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Integration of multiple diversified functionalities into an ultracompact platform is crucial for the development of on-chip photonic devices. Recently, a promising all-dielectric two-dimensional platform based on Bloch surface waves (BSWs) sustained by dielectric multilayer has been proposed to enable various functionalities and provide novel approach to photonic devices. Here, we design and fabricate a multifunctional directional coupler to achieve both spectral and polarimetric routing by employing asymmetric nanoslits in a dielectric multilayer platform. Due to the dispersion property of BSWs, the directional coupling behavior is sensitive to wavelength and polarization. We demonstrate numerically and experimentally the wavelength selective directional coupling of TE BSW mode with an intensity ratio of the BSW excitation in opposite directions reaching 10 dB. Polarization selective directional coupling is also achieved at specific operating wavelength due to different response to a nanoantenna for TE and TM BSWs. The proposed two-dimensional photonic device opens new pathway for a wide range of practical applications such as molecular sensing, imaging with different polarization, and spectral requirements.

Our research is dedicated to combating HIV by targeting its Matrix (MA) domain, which is crucial for viral assembly and replication. This strategy specifically aims to interrupt early-stage infection and deter drug resistance by focusing on this essential domain. Due to the MA domain's conservation across different HIV strains, our approach promises broad-spectrum efficacy, which is particularly crucial in regions marked by significant genetic diversity and resistance issues. In our study, we introduce CNP0269688, a natural product that exhibits high affinity for the HIV-1 Matrix. Through detailed molecular dynamics simulations, we have assessed the compound's structural stability and interaction dynamics, particularly its potential to hinder Protein-tRNA interactions. This analysis lays the groundwork for future experimental investigations. Our efforts are steps toward enhancing HIV treatment, reducing viral transmission, and curbing drug resistance, with the ultimate aim of controlling and eradicating the pandemic, thereby contributing significantly to public health and scientific advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates secure output consensus problem of heterogeneous multi-agent systems (HMASs) under denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. First, an adaptive dynamic compensator depending on local measurement information is designed for tracking the signal of the virtual exosystem. Second, for mitigating network communication load, a novel adaptive control protocol is developed by introducing dynamic event-triggered control and quantized control strategies. Moreover, Zeno behavior can be eliminated under the proposed scheme. Third, the secure output consensus of HMASs under DoS attacks can be guaranteed by satisfying the designed sufficient conditions. Finally, simulation is shown to verify reliability of the proposed control protocol and theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetic microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy are primary causes of blindness, terminal renal failure, and neuropathic disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Identifying reliable biomarkers promptly is pivotal for early detection and intervention in these severe complications. Areas Covered: This review offers a thorough examination of the latest research concerning serum biomarkers for the prediction and assessment of diabetic microvascular complications. It encompasses biomarkers associated with glycation, oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, basement membrane thickening, angiogenesis, and thrombosis. The review also highlights the potential of emerging biomarkers, such as microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. Expert Opinion: Serum biomarkers are emerging as valuable tools for the early assessment and therapeutic guidance of diabetic microvascular complications. The biomarkers identified not only reflect the underlying pathophysiology but also align with the extent of the disease. However, further validation across diverse populations and improvement of the practicality of these biomarkers in routine clinical practice are necessary. Pursuing these objectives is essential to advance early diagnosis, risk assessment, and individualized treatment regimens for those affected by diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Altered maternal serum lipid metabolism is associated with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP). However, its range in pregnancy and characteristic among different subgroups of HDPs are unclear. Methods. Pregnant women with HDP who underwent antenatal care and delivered in Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University during January 2018 to August 2022 were enrolled. The levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), apolipoprotein (Apo)-A, B, and E, free fatty acids (FFA), and small and dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL) were measured during 4–16 weeks and 28–42 weeks of pregnancy. Results. A total of 2648 pregnant women were diagnosed with HDP, 1,880 of whom were enrolled for final analysis, including 983 (52.3%) preeclampsia (PE), 676 (36.0%) gestational hypertension (GH), and 221 (11.7%) chronic hypertension (CH). For all HDPs, serum TC, TG, LDLC, HDLC, Apo-A, Apo-B, Apo-E, and sdLDL increased significantly during pregnancy, while FFA decreased significantly. Notably, the levels of TC, LDLC, Apo-B, and sdLDL in PE group were equal to or lower than those in CH group at 4–16 weeks of pregnancy, but increased greatly during pregnancy (P < 0.05). Conclusions. Maternal serum lipid levels changed through pregnancy among women with HDPs. Women complicated with PE seem to have undergone a more significant serum lipid change compared to those with GH or CH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This study investigated the differences in syntactic errors in older individuals with and without major depressive disorder and cognitive function disparities between groups. We also explored the correlation between syntax scores and depression severity. Materials and Methods: Forty-four participants, assessed for dementia with the Mini-Cog, completed the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS-15) and specific language tests. Following a single-anonymized procedure, clinical psychologists rated the tests and syntax scores. Results: The results showed that the depressive disorders group had lower syntax scores than the non-depressed group, primarily on specific subtests. Additionally, cognitive test scores were generally lower among the depressed group. A significant relationship between depression severity and syntax scores was observed (r = −0.426, 95% CI = −0.639, −0.143). Conclusions: In conclusion, major depressive disorder is associated with reduced syntactic abilities, particularly in specific tests. However, the relatively modest sample size limited the sensitivity of this association. This study also considered the potential influence of cultural factors. Unique linguistic characteristics in the study's context were also addressed and considered as potential contributors to the observed findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cell division cycle associated 2 (CDCA2), a member of the cell division cycle associated proteins (CDCA) family, is crucial in the regulation of cell mitosis and DNA repair. CDCA2 was extensively examined in our work to determine its role in a wide range of cancers. Methods: CDCA2 differential expression was studied in pan-cancer and in diverse molecular and immunological subgroups in this research. Additionally, the diagnostic and prognostic significance of CDCA2 in pan-cancer was also evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan–Meier (KM) curves. Prognostic value of CDCA2 in distinct clinical subgroups of lower grade glioma (LGG) was also investigated and a nomogram was constructed. Lastly, potential mechanisms of action of CDCA2 were interrogated including biological functions, ceRNA networks, m6A modification and immune infiltration. Results: CDCA2 is shown to be differentially expressed in a wide variety of cancers. Tumors are diagnosed and forecasted with a high degree of accuracy by CDCA2, and the quantity of expression CDCA2 is linked to the prognosis of many cancers. Additionally, the expression level of CDCA2 in various subgroups of LGG is also closely related to prognosis. The results of enrichment analyses reveal that CDCA2 is predominantly enriched in the cell cycle, mitosis, and DNA replication. Subsequently, hsa-miR-105-5p is predicted to target CDCA2. In addition, 4 lncRNAs were identified that may inhibit the hsa-miR-105-5p/CDCA2 axis in LGG. Meanwhile, CDCA2 expression is shown to be associated to m6A-related genes and levels of immune cell infiltration in LGG. Conclusion: CDCA2 can serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis in pan-cancer, especially in LGG. For the development of novel targeted therapies in LGG, it may be a potential molecular target. However, to be sure, we'll need to do additional biological experiments to back up our results from bioinformatic predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pheophorbide being a oxygenase gene (PaO) encoded a key enzyme in the process of chlorophyll degradation. In this study, in order to understand the characteristics of the TaPaOs gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and the role it plays in the aging process, the published genome-wide information of wheat and other species was used to analyze the genetic features of the TaPaOs family, preliminarily identified their functions by real-time fluorescence quantitative (qRT-PCR) technology. The results showed that a total of 18 TaPaOs family members were found in wheat, distributed on 15 chromosomes. The encoded proteins were hydrophilic, most of which were unstable proteins, and their subcellular localization was predicted in chloroplasts. The promoter regions of the 18 family members contained a large number of response elements, among which the light response element (G-Box) and ABA response element (ABRE) were the most. The expression patterns of the TaPaOs gene family in different tissues were analyzed and found that leaves were the most, followed by stems and lowest roots. Most of the family members upregulated expression during ABA-induced aging, dark induced aging, and natural aging, especially TaPaO2, TaPaO5, and TaPaO6 would be used as the focus of wheat aging research, which laid the foundation for further study of the TaPaoOs gene family function in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief is concerned with the second-order consensus problem of multi-agent systems (MASs) over directed communication topologies. Due to engineering applications, agents in the network may have nonidentical intelligent degrees in practical scenarios. A novel intermittent sampled-data control protocol with different intelligent levels is proposed. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the desired consensus under the protocol. Nevertheless, since the velocity states of real agents may not be measured, a novel protocol only utilizing past sampled position data with distinct intelligent levels is presented, under which the conditions of realizing consensus can be attained via similar analysis. Finally, the asymptotic consensus of MASs can be verified by some numerical simulations. The states of agents with the same intelligent level can be validated to converge to the common value as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, bipartite consensus is investigated for linear multi‐agent systems (MASs) via adaptive asynchronous intermittent control. Adaptive asynchronous intermittent bipartite consensus protocols are proposed for MASs with antagonistic links under both fixed and connected switching topologies. By using gauge transformation and stability theory, convergency analysis is given and some conditions of bipartite consensus are obtained. It is turned out that bipartite consensus can be realized if the communication rate is no less than a threshold under the assumption that the network is connected and structurally balanced. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of artificial enzymes with excellent enzyme‐like activities and unique features is highly desirable for their practical applications. Herein, a one‐pot facile method to synthesize hemin covalently functionalized carbon nanobranch (CN‐hemin) via direct pyrolysis of citric acid and covalent coupling of hemin to the formed carbon skeleton, is reported. This strategy is reasonably straightforward, cheap, and environmentally friendly, without any extraneous oxidant, reductant, and harmful additives during the preparation process. Furthermore, the obtained dendritic hybrids possess good water‐solubility, intrinsic peroxidase‐like activity, and satisfactory photocatalytic performance in visible light. These extraordinary properties are mainly due to the structure of CN‐hemin which contains iron porphyrin, aromatic carbon, and citric acid residues. Most importantly, under visible light irradiation, the as‐prepared hemin‐incorporated nanohybrid can act as robust agents for synergistic dye degradation and antibacterial therapy toward Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin‐resistant S. aureus. It is expected that this study can shed valuable light on developing advanced multifunctional nanozymes with combined favorable properties for highly efficient elimination of environmental pollutants and antibacterial treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates robust formation-containment control of discrete-time multiagent systems (MASs) with exogenous disturbances. Based on the discrete-time disturbance observer method, both state feedback and output feedback control protocols are proposed. Formation-containment conditions are obtained and convergency analysis is given according to Lyapunov stability theory. And, the corresponding control gains are obtained by solving some discrete-time algebraic Riccati equations. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As an important endocrine hormone regulating glucose metabolism, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is increased in individuals with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) after 24 gestational weeks. However, it is unknown whether the increase in FGF21 precedes the diagnosis of GDM. Methods: In this nested case-control study, 133 pregnant women with GDM and 133 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were identified through propensity score matching, and serum FGF21 levels were measured at 14 to 21 gestational weeks, before GDM is routinely identified. The differences in FGF21 levels were compared. The association between FGF21 and the occurrence of GDM was evaluated using logistic regression models with adjustment for confounders. Results: The serum FGF21 levels of the GDM group at 14 to 21 gestational weeks were significantly higher than those of the NGT group overall (P < 0.001), with similar results observed between the corresponding BMI subgroups (P < 0.05). The 2nd (OR 1.224, 95% CI 0.603–2.485), 3rd (OR 2.478, 1.229–5.000), and 4th (OR 3.419, 95% CI 1.626–7.188) FGF21 quartiles were associated with greater odds of GDM occurrence than the 1st quartile after multivariable adjustments. Conclusions: The serum FGF21 levels in GDM groups increased in the early second trimester, regardless of whether participants were stratified according to BMI. After adjusting for confounding factors, the FGF21 levels in the highest quartile were associated with more than three times higher probability of the diagnosis of GDM in the pregnancy as compared to levels in the first quartile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanozymes are catalytically active nanomaterials that can mimic the catalytic properties of natural enzymes. However, little research has focused on nanozymes for mimicking organophosphate hydrolase (OPH) activity. Herein, we report that the zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (ZIF-90) nanoparticles synthesized by the self-assembly of imidazole and metal ions have an average size of about 800 nm. They can serve as a new nanozyme to mimic OPH, which can effectively hydrolyze organophosphorus methyl parathion. More importantly, the as-prepared ZIF-90 nanozyme shows higher stability and superior recyclability. Our work will bring new possibilities for design and development of other novel nanozymes based on metal–organic framework materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The location-based services can provide users with the requested location information. But users also need to disclose their current location to the location-based service provider. Therefore, how to protect user's location privacy is a major concern. In this paper, we propose a heterogeneous deniable authenticated encryption scheme called HDAE for location-based services. The proposed scheme permits a sender in a public key infrastructure environment to transmit a message to a receiver in an identity-based environment. Our design utilizes a hybrid encryption method combing the tag-key encapsulation mechanism (tag-KEM) and the data encapsulation mechanism (DEM), which is well adopted for location-based services applications. We give how to design an HDAE scheme utilizing a heterogeneous deniable authenticated tag-KEM (HDATK) and a DEM. We also construct an HDATK scheme and provide security proof in the random oracle model. Comprehensive analysis shows that our scheme is efficient and secure. In addition, we give an application of the HDAE to a location-based services system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the intermittent semi‐global containment of discrete‐time high‐order multi‐agent systems with input saturation. The intermittent semi‐global containment protocol is proposed based on discrete‐time low‐gain state feedback control. Some containment conditions are obtained, and the convergence analysis is given. It is turned out that all the followers beginning from a bounded initial set will asymptotically enter into the convex hull spanned by the leaders under the proposed protocol. Moveover, intermittent semi‐global leader‐following consensus with input saturation is considered as a special case, and the corresponding result is introduced. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing with symplectic different methods, the quadratic element is an approximately symplectic method which can keep high accuracy approximate of symplectic structure for Hamiltonian chaos, and it is also energy conservative when there have chaos phenomenon. We use the quadratic finite element method to solve the H ê non–Heiles system, and this method was never used before. Combining with Poincar ê section, when we increase the energy of the systems, KAM tori are broken and the motion from regular to chaotic. Without chaos, three kinds of methods to calculate the Poincar ê section point numbers are the same, and the numbers are different with chaos. In long-term calculation, the finite element method can better keep dynamic characteristics of conservative system with chaotic motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-activated nanozymes can provide a wealth of new opportunities for the chemical industry and biotechnology. However, present remote-controlled catalytic systems are still far from satisfactory. Herein, we present an interesting example of applying ultrathin Pd nanosheets (Pd NSs) as a light-controllable peroxidase mimic. Since most of Pd atoms are exposed on their surface, Pd NSs with a thickness of 1.1 nm possess high peroxidase-like activity. More importantly, under light excitation, such intrinsic activity can be further activated by a nearly 2.4- to 3.2-fold. Such a phenomenon can be ascribed to the unique optical property of ultrathin Pd NSs, which can efficiently capture photons to generate hot electrons via surface plasmon resonance effect and thus promote the in situ decomposition of H2O2 into reactive oxygen species radicals (O*). This enhanced catalysis can also be used for real-time and highly sensitive colorimetric detection of H2O2. We expect our work can provide valuable insights into the rational design of artificial nanozymes with controllable and efficient activity in biomedical diagnostics, drug delivery, and environmental chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates robust consensus for nonlinear multiagent systems with uncertainty and disturbance. The consensus evolution behavior is studied under general consensus protocol when each node is disturbed by the relative states between the node and its neighbors. At first, the robust consensus condition is obtained and the convergency analysis is given by using Lyapunov stability theory and matrix theory. Then, the practical consensus is investigated and the bound of the error states is presented. Finally, two numerical simulation examples are given to illustrate the proposed theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: IL‐22 plays an important role in cancer carcinogenesis. However, the association between IL‐22 polymorphisms and cancer risk was inconclusive. The objective of the current study was to assess these associations by meta‐analysis. Methods: PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases were searched up to 31 January 2018. The results were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The associations between polymorphisms and cancer risk were estimated by meta‐analysis. All analyses were performed using the Revman5.3 software. Results: A total of four polymorphisms (rs2227485, rs1179251, rs1179246, and rs1182844) in seven studies were included. The results of meta‐analysis indicated that the rs1179251 polymorphism [OR = 1.46, 95% CI (1.17, 1.82), P = 0.0008 for GG+GC vs. CC] was associated with increased risk of cancer, while the rs2227485, rs1179246, and rs1182844 polymorphisms were not associated with cancer risk. Conclusions: The current meta‐analysis suggests that IL‐22 gene rs1179251 polymorphism may be a risk factor for cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless charging technology has been developing rapidly in recent years and has been used to deliver power and provide a new source of energy for wireless rechargeable sensor networks. With current solutions, charging is usually done by a mobile vehicle equipped with a charger, which needs to be waiting on site until the sensor is properly charged. It is possible that some sensors drain their power while the charging vehicle is serving the other. Accordingly, we proposed a solution that uses a single charging vehicle equipped with multiple battery cells, which we call the separable charging array. The battery cell can be unloaded on site with sensor, while the vehicle carries on its mission. A scheduling algorithm, a revised earliest deadline first algorithm, is proposed to work with this new model. In this study, we will demonstrate that the idea of equipping charging vehicle with separable charger array is feasible. In addition, our simulations indicate that the revised earliest deadline first scheduling algorithm does improve the earliest deadline first scheduling algorithm significantly with only minor overhead in scheduling computation time and very few extra chargers. Some modified variations of the proposed revised earliest deadline first algorithm will also be discussed and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Genetic susceptibility of lung cancer has been widely studied for Chinese population, and meta-analysis of candidate gene association studies has also been performed for those genes. However, the overall evidence has not been well recognized. Objective To investigate genetic association for the risk of lung cancer in Chinese. Method An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of candidate gene association studies for lung cancer in Chinese was performed up to August 10th, 2016. The AMSTAR tool was used to assess the quality of the included systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Bibliometric analysis was performed to analyze the characteristics of reviews. Results A total of 21 variants in 17 genes from 20 meta-analyses were included in this study. All 20 meta-analyses were published from 2011 to 2016. The quality scores of AMSTAR ranged from 3 to 7. All included genes were in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, such as the CYPs genes, GSTs genes, and base excision repair genes. Three polymorphisms were found to be associated with decreased risk of lung cancer for Chinese, 15 polymorphisms were found to be associated with increased risk of lung cancer for Chinese, but three polymorphisms were found to be not associated with lung cancer risk for Chinese. Conclusion The current study supports the genetic risk factors of lung cancer for Chinese are more likely to be variants from genes that contribute to the etiology of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates containment for linear multi-agent systems (LMAS) with exogenous disturbances under fixed topologies. Both state feedback and output feedback control protocols are proposed, under which all the followers will asymptotically converge to the convex hull spanned by the leaders. Using tools from matrix, graph and Lyapunov stability theories, sufficient conditions for containment of linear multi-agent systems with exogenous disturbances are obtained by designing exogenous disturbance observers. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]