Gabor and Non-Gabor Neural Representations Are Shared between Visual Perception and Mental Imagery.

Visual perception and mental imagery have been shown to share a hierarchical topological visual structure of neural representation, despite the existence of dissociation of neural substrate between them in function and structure. However, we have limited knowledge about how the visual hierarchical cortex is involved in visual perception and visual imagery in a unique and shared fashion. In this study, a data set including a visual perception and an imagery experiment with human participants was used to train 2 types of voxel-wise encoding models. These models were based on Gabor features and voxel activity patterns of high-level visual cortex (i.e., fusiform face area, parahippocampal place area, and lateral occipital complex) to predict activity in the early visual cortex (EVC, i.e., V1, V2, V3) during perception, and then tested with respect to the generalization of these models to mental imagery. Our results showed that during perception and imagery, activities in the EVC could be independently predicted by the Gabor features and activity of high-level visual cortex via voxel-wise encoding models, which suggested that perception and imagery might share neural representation in the EVC. We further found Gabor-specific and non-Gabor-specific patterns of neural response to stimuli in the EVC, which were shared by perception and imagery. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms of how visual perception and imagery share representation in the EVC.

Spatial multiplexing for robust optical vortex transmission with optical nonlinearity.

Optical vortex beams, with phase singularity characterized by a topological charge (TC), introduces a new dimension for optical communication, quantum information, and optical light manipulation. However, the evaluation of TCs after beam propagation remains a substantial challenge, impeding practical applications. Here, we introduce vortices in lateral arrays (VOILA), a novel spatial multiplexing approach that enables simultaneous transmission of a lateral array of multiple vortices. Leveraging advanced learning techniques, VOILA effectively decodes TCs, even in the presence of strong optical nonlinearities simulated experimentally. Notably, our approach achieves substantial improvements in single-shot bandwidth, surpassing single-vortex scheme by several orders of magnitude. Furthermore, our system exhibits precise fractional TC recognition in both linear and nonlinear regimes, providing possibilities for high-bandwidth communication. The capabilities of VOILA promise transformative contributions to optical information processing and structured light research, with significant potential for advancements in diverse fields.

What is cooking in your kitchen: seeing "invisible" with time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy.

Cooking oil is a critical component of human food and its main component, lipid, is influential to health, but assessing its authenticity and quality can be challenging due to its complex chemical composition. In this study, we introduce a novel application of time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (T-CARS) spectroscopy for detecting adulteration and understanding the mechanisms of lipid oxidation in various cooking oils. Our research surpasses the limitations of conventional spontaneous Raman spectroscopy, demonstrating that intra-molecular interactions from unsaturated bonds in triglycerides significantly influence vibrational dephasing time. We observed that these dephasing times, although diverse initially, converge to a similar value after heating cycles. Notably, a longer vibrational dephasing of the CH2 symmetric stretching mode was found to correlate with a higher lipid oxidation rate. These findings underscore the potential of T-CARS in identifying and characterizing subtle molecular interactions, offering a transformative approach to understanding molecular dynamics. This research paves the way for broader applications of T-CARS across fields such as chemistry, biomedicine, and material science, marking a significant advancement in the development of innovative analytical techniques.

Depression and suicide attempts in Chinese adolescents with mood disorders: the mediating role of rumination.

Mood disorders (MD) are often associated with a higher incidence of suicidal behavior, especially in adolescent patients. However, the mechanisms by which depression affects suicide attempts in adolescents with MD remain poorly elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and clinical correlates of suicide attempts in Chinese adolescent patients with MD, as well as the inter-relationship between depressive symptoms, rumination, and suicide attempts, and the role of rumination in mediating depression and suicide attempts. A total of 331 MD adolescent patients aged 11 ~ 18 years were recruited from a psychiatric hospital. Suicide attempts were assessed with the MINI Suicide Scale. Depressed symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). To assess rumination, we used the 21-item Chinese version of the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS). Overall, the percentage of suicide attempts among MD adolescents was 51.96%, with a higher percentage of females (58.62%) than males (36.36%). Compared to non-suicide attempters, suicide attempters had higher scores on PHQ-9, RRS, depression-related, brooding, and reflective pondering. Gender and RRS were independently associated with suicide attempts. Rumination played a fully mediating role between depression and suicide attempts. In addition, the mediating effect of depression between rumination and suicide attempts was not significant. The incidence of suicide attempts was higher in MD adolescents than in general adolescents. Gender and rumination were associated with suicide attempts in MD adolescents. Moreover, rumination mediated the correlation between depressive symptoms and suicide attempts, suggesting that rumination may be an important intervention component for clinical staff to prevent suicidal behavior in adolescents with MD.

PD-1 blockader-associated atypical hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: A cautionary case report.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a fatal immune hyperactivity syndrome with high mortality. It seriously endangers human health. HLH associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors is rare, and no particular diagnostic guidelines or treatment regimens exist. A 36-year-old patient with metastatic right atrial angiosarcoma was treated with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockader toripalimab and pazopanib, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor blockader. However, the patient presented to our center with HLH, and he accepted combination therapy of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and immunotherapy. The patient improved quickly, after only one TPE procedure. Finally, he was discharged after completing two TPE procedures. We summarize a case of PD-1 blocker associated atypical HLH that was successfully treated with TPE. Further evidence is needed to elucidate whether TPE has therapeutic potential for immunotherapy associated HLH.

Enhanced Chemical Sensing with Multiorder Coherent Raman Scattering Spectroscopic Dephasing.

Molecular vibrational spectroscopy is widely used in various sensing and imaging applications, providing intrinsic information at the molecular level. Nonlinear optical interactions using ultrashort laser pulses facilitate the selective coherent excitation of molecular vibrational modes by focusing energy into specific molecular bonds, boosting the signal level for multiple orders of magnitude. The dephasing of such coherence, which is susceptible to the local molecular environment, however, is often neglected. The unique capability of vibrational dephasing dynamics to serve as a unique probe for complex molecular interactions and the effect of local nano- and microenvironments are beyond the reach of conventional, intensity-based spectroscopy. Here, we developed a novel multiorder coherent Raman spectroscopy platform with a special focus on the temporal evolution of molecular vibrational dephasing, termed as time-resolved coherent Raman scattering (T-CRS) spectroscopy. By utilizing a high dynamic range detection, molecular vibrational dynamics and the environmental effects are demonstrated with multidimensional spectroscopic sensing, which promises a new range of applications in biology, materials, and chemical sciences.

Efficient erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate waveguide amplifiers.

Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) is an emerging photonic platform with great promise for use in future optical communications, nonlinear optics, and microwave photonics. An important integrated photonic building block, active waveguide amplifiers, however, are still missing in the LNOI platform. Here, we report an efficient and compact waveguide amplifier based on erbium-doped LNOI waveguides, achieved using a sequence of erbium-doped crystal growth, ion slicing, and lithography-based waveguide fabrication. Using a compact 5 mm long waveguide, we demonstrate an on-chip net gain of >5dB for 1530 nm signal light with a relatively low pump power of 21 mW at 980 nm. The efficient LNOI waveguide amplifiers could become an important fundamental element in future lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits.

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microspectroscopy: an emerging technique for non-invasive optical assessment of a local bio-nano-environment.

Raman spectroscopy provides a non-invasive, chemically-specific optical imaging of biological objects without relying on endogenous labels. Nonlinear Raman spectroscopy allows non-invasive imaging at much faster speed with an improved spatial resolution and axial sectioning capability. In this report we propose a novel use of nonlinear Raman spectroscopy as a sensor of local nano-environment. Time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectrograms are found to be sensitive to small variations of local structural changes, which are not normally observed using conventional Raman spectroscopy.

Neural substrates of the executive function construct, age-related changes, and task materials in adolescents and adults: ALE meta-analyses of 408 fMRI studies.

To explore the neural substrates of executive function (EF), we conducted an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of 408 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (9639 participants, 7587 activation foci, 518 experimental contrasts) covering three fundamental EF subcomponents: inhibition, switching, and working memory. Our results found that activation common to all three EF subcomponents converged in the multiple-demand network across adolescence and adulthood. The function of EF with the multiple-demand network involved, especially for the prefrontal cortex and the parietal regions, could not be mature until adulthood. In adolescents, only working memory could be separable from common EF, whereas in adults, the three EF subcomponents could be separable from common EF. However, findings of switching in adolescents should be treated with substantial caution and may be exploratory due to limited data available on switching tasks. For task materials, inhibition and working memory showed both domain generality and domain specificity, undergirded by the multiple-demand network, as well as different brain regions in response to verbal and nonverbal task materials, respectively. In contrast, switching showed only domain generality with no activation specialized for either verbal or nonverbal task materials. These findings, taken together, support and contribute to the unitary-diverse nature of EF such that EF should be interpreted in an integrative model that relies on the integration of the EF construct, development, and task materials.

[Effect of single hyperbaric oxygen treatment on attention networks in young migrants in Tibet].

Many studies have shown that high-altitude exposure could significantly influence human cognition, and the approaches which could enhance the human cognition in high-altitude hypoxia environment attract great attention. In the present study, we recruited a total of 60 subjects who had been migrated to Tibet University as adults for more than one year. These participants were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. The participants in the experimental group were instructed to complete a hyperbaric oxygen treatment, and those in the control group just completed a wait condition. By using the attention network test (ANT), the changes of the attention function before and after a single session of hyperbaric oxygen treatment were explored. The results showed that single hyperbaric oxygen treatment significantly improved the orienting function of attention, with an obvious post-intervention effect, but not the alerting and conflict function of attention. We also found a strong association between alerting function and conflict function after the end of intervention, suggesting the change of the overall performance of attention function. The present findings might suggest that the improvement of attention function by a single session of hyperbaric oxygen intervention is derived from the increase of general cognitive resources, rather than the transfer of cognitive resources within the attention system.

Dynamic Adaptive Cross-Chain Trading Mode for Multi-Microgrid Joint Operation.

The emerging blockchain technology has injected new vitality into the energy market, especially the peer-to-peer power trading of microgrid systems. However, with the increase of energy blockchain projects, the difficulty of data communication and value islands between blockchain networks have become open issues. Thus, in this paper, we propose a dynamic adaptive cross-chain trading mode for multi-microgrid joint operation. The novelty is to design a proof of credit threshold consensus mechanism to achieve effective information verification. This consensus mechanism can ensure the adaptive consistency of cross-chain information without changing the existing blockchain architecture of each system. At the same time, we design a corresponding key management interoperability protocol based on RSA algorithm and Chinese remainder theorem, which can realize data transfer and information consensus for cross-chain transactions. The theoretical analysis verifies that the cross-chain communication information is effective and the system is able to protect against the attack of malicious nodes. Finally, a cross-chain simulation experiment is established to analyze the operation efficiency. The result shows that this cross-chain trading takes place within seconds, which basically meets the response requirements for multi-microgrid joint operation.

Fingerprinting a Living Cell by Raman Integrated Mid-Infrared Photothermal Microscopy.

Vibrational spectroscopic imaging techniques, based on infrared absorption or Raman scattering, allow for noninvasive chemically specific visualization of biological systems. The infrared and Raman modalities with different selection rules provide complementary information. Specifically, infrared microscopy provides strong signals in the fingerprint region, but suffers from low spatial resolution. Raman microscopy provides submicrometer resolution, but requires a long acquisition time. We developed a system that combines the strengths of both techniques by integrating confocal Raman microspectroscopy to the recently developed mid-infrared photothermal microscopy. This hybrid system is capable of fast infrared photothermal imaging of living cells with submicrometer resolution to identify points of interest, followed by a full-spectrum Raman analysis of the identified objects. In addition, a fingerprint photothermal spectrum can be acquired by scanning the wavelengths of the infrared laser. Comprehensive vibrational fingerprint mapping of live cells, demonstrated in adipocytes and single bacteria, promises broad applications of this technology in biology and material science.

Comment on "A universal approach for calculating the Judd-Ofelt parameters of RE3+ in powdered phosphors and its application for the ß-NaYF4:Er3+/Yb3+ phosphor derived from auto-combustion-assisted fluoridation" by B. Chen, S. Xu et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 15876.

A recent paper [Y. Q. Zhang, B. J. Chen, S. Xu, X. P. Li, J. S. Zhang, J. S. Sun, X. Q. Zhang, H. P. Xia and R. N. Hua, A universal approach for calculating the Judd-Ofelt parameters of RE3+ in powdered phosphors and its application for the ß-NaYF4:Er3+/Yb3+ phosphor derived from auto-combustion-assisted fluoridation, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 15876-15883] used the Er3+/Yb3+:ß-NaYF4 phosphor as an example to demonstrate a method used for evaluating Judd-Ofelt parameters of rare-earth-ion-doped powder. The method is actually established on the basis of a measured diffuse reflectance spectrum and fluorescence lifetime of Er3+ emission at 1.5 µm. The paper compared the Judd-Ofelt parameters obtained from two least-squares fitting processes with and without inclusion of two strong Er3+ absorption transitions from 4I15/2 to 2H11/2 and 4G11/2, and erroneously concluded that the values of the Judd-Ofelt parameters depend mainly on the majority of transitions with even weak intensities rather than on a few strong transitions. We have repeated the two fitting processes and the reverse conclusion has been made. Moreover, we have studied the effects of the transitions selected for the analysis and comprehensive explanations are given for the effects. In addition, the previously reported methods, including the aforementioned one, are reviewed, compared and discussed in detail.

Long Non-Coding RNA BANCR Is Overexpressed in Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy and Promotes Apoptosis of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells.

BACKGROUND lncRNA BANCR participates in the pathogenesis of various types of human diseases; however, its involvement in diabetic retinopathy is unknown. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, the expression of lncRNA BANCR in plasma of patients with diabetic retinopathy, diabetic patients without complications, and healthy controls was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The accuracy plasma BANCR in diagnosing diabetic retinopathy was analyzed by ROC curve analysis. lncRNA BANCR expression vector and siRNA were transfected into the human retinal pigment epithelial cell line ARPE-19, and cell apoptosis was analyzed by cell apoptosis assay. RESULTS We found that lncRNA BANCR was significantly upregulated in patients with diabetic retinopathy compared to diabetic patients without complications and healthy controls. Upregulation of lncRNA BANCR effectively distinguished patients with diabetic retinopathy from diabetic patients without complications and healthy controls. High-glucose treatment led to upregulated expression of BANCR in the human retinal pigment epithelial cell line ARPE-19. Overexpression of BANCR promoted and siRNA silencing inhibited the apoptosis of cells in the human retinal pigment epithelial cell line ARPE-19 in a high-glucose environment. CONCLUSIONS lncRNA BANCR is overexpressed in patients with diabetic retinopathy and can promote apoptosis of retinal pigment epithelial cells.

[The effect of high altitude on human color perception].

Exposure to a high altitude hypoxia environment has significant negative effects on human central nervous system. Many previous studies have explored the influence of the high altitude environment on human color perception in a simulated high altitude environment or in an environment acutely exposed to high altitude, but little has been done in migrators and natives exposed to high altitude and low oxygen for a long period of time. In this study, the minimal-change method was used to examine whether the color perception of red, green, blue and yellow was affected by the high altitude in 30 plain residents, 30 Han migrators who have lived in the high altitude for 2 years, and 28 high-altitude-adapted Tibetan natives. The results showed that long-term high altitude exposure had the most significant effect on the blue and red color perception in the natives and the migrators, with the effect on the blue color being significantly greater than that on the red color. However, the effects on green color processing only happened to the natives. The results suggest that there is an internal correlation between blood supply and selectivity changes of visual color processing caused by exposure to the plateau environment.

Mangiferin inhibits high-fat diet induced vascular injury via regulation of PTEN/AKT/eNOS pathway.

Mangiferin (MAN), a naturally occurring polyphenol commonly found in mango and papaya. However, little is known its anti-vascular injury effects and the underlying mechanisms. This paper investigated the anti-vascular injury effect of MAN and the mechanisms in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6J mice and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The levels of plasma lipid, inflammatory factors and nitric oxide (NO) in mice were evaluated. The expression levels of PI3K, AKT, eNOS, PTEN and their phosphorylated proteins were measured by western blots. In addition, the PTEN-siRNA HUVECs were also used. The result showed that MAN markedly decreased the plasma lipid, inflammatory level in HFD-induced vascular injury mice respectively. Furthermore, MAN alleviate ox-LDL-stimulated dysfunction of HUVECs, restored the diminished NO release, decreased the ROS generation, significantly increased the expression of p-Akt, p-eNOS, and decreased the expression of PTEN, but have no effect on PI3K. However, the protective effects of MAN were significantly reduced by co-treatment with PI3K inhibitor or abolished by eNOS inhibitor. In addition, MAN has no protective effect on ox-LDL induced PTEN-siRNA HUVECs injury. Collectively, MAN appeared to alleviate ox-LDL-stimulated dysfunction of HUVECs via the PTEN/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway, thus decrease vascular injury in HFD-administrated mice.

Methyl eugenol induces potent anticancer effects in RB355 human retinoblastoma cells by inducing autophagy, cell cycle arrest and inhibition of PI3K/mTOR/Akt signalling pathway.

PURPOSE: Retinoblastoma is one of the lethal malignancies in children. Approximately half of the children that are diagnosed with retinoblastoma die of this disease. Enucleation is commonly used for the treatment of retinoblastoma but this leads to loss of vision. Therefore there is an urgent need to look for viable chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of retinoblastoma. Consistent with this, natural products can produce efficient anticancer agents and in the present study a plant-derived phenylpropene methyl eugenol (ME) was evaluated against retinoblastoma RB355 cells. METHODS: The cytotoxic activity of this molecule was evaluated by MTT cell viability assay, while autophagic effects were evaluated by flow cytometry using acridine orange (AO)/monodansylcadaverine (AO/MDC) staining dyes. The effects on the cell cycle progression were analyzed by flow cytometry while the effects on mTOR/PI3K/Akt signalling pathway were assessed by western blot method. RESULTS: The results indicated that ME exhibited an IC50 value of 50 µM and exerted its cytotoxic effects in a dosedependent manner in RB355 cells. Moreover, it was observed that the ME lessens the cell viability and triggers G2/M cell cycle arrest. It was also observed that ME induced autophagy dose-dependently in retinoblastoma RB355 cells. Western blot analysis revealed that ME could modulate the mTOR/ PI3K/Akt signalling pathway in RB355 cells at the IC50 concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The above results clearly indicate that ME is a potent anticancer agent and may be developed further as a possible anticancer lead molecule against retinoblastoma provided further in depth in vivo studies are carried out.

[Multi-angle Plane-wave Beamforming Algorithm Based on CUDA].

Multi-angle plane-wave beamforming algorithm is the basis of ultra-fast ultrasonic imaging. It can be used to improve the imaging frame rate and resolution of traditional focused ultrasound. However, the existing multi-angle plane-wave technology can not satisfy the real-time imaging requirements due to the huge amount of computation required by CPU. In this paper, We proposed a parallel processing method to reduce the computation time based on compute unified device architecture(CUDA). Simulation analysis and contrast experiment were conducted to verify its performance. Experimental results show that the execution time based on GPU is much less than that based on CPU, thus the computational speed is accelerated significantly to satisfy the demand of ultrafast imaging.

Mid-Infrared Photothermal Imaging of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients at Submicrometer Spatial Resolution.

Chemical imaging with sufficient spatial resolution to resolve microparticles in tablets is essential to ensure high quality and efficacy in controlled release. The existing modalities have the following disadvantages: they are time-consuming or have poor spatial resolution or low chemical specificity. Here, we demonstrate an epi-detected mid-infrared photothermal (epi-MIP) microscope at a spatial resolution of 0.65 µm. Providing identical spectral profiles as conventional infrared spectroscopy, our epi-MIP microscope enabled mapping of both active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients of a drug tablet.