SERPINH1 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer by activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Serpin peptidase inhibitor clade H member 1 (SERPINH1) was initially recognized as an oncogene implicated in various human malignancies. Nevertheless, the clinical relevance and functional implications of SERPINH1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely elusive. AIM: To investigate the effects of SERPINH1 on CRC cells and its specific mechanism. METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting analysis, The Cancer Genome Atlas data mining and immunohistochemistry were employed to examine SERPINH1 expression in CRC cell lines and tissues. A series of in-vitro assays were performed to demonstrate the function of SERPINH1 and its possible mechanisms in CRC. RESULTS: SERPINH1 demonstrated elevated expression levels in both CRC cells and tissues, manifested at both mRNA and protein tiers. Elevated SERPINH1 levels correlated closely with advanced T stage, lymph node involvement, and distant metastasis, exhibiting a significant association with poorer overall survival among CRC patients. Subsequent investigations unveiled that SERPINH1 overexpression notably bolstered CRC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro, while conversely, SERPINH1 knockdown elicited the opposite effects. Gene set enrichment analysis underscored a correlation between SERPINH1 upregulation and genes associated with cell cycle regulation. Our findings underscored the capacity of heightened SERPINH1 levels to expedite G1/S phase cell cycle progression via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway activation, thereby facilitating CRC cell invasion and migration. CONCLUSION: These findings imply a crucial involvement of SERPINH1 in the advancement and escalation of CRC, potentially positioning it as a novel candidate for prognostic assessment and therapeutic intervention in CRC management.

Oxidative stress is associated with Aß accumulation in chronic sleep deprivation model.

Amyloid-ß (Aß) accumulation is the main pathological change in Alzheimer's disease (AD), which results from the imbalance of production and clearance of Aß in the brain. Our previous study found that chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) led to the deposition of Aß in the brain by disrupting the balance of Aß production and clearance, but the specific mechanism was not clear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of oxidative stress on Aß accumulation in CSD rats. We found that the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly increased after CSD, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased in the brain. Furthermore, the serum ROS was elevated and SOD declined after CSD. The levels of oxidative stress in the brain were significantly correlated with ß-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1), and receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) levels in hippocampus and prefrontal lobe, and the concentration of serum oxidative mediators were strongly correlated with plasma levels of soluble LRP1 (sLRP1) and soluble RAGE (sRAGE). These results suggested that the oxidative stress in the brain and serum may involved in the CSD-induced Aß accumulation. The underlying mechanism may be associated with disrupting the balance of Aß production and clearance.

BsLPMO10A from Bacillus subtilis boosts the depolymerization of diverse polysaccharides linked via ß-1,4-glycosidic bonds.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) is known as an oxidatively cleaving enzyme in recalcitrant polysaccharide deconstruction. Herein, we report a novel AA10 LPMO derived from Bacillus subtilis (BsLPMO10A). A substrate specificity study revealed that the enzyme exhibited an extensive active-substrate spectrum, particularly for polysaccharides linked via ß-1,4 glycosidic bonds, such as ß-(Man1 â†’ 4Man), ß-(Glc1 â†’ 4Glc) and ß-(Xyl1 â†’ 4Xyl). HPAEC-PAD and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses indicated that BsLPMO10A dominantly liberated native oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 3-6 and C1-oxidized oligosaccharides ranging from DP3ox to DP6ox from mixed linkage glucans and beechwood xylan. Due to its synergistic action with a variety of glycoside hydrolases, including glucanase IDSGLUC5-38, xylanase TfXYN11-1, cellulase IDSGLUC5-11 and chitinase BtCHI18-1, BsLPMO10A dramatically accelerated glucan, xylan, cellulose and chitin saccharification. After co-reaction for 72 h, the reducing sugars in Icelandic moss lichenan, beechwood xylan, phosphoric acid swollen cellulose and chitin yielded 3176 ± 97, 7436 ± 165, 649 ± 44, and 2604 ± 130 µmol/L, which were 1.47-, 1.56-, 1.44- and 1.25-fold higher than those in the GHs alone groups, respectively (P < 0.001). In addition, the synergy of BsLPMO10A and GHs was further validated by the degradation of natural feedstuffs, the co-operation of BsLPMO10A and GHs released 3266 ± 182 and 1725 ± 107 µmol/L of reducing sugars from Oryza sativa L. and Arachis hypogaea L. straws, respectively, which were significantly higher than those produced by GHs alone (P < 0.001). Furthermore, BsLPMO10A also accelerated the liberation of reducing sugars from Celluclast® 1.5 L, a commercial cellulase cocktail, on filter paper, A. hypogaea L. and O. sativa L. straws by 49.58 % (P < 0.05), 72.19 % (P < 0.001) and 54.36 % (P < 0.05), respectively. This work has characterized BsLPMO10A with a broad active-substrate scope, providing a promising candidate for lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery.

An LW-Opsin Mutation Changes the Gene Expression of the Phototransduction Pathway: A Cryptochrome1 Mutation Enhances the Phototaxis of Male Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae).

Plutella xylostella is a typical phototactic pest. LW-opsin contributes to the phototaxis of P. xylostella, but the expression changes of other genes in the phototransduction pathway caused by the mutation of LW-opsin remain unknown. In the study, the head transcriptomes of male G88 and LW-opsin mutants were compared. A GO-function annotation showed that DEGs mainly belonged to the categories of molecular functions, biological processes, and cell composition. Additionally, a KEGG-pathway analysis suggested that DEGs were significantly enriched in some classical pathways, such as the phototransduction-fly and vitamin digestion and absorption pathways. The mRNA expressions of genes in the phototransduction-fly pathway, such as Gq, ninaC, and rdgC were significantly up-regulated, and trp, trpl, inaD, cry1, ninaA and arr1 were significantly down-regulated. The expression trends of nine DEGs in the phototransduction pathway confirmed by a RT-qPCR were consistent with transcriptomic data. In addition, the influence of a cry1 mutation on the phototaxis of P. xylostella was examined, and the results showed that the male cry1 mutant exhibited higher phototactic rates to UV and blue lights than the male G88. Our results indicated that the LW-opsin mutation changed the expression of genes in the phototransduction pathway, and the mutation of cry1 enhanced the phototaxis of a P. xylostella male, providing a basis for further investigation on the phototransduction pathway in P. xylostella.

Construction of artificial light-harvesting systems based on a variety of polyelectrolyte materials and application in photocatalysis.

In the present work, we designed and synthesized a cationic cyano-substituted p-phenylenevinylene derivative (PPTA), which can form supramolecular assemblies through electrostatic interaction with a type of polyelectrolyte material anionic guar gum (GP5A). A polyelectrolyte-based artificial light-harvesting system (LHS) was constructed by selecting a fluorescent dye sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) that matched its energy level as an energy acceptor. The energy harvested by the acceptors was used in the aqueous phase cross dehydrogenation coupling (CDC) reaction with a yield of up to 87%. In addition, the general applicability of polyelectrolyte materials to build artificial LHS was demonstrated by three other polyelectrolyte materials sodium polyphenylene sulfonate (RSS), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and sodium polyacrylate (PAAS), in which the CDC reaction was also carried out by these three LHSs and obtained high yields. This work not only provides a new method to construct LHSs by using polyelectrolyte materials, but also provides a beneficial exploration for further applying the energy harvested in LHSs to the field of photocatalysis in an aqueous solution.

Novel Strategy of Constructing Artificial Light-Harvesting System with Two-Step Sequential Energy Transfer for Efficient Photocatalysis in Water.

An efficient artificial light-harvesting system with a two-step sequential energy transfer was fabricated in the aqueous solution based on the host-guest interactions between cyano-substituted p-phenylenevinylene derivative (PPTA) and a water-soluble pillar[5]arene (WP5). PPTA-WP5 complex could self-assemble into nanoparticles, and two fluorescent dyes eosin Y (EY) and Nile Red (NIR) are employed as acceptors to realize sequential energy transfer. The PPTA-WP5-EY-NIR system could achieve efficient two-step sequential energy transfer process from PPTA-WP5 to EY and then to NIR (67% for the first step and 66% for the second step). Moreover, to make full use of the harvested energy, the hydrophobic microenvironment in the assembled nanoparticles is used to promote the aerobic cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction in aqueous medium with 88% yield after 12 h of irradiation. To our knowledge, this is the first example of artificial LHS with two-step energy transfer used to catalyze the CDC reaction in aqueous medium. This work directly mimics the function of photosynthesis in nature of converting solar energy into chemical energy in aqueous solution.

Research on UCAV Maneuvering Decision Method Based on Heuristic Reinforcement Learning.

With the rapid development of unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)-related technologies, UCAVs are playing an increasingly important role in military operations. It has become an inevitable trend in the development of future air combat battlefields that UCAVs complete air combat tasks independently to acquire air superiority. In this paper, the UCAV maneuver decision problem in continuous action space is studied based on the deep reinforcement learning strategy optimization method. The UCAV platform model of continuous action space was established. Focusing on the problem of insufficient exploration ability of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) exploration strategy in the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, a heuristic DDPG algorithm was proposed by introducing heuristic exploration strategy, and then a UCAV air combat maneuver decision method based on a heuristic DDPG algorithm is proposed. The superior performance of the algorithm is verified by comparison with different algorithms in the test environment, and the effectiveness of the decision method is verified by simulation of air combat tasks with different difficulty and attack modes.

An automatic identification system for citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing) using a YOLO convolutional neural network.

Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, has complex and variable symptoms, making its diagnosis almost entirely reliant on subjective experience, which results in a low diagnosis efficiency. To overcome this problem, we constructed and validated a deep learning (DL)-based method for detecting citrus HLB using YOLOv5l from digital images. Three models (Yolov5l-HLB1, Yolov5l-HLB2, and Yolov5l-HLB3) were developed using images of healthy and symptomatic citrus leaves acquired under a range of imaging conditions. The micro F1-scores of the Yolov5l-HLB2 model (85.19%) recognising five HLB symptoms (blotchy mottling, "red-nose" fruits, zinc-deficiency, vein yellowing, and uniform yellowing) in the images were higher than those of the other two models. The generalisation performance of Yolov5l-HLB2 was tested using test set images acquired under two photographic conditions (conditions B and C) that were different from that of the model training set condition (condition A). The results suggested that this model performed well at recognising the five HLB symptom images acquired under both conditions B and C, and yielded a micro F1-score of 84.64% and 85.84%, respectively. In addition, the detection performance of the Yolov5l-HLB2 model was better for experienced users than for inexperienced users. The PCR-positive rate of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) detection (the causative pathogen for HLB) in the samples with five HLB symptoms as classified using the Yolov5l-HLB2 model was also compared with manual classification by experts. This indicated that the model can be employed as a preliminary screening tool before the collection of field samples for subsequent PCR testing. We also developed the 'HLBdetector' app using the Yolov5l-HLB2 model, which allows farmers to complete HLB detection in seconds with only a mobile phone terminal and without expert guidance. Overall, we successfully constructed a reliable automatic HLB identification model and developed the user-friendly 'HLBdetector' app, facilitating the prevention and timely control of HLB transmission in citrus orchards.

Knockdown of ZNF479 inhibits proliferation and glycolysis of gastric cancer cells through regulating ß-catenin/c-Myc signaling pathway.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the third most deadly tumor in the world. Zinc finger protein 479 (ZNF479) has been demonstrated to play crucial roles in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the function of ZNF479 in gastric cancer remains to be clarified. The current study aimed to investigate the role of ZNF479 in gastric cancer progression and elucidate the potential molecular mechanism. In this study, Cell Count Kit-8 and colony formation assays demonstrated that knockdown of ZNF479 inhibited cell proliferation in AGS and SGC-7901 cells. Of note, knockdown of ZNF479 hinders tumor growth of xenograft tumor mice. What is more, knockdown of ZNF479 inhibited glucose uptake, lactate production, adenosine triphosphate level, and extracellular acidification ratio; increased oxygen consumption ratio in gastric cancer cells; and decreased the expression of glycolytic proteins both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, analysis mechanism suggests that ZNF479 participated in the regulation of gastric cancer progression through affecting the ß-catenin/c-Myc signaling pathway. Collectively, ZNF479 plays a role as an oncogene through modulating ß-catenin/c-Myc signaling pathway in the development of gastric cancer, which provides a new research target for future studies.

Efficacy of radiofrequency catheter ablation for premature ventricular contractions in children.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of transcatheter radiofrequency ablation (RFCA) in treating ventricular premature contractions (PVCs) in children, summarized the countermeasures during intraoperative ventricular fibrillation (VF), and improved the safety of ventricular premature treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 75 children with PVCs who received RFCA in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2010 to April 2019. Data including age, sex, body weight, ejection fraction, left ventricular end diastolic diameter, burden and number of PVCs/24 h, origin of PVCs, and its complications were collected. Paired t test was used to compare changes in cardiac function before and after surgery. RESULTS: Among the 75 cases treated with RFCA, 68 were successfully ablated, giving a success rate of 90.67%. After ablation, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the children was 69.13 ± 3.81%, which was significantly higher than that before surgery (69.13 ± 3.81% vs. 66.21 ± 3.22%, P = 0.012). One of the patients experienced VF during the operation, with no other complications. The initial locus of origin was the anterior septum of the right ventricular outflow tract, but VF occurred during the ablation process. Mean follow-up time was 39 ± 33 months, with two recurrent cases (2.94%). CONCLUSIONS: Performing RFCA in children is safe and effective, with a low recurrence rate and few complications. VF is not an indication to cease surgery; the key to eliminating complications is repositioning the catheter and finding a more accurate origin point.

Oxidised Low-Density Lipoprotein and Its Receptor-Mediated Endothelial Dysfunction Are Associated with Coronary Artery Lesions in Kawasaki Disease.

The study aimed to investigate the role of oxidised low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)/lectin-like-oxLDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) in coronary artery lesions (CALs) in Kawasaki disease (KD) and of plasma oxLDL concentration in the early prediction of CALs in KD. This prospective study included 80 KD patients, 20 febrile and 20 healthy children. oxLDL, LOX-1 and other parameters were analysed in the acute phase. Plasma oxLDL concentration and LOX-1 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were significantly increased in KD patients compared with febrile and healthy children (P < 0.001 and P = 0.022, respectively), particularly in the group with CALs (P < 0.001 and P = 0.027, respectively). Coronary Z-score was significantly correlated with plasma oxLDL concentration and LOX-1 mRNA expression (r = 0.739 and 0.637, respectively; P < 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of predicting CALs were 71.4% and 77.2%, respectively, at plasma oxLDL concentration ≥ 12.38 mU/L. oxLDL/LOX-1 may be involved in CAL development. The plasma oxLDL concentration in the acute phase is a potentially useful biological indicator for predicting CAL in KD patients.

Survey of nocturnal reflux in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease in China.

To evaluate current diagnosis and treatment of patients with nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER). METHODS: This multicenter observational study was conducted in 44 hospitals in China from May 2017 to February 2018. Outpatients with nGER were recruited and their relevant data were collected using a questionnaire, including age, gender, body mass index, history of smoking and alcohol consumption, comorbid diseases, lifestyle, self-reported health status, medical history, nGER symptoms and severity, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, diagnosis and treatment choices. The study was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (no. ChiCTR1800017525). RESULTS: The study included 4978 individuals, with valid questionnaires collected from 4448 patients (89.4%). The symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation were more severe at night than during the day (P < 0.05). Age and body mass index were positively correlated with reflux severity at night and during the day (P < 0.05). The severity of nGER was positively associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking, a high-fat diet, carbonated beverage consumption, late supper (later than 9 pm), and snoring (all P < 0.05). Night-time heartburn and regurgitation were related with sleep disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle factors are associated with nGER severity, and nGER affects sleep quality. It will be beneficial to popularize and strengthen the diagnosis and treatment of nGER.

[Spatial variation and driving factors of invasive plants in Fujian Province, China]. / ç¦å»ºçœä¸»è¦å ¥ä¾µæ¤ç‰©ç©ºé—´åˆ†å¼‚åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ .

Based on the field investigation data and the integration GIS spatial methods and geographical detector model, we analyzed the main and interactive effects of geographical and social environmental factors on the distribution of invasive plants in Fujian Province, China. The results showed that a total of 82 invasive plant species were recorded, with Compositae as the dominant family. Conyza canadensis, Ageratum conyzoides, and Alternanthera philoxeroides had the highest frequencies. There were more invasive species in coastal areas than in inland areas. Fuzhou and Xiamen were the hot areas for plant invaision. The invasive plants widely distributed at different altitudes, and the invasion reduced with the increasing altitude. The geographical detector analysis showed that rainfall as a natural environment factor and road density and people density as socio-economy factors were the major driving factors for the distribution of invasive plant species. The multi-factor interaction had a positive effect on the spatial distribution of invasive plants, implying the complexity of impact factors on the distribution of invasive plant species. In conclusion, the geographical detector could be used in the studies of invasive plants, and environmental factors could be also applied for monitoring the suitable establishment areas of invasive plants in Fujian Province. Our results provide a scientific basis for effective management of invasive plants.

A C-reactive protein immunosensor based on platinum nanowire / titania nanotube composite sensitized electrochemiluminescence.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the important indicators of inflammatory response. It plays as an essential role in diseases such as myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis. A simple and effective label-free electrochemiluminescent (ECL) immunosensor for quantitative detection of CRP is reported. The indium tin oxide coated glass was prefunctionalized with the composite of titania nanotubes and platinum nanowires as the sensing matrix. Then the CRP antibody was immobilized on it, hosted the sensing function owing to its specific binding with CRP caused by immune affinity. The characteristics of the fabricated sensor were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electron microscopes. The sensor has the advantages of high sensitivity, good selectivity, good reproducibility and low cost. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the response of ECL signal on obtained sensor has a good linear regression toward the logarithm of CRP quantity within the range from 0.05 ng to 6.25 ng with a detection limit of 0.011 ng. The immunosensor is small, convenient to use, and provides a feasible way for domestically rapid detection of CRP. It has a promising future in the precaution of cardiovascular and other diseases.

The contrasting response to drought and waterlogging is underpinned by divergent DNA methylation programs associated with transcript accumulation in sesame.

DNA methylation is a heritable epigenetic mechanism that participates in gene regulation under abiotic stresses in plants. Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is typically considered a drought-tolerant crop but highly susceptible to waterlogging, probably because of its origin in Africa or India. Understanding DNA methylation patterns under drought and waterlogging conditions can provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying sesame contrasting responses to these abiotic stresses. We combined Methylation-Sensitive Amplified Polymorphism and transcriptome analyses to profile cytosine methylation patterns, transcript accumulation, and their interplay in drought-tolerant and waterlogging-tolerant sesame genotypes. Drought stress strongly induced de novo methylation (DNM) whereas most of the loci were demethylated (DM) during the recovery phase. In contrast, waterlogging stress decreased the level of methylation but during the recovery phase, both DM and DNM were concomitantly deployed. In both stresses, the levels of the differentially accumulated transcripts (DATs) highly correlated with the methylation patterns. We observed that DM was associated with an increase of DAT levels while DNM was correlated with a decrease of DAT levels. Altogether, sesame has divergent epigenetic programs that respond to drought and waterlogging stresses and an interplay among DNA methylation and transcript accumulation may partly modulate the contrasting responses to these stresses.

[Epidemiologic features and space-time clustering analysis of human schistosomiasis in Hubei Province from 2015 to 2016].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the space-time patterns of schistosomiasis after the stage of transmission controlled in Hubei Province, so as to provide the reference for precise controlling. METHODS: The data of human schistosomiasis cases in Hubei Province from 2015 to 2016 and basic information of human schistosomiasis cases and serum antibody titer of human schistosomiasis cases in 2016 were collected and analyzed. The spatial clustering of human schistosomiasis was detected by the Flexible spatial scan statistics and Kulldorff circular scan statistic, respectively. RESULTS: Totally 64 819 serological positive cases from 51 counties and 1 504 stool hatching positive cases from 17 endemic counties were reported in Hubei Province in 2015, and 39 365 serological positive cases were reported from 48 counties in 2016. All of them were identified as the research objects. No stool hatching positive cases were reported from the routine work in the whole province in 2016. There were 1 603 cases of the highest antibody titer (1∶80 or more), with the proportion of 4.07%. According to the results of Kulldorff spatial clustering analysis, there were eight and six spatial clustering areas in the distribution of serological positive cases and stool hatching positive cases in 2015, respectively. The numbers of spatial clustering areas in the distribution of serological positive cases and the cases of the highest antibody titer (1∶80 or more) were eight and five in 2016, respectively. According to the results of Flexible spatial clustering analysis, there were three and two spatial clustering areas in the distribution of serological positive cases and stool hatching positive cases in 2015, respectively. The numbers of spatial clustering areas in the distribution of serological positive cases and the cases of highest antibody titer (1∶80 or more) were two and one in 2016, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of human schistosomiasis cases is not balanced, and there is spatial clustering in Hubei Province. So the key area for prevention and control is on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the future.

[Study on effect of clinical pathway implementation in advanced schistosomiasis with ascites].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of clinical pathway (CP) on the implementation of advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites. METHODS: Totally 1 129 cases of advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites but without other complications were selected randomly from the Performance Evaluation and Management System for Medical Treatment of Advanced Schistosomiasis Patients in Hubei Province from year 2011 to 2013. Among the patients, 754 cases were treated by CP (CP group), and 375 cases were treated with traditional methods (NCP group), and the hospitalization days, hospitalization expenses, medicine proportions, treatment outcomes and degrees of satisfaction and health knowledge rates of the two groups were compared. Meanwhile, the variation of CP was calculated. RESULTS: The average length of hospital days of the CP group and NCP group were (13.85 ± 5.60) d and (17.92 ± 5.80) d, respectively, and the average hospitalization costs of the two groups were (4 699.14 ± 1 520.59) Yuan and (5 692.01 ± 1 616.66) Yuan, respectively, both the differences were statistically significant (both P ＜ 0.05). Also the hospitalization cost structures of the two groups were remarkably different, the composition ratios of the inspection fee and accommodation fee in the CP group were lower than those in the NCP group, but the constituent ratios of the examination fee, diagnosis and treatment fee, drug charges and other expenses were higher than those in the NCP group (all P < 0.05). The awareness rate of health knowledge in the CP group was higher than that in the NCP group (P < 0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences in the treatment outcome and the degree of satisfaction between the two groups (both P > 0.05). The variation rate of CP was 9.02% (68/754). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of CP can decrease the days of hospital stay and medical expenses, improve the awareness rate on health knowledge of the patients. The CP treatment with low variation rate is applicable to advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites but without complications.

Narrow Band Filter at 1550 nm Based on Quasi-One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal with a Mirror-Symmetric Heterostructure.

In this paper, we present a high-efficiency narrow band filter (NBF) based on quasi-one-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) with a mirror symmetric heterostructure. Similarly to the Fabry-Perot-like resonance cavity, the alternately-arranged dielectric layers on both sides act as the high reflectance and the junction layers used as the defect mode of the quasi-one-dimensional PC, which can be designed as a NBF. The critical conditions for the narrow pass band with high transmittance are demonstrated and analyzed by simulation and experiment. The simulation results indicate that the transmission peak of the quasi-one-dimensional PC-based NBF is up to 95.99% at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm, which agrees well with the experiment. Furthermore, the influences of the periodicity and thickness of dielectric layers on the transmission properties of the PC-based NBF also have been studied numerically. Due to its favorable properties of PC-based NBF, it is can be found to have many potential applications, such as detection, sensing, and communication.

Design of a Broadband Tunable Terahertz Metamaterial Absorber Based on Complementary Structural Graphene.

We present a simple design for a broadband tunable terahertz (THz) metamaterial absorber (MMA) consisting of a complementary cross-oval-shaped graphene (CCOSG) structure and dielectric substrate placed on a continuous metal film. Both numerical simulation and theoretical calculation results indicate that the absorbance is greater than 80% from 1.2 to 1.8 THz, and the corresponding relative bandwidth is up to 40%. Simulated electric field and power loss density distributions reveal that the broadband absorption mainly originates from the excitation of continuous surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on the CCOSG. In addition, the MMA is polarization-insensitive for both transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) modes due to the geometry rotational symmetry of the unit-cell structure. Furthermore, the broadband absorption properties of the designed MMA can be effectively tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit-cell and chemical potential of graphene. Our results may find promising applications in sensing, detecting, and optoelectronic-related devices.

Broadband Polarization Conversion Metasurface Based on Metal Cut-Wire Structure for Radar Cross Section Reduction.

A class of linear polarization conversion coding metasurfaces (MSs) based on a metal cut-wire structure is proposed, which can be applied to the reduction properties of radar cross section (RCS). We firstly present a hypothesis based on the principle of planar array theory, and then verify the RCS reduction characteristics using linear polarization conversion coding MSs by simulations and experiments. The simulated results show that in the frequency range of 6⁻14 GHz, the linear polarization conversion ratio reaches a maximum value of 90%, which is in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. For normal incident x- and y-polarized waves, RCS reduction of designed coding MSs 01/01 and 01/10 is essentially more than 10 dB in the above-mentioned frequency range. We prepare and measure the 01/10 coding MS sample, and find that the experimental results in terms of reflectance and RCS reduction are in good agreement with the simulated ones under normal incidence. In addition, under oblique incidence, RCS reduction is suppressed as the angle of incidence increases, but still exhibits RCS reduction effects in a certain frequency range. The designed MS is expected to have valuable potential in applications for stealth field technology.