Exciting Discoveries Research Articles

Valley manipulation by external fields in two-dimensional materials and their hybrid systems.

Investigating two-dimensional (2D) valleytronic materials opens a thrilling new chapter in physics and facilitates the emergence of pioneering technologies. Nevertheless, this nascent field faces substantial challenges, primarily attributed to the inherent issue of valley energy degeneracy and the scarcity of ferrovalley materials. To break these constraints, the application of external stimuli has become pivotal for both eliciting and fine-tuning the valley properties inherent to these 2D systems. This paper thoroughly examines the recent advancements in modulating the valley properties of 2D valleytronic materials using external fields, encompassing a wide array of configurations from monolayers and bilayers to intricate heterostructures. We hope that this overview will inspire more exciting discoveries and significantly propel the evolution of valleytronics within the realm of 2D materials researchs.&#xD.

A history of multiple Denisovan introgression events in modern humans.

The identification of a new hominin group in the Altai mountains called Denisovans was one of the most exciting discoveries in human evolution in the last decade. Unlike Neanderthal remains, the Denisovan fossil record consists of only a finger bone, jawbone, teeth and skull fragments. Leveraging the surviving Denisovan segments in modern human genomes has uncovered evidence of at least three introgression events from distinct Denisovan populations into modern humans in the past. Each of them presents different levels of relatedness to the sequenced Altai Denisovan, indicating a complex relationship between these sister lineages. Here we review the evidence suggesting that several Denisovan populations, who likely had an extensive geographical range, were adapted to distinct environments and introgressed into modern humans multiple times. We further discuss how archaic variants have been affected by demographic history, negative and positive selection and close by proposing possible new lines of future research.

Embracing disorder in quantum materials design

Many of the most exciting materials discoveries in fundamental condensed matter physics are made in systems hosting some degree of intrinsic disorder. While disorder has historically been regarded as something to be avoided in materials design, it is often of central importance to correlated and quantum materials. This is largely driven by the conceptual and theoretical ease to handle, predict, and understand highly uniform systems that exhibit complex interactions, symmetries, and band structures. In this Perspective, we highlight how flipping this paradigm has enabled exciting possibilities in the emerging field of high entropy materials, focusing primarily on high entropy oxide and chalcogenide quantum materials. These materials host high levels of cation or anion compositional disorder while maintaining unexpectedly uniform single crystal lattices. The diversity of atomic scale interactions of spin, charge, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom are found to emerge into coherent properties on much larger length scales. Thus, altering the variance and magnitudes of the atomic scale properties through elemental selection can open new routes to tune global correlated phases, such as magnetism, metal–insulator transitions, ferroelectricity, and even emergent topological responses. The strategy of embracing disorder in this way provides a much broader pallet from which functional states can be designed for next-generation microelectronic and quantum information systems.

TcESTIME: predicting high-temperature hydrogen-based superconductors

Superconductivity can be considered among the most exciting discoveries in material science of the XXth century. However, the hard conditions for the synthesis and the difficult characterization, make the statement...

Design and Optical Performance of a Single-Junction GaAs Nanowire-Ge Solar Cell

Solar cells are one of the most effective methods available for energy harvesting and are constructed from a variety of materials. In recent years, the use of novel materials for low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaics has been one of the most exciting breakthroughs. This study conducted an in-depth investigation into the optical characteristics of GaAs nanowires on a Ge bottom cell. Geometric optimization of nanowires is necessary to increase solar cell performance metrics. The absorption efficiency per unit volume was considerably boosted over its traditional bulk and thin-film counterparts as a result of inherent antireflection, intensive stimulation of resonant modes, and optical antenna effects. A 3D FDTD framework was used to acquire optical properties and incorporate numerical values. Under typical AM 1.5G illumination, the diameter of GaAs nanowires was optimized to 170 nm.

Electrically-pumped compact topological bulk lasers driven by band-inverted bound states in the continuum

One of the most exciting breakthroughs in physics is the concept of topology that was recently introduced to photonics, achieving robust functionalities, as manifested in the recently demonstrated topological lasers. However, so far almost all attention was focused on lasing from topological edge states. Bulk bands that reflect the topological bulk-edge correspondence have been largely missed. Here, we demonstrate an electrically pumped topological bulk quantum cascade laser (QCL) operating in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. In addition to the band-inversion induced in-plane reflection due to topological nontrivial cavity surrounded by a trivial domain, we further illustrate the band edges of such topological bulk lasers are recognized as the bound states in the continuum (BICs) due to their nonradiative characteristics and robust topological polarization charges in the momentum space. Therefore, the lasing modes show both in-plane and out-of-plane tight confinements in a compact laser cavity (lateral size ~3λlaser). Experimentally, we realize a miniaturized THz QCL that shows single-mode lasing with a side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) around 20 dB. We also observe a cylindrical vector beam for the far-field emission, which is evidence for topological bulk BIC lasers. Our demonstration on miniaturization of single-mode beam-engineered THz lasers is promising for many applications including imaging, sensing, and communications.

NGS and Mutational Profile Analysis of Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC)

Abstract: Computational analysis imitates the functioning of biological information systems to anticipate and offer novel perspectives on the biological realm. Genome sequencing analysis interactive techniques with the aim of improving the standards of cancer patient, has progressed greatly over the last decades, and is now considered to be one of the major scientific fields that promote innovation in the technology and healthcare sectors. In the field of bioinformatics, the first widespread application of data analysis was the creation of the first collection of systematic data representing the genome sequences of the eukaryotic organisms, termed as the eukaryotic genome, or the "de novo" genome. Tumor suppressor proteins are a class of proteins that are involved in preventing cancer from occurring. Several tumor suppressor proteins have been found to be mutated in certain forms of cancer, resulting in the loss of their tumor suppressing properties. Lung cancer develops when normal lung cells change, or mutate, in a way that alters their natural growth and death cycle, resulting in unregulated cell division that produces too many cells.Deep sequence analysis of non-small cell lung cancer and integrated analysis of gene expression. Understanding the biology of cancer is required to improve patient outcomes. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a powerful tool for whole genome characterization, enabling comprehensive exploration and understanding of the complex interactions between genes, proteins and their environment. NGS in the field of oncology is still in its infancy and the wealth of data that it is capable of generating is revolutionizing our understanding of cancer. ORFs have led to many exciting discoveries in the field of oncology, including the identification of tumor suppressor proteins. One of the most exciting recent discoveries is in the field of tumor suppressor proteins. Tumor suppressor proteins are proteins that play a role in the regulation of cell proliferation and division. Mutations in certain tumor suppressor genes cause cancer, and as a result, a great deal of research has gone into the identification of new tumor suppressor genes

Regulation of ROCK1/2 by long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs in different cancer types.

Recent breakthroughs in high-throughput technologies have enabled the development of a better understanding of the functionalities of rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs) under various physiological and pathological conditions. Since their discovery in the late 1990s, ROCKs have attracted the attention of interdisciplinary researchers due to their ability to pleiotropically modulate a myriad of cellular mechanisms. A rapidly growing number of published studies have started to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the regulation of ROCK1 and ROCK2 via long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in different types of cancer. Detailed analyses have suggested that lncRNAs may be characteristically divided into oncogenic and tumor suppressor lncRNAs. Several exciting recent discoveries have also indicated how different lncRNAs and circRNAs modulate ROCK1/2 and mediate multistep cancer onset and progression. The present review chronicles the major advances that have been made in our understanding of the regulatory role of ROCK1/2 in different types of cancer, and how wide-ranging lncRNAs and circRNAs potentiate ROCK-driven signaling by blocking the targeting activities of tumor suppressor microRNAs.

Scientific Findings: The Amazing use of Essential Oils and their Related Terpenes as Natural Preservatives to Improve the ShelfLife of Food

There is growing legislation against the use of synthetic and chemical food preservatives as antimicrobials. Therefore, it is essential to discover and develop alternative safe and natural techniques for controlling food-borne and spoilage bacteria, fungi and yeast in and through food. Worldwide studies carried out on essential oils (EOs) have motivated scientists to focus their interest toward the research of botanical antimicrobials. It is obvious that the application of EOs and their derivatives has been widely described and used against a wide range of food-borne and food spoilage microorganisms. Research on the use of EOs as natural preservatives in the food industry is still in the “childhood” step with more exciting and promising discoveries to come. Still, the findings are extremely encouraging and suggest that EOs or their characteristic chemical compounds (thymol, carvacrol, linalool, citral, citronellol, geraniol, eucalyptol, geranyl acetate and limonene) can replace chemical food preservatives and create all-natural, safe, and tasty food products with a long shelf-life.

Oceans Away

Oceans Away David Gessner David Gessner, essay, ocean, Miami ________ The dolphins cut back and forth in front of our bow, rolling and jumping and twisting. They spotted our boat and began to chase it as we chased false albacore, and before we knew it a half dozen of them had caught up with us and were darting through the slipstream of our bow. The three of us on the boat are laughing and smiling and pointing. The dolphins seem like sleek packages of exhilaration. Joy embodied. It is November 2, 2021, and this is the first stop in a trip south to Florida that I am taking with my frequent traveling companion and old friend Mark Honerkamp. Hones, as I have forever called him, lives to fish and today he is in heaven. We launched from the dock in front of my friend Douglas's house. Douglas Cutting, a former student of mine and former fishing guide, is part owner of an old but beautifully restored wooden house that stares out at the Intracoastal Waterway in McClellanville, South Carolina, a small fishing village about three hours south of Wilmington, North Carolina, where I live. Before the day is over Hones and Douglas will have caught spotted sea-trout, red snapper, black sea bass, gag grouper, pinfish, and an oyster toadfish. The fish they don't catch, the false albacore, or albies, will provide them the most excitement, rippling the surface with their sleek backs as they devour pods of baitfish, but refusing to take the lures we offer. Even I, a nonfisherman, get into the pursuit of the albies, standing up as the lookout in the crow's nest as I scan the waters with my binoculars. On top of all the fish we are treated to the sight of bald eagles, a loggerhead turtle, and a vast variety of birds from scoters to little blue herons. But for me it is the sight of the dolphins bowriding that will remain the day's highlight. When we first moved to Wilmington, I told people that I felt like I had moved onto the set of Flipper. One of the best things about moving south was suddenly having dolphins as neighbors. It turned out that my new home was not just the center for a large community of dolphins, but a hotbed of dolphin research. One of the most exciting discoveries was recently made by three scientists, [End Page 9] one of whom, Laela Sayigh, lived only a twenty-minute paddle from me when I first moved South. Laela coauthored a paper that concluded that bottlenose dolphins convey identity information with individually distinctive signature whistles. This may not seem particularly eye-opening until you stop and think that this is just a fancy scientific way of saying that they call each other by name. There are those who deny the world beyond the human. But face to face with dolphins it is harder. ________ I have spent the last year traveling to places where the climate crisis has hit hard, and have been writing as I go, but have somehow failed to mention the large, wet elephant in the room. That is, I have mostly ignored the three-quarters of the globe that is covered by water. Thematically there is no excuse for this, but stylistically there is. I have tried to make climate small and personal, and what is larger and less personal than an ocean? But if the ocean's story is large and impersonal, it is also vital. And if we are overheating the world, this is where most of the heat is going. The heat and acidification of our ocean waters do not get the big headlines. Yet. Dolphins, I suppose, are one way of making the watery and vague more specific. But if the oceans go, so do they. After Douglas has docked and cleaned the boat, we stand around the kitchen island and drink cold beer while feasting on the fish we have caught and on the stone crabs he has prepared. We are joined by Greg, another of the house's co-owners, and his friend Drew, who has served as Greg's...

Odours count: human olfactory ecology appears to be helpful in the improvement of the sense of smell

Odours modify human behaviour. Research in this field develops rapidly, providing more and more exciting discoveries. In this context, our daily odorous environment has been surprisingly poorly explored. The aim of our study was to quantify olfactory perception and preliminarily identify factors affecting the frequency of odorous experiences. We were also interested in knowing whether human olfactory ecology relates with olfactory performance. In this study, patients with olfactory deficits (n = 62) and healthy controls (n = 97) had their olfactory threshold and odour identification abilities measured before and after a two-week intervention comprising counting of conscious perception of odours naturally occurring in the environment. In both groups, we observed enhanced olfactory performance after the intervention suggesting that (1) the conscious focus on odours may change its perception, and that (2) social and physical environment can effectively stimulate the human olfactory system, presumably supporting the improvement of olfactory sensitivity.

Capturing the variation in language experience to understand language processing and learning

Abstract A goal of early research on language processing was to characterize what is universal about language. Much of the past research focused on native speakers because the native language has been considered as providing privileged truths about acquisition, comprehension, and production. Populations or circumstances that deviated from these idealized norms were of interest but not regarded as essential to our understanding of language. In the past two decades, there has been a marked change in our understanding of how variation in language experience may inform the central and enduring questions about language. There is now evidence for significant plasticity in language learning beyond early childhood, and variation in language experience has been shown to influence both language learning and processing. In this paper, we feature what we take to be the most exciting recent new discoveries suggesting that variation in language experience provides a lens into the linguistic, cognitive, and neural mechanisms that enable language processing.

CORR Insights®: How Common Are Chronic Residual Limb Pain, Phantom Pain, and Back Pain More Than 20 Years After Lower Limb Amputation for Malignant Tumors?

Where Are We Now? Surgeons have changed how they manage patients with malignant tumors of the extremities over the last four decades, with the largest transition being the switch to limb salvage rather than amputation for the large majority of patients with bone sarcomas [8, 10, 12]. Indeed, modern day decision-making generally favors limb salvage in the absence of a specific contraindication [8]. Still, because some patients will undergo amputations, surgeons continue to try to improve how we perform these procedures. Areas of focus include amputation techniques as well as methods of preventing phantom limb pain and neuromas; generally, these studies focus on patient-reported outcomes and healthcare-related quality of life [3, 13]. Some of the more exciting discoveries have been on the topic of preventing nerve-related pain using targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) [6], regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNI) [5], as well as other neuroma revision and prevention concepts. The current study by Döring et al. [2] is important because it focuses on the long-term outcomes and complications from the subset of patients who may not be good candidates for limb salvage. Where Do We Need To Go? Nerve-associated pain and associated sequelae can lead to poor functional outcomes and decreased mobility and prosthetic use. Research focused on minimizing these complications is an essential next step to improving function and quality of life for patients with sarcoma and limb loss. Although TMR was originally conceived of to allow autonomous zones for myoelectric prosthesis use in the upper extremity, the added benefit of decreased phantom limb pain and neuroma formation has made it an appealing technique for the lower extremity as well. A concern for TMR is that a specialized team is usually required to complete the procedure and it can increase OR time [5, 6]. RPNI has also shown excellent potential for prevention of these same nerve-related sequelae [5], and it is technically simpler and potentially easier for a wider range of surgeons. While TMR seems to have the best outcomes, it may not be a reality for widespread clinical use (due to the need for specialized teams to perform the procedure). In contrast, RPNI may be more practical because it can be performed by a non-hand surgery–trained surgeon. Well-designed studies looking at the two techniques prospectively are still needed. We also need to determine the impact each technique has on long-term pain and amputee function. Döring et al. [2] provide long-term functional and quality-of-life data for patients with amputation, which can serve as a baseline for future studies focused on amputation techniques. A large proportion of amputation-related studies focus on populations with the highest rates of amputation. This includes older patients with diabetes- or peripheral vascular disease–related complications [3, 13] as well as military and traumatic amputations [4, 11]. While these data are valuable, younger patients with sarcoma are quite different than those patient populations. Therefore, future research should focus on this younger patient group since those who survive their tumors would be expected to have both long life expectancy and high functional demands [9]. How Do We Get There? Due to the rarity of amputation for sarcoma in a younger population, a well-designed multicenter study comparing TMR and RPNI techniques would be a valuable collaborative effort. One study [1], which was the largest oncologic cohort to date (31 patients from a single institution treated with TMR for oncologic amputation), found that on short-term follow-up (1 year), the study group compared favorably to the control group, whose data were collected from a national amputee database. Building off of this study, researchers should compare TMR versus RPNI in a prospective study and include patient-reported as well as functional outcomes with a focus on prosthesis use [7]. Patient-reported outcomes and prosthesis use can be compared at 1, 3, and 5 years to definitively compare the techniques. Modern day prosthetic fitting and technology use should be integrated into this study, as well as a detailed cost analysis that examines the differences in resource requirements for the two techniques.

Review of Deep Learning Algorithms in Computational biochemistry

Biochemistry actually is a fertile pool of resources, including modeling, DL and optimization techniques for chemical data and associated phenomena. Computational Biochemistry is a very effective entity. These include rapid literature research, physical and quantum chemical propaganda analyzes, transition states, chemical structures, chemical reactions as well as new catalysts and candidates for drugs. DL algorithms can integrate raw input into intermediary layers of features and successfully fit the desired compound into optimum combinations. This review study introduces a series of biochemical applications with the most exciting discoveries involving the use of DL in wide range of applications such as Modeling bio-processes, algorithms and methods to promote the design and synthesis of bio compounds, material design, binding forecasting and molecular activity are given special importance.

Hematite concretions from the Late Jurassic Jhuran sandstone, Kutch, western India: Implications for sedimentary diagenesis and origin of “blueberries” on Mars

The discovery of iron-bearing concretions is one of the most exciting discoveries in the recent past on Mars. We report here an analog terrestrial site hosting hematite-bearing concretions belonging to Jhuran sandstone, Kutch, India. Based on petrography, mineralogy, geochemistry and spectral studies (Visible Near Infrared: VNIR and Mössbauer), we show very good similarity between the Jhuran concretions and the “Martian blueberries”. The Jhuran and Martian concretions share similar textural attributes and are of comparable size, but are geochemically different. Based on VNIR study, the mineralogy of the concretions is constrained to comprise hematite, goethite and kaolinite; however, Mössbauer spectra could not detect the pure hematite phase, and instead, suggest the presence of a poorly crystalline mixture of goetheite and hematite. Thus, the Jhuran concretions are most commonly mixtures of goethite and hematite, and not pure hematite. The enrichment of Ni within concretions as compared to the host sandstones is also comparable with the reported Ni-enrichment of Martian concretions. We propose sedimentary diagenesis as the most feasible process that can explain incorporation of Ni into the concretions by coupled substitution in the iron oxide structure. This is inconsistent with the cosmic spherule hypothesis to explain Martian concretion formation, and instead, sedimentary diagenetic processes appear more likely.Finally, the morphology, texture, geochemistry and spectroscopic investigations suggest that the Jhuran iron concretions most likely formed due to sedimentary diagenetic processes, similar to inferences from other Martian analogue localities. Therefore, this study has relevance for understanding the formation processes of Martian blueberries and diagenetic processes on Mars. The Kutch area also has geological similarity with other aspects of ancient Mars and could be a potential testing site for carrying out future Mars exploration studies on Earth.

Detection of Long Non-coding RNA Expression by Non-radioactive Northern Blots.

With the advances in sequencing technology and transcriptome analysis, it is estimated that up to 75% of the human genome is transcribed into RNAs. This finding prompted intensive investigations on the biological functions of non-coding RNAs and led to very exciting discoveries of microRNAs as important players in disease pathogenesis and therapeutic applications. Research on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is in its infancy, yet a broad spectrum of biological regulations has been attributed to lncRNAs. As a novel class of RNA transcripts, the expression level and splicing variants of lncRNAs are various. Northern blot analysis can help us learn about the identity, size, and abundance of lncRNAs. Here we describe how to use northern blot to determine lncRNA abundance and identify different splicing variants of a given lncRNA.

Characterization of Long Non-coding RNA Associated Proteins by RNA-Immunoprecipitation.

With the advances in sequencing technology and transcriptome analysis, it is estimated that up to 75% of the human genome is transcribed into RNAs. This finding prompted intensive investigations on the biological functions of non-coding RNAs and led to very exciting discoveries of microRNAs as important players in disease pathogenesis and therapeutic applications. Research on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is in its infancy, yet a broad spectrum of biological regulations has been attributed to lncRNAs. RNA-immunoprecipitation (RNA-IP) is a technique of detecting the association of individual proteins with specific RNA molecules in vivo. It can be used to investigate lncRNA-protein interaction and identify lncRNAs that bind to a protein of interest. Here we describe the protocol of this assay with detailed materials and methods.

A light way for nuclear cell biologists.

The nucleus is a very complex organelle present in eukaryotic cells. Having the crucial task to safeguard, organize and manage the genetic information, it must tightly control its molecular constituents, its shape and its internal architecture at any given time. Despite our vast knowledge of nuclear cell biology, much is yet to be unravelled. For instance, only recently we came to appreciate the existence of a dynamic nuclear cytoskeleton made of actin filaments that regulates processes such as gene expression, DNA repair and nuclear expansion. This suggests further exciting discoveries ahead of us. Modern cell biologists embrace a new methodology relying on precise perturbations of cellular processes that require a reversible, highly spatially confinable, rapid, inexpensive and tunEable external stimulus: light. In this review, we discuss how optogenetics, the state-of-the-art technology that uses genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins to steer biological processes, can be adopted to specifically investigate nuclear cell biology.

In Vivo Neuroelectrophysiological Monitoring of Atomically Precise Au25 Clusters at an Ultrahigh Injected Dose.

Atomically precise Au25(SG)18 clusters have shown great promise in near-infrared II cerebrovascular imaging, X-ray imaging, and cancer radiotherapy due to their high atomic number, unique molecular-like electronic structure, and renal clearable properties. Therefore, it is important to study the in vivo toxicity of Au25 clusters. Unfortunately, previous toxicological investigations focused on low injected doses (<100 mg kg–1) and routine research methods, such as blood chemistry and biochemistry, which cannot reflect neurotoxicity or tiny changes in neural activity. In this work, in vivo neuroelectrophysiology of Au25 clusters at ultrahigh injected doses (200, 300, and 500 mg kg–1) was investigated. Local field potential showed that the Au25-treated mice showed a spike in delta rhythm and moved to lower frequency over time. The power spectrum showed a 38.3% reduction in the peak value at 10 h post-injection of Au25 clusters compared with 3 h post-injection, which gradually became close to the normal level, indicating no permanent damage to the nervous system. Moreover, no significant structural changes were found in both neurons and glial cells at the histological level. These results of in vivo neuroelectrophysiology will encourage scientists to make more exciting discoveries on nervous system diseases by employing Au25 clusters even at ultrahigh injected doses.

Methods for the Study of Long Noncoding RNA in Cancer Cell Signaling.

With the advances in sequencing technology and transcriptome analysis, it is estimated that up to 75% of the human genome is transcribed into RNAs. This finding prompted intensive investigations on the biological functions of noncoding RNAs and led to very exciting discoveries of microRNAs as important players in disease pathogenesis and therapeutic applications. Research on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is in its infancy, yet a broad spectrum of biological regulations has been attributed to lncRNAs. Here, we provide a collection of detailed experimental protocols for lncRNA studies, including lncRNA immunoprecipitation, lncRNA pull-down, lncRNA northern blot analysis, lncRNA in situ hybridization, and lncRNA knockdown. We hope that the information included in this chapter can speed up research on lncRNAs biology and eventually lead to the development of clinical applications with lncRNA as novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.