Clinical manifestations, prognostic factors, and outcomes of adenovirus pneumonia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Severe pneumonia is one of the most important causes of mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Adenovirus (ADV) is a significant cause of severe viral pneumonia after allo-HSCT, and we aimed to identify the clinical manifestations, prognostic factors, and outcomes of ADV pneumonia after allo-HSCT. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients who underwent allo-HSCT at the Peking University Institute of Hematology and who experienced ADV pneumonia after allo-HSCT were enrolled in this study. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the probability of overall survival (OS). Potential prognostic factors for 100-day OS after ADV pneumonia were evaluated through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: The incidence rate of ADV pneumonia after allo-HSCT was approximately 0.71%. The median time from allo-HSCT to the occurrence of ADV pneumonia was 99 days (range 17-609 days). The most common clinical manifestations were fever (86.2%), cough (34.5%) and dyspnea (31.0%). The 100-day probabilities of ADV-related mortality and OS were 40.4% (95% CI 21.1%-59.7%) and 40.5% (95% CI 25.2%-64.9%), respectively. Patients with low-level ADV DNAemia had lower ADV-related mortality and better OS than did those with high-level (≥ 106 copies/ml in plasma) ADV DNAemia. According to the multivariate analysis, high-level ADV DNAemia was the only risk factor for intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, ADV-related mortality, and OS after ADV pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: We first reported the prognostic factors and confirmed the poor outcomes of patients with ADV pneumonia after allo-HSCT. Patients with high-level ADV DNAemia should receive immediate and intensive therapy.

Ligand Regulation Strategy to Modulate ROS Nature in a Rhodamine-Iridium(III) Hybrid System for Phototherapy.

The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is highly dependent on the photosensitizer features. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by photosensitizers is proven to be associated with immunotherapy by triggering immunogenic cell death (ICD) as well. In this work, we establish a rhodamine-iridium(III) hybrid model functioning as a photosensitizer to comprehensively understand its performance and potential applications in photodynamic immunotherapy. Especially, the correlation between the ROS generation efficiency and the energy level of the Ir(III)-based excited state (T1'), modulated by the cyclometalating (C∧N) ligand, is systematically investigated and correlated. We prove that in addition to the direct population of the rhodamine triplet state (T1) formed through the intersystem crossing process with the assistance of a heavy Ir(III) metal center, the fine-tuned T1' state could act as a relay to provide an additional pathway for promoting the cascade energy transfer process that leads to enhanced ROS generation ability. Moreover, type I ROS can be effectively produced by introducing sulfur-containing thiophene units in C∧N ligands, providing a stronger M1 macrophage-activation efficiency under hypoxia to evoke in vivo antitumor immunity. Overall, our work provides a fundamental guideline for the molecular design and exploration of advanced transition-metal-based photosensitizers for biomedical applications.

Carbon tax vs. carbon trading in China: which is better for promoting sustainable development of remanufacturing companies?

To accelerate achieving carbon neutrality, the promotion of low-carbon development in the manufacturing industry has been facilitated by the government's implementation of policies such as carbon taxation and carbon emissions trading. These measures have been put in place to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability within the manufacturing sector. Remanufacturing is an important direction for the low-carbon transformation of enterprises, and improving remanufactured product quality is crucial to the sustainability of remanufacturing enterprises. To elucidate the influence of policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions on the quality of remanufactured products, we developed a game model involving three key players: the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the remanufacturer (IR), and retailers. This model was constructed based on the heterogeneous consumer demand for both new and remanufactured products. The study delved into the effects of various governmental policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions on the quality-related decisions made by remanufacturing enterprises. Our primary focus was on the implementation of two specific policies: a high-level carbon taxation policy and a carbon trading policy characterized by elevated carbon pricing. These policies create a favorable environment for remanufacturers (IR) to enhance the quality of their products. The sales of remanufactured products are influenced by the purchasing preferences of consumers, and carbon reduction policies can be effective in reducing the total environmental impact of manufacturing. Carbon trading policy is most conducive to environmental protection and achieves a win-win situation for economic and environmental benefits for OEMs and IRs when the carbon tax per unit is compared with the carbon trading price. Hence, this situation is favorable for the sustainable growth of existing remanufacturing businesses. Consequently, the government's requirement for subsidies to enhance the quality of remanufactured products and boost the competitiveness of IRs in the market becomes less pronounced.

Prognostic impact of FLT3-ITD mutation on NPM1+ acute myeloid leukaemia patients and related molecular mechanisms.

The prognosis of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients carrying NPM1 mutations is significantly worse when accompanied by FLT3-ITD mutations. However, accurate quantitative detection of FLT3-ITD mutations remains challenging. To identify a novel biomarker in NPM1+ FLT3-ITD+ AML patients for more accurate stratification, we analysed the differential gene expression between the NPM1+ FLT3-ITD+ and NPM1+ FLT3-ITD- groups in five public AML datasets and identified a biomarker by taking the intersection of differentially expressed genes. We validated this biomarker in bone marrow samples from NPM1+ AML patients at the Peking University Institute of Haematology and analysed its prognostic significance. BCAT1 expression was higher in the NPM1+ FLT3-ITD+ group than in the NPM1+ FLT3-ITD- group in all seven cohorts. BCAT1 was able to predict the prognosis of NPM1+ FLT3-ITD+ AML patients, and its predictive ability was superior to that of the FLT3-ITD allelic ratio (AR). FLT3-targeted inhibitor quizartinib reduced BCAT1 expression. BCAT1 knockdown using lentiviral vectors led to the downregulation of MYC expression. Thus, we identified BCAT1 as a novel biomarker for NPM1+ FLT3-ITD+ AML patients. The FLT3-ITD/BCAT1/MYC signalling pathway may play a biological role in promoting the occurrence and development of AML in FLT3-ITD+ cell lines.

Subsidizing high-quality remanufactured products for sustainability.

This study aims to analyze the impact of government subsidy policies on the development of remanufacturing enterprises and product quality in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, to promote the sustainable development of the remanufacturing industry. It establishes a comparative game model for two cases of remanufacturing enterprises respectively producing low-quality and high-quality remanufactured products. In the context of government subsidies for only high-quality remanufactured products, we investigate the effects of government subsidies on remanufactured products' forms, prices, profits, and consumer preferences. The results show that government subsidies for high-quality remanufactured products help not only reduce the quality cost of remanufactured products and lower the wholesale and retail prices but also increase consumer preference for high-quality remanufactured products, enhance the market demand for remanufactured products, and promote scale expansion of the remanufacturing industry. This study provides decision support for governments to formulate subsidy coefficients for remanufacturing enterprises, offers theoretical and methodological support for the decarbonization and scale-up of remanufacturing and reduction of environmental pollution, and has significant practical value for achieving carbon peak and carbon neutralization goals.

A Micron-Range Displacement Sensor Based on Thermo-Optically Tuned Whispering Gallery Modes in a Microcapillary Resonator.

A novel micron-range displacement sensor based on a whispering-gallery mode (WGM) microcapillary resonator filled with a nematic liquid crystal (LC) and a magnetic nanoparticle- coated fiber half-taper is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed device, the tip of a fiber half-taper coated with a thin layer of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) moves inside the LC-filled microcapillary resonator along its axis. The input end of the fiber half-taper is connected to a pump laser source and due to the thermo-optic effect within the MNPs, the fiber tip acts as point heat source increasing the temperature of the LC material in its vicinity. An increase in the LC temperature leads to a decrease in its effective refractive index, which in turn causes spectral shift of the WGM resonances monitored in the transmission spectrum of the coupling fiber. The spectral shift of the WGMs is proportional to the displacement of the MNP-coated tip with respect to the microcapillary's light coupling point. The sensor's operation is simulated considering heat transfer in the microcapillary filled with a LC material having a negative thermo-optic coefficient. The simulations are in a good agreement with the WGMs spectral shift observed experimentally. A sensitivity to displacement of 15.44 pm/µm and a response time of 260 ms were demonstrated for the proposed sensor. The device also shows good reversibility and repeatability of response. The proposed micro-displacement sensor has potential applications in micro-manufacturing, precision measurement and medical instruments.

An Ultramicroporous Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework Exhibiting High C2 H2 /CO2 Separation.

The separation of C2 H2 /CO2 is not only industrially important for acetylene purification but also great scientific challenge due to their very similar molecular size and physical properties. To address this difficulty, herein, we present an ultramicroporous hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF-FJU-1) from tetracyano bicarbazole to separate C2 H2 from CO2 by taking advantage of differences in their electrostatic potential distribution. This material possesses a suitable pore environment and electrostatic potential distribution fitting well to C2 H2 , thus showing extra strong affinity to C2 H2 (46.73 kJ mol-1 ) and the highest IAST selectivity of 6675 for C2 H2 /CO2 separation among the adsorbents reported. The single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that the suitable pore environment in HOF-FJU-1 provides multiple C-H⋅⋅⋅π and hydrogen-bonded interactions N⋅⋅⋅H-C with C2 H2 molecules. Dynamic breakthrough experiments demonstrate its outstanding separation performance to C2 H2 /CO2 mixtures.

Impact of Carbon Tax and Subsidy Policies on Original Equipment Manufacturers and Remanufacturing Companies from the Perspective of Carbon Emissions.

To analyze the impact of government carbon tax and subsidy policies on the manufac turing industry in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This paper constructs a game model based on two government policies: a "carbon tax" policy for the original product and a "subsidy" policy for the remanufactured product, taking the original product and the remanufactured product as the objects. The policy game model is used to study the impact of carbon taxes, government subsidies, and carbon emissions on product quality, sales, and corporate profits. The results show that under the carbon tax and government subsidy policies, the price of remanufactured products will decrease, the quality will increase, sales will improve, and remanufacturers' profits will increase; these outcomes are conducive to the development of remanufacturing enterprises. Meanwhile, the price of original products will increase, quality will decrease, sales will decline, and original equipment manufacturers will have to develop and adopt low-carbon technologies to achieve sustainable development. This paper provides decision support for the formulation of government carbon emission policy, and theories and methods for the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry.

Thermo-optic tuning of a nematic liquid crystal-filled capillary whispering gallery mode resonator.

A novel tunable whispering gallery modes (WGMs) resonator based on a nematic liquid crystal (LC)-filled capillary and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)-coated tapered fiber has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Thermo-optic tuning of the WGM resonances has been demonstrated by varying optical pump laser power injected into the MNPs-coated fiber half-taper inside the capillary. The tuning mechanism relies on the change of the effective refractive index (RI) of the nematic LC, caused by the photo-thermal effect of MNPs on the surface of the fiber half-taper inducing a temperature change inside the capillary. Tuning of the WGM resonances with sensitivities of 101.5 ± 3.5 pm/mW and 146.5 ± 3.5 pm/mW and tuning ranges of 1.96 nm and 3.28 nm respectively for the two types of liquid crystals (MLC-7012, MDA-05-2782) has been demonstrated. In addition, the relationship between the optical power of the pump laser and the local temperature of the nematic LC was investigated and the heating rate is estimated as 1.49 °C/mW. The proposed thermo-optic tuning scheme has many potential applications in tunable photonic devices and sensors.

Strain-, curvature- and twist-independent temperature sensor based on a small air core hollow core fiber structure.

Cross-sensitivity (crosstalk) to multiple parameters is a serious but common issue for most sensors and can significantly decrease the usefulness and detection accuracy of sensors. In this work, a high sensitivity temperature sensor based on a small air core (10 µm) hollow core fiber (SACHCF) structure is proposed. Co-excitation of both anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) guiding mechanisms in transmission are demonstrated. It is found that the strain sensitivity of the proposed SACHCF structure is decreased over one order of magnitude when a double phase condition (destructive condition of MZI and resonant condition of ARROW) is satisfied. In addition, due to its compact size and a symmetrical configuration, the SACHCF structure shows ultra-low sensitivity to curvature and twist. Experimentally, a high temperature sensitivity of 31.6 pm/°C, an ultra-low strain sensitivity of -0.01pm/µÎµ, a curvature sensitivity of 18.25 pm/m-1, and a twist sensitivity of -22.55 pm/(rad/m) were demonstrated. The corresponding temperature cross sensitivities to strain, curvature and twist are calculated to be -0.00032 °C/µÎµ, 0.58 °C/m-1 and 0.71 °C/(rad/m), respectively. The above cross sensitivities are one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of previously reported optical fiber temperature sensors. The proposed sensor shows a great potential to be used as a temperature sensor in practical applications where influence of multiple environmental parameters cannot be eliminated.

Negative Curvature Hollow Core Fiber Based All-Fiber Interferometer and Its Sensing Applications to Temperature and Strain.

Negative curvature hollow core fiber (NCHCF) is a promising candidate for sensing applications; however, research on NCHCF based fiber sensors starts only in the recent two years. In this work, an all-fiber interferometer based on an NCHCF structure is proposed for the first time. The interferometer was fabricated by simple fusion splicing of a short section of an NCHCF between two singlemode fibers (SMFs). Both simulation and experimental results show that multiple modes and modal interferences are excited within the NCHCF structure. Periodic transmission dips with high spectral extinction ratio (up to 30 dB) and wide free spectral range (FSR) are produced, which is mainly introduced by the modes coupling between HE11 and HE12. A small portion of light guiding by means of Anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) mechanism is also observed. The transmission dips, resulting from multimode interferences (MMI) and ARROW effect have a big difference in sensitivities to strain and temperature, thus making it possible to monitor these two parameters with a single sensor head by using a characteristic matrix approach. In addition, the proposed sensor structure is experimentally proven to have a good reproducibility.

A Deep-Red to Near Infrared (NIR) Fluorescent Probe Based on a Sulfur-Modified Rhodamine Derivative with Two Spirolactone Rings.

We report the synthesis, characterization, and photophysical and ion-binding properties of deep-red to near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent rhodamine derivatives, bearing two spirolactone rings and substitution of the oxygen atoms in the xanthene ring with sulfur atoms (1-S). The diastereoisomeric cis- and trans-forms of the rhodamine derivative were separated and the cis-form (cis-1-S) was structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Upon treatment with Hg2+ ion, cis-1-S was converted into the dual spirolactone ring-opened species, resulting in significant color change and fluorescence enhancement. Substitution of the oxygen atoms with sulfur and extended π-conjugation across the fused six-membered rings upon the two rings-opening processes in the presence of Hg2+ ion led to a significant red-shift of absorption (623 nm) and fluorescence (706 nm) peaks, compared to the ordinary rhodamine. Furthermore, the intracellular Hg2+ -sensing properties of the cis-1-S have been studied by confocal microscopy.

Simultaneous identification of 6 pathogens causing porcine reproductive failure by using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

We developed a multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay for the simultaneous detection of 6 clinically relevant viral pathogens causing porcine reproductive failure, that is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), classical swine fever virus (CSFV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine parvovirus (PPV). The limits of detection for the assay varied among the 6 target organisms from 1 to 8 copies per MLPA assay. The MLPA assay was evaluated with 346 heparinized porcine umbilical cord blood specimens, and the results of the assay were compared to those of real-time PCR. The MLPA assay showed specificities and sensitivities of 99.2% and 100%, respectively, for PRRSV; 100% and 100%, respectively, for CSFV, PCV2, PRV and PPV. No sample was found to be positive for JEV by either the MLPA assay or the real-time PCR. In conclusion, the MLPA assay has comparable clinical sensitivity to that of real-time PCR assay and provides a useful tool for fast screening porcine reproductive failure-associated viruses.

Enhancing the ROS generation ability of a rhodamine-decorated iridium(iii) complex by ligand regulation for endoplasmic reticulum-targeted photodynamic therapy.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a very important organelle responsible for crucial biosynthetic, sensing, and signalling functions in eukaryotic cells. In this work, we established a strategy of ligand regulation to enhance the singlet oxygen generation capacity and subcellular organelle localization ability of a rhodamine-decorated iridium(iii) complex by variation of the cyclometallating ligand. The resulting metal complex showed outstanding reactive oxygen species generation efficiency (1.6-fold higher than that of rose bengal in CH3CN) and highly specific ER localization ability, which demonstrated the promise of the metal-based photo-theranostic agent by simultaneously tuning the photochemical/physical and biological properties. Additionally, low dark cytotoxicity, high photostability and selective tumour cell uptake were featured by this complex to demonstrate it as a promising candidate in photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications. In vivo near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging and tumour PDT were investigated and showed preferential accumulation at the tumour site and remarkable tumour growth suppression, respectively.

Magnetic Field Sensor Based on a Tri-Microfiber Coupler Ring in Magnetic Fluid and a Fiber Bragg Grating.

In this paper we propose and investigate a novel magnetic field sensor based on a Tri-microfiber coupler combined with magnetic fluid and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a ring. A sensitivity of 1306 pm/mT was experimentally demonstrated in the range of magnetic fields from 0 to 15 mT. The reflection peak in the output spectrum associated with the FBG serves as a reference point allowing to avoid ambiguity in determining the spectral shift induced by the magnetic field. Due to its high sensitivity at low magnetic fields, the proposed structure could be of high interest in low field biosensing applications that involve a magnetic field, such as magnetic manipulation or separation of biomolecules.

Strain independent twist sensor based on uneven platinum coated hollow core fiber structure.

Optical fiber based twist sensors usually suffer from high cross sensitivity to strain. Here we report a strain independent twist sensor based on an uneven platinum coated hollow core fiber (HCF) structure. The sensor is fabricated by splicing a section of ~4.5-mm long HCF between two standard single mode fibers, followed by a sputter-coating of a very thin layer of platinum on both sides of the HCF surface. Experimental results demonstrate that twist angles can be measured by monitoring the strength change of transmission spectral dip. The sensor's cross sensitivity to strain is investigated before and after coating with platinum. It is found that by coating a platinum layer of ~9 nm on the HCF surface, the sensor's cross sensitivity to strain is significantly decreased with over two orders of magnitude less than that of the uncoated sensor sample. The lowest strain sensitivity of ~2.32×10-5 dB/𝜇𝛆 has been experimentally achieved, which is to the best of our knowledge, the lowest cross sensitivity to strain reported to date for optical fiber sensors based on intensity modulation. In addition, the proposed sensor is capable of simultaneous measurement of strain and twist angle by monitoring the wavelength shift and dip strength variation of a single spectral dip. In the experiment, strain and twist angle sensitivities of 0.61 pm/𝜇𝛆 and 0.10 dB/° have been achieved. Moreover, the proposed sensor offers advantages of ease of fabrication, miniature size, and a good repeatability of measurement.

Ligand Mediated Luminescence Enhancement in Cyclometalated Rhodium(III) Complexes and Their Applications in Efficient Organic Light-Emitting Devices.

A series of luminescent cyclometalated rhodium(III) complexes have been designed and prepared. The improved luminescence property is realized by the judicious choice of a strong σ-donor cyclometalating ligand with a lower-lying intraligand (IL) state that would raise the d-d excited state and introduction of a lower-lying emissive IL excited state. These complexes exhibit high thermal stability and considerable luminescence quantum yields as high as up to 0.65 in thin film, offering themselves as promising light-emitting materials in OLEDs. Respectable external quantum efficiencies of up to 12.2% and operational half-lifetimes of over 3000 h at 100 cd m-2 have been achieved. This work demonstrates a breakthrough as the first example of an efficient rhodium(III) emitter for OLED application and opens up a new avenue for diversifying the development of OLED materials with rhodium metal being utilized as phosphors.

Metal-Organic Framework with Rich Accessible Nitrogen Sites for Highly Efficient CO2 Capture and Separation.

A novel microporous metal-organic framework (FJU-44), with abundant accessible nitrogen sites on its internal surface, was constructed from the tetrapodal tetrazole ligand tetrakis(4-tetrazolylphenyl)ethylene (H4TTPE) and copper chloride. Notably, the CO2 uptake capacity (83.4 cm3/g, at 273 K and 1 bar) in the activated FJU-44a is higher than most of tetrazolate-containing MOF materials. Particularly, FJU-44a exhibits superior adsorption selectivity of CO2/N2 (278-128) and CO2/CH4 (44-16), which is comparable to some well-known CO2 capture materials. Furthermore, the fixed-bed breakthrough experiment indicates that the postcombustion flue gas flow over a packed column with FJU-44a adsorbents can be effectively separated.

Temperature-compensated magnetic field sensing with a dual-ring structure consisting of microfiber coupler-Sagnac loop and fiber Bragg grating-assisted resonant cavity.

A novel temperature-compensated magnetic field sensor based on a ring erbium-doped fiber laser combined with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and a Sagnac loop containing a microfiber coupler (MFC) and magnetic fluid is proposed and investigated. Thanks to the dual-ring structure of the MFC-Sagnac loop and the FBG-assisted resonant cavity, the output of the structure has two distinct laser peaks. In addition to the magnetic field sensing capability, the proposed structure can simultaneously provide temperature information. The maximum experimentally demonstrated sensitivity to a magnetic field determined from the spectral shift of one laser peak is 102 pm/mT in the magnetic field range from 0 to 60 mT. The spectral position of the other laser peak is independent of the magnetic field but shifts toward longer wavelengths with temperature with a sensitivity of 18 pm/°C. The proposed magnetic field sensor is advantageous for applications requiring measurement accuracy over a wide magnetic field range with a compensating of temperature information.