Search

Acoustic Bessel beams are commonly used as ideal sources to study the characteristics for acoustic-vortex (AV) beams, exhibiting prosperous perspectives in contactless object manipulations and acoustic communications. However, accurate Bessel beams are difficult to construct using two-dimensional arrays in practical applications. By integrating active phase control and passive phase modulation to a ring-array of sectorial planar transducers, quasi-Bessel acoustic-vortex (QB-AV) beams of arbitrary order are built by the line-focus of AV fields in the current study. Based on the Snell’s refraction law, a circular saw-tooth lens of phase modulation is designed to converge incident waves toward the beam axis at a same deflection angle. QB-AV beams constructed by the main lobes of the sectorial sources are demonstrated by theoretical derivations, numerical simulations and quality evaluations, while those created by the side lobes are neglected to avoid the pressure fluctuations in the near field. Experimental measurements for AV beams of different orders coincide basically with the simulations, demonstrating that line-focused QB-AV beams can be generated along the beam axis across the pressure peak. With the increase of the topological charge, the peak-pressure of the beam decreases accordingly with a reduced effective axial range. The favorable results prove that, as a special kind of diffraction sources, the adjustable QB-AV beams may enable more important biomedical applications where Bessel beams are necessary, especially for the line-focused manipulation of biological and drug particles.

The gut microbiome is known to be involved in depression development. Thus, phytochemicals changing gut microbiota may alleviate depression-like behaviors. Coniferyl ferulate (CF) is a long studied natural product and known to alleviate psychiatric disorders. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this experimental study, oral administration of 50 mg kg−1 CF once daily attenuated weight loss and depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS) in mice. Four weeks of CF administration significantly ameliorated colonic inflammation, lowered the levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, and restructured the gut microbiome, and microbial metabolism. Intestinal microbiota can impact the development and function of the brain via the microbiota–gut–brain axis. Therefore, oral administration of CF is a promising nutritional strategy to treat CUMS-induced depression via the regulation of microbiota and microbial metabolism.

Disturbance of the gut microbiota plays an essential role in mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Xiaoyaosan, a traditional Chinese medicine formula, has a wide therapeutic spectrum and is used especially in the management of depression and anxiety. In this study, we used an antibiotic-induced microbiome-depleted (AIMD) mouse model to determine the possible relationship between imbalance of the intestinal flora and behavioral abnormalities in rodents. We explored the regulatory effect of Xiaoyaosan on the intestinal flora and attempted to elucidate the potential mechanism of behavioral improvement. We screened NLRP3, ASC, and CASPASE-1 as target genes based on the changes in gut microbiota and explored the effect of Xiaoyaosan on the colonic NLRP3 pathway. After Xiaoyaosan intervention, AIMD mice showed a change in body weight and an improvement in depressive and anxious behaviors. Moreover, the gut flora diversity was significantly improved. Xiaoyaosan increased the abundance of Lachnospiraceae in AIMD mice and decreased that of Bacteroidaceae, the main lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing bacteria, resulting in decreased levels of LPS in feces, blood, and colon tissue. Moreover, serum levels of the inflammatory factor, IL-1β, and the levels of NLRP3, ASC, and CASPASE-1 mRNA and DNA in the colon were significantly reduced. Therefore, Xiaoyaosan may alleviate anxiety and depression by modulating the gut microbiota, correcting excessive LPS release, and inhibiting the immoderate activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the colon.

Haiyan Jiao,1 Hongjun Yang,1 Zhiyi Yan,1 Jianbei Chen,1 Mengbai Xu,1 Youming Jiang,1 Yueyun Liu,1 Zhe Xue,1 Qingyu Ma,2 Xiaojuan Li,2 Jiaxu Chen1,2 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China; 2Formula-Pattern Research center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jiaxu Chen Tel +86 1064286656Email chenjiaxu@hotmail.comBackground: At present, the pathogenesis of depression is not fully understood, and nearly half of depression patients experience no obvious effects during treatment. This study aimed to establish a depression mouse model to explore the possible role of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of depression, and observe the effects of Xiaoyaosan on PEBP1-GPX4-mediated ferroptosis in the hippocampus.Methods: Forty-eight male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a control group, CUMS group, Xiaoyaosan group and fluoxetine group, and the model was established by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for a successive 6 weeks. The medication procedure was performed from the 4th to the 6th week of modeling. The behavioral evaluations were measured to evaluate depressive-like behaviors. The expressions of GPX4, FTH1, ACSL4 and COX2 were detected as ferroptosis-related indicators. Then, the total iron and ferrous content in the hippocampus were measured. The levels of PEBP1 and ERK1/2 were observed, and the expressions of GFAP and IBA1 were also detected to measure the functions of astrocytes and microglia in the hippocampus.Results: Eight herbs of Xiaoyaosan had 133 active ingredients which could regulate the 43 ferroptosis-related genes in depression. After 6 weeks of modeling, the data showed that mice in the CUMS group had obvious depressive-like behaviors, and medication with Xiaoyaosan or fluoxetine could significantly improve the behavioral changes. The expressions of GPX4, FTH1, ACSL4, COX2, PEBP1, ERK1/2, GFAP and IBA1 changed in the CUMS group mice, while the total iron and ferrous content also changed. Xiaoyaosan and fluoxetine had obvious curative effects that could significantly alleviate the above changes in the hippocampus.Conclusion: Our results revealed that the activation of ferroptosis might exist in the hippocampi of CUMS-induced mice. The PEBP1-GPX4-mediated ferroptosis could be involved in the antidepressant mechanism of Xiaoyaosan. It also implied that ferroptosis could become a new target for research into the depression mechanism and antidepressant drugs.Keywords: chronic unpredictable mild stress, depression, Xiaoyaosan, ferroptosis, GPX4, PEBP1

Haiyan Jiao,1,* Zhiyi Yan,1,* Qingyu Ma,2 Xiaojuan Li,2 Youming Jiang,1 Yueyun Liu,1 Jiaxu Chen1,2 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China; 2Formula-Pattern Research Center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Tryptophan metabolism has always been considered to play a vital role in mental disorder diseases, and how traditional Chinese formula Xiaoyaosan regulates the tryptophan metabolism is a complement to the pathogenesis of depression. This study established a depression rat model by the chronic immobilization stress (CIS) method and observed the change in tryptophan metabolism in hippocampus and the effects of Xiaoyaosan.Methods: Forty-eight male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: control group, CIS group, Xiaoyaosan group, and fluoxetine group. The depression model was established by the 21-day CIS. The food intake and body weight were recorded, and the sucrose preference test (SPT), novelty suppressed feeding (NSF) test and open field test (OFT) were also used to evaluate the model. Then, the contents of tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in hippocampus were detected by the ELISA method, and the expression levels of tryptophan hydrogenase 2 (TPH2) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1) in hippocampus were determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot methods.Results: The behavioral data showed a significant difference between the model group and the normal group. The 5-HT content in the hippocampi of CIS rats was significantly reduced, whereas the tryptophan content in the hippocampi of model rats was significantly increased. The TPH2 level in hippocampus of the model group was significantly decreased, and the IDO1 level was significantly increased. Xiaoyaosan and fluoxetine could significantly reverse these changes and had obvious curative effects.Conclusion: The abnormal tryptophan metabolism existed in the hippocampi of chronic stress-depressed rats, which was closely related to the pathogenesis of depression. Xiaoyaosan could improve the tryptophan metabolism by regulating the expression levels of TPH2 and IDO1, thus exerting an antidepressant-like effect. Keywords: Xiaoyaosan, depression, chronic immobilization stress, tryptophan, TPH2, IDO1, traditional Chinese formula, traditional Chinese medicine&nbsp

Depression is the neurological manifestation most commonly associated with gastrointestinal diseases. The release of inflammatory cytokines mediated by TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling-induced immunoinflammatory activation may represent a common pathogenic process underlying the development of gastrointestinal diseases and depression. Clinical studies have indicated that Xiaoyaosan (XYS) can relieve depressive behavior by improving gastrointestinal symptoms. We previously demonstrated that XYS can reduce colonic inflammation in a rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress; however, the precise anti-inflammatory mechanisms involved remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether XYS can ameliorate depressive behavior through regulating the TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting immunoinflammatory activation and reducing colonic proinflammatory cytokine levels. Fifty-two healthy male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (control, model, XYS, and fluoxetine). The latter three groups were subjected to 21 days of chronic restraint stress to generate a model of stress-induced depression. XYS and fluoxetine were administered intragastrically. Behavioral changes in the rats were assessed after 21 days. Serum and colon samples were collected, and the relative levels of the inflammation indicators IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. Pathological changes in colon tissue were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB-p65, TAK1, IRAK1, and TRAF6 were detected by immunohistochemistry, while the gene and protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB-p65, TAK1, IRAK1, TRAF6, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting. The results indicated that XYS could improve the depressive-like behavior and the weight loss of rats with stress-induced depression. Furthermore, depressed rats treated with XYS exhibited decreased expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB-p65, TAK1, IRAK1, TRAF6, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 in colonic tissue; reduced colon and serum concentrations of the inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α; and lowered levels of colonic inflammation.

Introduction The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically reshaped urban travel patterns. In this research, we explore the relationship between “social distancing,” a concept that has gained worldwide familiarity, and urban mobility during the pandemic. Understanding social distancing behavior will allow urban planners and engineers to better understand the new norm of urban mobility amid the pandemic, and what patterns might hold for individual mobility post-pandemic or in the event of a future pandemic. Methods There are still few efforts to obtain precise information on social distancing patterns of pedestrians in urban environments. This is largely attributed to numerous burdens in safely deploying any effective field data collection approaches during the crisis. This paper aims to fill that gap by developing a data-driven analytical framework that leverages existing public video data sources and advanced computer vision techniques to monitor the evolution of social distancing patterns in urban areas. Specifically, the proposed framework develops a deep-learning approach with a pre-trained convolutional neural network to mine the massive amount of public video data captured in urban areas. Real-time traffic camera data collected in New York City (NYC) was used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of using the proposed approach to analyze pedestrian social distancing patterns. Results The results show that microscopic pedestrian social distancing patterns can be quantified by using a generalized real-distance approximation method. The estimated distance between individuals can be compared to social distancing guidelines to evaluate policy compliance and effectiveness during a pandemic. Quantifying social distancing adherence will provide decision-makers with a better understanding of prevailing social contact challenges. It also provides insights into the development of response strategies and plans for phased reopening for similar future scenarios.

Purpose In our present study, a rat depression model induced by 6 weeks of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was established, and we investigated how Xiaoyaosan affects the intestinal permeability of depressed rats and alterations in tight-junction proteins (TJs) involved in this process. Methods The rat depression model was established using CUMS for 6 consecutive weeks. A total of 40 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly sorted into four groups: the control group, CUMS group, Xiaoyaosan group, and fluoxetine group. All groups, excluding the control group, were subjected to the 6-week CUMS program to generate the depression model. Body weight, food intake, and behaviors were observed during the modeling period. Histopathological alterations of colon tissue were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E), and mucus-containing goblet cells were detected by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. The ultrastructural morphology of colonic mucosa was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to determine the expression of TJs. The concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the hypothalamus and colon were also assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Treatment of depressed rats with Xiaoyaosan alleviated depression-like behaviors as demonstrated by increases in the total distance traveled, the number of entries into the central area in the open field test, the duration spent in the central area, and sucrose preference. Xiaoyaosan treatment also increased body weight gain and food intake in depressed rats. Moreover, Xiaoyaosan treatment effectively improved the colonic pathological and ultrastructural changes, upregulated the expression of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1 in the colon, and increased 5-HT levels in the hypothalamus and colonic mucosa. Conclusions Xiaoyaosan treatment attenuates depression-like behaviors caused by CUMS and ameliorates CUMS-induced abnormal intestinal permeability, which may be associated with the expression of TJs. These results suggest that Xiaoyaosan exerts an antidepressant effect that may be related to an improvement of intestinal barrier function via the brain-gut axis.

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder comorbid with diabetes and may lead to high morbidity, disability, and mortality. However, the underlying mechanism behind their association remains unknown. Cytokine-mediated inflammation in brain may play important roles in the pathogenesis of depression and insulin resistance. In the present study, we subjected the rats to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 3 to 8 weeks. The tests to ascertain depression-like behaviors including open field test (OFT) and forced swimming test (FST) were performed, and levels of morning fasting blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), body weight, food intake, histopathological examinations of liver, adipose tissues and hypothalamus, hypothalamic GLUT4 as well as the IL-6-mediated glucose homeostasis signaling pathway were measured. The results showed that CUMS exposure resulted in the depression-like behavior at various time points in rats. Moreover, the rats exhibited increased peripheral glucose levels, impaired hepatocytes and hippocampal neurons, and decreased hypothalamic GLUT4 levels after 6 weeks of CUMS exposure. Meanwhile, activated IL-6 but suppressed IL-6-mediated glucose homeostasis signaling was observed in the hypothalamus. Markers of lipid metabolism including TG, CHOL, HDL-C and LDL-C were dysregulated, and body weight and food intake were decreased in the CUMS-exposed rats. Our results show that depressed rats induced by 6-week CUMS stimulation display susceptibility to hyperglycemia, which is associated with IL-6-mediated inhibition of glucose homeostasis signaling in the hypothalamus.

Dockless electric scooters (E-Scooters) have emerged as a popular micro-mobility mode for urban transportation. This new form of mobility offers riders a flexible option for massive first-/last-mile trips. Despite the popularity, the limited regulations of E-Scooters raise numerous safety concerns among the public and agencies. Due to the unavailability of well-archived crash data, it is difficult to understand and characterize current state quo of E-Scooter-involved crashes. This paper aims to shorten the gap by analyzing a set of reported crash data to describe the patterns of crashes related to E-Scooter use. Specifically, massive media reports were searched and investigated for constructing the crash dataset. Key crash elements such as rider demographics, crash type, and location were organized in an information table for analysis. From 2017 to 2019, there were 169 E-Scooter-involved crashes identified from the news reports across the country. Through the descriptive analysis and cross tabulation analysis, the distinct characteristics of these reported crashes were highlighted. Overall, there was a growing trend for the reported E-Scooter-involved crashes unevenly distributed among the States. The distribution of the crashes across different groups of users, facilities, time periods, and severity levels also showed skewed patterns toward a subset of categories. The quantitative analyses also provide some supportive evidences for warranting the discussion on key issues, including helmet use, riding under influence (RUI), vulnerable riders, and data deficiency. This study highlights the importance of public awareness and timely developing safety countermeasures to mitigate crashes involving E-Scooters.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the severe complications of diabetes. Nowadays, effective treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is still limited. HK-2 cells were stimulated with serum from phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or Jiawei Shuilu Erxiandan (JSE)-treated DN mice, then long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CLYBL-AS2 was discovered by RNA sequence, following the comparison of the serum from normal patients with DN patients to confirm the role of lncCLYBL-AS2. Next, we performed in vitro studies to explore the effect of lncCLYBL-AS2 in DN and its molecular mechanism. Coptis, as one of the components of JSE, could decrease the expression of lncCLYBL-AS2, which is increased in DN and correlated with the severity of DN. Knockdown/overexpression of lncCLYBL-AS2 inhibited/promoted the invasion and fibrogenesis of HK-2 cells. Furthermore, lncCLYBL-AS2 was negatively correlated with miR-204-4p with a positive correlation with SNAI1; eventually, CLYBL-AS2 regulated SNAI1 by binding to miR-204-5p, which accounted for the inhibition of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibrogenesis. LncCLYBL-AS2 inhibited by Coptis improved EMT and fibrogenesis in HK-2 cells through miR-204-5p-SNAI1 axis, therefore, lncCLYBL-AS2 could serve as a potential diagnosis and therapeutic target for DN.

Highway horizontal curves (H-curves) provide a smooth transition between two tangent sections of roadways. They allow vehicles to adjust their travel directions gradually. However, the geometry changes of the highway sections with H-curves often raise safety concerns. In order to deploy effective safety countermeasures, a critical task is to understand the risk factors associated with H-curves. Existing studies have made efforts to probe the safety issues associated with H-curves, whereas they were limited to relatively small-scale examinations because of the challenges in identifying H-curves from large road networks. In addition, due to the lack of well-archived traffic and roadway information, gathering other data associated with the H-curves is also difficult. Regarding to these gaps, this study aims to leverage open-source data to analyze the crash risk of highway sections with H-curves. In particular, the present study highlights itself from two main aspects: (i) a H-curve extraction tool was developed to facilitate large-scale curve data collection through the analytics of different open source data; and (ii) a crash modeling framework was developed to quantify H-curve crash risk. A case study based on a statewide road network was performed to test the developed crash risk models with the collected curve data. The results show the opportunities of using the developed tool for large-scale data collection and analyze the safety impacts of H-curve geometric properties, elevation change, traffic exposure, among others. Findings of this study provide insights into the improvement of H-curve data collection and safety evaluation.

Background: Chronic stress is an important risk factor for depression. The nesfatin-1 (NES1)–oxytocin (OT)–proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neural pathway, which is involved in the stress response, was recently shown to have an anorectic effect in the hypothalamus. Our previous study showed that Xiaoyaosan, a well-known antidepressant used in traditional Chinese medicine, effectively relieved appetite loss induced by chronic immobilization stress (CIS). However, whether Xiaoyaosan ameliorates depression-like behaviors and anorexia by regulating the NES1-OT-POMC neural pathway remains unclear. Objective: To investigate whether the antidepressant-like and anti-anorexia effects of Xiaoyaosan are related to the NES1-OT-POMC neural pathway in the hypothalamus. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into control, CIS, Xiaoyaosan treatment, and fluoxetine treatment groups. The rats in the CIS, Xiaoyaosan treatment, and fluoxetine treatment groups were subjected to CIS for 21 consecutive days, during which they were administered distilled water, a Xiaoyaosan decoction [3.854 g/(kg·d)] or fluoxetine [1.76 mg/(kg·d)], respectively, by gavage, and their body weights and food intake were monitored daily. The rats were subsequently subjected to the open field test and sucrose preference test. Then, the expression levels of corticosterone and NES1 in the serum and the expression levels of NES1, OT, POMC, and melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) in the hypothalamus were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and immunochemistry. Furthermore, immunofluorescence double staining was used to determine whether related proteins in the hypothalamic NES1-OT-POMC neural pathway were co-expressed. Results: Compared to control rats, rats exposed to CIS exhibited gradually less food intake and lower body weights and significantly increased concentrations of NES1 in the serum and paraventricular nucleus. Moreover, the expression levels of POMC, OT, and MC4R in the hypothalamus were significantly higher in the CIS group than those in the control group. However, these changes were reversed by pretreatment with Xiaoyaosan and fluoxetine. Specifically, the expression levels of members of the NES1-OT-POMC neural pathway were lower in the Xiaoyaosan-treated group than in the CIS group. Conclusion: Xiaoyaosan ameliorates CIS-induced depression-like behaviors and anorexia by regulating the NES1-OT-POMC neural pathway in the hypothalamus.

A syndrome (Zheng in Chinese) plays a critical role in disease identification, diagnosis, and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Clinically, the liver Qi stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome (LQSSDS) is one of the most common syndrome patterns. Over the past few decades, several animal models have been developed to understand the potential mechanisms of LQSSDS, but until now, simulation of the syndrome is still unclear. Recently, several studies have confirmed that an animal model combining a disease and a syndrome is appropriate for simulating TCM syndromes. Overlapping previous studies have reported that depression is highly associated with LQSSDS; hence, we attempted to develop a rat model combining depression and LQSSDS. We exposed the rats to different durations of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Subsequently, the evaluation indicators at macrolevel consisted of behavioral tests including open field test, sucrose preference test, and forced swim test, food intake, body weight, white adipose tissue, fecal water content, visceral hypersensitivity, and small bowel transit, and the evaluation indicators at microlevel included changes of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Serum D-xylose absorption was used to comprehensively confirm and assess whether the model was successful during the CUMS-induced process. The results showed that rats exposed to 6-week CUMS procedure exhibited significantly similar traits to the phenotypes of LQSSDS and depression. This study provided a new rat model for the LQSSDS and could potentially lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of LQSSDS and the development of new drugs for this syndrome.

This paper aims to model and analyze the changes in daily driving patterns of taxis in a disrupted market due to the boom in e-hailing services. This is accomplished by mining large-scale t...

The functional regulation of the orexin system in the central nervous system is closely related to the occurrence and development of psychotic disorders. Abnormal changes in the lateral region of the hypothalamus are associated with the comorbidity of depression and physical symptoms, and how the traditional Chinese formula Xiaoyaosan regulates these changes may reveal aspects of the pathogenesis of depression. This study aimed to establish a rat model of depression in order to examine changes in Orexin A/OxR1 expression in the lateral region of the hypothalamus and the effects of Xiaoyaosan. Sixty specific pathogen-free (SPF) male healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used in the experiment and randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the Xiaoyaosan group and the fluoxetine group. The depression model was established by 21-day chronic immobilization stress (CIS). Food intake and body weight were recorded, and the sucrose preference test (SPT) and open field test (OFT) were used to evaluate the model. Then, the expression of Orexin A/OxR1 in the hypothalamus was measured by ELISA, Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. The expression of Orexin A and OxR1 in the lateral hypothalamic area was significantly down regulated in the model group, compared with the control group. Xiaoyaosan significantly reversed these changes with obvious curative effects. Abnormal changes in Orexin A/OxR1 in the lateral hypothalamic area of rats with depression caused by chronic stress are closely related to the pathogenesis of depression accompanied by physical symptoms. Xiaoyaosan can improve depression accompanied by physical symptoms by regulating Orexin A/OxR1.

The phase analysis method for quadratic phase of DHM system and the phase-shifting amount of the structured illumination is presented, which is based on the principle component analysis. The experimental results validate this method.

We present a phase shift extraction algorithm in digital holographic microscopy under structured illumination based on principal component analysis(PCA) method. The experinments is obtained satisfactory results by this method and shows 78% resolution improvement.

We investigated the microarray data GSE42352 to identify genes that can be used as prognosis factors in osteosarcoma. Gene Ontology (GO) biological process analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of Cytoscape ClueGo were used in verifying the function of different genes. Realtime-PCR were used to confirm the microarray results. 83 patient samples were collected and underwent Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and multivariate analysis to predict the prospect of genes using as prognosis factors. After analyzing the microarray data GSE42352, mitosis metaphase to anaphase-related genes CDC20, securin, cyclin A2 and cyclin B2 were found to be overexpressed in osteosarcoma cell lines. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that overexpression of these genes can predict poor prognosis outcomes in osteosarcoma patients. Furthermore, any combination of the four genes seems to be more effective in predicting osteosarcoma outcomes than any of these genes alone. CDC20 and its downstream substracts securin, cyclin A2 and cyclin B2 are good factors that can predict prognosis outcomes in osteosarcoma. Any two combination of these four genes are more effective to be used as osteosarcoma prognosis factors.

The emergence of shared electric scooters (E-Scooters) has drawn the significant attention of local governments in many urban areas. Despite the fast growth in the number of trips, current guidelines for using E-Scooters have consistently experienced lags in development. Existing guidelines, in some cities, are rather vague and vary drastically across different areas. This paper aims to analyze current municipal requirements for the use of E-Scooters in the U.S., and to discuss more gaps for improvement. Specifically, E-Scooter user guidelines of 156 cities were explored. A multifaceted analysis was conducted to characterize the distinct features of E-Scooter user guidelines. A total of sixteen key attributes were identified and two categorizing procedures were implemented in the analysis. The comparative results show the completeness of information and similarities between cities. We conclude that municipalities should introduce more actionable guidelines driven by quantitative performance metrics.

Background Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP) is one of the most common complex pain conditions, and it is strongly associated with high rates of disability. Even though several studies on Tui na for CNLBP have been reported, to our knowledge there has been no systematic review of the currently available publications. Objective This study aims to develop a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tui na therapy for patients with CNLBP. Methods An electronic literature search of PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Springer, Scopus, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Clarivate Analytics, and Chinese biomedical databases (the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-fang database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Databases) will be conducted. Studies will be screened by two reviewers independently based on titles and abstracts, followed by a full-text reading with eligibility criteria. Randomized controlled trials involving Tui na for patients with CNLBP will be reviewed. The primary outcomes of the study are improvement of pain, analgesic medication reduction, improvement of functional disability, and degree of satisfaction with the intervention. A secondary outcome is any adverse event of Tui na intervention. Methodological quality and risk of bias will be assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. If studies are sufficient, a meta-analysis of the effectiveness will be performed. If possible, we will evaluate publication bias using funnel plots. If substantial heterogeneity between studies is present, and there are sufficient studies, subgroup analyses will be conducted to explain the study findings. Results The review database searches will be initiated in December 2020, with findings expected by January 2021. Conclusions This protocol will establish a framework of a high-quality literature synthesis on the impact of Tui na treatment in patients with CNLBP. The proposed review will determine whether Tui na is effective and safe for CNLBP patients. Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42020166731; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=166731 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/20615

Strong artificial magnetic responses play a pivotal role in the unique optical properties of metamaterials, such as cloaking, Fano resonance, and negative refraction. We investigate the magnetic resonances of gain-assisted Si nanospheres and SiO2–Si nanoshells. It is found that the super-resonances occur successively at the octupole, quadrupole, and dipole magnetic modes of the active Si nanosphere or SiO2–Si nanoshell by changing the gain coefficient. At the super-resonances, the magnetic scatterings and the local electric fields are all extremely enhanced. The corresponding surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) enhancement factors at the magnetic super-resonances could reach about 1010–1015, which are enough for single-molecule detection. In particular, the electric scatterings of the active Si nanosphere and SiO2–Si nanoshell are all very weak at the super-resonances. Therefore, the active Si nanosphere and SiO2–Si nanoshell should be excellent SERS substrates with weak background radiation. The e...

Introduction Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a serious form of premenstrual syndrome with mental symptoms as its main manifestation, which seriously affects women's health and daily life. Some basic research and clinical studies have shown that the Chinese herbal medicine of Xiaoyaosan can relieve the symptoms of mental disorders with few side effects. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Xiaoyaosan for treating PMDD with liver-qi depression syndrome. In addition, metabonomics and small molecular marker compounds closely related to the pathogenesis of PMDD are expected to be found, and mechanism of Xiaoyaosan is further explored from the metabolic level. Methods and analysis This study is a clinical pilot trial. Thirty PMDD patients with liver-qi depression syndrome and thirty healthy participants will be recruited. Study participants will be assigned in a 1:1 ratio to 2 groups: a normal control group and Xiaoyaosan treatment group. The treatment group will receive the Chinese patent medicine of Xiaoyaosan for 3 menstrual cycles. The primary outcome is the syndrome change in the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP). The secondary outcome is improvement in TCM syndrome, which will be measured with TCM symptom score scale. Urine metabolism profiles of participants by liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) method will be measured to explore the mechanism of PMDD pathogenesis and action of Xiaoyaosan on PMDD. Discussion This trial will evaluate the effectiveness and the therapeutic mechanism from the metabolomics level of Xiaoyaosan in individuals with PMDD. If successful, the outcome of this trial will provide a viable treatment option for PMDD patients and objective evidence on the efficacy of Xiaoyaosan for PMDD. Ethics and dissemination The trial has been approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Dongzhimen Hospital Affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (file number: DZMEC-KY-2019-73). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals or communicated via yearly reports to funding bodies. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900026296.

Background: The apelin-APJ system has been considered to play a crucial role in HPA axis function, and how the traditional Chinese compound prescription Xiaoyaosan regulates the apelin-APJ system as a supplement to treat depressive disorders. Objective: To investigate the depression-like behaviors and expression of apelin and APJ in hypothalamus of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice and study whether these changes related to the regulation of Xiaoyaosan. Methods: 60 adult C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups, including control group, CUMS group, Xiaoyaosan treatment group and fluoxetine treatment group. Mice in the control group and CUMS group received 0.5 mL physiological saline once a day by intragastric administration. Mice in two treatment groups received Xiaoyaosan (0.25 g/kg/d) and fluoxetine (2.6 mg/kg/d), respectively. After 21 days of modeling with CUMS, the expression of apelin and APJ in hypothalamus were measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, western blot and immunohistochemical staining. The physical condition, body weight, food intake and behavior tests such as open field test, sucrose preference test and force swimming test were measured to evaluate depressive-like behaviors. Results: In this study, significant behavioral changes were found in CUMS-induced mice, meanwhile the expressions of apelin and APJ in the hypothalamus were changed after modeling. The body weight, food-intake and depressive-like behaviors in CUMS-induced mice could be improved by Xiaoyaosan treatment which is similar with the efficacy of fluoxetine, while the expressions of apelin and APJ in hypothalamus were modified by Xiaoyaosan. Conclusions: The data suggest that apelin-APJ system changes in the hypothalamus may be a target of depressive disorders, and the beneficial effects of Chinese compound prescription Xiaoyaosan on depressive-like behaviors may be mediated by the apelin-APJ system.

We present a single-shot resolution enhancement method under grating-based illumination in the digital holographic microscopy. The recorded information without crosstalk is separated by multiplexing techniques. The method is verified by the experiments.

By considering the jump effect of magnetostrictive materials, a novel structure of PZT-ring/TDF-strip magnetoelectric composite is proposed to achieve magnetically tunable electromechanical resonance with a DC bias magnetic field. With the jump effect induced piezomagnetic coefficient of the Tb 0.3 Dy 0.7 Fe 1.92 strip, the resonance properties of the Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 ring are theoretically studied and experimentally measured. The highly consistent results prove that the proposed composite has two resonant frequencies with improved sensitivity (133 Hz/Oe) and enhanced resolution (722 ppm/Oe) of resonance shift, which provide the feasibility of magnetically tunable electromechanical resonance with a low magnetic field and suggest the application potential for controllable sonar transducer.

A fiber-optic micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) pressure sensor exploiting microwave photonics filtering technique is firstly proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A single-bandpass microwave photonic filter (MPF) which mainly consists of a spectrum-sliced light source, a pressurized EFPI, a phase modulator (PM) and a length of dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) is demonstrated. The frequency response of the filter with respect to the pressure is studied. By detecting the resonance frequency shifts of the MPF, the pressure can be determined. The theoretical and experimental results show that the proposed EFPI pressure sensor has a higher resolution and higher speed than traditional methods based on optical spectrum analysis. The sensitivity of the sensor is measured to be as high as 86 MHz/MPa in the range of 0–4MPa.

Based on the principle of Lorentz force induced acoustic vibration, radiation theory comparison between acoustic point and dipole sources was conducted for magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI). It is proved that each acoustic source of MAT-MI is produced by the divergence of the magnetically induced Lorentz force, and the detected acoustic pressure is the integral of all diffraction sources inside the object. Wave clusters are produced by abrupt pressure changes at conductivity boundaries, and only the configurations in terms of shape and size of phantom models can be reconstructed. However, different from point source, positive and negative pressures are generated by the radiation pattern of dipole sources. Reverse vibration phases of wave clusters in collected waveforms and opposite polarities of borderline stripes in reconstructed images are produced at conductivity boundaries, representing the direction of conductivity changes. The experimentally collected waveforms and reconstructed images of the aluminum foil cylinder and cylindrical saline gel phantom model agree well with simulated results. The favorable results prove the validity of the radiation theory of acoustic dipole source and provide basis for further investigation of conductivity reconstruction for MAT-MI.

In the present study, power ultrasound is applied to improve the permeability of the solid-state fabricated PLA foams with different cell sizes. It is experimentally proved that cell interconnection and the permeability is improved with the increasing of power ultrasound radiation intensity. Furthermore, an insert-substitution testing approach is put forward to perform acoustic measurement and property characterization for the PLA foams before and after ultrasound radiation. The experimental results indicate that the attenuation coefficient of the close-celled PLA foams decreases exponentially with respect to the saturation pressure and it shows linear behavior with respect to the ultrasound radiation intensity. The favorable results suggest the feasibility of the proposed technologies of ultrasound-assisted permeability improvement and acoustic characterization for the application of the solid-state foamed PLA foams in tissue engineering.

A novel approach for contrast enhancement of the edge is proposed by employing Airy spiral filter in optical microscopy. The proposed technique reduces the diffraction noise more efficiently and achieves high quality edge enhancement images.

The existing photonic switch matrices usually show the drawbacks of either a large footprint or high cross talk. Here, we propose a compact InGaAsP/InP rearrangeable nonblocking 4×4 photonic switch fabric based on 2×2 Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) switch elements in a Benes architecture. Each switch element consists of two frustrated total internal reflection (TIR) couplers and TIR mirrors serving as 90° waveguide bends, forming the square layout configuration of the 2×2 MZI switches. We investigate the design parameters of the switch element and 4×4 photonic switch matrix by using FDTD and transfer matrix methods, respectively. Our analysis results show that the proposed device exhibits an ultracompact chip size of ∼340 μm×120 μm, the minimum cross talk of -23 dB in the 1.5∼1.6 μm wavelength range, the total insertion loss of ∼3.9 dB, the low electrical energy of ∼0.4 pJ/bit, and an operation speed up to 50 GHz. Experimentally, we can demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating 2×2 MZI switches and an operational low-loss trench-coupler. The enabling component of the 2×2 MZI switch can scale its pattern in the 2D directions. This as-formed compact 4×4 switch fabric can be potentially applied in large-scale InP-based photonic integrated circuits.

In order to improve the capability of particle trapping close to the source plane, theoretical and experimental studies on near-field multiple traps of paraxial acoustic vortices (AVs) with a strengthened acoustic gradient force (AGF) generated by a sector transducer array were conducted. By applying the integration of point source radiation, numerical simulations for the acoustic fields generated by the sector transducer array were conducted and compared with those produced by the circular transducer array. It was proved that strengthened AGFs of near-field multiple AVs with higher peak pressures and smaller vortex radii could be produced by the sector transducer array with a small topological charge. The axial distributions of the equivalent potential gradient indicated that the AGFs of paraxial AVs in the near field were much higher than those in the far field, and the distances at the near-field vortex antinodes were also proved to be the ideal trapping positions with relatively higher AGFs. With the established 8-channel AV generation system, theoretical studies were also verified by the experimental measurements of pressure and phase for AVs with various topological charges. The formation of near-field multiple paraxial AVs was verified by the cross-sectional circular pressure distributions with perfect phase spirals around central pressure nulls, and was also proved by the vortex nodes and antinodes along the center axis. The favorable results demonstrated the feasibility of generating near-field multiple traps of paraxial AVs with strengthened AGF using the sector transducer array, and suggested the potential applications of close-range particle trapping in biomedical engineering.

In this paper, a phase-coded pulse technique is proposed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the 3rd harmonic imaging in transmission mode, where three pulses with initial phases of 0°, 120° and 240° are transmitted and their corresponding received signals are linearly summed. By means of simulations and measurements, we show that the 3rd harmonic is enhanced by 9.5 dB, whereas the fundamental or the 2nd harmonic components are suppressed; the axial and lateral beam profiles of the processed 3rd harmonics are superior to those of the fundamental or 2nd harmonic components. In addition, this technique is applied to obtain the 3rd harmonic images for two normal and pathological biological tissues in transmission mode. This technique yields a dramatically cleaner and sharper contrast than the images obtained by the traditional fundamental imaging and the 2nd harmonic imaging, which helps distinguish the normal and pathological states of tissues.

Low-intensity focused ultrasound is a form of therapy that can have reversible acoustothermal effects on biological tissue, depending on the exposure parameters. The acoustic power (AP) should be chosen with caution for the sake of safety. To recover the energy of counteracted radial vibrations at the focal point, an accurate AP measurement method using the focal axial vibration velocity (FAVV) is proposed in explicit formulae and is demonstrated experimentally using a laser vibrometer. The experimental APs for two transducers agree well with theoretical calculations and numerical simulations, showing that AP is proportional to the square of the FAVV, with a fixed power gain determined by the physical parameters of the transducers. The favorable results suggest that the FAVV can be used as a valuable parameter for non-contact AP measurement, providing a new strategy for accurate power control for low-intensity focused ultrasound in biomedical engineering.

Surface plasmons (SPs) in ultraviolet (UV) have attracted a great deal of attention because of their emerging applications in energy resources, environmental protection, and biotechnology. In this article, the dielectric loaded surface plasmon polariton (DLSPP) properties of the Al–Al nanostructure are investigated theoretically. Sharp SP responses can be obtained in deep UV by setting an insulator grating on the aluminum film. It is found that the height of the grating element, the lattice parameter, and the filling factor can all modulate the DLSPPs of the AlO–Al nanostructure. We further find that this structure is sensitive to the embedding medium and can serve as a refractive index sensor in the UV region. The corresponding sensitivity increases with the decrease of the filling factor. The Al–Al nanostructure may be useful for medical diagnostics and biotechnology in deep UV.

Based on the radiation pattern of a planar piston transducer, the mechanisms underlying the generation of axially controllable deep-level stereoscopic multiple traps of acoustic vortices (AV) using sparse directional sources were proposed with explicit formulae. Numerical simulations for the axial and cross-sectional distributions of acoustic pressure and phase were conducted for various ka (product of the wave number and the radius of transducer) values at the frequency of 1 MHz. It was demonstrated that, for bigger ka, besides the main-AV (M-AV) generated by the main lobes of the sources, cone-shaped side-AV (S-AV) produced by the side lobes were closer to the source plane at a relatively lower pressure. Corresponding to the radiation angles of pressure nulls between the main lobe and the side lobes of the sources, vortex valleys with nearly pressure zero could be generated on the central axis to form multiple traps, based on Gor'kov potential theory. The number and locations of vortex valleys could be ...

Both theoretical and experimental studies were performed here to investigate the lesion formation induced by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) operating in continuous scanning mode along a spiral pathway. The Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation and bio-heat equation were combined in the current model to predict HIFU-induced temperature distribution and lesion formation. The shape of lesion and treatment efficiency were assessed for a given scanning speed at two different grid spacing (3 mm and 4 mm) in both the gel phantom and ex vivo studies. The results show that uniform lesions can be generated by the homogenization of thermal diffusion along the spiral scanning pathway. The complete coverage of the entire treated volume can be achieved as long as the spacing grid of the spiral pathway is smaller than a critical value that right matches the maximum thermal diffusion dimension, and the treatment efficiency can be optimized by selecting an appropriate scanning speed. This study can provide gu...

An improved design of ultrasound focusing lens is reported, in which a periodical array of grooves were carved on the surface of a conventional lens. With vibrations produced by a planar wave transducer coupled to the lens’s left surface, each groove could be treated as a point source as long as the groove widths are much smaller than the acoustic wavelength. Several uncommon acoustic effects (e.g., collimation and enhanced acoustic transmission) have been incorporated into the designing, providing the benefits ranging from transferring acoustic energies, suppressing the side-lobes, and minimizing shifting of the focal point. It is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that acoustic focusing achieved by using the lens can suppress the relative side-lobe amplitudes, enhance the focal gain, and minimize the shifting of the focus. The application of the corrugated lens can make a reduction of about 3 dB in the relative side-lobe amplitudes, a 3.6-dB increase in main-lobe amplitude, and reduction or e...

Recent development in applications of new biomaterials and biomedical engineering enable the tissue engineering to become a promising cartilage repair technique. Here, a 3-D alginate scaffold was fabricated by a cross-linked method. Experiments were performed to investigate how the porosity and permeability of the 3-D scaffold, as well as the proliferation rate of seeded cells, were affected by the ultrasound exposure parameters. The scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence imaging were used to examine the micro-structure, porosity, and permeability of the scaffolds, and biochemical analyses were applied to assess the cell growth in the scaffold. The optimum low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) driving parameters that benefit the enhancement of scaffold porosity and cell proliferation were also explored. The results suggest that, for the scaffold exposed to LIPU, its porosity and permeability could be significantly enhanced by the increasing LIPU amplitude, which might be induced by the microstream...

A novel scheme for counting pedestrians in a large scene is presented in this paper. A panoramic imaging system, GigaPan, is employed to capture a high-resolution panorama that can cover a large area, such as a square, across 360 degrees. An improved object recognition method based on Exemplar-Support Vector Machines (SVMs) is used to detect pedestrians from the panoramic image. A histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) is used to characterize the objects. Due to the huge number of pixels in the high-resolution panorama, the time cost of the pedestrian counting is extremely high. A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)-based scheme for parallel computation is adopted to reduce the time cost. The experimental results show that the proposed method is effective.

As an acoustic receiver, transducer plays a vital role in signal acquisition and image reconstruction for magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI). In order to optimize signal acquisition, the expressions of acoustic pressure detection and waveform collection are theoretically studied based on the radiation theory of acoustic dipole and the reception pattern of transducer. Pressure distributions are simulated for a cylindrical phantom model using a planar piston transducer with different radii and bandwidths. The proposed theory is also verified by the experimental measurements of acoustic waveform detection for an aluminum foil cylinder. It is proved that acoustic pressure with sharp and clear boundary peaks can be detected by the large-radius transducer with wide bandwidth, reflecting the differential of the induced Lorentz force accurately, which is helpful for precise conductivity reconstruction. To detect acoustic pressure with acceptable pressure amplitude, peak pressure ratio, am...

The shortest addition chains can provide high efficiency for the modular exponentiation in RSA, but the time and space complexity of finding out the shortest addition chains is extremely high. This research adopts addition chains tree to produce addition chains and store them into a database,in which the number of child nodes of each node is uncertain until the children of this node in the tree is completed. When we retrieve a number which does not exist in the database in this method, the system will automatically expand the tree to reach it; meanwhile, if the number is already available in the database, we can get the result very quickly without the further data calculation. The favorable results of the theoretical analysis and the experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is more efficient than the other methods.

The Data Matrix Code (DMC) recorded by the multilayered waveguide optical card (MWOC) is distorted seriously in the fabrication and readout procedure. Digital image processing is applied to the acquired image from the WMOC to decrease the distortion introduced in the two-dimensional data recoding and reading procedures. In this paper, some digital image processing algorithms are put forward such as with Butterworth Lowpass Filter (BLPF) technique to reduce noise in the frequency domain, with implementing first order digital derivative to the sum profile of the gray-level in the horizontal and vertical lines to trace the contour of the whole DMC from the image to realize image segmentation, with the region filling with 0 or 1 after the calculation of the side size of the code bit and its center coordinate as well as the regions division to satisfy the code bit blocking. With these processing, we can restore the round code point to square shape. And the experimental result shows the feasibilty of the proposed reconstruction methodology and DMC can be decoded correctly and effectively.