Low-Temperature Growth of InGaAs Quantum Wells Using Migration-Enhanced Epitaxy.

The growth of InGaAs quantum wells (QWs) epitaxially on InP substrates is of great interest due to their wide application in optoelectronic devices. However, conventional molecular beam epitaxy requires substrate temperatures between 400 and 500 °C, which can lead to disorder scattering, dopant diffusion, and interface roughening, adversely affecting device performance. Lower growth temperatures enable the fabrication of high-speed optoelectronic devices by increasing arsenic antisite defects and reducing carrier lifetimes.

Amygdala electrical stimulation for operant conditioning in rat navigation.

There have been several attempts to navigate the locomotion of animals by neuromodulation. The most common method is animal training with electrical brain stimulation for directional cues and rewards; the basic principle is to activate dopamine-mediated neural reward pathways such as the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) when the animal correctly follows the external commands. In this study, the amygdala, which is the brain region responsible for fear modulation, was targeted for punishment training.

Effect of vegetable consumption on risk of gastric cancer: a systematic review and multi-level meta-analysis of prospective studies.

Vegetables are known to be beneficial to human health, but the association between vegetable consumption and gastric cancer remains uncertain. To synthesise knowledge about the relationship between vegetable group consumption and gastric cancer risk, update present meta-analyses and estimate associations between vegetable consumption and gastric cancer risk based solely on prospective studies, we perform a PRISMA-compliant three-level meta-analysis. Systematic search identified thirteen prospective studies with fifty-two effect sizes that met all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria for our meta-analysis.

Predictors of achieving minimal clinically important difference in functional status for elderly patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis undergoing lumbar decompression and fusion surgery.

Objective: To identify the predictors for the achievement of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in functional status among elderly patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) undergoing lumbar decompression and fusion surgery.

Methods: Patients who underwent lumbar surgery for DLSS and had a minimum of 1-year follow-up were included. The MCID achievement threshold for the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was set at 12.

Sagittal imbalance syndrome, a new concept, helps determining a long fusion for patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and severe global sagittal imbalance.

Objective: To retrospectively investigate the postoperative clinical and radiographic outcomes in elderly patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) and severe global sagittal imbalance who underwent different fusion levels.

Methods: A total of 214 patients with DLSS and severe global sagittal imbalance were included. Sagittal imbalance syndrome was defined as the severe decompensated radiographic global sagittal imbalance accompanied with the following symptoms: severe back pain in naturel posture that disappears or significantly relieves in support position, living disability with ODI score > 40% and dynamic sagittal imbalance.

Surface plasmon enhancement in silver nanowires and bilayer two-dimensional materials.

In order to improve the low light absorption of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), surface plasmon (SP) nanostructures have been widely studied. However, the impact of interlayer twist on such nanostructures has rarely been studied. Here, we construct two different composite structures of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and pristine bilayer MoS (pBLM) or twisted bilayer MoS (tBLM).

Myeloid Deletion of Cdc42 Protects Liver From Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Inhibiting Macrophage-Mediated Inflammation in Mice.

Background & Aims: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) often occurs in liver surgery, such as partial hepatectomy and liver transplantation, in which myeloid macrophage-mediated inflammation plays a critical role. Cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) regulates cell migration, cytoskeleton rearrangement, and cell polarity. In this study, we explore the role of myeloid Cdc42 in HIRI.

Migration-Enhanced Epitaxial Growth of InAs/GaAs Short-Period Superlattices for THz Generation.

The low-temperature-grown InGaAs (LT-InGaAs) photoconductive antenna has received great attention for the development of highly compact and integrated cheap THz sources. However, the performance of the LT-InGaAs photoconductive antenna is limited by its low resistivity and mobility. The generated radiated power is much weaker compared to the low-temperature-grown GaAs-based photoconductive antennas.

Low-Shear Stress Promotes Atherosclerosis via Inducing Endothelial Cell Pyroptosis Mediated by IKKε/STAT1/NLRP3 Pathway.

Atherosclerosis is initiated by vascular endothelial dysfunction, and low-shear stress (LSS) of blood flow is a key factor leading to endothelial dysfunction. Growing evidence suggests that endothelial cell pyroptosis plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Studies have shown that low-shear stress can induce endothelial cell pyroptosis, but the exact mechanism remains unclear.

Psoas muscle index and psoas muscle density are associated with functional status in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background: The factors affecting lumbar spinal function in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) are still unclear.

Objective: This study explored psoas major muscle morphology in patients with DLSS and its association with their functional status.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 288 patients with DLSS and 260 control subjects.

Circular-target-style bifocal zoom metalens.

Optical zoom plays an important role in realizing high-quality image magnification, especially in photography, telescopes, microscopes, etc. Compared to traditional bulky zoom lenses, the high versatility and flexibility of metalens design provide opportunities for modern electronic and photonic systems with demands for miniature and lightweight optical zoom. Here, we propose an ultra-thin, lightweight and compact bifocal zoom metalens, which consists of a conventional circular sub-aperture and a sparse annular sub-aperture with different focal lengths.

Development and external validation of a predictive model for prolonged length of hospital stay in elderly patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery: comparison of three predictive models.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a predictive model for prolonged length of hospital stay (pLOS) in elderly patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery, utilizing multivariate logistic regression, single classification and regression tree (hereafter, "classification tree") and random forest machine-learning algorithms.

Methods: This study was a retrospective review of a prospective Geriatric Lumbar Disease Database. The primary outcome measure was pLOS, which was defined as the LOS greater than the 75th percentile.

One step cleanup of 160 pesticides and veterinary drugs in aquatic products using melamine-based automatic pressure filtration purification method combined with HPLC-MS/MS.

A 15-channel pressure filtration purification method was presented for high throughput sample preparation of aquatic products. A cost-effective device was constructed and melamine sponge was selected as the cleanup sorbent. Upon interfacing with HPLC-MS/MS, the analytical procedure demonstrated its suitability for quantifying 160 pesticides and veterinary drug residues in aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, and crab.

Estimated Pulse Wave Velocity Predicts All-Cause and Cardiovascular-Cause Mortality in Individuals With Hypertension - Findings From a National Health and Nutrition Examination Study 1999-2018.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) and mortality outcomes among individuals with hypertension.

Methods and results: Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018, a total of 14,396 eligible participants with hypertension were enrolled. The ePWV was calculated using the equation based on blood pressure and age.

Comparison of Four Nutritional Screening Tools for Predicting Postoperative Adverse Events Following Degenerative Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Study Design: A retrospective study.

Objective: To compare the mini nutritional assessment-short form (MNA-SF), geriatric nutritional risk index, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and preoperative serum albumin level as predictors of postoperative adverse events (AEs) in degenerative spine deformity (DSD) patients.

Summary Of Background Data: Although various nutritional screening tools have been well evaluated in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery, the most suitable tool for the DSD population remains uncertain at present.

Hydrogel Based on Riclin Cross-Linked with Polyethylene Glycol Diglycidyl Ether as a Soft Filler for Tissue Engineering.

Hydrogels composed of natural polysaccharides have been widely used as filling materials, with a growing interest in medical cosmetology and skin care. However, conventional commercial dermal fillers still have limitations, particularly in terms of mechanical performance and durability . In this study, a novel injectable and implantable hydrogel with adjustable characteristics was prepared from succinoglycan riclin by introducing PEG diglycidyl ether as a cross-linker.

Respiratory Toxicology of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials: A Review.

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) consist of a single or few layers of graphene sheets or modified graphene including pristine graphene, graphene nanosheets (GNS), graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as well as graphene modified with various functional groups or chemicals (e.g., hydroxyl, carboxyl, and polyethylene glycol), which are frequently used in industrial and biomedical applications owing to their exceptional physicochemical properties.

Quantile difference estimation with censoring indicators missing at random.

In this paper, we define estimators of distribution functions when the data are right-censored and the censoring indicators are missing at random, and establish their strong representations and asymptotic normality. Besides, based on empirical likelihood method, we define maximum empirical likelihood estimators and smoothed log-empirical likelihood ratios of two-sample quantile difference in the presence and absence of auxiliary information, respectively, and prove their asymptotic distributions. Simulation study and real data analysis are conducted to investigate the finite sample behavior of the proposed methods.

Panaxcerol D from ameliorates the memory impairment induced by cholinergic blockade or Aβ peptide in mice.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has memory impairment associated with aggregation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Although anti-amyloid β (Aβ) protein antibody and chemical drugs can be prescribed in the clinic, they show adverse effects or low effectiveness. Therefore, the development of a new drug is necessarily needed.