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An improved GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) small‐signal equivalent model is proposed. To model the effects of extrinsic parameters that vary with the bias voltage, RL and Lds are added to the model. Moreover, substrate‐related parameters (Rsub and Csub) are used to model the substrate effect. In order to avoid damaging the gate under high forward gate pressure conditions, an accurate parasitic parameter extraction method is proposed, which improves the reliability and validity of the parameter extraction. The S‐parameters of the proposed model are in good agreement with the measured S‐parameters in the range of 0.5–20.5 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing stretchable strain sensors with high sensitivity and stability is crucial for various applications such as prosthetic hands, human health monitoring, and human‐machine interactions. However, achieving these qualities simultaneously remains challenging. Here, an inherently stretchable strain sensor is presented that integrates ultrahigh sensitivity and robust stability, enabling stretch, press, or bend sensing capabilities. This sensor employs a softer elastomeric channel filled with liquid metal (LM) as the conductive path. A stiffer elastomer convex integrated into the channel serves as a strain‐manipulated gate, controlling opening gap of electrical current flow path. During deformation, the softer elastomer undergoes cross sectional reduction due to the Poisson effect, while the stiffer convex gate retains its geometry. This heterogeneous deformation behavior leads to significant contraction or closure of the LM channel, resulting in increased resistance and a remarkable enhancement in sensitivity by more than two orders of magnitude. The all‐soft design maintains exceptional stability even under extended or repetitive substantial deformations. With the ability to monitor subtle and large human body movements, detect grip actions of soft grippers reliably, and monitor the gradual and extended growth process of plants, this sensor holds significant potential for advancements in flexible electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The on‐chip near‐infrared (NIR) lasing devices based on van der Waals (vdW) layered materials are highly desired owing to their widespread applications in optoelectronic communication, computing, and sensing. However, the single‐mode NIR lasing devices with superior performance based on vdW layered materials are hard to obtain because of complex and meticulous microcavity structure and the damage to layered materials during preparation. Here, a high‐quality NIR single‐mode lasing device in γ‐phase indium selenide (γ‐InSe) is achieved by using a transferrable planar microcavity. The single‐mode lasing devices based on distributed Bragg reflectors microcavity and super Tamm structure can be simply prepared with quality factors up to 5710 and 3526, respectively. And angle‐resolved spectra show that the lasing device has high directionality with divergence angle <5°. Moreover, the wavelength of lasing device can be tuned ≈30 nm by varying the cavity length via thickness control of γ‐InSe layer. These results not only suggest that γ‐InSe is a promising material for NIR lasing devices, but also present a simple and effective approach for preparing high‐quality lasing devices utilizing other vdW layered materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial dysfunction and myocardial remodeling have been reported to be the main underlying molecular mechanisms of doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. SIRT6 is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide‐dependent enzyme that plays a vital role in cardiac protection against various stresses. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that FSTL1 could alleviate doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting autophagy. The present study investigated the probable mechanisms of FSTL1 on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity in vivo and in vitro. We confirmed that FSTL1 exerted a pivotal protective role on cardiac tissue in vivo and on doxorubicin‐induced cell injury in vitro. Furthermore, FSTL1 can alleviate doxorubicin‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction by inhibiting autophagy and apoptosis. Further studies demonstrated that FSTL1 can activate SIRT6 signaling by restoring the SIRT6 protein expression in doxorubicin‐induced myocardial injury. SIRT6 activation elevated the protein expression of Nrf2 in doxorubicin‐induced H9C2 injury. Treatment with the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 partially antagonized the cardioprotective role of SIRT6 on doxorubicin‐induced autophagy or apoptosis. These results suggested that the protective mechanism of FSTL1 on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity may be related with the inhibition of autophagy and apoptosis, partly through the activation of SIRT6/Nrf2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While smoking is widely acknowledged as a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the connection between secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and RA in never-smoking adults remains limited and inconsistent. This study aims to explore and quantify this association using serum cotinine levels. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 14,940 adults who self-report as never smokers, using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2018. Based on previous literature, SHS exposure was categorized into four groups according to serum cotinine levels. Compared to individuals in the unexposed group (serum cotinine < 0.05 ng/mL), the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for RA was 1.37 (95% CI 1.14–1.64, p = 0.001) in the low exposure group (serum cotinine at 0.05 to 0.99 ng/mL) after adjusting for covariates. However, no significant association was found in the moderate exposure group (serum cotinine at 1 to 10 ng/mL) or the heavy exposure group (serum cotinine ≥ 10 ng/mL). Furthermore, we detected a non-linear, positively saturated correlation between the cotinine levels after log2 transformation and RA, with a turning point at approximately − 2.756 ng/mL (OR = 1.163, 95% CI 1.073–1.261, p = 0.0002). The stability of the results was confirmed by subgroup analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear and weakly nonlinear stability of viscoelastic film flowing down a slippery inclined plane is investigated analytically. Under the assumption of the long wave approximation, the first-order Benny equation of Oldroyd-B fluid thin film with slip condition is obtained. Through the normal mode analysis, the neutral stability curve and the temporal growth rates are calculated to explore the linear stability of the film. Linear results show that the critical Reynolds number decreases with the increase in slip length and viscoelastic parameter and that the liquid film may exhibit pure elastic instability. For the nonlinear stability analysis, both hydrodynamic instability and elastic instability are discussed. The primary bifurcations in the phase plane are identified by calculating the Landau coefficient, i.e., the unconditional stable region, the supercritical region, the subcritical region, and the explosive region. The dependence of primary bifurcation regions upon the slip length and Deborah number are studied, and the results indicate that the slip boundary and viscoelasticity destabilizes the flow. According to the Ginzburg–Landau equation, the threshold amplitude of the nonlinear equilibrium solution is analyzed as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual near-infrared imaging equipment has broad applications in various fields such as venipuncture, facial injections, and safety verification due to its noncontact, compact, and portable design. Currently, most studies utilize near-infrared single-wavelength for image acquisition of veins. However, many substances in the skin, including water, protein, and melanin can create significant background noise, which hinders accurate detection. In this paper, we developed a dual-wavelength imaging system with phase-locked denoising technology to acquire vein image. The signals in the effective region are compared by using the absorption valley and peak of hemoglobin at 700 nm and 940 nm, respectively. The phase-locked denoising algorithm is applied to decrease the noise and interference of complex surroundings from the images. The imaging results of the vein are successfully extracted in complex noise environment. It is demonstrated that the denoising effect on hand veins imaging can be improved with 57.3% by using our dual-wavelength phase-locked denoising technology. Consequently, this work proposes a novel approach for venous imaging with dual-wavelengths and phase-locked denoising algorithm to extract venous imaging results in complex noisy environment better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of the study is to determine whether the use of labor analgesia had a higher risk of pelvic floor functional problems after delivery. Study Design All primiparas who delivered at our hospital between June 2019 and May 2020 were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups according to their choices: delivery with labor analgesia (analgesia group, n = 76), and delivery without labor analgesia (nonanalgesia group, n = 78). The primary outcome of the study was to test the pelvic floor function by electromyography (EMG) at postpartum 6 to 8 weeks. Participants also completed questionnaires including Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20), International Consultation on Incontinent Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) at postpartum 6 to 8 weeks. Results Primiparas in the analgesia group experienced longer first and second stages of labor (p < 0.05), and had significantly higher PFDI-20 scores at postpartum 6 to 8 weeks (p < 0.05). But the differences in ICIQ-SF, OABSS scores, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system between the two groups were not significant (p > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in class II and class I muscles, scores of pretest resting baseline, and posttest resting baseline between primiparas with or without labor analgesia (p > 0.05). Conclusion Our results strongly confirmed that labor analgesia did not increase the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction up to 6 to 8 weeks after delivery, although symptom burden might be increased after labor analgesia. Key Points Labor analgesia did not increase risk of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction after delivery. There are longer first and second stages of labor in primiparas with labor analgesia. Primiparas with labor analgesia had more obvious subjective symptoms of PFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperspectral LiDAR (HSL) has been utilized as an efficacious technique in object classification and recognition based on its unique capability to obtain ranges and spectra synchronously. Different kinds of HSL prototypes with varied structures have been promoted and measured its performance. However, almost all of these HSL prototypes employ complex and large spectroscopic devices, such as an Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter and Liquid-Crystal Tunable Filter, which makes this HSL system bulky and expensive, and then hinders its extensive application in many fields. In this paper, a smart and smaller spectroscopic component, an intergraded optical filter (IOF), is promoted to miniaturize these HSL systems. The system calibration, range precision, and spectral profile experiments were carried out to test the HSL prototype. Although the IOF employed here only covered a wavelength range of 699–758 nm with a six-channel passband and showed a transmittance of less than 50%, the HSL prototype showed excellent performance in ranging and spectral profile collecting. The spectral profiles collected are well in accordance with those acquired based on the AOTF. The spectral profiles of the fruits, vegetables, plants, and ore samples collected by the HSL based on an IOF can effectively reveal the status of the plants, the component materials, and ore species. Finally, we also showed the integrated design of the HSL based on a three-dimensional IOF and combined with a detector. The performance and designs of this HSL system based on an IOF show great potential for miniaturizing in some specific applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among patients with placenta retention, the risk factors of massive blood loss remain unclear. In this study, a secondary data analysis was conducted to construct a predictive risk model for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in this particular population. A prediction model based on the data of 13 hospitals in the UK, Uganda, and Pakistan, from December 2004, to May 2008 was built. A total of 516 patients and 14 potential risk factors were analyzed. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) model was used to optimize feature selection for the PPH risk model. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to build a prediction model incorporating the LASSO model. Discrimination and calibration were assessed using C-index and calibration plot. Among patients with placenta retention, the incidence of PPH was 62.98% (325/526). Risk factors in the model were country, number of past deliveries, previous manual removal of placenta, place of placenta delivery, and how the placenta was delivered. In these factors, patients in the low-income country (i.e., Uganda) (OR: 1.753, 95% CI=1.055–2.915), retained placentas delivered in the theater (OR: 2.028, 95% CI=1.016–4.050), and having placentas partially removed by controlled cord traction (cct), completely removed manually (OR: 4.722, 95% CI=1.280–17.417) were independent risk factors. The C-statistics was 0.702. By secondary data analysis, our study constructed a prediction model for PPH in patients with placenta retention, and identified the independent risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient solid emitters with planar architectures are desirable for some practical applications. However, molecules with coplanar structures and conformational rigidity generally exhibit small Stokes shifts, thus resulting in self-absorption. Multi-aromatic hydrocarbons are one typical example that easily undergoes aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) due to intermolecular π-π interactions. Herein, a highly planar seven-ringed dye containing benzothiazole- and triphenyl-fused moieties (HTpT) without any bulky or propeller-shaped substituent at its periphery was facilely synthesized from a Cu+-catalyzed Scholl reaction. By extending the phenyl in excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT)-active dye (HBT) to naphthyl (HNT) and to triphenyl (HTpT), HNT shows hypsochromic emission and small Stokes shift (20 nm) in comparison with parent HBT, and suffers from ACQ. Contrarily, HTpT exhibits bright red solid-state fluorescence (λ em : 600 nm, Φ f : 22.7%) with a 200 nm Stokes shift. Steady-state fluorescence spectra, theoretical calculations, and X-ray diffraction analysis are performed to elucidate these different photo-physical properties. In addition, unlike most lysosomal targeting probes containing proton-binding amino or morpholine moieties, which can cause an "alkalinizing effect" that interferes with the activity of normal cells, HTpT without a basic amino group can specifically light up cellular lysosomes. Image 1 • Two dyes through extending phenyl in HBT to naphthyl (HNT) and to triphenyl (HTpT) were synthesized. • Experimental observation and theoretical calculation exhibits that both HNT and HTpT are ESIPT-active. • The reinforced intramolecular hydrogen bonding accounts for the AIE property of HTpT. • The small Stokes shift and the resultant self-absorption are responsible for the ACQ property of HNT. • HTpT without a basic amino group can specifically light up cellular lysosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonication, xylanase and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) treatments were applied to modify wheat bran arabinoxylan (AX) molecules. Molecular weight (Mw) distribution analysis, methylation analysis, rheological analysis and starch in vitro digestibility test were followed to compare the structural and functional properties of AX under different treatments. Different degradation methods decreased the Mw of AX in distinct manners, resulting in fractions with different structural features. Ultrasound treatment decreased the Mw of AX (640 kDa) to medium size range (640–100 kDa) with a slightly decreased degree of branching (DOB). Xylanase and TFA treatments could generate fragments with relative lower Mw (<100 kDa) compared to ultrasound treatment. However, sugar residues of AX from xylanase treatment showed a much higher DOB (47.89) and better solubility than those from TFA treatment. AX of larger Mw fractions showed higher apparent viscosity under the shear rate (50.3/s) close to the value induced by gastrointestinal peristaltic. In vitro digestion experiments of AX-starch mixture and AX fortified bread both showed that the higher Mw of the AX demonstrated a better inhibitory effect against starch digestibility, leading to a higher percentage of resistant starch. According to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, AX could inhibit the retrogradation of wheat starch during bread storage, which provides complementary information for the above-mentioned conclusions. Image 1 • Three arabinoxylan fractions with different molecular weight were obtained. • The structural and functional features of different fractions were investigated. • All fractions showed inhibition on in vitro digestibility of starch and bread. • All fractions could inhibited the retrogradation of bread during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the photoactive layer gravely affects the characteristics and stabilities of photovoltaic device. Here, by introducing polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the methylammonium lead trihalide (MAPbI 3) precursor solution, we fabricate high-quality MAPbI 3 perovskite film with high coverage and large grain size. By adjusting the PEG concentration into the perovskite film, the hole-conductor-free mesoporous perovskite solar cell with carbon electrode exhibits a boosted power conversion efficiency of 11.62%, which originates primarily from the enhancements of light absorption and acceleration of carriers transfer. Meanwhile, hygroscopic PEG protects the perovskite film from moisture, which leads to the perovskite film and corresponding device exhibit superior stability. This work confirms a high-efficiency and feasible strategy using polymer materials to enhance the performance in power conversion efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells. Image 1 • Large grain size and high coverage perovskite film is induced by PEG additives. • Optical and electrical properties of PSC with high quality perovskite film are enhanced. • Both PEG-MAPbI 3 film and corresponding device exhibit superior stability in air with a humidity of approximately 50%. • Hygroscopic PEG and hydrophobic carbon electrode synergistically prevent perovskite layers from moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Oscillatory flow of second grade fluid in a rectangular duct is considered. • The singularities at the boundaries of the duct are taken into account. • The increasing elasticity postpones the generation of flow. • The increasing retardation time weakens the oscillation of flow. This study presents an analysis of laminar motion of an oscillatory flow of second grade fluid under a harmonic pressure gradient in a rectangular duct. Exact solutions are obtained for the velocity profile, phase difference and the corresponding shear stress. In particular, the flow singularities at the boundaries and corners of the duct are taken into account. In comparison to Newtonian fluid, the effects of the retardation time, Deborah number and Reynolds number on the velocity profile, phase difference and shear stress factor are discussed graphically and analytically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hole-conductor-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on carbon counter electrode were fabricated under a high humidity air environment and the performance of Cs+ doping in methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (Cs x MA 1- x PbI 3) as light absorber layer was investigated and discussed. After the doping of Cs+, the excellent morphology, crystallinity and light absorption of perovskite thin films were observed by corresponding test methods, leading to the higher short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage in the relevant devices. However, excessive Cs+ doping can damage the performance of PSCs. The optimized device with x = 0.05, exhibited open-circuit voltage of 956 mV, short-circuit current density of 21.73 mA/cm2, fill factor of 0.509 and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.57% under AM 1.5G illumination showing a 16% enhancement than pure MAPbI 3 devices. The PSCs based on carbon counter electrode also showed high stability, despite being stored under ambient air without encapsulation. After 1000 h, the Cs 0.05 MA 0.95 PbI 3 devices maintained more than 90% of their initial PCE. The long-term stability can be attributed to the synergistic interaction of Cs+ on the solid solution strengthening of MAPbI 3 and the protection of the hydrophobic carbon electrode on the perovskite active layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Deformation is the most intuitive reflection of comprehensive behavior of concrete dams; it is of great significance to predict and interpret the deformation observation data for dam health monitoring. The world's highest concrete dam, Jinping I arch dam in China, was discussed in this paper. Aiming at its annually measured continuous growth phenomenon of dam body deformation towards the downstream direction when reservoir keeps stable at the normal water level of 1,880.0 m, influences of cement hydration heat‐induced temperature rise effect, valley contraction, and dam material creep on deformation behavior of this dam were estimated by finite element method (FEM) and the measured data. Combined with the results of the hydraulic, seasonal, and time (HST) model, the abnormal deformation behavior was detected to be jointly caused by the hysteretic hydraulic deformation and the ambient temperature drop effect. Subsequently, to solve the deficiency that the traditional HST model cannot reasonably explain this measured deformation behavior, a hysteretic hydraulic component was introduced into the HST model, and a special hydraulic, hysteretic, seasonal, and time (HHST) model was proposed. Based on the numerical simulation of viscoelastic FEM and the constrained least square method, the newly added component was represented by a continuous piecewise fitting function, with model factors of previous relative water depth and cumulative days of the current water level stage. HHST model results of Jinping I arch dam show that the measured abnormal displacement increment of dam body is 70% caused by the ambient temperature drop effect and 30% caused by the viscoelastic hysteretic hydraulic deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antenna selection (AS) is a signal processing technology that can greatly reduce the hardware complexity of multi-antenna systems. Specifically, AS can decrease the number of required radio frequency chains by activating only a subset of the available antennas in each transmission slot. However, optimal AS suffers from a high computational complexity that increases exponentially with the scale of the antenna array. In this paper, we propose a low-complexity AS algorithm based on multi-label learning (MLL), where a deep neural network is employed to determine the set of selected antennas for a given channel matrix. Specifically, the MLL network combines deep canonical correlation analysis and an autoencoder in a unified network structure, which can extract the low dimensional features of channel matrix as well as the interdependency among selected antennas, so as to achieve an accurate prediction of the set of selected antennas with a relatively small-scale learning model. Simulation results show that, in comparison with the convex relaxation based method, our proposed MLL-based method can achieve comparable capacity with significantly reduced computation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐photon fluorescence imaging allows in vivo study of biological structures and activities in deep tissues, in which bright fluorophores with high photostability and good biocompatibility are highly desirable. Herein, a small‐molecule fluorogen with aggregation‐induced emission (AIEgen) is complexed with fetal bovine serum (FBS) proteins to develop a protein‐sized AIEgen–protein hybrid nanocomposite (TPEPy‐FBS) with bright far‐red/near‐infrared (NIR) emission, excellent photostability, and low phototoxicity for deep and high‐resolution in vivo two‐photon brain vasculature imaging. Upon complexation with FBS, the fluorescence of TPEPy is greatly intensified and a sixfold enhancement is observed with 10% FBS in aqueous media. The yielded TPEPy‐FBS shows good physical stability in aqueous media and the phototoxicity of TPEPy is dramatically inhibited after complexation with FBS. Moreover, TPEPy‐FBS exhibits bright two‐photon fluorescence in far‐red/NIR region and good photostability upon femtosecond laser excitation, which facilitates high performance in vivo imaging. A large imaging depth of 656 µm is obtained in brain vasculature network imaging with a high signal‐to‐background ratio of 234, where a small blood capillary of 1.05 µm can be resolved at an imaging depth of 656 µm. Highlighted is a simple and versatile strategy to develop efficient two‐photon probes for in vivo biological imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfect absorbers with extremely high absorption are of crucial importance for many applications such as harvesting solar energy and eliminating stray light. A key point for their applications is ultralow photon escaping rate (PER) with easy fabrication process, which enables to maximize energy utilization or minimize the influence of stray light. An ultrathin perfect absorber (total thickness of 226 nm) is reported in this work with dielectric plasmonic nanocomposite (titanium nitride (TiN) embedded in aluminum nitride (AlN)) and antireflective coating (ARC). It can be fabricated by low‐cost one‐step sputtering approach in a very large area (200 × 200 mm2 for demonstration) on almost any substrates, including flexible polyethylene‐terephthalate. The average PER is only 0.4% in the whole visible range of 400–750 nm. As an example, the absorber is used in a laser scanning confocal microscope to eliminate the strong laser stray light and enhance the signal‐to‐noise ratio, which improves the clarity and contrast of imaging remarkably. It can not only match the requirement of harvesting solar energy, but also is suitable for stray light elimination of weak signal detection instruments, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In article number 1808365, Bin Liu and co‐workers report NIR‐II light (1200 nm) excitable single‐chain conjugated polymer dots with bright NIR‐I emission (peak at ≈725 nm and quantum yield of 20.6%) for deep in vivo two‐photon imaging of an intact brain. High contrast images clearly reveal brain vasculature structure through the intact skull with a large depth of 400 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods for noninvasive brain imaging are highly desirable to study brain structures in neuroscience. Two‐photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM) with near‐infrared (NIR) light excitation is a relatively noninvasive approach commonly used to study brain with high spatial resolution and large imaging depth. However, most of the current studies require cranial window implantation or skull‐thinning methods due to attenuation of excitation light. 2PFM through intact mouse skull is challenging due to strong scattering induced by skull bone. Herein, NIR‐II light excitable single‐chain conjugated polymer dots (CPdots) with bright fluorescence in NIR‐I region (peak at ≈725 nm and quantum yield of 20.6 ± 1.0%) are developed for deep in vivo two‐photon fluorescence (2PF) imaging of intact mouse brain. The synthesized CPdots exhibit good biocompatibility, high photostability, and large two‐photon absorption cross section. The CPdots allow 2PF images acquired upon excitation at 800, 1040 and 1200 nm with the highest signal‐to‐background ratio of 208 demonstrated for 1200 nm excitation. Moreover, a 3D reconstruction of the brain blood vessel network is obtained with a large vertical depth of 400 µm through intact skull. This work demonstrates great potential of bright NIR fluorophores for in vivo deep tissue imaging. NIR‐II light (1200 nm) excitable single‐chain conjugated polymer dots with bright NIR‐I emission (peak at ≈725 nm and quantum yield of 20.6%) is developed for deep in vivo two‐photon imaging of intact mouse brain. High contrast images clearly reveal brain vasculature structure through intact skull with a large depth of 400 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel technology named Pelican-Gaussian process regression machine learning algorithm is proposed for modelling the large-signal characteristics of Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistors (GaN HEMT). Hyperparameter optimization in traditional Gaussian process regression algorithms tends to fall into local optimums and is overly dependent on the initial values. In order to solve this problem, the Pelican optimization algorithm is introduced to optimize the hyperparameters in Gaussian process regression algorithms in the article. The Pelican optimization algorithm is able to make the global exploration and local search ability of the algorithm be effectively balanced by helping particles to escape from the local optimal position. The I–V characteristics, output power, power gain, power gain efficiency and small-signal S -parameters of GaN HEMT devices are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results show that higher fitting accuracy and generalization ability is found in the improved GPR whose hyperparameters are optimized by the Pelican optimization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the functional and anatomical effects of transitioning to conbercept intravitreal injection (IVC) treatment in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who had inadequate responses to prior anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections.Methods: We retrospectively included eyes with persistent DME after at least 3 injections of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR). The analysis included the assessment of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) during 6 months after the switch.Results: A total of 30 patients (30 eyes) were included. CMT dropped sharply from 437.8± 40.67μm at baseline to 363.59± 45.09,312.52 ± 39.15, 278.51 ± 37.92, and 292.59 ± 38.09 after 1, 2, 3 and 6 months of IVC, respectively (p < 0.001). BCVA in log MAR units was significantly improved from 0.73± 0.15 at baseline to 0.50± 0.09,0.46± 0.72, 0.40± 0.06 and 0.48± 0.04 after 1, 2, 3 and 6 months, respectively (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Switching to Conbercept effectively improved visual and anatomical structure in DME patients who had not responded satisfactorily to previous anti-VEGF injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal convection of a Jeffreys fluid subjected to a plane Poiseuille flow in a fluid-porous system composed of a fluid layer and a porous layer is studied in the paper. A linear stability analysis and a Chebyshev τ-QZ algorithm are employed to solve the thermal mixed convection. Unlike the case in a single layer, the neutral curves of the two-layer system may be bi-modal in the proper depth ratio of the two layers. We find that the longitudinal rolls (LRs) only depend on the depth ratio. With the existence of the shear flow, the effects of the depth ratio, the Reynolds number, the Prandtl number, the stress relaxation, and strain retardation times on the transverse rolls (TRs) are also studied. Additionally, the thermal instability of the viscoelastic fluid is found to be more unstable than that of the Newtonian fluid in a two-layer system. In contrast to the case for Newtonian fluids, the TRs rather than the LRs may be the preferred mode for the viscoelastic fluids in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is a highly attractive alternative to CMOS for future digital circuit design, relying on its high-performance and low-power-consumption features. This paper analyzes and compares previously published five-input majority gates. These designs do not perform well in terms of physical properties, especially concerting power consumption. Therefore, an ultra-low-power five-input majority gate in one layer is proposed, which uses a minimum number of cells and smaller area, and achieves the expected highly polarized output compared with previous designs. In order to evaluate its practicability, a new one-bit coplanar full-adder is proposed. The analysis results show that this full-adder performs well compared with existing multilayer and single-layer designs. The number of cells of the proposed design is reduced by 7.14% to get the same area and clock delay compared with the best coplanar full-adder. In addition, its power dissipation is also reduced by 9.28% at 0.5 E k , 11.09% at 1 E k and 12.66% at 1.5 E k in terms of average energy dissipation compared with the best single-layer design. QCADesigner tool is used to verify the simulation results of the proposed designs and QCAPro tool is used to evaluate the power dissipation of all considered designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Pedicle screw fixation is the preferred surgical treatment for clinical treatment of lumbar degenerative disease currently. The stability of pedicle screw fixation system can be evaluated from the perspective of biomechanics and finite element method is more and more popular in analyzing stress of pedicle screw fixation of vertebral body for researchers. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the stress and displacement changes of human lumbar spine in bending movement from the biomechanical point of view when unilateral and bilateral pedicle screws are fixed, providing theoretical reference for practical clinical application. METHODS: Three-dimensional models were established based on CT data of the volunteers. The volunteers signed the informed consent. This study was approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee. Abaqus software was used to simulate the actual stress conditions. Finite element analysis of lumbar spine flexion was performed during unilateral and bilateral pedicle screw fixation. The stress and displacement of lumbar vertebra, disc and pedicle screw were observed under two fixation methods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Under bilateral fixation, the stress on the left screw was 22.2 MPa, and the stress on the right screw was 21.14 MPa, which was far less than the stress of the screw under unilateral fixation (79.19 MPa). The stress of intervertebral disc in unilateral fixation was 87% larger than that in bilateral fixation; the stress of vertebral body in bilateral fixation was 72% smaller than that in unilateral fixation. (2) From the perspective of displacement, the displacement of screw, lumbar disc and centrum under bilateral fixation were 53%, 55% and 62% smaller than that under unilateral fixation, respectively. (3) Therefore, from the mechanical point of view, bilateral pedicle screw fixation has less stress level, which is friendlier to the human body than unilateral fixation and thus more conducive to the recovery of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart grid is in need of an efficient communication network to guarantee reliable two-way data transmission between the control center and smart meters (SMs). In this work, a software-defined networking (SDN) based smart grid communication (SGC) scheme is introduced to fulfill the information transmission requirement, where the control plane is separated from the data plane to support diverse services flexibly in the smart grid. In such an SDN-based SGC system, to guarantee effective data processing and forwarding between the SMs and the control center, aggregation points (APs) are introduced. These APs should be deployed in an optimal way so as to cut down the total capital expenditure of the SGC system. The total cost generally includes the transmission cost between APs and the control center as well as APs and SMs. The construction and maintenance cost of the APs is also included. An approximation algorithm is introduced in this paper. The algorithm can deal with the formulated intractable APs planning task and produce performance-guaranteed solutions with reasonable complexity. Experiments indicate that the proposed algorithm works well for geographical areas with different densities of SMs. Our proposal yields cost-efficient APs deployment scheme and sheds insight into the reduction of the capital expenditure of the SGC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the rapid growth of diverse traffic demand in mobile networks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are proposed to support terrestrial networks by carrying base stations towards demand when needed. However, how to deploy the UAVs effectively and efficiently is a challenging task. In this paper, we investigate this problem from the load balancing perspective. Our goal is to make the traffic loads of UAVs almost equal so that the networks can be stable and robust to unexpected events. In the pre-processing stage, we introduce a clustering method to divide users into several categories so as to initialize the positions of UAVs in the maximal local density areas. Then, we propose a user association strategy to make the UAVs serve almost equal traffic demand, where our optimization task is to minimize the maximum traffic demand of subregions with constraints on the capacity and the shape of subregions. Third, we propose a local search procedure to relocate UAVs based on backtracking line search to refine the load balance among the system. By alternately invoking user association and location algorithms, we can obtain (near) optimum UAV positions. Finally, we adjust the altitude of each UAV to decrease power consumption of the system. Numerical results indicate that our proposal can serve more users compared with the SINR-based strategy. Moreover, the traffic capacity among UAVs and the areas of subregions of UAVs are more balanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Instabilities with the surface tension and the buoyancy for a non-Newtonian fluid in a fluid-porous system are studied with a deformable surface. • The influences of different key parameters on Rayleigh and Marangoni instabilities in short- and long-wave branches are investigated. • It is found that there is an interval of the Marangoni number in short-wave branches for which the critical Rayleigh number is absent. • Opposite effects between long- and short-wave branches in the coupling mode are observed. This paper describes the linear stability analysis of Rayleigh–Marangoni–Bénard convection with a deformable surface in a fluid overlying a highly porous layer. Using the Chebyshev tau-QZ method, we investigate the oscillatory mode of both the Rayleigh and Marangoni instabilities for non-Newtonian fluids. The numerical results indicate that a deformable upper surface destabilizes the system. Moreover, the Marangoni instabilities in long-wave branches first decrease and then increase with increasing depth ratio, while the opposite effects are observed in short-wave branches. The Rayleigh instabilities decrease monotonically as the depth ratio increases. For certain reference parameters, the system becomes more stable as the Biot number and Galileo number increase. A greater strain retardation time and a smaller stress relaxation time lead to more stable Marangoni convection in long-wave branches, whereas these viscoelastic times have the opposite effects in short-wave branches. The influence of viscoelasticity on the Rayleigh instability is also investigated. Finally, the coupling mode of the two instabilities is studied in detail. Variations in the Marangoni number influence long- and short-wave branches differently. Interestingly, there is an interval of the Marangoni number in short-wave branches for which no critical Rayleigh number exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patulin is a mycotoxin with potential reproductive toxicity. We explored the impact of patulin on Leydig cell (LC) development in male rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats (21 days postpartum) were gavaged patulin at doses of 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg/day for 7 days. Patulin markedly lowered serum testosterone at ≥0.5 mg/kg and progesterone at 1 and 2 mg/kg, while increasing LH levels at 2 mg/kg. Patulin increased the CYP11A1+ (cholesterol side-chain cleavage, a progenitor LC biomarker) cell number and their proliferation at 1 and 2 mg/kg. Additionally, patulin downregulated Lhcgr (luteinizing hormone receptor), Scarb1 (high-density lipoprotein receptor), and Cyp17a1 (17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase) at 1 and 2 mg/kg. It increased the activation of pAKT1 (protein kinase B), pERK1/2 (extracellular signal-related kinases 1 and 2), pCREB (cyclic AMP response binding protein), and CCND1 (cyclin D1), associated with cell cycle regulation, in vivo. Patulin increased EdU incorporation into R2C LC and stimulated cell cycle progression in vitro. Furthermore, patulin showed a direct inhibitory effect on 11β-HSD2 (11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2) activity, which eliminates the adverse effects of glucocorticoids. This study provides insights into the potential mechanisms via which patulin affects progenitor LC development in young male rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because the energy consumption is growing rapidly, green radio, which lays emphasis on the energy efficiency (EE) in wireless networks, is becoming increasingly important. As potential paradigms for future wireless network design, cognitive radio (CR) is a promising technology to solve the spectrum shortage and inefficiency issues, while cooperative relay is capable of improving spectral efficiency by combating severe fading in wireless environment. In this paper, we investigate the energy-efficient power allocation problem in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based relaying CR networks. We develop a general framework to maximize the overall EE of the CR system, under the constraints of transmission power budget, traffic demands, and the interference constraints of the primary users. Our problem formulation is a nonconvex optimization task, and it is hard to obtain the optimal solution. We first convert our formulated problem into a convex optimization problem via its hypograph form, which can be solved by the barrier method. Then we further speed up the computation of Newton step during the barrier method, significantly reducing the complexity of the algorithm by exploiting its special structure. Numerical results validate that our method can exploit the overall EE of CR systems, while the algorithm converges efficiently and stably. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectrum efficiency and energy efficiency are two critical issues for wireless communication networks. As a promising paradigm to improve spectrum usage efficiency, much attention has been paid to cognitive radio (CR) in both academia and industry since it was introduced more than 10 years ago. On the other hand, fast growing wireless applications are consuming more and more energy, and pose big challenges to operators in terms of energy footprint. However, few discussions were held on the energy efficiency issue in CR networks (CRNs) until recently. Actually, energy efficiency is of crucial importance for a CR scenario compared to non-CR ones because it not only involves the greenhouse problem and operational expenditure, but is a prerequisite to achieve high utilization of the limited transmission power consumed to support additional signal processing requirements for the CR system, such as spectrum sensing and signal overhead. Optimizing the energy efficiency of CRNs not only reduces the environmental impact, but also cuts deployment costs to enable economical green wireless networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caching at base stations (BSs) can enhance the performance of a mobile network, which has gained much attention in the past few years. In this paper, we investigate the energy-saving issue in the cache-enabled mobile network, where we try to minimize the total system power consumption with limited radio resource and storage capacity of the BSs. We decouple the formulated difficult optimization task into a series of tractable subproblems and develop efficient algorithms to solve them with reasonable computation load. The key idea of our proposed scheme is to associate as many as possible users with the BSs that have stored the users’ requested files in their caches while considering the spectrum and power budgets of the BSs. Numerical results show our proposed scheme can significantly reduce the system power consumption compared with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A facile template-free method was developed to synthesis hollow TiO 2 spheres. • The effects of etching reaction on morphology and structure of TiO 2 spheres were investigated. • The hollow TiO 2 spheres exhibited unique surface assembled with enriched nanothorns. • The hollow TiO 2 spheres showed excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light. Abstract The monodisperse hollow TiO 2 spheres (HTS) were fabricated by facile template-free route involving direct precipitation and etching reaction. Tetrabutyl titanate was used as titanium precursor to form amorphous TiO 2 spheres (ATS) directly in ethanol-acetonitrile mixed solution. Then, the ATS were etched by F− with the protection of PVP to form HTS under hydrothermal reaction conditions. The physical and chemical characterizations of synthesized samples were conducted by SEM, TEM, XRD and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Result showed that morphology and structure of HTS can be easily controlled by adjusting time of etching reaction. The HTS obtained by etching for 4 h exhibited good hollow structure with unique shell assembled with enriched nanothorns, and it possessed good photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

99m-Technetium-labeled (99mTc) erythrocyte imaging with planar scintigraphy is widely used for evaluating both patients with occult gastrointestinal bleeding and patients at risk for chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. While a number of alternative radionuclide-based blood pool imaging agents have been proposed, none have yet to achieve widespread clinical use. Here, we present both in vitro and small animal in vivo imaging evidence that the high physiological expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1 on human erythrocytes allows uptake of the widely available radiotracer 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose (FDG), at a rate and magnitude sufficient for clinical blood pool positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging. This imaging technique is likely to be amenable to rapid clinical translation, as it can be achieved using a simple FDG labeling protocol, requires a relatively small volume of phlebotomized blood, and can be completed within a relatively short time period. As modern PET scanners typically have much greater count detection sensitivities than that of commonly used clinical gamma scintigraphic cameras, FDG-labeled human erythrocyte PET imaging may not only have significant advantages over 99mTc-labeled erythrocyte imaging, but may have other novel blood pool imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By utilizing a randomly swimming model, a linear stability analysis is applied to investigate the stability of bioconvection in a horizontal suspension layer of motile gyrotactic micro-organisms with heated from below. The micro-organisms under consideration are orientated by a balance between a gravitational torque, due to them being bottom heavy, and viscous torque arising from local fluid velocity gradients. The obtained eigenvalue problem containing thermal Rayleigh number and bioconvection Rayleigh number is solved numerically using one-term Galerkin method. The case of non-oscillatory instability is analyzed, the relationship among thermal Rayleigh number, bioconvection Rayleigh number, Lewis number, critical wavenumber and the shape of microorganisms are discussed. We point out that the heating from below makes the layer more unstable. When increasing the value of thermal Rayleigh number to 1750, the suspension becomes unstable itself, which imply that bioconvection Rayleigh number has nothing to do with the stability of this system. We also find that Lewis number has no effect on critical value of thermal Rayleigh number, but has a great influence on critical bioconvection Rayleigh number. The increasing cell eccentricity enlarges the critical value of bioconvection Rayleigh number, which means that the suspension is more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud radio access networks (C-RANs) have been proposed to provide high energy-spectral efficiency and high data rate at low cost. In this correspondence paper, we introduce a novel C-RAN deployment scheme that is complementary to traditional cellular radio networks. The key idea is to install the remote radio heads (RRHs) of the C-RAN in a load-balanced way to lighten the transmission burden of the backhauls between the RRHs and the centralized baseband unit pool, and to activate the RRHs on demand so as to reduce system-wide energy consumption. Numerical results show that our proposed method performs well in practical scenarios. It provides QoS-guaranteed performance with relatively low capital expenditure and operating expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mid‐infrared (MIR) semiconductor laser sources are essential for applications in gas detection, infrared imaging, and high‐speed free space optical communications. At present, the dynamic wavelength tunability of MIR lasers based on lead salt, antimonide, and quantum cascade lasers is limited and their compact size as well as heterogeneous integration are still challenging. Two‐dimensional (2D) materials, used as optical gain materials, have the flexible tunability and compatible van der Waals integrations—providing many new possibilities for constructing MIR laser sources of large tunability and high integration. Here, wide‐wavelength tunable MIR vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) integrated on silicon substrates are realized based on 2D black arsenic phosphorus (b‐AsxP1−x). The emission wavelength of the optically pumped laser device is demonstrated to be tuned from 3.42 to 4.65 µm at room temperature, which could be controlled by adjusting the alloy composition and thickness of the gain media b‐AsxP1−x. The tunable MIR VCSEL device would pave the way for further exploration of 2D materials‐based IR lasers working as on‐chip light sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) analogues substituted on the benzene ring are widely used in a variety of industrial and consumer materials. However, their effects on the glucocorticoid-metabolizing enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) remain unclear. The inhibitory effects of 6 BPA analogues on the inhibition of human and rat 11β-HSD1 were investigated. The potencies of inhibition on human 11β-HSD1 were bisphenol H (IC50, 0.75 µM) > bisphenol G (IC50, 5.06 µM) > diallyl bisphenol A (IC50, 13.36 µM) > dimethyl bisphenol A (IC50, 30.18 µM) > bisphenol A dimethyl ether (IC50, 33.08 µM) > tetramethyl bisphenol A (>100 µM). The inhibitory strength of these chemicals on rat 11β-HSD1 was much weaker than that on the human enzyme, ranging from 74.22 to 205.7 µM. All BPA analogues are mixed/competitive inhibitors of both human and rat enzymes. Molecular docking studies predict that bisphenol H and bisphenol G both bind to the active site of human 11β-HSD1, forming a hydrogen bond with catalytic residue Ser170. The bivariate correlation of IC50 values with LogP (lipophilicity), molecular weight, heavy atoms, and molecular volume revealed a significant inverse regression and the correlation of IC50 values with ΔG (low binding energy) revealed a positive regression. In conclusion, the lipophilicity, molecular weight, heavy atoms, molecular volume, and binding affinity of a BPA analogue determine the inhibitory strength of human and rat 11β-HSD isoforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical spectra are functions of the emitted or reflected light from the object under observation. The investigation of spectral data can facilitate quantitative analysis and material identification. In this paper, we report a portable line-detection spectrometer for non-invasive sensing of samples of interest. The spectrometer relies on a Powell lens to perform a rapid line detection. Through a manual scanning across a sample of interest, a series of spectra could be acquired. After an unmixing procedure is performed on the detected spectra, the reflected (or emission) spectrum of the sample could be obtained. In this work, the feasibility of the line-detection spectrometer was demonstrated by scanning across a LED screen and fruit samples. These spectral results were applied to determine the composition of the scanned objects, such as the colors of a LED screen and the chlorophyll and carotenoid content in bananas. This method is compatible with many kinds of spectrometer, e.g. Raman spectrometer for high spectral resolution sensing, infrared spectrometer for identification of adulteration. Therefore, this portable device can be a versatile tool to carry out a range of in-site studies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The qualitative effect of variable internal heat source and variable gravity on the onset of convection in a horizontal fluid saturated sparsely packed porous layer is investigated using linear stability analysis. The single term Galerkin technique is used to compute the value of the critical Rayleigh number and the corresponding wave number. Three different sets of variable gravity and heat source functions are chosen and their influence on the onset of convection is discussed. The eigenvalues are obtained for free-free velocity boundary conditions with isothermal temperature conditions on the boundaries. The influence of porous parameter on the onset of convection is brought out. It is found that the variable heat source and variable gravity does not affect the shape and size of the convective cell at the onset of convection. However the porous parameter do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current detection of fetal chromosomal abnormalities by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) mainly relies on the cell free DNA(cfDNA) in the maternal blood. However, a gestational age of less than 12 weeks or a high maternal BMI affects cfDNA fetal fraction and further the detection by NIPT negatively. In this study, we aim to retrieve the trophoblast cells from the maternal cervix to develop a new sampling method for NIPT enabling an earlier use of NIPT. Methods: We enrolled three patients who wanted to undergo induced abortion at Beijing Hospital between January 2022 and March 2022. Peripheral blood, cervix specimen, and the abortion tissue were collected and processed for each patient. Allele frequencies of the mutated gene loci of the maternal blood and the cervix sample were compared and the Sex Determining Region Y (SRY) gene was tested. Results: The allele frequencies of the mutated gene loci showed no significant difference between the maternal blood and the cervix sample. But we successfully detected signal of the SRY gene in the cervix sample of the only patient carrying a male fetus. Conclusions: The detection of the SRY gene in a cervix sample indicated a successful retrieval of trophoblast cells from the cervix canal. Further study needs to be conducted to verify our finding before its application to the clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated multiwavelength nanolasers are important in the practical development of optical circuitry for optical information processing and optical data storage. Herein, a new method for on‐chip integrated lasers is proposed, which can integrate single‐mode lasers with multiple wavelengths at room temperature. A four‐wavelength single‐mode nanoribbon laser chip is fabricated for demonstration. The mode of different laser units is controlled by the thickness of dielectric microcavity layers to select the resonant modes of excitation. Therefore, multiwavelength lasing can be coupled out based on the integrated cavity which is realized using combinatorial etching technique and can integrate tens of different‐wavelength lasers on a chip. The lasing modes of this device are all single‐mode lasing because of the short cavity length. Its lowest lasing threshold is only 5.4 kW cm−2. The gain material and the dielectric microcavity can be controlled and fabricated separately, which have strong controllability and flexibility. This new laser chip paves the way for a new class of hybrid nanolasers for chip‐integrated applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I (HSD3B1) and rat type IV (HSD3B4) in placentas catalyze the conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone, which plays a key role in maintaining pregnancy. Many phenolic compounds potentially inhibit HSD3B in placentas as endocrine disruptors. In this study, the effects of 16 phenolic compounds on the activity of human HSD3B1 and rat HSD3B4 were determined and the structure-activity relationship was compared. HSD3B1 in human placental microsomes and HSD3B4 in rat placental microsomes were used to measure their activities and pregnenolone and NAD+ were used as substrates. Of the 16 phenolic compounds, 4-nonylphenol, pentabromophenol, and 2-bromophenol resulted in residual human HSD3B1 activity lower than 50 % and 4-nonylphenol and pentabromophenol resulted in residual rat HSD3B4 activity lower than 50 %. 4-Nonylphenol, pentabromophenol, and 2-bromophenol were mixed inhibitors of human HSD3B1, with Ki values of 2.31, 3.58 and 4.86 µM, respectively, while 4-nonylphenol and pentabromophenol were noncompetitive inhibitors of rat HSD3B4 with Ki values of 20.86 and 141.8 µM. Molecular docking showed that 4-nonylphenol, pentabromophenol, and 2-bromophenol docked to the active sites of human HSD3B1 and rat HSD3B4, and the shift of residue S125 in human HSD3B1 to T125 in rat HSD3B4 could explain the species-dependent difference in their inhibitory potency and mode of action. This study demonstrates that 4-nonylphenol, pentabromophenol, and 2-bromophenol are mixed inhibitors of human placental HSD3B1, while 4-nonylphenol and pentabromophenol are noncompetitive inhibitors of rat HSD3B4, possibly blocking the placental steroidogenesis. [Display omitted] • Some phenolic compounds are inhibitors of human HSD3B1 and rat HSD3B4. • 4-Nonylphenol, pentabromophenol, 2-bromophenol potently inhibit human HSD3B1. • 4-Nonylphenol and pentabromophenol moderately inhibit rat HSD3B4. • Straight long-chain alkyl substitution in 4-position is critical for the inhibition of HSD3B. • Shift of S125 in human HSD3B1 to T125 in rat HSD3B4 is possibly related to reduction of inhibitory potency of phenols in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoclast (OC) abnormalities lead to many osteolytic diseases, such as osteoporosis, inflammatory bone erosion, and tumor-induced osteolysis. Exploring effective strategies to remediate OCs dysregulation is essential. FTY720, also known as fingolimod, has been approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Here, we found that FTY720 inhibited osteoclastogenesis and OC function by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling. Interestingly, we also found that FTY720 inhibited osteoclastogenesis by upregulating histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) expression levels and downregulating activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) expression levels. In vivo, FTY720 treatment prevented lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced calvarial osteolysis and significantly reduced the number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase- (TRAP-) positive OCs. Taken together, these results demonstrate that FTY720 can inhibit osteoclastogenesis and ameliorate inflammation-induced bone loss. Which may provide evidence of a new therapeutic target for skeletal diseases caused by OC abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The layer-by-layer buildup of a two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide monolayer to form a stack is an important development for these materials, which performs many remarkable properties in the light–matter interaction. Herein, we find clear evidence of exciton–polaritons emerging from WS2/hBN/WS2 heterostructures embedded in a dielectric microcavity under optical pumping. A large Rabi splitting of 15 meV is observed at room temperature, which increases to 25 meV at 5 K. An all-dielectric Fabry–Pérot microcavity provides a simple but effective way to study the room temperature strong coupling between cavity photons and excitons. Our results pave the way for room-temperature polaritonic devices based on quantum-well van der Waals heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their unprecedented ability to flexibly manipulate the parameters of light, metasurfaces offer a new approach to integrating multiple functions in a single optical element. In this paper, based on a single-celled metasurface composed of chiral umbrella-shaped metal–insulator–metal (MIM) unit cells, a strategy for simultaneous multiple polarization generation and wavefront shaping is proposed. The unit cells can function as broadband and high-performance polarization-preserving mirrors. In addition, by introducing a chiral-assisted Aharonov–Anandan (AA) geometric phase, the phase profile and phase retardation of two spin-flipped orthogonal circular polarized components can be realized simultaneously and independently with a single-celled metasurface via two irrelevant parameters. Benefiting from this flexible phase manipulation ability, a vectorial hologram generator and metalens array with spatially varying polarizations were demonstrated. This work provides an effective approach to avoid the pixel and efficiency losses caused by the intrinsic symmetry of the PB geometric phase, and it may play an important role in the miniaturization and integration of multipolarization-involved displays, real-time imaging, and spectroscopy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]