Using extensive Monte-Carlo simulations with a nucleation-limited-switching (NLS) ferroelectric model and considering cycle-to-cycle variations, this paper constructs and analyzes the intrinsic ...conductance (G DS ) response of stacked-nanosheet FeFET synapses with emphasis on the challenging identical-pulse stimulation. Our study indicates that the interlayer oxide thickness of the FeFET and the saturation polarization of the ferroelectric are crucial to the linearity and symmetry of the intrinsic G DS response. With the stacked-nanosheet architecture, the maximum-to-minimum conductance ratio in the G DS response can be boosted by increasing the number of channel tiers without footprint penalty. For a stacked-nanosheet FeFET synapse with an area ratio effect, the G DS response can be further engineered by varying the tier number. In addition, the immunity to cycle-to-cycle variations and the noise margin for each state in the G DS response can also be improved by increasing the number of tiers. Our study may provide insights for future FeFET synapse design for analog computing.
School-enterprise cooperation and innovation is an essential support for the implementation of an innovation-driven development strategy. This study examines the stages of school-enterprise ...cooperation and innovation, underpinned by integrated media, through the lens of deep coupling theory. It categorizes the process into pre-, mid-, and post-stages. The pre-stage involves analyzing university agricultural programs to develop a credit network database identifying optimal school-enterprise pairings. The mid-stage focuses on enhancing knowledge exchange mechanisms to tightly integrate participating entities. The post-stage assesses the impact of these integrations, revealing a coordination degree of 0.416 among agricultural majors, suggesting that effective interaction mechanisms are yet to be established, occasionally leading to mutual constraints. This research informs strategies to foster robust school-enterprise collaborations in agricultural education.
In fish processing, reducing the waste rate and increasing the economic value of products is an important issue for global environmental protection and resource sustainability. It has been discovered ...that cuttlefish bones can be an excellent resource for producing attractive amounts of chitin and chitosan. Therefore, this study optimized chitosan extraction conditions using response surface methodology (RSM) to establish application conditions suitable for industrial production and reducing environmental impact. In addition, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),
H NMR and scanning electron microscope (SEM) characteristics of extracted chitosan were evaluated. The optimum extraction conditions for chitosan from cuttlebone chitin were 12.5M NaOH, 6 h and 80 °C, and the highest average yield was 56.47%. FTIR spectroscopy,
H NMR, and SEM identification proved that the chitosan prepared from cuttlefish bone has a unique molecular structure, and the degree of deacetylation of chitosan was about 81.3%. In addition, it was also confirmed that chitosan has significant anti-oxidation and oil-absorbing abilities. This research has successfully transformed the by-products of cuttlefish processing into value-added products. The process not only achieved the recycling and utilization of by-products but also enhanced industrial competitiveness and resource sustainability.
To evaluate the diagnostic value of recombinase polymerase/ aided amplification (RPA/RAA) integrated clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) in the diagnosis of severe ...acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We searched relevant literature on CRISPR technology for COVID-19 diagnosis using "novel coronavirus", "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats" and "RPA/RAA" as subject terms in PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase databases. Further, we performed a meta-analysis after screening the literature, quality assessment, and data extraction. The pooled sensitivity, specificity and a rea under the summary receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.98 95% confidence interval (CI):0.97-0.99, 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.98-1.00), respectively. For CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins-12, the sensitivity, specificity was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-1.00), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99-1.00), respectively. For Cas13, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00) and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-1.00). The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 183.2 (95% CI: 28.8, 1166.8); the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.03). RPA/RAA integrated with CRISPR technology is used to diagnose coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) with high accuracy and can be used for large-scale population screening.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide loading with Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (NG-Au-Ag) was synthesized by a facile two-step strategy. The successful formation of NG-Au-Ag nanocomposites were ...confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Furthermore, NG-Au-Ag nanocomposites were modified onto the electrode surface for the voltammetric detection of daunorubicin (DNR). The results showed that the NG-Au-Ag modified electrode expressed high electrocatalytic activity toward the redox of DNR, allowed detection of DNR with wide linear range (0.01 μg mL−1 to 15 μg mL−1) and low detection limit (3 ng mL−1). The modified electrode also exhibited satisfactory performance for the detection of DNR in human serum samples.
•NG-Au-Ag nanocomposites were prepared by a simple two-step wet process.•NG-Au-Ag/GCE displayed high electrocatalytic activity toward the redox of DNR.•The sensor showed good sensing performances for the determination of DNR.•The satisfactory recovery values were also obtained in human serum samples analysis.
AbstractHigh prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers pose challenges to the productivity and occupational health of the construction industry. To mitigate the risk of ...musculoskeletal disorders, construction managers need to deepen their understanding of the physical and biomechanical demands of various construction tasks so that appropriate policies and preventive measures can be implemented. Among various construction trades, rebar workers are highly susceptible to lower-back disorders (LBDs) given the physically demanding nature of their work tasks. In particular, rebar tying is considered to be closely related to LBDs because it exposes workers to multiple ergonomic risk factors (repetitive works in prolonged static and awkward postures). The objective of the current study was to compare the differences in lumbar biomechanics during three typical rebar tying postures: stooping, one-legged kneeling, and squatting. Biomechanical variables including trunk muscle activity and trunk kinematics were measured by surface electromyography and motion sensors, respectively. Ten healthy male participants performed a simulated rebar tying task in each of the three postures in a laboratory setting. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that while each posture has its unique trunk kinematic characteristics, all these postures involved excessive trunk inclination that exceeded the internationally recommended trunk inclination angle of 60° for static working postures. Of the three postures, stooping posture demonstrated a significant reduction in electromyographic activity of lumbar muscles (a reduction in 60–80% of muscle activity as compared to the other two postures). The reduced muscle activity may shift the loading to passive spinal structures (e.g., spinal ligaments and joint capsules), which is known to be a risk factor for LBD development. Collectively, the results from this study may help explain the high prevalence of LBDs in rebar workers. Future studies are warranted to confirm the findings at construction sites and to develop appropriate ergonomic approaches for rebar workers.
Residual alveolar ridge resorption often occurs after tooth extraction, which causes issues requiring further prothesis rehabilitation. A treatment concept referred to as all-on-four, involving fixed ...dentures supported with four implants, was recently developed. The current study aimed to determine the effect of changing bone atrophy and implant length in all-on-four treatments on stress and strain in the surrounding bone of the implant. A three-dimensional finite element method was used in this research. The stress analysis was conducted with von Mises stress values. Two types of synthetic jawbone models with mild and moderate atrophy were used. Furthermore, two different implant lengths with a similar implant design and diameter were selected, and they were classified into eight models. Then, the bone model was assessed via a computed tomography (CT) scan and was transformed into a virtual model in Geomagic and SolidWorks with implant rebuilding. After modifying bone atrophy, the von Mises stresses in the surrounding bone of the implant were as follows: mild type 2 < mild type 3 < moderate type 3 < moderate type 4. The bone quantity change rate increased more than when bone conditions were limited. Compared with changes in implant lengths, the stresses in the peri-implant surrounding bone were generally higher in the 9 mm implant length group than in the 11.5 mm group. However, the results did not significantly differ. In conclusion, the von Mises stress and strain increased in the models with moderate atrophy and low-density trabecular bone. Hence, bone atrophy and its presurgical diagnosis in long-term implant prognosis are crucial.
Total bacterial count is a routine parameter in microbial safety assessment used in many fields, such as drinking water and industrial water testing. The current gold standard method for counting ...bacteria is the plate culture method (or heterotrophic plate count) that requires a microbiology laboratory and a long turnover time of at least 24 hours. To tackle these shortcomings, we developed a rapid total bacterial count method that relies on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with affinity ligands to stain bacterial cells captured on a syringe filter. Two affinity ligands were exploited,
i.e.
a DNA aptamer (AB2) and a lectin
Griffonia simplicifolia
II (GSII) that recognize bacterial cell wall commonalities,
i.e.
peptidoglycan and its amino sugars. Upon proper formulation with addition of a surfactant, the AB2 conjugated AuNPs (AB2-AuNPs) can selectively stain bacterial cells captured on the filter membrane with a higher sensitivity than GSII-AuNPs. Measuring the staining intensity using an in-house-built handheld detector allowed us to correlate its intensity reading with the total number of bacterial units present. This bacteria quantification method, referred to as "Filter-and-Stain", had an efficient turnover time of 20 min suggesting its potential usage for rapid on-site applications. Additionally, the detection sensitivity provided by the AB2-AuNP nanoreagent offered a limit of detection as low as 100 CFU mL
−1
. We have demonstrated the use of the AB2-AuNPs for detection of bacteria from environmental water samples.
Gold nanoparticles conjugated with an aptamer are used to stain bacteria cells captured on a filter membrane for total bacterial count measurement.
Haplotype-resolved or phased genome assembly provides a complete picture of genomes and their complex genetic variations. However, current algorithms for phased assembly either do not generate ...chromosome-scale phasing or require pedigree information, which limits their application. We present a method named diploid assembly (DipAsm) that uses long, accurate reads and long-range conformation data for single individuals to generate a chromosome-scale phased assembly within 1 day. Applied to four public human genomes, PGP1, HG002, NA12878 and HG00733, DipAsm produced haplotype-resolved assemblies with minimum contig length needed to cover 50% of the known genome (NG50) up to 25 Mb and phased ~99.5% of heterozygous sites at 98-99% accuracy, outperforming other approaches in terms of both contiguity and phasing completeness. We demonstrate the importance of chromosome-scale phased assemblies for the discovery of structural variants (SVs), including thousands of new transposon insertions, and of highly polymorphic and medically important regions such as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) regions. DipAsm will facilitate high-quality precision medicine and studies of individual haplotype variation and population diversity.
Clearance of intrapulmonary mucus by the high-velocity airflow generated by cough is the major rescue clearance mechanism in subjects with mucoobstructive diseases and failed cilial-dependent mucus ...clearance, e.g., subjects with cystic fibrosis (CF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Previous studies have investigated the mechanical forces generated at airway surfaces by cough but have not considered the effects of mucus biophysical properties on cough efficacy. Theoretically, mucus can be cleared by cough from the lung by an adhesive failure, i.e., breaking mucus-cell surface adhesive bonds and/or by cohesive failure, i.e., directly fracturing mucus. Utilizing peel-testing technologies, mucus-epithelial surface adhesive and mucus cohesive strengths were measured. Because both mucus concentration and pH have been reported to alter mucus biophysical properties in disease, the effects of mucus concentration and pH on adhesion and cohesion were compared. Both adhesive and cohesive strengths depended on mucus concentration, but neither on physiologically relevant changes in pH nor bicarbonate concentration. Mucus from bronchial epithelial cultures and patient sputum samples exhibited similar adhesive and cohesive properties. Notably, the magnitudes of both adhesive and cohesive strength exhibited similar velocity and concentration dependencies, suggesting that viscous dissipation of energy within mucus during cough determines the efficiency of cough clearance of diseased, hyperconcentrated, mucus. Calculations of airflow-induced shear forces on airway mucus related to mucus concentration predicted substantially reduced cough clearance in small versus large airways. Studies designed to improve cough clearance in subjects with mucoobstructive diseases identified reductions of mucus concentration and viscous dissipation as key therapeutic strategies.
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