Ceramic Nano-particle/Substrate Interface Bonding Formation Derived from Dynamic Mechanical Force at Room Temperature: HRTEM Examination

The bonding of TiO nano-particle/substrate is a critical factor influencing the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells. In order to reveal the bonding properties at TiO nano-particle/substrate interface, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis was adopted to TiO coatings prepared by three different approaches. In the HRTEM analysis, the effective bonding mode is allowed to distinguish from the false image overlapping. Results show that large areas of effective bonding between nano-TiO particles and the substrate surface formed in the room temperature cold sprayed coating and mechanically pressed coating, while only limited interface areas with the effective bonding were observed in the coating deposited by non-pressed method. These results confirm that both high impact pressure during the room temperature cold spraying and mechanical pressure contribute to the bonding formation at the particle/substrate interface

Twin-field quantum key distribution with local frequency reference

Twin-field quantum key distribution (TF-QKD) overcomes the linear rate-loss limit, which promises a boost of secure key rate over long distance. However, the complexity of eliminating the frequency differences between the independent laser sources hinders its practical application. Here, taking the saturated absorption spectroscopy of acetylene as an absolute reference, we propose and demonstrate a simple and practical approach to realize TF-QKD without requiring relative frequency control of the independent laser sources. Adopting the 4-intensity sending-or-not-sending TF-QKD protocol, we experimentally demonstrate the TF-QKD over 502 km, 301 km and 201 km ultra-low loss optical fiber respectively. We expect this high-performance scheme will find widespread usage in future intercity and free-space quantum communication networks.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 7 table

Experimental Side-Channel-Free Quantum Key Distribution

Quantum key distribution can provide unconditionally secure key exchange for remote users in theory. In practice, however, in most quantum key distribution systems, quantum hackers might steal the secure keys by listening to the side channels in the source, such as the photon frequency spectrum, emission time, propagation direction, spatial angular momentum, and so on. It is hard to prevent such kinds of attacks because side channels may exist in any of the encoding space whether the designers take care of or not. Here we report an experimental realization of a side-channel-free quantum key distribution protocol which is not only measurement-device-independent, but also immune to all side-channel attacks in the source. We achieve a secure key rate of 4.80e-7 per pulse through 50 km fiber spools.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure

Development of a convenient and effective hypertension risk prediction model and exploration of the relationship between Serum Ferritin and Hypertension Risk: a study based on NHANES 2017—March 2020

BackgroundHypertension is a major public health problem, and its resulting other cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In this study, we constructed a convenient and high-performance hypertension risk prediction model to assist in clinical diagnosis and explore other important influencing factors.MethodsWe included 8,073 people from NHANES (2017—March 2020), using their 120 features to form the original dataset. After data pre-processing, we removed several redundant features through LASSO regression and correlation analysis. Thirteen commonly used machine learning methods were used to construct prediction models, and then, the methods with better performance were coupled with recursive feature elimination to determine the optimal feature subset. After data balancing through SMOTE, we integrated these better-performing learners to construct a fusion model based for predicting hypertension risk on stacking strategy. In addition, to explore the relationship between serum ferritin and the risk of hypertension, we performed a univariate analysis and divided it into four level groups (Q1 to Q4) by quartiles, with the lowest level group (Q1) as the reference, and performed multiple logistic regression analysis and trend analysis.ResultsThe optimal feature subsets were: age, BMI, waist, SBP, DBP, Cre, UACR, serum ferritin, HbA1C, and doctors recommend reducing salt intake. Compared to other machine learning models, the constructed fusion model showed better predictive performance with precision, accuracy, recall, F1 value and AUC of 0.871, 0.873, 0.871, 0.869 and 0.966, respectively. For the analysis of the relationship between serum ferritin and hypertension, after controlling for all co-variates, OR and 95% CI from Q2 to Q4, compared to Q1, were 1.396 (1.176–1.658), 1.499 (1.254–1.791), and 1.645 (1.360–1.989), respectively, with P < 0.01 and P for trend <0.001.ConclusionThe hypertension risk prediction model developed in this study is efficient in predicting hypertension with only 10 low-cost and easily accessible features, which is cost-effective in assisting clinical diagnosis. We also found a trend correlation between serum ferritin levels and the risk of hypertension

Quantum key distribution over 658 km fiber with distributed vibration sensing

Twin-field quantum key distribution (TF-QKD) promises ultra-long secure key distribution which surpasses the rate distance limit and can reduce the number of the trusted nodes in long-haul quantum network. Tremendous efforts have been made towards implementation of TF-QKD, among which, the secure key with finite size analysis can distribute more than 500 km in the lab and in the field. Here, we demonstrate the sending-or-not-sending TF-QKD experimentally, achieving a secure key distribution with finite size analysis over 658 km ultra-low-loss optical fiber, improve the secure distance record by around 100 km. Meanwhile, in a TF-QKD system, any phase fluctuation due to temperature variation and ambient variation during the channel must be recorded and compensated, and all these phase information can then be utilized to sense the channel vibration perturbations. With our QKD system, we recovered the external vibrational perturbations on the fiber generated by an artificial vibroseis and successfully located the perturbation position with a resolution better than 1 km. Our results not only set a new distance record of QKD, but also demonstrate that the redundant information of TF-QKD can be used for remote sensing of the channel vibration, which can find applications in earthquake detection and landslide monitoring besides secure communication.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures and 1 tabl

Trichostatin A relieves anxiety-and depression-like symptoms in APP/PS1 mice

Background:Cognitive deficits and behavioral disorders such as anxiety and depression are common manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our previous work demonstrated that Trichostatin A (TSA) could alleviate neuroinflammatory plaques and improve cognitive disorders. AD, anxiety, and depression are all associated with microglial inflammation. However, whether TSA could attenuate anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in APP/PS1 mice through anti-inflammatory signaling is still unclearly.Methods:In the present study, all mice were subjected to the open field, elevated plus maze, and forced swim tests to assess anxiety- and depression-related behaviors after TSA administration. To understand the possible mechanisms underlying the behavioral effects observed, CST7 was measured in the hippocampus of mice and LPS-treated BV2 microglia.Results:The results of this study indicated that TSA administration relieved the behaviors of depression and anxiety in APP/PS1 mice, and decreased CST7 levels in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice and LPS-induced BV2 cells.Conclusion:Overall, these findings support the idea that TSA might be beneficial for reducing neurobehavioral disorders in AD and this could be due to suppression of CST7-related microglial inflammation

Genetic Diversity and the Spatio-Temporal Analyses of Hantaviruses in Shandong Province, China

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a serious public health problem in Shandong Province, China. We conducted an epizootiologic investigation and phylogeographic and phylodynamic analyses to infer the phylogenetic relationships of hantaviruses in space and time, and gain further insights into their evolutionary dynamics in Shandong Province. Our data indicated that the Seoul virus (SEOV) is distributed throughout Shandong, whereas Hantaan virus (HTNV) co-circulates with SEOV in the eastern and southern areas of Shandong. Their distribution showed strong geographic clustering. In addition, our analyses indicated multiple evolutionary paths, long-distance transmission, and demographic expansion events for SEOV in some areas. Selection pressure analyses revealed that negative selection on hantaviruses acted as the principal evolutionary force, whereas a little evidence of positive selection exists. We found that several positively selected sites were located within major functional regions and indicated the importance of these residues for adaptive evolution of hantaviruses

Effects of Tai Chi versus Proprioception Exercise Program on Neuromuscular Function of the Ankle in Elderly People: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese medicine exercise used for improving neuromuscular function. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Tai Chi versus proprioception exercise program on neuromuscular function of the ankle in elderly people. Methods. Sixty elderly subjects were randomly allocated into three groups of 20 subjects per group. For 16 consecutive weeks, subjects participated in Tai Chi, proprioception exercise, or no structured exercise. Primary outcome measures included joint position sense and muscle strength of ankle. Subjects completed a satisfaction questionnaire upon study completion in Tai Chi and proprioception groups. Results. (1) Both Tai Chi group and proprioception exercise group were significantly better than control group in joint position sense of ankle, and there were no significant differences in joint position sense of ankle between TC group and PE group. (2) There were no significant differences in muscle strength of ankle among groups. (3) Subjects expressed more satisfaction with Tai Chi than with proprioception exercise program. Conclusions. None of the outcome measures on neuromuscular function at the ankle showed significant change posttraining in the two structured exercise groups. However, the subjects expressed more interest in and satisfaction with Tai Chi than proprioception exercise