Enhanced THz Radiation from Spatially Inhomogeneous Fields

Nonlinear terahertz(THz)radiation from gas media usually relies on the asymmetric laser-induced current produced by ultra-intense two-color laser fields with a specific phase delay.Here a new scheme is proposed and theoretically investigated,in which the radiation is generated by spatially inhomogeneous fields induced by relatively low-intensity monochromatic lasers and an array of single triangular metallic nanostructures.Our simulations are based on the classical photocurrent model and the time-dependent Schrodinger equations separately.It is found that the collective motion of the ionized electrons can be efficiently controlled by the inhomogeneous field,resulting in strong residual currents.The intensity of the THz radiation could be enhanced by about two orders of magnitude by increasing the spatial inhomogeneity of the field.

Macrophage inflammatory protein-2 as mediator of inflammation in acute liver injury

Macrophage inflammatory protein(MIP)-2 is one of the CXC chemokines and is also known as chemokine CXC ligand(CXCL2). MIP-2 affects neutrophil recruitment and activation through the p38 mitogen-activatedprotein-kinase-dependent signaling pathway, by binding to its specific receptors, CXCR1 and CXCR2. MIP-2 is produced by a variety of cell types, such as macrophages, monocytes, epithelial cells, and hepatocytes, in response to infection or injury. In liver injury, activated Kupffer cells are known as the major source of MIP-2. MIP-2-recruited and activated neutrophils can accelerate liver inflammation by releasing various inflammatory mediators. Here, we give a brief introduction to the basic molecular and cellular sources of MIP-2, and focus on its physiological and pathological functions in acute liver injury induced by concanavalin A, lipopolysaccharides, irradiation, ischemia/reperfusion, alcohol, and hypoxia, and hepatectomy-induced liver regeneration and tumor colorectal metastasis. Further understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of MIP-2 secretion and activation may be helpful to develop MIP-2-targeted therapeutic strategies to prevent liver inflammation.

Hot-electron emission-driven energy recycling in transparent plasmonic electrode for organic solar cells

Plasmonic metal electrodes with subwavelength nanostructures are promising for enhancing light harvesting in photovoltaics.However,the nonradiative damping of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs)during coupling with sunlight results in the conversion of the excited hot-electrons to heat,which limits the absorption of light and generation of photocurrent.Herein,an energy recycling strategy driven by hotelectron emission for recycling the SPP energy trapped in the plasmonic electrodes is proposed.A transparent silver-based plasmonic metal electrode(A-PME)with a periodic hexagonal nanopore array is constructed,which is combined with a luminescent organic emitter for radiative recombination of the injected hot-electrons.Owing to the suppressed SPP energy loss via broadband hot-electron emission,the A-PME achieves an optimized optical transmission with an average transmittance of over 80%from 380 to 1200 nm.Moreover,the indium-tin-oxide-free organic solar cells yield an enhanced light harvestingwith a power conversion efficiency of 16.1%.