Coherent linking between confocal amplitude image and confocal phase image in dual-comb microscopy.

We propose a method for integrating confocal amplitude and phase images obtained through dual-comb microscopy (DCM). DCM combines the benefits of confocal laser microscopy and quantitative phase microscopy, offering high axial resolution and scan-less imaging. By leveraging the coherence between confocal amplitude and phase images within the same DCM system, we accurately determine the number of phase wrapping iterations, thereby eliminating ambiguity in phase wrapping.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of coaxially electrospun titania nanofibers comprising yolk-shell particles.

The present paper reports the fabrication of novel types of hybrid fibrous photocatalysts by combining block copolymer (BCP) templating, sol-gel processing, and coaxial electrospinning techniques. Coaxial electrospinning produces core-shell nanofibers (NFs), which are converted into hollow porous TiO NFs using an oxidative calcination step. Hybrid BCP micelles comprising a single plasmonic nanoparticle (NP) in their core and thereof derived silica-coated core-shell particles are utilized as precursors to generate yolk-shell type particulate inclusions in photocatalytically active NFs.

Charge-Compensated N-Doped π-Conjugated Polymers: Toward both Thermodynamic Stability of N-Doped States in Water and High Electron Conductivity.

The understanding and applications of electron-conducting π-conjugated polymers with naphtalene diimide (NDI) blocks show remarkable progress in recent years. Such polymers demonstrate a facilitated n-doping due to the strong electron deficiency of the main polymer chain and the presence of the positively charged side groups stabilizing a negative charge of the n-doped backbone. Here, the n-type conducting NDI polymer with enhanced stability of its n-doped states for prospective "in-water" applications is developed.

Flexible Pressure Sensors Based on the Controlled Buckling of Doped Semiconducting Polymer Nanopillars.

Mechanically flexible and electrically conductive nanostructures are highly desired for flexible piezoresistive pressure sensors toward health monitoring or robotic skin applications. The popular approach for these sensors is to combine flexible but insulating polymers as a micro- or nanostructural functional medium and conductive materials covering the polymer surface, which could give rise to many practical issues, for example, durability, compatibility, and complicated processing steps. We herein report a piezoresistive pressure sensor with a functional component of nanopillars of a doped semiconducting polymer, operating at low bias voltage with a sensing mechanism based on controlled buckling.

Computationally image-corrected dual-comb microscopy with a free-running single-cavity dual-comb fiber laser.

Dual-comb microscopy (DCM), an interesting imaging modality based on the optical-frequency-comb (OFC) mode and image pixel one-to-one correspondence, benefits from scan-less full-field imaging and simultaneous confocal amplitude and phase imaging. However, the two fully frequency-stabilized OFC sources requirement hampers DCM practicality due to the complexity and costs. Here, a bidirectional single-cavity dual-comb fiber laser (SCDCFL) is adopted as a DCM low-complexity OFC source.

Optical image amplification in dual-comb microscopy.

Dual-comb microscopy (DCM), based on a combination of dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) with two-dimensional spectral encoding (2D-SE), is a promising method for scan-less confocal laser microscopy giving an amplitude and phase image contrast with the confocality. However, signal loss in a 2D-SE optical system hampers increase in image acquisition rate due to decreased signal-to-noise ratio. In this article, we demonstrated optical image amplification in DCM with an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA).

Horizontal Transmission of Symbiotic Green Algae Between Hydra Strains.

Some hydra strains belonging to the vulgaris group show a symbiotic relationship with green algae Chlorococcum sp. The symbiotic green algae can escape from the host polyps and can form swimming zoospores (which have two flagella) in culture solution. We observed that co-culture with the symbiotic polyps caused horizontal transmission of the symbionts into some non-symbiotic hydra strains that have no symbionts in nature and that belong not only to the vulgaris group but also to other hydra species groups.

Probing DNA mismatched and bulged structures by using 19F NMR spectroscopy and oligodeoxynucleotides with an 19F-labeled nucleobase.

In this study, DNA local structures with bulged bases and mismatched base pairs as well as ordinary full-matched base pairs by using (19)F NMR spectroscopy with (19)F-labeled oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) were monitored. The chemical shift change in the (19) F NMR spectra allowed discrimination of the DNA structures. Two types of ODNs possessing the bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene unit (F-unit) at specified uridines were prepared and hybridized with their complementary or noncomplementary strands to form matched, mismatched, or bulged duplexes.