The relationship between cognitive ability,insight and self-regulatory behaviors: Findings from the older driver population

Self-regulation is often promoted as a coping strategy that may allow older drivers to drive safely for longer. Self-regulation depends upon drivers making an accurate assessment of their own ability and having a willingness to practice self-regulatory behaviors to compensate for changes in ability. The current study explored the relationship between older drivers’ cognitive ability, their driving confidence and their use of self-regulation. An additional study aim was to explore the relationship between these factors and older drivers’ interest in driving programs. Seventy Australian drivers aged 65 years and over completed a questionnaire about their driving and a brief screening measure of cognitive ability (an untimed Clock Drawing Test). While all participants reported high levels of confidence regarding their driving ability, and agreed that they would continue driving in the foreseeable future, a notable proportion performed poorly on the Clock Drawing Test. Compared to older drivers who successfully completed the Clock Drawing Test, those who failed the cognitive test were significantly less likely to report driving self-regulation, and showed significantly less interest in being involved in driving programs. Older drivers with declining cognitive abilities may not be self-regulating their driving. This group also appears to be unlikely to self-refer to driving programs.     

In situ electrokinetic enhancement for self-assembled-monolayer-based electrochemical biosensing

This study reports a multifunctional electrode approach which directly implements electrokinetic enhancement on a self-assembled-monolayer-based electrochemical sensor for point-of-care diagnostics. Using urinary tract infections as a model system, we demonstrate that electrokinetic enhancement, which involves in situ stirring and heating, can enhance the sensitivity of the strain specific 16S rRNA hybridization assay for 1 order of magnitude and accelerate the time-limiting incubation step with a 6-fold reduction in the incubation time. Since the same electrode platform is used for both electrochemical signal enhancement and electrochemical sensing, the multifunctional electrode approach provides a highly effective strategy toward fully integrated lab-on-a-chip systems for various biomedical applications.     

Ultra-Stable oligonucleotide-gold and -silver nanoparticle conjugates prepared by a facile silica reinforcement method

We report a simple method of enhancing the chemical stability of monothiol-modified oligonucleotide-gold and -silver nanoparticle conjugates by a thin silica reinforcement coating. Conventional conjugates prepared by chemisorption of monothiol-modified oligonucleotides onto nanoparticle surfaces undergo rapid aggregation in the presence of thiol-containing small molecules (e.g., dithiothreitol) due to ligand exchange reactions. When the conjugates are treated with (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane, a thin silica layer is formed on the nanoparticle surface, thereby entrapping and reinforcing the thiol-gold/-silver linkage. These silica-modified oligonucleotide-gold and -silver nanoparticle conjugates become much more stable toward dithiothreitol as compared to the unmodified conjugates. Moreover, the silica layer significantly hinders the gold/silver core from oxidative dissolution by sodium cyanide. Importantly, the unique hybridization-induced color change property of the oligonucleotide-gold and -silver nanoparticle conjugates is preserved even under harsh condition (i.e., high concentrations of dithiothreitol). Taken together, these ultra-stable oligonucleotide-nanoparticle conjugates hold promise for new diagnostics and therapeutics.      

Evaluating the Efficiency of CBAM-Resnet Using Malaysian Sign Language

The deaf-mutes population is constantly feeling helpless when others do not understand them and vice versa. To fill this gap, this study implements a CNN-based neural network, Convolutional Based Attention Module (CBAM), to recognise Malaysian Sign Language (MSL) in videos recognition. This study has created 2071 videos for 19 dynamic signs. Two different experiments were conducted for dynamic signs, using CBAM-3DResNet implementing ‘Within Blocks’ and ‘Before Classifier’ methods. Various metrics such as the accuracy, loss, precision, recall, F1-score, confusion matrix, and training time were recorded to evaluate the models’ efficiency. Results showed that CBAM-ResNet models had good performances in videos recognition tasks, with recognition rates of over 90% with little variations. CBAM-ResNet ‘Before Classifier’ is more efficient than ‘Within Blocks’ models of CBAM-ResNet. All experiment results indicated the CBAM-ResNet ‘Before Classifier’ efficiency in recognising Malaysian Sign Language and its worth of future research.     

Novel Nanoencapsulation Technology and its Potential Role in Bile Acid-Based Targeted Gene Delivery to the Inner Ear

Hearing loss impacts a large proportion of the global population. Damage to the inner ear, in particular the sensitive hair cells, can impact individuals for the rest of their lives. There are very limited options for interventions after damage to these cells has occurred. Targeted gene delivery may provide an effective means to trigger appropriate differentiation of progenitor cells for effective replacement of these sensitive hair cells. There are several hurdles that need to be overcome to effectively deliver these genes. Nanoencapsulation technology has previously been used for the delivery of pharmaceuticals, proteins and nucleic acids, and may provide an effective means of delivering genes to trigger appropriate differentiation. This review investigates the background of hearing loss, current advancements and pitfalls of gene delivery, and how nanoencapsulation may be useful.     

Highly Exposed ?NH2 Edge on Fragmented g-C3N4 Framework with Integrated Molybdenum Atoms for Catalytic CO2 Cycloaddition: DFT and Techno-Economic Assessment

This study focuses on the applicability of single-atom Mo-doped graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheets which are specifically engineered with high surface area (exfoliated GCN),  NH₂ rich edges, and maximum utilization of isolated atomic Mo for propylene carbonate (PC) production through CO₂ cycloaddition of propylene oxide (PO). Various operational parameters are optimized, for example, temperature (130 °C), pressure (20 bar), catalyst (Mo₂GCN), and catalyst mass (0.1 g). Under optimal conditions, 2% Mo-doped GCN (Mo₂GCN) has the highest catalytic performance, especially the turnover frequency (TOF) obtained, 36.4 h⁻¹ is higher than most reported studies. DFT simulations prove the catalytic performance of Mo₂GCN significantly decreases the activation energy barrier for PO ring-opening from 50–60 to 4.903 kcal mol⁻¹. Coexistence of Lewis acid/base group improves the CO₂ cycloaddition performance by the formation of coordination bond between electron-deficient Mo atom with O atom of PO, while  NH₂ surface group disrupts the stability of CO₂ bond by donating electrons into its low-level empty orbital. Steady-state process simulation of the industrial-scale consumes 4.4 ton h⁻¹ of CO₂ with PC production of 10.2 ton h⁻¹. Techno-economic assessment profit from Mo₂GCN is estimated to be 60.39 million USD year⁻¹ at a catalyst loss rate of 0.01 wt% h⁻¹.     

A Multilayered Mesoporous Gold Nanoarchitecture for Ultraeffective Near-Infrared Light-Controlled Chemo/Photothermal Therapy for Cancer Guided by SERS Imaging

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging has emerged as a promising tool for guided cancer diagnosis and synergistic therapies, such as combined chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (chemo-PTT). Yet, existing therapeutic agents often suffer from low SERS sensitivity, insufficient photothermal conversion, or/and limited drug loading capacity. Herein, a multifunctional theragnostic nanoplatform consisting of mesoporous silica-coated gold nanostar with a cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-coated gold nanocluster shell (named RGD–pAS@AuNC) is reported that exhibits multiple “hot spots” for pronouncedly enhanced SERS signals and improved near-infrared (NIR)-induced photothermal conversion efficiency (85.5%), with a large capacity for high doxorubicin (DOX) loading efficiency (34.1%, named RGD/DOX–pAS@AuNC) and effective NIR-triggered DOX release. This nanoplatform shows excellent performance in xenograft tumor model of HeLa cell targeting, negligible cytotoxicity, and good stability both in vitro and in vivo. By SERS imaging, the optimal temporal distribution of injected RGD/DOX–pAS@AuNCs at the tumor site is identified for NIR-triggered local chemo-PTT toward the tumor, achieving ultraeffective therapy in tumor cells and tumor-bearing mouse model with 5 min of NIR irradiation (0.5 W cm⁻²). This work offers a promising approach to employing SERS imaging for effective noninvasive tumor treatment by on-site triggered chemo-PTT.     

Construction of Cu7S4@CuCo2O4 Yolk–Shell Microspheres Composite and Elucidation of Its Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity,Mechanism, and Pathway for Carbamazepine Degradation

Water pollution caused by the massive use of medicines has caused significant environmental problems. This work first reports the synthesis and characterization of the Cu₇S₄/CuCo₂O₄ (CS/CCO) yolk–shell microspheres via hydrothermal and annealing methods, and then investigates their photocatalytic performance in removing organic water pollutants. The 10-CS/CCO composite with yolk–shell microspheres exhibits the highest photodegradation rate of carbamazepine (CBZ), reaching 96.3% within 2 h. The 10-CS/CCO also demonstrates more than two times higher photodegradation rates than the pure (Cu₇S₄) CS and (CuCo₂O₄) CCO. This outstanding photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the unique yolk–shell structure and the Z-scheme charge transfer pathway, reducing multiple reflections of the acting light. These factors enhance the light absorption efficiency and efficiently transfer photoexcited charge carriers. In-depth, photocatalytic degradation pathways of CBZ are systematically evaluated via the identification of degradation intermediates with Fukui index calculation. The insights gained from this work can serve as a guideline for developing low-cost and efficient Z-scheme photocatalyst composites with the yolk–shell structure.     

Can Reconstructed Se-Deficient Line Defects in Monolayer VSe2 Induce Magnetism?

There have been several recent conflicting reports on the ferromagnetism of clean monolayer VSe₂. Herein, the controllable formation of 1D defect line patterns in vanadium diselenide (VSe₂) monolayers initiated by thermal annealing is presented. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and q-plus atomic force microscopy techniques, the 1D line features are determined to be 8-member-ring arrays, formed via a Se deficient reconstruction process. The reconstructed VSe₂ monolayer with Se-deficient line defects displays room-temperature ferromagnetism under X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and magnetic force microscopy, consistent with the density functional theory calculations. This study possibly resolves the controversy on whether ferromagnetism is intrinsic in monolayer VSe₂, and highlights the importance of controlling and understanding the atomic structures of surface defects in 2D crystals, which could play key roles in the material properties and hence potential device applications.     

Organic Long-Persistent Luminescence from a Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Compound

Organic long-persistent luminescence (OLPL) is one of the most promising methods for long-lived-emission applications. However, present room-temperature OLPL emitters are mainly based on a bimolecular exciplex system which usually needs an expensive small molecule such as 2,8-bis(diphenyl-phosphoryl)dibenzo[b,d]thiophene (PPT) as the acceptor. In this study, a new thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) compound, 3-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)acenaphtho[1,2-b]pyrazine-8,9-dicarbonitrile (CzPhAP), is designed, which also shows OLPL in many well-known hosts such as PPT, 2,2′,2″-(1,3,5-benzinetriyl)-tris(1-phenyl-1-H-benzimidazole) (TPBi), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), without any exciplex formation, and its OLPL duration reaches more than 1 h at room temperature. Combining the low cost of PMMA manufacture and flexible designs of TADF molecules, pure organic, large-scale, color tunable, and low-cost room-temperature OLPL applications become possible. Moreover, it is found that the onset of the 77 K afterglow spectra from a TADF-emitter-doped film is not necessarily reliable for determining the lowest triplet state energy level. This is because in some TADF-emitter-doped films, optical excitation can generate charges (electron and holes) that can later recombine to form singlet excitons during the phosphorescence spectrum measurement. The spectrum taken in the phosphorescence time window at low temperature may consequently consist of both singlet and triplet emission.