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Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs, NM-212) are well-known for their catalytic properties and antioxidant potential, and have many applications in various industries, drug delivery, and cosmetic formulations. CeO 2 NPs exhibit strong antimicrobial activity and can be used to efficiently remove pathogens from different environments. However, knowledge of the toxicological evaluation of CeO 2 NPs is too limited to support their safe use. In this study, CeO 2 NPs were orally administered to Sprague Dawley rats for 13 weeks at the doses of 0, 10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg bw/day, followed by a four week recovery period. The hematology values for the absolute and relative reticulocyte counts in male rats treated with 1000 mg/kg bw/day CeO 2 NPs were lower than those in control rats. The clinical chemistry values for sodium and chloride in the treated male rat groups (100 and 1000 mg/kg/day) and total protein and calcium in the treated female rat groups (100 mg/kg/day) were higher than those in the control groups. However, these changes were not consistent in both sexes, and no abnormalities were found in the corresponding pathological findings. The results showed no adverse effects on any of the parameters assessed. CeO 2 NPs accumulated in the jejunum, colon, and stomach wall of rats administered 1000 mg/kg CeO 2 NPs for 90 days. However, these changes were not abnormal in the corresponding histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. Therefore, 1000 mg/kg bw/day may be considered the "no observed adverse effect level" of CeO 2 NPs (NM-212) in male and female SD rats under the present experimental conditions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Accurate detection of cytogenetic abnormalities has become more important for improving risk-adapted treatment strategies in multiple myeloma (MM). However, precise cytogenetic testing by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is challenged by the dilution effect of bone marrow specimens and poor growth of plasma cells ex vivo. It has been suggested that FISH should be performed in combination with plasma cell enrichment strategies. We examined cytogenetic abnormalities in newly diagnosed MM and compared the efficacy of three different enrichment modalities for FISH: direct FISH (n = 137), fluorescence immunophenotyping and interphase cytogenetics as a tool for the investigation of neoplasms (FICTION) technique (n = 224), and a plasma cell sorting FISH with fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) (n = 132). FISH disclosed cytogenetic abnormalities in 38.0% of samples by direct FISH, 56.3% by FICTION, and 95.5% by FACS-FISH, and the percentage of cells with abnormal signals detected by FISH was significantly higher by FACS-FISH than direct FISH or FICTION. Our results suggest that the efficacy of FISH is dependent on the plasma cell enrichment modalities and reveal that plasma cell sorting FISH with FACS enables better detection of cytogenetic abnormalities in diagnostic MM samples., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Augmented reality (AR) devices, as smart glasses, enable users to see both the real world and virtual images simultaneously, contributing to an immersive experience in interactions and visualization. Recently, to reduce the size and weight of smart glasses, waveguides incorporating holographic optical elements in the form of advanced grating structures have been utilized to provide light-weight solutions instead of bulky helmet-type headsets. However current waveguide displays often have limited display resolution, efficiency and field-of-view, with complex multi-step fabrication processes of lower yield. In addition, current AR displays often have vergence-accommodation conflict in the augmented and virtual images, resulting in focusing-visual fatigue and eye strain. Here we report metasurface optical elements designed and experimentally implemented as a platform solution to overcome these limitations. Through careful dispersion control in the excited propagation and diffraction modes, we design and implement our high-resolution full-color prototype, via the combination of analytical-numerical simulations, nanofabrication and device measurements. With the metasurface control of the light propagation, our prototype device achieves a 1080-pixel resolution, a field-of-view more than 40°, an overall input-output efficiency more than 1%, and addresses the vergence-accommodation conflict through our focal-free implementation. Furthermore, our AR waveguide is achieved in a single metasurface-waveguide layer, aiding the scalability and process yield control., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The objective of this study was to develop an accessible and accurate analysis method for microplastics that have been unintentionally added to cream cosmetic products. An experiment was performed on three cleansing creams in rich and viscous formulations. A spiked sample was prepared by adding polyethylene (PE) microspheres to the cleansing creams. After removing cosmetic ingredients from the creams using chemical digestion, damage to the PE microspheres was identified using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images were obtained before and after digestion and used to characterize the morphology of the PE microspheres. The highest digestion efficiency was obtained using a chemical digestion method consisting of heating and stirring a sample in a 10 wt% KOH solution at 55 °C and 300 rpm for 5 days and did not damage the PE microspheres. The Nile red (9-diethylamino-5H-benzo[α]phenoxazine-5-one) staining method was effective in identifying small microplastics (< 106 μm). The optimal staining conditions are 5 μg/ml Nile red in n-hexane for green wavelengths., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Incentives can be used to increase motivation, leading to better learning and performance on skilled motor tasks. Prior work has shown that monetary punishments enhance on-line performance while equivalent monetary rewards enhance off-line skill retention. However, a large body of literature on loss aversion has shown that losses are treated as larger than equivalent gains. The divergence between the effects of punishments and reward on motor learning could be due to perceived differences in incentive value rather than valence per se. We test this hypothesis by manipulating incentive value and valence while participants trained to perform motor sequences. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that large reward enhanced on-line performance but impaired the ability to retain the level of performance achieved during training. However, we also found that on-line performance was better with reward than punishment and that the effect of increasing incentive value was more linear with reward (small, medium, large) while the effect of value was more binary with punishment (large vs not large). These results suggest that there are differential effects of punishment and reward on motor learning and that these effects of valence are unlikely to be driven by differences in the subjective magnitude of gains and losses.

Poor lodging resistance could limit increases in soybean yield. Previously, a considerable number of observations of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for lodging resistance have been reported by independent studies. The integration of these QTL into a consensus map will provide further evidence of their usefulness in soybean improvement. To improve informative QTL in soybean, a mapping population from a cross between the Harosoy and Clark cultivars, which inherit major U.S. soybean genetic backgrounds, was used along with previous mapping populations to identify QTL for lodging resistance. Together with 78 QTL for lodging collected from eighteen independent studies, a total of 88 QTL were projected onto the soybean consensus map. A total of 16 significant QTL clusters were observed; fourteen of them were confirmed in either two or more mapping populations or a single population subjected to different environmental conditions. Four QTL (one on chromosome 7 and three on 10) were newly identified in the present study. Further, meta-analysis was used to integrate QTL across different studies, resulting in two significant meta-QTL each on chromosomes 6 and 19. Our results provide deeper knowledge of valuable lodging resistance QTL in soybean, and these QTL could be used to increase lodging resistance.

Recently, we reported that orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP) is involved in neutrophil recruitment through the regulation of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2) expression in a concanavalin A (ConA)-induced hepatitis model. In the present study, we examined the mechanisms underlying CXCL2 regulation by SHP and the cell types involved in liver inflammation. To this end, either Shp knockout (KO) or wild-type (WT) bone marrow cells were transferred into sublethally-irradiated WT (KO → WT or WT → WT) or Shp KO (KO → KO or WT → KO) recipients, followed by intravenous injection of ConA (20-30 mg/kg) 8 weeks later. The KO recipient groups showed higher ConA-induced lethality than the WT recipient groups. Accordingly, plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, and inflammatory cytokine expressions were significantly higher in the KO recipients than in the WT recipients regardless of donor genotype. Massively increased hepatocyte death in KO recipients, as determined by H&E and TUNEL staining, was observed after ConA challenge. Bone marrow chimera experiments and in vitro chemotaxis assay also showed that SHP-deficient hepatocytes have an enhanced ability to recruit neutrophils to the injured liver. In vitro promoter assays showed that SHP is a negative regulator of Cxcl2 transcription by interfering with c-Jun binding to the AP-1 site within the Cxcl2 promoter. Collectively, SHP regulates Cxcl2 transcription in hepatocytes, playing a pivotal role in the recruitment of neutrophils. SHP-targeting strategies may represent alternative approaches to control fulminant hepatitis.

Carbon nanotube/polytetrafluoroethylene composite polymer targets are proposed for use in the fabrication of fluorocarbon thin films using the mid-frequency sputtering process. Fluorocarbon thin films deposited using carbon nanotube/polytetrafluoroethylene composite targets exhibit an amorphous phase with a smooth surface and show a high water contact angle, optical transmittance, and surface hardness. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies reveal that as the carbon nanotube concentration increased in the composite target, a carbon cross-linked structure was formed, which enhanced the film hardness and the modulus of the fluorocarbon thin film. Large-area fluorocarbon thin films with a substrate width of 700 mm were successfully fabricated by a pilot-scale roll-to-roll sputtering system using a carbon nanotube/polytetrafluoroethylene composite target.

Nanoparticles have shown great potential as vehicles for the delivery of drugs, nucleic acids, and therapeutic proteins; an efficient, high-throughput screening method to analyze nanoparticle interaction with the cytomembrane would substantially improve the efficiency and accuracy of the delivery. Here, we developed a capacitance sensor array that monitored the capacitance values of nanoparticle-treated cells in a real-time manner, without the need for labeling. Upon cellular uptake of the nanoparticles, a capacitance peak was observed at a low frequency (e.g., 100 Hz) as a function of time based on zeta potential changes. In the high frequency region (e.g., 15-20 kHz), the rate of decreasing capacitance slowed as a function of time compared to the cell growth control group, due to increased cytoplasm resistance and decreased membrane capacitance and resistance. The information provided by our capacitance sensor array will be a powerful tool for scientists designing nanoparticles for specific purposes.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) emerges as a promising tool to identify the ions (small molecules) indicative of disease states from the surface of patient tissues. In TOF-SIMS analysis, an enhanced ionization of surface molecules is critical to increase the number of detected ions. Several methods have been developed to enhance ionization capability. However, how these methods improve identification of disease-related ions has not been systematically explored. Here, we present a multi-dimensional SIMS (MD-SIMS) that combines conventional TOF-SIMS and metal-assisted SIMS (MetA-SIMS). Using this approach, we analyzed cancer and adjacent normal tissues first by TOF-SIMS and subsequently by MetA-SIMS. In total, TOF- and MetA-SIMS detected 632 and 959 ions, respectively. Among them, 426 were commonly detected by both methods, while 206 and 533 were detected uniquely by TOF- and MetA-SIMS, respectively. Of the 426 commonly detected ions, 250 increased in their intensities by MetA-SIMS, whereas 176 decreased. The integrated analysis of the ions detected by the two methods resulted in an increased number of discriminatory ions leading to an enhanced separation between cancer and normal tissues. Therefore, the results show that MD-SIMS can be a useful approach to provide a comprehensive list of discriminatory ions indicative of disease states.