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The Airy beam has attracted great attention since it was proposed in 2007 due to its novel properties, such as non-diffraction, self-healing, and self-acceleration. However, the spin angular momentum (SAM), which is an intrinsic nature of light, has rarely been studied by the Airy beam. Here, we propose a kind of binary circular Airy beam (BCAB) with space-variant polarizations and vortex phases and study the SAM evolution of the BCAB during propagation. We find the effects of appearance and annihilation of SAM during the propagation of BCAB, and the SAM can be further manipulated by adjusting the initial phase and polarization distribution of BCAB. Moreover, the optical tube, optical needle, and optical cage carrying different SAMs are achieved in propagation, which can be applied in various regions, such as optical trapping and manipulation. The BCAB significantly enriches the family of structured light and provides a flexible control scheme of SAM, which can further promote the application of SAM in many fields.

Abstract Background The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been proposed as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance. However, the relationship between the TyG index and central blood pressure (BP), has not been well studied in adults. Methods A total of 715 Chinese adult participants were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric and BP were assessed. The TyG index was calculated as ln[fasting triglycerides(mg/dL) × fasting glucose(mg/dL)/2]. Central BP was measured using SphygmoCor system. Results The participants were stratified into three groups based on the TyG index, and significant differences were observed in metabolic and cardiovascular parameters and the prevalence of hypertension among the groups. Both brachial (β = 1.38, P = 0.0310; group highest vs. lowest, β = 2.66, P = 0.0084) and aortic (β = 2.38, P = 0.0002; group highest vs. lowest, β = 3.96, P = 0.0001) diastolic BP were significantly and independently associated with the TyG index and increasing TyG index tertile. However, there was no independent association between the TyG index and systolic BP. A one-unit increase in the TyG index was associated with a 46% higher risk of hypertension (P = 0.0121), and compared with the lowest group, participants in the highest group had a 95% higher risk of hypertension (P = 0.0057). Conclusions Our study demonstrates a significant and independent association between the TyG index and both brachial and aortic diastolic BP in Chinese adults. Furthermore, the TyG index was found to be an independent predictor of hypertension.

As is known, quasi-periodicity attracts great attention in many scientific regions. For instance, the discovery of the quasicrystal was rewarded the Nobel Prize in 2011, leading to a series of its applications. However, in the area of manipulating optical fields, the two-dimensional quasi-periodicity is rarely considered. Here, we study the two-dimensional quasi-periodic diffraction properties of the scalar and vector optical fields based on the Penrose tiling, which is one of the most representative kinds of two-dimensional quasi-periodic patterns. We propose type-A and type-B Penrose tiling masks (PTMs) with phase modulation, and further show the diffraction properties of the optical fields passing through these masks. The intensity of the diffraction field holds a tenfold symmetry. It is proved that the iteration number n of the PTM shows the “weeding” function in the diffraction field, and this property is useful in filtering, shaping, and manipulating diffraction fields. Meanwhile, we also find that the diffraction patterns have the label of the Golden ratio, which can be applied in areas such as optical encryption and information transmission.

Abstract Thyroid dysfunction plays a role in blood pressure (BP) regulation. However, the associations between thyroid function and BP and arterial stiffness in the general Chinese population without thyroid disease are unknown. This population‐based cross‐sectional study aimed to investigate the association between thyroid function and peripheral and central BP and arterial stiffness in Chinese individuals. After excluding those who had thyroid diseases or incomplete clinical measurements, this study included 691 participants. Of the participants, 444 (64.2%) were women and 215 (31.1%) had hypertension. After adjustment for covariates, serum FT3 was significantly associated with a higher pulse rate in both sexes. In men, each 2.72‐fold increase in serum FT4 levels was associated with higher peripheral systolic BP (+10.82 mmHg, p = .005) and pulse pressure (+5.71 mmHg, p = .03). Each 2.72‐fold increase in serum FT4 levels was associated with higher central systolic BP (+8.03 mmHg, p = .03) and pulse pressure (+3.89 mmHg, p = .05). In women, serum FT4 was only associated with a higher central pulse pressure (+2.96 mmHg, p = .04). After adjustment for covariates, serum FT4 was significantly associated with a faster cfPWV exclusively in men. Our study showed that serum FT4 is associated with higher peripheral and central BP and faster cfPWV in men, whereas serum FT3 is positively associated with a higher pulse rate in both sexes, indicating that the effects of thyroid function on BP and arterial stiffness are more significant in men than in women.

Abstract Klotho, an important anti-aging protein, may be related to elevated blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness. We aimed to investigate associations between the serum klotho concentration and peripheral/central BP and arterial stiffness based on the carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in a Chinese population. We invited all inhabitants aged ≥ 18 years in two Dali communities for participation. The SphygmoCor system was used to record radial arterial waveforms. Aortic waveforms were derived using a generalized transfer function. The central BP was assessed by calibrating the brachial BP, which was measured using an oscillometric device. The serum klotho concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and logarithmically transformed. Of the 716 participants (mean age: 51.9 ± 12.6 years), 467 (65.2%) were women. The median serum klotho concentration was 381.8 pg/mL. The serum klotho concentration did not significantly differ between patients with and without hypertension (P > 0.05) and between those with and without arterial stiffness (cfPWV ≥ 10 m/s) (P > 0.05). After adjusting for confounders, the serum klotho concentration was not significantly associated with the peripheral or central BP (P > 0.05) and cfPWV (P > 0.05). Our data indicated that the serum klotho concentration was not associated with BP or cfPWV in the general Chinese population.

The title compound, {[Nd2(C2O4)3(H2O)4]·2H2O}n, was synthesized hydrothermally in the presence of bis(carboxyethylgermanium) sesquioxide. It is isostructural with the corresponding Pr compound [Yang et al. (2009). Acta Cryst. E65, m1152–m1153]. The Nd3+ cation is nine-coordinated and its coordination polyhedron can be described as a distorted tricapped trigonal prism. Two Nd3+ ions are connected by two O atoms from two oxalate ions to give a dinuclear Nd2 unit. The unit is further linked to four others via four oxalate ions yielding a layerparallel to (0-11). The linkages between the layers by neighbouring oxalate anions lead to a three-dimensional framework with channels along the c axis. The coordinating and free water molecules are located in the channels and make contact with each other and the host framework by weak O—H...O hydrogen bonds.

This paper presents a free vibration analysis of functionally graded Reissner-Mindlin circular plates with various supported boundaries in thermal environments. A FGM consisting of metal and ceramic was considered in the study. Based on the geometric equation, physical equation and equilibrium equation of thick plate, taking into account the transverse shearing deformation, the free vibration equation of the axisymmetric FGM moderately thick circular plates was derived in terms of the middle surface angles of rotation and lateral displacement. The material properties of the plate were assumed to vary continuously in the thickness direction according a power law. By using shooting method to solve the coupled ordinary differential equations with different boundary conditions, the natural frequencies of FGM thick circular plates were obtained numerically. The effects of material gradient property, thickness ratio and boundary conditions on the natural frequencies were discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration and post-buckling of beams made from functionally graded materials (FGM) subjected to uniformly and tangentially compressing follower forces are studied in this paper. Based on the accurately and geometrically nonlinear theory for extensible beams, the dynamic governing equations for FGM beams under non-conservative load are formulated. By using a shooting method to solve the non-linearly differential equations numerically, the responses of post-buckling and free vibration in the vicinity of post-buckling configuration are obtained, in which the hinged-fixed boundary conditions of beam are considered. Effects of material gradient parameter on the critical buckling, post-buckling and lower frequencies of the FGM beam are discussed in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As important functional materials, the electronic structure and physical properties of (GaAs)m(AlAs)n superlattices (SLs) have been extensively studied. However, due to limitations of computational methods and computational resources, it is sometimes difficult to thoroughly understand how and why the modification of their structural parameters affects their electronic structure and physical properties. In this article, a high-throughput study based on density functional theory calculations has been carried out to obtain detailed information and to further provide the underlying intrinsic mechanisms. The band gap variations of (GaAs)m(AlAs)n superlattices have been systematically investigated and summarized. They are very consistent with the available reported experimental measurements. Furthermore, the direct-to-indirect-gap transition of (GaAs)m(AlAs)n superlattices has been predicted and explained. For certain thicknesses of the GaAs well (m), the band gap value of (GaAs)m(AlAs)n SLs exponentially increases (increasing n), while for certain thicknesses of the AlAs barrier (n), the band gap value of (GaAs)m(AlAs)n SLs exponentially decreases (increasing m). In both cases, the band gap values converge to certain values. Furthermore, owing to the energy eigenvalues at different k-points showing different variation trends, (GaAs)m(AlAs)n SLs transform from a Γ-Γ direct band gap to Γ-M indirect band gap when the AlAs barrier is thick enough. The intrinsic reason for these variations is that the contributions and positions of the electronic states of the GaAs well and the AlAs barrier change under altered thickness conditions. Moreover, we have found that the binding energy can be used as a detector to estimate the band gap value in the design of (GaAs)m(AlAs)n devices. Our findings are useful for the design of novel (GaAs)m(AlAs)n superlattices-based optoelectronic devices.