Search

Light sheet microscopy is a powerful technique for high-speed three-dimensional imaging of subcellular dynamics and large biological specimens. However, it often generates datasets ranging from hundreds of gigabytes to petabytes in size for a single experiment. Conventional computational tools process such images far slower than the time to acquire them and often fail outright due to memory limitations. To address these challenges, we present PetaKit5D, a scalable software solution for efficient petabyte-scale light sheet image processing. This software incorporates a suite of commonly used processing tools that are optimized for memory and performance. Notable advancements include rapid image readers and writers, fast and memory-efficient geometric transformations, high-performance Richardson-Lucy deconvolution and scalable Zarr-based stitching. These features outperform state-of-the-art methods by over one order of magnitude, enabling the processing of petabyte-scale image data at the full teravoxel rates of modern imaging cameras. The software opens new avenues for biological discoveries through large-scale imaging experiments.

Bipolar electrochemistry (BE) combined with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has gained considerable attention as a versatile and powerful analytical technique operating in a wireless manner. However, only co‐reactant ECL has been reported so far when using a BE setup. In this work, the generation of annihilation ECL at the anodic extremity of a bipolar electrode (BPE) is demonstrated in two different spatial arrangements of the electrodes. The reported approach is based on a synergetic effect between the asymmetric electroactivity induced across the BPE, which produces different redox states of [Ru(bpy)3]2+, and the electro‐migration mechanism of the formed ionic species, allowing the localization and concentration of the ECL emission. The presented approach demonstrating annihilation ECL via BE, paves the way for the design of easy and straightforward light‐emitting platforms for multiple applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electromagnet is a particular device that takes advantage of electrical currents to produce concentrated magnetic fields. The most well‐known example is a conventional solenoid, having the form of an elongated coil and creating a strong magnetic field through its center when it is connected to a current source. Spontaneous redox reactions located at opposite ends of an anisotropic Janus swimmer can effectively mimic a standard power source, due to their ability to wirelessly generate a local electric current. Herein, we propose the coupling of thermodynamically spontaneous redox reactions occurring at the extremities of a hybrid Mg/Pt Janus swimmer with a solenoidal geometry to generate significant magnetic fields. These chemically driven electromagnets spontaneously transform the redox‐induced electric current into a magnetic field with a strength in the range of μT upon contact with an acidic medium. Such on‐board magnetization allows them to perform compass‐like rotational motion and magnetotactic displacement in the presence of external magnetic field gradients, without the need of using ferromagnetic materials for the swimmer design. The torque force experienced by the swimmer is proportional to the internal redox current, and by varying the composition of the solution, it is possible to fine‐tune its angular velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic mixed ionic‐electronic conductors (OMIEC) have emerged as pivotal materials in organic bioelectronics, particularly when integrated into organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). Conducting polymer‐based devices have indeed demonstrated their capability to transduce biological signals into amplified output signals, harnessing the high transconductance of OECTs. The OECT operating principle and sensing capability strongly depend on ion‐conjugated backbone coupling: the dual nature of OMIECs, i.e. ion‐conductor and electron/hole‐conductor, presents an intrinsic interface in the bulk of the thin film across which transduction of ionic signals into electronic signals and vice versa occurs. Recent works have shown how selective sodium and potassium detection can be achieved by direct chemical modification of the polymer. Such modifications introduce ligands with affinity for the cations of interest as substituents on the polymer chain. The present work explores the integration of specifically modified conducting polymers into OECT channels, offering selectivity for zinc cations. Zinc fluxes are crucial in various biological processes, and their reliable detection, especially at low concentrations, is an important challenge. By electropolymerizing a thiophene‐based trimer, modified with a dipicolylamine (DPA) substituent, a conducting polymer‐based OECT is obtained that can selectively detect Zn2+ in the 10−6 to 10−3 mol L−1 concentration range in physiological buffers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]