ABSTRACT
Cucumber is an important vegetable crop that has high nutritional and economic value and is thus favored by consumers worldwide. Exploring an accurate and fast technique for measuring the morphological traits of cucumber fruit could be helpful for improving its breeding efficiency and further refining the development models for pepo fruits. At present, several sets of measurement schemes and standards have been proposed and applied for the characterization of cucumber fruits; however, these manual methods are time-consuming and inefficient. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a cucumber fruit morphological trait identification framework and software called CucumberAI, which combines image processing techniques with deep learning models to efficiently identify up to 51 cucumber features, including 32 newly defined parameters. The proposed tool introduces an algorithm for performing cucumber contour extraction and fruit segmentation based on image processing techniques. The identification framework comprises 6 deep learning models that combine fruit feature recognition rules with MobileNetV2 to construct a decision tree for fruit shape recognition. Additionally, the framework employs U-Net segmentation models for fruit stripe and endocarp segmentation, a MobileNetV2 model for carpel classification, a ResNet50 model for stripe classification and a YOLOv5 model for tumor identification. The relationships between the image-based manual and algorithmic traits are highly correlated, and validation tests were conducted to perform correlation analyses of fruit surface smoothness and roughness, and a fruit appearance cluster analysis was also performed. In brief, CucumberAI offers an efficient approach for extracting and analyzing cucumber phenotypes and provides valuable information for future cucumber genetic improvements.
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The dual activation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for managing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Tirzepatide, a dual agonist peptide, has exhibited superior clinical efficacy in glycemic and weight control compared to selective GLP-1R agonists. Nevertheless, the structural basis of Tirzepatide's extended half-life, attributed to an acylation side chain on the parent peptide, raises questions regarding its partial agonistic activity. Employing molecular dynamics simulations, we explored the dynamic processes of peptide-receptor interactions. We uncovered a crucial salt bridge between parent peptide and GLP-1R/GIPR at K20, a feature not discernible in cryo-electron microscopy structures. Building upon these insights, we developed an optimization strategy based on the parent peptide which involved repositioning the acylation side chain. The results of both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the optimized peptide has twofold to threefold increase in agonistic activity compared to Tirzepatide while maintaining its extended half-life in plasma. This led to the design of BGM0504, which proved to be more effective than its predecessor, Tirzepatide, in both laboratory and animal studies.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor , Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Obesity , Obesity/drug therapy , Obesity/metabolism , Animals , Humans , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism , Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor/agonists , Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor/metabolism , Mice , Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone/agonists , Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone/metabolism , Male , Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology , Hypoglycemic Agents/chemistry , Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use , Peptides/chemistry , Peptides/pharmacology , Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 Receptor , Gastric Inhibitory PolypeptideABSTRACT
Pulmonary heart disease (PHD) involves altered structure and function of the right ventricle caused by an abnormal respiratory system that causes pulmonary hypertension. However, the association between changes in plasma proteomics and PHD remains unclear. Hence, we aimed to identify causal associations between genetically predicted plasma protein levels and PHD. Mendelian randomization was performed to test the target proteins associated with PHD. Summary statistics for the human plasma proteome and pulmonary heart disease were acquired from the UK Biobank (6038 cases and 426 977 controls) and the FinnGen study (6753 cases and 302 401 controls). Publicly available pQTLs datasets for human plasma proteins were obtained from a largescale genome-wide association study in the INTERVAL study. The results were validated using a case-control cohort. We first enrolled 3622 plasma proteins with conditionally independent genetic variants; three proteins (histo-blood group ABO system transferase, activating signal cointegration 1 complex subunit 1, and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I [CAMK1]) were significantly associated with the risk of pulmonary heart disease in the UK Biobank cohort. Only CAMK1 was successfully replicated (odds ratio: 1.1056, 95% confidence interval: 1.019-1.095, p = 0.0029) in the FinnGen population. In addition, the level of CAMK1 in 40 patients with PHD was significantly higher (p = 0.023) than that in the control group. This work proposes that CAMK1 is associated with PHD, underscoring the importance of the calcium signaling pathway in the pathophysiology to improve therapies for PHD.
Subject(s)
Genome-Wide Association Study , Mendelian Randomization Analysis , Proteome , Pulmonary Heart Disease , Humans , Mendelian Randomization Analysis/methods , Genome-Wide Association Study/methods , Male , Female , Proteome/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Pulmonary Heart Disease/genetics , Pulmonary Heart Disease/blood , Pulmonary Heart Disease/epidemiology , Middle Aged , United Kingdom/epidemiology , Blood Proteins/genetics , Blood Proteins/metabolism , ABO Blood-Group System/genetics , Aged , Proteomics/methods , Adult , Polymorphism, Single NucleotideABSTRACT
Physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, such as particle size, surface charge, and particle shape, have a significant impact on cell activities. However, the effects of surface functionalization of nanoparticles with small chemical groups on stem cell behavior and function remain understudied. Herein, we incorporated different chemical functional groups (amino, DETA, hydroxyl, phosphate, and sulfonate with charges of +9.5, + 21.7, -14.1, -25.6, and -37.7, respectively) to the surface of inorganic silica nanoparticles. To trace their effects on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of rat bone marrow, these functionalized silica nanoparticles were used to encapsulate Rhodamine B fluorophore dye. We found that surface functionalization with positively charged and short-chain chemical groups facilitates cell internalization and retention of nanoparticles in MSCs. The endocytic pathway differed among functionalized nanoparticles when tested with ion-channel inhibitors. Negatively charged nanoparticles mainly use lysosomal exocytosis to exit cells, while positively charged nanoparticles can undergo endosomal escape to avoid scavenging. The cytotoxic profiles of these functionalized silica nanoparticles are still within acceptable limits and tolerable. They exerted subtle effects on the actin cytoskeleton and migration ability. Last, phosphate-functionalized nanoparticles upregulate osteogenesis-related genes and induce osteoblast-like morphology, implying that it can direct MSCs lineage specification for bone tissue engineering. Our study provides insights into the rational design of biomaterials for effective drug delivery and regenerative medicine.
Subject(s)
Biocompatible Materials , Materials Testing , Mesenchymal Stem Cells , Nanoparticles , Particle Size , Silicon Dioxide , Surface Properties , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/drug effects , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism , Silicon Dioxide/chemistry , Silicon Dioxide/pharmacology , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Animals , Rats , Biocompatible Materials/chemistry , Biocompatible Materials/pharmacology , Cell Survival/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Osteogenesis/drug effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders can cause serious physical and psychological damage, so many anxiety scales have been developed internationally to measure anxiety disorders, but due to the cultural differences and cultural dependence of quality of life between Chinese and Western cultures, it is difficult to reflect the main characteristics of Chinese patients. Therefore, we developed a scale suitable for Chinese patients with anxiety disorders: the Anxiety Disorders Scale of the Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases (QLICD-AD), hoping to achieve satisfactory QOL assessments for anxiety disorders. OBJECTIVES: Items from the Anxiety Disorders Scale of the Quality of Life in Chronic Disease Instrument QLICD-AD system were analyzed using CTT and IRT to lay the groundwork for further refinement of the scale to accurately measure anxiety disorders. METHODS: 120 patients with anxiety disorder were assessed using the QLICD-AD (V2.0). Descriptive statistics, variability method, correlation coefficient method, factor analysis and Cronbach's coefficient of CTT, and graded response model (GRM) of item response theory were used to analyze the items of the scale. RESULT: CTT analysis showed that the standard deviation of each item was between 0.928 and 1.466; Pearson correlation coefficients of item-to-domain were generally greater than 0.5 and also greater than that of item-to-other domain; the Cronbach 's of the total scale was 0.931, α of each domain was between 0.706 and 0.865. IRT analysis showed that the discrimination was between 1.14 and 1.44. The difficulty parameter of all items increased with the increase of grade. But some items (GPH6,GPH8,GPS3,GSO2-GSO4,AD2,AD5) difficulty parameters were less than 4 or greater than 4. The average of information amount was between 0.022 and 0.910. CONCLUSION: Based on CTT and IRT analysis, most items of the QLICD-AD (V2.0) scale have good performance and good differentiation, but a few items still need further revision. Suggests that the QLICD-AD (V2.0) appears to be a valid measure of anxiety disorders. It may effectively improve the diagnosticity of anxiety disorders, but due to the limitations of the current sample, further validation is needed in a broader population extrapolation trial.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis is a more serious threatening to people and suitable for QOL measurement. A few specific QOL instruments are available without considering Chinese culture. The present study was aimed to develop and validate the Rheumatoid Arthritis Scale among the System of Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases (QLICD-RA V2.0). The data collected from 379 patients with RA was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale. The reliability was evaluated by the internal consistency Cronbach's α, test-retest reliability Pearson correlation r and intra-class correlation (ICC). We evaluated the construct validity and criteria-related validity by correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. We compared the differences in scores of QLICD-RA before and after treatment and used the Standard Response Mean (SRM) to assess the responsiveness. The results showed that the internal consistency coefficient Cronbach's α values were greater than 0.70. The correlations r and ICCs were greater than 0.80. The correlation analysis and structural equation modeling confirmed good construct validity and criterion-related validity. The SRM ranges from 0.07 to 0.27 for significant domains/facets. It concluded that QLICD-RA (2.0) is a reliable and valid instrument to measure QOL among patients with RA.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Quality of Life , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and Questionnaires , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/diagnosis , Chronic Disease , Psychometrics/methodsABSTRACT
Background. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a member of the Pasteurellaceae family, is known for its highly infectious nature and is the primary causative agent of infectious pleuropneumonia in pigs. This disease poses a considerable threat to the global pig industry and leads to substantial economic losses due to reduced productivity, increased mortality rates, and the need for extensive veterinary care and treatment. Due to the emergence of multi-drug-resistant strains, Chinese herbal medicine is considered one of the best alternatives to antibiotics due to its unique mechanism of action and other properties. As a type of Chinese herbal medicine, Rhein has the advantages of a wide antibacterial spectrum and is less likely to develop drug resistance, which can perfectly solve the limitations of current antibacterial treatments.Methods. The killing effect of Rhein on A. pleuropneumoniae was detected by fluorescence quantification of differential expression changes of key genes, and scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the changes in A. pleuropneumoniae status after Rhein treatment. Establishing a mouse model to observe the treatment of Rhein after A. pleuropneumoniae infection.Results. Here, in this study, we found that Rhein had a good killing effect on A. pleuropneumoniae and that the MIC was 25 µg ml-1. After 3 h of action, Rhein (4×MIC) completely kills A. pleuropneumoniae and Rhein has good stability. In addition, the treatment with Rhein (1×MIC) significantly reduced the formation of bacterial biofilms. Therapeutic evaluation in a murine model showed that Rhein protects mice from A. pleuropneumoniae and relieves lung inflammation. Quantitative RT-PCR (Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction is a molecular biology technique that combines both reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction methods to quantitatively detect the amount of a specific RNA molecule) results showed that Rhein treatment significantly downregulated the expression of the IL-18 (Interleukin refers to a class of cytokines produced by white blood cells), TNF-α, p65 and p38 genes. Along with the downregulation of genes such as IL-18, it means that Rhein has an inhibitory effect on the expression of these genes, thereby reducing the activation of inflammatory cells and the production of inflammatory mediators. This helps reduce inflammation and protects tissue from further damage.Conclusions. This study reports the activity of Rhein against A. pleuropneumoniae and its mechanism, and reveals the ability of Rhein to treat A. pleuropneumoniae infection in mice, laying the foundation for the development of new drugs for bacterial infections.
Subject(s)
Actinobacillus Infections , Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae , Anthraquinones , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Animals , Anthraquinones/pharmacology , Anthraquinones/therapeutic use , Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae/drug effects , Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae/genetics , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Mice , Actinobacillus Infections/drug therapy , Actinobacillus Infections/microbiology , Actinobacillus Infections/veterinary , Swine , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use , Lung/microbiology , Lung/pathology , Swine Diseases/drug therapy , Swine Diseases/microbiologyABSTRACT
Yttrium iron garnet, a material possessing ultralow magnetic damping and extraordinarily long magnon diffusion length, is the most widely studied magnetic insulator in spintronics and magnonics. Field-free electrical control of perpendicular yttrium iron garnet magnetization with considerable efficiency is highly desired for excellent device performance. Here, we demonstrate such an accomplishment with a collinear spin current, whose spin polarization and propagation direction are both perpendicular to the interface. Remarkably, the field-free magnetization switching is achieved not only with a heavy-metal-free material, Permalloy, but also with a higher efficiency as compared with a typical heavy metal, Pt. Combined with the direct and inverse effect measurements, we ascribe the collinear spin current to the anomalous spin Hall effect in Permalloy. Our findings provide a new insight into spin current generation in Permalloy and open an avenue in spintronic devices.
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Background: Pharyngeal packs are employed to mitigate postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and have become prevalent in dental and otolaryngological surgeries. However, their clinical efficacy continues to be a topic of debate. The objective of the present study was to conduct a quantitative assessment of the impact of pharyngeal packing in dental and otolaryngological surgeries through meta-analysis. Methods: We identified relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through systematic searches of online databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central. Potential eligible studies were evaluated using the Jadad scoring system (range 0-5 points), with only high-quality RCTs (3 points or more) being included. The incidence of PONV, morbidity, and the level of throat pain were aggregated and estimated. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plot symmetry and the Egger test. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system was utilized to rate the evidence. Results: Ten high-quality RCTs comprising 1026 participants were ultimately included. Subsequent quantitative pooled estimation unveiled that the utilization of pharyngeal packing did not lead to a significant reduction in the incidence of nausea (P = .272), vomiting (P = .775), overall PONV (P = .118), or throat pain (P = .149). By contrast, the application of pharyngeal packs was found to significantly increase the level of throat pain (P = .003). No obvious publication bias was detected, and the majority of evidence was rated high or moderate. Conclusion: Based on the existing evidence, we conclude that pharyngeal packing lacks clinical benefit and is not advised for dental and otolaryngological surgeries.
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Air-oxidation is an effective strategy to obtain promising carbon materials from asphalt for sodium-ion batteries. However, this method would generate a vast amount of gaseous pollutant, which pose challenges for recycling. Herein, a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly liquid-phase oxidation method is proposed. The oxygen-containing functional groups (-NO2) are introduced into asphalt, which effectively prevents the melting of asphalt and rearrangement of carbon layers during subsequent carbonization process. As a result, a carbon material with notable disorder degree, large interlayer spacing and abundant closed pores, is prepared. The as-prepared product demonstrates an impressive initial Coulombic efficiency of 88.3 % and an enhanced specific capacity of 317.0 mA h g-1, which is 2.6 times that of the pristine product. Moreover, when assembled with a Na3.32Fe2.34(P2O7)2 cathode, the full-cell delivers a high reversible capacity of 271.7 mA h g-1 at 30 mA g-1 with superb cycle life. This study offers a novel oxidation strategy and provides a solution for producing highly disordered carbon anodes from soft carbon precursors.
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BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine can induce a potent cellular and humoral immune response to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it was unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can induce effective natural killer (NK) cell response in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) and healthy individuals. METHODS: Forty-seven PLWH and thirty healthy controls (HCs) inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine were enrolled from Beijing Youan Hospital in this study. The effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on NK cell frequency, phenotype, and function in PLWH and HCs was evaluated by flow cytometry, and the response of NK cells to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Spike (SARS-2-OS) protein stimulation was also evaluated. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation elicited activation and degranulation of NK cells in PLWH, which peaked at 2 weeks and then decreased to a minimum at 12 weeks after the third dose of vaccine. However, in vitro stimulation of the corresponding peripheral blood monocular cells from PLWH with SARS-2-OS protein did not upregulate the expression of the aforementioned markers. Additionally, the frequencies of NK cells expressing the activation markers CD25 and CD69 in PLWH were significantly lower than those in HCs at 0, 4 and 12 weeks, but the percentage of CD16 + NK cells in PLWH was significantly higher than that in HCs at 2, 4 and 12 weeks after the third dose of vaccine. Interestingly, the frequency of CD16 + NK cells was significantly negatively correlated with the proportion of CD107a + NK cells in PLWH at each time point after the third dose. Similarly, this phenomenon was also observed in HCs at 0, 2, and 4 weeks after the third dose. Finally, regardless of whether NK cells were stimulated with SARS-2-OS or not, we did not observe any differences in the expression of NK cell degranulation markers between PLWH and HCs. CONCLUSION: s:SARS-CoV-2 vaccine elicited activation and degranulation of NK cells, indicating that the inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine enhances NK cell immune response.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , HIV Infections , Humans , COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use , SARS-CoV-2 , Killer Cells, Natural , Antibodies, ViralABSTRACT
Despite its important role in understanding ultrafast spin dynamics and revealing novel spin/orbit effects, the mechanism of the terahertz (THz) emission from a single ferromagnetic nanofilm upon a femtosecond laser pump still remains elusive. Recent experiments have shown exotic symmetry, which is not expected from the routinely adopted mechanism of ultrafast demagnetization. Here, by developing a bidirectional pump-THz emission spectroscopy and associated symmetry analysis method, we set a benchmark for the experimental distinction of the THz emission induced by various mechanisms. Our results unambiguously unveil a new mechanismâanomalous Nernst effect (ANE) induced THz emission due to the ultrafast temperature gradient created by a femtosecond laser. Quantitative analysis shows that the THz emission exhibits interesting thickness dependence where different mechanisms dominate at different thickness ranges. Our work not only clarifies the origin of the ferromagnetic-based THz emission but also offers a fertile platform for investigating the ultrafast optomagnetism and THz spintronics.
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OBJECTIVE: Surgery is an effective clinical approach that has been used for the treatment of gastric lymphoma. However, its specific effect on the prognosis of patients with gastric lymphoma remains largely unknown. The current meta-analysis aimed to identify the effect of surgery on the prognosis of gastric lymphoma. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases to obtain relevant studies investigating the influence of surgery on overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). We extracted the hazard ratios (HRs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of each included report for pooled analysis. We assessed heterogeneity (I2 statistic) and funnel plots to select the data models and evaluate publication bias. RESULTS: Ultimately, we included 12 studies containing 26 comparisons in the current quantitative meta-analysis. The analysis revealed that surgery had no significant effect on OS (HR .83, P = .13) or RFS (HR .78, P = .08). However, subgroup analysis revealed that the effect of surgery on OS differed significantly between the surgery plus conservative therapy subgroup and the conservative therapy alone groups, with HR = .69 (P = .01). No significant publication bias was detected regarding the main outcomes. CONCLUSION: Surgery had a limited effect on the prognosis of patients with gastric lymphoma. However, the use of surgery as an additional therapy may confer potential benefits. This was an interesting research direction, and additional high-quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials should be conducted.
Subject(s)
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin , Stomach Neoplasms , Humans , Stomach Neoplasms/surgery , Prognosis , Proportional Hazards ModelsABSTRACT
2H-NbSe2 is a prototypical charge-density-wave (CDW) system, exhibiting such a symmetry-breaking quantum ground state in its bulk and down to a single-atomic-layer limit. However, how this state depends on dimensionality and what governs the dimensionality effect remain controversial. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a robust 3 × 3 CDW phase in both freestanding and substrate-supported bilayer NbSe2, far above the bulk transition temperature. We exclude environmental effects and reveal a strong temperature and thickness dependence of Raman intensity from an axially vibrating A1g phonon mode, involving Se ions. Using first-principles calculations, we show that these result from a delicate but profound competition between the intra- and interlayer bonding formed between Se-pz orbitals. Our results suggest the crucial role of Se out-of-plane displacement in driving the CDW distortion, revealing the Se-dominated dimensionality effect and establishing a new perspective on the chemical bonding and mechanical stability in layered CDW materials.
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With the rapid socioeconomic development of China, studies related to Internet use and civil servants' happiness have become a research hotspot in Chinese academia. This study empirically analysed the impact of Internet use on the happiness of Chinese civil servants using a sample of 3793 civil servants in Hunan Province, China. It showed that Internet use significantly enhanced the subjective well-being of Chinese civil servants. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in the effect of the Internet on civil servants' happiness, which varied across civil service groups with different education and gender. Moreover, the effect of Internet use on the happiness of the male and better educated civil servant groups was more pronounced than in the female and less educated civil servant groups. Additionally, mediation analysis revealed that Internet use and the happiness of civil servants were not linear, with health having a significant mediating effect. This indicates that Internet use helps civil servants maintain good health, and thereby enhances the happiness of civil servants. In addition, we also use a propensity score matching model (PSM) to address the endogeneity problem due to sample selectivity bias. The results show that the estimates are more robust after eliminating sample selectivity bias. The effect of Internet use on civil servants' subjective well-being would be underestimated if the sample selectivity bias is not removed.
Subject(s)
Happiness , Internet Use , Male , Humans , Female , Mediation Analysis , China , Asian PeopleABSTRACT
With societal and technological developments, mobile Internet has become the most popular and widespread means to use the Internet in China. Thus, exploring the relationship between mobile Internet use and the self-rated health and mental health of the Chinese population is of great importance. This study empirically examined the impact of mobile Internet use on residents' health using data from the China Family Panel Studies 2020 and conducted a heterogeneity analysis. The results revealed a significant negative association between mobile Internet use and the self-rated health of the population, but a significant positive association was found relative to their mental health. The results of this analysis passed a robustness test. The results of the heterogeneity analysis showed that mobile Internet use had a more significant association with the health of residents with secondary school education and university education compared to those with primary school education or below and graduate education. Furthermore, this study addresses the endogeneity problem using the propensity-score matching model, which is shown to be better at eliminating sample selectivity bias. If endogeneity is not addressed, the negative association with mobile Internet use on residents' self-rated health will be underestimated and its positive association with their mental health will be overestimated. The Chinese government should issue guidelines on the duration of Internet use, strictly regulate exaggerated and harmful content on mobile network platforms, and strengthen people's online skills through training to improve their digital literacy, especially for rural populations.
ABSTRACT
The antiferromagnet is considered to be a promising hosting material for the next generation of magnetic storage due to its high stability and stray-field-free property. Understanding the switching properties of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) domain state is critical for developing AFM spintronics. By utilizing the magneto-optical birefringence effect, we experimentally demonstrate the switching rate of the AFM domain can be enhanced by more than 2 orders of magnitude through applying an alternating square-wave field on a single crystalline Fe/CoO bilayer. The observed extraordinary speed can be much faster than that triggered by a constant field with the same amplitude. The effect can be understood as the efficient suppression of the pinning of AFM domain walls by the strong exchange torque triggered by the reversal of the Fe magnetization, as revealed by spin dynamics simulations. Our finding opens up new opportunities to design the antiferromagnet-based spintronic devices utilizing the ferromagnet-antiferromagnet heterostructure.
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In the context of both rapid technological development and increasing aging, the relationship between technological development and the health of the middle-aged and older population is gradually receiving academic attention. This study empirically examined the health consequences of the Internet for the middle-aged and older population in China using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results indicated that Internet use was effective in improving the self-assessed health and chronic disease status of the middle-aged and older population. However, the effect of Internet use on the improvement of chronic disease conditions in this population was more pronounced than self-assessed health. In the heterogeneity analysis, the effect of Internet use on the health of female and middle-aged adults was more significant than that of male and older adults aged >60 years. This paper also used a propensity score matching model to eliminate the endogeneity problem caused by sample selectivity bias. The results revealed that the propensity score matching model analysis was more robust. Moreover, if sample selectivity bias was not eliminated, the effect of Internet use on the improvement of self-assessed health in the middle-aged and older population would be underestimated, whereas the effect of Internet use on the chronic disease status of the middle-aged and older adults would be overestimated.
Subject(s)
Internet Use , Retirement , Aged , China/epidemiology , Female , Health Status , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Magnetic skyrmions are topologically nontrivial spin textures with envisioned applications in energy-efficient magnetic information storage. Toggling the presence of magnetic skyrmions via writing/deleting processes is essential for spintronics applications, which usually require the application of a magnetic field, a gate voltage or an electric current. Here we demonstrate the reversible field-free writing/deleting of skyrmions at room temperature, via hydrogen chemisorption/desorption on the surface of Ni and Co films. Supported by Monte-Carlo simulations, the skyrmion creation/annihilation is attributed to the hydrogen-induced magnetic anisotropy change on ferromagnetic surfaces. We also demonstrate the role of hydrogen and oxygen on magnetic anisotropy and skyrmion deletion on other magnetic surfaces. Our results open up new possibilities for designing skyrmionic and magneto-ionic devices.
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Given the increasing use of the Internet in China, the relationship between Internet use and population health has been receiving increased academic attention. However, the current literature has not yet reached a unified conclusion; thus, further research is very necessary. This study used the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data to explore the relationship between Internet use and the health of the population and to evaluate the possible heterogeneity of the association between different groups and the mediation path. This study revealed that Internet use has a positive association with the subjective health of the population. The results of the heterogeneity analysis revealed that Internet use is more significantly associated with the health of non-agricultural workers and those with higher education levels than that of agricultural workers and those with lower education levels. Further analysis revealed that health behavior is an important mediator between Internet use and population health. These results remain robust even after using propensity score matching (PSM) to eliminate sample selection bias.