Ultra-compact and polarization-independent power splitter with a variable splitting ratio.

An ultra-compact and polarization-independent optical power splitter with a variable splitting ratio has been proposed based on the inverse design method. The footprint of the simulated device is only 1.96×1.

Inverse design of an ultra-compact polarization beam splitter.

An ultra-compact polarization beam splitter (PBS) is designed on the silicon nitride () platform based on an inverse design with a footprint of only 2.4×4.8µ.

Design of polarization-independent 1 × 2 optical power splitter based on silicon nitride slot waveguide structure.

This paper introduces a novel design of a three-layer slot waveguide structure, serving as a polarization-independent optical power splitter based on Si/SiN/Si materials. This design addresses the common challenges of structural complexity and high loss typically encountered in most polarization-independent optical power splitters. It achieves successful 1 × 2 power splitting for 1550 nm optical signals.

Nano/Micro-Enabled Modification and Innovation of Conventional Adjuvants for Next-Generation Vaccines.

The global spread of infectious diseases has raised public awareness of vaccines, highlighting their essential role in protecting public health. Among the components of modern vaccines, adjuvants have received increasing attention for boosting immune responses and enhancing efficacy. Recent advancements in adjuvant research, particularly nanodelivery systems, have paved the way for developing more effective and safer adjuvants.

Mechanism of the secondary metabolites and key enzymes of Monascus spp. to promote tocopherol enrichment.

Monascus-fermented coix seed exhibits enhanced tocopherol accumulation compared to other strains, yet mechanisms remain unclear. Whether Monascus metabolites/enzymes drive this enrichment is worth exploring. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics were employed to analyze secondary metabolite profiles and tocopherol enrichment capabilities across Monascus strains.

Comparative characterization of key compounds of Sauce-flavored rounded-Baijiu in northern and southern China and the potential possibility of similar quality of their combined products.

The flavor characteristics and sensory attributes of northern Sauce-flavored rounded-Baijiu (NR) and southern Sauce-flavored rounded-Baijiu (SR) were systematically studied. A total of 56 major flavor compounds were quantitatively detected through Gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Besides, 20 kinds of key aroma compounds and 7 significant differential compounds were identified by calculating the odor activity values (OAVs) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) of flavor compounds in NR and SR.

Large-scale photonic computing with nonlinear disordered media.

Neural networks find widespread use in scientific and technological applications, yet their implementations in conventional computers have encountered bottlenecks due to ever-expanding computational needs. Photonic computing is a promising neuromorphic platform with potential advantages of massive parallelism, ultralow latency and reduced energy consumption but mostly for computing linear operations. Here we demonstrate a large-scale, high-performance nonlinear photonic neural system based on a disordered polycrystalline slab composed of lithium niobate nanocrystals.

Natural Biomolecule Ovomucin-Chitosan Oligosaccharide Self-Assembly Nanogel for Lutein Application Enhancement: Characterization, Environmental Stability and Bioavailability.

As an essential nutrient, lutein (LUT) has the ability to aid in the prevention of eye diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. However, the application of LUT is largely restricted by its poor solubility and susceptibility to oxidative degradation. Thus, in this study, LUT-loaded nanogel (OVM-COS-LUT) was prepared by a self-assembly of ovomucin (OVM) and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) to enhance the effective protection and bioavailability of LUT.

Current Mouse Models of Intracranial Aneurysms: Analysis of Pharmacological Agents Used to Induce Aneurysms and Their Impact on Translational Research.

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are rare vascular lesions that are more frequently found in women. The pathophysiology behind the formation and growth of IAs is complex. Hence, to date, no single pharmacological option exists to treat them.

Airborne microorganisms and key environmental factors shaping their community patterns in the core production area of the Maotai-flavor Baijiu.

Airborne microorganisms are important parts of the Moutai-flavor Baijiu brewing microbial community, which directly affects the quality of Baijiu. However, environmental factors usually shape airborne microbiomes in different distilleries, even in the different production areas of the same distillery. Unfortunately, current understanding of environmental factors shaping airborne microbiomes in distilleries is very limited.

mTOR Inhibitor Rapalink-1 Prevents Ethanol-Induced Senescence in Endothelial Cells.

The cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking, ethanol, and oxidative stress, can induce cellular senescence. The senescent cells increase the expression and release of pro-inflammatory molecules and matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs). These pro-inflammatory molecules and MMPs promote the infiltration and accumulation of inflammatory cells in the vascular tissue, exacerbating vascular tissue inflammation.

Effects of extracted oil of fermented Tartary buckwheat on lipid-lowering, inflammation modulation, and gut microbial regulation in mice.

This study investigated the composition of Tartary buckwheat oil fermented by and extracted under supercritical CO conditions (FTBO) and evaluated its effects on lipid-lowering, inflammation modulation, and gut microbial regulation in mice that were fed a high-fat diet (MOD). Compared with the raw oil (TBO), the γ-oryzanol content reached 27.09 mg g; the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content (such as oleic acid and palmitic acid) was elevated; and the antioxidant capacities of DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl were improved in FTBO ( < 0.

Doxycycline Attenuated Ethanol-Induced Inflammaging in Endothelial Cells: Implications in Alcohol-Mediated Vascular Diseases.

Excess alcohol consumption is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and is linked to accelerated aging. Drug discovery to reduce toxic cellular events of alcohol is required. Here, we investigated the effects of ethanol on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and explored if doxycycline attenuates ethanol-mediated molecular events in endothelial cells.

Meta-review on Perforation Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Mice: Filament Material as a Possible Moderator of Mortality.

Robust preclinical models are inevitable for researchers to unravel pathomechanisms of subarachnoidal hemorrhage (SAH). For the mouse perforation model of SAH, the goal of this meta-review was the determination of variances in mortality, SAH severity grade, and vasospasm, and their experimental moderators, as many researchers are facing with incomparable results. We searched on the databases PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for articles describing in vivo experiments using the SAH perforation mouse model and measuring mortality, SAH grade, and/or vasospasm.

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on ovomucin: Structure, functional properties and bioactivity.

The effects of ultrasonic treatment on the structure, functional properties and bioactivity of Ovomucin (OVM) were investigated in this study. Ultrasonic treatment could significantly enhance OVM solubility without destroying protein molecules. The secondary structure changes, including β-sheet reduction and random coil increase, indicate more disorder in OVM structure.

Discovery of potent immune-modulating molecule taccaoside A against cancers from structures-active relationships of natural steroidal saponins.

Background: In recent years, the T-cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors toward CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 axis antibody therapy have acquired encouraging success. However, most of patients were still not benefited with lots of troubles, such as low penetration of tissues/cells, strong immunogenicity and cytokine release syndrome, and long manufacturing process and expensive costs. By contrast, the immune-modulating small molecules possessed natural advantages to overcome these obstacles and might achieve greater success.

Effect of fibulin-5 on aldosterone-induced apoptosis in human ascending aortic smooth muscle cells.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of aldosterone on apoptosis in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMC) and to determine the role of fibulin-5 in the aldosterone-induced apoptosis of HA-VSMC cells. Through the construction of a fibulin-5 eukaryotic overexpression vector and a short hairpin RNA interference plasmid, fibulin-5 was overexpressed and silenced, respectively. The role of fibulin-5 in the aldosterone-induced apoptosis of HA-VSMC was subsequently determined.