Design Strategies and Applications of Dimensional Optical Field Manipulation Based on Metasurfaces.

Recent rapid progress in metasurfaces is underpinned by the physics of local and nonlocal resonances and the modes coupling among them, leading to tremendous applications such as optical switching, information transmission, and sensing. In this review paper, an overview of the recent advances in a broad range of dimensional optical field manipulation based on metasurfaces categorized into different classes based on design strategies is provided. This review starts from the near-field optical resonances of artificial nanostructures and discusses the far-field optical wave manipulation based on fundamental mechanisms such as mode generation and mode coupling.

Gold-iron oxide (Au/FeO) magnetic nanoparticles as the nanoplatform for binding of bioactive molecules through self-assembly.

Nanomedicine plays a crucial role in the development of next-generation therapies. The use of nanoparticles as drug delivery platforms has become a major area of research in nanotechnology. To be effective, these nanoparticles must interact with desired drug molecules and release them at targeted sites.

Effects of throat sizing and gasification agents in a biomass downdraft gasifier: towards CO-free syngas production.

The gasification process in a downdraft biomass gasifier is investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The aim is to develop a novel approach to reduce CO emissions from producer syngas while increasing the higher heating value (HHV). To this end, the effects of varying the throat diameter of the gasifier and gasifying media (air and oxygen) on the performance of gasification are investigated.

Life Cycle Assessment of Coastal Enhanced Weathering for Carbon Dioxide Removal from Air.

Coastal enhanced weathering (CEW) is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approach whereby crushed silicate minerals are spread in coastal zones to be naturally weathered by waves and tidal currents, releasing alkalinity and removing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO). Olivine has been proposed as a candidate mineral due to its abundance and high CO uptake potential. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of silt-sized (10 μm) olivine revealed that CEW's life-cycle carbon emissions and total environmental footprint, i.

Mena regulates nesprin-2 to control actin-nuclear lamina associations, trans-nuclear membrane signalling and gene expression.

Interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix, mediated by integrin adhesion complexes, play key roles in fundamental cellular processes, including the sensing and transduction of mechanical cues. Here, we investigate systems-level changes in the integrin adhesome in patient-derived cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells and identify the actin regulatory protein Mena as a key node in the adhesion complex network. Mena is connected within a subnetwork of actin-binding proteins to the LINC complex component nesprin-2, with which it interacts and co-localises at the nuclear envelope.

Exploring the robustness of DNA nanotubes framework for anticancer theranostics toward the 2D/3D clusters of hypopharyngeal respiratory tumor cells.

This study aimed to develop a robust approach for the early diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Short circular DNA nanotechnology synthesized a stiff and compact DNA nanotubes (DNA-NTs) framework. TW-37, a small molecular drug, was loaded into DNA-NTs for BH3-mimetic therapy to elevate the intracellular cytochrome-c levels in 2D/3D hypopharyngeal tumor (FaDu) cell clusters.

Exploration of Nanosilver Calcium Alginate-Based Multifunctional Polymer Wafers for Wound Healing.

Wound care is an integral part of effective recovery. However, its associated financial burden on national health services globally is significant enough to warrant further research and development in this field. In this study, multifunctional polymer wafers were prepared, which provide antibacterial activity, high cell viability, high swelling capacity and a thermally stable medium which can be used to facilitate the delivery of therapeutic agents.

Calcium Alginate Production through Forward Osmosis with Reverse Solute Diffusion and Mechanism Analysis.

Calcium alginate (Ca-Alg) is a novel target product for recovering alginate from aerobic granular sludge. A novel Ca-Alg production method was proposed herein where Ca-Alg was formed in a sodium alginate (SA) feed solution (FS) and concentrated via forward osmosis (FO) with Ca reverse osmosis using a draw solution of CaCl. An abnormal reverse solute diffusion was observed, with the average reverse solute flux (RSF) decreasing with increasing CaCl concentrations, while the average RSF increased with increasing alginate concentrations.

Metasurface-Enabled 3-in-1 Microscopy.

Edge enhancement and polarization detection are critical to image transparent or low-contrast samples. However, currently available systems are limited to performing only a single functionality. To meet the requirement of system integration, there is a pressing need for a microscope with multiple functionalities.

High Temperature CO Capture Performance and Kinetic Analysis of Novel Potassium Stannate.

For the first time, the use of stannate-based sorbents was investigated as high temperature CO sorption to evaluate their potential to contribute towards reducing carbon emissions. The sorption capacity and kinetics of commercial tin oxide, sodium, potassium and calcium stannates and lab synthesised potassium stannates were tested using thermogravimetric analysis. Commercial KSnO was found to possess the largest CO uptake capacity (2.

Data-driven audiogram classifier using data normalization and multi-stage feature selection.

Audiograms are used to show the hearing capability of a person at different frequencies. The filter bank in a hearing aid is designed to match the shape of patients' audiograms. Configuring the hearing aid is done by modifying the designed filters' gains to match the patient's audiogram.

Analytic Gradients for Selected Configuration Interaction.

We develop analytic gradients for selected configuration interaction wave functions. Despite all pairs of molecular orbitals now potentially having to be considered for the coupled perturbed Hartree-Fock equations, we show that degenerate orbital pairs belonging to different irreducible representations in the largest abelian subgroup do not need to be included and instabilities due to degeneracies are avoided. We introduce seminumerical gradients and use them to validate the analytic approach even when near degeneracies are present due to high-symmetry geometries being slightly distorted to break symmetry.

A vertical additive-lathe printing system for the fabrication of tubular constructs using gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel.

Reproducing both the mechanical and biological performance of native blood vessels remains an ongoing challenge in vascular tissue engineering. Additive-lathe printing offers an attractive method of fabricating long tubular constructs as a potential vascular graft for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Printing hydrogels onto rotating horizontal mandrels often leads to sagging, resulting in poor and variable mechanical properties.

Exploring how changes to the steroidal core alter oleogelation capability in sterol: γ-oryzanol blends.

Oleogels based on sterols such as β-sitosterol blended with the sterol ester γ-oryzanol are a very interesting class of systems, but there are aspects of their formation and structure that remain elusive. It has previously been shown that a methyl group on the C30 position of the sterol-ester plays an important role in gelation. This work explored the effect that having C30 methyl groups on both the sterol and the sterol-ester had on the gelation process and subsequent gel structure.

Analysis of Carbon Formation on Machined Leather Specimen Using FTIR Technique in Laser Diode Assisted Cutting Process.

The leather materials are used in a multitude of sectors, including footwear, apparel, handicrafts, and the automotive industry. Due to the radiant heat generated by a laser beam, the laser cutting of leather results in a carbonized cut edge. There is currently no technology available for measuring the carbonization along the contour edges of leather.

Fundamental limits to depth imaging with single-photon detector array sensors.

Single-Photon Avalanche Detector (SPAD) arrays are a rapidly emerging technology. These multi-pixel sensors have single-photon sensitivities and pico-second temporal resolutions thus they can rapidly generate depth images with millimeter precision. Such sensors are a key enabling technology for future autonomous systems as they provide guidance and situational awareness.

Machine learning for industrial processes: Forecasting amine emissions from a carbon capture plant.

One of the main environmental impacts of amine-based carbon capture processes is the emission of the solvent into the atmosphere. To understand how these emissions are affected by the intermittent operation of a power plant, we performed stress tests on a plant operating with a mixture of two amines, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and piperazine (CESAR1). To forecast the emissions and model the impact of interventions, we developed a machine learning model.

Biomechanical response of lumbar intervertebral disc in daily sitting postures: a poroelastic finite element analysis.

This study aims to establish and validate a poroelastic L4-L5 finite element model to evaluate the effect of different sitting postures and their durations on the mechanical responses of the disc. During the sustained loading conditions, the height loss, fluid loss and von-Mises stress gradually increased, but the intradiscal pressure decreased. The varying rates of aforementioned parameters were more significant at the initial loading stage and less so at the end.

Trophic Transfer of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes at the Base of the Food Chain and Toxicological Response.

The potential for trophic transfer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was assessed using the green algae and the blue mussel in a series of laboratory experiments. Swanee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM)-dispersed SWCNTs were introduced into growing algal cultures. Light microscopical observations, confirmed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, showed that SWCNT agglomerates adhered to the external algal cell walls and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) results suggested internalization.

Protocols for Understanding the Redox Behavior of Copper-Containing Systems.

Suitability of single-reference density functional theory (DFT) methods for the calculation of redox potentials of copper-containing macrocycle complexes was confirmed by the use of diagnostics along with a verification of negligible spin contamination or wave function instability. When examining the effect of improvement in the cc-pVZ basis set series on calculated redox potentials, the results readily converged at the cc-pVTZ level. The all-electron Def2-TZVPP basis set is shown to be a suitable choice of a basis set for the calculation of redox potentials when utilizing a cc-pVTZ geometry.

Exploration of Dual Ionic Cross-Linked Alginate Hydrogels Via Cations of Varying Valences towards Wound Healing.

This study explored the synergistic effects of simultaneously using calcium and gallium cations in the cross-linking of alginate, detailing its effects on the characteristics of alginate compared to its single cation counterparts. The primary goal is to determine if there are any synergistic effects associated with the utilisation of multiple multivalent cations in polymer cross-linking and whether or not it could therefore be used in pharmaceutical applications such as wound healing. Given the fact divalent and trivalent cations have never been utilised together for cross-linking, an explanation for the mode of binding that occurs between the alginate and the cations during the cross-linking process and how it may affect the future applications of the polymer has been investigated.

A microfluidic finger-actuated blood lysate preparation device enabled by rapid acoustofluidic mixing.

For many blood-based diagnostic tests, including prophylactic drug analysis and malaria assays, red blood cells must be lysed effectively prior to their use in an analytical workflow. We report on a finger-actuated blood lysate preparation device, which utilises a previously reported acoustofluidic micromixer module. The integrated device includes a range of innovations from a sample interface, to the integration of blisters on a laser engraved surface and a large volume (130 μL) one-stroke manual pump which could be useful in other low-cost microfluidic-based point-of-care devices.

Grouping of orally ingested silica nanomaterials via use of an integrated approach to testing and assessment to streamline risk assessment.

Background: Nanomaterials can exist in different nanoforms (NFs). Their grouping may be supported by the formulation of hypotheses which can be interrogated via integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATA). IATAs are decision trees that guide the user through tiered testing strategies (TTS) to collect the required evidence needed to accept or reject a grouping hypothesis.

Pixels2Pose: Super-resolution time-of-flight imaging for 3D pose estimation.

Single-photon-sensitive depth sensors are being increasingly used in next-generation electronics for human pose and gesture recognition. However, cost-effective sensors typically have a low spatial resolution, restricting their use to basic motion identification and simple object detection. Here, we perform a temporal to spatial mapping that drastically increases the resolution of a simple time-of-flight sensor, i.