Nexus: A versatile console for advanced low-field MRI.

Purpose: To develop a low-cost, high-performance, versatile, open-source console for low-field MRI applications that can integrate a multitude of different auxiliary sensors.

Methods: A new MR console was realized with four transmission and eight reception channels. The interface cards for signal transmission and reception are installed in PCI Express slots, allowing console integration in a commercial PC rack.

Graphene/TiO Heterostructure Integrated with a Micro-Lightplate for Low-Power NO Gas Detection.

Low-power gas sensors that can be used in IoT (Internet of Things) systems, consumer devices, and point-of-care devices will enable new applications in environmental monitoring and health protection. We fabricated a monolithic chemiresistive gas sensor by integrating a micro-lightplate with a 2D sensing material composed of single-layer graphene and monolayer-thick TiO. Applying ultraviolet (380 nm) light with quantum energy above the TiO bandgap effectively enhanced the sensor responses.

Piezoresistive Cantilever Microprobe with Integrated Actuator for Contact Resonance Imaging.

A novel piezoresistive cantilever microprobe (PCM) with an integrated electrothermal or piezoelectric actuator has been designed to replace current commercial PCMs, which require external actuators to perform contact-resonance imaging (CRI) of workpieces and avoid unwanted "forest of peaks" observed at large travel speed in the millimeter-per-second range. Initially, a PCM with integrated resistors for electrothermal actuation (ETA) was designed, built, and tested. Here, the ETA can be performed with a piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge, which converts mechanical strain into electrical signals by boron diffusion in order to simplify the production process.

A Method for the Precise Determination of the Intramolecular Potential Energy Surface on the Basis of Microwave and Submillimeter-Wave Spectra: Diatomic Molecules as a Relevant Illustration.

A new method for the precise semiempirical determination of the basic parameters (structural parameters and parameters of the intramolecular potential energy surface, PES) of a molecule on the basis of highly accurate experimental data from the microwave and submillimeter-wave regions is suggested. The options and advantages of this method in comparison with the other methods of molecular PES determination are discussed using a diatomic molecule as an appropriate illustration. The HCl molecule is exploited as a suitable example.

Differential Life Satisfaction in a German Representative Sample.

Life satisfaction includes various aspects, such as satisfaction with work, family, environment, and finances, and is influenced by sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors. This representative study investigates differential life satisfaction in the general population and its associations with sociodemographics. The study used a cross-sectional design with 2522 German participants, collected via face-to-face interviews and three-stage random sampling, assessing satisfaction across 17 life areas with the Differential Life Burden Scale.

MicroVi: A Cost-Effective Microscopy Solution for Yeast Cell Detection and Count in Wine Value Chain.

In recent years, the wine industry has been researching how to improve wine quality along the production value chain. In this scenario, we present here a new tool, MicroVi, a cost-effective chip-sized microscopy solution to detect and count yeast cells in wine samples. We demonstrate that this novel microscopy setup is able to measure the same type of samples as an optical microscopy system, but with smaller size equipment and with automated cell count configuration.

Joint Identification and Sensing for Discrete Memoryless Channels.

In the identification (ID) scheme proposed by Ahlswede and Dueck, the receiver's goal is simply to verify whether a specific message of interest was sent. Unlike Shannon's transmission codes, which aim for message decoding, ID codes for a discrete memoryless channel (DMC) are far more efficient; their size grows doubly exponentially with the blocklength when randomized encoding is used. This indicates that when the receiver's objective does not require decoding, the ID paradigm is significantly more efficient than traditional Shannon transmission in terms of both energy consumption and hardware complexity.

Comprehensibility of gender-fair language in German-language video lectures.

In many languages, it is common to use masculine-only forms when all genders are meant or gender is irrelevant to the actual statement. This practice is criticized for making women and members of other genders, their achievements and interests, less visible. Gender-fair language is intended to represent all genders equally.

Modulation of the mechanism of action of antibacterial silver N-heterocyclic carbene complexes by variation of the halide ligand.

The antimicrobial properties of silver and silver complexes have been known in medicine since ancient times. However, limitations in stability and solubility have impaired medicinal chemistry and drug development research. With the advent of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) as ligands, the development of synthesis methods for organometallic silver species of the type (NHC)AgX (where X = halide) has brought significant improvements, and the class of antimicrobial silver NHC complexes has emerged.

Reverse mutational scanning of SARS-CoV-2 spike BA.2.86 identifies epitopes contributing to immune escape from polyclonal sera.

The recently detected Omicron BA.2.86 lineage contains more than 30 amino acid mutations relative to BA.

Silver N-heterocyclic biscarbene complexes: Potent inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase with anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo.

Silver N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes are known to form biscarbene species from monocarbene analogs in protic polar solvents. However, the effect of the respective species of silver NHC complexes on their biological activity against bacteria or cancer cells has not been systematically explored, either in vitro or in vivo. The direct and simple conversion of monocarbene silver N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) halide complexes (NHC)AgX, (X= Cl, Br) 1a/b - 5a/b to their biscarbene analogues (NHC)2AgX 1c/d - 5c/d is reported.

Chitin Analysis in Insect-Based Feed Ingredients and Mixed Feed: Development of a Cost-Effective and Practical Method.

Insects are used as an alternative sustainable, protein-rich ingredient in fish, pet, pig and poultry diets. The significant difference between insect meals and common protein sources is the content of chitin. The nitrogen contained in chitin, which makes up 6.

Grocery Shopping Under Simplified Marginal Value Theorem Predictions.

This study examined whether supermarkets can be considered patches in the marginal value theorem (MVT) sense despite their particular features and whether they are models of human food foraging in resource-dense conditions. On the basis of the MVT, the quantitative relationship between gains in the Euro and patch residence time was modeled as an exponential growth function toward an upper asymptote, allowing the choice of an optimal strategy under diminishing returns. N = 61 participants were interviewed about their current shopping trip and contextual variables at a German supermarket and provided data to estimate relevant model parameters.

Eye lens dosimetry: does the direction of rotation (vertical or horizontal) play a role in type testing?

With the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) lowering the annual dose limit for the eye lens to 20 mSv, precise monitoring of eye lens exposure has become essential. The personal dose equivalent at a depth of 3 mm,(3), is the measurement method for monitoring the dose to the lens of the eye. Usual dosemeter type-test irradiations at non-normal angles of radiation incidence (≠ 0°) primarily use lateral radiation exposure scenarios, where radiation approaches from the left or right, necessitating rotation of the dosemeter-phantom setup around a vertical axis.

ERK activation waves coordinate mechanical cell competition leading to collective elimination via extrusion of bacterially infected cells.

Epithelial cells respond to infection with the intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes by altering their mechanics to promote collective infected cell extrusion (CICE) and limit infection spread across cell monolayers. However, the underlying biochemical pathways remain elusive. Here, using in vitro (epithelial monolayers) and in vivo (zebrafish larvae) models of infection with L.

Methane emissions from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks.

The amount of methane released to the atmosphere from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks remains uncertain, as reflected in a wide range of estimates. A lack of information regarding the temporal variation in atmospheric emissions has made it challenging to reconcile pipeline volumetric (bottom-up) estimates with measurement-based (top-down) estimates. Here we simulate pipeline rupture emission rates and integrate these with methane dissolution and sea-surface outgassing estimates to model the evolution of atmospheric emissions from the leaks.

Airborne observations reveal the fate of the methane from the Nord Stream pipelines.

The Nord Stream pipeline leaks on 26 September 2022 released 465 ± 20 kt of methane into the atmosphere, which is the largest recorded transient anthropogenic methane emission event. While most of the gas escaped directly to the atmosphere, a fraction dissolved in the water. So far, studies on the fate of this dissolved methane rely on pipeline volumetric estimates or spatially sparse concentration measurements and ocean models.

Temperature-Dependent Formation of Carbon Nanodomains in Silicon Oxycarbide Glass-A Reactive Force Field MD Study.

Novel anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are constantly being explored to further improve battery performance. In this work, ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to model the early stages in the synthesis of nanostructured silicon carbide (SiC), which is one such promising material. The focus lies on its precursor, silicon oxycarbide glass of composition (SiOC) (17 mol% Si, 28 mol% O, and 54 mol% C), in the following referred to as SiOC.

A Design of Experiments Approach to the Radical-Induced Oxidation of Dimeric C4-C8 Linked B-Type Procyanidins.

This study systematically investigated the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical induced oxidation of all dimeric C4-C8 linked B-type procyanidins (PCs) B1-B4 to maximise the formation of the oxidation products using a Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. The C4-C8 linked B1 and B2 formed the A1 () and A2 () (/ 575 [M-H]) with an ether bridge between C2u-O-C7t as expected. Interestingly, the oxidation of the C4-C8 linked dimers B3 and B4 yielded for each two main oxidation products with / 575 [M-H].

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a New Biphenyl-Based Organogold(III) Complex with In Vitro and In Vivo Anticancer Activity.

Despite recent advances in cancer treatment, there is still a need for novel compounds with antineoplastic activity. Among 11 biphenyl-based organogold(III) -heterocyclic carbene (NHC) (BGC) complexes of general formula [(C^C)Au(NHC-pyr)X], where (C^C) = 4,4'-ditertbutylbiphenyl, X = Cl or phenylacetylide, and (NHC-pyr) is a pyridyl-substituted NHC ligand, the complex bearing a 4-CF-pyridyl substituent and a chloride ligand showed promising antineoplastic activity on the triple negative breast cancer cell line. was able to induce cell apoptosis but had no effect on the cell cycle.

StretchView - A Multi-Axial Cell-Stretching Device for Long-Term Automated Videomicroscopy of Living Cells.

Incorporating mechanical stretching of cells in tissue culture is crucial for mimicking (patho)-physiological conditions and understanding the mechanobiological responses of cells, which can have significant implications in areas like tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Despite the growing interest, most available cell-stretching devices are not compatible with automated live-cell imaging, indispensable for characterizing alterations in the dynamics of various important cellular processes. In this work, StretchView is presented, a multi-axial cell-stretching platform compatible with automated, time-resolved live-cell imaging.

Impulsivity behaviors and white matter mediate the relationship between genetic risk for cannabis use disorder and early cannabis use in adolescents.

Background And Aim: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is strongly influenced by genetic factors; however the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well understood. This study investigated whether a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on a genome-wide association study for CUD in adults predicts cannabis use in adolescents and whether the association can be explained by inter-individual variation in structural properties of brain white matter or risk-taking behaviors.

Design And Setting: Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses using data from the IMAGEN cohort, a European longitudinal study integrating genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral measures.

Evaluating the Potential of Microdroplet Flow in Two-Phase Biocatalysis: A Systematic Study.

Two-phase biocatalysis in batch reactions often suffers from inefficient mass transfer, inconsistent reaction conditions, and enzyme inactivation issues. Microfluidics offer uniform and controlled environments ensuring better reproducibility and enable efficient, parallel processing of many small-scale reactions, making biocatalysis more scalable. In particular, the use of microfluidic droplets can increase the interfacial area between the two phases and can therefore also increase reaction rates.

How we see the world: Inflexible interpretation updating as a predictor and moderator of PTSD symptoms in high-risk occupations.

Objective: The way we interpret information shapes our perception of reality. Predictive processing frameworks propose that the ability to update interpretations based on disconfirming information is key to recovery from potentially traumatic events (PTEs). However, direct evidence for this assumption is scarce and comes from studies using paradigms with low ecological validity.

A Simple Surface Treatment for Improving the Adhesive Bonding Properties and Durability of an AlMg Alloy.

The structural adhesive bonding of aluminum is widely used in the aircraft and automotive industries. The surface preparation of aluminum prior to adhesive bonding plays a significant role in improving the bonding strength. Surface cleanliness, surface roughness, and surface chemistry can be controlled, primarily, by proper surface treatment methods.