Liquid-Metal-Based Multichannel Strain Sensor for Sign Language Gesture Classification Using Machine Learning.

Liquid metals are highly conductive like metallic materials and have excellent deformability due to their liquid state, making them rather promising for flexible and stretchable wearable sensors. However, patterning liquid metals on soft substrates has been a challenge due to high surface tension. In this paper, a new method is proposed to overcome the difficulties in fabricating liquid-state strain sensors.

Deep Learning-Based Ion Channel Kinetics Analysis for Automated Patch Clamp Recording.

The patch clamp technique is a fundamental tool for investigating ion channel dynamics and electrophysiological properties. This study proposes the first artificial intelligence framework for characterizing multiple ion channel kinetics of whole-cell recordings. The framework integrates machine learning for anomaly detection and deep learning for multi-class classification.

High-Fidelity sEMG Signals Recorded by an on-Skin Electrode Based on AgNWs for Hand Gesture Classification Using Machine Learning.

The human forearm is one of the most densely distributed parts of the human body, with the most irregular spatial distribution of muscles. A number of specific forearm muscles control hand motions. Acquiring high-fidelity sEMG signals from human forearm muscles is vital for human-machine interface (HMI) applications based on gesture recognition.

Detection of Bacterial Metabolic Volatile Indole Using a Graphene-Based Field-Effect Transistor Biosensor.

The existence of bacteria is a great threat to food safety. Volatile compounds secreted by bacteria during their metabolic process can be dissected to evaluate bacterial contamination. Indole, as a major volatile molecule released by (), was chosen to examine the presence of in this research.

An Active Biomechanical Model of Cell Adhesion Actuated by Intracellular Tensioning-Taxis.

Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is highly active and plays a crucial role in various physiological functions. The active response of cells to physicochemical cues has been universally discovered in multiple microenvironments. However, the mechanisms to rule these active behaviors of cells are still poorly understood.

Topography induced stiffness alteration of stem cells influences osteogenic differentiation.

Topography-driven alterations in cell morphology tremendously influence cell biological processes, particularly stem cell differentiation. Aligned topography is known to alter the cell shape, which we anticipated to also induce altered physical properties of the cell. Here, we show that topography has a significant influence on single cell stiffness of human bone marrow derived-Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hBM-MSCs) and the osteogenic differentiation of these.

An ultraflexible polyurethane yarn-based wearable strain sensor with a polydimethylsiloxane infiltrated multilayer sheath for smart textiles.

Waterproof fiber-based strain sensors with a high gauge factor and outstanding stability are essential for smart textiles, wearable devices and biomedical electronics. In this work, we demonstrate a highly flexible, stretchable, sensitive, and waterproof core-sheath structure strain sensor with a relatively wide strain-sensing range fabricated by a simple approach. Such a core-sheath structure is composed of a superelastic core material polyurethane (PU) yarn; a highly conductive multilayer sheath material, namely, graphene nanosheets/thin gold film/graphene nanosheets (GNSs/Au/GNSs); and a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) wrapping layer.

Interaction of Sp1 and APP promoter elucidates a mechanism for Pb caused neurodegeneration.

A ubiquitously expressed transcription factor, specificity protein 1 (Sp1), interacts with the amyloid precursor protein (APP) promoter and likely mediates APP expression. Promoter-interaction strengths variably regulate the level of APP expression. Here, we examined the interactions of finger 3 of Sp1 (Sp1-f3) with a DNA fragment containing the APP promoter in different ionic solutions using atomic force microscope (AFM) spectroscopy.

Cholesterol Modulates the Formation of the Aβ Ion Channel in Lipid Bilayers.

The misfolding of amyloid beta (Aβ) is one of the predominant hallmarks in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we showed that the formation of the Aβ ion channel on the membrane depended on the cholesterol concentration. From a mechanical aspect, we found that cholesterol levels affected the stability and assembly of lipid bilayers.

Extracellular Nanomatrix-Induced Self-Organization of Neural Stem Cells into Miniature Substantia Nigra-Like Structures with Therapeutic Effects on Parkinsonian Rats.

Substantia nigra (SN) is a complex and critical region of the brain wherein Parkinson's disease (PD) arises from the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Miniature SN-like structures (mini-SNLSs) constructed from novel combination of nanomaterials and cell technologies exhibit promise as potentially curative cell therapies for PD. In this work, a rapid self-organization of mini-SNLS, with an organizational structure and neuronal identities similar to those of the SN in vivo, is achieved by differentiating neural stem cells in vitro on biocompatible silica nanozigzags (NZs) sculptured by glancing angle deposition, without traditional chemical growth factors.

Dynamic effect of beta-amyloid 42 on cell mechanics.

Aβ, which is highly toxic to neural cells, is commonly present in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. In this study, dynamic changes in cell mechanics were monitored under Aβ-induced toxicity. To investigate the changes in cellular mechanical properties, we used Aβ oligomer at different concentrations to treat human neuroblastoma SH-SY5H cells.

Facile construction of a DNA tetrahedron in unconventional ladder-like arrangements at room temperature.

A DNA tetrahedron as the most classical and simplest three-dimensional DNA nanostructure has been widely utilized in biomedicine and biosensing. However, the existing assembly approaches usually require harsh thermal annealing conditions, involve the formation of unwanted by-products, and have poor size control. Herein, a facile strategy to fabricate a discrete DNA tetrahedron as a single, thermodynamically stable product in a quantitative yield at room temperature is reported.

Simulation of Graphene Field-Effect Transistor Biosensors for Bacterial Detection.

Foodborne illness is correlated with the existence of infectious pathogens such as bacteria in food and drinking water. Probe-modified graphene field effect transistors (G-FETs) have been shown to be suitable for () detection. Here, the G-FETs for bacterial detection are modeled and simulated with COMSOL Multiphysics to understand the operation of the biosensors.

Biophysical Characteristics of Human Neuroblastoma Cell in Oligomeric $\beta $ -Amyloid (1-40) Cytotoxicity.

Beta amyloid ( ) peptide, which is a common neuropathological hallmark deposit in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease, typically comprises 39-43 amino acid residues. peptides exist as isoforms of and with various lengths. In this research, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to investigate aggregations in Hank's Balanced Salt Solution.

Graphene Field-Effect Transistors for the Sensitive and Selective Detection of Escherichia coli Using Pyrene-Tagged DNA Aptamer.

This study reports biosensing using graphene field-effect transistors with the aid of pyrene-tagged DNA aptamers, which exhibit excellent selectivity, affinity, and stability for Escherichia coli (E. coli) detection. The aptamer is employed as the sensing probe due to its advantages such as high stability and high affinity toward small molecules and even whole cells.

Multiplexed Optogenetic Stimulation of Neurons with Spectrum-Selective Upconversion Nanoparticles.

Optical modulation of nervous system becomes increasingly popular as the wide adoption of optogenetics. For these applications, upconversion materials hold great promise as novel photonic elements. This study describes an upconversion based strategy for combinatorial neural stimulation both in vitro and in vivo by using spectrum-selective upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs).

Development of the Electric Equivalent Model for the Cytoplasmic Microinjection of Small Adherent Cells.

A novel approach utilizing current feedback for the cytoplasmic microinjection of biological cells is proposed. In order to realize the cytoplasmic microinjection on small adherent cells (diameter < 30 μm and thickness < 10 μm), an electrical model is built and analyzed according to the electrochemical properties of target cells. In this study, we have verified the effectiveness of the current measurement for monitoring the injection process and the study of ion channel activities for verifying the cell viability of the cells after the microinjection.

A turn-on fluorescent probe based on coumarin-anhydride for highly sensitive detection of hydrazine in the aqueous solution and gas states.

In this paper, a new coumarin-based fluorescent probe for hydrazine was rationally designed and successfully synthesized based on the Gabriel reaction. This novel probe enabled highly sensitive and selective detection of hydrazine. The detection limit was 43.

A highly versatile platform based on geometrically well-defined 3D DNA nanostructures for selective recognition and positioning of multiplex targets.

We develop a versatile recognition system based on 3D triangular-shaped DNA nanotubes by integrating three different aptamer sequences along the three edges. This would allow multiple binding activities to be combined into a single system. The versatility of this nanotube platform can also provide a framework for spatial orientation and positioning of different aptamer-binding ligands in a 'pea-pod' architecture.

Modeling the mechanics of cells in the cell-spreading process driven by traction forces.

Mechanical properties of cells and their mechanical interaction with the extracellular environments are main factors influencing cellular function, thus indicating the progression of cells in different disease states. By considering the mechanical interactions between cell adhesion molecules and the extracellular environment, we developed a cell mechanical model that can characterize the mechanical changes in cells during cell spreading. A cell model was established that consisted of various main subcellular components, including cortical cytoskeleton, nuclear envelope, actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules.

Compressive Video Recovery Using Block Match Multi-Frame Motion Estimation Based on Single Pixel Cameras.

Compressive sensing (CS) theory has opened up new paths for the development of signal processing applications. Based on this theory, a novel single pixel camera architecture has been introduced to overcome the current limitations and challenges of traditional focal plane arrays. However, video quality based on this method is limited by existing acquisition and recovery methods, and the method also suffers from being time-consuming.

Investigating dynamic structural and mechanical changes of neuroblastoma cells associated with glutamate-mediated neurodegeneration.

Glutamate-mediated neurodegeneration resulting from excessive activation of glutamate receptors is recognized as one of the major causes of various neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms in the neurodegenerative process remain unidentified. Here, we investigate the real-time dynamic structural and mechanical changes associated with the neurodegeneration induced by the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (a subtype of glutamate receptors) at the nanoscale.

Cellular level robotic surgery: Nanodissection of intermediate filaments in live keratinocytes.

We present the nanosurgery on the cytoskeleton of live cells using AFM based nanorobotics to achieve adhesiolysis and mimic the effect of pathophysiological modulation of intercellular adhesion. Nanosurgery successfully severs the intermediate filament bundles and disrupts cell-cell adhesion similar to the desmosomal protein disassembly in autoimmune disease, or the cationic modulation of desmosome formation. Our nanomechanical analysis revealed that adhesion loss results in a decrease in cellular stiffness in both cases of biochemical modulation of the desmosome junctions and mechanical disruption of intercellular adhesion, supporting the notion that intercellular adhesion through intermediate filaments anchors the cell structure as focal adhesion does and that intermediate filaments are integral components in cell mechanical integrity.

Probing for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in live dorsal root ganglion neurons with atomic force microscopy.

Unlabelled: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) remains a major reason for cancer patients to withdraw from their lifesaving therapy. CIPN results in irreversible sensory and motor impairments; however, the epidemiology is largely unknown. Here, we report for the first time that chemotherapy drug vincristine not only reduced axonal regeneration in primary dorsal root ganglion neuron but also induced substantial changes in cell mechanical properties detected by atomic force microscopy (AFM).