Dual Sensitivity Research Articles

Exclusion Memories in Social Anxiety

Abstract Background The impact of exclusion (affiliation-loss) events is theorized to be painful and personally meaningful, especially in social anxiety. However, specific data on the impact of autobiographical exclusion events in social anxiety is scarce. To fill this gap, we conducted two studies. Methods Participants (Study 1: N = 246; Study 2: N = 273), including varying levels of subclinical social anxiety, recalled exclusion events. The participants reported several indices of the events’ impact: emotional intensity, post-traumatic distress, the centrality of the exclusion event in the person’s life story, and cognitions concerning perceived affiliation and status following the event (Study 2). Results We hypothesized and found that social anxiety relates to enhanced post-traumatic distress, controlling for depressive symptoms and events’ centrality. Based on the dual sensitivity to affiliation and status in social anxiety (Gilboa-Schechtman, et al., 2024), we predicted that the association of social anxiety with post-traumatic distress will be mediated by affiliation and status-related cognitions. We found that status-, but not affiliation-related cognitions, mediate the impact of social anxiety on post-traumatic distress. Conclusions Exclusion events appear to be linked to heightened post-event distress, particularly among individuals with high social anxiety. Event centrality and status sensitivity may partially explain this association, pointing to potential directions for future research and therapeutic exploration.

MOF template catalysts derived dual heterojunction sensitization: PdO@ZnWO4–WO3 composite nanofibers with enhanced acetone sensing properties

MOF template catalysts derived dual heterojunction sensitization: PdO@ZnWO4–WO3 composite nanofibers with enhanced acetone sensing properties

Ultra-sensitive dengue NS1 protein detection via asymmetric source-drain, heterojunction and dual-dielectric cavities in a uniform tunnel FET biosensor

In this paper, we present a unique Asymmetric Source-Drain Heterojunction Dual-Dielectric Uniform Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (A-SD-HJ-DD-UTFET) based biosensor tailored for the early detection of dengue NS1 protein during the acute phase of infection offering early diagnosis and potentially life-saving intervention. The proposed biosensor design features simplified fabrication, a narrow drain region, and a dual material control gate, enhancing specificity and sensitivity for dengue virus detection. Using a heterojunction configuration, this device optimizes electron flow for improved detection accuracy. The roles of Tunnel Gate (TG) and Auxiliary Gate (AG) are studied in terms of band energy, electric field, electrostatic potential, and other sensitivity parameters. Sentaurus TCAD tool is utilized for analyzing the characteristics of the proposed A-SD-HJ-DD-UTFET biosensor. Simulation results indicate that the designed A-SD-HJ-DD-UTFET biosensor achieves a superior Subthreshold Swing (SS) of 15.4 mV/dec and an enhanced ION/IOFF sensitivity of about 2.25 × 10¹¹ with a maximum ON and minimum OFF state currents of 2.28 × 10–4 A/μm and 1.28 × 10–16 A/μm respectively for detecting NS1 protein of dengue. Additionally, it boasts a high switch ratio in the order of 1012. The proposed biosensor outperforms conventional devices, including the state-of-the-art Junctionless (JL)-TFET biosensors. The superior electrical characteristics of the proposed A-SD-HJ-DD-UTFET biosensor make it a promising device for early detection of the dengue NS1 protein, providing a potent solution for mitigating the spread of dengue infections.

Detection of vaccinia virus proteins in wastewater environment using biofunctionalized optical fiber semi-distributed FBG-assisted interferometric probes

In this work, we present the detection of proteins expressed by poxvirus with fiber-optic probes based on a semi-distributed interferometer (SDI) assisted by a fiber Bragg grating (FBG), performing the measurement directly into a wastewater sample. Modern biosafety applications benefit from real-time, dynamic-sensing technologies that can perform diagnostic tasks into a wide set of analytes, with a particular emphasis on wastewater, which appears to collect a significant number of viral titers in urban and indoor environments. The SDI/FBG probe can perform substantial progress in this field, as it embeds a dual sensitivity mechanism to refractive index changes (sensitivity up to 266.1 dB/RIU (refractive index units)) that can be exploited in biosensing, while simultaneously having the capability to measure the temperature (sensitivity 9.888 pm/°C), thus providing an intrinsic cross-sensitivity compensation. In addition, a standard FBG analyzer can be used as an interrogator, improving affordability and real-time detection over previous works. The probes have been functionalized with antibodies specific for L1, A27 and A33 vaccinia virus proteins, performing detection of a protein concentration in a scenario compatible with online viral threat detection. Direct detection of wastewater samples shows that the L1-functionalized sensor has a higher response, 9.1–11.3 times higher than A33 and A27, respectively, with a maximum response of up to 1.99 dB and excellent specificity. Dynamic detection in wastewater shows that the sensors have a response over multiple detection cycles, with a sensitivity of 0.024–0.153 dB for each 10-fold increase of concentration.

How Distributed Subcortical Integration of Reward and Threat May Inform Subsequent Approach-Avoidance Decisions.

Healthy and successful living involves carefully navigating rewarding and threatening situations by balancing approach and avoidance behaviors. Excessive avoidance to evade potential threats often leads to forfeiting potential rewards. However, little is known about how reward and threat information is integrated neurally to inform approach or avoidance. In this preregistered study, participants (N behavior = 31, 17F; N MRI = 28, 15F) made approach-avoidance decisions under varying reward (monetary gains) and threat (electrical stimulations) prospects during functional MRI scanning. In contrast to theorized parallel subcortical processing of reward and threat information before cortical integration, Bayesian multivariate multilevel analyses revealed subcortical reward and threat integration prior to indicating approach-avoidance decisions. This integration occurred in the ventral striatum, thalamus, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). When reward was low, risk-diminishing avoidance decisions dominated, which was linked to more positive tracking of threat magnitude prior to indicating avoidance than approach decisions. In contrast, the amygdala exhibited dual sensitivity to reward and threat. While anticipating outcomes of risky approach decisions, we observed positive tracking of threat magnitude within the salience network (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, periaqueductal gray, BNST). Conversely, after risk-diminishing avoidance, characterized by reduced reward prospects, we observed more negative tracking of reward magnitude in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. These findings shed light on the temporal dynamics of approach-avoidance decision-making. Importantly, they demonstrate the role of subcortical integration of reward and threat information in balancing approach and avoidance, challenging theories positing predominantly separate subcortical processing prior to cortical integration.

CMC-Na and Laponite dual network reinforced P (AM-co-NVCL) hydrogel with pH/temperature dual sensitivity

In this paper, poly (acrylamide-co-N-vinylcaprolactam) [poly(AM-co-NVCL)] hydrogels were modified by aqueous solution polymerization using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) and Laponite. Their properties were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), rheological testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling kinetics showed that the equilibrium swelling ratio of the xerogel was influenced by the monomer ratio, crosslinking agent, and modifier content. As the Laponite and CMC-Na content increased, the compressive strength of the composite hydrogel increased, while the elongation at break decreased. The modified composite hydrogel exhibited dual sensitivity to pH and temperature. DSC and rheological tests indicated that CMC-Na functioned as a physical crosslinking agent in the system, and with the increase in CMC-Na content, the crosslinking effect was enhanced. SEM demonstrated that the addition of Laponite and CMC-Na increased the number of pores in the hydrogel and decreased the pore size.

Review of Hydrogen Sulfide Based on Its Activity Mechanism and Fluorescence Sensing

The significance of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in biological research is covered in detail in this work. H2S is a crucial gas-signaling molecule that is involved in a wide range of illnesses and biological processes. Whether H2S has a beneficial therapeutic effect or negative pathological toxicity in an organism depends on changes in its concentration. A novel approach to treatment is the regulation of H2S production by medications or other measures. Furthermore, H2S is a useful marker for disease assessment because of its dual nature and sensitivity. We can better understand the onset and progression of disease by developing probes to track changes in H2S concentration based on the nucleophilicity, reducing properties, and metal coordination properties of H2S. This will aid in diagnosis and treatment. These results demonstrate the enormous potential of H2S in the detection and management of disease. Future studies should concentrate on clarifying the relationship between diseases and the mechanism of action of H2S in organisms. Ultimately, this work opens new possibilities for disease diagnosis and treatment while highlighting the significance of H2S in biological research. Future clinical practice and medical advancements will benefit greatly from our thorough understanding of the mechanism of action and therapeutic applications of H2S.

Structural damage identification based on dual sensitivity analysis from optimal sensor placement

Structural damage identification (SDI) methods using incomplete modal information can avoid the extension for unmeasured degrees of freedom, but the absence of essential damage information often leads to the failure of SDI. To address this problem, a novel SDI method based on dual sensitivity analysis and optimal sensors placement technique is proposed in this study. Firstly, in the optimal sensor placement technique, an improved eigenvector sensitivity method combined with weighted modal kinetic energy is proposed, which enables the acquisition of eigenvector information related to damage sensitivity, and incorporates it into the modal strain energy sensitivity matrix to obtain the dual sensitivity analysis matrix. Then, the sparsity of structural damage is considered, and the L1 sparse regularization is selected and introduced into the dual sensitivity analysis damage equation for better SDI results. Finally, to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method, a series of numerical simulations and experimental verifications were carried out under different structural damage scenarios. The results indicate that the proposed method can efficiently localize and quantify the structural damage with minimal modal information in one single step.

Simultaneous measurement of surface velocity and plasma density with interferometric velocimetry.

The apparent velocity measured by an interferometric surface velocimeter is a function of both the surface velocity and the time derivative of the refractive index along the measurement path. We employed this dual sensitivity to simultaneously measure km/s surface velocities and 1018cm-3 average plasma densities with combined VISAR (velocity interferometer system for any reflector) and PDV (photonic Doppler velocimetry) measurements in experiments performed on the Z Pulsed Power Facility. We detail the governing equations, associated assumptions, and analysis specifics and show that the surface velocity can be extracted without knowledge of the specific plasma density profile.

Femtosecond laser etching C-type fiber optic vernier sensor for seawater temperature and salinity measurements

In this work, we demonstrate a dual C-type fiber optic vernier sensor based on femtosecond laser etching for measuring seawater temperature and salinity. The C-type fibers are etched using femtosecond laser microfabrication technology on hollow-core fibers (HCF), including temperature and salinity cavities. The seawater can fully flow into the salinity cavity as a sensing medium, and the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is filled into the temperature cavity as a sensitizing medium. Combined with the vernier effect, dual parameter high sensitivity simultaneous measurement is achieved. Through simulation and experimental testing, the sensor can achieve high sensitivity measurement of seawater salinity and temperature, with sensitivities of −2.69 nm/‰ and −4.54 nm/℃, respectively. In the stability tests of salinity and temperature, the maximum interference wavelength shifts are 0.52 nm and 0.64 nm, respectively. In the repeated measurement experiment, the maximum deviation of sensitivity for salinity cavity and temperature cavity measurements are 0.03 nm/‰ and 0.18 nm/℃, respectively, indicating that the structure has good measurement stability and repeatability. This sensor has the advantages of strong stability, good repeatability, and low cost, which can be used as a new type of sensor to achieve high-sensitivity detection of seawater parameters.

Highly Selective Isomerization of Glucose to Fructose through a Biphasic and Recyclable Mimetic Enzyme Catalyst

AbstractDeveloping a biphasic catalyst is of great significance for improving reaction efficiency and its industrial application. Herein a novel biphasic catalyst containing three functional groups of chlorophenol, amino and carboxyl was synthesized and used as mimic glucose isomerase to catalyze the isomerization. The mimic enzyme exhibited excellent catalytic performance for isomerization of glucose to fructose under mild conditions. Temperature and pH of solution showed significant influence on the conversion of glucose and the selectivity of fructose. The yield and selectivity of fructose reached 32.4 % and 91.0 % after reacting 2 h, respectively, at pH 9.5 and 90 °C. The solubility of the catalyst exhibited dual sensitivity to both pH and temperature. The catalyst was in a soluble state during the reaction process and could be precipitated by reducing the pH and temperature of the reaction system. The catalyst could be reused and still maintained good catalytic activity after five consecutive cycles.

Hydrogels with dual sensitivity to temperature and pH in physiologically relevant ranges as supports for versatile controlled cell detachment

Thermosensitive hydrogels based on the N-vinyl caprolactam (VCL), capable of allowing for cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as non-aggressive detachment by controlled temperature drop, were functionalized with 23 % or lower molar percentages of the cationizable hydrophobic unit 2-(diisopropylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DPAEMA), to obtain networks with dual sensitivity to temperature and pH. The swelling analysis of the systems has shown a transition pK (pKb) close to physiological values, dependent on the temperature of the medium (pKb of 6.6 and 6.9 when the temperature of the medium is above and below the transition temperature VPTT, respectively) and little dependence on the degree of functionalization of DPAEMA. In addition, at temperatures below the transition temperature (VPTT), the systems have shown large swelling variations as a function of the pH (i.e. below and above the pKb), exhibiting greater absorption capacity at pHs below pKb, where the DPAEMA units are cationized. Cytocompatibility and transplant capacity have been evaluated using the C166-GFP endothelial cell line. None of the thermosensitive hydrogels with variable DPAEMA content showed a delay with respect to the control without DPAEMA neither in terms of adhesion nor in proliferation. However, by increasing the percentage of DPAEMA functionalization -and decreasing thermosensitivity-, a correlative decrease in mitochondrial activity was obtained in the transplant, with significant differences for the hydrogels with DPAEMA molar percentage of 3 % or higher. Taking advantage of the proximity of the pKb to the physiological value, we have evaluated the cellular response and the capacity for transplantation after lowering the pH to 6.5, below pKb. A direct relationship of the DPAEMA functionalization degree on the detachment efficiency was observed, since the hydrogels with the highest molar load of DPAEMA showed higher mitochondrial metabolic activity after cell detachment.

A skin-wearable and self-powered laminated pressure sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerator for monitoring human motion

Flexible and skin-wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as promising candidates for self-powered tactile and pressure sensors and mechanical energy harvesters due to their compatible design and ability to operate at low frequencies. Most research has focused on improving tribo-negative materials for flexible TENGs, given the limited options for tribo-positive materials. Achieving biocompatibility while maintaining the sensitivity and capability of energy harvesting is another critical issue for wearable sensors. Here, we report a TENG-based biocompatible and self-powered pressure sensor by simple fabrication of layer-by-layer deposition methods. The Laminated Flexible-TENG comprises polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) films embedded within a flexible and biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. A nanostructured PDMS surface obtained by oxygen plasma facilitated the sputter deposition of a layered indium tin oxide copper electrode and a tribo-positive PMMA thin layer on top. The addition of the indium tin oxide layer to copper significantly improved the quality and performance of the indium tin oxide-copper electrode. Self-powered Laminated Flexible-TENGs demonstrated impressive pressure-sensing capabilities, featuring dual sensitivity of 7.287 V/kPa for low pressure and 0.663 V/kPa for higher pressure. Moreover, the PDMS-encapsulated TENG sensor effectively traced the physiological motions, such as wrist and finger bending, and efficiently harnessed the waste energy from everyday physical activities, such as walking and jogging. The maximum peak-to-peak voltages of 18.3 and 57.4 V were recorded during these motions. Encapsulated TENGs have broad potential in wearable technology, including healthcare, human-machine interfaces, and energizing microelectronics.

Dual nonionic photoacids synergistically enhanced photosensitivity for chemical amplified resists

In this paper, 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl methacrylate (MONMA) was copolymerized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and tert-butyl methacrylate (TBMA) to obtain the terpolymer with dual sensitivity of ultraviolet (UV) light and acid, P(MONMA-HEMA-TBMA). The nonionic photosensitive ester, 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl p-toluene sulfonate (MONS), is designed and synthesized as the prime photoacid generator (PAG) because of excellent photoacid generating capability of MONS and the similar substituted structure between MONS and MONMA. The ester groups in MONS PAG small molecules and the MONMA units of P(MONMA-HEMA-TBMA) disintegrate under UV irradiation to generate free diffused sulfonic acids and localized carboxylic acids, respectively. Both free and localized acids facilitate the subsequent acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of TBMA adjacent to MONMA units to induce exponential growth of carboxylic acids. Therefore, the hydrolyzed polymers containing high-content carboxylic acids become soluble in the alkaline developer. Hydrophilic HEMA is introduced to the photoresist resin to improve the interfacial affinity between the resist and the substrate. Dual synergy effect from free photoacid generator MONS and polymerized photoacid unit MONMA enhances photoacid generation and accelerates acid proliferation, which enables the decreased exposure dose and lower content of free photoacid generator MONS. A series of novel chemical amplification photoresists with various methacrylate monomer ratios are designed and synthesized to optimize the photolithographic effect of photoresist resin. The UV photolithography results demonstrate that the distinct exposed patterns are obtained at a low exposure dose using the photoresist formulation with P(MONMA50-HEMA19-TBMA31) and MONS of 9:1 w/w.

Selenium-containing metallodrug overcomes cervical cancer radioresistance through physical-chemical dual sensitization.

Radiotherapy is an important treatment for cervical cancer, but the efficacy of radiotherapy is often reduced in clinical practice owing to high frequency and high dose radiation leading to radiotherapy resistance. The development of efficient and low-toxicity radiotherapy sensitizers to reduce radiation dose is an effective strategy. Therefore, based on the existing radiotherapy sensitizers responding to radiophysical sensitization radiotherapy, we propose to design radiotherapy sensitizers with enzyme-mimicking and dual physical-chemical sensitization properties. In this work, we constructed Ru-Se complexes with cytochrome P450 enzyme-mimicking properties. On the one hand, the high concentration of ROS in tumor cells, along with the complexes, catalyzed the oxidation of intracellular active substances, breaking the redox balance of the cells and chemically sensitizing radiotherapy; on the other hand, the high atomic numbers of ruthenium and selenium responded to X-rays and physically sensitized radiotherapy. Experimental results demonstrated that the Ru-Se complexes can efficiently mimic cytochrome P450 enzyme activity and simultaneously respond to radiation dual sensitization radiotherapy, causing the expression of intracellular DNA damage response proteins. Thus, inhibition of repair protein expression overcomes radiotherapy resistance. This work provides a new idea for the development of efficient radiation sensitizers in the future.

Dual-Sensitive Carbohydrate-Based Nanosystem for Targeted Drug Delivery to Potentiate the Therapeutic Efficacy of Ulcerative Colitis.

Conventional oral formulations for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment are less than satisfactory, due to the poor controllability of drug release and lack of specificity to the inflammation sites in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. To overcome these limitations, we developed a multiple carbohydrate-based nanosystem with pH/ROS dual responsibility and charge-mediated targeting ability for IBD-specific drug delivery. In view of the overproduction of ROS and overexpression of cationic proteins in the inflammatory colon, the designed nanosystem was composed of oxidation-sensitive cyclodextrin (OX-CD), chitosan (CS) and pectin (AHP). OX-CD was utilized to load dexamethasone (DM) by the solvent evaporation method. CS and AHP with opposite charges were sequentially coated onto OX-CD to generate the nanosystems by the electrostatic self-assembly method. The physicochemical properties, stability, dual-sensitive drug release behavior, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake and anti-inflammatory activity were investigated in vitro. In vivo bio-distribution and therapeutic efficacy of the nanosystem were further evaluated in the ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. The obtained AHP/CS/OX-CD-DM nanosystem (ACOC-DM) could maintain stability under the GI pH environments, and release drug in the inflammatory colon with pH/ROS sensitivity. Dual polysaccharide-coated ACOC-DM exhibited higher cellular uptake and anti-inflammatory efficacy in macrophages than single polysaccharide-coated CS/OX-CD-DM nanosystem (COC-DM). Orally administrated ACOC-DM could enhance inflammation targeting ability and therapeutic efficacy of DM in the UC mice. This carbohydrate-based nanosystem with pH/ROS dual sensitivity and inflammation targeting capacity may serve as a safe and versatile nanoplatform for IBD therapy.

Metronidazole-modified Au@BSA nanocomposites for dual sensitization of radiotherapy in solid tumors.

The hypoxic microenvironment of solid tumors can lead to reduced therapeutic DNA damage to the tumor cells, thus diminishing tumor sensitivity to radiotherapy. Although hypoxic radiosensitizers can improve radiotherapy efficacy by enhancing the role of oxygen, their effects are limited by the uneven distribution of oxygen within solid tumor tissues. In this study, a novel radiosensitizer via leveraging gold complexes and metronidazole (MN) was synthesized to improve radiotherapeutic efficacy. The gold atoms incorporated in the radiosensitizer enabled efficient deposition of high-energy radiation; the hydrophobic metronidazole was reduced to hydrophilic aminoimidazole under hypoxia conditions and further promoted radiotherapy sensitization. The results of CCK-8 assays, Live/Dead assays, γ-H2AX immunofluorescence indicated that metronidazole-modified Au@BSA nanocomposites (NCs) exhibited excellent antitumor effects. The in vivo antitumor tests further showed an inhibition rate of 100%. These results demonstrated that the NCs successfully enhanced radiotherapy efficacy by the dual sensitization strategy. Overall, we believe this multimodal radiosensitizing nanocomplex can significantly inhibit tumor growth and metastasis, with their hypoxia-oriented characteristics ensuring a higher efficacy and safety.

Dual sensitization enhancement in cavity optomechanics for ultra-high resolution temperature sensing

Dual sensitization enhancement in cavity optomechanics for ultra-high resolution temperature sensing

Human Serum Albumin-Oxaliplatin (Pt(IV)) prodrug nanoparticles with dual reduction sensitivity as effective nanomedicine for triple-negative breast cancer

Nanomedicines have emerged as a potential strategy to reduce the toxic effect of drugs administered via conventional approaches. Nanomedicines undergo passive and active targeting of the tumor tissues, thereby causing localized drug delivery and reducing drug demand and side effects. Here, we prepared reduction-sensitive oxaliplatin-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles with a small size, uniform surfaces, and a satisfactory encapsulation coefficient. The findings of cellular studies demonstrate that utilizing human serum albumin is effective for active tumor targeting. The presence of glutathione-sensitive disulfide linkers in the crosslinking agent and between Pt(IV) and HSA provided dual reduction sensitivity. Cytotoxicity and cell death were enhanced compared to free Oxaliplatin. The outcomes demonstrate that the approach maximized Oxaliplatin's ability to control tumor growth, induced apoptosis, and reduced drug resistance. Therefore, for the first time, our results imply that OXA-SS-HSA NPs were biocompatible, smart, and effective anticancer nanomedicine for triple-negative breast cancer therapy.

A novel adhesive dual-sensitive hydrogel for sustained release of exosomes derived from M2 macrophages promotes repair of bone defects

The repair of bone defects remains a huge clinical challenge. M2 macrophage-derived exosomes (M2-Exos) can act as immunomodulators to promote fracture healing; however, how to retain the sustained release of exosomes to the target area remains a challenge. Here, we report a composite hydrogel loaded with M2-Exos aiming to accelerate bone defect healing. It was verified that the F127/HA-NB hydrogel had a dense network structure, tissue adhesiveness, and dual sensitivity to temperature and light. F127/HA-NB loaded with M2-Exos (M2-Exos@F127/HA-NB) exhibited good biocompatibility and achieved sustained release of exosomes for up to two weeks. The study showed that both M0-Exos and M2-Exos@F127/HA-NB significantly promoted osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. The mechanism study implied that M2-Exos activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Finally, we evaluated the osteogenetic effects of M2-Exos@F127/HA-NB in a rat cranial defect model, and the results showed that M2-Exos@F127/HA-NB had superior bone regeneration-promoting effects. This study provides a new strategy for cell-free treatment of bone defects.