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In this work, a multifunctional metastructure (MS) that combines the functions of a circular-to-linear polarization conversion (PC) and sensing is presented. The device uses a 2 × 2 array of three layers of media as the unit structure to modulate an incident circularly polarized wave into a linearly polarized one by reflection in the terahertz (THz) band. Its output linear polarized wave axial ratio (AR) is larger than 20 dB in the 1.61–2.638 THz range, with a relative bandwidth of 48% and an insertion loss below 4%. In addition, filling the device with liquids of different refractive indices shifts the frequency of the sharp AR peak generated by its output linear polarized wave. Utilizing this property, the device can also be used a refractive index sensor. When the thickness of the liquid to be measured is 2 μm, the device has a frequency sensitivity of 178 GHz/RIU (refractive index unit) and a figure of merit (FOM) of 12.7. Parameters and angles are also discussed and the principle is analyzed through current density plots. The given design can be applied in satellite communication systems, signal modulation, and sensing. • The MS achieves circular-to-linear polarization conversion. • The MS realizes refractive index sensor. • The MS realizes a multifunctional device combining a circular-to-linear polarization converter and a sensor. • The MS discusses the effect of different parameters as well as angles on performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed LPS can achieve the function of isolator and switch with one structure. • The presented LPS has the angle stabilization. • The presented LPS enable high isolation, extinction ratio and low insertion loss. • Multiple parameters can be adjusted to manipulate the transmission frequency and bandwidth. • The proposed LPS can be applied to the area of communication and computer. In this paper, a multifunctional device based on a one-dimensional (1-D) magnetized InSb layered photonic structure (LPS) that can achieve the function of a magnetic-controlled isolator and switch is proposed, with the advantages of multi-function. The external conditions for realizing the LPS function are temperature 303 K, magnetic field B 1 = 0–0.3 T, B 2 = 0 T, which are easier to obtain through an applied magnetic field device. B 1 and B 2 differ only in intensity. Both B 1 and B 2 are applied magnetic fields parallel to the positive y -axis. The change of magnetic field can influence the the cyclotron frequency of the electron which affect the dielectric constant of the tensor form, and finally lead to the change of refractive index (RI), resulting in interesting electromagnetic phenomena. Temporal inversion symmetry and spatial inversion symmetry could be easily broken to actualize nonreciprocal phenomena because of the magneto-optic effect of Indium antimonide (InSb) and an asymmetric arrangement of quasi-periodic media. For the isolator, the transmittance of forwarding propagation arrives at 0.994 and the backward scale is much closer to 0. The isolation and insertion loss achieves 34 dB and 0.0269 dB, and the range of the angle stabilization is from 17° to 31°. For the switch operating, just changing the value of B 1 from 0.3 T to 0 T, can realize the function of the switch operating instead of an isolator. This shift is easier to reach by turning off the magnetic field. The extinction ratio attains 99.8 % and angle stabilization is between 9° and 31°. This magnetic-structure multifunctional LPS can play a vital constructive role in medicine, computing, and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the roles of AT1R, PLC-β1, CaM and other related signal molecules in the formation and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their correlation. Methods: ELISA and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the expressions of target proteins in serum and liver tissue of HCC patients, and the correlation between AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM and postoperative survival status of patients was followed up and determined. CCK-8 method was used to screen the doses of Ang II and candesartan sensitive to HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells. Transwell experiment was used to observe the effects of different drugs on the migration and invasion activity of HCC cells. Meanwhile, flow cytometry and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM in the cells. Then PLC-β1 siRNA was selected to transfect HCC cells, so as to further clarify the mechanism of the above signal proteins. HepG2 cells were inoculated under the hepatic capsule of mice to induce the formation of HCC in situ. Ang II and candesartan were used to stimulate HCC mice to observe the difference in liver appearance and measure the liver index. Finally, ELISA and immunofluorescence experiments were selected to analyze the levels of target proteins in mouse serum and liver tissue. Results: The expression levels of target proteins in serum and liver tissue of HCC patients were significantly increased, and the postoperative survival time of patients with high expression of AT1R, PLC-β1 or CaM was obviously shortened. Ang II and candesartan could significantly promote and inhibit the motility of HCC cells, and had different effects on the levels of AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM in cells. However, in hepatocellular carcinoma cells transfected with PLC-β1 siRNA, the intervention ability of drugs was obviously weakened. Ang II could significantly promote the formation and progression of mouse HCC, while candesartan had the opposite effect. Meanwhile, medications could affect the expressions of target proteins in mouse serum and liver tissue. Conclusion: AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM may be risk factors affecting the formation and prognosis of HCC, and the PLC-β1/CaM signaling pathway mediated by AT1R is an important way to regulate the migration and invasion activity of HCC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broadband omnidirectional absorber which is realized by heterostructures containing a collision plasma layer and a ternary plasma Bragg mirror is theoretically investigated. A collision plasma layer and an appropriate dielectric layer are put on the top of the ternary plasma photonic crystals to obtain a broadband omnidirectional absorption. It is shown to absorb roughly 70% of all available electromagnetic wave in a relative omnidirectional absorption band width 0.58 GHz with plasma width 3 mm in PCs. The band edges are impacted by the range of reflection band gap and the absorption range for transverse magnetic (TM) wave decreases at large incidence. Compared with some previous designs, our proposed structure has a relative flatter total absorption spectrum over a broad frequency range in microwave. This kind of hererostructures offer additional opportunities to design novel optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presence of dispersion and dissipation, plasma photonic crystals (PPCs) are investigated theoretically for both E and H polarized electromagnetic (EM) waves propagating in 2-D honeycomb lattice systems based on plane wave expansion method. Compared with the normal dielectric PCs, the PPCs have larger and more absolute band gaps (ABG). Furthermore, the ABG can be modulated in a larger frequency range by changing plasma frequency or filling factor. For the case of H-polarization, multiflatbands emerge below the normalized plasma frequency and become wider with the increase of filling factor. For the case of E-polarization, pass bands get suppressed when large filling factor value was acquired. By carefully selecting plasma frequency and filling factor, we can acquire the ABGs in expected frequency region and take advantage of the flatbands in large ABG to realize receiving modulated EM waves accurately. These results may provide theoretical instructions for designing new optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The electromagnetic properties of one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals influenced by random perturbation of structure parameters are studied through transfer matrix method in the paper. The random perturbation of thicknesses of layers as well as plasma frequency of layers can influence the electromagnetic properties of one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal. The random perturbation of thicknesses of layers tremendously impacts the band structure of one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals in high frequency domain. The random perturbation of plasma frequency, however, contributes to the moving of a cutoff frequency in the low frequency domain. The position of the defect mode of one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal randomly moves due to the random perturbations. The effect of random perturbation of plasma frequency is more significant than that of random perturbation of thickness of layers, which alters not only the transmittance but also the position of the defect mode. An improved quality factor and a shortened moving distance of the defect mode are both acquired by increasing the period number. And then this work may provide a crude but useful instrument in analyzing disordered 1DPPCs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Shape complementarity is a biological craft for precisely binding substrates at protein–protein interfaces. An analogy to such a function can be drawn conceptually for crystalline porous solids; yet the manifested entities are rare in reticular chemistry. The bottleneck‐shaped pores carved out of a metal‐organic framework, Zn(MIBA)2 (aka. MAF‐stu‐13), can perfectly accommodate benzene molecules. Remarkably, its framework adapts to the optimal guest binding‐the enhanced host–guest interactions in the neck in turn minimize the guest‐guest repulsion in the pore to the extent it turns into attraction‐as demonstrated by the combined X‐ray structural and DFT computational studies. This adaptive material can be used for liquid‐phase production of ultrahigh‐purity (≥99 %) cyclohexane, achieving a balance between uptake capacity and separation selectivity and surpassing the performances of other porous and nonporous crystals reported recently (e.g. product purity 99.4 % vs. 97.5 % to date). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape complementarity is a biological craft for precisely binding substrates at protein–protein interfaces. An analogy to such a function can be drawn conceptually for crystalline porous solids; yet the manifested entities are rare in reticular chemistry. The bottleneck‐shaped pores carved out of a metal‐organic framework, Zn(MIBA)2 (aka. MAF‐stu‐13), can perfectly accommodate benzene molecules. Remarkably, its framework adapts to the optimal guest binding‐the enhanced host–guest interactions in the neck in turn minimize the guest‐guest repulsion in the pore to the extent it turns into attraction‐as demonstrated by the combined X‐ray structural and DFT computational studies. This adaptive material can be used for liquid‐phase production of ultrahigh‐purity (≥99 %) cyclohexane, achieving a balance between uptake capacity and separation selectivity and surpassing the performances of other porous and nonporous crystals reported recently (e.g. product purity 99.4 % vs. 97.5 % to date). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Zinc is considered protective against atherosclerosis; however, the association between dietary zinc intake and cardiovascular disease remains debated. We investigated whether dietary zinc intake was associated with coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Methods: This analysis included 5186 participants aged 61.9 ± 10.2 years (48.8% men; 41.3% white, 25.0% black, 21.6% Hispanic, and 12.1% Chinese American) from the MESA. Dietary zinc intake was assessed by a self-administered, 120-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline (2000–2002). Baseline and follow-up CAC were measured by computed tomography. CAC progression was defined as CAC > 0 at follow-up for participants with CAC = 0 at baseline; and an annualized change of 10 or percent change of ≥ 10% for those with 0 < CAC < 100 or CAC ≥ 100 at baseline, respectively. Results: Dietary zinc intake was 8.4 ± 4.5 mg/day and 2537 (48.9%) of the included participants had CAC at baseline. Over a median follow-up of 3.4 years (25th–75th percentiles = 2.0–9.1 years), 2704 (52.1%) participants had CAC progression. In the fully adjusted model, higher dietary zinc was associated with a lower risk of CAC progression in both men (hazard ratio [HR] 0.697, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.553–0.878; p = 0.002) and women (HR 0.675; 95% CI 0.496–0.919; p = 0.012, both comparing extreme groups). Furthermore, such an inverse association was attributable to dietary zinc intake from non-red meat (p < 0.05), rather than red meat sources (p > 0.05). Conclusions: In this multiethnic population free of clinically apparent cardiovascular disease, higher dietary zinc intake from non-red meat sources was independently associated with a lower risk of CAC progression. Clinical trial registration number: The MESA trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00005487. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inferring the structures and the dynamics of the complex networked systems based on time series data is a challenging problem. The existing reconstruction methods often rely on the knowledge of the dynamics on networks. In many cases, a prior knowledge of the dynamics is unknown, so it is natural to ask: is it possible to reconstruct network and estimate the dynamical processes on complex networks only rely on the observed data? In this article, we develop a framework to reconstruct the structures of networks with binary-state dynamics, in which the knowledge of the original dynamical processes is unknown. Within the reconstruction framework, the transition probabilities of binary dynamical processes are described by the Sigmoid function in logistic regression, we then apply the mean-field approximation to enable maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), which gives rise to that the network structure can be inferred by solving the linear system of equations. Meanwhile, the original dynamical processes can be simulated by estimating the parameters in the Sigmoid function. Our framework has been validated by a variety of binary dynamical processes on synthetic and empirical networks, indicating that our method can not only reveal the network structures but also estimate the dynamical processes. Moreover, the high accuracy of our method is highlighted by comparing it with the existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel tunable filter featuring the defect mode of the TE wave from one-dimensional photonic crystals doped by magnetized plasma is presented. The photonic crystals are composed by SiO2 and air with one defect layer made by magnetized plasma. By the transfer matrix method and Bloch's theorem, we find out that the frequency of the defect mode can be modulated by plasma density or external magnetic field. Without changing the structure of the photonic crystal, the defect mode can be modulated in a larger frequency range, especially when the left-hand polarized electromagnetic wave is utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Betulinic acid, a triterpenoid found in many plant species, has attracted attention due to its important physiological and pharmacological properties. In order to obtain betulinic acid, betulin was submitted to transformation with the selected microorganisms. Betulin biotransformation was carried out with the filamentous fungi Armillaria luteo-virens Sacc QH (ALVS), Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 (AF) and Aspergillus oryzae (AO) under seven kinds of transformation condition. As a result of transformation of betulin, A. luteo-virens Sacc QH was the best biocatalyst to produce betulinic acid under the designed conditions. Transformation caused by pre-cultured fungal mycelia, a process designated as G2, was favorable condition for betulin biotransformation as the productivity of betulinic acid was evaluated (>20%). M1 and M2 systems, where the betulin substrate was micro-emulsified in mixtures of Tween 80 and organic solvents, were potential substitutes for G2. The possible pathway of betulin transformation is postulated in this work. The use of fungi and transformation mode described in current work are viable procedures for producing betulinic acid, which is of most importance to replace chemical synthesis ways. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Published data on the association between MDM2 309 T/G polymorphism and lung cancer risk are inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. A total of eight studies including 6063 cases and 6678 controls were involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, significantly elevated lung cancer risk was associated with GG variant genotype in recessive model when all the eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis (OR=1.17; 95% CI=1.02–1.34; P heterogeneity =0.06). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significantly increased risks were found among Asians for TG versus TT (OR=1.20; 95% CI=1.05–1.37; P heterogeneity =0.30), GG versus TT (OR = 1.34; 95% CI=1.01–1.79; P heterogeneity =0.03) and dominant model (OR=1.26; 95% CI=1.11–1.43; P heterogeneity =0.14). However, no significant associations were found in both Europeans and Africans for all genetic models. This meta-analysis suggests that the MDM2 309G allele is a low-penetrant risk factor for developing lung cancer in Asians. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Numerous previous studies have found that C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with cardiac arrhythmia and cardiac remodeling. However, the underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. Sodium-calcium exchanger 1 (NCX1) serves an important role in the regulation of intracellular calcium concentration, which is closely related with cardiac arrhythmia and cardiac remodeling. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of CRP on NCX1 and intracellular calcium concentration in cardiomyocytes. Primary neonatal mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes were cultured and treated with varying concentrations of CRP (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 µg/ml). The cardiomyocytes were also treated with NF-κB-specific inhibitor PTDC and a specific inhibitor of the reverse NCX1 KB-R7943 before their intracellular calcium concentrations were measured. mRNA and protein expression levels of NCX1 were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively and intracellular calcium concentration was evaluated by flow cytometry. CRP treatment significantly increased mRNA and protein expression levels of NCX1 in myocytes (P=0.024), as well as intracellular calcium concentration (P=0.01). These results were significantly attenuated by the NF-κB-specific inhibitor PDTC and a specific inhibitor of the reverse NCX1, KB-R7943. CRP significantly upregulated NCX1 expression and increased intracellular calcium concentration in cardiomyocytes via the NF-κB pathway, suggesting that CRP may serve a pro-arrhythmia role via direct influence on the calcium homeostasis of cardiomyocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: Physical activity has been well known to benefit heart function. The improved autonomic nervous activity is considered to be mainly responsible for this beneficial effect. However, the precise mechanism behind the intrinsic myocardial responsiveness to exercise is still unclear. This study was designed to examine the effect of swim training on myocardial response to insulin with a special focus on the endogenous endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)–nitric oxide (NO) cascade. Methods: Adult male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were subjected to a 10-week free-loading swim training (3 h/day, 5 days/week). Contractile response to insulin at the levels of cardiomyocytes and isolated perfused heart, myocardial glucose uptake and post-insulin receptor signaling cascades were evaluated. Results: Swim training enhanced cardiac contractile response to insulin in cardiomyocytes and isolated perfused heart, respectively. The improved cardiac response was accompanied by facilitated insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, GLUT4 translocation and upregulation of Akt and eNOS expression (p <0.01). Treatment with insulin resulted in a 3.6- and 2.2-fold increase of eNOS phosphorylation (p <0.01), as well as a 3.0- and 1.9-fold increase of Akt phosphorylation in exercise and sedentary groups, respectively (p <0.01). In addition, exercise significantly facilitated insulin-induced myocardial NO production (p <0.01 vs. sedentary). Moreover, pretreatment with either LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3K) inhibitor or l-NAME, a NOS inhibitor, abolished the exercise-induced sensitization of myocardial contractile response to insulin, insulin-induced NO production and phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that swim training is capable of sensitizing myocardial contractile response to insulin via upregulation of Akt- and eNOS signaling cascades. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Prolonged endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is the key driving force behind diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Autophagy is extensively implicated in adaptive mechanisms for cell survival. Interleukin‐33 (IL‐33) is known to be a potent cardiac protector, but its roles in DCM, ER stress, and autophagy are currently unknown. We aimed to explore the effects of IL‐33 on DCM and characterize the roles that ER stress and autophagy play in DCM. The effects of IL‐33 on DCM, ER stress, and autophagy were characterized both in db/db mice and in palmitic acid (PA)‐treated cardiomyocytes. The manipulators of ER stress and autophagy were used to clarify their roles in DCM remittance conferred by IL‐33. Gene expression analysis was used to identify IL‐33‐dependent regulators of ER stress and autophagy. Both db/db mice and PA‐treated cells presented with enhanced levels of ER stress, apoptosis, and lipid deposition, as well as impaired autophagy, all of which could be reversed by IL‐33. Treatment with IL‐33 improved the cardiac diastolic function of diabetic mice. Nonselective autophagy inhibitors, such as 3‐methyladenine (3‐MA) or wortmannin, abolished the protective effects of IL‐33, resulting in an increase in both ER stress and apoptosis. Strikingly, insulin‐like growth factor‐binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) was identified as the gene most significantly differentially expressed between IL‐33 and control groups. Knockdown of IGFBP3 expression, similar to the effect of nonselective autophagy inhibitors, resulted in high levels of ER stress, impaired autophagy, and apoptosis that were not rescued upon treatment with IL‐33. IL‐33 abates DCM by alleviating ER stress and promoting autophagy. IGFBP3 is essential for IL‐33‐induced ER stress resolution and autophagic enhancement during DCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of the omnidirectional band gap (OBG) for one-dimensional plasma cylindrical photonic crystals based on an improved Fibonacci topological structure are researched. The influences of the azimuthal mode number (m), incident angle (θ), plasma thickness (dp), and plasma frequency (ωp) on the OBG are discussed. These conclusions are drawn that m has a strong ability to regulate the OBG. As m increased, the OBG will be broadened. The θ has a similar ability in adjusting the photonic band gap (PBG), a larger θ will get a wider PBG. When θ = 85°, the TM wave achieves the PBG in the range of 0–3 (2πc/d). So the ultra-wide PBG can be got by the large θ. Contrary to m, dp has an inverse relationship with the bandwidth of the OBG. As dp increases, the bandwidth of the OBG will be decreased. Fortunately, the frequency range of the OBG can be controlled by dp. But ωp cannot regulate the bandwidth of the OBG. Increasing m and reducing dp appropriately can obtain a lower frequency and wider OBG. This feature is very beneficial to designing devices such as waveguides, filters, and antenna substrates. In addition, an interesting phenomenon can be found when m = 2, an extra high reflection zone can be inspired in the TM wave. It provides a theoretical support for designing the narrowband filters without introducing any physical defect layers in the structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel kind of one-dimensional (1-D) photonic crystals (PCs) using two-dimensional (2-D) hyperbolic material black phosphorus (BP) is proposed, to generate a huge lateral shift which is also known as Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift. The reflected features of such 1-D PCs are mainly ascribed to the thickness ratio of the layer of Au and BP, and the carrier density, due to the characteristics of the permittivities of BP layers and alternating Au-BP layers. In our simulation, the proposed PCs not only can create giant negative and positive GH shifts but also can generate a few adjustable changes under the influences of thickness ratio and carrier density. The simulated results show that the normalized negative one can reach about 253 times of the wavelength, the positive shift can be up to about 279 times. Such 1-D PCs using 2-D hyperbolic material might provide us a new theoretical possibility to produce giant GH shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a terahertz absorber tuned by temperature field with a newfangled structure is presented, which comprises the mercury resonators. In this scheme, temperature (T) build-up will lead the mercury stored in the bottom slot to expand through the columniform hole and be full of the upper central cross container, which can transform the absorption bands of such an absorber. The simulated results manifest that when T is increased from 0 to 25 °C, the dual-frequency absorption points (2.59 THz, 3.03 THz) and a narrow absorption region over 90% (6.54–7.10 THz), whose relative bandwidth (RB) is 7.9%, will be tailored to a single-frequency point absorption (3.12 THz) and a broadband absorption area (6.00–7.21 THz, and RB = 18.3%). For figuring out the property of the absorber mentioned above, the impacts of incident and polarization angles along with some relevant parameters of the structure on the absorption property are investigated. In addition, for plainly expounding the physical mechanism of absorption, the distributions of the surface current diagrams of the presented absorber are calculated, as well as the electric field diagrams, the magnetic field diagrams, the power loss density diagrams, and the power flow density diagrams. The proffered scheme in this article may offer a novel idea for realizing the reconfigurable absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulated hypobaric hypoxia (SHH) training has been used to enhance running performance. However, no studies have evaluated the effects of a single SHH exposure on healthy mice performance and analyzed the changes of mitochondria-related genes in the central nervous system. The current study used a mouse decompression chamber to simulate mild hypobaric hypoxia at the high altitude of 5000 m or severe hypobaric hypoxia at 8000 m for 16 h (SHH5000 & SHH8000, respectively). Then, the mouse behavioral tests were recorded by a modified Noldus video tracking. Third, the effects of SHH on 8 mitochondria-related genes of Drp1, Mfn1, Mfn2, Opa1, TFAM, SGK1, UCP2 and UCP4, were assessed in cerebellum, hippocampus and gastrocnemius muscles. The results have shown that a single mild or severe HH improves healthy mice performance. In cerebellum, 6 of all 8 detected genes (except Mfn2 and UCP4) did not change after SHH. In hippocampus, all detected genes did not change after SHH. In muscles, 7 of all 8 detected genes (except Opa1) did not change after SHH. The present study has indicated the benefit of a single SHH in healthy mice performance, which would due to the stabilized mitochondria against a mild stress state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a wide-angle space filter (SF) with absorption function based on 1-D magnetized plasma photonic crystals is proposed, which has a good rectangularity of greater than 0.95. Since the angle range (AR) of the TM polarization is larger than that of the TE, they can be split at specific angles, possessing the potential to be a polarization splitter (PS). The effects of plasma density ne and magnetic induction intensity B on the AR of the SF are discussed based on the tunability of the magnetized plasma. The increase in ne shrinks the AR of TE and TM polarizations at the same time, but that of the TM decreases faster, resulting in a narrower AR of PS. If B is augmented, only the AR of the TM wave will be reduced, which will also lead to the reduction in the AR of the PS. In addition, the impedance matching theory is used to explain the cause of the generation of SF. Compared with the traditional angular filter only with the transmission function, the SF we proposed with the absorption function is relatively rare, and it may have important application possibilities in the antenna field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an ultra-wideband terahertz (THz) metamaterial absorber (MA) based on a fractal structure, and the main structure of the MA includes the upper metal patch, the bottom metal reflector, and a single dielectric substrate between the two. The surface metal patch is the gold designed by fractal and topology theory to constitute the basic resonant unit, and then the surface base resonant unit is reduced and amplified at different scales. By approaching the resonance frequencies of each other, MA with an operating range of 6.39 to 9.47 THz was obtained, and its relative bandwidth (RB) is 38.8%. The absorption bandwidth can be extended by adjusting the ratio between the four groups of resonators, and the dielectric height can be adjusted to improve the efficiency of the absorption spectrum. In addition to the discussion of the above influencing factors, we are also curious about the principle behind absorption. Therefore, the distribution of the electric field strength and magnetic field strength of the designed MA and the influence of the polarization angle and incidence angle on the absorption bandwidth are simulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, to realize the tailored Spin Hall effect of light (SHEL) which can be controlled by the temperature, the external magnetic field, and the distribution of the external magnetic field, respectively, and further enhance the horizontal and vertical displacements, an engineering structure is designed which is composed of glass, InSb, and air layers. We firstly manipulate the temperature of the InSb layer every 10 K from 160 to 200 K, the horizontal displacement first becomes larger and reaches its maximum at 180 K, which is about 150 μm, and then it becomes smaller when the temperature is larger than 180 K. Then, the value of the external magnetic field has been changed every 0.2 T from 1 to 1.8 T, and the horizontal displacement reaches the maximum at 1.2 T, which is about 648 μm. The thickness of the InSb layer has also been altered every 5 μm from 10 to 30 μm, and the horizontal displacement reaches the maximum at d = 15 μm, which is about 150 μm. Finally, the effects of the distributions of the external magnetic field on the SHEL have been investigated, two other different magnetic field distributions are adopted. One is B = 1 + 1000d (T), and another is B = 1 + ed (T). The results demonstrate that the horizontal and vertical displacements can be tuned obviously. Based on the above analyses, we figure out that the structure can adjust and enhance significantly the behavior of SHEL, and those obtained results are of great help to develop practical application integrated circuit devices in spin-based nano-photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunable metastructur (MS) is popular for research today, but it is complex and difficult to manipulate, so a novel solution has been proposed. In this paper, a MS based on gravitational field and graphene modulation is presented, which can achieve polarization conversion, amplitude modulation, and operating band shift in the range of the gigahertz (GHz) band. The proposed polarization converter (PC) consists of mercury-filled glass cavities, graphene resonators, a copper substrate, and a polyimide dielectric layer. The mercury flows to different parts through the specially designed glass cavities under the effect of the gravitational field, which results in different functions. When the proposed device is not flipped, within 2.53–4.38 GHz (the relative bandwidth is 54.28 %), the linear-polarized electromagnetic wave can be efficiently converted to the circular-polarized ones, whose axial ratio is less than 3 dB. Moreover, when it is flipped, the designed PC can realize the function of cross-polarization conversion and maintain a polarization conversion rate above 90 % in the band of 3.92–7.36 GHz (the relative bandwidth is 60.99 %). The joint tuning of graphene and gravitational field and related parameters are discussed. Moreover, the physics mechanism of the proposed device is explained according to the surface current diagrams. The proposed PC possesses the advantages of broadband, novel tuning, multifunctional modulation, etc. It can be used in the field of communication, electromagnetic countermeasures, and the electromagnetic wave modulation field. [Display omitted] • The Ms utilizes gravitational field and external voltage jointly. • The Ms can realize LCPC and amplitude modulation in different states. • The Ms supplements the traditional multifunctional MS. • The tailored methods are more flexible and convenient. • The Ms has the advantages of ultra-wide bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-structure (MS) that can realize a conversion between electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) in the Terahertz (THz) range by utilizing phase-transition vanadium dioxide (VO 2) has been reported. This work is controlled by temperature to change the conductivity of VO 2 to achieve the switching function. When the VO 2 is in the insulator state, the MS is designed to achieve EIT based on the principle of bright mode near-field coupling bright mode. The EIT behavior owns a peak of 0.8 at 0.430 THz with a maximum group delay of up to 6.5 ps. The MS behaves the function of EIA accompanied by the maximum absorption rate of 93.8 % at 0.432 THz while the VO 2 film is tuned to the metallic state. The reason for the EIA phenomenon is the magnetic effect of the magnetic dipole generated by the MS in the coupling process. The observed EIT and EIA effects are both theoretically explained by the classic two-oscillator model. In addition, the air columns of the dielectric substrate are utilized for the purpose of frequency approaching. This proposed MS provides a new idea for the design of non-contact regulation and reconfigurable and highly absorbent MSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The JM is multi-function, has high quality factors, and works in THz. • The JM can realize two different logic gates on the positive and negative scales. • The JM can realize the sensing of three different physical quantities. • The JM provides a new way for the detection of human organs by angle sensing. • The JM provides a new idea for glucose and bacterium detections by RI sensing. In this paper, a Janus metastructure (JM) is given, which can realize the multi-function of different logic gates and detection of multiple physical quantities such as magnetic field, angle, and refractive index on the positive and negative scales. Furthermore, the multiscale sensing is also controlled by the logic gate. By varying the two different magnetic fields applied to the specific medium layers, the sharp absorption peak (AP), which is modulated by the external magnetic fields, is obtained in the terahertz (THz) range. The emergence of AP follows NOR logic and AND logic gates, on the positive and negative scale respectively. The results demonstrate that the frequency point (FP) of AP will fluctuate in response to the changes in the detection of physical quantities. Consequently, it is possible to accomplish physical quantities sensing functionalities by determining the FP of AP. The JM, proposed in this paper, provides a new research idea and has a more promising future. Its detection ranges of refractive index, tiny angular changes and magnetic field are 0.61 ∼ 0.65 T or 1.185 ∼ 1.2 T, 1.4 ∼ 1.9 degrees or 2.9 ∼ 3 degrees, and 1.05 ∼ 1.45 or 2.1 ∼ 2.5, which can be widely used in biomedical and physical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a simple periodic 1-D magnetized plasma photonic crystal (PPC) is proposed. The effects of plasma frequency and plasma cyclotron frequency on the absorption of such magnetized PPCs are investigated theoretically by the transfer matrix method. The simulated results show that, for the TM wave, a tunable absorption window in the transmission region (AWTR) can be achieved when the incident angle is 82°, and the absorption peak of AWTR shifts to the higher frequencies when the plasma frequency and plasma cyclotron frequency are increased. On this basis, a multistack structure is designed by splicing periodic PPC structures with different plasma cyclotron frequencies. The calculated results indicate that an ultrawideband absorption band can be achieved for the stacked structure, and the broadband transmission window in the absorption region (TWAR) can be obtained by changing the distribution of plasma cyclotron frequency. Besides, the ultrawideband absorption and TWAR can be realized in different frequency bands after optimization parameters. Those simulated results can provide ideas for designing the angle-dependent polarized splitters, tunable ultrawideband absorbers, radomes, or switchable absorption–transmission window signal modulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inducible costimulator (ICOS) is a member of the CD28 family. When activated, ICOS signalling promotes FOXP3 CNS2 gene demethylation and stabilizes Treg differentiation. Cerebral aneurysm (CA) is the local ballooning of the cerebral vasculature, characterized by higher levels of inflammation mediators and tissue remodelling. FOXP3+ Treg cell dysfunction may contribute to CA pathogenesis. In this study, the expression and function of ICOS in Treg cells was investigated. Circulating CD4+CD25hi T cells from CA subjects demonstrated significantly lower levels of ICOS expression than circulating CD4+CD25hi T cells from healthy subjects. In both healthy subjects and CA subjects, FOXP3+ Treg cells were highly concentrated in the ICOS+ fraction of CD4+CD25hi T cells. Anti‐ICOS costimulation, in combination with anti‐CD3 and IL‐2, significantly increased FOXP3 expression in CD4+CD25hiICOS+ T cells but not in CD4+CD25hiICOS‐ T cells. In addition, anti‐CD3/IL‐2 and anti‐ICOS costimulation significantly elevated the expression of IL‐10 and TGF‐β, decreased the expression of IL‐17, and enhanced CD4+CD25hiICOS+ T cell‐mediated suppression of autologous CD4+CD25‐ Tconv proliferation. Interestingly, CD4+CD25hiICOS+ T cells from CA subjects presented lower responsiveness toward anti‐ICOS costimulation than CD4+CD25hiICOS+ T cells from healthy subjects. Overall, these results demonstrated that ICOS signalling could significantly improve FOXP3 expression and enhance Treg functional potency. However, circulating Treg cells from CA patients displayed reduced ICOS expression and lower responsiveness toward anti‐ICOS stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A multichannel one-way and wide-angle absorber in THz regime with the cascading quasi-periodic structure containing superconducting layers is theoretically realized. • The features of one-way multi-band absorption can be tuned by the ambient temperature of superconducting layers and the thicknesses of different dielectrics. • The RBWs of the unidirectional absorption regions located in lower, middle and high frequencies can reach to 51.94%, 30.18%, 19.12% when T S =90 K and T U =10 K, respectively. • The wide-angle absorption is polarization-dependent, the maximum angle that the TE and TM waves can sustain in the absorption region is 76° and 84°, separately. • The absorptance in two opposite transmission directions can be enhanced with the augment of superconducting layers' operating temperature. • It is feasible to form multiple Fabry-Perot resonance cavities via splicing two kinds of quasi-periodic sequences together, which breaks the spatial inversion symmetry of PCs. In this paper, a one-way multichannel and wide-angle absorber based on the one-dimensional superconductor photonic crystals (SPCs) in the terahertz regime is realized via splicing the classical quasi-period sequences and manipulating the ambient temperature properly, whose characteristics and mechanisms are theoretically investigated by the transfer matrix method. The preeminent absorbing features of the proposed SPCs are ascribed to the temperature and frequency-dependent refractive index of the superconductor components, whose imaginary part plays a role in giving rise to the high dissipation. Additionally, when the thickness of the whole structure is of the order of the incident electromagnetic wavelength, the one-way absorption and the reflection in the opposite direction can be perfectly obtained. The calculated results demonstrate that the relative bandwidths of the one-way effective absorption regions in our proposed SPCs can reach to 51.94%, 30.18%, and 19.12%, respectively, and the maximum angle where the wide-angle absorption region can sustain is up to 84° for TM wave by controlling the related parameters. Moreover, the impacts of the external factors such as temperature and incident angle and the interior elements including the thicknesses of diverse layers and the recursive numbers of the cascading sequences on the absorbing performance are also taken into account. To explicitly verify the reliability of our model, the impedance matching and the average refractive index are introduced for explaining the splendid multichannel absorption. As a whole, our research offers effective guidance for the theoretical excogitation of the multichannel and wide-angle absorber in the optical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the properties of a reconfigurable device which realizes the omnidirectional band gaps (OBGs), nonreciprocity (NR) and polarization beam splitting (PBS) based on the one-dimensional (1-D) magnetized plasma photonic crystals (MPPCs) nested with quasi-periodic Pell and Thue–Morse sequences are theoretically investigated by the transfer matrix method (TMM). The obtained results show that the OBGs, the NR region, and the scope of PBS can be notably manipulated by the plasma frequency, plasma cyclotron frequency, incident angle, and the plasma collision frequency. More specifically, the higher plasma frequency is needed for accomplishing the property of OBGs while the better performance of NR can be achieved with a larger incident angle and a higher plasma cyclotron frequency. Also, the lower plasma frequency and higher plasma cyclotron frequency are suitable for the splendid performance of PBS. The augment of the plasma collision frequency is adverse to the properties as mentioned above. Due to the Voigt magneto-optical effect generating from the magnetized plasma layers, the time-reversal symmetry is destroyed which is beneficial for obtaining the properties of NR and PBS. Besides, owing to the nested technology which breaks the spatial symmetry of the structure further, compared with the conventional 1-D single quasi-periodic structures, the proposed nested MPPCs have a preeminent strength in achieving the three functions through modulating the corresponding physical parameters. These findings provide theoretical guidance for the design and application of the multifunctional devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactions of N,2-dihydroxy-3-methoxybenzamide (H3L) with transition metal acetates in the presence of pyridine and/or 2,2′-bipyridine under solvothermal conditions give two pentanuclear complexes, [Zn5L2(CH3COO−)4(py)3] (1) and [Co5L2(CH3COO−)4(py)(2,2′-bipy)2] (2). Photoluminescence studies indicate strong purple emission for 1 in the solid state at room temperature. Variable-temperature dc magnetic susceptibility studies of 2 reveal that antiferromagnetic CoII···CoII exchange interactions exist in 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Inflammation within the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in obesity plays an important role in cardiovascular disorders. C-reactive protein (CRP) level in obesity patients is significantly increased and associated with the occurrence and progression of cardiovascular disease. We tested the hypothesis CRP derived from PVAT in obesity contributes to vascular remodeling after injury.Methods: A high-fat diet (HFD) significantly increased CRP expression in PVAT. We transplanted thoracic aortic PVAT from wild-type (WT) or transgenic CRP-expressing (CRPTG) mice to the injured femoral artery in WT mice.Results: At 4 weeks after femoral artery injury, the neointimal/media ratio was increased significantly in WT mice that received PVAT from CRPTG mice compared with that in WT mice that received WT PVAT. Transplanted CRPTG PVAT also significantly accelerated adventitial macrophage infiltration and vasa vasorum proliferation. It was revealed greater macrophage infiltration in CRPTG adipose tissue than in WT adipose tissue and CRP significantly increased the adhesion rate of monocytes through receptor Fcγ RI. Proteome profiling showed CRP over-expression promoted the expression of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 7 (CXCL7) in adipose tissue, transwell assay showed CRP increased monocyte migration indirectly via the induction of CXCL7 expression in adipocytes.Conclusion: CRP derived from PVAT was significantly increased in HFD mice and promoted neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The framework of statistical inference has been successfully used to detect the mesoscale structures in complex networks such as community structure and core–periphery (CP) structure. The main principle is that the stochastic block model is used to fit the observed network and the learned parameters indicating the group assignment, in which the parameters of model are often calculated via an expectation–maximization algorithm and a belief propagation (BP) algorithm, is implemented to calculate the decomposition itself. In the derivation process of the BP algorithm, some approximations were made by omitting the effects of node's neighbors, the approximations do not hold if the degrees of some nodes are extremely large. As a result, for example, the BP algorithm cannot detect the CP structure in networks and even yields a wrong detection because the nodal degrees in the core group are very large. In doing so, we propose an improved BP algorithm to solve the problem in the original BP algorithm without increasing any computational complexity. We find that the original and the improved BP algorithms yield a similar performance regarding the community detection; however, our improved BP algorithm is much better and more stable when the CP structure becomes more dominant. The improved BP algorithm may help us correctly partition different types of mesoscale structures in networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Splenic cyst is a relatively rare disease; true splenic cysts are classified as parasitic and non-parasitic cysts. Although most cysts are asymptomatic, large cyst cases show clinical symptoms, consisting mainly of dyspepsia and fullness in the upper left abdomen. Surgical intervention is recommended primarily for large cysts to prevent complications such as rupture, hemorrhage, and infection. This paper presents our experience of eleven laparoscopic procedures for non-parasitic splenic cysts. Laparoscopic fenestration was performed in all cases, and the cyst endothelium was destroyed . All operations were accomplished successfully. The mean operative time was 56 minutes (range 40-90 minutes). Intraoperative bleeding was 15ml (range 5-30 ml), oral food intake was started on the first postoperative day. The median duration of postoperative hospitalization was 2.8 days (range 1-7days). There were no postoperative complications. All cases were followed up for a period of 21 months to 5.5 years, and no recurrence occurred. Laparoscopic fenestration and endothelium obliteration is an advantageous approach to large non-parasitic splenic cysts with little postoperative pain, fast recovery, splenic tissue and splenism preservation, low complication rates, and a short hospital stay; it is easily accepted by patients. It yields favorable medium-term results. Our study confirms that good results can be achieved with an approach of laparoscopic fenestration and endothelium obliteration for simple non-parasitic splenic cysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a circularly polarized antenna is realized based on the solid-state plasma (SSP), and its working frequency band can be adjusted slightly by simulating the different SSP branches. The proposed antenna is similar to other common coplanar waveguide antennas, but its metal radiation patch and reflective ground are in different planes, which are located at both sides of the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is made of FR4, and the metal radiation patch and reflective ground are the copper. There are two adjustable branches composed of SSP, which can be excited to tailor its operating frequency. The simulated results show that the proposed antenna can operate at two main communication bands, which are WLAN (2.4–2.4835 GHz) and WiMAX (3.3 GHz), when the different SSP branches are excited. To verify the reliability of the design, two equivalent prototypes have been fabricated and measured. The measured results are probably consistent with simulated results within a reasonable error range. The measured results show that when the left SPP branch is excited (state A), the 10-dB return loss bandwidth is 57.1% (2–3.6 GHz), and the 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 31.1% (1.9–2.6 GHz) containing WLAN. When the right SPP branch is excited (state B), the 10-dB return loss bandwidth is 57.1% (2–3.6 GHz), and the 3-dB AR bandwidth is 31.6% (2.4–3.3 GHz) containing WiMAX. In addition, the better performance of such an antenna can be obtained within a certain angle region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced lung function has been linked to cardiovascular disease, but population-based evidence on the relationship between lung function decline and coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression is rare. A total of 2694 participants (44.7% men) with a mean ± standard deviation age of 40.4 ± 3.6 years from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) were included. The rates of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) over a 20-year period were calculated for each participant and categorized into quartiles. The primary outcome was CAC progression. During a mean follow-up of 8.9 years, 455 (16.9%) participants had CAC progression. After adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for CAC progression were higher for participants in the 2nd (Q2), 3rd (Q3), and highest quartiles (Q4) of FVC decline compared with those in the lowest quartile (Q1): 1.366 (1.003-1.861), 1.412 (1.035-1.927), and 1.789 (1.318-2.428), respectively. Similar trends were observed for the association between FEV1 and CAC progression. The association remained robust across a series of sensitivity analyses and all subgroups. A faster decline in FVC or FEV1 during young adulthood is independently associated with an increased risk of CAC progression in midlife. Maintaining optimal lung function during young adulthood may improve future cardiovascular health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing metasurface (MS), the transition between dual-peak electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and dual-peak electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) in four states has been proposed in the terahertz (THz) band with the incidence of a circularly polarized (CP) wave. Additionally, the phase-change material vanadium dioxide (VO 2) and photosensitive material silicon (Si) have been adopted. The four state transitions can be achieved by adjusting the pump light and the temperature which is not affected by incident CP waves. With the incidence of the pump light, Si can transform from the insulating state to the metallic state. Similarly, when the temperature exceeds 68 °C, VO 2 enters the metallic state. Two different dual-peak EIT (State 1 and State 2) accompanied by slow light effect can be observed by modulating the state of VO 2 without the action of Si. However, once Si is in metallic state, two different states of dual-peak EIA (State 3 and State 4) are achieved by changing the state of VO 2. Notably, the MS has the property of polarization insensitivity. The theoretical oscillator model and equivalent RLC-circuit model verify the feasibility of dual-peak EIT and EIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The LPS can detect four different quantities simultaneously based on a single LPS. • The LPS provides (phase/frequency) modulation detection methods based on CPA. • The LPS enables a wide detection range, high sensitivity, and little detection limit. • The LPS can be applied to pressure sensing, photosensitive sensing, and biosensing. Contrary to the traditional single-function sensor, a layered photonic structure (LPS) is proposed in this paper for multipurpose sensing based on the mechanism of coherent perfect absorption (CPA), which can simultaneously detect changes in the thickness of the dielectric layers, the refractive index, the incident angle, and the applied magnetic field intensity. Utilizing the Faraday effect of magnetized yttrium iron garnet, CPA is excited in the LPS. The transfer matrix method (TMM) is utilized to theoretically calculate the sensitivity, linear range, and figure of merit of the structures. To achieve high adaptability and a wide sensing range, the LPS provides two modulation detection methods based on CPA: phase modulation, which regulates and compensates for absorption via changing the optical phase, and frequency modulation, which utilizes the frequency band in comb-like absorption peaks. Due to the fragility of CPA, the multipurpose structure is of high precision, high-sensitivity. Furthermore, LPS benefits from its compact size and ease of fabrication. Therefore, we expect that our study will have some viable potential in the gauging arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a chaotic gray wolf optimization algorithm to drive the transfer matrix method, a nonreciprocal and angle-insensitive absorber with ultra-wide bandwidth absorption is realized in a layered photonic structure comprised of graphene, which is spliced of a periodic sequence and a quasi-periodic sequence on a normalized scale. Compared to the periodic sequence, the proposed cascading construction has more preponderance in terms of bandwidth and angular stability. The surface conductivity of the graphene layer, which manipulates the absorption effect, can be modulated by the Fermi level, causing the characteristics of the proposed absorber tuned. The Fermi level of graphene, dielectric constants, and thicknesses of ordinary media, are optimized by the chaotic gray wolf algorithm, contributing to the decent improvement of absorption with a relative bandwidth of up to 127 %. Most importantly, in the 1.5–4.5 THz, the angular stability reaches 86° under the TM mode and 70° in TE one. The impacts of sequence number N of periodic sequence and M of quasi-periodic sequence on absorption in both angle and frequency domains are investigated. Additionally, the impedance match theory is introduced to express excellent absorption performance. [Display omitted] • The LPS achieves unidirectional and ultra-wide band absorption. • The angular stability of the LPS is superb. • The LPS can be employed to address optoelectronic devices design. • The CGWO can be widely applied in optics field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a tunable ultra-broadband linear-to-circular polarization converter (LCPC) in terahertz regime containing the graphene is proposed, which are composed of two "I"-shaped gold resonators, a strip-shaped graphene sheet, two dielectric layer and a bottom gold reflector. The proposed LCPC can convert the linearly polarized wave into circularly polarized wave in an ultra-broadband frequency range which can be expanded to the lower frequencies by decreasing the Fermi energy (E f) of the graphene in terahertz region. When E f = 0. 4 eV , 0.6 eV, 0.8 eV and 1.0 eV, the axial ratio band of the proposed LCPC which is less than 3 dB are covered 0.9248 ∼ 2.2880 THz, 0.9408 ∼ 2.2893 THz, 0.9665 ∼ 2.2803 THz, and 0.9746 ∼ 2.2780 THz, whose relative bandwidths are 84.86%, 83.49%, 80.93% and 80.15%, respectively. The maximum 3 dB axial ratio band is located at 0.9248 ∼ 2.2880 THz and its relative bandwidth is 84.86% at the case of E f = 0. 4 eV. The polarization conversion rate curves, reflection phase curves, surface current and electric field diagrams are analyzed to elucidate the physical characteristics of the presented LCPC. In addition, the effect of parameters a , b and c on the axial ratio band are also discussed, respectively. This design offers an effective way to realize the reconfigurable LCPC, and also has enormous potential value in realizing the THz devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent inflammation disrupts functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) activation promotes functional recovery in SCI rats by inhibiting inflammatory cascades and increasing neuronal survival. We sought to clarify the relationship between PPAR-γ activation and NACHT, LRR and PYD domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome suppression, and the role of NF-κB in activating the NLRP3 inflammasome in neurons. In SCI rats, we found that rosiglitazone (PPAR-γ agonist) inhibited the expression of caspase-1. In in vitro neurons, G3335 (PPAR-γ antagonist) reversed the rosiglitazone-induced inhibition of caspase-1, interleukin 1 (IL-1β), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Rosiglitazone inhibited the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-6. However, the activator of NLRP3 could counteract this inhibition induced by PPAR-γ activation. NF-κB did not participate in the process of rosiglitazone-induced inhibition of NLRP3. Consistent with our in vitro results, we verified that locomotor recovery of SCI rats in vivo was regulated via PPAR-γ, NLRP3, and NF-κB. These results suggest that PPAR-γ activation exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome—but not NF-κB—in neurons and that PPAR-γ activation is a promising therapeutic target for SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • For the first time, DBN is designed for predicting internal valve leakage rates. • Three types of data are used to establish the prediction models. • The performance of the proposed method is better than that of SVR and BPNN. • The model based on mixed data is universal for various types of valves. • The paper has a guiding significance for predicting other fluid leakage rates. Abstract If a leak occurs for a valve in a natural gas station, it will first cause economic loss. Second, the gas leakage may also lead to the pollution of other pipeline systems as well as to environmental pollution. Under extreme conditions, it may even lead to an explosion, endangering the safety of the staff. Therefore, we urgently need a means to solve these problems. At present, acoustic emission (AE) detection technology is the most widely used method of diagnosing the valve leakage. The effects of gas leakage mainly depend on the valve leakage rate. However, the internal valve leakage rate is a multivariable, nonlinear, and time-varying process. Therefore, the accurate prediction of the valve leakage rate is an important challenge. Recognising this challenge, a novel prediction method, namely, regression-based deep belief network (DBN), which substitutes the linear regression (LR) layer for the linear softmax classification layer at the top of the general DBN's structure, has been proposed to predict the internal leakage rates of a valve in a natural gas pipeline. The internal leakage signals of a ball valve and a plug valve were collected using the AE system. The time–frequency features of the signals, inlet pressure of the pipe, and the valve type are used as the input variables to predict the leakage rates with the DBN model. The ball valve leakage data, plug valve leakage data, and mixed leakage data of both are used to establish and test the proposed models separately. At the same time, the back-propagation neural network (BPNN), support vector regression using linear (L-SVR), polynomial (P-SVR) and Radial basis function (RBF-SVR) kernels and the proposed DBN were all developed and compared to check the performance. After analysing the prediction results of these models, we found that the nonlinear and unstable features of the valve internal leakage signals could be well studied by using the DBN model. In addition, the performance of the DBN model was superior to that of the traditional prediction models for the three types of data. Therefore, it can be proven that the proposed model has huge practical application value for predicting the gas leakage rates of a valve in a natural gas pipeline system and has a guiding significance for predicting the other fluid leakage rates of a valve in other pipeline systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Link prediction can estimate the probablity of the existence of an unknown or future edges between two arbitrary disconnected nodes (two seed nodes) in complex networks on the basis of information regarding network nodes, edges and topology. With the important practical value in many fields such as social networks, electronic commerce, data mining and biological networks, link prediction is attracting considerable attention from scientists in various fields. In this paper, we find that degree distribution and strength of two- and three-step local paths between two seed nodes can reveal effective similarity information between the two nodes. An index called local major path degree (LMPD) is proposed to estimate the probability of generating a link between two seed nodes. To indicate the efficiency of this algorithm, we compare it with nine well-known similarity indices based on local information in 12 real networks. Results show that the LMPD algorithm can achieve high prediction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the leakage rate of a valve in a natural gas pipeline via factor and cluster analysis of acoustic emission signals. Factor analysis was used to reduce the amount of redundant information in the highly dimensional features and extract the optimal features for the cluster analysis. Three types of clustering algorithm—fuzzy C means, k -means and k -medoids—were used to classify leakage rates. Performance was evaluated in terms of overall accuracy, computational time, iterations, Jaccard coefficients and Cohen’s kappa. A model based on factor analysis and k- medoids clustering was found to be exceedingly effective for recognizing internal valve leakage rates. This method proved to be superior to the k -means and fuzzy C means clustering methods, and has potential value in real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a dual‐band and wideband omnidirectional circularly polarized (CP) antenna based on the vanadium dioxide (VO2) is investigated. The operating bandwidth of such an antenna can be regulated by altering the outside temperature (T), which is attained by the insulator‐metal transition of VO2. The omnidirectional CP antenna is based on a loop antenna‐dipole model, which is composed of four tilted metal and VO2 resonant units that are loaded around a cuboid and a feeding network for broadening bandwidth. The simulated results show that when T = 50°C (State I), the 10‐dB impedance bandwidth is 45.7% (1.67‐2.66 GHz), and the 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 40% (1.9‐2.85 GHz). When T = 80°C (State II), the 10‐dB impedance bandwidth is 13.8% (1.62‐1.86 GHz), and the 3‐dB AR bandwidth is 21.8% (1.68‐2.09 GHz). In order to further characterize the concept of the proposed antenna, the related parameters of such an antenna are studied using simulation software HFSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The nonreciprocal thermal radiation can be attained. • The incident angle bringing about the nonreciprocal thermal radiation can be as small as 15°. • The WDMSes is operated over the mid-infrared wave range around 4.692 and 3.89 µm. • Stronger performance of the nonreciprocal thermal radiation is realized with η >0.95. • The effects of t on nonreciprocal thermal properties are studied. This work proposes the Weyl semimetal-dielectric multilayer structures (WDMSes), both sides of which can realize nonreciprocal thermal radiation. Utilizing the transfer matrix method, the absorptivity α q and emissivity e q are calculated in the mid-infrared wave range. The absorption can be attributed to the defect modes. For both sides of the WDMSes, it is found the nonreciprocity originates as the incident angle is around 15° and a wider incident angle tends to enhance it. By increasing the angle to 45°, the stronger nonreciprocal thermal radiation for the front side is revealed at the wavelength of 4.692 µm and 3.890 µm. In the same way, for the back side, it is displayed at the wavelength of 4.692 µm and 3.896 µm. The relevant factors including the temperature of the Weyl semimetal, the thickness of the dielectric layer unit, the thickness of the defect layer, and the period of the structure are discussed. They can affect the nonreciprocity, as well as shift the absorption and emission bands in the wave and angular range. This work can be applied to heat radiation transfer media, energy conversion devices, thermal storage and emitter, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/ Aims: Little is known about the effect of P450 oxidoreductase (POR) gene polymorphisms on the activities of CYPs with multiple genotypes. Methods: We genotyped 102 human livers for 18 known POR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with allelic frequencies greater than 1% as well as for 27 known SNPs in 10 CYPs. CYP enzyme activities in microsomes prepared from these livers were determined by measuring probe substrate metabolism by high performance liquid chromatograph. Results: We found that the effects of the 18 POR SNPs on 10 CYP activities were CYP genotype-dependent. The POR mutations were significantly associated with decreased overall Km for CYP2B6 and 2E1, and specific genotypes within CYP1A2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2D6 and 2E1 were identified as being affected by these POR SNPs. Notably, the effect of a specific POR mutation on the activity of a CYP genotype could not be predicted from other CYP genotypes of even the same CYP. When combining one POR SNP with other POR SNPs, a hitherto unrecognized effect of multiple-site POR gene polymorphisms (MSGP) on CYP activity was uncovered, which was not necessarily consistent with the effect of either single POR SNP. Conclusions: The effects of POR SNPs on CYP activities were not only CYP-dependent, but more importantly, CYP genotype-dependent. Moreover, the effect of a POR SNP alone and in combination with other POR SNPs (MSGP) was not always consistent, nor predictable. Understanding the impact of POR gene polymorphisms on drug metabolism necessitates knowing the complete SNP complement of POR and the genotype of the relevant CYPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting mesoscale structure, such as community structure, is of vital importance for analyzing complex networks. Recently, a new mesoscale structure, core-periphery (CP) structure, has been identified in many real-world systems. In this paper, we propose an effective algorithm for detecting CP structure based on a 3-tuple motif. In this algorithm, we first define a 3-tuple motif in terms of the patterns of edges as well as the property of nodes, and then a motif adjacency matrix is constructed based on the 3-tuple motif. Finally, the problem is converted to find a cluster that minimizes the smallest motif conductance. Our algorithm works well in different CP structures: including single or multiple CP structure, and local or global CP structures. Results on the synthetic and the empirical networks validate the high performance of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The phenomenon that malignant cells can acquire stemness under specific stimuli, encompassed under the concept of cancer cell plasticity, has been well-described in epithelial malignancies. To our knowledge, cancer cell plasticity has not yet been described in hematopoietic cancers. To illustrate and study cancer cell plasticity in hematopoietic cancers, we employed an in-vitro experimental model of ALK-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALK+ALCL) that is based on the phenotypic and functional dichotomy of these cells, with cells responsive to a Sox2 reporter (i.e. RR cells) being significantly more stem-like than those unresponsive to the reporter (i.e. RU cells).Methods: H2O2 was employed to trigger oxidative stress. GFP expression and luciferase activity, readouts of the Sox2 reporter activity, were quantified by using flow cytometry and luciferase activity assay, respectively. Doxorubicin-resistance and clonogenicity were assessed by using the MTS, methylcellulose colony formation and limiting dilution assays. Western blotting and quantitative PCR were used to assess the expression of various members of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Pull-down studies using a Sox2 binding consensus sequence were used to assess Sox2-DNA binding. Quercetin and 10074-G5 were used to inhibit β-catenin and MYC, respectively. siRNA was used to downregulate Sox2.Results: Under H2O2-induced oxidative stress, a substantial fraction of RU cells was found to convert to RR cells, as evidenced by their acquisition of GFP expression and luciferase activity. Compared to the native RU cells, converted RR cells had significantly higher levels of doxorubicin-resistance, clonogenicity and sphere formation. Converted RR cells were characterized by an upregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin/MYC/Sox2 signaling axis, previously found to be the key regulator of the RU/RR dichotomy in ALK+ALCL. Furthermore, Sox2 was found to bind to DNA efficiently in converted RR cells but not RU cells, and this finding correlated with significant elevations of several Sox2 downstream targets such as WNT2B and BCL9. Lastly, inhibition of β-catenin, MYC or Sox2 in RU cells significantly abrogated the H2O2-induced RU/RR conversion.Conclusions: We have demonstrated that cancer cell plasticity exists in ALK+ALCL, a type of hematopoietic cancer. In this cancer type, the Wnt/β-catenin/MYC/Sox2 axis is an important regulator of cancer cell plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To maximize the spreading influence of multiple spreaders in complex networks, one important fact cannot be ignored: the multiple spreaders should be dispersively distributed in networks, which can effectively reduce the redundance of information spreading. For this purpose, we define a generalized closeness centrality (GCC) index by generalizing the closeness centrality index to a set of nodes. The problem converts to how to identify multiple spreaders such that an objective function has the minimal value. By comparing with the K-means clustering algorithm, we find that the optimization problem is very similar to the problem of minimizing the objective function in the K-means method. Therefore, how to find multiple nodes with the highest GCC value can be approximately solved by the K-means method. Two typical transmission dynamics—epidemic spreading process and rumor spreading process are implemented in real networks to verify the good performance of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]