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An endoglucanase gene from Lactobacillus plantarum was heterologously expressed; the purified endoglucanase could significantly affect the microstructure of barley bran and promote the physiological activity of β-glucan in barley bran.

Fructans such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin have been reported to directly regulate ileal inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemic mice, without alterations in the colonic microbiota. Firstly, we replicated this model and found that a single gavage of 10 mg g-1 of fructans directly promoted caecal acetate and propionate production. Thus, the previous understanding of microbiota-independent effects of prebiotic fructans in endotoxemic mice has been challenged. In parallel, we performed a daily gavage of 160 mg kg-1 of inulin, xylan, or Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOP) for two weeks prior to LPS injection. The long-term intake of prebiotic fibres reduced the bacterial load in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), and in comparison, a single gavage of fructans increased that. However, the long-term intake was unable to improve the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) synthesis and epithelial barrier function that were impaired by LPS. Notably, the three fibre types consistently reduced the expression of mucin 2 (MUC2) and variously modulated critical mediators (IL-18, IL-22, and HIF-1α) to regulate the host-commensal microbiota interactions in the ileum. In addition, the three fibre types consistently inhibited the inflammatory T helper (Th) cell response in the ileum, while they diversely modulated the peripheral and systemic Th cell responses. Overall, the prebiotic fibres displayed microbiota-related changes in endotoxemic mice, and the potential associations with the in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of prebiotic fibres need further investigation.

Lactic acid bacteria strain (LAB) NCU116 fermented Asparagus officinalis polysaccharides (FAOP) have been proven to cause substantial changes in physicochemical properties such as monosaccharide composition and molecular weight, accounting for their enhanced immune activity than unprocessed Asparagus officinalis polysaccharides (AOP). In the current study, the hepatoprotective effects of FAOP in mice with cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced hepatotoxicity were investigated. FAOP were more effective than AOP in alleviating CTX-induced hepatic damage, including inhibition of hepatic biochemical markers (ALT, AST, AKP and LDH) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) as well as reinforcement of antioxidant systems (T-AOC, SOD, CAT, and MDA). In particular, compared with AOP, FAOP showed superior performance by promoting GSH biosynthesis, and normalizing the expression level of bile acid receptors (FXR and SHP) and key enzymes in bile acid synthesis (CYP7A1, CYP8B1 and CYP27A1). Modulation of disordered homeostasis of bile acids by FAOP can be attributed to the upregulation of hepatic short chain fatty acid (SCFA) receptors GPR41 and GPR109A as well as intestinal SCFA production. Furthermore, serum metabolomics study validated the hepatoprotective superiority of FAOP than AOP with evidence from variations in bile acid compositions and the construction of related metabolic pathways. Therefore, LAB NCU116 fermentation of Asparagus officinalis was practical and effective to obtain promising hepatoprotective polysaccharides, which might arise from enhanced SCFA production than unprocessed AOP.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in human diseases, including acute kidney injury (AKI). In this paper, we focused on the effect of circRNA zinc finger protein 644 (circZNF644) on AKI cell model progression. qRT-PCR was conducted for the levels of circZNF644, ZNF644, miR-140-5p and mixed lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase (MLKL). RNase R assay, actinomycin D assay and subcellular fraction analysis were conducted to analyze the features of circZNF644. CCK-8 assay and EdU assay were used to explore cell proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis was conducted to analyze cell cycle and cell apoptosis. Western blot assay was executed for protein levels. ELISA was performed for the levels of inflammatory cytokines. The relationships among circZNF644, miR-140-5p and MLKL were analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay. CircZNF644 was upregulated in LPS-stimulated HK-2 cells. LPS-mediated inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and cell cycle and promotional effects on apoptosis and inflammation were reversed by circZNF644 knockdown. CircZNF644 directly interacted with miR-140-5p and MLKL was the target gene of miR-140-5p. The impact of circZNF644 knockdown on HK-2 cell injury was relieved by miR-140-5p inhibition. Moreover, miR-140-5p enhancement alleviated LPS-triggered HK-2 cell damage, while MLKL elevation reversed the effect. CircZNF644 knockdown protected HK-2 cells from LPS-induced injury by altering miR-140-5p/MLKL pathway, suggesting that circZNF644 may be a hopeful therapeutic target for AKI.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common complications of sepsis, which largely contributes to the high mortality rate of sepsis. Honokiol, a natural polyphenol from the traditional Chinese herb Magnolia officinalis, is known to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Here, the underlying mechanism of honokiol-induced amelioration of sepsis-associated AKI was analyzed. The expression patterns of oxidative stress moleculars and TLRs-mediated inflammation pathway were examined to identify the response of NRK-52E cells incubated with septic rats' serum to honokiol. The levels of iNOS, NO, and myeloperoxidase in NRK-52E cells were increased during sepsis, which could be reversed by honokiol. The production of GSH and SOD as in vivo antioxidant was increased after honokiol treatment. The administration of honokiol significantly inhibited TLR2/4/MyD88 signaling pathway in AKI-induced NRK-52E cells. Furthermore, ZnPPIX, the HO-1 inhibitor, weakened honokiol-mediated morphological amelioration, and the reduced level of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in kidneys of rats subjected to CLP. Finally, Honokiol was shown to connect with the Nrf2-Keap1 dimensionally. These findings suggest that honokiol plays its protective role on sepsis-associated AKI against oxidative stress and inflammatory signals.

When approaching non-cooperative target at rendezvous, servicing spacecraft is not only disturbed by environmental conditions, but also by flexible appendages such as sails. In addition, spacecraft with manipulator is also disturbed by the moment of manipulator. In this paper, the position and attitude tracking control of spacecraft in the process of approaching non-cooperative target at rendezvous is investigated under the multi-disturbance of manipulator and flexible appendages. Aiming at attenuating the modeled disturbance and the manipulator disturbance, two disturbance observers are designed for feed forward compensation of the elastic vibration and the manipulator disturbance. Then a composite controller with a hierarchical architecture by combining DDOBC(dual disturbance-observers-based-control) and H ∞ control is designed, where DDOBC is used to reject the disturbance from the manipulator and vibration from the flexible appendages. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed composite hierarchical control law.

For the hypersonic vehicle to use aerodynamic assistance to carry out orbit maneuver, because of the considerable uncertainty in the aerodynamic parameters during the re-entry process, how to carry out precise orbit maneuver with aerodynamic assistance is an important part of the research of this method. Using predictive correction guidance and control methods based on feature models, fixed-cycle track prediction and guidance correction during flight can greatly improve the robustness and adaptive ability of the system and eliminate the control deviation caused by uncertain aerodynamic parameters and allow the vehicle to accurately determine the orbit. A model with parametric bias was established for system simulation. The results show that the accuracy of the guidance control still meets the system requirements and the system has good self-adaptability through this method with aerodynamic parameter bias of 40%.

Lactic acid bacteria strain (LAB) NCU116 fermented Asparagus officinalis polysaccharides (FAOP) have been proven to cause substantial changes in physicochemical properties such as monosaccharide composition and molecular weight, accounting for their enhanced immune activity than unprocessed Asparagus officinalis polysaccharides (AOP). In the current study, the hepatoprotective effects of FAOP in mice with cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced hepatotoxicity were investigated. FAOP were more effective than AOP in alleviating CTX-induced hepatic damage, including inhibition of hepatic biochemical markers (ALT, AST, AKP and LDH) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) as well as reinforcement of antioxidant systems (T-AOC, SOD, CAT, and MDA). In particular, compared with AOP, FAOP showed superior performance by promoting GSH biosynthesis, and normalizing the expression level of bile acid receptors (FXR and SHP) and key enzymes in bile acid synthesis (CYP7A1, CYP8B1 and CYP27A1). Modulation of disordered homeostasis of bile acids by FAOP can be attributed to the upregulation of hepatic short chain fatty acid (SCFA) receptors GPR41 and GPR109A as well as intestinal SCFA production. Furthermore, serum metabolomics study validated the hepatoprotective superiority of FAOP than AOP with evidence from variations in bile acid compositions and the construction of related metabolic pathways. Therefore, LAB NCU116 fermentation of Asparagus officinalis was practical and effective to obtain promising hepatoprotective polysaccharides, which might arise from enhanced SCFA production than unprocessed AOP.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications are major public health concerns which strongly influence the quality of humans' life. Modification of gut microbiota has been widely used for the management of diabetes. In this review, the relationship between diabetes and gut microbiota, as well as the effects of different dietary components and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on gut microflora are summarized. Dietary compounds and TCM possessing bioactive components (fiber and phytochemicals) first change the composition of gut microbiota (inhibiting pathogens and promoting the beneficial bacteria growth) and then influence the production of their metabolites, which would further modify the intestinal environment through inhibiting the production of detrimental compounds (such as lipopolysaccharide, hydrogen sulfide, indol, etc.). Importantly, metabolites (short chain fatty acids and other bioactive components) fermented/degraded by gut microbiota can target multiple pathways in intestine, liver, pancreas, etc., resulting in the improvement of gut health, glycemic control, lipids profile, insulin resistance and inflammation. Furthermore, understanding the interaction between different dietary components and gut microbiota, as well as underlying mechanisms would help design different diet formula for the management of diabetes. Further researches could focus on the combination of different dietary components for preventing and treating diabetes, based on the principle of "multiple components against multiple targets" from the perspective of gut microbiota.

Lactic acid fermentation represents a novel method to produce bioactive functional ingredients, including polysaccharides. In this work, a selected lactic acid bacteria strain NCU116 was used to ferment Asparagus officinalis (asparagus) pulps. Two polysaccharides were subsequently separated from both unprocessed and fermented asparagus pulps, namely, asparagus polysaccharide (AOP) and fermented-AOP (F-AOP). The physicochemical and bioactive properties of AOP and F-AOP were characterized and investigated. High-performance anion-exchange chromatography showed that fermentation increased the proportions of rhamnose, galacturonic acid, and glucuronic acid in polysaccharides by 46.70, 114.09, and 12.75‰, respectively. High-performance size-exclusion chromatography revealed that fermentation decreased the average molecular weight from 181.3 kDa (AOP) to 152.8 kDa (F-AOP). Moreover, the fermentation reduced the particle size and changed the rheology property. In vitro, F-AOP displayed superior free radical scavenging properties compared to AOP, using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl, hydroxyl, and superoxide anion radical scavenging assays. In vivo, F-AOP administration dose-dependently promoted a gradual shift from Th17-dominant acute inflammatory response (IL-17 and RORγt) to Th1-dominant defensive immune response (IFN-γ and T-bet). These results indicated that the Lactobacillus plantarum NCU116 fermentation was practical and useful to obtain promising bioactive polysaccharides.

This study investigated the possible protective effect of combined fungal polysaccharides (CFP), consisting of Cordyceps sinensis polysaccharides (CSP) and Ganoderma atrum polysaccharides (PSG) with well-defined structural characteristics, against cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Our results indicated CFP effectively prevented the liver injury by decreasing toxicity markers (aspartate transaminase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase). Further biochemical and molecular analysis indicated CSP particularly inhibited the activation of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and its related inflammatory signals, including pro-inflammatory cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 to modulate hepatic inflammation response. Relatively, through activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), PSG increased hepatic glutathione peroxidase and glutathione content depleted by CTX, as well as prevented mitochondria-dependent apoptosis with regulation on Bcl-2 family proteins (Bad, Bax and Bcl-2). In addition, protective effect of CFP was associated with enhanced modulations on cellular oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and pro-inflammatory factors via PPARα upregulation and TLR9 downregulation. Taking together, the combinatorial approach based on CSP and PSG presented a practical option for the management of drug-induced liver injury.

In vivo an ecological network of polysaccharides utilization by gut microbiota is not only an intense competition but also an impressive cooperation pattern. The present study evaluated the in vivo protective effect of combined fungal polysaccharides (CFP) from Cordyceps sinensis and Ganoderma atrum on colon immune dysfunction, induced by 150mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CP). The results showed that C. sinensis polysaccharides (CSP) significantly promoted microbial-derived butyrate to improve histone h3 acetylation mediating regulatory T (Treg) cell specific Foxp3, as well as significantly restored CP-induced elevation of interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-21. Additionally, G. atrum polysaccharides (PSG) significantly down-regulated MyD88, as well as significantly increased IL-10 and TGF-β3. Furthermore, CFP balanced the disequilibrium of cytokines secretion and Foxp3/RORγt ratio related Treg/T helper 17 (Th17) balance, as well as down-regulated the TLR-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway and promoted secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) secretion to suppress colonic inflammation. Therefore, our results typically contribute to understand the in vivo immunoregulatory function of fungal polysaccharides compounds, involving microbial-associated inflammatory signals and specific metabolic products.

Traditional NIR laser night vision systems can only obtain 2D images without target range information, and are also easily affected by fog, rain, snow and foreground/background. To solve the problems above, 3D laser night vision based on range-gated imaging has been developed. This paper reviews 3D range-gated imaging advances and focuses on 3D rangeintensity correlation imaging (GRICI) due to its better real time performance and higher spatial resolution. In GRICI systems, the typical illuminator is eye-invisible pulsed semiconductor laser, and the image sensor chooses gated ICCD or ICMOS with mega pixels and ns-scaled gate time. To realize 3D night vision, two overlapped gate images with trapezoidal or triangular range-intensity profiles are grasped by synchronizing the puled laser and the gated sensor. The collapsed range is reconstructed by the range-intensity correlation algorithm, and furthermore 2D and 3D images can both be obtained at the same frame rate. We have established 3D NIR night vision systems based on triangular GRICI, and the experimental results demonstrate that 3D images realize target extraction from background and through windows or smoke. The range resolution minimum is about less than 0.2m at the range of 1km in our GRICI-NV3000, and the range maximum of 3D imaging is about 5km in our GRICI-NV6000.

We demonstrate a multi-branch all polarization-maintaining Er:fiber frequency comb with five application ports for precise measurement of atomic/molecular transition frequencies in the near-infrared region. A fully stabilized Er:fiber frequency comb with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror is achieved. The in-loop relative instability of stabilized carrier-envelope-offset frequency is 5.6 × 10−18 at 1 s integration time, while that of the repetition rate is well below 1.8 × 10−12 limited by the measurement noise floor of the commercial frequency counter. Five application ports are individually optimized for applications with different wavelengths (1064 nm, 1083 nm, 1380 nm, 1637 nm and 1750 nm). The beat note between the optical frequency comb and continuous laser exhibits the signal-to-noise ratio of at least 30 dB at a resolution bandwidth of 100 kHz. The in-loop frequency instability of the comb is evaluated to be good enough for measurement of rotation-resolved transitions of molecules below 1 kHz resolution.

In this paper, we demonstrate two techniques to improve performance of Er:fiber frequency combs at NTSC. the first technique is to obtain a robustness and low noise laser, we combine the nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) and the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) mechanisms to a single system. the laser has a large mode-locking range and can self-starting. It works normally after being unpowered six months, and the noise level is similar to the pure NPR. The second technique is proposed a broad bandwidth and large range frequency control method by tuning the polarization state. A special-designed electro-optic modulator (EOM) is used to rotate the polarization state in the NPR system. Compared with the traditional EOM, the sensitivity offr to the electric field intensity applied to the EOM is about 100 times larger.

In this paper, we proposed a method of canopy reconstruction and measurement based on 3D super resolution range-gated imaging. In this method, high resolution 2D intensity images are grasped by active gate imaging, and 3D images of canopy are reconstructed by triangular-range-intensity correlation algorithm at the same time. A range-gated laser imaging system(RGLIS) is established based on 808 nm diode laser and gated intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera with 1392´1040 pixels. The proof experiments have been performed for potted plants located 75m away and trees located 165m away. The experiments show it that can acquire more than 1 million points per frame, and 3D imaging has the spatial resolution about 0.3mm at the distance of 75m and the distance accuracy about 10 cm. This research is beneficial for high speed acquisition of canopy structure and non-destructive canopy measurement.

Moving target detection is important for the application of target tracking and remote surveillance in active range-gated laser imaging. This technique has two operation modes based on the difference of the number of pulses per frame: stroboscopic mode with the accumulation of multiple laser pulses per frame and flash mode with a single shot of laser pulse per frame. In this paper, we have established a range-gated laser imaging system. In the system, two types of lasers with different frequency were chosen for the two modes. Electric fan and horizontal sliding track were selected as the moving targets to compare the moving blurring between two modes. Consequently, the system working in flash mode shows more excellent performance in motion blurring against stroboscopic mode. Furthermore, based on experiments and theoretical analysis, we presented the higher signal-to-noise ratio of image acquired by stroboscopic mode than flash mode in indoor and underwater environment.

We report on supercontinuum generation in four types of highly-nonlinear-fibers (HNLFs) pumped by 1.56-μm laser solitons. Experimental measurement results provide guidelines for choosing and using HNLFs for erbium-fiber-based optical frequency combs and their applications.

This Letter proposes a high bit-depth coding method to improve depth map resolution and render it suitable to human-eye observation in 3D range-intensity correlation laser imaging. In this method, a high bit-depth CCD camera with a nanosecond-scaled gated intensifier is used as an image sensor; subsequently two high bit-depth gate images with specific range-intensity profiles are obtained to establish the gray depth map and finally the gray depth map is encoded by an equidensity pseudocolor. With this method, a color depth map is generated with higher range resolution. In our experimental work, the range resolution of the depth map is improved by a factor of 1.67.

We present a method of time coding with ABAB synchronization timing control for real-time 3D super-resolution range-gated imaging (3DSRGI). To meet the high precision of time delay and pulse width in ABAB synchronization time sequencing, phase shift is implemented to achieve ns-scaled delay and width accuracy without restoring to high clock frequencies. Theoretical analysis and experiments prove that 1 ns delay and width precision is obtained by our timing control unit based on a single field-programmable gate array with 5 ns clock cycle. Finally, a prototype experiment of 3DSRGI is demonstrated at a 10 Hz video rate with 696 pixels×520 pixels.

We demonstrate an optical frequency comb in which an Er:fiber-based femtosecond laser employs nonlinear amplifier loop mirror (NALM) and nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) mode-locking mechanisms. The laser combines advantages of good robustness of NALM and low noise feature of NPE. Our experimental results show that the hybrid mode-locked laser has high power, low relative intensity noise and self-started property, enabling the construction of a robust optical frequency comb system. In-loop relative instabilities of both stabilized repetition rate and carrier-envelope-offset frequency are well below 1 × 10-17 at 1 second integration time.

Highly nonlinear fibers (HNLFs) are crucial components for supercontinuum (SC) generation with laser solution. However, it is difficult to exactly estimate the structure of produced SC according to material parameters. To give a guideline for choosing and using HNLFs for erbium-fiber-based optical applications, we demonstrate SC generation in five types of HNLFs pumped by 1.57- μ m laser solitons. All five fibers output a SC exceeding 1000 nm. Three different SC formation processes were observed in the experiment. By comparing optical parameters of these fibers, we find the zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW) of fiber has an important influence on the SC structure and energy distribution for a given pump source.

Underwater 3D range-gated imaging can extend the detection range over underwater stereo cameras, and also has great potentials in real-time high-resolution imaging than 3D laser scanning. In this paper, a triangular-range-intensity profile spatial correlation method is used for underwater 3D range-gated imaging. Different from the traditional trapezoidal method, in our method gate images have triangular range-intensity profiles. Furthermore, inter-frame correlation is used for video-rate 3D imaging. In addition, multi-pulse time delay integration is introduced to shape range-intensify profiles and realize flexible 3D SRGI. Finally, in experiments, 3D images of fish net, seaweed and balls are obtained with mm-scaled spatial and range resolution.

Three-dimensional super-resolution range-gated imaging (3D SRGI) is a new technique for high-resolution 3D sensing. Up to now, 3D SRGI has been developed with two range-intensity correlation algorithms, including trapezoidal algorithm and triangular algorithm. To obtain high depth-to-resolution ratio of 3D imaging, coding method was developed for 3D SRGI based on the trapezoidal algorithm in 2011. In this paper, we propose the range-intensity coding based on the triangular algorithm and the hybrid range-intensity coding based on the triangular and trapezoidal algorithms. The theoretical models to predict the maximum coding bin number are developed for different coding methods. In the models, the maximum coding bin number is 7 for three coding gate images under the triangular algorithm, and the maximum is extended to 16 under the hybrid algorithm. The coding examples of 7 bins and 16 bins mentioned above are also given in this paper. The comparison among the three coding methods is performed by the depth-to-resolution ratio defined as the ratio between the 3D imaging depth and the product of the range resolution and raw gate image number, and the hybrid coding method has the highest depth-to-resolution ratio. Higher depth-to-resolution ratio means better 3D imaging capability of 3D SRGI.

We report a control method to stabilize frequencies of a nonlinear polarization rotation mode-locked laser by tuning polarization state with a home-made intra-cavity electro-optic modulator (EOM). The EOM rotates polarization state about 1.2 × 10−4 rad/v in ellipticity, and enables wide range frequency control of carrier-envelope-offset frequency (f ceo ) or repetition rate (f r ). By stabilizing the fr, fceo and a comb teeth @ 1550 nm with the EOM respectively, we obtain that frequency control dynamic ranges increase at least one order in comparison with the traditional intra-cavity EOM technique. In additional, this technique exhibits less side-effect than traditional frequency control methods.

We report a new method to precisely control carrier-envelope frequency (fceo) of a nonlinear-polarization-rotation mode-locked Er:fiber optical frequency comb. The fceo is phase-locked onto an RF reference frequency by rotating polarization state with a special home-made intra-cavity electro-optic modulator (EOM). The EOM is inserted right after the PBS of a well-known ring mode-locked laser's loop and rotates polarization state with a coefficient of about 1.2 × 10−4 rad/v in ellipticity. The frequency control range of the EOM is two orders of magnitude larger than the traditional ones. Benefiting from fast response of the EOM, in-loop frequency stabilities of the fceo is below 2×10−17 at 1 second, and the corresponding timing jitter is about 0.16 rad.

Anticancer drugs at high doses often damage the intestinal mucosa and metabolism. Lactobacillus plantarum NCU116 (NCU116) isolated from pickled vegetables was orally given to cyclophosphamide-treated mice to determine its effects on intestinal mucosal injury, nutrient metabolism and colon microbiota, and investigate the mechanisms accounting for its effects. Mice treated with the bacterium were found to favorably recover intestine morphology of villus height and crypt depth, and have improved mucins expression and quantity of goblet cells, as well as intestinal metabolism by increasing the level of short-chain fatty acids and reducing the concentration of ammonia in the colon feces. In addition, NCU116-treated mice showed a higher diversity of colonic microbiota than the group without bacterium supplementation. The number of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in the mouse colon was increased after bacterium intake, which decreased the number of potentially pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas. These results indicated that NCU116 could be of significant advantage in reducing intestinal mucosal injury and improving the intestinal metabolism and the intestinal microbiota.

We report an erbium-fiber-based optical frequency comb, whose spectrum is broadened to Strontium clock. Signal-to-noise ration of the beatnote between the comb and Sr clock laser is up to 40 dB under 300 kHz resolution.

The effects of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) NCU116 isolated from pickled vegetables on intestine mucosal immunity in cyclophosphamide treated mice were investigated. Animals were divided into six groups: normal group (NIM), immunosuppression group (IM), immunosuppression plus L. plantarum NCU116 groups with three different doses (NCU-H, NCU-M, and NCU-L), and plus Bifidobacterium BB12 as positive control group (BB12). Results showed that the thymus indexes of the four treatment groups were significantly higher than that of the IM group (2.02 ± 0.16) (p < 0.05) and close to the index of the NIM group (2.61 ± 0.37) at 10 days. The level of immune factor IL-2 notably increased (IM, 121 ± 9.0) (p < 0.05) and was close to 65% of NIM group's level (230 ± 10.7). The levels of other immune factors (IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-12p70, and sIgA), the gene expression levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ, and the number of IgA-secreting cells showed similar patterns (p < 0.05). However, the level of immune factor IL-4 remarkably decreased (IM, 128 ± 10.2) (p < 0.05) and was only approximately 50% of the NIM group (154 ± 18.2). The levels of other immune factors (IL-6 and IgE) and the gene expression level of IL-6 at 10 days exhibited similar changes (p < 0.05) but showed a slight recovery at 20 days, accompanied by the altered protein expression levels of T-bet and GATA-3 in the small intestine. These findings suggest that L. plantarum NCU116 enhanced the immunity of the small intestine in the immunosuppressed mice.

Three-dimensional super-resolution range-gated imaging has been developed for high-resolution 3D remote sensing with two range-intensity correlation algorithms under specific shapes of range-intensity profiles (RIP). However, pulsed lasers have a minimum pulse width which limits range resolution improvement. Here a spatial difference shaping method is proposed to break the resolution limitation. This method establishes a shaping filter, and the pre-reshaping gate images are reshaped by spatial difference and yield new gate images with the laser pulse width equivalently narrowed as half value which improves the range resolution. Furthermore, the boundary blurring caused by non-rectangular laser pulses are also eliminated.

We report the research progress of an erbium-fiber-based optical frequency comb with repetition rate 232 MHz. Its repetition rate is stabilized to a continuous wave laser via an intra-cavity electro-optic modulator and a piezo-transducer, yielding an in-loop frequency instability about 2.1×10−16 @ 1s. The carrier envelope offset (CEO) frequency with a signal-to-noise ratio of 45 dB for 300 kHz resolution spectrum is detected by using a common path f−2f interferometer. CEO frequency is locked to a RF reference frequency by controlling the pump current. The frequency instability induced by in-loop CEO frequency is about 2.9×10−16@ 1s. The frequency count in use is a Π-type counter from K&K.

This Letter proposes a coordinate difference homogenization matching method to solve motion influence in three-dimensional (3D) range-intensity correlation laser imaging. Firstly, features and feature pairs of gate images are obtained by speeded-up robust figures and bi-directional feature matching methods. The original mean value of the feature-pair coordinate differences is calculated. Comparing the coordinate differences with the original mean value, the wrong feature pairs are removed, and then an optimized mean value is updated. The final feature-pair coordinates are re-registered based on the updated mean value. Thus, an accurate transformation is established to rectify motion gate images for 3D reconstruction. In the experiment, a 3D image of a tower at 780 m is successfully captured by our laser gated imaging system on a pan–tilt device.

Three-dimensional range-gated imaging is a new 3D sensing technique with higher resolution than 3D flash LIDAR, and has great potential in realizing high-resolution real-time 3D imaging to satisfy land surface remote sensing applications. In this paper, three existing approaches of realizing 3D range-gated LIDAR are introduced including their advantages and disadvantages. Among them, the two methods of gain modulation and range-intensity correlation can reconstruct a 3D scene from two gate images, which enable 3D flash imaging. We propose a 3D superresolution range-gated flash LIDAR based on triangular algorithm of range-intensity correlation, and further present a coding method based on triangular algorithm for high depth-to-resolution ratio. Some prototyping experiments and simulations are demonstrated. Keywords: remote sensing, three-dimensional range-gated imaging, range-intensity correlation, range-intensity coding, superresolution depth mapping, 3D flash imaging. 1. INTRODUCTION

High-resolution real-time three-dimensional imaging is important in 3D video surveillance, robot vision, and automatic navigation. In this paper, a three-dimensional superresolution range-gated imaging based on inter-frame correlation is proposed to realize high-resolution real-time 3D imaging. In this method, a CCD/CMOS with a gated image intensifier is used as image sensor, and depth information collapsed in 2D images is reconstructed by spatial-temporal inter-frame correlation with a resolution of about 1000×1000 full-frame pixels within a frame. Furthermore, under inter-frame correlation a 3D point cloud frame is generated at video rates corresponding to CCD/CMOS utilized. Finally, some proof simulation experiments are demonstrated.