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This paper presents the characteristics of HgCdTe mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) electron-initiated avalanche photodiodes (e-APDs) as a function of temperature under different biases. The devices show a low dark current density of the order of ${10^{ - 7}} \text{A/cm}^2$ at 80 K when the reverse bias voltage is below 4 V, with an exponential gain above 100 at − 8 V. Low excess noise factor of around 1.2 is also demonstrated for the devices at 80 K. The dark current and gain characteristics at different temperatures are analyzed, along with the device simulation results. A varied-temperature impact ionization model for MWIR e-APD devices is adopted based on the experimental results. In addition, a significant increase of the dark current in the APD device is observed at high temperature under large reverse bias, which can be associated with the local electric field redistribution due to the accumulation of holes in the depletion region at high temperatures. The analysis presented in this work paves the way to achieve a high operating temperature (HOT) of the HgCdTe APD with further optimization.

Background Ginsenoside Rg3, isolated from Panax ginseng, has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. It is known to reduce inflammation in acute lung injury in mice, and to reduce the expression of inflammatory cytokines and COX-2 in human asthmatic airway epithelium. In this study, we attempted to determine whether ginsenoside Rg3 inhibits airway inflammation, oxidative stress, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in the lungs of asthmatic mice. We also investigated its effects on oxidative stress and the inflammatory response in tracheal epithelial cells. Methods Asthma symptoms were induced in female BALB/c mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA). Mice were divided into five groups: normal controls, OVA-induced asthmatic controls, and asthmatic mice treated with ginsenoside Rg3 or prednisolone by intraperitoneal injection. Inflammatory BEAS-2B cells (human tracheal epithelial cells) treated with ginsenoside Rg3 to investigate its effects on inflammatory cytokines and oxidative responses. Results Ginsenoside Rg3 treatment significantly reduced eosinophil infiltration, oxidative responses, airway inflammation, and AHR in the lungs of asthmatic mice. Ginsenoside Rg3 reduced Th2 cytokine and chemokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and lung. Inflammatory BEAS-2B cells treated with ginsenoside Rg3 reduced the eotaxin and pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions, and monocyte adherence to BEAS-2B cells was significantly reduced as a result of decreased ICAM-1 expression. Furthermore, ginsenoside Rg3 reduced the expression of reactive oxygen species in inflammatory BEAS-2B cells. Conclusion Ginsenoside Rg3 is a potential immunomodulator that can ameliorate pathological features of asthma by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation, Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Ginsenoside Rg3 reduced eosinophil infiltration, and airway hyperresponsiveness in the lungs of asthmatic mice. • Ginsenoside Rg3 inhibited oxidative responses in the lungs. • Ginsenoside Rg3 reduced the levels of Th2 cytokines in BALF and lung. • Ginsenoside Rg3 inhibited monocyte cell adherence to tracheal epithelial cells. • Ginsenoside Rg3 reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in tracheal epithelial cells.

In a classical metasurface-based holographic display system, a clear holographic reconstruction image can be obtained only in the back-focal-plane of the lens. However, when the receiving plane deviates from the focal plane, the reconstructed holographic image suffers from degradations that limit the quality of the images. Hence, we propose a novel metasurface-based holographic display to realize clearly continuous imaging within the specified position range by superimposing the meta-axilens phase. It can effectively relieve the alignment requirements of the imaging system. Firstly, the parameters and properties of all-dielectric meta-atom is analyzed. Then we compare and demonstrate two sets of metasurface-based optical elements (meta-axicon, meta-lens, and meta-axilens), made by silicon meta-atoms working at 610 nm. Furthermore, we show that the metasurface hologram with the axilens phase can form a series of the relatively clear holographic images away from the focal plane. Our proposal suggests a method to reconstruct holographic wavefront in different planes simultaneously, and one can find their application domain, such as 3D biological imaging, spectroscopy, optical information storage, and encryption.

Phase retrieval is to calculate the phase from the direct information of the intensity of focus and defocus. Classical methods include the phase retrieval algorithm based on the transport of intensity equation (TIE) and iteration. The phase retrieval algorithm based on TIE can directly obtain the absolute phase without reference beam and phase unwrapping but is sensitive to noise. On the other hand, the intensity difference method needs to be used to approximate the intensity differential when solving the algorithm. Therefore, the defocus distance between intensity images has great influence on the accuracy of retrieval results. The phase retrieval algorithm based on TIE will be limited if it is extended to the phase retrieval of large objects. In order to widen its application range, an adaptive phase retrieval algorithm based on convolutional neural network under all defocus distances is proposed. The new algorithm consists of two important components: phase retrieval algorithm module and convolutional neural network optimization module. Firstly, the preliminary retrieval results are obtained by the phase retrieval algorithm module at different defocus distances, and then the accuracy of the results is further improved by the convolutional neural network module. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is not only suitable for different defocus distances but also has good accuracy and stability.

As artificially designed two-dimensional (2D) arrays of subwavelength nanostructures, metasurfaces provide a new avenuefor the design of static planar optics. However, one would prefer a dynamic modulation of the metasurface in the event of practical applications. As a potentially important technique for information security, meta-holographic encryption has the characteristics of subwavelength pixels, precise control, and high safety factor. In this paper, by integrating birefringent liquid crystals (LCs) with all-dielectric metasurfaces in combination with visual cryptography (VC), we demonstrate a tunable metasurface with an information encryption function in the visible range. In the encryption process, the secret image is hidden in a set of unidentifiable and orthogonal arranged phase-only meta-holograms with high security of concealment. In the decryption process, the generated meta-hologram is illuminated by a plane wave and an electric field across the LC layer is applied to superimpose the reconstructed holographic patterns, thus we could acquire the secret image. Therefore, the decryption method can be flexibly and sufficiently adjusted with applied field under monitorable condition. For this reason, it is useful in enhancing the diversity of information hiding methods and improving the security of information. Our method can be extended to other similar applications.

In this work, we mainly apply the cloud infrastructure (IaaS) and virtualization technology to provide the construction services of a green energy management system. First of all, we used MySQL Cluster database technology to build a data storage system which can solve the challenge of large demand. Digital electricity meter data and environmental information are collected efficiently and quickly in the proposed green energy management system. Next, a virtualized user-interface is provided by graphical presentation to facilitate data analysis. Finally, we control the electricity equipment to reduce Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and the overall power consumption target-based on this virtualized user-interface of the data analysis.

BACKGROUND Immunosuppression is an important factor in the incidence of infections in transplant recipient. Few studies are available on the management of immunosuppression (IS) treatment in the liver transplant (LT) recipients complicated with infection. The aim of this study is to describe our experience in the management of IS treatment during bacterial bloodstream infection (BSI) in LT recipients and assess the effect of temporary IS withdrawal on 30 d mortality of recipients presenting with severe infection. AIM To assess the effect of temporary IS withdrawal on 30 d mortality of LT recipients presenting with severe infection. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted with patients diagnosed with BSI after LT in the Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017. All recipients diagnosed with BSI after LT were included. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis of risk factors for 30 d mortality was conducted in the LT recipients with Gram-negative bacterial (GNB) infection. RESULTS Seventy-four episodes of BSI were identified in 70 LT recipients, including 45 episodes of Gram-positive bacterial (GPB) infections in 42 patients and 29 episodes of GNB infections in 28 patients. Overall, IS reduction (at least 50% dose reduction or cessation of one or more immunosuppressive agent) was made in 28 (41.2%) cases, specifically, in 5 (11.9%) cases with GPB infections and 23 (82.1%) cases with GNB infections. The 180 d all-cause mortality rate was 18.5% (13/70). The mortality rate in GNB group (39.3%, 11/28) was significantly higher than that in GPB group (4.8%, 2/42) (P = 0.001). All the deaths in GNB group were attributed to worsening infection secondary to IS withdrawal, but the deaths in GPB group were all due to graft-versus-host disease. GNB group was associated with significantly higher incidence of intra-abdominal infection, IS reduction, and complete IS withdrawal than GPB group (P < 0.05). Cox regression showed that rejection (adjusted hazard ratio 7.021, P = 0.001) and complete IS withdrawal (adjusted hazard ratio 12.65, P = 0.019) were independent risk factors for 30 d mortality in patients with GNB infections after LT. CONCLUSION IS reduction is more frequently associated with GNB infection than GPB infection in LT recipients. Complete IS withdrawal should be cautious due to increased risk of mortality in LT recipients complicated with BSI. IS

The performance of the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe photodetectors with nBn structure is susceptible to the thickness of barrier layer and the huge mismatch of the energy band between the barrier layer and the absorption layer. Herein, a numerical simulation analysis for LWIR HgCdTe nBn device is carried out to present an enhanced performance with optimized structural and physical parameters (including thickness, doping concentration, and composition). The results provide that the valence band-offset (VBO) could be reduced by structure optimization, and could greatly improve the transport properties of photogenerated carriers. In addition, the effect of composition diffusion caused by the annealing process has also been studied to demonstrate that larger composition diffusion leads to a much higher dark current. The model and calculation results established in this article can provide important theoretical support and guidance for further researches of LWIR HgCdTe nBn devices.

Introduction and objectives Glucocorticoid resistance frequently associating with inflammation, may severely compromise the therapeutic effect of glucocorticoids. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulation of glucocorticoid resistance by microRNA-124a (miR-124a) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Materials and methods The miR-124a levels and glucocorticoid receptor alpha (GRα) expressions in peripheral blood monocytes and liver tissues were measured by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), flow cytometry, and western blot analyses in the following four groups: healthy controls (HC), moderate chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, hepatitis B virus-related ACLF (HBV-ACLF) patients, and alcohol-induced ACLF (A-ACLF) patients. In addition, the serum miR-124a levels and multiple biochemical indices were determined. The effects of miR-124a transfection on GRα expression were assayed by qRT-PCR and western blotting in U937 and HepG2 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results Compared with the CHB patients and HC, the miR-124a levels in HBV-ACLF and A-ACLF patients increased, while GRα expressions decreased. No significant differences in miR-124a levels and GRα expressions were observed between the HBV-ACLF and A-ACLF patients. For the ACLF patients, miR-124a level was negatively related to GRα expression in monocytes and positively correlated with the inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). In U937 and HepG2 cells, LPS stimulated miR-124a levels but inhibited GRα expressions; meanwhile, increasing miR-124a levels reduced GRα expressions, and inhibiting miR-124a levels increased GRα expressions. Conclusions This study provides evidence that GRα expression was negatively regulated by miR-124a, which primarily determines the extent of acquired glucocorticoid resistance in ACLF.

Background: The intricate relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suggests that insulin is involved in modulating AD-related proteins. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) can improve insulin resistance (IR) in diabetic rats. However, the role of ALA in alleviating the cognitive decline of T2DM is not yet clear. This study examined the ameliorative effect of ALA on cognitive impairment, cerebral IR, and synaptic plasticity abnormalities in high-fat diet (HFD) plus streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.Methods: The HFD/STZ-induced T2DM male Wistar rats were orally administered with ALA (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg BW) once a day for 13 weeks. Abilities of cognition were measured with a passive avoidance test and Morris water maze. Specimens of blood and brain were collected for biochemical analysis after the rats were sacrificed. Western blotting was used to determine protein expressions in the hippocampus and cortex in the insulin signaling pathways, long-term potentiation (LTP), and synaptic plasticity-related protein expressions.Results: Alpha-lipoic acid improved hyperinsulinemia and the higher levels of free fatty acids of the T2DM rats. Behavioral experiments showed that the administration of ALA improved cognitive impairment in HFD/STZ-induced T2DM rats. ALA ameliorated insulin-related pathway proteins [phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phospho-protein kinase B (pAkt)/Akt, and insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE)] and the LTP pathway, as well as synaptic plasticity proteins (calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, cyclic AMP response element-binding protein, and postsynaptic density protein-95) of the cerebral cortex or hippocampus in HFD/STZ-induced T2DM rats.Conclusion: Our findings suggested that ALA may ameliorate cognition impairment via alleviating cerebral IR improvement and cerebral synaptic plasticity in diabetic rats.

Tacrolimus (FK506) and rapamycin (RAPA) are widely used to maintain long‐term immunosuppression after organ transplantation. However, the impact of accumulative drug administration on the recipients’ immune systems remains unclear. We investigated the impact of 3‐year FK506 or RAPA treatment after renal transplantation on the human immune systems. A discovery cohort of 30 patients was first recruited, and we discovered two distinctive T lineage suppressive regulatory patterns induced by chronic treatment of FK506 and RAPA. The increased percentage of senescent CD8+CD57+ T lineages and less responsive T cell receptor (TCR) pathway in the FK506 group indicate better graft acceptance. Meanwhile, percentages of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and expression of CTLA‐4 were both up to two‐fold higher in the RAPA group, suggesting the inconsistent reactivation potential of the FK506 and RAPA groups when an anti‐tumour or anti‐infection immune response is concerned. Additionally, up‐regulation of phosphorylated signaling proteins in T lineages after in vitro CD3/CD28 stimulation suggested more sensitive TCR‐signaling pathways reserved in the RAPA group. An independent validation cohort of 100 renal transplantation patients was further investigated for the hypothesis that long‐term RAPA administration mitigates the development of tumours and infections during long‐term intake of immunosuppressants. Our results indicate that RAPA administration indeed results in less clinical oncogenesis and infection. The deep phenotyping of T‐cell lineages, as educated by the long‐term treatment of different immunosuppressants, provides new evidence for personalized precision medicine after renal transplantations., Graphical Highlights 1. Different impacts of FK506 and RAPA on immune systems of renal transplantation recipients lead to different cell subsets involved in immunosuppression. 2. The suppressive subsets in the FK506 group are mainly CD57+ senescent T cells, percentage of which was about half in the RAPA group, and TCR signaling pathway is less likely to be activated under CD3/CD28 stimulation. 3. Meanwhile, the percentage of regulatory T cells and the expression of CTLA‐4 were more abundant in the RAPA group.

BackgroundPrevious study revealed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have an effect on gut microbiota. Alteration of the microbiome causes changes of the host immune system and then induces the development of autoimmune diseases (ADs). This study aimed to explore the possible association between PPIs use and ADs.MethodsThis study was conducted using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database in the period between 2002 and 2015. We performed multivariate and stratified analysis through the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the association between proton pump inhibitor use and the risk of autoimmune diseases.ResultsOf the 297,099 patients treated with PPI identified, the overall mean (SD) age was 49.17 (15.63) years and 56.28% of the subjects was male. As compared with the non-PPI group, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) were higher for incident organ specific ADs such as Graves disease (aHR=3.28), Hashmoto thyroiditis (aHR=3.61), autoimmune hemolytic anemia (aHR=8.88), immune thrombocytopenic purpura (aHR=5.05) Henoch-Schonlein pupura (aHR=4.83) and Myasthenia gravis (aHR=8.73). Furthermore, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) were also higher for incident systemic ADs such as ankylosing spondylitis (aHR=3.67), rheumatoid arthritis (aHR=3.96), primary Sjogren syndrome (aHR=7.81), systemic lupus erythemtoasus (aHR=7.03). systemic vasculitis (aHR=5.10), psoriasis (aHR=2.57), systemic scleroderma (aHR=15.85) and inflammatory myopathy (aHR=37.40). Furthermore, we observed no dose-dependent effect between PPI use and the risk of ADs.ConclusionsOur retrospective population-based cohort study showed that the prescription of proton pump inhibitors is associated with a higher risk of ADs.

With the rapid development of networks and Information technologies, cloud computing is not only becoming popular, the types of cloud services available are also increasing. Through cloud services, users can upload their requirements via the Internet to the cloud environment and receive responses following post-processing, for example, with cloud storage services. Software-Defined Storage (SDS) is a virtualization technology for cloud storage services. SDS uses software to integrate storage resources and to improve the accessibility and usability of storage services. Currently, there are many different open source projects available for SDS development. This work aims to utilize these open source projects to improve the efficiency of integration for hardware and software resources. In other words, in this work, we propose a cloud storage system that integrates various open source SDS software to make cloud storage services more compatible and user friendly. The cloud service systems can also be managed in a more convenient and flexible manner. The experimental results demonstrate the benefits of the proposed system.

Objective We present a new system to track, manage, and report on all risks and issues encountered during a clinical trial. Materials and Methods Our solution utilizes JIRA, a popular issue and project tracking tool for software development, augmented by third-party and custom-built plugins to provide the additional functionality missing from the core product. Results The new system integrates all issue types under a single tracking tool and offers a range of capabilities, including configurable issue management workflows, seamless integration with other clinical systems, extensive history, reporting, and trending, and an intuitive web interface. Discussion and Conclusion By preserving the linkage between risks, issues, actions, decisions, and outcomes, the system allows study teams to assess the impact and effectiveness of their risk management strategies and present a coherent account of how the trial was conducted. Since the tool was put in production, we have observed an increase in the number of reported issues and a decrease in the median issue resolution time which, along with the positive user feedback, point to marked improvements in quality, transparency, productivity, and teamwork.

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia spp.) is one of the most important fruit crops in the world. Shaanxi is the largest kiwi fruit growing area in China. In this study, field investigation and virus detection showed that Citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV) commonly occurred in Shaanxi Province and the average incidence rate was 28.53%. In total, some 60 complete nucleotide sequences of movement protein (MP) and coat protein (CP) genes of CLBV were obtained from different regions of Shaanxi. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CLBV had obvious host specialization. The study of CLBV isolates in kiwi fruit preliminarily revealed that CLBV was not significantly associated with the host’s geographic location. The results provide important information for further clarifying the distribution and genetic diversity of CLBV in regions of kiwi fruit production in Shaanxi and lay the foundation for in-depth study of the molecular characteristics and epidemiology of the virus.

Background:In vitro cell experiments show that microRNA-21 downregulates the PTEN and PDCD4 tumor suppressor and promote melanoma cell proliferation and invasion. We examined microRNA-21, PTEN, and PDCD4 expressions in various melanoma cells as well as in melanoma specimens to define the actual expression profile of these tumor regulators. Materials and Methods: The microRNA-21, PTEN, and PDCD4 expressions in human keratinocytes and melanoma cells were analyzed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time RT-PCR and immunoblotting. PTEN and PDCD4 expressions in melanoma patients were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results: RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR assays showed that A375 melanoma cells, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-25), and SCC-4 skin squamous carcinoma cells expressed a higher level of microRNA-21 than HaCaT human keratinocytes. This inconsistent staining pattern of PTEN and PDCD4 in a melanoma tumor mass is not understandable, because the expression level of microRNA-21 in melanoma specimens are different. The expression of PDCD4 was not inversely correlated with the levels of microRNA-21 in these cells. In addition, we also found that only A2058 cells expressed low PTEN level and that A375, SCC-25, and SCC-4 cells expressed high PTEN levels. Furthermore, expression of PDCD4 was higher in the highly malignant B16F10 mouse melanoma cells than in B16 F0 cells; by contrast, both B16F0 and B16F10 cells expressed PTEN at high levels. Conclusion: Although PDCD4 and PTEN are targets of microRNA-21-dependent inhibition, PTEN and PDCD4 expressions are regulated in a more complex manner in skin cancer; not all microRNA-21-positive skin cancers certainly lose their normal PTEN and PDCD4 tumor suppressor functions.

This paper concerns a theoretical approach that combines topological data analysis (TDA) and sheaf theory. Topological data analysis, a rising field in mathematics and computer science, concerns the shape of the data and has been proven effective in many scientific disciplines. Sheaf theory, a mathematics subject in algebraic geometry, provides a framework for describing the local consistency in geometric objects. Persistent homology (PH) is one of the main driving forces in TDA, and the idea is to track changes in geometric objects at different scales. The persistence diagram (PD) summarizes the information of PH in the form of a multi-set. While PD provides useful information about the underlying objects, it lacks fine relations about the local consistency of specific pairs of generators in PD, such as the merging relation between two connected components in the PH. The sheaf structure provides a novel point of view for describing the merging relation of local objects in PH. It is the goal of this paper to establish a theoretic framework that utilizes the sheaf theory to uncover finer information from the PH. We also show that the proposed theory can be applied to identify the merging relations of local objects in digital images.

The HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) with built-in gain mechanism has great application prospects in the field of weak light signal detection. Any dark current will be converted into noise affecting the work efficiency of photodetectors. Therefore, the study of dark current mechanism is an important way to obtain high performance HgCdTe APD. In this paper, the photoelectric detection mechanism of planar junction electron injection HgCdTe APD is systematically studied, focusing on two aspects of structural optimization design and performance improvement. The dependence of device performance parameters on structure parameters is obtained by comparing the simulation results and experimental results. The lower the trap concentration, the smaller the dark current under small reverse bias voltage is, and the higher the operation voltage is. The dark current density of HgCdTe APD array is about 10-8 A/cm2 under small bias voltage. In addition to the material parameters, the dark current is mainly related to the internal electric field, which is affected by the width and doping concentration of the depletion region. The results show that device structure is the major determinant for the performance difference of HgCdTe APD. The structural optimization direction of high-performance HgCdTe APD is to further suppress the local electric field and reduce the dark current by adjusting the process.

HgCdTe has been shown to be the first semiconductor exhibiting single-carrier multiplication in avalanche photodiodes (APDs) up to gain values larger than 1000 and with close to zero excess noise. These results have opened a new windows for low-flux and versatile imaging. In this paper, we report the latest results on a 50μm pitch 128×128 array HgCdTe APDs with xcd=0.307 manufactured at SITP. Through optimizing the implantation parameters and annihilation parameters, the designed PIN junction structure could be obtained, and then the performance of APD device was improved. The APDs display a gain of 728 around 10V reverse bias, and the standard deviation of the gain was 18.3% of the mean gain of 113 at 7.8V. The GNDC is less than 100nA/cm2 at the bias

A spatial light modulator based on sub-wavelength gold grating structure, named GLCoS by us, has been devised and tested to meet the challenge of the high space-bandwidth product in holographic video display. A sample GLCoS has been made and its display color appears green. However, if it is to be a device of a display system, its color characteristics must be further investigated, that is, its ability to display RGB color and its color purity. There are two MIM (Metal-Insulator-Metal) in the GLCoS, sub-wavelength gold grating plus liquid crystal cell and aluminum electrode forms a hybridized MIM and sub-wavelength gold grating itself is a MIM acting as an open-end TM-FP (TM-Fabry-Perot) resonator. Based on our previous study involving GLCoS theoretical model, simulation software platform (FDTD plus CST Studio Suite) and an experimentally verified sample of single color, we seek an engineering way with simplicity and compatibility in the sense of the technique to investigate the red-green-blue (RGB) color display with GLCoS. Among the huge parameter space including the geometry and size of the structure, material, wavelength and light incident angle. We choose to change width of the slit, incident angle, LC (liquid crystal) birefringence to find the appropriate GLCoS spectral characteristics. The simulation results show that the dynamic modulation of the RGB phase can be achieved in the visible light band, and its amount of phase modulation is close to 2π and high chromatographic purity.

A multiview autostereoscopic display system using holographic projection is proposed, which solves the problem of reconstruction damage existing in the traditional display when the image is incompletely loaded. The elemental image (EI) captured from the 3D scene is encoded, and a single reconstructed scene is obtained by adding the phases of the blazed grating and the converging spherical wave. An imaging lens is introduced to control the position and size of the reconstructed scene, so that the reconstructed scene can be matched with the lenticular lens to generate parallax images. The effectiveness of this method was verified by optical experiments. Experimental results show that the system can generate parallax images, and compared with the traditional multiview autostereoscopic display, it can reproduce the complete scene when the image is incompletely loaded, which improves the stability of the imaging system.

An efficient design method based on the vector diffraction theory is presented for high numerical aperture achromatic imaging lenses (HADLs). Simultaneously achieving high numerical aperture and achromatic performance puts extremely demanding requirements on the design of HADLs. Therefor an efficient numerical technique is devised by combining the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with improved binary search algorithm and thus sets up a routing to facilitate the smooth connecting between vector diffraction computing with optimizing iteration. Furthermore by taking advantage of lens symmetry when optimizing the phase transmission function, tremendous computational resources saves. By taking advantage of FDTD rigorous electromagnetic computing and choosing carefully parameters, search strategy and objective function, optimal solution is obtained and the search time is very short. To validate the proposed method, a HADLs with focal length f=3.5um and numerical apertures (NA) of 0.753 is designed and focusing efficiency of over 30% across the visible light wavelength is obtained by numerical evaluation. A brief comparing with scalar diffraction theory is also carried out.

An ideal desired spatial light modulator that is capable of complex amplitude modulation will be one of the ultimate tools for holographic display. In this paper, an analytical method to overlap double-phase Fresnel holograms displayed on the phase-only spatial light modulators for synthesizing a complex Fresnel hologram is proposed. Two \(4f\) configurations with the phase-only spatial light modulator inserted in the Fourier plane are employed. Different programmable blazed phase gratings can be easily implemented by encoding their phase functions onto the spatial light modulators. We theoretically analyze the implementation of the proposed system based on Fourier optics. The effects introduced by the discrete pixelated nature of the spatial light modulator are assessed. A \(4f\) configuration of holographic display system based on two liquid crystals on silicons is designed to indicate the free position-shift of the hologram. Optical reconstructions yield satisfactory results.

In this paper, we propose a holographic capture and projection system of real objects based on tunable zoom lenses. Different from the traditional holographic system, a liquid lens-based zoom camera and a digital conical lens are used as key parts to reach the functions of holographic capture and projection, respectively. The zoom camera is produced by combing liquid lenses and solid lenses, which has the advantages of fast response and light weight. By electrically controlling the curvature of the liquid-liquid surface, the focal length of the zoom camera can be changed easily. As another tunable zoom lens, the digital conical lens has a large focal depth and the optical property is perfectly used in the holographic system for adaptive projection, especially for multilayer imaging. By loading the phase of the conical lens on the spatial light modulator, the reconstructed image can be projected with large depths. With the proposed system, holographic zoom capture and color reproduction of real objects can be achieved based on a simple structure. Experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed system. The proposed system is expected to be applied to micro-projection and three-dimensional display technology.

Few studies have concentrated on the prevalence and related factors of depression and falls among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou. A total of 335 participants aged ≥60 years were recruited by simple random sampling method. A structural equation model was applied to determine interrelationships between depression, falls and other variables. As high as 27.5% and 23.3% participants had reported depressive symptoms and falls, respectively. The path analysis showed the total effect (

The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation among teachers’ perceived acceptance of technological innovation, organisations’ innovation climate, and innovative teaching using information a...

Virus-like particles encapsulating HBV-RNA represent a serum biomarker for assessing viral replication activity in clinical practice. However, baseline levels of serum HBV-RNA and their associations with viral replicative intermediates and liver disease in phases of chronic hepatitis B remain unknown. In this cross-sectional study, 102 patients were categorized into immune-tolerant (IT), HBeAg-positive immune active (HBeAg+IA), inactive carrier (IC) and HBeAg-negative immune active (HBeAg-IA) phases. HBV-RNA in serum samples and in 66 paired liver biopsies were quantified and correlated with serum ALT levels, histopathological scores and the levels of other viral replicative intermediates. Mean levels of serum HBV-RNA differed among phases, with the highest levels among IT (6.78 ± 0.83 log10 copies mL-1 ) patients, followed by HBeAg+IA (5.73 ± 1.16 log10 copies mL-1 ), HBeAg-IA (4.52 ± 1.25 log10 copies mL-1 ) and IC (2.96 ± 0.40 log10 copies mL-1 ) patients. Serum HBV-RNA levels correlated with HBV DNA in all phases, although correlations with other viral replicative intermediates weakened or disappeared when cases were stratified into phases. Distinct compositions of viral products were found among phases: the ratio of HBsAg to serum HBV-RNA was highest in IC patients, while the ratio of serum HBV-RNA to intrahepatic HBV-RNA and the ratio of intrahepatic HBV-DNA to intrahepatic HBV-RNA were significantly higher in IT patients. In conclusion, baseline levels of HBV-RNA and the composition of viral replicative intermediates differ significantly across the natural course of chronic HBV infection. These findings shed light on the nature of viral replication and pathogenesis of disease among different phases of chronic HBV infection.

Ruellia tuberosa L. (RTL) has been used as a folk medicine for curing diabetes mellitus in East Asia decades. This study investigated the effect of RTL on hepatic detoxification enzyme expression in diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD) and intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes. Subsequently, rats received oral administrations of 100 or 400 mg kg−1 body weight RTL extract, in either water (RTLW) or ethanol (RTLE), once a day for 4 weeks. The real-time PCR analyses showed that abnormality of hepatic phase I and II detoxification enzyme expression was observed in diabetic rats. However, both RTLW and RTLE significantly normalized the expression of hepatic phase I detoxification enzymes such as CYP 2E1, and expression of phase II detoxification enzymes such as UGT 1A7 and GST M1 in diabetic rats. Furthermore, we found that fasting serum glucose, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) and the area under the curve of oral glucose tolerance test (AUCOGTT) levels were significantly reduced in both RTLW and RTLE treated diabetic rats. Moreover, both RTLW and RTLE significantly increased the activity of hepatic anti-oxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) in diabetic rats. The present study suggests that RTL may ameliorate abnormal hepatic detoxification function via alleviating hyperglycemia and enhancing hepatic antioxidant capacity in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic rats.

In this paper, we propose an optimized iterative algorithm for generating phase-only Fourier holograms based on quadratic phase. At the beginning of the iteration, we multiply the quadratic phase by the target image as the initial complex amplitude of the iteration, then during it iterates between the object domain and the spectral domain, we use a dynamic-compensation strategy to constrain the object plane. Numerical simulations show that the method has higher reconstruction quality than the Gerchberg–Saxton method based on the quadratic phase and a higher diffraction efficiency and contrast compared to the double constraint Gerchberg–Saxton method. Finally, the phase hologram is loaded onto the phase-only liquid crystal on silicon, optical experiments also prove the effectiveness of our method.

Background Fungal encephalitis is uncommon and sometimes fatal in liver transplant (LT) recipients. Early diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) fungal infections, especially aspergillosis, is difficult based on routine tests of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alone. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) as a new tool may help in this respect. Methods Shotgun metagenomics was used to detect pathogens in CSF of patients, who were clinically suspected of CNS infection. Sequencing was performed at BGIseq-50 platform (BGI, Shenzhen). Results NGS technique identified Aspergillus in CSF of 5 patients, who were suspected of CNS infection, although clinical symptoms of these patients varied dramatically. The resulting sequence reads corresponding to Aspergillus species ranged from 2 to 25, with genomic coverage ranging from 0.0003% to 0.0036%. Rapid identification of Aspergillus enabled early appropriate antifungal therapy, although 4 patients eventually died of severe infection. Conclusions This is the first study to highlight the utility of NGS in early diagnosis of CNS aspergillosis in LT recipients. This new tool may be helpful in improving the diagnosis of CNS aspergillosis.

The impacts of antidepressants on the pathogenesis of dementia remain unclear despite depression and dementia are closely related. Antidepressants have been reported may impair serotonin-regulated adaptive processes, increase neurological side-effects and cytotoxicity. An 'astroglio-centric' perspective of neurodegenerative diseases proposes astrocyte dysfunction is involved in the impairment of proper central nervous system functioning. Thus, defining whether antidepressants are harmful to astrocytes is an intriguing issue. We used an astrocyte cell line, primary cultured astrocytes and neuron cells, to identify the effects of 11 antidepressants which included selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, tricyclic antidepressants, a tetracyclic antidepressant, a monoamine oxide inhibitor, and a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor. We found that treatment with 10 μM sertraline and 20 μM paroxetine significantly reduced cell viability. We further explored the underlying mechanisms and found induction of the [Ca2+]i level in astrocytes. We also revealed that sertraline and paroxetine induced mitochondrial damage, ROS generation, and astrocyte apoptosis with elevation of cleaved-caspase 3 and cleaved-PARP levels. Ultimately, we validated these mechanisms in primary cultured astrocytes and neuron cells and obtained consistent results. These results suggest that sertraline and paroxetine cause astrocyte dysfunction, and this impairment may be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

This study aims to analyze the correlation (N=621) among tertiary students’ career planning, e-recruiting adoption acceptance, and employability awareness in Taiwan. Tertiary students’ perceived career planning includes four factors, namely, self-appraisal, job expectancy, goal selection, and problem solving. E-recruiting adoption acceptance includes four factors, namely, playfulness, ease of use, effectiveness, and usefulness. Employability awareness includes four factors, namely, personal adaptability , employability ambition, career identity, and labour market. Participants responded to a 5-point Likert-type scale for each factor. Analysis was conducted using the structural equation modeling (SEM), and a good model fit was found for both the measurement and structural models. Research findings demonstrate that tertiary students’ career planning significantly and directly influences employability awareness. Career planning significantly and indirectly influences employability awareness by e-recruiting adoption acceptance. Tertiary students’ career planning and e-recruiting adoption acceptance fit the influence model and empirical data of employability awareness. Implications of this study, including the value of student self-assessment of their skills and utility of the e-recruiting to underpin personal career development planning and inform graduate recruitment processes, are discussed and recommendations made.

Aims: To evaluate the HBeAg seroconversion rate in real clinical setting and explore its predictors in long-term nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods: 251 patients were recruited from January 2001 to September 2009 in four hospitals in Hebei province, China, for this retrospective study. Clinical and laboratory data before and after treatment with lamivudine (LAM, 100 mg daily), adefovir (ADV, 10 mg daily), telbivudine (LDT, 600 mg daily), entecavir (ETV, 0.5 mg daily), and LAM/ADV combination were compared among three groups according to treatment outcomes: synchronous HBeAg loss and HBeAg seroconversion, anti-HBe development after treatment, and no anti-HBe. Adherence was also evaluated. Results: In real clinical setting, cumulative HBeAg seroconversion rates were 14.3%, 32.7%, 43.0%, 46.9%, and 50.5% after 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 years, respectively. 45 patients (17.9%) were non-adherent. Adherence (p

Tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps (TLHB) involves various types of extracellular matrix degeneration, but previous studies have not evaluated elastic fibers. The purpose of this study was to investigate elastic fiber distribution in long head of the biceps (LHB). The TLHB tendons of 16 consecutive patients (eight men and eight women; average age of 55.75 years; age range of 40-71 years) were transected and harvested. Three cadaveric LHB tendons were used as the control group. The expression of collagen type I was decreased, but type III was increased in TLHB. Disruption of elastic fibers was particularly observed in grade II specimens where the level of elastase-positive staining was significantly higher than in grade I specimens. Elastic fibers were not observed in the grade III area, implying a higher expression of elastase than in the grade I area. Results of Western blotting showed that the expression of elastin was higher in the control group and the levels of elastin significantly decreased in grades II and III of TLHB. Levels of osteopontin and elastase were increased in primary culture of human tenocytes after experiencing elastic derived peptide treatment. These results suggested that elastase may be caused by the disruption of elastic fibers in the development of chronic tendinopathy and that elastic derived peptide may enhance elastase and osteopontin expression. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1919-1926, 2017.

A deep sub-wavelength metal grating is used to replace the top electrode of liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) to form a new structure of liquid crystal (LC) phase spatial light modulator (SLM), which to meet large spatial bandwidth product of dynamic holographic video display. Although the structure of this (gold) deep sub-wavelength grating-LC-metal electrode is similar to the geometry of the current LCOS, the physical mechanism is completely different, which we called it G-LCOS. In order to study the feasibility of the new G-LCOS for phase modulation of digital holographic display, based on previous calculation and simulation, we fabricate deep sub-wavelength gratings by using EBL and obtain a conceptual verification device by referring to the traditional LCOS process flow. In this paper, we present experimental investigations based on Michelson's interference principle on the phase modulation performance of this proof-of-concept device. The results show that the phase modulation of the structure can reach 1.2π. The slight disagreement between the theoretically predicted and the experimentally measured values for the G-LCOS phase modulation could be caused by the errors in the preparation process and measurement.

The optical properties of conventional optical components vary with wavelength. This leads to chromatic aberrations of optical components, and affects the accuracy and effectiveness of optical systems operating in wideband severely, especially in the visible band. The traditional optical design achieves achromatic result by bonding a plurality of lenses of different dispersion properties. The diffractive optical element (DOE) is characterized by miniaturization and light weight, which can realize functions such as array, integration, and arbitrary wave-front conversion. However, it is difficult to perform in conventional optical devices. In this paper, we can use diffractive lenses to achieve achromatic effects. A method of designing multi-wavelength achromatic lenses by using genetic algorithms combined with scalar diffraction theory is proposed. We use the focusing performance of different light wavelengths in the focal plane as the optimization condition. After several iterations, we finally get the optimal lens structure, and use this lens to do the simulation focusing experiment based on RGB three-color light. The simulation results show that the achromatic lens can focus the red, green and blue light to a point in space. In addition, the achromatic lens can be on the order of microns in diameter. Therefore, such a lens has a smaller volume, which is difficult to achieve with conventional lenses.

Metasurfaces, a type of metamaterials with ultrathin thickness, have drawn tremendous attention in recent years due to their extraordinary flexibility to manipulate the light at subwavelength scale. It is useful in implementing various optical functions with a set of elements. A typical application of the metasurface is the holographic imaging, and one key parameter for the realization of holographic imaging is its optical efficiency. In this paper, we demonstrate the optimized holographic imaging by using the metasurface coded with a combined phase distribution. Firstly, the phase hologram is generated by Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm and the blazed grating is formed by introducing a periodic linear phasegradient distribution. Then the phase profile of the hologram is superimposed with the phase of blazed grating to generate a new phase distribution. Benefiting from the advantage of high efficiency for the desired light-manipulation, the metasurface based on the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure with different geometric parameters was utilized to cover the phase shift of 0 to 2π for encoding the generated phase distribution. The structure consists of a four-level quantized metallic Au nanorods elements separated by dielectric layers of SiO2 with the Au substrate, so a macro cell of our metasurface consists of 16 (=4× 4) subwavelength meta-atom, which are made of the Au nanorods with different width. The simulated far-filed patterns are calculated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Compared to previous metasurface, our structure preferentially steer incident energy into the desired first order diffracted beam with the help of the equivalent of the blazed grating. And the optimized holographic imaging results could be achieved.

Introduction Tigecycline (TGC) is effective for the infections caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) in adults, but it is not investigated systematically in children because of concern about adverse effects. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of TGC in treating CRGNB infections in children after receiving liver transplant. Methods The subjects in this retrospective study were pediatric liver transplant recipients treated with TGC for at least 3 days to fight microbiologically verified CRGNB infection after initial antibiotic failure during the period from January 2014 to May 2018. Clinical and microbiological outcomes were reviewed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TGC. Results Of the 1177 pediatric liver transplant recipients, 13 patients were eligible for inclusion in this analysis. All the patients received TGC at dose of 2 mg/kg every 12 hours for a duration of 10.1 ± 5.1 days on average to treat CRGNB infections, including complicated intra-abdominal infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and bloodstream infection. The isolates included Klebsiella pneumoniae (69.2%, 9/13) and Acinetobacter baumannii (30.8%, 4/13). Clinical efficacy was achieved in 84.6% (11/13) and pathogen eradicated in 69.2% (9/13) of the patients. The overall mortality rate was 15.4% (2/13). No TGC-related serious adverse event was reported. Conclusion Tigecycline can be considered in combination antimicrobial regimen for treating CRGNB-related infections in pediatric liver transplant recipients.

Objectives In recent decades, intratympanic gentamicin (ITG) has increasingly been used to treat intractable Meniere's disease (MD). We performed a meta-analysis of pooled clinical outcomes, exploring whether ITG was effective and safe. Data sources Cochrane Library database, Embase, and Medline. Study selection We searched scientific and medical databases to March 2018 for articles evaluating clinical outcomes after ITG treatment of intractable MD according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) guidelines. Data extraction We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate treatment efficacy and safety. Quantitative and descriptive information of included RCTs was obtained. Data synthesis We ultimately evaluated 49 of the initially retrieved 1,062 citations (the 49 articles included data from a total of 2,344 MD patients). In almost all studies, patients served as their own controls; "before-and-after" clinical outcomes were reported. The I metric was used to explore heterogeneity. Conclusion Overall, our results seem to provide the limited evidence about efficacy and toxicity effects of ITG. However, clinical outcomes require further confirmation; many included studies were poorly designed, less than 2 years for reporting results in MD are in the majority of patients. More long-term prospective follow-up, high-quality, large-scale, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm that ITG is safe and effective when used to treat intractable MD.

Rationale: Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a common infectious disease that often affects multiple organs or systems. However, it is liable to be neglected and misdiagnosed owing to its insidious onset, lack of specific findings in the early phase, and a general lack of awareness among clinicians. Patient concerns: a 27-year-old woman case has been described who was initially misdiagnosed as drug-induced liver injury due to onset presentation of mild splenomegaly, recurrent liver dysfunction, and disputable pathological evidence of liver biopsy. Diagnoses: CAEBV complicated with natural killer (NK) cell lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) was diagnosed by in situ hybridization of liver tissue section with EBV-encoded RNA -1 probe and flow cytometry of bone marrow. Interventions: After admission, the patient received symptomatic treatment and antiviral therapy (combination of acyclovir and foscarnet sodium) as well as adjuvant treatment (thymosin alpha 1 and methylprednisolone); later, the patient received etoposide and dexamethasone for diagnosis of EBV associated HLH. Subsequently, the disease progressed to NK cell lymphoma and the patient received the revised EPOCH chemotherapy regimen [etoposide (100 mg/d, d1–5), dexamethasone (7.5 mg/d, d1–5; 5 mg/d, d6–14), cyclophosphamide (0.8 g/d, d1–2), and pegaspargase (3750 u/d, tid, d1–2)]. Outcomes: Although the patient received a series of therapies and other comprehensive measures, finally she died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and multiple organ failure. Lessons: Liver is one of the main target organs of EBV infection. In the clinical setting of unexplained fever and liver injury, it is necessary to be aware of CAEBV, as well as its fatal complication such as EBV associated NK cell lymphoma and HLH.

In this paper, we propose a holographic zoom system without the undesirable light caused by zero-order diffraction beam and high-order reconstructed images. By loading a divergent spherical wave, the focus planes of the reconstructed image and the zero-order diffraction beam induced by the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) can be separated. By controlling the focal lengths of the liquid lens used in the system and the encoded divergent spherical wave on the LCoS, we can change the magnification of the reconstructed image very quickly, while the system does not have undesirable light and the output plane of the system keeps stationary.

// Chuan Shen 1, * , Chenghong Peng 1, * , Baiyong Shen 1 , Zhecheng Zhu 1 , Ning Xu 1 , Tao Li 1 , Junjie Xie 1 1 Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work and share the first authorship Correspondence to: Baiyong Shen, email: shenbaiy2015@163.com Keywords: rapamycin, metformin, mTOR, liver transplantation, HCC Received: November 11, 2015 Accepted: August 11, 2016 Published: August 25, 2016 ABSTRACT Immunosuppressive agents used postoperatively after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) favor recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, new effective immunosuppressants are needed. This retrospective study assessed combined sirolimus and metformin on survival of HCC patients after LT. In 2001-2013, 133 HCC patients with LT were divided into four groups: sirolimus and metformin combination (Sir+Met), sirolimus monotherapy (Sir), other immunosuppressants in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients without metformin (No Sir with DM), and other immunosuppressants in patients without DM (No Sir without DM). Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank tests were used to assess survival. Cell proliferation and tumor xenograft assays were performed to disclose the mechanisms underlying the sirolimus and metformin effects. The Sir+Met group showed significantly prolonged survival compared to the other groups. The most significant cytotoxicity was seen in the Sir+Met group, with significantly decreased levels of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT, AMPK, mTOR, 4EBP1 and S6K, compared with the other groups. In agreement, Sir+Met had the highest suppressive effect on tumor growth among all groups (P

In this paper, we propose an adjustable aperture based on the phase modulation of a spatial light modulator (SLM). Two polarized beam splitters (PBSs) are used to control the polarized light and one SLM is used to modulate the phase of the polarized light. A specific grayscale is produced, where the middle grayscale is with phase of 0 and the other is with phase of $\pi$ . When the light passes through the first PBS and the SLM, the polarized state of p-light is changed to s-light by the grayscale with phase of $\pi$ , so only middle light can pass through the second PBS and is detected by the camera. By controlling the size of the middle grayscale with phase of 0, the device can realize the function of adjustable aperture. Our experiment shows that the aperture can be tuned between 0 and full size, meaning that it can reach the fully open and closed state. The results verify its feasibility. The adjustable aperture has wide applications in imaging system, fiber-optic communication, and photonic signal processing.