The growing maturity of nanofabrication has ushered massive sophisticated optical structures available on a photonic chip. The integration of subwavelength-structured metasurfaces and metamaterials ...on the canonical building block of optical waveguides is gradually reshaping the landscape of photonic integrated circuits, giving rise to numerous meta-waveguides with unprecedented strength in controlling guided electromagnetic waves. Here, we review recent advances in meta-structured waveguides that synergize various functional subwavelength photonic architectures with diverse waveguide platforms, such as dielectric or plasmonic waveguides and optical fibers. Foundational results and representative applications are comprehensively summarized. Brief physical models with explicit design tutorials, either physical intuition-based design methods or computer algorithms-based inverse designs, are cataloged as well. We highlight how meta-optics can infuse new degrees of freedom to waveguide-based devices and systems, by enhancing light-matter interaction strength to drastically boost device performance, or offering a versatile designer media for manipulating light in nanoscale to enable novel functionalities. We further discuss current challenges and outline emerging opportunities of this vibrant field for various applications in photonic integrated circuits, biomedical sensing, artificial intelligence and beyond.
Abstract
Renewable electricity-powered CO evolution from CO
2
emissions is a promising first step in the sustainable production of commodity chemicals, but performing electrochemical CO
2
reduction ...economically at scale is challenging since only noble metals, for example, gold and silver, have shown high performance for CO
2
-to-CO. Cu is a potential catalyst to achieve CO
2
reduction to CO at the industrial scale, but the C-C coupling process on Cu significantly depletes CO* intermediates, thus limiting the CO evolution rate and producing many hydrocarbon and oxygenate mixtures. Herein, we tune the CO selectivity of Cu by alloying a second metal Sb into Cu, and report an antimony-copper single-atom alloy catalyst (Sb
1
Cu) of isolated Sb-Cu interfaces that catalyzes the efficient conversion of CO
2
-to-CO with a Faradaic efficiency over 95%. The partial current density reaches 452 mA cm
−2
with approximately 91% CO Faradaic efficiency, and negligible C
2+
products are observed. In situ spectroscopic measurements and theoretical simulations reason that the atomic Sb-Cu interface in Cu promotes CO
2
adsorption/activation and weakens the binding strength of CO*, which ends up with enhanced CO selectivity and production rates.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes disability worldwide. Exosomes released by fibroblast-like synoviocytes in RA (RA-FLSs-Exos) play a role in the development of ...RA, and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important for RA progression. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of RA-FLSs-Exos in RA and identify the potential pathway responsible for these effects.
We initially conducted microarray analysis to identify dysregulated circRNAs in exosomes associated with RA. We then co-cultured isolated RA-FLSs-Exos with chondrocytes to examine their role in RA. In vivo experiments were performed using collagen-induced arthritis mouse models, and circFTO knockdown was achieved through intra-articular injection of AAV5 vectors.
Our findings revealed increased expression of circFTO in both RA-FLSs-Exos and synovial tissues from patients with RA. Exosomal circFTO hindered chondrocyte proliferation, migration, and anabolism while promoting apoptosis and catabolism. Mechanistically, we discovered that circFTO facilitates the formation of methyltransferases complex to suppress SRY-related high-mobility group box 9 (SOX9) expression with assistance from YTH domain family 2 (YTHDF2) through an m6A-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, inhibition of circFTO improved symptoms of RA in vivo.
Taken together, our study demonstrates that exosomal circFTO derived from FLSs contributes to the progression of RA by targeting SOX9. These findings highlight a promising target for treating RA.
•A high figure of merit refractive index sensor with Fano resonance based on periodically arranged all-dielectric asymmetrical elliptical ring-disks has been proposed.•The sharp Fano peak can be ...easily tuned by adjusting the structural parameters.•The maximum values of quality factor of the proposed structure can reach 4350.•Furthermore, we find that the position of the Fano resonance is very sensitive to the change of the background refractive index.•The sensitivity and FOM of the designed device can reach 554 nm/RIU and 2409, respectively.•This study may open a new way for the development of nonlinear optics, integrated optical circuits and biosensing.
In this paper, we propose and numerically investigate a high figure of merit refractive index sensor with Fano resonance based on periodically arranged all-dielectric asymmetrical elliptical ring-disks. The electromagnetic field distributions and transmission spectra have been calculated to analyze the Fano resonances of our proposed structure. The sharp Fano peak can be easily tuned by adjusting the structural parameters. The maximum values of quality factor of the proposed structure can reach 4350. Furthermore, we find that the position of the Fano resonance is very sensitive to the change of the background refractive index. The sensitivity and FOM of the designed device can reach 541 nm/RIU and 2353 RIU−1, respectively. This study may open a new way for the development of nonlinear optics, integrated optical circuits and biosensing.
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•Little is known about the regional and socioeconomic disparities in PM2.5-mortality burden in China.•We provided data of PM2.5-related mortality burdens for 296 Chinese cities during ...2015–2019.•There were significant regional and socioeconomic disparities in PM2.5-related mortality burdens.•Different regions and socioeconomic groups may need different mitigation policies.
Quantifying the spatial and socioeconomic variation of mortality burden attributable to particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) has important implications for pollution control policy. This study aims to examine the regional and socioeconomic disparities in the mortality burden attributable to long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 in China.
Using data of 296 cities across China from 2015 to 2019, we estimated all-cause mortality (people aged ≥ 16 years) attributable to the long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 above the new WHO air quality guideline (5 µg/m3). Attributed fraction (AF), attributed deaths (AD), attributed mortality rate (AMR) and total value of statistical life lost (VSL) by regional and socioeconomic levels were reported.
Over the period of 2015–2019, 17.0% 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.4–25.2 of all-cause mortality were attributable to long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5, corresponding to 1,425.2 thousand deaths (95% CI: 622.4–2,099.6), 103.5/105 (95% CI: 44.9–153.3) AMR, and 1006.9 billion USD (95% CI: 439.8–1483.4) total VSL per year. The AMR decreased from 120.5/105 (95% CI: 52.9–176.6) to 92.7/105 (95% CI:39.9–138.5) from 2015 to 2019. The highest mortality burden was observed in the north region (annual average AF = 24.2%, 95% CI: 10.8–35.1; annual average AMR = 137.0/105, 95% CI: 60.9–198.5). The highest AD and economic loss were observed in the east region (annual average AD = 390.0 thousand persons, 95% CI: 170.3–574.6; annual total VSL = 275.6 billion USD, 95% CI: 120.3–406.0). Highest AMR was in the cities with middle level of GDP per capita (PGDP)/urbanization. The majority of the top ten cities of AF, AMR and VSL were in high and middle PGDP/urbanization regions.
There were significant regional and socioeconomic disparities in PM2.5 attributed mortality burden among Chinese cities, suggesting differential mitigation policies are required for different regions in China.
Although substantial efforts have been made by researchers to develop drugs, a disappointing reality is that the emergence of drug resistance is an unavoidable reality for the majority of patients. ...In recent years, emerging evidence suggests a connection between drug resistance and immune dysregulation.
As a ubiquitously distributed, versatile innate immune cell, macrophages play essential roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis in a steady state. Nevertheless, it is becoming aware that macrophages undermine the action of therapeutic drugs across various disease types. Reprogramming macrophage function has been proven to be effective in restoring patient responsiveness to treatment. Herein, we comprehensively reviewed how macrophages respond to drugs and the mechanisms by which they contribute to treatment unresponsiveness in cancer, inflammatory diseases, and metabolic diseases. In addition, future prospects in macrophage-based combination therapy were discussed.
Targeting macrophages is a promising strategy for overcoming drug resistance in immune disorders.
Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that regulate several key agronomic traits, including shoot branching, leaf senescence, and stress tolerance. The artificial regulation of SL biosynthesis and ...signaling has been considered as a potent strategy in regulating plant architecture and combatting the infection of parasitic weeds to help improve crop yield. DL1b is a previously reported SL receptor inhibitor molecule that significantly promotes shoot branching. Here, we synthesized 18 novel compounds based on the structure of DL1b. We performed rice tillering activity assay and selected a novel small molecule,
, as a candidate SL receptor inhibitor. In vitro bioassays demonstrated that
possesses various regulatory functions as an SL inhibitor, including inhibiting germination of the root parasitic seeds
, delaying leaf senescence and promoting hypocotyl elongation of
. ITC analysis and molecular docking experiments further confirmed that
can interact with SL receptor proteins, thereby interfering with the binding of SL to its receptor. Therefore,
is considered a novel SL receptor inhibitor with potential applications in plant architecture control and prevention of root parasitic weed infestation.
•An improved Nemerow index method for water quality assessment based on combined weighting was constructed.•Nonlinear regression models perform better in accuracy and stability, especially when the ...number of water quality indicators is 5.•TN, NH4+-N and CODMn are significantly related to the grade of surface water quality in Heilongjiang Province.
Accurately evaluating surface water quality grade (WQG) is of great significance in improving the efficiency of regional water quality management. Based on seven main surface water quality indicators (including dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), permanganate index (CODMn), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), fluoride (FL), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN)) data from 910 measuring points in Heilongjiang Province from May to August 2017, an improved Nemerow index method (IN method) based on combined weighting was constructed, and the WQG was evaluated. On this basis, the multiple linear or non-linear regression models (MLR or MNR) under different quantities of water quality indicators were established, and the prediction results were evaluated. Results show that: 1) WQG in Heilongjiang Province above grade III accounts for more than 92.6%, evaluated by the IN method; 2) The accuracy of WQG evaluated by MLR based on different quantities of water quality indicators are maintained at 77%-90% and decreases with the increase of the number of water quality indicators (N), which may be related to the selected combination of water quality indicators and key water pollutants. The accuracy is improved by 3.9%-17.4% for MNR as compared to MLR, and especially the accuracy can reach as high as 95.6% when N is 5; 3) Compare to the MLR, the MNR is less affected by the data fluctuation characteristics, and performs best when N is 5 under both the great and small data fluctuations, with an accuracy of 85% and 90%, respectively. 4) TN (0.72), NH4+-N (0.41), and CODMn (0.33) are significantly related to the WQG. COD is a key parameter affecting the stability and uncertainty of MLR and MNR. These results provide a simple and reliable method for accurately evaluating the surface WQG, which have important guiding significance for decision-makers and researchers in water environment protection and agricultural water fertilizer management in Heilongjiang Province.
•Trends of air humidification in arid regions are evaluated by RH and ea.•RH tend to give a misleading in evaluating the trends of wetting or drying.•ea is more consistent with the precipitation ...changes and suitable for trending analyses of air humidification.
The trend of wetting or drying is an important metric of regional and global climate change. Based on daily meteorological data during 1951–2018 from 10 stations in arid regions of North China, the performances of two indicators, relative humidity (RH) and actual water vapour pressure (ea), in evaluating the trends of air humidification are investigated. Results show that annual RH decreases by 0–0.10% yr−1 during the past decades in almost all (90%) stations, whereas annual ea presents increasing trends in 40% of stations and decreasing trends in the other 60% stations. Therefore, contrasting results are observed in the trends of air humidity reflected RH and ea. Specifically, stations getting significantly drying as indicated by RH, it is tend to getting less drying or even wetting as indicated by ea. These results suggest that it tend to give a misleading conclusion with the trends of RH as indicator in evaluating the trends of regional or global wetting or drying, due to the reduction in RH caused by the accompanying temperature rising under global warming. The other indicator ea is more consistent with the precipitation changes, and suitable for trending analyses of air humidification under such circumstance. Further researches should be done in a larger scale arid region and in different seasons, to investigate the differences in the trends of air humidification indicated by RH and ea, and discuss the response of the changes of wetting or drying to the varied meteorological factors.
Traditional detection techniques are affected by surrounding factors and cannot accurately determine the location of the fault point. In order to solve the problem, a short-term flashover fault ...intelligent detection method in the paper is proposed for high-power main network power system. The short-term flashover fault feature of the high-power main network power system is extracted by the wavelet-type wavelet packet energy moment. The CPRS networking mode is used to intelligently detect the short-term flashover fault of the high-power main network power system. Experiments show that the proposed technique is more accurate than traditional detection techniques.
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