Constructing fine-grained spatiotemporal neonatal functional atlases with spectral functional network learning.

The early stages of human development are increasingly acknowledged as pivotal in laying the groundwork for subsequent behavioral and cognitive development. Spatiotemporal (4D) brain functional atlases are important in elucidating the development of human brain functions. However, the scarcity of such atlases for early life stages stems from two primary challenges: (1) the significant noise in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that complicates the generation of high-quality atlases for each age group, and (2) the rapid and complex changes in the early human brain that hinder the maintenance of temporal consistency in 4D atlases. This study tackles these challenges by integrating low-rank tensor learning with spectral embedding, thereby proposing a novel, data-driven 4D functional atlas generation framework based on spectral functional network learning (SFNL). This method utilizes low-rank tensor learning to capture common functional connectivity (FC) patterns across different ages, thus optimizing FCs for each age group to improve the temporal consistency of functional networks. Incorporating spectral embedding aids in mitigating potential noise in FC networks derived from fMRI data by reconstructing networks in the spectral space. Utilizing SFNL-generated functional networks enables the creation of consistent and highly qualified spatiotemporal functional atlases. The framework was applied to the developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) dataset, generating the first neonatal 4D functional atlases with fine-grained temporal and spatial resolutions. Experimental evaluations focusing on functional homogeneity, reliability, and temporal consistency demonstrated the superiority of our framework compared to existing methods for constructing 4D atlases. Additionally, network analysis experiments, including individual identification, functional systems development, and local efficiency assessments, further corroborate the efficacy and robustness of the generated atlases. The 4D atlases and related codes will be made publicly accessible (https://github.com/zhaoyunxi/neonate-atlases).

Nonlinear relationship between oxidative balance score and hyperuricemia: analyses of NHANES 2007-2018.

BACKGROUND: Limited data regarding the correlation between oxidative balance score (OBS) and hyperuricemia highlights the necessity for thorough investigations. This study aims to examine the link between OBS, which incorporates dietary and lifestyle factors, and the occurrence of hyperuricemia. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 13,636 participants from the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The oxidative balance score (OBS) was determined based on four lifestyle factors and sixteen dietary nutrients. We assessed the levels of serum uric acid (SUA) and the occurrence of hyperuricemia as outcomes. Weighted logistic regression and linear models were used for statistical analysis, using Restricted Cubic Splines (RCS) to examine potential nonlinear associations. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity assessments were performed to identify any variations and ensure the robustness of the findings. RESULTS: Higher OBS was consistently correlated with decreased SUA levels and a reduced prevalence of hyperuricemia. RCS highlighted a significant negative nonlinear association, particularly in females. Subgroup analysis revealed gender-based differences and interactive correlation, providing additional insights regarding OBS and hyperuricemia relationship. CONCLUSION: This study underscores a robust negative correlation between OBS and SUA levels as well as the incidence of hyperuricemia, emphasizing the importance of dietary and lifestyle factors. Incorporating RCS, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity assessments enhances the depth of our findings, providing valuable insights for further research.

Unlocking Cr3+-Cr3+ Coupling in Spinel: Ultrabroadband Near-Infrared Emission beyond 900 nm with High Efficiency and Thermal Stability.

Broadband near-infrared (NIR) phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) hold promising potential as next-generation compact, portable, and intelligent NIR light sources. Nonetheless, the lack of high-performance broadband NIR phosphors with an emission peak beyond 900 nm has severely hindered the development and widespread application of NIR pc-LEDs. This study presents a strategy for precise control of energy-state coupling in spinel solid solutions composed of MgxZn1-xGa2O4 to tune the NIR emissions of Cr3+ activators. By combining crystal field engineering and heavy doping, the Cr3+-Cr3+ ion pair emission from the 4T2 state is unlocked, giving rise to unusual broadband NIR emission spanning 650 and 1400 nm with an emission maximum of 913 nm and a full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 213 nm. Under an optimal Mg/Zn ratio of 4:1, the sample achieves record-breaking performance, including high internal and external quantum efficiency (IQE = 83.9% and EQE = 35.7%) and excellent thermal stability (I423 K/I298 K = 75.8%). Encapsulating the as-obtained phosphors into prototype pc-LEDs yields an overwhelming NIR output power of 124.2 mW at a driving current of 840 mA and a photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.5% at 30 mA, rendering high performance in NIR imaging applications.

Classification of lung cancer subtypes on CT images with synthetic pathological priors.

The accurate diagnosis on pathological subtypes for lung cancer is of significant importance for the follow-up treatments and prognosis managements. In this paper, we propose self-generating hybrid feature network (SGHF-Net) for accurately classifying lung cancer subtypes on computed tomography (CT) images. Inspired by studies stating that cross-scale associations exist in the image patterns between the same case's CT images and its pathological images, we innovatively developed a pathological feature synthetic module (PFSM), which quantitatively maps cross-modality associations through deep neural networks, to derive the "gold standard" information contained in the corresponding pathological images from CT images. Additionally, we designed a radiological feature extraction module (RFEM) to directly acquire CT image information and integrated it with the pathological priors under an effective feature fusion framework, enabling the entire classification model to generate more indicative and specific pathologically related features and eventually output more accurate predictions. The superiority of the proposed model lies in its ability to self-generate hybrid features that contain multi-modality image information based on a single-modality input. To evaluate the effectiveness, adaptability, and generalization ability of our model, we performed extensive experiments on a large-scale multi-center dataset (i.e., 829 cases from three hospitals) to compare our model and a series of state-of-the-art (SOTA) classification models. The experimental results demonstrated the superiority of our model for lung cancer subtypes classification with significant accuracy improvements in terms of accuracy (ACC), area under the curve (AUC), positive predictive value (PPV) and F1-score.

Multi-Interface Electromagnetic Wave Absorbing Material Based on Liquid Marble Microstructures Anchored to SEBS.

The direct application of liquid marbles in electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption is challenging due to their poor stability, susceptibility to gravitational collapse, and shaping difficulties. To address this issue, a novel strategy is proposed to incorporate liquid marble microstructures (NaCl/nano-SiO2) encapsulated in organic phases (Octadecane) into the rubber-matrix (SEBS) using the ultrasound-assisted emulsion blending method. The resulting NaCl/SiO2/Octadecane microstructures anchored to SEBS offer a substantial solid-liquid interface consisting of NaCl solution and SiO2. When subjected to an alternating electromagnetic (EM) field, the water molecules and polysorbate within SiO2 exhibit heightened responsiveness to the EM field, and the movement of Na+ and Cl- within these microstructures leads to their accumulation at the solid-liquid interface, creating an asymmetric ion distribution. This phenomenon facilitates enhanced interfacial polarization, thereby contributing to the material's EMW absorption properties. Notably, the latex with 16 wt% SEBS (E-3), exhibiting a surface morphology similar to human cell tissues, achieves complete absorption of X-band (fE = 4.20 GHz, RLmin = -33.87 dB). Moreover, the latex demonstrates light density (0.78 g cm-3) and environmental stability. This study not only highlights the predominant loss mechanism in rubber-based wave-absorbing materials but also provides valuable insights into the design of multifunctional wave-absorbing materials.

Chronic restraint stress induces depression-like behaviors and alterations in the afferent projections of medial prefrontal cortex from multiple brain regions in mice.

INTRODUCTION: The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) forms output pathways through projection neurons, inversely receiving adjacent and long-range inputs from other brain regions. However, how afferent neurons of mPFC are affected by chronic stress needs to be clarified. In this study, the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on the distribution density of mPFC dendrites/dendritic spines and the projections from the cortex and subcortical brain regions to the mPFC were investigated. METHODS: In the present study, C57BL/6 J transgenic (Thy1-YFP-H) mice were subjected to CRS to establish an animal model of depression. The infralimbic (IL) of mPFC was selected as the injection site of retrograde AAV using stereotactic technique. The effects of CRS on dendrites/dendritic spines and afferent neurons of the mPFC IL were investigaed by quantitatively assessing the distribution density of green fluorescent (YFP) positive dendrites/dendritic spines and red fluorescent (retrograde AAV recombinant protein) positive neurons, respectively. RESULTS: The results revealed that retrograde tracing virus labeled neurons were widely distributed in ipsilateral and contralateral cingulate cortex (Cg1), second cingulate cortex (Cg2), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex, medial orbital cortex (MO), and dorsal peduncular cortex (DP). The effects of CRS on the distribution density of mPFC red fluorescence positive neurons exhibited regional differences, ranging from rostral to caudal or from top to bottom. Simultaneously, CRS resulted a decrease in the distribution density of basal, proximal and distal dendrites, as well as an increase in the loss of dendritic spines of the distal dendrites in the IL of mPFC. Furthermore, varying degrees of red retrograde tracing virus fluorescence signals were observed in other cortices, amygdala, hippocampus, septum/basal forebrain, hypothalamus, thalamus, mesencephalon, and brainstem in both ipsilateral and contralateral brain. CRS significantly reduced the distribution density of red fluorescence positive neurons in other cortices, hippocampus, septum/basal forebrain, hypothalamus, and thalamus. Conversely, CRS significantly increased the distribution density of red fluorescence positive neurons in amygdala. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a possible mechanism that CRS leads to disturbances in synaptic plasticity by affecting multiple inputs to the mPFC, which is characterized by a decrease in the distribution density of dendrites/dendritic spines in the IL of mPFC and a reduction in input neurons of multiple cortices to the IL of mPFC as well as an increase in input neurons of amygdala to the IL of mPFC, ultimately causing depression-like behaviors.

Magneto-optical fiber-based orbital angular momentum mode converters.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems can support large-capacity and high-speed rate information transmission, in which the OAM mode conversion devices play an important role. In this paper, the mode conversion principle of magneto-optical fiber-based long-period grating (MOF-LPG) is analyzed for further developing new magneto-optical (MO) OAM mode converters, including three types of C P 01 to O A M ±1,1, O A M ±1,1 to O A M ±2,1, and O A M ±1,1 to C P 02. It is shown that the magnetic tunability of the mode converters through the propagation constants of the eigenmodes is useful for compensating for process errors and increasing the operating wavelength range. The implementation of MOF-LPGs is also discussed from the aspect of the prospective experiments.

Does the Dose of Standard Adjuvant Chemotherapy Affect the Triple-negative Breast Cancer Benefit from Extended Capecitabine Metronomic Therapy? An Exploratory Analysis of the SYSUCC-001 Trial.

Purpose: Results from studies of extended capecitabine after the standard adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were inconsistent, and only low-dose capecitabine from the SYSUCC-001 trial improved disease-free survival (DFS). Adjustment of the conventional adjuvant chemotherapy doses affect the prognosis and may affect the efficacy of subsequent treatments. This study investigated whether the survival benefit of the SYSUCC-001 trial was affected by dose adjustment of the standard adjuvant chemotherapy or not. Patients and Methods: We reviewed the adjuvant chemotherapy regimens before the extended capecitabine in the SYSUCC-001 trial. Patients were classified into "consistent" (standard acceptable dose) and "inconsistent" (doses lower than acceptable dose) dose based on the minimum acceptable dose range in the landmark clinical trials. Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the impact of dose on the survival outcomes. Results: All 434 patients in SYSUCC-001 trial were enrolled in this study. Most of patients administered the anthracycline-taxane regimen accounted for 88.94%. Among patients in the "inconsistent" dose, 60.8% and 47% received lower doses of anthracycline and taxane separately. In the observation group, the "inconsistent" dose of anthracycline and taxane did not affect DFS compared with the "consistent" dose. Moreover, in the capecitabine group, the "inconsistent" anthracycline dose did not affect DFS compared with the "consistent" dose. However, patients with "consistent" taxane doses benefited significantly from extended capecitabine (P=0.014). The sufficient dose of adjuvant taxane had a positive effect of extended capecitabine (hazard ratio [HR] 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 4.06). Conclusion: This study found the dose reduction of adjuvant taxane might negatively impact the efficacy of capecitabine. Therefore, the reduction of anthracycline dose over paclitaxel should be given priority during conventional adjuvant chemotherapy, if patients need dose reduction and plan for extended capecitabine.

TLR3 activation enhances abscopal effect of radiotherapy in HCC by promoting tumor ferroptosis.

Radiotherapy (RT) has been reported to induce abscopal effect in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but such phenomenon was only observed in sporadic cases. Here, we demonstrated that subcutaneous administration of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist poly(I:C) could strengthen the abscopal effect during RT through activating tumor cell ferroptosis signals in bilateral HCC subcutaneous tumor mouse models, which could be significantly abolished by TLR3 knock-out or ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1. Moreover, poly(I:C) could promote the presentation of tumor neoantigens by dendritic cells to enhance the recruitment of activated CD8+ T cells into distant tumor tissues for inducing tumor cell ferroptosis during RT treatment. Finally, the safety and feasibility of combining poly(I:C) with RT for treating advanced HCC patients were further verified in a prospective clinical trial. Thus, enhancing TLR3 signaling activation during RT could provide a novel strategy for strengthening abscopal effect to improve the clinical benefits of advanced HCC patients.

Impact of the extent and location of liver split on future liver remnant hypertrophy after portal vein ligation in a rat model.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the role and mechanism of liver parenchyma transection in accelerating the regeneration of future liver remnants in rats with portal vein ligation (PVL). METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into the PVL group (90% PVL at the caudate lobe, right lobe , left lateral lobe and left median lobe), associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (portal vein ligation with complete liver parenchyma transection [ALPPS]) group (90% PVL with 80 to 90% liver parenchyma transection), PVL + partial liver partition (PLP) group (90% PVL with 30 to 50% liver parenchyma transection), PVL + partition in the ligated lobe (PLL) group (90% PVL with 40 to 60% liver parenchyma transection in the portal vein ligated lobe), PVL + partition in the remnant lobe (PRL) group (90% PVL with 40 to 60% liver parenchyma transection in the remnant lobe), PVL + radiofrequency ablation (RFA) group (90% PVL with splenic ablation) and sham operation (sham) group. The animals were killed at 4 time points of postoperative days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Six rats were killed at each time point, with 24 rats in each group. The weights of the future liver remnant and whole liver were measured. Serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin were analyzed by using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and hepatocyte growth factor were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of cell proliferating nuclear antigen (Ki67) and phosphorylated histone H3 was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the positive rate was calculated. RESULTS: The ALPPS group displayed the highest FLR weight to body weight ratio compared with that of the other groups (P < .05), and the partial liver split (PVL + PLP) group also displayed higher remnant weight to body weight ratio than the ectopic liver split (PVL + PLL and PVL + PRL) groups (P < .05). During the first 7 days after surgery the cytokine levels of the ALPPS, PVL + PLP, PVL + PLL and PVL + PRL groups were comparable (P > .05). The PVL + PLP, PVL + PLL, PVL + PRL and PVL + RFA groups showed similar necrotic areas in the portal vein ligated lobe (P > .05). A hemodynamic study revealed that a liver split along the demarcation line could further increase the portal pressure of the FLR and both the split site and completeness were associated with portal hemodynamic alternations and liver hypertrophy. Extrahepatic organ injury (eg, spleen ablation) also has a significant impact on portal hemodynamics and liver regeneration. CONCLUSION: Complete liver splitting along the demarcation line induced higher portal vein pressure and more rapid FLR hypertrophy than partial or ectopic liver splitting after PVL. The portal hemodynamic alterations after liver split rather than inflammatory cytokine release may be the major cause of ALPPS-induced rapid liver hypertrophy.

Biosynthetic pathway of prescription cucurbitacin IIa and high-level production of key triterpenoid intermediates in engineered yeast and tobacco.

Cucurbitacin IIa is a triterpenoid isolated exclusively from Hemsleya plants and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that functions as the main ingredient of prescription Hemslecin capsules and tablets in China. Synthetic biology provides new strategies for production of such valuable cucurbitacins at a large scale; however, the biosynthetic pathway of cucurbitacin IIa has been unknown, and the heterologous production of cucurbitacins in galactose medium has been expensive and low yielding. In this study, we characterized the functions of genes encoding two squalene epoxidases (HcSE1-2), six oxidosqualene cyclases (HcOSC1-6), two CYP450s (HcCYP87D20 and HcCYP81Q59), and an acyltransferase (HcAT1) in cucurbitacin IIa biosynthesis by heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Nicotiana benthamiana. We achieved high-level production of the key cucurbitacin precursor 11-carbonyl-20ß-hydroxy-Cuol from glucose in yeast via modular engineering of the mevalonate pathway and optimization of P450 expression levels. The resulting yields of 46.41 mg/l 11-carbonyl-20ß-hydroxy-Cuol and 126.47 mg/l total cucurbitacin triterpenoids in shake flasks are the highest yields yet reported from engineered microbes. Subsequently, production of 11-carbonyl-20ß-hydroxy-Cuol by transient gene expression in tobacco resulted in yields of 1.28 mg/g dry weight in leaves. This work reveals the key genes involved in biosynthesis of prescription cucurbitacin IIa and demonstrates that engineered yeast cultivated with glucose can produce high yields of key triterpenoid intermediates. We describe a low-cost and highly efficient platform for rapid screening of candidate genes and high-yield production of pharmacological triterpenoids.

Airway necrosis and granulation tissue formation caused by Rhizopus oryzae leading to severe upper airway obstruction: a case report.

Pulmonary Mucormycosis is a fatal infectious disease with high mortality rate. The occurrence of Mucormycosis is commonly related to the fungal virulence and the host's immunological defenses against pathogens. Mucormycosis infection and granulation tissue formation occurred in the upper airway was rarely reported. This patient was a 60-year-old male with diabetes mellitus, who was admitted to hospital due to progressive cough, sputum and dyspnea. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and bronchoscopy revealed extensive tracheal mucosal necrosis, granulation tissue proliferation, and severe airway stenosis. The mucosal necrotic tissue was induced by the infection of Rhizopus Oryzae, confirmed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in tissue biopsy. This patient was treated with the placement of a covered stent and local instillation of amphotericin B via bronchoscope. The tracheal mucosal necrosis was markedly alleviated, the symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, as well as exercise tolerance were significantly improved. The placement of airway stent and transbronchial microtube drip of amphotericin B could conduce to rapidly relieve the severe airway obstruction due to Mucormycosis infection.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, neonatal outcomes and offspring developmental delay in Japan: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Developmental delay at an early age indicates the probability of continued problems after school age. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with developmental delays in offspring, with inconsistent outcomes. Neonatal outcomes vary according to HDP exposure and are relevant to development in later years. Here we aimed to clarify the relationship between HDP and developmental delay in offspring and whether neonatal outcomes mediate this association. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used data from 5934 mother-child pairs from the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study, a prospective cohort study conducted in Japan between July 2013 and March 2017. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires, third edition, at 24 and 42 months of age, measured developmental delay in five areas. We performed multivariate quasi-Poisson regression and causal mediation analysis by neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: At 24 months of age, compared to offspring born from normotensive mothers, offspring born from HDP-affected mothers were more likely to experience developmental delay (risk ratio [RR] 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.52) in the areas of communication (RR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.00-1.45) and personal-social (RR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03-1.28). This association was mediated by neonatal outcomes: preterm birth, neonatal asphyxia, NICU admission, and neonatal small head circumference. No association was observed between HDP and developmental delay at 42 months of age. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to HDP during fetal life is associated with offspring developmental delay. This association is partly mediated by neonatal outcomes.

Associations of maternal serum concentration of iron-related indicators with birth outcomes in Chinese: a pilot prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of maternal iron and birth outcomes have been limited to single indicators that do not reflect the comprehensive relationship with birth outcomes. We aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal iron metabolism and neonatal anthropometric indicators using comprehensive iron-related indicators. METHODS: A total of 914 Chinese mother-child dyads were enrolled in this prospective study. Subjects' blood samples were collected at ≤ 14 weeks of gestation. Serum concentrations of iron-related indicators were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Femur length was measured by B-ultrasound nearest delivery. Neonatal anthropometric indicators were collected from medical records. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential covariates, higher iron (per one standard deviation, SD increase) was detrimentally associated with - 0.22 mm lower femur length, whereas higher transferrin (per one SD increase) was associated with 0.20 mm higher femur length. Compared with normal subjects (10th-90th percentiles), subjects with extremely high (> 90th percentile) iron concentration were detrimentally associated with lower femur length, birth weight, and chest circumference, and a higher risk of low birth weight, LBW (HR: 3.92, 95%CI: 1.28, 12.0). Subjects with high concentration of soluble transferrin receptor, sTFR and transferrin (> 90th percentile) were associated with higher femur length. Subjects with low concentration of iron and ferritin concentrations (< 10th percentile) were associated with a higher risk of LBW (HR: 4.10, 95%CI: 1.17, 14.3) and macrosomia (HR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.06, 7.35), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal iron overload in early pregnancy may be detrimentally associated with neonatal anthropometric indicators and adverse birth outcomes.

Hepatotoxicity and lipid metabolism disorders of 8:2 polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diester in zebrafish: In vivo and in silico evidence.

8:2 polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diester (8:2 diPAP) has been shown to accumulate in the liver, but whether it induces hepatotoxicity and lipid metabolism disorders remains largely unknown. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 8:2 diPAP for 7 d. Hepatocellular hypertrophy and karyolysis were noted after exposure to 0.5 ng/L 8:2 diPAP, suggesting suppressed liver development. Compared to the water control, 8:2 diPAP led to significantly higher triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, but markedly lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, implying disturbed lipid homeostasis. The levels of two peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) subtypes (pparα and pparγ) involved in hepatotoxicity and lipid metabolism were significantly upregulated by 8:2 diPAP, consistent with their overexpression as determined by immunohistochemistry. In silico results showed that 8:2 diPAP formed hydrogen bonds with PPARα and PPARγ. Among seven machine learning models, Adaptive Boosting performed the best in predicting the binding affinities of PPARα and PPARγ on the test set. The predicted binding affinity of 8:2 diPAP to PPARα (7.12) was higher than that to PPARγ (6.97) by Adaptive Boosting, which matched well with the experimental results. Our results revealed PPAR - mediated adverse effects of 8:2 diPAP on the liver and lipid metabolism of zebrafish larvae.

Histomorphological analysis of perfusion parameters and CNS lymphatic vessels in mice: an experimental method study.

To investigate the distribution and characteristics of lymphatic vessels within the central nervous system, we focus on the meninges of the spinal cord and brain parenchyma in mice. Additionally, we aim to provide experimental methods for obtaining optimal imaging and clear structures of lymphatic vessels, while optimizing the perfusion parameters to improve histomorphological quality. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups, with each group assigned a specific perfusion parameter based on perfusion volumes and temperatures. Immunofluorescence staining of lymphatics and blood vessels was performed on both meningeal and the brain tissue samples. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance to compare the groups, and a significant level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Our study reports the presence of lymphatic vessels in the meninges of the spinal cord and brain parenchyma in mice. We highlight the crucial role of high perfusion volume of paraformaldehyde with low temperature in fixation for achieving optimal results. We provide experimental methods for obtaining optimal imaging and clear structures of lymphatic vessels in the meninges of the spinal cord and brain parenchyma in mice, which contribute to our understanding of the distribution and characteristics of lymphatic vessels within the central nervous system. Further research is warranted to explore the functional implications of these lymphatic vessels and their potential therapeutic significance in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.

Metasurface-Assisted Quantum Nonlocal Weak-Measurement Microscopy.

In standard quantum weak measurements, preselection and postselection of quantum states are implemented in the same photon. Here we go beyond this restrictive setting and demonstrate that the preselection and postselection can be performed in two different photons, if the two photons are polarization entangled. The Pancharatnam-Berry phase metasurface is incorporated in the weak measurement system to perform weak coupling between probe wave function and spin observable. By introducing nonlocal weak measurement into the microscopy imaging system, it allows us to remotely switch different microscopy imaging modes of pure-phase objects, including bright-field, differential, and phase reconstruction. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the nonlocal weak-measurement scheme can prevent almost all environmental noise photons from detection and thus achieves a higher image contrast than the standard scheme at a low photon level. Our results provide the possibility to develop a quantum nonlocal weak-measurement microscope for label-free imaging of transparent biological samples.

Development and Evaluation of Refreshable Braille Display and Active Touch-Reading System for Digital Reading of the Visually Impaired.

The traditional way of reading through Braille books is constraining the reading experience of blind or visually impaired (BVI) in the digital age. In order to improve the reading convenience of BVI, this paper proposes a low-cost and refreshable Braille display device, and solves the problems of high energy consumption and low latching force existing in existing devices. Further, the Braille display device was combined with the 3D Systems Touch device to develop an active Braille touch-reading system for digital reading of BVI with the help of the CHAI3D virtual environment. Firstly, according to the actual needs of BVI to touch and read the Braille dots, this paper utilizes the beam structure to provide a full latching function for the raised Braille dot without energy consumption. Through theoretical derivation and finite element analysis, the performance of the Braille dot actuator is optimized to provide sufficient feedback force and latching force for finger's touch-reading. Then, this paper designs a virtual Braille interactive environment based on the CHAI3D, and combines the sense of touch with audio to effectively improve the recognition accuracy and reading efficiency of BVI for Braille through the multi-modal presentation of Braille information. The performance test results of the device show that the average lifting force of the Braille dot actuator is 101.67 mN, the latching force is over 5 N, and the average refresh frequency is 17.1 Hz, which meets the touch-reading needs of BVI. User experiments show that the average accuracy rate of BVI subjects in identifying digitized Braille is 95.5%, and subjects have a high subjective evaluation of the system.

Boosting broadband short-wave infrared emission to achieve near-unity quantum efficiency via bridging Cr3+-Ni2+ in spinel solid-solutions towards light-emitting diode applications.

Recently, short-wave infrared (SWIR) phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) have garnered increased attention due to their widespread applications in night vision, biological imaging, and non-destructive testing. Nevertheless, the currently used SWIR phosphors suffer from poor thermal stability and low quantum efficiency. In this study, a finely tuned spinel-based solid solution, Mg0.5Zn0.5Ga2O4, is prepared to host Ni2+ to induce SWIR emission. Cr3+ is codoped as a sensitizer to bridge Cr3+ and Ni2+ ions, significantly enhancing blue light absorption and facilitating energy transfer (ET) to Ni2+ ions. The champion SWIR phosphor exhibits a broadband emission centered at 1304 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 250 nm, achieving a near-unity internal quantum efficiency (IQE = 97.7%) and a good thermal stability (70.7%@423 K). The fabricated SWIR pc-LED device delivers a high SWIR output power of 39.9 mW at 360 mA, enabling its application in non-destructive imaging and testing.