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Highly sensitive and specific molecular detection is essential for advancing early cancer diagnosis. In this paper, we present an imaging system that combines swept source Raman spectroscopy with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles to enhance cancer detection capability. By incorporating a high-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD), the system achieves remarkable detection sensitivity to the femtomolar concentrations. This performance was demonstrated under practical conditions using only 30 mW excitation power and 40 ms wavelength point exposure time, enabling ultra-sensitive acquisition. Imaging experiments on both cell and tissue samples confirm the system’s compatibility with various biological applications. Combining high sensitivity, speed, and specificity, this platform offers a promising approach for molecular imaging and early stage cancer detection using SERS-based probes. 

Abstract The initial stellar carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio can have a large impact on the resulting condensed species present in the protoplanetary disk and, hence, the composition of the bodies and planets that form. The observed C/Os of stars can vary from 0.1–1. We use a sequential dust condensation model to examine the impact of the C/O on the composition of solids around a solar-like star. We utilize this model in a focused examination of the impact of varying the initial stellar C/O to isolate the effects of the C/O in the context of solar-like stars. We describe three different system types in our findings. The solar system falls into the silicate-dominant, low-C/O systems which end at a stellar C/O somewhere between 0.52 and 0.6. At C/Os between about 0.6 and 0.9, we have intermediate systems. Intermediate systems show a decrease in silicates while carbides begin to become significant. Carbide-dominant systems begin around a C/O of 0.9. Carbide-dominant systems exhibit high carbide surface densities at inner radii with comparable levels of carbides and silicates at outer radii. Our models show that changes between C/O = 0.8 and C/O = 1 are more significant than previous studies, that carbon can exceed 80% of the condensed mass, and that carbon condensation can be significant at radii up to 6 au. 

The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO, also known as JUNO-TAO) is a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). A ton-level liquid scintillator detector will be placed at about 30 m from a core of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor antineutrino spectrum will be measured with sub-percent energy resolution, to provide a reference spectrum for future reactor neutrino experiments, and to provide a benchmark measurement to test nuclear databases. A Cerenkov water tank system with a thickness of 1.2 m pure water will be located around the central detector of TAO. The water tank system designed with 300 3" PMTs (SPMT) will use the same electronics as JUNO SPMT, but with online software multiplicity trigger. The performance of a Cerenkov detector with the JUNO SPMT and electronics designed for liquid scintillator detector needs to be checked, including the software triggering. The features and the long stability of the detector without water circulation also needs to be checked as a common concern and a backup option for future JUNO-TAO running. Here we will summary the integration and testing of a prototype water tank detector system, including SPMT, electronics, data taking, simulation and measurement results. 

Summary The human neocortex exhibits characteristic regional patterning (arealization) critical for higher-order cognitive function. Disrupted arealization is strongly implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), but current neocortical organoid models largely fail to recapitulate this patterning, limiting mechanistic understanding. Here, we establish a straightforward method for generating arealized organoids through short-term early exposure to anterior (FGF8) or posterior (BMP4/CHIR-99021) morphogens. These treatments created distinct anterior and posterior signaling centers, supporting long-lasting polarization, which we validated with single-cell RNA sequencing that revealed area-specific molecular signatures matching prenatal human cortex. To demonstrate the utility of this platform, we modeled Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) in organoids with distinct anterior and posterior regional identities. FXS organoids showed highly disrupted SOX4/SOX11 expression gradients along the anterior-posterior axis, consistent with alterations found in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and demonstrate how regional patterning defects may contribute to NDD pathology. Together, our study provides a robust platform for generating neocortical organoids with anterior-posterior molecular signatures and highlights the importance of modeling NDDs using experimental platforms with neuroanatomic specificity.