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Energy-intensive enterprises lack a scientific and effective energy efficiency assessment framework and methodology. This lack leads to an inaccurate understanding of energy usage and its benefits. As a result, there is energy wastage and loss. This wastage and loss negatively affect product costs. They also present a challenge to effective energy management. To address these issues, this paper introduces a novel, comprehensive energy efficiency evaluation system. This system integrates both qualitative and quantitative measures. It proposes an evaluation model based on the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) combined with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE), wherein PSO is employed to optimize the weights determined by AHP, ensuring that the significance attributed to various indicators is scientific, objective, and rational. The FCE method is utilized to convert diverse factors affecting corporate energy efficiency, across different types and scales, into standardized 0–1 values, enabling a comparative analysis of the impact of each process and indicator on energy efficiency. Furthermore, the paper introduces an energy efficiency prediction model employing a multivariate linear regression algorithm, which demonstrates a good fit, facilitating the transition from retrospective energy efficiency evaluation to proactive improvements. Utilizing data on actual consumption of water, electricity, and steam from an enterprise, along with expert assessments on the implementation levels of new processes, technologies, equipment, personnel scheduling proficiency, steam recovery rates, and adherence to policies and assessments, a simulation experiment of the proposed model was conducted using Python. The evaluation yielded an energy efficiency score of 0.68; this is consistent with the real-world scenario of the studied enterprise. The predicted mean square error of 9.035416039503998 ×   10 − 9 indicates a high model accuracy, validating the practical applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For large-scale point cloud semantic segmentation, the relationships between long-range neighbourhoods are as important as short-range features. The current methods focus on aggregating the fine-grained geometric structures of local regions, the long-range features are usually ignored. To this end, we propose a novel framework named LG-Net that can efficiently learn local dual features and global correlations from point clouds. We adopt random sampling to decrease point density, thereby processing large-scale point cloud efficiently. Specifically, we propose a dual feature complementary (DFC) module that makes geometric and semantic features complementary to preserve local information. We utilize positional relations to capture geometric details, and aggregate semantic features according to the similarity of neighbours. The global correlation mining (GCM) module simply shares an attention map for all 3D points to learn long-range contextual information. We conducted extensive experiments on public datasets, including indoor scenes (S3DIS, ScanNet) and outdoor scenes (SemanticKITTI, SensatUrban). Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches. [Display omitted] • Improving 3D point cloud semantic segmentation performance. • Random sampling strategy can reduce the memory footprint and computational cost. • DFC module considers the complementary of geometric and semantic features. • GCM module uses the attention strategy for obtaining long-range dependencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential diagnosis between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been highly demanded for its effectiveness in preventing and contributing to early diagnosis of AD. To this end, we developed a single plasmonic asymmetric nanobridge (PAN)-based biosensor to differentially diagnose MCI and AD by quantitative profiling of phosphorylated tau proteins (p-tau) in clinical plasma samples, which revealed a significant correlation with AD development and progression. The PAN was designed to have a conductive junction and asymmetric structure, which was unable to be synthesized by the traditional thermodynamical methods. For its unique morphological characteristics, PAN features high electromagnetic field enhancement, enabling the biosensor to achieve high sensitivity, with a limit of detection in the attomolar regime for quantitative analysis of p-tau. By introducing support vector machine (SVM)-based machine learning algorithm, the improved diagnostic system was achieved for prediction of healthy controls, MCI, and AD groups with an accuracy of 94.47 % by detecting various p-tau species levels in human plasma. Thus, our proposed PAN-based plasmonic biosensor has a powerful potential in clinical utility for predicting the onset of AD progression in the asymptomatic phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left hemisphere injury can cause right spastic arm paralysis and aphasia, and recovery of both motor and language functions shares similar compensatory mechanisms and processes. Contralateral cervical seventh cross transfer (CC7) surgery can provide motor recovery for spastic arm paralysis by triggering interhemispheric plasticity, and self‐reports from patients indicate spontaneous improvement in language function but still need to be verified. To explore the improvements in motor and language function after CC7 surgery, we performed this prospective observational cohort study. The Upper Extremity part of Fugl‐Meyer scale (UEFM) and Modified Ashworth Scale were used to evaluate motor function, and Aphasia Quotient calculated by Mandarin version of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB‐AQ, larger score indicates better language function) was assessed for language function. In 20 patients included, the average scores of UEFM increased by .40 and 3.70 points from baseline to 1‐week and 6‐month post‐surgery, respectively. The spasticity of the elbow and fingers decreased significantly at 1‐week post‐surgery, although partially recurred at 6‐month follow‐up. The average scores of WAB‐AQ were increased by 9.14 and 10.69 points at 1‐week and 6‐month post‐surgery (P < .001 for both), respectively. Post‐surgical fMRI scans revealed increased activity in the bilateral hemispheres related to language centrals, including the right precentral cortex and right gyrus rectus. These findings suggest that CC7 surgery not only enhances motor function but may also improve the aphasia quotient in patients with right arm paralysis and aphasia due to left hemisphere injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Nanocomposite of graphene oxide and gold nanoparticles was developed. • The nanocomposite was substrate of a SERS microfluidic biosensor. • Blinking effects in SERS was obviously reduced. • The biosensor was applied to detect kanamycin in drinking water (LOD, 0.75 nM). • The aptamer of the sensor is specific and switchable. Abstract Metallic plasmonic nanoparticles generate surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) for wide sensing applications of biomolecules, gas and environmental contaminants. However, the metallic materials cause high thermal radiation during laser excitation in the opto-microfluidic systems and give rise to temporal intensity fluctuations, which is called blinking effects in SERS spectra. This work developed nanocomposite consisting of graphene oxide (GO) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with high thermal stability and low thermal radiation, which provided plasmonic resonance while reduced blinking effect for SERS-based sensing in the microfluidic detection system. The system was applied to detect kanamycin in drinking water, orange juice, and milk by using Texas Red-dye conjugated Beacon aptamer, where the aptamer was designed to be specific and switchable in kanamycin recognition. The sensor was reusable, and its limit of detection was 0.75 nM in a linear range of 1 nM to 100 nM. The microfluidic SERS detection system can be potentially used for sensitive and reliable assays of small molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic nanomaterials reveal noble optical properties for next-generation biosensors. Nanoplasmonic biosensors have become simple, sensitive, smart, and consistent with advanced healthcare programs requirements. Notably, an individual nanoparticle analysis can yield unique target information, based on which the next-generation biosensor is revolutionary for end-point detection (single or multiplex), and can be functionally extended to biological phenomena monitoring. Here, we present a single nanoplasmonic sensing technology based on localized surface plasmon resonance for label-free and real-time detection of highly reliable cancer markers (mutant gene and telomerase) in clinical samples. The sensor specifically detects mutant DNA, and can detect telomerase from as few as 10 HeLa cells. This approach can be easily translated to detect other pathological targets with high sensitivity and specificity, and monitor key interactions between biomolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins during disease development in real time. This system has great potential to be further developed for on-chip and simultaneous analysis of multiple targets and interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenetic changes, particularly in cancer suppressor genes, are novel biomarkers for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. However, epigenetic studies should not only provide an estimation of the amount of 5-methylcytosine, but also examine the presence of epigenetic proteins to reveal the complete epigenetic alterations for downstream molecular process. The challenge of natural epigenetics is to unveil key factors of epigenetics in one assay, containing low concentrations. This would be valuable for the monitoring of early-stage cancer. On the basic of the nanoplasmonic biosensor, here we report a sensitive sensor to study epigenetics of DNA promoter. The results show detection limit for dual epigenetic biomarkers methyl-CpG group and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) are one 5-methylcytosine molecule and 125 fM MBD2. Moreover, DNA structure bending, steric competition under interaction of epigenetic proteins and transcription factors; and epigenetics-mediated suppression of transcription are observed during epigenetic alterations. This study provides a platform for full story of epigenetics, as compared with that of methylcytosine-based techniques only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though DNA-based nanosensors have been demonstrated for quantitative detection of analytes and diseases, hybridization events have never been numerically investigated for further understanding of DNA mediated interactions. Here, we developed a nanoscale platform with well-designed capture and detection gold nanoprobes to precisely evaluate the hybridization events. The capture gold nanoprobes were mono-laid on glass and the detection probes were fabricated via a novel competitive conjugation method. The two kinds of probes combined in a suitable orientation following the hybridization with the target. We found that hybridization efficiency was markedly dependent on electrostatic interactions between DNA strands, which can be tailored by adjusting the salt concentration of the incubation solution. Due to the much lower stability of the double helix formed by mismatches, the hybridization efficiencies of single mismatched (MMT) and perfectly matched DNA (PMT) were different. Therefore, we obtained an optimized salt concentration that allowed for discrimination of MMT from PMT without stringent control of temperature or pH. The results indicated this to be an ultrasensitive and precise nanosensor for the diagnosis of genetic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, a gold nanoparticle (Au-NP)-based detection method for sensitive and specific DNA-based diagnostic applications is described. A sandwich format consisting of Au-NPs/DNA/PMP (Streptavidin-coated MagnetSphere Para-Magnetic Particles) was fabricated. PMPs captured and separated target DNA while Au-NPs modified with oligonucleotide detection sequences played a role in recognition and signal production. Due to the much lower stability of mismatched DNA strands caused by unstable duplex structures in solutions of relatively low salt concentration, hybridization efficiency in the presence of different buffers was well investigated, and thus, the optimized salt concentration allowed for discrimination of single-mismatched DNA (MMT) from perfectly matched DNA (PMT). Therefore, quantitative information concerning the target analyte was translated into a colorimetric signal, which could easily and quantitatively measured by low-cost UV–vis spectrophotometric analysis. The results indicated this to be a very simple and economic strategy for detection of single-mismatched DNA strands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, MgCo 2 O 4 twinned-hemispheres (MgCo 2 O 4 THSs) composed of a large number of nanoparticles were obtained via a solvothermal reaction accompanied with subsequent annealing process. Such MgCo 2 O 4 THSs possessed a specific surface area of 63.8 m2 g−1 with a dominate pore size of 6 nm, and the mean pore size was calculated to be 13.5 nm. The electrochemical performance of these MgCo 2 O 4 THSs was evaluated in a typical three-electrode system. The results revealed that such MgCo 2 O 4 electrode material delivered a specific capacitance of 626.5 F/g at 1 A g−1 in 2 M of KOH aqueous electrolyte, and possessed a rate capability of 71.8% at 16 A g−1. The capacitance could preserve 68.9% of the original value after 5000 cycles at the current density of 5 A g−1. The assembled MgCo 2 O 4 THSs//AC asymmetric supercapacitor attained an energy density of 30.6 W h kg−1 at a power density of 861 W kg−1, and a long cycling life with 99.06% specific capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at 5 A g−1. The outstanding electrochemical properties of MgCo 2 O 4 THSs can be attributed to their unique structure, which make them suitable and promising electrode material candidate for supercapacitors. In addition, the synthesis strategy is easy to be operated, which is able to be adopted to fabricate other binary transition metal oxides. Image 1 • MgCo 2 O 4 twinned-hemispheres were solvothermally prepared. • A high specific capacitance of 626.5 F/g at 1 A g−1 was obtained. • 71.8% rate capability was reached with current density increasing from 1 to 16 A g−1 • 68.9% capacitance retention was achieved after 5000 cycles at 5 A g−1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of human disability, and understanding its spontaneous recovery pattern after injury is critical for potential treatments. However, studies on the function of the contralesional cortex after TBI have mostly focused on acute-phase changes, and long-term dynamic changes in the control of the affected limb by the contralesional cortex are less understood. To unravel long-term adaptations in the contralesional cortex, we developed a mouse model of TBI and used longitudinal optogenetic motor mapping to observe the function of contralesional corticospinal neurons (CSNs) projecting to the unilateral seventh cervical (C7) segment of the spinal cord. We injected a retrograde adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing channelrhodopsin-2 to optogenetically stimulate and map the functional connections of the motor-sensory cortex. We validated the effectiveness of transcranial optogenetic stimulation for functional mapping and observed a general increase in the control of the affected limb by the contralesional cortex over time. Using retrograde labeling techniques, we showed that TBI does not affect the distribution of C7-CSNs but alters their function, and the labeled CSNs are concentrated in the caudal and rostral forelimb areas. Our findings provide new insights into harnessing contralesional cortical plasticity to improve treatment for affected limbs. This study sheds light on the long-term adaptations in the contralesional cortex after TBI, paving the way for potential clinical applications of optogenetic stimulation to improve motor control and rehabilitation outcomes. • Longitudinal mapping shows how brain changes after traumatic injury. • Transcranial stimulation validates new method for functional mapping. • Injury to one side leads to the other side compensating for limb control loss. • Brain's ability to adapt offers hope for better recovery after injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancing clinical and nonclinical diagnostic technologies is particularly crucial for improved preparedness for the next pandemic and other global healthcare challenges. To this end, marrying advanced microscopic imaging with chip‐scale bioanalytical systems provides fresh modalities by analyzing signals of transmitted, reflected, or scattered light waves. This review brings clarity to the latest progress of refractometric imaging and biodetections on a chip, in which interferences and resonances as cornerstones of optics and plasmonics are breaking new ground. A vast range of nanophotonic and plasmonic transducers are discussed, ranging from planar films, nanoarrays, and waveguiding resonators to holistic designs. The augmented bioanalyses cover immunoassays, single‐molecule analysis, and motion tracking of bacterial pathogens and cells. Compared to single‐point spectroscopic measurements, imaging‐empowered approaches are rapidly evolving with greatly promoted signal‐noise ratio, spatial‐temporal resolutions, multiplexability, and throughput, which can be accomplished in a compact cradle system with minimized bulky components in a spectrometer‐free manner. Besides, advances in machine learning technologies applied for data analytics and transducer designs are highlighted. All in all, there are unlimited opportunities for new optical structures, principles, and ways of data retrieval to tap in, which will raise technological impacts on unveiling fundamental issues in life science and advancing global healthcare technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-Reaction protein (CRP) is a marker of nonspecific immunity for vital signs and wound assessment, and it can be used to diagnose infections in clinical medicine. However, measuring CRP level currently requires hospital-based instruments, high-cost reagents, and a complex process, all of which have limited its full capabilities for self-detection, a growing trend in modern medicine. In this study, we developed a novel smartphone-based device using advanced methods of magnetoelastic immunosensing to mitigate these limitations. We combined a system-on-chip (SoC) hardware architecture with smartphone apps to realize the sampling of resonance frequency shift on magnetoelastic chips, which can determine the ultra-sensitivity to mass change caused by the binding of anti-CRP antibody and CRP. Through detecting a multi-group of samples, we found that the resonance frequency shift was linearly proportional to the CRP concentration in the range from 0.1 to 100 μg mL−1, with a sensitivity of 12.90 Hz μg−1 mL−1 and a detection limit of 2.349 × 10−4 μg mL−1. Meanwhile, compared with the large-scale instrument used in clinical settings, the performance of our device was stable and significantly more portable, rapid and cost-effective, offering excellent potential for modern home-based diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MgCo 2 O 4 nanoflakes and nanowires were hydrothermally prepared. • A specific capacity of 424.98 C g−1 at 1 A g−1 was obtained for nanoflake powders. • The ASC device could retain 108.28% capacity retention over 5000 cycles at 6 A g−1. • The ASC device delivered a high energy density of 41.10 W h kg−1 at 1012.80 W kg−1. Uniform MgCo 2 O 4 nanoflakes (NFs) and nanowires (NWs) were hydrothermally grown on stainless steel foil (SSF) with a post annealing conversion of the precursors. The MgCo 2 O 4 NFs-based powders peeled off the SSF could exhibit a high specific capacity of 424.98 C g−1 at 1 A g−1, while the NWs powders delivered 351.17 C g−1. The assembled MgCo 2 O 4 NFs//AC ASCdelivered a capacity up to 146.10 C g−1, a long-life cycling stability with 108.28% capacity retention over 5000 cycles at 6 A g−1, and an high energy density of 41.10 W h kg−1 at a power density of 1012.80 W kg−1. [Display omitted] In this work, MgCo 2 O 4 nanoflakes (NFs) and nanowires (NWs) on stainless steel foil (SSF) were hydrothermally prepared followed with an additional annealing conversion of the precursors. These MgCo 2 O 4 nanomaterials possessed mesoporous structures and electrochemical tests demonstrated their battery-like feature. The MgCo 2 O 4 were peeled off the SSF, and the NF-based powders exhibited a high specific capacity of 424.98 C g−1 at 1 A g−1, while the NW powders delivered 351.17 C g−1. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was assembled with MgCo 2 O 4 as cathode and AC as anode, respectively, and the MgCo 2 O 4 NFs//AC ASC possessed an excellent electrochemical performance such as a capacity up to 146.10 C g−1, a long-life cycling stability with 108.28% capacity retention over 5000 cycles at 6 A g−1, and an high energy density of 41.10 W h kg−1 at a power density of 1012.80 W kg−1. In contrast, the MgCo 2 O 4 NWs//AC ASC exhibited a similar cycling durability and an inferior energy density of 36.97 W h kg−1. Such impressive results indicate that the mesoporous MgCo 2 O 4 NFs and NWs may serve as promising battery-like cathode materials for the next-generation advanced supercapacitors. Besides, the present method can provide some merits including simple and cost-effective synthesis, large production, and especially the shape of MgCo 2 O 4 is uniform and can be easily tuned by changing the reaction parameters. The current method can be extended for the preparation of other transition metal oxides (TMOs)-based electrode materials with superior performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (Cdots) with bright green fluorescence were applied to the rapid and selective cell imaging for a variety of cell lines. Different labeling distributions of hepatoma cells (HepG2) and normal human liver cells (LO2) were achieved using Cdots as imaging agents. For HepG2 cells, the Cdots could rapidly permeate the cell membrane and diffuse into the cytoplasm and nucleus within 3 min, and retained their location in the targets for 24 h. However, the Cdots exhibited bright fluorescence only in the cytoplasm of LO2 cell lines. Moreover, the Cdots were almost non-cytotoxic and exhibited superior photostability over a wide range of pH. Therefore, these Cdots have great potential for rapid, luminous and selective bioimaging applications, and are expected to be used as a nucleus-staining agent in cancer diagnosis.ᅟ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An environment-friendly scaling–corrosion inhibitor composed of 10-methylacridinium iodide (MAI) and sodium citrate (SC) was developed, whose scale inhibition performance were studied through weight loss, electrochemical techniques, static tests and surface analysis techniques (SEM, SECM, XPS, XRD). The optimum mass ratio of MAI and SC corrosion inhibition was found to be 1:2, and the optimum mass ratio of scale inhibition was 1:3. The experimental results showed that MAI–SC mixture as mixed-type scaling–corrosion inhibitor with excellent corrosion (η w = 92.7%) and scale inhibition performance (η Ca = 98.3%). The electrochemical stability of the inhibitor film was investigated by chronoamperometry (CA). SEM and XRD simulations indicated that the MAI–SC mixture inhibitor can distort and disperse the crystal lattice of calcium carbonate without forming scale, and it plays a dominant role in the inhibition of calcite (110) surface growth. The structure-activity relationship between the molecule structure of the MAI–SC mixture and its scale–corrosion inhibition performance was discussed based on the quantum chemistry calculation. • MAI–SC as an environment-friendly scaling–corrosion inhibitor has excellent scale and corrosion inhibition performance. • MAI–SC mixture act as a mixed-type inhibitor, which predominantly suppress the anodic reaction. • Surface morphology by SEM, SECM and XPS confirmed the inhibitive character of the MAI–SC. • SEM and XRD implied the CaCO 3 scale deposits surface morphology was changed with the use of the MAI–SC mixture. • Scale–corrosion inhibition mechanism was discussed based on the quantum chemistry calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]