Unsupervised domain adaptation based on feature and edge alignment for femur X-ray image segmentation.

The gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis is bone mineral density (BMD) measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, various factors during the imaging process cause domain shifts in DXA images, which lead to incorrect bone segmentation. Research shows that poor bone segmentation is one of the prime reasons of inaccurate BMD measurement, severely affecting the diagnosis and treatment plans for osteoporosis. In this paper, we propose a Multi-feature Joint Discriminative Domain Adaptation (MDDA) framework to improve segmentation performance and the generalization of the network in domain-shifted images. The proposed method learns domain-invariant features between the source and target domains from the perspectives of multi-scale features and edges, and is evaluated on real data from multi-center datasets. Compared to other state-of-the-art methods, the feature prior from the source domain and edge prior enable the proposed MDDA to achieve the optimal domain adaptation performance and generalization. It also demonstrates superior performance in domain adaptation tasks on small amount datasets, even using only 5 or 10 images. In this study, MDDA provides an accurate bone segmentation tool for BMD measurement based on DXA imaging.

PMONN: an optical neural network for photonic integrated circuits based on micro-resonator.

We propose an improved optical neural network (ONN) circuit architecture based on conventional micro-resonator ONNs, called the Phase-based Micro-resonator Optical Neural Network (PMONN). PMONN's core architecture features a Convolutions and Batch Normalization (CB) unit, comprising a phase-based (PB) convolutional layer, a Depth-Point-Wise (DPW) convolutional layer, and a reconstructed Batch Normalization (RBN) layer. The PB convolution kernel uses modulable phase shifts of Add-drop MRRs as learnable parameters and their optical transfer function as convolution weights. The DPW convolution kernel amplifies PB convolution weights by learning the amplification factors. To address the internal covariate shift during training, the RBN layer normalizes DPW outputs by reconstructing the BN layer of the electronic neural network, which is then merged with the DPW layer in the test stage. We employ the tunable DAs in the architecture to implement the merged layer. PMONN achieves 99.15% and 91.83% accuracy on MNIST and Fashion-MNIST datasets, respectively. This work presents a method for implementing an optical neural network on the improved architecture based on MRRs and increases the flexibility and reusability of the architecture. PMONN has potential applications as the backbone for future optical object detection neural networks.

The Quality Evaluation of Highland Barley and Its Suitability for Chinese Traditional Tsampa Processing.

The physicochemical traits of highland barley prominently affect the quality of Tsampa. To find out the relevance between the physicochemical properties of raw material and the texture parameters of processed products, twenty-five physicochemical traits and ten quality parameters for seventy-six varieties of highland barley were measured and analyzed. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the physicochemical indexes for highland barleys of various colors. The dark highland barley generally has more fat, protein, total dietary fiber, phenolic, Mg, K, Ca, and Zn and less amylose, Fe, Cu, and Mo than light colored barley. Then, these highland barleys were made into Tsampa. A comprehensive quality evaluation model based on the color and texture parameters of Tsampa was established through principal component analysis. Then, cluster analysis was used to classify the tested samples into three edible quality grades predicated on the above evaluation model. At last, the regression analysis was applied to establish a Tsampa quality predictive model according to the physicochemical traits of the raw material. The results showed that amylose, protein, ß-Glucan, and a* and b* could be used to predict the comprehensive quality of Tsampa. The predicted results indicated that 11 of 14 validated samples were consistent with the actual quality, and the accuracy was above 78.57%. Our study built the approach of the appropriate processing varieties evaluation. It may provide reference for processing specific highland barley.

Low dark current density extended short-wavelength infrared superlattice photodetector with atomic layer deposited Al2O3 passivation.

We report on a low dark current density P-B-i-N extended short-wavelength infrared photodetector with atomic layer deposited (ALD) A l 2 O 3 passivation based on a InAs/GaSb/AlSb superlattice. The dark current density of the A l 2 O 3 passivated device was reduced by 38% compared to the unpassivated device. The cutoff wavelength of the photodetector is 1.8 µm at 300 K. The photodetector exhibited a room-temperature (300 K) peak responsivity of 0.44 A/W at 1.52 µm, corresponding to a quantum efficiency of 35.8%. The photodetector exhibited a specific detectivity (D ∗) of 1.08×1011 c m⋅H z 1/2/W with a low dark current density of 3.4×10-5 A/c m 2 under -50m v bias at 300 K. The low dark current density A l 2 O 3 passivated device is expected to be used in the fabrication of extended short-wavelength infrared focal plane arrays for imaging.

A Comprehensive Review of the Current Knowledge of Chlorfenapyr: Synthesis, Mode of Action, Resistance, and Environmental Toxicology.

Creating new insecticide lead compounds based on the design and modification of natural products is a novel process, of which chlorfenapyr is a typical successful example. Chlorfenapyr is an arylpyrrole derivative that has high biological activity, a wide insecticidal spectrum, and a unique mode of action. For decades, a series of chlorfenapyr derivatives were designed and synthesized continuously, of which many highly active insecticidal compounds were discovered sequentially. However, due to the widespread application of chlorfenapyr and its degradation properties, some adverse effects, including pest resistance and environmental toxicity, occurred. In this review, a brief history of the discovery and development of chlorfenapyr is first introduced. Then, the synthesis, structural modification, structure activity relationship, and action mechanism of arylpyrroles are summarized. However, challenges and limitations still exist, especially in regard to the connection with pest resistance and environmental toxicology, which is discussed at the end of this review. This comprehensive summary of chlorfenapyr further promotes its progress and sensible application for pest management.

Design and optimization of an SOI-based electro-absorption-type VOA.

A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) variable optical attenuator (VOA) based on the plasma dispersion effect is optimized and realized, and the effects of doping concentration and distance about the VOA's modulation depth and attenuation efficiency are investigated. Two structures of the VOA component are designed to achieve low power consumption, high stability, and high modulation efficiency. The modulation depth of the series VOA scheme reached 60.11 dB, and the insertion loss is only 4.87 dB. Compared with conventional components, our optimized VOA can not only improve the modulation accuracy and efficiency but also reduce the wavelength dependence.

Si-Based Polarizer and 1-Bit Phase-Controlled Non-Polarizing Beam Splitter-Based Integrated Metasurface for Extended Shortwave Infrared.

Metasurfaces, composed of micro-nano-structured planar materials, offer highly tunable control over incident light and find significant applications in imaging, navigation, and sensing. However, highly efficient polarization devices are scarce for the extended shortwave infrared (ESWIR) range (1.7~2.5 µm). This paper proposes and demonstrates a highly efficient all-dielectric diatomic metasurface composed of single-crystalline Si nanocylinders and nanocubes on SiO2. This metasurface can serve as a nanoscale linear polarizer for generating polarization-angle-controllable linearly polarized light. At the wavelength of 2172 nm, the maximum transmission efficiency, extinction ratio, and linear polarization degree can reach 93.43%, 45.06 dB, and 0.9973, respectively. Moreover, a nonpolarizing beam splitter (NPBS) was designed and deduced theoretically based on this polarizer, which can achieve a splitting angle of ±13.18° and a phase difference of π. This beam splitter can be equivalently represented as an integration of a linear polarizer with controllable polarization angles and an NPBS with one-bit phase modulation. It is envisaged that through further design optimization, the phase tuning range of the metasurface can be expanded, allowing for the extension of the operational wavelength into the mid-wave infrared range, and the splitting angle is adjustable. Moreover, it can be utilized for integrated polarization detectors and be a potential application for optical digital encoding metasurfaces.

Insect Cell-Based Models: Cell Line Establishment and Application in Insecticide Screening and Toxicology Research.

During the past decades, research on insect cell culture has grown tremendously. Thousands of lines have been established from different species of insect orders, originating from several tissue sources. These cell lines have often been employed in insect science research. In particular, they have played important roles in pest management, where they have been used as tools to evaluate the activity and explore the toxic mechanisms of insecticide candidate compounds. This review intends to first briefly summarize the progression of insect cell line establishment. Then, several recent studies based on insect cell lines coupled with advanced technologies are introduced. These investigations revealed that insect cell lines can be exploited as novel models with unique advantages such as increased efficiency and reduced cost compared with traditional insecticide research. Most notably, the insect cell line-based models provide a global and in-depth perspective to study the toxicology mechanisms of insecticides. However, challenges and limitations still exist, especially in the connection between in vitro activity and in vivo effectiveness. Despite all this, recent advances have suggested that insect cell line-based models promote the progress and sensible application of insecticides, which benefits pest management.

Mitochondria-Mediated Apoptosis and Autophagy Participate in Buprofezin-Induced Toxic Effects in Non-Target A549 Cells.

Buprofezin (BUP) is an insecticide used for control of sucking pests. Its widespread use has raised concerns about possible adverse effects on the environment, and especially human health. The mechanism of toxicity of BUP, with respect to human health, is still unclear. Consequently, human A549 cells were employed to clarify the cytotoxicity and toxic mechanism of BUP at the molecular and cellular levels. The outcomes revealed BUP latent toxicity to A549 in a time- and dose-related way. Moreover, BUP induced mitochondrial dysfunction associated with mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, mitochondrial calcium overload, and ROS aggregation, ultimately resulting in the apoptosis and autophagy of A549 cells. Symbolic apoptotic and autophagic modifications were detected, including leakage of cyt-c, elevation of Bax/Bcl-2, activation of cas-9/-3, constitution of autophagic vacuoles, promotion of Beclin-1, conversion of LC3-II, and reduction of p62. Additionally, in total, 1216 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were defined after BUP treatment. Several apoptosis- and autophagy-related genes, such as BCL2, ATG5, and ATG16, down- or upregulated at the RNA transcription level, and functional DEGs enrichment analysis showed their involvement in the metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, mTOR signalling pathway, and AMPK signalling pathway. Results confirmed that BUP could induce cytotoxicity associated with mitochondria-mediated programmed cell death in A549 cells.

PLC-Based Arrayed Waveguide Grating Design for Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation System.

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator is a scientific instrument that converts the wavelength change of FBG sensors into readable electrical signals. To achieve miniaturization and integration of FBG interrogator, we designed and fabricated a 36-channel array waveguide grating (AWG) on silica-based planar lightwave circuits (PLC) as a key device in a built FBG interrogation system. It is used to achieve continuous demodulation in C-band, while maintaining high resolution. This AWG has a 1.6 nm channel spacing, 3-dB bandwidth of 1.76 nm, non-adjacent channel crosstalk of -29.76 dB, and insertion loss of 3.46 dB. The dynamic range of the FBG interrogation system we built was tested to be 1522.4-1578.4 nm, with an interrogation resolution of 1 pm and accuracy of less than 1 pm in the dynamic range of 1523.16-1523.2 nm. The test results show that the FBG interrogation technology, based on AWG, can realize FBG wavelengths accurately demodulated, which has high application value in aerospace, deep sea exploration, and environmental monitoring, as well as other fields.

Unravelling the Polytoxicology of Chlorfenapyr on Non-Target HepG2 Cells: The Involvement of Mitochondria-Mediated Programmed Cell Death and DNA Damage.

Chlorfenapyr (CHL) is a type of insecticide with a wide range of insecticidal activities and unique targets. The extensive use of pesticides has caused an increase in potential risks to the environment and human health. However, the potential toxicity of CHL and its mechanisms of action on humans remain unclear. Therefore, human liver cells (HepG2) were used to investigate the cytotoxic effect and mechanism of toxicity of CHL at the cellular level. The results showed that CHL induced cellular toxicity in HepG2 cells and induced mitochondrial damage associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial calcium overload, ultimately leading to apoptosis and autophagy in HepG2 cells. Typical apoptotic changes occurred, including a decline in the mitochondrial membrane potential, the promotion of Bax/Bcl-2 expression causing the release of cyt-c into the cytosol, the activation of cas-9/-3, and the cleavage of PARP. The autophagic effects included the formation of autophagic vacuoles, accumulation of Beclin-1, transformation of LC3-II, and downregulation of p62. Additionally, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest were detected in CHL-treated cells. These results show that CHL induced cytotoxicity associated with mitochondria-mediated programmed cell death (PCD) and DNA damage in HepG2 cells.

Dual-targeted colon-based integrated micelle drug delivery system for treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Emodin (EMO) is an active ingredient of Chinese traditional medicine with the potential to reportedly treat ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the solubility of EMO in water is poor coupled with low oral bioavailability, whilst existing conventional oral preparations of the drug lack targeting ability. Thus, this work sought to design and fabricate a mannose modified colon targeted micelle drug delivery system comprising quantum dots (QDs) and EMO to obtain Eu-CS-Man-Ps-P(HEMA-DMAM)/EMO-QDs, which exhibited stable physicochemical properties, smaller average sized droplets (226.22 ± 1.83 nm), better polydispersity (PDI = 0.060 ± 0.005), negative ζ-potential (-19.19 ± 0.89 mV) and high efficiency of encapsulation (95.14 ± 0.23%). We observed Eu-CS-Man-Ps-P(HEMA-DMAM)/EMO-QDs to be an effective approach for the improvement of EMO solubility in an aqueous medium with an increased oral bioavailability (3.23 times higher than native drug) of the drug. Besides, the micelle could increase the retention and release of EMO in colonic ulcers through multi-stage targeting, improve oral bioavailability, regulate the expression of inflammatory factors and repair damaged tissues, which helped us to achieve the design goal of integrated diagnosis and treatment of UC. Conclusively, the therapeutic effect of EMO was enhanced through an integrated micelle, which exhibited good prospects in improving solubility and oral biological availability.

T-shaped silicon waveguide coupled with a micro-ring resonator-based Fano resonance modulator.

Fano resonance has an asymmetric and sharp resonance peak near the resonance wavelength, enhancing optical modulation performance. Here, a Fano resonant silicon optical modulator with a micro-ring resonator (MRR) coupled with a T-shaped waveguide is designed. Compared with an MRR modulator, a Fano resonance-based modulator has a smaller wavelength range of changes in optical intensity (from 0 a.u. to 1 a.u.). Under the condition of achieving the same light intensity change, Fano resonance only needs to shift the wavelength by 0.07 times compared with MRR. By optimizing the doping section and the Fano resonance line shape, the modulation depth of the Fano modulator is 12.44 dB, and an insertion loss of 0.41 dB is obtained. Moreover, it improves the modulation linearity. This modulator provides a new idea, to the best of our knowledge, for the single-cavity Fano resonance modulator.

Quality of Life in Patients With Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in West China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the quality of life (QOL) of patients with cleft lip and palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) in relation to sex, age, age at initial cleft lip surgery, and age at initial cleft palate surgery. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was conducted in a tertiary medical center. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were caregivers of 72 patients with cleft lip and palate and VPI aged 4 to 20 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Participants completed the Chinese version of the caregiver report of the VPI Effects on Life Outcomes (VELO) questionnaire. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to evaluate the patients' sex, age, age at initial cleft lip repair, and age at initial cleft palate repair in relation to VELO total score and domains. Spearman correlation analysis was completed including all study variables. Associations between the study variables and the VELO total score were tested using a generalized linear mixed model. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, patients' age and age at initial cleft palate surgery influenced the QOL of patients with VPI. There were no differences in the VELO total score or domains based on sex or age at first cleft lip surgery. In the generalized linear mixed model, patients older than 8 years had higher VELO total scores. CONCLUSIONS: By caregiver report, the QOL of patients under age 8 years with VPI was lower than older patients. In addition, the caregiver impact domain was higher for parents of children who had their initial cleft palate surgery at age 2 years or younger.

Modeling and simulation of all-optical diffractive neural network based on nonlinear optical materials.

In this Letter, we propose an all-optical diffractive deep neural network modeling method based on nonlinear optical materials. First, the nonlinear optical properties of graphene and zinc selenide (ZnSe) are analyzed. Then the optical limiting effect function corresponding to the saturation absorption coefficient of the nonlinear optical materials is fitted. The optical limiting effect function is taken as the nonlinear activation function of the neural network. Finally, the all-optical diffractive neural network model based on nonlinear materials is established. The numerical simulation results show that the model can effectively improve the nonlinear representation ability of the all-optical diffractive neural network. It provides a theoretical support for the further realization of a photonic artificial intelligence chip based on nonlinear optical materials.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Hordeum vulgare L. var. trifurcatum with phylogenetic analysis.

In the present study, the complete chloroplast genome of Hordeum vulgare L. var. trifurcatum was sequenced, assembled and compared with closely related species. The chloroplast genome of Hordeum vulgare L. var. trifurcatum was composed of 84 protein-coding genes (PCG), 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 38 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The Hordeum vulgare L. var. trifurcatum chloroplast genome is 136,485 bp in size, with the GC content of 38.32%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the combined chloroplast gene dataset indicated that the Hordeum vulgare L. var. trifurcatum exhibited a close relationship with Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum and Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare.

Effect of ionizing radiation on the secretion of the paracellular pathway in rat submandibular glands.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effects of ionizing radiation on the secretion of the paracellular pathway in rat submandibular glands (SMGs) and reveal the changes in the tight junction (TJ) protein claudin-4. METHODS: A total of 24 Wistar rats were randomly divided into control and irradiation groups. The irradiation groups were further divided into 1, 4, and 12 weeks groups after irradiation. One-time 20 Gy irradiation was given to the SMG area on the experimental side of the irradiation group. At 1, 4, and 12 weeks after irradiation, the secretion of SMGs was measured using the Schirmer's test. The pathological changes in the gland tissues were observed under light microscopy after hematoxylin⁃eosin (HE) staining. The changes in the TJ ultrastructure were observed under transmission electron microscopy. The immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of muscarinic acetylcholine M3 receptor, aquaporin 5 (AQP5), and claudin-4 protein. RESULTS: At 1, 4, and 12 weeks after irradiation, the secretion of SMGs in the irradiation group was significantly decreased and lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). At 1 week, the interstitial edema was observed in SMG tissues. Nuclear pyknosis, decreased number of acinar cells, and small focal necrosis with inflammatory infiltration were also observed over time. However, these changes were most evident at 12 weeks after irradiation. In the irradiation group, the TJ ultrastructure of glands at different times appeared to be fuzzy, collapsed, and had decreased electron density. Moreover, the width of TJs was remarkably decreased (P<0.01). The expression levels of M3 and AQP5 were decreased in a time-dependent manner, and the fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced after irradiation. However, the expression levels and fluorescence intensity of claudin-4 were enhanced in different degrees. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in the TJ structure, the upregulation of the claudin-4 expression, and the damage in the paracellular pathway were involved in the hyposecretion of SMGs after irradiation.

Effect of ischemic preconditioning on radiation damage to the submandibular gland in rats.

To investigate the effects of radiation on rat submandibular glands and the possible protective effects of ischemic preconditioning, the submandibular glands of Wistar rats were subjected to in situ radiation after ischemic preconditioning. The glands were exposed to X-radiation at a single dose of 20 Gy. Ischemic preconditioning was achieved by three min of ischemia and three min of reperfusion, repeated three times before irradiation. Salivary secretion, histological changes, alterations in tight junctions, and the levels of oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and water secretion proteins mediated by the muscarinic acetylcholine M3 subtype receptor were determined at 1 and 12 weeks post-irradiation. In glands subjected to irradiation only, the secretion, superoxide dismutase activity, tight junction width, acinar cell number, and M3 receptor and aquaporin-5 levels were lower at 1 and 12 weeks than seen in the ischemically preconditioned irradiated glands. In contrast, tumor necrosis factor-α, malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase activity, and the expression of the tight junction protein claudin-4 were significantly higher in the irradiated only glands. Our study revealed that radiation caused a series of injury-stress responses, especially damage to the water secretion pathway mediated by the M3 receptor that ultimately led to hyposecretion, which might play an important role in the dysfunction of the irradiated only glands. Ischemic preconditioning reduced the radiation-induced injury to submandibular glands and ameliorated salivary hyposecretion.

Toxicity and physiological actions of biflavones on potassium current in insect neuronal cells.

Stellera chamaejasme L. is a Chinese traditional herb. It has a long history and many medicinal usages. Biflavones, one of the main active ingredients in S. chamaejasme's roots, possess excellent insecticidal activities both in vivo and in vitro. However, the mechanism of these compounds and its potential molecular targets on insect cell were still not clear. Here the whole cell patch clamp technique was used to investigate whether biflavones affects voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) on insect neuronal cells (AW1 and WG2). The results confirmed that both the three biflavones: neochamaejasmin A (NCA), neochamaejasmin B (NCB) and isochamaejasmin A (ICM) can significantly inhibit the A-type potassium current (IA) than delayed rectifier potassium current (IK) expressed on insect cells. Moreover, ICM stood out as the strongest inhibition activity on IA with IC50 value of 106.75 µM. Multiple results suggest that the inhibition of potassium current was related to the gating modification of biflavones. ICM produced concentration dependent hyperpolarizing shifts in the voltage dependence of channel steady-state activation and inactivation. Maximal shifts of the ICM-induced V0.5, were -15.1 mV for activation and -6.93 mV for inactivation. ICM also prolonged recovery from inactivation of current. Moreover, the biflavones could inhibited AW1 cell survival in both dose- and time-dependent manners with well correlation of K+ inhibitory activity. Our study showed that biflavones from S. chamaejasme exhibiting significant blocked effects on Kv of AW1 cells and inhibited cell proliferation. These findings may not only show the toxic mechanisms of biflavones on insect cells, but also suggest that Kv channel play an important role in biflavones' mode of action and may be the new targets for designing novel insecticides.