Characterization of group I introns in generating circular RNAs as vaccines.

Circular RNAs are an increasingly important class of RNA molecules that can be engineered as RNA vaccines and therapeutics. Here, we screened eight different group I introns for their ability to circularize and delineated different features that are important for their function. First, we identified the Scytalidium dimidiatum group I intron as causing minimal innate immune activation inside cells, underscoring its potential to serve as an effective RNA vaccine without triggering unwanted reactogenicity.

Enhancement of responsivity and a self-powered on-chip LNOI integrated BiTe photodetector array.

The topological insulator BiTe possesses an extraordinary optoelectronic property for wide-band optoelectronics device applications. In this study, we demonstrate a high-responsivity and self-powered on-chip lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) waveguide-integrated BiTe photodetector array operating at 1550 nm. Enhancement of responsivity is attributed to the decreased BiTe/Au contact resistance, which is facilitated by electrothermal annealing.

Development of a tumor-region-selective activation monoclonal antibody targeting the 4-1BB receptor for enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety.

4-1BB is a co-stimulatory immune checkpoint receptor that triggers CD8 T cell activation, leading to robust anti-tumor responses. Although antibodies targeting 4-1BB show promise in preclinical studies, systemic 4-1BB over-activation can cause severe hepatotoxicity, limiting their clinical use. In this study, we developed Pro-Urelumab, an engineered version of the clinical anti-4-1BB antibody (Urelumab), utilizing an autologous hinge as a spatial hindrance-based antibody lock, linked the antibody and antibody lock with a matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 (MMP-2/9) substrate.

Dual-Color Coherent Perfect Absorber.

Perfect absorption of light critically affects light-matter interaction for various applications. Coherent perfect absorbers (CPAs) gain the unique capability of controlling light with light in a linear fashion. Multicolor CPAs [S.

Local Hyperthermia Combined With Imiquimod Cleared Recalcitrant and Extensive Warts in a Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Viral warts, a common dermatological condition caused by human papillomavirus infection (HPV) infection, present a particular challenge for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients due to their compromised immunity, which increases the susceptibility to HPV infection and complicates treatment efforts. Imiquimod, an immunomodulatory agent, has demonstrated efficacy in managing warts. Furthermore, local hyperthermia, a non-invasive therapeutic modality, has demonstrated significant potential in the management of warts.

MoTe Photodetector for Integrated Lithium Niobate Photonics.

The integration of a photodetector that converts optical signals into electrical signals is essential for scalable integrated lithium niobate photonics. Two-dimensional materials provide a potential high-efficiency on-chip detection capability. Here, we demonstrate an efficient on-chip photodetector based on a few layers of MoTe on a thin film lithium niobate waveguide and integrate it with a microresonator operating in an optical telecommunication band.

RTify: Aligning Deep Neural Networks with Human Behavioral Decisions.

Current neural network models of primate vision focus on replicating overall levels of behavioral accuracy, often neglecting perceptual decisions' rich, dynamic nature. Here, we introduce a novel computational framework to model the dynamics of human behavioral choices by learning to align the temporal dynamics of a recurrent neural network (RNN) to human reaction times (RTs). We describe an approximation that allows us to constrain the number of time steps an RNN takes to solve a task with human RTs.

Adsorption and catalytic oxidation removal of Mn by MnO with different crystal structures: Structure-activity relationship and mechanism.

This study investigates the impact of MnO crystal structures on Mn removal in drinking water for the first time. α-, γ-, and δ-MnO phases were synthesized, showing a removal process involving adsorption (Mn was adsorbed as the state of Mn(OH)), saturation, and catalytic oxidation. The adsorption capacity followed δ- > γ- > α-MnO, aligning with the Mn oxidation state.

Hybrid integrated thin-film lithium niobate and a silicon carbide microcomb amplifier.

We demonstrate a hybrid integrated optical frequency comb amplifier composed of a silicon carbide microcomb and a lithium niobate waveguide amplifier, which generates a 10-dB on-chip gain for the C+L band microcombs under 1480-nm laser pumping and an 8-dB gain under 980-nm laser pumping. It will solve the problem of low output power of microcombs and can be applied in various scenarios such as optical communication, lidar, optical computing, astronomical detection, atomic clocks, and more.

High-efficiency single-mode erbium-doped lithium niobate microring laser with milliwatt output power.

Erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) lasers have attracted great interest in recent years due to their compatibility with high-speed electro-optic (EO) modulation on the same platform. In this work, high-efficiency single-mode erbium-doped microring lasers with milliwatt output powers were demonstrated. Monolithic lithium niobate microring resonators using pulley-waveguide-coupling were fabricated by the photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE) technique.

Lithium niobate on insulator - fundamental opto-electronic properties and photonic device prospects.

Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) combines a variety of optoelectronic properties and can meet practical performance requirements that are uncommon in optoelectronic materials. This review introduces the fundamentals and the photonic device concepts that arise from the LNOI materials platform. Firstly, the nonlinear optical response of LNOI is presented, including birefringent phase matching (BPM), modal phase matching (MPM), and quasi-phase matching (QPM).

Single-shot single-beam coherent Raman scattering thermometry based on optically induced air lasing.

Thermometric techniques with high accuracy, fast response and ease of implementation are desirable for the study of dynamic combustion environments, transient reacting flows, and non-equilibrium plasmas. Herein, single-shot single-beam coherent Raman scattering (SS-CRS) thermometry is developed, for the first time to our knowledge, by using air lasing as a probe. We show that the air-lasing-assisted CRS signal has a high signal-to-noise ratio enabling single-shot measurements at a 1 kHz repetition rate.

Fabrication of ultra-high-Q TaO microdisks by photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching.

Tantalum pentoxide (TaO) is widely recognized as a promising material platform for photonic integration. This is primarily attributed to its exceptional properties including large bandgap of 3.8 eV, broad transparency window ranging from 300 nm to 8000 nm, high nonlinear refractive index of ∼7.

Silica-coated nano zero-valent iron as a slow-release electron donor for sustained enhancement of aerobic denitrification in oligotrophic source water: Performance and mechanism.

Limited organic carbon in drinking water constrains the removal of nitrate‑nitrogen (NO-N) via aerobic denitrification. This paper reports the use of silica-coated nano zero-valent iron (nZVI@SiO) as a stable and sustainable electron donor to enhance aerobic denitrification. The nZVI@SiO, synthesized via a one-step method, was resistant to oxidation and exhibited excellent stability.

Interannual succession of phytoplankton community in a canyon-shaped drinking water reservoir during the initial impoundment period: Taxonomic versus functional groups.

During the initial impoundment period of a canyon-shaped reservoir, the water body fluctuated violently regarding water level, hydrological condition, and thermal stratification. These variations may alter the structure of phytoplankton community, resulting in algal blooms and seriously threatening the ecological security of the reservoir. It is of great significance to understand the continuous changes of phytoplankton in the initial impoundment period for the protection of reservoir water quality.

Lithium niobate waveguide-integrated BiTe/graphene heterojunction photodetector.

We demonstrate an on-chip photodetector by integrating a graphene and topological insulator BiTe heterostructure on a thin-film lithium niobate waveguide. Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) waveguides are fabricated by the photolithography-assisted chemical mechanical etching method. The bismuth telluride (BiTe) and graphene heterostructure design provides enhanced photocurrent due to the effective photocarrier generation.

Compact low-half-wave-voltage thin film lithium niobate electro-optic phase modulator fabricated by photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE).

We present a compact dual-arm thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) electro-optic phase modulator fabricated using the photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE) technique. The design of the device doubles the modulation amount compared to single-arm modulators while maintaining the same chip length. Achieving a half-wave voltage of approximately 3 V, the device outperforms conventional single-arm phase modulators.

Large-Scale High-Accuracy and High-Efficiency Phase Plate Machining.

In this paper, multifunctional, multilevel phase plates of quartz substrate were efficiently prepared by using a newly developed polygon scanner-based femtosecond laser photolithography system combined with inductively coupled discharge plasma reactive-ion etching (ICP-RIE) technology. The femtosecond laser photolithography system can achieve a scanning speed of 5 m/s and a preparation efficiency of 15 cm/h while ensuring an overlay alignment accuracy of less than 100 nm and a writing resolution of 500 nm. The ICP-RIE technology can control the etching depth error within ±5 nm and the mask-to-mask edge error is less than 1 μm.

High-Extraction-Rate TaO-Core/SiO-Clad Photonic Waveguides on Silicon Fabricated by Photolithography-Assisted Chemo-Mechanical Etching (PLACE).

We demonstrate high-extraction-rate TaO-core/SiO-clad photonic waveguides on silicon fabricated by the photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching technique. Low-confinement waveguides of larger than 70% coupling efficiency with optical fibers and medium propagation loss around 1 dB/cm are investigated in the experiment. Monolithic microring resonators based on TaO waveguides have shown the quality factors to be above 10 near 1550 nm.

Rhythm Facilitates Auditory Working Memory via Beta-Band Encoding and Theta-Band Maintenance.

Rhythm, as a prominent characteristic of auditory experiences such as speech and music, is known to facilitate attention, yet its contribution to working memory (WM) remains unclear. Here, human participants temporarily retained a 12-tone sequence presented rhythmically or arrhythmically in WM and performed a pitch change-detection task. Behaviorally, while having comparable accuracy, rhythmic tone sequences showed a faster response time and lower response boundaries in decision-making.

Emergency control of dinoflagellate bloom in freshwater with chlorine enhanced by solar radiation: Efficiency and mechanism.

Dinoflagellate requires a lower temperature and blooms frequently in the spring and autumn compared to regular cyanobacteria. The outbreak of dinoflagellate bloom will also lead to the death of some aquatic organisms. However, research on freshwater dinoflagellates is still lacking due to the challenges posed by classification and culture in laboratory.

Integrating molecular dynamics simulation with small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering to unravel the flexibility, antigen-blocking, and protease-restoring functions in a hindrance-based pro-antibody.

Spatial hindrance-based pro-antibodies (pro-Abs) are engineered antibodies to reduce monoclonal antibodies' (mAbs) on-target toxicity using universal designed blocking segments that mask mAb antigen-binding sites through spatial hindrance. By linking through protease substrates and linkers, these blocking segments can be removed site-specifically. Although many types of blocking segments have been developed, such as coiled-coil and hinge-based Ab locks, the molecular structure of the pro-Ab, particularly the region showing how the blocking fragment blocks the mAb, has not been elucidated by X-ray crystallography or cryo-EM.