Self-oscillating pump in a topological dissipative atom-cavity system.

Pumps are transport mechanisms in which direct currents result from a cyclic evolution of the potential1,2. As Thouless showed, the pumping process can have topological origins, when considering the motion of quantum particles in spatially and temporally periodic potentials3. However, the periodic evolution that drives these pumps has always been assumed to be imparted from outside, as has been the case in the experimental systems studied so far4-12. Here we report on an emergent mechanism for pumping in a quantum gas coupled to an optical resonator, where we observe a particle current without applying a periodic drive. The pumping potential experienced by the atoms is formed by the self-consistent cavity field interfering with the static laser field driving the atoms. Owing to dissipation, the cavity field evolves between its two quadratures13, each corresponding to a different centrosymmetric crystal configuration14. This self-oscillation results in a time-periodic potential analogous to that describing the transport of electrons in topological tight-binding models, such as the paradigmatic Rice-Mele pump15. In the experiment, we directly follow the evolution by measuring the phase winding of the cavity field with respect to the driving field and observing the atomic motion in situ. The observed mechanism combines the dynamics of topological and open systems, and features characteristics of continuous dissipative time crystals.

Determination of Minimum Miscibility Pressure of CO2-Oil System: A Molecular Dynamics Study.

CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) has become significantly crucial to the petroleum industry, in particular, CO2 miscible flooding can greatly improve the efficiency of EOR. Minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) is a vital factor affecting CO2 flooding, which determines the yield and economic benefit of oil recovery. Therefore, it is important to predict this property for a successful field development plan. In this study, a novel model based on molecular dynamics to determine MMP was developed. The model characterized a miscible state by calculating the ratio of CO2 and crude oil atoms that pass through the initial interface. The whole process was not affected by other external objective factors. We compared our model with several famous empirical correlations, and obtained satisfactory results-the relative errors were 8.53% and 13.71% for the two equations derived from our model. Furthermore, we found the MMPs predicted by different reference materials (i.e., CO2/crude oil) were approximately linear (R2 = 0.955). We also confirmed the linear relationship between MMP and reservoir temperature (TR). The correlation coefficient was about 0.15 MPa/K in the present study.

Widely tunable all-fiber optical parametric oscillator based on a photonic crystal fiber pumped by a picosecond ytterbium-doped fiber laser.

We report on a fully fiber-integrated widely tunable optical parametric oscillator based on a photonic crystal fiber pumped by a picosecond ytterbium-doped fiber laser. The output wavelength of the oscillator can be continuously tuned from 898 to 1047 nm and from 1086 to 1277 nm, which is as wide as 340 nm. In particular, a larger Raman gain peak is simultaneously observed when the pump wavelength is far from the zero-dispersion wavelength in the normal-dispersion regime. The bandwidth of the output of the oscillator can be tuned by slightly adjusting the pump power.

CO2-switchable viscoelastic fluids based on a pseudogemini surfactant.

Recent research has highlighted a growing focus on stimuli-responsive surfactant wormlike micelles (WLMs), particularly those with switchability. Here we report CO2-switchable WLMs based on the commercial anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine (TMPDA) mixed in a mole ratio of 2:1. When CO2 is bubbled into an aqueous mixture of these reactants, the TMPDA molecules are protonated to form quaternary ammonium species, two of which in the same protonated TMPDA molecule "bridge" two SDS molecules by noncovalent electrostatic attraction, behaving like a pseudogemini surfactant and forming viscoelastic WLMs as verified by cryo-TEM. Upon removal of CO2, the quaternized spacers are deprotonated back to tertiary amines, dissociating the pseudogeminis back to conventional SDS molecules that form low-viscosity spherical micelles. Such a reversible sphere-to-worm transition could be repeated several cycles without a loss of response to CO2.

Efficacy, tolerability and safety of perampanel in children and adolescents with epilepsy: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Perampanel (PER) is a novel antiepileptic drug. The efficacy, tolerability and safety of PER in children and adolescents with epilepsy are still unclear. We aimed to study the efficacy and safety of PER in children and adolescents with epilepsy. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library for relevant literature up to November 2022. Then we extracted the relevant data from eligible literature for systematic review and meta-analysis. RESULT: Twenty-one studies involving 1968 children and adolescent patients were included. A reduction in seizure frequency of at least 50 percent occurred in 51.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] [47.1%, 55.9%]) of patients. Complete seizure cessation occurred in 20.6% (95%CI [16.7%, 25.4%]). The incidence of adverse events was 40.8% (95%CI [33.8%, 48.2%]). The most common adverse events were drowsiness 15.3% (95% CI [13.7%, 16.9%]), irritability 9.3% (95%CI [8.0%, 10.6%]), dizziness 8.4% (95% CI [7.2%, 9.7%]). The incidence of drug discontinuation due to adverse events was 9.2% (95% CI [7.0%, 11.5%]). CONCLUSION: PER is generally well tolerated and effective in the treatment of epilepsy in children and adolescents. Larger studies are still needed to explore the application of PER in children and adolescents. RISK OF BIAS AND LIMITATION: The funnel plot suggests that there may be publication bias in our meta-analysis, and most of the included studies were Asian, so there may be some racial differences.

Interaction between COVID-19 and epilepsy during the omicron surge: A cross-sectional survey conducted in China tertiary hospital.

Objective: It is unclear whether patients with epilepsy are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, whether they experience more severe manifestations of COVID-19, and whether seizures worsen after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study aims to explore these points and provide comprehensive and practical guidance for patients with epilepsy. Methods: We designed a questionnaire to collect variables from epilepsy patients. We used the Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or Mann-Whitney U test to analyze differences between the two groups. Multiple logistic regressions were employed to determine the risk factors for relevant outcome variables. Results: We identified a total of 181 patients, with 74% (n = 134) reporting COVID-19. The patients' educational level was found to be a risk factor for COVID-19 (OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.14-0.80, P = 0.013). When comparing seizure frequency changes between epilepsy patients with and without COVID-19, no statistically significant difference was observed (P > 0.05). However, an increase in seizure frequency was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety (P < 0.001) and depression (P < 0.005). Conclusion: The risk of COVID-19 infection may be increased in patients with epilepsy. COVID-19 infection does not seem to worsen seizures in epilepsy patients. Patients with epilepsy rarely develop more severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 after SARS-CoV-2 infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with epilepsy who also suffer from anxiety and depression may experience an increase in the frequency of their seizures.

Systemic inflammation response index is a useful indicator in distinguishing MOGAD from AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD.

Objective: To identify reliable immune-inflammation indicators for distinguishing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) from anti-aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG)-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). To assess these indicators' predictive significance in MOGAD recurrence. Methods: This study included 25 MOGAD patients, 60 AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients, and 60 healthy controls (HCs). Age and gender were matched among these three groups. Participant clinical and imaging findings, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) information, and blood cell counts were documented. Subsequently, immune-inflammation indicators were calculated and compared among the MOGAD, AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD, and HC groups. Furthermore, we employed ROC curve analysis to assess the predictive performance of each indicator and binary logistic regression analysis to assess potential risk factors. Results: In MOGAD patients, systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), CSF white cell count (WCC), and CSF immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels were significantly higher than in AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients (p = 0.038, p = 0.039, p = 0.021, respectively). The ROC curves showed that SIRI had a sensitivity of 0.68 and a specificity of 0.7 for distinguishing MOGAD from AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD, with an AUC of 0.692 (95% CI: 0.567-0.818, p = 0.0054). Additionally, compared to HCs, both MOGAD and AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients had higher neutrophils, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), SIRI, and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). Eight (32%) of the 25 MOGAD patients had recurrence within 12 months. We found that the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR, AUC = 0.805, 95% CI = 0.616-0.994, cut-off value = 0.200, sensitivity = 0.750, specificity = 0.882) was an effective predictor of MOGAD recurrence. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that MLR below 0.200 at first admission was the only risk factor for recurrence (p = 0.005, odds ratio =22.5, 95% CI: 2.552-198.376). Conclusion: Elevated SIRI aids in distinguishing MOGAD from AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD; lower MLR levels may be linked to the risk of MOGAD recurrence.

The Artificial Intelligence System for the Generation of Sports Education Guidance Model and Physical Fitness Evaluation Under Deep Learning.

In recent years, China's achievements in artificial intelligence (AI) have attracted the attention of the world, and AI technology has penetrated into all walks of life. In particular, the in-depth integration of AI technology with sports education guidance and physical fitness evaluation has achieved very significant progress and results, which has improved the quality of life of people and provided more high-quality, customized, and personalized health management services for human beings. This study aimed to explore the application model of deep learning in sports education and guidance and in the analysis of the residents' physical fitness, so as to formulate a personalized and intelligent exercise program. The residents of A and B units are selected as the research object to evaluate the physical fitness. Subsequently, the self-designed questionnaire is used to survey the chronic disease online, and the acquired data are put into a deep learning model for the analysis to obtain the physique scoring results and exercise guidance. According to the results of physical fitness evaluation, the proportion of overweight was the highest (40.4%), followed by fatty liver (24.3%) and hyperlipidemia (20.4%), showing high incidence in people aged 41-50 years. The highest incidence of female gynecological diseases was gout (23.0%) and hyperlipidemia (20.6%). After exercise therapy, the scores were excellent and good. Conclusions: The database SQL Server 2005 was a platform for storing all kinds of data and knowledge-based rule information. The user's access service was provided by the remote server via the browser. Therefore, building a rule-based reasoning mechanism can realize physical test data collection, physical fitness evaluation, and information management for improving physical fitness.

[Ultrasound-guided electroacupuncture at suprahyoid muscle group for pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect among ultrasound-guided electroacupuncture (EA) at suprahyoid muscle group, conventional acupuncture and conventional EA at suprahyoid muscle group on pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke, and to explore its biomechanical mechanism. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke were randomly divided into an observation group, a control-1 group and a control-2 group, 40 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated with ultrasound-guided EA at suprahyoid muscle group; the patients in the control-1 group were treated with EA at Lianquan (CV 23), Wangu (GB 12) and Fengchi (GB 20), etc.; the patients in the control-2 group were treated with EA at suprahyoid muscle group according to anatomical location. The EA in the three groups were discontinuous wave, with frequency of 5 Hz and current intensity of 1 mA. The EA was given for 30 minutes, once a day, 6 times were taken as a course of treatment, and 4 courses of treatment were provided. The video floroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) was performed before and after treatment. The Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) score, the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage, Ichiro Fujima ingestion-swallowing function score were recorded in the three groups, and the incidences of subcutaneous hematoma were recorded after treatment. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the PAS scores were reduced and the Ichiro Fujima ingestion-swallowing function scores were increased after treatment in the three groups (P<0.05); the PAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control-1 group and the control-2 group, and the Ichiro Fujima ingestion-swallowing function scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control-1 group and the control-2 group (P<0.05). After treatment, the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage in the observation group and the control-2 group was increased (P<0.05), and the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone was increased in the control-1 group (P<0.05); the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage in the observation group was longer than that in the control-1 group and the control-2 group (P<0.05). The incidence of subcutaneous hematoma in the observation group was 0% (0/40), which was lower than 20.0% (8/40) in the control-1 group and 47.5% (19/40) in the control-2 group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided EA at suprahyoid muscle group could improve the swallowing function in patients with pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke by increasing the motion of hyoid laryngeal complex. Its effect and safety are better than conventional acupuncture and conventional EA at suprahyoid muscle group.

Electroacupuncture as an effective therapy for Tapia's syndrome after transoral intubation for general anesthesia: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Tapia's syndrome is a rare complication of airway manipulation under general anesthesia. Injuries to the vagus nerve (X) and hypoglossal nerve (XII) during transoral intubation are the primary cause of the disease. The typical symptoms include hoarseness, dysarthria, dysphagia, tongue muscle atrophy, and tongue deviation toward the affected side. We report a case of Tapia's syndrome treated with electroacupuncture to accelerate the recovery process, and discuss the potential mechanism behind our findings based on previous research. CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, we describe a 57-year-old Chinese man who suffered Tapia's syndrome after craniotomy evacuation of hematoma with general anesthesia and transoral intubation. After 52 days of electroacupuncture therapy along with standard swallowing training, the patient achieved significant improvement in deglutition and speech function. CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture is effective and safe for Tapia's syndrome. It can shorten the recovery time when combined with routine swallowing rehabilitation.

[Auricular acupuncture of magnetic pellet combined with catheter balloon dilatation in treatment of post-stroke cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy on post-stroke cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction treated with auricular acupuncture of magnetic pellet combined with catheter balloon dilatation, and the effect on the adverse reaction during catheter balloon dilatation and the patients' quality of life. METHODS: A total of 106 patients with post-stroke cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction were randomly divided into an observation group (53 cases, 3 cases dropped off, 1 case excluded) and a control group (53 cases, 5 cases dropped off). The catheter balloon dilatation was provided in the control group, once a day. In the observation group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, auricular acupuncture of magnetic pellet was added. Before catheter balloon dilatation, the magnetic pellet was pressed at Yanhou (TG3), Xin (CO15), Naogan (AT3,4i), etc. These auricular points were pressed 5 min, as well as in every morning and evening for another 5 min, totally 3 times a day. The auricular acupuncture of magnetic pellet was applied on the ears alternatively each time, once every 3 days. One session treatment contained 6 days and 4 sessions of treatment were required in both groups. Before and after treatment, the scores of standardized swallowing assessment (SSA), Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) and swallowing quality of life (SWAL-QOL) were observed in both groups. Separately, on day 1 (T1) of treatment, in 2 weeks into treatment (T2) and on the last day of treatment (T3), the score of visual analogue scale (VAS) was recorded in both groups. The incidence of nausea and vomiting and the clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, SSA and PAS scores were reduced (P<0.05) and SWAL-QOL scores were increased (P<0.05) in both groups compared with those before treatment, and the changes in the observation group were larger than those in the control group (P<0.05). At T2 and T3, VAS scores were lower than those at T1 in both groups (P<0.05), while VAS score at each time point in the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of nausea and vomiting in the observation group was 51.0% (25/49), lower than the control group (79.2%, 38/48, P<0.05). The total effective rate was 95.9% (47/49) in the observation group, better than the control group (87.5%, 42/48, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Auricular acupuncture of magnetic pellet combined with catheter balloon dilatation effectively improve the swallowing function, relieve the discomforts during the dilatation and promote the quality of life in patients with post-stroke cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction.

Rifapentine is an entry and replication inhibitor against yellow fever virus both in vitro and in vivo.

Yellow fever virus (YFV) infection is a major public concern that threatens a large population in South America and Africa. No specific anti-YFV drugs are available till now. Here, we report that rifapentine is a potent YFV inhibitor in various cell lines by high-throughput drugs screening, acting at both cell entry and replication steps. Kinetic test and binding assay suggest that rifapentine interferes the viral attachment to the target cells. The application of YFV replicon and surface plasmon resonance assay indicates that rifapentine suppresses viral replication by binding to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain of viral nonstructural protein NS5. Further molecular docking suggests that it might interact with the active centre of RdRp. Rifapentine significantly improves the survival rate, alleviates clinical signs, and reduces virus load and injury in targeted organs both in YFV-infected type I interferon receptor knockout A129-/- and wild-type C57 mice. The antiviral effect in vivo is robust during both prophylactic intervention and therapeutic treatment, and the activity is superior to sofosbuvir, a previously reported YFV inhibitor in mice. Our data show that rifapentine may serve as an effective anti-YFV agent, providing promising prospects in the development of YFV pharmacotherapy.

[Molecular ecological network reveals the response of metallurgical microorganisms to energy substrates].

By analyzing the shift of microbial communities under different iron/sulfur ratios, the response of metallurgical microorganisms to energy substrates was investigated based on molecular ecological networks. High-throughput sequencing of microbial samples from different domesticated batches was conducted to analyze the changes in community composition, alpha and beta diversity. Based on the molecular ecological network, the interactions between microorganisms under different iron/sulfur ratios were explored. Keystones were identified to analyze the community response to energy substrates. In the process of domestication based on different energy substrates, the dominant species in the in iron-rich and sulfur-less community were Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and A. ferriphilus. A. thiooxidans accounted for up to 90% in the sulfur-rich and iron-less community after 3 domesticating batches. The results of alpha and beta diversity analysis show that the domestication process of sulfur-rich and iron-less substrates reduced the diversity of microbial communities. Molecular ecological network analysis shows that the keystones were all rare species with low abundance. During the domestication by sulfur-rich and iron-less energy substrates, the bacterial species had a closer symbiotic relationship and the community was more stable. Through this domestication experiment, the impact of different energy substrates on microbial aggregation was clarified. Domesticating metallurgical microorganisms by using sulfur-rich and iron-less energy substrates made the microbial colonies to be more stable, which was conducive to the oxidation of iron and sulfur, promoting the dissolution of sulfide minerals. Our findings provide a reference for the directional domestication of metallurgical microorganisms.

[Effect of electrical stimulation with bilateral scalp acupuncture on time parameters in video fluoroscopic swallowing study and cortical excitability in patients with dysphagia after cortical stroke].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electrical stimulation with bilateral scalp acupuncture on time parameters in video fluoroscopic swallowing study and cortical excitability in patients with dysphagia after cortical stroke, as well as its possible mechanism of action. METHODS: A total of 84 patients with dysphagia after cortical stroke were randomly divided into control group with 41 patients and observation group with 43 patients. The patients in the control group were given acupuncture based on acupoint selection for pseudobulbar palsy, and in addition to the treatment in the control group, the patients in the observation group were given electrical stimulation of bilateral scalp acupuncture, with acupuncture and pulse acupuncture at the lower 2/5 of the bilateral anterior oblique parietotemporal lines[on the line connecting Qianshencong (EX-HN1) to Xuanli (GB6)] and the lower 2/5 of the bilateral posterior oblique parietotemporal lines [on the line connecting Baihui (GV20)and Qubin (GB7)], with a needle retaining time of 30 minutes, once a day and 6 times a week for 3 weeks. Before treatment and after 3 weeks of treatment, oral delay time (ODT), oral transit time (OTT), pharyngeal delay time (PDT), and pharyngeal transit time (PTT) were compared between the two group; the Rosenbek Penetration-Aspiration Scale was used to evaluate penetration-aspiration and appro-ximate entropy (ApEn) of EEG nonlinear index. RESULTS: After treatment, both groups had significant reductions in ODT, OTT, PDT, PTT, and Rosenbek Penetration-Aspiration score and a significant increase in ApEn (P<0.05). Compared with the control group after treatment, the observation group had significant reductions in ODT and OTT (P<0.05) and significant increases in the ApEn values of bilateral central, parietal, and posterior temporal regions (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in PDT, PTT, and Rosenbek Penetration-Aspiration score between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: In addition to body acupuncture, electrical stimulation with bilateral scalp acupuncture can improve ODT and OTT in the treatment of patients with dysphagia after cortical stroke, which may be associated with the increased excitability of the swallowing cortex.