Isolation and characterization of Salmonella Typhimurium monophasic variant phage and its application in foods.

Salmonella Typhimurium monophasic variant (STm) is an emerging Salmonella serotype that causes food poisoning through the contamination of various foods, including animal products, vegetables, and fruits. In particular, the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant STm highlights the urgent need to develop effective strategies to control this pathogen. In this work, a novel and broad-spectrum Salmonella phage named vB_Sal_TmvP009 was isolated and characterized.

Directed coordination of C/N-termini of cyano group in metal hexacyanoferrates to efficient palladium recovery: Enhanced adsorption affinity and selectivity.

N-termini Cyano group (CN) in metal hexacyanoferrates (MHCF) have been identified as specific-affinity sites for palladium (Pd), but C-termini CN do not effectively serve as Pd adsorption sites due to their stronger bonds with the metal ligands (M), which reduces the activity and density of CN. Herein, the optimization of directional coordination of cyano group C/N-termini by modulating the electronic structure of the M (Fe, Co, and Ni) in MHCF was investigated to reinforce the Pd recovery. Spectroscopic analyses and DFT calculations revealed that NiHCF exhibited N-site mono-coordination, whereas CoHCF displayed C-site mono-coordination due to spin-exchange interactions, leading to the strengthened N-Co bonds and weakened Fe-C bonds.

Adaptive behaviors of Drosophila larvae on slippery surfaces.

Friction is ubiquitous but an essential force for insects during locomotion. Insects use dedicated bio-mechanical systems such as adhesive pads to modulate the intensity of friction, providing a stable grip with touching substrates for locomotion. However, how to uncover behavioral adaptation and regulatory neural circuits of friction modification is still largely understood.

Deep-learning on-chip light-sheet microscopy enabling video-rate volumetric imaging of dynamic biological specimens.

Volumetric imaging of dynamic signals in a large, moving, and light-scattering specimen is extremely challenging, owing to the requirement on high spatiotemporal resolution and difficulty in obtaining high-contrast signals. Here we report that through combining a microfluidic chip-enabled digital scanning light-sheet illumination strategy with deep-learning based image restoration, we can realize isotropic 3D imaging of a whole crawling larva on an ordinary inverted microscope at a single-cell resolution and a high volumetric imaging rate up to 20 Hz. Enabled with high performances even unmet by current standard light-sheet fluorescence microscopes, we record the neural activities during the forward and backward crawling of a 1st instar larva, and successfully correlate the calcium spiking of motor neurons with the locomotion patterns.

The cushioning function of woodpecker's jaw apparatus during the pecking process.

Woodpeckers can withstand a fierce impact during pecking without any brain injury. Although directly involved in the whole pecking, the role of the jaw apparatus played in the impact-resistant process of woodpeckers is still not fully clear. We employed finite element analysis, impact tests , and post-traumatic brain anatomical observation to evaluate the protective function of the jaw apparatus.

Biomechanism of resistance to retinal injury in woodpecker's eyes.

Retinal injury is the most common ocular impairment associated with shaken baby syndrome (SBS), which could lead to vision loss and blindness. However, a woodpecker does not develop retinal hemorrhages or detachment even at a high acceleration of 1,000×g during pecking. To understand the mechanism of retinal injury and its resistance strategy, we put insight into the special ability of the woodpecker to protect the retina against damage under acceleration-deceleration impact.

Adsorption-oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on Fe/walnut-shell activated carbon surface modified by NH-plasma.

Walnut-shell activated carbon (WSAC) supported ferric oxide was modified by non-thermal plasma (NTP), and the removal efficiency for hydrogen sulfide over Fe/WSAC modified by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was significantly promoted. The sample modified for 10min and 6.8kV output (30V input voltage) maintained 100% HS conversion over a long reaction time of 390min.