Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator.

Passive exosuits have been vastly researched in the past decade for lifting tasks to alleviate the mechanical loading on the spine and reduce the lower back muscle activities in lifting tasks. Despite promising advantages of exosuits, factors such as comfort directly influence the user's acceptability of such body-worn devices. Exosuits' routing/anchoring points, which transmit device-to-body forces, remain the leading cause of discomfort among users.

G-quadruplex landscape and its regulation revealed by a new antibody capture method.

Our understanding of DNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) from studies has been complemented by genome-wide G4 landscapes from cultured cells. Conventionally, the formation of G4s is accepted to depend on G-repeats such that they form tetrads. However, genome-wide G4s characterized through high-throughput sequencing suggest that these structures form at a large number of regions with no such canonical G4-forming signatures.

Influence of protein nativity on the stability of bovine serum albumin coated microbubbles.

Protein-coated microbubbles have become one of the emerging platforms in biomedical research as theranostic agents. In recent years, microbubbles have been extensively used as ultrasound contrast agents and carriers of molecular cargoes, pertaining to which several studies have focused on tuning the properties of these bubbles to achieve a higher degree of biocompatibility and extended stability. Synthesis of microbubbles has so far been traditionally carried out with pre-heated proteins like bovine serum albumin (BSA) as shell coatings, owing to the ease in making BSA crosslinked structures through disulfide bridge formation.

Systematic quantification of differences in shear wave elastography estimates between linear-elastic and viscoelastic material assumptionsa).

Quantitative, accurate, and standardized metrics are important for reliable shear wave elastography (SWE)-based biomarkers. For over two decades, the linear-elastic material assumption has been employed in SWE modes. In recent years, viscoelasticity estimation methods have been adopted in a few clinical systems.

Co-N-C/C Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Dual Applications in Seawater Electrolysis and Catalyst in Hydrazine Fuel Cells.

The convergence of water electrolysis and alkaline fuel cells offers captivating solutions for sustainably harvesting energy. The research explores both hydrazine-assisted seawater electrolysis (hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) and hydrogen production reaction (HER)), as well as alkaline hydrazine fuel cell reactions (HzOR and Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)) by using a bifunctional cobalt polyaniline derived (Co PANI/C) catalyst. The catalyst shows excellent performance for hydrazine-assisted seawater electrolysis in harsh seawater environments to produce H as fuel with nearly 85% Faradaic efficiency and during alkaline HzOR, the bifunctional catalyst generates H with 95% Faradaic efficiency by acting as both anode and cathode side catalyst.

Dynein functions in galectin-3 mediated processes of clathrin-independent endocytosis.

Multiple endocytic processes operate in cells in tandem to uptake multiple cargoes involved in diverse cellular functions, including cell adhesion and migration. The best-studied clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) involves the formation of a well-defined cytoplasmic clathrin coat to facilitate cargo uptake. According to the glycolipid-lectin (GL-Lect) hypothesis, galectin-3 (Gal3) binds to glycosylated membrane receptors and glycosphingolipids (GSLs) to drive membrane bending and tubular membrane invaginations that undergo scission to form a morphologically distinct class of uptake structures, termed clathrin-independent carriers (CLICs).

Mechanical and Viscoelastic Properties of Stacked and Grafted Graphene/Graphene Oxide-Polyethylene Nanocomposites: A Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Study.

High-performance natural materials with superior mechanical properties often possess a hierarchical structure across multiple length scales. Nacre, also known as the mother of pearl, is an example of such a material and exhibits remarkable strength and toughness. The layered hierarchical architecture across different length scales is responsible for the efficient toughness and energy dissipation.

Ammonium release in synthetic and human urine by a urease immobilized nanoconstruct.

In this work, we have studied the ability of urease immobilized on glutaraldehyde crosslinked chitosan coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Urease/GA/CS/MIONPs), for the hitherto unreported comparative hydrolysis of urea in synthetic (SUr) and real human urine (HUr). The prepared Urease/GA/CS/MIONPs were characterized by a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission-scanning-electron-microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The nanoconstructs display the highest ammonium ion liberation post-urea hydrolysis in 1/20 or 1/24-fold dilutions of SUr and HUr, respectively.

Viscoelastic Characterization of Phantoms for Ultrasound Elastography Created Using Low- and High-Viscosity Poly(vinyl alcohol) with Ethylene Glycol as the Cryoprotectant.

Ultrasound elastography enables noninvasive characterization of the tissue mechanical properties. Phantoms are widely used in ultrasound elastography for developing, testing, and validating imaging techniques. Creating phantoms with a range of viscoelastic properties relevant to human organs and pathological conditions remains an active area of research.

Study of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging using ambient air in an oxidation flow reactor during high pollution events over Delhi.

Secondary aerosols constitute a significant fraction of atmospheric aerosols, yet our understanding of their formation mechanism and fate is very limited. In this work, the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and aging of ambient air of Delhi are studied using a potential aerosol mass (PAM) reactor, an oxidation flow reactor (OFR), coupled with aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), and scanning mobility particle sizer with counter (SMPS + C). The setup mimics atmospheric aging of up to several days with the generation of OH radicals.

Nanoengineered oxygen-releasing polymeric scaffold with sustained release of dexamethasone for bone regeneration.

Maintaining the continuous oxygen supply and proper cell growth before blood vessel ingrowth at the bone defect site are considerably significant issues in bone regeneration. Oxygen-producing scaffolds can supply oxygen and avoid hypoxia leading to expedited bone regeneration. Herein, first oxygen-producing calcium peroxide nanoparticles (CPO NPs) are synthesized, and subsequently, the various amounts of synthesized CPO NPs (0.

Fluorescent styrenes for mitochondrial imaging and viscosity sensing.

Fluorophores bearing cationic pendants, such as the pyridinium group, tend to preferentially accumulate in mitochondria, whereas those with pentafluorophenyl groups display a distinct affinity for the endoplasmic reticulum. In this study, we designed fluorophores incorporating pyridinium and pentafluorophenyl pendants and examined their impact on sub-cellular localization. Remarkably, the fluorophores exhibited a notable propensity for the mitochondrial membrane.

Utilization of wollastonite, jarosite, and their blends for the sustainable development of concrete paver block mixes containing reclaimed asphalt pavement aggregates.

While several research studies considered the utilization of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) aggregates for asphalt and concrete pavements, very few attempted its possible utilization for precast concrete applications like concrete paver blocks (CPBs). Moreover, few attempts made in the recent past to improve the strength properties of RAP inclusive concrete mixes by incorporating certain supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) have reported an insignificant or marginal effect. The present study attempts to comprehensively investigate the utilization potential of some locally and abundantly available materials having suitable physicochemical properties to improve the performance of a zero-slump CPB mix containing 50% RAP aggregates.

Controlling work output and coherence in finite-time quantum Otto engines through monitoring.

We examine the role of diagnostic quantum measurements on the work statistics of a finite-time quantum Otto heat engine operated in the steady state. We consider three pointer-based measurement schemes that differ in the number of system-pointer interactions and pointer measurements. We show that the coherence of the working substance and the work output of the engine can be controlled by tuning the monitoring measurements.

A two-in-one probe: imaging lipid droplets and endoplasmic reticulum in tandem.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and lipid droplets (LDs) intricately interact in cellular processes, with the ER serving as a hub for lipid synthesis and LDs acting as storage organelles for lipids. Developing fluorescent probes that can simultaneously visualise the ER and LDs provides a means for real-time and specific visualisation of these subcellular organelles and elucidating their interaction. Herein, we present synthetically simple and novel donor-π-acceptor styryl fluorophores (PFC, PFN and PFB) incorporating pentafluorophenyl (PFP) to demonstrate exquisite discriminative imaging of ER and LD with a single excitation wavelength.

Additive-anchored thermoresponsive nanoscale self-assembly generation in normal and reverse Tetronics®.

Self-assembly of ethylene oxide (EO)-propylene oxide (PO)-based star-shaped block copolymers (BCPs) in the presence of different kinds of additives is investigated in an aqueous solution environment. Commercially available four-armed BCPs, namely Tetronics® (normal: T904 with EO as the terminal end block; and reverse: T90R4 with PO as the terminal end block), each with 40%EO, are used. The effect of various additives such as electrolytes (NaCl and NaSO), nonelectrolyte polyols (glucose and sorbitol), and ionic surfactants ( anionic-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cationic-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and zwitterionic dodecyldimethylammonium propane sulfonate (CPS)) on these BCPs is examined to observe their influence on micellization behaviour.

Crossmodal associations between naturally occurring tactile and sound textures.

This study investigates the crossmodal associations between naturally occurring sound textures and tactile textures. Previous research has demonstrated the association between low-level sensory features of sound and touch, as well as higher-level, cognitively mediated associations involving language, emotions, and metaphors. However, stimuli like textures, which are found in both modalities have received less attention.

G-quadruplexes in MTOR and induction of autophagy.

G-quadruplex (G4) structures have emerged as singular therapeutic targets for cancer and neurodegeneration. Autophagy, a crucial homeostatic mechanism of the cell, is often dysregulated in neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. We used QGRS mapper to identify 470 G4 sequences in MTOR, a key negative regulator of autophagy.

Fluorescent MOF and Its Gel Composite for the Fluorescence Recovery "Turn-On" Detection of Al Ions and "Turn-Off" Detection of Oxo-Anions.

The exploration of smart sensors is of great significance for the selectivity, sensitivity, and ability to show the low detection limit for the target analyte. Here, we have used the linker HL (5-((anthracen-9-ylmethyl)amino)isophthalic acid) for the construction of {[Cd(L)(DMF)(HO)]·HO} () which is in order with the chromophore anthracene moiety and the free -NH functionality as a guest interaction site. This framework showed the luminescence recovery "turn-on" detection of the Al ion in an aqueous solution.

Energy and power characteristics of nanocatalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions via bifurcation analyses.

Active stimuli-responsive materials, intrinsically powered by chemical reactions, have immense capabilities that can be harnessed for designing synthetic systems for a variety of biomimetic applications. It goes without saying that the key aspect involved in the designing of such systems is to accurately estimate the amount of energy and power available for transduction through various mechanisms. Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reactions are dynamical systems, which exhibit self-sustained nonlinear chemical oscillations, as their catalyst undergoes periodic redox cycles in the presence of reagents.

Structural DNA nanotechnology at the nexus of next-generation bio-applications: challenges and perspectives.

DNA nanotechnology has significantly progressed in the last four decades, creating nucleic acid structures widely used in various biological applications. The structural flexibility, programmability, and multiform customization of DNA-based nanostructures make them ideal for creating structures of all sizes and shapes and multivalent drug delivery systems. Since then, DNA nanotechnology has advanced significantly, and numerous DNA nanostructures have been used in biology and other scientific disciplines.

Magnetically navigated microbubbles coated with albumin/polyarginine and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

While microbubbles (MB) are routinely used for ultrasound (US) imaging, magnetic MB are increasingly explored as they can be guided to specific sites of interest by applied magnetic field gradient. This requires the MB shell composition tuning to prolong MB stability and provide functionalization capabilities with magnetic nanoparticles. Hence, we developed air-filled MB stabilized by a protein-polymer complex of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and poly-L-arginine (pArg) of different molecular weights, showing that pArg of moderate molecular weight distribution (15-70 kDa) enabled MB with greater stability and acoustic response while preserving MB narrow diameters and the relative viability of THP-1 cells after 48 h of incubation.

Ambient-mediated wetting on smooth surfaces.

A consensus was built in the first half of the 20th century, which was further debated more than 3 decades ago, that the wettability and condensation mechanisms on smooth solid surfaces are modified by the adsorption of organic contaminants present in the environment. Recently, disagreement has formed about this topic once again, as many researchers have overlooked contamination due to its difficulty to eliminate. For example, the intrinsic wettability of rare earth oxides has been reported to be hydrophobic and non-wetting to water.