Achieving unidirectional propagation of twisted magnons in a magnetic nanodisk array

Twisted magnons (TMs) have great potential applications in communication and computing owing to the orbital angular momentum (OAM) degree of freedom. Realizing the unidirectional propagation of TMs is the key to design functional magnonics devices. Here we theoretically study the propagation of TMs in one-dimensional magnetic nanodisk arrays. By performing micromagnetic simulations, we find that the one-dimensional nanodisk array exhibits a few bands due to the collective excitations of TMs. A simple model by considering the exchange interaction is proposed to explain the emerging multiband structure and theoretical results agree well with micromagnetic simulations. Interestingly, for a zigzag structure, the dispersion curves and propagation images of TMs show obvious nonreciprocity for specific azimuthal quantum number ($l$), which originates from a geometric effect depending on the phase difference of TMs and the relative angle between two adjacent nanodisks. Utilizing this feature, one can conveniently realize the unidirectional propagation of TMs with arbitrary nonzero $l$. Our work provides important theoretical references for controlling the propagation of TMs.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Toxicity evaluation of processing Evodiae fructus based on intestinal microbiota

BackgroundWith the development of healthcare services, drug efficacy, and safety have become the focus of drug use, and processing alters drug toxicity and efficacy, exploring the effects of processing on Evodiae fructus (EF) can guide the clinical use of drugs.MethodsFifty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into the control group (CCN), raw small-flowered EF group (CRSEF), raw medium-flowered EF group (CRMEF), processing small-flowered EF group (CPSEF), and processing medium-flowered EF group (CPMEF). The CRSEF, CRMEF, CPSEF, and CPMEF groups were gavaged with aqueous extracts of raw small-flowered EF dry paste (RSEF), medium-flowered EF dry paste (RMEF), processing small-flowered EF dry paste (PSEF) and processing medium-flowered EF dry paste (PMEF), respectively, for 21 days at 5 times the pharmacopeial dosage. Upon concluding the experiment, histopathological sections of liver and kidney tissues were examined. Additionally, levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum creatinine (SCr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were determined. DNA from the intestinal contents of the mice was extracted, and 16S rRNA full-length high-throughput sequencing was performed.ResultsAfter fed EF 21 days, mice exhibited a decreasing trend in body weight. Comparative analysis with the CCN group revealed an upward trend in SCr, BUN, AST, and ALT levels in both CRSEF and CRMEF groups. The CRMEF group displayed notably elevated BUN and AST levels, with an observed increasing trend in Scr and ALT. Kidney sections unveiled cellular edema and considerable inflammatory cell infiltrates, whereas significant liver damage was not evident. Compared with CRSEF, Bun levels were significantly lower while AST levels were significantly higher in the CPMEF group. Additionally, the intestinal microbiota diversity and the relative abundance of Psychrobacter decreased significantly, and the relative abundance of Staphylococcus, Jeotgalicoccus, and Salinicoccus increased significantly in the CPMEF group. AST, ALT, and SCr were positively correlated with Staphylococcus, Jeotgalicoccus, and Salinicoccus.ConclusionIn conclusion, PMEF significantly increased harmful bacteria (Staphylococcus, Jeotgalicoccus, and Salinicoccu) and decreased beneficial bacteria. SEF with 5 times the clinical dose showed nephrotoxicity and SEF nephrotoxicity decreased after processing, but EF hepatotoxicity was not significant, which may be due to insufficient dose concentration and time

Abnormal Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Whole Brain in Lifelong Premature Ejaculation Patients Based on Machine Learning Approach

Recent neuroimaging studies have indicated that abnormalities in brain structure and function may play an important role in the etiology of lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE). LPE patients have exhibited aberrant cortical structure, altered brain network function and abnormal brain activation in response to erotic pictures. However, it remains unclear whether resting-state whole brain functional connectivity (FC) is altered in LPE patients. Machine learning analysis has the advantage of screening the best classification features from high-throughput data (such as FC), which has the potential to identify the pathophysiological targets of disease by establishing classification indicators for patients and healthy controls (HCs). Therefore, the supported vector machine based classification model using FC as features was used in the present study to confirm the most specific FCs that distinguish LPE patients from healthy controls. After feature selection, the remained features were used to build the classification model, with an accuracy 0.85 ± 0.14, sensitivity of 0.92 ± 0.18, specificity of 0.72 ± 0.30, and recall index of 0.85 ± 0.17 across 1000 testing groups (100 times 10-folds cross validation). After that, two-sample t-tests with family-wise error correction were used to compare these features that occur more than 500 times during training steps between LPE patients and HCs. Four FCs, (1) between left medial part of orbital frontal cortex (mOFC) and right mOFC, (2) between the left rectus and right postcentral gyrus, (3) between the right insula and left pallidum, and (4) between the right middle part of temporal pole and right inferior part of temporal gyrus showed significant group difference. These results demonstrate that resting-state brain FC might be a discriminating feature to distinguish LPE patients from HCs. These classification features, especially the FC between bilateral mOFC, provide underlying abnormal central functional targets in LPE etiology, which offers a novel alternative target for future intervention in LPE treatment

Impact of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism on Cortical Thickness and Voxel-Based Morphometry in Healthy Chinese Young Adults

BACKGROUND: Following voxel-based morphometry (VBM), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) has been shown to affect human brain morphology in Caucasians. However, little is known about the specific role of the Met/Met genotype on brain structure. Moreover, the relationship between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and Chinese brain morphology has not been studied. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The present study investigated brain structural differences among three genotypes of BDNF (rs6265) for the first time in healthy young Chinese adults via cortical thickness analysis and VBM. Brain differences in Met carriers using another grouping method (combining Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes into a group of Met carriers as in most previous studies) were also investigated using VBM. Dual-approach analysis revealed less gray matter (GM) in the frontal, temporal, cingulate and insular cortices in the Met/Met group compared with the Val/Val group (corrected, P<0.05). Areas with less GM in the Val/Met group were included in the Met/Met group. VBM differences in Met carriers were only found in the middle cingulate cortex. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The current results indicated a unique pattern of brain morphologic differences caused by BDNF (rs6265) in young Chinese adults, in which the Met/Met genotype markedly affected the frontal, temporal, cingulate, and insular regions. The grouping method with Met carriers was not suitable to detect the genetic effect of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on brain morphology, at least in the Chinese population, because it may hide some specific roles of Met/Met and Val/Met genotypes on brain structure

Microstructure Abnormalities in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that internet addiction disorder (IAD) is associated with structural abnormalities in brain gray matter. However, few studies have investigated the effects of internet addiction on the microstructural integrity of major neuronal fiber pathways, and almost no studies have assessed the microstructural changes with the duration of internet addiction. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated the morphology of the brain in adolescents with IAD (N = 18) using an optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique, and studied the white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) changes using the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) method, linking these brain structural measures to the duration of IAD. We provided evidences demonstrating the multiple structural changes of the brain in IAD subjects. VBM results indicated the decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the supplementary motor area (SMA), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the cerebellum and the left rostral ACC (rACC). DTI analysis revealed the enhanced FA value of the left posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and reduced FA value in the white matter within the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG). Gray matter volumes of the DLPFC, rACC, SMA, and white matter FA changes of the PLIC were significantly correlated with the duration of internet addiction in the adolescents with IAD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that long-term internet addiction would result in brain structural alterations, which probably contributed to chronic dysfunction in subjects with IAD. The current study may shed further light on the potential brain effects of IAD

Perceived Value of Electronic Medical Records in Community Health Services: A National Cross-Sectional Survey of Primary Care Workers in Mainland China

Objective: To evaluate the degree to which electronic medical records (EMRs) were used in primary care and the value of EMRs as perceived by primary care workers in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 2719 physicians (n = 2213) and nurses (n = 506) selected from 462 community health centres across all regions of mainland China except for Tibet. Regional differences in the responses regarding the functionality of existing EMR systems and the perceived value of EMRs were examined using Chi-square tests and ordinal regression analyses. Results: Less than 59% of the community health centres had adopted EMRs. More than 89% of the respondents believed that it was necessary to adopt EMRs in primary care. Of the existing EMR systems, 50% had access to telehealth support for laboratory, imaging or patient consultation services. Only 38.4% captured data that met all task needs and 35.4% supported referral arrangements. &ldquo;Management of chronic conditions&rdquo; was voted (66%) as the top preferred feature of EMRs. Higher levels of recognition of the value of EMRs were found in the relatively more developed eastern region compared with their counterparts in other regions. Conclusions: Rapid EMR adoption in primary care is evident in mainland China. The low level of functionality in data acquisition and referral arrangements runs counter to the requirements for &ldquo;management of chronic conditions&rdquo;, the most preferred feature of EMRs in primary care. Regional disparities in the realised value of EMRs in primary care deserve policy attention