Recent years have witnessed a spurt of progress in the application of the encoding and decoding of neural activities to drug screening, diseases diagnosis, and brain-computer interactions. To ...overcome the constraints of the complexity of the brain and the ethical considerations of in vivo research, neural chip platforms integrating microfluidic devices and microelectrode arrays have been raised, which can not only customize growth paths for neurons in vitro but also monitor and modulate the specialized neural networks grown on chips. Therefore, this article reviews the developmental history of chip platforms integrating microfluidic devices and microelectrode arrays. First, we review the design and application of advanced microelectrode arrays and microfluidic devices. After, we introduce the fabrication process of neural chip platforms. Finally, we highlight the recent progress on this type of chip platform as a research tool in the field of brain science and neuroscience, focusing on neuropharmacology, neurological diseases, and simplified brain models. This is a detailed and comprehensive review of neural chip platforms. This work aims to fulfill the following three goals: (1) summarize the latest design patterns and fabrication schemes of such platforms, providing a reference for the development of other new platforms; (2) generalize several important applications of chip platforms in the field of neurology, which will attract the attention of scientists in the field; and (3) propose the developmental direction of neural chip platforms integrating microfluidic devices and microelectrode arrays.
Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is one of the leading causes of end-stage heart disease. Many studies have confirmed that inflammation caused by aldosterone may play an important role in the process of MF. ...A selective 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2) enzyme inhibitor can reduce the inactivation of cortisol, allowing cortisol to compete for mineralocorticoid receptors. This study investigated the protective effect of a novel selective 11βHSD2 inhibitor (WZ51) on MF and described its underlying mechanism. The administration of WZ51 in rats with MF significantly alleviated myocardial injury, accompanied by a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase and the creatine kinase myocardial band. Furthermore, WZ51 significantly inhibited the development of MF and increased the protein level of 11β-HSD2. The results of this study demonstrate that 11β-HSD2 plays an important pathological role in MF. Thus, WZ51 may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of this condition.
Due to the effect of the complex scattering medium, the photons carrying target information will be attenuated when passing through scattering media, and target localization is difficult. The ...resolution of the target-position information from scattered images is crucial for achieving accurate target localization in environments such as dense fog in military applications. In this paper, a target localization network incorporating an attention mechanism was designed based on the robust feature resolution ability of neural networks and the characteristics of scattering formation. A training dataset with basic elements was constructed to achieve data decoupling, and then realize the position estimation of targets in different domains in complex scattering environments. Experimental validation showed that the target was accurately localized in speckle images with different domain data by the above method. The results will provide ideas for future research on the localization of typical targets in natural scattering environments.
The motor imagery brain computer interface (MI-BCI) is now available in a commercial product for clinical rehabilitation. However, MI-BCI is still a relatively new technology for commercial ...rehabilitation application and there is limited prior work on the frequency effect. The MI-BCI has become a commercial product for clinical neurological rehabilitation, such as rehabilitation for upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke. However, the formulation of clinical rehabilitation programs for MI-BCI is lack of scientific and standardized guidance, especially limited prior work on the frequency effect. Therefore, this study aims at clarifying how frequency effects on MI-BCI training for the plasticity of the central nervous system.
Sixteen young healthy subjects (aged 22.94 ± 3.86 years) were enrolled in this randomized clinical trial study. Subjects were randomly assigned to a high frequency group (HF group) and low frequency group (LF group). The HF group performed MI-BCI training once per day while the LF group performed once every other day. All subjects performed 10 sessions of MI-BCI training. functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measurement, Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and brain computer interface (BCI) performance were assessed at baseline, mid-assessment (after completion of five BCI training sessions), and post-assessment (after completion of 10 BCI training sessions).
The results from the two-way ANOVA of beta values indicated that GROUP, TIME, and GROUP × TIME interaction of the right primary sensorimotor cortex had significant main effects GROUP:
= 7.251,
= 0.010; TIME:
= 3.317,
= 0.046; GROUP × TIME:
= 5.676,
= 0.007. The degree of activation was affected by training frequency, evaluation time point and interaction. The activation of left primary sensory motor cortex was also affected by group (frequency) (
= 0.003). Moreover, the TIME variable was only significantly different in the HF group, in which the beta value of the mid-assessment was higher than that of both the baseline assessment (
= 0.027) and post-assessment (
= 0.001), respectively. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the results of WMFT between HF group and LF group.
The major results showed that more cortical activation and better BCI performance were found in the HF group relative to the LF group. Moreover, the within-group results also showed more cortical activation after five sessions of BCI training and better BCI performance after 10 sessions in the HF group, but no similar effects were found in the LF group. This pilot study provided an essential reference for the formulation of clinical programs for MI-BCI training in improvement for upper limb dysfunction.
The Hippo signaling pathway is critical for carcinogenesis. However, the roles of the Hippo signaling pathway in the tumor immune microenvironment have been rarely investigated. This study ...systematically analyzed the relationship between the Hippo signaling pathway and immune cell infiltration across 32 cancer types. Both bioinformatics analyses and biological experiments revealed that the downstream effector of Hippo signaling YAP1 might inhibit CD8+ T cell infiltration by upregulating the expression of the transcription factor CREB1 in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma. In addition, esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) patients were classified into three subtypes based on the Hippo–immune gene panel. The subtypes of ESCA had distinct characteristics in immune cell infiltration, immune pathways, and prognosis. Thus, this study also reveals a new classification of the immune subtypes with prognostic characteristics in ESCA.
The present study systematically analyzed the relationship between the Hippo signaling pathway and immune cell infiltration using multi‐omics data across 32 cancer types. The findings revealed the mutual effect of the downstream effector of Hippo signaling YAP1 and the transcription factor CREB1 in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma. The Hippo–immune network was also used to reveal new subtypes in esophageal carcinoma.
Both the cellular- and population-level properties of involved neurons are essential for unveiling the learning and memory functions of the brain. To give equal attention to these two aspects, neural ...sensors based on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been in the limelight due to their noninvasive detection and regulation capabilities. Here, we fabricated a neural sensor using carboxylated graphene/3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrenesulfonate (cGO/PEDOT:PSS), which is effective in sensing and monitoring neuronal electrophysiological activity in vitro for a long time. The cGO/PEDOT:PSS-modified microelectrodes exhibited a lower electrochemical impedance (7.26 ± 0.29 kΩ), higher charge storage capacity (7.53 ± 0.34 mC/cm2), and improved charge injection (3.11 ± 0.25 mC/cm2). In addition, their performance was maintained after 2 to 4 weeks of long-term cell culture and 50,000 stimulation pulses. During neural network training, the sensors were able to induce learning function in hippocampal neurons through precise electrical stimulation and simultaneously detect changes in neural activity at multiple levels. At the cellular level, not only were three kinds of transient responses to electrical stimulation sensed, but electrical stimulation was also found to affect inhibitory neurons more than excitatory neurons. As for the population level, changes in connectivity and firing synchrony were identified. The cGO/PEDOT:PSS-based neural sensor offers an excellent tool in brain function development and neurological disease treatment.
Aiming at the problems of slow convergence speed and low tracking accuracy in attitude control and position tracking of quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This paper combines the ...fractional-order calculus theory with the backstepping sliding mode control algorithm, using the backstepping control to compensate for the nonlinearity of the system and the fractional-order theory to eliminate the jitter brought about by the sliding mode control, and proposes a new fractional-order backstepping sliding mode control strategy for the trajectory tracking control of the quadrotor UAV. The proposed fractional-order sliding mode surface increases the control flexibility and improves the robustness and anti-interference ability of the system to some extent. The stability analysis of the system is carried out using the Lyapunov stability theory, and the results prove the stability of the proposed controller. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method are verified by comparing it with the traditional backstepping sliding mode controller. The simulation results show that the fractional-order reverse-step sliding mode control algorithm proposed in this paper is significantly better than other control algorithms in terms of convergence speed and also has a certain degree of superiority in terms of error elimination.
•The electrochemical and photochemical NRR mechanism is illustrated deeply and comprehensively.•The research progress of metal-based and nonmetallic NRR catalysts are extensively ...reviewed.•Interaction and synergistic effects of components in NRR heterojunction catalysts are demonstrated.•Advanced improvement methods of NRR catalysts are summarized.
As zero-carbon artificial ammonia synthesis technologies for nitrogen fixation, eNRR (electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction) and pNRR (photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction) are receiving more and more attention, in which NRR catalysts play a crucial role with significant potential. Herein, The NRR mechanism including nitrogen adsorption, activation, electron migration, and hydrogenation, eNRR & pNRR experiment system, and the basic properties, structure-performance relationship and advanced improvement design of NRR catalysts are reviewed. Metal-based catalysts including Fe, Mo, Bi, Ti, Ru, Au, Ag, Ce, Zn, Sn and so on, have an advantage in nitrogen adsorption, nitrogen activation and ammonia selectivity. In addition to being catalyst support, non-metallic materials can also have certain NRR activity, such as g-C3N4 and graphene, especially with vacancy design and modification. Besides, the photoelectric and catalytic performance can be further improved by synthesize composite catalysts to produce heterojunction structure. This review aims to assist academia to understand the research progress of NRR technology and catalyst and provide ideas for innovating more promising and high-performance NRR catalysts.
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•The main N2O removal methods and their catalysts are elucidated.•The previous mechanism studies using DFT are revealed.•The characteristics and improvement strategies of various ...catalysts are summarized.•The future development of more efficient N2O removal catalyst is proposed.•It furnishes theoretical basis and data support for exploring N2O removal catalysts.
With the increasing global warming, the control of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in various fields has become urgent. Direct catalytic decomposition is currently the most widely used technology to reduce N2O emissions from the nitric acid industry. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which can utilize unburned NH3 from engine exhaust as a reductant, is the most promising technology for reducing N2O emissions from ammonia-fueled engines. Increasing demands on the operating temperature window, O2/H2O/NO resistance, and hydrothermal stability of catalysts have stimulated the development of novel catalytic N2O removal catalysts. This review first summarizes the N2O generation mechanism, comprehensive N2O catalytic removal reaction mechanism and O2/H2O/NO inhibition mechanism, and then provides a comprehensive overview of the related catalysts, including Ru- and Rh-based precious metal catalysts, Cu- and Co-based non-precious metal catalysts, and Fe- and Cu-based molecular sieve catalysts, focusing on direct catalytic decomposition of N2O and N2O-SCR. Effective strategies for various catalysts to improve the acidity, redox cycling, and toxicity resistance of the catalysts through modification, creation of novel nanostructures, and exposure of specific crystalline surfaces are summarized, and the challenges and opportunities they face are presented. In addition, this paper summarizes some other methods for catalytic removal of N2O and develops a detailed description for the synergistic removal of N2O and NOx. Finally, this review provides some suggestions for future research directions. It is hoped that this review will provide a theoretical basis for the optimal preparation of catalysts to bridge the gap between catalyst performance and practical needs, and help to realize the commercial application of efficient catalysts in the near future.
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