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Background: Exposure to chronic psychological stress (CPS) is a risk factor for thrombotic cardiocerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs). The expression and activity of the cysteine cathepsin K (CTSK) are upregulated in stressed cardiovascular tissues, and we investigated whether CTSK is involved in chronic stress-related thrombosis, focusing on stress serum-induced endothelial apoptosis. Methods and results: Eight-week-old wild-type male mice (CTSK+/+) randomly divided to non-stress and 3-week restraint stress groups received a left carotid artery iron chloride3 (FeCl3)-induced thrombosis injury for biological and morphological evaluations at specific timepoints. On day 21 post-stress/injury, the stress had enhanced the arterial thrombi weights and lengths, in addition to harmful alterations of plasma ADAMTS13, von Willebrand factor, and plasminogen activation inhibitor-1, plus injured-artery endothelial loss and CTSK protein/mRNA expression. The stressed CTSK+/+ mice had increased levels of injured arterial cleaved Notch1, Hes1, cleaved caspase8, matrix metalloproteinase-9/-2, angiotensin type 1 receptor, galactin3, p16IN4A, p22phox, gp91phox, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, TNF-α, MCP-1, and TLR-4 proteins and/or genes. Pharmacological and genetic inhibitions of CTSK ameliorated the stress-induced thrombus formation and the observed molecular and morphological changes. In cultured HUVECs, CTSK overexpression and silencing respectively increased and mitigated stressed-serum- and H2O2-induced apoptosis associated with apoptosis-related protein changes. Recombinant human CTSK degraded γ-secretase substrate in a dose-dependent manor and activated Notch1 and Hes1 expression upregulation. Conclusions: CTSK appeared to contribute to stress-related thrombosis in mice subjected to FeCl3 stress, possibly via the modulation of vascular inflammation, oxidative production and apoptosis, suggesting that CTSK could be an effective therapeutic target for CPS-related thrombotic events in patients with CCVDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy harvesters provide excellent solutions for the power supply problem of wireless sensor nodes (WSNs), and energy harvesters with a wider bandwidth will clearly better serve WSNs and assist in the construction of Industry 4.0. However, the bearing of rectifiers on the load bandwidth of energy harvesters has rarely been investigated. This paper focuses on the impact of diverse rectifiers on the load electrical response of an electromagnetic energy harvester in the sweep mode of experiments, especially on the load bandwidth. The rectifiers were set as a half-wave rectifier and a full-bridge rectifier, respectively, and two different rectifier diodes were adopted in the experiment. The experimental results suggest that the half-wave rectifier exhibited certain advantages especially in the bandwidth field. If a full-bridge rectifier using high-speed switching diodes is replaced with a half-wave rectifier using Schottky diodes under the load resistance of 100 Ω, the load bandwidth will increase by almost 1.9 times. A preliminary analysis of the experimental results is provided at length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of Fano resonances is of critical importance to opto-electronic and all-optical switching devices, light delay and storage, high sensitivity sensors, and quantum information processors. In this paper, we experimentally and theoretically demonstrate that controllable electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like and Fano resonances can be achieved in a single quasi-cylindrical microresonator (QCMR). Robust and selective excitation of localized axial modes in a high quality QCMR is firstly demonstrated. Based on this stable platform, EIT-like lineshapes can be tuned and converted into Fano resonances by vertically moving the resonator. Moreover, by horizontally scanning the resonator, the transmission spectrum exhibits periodically changed Fano-like lineshapes. It is reported for the first time that the above two kinds of Fano resonances originated from different mechanisms can work on the same mode simultaneously. Our approach, demonstrated in this work, provides a robust photonic platform for accessing, controlling, and engineering the Fano resonances.

Microsphere resonators supporting whispering gallery modes (WGMs) have been extensively applied for considerable fields including narrow linewidth filters, high-sensitivity sensors, and nonlinear optics. We numerically demonstrate a coated microsphere resonator with three layers of high, low, high refractive-index (RI) from inside to outside. A phase matched waveguide is used to overlap the WGMs evanescent radiation field. Eigen-mode, relative intensity spectra, electromagnetic (EM) field distributions are observed to analyze resonant characteristics of WGMs by using the finite difference time domain method. As a result, two brilliant rings with strong EM fields distribute in two high-RI layers. By optimizing the gap distance between the microsphere and waveguide, the WGMs of two high-RI layer are efficiently excited. More energy is stored in such a structure rather than a single-layer-coated microsphere. Our approach provides the RI sensing application with such a triple-layer-coated structure.

Background Additional payment approach has been one of the most important incentives in long-term care (LTC) systems for the past 20 years in Japan. Objective To estimate the effect of additional payments on functional decline in long-term care health facility (LTCHF) residents of Japan. Design A 24-month retrospective cohort study. Setting and subjects Residents aged ≥65 years who were newly admitted to LTCHFs in the 2014 fiscal year. Methods National LTC claims data were linked to the survey of institutions and establishments for LTC. Competing risk regression was performed with functional decline as the primary outcome, and additional payments as exposure, controlling for individual and facility characteristics. The level of LTC needs certified in the LTC insurance system was applied as a proxy of functional ability. Death, hospitalisation, discharge to home and transfer to other LTC facilities were treated as competing events. Individual- and facility-level additional payments were presented as binary variables: being reimbursed or not during the follow-up period. Results At baseline, 146,311 residents from 3,724 LTCHFs were included. The vast majority of additional payments were associated with a lower risk of functional decline at follow-up. At the individual level, additional payment for pre/post admission instructions had the strongest association with a lower risk of functional decline. Despite this, only 8% of residents were reimbursed for this additional payment. At the facility level, residents in LTCHFs with additional payments for support for home-life resumption and nutritional management were associated with a decreased risk of functional decline. Conclusions The results of our study may be of particular interest to policymakers in monitoring and evaluating additional payment approaches and provide insight into improving quality of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically and numerically investigate the stability and transient attraction dynamics of flat-top solitons (or platicons) in normal group velocity dispersion (GVD) microcavity via modulation-assisted four wave mixing instead of mode interaction. The spatial bifurcation structure of the stationary states depending on modulation power, pump power and cavity detuning is mapped, indicating a significantly extended existence range by the modulation-assisted approach. We explore the transformation between discrete energy spectrum of dark solitons and a quasi-continuous spectrum of platicons with and without a third-order dispersion and identify the connections between these two states. Robust trapping and manipulation of temporal platicons is also verified by implementation of phase modulation, and explained by transient attraction dynamics. One may manipulate the duration of the pulse by varying modulation power, pump power, or cavity detuning. Specifically, the effect of high-order dispersion on Kerr frequency comb generation is studied, and the results show that different orders of GVD term affect the 3dB comb bandwidth, repetition rate, spectral position of dispersive waves, as well as temporal profile and pulse peak power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fano-like lineshapes in whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) microresonators are of critical for many actual applications, such as high-sensitivity sensors, slow light, and optical switches. In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate dynamic transmission lineshapes, including Lorentzian lineshapes, Fano-like lineshapes and gain-like lineshapes, with a simple system, where a surface nanoscale axial photonic (SNAP) microbottle is coupled to the transition of a tapered fiber by carefully choosing tapered fiber diameters. Controlled and robust coupling with a clean and almost equidistant spectrum for different axial modes is achieved while maintaining contact between the resonator and the taper. Our device offers five similar dynamic transmission lineshapes arranged in order simultaneously, demonstrating stable tuning and a high number of potential degrees of freedom in contrast to other coupling systems for single- or double-coupled microresonators. By using coupled-mode theory, these transmission lineshapes are fitted to explain these experiment observations. We also explore a tunable transmission spectra obtained by increasing the powers of the input laser. Our approach hold unique potential in sensitivity-enhanced sensing, quantum information processing, and all-optical switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]