Glycine-β-cyclodextrin-assisted cometabolism of phenanthrene and pyrene by Pseudomonas stutzeri DJP 1 from marine sediment

Cometabolic degradation is currently an effective and extensively way to remove high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(HMW-PAHs).Unfortunately,due to low bio-accessibility and high biotoxicity,the cometabolic degradation rate of HMW-PAHs is limited.Glycine-β-cyclodextrin(GCD)was obtained through amino modification ofβ-cyclodextrin(BCD)and added to cometabolic system of phenanthrene(PHE)and pyrene(PYR)to assist PYR biodegradation.Results show that the addition of GCD(100 mg/L)effectively improved the removal rate of PYR(20 mg/L)by 42.3%.GCD appeared to increase the bio-accessibility and reduce the biotoxicity of PHE and PYR,and then promoted the growth of Pseudomonas stutzeri DJP1 and stimulated the elevation of dehydrogenase(DHA)and catechol 12 dioxygenase(C12O)activities.The phthalate metabolic pathway was accelerated,which improved the cometabolic degradation.This study provided a new reference for the cometabolic degradation of HMW-PAHs.

Glycolytic potential enhanced by blockade of pyruvate influx into mitochondria sensitizes prostate cancer to detection and radiotherapy

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the effects of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier(MPC)blockade on the sensitivity of detection and radiotherapy of prostate cancer(PCa).Methods:We investigated glycolysis reprogramming and MPC changes in patients with PCa by using metabolic profiling,RNASeq,and tissue microarrays.Transient blockade of pyruvate influx into mitochondria was observed in cellular studies to detect its different effects on prostate carcinoma cells and benign prostate cells.Xenograft mouse models were injected with an MPC inhibitor to evaluate the sensitivity of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography and radiotherapy of PCa.Furthermore,the molecular mechanism of this different effect of transient blockage towards benign prostate cells and prostate cancer cells was studied in vitro.Results:MPC was elevated in PCa tissue compared with benign prostate tissue,but decreased during cancer progression.The transient blockade increased PCa cell proliferation while decreasing benign prostate cell proliferation,thus increasing the sensitivity of PCa cells to 18F-PET/CT(SUVavg,P=0.016;SUVmax,P=0.03)and radiotherapy(P<0.01).This differential effect of MPC on PCa and benign prostate cells was dependent on regulation by a VDAC1-MPC-mitochondrial homeostasis-glycolysis pathway.Conclusions:Blockade of pyruvate influx into mitochondria increased glycolysis levels in PCa but not in non-carcinoma prostate tissue.This transient blockage sensitized PCa to both detection and radiotherapy,thus indicating that glycolytic potential is a novel mechanism underlying PCa progression.The change in the mitochondrial pyruvate influx caused by transient MPC blockade provides a critical target for PCa diagnosis and treatment.

Two-dimensional distributed strain sensing with an Archimedean spiral arrangement in optical frequency domain reflectometry

We demonstrate a distributed two-dimensional(2D)strain-sensing system in optical frequency domain reflectometry(OFDR)with an Archimedean spiral arrangement of the sensing fiber.The Archimedean spiral describes a simple relationship between the radial radius and polar angle,such that each circle(the polar angle from0 to 2π)can sense the 2D strain in all directions.The strain between two adjacent circles can also be easily obtained because an Archimedean spiral facilitates sensing of every angle covering the full 2D range.Based on the mathematical relation of Archimedean spirals,we deduce the relationship between the one-dimensional position of the sensing fiber and 2D distribution in polar coordinates.The results of the experiment show that an Archimedean spiral arrangement system can achieve 2D strain sensing with different strain load angles.

Highly sensitive and stable probe refractometer based on configurable plasmonic resonance with nano-modified fiber core

A dispersion model is developed to provide a generic tool for configuring plasmonic resonance spectral characteristics.The customized design of the resonance curve aiming at specific detection requirements can be achieved.According to the model,a probe-type nano-modified fiber optic configurable plasmonic resonance(NMF-CPR)sensor with tip hot spot enhancement is demonstrated for the measurement of the refractive index in the range of 1.3332-1.3432 corresponding to the low-concentration biomarker solution.The new-type sensing structure avoids excessive broadening and redshift of the resonance dip,which provides more possibilities for the surface modification of other functional nanomaterials.The tip hot spots in nanogaps between the Au layer and Au nanostars(AuNSs),the tip electric field enhancement of AuNSs,and the high carrier mobility of the WSe_(2)layer synergistically and significantly enhance the sensitivity of the sensor.Ex-perimental results show that the sensitivity and the figure of merit of the tip hot spot enhanced fiber NMF-CPR sensor can achieve up to 2995.70 nm/RIU and 25.04 RIU^(−1),respectively,which are 1.68 times and 1.29 times higher than those of the conventional fiber plasmonic resonance sensor.The results achieve good agreements with numerical simulations,demonstrate a better level compared to similar reported studies,and verify the correctness of the dispersion model.The detection resolution of the sensor reaches up to 2.00×10^(−5)RIU,which is obviously higher than that of the conventional side-polished fiber plasmonic resonance sensor.This indicates a high detection accuracy of the sensor.The dense Au layer effectively prevents the intermediate nanomaterials from shedding and chemical degradation,which enables the sensor with high stability.Furthermore,the terminal reflective sensing structure can be used as a practical probe and can allow a more convenient operation.

Side-polished SMS based RI sensor employing macro-bending perfluorinated POF

A refractive index(RI)sensor based on perfluorinated plastic optical fiber(PF-POF)is introduced in this paper.The PF-POF as multi-mode fiber was side-polished(SP)to form a macro-bending single-mode-multimode-single-mode(SMS)structure.Both ends of the sensor were closely connected to single-mode quartz optical fiber(SMF).The spectral char-acteristics of the sensor are measured,analyzed and discussed.The results show that when the length of PF-POF is 8 cm,the macro-bending radius is 3 cm,and the SP-depth is 20μm.The intensity sensitivity reaches−219.504 dBm/RIU in the range of RI=1.330~1.356.A reference is provided for the application of PF-POF in RI sensor in the future.The sensor is featured with low-cost,good flexibility and high efficiency.

Gender-specific temporal trends in overweight prevalence among Chinese adults:a hierarchical age-period-cohort analysis from 2008 to 2015

Background:As a key health risk,the prevalence of overweight has been strikingly increasing worldwide.This study aimed to disentangle the net age,period,and cohort effects on overweight among Chinese adults by gender.Methods:Data came from the Chinese General Social Survey from 2008 to 2015,which was a repeated crosssectional survey(n=55,726,aged 18 and older).χ2 or t tests were used to estimate the gender disparities in overweight and socioeconomic status(SES).A series of hierarchical age-period-cohort cross-classified randomeffects models were performed using SAS version 9.4 to estimate the overall and gender-specific temporal trends of overweight,as well as the association between SES and overweight.Further,a series of line charts were used to present the age and cohort variations in overweight.Results:After controlling for covariates,significant age and cohort effects were observed among adults in China(b=0.0205,p<0.001;b=0.0122,p<0.05;respectively).Specifically,inverted U-shaped age effects were identified for both genders,with a high probability of overweight occurring in middle age(b=-0.0012,p<0.001).Overweight was more prevalent among men than women before 60 years old,and this trend reversed thereafter(b=-0.0253,p<0.001).Moreover,men born during the war(before 1950)and reform cohorts(after the 1975s)demonstrated a substantial decline in overweight,while men born in 1950-1975 showed an increasing trend in overweight prevalence(b=0.0378,p<0.05).However,the cohort effect on women was not statistically significant.Additionally,a higher SES was related to an elevated probability of overweight.Conclusion:Gender-specific age and cohort effects on the prevalence of overweight were observed among Chinese adults.Both China and other developing countries need to pay attention to the coming obesity challenge and related health inequality.Full life-cycle overweight prevention interventions should focus on middleaged adults,men born in the war and reform eras,and adults with a higher SES.

Influence of population mobility on the novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)epidemic:based on panel data from Hubei,China

Background:The novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)was first reported in Wuhan,China.The mass population mobility in China during the Spring Festival has been considered a driver to the transmission of COVID-19,but it still needs more empirical discussion.Methods:Based on the panel data from Hubei,China between January 6th and February 6th,2020,a random effects model was used to estimate the impact of population mobility on the transmission of COVID-19.Stata version 12.0 was used,and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:The COVID-19 was more likely to be confirmed within 11-12 days after people moved from Wuhan to 16 other prefecture-level cities in Hubei Province,which suggests a period of 11-12 days from contact to being confirmed.The daily confirmed cases and daily increment in incidence in 16 prefecture-level cities show obvious declines 9-12 days post adaptation of city lockdown at the local level.Conclusion:Population mobility is found to be a driver to the rapid transmission of COVID-19,and the lockdown intervention in local prefecture-level cities of Hubei Province has been an effective strategy to block the COVID-19 epidemic.

Correction to:Influence of population mobility on the novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)epidemic:based on panel data from Hubei,China

Correction to:Glob Health Res Policy(2020)5:30 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-020-00151-6 After publication of this article[1],it is reported that this article contains some errors,details below.1.The heading“Introduction”should be inserted at the beginning of the article.

All-silicon dual-cavity fiber-optic pressure sensor with ultralow pressure-temperature cross-sensitivity and wide working temperature range

Pressure-temperature cross-sensitivity and its accompanying temperature-related stability is a nerve-wracking obstruction for pressure sensor performance in a wide temperature range.To solve this problem,we propose a novel(to the best of our knowledge)all-silicon dual-cavity optical Fabry–Perot interferometer(FPI)pressure sensor.The all-silicon structure has high intrinsic reflectivity and is able to eliminate the influence of thermal-expansion-mismatch-induced stress and chemical-reaction-induced gas generation,and therefore,in essence,enhances measurement accuracy.From the experiment results,the pressure-temperature cross-sensitivity is reduced to be∼5.96 Pa/℃,which presents the lowest pressure-temperature cross-sensitivity among the FPI pressure sensors with the capability of surviving high temperatures up to 700℃ thereby opening the way for high-precision pressure monitoring in various harsh and remote environments.

Phase demodulation method based on a dual-identical-chirped-pulse and weak fiber Bragg gratings for quasi-distributed acoustic sensing

A phase demodulation method for quasi-distributed acoustic sensing(DAS)systems based on a dual-identicalchirped-pulse and weak fiber Bragg gratings(WFBGs)is proposed.Compared to the use of Rayleigh backscattering light in optical fibers,the implementation of WFBGs can contribute to obtaining an optical signal with a higher signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).The dual-identical-chirped-pulse is generated by a time-delay fiber,and the sinusoidal carrier is generated by the interference between the two chirped pulses reflected by adjacent WFBGs.The phase of the sinusoidal carrier represents the dynamic strain change posed on the sensing fiber.Discrete Fourier transform is used to directly retrieve the phase information.The performance of the phase demodulation from interference signals under different sinusoidal carrier frequencies and SNRs is numerically investigated.The piezoelectric transducer is employed to emulate the sound in the experiment to verify the effectiveness of our method.It is shown that the dynamic strain can be well reconstructed at the end of a 101.64 km fiber when the signal SNR is down to 3.234 d B.Our proposed method enables the application of the long-distance sensing in quasi-DAS systems.

Performance improvement approaches for optical fiber SPR sensors and their sensing applications

Optical fiber surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensors point toward promising application potential in the fields of biomarker detection,food allergen screening,and environmental monitoring due to their unique advantages.This review outlines approaches in improving the fiber SPR sensing performance,e.g.,sensitivity,detection accuracy,reliability,cross-sensitivity,selectivity,convenience and efficiency,and corresponding sensing applications.The sensing principles of SPR sensors,especially the performance indicators and their influencing factors,have been introduced.Current technologies for improving the fiber SPR performance and their application scenarios are then reviewed from the aspects of fiber substrate,intrinsic layer(metal layer),and surface nanomaterial modification.Reasonable design of the substrate can strengthen the evanescent electromagnetic field and realize the multi-parameter sensing,and can introduce the in situ sensing self-compensation,which allows corrections for errors induced by temperature fluctuation,non-specific binding,and external disturbances.The change of the intrinsic layer can adjust the column number,the penetration depth,and the propagation distance of surface plasmon polaritons.This can thereby promote the capability of sensors to detect the large-size analytes and can reduce the full width at half-maximum of SPR curves.The modification of various-dimensionality nanomaterials on the sensor surfaces can heighten the overlap integral of the electromagnetic field intensity in the analyte region and can strengthen interactions between plasmons and excitons as well as interactions between analyte molecules and metal surfaces.Moreover,future directions of fiber SPR sensors are prospected based on the important and challenging problems in the development of fiber SPR sensors.

Flexible minimally invasive coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy(CARS)measurement method with tapered optical fiber probe for single-cell application

We proposed and demonstrated a flexible,endoscopic,and minimally invasive coherent anti-Raman Stokes scattering(CARS)measurement method for single-cell application,employing a tapered optical fiber probe.A few-mode fiber(FMF),whose generated four-wave mixing band is out of CARS signals,was selected to fabricate tapered optical fiber probes,deliver CARS excitation pulses,and collect CARS signals.The adiabatic tapered fiber probe with a diameter of 11.61μm can focus CARS excitation lights without mismatch at the focal point.The measurements for proof-of-concept were made with methanol,ethanol,cyclohexane,and acetone injected into simulated cells.The experimental results show that the tapered optical fiber probe can detect carbon-hydrogen(C-H)bond-rich substances and their concentration.To our best knowledge,this optical fiber probe provides the minimum size among probes for detecting CARS signals.These results pave the way for minimally invasive live-cell detection in the future.

Liquid crystal-amplified optofluidic biosensor for ultra-highly sensitive and stable protein assay

Protein assays show great importance in medical research and disease diagnoses.Liquid crystals(LCs),as a branch of sensitive materials,offer promising applicability in the field of biosensing.Herein,we developed an ultrasensitive biosensor for the detection of low-concentration protein molecules,employing LC-amplified optofluidic resonators.In this design,the orientation of LCs was disturbed by immobilized protein molecules through the reduction of the vertical anchoring force from the alignment layer.A biosensing platform based on the whispering-gallery mode(WGM)from the LC-amplified optofluidic resonator was developed and explored,in which the spectral wavelength shift was monitored as the sensing parameter.The microbubble structure provided a stable and reliable WGM resonator with a high Q factor for LCs.It is demonstrated that the wall thickness of the microbubble played a key role in enhancing the sensitivity of the LC-amplified WGM microcavity.It is also found that protein molecules coated on the internal surface of microbubble led to their interactions with laser beams and the orientation transition of LCs.Both effects amplified the target information and triggered a sensitive wavelength shift in WGM spectra.A detection limit of 1 fM for bovine serum albumin(BSA)was achieved to demonstrate the high-sensitivity of our sensing platform in protein assays.Compared to the detection using a conventional polarized optical microscope(POM),the sensitivity was improved by seven orders of magnitude.Furthermore,multiple types of proteins and specific biosensing were also investigated to verify the potential of LC-amplified optofluidic resonators in the biomolecular detection.Our studies indicate that LC-amplified optofluidic resonators offer a new solution for the ultrasensitive real-time biosensing and the characterization of biomolecular interactions.

Multi-channel polarized low-coherence interference synchronous demodulation system based on a matrix charge-coupled device

A multi-channel synchronous demodulation system of a polarized low-coherence interferometer(PLCI) based on a matrix charge-coupled-device(CCD) is proposed and demonstrated. By using special designs, the system allows the signals from different channels to be received and demodulated synchronously. Multichannel air pressure experiments were implemented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed system. The experiment results showed that the Fabry–Perot(F–P) sensors could be demodulated synchronously with a high tolerance for light sources and sensors, which indicated that any sensor and light source that can be demodulated by PLCI were allowed to be employed, leading to a wide application in the field of multichannel synchronous measurement.

JAM-A facilitates hair follicle regeneration in alopecia areata through functioning as ceRNA to protect VCAN expression in dermal papilla cells

The dermal papilla cells in hair follicles function as critical regulators of hair growth.In particular,alopecia areata(AA)is closely related to the malfunctioning of the human dermal papilla cells(hDPCs).Thus,identifying the regulatory mechanism of hDPCs is important in inducing hair follicle(HF)regeneration in AA patients.Recently,growing evidence has indicated that 3 untranslated regions(3 UTR)of key genes may participate in the regulatory circuitry underlying cell differentiation and diseases through a socalled competing endogenous mechanism,but none have been reported in HF regeneration.Here,we demonstrate that the 3 UTR of junctional adhesion molecule A(JAM-A)could act as an essential competing endogenous RNA to maintain hDPCs function and promote HF regeneration in AA.We showed that the 3 UTR of JAM-A shares many microRNA(miRNA)response elements,especially miR-221–3p,with versican(VCAN)mRNA,and JAM-A 3 UTR could directly modulate the miRNA-mediated suppression of VCAN in self-renewing hDPCs.Furthermore,upregulated VCAN can in turn promote the expression level of JAM-A.Overall,we propose that JAM-A 3 UTR forms a feedback loop with VCAN and miR-221–3p to regulate hDPC maintenance,proliferation,and differentiation,which may lead to developing new therapies for hair loss.

Polarization in D-shaped fiber modulated by magneto-optical dichroism of magnetic fluid

The polarization of a D-shaped fiber is modulated after immersing it in magnetic fluid(MF)and applying a magnetic field.Theoretical analysis predicts that magneto-optical dichroism of MF plays a key role in light polarization modulation.During light polarization modulation,the evanescent wave polarized parallel to the magnetic field has greater loss than its orthogonal component.Light polarization of a D-shaped fiber with a wide polished surface can be modulated easily.High concentration MF and a large magnetic field all have great ability to modulate light polarization.

Self-copy-shift-based differential phase extracting method for fiber distributed acoustic sensing

A differential phase extracting method based on self-copy-shift for distributed acoustic sensing is proposed.Heterodyne and optical hybrids are used to realize high signal-to-noise ratio in-phase and quadrature-phase(IQ)signal measurement.The measured signals are self-copied and shifted for certain data points,and then they are digitally mixed with the original signals to construct the differential phase.The four produced signals are then combined to carry out IQ demodulation.An experiment with strain having an amplitude modulation waveform is carried out.The results showed that waveform information can be recovered well,and the signal-tonoise ratio achieves 32.8 dB.

Investigation on temperature characteristics of weak fiber Bragg gratings in a wide range

A weak fiber Bragg grating(WFBG) is an ideal quasi-distributed optical fiber sensor. Special attention should be paid to the spectrum and sensing performance of the WFBG at extreme temperatures due to its poor reflection intensity. In this Letter, the temperature characteristics of the WFBG from-252.75°C to 200.94°C are experimentally investigated. Five WFBGs with reflectivity from ~0.25% to ~10% are used in the experiments. The reflectivity variations and wavelength shifts at different temperatures are studied. Experimental results show that the WFBG can survive and work at extreme temperatures, but the performance is affected significantly.The reflectivity is affected significantly by both cryogenic temperature and high temperature. The temperature responses of Bragg wavelengths in the wide temperature range are also obtained.

Recent Progress of Fiber Sensing Technologies in Tianjin University

The up to date progress of fiber sensing technologies in Tianjin University are proposed in this paper.Fiber-optic temperature sensor based on the interference of selective higher-order modes in circular optical fiber is developed.Parallel demodulation for extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer(EFPI)and fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensors is realized based on white light interference.Gas concentration detection is realized based on intra-cavity fiber laser spectroscopy.Polarization maintaining fiber(PMF)is used for distributed position or displacement sensing.Based on the before work and results,we gained National Basic Research Program of China on optical fiber sensing technology and will develop further investigation in this area.