Mechanically robust and self-cleanable encapsulated metalens via spin-on-glass packaging.

Metalenses-two-dimensionally arranged artificial nanostructures that focus light-have been extensively studied due to their great potential for applications in consumer goods and industrial products. However, when metalenses are exposed to harsh environments, they can suffer from mechanical shocks and damage, leading to degradation in optical performance. Here, we present mechanically robust and self-cleanable encapsulated metalenses using spin-on-glass coatings on structured hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), whose optical properties are optimized for effective waveguiding.

Dual-Band Metasurface-Based Structured Light Generations for Futuristic Communication Applications.

Structured beams carrying orbital angular momentum carry significant potential for various applications, including optical trapping, manipulations, communications, microscopy, and so on. Among these, perfect vortex (PV) beams are highly attractive due to their immunity to topological charge variations and nondiffracting properties. However, conventional PV beam generation methods typically operate at a single wavelength and rely on bulky components, complicating photonic device integration.

Nanofabrication for Nanophotonics.

Nanofabrication, a pivotal technology at the intersection of nanoscale engineering and high-resolution patterning, has substantially advanced over recent decades. This technology enables the creation of nanopatterns on substrates crucial for developing nanophotonic devices and other applications in diverse fields including electronics and biosciences. Here, this mega-review comprehensively explores various facets of nanofabrication focusing on its application in nanophotonics.

Roll-to-plate printable RGB achromatic metalens for wide-field-of-view holographic near-eye displays.

Metalenses show promise for replacing conventional lenses in virtual reality systems, thereby facilitating lighter and more compact near-eye displays (NEDs). However, at the centimetre scale necessary for practical applications, previous multiwavelength achromatic metalenses have faced challenges in mass production and exhibited a low numerical aperture (NA), which limits their practical application in NEDs. Here we introduce a centimetre-scale red, green and blue achromatic metalens fabricated using a roll-to-plate technique and explore its potential for practical applications in NEDs.

The Road to Commercializing Optical Metasurfaces: Current Challenges and Future Directions.

Optical metasurfaces, components composed of artificial nanostructures, are recognized for pushing boundaries of wavefront manipulation while maintaining a lightweight, compact design that surpasses conventional optics. Such advantages align with the current trends in optical systems, which demand compact communication devices and immersive holographic projectors, driving significant investment from the industry. Although interest in commercialization of optical metasurfaces has steadily grown since the initial breakthrough with diffraction-limited focusing, their practical applications have remained limited by challenges such as, massive-production yield, absence of standardized evaluation methods, and constrained design methodology.

Amorphous to Crystalline Transition in Nanoimprinted Sol-Gel Titanium Oxide Metasurfaces.

Crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO) (anatase and rutile) possesses a higher refractive index than amorphous TiO and near-zero absorption in the visible region, making them an ideal material for visible metasurfaces. However, fabrication limitations hinder their implementation into flat optics. In this work, a wafer-scale manufacturing platform is proposed for crystalline TiO metasurfaces.

Cardioprotective effect of KR-33889, a novel PARP inhibitor, against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells and isolated rat hearts.

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in cardiac injury during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Despite a potent cardioprotective activity of KR-33889, a novel poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, its underlying mechanism remains unresolved. This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of KR-33889 against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in rat cardiomyocytes H9c2 cells and isolated rat hearts.

Cordycepin, 3'-deoxyadenosine, prevents rat hearts from ischemia/reperfusion injury via activation of Akt/GSK-3β/p70S6K signaling pathway and HO-1 expression.

Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) isolated from Cordyceps militaris, a species of the fungal genus Cordyceps, has been shown to exhibit many pharmacological functions, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. In this study, we investigated the preventive role of cordycepin in ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury of isolated rat hearts and anesthetized rats. After Sprague-Dawley rats received cordycepin (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg) or control (0.

5-AIQ inhibits H2O2-induced apoptosis through reactive oxygen species scavenging and Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

Poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a nuclear enzyme activated by DNA strand breaks and plays an important role in the tissue injury associated with ischemia and reperfusion. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of 5-aminoisoquinolinone (5-AIQ), a PARP inhibitor, against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. 5-AIQ pretreatment significantly protected against H2O2-induced cell death, as determined by the XTT assay, cell counting, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay, and Western blot analysis of apoptosis-related proteins such as caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2.

Patterning methods for polymers in cell and tissue engineering.

Polymers provide a versatile platform for mimicking various aspects of physiological extracellular matrix properties such as chemical composition, rigidity, and topography for use in cell and tissue engineering applications. In this review, we provide a brief overview of patterning methods of various polymers with a particular focus on biocompatibility and processability. The materials highlighted here are widely used polymers including thermally curable polydimethyl siloxane, ultraviolet-curable polyurethane acrylate and polyethylene glycol, thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and thermoplastic and conductive polymers.

High-sensitivity detection of oxytetracycline using light scattering agglutination assay with aptasensor.

We present an aptamer-based biosensor (aptasensor) for rapid and high-sensitive detection of oxytetracycline (OTC) antibiotic in PBS inside a Y-channel PDMS microfluidic device. The detection was made by real-time monitoring of the agglutination assay of ssDNA aptamer-conjugated polystyrene latex microspheres with proximity optical fibers. The agglutination assay was performed with serially diluted OTC antibiotic solutions using highly carboxylated polystyrene particles of 920 nm diameter conjugated with OTC-binding ssDNA aptamer.

Application of real-time PCR for quantitative detection of Clostridium botulinum type A toxin gene in food.

The TaqMan real-time PCR method for the quantitative detection of C. botulinum type A was developed based on sequence-specific hybridization probes. The validity of this assay was verified by using 10 genera of 20 strains, including reference strains of C.