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BackgroundAcupuncture, as an alternative and complementary therapy recommended by the World Health Organization for stroke treatment, holds potential in ameliorating neurofunctional deficits induced by ischemic stroke (IS). Understanding the immediate and long-term effects of acupuncture and their interrelation would contribute to a better comprehension of the mechanisms underlying acupuncture efficacy.MethodsActivation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis was used to analyze the brain activation patterns reported in 21 relevant functional neuroimaging studies. Among these studies, 12 focused on the immediate brain activation and 9 on the long-term activation. Single dataset analysis were employed to identify both immediate and long-term brain activation of acupuncture treatment in IS patients, while contrast and conjunction analysis were utilized to explore distinctions and connections between the two.ResultsAccording to the ALE analysis, immediately after acupuncture treatment, IS patients exhibited an enhanced cluster centered around the right precuneus (PCUN) and a reduced cluster centered on the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG). After long-term acupuncture treatment, IS patients showed an enhanced cluster in the left PCUN, along with two reduced clusters in the right insula (INS) and hippocampus (HIP), respectively. Additionally, in comparison to long-term acupuncture treatment, the right angular gyrus (ANG) demonstrated higher ALE scores immediately after acupuncture, whereas long-term acupuncture resulted in higher scores in the left superior parietal gyrus (SPG). The intersecting cluster activated by both of them was located in the left cuneus (CUN).ConclusionThe findings provide initial insights into both the immediate and long-term brain activation patterns of acupuncture treatment for IS, as well as the intricate interplay between them. Both immediate and long-term acupuncture treatments showed distinct patterns of brain activation, with the left CUN emerging as a crucial regulatory region in their association.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, CRD42023480834.

Terahertz (THz) communication is a rapidly advancing field with applications spanning space exploration, wireless communication, and security checks. Achieving effective intensity modulation of THz radiation is a crucial requirement for THz technology. In this study, we propose an approach to achieve real-time and precise control over THz radiation using a gold split-ring metasurface integrated with MoS2 layers. We demonstrate the emergence of an electromagnetically induced transparency-like resonance through optical pumping, resulting in high-quality THz signal transmission with impressive modulation depth of 81% at 612 GHz. These findings hold great promise for a wide range of THz applications, including sensing, switching, and filtering.

High-entropy oxides (HEOs) have received significant attention because of their tunable mechanical properties and wide range of functional applications. However, the conventional method used for sintering HEOs requires prolonged processing time, which results in excessive grain growth, thereby compromising their performance. Here, an ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) strategy was adopted, and rock-salt composite (Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2)O was selected as model materials. Experimental parameters were tuned to illustrate the influence of applied current and soaking time on the densification process and resulting grain size. Additionally, the electrochemical performance of UHS-synthesized microparticles as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries was investigated. The results show that the ultrafast heating rate results in fine grains with a diameter of ~6–8 μm and density of 95%, which are much smaller and similar to those obtained using the conventional sintering method (25 μm and 96%). Moreover, the high surface area and reactivity of the microparticles, as well as their sluggish diffusion effect and structural stability, contribute to outstanding performance with high capacity (336 mA·h/g at 1 A/g) and ultralong cyclability (1000 cycles). This novel technique offers valuable insights into the densification process of HEOs and other materials and can thus broaden their application range.

Tetracycline (TC) contamination in water is one of the key issues in global environmental protection, and traditional water treatment methods are difficult to remove antibiotic pollutants.Therefore, efficient and environmentally friendly treatment technologies are urgently needed. In this study, activated persulfate (PS) using a biochar-loaded nano zero-valent iron (BC-nZVI) advanced oxidation system was used to investigate the degradation effect, influencing factors, and mechanism of TC. BC-nZVI was prepared using the liquid-phase reduction method, and its structure and properties were analyzed by various characterization means. The results showed that nZVI was uniformly distributed on the surface or in the pores of BC, forming a stable complex. Degradation experiments showed that the BC-nZVI/PS system could degrade TC up to 99.57% under optimal conditions. The experiments under different conditions revealed that the iron-carbon ratio, dosing amount, PS concentration, and pH value all affected the degradation efficiency. Free radical burst and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments confirmed the dominant roles of hydroxyl and sulfate radicals in the degradation process, and LC–MS experiments revealed the multi-step reaction process of TC degradation. This study provides a scientific basis for the efficient treatment of TC pollution in water.

Night pedestrian detection with visible image only suffers from the dilemma of high miss rate due to poor illumination conditions. Cross-modality fusion can ameliorate this dilemma by providing complementary information to each other through infrared and visible images. In this paper, we propose a cross-modal fusion framework based on YOLOv5, which is aimed at addressing the challenges of night pedestrian detection under low-light conditions. The framework employs a dual-stream architecture that processes visible images and infrared images separately. Through the Cross-Modal Feature Rectification Module (CMFRM), visible and infrared features are finely tuned on a granular level, leveraging their spatial correlations to focus on complementary information and substantially reduce uncertainty and noise from different modalities. Additionally, we have introduced a two-stage Feature Fusion Module (FFM), with the first stage introducing a cross-attention mechanism for cross-modal global reasoning, and the second stage using a mixed channel embedding to produce enhanced feature outputs. Moreover, our method involves multi-dimensional interaction, not only correcting feature maps in terms of channel and spatial dimensions but also applying cross-attention at the sequence processing level, which is critical for the effective generalization of cross-modal feature combinations. In summary, our research significantly enhances the accuracy and robustness of nighttime pedestrian detection, offering new perspectives and technical pathways for visual information processing in low-light environments.

BackgroundPost-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common mental complication after stroke and has a serious impact on functional outcomes and quality of life for stroke patients. Antidepressants are the first-line treatment for PSD; however, many reported side effects remain. Clinical research and practice guidelines have shown that electro-acupuncture (EA) or rTMS have a positive effect on PSD. However, there are few clinical studies on EA and MRI-navigated rTMS for PSD that explore the fMRI-based central mechanism in depression.MethodsIn this randomized, controlled, open-label trial, 64 patients with PSD will be randomly allocated into the experiment group (n = 32) or control group (n = 32). The experiment group will receive EA and MRI-navigated rTMS and the control group will receive MRI-navigated rTMS treatment, in 12–20 sessions over 4 weeks. In addition, 10 healthy people for fMRI scanning will be recruited as a healthy control group without any intervention. The primary outcome will be the change from baseline in the Hamilton Depression Scale-24 item (HAMD-24) scores at week 4. The primary analysis of the central mechanism will mainly involve cortical morphology, local spontaneous brain activity, and the default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity based on fMRI at 0 and 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes will include the neuro-patho-physiological and quality of life changes in cortical excitability, determined using the motor evoked potential test (MEP), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D) Scale, Modified Barthel Index (MBI) Scale, and Health Scale of Traditional Chinese Medicine (HSTCM). Additional indicators will include the Acceptability Questionnaire and Health Economics Evaluation (cost-effectiveness analysis) to assess the acceptability and economic practicality of the treatment under study. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and post intervention.DiscussionEA and MRI-navigated rTMS therapy could become an alternative treatment for PSD, and it is expected that this trial will provide reliable clinical evidence and a potential central mechanism for the future use of EA and MRI-navigated rTMS for PSD.Clinical trial registrationNCT05516680, ClinicalTrials.gov (registered in August 2022).

Organic pollutants in water bodies pose a serious environmental problem, and photocatalytic technology is an efficient and environmentally friendly water treatment method. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used photocatalyst, but it suffers from some drawbacks such as a narrow light response range, fast charge recombination, and low photocatalytic activity. To improve the photocatalytic performance of TiO2, this article reviews the preparation methods, performance evaluation, and applications of modified TiO2 photocatalysts. Firstly, the article introduces the effects of doping modification, semiconductor composite modification, and other modification methods on the structure and properties of TiO2 photocatalysts, as well as the common characterization techniques and activity test methods of photocatalysts. Secondly, the article discusses the effects and mechanisms of modified TiO2 photocatalysts on degrading dye, pesticide, and other organic pollutants in water bodies, as well as the influencing factors. Finally, the article summarizes the main achievements and advantages of modified TiO2 photocatalysts in degrading organic pollutants in water bodies, points out the existing problems and challenges, and prospects for the development direction and future of this field. HIGHLIGHTS Various techniques enhance titanium dioxide (TiO2) properties.; The study of the modified TiO2 photocatalytic mechanism.; Modified TiO2 excels in degrading organic pollutants.; In practical water treatment, modified TiO2 offers promising results and simultaneous challenges.;

Abstract Avalanche and surge robustness involve fundamental carrier dynamics under high electric field and current density. They are also prerequisites of any power device to survive common overvoltage and overcurrent stresses in power electronics applications such as electric vehicles, electricity grids, and renewable energy processing. Despite tremendous efforts to develop the next-generation power devices using emerging ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, the lack of effective bipolar doping has been a daunting obstacle for achieving the necessary robustness in these devices. Here we report avalanche and surge robustness in a heterojunction formed between the ultra-wide bandgap n-type gallium oxide and the wide-bandgap p-type nickel oxide. Under 1500 V reverse bias, impact ionization initiates in gallium oxide, and the staggered band alignment favors efficient hole removal, enabling a high avalanche current over 50 A. Under forward bias, bipolar conductivity modulation enables the junction to survive over 50 A surge current. Moreover, the asymmetric carrier lifetime makes the high-level carrier injection dominant in nickel oxide, enabling a fast reverse recovery within 15 ns. This heterojunction breaks the fundamental trade-off between robustness and switching speed in conventional homojunctions and removes a key hurdle to advance ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor devices for power industrial applications.

Background: The discovery of novel diagnostic methods and therapies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) faces significant challenges. Previous research has shed light on the neuroprotective properties of Apelin-13 in neurodegenerative disorders. However, elucidating the mechanism underlying its efficacy in combating AD-related nerve injury is imperative. In this study, we aimed to investigate Apelin-13’s mechanism of action in an in vivo model of AD induced by streptozocin (STZ). Methods: We utilized an STZ-induced nerve injury model of AD in mice to investigate the effects of Apelin-13 administration. Apelin-13 was administered intranasally, and cognitive impairment was assessed using standardized behavioral tests, primarily, behavioral assessment, histological analysis, and biochemical assays, in order to evaluate synaptic plasticity and oxidative stress signaling pathways. Results: Our findings indicate that intranasal administration of Apelin-13 ameliorated cognitive impairment in the STZ-induced AD model. Furthermore, we observed that this effect was potentially mediated by the enhancement of synaptic plasticity and the attenuation of oxidative stress signaling pathways. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that intranasal administration of Apelin-13 holds promise as a therapeutic strategy for preventing neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. By improving synaptic plasticity and mitigating oxidative stress, Apelin-13 may offer a novel approach to neuroprotection in AD and related conditions.

Abstract Background To investigate the clinical characteristics of retinal honeycomb appearance in a large cohort of patients with X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) and to determine whether it is associated with complications like retinal detachment (RD) and vitreous hemorrhage (VH). Methods A retrospective observational case series. A chart review of medical records, wide-field fundus imaging, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed on 78 patients (153 eyes) diagnosed with XLRS at Beijing Tongren eye center between Dec 2017 and Feb 2022. The chi-square test or Fisher exact test was performed on the 2 × 2 cross-tabulations of honeycomb appearance and other peripheral retinal findings and complications. Results Thirty-eight patients (48.7%), and 60 eyes (39.2%) had a honeycomb appearance of different areas on the fundus. The supratemporal quadrant was the most commonly affected (45 eyes, 75.0%), followed by the infratemporal (23 eyes, 38.3%), the infranasal (10 eyes,16.7%), and supranasal (9 eyes,15.0%). The appearance was significantly associated with peripheral retinoschisis, inner retinal layer break, outer retinal layer break, RD, and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) (p

Biochar (BC) is a new type of carbon material with a high specific surface area, porous structure, and good adsorption capacity, which can effectively adsorb and enrich organic pollutants. Meanwhile, nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) has excellent catalytic activity and can rapidly degrade organic pollutants through reduction and oxidation reactions. The combined utilization of BC and nZVI can not only give full play to their advantages in the adsorption and catalytic degradation of organic pollutants, but also help to reduce the agglomeration of nZVI, thus improving its efficiency in water treatment and providing strong technical support for water resources protection and environmental quality improvement. This article provides a detailed introduction to the preparation method and characterization technology, reaction mechanism, influencing factors, and specific applications of BC and nZVI, and elaborates on the research progress of BC-nZVI in activating persulfate (PS) to degrade organic pollutants in water. It has been proven experimentally that BC-nZVI can effectively remove phenols, dyes, pesticides, and other organic pollutants. Meanwhile, in response to the existing problems in current research, this article proposes future research directions and challenges, and summarizes the application prospects and development trends of BC-nZVI in water treatment. In summary, BC-nZVI-activated PS is an efficient technology for degrading organic pollutants in water, providing an effective solution for protecting water resources and improving environmental quality, and has significant application value.

Nowadays, antibiotics are widely used, increasing the risk of contamination of the water body and further threatening human health. The traditional water treatment process is less efficient in degrading antibiotics, and the advanced oxidation process (AOPs) is cleaner and more efficient than the traditional biochemical degradation process. The combined ozone/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) advanced oxidation process (O3/PMS) based on sulfate radical (SO4•−) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) has developed rapidly in recent years. The O3/PMS process has become one of the most effective ways to treat antibiotic wastewater. The reaction mechanism of O3/PMS was reviewed in this paper, and the research and application progress of the O3/PMS process in the degradation of antibiotics in drinking water and wastewater effluent were evaluated. The operation characteristics and current application range of the process were summarized, which has a certain reference value for further research on O3/PMS process.

Abstract Background The severity assessment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) on MR images is crucial for selecting suitable surgical candidates. However, the interpretation of MR images is time‐consuming and requires repetitive work. This study aims to develop and evaluate a deep learning‐based diagnostic model for automated LDH detection and classification on lumbar axial T2‐weighted MR images. Methods A total of 1115 patients were analyzed in this retrospective study; both a development dataset (1015 patients, 15 249 images) and an external test dataset (100 patients, 1273 images) were utilized. According to the Michigan State University (MSU) classification criterion, experts labeled all images with consensus, and the final labeled results were regarded as the reference standard. The automated diagnostic model comprised Faster R‐CNN and ResNeXt101 as the detection and classification network, respectively. The deep learning‐based diagnostic performance was evaluated by calculating mean intersection over union (IoU), accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results High detection consistency was obtained in the internal test dataset (mean IoU = 0.82, precision = 98.4%, sensitivity = 99.4%) and external test dataset (mean IoU = 0.70, precision = 96.3%, sensitivity = 97.8%). Overall accuracy for LDH classification was 87.70% (95% CI: 86.59%–88.86%) and 74.23% (95% CI: 71.83%–76.75%) in the internal and external test datasets, respectively. For internal testing, the proposed model achieved a high agreement in classification (ICC = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.86–0.88, P

In this work, we propose a one-dimensional layered structure to realize the integration of various applications of solar energy spectrum based on phase-change materials (PCMs). Through the effective combination of PCMs and the designed structure, a tunable solar spectral directional absorption and switchable near-infrared band sensor can be simultaneously obtained on one sample. The research provides creative possibility for the applications of angle and polarization information of solar spectrum and narrowband filtering sensing.

Although vaccination is regarded as one of the most significant achievements of public health, there also exists the phenomenon of vaccination hesitancy which refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to provide a comprehensive overview of vaccination hesitancy research from 2013 to 2022. All related publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection Database. Information on annual publications, countries, organizations, journals, authors, keywords, and documents was analyzed adopting the bibliometix R-package, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace software. A total of 4042 publications were enrolled. The annual publications increased slightly before 2020 but had an extremely dramatic increase from 2020 to 2022. The United States contributed the most articles and had the greatest collaboration with other countries and organizations. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine was the most active institution. Vaccine was the most cited and influential journal while Vaccines was the most productive journal. It was Dube E who was the most productive authors with the highest h-index. The most frequent keywords were “vaccine hesitancy,” “COVID-19,” “SARS-CoV2,” “immunization,” “attitudes,” and “willingness.” Vaccination hesitancy to some extent hinders the achievement of global public health. The influencing factors vary across time, space, and vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic and the development of COVID-19 vaccines have made this issue the focus of interest. The complexity and specific contexts of influencing factors of vaccination hesitancy require further study and will potentially be the focus of future research direction.

In many applications, the highest and lowest detectable flux are both important for single photon avalanche photodiodes (APDs). The photocurrent and single-photon-counting performance of 4H-SiC APDs are investigated under a wide-range incident flux. Experimental results show that the photocurrent is sub-linearly with the incident photon rate at high-level incident flux. In addition, the ratio of photon count rate to dark count rate is non-monotonic when the incident flux increases. The highest detectable flux of the 4H-SiC APD can be extended from 3 × 103 photons/s·μm2 to more than 4 × 104 photons/s·μm2 by reducing the threshold voltage and increasing the reverse voltage.

Objective 3D reconstruction of lumbar intervertebral foramen (LIVF) has been beneficial in evaluating surgical trajectory. Still, the current methods of reconstructing the 3D LIVF model are mainly based on manual segmentation, which is laborious and time‐consuming. This study aims to explore the feasibility of automatically segmenting lumbar spinal structures and increasing the speed and accuracy of 3D lumbar intervertebral foramen (LIVF) reconstruction on magnetic resonance image (MRI) at the L4‐5 level. Methods A total of 100 participants (mean age: 42.2 ± 14.0 years; 52 males and 48 females; mean body mass index, 22.7 ± 3.2 kg/m2), were enrolled in this prospective study between March and July 2020. All participants were scanned on L4‐5 level with a 3T MR unit using 3D T2‐weighted sampling perfection with application‐optimized contrast with various flip‐angle evolutions (SPACE) sequences. The lumbar spine's vertebra bone structures (VBS) and intervertebral discs (IVD) were manually segmented by skilled surgeons according to their anatomical outlines from MRI. Then all manual segmentation were saved and used for training. An automated segmentation method based on a 3D U‐shaped architecture network (3D‐UNet) was introduced for the automated segmentation of lumbar spinal structures. A number of quantitative metrics, including dice similarity coefficient (DSC), precision, and recall, were used to evaluate the performance of the automated segmentation method on MRI. Wilcoxon signed‐rank test was applied to compare morphometric parameters, including foraminal area, height and width of 3D LIVF models between automatic and manual segmentation. The intra‐class correlation coefficient was used to assess the test‐retest reliability and inter‐observer reliability of multiple measurements for these morphometric parameters of 3D LIVF models. Results The automatic segmentation performance of all spinal structures (VBS and IVD) was found to be 0.918 (healthy levels: 0.922; unhealthy levels: 0.916) for the mean DSC, 0.922 (healthy levels: 0.927; unhealthy levels: 0.920) for the mean precision, and 0.917 (healthy levels: 0.918; unhealthy levels: 0.917) for the mean recall in the test dataset. It took approximately 2.5 s to achieve each automated segmentation, far less than the 240 min for manual segmentation. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in the foraminal area, height and width of the 3D LIVF models between manual and automatic segmentation images (P > 0.05). Conclusion A method of automated MRI segmentation based on deep learning algorithms was capable of rapidly generating accurate segmentation of spinal structures and can be used to construct 3D LIVF models from MRI at the L4‐5 level.

AIM:To evaluate the underlying aetiology and clinical characteristics of retinal detachment(RD)in school-age pediatric monocular RD.METHODS:Patients with RD and contralateral blind(monocular RD)aged 7-14 years, from November 2015 to May 2021 in our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics and etiology of RD, clinical type, surgical modality, type of intraocular tamponade, pre-and postoperative visual and anatomical outcomes were recorded and evaluated.RESULTS: There were 27 children(27 eyes)with monocular RD at least 6mo follow-up. The average age at presentation was 10.63±2.30 years. Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy(FEVR)(11/27, 41%), postoperative congenital glaucoma(6/27, 22%)and Stickler syndrome(3/27, 11%)were main underlying etiologies. Among them, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment(RRD)comprised 78%(21/27)of the patients, of which 81% patients(17/21)had proliferative vitreoretinopathy(PVR)C3 or worse. Pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)was done in 85%(23/27)of the patients, of which 83%(19/23)received silicone oil tamponade. Best corrected visual acuity(BCVA, LogMAR)worse than 1.7 was seen in 78%(21/27)of the patients at final visit, and 82%(22/27)had reattached retina, but 41%(11/27)of the patients remained status of silicone oil tamponade at last visit.CONCLUSION:School-age pediatric monocular RD is often associated with underlying congenital or hereditary conditions, and often presented with severe RD and severe PVR reaction which needed vitrectomy combined with silicon oil tamponade, and with poor visual and anatomical short-term prognosis.

This study aimed to investigate the levels of 12 sulfonamide antibiotics in freshwater fish species obtained from three cities in northeastern China (Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang). The analysis was conducted using HPLC–MS/MS to accurately quantify the antibiotic concentrations in the fish samples. The results showed that the average levels of sulfonamide antibiotics in fish samples from Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang were 1.83 ng/g ww, 0.98 ng/g ww, and 1.60 ng/g ww, respectively. Sulfamethoxazole displayed the highest levels and detection rates in all three cities, whereas sulphapyridine exhibited the lowest concentrations in all the fish samples. The levels of sulfonamide antibiotic residues in the different fish species varied widely among the cities, and the highest level of antibiotic residues was found in the muscle of carnivorous fish. The results from a health risk evaluation on the consumption of these fish indicated that the risk from long-term antibiotic exposure to local residents from the intake of the sampled fish was small and not sufficient to pose a significant health risk to consumers.

Abstract Background Motor aphasia after stroke is a common and intractable complication of stroke. Acupuncture and language training may be an alternative and effective approach. However, the efficacy of acupuncture and language training for motor aphasia after stroke has not been confirmed. The main objectives of this trial are to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture and low-intensity, low-dose language training in treating ischemic motor aphasia after stroke from 15 to 90 days. Methods This is a multicenter randomized sham-controlled clinical trial. We will allocate 252 subjects aged between 45 and 75 years diagnosed with motor aphasia after stroke with an onset time ranging from 15 to 90 days into two groups randomly in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experimental group will be treated with “Xing-Nao Kai-Qiao” acupuncture therapy plus language training, and those in the control group will be treated with sham-acupoint (1 cun next to the acupoints) acupuncture therapy plus language training. All the patients will be given acupuncture and language training for 6 weeks, with a follow-up evaluation 6 weeks after the end of the treatment and 6 months after the onset time. The patients will mainly be evaluated using the Western Aphasia Battery and Chinese Functional Communication Profile, and the incidence of treatment-related adverse events at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th weeks of treatment will be recorded. The baseline characteristics of the patients will be summarized by group, the chi-squared test will be used to compare categorical variables, and repeated measures of analysis of variance or a linear mixed model will be applied to analyze the changes measured at different time points. Discussion The present study is designed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of traditional acupuncture therapy and language training in ischemic motor aphasia after stroke and explore the correlation between the treatment time and clinical effect of acupuncture. We hope our results will help doctors understand and utilize acupuncture combined with language training. Trial registration ChiCTR ChiCTR1900026740 . Registered on 20 October 2019

In the heterostructure composed of metal and one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC), the optical Tamm state (OTS) can be excited directly without the coupling of prism or grating, but it is strongly dependent on the photonic band gap (PBG) of the 1DPC. In particular, the PBG of the all-dielectric 1DPC as well as the corresponding OTSs shift toward shorter wavelengths for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) polarizations as the angle of incidence increases, making it impossible to achieve a high-performance polarization selection. In a heterostructure consisting of a silver layer and an ITO-based one-dimensional photonic hypercrystal (1DPHC), we experimentally observe for the first time that the OTSs are red-shifted for TM polarization and blue-shifted for TE polarization with increasing incident angle. The ITO-based 1DPHC possesses a large red-shifted PBG in the near-infrared region, which guarantees the full excitation of the OTSs at different angles. Our work provides a potential direction for improving the sensitivity, polarization selection and operating angle range of the Tamm sensor.

BackgroundThis Bayesian network meta-regression analysis provides a head-to-head comparison of first-line therapeutic immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) combinations for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) using median follow-up time as covariate.MethodsWe searched Six databases for a comprehensive analysis of randomised clinical trials (RCTs). Comparing progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of different interventions at the same time node by Bayesian network meta-analysis. Bayesian network meta-regression analysis was performed on objective response rate (ORR), adverse events (AEs) (grade ≥ 3) and the hazard ratios (HR) associated with PFS and OS, with the median follow-up time as the covariate.ResultsEventually a total of 22 RCTs reporting 11,090 patients with 19 interventions. Lenvatinib plus Pembrolizumab (LenPem) shows dominance of PFS, and Pembrolizumab plus Axitinib (PemAxi) shows superiority in OS at each time point. After meta-regression analysis, for HRs of PFS, LenPem shows advantages; for HRs of OS, PemAxi shows superiority; For ORR, LenPem provides better results. For AEs (grade ≥ 3), Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab (AtezoBev) is better.ConclusionConsidering the lower toxicity and the higher quality of life, PemAxi should be recommended as the optimal therapy in treating mRCC.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD4202236775.

Abstract The pursuit to mimic skin exteroceptive ability has motivated the endeavors for epidermal artificial mechanoreceptors. Artificial mechanoreceptors are required to be highly sensitive to capture imperceptible skin deformations and preferably to be self-powered, breathable, lightweight and deformable to satisfy the prolonged wearing demands. It is still struggling to achieve these traits in single device, as it remains difficult to minimize device architecture without sacrificing the sensitivity or stability. In this article, we present an all-fiber iontronic triboelectric mechanoreceptor (ITM) to fully tackle these challenges, enabled by the high-output mechano-to-electrical energy conversion. The proposed ITM is ultralight, breathable and stretchable and is quite stable under various mechanical deformations. On the one hand, the ITM can achieve a superior instantaneous power density; on the other hand, the ITM shows excellent sensitivity serving as epidermal sensors. Precise health status monitoring is readily implemented by the ITM calibrating by detecting vital signals and physical activities of human bodies. The ITM can also realize acoustic-to-electrical conversion and distinguish voices from different people, and biometric application as a noise dosimeter is demonstrated. The ITM therefore is believed to open new sights in epidermal electronics and skin prosthesis fields.

In this letter, we have successfully transferred the 4-inch crack-free GaN films from sapphire substrate to conductive silicon wafer by employing eutectic bonding and laser lift-off (LLO) techniques. The resultant 1-mm2 fully-vertical GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) exhibit a high current swing of 109, a low ideality factor of 1.03 and a high forward current of 10 A. Meanwhile, a decent breakdown voltage of 312 V is achieved, which is over 3 times higher than that of control device without performing epitaxial lift-off. Most importantly, such rectifiers show significantly enhanced electrothermal ruggedness, achieving a high surge-current density of 2.6 kA/cm2 and a low thermal resistance of 0.77 K·cm2/W. In addition, the excellent power rectification capability with a low reverse recovery time of 14 ns is obtained under high-speed switching condition with a high current ramp rate ( $di/dt$ ) of 275 ${\mathrm {A/\mu s}}$ , implying the desired functionality of the LLO-vertical device architecture. These results thus present the great potentials of the substrate-transferred GaN SBDs for high-power and high-efficiency applications.

This study investigated the effects of Bacillus subtilis BC02 supplementation on broiler performance, antioxidant capacity, and cecal microbes. A total of 288 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into three groups. The control group were fed a basal diet, and experimental groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 250 and 500 mg/kg Bacillus subtilis BC02 (BS250 and BS500), respectively. The results showed that Bacillus subtilis BC02 supplementation increased the average daily feed intake but decreased the feed to gain ratio in broilers from 0 to 14, 0 to 28, and 0 to 42 days. Meanwhile, BS500 significantly decreased triglyceride and serum urea nitrogen levels compared with the control and BS250 groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg Bacillus subtilis BC02 improved the antioxidant capacity by increasing the serum and jejunum levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione, decreasing that of malondialdehyde and increasing the jejunum mRNA expression of SOD2, CAT, GPX1, and Nrf2 (p < 0.05). Dietary Bacillus subtilis BC02 supplementation increased the villus height, velvet concealed ratio, and the mRNA expressions of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-12 (p < 0.05). In addition, the Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, Helicobacter, and Prevotellaceae UCG-001 were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the BS500 group. In conclusion, dietary Bacillus subtilis BC02 supplementation can improve the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal microflora abundances in broilers.

(1) Background: This study aims to develop a deep learning model based on a 3D Deeplab V3+ network to automatically segment multiple structures from magnetic resonance (MR) images at the L4/5 level. (2) Methods: After data preprocessing, the modified 3D Deeplab V3+ network of the deep learning model was used for the automatic segmentation of multiple structures from MR images at the L4/5 level. We performed five-fold cross-validation to evaluate the performance of the deep learning model. Subsequently, the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), precision, and recall were also used to assess the deep learning model’s performance. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were employed to compare the morphometric measurements of 3D reconstruction models generated by manual and automatic segmentation. (3) Results: The deep learning model obtained an overall average DSC of 0.886, an average precision of 0.899, and an average recall of 0.881 on the test sets. Furthermore, all morphometry-related measurements of 3D reconstruction models revealed no significant difference between ground truth and automatic segmentation. Strong linear relationships and correlations were also obtained in the morphometry-related measurements of 3D reconstruction models between ground truth and automated segmentation. (4) Conclusions: We found it feasible to perform automated segmentation of multiple structures from MR images, which would facilitate lumbar surgical evaluation by establishing 3D reconstruction models at the L4/5 level.

Legume plants produce one-third of the total yield of primary crops and are important food sources for both humans and animals worldwide. Frequent exposure to abiotic stresses, such as drought, salt, and cold, greatly limits the production of legume crops. Several morphological, physiological, and molecular studies have been conducted to characterize the response and adaptation mechanism to abiotic stresses. The tolerant mechanisms of the model legume plant Medicago truncatula to abiotic stresses have been extensively studied. Although many potential genes and integrated networks underlying the M. truncatula in responding to abiotic stresses have been identified and described, a comprehensive summary of the tolerant mechanism is lacking. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the adaptive mechanism by which M. truncatula responds to drought, salt, and cold stress. We also discuss future research that need to be explored to improve the abiotic tolerance of legume plants.

The realization of mid-infrared thermal radiation based on metamaterials insensitive to angle and polarization plays an important role in various thermal photonic applications. However, the challenges include the following: most previously designed thermal emitters usually contain metal components with unsatisfied physicochemical stability, accompanied with complex manufacturing technology. The present study proposes a mid-infrared thermal emitter at 3–6 μm wavelength range based on Fibonacci quasi-periodic structure, and a flat one-dimensional structure based on Fibonacci geometry resorting to ITO is designed. The proposed thermal emitter is, theoretically and experimentally, proven to possess good angular and polarization-independent selective thermal emission performance in a relatively wide infrared wavelength range. Furthermore, the good optical and high-temperature thermal stability of the designed thermal emitter is verified in the present experimental research. The thermal emitters proposed have advantages in polarization-independence without scale restraint and low cost but with wide vision. In summary, the present study provides a new tactics for obtaining non-metal spectral selective thermal emitters in a relatively wide wavelength range and thermal photonic applications under harsh conditions.

Background and ObjectivePrevious studies determined the therapeutic effects of capecitabine-based chemotherapy regimens on early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the optimal strategy of capecitabine-based chemotherapy remains uncertain. We conducted this network meta-analysis to address this issue.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to retrieve eligible studies published before September 2021. Two independent reviewers extracted information from eligible studies using a pre-designed data extraction sheet. The primary outcome included disease-free survival, and the second outcome showed overall survival and adverse events. Direct meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4, and Bayesian network analysis was performed using R version 3.6.1 with the “gemtc” and “rjags” packages.ResultsNine studies involving 3661 TNBC patients met the selection criteria. The network meta-analysis suggested that the addition of capecitabine to adjuvant chemotherapy achieved a significantly longer disease-free (HR = 0.66, 95% CrI = 0.49 to 0.86) and overall survival time (HR = 0.60, 95% CrI = 0.43 to 0.83) than standard chemotherapy. All comparisons did not achieve statistical significance. The addition of capecitabine to adjuvant chemotherapy was the most effective treatment for improving disease-free (81.24%) and overall survival (78.46%) times, and the replacement of capecitabine to adjuvant chemotherapy was the safest regime.ConclusionsBased on available evidence, capecitabine-based chemotherapy benefits TNBC patients, and the addition of capecitabine with adjuvant chemotherapy was the most effective regime. In contrast, the replacement of capecitabine to adjuvant chemotherapy was the safest regime. More studies of high quality and large scale are needed to confirm our findings.

Biochar is a widely available carbon-based material that has been used for soil remediation and sewage treatment. However, in recent years, biochar has received more attention as a conditioning agent to improve the dewatering performance of sewage sludge. The sludge from the secondary sedimentation tank of wastewater treatment plants has high microbial activity and poor dewatering performance, which poses a challenge to sludge dehydration. Biochar and modified biochar can be injected into sludge as a skeleton to effectively reduce sludge compressibility, increase permeability, and release bound water, thus improving the dewatering performance of sludge. In this review, the preparation and characteristics of biochar are described, the current methods of sludge dewatering and the properties of sludge are introduced, and the research on the application of biochar in sludge conditioning is summarized. In addition, the existing problems and future development directions of biochar in sludge conditioning are discussed.

After maturity, seed vigor irreversibly decreases. Understanding the underlying mechanism is important to germplasm preservation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play vital regulatory roles in plants. However, little is known about how miRNAs regulate seed aging. Here, elm (Ulmus pumila L.) seeds of three aging stages were subjected to a multi-omics analysis including transcriptome, small RNAome and degradome, to find regulators of seed aging. In the small RNAome, 119 miRNAs were identified, including 111 conservative miRNAs and eight novel miRNAs specific to elm seeds, named upu-miRn1-8. A total of 4900 differentially expressed genes, 22 differentially expressed miRNAs, and 528 miRNA-target pairs were identified during seed ageing. The target genes were mainly involved in the processing of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, and spliceosome. The expression of several DEGs and miRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR. The degradome data showed the exact degradation sites of upu-miR399a on ABCG25, and upu-miR414a on GIF1, etc. The dual-luciferase assay verified the negative regulation of upu-miR399a on ABCG25 and upu-miR414a on GIF1 in tobacco leaves. This study outlined the regulation network of mRNA, miRNA and miRNA-target genes during seed aging, which is helpful in integrating the regulation mechanisms of seed vigor at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.

Abstract Solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) have attracted tremendous attention in the environmental, industrial, military, and biological fields. As a representative III-nitride material, AlGaN alloys have broad development prospects in the field of solar-blind detection due to their superior properties, such as tunable wide bandgaps for intrinsic UV detection. In recent decades, a variety of AlGaN-based PDs have been developed to achieve high-precision solar-blind UV detection. As integrated optoelectronic technology advances, AlGaN-based focal plane arrays (FPAs) are manufactured and exhibit outstanding solar-blind imaging capability. Considering the rapid development of AlGaN detection techniques, this paper comprehensively reviews the progress on AlGaN-based solar-blind UV PDs and FPAs. First, the basic physical properties of AlGaN are presented. The epitaxy and p-type doping problems of AlGaN alloys are then discussed. Diverse PDs, including photoconductors and Schottky, metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM), p-i-n, and avalanche photodiodes (APDs), are demonstrated, and the physical mechanisms are analyzed to improve device performance. Additionally, this paper summarizes imaging technologies used with AlGaN FPAs in recent years. Benefiting from the development of AlGaN materials and optoelectronic devices, solar-blind UV detection technology is greeted with significant revolutions. Summarizing recent advances in the processing and properties of AlGaN-based solar-blind UV PDs and FPAs as well as AlGaN growth and doping techniques.

AimAccurate severity grading of lumbar spine disease by magnetic resonance images (MRIs) plays an important role in selecting appropriate treatment for the disease. However, interpreting these complex MRIs is a repetitive and time-consuming workload for clinicians, especially radiologists. Here, we aim to develop a multi-task classification model based on artificial intelligence for automated grading of lumbar disc herniation (LDH), lumbar central canal stenosis (LCCS) and lumbar nerve roots compression (LNRC) at lumbar axial MRIs.MethodsTotal 15254 lumbar axial T2W MRIs as the internal dataset obtained from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to May 2019 and 1273 axial T2W MRIs as the external test dataset obtained from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University from June 2016 to December 2017 were analyzed in this retrospective study. Two clinicians annotated and graded all MRIs using the three international classification systems. In agreement, these results served as the reference standard; In disagreement, outcomes were adjudicated by an expert surgeon to establish the reference standard. The internal dataset was randomly split into an internal training set (70%), validation set (15%) and test set (15%). The multi-task classification model based on ResNet-50 consists of a backbone network for feature extraction and three fully-connected (FC) networks for classification and performs the classification tasks of LDH, LCCS, and LNRC at lumbar MRIs. Precision, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 scores, confusion matrices, receiver-operating characteristics and interrater agreement (Gwet k) were utilized to assess the model’s performance on the internal test dataset and external test datasets.ResultsA total of 1115 patients, including 1015 patients from the internal dataset and 100 patients from the external test dataset [mean age, 49 years ± 15 (standard deviation); 543 women], were evaluated in this study. The overall accuracies of grading for LDH, LCCS and LNRC were 84.17% (74.16%), 86.99% (79.65%) and 81.21% (74.16%) respectively on the internal (external) test dataset. Internal and external testing of three spinal diseases showed substantial to the almost perfect agreement (k, 0.67 - 0.85) for the multi-task classification model.ConclusionThe multi-task classification model has achieved promising performance in the automated grading of LDH, LCCS and LNRC at lumbar axial T2W MRIs.

Off-label drugs use is widespread in ophthalmology due to the delay in drug approvals and package inserts update. It has been found to vary among different medical institutions in China, leading to safety problems since inappropriate use. Guidance is urgently needed regarding how best to use the drugs for unapproved indications and routes of administration. We aimed to develop an evidence-based guideline to guide off-label drugs used in ophthalmology in China. The practice guideline was developed by the Hospital Pharmacy Professional Committee, Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, following the WHO handbook for guideline development. The guideline was initially registered in the International Practice Guidelines Registry Platform (IPGRP-2021CN096). The clinical questions included in the guideline were identified through a three-round Delphi vote. Databases search was performed in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang Database from their inception to 31 March 2021. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses for each clinical question were conducted individually to synthesize available scientific evidence. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to assess the quality of evidence and grade the recommendations’ strengths. The multidisciplinary guideline groups were set up, including ophthalmologists, pharmacists, methodology experts, pharmacologists, pharmacoeconomists, and lawyers. The guideline identified 25 clinical questions included. A total of 32 systematic reviews, including 24 conducted by the systematic review group and eight high-relevance published within 2 years, were referred to address these questions. Finally, the guideline presented 32 recommendations addressing 25 clinical questions, involving five strong recommendations and 27 weak recommendations for the treatment of ocular fundus, corneal disease, glaucoma, and endophthalmitis. Current evidence from clinical studies supports the off-label drugs used in ophthalmology. We developed an evidence-based guideline using a rigorous multidisciplinary approach to guide these usages in route clinical practice.

We designed and fabricated narrow-band UV-B AlGaN p-i-n photodiodes (PDs) with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 8 nm by optimizing the Al composition and thickness of the AlGaN layers. To improve the photoelectric response of the narrow-band PDs, a polarization electric field with the same direction with the applied bias field was introduced to the absorption layer by adjusting the Al composition ratio between the p-type AlGaN layer and i-type AlGaN absorption layer. The polarization enhanced narrow-band PD exhibited a higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 82% than the conventional one with an EQE of 67%. Meanwhile, a low dark current density of 1.7 nA/cm2 and four orders of magnitude UV-visible rejection ratio were achieved for the enhanced narrow-band PDs with a maximum photocurrent responsivity of 202 mA/W at 304 nm.

The quality of output temperature is one of the key parameters for the reliability of water heating system. In this work a simulation work was done to regulate the output temperature in a novel water heating system using solid graphite as thermal energy storage medium. The effects of water tank on the quality of output temperature was considered. Two different strategies were thus considered: (i) single tank system, and (ii) double-tank system. And two different working conditions were analyzed: (i) standard design condition, and (ii) demand change conditions. The results showed that the application of water tanks can reduce the standard deviation of output temperature by 68.49% and 68.81% under the standard design condition, respectively. And the improvement is highly related to the capacity of hot water tank. For the demand change condition, the regulation strategy was carried out based on the criterion of heat power equilibrium. The results showed that the single tank system will deteriorate the reliability of water heating for demand change condition, though it can reduce the oscillation of the output temperature. For the double-tank system, a two-step adjustment method was applied. The results showed that the average output temperature can be quite close to the target value when demand ratio changes to 0.8 and 0.9. And the standard deviation of temperature has also reduced by 24.19% and 63.06%, respectively.

We address the determination of the time resolution for the 100 μm 4H-SiC PIN detectors fabricated by Nanjing University (NJU). The time response to β particles from a 90Sr source is investigated for the detection of the minimum ionizing particles (MIPs). We study the influence of different reverse voltages, which correspond to different carrier velocities and device sizes, and how this correlates with the detector capacitance. We determine a time resolution (94 ± 1) ps for a 100 μm 4H-SiC PIN detector. A fast simulation software, termed RASER (RAdiation SEmiconductoR), is developed and validated by comparing the waveform obtained from simulated and measured data. The simulated time resolution is (73 ± 1) ps after considering the intrinsic leading contributions of the detector to time resolution.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic, chronic, and inflammatory autoimmune disease associated with the disorder of intestinal microbiota. Unfortunately, effective therapies for AS are lacking. Recent evidence has indicated that indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), an important microbial tryptophan metabolite, can modulate intestinal homeostasis and suppress inflammatory responses. However, reports have not examined the in vivo protective effects of IAA against AS. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and underlying mechanisms through which IAA acts against AS. We constructed a proteoglycan (PG)-induced AS mouse model and administered IAA (50 mg/kg body weight) by intraperitoneal injection daily for 4 weeks. The effects of IAA on AS mice were evaluated by examining disease severity, intestinal barrier function, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway, T-helper 17 (Th17)/T regulatory (Treg) balance, and inflammatory cytokine levels. The intestinal microbiota compositions were profiled through whole-genome sequencing. We observed that IAA decreased the incidence and severity of AS in mice, inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], interleukin [IL]-6, IL-17A, and IL-23), promoted the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and reduced the ratios of pro-/anti- inflammatory cytokines. IAA ameliorated pathological changes in the ileum and improved intestinal mucosal barrier function. IAA also activated the AhR pathway, upregulated the transcription factor forehead box protein P3 (FoxP3) and increased Treg cells, and downregulated the transcription factors retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and decreased Th17 cells. Furthermore, IAA altered the composition of the intestinal microbiota composition by increasing Bacteroides and decreasing Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, in addition to increasing the abundances of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and Mucispirillum schaedleri. In conclusion, IAA exerted several protective effects against PG-induced AS in mice, which was mediated by the restoration of balance among the intestinal microbial community, activating the AhR pathway, and inhibiting inflammation. IAA might represent a novel therapeutic approach for AS.

AimBone collagen matrix makes a crucial contribution to the mechanical properties of bone by imparting tensile strength and elasticity. The collagen content of bone is accessible via quantification of collagen bound water (CBW) indirectly. We prospectively study the performance of the CBW proton density (CBWPD) measured by a 3D short repetition time adiabatic inversion recovery prepared ultrashort echo time (STAIR-UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence in the diagnosis of osteoporosis in human lumbar spine.MethodsA total of 189 participants with a mean age of 56 (ranged from 50 to 86) years old were underwent MRI, quantitative computed tomography (QCT), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in lumbar spine. Major fracture risk was also evaluated for all participants using Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX). Lumbar CBWPD, bone marrow fat fraction (BMFF), bone mineral density (BMD) and T score values were calculated in three vertebrae (L2–L4) for each subject. Both the CBWPD and BMFF were correlated with BMD, T score, and FRAX score for comparison. The abilities of the CBWPD and BMFF to discriminate between three different cohorts, which included normal subjects, patients with osteopenia, and patients with osteoporosis, were also evaluated and compared using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis.ResultsThe CBWPD showed strong correlation with standard BMD (R2 = 0.75, P < 0.001) and T score (R2 = 0.59, P < 0.001), as well as a moderate correlation with FRAX score (R2 = 0.48, P < 0.001). High area under the curve (AUC) values (≥ 0.84 using QCT as reference; ≥ 0.76 using DXA as reference) obtained from ROC analysis demonstrated that the CBWPD was capable of well differentiating between the three different subject cohorts. Moreover, the CBWPD had better correlations with BMD, T score, and FRAX score than BMFF, and also performed better in cohort discrimination.ConclusionThe STAIR-UTE-measured CBWPD is a promising biomarker in the assessment of bone quality and fracture risk.

Abstract Objective To provide an anatomical basis for the development of oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) in Chinese patients. Methods Between November 2018 and June 2019, 300 patients’ lumbar MRI data were reviewed. According to the Moro system and zone method described by us, the axial view was vertically divided into 6 zones (A, I II, III, IV, P) and was horizontally divided into 4 zones (R, a, b, c, L). The locations of left psoas muscle and the major artery at L2/3, L3/4, and L4/5 levels were evaluated by the grid system. The aortic bifurcation segments will also be evaluated at the level of the vertebral body or the disc. Results At the L2/3 level, left psoas muscle and the major artery in zone Ib were found in 28.0% of subjects, in zone IIb in 20.3%, and in zone Ic in 20.0%; at the L3/4 level, in zone Ab in 20.7% of subjects, in zone Ac in 26.0%, and in zone Ic in 11.0%; and at the L4/5 level, areas in zone Ab in 31.0% of subjects, in zone Ac in 26.0%, and in zone Ib in 11.7%. The aortic bifurcation segments were mainly at the L4 level. The zone of the left psoas muscle at all levels, the zone of the major artery at L4/5 level, and the zone of the aortic bifurcation segments had significant correlation with gender difference (P < 0.05). Conclusion The left-sided OLIF at L2–L5 disc levels can be a feasible type of surgery for lumbar interbody fusion in the majority of Chinese patients. Before the operation, in order to screen out the appropriate surgical approach, routine lumbar magnetic resonance imaging is recommended to analyze the patient’s local anatomical features.

In this letter, novel heterostructure p-i-n GaN avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with p-type In0.05Ga0.95N layer are proposed and analyzed through Silvaco Atlas simulations. The introduction of the In0.05Ga0.95N layer generates a negative polarization charge at the p-In0.05Ga0.95N/i-GaN heterojunction interface via the piezoelectric polarization effect. Three times higher hole concentration in the p-In0.05Ga0.95N layer is obtained due to the smaller activation energy of the Mg dopant. Induced polarization charge and increased hole concentration work together to reduce the voltage drop in the p-In0.05Ga0.95N layer and enhance the electric field intensity in the i-GaN layer. The calculated results show that the heterostructure APD demonstrates a reduced operating voltage of more than 26 V and an improved multiplication gain by an order of magnitude in comparison to the conventional one.

High-k HfO2 has been widely adopted in Si based MOSFETs as gate dielectric for the superior control over gate leakage and channel electrostatics. However, in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs, the additional interface issue as well as high oxygen transparency of HfO2 has hindered its practical applications. In this work, high-k Y2O3 with ultra-low oxygen permeability and high thermodynamic robustness has been introduced as the interfacial layer between HfO2/GaN for the interface engineering. It has been demonstrated that, the HfO2/Y2O3 gate dielectric stacks have obtained the GaN MIS-HEMT an ultra-small subthreshold swing of ~70 mV/decade, an extremely low gate leakage of ~10-12 A/mm, and a desirable dielectric/semiconductor interface quality with interface state density in level of ~1012 cm-2eV-1. Meanwhile, a maximum drain current of 600mA/mm has been achieved together with an on-state resistance (Ron) of 10.7 Ω·mm and a specific Ron of 2.62 mΩ·cm2.

High penetration of distributed photovoltaics (PVs) has caused severe voltage violation problem in distribution networks. In view of the actual situations, this paper proposes a coordinated optimization method for distributed PVs clusters considering inadequate measurement data. Based on pivotal measurement data, each cluster firstly uses network simplification method to obtain a simplified network with complete measurement information. And then each cluster implements coordinated optimization with adjacent clusters to minimize its network losses, PVs generation losses and voltage violation amount of downstream cluster. The coordinated optimization includes two stages, i.e. evaluating voltage regulation capability of intra-cluster reactive power resources and implementing cluster autonomous optimization control. These two stages can use the reactive power resources of upstream clusters to solve the voltage violation of downstream clusters, which avoids unnecessary generation losses of distributed PVs. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method are demonstrated via simulation tests on a real 10kV feeder in China and modified IEEE 123-bus system. Compared with distributed optimization method, the proposed coordinated optimization requires much less calculation time and communication data between clusters.

More and more distributed energy resources (DERs) are being integrated into the distribution networks raising the new concerns of secure and economic operations. Some traditional distribution networks are upgraded to active distribution networks (ADNs) which can communicate with and control the DERs. A microgrid connected to an ADN can be coordinated with the ADN. In this paper, a two-stage hierarchical congestion management mechanism is proposed for an ADN connected with multi-type DERs and microgrids. At the first stage, a hierarchical optimization model is built considering the dispatch of direct control resources (DCRs) and microgrids. An analytical target cascading (ATC) method is employed to optimize the microgrid autonomy model and the ADN optimization model simultaneously. A second stage optimization is designed to deal with the case when the control of DCRs and microgrids is not enough to completely eliminate the congestion. A congestion management model calling for the ancillary services provided by DERs is established, with an objective of minimizing the operational cost of distribution system operator (DSO). Case studies are carried out on modified IEEE 33 and PG&E 69 bus systems. The simulation results show that the proposed method can balance the interests of different stakeholders and eliminate the network congestion efficiently.

Xylem development plays an important role in the wood formation of plants. In this study, we found that xylem development was a rapid thickening process characterized by initially rapid increases in the number of tracheary elements and fiber cells and the thickness of the secondary walls that later plateaued. Transcriptome analysis showed that the xylan and lignin biosynthetic pathways, which are involved in the early rapid thickening of the xylem, were mainly upregulated in the second month. The expression of a total of 124 transcription factors (TFs), including 28 NAC TFs and 31 MYB TFs, peaked in 2- and 3-month-old plants compared with 1-month-old plants. Based on previous studies and the key cis-acting elements secondary wall NAC-binding elements, secondary wall MYB-responsive elements, W-box and TGTG[T/G/C], 10 TFs related to xylem development, 50 TFs with unknown function, 98 cell wall biosynthetic genes, and 47 programmed cell death (PCD) genes were used to construct a four-layer transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) with poplar NAC domain TFs to characterize the transcriptional regulation of cell wall biosynthesis and PCD in Populus tomentosa. The proteome revealed that post-transcriptional modification may be widely involved in lignification development. Overall, our results revealed that xylem development is a rapid thickening process in P. tomentosa, and expression patterns varied temporally from cell division to cell death.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has been acknowledged as an aggressive disease with worst prognosis, which requires endeavor to develop novel therapeutic agents. Bruceae fructus oil (BO), a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr., is an approved marketable drug for the treatment of cancer in China for several decades. Despite that the anti–breast cancer activity of several quassinoids derived from B. javanica has been found, it was the first time that the potential of BO against TNBC was revealed. Although BO had no cytotoxicity on TNBC cell lines in vitro, the oral administration of BO exhibited a gut microbiota–dependent tumor suppression without toxicity on the non-targeted organs in vivo. By metagenomics and untargeted metabolomics, it was found that BO not only altered the composition and amino acid metabolism function of gut microbiota but also regulated the host’s amino acid profile, which was in accordance with the metabolism alternation in gut microbiota. Moreover, the activity of mTOR in tumor was promoted by BO treatment as indicated by the phosphorylation of 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and ribosomal protein S6, and hyper-autophagy was consequently restrained. By contrast, the failure of tumor suppression by BO under pseudo germ-free (PGF) condition came with indistinctive changes in autophagy and mTOR activity, implying the critical role of the gut microbiota in BO’s anticancer activity. The present study highlighted a promising application of BO against breast cancer with novel efficacy and safety.

Xihuang pill, an approved Chinese medicine formula (state medical permit number. Z11020073), is a commonly used adjuvant drug for cancer patients in China. Xihuang pill has a satisfactory effect in treating breast cancer in clinics, especially triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, and finite effective therapies. However, the mechanism of Xihuang pill in treating TNBC remains unclear. The present study aims to explore the pharmacological mechanism of Xihuang pill in treating advanced TNBC. We identified the main chemical components of Xihuang pill by using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) analysis shows that serum containing Xihuang pill (XS) had no obvious killing effect on any subtype of breast cancer cells, but it inhibited mammosphere colony formation of two TNBC cell lines (4T1 and HCC1806 cells) and could enhance the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel (PTX) on the proliferation of 4T1 and HCC1806 cells when combined with PTX. Seventy-six active compounds in Xihuang pill, their 300 protein targets, and 16667 TNBC stem cell–related genes were identified. The drug–herb–active compound–target gene–disease network and enrichment analyses were constructed with 190 overlapping candidate targets. Through text mining and molecular docking, the target gene NR3C2 and its active compound naringenin were selected for further validation. According to the TCGA database, we observed that a high expression of NR3C2 promoted a higher survival probability regarding overall survival (OS). In vitro experiments indicated that naringenin presented an identical effect to XS, possibly by regulating the NR3C2 expression. Overall, this study explored the effect of Xihuang pill in treating advanced TNBC cells and showed that naringenin, which is the key active compound of Xihuang pill, could lessen the stemness of TNBC cells to produce a synergistic effect on PTX by regulating the NR3C2 gene.