Study of TMDs nanosheets based saturable absorber used for Q-switching and mode lock laser system

Pulse width of pulsed laser determinates their applications. For the long pulse laser with µs or ns pulse width, it can be used for telecommunication, remote sensing and medical surgery. For the ultrashort pulse laser with ps or fs pulse width, it can be used for eye-surgery, precise micro- or even nano-machining on transparent material and novel 3D hologram formation. The saturable absorber (SA) is the crucial optical component that switch the laser operation from CW mode to pulse mode passively. Therefore it attract s great research interests from the laser photonic community. &more..

An Empirical Approach to the Bond Additivity Model in Quantitative Interpretation of Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectra

A complete empirical approach from known Raman and IR spectra is used to make corrections to the bond additivity model for quantitative interpretation of Sum Frequency generation Vibrational Spectra (SFG-VS) from molecular interfaces. This empirical correction successfully addresses the failures of the simple bond additivity model. This empirical approach not only provides new understandings of the effectiveness and limitations of the bond additivity model, but also provides a practical roadmap for its application in SFG-VS studies of molecular interfaces

Targeted association mapping demonstrating the complex molecular genetics of fatty acid formation in soybean

Palmitic acid bi-alleles of Map-6064 in three subpopulations. (TIFF 1235 kb

Quality of reporting of systematic reviews published in “evidence-based” Chinese journals

BACKGROUND: The number of systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) has increased dramatically in China over the past decades. However, evaluation of quality of reporting of systematic reviews published has not been undertaken. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of reporting of SRs/MAs assessing efficacy and/or harms of clinical interventions published in “evidence-based” Chinese journals. METHODS: Web-based database searches were conducted for the Chinese Journal of Evidence-based Medicine, the Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, the Chinese Journal of Evidence Based Pediatrics, and the Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Cardiovascular Medicine. SRs/MAs assessing efficacy and/or harms of clinical interventions were included. The cut-off was December 31st 2011. The PRISMA statement was applied to assess the quality of reporting. Each item was assessed as follows: ‘Yes’ for total compliance, scored ‘1’; ‘partial’ for partial compliance, scored ‘0.5’; and ‘No’ for non-compliance, scored ‘0’. The review was considered to have major flaws if it received a total score of ≤15.0, minor flaws if it received a total score of 15.5 to 21.0, and minimal flaws if it received a total score 21.5 to 27.0. Odds ratios were used for binary variables, and the mean difference was used for continuous variables. Analyses were performed using RevMan 5.0 software. RESULTS: Overall, 487 SRs/MAs were identified and assessed. The included reviews had medium quality with minor flaws based on PRISMA total scores (range: 8.5–26.0; mean: 19.6 ± 3.3). The stratified analysis showed that SRs/MAs with more than 3 authors, from a university, hospital + university cooperation, multiple affiliations (≥2), and funding have significantly higher quality of reporting of SRs/MAs; 58% of the included reviews were considered to have minor flaws (total score of 15.6 to 21.0). Only 9.6% of reviews were considered to have major flaws. Specific areas needing improvement in reporting include the abstract, protocol and registration, and characteristics of the search. CONCLUSIONS: The reporting of SRs published in “evidence-based” Chinese journals is poor and needs to be improved in order for reviews to be useful. SR authors should use the PRISMA checklist to ensure complete and accurate accounts of their SRs

Effects of Dietary Manganese Supplementation on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in the Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda)

The effects of the manganese (Mn) supplemented diets on the level of superoxide anions (O-2) in the hemolymph, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the muscle of Neocaridina heteropoda were investigated. Manganese sulfate (MnSO4) was added to a basal diet at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 μg/g. Diets were fed to triplicate groups of shrimp (0.30±0.11 g, 1.4±0.1 cm) in a recirculating freshwater rearing system for 30 days. The Mn concentration in the rearing water, monitored during feeding, was 1.00±0.02 μg/l. O-2 was lower and antioxidant enzyme activity was higher (p<0.05) in shrimps fed Mn-supplemented diets than in shrimps fed the control. Antioxidant enzyme activity reached a maximum when the Mn concentration was 60 μg/g diet

ACE inhibitors in cardiac surgery: current studies and controversies

Major complications associated with cardiac surgery are still common and carry great prognostic significance. Current medical interventions to prevent these cardiovascular complications include antiplatelet therapy, statins, β-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Both experimental studies and clinical trials have shown that ACE inhibitors hold promise as cardiovascular protective agents for cardiac surgery patients. Several lines of evidence support this hypothesis. First, long-term use of ACE inhibitors has been well established to provide cardiovascular protection and reduce ischemic events and complications, independent of their effect on heart function and blood pressure. Second, early ACE inhibitor therapy has been demonstrated to produce remarkable survival and heart function benefits in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Third, ACE blockage can prevent or delay the development or progression of renal disease at all stages, from subclinical microalbuminuria to end-stage renal disease. Nevertheless, perioperative studies of the effects of ACE inhibitors remain few and inconclusive. Results from recent clinical trials and observational studies are conflicting and raise more questions than answers. Further studies, both retrospective and larger-scale prospective studies, are critically needed to examine whether ACE inhibitors reduce mortality and major complications in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

An Updated Search of Steady TeV γ−\gamma-Ray Point Sources in Northern Hemisphere Using the Tibet Air Shower Array

Using the data taken from Tibet II High Density (HD) Array (1997 February-1999 September) and Tibet-III array (1999 November-2005 November), our previous northern sky survey for TeV $\gamma-$ray point sources has now been updated by a factor of 2.8 improved statistics. From $0.0^{\circ}$ to $60.0^{\circ}$ in declination (Dec) range, no new TeV $\gamma-$ray point sources with sufficiently high significance were identified while the well-known Crab Nebula and Mrk421 remain to be the brightest TeV $\gamma-$ray sources within the field of view of the Tibet air shower array. Based on the currently available data and at the 90% confidence level (C.L.), the flux upper limits for different power law index assumption are re-derived, which are approximately improved by 1.7 times as compared with our previous reported limits.Comment: This paper has been accepted by hepn

PSR J1926-0652: A Pulsar with Interesting Emission Properties Discovered at FAST

We describe PSR J1926-0652, a pulsar recently discovered with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Using sensitive single-pulse detections from FAST and long-term timing observations from the Parkes 64-m radio telescope, we probed phenomena on both long and short time scales. The FAST observations covered a wide frequency range from 270 to 800 MHz, enabling individual pulses to be studied in detail. The pulsar exhibits at least four profile components, short-term nulling lasting from 4 to 450 pulses, complex subpulse drifting behaviours and intermittency on scales of tens of minutes. While the average band spacing P3 is relatively constant across different bursts and components, significant variations in the separation of adjacent bands are seen, especially near the beginning and end of a burst. Band shapes and slopes are quite variable, especially for the trailing components and for the shorter bursts. We show that for each burst the last detectable pulse prior to emission ceasing has different properties compared to other pulses. These complexities pose challenges for the classic carousel-type models.Comment: 13pages with 12 figure