The extraordinary electronic, optical, and mechanical characteristics of 2D materials make them promising candidates for optoelectronics, specifically in infrared (IR) detectors owing to their ...flexible composition and tunable optoelectronic properties. This review presents the recent progress in IR detectors composed of 2D materials and their hybrid structures, including graphene, black phosphorous, transition metal dichalcogenides, halide perovskite as well as other new layered materials and their heterostructures. The focus is on the short‐wave, mid‐wave, and long‐wave infrared regimes, which pose a grand challenge for rational materials and device designs. The dependence of the device performance on the optical and electronic properties of 2D materials is extensively discussed, aiming to present the general strategies for designing optoelectronic devices with optimal performance. Furthermore, the recent results on 2D material‐based heterostructures are presented with an emphasis on the relationship between band alignment, charge transfer, and IR photodetection. Finally, a summary is given as well as the discussion of existing challenges and future directions.
2D materials are among the most rapidly emerging building blocks for high‐performance infrared photodetection. This review elucidates the advantages and the crucial role of 2D materials in achieving high performance and enhanced stability in infrared photodetection, especially in short‐wave, mid‐wave, and long‐wave infrared regimes.
Detector and event visualization are essential parts of the software used in high-energy physics (HEP) experiments. Modern visualization techniques and multimedia production platforms such as Unity ...provide impressive display effects and professional extensions for visualization in HEP experiments. In this study, a method for automatic detector description transformation is presented, which can convert the complicated HEP detector geometry from GDML in offline software to 3D modeling in Unity. The method was successfully applied in the BESIII experiment and can be further developed into applications such as event displays, data monitoring, or virtual reality. It has great potential in detector design, offline software development, physics analysis, and outreach for next-generation HEP experiments as well as applications in nuclear techniques for the industry.
Organic triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) nanoparticles have emerged as exciting therapeutic agents and imaging probes in recent years due to their unique chemical and optical ...properties such as outstanding biocompatibility and low power excitation density. In this review, we focus on the latest breakthroughs in such new version of upconversion nanoparticle, including their design, preparation, and applications. First, we will discuss the key principles and design concept of these organic-based photon upconversion in regard to the methods of selection of the related triplet TTA dye pairs (photosensitizer and emitter). Then, we will discuss the recent approaches s to construct TTA-UCNPs including silica TTA-UCNPs, lipid-coated TTA-UCNPs, polymer encapsulated TTA-UCNPs, nano-droplet TTA-UCNPs and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) constructed TTA-UCNPs. In addition, the applications of TTA-UCNPs will be discussed. Finally, we will discuss the challenges posed by current TTA-UCNP development.
We demonstrate a vibration detection and localization scheme based on bidirectional transmission of telecom signals with digital coherent detection at the receivers. Optical phase is extracted from ...the digital signal processing blocks of the coherent receiver, from which the vibration component is extracted by bandpass filtering, and the position along the cable closest to the vibration's epicenter is recovered by correlation. We demonstrate our scheme first using offline experiment with 200-Gb/s DP-16QAM, and we report field trial results over installed fiber to detect real-world vibration events.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, presenting a significant unmet medical need worldwide. The pathogenesis of AD involves various pathophysiological events, including the ...accumulation of amyloid and tau, neuro-inflammation, and neuronal injury. Clinical trials focusing on new drugs for AD were documented in 2020, but subsequent developments have emerged since then. Notably, the US-FDA has approved Aducanumab and Lecanemab, both antibodies targeting amyloid, marking the end of a nearly two-decade period without new AD drugs. In this comprehensive report, we review all trials listed in clinicaltrials.gov, elucidating their underlying mechanisms and study designs. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating numerous promising new drugs for AD. The main trends in these trials involve pathophysiology-based, disease-modifying therapies and the recruitment of participants in earlier stages of the disease. These trends underscore the significance of conducting fundamental research on pathophysiology, prevention, and intervention prior to the occurrence of brain damage caused by AD.
The mechanism of Bax/Bak activation remains a central question in mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling. While it is established that all proapoptotic Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3)-only proteins bind ...and neutralize the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, how this neutralization leads to Bax/Bak activation has been actively debated. Here, genome editing was used to generate cells deficient for all eight proapoptotic BH3-only proteins (OctaKO) and those that lack the entire Bcl-2 family (Bcl-2 allKO). Although the OctaKO cells were resistant to most apoptotic stimuli tested, they underwent Bax/Bak-dependent and p53/Rb-independent apoptosis efficiently when both Bcl-xL and Mcl-1, two anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, were inactivated or eliminated. Strikingly, when expressed in the Bcl-2 allKO cells, both Bax and Bak spontaneously associated with the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) through their respective helix 9, and this association triggered their homo-oligomerization/activation. Together, these results strongly suggest that the OMM, not BH3-only proteins or p53/Rb, is the long-sought-after direct activator of Bax/Bak following BH3-only-mediated neutralization of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.
Light switches on the photomorphogenic development of young plant seedlings, allowing young seedlings to acquire photosynthetic capacities and gain survival fitness. Light regulates gene expression ...at all levels of the central dogma, including alternative splicing (AS) during the photomorphogenic development. However, accurate determination of full-length (FL) splicing variants has been greatly hampered by short-read RNA sequencing technologies.
In this study, we adopt PacBio isoform sequencing (Iso-seq) to overcome the limitation of the short-read RNA-seq technologies. Normalized cDNA libraries used for Iso-seq allows for comprehensive and effective identification of FL AS variants. Our analyses reveal more than 30,000 splicing variant models from approximately 16,500 gene loci and additionally identify approximately 700 previously unannotated genes. Among the variants, approximately 12,000 represent new gene models. Intron retention (IR) is the most frequently observed form of variants, and many IR-containing AS variants show evidence of engagement in translation. Our study reveals the formation of heterodimers of transcription factors composed of annotated and IR-containing AS variants. Moreover, transgenic plants overexpressing the IR forms of two B-BOX DOMAIN PROTEINs exhibits light-hypersensitive phenotypes, suggesting their regulatory roles in modulating optimal light responses.
This study provides an accurate and comprehensive portrait of full-length transcript isoforms and experimentally confirms the presence of de novo synthesized AS variants that impose regulatory functions in photomorphogenic development in Arabidopsis.
We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a secure key generation and distribution system that is compatible with optical amplifiers and standard wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) transmission ...systems. The key is generated from the phase fluctuations induced by environmental instabilities. The key generation system is tested in a 240 km bidirectional fiber-pair link with multiple optical amplifiers. To demonstrate the compatibility with WDM systems, 38 WDM channels are transmitted together with the key distribution channel. The secret key is protected against eavesdropping and coherence detection attack by the wide-band property of the signal carrier and the fast-changing rate of the phase fluctuations.
PurposeIn the face of a changing and turbulent environment, an organizational learning culture (OLC) is crucial for the long-term operation of an organization. A learning culture provides the ...capacity to effectively integrate employees, and it also provides structure so that an organization can move forward via continuous learning and change. Few empirical results are available from Chinese companies enduring an organizational change. To bridge this research gap, this study investigated the relationships among an OLC, job satisfaction, turnover intentions and job performance during organizational change.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach with structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrapping estimation was used to test hypotheses developed from a sample of 434 employees in a restructured telecommunications company in Taiwan.FindingsEmployees who experienced a higher learning culture had lower levels of turnover intentions and exhibited better job performance. Job satisfaction had a negative impact on employee turnover intentions but a positive impact on job performance. Moreover, job satisfaction fully mediated the relationships between an OLC and employee turnover intentions and job performance. When encountering organizational planned changes, a vibrant learning culture gave employees a higher level of satisfaction in their jobs and workplace. Although unexpected challenges often appeared during the organizational changes, employees with a higher level of job satisfaction tended to fulfill their own job duties and showed fewer turnover intentions.Originality/valueIn investigating issues related to organizational change, this study provides managerial insights and addresses strategies for facilitating the adoption of an OLC into the design and implementation of a better workplace environment.
The CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) receptor and its ligand, CXCL12, are overexpressed in various cancers and mediate tumor progression and hypoxia-mediated resistance to cancer therapy. While ...CXCR4 antagonists have potential anticancer effects when combined with conventional anticancer drugs, their poor potency against CXCL12/CXCR4 downstream signaling pathways and systemic toxicity had precluded clinical application. Herein, BPRCX807, known as a safe, selective, and potent CXCR4 antagonist, has been designed and experimentally realized. In in vitro and in vivo hepatocellular carcinoma mouse models it can significantly suppress primary tumor growth, prevent distant metastasis/cell migration, reduce angiogenesis, and normalize the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by reducing tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) infiltration, reprogramming TAMs toward an immunostimulatory phenotype and promoting cytotoxic T cell infiltration into tumor. Although BPRCX807 treatment alone prolongs overall survival as effectively as both marketed sorafenib and anti-PD-1, it could synergize with either of them in combination therapy to further extend life expectancy and suppress distant metastasis more significantly.
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