Spontaneous emission enhancement in strain-induced WSe2 monolayer based quantum light sources on metallic surfaces

Atomic monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides represent an emerging material platform for the implementation of ultra compact quantum light emitters via strain engineering. In this framework, we discuss experimental results on creation of strain induced single photon sources using a WSe2 monolayer on a silver substrate, coated with a very thin dielectric layer. We identify quantum emitters which are formed at various locations in the sample. The emission is highly linearly polarized, stable in linewidth and decay times down to 300 ps are observed. We provide numerical calculations of our monolayer-metal device platform to assess the strength of the radiative decay rate enhancement by the presence of the plasmonic structure. We believe, that our results represent a crucial step towards the ultra-compact integration of high performance single photon sources in nanoplasmonic devices and circuits

Treatment of Axillary Osmidrosis Using a Subcutaneous Pulsed Nd-YAG Laser

BackgroundAxillary osmidrosis is characterized by an unpleasant odor, profuse sweating, and in some instances, staining of clothes that may socially and psychologically impair affected individuals. Various types of surgical procedures have been developed for the treatment of axillary osmidrosis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of subcutaneous pulsed neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) laser treatment for the treatment of axillary osmidrosis.MethodsTwenty-nine patients with axillary osmidrosis were included in this study. Patients were categorized according to the results of an axillary malodor grading system, and a subcutaneous pulsed Nd-YAG laser was applied to all patients. The treatment area for the appropriate distribution of laser energy was determined using the iodine starch test (Minor's test) against a grid pattern composed of 2×2 cm squares. The endpoint of exposure was 300 to 500 J for each grid, depending on the preoperative evaluation results. The results were evaluated by measurement of axillary malodor both pre- and postoperatively using the grading system and iodine starch test.ResultsThe average follow-up period was 12.8 months. Nineteen patients had a fair-to-good result and ten patients had poor results. The postoperative Minor's test demonstrated that there were remarkable improvements for patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Complications including superficial second degree burns (n=3) were treated in a conservative manner. A deep second degree burn (n=1) was treated by a surgical procedure.ConclusionsSubcutaneous pulsed Nd-YAG laser has many advantages and is an effective noninvasive treatment for mild to moderate axillary osmidrosis

Replenishment of microRNA-188-5p restores the synaptic and cognitive deficits in 5XFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

MicroRNAs have emerged as key factors in development, neurogenesis and synaptic functions in the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated a pathophysiological significance of microRNA-188-5p (miR-188-5p) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We found that oligomeric Aβ(1-42) treatment diminished miR-188-5p expression in primary hippocampal neuron cultures and that miR-188-5p rescued the Aβ(1-42)-mediated synapse elimination and synaptic dysfunctions. Moreover, the impairments in cognitive function and synaptic transmission observed in 7-month-old five familial AD (5XFAD) transgenic mice, were ameliorated via viral-mediated expression of miR-188-5p. miR-188-5p expression was down-regulated in the brain tissues from AD patients and 5XFAD mice. The addition of miR-188-5p rescued the reduction in dendritic spine density in the primary hippocampal neurons treated with oligomeric Aβ(1-42) and cultured from 5XFAD mice. The reduction in the frequency of mEPSCs was also restored by addition of miR-188-5p. The impairments in basal fEPSPs and cognition observed in 7-month-old 5XFAD mice were ameliorated via the viral-mediated expression of miR-188-5p in the hippocampus. Furthermore, we found that miR-188 expression is CREB-dependent. Taken together, our results suggest that dysregulation of miR-188-5p expression contributes to the pathogenesis of AD by inducing synaptic dysfunction and cognitive deficits associated with Aβ-mediated pathophysiology in the disease

Spontaneous emission enhancement in strain-induced WSe2 monolayer-based quantum light sources on metallic surfaces

Funding: State of Bavaria; H2020 European Research Council (ERC) (Project Unlimit-2D).Atomic monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides represent an emerging material platform for the implementation of ultracompact quantum light emitters via strain engineering. In this framework, we discuss experimental results on creation of strain induced single photon sources using a WSe2 monolayer on a silver substrate, coated with a very thin dielectric layer. We identify quantum emitters that are formed at various locations in the sample. Their emission is highly linearly polarized, stable in linewidth, and decay times down to 100 ps are observed. We provide numerical calculations of our monolayer-metal device platform to assess the strength of the radiative decay rate enhancement by the presence of the plasmonic structure. We believe that our results represent a crucial step toward the ultracompact integration of high performance single photon sources in nanoplasmonic devices and circuits.PostprintPeer reviewe

Aptamer-functionalized nano-pattern based on carbon nanotube for sensitive, selective protein detection

We have developed a horizontally aligned carbon nanotube sensor that enables not only the specific detection of biomolecules with ultra-sensitivity, but also the quantitative characterization of binding affinity between biomolecules and/or interaction between a carbon nanotube and a biomolecule, for future applications in early diagnostics. In particular, we have fabricated horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes, which were functionalized with specific aptamers that are able to specifically bind to biomolecules (i.e. thrombin). Our detection system is based on scanning probe microscopy (SPM) imaging for horizontally aligned aptamer-conjugated carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) that specifically react with target biomolecules at an ultra-low concentration. It is shown that the binding affinity between thrombin molecule and ACNT can be quantitatively characterized using SPM imaging. It is also found that the smart carbon nanotube sensor coupled with SPM imaging permits us to achieve the high detection sensitivity even up to similar to 1 pM, which is much higher than that of other bioassay methods. Moreover, we have shown that our method enables a quantitative study on small molecule-mediated inhibition of specific biomolecular interactions. In addition, we have shown that our ACNT-based system allows for the quantitative study of the effect of chemical environment (e.g. pH and ion concentration) on the binding affinity. Our study sheds light on carbon nanotube sensor coupled with SPM imaging, which opens a new avenue to early diagnostics and drug screening with high sensitivity.close2

Quantitative Analysis of Peripheral Tissue Perfusion Using Spatiotemporal Molecular Dynamics

Background: Accurate measurement of peripheral tissue perfusion is challenging but necessary to diagnose peripheral vascular insufficiency. Because near infrared (NIR) radiation can penetrate relatively deep into tissue, significant attention has been given to intravital NIR fluorescence imaging. Methodology/Principal Findings: We developed a new optical imaging-based strategy for quantitative measurement of peripheral tissue perfusion by time-series analysis of local pharmacokinetics of the NIR fluorophore, indocyanine green (ICG). Time-series NIR fluorescence images were obtained after injecting ICG intravenously in a murine hindlimb ischemia model. Mathematical modeling and computational simulations were used for translating time-series ICG images into quantitative pixel perfusion rates and a perfusion map. We could successfully predict the prognosis of ischemic hindlimbs based on the perfusion profiles obtained immediately after surgery, which were dependent on the preexisting collaterals. This method also reflected increases in perfusion and improvements in prognosis of ischemic hindlimbs induced by treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor and COMP-angiopoietin-1. Conclusions/Significance: We propose that this novel NIR-imaging-based strategy is a powerful tool for biomedical studies related to the evaluation of therapeutic interventions directed at stimulating angiogenesis

Wavelength Conversion Enhancement Achieved by Using Resonance in an Array of Nanocylinders

Upconversion (UC) materials are promising for harvesting visual light. However, the efficiency of UC processes is very low when applied to practical devices. Therefore, we propose an array of UC nanocylinders on a gold substrate and induce electric dipole (ED) and magnetic dipole (MD) resonances to increase the UC process efficiency by increasing light-matter interactions via the nanostructures. The nanocylinders not only increase the absorption of infrared light with a wavelength of 980 nm but also enhance the emission of visible light with a wavelength of 660 nm through surface plasmons and electric dipole resonances. The absorbance of the UC material can be enhanced by coupling with the surface plasmons and coupling with the MDs of each nanocylinder. On the other hand, the emission of visible light can be largely enhanced by increasing the spontaneous emission rate of the Purcell effect in electric dipole resonances and tailoring the output efficiency of the emitted light. In summary, we obtained an absorption enhancement of ×7.3, an average effective upward emission enhancement of ×21, and an improved total UC process of the proposed nanocylinder of ×155

Electrically conductive metal oxide-Assisted multifunctional separator for highly stable Lithium-Metal batteries

Lithium (Li) metal anodes have received intensive attention owing to its high specific capacity and low redox potential. However, chronic issues related to dendritic Li growth have hindered the pragmatic use of Li-metal batteries (LMBs). As one of feasible approaches, depositing a functional material on the separator is an efficient strategy for improving the electrochemical stability of LMBs. In this paper, we report a functionalized separator, comprising a nitrided niobium dioxide (named as n-NbO2) and a polypropylene (PP) separator. It is identified that niobium oxide interact with metallic Li, resulting in redistributing the localized Li ion. The n-NbO2-coated separator with enhanced electrical conductivity promotes Li plating/stripping process, reinforcing the Li ion redistribution effect. Due to these properties, Li-Cu cells with the n-NbO2-coated separator show the most outstanding cycle stability with high Coulombic efficiency (CE) over 200 cycles