Third-order nonlinear wavelength conversion in chalcogenide glass waveguides towards mid-infrared photonics

The increasing demand in spectroscopy and sensing calls for infrared(mid-IR)light sources.Here,we theoretically investigate nonlinear wavelength conversion of Ge_(28)Sb_(12)Se_(60)chalcogenide glass waveguide in the mid-IR spectral regime.With waveguide dispersion engineering,we predict generation of over an octave wavelength(2.8μm-5.9μm)tuning range Raman soliton self-frequency shift,over 2.5 octaves wavelength cover range supercontinuum(1.2μm-8.0μm),as well as single soliton Kerr comb generated in suspended Ge_(28)Sb_(12)Se_(60)waveguide.Our findings evidenced that Ge_(28)Sb_(12)Se_(60)chalcogenide glass waveguides can simultaneously satisfy the generation of Raman soliton self-frequency shift,supercontinuum spectrum,and Kerr frequency comb generation through dispersion engineering towards mid-IR on chip.

Ultra‑Efficient and Cost‑Effective Platinum Nanomembrane Electrocatalyst for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen production through hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)offers a promising solution to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources.However,the widespread adoption of efficient electrocatalysts,such as platinum(Pt),has been hindered by their high cost.In this study,we developed an easy-to-implement method to create ultrathin Pt nanomembranes,which catalyze HER at a cost significantly lower than commercial Pt/C and comparable to non-noble metal electrocatalysts.These Pt nanomembranes consist of highly distorted Pt nanocrystals and exhibit a heterogeneous elastic strain field,a characteristic rarely seen in conventional crystals.This unique feature results in significantly higher electrocatalytic efficiency than various forms of Pt electrocatalysts,including Pt/C,Pt foils,and numerous Pt singleatom or single-cluster catalysts.Our research offers a promising approach to develop highly efficient and cost-effective low-dimensional electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production,potentially addressing the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

sgp130对糖尿病小鼠视网膜p-STAT3及VEGF-A表达的影响

目的:观察可溶性糖蛋白130(sgp130)对糖尿病(DM)小鼠视网膜p-STAT3及VEGF-A表达的影响,探讨sgp130防治糖尿病视网膜病变(DR)炎性损害的可能性。方法:小鼠45只被随机分为正常组、DM组和sgp130组。采用链脲佐菌素对DM组和sgp130组进行DM造模。正常组、DM组不做特殊干预,sgp130组在第1、5wk被给予1.5mg/mL sgp1302μL进行玻璃体腔注射治疗。10wk后处死所有小鼠,检查视网膜组织IL-6、p-STAT3、VEGF-A等蛋白的表达。结果:在第10wk时,DM组视网膜IL-6、p-STAT3、VEGF-A表达较正常组升高(均P<0.01)。sgp130组p-STAT3、VEGF-A表达水平较DM组低(均P<0.01)。结论:sgp130可以选择性拮抗IL-6反式信号传导通路,下调下游炎性因子VEGF-A的表达,可以用于干预DM引起的IL-6相关性视网膜炎性损害。

An Exploration of the British Army Female Nursing Service during World War I

After the outbreak of World War I,the British War Office decided to dispatch female nursing personnel to the front lines due to the severe casualties among soldiers,the underdeveloped military medical services of the allied forces,and the maturity of the British Army female nursing service.Despite the harsh working conditions and the complexities of nurse-patient relationships under wartime restrictions,the female nursing staff also experienced moments of leisure that allowed them to relax and recuperate.The wartime British Army Female Nursing Service had a positive effect in reducing casualties and promoting the development of the official nurse registration movement.

非晶二氧化钛超薄纳米片用于稳定的高倍率锂储存

嵌入型金属氧化物由于降低了低电压下锂沉积风险,作为负极材料在可充电锂离子电池中广泛使用。然而,这类电极材料较低的能量密度、功率密度及循环稳定性差限制了其快充的能力。我们设计合成了一种具备良好电化学循环稳定性的非晶二氧化钛纳米片,在500 mA·g^(-1)的电流密度下循环200圈后具有231 mA·h·g^(-1)的比容量,在6 A·g^(-1)的高电流密度下经过1000圈循环后保持了156.7 mA·h·g^(-1)的比容量。非晶二氧化钛纳米片高倍率性能的提升归因于开放的高度各向同性的结构特性,降低了离子迁移能垒,确保了离子可用性,降低了嵌入后材料的体积变化。本研究表明非晶化是一种有望开发具有高倍率性能的传统金属氧化物电极材料的策略。

Mechanism of Huatan Sanjie Fang in improving goiter in Graves'disease mice based on the Hippo signaling pathway

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Huatan Sanjie Fang(HTSJ)in regulating goiter in Graves'disease(GD)mice by detecting key factors of the Hippo signaling pathway.Methods:A mouse model of GD was established by injecting Ad-TSHR289 adenovirus into the bilateral quadriceps femoris of female mice.Successful mouse models were then randomly divided into a model group,methimazole(MMI)group,and HTSJ group,and fed with deionized water,MMI(4.5 mg/kg per day),and HTSJ(35.10 g/kg per day),respectively,for 10 weeks.Histopathological changes of the thyroid gland were subsequently observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.Radioimmunoassay was used to detect serum total thyroxine(T4)and thyrotrophin-receptor antibody(TRAb)levels.The relative expression of mRNA of Mst1,YAP,and TAZ were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,while the protein expression of Mst1,YAP,TAZ,pMst1,and pYAP were detected by western blot.Results:After 10 weeks of drug intervention,goiter and other pathological changes in the HTSJ group significantly improved compared with the model group,and the levels of serum T4 and TRAb significantly decreased(P=.002,P<.001,respectively).Decreased mRNA expression of Mst1,YAP,and TAZ,the key factors of the Hippo signaling transduction pathway,was also observed(P=.002,P=.022,P<.001,respectively).In contrast,protein expression of Mst1(P=.046),pMst1(P=.026),and p YAP(P=.004)increased,while protein expression of YAP and TAZ decreased(P=.041,P<.001,respectively).Conclusion:HTSJ can effectively improve goiter in GD mice through the Hippo signaling pathway.

Metallic few-layered 1T-VS_(2)nanosheets for enhanced sodium storage

Metallic few-layered 1T phase vanadium disulfide nanosheets have been employed for boosting sodium ion batteries.It can deliver a capacity of 241 mAh∙g^(−1)at 100 mA∙g^(−1)after 200 cycles.Such long-term stability is attributed to the facile ion diffusion and electron transport resulting from the well-designed two-dimensional(2D)electron-electron correlations among V atoms in the 1T phase and optimized in-planar electric transport.Our results highlight the phase engineering into electrode design for energy storage.

基于内皮细胞/周细胞构建大鼠视网膜血管新生体外三维模型

目的:构建基于视网膜微血管内皮细胞(ECs)和周细胞(RMPs)的大鼠视网膜血管新生体外三维模型。方法:分离、纯化、培养大鼠视网膜微血管内皮细胞及视网膜微血管周细胞,选用第3~7代经鉴定后的细胞用于研究,采用细胞示踪剂对细胞进行染色,混合后按表面培养法接种于Matrigel,动态观察,并检测血管新生期间血管内皮生长因子A(VEGF-A)的表达。结果:培养12h时,RMPs被ECs招募,聚集成大小不等细胞团块;24h时,ECs/RMPs共同形成复杂的三维血管样条索网;48h时,网状结构出现明显崩解,仅保持少量不完整的简单网状结构;72h时,血管样条索网完全崩解。在三维模型发生过程中,VEGF-A的表达量升高;退化时,VEGF-A的表达量下降。结论:成功基于视网膜微血管全成分细胞ECs和RMPs构建了大鼠视网膜血管新生体外三维模型。

岩石中的压力影形成的实验观测研究

野外地质观察发现,在大陆地壳变质岩中可以广泛观察到围绕一个大的单晶或者硬质点的两端区域填充低粘度相物质形成的压力影。为了定量研究岩石材料中压力影的形成条件,本文利用高精度Paterson气体介质变形装置,对含有刚性球的圣卡罗橄榄石和洋中脊玄武岩(MORB)的混合物圆柱型样品进行了高温高压扭转变形试验。变形实验前样品的初始熔融均匀分布,比例为φ≈0.05,变形试件尺寸为D8.9mm×L5.5mm,内含8粒直径约1mm的刚性球。扭转变形试验温度为1473K,围压为300MPa,应变率为γ≈1×10^(-4)s^(-1),最大剪切变形为γ≈4。实验结果表明,岩石受到扭转力的作用产生变形之后,当局部剪切应变达到γ≈1时,可以在刚性球周围形成熔融富集带和熔融贫乏带,即压力影构造,围绕刚性球对称分布。由于熔融分布的不均一性,富集带熔融比例上升,最高可以达到φ_(high)=0.1~0.3,熔融贫乏带熔融比例下降,含量为φ_(low)=0.01~0.02。由于刚性球对其周围的压力分布的扰动区域大约为刚性球的尺度范围,因此,在离开刚性球一定距离后,熔融趋于均匀分布。

Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in satellite glial cells of the trigeminal ganglion contributes to substance P-mediated inflammatory pain

Inflammatory orofacial pain,in which substance P (SP) plays an important role,is closely related to the cross-talk between trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and satellite glial cells (SGCs).SGC activation is emerging as the key mechanism underlying inflammatory pain through different signalling mechanisms,including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) activation,phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways,and cytokine upregulation.However,in the TG,the mechanism underlying SP-mediated orofacial pain generated by SGCs is largely unknown.In this study,we investigated whether SP is involved in inflammatory orofacial pain by upregulating interleukin (IL)-1β and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α from SGCs,and we explored whether MAPK signalling pathways mediate the pain process.In the present study,complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) was injected into the whisker pad of rats to induce an inflammatory model in vivo.SP was administered to SGC cultures in vitro to confirm the effect of SP.Facial expression analysis showed that pre-injection of L703,606 (an NK-1 receptor antagonist),U0126 (an inhibitor of MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK] kinase [MEK] 1/2),and SB203580 (an inhibitor of P38) into the TG to induce targeted prevention of the activation of the NK-1 receptor and the phosphorylation of MAPKs significantly suppressed CFA-induced inflammatory allodynia.In addition,SP promoted SGC activation,which was proven by increased GFAP,p-MAPKs,IL-1β and TNF-α in SGCs under inflammatory conditions.Moreover,the increase in IL-1β and TNF-α was suppressed by L703,606,U0126 and SB203580 in vivo and in vitro.These present findings suggested that SP,released from TG neurons,activated SGCs through the ERK1/2 and P38 pathways and promoted the production of IL-1β and TNF-α from SGCs,contributing to inflammatory orofacial pain associated with peripheral sensitization.

Macro-physical field of large diameter magnesium alloy billet electromagnetic direct-chill casting:A comparative study

A comprehensive two-dimensional axisymmetric mathematical model that couples transient electromagnetic force with fluid flow,heat transfer,and solidification was established to describe the interaction of multiphysics field during DC casting.The melt flow,heat transfer,and solidification characteristics under differential phase pulse magnetic field and differential phase low-frequency electromagnetic field(DP-PMF and DP-LFEF)were numerically investigated by means of numerical simulation during electromagnetic direct-chill(DC)casting of AZ31 alloy at the same casting conditions.The effects of differential phase electromagnetic fields on Lorentz forces distributions,melt flow,heat transfer,and liquid sump shape were discussed systematically.Based on measured current waveform,the results were compared with those obtained without magnetic field(MF)and under conventional pulse magnetic field(PMF)and low-frequency electromagnetic field(LFEF)under the same conditions.The results show that the application of magnetic fields can significantly change the solidification process of DC casting.Differential phase magnetic fields(DP-LFEF and DP-PMF)can effectively reduce the temperature of the melt in the liquid sump,and the shallower liquid sump depth can be obtained under the differential phase magnetic fields.A large velocity vibration amplitude and a lower temperature are available simultaneously under DP-PMF,resulting in more uniform temperature distribution.

Mechanism of improving skin barrier function in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis using Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou decoction and its disassembled formula

Objective: To reveal the mechanism of Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou decoction and its disassembled formula for improving the skin barrier function in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis(AD).Methods: Sixty specific-pathogen free male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group, whole formula group(WF), exterior-releasing formula group(ERF), interior-clearing formula group(ICF), and positive control group(PC). A mouse model of AD was established using the semiantigen 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene induction method. The lesion scores, transepidermal water loss and p H, and skin histopathology of mice in each group were observed. The expressions of filaggrin, loricrin,and involucrin were detected by the streptavidin peroxidase immunohistochemical method and western blotting, and their mRNA expressions were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Results: Mice in the WF, ERF, ICF, and PC groups showed reduced skin lesion performance, improved histopathology, decreased skin lesion score, transepidermal water loss and pH, and upregulated expressions of proteins including filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin, and their mRNAs. The most obvious regulatory effect was observed in the WF group, followed by the ICF, ERF, and PC groups, accordingly.Conclusions: Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou decoction and its disassembled formula can improve the skin barrier function in a mouse model of AD by upregulating filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin, and their mRNA expressions, and the most optimal effect was noted in the WF group, followed by the ICF and ERF groups, which suggests that the effect of clearing heat and resolving dampness in improving the skin barrier function of AD is more obvious and is one of the key treatments for AD.

Evolution of the deformation field and earthquake fracture precursors of strike-slip faults

Seismic hazard analysis is gaining increased attention in the present era because of the catastrophic effects of earthquakes.Scientists always have as a goal to develop new techniques that will help forecast earthquakes before their reoccurrence. In this research,we have performed a shear failure experiment on rock samples with prefabricated cracks to simulate the process of plate movement that forms strike-slip faults. We studied the evolution law of the deformation field to simulate the shear failure experiment, and these results gave us a comprehensive understanding of the elaborate strain distribution law and its formation process with which to identify actual fault zones. We performed uniaxial compression tests on marble slabs with prefabricated double shear cracks to study the distribution and evolution of the deformation field during shear failure. Analysis of the strain field at different loading stages showed that with an increase in the load, the shear strain field initially changed to a disordered-style distribution. Further, the strain field was partially concentrated and finally completely concentrated near the crack and then distributed in the shape of a strip along the crack. We also computed coefficients of variation(CVs) for the physical quantities u, v, and exy, which varied with the load. The CV curves were found to correspond to the different loading stages. We found that at the uniform deformation stage, the CV value was small and changed slowly,whereas at the later nonuniform deformation stage, the CV value increased sharply and changed abruptly. Therefore, the precursor to a rock sample breakdown can be predicted by observing the variation characteristics of CV statistics. The correlation we found between our experimental and theoretical results revealed that our crack evolution and sample deformation results showed good coupling with seismic distribution characteristics near the San Andreas Fault.

Detection and quantification of entanglement with measurement-device-independent and universal entanglement witness

Entanglement is the key resource in quantum information processing,and an entanglement witness(EW)is designed to detect whether a quantum system has any entanglement.However,prior knowledge of the target states should be known first to design a suitable EW,which weakens this method.Nevertheless,a recent theory shows that it is possible to design a universal entanglement witness(UEW)to detect negative-partial-transpose(NPT)entanglement in unknown bipartite states with measurement-device-independent(MDI)characteristic.The outcome of a UEW can also be upgraded to be an entanglement measure.In this study,we experimentally design and realize an MDI UEW for two-qubit entangled states.All of the tested states are well-detected without any prior knowledge.We also show that it is able to quantify entanglement by comparing it with concurrence estimated through state tomography.The relation between them is also revealed.The entire experimental framework ensures that the UEW is MDI.

Hypoxia inducible factor 1α promotes interleukin-1 receptor antagonist expression during hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND Ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI) is a major risk associated with liver surgery and transplantation,and its pathological mechanism is complex.Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist(IL-1ra) can protect the liver from IRI.However,the regulatory mechanism of IL-1ra expression is still unclear.AIM To identify the mechanism that could protect the liver in the early stage of IRI.METHODS To screen the key genes in hepatic IRI,we performed RNA sequencing and gene enrichment analysis on liver tissue from mice with hepatic IRI.Subsequently,we verified the expression and effect of IL-1ra in hepatic IRI.We also used promoter mutagenesis and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay to search for the transcriptional regulatory sites of hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)-1α.Finally,to explore the protective mechanism of ischemic preconditioning(IP),we examined the expression of HIF-1α and IL-1ra after IP.RESULTS We identified IL-1ra as a key regulator in hepatic IRI.The expression of IL-1ra was significantly upregulated after hepatic IRI both in vivo and in vitro.Furthermore,we found that HIF-1αregulated Il-1ra transcription in response to hypoxia.Increased HIF-1α accumulation promoted IL-1ra expression,whereas inhibition of HIF-1α exhibited the opposite effect.We also confirmed a predominant role for hypoxia response element in the regulation of Il1ra transcription by HIF-1αactivation.Of note,we demonstrated that IP protects against hepatic IRI by inducing IL-1ra expression,which is mediated through HIF-1α.CONCLUSION We demonstrated that ischemia or hypoxia leads to increased expression of IL-1ra through HIF-1α.Importantly,IP protects the liver from IRI via the HIF-1α–IL-1ra pathway.

Chlorogenic acid alters the voltage-gated potassium channel currents of trigeminal ganglion neurons

Chlorogenic acid（5-caffeoylquinic acid, CGA） is a phenolic compound that is found ubiquitously in plants, fruits and vegetables and is formed via the esterification of caffeic acid and quinic acid. In addition to its notable biological functions against cardiovascular diseases, type-2 diabetes and inflammatory conditions, CGA was recently hypothesized to be an alternative for the treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer＇s disease and neuropathic pain disorders. However, its mechanism of action is unclear.Voltage-gated potassium channel（Kv） is a crucial factor in the electro-physiological processes of sensory neurons. Kv has also been identified as a potential therapeutic target for inflammation and neuropathic pain disorders. In this study, we analysed the effects of CGA on the two main subtypes of Kv in trigeminal ganglion neurons, namely, the IK,Aand IK,Vchannels. Trigeminal ganglion（TRG）neurons were acutely disassociated from the rat TRG, and two different doses of CGA（0.2 and 1 mmol·L21） were applied to the cells.Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed to observe alterations in the activation and inactivation properties of the IK,Aand IK,Vchannels. The results demonstrated that 0.2 mmol·L21CGA decreased the peak current density of IK,A. Both 0.2 mmol·L21and1 mmol·L21CGA also caused a significant reduction in the activation and inactivation thresholds of IK,Aand IK,V. CGA exhibited a strong effect on the activation and inactivation velocities of IK,Aand IK,V. These findings provide novel evidence explaining the biological effects of CGA, especially regarding its neurological effects.

Interfacial engineering of atomic platinum-doped molybdenum carbide quantum dots for high-rate and stable hydrogen evolution reaction in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis

Platinum(Pt)-based electrocatalysts remain the only practical cathode catalysts for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis(PEMWE),due to their excellent catalytic activity for acidic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),but are greatly limited by their low reserves and high cost.Here,we report an interfacial engineering strategy to obtain a promising low-Pt loading catalyst with atomically Pt-doped molybdenum carbide quantum dots decorated on conductive porous carbon(Pt-MoCx@C)for high-rate and stable HER in PEMWE.Benefiting from the strong interfacial interaction between Pt atoms and the ultra-small MoCx quantum dots substrate,the Pt-MoCx catalyst exhibits a high mass activity of 8.00 A·mgPt−1,5.6 times higher than that of commercial 20 wt.%Pt/C catalyst.Moreover,the strong interfacial coupling of Pt and MoCx substrate greatly improves the HER stability of the Pt-MoCx catalyst.Density functional theory studies further confirm the strong metal-support interaction on Pt-MoCx,the critical role of MoCx substrate in the stabilization of surface Pt atoms,as well as activation of MoCx substrate by Pt atoms for improving HER durability and activity.The optimized Pt-MoCx@C catalyst demonstrates>2000 h stability under a water-splitting current of 1000 mA·cm^(−2)when applied to the cathode of a PEM water electrolyzer,suggesting the potential for practical applications.

Corrosion behaviours of the dental magnetic keeper complexes made by different alloys and methods

The keeper and cast dowel-coping, as a primary component for a magnetic attachment, is easily subjected to corrosion in a wet environment, such as the oral cavity, which contains electrolyte-rich saliva, complex microflora and chewing behaviour and so on. The objective of this in vitro study was to examine the corrosion resistance of a dowel and coping-keeper complex fabricated by finish keeper and three alloys （cobalt-chromium, CoCr; silver-palladium-gold, PdAu; gold-platinum, AuPt） using a laser- welding process and a casting technique. The surface morphology characteristics and microstructures of the samples were examined by means of metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope （SEM）. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） with SEM provided elements analysis information for the test samples after 10% oxalic acid solution etching test. Tafel polarization curve recordings demonstrated parameter values indicating corrosion of the samples when subjected to electrochemical testing. This study has suggested that massive oxides are attached to the surface of the CoCr-keeper complex but not to the AuPt-keeper complex. Only the keeper area of cast CoCr-keeper complex displayed obvious intergranular corrosion and changes in the Fe and Co elements, Both cast and laser-welded AuPt-keeper complexes had the highest free corrosion potential, followed by the PdAu-keeper complex. We concluded that although the corrosion resistance of the CoCr-keeper complex was worst, the keeper surface passive film was actually preserved to its maximum extent. The laser-welded CoCr- and PdAu-keeper complexes possessed superior corrosion resistance as compared with their cast specimens, but no significant difference was found between the cast and laser-welded AuPt-keeper complexes. The Fe-poor and Cr-rich band, appearing on the edge of the keeper when casting, has been proven to be a corrosion-prone area.

Metal-organic framework composites for energy conversion and storage

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)with orderly porous structure,large surface area,high electrochemical response and chemical tunability have been widely studied for energy conversion and storage.However,most reported MOFs still suffer from poor stability,insufficient conductivity,and low utilization of active sites.One strategy to circumvent these issues is to optimize MOFs via designing composites.Here,the design principle from the viewpoint of the intrinsic relationships among various components will be illuminated to acquire the synergistic effects,including two working modes:(1)MOFs with assistant components,(2)MOFs with other function components.This review introduces recent research progress of MOF-based composites with their typical applications in energy conversion(catalysis)and storage(supercapacitor and ion battery).Finally,the challenges and future prospects of MOF-based composites will be discussed in terms of maximizing composite properties.

Experimental demonstration of tight duality relation in three-path interferometer

Bohr’s principle of complementarity has a long history and it is an important topic in quantum theory,among which the famous example is the duality relation.The relation between visibilityC and distinguishability D,C2+D2≤1,has long been recognized as the only representative of the duality relation.However,recent researches have shown that this inequality is not good enough because it is not tight for multipath interferometers.Meanwhile,a tight bound for the multipath interferometer has been put forward.Here we design and experimentally implement a three-path interferometer coupling with path indicator states.The wave property of photons is characterized by l1-norm coherence measure,and the particle property is based on distinguishability of the indicator states.The new duality relation of the three-path interferometer is demonstrated in our experiment,which bounds the union of a right triangle and a part of elliptical area inside the quadrant of a unit circle.Data analysis confirms that the new bound is tight for photons in three-path interferometers.