Rituximab, but not other biologics, impairs humoral immunity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-a study using CoVariant protein arrays.

Objectives: RA is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and joint destruction. Biologics are crucial to achieving treat-to-target goals in patients with RA. The global spread and continuous variation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitate the monitoring of variant-specific humoral responses post-vaccination.

Antibody Profiling of Dengue Severities Using Flavivirus Protein Microarrays.

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, about half of the world's population is at risk of dengue. There are four serotypes of the dengue virus.

Developing magnetic barcode bead fluorescence assay for high throughput analyzing humoral responses against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The continuous mutation of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput detection methods. To better analyze the antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in vaccinated or infected subjects, we developed a multiplex detection named Barcode Bead Fluorescence (BBF) assay. These barcode beads were magnetic, characterized by 2-dimensional edges, highly multiplexed, and could be decrypted with visible light.

Circadian rhythm-related factors of PER and CRY family genes function as novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers in lung adenocarcinoma.

The period () and cryptochrome () families play critical roles in circadian rhythms. The imbalance of circadian factors may lead to the occurrence of cancer. Expressions of and family members decrease in various cancers.

Photonic Crystal Circular Nanobeam Cavity Laser with Type-II GaSb/GaAs Quantum Rings as Gain Material.

The optical emission from type-II semiconductor nanostructures is influenced by the long carrier lifetime and can exhibit remarkable thermal stability. In this study, utilizing a high quality photonic crystal circular nanobeam cavity with a high quality factor and a sub-micrometer mode volume, we demonstrated an ultra-compact semiconductor laser with type-II gallium antimonide/gallium arsenide quantum rings (GaSb/GaAs QRs) as the gain medium. The lasing mode localized around the defect region of the nanobeam had a small modal volume and significant coupling with the photons emitted by QRs.

High-Efficiency Bifacial Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells for Application under Indoor Light Conditions.

High-efficiency, stable bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are prepared for application under indoor light conditions. A 3-methoxypropionitrile solvent and cobalt redox couples are utilized to prepare the electrolytes. To obtain the best cell performance, the components of the DSSCs, including electrolytes, photoanodes, and counter electrodes (CEs), are regulated.

Importance of Compact Blocking Layers to the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells under Ambient Light Conditions.

Power generation in indoor environments is the next step in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) evolution. To achieve this goal, a critical recombination route which is usually inhibited by the TiCl-derived blocking layers (BLs), that is, charge transfer at the fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate/electrolyte interface, is of concern. In this study, we demonstrate that because of low surface coverage, the conventional TiCl BLs are unable to suppress such electron leakage, thus limiting the photovoltaic performance of Co(bpy)-mediated DSSCs (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) under ambient lighting.

Direct observation of impact propagation and absorption in dense colloidal monolayers.

Dense colloidal suspensions can propagate and absorb large mechanical stresses, including impacts and shocks. The wave transport stems from the delicate interplay between the spatial arrangement of the structural units and solvent-mediated effects. For dynamic microscopic systems, elastic deformations of the colloids are usually disregarded due to the damping imposed by the surrounding fluid.

Wave propagation in one-dimensional microscopic granular chains.

We employ noncontact optical techniques to generate and measure stress waves in uncompressed, one-dimensional microscopic granular chains, and support our experiments with discrete numerical simulations. We show that the wave propagation through dry particles (150 μm radius) is highly nonlinear and it is significantly influenced by the presence of defects (e.g.

Arbitrary waveform synthesis by multiple harmonics generation and phasing in aperiodic optical superlattices.

The process of generating periodic optical waveforms includes the generation and phasing of several harmonics of a fundamental frequency. In this work, we show that simultaneous generation and phasing of the harmonics can be performed in a monolithic aperiodic optical superlattice (AOS). Stable periodic waveforms can thus be delivered to a predetermined location by simply sending a laser beam through a properly designed and fabricated AOS crystal.

Low-light-level all-optical switching.

We propose an all-optical switch that utilizes the technique of storage and retrieval of light pulses. A single photon (probe pulse) switched by another (switching pulse) is feasible, and the on-off ratio can be as large as 10 dB. We have experimentally demonstrated that the energy of the retrieved probe pulse is reduced to about 10% because of the presence of a switching pulse with an energy per unit area of one photon per lambda(2)/(2pi).