Subwavelength Imaging in Sub-THz Range Using Dielectric Waveguide.

Terahertz radiation patterns can be registered using various detectors; however, in most cases, the scanning resolution is limited. Thus, we propose an alternative method for the detailed scanning of terahertz light field distributions after passing simple and complex structures. Our method relies on using a dielectric waveguide to achieve better sampling resolution.

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics illuminate bat immunity and barrier tissue evolution.

Bats have adapted to pathogens through diverse mechanisms, including increased resistance - rapid pathogen elimination, and tolerance - limiting tissue damage following infection. In the Egyptian fruit bat (an important model in comparative immunology) several mechanisms conferring disease tolerance were discovered, but mechanisms underpinning resistance remain poorly understood. Previous studies on other species suggested that elevated basal expression of innate immune genes may lead to increased resistance to infection.

Consumer Preferences, Sensory Evaluation, and Color Analysis of Beetroot and Tomato Juices: Implications for Product Development and Marketing in Health-Promoting Beverages.

Background/objectives: This study explores the significance of beetroot and tomato juices, two prominent health-promoting foods known for their rich nutrient content and bioactive compounds. The growing consumer awareness of the link between diet and well-being emphasizes the need for food producers to align their products with health-conscious preferences. The aim of this research was to assess the composition, color, and sensory attributes-specifically color, taste, and odor-of various commercially available beetroot and tomato juices and to evaluate their acceptability among consumers.

Electroporation of Sliced Human Cortical Organoids for Studies of Gene Function.

Human cortical organoids have become important tools for studying human brain development, neurodevelopmental disorders, and human brain evolution. Studies analyzing gene function by overexpression or knockout have been instrumental in animal models to provide mechanistic insights into the regulation of neocortex development. Here, we present a detailed protocol for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated acute gene knockout by electroporation of sliced human cortical organoids.

MXene/Bacterial Cellulose Hybrid Materials for Sustainable Soft Electronics.

This work evaluated bacterial cellulose (BC) as a possible biodegradable soft electronics substrate in comparison to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), while also focusing on evaluating hybrid MXene/BC material as potential flexible electronic sensor. Material characterization studies revealed that the BC material structure consists of nanofibers with diameters ranging from 70 to 140 nm, stacked layer-by-layer. BC samples produced are sensitive to post-treatment with isopropanol resulting in a change of structural and mechanical properties.

Public Procurement Practices for Cereal Products in Polish Educational Institutions: Analysis and Implications for Nutrition Policy.

Public procurement of food is crucial for ensuring proper nutrition and the provision of high-quality products in public institutions like schools and kindergartens. It should be seen as an investment in health promotion, particularly for young children. Notably, when no quality criteria are specified, the cheapest and often lowest-quality products are typically selected.

Can Simulated Microgravity and Darkness Conditions Influence the Phytochemical Content and Bioactivity of the Sprouts?-A Preliminary Study on Selected Fabaceae Species.

Sprouts' consumption has become popular due to their wide availability, easy cultivation process, and proven biological activity. Moreover, stress factors, such as limited access to light or disturbed gravity during growth, may contribute to the increased activity and the synthesis of bioactive compounds. In this study, for the first time, the examination of the impact of darkness and simulated microgravity conditions on the white clover sprouts from the family was conducted.

The Role of Metacognition in the Prediction of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Chronically Ill Patients.

Introduction: Cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases are frequent causes of depression and anxiety. The study explored the metacognitive beliefs manifested by chronically ill patients and the presence of depressive or anxiety symptoms and the predictive role of metacognition in both.

Methods: A total of 254 chronically ill patients participated in the study.

The growth factor EPIREGULIN promotes basal progenitor cell proliferation in the developing neocortex.

Neocortex expansion during evolution is linked to higher numbers of neurons, which are thought to result from increased proliferative capacity and neurogenic potential of basal progenitor cells during development. Here, we show that EREG, encoding the growth factor EPIREGULIN, is expressed in the human developing neocortex and in gorilla cerebral organoids, but not in the mouse neocortex. Addition of EPIREGULIN to the mouse neocortex increases proliferation of basal progenitor cells, whereas EREG ablation in human cortical organoids reduces proliferation in the subventricular zone.

Efficient delivery of carotenoids to adipocytes with albumin.

Carotenoids are very effectively delivered by albumin to adipocytes. The uptake of carotenoids to the cells occurs in the form of self-aggregates that localize in the vicinity of the adipocyte membrane, as shown by high spatial resolution Raman spectroscopy. The binding of carotenoids to albumin and the mechanism of their transport were elucidated with the help of chiroptical spectroscopies, in tandem with molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations.

Dissociation constants of relevant secondary organic aerosol components in the atmosphere.

The presented studies focus on measuring the determination of the acidity constant (pK) of relevant secondary organic aerosol components. For our research, we selected important oxidation products (mainly carboxylic acids) of the most abundant terpene compounds, such as α-pinene, β-pinene, β-caryophyllene, and δ-3-carene. The research covered the synthesis and determination of the acidity constant of selected compounds.

Lung dendritic-cell metabolism underlies susceptibility to viral infection in diabetes.

People with diabetes feature a life-risking susceptibility to respiratory viral infection, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2 (ref. ), whose mechanism remains unknown. In acquired and genetic mouse models of diabetes, induced with an acute pulmonary viral infection, we demonstrate that hyperglycaemia leads to impaired costimulatory molecule expression, antigen transport and T cell priming in distinct lung dendritic cell (DC) subsets, driving a defective antiviral adaptive immune response, delayed viral clearance and enhanced mortality.

Elucidation of Surface Functional Groups Deposited by Electrochemical Surface Treatment of Discontinuous Carbon Fiber by NEXAFS and XPS.

Control of carbon fiber heteroatom (oxygen and nitrogen) functionalization using electrochemical oxidation is explored in a variety of electrolyte solutions. Results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy indicate that most electrolytes in aqueous and anodic conditions are limited to heteroatom surface content of no more than 13 atomic percent (at %) with a majority C-O and/or C-N moieties; the remaining moieties include an oxidative sequence of carbon (alcohol to ketone to carboxylate) and more complex O- and N-containing groups. The pH of the electrolyte solution was found to be crucial in controlling the ratio of the amount of oxygen to nitrogen functionalities, with the increased basicity of solution resulting in higher nitrogen deposition.

Pixel-level phase filters for off-axis shifting of sinc envelope in holographic projection.

Off-axis projection is a common practice for reconstructions of Fourier holograms displayed on liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) spatial light modulators (SLMs), as it spatially separates the image from the undiffracted light. Binary gratings encoded within the holograms enable maximum angular separation. However, as a result, two mirror images of equal intensities are present in the reconstruction.

"Nature or nurture" - How environmental factors influence the conformational memory of amyloid fibrils.

Amyloid fibrils are complex protein structures with multilayered chiral architecture, that are known to self-propagate. The replication of the mother seed structure by daughter fibrils is known as conformational or templated memory. Using vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) we have shown that environmental factors (here agitation) can be a competing force against the templated growth of human lysozyme fibrils.

Exceptionally enhanced Raman optical activity (ROA) of amyloid fibrils and their prefibrillar states.

Amyloid fibrils form remarkable, multi-layered chiral supramolecular architectures. The proximity of interacting oscillators in the chiral fibril supramolecules is responsible for the unusual sensitivity of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) for fibril formation. Surprisingly, up to now, such characteristics have not been shown for ROA, although it displays the same vibrational markers of fibrils as VCD, including the amide I band.

Comparison of antiviral responses in two bat species reveals conserved and divergent innate immune pathways.

Bats host a range of disease-causing viruses without displaying clinical symptoms. The mechanisms behind this are a continuous source of interest. Here, we studied the antiviral response in the Egyptian fruit bat and Kuhl's pipistrelle, representing two subordinal clades.

The Malaprade reaction mechanism for ethylene glycol oxidation by periodic acid based on density functional theory (DFT).

A general mechanism of the Malaprade oxidative carbon-carbon bond cleavage reaction of α-glycol in the presence of periodic acid has been proposed on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) computations. Ethylene glycol and periodic acid, both in their neutral forms, have been studied as noble substrate representatives in model reactions. The proposed reaction mechanism has been constructed based on and compared with previously published experimental kinetic, spectroscopic and temperature and pH-dependent studies.

The proteasome regulator PSME4 modulates proteasome activity and antigen diversity to abrogate antitumor immunity in NSCLC.

Immunotherapy revolutionized treatment options in cancer, yet the mechanisms underlying resistance in many patients remain poorly understood. Cellular proteasomes have been implicated in modulating antitumor immunity by regulating antigen processing, antigen presentation, inflammatory signaling and immune cell activation. However, whether and how proteasome complex heterogeneity may affect tumor progression and the response to immunotherapy has not been systematically examined.

Objective method for visual performance prediction.

We propose, implement, and validate a new objective method for predicting the trends of visual acuity through-focus curves provided by specific optical elements. The proposed method utilized imaging of sinusoidal gratings provided by the optical elements and the definition of acuity. A custom-made monocular visual simulator equipped with active optics was used to implement the objective method and to validate it via subjective measurements.

Epithelial Nlrp10 inflammasome mediates protection against intestinal autoinflammation.

Unlike other nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptors, Nlrp10 lacks a canonical leucine-rich repeat domain, suggesting that it is incapable of signal sensing and inflammasome formation. Here we show that mouse Nlrp10 is expressed in distal colonic intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and modulated by the intestinal microbiome. In vitro, Nlrp10 forms an Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain (ASC)-dependent, m-3M3FBS-activated, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid-modulated inflammasome driving interleukin-1β and interleukin-18 secretion.

Assessment of the influence of gold nanoparticles stabilized with PAMAM dendrimers on HUVEC barrier cells.

Civilization diseases, cancer, frequent mutations of viruses and other pathogens constitute the need to look for new drugs, as well as systems for their targeted delivery. One of the promising way of using drugs is supplying them by linking to nanostructures. One of the solution for the development of nanobiomedicine are metallic nanoparticles stabilized with various polymer structures.