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Background: Clinical nutritionists are responsible for nutritional therapy in clinical practice, which significantly enhances patients' nutritional status. This study aims to develop and validate a competency evaluation scale to effectively assess the abilities of clinical nutritionists. Methods: The competency evaluation scale for clinical nutritionists was developed based on the iceberg model, utilizing literature review, semi-structured interviews, and the Delphi method. The weights of each indicator were calculated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the validity and reliability of the scale were confirmed through questionnaire surveys. Results: The competency evaluation scale of clinical nutritionists comprised five primary indicators, twelve secondary indicators, and sixty-six tertiary indicators. The primary indicators, including professional theoretical knowledge, professional practical skills, humanistic practice ability, interpersonal communication ability, and professional development capability, have respective weights of 0.2168, 0.2120, 0.2042, 0.2022, and 0.1649. The Cronbach's α coefficients of the five dimensions of the scale were 0.970, 0.978, 0.969, 0.962, and 0.947, respectively. The results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis showed that the prerequisites for factor analysis were satisfied. Additionally, Bartlett's test of sphericity yielded a significance level of p < 0.001, confirming the scale's reliability and validity. Conclusions: The competency evaluation scale for clinical nutritionists developed in this study is of high scientific reliability and validity, which provides assessment criteria for the training and assessment of clinical nutritionists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to examine the association between dietary Se intake and CVD risk in Chinese adults. Design: This prospective cohort study included adults above 20 years old in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), and they were followed up from 1997 to 2015 (n 16 030). Dietary data were retrieved from CHNS, and a 3-d, 24-h recall of food intake was used to assess the cumulative average intake of dietary Se, which was divided into quartiles. The Cox proportional hazards model was adopted to analyse the association between dietary Se intake and incident CVD risk. Setting: CHNS (1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015) Results: A total of 663 respondents developed CVD after being followed up for a mean of 9·9 years (median 9 years). The incidence of CVD was 4·3, 3·7, 4·6 and 4·0 per 1000 person-years across the quartiles of cumulative Se intake. After adjusting all potential factors, no significant associations were found between cumulative Se intake and CVD risk. No interactions were found between Se intake and income, urbanisation, sex, region, weight, hypertension and CVD risk. Conclusion: We found no association between dietary Se and CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inconsistent findings have been discovered in studies examining the link between dietary selenium (Se) and sleep. Data were obtained from 17,176 people aged 20 and over who participated in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 2004 to 2011. Face-to-face interviews were used to measure sleep duration in 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2011. To track dietary Se consumption, a 3-day, 24-h recall was undertaken. In the analysis, multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was employed. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of optimal sleep duration (7–9 h/day) in the regression of Model 4 were 1.00, 1.01 (0.89–1.15) and 1.19 (1.02–1.38) for the three tertiles of selenium consumption, respectively. Only overweight patients displayed a substantial positive connection between Se intake and the optimal sleep duration in the subgroup analysis. In summary, Se intake was significantly associated with optimal sleep duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunable circular dichroism (CD) is widely used in biology signal detection and chemical analysis. Researchers usually tune CD by changing the chirality and symmetry of nanostructures either directly or indirectly. Changes to a planar nanostructure's chirality are resisted by its structural reciprocity, which also constrains its CD tuning. However, the distribution of finite non‐radiative (ohmic) losses on a planar nanostructure will not be constrained by the reciprocity of structure. Here, a nanostructure is designed to tune the intensity of energy losses rather than change the chirality and symmetry of the whole structure. The results show that not only are the position and intensity of CD affected, but also the sign of the CD signal changes. These methods and results can help in utilizing the new approach to tune the modes and sign of a CD signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical properties of multi-ring with spatial symmetry breaking are investigated theoretically. Tunable ultrahigh order surface plasmonic resonance is achieved, which is found to be sensitive to geometric parameters. Certain high-order surface plasmonic resonances can be either suppressed or enhanced when geometrical parameters are adjusted. Moreover, more than one quadrupolar-dipolar, octupolar-dipolar, and hexadecapolar-dipolar mode of the surface plasmonic resonance can be achieved. The asymmetry also allows the generation of strong electric field enhancement with these nanostructures that can be applied in the field of surface-enhanced spectroscopy and biosensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mastitis is a common disease in cows breeding. The milk quality will be significantly reduced with increased milk somatic cells, which often occurs in cows with mastitis. In this study, the influence of seasonal changes, age and lactation stages in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) of cows was investigated. Then, the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) of cows with high somatic cell score (SCS) after melatonin treatment was systemically investigated. The results showed that melatonin significantly suppressed the milk somatic cell score under all of the tested conditions. The melatonin treatment also improved the milk nutritional value by reducing its fat but increasing its lactose and protein contents. The application of melatonin significantly improved the DHI. The beneficial effects of melatonin on DHI are likely attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of melatonin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric transmission (AT) reflects the conversion efficiency of a chiral nanostructure for circularly polarized light and is widely used in polarization and optoelectronic devices. In this study, a new mechanism is proposed to generate AT when a planar chiral nanostructure is illuminated under left‐handed circularly polarized (LCP) and right‐handed circularly polarized (RCP) light illumination. The new mechanism can be achieved by breaking the symmetry of the designed planar chiral nanostructure which give rise to a new transmittance peak and dip at a particular wavelength under RCP and LCP light illumination, respectively. The proposed new mechanism is also capable of actively tuning the generated resonant modes. Besides this, when graphene strips are added to the designed planar chiral nanostructure, similar results are obtained as that from breaking the symmetry of the planar chiral nanostructure. In this case, the generated AT could also be actively tuned by varying the Fermi energies of graphene strips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the synergistic effect of coal-bed methane (CBM) extraction and utilization on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction in Shanxi Province. Using data from a survey of 87 CBM extraction firms and 61 CBM utilization firms, we draw abatement cost curves of methane emission reduction with the "Conserved Supply Curve (CSC)." Our findings show large diversity among the methane abatement costs of extraction firms, meanwhile cost diversity in the extraction step is mainly due to differences in extraction technologies, rather than mine types. Power generation is the main utilization option for CBM, with much smaller abatement cost diversity than in the extraction step. Most utilization projects are established near CBM sources, with small-scale equipment supplied by domestic vendors. We suggest Shanxi could introduce a carbon pricing mechanism to further encourage CBM extraction and increase its scale. Promoting technology standardization can reduce cost diversity among extraction firms, while developing CBM purifying firms can create standardized products and break the strong integration of extraction and utilization. Strengthening CBM transportation infrastructure can form a competitive market with multi-source supply upstream and efficient transportation downstream. Promoting joint research and development for domestic CBM utilization equipment can also improve its scale. • We analyze CBM extraction and utilization on GHG emissions reduction in Shanxi. • A survey of 87 CBM extraction firms and 61 CBM utilization firms is conducted. • Abatement cost curves of methane emission reduction is drawn. • Findings show large diversity among the methane abatement costs among firms. • Strengthen CBM transportation infrastructure can form a competitive market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, we explored the relationship between melatonin and lactose synthesis in in vivo and in vitro conditions. We found that long-term melatonin feeding to the dairy cows significantly reduced the milk lactose content in a dose dependent manner. This lactose reduction was not associated with a negative energy balance, since melatonin treatment did not alter the fat, glucose, or protein metabolisms of the cows. To identify the potential molecular mechanisms, the cow's mammary epithelial cells were cultured for gene expression analysis. The results showed that the effect of melatonin on lactose reduction was mediated by its receptor MT1. MT1 activation downregulated the mRNA expression of the prolactin receptor gene (PRLR), which then suppressed the gene expression of SLC35B1. SLC35B1 is a galactose transporter and is responsible for the transportation of galactose to Golgi apparatus for lactose synthesis. Its suppression reduced the lactose synthesis and the milk lactose content. The discovery of this signal transduction pathway of melatonin on lactose synthesis provides a novel aspect of melatonin's effect on carbohydrate metabolism in cows and maybe also in other mammals, including humans., Competing Interests: Wenjuan Wei and Changwang He are employed by Beijing Sunlon Livestock Development Co., Ltd. Shujing Li, Wenli Yu, Zengyuan Zhao are employed by Shijiazhuang Tianquan Elite Dairy Co. Ltd. The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2023 Liu et al.)

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the awareness of Chinese dietary guidelines (CDGs, 2016) between rural and urban areas in Southwest China and identify the factors that affect CDGs (2016) awareness. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included 8,320 individuals aged 18-75 years from Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, China. Convenience sampling method was adopted to select the survey subjects and face-to-face surveys in each region were conducted to collect data. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear model were used to evaluate differences in awareness of CDGs among urban and rural residents and its influencing factors. Results: Overall CDGs awareness was low in urban and rural areas, although the awareness rate was higher in the former than in the latter (29.1% vs. 19.9%, respectively). Region, education level, Body Mass Index (BMI), gender, income, and age are the influencing factors of CDGs awareness. Urban participants were likely to acquire relevant knowledge from social media, books/magazines, family/friends, and experts. However, rural participants were likely to acquire relevant knowledge from food sales staff ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: Rural residents are less aware of CDGs than their urban counterparts in Southwest China. Future dietary education should adopt different strategies for different populations, with considerable focus on rural residents., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jiang, Wen, Li, Wang, Li, Sharma, Shi and Zhao.)

Objective: Puerperae' dietary patterns (DPs) during the puerperium may be influenced by the mode of delivery, but population studies on this topic are scarce. This study aims to explore the relationship between DPs and different modes of delivery among puerperae., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 3,345 parturients in Lanzhou, China. The postpartum food intake was measured by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Factor analysis was used to determine the DPs. Multiple linear regression was employed to examine the association between the mode of delivery and DP., Results: In this study, two DPs, i.e., traditional and modern DPs, were identified. Traditional DP was characterized by high energy-adjusted intake of tubers, coarse cereals, rice, whole grains, fishery products, and eggs. Modern DP included a high intake of coffee, non-sugary drinks, wine, tea, and fishery products. Compared with participants with vaginal delivery (reference category), cesarean section had an inverse association with modern DP (β: -0.11, 95% CI: -0.36, -0.09). A significant interaction was found between education level, monthly household income, alcohol drinking, and modes of delivery. The inverse association between cesarean section and modern DP or the intake of coffee was significant among puerperae with higher or lower monthly household income. However, the inverse association between cesarean section and traditional DP was only found among puerperae with higher monthly household income. Moreover, among the participants with high education, cesarean section was positively associated with intake of vegetables., Conclusion: Cesarean puerperae with higher levels of education and those with lower and higher monthly household income had less unhealthy foods intake than those who had vaginal delivery. They need to be accounted for in educational programs and interventions focused on healthy diet recommendations in puerperium., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhao, Wang, Wang, Shi, Zhu, Li, Wang, Su, Li, Wen, Zhang, Xu, Sharma and Zhao.)

Background: Information on nutrition literacy of middle schoolers is limited and tools for measuring nutrition literacy of middle schoolers are inadequate. Nutrition literacy has a positive effect on health. Improving children's nutrition literacy can help them to master the necessary nutritional knowledge, develop a healthy lifestyle, and learn to supplement nutrition according to their own needs for healthy growth., Objectives: To develop the Chongqing Middle school student Nutrition Literacy Scale (CM-NLS)., Methods: Three experiments were conducted. A theoretical framework and an initial item pool of CM-NLS were established based on the literature review. And the two-round Delphi method was used to explore the suitable acceptance indicators and items. Item evaluation and reduction were performed using the classical test theory. Then, the items in the final CM-NLS were tested for their validity and reliability amongst 462 middle school students. The construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The internal consistency reliability and split-half reliability were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficients., Results: The final CM-NLS consisting of 52 items that were based on three primary items (functional, interactive and critical) and six sub-items (obtain, understand, apply, interact, medial literacy and critical skill) was developed and validated. EFA suggested six factors explaining 69.44% of the total variance (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test = 0.916, Bartlett's test χ2 = 5,854.037, P < 0.001). CFA showed that the model fit the data adequately, with χ2/df = 1.911, root mean square error of approximation = 0.063, goodness-of-fit index = 0.822 and adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.790. The total CM-NLS Cronbach's alpha values of internal consistency and split-half reliability were 0.849 and 0.521, respectively, with reasonable reliability., Conclusions: CM-NLS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing nutrition literacy among middle school students in Chongqing. Specifically, it could be used by practitioners for needs assessment before the implementation of a nutrition education program., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Zeng, Xie, Zhu, Shi, Sharma and Zhao.)

Nutrition literacy plays an important role in children's dietary habits and nutrition. This study aimed to analyse the status of nutrition literacy and its influencing factors amongst middle school students in Chongqing, China. "Nutrition literacy scale for middle school students in Chongqing" was used in 29 districts of Chongqing in September 2020. The scores of nutrition literacy and its' three sub-domains (functional, interactive and critical nutrition literacy) were divided into low and high groups based on their median scores. Binary logistic regression was used to measure the influencing factors of nutrition literacy. A total of 18,660 middle school students were included in this study. The median of nutrition literacy of middle school students was 61.68 (IQR = 14.37). Interactive nutrition literacy had the highest score (median = 70.00, IQR = 20.00), followed by functional nutrition literacy (median = 68.69, IQR = 14.14) and critical nutrition literacy (median = 45.83, IQR = 25.00). Students who were the minority (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.637-0.785), in senior high school (OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.477-0.548), in rural areas (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.790-0.911), receiving school meal support from the government (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.591-0.664), with other caregivers' parenting (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.805-0.914), with parents having a low level of education and with an abnormal BMI [thin (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.837-0.990), overweight (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.785-0.968), and obese (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.767-0.902)] presented less probability of being a high level of nutrition literacy. Our results could assist public health authorities in developing strategies of nutrition literacy promotion for references and theoretical foundations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zeng, Zhu, Cai, Xian, Li, Wang, Shi, Sharma and Zhao.)

The electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like effect can be generated in the metamaterial system, but most metamaterial systems are composed of complex and elaborated components (nanostructures) that cannot be removed or replaced easily. In this paper, a graphene grating is used to interact with random metal nanostructures (i.e., individual and connecting nanostructures) to induce the EIT-like effect through two destructive interference excitation pathways. Except for the new induced EIT-like mode, the overall original optical patterns (the shape and intensity of the transmission spectrum) remain unchanged as compared with the single metal nanostructure. Furthermore, due to the optical properties of graphene, the induced EIT-like effect was blueshifted as the Fermi energy of graphene increased. By depositing the graphene grating and the metal nanostructures on a gallium oxide substrate, the EIT-like effect was redshifted as the temperature of the environment increased. Through this study, the EIT-like effect induced by the graphene grating with a random metal nanostructure system was demonstrated by using a simple geometric system; further, the mechanism is easy and can be introduced to many different metamaterial systems to generate the EIT-like effect without changing other optical properties of the original metamaterial system. As such, this opens the door to broader applications for optical communication networks.

Circular dichroism (CD) has been widely studied in recent decades because of its wide application in biomedical detection. Nanostructures with different heights (NDH) usually increase the transmission CD effect. To achieve such nanostructures, one needs to repeatedly perform the electron-beam lithography (EBL) method twice or more, layer-by-layer, which is a very complicated process. Here, we propose a method to prepare NDH by combining the EBL and oblique angle deposition (OAD) techniques. L-shaped planar silver nanostructures are prepared using EBL and normal electron beam deposition, and the OAD method is then used to partially cover one arm of the L-shaped nanostructure. Numerical simulations reveal that the height difference in the two arms of the L-shaped NDH (LSNDH) causes a difference in the polarization directions of the left- (LCP) and right-circularly polarized (RCP) incident light, thereby, generating CD effects. A 2D material is used to cover the LSNDH to further increase the charge polarization direction differences, which considerably increases the CD effect. These results are useful in simplifying and increasing the convenience of the preparation method of 3D chiral nanostructures. Furthermore, the proposed nanostructure may have potential application in biosensor, such as chiral enantiomer sensors.

Cow mastitis is a major problem frequently encountered by dairy farmers and it is manifested by the high number of somatic cells and the low quality of the milk. The conventional treatment for mastitis is use of antibiotics. In the current study, a new approach is applied to target this disorder: rumen bypass melatonin feeding (RBMF). The RBMF significantly reduced milk somatic cell count and improved milk nutritional values with the elevated protein, fat and dry matter levels. This approach also suppresses the stress and proinflammatory responses of the cows indicated by the reduced serum cortisol, TNF-α and IL-6 and increased IL-10 levels. Importantly, the beneficial effects of RBMF have lasted for several days after termination of the treatment. The effects of melatonin on the mastitis are probably attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of melatonin. Considering the none or low toxicity of melatonin to organisms and the no invasive nature of this approach, we recommend that RBMF could be used in large scale in the dairy farming to target the cow mastitis., Competing Interests: Hui Ma, Wenjuan Wei, Changwang He, and Yi Chang are employed by Beijing shounong animal husbandry development co. LTD. The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2020 Yao et al.)

Circular dichroism (CD) of nanostructures is in great demand for applications in biological molecules, photocurrent devices, and photocatalysis. Planar nanostructures can be prepared in a concise manner, and their CD effects have gained much research interest. In this study, tilted zigzag-shaped nanohole (TZSN) arrays are proposed, and the CD effect is studied by the finite element method. A strong resonance occurs in the gap by tuning the charge distributions between adjacent nanoholes. Meanwhile, the CD effect of TZSN arrays is strongly dependent on the structural parameters of TZSN. Results provide a novel method for tuning the CD effects of nanohole arrays on a film.

Circular dichroism (CD) is a signal that characterizes the optical properties of chiral structures. Structures with intense CD signals have valuable applications in molecular chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biosensing. This work proposes the use of a nanowire to increase the CD signal of crossed nanorods. The separation of resonant wavelengths of transmission under left-handed and right-handed circular polarization incidence (LCP and RCP) increases because the electric interaction between the upper nanorod and nanowire under LCP incidence is different from that under RCP incidence. The increased separation of resonant wavelengths, in turn, enhances the CD signals. In addition, two new CD modes appear, and these modes can be tuned by changing the structural parameters of the proposed structure. The present results will guide the design of plasmonic chiral nanostructures for enhancing the CD signal.

Asymmetric transmission (AT) holds significant applications in controlling polarization and propagation directions of electromagnetic waves. In this paper, tilted rectangular nanohole (TRNH) arrays in a square lattice are proposed to realize an AT effect. Numerical results show two AT modes in the transmission spectrum, and they are ascribed to the localized surface plasmon resonances around the two ends of TRNH and surface plasmon polaritons on the golden film. AT properties of the TRNH strongly depend on structural parameters, such as width, length, thickness, and tilted angle of TRNH. Results provide a novel mechanism for generating AT effect and offer potential plasmonic device applications, such as asymmetric wave splitters and optical isolators.

A strong chiral near-field is crucial for the detection of chiral molecules. Active tuning of the chiral near-field can shorten the detection process. In this study, a graphene-based achiral nanoring (GAN) that can actively control chiral near-fields is presented. The GAN is composed of three identical graphene pieces. The handedness and strength of the chiral near-fields can be actively controlled by adjusting the Fermi levels of these three graphene pieces. The optical chirality of the GAN near-field is 500 times that of circularly polarized light. In addition, the GAN enhances the chiral response of the chiral material by a factor of 250. This work provides opportunities for the ultrasensitive detection and location of molecules through the active control of chiral near-fields.

The circular dichroism (CD) effect plays an important role in biological detection, analytical chemistry, and plasmonic sensing. Tilted 3D structures can generate CD signals under normal illumination. However, fabricating tilted 3D structures is complex and expensive. In this study, we fabricate a tilted U-shaped nanostructure (TUSN) on a polystyrene (PS) nanosphere through the glancing angle deposition method. One branch of the U-shaped nanostructure is tilted by raising a sheet of SiO 2 on the PS nanosphere. And the CD signal of the TUSN is enhanced because the phase difference increases with increasing thickness of the SiO 2 sheet. This work proposes a method for fabricating tilted nanostructures and elucidates the mechanism of the CD effect for future research.

Asymmetric transmission (AT) has significant applications in optical polarization control. In this paper, we propose a kind of periodic nanoslit rather than the protruding planar structures, such as G-shaped structure and coupled split-ring resonators, to realize the AT effect. The planar periodic obliquely intersecting nanoslits (OINs) in the gold film, composed of gratings with an infinite length and tilted nanoslits with a finite length, are proposed to realize the AT effect by performing the finite element method. Obvious dips in the AT spectra result from the circular localized surface plasmon resonance around the two terminals of the tilted nanoslits and from the surface plasmon polariton resonances on the film and in the gratings or tilted nanoslits. In addition, the AT effect strongly depends on the geometric parameters of the OINs. The film can be straightly powered on as an in-plane electrical conductor, which broadens its applications in optoelectronic devices. Overall, these results are beneficial in designing devices to achieve AT for polarization transformation.

We previously reported that long-term administration of a low dose of gastrin and epidermal growth factor (GE) augments β-cell neogenesis in late-stage diabetic autoimmune mice after eliminating insulitis by induction of mixed chimerism. However, the source of β-cell neogenesis is still unknown. SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 9(+) (Sox9(+)) ductal cells in the adult pancreas are clonogenic and can give rise to insulin-producing β cells in an in vitro culture. Whether Sox9(+) ductal cells in the adult pancreas can give rise to β cells in vivo remains controversial. Here, using lineage-tracing with genetic labeling of Insulin- or Sox9-expressing cells, we show that hyperglycemia (>300 mg/dL) is required for inducing Sox9(+) ductal cell differentiation into insulin-producing β cells, and medium hyperglycemia (300-450 mg/dL) in combination with long-term administration of low-dose GE synergistically augments differentiation and is associated with normalization of blood glucose in nonautoimmune diabetic C57BL/6 mice. Short-term administration of high-dose GE cannot augment differentiation, although it can augment preexisting β-cell replication. These results indicate that medium hyperglycemia combined with long-term administration of low-dose GE represents one way to induce Sox9(+) ductal cell differentiation into β cells in adult mice.