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Multichannel meta-imaging, inspired by the parallel-processing capability of neuromorphic computing, offers considerable advancements in resolution enhancement and edge discrimination in imaging systems, extending even into the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Currently typical multichannel infrared imaging systems consist of separating optical gratings or merging multi-cameras, which require complex circuit design and heavy power consumption, hindering the implementation of advanced human-eye-like imagers. Here, we present printable graphene plasmonic photodetector arrays driven by a ferroelectric superdomain for multichannel meta-infrared imaging with enhanced edge discrimination. The fabricated photodetectors exhibited multiple spectral responses with zero-bias operation by directly rescaling the ferroelectric superdomain instead of reconstructing the separated gratings. We also demonstrated enhanced and faster shape classification (98.1%) and edge detection (98.2%) using our multichannel infrared images compared with single-channel detectors. Our proof-of-concept photodetector arrays simplify multichannel infrared imaging systems and offer potential solutions in efficient edge detection in human-brain-type machine vision. Here, the authors report the realization of a multichannel mid-infrared imaging system based on zero-bias type-printed graphene plasmonic photodetector arrays on ferroelectric substrates, showing enhanced infrared image recognition and edge detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Elevated rates of gluconeogenesis are an early pathogenic feature of youth-onset type 2 diabetes (Y-T2D), but targeted first-line therapies are suboptimal, especially in African American (AA) youth. We evaluated glucose-lowering mechanisms of metformin and liraglutide by measuring rates of gluconeogenesis and β-cell function after therapy in AA Y-T2D. Methods In this parallel randomized clinical trial, 22 youth with Y-T2D—age 15.3 ± 2.1 years (mean ± SD), 68% female, body mass index (BMI) 40.1 ± 7.9 kg/m2, duration of diagnosis 1.8 ± 1.3 years—were randomized to metformin alone (Met) or metformin + liraglutide (Lira) (Met + Lira) and evaluated before and after 12 weeks. Stable isotope tracers were used to measure gluconeogenesis [2H2O] and glucose production [6,6-2H2]glucose after an overnight fast and during a continuous meal. β-cell function (sigma) and whole-body insulin sensitivity (mSI) were assessed during a frequently sampled 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test. Results At baseline, gluconeogenesis, glucose production, and fasting and 2-hour glucose were comparable in both groups, though Met + Lira had higher hemoglobin A1C. Met + Lira had a greater decrease from baseline in fasting glucose (−2.0 ± 1.3 vs −0.6 ± 0.9 mmol/L, P =.008) and a greater increase in sigma (0.72 ± 0.68 vs −0.05 ± 0.71, P =.03). The change in fractional gluconeogenesis was similar between groups (Met + Lira: −0.36 ± 9.4 vs Met: 0.04 ± 12.3%, P =.9), and there were no changes in prandial gluconeogenesis or mSI. Increased glucose clearance in both groups was related to sigma (r = 0.63, P =.003) but not gluconeogenesis or mSI. Conclusion Among Y-T2D, metformin with or without liraglutide improved glycemia but did not suppress high rates of gluconeogenesis. Novel therapies that will enhance β-cell function and target the elevated rates of gluconeogenesis in Y-T2D are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate (NO3−) obtained from the diet is converted to nitrite (NO2−) and subsequently to nitric oxide (NO) within the body. Previously, we showed that porcine eye components contain substantial amounts of nitrate and nitrite that are similar to those in blood. Notably, cornea and sclera exhibited the capability to reduce nitrate to nitrite. To gain deeper insights into nitrate metabolism in porcine eyes, our current study involved feeding pigs either NaCl or Na15NO3 and assessing the levels of total and 15N-labeled NO3−/NO2− in various ocular tissues. Three hours after Na15NO3 ingestion, a marked increase in 15NO3− and 15NO2− was observed in all parts of the eye; in particular, the aqueous and vitreous humor showed a high 15NO3− enrichment (77.5 and 74.5%, respectively), similar to that of plasma (77.1%) and showed an even higher 15NO2− enrichment (39.9 and 35.3%, respectively) than that of plasma (19.8%). The total amounts of NO3− and NO2− exhibited patterns consistent with those observed in 15N analysis. Next, to investigate whether nitrate or nitrite accumulate proportionally after multiple nitrate treatments, we measured nitrate and nitrite contents after supplementing pigs with Na15NO3 for five consecutive days. In both 15N-labeled and total nitrate and nitrite analysis, we did not observe further accumulation of these ions after multiple treatments, compared to a single treatment. These findings suggest that dietary nitrate supplementation exerts a significant influence on nitrate and nitrite levels and potentially NO levels in the eye and opens up the possibility for the therapeutic use of dietary nitrate/nitrite to enhance or restore NO levels in ocular tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubiquitination, catalyzed usually by a three-enzyme cascade (E1, E2, E3), regulates various eukaryotic cellular processes. E3 ligases are the most critical components of this catalytic cascade, determining both substrate specificity and polyubiquitination linkage specificity. Here, we reveal the mechanism of a naturally occurring E3-independent ubiquitination reaction of a unique human E2 enzyme UBE2E1 by solving the structure of UBE2E1 in complex with substrate SETDB1-derived peptide. Guided by this peptide sequence-dependent ubiquitination mechanism, we developed an E3-free enzymatic strategy SUE1 (sequence-dependent ubiquitination using UBE2E1) to efficiently generate ubiquitinated proteins with customized ubiquitinated sites, ubiquitin chain linkages and lengths. Notably, this strategy can also be used to generate site-specific branched ubiquitin chains or even NEDD8-modified proteins. Our work not only deepens the understanding of how an E3-free substrate ubiquitination reaction occurs in human cells, but also provides a practical approach for obtaining ubiquitinated proteins to dissect the biochemical functions of ubiquitination. Ubiquitin E3 ligases are key to accessing ubiquitinated proteins, but only a few substrates have defined E3 ligases. Here, the authors reveal the mechanism of naturally occurring E3-independent ubiquitination and develop an E3-free enzymatic strategy for the versatile generation of ubiquitinated proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucralose and acesulfame-potassium consumption alters gut microbiota in rodents, with unclear effects in humans. We examined effects of three-times daily sucralose- and acesulfame-potassium-containing diet soda consumption for 1 (n = 17) or 8 (n = 8) weeks on gut microbiota composition in young adults. After 8 weeks of diet soda consumption, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, specifically Enterobacteriaceae, increased; and, increased abundance of two Proteobacteria taxa was also observed after 1 week of diet soda consumption compared with sparkling water. In addition, three taxa in the Bacteroides genus increased following 1 week of diet soda consumption compared with sparkling water. The clinical relevance of these findings and effects of sucralose and acesulfame-potassium consumption on human gut microbiota warrant further investigation in larger studies. Clinical trial registration: NCT02877186 and NCT03125356. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast and accurate field measurement with high resolution considering the light reaching human eyes can help calibrate and validate lighting simulation. This study established a workflow of lighting simulation calibration aided by the recently developed panoramic high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) with a 360° field of view (FOV) and conducted a case study. The panoramic maps of illuminance and coefficient of variation of luminance (CVL) can be retrieved by the HDR images to compare the directional light reaching preset viewpoints within occupants' visual range. The case study showed a high correlation (rCVL ≥ 0.900, rE ≥ 0.990) of the spatial luminous distribution between the simulation and built reality. Close to 90% of the simulated illuminance data had an error rate within 20%(|e|≤20%), revealed by the 360° residual maps of illuminance. The proposed lighting calibration approach with panoramic HDR Imaging was validated to improve lighting simulation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A space occupant's real-time exposure to light reaching his/her eyes has been a concern in lighting research and design practice. Following the parallel fundamental research in Part 1, Part 2 of this study explored a way to use a Canon 550D fitted with the Sigma 4.5 mm F2.8 circular fisheye lens to estimate the luminous flux arriving at the entrance pupil from the visible luminous environment. By taking two 180° HDR images at the same camera position but in different aiming directions and merging them into a single luminance map covering the observer's entire binocular visual field (214° horizontally and 125° vertically), the monocular and binocular luminance map can be generated with the aid of the dynamic visual field model proposed in Part 1. In a field verification experiment, the luminous flux passing through the entrance pupil in the preset scenes and gaze angles was estimated. Individual luminous contribution from an object or a region of interest within the occupant's dynamic binocular visual field or subfields was also calculated. This study expanded the capacity of HDR photography in lighting measurement to capture binocular luminous flux entering human eyes as input for optimizing human-light interaction in various luminous environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A space occupant's real-time exposure to light reaching his/her eyes has been a concern in lighting research and design practice. This study assumed a schematic eye to estimate the luminous flux received by the entrance pupil from the visible luminous environment. As the first part of this study, this paper focused on the fundamentals of luminous flux calculation that considers real-time human eye reactions. The research work includes: (a) developing a dynamic binocular/monocular visual field model that takes the eye movement into account, based on a conventional visual field model in orthomode, (b) retrieving the apparent area of the entrance pupil of the schematic eye, and (c) quantifying the light passing through the entrance pupil from the luminous environment fallen in the binocular/monocular visual field. The fundamental theory was tested in a theoretical uniform lighting scene to calculate the luminous flux emitted from the human visual field along multiple gaze directions at different light levels. A foundation was thus laid to estimate the real-time luminous flux passing through the entrance pupil with the aid of the camera as disclosed in Part 2 of the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For multicenter-catalyzed reactions, it is important to accurately construct heterogeneous catalysts containing multiple active centers with high activity and low cost, which is more challenging compared to homogeneous catalysts because of the low activity and spatial confinement of active centers in the loaded state. Herein, a convenient protein confinement strategy is reported to locate Pd and Cu single atoms in crowding state on carbon coated alumina for promoting Sonogashira reaction, the most powerful method for constructing the acetylenic moiety in molecules. The single-atomic Pd and Cu centers take advantage in not only the maximized atomic utilization for low cost, but also the much-enhanced performance by facilitating the activation of aryl halides and alkynes. Their locally crowded dispersion brings them closer to each other, which facilitates the transmetallation process of acetylide intermediates between them. Thus, the Sonogashira reaction is drove smoothly by the obtained catalyst with a turnover frequency value of 313 h -1 , much more efficiently than that by commercial Pd/C and CuI catalyst, conventional Pd and Cu nanocatalysts, and mixed Pd and Cu single-atom catalyst. The obtained catalyst also exhibits the outstanding durability in the recycling test., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Biomaterials such as spider silk and mussel byssi are fabricated by the dynamic manipulation of intra- and intermolecular biopolymer interactions. Organisms modulate solution parameters, such as pH and ion co-solute concentration, to effect these processes. These biofabrication schemes provide a conceptual framework to develop new dynamic and responsive abiotic soft material systems. Towards these ends, the chemical diversity of readily available ionic compounds offers a broad palette to manipulate the physicochemical properties of polyelectrolytes via ion-specific interactions. In this study, we show for the first time that the ion-specific interactions of biomimetic polyelectrolytes engenders a variety of phase separation behaviors, creating dynamic, thermal and ion responsive soft matter. that exhibits a spectrum of physical properties, spanning viscous fluids, to viscoelastic and viscoplastic solids. These ion dependent characteristics are further rendered general by the merger of lysine and phenylalanine into a single, amphiphilic vinyl monomer. The unprecedented breadth, precision, and dynamicity in the reported ion dependent phase behaviors thus introduce a broad array of opportunities for the future development of responsive soft matter, properties that are poised to drive developments in critical areas such as chemical sensing, soft robotics, and additive manufacturing., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objective: High doses of radiation, while effective at destroying tumor tissues, also result in radiation dermatitis (RD) at irradiated sites, which is one of the most common complications in cancer radiotherapy. Currently, no standardized protocols for the prevention and treatment of RD have been established in clinical practices, and severe RD can compromise treatment efficacy and reduce patients' quality of life. This systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) aims to compare the effectiveness of various interventions in preventing RD in patients., Methods: As of June 2023, four databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, were searched, with a total of 19 interventions obtained for comparative analysis of their effectiveness in preventing RD. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was employed to screen literature, extract data, and appraise the quality of the studies by two researchers. Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted utilizing StataSE 15 and R 4.2.3., Results: A total of 33 studies involving 4307 patients were included in this analysis. From the 33 studies, 19 interventions, encompassing Barrier Films and Dressings (BFD), Boron_Gel, Best supportive care, Corticosteroids_cream, Doxepin_cream, Eau Thermale Avèn_gel, Epidermal Growth Factor_cream, Hyaluronan_cream, Medicinal_Plants, Mineral_Oil, Olive oil and calcium hydroxide (OOCH), Photobiomodulation therapy, Recove_cream, Silicone_gel, Silver sulfadiazine (SSD), Timolol_Gel, Trolamine, VitD_Gel, and VitE_Gel, were retrieved and compared. The NMA results indicated that Hyaluronan_cream (SUCRA: 94.9%) was highly effective in preventing Grade 0/1 RD. Meanwhile, OOCH (SUCRA: 95.7%) demonstrated the most prominent effect in preventing ≥ Grade 2 RD., Conclusion: The study reveals that Hyaluronan_cream and OOCH are two promising treatments for the prevention of RD in patients undergoing radiotherapy. Future research might focus on validating the efficacy of these two therapies with large sample sizes and on identifying an optimal intervention strategy., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2024.)