Search

With the rapid advancement of Internet of vehicles and autonomous driving technology, there is a growing need for increased computing power in vehicle operations. However, the strict latency requirements of vehicle tasks may pose challenges to communication and computing resources within the vehicle edge computing network. This paper introduces a two-stage joint optimization to address challenges, focusing on minimizing vehicle task latency and optimizing resource allocation. In addition, the task completion rate is considered an important indicator to ensure safety and reliability in practical application scenarios. Next, we propose a global adaptive offloading and resource allocation optimization model named GOAL. The GOAL model dynamically adjusts the weight coefficients of the reward function to optimize the model, integrating the actor-critic algorithm to effectively adapt to uncertain environments. Through experimental comparisons of various weight coefficients for task arrival rates and reward functions, we were able to determine the optimal hyperparameters for our proposed model. The simulation results show that the GOAL model outperforms the benchmark methods by over 30% in reward value. It also performs better in terms of task delay and energy consumption. Additionally, the GOAL model has a higher task completion rate compared to the benchmark methods, and it exhibits strong search capabilities and faster convergence speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The underlying mechanism of fluorosis has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of fluorosis induced by sodium fluoride (NaF) using proteomics. Six offspring rats exposed to fluoride without dental fluorosis were defined as group A, 8 offspring rats without fluoride exposure were defined as control group B, and 6 offspring rats exposed to fluoride with dental fluorosis were defined as group C. Total proteins from the peripheral blood were extracted and then separated using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The identified criteria for differentially expressed proteins were fold change > 1.2 or < 0.83 and P < 0.05. Gene Ontology function annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the oeCloud tool. The 177 upregulated and 22 downregulated proteins were identified in the A + C vs. B group. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway significantly enriched. PPI network constructed using Cytoscape confirmed RhoA may play a crucial role. The KEGG results of genes associated with fluoride and genes associated with both fluoride and inflammation in the GeneCards database also showed that TGF-β signaling pathway was significantly enriched. The immunofluorescence in HPA database showed that the main expression sites of RhoA are plasma membrane and cytosol, while the main expression site of Fbn1 is the Golgi apparatus. In conclusion, long-term NaF intake may cause inflammatory response in the peripheral blood of rats by upregulating TGF-β signaling pathway, in which RhoA may play a key role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a long fundamental pursuit to enhance and levitate the Raman scattering signal intensity of molecule by a huge number of ~ 14–15 orders of magnitude, to the level comparable with the molecule fluorescence intensity and truly entering the regime of single-molecule Raman spectroscopy. In this work we report unambiguous observation of single-molecule Raman spectroscopy via synergic action of electromagnetic and chemical enhancement for rhodamine B (RhB) molecule absorbed within the plasmonic nanogap formed by gold nanoparticle sitting on the two-dimensional (2D) monolayer WS2 and 2 nm SiO2 coated gold thin film. Raman spectroscopy down to an extremely dilute value of 10–18 mol/L can still be clearly visible, and the statistical enhancement factor could reach 16 orders of magnitude compared with the reference detection sample of silicon plate. The electromagnetic enhancement comes from local surface plasmon resonance induced at the nanogap, which could reach ~ 10–11 orders of magnitude, while the chemical enhancement comes from monolayer WS2 2D material, which could reach 4–5 orders of magnitudes. This synergic route of Raman enhancement devices could open up a new frontier of single molecule science, allowing detection, identification, and monitor of single molecules and their spatial–temporal evolution under various internal and external stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the backward problem of determining the initial value and initial velocity simultaneously in a time-fractional wave equation, with the aid of extra measurement data at two fixed times. Uniqueness results are obtained by using the analyticity and the asymptotics of the Mittag-Leffler functions provided that the two fixed measurement times are sufficiently close. Since this problem is ill-posed, we propose a quasi-reversibility method whose regularization parameters are given by the a priori parameter choice rule. Finally, several one- and two-dimensional numerical examples are presented to show the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed regularization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-dimensional (1D) one-way waveguides based on topological edge states of two-dimensional (2D) gyromagnetic photonic crystals have been studied extensively. Here, we theoretically propose a three-dimensional (3D) all-dielectric gyromagnetic photonic crystal with type-II Weyl points. Based on the inclined band properties of the type-II Weyl surface states, we design a 2D one-way interface transmission channel on the Weyl crystal. Light waves in such 2D waveguides can be transmitted robustly over metal obstacles almost without any back-reflection, topologically protected by the type-II Weyl points. By manipulating the magnetic field or structural parameters, we also achieve the topological phase transition between Weyl phase and 3D Chern insulator phase and obtain the corresponding phase diagram, which provides more possibilities for topological regulation of the surface states. This work suggests a new way to construct unidirectional 2D waveguides with larger area of energy transmission in 3D space, which is a promising platform for developing 3D topological photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph collaborative filtering methods have shown great performance improvements compared with deep neural network-based models. However, these methods suffer from data sparsity and data noise problems. To address these issues, we propose a new contrastive learning-based graph collaborative filtering method to learn more robust representations. The proposed method is called signal contrastive enhanced graph collaborative filtering (SC-GCF), which conducts contrastive learning on graph signals. It has been proved that graph neural networks correspond to low-pass filters on the graph signals from the graph convolution perspective. Different from the previous contrastive learning-based methods, we first pay attention to the diversity of graph signals to directly optimize the informativeness of the graph signals. We introduce a hypergraph module to strengthen the representation learning ability of graph neural networks. The hypergraph learning module utilizes a learnable hypergraph structure to model the latent global dependency relations that graph neural networks cannot depict. Experiments are conducted on four public datasets, and the results show significant improvements compared with the state-of-the-art methods, which confirms the importance of considering signal-level contrastive learning and hypergraph learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercontinuum white laser with large bandwidth and high pulse energy would offer incredible versatility and opportunities for basic science and high technology applications. Here, we report the generation of high-efficiency 2.8-octave-spanning ultraviolet-visible-infrared (UV-Vis-IR) (with 350-2500 nm 25 dB bandwidth) supercontinuum white laser from a single chirped periodically poled lithium niobate (CPPLN) nonlinear crystal via synergic high-harmonic generation (HHG) and self-phase modulation (SPM). The CPPLN exhibits multiple controllable reciprocal-lattice bands to simultaneously support the quasi-phase matching (QPM) for simultaneous broadband 2nd-10th HHG via cascaded three-wave mixing against a broadband fundamental pump laser. Due to the efficient second-order nonlinearity (2nd-NL) up-conversion and significant 3rd-NL SPM effect both in the pump and HHG laser pulses, 350-2500 nm supercontinuum white laser is eventually obtained with 17 μJ per pulse under pump of 45 μJ per pulse mid-infrared femtosecond laser corresponding to an average high conversion efficiency of 37%. Our work opens up a route towards creating UV-Vis-IR all-spectrum white lasers through engineering the synergic action of HHG and SPM effects in nonlinear crystals for applications in ultrafast spectroscopy, single-shot remote sensing, biological imaging, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a link between the consumption of daily functional fruits rich in phenols and the prevention of disease for neurodegenerative disorders. Hawthorn products are derived from the functional fruit hawthorn, which is rich in phenols and has been used around the world for centuries. In order to explore the phenolic components in hawthorn, the investigation of the ethanol extract led to the separation of five new phenol compounds (1a/1b, 2–4), including one pair of enantiomers (1a/1b), along with seven disclosed analogs (5–11). Their structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). The compounds (1–11) were tested for antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonicacid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. Apart from that, monomeric compounds 2, 4, and 6 exhibited more potent protective capabilities against H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide)-induced SH-SY5Y cells. Meanwhile, electronic analyses were performed using the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) to analyze compounds 2, 4, and 6. Furthermore, compounds (1–11) measured acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities, and 2, 4, and 6 possessed greater AChE inhibitory activity than donepezil. At the same time, molecular docking was used to investigate the possible mechanism of the interaction between active compounds (2, 4, and 6) and AChE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a kidney cancer that is originated from the lined proximal convoluted tubule, and its major histological subtype is clear cell RCC (ccRCC). This study aimed to retrospectively analyze single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, to explore the correlation among the evolution of tumor microenvironment (TME), clinical outcomes, and potential immunotherapeutic responses in combination with bulk RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and to construct a differentiation-related genes (DRG)-based prognostic risk signature (PRS) and a nomogram to predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients. First, scRNA-seq data of ccRCC samples were systematically analyzed, and three subsets with distinct differentiation trajectories were identified. Then, ccRCC samples from TCGA database were divided into four DRG-based molecular subtypes, and it was revealed that the molecular subtypes were significantly correlated with prognosis, clinicopathological features, TME, and the expression levels of immune checkpoint genes (ICGs). A DRG-based PRS was constructed, and it was an independent prognostic factor, which could well predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients. Finally, we constructed a prognostic nomogram based on the PRS and clinicopathological characteristics, which exhibited a high accuracy and a robust predictive performance. This study highlighted the significance of trajectory differentiation of ccRCC cells and TME evolution in predicting clinical outcomes and potential immunotherapeutic responses of ccRCC patients, and the nomogram provided an intuitive and accurate method for predicting the prognosis of such patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have provided two compact designs of on-chip silicon photonic crystal (PhC) AND and XOR logic devices, which can provide multiple logic functions through different input frequencies within one structure. Compared to the former ones, the overall size is short to 10a × 18a (approximately 4 × 8 μm2). The working principle of the structures is lead to the directional leakage of the center cavity and the signal contrast are reached to 5.7 dB of AND and -19.66 dB of XOR functions, which could have potential applications in the field of all-optical signal processing and integrated optical circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our body is a multiple perception learning system. Bionic application of perception cognitive functions based on neuromorphic electronics would endow artificial intelligence new intension. In particular, electrolyte-gated transistors have been suggested for neuromorphic platform applications. Due to the fundamental limitations for ionic liquid and ionic gel-based electrolyte, it would be interesting to obtain solid-state electrolytes through a vacuum free system. Thus, in the present work, a simple aqueous solution-processed mesoporous silica coating-gated oxide photo-perception neuromorphic transistors have been proposed. The neuromorphic transistors exhibit good electrical performances. A resistor-loaded inverter is built, exhibiting typical inverter operation at low working voltage. 'Selective potentiation and depression' behaviors have been mimicked on the neuromorphic transistor. In addition, the proposed neuromorphic transistor shows optical and electrical synergic response behaviors. Neurological behavior of conditioned taste aversion learning has been mimicked. Thus, the single photo-perception neuromorphic transistor could integrate the functions of perception and neuromorphic algorithm. The proposed photo-perception neuromorphic transistors could have potentials in artificial perception learning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There remain challenges for effectively synthesizing heterocycles containing both piperidine and pyridine rings, mainly due to the inefficient synthetic process mostly requiring long reaction times. This paper reports a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of [(3S,5R)-3-hydroxy-5-methylpiperidin-1-yl](2-methylpyridin-3-yl)methanone through six steps starting from D-pyroglutaminol. The key step involved the introduction of a chiral methyl group by alkylation of lithiated (3S,7aR)-3-phenyltetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-c]oxazol-5(3H)-one with methyl iodide, followed by reduction and rearrangement to generate a benzyl-protected piperidine intermediate. After deprotection and amide formation, the final product was obtained with an overall yield of 32% in a total time of ~80 h). With readily available and inexpensive starting material through an operationally simple process, the method holds potential for applications in organic synthesis of other piperidine- and pyridine-containing heterocycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Ogura CMS fertility-restored materials, with 18 chromosomes, normal seed setting, stable fertility and closer genetic background to the parent Chinese kale, were successfully developed in B. oleracea via a triploid strategy for the first time. Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is the most widely used sterile type in seed production for commercial hybrids of Brassica oleracea vegetables. However, the natural Ogura CMS restorer line has not been found in B. oleracea crops. In this study, the triploid strategy was used with the aim to create euploid B. oleracea progenies with the Rfo gene. The allotriploid AAC hybrid YL2 was used as a male parent to backcross with Ogura CMS Chinese kale. After successive backcrosses, the BC2Rfo-positive individual 16CMSF2-11 and its BC3 progenies, with 18 chromosomes, were developed, which were morphologically identical to the parent Chinese kale. Compared with F1 and BC1 plants, it showed stable fertility performance, and regular meiosis behavior and could produce seeds normally under natural pollination. The genomic composition analysis of Rfo-positive progenies by using molecular markers showed that more than 87% of the C-genome components of BC3Rfo-progenies recovered to the parent Chinese kale, while most or all of the An-genome segments were lost in 16CMSF2-11 and its progenies. The results suggested that the genetic background of Rfo-positive individuals was closer to that of the parent Chinese kale along with backcrossing. Hereof, the Ogura CMS fertility-restored materials of Chinese kale were successfully created via triploid strategy for the first time, providing a bridge for utilizing the Ogura CMS B. oleracea germplasm in the future. Moreover, our study indicates that the triploid strategy is effective for transferring genes from B. napus into B. oleracea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a key neuropeptide of the reproductive system. However, little is known about the role of GnRH in the spotted scat (Scatophagus argus). Here, three GnRH subtypes (cGnRH-II, sGnRH, and sbGnRH) were identified in the spotted scat. cGnRH-II and sGnRH were only expressed in the brains and gonads of both male and female fish, exhibiting a tissue-specific expression pattern, while sbGnRH was expressed at different transcription levels in all examined tissues. During ovarian maturation, hypothalamus-associated sbGnRH was upregulated, while the expression of sGnRH was variable and cGnRH-II first increased and then decreased. In vivo experiments showed that sbGnRH significantly promoted the expression of fsh and lh genes in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited a desensitization effect on lh expression at high concentrations. For sGnRH and cGnRH-II, only high concentrations could induce fsh and lh expression. Furthermore, treatment with highly concentrated sbGnRH peptide also induced fsh and lh expression, whereas the sGnRH and cGnRH-II peptides only induced fsh expression in vitro. 17β-Estradiol (E2) significantly inhibited the expression of sbGnRH mRNA in a dose-dependent manner and did not impact sGnRH and cGnRH-II mRNA levels in vivo or in vitro. The inhibitory effect of E2 on sbGnRH expression was attenuated by the estrogen receptor (ER) broad-spectrum antagonist (fulvestrant) and the ERα-specific antagonist (methyl-piperidinopyrazole), respectively, implying that the feedback regulation on sbGnRH is mediated via ERα. This study provides a theoretical basis for the reproductive endocrinology of the spotted scat by studying GnRH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have demonstrated the design of two types of on-chip optical logic gates in 2D silicon PC slab, which can support AND and XOR logic gate functions at different input frequencies. Different shapes of the center directional emitting cavity and different input/output directions can lead to different logic operations without nonlinearity or magnetism. More complicated logic networks can be built based on these integrated basic logic gates, which may lead us to construct on-chip large-scale logic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switchable nanoscale devices can be implemented in heterostructures that integrate plasmonic nanostructures with functional active materials and hence hold great potential for nanoscale-integrated circuits. The phase-change material of vanadium dioxide (VO2) has reversibly switchable optical/electrical properties and huge contrast in its refractive index in the infrared spectral range between insulator and metallic states. In this work, we numerically demonstrate all-optical manipulation of switchable absorption effect using the heterostructure incorporating the plasmonic resonance of Au nanoantennas with vanadium dioxide. Compared with the planar control device (without Au nanoantennas), the proposed design exhibits a pronounced resonant field enhancement as well as polarization-insensitive and omnidirectional absorption response. Meanwhile, the proposed device shows a large switching contrast (from ~ 99.9 to ~ 10% in absorption efficiency) at the mid-infrared wavelength of 3609 nm. Interestingly, the resonance of the proposed device can be continuously tuned by varying the side length of the antennas or governing the metallization level of vanadium dioxide layer. The photothermal mechanism is further investigated by numerical model calculations, indicating that the resonant, antenna-mediated local heating occurs on a sub-nanosecond time scale of 0.26 ns under a quite low incident intensity of 1.9 × 106 W/m2, which is about 12.5 times reduced with respect to that of control device. Therefore, the hybrid strategy of plasmonic antennas and vanadium dioxide provides a conceptual framework of switchable metamaterials for actively steering in ultrafast, energy-efficient electronic and photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the effect of moxibustion on the protein and mRNA expressions of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) in hypothalamus of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced experimental colitis rats, and to explore the central mechanisms of moxibustion in improving visceral pain and the pain-related emotions in experimental colitis rats.Methods: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group (NG), a model group (MG), a herb-partitioned moxibustion group (HPMG) and a sham herb-partitioned moxibustion group (SHPMG). Except the NG, rats in the remaining three groups all received TNBS enema to establish experimental colitis models. The HPMG received herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) at bilateral Tianshu (ST 25) and Qihai (CV 6) for intervention; for the SHPMG, the herbal cakes and moxa cones were only placed on the acupoints but not ignited; rats in the MG and NG were only fixed in the same way as those in the HPMG but did not receive any treatment. At the end of the intervention, the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score, the open field test (OFT) score and the elevated plus maze (EPM) score were observed to measure the changes in visceral pain and pain-related emotions of the rats. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to examine the expressions of CRF and CRFR1 proteins in hypothalamus; the fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the expressions of CRF and CRFR1 mRNAs in hypothalamus.Results: Compared with the NG, the AWR score increased significantly and the OFT and EPM scores dropped significantly in the MG (all P<0.05), and the expressions of hypothalamic CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs increased significantly (all P<0.01). Compared with the MG and SHPMG, the AWR score dropped significantly and the OFT and EPM scores increased significantly in the HPMG (all P<0.01), and the expressions of hypothalamic CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs decreased significantly (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the MG and the SHPMG (all P>0.05).Conclusion: HPM can down-regulate the abnormally increased expressions of CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs in hypothalamus of the TNBS-induced experimental colitis rats, which is plausibly one of its action mechanisms in mitigating visceral pain and the pain-related emotions in the experimental colitis rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction to: I Scientific Reports i https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15206-6, published online 29 June 2022 The original version of this Article omitted an affiliation for Cheng Zhang. These authors contributed equally: Zhi-Nan Xia and Jing-Gen Wu. [Extracted from the article]

Peers in Mobile P2P (MP2P) networks exploit both the structured and unstructured styles to enable communication in a peer-to-peer fashion. Such networks involve the participation of two types of peers: benign peers and malicious peers. Complexities are witnessed in the determination of the identity of the peers because of the user mobility and the unrestricted switching (ON/OFF) of the mobile devices. MP2P networks require a scalable, distributed and light-weighted secure communication scheme. Nevertheless, existing communication approaches lack the capability to satisfy the requirements above. In this paper, we propose an Adaptive Trusted Request and Authorization model (ATRA) over MP2P networks, by exploiting the limited historical interaction information among the peers and a Bayesian game to ensure secure communication. The simulation results reveal that regardless of the peer's ability to obtain the other such peer's trust and risk data, the request peers always spontaneously connect the trusted resource peers and the resource peers always preferentially authorize the trusted request peers. Performance comparison of ATRA with state-of-the-art secure communication schemes over MP2P networks shows that ATRA can: (a) improve the success rate of node typing identification, (b) reduce time required for secure connections found, (c) provide efficient resource sharing, and (d) maintain the lower average cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasmonic integrated circuit, a potential application of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), can manipulate an SPP wave propagating on a metal surface in a way similar to electronic circuits. Here, we propose the concept of three-dimensional (3D) SPP wave manipulation: control of an SPP wave propagating in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. A hole set in the film can guide an SPP wave in the vertical direction. In the horizontal direction, two holographic groove patterns are used to focus an incident SPP wave on one surface of the film to the hole and control the divergent SPP waves transmitted from the hole on the other metal surface, respectively. The holographic groove patterns are designed via the methodology of surface electromagnetic wave holography. 3D finite-difference time-domain method simulations show a good performance of the 3D manipulation via these designed holographic groove patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Codonopsis, in the family Campanulaceae, is a genus containing 42 species of dicotyledonous herbaceous perennial plants, predominantly found in Central, East and South Asia. Several Codonopsis species are widely used in traditional medicine and are considered to have multiple medicinal properties. Among the Codonopsis species, Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. and C. lanceolata (Sieb. et Zucc.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Trautv. are more popular than others according to the findings, especially phytochemical and bioactive studies. Phytochemical research shows that Codonopsis species contain mainly polyacetylenes, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids and polysaccharides, which contribute to multiple bioactivities. However, the mechanisms of their bioactivities need to be further elucidated. The less popular Codonopsis species remain to be studied and exploited. In addition, although a series of methods for the quality evaluation of Codonopsis species have been developed, a feasible and reliable approach to the efficacious and safe use of various Codonopsis species is still needed, with considering botanical origin, chemical constituents and bioactive effects. This review aims to provide up-to-date and comprehensive information on the phytochemistry, bioactivity and quality control of medicinal plants in the genus Codonopsis and to highlight current gaps in knowledge, which is useful for the wider development of the Codonopsis genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied how the constitution parameters and applied bias magnetic field influence the bandwidth and frequency tunability of the one-way transmission (OWT) caused by magnetic surface plasmon resonance of the magnetic photonic crystals (MPC). We found that wide-band OWT could be obtained using ferrite rods with larger normalized radius and suppressing the bulk modes of MPC in the frequencies where the edge and bulk modes coexist. We verified that bias magnetic field tunes the frequencies of OWT but has little effects on its bandwidth by experiments, and a simple way is proposed to suppress the bulk modes by introducing air defect near the edge of the MPC and experimentally demonstrated its effectiveness. This work provides a way toward practical applications for wide-band tunable one-way devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) manipulation on metal surfaces is important for constructing ultracompact integrated micro/nano-optical devices and systems. We employ the methodology of surface electromagnetic wave holography (SWH) to design holographic groove patterns for controlling SPPs with complicated wavefronts traveling on metal surface. SPPs are scattered by these deli groove patterns and interfere with each other to form desired SPP wavefronts. Several devices are demonstrated to control the intensities and phases of SPPs, such as focusing a plane SPP or diverging SPPs to two points with different phases, and focusing SPPs with complicated beam profile to a point. The finite-difference time-domain simulations show that in all cases, the predesignated functionalities are fully achieved by the designed plasmonic holographic structures. The results strongly support the power of SWH for shaping the complicated wavefront of in-plane transporting SPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of comprehensive acupuncture therapy for chronic urticaria. Methods: A total of 70 patients with chronic urticaria were treated with acupuncture, bloodletting after pricking and cupping [on Shenque (CV 8)]. The changes of signs and symptoms were observed before and after treatment. The therapeutic efficacy was then assessed according to the change rate of clinical symptoms scoring. Results: After treatment, 11 of the 70 cases got basic recovery, 21 cases got marked effectiveness, 27 cases got improvement and 11 cases got no effect. The total effective rate was 84.3%. There was statistical significance in symptoms score between before and after treatment ( P<0.01). Conclusion: Combining acupuncture, bloodletting after pricking and cupping on Shenque (CV 8) is effective for chronic urticaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of the history and the current status of nanophotonics research in China, and to highlight some research results in the past years made by the Chinese nanophotonics communities. I will first briefly introduce the principles of nanophotonics and several of its major disciplines including photonic crystals, plasmonics and metamaterials, and related artificial acoustic structures. Then I will highlight some major progresses made by Chinese research groups in these areas with the selection made merely based on my personal taste. The aim is to let these results better known and appreciated by researchers in the Chinese communities of nanophotonics and related areas, and provide better opportunities of researchers in different areas to have more communications. I also hope that this brief introduction will help to make a better bridge to connect Chinese nanophotonics communities with the broader communities in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second harmonic generation (SHG) in a short nonlinear photonic bandgap (PBG) structure coated with distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors is theoretically investigated by means of an iteration approach that fully considers pump depletion. A total conversion efficiency of about 96% can be obtained in an optimized structure with a size scale of about 0.2 mm and at the modest pump intensity of about 0.133 MW/cm, which is four orders of magnitude more than that in a quasi-phase-matching (QPM) structure with the same sample length. Such a high conversion efficiency of SHG will greatly facilitate the success of short frequency conversion devices and all-optical integration in nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear photonic crystals made from polystyrene materials that have Kerr nonlinearity can exhibit ultrafast optical switching when the samples are pumped by ultrashort optical pulses with high intensity due to the change of the refractive index of polystyrene and subsequent shift of the band gap edge or defect state resonant frequency. Polystyrene has a large Kerr nonlinear susceptibility and almost instantaneous response to pump light, making it suitable for the realization of ultrafast optical switching with a response time as short as a few femtoseconds. In this paper, we review our experimental progress on the continual improvement of all-optical switching speed in two-dimensional and three-dimensional polystyrene nonlinear photonic crystals in the past years. Several relevant issues are discussed and analyzed, including different mechanisms for all-optical switching, preparation of nonlinear photonic crystal samples by means of microfabrication and self-assembly techniques, characterization of optical switching performance by means of femtosecond pump-probe technique, and different ways to lower the pump power of optical switching to facilitate practical applications in optical information processing. Finally, a brief summary and a perspective of future work are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a facile method of preparing cubic Au nanoframes with open structures via the galvanic replacement reaction between Ag nanocubes and AuCl2 −. A mechanistic study of the reaction revealed that the formation of Au nanoframes relies on the diffusion of both Au and Ag atoms. The effect of the edge length and ridge thickness of the nanoframes on the localized surface plasmon resonance peak was explored by a combination of discrete dipole approximation calculations and single nanoparticle spectroscopy. With their hollow and open structures, the Au nanoframes represent a novel class of substrates for applications including surface plasmonics and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) photonic band gaps (PBG) structure fabricated from anisotropic dielectric is studied by solving Maxwell's equations with use of plane-wave expansion method. Numerical simulations show that absolute photonic band gaps can be substantially improved in two dimensional square and triangular lattices of cylinders by introducing anisotropy in material dielectricity. Owing to different refractive indices for electromagnetic waves with E- and H-polarization, the quasi-independent adjustment of band gaps for the E- and H-polarization modes can be implemented by uniaxial crystals with their extraordinary axis parallel to the cylinders. Large absolute band gaps can be created for uniaxial cylinders in air with a positive anisotropy. In the case of air holes in background uniaxial dielectric with even a weak negative anisotropy, the absolute band gap can be increased 2-3 times. Large absolute band gap can also be obtained in other complex configurations of uniaxial and biaxial materials and this enables a full exploitation of potential utilization for anisotropic materials available in nature. Such a mechanism of band gap adjustment should open up a new scope for designing band gaps in 2D PBG structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface plasmons are coherent and collective electron oscillations confined at the dielectric–metal interface. Benefitting from the inherent subwavelength nature of spatial profile, surface plasmons can greatly accumulate the optical field and energy on the nanoscale and dramatically enhance various light–matter interactions. The properties of surface plasmons are strongly related to materials and structures, so that metals, semiconductors and two-dimensional materials with various morphologies and structures can have alternating plasmonic wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet, visible, near infrared to far infrared. Because the electric field can be enhanced by orders of magnitude within plasmonic structures, various light–matter interaction processes including fluorescence, Raman scattering, heat generation, photoacoustic effects, photocatalysis, nonlinear optical conversion, and solar energy conversion, can be significantly enhanced and these have been confirmed by both theoretical, computational and experimental studies. In this review, we present a concise introduction and discussion of various plasmon-enhanced light–matter interaction processes. We discuss the physical and chemical principles, influencing factors, computational and theoretical methods, and practical applications of these plasmon-enhanced processes and phenomena, with a hope to deliver guidelines for constructing future high-performance plasmonic devices and technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]