Wideband and Channel Switchable Mode Division Multiplexing (MDM) Optical Power Divider Supporting 7.682 Tbit/s for On-Chip Optical Interconnects.

Silicon photonics (SiPh) are considered a promising technology for increasing interconnect speed and capacity while decreasing power consumption. Mode division multiplexing (MDM) enables signals to be transmitted in different orthogonal modes in a single waveguide core. Wideband MDM components simultaneously supporting wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) can significantly increase the transmission capacity for optical interconnects. In this work, we propose, fabricate and demonstrate a wideband and channel switchable MDM optical power divider on an SOI platform, supporting single, dual and triple modes. The switchable MDM power divider consists of two parts. The first part is a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) for switching the data from their original TE0, TE1 and TE2 modes to different modes among themselves. After the target modes are identified, mode up-conversion and Y-branch are utilized in the second part for the MDM power division. Here, 48 WDM wavelength channels carrying OFDM data are successfully switched and power divided. An aggregated capacity of 7.682 Tbit/s is achieved, satisfying the pre-forward error correction (pre-FEC) threshold (bit-error-rate, BER = 3.8 × 10-3). Although up to three MDM modes are presented in the proof-of-concept demonstration here, the proposed scheme can be scaled to higher order modes operation.

Citrinin disrupts microtubule assembly in cardiac cells: Impact on mitochondrial organization and function.

Citrinin (CTN) is a mycotoxin commonly present in various foods and feeds worldwide, as well as dietary supplements in Asian countries, but the risks and cellular mechanisms associated with its cardiotoxicity remains unclear. In this study, RNA-seq analysis of CTN-treated H9c2 cardiac cells demonstrated significant perturbations in pathways related to microtubule cytoskeleton and mitochondrial network organization. CTN disrupted microtubule polymerization and downregulated mRNA levels of microtubule-assembling genes, Map2 and Tpx2, in H9c2 cardiac cells. Additionally, CTN interfered with the distribution of mitochondrial network along the microtubules, leading to the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria characterized by elevated superoxide levels and reduced membrane potential. This disruption also caused the buildup of lysosomes and ubiquitinated proteins, which hindered waste clearance in microtubule-disassembled H9c2 cells. Molecular docking analysis indicated that CTN could bind to the colchicine binding site on ß-tubulin, thereby mimicking the microtubule-disrupting effect of colchicine. This study provides morphological, transcriptomic, and mechanistic evidence to elucidate the cardiotoxic mechanisms of CTN, which involve the dysregulated microtubule network, subsequent mitochondrial mislocalization, and impaired proteolysis of damaged proteins/organelles in cardiac cells. Our findings may enhance the fundamental understanding and facilitate future risk assessment of CTN.

Electroencephalography when meditation advances: a case-based time-series analysis.

Increased alpha and theta activities in electroencephalography (EEG) have been found during various forms of meditation. However, advanced stage of meditation drew less attention to date. We aimed at exploring EEG characteristics during advanced meditation. Bilateral absolute alpha and theta EEG powers were recorded when a single meditator at rest, exercising breath meditation, and reaching the advanced meditative stage in 10 sessions of meditation. Averaged time-series data were analyzed using simulation modeling analysis to compare the powers during different meditative phases. During breath meditation, significantly higher activities compared with baseline were found only in bilateral theta (P = 0.0406, 0.0158 for left and right sides, respectively), but not in alpha (P = 0.1412, 0.0978 for left and right sides, respectively) bands. When meditation advanced, significantly increased activities were found both in bilateral alpha (P = 0.0218, 0.0258 for left and right sides, respectively) and theta (P = 0.0308, 0.0260 for left and right sides, respectively) bands compared against breath meditation. When advanced meditation compared against baseline, bilateral alpha (P = 0.0001, 0.0001 for left and right sides, respectively) and theta (P = 0.0001, 0.0001 for left and right sides, respectively) bands revealed significantly increased activities. Our findings support that internalized attention manifested as theta activity continuingly enhances significantly in sequential phases of meditation, while relaxation manifested as alpha activity is significant only after the advanced meditative phase is reached.

Neurotoxicity of mycotoxin citrinin: Novel evidence in developing zebrafish and underlying mechanisms in human neuron cells.

Citrinin (CTN) is a mycotoxin that is found as a contaminant in various types of food/feed grains and fermented food supplements. Previous studies have already established the nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity of CTN, but the neurotoxicity of CTN has not been clearly examined. In this study, CTN at 2-20 µM was first found to interfere with the neural ganglia formation and locomotive behavior of embryonic zebrafish, a vertebrate animal model, at 24 hpf and 6 dpf, respectively. Further exposure of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells to 10 and 20 µM CTN for 72 h indicated that pathways responsible for neuron differentiation and projection guidance were down-regulated while oxidative stress and electron transport chain pathways were up-regulated based on the enrichment results of GSEA in the transcriptomic profiling. PCR analysis verified that CTN significantly down-regulated the expression of marker genes involved in neuron differentiation and synaptic signaling. CTN at the doses impairing cellular neurite outgrowth did not trigger mitochondrial oxidative stress and dysfunction. The neurotoxic mechanisms of CTN provide new information that is valuable in the assessment of CTN-related health risk for the general public.

Thallium exposure interfered with heart development in embryonic zebrafish (Danio rerio): From phenotype to genotype.

Thallium (Tl) is a rare trace metal element but increasingly detected in wastewater produced by coal-burning, smelting, and more recently, high-tech manufacturing industries. However, the adverse effects of Tl, especially cardiotoxicity, on aquatic biota remain unclear. In this study, zebrafish model was used to elucidate the effects and mechanisms of Tl(I) cardiotoxicity in developing embryos. Exposure of embryonic zebrafish to low-dose Tl(I) (25-100 µg/L) decreased heart rate and blood flow activity, and subsequently impaired swim bladder inflation and locomotive behavior of larvae. Following high-level Tl(I) administration (200-800 µg/L), embryonic zebrafish exhibited pericardial edema, incorrect heart looping, and thinner myocardial layer. Based on RNA-sequencing, Tl(I) altered pathways responsible for protein folding and transmembrane transport, as well as negative regulation of heart rate and cardiac jelly development. The gene expression of nppa, nppb, ucp1, and ucp3, biomarkers of cardiac damage, were significantly upregulated by Tl(I). Our findings demonstrate that Tl(I) at environmentally relevant concentrations interfered with cardiac development with respect to anatomy, function, and transcriptomic alterations. The cardiotoxic mechanisms of Tl(I) provide valuable information in the assessment of Tl-related ecological risk in freshwater environment.

Exposure to Mycotoxin Citrinin Promotes Carcinogenic Potential of Human Renal Cells.

Mycotoxin citrinin (CTN), commonly found in food and health supplements, may induce chromosomal instability. In this study, human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (hRPTECs) that were exposed to CTN (10 and 20 µM) over 3 days exhibited numerical chromosomal aberrations. Short-term (3 days) and long-term (30 days) exposures to CTN significantly promoted mitotic spindle abnormalities, wound healing, cell migration, and anchorage-independent growth in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. Short-term exposure to 10 and 20 µM CTN increased the number of migrated cells on day 10 by 1.7 and 1.9 times, respectively. The number of anchorage-independent colonies increased from 2.2 ± 1.3 to 7.8 ± 0.6 after short-term exposure to 20 µM CTN and from 2.0 ± 1.0 to 12.0 ± 1.2 after long-term exposure. The transcriptomic profiles of CTN-treated HEK293 were subjected to over-representative analysis (ORA), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). Short-term exposure to CTN promoted the RTK/KRAS/RAF/MAPK cascade, while long-term exposure altered the extracellular matrix organization. Both short- and long-term CTN exposure activated cancer and cell cycle-related signaling pathways. These results demonstrate the carcinogenic potential of CTN in human cells and provide valuable insights into the cancer risk associated with CTN.

Re-examination of the seasonality of suicide in Taiwan during 1991-2008: a population-based study.

The purpose of the present study was to re-examine the monthly distribution of suicide death rates and the change of the suicide seasonality in Taiwan during 1991-2008. The monthly suicide death rates of the total, male and female populations during January 1991-December 2008 were obtained from a population-based database. There was an upward trend. The means of the monthly suicide rates after adjusting the calendar effect and the upward trend were compared. The suicide data were further analysed in three 6-year periods to explore the change of seasonality. During 1991-2008 in Taiwan, suicide rates had significant peaks in April and May, and nadirs in January and December. The monthly distributions varied during 1991-1996, 1997-2002 and 2003-2008 in the patterns and the statistical significance. There was no linear trend for the change of the seasonality of suicide death rate.

Socioeconomic factors outweigh climate in the regional difference of suicide death rate in Taiwan.

The present study explored both socioeconomic and climatic factors to obtain a more comprehensive view of the asymmetric regional suicide death rate during 1998-2006 in Taiwan. The annual suicide death rate, population and meteorological data from 19 cities/counties in Taiwan were analysed by multiple regression. Five socioeconomic (sex ratio, no spouse, aged, unemployment and low income) and three climatic (temperature, rainfall and sunshine) factors were identified as significant, explaining 59.0% of the variance in the total suicide death rate. 'Without spouse' and 'aged' were associated with the highest risk, while 'low income with financial aids' was strongly protective. The most influential climatic factor was 'temperature,' which was negatively correlated with suicide. 'Sunshine' was positively associated with suicide. The socioeconomic and climatic factors contributed 52.7% and 6.8%, respectively, to the variance of the total suicide death rate. Limitations of the study included the fact that no individual events were considered, the study was of relatively short duration and it was confined to the territory of Taiwan. Socioeconomic factors outweighed climatic factors in explaining regional differences in the suicide death rate in Taiwan. Temperature weighed more than sunshine. 'Thermotherapy' seems more clinically relevant than the popular light therapy, at least in Taiwan.

Infrared irradiation has potential antidepressant effect.

PURPOSE: Light therapy was only partially effective in treatment of depression when compared with summer's sunlight. The antidepressant effect of infrared irradiation was evaluated using an experimental animal model. METHODS: Seventeen mice were randomly assigned to the exposure group (n = 9) and the control group (n = 8). The mice in the exposure group received infrared irradiation for 60 min daily during the study period of 4 weeks. The two groups were given forced swim test once a week to evaluate depression with the measurement of the immobility time. RESULTS: We found that the exposure group showed a tendency of less immobility time by the end of the 3rd week when compared with the control group, and at the end of 4th week the difference reached a statistical significance (t(15) = 2.873; p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: The result indicates that the immobility time in forced swim test, the sign of depression, can be reduced after prolonged (4 weeks) exposure to infrared irradiation in the animal model. The result suggests that a continuous application of infrared irradiation has antidepressant effect.

Temperature change dominates the suicidal seasonality in Taiwan: a time-series analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The arguments between bioclimatic and sociodemographic hypotheses for the suicidal seasonality continue. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between suicidal seasonality and the climate as well as the economic factors. METHODS: The monthly suicide death rates of the total, male and female populations in Taiwan during January 1991-December 2010 were obtained from the population-based database. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)/seasonal ARIMA (SARIMA) was used to analyze suicidal seasonality, with monthly ambient temperature, temperature increase, rainfall, sunlight, unemployment and labor force participation rates as the independent inputs. RESULTS: The models revealed that monthly temperature increase was strongly positively associated with seasonality of suicide rates of all populations (ß=0.0184, P<0.001; ß=0.0234, P=0.001; ß=0.0145, P<0.001, respectively). Rainfall was significantly negatively associated with the total and male suicide rates (ß=-0.0001, P=0.012; ß=-0.0002, P=0.043, respectively), but not with female. Unemployment and labor force participation rates were not significantly related to their corresponding suicide rates. LIMITATIONS: Socio-demographic data, individual major events, and subgroups by suicide methods were not taken into account. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that, as far as suicidal seasonality is concerned, monthly temperature increase is the most influential factor, and climatic factors have more significant effect than the economic factors.

The secular trend of suicide rate and the socio-economic, media, and climatic factors in Taiwan, 1976-2009: a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between the secular trend of the suicide rate and the socio-economic, media, and climatic factors in Taiwan during 1976-2009. METHODS: The yearly suicide death rate, socio-economic (spouseless population, aged population, labor participation rate, unemployment rate, and gross national production), media (newspapers, television sets, and personal computer) densities, and climatic (temperature, rainfall, and sunshine) factors were gathered. Pearson's correlation coefficients between variables were calculated, and stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Percentage of the spouseless and elderly population, labor participation rate, unemployment rate, and densities of newspapers and personal computer were significantly associated with suicide rate. Multiple regression chose spouseless population, labor participation rate, and unemployment rate to explain 96.1% of the variance of the suicide rate (F((3,22))=178.996, p=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Socio-economic factors are important for the secular trend of suicide, while medium densities also play some roles.

The media and suicide: evidence based on population data over 9 years in Taiwan.

The relationship between the regional distribution densities of different media and the suicide death rate was explored by analyzing the annual total, male, and female suicide rates and media densities from 23 cities/counties in Taiwan during 1998-2006 by univariate and multivariate regression adjusted for five socioeconomic factors. The regional density of newspapers was significantly inversely related to the total, male, and female suicide rates, while that of television sets was not. The density of in-home personal computers was significantly positively related to the total and male suicide rates, but not the female suicide rate. The results indicate that media reporting on suicide can be beneficial, instead of harmful, depending on the content.

Potential antidepressant effect of infrared irradiation has seasonality.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the seasonality of the antidepressant effect of infrared ray (IR) irradiation. BACKGROUND: IR has been found to reduce immobility in the forced swimming test (FST) in mice in the winter, suggesting an antidepressant effect. However, whether IR also possesses antidepressant effects in the summer remains questionable. METHODS: Fourteen mice were randomly assigned to the exposure group (n=7) and the control group (n=7). The mice in the exposure group received IR irradiation 60 minutes daily for six weeks in the summer. FSTs and tail suspension tests (TSTs) were administered to the two groups weekly. The mean immobility times in both tests were compared between and within groups. RESULTS: In both FST and TST, there were no significant differences among the mean immobility times overall. (Repeated measures two-way ANOVA: p=0.648, 0.574, respectively). Weekly comparison between groups revealed no significant differences at baseline (two-sample t-test: t12=-0.743, 0.341, respectively) or at the end of the study (p=0.924, 0.925, respectively). A repeated measures ANOVA showed no significant differences within the exposure group during the study period (p=0.602, 0.465, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together with the results of the previous study, the present results indicate that the antidepressant effect of IR irradiation has seasonality.

Mice receiving infrared irradiation have a higher survival rate under forced swimming in cold.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of infrared (IR) irradiation on the survival rates of mice under forced swimming in cold conditions. BACKGROUND: IR irradiation has been found to be beneficial for wound healing, tumor reduction, pain relief, and even against depression. However, whether the antidepressant effect of IR irradiation came from heat has remained unanswered. The goals of the study were originally aimed at using an animal model for depression to understand the relationship between the antidepressant effect of IR irradiation and hyperthermia as well as seasonality. METHODS: Forty-four mice were housed in cages in a room subject to the outdoor temperature, and randomly assigned to the IR-treated group (n = 15), the heat-treated group (n = 14), and the control group (n = 15) during winter. The mice of the IR-treated group received whole-body IR irradiation for 60 min daily, while the heat-treated group received heat diffusion to reach the same temperature level. The control group received neither IR nor heat. All groups of mice underwent a forced swimming test weekly. Incidentally, two episodes of cold current occurred during the study period, and some mice died. The survival rates were compared pairwise against the control. RESULTS: The IR-treated group had a significantly reduced relative risk (p = 0.013) when compared with the control group, while the heat-treated group did not show any significant reduction (p = 0.087). There was no significant difference in body temperatures of the three groups before and after the irradiation. CONCLUSIONS: IR irradiation resulted in a significantly higher survival rate for mice that were concurrently subjected to cold and a forced swimming test. This result may be beyond the thermal effect.