Tm,Ho:YLF waveguide lasers at 2.05†µm.

In this work, we report on the first, to our knowledge, 2.05-µm laser based on femtosecond-laser direct written (FsLDW) Tm,Ho:YLF cladding waveguides. A channel waveguide with a 90-µm diameter "fiber-like" low-index cladding is fabricated in a 6 at. % Tm3+, 0.4 at. % Ho3+:LiYF4 crystal by FsLDW. Pumped by Ti:sapphire laser at 795.1 nm, the fabricated waveguide supports efficient lasing oscillation at 2050 nm with a maximum output power of 47.5 mW, a minimum lasing threshold of 181 mW, and a slope efficiency of 20.1%. The impacts of cavity conditions and polarizations of the pump light on the obtained lasing performance are well studied. The experimental results obtained in this study demonstrate the great potential of utilizing Tm,Ho:YLF and FsLDW for the development of durable mid-infrared lasers featuring compact designs.

FKF1b controls reproductive transition associated with adaptation to geographical distribution in maize.

Maize (Zea mays subspecies mays) is an important commercial crop across the world, and its flowering time is closely related to grain yield, plant cycle and latitude adaptation. FKF1 is an essential clock-regulated blue-light receptor with distinct functions on flowering time in plants, and its function in maize remains unclear. In this study, we identified two FKF1 homologs in the maize genome, named ZmFKF1a and ZmFKF1b, and indicated that ZmFKF1a and ZmFKF1b independently regulate reproductive transition through interacting with ZmCONZ1 and ZmGI1 to increase the transcription levels of ZmCONZ1 and ZCN8. We demonstrated that ZmFKF1b underwent artificial selection during modern breeding in China probably due to its role in geographical adaptation. Furthermore, our data suggested that ZmFKF1bHap_C7 may be an elite allele, which increases the abundance of ZmCONZ1 mRNA more efficiently and adapt to a wider range of temperature zone than that of ZmFKF1bHap_Z58 to promote maize floral transition. It extends our understanding of the genetic diversity of maize flowering. This allele is expected to be introduced into tropical maize germplasm to enrich breeding resources and may improve the adaptability of maize at different climate zones, especially at temperate region.

Construction of an Injectable Composite Double-Network Hydrogel as a Liquid Embolic Agent.

Conventional embolists disreputably tend to recanalization arising from the low filling ratio due to their rigidity or instability. As a result, intelligent hydrogels with a tunable modulus may meaningfully improve the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, an injectable composite double-network (CDN) hydrogel with high shear responsibility was prepared as a liquid embolic agent by cross-linking poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) via dynamic covalent bonding of borate ester and benzoic-imine. A two-dimensional nanosheet, i.e., layered double hydroxide (LDH), was incorporated into the network through physical interactions which led to serious reduction of yield stress for the injection of the hydrogel and the capacity for loading therapeutic agents like indocyanine green (ICG) and doxorubicin (DOX) for the functions of photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy. The CDN hydrogel could thus be transported through a thin catheter and further in situ strengthened under physiological conditions, like in blood, by secondarily cross-linking with phosphate ions for longer degradation duration and better mechanical property. These characteristics met the requirements of arterial interventional embolization, which was demonstrated by renal embolism operation on rabbits, and meanwhile favored the inhibition of subcutaneous tumor growth on an animal model. Therefore, this work makes a breakthrough in the case of largely reducing the embolism risks, thus affording a novel generation for interventional embolization.

Polymer-Protein Assemblies with Tunable Vesicular and Hierarchical Nanostructures.

The construction of variable structured multi-protein nano-assemblies is of great interest for the development of protein-based therapeutic systems. This study showcases the synthesis of polymer-protein assemblies with tunable structure like single- and multi-layer polymer-crosslinked protein vesicles, Janus protein vesicles and other hierarchical-structured assemblies by utilizing a dynamic template-assistant intermittent-assembly approach. The generalization of the methodology helps the protein assemblies to gain notable functional complexity. And we demonstrate compelling evidence highlighting the substantial impact of the topological morphology of protein nanoaggregates on their cellular uptake capacity.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Surface Textures in Vibration-Assisted Micro Milling.

Vibration-assisted micro milling is a promising technique for fabricating engineered mi-cro-scaled surface textures. This paper presents a novel approach for theoretical modeling of three-dimensional (3D) surface textures produced by vibration-assisted micro milling. The proposed model considers the effects of tool edge geometry, minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT), and material elastic recovery. The surface texture formation under different machining parameters is simulated and analyzed through mathematical modeling. Two typical surface morphologies can be generated: wave-type and fish scale-type textures, depending on the phase difference between tool paths. A 2-degrees-of-freedom (2-DOF) vibration stage is also developed to provide vibration along the feed and cross-feed directions during micro-milling process. Micro-milling experiments on copper were carried out to verify the ability to fabricate controlled surface textures using the vibration stage. The simulated and experimentally generated surfaces show good agreement in geometry and dimensions. This work provides an accurate analytical model for vibration-assisted micro-milling surface generation and demonstrates its feasibility for efficient, flexible texturing.

Oxygen and pH responsive theragnostic liposomes for early-stage diagnosis and photothermal therapy of solid tumours.

The development of cancer treatment is of great importance, especially in the early stage. In this work, we synthesized a pH-sensitive amphiphilic ruthenium complex containing two alkyl chains and two PEG chains, which was utilized as an oxygen sensitive fluorescent probe for co-assembly with lipids to harvest a liposomal delivery system (RuPC) for the encapsulation of a photothermal agent indocyanine green (ICG). The resultant ICG encapsulated liposome (RuPC@ICG) enabled the delivery of ICG into cells via a membrane fusion pathway, by which the ruthenium complex was localized in the cell membrane for better detection of the extracellular oxygen concentration. Such characteristics allowed ratiometric imaging to distinguish the tumour location from normal tissues just 3 days after cancer cells were implanted, by monitoring the hypoxia condition and tracing the metabolism. Moreover, the pH sensitivity of the liposomes favoured cell uptake, and improved the anti-tumour efficiency of the formulation in vivo under NIR irradiation. Assuming liposomal systems have fewer safety issues, our work not only provides a facile method for the construction of a theragnostic system by combining phototherapy with photoluminescence imaging, but hopefully paves the way for clinical translation from bench to bedside.

Nd:YSAG waveguide-grating vortex laser: design and implementation.

In this work, we fabricate a hybrid waveguide-grating vortex laser in Nd:YSAG by using femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). The detailed parameters of the hybrid structure are fixed by optical simulation. In experiments, an efficient vortex beam is produced in the passive operation at 1064 nm. Under optical pumping at 808 nm, a dual-wavelength waveguide laser at 1060/1062 nm as well as a waveguide-grating vortex laser at 1060 nm are obtained. The laser performance and diffraction properties of the generated vortex laser are detailed, studied, and discussed, providing meaningful reference results toward the practical applications of FsLDW and waveguide-grating structures in integrated photonics.

Enantioselective Michael Addition of Malononitrile to Unsaturated Ketones Catalyzed by Rare-Earth Metal Amides RE[N(SiMe3)2]3 with Phenoxy-Functionalized TsDPEN Ligands.

The catalytic enantioselective Michael addition of α,ß-unsaturated ketones with malononitrile was well established using rare-earth metal amides RE[N(SiMe3)2]3 (RE = Y, Eu, Sm, Nd, La) with chiral phenoxy-functionalized TsDPEN ligands. The combination of lanthanum amide La[N(SiMe3)2]3 and chiral TsDPEN ligand H3L1 [H3L1 = N-((1R,2R)-2-((3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzyl)amino)-1,2-diphenylethyl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide] in a 1:1.5 molar ratio was proved to be the optimal partner in THF, which provided the desired ß-carbonyl dinitriles in excellent yields and good to high enantioselectivities after 12 h at -15 °C.

Co-Expression of JcNAC1- and JcZFP8-Improved Agronomic Traits of Tobacco and Enhanced Drought Resistance through NbbHLH1 and NbbHLH2.

Previous studies have identified numerous transcription factors involved in drought response, each of which play different roles in plants. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two transcription factors on drought response in Jatropha curcas L., JcNAC1 and JcZFP8. The overexpression of these transcription factors in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana L.) improved drought resistance, but JcZFP8 delayed germination and JcNAC1 reduced biomass and yield. By constitutively co-expressing these two genes in tobacco, drought resistance was improved, and the negative effects of each of them were overcome. The transgenic plants with double-gene co-expression showed stronger drought tolerance with 1.76-fold greater accumulation of proline and lower H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) content to 43 and 65% of wildtype (WT) levels, respectively. The expression levels of NbbHLH1 and NbbHLH2 genes upregulated linearly with the increased drought tolerance of double genes co-expression plants. In drought conditions, the leaf water contents of bhlh1, bhlh2, and bhlh1bhlh2 deletion mutants obtained by CRISPR-CAS9 knockout technique were maintained at 99%, 97%, and 97% of WT. The bhlh1bhlh2 was found with lower germination rate but with higher reactive oxygen levels (1.64-fold H2O2 and 1.41-fold MDA levels). Thus, the co-expression of two transcription factors with different functions overcame the adverse traits brought by a single gene and enhanced the shared drought-tolerant traits, which can provide guidance on theory and selection of gene combinations for the application of multi-gene co-expression in agriculture in the future.

Robust Interval Prediction of Intermittent Demand for Spare Parts Based on Tensor Optimization.

Demand for spare parts, which is triggered by element failure, project schedule and reliability demand, etc., is a kind of sensing data to the aftermarket service of large manufacturing enterprises. Prediction of the demand for spare parts plays a crucial role in inventory management and lifecycle quality management for the aftermarket service of large-scale manufacturing enterprises. In real-life applications, however, demand for spare parts occurs randomly and fluctuates greatly, and the demand sequence shows obvious intermittent distribution characteristics. Additionally, due to factors such as reporting mistakes made by personnel or environmental changes, the actual data of the demand for spare parts are prone to abnormal variations. It is thus hard to capture the evolutional pattern of the demand for spare parts by traditional time series forecasting methods. The reliability of prediction results is also reduced. To address these concerns, this paper proposes a tensor optimization-based robust interval prediction method of intermittent time series for the aftersales demand for spare parts. First, using the advantages of tensor decomposition to effectively mine intrinsic information from raw data, a sequence-smoothing network based on tensor decomposition and a stacked autoencoder is proposed. Tucker decomposition is applied to the hidden features of the encoder, and the obtained core tensor is reconstructed through the decoder, thus allowing us to smooth outliers in the original demand sequence. An alternating optimization algorithm is further designed to find the optimal sequence feature representation and tensor decomposition factors for the extraction of the evolutionary trend of the intermittent series. Second, an adaptive interval prediction algorithm with a dynamic update mechanism is designed to obtain point prediction values and prediction intervals for the demand sequence, thereby improving the reliability of the forecast. The proposed method is validated using the actual aftersales data from a large engineering manufacturing enterprise in China. The experimental results demonstrate that, compared with typical time series prediction methods, the proposed method can effectively grab the evolutionary trend of various intermittent series and improve the accuracy of predictions made with small-sample intermittent series. Moreover, the proposed method provides a reliable elastic prediction interval when distortion occurs in the prediction results, offering a new solution for intelligent planning decisions related to spare parts in practical maintenance.

Screening of anti-cancer compounds from Vaccariae Semen by lung cancer A549 cell fishing and UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS.

Vaccariae Semen, derived from the dried ripe seed of Vaccaria segetalis (Neck.) Garcke, has various therapeutic characteristics in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), containing promoting blood circulation and unblocking meridians. It exhibits significant anti-cancer activity and is therapeutically utilized to treat and reduce chemotherapy adverse effects in cancer patients, notably those with lung cancer. However, the active ingredients responsible for its anti-lung cancer efficacy remain unknown. In this study, we used A549 cell fishing in conjunction with UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS to screen for anti-lung cancer active components in Vaccariae Semen. The cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay revealed that the n-butanol extract substantially reduced A549 cell growth. Through the cell fishing assay, we found 14 A549 cell-binding compounds in the n-butanol extract, all of which were identified as triterpenoid saponins. The total saponins of Vaccariae Semen were subsequently purified using macroporous adsorption resin (MAR), and they showed a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells, as well as alterations in cell morphology, apoptosis, and fragmentation. In conclusion, saponins were discovered as the key active components responsible for the anti-lung cancer activity of Vaccariae Semen.

Ultrafast laser fabrication of efficient polarization-insensitive demultiplexer circuit in YAG crystal.

Wavelength division multiplexing is a widely used monolithic device with modulating light sources at different wavelengths based on a designed configuration. In this paper, we report an in-chip demultiplexer with a simple design operating at 532/1064 nm in pure YAG crystal. The device is fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing inside the transparent substrate with just a width of 36 µm. The compact structure is designed based on the principle of self-imaging, and the propagation features have been simulated by utilizing the beam propagation method. The performance of this wavelength demultiplexer has been investigated through an end-face coupling system, which proves the device can separate 532 nm and 1064 nm light into two discrete waveguides polarization-insensitively with an extinction ratio as high as 13 dB. These superior performances manifest this exquisite device can emerge into kinds of photonic applications in the future. Also, this work further proves that femtosecond laser direct writing technology has irreplaceable advantages in processing micro-nano devices in transparent materials for in-chip integration.

Second harmonic generation in plasmonic metasurfaces enhanced by symmetry-protected dual bound states in the continuum.

We numerically investigate linear and nonlinear optical responses in metasurfaces consisting of Au double-gap split ring resonators (DSRRs). Symmetry-protected dual bound states in the continuum (BICs) in such plasmonic metasurfaces are observed at the near-infrared optical regime. Efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) is obtained at the quasi-BIC models due to the symmetry broken. The optimized SHG responses are obtained at the critical couplings between radiation and nonradiation processes at the linearly x- and y-polarized light, respectively. High conversion efficiency of SHG of a value 10-6 is arrived at the fundamental intensity of 10 GW/cm2 at the quasi-BIC wavelength under the y-polarized illumination. Large extrinsic and tunable chirality of linear and nonlinear optical responses empowered by quasi-BICs is acquired in asymmetry metasurfaces at oblique circularly polarized incidence. The results indicate that the plasmonic metasurfaces of symmetry-protected BICs at the near-infrared optical regime have great potential applications in the on-chip efficient frequency conversion, and the linear and nonlinear chiral manipulation.

The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and asthma severity and vice versa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is a great association between the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and asthma. Nonetheless, whether OSA impacts lung function, symptoms, and control in asthma and whether asthma increases the respiratory events in OSA are unknown. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and asthma severity and vice versa. METHODS: We carried out a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus from inception to September 2022. Primary outcomes were lung function, parameters of polysomnography, the risk of OSA in more severe or difficult-to-control asthmatic patients, and the risk of asthma in patients with more severe OSA. Heterogeneity was examined with the Q test and I2 statistics. We also performed subgroup analysis, Meta-regression, and Egger's test for bias analysis. RESULTS: 34 studies with 27,912 subjects were totally included. The results showed that the comorbidity of OSA aggravated lung function in asthmatic patients with a consequent decreased forced expiratory volume in one second %predicted (%FEV1) and the effect was particularly evident in children. %FEV1 tended to decrease in adult asthma patients complicated with OSA, but did not reach statistical significance. Interestingly, the risk of asthma seemed to be slightly lower in patients with more severe OSA (OR = 0.87, 95%CI 0.763-0.998). Asthma had no significant effect on polysomnography, but increased daytime sleepiness assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in OSA patients (WMD = 0.60, 95%CI 0.16-1.04). More severe asthma or difficult-to-control asthma was independently associated with OSA (odds ratio (OR) = 4.36, 95%CI 2.49-7.64). CONCLUSION: OSA was associated with more severe or difficult-to-control asthma with decreased %FEV1 in children. The effect of OSA on lung function in adult patients should be further confirmed. Asthma increased daytime sleepiness in OSA patients. More studies are warranted to investigate the effect of asthma on OSA severity and the impact of different OSA severity on the prevalence of asthma. It is strongly recommended that people with moderate-to-severe or difficult-to-control asthma screen for OSA and get the appropriate treatment.

Establishment and Application Evaluation of an Improved Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening Questionnaire for Chinese Community: The CNCQ-OSA.

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-disordered breathing disease. We aimed to establish an improved screening questionnaire without physical examinations for OSA named the CNCQ-OSA (Chinese community questionnaire for OSA). Methods: A total of 2585 participants who visited sleep medicine center and underwent overnight polysomnography were grouped into two independent cohorts: derivation (n = 2180) and validation (n = 405). The CNCQ-OSA was designed according to the baseline of patients in derivation cohort. We comprehensively analyzed the data to evaluate the predictive value of the CNCQ-OSA, compared to the GOAL questionnaire, STOP-Bang questionnaire (SBQ) and NoSAS questionnaire. Results: The CNCQ-OSA included seven variables: loud snoring, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, male gender, apnea, sleepiness, hypertension and age ≥30, with a total score ranging from 7 to 16.7 points (≥13.5 points indicating high risk of OSA, ≥14.5 points indicating extremely high risk). In the derivation and validation cohorts, the areas under the curve of the CNCQ-OSA were 0.761 and 0.767, respectively. In the validation cohort, the sensitivity and specificity of a CNCQ-OSA score ≥13.5 points for the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5/h were 0.821 and 0.559, respectively (Youden index, 0.380), and the score ≥14.5 points were 0.494 and 0.887, respectively (Youden index, 0.375). The CNCQ-OSA had a better predictive value for AHI ≥ 5/h, AHI > 15/h and AHI > 30/h, with the highest Youden index, compared to the other questionnaires. Conclusion: The CNCQ-OSA can effectively identify the risk of OSA, which is appropriate for self-screening at home without physical examinations.

Microcirculation No-Reflow Phenomenon after Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: The no-reflow phenomenon refers to a failure to restore normal cerebral microcirculation despite brain large artery recanalization after acute ischemic stroke, which was observed over 50 years ago. SUMMARY: Different mechanisms contributing to no-reflow extend across the endovascular, vascular wall, and extravascular factors. There are some clinical tools to evaluate cerebral microvascular hemodynamics and represent biomarkers of the no-reflow phenomenon. As substantial experimental and clinical data showed that clinical outcome was better correlated with reperfusion status rather than recanalization in patients with ischemic stroke, how to address the no-reflow phenomenon is critical. But effective treatments for restoring cerebral microcirculation have not been well established until now, so there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic perspectives to improve outcomes after recanalization therapies. CONCLUSION: Here, we review the occurrence of the no-reflow phenomenon after ischemic stroke and discuss its impact, detection method, and therapeutic strategies on the course of ischemic stroke, from basic science to clinical findings.

Distributed Fault-Tolerant Bipartite Output Synchronization of Discrete-Time Linear Multiagent Systems.

This article studies the distributed fault-tolerant bipartite output synchronization problem of discrete-time linear multiagent systems (MASs) with process faults under a general directed signed graph. The reference signal is generated by an autonomous exosystem, which can also be seen as a leader. All followers are divided into two subgroups with antagonistic interactions, and the followers in each subgroup are cooperative. We aim to solve the bipartite fault-tolerant control (FTC) problem via the output regulation theory such that bipartite output synchronization can be achieved in the presence of process faults, that is, the outputs of followers with different subgroups can approach the output of exosystem with the same magnitude and the opposite sign regardless of process faults. To estimate the states and the faults of each follower, a simultaneous state and fault estimator based on the neighboring signed output estimation error and the standard discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation (ARE) is designed. Besides, a new exosystem observer with two classes of convergence conditions relying on the respective solutions of standard and modified AREs is provided. All eigenvalues of the exosystem matrix can lie completely outside the unit circle. Based on these estimations, we present a distributed fault-tolerant output feedback controller, which can overcome the no-loops constraint. Finally, simulation results are given to demonstrate the analytic results.

Association Between Smoking Behavior and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: To systematically review the association between smoking behavior and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). AIMS AND METHODS: PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Scopus databases were used to conduct this review. The two researchers independently screened the literatures, conducted the quality assessment, and data extraction according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The RevMan 5.3 was used to analysis the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) index, min saturation of oxyhemoglobin (SaO2), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score, and oxygen desaturation index (DOI) and publication bias analysis to assess the effect of smoking on OSA patients. Furthermore, we performed subgroup of the severity of OSA, different countries of sample origin (western countries or eastern countries), and pack-years (PYs < 10 or PYs ≥ 20) to analyze the heterogeneity. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included in this analysis that conformed to inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. Totally 3654 smokers and 9796 non-smokers have participated. The meta-analysis of 13 studies demonstrated that AHI levels were significantly higher in smoker group compared with non-smoker, ESS scores were also significantly higher in smoker group compared with non-smoker, min SaO2 levels were obviously lower in smoker group compared with non-smoker, however, DOI levels hadn't significantly different between two groups. The subgroup analysis showed that there was an association between severe OSA, eastern countries, pack-years, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking behavior is a significant association with OSA. Heavy smokers with histories of more than 20 PYs were at a higher risk of OSA. Moreover, patient with severe OSA exhibited a significantly association with smoking compared with patients with mild or moderate OSA. IMPLICATIONS: The relationship between smoking and OSA was controversial, especially, whether smoking increase or aggravate the risk of OSA. In our review and meta-analysis, we demonstrated that smoking behavior is a significant association with OSA. Heavy smokers with histories of more than 20 PYs were at a higher risk of OSA. Moreover, patient with severe OSA exhibited a significant association with smoking compared with patients with mild or moderate OSA. More prospective long-term follow-up studies about effect of quit smoking on OSA are recommended to establish the further relationship.

Distributed robust group output synchronization control for heterogeneous uncertain linear multi-agent systems.

This paper investigates the distributed robust group output synchronization problem of heterogeneous uncertain linear leader-follower multi-agent systems (MASs), whose followers have nonidentical and parameter uncertain dynamics. To achieve cooperative tracking with multiple targets, a new group synchronization framework based upon the output regulation technique is established. In the underlying directed communication topology, all nonidentical followers are divided into several subgroups. Meanwhile, each subgroup has its output tracking objective generated by an autonomous exosystem which is seen as the leader of each subgroup. Since not all followers can access their exosystems directly, the distributed exosystem observer based on the algebraic Riccati inequality (ARI) is designed to obtain the information of exosystems. Moreover, to compensate for parameter uncertainties for different group topologies, the p-copy internal model is synthesized into distributed control laws, i.e., dynamic state feedback control protocol under an acyclic directed graph and dynamic output feedback control protocol under a general directed graph. It is shown that group synchronization can be respectively achieved with these controllers under acyclic and general partitions regardless of parameter uncertainties. Finally, some examples are provided to verify the validity of the analytic results.