Performance evaluation of on-chip wavelength conversion based on InP/In1−x_{1-x}Gax_xAsy_yP1−y_{1-y} semiconductor waveguide platforms

We propose and design the high confinement InP/In1-xGaxAsyP1-y semiconductor waveguides and report the results of effective wavelength conversion based on this platform. Efficient confinement and mode field area fluctuation at different wavelength is analyzed to achieve the high nonlinear coefficient. The numerical results show that nearly zero phase-mismatch condition can be satisfied through dispersion tailoring of InP/In1-xGaxAsyP1-y waveguides, and the wavelength conversion ranging over 40 nm with the maximum conversion efficiency -26.3 dB is achieved for fixing pump power 100 mW. Meanwhile, the influences of the doping parameter y and pumping wavelength on the bandwidth and conversion efficiency are also discussed and optimized. It is indicated the excellent optical properties of the InP/In1-xGaxAsyP1-y waveguides and pave the way towards direct integration telecom band devices on stand semiconductor platforms.Comment: 21 page

A Metabolomics Profiling Study in Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Modulated Pathways of Clinical Intervention Using Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), with poorly understood pathogenesis, has become a major public health threat across Asia Pacific. In order to characterize the metabolic changes of HFMD and to unravel the regulatory role of clinical intervention, we have performed a metabolomics approach in a clinical trial. In this study, metabolites profiling was performed by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) platform from the HFMD clinical patient samples. The outcome of this study suggested that 31 endogenous metabolites were mainly involved and showed marked perturbation in HFMD patients. In addition, combination therapy intervention showed normalized tendency in HFMD patients in differential pathway. Taken together, these results indicate that metabolomics approach can be used as a complementary tool for the detection and the study of the etiology of HFMD

Effects of Formic or Acetic Acid on the Storage Quality of Mixed Air-Dried Corn Stover and Cabbage Waste, and Microbial Community Analysis

Siliranjem mješovitog otpada od kukuruzovine sušene na zraku i kupusa očuvala se lignocelulozna biomasa koja se može upotrijebiti kao biogorivo. Ispitan je utjecaj dodatka mravlje i octene kiseline u udjelima od 0,3 i 0,6 % (po masi svježe tvari) na kakvoću miješane silaže. Dodatkom mravlje ili octene kiseline silaži prije miješanja povećao se udjel ugljikohidrata topljivih u vodi u usporedbi s negativnom kontrolom, što upućuje na zaključak da se dodatkom kiselina može očuvati veći udjel ugljikohidrata tijekom 170 dana skladištenja. Udjel suhe tvari također se povećao tijekom skladištenja od 90 do 170 dana. Utvrđeno je da je udjel neutralnih i kiselih detergent vlakana, celuloze i holoceluloze (sume celuloze i hemiceluloze) u miješanoj silaži tretiranoj s mravljom ili octenom kiselinom bitno manji nego u negativnoj kontroli, dok su se pH-vrijednost i omjer amonijačnog dušika i ukupnog dušika znatno smanjili. Osim toga, dodatkom tih kiselina bitno je oslabljen intenzitet mliječno-kiselog vrenja, ovisno o omjeru mliječne i octene kiseline, te mliječne kiseline i ukupnih organskih kiselina. Brojnost i relativna zastupljenost bakterijskih vrsta mijenjale su se tijekom siliranja, a dominirale su vrste redova Proteobacteria i Firmicutes. Također je zamijećena promjena u zastupljenosti dominantnih bakterija u biomasi, prije siliranja prevladavale su vrste Lactobacillus i Enterobacter, a nakon siliranja vrste Lactobacillus i Paralactobacillus, dok su bakterije vrste Enterobacter u potpunosti nestale nakon 130 dana skladištenja. Zaključeno je da se dodatkom male doze (0,3 % po masi sježe tvari) octene kiseline bitno poboljšala kvaliteta fermentacije, čime su očuvani organski sastojci silaže.A mixture of air-dried corn stover and cabbage waste was ensiled to preserve lignocellulosic biomass for use as biofuel. Furthermore, the effects of different fresh mass fractions (0.3 and 0.6 %) of formic or acetic acid on the mixed silage quality were evaluated to guarantee its quality. The application of formic or acetic acid prior to mixing the silage led to higher water-soluble carbohydrate fractions than the negative control, indicating that both acids contributed to preservation of water-soluble carbohydrates during storage for 170 days. The dry matter content was also increased after storage from 90 to 170 days. It was found that the content of neutral and acid detergent fibre, cellulose and holocellulose (the sum of cellulose and hemicellulose) in mixed silage treated with formic or acetic acid was significantly lower than that obtained in the negative control. The pH and the ratio of ammoniacal nitrogen to total nitrogen in mixed silage treated with acetic acid also significantly decreased. Furthermore, the addition of formic or acetic acid significantly weakened the fermentation intensity of lactic acid, depending on the ratio of lactic to acetic acid, as well as the ratio of lactic acid to total organic acids. The number of bacterial species and their relative abundance shifted during silage mixing, wherein microbial communities at phylum level mainly consisted of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. The dominant bacteria were also observed to shift from Lactobacillus and Enterobacter in presilage biomass to Lactobacillus and Paralactobacillus. Specifically, Enterobacter disappeared after 130 days of storage. In conclusion, the addition of a low dose of acetic acid to fresh mass (0.3 %) could effectively improve the fermentation quality and is conducive to the preservation of the organic components

Protective effects of resveratrol on the inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis induced by ethanol during early postnatal life

AbstractEthanol (EtOH) exposure during early postnatal life triggers obvious neurotoxic effects on the developing hippocampus and results in long-term effects on hippocampal neurogenesis. Resveratrol (RSV) has been demonstrated to exert potential neuroprotective effects by promoting hippocampal neurogenesis. However, the effects of RSV on the EtOH-mediated impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis remain undetermined. Thus, mice were pretreated with RSV and were later exposed to EtOH to evaluate its protective effects on EtOH-mediated toxicity during hippocampal development. The results indicated that a brief exposure of EtOH on postnatal day 7 resulted in a significant impairment in hippocampal neurogenesis and a depletion of hippocampal neural precursor cells (NPCs). This effect was attenuated by pretreatment with RSV. Furthermore, EtOH exposure resulted in a reduction in spine density on the granular neurons of the dentate gyrus (DG), and the spines exhibited a less mature morphological phenotype characterized by a higher proportion of stubby spines and a lower proportion of mushroom spines. However, RSV treatment effectively reversed these responses. We further confirmed that RSV treatment reversed the EtOH-induced down-regulation of hippocampal pERK and Hes1 protein levels, which may be related to the proliferation and maintenance of NPCs. Furthermore, EtOH exposure in the C17.2 NPCs also diminished cell proliferation and activated apoptosis, which could be reversed by pretreatment of RSV. Overall, our results suggest that RSV pretreatment protects against EtOH-induced defects in neurogenesis in postnatal mice and may thus play a critical role in preventing EtOH-mediated toxicity in the developing hippocampus

Rescue of Retinal Degeneration in rd1 Mice by Intravitreally Injected Metformin

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a progressive hereditary retinal degenerative disease in which photoreceptor cells undergo degeneration and apoptosis, eventually resulting in irreversible loss of visual function. Currently, no effective treatment exists for this disease. Neuroprotection and inflammation suppression have been reported to delay the development of RP. Metformin is a well-tested drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, and it has been reported to exert beneficial effects in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, we used immunofluorescence staining, electroretinogram (ERG) recordings and RNA-Seq to explore the effects of metformin on photoreceptor degeneration and its mechanism in rd1 mice. We found that metformin significantly reduced apoptosis in photoreceptors and delayed the degeneration of photoreceptors and rod bipolar cells in rd1 mice, thus markedly improving the visual function of rd1 mice at P14, P18, and P22 when tested with a light/dark transition test and ERG. Microglial activation in the outer nuclear layer (ONL) of the retina of rd1 mice was significantly suppressed by metformin. RNA-Seq showed that metformin markedly downregulated inflammatory genes and upregulated the expression of crystallin proteins, which have been demonstrated to be important neuroprotective molecules in the retina, revealing the therapeutic potential of metformin for RP treatment. αA-crystallin proteins were further confirmed to be involved in the neuroprotective effects of metformin in a Ca2+ ionophore-damaged 661W photoreceptor-like cell line. These data suggest that metformin exerts a protective effect in rd1 mice via both immunoregulatory and new neuroprotective mechanisms

Epothilone B Benefits Nigral Dopaminergic Neurons by Attenuating Microglia Activation in the 6-Hydroxydopamine Lesion Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and a subsequent reduction in striatal DA levels. Recent studies have shown that systemic administration of subtoxic doses of epothilone B (EpoB), a microtubule stabilizing agent, enhances axonal regeneration. However, the underlying alterations in cellular mechanisms remain undetermined. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of EpoB on DA neurons in mouse model of PD induced by 6-hydroxyDA (6-OHDA) and in vitro. The results indicated that EpoB improved behavioral deficits, protected the nigrostriatal dopaminergic projections and restored DA level in the striatum of mice exposed to 6-OHDA. Meanwhile, EpoB attenuated microglia activation in the SNc of PD mice. Furthermore, EpoB treatment ameliorated 6-OHDA induced cytotoxicity to MN9D dopaminergic cells in a co-culture transwell system of BV2/MN9D cells, and redistributed the cytoskeleton of microglial BV2 and caused the morphological transition, inhibited the polarization to the M1 phenotype by suppressing expression of pro-inflammatory factors including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Overall, our study suggested that EpoB treatment protects nigral DA neurons and projections through limiting the cytotoxicity of activated microglia in 6-OHDA lesioned mice

High-throughput Sequencing Analysis of Diversity and Spatial Heterogeneity of Fungal Community in Pit Muds of Different Ages for Baijiu Production

The fungal community structure, the relationship between fungal flora and physicochemical factors, and the prediction of fungal function in pit muds from different spatial positions of 10- and 50-year-old cellars at Jinhui liquor Co. Ltd. were studied by using Illumina NovaSeq high-throughput sequencing, redundancy analysis and Fungi Functional Guild (FUNGuild). The results showed that the fungal diversity and richness of the 10-year-old pit mud decreased with increasing depth; the fungal diversity of the 50-year-old pit mud showed an overall increasing trend, while the fungal richness initially decrease and then increased. Moreover, for the 10-year-old pit, the fungal diversity and richness of the upper layer of the pit wall were significantly higher than those of the other positions (P < 0.05), while for the 50-year-old cellar, the fungal diversity and richness of the bottom layer were significantly higher than those of the other locations (P < 0.05). The fungal diversity and richness were significantly higher in the wall of the 10-year-old cellar than the 50-year-old cellar (P < 0.05), but were significantly higher in the bottom of the 50-year-old cellar than the 10-year-old cellar (P < 0.05). A total of 21 fungal phyla and 520 genera were detected in all pit mud samples, the relative abundance of four dominant phyla (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota and Rozellomycota) and most dominant genera such as Aspergillus and Kazachstania showed significant changes among pit ages and spatial locations (P < 0.05). Fusarium, Aspergillus, Saccharomyces and Monascus were positively correlated with the contents of water, humus, K+ and Ca2+, while Cladosporium and Vishniacozyma were positively correlated with pH. Seven nutritional modes of fungi were observed, mainly including saprophytic and pathological-saprophytic-symbiotic nutritional modes, and four single and seven mixed functional groups were determined. This study provides a theoretical basis for clarifying the structure and spatial distribution of fungal community in Jinhui Baijiu pit mud