Search Results (623)

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) is a porous carbon material produced in situ by direct laser irradiation of carbon-containing precursors. With its three-dimensional porous structure, high electrical conductivity, facile patternability, low cost, and environmentally friendly fabrication, LIG has attracted growing interest for flexible sensing applications. It shows strong potential in wearable electronics, health monitoring, human–machine interaction, environmental sensing, and intelligent robotics. Although LIG-based sensors have demonstrated excellent performance in mechanical and thermal signal detection, a systematic review of their basic materials, formation mechanisms, sensing principles, structural design, performance optimization, and applications remains limited. This review first summarizes the fundamental materials, processing parameters, and formation principles of LIG, and then highlights recent progress in LIG-based strain and temperature sensors, focusing on sensing mechanisms, key performance indicators, optimization strategies, and research status. The main challenges for practical application are also discussed. These include limited material uniformity and fabrication reproducibility, signal coupling and interference in multifunctional devices, and issues of process compatibility and packaging reliability. Future directions for high-performance, integrated, and scalable LIG sensors are then. Full article

Rattans of the genus Korthalsia are ecologically and economically important non-timber forest resources in Southeast Asia, yet their conservation is limited by knowledge of species-specific distribution patterns and environmental constraints. We modeled the potential distributions of four Korthalsia species (K. flagellaris, K. laciniosa, K. rigida, and K. scortechinii) using species distribution models (SDMs). Models were fitted in R using the sdm package, and ensemble maps were generated by combining predictions from Random Forest (RF), Generalized Linear Models (GLMs), Generalized Additive Models (GAM), and GLMnet. The top predictors influencing habitat distribution included soil physical structure, atmospheric moisture demand, and canopy light availability. The dominance of these factors reflects three distinct and non-interchangeable environmental axes that regulate belowground moisture dynamics, atmospheric constraints on gas exchange, and the energetic requirements for recruitment. All four species ensemble models significantly outperformed the null model, and spatial block cross-validation (k = 5, 200 km blocks) indicated a marginal drop in area under the curve (AUC) values, confirming a predictive signal under geographically independent evaluation. Ensemble suitability maps identified Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra as centers of predicted habitat. Core habitat was estimated to be less than 0.6% of total suitable area for all species, ranging from 980 km² (K. scortechinii) to 19,256 km² (K. rigida), with anthropogenic modification exceeding 50% in the core habitat in K. flagellaris and K. rigida. These results provide the first species-specific baseline for these Korthalsia across Southeast Asia, supporting more targeted conservation and restoration planning under varying habitat constraints. Full article

Fruit anthocyanins are primary determinants of color, sensory quality, and nutritional value in grapes; however, their endogenous biosynthesis is governed by complex interactions among genetic, environmental, agronomic, and postharvest factors. This review elaborates recent advances in physiology and molecular biology to clarify the biosynthetic mechanisms in grapes, including the coordinated action of structural enzymes, MYB–bHLH–WD40 regulatory complexes, hormone-mediated signaling pathways, and vacuolar transport processes. Key environmental factors, such as temperature fluctuations, light exposure, water availability, and soil properties, regulate these networks, contributing to significant variation in pigmentation profiles across cultivars and growing regions. Strategic agronomic practices, including canopy management, regulated deficit irrigation, balanced nutrient management, and temperature-mitigation techniques, further influence pigmentation by modifying the microclimate of the fruit zone during development. Based on these mechanistic insights, this review evaluates targeted strategies for enhancing anthocyanin accumulation, highlighting recent progress in genetic improvement through CRISPR/Cas genome editing, transgenic approaches, and marker-assisted selection (MAS), which enable precise modulation of biosynthetic and regulatory genes. Complementary postharvest interventions, such as optimized cold storage, modified-atmosphere packaging, hormonal elicitors, and controlled oxidative technologies, provide additional opportunities to maintain or enhance pigment stability after harvest. Collectively, these advances establish a comprehensive framework linking molecular regulation with practical vineyard, breeding, and postharvest strategies, offering an integrated pathway to improve anthocyanin consistency, berry quality, and the phenolic characteristics of grape-derived products. Full article

We propose a monolithically integrated optical frequency comb (OFC) generation platform on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), featuring cascaded dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulators (DDMZM) and a ${\mathrm{S}\mathrm{i}}_3{\mathrm{N}}_4$-assisted spot size converter (SSC). To capture microscopic mode mismatches and spatial phase accumulation often overlooked in idealized scalar simulations, we establish a multi-physics co-simulation framework integrating finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis with macroscopic transmission modeling. Based on this framework, the cascaded modulator architecture generates 25 highly stable comb lines with a dense 2 GHz spacing and an envelope flatness within 2 dB. Tolerance analysis indicates that the comb generation is highly resilient to typical manufacturing and environmental variations, including thermal bias drift, RF phase mismatch, and half-wave voltage ($V_{\pi }$) dispersion. Furthermore, physical-layer modeling shows that the integrated SSC reduces fiber-to-chip coupling loss to 0.55 dB per facet, preserving the necessary optical power budget. To validate the platform’s viability as a multi-wavelength continuous-wave source for spatial-division multiplexed (SDM) interconnects, a parallel transmission over a 20 km standard single-mode fiber is modeled. Using a digital signal processing (DSP)-free 10 Gb/s non-return-to-zero (NRZ) scheme, the 25-channel system maintains a worst-case bit error rate strictly below the forward error correction (FEC) threshold. This work offers a practical, physics-based evaluation framework for high-density co-packaged optics (CPO). Full article

Lipidomics has emerged as a transformative discipline in biomedical research, providing high-resolution insights into metabolic signaling and disease pathophysiology. The R programming language provides a widely adopted framework for extensible analysis of complex lipidomic datasets due to its robust biostatistical infrastructure. Herein, we present a comprehensive roadmap for lipidomics in R, structured around a standardized analytical lifecycle: from raw data acquisition and preprocessing to structural annotation, statistical modeling and functional interpretation. We critically contextualize and integrate a curated suite of widely adopted R packages (version 4.3.0), including xcms and MSnbase for feature extraction, LipidMS 3.0 for fragmentation-based identification, and lipidr for quality control and normalization. Furthermore, we demonstrate how advanced tools such as mixOmics and clusterProfiler can be integrated to bridge the gap between differential lipid abundance and systems-level biological insights. Particular emphasis is placed on reproducibility, nomenclature standardization and the emerging role of machine learning in biomarker discovery. By synthesizing these resources into a coherent pipeline, this guide provides a structured reference for researchers. Further discussion addresses methodological pitfalls, statistical assumptions and reproducibility constraints that frequently compromise lipidomics studies. Ultimately, this structured approach facilitates systematic tool selection, accelerating the translation of complex lipidomic signatures into reproducible and clinically meaningful discoveries. Full article

Dietary habits are pivotal in preventing chronic noncommunicable diseases, as vegetable-rich diets provide over 25,000 bioactive phytochemicals that modulate cell-signaling and metabolic pathways. Consequently, nutraceuticals and functional foods are increasingly recognized for their potential to prevent chronic pathologies. Among functional foods, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean) stands out as a critical resource for global nutrition and disease prevention. Beyond its role in food security and environmental sustainability, the common bean offers extraordinary nutrient density, providing a unique “protein plus fiber” package and a source of health-promoting active ingredients. In this review, special emphasis is placed on the bean’s role in preventing or mitigating cardiovascular diseases and cancer, driven by bioactive molecules that modulate metabolic and cell-signaling pathways. Practical evidence of this growing interest is demonstrated by the surge in scientific literature over the last 50 years, as shown by PubMed and Scopus data. By synthesizing data from original research and existing reviews, this work highlights how incorporating common beans into the diet represents a strategic, health-conscious choice with potential therapeutic benefits for human health. Full article

Timely classification of cardiovascular diseases is crucial to improve medical outcomes. Emerging remote patient monitoring systems help achieve this by enabling continuous monitoring of electrocardiogram signals in home environments. However, these systems struggle with unique challenges like missing genuine medical emergencies, rising energy demands, scalability challenges, handling vast medical databases, data processing delays, and safeguarding patient records. To overcome these challenges, we propose a single framework with three main phases: (a) an embedded hardware-driven K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN)-assisted real-time ECG monitoring and classification method; (b) a differentiated communication strategy (DCS) formed with a priority-based ECG data packaging framework and multi-layered security protocols; and (c) a multi-level blockchain network (MLBN) architecture armed with adaptive security mechanisms and real-time cross-chain medical data communication bridges. Simulations are conducted using the ECG signals (1000 fragments) dataset and the Ganache Ethereum development framework. The classification accuracies obtained for patient urgent categories U1 to U5 are 91.43%, 95.71%, 94.23%, 90.00%, and 91.43%, respectively. The performance evaluation results of the KNN-guided classification method, along with DCS and MLBN simulation results obtained from average gas consumption analysis, confirms reliability and viability of our framework, while also revolutionizing remote patient monitoring technology and addressing critical challenges in existing systems. Full article

With the growing simultaneous demands for miniaturization and high performance, thermal issues such as hotspots severely degrade the high-speed signal transmission performance of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrate in system-in-package (SiP) modules. This paper proposes a high-speed transmission line design for LTCC substrates, using a G-S (Ground-Signal) structure to ensure reliable signal transmission quality. Based on this structure, finite element simulations are performed to investigate the electromagnetic signal transmission characteristics under both uniform and non-uniform thermal fields, confirming that signal transmission efficiency exhibits strong temperature dependence. The results indicate that when the temperature exceeds 50 °C, non-uniform temperature distributions exert a significantly stronger influence on electromagnetic performance, leading to aggravated signal reflections and reduced transmission efficiency. At 300 °C, the transmission efficiency under non-uniform temperature drops to 35.0%, which is a 61.8% decrease compared with the optimal scheme obtained under ideal electric field conditions. Under electromagnetic-thermal coupling, a comparative study of different schemes shows that the optimal design derived from a single electric field is not suitable for electromagnetic-thermal coupled working conditions. The optimized Scheme 2 increases transmission efficiency to about 75.3%, with smoother S-parameter curves and smaller fluctuations. These findings provide valuable references for subsequent reliability-oriented design and experimental verification. Full article

Electromagnetic leakage through ventilation interfaces is a critical challenge in photonic instrumentation, where laser controllers and photoelectric readout circuits are highly sensitive to external interference. In photonic instruments, enclosure leakage may couple into laser controller and photoelectric readout circuits, degrading optical signal stability and electromagnetic cleanliness. To enable fast shielding assessment at the packaging stage, this paper proposes an improved semi-analytical shielding-effectiveness model for hexagonal honeycomb waveguides used in laser controller enclosures. Within a transmission matrix formulation, finite-conductivity loss is included through propagation constant correction, and inter-cell interaction is represented by an array-based coupling correction. The model captures high-frequency additional transmission effects that are not reflected in simplified independent-cell formulations. Validation against CST full-wave simulations from 1 to 40 GHz demonstrates improved agreement, particularly near cutoff and in the upper-frequency range, with substantially lower computational cost than full-wave optimization loops. Geometry-dependent trends are further quantified to support EMC co-design of ventilation and enclosure structures in photonic and optoelectronic platforms. Full article

We introduce the concept of a one-way, broadband information package, the Cosmic Illuminating Gift, intended to provide distant intelligences with fundamental empirical data about the Universe. Unlike previous messaging to extraterrestrial intelligences (METI) that emphasized greetings or cultural identity, the Gift aims to transmit unbiased, universally interpretable information that recipients could not otherwise obtain due to their distinct spacetime position and epoch. By emphasizing raw observations, rather than human interpretations or cosmological models, the Gift aspires to serve as a neutral and enduring resource. A central assumption of the project is that any potential recipients are likely to possess a level of intelligence and technological sophistication far beyond our own. Accordingly, the content and encoding of the Gift are not designed to “teach” fundamentals, but to deliver compact, logically structured packets that such civilizations could decode even at extremely low signal-to-noise levels. This perspective shifts the challenge from brute-force transmission to ensuring that photons arrive in spectrally quiet windows and that the format is unmistakably artificial and distinguishable from astrophysical backgrounds. We outline strategies for content selection, encoding, and transmission that reflect this assumption. Practical implementation is feasible with current or near-term infrastructure, and future advances will only improve the quality of subsequent Gifts. Ultimately, the endeavor is unique among scientific projects in that it anticipates no feedback or measurable result within the span of our civilization’s timeline. Its significance lies instead in the act of contribution itself: offering a durable, universal dataset as a gesture of intellectual solidarity across cosmic distances. Full article

Tuberculosis–diabetes mellitus (TB-DM) is increasingly recognized as a syndemic in which chronic metabolic dysregulation amplifies tuberculosis severity, delays treatment response, and increases relapse and mortality. However, conventional systemic correlates soluble cytokines and bulk whole-blood transcriptomic signatures often appear broadly similar between TB and TB-DM. This highlights a key gap: clinically meaningful immune dysfunction in TB-DM likely resides in specific lung and blood cell states that are poorly resolved by bulk assays. Small extracellular vesicles (EVs) in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) provide a tractable “liquid biopsy” layer because their RNA and protein cargo can integrate information from infected macrophages, neutrophils, and epithelial/endothelial compartments, and may also include pathogen-derived components. Yet most EV studies remain bulk and cell-agnostic, and interpretation is constrained by heterogeneous vesicle mixtures, selective cargo packaging, and co-isolated non-vesicular contaminants, issues that are especially problematic for nucleic-acid claims without rigorous controls. In this targeted narrative review (2010–2026), we argue that single-cell and multimodal immune reference atlases, including scRNA-seq/CITE-seq, provide a needed scaffold to link EV cargo patterns to specific immune cell states, pathways, and anatomic compartments in TB-DM, enabling prioritized candidates and testable hypotheses. We outline three complementary frameworks: reference-atlas anchoring to project EV cargo modules onto atlas-defined immune states; orthogonal triangulation combining computational inference with immunoaffinity enrichment, targeted validation, and functional assays; and cautious use of “droplet-era” extracellular signals as hypothesis-generating priors for EV-producing states. Implemented in longitudinal, clinically annotated cohorts with standardized EV workflows, atlas-guided EV profiling could yield cell-of-origin–resolved biomarkers of TB-DM immunopathology and treatment response, while prioritizing mechanistically plausible targets for host-directed intervention. Full article

Background/Objectives: Magnesium is an intracellular cation that plays important roles in metabolism and insulin signaling. The evidence of association between magnesium levels and diabetic retinopathy is limited by small study effects. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aim to update the current evidence. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Scopus was conducted from database inception to January 2026 to identify studies examining magnesium levels and diabetic retinopathy. The pooled standardized mean difference in magnesium levels between type 2 diabetic patients with retinopathy and those without retinopathy was estimated using the “meta” package in R software. Results: We included seventeen studies which assessed magnesium levels in 1100 patients with diabetic retinopathy and 1132 diabetic controls without retinopathy. The random-effects model indicated significantly lower magnesium levels in patients with diabetic retinopathy compared to diabetic controls [SMD = −1.19, 95% CI (−1.68; −0.70); p < 0.0001; I² = 95%]. Sensitivity analysis retained all studies, and no evidence of publication bias was detected. Subgroup analyses demonstrated consistent findings across geographic regions (Asian versus non-Asian), study designs (case–control versus cross-sectional), and magnesium assay methods except enzymatic method. Meta-regression analysis revealed that year of publication (coefficient = 0.061; p = 0.009) and non-Asian studies (coefficient = 2.376; p = 0.001) were positively associated with the pooled effect size, while the NOS quality score was inversely associated (coefficient = −0.709; p = 0.035). The magnesium levels were significantly lower in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy compared with those with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy using a fixed effect model [SMD = −1.41, (95% CI: −1.83; −1.00); p < 0.01; I² = 32%; Cochran’s Q statistic (Q = 1.46, p < 0.23)]. The certainty of the generated evidence is rated as low certainty. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis conclude that magnesium levels are significantly lower in patients with diabetic retinopathy than in diabetic controls without retinopathy. A potential association between hypomagnesemia and the development of diabetic retinopathy in individuals with type 2 diabetes is suggested; therefore, the clinician may check and adjust magnesium levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Full article

Bisphenol A (BPA) has long been used in plastics, resins, and food packaging materials; however, extensive research has demonstrated its reproductive, developmental, and endocrine-disrupting effects. Consequently, BPA has been increasingly restricted and replaced with structural analogues. Among these, tetramethyl bisphenol F (TMBPF) has emerged as one of the most widely used substitutes, particularly in epoxy resins and food-can coatings. Although initially regarded as a safer alternative, accumulating evidence suggests that TMBPF may exert multiple toxicological effects, raising concerns about its potential developmental neurotoxicity. The present study aimed to investigate the neurodevelopmental effects of TMBPF using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. First, a developmental neurotoxicity assay employing Sox1−GFP mouse embryonic stem cells was used to evaluate cytotoxicity using the cell counting kit-8 assay and neural differentiation based on green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence intensity. The results indicated developmental neurotoxic potential according to the established discrimination index. Subsequently, pregnant and lactating mice were exposed to TMBPF daily from gestational day 10.5 to postnatal day 20, and their offspring were assessed for behavioral performance as well as changes in the expression of neurodevelopment-related genes in the brain. Behavioral analyses encompassed multiple domains, including memory and learning, social behavior, anxiety-related responses, and spontaneous locomotor activity, suggesting alterations in these functional outcomes. Molecular analyses further demonstrated changes associated with dopaminergic and cholinergic signaling, synaptic plasticity, neuronal activity markers, neuropeptides, and inflammatory pathways. Collectively, these findings provide the first evidence in a mammalian model that maternal exposure to TMBPF may influence offspring neurodevelopment. These findings suggest potential implications for human exposure to TMBPF, particularly through food-contact materials, and warrant further mechanistic and dose–response studies. Full article

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors offer the benefits of compact size, lightweight design, and low cost, which has led to widespread use in consumer electronics, vehicles, healthcare, defense, and communications. As their performance has improved, MEMS sensors have also found applications in oil exploration and geophysical studies. Pressure and temperature measurements during hydraulic fracturing have long been employed to improve downhole conductivity during oil and gas extraction. Nevertheless, the development of high-precision MEMS sensors for oil exploration remains an active area of research. This paper presents the design, fabrication, packaging, and characterization of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensor integrated with a temperature sensor. It also describes the design of a chamber intended to emulate conditions at the bottom of oil exploration wells. The sensors were successfully designed and fabricated on the basis of physics-based simulations, deep reactive ion etching and anodic bonding. The pressure sensors, together with the signal-conditioning system, exhibited a linear response with a sensitivity of 0.0268 mV/V/MPa and maximum hysteresis of 5.3%. Full article

About 10% of plastic products are recycled worldwide, highlighting the need for technology improvements based on deeper material understanding. In packaging, which holds the highest market share in plastics demand, odor and potential hazards remain critical barriers to high-quality recycling. Conventional characterization relies on chromatography with extensive sample preparation. A gas chromatography system equipped with thermal desorption and dual flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection (ATD-GC/FID-MS) was established to analyze recyclates directly, thereby accelerating technology adaptation and guiding follow-up analyses. For calibration and validation, liquid standards were introduced into TenaxTA-filled tubes via a packed column injector and compared to a loading rig. The injector exhibited losses for higher-molar-mass compounds and solvent-dependent signal shifts. A storage study on compounded recycled polypropylene stored under various conditions showed that samples not frozen in sealed containers should be analyzed within 30 days. Experiments with varying sample geometries demonstrated that higher surface-to-volume ratios increase volatile release and variability in results, highlighting the need for uniform shapes. Applying the method to recycled yogurt cups enables the identification and quantification of contaminants, facilitating optimization of the washing process. Overall, ATD-GC/FID-MS provides a rapid screening tool for recyclate quality control and supports the improvement of recycling technologies. Full article