ABSTRACT
Plasmonic materials can generate strong electromagnetic fields to boost the Raman scattering of surrounding molecules, known as surface-enhanced Raman scattering. However, these electromagnetic fields are heterogeneous, with only molecules located at the 'hotspots', which account for ≈ 1% of the surface area, experiencing efficient enhancement. Herein, we propose patterned plasmonic trimers, consisting of a pair of plasmonic dimers at the bilateral sides and a trap particle positioned in between, to address this challenge. The trimer configuration selectively directs probe molecules to the central traps where 'hotspots' are located through chemical affinity, ensuring a precise spatial overlap between the probes and the location of maximum field enhancement. We investigate the Raman enhancement of the Au@Al2O3-Au-Au@Al2O3 trimers, achieving a detection limit of 10-14 M of 4-methylbenzenethiol, 4-mercaptopyridine, and 4-aminothiophenol. Moreover, single-molecule SERS sensitivity is demonstrated by a bi-analyte method. Benefiting from this sensitivity, our approach is employed for the early detection of lung tumors using fresh tissues. Our findings suggest that this approach is sensitive to adenocarcinoma but not to squamous carcinoma or benign cases, offering insights into the differentiation between lung tumor subtypes.
Subject(s)
Gold , Lung Neoplasms , Metal Nanoparticles , Spectrum Analysis, Raman , Spectrum Analysis, Raman/methods , Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis , Gold/chemistry , Humans , Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry , Sulfhydryl Compounds/chemistry , Aniline Compounds/chemistry , Adenocarcinoma/diagnosis , Limit of Detection , Pyridines/chemistryABSTRACT
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is renowned for amplifying Raman signals, with electromagnetic mechanism (EM) enhancement arising from localized surface plasmon resonances and chemical mechanism (CM) enhancement as a result of charge transfer interactions. Despite the conventional emphasis on EM as a result of plasmonic effects, recent findings highlight the significance of CM when noble metals appear as smaller entities. However, the threshold size of the noble metal clusters/particles corresponding to the switch in SERS mechanisms is not clear at present. In this work, the VSe2-xOx/Au composites with different Au sizes are employed, in which a clear view of the SERS mechanism switch is observed at the Au size range of 16-21 nm. Our findings not only provide insight into the impact of noble metal size on SERS efficiency but also offer quantitative data to assist researchers in making informed judgments when analyzing SERS mechanisms.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma is a high-mortality rate cancer. Within this category, Lung mucinous adenocarcinoma (LMAC) is a rare and distinct subtype of lung adenocarcinoma necessitating further investigation. The study was launched to compare the difference of survival features between LMAC and lung non-mucinous adenocarcinoma (LNMAC) and to investigate the significance and demand for developing a new staging system tailored to LMAC. METHODS: This retrospective study assessed the suitableness of the current staging system for LMAC. It compared the overall survival (OS) between LMAC and LNMAC from 2004 to 2020 (LNMAC: 160,387; LMAC: 6,341) and instituted a novel classification framework for LMAC based on US population. Verification group consisting of patients from two Chinese medical centers from 2010 to 2018 (n = 392) was set to ascertain the applicability of this novel system. The primary endpoint was OS. To minimize the bias, propensity score match (PSM) was employed. Survival analysis and Log-rank test were executed to explore the survival features of LMAC. RESULTS: The results indicated that the existed staging system was not suitable for LMAC. Patients diagnosed with LMAC exhibited a superior OS compared to those with LNMAC in stage IA2 (P < 0.0001), IA3 (P < 0.0001), IB (P = 0.0062), IIA (P = 0.0090), IIB (P = 0.0005). In contrast, a worse OS in stage IVA (P = 0.0103) was found in LMAC patients. The novel classification system proposed for LMAC proved to be highly applicable and demonstrated substantial efficacy, as confirmed by the verification group. CONCLUSION: The newly established classification system was more effective for LMAC, but it necessitates large-scale verification to confirm its applicability and reliability.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma of Lung , Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous , Lung Neoplasms , Neoplasm Staging , Humans , Neoplasm Staging/methods , Male , Female , Retrospective Studies , Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/pathology , Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/mortality , Middle Aged , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Lung Neoplasms/mortality , Aged , Adenocarcinoma of Lung/pathology , Adenocarcinoma of Lung/mortality , Adult , Prognosis , Survival AnalysisABSTRACT
Biotic and abiotic stresses have emerged as major constraints to agricultural production, causing irreversible adverse impacts on agricultural production systems and thus posing a threat to food security. In this study, a new strain of Bacillus subtilis DNYB-S1 was isolated from soil contaminated with Fusarium wilt. It was found that artificially synthetic flora (YJ-1) [Enterobacter sp. DNB-S2 and Rhodococcus pyridinovorans DNHP-S2, DNYB-S1] could effectively mitigate both biotic (Fusarium wilt) and abiotic (phthalates) sources of stresses, with the inhibition rate of YJ-1 resistant to wilt being 71.25% and synergistic degradation of 500 mg/L PAEs was 91.23%. The adaptive difference of YJ-1 was 0.59 and the ecological niche overlap value was -0.05 as determined by Lotka-Volterra modeling. These results indicate that YJ-1 has good ecological stability. The major degradation intermediates included 2-ethylhexyl benzoate (EHBA), phthalic acid (PA), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and butyl benzoate, suggesting that YJ-1 can provide a more efficient pathway for PAEs degradation. In addition, there was metabolic mutualism among the strains that will selectively utilize the provided carbon source (some metabolites of PAEs) for growth. The pot experiment showed that YJ-1 with cucumber reduced the incidence of cucumber wilt by 45.31%. YJ-1 could reduce the concentration of PAEs (DBP: DEHP = 1:1) in soil species from 30 mg/kg to 4.26 mg/kg within 35 d, with a degradation efficiency of 85.81%. Meanwhile, the concentration of PAEs in cucumber was reduced to 0.01 mg/kg, indicating that YJ-1 is directly involved in the degradation of soil PAEs and the enhancement of plant immunity. In conclusion, this study provides a new perspective for the development of customized microbiomes for phytoremediation under combined biotic-abiotic stresses in agricultural production processes.
Subject(s)
Cucumis sativus , Cucumis sativus/microbiology , Phthalic Acids , Soil Microbiology , Disease Resistance , Stress, Physiological , Plant Diseases/microbiology , Biodegradation, Environmental , FusariumABSTRACT
Interstitial iodides are the most critical type of defects in perovskite solar cells that limits efficiency and stability. They can be generated during solution, film, and device processing, further accelerating degradation. Herein, we find that introducing a small amount of a zinc salt- zinc trifluoromethane sulfonate (Zn(OOSCF3)2) in the perovskite solution can control the iodide defects in resultant perovskites ink and films. CF3SOO̶ vigorously suppresses molecular iodine formation in the perovskites by reducing it to iodide. At the same time, zinc cations can precipitate excess iodide by forming a Zn-Amine complex so that the iodide interstitials in the resultant perovskite films can be suppressed. The perovskite films using these additives show improved photoluminescence quantum efficiency and reduce deep trap density, despite zinc cations reducing the perovskite grain size and iodide interstitials. The zinc additives facilitate the formation of more uniform perovskite films on large-area substrates (78-108 cm2) in the blade-coating process. Fabricated minimodules show power conversion efficiencies of 19.60% and 19.21% with aperture areas of 84 and 108 cm2, respectively, as certified by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the highest efficiency certified for minimodules of these sizes.
ABSTRACT
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an ultrasensitive surface analysis technique that is widely used in chemical sensing, bioanalysis, and environmental monitoring. The design of the SERS substrates is crucial for obtaining high-quality SERS signals. Recently, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) have emerged as high-performance SERS substrates due to their superior stability, ease of fabrication, biocompatibility, controllable doping, and tunable bandgaps and excitons. In this review, a systematic overview of the latest advancements in 2D TMDs SERS substrates is provided. This review comprehensively summarizes the candidate 2D TMDs SERS materials, elucidates their working principles for SERS, explores the strategies to optimize their SERS performance, and highlights their practical applications. Particularly delved into are the material engineering strategies, including defect engineering, alloy engineering, thickness engineering, and heterojunction engineering. Additionally, the challenges and future prospects associated with the development of 2D TMDs SERS substrates are discussed, outlining potential directions that may lead to significant breakthroughs in practical applications.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma , Vaginal Neoplasms , Female , Humans , Neoadjuvant Therapy , Vagina , Vaginal Neoplasms/drug therapy , Vaginal Neoplasms/surgery , Vaginal Neoplasms/pathology , Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy , Adenocarcinoma/surgery , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Neoplasm StagingABSTRACT
In different types of cancer treatments, cancer-specific T cells are required for effective anticancer immunity, which has a central role in cancer immunotherapy. However, due to the multiple inhibitions of CD8+ T cells by tumor-related immune cells, CD8+ T-cell mediated antitumor immunotherapy has not achieved breakthrough progress in the treatment of solid tumors. Receptors for sialic acid (SA) are highly expressed in tumor-associated immune cells, so SA-modified nanoparticles are a drug delivery nanoplatform using tumor-associated immune cells as vehicles. To relieve the multiple inhibitions of CD8+ T cells by tumor-associated immune cells, we prepared SA-modified doxorubicin liposomes (SL-DOX, Scheme 1A). In our study, free SA decreased the toxicity of SL-DOX to tumor-associated immune cells. Compared with common liposomes, SL-DOX could inhibit tumor growth more effectively. It is worth noting that SL-DOX could not only kill tumor-related neutrophils and monocytes to relieve the multiple inhibitions of CD8+ T cells but also induce immunogenic death of tumor cells to promote the infiltration and differentiation of CD8+ T cells (Scheme 1B). Therefore, SL-DOX has potential value for the clinical therapeutic effect of CD8+ T cells mediating anti-tumor immunotherapy.
Subject(s)
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes , Doxorubicin , Liposomes , N-Acetylneuraminic Acid , Doxorubicin/pharmacology , Doxorubicin/chemistry , Doxorubicin/analogs & derivatives , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Animals , Mice , N-Acetylneuraminic Acid/chemistry , Liposomes/chemistry , Humans , Immunotherapy/methods , Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/pharmacology , Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/chemistry , Cell Line, Tumor , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Particle Size , Female , Polyethylene GlycolsABSTRACT
In recent years, environmental problems caused by air pollutants have received increasing attention. Effective prediction of air pollutant concentrations is an important way to protect the public from harm. Recently, due to extreme climate and social development, the forest fire frequency has increased. During the biomass combustion process caused by forest fires, the content of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere increases significantly. However, most existing air pollutant concentration prediction methods do not consider the considerable impact of forest fires, and effective long-term prediction models have not been established to provide early warnings for harmful gases. Therefore, in this paper, we collected a daily air quality data set (aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 µm, PM2.5) for Heilongjiang Province, China, from 2017 to 2023 and A novel Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model was proposed to effectively predict the situation of air pollutants. The model could automatically extract information of the effective time step from the historical data set and combine forest fire disturbance and climate data as auxiliary data to improve the model prediction ability. Moreover, we created artificial neural network (ANN) and permissive regression (support vector machine, SVR) models for comparative experiments. The results showed that the precision accuracy of the developed LSTM model is higher. Unlike the other models, the LSTM neural network model could effectively predict the concentration of air pollutants in long-term series. Regarding long-term observation missions (7 days), the proposed model performed well and stably, with R2 reaching over 88%.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Air Pollutants/analysis , Memory, Short-Term , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Air Pollution/analysis , Particulate Matter/analysis , Neural Networks, ComputerABSTRACT
Organometal halide perovskites are promising materials for optoelectronic applications, whose commercial realization depends critically on their stability under multiple environmental factors. In this study, a methylammonium lead bromide (MAPbBr3) single crystal was cleaved and exposed to simultaneous oxygen and light illumination under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). The exposure process was monitored using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with precise control of the exposure time and oxygen pressure. It was found that the combination of oxygen and light accelerated the degradation of MAPbBr3, which could not be viewed as a simple addition of that by oxygen-only and light-only exposures. The XPS spectra showed significant loss of carbon, bromine, and nitrogen at an oxygen exposure of 1010 Langmuir with light illumination, approximately 17 times of the additive effects of oxygen-only and light-only exposures. It was also found that the photoluminescence (PL) emission was much weakened by oxygen and light co-exposure, while previous reports had shown that PL was substantially enhanced by oxygen-only exposure. Measurements using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) demonstrated that the crystal surface was much roughened by the co-exposure. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the formation of superoxide and oxygen induced gap state, suggesting the creation of oxygen radicals by light illumination as a possible microscopic driving force for enhanced degradation.
ABSTRACT
The aim was to determine the response of a bloom-forming Microcystis aeruginosa to climatic changes. Cultures of M. aeruginosa FACHB 905 were grown at two temperatures (25°C, 30°C) and exposed to high photosynthetically active radiation (PAR: 400-700 nm) alone or combined with UVR (PAR + UVR: 295-700 nm) for specified times. It was found that increased temperature enhanced M. aeruginosa sensitivity to both PAR and PAR + UVR as shown by reduced PSII quantum yields (Fv/Fm) in comparison with that at growth temperature (25°C), the presence of UVR significantly exacerbated the photoinhibition. M. aeruginosa cells grown at high temperature exhibited lower PSII repair rate (Krec) and sustained nonphotochemical quenching (NPQs) induction during the radiation exposure, particularly for PAR + UVR. Although high temperature alone or worked with UVR induced higher SOD and CAT activity and promoted the removal rate of PsbA, it seemed not enough to prevent the damage effect from them showing by the increased value of photoinactivation rate constant (Kpi). In addition, the energetic cost of microcystin synthesis at high temperature probably led to reduced materials and energy available for PsbA turnover, thus may partly account for the lower Krec and the declination of photosynthetic activity in cells following PAR and PAR + UVR exposure. Our findings suggest that increased temperature modulates the sensitivity of M. aeruginosa to UVR by affecting the PSII repair and defense capacity, thus influencing competitiveness and abundance in the future water environment.
ABSTRACT
The connection patterns of neural circuits form a complex network. How signaling in these circuits manifests as complex cognition and adaptive behaviour remains the central question in neuroscience. Concomitant advances in connectomics and artificial intelligence open fundamentally new opportunities to understand how connection patterns shape computational capacity in biological brain networks. Reservoir computing is a versatile paradigm that uses high-dimensional, nonlinear dynamical systems to perform computations and approximate cognitive functions. Here we present conn2res: an open-source Python toolbox for implementing biological neural networks as artificial neural networks. conn2res is modular, allowing arbitrary network architecture and dynamics to be imposed. The toolbox allows researchers to input connectomes reconstructed using multiple techniques, from tract tracing to noninvasive diffusion imaging, and to impose multiple dynamical systems, from spiking neurons to memristive dynamics. The versatility of the conn2res toolbox allows us to ask new questions at the confluence of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. By reconceptualizing function as computation, conn2res sets the stage for a more mechanistic understanding of structure-function relationships in brain networks.
Subject(s)
Artificial Intelligence , Connectome , Adaptation, Psychological , Brain/diagnostic imaging , CognitionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to rise and 70% of diabetic individuals have dry eye disease (DED) that leads to subsequent abnormalities of the corneal epithelium, corneal nerves, tear film, or corneal endothelium. In addition, persons with diabetes produce fewer tear secretions than healthy individuals. While several anti-inflammatory drug-based therapies for dry eye in diabetic individuals are currently being administered, their efficacy has not been studied in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 3% diquafosol (DQS) vs 0.1% hyaluronic acid (HA) eye drops in diabetic dry eye patients. METHODS: This triple-blind randomized, control trial will include 202 diabetic-related DED and will be assigned to DQS (n = 101) and HA (n = 101) one drop, six times per day for 8 weeks. Tear film lipid layer, non-invasive breakup time, conjunctivocorneal staining score, corneal sensitivity, tear MMP-9 levels, meibomian gland expression and quality, tear meniscus height, corneal nerves, immune/inflammatory cell change, conjunctival hyperemia, and ocular surface disease index questionnaire score will be assessed and compared at baseline, week 4, and week 8. DISCUSSION: This study will be a standardized, scientific, clinical trial designed to evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of DQS and HA for diabetic dry eye treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.govNCT05682547. Registered on December 05, 2022.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus , Dry Eye Syndromes , Humans , Dry Eye Syndromes/diagnosis , Dry Eye Syndromes/drug therapy , Dry Eye Syndromes/metabolism , Hyaluronic Acid/pharmacology , Ophthalmic Solutions , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Diatoms form a major component of phytoplankton. These eukaryotic organisms are responsible for approximately 40% of primary productivity in the oceans and contribute significantly to the food web. Here, the influences of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and ocean warming on diatom photosynthesis were investigated in Thalassiosira pseudonana. The organism was grown at two temperatures, namely, 18°C, the present surface water temperature in summer, and 24°C, an estimate of surface temperature in the year 2,100, under conditions of high photosynthetically active radiation (P, 400-700 nm) alone or in combination with UVR (P + UVR, 295-700 nm). It was found that the maximum photochemical yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) in T. pseudonana was significantly decreased by the radiation exposure with UVR at low temperature, while the rise of temperature alleviated the inhibition induced by UVR. The analysis of PSII subunits turnover showed that high temperature alone or worked synergistically with UVR provoking fast removal of PsbA protein (KPsbA), and also could maintain high PsbD pool in T. pseudonana cells. With the facilitation of PSII repair process, less non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) occurred at high temperature when cells were exposed to P or P + UVR. In addition, irrespective of radiation treatments, high temperature stimulated the induction of SOD activity, which partly contributed to the higher PSII repair rate constant (Krec) as compared to KPsbA. Our findings suggest that the rise in temperature could benefit the photosynthetic performance of T. pseudonana via modulation of its PSII repair cycle and protective capacity, affecting its abundance in phytoplankton in the future warming ocean.
ABSTRACT
In this study, a facile passivation for methylammonium lead bromide (MAPbBr3) single crystals is reported. Stability against moisture and light remains the most critical demerit of perovskite materials, which is improved by depositing a 40 Å thick hydrophobic copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) layer on top of the cleaved perovskite surface. The water and light exposure processes were monitored with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with precise control of the exposure time and pressure. It is found that the CuPc top layer could protect the sample from moisture infiltration at a water exposure of 1013 L, while the nonpassivated sample started to degrade at 108 L. During the light exposure, CuPc also slowed down the light-induced degradation, which is supported by the elemental ratio change of metallic lead and bromine. These results are further confirmed by the morphological comparison via scanning electron microscopy and focused ion beam.
ABSTRACT
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been widely detected in soil, water, and sediment as a priority control pollutant. Immobilized microorganism technology is gradually mature and applied in production. Biochar prepared from agricultural wastes is an excellent immobilized carrier because of its porous structure and abundant functional groups. Environmental acidification was caused by degrading bacteria Arthrobacter sp. JQ-1 (JQ-1) respiration and acidic metabolites during DEHP degradation, which affected the passage life of microorganisms and the removal efficiency of DEHP. The mechanism of DEHP degradation by the combined action of JQ-1 and corn straw biochar (BC) at 600 °C was investigated, and bacterial viability, microenvironmental changes, and kinetic tests were performed in this research. Compared with biodegradation group alone, the degradation rate of DEHP in 1% biochar unloaded and loaded with JQ-1 increased by 18.3% and 30.9%, and its half-life decreased to 23.90 h and 11.95h, a reduction of 31.37 h. The percentage of detected living JQ-1 increased as biochar content increased when loading capacity was less than 1%. In which, (JQ-1-BC2) group was 4.1% higher than (JQ-1-BC1) group. Biochar has the ability to neutralize acidifying environmental pH due to its alkaline functional groups, including lactone group, -OH, -COO-. 1% biochar loaded with JQ-1 increased the pH of the microenvironment by 0.57 and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity by 0.0063 U·mL-1, which promoted the reduction of PA. Study suggested that biochar loaded with JQ-1 could simultaneously adsorb and degrade DEHP during the process of DEHP removal. Biochar could be used as a biological stimulant to increase abundance and metabolism, enhance the utilization of DEHP by JQ-1. Biochar (1% (w/v)) loaded with JQ-1 as DEHP removal material showed good performance. Biochar not only as an immobilized carrier, but also as a biostimulant, providing an effective strategy for the collaborative remediation of PAEs contaminated.
Subject(s)
Arthrobacter , Diethylhexyl Phthalate , Phthalic Acids , Soil Pollutants , Diethylhexyl Phthalate/metabolism , Arthrobacter/metabolism , Microbial Viability , Soil Pollutants/chemistry , Biodegradation, Environmental , Soil/chemistryABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Manchester provides services to adults and children who have suffered sexual assault. The ethnic composition of those who attended the centre was audited in 2001 and 2003 to measure how well it serves different ethnic groups. This paper provides an updated audit using 2019 data. METHODOLOGY: Census data for Greater Manchester, and data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) showing rates of sexual assault for different ethnic groups, were used to predict the ethnic composition of sexual assault victims in Greater Manchester. These predicted figures were then compared with the ethnic composition of Saint Mary's SARC 2019 client base to measure how well the SARC is serving different groups. This comparison was repeated using data from the 2001 SARC client base to explore change over time. RESULTS: The analysis shows that South Asians and Chinese individuals are underrepresented in the SARC client base, and that this issue has become more pronounced over time. Every other group is overrepresented. CONCLUSION: The underrepresentation of South Asian and Chinese clients at Saint Mary's SARC is concerning. Making the service more accessible to those from these ethnic groups should be a priority for the centre.
ABSTRACT
Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a complex ocular surface inflammatory disorder with a multifactorial etiology. Therapies such as intense pulsed light (IPL) and heated eye mask (HEM) have been reported to improve the tear film lipid layer (TFLL) and signs and symptoms of DED. Methods: This randomized study aimed to compare the effects of IPL combined with HEM (IPL+HEM) group, IPL group, and control group in participants with evaporative DED. All participants were examined at baseline (D0), day 21 (D21), day 42 (D42), and day 84 (D84) for noninvasive tear breakup time (NITBUT), TFLL, corneal conjunctival staining (CS), meibomian gland quality (MGQ), meibomian gland expressibility (MGEx), and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Results: The mean age of participants was IPL+HEM: 28.06 ± 3.88 years, IPL: 29.88 ± 4.68 years, and control: 28.52 ± 3.77 years. At D84, significant improvements in TFLL (p < 0.05), noninvasive tear breakup time (NITBUT) (p < 0.05), corneoconjunctival staining (CS) (p < 0.05), MGQ (p < 0.05), MGEx (p < 0.05), and OSDI (p < 0.05) were found in the IPL+HEM and IPL groups, whereas the control group had no significant improvements. Furthermore, ΔTFLL significantly correlated with ΔNITBUT (r = -0.678, p < 0.001), ΔCS (r = 0.321, p < 0.001), ΔMGQ (r = 0.669, p < 0.001), ΔMGEx (r = 0.598, p < 0.001), and ΔOSDI score (r = 0.649, p < 0.001). Conclusions: IPL therapy in combination with HEM and IPL therapy only can significantly improve the quality of TFLL and clinically reduce the sign and symptoms of evaporative DED. However, IPL therapy in combination with HEM was found to be more effective than IPL therapy alone.
Subject(s)
Dry Eye Syndromes , Intense Pulsed Light Therapy , Humans , Young Adult , Adult , Meibomian Glands , Tears , Dry Eye Syndromes/radiotherapy , LipidsABSTRACT
The chemical mechanism (CM) of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been recognized as a decent approach to mildly amplify Raman scattering. However, the insufficient charge transfer (CT) between the SERS substrate and molecules always results in unsatisfying Raman enhancement, exerting a substantial restriction for CM-based SERS. In principle, CT is dominated by the coupling between the energy levels of a semiconductor-molecule system and the laser wavelength, whereas precise tuning of the energy levels is intrinsically difficult. Herein, two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenide alloys, whose energy levels can be precisely and continuously tuned over a wide range by simply adjusting their compositions, are investigated. The alloys enable on-demand construction of the CT resonance channels to cater to the requirements of a specific target molecule in SERS. The SERS signals are highly reproducible, and a clear view of the SERS dependences on the energy levels is revealed for different CT resonance terms.
ABSTRACT
Chalcohalides not only keep the balance between the nonlinear optical (NLO) coefficient and wide band gap, but also provide a promising solution to achieve sufficient birefringence for phase-matching ability in NLO crystals. In this study, a novel chalcohalide, Cs4 Zn5 P6 S18 I2 (1) is successfully synthesized, by incorporating the highly electropositive Cs and the large electronegative I element into the zinc thiophosphate. Its 3D open framework features an edge-shared by distorted [ZnS4 ], ethanol-like [P2 S6 ], and unusual [ZnS2 I2 ] polyhedrons, which is inconsistent with the soft-hard-acids-bases theory. Remarkably, compound 1 simultaneously exhibits the large second-harmonic generation (SHG, 1.1×AgGaS2 , @1.3 µm) and a wide band gap (3.75 eV) toward a high laser-induced damage threshold (16.7×AgGaS2 , @1.06 µm), satisfying the rigorous requirements for a prominent infrared NLO material with concurrent SHG intensity (≥0.5×AGS) and band gap (≥3.5 eV). Moreover, to the best of the knowledge, the experimental result shows that phase 1 has the largest birefringence (0.108, @546 nm) in chalcohalide and meets phase-matching behavior demand originating from the polarizable anisotropy of NLO-functional motifs. This finding may provide great opportunities for designing birefringent chalcohalides.