Non-invasive cell culture monitoring technology is crucial to improve the manufacturing efficiency of cell products. We have found that extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted into the culture supernatants in the differentiation process from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to dopaminergic progenitor cells, and that the composition of EVs changes in accordance with the differentiation processes. In this study, we hypothesized that it is possible to evaluate the cultured cellular states by detecting compositional changes of EVs secreted from cultured cells with label-free Raman spectroscopy in a non-invasive manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the behavior of water molecules at solid-liquid interfaces is crucial for various applications such as photocatalytic water splitting, a key technology for sustainable fuel production and chemical transformations. Despite extensive studies conducted in the past, the impact of the microscopic structure of interfacial water molecules on photocatalytic reactivity has not been directly examined. In this study, using real-time mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, we demonstrated the crucial role of hydrogen bond (H-bond) networks on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in thickness-controlled water adsorption layers on various TiO photocatalysts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTime-resolved or time-correlation measurements using cathodoluminescence (CL) reveal the electronic and optical properties of semiconductors, such as their carrier lifetimes, at the nanoscale. However, halide perovskites, which are promising optoelectronic materials, exhibit significantly different decay dynamics in their CL and photoluminescence (PL). We conducted time-correlation CL measurements of CsPbBr using Hanbury Brown-Twiss interferometry and compared them with time-resolved PL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigates the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency of two photosystems incorporating an all-inorganic molecular thiomolybdate [MoS] cluster as a HER catalyst. First, we delve into the performance of a homogeneous [MoS]/[Ru(bpy)] (Mo/Ru) dyad which demonstrates high turnover frequencies (TOFs) and apparent quantum yields (AQYs) at 445 nm approaching the level of 0.5%, yet its performance is marked by pronounced deactivation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn-situ observation has expanded the application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and has made a significant contribution to materials research and development for energy, biomedical, quantum, etc. Recent technological developments related to in-situ TEM have empowered the incorporation of three-dimensional observation, which was previously considered incompatible. In this review article, we take up heating as the most commonly used external stimulus for in-situ TEM observation and overview recent in-situ TEM studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicated by secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is associated with an increased risk of fragility fractures. Etelcalcetide (EC) is a treatment for SHPT that reduces serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. However, the effects of combined treatment with osteoporosis drugs such as teriparatide (TPTD) remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Humans mainly utilize visual and auditory information as a cue to infer others' emotions. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown the neural basis of memory processing based on facial expression, but few studies have examined it based on vocal cues. Thus, we aimed to investigate brain regions associated with emotional judgment based on vocal cues using an N-back task paradigm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHost plant-derived strigolactones trigger hyphal branching in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, initiating a symbiotic interaction between land plants and AM fungi. However, our previous studies revealed that gibberellin-treated lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum, Gentianaceae) activates rhizospheric hyphal branching in AM fungi using unidentified molecules other than strigolactones. In this study, we analyzed independent transcriptomic data of E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmentally sustainable and selective conversion of methane to valuable chemicals under ambient conditions is pivotal for the development of next-generation photocatalytic technology. However, due to the lack of microscopic knowledge about non-thermal methane conversion, controlling and modulating photocatalytic oxidation processes driven by photogenerated holes remain a challenge. Here, we report novel function of metal cocatalysts to accept photogenerated holes and dominate selectivity of methane oxidation, which is clearly beyond the conventional concept in photocatalysis that the metal cocatalysts loaded on the surfaces of semiconductor photocatalysts mostly capture photogenerated electrons and dominate reduction reactions exclusively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe nanoscale characterization of thermally activated solid reactions plays a pivotal role in products manufactured by nanotechnology. Recently, observation in transmission electron microscopy combined with electron tomography, namely four-dimensional observation for heat treatment of nanomaterials, has attracted great interest. However, because most nanomaterials are highly reactive, , oxidation during transfer and electron beam irradiation would likely cause fatal artefacts; it is challenging to perform the artifact-free four-dimensional observation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
June 2023
Artificially programming a sequence of organic-metal oxide multilayers (superlattices) by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a fascinating and challenging issue in material chemistry. However, the complex chemical reactions between ALD precursors and organic layer surfaces have limited their applications for various material combinations. Here, we demonstrate the impact of interfacial molecular compatibility on the formation of organic-metal oxide superlattices using ALD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWithout a protective atmosphere, space-exposed surfaces of airless Solar System bodies gradually experience an alteration in composition, structure and optical properties through a collective process called space weathering. The return of samples from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu by Hayabusa2 provides the first opportunity for laboratory study of space-weathering signatures on the most abundant type of inner solar system body: a C-type asteroid, composed of materials largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System. Weathered Ryugu grains show areas of surface amorphization and partial melting of phyllosilicates, in which reduction from Fe to Fe and dehydration developed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn-site and on-demand photocatalytic methane conversion under ambient conditions is one of the urgent global challenges for the sustainable use of ubiquitous methane resources. However, the lack of microscopic knowledge on its reaction mechanism prevents the development of engineering strategies for methane photocatalysis. Combining real-time mass spectrometry and operando infrared absorption spectroscopy with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, here we report key molecular-level insights into photocatalytic green utilization of methane.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElectron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool for elucidating the properties and functionalities of materials. The innovative development of aberration-corrected electron microscopy in the early 21st century and the remarkable progress in the development of detectors, equipment and devices related to ET have resulted in substantial improvements in resolution. However, not only advances in hardware but also remarkable developments in reconstruction algorithms and related three-dimensional (3D) analysis methods have contributed to the resolution improvements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: This study evaluated the effect of haematogenous administration of acridine orange (AO) alone and in combination with zoledronate (ZOL) on bone metastases.
Materials And Methods: E0771 cells (1.0×10 cells/10 μl) were injected directly into the right femur of female mice.
Application of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to in situ observation will be essential in the current and emerging data-driven materials science by taking STEM's high affinity with various analytical options into account. As is well known, STEM's image acquisition time needs to be further shortened to capture a targeted phenomenon in real-time as STEM's current temporal resolution is far below the conventional TEM's. However, rapid image acquisition in the millisecond per frame or faster generally causes image distortion, poor electron signals, and unidirectional blurring, which are obstacles for realizing video-rate STEM observation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ongoing transition to renewable energy sources and the implementation of artificial photosynthetic setups call for an efficient and stable water oxidation catalyst (WOC). Here, we heterogenize a molecular all-inorganic [CoCo(HO)WO] ({CoCoW}) Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) onto a model TiO surface, employing a 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) linker to form a novel heterogeneous photosystem for light-driven water oxidation. The {CoCoW}-APTES-TiO hybrid is characterized using a set of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to reveal the POM integrity and dispersion to elucidate the POM/APTES and APTES/TiO binding modes as well as to visualize the attachment of individual clusters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAchieving light-driven splitting of water with high efficiency remains a challenging task on the way to solar fuel exploration. In this work, to combine the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous photosystems, we covalently anchor noble-metal- and carbon-free thiomolybdate [MoS] clusters onto photoactive metal oxide supports to act as molecular co-catalysts for photocatalytic water splitting. We demonstrate that strong and surface-limited binding of the [MoS] to the oxide surfaces takes place.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAll-solid-state Li batteries have attracted significant attention because of their high energy density and high level of safety. In a solid-state Li-ion battery, the electrodes contain a solid electrolyte that does not contribute directly to the capacity. Therefore, a battery that does not require a solid electrolyte in its electrode mixture should exhibit a higher energy density.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi allocate mineral nutrients to their host plants, and the hosts supply carbohydrates and lipids to the fungal symbionts in return. The morphotypes of intraradical hyphae are primarily determined on the plant side into - and -type AMs. As an exception, (tomato) forms both types of AMs depending on the fungal species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBehavior of radiocesium in Fukushima after its deposition is mainly controlled by mobility of soil components, of which the density is one of the parameters governing the mobility; however, little information is available on the density of soil components associated with radiocesium in environment. Furthermore, the reduction of the volume of radiocesium-contaminated soil in the interim storage is highly demanded. In this study, we developed a gravitational separation method using a sodium polytungstate (SPT) solution combined with size fractionation to understand the relation between Cs activity and the density of surface soil components and evaluate the feasibility of the method for the volume reduction of the contaminated soil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHumidity and moisture effects, frequently called water poisoning, in surroundings are inevitable for various molecular sensing devices, strongly affecting their sensing characteristics. Here, we demonstrate a water-selective nanostructured dehumidifier composed of ZnO/TiO/CaCl core-shell heterostructured nanowires for molecular sensing spaces. The fabricated nanostructured dehumidifier is highly water-selective without detrimental adsorptions of various volatile organic compound molecules and can be repeatedly operated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), possessing unique exciton luminescence properties, have attracted significant attention for use in optical and electrical devices. TMDCs are also high refractive index materials that can strongly confine the electromagnetic field in nanoscale dimensions when patterned into nanostructures, thus resulting in complex light emission that includes exciton and dielectric resonances. Here, we use cathodoluminescence (CL) to experimentally visualize the emission modes of single molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanoflakes and to investigate luminescence enhancement due to dielectric resonances in nanoscale dimensions, by using a scanning transmission electron microscope.
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