Silicon nitride metalenses for unpolarized high-NA visible imaging

As one of nanoscale planar structures, metasurface has shown excellent superiorities on manipulating light intensity, phase and/or polarization with specially designed nanoposts pattern. It allows to miniature a bulky optical lens into the chip-size metalens with wavelength-order thickness, playing an unprecedented role in visible imaging systems (e.g. ultrawide-angle lens and telephoto). However, a CMOS-compatible metalens has yet to be achieved in the visible region due to the limitation on material properties such as transmission and compatibility. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a divergent metalens based on silicon nitride platform with large numerical aperture (NA~0.98) and high transmission (~0.8) for unpolarized visible light, fabricated by a 695-nm-thick hexagonal silicon nitride array with a minimum space of 42 nm between adjacent nanoposts. Nearly diffraction-limit virtual focus spots are achieved within the visible region. Such metalens enables to shrink objects into a micro-scale size field of view as small as a single-mode fiber core. Furthermore, a macroscopic metalens with 1-cm-diameter is also realized including over half billion nanoposts, showing a potential application of wide viewing-angle functionality. Thanks to the high-transmission and CMOS-compatibility of silicon nitride, our findings may open a new door for the miniaturization of optical lenses in the fields of optical fibers, microendoscopes, smart phones, aerial cameras, beam shaping, and other integrated on-chip devices.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Community-based comprehensive intervention for people with schizophrenia in Guangzhou, China: effects on clinical symptoms, social functioning, internalized stigma and discrimination

Comprehensive interventions including components of stigma and discrimination reduction in schizophrenia in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are lacking. We developed a community-based comprehensive intervention to evaluate its effects on clinical symptoms, social functioning, internalized stigma and discrimination among patients with schizophrenia. A randomized controlled trial including an intervention group (n = 169) and a control group (n = 158) was performed. The intervention group received comprehensive intervention (strategies against stigma and discrimination, psycho-education, social skills training and cognitive behavioral therapy) and the control group received face to face interview. Both lasted for nine months. Participants were measured at baseline, 6 months and 9 months using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale (ISMI), Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and PANSS negative scale (PANSS-N). Insight and medication compliance were evaluated by senior psychiatrists. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Linear Mixed Models were used to show intervention effectiveness on scales. General Linear Mixed Models with multinomial logistic link function were used to assess the effectiveness on medication compliance and insight. We found a significant reduction on anticipated discrimination, BPRS and PANSS-N total scores, and an elevation on overcoming stigma and GAF in the intervention group after 9 months. These suggested the intervention may be effective in reducing anticipated discrimination, increasing skills overcoming stigma as well as improving clinical symptoms and social functioning in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

Molecular simulation and spectroscopic studies on the interaction between perfluorohexadecanoic acid and human serum albumin

185-192In the present study, the interaction between Perfluorohexadecanoic acid (PFHxDA) and human serum albumin (HAS) was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular docking, dynamic simulation and circular dichroism (CD). The interaction character and the effect on human serum albumin conformation were measured by simulating the physiological condition (pH= 7.4). Experiments and simulation results revealed that PFHxDA molecules and HSA have regular fluorescence quenching, and the quenching mechanism is static quenching and non-radiative energy transfer. Thermodynamic analysis revealed the binding behavior was mainly governed by hydrophobic forces. Specific binding site experiments showed that the binding site of PFHxDA was a site I of HSA. The results from the CD spectrum demonstrated that PFHxDA changed the molecular conformation of HSA, which is consistent with the results obtained by molecular docking and dynamic simulation

Molecular simulation and spectroscopic studies on the interaction between perfluorohexadecanoic acid and human serum albumin

In the present study, the interaction between Perfluorohexadecanoic acid (PFHxDA) and human serum albumin (HAS) was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular docking, dynamic simulation and circular dichroism (CD). The interaction character and the effect on human serum albumin conformation were measured by simulating the physiological condition (pH= 7.4). Experiments and simulation results revealed that PFHxDA molecules and HSA have regular fluorescence quenching, and the quenching mechanism is static quenching and non-radiative energy transfer. Thermodynamic analysis revealed the binding behavior was mainly governed by hydrophobic forces. Specific binding site experiments showed that the binding site of PFHxDA was a site I of HSA. The results from the CD spectrum demonstrated that PFHxDA changed the molecular conformation of HSA, which is consistent with the results obtained by molecular docking and dynamic simulation

Lifestyle and metabolic factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease:Mendelian randomization study

The risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have not been clearly identified. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore this. Independent genetic variants strongly associated with 5 lifestyle and 9 metabolic factors were selected as instrumental variables from corresponding genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Summary-level data for NAFLD were obtained from a GWAS meta-analysis of 8434 cases and 770,180 non-cases (discovery dataset) and another GWAS meta-analysis of 1483 cases and 17,781 non-cases (replication dataset). Univariable and multivariable MR analyses were performed. There were associations with NAFLD for lifetime smoking index (odds ratio (OR) 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-1.93 per SD-increase), body mass index (BMI, OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.23-1.43 per SD-increase), waist circumference (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.48-2.24 per SD-increase), type 2 diabetes (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.15-1.27 per unit increase in log-transformed odds), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.07-1.26 per 10 mmHg increase), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77-0.90 per SD-increase), and triglycerides (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.15-1.33 per SD-increase). The associations for type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, but not for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol remained strong after adjusting for genetically-predicted BMI. Genetic liability to type 2 diabetes mediated 51.4% (95% CI 13.4-89.3%) of the BMI-effects on NAFLD risk. There were suggestive inverse associations of genetically-predicted alcohol, coffee, and caffeine consumption, and vigorous physical activity with NAFLD risk. This study identified several lifestyle and metabolic factors that may be causally implicated in NAFLD

SERPINE2, an inhibitor of plasminogen activators, is highly expressed in the human endometrium during the secretory phase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>SERPINE2, also known as protease nexin-1, belongs to the serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) superfamily. It is one of the potent SERPINs that modulates the activity of plasminogen activators (PAs). PAs and their SERPIN inhibitors, such as SERPINB2 and SERPINE1, were expressed in the human endometrium and were implicated in implantation. However, expression data about SERPINE2 in the human endometrium is still unknown. Thus, we conducted an investigation to reveal the spatiotemporal and cellular expression of SERPINE2 in the human uterus during the menstrual cycle.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seven patients who underwent a hysterectomy and samples of 120 archived patients' endometrial curettage or parts of the uterus that were formalin-fixed and embedded in paraffin. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of the antibody. Immunohistochemistry was conducted to localize the SERPINE2 expression site. Quantitative analysis was conducted to evaluate expression levels of SERPINE2 in various sub-phases of the menstrual cycle.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The SERPINE2 protein was primarily detected in the uterine fluid during the mid- and late-secretory phases of the menstrual cycle. It was predominantly expressed in the luminal and glandular epithelium, less in the myometrium, and only dispersedly in certain stromal cells throughout the menstrual cycle. A quantitative analysis of expression levels of SERPINE2 in the glandular epithelium revealed that it was highly expressed in the endometrium during the secretory phase compared to the proliferative phase.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The SERPINE2 protein is highly expressed in the endometrium during the secretory phase, indicating that it may participate in tissue remodeling involved in implantation.</p

Spatio-temporal evolution of human neural activity during visually cued hand movements

Making hand movements in response to visual cues is common in daily life. It has been well known that this process activates multiple areas in the brain, but how these neural activations progress across space and time remains largely unknown. Taking advantage of intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recordings using depth and subdural electrodes from 36 human subjects using the same task, we applied single-trial and cross-trial analyses to high-frequency iEEG activity. The results show that the neural activation was widely distributed across the human brain both within and on the surface of the brain, and focused specifically on certain areas in the parietal, frontal, and occipital lobes, where parietal lobes present significant left lateralization on the activation. We also demonstrate temporal differences across these brain regions. Finally, we evaluated the degree to which the timing of activity within these regions was related to sensory or motor function. The findings of this study promote the understanding of task-related neural processing of the human brain, and may provide important insights for translational applications.</p

Spatio-temporal evolution of human neural activity during visually cued hand movements

Making hand movements in response to visual cues is common in daily life. It has been well known that this process activates multiple areas in the brain, but how these neural activations progress across space and time remains largely unknown. Taking advantage of intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recordings using depth and subdural electrodes from 36 human subjects using the same task, we applied single-trial and cross-trial analyses to high-frequency iEEG activity. The results show that the neural activation was widely distributed across the human brain both within and on the surface of the brain, and focused specifically on certain areas in the parietal, frontal, and occipital lobes, where parietal lobes present significant left lateralization on the activation. We also demonstrate temporal differences across these brain regions. Finally, we evaluated the degree to which the timing of activity within these regions was related to sensory or motor function. The findings of this study promote the understanding of task-related neural processing of the human brain, and may provide important insights for translational applications.</p