Motion detection and direction recognition in a photonic spiking neural network consisting of VCSELs-SA.

Motion detection and direction recognition are two important fundamental visual functions among the many cognitive functions performed by the human visual system. The retina and visual cortex are indispensable for composing the visual nervous system. The retina is responsible for transmitting electrical signals converted from light signals to the visual cortex of the brain. We propose a photonic spiking neural network (SNN) based on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with an embedding saturable absorber (VCSELs-SA) with temporal integration effects, and demonstrate that the motion detection and direction recognition tasks can be solved by mimicking the visual nervous system. Simulation results reveal that the proposed photonic SNN with a modified supervised algorithm combining the tempotron and the STDP rule can correctly detect the motion and recognize the direction angles, and is robust to time jitter and the current difference between VCSEL-SAs. The proposed approach adopts a low-power photonic neuromorphic system for real-time information processing, which provides theoretical support for the large-scale application of hardware photonic SNN in the future.

Methylprednisolone for idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: a prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare, benign, but locally aggressive breast disease. Steroids are widely used as a breast-conserving option, however, the response rate of steroids varies in reported studies, as well as its different reported usage. This prospective observational cohort study aimed to report the outcomes of methylprednisolone for IGM treatment. Methods: From Aug 2019 to Dec 2021, the clinicopathological information of 156 IGM patients who sought treatment at West China Hospital was prospectively collected. A total of 88 patients treated with methylprednisolone were included in the study. The clinical features, treatment response, and follow-up data were analyzed. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 32 years, and 90.9% of patients were multipara. The predominant symptom at presentation was painful breast mass, with a median size of 4.7 cm. For steroid usage, an initial 20 mg methylprednisolone daily was given until disease stable. The median duration of 20 mg methylprednisolone treatment was 45 (range, 14-376) days. The median duration of whole steroid therapy was 105 (range, 28-381) days. A total of 80.7% of patients (71/88) responded well to steroid treatment. In 63 patients, steroid treatment was successfully withdrawn, and treatment was completed. With an average of 283 days follow-up (range, 0-770 days), relapse was observed in 21 (33.33%) patients. Compared with patients with residual disease as shown by physical examination (PE), those with complete clinical remission (CCR) at the end of treatment had longer relapse-free intervals. Conclusions: Steroids are the preferable breast-conserving option for IGM. Treatment with 20 mg methylprednisolone for an average of 1.5 months is usually required, and full steroid treatment might last for 3 months.

Tissue-Specific Regulation of the Contents and Correlations of Mineral Elements in Hens by Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles.

Due to their small size, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) are readily absorbed and easily cross biological barriers, which make them promising candidates as diet additives. However, some studies have reported that ZnO NPs cause toxicity; therefore, their safety and potency as diet additives for farm animals should be established. This study was the first to fully evaluate the effects of ZnO NPs on the homeostasis of eight elements in seven organs/tissues. The regulation of element homeostasis was found to be organ specific with no influence on oxidation status, anti-oxidation capability, or organ damage. ZnO NPs may specifically regulate the homeostasis of mineral elements and affect the following correlations: (1) between the element content in each organ and the concentration of Zn used in ZnSO4 or ZnO NP treatments; (2) between ZnO NP and ZnSO4 treatments for the same element in each organ; and (3) between elements (in each organ in ZnSO4 or ZnO NP treatments) in layers' organs/tissues. The use of ZnO NPs as diet additives for animals should be implemented cautiously because, among other uncertainties, they may affect mineral element content.

Di-µ-chlorido-bis-[chlorido(N,N-di-methyl-ethylenediamine-κN,N')zinc(II)].

The centrosymmetric dinuclear title compound, [Zn(2)Cl(4)(C(4)H(12)N(2))(2)], is isostructural with its previously reported Cu(II) analogue [Phelps, Goodman & Hodgson (1976 ▶). Inorg. Chem.15, 2266-2270]. In the title compound, each of the Zn(II) ions is coordinated by two N atoms from a chelating N,N-dimethyl-ethylenediamine ligand, two bridging Cl atoms and one terminal Cl atom. The coordination environment is distorted square-pyramidal. The Zn-Cl bond distances of the two bridging Cl atoms are distinctly different: the equatorial Cl atom exbibits a Zn-Cl distance of 2.318 (1) Šand the axial Cl atom exbibits a Zn-Cl distance of 2.747 (2) Å, which is significantly longer. The mol-ecule can thus be seen as a dimer of two nearly square-planar monomeric units which are related to each other by an inversion center located in the middle of the dimer. Within one monomeric unit, the Zn atom, the two N atoms and the two Cl atoms are almost coplanar, with a mean deviation of only 0.05 (1) Šfrom the associated least-squares plane. The Zn⋯Zn distance within the dimer is 3.472 (3) Å. N-H⋯Cl and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen-bond inter-actions connect neighboring mol-ecules with each other.

Tris(1,10-phenanthroline-κN,N')iron(II) µ-oxido-bis[trichloridoferrate(III)] ethanol hemisolvate.

The title compound, [Fe(C(12)H(8)N(2))(3)][Fe(2)Cl(6)O]·0.5CH(3)CH(2)OH, consists of one [Fe(phen)(3)](2+) cation (phen = 1,10-phen-anthroline), one [Fe(2)Cl(6)O](2-) anion and one half-mol-ecule of ethanol. In the cation, the Fe(II) atom is coordinated by six N atoms from three phen ligands in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. In the bent anion, two Fe(III) atoms are connected by a bridging oxide O atom [bridging angle = 160.6 (4)°], and each Fe(III) atom is also coordinated by three Cl atoms, completing a distorted tetra-hedral geometry.