Laser Transmission Research Articles

Pharmacological Targeting of the NMDAR/TRPM4 Death Signaling Complex with a TwinF Interface Inhibitor Prevents Excitotoxicity-Associated Dendritic Blebbing and Organelle Damage

Focal swellings of dendrites (“dendritic blebbing”) together with structural damage of mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are morphological hallmarks of glutamate neurotoxicity, also known as excitotoxicity. These pathological alterations are generally thought to be caused by the so-called “overactivation” of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Here, we demonstrate that the activation of extrasynaptic NMDARs, specifically when forming a protein–protein complex with TRPM4, drives these pathological traits. In contrast, strong activation of synaptic NMDARs fails to induce cell damage despite evoking plateau-type calcium signals that are comparable to those generated by activation of the NMDAR/TRPM4 complex, indicating that high intracellular calcium levels per se are not toxic to neurons. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, we show that disrupting the NMDAR/TRPM4 complex using the recently discovered small-molecule TwinF interface inhibitor FP802 inhibits the NMDA-induced neurotoxicity-associated dendritic blebbing and structural damage to mitochondria and the ER. It also prevents, at least in part, the disruption of ER–mitochondria contact sites. These findings establish the NMDAR/TRPM4 complex as the trigger for the structural damage of dendrites and intracellular organelles associated with excitotoxicity. They also suggest that activation of the NMDAR/TRPM4 complex, in addition to inducing high-amplitude, plateau-type calcium signals, generates a second signal required for glutamate neurotoxicity (“two-hit hypothesis”). As structural damage to organelles, particularly mitochondria, is a common feature of many human neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), TwinF interface inhibitors have the potential to provide neuroprotection across a broad spectrum of these diseases.

Flexible multi-access scheme for indoor VLC using multiband N-dimensional CAP and a wide field-of-view white laser transmitter

Visible light communication (VLC) has emerged as a crucial technology for next-generation (6 G) communication, integrating illumination and data transmission. However, the modulation bandwidths of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are relatively limited, which restricts communication capacity. In contrast, laser diodes (LDs) offer distinct advantages, including high luminous flux, compact size, and large modulation bandwidth. Notably, white LDs with a wide field-of-view (FOV) are particularly suitable for indoor VLC applications, as they can cover a broad range. To meet the diverse requirements of indoor access devices, we propose a multiband N-dimensional carrierless amplitude and phase (multiband N-D CAP) modulation technique. In multiband N-D CAP, N users are distributed across multiple sub-bands, where frequency division multiplexing is applied between sub-bands and code division multiplexing is adopted within each sub-band. This structure enables adaptable configurations of sub-band numbers, user counts, and data rates, providing superior flexibility and compatibility compared to traditional multiband CAP or N-D CAP techniques. In our VLC system with a wide FOV white laser transmitter, we tested four configurations for 12 users with different user distributions or data rates. Results show total data rates ranging from 3.45 Gbps to 2.75 Gbps at 1.0 m, and from 1.35 Gbps to 1.00 Gbps at 2.5 m, with an effective FOV angle of approximately 25°. These results underscore the potential of multiband N-D CAP modulation for flexible and efficient indoor VLC access.

Design and Application of Laser Polarization Underwater Detection Equipment

With the increasing demand for precise identification of underwater targets, the development of advanced underwater detection technologies has become a pivotal area of research. This study presents the design and implementation of a laser-based underwater detection system that leverages polarization characteristics to significantly enhance detection accuracy and target identification capabilities in complex aquatic environments. A key innovation of this research lies in the application of a dual-frequency modulation technology using a 532 nm pulsed laser. By modulating the high-frequency characteristics of the laser, this technique effectively suppresses backscattering interference within the water medium, improves the efficiency of target signal extraction, and exhibits exceptional performance, particularly in long-range detection and highly turbid water conditions. This paper elucidates the principles of underwater laser detection and polarization measurement, outlines the design of an integrated optical and mechanical system for laser transmission and reception, and introduces an optimized signal processing methodology. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can reliably distinguish targets composed of different materials while maintaining high detection accuracy across a range of challenging environmental conditions. A comparative analysis further highlights the system’s significant advantages over traditional technologies, including enhanced noise suppression and greater detection depth. These findings establish a solid foundation for advancing underwater detection technologies and broadening their practical applications.

Low-Loss, Low-Back-Reflection Fusion Splicing of Large-Mode-Area Fibers With Nested Hollow-Core Antiresonant Fibers for All-Fiber High-Power, Single-Frequency Fiber Laser Transmission

Low-Loss, Low-Back-Reflection Fusion Splicing of Large-Mode-Area Fibers With Nested Hollow-Core Antiresonant Fibers for All-Fiber High-Power, Single-Frequency Fiber Laser Transmission

Time-resolved cross-beam energy transfer in strongly damped regime on the Laser Mégajoule facility

We report on an experiment performed at the Laser Mégajoule facility to investigate on cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) between two kilojoule-nanosecond laser beams propagating through a neo-pentane gas pipe. CBET is diagnosed using time-resolved transmission measurements and x-ray imagers. The time-resolved laser transmission is obtained using laser calibrated x-ray emission conversion on a gold foil located behind the target. Different shots, with and without frequency shift, allow to control the amount of power transferred between the two beams. In particular, we observe that the blue-shifted pulse is significantly depleted during several nanoseconds when using a frequency shift between the laser beams. The time-resolved data provide quantitative comparisons for benchmarking CBET modeling in our radiative hydrodynamic code. It appears that the x-ray emission from the gold foil is recovered only when no saturation of the ion acoustic wave amplitude is applied in our linear kinetic modeling. Yet, the measured signal is not sufficiently accurate to discriminate between CBET models assuming a perfect plane wave closure and those taking into account the speckle structure of the field with smoothing by spectral dispersion.

Investigating the spatiotemporal distribution of refractivity structure index in low-speed flow field by moiré deflectometry

Abstract Atmospheric optical turbulence is a significant restraint on free-space optical communication and atmospheric laser transmission, whose intensity is generally quantified by the refractivity structure index. In this paper, moiré deflectometry is applied to study the combined effects of thermal disturbance and flow speed on the spatiotemporal distribution of the refractivity structure index. Firstly, three sets of comparative experiments are conducted, and 3600 frames of moiré fringes are captured within an hour in each set. Then, the spatiotemporal distribution is obtained based on the theoretical relationship between the refractivity structure index and the phase information recorded by moiré fringes. Finally, its regularities under different experimental conditions are comparatively analyzed. The findings reveal that both thermal disturbance and flow speed will change the intensity of optical turbulence. And, although the latter has a much weaker impact than the former, their combined effects will increase the intensity by three orders of magnitude. In this process, the contribution of thermal disturbance accounts for more than 75%. In short, the related results could provide some insights for research on atmospheric optical detection and communication.

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MODELLING TECHNIQUES FOR PREDICTING WELD STRENGTH IN LASER TRANSMISSION WELDS OF OAK WOOD POWDER-REINFORCED POLYPROPYLENE PARTS

This paper investigates the feasibility of laser transmission welding to join a one hundred percent homopolypropylene transparent part with a fifteen percent by-weight white oak wood fibre-reinforced homopolypropylene absorbent part in a lap-joint configuration. The effects of laser power, welding speed, stand-off distance and clamp pressure on the weld strength were examined, alongside the use of response surface methodology (RSM), artificial neural networks (ANN), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to predict weld strength. Root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and coefficient of determination (R²) were used to evaluate the models, considering the impact of fibre orientation, moisture content and heat conductivity. Results showed that stand-off distance was the most significant parameter which affects weld strength, followed by welding speed, while laser power and clamp pressure had minimal effects. R² values were 0.90, 0.93, and 0.99 for RSM, ANN and ANFIS, respectively, with RMSE values of 0.61, 0.48 and 0.29, and MAE percentages of 8.20, 6.10 and 3.90. These results suggest that all models effectively predicted weld strength, with ANFIS providing the highest accuracy, followed by ANN and RSM.

Performance of the ultraviolet laser transmitter during ESA’s Doppler wind lidar mission Aeolus

The European Space Agency’s Aeolus mission was a groundbreaking achievement in Earth observation and space laser technology. Over its nearly five-year lifetime, the space-borne Doppler wind lidar instrument onboard Aeolus utilized two redundant ultraviolet (UV) lasers to measure atmospheric wind profiles globally, significantly enhancing the accuracy of numerical weather predictions. The laser transmitters were frequency-tripled, injection-seeded Nd:YAG systems, configured in a master oscillator power amplifier arrangement, generating single-longitudinal-mode pulses at 354.8 nm with a pulse duration of around 20 ns. Across the mission, both transmitters together generated more than 7⋅109UV laser pulses. The performance of both the nominal and redundant lasers was optimized and stabilized by carefully regulating their thermal environment, which influenced the laser energy depending on the emission frequency. At the optimum laser bench temperature, both lasers delivered stable UV output with pulse energies exceeding 60 mJ. The energy of the second laser, operational from June 2019 to October 2022, was further enhanced to over 100 mJ through step-wise increases in master oscillator pump power and adjustments of the amplifier pump phase. Following the mission’s operational phase, a series of tests was conducted close before the mission end-of-life (EOL) to address instrument-related questions. During these EOL activities, the laser power was boosted to more than 150 mJ for 20 days and even over 180 mJ for 33 h, setting a new, to the best of our knowledge, record for a UV space laser. Additionally, the frequency stability of the two lasers was evaluated, revealing detrimental impact from micro-vibrations caused by the satellite’s reaction wheels. EOL tests showed that adjustments to the master oscillator cavity control sequence significantly mitigated these effects, improving the laser frequency stability by a factor of two to better than 7 MHz (standard deviation over the period of one wind observation of 12 s). This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the ALADIN laser transmitters’ architecture, operation, and performance during the Aeolus mission from 2018 to 2023, with a focus on energy and frequency stability improvements relevant to current and future space lidar missions such as EarthCARE and Aeolus-2.

Nearly collimated 940-nm Buried-Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser for Lens-free Discrete Multitone Transmission at 22-Gbit/s over 20 meters

Nearly collimated 940-nm Buried-Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser for Lens-free Discrete Multitone Transmission at 22-Gbit/s over 20 meters

Therapeutic efficacy of CRISPR RNA nanoparticles on cervical cancer disease using ultrasound elastography imaging

This work aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) ribonucleic acid (RNA) nanoparticles (NPs) in the therapy of cervical cancer (CC) using ultrasound elastography imaging. Using poly(β-amino esters) (PBAE), CRISPR RNA NPs encapsulating Human Papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E7, namely Poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE)/CRISPR16E7-GFP and PBAE/shRNA-16E7, were prepared. The characterization of these NPs was conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and laser diffraction particle size analysis. The cytotoxicity of PBAE/CRISPR16E7-GFP and PBAE/shRNA-16E7 NPs on CC cell lines SiHa, HeLa, and CaSki was assessed using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Sixty female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were rolled into six groups randomlyas follows: the blank Ctrl group (Group A, no treatment), the model group (Group B, CC model), the pSpCas9-GFP plasmid group (Group C, CC model + pSpCas9-GFP), the PBAE/CRISPR-16E7 group (Group D, CC model + PBAE/CRISPR-16E7), the pSIREN-U6-shRNA-CMV-iRFP plasmid group (Group E, CC model + pSIREN-U6-shRNA-CMV-iRFP), and the PBAE/shRNA-16E7 group (Group F, CC model + PBAE/shRNA-16E7), each consisting of 10 rats. The impact of NPs on the expression levels (ELs) of HPV16E7 and RB1 proteins in tumor tissues was assessed using Western Blot (WB) analysis. Additionally, ultrasound elastography imaging was employed to analyze the strain ratio (SR) and shear wave velocity (SWV) in lesions of various rat groups. The results indicated that the PBAE/CRISPR16E7-GFP NPs exhibited a particle size of 125.64 ± 7.8 nm, a zeta potential of 19.17 ± 3.61 mV, and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.281 ± 0.03. These NPs demonstrated a regular spherical structure with a compact morphology. The PBAE/shRNA-16E7 NPs displayed a particle size of 112.93 ± 9.1 nm, a zeta potential of 13.54 ± 1.39 mV, and a PDI of 0.185 ± 0.03. They exhibited a uniform distribution of spherical shape with regularity in size. The plasmids within PBAE/CRISPR16E7-GFP and PBAE/shRNA-16E7 NPs exhibited distinct trends of burst and sustained release. The viability of SiHa, HeLa, and CaSki cells remained unaffected by PBAE/CRISPR16E7-GFP NPs. At various mass ratios, neglectable differences (P > 0.05) were observed in cell viability of SiHa, HeLa, and CaSki cells treated with PBAE/CRISPR16E7-GFP and PBAE/shRNA-16E7 NPs relative to Ctrl group. Relative to Group B, both Groups C and E exhibited a drastic decrease in tumor volume, tumor mass, and HPV16E7 protein ELs (P < 0.05), whereas Groups D and F showed a notably greater reduction in tumor volume, tumor mass, and HPV16E7 protein ELs (P < 0.01). The HPV16E7 protein ELs, SR, and SWV values greatly increased (P < 0.001) in tumors of Group B rats while the EL of RB1 protein notably decreased (P < 0.001) versus Group A. Groups C and E demonstrated elevated HPV16E7 ELs, SR, and SWV values (P < 0.05), with a marked decrease in RB1 protein EL (P < 0.001). Group F exhibited a notable reduction in HPV16E7 protein levels, SR, and SWV values (P < 0.001).The CRISPRRNA NPs composed of PBAE encapsulating HPV16 E7, namely PBAE/CRISPR16E7-GFP and PBAE/shRNA-16E7 plasmids, demonstrated a significant role in CC therapy. These NPs hold potential application value in the treatment of HPV-related CC, indicating their importance in addressing this particular disease.

Splashing effects and mechanism in water jet-guided laser processing of Cf/SiC composites

Water jet-guided laser (WJGL) processing of ceramic matrix composites offers smooth cutting surfaces and minimizes defects such as delamination, burrs, and recast layers. However, the processing ability of WJGL is limited by the stability of the water jet. Splashing is a critical factor that affects water jet stability. This study investigates the splashing morphology and its impact mechanism during WJGL processing of continuous carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (Cf/SiC) composites. High-speed cameras were used to capture splashing morphologies and laser transmission states during drilling and grooving. The results indicate that the splashing morphology was significantly affected by the water jet speed and the micro-hole/groove depth, resulting in behaviors such as water accumulation, droplets falling, rebound droplets, splash impact, water film, and mist, which distorted or even broke the water jet. The laser escaped in the distorted water jet, leading to a reduction in material removal rate. The splashing at the water jet speed of 160 m/s resulted in a 61.1 % reduction in material removal rate during drilling compared to 40 m/s. In addition, a method of placing a porous water-absorbing material on the workpiece surface was proposed, which effectively improved the material removal rate. This paper presents a theoretical basis for comprehending and addressing splashing in WJGL processing.

Multiple-response surface optimization of IMCs layer in Au–Sn laser transmission bonding process

Multiple-response surface optimization of IMCs layer in Au–Sn laser transmission bonding process

Broadband Long‐Wave Infrared On‐Chip Silicon‐based Surface‐Enhanced Laser Spectroscopy Enabled by Gradient Nanoantenna Array

AbstractSilicon‐based on‐chip broadband surface‐enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) is highly desired for integrated micromolecular detection systems, taking advantages of CMOS mass production, low cost, high sensitivity, etc. However, the silicon platform is difficult to operate in the mid‐infrared wavelength region above 4 µm where abundant fingerprint characteristics of biomolecules are located, because of the strong absorptions in silicon dioxide cladding above 4 µm. Here, a large‐core rib silicon waveguide‐integrated gradient nanoantenna array is proposed for broadband long‐wave infrared biomolecular detection. It is shown that Low loss propagation of light in the long‐wave infrared region up to 7 µm (1428 cm−1) in silicon photonics can be achieved while avoiding complex fabrication techniques. A gradient nanoantenna array is designed on the waveguide to achieve broadband enhancement from 5 to 7 µm (1428–2000 cm−1). Laser spectroscopy of bovine serum albumin on the chip is demonstrated, showing enhancement of absorbance by approximately ten times over laser transmission spectroscopy in the amide bands. Such a platform opens up a new horizon of silicon‐based on‐chip SEIRA biomolecular detection.

Effects of Different Surface Treatment Methods on Laser Welding of Aluminum Alloy and Glass

Hermetic glass-to-metal sealing (GMTS) technology combines metal and glass and can be used to construct vacuum tubes; electric discharge tubes; semiconductor diodes; reed switches; and pressure-tight glass-to-metal windows, optical windows, and lenses in electronics or electronic systems. The hermetic and mechanically strong seals engineered using GTMS are highly reliable, making them suitable for deployment in harsh environments and for applications requiring high performance. However, it has always been challenging to precisely and robustly join glass and metal due to the significant disparities in their properties. In this study, the laser transmission welding of borosilicate glass and aluminum alloy using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser to achieve hermetic glass–metal seals was experimentally investigated. This research focused on various processing parameters and the influence of surface conditions on bonding quality. Three different types of surfaces—a polished surface, a surface subjected to preoxidation, and a laser-modified surface—were compared. To evaluate the weld strength, shear-tensile separation forces were measured. The analysis of fracture and separation encompassed detailed examinations of the weld morphology, microstructure, and elemental composition. The results revealed that increasing the laser welding energy initially enhanced the weld strength until a saturation point was reached. Among the three different surface treatments tested, the laser surface modification of aluminum alloy yielded the highest weld strength. The maximum achieved bond force exceeded 35.38 N, demonstrating the feasibility of using cost-effective pulsed laser welding for glass-to-metal sealing. The results were significantly better than those from previous research in which aluminum alloy surfaces were pretreated using microarc oxidation.

Nisin-loaded chitosan/sodium alginate microspheres enhance the antimicrobial efficacy of nisin against Staphylococcus aureus.

To develop and evaluate nisin-loaded chitosan/sodium alginate (CS/SA) microspheres as an improved antimicrobial delivery system targeting Staphylococcus aureus strains. The microspheres were prepared using a modified water-in-oil emulsion cross-linking method, resulting in spherical particles sized 1-8µm with a surface charge of -7.92±5.09mV, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Zetasizer analysis. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) of nisin were 87.60%±0.43% and 1.99%±0.01%, respectively. In vitro release studies over 48 h indicated a controlled release pattern of nisin, described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, with higher release rates at 37°C and alkaline pH. Antimicrobial assays showed an enhanced efficacy of nisin-loaded CS/SA microspheres compared to free nisin, with minimum inhibitory concentration values reduced by 50%. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), SEM, and transmission electron microscopy showed significant bacterial membrane damage and cellular disruption induced by the microspheres. This study highlights the potential of nisin-loaded CS/SA microspheres as an innovative antimicrobial delivery system with improved stability and antimicrobial efficacy against S. aureus, addressing limitations associated with nisin applied alone.

A Novel Etanercept-loaded Nano-emulsion for Targeted Treatment of Inflammatory Arthritis via Draining Lymph Node.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease (AD), and the global incidence rate is 0.5 ~ 1%. Existing medications might reduce symptoms, however, there is no known cure for this illness. Etanercept (EN) can competitively inhibit TNF-α binding to the TNF receptor on the cell surface to treat RA. However, subcutaneous injection of free EN predisposes to systemic distribution and induces immune system hypofunction. Draining lymph nodes (LNs) play a significant role in the onset, maintenance, and progression of RA as they are the primary sites of aberrant immune response and inflammatory cytokine production. The purpose of this study was to successfully treat RA with etanercept by encapsulating it in nanoemulsions (NEs/EN) and then delivering it specifically to draining LNs. The EN-loaded NEs were prepared by high-pressure homogenization method and modified with DSPE-mPEG2000 and Ca(OH)2. A novel nano-emulsion (NE) was constructed to deliver EN (NE/EN) to RA-draining LNs. To decrease aggregation and load EN, DSPE-mPEG2000 and Ca(OH)2 were successively decorated on the surface of the lipid injectable emulsions. The hydrodynamic diameter and morphology of NEs/EN were investigated by using a laser particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The in vivo fluorescence imaging system was used to study the in vivo LN targeting ability of the formulation. In the therapeutic experiment, NEs/EN was subcutaneously administrated to inhibit the development of the mouse arthritis model. Circular dichroism spectrum and L929 cell experiment confirmed that NEs encapsulation had no impact on the biological activity of EN. In vivo investigation on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model showed that NEs/EN have good inguinal lymph node targeting capabilities, as well as, anti-inflammatory effect against RA. Compared with the free group, the paw thickness and arthritic score in NEs/EN group were significantly alleviated. Moreover, the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in NEs/EN-treated mice was lower than that in free EN. NEs/EN effectively improve the effectiveness of EN in the treatment of RA. Our work provides an experimental foundation for expanding the clinical application of EN.

Effect of diabetes on microvascular morphology and permeability of rat skeletal muscle: in vivo imaging using two-photon laser scanning microscopy.

This investigation evaluated the microvascular permeability and ultrastructure of skeletal muscle capillaries in the skeletal muscle of diabetic (DIA) rats using two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Microvascular permeability was assessed in the tibialis anterior muscle of control (CON) and DIA (streptozocin) male Wistar rats (n = 20, 10-14 wk) by in vivo imaging using TPLSM after fluorescent dye intravenous infusion. Fluorescent dye leakage was quantified to determine microvascular permeability. The ultrastructure was imaged by TEM ex vivo to calculate the size and number of intercellular clefts between capillary endothelial cells and also intracellular vesicles. Compared with control, the volumetrically determined interstitial fluorescent dye leakage, the endothelial cell thickness, and the number of intercellular clefts per capillary perimeter were significantly higher, and the cleft width was significantly narrower in tibialis anterior (TA) of DIA (interstitial fluorescent dye leakage, 2.88 ± 1.40 vs. 10.95 ± 1.41 µm3 × min × 106; endothelial thickness, 0.28 ± 0.02 vs. 0.45 ± 0.03 µm; number of intercellular clefts per capillary perimeter, 6.3 ± 0.80 vs. 13.6 ± 1.7/100 µm; cleft width, 11.92 ± 0.95 vs. 8.40 ± 1.03 nm, CON vs. DIA, respectively, all P < 0.05). The size of intracellular vesicles in the vascular endothelium showed an increased proportion of large vesicles in the DIA group compared with the CON group (P < 0.05). Diabetes mellitus enhances the microvascular permeability of skeletal muscle microvessels due, in part, to a higher density and narrowing of the endothelial intercellular clefts, and larger intracellular vesicles.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Microvascular permeability in diabetic muscle was investigated using our original two-photon scanning laser microscopy method. Compared with controls, the leakage volume was increased in diabetic muscle, which was atrophic with smaller capillary diameter, endothelial cell thickening, and the appearance of more endothelial intercellular gaps or clefts, and large vesicles. Hyperpermeability was closely related to ultrafine structural changes of the capillary endothelial cell junctions.

Selection of optimal polymer joining technology: Insights and decision support through interrelated case studies using CARCACS method

Polymer materials play an essential role in the automotive, aerospace, packaging, and healthcare industries, necessitating reliable joining processes to ensure structural integrity, functionality, and cost efficiency. Choosing the optimal polymer joining technology involves evaluating various criteria, such as design freedom, investment, joint quality, process adaptability, cycle time, etc., for prioritization and informed decision-making. This study aims to systematically assess polymer joining processes to improve efficiency and sustainability in industrial applications. Two interrelated case studies are conducted using the CARCACS (“Criteria-wise Alternative Ranking and Correlation Analysis for Composite Scoring”) method. The first case study identifies laser transmission welding as the most suitable joining process among eight commonly used processes based on multiple evaluation criteria. The second case study refines this selection by examining various laser welding systems, with fibre lasers emerging as the optimal choice. Validation through comparison with other MCDM (Multi-Criteria Decision-Making) methods and Spearman's rank correlation coefficients reveals strong agreement and robust decision-making. Sensitivity analysis further confirms the stability of the top-ranked alternatives across different scenarios. This research provides a robust framework for selecting polymer joining technologies and demonstrates the practical implications for optimizing these technologies in industrial applications.

Aero-optical effects of a hypersonic vehicle based on the refractive index step ray tracing method

The aero-optical effect caused by the high-speed flight of aircraft can affect the accuracy of astronomical navigation, so studying the laser transmission characteristics in high-speed flow fields is essential. This study adopts a 3D spherical blunt cone model as the physical aircraft model, incorporates the latest reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction as atmospheric parameters, and uses Fluent software to establish a hypersonic aircraft external flow field model. The ray tracing error is calculated using a method based on the refractive index step size. Results indicate that, under the conditions of flying altitude of 5 km and incident angle of 45°, the proposed ray tracing method has better accuracy than the traditional method. Compared with the Runge–Kutta method and the method based on geometric step size, the proposed ray tracing method reduces the error by 46.4% and 12.5%, respectively, at the flight Mach number of 5.

Shiitake mushroom-derived extracellular nanovesicles: Preparation, characterization, and inhibition of Caco-2 cells

In this study, Shiitake mushroom-derived extracellular nanovesicles (SMDENVs) were isolated from fresh Shiitake mushrooms by ultracentrifugation and sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. The morphological characteristics of SMDENVs were investigated via Transmission Electron Microscopy and Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy. SMDENVs were spherical, hollow, and uniform in size, with an average diameter of 177.6 ± 51.4 nm. Based on the analysis of lipidomics and proteomics, 383 lipids species and 1290 proteins were identified in SMDENVs. Compared with the conventional liposomes, SMDENVs demonstrated higher stability in different environmental conditions. Furthermore, we observed that SMDENVs were cytocompatible and inhibited the proliferation of Caco-2 cells. SMDENVs could be phagocytized by Caco-2 cells in a time-dependent manner. Further, SMDENVs also inhibited the proliferation of Caco-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 236.2 ± 3.2 μg/mL. Additionally, SMDENVs induced cellular apoptosis by increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species and decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential.