Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Light sheet microscopy and live imaging of plants

Light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) is increasingly used to investigate biological processes in animals as well as in plants. LSFM achieves optical sectioning by the selective illumination of a single plane of the sample with a sheet of laser light while simultaneously recording emitted fluorescence orthogonally to the illumination plane. A 3D image of the sample can then be generated with a temporal resolution ranging from seconds to several days, and at scales ranging from subcellular to whole organ. By design, LSFM provides fast imaging, and low phototoxicity, two key criteria for live imaging under physiological conditions. Despite its potential, LSFM remains underutilized in plant biology. This review aims to highlight challenges of live imaging in plants, to describe key steps in using LSFM on live plant samples and finally at providing an overview of published examples of applications of LSFM in plants.
Degradation of nonmodified and rhodium modified aluminide coating deposited on CMSX 4 superalloy

The Ni‐base superalloy CMSX 4 used in the turbine blades of aircraft engines was coated with rhodium layer (0.5‐μm thick). Next coated CMSX 4 superalloy was aluminized by the CVD method. The rhodium modified aluminide coating and nonmodified aluminide coating were oxidized at 1100°C at the air atmosphere. The rhodium modified aluminide coating showed about twice better oxidation resistance than the nonmodified one. The spallation equal 62% of the total area was observed on the surface of the nonmodified coating whereas only 36% spallation area was observed on the surface of the rhodium modified aluminide coating after the oxidation test. The oxide layer formed on the surface of the nonmodified coating was composed of nonprotective (Ni,Cr)Al2O4 and (Ni,Cr)O phases. Aluminium in the coating reacts with oxygen, forming a protective α‐Al2O3 oxide on the surface of the rhodium modified aluminide coating. When the oxide cracks and spalls due to oxidation, additional aluminium from the coating diffuses to the surface to form the oxide. The presence of protective Al2O3 oxide on the surface of the rhodium modified aluminide coating slows coating degradation. Therefore, rhodium modified aluminide coating has better oxidation resistance than the nonmodified one.
Making microscopy count: quantitative light microscopy of dynamic processes in living plants

Cell theory has officially reached 350 years of age as the first use of the word ‘cell’ in a biological context can be traced to a description of plant material by Robert Hooke in his historic publication ‘Micrographia: or some physiological definitions of minute bodies’. The 2015 Royal Microscopical Society Botanical Microscopy meeting was a celebration of the streams of investigation initiated by Hooke to understand at the subcellular scale how plant cell function and form arises. Much of the work presented, and Honorary Fellowships awarded, reflected the advanced application of bioimaging informatics to extract quantitative data from micrographs that reveal dynamic molecular processes driving cell growth and physiology. The field has progressed from collecting many pixels in multiple modes to associating these measurements with objects or features that are meaningful biologically. The additional complexity involves object identification that draws on a different type of expertise from computer science and statistics that is often impenetrable to biologists. There are many useful tools and approaches being developed, but we now need more interdisciplinary exchange to use them effectively. In this review we show how this quiet revolution has provided tools available to any personal computer user. We also discuss the oft‐neglected issue of quantifying algorithm robustness and the exciting possibilities offered through the integration of physiological information generated by biosensors with object detection and tracking.
Investigation of novel superparamagnetic Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4@albumen nanoparticles for controlled delivery of anticancer drug

In the present work, multifunctional Ni0.5Zn0. 5Fe2O4@albumen (NZF@Alb) and doxorubicin-loaded Ni0.5Zn0. 5Fe2O4@albumen (NZF@Alb-Dox) core–shell nanoparticles have been prepared by a green and simple method using inexpensive chicken egg albumen and have been characterized for different physiochemical properties. The structural, morphological, thermal, and magnetic properties of the prepared nanoparticles have been investigated by an x-ray diffractometer, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques. Superparamagnetic Ni0.5Zn0. 5Fe2O4 nanoparticles (NZF NPs) with the mean size ∼20 nm were coated with albumen matrix by an ultrasonication process. Inverse fast Fourier transform-assisted HRTEM micrographs and FTIR analysis revealed the coating of amorphous albumen on crystalline NZF NPs. NZF@Alb and NZF@Alb-Dox NPs have the mean size (D50) of ∼100 nm, good stability, and magnetic controllability. Magnetic measurements (field (H)-dependent magnetization (M)) show all samples to be super-paramagnetic in nature. Biocompatibilities of the NZF and NZF@Alb NPs were confirmed by in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against RAW 264.7 cells. NZF@Alb NPs have been found to be more biocompatible than bare NZF. In Vitro Dox release behavior from NZF@Alb-Dox NPs has been studied at pH 7.4 and 5, and a sustained and pH-dependent drug release profile were observed. In vitro cytotoxicity or anticancer activity of the blank NZF@Alb NPs, free Dox, and NZF@Alb-Dox NPs against HeLa cells (cancer cell line) were also examined by MTT assay. The obtained results suggest that this scalable egg-albumen-based magnetic nanoformulation is suitable for targeted drug delivery applications. Thus, the present study could be extremely useful for the advancement of albumin-based nanocarrier design and development for biomedical applications such as targeted and controlled delivery of anticancer drugs.
Negative-charge-functionalized carbon nanodot: a low-cost smart cold emitter

Cold emission properties of carbon nanodots (CNDs) evaluated using ANSYS Maxwell software are predicted to be size-dependent and then verified experimentally. In order to correlate the electron emission properties with the size of CNDs, the work function values were determined using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. This is the first report on theoretical calculations based on density functional theory and experimental results that confirm the work function dependency on the charge state of the functional group attached on the particle surface. The smallest CND (2.5 nm) has the highest percentage of negatively charged groups as well as the lowest work function (5.18 eV). The smallest dimension with the lowest work function assures that this sample is the best suited for field emission. It shows excellent field emission properties with a high current density of ∼1.45 mA cm−2 at 2 V μm−1 electric field, turn-on field as low as 0.04 V μm−1, very high field enhancement factor of 2.7 × 105 and high stability. Overall, the zero-dimensional CNDs showed superior field emission activity as compared to the higher dimensional carbon nanomaterials.
The qualitative f‐ratio method applied to electron channelling‐induced x‐ray imaging with an annular silicon drift detector in a scanning electron microscope in the transmission mode

Electron channelling is known to affect the x‐ray production when an accelerated electron beam is applied to a crystalline material and is highly dependent on the local crystal orientation. This effect, unless very long counting time are used, is barely noticeable on x‐ray energy spectra recorded with conventional silicon drift detectors (SDD) located at a small elevation angle. However, the very high count rates provided by the new commercially available annular SDDs permit now to observe this effect routinely and may, in some circumstances, hide the true elemental x‐ray variations due to the local true specimen composition. To circumvent this issue, the recently developed f‐ratio method was applied to display qualitatively the true net intensity x‐ray variations in a thin specimen of a Ti‐6Al‐4V alloy in a scanning electron microscope in transmission mode. The diffraction contrast observed in the x‐ray images was successfully cancelled through the use of f‐ratios and the true composition variations at the grain boundaries could be observed in relation to the dislocation alignment prior to the β‐phase nucleation. The qualitative effectiveness in removing channelling effects demonstrated in this work makes the f‐ratio, in its quantitative form, a possible alternative to the ZAF method in channelling conditions.
A Whitacre-Type Spinal Needle Does Not Prevent Intravascular Injection During Cervical Nerve Root Injections

We present a case of intravascular injection in a 41-year-old female during cervical selective nerve root injection using a 22-gauge 3.5-inch Whitacre-type pencil-point subarachnoid needle with a curve placed at the distal tip positioned using continual live fluoroscopic guidance. After negative aspiration for blood and cerebrospinal fluid and no elicited paresthesias during the procedure, 1 mL of contrast was injected. Initial imaging at C6 captured the outline of the nerve root along with a significant amount of transient vascular runoff. This case report demonstrates that Whitacre-type spinal needles do not prevent vascular injection, and that aspiration of the needle is not a reliable sign of intravascular injection.
The biopsychosocial model in cancer pain

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to provide the reader with an up-to-date overview on the biopsychosocial model in cancer pain. Recent findingsThis review contains articles published from 2012 to 2014, which advance our understanding of biopsychosocial factors related to the cancer pain experience and psychosocial treatment for cancer pain. Greater depression, anxiety, and distress, and lower quality of life are related to greater pain intensity in cancer patients. Recent publications have expanded on this research by examining how psychosocial factors relate to the development of chronic pain conditions after cancer treatment. Recent publications have also advanced our understanding of psychosocial interventions for cancer pain and symptom management. In the last few years, several reviews have emerged, which have found modest effect sizes for psychosocial interventions in cancer pain management. SummaryThe biopsychosocial model is a helpful way to comprehensively approach the conceptualization and treatment of pain in cancer patients at all stages of the disease process. We currently have an established base of research on the importance of biopsychosocial model in cancer pain. Our ability to treat patients with cancer pain effectively will improve as we gain a better understanding of which treatments work for which patients.
Methodology for extraction of space charge density profiles at nanoscale from Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements

To understand the physical phenomena occurring at metal/dielectric interfaces, determination of the charge density profile at nanoscale is crucial. To deal with this issue, charges were injected applying a DC voltage on lateral Al-electrodes embedded in a SiNx thin dielectric layer. The surface potential induced by the injected charges was probed by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). It was found that the KPFM frequency mode is a better adapted method to probe accurately the charge profile. To extract the charge density profile from the surface potential two numerical approaches based on the solution to Poisson’s equation for electrostatics were investigated: the second derivative model method, already reported in the literature, and a new 2D method based on the finite element method (FEM). Results highlight that the FEM is more robust to noise or artifacts in the case of a non-flat initial surface potential. Moreover, according to theoretical study the FEM appears to be a good candidate for determining charge density in dielectric films with thicknesses in the range from 10 nm to 10 μm. By applying this method, the charge density profile was determined at nanoscale, highlighting that the charge cloud remains close to the interface.
Strain-induced enhancement of thermoelectric performance of TiS2 monolayer based on first-principles phonon and electron band structures

Using first-principle calculations combined with Boltzmann transport theory, we investigate the biaxial strain effect on the electronic and phonon thermal transport properties of a 1 T (CdI2-type) structural TiS2 monolayer, a recent experimental two-dimensional (2D) material. It is found that the electronic band structure can be effectively modulated and that the band gap experiences an indirect−direct−indirect transition with increasing tensile strain. The band convergence induced by the tensile strain increases the Seebeck coefficient and the power factor, while the lattice thermal conductivity is decreased under the tensile strain due to the decreasing group velocity and the increasing scattering chances between the acoustic phonon modes and the optical phonon modes, which together greatly increase the thermoelectric performance. The figure of merit can reach 0.95 (0.82) at an 8 percent tensile strain for the p-type (n-type) doping, which is much larger than that without strain. The present work suggests that the TiS2 monolayer is a good candidate for 2D thermoelectric materials, and that biaxial strain is a powerful tool with which to enhance thermoelectric performance.
Improved localized surface plasmon resonance index sensitivity based on chemically-synthesized gold nanoparticles on indium tin oxide surfaces

The results of this reported work indicated that gold nanoparticle arrays self-assembled on indium tin oxide (ITO) glasses can obtain broader localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength range and higher sensitivity than the bare quartz. The results of surface electric field calculated using finite difference time domain showed that the electric field of nanoparticles on ITO glasses is enhanced and the repulsive forces within each particle is weakened. According to the dipolar interaction mechanism, a weakened repulsive forces within each particle lead to a lower resonance frequency and a strong redshift of the LSPR spectra.
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution

Man's insight into his relation to the physical world about him and to the universe of which his planet is a part, albeit a small one, has undergone as complete a change as is possible. Man, having seen himself as a relatively important figure on the face of the earth, lost this primacy when he came to realize that the earth revolved around the sun; and now with vast telescopes and such astonishing things as radioastronomy, we have emphasized more and more that man is very "small potatoes" indeed. In ancient times when travel from one part of the world to another limited if it did not wholly prevent the exchange of ideas and customs, and with the population of cities and countries very much smaller, each individual man was a much larger fraction of the population. He was indeed a more important element in his community than is possible
Modification of graphene oxide films by radiofrequency N2 plasma

The effect of treatment in nitrogen plasma on the properties of partially reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was studied. A comparison is made between two different sample locations in the reaction chamber. It is shown that in the case when rGO films were turned towards the inductor of the plasma system, the etching rate is much higher. Effective nitrogen functionalization of rGO was established in the second position, when the rGO films were turned in the opposite direction. In this case, the nitrogen content increases to 5 at% of the initial value. The change in the current–voltage characteristics is observed under illumination, which is independent of the wavelength. On and off daylight changes the resistance to 30% of the initial value. The magnitude of the photocurrent increases depending on the applied voltage. The effect is most noticeable for thin rGO films 10–15 nm in thickness.
Quantitative investigation on the critical thickness of the dielectric shell for metallic nanoparticles determined by the plasmon decay length

Inert dielectric shells coating the surface of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are important for enhancing the NPs’ stability, biocompatibility, and realizing targeting detection, but they impair NPs’ sensing ability due to the electric fields damping. The dielectric shell not only determines the distance of the analyte from the NP surface, but also affects the field decay. From a practical point of view, it is extremely important to investigate the critical thickness of the shell, beyond which the NPs are no longer able to effectively detect the analytes. The plasmon decay length of the shell-coated NPs determines the critical thickness of the coating layer. Extracting from the exponential fitting results, we quantitatively demonstrate that the critical thickness of the shell exhibits a linear dependence on the NP volume and the dielectric constants of the shell and the surrounding medium, but only with a small variation influenced by the NP shape where the dipole resonance is dominated. We show the critical thickness increases with enlarging the NP sizes, or increasing the dielectric constant differences between the shell and surrounding medium. The findings are essential for applications of shell-coated NPs in plasmonic sensing.
Non-invasive detection of the early phase of kidney injury by photoacoustic/computed tomography imaging

The early diagnosis of kidney diseases, which can remarkably impair the quality of life and are costly, has encountered great difficulties. Therefore, the development of methods for early diagnosis has great clinical significance. In this study, we used an emerging technique of photoacoustic (PA) imaging, which has relatively high spatial resolution and good imaging depth. Two kinds of PA gold nanoparticle (GNP)-based bioprobes were developed based on their superior photo detectability, size controllability and biocompatibility. The kidney injury mouse model was developed by unilateral ureteral obstruction for 96 h and the release of obstruction model). Giving 3.5 and 5.5 nm bioprobes by tail vein injection, we found that the 5.5 nm probe could be detected in the bladder in the model group, but not in the control group. These results were confirmed by computed tomography imaging. Furthermore, the model group did not show changes in the blood biochemical indices (BUN and Scr) and histologic examination. The 5.5 nm GNPs were found to be the critical point for early diagnosis of kidney injury. This new method was faster and more sensitive and accurate for the detection of renal injury, compared with conventional methods, and can be used for the development of a PA GNP-based bioprobe for diagnosing renal injury.
Controllable one-step growth of bilayer MoS2–WS2/WS2 heterostructures by chemical vapor deposition

Heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer attractive prospects for practical applications by combining unique physical properties that are distinct from those of traditional structures. In this paper, we demonstrate a three-stage chemical vapor deposition method for the growth of bilayer MoS2–WS2/WS2 heterostructures with the bottom layers being the lateral MoS2-center/WS2-edge monolayer heterostructures and the top layers being the WS2 monolayers. The alternative growth of lateral and vertical heterostructures can be realized by adjusting both the temperature and the carrier gas flow direction. The combined effect of both reverse gas flow and higher growing temperature can promote the epitaxial growth of second layer on the activated nucleation centers of the first monolayer heterostructures. By using customized temperature profiles, single heterostructures including monolayer lateral MoS2–WS2 heterostructures and bilayer lateral WS2(2L)–MoS2(2L) heterostructures could also be obtained. Atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence and Raman mapping studies clearly reveal that these different heterostructure samples are highly uniform. These results thus provide a promising and efficient method for the synthesis of complex heterostructures based on different TMDs materials, which would greatly expand the heterostructure family and broaden their applications.
Thermal stability of L10-FePt nanodots patterned by self-assembled block copolymer lithography

Arrays of 14 nm thick L10-FePt nanodots with diameter of 27 nm and center-to-center spacing of 39 nm were produced by block copolymer patterning of an FePt film and their magnetic reversal and thermal stability were characterized. A self-assembled polystyrene-b-polydimethylsiloxane diblock copolymer film was used as a lithographic mask and a pattern transfer process based on ion beam etching and rapid thermal annealing of the sputtered FePt film was developed. The dot arrays exhibited perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with K = 4.8 × 107 erg cm−3 and a saturation magnetization of 960 emu cm−3. First order reversal curves indicate a softer magnetic component attributed to the ion-milled material at the edges of the dots. The switching volume and the thermal stability were obtained from relaxation measurements and DC demagnetization curves. Micromagnetic simulations reproduce the magnetic domain structure obtained for the continuous and patterned FePt thin film.
The new age of MOFs and of their porous-related solids.

The discovery of Metal–Organic Frameworks, and porous polymers, at the end of the eighties represented a revolution in chemistry. This rapidly incited an increasing number of researchers to participate in this new field, due to the immense chemical and structural possibilities this family of materials offers for imaginative chemists. The unique combination of organic and inorganic moieties, mostly arranged in a crystallized three dimensional manner, afforded the opportunity to create a new class of porous solids, potentially much more attractive or complementary to the well-known zeolites, clays or activated carbons, due to the quasi-infinite richness of the inorganic parts (ions, clusters, chains. . .) and the variability of the linkers involved in the structures. The first age essentially concerned the chemical study of the assembly of the inorganic and organic building blocks associated with the structural determination of the resulting crystal. The second age, largely inspired by the properties of the traditional porous a Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier UMR 5253 CNRS ENSCM, Université Montpellier, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France b Institut des Matériaux Poreux de Paris, FRE 2000 CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France c University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK d Institut Lavoisier de Versailles, Université Paris Saclay, UMR CNRS 8180, Université de Versailles St Quentin en Yvelines, 78035 Versailles, France