Abrupt lateral beam shifts from terahertz quasi-bound states in the continuum.

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) are notable in photonics for their infinite Q factors. Perturbed BICs, or quasi-BICs (QBICs), have finite but ultra-high Q factors, enabling external coupling. So far, most studies have focused on the momentum-space properties of BICs and QBICs, with few discussions on their properties in real space.

Metallic Electro-optic Effect in Gapped Bilayer Graphene.

Electro-optic (EO) modulation is a critical device action in photonics. Recently, the non-Drude dynamics induced by the Berry curvature dipole (BCD) in metals have attracted attention as a potential candidate for terahertz EO modulation. However, such BCD-induced EO effects can be challenging to realize, often requiring flat bands and complex materials such as a strained magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene on hexagonal boron nitride.

Investigating frontoparietal networks and activation in children with mathematics learning difficulties: Cases with different deficit profiles.

Approximately 15%-20% of school-aged children suffer from mathematics learning difficulties (MLD). Most children with developmental dyscalculia (DD) or MLD also have comorbid cognitive deficits. Recent literature suggests that research should focus on uncovering the neural underpinnings of MLD across more inclusive samples, rather than limiting studies to pure cases of DD or MLD with highly stringent inclusion criteria.

Photonic axion insulator.

Axions, hypothetical elementary particles that remain undetectable in nature, can arise as quasiparticles in three-dimensional crystals known as axion insulators. Previous implementations of axion insulators have largely been limited to two-dimensional systems, leaving their topological properties in three dimensions unexplored in experiment. Here, we realize an axion insulator in a three-dimensional photonic crystal and probe its topological properties.

Quotient Complex (QC)-Based Machine Learning for 2D Hybrid Perovskite Design.

With remarkable stability and exceptional optoelectronic properties, two-dimensional (2D) halide layered perovskites hold immense promise for revolutionizing photovoltaic technology. Effective data representations are key to the success of all learning models. Currently, the lack of comprehensive and accurate material representations has hindered AI-based design and discovery of 2D perovskites, limiting their potential for advanced photovoltaic applications.

How could simulations elucidate Nav1.5 channel blockers mechanism?

Tao and Corry used metadynamics, an enhanced sampling method to identify and classify Nav channel blockers.

A coopetition-driven strategy of parallel/perpendicular aromatic stacking enabling metastable supramolecular polymerization.

Metastable supramolecular polymerization under kinetic control has recently been recognized as a closer way to biosystem than thermodynamic process. While impressive works on metastable supramolecular systems have been reported, the library of available non-covalent driving modes is still small and a simple yet versatile solution is highly desirable to design for easily regulating the energy landscapes of metastable aggregation. Herein, we propose a coopetition-driven metastability strategy for parallel/perpendicular aromatic stacking to construct metastable supramolecular polymers derived from a class of simple monomers consisting of lateral indoles and aromatic core.

Establishing an end-to-end workflow for SNSPD fabrication and characterization.

The outstanding performance of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) has expanded their application areas from quantum technologies to astronomy, space communication, imaging, and LiDAR. As a result, there has been a surge in demand for these devices, that commercial products cannot readily meet. Consequently, more research and development efforts are being directed towards establishing in-house SNSPD manufacturing, leveraging existing nano-fabrication capabilities that can be customized and fine-tuned for specific needs.

Bovine Serum Albumin-Capped Fluorescent Copper Nanocluster Incorporated with 2D-Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets as a FRET-Based Immune Probe for the "Turn-On" Detection of cTnT.

Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of mortality worldwide, as stated by the World Health Organization. We utilized the red fluorescence emitted by copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) to detect cardiac Troponin T (cTnT). We designed a fluorescent probe to detect cTnT using an on-off-on technique.

Topological Disclination States and Charge Fractionalization in a Non-Hermitian Lattice.

We show that a non-Hermitian lattice with a disclination can host topological disclination states that are induced by on-site gain and loss. The disclination states are inherently non-Hermitian as they do not exist in the limit of zero gain or loss. They arise from charge fractionalization in the non-Hermitian lattice, which we establish using non-Hermitian Wilson loops calculated with biorthogonal products.

Trifluoroacetic Acid as a Molecular Probe for the Dense Phase in Liquid-Liquid Phase-Separating Peptide Systems.

Although trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is not typically considered a Hofmeister reagent, it has been demonstrated to modulate biocoacervation. We show that TFA can be employed to probe specific interactions in coacervating bioinspired peptide phenylalanine (Phe) F-labeled at a single site, altering its liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) behavior. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed two dynamically distinct binding modes of TFA with Phe, resulting in a structured, dipolar-ordered complex and a more dynamic complex, highlighting the proximity between TFA and Phe.

Red emitting fluorescence sensor based on Eu-tungstate complex for the detection of bilirubin in biological fluid.

Bilirubin is an important biomarker indicative of human health metabolism, especially in jaundice disease. In this work, we develop an Eu (Europium)-tungstate complex-based turn-off luminescence detection method for bilirubin in human (urineand serum)samples. The Eu-tungstate complex was synthesized by a straightforward one-pot procedure at ambient temperature, utilizing Europium chloride and Sodium tungstate as the precursors.

Photothermally-enhanced ferroptotic-chemo therapy enabled by ZIF-derived multizyme.

A multi-functional single-Fe-atom nanozyme (Fe-SAzyme) is designed, integrating the near-infrared photothermal property, the ability to carry chemoagent (doxorubicin - DOX), and nanocatalytic activities mimicking peroxidase, oxidase, and glutathione oxidase. The nanocatalytic activities act cooperatively to effectively produce cytotoxic radicals in the tumor microenvironment (TME), thereby leading to ferroptosis of cancer cells. The photothermal effect not only enhances the nanocatalytic therapy but also enables photothermal therapy.

Photonic Supercoupling in Silicon Topological Waveguides.

Waveguide interconnect coupling control is essential for enhancing the chip density of photonic integrated circuits to incorporate a growing number of components. However, a critical engineering challenge is to achieve both strong waveguide isolation and efficient long-range coupling on a single chip. Here, a novel photonic supercoupling phenomenon is demonstrated for waveguide coupling over separation distances from a quarter to five wavelengths (λ), leveraging the tunable mode tails and the vortex energy flow in topological valley Hall system.

Quantum dot-to-dye-based fluorescent ratiometric immunoassay for GFAP: a biomarker for ischaemic stroke and glioblastoma multiforme.

Ischaemic stroke and glioma, as leading causes of mortality and long-term disability, pose critical challenges to healthcare systems, necessitating innovative approaches to enable early and cost-effective diagnosis for timely intervention. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an astrocyte-produced protein, is highly responsive to both ischaemic stroke and glioblastoma multiforme, with its levels correlating to the extent of brain damage. In this study, we present the development of an immunoassay probe for the ratiometric fluorescent detection of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), employing a monoclonal GFAP antibody-conjugated silicon quantum dots (Ab@SiQDs) and rhodamine B dye (RhB)-based immunoprobe.

Gradient Descent Provably Escapes Saddle Points in the Training of Shallow ReLU Networks.

Dynamical systems theory has recently been applied in optimization to prove that gradient descent algorithms bypass so-called strict saddle points of the loss function. However, in many modern machine learning applications, the required regularity conditions are not satisfied. In this paper, we prove a variant of the relevant dynamical systems result, a center-stable manifold theorem, in which we relax some of the regularity requirements.

High-Temperature Polymorphism and Band-Gap Evolution in BaZrS.

Barium zirconium trisulfide (BZS) is a three-dimensional (3D) perovskite with optoelectronic properties suitable for photovoltaic (PV) and light-emitting diode (LED) applications that is conventionally reported in the orthorhombic (62) symmetry. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and Raman and absorption spectroscopy revealed three high-temperature polymorphs that appear when BZS is heated in air prior to complete oxidation (BaZrS + 5O → BaSO + ZrO + 2SO↑) at 700 °C with the approximate stability ranges: BaZrS IV (62)T < 400 °CBaZrS III (63)400 °C ≤ T ≤ 500 °CBaZrS II14/ (140)500 °C ≤ T ≤ 700 °CDifferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed exothermic features accompanying the IV → III and III → II phase changes. Furthermore, the direct band gap varied inversely with temperature with distinct energies for each polymorph (1.

Decarboxylative Coupling of Ketoacids with Allylic Acetates.

We developed a novel, metal-free catalytic system for synthesizing a broad range of itaconates using α-ketoacids and allylic acetate. This method, leveraging phosphine and Mes-Acr(BF) catalysts, has proven versatile, enabling the efficient itaconation of peptides, the synthesis of bioactive itaconates, and the preparation of an itaconate-based bio-orthogonal probe.

Room-Temperature Exciton Polaritons in a Monolayer Molecular Crystal.

Strong coupling between excitons and photons in optical microcavities leads to the formation of exciton polaritons, which maintain both the coherence of light and the interaction of matter. Recently, atomically thin monolayer semiconductors with a large exciton oscillator strength and high exciton binding energy have been widely used for realizing room-temperature exciton polaritons. Here, we demonstrated room-temperature exciton polaritons with a monolayer molecular crystal.

Illumination-Guided progressive unsupervised domain adaptation for low-light instance segmentation.

Due to limited photons, low-light environments pose significant challenges for computer vision tasks. Unsupervised domain adaptation offers a potential solution, but struggles with domain misalignment caused by inadequate utilization of features at different stages. To address this, we propose an Illumination-Guided Progressive Unsupervised Domain Adaptation method, called IPULIS, for low-light instance segmentation by progressively exploring the alignment of features at image-, instance-, and pixel-levels between normal- and low-light conditions under illumination guidance.

Intense second-harmonic generation in two-dimensional PtSe.

Platinum diselenide (PtSe), classified as a noble metal dichalcogenide, has garnered substantial interest owing to its layer-dependent band structure, remarkable air-stability, and high charge-carrier mobilities. These properties make it highly promising for a wide array of applications in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices, as well as sensors. Additionally, two-dimensional (2D) PtSe demonstrates significant potential as a saturable absorber due to its exceptional nonlinear optical response across an ultrabroad spectra range, presenting exciting opportunities in ultrafast and nonlinear photonics.

Phase change material-based tunable Fano resonant optical coatings and their applications.

Thin-film coatings offer a scalable optical platform, as compared to nanopatterned films, for various applications including structural coloring, photovoltaics, and sensing. Recently, Fano resonant optical coatings (FROCs) have gained attention. FROCs consist of coupled thin film nanocavities composed of a broadband and a narrowband optical absorber.