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In this article, an acid-responsive luminescent material, 1,4-di(quinoline-6-yl)buta-1,3-diyne (DQBD) is designed and synthesized. Upon different pH values, gradual changes of fluorescence colors for DQBD in both solution and solid phases are demonstrated due to the protonation effect. Moreover, such responsive characteristics can also be reversible, suggesting DQBD as a promising fluorescent material with great potential for reusable- and accurate-pH sensors in the future.

Developing molecular fluorophores with high brightness is of considerable importance to achieve superior biological imaging quality in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window. It has been demonstr...

Crystal engineering can be regarded as the highly ordered and complicated supramolecular synthesis of functional crystalline solids by control of intermolecular interactions. As one of the most important organic solids for crystal engineering, organic optoelectronic materials have received tremendous interest in the past several decades. In this review, we discuss systematically how to design organic optoelectronic materials from the perspective of crystal engineering including molecular structures, intermolecular interactions, packing arrangements, crystal growth, and patterning methods as well as two-component and multi-component molecular materials. We underline the correlations among molecular structures, packing modes, crystal morphologies, and optoelectronic properties. Finally, we address several key points for further exploration in this field.

Background The phylogenetic relationships of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Ephemeroptera (mayflies) remain unresolved. Different researchers have supported one of three hypotheses (Palaeoptera, Chiastomyaria or Metapterygota) based on data from different morphological characters and molecular markers, sometimes even re-assessing the same transcriptomes or mitochondrial genomes. The appropriate choice of outgroups and more taxon sampling is thought to eliminate artificial phylogenetic relationships and obtain an accurate phylogeny. Hence, in the current study, we sequenced 28 mt genomes from Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Plecoptera to further investigate phylogenetic relationships, the probability of each of the three hypotheses, and to examine mt gene arrangements in these species. We selected three different combinations of outgroups to analyze how outgroup choice affected the phylogenetic relationships of Odonata and Ephemeroptera. Methods Mitochondrial genomes from 28 species of mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies and stoneflies were sequenced. We used Bayesian inference (BI) and Maximum likelihood (ML) analyses for each dataset to reconstruct an accurate phylogeny of these winged insect orders. The effect of outgroup choice was assessed by separate analyses using three outgroups combinations: (a) four bristletails and three silverfish as outgroups, (b) five bristletails and three silverfish as outgroups, or (c) five diplurans as outgroups. Results Among these sequenced mitogenomes we found the gene arrangement IMQM in Heptageniidae (Ephemeroptera), and an inverted and translocated tRNA-Ile between the 12S RNA gene and the control region in Ephemerellidae (Ephemeroptera). The IMQM gene arrangement in Heptageniidae (Ephemeroptera) can be explained via the tandem-duplication and random loss model, and the transposition and inversion of tRNA-Ile genes in Ephemerellidae can be explained through the recombination and tandem duplication-random loss (TDRL) model. Our phylogenetic analysis strongly supported the Chiastomyaria hypothesis in three different outgroup combinations in BI analyses. The results also show that suitable outgroups are very important to determining phylogenetic relationships in the rapid evolution of insects especially among Ephemeroptera and Odonata. The mt genome is a suitable marker to investigate the phylogeny of inter-order and inter-family relationships of insects but outgroup choice is very important for deriving these relationships among winged insects. Hence, we must carefully choose the correct outgroup in order to discuss the relationships of Ephemeroptera and Odonata.

There is very limited repertoire of organic ambipolar semiconductors to date. Electron donor-acceptor alternative stacking is a unique and important binary motif for 1D mixed-stack cocrystals, opening up possibilities for the development of organic ambipolar semiconductors. Herein, four 1D mixed-stack cocrystals using N,N'-bis(perfluorobutyl)-1,7-dicyanoperylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDICNF) as the acceptor and anthracene, pyrene, perylene, and meso-diphenyl tetrathia[22]annulene[2,1,2,1] (DPTTA) as the donors are achieved in a stoichiometric ratio (D:A = 1:1) through solution or vapor processed methods. Their packing structures, energy levels, charge transfer interactions, coassembling behaviors, and molecular orientations are systematically investigated by single-crystal X-ray analysis, absorption spectra, fluorescence quenching, Job's curve plot, and polarized photoluminescence measurements with the help of theoretical calculations. The donor-acceptor alternative stacking direction coincides with the long axis for all the four cocrystals. The field-effect transistors based on Pyrene-PDICNF show the electron mobility up to 0.19 cm2 V-1 s-1 , which is the highest value among perylene diimide-based cocrystals. Moreover, DPTTA-PDICNF cocrystals possess well-balanced electron and hole mobility with 1.7 × 10-2 and 2.0 × 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 respectively due to both hole and electron strong superexchange interactions, shedding light on the design of 1D mixed-stack cocrystals with excellent ambipolar transport behaviors.

In this Letter, we present single-pixel spiral phase contrast imaging that enables optical edge detection of both amplitude and phase objects. This technique utilizes single-pixel detection to directly acquire the Fourier spectrum of the edge-enhanced object by scanning spiral phase-encoded plane waves in k -space. Experimentally, we exploit a digital micromirror device to simultaneously generate the plane wave and reference field for illuminating the object and scan the plane wave for spectrum sampling. During the process, four-step phase-shifting is adopted, and synchronized intensity measurements are made with a single-pixel detector. Applying an inverse Fourier transform to the obtained spectrum directly yields the edge information of objects. As a demonstration, digital and real objects are imaged, and results verify that isotropic edge detection can be achieved with our technique for both amplitude and phase objects.

We construct a family of optical ring lattices that manifest the quasi-nondiffracting property via superposition of high-radial-order Laguerre-Gaussian beams. A theoretical derivation of the optical ring lattice along with the validity condition is presented, and its evolution behaviors are investigated in comparison with the diffraction-free Bessel beams. Moreover, multiple ultralong bright channels or optical tubes with various transverse profiles can be formed with the ring optical lattices. As a proof of concept, flexible generation of the lattice beams was demonstrated by complex wavefront engineering using a binary digital micromirror device. We anticipate that the quasi-nondiffracting ring lattices and the ultralong optical channels might motivate novel applications in optical trapping and high-resolution microscopy.

An improved deep sub-micrometer (90 nm) large signal model for silicon-based MOSFET that incorporates DC/AC dispersion model is proposed. The derived DC model can accurately predict the device current-voltage behavior over the wide range of bias points and the corresponding extraction method for model parameters is investigated. The improvement also consists of new equations for the nonlinear capacitance phenomenon in the saturation region using few fitting parameters, and emphasizes for the particularly difficult problems associated with the DC/RF dispersion. Model verification is carried out by comparison of measured and simulated S-parameters for 90 nm gate-length MOSFET devices point up to 50 GHz. Good agreement is obtained between measured and modeled results and the scalability of model is also verified in this paper.

Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) is a phosphorus-based flame retardant common in consumer goods and baby products. Concerns have been raised about TDCPP exposure and neurodevelopmental toxicity. However, the mechanism and early response for TDCPP-induced neurotoxicity are poorly understood. This study investigates the role of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in TDCPP-induced neurotoxicity in mice and primary cells. TDCPP was administered to C57BL/6 pups (0, 5, or 50 mg/kg/day) via an oral gavage from postnatal days 10–38 (28 days). The results showed that TDCPP exposure for 28 days altered the gene expression of neuronal markers Tubb3, Nefh, and Nes, and led to apoptosis in the hippocampus. The mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory factors Il-1β, Tnfα and Ccl2 dose dependently increased in the hippocampus at both 24 h and 28 days following exposure, accompanied by microglia activation characterized by an amoeboid-like phenotype. In in vitro studies using the primary microglia isolated from neonatal mice, exposure to TDCPP (0–100 μM) for 24 h resulted in cellular activation. It also increased the expression of genes responsible for inflammatory responses including surface markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines. These changes occurred in a dose-dependent fashion. Neurite outgrowth of primary mouse hippocampal neurons was inhibited by treatment with the conditioned medium harvested from microglia exposed to TDCPP. These results reveal that neonatal exposure to TDCPP induces neuronal damage through microglia-mediated inflammation. This provides insight into the mechanism of TDCPP’s neurodevelopmental toxicity, and suggests that microglial cell is a sensitive responder for OPFRs exposure.

Based on the Bifunctional Method, a new heterometallic cluster-based framework (FJI-7) with the coexistence of Cu4I4 cluster and binuclear [(Dy)2(COO)3(DMF)2], has been successfully synthesized and structurally characterized. This FJI-7 structure exhibits a 3-dimensional framework with Lewis basic pyridinyl sites and magnetic centre simultaneously. Additionally, its sorption behavior and magnetic property are also investigated.

A novel extrinsic resistance extraction method of MOSFET at Vgs=Vds=0V from S-parameter measurements is presented in this paper. Simulated and measured results of 90-nm gatelength MOSFET device with a 8×0.6×12µm gatewidth number of gate finger×unit gate width×cells are compared, and good agreement has been obtained up to 50GHz. Furthermore, comparisons between the proposed approach and other three methods published are also made in this paper. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new thiophene/anthracene derivative, 2,5-di (anthracen-2-yl)thieno [3,2-b]thiophene (2,5-DATT) which integrates excellent charge carrier transport property with the highest mobility of 0.92 cm2 V−1 s−1, high fluorescence quantum yield of 46.08% and high photoresponsivity is developed. Ultrasensitive UV phototransistor with responsivity up to 1.5 × 104 AW−1 and detectivity exceeding 3 × 1015 Jones is also demonstrated. These results show a feasible method for designing and synthesizing multifunctional materials.

In order to improve the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of lurasidone hydrochloride (LH), LH nanosuspensions (LH-NSP) were prepared by an antisolvent precipitation–ultrasonication method and characterized in this study. Three important formulation factors including the concentration of LH in the solvent, the amount of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) and poloxamer 188 (F68) in the antisolvent were optimized by the central composite design response surface methodology. Besides, the impacts of three important process parameters, namely the precipitation temperature, the power input and the duration of ultrasonication, on the particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) of LH-NSP were also investigated. The optimal values of these formulation factors were 0.21% (w/v) LH, 0.06% (w/v) SDS and 0.16% (w/v) F68, respectively, while for the process parameters, the precipitation temperature, power input and duration of ultrasonication were 5 °C, 100 W and 10 min, respectively. The particle size and PDI of the optimized LH-NSP were 124.6 ± 11.9 nm and 0.097 ± 0.0024, respectively. There was no crystalline change in the LH-NSP compared with LH raw material on the basis of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis results. With the reduced particle size, the solubility and in vitro dissolution rate of LH in the LH-NSP were significantly improved. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that the Cmax and AUC0–24 of the group with oral administration of the LH-NSP were both 1.5 times higher than that of raw LH.

We have successfully obtained, for the first time, a new heterometallic indium-organic framework (InOF-14) with a functional and luminescent Eu(iii) component. Based on the mutually competitive [In(CO2)4] and [Eu2(CO2)4(H2O)4] units, this microporous structure possesses discrete nano-cages and one-dimensional channels for gas adsorption, and simultaneously exhibits excellent luminescence properties.

[Me2NH2]3[In3(BTB)4]·2DMF·2DMA·28H2O (InOF-9) is an anionic indium-organic framework based on nanosized cuboctahedrons, which is sustained by tetrahedral [In(COO)4] nodes and 3-connected tricarboxylates. Although InOF-9 is structurally unstable when exposed to air, it exhibits excellent gas sorption capacity through a supercritical carbon dioxide activation process and selectively encapsulates guest methylene blue cations.

[Eu2(BPTC)(H2BPTC)(DMF)4]·Guest (BMM-7) is a new 3-dimensional microporous metal–organic framework based on a functional [Eu2(COO)6(DMF)2] secondary building unit, which is rendered with uncoordinated carboxylate groups protruding into the channels. The microporous nature is confirmed using nitrogen isotherms at 77 Kelvin and the open –COOH groups can effectively and selectively capture Cu(II) cations in the exchange process.

Shaping complex fields with a digital micromirror device (DMD) has attracted much attention recently due to its potential application in optical communication and microscopy. In this paper, we present an optimized Lee method to achieve dynamic shaping of orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) beams using a binary DMD. An error diffusion algorithm is introduced to enhance the accuracy for binary-amplitude hologram design, making it possible to achieve high fidelity wavefront shaping while retaining a high resolution. As a proof of concept, we apply this method to create different classes of OAM beams. The numerical simulations verify that a fidelity of F > 0.985 can be achieved for all the test OAM fields with fully independent phase and amplitude modulation. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate the dynamic shaping of different OAM beams including pure modes and mixed modes with a switching rate of up to 17.8 kHz. On this basis, accurate information encoding into the generated multiplexed OAM beams is accomplished, which provides access to high speed classical and quantum communications that employ spatial mode encoding.

We propose to reduce the photodamage in optical trapping of living cells by using azimuthally polarized beams (APBs). APBs achieve higher axial trapping efficiency and lower photodamage than linearly polarized Gaussian beams when used for optical trapping of individual red blood cells (RBCs). In particular, we further achieve reducing photodamage in optical trapping of individual RBCs in living zebrafish. Our work is expected to benefit in vivo optical trapping and study of living cells.

Impacts of ultrafiltration and hydrolysis on antioxidant abilities of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) derived from whey protein isolate (WPI) and galactose (Gal), were evaluated in this study. Fraction (MW > 50 kDa)of WPI-Gal MRPs prepared with ultrafiltration, had the strongest antioxidant activity. The trichloroacetic acid (TCA, 2–8%) treatment could effectively enhanced antioxidant activities of WPI-Gal MRPs. WPI-Gal MRPs had higher degrees of hydrolysis and antioxidant activity than heated WPI. With hydrolysis time of pepsin and trypsin extended up, degrees of hydrolysis and antioxidant activities of WPI-Gal MRPs and WPI gradually increased (P

We introduce a novel global optimization algorithm–bat algorithm (BA) for wavefront shaping to focus light through highly scattered media. Compared with the well-known genetic algorithm, BA-based binary wavefront shaping achieves a higher enhancement with less time in noisy environments, which is validated by simulation and experiment. Using a high-speed digital micromirror device, the BA enables quick formation of single or multiple focal spots through a highly scattering layer. The BA offers a competitive algorithm for wavefront shaping in turbid media, which might benefit biomedical imaging in deep tissues.

We present a single-pixel imaging technique that enables phase extraction from objects by complex Fourier spectrum sampling. The technique exploits a digital micromirror device to scan a wavevector-varying plane wave, which interferes with a stationary reference beam to produce time-varying spatial frequencies on the object. Synchronized intensity measurements are made using a single-pixel detector, and four-step phase-shifting is adopted in spectrum acquisition. Applying inverse Fourier transform to the obtained spectrum yields the desired image. The proposed technique is demonstrated by imaging two digital phase objects. Furthermore, we show that the image can be reconstructed from sub-Nyquist measurements via compressive sensing, considerably accelerating the acquisition process. As a particular application, we use the technique to characterize the orbital angular momentum of vortex beams, which could benefit multiplexing techniques in classical and quantum communications. This technique is readily integrated into commercial microscopes for quantitative phase microscopy.

Optical spin-orbit interaction has gained much interest recently due to its universality and importance in modern photonics. In this Letter, we theoretically demonstrate that orbit-induced localized spin angular momentum (SAM) conversion can occur in the tight focusing of spin-free linearly polarized vortex beams (LPVBs). By analysis of the polarization states that are associated with the SAM density, we attribute the occurrence of such a conversion to the helical-phase-induced change of local polarization states in the focused field. In the local SAM, density can be further regulated by altering the sign and value of the orbital angular momentum in the incident LPVBs, as well as their polarization orientations. This Letter is expected to advance our understanding of optical spin-orbit coupling and benefit applications of optical microscopy and trapping.

In this letter, we present an approach to achieve three-dimensional (3D) focusing through highly scattering media. The method combines 3D computer-generated holography (CGH) with point-spread-function (PSF) based wavefront shaping. With a single transmission matrix measurement, CGH-aided PSF engineering enables us to control light volumetrically under multiple scattering. As a proof of concept, generating user-specified 2D intensity patterns and 3D focusing through scattering media were demonstrated. Further, axial scanning of the focus was realized digitally by using a digital micromirror device. Experimentally, our method achieves an axial scanning range ∼20 times larger than that obtained by the memory effect method. Our work is expected to benefit long-range optical trapping and volumetric imaging through highly scattering media.

Light beams with spatially variant states of polarization (SOPs) have attracted increasing interest recently because their vector nature brings unique perspectives to optics and photonics. Nevertheless, their applications are challenged when transposed to scattering media, because of the inherent depolarization effects arising from multiple scattering. Wavefront shaping techniques are expected to confront these challenges; however, shaping spatially variant SOPs in addition to amplitude and phase of light through scattering media has not been explored yet. Here, we present a general framework based on the vector transmission matrix to simultaneously tailor these properties. Further, we demonstrate its use in producing multiple focal spots and structured light beams with spatially variant SOPs behind the scattering media, which is confirmed by simulations. As a particular application, by encoding information into light's spatially distributed SOPs, we are able to directly encrypt multiplexed grayscale images into a single laser beam behind a scattering medium. Our work is expected to find potential applications such as optical imaging in deep tissues, optical encryption, and communication.