Pulsed-Mode Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy of GaN on Graphene-Coated c-Sapphire for Freestanding GaN Thin Films.

We report the growth of high-quality GaN epitaxial thin films on graphene-coated c-sapphire substrates using pulsed-mode metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy, together with the fabrication of freestanding GaN films by simple mechanical exfoliation for transferable light-emitting diodes (LEDs). High-quality GaN films grown on the graphene-coated sapphire substrates were easily lifted off by using thermal release tape and transferred onto foreign substrates. Furthermore, we revealed that the pulsed operation of ammonia flow during GaN growth was a critical factor for the fabrication of high-quality freestanding GaN films. These films, exhibiting excellent single crystallinity, were utilized to fabricate transferable GaN LEDs by heteroepitaxially growing InxGa1-xN/GaN multiple quantum wells and a p-GaN layer on the GaN films, showing their potential application in advanced optoelectronic devices.

High-performance optical phased array for LiDARs demonstrated by monolithic integration of polymer and SiN waveguides.

Optical phased array (OPA) beam scanners for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) are proposed by integrating polymer waveguides with superior thermo-optic effect and silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides exhibiting strong modal confinement along with high optical power capacity. A low connection loss of only 0.15 dB between the polymer and SiN waveguides was achieved in this work, enabling a low-loss OPA device. The polymer-SiN monolithic OPA demonstrates not only high optical throughput but also efficient beamforming and stable beam scanning. This novel integrative approach highlights the potential of leveraging heterogeneous photonic materials to develop advanced photonic integrated circuits with superior performance.

Computational Integral Imaging Reconstruction via Elemental Image Blending without Normalization.

This paper presents a novel computational integral imaging reconstruction (CIIR) method using elemental image blending to eliminate the normalization process in CIIR. Normalization is commonly used in CIIR to address uneven overlapping artifacts. By incorporating elemental image blending, we remove the normalization step in CIIR, leading to decreased memory consumption and computational time compared to those of existing techniques. We conducted a theoretical analysis of the impact of elemental image blending on a CIIR method using windowing techniques, and the results showed that the proposed method is superior to the standard CIIR method in terms of image quality. We also performed computer simulations and optical experiments to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental results showed that the proposed method enhances the image quality over that of the standard CIIR method, while also reducing memory usage and processing time.

Oculomotor fatigability with decrements of saccade and smooth pursuit for diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As the efficacy of current diagnostic methods for myasthenia gravis (MG) remains suboptimal, there is ongoing interest in developing more effective diagnostic models. As oculomotor fatigability is one of the most common and diagnostic symptoms in MG, we aimed to investigate whether quantitative saccadic and smooth-pursuit fatigability analyses with video-oculography (VOG) are useful for diagnosis of MG. METHODS: A convenience cohort of 46 MG patients was recruited prospectively, including 35 with ocular and 11 with generalized MG (mean age, 50.9 ± 14.5 years; 17 females); 24 healthy controls (HCs) (mean age, 50.6 ± 16.3 years; 13 females) also were enrolled. Seventy-five repetitive saccades and smooth pursuits were recorded in ranges of 20° (horizontal plane) and 15° (vertical plane) using a three-dimensional VOG system. Based on the oculomotor range of the second saccade and smooth pursuit and the mean ranges of the last five of each, the estimated decrements (%) reflecting oculomotor fatigability were calculated. RESULTS: The baseline oculomotor ranges did not show significant difference between the MG and HCs groups. However, following repetitive saccades and pursuits, the oculomotor ranges were decreased substantially during the last five cycles compared to baseline in the MG group. No such decrements were observed in the HC group (p < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U test). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that repetitive vertical saccades yielded the best differentiation between the MG and HC groups, with a sensitivity of 78.3% and specificity of 95.8% when using a decrement with an amplitude of 6.4% as the cutoff. CONCLUSION: This study presents an objective and reproducible method for measuring decrements of oculomotor ranges after repetitive saccadic and pursuit movements. Quantification of oculomotor fatigability using VOG could be a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for MG and allows easy, cost-effective, accurate, and non-invasive measurements. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides class III evidence that VOG-based quantification of saccadic and pursuit fatigability accurately identifies patients with MG.

Monolithic integration of polymer waveguide phase modulators with silicon nitride waveguides using adiabatic transition tapers.

Polymer waveguide phase modulators (PMs) demonstrate high thermal confinement with outstanding thermo-optic properties and can provide stable low-power phase modulation in optical phased arrays (OPA). On the other hand, silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides produce stronger optical confinement with smaller waveguide core sizes than polymer waveguides and can handle high optical power without nonlinear effects. In this work, a high-performance PM was achieved by monolithic integration of a polymer waveguide and tapered SiN input and output waveguides. The integration of heterogeneous waveguide materials on a single substrate will enable the fabrication of efficient OPAs for advanced imaging, display, sensing, and communications applications.

Case report: Bilateral posterior ischemic optic neuropathy in a patient with atrial fibrillation and multifocal embolic stroke.

An 80-year-old female with a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension presented with sudden onset of sequential bilateral visual loss. The best visual acuity was light perception in the right eye and finger counting in the left eye, however, bilateral fundus did not reveal optic disc edema. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed acute embolic stroke and diffusion restriction in the posterior portion of both optic nerves. The 24-h Holter monitor showed persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid ventricular response. The presence of painless and severe visual loss at onset unaccompanied by optic disc edema in the patient with newly detected uncontrolled AF and multiple embolic infarctions favored a diagnosis of non-arteritic posterior ischemic optic neuropathy (PION). The current case contributes to better understanding of PION pathophysiology and associated risk factors, indicating a possible relationship between non-arteritic PION and uncontrolled AF and embolic cerebral infarction.

Frequency Response of Thermo-Optic Phase Modulators Based on Fluorinated Polyimide Polymer Waveguide.

Polymer waveguide phase modulators exhibit stable low-power phase modulation owing to their exceptional thermal confinement and high thermo-optic effect, and thus, have the merit of thermal isolation between channels, which is crucial for an optical phased array (OPA) beam scanner device. In this work, a waveguide phase modulator was designed and fabricated based on a high-refractive-index fluorinated polyimide. The propagation loss of the polyimide waveguide and the temporal response of the phase modulator were characterized. Moreover, the transfer function of the phase modulator including multiple poles and zeros was obtained from the measured frequency response. The polyimide waveguide modulator device demonstrated a fast response time of 117 µs for 1 kHz input signal, however, for 1 mHz step-function input, it exhibited an additional 5% phase change in 5 s.

Fast-running beamforming algorithm for optical phased array beam scanners comprised of polymeric waveguide devices.

The phase error imposed in optical phased arrays (OPAs) for beam scanning LiDAR is unavoidable due to minute dimensional fluctuations that occur during the waveguide manufacturing process. To compensate for the phase error, in this study, a fast-running beamforming algorithm is developed based on the rotating element vector method. The proposed algorithm is highly suitable for OPA devices comprised of polymer waveguides, where thermal crosstalk between phase modulators is suppressed effectively, allowing for each phase modulator to be controlled independently. The beamforming speed is determined by the number of phase adjustments. Hence, by using the least square approximation for a 32-channel polymer waveguide OPA device the number of phase adjustments needed to complete beamforming was reduced and the beamforming time was shortened to 16 seconds.

Improved insights into the adaptation and selection of Nitrosomonas spp. for partial nitritation under saline conditions based on specific oxygen uptake rates and next generation sequencing.

Partial nitritation (PN) is a bioprocess that is essential for developing cost-effective biological nitrogen removal processes. Understanding the abundant bacterial communities responsible for nitrification under salt stress conditions is important to achieve a stable PN system for treating saline wastewater. Therefore, in this study, we identified the core nitrifying communities and investigated their correlations with the process parameters in a nitrifying bioreactor that was used for treating saline high-strength ammonia wastewater. A PN system worked efficiently under saline conditions with varying operational factors, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and alkalinity. Interestingly, the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) became similar under salt-free and saline media after the salt adaption. Next generation sequencing results suggested that the inactivation of Nitrobacter winogradskyi was a key factor for the PN reaction under salt stress conditions. We also found that Nitrosomonas europaea, a freshwater type ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), was predominantly found under both salt-free and saline conditions, whereas other halotolerant or halophilic AOB species, including Nitrosomonas nitrosa and Nitrosomonas mobilis, became selectively abundant under saline conditions. This implies that adaptation (training of N. europaea) and selection (presence of N. nitrosa and N. mobilis) were simultaneously attributed to selective ammonia conversion for the PN reaction. The redundancy analysis showed that the salinity and ammonia loading rates were statistically significant process parameters that determined the nitrifying bacterial community, suggesting that these parameters drive the adaptation and selection of the core AOB species during the PN reaction. Furthermore, the correlation analysis revealed that the abundance of N. nitrosa and N. mobilis was critically correlated with the specific oxygen uptake rates in saline media containing ammonia.

Compact solid-state optical phased array beam scanners based on polymeric photonic integrated circuits.

Optical phased array (OPA) devices are being actively investigated to develop compact solid-state beam scanners, which are essential in fields such as LiDAR, free-space optical links, biophotonics, etc. Based on the unique nature of perfluorinated polymers, we propose a polymer waveguide OPA with the advantages of low driving power and high optical throughput. Unlike silicon photonic OPAs, the polymer OPAs enable sustainable phase distribution control during beam scanning, which reduces the burden of beamforming. Moreover, by incorporating a tunable wavelength laser comprising a polymer waveguide Bragg reflector, two-dimensional beam scanning is demonstrated, which facilitates the development of laser-integrated polymeric OPA beam scanners.

Genotyping by Sequencing-Based Discovery of SNP Markers and Construction of Linkage Map from F5 Population of Pepper with Contrasting Powdery Mildew Resistance Trait.

Powdery mildew (PM) is a common fungal disease infecting pepper plants worldwide. Molecular breeding of pepper cultivars with powdery mildew resistance is desirable for the economic improvement of pepper cultivation. In the present study, 188 F5 population derived from AR1 (PM resistant) and TF68 (PM sensitive) parents were subjected to high-throughput genotyping by sequencing (GBS) for the identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Further, the identified SNP markers were utilized for the construction of genetic linkage map and QTL analysis. Overall read mapping percentage of 87.29% was achieved in this study with the total length of mapped region ranging from 2,956,730 to 25,537,525 bp. A total of 41,111 polymorphic SNPs were identified, and a final of 1,841 SNPs were filtered for the construction of a linkage map. A total of 12 linkage groups were constructed corresponding to each chromosome with 1,308 SNP markers with the map length of 2506.8 cM. Further, two QTLs such as Pm-2.1 and Pm-5.1 were identified in chromosomes 2 and 5, respectively, for the PM resistance. Overall, the outcomes of the present endeavor can be utilized for the marker-assisted selection of pepper with powdery mildew-resistant trait.

Statewide Ambulance Coverage of a Mixed Region of Urban, Rural and Frontier under Travel Time Catchment Areas.

This study examines the statewide service coverage of emergency medical services (EMS) in view of public health planners, policy makers, and ambulance service managers. The study investigates the statewide service coverage in a mixed region of urban, rural, and frontier regions to address the importance of ambulance service coverage at a large scale. The study incorporated statewide road networks for ambulance travel time, census blocks for population, and backup service coverage using geographic information systems (GIS). The catchment areas were delineated by the travel time after subtracting chute time for each Census Block as an analysis zone. Using the catchment areas from the ambulance base to the centroid of Census Block, the population and land coverage were calculated. The service shortage and multiple coverage areas were identified by the catchment areas. The study found that both reducing chute time and increasing the speed of emergency vehicles at the same time was significantly more effective than improving only one of two factors. The study shows that the service is improved significantly in frontier and urban areas by increasing driving time and chute time. However, in rural areas, the improvement is marginal owing to wider distribution than urban areas and shorter threshold response time than frontier areas. The public health planners and EMS managers benefit from the study to identify underserved areas and redistribute limited public resources.

Versatile Nutraceutical Potentials of Watermelon-A Modest Fruit Loaded with Pharmaceutically Valuable Phytochemicals.

Watermelon (Citrulus lantus) is an important horticultural crop which belongs to the Curcubitaceae family. The nutraceutical potential of watermelon has been illustrated by several researchers, which makes it a better choice of functional food. Watermelon has been used to treat various ailments, such as cardio-vascular diseases, aging related ailments, obesity, diabetes, ulcers, and various types of cancers. The medicinal properties of watermelon are attributed by the presence of important phytochemicals with pharmaceutical values such as lycopene, citrulline, and other polyphenolic compounds. Watermelon acts as vital source of l-citrulline, a neutral-alpha amino acid which is the precursor of l-arginine, an essential amino acid necessary for protein synthesis. Supplementation of l-citrulline and lycopene displayed numerous health benefits in in vitro and in vivo studies. Similarly, the dietary intake of watermelon has proven benefits as functional food in humans for weight management. Apart from the fruits, the extracts prepared from the seeds, sprouts, and leaves also evidenced medicinal properties. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of benefits of watermelon for the treatment of various ailments.

Transcriptome sequencing assisted discovery and computational analysis of novel SNPs associated with flowering in Raphanus sativus in-bred lines for marker-assisted backcross breeding.

The sequencing of radish genome aids in the better understanding and tailoring of traits associated with economic importance. In order to accelerate the genomics assisted breeding and genetic selection, transcriptomes of 33 radish inbred lines with diverse traits were sequenced for the development of single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers. The sequence reads ranged from 2,560,543,741 bp to 20,039,688,139 bp with the GC (%) of 47.80-49.34 and phred quality score (Q30) of 96.47-97.54%. A total of 4951 polymorphic SNPs were identified among the accessions after stringent filtering and 298 SNPs with efficient marker assisted backcross breeding (MAB) markers were generated from the polymorphic SNPs. Further, functional annotations of SNPs revealed the effects and importance of the SNPs identified in the flowering process. The SNPs were predominantly associated with the four major flowering related transcription factors such as MYB, MADS box (AG), AP2/EREB, and bHLH. In addition, SNPs in the vital flowering integrator gene (FT) and floral repressors (EMBRYONIC FLOWER 1, 2, and FRIGIDA) were identified among the radish inbred lines. Further, 50 SNPs were randomly selected from 298 SNPs and validated using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR genotyping system (KASP) in 102 radish inbred lines. The homozygosity of the inbred lines varied from 56 to 96% and the phylogenetic analysis resulted in the clustering of inbred lines into three subgroups. Taken together, the SNP markers identified in the present study can be utilized for the discrimination, seed purity test, and adjusting parental combinations for breeding in radish.

Deciphering the Nutraceutical Potential of Raphanus sativus-A Comprehensive Overview.

Raphanus sativus (Radish) belongs to the Brassicaceae family and is a widely consumed root vegetable all around the world. The nutritional and medicinal values of radishes have been proven by several researches. Extracts prepared from the aerial and underground parts of radishes have been used in the treatment of stomach disorders, urinary infections, hepatic inflammation, cardiac disorders and ulcers in folk medicine since the ancient times. The pharmaceutical potential of radishes is attributed to the presence of its beneficial secondary metabolites, such as glucosinolates, polyphenols and isothiocyanates. The present review has focused on the impact of radish extract administration under pathological complications, such as cancer, diabetes, hepatic inflammation and oxidative stress. In addition, a comprehensive view of molecular mechanism behind the regulation of molecular drug targets associated with different types of cancers and diabetes by the bioactive compounds present in the radish extracts have been discussed in detail.

Optically Bistable Switching Glazing Achieved by Memory Function of Grafted Hydrogels.

Active switching glazings driven by electrical energy have been widely used for the on-demand control of the optical transmittance of smart windows; however, continuous electrical energy consumption is necessary to maintain the optical state. In this work, to minimize the energy consumption during operation of switchable windows, we have developed an optically bistable switching glazing based on the memory function in the volume change of the hydrogels. By grafting a multicomponent copolymer that has a chemical composition gradient of three different monomers onto the methyl cellulose backbone, the prepared hydrogel exhibits a smooth transition during heating and a large thermal hysteresis in the swelling behavior during cooling. On the basis of the novel thermal behavior of the triangular shape in volume phase transitions, an optically bistable window capable of retaining a switched state as well as stepwise activation, depending on the applied current, can be prepared. The developed bistable glazing is expected to provide energy-saving devices for on-demand solar control and variation in visibility.

Next-Generation Sequencing Approaches in Genome-Wide Discovery of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers Associated with Pungency and Disease Resistance in Pepper.

Pepper is an economically important horticultural plant that has been widely used for its pungency and spicy taste in worldwide cuisines. Therefore, the domestication of pepper has been carried out since antiquity. Owing to meet the growing demand for pepper with high quality, organoleptic property, nutraceutical contents, and disease tolerance, genomics assisted breeding techniques can be incorporated to develop novel pepper varieties with desired traits. The application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches has reformed the plant breeding technology especially in the area of molecular marker assisted breeding. The availability of genomic information aids in the deeper understanding of several molecular mechanisms behind the vital physiological processes. In addition, the NGS methods facilitate the genome-wide discovery of DNA based markers linked to key genes involved in important biological phenomenon. Among the molecular markers, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) indulges various benefits in comparison with other existing DNA based markers. The present review concentrates on the impact of NGS approaches in the discovery of useful SNP markers associated with pungency and disease resistance in pepper. The information provided in the current endeavor can be utilized for the betterment of pepper breeding in future.

Whole Genome Resequencing of Capsicum baccatum and Capsicum annuum to Discover Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Related to Powdery Mildew Resistance.

The present study deals with genome wide identification of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers related to powdery mildew (PM) resistance in two pepper varieties. Capsicum baccatum (PRH1- a PM resistant line) and Capsicum annuum (Saengryeg- a PM susceptible line), were resequenced to develop SNP markers. A total of 6,213,009 and 6,840,889 SNPs for PRH1 and Saengryeg respectively have been discovered. Among the SNPs, majority were classified as homozygous type SNPs, particularly in the resistant line. Moreover, the SNPs were differentially distributed among the chromosomes in both the resistant and susceptible lines. In total, 4,887,031 polymorphic SNP loci were identified between the two lines and 306,871 high-resolution melting (HRM) marker primer sets were designed. In order to understand the SNPs associated with the vital genes involved in diseases resistance and stress associated processes, chromosome-wise gene ontology analysis was performed. The results revealed the occurrence that SNPs related to diseases resistance genes were predominantly distributed in chromosome 4. In addition, 6281 SNPs associated with 46 resistance genes were identified. Among the lines, PRH1 consisted of maximum number of polymorphic SNPs related to NBS-LRR genes. The SNP markers were validated using HRM assay in 45 F4 populations and correlated with the phenotypic disease index.

Stepwise Activation of Switchable Glazing by Compositional Gradient of Copolymers.

Thermotropic glazing is one of the most promising developments for adaptive solar control; however, a monotonic transparent-opaque transition limits its practical application. In this work, to render stepwise activation of the switchable glazing, we prepared multicomposition copolymers having a compositional gradient. By slow addition of the monomers in the reaction mixture during free-radical polymerization, the blend of copolymers with each polymer having different compositions of the monomers could be prepared. We found that the developed copolymers exhibit different thermal behaviors according to the monomer composition, yielding the nearly linear transmittance change over a wide temperature range due to the gradient hydrophilic-hydrophobic balances. By combining prepared copolymers with photothermal graphene oxide as a heat transducer, we demonstrated gradual solar control of the smart window in response to sunlight intensity in outdoor testing.

Photothermally driven fast responding photo-actuators fabricated with comb-type hydrogels and magnetite nanoparticles.

To overcome the slow kinetics of the volume phase transition of stimuli-responsive hydrogels as platforms for soft actuators, thermally responsive comb-type hydrogels were prepared using synthesized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) macromonomers bearing graft chains. Fast responding light-responsive hydrogels were fabricated by combining a comb-type hydrogel matrix with photothermal magnetite nanoparticles (MNP). The MNPs dispersed in the matrix provide heat to stimulate the volume change of the hydrogel matrix by converting absorbed visible light to thermal energy. In this process, the comb-type hydrogel matrix exhibited a rapid response due to the free, mobile grafted chains. The comb-type hydrogel exhibited significantly enhanced light-induced volume shrinkage and rapid recovery. The comb-type hydrogels containing MNP were successfully used to fabricate a bilayer-type photo-actuator with fast bending motion.