Direct visualization of electric-field-stimulated ion conduction in a potassium channel.

Understanding protein function would be facilitated by direct, real-time observation of chemical kinetics in the atomic structure. The selectivity filter (SF) of the K channel provides an ideal model, catalyzing the dehydration and transport of K ions across the cell membrane through a narrow pore. We used a "pump-probe" method called electric-field-stimulated time-resolved X-ray crystallography (EFX) to initiate and observe K conduction in the NaK2K channel in both directions on the timescale of the transport process.

Feasibility study of patient-specific four-dimensional in vivo tracking system for high-dose-rate brachytherapy: Experimental evaluation.

Background: High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy using Iridium-192 as a radiation source is widely employed in cancer treatment to deliver concentrated radiation doses while minimizing normal tissue exposure. In this treatment, the precision with which the sealed radioisotope source is delivered significantly impacts clinical outcomes.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a new four-dimensional (4D) in vivo source tracking and treatment verification system for HDR brachytherapy using a patient-specific approach.

Wintering loons in South Korea face an ongoing threat from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Shifting sources and potential DNA damage.

Diving birds, particularly those sharing coastal habitats with fishing grounds, are at risk from oil pollution. Despite documented cases of bird mortality, the specific role of oil pollution in these death remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, this study examined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination, its sources, and its impact on loon health.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Image Enhancing Filters on Patient Expectations for Plastic Surgery Outcomes.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies use a three-part strategy for facial visual enhancement: (1) Facial Detection, (2) Facial Landmark Detection, and (3) Filter Application (Chen in Arch Fac Plast Surg 21:361-367, 2019). In the context of the surgical patient population, open-source AI algorithms are capable of modifying or simulating images to present potential results of plastic surgery procedures. Our primary aim was to understand whether AI filter use may influence individuals' perceptions and expectations of post-surgical outcomes.