Modern humanity wades daily through various radiations, resulting in frequent exposure and causing potentially important biological effects. Among them, the brain is the organ most sensitive to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) exposure. Despite numerous correlated studies, critical unknowns surround the different parameters used, including operational frequency, power density (i.e., energy dose), and irradiation time that could permit reproducibility and comparability between analyses. Furthermore, the interactions of EMR with biological systems and its precise mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this review, recent approaches examining the effects of microwave radiations on the brain, specifically learning and memory capabilities, as well as the mechanisms of brain dysfunction with exposure as reported in the literature, are analyzed and interpreted to provide prospective views for future research directed at this important and novel medical technology for developing preventive and therapeutic strategies on brain degeneration caused by microwave radiation. Additionally, the interactions of microwaves with biological systems and possible mechanisms are presented in this review. Treatment with natural products and safe techniques to reduce harm to organs have become essential components of daily life, and some promising techniques to treat cancers and their radioprotective effects are summarized as well. This review can serve as a platform for researchers to understand the mechanism and interactions of microwave radiation with biological systems, the present scenario, and prospects for future studies on the effect of microwaves on the brain.
In this study, nitrogen fixation in the electrolyte was achieved by atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma generated by a sinusoidal power supply (with an applied voltage of 10 kV and frequency of 33 kHz). Ammonia measurements on plasma exposed electrolyte at several working gas and purging gas conditions revealed that nitrogen plasma on the same gas environment is more favorable for plasma-assisted ammonia synthesis. In addition, photo-electrochemical water splitting was performed by irradiating UV light (316 nm) on a titanium dioxide semiconductor photo-anode to generate hydrogen donor in nitrogen reduction reaction. The amount of ammonia synthesized by this synergistic process of photo-electrochemical water splitting and nitrogen plasma is six times higher than that obtained by nitrogen plasma alone. An increase in the co-synthesized N O X concentrations and background contamination at reaction site reduces the ammonia synthesis rate and Faraday efficiency. However, the ammonia production efficiency was increased up to 72% by using a proton-exchange membrane which prevent the diffusion of oxygen evolved from water splitting into the plasma, and by reducing the axial distance between the plasma electrode and reaction site. The sustainable nitrogen fixation process reported herein can be performed at atmospheric pressure conditions without a direct input of hydrogen gas or any catalyst.
The BP/h-BN/ReSe2 heterostructure demonstrates the highest tunneling-based rectification ratio and responsivity. The tunneling device operates in switching operation at up to GHz frequency.
Vertical heterostructures of transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors have attracted considerable attention and offer new opportunities in electronics and optoelectronics for the development of innovative and multifunctional devices. Here, we designed a novel and compact vertically stacked two-dimensional (2D) n-WS2/p-GeSe/n-WS2 van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction bipolar transistor (2D-HBT)-based chemical sensor. The performance of the 2D-HBT vdW heterostructure with different base thicknesses is investigated by two configurations, namely, common-emitter and common-base configurations. The 2D-HBT vdW heterostructure exhibited intriguing electrical characteristics of current amplification with large gains of α ≈ 1.11 and β ≈ 20.7. In addition, 2D-HBT-based devices have been investigated as chemical sensors for the detection of NH3 and O2 gases at room temperature. The effects of different environments, such as air, vacuum, O2, and NH3, were also analyzed in dark conditions, and with a light of 633 nm wavelength, ultrahigh sensitivity and fast response and recovery times (6.55 and 16.2 ms, respectively) were observed. These unprecedented outcomes have huge potential in modern technology in the development of low-power amplifiers and gas sensors.
Nitrogen fixation is crucial for plants as it is utilized for the biosynthesis of almost all biomolecules. Most of our atmosphere consists of nitrogen, but plants cannot straightforwardly assimilate this from the air, and natural nitrogen fixation is inadequate to meet the extreme necessities of global nutrition. In this study, nitrogen fixation in water was achieved by an AC-driven non-thermal atmospheric pressure nitrogen plasma jet. In addition, Mg, Al, or Zn was immersed in the water, which neutralized the plasma-treated water and increased the rate of nitrogen reduction to ammonia due to the additional hydrogen generated by the reaction between the plasma-generated acid and metal. The effect of the plasma-activated water, with and without metal ions, on germination and growth in corn plants (Zea Mays) was investigated. The germination rate was found to be higher with plasma-treated water and more efficient in the presence of metal ions. Stem lengths and germination rates were significantly increased with respect to those produced by DI water irrigation. The plants responded to the abundance of nitrogen by producing intensely green leaves because of their increased chlorophyll and protein contents. Based on this report, non-thermal plasma reactors could be used to substantially enhance seed germination and seedling growth.
A growing body of literature has recognized the non-thermal effect of pulsed microwave radiation (PMR) on bacterial systems. However, its mode of action in deactivating bacteria has not yet been extensively investigated. Nevertheless, it is highly important to advance the applications of PMR from simple to complex biological systems. In this study, we first optimized the conditions of the PMR device and we assessed the results by simulations, using ANSYS HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) and a 3D particle-in-cell code for the electron behavior, to provide a better overview of the bacterial cell exposure to microwave radiation. To determine the sensitivity of PMR, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus cultures were exposed to PMR (pulse duration: 60 ns, peak frequency: 3.5 GHz) with power density of 17 kW/cm2 at the free space of sample position, which would induce electric field of 8.0 kV/cm inside the PBS solution of falcon tube in this experiment at 25 °C. At various discharges (D) of microwaves, the colony forming unit curves were analyzed. The highest ratios of viable count reductions were observed when the doses were increased from 20D to 80D, which resulted in an approximate 6 log reduction in E. coli and 4 log reduction in S. aureus. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy also revealed surface damage in both bacterial strains after PMR exposure. The bacterial inactivation was attributed to the deactivation of oxidation-regulating genes and DNA damage.
The p-GeSe/n-PdSe2 heterostructure shows a high photoresponsivity of 1 × 103 A W−1 and EQE of 47%.
In this study, nitrogen fixation in water was achieved using an atmospheric pressure non-thermal nitrogen plasma jet generated by an AC driven source of 10 kV (peak) power supply with...
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