Poly(amino acid)-based drug delivery nanoparticles eliminate Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus via tunable release of antibiotic.

Bacterial infections threaten public health, and novel therapeutic strategies critically demand to be explored. Herein, poly(amino acid) (PAA)-based drug delivery nanoparticles (NPs) were designed for eliminating Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) via tunable release of antibiotic. Using N-acryloyl amino acids (valine, valine methyl ester, aspartic acid, serine) as monomers, four kinds of amphiphilic PAAs were synthesized via photoinduced electron/energy transfer-reversible addition fragmentation chain-transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization and were further assembled into nano-sized delivery systems. Their assemble behavior was drove mainly by hydrophobic/hydrophilic interaction, which determined the particle size, efficacy of drug loading and release; but numerous hydrogen bonding (HB) interaction also played an important role in regulating morphologies of the NPs and enriching drug-binding capacity. By changing the HB- and hydrophobic-interaction of the PAAs, the particle sizes (240.7 nm-302.7 nm), the drug loading efficiency (9.57%-19.76%), and the Rifampicin (Rif) release rate (49.6%-69.7%) of the PAA-based NPs could be tunable. Specially, the antimicrobial properties of the Rif-loaded NPs are found to be related to the release of Rif, which was determined by its hydrophobic interaction with hydrophobic blocks and HB interaction with hydrophilic blocks. These studies provide a new outlook for the design of delivery systems for the therapy of bacterial infection.

Understanding the mechanism of high viscosity food delaying gastric emptying.

Controlling the structure and viscosity of food can influence the development of diet-related diseases. Food viscosity has been linked with health through its impact on human digestion and gastrointestinal transit, however, there is limited understanding of how the viscosity of food regulates gastric emptying. Here, we used model food preparations with different viscosities using guar gum, to explore the mechanism underlying the influence of viscosity on gastric motility, gastric emptying and postprandial blood glucose. Based on experiments in human volunteers and animals, we demonstrated that high viscosity meals increased gastric antrum area and gastric retention rate. Viscosity also affected gut hormone secretion, reduced the gene expression level of interstitial cells of Cajal, resulting in a delay of gastric emptying and limiting the increase in postprandial glucose. This improved mechanistic understanding of food viscosity during gastric digestion is important for designing new foods to benefit human health.

Thermal stability and in vitro biological fate of lactoferrin-polysaccharide complexes.

Lactoferrin (LF) is a thermally sensitive iron-binding globular glycoprotein. Heat treatment can induce its denaturation and aggregation and thus affect its functional activity. In this study, carrageenan (CG), xanthan gum (XG) and locust bean gum (LBG), allowed to apply in infant food, were used to form protein-polysaccharide complexes to improve the thermal stability of LF. Meanwhile, in vitro simulated infant digestion and absorption properties of LF were also estimated. The results showed that the complexes formed by CG and XG with LF (LF-CG and LF-XG) could significantly inhibit the loss of α-helix structure of LF against heating. LF-CG and LF-LBG could protect LF from digestion in simulated infant gastric fluid and slow down the degradation of LF under the simulated intestinal conditions. Besides, LF, LF-CG and LF-XG showed no adverse effects on the growth of Caco-2 cells in the LF concentration range of 10-300 µg/mL, and LF-XG exhibited better beneficial to improve the cell uptake of the digestive product than the other protein-polysaccharides at the LF concentration of 100 µg/mL. This study may provide a reference for the enhancement of thermal processing stability of LF and development infant food ingredient with high nutrients absorption efficiency in the gastrointestinal environment in the future.

Large-scale array for radio astronomy on the farside (LARAF).

At the Royal Society meeting in 2023, we have mainly presented our lunar orbit array concept called DSL, and also briefly introduced a concept of a lunar surface array, LARAF. As the DSL concept had been presented before, in this article, we introduce the LARAF. We propose to build an array in the far side of the Moon, with a master station which handles the data collection and processing, and 20 stations with maximum baseline of 10 km. Each station consists of 12 membrane antenna units, and the stations are connected to the master station by power line and optical fibre. The array will make interferometric observation in the 0.1-50 MHz band during the lunar night, powered by regenerated fuel cells. The whole array can be carried to the lunar surface with a heavy rocket mission, and deployed with a rover in eight months. Such an array would be an important step in the long-term development of lunar-based ultralong wavelength radio astronomy. It has a sufficiently high sensitivity to observe many radio sources in the sky, though still short of the dark age fluctuations. We discuss the possible options in the power supply, data communication, deployment etc. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Astronomy from the Moon: the next decades (part 2)'.

The modulation effects of the mind-body and physical exercises on the basolateral amygdala-temporal pole pathway on individuals with knee osteoarthritis / Los efectos de modulación de la mente-cuerpo y los ejercicios físicos en la vía del polo basolateral amígdala-temporal en personas con osteoartritis de rodilla

Background/Objective: To investigate the modulatory effects of different physical exercise modalities on connectivity of amygdala subregions and its association with pain symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: 140 patients with KOA were randomly allocated either to the Tai Chi, Baduanjin, Stationary cycling, or health education group and conducted a 12 week-long intervention in one of the four groups. The behavioral, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and blood data were collected at baseline and the end of the study. Results: Compared to the control group, all physical exercise modalities lead to significant increases in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain score (pain relief) and serum Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) levels. Additionally, all physical exercise modalities resulted in decreased resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the basolateral amygdala (BA)-temporal pole and BA-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The overlapping BA-temporal pole rsFC observed in both Tai Chi and Baduanjin groups was significantly associated with pain relief, while the BA-mPFC rsFC was significantly associated with PD-1 levels. In addition, we found increased fractional anisotropy (FA) values, a measurement of water diffusion anisotropy of tissue that responded to changes in brain microstructure, within the mind-body exercise groups' BA-temporal pole pathway. The average FA value of this pathway was positively correlated with KOOS pain score at baseline across all subjects. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that physical exercise has the potential to modulate both functional and anatomical connectivity of the amygdala subregions, indicating a possible shared pathway for various physical exercise modalities.(AU)

Pectic oligosaccharides: enzymatic preparation, structure, bioactivities and application.

Pectic oligosaccharides have become novel bioactive components. However, the comprehensive preparation methods, structural features, bioactivities and application of them lack a systematic review. Here, we focused on the enzymatic preparation of pectic oligosaccharides, and attempted to outline relationships among the enzymolysis condition, structure, bioactivities and application of pectic oligosaccharides. Pectic oligosaccharides were characterized by the oligosaccharides with units of →4)-α-GalpA-(1→4)-α-GalpA-(1→ or →4)-α-GalpA-(1→2)-α-Rhap-(1→. Enzymatic method was the most suitable approach for pectic oligosaccharides preparation that was significantly affected by the enzyme's type, time and concentration. Besides, pectic oligosaccharides possessed various bioactivities including prebiotic, anti-glycosylation, antioxidant, anticancer and lipid metabolism-regulation activities, which were closely associated with the molecular weight, the structure of side chain and the monosaccharide composition. Especially, many pectic oligosaccharides with low molecular weight demonstrated high prebiotic activities, and those with arabinogalactan side chains exhibited strong anticancer activities. Moreover, pectic oligosaccharides have been used in food preservatives, dairy product additives and food processing aids. Nevertheless, the industrial application, novel technology exploration, and structure-bioactivity relationship of pectic oligosaccharides remain a demanding and significant task for future work.

High-pressure microfluidization enhanced the stability of sodium caseinate-EGCG complex-stabilized fish oil emulsion.

Improving the emulsion-stabilizing effect of protein by chemical or physical modification has been paid much attention recently. Here, sodium caseinate (CS) was treated by high-pressure-microfluidization (HPM) under 0-100 MPa, and was further complexed with (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to form an excellent emulsifier that stabilized fish oil emulsions. Results showed that HPM treatment (especially 80 MPa) significantly changed the secondary structure of CS, and 80 MPa-PCS-EGCG had the best emulsifying and antioxidant activities. In addition, after HPM treatment and EGCG bonding, CS formed a thicker interface layer on the surface of oil droplets, which could better protect the fish oil from the influence by oxygen, temperature and ion concentration. Moreover, the fish oil emulsion stabilized by PCS-EGCG complex significantly delayed the release of free fatty acids subjected to in vitro digestion. Conclusively, HPM-treated CS-EGCG complex could be a potential emulsifier to improve the stability of fish oil emulsions.

Ultrasensitive stretchable bimodal sensor based on novel elastomer and ionic liquid for temperature and humidity detection.

In this work, we present a novel stretchable bimodal sensor that can simultaneously detect temperature and humidity changes based on poly-hydroxyethyl acrylate (PHEA) elastomer infused with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIM-BF4) ionic liquid. The sensor exhibits high transparency, stability, and biocompatibility, as well as excellent mechanical and sensing properties. The sensor can achieve a maximum strain of 761%, a sensitivity of 4.5%/°C at room temperature, a detection range from -35 to 120 °C, and a response time of 10 ms. The sensor is able to provide acute response to movement of human hand at close range and can detect temperature changes as small as 0.004 °C in the range of 20-30 °C. The sensor also responds to humidity change, showing a high sensitivity to humidity change of 4.4%/RH% under the temperature of 30 °C. The sensor can be used for various applications in wearable electronics, human-machine interfaces, and soft robotics.

Enhanced removal of toluene in heterogeneous aquifers through injecting encapsulated ozone micro-nano bubble water.

Organic contaminants have a tendency to accumulate in low-permeability aquifers, making their removal challenging and creating a bottleneck in groundwater remediation efforts. The use of ozone micro-nano bubbles, due to their smaller size compared to traditional macrobubbles, shows potential for efficient penetration into the low-permeability aquifer and effective oxidization of contaminants. This study conducted batch experiments, column studies, and 2D tank experiments to systematically investigate the remediation efficiency of toluene in a heterogeneous aquifer using ozonated water (OW), ozone micro-bubble water (OMBW), and encapsulated ozone micro-nano bubble water (EOMBW) with rhamnolipid. Experimental results showed that rhamnolipid effectively increased the densities and reduced the sizes of micro-nano bubbles, leading to improved ozone preservation and enhanced toluene degradation. Nanobubbles exhibited higher mobility compared to microbubbles in porous media, while rhamnolipid increased the density of penetrated nanobubbles by 9.6 times. EOMBW demonstrated superior efficiency in oxidizing toluene in low-permeability aquifers, and a numerical model was developed to successfully simulate the ozone and toluene concentration. The model revealed that the increased oxidation rate by EOMBW was attributed to the preservation of ozone in micro-nano bubbles and the enhanced toluene oxidation rate. These findings contribute significantly to the application of EOMBW in heterogeneous aquifer remediation.

The novel lactoferrin and DHA-codelivered liposomes with different membrane structures: Fabrication, in vitro infant digestion, and suckling pig intestinal organoid absorption.

Inspired by membrane structure of breast milk and infant formula fat globules, four liposomes with different particle size (large and small) and compositions (Single phospholipids contained phosphatidylcholine, complex phospholipids contained phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin) were fabricated to deliver lactoferrin and DHA. In vitro infant semi-dynamic digestive behavior and absorption in intestinal organoids of liposomes were investigated. Liposomal structures were negligible changed during semi-dynamic gastric digestion while damaged in intestine. Liposomal degradation rate was primarily influenced by particle size, and complex phospholipids accelerated DHA hydrolysis. The release rate of DHA (91.7 ± 1.3 %) in small-sized liposomes (0.181 ± 0.001 µm) was higher than free DHA (unencapsulated, 64.6 ± 3.4 %). Complex phospholipids liposomal digesta exhibited higher transport efficiency (3.4-fold for fatty acids and 2.0-fold for amino acids) and better organoid growth than digesta of bare nutrients. This study provided new insights into membrane structure-functionality relationship of liposomes and may aid in the development of novel infant nutrient carriers.

Alisol A Exerts Neuroprotective Effects Against HFD-Induced Pathological Brain Aging via the SIRT3-NF-κB/MAPK Pathway.

Chronic consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) has profound effects on brain aging, which is mainly characterized by cognitive decline, inflammatory responses, and neurovascular damage. Alisol A (AA) is a triterpenoid with therapeutic potential for metabolic diseases, but whether it has a neuroprotective effect against brain aging caused by a HFD has not been investigated. Six-month-old male C57BL6/J mice were exposed to a HFD with or without AA treatment for 12 weeks. Behavioral tasks were used to assess the cognitive abilities of the mice. Neuroinflammation and changes in neurovascular structure in the brains were examined. We further assessed the mechanism by which AA exerts neuroprotective effects against HFD-induced pathological brain aging in vitro and in vivo. Behavioral tests showed that cognitive function was improved in AA-treated animals. AA treatment reduced microglia activation and inflammatory cytokine release induced by a HFD. Furthermore, AA treatment increased the number of hippocampal neurons, the density of dendritic spines, and the expression of tight junction proteins. We also demonstrated that AA attenuated microglial activation by targeting the SIRT3-NF-κB/MAPK pathway and ameliorated microglial activation-induced tight junction degeneration in endothelial cells and apoptosis in hippocampal neurons. The results of this study show that AA may be a promising agent for the treatment of HFD-induced brain aging.

The modulation effects of the mind-body and physical exercises on the basolateral amygdala-temporal pole pathway on individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Background/Objective: To investigate the modulatory effects of different physical exercise modalities on connectivity of amygdala subregions and its association with pain symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: 140 patients with KOA were randomly allocated either to the Tai Chi, Baduanjin, Stationary cycling, or health education group and conducted a 12 week-long intervention in one of the four groups. The behavioral, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and blood data were collected at baseline and the end of the study. Results: Compared to the control group, all physical exercise modalities lead to significant increases in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain score (pain relief) and serum Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) levels. Additionally, all physical exercise modalities resulted in decreased resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the basolateral amygdala (BA)-temporal pole and BA-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The overlapping BA-temporal pole rsFC observed in both Tai Chi and Baduanjin groups was significantly associated with pain relief, while the BA-mPFC rsFC was significantly associated with PD-1 levels. In addition, we found increased fractional anisotropy (FA) values, a measurement of water diffusion anisotropy of tissue that responded to changes in brain microstructure, within the mind-body exercise groups' BA-temporal pole pathway. The average FA value of this pathway was positively correlated with KOOS pain score at baseline across all subjects. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that physical exercise has the potential to modulate both functional and anatomical connectivity of the amygdala subregions, indicating a possible shared pathway for various physical exercise modalities.

Electroacupuncture promotes neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and improves pattern separation in an early Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Impaired pattern separation occurs in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) neurogenesis participates in pattern separation. Here, we investigated whether spatial memory discrimination impairment can be improved by promoting the hippocampal DG granule cell neogenesis-mediated pattern separation in the early stage of AD by electroacupuncture (EA). METHODS: Five familial AD mutations (5 × FAD) mice received EA treatment at Baihui and Shenting points for 4 weeks. During EA, mice were intraperitoneally injected with BrdU (50 mg/kg) twice a day. rAAV containing Wnt5a shRNA was injected into the bilateral DG region, and the viral efficiency was evaluated by detecting Wnt5a mRNA levels. Cognitive behavior tests were conducted to assess the impact of EA treatment on cognitive function. The hippocampal DG area Aß deposition level was detected by immunohistochemistry after the intervention; The number of BrdU+/CaR+ cells and the gene expression level of calretinin (CaR) and prospero homeobox 1(Prox1) in the DG area of the hippocampus was detected to assess neurogenesis by immunofluorescence and western blotting after the intervention; The gene expression levels of FZD2, Wnt5a, DVL2, p-DVL2, CaMKII, and p-CaMKII in the Wnt signaling pathway were detected by Western blotting after the intervention. RESULTS: Cognitive behavioral tests showed that 5 × FAD mice had impaired pattern separation (P < 0.001), which could be improved by EA (P < 0.01). Immunofluorescence and Western blot showed that the expression of Wnt5a in the hippocampus was decreased (P < 0.001), and the neurogenesis in the DG was impaired (P < 0.001) in 5 × FAD mice. EA could increase the expression level of Wnt5a (P < 0.05) and promote the neurogenesis of immature granule cells (P < 0.05) and the development of neuronal dendritic spines (P < 0.05). Interference of Wnt5a expression aggravated the damage of neurogenesis (P < 0.05), weakened the memory discrimination ability (P < 0.05), and inhibited the beneficial effect of EA (P < 0.05) in AD mice. The expression level of Wnt pathway related proteins such as FZD2, DVL2, p-DVL2, CAMKII, p-CAMKII increased after EA, but the effect of EA was inhibited after Wnt5a was knocked down. In addition, EA could reduce the deposition of Aß plaques in the DG without any impact on Wnt5a. CONCLUSION: EA can promote hippocampal DG immature granule cell neogenesis-mediated pattern separation to improve spatial memory discrimination impairment by regulating Wnt5a in 5 × FAD mice.

Schisandrin B Alleviates Renal Tubular Cell Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Kielin/Chordin-like Protein Upregulation via Akt Pathway Inactivation and Adenosine 5'-Monophosphate (AMP)-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway Activation in Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Diabetic kidney disease is a common complication of diabetes and remains the primary cause of end-stage kidney disease in the general population. Schisandrin B (Sch B) is an active ingredient in Schisandra chinensis. Our study illustrates that Sch B can mitigate renal tubular cell (RTC) epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mitochondrial dysfunction in db/db mice, accompanied by the downregulation of TGF-ß1 and the upregulation of PGC-1α. Similarly, Sch B demonstrated a protective effect by reducing the expression of TGF-ß1, α-SMA, fibronectin, and Col I, meanwhile enhancing the expression of E-cadherin in human RTCs (HK2 cells) stimulated with high glucose. Moreover, under high glucose conditions, Sch B effectively increased mitochondrial membrane potential, lowered ROS production, and increased the ATP content in HK2 cells, accompanied by the upregulation of PGC-1α, TFAM, MFN1, and MFN2. Mechanistically, the RNA-seq results showed a significant increase in KCP mRNA levels in HK2 cells treated with Sch B in a high glucose culture. The influence of Sch B on KCP mRNA levels was confirmed by real-time PCR in high glucose-treated HK2 cells. Depletion of the KCP gene reversed the impact of Sch B on TGF-ß1 and PGC-1α in HK2 cells with high glucose level exposure, whereas overexpression of the KCP gene blocked EMT and mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, the PI3K/Akt pathway was inhibited and the AMPK pathway was activated in HK2 cells exposed to a high concentration of glucose after the Sch B treatment. Treatment with the PI3K/Akt pathway agonist insulin and the AMPK pathway antagonist compound C attenuated the Sch B-induced KCP expression in HK2 cells exposed to a high level of glucose. Finally, molecular autodock experiments illustrated that Sch B could bind to Akt and AMPK. In summary, our findings suggested that Sch B could alleviate RTC EMT and mitochondrial dysfunction by upregulating KCP via inhibiting the Akt pathway and activating the AMPK pathway in DKD.

Synergistic effect of Tai Chi and transcranial direct current stimulation on memory function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for a 2×2 factorial randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Interventions at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage prevent or delay the progression of cognitive decline. In recent years, several studies have shown that physical exercise combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effectively delays the disease and promotes cognitive recovery in patients with MCI. This study aims to determine whether Tai Chi (TC) combined with tDCS can significantly improve memory in patients with MCI compared with TC or tDCS alone. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This clinical trial will use a 2×2 factorial design, enrolling 128 community-dwelling MCI patients, randomly categorised into four groups: TC, tDCS, TC combined with tDCS and the health education group. Outcome measures will include the Chinese Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test. All assessments will be conducted at baseline and 3 months after the intervention. All analyses will use intention-to-treat or per-protocol methods. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2022KY-002-01). The results of the study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and at scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2200059316.

Overexpression of miR-124 in astrocyte improves neurological deficits in rat with ischemic stroke via DLL4 modulation.

BACKGROUND: Astrocytes have been demonstrated to undergo conversion into functional neurons, presenting a promising approach for stroke treatment. However, the development of small molecules capable of effectively inducing this cellular reprogramming remains a critical challenge. METHODS: Initially, we introduced a glial cell marker gene, GFaABC1D, as the promoter within an adeno-associated virus vector overexpressing miR-124 into the motor cortex of an ischemia-reperfusion model in rats. Additionally, we administered NeuroD1 as a positive control. Lentiviral vectors overexpressing miR-124 were constructed and transfected into primary rat astrocytes. We assessed the cellular distribution of GFAP, DCX, and NeuN on days 7, 14, and 28, respectively. RESULTS: In rats with ischemic stroke, miR-124-transduced glial cells exhibited positive staining for the immature neuron marker doublecortin (DCX) and the mature neuron marker NeuN after 4 weeks. In contrast, NeuroD1-overexpressing model rats only expressed NeuN, and the positive percentage was higher in co-transfection with miR-124 and NeuroD1. Overexpression of miR-124 effectively ameliorated neurological deficits and motor functional impairment in the model rats. In primary rat astrocytes transduced with miR-124, DCX was not observed after 7 days of transfection, but it appeared at 14 days, with the percentage further increasing to 44.6% at 28 days. Simultaneously, 15.1% of miR-124-transduced cells exhibited NeuN positivity, which was not detected at 7 and 14 days. In vitro, double fluorescence assays revealed that miR-124 targeted Dll4, and in vivo experiments confirmed that miR-124 inhibited the expression of Notch1 and DLL4. CONCLUSIONS: The overexpression of miR-124 in astrocytes demonstrates significant potential for improving neurological deficits following ischemic stroke by inhibiting DLL4 expression, and it may facilitate astrocyte-to-neuronal transformation.

Effect of chewing ability on in vivo oral digestive characteristics and in vitro gastrointestinal starch hydrolysis of three different types of cooked rice.

Chewing ability has a strong effect on food digestion. However, little is known about the relationship between the food mastication degree and the subsequent gastric emptying. This study was to explore the effects of individual chewing ability (strong and weak) on the in vivo oral processing characteristics and in vitro dynamic gastrointestinal starch hydrolysis of three types of rice (japonica rice, indica rice and waxy rice). Results showed that the swallowable bolus in the weak chewing group had larger holes and a looser microstructure with more small rice particles, while the strong chewing ones obtained a bolus with higher saliva content (up to 28%) and starch hydrolysis degree (up to 13.55%). Moreover, the gastric retention and starch hydrolysis of the strong chewing ability group were higher in the artificial gastric dynamic system (AGDS). The indica rice particles with the higher degree of fragmentation contacted enzymes easier and hydrolyzed quicker, thus emptying through the stomach faster (81.76%). However, the oral chewing properties of rice mainly influenced the starch digestion in the stomach and the initial stage of the small intestine (∼5 min). This study suggested that the chewing ability and rice variety can influence the bolus properties, which in turn affected the gastric emptying and the degree of starch hydrolysis during digestion.

120-GBaud 16-QAM silicon photonics IQ modulator for data center interconnection.

We demonstrated all-silicon IQ modulators (IQMs) operating at 120-GBaud 16-QAM with suitable bandwidth, and output power. We required optical signal-to-noise-ratio (rOSNR) that have promising potential to be used in 800-Gbps small-form-factor pluggable transceivers for data center interconnection. First, we tested an IQM chip using discrete drivers and achieved a per-polarization TX output power of -18.74 dBm and an rOSNR of 23.51 dB over a 100-km standard SMF. Notably, a low BER of 1.4e-3 was obtained using our SiP IQM chip without employing nonlinear compensation, optical equalization, or an ultra-wide-bandwidth, high-ENOB OMA. Furthermore, we investigated the performance of a 3D packaged transmitter by emulating its frequency response using an IQM chip, discrete drivers, and a programmable optical filter. With a laser power of 17 dBm, we achieved a per-polarization output power of -15.64 dBm and an rOSNR of 23.35 dB.

Stacking transfer of wafer-scale graphene-based van der Waals superlattices.

High-quality graphene-based van der Waals superlattices are crucial for investigating physical properties and developing functional devices. However, achieving homogeneous wafer-scale graphene-based superlattices with controlled twist angles is challenging. Here, we present a flat-to-flat transfer method for fabricating wafer-scale graphene and graphene-based superlattices. The aqueous solution between graphene and substrate is removed by a two-step spinning-assisted dehydration procedure with the optimal wetting angle. Proton-assisted treatment is further used to clean graphene surfaces and interfaces, which also decouples graphene and neutralizes the doping levels. Twist angles between different layers are accurately controlled by adjusting the macroscopic stacking angle through their wafer flats. Transferred films exhibit minimal defects, homogeneous morphology, and uniform electrical properties over wafer scale. Even at room temperature, robust quantum Hall effects are observed in graphene films with centimetre-scale linewidth. Our stacking transfer method can facilitate the fabrication of graphene-based van der Waals superlattices and accelerate functional device applications.

Stack growth of wafer-scale van der Waals superconductor heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures have attracted considerable attention in recent years1-5. The most widely used method of fabrication is to stack mechanically exfoliated micrometre-sized flakes6-18, but this process is not scalable for practical applications. Despite thousands of 2D materials being created, using various stacking combinations1-3,19-21, hardly any large 2D superconductors can be stacked intact into vdW heterostructures, greatly restricting the applications for such devices. Here we report a high-to-low temperature strategy for controllably growing stacks of multiple-layered vdW superconductor heterostructure (vdWSH) films at a wafer scale. The number of layers of 2D superconductors in the vdWSHs can be precisely controlled, and we have successfully grown 27 double-block, 15 triple-block, 5 four-block and 3 five-block vdWSH films (where one block represents one 2D material). Morphological, spectroscopic and atomic-scale structural analyses reveal the presence of parallel, clean and atomically sharp vdW interfaces on a large scale, with very little contamination between neighbouring layers. The intact vdW interfaces allow us to achieve proximity-induced superconductivity and superconducting Josephson junctions on a centimetre scale. Our process for making multiple-layered vdWSHs can easily be generalized to other situations involving 2D materials, potentially accelerating the design of next-generation functional devices and applications22-24.