Search

Replica symmetry breaking (RSB) has been widely recognized as a statistical analysis approach to understand the disorder and nonlinear interactions in complex systems ranging from atoms to the cosmic scale. However, it is challenging to analyze the nonlinear optical characteristics of random laser (RL) in disordered gain medium via RSB due to the lack of a general RSB-based statistical analysis framework. In this work, we report the tunable RSB in polymer fiber RL, where the effects of temperature and different structures on RSB are investigated experimentally and theoretically. It experimentally proves that RSB in RL is not robust, and disorder and temperature are responsible for tunable RSB in RL, which contributes to the improvement of the statistical analysis framework for investigating the optical principles of RL using RSB. And the finding of the tunable RSB allows to investigate the dynamical differences for various RL systems, which broadens the directions for the use of spin-glass theory to explore the physical mechanism of RL.

BackgroundObstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) characteristically leads to nocturnal hypoxia and sleep disturbance. Despite clear evidence of OSA-induced cognitive impairments, the literature offers no consensus on the relationship between these pathophysiological processes and brain structure alterations in patients.ObjectiveThis study leverages the robust technique of structural equation modeling to investigate how hypoxia and sleep disturbance exert differential effects on gray matter structures.MethodsSeventy-four Male participants were recruited to undergo overnight polysomnography and T1-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Four structural outcome parameters were extracted, namely, gray matter volume, cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and fractal dimension. Structural equation models were constructed with two latent variables (hypoxia, and sleep disturbance) and three covariates (age, body mass index, and education) to examine the association between gray matter structural changes in OSA and the two latent variables, hypoxia and sleep disturbance.ResultsThe structural equation models revealed hypoxia-associated changes in diverse regions, most significantly in increased gray matter volume, cortical thickness and sulcal depth. In contrast, sleep disturbance. Was shown to be largely associated with reduce gray matter volume and sulcal depth.ConclusionThis study provides new evidence showing significant effects of OSA-induced hypoxia and sleep disturbance on gray matter volume and morphology in male patients with obstructive sleep apnea. It also demonstrates the utility of robust structural equation models in examining obstructive sleep apnea pathophysiology.

Background and purposeObstructive sleep apnoea is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness due to sleep fragmentation and hypoxemia, both of which can lead to abnormal brain morphology. However, the pattern of brain structural changes associated with excessive daytime sleepiness is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of excessive daytime sleepiness on cortical thickness in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.Materials and methods61 male patients with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea were included in the present study. Polysomnography and structural MRI were performed for each participant. Subjective daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. Surface-based morphometric analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping 12 and Computational Anatomy 12 toolboxes to extract cortical thickness.ResultsUsing the median Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, patients were divided into the non-sleepiness group and the sleepiness group. The cortical thickness was markedly thinner in the sleepiness group in the left temporal, frontal, and parietal lobe and bilateral pre- and postcentral gyri (pFWE ConclusionSubjective daytime sleepiness is associated with decreased cortical thickness, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score may be of utility as a clinical marker of brain injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Cell membranes are heterogeneous and consist of liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) phases due to phase separation. Membrane regulation of egg white peptides (LCAY and QVPLW) was confirmed in our previous study. However, the underlying mechanism of phase regulation by the peptides has not been elucidated. This study aimed to explore the effect of LCAY and QVPLW on the membrane phase separation and illustrate their mechanism by giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Based on phase separation visualization, LCAY and QVPLW were found to increase the Lo phase by rearranging lipids and ordering the Ld phase. LCAY and QVPLW can bind to the GUVs and localize in the amphiphilic region of the membrane. By hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, LCAY and QVPLW may play a cholesterol-like role in regulating phase separation.

Ag nanoparticles were embedded in the near surface of SiO2 substrate and fabricated by low-energy ion implantation method in this study. The optical and structural properties of Ag implanted samples were investigated using optical spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The grain size and distribution of nanoparticles embedded in the substrate were characterized by TEM and AFM characterization. Results showed that the grain size and depth of distribution of nanoparticles were controlled by changing the ion implantation energy and dose. Furthermore, the Ag nanoparticles embedded near surface of substrate prepared by this low-energy ion implantation method had strong local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) characteristics. Our work demonstrates a practical means for fabrication of metal nanoparticles with controllable size and distribution using ion implantation technology, which is helpful to the application of local plasmon resonance effect of metal nanoparticles.

Groundwater variation has a significant effect on the bearing capacity of sandy shallow foundations. Groundwater and capillary water in the shallow foundation would result in the various water distributions in the soil mass. Therefore, there are three types of water conditions in the shallow foundation. They are the total saturated, capillary-water-effect zone and dry soil. In this study, a physical mode experimental was developed to investigate the effect of groundwater variation on the deformation behavior under different loading conditions. The effect of water level and fluctuation times were examined by a novel setup with a water-pressure control system. A total of 10 group model tests were carried out. The results indicated that the relationship between water level height and foundation bearing capacity is negatively correlated. In addition, the numerical analysis was carried out to investigate the effect of water-level change on the bearing capacity of the foundation. The bearing capacity of the foundation decreases as the water-level cycles increase. The increase in the fluctuation range of the water level will decrease the bearing capacity of the foundation. The outcome of this study would be helpful to predict the bearing capacity of shallow foundations due to the change of the water level.

A sound-induced flash illusion (SiFI) is a multisensory illusion dominated by auditory stimuli, in which the individual perceives that the number of visual flashes is equal to the number of auditory stimuli when visual flashes are presented along with an unequal number of auditory stimuli. Although the mechanisms underlying fission and fusion illusions have been documented, there is not yet a consensus on how they vary according to the different eccentricities. In the present study, by incorporating the classic SiFI paradigm into four different eccentricities, we aimed to investigate whether the SiFI varies under the different eccentricities. The results showed that the fission illusion varied significantly across the four eccentricities, with the perifovea (7°) and peripheral (11°) illusions being greater than the fovea and parafovea (3°) illusions. In contrast, the fusion illusion did not vary significantly across the four eccentricities. Our findings revealed that SiFI was affected by different visual fields and that there were differences between the fission and the fusion illusions. Furthermore, by examining the SiFI of eccentricity across visual fields, this study also suggests that bottom-up factors affect the SiFI.

Immersion is an important part of reservoir engineering investigation and evaluation. Determining the reasonable and effective burial depth of the critical immersion water table is one of the key scientific issues in the impact assessment of the bearing capacity of reservoir immersion foundations. In this study, basic physical and mechanical property tests were carried out on the soil in the typical immersion area of Xiaonanhai Hydropower Station, and the influence mechanism of saturation on the mechanical properties of building foundation soil and immersion on the bearing capacity of a shallow foundation was obtained. According to the test results, the influence depth of the rising groundwater level on the stability of the building foundation is analyzed, and a method to determine the critical depth of immersion groundwater in the reservoir is proposed. Taking the typical building foundation of Luohuang Town in the immersion area of Xiaonanhai Reservoir as an example, the validity of the critical water depth is further verified. The results show that the safety limit depth of the independent foundation affected by the rise of the water table increases with the increase of the width of the foundation and decreases with the increase of the buried depth of the foundation. Considering the safety limit depth, the critical depth of building immersion is 4.830 m, and without considering the safety limit depth, the critical depth of building immersion is 4.05 m. To a certain extent, it can reduce the impact of water table changes on the bearing capacity of shallow foundations.

Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and cortical thickness (CT) studies on Parkinson's disease (PD) have mainly reported the gray matter size reduction, whereas the shape of cortical surface can also change in PD patients. For the first time, we analyzed sulcal depth (SD) patterns in PD patients by using whole brain region of interest (ROI)-based approach. In a cross-sectional study, high-resolution brain structural MRI images were collected from 60 PD patients without dementia and 56 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). SD and CT were estimated using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) and statistically compared between groups on whole brain ROI-based level using statistical parametric mapping 12 (SPM12). Additionally, correlations between regional brain changes and clinical variables were also examined. Compared to HC, PD patients showed lower SD in widespread regions, including temporal (the bilateral transverse temporal, the left inferior temporal, the right middle temporal and the right superior temporal), insular (the left insula), frontal (the left pars triangularis, the left pars opercularis and the left precentral), parietal (the bilateral superior parietal) and occipital (the right cuneus) regions. For CT, only the left pars opercularis showed lower CT in PD patients compared to HC. No regions showed higher SD or CT in PD patients compared to HC. In PD patients, a significant positive correlation was found between SD of the left pars opercularis and MMSE scores, such that lower MMSE scores were related to lower SD of the left pars opercularis. Our results of widespread lower SD, but relatively localized lower CT, indicate that SD seems to be more sensitive to brain changes than CT and may be mainly affected by white matter damage. Hence, SD may be a more promising indicator to investigate the surface shape changes in PD patients. The significant positive correlation between SD of the left pars opercularis and MMSE scores suggests that SD may be prognostic of future cognitive decline.

Wearable strain sensor can be mounted on textiles and attached onto human skins to detect various mechanical motions and health conditions. Here, we report a sensitive and response-stable strain sensor based on the polymers consisting of the super acid-treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and polydimethylsiloxane. The polymer-based strain sensor exhibits a high sensitivity of 26.6–30.6 and a stable response with a large sensing strain of up to 30% for a potential application.

Introduction: The importance of vitamin D in Parkinson’s disease (PD) was explored, and vitamin D status has been suggested to influence cognition. Gray matter volume (GMV), a potential marker of cognitive function, was automatically segmented using voxel-based morphometry with SPM12 software. We investigated whether lower serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level was associated with focal brain volume reduction in PD with non-dementia (PDND) patients. Methods: Baseline neuropsychiatric performance and serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels were examined in 24 PDND patients and 24 healthy controls (HCs). A set of cognitive scales were used to evaluate the cognition. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was performed to calculate each PDND patient’s GMV, based on structural magnetic resonance imaging data. Associations between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels, cognition, and GMV were evaluated.Results: The serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels of the PDND group were significantly lower than those of the HC group. The serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels of the PDND group were significantly lower than those of the HC group. The multiple linear regression analyses between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels and the scores of subtests that analyzed cognitive function showed that serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels were negatively correlated with TMT-A scores and positively correlated with SDMT and AVLT scores. Multiple regression analyses showed that the right fusiform gyrus GMV positively correlated with serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels. Conclusions: We found atrophy of the right fusiform gyrus with lower serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level in PDND patients, and serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level was closely positive associated with cognition. We hypothesized that the low serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level in PDND patients might affect the auditory word learning ability by reducing the GMV in the right fusiform, leading to the decline of semantic understanding and memory function.

PurposeThis study aimed to develop machine learning models for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) using multiple structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and validate their performance.MethodsBrain structural MRI scans of 60 patients with PD and 56 normal controls (NCs) were enrolled as development dataset and 69 patients with PD and 71 NCs from Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) dataset as independent test dataset. First, multiple structural MRI features were extracted from cerebellar, subcortical, and cortical regions of the brain. Then, the Pearson’s correlation test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were used to select the most discriminating features. Finally, using logistic regression (LR) classifier with the 5-fold cross-validation scheme in the development dataset, the cerebellar, subcortical, cortical, and a combined model based on all features were constructed separately. The diagnostic performance and clinical net benefit of each model were evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and the decision curve analysis (DCA) in both datasets.ResultsAfter feature selection, 5 cerebellar (absolute value of left lobule crus II cortical thickness (CT) and right lobule IV volume, relative value of right lobule VIIIA CT and lobule VI/VIIIA gray matter volume), 3 subcortical (asymmetry index of caudate volume, relative value of left caudate volume, and absolute value of right lateral ventricle), and 4 cortical features (local gyrification index of right anterior circular insular sulcus and anterior agranular insula complex, local fractal dimension of right middle insular area, and CT of left supplementary and cingulate eye field) were selected as the most distinguishing features. The area under the curve (AUC) values of the cerebellar, subcortical, cortical, and combined models were 0.679, 0.555, 0.767, and 0.781, respectively, for the development dataset and 0.646, 0.632, 0.690, and 0.756, respectively, for the independent test dataset, respectively. The combined model showed higher performance than the other models (Delong’s test, all p-values < 0.05). All models showed good calibration, and the DCA demonstrated that the combined model has a higher net benefit than other models.ConclusionThe combined model showed favorable diagnostic performance and clinical net benefit and had the potential to be used as a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of PD.

The sound-induced flash illusion (SiFI) is a robust auditory-dominated multisensory integration phenomenon that is used as a reliable indicator to assess multisensory integration. Previous studies have indicated that the SiFI effect is correlated with perceptual sensitivity. However, to date, there is no consensus regarding how it corresponds to sensitivity with long-term training. The present study adopted the classic SiFI paradigm with feedback training to investigate the effect of a week of long-term training on the SiFI effect. Both the training group and control group completed a pretest and a posttest before and after the perceptual training; however, only the training group was required to complete 7-day behavioral training. The results showed that (1) long-term training could reduce the response of fission and fusion illusions by improving perceptual sensitivity and that (2) there was a “plateau effect” that emerged during the training stage, which tended to stabilize by the fifth day. These findings demonstrated that the SiFI effect could be modified with long-term training by ameliorating perceptual sensitivity, especially in terms of the fission illusion. Therefore, the present study supplements perceptual training in SiFI domains and provides evidence that the SiFI could be used as an assessment intervention to improve the efficiency of multisensory integration.

Cyperus esculentus starch was treated by pullulanase debranching and nanoprecipitation to prepare resistant starch nanoparticles. Amylose contents, rheological properties of debranched starch and the size, crystalline structure, resistant starch contents of the prepared starch nanoparticles were investigated. The results of amylose contents showed that enzymatic hydrolysis 4 h was the most appropriate enzymatic hydrolysis time. Dynamic light scattering analysis and scanning electron microscopy observations showed that when the starch solution was added to the ethanol, the larger the amount of ethanol, the more conducive to the formation of small size starch nanoparticles. When volume ratio of starch solution/ethanol was 1/5, the particle size was 271.1 nm, the content of resistant starch was higher (15.28%). X-ray diffraction results indicated that resistant starch nanoparticles had V-type crystalline structure. Pullulanase debranching and nanoprecipitation can be utilized to prepare smaller size of Cyperus esculentus resistant starch with higher efficiency.

Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and cortical thickness (CT) studies on Parkinson's disease (PD) have mainly reported the gray matter size reduction, whereas the shape of cortical surface can also change in PD patients. For the first time, we analyzed sulcal depth (SD) patterns in PD patients by using whole brain region of interest (ROI)-based approach. In a cross-sectional study, high-resolution brain structural MRI images were collected from 60 PD patients without dementia and 56 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). SD and CT were estimated using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) and statistically compared between groups on whole brain ROI-based level using statistical parametric mapping 12 (SPM12). Additionally, correlations between regional brain changes and clinical variables were also examined. Compared to HC, PD patients showed lower SD in widespread regions, including temporal (the bilateral transverse temporal, the left inferior temporal, the right middle temporal and the right superior temporal), insular (the left insula), frontal (the left pars triangularis, the left pars opercularis and the left precentral), parietal (the bilateral superior parietal) and occipital (the right cuneus) regions. For CT, only the left pars opercularis showed lower CT in PD patients compared to HC. No regions showed higher SD or CT in PD patients compared to HC. In PD patients, a significant positive correlation was found between SD of the left pars opercularis and MMSE scores, such that lower MMSE scores were related to lower SD of the left pars opercularis. Our results of widespread lower SD, but relatively localized lower CT, indicate that SD seems to be more sensitive to brain changes than CT and may be mainly affected by white matter damage. Hence, SD may be a more promising indicator to investigate the surface shape changes in PD patients. The significant positive correlation between SD of the left pars opercularis and MMSE scores suggests that SD may be prognostic of future cognitive decline.

Starch nanoparticles were prepared by citrate esterification and ultrasound treatment. With the increase of ultrasonic treatment time, the mean size and PDI of the particles decreased gradually, when the ultrasonic treatment time was 5 min, the prepared starch nanoparticles had a mean size and PDI of 352.8 nm and 0.292, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the starch nanoparticles prepared by ultrasonic treatment for 5 min had an A-type crystalline structure and a crystallinity of 41.42%. The chitosan composite films were reinforced by esterified starch with different ultrasound treatment times, the results indicated that the addition of starch nanoparticles resulted in a significant increase in the mechanical properties of films. This study indicates that esterification and ultrasound treatment can be used to prepare starch nanoparticles with a higher crystallinity and higher efficiency, which will further promote the application of nanocomposite films in packaging applications.

Recent research on Parkinson's disease (PD) has demonstrated the topological abnormalities of structural covariance networks (SCNs) using various morphometric features from structural magnetic resonance images (sMRI). However, the sulcal depth (SD)-based SCNs have not been investigated. In this study, we used SD to investigate the topological alterations of SCNs in 60 PD patients and 56 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC). SCNs were constructed by thresholding SD correlation matrices of 68 regions and analyzed using graph theoretical approaches. Compared with HC, PD patients showed increased normalized clustering coefficient and normalized path length, as well as a reorganization of degree-based and betweenness-based hubs (i.e., less frontal hubs). Moreover, the degree distribution analysis showed more high-degree nodes in PD patients. In addition, we also found the increased assortativity and reduced robustness under a random attack in PD patients compared to HC. Taken together, these findings indicated an abnormal topological organization of SD-based SCNs in PD patients, which may contribute in understanding the pathophysiology of PD at the network level.

This study aimed to investigate the cortical complexity and gyrification patterns in Parkinson's disease (PD) using local fractional dimension (LFD) and local gyrification index (LGI), respectively. In a cross-sectional study, LFD and LGI in 60 PD patients without dementia and 56 healthy controls (HC) were investigated using brain structural MRI data. LFD and LGI were estimated using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) and statistically analyzed between groups on a vertex level using statistical parametric mapping 12 (SPM12). Additionally, correlations between structural changes and clinical indices were further examined. PD patients showed widespread LFD reductions mainly in the left pre- and postcentral cortex, the left superior frontal cortex, the left caudal middle frontal cortex, the bilaterally superior parietal cortex and the right superior temporal cortex compared to HC. For LGI, there was no significant difference between PD and HC. In PD patients group, a significant negative correlation was found between LFD of the left postcentral cortex and duration of illness (DOI). Our results of widespread LFD reductions, but not LGI, indicate that LFD may provide a more sensitive diagnostic biomarker and encode specific information of PD. The significant negative correlation between LFD of the left postcentral cortex and DOI suggests that LFD may be a biomarker to monitor disease progression in PD.

Utilizing neuroimaging and machine learning (ML) to differentiate schizophrenia (SZ) patients from normal controls (NCs) and for detecting abnormal brain regions in schizophrenia has several benefits and can provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. In this study, structural magnetic resonance images (sMRIs) from SZ patients and NCs were used for discriminative analysis. This study proposed an ML framework based on coarse-to-fine feature selection. The proposed framework used two-sample t-tests to extract the differences between groups first, then further eliminated the nonrelevant and redundant features with recursive feature elimination (RFE), and finally utilized the support vector machine (SVM) to learn the decision models with selected gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) features. Previous studies have tended to report differences at the group level instead of at the individual level and cannot be widely applied. The method proposed in this study extends the diagnosis to the individual level and has a higher recognition rate than previous methods. The experimental results of this study demonstrate that the proposed framework distinguishes SZ patients from NCs, with the highest classification accuracy reaching over 85%. The identified biomarkers are also consistent with previous literature findings. As a universal method, the proposed framework can be extended to diagnose other diseases.

Green tea is reported to have wide benefits on psychological states and cognitive functions. Studies that focus on the underlying neural mechanisms of green tea are limited to its single composition while people usually benefit from green tea water that contains various composition. In this study, we examined the human brain activity changes after drinking natural green tea by using regional homogeneity and functional connectivity based on the resting-state functional MRI technique.Fifteen healthy volunteers participated in two imaging sessions: a control (water) session and a green tea session, each session comprised a predrinking, drinking, and postdrinking section, during the drinking section, the subject consumed 200 mL of green tea infusion or water in 3 to 5 minutes. Then the post-tea and post-water imaging data were selected for regional homogeneity and functional connectivity analysis.Our results revealed that, compared with the control group, the green tea group exhibited an increased regional homogeneity in the frontal, parietal, and occipital areas of the brain, decreased regional homogeneity values in the left cuneus and left lingual gyrus, mainly a decreased functional connectivity in the default mode network, somatosensory, visual cortex, and parieto-frontal areas and enhanced functional connectivity in brain regions associated with memory.This result indicates that green tea consumption impacts the brain activity during resting state.

By filling high refractive thermal liquid (toluene) into the total internal reflection dual-core photonic crystal fiber (DC-PCF), the coupling behaviors of the DC-PCF for different temperature is analyzed by using finite element method, and then a tunable wavelength division multiplexer realized for 980/1550 nm and 1310/1550 nm is obtained at a fixed DC-PCF length of 2475 μm.

Through filling the liquid crystal E7 into the defect position of the photonic crystal fiber (PCF) which possesses full circular air hole structure, a PCF with adjustable optical performance is designed. The effect of external temperature and magnetic field on its optical properties is analyzed by adopting the finite element method. The results reveal that its confinement loss is reduced, and the dispersion performance is also improved. Besides, the high birefringence bandwidth can covers all the S, C, L and U communication bands and the it reaches to the order of 10−1 at the wavelength of 1.55 μm; a high nonlinear coefficients (about 3 × 105 W−1km−1 and 9 × 105 W−1km−1 in X, Y polarization directions respectively) are also obtained. Most importantly, the optical performance can be adjusted without changing its structural parameters. It provides a new method for obtaining PCFs with good optical performance, and it has potential applications in the fields of polarization control, dispersion management, super-continuum generation and optical fiber sensing.

Room temperature ferromagnetic Cu-doped LiNbO3 thin films with Cu contents of 2–8 at.% were deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering. X-ray absorption spectroscopy together with multiple-scattering ab initio theoretical calculations at Cu K-edge revealed the incorporation of Cu ions into Nb sites in the LiNbO3 host lattice with divalent valence state. The detailed local structural analysis also confirmed that oxygen vacancies are present in the nearest coordination shell of the Cu atoms. The activated ferromagnetism in the Cu-doped LiNbO3 is intrinsic and probably originates from indirect interactions between the oxygen vacancies and dopant ions, which forms bound magnetic polarons and overlapping polaron orbitals, resulting in stable ferromagnetic ordering. These results present a practical method of triggering room temperature ferromagnetism in non-magnetic Cu element doped LiNbO3 systems with oxygen defects, which helps elucidate the origin of ferromagnetism in perovskite ferroelectric oxides.

This paper presents an experimental study on the dynamic compressive behaviour of polypropylene (PP) fibre reinforced concrete under various strain rates using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) equipment. The effects of PP fibre content and strain rate on the dynamic compressive stress-strain relationship and failure patterns were estimated. The results indicated that the addition of PP fibre enhanced the dynamic compressive properties of concrete mixtures although it resulted in a significant reduction in workability and a slight decrease in static compressive strength. Considering the workability, static compressive strength and dynamic compressive behaviour, the optimal PP fibre content was found to be 0.9 kg/m3 as the mixture exhibited the highest increase in dynamic compressive strength of 5.6%, 40.3% in fracture energy absorption and 11.1% in total energy absorption, further, it showed the least reduction (only 5.8%) in static compressive strength among all mixtures compared to the reference mixture without fibre. For all mixtures, the dynamic compressive properties, energy absorption capacity, strain at peak stress, ultimate strain and dynamic increase factor (DIF) were significantly influenced by strain rate, i.e., strain rate effect. When the strain rate was relatively low, PP fibres were effective in controlling the cracking, and the dynamic compressive properties of PP fibre reinforced mixtures were improved accordingly.

By using an As2Se3 based holey fiber (HF) with a normal flat dispersion profiles, a flattened and broadband mid-infrared super-continuum generation is analysed. The transmission of an ultra-short pulse in the HF is numerically simulated by solving the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation under various parameters. The simulation results show that, by launching a pulse with a width of 50 fs and a peak power of 4.25 kW at 4375 nm into the 6 mm-long HF, a flat and broadband super-continuum at 3 dB level is successfully generated. The super-continuum covers the wavelengths from 3866 to 5958 nm which is the largest flat bandwidth reported in such a short fiber.

The long-term load has great influence on the internal force distribution, deformation, bearing capacity and other mechanical properties of round-end concrete-filled steel tubular member. Parameter analysis is carried out on the influence coefficient kcr of the round-end concrete-filled steel tubular members under the influence of long-term effects. The parameter analysis results show slenderness ratio, concrete strength, steel content and load eccentricity have great impact on the influence coefficient kcr.

Mn4+ and/or Dy3+ doped Ca2LaTaO6 phosphors were prepared by a molten salt process. The phase and photoluminescence characteristics of the prepared phosphors were researched. The XRD patterns of the prepared phosphors coincide with the normative XRD pattern of Ca2LaTaO6, demonstrating that Mn4+ and Dy3+ ions doped into Ca2LaTaO6 host and formed solid solution with a single phase. For Dy3+ single doped Ca2LaTaO6 phosphors, they exhibit photoluminescence bands corresponding to 4F9/2 → 6H15/2, 6H13/2 and 6H11/2 transitions of Dy3+ while they are excited at 375 nm. For Mn4+ single doped Ca2LaTaO6 phosphors, they exhibit photoluminescence bands corresponding to 2Eg → 4A2g transitions of Mn4+ while they are excited at 321 nm Ca2LaTaO6:Mn4+/Dy3+ phosphors exhibit photoluminescence bands corresponding to transitions of Dy3+ and Mn4+ while they are excited at 375 nm. In Mn4+/Dy3+ codoped Ca2LaTaO6 phosphors, energy transfer from Dy3+ to Mn4+ occurred, which leads to the enhancements of Mn4+ photoluminescence.

A type of total internal reflection photonic crystal fiber (TIR-PCF) with high birefringence and multiple zero dispersion wavelengths is presented. The optical characteristics are numerically investigated by using the full-vector finite element method. Results show that, by setting the geometrical parameters, the mode birefringence can reach to 2.28 × 10−2 at the wavelength of 1.55 μm, and two zero-dispersion wavelength points appear in the infrared band, one of which emerges near the wavelength of 1.55 μm. It provides a new structure for large birefringence photonic crystal fiber with multiple zero-dispersion wavelengths, and it could be widely used in the fields of fiber polarization control, dispersion management, super-continuum generation and soliton propagation.

A high sensitivity temperature and magnetic sensor based on the micro-structured optical fiber (MOF) is proposed. According to the coupled-mode theory, by filling magnetic fluid and liquid ethanol in some air holes of the micro-structured fiber, the resonant wavelength (λR) is calculated. The drift of λR which reflects the changes in magnetic fields and temperatures is obtained. The results show that the sensor possesses high magnetic field and temperature sensitivity, which can reach 18.37 nm/Oe and 113.1 nm/°C respectively under certain temperature and magnetic field conditions. It provides some theoretical and technical support for the research of temperature and magnetic field precision sensor, to develop new research methods and ideas for fiber optic sensors, and to provide broader application prospects for devices based on micro-structured optical fiber.

Round-end concrete-filled steel tube (RCFST) columns have been applied to bridge structures. There is not the formula of RCFST under the eccentric load in code. Based on the equation of axial force and moment, the basic correlation equations of the strength and stability capacity of concrete-filled steel tube under the eccentric load are obtained through theoretical derivation. Formula results compared with finite element simulation results show results are in good agreement.

Round-end concrete-filled steel tube (RCFST) columns have been applied to bridge structures. There is not the formula of RCFST under axial load in code. Based on the unified theory, the basic form of strength and stability capacity correlation equations of concrete-filled steel tube under axial load is obtained through the theoretical derivation. The formula results compared with finite element simulation results show results are in good agreement.

Research on the isolation and preparation of anthocyanins has intensified in recent years because of the requirements of quantitative and bioactive analyses. However, simple and effective methods for the scale purification of pure anthocyanins from natural products are rarely reported. In this study, high-purity anthocyanin mixtures and monomers were successfully isolated from wild blueberries using a combination of column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. We established an effective elution system to separate high-purity anthocyanin mixtures with aqueous ethanol containing 0.01% HCl first in an Amberlite XAD-7HP column (ethanol/H2O=35:65) and then in a Sephadex LH-20 column (ethanol/H2O=25:75). Crude anthocyanin extracts were isolated using the Amberlite column, and a purity of 32% was obtained based on UV-vis analysis. Three fractions of anthocyanin mixtures were isolated from the crude extracts using the Sephadex column with purities ranging from 59% to 68%. Three pure monomeric anthocyanins of malvidin-3-O-glucoside, petunidin-3-O-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside were also isolated by semi-preparative HPLC and identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. The purities of these anthocyanins were determined by analytical HPLC and estimated to be 97.7%, 99.3%, and 95.4%, respectively. The results of this study may help promote the purification of anthocyanins from most blueberry varieties as well as from other plant materials.

Hepatic pregnancy is a very rare form of ectopic pregnancy, potentially life-threatening for the mother.A 33-year-old woman presented with intermittent pain in the upper abdomen of 5 days' duration. An abdominopelvic ultrasound scan was performed, which demonstrated hepatic pregnancy. Later, abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in coronal and axial confirmed the findings and delineated exactly the regional anatomy before surgery. Laparotomy was successfully performed according to the preoperative diagnosis.The application of imaging techniques (ultrasound, CT, and MRI scan) is very useful in hepatic pregnancy for defining the regional anatomy in greater detail and is critical in minimizing surgical injury.

PURPOSE To investigate and compare the integrity of white matter in heroin-addicted and healthy control subjects at different abstinent time using diffusion tensor imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed voxelwise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in 35 currently abstinent heroin abusers who were divided into long-term group (n = 17) and short-term group (n = 18) and 17 healthy volunteers. Measurements of FA and ADC of the identified regions (genu and splenium of corpus callosum, bilateral frontal lobe) were obtained from all subjects. RESULTS The FA at callosal splenium was higher in the long-term group than in the short-term group (P < 0.05). The FA at left prefrontal cortex was higher in the short-term group than in the long-term group (P < 0.05). No significant difference in ADC was found among the 3 groups. The education history had a positive correlation with the FA value on the gena of corpus callosum (r = 0.402, P = 0.017). Months of abstinence had a negative correlation with left frontal FA (r = -0.366, P = 0.03) and a positive correlation with splenium FA (r = 0.348, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Heroin abuse seems to alter white matter microstructure differentially in long-term and short-term heroin addicts. This study will contribute to the current literature by examining the quality of white matter fiber structure in heroin abstinence.

Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SF-CO 2 ) extraction (SFE) of flavonoids from Maydis stigma and its nitrite-scavenging ability were investigated. The effects of extraction time, particle size and co-solvent composition in terms of water content in ethanol were first optimized. Then, a Box–Behnken design combined with response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the effects of three independent variables (temperature, pressure and co-solvent amount) on the extraction yield of flavonoids. A maximal extraction yield of flavonoids of approximately 4.24 mg/g of M. stigma by SFE was obtained under optimal conditions (a temperature of 50.88 °C, a pressure of 41.80 MPa, a co-solvent amount of 2.488 mL/g and an extraction time of 120 min with 0.4-mm particle sizes and 20% aqueous ethanol as the co-solvent). Furthermore, the nitrite-scavenging ability of the flavonoid-enriched SFE extracts was assessed using the Griess reagent. The flavonoid-enriched SFE extracts exhibited the highest scavenging ability on nitrite (88.1 ± 3.04%) at the concentration of 500 μg/mL and at pH 3.0. The nitrite-scavenging ability of the extracts appeared to be concentration dependent but negatively correlated with the pH.

Aim of this study Corn silk is a traditional herbal medicine in China, which has been used in many parts of the world for the treatment of edema as well as for cystitis, gout, kidney stones, nephritis, prostatitis and similar ailments. However, there is little scientific evidence about its safety. As a part of its safety assessment, a subchronic toxicity was performed in this paper. Methods The subchronic toxicity was investigated in male and female Wistar rats by dietary administration at concentrations of 0.5%, 2.0% and 8.0% (w/w) for 90 days. Overall health, body weight, food consumption, hematology, blood chemistry, organ weights, gross and microscopic appearance of tissues were compared between test and control groups. Results A number of significant differences were seen between groups, but none of them was considered to be adverse. Based on the present study, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of corn silk is at least 8.0% which corresponds to a mean daily corn silk intake of approximately 9.354 and 10.308 g/day/kg body weight for males and females, respectively. Conclusion The results obtained in the present study suggest that consumption of corn silk has no adverse effects and support the safety of corn silk for humans.

Nano-graphite was mixed in Nano-diamond powder and cellulose or other organic vehicles to fabricate paste for screen-printed film. Through special thermal-sintering technique and post-treatment process, Nano-diamond emission tip was sharp and distributed uniformly over the surface. A pressure sensor based on Nano-diamond film was designed and simulated. According to Fowelr Nordheim equation, the physics model was established. Under the fixed voltage U which arrived field emission, an additional force d F acted the anode metal of sensor resulted in the micro-deformation decreasing d S between anode cathode, the E increased refer to formula E = U / S , and resulted in the emission current density's micro-deformation increasing d J . The differ-mold scale magnifying circuit magnified the interacted information. Result of MATLAB simulation indicated that the change of d J /d S with d F /d S was linear. The result satisfied the stability requirement of sensor.

The aim of this study was to identify potential angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide from egg white protein. The protein was hydrolysed by Alcalase and the hydrolysates were isolated with Gel filtration to get the high activity fraction. The fraction was identified by LC tandem mass spectrometric 4000 Q Trap MS. In the current work, 19 peptides were discovered in the fractions, five of which sourced from ovotransferrin and were synthesised by Fmoc solid phase method. ACE-inhibitory activity was measured by HPLC assay. The 50% inhibitory concentrations of Arg–Val–Pro–Ser–Leu (RVPSL) was 20 μM. Based on this remarkable ACE-inhibitory activity, it is suggested that RVPSL may have potential applications as a functional food, which could be used as nutraceutical compounds.

Electrical emission in mortar under low compressive loading was investigated in this paper. Electrical emission in mortar is apparent even under the compressive stress less than 30% of compressive strength. Under uniaxial trapezoid load, there are two sinesoids associated with the loading and unloading phases, respectively. With the loading rate increasing, the amplitude of electrical emission increases. The mechanisms of the electrical emission in mortar under low compressive stress include the opening of microcrack, the flow of liquid in mortar, and the charge leakage. The electrical emission under cyclic loading was also studied. An understanding of the electrical emissions may lead to practical applications such as the nondestructive testing of concrete.

Background: Anthocyanins have been proven to affect multiple cancer-associated processes in different cancer cell lines. However, relatively few studies have investigated the effects of blueberry anthocyanins on metastatic melanoma. Thus, this study focuses on evaluating the chemopreventive potential of blueberry anthocyanins and their aglycones (anthocyanidins) in B16-F10 melanoma cells. Methods: Blueberry anthocyanin and anthocyanidin extracts were prepared mainly by combined chromatography techniques. Their antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects on B16-F10 cells were evaluated by MTT assay, calcein acetoxymethyl ester/propidium iodide (calcein-AM/PI) staining, and flow cytometry of the cell cycle and apoptosis. Results: The MTT and calcein-AM/PI staining results showed that both anthocyanin (purity of 62.5%) and anthocyanidin (75.1%) extracts could significantly inhibit the viability and proliferation of B16-F10 cells in a dose-dependent manner, while anthocyanidin extracts exhibited significantly higher (p

The present research, in light of the comparison between the narrative techniques, aesthetic thoughts and themesof Poe’s works with those of Modernist writers, attempts to argue that Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the famousAmerican short story writer, poet and critic, is one of the most important forerunners of Modernism and thatPoe’s works have provided the writers in the mainstream of the Modernist movements with literary inspirationsand theoretical bases. Both the works of Poe and those by the Modernist writers depicted the alienated andisolated characters subject to self-fragmentation and self-destruction in a world of wasteland devoid of anymeaning and significance. Poe’s strong sense of spiritual alienation and isolation in society embodied in hisliterary protagonists provided a perfect model for the Modernists. The Poe-cult was initiated by CharlesBaudelaire, the French Symbolist poet, but his influence upon Modernism spread to the major “isms” in theEuropean continent where Expressionism, Symbolism, Surrealism, Futurism and Stream of Consciousness burstinto fabulous flower on the stage of literature and art.

Nano-SiC film optics gap has great effects on the improvement of amorphous silicon solar cells. The quality of Nano-SiC film directly affects the open circuit voltage of solar cells and short circuit current. In this paper, sol-gel method was adopted to fabricated SiC film. The thermal sintering process of Nano-SiC film was studied, the SiC films were micro-analyzed by SEM and the I-V characteristics of solar cells with different SiC layers were tested.