Search

We designed and manufactured a set of high-sensitivity photoacoustic (PA) gas detector based on differential multi-pass cell (DMPC) with a chamber volume of only 162 mL, which realized real-time online monitoring of CH 4 in the atmosphere. The effective absorption optical path of DMPC reached 4.92 m, which enhanced the PA signal from the two dimensions of optical excitation and acoustic resonance. A 3D-printed muffler was integrated into the detector to eliminate the gas flow noise generated by the pump. A 1651 nm distributed feedback (DFB) laser was used to accomplish the measurement of CH 4. The analysis results showed that the minimum detection limit (MDL) of CH 4 reached 0.6 ppb with an averaging time of 500 s. In addition, the normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficient was 1.79 × 10−10 cm−1 W/Hz1/2. Continuous flow monitoring of CH 4 in the atmosphere was carried out to confirm the reliability and feasibility of the PA system based on DMPC. • A high-sensitivity photoacoustic (PA) gas detector based on differential multi-pass cell (DMPC) was presented. • A DMPC with 30 reflections for an effective absorption optical path length of 4.92 m was designed. • The minimum detection limit (MDL) reached 0.6 ppb with an integration time of 500 s. • The normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficient was equal to 1.79 × 10−10 cm−1 W/Hz1/2. • We have carried out continuous flow real-time detection of the concentration of CH 4 in atmosphere for 72 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We describe the ultraviolet-light one-color photorefraction (UV-OPR) at 351nm in LiNbO3 crystals with different Mg-doping concentrations and [Li]/[Nb] ratios. It is shown that as the Mg-doping concentration and/or the [Li]/[Nb] ratio increase, the refractive index change and the two-beam coupling gain increase but the response time decreases. It is also shown that the recording sensitivity as large as ∼27cm/J is obtainable at a recording intensity of ∼1W/cm2 in near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 doped with 2mol% Mg. This sensitivity is approximately one order of magnitude higher than those for other LiNbO3 crystals. We also describe the ultraviolet-light-gating two-color photorefraction (UV-TPR) using 365nm gating and 633nm recording beams in LiNbO3 crystals with different Mg-doping concentrations and [Li]/[Nb] ratios. It is shown that UV-TPR is only observed in near-stoichiometric crystals and the grating-formation dynamics strongly depend on the Mg concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Several near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals with the doping concentration of Mg near the second threshold were prepared by vapor transport equilibrium technique. All these samples show no laser beam distortion under a light intensity of 26MW/cm2, that is three orders of magnitude higher than that of 5mol% Mg doped congruent LiNbO3. And the light-induced refractive index (Δn) in one of them is as small as 4.6×10−7, which is two orders of magnitude lower than that of congruent crystals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ultraviolet absorption edges of LiNbO3 crystals with different Li2O contents and MgO doping concentrations were investigated. The generally defined absorption edges at absorption coefficient or 20 cm−1 of all these crystals fit the Urbach rule perfectly. The origin of this absorption edges in non-stoichiometric LiNbO3 crystals is attributed to the presence of Li vacancies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A melt supplying double crucible technique was described. Nearly stoichiometric lithium niobate (NSLN) crystals were grown in a lower crucible with a melt composition of [Li2O]/[Nb2O5]=58/42, and the melt was continuously added from a higher crucible. The composition of the adding melt was [Li2O]/[Nb2O5]=36/64, far away from the stoichiometric point of 50/50. NSLN crystals of 3in. were successfully grown, and the average concentration of Li2O was 49.85mol% with a radial composition deviation of ±0.02mol% and an axial composition deviation less than ±0.03mol%/cm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two optical methods for determination of the composition in lithium tantalate were discussed. Quantitative relationships between the line width of Raman peaks (142cm−1 for E phonon and 861cm−1 for A1 phonon) and the crystal composition were firstly presented. The comparison of the Raman data obtained for the congruent and the near-stoichiometric crystals reveals some differences in the shape and the number of Raman peaks, which lead to a new assignment of the long-wavelength optical phonons. The OH− absorption bands of lithium tantalate crystals were measured at room temperature, and the line width of one decomposed peak was found to change considerably with the crystal composition, irrespective of the hydrogen concentration. The quantitative relationship between the line width of this peak and the crystal composition is also presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals doped with iron were prepared by vapor transport equilibration (VTE) method. The gain coefficient of these samples were measured and compared to the near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals prepared by double-crucible method, and the diffraction efficiency, recording time and erasing time were also done. The dynamic range coefficient (M/#) and homogeneity of the composition in the crystals were investigated too. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Raman scattering spectra of lithium tantalate crystals with different compositions were investigated. The comparison of the Raman data obtained for the congruent and the near-stoichiometric crystals reveals some differences in the shape and the number of Raman peaks, which lead to a new assignment of the long-wavelength optical phonons. And quantitative relationships between the linewidth of Raman peaks (142cm−1 for E-phonon and 861cm−1 for A1-phonon) and the crystal composition were firstly presented. Two local Raman lines, 278 and 750cm−1, were found for the congruent crystals and attributed to the intrinsic defects, Li vacancy and anti-site Ta ion, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Methyl orange is an excellent nonlinear optical material. Both ordinary intense modulation holograph and the polarization holograph can be recorded in the methyl orange-polyvinyl alcohol (MO-PVA) film. The polarization state relationship among two writing beams, reading beam, and diffraction beam can be used for construction all-optical Boolean logic gate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Er3+,Tm3+-codoped NaY(WO4)2 crystal was prepared by using Czochralski (CZ) pulling method. Absorption spectra, emission spectra and excitation spectra of this crystal were measured at room temperature. Such optical parameters as intensity parameters, spontaneous emission probabilities, branch ratios and lifetimes are calculated from absorption spectra with Judd–Ofelt theory. Transition processes of the energy levels of Er3+, Tm3+ are analyzed in details and the cross-relaxations: 1G4(Tm3+)+4I15/2(Er3+)→3F2(Tm3+)+4I13/2(Er3+), 1G4(Tm3+)+4I15/2(Er3+)→3F4(Tm3+)+4F9/2(Er3+) and 3H4(Tm3+)+4I9/2(Er3+)→3F4(Tm3+)+4S3/2(Er3+) or 2H11/2 between the two ions are put forward. Through the experiments, we have found that, in this crystal, Tm3+ strengthens luminescence of Er3+ in the green and red regions evidently. The above energy transfer processes provide potential applications of Tm3+ in Er3+-doped laser materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The OH- absorption spectra of low doped lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystals have been investigated. Though no apparent band shift is observed in these absorption spectra, their shapes are quite different. In order to analyze the information on the defect structure underlying these OH- absorption bands, the normalization and difference methods were employed. It was found that although the doping concentrations are under the thresholds the doping ions have apparent affect to the site occupation of OH- ions. The OH- vibrations related to MgLi+ (Mg2+ occupying Li-site) and InLi2+ are 3483 and 3484 cm-1 in LiNbO3:Mg and LiNbO3:In crystals, respectively. The absorption peak of LiNbO3:Ti (2.5 mol%) crystal at 3487 cm-1 is mainly related to TiLi3+–OH- and the 3489 cm-1 peak of LiNbO3:Mg (5.0 mol%), Ti (10.0 mol%) related to MgLi+–OH-, TiNb-–OH- and TiLi3+–OH-. Doping with Na improves the peak intensity near 3466 cm-1 and induces a new absorption peak at 3470 cm-1. The absorption bands of LiNbO3 crystals codoped with trivalent ions are associated with the co-effect of the doped ions and have some different characteristics from mono-doped crystals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Under varying intensities and polarization of the exciting light respectively, the photoinduced birefringence of azo dye polymer film placed between a pair of orthogonal polarizers is studied by measuring the transmitted intensity. It is concluded that the saturation and stable values of the transmitted intensity are all proportional to the intensity of exciting light. Both values also relate to the polarization direction of the exciting light, and when the angle θ between the polarization directions of the probe intensity and the exciting light is lager than 10°, the saturation and stable values of the transmitted light are all proportional to sin2 2θ. In addition, the birefringence of the sample was measured accurately by using a compensator. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Off-congruent lithium niobate (LiNbO3) single crystal was prepared by vapor transport equilibration (VTE). The Li/Nb ratio was determined by means of indirect methods such as the lattice parameters, the fundamental absorption edge position and the IR vibrational spectrum. Comparison of the results of the VTE LiNbO3 with those of the congruent crystal and congruent composition melt added 6 wt% K2O. In all cases the Li2O content was found to be closer to 50% than that of the congruent composition melt added 6 wt% K2O. The homogeneity of the composition in the crystal was also investigated. The data presented in this work show that the VTE method can be effectively applied to produce LiNbO3 stoichiometric crystal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The high sensitivity of photorefractive effect in indium doped lithium niobate was observed based on the two-wave mixing experiment. The sensitivity S was measured up to 2 cm3/J, even larger than the iron doped samples under the same configuration. The slightly indium doping seems to be an effective method to improve the photorefractive sensitivity of lithium niobate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We observed a light-induced fanning scattering in LiNbO3 at 750–850 nm, using femtosecond laser and without pumping. The fanning scattering is just like the ordinary one. After comparing the phenomena of some crystals, which were doped with different ions and one was oxided, and studying the threshold of the scattering, we think the scattering is owing to the small polarons formed by the self-gating of the bipolarons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

When two coherent beams interfere in bacteriorhodopsin (bR) film with a very small crossing angle, degenerate multi-wave mixing appears. In this paper, the properties of degenerate multi-wave mixing in bR film were studied. By use of degenerate multi-wave mixing in bR film, we realized optical Boolean logic operations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

By the variational approach and the aberrationless paraxial ray approximation, we theoretically analyze the characteristics of Gaussian beam propagation in thick media with high-order nonlinearity. The theoretical results of Z-scan obtained from the two methods are compared with the numerical calculation. The variational approach expression is shown to give better qualitative and quantitative agreement with the numerical solutions. Furthermore, we demonstrated the Z-scan characteristics of thin and thick medium. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The formation mechanism of fanning noise in lithium niobate crystal is theoretically studied using the multi-wave mixing model. The threshold effect of incident light intensity for the photorefractive light-induced scattering in double doped lithium niobate crystal is explained by combining the multi-ware mixing model with the two-photorefractive-sensitive-center model for single charge-carrier. Light amplification competition between the fanning noise and the signal beam in doped lithium niobate crystals is also studied. The existence of optimum photovoltaic field and optimum pump intensity is predicted theoretically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The domain walls of periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystals were investigated using Raman spectrum mapping. The periodical changes of Raman shift in several Raman lines along the period of PPLN have been found. The experimental results show that the domain reversal has different degree of affection on its two neighbor regions, which is related to the asymmetry of crystal lattice. This phenomenon can be used to examine the periodical domain reversal of LN non-contacted, non-destructive and easily operated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aging of the central nervous system(CNS) is a primary contributor to neurodegenerative diseases in older individuals and significantly impacts their quality of life. Neuroinflammation, characterized by activation of microglia(MG) and release of cytokines, is closely associated with the onset of these neurodegenerative diseases. The activated status of MG is modulated by specifically programmed metabolic changes under various conditions. Succinylation, a novel post-translational modification(PTM) mainly involved in regulating mitochondrial energy metabolism pathways, remains unknown in its role in MG activation and aging. In the present study, we found that succinylation levels were significantly increased both during aging and upon lipopolysaccharide-induced(LPS-induced) MG activation undergoing metabolic reprogramming. Up-regulated succinylation induced by sirtuin 5 knockdown(Sirt5 KD) in microglial cell line BV2 resulted in significant up-regulation of aging-related genes, accompanied by impaired mitochondrial adaptability and a shift towards glycolysis as a major metabolic pathway. Furthermore, after LPS treatment, Sirt5 KD BV2 cells exhibited increased generation of reactive oxygen species(ROS), accumulation of lipid droplets, and elevated levels of lipid peroxidation. By employing immunoprecipitation, introducing point mutation to critical succinylation sites, and conducting enzyme activity assays for succinate dehydrogenase(SDH) and trifunctional enzyme subunit alpha(ECHA), we demonstrated that succinylation plays a regulatory role in modulating the activities of these mitochondrial enzymes. Finally, down-regulation the succinylation levels achieved through administration of succinyl phosphonate(SP) led to amelioration of MG senescence in vitro and neuroinflammation in vivo. To our knowledge, our data provide preliminary evidence indicating that up-regulated succinylation modifications elicit a senescence phenotype in MG through alterations in energy metabolism. Moreover, these findings suggest that manipulation of succinylation levels may offer valuable insights into the treatment of aging-related neuroinflammation., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethical approval All procedures were in accordance with the Dalian Medical University guidelines for the proper care and use of laboratory animals and were approved by the Laboratory Animal Care and Use Committee of Dalian Medical University. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

To achieve high sensitivity detection of dual-component greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane simultaneously, a multimechanism synergistic enhanced all-optical photoacoustic spectroscopy gas analyzer is presented. The acoustic resonance of the photoacoustic cell and the mechanical resonance of a fiber-optic cantilever acoustic sensor are used to enhance the photoacoustic signals of the dual-component gas. The optimized multipass beam reflection structure enhances the effective excitation power of the dual-component gas. The highly sensitive detection of carbon dioxide and methane at dual-frequency operating points is realized by dual-channel laser modulation combined with dual-input digital lock-in amplification technology. The Allan-Werle deviation analysis results show that with a 100 s average time, the minimum detection limits of carbon dioxide and methane are 76.5 and 1.9 ppb, respectively. The corresponding normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficients are 3.1 × 10 -10 and 2.9 × 10 -10 cm -1 W/Hz 1/2 , respectively.

A high-precision photoacoustic (PA) gas analyzer for fast dynamic measurement of ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) was developed. The PA analyzer used a differential PA cell combined with two mufflers to achieve rapid gas flow gas detection. A high-power laser diode (LD) with a center wavelength of 450 nm was used as the PA signal excitation source. To reduce the saturated absorption effect of NO 2 , ambient air was pumped into the analyzer at a flow rate of 900 sccm. Two mufflers were combined with the differential PA cell to reduce the noise caused by the airflow and pump. The parameters of the mufflers were optimized by using a finite element method. The experimental results showed that the gas flow noise was suppressed by 95%. The response time of the PAS analyzer was 34 s. The detection limits of the analyzer were 0.64 and 0.17 ppb when the integration times were 1 and 15 s, respectively. A 120 h continuous monitoring result was compared with the data from the National Environmental Monitoring Station to demonstrate the high reliability of the analyzer.

We demonstrate a novel flat-field, dual-optic imaging EUV-soft X-ray spectrometer and monochromator that attains an unprecedented throughput efficiency exceeding 60% by design, along with a superb spectral resolution of λ/Δλ > 200 accomplished without employing variable line spacing gratings. Exploiting the benefits of the conical diffraction geometry, the optical system is globally optimized in multidimensional parameter space to guarantee optimal imaging performance over a broad spectral range while maintaining circular and elliptical polarization states at the first, second, and third diffraction orders. Moreover, our analysis indicates minimal temporal dispersion, with pulse broadening confined within 80 fs tail-to-tail and an FWHM value of 29 fs, which enables ultrafast spectroscopic and pump-probe studies with femtosecond accuracy. Furthermore, the spectrometer can be effortlessly transformed into a monochromator spanning the EUV-soft X-ray spectral region using a single grating with an aberration-free spatial profile. Such capability allows coherent diffractive imaging applications to be conducted with highly monochromatic light in a broad spectral range and extended to the soft X-ray region with minimal photon loss, thus facilitating state-of-the-art imaging of intricate nano- and bio-systems, with a significantly enhanced spatiotemporal resolution, down to the nanometer-femtosecond level., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Infertility is a focal issue in public health and affects human reproduction and survival. Notably, an increasing number of studies in recent decades have found that sperm DNA integrity plays a critical role in the development of healthy embryos. Among the multiple pathogenic factors of sperm DNA fragmentation, oxidative stress has proven to be predominant. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation, which has been used for the treatment of male infertility, has shown good clinical efficacy due to its oxidation resistance, but its efficacy as measured by the sperm DNA fragmentation index remains controversial. To address this issue, we will perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for male infertility patients with a high sperm DNA fragmentation index., Methods and Analysis: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Studies and Web of Science databases will be comprehensively searched from inception to 31 December 2022 to identify relevant studies published in the English language using appropriate search strategies. The search terms will be derived from the following concepts: sperm DNA fragmentation, coenzyme Q10 and randomised controlled trials. Two review stages, that is, title and abstract screening and full-text screening, will be performed by two reviewers. The risk of bias, publication bias and evidence grade of the included studies will be assessed using a standardised protocol. Data will be used to calculate effect sizes. Heterogeneity among the studies will be evaluated graphically. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis will be performed if necessary to validate the results., Ethics and Dissemination: No ethical approval will be needed, as there will be no participants in this study. We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to disseminate the findings through publication and conference presentation., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42022293340., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

We designed and implemented a photoacoustic (PA) sensor for H 2 S detection in SF 6 background gas based on a multi-pass differential photoacoustic cell (MDPC) and a near-infrared distributed feedback (DFB) laser. In the MDPC apparatus, two resonators with identical geometric parameters were vertically and symmetrically embedded. The differential processing algorithm of two phase-reversed signals realized the effective enhancement of the PA signal and suppressed the flow noise in the dynamic sampling process. In addition, the λ/4 buffer chamber in the MDPC was utilized as a muffler to further reduce the flow noise and realize the dynamic detection of H 2 S. The collimated excitation light was reflected 30 times in a multi-pass structure constituted of two gold-plated concave mirrors, and an absorption path length of 4.92 m was achieved. Due to the high gas density of SF 6 , the relationship between the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the gas flow was different between SF 6 and N 2 background gases. The maximum flow rate of the characteristic gas components detected in the SF 6 background is 150 standard cubic centimeters per minute (SCCM), which is lower than 350 SCCM in N 2 . The linearity property was analyzed, and the results show that the sensitivity of the sensor to H 2 S in the SF 6 background was 27.3 μV/ppm. With the structure, parameters, temperature, gas flow, and natural frequency of the MDPC been optimized, a minimum detection limit (MDL) of 11 ppb was reached with an averaging time of 1000 s, which furnished an effective preventive implement for the safe operation of gas insulation equipment.

This paper proposes a method to assist patients in finding the most appropriate doctor for online medical consultation. To do that, it constructs an online doctor selection decision-making method that considers the correlation attributes, in which the measure of attribute correlation is derived from the history real decision data. To combine public and personal preference with correlated attributes, it proposes a Choquet integral based comprehensive online doctor ranking method. In detail, a two stage classification model based on BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) is used to extract service features from unstructured text reviews. Then, 2-additive fuzzy measure is adopted to represent the patient public group aggregated attribute preference. Next, a novel optimization model is proposed to combine the public preference and personal preference. Finally, a case study of dxy.com is carried out to illustrate the procedure of the method. The comparison result between proposed method and other traditional MADM (multi-attribute decision-making) methods prove its rationality., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

To realize the real-time highly sensitive detection of SF 6 decomposition product H 2 S, a multi-mechanism collaboration enhancement photoacoustic spectroscopy analyzer (MCEPA) based on acoustic resonance enhancement, cantilever enhancement and excitation light enhancement is proposed. An SF 6 background gas-induced photoacoustic cell (PAC) was used for acoustic resonance (AR) enhancement of the photoacoustic signals. A fiber-optic acoustic sensor based on a silicon cantilever is optimized and fabricated. The narrow-band acoustic signal enhancement based on cantilever mechanical resonance (MR) is realized in the optimal working frequency band of the PAC. A fiber-coupled DFB cascaded an Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) realized the light power enhancement (LPE) of the photoacoustic signals excitation source. Experimental results show that the MR of the fiber-optic silicon cantilever acoustic sensor (FSCAS) is matched with the AR of the PAC and combined with the LPE, which realizes the multi-mechanism collaboration enhancement of weak photoacoustic signals. The Allan-Werle deviation evaluation showed that the minimum detection limit of H 2 S in the SF 6 background is 10.96 ppb when the average time is 200 s. Benefiting from the all-optimization of photoacoustic excitation and detection, the MCEPA has near-field high-sensitivity gas detection capability immune to electromagnetic interference., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

A silicon cantilever-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS)-based trace gas analyzer with low gas consumption is presented. A silicon cantilever-based fiber-optic Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometric acoustic sensor with a compact structure and high sensitivity is designed for photoacoustic signal detection. The non-resonant photoacoustic cell (PAC) is a cylindrical copper tube with a volume of 0.56 mL. A near-infrared laser with a center wavelength of 1532.83 nm amplified using an erbium-doped fiber application amplifier is used as the excitation light. The wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) technique is employed in the present work for second-harmonic photoacoustic signal detection. The experimental results show that the minimum detection limit of C 2 H 2 is 199.8 parts per trillion (ppt) with an average time of 60 s. The normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient is calculated as 1.72 × 10 -9 cm -1 W/Hz 1/2 . Furthermore, the proposed silicon cantilever-enhanced non-resonant PAS-based gas analyzer can not only analyze the gas concentration in a closed small-capacity PAC with low gas consumption but also detect target gas leakage in real time at a long distance.

Background: At present, laboratory blood tests to support major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis are not available. This study aimed to screen potential mRNAs for peripheral blood biomarkers and novel pathophysiology of MDD. Methods: The present study utilized public data from two mRNA microarray datasets to analyze the hub genes changes related to MDD. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were performed. Finally, some potential mRNA quality biomarkers for hub gene expression in blood were identified. Results: A total of 25 significantly co-upregulated DEGs and 98 co-downregulated DEGs were obtained from two datasets. The pathway enrichment analyses showed that co-upregulated genes were significantly enriched in the regulation of cell-matrix adhesion and mitochondrial membrane permeability which were involved in the apoptotic process. Co-downregulated genes were mainly involved in the neutrophil activation which in turn was involved in the immune response, degranulation and cell-mediated immunity, positive regulation of immune response, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. From the PPI network, 14 hub genes were obtained. Among them, the subnetworks of PLCG1, BCL2A1, TLR8, FADD , and TLR4 s creened out from our study have been shown to play a role in immune and inflammation responses. Discussion: The potential molecular mechanisms that have been identified simultaneously include innate immunity, neuroinflammation, and neurotrophic factors for synapse function and development., (Copyright © 2020 Zhang, Xu, Zhang, Zhang, Wu, An, Lin, Yuan, Shen and Si.)

Purpose: Despite advances in characterizing the neurobiology of emotional disorders, there is still a significant lack of scientific understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms governing major depressive disorder (MDD). This study attempted to elucidate the molecular circuitry of MDD and to identify more potential genes associated with the pathogenesis of the disease., Patients and Methods: Microarray data from the GSE98793 dataset were downloaded from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, including 128 patients with MDD and 64 healthy controls. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to find modules of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with high correlations followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses to obtain further biological insight into the top three key modules. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, the modules from the PPI network, and the gene annotation enrichment of modules were analyzed, as well., Results: We filtered 3276 genes that were considered significant DEGs for further WGCNA analysis. By performing WGCNA, we found that the turquoise, blue and brown functional modules were all strongly correlated with MDD development, including immune response, neutrophil degranulation, ribosome biogenesis, T cell activation, glycosaminoglycan biosynthetic process, and protein serine/threonine kinase activator activity. Hub genes were identified in the key functional modules that might have a role in the progression of MDD. Functional annotation showed that these modules primarily enriched such KEGG pathways as the TNF signaling pathway, T cell receptor signaling pathway, primary immunodeficiency, Th1, Th2 and Th17 cell differentiation, autophagy and RNA degradation and oxidative phosphorylation. These results suggest that these genes are closely related to autophagy and cellular immune function., Conclusion: The results of this study may help to elucidate the pathophysiology of MDD development at the molecular level and explore the potential molecular mechanisms for new interventional strategies., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2020 Zhang et al.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to establish a more reliable method to predict pubic arch interference (PAI) before permanent prostate brachytherapy., Material and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results of forty patients with prostate cancer, who were treated with permanent implantation of 125 I seeds (permanent brachytherapy). We measured and calculated six parameters based on the MRI results: 1. The prostate volume (PV); 2. The angle of the pubic arch (AoPA); 3. The angle of PAI (AoPAI, pubic symphysis level); 4. The height of PAI (hPAI, pubic symphysis level); 5. The maximum angle of PAI (AoPAI Max ); 6. The maximum height of PAI (hPAI Max ). We then tested which parameters could accurately predict PAI through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis., Results: The results of this study demonstrated that AoPAI, hPAI, hPAI Max , and AoPAI Max could predict PAI. Out of forty cases in our research, 10 cases were with PAI and 30 cases without PAI during the operation. The areas under the ROC curve for PV, AoPA, AoPAI (pubic symphysis level), hPAI (pubic symphysis level), AoPAI Max , and hPAI Max were 0.592, 0.567, 0.957, 0.940, 0.927, and 0.877, respectively. The AoPAI (pubic symphysis level), hPAI (pubic symphysis level), AoPAI Max , and hPAI Max were statistically correlated with PAI. The boundary values were 26.32°, 1.13 cm, 28.37°, and 1.51 cm, respectively., Conclusions: This new method derived from MRI has predictive value, as AoPAI, hPAI, hPAI Max , and AoPAI Max could predict PAI. Taking other factors into consideration, we suggest the use of AoPAI as a novel and very reliable predictor of PAI.

We show that hypercholesterolemia contributes to oxidative stress injury progression in brain and simvastatin counteracts the cholesterol-induced peroxidation injury in rabbit hippocampus, and we demonstrate for the first time that the simvastatin is a critical role in brain protection and identify HO-1 and other related antioxidant enzymes as molecular target for active redox compounds. Second, our experiments have pointed out an association between statin treatment and a decrease in the risk of having peroxidation damage of brain. The balance effects of simvastatin to ROS and antioxidants enzymes network are most probably due to improved SOD functional activity, increase in GSH-Px, increase in HO-1 expression, and decrease of MDA generation.

Atherosclerosis is a condition in which a lipid deposition, thrombus formation, immune cell infiltration, and a chronic inflammatory response, but its systemic study has been hampered by the lack of suitable animal models, especially in herbalism fields. We have tried to perform a perfect animal model that completely replicates the stages of human atherosclerosis. This is the first combined study about the immunologic injury and balloon injury based on the cholesterol diet. In this study, we developed a modified protocol of the white rabbit model that could represent a novel approach to studying human atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaque.

UV-light-induced absorption in LiNbO(3) highly doped with Mg and Hf was investigated. Distinct decay behavior was attributed to the different centers formed under UV illumination, i.e., the shallow and intermediate deep centers for trapping holes. O- formed near doped cation at the niobium site was suggested to be the origin of the shallow center, whereas that formed near cation vacancy was suggested to be the origin of the intermediate deep center. The influence of the sample status (oxidized or reduced) on the UV-light-induced absorption was demonstrated to support our suggestion. Two different dark decay processes were associated with relaxations of holes from the shallow centers to two unequivalent Nb(Nb) adjacent to the doped cations at niobium sites.

We report on the observation of diffusion-dominant photorefraction and light-induced nonlinear forward and backward scattering in highly Mg-doped LiNbO3 at 351 nm. We also demonstrate what we believe to be the first continuous-wave self-pumped phase conjugation via stimulated photorefractive backscattering in the ultraviolet.