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Stimulated emission depletion microscopy provides a powerful sub-diffraction imaging modality for life science studies. Conventionally, stimulated emission depletion requires a relatively high light intensity to obtain an adequate depletion efficiency through only light-matter interaction. Here we show efficient emission depletion for a class of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles with the assistance of interionic cross relaxation, which significantly lowers the laser intensity requirements of optical depletion. We demonstrate two-color super-resolution imaging using upconversion nanoparticles (resolution ~ 66 nm) with a single pair of excitation/depletion beams. In addition, we show super-resolution imaging of immunostained cytoskeleton structures of fixed cells (resolution ~ 82 nm) using upconversion nanoparticles. These achievements provide a new perspective for the development of photoswitchable luminescent probes and will broaden the applications of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles for sub-diffraction microscopic imaging.

Nonlinear depletion of fluorescence states by stimulated emission constitutes the basis of stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. Despite significant efforts over the past decade, achieving super-resolution at low saturation intensities by STED remains a major technical challenge. By harnessing the surface quenching effect in NaGdF :Yb/Tm nanocrystals, we report here high-efficiency emission depletion through surface migration. Using a dual-beam, continuous-wave laser manipulation scheme (975-nm excitation and 730-nm de-excitation), we achieved an emission depletion efficiency of over 95% and a low saturation intensity of 18.3 kW cm . Emission depletion by surface migration through gadolinium sublattices enables super-resolution imaging with sub-20 nm lateral resolution. Our approach circumvents the fundamental limitation of high-intensity STED microscopy, providing autofluorescence-free, re-excitation-background-free imaging with a saturation intensity over three orders of magnitude lower than conventional fluorophores. We also demonstrated super-resolution imaging of actin filaments in Hela cells labeled with 8-nm nanoparticles. Combined with the highly photostable lanthanide luminescence, surface-migration emission depletion (SMED) could provide a powerful mechanism for low-power, super-resolution imaging or biological tracking as well as super-resolved optical sensing/writing and lithography.

Red-emitting carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) was prepared from p -phenylenediamine ( p -PD) aqueous solution with the assistance of sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ), and the optical properties and bio-imaging application were studied in this paper. Compared with other strong acids-assisted systems, SA-CPDs (prepared from H 2 SO 4 -assisted system, average diameter is ~ 5 nm) is the brightest. The photoluminescence Quantum Yields (QYs) is 21.4% (in water), and the product yield is 16.5%. SA-CPDs aqueous solution emits at 600 nm when excited by the light from 300 to 580 nm. The emission wavelength is independent on the excitation wavelength. Formation energies of CPDs in two ways were calculated to show that longitudinal growth (forming polymers) is difficult, and the transverse growth (forming CPDs) is easy. In addition, the two-photon photoluminescence properties (emitting at 602 nm when excited by 850 nm femtosecond pulse laser) of SA-CPDs were also utilized in the experiments for HeLa cells staining and shown to have potential applications in bio-imaging.

This study aims to understand the development and succession of the microbial community during the production of traditional -type Douchi as well as their effects on the formation and variation of characteristic aroma compounds. High-throughput sequencing technology, solid-phase microextraction, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and Spearman correlation analysis were conducted to study the changes in the microbial community and characteristic flavor during the fermentation process. spp. was dominant in the early stage of fermentation, whereas spp., spp., and spp. became dominant later. At the early stage, the main flavor compounds were characteristic soy-derived alcohols and aldehydes, mainly 1-hexanol, 1-octen-3-ol, and nonanal. In the later stage, phenol, 2-methoxy-, and 3-octanone were formed. Correlation analysis showed that six bacterial genera and nine fungal genera were significantly correlated with the main volatile components, with higher correlation coefficients, occurring on fungi rather than bacteria. Alcohols and aldehydes were highly correlated with the relative abundance of bacteria, while that of yeast species such as spp., spp., and spp. was positively correlated with decanal, 3-octanol, 2-methoxy-phenol, 4-ethyl-phenol, 3-octanone, and phenol. The novelty of this work lies in the molds that were dominant in the pre-fermentation stage, whereas the yeasts increased rapidly in the post-fermentation stage. This change was also an important reason for the formation of the special flavor of Douchi. Correlation analysis of fungi and flavor substances was more relevant than that of bacteria. As a foundation of our future focus, this work will potentially lead to improved quality of Douchi and shortening the production cycle by enriching the abundance of key microbes.

Red-emitting carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) was prepared from p-phenylenediamine (p-PD) aqueous solution with the assistance of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and the optical properties and bio-imaging application were studied in this paper. Compared with other strong acids-assisted systems, SA-CPDs (prepared from H2SO4-assisted system, average diameter is similar to 5 nm) is the brightest. The photoluminescence Quantum Yields (QYs) is 21.4% (in water), and the product yield is 16.5%. SA-CPDs aqueous solution emits at 600 nm when excited by the light from 300 to 580 nm. The emission wavelength is independent on the excitation wavelength. Formation energies of CPDs in two ways were calculated to show that longitudinal growth (forming polymers) is difficult, and the transverse growth (forming CPDs) is easy. In addition, the two-photon photoluminescence properties (emitting at 602 nm when excited by 850 nm femtosecond pulse laser) of SA-CPDs were also utilized in the experiments for HeLa cells staining and shown to have potential applications in bio-imaging.

The discovery and utilization of novel starches with unique superb properties are highly demanded for modern industrial uses. Small-granule starch (SGS) is a category of unconventional starches with the granular size smaller than 10 μm. The potential use of SGS includes many conventional and novel high-value applications, such as texturizing, fat replacement, encapsulation, controlled delivery and nano-engineering. In the present work, we focused on three SGS isolated from amaranth (Amaranth cruentus), cow cockle (Saponaria vaccaria) and sweet corn (sugary-1 maize mutant). The basic structural and unique physical properties of SGS were characterized and compared to common large-granule food starches. It was found that (1) the highly branched amylopectin contributed to low crystallinity and pasting viscosities of sweet corn starch, (2) cow cockle starch exhibited high shear-resistance and low retrogradation in prolonged storage, and (3) the amylopectin for amaranth starch was less branched with small clusters, which was associated with the high crystallinity, medium shear-resistance and low pasting viscosity of amaranth starch. Despite the small size of starch granules, SGS in both native and swelling states showed the capacity of retaining small molecules. Compared to large-granule starch, native SGS are more difficult for small molecules to reach an equilibrium permeation. This work provides insights to the fine structure and physicochemical behaviors of selected high-potent SGS, which is believed to support the industrial production and application of SGS in the future. The characteristics of local polymeric structure dominate many critical properties of glucan particles, such as starch retrogradation and the loading and stabilizing of active substance. Molecular rotor (MR), a fluorescent probe, was proposed to fulfill the simple, high-sensitive, and quantitative-based characterization of local glucan architecture (LGA). In the present work, two innovative studies relevant to this novel method were conducted: (1) MR was able to characterize glucans based on its unique fluorescent response to characteristic LGA, (2) MR was able to sensitively probe and visually demonstrate the transition of LGA induced by starch retrogradation. This novel MR-based approach is expected to advance carbohydrate-related researches in the future.

Huida, the entity entrusted with managing the funds PBOC lent to the four AMCs, will be able to intervene in their corporate affairs. If so, Huida will become a sort of covert regulator. Whether Huida will be able to operate effectively and retrieve PBOC's non- performing renewed loans is open to debate. So how will Huida dispose of non-performing loans? One option is to follow the model adopted by the other AMCs - the loan-for-share scheme under which defaulting financial institutions' debt to Huida will be transformed into its shares in the institutions concerned.