High ambient-contrast-ratio display using tandem reflective liquid crystal display and organic light-emitting device

A high ambient-contrast-ratio (A-CR) and large aperture-ratio display is conceptually demonstrated and experimentally validated by stacking a normally black reflective liquid crystal display (NB-RLCD) and an organic light-emitting device (OLED). Such a tandem device can be switched between the NB-RLCD mode and the OLED mode under bright and dark ambient light, respectively. The normally black characteristic of the RLCD also helps to boost the A-CR under OLED-mode operation. To obtain a better image quality in the RLCD mode, a bumpy and transmissive structure is used to eliminate the specular reflection and to increase the viewing angle performance that results in CR \u3e 2:1 over 55 degrees viewing cone. Besides, such a structure can also increase the external quantum efficiency of the OLED by 49.4%. In our experiments, regardless of the ambient intensity the A-CR is kept higher than 100:1

Baicalein antagonizes rotenone-induced apoptosis in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells related to Parkinsonism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Two active compounds, baicalein and its glycoside baicalin were found in the dried root of <it>Scutellaria baicalensis </it>Georgi, and reported to be neuroprotective <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo</it>. This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of baicalein on the rotenone-induced apoptosis in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells related to parkinsonism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cell viability and cytotoxicity were determined by MTT assay. The degree of nuclear apoptosis was evaluated with a fluorescent DNA-binding probe Hoechst 33258. The production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) were determined by fluorescent staining with DCFH-DA and Rhodanmine 123, respectively. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 was determined by the Western blots.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Baicalein significantly increased viability and decreased rotenone-induced death of SH-SY5Y cells in a dose-dependent manner. Pre- and subsequent co-treatment with baicalein preserved the cell morphology and attenuated the nuclear apoptotic characteristics triggered by rotenone. Baicalein antagonized rotenone-induced overproduction of ROS, loss of ΔΨm, the increased expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 and the decreased expression of Bcl-2.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The antioxidative effect, mitochondrial protection and modulation of anti-and pro-apoptotic proteins are related to the neuroprotective effects of baicalein against rotenone induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells.</p

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

To develop online partial discharge monitoring system for TX XLPE cable joint without external power supply

Currently in the power industry, usage of continuous Condition Monitoring (CM) is a common method that is implemented to regulate and supervise the lifespan of the cable at many levels. There are many challenges during cable Partial Discharge (PD) monitoring in different applications. One of the factors affecting the degree of accuracy in detecting PD is environmental conditions. PD is mainly caused by the natural phenomenon of distributing high voltage level, with the addition of cable degradation over time, resulting in capacitive effect which leads to PD. Hence, there are no permanent cost-effective solutions to eliminate PD- related issues. Although there is much to explore and investigate when developing a solution, continuous monitoring and replacement of cables is a reliable approach in tackling the issue before it leads to power failure in the electrical system. Therefore, battery driven devices or meters are utilised to perform the monitoring of the cables. This leads to the sourcing of alternative energy sources to maintaining power supply to these sets of monitoring devices. In this project, the aim is to develop an alternate source of power for the PD monitoring system such as harnessing electromagnetic energy, then converting the electromagnetic energy to electrical energy to power up and charge up PD monitoring devices. This report includes reviews of existing PD monitoring devices for the power transmission network. This report also discusses methods implemented to harness electromagnetic energy and improvements that could increase the effectiveness of this approach. In conclusion, the user would be able to understand the process of harnessing electromagnetic energy and then converting it into electrical energy.Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Origin of the Plasmonic Chirality of Gold Nanorod Trimers Templated by DNA Origami

Templated by DNA origami, plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) could be assembled into complex nanostructures with strong chiroptical activities. However, it is still not clear how the plasmonic chirality of a complex nanostructure matters with its daughter structural components. Here, we rationally design and fabricate a series of AuNR trimers and their daughter AuNR dimers. Strikingly, we corroborate by circular dichroism spectroscopy that the plasmonic chirality of asymmetrical AuNR trimers is a nearly perfect summation of the chiroptical response of all their constituent dimeric components. Our results provide fundamental insight into the origin of the plasmonic chirality of complex nanostructures

The Dysregulation of MicroRNAs in the Development of Cervical Pre-Cancer—An Update

Globally in 2020, an estimated ~600,000 women were diagnosed with and 340,000 women died from cervical cancer. Compared to 2012, the number of cases increased by 7.5% and the number of deaths increased by 17%. MiRNAs are involved in multiple processes in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Dysregulation of miRNAs in the pre-stage of cervical cancer is the focus of this review. Here we summarize the dysregulated miRNAs in clinical samples from cervical pre-cancer patients and relate them to the early transformation process owing to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the cervical cells. When HPV infects the normal cervical cells, the DNA damage response is initiated with the involvement of HPV’s E1 and E2 proteins. Later, cell proliferation and cell death are affected by the E6 and E7 proteins. We find that the expressions of miRNAs in cervical pre-cancerous tissue revealed by different studies seldom agreed with each other. The discrepancy in sample types, samples’ HPV status, expression measurement, and methods for analysis contributed to the non-aligned results across studies. However, several miRNAs (miR-34a, miR-9, miR-21, miR-145, and miR-375) were found to be dysregulated across multiple studies. In addition, there are hints that the DNA damage response and cell growth response induced by HPV during the early transformation of the cervical cells are related to these miRNAs. Currently, no review articles analyse the relationship between the dysregulated miRNAs in cervical pre-cancerous tissue and their possible roles in the early processes involving HPV’s protein encoded by the early genes and DNA damage response during normal cell transformation. Our review provides insight on spotting miRNAs involved in the early pathogenic processes and pointing out their potential as biomarker targets of cervical pre-cancer

Substrate Coupling Strength of Integrin-Binding Ligands Modulates Adhesion, Spreading, and Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Substrate stiffness has been shown to regulate the differentiation fate of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). hMSCs sense and respond to substrate rigidity by exerting traction forces upon the binding between integrins and integrin-specific ligands present on the substrate surface. However, in previous studies, integrin-specific ligands such as Arg–Gly–Asp (RGD) peptides are always grafted to the substrate by a permanent covalent bond. Whether the coupling strength of integrin-specific ligands on substrate will influence cell behaviors has not been explored. In this work, we have developed a facile platform to investigate the effects of varied coupling strength between the RGD peptide and the glass substrate on stem cell behaviors. Glass coverslips are decorated with positive charges by silanization using (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) to immobilize negatively charged citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (cit-AuNPs) solely via electrostatic interactions. The monolayer of electrostatically immobilized cit-AuNPs is further conjugated with the thiolated RGD peptides through the sulfur–gold bond. The substrate coupling strength of the RGD peptides, which is dependent on the electrostatic interactions between the APTES-treated glass substrate and the cit-AuNPs, is simply tuned by changing the APTES dosage and, hence, the resultant positive charge density on the surface. A total of 0.5% and 12.5% of APTES are used to fabricate low-coupling-strength surfaces (namely, LCS0.5 and LCS12.5), whereas 25% and 50% of APTES are used to fabricate high-coupling-strength surfaces (namely, HCS25 and HCS50). Fluorescence microscopy shows that hMSCs spread well and form stable actin filamentous structure on HCS surfaces but not on LCS surfaces. Remarkably, hMSCs exhibit enhanced osteogenesis on HCS surfaces as revealed by the immunostaining results of multiple early osteogenic markers. These differential behaviors may be governed by Yes-associated protein (YAP), a mechanosensitive transcriptional regulator of stem cells. Our findings highlight the importance of the substrate coupling strength of integrin-binding ligands on regulating adhesion, spreading, and differentiation of hMSCs

Blood flow in intracranial aneurysms treated with Pipeline embolization devices: computational simulation and verification with Doppler ultrasonography on phantom models

Purpose: The aim of this study was to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of flow-diverter treatment through Doppler ultrasonography measurements in patient-specific models of intracranial bifurcation and side-wall aneurysms. Methods: Computational and physical models of patient-specific bifurcation and sidewall aneurysms were constructed from computed tomography angiography with use of stereolithography, a three-dimensional printing technology. Flow dynamics parameters before and after flow-diverter treatment were measured with pulse-wave and color Doppler ultrasonography, and then compared with CFD simulations. Results: CFD simulations showed drastic flow reduction after flow-diverter treatment in both aneurysms. The mean volume flow rate decreased by 90% and 85% for the bifurcation aneurysm and the side-wall aneurysm, respectively. Velocity contour plots from computer simulations before and after flow diversion closely resembled the patterns obtained by color Doppler ultrasonography. Conclusion: The CFD estimation of flow reduction in aneurysms treated with a flow-diverting stent was verified by Doppler ultrasonography in patient-specific phantom models of bifurcation and side-wall aneurysms. The combination of CFD and ultrasonography may constitute a feasible and reliable technique in studying the treatment of intracranial aneurysms with flow-diverting stents

Meteorin-like protein/METRNL/Interleukin-41 ameliorates atopic dermatitis-like inflammation

BACKGROUND: Meteorin-like protein (METRNL)/Interleukin-41 (IL-41) is a novel immune-secreted cytokine/myokine involved in several inflammatory diseases. However, how METRNL exerts its regulatory properties on skin inflammation remains elusive. This study aims to elucidate the functionality and regulatory mechanism of METRNL in atopic dermatitis (AD).METHODS: METRNL levels were determined in skin and serum samples from patients with AD and subsequently verified in the vitamin D3 analogue MC903-induced AD-like mice model. The cellular target of METRNL activity was identified by multiplex immunostaining, single-cell RNA-seq and RNA-seq.RESULTS: METRNL was significantly upregulated in lesions and serum of patients with dermatitis compared to healthy controls (p &lt;.05). Following repeated MC903 exposure, AD model mice displayed elevated levels of METRNL in both ears and serum. Administration of recombinant murine METRNL protein (rmMETRNL) ameliorated allergic skin inflammation and hallmarks of AD in mice, whereas blocking of METRNL signaling led to the opposite. METRNL enhanced β-Catenin activation, limited the expression of Th2-related molecules that attract the accumulation of Arginase-1 (Arg1)hi macrophages, dendritic cells, and activated mast cells.CONCLUSIONS: METRNL can bind to KIT receptor and subsequently alleviate the allergic inflammation of AD by inhibiting the expansion of immune cells, and downregulating inflammatory gene expression by regulating the level of active WNT pathway molecule β-Catenin.</p