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There is a significant Poisson effect for knitted fabric under tensile deformation. It is an important parameter for practical pattern design, numerical simulation of garment pressure distribution and garment dressing system. However, it is still difficult to measure the fabric Poisson ratio quickly and accurately. In this paper, a method for testing the elastic knitted fabric Poisson ratio and modulus was proposed based on orthotropic theory and strip biaxial tensile test. The fabric’s Poisson ratio and Young’s modulus are identified by linear regression, while the obtained values are validated by uniaxial tensile tests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two He-Ne laser beams at some distance, with their included angle only a few tenths of a degree, are intersected on the surface of a photorefractive BaTiO[sub 3]:Ce crystal at the same incidence point to simultaneously conduct their self-pumped phase conjugations (SPPCs). Our experimental results and theoretical analysis show that, when a stronger laser and a weaker laser are applied to the crystal, the mutual competition of their build-up gratings can greatly interfere the weaker laser with the formation of its SPPC. The weaker SPPC response time is of the order of minutes, quite long compared with that of its normal circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to design a five-port grating with good uniformity, a single-groove reflective beam splitter with an incident wavelength of 1550 nm is designed. The incident structure is under normal incidence. We get better optimized parameters by rigorous coupled waves. The five diffraction order efficiencies of the grating are each close to 20%. The optimized data shows that grating structure has high efficiency and high tolerance, which will have good application value in the field of beam splitter. Furthermore, by investigating the coupling overlap integration and field distribution, the mechanism can be well explained for such a grating. • Efficiencies of 19.46%, 19.34%, 19.74% in the 0th, ±1st, ±2nd order for TE wave. • Efficiencies of 19.49%, 19.23%, 19.24% in the 0th, ±1st, ±2nd order for TM wave. • Coupling overlap integration and field distribution for physical mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glare reduction is the focus of much attention in the field of optical engineering owing to its vital role in high-quality image acquisition in photoelectric visual inspection technology. Based on Fresnel reflection theory, we have derived a polarization factor related to the glare intensity distribution and have obtained theoretical results showing that the factor plays a leading role in reducing glare. Based on the image detection model, we have derived a displacement factor which determines the position and the size of the glare area, and have obtained theoretical results showing that the factor plays a supporting role in reducing glare. The image gray-scale transformation curve is obtained by sampling image data under the different polarization and positions. And these image data are measured from certain object in the equivalent environment while the different conditions. Then the theories above have been justified and the whole theory of the polarization-based glare elimination method has been interpreted completely via actual experiments in glare elimination. As a result, reducing the intensity contrast between the glare area and its neighboring area is proved to be the essence of glare elimination. Furthermore, the glare can be nearly eliminated perfectly by adjusting the polarization factor and the displacement factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tunable multimode plasmonic filter is proposed by using a side-coupled ring-groove joint resonator. In addition to the integer resonance modes of the perfect ring resonator (RR), extra non-integer resonance modes are excited by adding a groove on the RR. According to the simulations with finite difference time domain method, it is investigated that two integer and two non-integer modes are obtained. When the groove is placed on the antinodes of the magnetic fields, the effective resonance lengths for the corresponding modes will be changed by the groove. In this case, one can linearly manipulate the wavelengths by changing the length of the groove. On the contrary, the wavelengths of the specific modes will be always fixed when the groove locates at the nodes of the modes. Compared to those perfect structured Fabry-Pérot (FP) resonators, this compact device can provide more channels and manipulate the wavelengths flexibly. Therefore, it may find widely applications in the on-chip optical signal processing area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fused-silica sandwiched three-port grating under second Bragg angle incidence is presented with operation in transmission. To obtain a highly-efficient three-port grating for a working wavelength of 800 nm, the grating depth and period should be optimized by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis. With the optimized different three-port grating depths and periods, both TE-polarized and TM-polarized waves can be diffracted into three orders with nearly 33% efficiency for the given duty cycle of 0.6. Based on the grating parameters of numerical optimization, modal method may be employed to explain the physical mechanism of the beam propagation in the grating and analyze the splitting behavior. For the sandwiched three-port grating, it is feasible that the diffraction efficiencies can be enhanced for both TE and TM polarizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasmonic bidirectional/unidirectional wavelength splitter based on asymmetric metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) waveguides is proposed. In the splitter, owing to the interference effects caused by the unequal phase delays from the two asymmetric arms of MDM waveguides, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) will only transmit through the output port that is close to the arm where constructive interference arises. The transmission wavelengths can be linearly modulated by changing the lengths of the arms. Since two different SPP modes are obtained in two output ports, respectively, the structure can act as a bidirectional wavelength splitter. Interestingly, both SPP modes can be manipulated to transmit through the same port by adding a notch in one arm. In this case, the notch must simultaneously locate at the anti-node and at the node of the magnetic fields of two SPP modes respectively. As a result, additional phase delay for the specific mode will be produced by the notch, but without any impact on the other mode. Then, the propagation directions of both modes will turn to be identical. High transmission and high cross-talk isolation are investigated for all the cases by using the finite-difference time-domain method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasmonic metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) waveguide structure is proposed by placing a slot cavity below or above a groove. The groove and the slot cavity can act as a reflector and a resonator, respectively. Due to the interactions between the broad dark mode and the narrow bright mode caused by the groove and the side-coupled slot cavity, single Fano resonance with sharp asymmetric spectral profile is achieved. Interestingly, dual Fano resonances can also be obtained by using two different slot cavities, which are simultaneously distributed on both sides of the groove. The line shape can be transformed by changing the length of the groove, while the wavelength of the resonance peak can be manipulated linearly with the length of the slot cavity. The proposed structure yields a highest sensitivity of ∼1131 nm/RIU and a figure of merit of ∼1.6 × 10, and thus, we believe that it can serve as an on-chip nanosensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a novel reflection three-port beam splitter by a microstructure grating, which can show high efficiency for both TE and TM polarization in the 0th and the ±1st orders. The grating profile is optimized by using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) at telecom wavelength around 1550 nm. With the optimized grating profile, the reflection three-port beam splitter can work as a 1 × 3 beam splitter for not only TE polarization but also TM polarization. Efficiencies can reach nearly 33% in the 0th and the ±1st reflected orders. The presented reflection three-port beam splitter grating should be a useful element in numerous practical applications, and a duty of 0.5 would make it easy to be fabricated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beam splitting control is proposed by an embedded two-layer grating. With the optimized grating parameters for the special duty cycle of 0.65, the novel grating can diffract both TE and TM polarizations into two orders with the 50/50 splitting ratio, where the polarization-independent property is exhibited. Most importantly, the wide bandwidth for the incident wavelength is achieved for TE polarization compared with the reported total internal reflection grating and the surface-relief single-layer grating. The physical essence of the wideband is well explained by the accumulated phase difference based on modal method. Since it is not easy to obtain the wide incident wavelength range for the conventional multilayer coatings and the surface-relief single-layer grating, the physical mechanism can offer an effective guideline to design grating-based beam splitter with the wide bandwidth for the incident wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new optical interference-based encryption method using off-axis circular harmonic component (CHC) expansion and iterative phase retrieval algorithm in gyrator transform (GT) domain is proposed. Off-axis CHC expansion is employed to divide the inverse GT spectrum of primitive image into two parts: the zero-order CHC and the sum of the other CHCs. The sum term of CHCs is further encrypted into a complex image whose amplitude constraint is devised to be the amplitude of zero-order CHC by the iterative retrieval GT algorithm. The amplitude part of CHC is the final ciphertext which has rotation-symmetric distribution. Three phase-only keys, the main keys of this proposal, are also calculated during the digital encryption process. To recover the primitive image correctly, two identical ciphertexts placed in the two interference branch should be illuminated by two spherical waves with required parameters (wavelength and radius). Moreover, rotational center of ciphertexts must be placed in a predefined position, which is off the optical axis. The transform angles of GTs, the propagation parameters of spherical waves and the relative position of rotational center of ciphertext are sensitive additional keys for correct retrieval. Numerical simulation tests have been carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quasi-plasmonic circulator is proposed based on metal–insulator–metal waveguides. Four bus waveguides connected to the corners of a square cavity with dual-narrow-slit waveguides are performed as the input/output ports. According to the enhanced emission and the interference effects, unidirectional propagation for surface plasmon polaritons is achieved. The spectrum and propagation characteristics are numerically investigated by using the finite-difference time-domain method. The transmittance for the matched output port is higher than 71% at the wavelength of 481.2 nm, while the ones for other output ports are all lower than 6%. Therefore, high-transmission and high-isolation are achieved. In addition, the linear relationship between the wavelength and the waveguide length or the refractive index of insulator has also been confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polarization selectivity is described based on the two-layer grating sandwiched between two fused-silica substrates. The polarization-selective grating can diffract TE polarization with high efficiency and split TM polarization with good uniformity. With the novel structure, the grating can have high efficiency of sandwiched grating and wideband property of two-layer grating. The modal method is applied to analyze the grating, which corresponds well with the results of rigorous coupled-wave analysis. The physical analysis can give the good guideline to optimize the polarization-selective sandwiched two-layer grating effectively. Such a polarization-selective grating can also have merits of high efficiency for TE polarization and wide angular bandwidth for TM polarization based on the two-layer grating sandwiched between two fused-silica substrate. It is easy to clean and protect the grating surface compared with the surface-relief grating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new optical security system for image encryption based on optical interference principle and translation property of Fresnel transform (FrT) has been proposed in this article. The algorithm of this proposal is specially designed for single-beam optical decryption and can thoroughly resolve the silhouette problem existing in the previous interference-based scheme. Different from earlier schemes using interference of phase-only masks (POMs), the inverse FrT of primitive image is digitally decomposed into a random POM and a complex field distribution. Information associated with the primitive images can be completely smoothed away by the modulation of this random POM. Through the translation property of FrT, two linear phase-only terms are then used to modulate the obtained random POM and the complex distribution, respectively. Two complex ciphertexts are generated by performing digital inverse FrT again. One cannot recover any visible information of secret image using only one ciphertext. Moreover, to recover the primitive image correctly, the correct ciphertexts must be placed in the certain positions of input plane of decryption system, respectively. As additional keys, position center coordinates of ciphertexts can increase the security strength of this encryption system against brute force attacks greatly. Numerical simulations have been given to verify the performance and feasibility of this proposal. To further enhance the application value of this algorithm, an alternative approach based on Fourier transform has also been discussed briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, digital holography based on two-step phase shifting interference (PSI) was applied to realize the iterative partial phase encoding with joint fractional transform correlator (JFTC). By this security system, the primitive image is encoded in two joint fractional power spectra (JFPS) corresponding to different phase-shifting values. The encrypted image can be deduced directly from the JFPSs by digital means, thus eliminating the noise interference of dc and conjugate terms. JFTC not only relaxes the alignment requirement but also avoids the beam splitting required by traditional holography. In the iterative partial phase encoding, the random phase masks (RPMs) are generated by chaotic mapping, and encoding areas are confined by a sequence of random binary masks. To recover the primitive image, decipher must regenerate the partial RPMs with correct chaotic conditions and perform inverse fractional Fourier transforms with correct orders. The decryption process can be realized by JFTC or by totally digital means. Simulation and experimental results have been presented to test security level and feasibility of the scheme. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A diffractive polarizing beam splitter (PBS) of two-layer grating is described for operation in reflection. The novel PBS grating includes two dielectric layers and a metal slab on the substrate. The reflective efficiency is widely simulated and optimized by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis. With the optimized grating parameters, efficiency of 96.46% for TE polarization of the two-layer reflective PBS grating is much more than 88.52% of the single layer PBS grating and 93.07% of the sandwiched PBS grating. The analysis shows that efficiencies more than 90% can be achieved for 394nm spectral bandwidths within the incident wavelength range of 1480–1874nm, which are much broader than the bandwidths of 67nm spectral bandwidths of the reported single layer grating. The novel PBS for operation in reflection can have merits of high efficiency, broad bandwidth for incident wavelength range and high extinction ratio in the –1st order with wide angular range. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present an optical method for double image encryption by using linear exchanging operation and double random phase encoding (DRPE) in the gyrator transform (GT) domain. In the linear exchanging operation, two primitive images are linearly recombined via a random orthogonal transform matrix. The resultant blended images are employed to constitute a complex-valued image, which is then encoded into a noise-like encrypted image by a DRPE structure in the GT domain. One can recover the primitive images exactly with all decryption keys correctly applied, including the transform orders, the random phase masks and random angle function used for linear exchanging operation. Computer simulations have been given to demonstrate that the proposed scheme eliminates the difference in key spaces between the phase-based image and the amplitude-based image encountered in the previous schemes. Moreover, our scheme has considerably high security level and certain robustness against data loss and noise disturbance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A two-layer grating with low polarization dependence is described to obtain high efficiency with the wideband property. Modal method is applied to analyze the propagation process of the incident wave in the grating region. The phase difference is accumulated in both two layers, which determines the efficiency based on the two-beam interference. The grating depths are estimated according to the phase difference for both TE and TM polarizations. The accurate depths are optimized by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis around the depths given by the modal method. With the grating parameters optimized, efficiencies of 98.23% and 97.44% can be exhibited for TE and TM polarizations, respectively. Furthermore, efficiencies more than 95% can be achieved for the given fabrication tolerance, incident wavelength range, and angular bandwidth. The fabrication tolerance should be important for the practical manufacture of the wideband two-layer grating. The modal analysis is significant to explain the physical mechanism and design the two-layer grating. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe a novel reflective dual-function beam splitter by a deep-etched high-spatial-frequency metal-based sandwiched grating. For TE polarization, the presented grating can show high efficiency in the reflective −1st order. And for TM polarization, two-port output can be obtained with good uniformity in the reflective 0th and the −1st orders. Physical analysis of modal method and numerical calculation of rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) are utilized to optimize such a dual-function beam splitter grating. Grating duty cycle is chosen properly for the grating period by the effective indices difference of excited modes in the grating region based on modal method. And grating depth and covering layer thickness are optimized using simulation of RCWA. The presented dual-function beam splitter grating can have advantages of the special incident angle of 45°, high efficiency and uniformity, and wide incident angular bandwidth, which should be a useful element for various optical systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a novel metal-based phase grating for high-efficiency polarizing beam splitter (PBS), which consists a phase grating etched in fused silica and a metal slab of Ag evaporated on the substrate. The grating parameters are optimized using rigorous coupled-wave analysis. High efficiencies of 97.75% and 96.90% can be achieved for TE and TM polarizations in the – 1st and the 0th orders, respectively. The efficiency is improved greatly for TE polarization compared with the reported transmission binary grating and sandwiched grating. The extinction ratio can reach 1.21×104 with the optimized grating parameters. The proposed PBS grating can have good merits of high efficiency, high extinction ratio, and wide incident wavelength and angular bandwidths for efficiencies higher than 95%. The usual duty cycle of 0.5 and moderate fabrication tolerance would make it easy to be fabricated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The polarization-selective beam splitter grating can be widely used in numerous optical information processing systems, which have been investigated for single-layer grating etched in fused silica. The efficiency and incident bandwidth can be improved further based on a novel grating structure. A two-layer dielectric grating is described to realize a polarization-selective beam splitter. Modal analysis is applied to such a dielectric grating to evaluate the grating depths of two layers roughly and accurate grating depths are optimized using rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA). From the optimized results, efficiency can reach 98.9% for TE polarization, which can be improved greatly compared with the reported polarization-selective beam splitter. And efficiency higher than 95% for TE polarization and efficiency ratio of the –1st order to the 0th order varying less than 5% for TM polarization can be obtained within the wide incident wavelength range and angular bandwidth. The improved high efficiency and wideband properties should be attractive for a two-layer dielectric grating as a polarization-selective beam splitter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe a novel reflection polarizing beam splitter (PBS) by a fused-silica metal-based sandwiched grating. The grating period is given with the incident Bragg angle of 45° for simple operation in practice. A special duty cycle of 0.22 is chosen according to the modal method by a two-beam interference of the excited modes in the grating region. And the grating depth and covering layer thickness are numerically optimized using rigorous coupled-wave analysis. The fabrication tolerance around the optimized grating parameters is discussed. Moreover, a more wide tolerance for etched depth is achieved for easy and mass production. The presented PBS of a fused-silica metal-based sandwiched grating can show high efficiency with wideband property for incident wavelength for TE polarization and very high extinction ratio with broad incident angular bandwidth in the –1st order. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe a novel transmission grating with a connecting layer to achieve high efficiency diffraction with polarization-independence. The grating duty cycle and period are optimized by modal method. Accurate grating depth and connecting layer thickness are optimized using rigorous coupled-wave analysis. High efficiencies of 99.21% for TE polarization and 99.12% for TM polarization can be achieved with the optimized grating parameters. Furthermore, the grating with a connecting layer can show efficiencies larger than 97% for both TE and TM polarizations within the given range of grating depth and connecting layer thickness, which will be significant for practical applications of such a high-efficiency polarization-independent grating with a connecting layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe a novel polarizing beam splitter (PBS) of transmission connecting-layer-based grating, which can show high efficiency for TE polarization in the −1st order and TM polarization in the 0th order. According to the modal method, grating duty cycle and period are prescribed to obtain high efficiency for TM polarization. Using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis, grating depth and thickness of the connecting layer are optimized to achieve high efficiency for TE polarization. The presented PBS has advantages of wideband properties for incident wavelength and angle. Most importantly, the efficiency is improved greatly for TE polarization compared with the reported PBS based on fused-silica grating. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is desirable to obtain high efficiency with polarization-independence and wideband properties for incident wavelength. A metal-mirror-based grating is presented to diffract the incident wave into reflection orders with high efficiency for TE and TM polarization. The modal method and rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) are used together to optimize a metal-mirror-based grating effectively. From the analysis of the modal method, it is feasible to realize such a grating with the prescribed grating duty cycle and period. Accurate parameters of the grating depth and thickness of the connecting layer are optimized using RCWA. Compared with the reported binary simple grating, high efficiency can be improved greatly for the incident wavelength of 1550nm in dense wavelength division multiplexing. The diffraction investigation indicates that a wideband property for incident wavelength can be obtained for such a novel metal-mirror-based grating. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel reflective two-layer grating is proposed to obtain broad incident wavelength and angular bandwidths with the polarization-independent property. Although the conventional reflective single-layer grating can diffract high efficiency into the—1st order based on the mixed metal dielectric structure, deviations of the incident wavelength and angle will introduce much influence on the efficiency. By the reflective two-layer grating, the incident bandwidth can be improved greatly with high efficiency. The reflective two-layer grating can diffract efficiencies more than 90% into the—1st order within the incident wavelength range of 1376–1675nm or the incident angular bandwidth of 33.05–51.21°. The presented reflective two-layer grating can have advantages of high efficiency and improved bandwidths. The given quite moderate fabrication tolerance should be significant for practical applications of such a reflective two-layer grating. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Under the second Bragg incidence, a new polarization-controlled grating is proposed based on the multilayer dielectric grating structure. This novel polarizing beam splitter can diffract TE wave in the 0th order and TM wave in the -1st/-2nd orders. In most reported polarization-selective dual-function beam splitter, two polarizations cannot be separated in the -1st order. While in this paper, as a polarizer, TE polarization and TM polarization propagate in different orders. At an incident wavelength of 800 nm, the efficiency of TE-polarized light is 99.32%. Both orders of TM-polarized light are more than 40%, and the extinction ratio is greater than 20 dB. This new high-efficiency polarizer can be used well in biosensors and optical communications. • Polarization-controlled under second Bragg incidence with silver deposited in groove. • TE wave reflection in the 0th order and TM wave splitter in the -1st/-2nd orders. • Reflection of 99.32% for TE wave and extinction ratio of 20 dB for TM wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an ultrabroadband two-layer hybrid grating for polarizer. The efficiencies and extinction ratios of the two-layer polarizer were characterized for different grating geometrical parameters including periods, duty cycles and dielectric layer thicknesses. In order to obtain the suitable grating geometric parameters, the diffraction was numerically simulated by using rigorous coupled-wave approach in the near infrared incident regions. Based on the simulation results, reflection efficiency of TE-polarized light and transmission efficiency of TM-polarized light more than 96 % can be obtained within the incident wavelength rang of 1220−1940 nm and incident angle range of 4.2–58.8°. Furthermore, the extinction ratio of the grating can reach 28.09 dB for the polarizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded double-layer transmission grating beam splitter under the second Bragg incidence is presented in this paper. With a given duty cycle of 0.5 and a period of 940 nm, we use rigorous coupled-wave analysis method to investigate this beam splitter. The grating parameters are optimized for high-efficiency output. Each efficiency of the three orders under polarizations of TE and TM is close to 33.3 % respectively. Compared with the single-layer fused-silica grating, the three-port double-layer grating is flexible with complex structure and stable in performance. The field distribution modal method are given, which can well explain the propagation process and coupling mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Efficiency of 97.04 % is diffracted in the -1st order for TE polarization. • Efficiencies of 49.64 %/49.80 % are split in two orders for TM polarization. • Performance of the novel grating is improved compared with surface-relief grating. The subwavelength three-layer embedded grating is described under Littrow mounting for dual-function splitting. At the incident 800 nm wavelength, diffraction efficiency of TE polarization is 97.04 % for the optimized profiles. For TM polarization, diffraction efficiencies corresponding to 49.64 % and 49.80 % are obtained in two ports. The diffraction efficiency of the new embedded grating is higher than that of the previously reported surface-relief three-layer grating-based dual-function splitting. Moreover, the new grating can exhibit large deviation using angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cashmere and wool are both natural animal fibers used in the textile industry, but cashmere is of superior quality, is rarer, and more precious. It is therefore important to distinguish the two fibers accurately and effectively. However, challenges due to their similar appearance, morphology, and physical and chemical properties remain. Herein, a terahertz electromagnetic inductive transparency (EIT) metasurface biosensor is introduced for qualitative and quantitative identification of cashmere and wool. The periodic unit structure of the metasurface consists of four rotationally symmetric resonators and two cross-arranged metal secants to form toroidal dipoles and electric dipoles, respectively, so that its effective sensing area can be greatly improved by 1075% compared to the traditional dipole mode, and the sensitivity will be up to 342 GHz/RIU. The amplitude and frequency shift changes of the terahertz transmission spectra caused by the different refractive indices of cashmere/wool can achieve highly sensitive label-free qualitative and quantitative identification of both. The experimental results show that the terahertz metasurface biosensor can work at a concentration of 0.02 mg/mL. It provides a new way to achieve high sensitivity, precision, and trace detection of cashmere/wool, and would be a valuable application for the cashmere industry.

Direct, site-specific methods of protein functionalization are highly desirable for biotechnology. However, such methods are challenging due to the difficulty of chemically differentiating a single site within a large protein. Herein, we propose "metal binding targeting" strategy and develop a Copper Assisted Sequence-specific conjugation Tag (CAST) method to achieve rapid (second order rate 8.1 M -1  s -1 ), site-specific protein backbone chemical modification with pinpoint accuracy. We demonstrate the versatility of CAST conjugation by preparing various on-demand modified recombinant proteins, including a homogeneous antibody-drug conjugate with high plasma stability and potent efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CAST provides an efficient and quantitative method to site-specifically attach payloads on large, native proteins., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) achieve a milestone in cancer treatment. Despite the great success of ICI, ICI therapy still faces a big challenge due to heterogeneity of tumor, and therapeutic response is complicated by possible immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Therefore, it is critical to assess the systemic immune response elicited by ICI therapy to guide subsequent treatment regimens. Positron emission tomography (PET) molecular imaging is an optimal approach in cancer diagnosis, treatment effect evaluation, follow-up, and prognosis prediction. PET imaging can monitor metabolic changes of immunocytes and specifically identify immuno-biomarkers to reflect systemic immune responses. Here, we briefly review the application of PET molecular imaging to date of systemic immune responses following ICI therapy and the associated rationale., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Malignant brain tumors are among the most threatening diseases of the central nervous system, and despite increasingly updated treatments, the prognosis has not been improved. Tumor treating fields (TTFields) are an emerging approach in cancer treatment using intermediate-frequency and low-intensity electric field and can lead to the development of novel therapeutic options., Recent Findings: A series of biological processes induced by TTFields to exert anti-cancer effects have been identified. Recent studies have shown that TTFields can alter the bioelectrical state of macromolecules and organelles involved in cancer biology. Massive alterations in cancer cell proteomics and transcriptomics caused by TTFields were related to cell biological processes as well as multiple organelle structures and activities. This review addresses the mechanisms of TTFields and recent advances in the application of TTFields therapy in malignant brain tumors, especially in glioblastoma (GBM)., Conclusions: As a novel therapeutic strategy, TTFields have shown promising results in many clinical trials, especially in GBM, and continue to evolve. A growing number of patients with malignant brain tumors are being enrolled in ongoing clinical studies demonstrating that TTFields-based combination therapies can improve treatment outcomes., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia worldwide. The exact etiology of AD is unclear as yet, and no effective treatments are currently available, making AD a tremendous burden posed on the whole society. As AD is a multifaceted and heterogeneous disease, and most biomarkers are dynamic in the course of AD, a range of biomarkers should be established to evaluate the severity and prognosis. Positron emission tomography (PET) offers a great opportunity to visualize AD from diverse perspectives by using radiolabeled agents involved in various pathophysiological processes; PET imaging technique helps to explore the pathomechanisms of AD comprehensively and find out the most appropriate biomarker in each AD phase, leading to a better evaluation of the disease. In this review, we discuss the application of PET in the course of AD and summarized radiolabeled compounds with favorable imaging characteristics., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder associated with both genetic and environmental risks. Neuroimaging approaches have been widely employed to parse the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying ASD, and provide critical insights into the anatomical, functional, and neurochemical changes. We reviewed recent advances in neuroimaging studies that focused on ASD by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or single-positron emission tomography (SPECT). Longitudinal structural MRI has delineated an abnormal developmental trajectory of ASD that is associated with cascading neurobiological processes, and functional MRI has pointed to disrupted functional neural networks. Meanwhile, PET and SPECT imaging have revealed that metabolic and neurotransmitter abnormalities may contribute to shaping the aberrant neural circuits of ASD. Future large-scale, multi-center, multimodal investigations are essential to elucidate the neurophysiological underpinnings of ASD, and facilitate the development of novel diagnostic biomarkers and better-targeted therapy., (© 2021. Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS.)

Hypoxia conditioning could increase the survival of transplanted neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in rats with cerebral ischemia but could also hinder neuronal differentiation partly by suppressing mitochondrial metabolism. In this work, the mitochondrial metabolism of hypoxia-conditioned NPCs (hcNPCs) was upregulated via the additional administration of resveratrol, an herbal compound, to resolve the limitation of hypoxia conditioning on neuronal differentiation. Resveratrol was first applied during the in vitro neuronal differentiation of hcNPCs and concurrently promoted the differentiation, synaptogenesis, and functional development of neurons derived from hcNPCs and restored the mitochondrial metabolism. Furthermore, this herbal compound was used as an adjuvant during hcNPC transplantation in a photothrombotic stroke rat model. Resveratrol promoted neuronal differentiation and increased the long-term survival of transplanted hcNPCs. 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and rotarod test showed that resveratrol and hcNPC transplantation synergistically improved the neurological and metabolic recovery of stroke rats. In conclusion, resveratrol promoted the neuronal differentiation and therapeutic efficiency of hcNPCs in stroke rats via restoring mitochondrial metabolism. This work suggested a novel approach to promote the clinical translation of NPC transplantation therapy.

Wearable supercapacitors (SCs) are gaining prominence as portable energy storage devices. To develop high-performance wearable SCs, the significant relationship among material, structure, and performance inspired us with a delicate design of the highly wearable embroidered supercapacitors made from the conductive fibers composited. By rendering the conductive interdigitally patterned embroidery as both the current collector and skeleton for the SCs, the novel pseudocapacitive material cobalt phosphides were then successfully electrodeposited, forming the first flexible and wearable in-plane embroidery SCs. The electrochemical measurements manifested that the highest specific capacitance was nearly 156.6 mF cm -2 (65.72 F g -1 ) at the current density of 0.6 mA cm -2 (0.25 A g -1 ), with a high energy density of 0.013 mWh cm -2 (5.55 Wh kg -1 ) at a power density of 0.24 mW cm -2 (100 W kg -1 ). As a demonstration, a monogrammed pattern was ingeniously designed and embroidered on the laboratory gown as the wearable in-plane SCs, which showed both decent electrochemical performance and excellent flexibility.