Broadband surface acoustic wave attenuation in metals using chirp compression and dispersive interdigital transducers.

This study presents a non-destructive method for estimating surface acoustic wave attenuation, which is highly sensitive to microstructural features, especially at high frequencies. The method uses a single wideband dispersive interdigital transducer (IDT) that remotely emits acoustic waves at the sample's edge. Chirp compression of the temporal displacement response is achieved by correlating the excitation signal with the spatial configuration of the IDT's electrodes.

Synthesis of COF (TAPA-DHTA)-sodium alginate-Ca-polyacrylate composite microspheres as adsorbent for dispersive solid phase extraction of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in food and water prior to the quantification by HPLC-MS/MS.

This work developed hydroxyl‑functionalized covalent organic framework (COF) via ambient-temperature synthesis and integrated it with sodium alginate-Ca²⁺-polyacrylate hydrogel to form composite microspheres (CACMPs) for dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) of five fluoroquinolone antibiotics in milk , eggs and river water. Combining COF with hydrogel can effectively improve the hydrophilicity of adsorbent. The CACMPs do not require centrifugation and can be completely separated within one minute.

Entropic forces in rotaxane-based daisy chains: Toward tunable nanomechanical systems.

Mechanically interlocked polymers and molecules exhibit unique topological, physical, and chemical properties, making them highly promising for applications in molecular machines, molecular switches, artificial muscles, nano-actuators, nano-sensors, and biomedical technologies. While significant progress has been made in their synthesis and practical implementation, theoretical studies remain underexplored. In this work, we examine the role of entropic forces in daisy chain structures incorporating rotaxanes, with the ultimate goal of characterizing entropic nano-springs for use in nanomechanics and nanotechnology.

New Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Materials: Biochars, Scaffolds, Rare Earth, and Ferrite-Based Materials.

In this review, a comprehensive systematic study of the research background, developments, classification, trends, and advances over the past few years in research on new electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials will be described. The following groups of new materials for EMI shielding will be discussed: biochars, scaffolds, rare earth, and ferrite-based materials. We selected two novel, organic, lightweight materials (biochars and scaffolds) and compared their shielding effectiveness to inorganic materials (ferrite and rare earth materials).

A Comparative Study of Divergent Surface Acoustic Wave Beams' Generation on an Y128° Lithium Niobate Using Various Types of Interdigital Transducers.

This study focuses on the possibility of generating divergent surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with interdigital transducers (IDTs) deposited on Y128° Lithium Niobate for non-destructive testing applications, particularly in the context of manufacturing layer-on-substrate systems for microelectronic components. The selected approach is to diffuse the SAWs over a large surface area and in various directions in order to analyze the structure and detect any defects when using the well-known passive imaging by correlating the diffuse acoustic field. The introduction of SAWs is achieved using offset interdigital transducers that make acoustic contact with the sample under analysis without causing damage.

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-HSS Among Tunisian Medical Residents (A-MBI-MR): Factor Structure, Construct Validity, Reliability, and Gender Invariance.

: Burnout is a major problem for physical and mental health of medical residents. The key for maintaining well-being and quality of care of residents is the assessing tool. The study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) among Tunisian medical residents by assessing its factor structure, construct validity, reliability, and gender invariance.

Electroisomerization blinking of an azobenzene derivative molecule.

We report here the reversibility and bistability of the switching behavior in an azobenzene derivative induced by the bias applied by a scanning-tunneling microscopy (STM) tip, at low temperature and in ultra-high vacuum environment. Thisto-andto-switching were observed during STM imaging in either polarity at +2 V or -2 V, on a sub-second time scale. This results in a blinking effect visible on STM images, corresponding to the reversible switching of the azobenzene molecule under the applied STM bias through an electric field induced process.

Oxidation-Resistant Cu-Based Nanowire Transparent Electrodes Activated by an Exothermic Reduction Reaction.

This article describes an approach to making highly stable copper nanowire networks on any type of substrates. These nanostructured materials are highly sought after for, among other applications, the development of next-generation flexible electronics. Their high susceptibility to oxidation in air currently limits their use in the real world.

Evaluation of the Impact of Infusion Set Design on the Particulate Load Induced by Vancomycin-Piperacillin/Tazobactam Incompatibility.

Introduction: Drug incompatibilities are among the most common medication errors in intensive care units. A precipitate can form and block the catheter or cause an adverse event in the patient. Intensive care units have implemented various strategies for limiting the occurrence of these incompatibilities, which have already been studied in vitro under standardized conditions.

Selective area epitaxy of in-plane HgTe nanostructures on CdTe(001) substrate.

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are believed to play a crucial role for future applications in electronics, spintronics and quantum technologies. A potential candidate is HgTe but its sensitivity to nanofabrication processes restrain its development. A way to circumvent this obstacle is the selective area growth technique.

Eye-Tracking Analyses of a Coach's Pointing Gestures Timed With Speech: Implications for Players' Recall of Basketball Tactical Instructions.

Coaches often use pointing gestures alongside their speech to reinforce their message and emphasize important concepts during instructional communications, but the impact of simultaneous pointing gestures and speech on learners' recall remains unclear. We used eye-tracking and recalled performance to investigate the impact of a coach's variously timed pointing gestures and speech on two groups of learners' (novices and experts) visual attention and recall of tactical instructions. Participants were 96 basketball players (48 novice and 48 expert) who attempted to recall instructions about the evolution of a basketball game system under two teaching conditions: speech accompanied by gestures and speech followed by gestures.

Short-time expansion of one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equations with heterogeneous diffusion.

We formulate a short-time expansion for one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equations with spatially dependent diffusion coefficients, derived from stochastic processes with Gaussian white noise, for general values of the discretization parameter 0≤α≤1 of the stochastic integral. The kernel of the Fokker-Planck equation (the propagator) can be expressed as a product of a singular and a regular term. While the singular term can be given in closed form, the regular term can be computed from a Taylor expansion whose coefficients obey simple ordinary differential equations.

InGaAs quantum dot chains grown by twofold selective area molecular beam epitaxy.

Increasing quantum confinement in semiconductor quantum dot (QD) systems is essential to perform robust simulations of many-body physics. By combining molecular beam epitaxy and lithographic techniques, we developed an approach consisting of a twofold selective area growth to build QD chains. Starting from 15 nm-thick and 65 nm-wide in-plane InGaAs nanowires on InP substrates, linear arrays of InGaAs QDs were grown on top, with tunable lengths and separations.

Trpv6 channel targeting using monoclonal antibody induces prostate cancer cell apoptosis and tumor regression.

TRPV6 calcium channel is a prospective target in prostate cancer (PCa) since it is not expressed in healthy prostate while its expression increases during cancer progression. Despite the role of TRPV6 in PCa cell survival and apoptotic resistance has been already established, no reliable tool to target TRPV6 channel in vivo and thus to reduce tumor burden is known to date. Here we report the generation of mouse monoclonal antibody mAb82 raised against extracellular epitope of the pore region of the channel.

Determination of Photothermal and EMI Shielding Efficiency of Graphene-Silver Nanoparticle Composites Prepared under Low-Dose Gamma Irradiation.

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been produced by low-dose (1-20 kGy) gamma irradiation of silver nitrate in the presence of graphene-based material (graphene oxide or electrochemically exfoliated graphene). The large surface area of those graphene-based materials combined with the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface provided successful nucleation and growth of Ag nanoparticles, which resulted in a uniformly covered graphene surface. The obtained Ag nanoparticles were spherical with a predominant size distribution of 10-50 nm for graphene oxide and 10-100 nm for electrochemically exfoliated graphene.

Two 3D Fractal-Based Approaches for Topographical Characterization: Richardson Patchwork versus Sdr.

Various methods exist for multiscale characterization of surface topographies, each offering unique insights and applications. The study focuses on fractal-based approaches, distinguishing themselves by leveraging fractals to analyze surface complexity. Specifically, the Richardson Patchwork method, used in the ASME B46.

Design of Laser Activated Antimicrobial Porous Tricalcium Phosphate-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Orthopedic Applications.

The field of bone tissue engineering is steadily being improved by novel experimental approaches. Nevertheless, microbial adhesion after scaffold implantation remains a limitation that could lead to the impairment of the regeneration process, or scaffold rejection. The present study introduces a methodology that employs laser-based strategies for the development of antimicrobial interfaces on tricalcium phosphate-hydroxyapatite (TCP-HA) scaffolds.

Time-delay estimation in biomechanical stability: a scoping review.

Despite its high-level of robustness and versatility, the human sensorimotor control system regularly encounters and manages various noises, non-linearities, uncertainties, redundancies, and delays. These delays, which are critical to biomechanical stability, occur in various parts of the system and include sensory, signal transmission, CNS processing, as well as muscle activation delays. Despite the relevance of accurate estimation and prediction of the various time delays, the current literature reflects major discrepancy with regards to existing prediction and estimation methods.

Static micromechanical measurements of the flexural modulus and strength of micrometre-diameter single fibres using deflecting microcantilever techniques.

The mechanical properties of natural and man-made fibres ultimately govern the robustness of products. Examples range from textiles to composite materials for mechanical parts in emerging technological applications. An accurate determination of the mechanical properties of microscopic single fibres is therefore important.

Improvement of Metal-Doped β-TCP Scaffolds for Active Bone Substitutes via Ultra-Short Laser Structuring.

Various efforts have been made to develop antibacterial biomaterials capable of also sustaining bone remodulation to be used as bone substitutes and reduce patient infection rates and related costs. In this work, beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was chosen due to its known biocompatibility and use as a bone substitute. Metal dopants were incorporated into the crystal structure of the β-TCP, and disks were produced from this material.

Correction: Bilyy et al. Rapid Generation of Coronaviral Immunity Using Recombinant Peptide Modified Nanodiamonds. 2021, , 861.

In the original publication [...

ProNGF promotes brain metastasis through TrkA/EphA2 induced Src activation in triple negative breast cancer cells.

Background: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer is particularly aggressive, and its metastasis to the brain has a significant psychological impact on patients' quality of life, in addition to reducing survival. The development of brain metastases is particularly harmful in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). To date, the mechanisms that induce brain metastasis in TNBC are poorly understood.

Ultrahigh vacuum Raman spectroscopy for the preparation of III-V semiconductor surfaces.

Raman spectroscopy is well-suited for the characterization of semiconductor materials. However, due the weakness of the Raman signal, the studies of thin semiconductor layers in complex environments, such as ultrahigh vacuum, are rather scarce. Here, we have designed a Raman apparatus based on the use of a fiber optic probe, with a lens collecting the backscattered light directly inserted in ultrahigh vacuum.

Sensor-Location-Specific Joint Acquisition of Peripheral Artery Bioimpedance and Photoplethysmogram for Wearable Applications.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), being the culprit for one-third of deaths globally, constitute a challenge for biomedical instrumentation development, especially for early disease detection. Pulsating arterial blood flow, providing access to cardiac-related parameters, involves the whole body. Unobtrusive and continuous acquisition of electrical bioimpedance (EBI) and photoplethysmography (PPG) constitute important techniques for monitoring the peripheral arteries, requiring novel approaches and clever means.

Impact of personality traits on learners' navigational behavior patterns in an online course: a lag sequential analysis approach.

Personality is considered as the internal factor that defines a person's behavior. Therefore, providing adaptive features and personalized support in online learning by considering learners' personalities can improve their learning experiences and outcomes. In this context, several research studies have investigated the impact of personality differences in online learning.