Highly sensitive and specific detection of human papillomavirus type 16 using CRISPR/Cas12a assay coupled with an enhanced single nanoparticle dark-field microscopy imaging technique.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted pathogen associated with cervical cancer. Detecting high-risk HPV (hr-HPV) infections is crucial for cervical cancer prevention, particularly in resource-limited settings. Here, we present a highly sensitive and specific sensor for HPV-16 detection based on CRISPR/Cas12a coupled with enhanced single nanoparticle dark-field microscopy (DFM) imaging techniques.

Interpretable Data-Driven Descriptors for Establishing the Structure-Activity Relationship of Metal-Organic Frameworks Toward Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The development of readily accessible and interpretable descriptors is pivotal yet challenging in the rational design of metal-organic framework (MOF) catalysts. This study presents a straightforward and physically interpretable activity descriptor for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), derived from a dataset of bimetallic Ni-based MOFs. Through an artificial-intelligence (AI) data-mining subgroup discovery (SGD) approach, a combination of the d-band center and number of missing electrons in e states of Ni, as well as the first ionization energy and number of electrons in e states of the substituents, is revealed as a gene of a superior OER catalyst.

Advances in the Study of Etiology and Molecular Mechanisms of Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), a multifactorial progressive disorder, results from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, with its underlying mechanisms remaining unclear. Several pathological factors are believed to contribute to SNHL, including genetic factors, ion homeostasis, cell apoptosis, immune inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, hormones, metabolic syndrome, human cytomegalovirus infection, mitochondrial damage, and impaired autophagy. These factors collectively interact and play significant roles in the onset and progression of SNHL.

Amplification-Free Digital Immunoassay down to the Attomolar Level by Synergistic Sedimentation of Brownian Motion Suppression and Dehydration Transfer.

Amplification-free digital immunoassays (DIAs) typically utilize optical nanoparticles to enhance single immunocomplex molecule detection. The efficiency and uniformity of transferring the nanoparticles from a bulk solution to a solid surface determine the limit of detection (LOD) and the accuracy of DIAs. Previous methods suffer from issues like low efficiency, nonuniform distribution, and particle aggregation.

Soybean-mediated suppression of BjaI/BjaR quorum sensing in impacts symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

The acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs)-mediated LuxI/LuxR quorum sensing (QS) system orchestrates diverse bacterial behaviors in response to changes in population density. The role of the BjaI/BjaR QS system in USDA 110, which shares homology with LuxI/LuxR, remains elusive during symbiotic interaction with soybean. Here this genetic system in wild-type (WT) bacteria residing inside nodules exhibited significantly reduced activity compared to free-living cells, potentially attributed to soybean-mediated suppression.

Integrated Controller Design and Application for CNC Machine Tool Servo Systems Based on Model Reference Adaptive Control and Adaptive Sliding Mode Control.

In order to reduce the effect of nonlinear friction and time-varying factors on the servo system of a computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool and improve its motion control accuracy, this paper uses an adaptive sliding mode control (ASMC) method based on model reference adaptive control (MRAC). The method adopts ASMC in the control outer loop and obtains the optimal control parameters by making the sliding mode control (SMC) law continuous and adaptively estimating the control parameters. At the same time, MRAC is used in the control inner loop to enhance the "invariance" of the controlled object so that the switching gain of SMC can satisfy the disturbance matching condition even under lesser conditions.

Homogeneous immunoassay utilizing fluorescence resonance energy transfer from quantum dots to tyramide dyes deposited on full immunocomplexes.

There is an urgent need for homogeneous immunoassays that offer sufficient sensitivity for routine clinical practice. In this study, we have developed a highly sensitive, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based homogeneous immunoassay. Unlike previous FRET-based homogeneous immunoassays, where acceptors were attached to antibody molecules located far from the donor, we employed acceptors to label the entire sandwich-structured immunocomplex, including two antibodies and one antigen.

Study of the Power Generation Performance of Impact Piezoelectric Energy Capture Devices.

In order to solve the problem of conventional energy shortages, a non-resonant impact piezoelectric energy capture device using a (polyvinylidene fluoride) piezoelectric film at low frequency is proposed, and related theoretical analysis and experimental studies are conducted. The device has a simple internal structure, is green and easy to miniaturize, and is capable of harvesting energy at low frequencies to supply energy to micro and small electronic devices. First, to verify the feasibility of the device, the structure of the experimental device is modeled and dynamically analyzed.

The effect of double W tension-reduced suture technique on the abdominal scars following the da Vinci robot-assisted gastrectomy for severely obese patients.

Objective: To analyze the effect of a new type of tension-reduced suture named "double W tension-reduced suture technique" on the abdominal scars following the da Vinci robot-assisted gastrectomy for severely obese patients.

Methods: 40 abdominal incisions following the da Vinci robot-assisted gastrectomy on severely obese patients from September 1st, 2021 to March 1st, 2022 were comprised in the study. 20 incisions were closed by the conventional full-thickness surgical suture as the control group, and 20 incisions were sewn up by double W tension-reduced suture as the double W group.

Effect of Clay Minerals on Carbonate Precipitation Induced by Cyanobacterium sp.

Carbonate precipitation induced by cyanobacteria is an important factor in lacustrine fine-grained carbonate rock genesis. As key components of these rocks, clay minerals play an important role in aggregating cyanobacteria. However, the formation mechanism of fine-grained carbonate under the effect of clay minerals is unclear.

Corrigendum: Contactless and robust dielectric microspheres-assisted surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensitivity improvement for anthrax biomarker detection.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.

Effects of compound prebiotics as prophylactic and therapeutic supplementation in a mouse model of acute colitis.

Compound prebiotics (CP) have been explored in modulation of intestinal microbiota and remission of inflammatory responses in the acute colitis (AC). Yet, research on the roles of simultaneous prophylactic and therapeutic CP intervention in relation to AC remains lacking. Here, CP were pre-fed to examine preventive effects.

Contactless and robust dielectric microspheres-assisted surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensitivity improvement for anthrax biomarker detection.

This report presents a contactless and robust dielectric microspheres (DMs)-assisted surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement method to improve SERS detection sensitivity detection sensitivity. DMs that could focus and collect light were embedded within the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film to avoid direct contact with the analytical solution and improve detection reliability. The as prepared DMs embedded PDMS (DMs-PDMS) film was integrated with a microfluidic technique to enhance the SERS signal of a liquid substrate.

The metabolism of pyrene by a novel Altererythrobacter sp. with in-situ co-substrates: A mechanistic analysis based on pathway, genomics, and enzyme activity.

Using co-substrates to enhance the metabolic activity of microbes is an effective way for high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons removal in petroleum-contaminated environments. However, the long degradation period and exhausting substrates limit the enhancement of metabolic activity. In this study, Altererythrobacter sp.

Ball-lens assisted sensitivity improvement of fluorescence immunoassay in microchannels.

The relatively low sensitivity is the limitation of ELISA in early screening of diseases. Various signal enhancing methods are developed to increase detection sensitivity, but most of them require professional operation and are not compatible with commercial reagent kits or automatic analysis instruments, limiting their application in clinical testing. Here, we present a contactless and user-friendly ball-lens assisted fluorescence enhancing (BFE) method to improve immunoassay sensitivity.

Synthesis and Performance of Double-Chain Quaternary Ammonium Salt Glucosamide Surfactants.

A series of double-chain quaternary ammonium salt surfactants -['[3-(gluconamide)] propyl-'-alkyl]propyl-,-dimethyl--alkyl ammonium bromide (CDDGPB, where n represents a hydrocarbon chain length of 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16) were successfully synthesized from D (+)-glucose δ-lactone, ,-dimethyldipropylenetriamine, and bromoalkane using a two-step method consisting of a proamine-ester reaction and postquaternization. Their surface activity, adsorption, and aggregation behavior in aqueous solution were investigated via measurements of dynamic/static surface tension, contact angle, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. An analysis of their application performance in terms of wettability, emulsifying properties, toxicity, and antibacterial properties was conducted.

Multiplexed Homogeneous Immunoassay Based on Counting Single Immunocomplexes together with Dark-Field and Fluorescence Microscopy.

The development of multiplexed immunoassays is impeded by the difficulty in distinguishing labeled immunocomplexes from free probes and nonspecifically bound probes. Here, we attempted to overcome this issue by counting core-satellite-structured immunocomplexes simultaneously using dark-field and fluorescence microscopy. The tumor biomarkers of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), α-fetoprotein (AFP), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were chosen as model targets.

Aqueous two-phase systems evolved double-layer film for enzymatic activity preservation: A universal protein storage strategy for paper based microdevice.

Integration and storage of bioactive reagents is an important and challenging task in microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs). Here, we developed a convenient and universal method to store proteins and preserve their activities in μPADs by using aqueous two-phase systems (ATPs) evolved film. A polyethylene glycol (PEG)-dextran (DEX) double-layer film was formed through dehydration of ATPs.

Multi-Component Collaborative Step-by-Step Coloring Strategy to Achieve High-Performance Light-Responsive Color-Switching.

Light-responsive color-switching materials (LCMs) are long-lasting hot fields. However, non-ideal comprehensive performance (such as color contrast and retention time cannot be combined, unsatisfactory repeatability, and non-automated coloring mode) significantly hinder their development toward high-end products. Herein, the development of LCMs that exhibit long retention time, good color contrast, repeatability, and the property of automatic coloring is reported.

Low-Numerical Aperture Microscope Objective Boosted by Liquid-Immersed Dielectric Microspheres for Quantum Dot-Based Digital Immunoassays.

Quantum dot (QD)-based digital immunoassays play an important role in ultrasensitive biomarker detection. However, the requirement of an objective with a high numerical aperture (NA) limits the application of this immunoassay. Here, high-quality imaging of massive single-QDs was achieved by the combination of an air objective (20×/0.

Exploring Factors Influencing Farmers' Continuance Intention to Crop Residue Retention: Evidence from Rural China.

Over the past decade, crop residue burning after harvest is prevalent in developing countries. Promoting crop residue retention to replace residue burning is effective in improving air quality and contributing to the mitigation of global climate change. This study examines farmers' continuance intention of crop residue retention, using the expectation confirmation model (ECM) and survey data from 542 rice farmers in Hubei Province, P.

A homogeneous digital biosensor for circulating tumor DNA by the enumeration of a dual-color quantum dot complex.

Monitoring ctDNA in blood is important for cancer management. Here, a one-step single particle counting approach was developed for directly quantifying ctDNA in plasma. Hairpin DNA containing a triple helix stem was immobilized onto QD 585 as a probe.

Digital Duplex Homogeneous Immunoassay by Counting Immunocomplex Labeled with Quantum Dots.

Digital multiplexed homogeneous immunoassay is supposed to have the advantages of high sensitivity, high analytical throughput, small sampling errors, and low consumption. We present a spectral imaging-based multiplex, homogenous immunoassay by counting sandwich-structured immunocomplexes in the form of quantum dot (QD) aggregates. As a proof of concept, the method was utilized to detect two tumor biomarkers: carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) and α-fetoprotein (AFP).

P-cresol degradation through Fe(III)-EDDS/HO Fenton-like reaction enhanced by manganese ion: Effect of pH and reaction mechanism.

P-cresol is a highly toxic phenolic pollutant in coal chemical wastewater. The effective removal of p-cresol is of great significance to the ecological environment. In this study, the degradation of p-cresol by the Fe(III)-EDDS/HO Fenton-like reaction modified by Mn was investigated.

16p11.2 microdeletion imparts transcriptional alterations in human iPSC-derived models of early neural development.

Microdeletions and microduplications of the 16p11.2 chromosomal locus are associated with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorders and reciprocal physiological conditions such as macro/microcephaly and high/low body mass index. To facilitate cellular and molecular investigations into these phenotypes, 65 clones of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were generated from 13 individuals with 16p11.