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Nonlinear Optical Characterization of Semiconductor Wafers via Femtosecond Laser-Induced Third Harmonic Generation (THG)
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Heterologous prime-boost vaccination drives stromal activation and adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants
No full textHeterologous vaccination strategies have shown superior efficacy over homologous regimens in clinical studies, but the underlying immunological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Using a mouse model, we investigated the immune responses induced by heterologous prime-boost vaccination with adenoviral and mRNA vaccines. Heterologous vaccination (adenoviral prime, mRNA boost) elicited higher neutralizing antibody titers and stronger CD8+ T cell responses against Delta and Omicron-BA.5 variants compared to homologous regimens. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of injection-site tissues revealed that adenoviral priming induced minimal changes in cellular composition but established a pre-conditioned innate immune environment. This effect was further amplified upon mRNA boosting, particularly through fibroblast-driven chemokine responses that promoted immune cell recruitment. These findings suggest that adenoviral priming enhances local immune activation upon boosting, contributing to the heightened adaptive immune response observed in heterologous vaccination. This study provides mechanistic insights into the immunological effects of heterologous prime-boost strategies against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Highly efficient, reliable, and ultraflexible bio-organic light-emitting diode patch
No full textDriven by innovations in the form factor of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, the application scope of OLED technology now encompasses the biomedical field, in addition to its existing application domains of mobile phones, televisions, and lighting. This paper introduces an ultrathin, ultraflexible, and high-power bio-OLED patch with perfect waterproofing and an elongation of 2.04% through material and structural design. Furthermore, the OLED patch with a parallel-stacked OLED delivers a high output of 100 mW/cm2, achieves a 40% power density improvement compared to glass-based OLEDs using optimized encapsulation, and is suitable for photodynamic therapy owing to its lifetime of 183 h at an intensity of 35 mW/cm2. Since OLED patches are required for long-term stable operation in various biomedical applications, we developed an OLED patch with an outcoupling structure using a simple method. The improved OLED patch achieved a 35% increase in light extraction compared to the original OLED patch.
Reframing the role of the objective function in its proper context for metabolic network modeling
No full textThe "objective function" is a core concept in metabolic network modeling. Its use has enabled the analysis of large data to drive deeper understanding of cellular metabolism. This commentary reframes how the objective function is discussed to enhance its value and clarify misunderstandings in metabolic network modeling.
Ultralow-power carbon dioxide sensor for real-time breath monitoring
No full textContinuous non-invasive tracking of physiological CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) is crucial for intraoperative monitoring as well as diagnosis and treatment of respiratory and metabolic diseases. Despite the compact working volume of optochemical sensors, challenges such as dye photobleaching, rigidity, and high power consumption have hindered their applications. In this study, we present a compact and flexible solid-state pCO2 monitoring system based on a fluorescent pH indicator, which features an ultralow operational power consumption of 171 mW and photostability that surpasses previous technologies. In addition, the sensor exhibits a rapid response to CO2 exposure, outperforming a commercial sensor based on non-dispersive infrared absorptiometry, and can resolve inhalation and exhalation. Through real-time breath monitoring tests, we demonstrate its potential as a lightweight and wearable physiological monitoring device.
A Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Printed Resistive Vee Dipole Antenna Sensor for Short-Pulse Ground-Penetrating Radar
No full textA carbon nanotube (CNT)-printed resistive vee dipole (RVD) antenna is designed, fabricated, and measured for use as a short-pulse ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sensor. For such applications, the antenna arms need to be resistively loaded for radiating and sensing nondispersive pulses. Compared to conventional subtractive process and subsequent surface-mount techniques utilized based on printed circuit boards (PCBs), printed electronics is an additive process that ensures the mechanical stability of the antenna and remarkably reduces the time, cost, and waste for fabrication. For the resistive loading based on printing technology, CNTs are used as the resistive printing material in this research. In the proposed CNT-printed RVD, the antenna arm is divided equally into eight segments for discrete loading, where each segment contains both conductor and resistor areas for printing silver paste and CNT inks, respectively. To use the CNT inks, a multiwalled CNT (MWCNT) is synthesized by a catalyst chemical vapor deposition (CCVD), and the chemical properties of the synthesized powders are measured. During fabrication, the area for the silver ink is first printed using a screen-printing process, whereas the printing of the MWCNT is subsequently performed using a spray deposition technique. The structural properties of the printed inks are investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, the performance of the CNT-printed RVD is validated through antenna measurements and a series of experiments. Because the fabricated antenna shows excellent performance for pulse radiation and sensing, the proposed realization method may be regarded as a promising replacement for existing processes based on PCBs.
