Quantile difference estimation with censoring indicators missing at random.

In this paper, we define estimators of distribution functions when the data are right-censored and the censoring indicators are missing at random, and establish their strong representations and asymptotic normality. Besides, based on empirical likelihood method, we define maximum empirical likelihood estimators and smoothed log-empirical likelihood ratios of two-sample quantile difference in the presence and absence of auxiliary information, respectively, and prove their asymptotic distributions. Simulation study and real data analysis are conducted to investigate the finite sample behavior of the proposed methods.

[Source Apportionment of Ambient VOCs in Qingdao Based on Photochemical Loss Correction].

Ozone was one of the major pollutants affecting the environmental air quality in China. The accurate apportionment of key sources and their contributions of ambient ozone and its precursor VOCs played an important role in the effective prevention and control of ozone pollution. Therefore, this study utilized the photochemical-age-based parameterization method to estimate the initial concentrations of ambient VOCs data collected from January 1 to February 28, 2021 in Jiaozhou, Qingdao and corrected the photochemical losses of ambient VOC species. The positive matrix factorization(PMF) and ozone formation potential(OFP) models were used to conduct source apportionment of ambient VOCs and their OFPs so as to provide data support for the prevention and control of ozone pollution in Qingdao. The results showed that the average values of ambient ρ(TVOCs) and OFP in Qingdao during the study period were 65.9 µg·m-3 and 176.7 µg·m-3, respectively. Propane had the highest concentration(12.4 µg·m-3) and percentage(18.9%), whereas m/p-xylene had the highest OFP(24.6 µg·m-3) and percentage(13.9%). The mean initial concentration of TVOCs during the study was 153.1 µg·m-3, and its photochemical loss rate reached 63.8%. Alkenes were the VOC species with the highest photochemical loss rate(92.1%), and the photochemical loss rate of isoprene reached 98.6%, which was substantially higher than that of other VOC species. According to the source apportionment results of initial concentrations(IC-PMF), liquefied petroleum gas(24.2%), solvent use(17.8%), natural gas and petrochemical-related enterprises(16.6%), gasoline volatilization(13.2%), combustion and gasoline vehicle emissions(12.2%), biogenic emissions(8.6%), and diesel vehicle emissions(7.4%) were the main contributing sources of the ambient VOCs in Jiaozhou. Compared with the apportioned results of IC-PMF, the contribution of biogenic emissions was underestimated by 38.9% in the apportioned results based on observed concentrations(OC-PMF), and the contribution of natural gas and petrochemical-related enterprises was underestimated by 28.5%, and the underestimations of their contributions were substantially higher than those of other sources. Compared with that before the Spring Festival, the contribution of gasoline volatilization to ambient VOCs increased markedly during the Spring Festival, whereas the contributions of solvent use, combustion, and gasoline vehicle emissions to ambient VOCs increased most significantly after the Spring Festival. The main contributing sources of ambient ozone during the study period were solvent use(31.3%), natural gas and petrochemical-related enterprises(16.1%), biogenic emissions(14.5%), and combustion and gasoline vehicle emissions(13.2%). The primary contributors of ambient ozone in different Spring Festival periods showed substantial differences. Before the Spring Festival, solvent use had the highest contribution(71.1 µg·m-3), and gasoline volatilization was the highest contributor during the Spring Festival(34.4 µg·m-3), whereas biogenic emissions after the Spring Festival were the highest contributor(39.1 µg·m-3).

Nonreciprocal coupling modulated difference-sideband generation in a double-cavity optomechanical system.

We theoretically study the difference-sideband generation in a double-cavity optomechanical system with nonreciprocal coupling. Beyond the conventional linearized description of optomechanical interactions, we derive analytical expressions for the efficiency of difference-sideband generation by using a perturbation method. Here we investigate bistable behaviors of the system and show the difference-sideband generation modulated by the nonreciprocal coupling strength between the two cavities. We find that the nonreciprocal coupling strength can not only affect the bistability of the system but also lead to different efficiencies of difference-sideband generation at low power. To achieve high efficiency of difference-sideband generation, we give the optimal matching conditions under different parameter mechanisms. Especially as the power increases, we find new matching conditions with remarkable difference-sideband generation emerging, which is attribute to the strong coherence between the cavity field and the mechanical oscillator. Furthermore, a feasible scheme to obtain difference-sideband generation by employing multiple adjustable variables is proposed. Our results may find applications in nonreciprocal optical frequency combs and communications, and provide a potential method for precision measurements and on-chip manipulation of light transmission.

[Chemical Characteristics and Source Apportionment for VOCs During the Ozone Pollution Episodes and Non-ozone Pollution Periods in Qingdao].

The ambient concentration of ozone is high in Qingdao, and ozone pollution episodes occur frequently in summer. The refined source apportionment of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their ozone formation potential (OFP) during ozone pollution episodes and non-ozone pollution periods can play an important role in effectively reducing air ozone pollution in coastal cities and continuously improving ambient air quality. Therefore, this study applied the online VOCs monitoring data with hourly resolution in summer (from June to August) in 2020 in Qingdao to analyze the chemical characteristics of ambient VOCs during the ozone pollution episodes and non-ozone pollution periods and conducted the refined source apportionment of ambient VOCs and their OFP using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The results showed that the average mass concentration of ambient VOCs in Qingdao in summer was 93.8 µg·m-3, and compared with that during the non-ozone pollution period, the mass concentration of ambient VOCs during the ozone pollution episodes increased by 49.3%, and the mass concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons increased by 59.7%. The total OFP of ambient VOCs in summer was 246.3 µg·m-3. Compared with that in the non-ozone pollution period, the total OFP of ambient VOCs in the ozone pollution episodes increased by 43.1%; that of alkanes increased the most, reaching 58.8%. M-ethyltoluene and 2,3-dimethylpentane were the species with the largest increase in OFP and its proportion during the ozone pollution episodes. The main contributors of ambient VOCs in Qingdao in summer were diesel vehicles (11.2%), solvent use (4.7%), liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas (LPG/NG) (27.5%), gasoline vehicles (8.9%), gasoline volatilization (26.6%), emissions of combustion- and petrochemical-related enterprises (16.4%), and plant emissions (4.8%). Compared with that in the non-ozone pollution period, the contribution concentration of LPG/NG in the ozone pollution episodes increased by 16.4 µg·m-3, which was the source category with the largest increase. The contribution concentration of plant emissions increased by 88.6% in the ozone pollution episodes, which was the source category with the highest increase rate. In addition, emissions from combustion- and petrochemical-related enterprises were the largest contributor to the OFP of ambient VOCs in summer in Qingdao, with its OFP and contribution proportion being 38.0 µg·m-3and 24.5%, respectively, followed by that of LPG/NG and gasoline volatilization. Compared with the non-ozone pollution period, the total contributions of LPG/NG, gasoline volatilization, and solvent use to the increase in OFP for ambient VOCs in the ozone pollution episodes were 74.1%, which were the main contribution source categories.

Identification of (N-aryl-N-arylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids as novel urease inhibitors and the mechanism exploration.

Thirty-three (N-aryl-N-arylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids were synthesized in an effort to develop novel urease inhibitors. Among these compounds, 2-(N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-(4-tert-butylphenylsulfonyl))aminoacetohydroxamic acid (e2) exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against Helicobacter pylori urease with no perceptible cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. Compound e2 showed over 690-fold higher potency than the clinical used urease inhibitor acetohydroxamic acid, reversibly inhibiting urease with a mixed mechanism. Molecular modeling revealed that (N-aryl-N-arylsulfonyl)aminoacetohydroxamic acids may possibly bind Ni ions and two hydrophobic regions with a 'Y'-like shape.

Bufalin Induces Programmed Necroptosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Drug-Resistant Cell Lines through RIP1/ROS-Mediated Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and mechanism of action of bufalin in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) drug-resistant cell lines. METHODS: The normal human mammary epithelial cell line, TNBC cell line, TNBC adriamycin-resistant cell line, and TNBC docetaxel-resistant cell line were treated with different doses of bufalin (0-1,000 nmol/L) at different time points (0-72 h). Propidium iodide staining, AV-FITC/PI double staining, Hoechst 33342/PI double staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to evaluate the death patterns of the cell lines. RESULTS: Bufalin killed the TNBC cell line and its drug-resistant cell lines in a dose/time-dependent manner (all P<0.01). After treatment with bufalin for 24 h, the adriamycin-resistant cell line showed a co-existing pattern of necroptosis and apoptosis. However, at 48 h, necroptosis was the main manifestation. After treatment with bufalin, the expressions of tumor necrosis factor α, phospho-tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, phospho-receptor interacting protein 1 and c-caspase 3 increased (all P<0.01), the killing effect of bufalin could be mostly inhibited by NEC-1, and by z-VAD-fmk (both P<0.01). Besides, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels increased considerably (P<0.01), the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine or Nec-1 could inhibit the increase of ROS level and the killing effect of bufalin (all P<0.01). The adriamycin-resistant cell line exhibited necroptosis characteristic after 48 h of bufalin treatment under TEM. CONCLUSIONS: Bufalin could induce necroptosis through RIP1/ROS-mediated pathway to kill the drug-resistant TNBC cell lines. This finding provides critical experimental data and theoretical basis for the clinical application of bufalin to overcome the difficulties in the treatment of TNBC.

Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1094 (LINC01094) promotes the progression of breast cancer (BC) by regulating the microRNA-340-5p (miR-340-5p)/E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) axis.

The present study was targeted at investigating the effects of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1094 on breast cancer (BC) cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle and its related mechanism. In this study, Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were conducted to detect the expressions of LINC01094, microRNA (miRNA, miR)-340-5p, and E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) in BC tissues and cells. With transfection, LINC01094 and miR-340-5p expressions were selectively up-regulated or down-regulated in BC cell lines, and then cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), and flow cytometry assays. Bioinformatics was utilized to predict the targeted relationships between miR-340-5p and LINC01094, as well as miR-340-5p and E2F3 mRNA 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR), and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay were employed to validate them. It was revealed that, LINC01094 expression was enhanced in BC cells and tissues, and LINC01094 overexpression promoted BC cell proliferation, accelerated cell cycle progression, and inhibited apoptosis while knocking down LINC01094 worked oppositely. LINC01094 directly targeted miR-340-5p and negatively regulated its expression in BC cells. Besides, E2F3 was substantiated to be the target gene of miR-340-5p, and E2F3 expression could be indirectly and positively modulated by LINC01094. All in all, LINC01094 promotes BC cell proliferation and cell cycle progression and inhibits apoptosis via modulating miR-340-5p/E2F3 molecular axis.

Magnon-mediated nonreciprocal microwave transmission based on quantum interference.

Nonreciprocity has always been a subject of interest and plays a key role in a variety of applications like signal processing and noise isolation. In this work, we propose a simple and feasible scheme to implement nonreciprocal microwave transmission in a high-quality-factor superconducting cavity with ferrimagnetic materials. We derive necessary requirements to create nonreciprocity in our system where a magnon mode and two microwave modes are coupled to each other, highlighting the adjustability of a static magnetic field controlled nonreciprocal transmission based on quantum interference between different transmission paths, which breaks time-reversal symmetry of the three-mode cavity magnonics system. The high light isolation adjusted within a range of different magnetic fields can be obtained by modulating the photon-magnon coupling strength. Due to the simplicity of the device and the system tunability, our results may facilitate potential applications for light magnetic sensing and coherent information processing.

Circ_0000388 Exerts Oncogenic Function in Cervical Cancer Cells by Regulating miR-337-3p/TCF12 Axis.

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are recently identified as important gene regulators with critical roles in cancer biology. In this study, we explored the effects of circ_0000388 on the malignant phenotypes of CC cells and its mechanism. Materials and Methods: Circ_0000388 expression and miR-337-3p expression in CC tissue samples were measured using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. CCK-8 was adopted to assess the effect of circ_0000388 on CC cell line proliferation. TUNEL assay was employed to probe the effect of circ_0000388 on apoptosis. Wound healing assay and transwell assay were conducted to detect the effect of circ_0000388 on migration and invasion. Further, interaction among circ_0000388, miR-337-3p, and TCF12 (transcription factor 12) was determined by bioinformatics analysis, RT-PCR, Western blot, RNA immunoprecipitation assay, and luciferase reporter assay. Results: Circ_0000388 expression in CC clinical samples was upregulated and this was correlated with unfavorable pathological indexes. Circ_0000388 remarkably enhanced the proliferation and metastasis of CC cells. Circ_0000388 overexpression dramatically impeded miR-337-3p expression and it was identified as a sponge of miR-337-3p. Furthermore, circ_00003888 also enhanced the TCF12 expression, while the effect could be reversed by co-transfection with miR-377-3p. Conclusions: Circ_0000388 was a novel oncogenic circRNA in CC, and promoted cancer progression via regulating miR-337-3p and TCF12, and could be potentially used as a diagnostic biomarker and therapy target.

microRNA-564 inhibits the aggressive phenotypes of papillary thyroid cancer by directly targeting astrocyte-elevated gene-1.

Background: Accumulating evidence has revealed that an increasing number of microRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and that their dysregulation plays an important role in PTC onset and progression. Reportedly, miRNA-564 (miR-564) is downregulated in several types of human cancer. However, its expression profile and specific functions in PTC remain unclear to date. Methods: In this study, we used reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect miR-564 expression in PTC tissues and cell lines. Further, the regulatory roles of miR-564 in the malignant development of PTC in vitro and in vivo were examined using a series of functional experiments. In addition, the possible underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways involved were investigated. Results: We demonstrated that miR-564 expression markedly decreased in PTC tissues and cell lines, and this decrease correlated with the lymph node metastasis and tumor-node-metastasis stage. miR-564 upregulation significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced cell apoptosis in vitro as well as hindered tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, astrocyte-elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-564 in PTC cells. Its expression was upregulated and inversely correlated with miR-564 expression in clinically PTC tissues. Additionally, the silencing of AEG-1 expression could imitate the action of miR-564 overexpression in PTC cells. Remarkably, the restoration of AEG-1 expression partially abolished the tumor-suppressing effects induced by a miR-564 upregulation in PTC cells. Ectopic miR-564 expression deactivated the PTEN/Akt pathway in PTC cells in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Overall, the findings of the current study suggest that miR-564 is a tumor-suppressive miRNA that exerts crucial roles in the development and progression of PTC. Therefore, this miRNA might be a promising candidate target in the anticancer treatment of patients with PTC.

Mechanical exceptional-point-induced transparency and slow light.

Recently, the conception of PT symmetry has attracted considerable attention in various fields such as optics, acoustics, and atomic physics because of the existence of exceptional point (EP) and its importance in understanding non-Hermitian physics. Here, we propose a new scheme of investigating the mechanical-EP-induced transparency and tunable fast-to-slow light phenomena in PT-symmetric mechanical systems. We find that (i) the transmission of the probe field changes from singleto double transparency windows via the transition from a broken mechanical PT-symmetric phase to an unbroken mechanical PT-symmetric phase; (ii) the efficiency of transparency can be significantly enhanced about three orders of magnitude in the vicinity of the mechanical EP, compared to passive mechanical resonators system; and (iii) the mechanical EP can not only amplify the group delay, but also manipulate the switch from slow light to fast light, which may offer an approach to achieve the practical application of slow light and relevant to the optical switcher and communication network. Our results reveal that the exotic properties of the mechanical EP can result in enormous enhancement of the transmitted probe power and novel steering of fast and slow light.

Magnetically controllable slow light based on magnetostrictive forces.

The magnetostrictive effect provides an opportunity for exploring fundamental phenomena related to the phonon-magnon interaction. Here we show a tunable slow light in a cavity magnetomechanical system consisting of photon, magnon and phonon modes with a nonlinear phonon-magnon interaction, which originates from magnetostrictive forces. For a strong photon-magnon coupling strength, we can observe a transparency (absorption) window for the probe by placing a strong control field on the red (blue) detuned sideband of the hybridized modes, which are comprised of photons and magnons. In this work, we mainly show the characteristic changes in dispersion in the range of the transparency window. The value of group delay can be continuously adjusted by using different frequencies of magnon, which are determined by the external bias magnetic field and therefore can be conveniently tuned in a broad range. Both the intensity and the frequency of the control field have an influence on the transformation from subluminal to superluminal propagation and vice versa. Furthermore, one may achieve long-lived slow light (group delay of millisecond order) by enlarging the pump power. These results may find applications in information interconversion based on coherent coupling among photons, phonons and magnons.

Extent of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and burnout in nursing: A meta-analysis.

AIMS: A meta-analysis was conducted of the prevalence rates of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and burnout to identify the factors influencing these rates. BACKGROUND: The extents of compassion fatigue and burnout adversely affect nursing efficiency. However, the reported prevalence rates vary considerably. METHODS: Data were acquired from electronic databases. Random effects meta-analyses were performed to obtain pooled estimates of the prevalence rates of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and burnout and their respective instrumental scores. Meta-regression analyses were performed to identify factors influencing these rates. RESULTS: Data from 21 studies were used for the meta-analysis. The prevalence rates of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and burnout were 47.55%, 52.55% and 51.98%, respectively. The possession of Bachelor's or Master's degrees by the nurses was significantly inversely associated with the percent prevalence of compassion fatigue (coefficient: -1.187) and burnout (coefficient: -0.810). The compassion fatigue score was also significantly inversely associated with nursing status as registered or licensed practical nurse (coefficient: -0.135). CONCLUSION: In nursing, the prevalence rates of compassion fatigue and burnout are high. Better education and training may have a moderating effect on compassion fatigue and burnout and could improve the quality of life of nurses.

Magnon-induced transparency and amplification in 𝒫𝒯-symmetric cavity-magnon system.

Recent research on parity-time- (𝒫𝒯-) symmetric optical structures have exhibited great potential for achieving distinctive optical behaviour which is unattainable with ordinary optical systems. Here we propose a 𝒫𝒯-symmetric cavity-magnon system consisting of active cavity mode strongly interacting with magnon to study magnon-induced transparency (MIT) and amplification (MIA) by exploiting recent microwave-cavity-engineered ferromagnetic magnons. We find that (i) due to the gain-induced enhancement of coherent coupling between the cavity field and the magnon, the transmitted probe power is remarkably enhanced about four orders of magnitude and the bandwidth also becomes much narrower, compared to passive cavity system. (ii) More importantly, the light transmission can be well controlled by adjusting the applied magnetic field without changing other parameters, and a Lorentzian-like spectra can be established between the transmitted probe power and the external magnetic field, which provides an additional degree of freedom to realize the coherent manipulation of optical transparency and amplification. Our results may offer an approach to make a low-power magnetic-field-controlled optical amplifier in 𝒫𝒯-symmetric cavity-magnon system.

TCR Vß Usage of Peripheral Blood and Liver Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is still a public health problem and its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we detect the skewness of T cell receptor beta chain variable gene (TCR Vß) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and the liver infiltrating lymphocytes (LIL) of patients with CHB; and hope to provide information for further research on the pathogenic mechanism of CHB. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with CHB, ten healthy volunteers and three patients with liver cysts were recruited as the subjects. The usage of TCR Vß of PBL and LIL were measured and compared; the associations of the TCR Vß usage of PBL with some hematological indices, including human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, percents of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, sera levels of HBV-DNA and IFN-γ, were analyzed. RESULTS: In PBL, Vß12 and Vß13.1 were the highest predominant usage genes which usage frequencies were all 46.7%; Vß23 was the key limited usage gene (40.0%). In LIL, the mainly predominant and limited usage gene was Vß13.1 (73.3%) and Vß23 (46.7%), respectively. About half of the patients with CHB with HLA-DR9 or HLA-DR12 showed the predominant usage of Vß5.2 or Vß13.2. In patients with CHB, the percentage of CD4+ T cells was 33.41 ± 5.39 %, that of CD8+ T cells was 28.67 ± 6.77 %; the concentration of IFN-γ was 182.52 ± 44.16 pg/mL. Compared to the healthy controls, there were significant differences for these data (P < 0.05). Neither ALT nor HBV-DNA was relative to the usage of TCR Vß. CONCLUSIONS: PBL and LIL share the common sknewness of TCR Vß genes, which probably relates to some hematological indices. However, the roles of such similarities and associations in the development of CHB need further study.

Two-color second-order sideband generation in an optomechanical system with a two-level system.

Second-order sideband generation in an optomechanical system with the coupling between a mechanical resonator and a two-level system is discussed beyond the conventional linearized description of optomechanical interactions. The features of two-color second-order sideband generation are demonstrated in this hybrid system. We discovery that the switch between one- and two-color second-order sideband generation is easily realized by shifting the detuning between the control field and the cavity field or the transition frequency of the two-level system. The efficiency of two-color second-order sideband generation increases monotonously with the control field strength. The coupling strength between the mechanical resonator and the two-level system plays a decisive role in the appearance of the two-color second-order sidebands. The two-color second-order sideband generation may provide measurement with higher precision in new degrees of freedom.

Golgi fragmentation induced by overactivated cyclin-dependent kinase 5 is associated with isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity.

Overactivated cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) induces Golgi fragmentation, which interrupts the processing and trafficking of secretory cargo and subsequently synaptic plasticity and synaptogenesis, and even leads to neuronal cell death. Cdk5 overactivation and subsequent Golgi fragmentation are involved in many neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity is relevant to aberrant Cdk5 activation and subsequent Golgi fragmentation remains unknown. In the present study, we explored the underlying molecular mechanisms of isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultured hippocampal neurons. After treatment with 2% isoflurane for 6 h, immunofluorescence staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the Golgi structure. Neuronal viability was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethyithiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and TUNEL staining. Cdk5 activity was assessed using histone H1 as a substrate. Our results showed that Cdk5 activity and the number of fragmented Golgi increased significantly after isoflurane exposure. This was accompanied by an increase in neuronal death. Meanwhile, pharmacological inhibition of Cdk5 activity by 8 µM roscovitine alleviated isoflurane-induced Golgi fragmentation and neurotoxicity. Cumulatively, this study shows that aberrant Cdk5 activation-induced Golgi fragmentation is relevant to isoflurane neurotoxicity and indicates that a Cdk5 inhibitor may be a potential therapeutic candidate for the prevention of isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity. Video abstract: http://links.lww.com/WNR/A445.

A proposed method to measure weak magnetic field based on a hybrid optomechanical system.

Optomechanical systems have long been considered in the field of precision measurement. In this work, measurement of weak magnetic field in a hybrid optomechanical system is discussed. In contrast to conventional measurements based on detecting the change of magnetic flux, our scheme presents an alternative way to measure the magnetic field with a precision of 0.1 nT. We show that the effective cavity resonance frequency will be revised due to the electromagnetic interactions. Therefore, a resonance valley in the transmission spectrum of the probe field will shift in the presence of the magnetic field, and the width of an asymmetric transparency in the optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT) shows a strong dependence on the magnetic field strength. Our results may have potential application for achieving high precision measurement of the magnetic field.

Optical polarizer based on the mechanical effect of light.

Based on the recent experimental progress in chip-scale silicon photonics, a nontrivial polarizing effect arising from the mechanical effect of light is present in an optomechanical crystal, which enables a new nanophotonic polarizer with excellent functionality. Unlike previously reported optical polarizers, the polarizer proposed here can be adjusted rapidly by tuning polarization and intensity of the control field and may enable on-chip optical control of polarization management with remarkable applications, due to the improvement of nanofabrication techniques.

Preparation and identification of transfer factor specific to Staphylococcus aureus in vitro.

The objective of the study was to explore the methods for preparing transfer factor specific to Staphylococcus aureus (SA-STF) in vitro. Under the optimum conditions, the spleen cells of rabbits were immunized with SA in vitro to prepare SA-STF, and the immune activities were identified with the phagocytosis and sterilization, skin delayed-type hypersensitivity, and immune protection tests. The concentration of polypeptide was 2.26 ± 0.27 mg/mL, and ribose was 0.684 ± 0.094 mg/mL. The phagocytosis and sterilization rates of the STF group were 70.9 ± 12.4% and 62.1 ± 12.2%, respectively, and compared with the non-specific transfer factor (NTF) group, there were no significant differences (P = 0.074 and 0.069, respectively). The skin was inflamed and marked nodules formed at the injection site in the mice of the STF group rather than the NTF and control groups. The survival rate of the STF-1 group was significantly higher than the survival rates of the STF-2 (P = 0.024) and NTF groups (P = 0.016). SA-STF was prepared and characterized successfully in vitro, and it probably is a biological candidate for therapy or adjuvant therapy for diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus.