Development and application of high-precision multifunction astronomical plate digitizers in China

Before charge-coupled device detectors became widely employed in observational astronomy,for more than a hundred years,the main detection method was photography on astronomical glass plates.Recently,in order to preserve these historical data and maintain their usability,the International Astronomical Union has appealed to all countries for global digitization of astronomical plates by developing or adopting advanced digitization technology.Specialized digitizers with high precision and high measuring speed represent key equipment for this task.The Shanghai Astronomical Observatory and the Nishimura Co.,Ltd in Japan cooperated between 2013 and 2016 to develop the first Chinese high-precision astronomical plate digitizer,which was then used for complete digitization of all nighttime-observation astronomical plates in China.Then,in 2019–2021,the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory independently developed new models of plate digitizers that enabled countries such as Uzbekistan and Italy to digitize their astronomical plates.Additionally,a new high-precision and multifunction digitizer was also used to digitize valuable microscope slides from the Shanghai Natural History Museum,providing a successful example of cross-domain application of high-precision digitization technology.

Equivalent efficacy study of QL1101 and bevacizumab on untreated advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients: a phase 3 randomized, double-blind clinical trial

Objective:This phase 3 study aimed to test equivalence in efficacy and safety for QL1101,a bevacizumab analogue in Chinese patients with untreated locally advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive carboplatin and paclitaxel in combination with either QL1101 or bevacizumab,15 mg/kg every 3-week for 6 cycles.This was followed by maintenance treatment with single agent QL1101 every 3-week.The primary end-point was objective response rate(ORR),with secondary end-points being progression-free survival(PFS),overall survival(OS),disease control rate(DCR),and adverse events(AEs).Results:Of 675 patients,535 eligible patients were randomized to the QL1101 group(n=269)and bevacizumab group(n=266).ORRs were 52.8%and 56.8%,respectively,for the QL1101 and bevacizumab groups,with an ORR hazard ratio 0.93(95%confidence interval:0.8-0131.1).The PFS,OS,DCR,and AEs were comparable between the 2 groups,which remained the same after stratification according to epidermal growth factor receptor mutation or smoking history.Conclusions:QL1101 showed similar efficacy and safety profiles as compared to bevacizumab among Chinese patients with untreated locally advanced non-squamous NSCLC.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the quantification of an anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody in cynomolgus monkey serum

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)has gradually become a promising alternative to ligand binding assay for the bioanalysis of biotherapeutic molecules,due to its rapid method development and high accuracy.In this study,we established a new LC-MS/MS method for the determination of the anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody(SHR-1222)in cynomolgus monkey serum,and compared it to a previous electrochemiluminescence method.The antibody was quantified by detecting the surrogate peptide obtained by trypsin digestion.The surrogate peptide was carefully selected by investigating its uniqueness,stability and MS response.The quantitative range of the proposed method was 2.00-500μg/mL,and this verified method was successfully applied to the toxicokinetic assessment of SHR-1222 in cynomolgus monkey serum.It was found that the concentrations of SHR-1222 in cynomolgus monkeys displayed an excellent agreement between the LC-MS/MS and electrochemiluminescence methods(ratios of drug exposure,0.8-1.0).Notably,two monkeys in the60 mg/kg dose group had abnormal profiles with a low detection value of SHR-1222 in their individual sample.Combining the high-level anti-drug antibodies(ADAs)in these samples and the consistent quantitative results of the two methods,we found that the decreased concentration of SHR-1222 was due to the accelerated clearance mediated by ADAs rather than the interference of ADAs to the detection platform.Taken together,we successfully developed an accurate,efficient and cost-effective LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of SHR-1222 in serum samples,which could serve as a powerful tool to improve the preclinical development of antibody drugs.

Temperature dependence of spin pumping in YIG/NiO(x)/W multilayer

We report the temperature dependence of the spin pumping effect for Y_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)(YIG,0.9μm)/NiO(tNiO)/W(6 nm)(tNiO=0 nm,1 nm,2 nm,and 10 nm)heterostructures.All samples exhibit a strong temperature-dependent inverse spin Hall effect(ISHE)signal I_(c)and sensitivity to the NiO layer thickness.We observe a dramatic decrease of I_(c)with inserting thin NiO layer between YIG and W layers indicating that the inserting of NiO layer significantly suppresses the spin transport from YIG to W.In contrast to the noticeable enhancement in YIG/NiO(tNiO≈1-2 nm)/Pt,the suppression of spin transport may be closely related to the specific interface-dependent spin scattering,spin memory loss,and spin conductance at the NiO/W interface.Besides,the I_(c)of YIG/Ni O/W exhibits a maximum near the TNof the AF NiO layer because the spins are transported dominantly by incoherent thermal magnons.

Magnetic dynamics of two-dimensional itinerant ferromagnet Fe_(3)GeTe_(2)

Among the layered two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials(2D FMs),due to a relatively high T_(C),the van der Waals(vdW)Fe_(3)GeTe_(2)(FGT)crystal is of great importance for investigating its distinct magnetic properties.Here,we have carried out static and dynamic magnetization measurements of the FGT crystal with a Curie temperature TC≈204 K.The M-H hysteresis loops with in-plane and out-of-plane orientations show that FGT has a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with the easy axis along its c-axis.Moreover,we have calculated the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy constant(K_(1))from the SQUID measurements.The dynamic magnetic properties of FGT have been probed by utilizing the high sensitivity electron-spin-resonance(ESR)spectrometer at cryogenic temperatures.Based on an approximation of single magnetic domain mode,the K_(1)and the effective damping constant(αeff)have also been determined from the out-of-plane angular dependence of ferromagnetic resonance(FMR)spectra obtained at the temperature range of 185 K to T_(C).We have found large magnetic damping with the effective damping constantαeff~0.58 along with a broad linewidth(ΔH_(pp)>1000 Oe at 9.48 GHz,H||c-axis).Our results provide useful dynamics information for the development of FGT-based spintronic devices.

Sintilimab versus docetaxel as second-line treatment in advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer:an open-label,randomized controlled phase 3 trial(ORIENT-3)

Background:Treatment options for Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous-cell non-small-cell lung cancer(sqNSCLC)after failure of first-line chemotherapy are limited.This study(ORIENT-3)aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sintilimab versus docetaxel as second-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic sqNSCLC.Methods:ORIENT-3 was an open-label,multicenter,randomized controlled phase 3 trial that recruited patients with stage IIIB/IIIC/IV sqNSCLC after failure with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 200 mg of sintilimab or 75 mg/m^(2) of docetaxel intravenously every 3 weeks,stratified by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status.The primary endpoint was overall survival(OS)in the full analysis set(FAS).Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival(PFS),objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),duration of response(DoR)and safety.Results:Between August 25,2017,and November 7,2018,290 patients were randomized.For FAS,10 patients fromthe docetaxel armwere excluded.Themedian OS was 11.79(n=145;95%confidence interval[CI],10.28-15.57)months with sintilimab versus 8.25(n=135;95%CI,6.47-9.82)months with docetaxel(hazard ratio[HR]:0.74;95%CI,0.56-0.96;P=0.025).Sintilimab treatment significantly prolonged PFS(median 4.30 vs.2.79 months;HR:0.52;95%CI,0.39-0.68;P<0.001)and showed higher ORR(25.50%vs.2.20%,P<0.001)and DCR(65.50%vs.37.80%,P<0.001)than the docetaxel arm.The median DoRwas 12.45(95%CI,4.86-25.33)months in the sintilimab arm and 4.14(95%CI,1.41-7.23)months in the docetaxel arm(P=0.045).Treatment-related adverse events of grade≥3were reported in 26(18.1%)patients in the sintilimab arm and 47(36.2%)patients in the docetaxel arm.Exploratory biomarker analysis showed potential predictive values of expression levels of two transcription factors,including OVOL2(HR:0.35;P<0.001)and CTCF(HR:3.50;P<0.001),for sintilimab treatment.Conclusions:Compared with docetaxel,sintilimab significantly improved the OS,PFS,and ORR of Chinese patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic sqNSCLC.

High-power passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO_4 laser with a reflective graphene oxide saturable absorber

A single output Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser with a reflective graphene oxide(GO) saturable absorber was demonstrated. The shortest pulse duration in the Q-switched laser is 115 ns, and the output power ranges from1.23 W at 1.71 MHz to 2.11 W at 2.50 MHz when the pump power rises from 7.40 to 10.90 W with the utilization of GO Langmuir–Blodgett(LB) films based on the convenient and low-cost LB technique. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest output power in a Q-switched laser with a GO saturable absorber.

Soliton and bound-state soliton mode-locked fiber laser based on a MoS_2/fluorine mica Langmuir–Blodgett film saturable absorber

In this article, we report on an experimentally generated soliton and bound-state soliton passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser by incorporating a saturable absorber(SA) made of MoS2∕fluorine mica(FM) that was fabricated with the Langmuir–Blodgett(LB) method. The FM substrate is 20 μm thick and easy to bend or cut,like a polymer. However, it has a higher damage threshold and a better thermal dissipation than polymers.In addition, the LB method can be used to fabricate a thin film with good uniformity. In this study, the modulation depth, saturable intensity, and unsaturated loss of the SA are measured as 5.9%, 57.69 MW∕cm2, and13.4%, respectively. Based on the SA, a soliton mode-locked laser is achieved. The pulse duration, repetition rate, and signal-to-noise ratio are 581 fs, 15.67 MHz, and 65 dB, respectively. By adjusting the polarization controller and pump power, we obtain a bound-state soliton mode-locked pulse. The temporal interval between the two solitons forming the bound-state pulse is 2.7 ps. The repetition rate of the bound-state pulses is proportional to the pump power. The maximum repetition rate is 517 MHz, corresponding to the 33 rd harmonic of the fundamental repetition rate. The results indicate that the MoS2∕FM LB film absorber is a promising photonic device in ultrafast fiber lasers.

Topological phases in pyrochlore thallium niobate Tl_(2)Nb_(2)O_(6+x)

The discovery of new topological electronic materials brings a chance to uncover new physics.Up to now,many materials have been theoretically proposed and experimentally proved to host different kinds of topological states.Unfortunately,there is little convincing experimental evidence for the existence of topological oxides.The reason is that oxidation of oxygen leads to ionic crystal in general and makes band inversion unlikely.In addition,the realization of different topological states in a single material is quite difficult,but strongly needed for exploring topological phase transitions.