Fabrication of a microresonator-fiber assembly maintaining a high-quality factor by CO2 laser welding

We demonstrate fabrication of a microtoroid resonator of a high-quality (high-Q) factor using femtosecond laser three-dimensional (3D) micromachining. A fiber taper is reliably assembled to the microtoroid using CO2 laser welding. Specifically, we achieve a high Q-factor of 2.12*10^6 in the microresonator-fiber assembly by optimizing the contact position between the fiber taper and the microtoroid.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Progress and prospects in flexible tactile sensors

Flexible tactile sensors have the advantages of large deformation detection, high fault tolerance, and excellent conformability, which enable conformal integration onto the complex surface of human skin for long-term bio-signal monitoring. The breakthrough of flexible tactile sensors rather than conventional tactile sensors greatly expanded application scenarios. Flexible tactile sensors are applied in fields including not only intelligent wearable devices for gaming but also electronic skins, disease diagnosis devices, health monitoring devices, intelligent neck pillows, and intelligent massage devices in the medical field; intelligent bracelets and metaverse gloves in the consumer field; as well as even brain–computer interfaces. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an overview of the current technological level and future development of flexible tactile sensors to ease and expedite their deployment and to make the critical transition from the laboratory to the market. This paper discusses the materials and preparation technologies of flexible tactile sensors, summarizing various applications in human signal monitoring, robotic tactile sensing, and human–machine interaction. Finally, the current challenges on flexible tactile sensors are also briefly discussed, providing some prospects for future directions

Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the anticholecystitis effect of the Tibetan medicine “Dida” using Network pharmacology

Purpose: To study the mechanism involved in the anti-cholecystitis effect the Tibetan medicine “Dida”, using network pharmacology-integrated molecular docking simulationsMethods: In this investigation, the bioactive compounds of Dida were collected, network pharmacology methods to predict their targets, and networks were constructed through GO and KEGG pathway analyses. The potential binding between the bioactive compounds and the targets were demonstrated using molecular docking simulations.Results: A total of 12 bioactive compounds and 50 key targets of Dida were identified. Two networks, namely, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of cholecystitis targets, and compound-target-pathway network, were established. Network analysis showed that 10 targets (GAPDH, AKT1, CASP3, EGFR, TNF, MAPK3, MAPK1, HSP90AA1, STAT3, and BCL2L1) may be the therapeutic targets of Dida in cholecystitis. Analysis of the KEGG pathway indicated that the anti-cholecystitis effect of Dida may its regulation of a few crucial pathways, such as apoptosis, as well as toll-like  receptor, T cell receptor, NOD-like receptor, and MAPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, molecular docking simulation revealed that CASP3, CAPDH, HSP90AA1, MAPK3, MAPK1, and STAT3 had well-characterized interactions with the corresponding compounds.Conclusion: The mechanism underlying the anti-cholecystitis effect of Dida was successfully predicted and verified using a combination of network pharmacology and molecular docking simulation. This provides a firm basis for the experimental verification of the use of Dida in the treatment of cholecystitis, and enhances its rational application in clinical medication. Keywords: Tibetan medicine, Dida, Cholecystitis, Mechanism of effect, Network pharmacology, Molecular docking simulatio

Elucidation of the mechanism of action of the anticholecystitis effect of the Tibetan medicine “Dida” using network pharmacology

Purpose: To study the mechanism involved in the anti-cholecystitis effect the Tibetan medicine “Dida”, using network pharmacology-integrated molecular docking simulationsMethods: In this investigation, the bioactive compounds of Dida were collected, network pharmacology methods to predict their targets, and networks were constructed through GO and KEGG pathway analyses. The potential binding between the bioactive compounds and the targets were demonstrated using molecular docking simulations.Results: A total of 12 bioactive compounds and 50 key targets of Dida were identified. Two networks, namely, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of cholecystitis targets, and compound–target– pathway network, were established. Network analysis showed that 10 targets (GAPDH, AKT1, CASP3, EGFR, TNF, MAPK3, MAPK1, HSP90AA1, STAT3, and BCL2L1) may be the therapeutic targets of Dida in cholecystitis. Analysis of the KEGG pathway indicated that the anti-cholecystitis effect of Dida may its regulation of a few crucial pathways, such as apoptosis, as well as toll-like  receptor, T cell receptor, NOD-like receptor, and MAPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, molecular docking simulation revealed that CASP3, CAPDH, HSP90AA1, MAPK3, MAPK1, and STAT3 had well-characterized interactions with the corresponding compounds.Conclusion: The mechanism underlying the anti-cholecystitis effect of Dida has been successfully predicted and verified using a combination of network pharmacology and molecular docking simulation. This provides a firm basis for the experimental verification of the use of Dida in the treatment of cholecystitis, and enhances its rational application in clinical practice. Keywords: Tibetan medicine, Dida, Cholecystitis, Mechanism, Network pharmacology, Molecular docking simulatio

POSTURAL STABILITY PERFORMANCE BETWEEN SEDENTARY AND ACTIVE SUBJECTS WITH THE BIODEX STABILITY SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION: Postural stability (PS) has been defined as the ability to maintain an upright posture within the base of support (Lee and Lin, 2007) and is considered to be an important indicator of musculoskeletal health and physical performance. This study examined the PS performance between sedentary and active subjects using the Biodex Balance System (BBS) with well intraclass correlation coefficient (Hinman, 2000)

Glycemia and peak incremental indices of six popular fruits in Taiwan: healthy and Type 2 diabetes subjects compared

The aim of this study was to evaluate the glycemic index and peak incremental indices of six popular fruits in Taiwan, comparing healthy subjects (n = 20) and patients with Type 2 diabetes (n = 17). The six kinds of fruits tested were grapes, Asian pears, guavas, golden kiwifruit, lychees and bananas. Glycemic index values were tested according to the standard glycemic index testing protocol. The glycemic index and peak incremental indices were calculated according to published formulas. In Type 2 diabetes subjects, the glycemic index values of grapes, Asian pears, guavas, golden kiwifruit, lychees and bananas were 49.0 ± 4.5, 25.9 ± 2.9, 32.8 ± 5.2, 47.0 ± 6.5, 60.0 ± 8.0 and 41.3 ± 3.5. In healthy subjects, the glycemic index values were 49.1 ± 7.3, 18.0 ± 5.4, 31.1 ± 5.1, 47.3 ± 12.1, 47.9 ± 6.8 and 35.1 ± 5.6. There was no significant difference in glycemic index values between healthy and Type 2 diabetes subjects. There was also no significant difference in PII when comparing healthy subjects and subjects with Type 2 diabetes. In conclusion, glycemic index and peak incremental indices in healthy subjects can be approximately the same for Type 2 diabetes

(1E,4E)-1-(Thio­phen-2-yl)-5-(2,6,6-trimethyl­cyclo­hex-1-en-1-yl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one

In the title curcumin–ionone derivative, C18H22OS, the dihedral angle between the thia­zole ring and the mean plane through the cyclo­hexene ring is 5.16 (10)°. The mol­ecule has an E conformation for each of the olefinic bonds