Terahertz absorbers combined with phase-changing
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are a class of stealth materials with adjustable absorptance. However, such absorbers still suffer from insufficient absorption bandwidth. We propose a three-layer terahertz (THz) absorber, consisting of an array of diagonally distributed double-sized
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disks on a silica-coated gold film. We find this structure can generate the superposition of three resonant absorption peaks to broaden the absorption band. The finite element simulation (FES) results show that the absorption bandwidth can be adjusted from 2.63 to 5.04 THz by simply changing the sizes of the
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disks. In addition, the peak absorptance can be continuously regulated from 9.8% to 96% by varying the conductivity of
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. Finally, the absorber is polarization-insensitive and has wide-angle absorption. The wide absorption band and adjustable bandwidth of the absorbers have important applications potentially for intelligent stealth materials.
This study aimed to investigate the expression of B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) in cartilage tissues following articular cartilage injury and to determine its effects on the biological function of chondrocytes. A total of 25 necrotic cartilage tissue samples and 25 normal tissue samples were collected from patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis at our hospital from December 2015 to December 2018. The mRNA expression levels of Bcl-xL, caspase-3, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in the normal and necrotic tissues were examined via quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and their protein expression levels were detected via western blotting. The expression levels of Bcl-xL, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) were significantly lower but those of caspase-3, MMP-3, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and chemokine-like factor 1 (CKLF1) levels were markedly higher in necrotic cartilage tissues than in normal tissues. Following cell transfection, the expression levels of Bcl-xL, IGF-1, and BMP were remarkably higher but those of caspase-3, MMP-3, IL-1β, and CKLF1 were notably lower in the Si-Bcl-xL group than in the NC group. The Si-Bcl-xL group showed significantly lower cell growth and noticeably higher apoptosis rate than the NC group (normal control group). The expression of Bcl-xL is reduced following articular cartilage injury, and this reduction promotes the proliferation and inhibits the apoptosis of chondrocytes. Therefore, Bcl-xL could serve as a relevant molecular target in the clinical practice of osteoarthritis and other diseases causing cartilage damage.
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