An electrochemical microbiosensor for serotonin based on surface imprinted layer coordinated bimetal functionalized acupuncture needle.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a pivotal monoamine neurotransmitter, which is widely distributed in human brain for biological, physical and psychopathological processes. The content of 5-HT can support diagnose of various diseases. To selectively detect 5-HT is very important in clinical medicine. Here, a novel microbiosensor for 5-HT is studied on acupuncture needle. Molecularly imprinted film enwrapped 5-HT was electropolymerized onto bimetallic gold/platinum (Au/Pt) nanoparticles on acupuncture needle microelectrode (ANME). Au/Pt nanostructure exhibited active sites to catalyze the oxidation of 5-HT and bind the generated polymer. 5-HT can be enwrapped by the functional monomer of pyrrole (Py) in the process of electropolymerization with suitably electroactive conformation. Comparing with interfaces of single metal or molecularly imprinted layer, synergistic microbiosensor exhibit better performance for 5-HT. 5-HT can be adsorbed and catalytically oxidized by the imprinted cavities. Under optimized conditions, the peak current linearly increases with the concentration of 5-HT from 0.03 to 500 µM, and a detection limit of 0.0106 µM is obtained. The performance of this microbiosensor is competitive with previous studies. Furthermore, the prepared microbiosensor showed effective application to analyze 5-HT in human serum and urine. Interestingly, the microbiosensor expressed the real-time monitoring ability to 5-HT from stimulated PC12 cells by K+. The microbiosensor also exhibited high selectivity, stability and reproducibility, which is promising in view of the low price, fast response and simple operation.

Interleukin-41: a novel serum marker for the diagnosis of alpha-fetoprotein-negative hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: For the lack of effective serum markers for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) diagnosis, it is difficult to detect liver cancer and identify its recurrence early. Methods: Databases were used to analyze the genes potentially associated with alpha-fetoprotein(AFP). ELISA assay was used to detect the serum IL-41 in HCC, liver metastases, hepatitis, and healthy people. Immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the relative quantification of IL-41 in HCC and paracancer tissues. Various survival curves were plotted according to clinical pathological data and helped us draw the ROC curve of IL-41 diagnosis of HCC. Results: The serum expression of IL-41 was highest in AFP negative HCC patients and significantly higher than that in AFP positive HCC and metastatic cancer patients. There was a significant negative correlation between elevated serum IL-41 and AFP(<1500ng/ml). The clinicopathological features suggested that the serum IL-41 level was significantly correlated with capsule invasion, low differentiation and AFP. High serum expression of IL-41 suggests poorer survival and earlier recurrence after resection, and IL-41 upregulated in patients with early recurrence and death. The expression of IL-41 was higher in HCC tissues of patients with multiple tumors or microvascular invasion. The ROC curve showed that serum IL-41 had a sensitivity of 90.17 for HCC and a sensitivity of 96.63 for AFP-negative HCC, while the specificity was higher than 61%. Conclusion: IL-41 in serum and tissue suggests poor prognosis and postoperative recurrence in HCC patients and could be a new serum diagnostic marker for AFP negative patients.

Energy-saving hydrogen production from sulfion oxidation-hybrid seawater splitting enabled by superwettable corrosion-resistant NiFe layered double hydroxide/FeNi2S4 heterostructured nanoarrays.

Electrochemical seawater splitting is a sustainable pathway towards hydrogen production independent of scarce freshwater resources. However, the high energy consumption and harmful chlorine-chemistry interference still pose major technological challenges. Herein, thermodynamically more favorable sulfion oxidation reaction (SOR) is explored to replace energy-intensive oxygen evolution reaction (OER), enabling the dramatically reduced energy consumption and the avoidance of corrosive chlorine species in electrocatalytic systems of NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH)/FeNi2S4 grown on iron foam (IF) substrate. The resulting NiFe-LDH/FeNi2S4/IF with superwettable surfaces and favorable heterointerfaces can effectively catalyze SOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which greatly reduces the operational voltage by 1.05 V at 50 mA cm-2 compared to pure seawater splitting and achieves impressively low electricity consumption of 2.33 kW h per cubic meter of H2 at 100 mA cm-2. Significantly, benefitting from the repulsive effect of surface sulfate anions to Cl-, the NiFe-LDH/FeNi2S4/IF exhibits outstanding long-term stability for SOR-coupled chlorine-free hydrogen production with sulfion upcycling into elemental sulfur. The present study uncovers the "killing two birds with one stone" effect of SOR for energy-efficient hydrogen generation and value-added elemental sulfur recovery in seawater electrolysis without detrimental chlorine chemistry.

Three-stage Dynamic Brain-cognitive Model of Understanding Action Intention Displayed by Human Body Movements.

The ability to comprehend the intention conveyed through human body movements is crucial for effective interpersonal interactions. If people can't understand the intention behind other individuals' isolated or interactive actions, their actions will become meaningless. Psychologists have investigated the cognitive processes and neural representations involved in understanding action intention, yet a cohesive theoretical explanation remains elusive. Hence, we mainly review existing literature related to neural correlates of action intention, and primarily propose a putative Three-stage Dynamic Brain-cognitive Model of understanding action intention, which involves body perception, action identification and intention understanding. Specifically, at the first stage, body parts/shapes are processed by those brain regions such as extrastriate and fusiform body areas; During the second stage, differentiating observed actions relies on configuring relationships between body parts, facilitated by the activation of the Mirror Neuron System; The last stage involves identifying various intention categories, utilizing the Mentalizing System for recruitment, and different activation patterns concerning the nature of the intentions participants dealing with. Finally, we delves into the clinical practice, like intervention training based on a theoretical model for individuals with autism spectrum disorders who encounter difficulties in interpersonal communication.

Computational Modeling of the Prefrontal-Cingulate Cortex to Investigate the Role of Coupling Relationships for Balancing Emotion and Cognition.

Within the prefrontal-cingulate cortex, abnormalities in coupling between neuronal networks can disturb the emotion-cognition interactions, contributing to the development of mental disorders such as depression. Despite this understanding, the neural circuit mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain elusive. In this study, we present a biophysical computational model encompassing three crucial regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The objective is to investigate the role of coupling relationships within the prefrontal-cingulate cortex networks in balancing emotions and cognitive processes. The numerical results confirm that coupled weights play a crucial role in the balance of emotional cognitive networks. Furthermore, our model predicts the pathogenic mechanism of depression resulting from abnormalities in the subgenual cortex, and network functionality was restored through intervention in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This study utilizes computational modeling techniques to provide an insight explanation for the diagnosis and treatment of depression.

Identification of genes associated with sperm storage capacity in hens at different times after insemination by RNA-seq and Ribo-seq.

BACKGROUND: Sperm storage capacity (SSC) determines the duration of fertility in hens and is an important reproduction trait that cannot be ignored in production. Currently, the genetic mechanism of SSC is still unclear in hens. Therefore, to explore the genetic basis of SSC, we analyzed the uterus-vagina junction (UVJ) of hens with different SSC at different times after insemination by RNA-seq and Ribo-seq. RESULTS: Our results showed that 589, 596, and 527 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 730, 783, and 324 differentially translated genes (DTGs), and 804, 625, and 467 differential translation efficiency genes (DTEGs) were detected on the 5th, 10th, and 15th days after insemination, respectively. In transcription levels, we found that the differences of SSC at different times after insemination were mainly reflected in the transmission of information between cells, the composition of intercellular adhesion complexes, the regulation of ion channels, the regulation of cellular physiological activities, the composition of cells, and the composition of cell membranes. In translation efficiency (TE) levels, the differences of SSC were mainly related to the physiological and metabolic activities in the cell, the composition of the organelle membrane, the physiological activities of oxidation, cell components, and cell growth processes. According to pathway analysis, SSC was related to neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, histidine metabolism, and PPAR signaling pathway at the transcriptional level and glutathione metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, calcium signaling pathway, cell adhesion molecules, galactose metabolism, and Wnt signaling pathway at the TE level. We screened candidate genes affecting SSC at transcriptional levels (COL4A4, MUC6, MCHR2, TACR1, AVPR1A, COL1A1, HK2, RB1, VIPR2, HMGCS2) and TE levels(COL4A4, MUC6, CYCS, NDUFA13, CYTB, RRM2, CAMK4, HRH2, LCT, GCK, GALT). Among them, COL4A4 and MUC6 were the key candidate genes differing in transcription, translation, and translation efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Our study used the combined analysis of RNA-seq and Ribo-seq for the first time to investigate the SSC and reveal the physiological processes associated with SSC. The key candidate genes affecting SSC were screened, and the theoretical basis was provided for the analysis of the molecular regulation mechanism of SSC.

3D/3D Bamboo Charcoal/Bi2WO6 Bifunctional Photocatalyst for Degradation of Organic Pollutants and Efficient H2 Evolution Coupling with Furfuryl Alcohols Oxidation.

Photocatalysis is one of the most promising pathways to relieve the environmental contamination caused by the rapid development of modern technology. In this work, we demonstrate a green manufacturing process for the 3D/3D rod-shaped bamboo charcoal/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst (210BC-BWO) by controlled carbonization temperature. A series of morphology characterization and properties investigations (XRD, SEM, UV-vis DRS, transient photocurrent response, N2 absorption-desorption isotherms) indicate a 210BC-BWO photocatalyst with higher charge separation efficiency, larger surface area, and better adsorption capacity. The excellent photocatalytic performance was evaluated by degrading rhodamine B (RhB) (98.5%), tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) (77.1%), and H2 evolution (2833 µmol·g-1·h-1) coupled with furfuryl alcohol oxidation (3097 µmol·g-1·h-1) under visible light irradiation. In addition, the possible mechanisms for degradation of organic pollutants, H2 evolution, and furfuryl alcohol oxidation were schematically investigated, which make it possible to exert photocatalysis by increasing the active radical. This study shows that the combination of bamboo charcoal and bismuth tungstate can be a powerful photocatalyst that rationally combines H2 evolution coupled with furfuryl alcohol oxidation and degradation of pollutants.

HcN57, A Novel Unusual Acidic Silk-Like Matrix Protein from Hyriopsis cumingii, Participates in Framework Construction and Nacre Nucleation During Nacreous Layer Formation.

In the classic molecular model of nacreous layer formation, unusual acidic matrix proteins rich in aspartic acid (Asp) residues are essential for nacre nucleation due to their great affinity for binding calcium. However, the acidic matrix proteins discovered in the nacreous layer so far have been weakly acidic with a high proportion of glutamate. In the present study, several silk-like matrix proteins, including the novel matrix protein HcN57, were identified in the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-soluble extracts of the nacreous layer of Hyriopsis cumingii. HcN57 is a highly repetitive protein that consists of a high proportion of alanine (Ala, 34.4%), glycine (Gly, 22.5%), and serine (Ser, 11.4%). It forms poly Ala blocks, GlynX repeats, an Ala-Gly repeat, and a Ser-Ala-rich region, exhibiting significant similarity to silk proteins found in spider species. The expression of HcN57 was specifically located in the dorsal epithelial cells of the mantle pallium and mantle center. Notably, expression of HcN57 was relatively high during nacreous layer regeneration and pearl nacre deposition, suggesting HcN57 is a silk matrix protein in the nacreous layer. Importantly, HcN57 also contains a certain content of Asp residues, making it an unusual acidic matrix protein present in the nacreous layer. These Asp residues are mainly distributed in three large hydrophilic acidic regions, which showed inhibitory activity against aragonite deposition and morphological regulation of calcite in vitro. Moreover, HcN57-dsRNA injection resulted in failure of nacre nucleation in vivo. Taken together, our results show that HcN57 is a bifunctional silk protein with poly Ala blocks and Gly-rich regions that serve as space fillers within the chitinous framework to prevent crystallization at unnecessary nucleation sites and Asp-rich regions that create a calcium ion supersaturated microenvironment for nucleation in the center of nacre tablets. These observations contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism by which silk proteins regulate framework construction and nacre nucleation during nacreous layer formation.

Thymol Induces Fenton-Reaction-Dependent Ferroptosis in Vibrio parahemolyticus.

Thymol has efficient bactericidal activity against a variety of pathogenic bacteria, but the bactericidal mechanism against Vibrio parahemolyticus (V. parahemolyticus) has rarely been reported. In the current study, we investigated the bactericidal mechanism of thymol against V. parahemolyticus. The Results revealed that 150 µg/mL of thymol had 99.9% bactericidal activity on V. parahemolyticus. Intracellular bursts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), Fe2+accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA breakage were checked by cell staining. The exogenous addition of H2O2 and catalase promoted and alleviated thymol-induced cell death to a certain extent, respectively, and the addition of the ferroptosis inhibitor Liproxstatin-1 also alleviated thymol-induced cell death, confirming that thymol induced Fenton-reaction-dependent ferroptosis in V. parahemolyticus. Proteomic analysis revealed that relevant proteins involved in ROS production, lipid peroxidation accumulation, and DNA repair were significantly upregulated after thymol treatment. Molecular docking revealed two potential binding sites (amino acids 46H and 42F) between thymol and ferritin, and thymol could promote the release of Fe2+ from ferritin proteins through in vitro interactions analyzed. Therefore, we hypothesized that ferritin as a potential target may mediate thymol-induced ferroptosis in V. parahemolyticus. This study provides new ideas for the development of natural inhibitors for controlling V. parahemolyticus in aquatic products.

Simultaneous detection of multiple aging characteristic components in oil-paper insulation using sensitive Raman technology and microfluidics.

The aging characteristic components of oil-paper insulation reflect the aging status of the power equipment. In this study, we designed a novel microfluidic chip capable of automatic and rapid extraction of aging components from insulating oil. Combined with Raman spectroscopy technology, it enables simultaneous detection of various aging components. By optimizing the microfluidic chip structural and adopting an optical window encapsulation, it eliminates interference from the Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Measurements and analyses were carried out on multiple oil samples containing three aging products (furfural, acetone, and methanol). The results indicate that this novel microfluidic chip facilitates simultaneous detection of multiple components, significantly improving the detection sensitivity of complex oil. The detection limits for furfural, acetone, and methanol in insulating oil are 0.43 mg/L, 1.04 mg/L, and 2.31 mg/L, respectively. This provides a new approach for the online detection of oil-paper insulation equipment.

Analysis of the key genes of Lactobacillus reuteri strains involved in the protection against alcohol-induced intestinal barrier damage.

Gastrointestinal inflammation and intestinal barrier function have important effects on human health. Alcohol, an important foodborne hazard factor, damages the intestinal barrier, increasing the risk of disease. Lactobacillus reuteri strains have been reported to reduce gastrointestinal inflammation and strengthen the intestinal barrier. In this study, we selected three anti-inflammatory L. reuteri strains to evaluate their role in the protection of the intestinal barrier and their immunomodulatory activity in a mouse model of gradient alcohol intake. Among the three strains tested (FSCDJY33M3, FGSZY33L6, and FCQHCL8L6), L. reuteri FSCDJY33M3 was found to protect the intestinal barrier most effectively, possibly due to its ability to reduce the expression of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and increase the expression of tight junction proteins (occludin, claudin-3). Genomic analysis suggested that the protective effects of L. reuteri FSCDJY33M3 may be related to functional genes and glycoside hydrolases associated with energy production and conversion, amino acid transport and metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and DNA replication, recombination, and repair. These genes include COG2856, COG1804, COG2071, and COG1061, which encode adenine deaminase, acyl-CoA transferases, glutamine amidotransferase, RNA helicase, and glycoside hydrolases, including GH13_20, GH53, and GH70. Our results identified functional genes that may be related to protection against alcohol-induced intestinal barrier damage, which might be useful for screening lactic acid bacterial strains that can protect the intestinal barrier.

Research trends and perspective of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in orthopedic rehabilitation treatment based on Web of Science: A bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound has a long history as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), whose intensity is below 300 mW/cm2, has been widely used in orthopedic rehabilitation treatment. However, the detailed bioeffects and underlying mechanisms of LIPUS treatment need to be explored. OBJECTIVE: To make a comprehensive view of the field, bibliometric and visualization analysis was used to reveal the global research trends of LIPUS in orthopedics and rehabilitation treatment between 1994 and 2023. METHODS: All literature data on LIPUS were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were applied for the bibliometric and visualization analysis. RESULTS: A total of 760 publications were included. The distribution of publications generally showed an unstable rising trend. China had the highest number of publications (28.0%), and Chong Qing Medical University was the organization with the highest number of publications (5.8%). Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology had the highest number of publications (8.8%), while BMJ-British Medical Journal had the highest impact factor among the retrieved journals. Ling Qin from the Chinese University of Hong Kong was the most active researcher. Our overlay visualization map showed that the keywords such as pain, knee osteoarthritis, apoptosis, chondrocytes, cartilage, and autophagy, which link to osteoarthritis, have becoming the new research trends and hotspots. CONCLUSION: LIPUS is a popular and increasingly important area of orthopedic rehabilitation, and collaboration of authors from different countries should be further strengthened. Predictably, clinical application of LIPUS on chronic inflammation-related diseases and regenerative medicine, and in-depth biological mechanisms are the orientations of LIPUS in orthopedic rehabilitation treatment.

Iodine Status and Its Influencing Factors in Hospitalized and Healthy Preschool-Age Children.

Iodine is a trace element necessary for synthesizing thyroid hormones. It is especially crucial for the neurodevelopment and intellectual development of children. Preschool-age children admitted to the hospital tend to have more fragile physical and mental health, but few studies demonstrate their iodine status. Our study aimed to investigate the iodine status of hospitalized and healthy preschool-age children and to explore the factors influencing them. From January to December 2021, 426 children aged 3-6 years were admitted to the respiratory department for pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, or bronchiectasis, but they could eat normally and were recruited as hospitalized children. Six hundred ten healthy children aged 3-6 years were included. We collected anthropometric measurements and urine samples from hospitalized and healthy preschool-age children, and iodine status was assessed through urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and urinary iodine/creatinine ratio (UI/Cr). UIC was 40.1 and 166.1 µg/L for hospitalized and healthy preschool-age children, respectively (P < 0.001). Urinary creatinine concentration (UCr) was 0.2 and 0.8 g/L for hospitalized and healthy preschool-age children, respectively (P < 0.001). UIC decreased with increasing height z-scores in hospitalized children (Spearman's rho = -0.11, P = 0.022). A significantly increased risk of UIC < 100 µg/L was found in hospitalized children (OR = 9.1 (6.8, 12.2), P < 0.001) when compared to healthy children. In conclusion, hospitalized preschool-age children are likelier to have iodine insufficiency than healthy preschool-age children, especially those with good linear growth. Measures should be implemented to ensure adequate iodine intake of preschool-age children during hospitalization to avoid affecting their intellectual and physical development. Due to lower UCr in hospitalized children, creatinine is not appropriate for assessing iodine status in hospitalized children.

Sesquilignans: Current research and potential prospective.

Lignans are widely distributed in nature, primarily found in the xylem and resins of plants, with the constituent units C6-C3, and their dimers are the most common in plants. In recent years, the trimeric sesquilignans have also received increasing attention from scholars. More than 200 derivatives have been isolated and identified from nearly 50 families, most of which are different types (monoepoxy lignans, bisepoxy lignans, benzofuran lignans) connected with simple phenylpropanoids through ether bonds, C-C bonds, and oxygen-containing rings to constitute sesquilignans. Some of them also possess pharmacological properties, including antioxidants, hepatoprotectives, antitumors, anti-inflammatory properties, and other properties. In addition, the chemical structure of sesquilignans is closely related to the pharmacological activity, and chemical modification of methoxylation enhances the pharmacological activity. In contrast, phenolic hydroxyl and hydroxyl glycosides reduce the pharmacological activity. Therefore, the present review aims to summarize the chemical diversity, bioactivities, and constitutive relationships to provide a theoretical basis for the more profound development and utilization of sesquilignans.

Characteristics of lipid metabolism after treatment of colon cancer mice with American ginseng vesicles.

INTRODUCTION: Lipid molecules are present in tumours and play an important role in the anti-inflammatory response as well as in antiviral protection. Changes in the type and location of lipids in the intestine following exposure to environmental stressors play an important role in several disorders, including ulcerative colitis (UC), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work is to provide a new theoretical basis for tumour initiation and development by accurately measuring the spatial distribution of lipids and metabolites in intestinal tissue. Spatial metabolomics allows the detection of samples with minimal sample volume by label-free imaging of complex samples in their original state. The distribution of lipid molecules in tumours has not been reported, although the distribution of lipid molecules in intestinal tissue has been reported in the literature. METHODS: The range of lipid profiles in colon cancer mouse tumour tissue was compiled using a spatial metabolomics: lipid extraction method. The changes in lipid distribution in two regions after oral administration of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) vesicles were also compared. Tumour tissue samples were extracted with 80% methanol-20% formic acid in water. RESULTS: The resulting spatial metabolic profile allowed the identification of seven lipid classes in mouse tumours. The distribution of fibre tissue cells was 23.2% higher than tumour tissue cells, with the exception of the fatty acid (FA) species.

Wood waste-derived dual-mode materials paving the way for year-round energy saving in buildings.

In the face of the challenges posed by global warming, traditional methods of building heating and cooling contribute significantly to electricity and coal consumption, thereby emitting considerable amounts of greenhouse gases. Here, a dual-mode thermal management structural material is created by processing sustainable cellulose and lignin derived from wood waste into gels, followed by lamination. The cellulose surface of the material exhibits the ability to scatter solar radiation backward while emitting strongly in the mid-infrared wavelengths, whereas the lignin surface absorbs visible and near-infrared light, primarily releasing energy through non-radiative transitions. Consequently, the material can achieve sub-ambient radiative cooling of 6 °C and solar heating of 27.5 °C during the daytime by simply flipping its orientation. This pioneering material showcases the potential to significantly reduce cooling energy consumption by an average of 18% and heating energy consumption by 42%. Moreover, the integration of a thermal-electric generator within the dual-layer structure optimally utilizes the temperature differential between the two layers, converting it into electrical power. Notably, the dual-mode thermal management structural material exhibits impressive mechanical strength, boasting a flexural strength of 102 MPa, surpassing that of natural wood by over 4.8 times. With its dual-mode functionality and embedded thermal-electric generator, this material represents a crucial step towards achieving both thermal comfort and energy autonomy in sustainable building practices, thereby contributing to a more environmentally friendly and efficient future.

Nano-Enhanced Phase Reinforced Magnesium Matrix Composites: A Review of the Matrix, Reinforcement, Interface Design, Properties and Potential Applications.

Magnesium matrix composites are essential lightweight metal matrix composites, following aluminum matrix composites, with outstanding application prospects in automotive, aerospace lightweight and biomedical materials because of their high specific strength, low density and specific stiffness, good casting performance and rich resources. However, the inherent low plasticity and poor fatigue resistance of magnesium hamper its further application to a certain extent. Many researchers have tried many strengthening methods to improve the properties of magnesium alloys, while the relationship between wear resistance and plasticity still needs to be further improved. The nanoparticles added exhibit a good strengthening effect, especially the ceramic nanoparticles. Nanoparticle-reinforced magnesium matrix composites not only exhibit a high impact toughness, but also maintain the high strength and wear resistance of ceramic materials, effectively balancing the restriction between the strength and toughness. Therefore, this work aims to provide a review of the state of the art of research on the matrix, reinforcement, design, properties and potential applications of nano-reinforced phase-reinforced magnesium matrix composites (especially ceramic nanoparticle-reinforced ones). The conventional and potential matrices for the fabrication of magnesium matrix composites are introduced. The classification and influence of ceramic reinforcements are assessed, and the factors influencing interface bonding strength between reinforcements and matrix, regulation and design, performance and application are analyzed. Finally, the scope of future research in this field is discussed.

Coherent beam combining of two all-PM thulium-doped fiber chirped pulse amplifiers.

In this paper, we report a coherent beam combining (CBC) system that involves two thulium-doped all-polarization maintaining (PM) fiber chirped pulse amplifiers. Through phase-locking the two channels via a fiber stretcher by using the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm, a maximum average power of 265 W is obtained, with a CBC efficiency of 81% and a residual phase error of λ/17. After de-chirping by a pair of diffraction gratings, the duration of the combined laser pulse is compressed to 690 fs. Taking into account the compression efficiency of 90% and the main peak energy proportion of 91%, the corresponding peak power is calculated to be 4 MW. The laser noise characteristics before and after CBC are examined, and the results indicate that the CBC would degrade the low frequency relative intensity noise (RIN), of which the integration is 1.74% in [100 Hz, 2 MHz] at the maximum combined output power. In addition, the effects of the nonlinear spectrum broadening during chirped pulse amplification on the CBC efficiency are also investigated, showing that a higher extent of pulse stretching is effective in alleviating the spectrum broadening and realizing a higher output power with decent combining efficiency.

Reduced Retinal Vascular Density and Skeleton Length in Amblyopia.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between retinal vascular abnormalities and amblyopia by analyzing vascular structures of fundus images. Methods: In this observational study, retinal fundus images were collected from 36 patients with unilateral amblyopia, 33 patients with bilateral amblyopia, and 36 healthy control volunteers. We developed a customized training algorithm based on U-Net to digitalize the vasculature in the fundus images to quantify vascular density (area and fractal dimension), skeleton length, and number of bifurcation points. For statistical comparisons, this study divided participants into two groups. The amblyopic eyes and the fellow eyes of patients with unilateral amblyopia formed the paired group, while bilateral amblyopic patients and healthy controls formed the independent group. Results: In the paired group, the vascular area (P = 0.007), vascular fractal dimension (P = 0.007), and vascular skeleton length (P = 0.002) of the amblyopic eyes were significantly smaller than those of the fellow eyes. In the independent group, significant decreases in the vascular fractal dimension (P = 0.006) and skeleton length (P = 0.048) were observed in bilateral amblyopia compared to control. The vascular area was also significantly correlated with best-corrected visual acuity in amblyopic eyes. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that retinal vascular density and skeleton length in amblyopic eyes were significantly smaller compared to control, indicating an association between the changes in retinal vascular features and the state of amblyopia. Translational Relevance: Our algorithm presents amblyopic retinal vascular changes that are more biologically interpretable for both clinicians and researchers.

Effects of the Combined Treatment of Trans-2-Hexenal, Ascorbic Acid, and Dimethyl Dicarbonate on the Quality in Fresh-Cut Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) during Storage.

Fresh-cut potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) are susceptible to browning and microbial contamination during storage. In this study, the effects of trans-2-hexenal (E2H), ascorbic acid (VC), dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC), and the combined treatment of E2H, VC, and DMDC on quality deterioration in fresh-cut potatoes were investigated. The response surface methodology (RSM) demonstrated that E2H, VC, and DMDC concentrations of 0.010%, 0.65%, and 240 mg/L, respectively, were the optimum conditions for fresh-cut potato preservation. Further analysis showed that the combined treatment of E2H, VC, and DMDC was the most effective method of reducing quality deterioration in potatoes compared to the control and individual treatments. Furthermore, the combined treatment of E2H, VC, and DMDC could decrease the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via improving antioxidant enzyme activities. Meanwhile, energy-metabolism-related enzyme activities and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activity were enhanced, while γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T) activity was reduced via the combined treatment of E2H, VC, and DMDC, which contributed to maintaining high energy levels and GABA content in potatoes. These findings suggested that the combined treatment of E2H, VC, and DMDC could protect membrane integrity through enhancing antioxidant capacity, energy levels, and GABA content to maintain quality in fresh-cut potatoes.