Amplitude- and phase-resolved nano-spectral imaging of phonon polaritons in hexagonal boron nitride

Phonon polaritons are quasiparticles resulting from strong coupling of photons with optical phonons. Excitation and control of these quasiparticles in 2D materials offer the opportunity to confine and transport light at the nanoscale. Here, we image the phonon polariton (PhP) spectral response in thin hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystals as a representative 2D material using amplitude- and phase-resolved near-field interferometry with broadband mid-IR synchrotron radiation. The large spectral bandwidth enables the simultaneous measurement of both out-of-plane (780 cm-1) and in-plane (1370 cm-1) hBN phonon modes. In contrast to the strong and dispersive in-plane mode, the out-of-plane mode PhP response is weak. Measurements of the PhP wavelength reveal a proportional dependence on sample thickness for thin hBN flakes, which can be understood by a general model describing two-dimensional polariton excitation in ultrathin materials

Somatosensory Stimulation With XNKQ Acupuncture Modulates Functional Connectivity of Motor Areas

Xingnao Kaiqiao (XNKQ) acupuncture is an acupuncture technique used for stroke patients. In 24 healthy volunteers, we applied this complex acupuncture intervention, which consists of a manual needle-stimulation on five acupuncture points (DU26 unilaterally, PC6, and SP6 bilaterally). XNKQ was compared to three control conditions: (1) insertion of needles on the XNKQ acupuncture points without stimulation, (2) manual needle-stimulation on five nearby non-acupuncture points, and (3) insertion of needles on the non-acupuncture points without stimulation. In a within-subject design, we investigated functional connectivity changes in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) by means of the data-driven eigenvector centrality (EC) approach. With a 2 × 2 factorial within-subjects design with two-factor stimulation (stimulation vs. non-stimulation) and location (acupuncture points vs. non-acupuncture points), we found decreased EC in the precuneus after needle-stimulation (stimulation<non-stimulation), whereas the factor location showed no statistically significant EC differences. XNKQ acupuncture compared with needle-stimulation on non-acupuncture points showed decreased EC primarily in subcortical structures such as the caudate nucleus, subthalamic nucleus, and red nucleus. Post-hoc seed-based analysis revealed that the decrease in EC was mainly driven by reduced temporal correlation to primary sensorimotor cortices. The comparison of XNKQ acupuncture with the other two (non-stimulation) interventions showed no significant differences in EC. Our findings support the importance of the stimulation component of the acupuncture intervention and hint toward the modulation of functional connectivity by XNKQ acupuncture, especially in areas involved in motor function. As a next step, similar mechanisms should be validated in stroke patients suffering from motor deficits.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT0245390

H9N2 virus-derived M1 protein promotes H5N6 virus release in mammalian cells: Mechanism of avian influenza virus inter-species infection in humans

H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) clade 2.3.4.4 not only exhibits unprecedented intercontinental spread in poultry, but can also cause serious infection in humans, posing a public health threat. Phylogenetic analyses show that 40% (8/20) of H5N6 viruses that infected humans carried H9N2 virus-derived internal genes. However, the precise contribution of H9N2 virus-derived internal genes to H5N6 virus infection in humans is unclear. Here, we report on the functional contribution of the H9N2 virus-derived matrix protein 1 (M1) to enhanced H5N6 virus replication capacity in mammalian cells. Unlike H5N1 virus-derived M1 protein, H9N2 virus-derived M1 protein showed high binding affinity for H5N6 hemagglutinin (HA) protein and increased viral progeny particle release in different mammalian cell lines. Human host factor, G protein subunit beta 1 (GNB1), exhibited strong binding to H9N2 virus-derived M1 protein to facilitate M1 transport to budding sites at the cell membrane. GNB1 knockdown inhibited the interaction between H9N2 virus-derived M1 and HA protein, and reduced influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) release. Our findings indicate that H9N2 virus-derived M1 protein promotes avian H5N6 influenza virus release from mammalian, in particular human cells, which could be a major viral factor for H5N6 virus cross-species infection

Self-Cleaning Glass of Photocatalytic Anatase TiO2@Carbon Nanotubes Thin Film by Polymer-Assisted Approach

Due to the good photocatalytic activity, the TiO2@CNTs thin film is highly desirable to apply to the self-cleaning glass for green intelligent building. Here, the TiO2@CNTs thin film has been successfully achieved by polymer-assisted approach of an aqueous chemical solution method. The polymer, polyethylenimine, aims to combine the Ti4+ with CNTs for film formation of TiO2@CNTs. The resultant thin film was uniform, highly transparent, and super-hydrophilic. Owing to fast electron transport and effectively hindering electron-hole recombination, the TiO2@CNTs thin film has nearly twofold photocatalytic performance than pure TiO2. The TiO2@CNTs thin films show a good application for self-cleaning glasses

A novel yaw stabilization control system for in-wheel motor driven electric vehicle

10.1109/ICIEA.2011.5975786Proceedings of the 2011 6th IEEE Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, ICIEA 20111293-129

In-Line and Cross-Flow Coupling Vibration Response Characteristics of a Marine Viscoelastic Riser Subjected to Two-Phase Internal Flow

This paper studies the in-line and cross-flow coupling vibration response characteristics of a marine viscoelastic riser subjected to two-phase internal flow and affected by the combined effects of several parameters including the volume fraction of gas phase, sea water flow velocity, viscoelastic coefficient of the marine riser, axial tension amplitude, and the in-line and cross-flow coupling effect taking into account both the geometric and hydrodynamic nonlinearities. On the base of extended Hamilton’s principle for open systems, the dynamic equations of the marine viscoelastic riser subjected to the axial tension and gas-liquid-structure interaction are established. Two distributed and coupled van der Pol wake oscillators are utilized to model the fluctuating lift and drag coefficients, respectively. The finite element method is adopted to directly solve the highly coupled nonlinear fluid-structure interaction equations. Model validations are firstly performed through comparisons with the published experimental data and numerical simulation results, and the characteristic curves of the in-line and cross-flow vibration pattern, the in-line and cross-flow displacement trajectories, the in-line and cross-flow space-time response of displacement, and the in-line and cross-flow space-time response of stress versus different parameters are obtained, respectively. The results show that the volume fraction of gas phase, sea water flow velocity, viscoelastic coefficient of marine riser, axial tension amplitude, the in-line and cross-flow coupling effect, and multiphase internal flow velocity have significant influences on the dynamic response characteristics of the marine viscoelastic riser. Furthermore, the maximum displacements and stresses of the marine viscoelastic riser can be increased or decreased depending on the internal flow velocity, and the critical internal flow velocities result in the increase of mode order for different cross-flow velocities. It is also demonstrated that appropriate viscoelastic coefficients are very important to effectively suppress the maximum displacements and stresses

Short-Sales Constraints and Price Discovery: Evidence from the Hong Kong Market

Short-sales practices in the Hong Kong stock market are unique in that only stocks on a list of designated securities can be sold short. By analyzing the price effects following the addition of individual stocks to the list, we find that short-sales constraints tend to cause stock overvaluation and that the overvaluation effect is more dramatic for individual stocks for which wider dispersion of investor opinions exists. These findings are consistent with Miller's (1977) intuition and other optimism models. We also document higher volatility and less positive skewness of individual stock returns when short sales are allowed. Copyright 2007 by The American Finance Association.

Use of Renally Inappropriate Medications in Older Veterans: A National Study.

ObjectivesTo determine how many ambulatory older adults with chronic kidney disease receive medications that are contraindicated or dosed excessively given their level of renal function.DesignCross-sectional retrospective study.SettingU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics.ParticipantsIndividuals aged 65 and older with a creatinine clearance (CrCl) of 15 to 49 mL/min (N = 83,850; mean age 80; 96% male).MeasurementsForty medications that require dose adjustment or are contraindicated in people with impaired renal function were examined. Medication use and CrCl (calculated using the Cockroft-Gault equation) were assessed using VA pharmacy, laboratory, and other data sources as of October 2007.ResultsThirteen percent of older veterans with a CrCl of 30 to 49 mL/min and 32% of those with a CrCl of 15 to 29 mL/min received one or more drugs that were contraindicated or prescribed at an excessive dose given the individual's level of renal function. The strongest risk factor for renally inappropriate prescribing was number of medications used; the risk of receiving renally inappropriate medications was 5.5 times as high (95% confidence interval = 5.1-5.9) in older adults taking 10 or more medications as in those taking one to three medications. Ranitidine, allopurinol, and metformin together accounted for 76% of renally misprescribed medications in individuals with a CrCl of 30 to 49 mL/min. Glyburide, ranitidine, gemfibrozil, carvedilol, and allopurinol accounted for 47% of renally misprescribed drugs for individuals with a CrCl of 15 to 29 mL/min.ConclusionInappropriate prescribing of renally cleared medications is common in ambulatory older veterans, with only a few medications accounting for most of these prescribing problems