Massachusetts General Hospital and the Shanghai Mental Health Center:the past,present and future of a psychiatric research partnership

INTRODUCTION There are many obstacles to developing,maintaining and strengthening international research collaborations,whether they are posed by geography,culture or,most recently,global economics and politics.It is critically important to overcome these obstacles,especially when it comes to fostering the types of breakthrough biomedical science that benefit from diverse perspectives,methodologies and data sets.Moreover,the research underlying these breakthroughs unfolds over the course of years,and even decades.For these reasons,and more,the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital(Mass General)and the Shanghai Mental Health Center(SMHC)are taking the long view:exploring and implementing numerous collaborative research and training projects that are leading to better care and treatments for patients,both in the USA and China,who suffer from a range of psychiatric disorders.

Forward： Proceedings of the 2008 Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This special issue of Current Zoology concerning the behavior, ecology, and evolution of fishes is comprised of the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the 2008 Ecological and Evolutionary Ecology of Fishes Biennial Conference that was held June 29 - July 3 at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The conference and its four symposia were organized by a local organization committee and scientific program committee which included Maria Abate, host at Boston University; Sigal Balshine, McMaster University; Michael Clancy, Boston University; Ronald Coleman, California State University, Sacramento; John Godwin, North Carolina State University; Les Kaufinan, Boston University;

Monitoring Response of Diadromous Populations to Fish Passage Improvements on a Massachusetts Coastal Stream

One technical fishway and two innovative nature-like fishways were installed at three dams on the Acushnet River in Acushnet, Massachusetts to facilitate migration of river herring and juvenile American eels （elvers）. Pre-construction and post-construction monitoring of river herring and elver populations used census counting and abundance estimation, respectively. Numbers of adult river herring returning to the upstream spawning grounds during the pre-construction phase were very low; elver counts declined during the pre-construction period and served as baseline levels to determine the effectiveness of the new fishways. Post-construction monitoring of river herring and elvers indicated an increasing trend of spawning adult river herring returning to the spawning grounds, with the total count in the fourth year of post-construction representing an increase of 1,140% over baseline, pre-construction conditions. Results also show increased elver recruitment into the river as well as increased proportions of elvers accessing habitat in the upper watershed that was mostly inaccessible prior to fishway installation. The new fishways at the three dams on the river have improved diadromous fish passage, thereby increasing the probability of restoring healthy populations of river herring and American eels to the Acushnet River system.

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING ON CAMPUS CASE STUDIES FROM UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST

College campuses pride themselves in being leaders in promoting innovation in both technical and theoretical aspects of all fields of study, including sustainability. The drive for sustainability in higher education has become institutionalized in many college campuses in the form of offices of sustainability, as well as membership in the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In par­allel, but not always in concert, are more grass-roots efforts by students to promote sustainability through recycling programs, urban agriculture, and similar initiatives. Students are often frustrated between the classroom lessons they learn about sustain­ability and the slow adoption of sustainable practices in the “real-world,” including on campus. In order to address this issue, faculty have begun to engage students in the sustainability challenges facing their own campuses. The Journal of Green Building showcases these projects in the New Directions in Teaching and Research section of the journal. As part of this series, this article will highlight a course at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in which students engage in green infrastructure planning projects for the campus.

黄河流域煤炭开发区地下水污染成因分析及防治建议

[研究目的]黄河流域内由于煤炭资源开发导致地下水污染严重,从整体角度对流域内重点煤炭开发区地下水进行归纳总结,为其可持续健康发展和地下水资源改善提供防治建议。[研究方法]从黄河流域战略地位出发,对地下水污染成因和污染模式进行归纳总结。采用改进后的综合水质指数法对流域内九大煤炭基地的地下水进行水质评价。选用主成分分析法赋权指标,并引入改进的内梅罗污染指数法,按照WPI分级法进行评价。[研究结果]通过对黄河流域各重点断面水质评价,得到目前流域内煤炭基地水质结果中Ⅲ、Ⅳ类占比较多,水质较差。分析成因当前流域内存在高矿化度矿井水、酸性矿井水和含特殊组分矿井水污染,同时阐述污染地下水形成的浅层和深层两种污染模式。[结论]对3种矿井水采用相应防治方法,并提出膏体充填技术和微生物修复技术2种防治技术建议,通过应用实际矿山为例,印证污染防治技术能够改善由煤炭开采引发的流域内地下水污染严重的问题,以期研究结果能够对成功推动中国绿色矿山的快速发展具有参考意义。

Micromechanical testing and property upscaling of planetary rocks:A critical review

Knowledge of the mechanical behavior of planetary rocks is indispensable for space explorations.The scarcity of pristine samples and the irregular shapes of planetary meteorites make it difficult to obtain representative samples for conventional macroscale rock mechanics experiments(macro-RMEs).This critical review discusses recent advances in microscale RMEs(micro-RMEs)techniques and the upscaling methods for extracting mechanical parameters.Methods of mineralogical and microstructural analyses,along with non-destructive mechanical techniques,have provided new opportunities for studying planetary rocks with unprecedented precision and capabilities.First,we summarize several mainstream methods for obtaining the mineralogy and microstructure of planetary rocks.Then,nondestructive micromechanical testing methods,nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy(AFM),are detailed reviewed,illustrating the principles,advantages,influencing factors,and available testing results from literature.Subsequently,several feasible upscaling methods that bridge the micro-measurements of meteorite pieces to the strength of the intact body are introduced.Finally,the potential applications of planetary rock mechanics research to guiding the design and execution of space missions are environed,ranging from sample return missions and planetary defense to extraterrestrial construction.These discussions are expected to broaden the understanding of the microscale mechanical properties of planetary rocks and their significant role in deep space exploration.

Data-driven polarimetric imaging: a review

This study reviews the recent advances in data-driven polarimetric imaging technologies based on a wide range of practical applications.The widespread international research and activity in polarimetric imaging techniques demonstrate their broad applications and interest.Polarization information is increasingly incorporated into convolutional neural networks(CNN)as a supplemental feature of objects to improve performance in computer vision task applications.Polarimetric imaging and deep learning can extract abundant information to address various challenges.Therefore,this article briefly reviews recent developments in data-driven polarimetric imaging,including polarimetric descattering,3D imaging,reflection removal,target detection,and biomedical imaging.Furthermore,we synthetically analyze the input,datasets,and loss functions and list the existing datasets and loss functions with an evaluation of their advantages and disadvantages.We also highlight the significance of data-driven polarimetric imaging in future research and development.

Estimating the subsolar magnetopause position from soft X-ray images using a low-pass image filter

The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager(LEXI)and Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)missions will image the Earth’s dayside magneto pause and cusps in soft X-rays after their respective launches in the near future,to specify glo bal magnetic reconnection modes for varying solar wind conditions.To suppo rt the success of these scientific missions,it is critical to develop techniques that extract the magnetopause locations from the observed soft X-ray images.In this research,we introduce a new geometric equation that calculates the subsolar magnetopause position(RS)from a satellite position,the look direction of the instrument,and the angle at which the X-ray emission is maximized.Two assumptions are used in this method:(1)The look direction where soft X-ray emissions are maximized lies tangent to the magnetopause,and(2)the magnetopause surface near the subsolar point is almost spherical and thus RSis nea rly equal to the radius of the magneto pause curvature.We create synthetic soft X-ray images by using the Open Geospace General Circulation Model(OpenGGCM)global magnetohydrodynamic model,the galactic background,the instrument point spread function,and Poisson noise.We then apply the fast Fourier transform and Gaussian low-pass filte rs to the synthetic images to re move noise and obtain accurate look angles for the soft X-ray pea ks.From the filte red images,we calculate RS and its accuracy for different LEXI locations,look directions,and solar wind densities by using the OpenGGCM subsolar magnetopause location as ground truth.Our method estimates RS with an accuracy of<0.3 RE when the solar wind density exceeds>10 cm-3.The accuracy improves for greater solar wind densities and during southward interplanetary magnetic fields.The method ca ptures the magnetopause motion during southwa rd interplaneta ry magnetic field turnings.Consequently,the technique will enable quantitative analysis of the magnetopause motion and help reveal the dayside reconnection modes for dynamic solar wind conditions.This technique will suppo rt the LEXI and SMILE missions in achieving their scientific o bjectives.

Using choroidal thickness to detect myopic macular degeneration

AIM:To explore the usage of choroidal thickness measured by swept-source optical coherence tomography(SS-OCT)to detect myopic macular degeneration(MMD)in high myopic participants.METHODS:Participants with bilateral high myopia(≤−6 diopters)were recruited from a subset of the Guangzhou Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center-Brien Holden Vision Institute High Myopia Cohort Study.SS-OCT was performed to determine the choroidal thickness,and myopic maculopathy was graded by the International Meta-Analysis for Pathologic Myopia(META-PM)Classification.Presence of MMD was defined as META-PM category 2 or above.RESULTS:A total of 568 right eyes were included for analysis.Eyes with MMD(n=106,18.7%)were found to have older age,longer axial lengths(AL),higher myopic spherical equivalents(SE),and reduced choroidal thickness in each Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study(ETDRS)grid sector(P<0.001).The area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves(AUC)for subfoveal choroidal thickness(0.907)was greater than that of the model,including age,AL,and SE at 0.6249,0.8208,and 0.8205,respectively.The choroidal thickness of the inner and outer nasal sectors was the most accurate indicator of MMD(AUC of 0.928 and 0.923,respectively).An outer nasal sector choroidal thickness of less than 74μm demonstrated the highest odds of predicting MMD(OR=33.8).CONCLUSION:Choroidal thickness detects the presence of MMD with high agreement,particularly of the inner and outer nasal sectors of the posterior pole,which appears to be a biometric parameter more precise than age,AL,or SE.

Modified streptozotocin-induced diabetic model in rodents

Streptozotocin(STZ)-induced type I diabetes mellitus(DM)models have been pivotal in diabetes research due to their ability to mimic the insulin-dependent hyperglyce-mia akin to human type I diabetes.However,these models often suffer from poor induction rates and low survival post-STZ induction,especially in long-term experi-ments,necessitating insulin supplementation,which introduces additional variables to experiments.To address this,we present a novel modification to the STZ-induced DM model in C57BL/6J mice to improve survival rates without insulin supplemen-tation.Our method involves non-fasting,low-dose STZ injections dissolved in pH-neutral phosphate buffer saline instead of acidic sodium citrate buffer,administered over 5 days.We observed hyperglycemia induction in 94.28%of mice within a week post-injection,with stable high blood glucose levels,stable body weight,and minimal mortality up to 21 weeks.Notably,omitting 10%sucrose in water and fasting did not affect hyperglycemia induction.Our findings suggest that the modified protocol not only decreases the experimental effort of the researchers,but reduces animal stress and mortality,thus enhancing experimental outcomes and animal welfare.By opti-mizing the STZ-induced DM model in C57BL/6J mice,our study provides a valuable resource for researchers aiming to study diabetes and its complications while mini-mizing experimental variability and animal usage.

The efficacy of vitamin E in preventing arthrofibrosis after joint replacement

Background:Arthrofibrosis is a joint disorder characterized by excessive scar formation in the joint tissues.Vitamin E is an antioxidant with potential anti-fibroblastic effect.The aim of this study was to establish an arthrofibrosis rat model after joint replacement and assess the effects of vitamin E supplementation on joint fibrosis.Methods:We simulated knee replacement in 16 male Sprague–Dawley rats.We immobilized the surgical leg with a suture in full flexion.The control groups were killed at 2 and 12 weeks(n=5 per group),and the test group was supplemented daily with vitamin E(0.2 mg/mL)in their drinking water for 12 weeks(n=6).We performed histological staining to investigate the presence and severity of arthrofibrosis.Immunofluorescent staining andα2-macroglobulin(α2M)enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)were used to assess local and systemic inflammation.Static weight bearing(total internal reflection)and range of motion(ROM)were collected for functional assessment.Results:The ROM and weight-bearing symmetry decreased after the procedure and recovered slowly with still significant deficit at the end of the study for both groups.Histological analysis confirmed fibrosis in both lateral and posterior periarticular tissue.Vitamin E supplementation showed a moderate anti-inflammatory effect on the local and systemic levels.The vitamin E group exhibited significant improvement in ROM and weight-bearing symmetry at day 84 compared to the control group.Conclusions:This model is viable for simulating arthrofibrosis after joint replacement.Vitamin E may benefit postsurgical arthrofibrosis,and further studies are needed for dosing requirements.

Antifouling Properties of Electrospun Polymeric Coatings Induced by Controlled Surface Morphology

Nosocomial infections affect implanted medical devices and greatly challenge their functional outcomes,becoming sometimes life threatening for the patients.Therefore,aggressive antibiotic therapies are administered,which often require the use of last-resort drugs,if the infection is caused by multi-drug-resistant bacteria.Reducing the risk of bacterial contamination of medical devices in the hospitals has thus become an emerging issue.Promising routes to control these infections are based on materials provided with intrinsic bactericidal properties(i.e.,chemical action)and on the design of surface coatings able to limit bacteria adhesion and fouling phenomena(i.e.,physical action),thus preventing bacterial biofilm formation.Here,we report the development and validation of coatings made of layer-by-layer deposition of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoro ethylene)P(VDF-TrFE)fibers with controlled orientations,which ultimately gave rise to antifouling surfaces.The obtained 10-layer surface morphology with 90°orientation fibers was able to efficiently prevent the adhesion of bacteria,by establishing a superhydrophobic-like behavior compatible with the Cassie-Baxter regimen.Moreover,the results highlighted that surface wettability and bacteria adhesion could be controlled using fibers with diameter comparable to bacteria size(i.e.,achievable via electrospinning process),by tuning the intra-fiber spacing,with relevant implications in the future design of biomedical surface coatings.

Therapeutic potential of exercise-hormone irisin in Alzheimer's disease

Irisin is a myokine that is generated by cleavage of the membrane protein fibronectin type Ⅲ domain-containing protein 5(FNDC5) in response to physical exercise. Studies reveal that irisin/FNDC5 has neuroprotective functions against Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, by improving cognitive function and reducing amyloid-β and tau pathologies as well as neuroinflammation in cell culture or animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Although current and ongoing studies on irisin/FNDC5 show promising results, further mechanistic studies are required to clarify its potential as a meaningful therapeutic target for alleviating Alzheimer's disease. We recently found that irisin treatment reduces amyloid-β pathology by increasing the activity/levels of amyloid-β-degrading enzyme neprilysin secreted from astrocytes. Herein, we present an overview of irisin/FNDC5's protective roles and mechanisms against Alzheimer's disease.

Vertical plane depth-resolved surface potential and carrier separation characteristics in flexible CZTSSe solar cells with over 12% efficiency

Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4(CZTSSe)solar cells have resource distribution and economic advantages.The main cause of their low efficiency is carrier loss resulting from recombination of photo-generated electron and hole.To overcome this,it is important to understand their electron-hole behavior characteristics.To determine the carrier separation characteristics,we measured the surface potential and the local current in terms of the absorber depth.The elemental variation in the intragrains(IGs)and at the grain boundaries(GBs)caused a band edge shift and bandgap(Eg)change.At the absorber surface and subsurface,an upward Ec and Ev band bending structure was observed at the GBs,and the carrier separation was improved.At the absorber center,both upward Ec and Ev and downward Ec-upward Ev band bending structures were observed at the GBs,and the carrier separation was degraded.To improve the carrier separation and suppress carrier recombination,an upward Ec and Ev band bending structure at the GBs is desirable.

Reconfigurable optical neural networks with Plug-and-Play metasurfaces

In a very recent study,Prof.Lingling Huang and co-workers proposed and demonstrated reconfigurable optical neural networks based on cascaded metasurfaces.By fixing one metasurface and switching the other pluggable metasurfaces,the neural networks,which operate at near-infrared wavelengths,can perform distinct recognition tasks for handwritten digits and fashion products.This innovative device opens up an avenue for all-optical,high-speed,low-power,and multifunctional artificial intelligence systems.

Spectrum of delayed post-hypoxic leukoencephalopathy syndrome:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Delayed post hypoxic leukoencephalopathy syndrome(DPHLS),also known as Grinker’s myelinopathy,is a rare but significant neurological condition that manifests days to weeks after a hypoxic event.Characterized by delayed onset of neurological and cognitive deficits,DPHLS presents substantial diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.AIM To consolidate current knowledge on pathophysiology,clinical features,diagnostic approaches,and management strategies for DPHLS,providing a comprehensive overview and highlighting gaps for future research.METHODS Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes guidelines,we systematically searched PubMed,ScienceDirect and Hinari databases using terms related to delayed post-hypoxic leukoencephalopathy.Inclusion criteria were original research articles,case reports,and case series involving human subjects with detailed clinical,neuroimaging,or pathological data on DPHLS.Data were extracted on study characteristics,participant demographics,clinical features,neuroimaging findings,pathological findings,treatment,and outcomes.The quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist.RESULTS A total of 73 cases were reviewed.Common comorbidities included schizoaffective disorder,bipolar disorder,hypertension,and substance use disorder.The primary causes of hypoxia were benzodiazepine overdose,opioid overdose,polysubstance overdose,and carbon monoxide(CO)poisoning.Symptoms frequently include decreased level of consciousness,psychomotor agitation,cognitive decline,parkinsonism,and encephalopathy.Neuroimaging commonly revealed diffuse T2 hyperintensities in cerebral white matter,sometimes involving the basal ganglia and the globus pallidus.Magnetic resonance spectroscopy often showed decreased N-acetylaspartate,elevated choline,choline-to-creatinine ratio,and normal or elevated lactate.Treatment is often supportive,including amantadine,an antioxidant cocktail,and steroids.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be beneficial in those with CO poisoning.Parkinsonism was often treated with levodopa.Most of the patients had substantial recovery over the course of months and many cases had some residual neurocognitive deficits.CONCLUSION DPHLS remains a complex and multifaceted condition with various etiologies and clinical manifestations.Early recognition and appropriate management are crucial to improving patient outcomes.Future research should focus on standardizing diagnostic criteria,using advanced imaging techniques,and exploring therapeutic interventions to improve understanding and treatment of DPHLS.Conducting prospective cohort studies and developing biomarkers for early diagnosis and monitoring will be essential to advance patient care.

Comparative utility of vestibular function tests in patients with peripheral and central vestibular dysfunction

Background: Bithermal caloric irrigation, video head impulse test(vHIT), and rotational testing are commonly used to assess peripheral vestibular function, but the relative clinical utility of each test in differentiating patients with peripheral vestibulopathy is debated.Objectives: To determine whether(1) the combination of two or more vestibular tests enhances diagnostic utility over a single test;(2) abnormal test results on vestibular tests correlate with one another.Methods: Retrospective analysis of data collected from multidisciplinary vestibular clinics at two academic medical centers from 2016 to 2022.Results: 150 patients(54.10 ± 15.09 years, 88 females) were included. No individual test was significantly better at predicting the presence of peripheral vestibular damage(p > 0.05). vHIT test results improved significantly when combined with either the caloric test(p = 0.007) or rotary chair test(p = 0.039). Caloric and rotational testing had high sensitivity(74.65% and 76.06%, respectively) and specificity(83.54% and 78.48%, respectively). vHIT demonstrated excellent specificity(89.87%) but poor sensitivity(47.89%). Caloric, vHIT, and rotary chair tests results did not correlate with one another(p > 0.05).Conclusions: Vestibular function tests have comparable diagnostic utility, yet each offers unique advantages. Caloric and rotational testing may be best suited for screening peripheral damage and vHIT may function ideally as a confirmatory test.

Exploring the novel role of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in phagocytosis:beyond myelinogenesis

Roles of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the central nervous system:Oligodendrocyte precursor cells(OPCs)have long been recognized for their critical role as precursors to oligodendrocytes,the primary myelin-producing cells.As precursors,OPCs mature and differentiate into oligodendrocytes,which contribute significantly to the formation of myelin sheaths around axons.This myelination,which is critical for the conduction of salutatory nerve impulses in the cerebral white matter,underscores the classical role of oligodendrocytes in central nervous system(CNS)functionality.Importantly,because oligodendrocytes are differentiated cells that cannot proliferate.

A Review on Soft Ionic Touch Point Sensors

A touch sensor is an essential component in meeting the growing demand for human-machine interfaces.These sensors have been developed in wearable,attachable,and even implantable forms to acquire a wide range of information from humans.To be applied to the human body,sensors are required to be biocompatible and not restrict the natural movement of the body.Ionic materials are a promising candidate for soft touch sensors due to their outstanding properties,which include high stretchability,transparency,ionic conductivity,and biocompatibility.Here,this review discusses the unique features of soft ionic touch point sensors,focusing on the ionic material and its key role in the sensor.The touch sensing mechanisms include piezocapacitive,piezoresistive,surface capacitive,piezoelectric,and triboelectric and triboresistive sensing.This review analyzes the implementation hurdles and future research directions of the soft ionic touch sensors for their transformative potential.

Expression and Characterization of a Novelλ-Carrageenase Cgl150A_Wa from Wenyingzhuangia aestuarii

λ-Carrageenan is a highly sulfated polysaccharide alternating of 1,4-O-α-D-galactopyranose-2,6-sulfate(D2S,6S)and 1,3-O-β-D-galactopyranose-2-sulfate(G2S).λ-Carrageenases are desirable tools forλ-carrageenan degradation.Based on the genome mining,a novelλ-carrageenase Cgl150A_Wa was cloned from the bacterium Wenyingzhuangia aestuarii and expressed in Escherichia coli.Cgl150A_Wa was an endo-acting enzyme and exhibited its maximum activity at 30℃and pH 8.0.By employing a glycomics strategy that combined ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and glycoinformatics,Cgl150A_Wa was proven to degradeλ-carrageenan octaose and hexaose,and the major hydrolysis product of Cgl150A_Wa wasλ-carrageenan tetrose.In addition to the typicalλ-carrageenan motifs,the active center of Cgl150A_Wa might tolerate desulfatedλ-carrageenan motifs.Cgl150A_Wa is a potential biotechnological tool for preparingλ-carrageenan oligosaccharides and structural investigation.