Enhanced detection limit in an exceptional surface-based fiber resonator by manipulating Fano interference.

An exceptional surface (ES) has advantages in improving sensing robustness and enhancing frequency splitting. Typically, the eigenvalue splitting must exceed the mode linewidth in order to be clearly visible in the spectrum, which limits the precision of the ES-based sensing structure. In this paper, a strategy for manipulating spectral line shape in an ES-based structure is experimentally realized. In addition, the limit of the minimum detectable displacement can be further reduced by monitoring the peak intensity of the Fano interference line shape. The demonstration of Fano interference in an ES-based system opens the way for a new class of ultrasensitive optical sensors.

Stable and Tunable Quantum Conductance in Spider-Silk-like Synaptic Device for Neurocomputing.

The quantum conductance (QC) behaviors in synaptic devices with stable and tunable conductance states are essential for high-density storage and brain-like neurocomputing (NC). In this work, inspired by the discontinuous transport of fluid in spider silk, a synaptic device composed of a silicon oxide nanowire network embedded with silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs@SiOx) is designed. The tunable QC behaviors are achieved in both the SET and RESET processes, and the QC states exhibit stable retention time exceeding 104 s in the synaptic device and show stable reproducibility after an interval of two months. The synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation/depression and Pavlovian conditioning function, is simulated based on the tunable conductance. The mechanism of stable and tunable QC behaviors is analyzed and clarified by beading effect of spider silk in Si-QDs@SiOx nanowires structure. The digit recognition capability of the device is evaluated by simulation using an artificial neural network consisting of the Si-QDs@SiOx-based synaptic device. These results provide insights into the development of neurocomputing systems with high classification accuracy.

Influence of Crosslink Density on Electrical Performance and Rheological Properties of Crosslinked Polyethylene.

To investigate the influence of the crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) structure on electrical performance, various analytical methods were employed to study polyethylene structures with different degrees of crosslinking. Dynamic rheological analysis was conducted to determine material shear viscosity, dynamic viscosity, storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G″), and other rheological parameters. Additionally, the electrical performance of the material was analyzed by studying the phenomenon of space charge accumulation under direct current voltage. The results indicate that with an increasing mass fraction of the crosslinking agent, the crosslink density of crosslinked polyethylene initially increases and then decreases. When the dicumyl peroxide (DCP) content exceeds 1.0 wt.%, there is an accumulation of like-polarity space charges. The best rheological processing performance of crosslinked polyethylene is observed when the DCP content is in the range of 1.0-1.5 wt.%.

Spinal metastases from non-small cell lung cancer - Is surgical extent enough by following suggestions of the Tomita and Tokuhashi scores?

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The Tomita, revised Tokuhashi and Tokuhashi lung scores are commonly used tools to predict the survival of patients with spinal metastases and to guide decisions regarding surgical treatment. These prognostic scores, however, tend to underestimate the prognosis of patients with lung cancer. We examined surgical outcome and hopefully provide a more accurate reference for management. METHODS: The consistency between predicted and actual survival was examined using the Tomita and Tokuhashi scores. Various factors that may influence survival were analyzed. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), defined as the ambulatory time after the initial surgery. Secondary outcomes included reoperation events, blood loss, and hospitalization days. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-two patients were enrolled. Correct survival predictions were made for 28%, 42%, and 56% with the Tomita, revised Tokuhashi, and Tokuhashi lung scores, respectively. The Tokuhashi lung scores underestimated OS by 35%-40%. Body mass index ≥20, systemic treatment-naïve, good general condition, the use of denosumab, and adenocarcinoma were found to positively affect OS and PFS. There was no significant difference between palliative decompression and excisional surgery regarding OS and PFS. CONCLUSION: Patients with spinal metastases from lung cancer had better prognosis than that predicted by the Tomita and Tokuhashi scores. Spine surgeons should acknowledge this discrepancy and treat these patients with at least the aggressiveness suggested. Patients with adenocarcinoma, amenable to target therapy, denosumab, good general condition, systemic treatment-naïve are better candidates for surgery. Those with cachexic status and unresectable visceral metastases are worse candidates.

Controllability of the Conductive Filament in Porous SiOx Memristors by Humidity-Mediated Silver Ion Migration.

Oxide-based memristors composed of Ag/porous SiOx/Si stacks are fabricated using different etching time durations between 0 and 90 s, and the memristive properties are analyzed in the relative humidity (RH) range of 30-60%. The combination of humidity and porous structure provides binding sites to control silver filament formation with a confined nanoscale channel. The memristive properties of devices show high on/off ratios up to 108 and a dispersion coefficient of 0.1% of the high resistance state (CHRS) when the RH increases to 60%. Humidity-mediated silver ion migration in the porous SiOx memristors is investigated, and the mechanism leading to the synergistic effects between the porous structure and environmental humidity is elucidated. The artificial neural network constructed theoretically shows that the recognition rate increases from 60.9 to 85.29% in the RH range of 30-60%. The results and theoretical understanding provide insights into the design and optimization of oxide-based memristors in neuromorphic computing applications.

Overall Survival of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Spinal Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term survival data of lung cancer patients with spinal metastases are crucial for informed treatment decision-making. However, most studies in this field involve small sample sizes. Moreover, survival benchmarking and an analysis of changes in survival over time are required, but data are unavailable. To meet this need, we performed a metaanalysis of survival data from small studies to obtain a survival function based on largescale data. METHODS: We performed a single-arm systematic review of survival function following a published protocol. Data of patients who received surgical, nonsurgical, and mixed modes of treatment were meta-analyzed separately. Survival data were extracted from published figures with a digitizer program and then processed in R. Median survival time was used as an effect size for moderator analysis to explain the heterogeneity. RESULTS: Sixty-two studies with 5,242 participants were included for pooling. The survival functions showed a median survival of 6.72 months for surgery (95% confidence interval [CI], 61.9-7.01; 2,367 participants; 36 studies), 5.99 months for nonsurgery (95% CI, 5.33-6.47; 891 participants; 12 studies), and 5.96 months for mixed (95% CI, 5.67-6.43; 1,984 participants; 18 studies). Patients enrolled since 2010 showed the highest survival rates. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first large-scale data for lung cancer with spinal metastasis that allows survival benchmarking. Data from patients enrolled since 2010 had the best survival and thus may more accurately reflect current survival. Researchers should focus on this subset in future benchmarking and remain optimistic in the management of these patients.

Phosphorus biorecovery from wastewater contaminated with multiple nitrogen species by a bacterial consortium.

Recovering finite and non-substitutable phosphorus from liquid waste streams through bio-mediated techniques has attracted increasing interest, but current approaches are incredibly dependent on ammonium. Herein, a process to recover phosphorus from wastewater under multiple nitrogen species conditions was developed. This study compared the effects of nitrogen species on the recovery of phosphorus resources by a bacterial consortium. It found that the consortium could not only efficiently utilize ammonium to enable phosphorus recovery but also utilize nitrate via dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) to recover phosphorus. The characteristics of the generated phosphorus-bearing minerals, including magnesium phosphate and struvite, were evaluated. Furthermore, nitrogen loading positively influenced the stability of the bacterial community structure. The genus Acinetobacter was dominant under nitrate and ammonium conditions, with a relatively stable abundance of 89.01% and 88.54%, respectively. The finding may provide new insights into nutrient biorecovery from phosphorus-containing wastewater contaminated with multiple nitrogen species.

Porous Organic Polymers-Supported Zeigler-Natta Catalysts for Preparing Highly Isotactic Polypropylene with Broad Molecular Weight Distribution.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have attracted much attention in numerous areas, including catalysis, adsorption and separation. Herein, POP supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts were designed for preparation of isotactic polypropylene (iPP). The POPs-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts exhibited the characteristic of broad molecular weight distribution (MWD > 11) with or without adding an extra internal electron donor. The added internal electron donor 3-methyl-5-tert-butyl-1,2-phenylene dibenzoate (ID-2) used in cat-2 showed good propylene polymerization activity of 15.3 × 106 g·PP/mol·Ti·h, high stereoregularity with 98.2% of isotacticity index and broad molecular weight distribution (MWD) of 12.3. Compared to the MgCl2-supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts (cat-4) with the same ID-2, cat-2 showed higher chain stereoregularity for propylene polymerization. As seen in the TREF results, the elution peak of PP-2 (124.0 °C, 91.7%) is 1.5 °C higher than the isotactic fraction from PP-4 (122.5 °C, 87.2%), and even 1.2 °C higher than PP-5 prepared from ID-3 with the characteristics of high stereoregularity. Moreover, the pentad methyl sequence mmmm of PP-2 (93.0%) from cat-2 is 0.5% higher than that of PP-4 from cat-4. XPS analysis revealed that the minute difference in binding energy of Ti, Mg, C and O atoms exist between the inorganic MgCl2 and the organic polymer based Z-N catalysts. The plausible interaction mechanism of active sites of Mg and Ti with the functional groups in the POP support and the added ID was proposed, which could be explained by their high stereoregularity and the broad molecular weight distribution of the POP-based Z-N catalysts.

Ambipolar steep-slope nanotransistors with Janus MoSSe/graphene heterostructures.

The transfer characteristics and switching mechanism of the steep-slope transistor composed of the graphene/Janus MoSSe heterostructure are investigated by quantum transport calculation. The Schottky barrier height at the Gr/SMoSe interface and tunneling width between the channel and drain can be tuned by the gate voltage, so that the device exhibits ambipolar switching with two minima in the subthreshold swing slope. 34 and 29 mV decade-1subthreshold swings can be achieved and the on/off ratios are over 106and 108for the different switching mechanisms. The device provides a solution and guidance for the future design of low-power, high-performance devices.

Analysis of force and displacement of anchor systems under the non-limit active state.

This paper proposes a concept of soil shear strength exertion around an anchorage section to analyze and calculate the anchor's force and displacement. First, based on the Mohr stress circle, the numerical relationship between the value of the internal friction angle exertion, the value of the cohesion exertion, and the displacement are established under the non-limit active state. According to the interaction mechanism between the anchorage section and the surrounding soil, this paper obtains the corresponding relationship between the value of the soil's shear strength exertion and displacement under the non-limit active state. Then, according to the load transfer principle of the anchorage section, the basic differential equation is established. The differential equation of the relative displacement distribution along the length of the anchorage section under the non-limit active state is further derived. And the calculation and analysis formula of the shear stress and relative displacement in the anchorage section considering the process of the soil shear strength exertion is also obtained. Finally, this paper compares the calculation method with the hyperbolic model calculation method for the same example. The results verify the accuracy of the calculation method.

Antisiphon device: A review of existing mechanisms and clinical applications to prevent overdrainage in shunted hydrocephalic patients.

Overdrainage of cerebrospinal fluid is one of the most notorious complications after ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation. Siphon effect plays a major role in the development of overdrainage. Various overdrainage-preventing devices have been invented to counteract the siphon effect. Though some of the devices are designed to reduce the flow instead of providing antisiphoning effect, they are generally called antisiphon devices (ASDs). The basics of siphoning, the mechanisms and physical properties of currently available devices are described in this article. The clinical efficacy, shunt survival, and considerations on patient factors are also discussed. There are three kinds of ASD design, diaphragm, gravitational, and flow reducing devices. Flow reducing ASD is always open and the flow it controls is relatively stable. On the other hand, it may not provide sufficient flow in nocturnal intracranial pressure elevations. Diaphragm and gravitational devices are sensitive to the position of the patients. Diaphragm device is sensitive to the external pressure and the relative position of the device to the mastoid process. The gravitational device is sensitive to the angle between the axis of the device and the head. Many studies showed encouraging results with gravitational devices. Studies regarding diaphragm devices either showed better or similar outcomes comparing to differential pressure valves. Clinical studies regarding flow-reducing devices and head-to-head comparison between different mechanisms are warranted. This review aims to provide a useful reference for clinical practice of hydrocephalus.

Giant and tunable Goos-Hänchen shift with a high reflectance induced by PT-symmetry in atomic vapor.

The Goos-Hänchen (GH) shifts of light beams reflected from conventional passive optical systems could be enhanced using the Brewster angle effect or resonance effect, but the maximum GH shift is located at the reflectance minima, which is difficult for experimental detection. In this paper, we present an efficient and flexible scheme to realize complex parity-time (PT)-symmetric periodic optical potentials (complex crystals) in helium atomic vapor. The GH shifts of probe light reflected from the complex crystal are theoretically investigated and large GH shifts could be obtained inside the high-reflection band. When the complex crystal is operated near the coherent perfect absorption-laser point, the maximum GH shift of probe light is exactly located at the reflectance peak. Moreover, the GH shifts could be easily controlled by adjusting the intensity of control light.

GaOx@GaN Nanowire Arrays on Flexible Graphite Paper with Tunable Persistent Photoconductivity.

Flexible optoelectronic synaptic devices that functionally imitate the neural behavior with tunable optoelectronic characteristics are crucial to the development of advanced bioinspired neural networks. In this work, amorphous oxide-decorated GaN nanowire arrays (GaOx@GaN NWAs) are prepared on flexible graphite paper. A GaOx@GaN NWA-based flexible device has tunable persistent photoconductivity (PPC) and shows a conversible fast/slow decay process (SDP). Photoconductivity can be modulated by single or double light pulses with different illumination powers and biases. PPC gives rise to the high-performance SDP such as a long decay time of 2.3 × 105 s. The modulation mechanism is proposed and discussed. Our results reveal an innovative and efficient strategy to produce decorated NWAs on a flexible substrate with tunable optoelectronic properties and exhibit potential for flexible neuromorphic system applications.

Enhancing nitrate removal from wastewater by integrating heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification coupled manganese oxidation process (IHAD-MnO): Internal carbon utilization performance.

Due to cause the deterioration of water quality and can produce toxic nitrite, the nitrate constituted of great threatens to human health and eco-systematic safety. Among most well-known biotechnology to remove nitrate, the integrated heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification (IHAD) process is promising, especially for the organic-limited polluted water. In this work, the IHAD coupled manganese oxidation (IHAD-MnO) process was developed by using Pseudomonas sp. SZF15 (Gram negative strain, and rod-shaped morphology with 2.3 µm in length) in the glass serum bottles. It was found that limited organic content could accelerate nitrate removal rate, and manganese oxidation efficiency can reach up to 60.08%. To further explain carbon conversion characteristics of the process, pure heterotrophic condition assays were conducted, the results confirmed that inorganic carbon will be generated by organic carbon metabolism in heterotrophic condition, the maximum accumulation content of inorganic carbon was 142.21 mg/L (when the initial organic carbon level was 293 mg-C/L). Subsequently, since the consumption of organic carbon, biogenic inorganic carbon can be further utilized by microorganisms to support autotrophic denitrification (AuDN). Besides, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to analyze precipitation products produced from the process. The magnified Mn 2p spectra results showed that a typical characteristic peak of manganese dioxide was observed with the intense peak at 641.8 eV and a satellite peak at 653.7 eV, respectively. This showed that Mn(II) was oxidized to manganese dioxide by the process, which may be a functional material with adsorption properties. The process posed a highly efficient and cost effective solution with less carbon consumption and less greenhouse gas emission for sustainable water treatment technologies.

Effect of Oleamine on Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Cesium Lead Bromide Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Herein, we reported a simple microwave-assisted method for synthesizing uniform CsPbBr3 and Cs4PbBr6 perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs). The phase structure, photoluminescence (PL) emission, and quantum yield (QY) of CsPbBr3 PeNCs can be tuned by changing the radiation time and power of the microwave. The optimized CsPbBr3 PeNCs showed a high PLQY of up to 87%. The transformation from green-luminescent three-dimensional (3D) CsPbBr3 PeNCs to nonluminescent zero-dimensional (0D) Cs4PbBr6 PeNCs was easily realized by adjusting the amount of oleamine (OAm) and oleic acid (OA), and the changes in morphology and phase structure during the transformation process were studied by a microwave-assisted technique. Meanwhile, the optical properties of Cs4PbBr6 PeNCs were revealed by monitoring the changes in absorption and emission spectra. Furthermore, through first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT), the luminescene origination of as-prepared PeNCs was further explained. In this work, we controlled the phase transition from CsPbBr3 to Cs4PbBr6 through a simple method, which provides a strategy for other types of perovskite phase transitions.

Strain-enhanced power conversion efficiency of a BP/SnSe van der Waals heterostructure.

A promising BP/SnSe van der Waals (vdW) photovoltaic heterostructure was designed and investigated by first-principles calculations. The BP/SnSe vdW heterostructure showed inhibition of photogenerated carrier recombination as well as broad and high optical absorption intensity spanning the visible to deep ultraviolet regions reaching the order of 105 cm-1. The carrier mobility of the BP/SnSe vdW heterostructure exhibited anisotropic characteristics reaching approximately 103 cm2 V-1 s-1, with an intrinsic power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.96%. Our results show that the PCE can be increased to 17.24% when the conduction band offset between BP and SnSe is reduced by strain engineering. The distinctive and favorable properties suggest that the BP/SnSe vdW heterostructure has great potential for use in photovoltaic devices.

Fabrication of a Hierarchical Ni(OH)2 @Ni3 S2 /Ni Foam Electrode from a Prussian Blue Analogue-Based Composite with Enhanced Electrochemical Capacitive and Electrocatalytic Properties.

Developing high-efficiency, cost-effective, and durable electrodes is significant for electrochemical capacitors and electrocatalysis. Herein, a 3D bifunctional electrode consisting of nickel hydroxide nanosheets@nickel sulfide nanocubes arrays on Ni foam (Ni(OH)2 @Ni3 S2 /NF) obtained from a Prussian blue analogue-based precursor is reported. The 3D higher-order porous structure and synergistic effect of different compositions endow the electrode with large specific surface area, facile ion/electron transport path, and improved conductivity. As a result, the Ni(OH)2 @Ni3 S2 /NF electrode exhibits a high specific capacity of 211 mA h g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 and 73 % capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 5 A g-1 . Moreover, the Ni(OH)2 @Ni3 S2 /NF electrode has superior electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction with low overpotentials of 140 and 210 mV at current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm-2 , respectively. The synthetic strategy for the unique higher-order porous structure can be extended to fabricate other composite materials for energy storage and conversion.

Systemic identification and analyses of genes potentially involved in chemosensory in the devastating tea pest Basilepta melanopus.

Basilepta melanopus is a serious insect pest of tea plantations in southern China. This tea pest poses a great threat to the tea industry in China. No effective and environmentally friendly methods have been established to control this pest at present. Olfactory genes play key roles in insect behaviour, and can potentially be used as targets for developing environmentally-friendly approaches for pest control. In this study, we produced a transcriptome derived from dissected antennae from B. melanopus using high-throughput sequencing. We identified gene families that are potentially involved in odorant reception and detection, including unigenes encoding 63 odorant receptors (ORs), 16 gustatory receptors (GRs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs), four sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 46 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), and 19 chemosensory proteins (CSPs). Analyses of tissue expression profiles revealed that all 63 OR transcripts, 14 antennal IRs, one SNMP and six OBPs were predominately expressed in antennae. Real-time quantitative PCR assays were also adapted to examine sex-biased expression of selected antenna-predominant genes. Our results provide valuable information for further functional studies of olfactory genes in B. melanopus and potential novel targets for developing new pest control measures.

Stability and Repeatability of a Karst-like Hierarchical Porous Silicon Oxide-Based Memristor.

A memristor architecture based on porous oxide materials has the potential to be used in artificial synaptic devices. Herein, we present a memristor system employing a karst-like hierarchically porous (KLHP) silicon oxide structure with good stability and repeatability. The KLHP structure prepared by an electrochemical process and thermal oxidation exhibits high ON-OFF ratios up to 105 during the endurance test, and the data can be maintained for 105 s at a small read voltage 0.1 V. The mechanism of lithium ion migration in the porous silicon oxide structure has been discussed by a simulated model. The porous silicon oxide-based memristor is very promising because of the enhanced performance as well as easily accessed neuromorphic computing.