro-environment distribution.

Clinical translation of 3D-printed patient-specific bone implants: a consensus statement.

Background: Extensive defects in long bones, resulting from trauma, disease, or other etiologies, impose significant morbidity on patients and may necessitate amputation, long-term disability, or premature mortality. While 3D-printed, patient-specific implants offer promising regenerative solutions, their clinical implementation remains hindered by regulatory challenges, lack of standardized guidelines, and gaps in translational research. Addressing these barriers is critical to improving patient outcomes and optimizing healthcare resource utilization.

Spectroscopic secondary structure fingerprint of β-variant of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by the emergence of numerous mutated forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, exhibiting an increasingly refined capacity to adapt to the human host. The majority of mutations affect viral proteins, particularly the Spike glycoprotein (S), leading to alterations in their physicochemical properties, in secondary structures and biological functions. In the present work, we performed, to the best of our knowledge, the first infrared spectroscopic characterization of monomeric spike glycoprotein subunits 1 (S1) of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant at pH 7.

Mutual human-robot understanding for a robot-enhanced society: the crucial development of shared embodied cognition.

The conception of autonomous, intelligent, collaborative robots has been the subject of science fiction rather than science in the second half of the previous century, with practical applications limited to industrial machines without any level of autonomous, intelligent, and collaborative capacity. The new century is facing the challenge of pressing industrial and social revolutions (4, 5, 6, …) with the prospect of infiltrating robots in every sector of human society; however, this dissemination will be possible if and only if acceptable degrees of autonomy, intelligence, and collaborative capacity can be achieved. Scientific and technological innovations are needed within a highly multidisciplinary framework, with a critical integration strategy and functional characterization that must ask a fundamental question: the design of autonomous, intelligent, collaborative robots should aim at a unified single template to be mass-produced including a standard setup procedure for the functional adaptation of any single prototype, or should the design aim at "baby" robots with a minimal set of sensory-motor-cognitive capabilities as the starting point of a training and educational process in close connection with human companions (masters, partners, final users)? The former alternative is supported by EAI, i.

The role of physical and cognitive effort on time perception.

Action and perception are intertwined, and time perception is not an exception to this general principle. In line with that, we have recently reported that the perceived duration of visual stimuli is extended while running. Here we tested the nature of this phenomenon by contrasting two possibilities: one related to physiological changes induced by physical effort (e.

Roadmap for Molecular Benchmarks in Nonadiabatic Dynamics.

Simulating the coupled electronic and nuclear response of a molecule to light excitation requires the application of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics. However, when faced with a specific photophysical or photochemical problem, selecting the most suitable theoretical approach from the wide array of available techniques is not a trivial task. The challenge is further complicated by the lack of systematic method comparisons and rigorous testing on realistic molecular systems.

Design and characterization of G-quadruplex RNA aptamers reveal RNA-binding by KDM5 lysine demethylases.

Here, we show that the histone lysine demethylases KDM5A and KDM5B can bind to RNA through interaction with G-quadruplexes, despite neither being categorized as RNA- nor G-quadruplex binding proteins across numerous experimental large-scale and computational studies. In addition to characterizing the KDM5 G-quadruplex interaction we show that RNA is directly involved in the formation of KDM5-containing protein complexes. Computational predictions and comparisons to other ARID domain containing proteins suggest that the ARID domain is directly interacting with both DNA and RNA across several proteins.

High-Speed Raman Readout of Single Polypeptides via Plasmonic Nanopores.

The ability to identify individual protein molecules using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectroscopy, without the need for labelling, is a significant advancement in biomedical diagnostics. However, the inherently small Raman scattering cross-section of most (bio) molecules necessitates significant signal amplification for successful detection, particularly at the single-molecule level. A novel approach is introduced for fabricating plasmonic nanopores suitable for sequential Raman readout, namely the recording of Raman spectra from portions of molecules, which are progressively flowing into plasmonic hot spots.

Morphological inhibitors of aggregation-prone amyloid-β conformers: A computational exploration.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory loss. It is associated with the self-assembly of the amyloid-β peptide, a soluble intrinsically disordered protein naturally present in the brain parenchyma in various alloforms. This study presents a computational approach to identify possible modulators of the monomeric aggregation-prone conformations of amyloid-β, a critical intermediate in the fibrillation process.

Microplastics interaction with bisphenol A: Adsorption, desorption, and in vitro biological effects.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is an increasing environmental concern due to its persistence and potential risks to both ecosystems and human health. Additionally, MPs can adsorb and become vehicle of other pollutants and hazardous chemicals. Among these, Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disruptor.

Collaborating with a robot biases human spatial attention.

Advancements in collaborative technologies have increased the accessibility of human-robot interaction (HRI), yet a gap remains in understanding how HRI affects human systems. This work investigates how HRI influences human visual processing, specifically through the near-hand effect, a phenomenon where the proximity of one's hand enhances spatial attention. Research has shown that this attentional priority can extend to another person's hand during collaborative tasks, integrating it into an individual's body schema.

Early and Late ERP Correlates of Conscivousness- A Direct Comparison Between Visual and Auditory Modalities.

The majority of previous research on neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) have used the visual system as a model. However, to what extent reported findings generalize to other sensory modalities has not been comprehensively investigated. To fill this gap we directly compared visual and auditory NCCs by testing the same group of participants with two analogous procedures.

Metal coordination and enzymatic reaction of the glioma-target R132H isocitrate dehydrogenase 1: Insights by molecular simulations.

R132H IDH1 is an important therapeutic target for a variety of brain cancers, yet drug leads and radiotracers which selectively bind only to the mutant over the wild type are so far lacking. Here we have predicted the structural determinants of the Michaelis complex of this mutant using a QM/MM MD-based protocol. It shows some important differences with the X-ray structure, from the metal coordination to the positioning of key residues at the active site.

The rise of 3D bioprinting advancements in modeling neurodegenerative diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are disorders that drastically alter the physiological functioning of neurons in the brain. These processes are often accompanied by abnormal protein aggregates that alter the physical and chemical properties of brain tissue and peripheral nerves. The causes of NDs are complex, involving genetic factors, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, environmental influences, and lifestyle, while symptoms and progression vary significantly based on the mechanisms of cell death.

The effect of viewing-only, reaching, and grasping on size perception in virtual reality.

In virtual environments (VEs), distance perception is often inaccurate but can be improved through active engagement, such as walking. While prior research suggests that action planning and execution can enhance the perception of action-related features, the effects of specific actions on perception in VEs remain unclear. This study investigates how different interactions - viewing-only, reaching, and grasping - affect size perception in Virtual Reality (VR) and whether teleportation (Experiment 1) and smooth locomotion (Experiment 2) influences these effects.

Controlling Energy Flow in Perovskite Heterostructures Through Dimensionality and Phase Engineering.

Metal halide perovskites have emerged as a transformative class of semiconductors, driving advancements in optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and sensing technologies. One of the key challenges in optimizing these materials for next-generation devices is controlling the flow of energy within them, which is highly sensitive to structural and dimensional factors. Recent advances in phase and dimensionality engineering have opened new avenues for tailoring energy transport and excitonic behaviors in perovskite heterostructures.

The neurobiological foundation of effective repetitive transcranial magnetic brain stimulation in Alzheimer's disease.

Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), are promising candidate therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We review the evidence supporting the fundamental mechanisms of action of rTMS treatments in AD. rTMS exerts profound effects at different neurobiological and systems neurophysiological levels.

CACNA1A loss-of-function affects neurogenesis in human iPSC-derived neural models.

CACNA1A encodes the pore-forming α subunit of the Ca2.1 calcium channel, whose altered function is associated with various neurological disorders, including forms of ataxia, epilepsy, and migraine. In this study, we generated isogenic iPSC-derived neural cultures carrying CACNA1A loss-of-function mutations differently affecting Ca2.

AMPA Receptor Modulation Through Medium-Chain Triglycerides and Decanoic Acid Supports Nutritional Intervention in Pediatric Epilepsy.

Developmental epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are often associated with variably severe cognitive and motor impairment and frequent refractory epilepsy, with many children not achieving adequate seizure control via standard antiepileptic medications. The classic ketogenic diet (KD) has proven effective in reducing seizure frequency and/or severity in a category of DEEs and in certain refractory epilepsies of infancy. However, its multifaceted mechanisms, e.

Perceptual bias in Gestalt grouping by proximity affected by visual working memory load.

Basic perceptual processes, including perceptual grouping, are subject to bias. Bias for cardinal orientations interferes with Gestalt grouping by proximity in dot lattices. A critical question is whether the bias arises in perceptual encoding or rather is conveyed in a top-down fashion, possibly mediated by visual working memory.

Cation Exchange Protocol to Radiolabel Rare-Earth Nanoparticles with Yttrium-90 for Radiotherapy and for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Internal radiation therapy (iRT) is an emerging therapeutic approach based on high-energy radionuclide implants categorized as alpha or beta particles placed directly into the tumor to induce cancer cell damage. This work focuses on the development of a unique approach for incorporating β-emitter yttrium-90 (Y) radionuclides via a cation exchange method into lanthanide-based nanoparticles (NPs), consisting of NaLnF composition (Ln = Gd, Lu). The proposed method, thanks to the principle of cation exchange, is a straightforward protocol that involves just the mixing of water-stabilized NPs and radionuclides in aqueous environments at room temperature and, upon a short incubation time, enables the exchange of Gd or Lu ions with Y with high efficiency.

A neuromorphic electronic artist for robotic painting.

Recent advances in deep learning have sparked interest in AI-generated art, including robot-assisted painting. Traditional painting machines use static images and offline processing without considering the dynamic nature of painting. Neuromorphic cameras, which capture light intensity changes through asynchronous events, and mixed-signal neuromorphic processors, which implement biologically plausible spiking neural networks, offer a promising alternative.