Versatile Near-Infrared Super-Resolution Imaging of Amyloid Fibrils with the Fluorogenic Probe CRANAD-2

CRANAD-2 is a fluorogenic curcumin derivative used for near-infrared detection and imaging in vivo of amyloid aggregates, which are involved in neurodegenerative diseases. We explore the performance of CRANAD-2 in two super-resolution imaging techniques, namely stimulated emission depletion (STED) and single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), with markedly different fluorophore requirements. By conveniently adapting the concentration of CRANAD-2, which transiently binds to amyloid fibrils, we show that it performs well in both techniques, achieving a resolution in the range of 45–55 nm. Correlation of SMLM with atomic force microscopy (AFM) validates the resolution of fine features in the reconstructed super-resolved image. The good performance and versatility of CRANAD-2 provides a powerful tool for near-infrared nanoscopic imaging of amyloids in vitro and in vivo.     

双激光脉冲打靶形成Gd等离子体的极紫外光谱辐射

高端芯片制造所需要的极紫外光刻技术位于我国当前面临35项"卡脖子"关键核心技术之首.高转换效率的极紫外光源是极紫外光刻系统的重要组成部分.本文通过采用双激光脉冲打靶技术实现较强的6.7 nm极紫外光输出.首先,理论计算Gd¹⁸⁺—Gd²⁷⁺离子最外层4d壳层的4p-4d和4d-4f能级之间跃迁、以及Gd¹⁴⁺—Gd¹⁷⁺离子最外层4f壳层的4d-4f能级之间跃迁对波长为6.7 nm附近极紫外光的贡献.其后开展实验研究,结果表明,随着双脉冲之间延时的逐渐增加,波长为6.7 nm附近的极紫外光辐射强度呈现先减弱、后增加、之后再减弱的变化趋势,在双脉冲延时为100 ns处产生的极紫外光辐射最强.并且,在延时为100 ns处产生的光谱效率最高,相比于单脉冲激光产生的光谱效率提升了33%.此外,发现双激光脉冲打靶技术可以有效地减弱等离子体的自吸收效应,获得的6.7 nm附近极紫外光谱宽度均小于单激光脉冲打靶的情形,且在脉冲延时为30 ns时刻所产生的光谱宽度最窄,约为单独主脉冲产生极紫外光谱宽度的1/3.同时...     

Growth and characterization of two-dimensional crystals for communication and energy applications

This review article covers the growth and characterization of two-dimensional (2D) crystals of transition metal chalcogenides, h-BN, graphene, etc. The chemical vapor transport method for bulk single crystal growth is discussed in detail. Top-down methods like mechanical and liquid exfoliation and bottom-up methods like chemical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy for mono/few-layer growth are described. The optimal characterization techniques such as optical, atomic force, scanning electron, and Raman spectroscopy for identification of mono/few-layer(s) of the 2D crystals are discussed. In addition, a survey was done for the application of 2D crystals for both creation and deterministic transfer of single-photon sources and photovoltaic systems. Finally, the application of plasmonic nanoantenna was proposed for enhanced solar-to-electrical energy conversion and faster/brighter quantum communication devices.     

Thermoelastic solutions for thermal distributions moving over thin slim rod under memory-dependent three-phase lag magneto-thermoelasticity

Abstract

Enlightened by the Caputo fractional derivative, the present study deals with a novel mathematical model of generalized thermoelasticity to investigate the transient phenomena due to the influence of magnetic field and moving heat source in a rod in the context of three-phase lag (TPL) theory of thermoelasticity. Both ends of the rod are fixed and heat insulated. Employing Laplace transform as a tool, the problem has been transformed into the space-domain and solved analytically. Finally, solutions in the real-time domain are obtained by applying the inverse Laplace transform. Numerical calculation for stress, displacement, and temperature within the rod is carried out and displayed graphically. The effect of moving heat source speed on temperature, stress, and temperature is studied. It is found from the distributions that the temperature, thermally induced displacement and stress of the rod are found to decrease at large source speed. For the better understanding of the effect of moving heat source on all the distributions, three animations are added.     

Blow-up of solution for beam equation with delay and dynamic boundary conditions

In this paper, we consider an elastic beam equation with delay, source term, and boundary conditions together with some suitable initial data. Using the Faedo-Galerkin approximation and some estimates, we get the local existence of solution. Moreover, we obtain the finite time blow-up of solution by constructing suitable Lyapunov functionals.     

Non-Abelian gauge potentials driven localization transition in quasiperiodic optical lattices

Derived from quantum waves immersed in an Abelian gauge potential, the quasiperiodic Aubry-André-Harper (AAH) model is a simple yet powerful Hamiltonian to study the Anderson localization of ultracold atoms. Here, we investigate the localization properties of ultracold atoms in quasiperiodic optical lattices subject to a non-Abelian gauge potential, which are depicted by non-Abelian AAH models. We identify that the non-Abelian AAH models can bear the self-duality. We analyze the localization of such non-Abelian self-dual optical lattices, revealing a rich phase diagram driven by the non-Abelian gauge potential involved: a transition from a pure delocalization phase, then to coexistence phases, and finally to a pure localization phase. This is in stark contrast to the Abelian counterpart that does not support the coexistence phases. Our results establish the connection between localization and gauge symmetry, and thus comprise a new insight on the fundamental aspects of localization in quasiperiodic systems, from the perspective of non-Abelian gauge potential.     

Quantum communication through chains with diluted disorder

We investigate a single-qubit state transfer protocol along a channel featuring diagonal diluted disorder. In the regime where the source and destination sites are weakly coupled to the channel, we report the possibility of transmitting quantum states with high fidelity as well as establishing end-to-end entanglement in that sort of configuration. We further discuss how the performance of the protocol depends upon the availability of extended states within the disordered channel.