Dual (oxy)hydroxide cocatalyst synergistically boosts solar water splitting of BiVO4 photoanode.

Bismuth oxide (BiVO4) is considered one of the most promising semiconductors for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to its highly theoretical photocurrent of 7.5 mA cm-2. However, its sluggish kinetics and severe photocorrosion still hinder the real application of a large-area BiVO4 photoanode.

Multiple Abdominal Desmoplastic Small Round-Cell Tumors Treated With Fan Beam Computed Tomography-Guided Adaptive Radiotherapy (FBCT-gART): A Case Report.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare and highly aggressive soft tissue tumor that predominantly affects the abdominal and pelvic regions of adolescent males. This case report presents our clinical experience of treating a 33-year-old male with multifocal peritoneal DSRCT using fan beam computed tomography-guided adaptive radiotherapy (FBCT-gART). The patient presented with abdominal pain and was diagnosed with DSRCT following imaging and biopsy.

Optical switch with an ultralow DC drift based on thin-film lithium tantalate.

We present an electro-optic (EO) switch with ultralow DC drift on a thin-film lithium tantalate (TFLT) platform, even with SiO cladding and without post-annealing processes. The flat V and EO responses have been measured across various driving frequencies, input optical powers, and temperatures. Stable optical switching is achievable in the low-frequency range.

Comparison of proton therapy and photon therapy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

The use of proton therapy (PT) in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (ES-NSCLC) remains controversial, with insufficient evidence to determine its superiority over photon therapy (XRT). We conducted a systematic review of PT trials in ES-NSCLC, analyzing dosimetry, efficacy, and safety across to inform clinical decision-making. Our study showed that PT reduced lung and heart dosimetric parameters compared to XRT, with significant differences in lung V5, lung V10 and mean heart dose (MHD).

Polarization-insensitive multimode interference coupler on an x-cut thin-film lithium niobate platform.

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) is a promising integrated photonics platform but currently lacks a polarization-insensitive multimode interference (MMI) coupler, a crucial component for polarization-related optical communication applications such as polarization management, polarization-division multiplexing, and polarization-insensitive modulation systems. This paper presents a novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach by rotating the MMI structure on an anisotropic x-cut TFLN at specific angles to compensate for the difference in the beat length between the two polarizations. A polarization-insensitive 1 × 2 MMI coupler is experimentally achieved with measured transmittances of -2.

Identifying vital nodes for yeast network by dynamic network entropy.

Background: The progress of the cell cycle of yeast involves the regulatory relationships between genes and the interactions proteins. However, it is still obscure which type of protein plays a decisive role in regulation and how to identify the vital nodes in the regulatory network. To elucidate the sensitive node or gene in the progression of yeast, here, we select 8 crucial regulatory factors from the yeast cell cycle to decipher a specific network and propose a simple mixed K2 algorithm to identify effectively the sensitive nodes and genes in the evolution of yeast.

HyperTMO: a trusted multi-omics integration framework based on hypergraph convolutional network for patient classification.

Motivation: The rapid development of high-throughput biomedical technologies can provide researchers with detailed multi-omics data. The multi-omics integrated analysis approach based on machine learning contributes a more comprehensive perspective to human disease research. However, there are still significant challenges in representing single-omics data and integrating multi-omics information.

Memory induced-mechanism of noise attenuator of myosin V molecular motors.

Depending on the chemical energy from ATP hydrolysis, myosin V can drive the multistep and continuous coupled cycling process to transport cellular cargo to targeted regions. However, it is still obscure how the molecular memory induced by the multistep coupled transported process could regulate the dynamic behavior of the motor state of myosin V. Here, we propose a novel non-Markovian polymorphic mechanochemical model to investigate the effect of the molecular memory on the mechanic of noise attenuation of myosin V system.

Compact slow-light waveguide and modulator on thin-film lithium niobate platform.

Lithium niobate Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) with compact footprint and fast electro-optics (EO) responses are highly demanded for the next-generation optical interconnect systems. Here, we demonstrate slow-light (SL) effect using a coupled Bragg resonator structure on the thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform, and an ultra-compact SL-MZM with length of ∼370 μm is also constructed. The fabricated SL waveguides show a large optical passband width of ∼8 nm, an insertion loss of 2.

Stochastic analysis and control for a delayed Hepatitis B epidemic model.

Considering the time delay originating from a certain incubation period or asymptomatic state, we propose a delayed epidemic system within the noisy environment of the hepatitis B virus to analyze the mechanism of disease transmission and elucidate how to control it by applying the strategy of vaccinating and treatment. Applying stochastic Lyapunov functional theory, we first construct an integral Lyapunov function coupling the time delay and stochastic fluctuation to investigate whether there exists a unique global solution to the model. Next, we yield the threshold condition for controlling disease extinction, and persistence, as well as its stationary distribution.

Magnetic anchor technique assisted laparoscopic cholecystectomy in swine.

Magnetic anchor device based on the principle of magnet heteropolar attraction can assist laparoscopic surgery and reduce abdominal wall trauma. This study explored the feasibility of use of our self-designed magnetic anchor device for reduced-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) through animal experiments. Twelve experimental pigs (15-20 kg) were randomly divided into study group (magnetic anchor technique assisted 2-port LC, n = 6) and control group (conventional 3-port LC, n = 6).

Implementation of sodium alginate-FeO to localize undiagnosed small pulmonary nodules for surgical management in a preclinical rabbit model.

Many methods are used to locate preoperative small pulmonary nodules. However, deficiencies of complications and success rates exist. We introduce a novel magnetic gel for small pulmonary nodules localization in rabbit model, and furtherly evaluate its safety and feasibility.

Adhesive anastomosis for organ transplantation.

The recent development of tough tissue adhesives has stimulated intense interests among material scientists and medical doctors. However, these adhesives have seldom been tested in clinically demanding surgeries. Here we demonstrate adhesive anastomosis in organ transplantation.

Coloured noise induces phenotypic diversity with energy dissipation.

Genes integrate many different sources of noise to adapt their survival strategy with energy costs, but how this noise impacts gene phenotype switching is not fully understood. Here, we refine a mechanistic model with multiplicative and additive coloured noise and analyse the influence of noise strength (NS) and autocorrelation time (AT) on gene phenotypic diversity. Different from white noise, we found that in the autocorrelation time-scale plane, increasing the multiplicative noise will broaden the bimodal region of the gene product, and additive noise will induce bimodal region drift from the lower level to the higher level, while the AT will promote this transition.

The role of magnetic anchoring and traction technique in thoracoscopic lymphadenectomy along the left recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Background: Dissecting lymph nodes along the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (LRLN) is the most challenging step in thoracoscopic-assisted esophagectomy. To retract the proximal esophagus in the existing lymphadenectomy methods, either a special trocar is required to insert and take out endoscopic instruments or thoracic punctures are needed to externally retract the esophageal loop. Therefore, advanced skills for esophageal traction are important to facilitate the LRLN lymphadenectomy and to reduce the incidence of trauma to the chest wall.

Magnetic-assisted laparoscopic liver transplantation in swine.

Background: Although laparoscopic technology has achieved rapid development in the surgical field, it has not been applied to liver transplantation, primarily because of difficulties associated with laparoscopic vascular anastomosis. In this study, we introduced a new magnetic-assisted vascular anastomosis technique and explored its application in laparoscopic liver transplantation in pigs.

Methods: Two sets of magnetic vascular anastomosis rings (MVARs) with different diameters were developed.

Application of a novel magnetic anchoring and traction technique in thoracoscopic esophagectomy: a swine experiment.

Background: Effective traction and dissection of the esophagus are key steps during thoracoscopic esophagectomy. In traditional methods, a separate trocar for the traction instruments or thoracic punctures are adopted to externally retract the esophageal loop. However, both methods bring about chest wall damage that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Mechanics-driven nuclear localization of YAP can be reversed by N-cadherin ligation in mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells adopt differentiation pathways based upon cumulative effects of mechanosensing. A cell's mechanical microenvironment changes substantially over the course of development, beginning from the early stages in which cells are typically surrounded by other cells and continuing through later stages in which cells are typically surrounded by extracellular matrix. How cells erase the memory of some of these mechanical microenvironments while locking in memory of others is unknown.

Plasma asprosin, CCDC80 and ANGPTL4 levels are associated with metabolic and cardiovascular risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Asprosin, coiled-coil domain-containing 80(CCDC80) and angiopoietin-like4(ANGPTL4) are newly discovered adipocytokine that affects glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate if a relationship exists among asprosin, CCDC80 and ANGPTL4 and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fifty subjects with newly diagnosed IBD and fifty healthy individuals were enrolled.

Prevalence and impact of comorbid obstructive sleep apnoea in diffuse parenchymal lung diseases.

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are increasingly recognized as important features in diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLDs) with differed prevalence and impact reported. The aim of this study is to systematically review the prevalence of comorbid OSA and characterize its impact on clinical and outcome measurements in adults with DPLDs.

Methods: Publications addressing the prevalence of OSA in DPLDs and its impacts on DPLDs were selected from electronic databases.

Correlation in gene expression between the aggravation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the occurrence of complications.

Aggravation of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often leads to a slew of complications, but the correlation between COPD aggravation and the complications on the basis of molecular level remains unclear. In this study, gene expression profiles of COPD in patients at early and aggravation stages were collected and differentially-expressed genes were selected. Meanwhile, gene expression data implicated in COPD complications were analyzed to establish a regulatory network of COPD aggravation and COPD related complications.

Subcutaneous injection of IFN alpha-2b for COVID-19: an observational study.

Background: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is ongoing and associated with high mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous injection of interferon alpha-2b (IFN alpha-2b) combined with lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) in the treatment of COVID-19 infection, compared with that of using LPV/r alone.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection in Wuhan Red Cross hospital during the period from January 23, 2020 to March 19, 2020 were included.

Fast and Effective Nonsuture Anastomosis of Magnetic Artificial Blood Vessel Transplantation for Caval Reconstruction in Canines.

Background: The resection and reconstruction of the vena cava is frequently needed in tumor resection. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of the magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) device for fast nonsuture anastomosis of caval reconstruction with artificial blood vessel transplantation after resection in canines.

Methods: The MCA device consisted of paired neodymium-ferrum-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnetic rings that were coated with titanium nitride and embedded in a polypropylene shell.