Article
Water Resources
Enno T. de Vries, Qianjing Tang, Sanli Faez, Amir Raoof
Summary: This study investigated colloid transport in porous media using a micromodel with high repulsion energy barrier. The results showed that colloids could deposit even under unfavorable attachment conditions, and attachment and remobilization increased the dispersivity value of the media.
ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Ping Zhou, Zhao Yao, Jun Ma, Zhigang Zhu
Summary: A piezoelectric ceramic can convert external mechanical force and vibration into electric signals, which can be used as a sensitive sensor for detecting external sound signals. By incorporating piezoelectric ceramics into a neural circuit, external sound signals can be captured and encoded, providing insights into the discernment and cooperation of two ears in the auditory system.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Huan Liang, Peng Liu, Fangfu Ye, Mingcheng Yang
Summary: This paper studies the phoretic-like motion of passive colloidal particles in inhomogeneous active baths. The results show that the particles experience phoretic-like forces and drift along the gradient field, similar to traditional phoretic effects. This suggests that the concepts of thermophoresis and diffusiophoresis can be generalized into active baths.
Article
Acoustics
Huiyuan Sun, Naoki Murata, Jihui Zhang, Tetsu Magariyachi, Prasanga N. Samarasinghe, Shigetoshi Hayashi, Thushara D. Abhayapala, Tetsunori Itabashi
Summary: Spatial active noise control systems aim to reduce unwanted noise by generating anti-noise fields with secondary loudspeakers. A new method is proposed to estimate secondary channels without using an error microphone array, which shows robustness against measuring errors and is suitable for spatial ANC systems.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Koushik Goswami, Subhasish Chaki, Rajarshi Chakrabarti
Summary: This topical review provides an overview of the structure and dynamics of a single polymer chain in active baths, discussing the effects of Gaussian or non-Gaussian noises. The study reveals that the active noise leads to slower reconfiguration dynamics of the chain and causes swelling, as well as superdiffusive or ballistic motion of the tagged monomer. The review mainly focuses on the analytically exact or almost exact results obtained from the authors' group, while briefly mentioning important works from other groups and presenting some new results.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS A-MATHEMATICAL AND THEORETICAL
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Tunrayo Adeleke-Larodo, Pierre Illien, Ramin Golestanian
Summary: This study explores the stochastic dynamics of two enzymes that are mechanically coupled to each other, demonstrating that this coupling can greatly enhance their catalytic rate. The findings suggest that enzymes, despite being on a molecular scale, can cooperate and improve performance in metabolic clusters.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Jyoti Sharma, Ishant Tiwari, Dibyendu Das, P. Parmananda
Summary: The study demonstrates the existence of chimeralike states in an ensemble of homogeneous coupled oscillators, specifically in active camphor ribbons. These states are characterized by the coexistence of synchronized and unsynchronized groups within the ensemble. The experimental results were successfully reproduced using a numerical model simulating the repulsive Yukawa interactions between the ribbons.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Gervais Dolvis Leutcho, Lyne Woodward, Francois Blanchard
Summary: This paper investigates the dynamic behaviors of nonlinear metasurfaces in the terahertz frequency range using numerical methods. It shows the existence of periodic and chaotic modes and explores the coexistence of two stable states. The study of multistability represents an important step towards developing photonic memory devices in the THz frequency range.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Jianhua Dai, Yingkun Cao, Lin Xiao, Haiyan Tan, Lei Jia
Summary: This paper presents a noise-suppression zeroing neural network (NSZNN) to effectively resist time-varying external disturbances in chaotic systems, demonstrating consistent robustness for both bounded and unbounded noises. The NSZNN shows better synchronization control performance under bounded and unbounded noises compared with existing zeroing neural network models, as confirmed by theoretical and numerical analysis.
Review
Acoustics
Hsiao Mun Lee, Yuting Hua, Zhaomeng Wang, Kian Meng Lim, Heow Pueh Lee
Summary: Traffic, construction and industry noises are the main sources of noise pollution in mega cities. The use of active noise control (ANC) system can help mitigate environmental noise levels inside a building, with different design methods for closed, fully opened and partially opened windows discussed in the study. Benefits and limitations of various ANC designs were presented and analyzed.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Zhao Yao, Ping Zhou, Zhigang Zhu, Jun Ma
Summary: The nervous system is composed of functional neurons that work together to detect and transmit physical signals. In this study, synapse connection between light-dependent neurons and thermosensitive neurons is activated to investigate phase synchronization. Results show that changing coupling intensity can enhance phase synchronization even in the presence of noise, suggesting that neurons can synchronize and maintain robustness to external noise.
Article
Optics
Wei Li, Zhiping Yan, Shuai Ren, Yu Deng, Yisha Chen, Pengfei Ma, Wei Liu, Liangjin Huang, Zhiyong Pan, Pu Zhou, Lei Si
Summary: This paper investigates the performance of a confined-doped active fiber fabricated in-house for all-fiber high-power single-frequency amplifiers. A 210-W single-frequency single-mode fiber laser is obtained, confirming the excellent performance of the confined-doped active fiber. The power scalability of the fiber amplifier is further demonstrated through the application of a temperature gradient along the active fiber, resulting in up to 75% enhancement of the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold. A 368-W single-frequency fiber laser with a beam quality factor of Mx2.1.19, My2.1.26 is achieved. Overall, the confined-doped active fiber technique shows promise for scaling the output power of single-frequency single-mode fiber lasers.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Alessio Fascista, Musa Furkan Keskin, Angelo Coluccia, Henk Wymeersch, Gonzalo Seco-Granados
Summary: This paper proposes a novel low-complexity method for joint localization and synchronization by optimizing the design of active precoding at the base station and passive phase profiles of the reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs). Extensive numerical analysis shows that this method provides enhanced localization and synchronization performance compared to existing solutions.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martina Trahms, Larissa Melischek, Jacob F. Steiner, Bharti Mahendru, Idan Tamir, Nils Bogdanoff, Olof Peters, Gael Reecht, Clemens B. Winkelmann, Felix von Oppen, Katharina J. Franke
Summary: We investigate the ultimate limits of miniaturization by creating atomic-scale Pb-Pb Josephson junctions in a scanning tunnelling microscope. Non-reciprocal supercurrents emerge when inserting a single magnetic atom into the junction, with the preferred direction depending on the atomic species. Our results open new avenues for creating atomic-scale Josephson diodes and tuning their properties through single-atom manipulation.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Rong Zhao, Jun-e Feng, Biao Wang
Summary: This paper investigates the fault detectability of Boolean control networks and proposes passive fault detectability and four types of active fault detectability. Discriminant conditions and algebraic criteria for verification are provided. The relationships between different types of active fault detectability are discussed, and an approach for calculating fault detection time is given.
JOURNAL OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE-ENGINEERING AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ferhat Buke, Jacopo Grilli, Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino, Gregory Bokinsky, Sander J. Tans
Summary: Cell size is regulated by growth and division. Bacteria achieve size homeostasis by dividing when growth adds a constant size since birth, a principle known as the adder principle. In this study, the researchers found that the concentration of guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) in cells not only controls the growth rate, but also regulates cell division and steady-state cell size. The added size and steady-state birth size correlate consistently with the ppGpp concentration, rather than with the growth rate.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Samuel McDermott, Jaehyeon Kim, Aikaterini Anna Leledaki, Duncan Parry, Louis Lee, Alexandre Kabla, Catherine Mkindi, Richard Bowman, Pietro Cicuta
Summary: This study presents two devices for aiding in the making of blood smears and describes an image analysis pipeline for evaluating the quality of the smears. These devices can increase throughput and offer potential advantages in standardization.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Viola Introini, Alejandro Marin-Menendez, Guilherme Nettesheim, Yen-Chun Lin, Silvia N. Kariuki, Adrian L. Smith, Letitia Jean, John N. Brewin, David C. Rees, Pietro Cicuta, Julian C. Rayner, Bridget S. Penman
Summary: In this study, we investigated the characteristics of β-thalassemic red blood cells and found that they have higher membrane tension, lower bending modulus, and higher expression levels of basigin, a major invasion receptor. These differences had opposing effects on invasion but overall did not lead to lower invasion efficiency of β-thalassemic cells by Plasmodium falciparum.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ludovico Calabrese, Jacopo Grilli, Matteo M. Osella, Christopher Kempes, Marco Cosentino M. Lagomarsino, Luca Ciandrini, Jason M. Haugh, Oleg A. Igoshin
Summary: Cells adopt strategies to allocate resources under limited availability. Our study shows that at slow growth, protein degradation is balanced by maintenance ribosomes. We find that protein degradation increases at slow growth, possibly due to active waste management and recycling.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino, Guglielmo Pacifico, Valerio Firmano, Edoardo Bella, Pietro Benzoni, Jacopo Grill, Federico Bassetti, Fabrizio Capuani, Pietro Cicuta, Marco Gherardi
Summary: This article reports on a remote teaching experience for a computational physics laboratory class during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors used an open-ended "COVID-19 data challenge" project and interdisciplinary data sources to convey a "physics of data" approach. The results indicate that this teaching strategy can motivate students to deal with complex problems and yield different learning outcomes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samuel McDermott, Richard Bowman, Kerrianne Harrington, William Wadsworth, Pietro Cicuta
Summary: Making user interaction with laboratory equipment more convenient and intuitive, this paper presents two open-source and novel ways of interacting with and scripting laboratory equipment. The methods include 'OpenFlexure Voice Control' for hands-free control of microscopes and 'OpenFlexure Blockly' for easy script creation through a drag and drop Web interface. The design choices and potential applications of these tools are also discussed.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Roger Rubio-Sanchez, Bortolo Matteo Mognetti, Pietro Cicuta, Lorenzo Di Michele
Summary: Cells can control their membrane shape and organization using protein machinery, which we aim to replicate with DNA-origami line-actants (DOLAs). DOLAs selectively accumulate at the line-interface between coexisting lipid domains, modulating their tendency to merge. Through experiments and simulations, we demonstrate that DOLAs can dynamically program membrane lateral organization, stabilizing two-dimensional analogues of Pickering emulsions and enabling vesicle fission.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Simone Pompei, Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino
Summary: The early development of aneuploidy from chromosome missegregation has contrasting effects - it causes cellular stress and decreased fitness, but also provides a quick solution to external stress. However, a comprehensive mathematical evolutionary modeling framework is lacking to capture these trends. This study introduces a fitness model that successfully captures the emergence of extra chromosomes in a laboratory evolution setup and explores the fitness landscape, supporting the existence of a per-gene cost of extra chromosomes. The substitution dynamics of the model explain the relative abundance of duplicated chromosomes observed in yeast population genomics data, providing testable predictions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Prasun Kundu, Deboki Naskar, Shannon J. Mckie, Sheena Dass, Usheer Kanjee, Viola Introini, Marcelo U. Ferreira, Pietro Cicuta, Manoj Duraisingh, Janet E. Deane, Julian C. Rayner
Summary: This study reveals the molecular function of the Plasmodium TRAg family, which is encoded by a multi-gene family and significantly expanded in P. vivax and related parasites. The TRAgs are expressed on the merozoite surface, with one specific TRAg binding to red blood cells, particularly reticulocytes. Structural analysis shows that the TRAg family has a conserved three-helical bundle that resembles lipid-binding BAR domains involved in membrane remodelling. Biochemical assays confirm the TRAg's ability to bind to sulfatide, a glycosphingolipid present in the outer leaflet of plasma membranes. Moreover, deletion of the putative orthologue in P. knowlesi affects invasion in reticulocytes, indicating the importance of TRAg during this essential process.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ricardo Fradique, Erika Causa, Clara Delahousse, Jurij Kotar, Laetitia Pinte, Ludovic Vallier, Marta Vila-Gonzalez, Pietro Cicuta
Summary: Cilia density, distribution, and beating frequency are crucial properties of airway epithelial tissues. This article introduces a novel and open-source method for fully characterizing cilia beating frequency and motile cilia coverage in an automated manner without any user intervention. The method successfully differentiates between different coverage densities, identifies small patches of cilia in larger fields of view, and provides a comprehensive characterization of cilia beating frequency in all moving areas.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Viola Introini, Gururaj Rao Kidiyoor, Giancarlo Porcella, Pietro Cicuta, Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino
Summary: The nucleus plays a central role in key cellular processes, and recent research suggests an association between nuclear mechanics and cell-cycle progression. By monitoring nuclear shape fluctuations, this study reveals an increasing inward deformation in late G2 and early prophase, which correlates with chromatin condensation and possibly links it with nuclear-envelope breakdown during mitosis. These findings provide insights into the mechanical connection between chromosome condensation and nuclear envelope dynamics.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sho Takamori, Pietro Cicuta, Shoji Takeuchi, Lorenzo Di Michele
Summary: DNA-assisted selective electrofusion (DASE) utilizes membrane-anchored DNA constructs to bring together objects for fusion, and an electric impulse is applied to trigger fusion, combining the efficiency of standard electrofusion and the selectivity of fusogenic nanostructures.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Miguel Paez-Perez, I. Alasdair Russell, Pietro Cicuta, Lorenzo Di Michele
Summary: This article introduces fusogenic nanostructures constructed from synthetic DNA, which can control membrane fusion pathways and make them conditional to the presence of soluble DNA molecules. The study systematically explores the relationship between lipid-membrane composition, its biophysical properties, and measured fusion efficiency, and observes that specific lipid compositions lead to complex bilayer architectures in the fusion products.
