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Researchers at the University of Liège (Belgium) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the immune response against parasites. During a parasitic infection, specific immune cells, known as virtual memory T cells, become activated and express a surface molecule called CD22, which prevents an excessive immune reaction. This discovery could help in better-controlling inflammation and improving immune responses to infections.

The findings are published in the journal Science Immunology.

Nearly a quarter of the world’s population is infected by helminths, that establish themselves in the intestine for extended periods. In response to these invaders, the immune system deploys complex defense strategies. In their recent study, the researchers revealed a previously unsuspected mechanism that regulates the activation of certain : CD8+ virtual memory T cells (TVM).

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A research team led by Wang Guozhong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel method to precisely control the size of nickel (Ni) particles in catalysts, improving their performance in hydrogenation reactions.

The findings, published in Advanced Functional Materials, offer new insights into catalyst design for .

Catalysts play a crucial role in accelerating without being consumed, and the size of metal particles within them is a key factor influencing their performance.

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Optical fibers are fundamental components in modern science and technology due to their inherent advantages, providing an efficient and secure medium for applications such as internet communication and big data transmission. Compared with single-mode fibers (SMFs), multimode fibers (MMFs) can support a much larger number of guided modes (~103 to ~104), offering the attractive advantage of high-capacity information and image transportation within the diameter of a hair. This capability has positioned MMFs as a critical tool in fields such as quantum information and micro-endoscopy.

However, MMFs pose a significant challenge: their highly scattering nature introduces severe modal dispersion during transmission, which significantly degrades the quality of transmitted information. Existing technologies, such as (ANNs) and spatial light modulators (SLMs), have achieved limited success in reconstructing distorted images after MMF transmission. Despite these advancements, the direct optical transmission of undistorted images through MMFs using micron-scale integrated has remained an elusive goal in optical research.

Addressing the longstanding challenges of multi-mode fiber (MMF) transmission, the research team led by Prof. Qiming Zhang and Associate Prof. Haoyi Yu from the School of Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology (SAIST) at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) has introduced a groundbreaking solution. The study is published in the journal Nature Photonics.

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The phase and the group velocity of light propagating in conventional optical media cannot exceed the speed of light in vacuum. However, in so-called epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials, light exhibits an infinite phase velocity and a vanishing group velocity for a particular color (frequency).

So far, such properties have only been observed in very few solids and nano-engineered materials. A new study by researchers from the Max Born Institute in Berlin and Tulane University in New Orleans opens a completely new avenue by transiently turning ordinary liquids, such as water and alcohols, into ENZ materials at terahertz (THz) frequencies through the interaction with intense femtosecond laser pulses.

Ionization of a polar molecular liquid with generates , which localize or “solvate” on a femtosecond time scale and eventually occupy voids in the network of molecules, a disordered array of electric dipoles. The binding energy of the electron in its final location is mainly determined by electric forces between the electron and the molecular dipoles of the liquid.

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Today’s computers use vast amounts of energy to do tasks that a living brain can achieve much more efficiently. So scientists are trying to create organic computers that can function at low energy levels.

A start-up on the shores of Lake Geneva is building computer networks using human brain cells, which could transform Artificial Intelligence systems.

It’s the latest foray into the field of ‘bio-computing’, also known as wetware.

RAZOR’s Amelia Hemphill visits the FinalSpark lab in Switzerland to find out more about how the brain organoids are grown and trained.

Continue reading “Biocomputers made from human brain cells could run the AI systems of the future” | >

Added Hofer, “Our results challenge traditional views about learning and memory. While the cerebral cortex has long been considered the brain’s primary centre for learning, memory and behavioral flexibility, we found the subcortical vLGN and not the visual cortex actually stores these crucial memories. This neural pathway can provide a link between cognitive neocortical processes and ‘hard-wired’ brainstem-mediated behaviors, enabling animals to adapt instinctive behaviors.”

The implications of the discoveries extend beyond the laboratory, the team suggests. Dysfunction of pathways through vLGN or impairments in eCB-dependent plasticity could contribute to fear and anxiety disorders and PTSD, the team suggested. “… targeting these pathways, for example, by using deep brain stimulation, or enhancing eCB-dependent plasticity within these circuits may facilitate suppression of maladaptive fear responses, suggesting new therapeutic strategies for fear-related disorders.”

Hofer stated, “Our findings could also help advance our understanding of what is going wrong in the brain when fear response regulation is impaired in conditions such as phobias, anxiety and PTSD. While instinctive fear reactions to predators may be less relevant for modern humans, the brain pathway we discovered exists in humans too. This could open new avenues for treating fear disorders by targeting vLGN circuits or localized endocannabinoid systems.”

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