Photonic devices based on thin-film lithium niobate on insulator

Lithium niobate on insulator(LNOI)is rising as one of the most promising platforms for integrated photonics due to the high-index-contrast and excellent material properties of lithium niobate,such as wideband transparency from visible to mid-infrared,large electro-optic,piezoelectric,and second-order harmonic coefficients.The fast-developing micro-and nanostructuring techniques on LNOI have enabled various structure,devices,systems,and applications.In this contribution,we review the latest developments in this platform,including ultra-high speed electro-optic modulators,optical frequency combs,opto-electro-mechanical system on chip,second-harmonic generation in periodically poled LN waveguides,and efficient edge coupling for LNOI.

Brain-inspired multimodal approach for effluent quality prediction using wastewater surface images and water quality data

Efficiently predicting effluent quality through data-driven analysis presents a significant advancement for consistent wastewater treatment operations.In this study,we aimed to develop an integrated method for predicting effluent COD and NH3 levels.We employed a 200 L pilot-scale sequencing batch reactor(SBR)to gather multimodal data from urban sewage over 40 d.Then we collected data on critical parameters like COD,DO,pH,NH_(3),EC,ORP,SS,and water temperature,alongside wastewater surface images,resulting in a data set of approximately 40246 points.Then we proposed a brain-inspired image and temporal fusion model integrated with a CNN-LSTM network(BITF-CL)using this data.This innovative model synergized sewage imagery with water quality data,enhancing prediction accuracy.As a result,the BITF-CL model reduced prediction error by over 23%compared to traditional methods and still performed comparably to conventional techniques even without using DO and SS sensor data.Consequently,this research presents a cost-effective and precise prediction system for sewage treatment,demonstrating the potential of brain-inspired models.

Targeted deletion of mouse Rad1 leads to deficient cellular DNA damage responses

The Rad1 gene is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human.The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rad1 ortholog promotes cell survival against DNA damage and is required for G_(2)/M checkpoint activation.In this study,mouse embryonic stem(ES)cells with a targeted deletion of Mrad1,the mouse ortholog of this gene,were created to evaluate its function in mammalian cells.Mrad1^(−/−)ES cells were highly sensitive to ultraviolet-light(UV light),hydroxyurea(HU)and gamma rays,and were defective in G_(2)/M as well as S/M checkpoints.These data indicate that Mrad1 is required for repairing DNA lesions induced by UV-light,HU and gamma rays,and for mediating G_(2)/M and S/M checkpoint controls.We further demonstrated that Mrad1 plays an important role in homologous recombination repair(HRR)in ES cells,but a minor HRR role in differentiated mouse cells.

Phenylenediamine-formaldehyde chemistry derived N-doped hollow carbon spheres for high-energy-density supercapacitors

Porous carbon spheres represent an ideal family of electrode materials forsupercapacitors because of the high surface area,ideal conductivity,negligible aggregation,and ability to achieve space efficient packing.However,the development of new synthetic methods towards porous carbon spheres still remains a great challenge.Herein,N-doped hollow carbon spheres with an ultrahigh surface area of2044 m^(2)/g have been designed based on the phenylenediamine-formaldehyde chemistry.When applied in symmetric supercapacitors with ionic electrolyte(EMIBF_4),the obtained N-doped hollow carbon spheres demonstrate a high capacitance of 234 F/g,affording an ultrahigh energy density of 114.8 Wh/kg.Excellent cycling stability has also been achieved.The impressive capacitive performances make the phenylenediamine-formaldehyde resin derived N-doped carbon a promising candidate electrode material for supercapacitors.

Affinity maturation of anti-TNF-alpha scFv with somatic hypermutation in non-B cells

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase(AID)is required for the generation of antibody diversity through initiat-ing both somatic hypermutation(SHM)and class switch recombination.A few research groups have success-fully used the feature of AID for generating mutant li-braries in directed evolution of target proteins in B cells in vitro.B cells,cultured in suspension,are not con-venient for transfection and cloning.In this study,we established an AID-based mutant accumulation and sorting system in adherent human cells.Mouse AID gene was first transfected into the human non-small cell lung carcinoma H1299 cells,and a stable cell clone(H1299-AID)was selected.Afterwards,anti-hTNF-αscFv(ATscFv)was transfected into H1299-AID cells and ATscFv was displayed on the surface of H1299-AID cells.By 4-round amplification/flow cytometric sorting for cells with the highest affinities to hTNF-alpha,two ATscFv mutant gene clones were isolated.Compared with the wild type ATscFv,the two mutants were much more efficient in neutralizing cytotoxicity of hTNF-alpha.The results indicate that directed evolution by somatic hypermutation can be carried out in adherent non-B cells,which makes directed evolution in mammalian cells easier and more efficient.