The fast light of CsI(Na) crystals

The responds of different common alkali halide crystals to alpha-rays and gamma-rays are tested in our research. It is found that only CsI(Na) crystals have significantly different waveforms between alpha and gamma scintillations, while others have not this phenomena. It is suggested that the fast light of CsI(Na) crystals arises from the recombination of free electrons with self-trapped holes of the host crystal CsI. Self-absorption limits the emission of fast light of CsI(Tl) and NaI(Tl) crystals.Comment: 5 pages, 11 figures Submit to Chinese Physics

Co-localization of two-color rAAV2-retro confirms the dispersion characteristics of efferent projections of mitral cells in mouse accessory olfactory bulb

The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), located at the posterior dorsal aspect of the main olfactory bulb (MOB), is the first brain relay of the accessory olfactory system (AOS), which can parallelly detect and process volatile and nonvolatile social chemosignals and mediate different sexual and social behaviors with the main olfactory system (MOS). However, due to its anatomical location and absence of specific markers, there is a lack of research on the internal and external neural circuits of the AOB. This issue was addressed by single-color labeling and fluorescent double labeling using retrograde rAAVs injected into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), anterior cortical amygdalar area (ACo), medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA), and posteromedial cortical amygdaloid area (PMCo) in mice. We demonstrated the effectiveness of this AOB projection neuron labeling method and showed that the mitral cells of the AOB exhibited efferent projection dispersion characteristics similar to those of the MOB. Moreover, there were significant differences in the number of neurons projected to different brain regions, which indicated that each mitral cell in the AOB could project to a different number of neurons in different cortices. These results provide a circuitry basis to help understand the mechanism by which pheromone information is encoded and decoded in the AOS

Microstructure and structural modulation of lutetium dihydride LuH2 as seen via transmission electron microscopy

Structural investigations conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on LuH2 synthesized under atmospheric pressure (AP-LuH2) and nitrogen-doped LuH2 synthesized under high pressure (HP-LuH2) have revealed numerous microstructural phenomena. Both materials show a clear superstructure modulation with wave vector, q^* = 1/4 (2-20), and this modulation can be well interpreted by the displacements of Lu atoms. Further investigations on the nitrogen-doped HP-LuH2 materials reveal the appearance of high-density antiphase boundaries, in particular, domain walls of a few atomic layer thickness without structural modulation can be observed, suggesting possible interface properties could be detected in this system. In-situ TEM observations of AP-LuH2 suggest that no evident structural phase transition occurs between 94 K and 673 K.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Effects of In Vitro Maturation on Histone Acetylation in Metaphase II Oocytes and Early Cleavage Embryos

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocyte is an effective procedure for avoiding ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in patients with polycystic ovaries (PCOS) during in vitro fertilization (IVF). To investigate the influences of IVM on epigenetic reprogramming and to search for the possible reasons for the lower rates of fertilization and cleavage in IVM oocytes, we examined the expression of two enzymes controlling histone acetylation, histone acetyltransferase GCN5 (GCN5) and histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), as well as their common target, acetyl-histone H3 (Ac-H3), in mouse metaphase II (MII) oocytes and preimplantation embryos. Results showed that IVM downregulated the protein expression of GCN5 in MII oocytes and two-cell embryos and changed the distribution of GCN5 in two-cell embryos. Expression of HDAC1 mRNA in MII oocytes and two-cell embryos decreased in the IVM group. However, none of these changes persisted after two-cell embryos. Levels of Ac-H3 in both oocytes and embryos remained unchanged after IVM. Our studies indicated that IVM could affect the protein and gene expression related to histone acetylation in oocytes and early cleavage embryos. By function of selection, parts of the changes could be recovered in late embryo development

The association between post-stroke depression, aphasia, and physical independence in stroke patients at 3-month follow-up

Objective: Few studies have examined the association between post-stroke depression (PSD), aphasia, and physical independence in Chinese patients. This study investigated the above association in stroke patients in China at 3-month follow-up. Methods: Altogether 270 patients within 14 days after ischemic stroke were recruited and followed up at 3 months. PSD, aphasia, and physical functional status were measured using the Stroke Aphasia Depression Questionnaire (SADQ), Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS), respectively. Patients with mRS total score \u3e2 were considered as having “physical dependence.” Results: Out of 248 patients at 3-month follow up, 119 (48%) were rated as having physical dependence. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that female (p = 0.04; OR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.0–5.1), more severe stroke at admission (p \u3c 0.01; OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.3–1.5), and more severe PSD at 3 months (p = 0.01; OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01–1.1) were independently associated with physical dependence at 3 months. Conclusions: Greater PSD and stroke severity were independently associated with physical dependence at 3months after stroke. Aphasia was also associated with physical dependence but the relationship was not significant. Early and effective depression screening, treatment and stroke rehabilitation appear to be important to improve the physical outcome and reduce the burden of stroke survivors

Gigahertz-rate-switchable wavefront shaping through integration of metasurfaces with photonic integrated circuit

Achieving spatiotemporal control of light at high-speeds presents immense possibilities for various applications in communication, computation, metrology, and sensing. The integration of subwavelength metasurfaces and optical waveguides offers a promising approach to manipulate light across multiple degrees of freedom at high-speed in compact photonic integrated circuit (PICs) devices. Here, we demonstrate a gigahertz-rate-switchable wavefront shaping by integrating metasurface, lithium niobite on insulator (LNOI) photonic waveguide and electrodes within a PIC device. As proofs of concept, we showcase the generation of a focus beam with reconfigurable arbitrary polarizations, switchable focusing with lateral focal positions and focal length, orbital angular momentum light beams (OAMs) as well as Bessel beams. Our measurements indicate modulation speeds of up to gigahertz rate. This integrated platform offers a versatile and efficient means of controlling light field at high-speed within a compact system, paving the way for potential applications in optical communication, computation, sensing, and imaging