Integration of metabolomics and other omics: from microbes to microbiome.

Metabolomics is a cutting-edge omics technology that identifies metabolites in organisms and their environments and tracks their fluctuations. This field has been extensively utilized to elucidate previously unknown metabolic pathways and to identify the underlying causes of metabolic changes, given its direct association with phenotypic alterations. However, metabolomics inherently has limitations that can lead to false positives and false negatives.

In Situ Uranium Extraction through the Synthesis of the Uranyl Peroxide Studtite Using a Nonthermal Plasma.

Extraction of uranium from water is an essential step in leach (ISL) mining and environmental decontamination. This is often done by precipitating uranium in solution as the uranyl peroxide studtite, [(UO)(O)(HO)](HO), by adding hydrogen peroxide, which is energy-intensive to produce and hazardous to transport. Here, we present a method for synthesizing studtite, by generating reactive oxygen species in solution using a nonthermal plasma.

Alternatives of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes as potential therapeutic platforms.

With outstanding therapeutic potential in the tissue regeneration and anti-inflammation, mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-EXOs) have emerged as a prominent therapeutic in recent. However, poor production yield and reproducibility have remained as significant challenges of their practical applications. To surmount these challenges, various alternative materials with stem cell-like functions, have been recently investigated, however, there has been no comprehensive analysis in these alternatives so far.

Noncapillary Wave Dynamics due to Interfacial Coupling with Plasma Patterns at a Liquid Surface.

We identify a new class of surface waves that arise at a plasma-liquid interface due to resonant coupling between discrete plasma pattern modes and a continuum of interfacial liquid surface wave modes. A wave mode is selected due to localized excitation by the plasma, and standing waves result when waves excited from different locations interact. These waves propagate with a slower phase velocity than traditional capillary waves, but exhibit the same damping behavior with respect to liquid viscosity.

Voice from both sides: a molecular dialogue between transcriptional activators and repressors in seed-to-seedling transition and crop adaptation.

High-quality seeds provide valuable nutrients to human society and ensure successful seedling establishment. During maturation, seeds accumulate storage compounds that are required to sustain seedling growth during germination. This review focuses on the epigenetic repression of the embryonic and seed maturation programs in seedlings.

Bayesian Optimization of Low-Temperature Nonthermal Plasma Jet Sintering of Nanoinks.

In response to the escalating demand for flexible devices in applications such as wearables, sensors, and touch panels, there is a need for innovative fabrication approaches for devices made from nanomaterial-based inks. Subsequent to ink deposition, a pivotal stage in device manufacturing typically involves high-temperature sintering, posing challenges for heat-sensitive substrates. Nonthermal plasma jet sintering utilizing an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma jet enables sintering at room temperature and standard pressure, facilitating the sintering of printed nanoparticle films without compromising substrate or film surface integrity.

Optical and Chemical Measurements of Solvated Electrons Produced in Plasma Electrolysis with a Water Cathode.

It is known that glow discharges with a water anode inject and form solvated electrons at the plasma-liquid interface, driving a wide variety of reduction reactions. However, in systems with a water cathode, the production and role of solvated electrons are less clear. Here, we present evidence for the direct detection of solvated electrons produced at the interface of an argon plasma and a water cathode via absorption spectroscopy.

Compact Ultra-Wideband Wilkinson Power Divider in Parallel Stripline with Modified Isolation Branches.

An efficient design method for a compact and ultra-wideband multi-stage Wilkinson power divider in a parallel stripline (PSL) is proposed. To enhance the frequency bandwidth of the proposed power divider while reducing its size, the isolation branch is modified; that is, two capacitors are connected to both sides of a resistor at each isolation branch. For an efficient design process, the PSL power divider is equivalently represented by two microstrip power dividers, and the design equations are derived.

High-Performance TiO/ZrO/TiO Thin Film Capacitor by Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Annealing.

Although laminate structures are widely used in electrostatic capacitors, unavoidable heterogeneous interfaces often deteriorate the dielectric properties by impeding film crystallization. In this study, a TiO/ZrO/TiO (TZT) laminate structure, where upper-TiO deposited on the heterogeneous interface was crystallized by plasma-assisted atomic layer annealing (ALA), was investigated. ALA effectively induced the phase transition of the upper-TiO from the amorphous or anatase phase to the rutile phase, leading to an increase in the dielectric constant, whereas the ZrO blocking interlayer maintained the amorphous phase owing to the extremely localized effect of ALA.

Inhibition of BMP-mediated SMAD pathway supports the pluripotency of pig embryonic stem cells in the absence of feeder cells.

Here, we examined the effects of the BMP signaling pathway inhibitor LDN-193189 on the pluripotency of porcine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in the absence of feeder cells using molecular and transcriptomic techniques. Additionally, the effects of some extracellular matrix components on porcine ESC pluripotency were evaluated to develop an optimized and sustainable feeder-free culture system for porcine ESCs. Feeder cells were found to play an important role in supporting the pluripotency of porcine ESCs by blocking trophoblast and mesodermal differentiation through the inhibition of the BMP pathway.

Observation of Long-Range Current-Induced Torque in Ni/Pt Bilayers.

The generation of current-induced torques through the spin Hall effect in Pt has been key to the development of spintronics. In prototypical ferromagnetic-metal/Pt devices, the characteristic length of the torque generation is known to be about 1 nm due to the short spin diffusion length of Pt. Here, we report the observation of a long-range current-induced torque in Ni/Pt bilayers.

Nonthermal Plasma-Stimulated C-N Coupling from CH and N Depends on the Presence of Surface CH and Plasma-Phase CN Species.

Formation of C-N containing compounds from plasma-catalytic coupling of CH and N over various transition metals (Ni, Pd, Cu, Ag, and Au) is investigated using a multimodal spectroscopic approach, combining polarization-modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRAS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Through sequential experiments utilizing CH and N nonthermal plasmas, we minimize plasma-phase reactions and identify key intermediates for C-N coupling on metal surfaces. Results show that simultaneous CH and N exposure with plasma stimulation produces surface C-N species.

Co-repressors AtSDR4L and DIG1 interact with transcription factor VAL2 and promote Arabidopsis seed-to-seedling transition.

Two transcriptional co-repressors physically interact with a transcription factor that is known to recruit a multi-protein complex, which promotes the repression of seed maturation genes by depositing trimethylation marks on lysine 27 of the histone 3 tails.

Topology-Engineered Orbital Hall Effect in Two-Dimensional Ferromagnets.

Recent advances in the manipulation of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) within the paradigm of orbitronics presents a promising avenue for the design of future electronic devices. In this context, the recently observed orbital Hall effect (OHE) occupies a special place. Here, focusing on both the second-order topological and quantum anomalous Hall insulators in two-dimensional ferromagnets, we demonstrate that topological phase transitions present an efficient and straightforward way to engineer the OHE, where the OAM distribution can be controlled by the nature of the band inversion.

Bleb characteristics assessed by ultrasound biomicroscopy correlate with intraocular pressure after Ahmed glaucoma valve surgery in dogs.

Objective: To assess the characteristics of blebs formed after Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) surgery in dogs using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and to analyze their correlation with postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP).

Animals: 16 eyes (13 dogs) were diagnosed with primary angle-closure glaucoma and were followed up after AGV surgery from June 2021 to September 2023.

Methods: In this prospective study, UBM examinations were performed to assess bleb characteristics, including bleb wall thickness and reflectivity.

Orbital Rashba Effect as a Platform for Robust Orbital Photocurrents.

Orbital current has emerged over the past years as one of the key novel concepts in magnetotransport. Here, we demonstrate that laser pulses can be used to generate large and robust nonrelativistic orbital currents in systems where the inversion symmetry is broken by the orbital Rashba effect. By referring to model and first principles tools, we demonstrate that orbital Rashba effect, accompanied by crystal field splitting, can mediate robust orbital photocurrents without a need for spin-orbit interaction even in metallic systems.

Observation and Characterization of Vibrationally Active Surface Species Accessed with Nonthermal Nitrogen Plasmas.

Polycrystalline Ni, Pd, Cu, Ag, and Au foils exposed to nonthermal plasma (NTP)-activated N are found to exhibit a vibrational feature near 2200 cm in polarization-modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRAS) observations that are not present in the same materials exposed to N under nonplasma conditions. The feature is similar to that reported elsewhere and is typically assigned to chemisorbed N. We employ a combination of temperature-dependent experiments, sequential dosing, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, isotopic labeling, and density functional theory calculations to characterize the feature.

Effects of Poly-Si Grain Boundary on Retention Characteristics under Cross-Temperature Conditions in 3-D NAND Flash Memory.

Electrical characteristics with various program temperatures () in three-dimensional (3-D) NAND flash memory are investigated. The cross-temperature conditions of the up to 120 °C and the read temperature () at 30 °C are used to analyze the influence of grain boundaries (GB) on the bit line current () and threshold voltage (). The shift in the E-P-E pattern is successfully decomposed into the charge loss (Δ) component and the poly-Si GB (Δ) component.

Effect of Noncircular Channel on Distribution of Threshold Voltage in 3D NAND Flash Memory.

The instability in threshold voltage () and charge distributions in noncircular cells of three-dimensional (3D) NAND flash memory are investigated. Using TCAD simulation, we aim to identify the main factors influencing the of noncircular cells. The key focus is on the nonuniform trapped electron density in the charge trapping layer (CTL) caused by the change in electric field between the circular region and the spike region.

Cancer signature ensemble integrating cfDNA methylation, copy number, and fragmentation facilitates multi-cancer early detection.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing has demonstrated great potential for early cancer detection. However, most large-scale studies have focused only on either targeted methylation sites or whole-genome sequencing, limiting comprehensive analysis that integrates both epigenetic and genetic signatures. In this study, we present a platform that enables simultaneous analysis of whole-genome methylation, copy number, and fragmentomic patterns of cfDNA in a single assay.

Time-domain observation of ballistic orbital-angular-momentum currents with giant relaxation length in tungsten.

The emerging field of orbitronics exploits the electron orbital momentum L. Compared to spin-polarized electrons, L may allow the transfer of magnetic information with considerably higher density over longer distances in more materials. However, direct experimental observation of L currents, their extended propagation lengths and their conversion into charge currents has remained challenging.

Broadening the Berlin definition of ARDS to patients receiving high-flow nasal oxygen: an observational study in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19.

Background: High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) is increasingly used in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. It is uncertain whether a broadened Berlin definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which ARDS can be diagnosed in patients who are not receiving ventilation, results in similar groups of patients receiving HFNO as in patients receiving ventilation.

Methods: We applied a broadened definition of ARDS in a multicenter, observational study in adult critically ill patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), wherein the requirement for a minimal level of 5 cm HO PEEP with ventilation is replaced by a minimal level of airflow rate with HFNO, and compared baseline characteristics and outcomes between patients receiving HFNO and patients receiving ventilation.

Observation of the orbital Hall effect in a light metal Ti.

The orbital Hall effect refers to the generation of electron orbital angular momentum flow transverse to an external electric field. Contrary to the common belief that the orbital angular momentum is quenched in solids, theoretical studies predict that the orbital Hall effect can be strong and is a fundamental origin of the spin Hall effect in many transition metals. Despite the growing circumstantial evidence, its direct detection remains elusive.