Urine LMs quantitative analysis strategy development and LMs CWP biomarkers discovery.

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is one of the most common inhalation occupational diseases. It is no effective treatment methods. Early diagnosis of CWP could reduce mortality. Lipid mediators (LMs) as key mediators in the generation and resolution of inflammation, are natural biomarkers for diagnosis inflammatory disease, such as CWP. The UHPLC-MRM technique was used to detect LMs in urine. The metabolic network of LMs in CWP and CT group samples was comprehensively analyzed. Screening for major difference compounds between the two groups. Aimed to contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of CWP. Urinary levels of 13-OxoODE, 9-OxoODE, and 9,10-EpOME were significantly higher in the CWP group compared with the CT group (P < 0.05). In the model group, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) for 9-OxoODE,13-OxoODE,9,10-EpOME was 84.4%, 73.3%, and 80.9%, respectively. In the validation group, the area under the ROC was 87.0%, 88.8%, and 68.8% for 9-OxoODE,13-OxoODE,9,10-EpOME, respectively. According to the logistic regression model, the area under the ROC was 80.4% in the model group and 86.7% in the validation group. 13-OxoODE,9-OxoODE,9,10-EpOME could be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis. Significant abnormalities of LOX and CYP450 enzyme pathways were seen in CWP organisms. Changes in the CYP450 enzyme pathway may be associated with PAHs.

Interfacial Engineering of Fluorinated TiO2 Nanosheets with Abundant Oxygen Vacancies for Boosting the Hydrogen Storage Performance of MgH2.

The interaction between fluorinated surface in the partially reduced nano-crystallite titanium dioxide (TiO2-x (F)) and MgH2 is studied for the first time. Compared with pristine MgH2 (416 °C), the onset desorption temperature of MgH2 +5 wt.% TiO2-x (F) composite can be dramatically lowered to 189 °C. In addition, the composite exhibits remarkable dehydrogenation kinetics, which can release 6.0 wt.% hydrogen thoroughly within 6 min at 250 °C. The apparent activation energy for dehydriding is decreased from 268.42 to 119.96 kJ mol-1 . Structural characterization and theoretical calculations indicate that the synergistic effect between multivalent Ti species, and the in situ formed MgF2 and MgF2-x Hx is beneficial for improving the hydrogen storage performance of MgH2 . Moreover, oxygen vacancies can accelerate the electron transportation and facilitate hydrogen diffusion. The study provides a novel perspective on the modification of MgH2 by fluorinated transition metal oxide catalyst.

Static wind imaging Michelson interferometer for the measurement of stratospheric wind fields.

The stratospheric wind field provides significant information on the dynamics, constituent, and energy transport in the Earth's atmosphere. The measurement of the atmospheric wind field on a global basis at these heights is still lacking because few wind imaging interferometers have been developed that can measure wind in this region. In this paper, we describe an advanced compact static wind imaging Michelson interferometer (SWIMI) developed to measure the stratospheric wind field using near-infrared airglow emissions. The instrument contains a field widened and thermal compensated interferometer with a segmented reflective mirror in one arm, which replace the moving mirror in a conventional Michelson interferometer, to provide interference phase steps. The field widened, achromatic, temperature compensated scheme has been designed and manufactured. The characterization, calibration, inversion software, and test of the instrument have been completed. The capacity of two-dimensional wind, temperature, and ozone measurement of the instrument has been verified in the lab experiment and model simulation. What we believe to be the novel principle, modeling, design, and experiment demonstrated in this paper will offer a significant reference to the static, simultaneous and real-time detection and inversion of the global wind field, temperature, and ozone.

Full genome sequence of a novel iflavirus from the aster leafhopper Macrosteles fascifrons.

The aster leafhopper Macrosteles fascifrons is a common insect pest that feeds on rice and other plants and may serve as a vector to transmit various viruses. Here, we discovered a novel virus from M. fascifrons using metagenomic sequencing. We obtained its complete genome sequence by contig assembly and rapid amplification of cDNA ends, and verified the genome sequence by Sanger sequencing of overlapping segments. Based on homology search and phylogenetic analysis, the new virus belongs to the family Iflaviridae and it is tentatively named "Macrosteles fascifrons iflavirus 1" (MfIV1). Excluding the poly(A) tail, the MfIV1 genome is 10,581 nucleotides in length and it is predicted to encode a polyprotein of 3119 amino acids long, which is likely further processed to several polypeptides with conserved domains, including two rhinovirus like (rhv-like) capsid domains, a cricket paralysis virus (CRPV) capsid domain, a helicase domain, and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain. BLAST searches show that the highest amino acid sequence identity between the capsid proteins of MfIV1 and those of other reported iflaviruses is 60.22%, indicating that MfIV1 is a new member in the family Iflaviridae.

On-orbit demonstration of inter-satellite free-space optical stable communication enabled by integrated optical amplification of HPA and LNA.

Satellite free-space optical (FSO) communication is very promising in improving the bandwidth and capacity of space information networks in the future. However, the inter-satellite transmission distance of over 1000 km leads to unstable optical beam pointing, acquisition, and tracking and then generates optical power jitter by a large margin before detection-demodulation. Therefore, it is difficult to realize high-stability and long-time FSO communication between satellites due to the generated bit error rate (BER) by jitter. In this paper, we report an autonomously self-designed and high-integration laser communication payload (LCP) and on-orbit-demonstrated inter-satellite 145 min, zero-BER FSO stable communication with a line rate of 2.8 Gbps. Moreover, based on the inter-satellite laser communication link, a video phone was clearly implemented for more than 10 min, and authentic user data transmitted 459,149 packets, achieving results of zero-packet loss. Summarily, this on-orbit experiment demonstrated an excellent performance of the LCP owing to the distinctive design of integrating a high-power amplifier and low-noise amplifier optical amplification function. Our space mission was successfully completed, and the on-orbit demonstration results may offer a significant reference for the field of satellite laser communication and space information networks.

Analysis of serum metabolome of laborers exposure to welding fume.

OBJECTIVE: Welding fume exposure is inevitable of welding workers and poses a severe hazard to their health since welding is a necessary industrial process. Thus, preclinical diagnostic symptoms of worker exposure are of great importance. The aim of this study was to screen serum differential metabolites of welding fume exposure based on UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. METHODS: In 2019, 49 participants were recruited at a machinery manufacturing factory. The non-target metabolomics technique was used to clarify serum metabolic signatures in people exposed to welding fume. Differential metabolites were screened by OPLS-DA analysis and Student's t-test. The receiver operating characteristic curve evaluated the discriminatory power of differential metabolites. And the correlations between differential metabolites and metal concentrations in urine and whole blood were analyzed utilizing Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Thirty metabolites were increased significantly, and 5 metabolites were decreased. The differential metabolites are mainly enriched in the metabolism of arachidonic acid, glycero phospholipid, linoleic acid, and thiamine. These results observed that lysophosphatidylcholine (20:1/0:0) and phosphatidylglycerol(PGF1α/16:0) had a tremendous anticipating power with relatively increased AUC values (AUC > 0.9), and they also presented a significant correlation of Mo concentrations in whole blood and Cu concentrations in urine, respectively. CONCLUSION: The serum metabolism was changed significantly after exposure to welding fume. Lysophosphatidylcholine (20:1/0:0) and phosphatidylglycerol (PGF1α/16:0) may be a potential biological mediator and biomarker for laborers exposure to welding fume.

Topical astilbin ameliorates imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin lesions in SKH-1 mice via suppression dendritic cell-Th17 inflammation axis.

Astilbin, an essential component of Rhizoma smilacis glabrae, exerts significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against various autoimmune diseases. We have previously reported that astilbin decreases proliferation and improves differentiation of HaCaT keratinocytes in a psoriatic model. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of topical administration of astilbin on an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like murine model and to reveal their underlying mechanisms. Topical administration of astilbin at a lower dose alleviated IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin lesions by inducing the differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes in mice, and the therapeutic effect was even better than that of calcipotriol. Moreover, the inflammatory skin disorder was relieved by astilbin treatment characterized by a reduction in both IL-17-producing T cell accumulation and psoriasis-specific cytokine expression in skin lesions. Furthermore, we found that astilbin inhibited R837-induced maturation and activation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines by downregulating myeloid differentiation factor 88. Our findings provide the convincing evidence that lower doses of astilbin might attenuate psoriasis by interfering with the abnormal activation and differentiation of keratinocytes and accumulation of IL-17-producing T cells in skin lesions. Our results strongly support the pre-clinical application of astilbin for psoriasis treatment.

Measurement of visibility and phase steps of a static wind imaging interferometer assisted by deep learning.

In a static wind imaging Michelson interferometer we developed, one of the Michelson mirrors is divided into four quadrants, with coatings on the quadrants that provide small phase steps from one quadrant to another, realizing the four simultaneous sampling of the interferogram. Restricted by the coating process and interferometer adjustment, the instrument visibility and phase steps of the four quadrants will deviate from the design value. In the actual passive detection of the atmospheric wind field, quasi-real-time calibration is required, and the calibration will also be affected by the instrument noise. In this paper, we propose a deep-learning-based denoising algorithm that can quickly denoise the wind interferogram with no need to adjust parameters, combined with conventional least-squares fitting cosine curves to obtain the visibility and phase steps of four quadrants from a series of interferograms with varying phase differences. The proposed algorithm framework is verified by experiment, and the measurement of visibility and phase steps of the wind field interferogram is efficiently realized. It can provide a reference for the visibility and phase steps measurement of the wind imaging interferometer and may have applications in wind imaging interferometer calibration.

Wind imaging using simultaneous fringe sampling with field-widened Michelson interferometers.

The first, to our knowledge, successful laboratory implementation of an approach to image winds using simultaneous (as opposed to sequential) fringe imaging of suitable isolated spectral emission lines is described. Achieving this in practice has been a long-standing goal for wind imaging using airglow. It avoids the aliasing effects of source irradiance variations that are possible with sequential fringe sampling techniques. Simultaneous fringe imaging is accomplished using a field-widened Michelson interferometer by depositing phase steps on four quadrants of one of the mirrors and designing an optical system so that four images of the scene of interest, each at a different phase, are simultaneously produced. In this paper, the instrument characteristics, its characterization, and the analysis algorithms necessary for use of the technique for this type of interferometer are described for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The large throughput associated with field-widened Michelson interferometers is sufficient for the spatial resolutions and temporal cadences necessary for ground based imaging of gravity waves in wind and irradiance to be achieved. The practical demonstration of this technique also validates its use for proposed monolithic satellite instruments for wind measurements using airglow on the Earth and Mars.

Snapshot spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimetry based on spectral modulation with increased channel bandwidth.

This paper presents a snapshot spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimetry based on spectral modulation. The polarization state generator consists of a linear polarizer in front of two high-order retarders, and the polarization state analyzer is formed by two non-polarization beam splitters incorporated with three high-order retarder/linear analyzer pairs. It can simultaneously generate three modulated spectra used for reconstructing the 16 spectroscopic Mueller elements of the sample. Since each of the modulated spectra produces seven separate channels equally spaced in the Fourier domain, the channel bandwidth can be enhanced efficiently compared with the conventional spectrally modulated spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimetry. The feasibility of the proposed spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimetry is demonstrated by the experimental measurement of an achromatic quarter-wave plate.

Signal-to-noise ratio of a near-infrared static wind imaging Michelson interferometer.

Wind is a key parameter to understand the dynamic behavior of the atmosphere. This paper focuses on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the near-infrared static wind imaging Michelson interferometer developed by our research group. As a physical quantity related directly to the resolution of airglow radiation, SNR is an important index to evaluate the performance of interferometers. The theoretical model of SNR is derived, and the changing rules of SNR under various physical quantities are given by computer simulation. This research provides a reliable theoretical basis for the design, development, and engineering of novel wind imaging interferometers.

Spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeter based on spectro-temporal modulation.

A spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeter based on spectro-temporal modulation with a compact, low-cost, and birefringent crystal-based configuration has been developed. The polarization state generator and polarization state analyzer in the system consists of a polarizer in front of two high-order retarders with equal thickness and a rotating achromatic quarter wave-plate followed by a fixed analyzer, respectively. It can acquire the 16 spectroscopic elements of the Mueller matrix in broadband with a faster measurement speed than that of the conventional spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeter based on a dual-rotating retarder. In addition, the spectral polarization modulation provided by the polarization state generator can produce five separate channels in the Fourier domain, which leads to a larger bandwidth of each channel than that of the existing spectral modulated spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeters. Experiment on the measurements of an achromatic quarter-wave plate oriented at different azimuths and SiO2 thin films deposited on silicon wafers with different thicknesses are carried out to show the feasibility of the developed spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeter.

Optimized design, calibration, and validation of an achromatic snapshot full-Stokes imaging polarimeter.

An achromatic snapshot full-Stokes imaging polarimeter (ASSIP) that enables the acquisition of 2D-spatial full Stokes parameters from a single exposure is presented. It is based on the division-of-aperture polarimetry using an array of four-quadrant achromatic elliptical analyzers as polarization state analyzer (PSA). The optimization of PSA is addressed for achieving immunity of Gaussian and Poisson noises. An extended eigenvalue calibration method (ECM) is proposed to calibrate the system, which considers the imperfectness of retarder and polarizer samples and the intensity attenuation of polarizer sample. A compact prototype of ASSIP operating over the waveband of 450-650 nm and an optimized calibration setup are developed. The achromatic performance is evaluated at three bandwidths of 10, 25, and 200 nm, respectively. The results show that the prototype with an uncooled CMOS camera works well at each bandwidth. The instrument matrix determined at the narrower bandwidth is more applicable to the wider one. The uncertainties of the calibrated instrument matrices and reconstructed Stokes parameters are improved by using the extended EMC at each bandwidth. To speed up the acquisition of high-contrast images, wide bandwidth along with short exposure time is preferable. The snapshot capability was verified via capturing dynamic scenes.

Real-time optical manipulation of particles through turbid media.

Complex diffusive scattering media pose significant challenges for light focusing as well as optical imaging to be implemented in practice. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the wavefront shaping technique can be applied to realize focusing and imaging through scattering medium. Here we report dynamic optical manipulation of particles through turbid media by employing the interleaved segment wavefront correction method, which is an improved genetic algorithm providing faster convergence speed and higher peak to background ratio. Manipulating micro-beads behind a scattering medium along both one and two dimensional predesigned trajectories in real time has been successfully demonstrated.

Compact snapshot optically replicating and remapping imaging spectrometer (ORRIS) using a focal plane continuous variable filter.

In this Letter, a novel snapshot spectral imaging technique, optically replicating and remapping imaging spectrometer, is presented. It is based on the combination of shifting subimages by a specially designed lenslet array (LA) and filtering subimages by a focal plane continuous variable filter (CVF). The 3D datacube is recovered by just using a simple image remapping process. The use of the LA and the focal plane CVF makes the system compact and low in cost. A handheld proof-of-principle prototype has been built and demonstrated; it covers a wavelength range of 380-860 nm with 80 spectral channels with a spatial resolution of 400×400 pixels.

Rapid wide-field imaging through scattering media by digital holographic wavefront correction.

Imaging through scattering media has been a long standing challenge in many disciplines. One of the promising solutions to address the challenge is the wavefront shaping technique, in which the phase distortion due to a scattering medium is corrected by a phase modulation device such as a spatial light modulator (SLM). However, the wide-field imaging speed is limited either by the feedback-based optimization to search the correction phase or by the update rate of SLMs. In this report, we introduce a new method called digital holographic wavefront correction, in which the correction phase is determined by a single-shot off-axis holography. The correction phase establishes the so-called "scattering lens", which allows any objects to be imaged through scattering media; in our case, the "scattering lens" is a digital one established through computational methods. As no SLM is involved in the imaging process, the imaging speed is significantly improved. We have demonstrated that moving objects behind scattering media can be recorded at the speed of 2.8 fps with each frame corrected by the updated correction phase while the image contrast is maintained as high as 0.9. The image speed can potentially reach the video rate if the computing power is sufficiently high. We have also demonstrated that the digital wavefront correction method also works when the light intensity is low, which implicates its potential usefulness in imaging dynamic processes in biological tissues.

Mining Prognostic Significance of MEG3 in Human Breast Cancer Using Bioinformatics Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) is an imprinted gene with maternal expression, which may function as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting angiogenesis. To identify the prognostic value of MEG3 in breast cancer, systematic analysis was performed in this study. METHODS: To evaluate gene alteration during breast carcinogenesis, we explored MEG3 expression using the Serial Analysis of Gene Expression Genie suite and Oncomine analysis. The prognostic roles of MEG3 in breast cancer were investigated using the PrognoScan database. The heat map and methylation status of MEG3 were determined using the UCSC Genome Browser. RESULTS: We found that MEG3 was more frequently downregulated in breast cancer than in normal tissues and this correlated with prognosis. However, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor status were found to be positively correlated with MEG3 expression. Conversely, basal-like status, triple-negative breast cancer status, and Scarff Bloom & Richardson grade criterion were negatively correlated with MEG3 expression. Following data mining in multiple big data databases, we confirmed a positive correlation between MEG3 and heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2) expression in breast cancer tissues. CONCLUSION: MEG3 could be adopted as a marker to predict the prognosis of breast cancer with HSPG2. However, large-scale and comprehensive research is needed to clarify our results.

High resolution channeled imaging spectropolarimetry based on liquid crystal variable retarder.

A method for high spectral resolution channeled imaging spectropolarimetry (CISP) using a liquid crystal variable retarder (LCVR) is presented. Controlling the retardation of LCVR, the individual expanded channel, which takes up the whole detector, is obtained in each step. The resolution of recovered spectrum is increased largely, meanwhile the high resolution of image is maintained. The novel CISP system has the advantages of high throughput, compact and stable. It has no moving components and is easy to control as the retardation of LCVR is modulated by computer. The feasibility of that method is proved by the simulation results.

Stokes imaging spectropolarimeter based on channeled polarimetry with full-resolution spectra and aliasing reduction.

A Stokes channeled interference imaging spectropolarimeter with full-resolution spectra and aliasing reduction is presented. The sensor uses a Wollaston prism, a Savart polariscope, and a linear analyzer as a birefringent interferometer, along with two high-order retarders to incorporate channeled polarimetry employing a tempo-spatially mixed modulated mode with no internal moving parts and offering a robust system. The performance of the system is verified through laboratory tests. Compared with the previous sensors, the most significant advantage of the described instrument is that the reconstructed spectra retain the resolution of the interferometer, and the errors in the reconstructed spectral resolved polarization state caused by aliasing between the interference channels are suppressed effectively. Additionally, the advantages of the interferometer are maintained, such as compact structure and high optical throughput.

Ultrafast all-optical solid-state framing camera with picosecond temporal resolution.

A new ultrafast all-optical solid-state framing camera (UASFC) capable of single-shot ultrafast imaging is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. It is composed of an ultrafast semiconductor chip (USC), an optical time-series system (TSS), and a spatial mapping device (SMD) with an USC to transform signal beam information to the probe beam, a TSS to convert the time axis to wavelength-polarization, and a SMD to map wavelength-polarization image to different spatial positions. In our recent proof-of-principle experiment, better performance than ever of this technique is confirmed by giving six frames with ~3 ps temporal resolution and ~30 lp/mm spatial resolution.